Chapter 3

Sacred Writings of India

GURU NANAK AND THE GURU GRANTH SAHIB

According to the Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, never fully acknowledged the authority of the Hindu scriptures because he objected to Vedic ceremonies, the caste system, and the worship of many gods. Tracing the source of Nanak’s beliefs, however, Sikh writer Khushwant Singh notes: “Even a casual reading of his hymns reveals the influence of the Rigveda, the Upanishads . . . , and the Bhagvad Gita.” So to understand the Guru Granth Sahib, we must examine the sources of its teachings—the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita.—The Sikh Gurus and the Sikh Religion, Anil Chandra Banerjee, 1983, pages 133-4.

THE GURU GRANTH SAHIB

A collection of almost 6,000 hymns composed by various Sikh gurus as well as Hindu and Muslim mystics. “The Guru-Granth was compiled by the fifth Sikh Guru, Arjun, in 1604 A.D.”—Sri Guru Granth Sahib, translated by Dr. Gopal Singh, 1987, Volume 1, page XVIII.