ABSTRACT
The purpose of this paper is to examine the central teachings of the Sikh Gurus pertaining to the problem of pain and suffering. The basic source for understanding those teachings is the sacred scripture of the Sikhs, the Adi Granth, which contains the writings of the Sikh Gurus along with the writings of certain medieval poetsaints of Sant, Sufi and Bhakti origin. In Sikh usage, the Adi Granth is normally referred to as the 'Guru Granth Sahib', which implies a confession of faith in the scripture as Guru. According to wellestablished tradition, the tenth and the last human Guru, Gobind Singh, terminated the line of personal Gurus before he died in 1708, and installed the Adi Granth as 'Guru Eternal for the Sikhs.'l As such, the Adi Granth carries the same status and authority as did the ten personal Gurus from Guru Nanak (1469-1539) through Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), and, therefore, it must be viewed as providing the authoritative response to the problem of evil and suffering. It should, however, be emphasized that each generation will have its own view of that authoritative understanding based on its particular interpretation of the text.
