Authenticity of Kartarpuri Bir - Global Sikh Studies

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Bir that has a third Tatkara called ‘Tatkara Tatkare’, (index of
the table of contents). Other handwritten Birs have only two
kinds of Tatkaras (tables of contents), one of the Rags, and
the other of the Sabads, Saloks, Astapadis, etc., giving the first
line of each Bani. This second table of contents which has the
sequence observed in the text also gives the serial number of
the Saloks or the Bani of each Guru as also the number of the
page where the Bani of a particular Guru starts. But this third
table of contents, which gives in eight lines only the list of 30
Rags called the ‘Tatkara Tatkare’, is found only in the Kartarpuri
Bir and forms its unique feature, suggesting its original character.
(e) At page 415/1 in the margin are written the words
“The Sabad is right”. This Sabad does not find mention in the
Tatkara. But, this observation in the margin shows that for
this Bir, there was a supervisor or editor, other than the scribe,
who alone could record such an observation of approval
regarding Sabad on the page. This observation shows the
original character of the Kartarpuri Bir. Otherwise, if the Bir
had been copied from another Bir, the question of such an
observation by the scribe or some other person would not arise.
(f) In the Tatkara of Sabads only the references of Sabads
1 to 58 of Ramkali Mahla 5 are given. But, on page 681/2 of
the Bir, which starts with Sabad 59 of Ramkali Mahla 5 and
ends with Sabad 60 of Ramkali Mahla 5, these two additional
Sabads are written. Both these Sabads are in a different hand
from that of the scribe and their reference in the Tatkara of
Sabads is missing. This means that these two Sabads were added
or got added either by the editor or the compiler. Here again,
the absence of the reference of these two Sabads in the Tatkara
and their text being in a different hand than that of the original
scribe suggest that this feature could probably be only in the
original and not in a copy. Because