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COMPILATION OF SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB17This constitutes the core <strong>of</strong> <strong>Sikh</strong> philosophy and provides thequintessence <strong>of</strong> teachings <strong>of</strong> <strong>Sikh</strong> Gurus and Bhaktas contained in SriGuru Granth Sahib (SGGS). It was only after the revelation thatGuru Nanak started claiming that what he was saying, he was doingso under divine inspiration.There are similar utterances by third, fourth and fifth <strong>Sikh</strong> Gurusin Sri Guru Granth Sahib. 2Even before that, right from his birth and childhood, Guru Nanakhad shown a remarkable alacrity in chartering a new course <strong>of</strong> universalhumanism. Equality <strong>of</strong> humankind formed an essential part <strong>of</strong> histeachings and philosophy. This was quite unique. But it wasunacceptable to the prevalent social mores <strong>of</strong> Brahminism, which wasanother name for Hinduism. Guru Nanak’s repudiation <strong>of</strong>Varnashramdharma, with in-built inequalities, struck at the root <strong>of</strong> theexisting social structure.Having entered into revolutionary characteristics to charter a newsociety and give it a new face, it was imperative for Guru Nanak topreserve his sayings or compositions in an authoritative form. Hajisasking Guru Nanak at Mecca to open his book and tell them whethera Hindu or a Muslim was more acceptable to God, clearly showed thatGuru Nanak did keep a book to record his sayings. So did hissuccessors. Composition <strong>of</strong> a volume known as Pothi (sahib) duringfifth Guru’s-times, Granth Sahib during seventh Guru’s times, andeventually in 1708 when tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh conferredon Granth Sahib the title <strong>of</strong> a living Guru <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Sikh</strong>s for all times tocome, was in the scheme <strong>of</strong> <strong>Sikh</strong>ism right from the beginning. It wasnot a chance growth.IIGuru Nanak was son <strong>of</strong> a patwari, (village accountant), a wellreadclass. It was normal for people <strong>of</strong> that class, firstly, to keep avehi, sometimes multiple vehis <strong>of</strong> small, medium, or normal sizes torecord their social, cultural and economic interactions <strong>of</strong> life. 3Secondly, as <strong>Jan</strong>amsakhis record, Guru Nanak was taken at firstto a Pandha, a Brahmin teacher, to teach him basics <strong>of</strong> Sanskrit andlater to a Maulvi to impart him teachings <strong>of</strong> Persian and Arabic. Thirdly,Guru Nanak, without much efforts, must have learnt Takras or Landas,
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