Shabad Hazare (Guru Arjan Deviji) and Redaction

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arshdeepsingh84
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Shabad Hazare (Guru Arjan Deviji) and Redaction

Post by arshdeepsingh84 »

Hello,

My question is framed in the context of Shabad Hazare, but could also apply to other Bani like Sampuran Rehras.

I understand that Shabad Hazare is a letter written due to the pain of separation from His (Guru Arjan Dev Ji's) Father Guru Ram Das Ji.

But the content of the letter is completed in within the first 2 minutes of listening or reciting the prayer, (the entire prayer is approximately 10 minutes).

How then did the hymns of Guru Nanak Dev Ji from various raags get added to the Shabad Hazare we now find in most Gutka Sahibs and online. In fact, the hymns of Guru Nanak which are definitely related in their context to the letters of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, and are sourced from various raags in the SGGS, form the majority of Shabad Hazare that we find most commonly. I see how the scriptures fit together, and I can understand the context, but I would like to know who was responsible for compiling this Bani as we now find it online and in Gutka Sahibs.

Who was responsible for adding these hymns of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji to the current Shabad Hazare? Is the idea of a "Shabad Hazare" as a scripture and its formation something that post-dates the time of the Gurus? Or is it because these scriptures of Guru Nanak Dev Ji follow the scripts (the letters) of Guru Arjun Dev Ji in the context of where they are located in SGGS. But the scriptures from Guru Nanak Dev Ji that are found after the letters of Guru Arjan Dev Ji in the common form of Shabad Hazare are from a number of different raags, including Asa and Tilang I believe.

The same question for Rehras Sahib. As Rehras Sahib is contained on pages 8-10 I believe of SGGS, how was Chaupai Sahib added to "Sampuran" Rehras Sahib that we now find in most Gutka Sahibs. In this case, the compilation had to have happened during the time of Guru Gobind Singh Ji or later. One source mentions this compilation of Sampuran Rehras took place in the 19th century. In this context I ask who was responsible for the creation of consolidated prayers like Sampuran Rehras that are so central to Rehat. If it was in the 19th century that this redaction took place, it couldn't have been one of our Gurus that consolidated these prayers into the collection of various scriptures from SGGS and Dasam Granth that we have today.

I think my question would apply to a number of the Bani that we currently have, including those Bani that we recite regularly that are actually made up of scriptures from various parts of the SGGS (from different raags) and sometimes also including some scriptures from Dasam Granth Sahib.

I understand that the initial composition process of SGGS was undertaken by Guru Arjan Dev Ji, so he may have decided on the organization of Rehras that we have now on pages 8-10 of SGGS (including the hymns of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, as well as His Father Guru Ram Das Ji and His own hymns as well), but how was Chaupai Sahib added to "Sampuran Rehras," or even the invocation at the beginning of "Sampuran Rehras" of "Dukh Daru Sukh rog paya..."

I believe this process is referred to as "Redaction" in contemporary Biblical Scholarship. But I would like to find information involving the "redaction process" of the SGGS and also the compiled scriptures or "Banis" that are consolidations of various sections of SGGS and Dasam Granth Sahib. This information is difficult to find online.

I appreciate your assistance,

Arshdeep Singh
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