Guru Gobind Singh Ji dictating entire Guru Granth Sahib Ji to Bhai Mani Singh

Bhai Mani Singh was a great Sikh scholar and martyr who was the scribe of the final version of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib under the guidance of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, and who compiled the Dasam Granth following the death of Guru Gobind Singh.

Bhai Mani Singh was born to Jat parents at the village of Sunam in 1670. He was the younger brother of Bhai Dyala who was martyred along with Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, in 1675.

Bhai Mani Singh was raised from a young age with Guru Gobind Singh by the Gurus’ mother Mata Gujri.

Bhai Mani Singh became a great preacher of Sikhism and spent almost a year with Guru Gobind Singh at Damdama Sahib compiling the final and current version of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib in 1705.

After the death of Guru Gobind Singh, Bhai Mani Singh was installed as the head granthi at the Golden Temple in 1721. Here he produced many works on Sikhism and under the insistence of Guru Gobind Singh’s widow Mata Sundri compiled the works of Guru Gobind Singh and produced the Dasam Granth.

In 1737 Bhai Mani Singh took permission from the Muslim governor of Lahore for the Sikhs to celebrate Diwali at the Golden Temple on the payment of Rs. 5,000 as tax, a practice which had been banned. Not enough people attended Diwali that year because they were afraid of the Muslim authorities and as a result not enough money was collected. The Muslim authorities arrested Bhai Mani Singh and publicly executed him in Lahore.

~ This information was originally published by Sikhs.org, “Sikh Saints.” Sikhs.org was launched in 1994, and is one of the world’s first Sikh websites. You can read more about them here.