Template:Not to be confused with Template:Infobox religious biography
Bhai Gurdas Singh (fl. 18th century), also known as Bhai Gurdas II, was a Sikh during the time of Guru Gobind Singh.[1][2] He is most known for writing a Vaar (folk ballad).[3][4]
Biography
He was the brother of Alam Singh Nachna.[1] He served as one of the many poets in the durbar (court) of Guru Gobind Singh.[1]
Vaar
He was an eyewitness to the Vaisakhi event which occurred in Anandpur on 13 April 1699, when the Guru formalized the Khalsa order.[1] He later recounted his account of that day in a Vaar, named the Vaar Sri Bhagaut Ji Ki Patshahi Dasvin Ki, amidst hostilities from Hindus and Muslims alike.[1][2] In a manuscript of the Vaar kept in the collection of the Sikh Reference Library, the work is known under the titled Vaar Bhai Gurdas Ji Ki.[2] The entire work comprises twenty-eight pauris (Indic term for stanzas), with twenty of the pauris praising Guru Gobind Singh and singling out unique aspects of the tenth guru.[2] A common theme emphasized throughout the work is how Guru Gobind Singh transformed the sangat (congregation) of Sikhs into the Khalsa.[2] The comparison is made to the Guru's sword and Kalika, the Indic deity.[2] Reference is made to the predecessor gurus Har Rai, Har Krishan (both on pauri 22) and Tegh Bahadur (pauri 23), with the last containing an account of the Guru's martyrdom in Delhi.[2] The finishing stanzas eulogize the Khalsa.[2] The work was composed in "Hindized Punjabi".[2]
In his Vaar, he states:[1] Template:BlockquoteIn his Vaar, he furthermore stresses the importance of the remembrance and chanting of Akāl (Template:Lang-pa, [[Literal and figurative language|Template:Small]] 'immortal') for Sikhs:[1] Template:BlockquoteThis work is commonly appended at the end of Varan Bhai Gurdas as a 41st Vaar on-top of the traditional forty authored by Gurdas Bhalla.[2]
According to Louis E. Fenech and Vir Singh, the 41st Vaar would have been written in the mid-1780s as per internal evidence.[5]
Later life
After the death of his master, Guru Gobind Singh, in 1708, it is said Gurdas Singh traveled to Sindh, where he did missionary work spreading the tenets of Sikhism in the local area of Shikarpur.[1] Traditional lore claims he lived to an impressive age of 150.[1] His life is commemorated in the Khatwari Dharamsal of Bhai Gurdas in Shikarpur, Sindh.[1]
Literary works
- Vaar Sri Bhagaut Ji Ki Patshahi Dasvin Ki – Vaar on the Amrit Sanchar and Guru Gobind Singh[1][2]
- Raag Ramkali Ki Vaar[2]
- Barahmaha Sri Ram Chandar – narration of the separation between Rama and his brother, Bharata, whom were saddened by their uncoupling. Written shortly after the death of Guru Gobind Singh in 1708 to recount how the Sikhs of the time were feeling being separated from their Guru.[1]
- Pryaye Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji – poetic expounding of the Guru Granth Sahib[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Sri Dasam Granth: Facts Beyond Doubt{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Academy(2021). ISBN 9781527282773
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 The Encyclopedia of Sikhism{{#if:Singh|, Singh}. Punjabi University, Patiala
- ↑ Sikh Value System and Social Change{{#if:Kaur|, Kaur}. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University, Patiala(1995). ISBN 9788173801341
- ↑ Global Sikhs: Histories, Practices and Identities{{#if:Takhar|, Takhar}. Taylor & Francis(2023). ISBN 9781000847352
- ↑ The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh: A Discursive Blade in the Heart of the Mughal Empire{{#if:Fenech|, Fenech}. Oxford University Press(2013). ISBN 9780199931453