Authenticity of Kartarpuri Bir - Global Sikh Studies

took the place of personal Gurus and continues to
guide and inspire the Sikhs all over. Its position, status, and
importance as a religious guide is supreme, excelling that of
the scripture of any other religion. In fact, from the very start
the status of the Bani (Sabad) was supreme.
Many hand-written copies of the Granth Sahib are in
existence and at present its printed volumes are found in all
Gurudwaras (Sikh Temples) and numerous Sikh homes.
Translations in English, Urdu, and Hindi are also available.
Considering the unique position The Guru Granth occupies in
the Sikh religious system, the question of its authenticity
assumes a fundamental importance. This raises the question
of identifying unquestionably the original manuscript scribed
by Bhai Gurdas under the direction and personal supervision
of Guru Arjan Dev. Apart from many hand-written copies
possessed by various persons and found in some Gurudwaras
and institutions, the most important is the Bir recension at
Kartarpur, near Jullundher, in the custody of Sodhi AmarJit
Singh, a descendent of Dhirmal. This is taken to be the Bir
prepared by the fifth Guru and has throughout history been
the Bir or reference. An alleged copy of the original Adi-Granth
is claimed to be the Bir of Bhaj Banno. It is, at present, jn
Gurdwara Bhai Banno at Kanpur. The Damdami Bir, the version
that was apotheosized, was prepared under the direction and
supervision of Guru Gobind Singh, incorporating the Bani of
his revered father, Guru Tegh Bhadur, in the text of the original
that was scribed by Bhai Gurdas. The present printed Bir is a
faithful copy of it.
The historical tradition is consistant that the Kartarpuri
Bir is the original Bir compiled by the fifth Guru. For the Banno
Bir the claim is that, except for some extra material introduced
in it, it is the first copy of the original Bir compiled by the fifth
Guru. Our object in this essay is to consider all the pros and
cons of these issues and arrive at a clear finding. An attempt
will be made briefly to state, discuss,
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