I am delighted to be amongst you to inaugurate this international seminar on "the Guru Granth Sahib and its context", to mark the 400th anniversary of the installation of the Adi Granth at the Harmandir Sahib. My personal association with Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan adds to the sense of privilege I feel as a proud Indian, and as a Sikh, in discussing the eternal relevance of this important sacred text.

I also welcome the release today of a translation of the Guru Granth Sahib into German. This work, by Dr Jarnail Singh, who is unfortunately unable to be with us today, is a labour of love. I am also happy that as a result of initiative taken by the Sadan, Dr. Swami Veda Bharati has translated selected hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib into English and their translation into Spanish has also been done through the munificence of Swamiji. I offer my felicitations to all those involved in these projects. These are all worthy efforts, in keeping with the decision of our National level Celebration Committee to mark the four hundredth anniversary of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib.

I will not dwell at length on the historical context and the manner in which the Adi Granth was composed. Our knowledge of these aspects is substantially evolved, and in any case, I cannot claim expertise over this fascinating subject. However, as one who has found great spiritual and mental solace from the teachings of this remarkable sacred text, suffice to say that I do believe that the Guru Granth Sahib has contributed immensely—perhaps even disproportionately--to our composite culture in the past four centuries. The impact of its teachings has been so profound that it has influenced language, literature, art and of course the history of much of this subcontinent in a relatively brief period of time.

Scholars and historians tell us that this sacred text distils the essence of the wisdom of that great period of philosophical ferment in India, during the Sufi and Bhakti movement. That period of social and philosophical enquiry followed the unprecedented interaction between the great faiths of Islam and Hinduism in our ancient homeland. From their interaction arose a number of saints who sought to synthesize the mystic elements of both faiths. Writing in different languages, using different forms, using different idioms, they were united in the simplicity of their message and the colloquial idioms that they adopted from daily life. This common idiom, this sant bhasha, made their essentially common message enormously powerful. Therefore, even today, it can still be a matter of some surprise to recall that the great sufi and bhakti saints were separated by several centuries. This shows a certain universality of the thoughts of these mystic saints, which were inherited by their spiritual successors.

To begin with, therefore, the Guru Granth Sahib brought these different voices together in one place. While compiling the sayings of the sacred Gurus before him, Guru Arjun Dev had a plethora of material, as well as the obvious editorial freedom, to select and reject. Guru Arjun Devji collated the sayings of those who shared the broad and all encompassing spiritual outlook of Guru Nanak, such as Baba Farid, Kabir, Jaidev, Namdev, Ravidas, and several others. This illustrates his all-inclusive approach. The ideals of monotheism, rational enquiry what we call today as scientific temper, brotherhood of humankind, egalitarianism, concern for women—all of these are recurrent themes in the teachings of these saints, and in the Guru Granth Sahib. Many of them—Guru Nanak Dev in particular—embodied the spiritual convergence between Islam and Hinduism of that time. Perhaps there is also significance in the fact that efforts to include the sayings of sants of various denominations and regions was also an act of both religious and secular integration. To the extent one can extrapolate a modern metaphor to those times, the compilation of the Guru Granth Sahib is a unique and pioneering example of an inter-faith dialogue.

I would like to dwell on these ideas briefly. It is remarkable how, in that age of great political instability and social crisis, the teachings of these holy men are so stark and simple. Perhaps the message had to be reduced to its basics, born as it was in a time of great stress. This also explains the common message underlying the teachings of the Sufi and Bhakti saints. Many of these teachings are therefore particularly relevant today, in our troubled and weary world. I would add, however, that it is simultaneously ironic and a little saddening to realize that many of the same evils that plagued our society four hundred years ago, continue to do so even today. I therefore believe that the message that emerges from the Guru Granth Sahib aims at addressing the most basic doubts and dilemmas of humanity, which have remained unchanged over centuries.

Although this sacred text is embedded in the historical context in which the sayings were compiled, it is even today a collection of what we would now call very progressive teachings, aimed at creating an ideal universal man. This ideal world would be a world without borders, free from the pernicious divisions of caste and status, one where differences of religion and language are rendered irrelevant. The teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib seek to harmonize the world as we know it. These teachings synthesize the essential wisdom of all religions and earlier mystic saints, and the ancient traditional cultural and civilizational ethos of the Indian people. In doing so, it sets out a powerful and appealing message of gender equality, concern for the uplift of women and concern for our natural environment. It defines a moral compass for humanity to follow, but without adopting an imperative approach. Most of all, it sets out an agenda for social equity that is most relevant for our society even today.

For instance, the common teaching of the Guru Granth Sahib explicitly proscribes the reprehensible practice of female infanticide, the customs of purdah and evil of sati. Guru Nanak said, "why do you despise her who gives birth to monarchs and prophets?" Similarly, we find a common concern for maintaining the ecological and environmental balance. Guru Nanak's reverence for life, for nature and for God's creation is illustrated by his sayings.

To quote but one instance in the Japji:

"Air the Guru, Water the Father,

Great Earth the Mother"

These teachings argue for a life, which if well led, would address both the internal crisis of the human spirit as well as the external crises in our society and our natural environment, which are often the result of spiritual emptiness and irresponsibility.

The transcendental vision embodied in the Adi Granth is described by our scholar President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan in the following words:

"In the tradition of India, Nanak Dev believes in religion as realisation, anubhava. Those who adopt his view subordinate ritualistic practices and creedal definitions. Nanak Dev does not believe in the ultimacy of the distinction between Hindu and Mussalman. He goes beyond these distinctions and fosters a religion of spirit which is universal in character... Nanak Dev affirms the possibility which is now becoming popular and was anticipated by the Sikh Gurus. No wonder that the Adi Granth, which is sacred scripture of the Sikhs, contains the utterances of holy men of both Hinduism and Islam."

Such an ideal social order, without religious or political boundaries, is described by Guru Arjun Dev as Halemi Raj.

This concept of Halimi Raj as described in the Guru Granth Sahib resembles, in some ways, the modern ideal of a welfare state. Such a society is not defined or created by state directives or legislation but is the result of a spiritual transformation of all its constituents. This concept of an egalitarian society, free from the exploitation of man by his fellow man, is further corroborated in the hymns of Bhagat Ravidas, who describes an ideal city --Begumpura - a city without defined boundaries, free from fear and grief. According to Ravidas the citizens of such an ideal society would not have excess of taxes, nor would they live in fear of injustice. That's the heritage that Guru Granth Sahib and our Gurus have bequeathed to us.

This is by no means an exhaustive elaboration of the eternally relevant ideals of the Guru Granth Sahib. As participants in this important seminar, you have the opportunity to provide new and valuable insights into the continuing relevance and validity of the eternal message of the great Gurus. Once again, I thank you for inviting me to participate in this meaningful and evocative event. I wish you every success in your deliberations.