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{{Short description|Sikh literary genre}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox religious text|name=|image=Folio of a Gurbilas Patshahi Dasvin manuscript.jpg|caption=Folio of a Gurbilas Patshahi Dasvin manuscript|religion=[[Sikhism]]|author=Various|title_orig=|period=18th century|chapters=}}
{{Sikh literature}}
The '''Gurbilas literature''', or '''''Gurbilases''''', refers to a genre of Sikh chronicle literature that records the biographies and historical narrations of the sixth and tenth Sikh gurus, namely [[Guru Hargobind]] and [[Guru Gobind Singh]].<ref name=":322">{{Cite book |last=Hasrat |first=B. J. |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University |year=2004 |isbn=817380530X |editor-last=Singh |editor-first=Harbans |edition=2nd |volume=4: S–Z |location=Patiala |pages=179–181}}</ref><ref name=":92">{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Jvala |title=Gurbilas |url=https://manglacharan.com/1718+Gurbilas+Patshahi+Chevi/Gurbilas |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=Manglacharan}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=McLeod |first=William Hewat |date=11 August 2024 |title=Sikh literature |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sikhism/Sikh-literature |access-date=25 August 2024 |website=Britannica}}</ref> They are similar to the [[Janamsakhis|Janamsakhi literature]] that contains biographies on the life of Guru Nanak.<ref name=":322" /> All of the main Gurbilas texts are traditionally attributed to the 18th century but their dates of completion are contested by scholars, who date them variously.<ref name=":322" />

Kripal Das Bhalla's ''[[Mahima Prakash Vartak]]'' (prose) and Sarup Das Bhalla's versified ''[[Mahima Prakash Kavita|Mahima Prakash]]'' also details the life of the tenth guru but are not classified as Gurbilases.<ref name=":322" />

== Origin ==
The Gurbilases genre arose from the ''Vilāsa'' literary tradition, which are narration of kings, especially [[Rajput]] ones.<ref name=":92" /> Examples of Vilasa literature includes the ''Rājvilāsa'' related to [[Raj Singh I|Raja Raj Singh of Mewar]] (r. 1652–1680) which was written in the late 17th century.<ref name=":92" /> [[W. H. McLeod|William Hewat McLeod]] states the genesis of the genre lies in the ''[[Bachittar Natak]]'' of the [[Dasam Granth]].<ref name=":9" /> As per McLeod, the works pre-date the commencement of the [[Tat Khalsa]].<ref name=":9" />

== Gurbilas texts ==

=== Main works ===

==== Sri Gur Sobha ====
{{Main article|Sri Gur Sobha}}
This text was completed by the [[Kavi Darbar|court poet]] Sainapati in 1711.<ref name=":322" /><ref name=":9" /> The title of the text translates to "radiance of the guru".<ref name=":9" /> It was the first text of the Gurbilas genre and it narrates the life of Guru Gobind Singh and the establishment of the Khalsa order.<ref name=":322" /><ref name=":9" /> Sainapati was a patron poet of the Sikh guru.<ref name=":322" />

==== Gurbilas Chhevin Patshahi ====
[[File:Gurbani_Holy_Text.pdf|thumb|Folio of a manuscript of Gurbilas Chhevin Patshahi bearing the colophon date of 1775 B.S. (ca.1718 C.E.)]]
This text was completed in 1718 and is usually attributed to a poet named Sohan.{{Efn|The title is alternatively spelt as 'Gurbilas Patshahi Chevin'.|group=note}}<ref name=":322" /><ref name=":92" /><ref name=":9" /> It covers the life of the sixth Sikh guru, Hargobind.<ref name=":92" /> Its authorship is associated with the Gianian Bunga of Amritsar, associated with [[Bhai Mani Singh]].<ref name=":92" /> The work inserts Mani Singh into the dialogues presented within the text.<ref name=":92" /> The work is the only comprehensive account of the guruship of the sixth Sikh guru.<ref name=":92" /> It is dated as early as 1718, or to 1780, or even as late as 1843.<ref name=":92" /> [[Kahn Singh Nabha|Bhai Khan Singh Nabha]] points out the text mentioning events relating to [[Ranjit Singh|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]] and covering of 19th century issues such as [[Rāgmala (Sikhism)|Ragmala]] as evidence for 1843 date. Scholarship tends to date the work to either the 19th century or earlier while acknowledging that many edits have been done to the text to explain the mentioning of later events.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Dr. Dharam |title=Know Your Heritage Introductory Essays on Primary Sources of Sikhism |last2=Singh |first2=Dr. Kulwant |publisher=Institute of Sikh Studies |year=2017 |location=Chandigarh |pages=181-182}}</ref> According to [[Jvala Singh]], Gurbilas Patshahi Chhevi was narrated by Mani Singh and written down by Bhagat Singh.<ref name=":04">{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Jvala |title=Guru Hargobind's Cannabis Routine |url=https://manglacharan.com/1718+Gurbilas+Patshahi+Chevi/Guru+Hargobind's+Cannabis+Routine |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=Manglacharan}}</ref> In early editions of the text, there is a reference to Guru Hargobind [[Cannabis and Sikhism|consuming cannabis]], but this reference was removed in later editions.<ref name=":04" />

==== Gurbilas Patshahi Dasvin ====
It was authored by [[Koer Singh Kalal]] in 1751.{{Efn|To be confused with the ''Gurbilas Dasvin Patshahi'' completed by Sukha Singh in 1797. Koer Singh's name is alternatively spelt as 'Kuir Singh'. The title of the text is alternatively spelt as 'Gurbilas Patshahi Dasvi'.|group=note}}<ref name=":322" /><ref name=":92" /><ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Sangat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PWUwAQAAIAAJ&q=bishan+singh+kalal |title=The Sikhs in History: A Millenium Study, with New Afterwords |date=2001 |publisher=Uncommon Books |isbn=978-81-900650-2-3 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Grewal |first=J. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SonXAAAAMAAJ&q=bishan+singh+kalal |title=The Khalsa: Sikh and Non-Sikh Perspectives |date=2004 |publisher=Manohar |isbn=978-81-7304-580-6 |language=en}}</ref> The work narrates the life of Guru Gobind Singh.<ref name=":92" /> Koer Singh claims the stories told in the work were narrated by Bhai Mani Singh.<ref name=":92" /> It was the first fully comprehensive work covering the life of Guru Gobind Singh.<ref name=":92" />

==== Bansavalinama Dasan Patshahian Ka ====
Authored by Kesar Singh Chibbar in 1769.<ref name=":322" />

==== Gurbilas Dasvin Patshahi ====
[[File:Folio of a Gurbilas Patshahi Dasvin manuscript (Sukha Singh's version), dated to 1836 C.E. (1893 Bk.).jpg|thumb|Folio of a Gurbilas Patshahi Dasvin manuscript (Sukha Singh's version), dated to 1836 C.E. (1893 Bk.)]]
Authored by Sukha Singh in 1797.{{Efn|Not to be confused with the ''Gurbilas Patshahi Dasvin'' authored by Koer Singh in 1751.|group=note}}<ref name=":322" /><ref name=":9" />

=== Other texts ===
Sobhi Ram wrote a Gurbilas, known as ''Gurbilas Sahib Singh Bedi'', not on a Sikh guru but rather on one of their descendants, namely [[Sahib Singh Bedi]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Pashaura |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |last2=Fenech |first2=Louis E. |date=Mar 27, 2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780191004117 |pages=186–187 |chapter=The Gurbilas Literature}}</ref>

== Content and language ==
The Gurbilases genre falls into a category of works produced by local hagiographers in the Punjabi-language.<ref name=":322" /> The Gurbilas literature are written in verse rather than prose.<ref name=":322" /> The Gurbilases differ from other hagiographical texts documenting the lives of the Sikh gurus as they are fuller accounts rather than anecdotal accounts, unlike the Janamsakhis.<ref name=":322" /> The Gurbilases are connected biographies written in verse form.<ref name=":322" /> Similar to the earlier Janamsakhi tradition, the Gurbilases are [[panegyric]]al rather than analytical.<ref name=":322" /> However, the Gurbilases differ from the Janamsakhis as they stressed upon the destiny of the gurus to fight against evil and their courage in this battle, with the enemy being the [[Mughal Empire]].<ref name=":9" /> Some of the Gurbilases place importance on [[devi]] (Indic goddesses) for the preparation of the Khalsa order.<ref name=":9" />

== Historicity ==
The Gurbilas literature are classified as semi-historical texts.<ref name=":322" /> They cannot be considered true historiographical works, as they mix fact with fiction without any attempts at discerning the two from one another.<ref name=":322" />

The Gurbilases were succeeded by more historical Sikh works, such as [[Ratan Singh Bhangu|Rattan Singh Bhangu's]] ''[[Prachin Panth Prakash]]'' (1841) and [[Sohan Lal Suri|Sohan Lal Suri's]] ''Umdat-ut-Twarikh'' (barring its first-part which is based on traditional accounts).<ref name=":322" /> However, the ''[[Suraj Prakash]]'' (1841) by [[Kavi Santokh Singh]] and [[Giani Gian Singh|Giani Gian Singh's]] ''Naveen Panth Prakash'' in verse (1880) and his ''[[Twarikh Guru Khalsa]]'', are examples of later Sikh works that show signs of reversion to the Janamsakhi-Gubilases genres as they contain considerable doctrinal content and anecdotal material.<ref name=":322" /> The first Sikh author to fully apply the modern scientific method for the basis of historiographical research was [[Karam Singh (historian)|Karam Singh]].<ref name=":322" />

== Notes ==
<references group="note" responsive="1"></references>
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== External links ==

* [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Gurbani_Holy_Text.pdf Digitized ''Gurbilas Chhevin Patshahi'' manuscript]
* [http://www.panjabdigilib.org/webuser/searches/displayPage.jsp?ID=2021&page=1&CategoryID=3 Digitized ''Gurbilas Dasvin Patshahi'' (Sukha Singh's version) manuscript]

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Sikh literature]]

Gurbilases - Revision history

Nina at 16:34, 7 May 2026