Compilation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib

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Chapter 1

Preparations for Compilation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib


In order to do research on the above subject matter, we have to take into account for our consideration the following three old chronicles

1 Gur Pratap Sooraj, by Kavi Santokh Singh
2. Gur Bilas of the Sixth Guru
3. History of Guru Khalsa by Giani Gian Singh

The first two books are in verse, while the third one is in prose.

All three historians mention that before Guru Arjan Dev, none of the Gurus wrote his own compositions in his own hand or preserved them. The idea of keeping all the compositions in a book,occurred first to Guru Arjan Dev only. He, therefore, issued edicts to the Sikhs living in various parts of the country to the effect that whosoever possessed any composition of the first four Gurus, should present himself to the Guru for getting the Composition recorded with him. In this way the compositions of the first four Gurus were collected in the course of many years.


Sooraj Prakash

Poet Santokh Singh writes as follows:

One day Guru Arjan was giving a religious discourse, whilst sitting in a congregation. A Sikh prayerfully submitted to the Guru that Prithia (Prithi Chand, the elder brother of the Guru) and others were making poetry under the authorship of Guru Nanak. This created great confusion in Sikhs, as for an average

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Displaying Page 17 of 271