- Nov 24, 2004
- 29
- 71
- 81
Dear Sadh Sangat ji and knowledgable readers of SPN.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
With the kind blessings of the Great Guru one reads His Holy Bani.
I normally read a few pages everyday in my on-going Sahaj Patth from Adi to Antt.
My aim is not to rush through but to read slowly and try to keep my mind on the subject and try and understand the meanings and enjoy the process thoroughly. Fortunately, I have done this many times and slowly and slowly my concentration is improving with the blessings of Guru Maharaj.
I was puzzled one day while reading on page number 841 "Bilawal Mahella 3 Vaar Satt Ghar 10" As I finished reading the Antt of the Vaar Satt, I felt that "Sunday" was not mentioned. I read again and realized that the Shabad starts with "Monday" and ends with "Saturday". Sunday is not explained.
I went to the local Gurdwara and asked the Bhai Sahib to read the page in front of me. He didn’t realize that "Sunday" was missing. When I told him so, he read again and was aghast. And he read again and again and looked even more puzzled than me. The question on his tongue and mine was the same, "How can one day be missing?"
I told him that my impression is that during the turmoil following departure of Guru Gobind Singh ji and the persecution unleashed my the Mughal rulers during the time of Banda Singh Bahadur and thereafter, the Sikh were on the run. This unstable period lasted until Ahmad Shah Abdali, the raider King of Afghanistan, was repulsed and dare not come to Punjab again. Then the Sikhs went about carving their own Thanas and areas of control. Utter confusion followed and several inter-Jatha battles and amalgamations took place which culminated in the formation of the Misls and the Sikh Raj.
Since copies of Scriptures were hand written in those days, some body seems to have missed out "Sunday" while copying from another Guru Granth Sahib. Maybe there was some threat to the Jatha or to the writer and they had to pause in between and thus missed a line or a few words.
Maybe, subsequent copies of Guru Granth Sahib were prepared on the basis of that particular copy where this mistake had taken place. And the error, somehow, went unnoticed through the last three centuries.
The Bhai Sahib of the Gurdwara did not want to commit anything although his facial features and body language indicated that he was in agreement with me. He did not want to commit lest he be punished by the Guru for saying that someone has made a mistake in the Guru Granth Sahib.
If my contention is accepted for the time being, then the mistake did not take place when the first transcription of Guru Granth Sahib was written or even when Guru Gobind Singh ji edited and added his father’s Bani. It took place during the turmoil period when a Sikh’s head was valued at Rupees ten only.
I am sure, when the first transcription of Guru Granth Sahib was written, Bhai Gurdas ji would have mentioned to Guru Angad Dev ji Maharaj that "Sunday" is missing.
Or one can also say that Bhai Gurdas ji was an evolved soul and did not want to question Guru Maharaj.
On the contrary it would have been inappropriate on the part of Bhai Sahib to let such an error go uncorrected since he was an evolved soul.
If Guru Sahib had really missed out while dictating to Bhai Gurdas ji, he would have corrected the error and mentioned in the Bani "Radd" meaning ‘cancelled’ as one can see in many portions where it says "Radd" or "Shudd Keechey" meaning ‘corrected’.
It is really difficult to say what may have happened. I am really puzzled.
Can anyone of the Gyanis throw some light on this subject?
May Guru Maharaj forgive me for anything wrong I have stated. But after all, I am a Seeker.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
Tejwant Singh1
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
With the kind blessings of the Great Guru one reads His Holy Bani.
I normally read a few pages everyday in my on-going Sahaj Patth from Adi to Antt.
My aim is not to rush through but to read slowly and try to keep my mind on the subject and try and understand the meanings and enjoy the process thoroughly. Fortunately, I have done this many times and slowly and slowly my concentration is improving with the blessings of Guru Maharaj.
I was puzzled one day while reading on page number 841 "Bilawal Mahella 3 Vaar Satt Ghar 10" As I finished reading the Antt of the Vaar Satt, I felt that "Sunday" was not mentioned. I read again and realized that the Shabad starts with "Monday" and ends with "Saturday". Sunday is not explained.
I went to the local Gurdwara and asked the Bhai Sahib to read the page in front of me. He didn’t realize that "Sunday" was missing. When I told him so, he read again and was aghast. And he read again and again and looked even more puzzled than me. The question on his tongue and mine was the same, "How can one day be missing?"
I told him that my impression is that during the turmoil following departure of Guru Gobind Singh ji and the persecution unleashed my the Mughal rulers during the time of Banda Singh Bahadur and thereafter, the Sikh were on the run. This unstable period lasted until Ahmad Shah Abdali, the raider King of Afghanistan, was repulsed and dare not come to Punjab again. Then the Sikhs went about carving their own Thanas and areas of control. Utter confusion followed and several inter-Jatha battles and amalgamations took place which culminated in the formation of the Misls and the Sikh Raj.
Since copies of Scriptures were hand written in those days, some body seems to have missed out "Sunday" while copying from another Guru Granth Sahib. Maybe there was some threat to the Jatha or to the writer and they had to pause in between and thus missed a line or a few words.
Maybe, subsequent copies of Guru Granth Sahib were prepared on the basis of that particular copy where this mistake had taken place. And the error, somehow, went unnoticed through the last three centuries.
The Bhai Sahib of the Gurdwara did not want to commit anything although his facial features and body language indicated that he was in agreement with me. He did not want to commit lest he be punished by the Guru for saying that someone has made a mistake in the Guru Granth Sahib.
If my contention is accepted for the time being, then the mistake did not take place when the first transcription of Guru Granth Sahib was written or even when Guru Gobind Singh ji edited and added his father’s Bani. It took place during the turmoil period when a Sikh’s head was valued at Rupees ten only.
I am sure, when the first transcription of Guru Granth Sahib was written, Bhai Gurdas ji would have mentioned to Guru Angad Dev ji Maharaj that "Sunday" is missing.
Or one can also say that Bhai Gurdas ji was an evolved soul and did not want to question Guru Maharaj.
On the contrary it would have been inappropriate on the part of Bhai Sahib to let such an error go uncorrected since he was an evolved soul.
If Guru Sahib had really missed out while dictating to Bhai Gurdas ji, he would have corrected the error and mentioned in the Bani "Radd" meaning ‘cancelled’ as one can see in many portions where it says "Radd" or "Shudd Keechey" meaning ‘corrected’.
It is really difficult to say what may have happened. I am really puzzled.
Can anyone of the Gyanis throw some light on this subject?
May Guru Maharaj forgive me for anything wrong I have stated. But after all, I am a Seeker.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
Tejwant Singh1