Here is a post from Bhai Kulbir Singh:
Verily, whoever swam across this terrible ocean of Maya, did so through the Gurmukh Naam Roopi Gurmantra bestowed by Satguru jee. Siri Guru Granth Sahib jee declares unequivocally that no one has ever attained Vaheguru without the True Guru:
ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕਿਨੈ ਨ ਪਾਇਓ ਕਰਿ ਵੇਖਹੁ ਮਨਿ ਵੀਚਾਰਿ ॥
(No one has attained Vaheguru without Satguru, do analysis in your mind)
The aforementioned Pankiti declares that no one has attained Vaheguru without Satguru. Satguru gives Naam Gurmantra to the true Seeker and through this Naam, he swims across this terrible ocean.
Please have a look at the following Pankitis:
ਮੇਰੇ ਮਨ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਤ ਉਧਰੇ ॥ ਧ੍ਰੂ ਪ੍ਰਹਿਲਾਦੁ ਬਿਦਰੁ ਦਾਸੀ ਸੁਤੁ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਤਰੇ ॥1॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
O my mind, by chanting Naam, they got delivered. Dhru, Prahlaad, son of servant (Bidar) swam through Gurmukh Naam.
Please notice the force of the “Gurmukh Naam”, above. They did not swim through just any Naam but Gurmukh Naam. Gurmukh Naam is the Gurmat Naam that is received from no one other than Satguru jee. Some people claim that since these Bhagats lived many hundreds or thousands of years before the advent of Pargat Roop of Satguru – Siri Guru Nanak Dev jee – they could not have been delivered by Satguru jee. How naive of them to think that Siri Guru Nanak Dev jee did not exist before He appeared in his open form in 1469. Just because Siri Guru jee had not appeared in open, does not mean that He was non-existent and did not do His work of giving salvation to selected Bhagats.
The next Pankiti of the above Shabad is very interesting:
ਕਲਜੁਗਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨੁ ਪਦਾਰਥੁ ਭਗਤ ਜਨਾ ਉਧਰੇ ॥
ਨਾਮਾ ਜੈਦੇਉ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਤ੍ਰਿਲੋਚਨੁ ਸਭਿ ਦੋਖ ਗਏ ਚਮਰੇ ॥
ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਲਗੇ ਸੇ ਉਧਰੇ ਸਭਿ ਕਿਲਬਿਖ ਪਾਪ ਟਰੇ ॥2॥
(In Kalyug too Naam the supreme Substance, delivered Bhagat Jan. Naamdev, Jaideo, Kabir and Trilochan got delivered and all sins of Chamaar Ravidaas jee were washed away. All those who got into Gurmukh Naam, got delivered and all their sins were washed away.)
Again please notice the force of Gurmukh Naam in the 3rd Pankiti above. In the first two Pankitis Guru Sahib explains that with Naam, Bhagats were saved but in the third Pankiti Guru Sahib, in order to avoid any doubts, clearly says that whoever got engaged in Gurmukh Naam were saved.
Now the question remains, how did Bhagats before Guru Nanak Sahib get saved? The answer is that all we are told is that they were saved and they were saved through Satguru jee. How Satguru jee managed this, is not for us to worry. We just need to believe and have faith that these Bhagats were saved by Satguru jee and no one else.
Giani Gurdit Singh jee has proved beyond doubt that the Bhagat Sahibaan whose Baani appears in Siri Guru Granth Sahib jee were contemporaries of Siri Guru Nanak Dev jee and they became Sikhs of Guru Sahib. Only their Baani written after they became Sikhs of Guru Sahib, has been included in Siri Guru Granth Sahib jee.
Giani Gurdit Singh jee, as per his own words, had Asheervaad of Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh jee. Bhai Sahib in clear words instructed him to dedicate his life to writing on Gurmat. When Giani jee asked how he would manage without working. Bhai Sahib blessed him by saying that he would have no money problem and he did not need to work. Guru Sahib would take care of his needs if he did Sewa of Panth. When we met Giani jee, many years ago, he was sitting in a house worth millions and he had not worked all his life. He had just done sewa of Panth by writing on Gurmat. Guru Sahib is Great. I would say that his best book is his book on Bhagat Baani history.
If Guru Sahib wills, this Daas will write a detailed article on the Bhagat Sahibaan and their Baani, in the coming days.
Daas,
Kulbir Singh
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥