ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>A&#7748GAD DEV GUR&#362 (1504-1552)</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="ADGAD,DEV,GURj,Person,Person"> <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">&#65279A&#7748GAD DEV, GUR&#362, (1504-1552), the second of the ten Gur&#363s or prophet-teachers of the Sikh faith was born Lahi&#7751&#257 on Bais&#257kh <i>vad&#299</i> 1, Sammat 1561 Bikram&#299, corresponding with 31 March 1504. His father, Bh&#257&#299 Pher&#363, was a Treha&#7751 Khatr&#299 and a trader of humble means, whose ancestral home was located near the village of Matte d&#299 Sar&#257i, now known as Sar&#257i N&#257&#7749g&#257, 16 km from Muktsar, in present-day distric&#7789 of Far&#299dko&#7789 in the Punjab. His mother's name is variously given as Sabhir&#257&#299, R&#257mo, Day&#257 Kaur and Mans&#257 Dev&#299.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In M&#257gh 1576 Bk/January 1520, he was married to Kh&#299v&#299, daughter of Dev&#299 Chand, a Marv&#257h Khatr&#299 from the village of Sa&#7749ghar, near Kha&#7693&#363r, in Amritsar district. Two sons, D&#257s&#363 and D&#257t&#363, and a daughter, Amaro, were born to the couple. According to some writers, Gur&#363 A&#7749gad had two daughters, Amaro and Anokh&#299.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lahi&#7751&#257 became a disciple of Gur&#363 N&#257nak in his late twenties. There are two main versions concerning the manner in which he was converted to the teachings of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. The <i>janam s&#257kh&#299s</i> of the <i>Pur&#257tan</i> tradition describe Lahi&#7751&#257 as the <i>puj&#257r&#299</i> of Kha&#7693&#363r. With only one exception, the inhabitants of Kha&#7693&#363r were all worshippers of the goddess Durg&#257 and Lahi&#7751&#257 accordingly served as a <i>puj&#257r&#299</i> of the Dev&#299 cult. The one exception was a Sikh who regularly chanted Gur&#363 N&#257nak's hymns. On one occasion, Lahi&#7751&#257 overheard him singing a <i>&#347abda</i> and upon asking who had composed it he was told that it was by Gur&#363 N&#257nak. Further converse with the Sikh convinced Lahi&#7751&#257 of the truth of the Gur&#363's words and, casting aside the trappings of Durg&#257-worship, he too became a Sikh. No initial meeting with Gur&#363 N&#257nak is described in this account. The next <i>Pur&#257tan</i> anecdote assumes that Lahi&#7751&#257 is already in his company at Kart&#257rpur. The other version, to be found in the <i>&#256di S&#257kh&#299&#257&#7749 (q. v.), </i> the B40 <i>Janam S&#257kh&#299 (q. v.) </i>and the <i>Miharb&#257n Janam S&#257kh&#299 (q. v.), </i> opens with Lahi&#7751&#257 living in the village of Har&#299ke, near Matte d&#299 Sar&#257i. In common with other inhabitants of the village, Lahi&#7751&#257 made an annual pilgrimage to a "shrine of Durg&#257" which the <i>Mahim&#257 Prak&#257sh Kavit&#257</i> later identifies as Jv&#257l&#257mukh&#299. On one such pilgrimage, the party happened to pass by Kart&#257rpur and, hearing that it was the abode of the renowned Gur&#363 N&#257nak, they decided to visit the village in order to receive his <i>darshan. </i> While they were in his presence, Gur&#363 N&#257nak briefly conversed with Lahi&#7751&#257 who was instantly converted. In spite of the protests by the pilgrim party which he was leading, he announced that the purpose of the pilgrimage had been fulfilled in Kart&#257rpur and that he would proceed no further. For the remainder of his master's lifetime, he resided partly in Kart&#257rpur and partly in Kha&#7693&#363r .</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gur&#363 N&#257nak bestowed the name A&#7749gad on him to signify that the disciple had become as much a part of him as his own limbs (<i>a&#7749g</i>). A&#7749gad devoted himself whole-heartedly to the Gur&#363's word and to deeds of service. He cleaned the utensils and swung the fan. The <i>janam s&#257kh&#299s</i> and the <i>Mahim&#257 Prak&#257sh</i> lay insistent stress on the patient, unquestioning loyalty of A&#7749gad the disciple, distinguishing him in this respect not merely from Gur&#363 N&#257nak's sons but also from other reputable disciples whose endurance proves to have limits. This quality of A&#7749gad's character is repeatedly affirmed through a series of anecdotes, each seeking to express a limitless faith and boundless humility. These stories, explicitly or by implication, point forward to A&#7749gad's succession as Gur&#363. Because he surpasses all others in loyal obedience, he is the disciple chosen to lead the Panth at the death of its first Master.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Two anecdotes from the <i>janam s&#257kh&#299s</i>will serve to illustrate this aspect of Gur&#363 A&#7749gad's character. A&#7749gad once visited Gur&#363 N&#257nak out in the fields and was there commanded to carry a bundle of wet paddy back to the house. Notwithstanding the fact that he was wearing new clothes, A&#7749gad unhesitatingly seized the sodden bundle and placed it on his head. By the time he reached the house, slime oozing from the paddy had ruined his clothing. When Gur&#363 N&#257nak's wife protested at such apparently thoughtless treatment, he replied that far from being drenched with mud he had in fact been baptized with saffron. The slime was, in other words, the insignia of his unquestioning obedience and so of his fitness for the succession. The second anecdote recounts the incident which is said to have clinched the succession issue. In order to test the loyalty of his followers, Gur&#363 N&#257nak once escorted them to a jungle where he made silver and gold coins appear before them. Many of his Sikhs immediately disqualified themselves by seizing all they could grasp. Further on most of those who remained eliminated themselves by picking up jewels which had similarly appeared on the ground before them. Only two Sikhs now remained, one of them being A&#7749gad. Gur&#363 N&#257nak led them to a funeral pyre and commanded them both to eat the corpse which lay on it concealed beneath a shroud. The second Sikh fled but A&#7749gad, obedient to the end, lifted the shroud to do his master's bidding. Under it he discovered no corpse but Gur&#363 N&#257nak himself. The test had been miraculously contrived and A&#7749gad alone had passed it. Needless to say the truth of this anecdote lies not in the series of miracles which it related but in the supreme loyalty and obedience which it so vividly depicts.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bypassing his own sons, Gur&#363 N&#257nak nominated A&#7749gad his successor on H&#257&#7771 <i>vad&#299</i> 13, 1596 Bk/13 June 1539.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The installation on <i>gurgadd&#299</i> took place a few days before the death of Gur&#363 N&#257nak on Ass&#363 <i>v&#257d&#299</i> 10, 1596 Bk/7 September 1539. Gur&#363 N&#257nak had made A&#7749gad more than his successor. He had made him equal with himself. He transferred his own light to him. A&#7749gad became N&#257nak, N&#257nak II.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gur&#363 A&#7749gad now shifted to Kha&#7693&#363r from where he continued his work. Like his predecessor, he taught people the virtues of piety and dedicated service. The musician Balva&#7751&#7693, who composed in praise of the Gur&#363 a portion of the panegyric popularly known as <i>&#7788ikke d&#299 V&#257r, </i> declares that Gur&#363 A&#7749gad was celebrated for his practice of meditation, austerities and abstinence <i>(japu tapu sa&#7749jamu). </i> Other anecdotes are on record testifying to these qualities, as also those of humility, wisdom and generosity. His regular daily programme consisted of the following activities. During the last watch of the night, he would rise, bathe and then meditate until daybreak. Then the musicians sang Gur&#363 N&#257nak's <i>&#256s&#257 k&#299 V&#257r. </i> Gur&#363 A&#7749gad was always present. Afterwards, he attended to sick persons. Such persons, particularly lepers, came from all parts to be healed by the Gur&#363. Later he preached and expounded Gur&#363 N&#257nak's hymns. At mealtime, all sat together without distinctions of caste or creed to eat from the community kitchen. The Gur&#363's wife looked after the <i>la&#7749gar</i>. The Gur&#363 and his family ate a simple meal which he earned by twisting <i>muñj</i>, reed fibre, into string. The afternoon was for children's instruction. Gur&#363 A&#7749gad himself taught them Gurmukh&#299 letters. In the evening there would be more <i>k&#299rtan</i> followed by instruction from the Gur&#363. Kha&#7693&#363r became the centre of the Sikh faith as Kart&#257rpur had been in Gur&#363 N&#257nak's time. Sikhs came from far and near to seek instruction and renew their faith. According to Sikh tradition, Emperor Hum&#257y&#363&#7749 came to Kha&#7693&#363r and sought Gur&#363 A&#7749gad's blessing.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Two varieties of memorials bear visible witness to the life and teachings of Gur&#363 A&#7749gad. The first consists of <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i> commemorating particular episodes in his life and these are almost all clustered in or near Kha&#7693&#363r. The main one, now named Darb&#257r S&#257hib, stands within the town at the place occupied by Gur&#363 A&#7749gad's residence and <i>darb&#257r</i>. On the northern outskirts of the town is Mall Akh&#257&#7771&#257, marking the spot where the Gur&#363 used to give instruction in wrestling. Further out in the same direction, Tapi&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib designates the place where the Gur&#363 is said to have performed austerities (<i>tap</i>). This <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i> stands besides a tank, opposite the <i>sam&#257dh</i> of Bh&#257&#299 B&#257l&#257. A short distance to the southwest of Kha&#7693&#363r, in the village of <u>Kh</u>&#257n Raj&#257d&#257, stands a <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i> commemorating a specific episode in the life of Gur&#363 A&#7749gad. According to tradition, there once arrived in Kha&#7693&#363r a yog&#299 who managed to persuade the local cultivators that current drought would remain unbroken until they had evicted Gur&#363 A&#7749gad. The Gur&#363 agreed to go and, leaving Kha&#7693&#363r, he moved to a <i>theh</i> (site of a ruined village), known at the time as <u>Kh</u>&#257n Raj&#257d&#257. The drought persisted, however, and did so until (Gur&#363) Amar D&#257s intervened. Following his instructions, the cultivators tied a rope to the yog&#299's feet and pulled him round the village. Wherever they dragged him, rain fell in torrents. The humiliated charlatan was then permitted to depart and Gur&#363 A&#7749gad returned to his rightful place. There is another <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i> associated with Gur&#363 A&#7749gad in village Bharov&#257l, southwest of Kha&#7693&#363r, between <u>Kh</u>&#257n Raj&#257d&#257 and Kha&#7693&#363r S&#257hib. In addition to these five commemorative <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i> in the Kha&#7693&#363r area there is one in Sarai N&#257&#7749g&#257, the village formerly known as <i>Matte d&#299 Sar&#257i</i>, the birthplace of Gur&#363 A&#7749gad.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The second kind of memorial is provided by the small collection of compositions by Gur&#363 A&#7749gad preserved in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. Amongst the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib collections of works by the first five Gur&#363s, this is the smallest, comprising sixty-three <i>&#347lokas</i>scattered through <i>v&#257rs</i> which are primarily the work of the first, third and fourth Gur&#363s. Fifteen of his <i>&#347lokas</i>have been incorporated in <i>V&#257r &#256s&#257</i>, twelve in <i>V&#257r M&#257jh</i>, eleven in <i>V&#257r S&#363h&#299</i>, nine in <i>V&#257r S&#257ra&#7749g</i>, and the remaining sixteen in the <i>v&#257rs</i> of Sir&#299 R&#257ga (2), Sora&#7789h (1), R&#257mkal&#299 (7), M&#257r&#363 (1) and Mal&#257r (5).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 A&#7749gad was an inspired poet. The <i>&#347lokas</i>, in chaste Punjabi, faithfully reflect the teachings embodied in the works of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. In them we find the same stress upon the perils of worldly concerns and self-centred attitudes, and the same insistence that regular meditation on the divine Name (<i>n&#257m</i>) provides the only sufficient means of escape. Man is the creature of his self-centred <i>haumai</i>. God, however, is gracious and proffers in the Divine Name a means of liberation accessible to all who pursue a life of disciplined meditation and virtuous living. Early morning is the time for meditation and virtue is the necessary supplement during the remainder of the day. Two doctrines receive particular emphasis in these <i>&#347lokas</i>. One is the total authority of God. This imposes upon all who seek liberation an inescapable obligation to know and observe the Divine Will (<i>hukam</i>). The second prominent doctrine concerns the means of recognizing the Divine Will. It is, Gur&#363 A&#7749gad insists, by the grace of Gur&#363 that man may know the way of liberation. Only those who turn to the Gur&#363 may have both, the hope and the assurance of finding it. The style in which this message finds expression is simple, direct, and effective. Pungency is the quality which distinguishes the <i>&#347lokas</i> of Gur&#363 A&#7749gad, an unadorned vigour which communicates his message in terms easily understood by any member of his following. Using the same simple style, the Gur&#363 gives pithy expression to refined doctrine as well as to homely wisdom.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gur&#363 A&#7749gad passed away at Kha&#7693&#363r on Chet <i>sud&#299 </i>4, 1609 Bk/29 March 1552, passing on succession to Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s who became N&#257nak III.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Bhall&#257, Sar&#363p D&#257s, <i>Mahim&#257 Prak&#257sh. </i> Patiala, 1971<BR> <li class="C1"> V&#299r Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, ed. , <i>Pur&#257tan Janam S&#257kh&#299. </i> Amritsar, 1982<BR> <li class="C1"> Pi&#257r Si&#7749gh, ed. , <i>&#256di S&#257kh&#299&#257&#7749. </i> Ludhiana, 1989<BR> <li class="C1"> Santokh Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth. </i> Amritsar, 1926-37<BR> <li class="C1"> Satib&#299r Si&#7749gh, <i>Kudarat&#299 N&#363r. </i> Jalandhar, 1981<BR> <li class="C1"> Macauliffe, Max Arthur, <i>The Sikh Religion. </i> Oxford, 1909<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">W. H. McLeod<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>