Hukamnamas of Guru Tegh Bahadhur - A Historical Study

Randip Singh · #1 (**permalink**) 01-Apr-2009, 23:02 PM

Hi All,

I just received this book today and have been flicking through it. It contains translations of Guru Tegh Bahadhurs Hukamnama's or Edicts.

Interestingly it also contains a section of UN-authentic Hukamnama's but these are hard to make out and are untranslated.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/books-on-sikhism/24469-hukamnamas-guru-tegh-bahadhur-historical-study.html
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24469

Has anyone else read this book?
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Narayanjot Kaur · #2 (**permalink**) 02-Apr-2009, 02:44 AM

randip ji
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24469

I am going to love this discussion. Can't wait for it to get started. Where did you get the book?

dalsingh · #3 (**permalink**) 02-Apr-2009, 04:18 AM

Sounds interesting! What have you found?

Gyani Jarnail Singh · #4 (**permalink**) 02-Apr-2009, 08:01 AM

yes Randip Ji..begin to put these hukmanams on line...we will discuss...lets separate the wheat from the chaff..

Randip Singh · #5 (**permalink**) 02-Apr-2009, 13:01 PM

OK will do. May take some time.

The majority of the Hukamnama's are to give money to so and so and do so and so task. Will start reading soon. I still haven't read the Hazoori Sikh book :p. I am getting slow in reading .

Randip Singh · #6 (**permalink**) 03-Apr-2009, 04:46 AM

Ok, just read the first few pages.

The author seems to criticise Gandha Singh's book on the collection of Hukamnama's in saying that some may have been written by scribes, or other people eg Bhai Gurditta.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24469

He is analysing styles and the ways in which people are addressed.

Narayanjot Kaur · #7 (**permalink**) 03-Apr-2009, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by randip singh

Ok, just read the first few pages.

The author seems to criticise Gandha Singh's book on the collection of Hukamnama's in saying that some may have been written by scribes, or other people eg Bhai Gurditta.

He is analysing styles and the ways in which people are addressed.

But that is a good observation because consistency of style -- handwriting and tone -- are ways to understand the authenticity of texts.

Gyani Jarnail Singh · #8 (**permalink**) 03-Apr-2009, 07:52 AM

Yes now that there is newer "linguistic/handwriting recognition/forensic etc "types of knowledge available...such studies can take place. There is no need to "place blind faith/complete trust"...in anything just because for Example....Dr. Ganda Singh wrote so..he must be correct....He could be wrong as well ( genuinely mistaken due to his limited resources etc )
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24469
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24469
Daily I come across mails stating.."THIS MUST be absolutely CORRECT..because..so and so wrote it in his book..so and so Dr said so in his PHd Thesis.......and so on...
Never the less..today the Internet/IT/WEB/ Printing technology is so widespread and CHEAP..that almost anyone can write even an "ENCYCLOPAEDIA"....or a Book....and publish it so cheaply and instantly...thus there is widespread "dubious" sources available...we need to become even more discerning and use our own judgments by casting the net ( for knowledge) as wide as possible..compare widely.

2. The Gurus had a vast "empire" to administer....First Guru nanak ji travelled almost the entire Globe..and made Sikhs everywhere..then Guru Amardass Ji established 22 Manjis/Peerhis (Centres of administration) spread as fars as Kabul..Orrissa..Dhaka...Guru Teg babhdur Ji also traveleld as far as Bengal.. I mean to say the GURUS must have despatched "Letters of Administration" on a Daily Basis..mundane subjects like those mentioned..like''Give this amount to so and so..Bhai so and so..buy me a few Arabian Horses from so and so..etc etc. ALL such are called "HUKMnamahs"....not necessarily religious HUKMs..or Spiritual Edicts as such...

3. Most of the HUKMnamahs seek to "JOIN"...bring in people to the GURU...( Unlike the HUKMnamahs that are issued from our Takhats TODAY...that seek to BAN/EXCOMMUNICATE/REMOVE people from the GURU !!) Thus in present day context..a "HUKMnamah" should only apply to a passage from the GURU - that is Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

I am sure this book will be very interesting..

Narayanjot Kaur · #9 (**permalink**) 03-Apr-2009, 10:21 AM

Gyani ji

Don't you think this is a fascinating field of study. That is how in the end they caught the "Unibomber" -- his brother recognized his brother's style of writing when his manifesto was published in a newspaper. Then a linguistics expert did a content analysis of the grammar and expressions of the manifesto and some personal writings. There was a match. Same thing with the scholars who find "manuscripts by William Shakespeare" bound up in the cover of a new book.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24469

The handwriting could differ if hukamnamas were dictated by a Guru to one of several scribes. Then there could be various writing styles. But the style of the text itself would carry the signature expressions of a Guru. If I were a lot younger this would definitely be what I would dig into.