Sau Sakhi
Sau Sakhi translates to 100 (Sau) stories (Sakhi).
The Sau Sakhi book professes to be a conversation between Bhai Sahib Singh and Bhai Gurbaksh Singh on the sayings and doings of the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. It is held in high estimation by the Kukas (Namdharis) - followers of Bhai Ram Singh of Bhaini, in the Ludhiana district of the Punjab - and is relied on them as the main authority for their heresy. Bhai Santokh Singh (author of Suraj Parkash) sometimes gives Bhai Gurbaksh Singhs communications to Bhai Sahib Singh as the basis of the history of the Gurus from the time of Guru Angad, but he makes no mention of the Sau Sakhi. There appears nothing to establish its authenticity.
Many different versions of the Sau Sakhis have been circulated throughout time, plaging the Sikh Community:
- Versions were circulated (with appropriate changes) during the mutiny of 1857, prophesising a joint Anglo-Sikh victory over the Mughals;
- The Namdharias circulated versions in the 1860s supporting the claim of Ram Singh to be a reincarnation of Guru Gobind Singh and the future ruler of Hindustan;
- The supporters of Maharaja Duleep Singh impressed upon him a version in the 1880s prophesying his return to the Punjab as Maharaja with the help of the Russians
New editions of the Sau Sakhi continue to appear to boost the claims of impostors.
References
- Macauliffe, M.A (1909). The Sikh Religion: Its Gurus Sacred Writings and Authors. Low Price Publications. ISBN 8175361328.
- Singh, Khushwant (1963). A History of the Sikhs: 1469-1839 Vol.1 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195673085.
