No comments about Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion (Oxford India Paperbacks).

No comments about The Sikhs in Ferment: Battles of the Sikh Gurus.

No comments about Sikhs of the Khalsa: A History of the Khalsa Rahit (Oxford India Collection).

No comments about The First Sikh Spiritual Master: Timeless Wisdom from the Life and Techniques of Guru Nanak.

4 comments about The Adi Granth: Or The Holy Scriptures Of The Sikhs.

1. Ernest Trump has done a good job of translating the holy book of the Sikhs, but even so, it will probably not have much of an effect. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib just can't compare to the Gita or other more well-known Indian scriptures. The book shows quite well what is meant by Bhakti-yoga, but few westerners will be impressed and few Punjabis will need it. Still, he has performed a valuable service by translating one of the world's minor religious classics into English.



2. This is the ONE! This is the TRUTH! Prepare to be AMAZED! I challenge you to compare this to any other 'holy' book, you will be shocked at this masterpiece. It will change your life!
   
   Firstly, I would like to say that one of the reveiwers has made some rather foolish remarks when he says that the SGGS (Sri Guru Granth Sahib) is a "minor religious work of little importance". Either this person hasn't read it (which is probably the case) or just isn't interested in logic, rationality and science and still wants to believe in the fairy tales that are contained in the illogical, irrational and unscientific 'holy' books he is recommending.
   
   Also he has made a false claim about the SGGS being associated with 'Bhakti Yoga', which it is clearly not! As for the Bhagavad Gita, Rig Veda or Upanishads, they are NO match for the SGGS. I have been searching for many years to find an ideology or 'faith' that would make sense to me as I have always had a hunch that God or a 'higher power' does exist.
   
   I am originally from a Christian background and gave up my faith as I realised how incompatible it was with science. Christianity was full of absurdities as are most 'religions' but not Sikhism. After spending many years reading various 'holy' books including the Hindu, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist ones, (Torah, Gita, Koran etc.) I almost gave up and decided that atheism was probably the best deal... That was until I got the LATEST English translation of the SGGS ...They have an independant and accurate version which is without bias. (Unlike this one)
   
   This version by Trump, is not as good nor is it as accurate as the versions available today. Also one should note that it was written by Ernest Trump, an anti-Sikh Christian missionary working for the British govt. of India back in the 19th century. He is not an authority on Sikhism. It was him who claimed that Sikhism is just a blend of Hinduism and Islam, which is false, it has nothing to do with either. It is a totally new revealation, this can be proven by comparing the SGGS to the Hindu Gita or the Islamic Koran, it is better (scientifically) than both!
   
   The SGGS is unlike all the other 'holy' books in that it reveals many amazing concepts like the creation of the universe very accurately, it talks of the many universes, galaxies, stars, life on other planets etc. It is the only holy book which agrees with modern science, including EVOLUTION! While all other religions including even Baha'i, are against science. It talks about the nature of God and his creation and our place in it. It is the ONLY holy book which says that ALL humans are created equal, women are TOTALLY equal to men (this really appealed to me, this religon is PERFECT for ALL women!), no one is higher or lower than the other. It promotes peoples right to free speech, free thought, democracy, freedom and encourages logical, rational and scientific thought. It encourages people to love and help eachother at all times regardless of their religon/race/sex/color etc. Emphasizes peace and harmony with all of nature. These are not vague twisted 'interpretaions' like the kind in other 'holy' books (Bible, Koran etc.) but direct plain language that anyone can understand.
   
   Its a great shame that this amazing revealation has been around for 500 years and only now is it starting to make its way into the west. This is a holy book for all humanity, including scientists. All I can say is, prepare to be amazed!!! I certainly was. Don't take my word for it, see for yourself. This great holy book will finally open your eyes to the truth and change your life forever!
   
   I give 5 Stars for the SGGS, but not for this version. Thanks.
   
   UPDATE: Hi, I'd like to apologise to all the people who have been trying to contact me via Amazon.com, I did not even know how to use the Amazon 'message' system. I would just like to say that if anyone needs any assistance, please feel free to contact me, my new email is on my profile, thanks...



3. i was born into a catholic based family. im a 21 yr old male mexican in hollywood. i found god through sikhism.
   sikhism changed my life.
   this book changed my life.
   
   -rrm



4. I am a Sikh, and, as noted by others, this is a terrible translation of our holy scripture. I was torn between giving this a rating of 1 because of the terrible translation, or a 5 for it being at least somewhat of a representation of our holy scripture. I eventually decided to give it a 1 because lisa jones gave it a 5 for the same reason I would have, and because this is such a bad translation that I'm not so sure it is a good representation of our Sikh Philosophy, as I will describe. This traslation was done by a man, Trumpp, who, historically, had an unfavorable view of Sikhs. His goal, as noted in various historical references, was to engender the idea that Sikhism is just another sect of Hinduism and the Guru Granth is just another Hindu scripture. This is quite wrong so I would like to give you an example of how bad the translation is, and how Trumpp was trying to achieve his goal. To do so, you need go no further than the very first two words on the very first page.
   
   The Sikh scripture starts with the words "Ek Oankar." In this edition, Trumpp translates this as "Om." However, this is only one third of the complete translation. Here is how Ek Oankar should be translated: Ek is literally the numeral 1, ie One God. This is the most important belief in Sikhism, and what makes it drastically different than Hinduism's polytheism. The second word, "Oankar," can also be transliterated as "Omkar." To translate this word you need to break it down into its two parts; "Om" and "kar." The first part; Om has three syllables A-U-M. In Hindu philosophy each of these syllables represents one of the Hindu manifestations of God; Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu. The Second part; "kar" is the verb "To Do/Make." So Oankar means, in a very rough translation, "To make Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu." Now, when combined with the first word we get, also a rough translation: "The One that Made Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu." This is usually translated as "One Creator." Not quite Hindu is it? Here, Guru Nanak was emphasizing his belief in a truly monothseistic philosophy of meditating on the One that transcends all creation, and all human inventions of applying different faces (i.e. Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu) to understand the One God. If Trumpp can't even translate the first two words correctly then you know he got a lot of other things wrong as well. If you are interested in eastern philosophy then of course I recommend the Guru Granth, I am a Sikh after all. But, PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS TRANSLATION!!!!!!!!!! There are much better translations out there. Amazon, why are you still carrying this one? Free speech I suppose;)
   
   Below is a better translation of the Mool Mantra, the first few lines in the Guru Granth. Sikhs believe that the Mool Mantra encompasses all of Sikh philosophy written in the Guru Granth, and the words Ek Oankar encompass all of the Mool Mantra, but Ek is all you need.
   
   One Creator
   True Name, Creator of Everything, Without Fear, Without Anger, Undying Image, Without Birth, Self-Illumined, Guru's Grace.
   
   Meditate.
   
   True in the Beginning. True in all the Ages. True Now. Nanak, This Will Always be True.

No comments about Sikh Gurus.

No comments about At the Master's Feet.

No comments about Maharaja Ranjit Singh: The Last to Lay Arms.

No comments about History of the Sikhs.

2 comments about History of the Sikhs, vol 1: 1469-1839.Rep. with Corrections.

1. there millions of sikhs all over the world, who would like to know about their heritage, in a nondistorted way. there is no reliable text that one could refer to. kushwant singh probably is the most reliable source at this point.we should not be deprived of this source of enlightenment.



2. The most readable and trustworthy account of the history of the Sikhs yet. Sikhism has stood the test of time and stands for universal brotherhood. Here is a book that narrates the history of this glorious religion without emphasizing its recent dirty and divisive politics (as opposed to Patwant Singh's attempt at 'history')

   Highly recommended for uninitiated westerners, serious scholars and history buffs.