editorial articles reviews news & views - Institute of Sikh Studies
editorial articles reviews news & views - Institute of Sikh Studies
editorial articles reviews news & views - Institute of Sikh Studies
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RELEVANCE OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB IN THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY<br />
21<br />
RELEVANCE OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB<br />
IN THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY<br />
TEJPAL SINGH *<br />
Literature has the inherent quality <strong>of</strong> being relevant to all times.<br />
Art and literature never die. It remains invariably fresh and lively.<br />
Guru Granth Sahib, as a genre, enshrines the highly inspired utterances<br />
<strong>of</strong> the divinely oriented poets, communed with God. Its universal<br />
appeal is to the whole <strong>of</strong> mankind. It typifies the man who is the<br />
measure <strong>of</strong> all things. Its vision is splendid, which covers the basic<br />
characteristics <strong>of</strong> man: his ego, tensions, fears, frustrations, anxieties,<br />
temptations as well as aspirations. Guru Granth Sahib’s appeal is<br />
ecumenical: everybody irrespective <strong>of</strong> caste, creed, religion, race,<br />
gender, region is welcome. Guru Granth Sahib is a major repository<br />
<strong>of</strong> spiritual cognition. Whatever relevance Guru Granth Sahib had<br />
four or five centuries ago, it has the same today in the twenty-first<br />
century for mankind. The scenario at the global stage has not changed<br />
much, and is marked by fear, suspicion, disunity and strife. Man is<br />
still groping for light in the dark in its search for peace and happiness.<br />
Mankind is beset by acts <strong>of</strong> genocide, violence, holocausts, terrorism<br />
and threats <strong>of</strong> nuclear wars. Imminently, Man’s existence is in peril.<br />
Guru Granth Sahib appeals to the Almighty for deliverance:<br />
Save by Thy grace, the world in flames;<br />
Save it at whatever portal it may be saved. 1<br />
The world is on a heap <strong>of</strong> gunpowder. Any ignition can explode<br />
it. Hitler’s invasion <strong>of</strong> Poland in September 1939 led to the Second<br />
World War, which killed 55 million people. Like Pearl Harbour and<br />
September 11, the Belsan school slaughter, Bali and Jakarta bombings<br />
are still fresh in our memory. The oil inflation <strong>of</strong> the 1970 changed<br />
* # 1, Myrtle Grove, Bella Vista, NSW 2153, Australia