Contribution of Gurus to Sikhism

By Kenisha Browning

The Ten Gurus

Guru Nanak Guru Angad Guru Amar Das Guru Ram Das Guru Arjan

Guru Hargobind

Guru Har Rai

Guru Harkrishan

Guru Tegh Bahadur

Guru Gobind Singh

Guru Nanak

Guru Nanak

Created the institution of the

Guru, who became central authority in

community life

Defined the ideal person as a Gurmukh who practised the threefold discipline of nam dan ishnan, ‘the divine name, charity and purity’.

Founded the village of Kartarpur in 1519/ Lived there for the rest of his life as the ‘spiritual guide’ of a new religious community. ‘Nanak-Panth ’ is the community that followed his

panth of liberation. Prescribed the daily

routine, in which communal devotions was

recited in the early morning, and ‘so dar’

and Arti were sung in the evening.

Three key institutions1) Sangat (holly fellowship) where all felt that they

belonged to one large spiritual fraternity.2) Dharamsala, original form of the Sikh place of

worship.3) Langar, communal meal served by members of

the Sangat.

Laid the groundwork for a new, rational model of human

behaviour based on divine authority,

Guru AngadConsolidated the nascent Sikh

panth in the face of a challenge mounted by Guru Nanak’s eldest

son, Sri Chand, founder of the ascetic Undasi sect.

Established a new Sikh centre at Khadur, where his wife Khivi ran the community kitchen. Wife added a dessert – boiled rice in milk- to the

standard vegetarian meal. Sign of the Sikh’s ability to attract contributions substantial enough to offer generous

meals to one and all.

Refined the Gurmukhi script in which the Guru’s hymns

were recorded. Original script was a systematisation of the business shorthand that Guru

Nanak used to write the Punjabi language as a young

man.

Composed the sixty-two shaloks, which threw light on historical

situation of the panth during this period and marked the doctrinal boundaries of the Sikh faith in

strict conformity with Guru Nanak’s message.

Guru Amar Das Introduced a variety of

institutional innovations that helped to reinforce

the cohesion and unity of the ever-growing Sikh

panth.

Introduced a system of twenty-two Manjis (cots or

seats of authority) as bases for missionaries seeking to attract new

converts.

He also appointed women as missionaries. Gave all Sikh women equal rights

with men to conduct prayers and other ceremonies in the

congregational setting.

Abolished not only the wearing of the veil but the

practice of Sati, and permitted windows to

remarry.

Oversaw the preparation of the Goindval pothis (volumes) the initial

collection of the compositions of the first three Gurus and some of the medieval poet-saints.

Established two annual festivals (Divali and

Baisakhi) that provided regular opportunities for

the growing community to get together and meet the

Guru.

Founded the town of Goindval (southeast of Amritsar on the river

Beas)

Guru Ram Das

Established a town called Ramdaspur

in 1577 and ordered the

construction of a large bathing pool

there.

The liturgical requirement not only to recite but to sing the sacred Word became part

of the very definition of Sikhism, and contributed

significantly to the Sikh’s self-image

as a distinct and a cohesive

community.

Process of distinguishing

between ‘us’ and ‘them’ was effectively

completed during the period of Ram

Das.

Together the musicality and the emotional appeal

of his hymns had a tremendous

impact on his audience.

Contributed 679 new hymns to the

collection that made up the Sikh

scripture and expanded the

number of melodies specified

for their singing from 19 to 30.

The new building projects required

considerable financial and logistical

mobilisation for which the

appointment of ‘deputies’ (masands) became necessary to deal with increasingly

complex administrative

demands.

Guru Arjan

Built the Darbar Sahib (Divine court) in the sacred pool of Amritsar, a shining monument that remains the central symbol of the Sikh faith.

Guru Arjan’s execution (martyrdom) became the decisive factor in the crystallisation of the Sikh panth.

By the end of the sixteenth century the Sikh panth had developed a strong sense of identity.

Organised the scriptural corpus he had inherited into the Adi Granth, the definitive statement of Sikhism’s unique spiritual stance.

Guru Hargobind

Signalled this new direction when, at his investiture, he donned two swords, one symbolising spiritual (piril) and the other temporal (miri) authority.

Was Hargobind’s construction, in 1609, of the Akal Takhat (Throne of the Timeless) facing the Darbar Sahib, to resolve internal disputes within the community.

Under his direct leadership the Sikh panth took up arms to defend itself against mughal hostility. After four skirmishes with Mughal troops, Guru Hargobind withdrew from Amritsar to the jurisdiction of the mughal state. Kiratpur became the new centre of the mainline Sikh tradition.

Guru Har Rai Founded three missions Stressed importance of

langer, insisting no one should ever be turned away hungry.

Stressed the importance of early morning worship and scripture, implying that whether or not words could be understood, hymns benefited the heart and soul.

Sikhs are not to show miraculous powers because that goes against the will of God.

Guru Harkrishan

Healed those afflicted with leprosy.

Have had no real impact on Sikhism.

Guru Tegh Bahadur

Encouraged his followers to be fearless in their pursuit of a just society.

His martyrdom helped to make human rights and freedom of concience central to its identity.

Guru Gobind Singh

Brought an end to the succession of human Gurus. Thereafter, the authority of the Guru would be invested in the scripture (Guru-

Granth) and the corporate community

(Guru- Panth)

Reconstructed the panth and created the Khalsa (pure), an order of loyal Sikhs bound by a common

identify and discipline (rahit)

Added a

collection of

works of his

father Tegh

Bahadur, to the

Adi Granth, he

closed the Sikh

cannon.