Bhagat Singh ji I have been thinking for a while to post a calm collected rebuttal. Here is a response with as much calm as I could muster. There was lot of “bir-ras”/adrenalin I had to suppress.
Ambarsaria ji,
I always knew you had a warrior nature.
I appreciate that. I understand the anger. I look at it this way. My fellow Sikhs (and humans) are not trying to insult anything I find sacred, they are simply acting on their acquired beliefs. They are saying what they know best. Learn what you can from them, and if they are willing to learn, teach them.
Oh really! The teacher does not matter it is just the book!
The teacher matters their books, their teachings also matter. They are one and the same. We come to know the teacher through the teachings and teachings through the teacher.
Do you know we can discuss the authenticity of Guru Granth Sahib also but I don't find you posting on the authenticity of Guru Granth Sahib. It's because you are interested in the teachings in it, and not the authenticity of it. Now it would not be logical for me to assume you don't care about the teachers who contributed to it.
You can get the same from watching Ram-Lilah where Hanuman fights with the so called 12[ten-] headed king of Sri Lanka. Plenty of Bir Ras! There are many novels, stories available to get your heart pumping including when in passionate embrace the Kamasutra for that extra Bir Ras.
You have got it! Part of Dasam Granth is exactly this! It's education and media as well as spirituality and philosophy.
1
Illiterate population
Remember, back then in the Gurus times they did not have what you mentioned, none of it. We are talking about illiterate farmers, carpenters, and other lower caste members here who would not have access, nor have the time to become literate of their own texts. (The upper castes tended to be more literate,
esp. some Brahmins who only did that - study texts)
Today we can step into a library and read. That is because we have time, and we as a culture are focused on literacy. This was not the case back then. Only Brahmins were focused on literacy. Education dwindled as we went down the caste system. The same is true today but to a lesser extent. It is illogical to apply today's standards to ancient history.
2
Attempts to increase literacy
Remember the attempts to increase literacy was a part of Sikhism since Guru Angad Dev ji, who created the Gurmukhi script and started small learning centres. Guru Amardas ji also appointed members to attend to areas where he couldn't. By the time of Guru Arjan Dev ji, we already had scholars like Bhai Gurdas. Guru Hargobind Sahib ji started having Dhadhis in his court, who would tell stories from Puranas, the Gurus, other warriors, etc. Guru Tegh Bahadur ji keeps company with Brahmins, some of whom go with him to their martyrdom. He also gets Sikhs to attain higher education. In the same tradition Guru Gobind Singh ji sends Sikhs to "universities" of the time, located in Benares and regions like it, who are today called Nirmalas.
3
Puranas are significant
Puranic tales were a big part of the education back then. That was their history, spirituality, philosophy, (inter and intra)religious lesson bundled together. (There was also math, language (Sanskrit) and medicine with the arts, this is irrelevant to our discussion though.) A read of Guru Granth Sahib should tell you how important it is to have knowledge of Vishnu and Bhagwad Puran. It relies a lot on Puranic tales to make the spiritual as well as philosophical and theological points clear.
4
Puranas are inaccessible
Puranas are not in the native language of Punjab and nearby regions, they are written in Sanskrit. Plus there are so many of them... not to mention each one is long! You would have to devote your entire life to learning the language and reading through all of them, it's a Brahmins (scholar's) job to study these.
5
Purpose of Dasam Granth
Part of Dasam Granth attempts to educate the natives of Punjab by making the Puranas accessible. They are shortened and translated, even paraphrased for the audience. And as it does that, it also emphasizes descriptions of war, so strike Bir Ras in the reader. Some banis even say "if you read this you will become a warrior". Combine this with the contributions of the previous Gurus and voila!
Brother you are confusing inner strength with external manifestations. There was plenty of Bir Ras in Gur Arjan Dev ji, Guru Hargobind Sahib ji, Bhai Mati Das ji, Bhai Taru ji and many others who laid the foundation of Sikhism without any access to such mentioned Dasam Granth.
They were already leaders. These guys don't need any lessons from Guru Granth Sahib even. They wrote it, lived it and died for it.
To conclude this post, many Sikhs revere Dasam Granth, you and I may not but I respect the panth enough to respect what they revere. And I will always try to understand why people revere the things they do, as long as I am alive. That is my nature.
Cheer up
PS I am wondering have you read the Kaam Sutra?
