Download entire Journal volume [PDF] - Global and International ...

G.S. Mann: Guru Nanak’s Life and Legacy 9
of his belief that Guru Nanak rejected the institution of scripture and that
it started with Guru Arjan, McLeod and his generation missed the
importance of the facts that Guru Nanak evolved a new script, Gurmukhi
(the script of the Gurmukhs/Sikhs); committed to writing his
compositions in the form of a pothi (book) bound in leather; and passed it
on ceremonially to his successor, Guru Angad. 29
The Puratan also informs us that the succession ceremony of Guru
Nanak was performed in two stages. In the first stage, the Guru offered
some coins to Angad, which in all likelihood indicated transference of
the control of the daily affairs (dunia) of the Sikh community to him
(Sakhi 56). In the second part, the Guru presented the pothi containing
his compositions to Angad, which implies that from that point on Angad
was in charge of the spiritual affairs (din), with the result that he was his
formal successor and the leader of the Sikhs (Sakhi 57). The Guru is
presented as having conducted an open search for a successor, declaring
the succession in a public ceremony, and making sure that all concerned
accept the transmission of authority before his death.
Examining Guru Nanak’s Beliefs
In the second half of Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion, McLeod
presents his interpretation of Guru Nanak’s teachings (pp. 148–226). He
begins by underlining the need to base this discussion on the Guru’s
compositions and interpret them by situating them in their historical
context. He argues that Guru Nanak’s writings can be understood within
the paradigm of the “Sant tradition,” which he defines as a synthesis of
elements from “Vaishnava Bhakti,” “hatha-yoga,” and “a marginal
contribution from Sufism.” He assumes Guru Nanak to be “a mystic”
seeking an “ineffable union with God” (pp. 149–150). Working on this
understanding, he then lays out the Guru’s teachings under the headings
of “The Nature of God,” “The Nature of Unregenerate Man,” “The
Divine Self-Expression,” and “The Discipline.” 30
While supporting McLeod’s use of Guru Nanak’s compositions as the
source materials and the need to situate the Guru within the context of his
times, one cannot help but raise issues with how he accomplished this
task. 31 Explaining his formulation of the “Sant synthesis” as a reservoir
from which the religious poets of the time, including Guru Nanak, drew
their ideas, McLeod writes: “Many of these concepts Guru Nanak shared
with the earlier and contemporary religious figures, including Kabir. It is
at once evident that his thought is closely related to that of the Sant
tradition of Northern India and there can be no doubt that much of it was
derived directly from this source” (p. 151). 32 There is no denying that
Guru Nanak shared ideas, categories, and terminology with fellow poet
saints, but McLeod pushes this position to a point that leaves little