Guru Granth Sahib (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਗਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ;Hindi: गुरु ग्रन्थ साहिब;[ɡʊɾu ɡɾəntʰ sɑhɪb]), is the central religious holy text of Sikhism, considered by Sikhs to be the final sovereign Guru of the religion. It is a reverent work containing 1430 Angs (pages), containing hymns of 36 saint mystics which includes Sikh Gurus (6 gurus),Sikh Bhagats(15 bhagats), Sikh Bhatts(11 bhatts) and Gursikhs(4 gursikhs). It is the only religious book in world that contains views and ideology of people of other religions , caste and creed. It also contains teachings of Sikh gurus themselves and was written by Bhai Gurdas Ji(first version) and by Bhai Mani Singh Ji(second version)
Contents
Categorization of Authors
Generally, Scholars categorize authors of Guru Granth Sahib into four groups:
- Sikh Gurus
- Sikh Bhagats
- Sikh Bhatts(or Sikh Bhatra)
- Gursikhs
Sikh Gurus
Philosophically, Sikhs are bound to believe in Shabad Guru but general belief is that The Sikh Gurus established Sikhism over the centuries, beginning in the year 1469. There are 6 Sikh Gurus whose hymns are present in Guru Granth Sahib:
Sikh Bhagats
In above list, The Sikh Bhagats (Punjabi: ਭਗਤ, from Sanskrit भक्त) were holy men of various sects whose teachings are included in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Their bani come under title Bani Bhagtaan Ki. The word "Bhagat" means devotee, and comes from the Sanskrit word Bhakti, which means devotion and love. Bhagats evolved a belief in one God that preceded Bhagat Kabir selected the writings of The Great Hindu Bhaktis and Sufi saints.
Among above, below is the list of Bhagats:
Sikh Bhatts
Many Hindu Saraswat Brahmins started follow the word of Guru Nanak Dev known as Bhatts. There are 11 Sikh Bhatts whose bani is included in Guru Granth Sahib:
Controversial Authors:Mardana and Tall
There are two more writers of present recension of Adi Granth which is matter of debate among various scholars: Bhai Mardana and Bhatt Tall.
As per various scholars: