VAHIGURU SHABDARTH TIKA

VAHIGURU SHABDARTH TIKA (Vahiguru= Sikh term for God ; 6abdarth=sabda or word+arth or meaning), by Pandit Tara Singh Narotam, is small tract which traces the origin of the word Vahigurii, its meanings and its usage in Sikh scriptures. The tract has been published as part of the author`s Gurmat Nirnaya Sagar. Its opening part deals with die importance of the term vahiguru in the Sikh tradition and then proceeds on to trace its origin giving seventeen different forms of the word. First of all, he quotes the views of Bhai Gurdas according to whom vahiguru is a combination of the initials of Vasudeva, Hari, Gobind and Ramall four being different names of the Supreme Lord.

Then Tara Singh discusses all those forms and meanings of the term, which had come into use by his time. To interpret the term, he follows two methods : one is to break the word into maximum possible parts and then to interpret each part, and die second is to expound its meaning and usage in the context of grammar. The tract concludes with Tara Singh`s view that God is, in all the traditions followed by theists. One ; only the names differ. He argues that Durga in Guru Gobind Singh`s verses is not the goddess, but the Supreme Being who is the creator of Durga the goddess and die gods such as Siva and Visnu.

References :

1. Tara Singh Narotam, Gurmat Nirnaya Sagar, Rawalpindi, n.d