Perhaps it is the only scripture of its kind which contains within its sacred covers the songs, hymns and utterances of a wide variety of saints, sages and bards. Indeed, the uniqueness of the Granth in this respect is all the more astonishing when we think of the obscurantism, factionalism and fanaticism of the period in which it was composed. Hardly any other scripture of that stature is completely free from bias, animus and controversy. One of the greatest glories of the Guru Granth Sahib is its catholic character. No word but its own may be allowed sanctity and sovereignty. It may admit of few variations and shades. Religious literature is sometimes sectarian and monolithic, if not partisan and polemical. Its adoration or veneration is an article of faith with the Sikhs. Since then, the authorized version has been transcribed and printed a number of times, and it abides. He added the hymns of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Ninth Master, and a couplet of his own to the volume wrought a century earlier. Its second and last version was the handiwork of Guru Gobind Singh, and it was finalized at Damdama Sahib in the year 1705.
The Guru Granth Sahib was first compiled by the Fifth Sikh Guru, Arjan Dev, in 1604 in the city of Amritsar.
