The Bhagats of the Guru Granth Sahib: Sikh Self-Definition and the Bhagat Bani
Pashaura Singh
Abstract
This book analyses the key issues concerning the phenomenon of scriptural adaptation in a cross-cultural spirit. Specifically, it seeks to addresses three questions closely related to the process of scriptural adaptation in the Adi Granth: How was the Bhagat Bani collected and canonized in the Adi Granth? Why did certain hymns of the poet-saints of Sant, Sufi, and Bhakti origin receive direct comments from the Sikh Gurus? What is the status of the Bhagat Bani in the Sikh scriptural tradition? The volume explores the interaction between early Sikhism and other religious movements in the Punjab, ... More
This book analyses the key issues concerning the phenomenon of scriptural adaptation in a cross-cultural spirit. Specifically, it seeks to addresses three questions closely related to the process of scriptural adaptation in the Adi Granth: How was the Bhagat Bani collected and canonized in the Adi Granth? Why did certain hymns of the poet-saints of Sant, Sufi, and Bhakti origin receive direct comments from the Sikh Gurus? What is the status of the Bhagat Bani in the Sikh scriptural tradition? The volume explores the interaction between early Sikhism and other religious movements in the Punjab, focusing particularly on those saints from devotional tradition who find a place in the Guru Granth Sahib. It examines Sikh gurus responses to the work of Shaikh Farid; Kabir and Sant tradition of north India; Vaishnava bhakti tradition represented by various bhagats. It offers a new understanding of religious pluralism, stressing the need to enter into dialogue with an ‘open attitude’ by honouring the individual commitments and maintaining differences in mutual respect and dignity.
Keywords:
scriptural adaptation,
religious pluralism,
Adi Granth,
Bhagat Bani,
Sikh gurus,
Kabir,
Sant tradition,
Sufi,
bhagats,
Vaishnava bhakti tradition
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2003 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780195662696 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: October 2012 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195662696.001.0001 |
