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4 JPS 17:1&2
With the post-partition generation’s work in Sikh studies reaching a
close, it seems reasonable to begin reflecting on the field’s future
expansion. 5 Beginning this process with a discussion on Guru Nanak and
the origins of the Sikh community is logical, and making Guru Nanak
and the Sikh Religion the point of departure seems pragmatic. This
creates the opportunity to review a scholarly icon of the past generation,
assess the state of scholarship around one of the most significant themes
in Sikh history, and simultaneously explore the possibilities for future
research in the field. Working on this assumption, this essay deals with
the issues pertaining to Guru Nanak’s life, teachings, and activity at
Kartarpur, which are addressed in three stages: how McLeod treats them
in Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion, my assessment of his positions,
and the possible ways to expand this discussion.
My work in recent years with the early Sikh sources has convinced
me that the interpretation of Guru Nanak’s life and legacy, which
resulted in the beginnings of the Sikh community, needs close scrutiny.
This project involves a fresh look at the issues related to the life of the
founder, interpretation of his beliefs, and a clearer sense of the
sociocultural background of the early Sikh community. A greater
understanding of this phase of the Sikh community’s history would serve
both as a foundation to interpret developments in subsequent Sikh history
and a window into the medieval north Indian religious landscape.
Constructing Guru Nanak’s Life
The opening part of Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion presents a
discussion of the Guru’s life (pp. 7–147). It begins with an introduction
to the sources: the Guru Granth (a largely pre-1604 text), the opening
section of the Vars (ballads) of Bhai Gurdas (d. 1637?), and a set of the
Janam Sakhis (“life stories” [of Guru Nanak]) written over a period of
two centuries (1600–1800), and goes on to present summaries of the
Guru’s life in these texts. 6 From this extensive literary corpus, McLeod
selects 124 stories from the Janam Sakhi literature, subjects each one of
them to a close scrutiny, and places them under the categories of
“possible” (30), “probable” (37), improbable” (18), and “impossible”
(39) (pp. 92–94). This discussion is followed by an examination of the
details regarding the Guru’s dates of birth and death (pp. 94–99), and
closes with a page and a half summary of his life that is believed to be
historically verifiable (pp. 146–147).
Reactions to McLeod’s work on the Janam Sakhis as a source of early
Sikh history range from denunciation to a sense of awe, but there cannot
be any disagreement that he is correct in starting his discussion with early
sources on the life and mission of the Guru. 7 In addition to his historical
approach, McLeod’s attempt to introduce Sikh sources in translation was
also a major contribution to the field. 8 Despite these methodological