Hukamnamas Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib

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As on the previous occasions of the Tercentenary of Guru Gobind Singh’s birth and the Quincentenary of that of Guru Nanak, which fell respectively in 1966 and 1969, so on the recent memorable occasion of the Tercentenary of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom the Punjabi University planned a number of literary programmes on the life, work and teachings of this great Guru. Some of these have already been completed while others are in progress and are expected to be accomplished before long. I am, therefore, very happy that this work on the Hukamnamas of Guru Tegh Bahadur, which is one of our major projects, has been brought to completion and has seen the light of day. I heartily congratulate Dr Fauja Singh upon this remarkable achievement.

The Hukamnamas, being the relics of the great Gurus, are a unique constituent of our sacred heritage and naturally they evoke the deepest sentiments of veneration in the hearts of their devotees. From the linguistic point of view, too, the Hukamnamas have a rare value. But perhaps their chief importance lies in the highly useful evidence they provide on historical matters. The Hukamnamas of the Ninth Guru, in particular, as has been ably brought out by the Editor in his scholarly Introduction, are an indispensable fresh source for the reconstruction of the Guru’s life. Being the Gurus writings, they have a significance of their own, in which respect nothing excels them except the Guru’s hymns which, of course, are incomparable in enlightening us about the noble thoughts of the Guru.

Another reason for which I welcome this publication is that through this for the first time English and Hindi knowing people will be introduced to these valuable epistles of the Great Master.

I cherish the hope that this step will promote further research on the subject and at the same time help in disseminating the teachings of Guru Tegh Bahadur. In another way also, a wider circulation of such writings stands to serve a useful purpose. The greater the knowledge of people regarding genuine writings, the lesser will be the possibility of fake documents being traded by selfish people in the name of the Guru.