‘The Prophet-Martyr: Guru Tegh Bahadur’: An expansive canvas of life and teachings of the Guru

Prof Harbans Singh has a special status among Sikh scholars. The four-volume ‘Encyclopaedia of Sikhism’, his magnum opus, has become the go-to reference book for people seeking a definitive work on multiple aspects of the Sikh ethos, religion and people. In time, there have been other encyclopaedias, including the ‘Brill Encyclopaedia of Sikhism’, yet the original is the one kept handy on most bookshelves, including that of this writer.

Prof Harbans Singh (1921-1998) was among the teachers who bridged traditional Punjabi scholarship and English academia. Besides his landmark work in establishing and heading the Department of Comparative Religion at Punjabi University, Patiala, he also wrote books that are still referred to by researchers and regular readers alike.

‘The Prophet-Martyr: Guru Tegh Bahadur’ is based on his original ‘Guru Tegh Bahadur’. The 1982 Sterling Publications book has been revised and expanded with the inclusion of the slokas by Guru Tegh Bahadur, translated by his daughter, Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh.

The release of this volume is well-timed, as we commemorate the 350th anniversary of the martyrdom of the ninth Guru of the Sikhs, and many are seeking books that offer more about the Guru and his teachings. By building an expansive canvas that includes a backgrounder titled ‘The Inheritance’, the writer gives an overview that allows us to place the Guru in the broader context, which is necessary to understand more about him.

Besides his deep understanding of Sikh religion and the various languages used in Guru Granth Sahib, his felicity with English stands out. He paints word pictures that evoke emotions even as they appeal to the intellect. Indeed, besides the book under review, his ‘Heritage of the Sikhs’ has been a perennial ever since it came out in 1964.

Modern authors glean history from traditional poetic texts such as ‘Gurbilas Chhevi Patshahi’ (1718), Koer Singh’s ‘Gurbilas Patshahi’ 10 (1751), Rattan Singh Bhangu’s ‘Prachin Panth Parkash’ (1841), among others. While writing a biography of the Guru, we find crucial references to him in other texts, documents like his ‘Hukamnamas’, and, of course, his bani, enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib. Relying on traditional sources and research from the personal collection of the noted historian, the late Dr Ganda Singh, the author has given a compelling account of the life and times of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The biographical details are fascinating, especially since the author weaves in contemporaneous events into the narrative, which helps the reader understand better. He was not interested in gaddi and was glad to be of service to the successor Gurus of his father. But when he was anointed Guru, he was clear about his role and place among the Sikhs. He undertook long spiritual journeys beyond Punjab to spread the teachings of the Gurus and to consolidate the sangats that had existed since the time of Guru Nanak.

The Guru’s bani “is not born of the rapture of cloudy mysticism, but of the very experience of Reality, of spiritual discipline of the highest order, of philosophic wisdom and enlightenment”, asserts the author.

In the chapter ‘Vision and Teachings’, Prof Harbans Singh provides an overview of the bani of the Guru, and in the next chapter, he translates some shabads and slokas from Guru Granth Sahib.

Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh takes the baton hereafter, as she has in real life, continuing her father’s legacy in serving Sikh scholarship. She has been with Colby College in Waterville, Maine, USA, since 1986 and is now the Crawford Family Professor of Religion and Chair of Religious Studies. With many books and academic laurels to her credit, she is a scholar in her own right, as well as her learned father’s daughter.

We see this role in the latest jugalbandi, the revised edition of this book, where she contributes by expanding the book by writing the ‘Prelude to the Slokas of Guru Tegh Bahadur’ and translating these slokas. Reading them, one gets a feeling of continuity and freshness.

As we commemorate 350 years of the martyrdom of the Guru, we need to go beyond public displays of religious fervour. We must connect ourselves with the Guru’s life and his teachings. ‘The Prophet-Martyr: Guru Tegh Bahadur’ is a way for the English-reading world to do so, lucidly.

— The reviewer is a journalist & author