ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>B&#256&#7750&#298 BIRDH PRAT&#256P</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 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">&#65279<i>B&#256&#7750&#298 BIRDH PRAT&#256P</i> is a collection of religious and devotional poetry in a mixture of Braj and Punjabi, written in Gurmukh&#299 script by B&#257b&#257 R&#257m D&#257s, a D&#299v&#257n&#257 <i>s&#257dh&#363</i>. The volume is preserved with reverence due to a religious scripture in the <i>&#7693er&#257</i> or monastery of the D&#299v&#257n&#257 sect established by B&#257b&#257 R&#257m D&#257s himself when he arrived in 1800 Bk/AD 1743 at the head of a group of <i>s&#257dh&#363s</i> and settled on the eastern outskirts of the town of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257. According to the D&#299v&#257n&#257 tradition, R&#257m D&#257s blessed Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 S&#257hib Si&#7749gh that a very lucky son will be born to him, and accordingly when a son was born to him in 1855 Bk/AD 1798, the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 named him Karam (<i>karam</i> = luck or fortune) Si&#7749gh, and donated to the <i>&#7693er&#257</i> 500 <i>bigh&#257s</i> of land further eastwards of the town. The work, completed on Chet <i>sud&#299</i> 12, 1859 Bk/23 April 1802, was published in 1981 by the then custodian of the <i>&#7693er&#257</i>. The volume contains hymns under different musical measures such as Sir&#299, G&#363jar&#299, Ked&#257r&#257, Tila&#7749g, Bil&#257val, R&#257mkal&#299, Prabh&#257t&#299, Gau&#7771&#299, Jaij&#257vant&#299, Dhan&#257sar&#299 and Bhairau. Poetical metres used include couplets, triplets, octets, etc. The volume begins with verses eulogizing the <i>gur&#363</i> whom the author identifies with God Himself (p. 45). The author pays homage to the Ten Gur&#363s of the Sikh faith whom he regards one in spirit sharing the same spiritual light (pp. 40-43). There are verses on themes such as the importance of repeating the Divine Name, truthful living and devotion to the <i>gur&#363</i>. The volume also contains <i>l&#299l&#257s</i> of B&#257lm&#299k and Draupad&#299 as well as hymns lauding gods and goddesses from Hindu mythology and the <i>bhaktas</i>. It concludes with the <i>R&#257gam&#257l&#257</i> reproduced from Sikh Scripture, the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Dharam Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>