It is a rare study that can encompass within its bounds the writings of the Sikh Gurus as well as several other writers who followed and then draw threads of arguments that run from sacred texts to later polemical essays in order to develop a holistic view of the evolution of various aspects of the Sikh faith. J.S. Grewal, with decades of scholarship behind him, has produced just such a study which takes up for indepth analysis not only the Adi Granth and the Dasam Granth but several other critical texts that throw light on Sikh beliefs, traditions and identity from the sixteenth to the early twentieth century.
The early evolution of Sikhism, from Guru Nanak to the fifth Guru Arjan Dev was largely achieved in peaceful times, though the broad backdrop even then was one of political oppression, religious intolerance and ritual orthodoxy. The writings of the first five Gurus—all sublime poets and writers—expound the basis of the Sikh faith and belief, even as they comment on the reality that surrounds them.