The Sikh religion was founded by Guru Nanak (1469–1539), who drew upon the teachings of Muslim, Sufis and Hindu Bhaktas. In its purest form Sikhism is about unity, simplicity, equality and surrender (to God), and the verses of the Sikh Gurus—most of them included in the Granth Sahib—articulate this beautifully. This elegantly illustrated edition contains a selection of verses from the Guru Granth Sahib and other sacred texts like Guru Tegh Bahadur’s Vairagmayi Bani and the Dasam Granth of Guru Gobind Singh. Brilliantly translated by Khushwant Singh, these moving mystical hymns retain the immediacy and the lyricism of the originals. In addition, vibrant and imaginative illustrations by Arpana Caur, one of India’s most celebrated artists, make this a collection to treasure.

An accessible translation of the songs of the saints from the Adi Granth, the Sikh holy book.

Gurus in America provides an excellent introduction to the guru phenomenon in the United States, with in-depth analyses of nine important Hindu gurus—Adi Da, Ammachi, Mayi Chidvilasananda, Gurani Anjali, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Osho, Ramana Maharshi, Sai Baba, and Swami Bhaktivedanta. All of these gurus have attracted significant followings in the U.S. and nearly all have lived here for considerable periods of time. The book's contributors discuss the characteristics of each guru's teachings, the history of each movement, and the particular construction of Hinduism each guru offers. Contributors also address the religious and cultural interaction, translation, and transplantation that occurs when gurus offer their teachings in America. This is a fascinating guide that will elucidate an important element in America's diverse and ever-changing spiritual landscape.

Gurus and Media is the first book dedicated to media and mediation in domains of public guruship and devotion. Illuminating the mediatisation of guruship and the guru-isation of media, it bridges the gap between scholarship on gurus and the disciplines of media and visual culture studies. It investigates guru iconographies in and across various time periods and also the distinctive ways in which diverse gurus engage with and inhabit different forms of media: statuary, games, print publications, photographs, portraiture, films, machines, social media, bodies, words, graffiti, dolls, sound, verse, tombs and more. The book’s interdisciplinary chapters advance, both conceptually and ethnographically, our understanding of the function of media in the dramatic production of guruship, and reflect on the corporate branding of gurus and on mediated guruship as a series of aesthetic traps for the captivation of devotees and others. They show how different media can further enliven the complex plurality of guruship, for instance in instantiating notions of ‘absent-present’ guruship and demonstrating the mutual mediation of gurus, caste and Hindutva. Throughout, the book foregrounds contested visions of the guru in the development of devotional publics and pluriform guruship across time and space. Thinking through the guru’s many media entanglements in a single place, the book contributes new insights to the study of South Asian religions and to the study of mediation more broadly. Praise for Gurus and Media 'Sight, sound, image, narrative, representation and performance in the complex world of gurus are richly illuminated and deeply theorised in this outstanding volume. The immensely important, but hitherto under-explored, visual and aural dimensions of guru-ship across several religious traditions have received path-breaking and wide-ranging treatment by best-known experts on the subject.' Nandini Gooptu, University of Oxford ‘Gurus and Media casts subtle light on a phenomenon that too often shines so brightly that it is hard to see. This collection is a tremendously rich resource for anyone trying to make sense of that ambiguous zone where authority appears at once as seduction and as salvation, as comfort and as terror.’ William Mazzarella, University of Chicago 'This remarkable collection uses the figure of the mass-mediated guru to throw light on how modern Hindu mobilization generates a highly diverse set of religious charismatics in India. Because of the diversity of the contributors to this volume, the book is also a moveable feast of cases, methods and cultural styles in a major cultural region.' Arjun Appadurai, Emeritus Professor of Media, Culture and Communication, New York University

A collection of true events, Song of the Free illustrates beautifully the life of Dattatreyaji, a monk, a syncretic deity, who is considered to be an incarnation of Trimurti, blessed with the qualities of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. An avatar and a wandering ascetic, Dattatreyaji's life stressed on the importance of learning. He taught us to recognise wisdom from even the smallest creature of nature, like the honey bee. The book gathers the profound cognisance of Dattatreyaji. The 24 gurus, as accepted by him, are individually described, each forming a chapter. The guru is a source of divinity and the true guru guides us to attain our divine attributes. The book portrays the supreme consciousness of Dattatreyaji as he acknowledged the true guru found in nature-animals, birds and humans. He emphasised that if you have the desire to learn you can derive inspiration from anything. Moreover, his teachings inspire us to be in harmony with nature and other elements of the environment. Song of the Free acts as a true guru who will lead you to wisdom, allowing youto thrive on your own. Influenced by spirituality and philosophy, the book is a guide to learning-learning to live and live with wisdom.