Photo by Fabio Pellegrini; Photo by sandeep gill

Explore more free images on Sikhi here

Of all elements, the most significant is the element of knowledge. (SGGS 152)

ਵਿਦਿਆ ਵੀਚਾਰੀ ਤਾਂ ਪਰਉਪਕਾਰੀ ॥ vidhiaa veechaaree taa(n) paraupakaaree || "Vidiaa veechaaree tan parupkaaree”. That education is good, which is used for the welfare of people. (Guru Nanak Dev Ji, 356)

Contemplate and reflect upon knowledge, and you will become a benefactor to others. (SGGS, 356)

"There is no good in science that won't help people, and there's no good in scholars isolated from people" (Al-Khawarizmi)

I've observed over time that the Sangat, generally-speaking, shows very little interest in books on Sikhi. On the other hand, many Sikhs (academics and ordinary folk) have written and published thousands of books on many aspects of Sikhi, and in Punjabi and in English.

click to watch video

Karamveer Singh appeals to Sikhs to have a library in their home to stimulate a passion for reading books to change their lives (click on the image to see and listen). Karamveer Singh says:
"There is a weakness in our community, we are not used to reading. We can have a bar [alcoholic drinks] in our homes, but we don't have libraries in our homes. If we had libraries and books, we would have a passion for reading.
But we don't have a passion for reading. Today we have a passion to buy big cars and build a bank balance. But I would like to request the community through this channel [Satluj TV], that where you have big houses, where you have expensive houses, build a room in one of those big houses, in the form of a library, where there are thoughts of precious scholars. And by reading those thoughts, we can make a change in our lives." Transcribed from Punjabi to English by TurboScribe.ai. Click on this link to view the full video interview by Satluj TV of Karamveer Singh.

Read books on Sikhi and Sikhism

Browse through the list below, of more than 480 items of literature on Sikhi. Click on "previous" or "forward" (in the bottom left and right corners of a page) to move between pages. Filter your selection using the Categories listed in the box below. Each book entry provides details of the book, such as its title, author, and the gurdwara library where it's located. Check the list regularly for new books added to it.
The list was started on 31 Jan 2025. Currently, only items held at the library at Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall (category: SGSSS) are listed, and only those written primarily in English. In time, I hope to add books held at other local gurdwara libraries, and then books written in Punjabi. I hope other sewadars will compile similar lists so that, ultimately, anyone in any region of any country, will be able to see online what books on Sikhi are available to read at their local gurdwara libraries. To increase the likelihood and ease of the Sangat seeing what books are available locally, local gurdwaras need to cooperate and form a "hub and spoke" network in which the central gurdwara (the "hub") publishes an online list of books held at local gurdwaras (each a "spoke").
To send a message, please click here .
Abbreviations: AG = Adi Granth; GGS = Guru Granth Sahib; DG = Dasam Granth; NS = not stated

Categories (press Ctrl + or - to zoom in or out if fonts are too small)

5/2/2025

The adi granth or the holy scriptures of the Sikhs:

Title: The adi granth or the holy scriptures of the Sikhs: translated from the original Gurumukhi with introductiort essays by
Author: Ernest Trumpp
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt Ltd
Pages: 711
ISBN: 8121502446
Publn date: 1997
First published: 1877
Language: English
Preface: Preface dated 23/01/1877 (Munich). Being german (I think),Trumpp had a doubly-difficult task to translate the AG into E. He was advised to go to the Punjab for assistance but when he did in 1870, the granthis he consulted "had not even a clear insight into the doctrines of the Granth. Other persons, who were recommended to me for their learning, I found equally ignorant...the Sikhs, in consequence of their former warlike manner of life and the troublous times, had lost all learning; whereas the Brahmans...never had deigned to pay any attention to the Granth...Nothing therefore remained to me but to read first the whole Granth through, in order to make myself conversant with its contents and its style." Trumpp returned to Europe in 1872 to print his translation. "I have spent seven years on the elaboration of this volume, the task proving infinitely more arduous than I had ever imagined, and even though I can hardly expect the Granth will attract many readers, the less so, as Sikhism is a waning religion, that will soon belong to history, yet I venture to hope that my labours will not be in vain. The Sikh Granth, which will always keep its place in the history of religion, lies now open before us, and we know authentically what their Gurus taught." Trumpp says "the chief importance of the Sikh Granth lies in the linguistic line, as being the treasury of the old Hindui dialects, and I hope that the day will not be far distant when these hitherto hidden treasures will be made available for the furtherance of modern Indian philology by being embodied in a grammar of the mediaeval Hundui dialects."
Overview: The text includes the following essays: "the life of baba nanak"; "sketch of the life of the other Sikh gurus"; "sketch of the religion of the Sikhs"; "on the composition of the Granth"; "on the language and the metres used in the Granth", followed by a translation into Eng of the Adi Granth. An appendix has the original Japji sahib text, in gurmukhi script. See https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Trumpp%27s_Translation_Of_Portions_Of_The_Guru_Granth_Sahib for a review of the impact and consequences of Trumpp's translation (it was largely rejected but credited for stimulating an analysis of the Granth by a wider audience). An online version can be seen here https://archive.org/details/cu31924023913217/page/n19/mode/2up A pdf version can be downloaded at https://gurmatveechar.com/books/English_Books/The.Adi.Granth.by.Ernest.Trump.(GurmatVeechar.com).pdf See here for support for Trumpp https://www.sikhphilosophy.net/threads/ernest-trumpps-critique-of-sikhism-stands-correct-essay.54100/

Comments are closed.

YOUR CART

Read books on Sikhi and Sikhism

Categories (press Ctrl + or - to zoom in or out if fonts are too small)

The adi granth or the holy scriptures of the Sikhs:

Header image credit: https://www.sikhnet.com/news/10-health-benefits-readingImage credit: