During the late 19th century and early 20th century,
scholars such as Bhai Vir Singh came across numerous practices within
Sanatan Sikhism such as ‘Chandi’ worship,
use of intoxicants (such as alcohol, cannabis, opium), ‘Chatka’,
polygamy, and references to topics such as adultery, homosexuality,
lesbianism, ‘napumsak’ (the third gender), etc. Considering
such issues as being products of either ‘Hindu’ influence,
‘impure’ thoughts, or ‘manmat’ (practices
that go against the teachings of the Sikh Gurus), the Tat Khalsa
Singh Sabhia-sponsored scholars began to dismiss, or expunge, or
destroy, or alter any text/manuscript that mentioned such subjects.
Bhai Vir Singh
Poet, intellectual, historian and scholar of the Tat Khalsa Singh
Sabhia movement
In the early 20th century, the surreptitious Bhai
Vir Singh decided to publish Rattan Singh Bhangu’s ‘Pracheen
Panth Prakash’. He systematically expunged this great
text and altered some portions of the original text, but still deviously
presented it as an ‘edited’ version. He sought to remove
all mention of ‘Chandi Pooja’ and alcohol
and from it for such practices, were deemed as being too ‘Hindu’
for the insecure Tat Khalsa Singhs.
The former S.G.P.C.-elected Jathedar of the Akal Takht,
Giani Kirpal Singh and editor of ‘Naveen Panth Prakash’
commented on the advice given him by some modern Sikhs:
‘When I was just transliterating the invocatory
verses, then many Sikh gentlemen advised me to:
‘Erase those portions of it, which were against Guru’s
thinking and Sikh history and in their place insert your own
new verses. Like how, from Rattan Singh Bhangu’s
work, ‘Panth Prakash’, Bhai Vir Singh removed some
portions. In some places [Bhai Vir Singh] changed the
wording such as that with regards to the invocation of ‘Chandi’
(NB. Chandi Pooja was carried out by Akali Nihang Guru Gobind
Singh before the before creation of the Khalsa), etc., and,
replacing the word ‘Sura’ (alcohol) with ‘Suda’
(Ambrosia/Khalsa initiation)’
I did not agree with those gentlemen’s above-said thinking,
and I said that to cut out some writers original text and insert
in new text of your own is a great injustice with the author
and in the literary world is considered a great sin. Yes, regards
the text the editor in foot notes can give his own views.
‘Siri Guru Panth Prakash’, editor Giani Kirpal Singh,
1970, Vol.1, Pa.3
Durga
Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj tells the tale of how
Durga vanquished the demons in 'Chandi di Vaar' (Dasam Guru Durbar)
