Why is “Waheguru” is mentioned only 17 times in Guru Granth Sahib whereas “Raam” is mentioned hundreds of times?

The RSS says in Guru Granth Sahib God’s name “Waheguru” is mentioned only 17 times whereas God’s name “Raam” is mentioned some couple hundred times which means “Raam” is given more significance by the Gurus and Gurus accepted Rama as a God?

There is mention of God’s name Raam in Guru Granth Sahib as well as Brahm, Waheguru, Sahib and others but they directly imply to God not to any person. God’s name “Raam” in Gurbani is not as same as Hindu diety “Rama”, who was a king. Guru Ji never accepted him as a God. Before he was born there existed God’s name “Raam”. There was a saint named Valmick who used to be a thief. One day he met a group of saints and he requested them to lead him on the right path so those saints gave him the name “Raam” to meditate upon. According to Hinduism it was Valmick who wrote Ramayana 10,000 years before Rama was born. This means that there existed God’s name “Raam” before Hindu deity Rama was born. When Rama was born, his father named him after God’s name. In Sikhi God’s name revealed by Guru Ji is “Waheguru”. So if you name your son “Waheguru Singh” this doesn’t make him God at all.

Let’s look at what Guru Ji says about Hindu deity Rama.

ਰਾਮੁ ਗਇਓ ਰਾਵਨੁ ਗਇਓ ਜਾ ਕਉ ਬਹੁ ਪਰਵਾਰੁ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਥਿਰੁ ਕਛੁ ਨਹੀ ਸੁਪਨੇ ਜਿਉ ਸੰਸਾਰੁ ॥੫੦॥
“Raam Chand passed away, as did Raawan, even though he had lots of relatives. Says Nanak, nothing lasts forever; the world is like a dream.”
(Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 1429)

This shows that Guru Ji considered Rama and Rawana as regular humans. Guru Ji saw them both as one. So this means that Hindu lord Rama is not God.

ਨਾਨਕ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰੁ ਹੋਰਿ ਕੇਤੇ ਰਾਮ ਰਵਾਲ ॥
“O Nanak, the Lord is fearless and formless; myriads of others, like Rama, are mere dust before Him.”
(Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 464)

ਕਾਹੂੰ ਨੇ ਰਾਮ ਕਹਯੋ ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨਾ ਕਹੁ ਕਾਹੂੰ ਮਨੈ ਅਵਤਾਰਨ ਮਾਨਯੋ ॥
ਫੋਕਟ ਧਰਮ ਬਿਸਾਰ ਸਭੈ ਕਰਤਾਰ ਹੀ ਕਉ ਕਰਤਾ ਜੀਅ ਜਾਨਯੋ ॥੧੨॥
“Someone calls him Ram or Krishna, and someone believe in His incarnations, but my mind has forsaken all useless actions and has accepted only the One Creator. ||12||”
(33 Svaiyye, Guru Gobind Singh Ji)

ਜੌ ਕਹੌ ਰਾਮ ਅਜੋਨਿ ਅਜੈ ਅਤਿ ਕਾਹੇ ਕੌ ਕੌਸ਼ਲ ਕੁੱਖ ਜਯੋ ਜੂ ॥
ਕਾਲਹੂੰ ਕਾਲ ਕਹੈ ਜਿਹਿ ਕੌ ਕਿਹਿ ਕਾਰਣ ਕਾਲ ਤੇ ਦੀਨ ਭਯੋ ਜੂ ॥
“If we consider Raam, the Lord as Unborn, then how did he take brith from the womb of Kaushalya? He, who is said to be the destroyer of Death, then why did none become subjugated himself before Death?
(33 Svaiyye, Guru Gobind Singh Ji)

ਏਕ ਸਿਵ ਭਏ ਏਕ ਗਏ ਏਕ ਫੇਰ ਭਏ ਰਾਮਚੰਦ੍ਰ ਕ੍ਰਿਸਨ ਕੇ ਅਵਤਾਰ ਭੀ ਅਨੇਕ ਹੈਂ ॥
“There was one Shiva, who passed away and another one came into being; there are many incarnations of Ram Chandra and Krishna.”
(Akaal Ustat, Guru Gobind Singh Ji)

God’s name “Raam” in Sri Guru Granth Sahib does not refer to Hinduism because this name existed thousands years before Hindu deity Rama was born. Every name mentioned in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji which pertains to God is written in a way to signify the characteristics of God and these names should never be associated with any human being or deity.

ਕਬੀਰ ਰਾਮ ਕਹਨ ਮਹਿ ਭੇਦੁ ਹੈ ਤਾ ਮਹਿ ਏਕੁ ਬਿਚਾਰੁ ॥
ਸੋਈ ਰਾਮੁ ਸਭੈ ਕਹਹਿ ਸੋਈ ਕਉਤਕਹਾਰ ॥੧੯੦॥
ਕਬੀਰ ਰਾਮੈ ਰਾਮ ਕਹੁ ਕਹਿਬੇ ਮਾਹਿ ਬਿਬੇਕ ॥
ਏਕੁ ਅਨੇਕਹਿ ਮਿਲਿ ਗਇਆ ਏਕ ਸਮਾਨਾ ਏਕ ॥੧੯੧॥
“Kabeer, it does make a difference, how you chant the Lord’s Name, ‘Raam’. This is something to consider. Everyone uses the same word for the son of Dasrath and the Wondrous Lord. ||190|| Kabeer, use the word ‘Raam’, only to speak of the All-pervading Lord. You must make that distinction. One ‘Raam’ is pervading everywhere, while the other is contained only in himself. ||191||”

(Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 1374)