drkhalsa
SPNer
- Sep 16, 2004
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First use of ‘Hindustan’ by Guru Nanak: Jodh Singh
Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 13
Who was first to use the word Hindustan? Obviously, it is the most difficult question to answer. “Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, was first to use this word. Unfortunately, this fact is little known to scholars and others concerned”, asserts Dr Jodh Singh, famed scholar of philosophy and religion and the Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Sikhism, which is being prepared by Punjabi University, Patiala.
“In fact, Guru Nanak Dev was the first holy man to conceptualise our country as Hindustan. And Guru Granth Sahib is the first religious scripture of the Bhakti Movement period in which the word Hindustan was used first time. Before Guru Granth Sahib, the word Hindustan had not been used in any religious Granth”, claims Dr Jodh Singh. “I would stand corrected if any one shows me the reference of Hindustan in any other religious scripture before it was used by Guru Nanak Dev”, says Dr Jodh Singh.
Guru Nanak Dev wrote the word Hindustan in his ‘shalok’ that was authored to lodge a protest to God against Babar’s reign of terror in Hindustan. The Shalok is “Khurasan khasmana kiya, Hindustan draya, eti mar pai kurlane, tain ke dard na aiya”. Dr Jodh Singh, who has completed in four volumes the translation of Guru Granth Sahib in Hindi, says Guru Nanak Dev was in fact also the first to visualise the integration of this country which during his period had been divided in several provinces and principalities. All literature was full of references regarding provinces and there was no talk of the country as a unit as such during that period.
Asked about the translation of Guru Granth Sahib in Hindi, Dr Jodh Singh said that he had performed this task keeping in view the requirement of millions of Hindi-reading people of the country. “The translation was in chaste Hindi that is written and read in Central India”, he adds. Dr Jodh Singh, who has also been designated as Professor of Sikhism, did his Ph.D on Guru Nanak’s thought from Banaras Hindu University and also served there as lecturer for some years before joining Punjabi University. He is a member of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research and had held several eminent positions in Punjabi University and other academic institutions. He has authored several books on Sikhism.
His most recognised earlier works are the translation of Dasam Granth in English and Hindi and also the translation of Vars of Bhai Gurdas in English and Hindi. Translation of Guru Granth Sahib is the latest one. In this work, on the left side pages, there is a translation in ‘shalok’ form in Hindi and on the right side pages there is translation in Hindi prose. This has been done to make easy the understanding of Gurbani for Hindi-knowing people. Talking about the translation of Guru Granth Sahib, he said that the number of pages of this translated works is the same as those of Guru Granth Sahib. A detailed introduction explaining about Sikh history, philosophy and its doctrinal aspects and also glossary of technical terms used in Sikh religious ethos has been part of the work.
Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 13
Who was first to use the word Hindustan? Obviously, it is the most difficult question to answer. “Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, was first to use this word. Unfortunately, this fact is little known to scholars and others concerned”, asserts Dr Jodh Singh, famed scholar of philosophy and religion and the Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Sikhism, which is being prepared by Punjabi University, Patiala.
“In fact, Guru Nanak Dev was the first holy man to conceptualise our country as Hindustan. And Guru Granth Sahib is the first religious scripture of the Bhakti Movement period in which the word Hindustan was used first time. Before Guru Granth Sahib, the word Hindustan had not been used in any religious Granth”, claims Dr Jodh Singh. “I would stand corrected if any one shows me the reference of Hindustan in any other religious scripture before it was used by Guru Nanak Dev”, says Dr Jodh Singh.
Guru Nanak Dev wrote the word Hindustan in his ‘shalok’ that was authored to lodge a protest to God against Babar’s reign of terror in Hindustan. The Shalok is “Khurasan khasmana kiya, Hindustan draya, eti mar pai kurlane, tain ke dard na aiya”. Dr Jodh Singh, who has completed in four volumes the translation of Guru Granth Sahib in Hindi, says Guru Nanak Dev was in fact also the first to visualise the integration of this country which during his period had been divided in several provinces and principalities. All literature was full of references regarding provinces and there was no talk of the country as a unit as such during that period.
Asked about the translation of Guru Granth Sahib in Hindi, Dr Jodh Singh said that he had performed this task keeping in view the requirement of millions of Hindi-reading people of the country. “The translation was in chaste Hindi that is written and read in Central India”, he adds. Dr Jodh Singh, who has also been designated as Professor of Sikhism, did his Ph.D on Guru Nanak’s thought from Banaras Hindu University and also served there as lecturer for some years before joining Punjabi University. He is a member of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research and had held several eminent positions in Punjabi University and other academic institutions. He has authored several books on Sikhism.
His most recognised earlier works are the translation of Dasam Granth in English and Hindi and also the translation of Vars of Bhai Gurdas in English and Hindi. Translation of Guru Granth Sahib is the latest one. In this work, on the left side pages, there is a translation in ‘shalok’ form in Hindi and on the right side pages there is translation in Hindi prose. This has been done to make easy the understanding of Gurbani for Hindi-knowing people. Talking about the translation of Guru Granth Sahib, he said that the number of pages of this translated works is the same as those of Guru Granth Sahib. A detailed introduction explaining about Sikh history, philosophy and its doctrinal aspects and also glossary of technical terms used in Sikh religious ethos has been part of the work.
