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26-540: Bhavsagar Granth (full name: Bhavsagar Samunder Amrit Vani Granth ) is a 2,704-page book considered as a religious text by the followers of the Indian religious leader Baba Piara Singh Bhaniara . Composed in 2000, it was banned by the Government of Punjab for hurting the religious feelings of Sikhs . Baba Bhaniara is the founder of a religious sect that attracted mostly the marginalized Mazhabi Sikhs . In 1998,

52-399: A corpus of religious texts from the "canonical" literature. At its root, this differentiation reflects the sects and conflicts that developed and branched off over time, the competitive "acceptance" of a common minimum over time and the "rejection" of interpretations, beliefs, rules or practices by one group of another related socio-religious group. The earliest reference to the term "canon" in

78-513: A definitive canon". While the term scripture is derived from the Latin scriptura , meaning "writing", most sacred scriptures of the world's major religions were originally a part of their oral tradition , and were "passed down through memorization from generation to generation until they were finally committed to writing", according to Encyclopaedia Britannica . In Islam , the Sunnah are

104-418: A given textual document (that is, a physical representation of text). Since the history of writing predates the concept of the "text", most texts were not written with this concept in mind. Most written works fall within a narrow range of the types described by text theory . The concept of "text" becomes relevant if and when a "coherent written message is completed and needs to be referred to independently of

130-461: A particular piece of writing; that is, the "text" of a work is that primal symbolic arrangement of letters as originally composed, apart from later alterations, deterioration, commentary, translations, paratext , etc. Therefore, when literary criticism is concerned with the determination of a "text", it is concerned with the distinguishing of the original information content from whatever has been added to or subtracted from that content as it appears in

156-471: A religious community. The terms sacred text and religious text are not necessarily interchangeable in that some religious texts are believed to be sacred because of the belief in some theistic religions such as the Abrahamic religions that the text is divinely or supernaturally revealed or divinely inspired , or in non-theistic religions such as some Indian religions they are considered to be

182-467: A religious text, has origins as early as 2150 BCE, and stands as one of the earliest literary works that includes various mythological figures and themes of interaction with the divine. The Rigveda , a scripture of Hinduism , is dated 1500 BCE. It is one of the oldest known complete religious texts that has survived into the modern age. There are many possible dates given to the first writings which can be connected to Talmudic and Biblical traditions,

208-696: A text accepted to contain the "sacred writings of a religion", while The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions states it refers to a text "having [religious] authority and often collected into an accepted canon". In modern times, this equation of the written word with religious texts is particular to the English language , and is not retained in most other languages, which usually add an adjective like " sacred " to denote religious texts. Some religious texts are categorized as canonical, some non-canonical, and others extracanonical, semi-canonical, deutero-canonical, pre-canonical or post-canonical. The term "canon"

234-554: Is derived from the Greek word " κανών ", "a cane used as a measuring instrument". It connotes the sense of "measure, standard, norm, rule". In the modern usage, a religious canon refers to a "catalogue of sacred scriptures" that is broadly accepted to "contain and agree with the rule or canon of a particular faith", states Juan Widow. The related terms such as "non-canonical", "extracanonical", "deuterocanonical" and others presume and are derived from "canon". These derived terms differentiate

260-463: Is derived from the ratification, enforcement , and its use across generations. Some religious texts are accepted or categorized as canonical , some non-canonical, and others extracanonical, semi-canonical, deutero-canonical, pre-canonical or post-canonical. "Scripture" (or "scriptures") is a subset of religious texts considered to be "especially authoritative", revered and "holy writ", "sacred, canonical", or of "supreme authority, special status" to

286-407: Is the title of Gobind Singh's sons. The book also contained stories of Baniara's greatness, narrating how his followers experienced good luck, while those who criticized or taunted him suffered from bad luck. In September 2001, during a religious ceremony organized by Bhaniara's followers, a newly-formed organization called Khalsa Action Force attacked the function, seized the book and burned it. This

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312-822: The Parkash Singh Badal -led Punjab government banned Bhavsagar Granth and confiscated all its copies, arresting those who were found in possession of these copies. The print copy was probably destroyed by the Punjab Police . Praveen Swamy wrote in Frontline : "Sadly, there has been little debate in Punjab on the legitimacy of the Punjab Government's decision to ban the Bhavsagar Granth. .. The Bhavsagar Granth ..at no point demeans

338-475: The Quran (the book of Islam ) are the divine revelation ( wahy ) delivered through Muhammad that make up the primary sources of Islamic law and belief/theology . However sects of Islam differ on which hadiths (if any) should be accepted as canonical (see Criticism of hadith ). Text (literary theory) Within the field of literary criticism , "text" also refers to the original information content of

364-472: The Sikh religious body Akal Takht ex-communicated Bhaniara, accusing him of insulting Sikhism and the contemporary Sikh religious leaders. In summer 2000, a local gurudwara disallowed one of Bhaniara's followers from carrying the Sikh religious holy book Guru Granth Sahib . In response, Bhaniara's followers decided to create a new holy book ( granth ), which would not be controlled by the dominant section of

390-586: The book on 15 December 2008. Religious text Religious texts , including scripture , are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and laws , ethical conduct, spiritual aspirations, and admonitions for fostering a religious community. Within each religion, these sacred texts are revered as authoritative sources of guidance, wisdom, and divine revelation . They are often regarded as sacred or holy, representing

416-536: The book was insulting to their faith. According to them, the book copied several portions from the Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib . Moreover, the book had several photos in which Bhaniara allegedly imitated Guru Gobind Singh of the Sikhs. In one photo, he wore a shining coat and headgear similar to the ones seen in the popular posters of Gobind Singh; in another photo he rode a horse in manner of Gobind Singh. He also insisted that his sons be called sahibzadas , which

442-461: The central tenets of their eternal Dharma . In contrast to sacred texts, many religious texts are simply narratives or discussions pertaining to the general themes, interpretations, practices, or important figures of the specific religion. In some religions (e.g. Christianity ), the canonical texts include a particular text ( Bible ) but is "an unsettled question", according to Eugene Nida . In others ( Hinduism , Buddhism ), there "has never been

468-541: The circumstances in which it was created." The word text has its origins in Quintilian 's Institutio Oratoria , with the statement that "after you have chosen your words, they must be weaved together into a fine and delicate fabric", with the Latin for fabric being textum . Relying on literary theory, the notion of text has been used to analyse contemporary work practices. For example, Christensen (2016) rely on

494-601: The context of "a collection of sacred Scripture" is traceable to the 4th-century CE. The early references, such as the Synod of Laodicea , mention both the terms "canonical" and "non-canonical" in the context of religious texts. One of the oldest known religious texts is the Kesh Temple Hymn of ancient Sumer , a set of inscribed clay tablets which scholars typically date around 2600 BCE. The Epic of Gilgamesh from Sumer , although only considered by some scholars as

520-606: The core teachings and principles that their followers strive to uphold. According to Peter Beal, the term scripture – derived from " scriptura " (Latin) – meant "writings [manuscripts] in general" prior to the medieval era, then became "reserved to denote the texts of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible". Beyond Christianity, according to the Oxford World Encyclopedia , the term "scripture" has referred to

546-548: The earliest of which is found in scribal documentation of the 8th century BCE, followed by administrative documentation from temples of the 5th and 6th centuries BCE, with another common date being the 2nd century BCE. High rates of mass production and distribution of religious texts did not begin until the invention of the printing press in 1440, before which all religious texts were hand written copies, of which there were relatively limited quantities in circulation. The relative authority of religious texts develops over time and

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572-538: The society. Over the next few months, Bhaniara and his followers created the Bhavsagar Granth (officially called Bhavsagar Samundar Amrit Vani ). The writing of the book began on 20 June 2000. Most of it was authored by Pritam Singh of Dhudike village, with help from 20 other followers (including six women). Bhaniara released the book at a function held on the Baisakhi day in 2001. This 2,704-page copy

598-410: The tenets or practice of the Sikh faith. ..The Bhavsagar Granth falls within a long tradition of insurgent folk religion . The Guru Granth Sahib itself, after all, took on Brahmanism in no certain terms. The Supreme Court of India quashed the ban on Bhavsagar Granth on 11 November 2008, stating that the Punjab government was allowed to issue a fresh ban, if needed. The Punjab government then banned

624-567: The traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time evidently saw and followed and passed on to the next generations. According to classical Islamic theories, the sunnah are documented by hadith (the verbally transmitted record of the teachings, deeds and sayings, silent permissions or disapprovals attributed to Muhammad ), and alongside

650-465: Was big and heavy: it was written on large sheets of paper with an expensive binding, and had several photographs of politicians who visited Bhaniara. The text was photocopied and distributed among Bhaniara's followers, who started holding religious ceremonies with the book at the centre. Meanwhile, a printer in Chandigarh was assigned to create printed copies of the book. Some Sikhs alleged that

676-533: Was followed by several instances of Guru Granth Sahib being burnt in the rural gurudwaras of Punjab. The police arrested and presented before media some young men, who stated that they had burned Guru Granth Sahib at the instance of Bhaniara. The arrests sparked off violence against Bhaniara's followers, and Bhaniara was himself arrested under the National Security Act . No action was taken against those who attacked Bhaniara's followers. In 2001,

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