ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>AMAR KATH&#256</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="AMAR,KATH"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279AMAR KATH&#256, of unknown authorship, comprises a mixture of diverse hagiographic traditions bearing on the life of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. The work remains unpublished, but several manuscripts are known to exist : for instance, two of them, dated AD 1818 and 1872, respectively, are preserved in the Gur&#363 N&#257nak Dev University Library at Amritsar, one, dated 1877, in the Punjabi University Museum, Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, one, dated 1870, at the Pañj&#257b&#299 S&#257hitya Academy, Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 and one, dated 1825, in the Sikh Reference Library until it perished in the Army attack in 1984. Compiled probably towards the end of the eighteenth century, <i>Amar Kath&#257</i> draws upon all the prevalent <i>janam s&#257kh&#299</i> cycles such as <i>Pur&#257tan, Miharb&#257n</i> and <i>B&#257l&#257</i> along with the interpolations introduced by the Hand&#257l&#299&#257s (<i>q. v. </i>). This miscellany narrates Gur&#363 N&#257nak's life in terms of the usual legend, myth and miracle. It begins with the customary invocatory passages seeking immortality for the reader as well as for the listener. These are followed by the first cluster of about seven (in some manuscripts split into twelve) <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i>. Opening with an account of the genesis of the Universe, this section tells us how Nirañjan Nira&#7749k&#257r, the Immaculate Formless One, remained in a nebulous state for full 144 aeons; how He, then, created by His will <i>m&#257y&#257</i>, followed by the creation of various gods and goddesses. It was through gods Vi&#7779&#7751u, Brahm&#257 and &#346iva that human beings were created. Then Nira&#7749k&#257r ordained B&#257b&#257 N&#257nak (who is none other than Nira&#7749k&#257r's manifest facet) to retrieve the four Vedas for the benefit of mankind. Here follows the account of the four aeons detailing their salient features and enlisting the incarnations of Nira&#7749k&#257r each aeon had witnessed. This section ends with Gur&#363 N&#257nak's advent in the dark age, to show mankind the way to liberation.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The following section on Janampatr&#299 is extension of the <i>B&#257l&#257</i> tradition. The date of the Gur&#363's birth given here is the full moon day of the month of <i>k&#257rtik</i> in 1526 Bk/AD 1469 - an example of the compiler following the <i>B&#257l&#257</i> tradition which has been used as the broad framework into which anecdotes and accounts picked from other current sources have been fitted. Then there are <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i> reiterating the significance of surrender to the Gur&#363's will and of the company of the holy in realizing the Supreme Being. A few of the <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i> attempt to explain some of the sayings of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. Some are purely folkloristic in character containing fragments from old ballads sung by minstrels to extol Gur&#363 N&#257nak. Since most of the <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i> comprising this work have been lifted from different traditions, the change in idiom and style becomes apparent with change in the source from where a particular <i>s&#257kh&#299</i> is picked.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Pi&#257r Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>