Adi Granth - Compilation

Compilation

One of the classic simplifications of Sikh history pertains to the preparation of the sacred scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. The event is generally described in the briefest terms. The Holy Volume was compiled by Guru Arjan (AD 1563-1606) and the first copy was calligraphed by Bhai Gurdas at his dictation — this is all we learn from most of the sources. What amount of planning, minute attention to detail and went into this work is slurred over.

An old text which gives some detailed information is the "Gurbilas Chhevin Patshahi". Written in A.D. 1718, this, in fact, is the oldest source. Although it does not go into the technical and literary minutiae, it narrates the entire process from the beginning of the transcription of the Holy Volume to its installation in the newly built Harimandir Sahib at Amritsar.

Why Guru Arjan undertook the task is variously explained. One commonly accepted assumption is that the codification of the Gurus' compositions into authorized volume was begun by him with a view to preserving them from garbling by schismatic groups and others. According to the Mahima Prakash (A.D. 1776), he set to work with the announcement: "As the Panth (Community) has been revealed unto the world, so there must be the Granth (Book), too."