Desam Granth - Important?

[Benst]

Hello!

I've been curious about this for a long time since having taken a Uni course on the history of Sikhism. I did ask the professor, and she basically said it really depended on the individual and group. My question is: how important is the Desam Granth to Khalsa Sikhs? Obviously it won't be on the same level as Sri Guru Granth Sahib, but it is peculiarly interesting (I say that as an outsider looking in), but quite different from the Granth Sahib.

Can anyone help me kind of understand how the Desam Granth is viewed?

 

[Treks]

Hi Benst Ji! Sat Sri Akaal.

Your university professor was absolutely correct.

Some of the daily Sikh recitations are recorded in the Dasam Granth, and a Sikh (Khalsa or not) may go their entire life having only read those particular pieces. Others might see it as providing mythological context to Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and others might revere it almost on par with Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Some view it as absolutely unnecessary in it's entirety.

It can be a point of contention amongst individuals and groups. As you said, it's clearly quite different from Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

 

[Benst]

Thankyou for the reply!

Thats what she said. It was interesting for her as an academic coming from the community and she even said that her upbringing coloured her own perceptions of Desam Granth. I've only read portions of it...but it seems so far out there compared to the Adi Granth and the writings of Ravi Das and the other pre-Nanak teachers.

Is it true that it was compiled by Sri Guru Gobind Singh, or is it that it was ascribed to him... my understanding is that it describes various lifetimes akin to the Buddhist Jatakas. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of english information that is reliable on it (that I can casually find).

 

[Treks]

Benst Ji

No one really knows who wrote the Dasam Granth. Yes, some people attribute the whole thing to Guru Gobind Singh Ji, some feel only selected pieces (like Jaap Sahib, Akal Ustat) were written by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and others believe the whole thing is written by other people.

Supporters of the Dasam Granth argue that the energy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) and Dasam Granth (DG) are very different which is why they are in separate books; SGGS, it's argued, is conveys shaant ras (essence of peace) and DG conveys bir ras (energy of war).

However, Guru Gobind Singh has his chance to update SGGS, which he did in fact, by adding the bani of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, leaving Guru Arjan Sahib's seal on the last page in tact. Guru Ji didn't write 'to be continued' or 'see volume 2' or leave any mark or instruction at all that we should look beyond SGGS. To say Sikhs need the DG to get their warrior spirit is inferring that SGGS is incomplete, and Guru Gobind Singh Ji apparently forgot to mention that.

my understanding is that it describes various lifetimes akin to the Buddhist Jatakas.

I'm not sure what a Buddhist Jataka is, sorry!

The DG contains poetry about Akaal Purakh (like Jaap Sahib), stories about Hindu avtars like Durga/Chandi, and many explicit and erotic tales of the sexual trickery of women (with a handful about the trickery of men, and a couple featuring righteous women), and zafarnama which is a letter from Guru Gobind Singh to Emperor Aurangzeb.

There is information about the DG here: Dasam Granth - SikhiWiki, free Sikh encyclopedia.

You can read some of it translated into English at www.sridasam.org (note there is 'no translation yet' on the pages for charitropakhyan, the erotic stories; you have to dig a bit deeper for those.. PM me if you're interested).

Guru fateh.

 

[Benst]

Thankyou for your reply! I'm glad I asked now, this is a good introduction. So, if I'm correct in seeing... even proponents of Desam Granth will say that it is, atleast, secondary to the SGGS? Thankyou, this has been very helpful!

To answer your question, the Jatakas are a collection of stories from Buddha's past lives, similar to Janam Sakhis (although the JS focus on only Nanak's life, as far as I know??). Each one has a certain moral lesson attached to it.

Benst Ji

No one really knows who wrote the Dasam Granth. Yes, some people attribute the whole thing to Guru Gobind Singh Ji, some feel only selected pieces (like Jaap Sahib, Akal Ustat) were written by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and others believe the whole thing is written by other people.

Supporters of the Dasam Granth argue that the energy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) and Dasam Granth (DG) are very different which is why they are in separate books; SGGS, it's argued, is conveys shaant ras (essence of peace) and DG conveys bir ras (energy of war).

However, Guru Gobind Singh has his chance to update SGGS, which he did in fact, by adding the bani of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, leaving Guru Arjan Sahib's seal on the last page in tact. Guru Ji didn't write 'to be continued' or 'see volume 2' or leave any mark or instruction at all that we should look beyond SGGS. To say Sikhs need the DG to get their warrior spirit is inferring that SGGS is incomplete, and Guru Gobind Singh Ji apparently forgot to mention that.

I'm not sure what a Buddhist Jataka is, sorry!

The DG contains poetry about Akaal Purakh (like Jaap Sahib), stories about Hindu avtars like Durga/Chandi, and many explicit and erotic tales of the sexual trickery of women (with a handful about the trickery of men, and a couple featuring righteous women), and zafarnama which is a letter from Guru Gobind Singh to Emperor Aurangzeb.

There is information about the DG here: Dasam Granth - SikhiWiki, free Sikh encyclopedia.

You can read some of it translated into English at www.sridasam.org (note there is 'no translation yet' on the pages for charitropakhyan, the erotic stories; you have to dig a bit deeper for those.. PM me if you're interested).

Guru fateh.

 

[Treks]

Sat Sri Akaal

The Akaal Takhat (governing body for Sikhs) issued a statement in 2008:

” …Debates presented in relation to Sri Dasam Granth are totally needless. No one has the right to present a questionable debate on the writings from Dasam Granth which the Panth has accepted and uses for the Sikh Rehit Maryada, Nitnem and Amrit Sanchaar. The whole Panth should be reminded that Sri Dasam Granth is an inseparable part of Sikh history, but Guru Gobind Singh Ji did not give it equal status to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and for this reason no other Granth can be Prakaash equal to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.”

From this site: What do you know of Sri Dasam Granth?

The above site has a section on the status of Dasam Granth and you should find it very helpful. I'm not sure about the rest of the site though.

You are correct, the vast majority of Sikhs would never raise the Dasam Granth to equal status with Guru Granth Sahib Ji, even those who read the DG cover-to-cover and love it dearly, as is their prerogative.

Thanks for telling me what the Buddhist jatakas are. Actually I don't know much about janamsakhis and couldn't tell you if they are only about Guru Nanak Sahib Ji's life or if others exist about the lives of the other Guru Sahiban.