ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>BOLE SO NIH&#256L SATI SR&#298 AK&#256L</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background:#EAF1F7 url('../images/gtbh.jpg') no-repeat fixed 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="BOLE,NIHL,SATI,SR*,AKL"> <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">&#65279BOLE SO NIH&#256L, SATI SR&#298 AK&#256L is the Sikh slogan or <i>jaik&#257r&#257</i> (lit. shout of victory, triumph or exultation). It is divided in two parts or phrases. The first, <i>bole so nih&#257l</i> or <i>jo bole so nih&#257l</i>, is a statement meaning "whoever utters (the phrase following) shall be happy, shall be fulfilled, " and the second part <i>sati sr&#299 ak&#257l</i> (Eternal is the Holy/Great Timeless Lord). This <i>jaik&#257r&#257</i>, first popularized by Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh, N&#257nak X, has become, besides being a popular mode of expressing ebullient religious fervour or a mood of joy and celebration, an integral part of Sikh liturgy and is shouted at the end of <i>ard&#257s</i> or prayer, said in <i>sa&#7749gat</i> or holy congregation. One of the Sikhs in the <i>sa&#7749gat</i>, particularly the one leading <i>ard&#257s</i>, shouts the first phrase, <i>jo bole so nih&#257l</i>, in response to which the entire congregation, including in most cases the leading Sikh himself utter in unison <i>sati sr&#299 ak&#257l</i> in a long-drawn full-throated shout. The <i>jaik&#257r&#257</i> or slogan aptly expresses the Sikh belief that all victory (<i>jaya</i> or <i>jai</i>) belongs to God, V&#257higur&#363, a belief that is also expressed in the Sikh salutation <i>V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#299 Fateh</i> (<u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 is of God and to God belongs the victory, or Hail the Gur&#363's <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257! Hail the Gur&#363's victory!!) In their hour of triumph, therefore, the Sikhs remember <i>sati sr&#299 ak&#257l</i>instead of exulting in their own valour.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Traditionally, the slogan or war-cry expressing communal fervour and assent to or enthusiasm for a cause, <i>sat sr&#299 ak&#257l</i> has been so used through the three hundred year old history of the Sikh people, since the creation of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257. In a normal situation when two Sikhs meet, they exchange greetings pronouncing Sat Sr&#299 Ak&#257l thus pointing out the glory of God to each other. Although as a salutation it is by now the established form of Sikh greeting, it does not have the sanction of history or orthodoxy. V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Vah&#299gur&#363 j&#299 k&#299 Fateh, the other form of salutation, is generally used only by people punctilious in the observance of proper form. Those addressing a Sikh religious congregation will, as a rule, greet the audience with the salutation, V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#299 Fateh. Sat Sr&#299 Ak&#257l shouted in unison responding to the call <i>jo bole so nih&#257l</i> (whoever so pronounces shall prosper) is a call to action, or expression of ecstatic joy or an invocation for Divine aid or succour. While <i>sat</i> or <i>sati</i> (Sanskrit <i>satya</i>) means 'true', 'good', 'abiding', 'real' and 'eternal', <i>sr&#299</i> is an honorific denoting beauty, glory, grace or majesty. <i>Sati</i> has the sanction of Gur&#363 N&#257nak's M&#363l Mantra in the <i>Japu</i> where after Ik O&#7749k&#257r, it appears as a constituent of Satin&#257mu (Reality Eternal). <i>Ak&#257l</i> also occurs in M&#363l Mantra in the phrase Ak&#257l M&#363rati (Form Eternal), descriptive of the Absolute.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Ak&#257l</i> as the Divine name appealed particularly to Gur&#363 Gobind Singh as his philosophical vision of the cosmos and the human life centred around this concept. <i>Ak&#257l</i> means 'Timeless' or 'Transcending Time. ' Time being the consuming element, making for birth, decay and death, in Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's vision the most essential attribute lying at the core of human conception of the Divine is Its timeless quality. <i>K&#257l</i> is Sanskrit for time and in common parlance stands for death - more precisely, the inevitable hour of death. Fear being fear of death basically, in Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's metaphysical thinking and moral philosophy, to make the Timeless the centre of one's faith is the way to banish fear and to make heroes of ordinary mortals. Consequently, the inevitability of death and the futility of fear are among the principal themes of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's teaching. In his compositions there are several verbal formations from <i>k&#257l</i> (time) which express his vision. God is Sarab K&#257l (Lord of All-Time), Ak&#257l-Purakh (the Eternal Pervasive Reality) and has all the attributes arising from His quality of Timelessness. Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's principal composition of adoration is entitled <i>Ak&#257l Ustati</i> (Laudation of the Timeless). In places, the Gur&#363 has identified God with Time or All-Time, that is eternity. The opening line of one of his hymns reads : <i>keval k&#257l &#299 kart&#257r</i> (the All-Time, i. e. the Eternal alone is the Creator). This by implication repudiates the claim of Brahm&#257, one aspect of the Hindu trinity or of other deities, to be the true creator.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Ak&#257l</i> occurs at four places in the <i>V&#257r&#257&#7749</i> of Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s. In each context it conveys the sense of God the Eternal, Timeless. By the time of Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s, whose active life spanned the periods of Gur&#363 Arjan and Gur&#363 Hargobind, this term was familiar and well-established in the Sikh tradition, and consequently when Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh picked it out to make it the vehicle for expressing his deepest inspiration, he was only enriching a concept already a constituent of the philosophical milieu of the Sikh people.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As reported by the royal news writer, when in 1699 the new initiation by <i>amrit</i> was introduced by Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh, for days afterwards the whole atmosphere around Anandpur, the venue of the baptismal ceremonies, was resounding with cries of Ak&#257l, Ak&#257l. This referred to the shouts of Sat Sr&#299 Ak&#257l incessantly raised by the converts to the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 faith filled with new fervour. In subsequent times, after the Sikhs acquired political power in the Punjab, the seal of the Sikh chiefs would bear the inscription, <i>Ak&#257l Sah&#257i</i> (Ak&#257l be our Succourer). The most militant section of the Sikh crusaders, the Niha&#7749gs were called Ak&#257l&#299s (followers of Ak&#257l). During the early 1920's, when the Sikh people were fired with a new reformist and patriotic zeal, the party spearheading these programmes took to itself the name Ak&#257l&#299, which is politically still a viable term.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Sikh form of greeting or salutation has its individual significance and character. It is different from the Islamic salutation in which blessings of peace are sought for each other (<i>sal&#257m 'alaikum, wa'alaikum sal&#257m</i>). It is distinct also from Indian greetings (<i>namaste</i> or <i>namask&#257r</i>) which aim at paying homage or respects to the person addressed. The Sikh greeting exchanged with folded hands on either side in mutual courtesy and respect is essentially an utterance of laudation to the Timeless and an expression of faith in human unity and dignity.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Over the years, the boundaries between the Sikh slogan and Sikh greeting have become interlocked. <i>Sat sr&#299 ak&#257l</i> which is part of the Sikh slogan is now the general form of Sikh greeting. This has usurped the place of the more formal and proper salutation which also carries the sanction of Sikh theological postulates, i. e. <i>V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#299 Fateh</i>. The Sikh mode of salutation has gone through a long drawn process of evolution. The earliest form of Sikh salutation was <i>Pair&#299&#7749 Pau&#7751&#257</i>. In one of the life accounts of Gur&#363 N&#257nak known as <i>&#256di S&#257kh&#299&#257&#7749</i>, the injunction is said to have come down from the Almighty Himself. One day, it is recorded, the Formless (Nira&#7749k&#257r) called B&#257b&#257 N&#257nak into His presence and said :</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;N&#257nak, I am greatly pleased with you. . . Listen N&#257nak. I do, hereby, ordain a separate Order of yours. In the Kaliyug I shall be known as the True Lord and you as the Preceptor Lord. . . And, I bless you with a unique Order. The greeting of your order shall be <i>Pair&#299 Pau&#7751&#257</i> (I bow at your feet), whereas the greeting of the Vai&#7779&#7751avas shall be <i>R&#257m Kishan</i>, of the Sanny&#257s&#299s, <i>Om Namo N&#257r&#257ya&#7751aya</i>, of the Yog&#299s, <i>&#256de&#347a</i>, and of the Muhammdans, <i>Sal&#257m 'Alaikum</i>.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But O N&#257nak, all those who come into your fold, shall greet one another with <i>pair&#299 pau&#7751&#257</i>, the reply in each case being <i>Satgur&#363 Ko pair&#299 Pau&#7751&#257</i>.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote></p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This quotation is from a seventeenth century compilation. We have still an earlier testimony vouchsafing that in the early days of Sikhism, the Sikhs had, as their greeting, <i>Pair&#299 Pau&#7751&#257</i> and the practice of touching each other's feet. Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s, a contemporary of the Fifth and Sixth Gur&#363s, mentions the practice of <i>pair&#299 pau&#7751&#257</i>, i. e. touching the feet, in very clear terms. He writes :</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(In the Court of Gur&#363 N&#257nak)</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Ruler and the pauper were equal. He brought into vogue the practice of bowing at each other's feet.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What a wonderful feat the Beloved wrought !</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lo, the head bows at the feet.</p> <p class="C1" style="text-align: center">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ***</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Do not give up the practice of bowing at others' feet. For in the Kaliyug this is the path.</p> <p class="C1" style="text-align: center">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ***</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A Sikh should adopt the practice of bowing at another's feet; He should listen to the advice of the (other)</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gursikh, and ponder over what he says.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote></p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;These examples can be multiplied and even supplemented with <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i> (stories) from the <i>Pur&#257tan Janam S&#257kh&#299</i> and even from the Janam S&#257kh&#299 of Gur&#363 N&#257nak by Miharb&#257n. Both these life accounts contain numerous stories to show the prevalence of this form of greeting at an early stage of the evolution of the Sikh Panth.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the <i>B&#257l&#257 Janam S&#257kh&#299</i> occurs a different form of greeting. Instead of <i>Pair&#299 Pau&#7751&#257</i> of the Pur&#257tan cycle and of the <i>Miharb&#257n</i> tradition, we have here, <i>Kart&#257r Kart&#257r</i> (Creator! Creator!) meaning let us bow to the Lord, and <i>Sat Kart&#257r</i> (Creator is True). This, we are told, was anterior to the former. Even Miharb&#257n himself writes :</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At that time whosoever of the Sikhs came, he did not greet others with the word, <i>Pair&#299 Pae J&#299</i> nor would the addressee say, <i>Satgur&#363 Ko Pair&#299 Pau&#7751&#257</i>. On the contrary, whosoever came, he would greet others saying, "Kart&#257r, Kart&#257r, O' Sikhs of the Gur&#363, Kart&#257r, Kart&#257r. " All the Sikhs who came to Gur&#363 N&#257nak, too greeted him saying, "Kart&#257r, Kart&#257r. " The congregation was known as the Kart&#257r&#299s.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote></p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Supporting evidence may be found in Gur&#363 N&#257nak naming the town he raised on the bank of the River R&#257v&#299, Kart&#257rpur. Besides, we have the testimony of Zulfik&#257r Ardist&#257n&#299 author of the famous Persian work <i>Dabist&#257n-i-Maz&#257hib</i>. He lived during the time of the Sixth Gur&#363. He has left us a graphic account of N&#257nak-panth&#299s or Sikhs of his time. He records in his book that the followers of Gur&#363 N&#257nak were known as <i>Kart&#257r&#299s</i>. This obviously refers to their practice of repeating <i>Kart&#257r Kart&#257r</i> on meeting each other.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So <i>Kart&#257r Kart&#257r</i> is the first form of greeting which became prevalent in Sikhism. It was, however, soon replaced with <i>Pair&#299 Pau&#7751&#257</i>. It is recorded in <i>&#256di S&#257kh&#299&#257&#7749</i> that when Bh&#257&#299 Lahi&#7751&#257 came from Gur&#363 N&#257nak back to Mate d&#299 Sar&#257i, Ta<u>kh</u>t Mall, a close associate of Bh&#257&#299 Lahi&#7751&#257, came to see him. Bh&#257&#299 Lahi&#7751&#257, who had by now become Gur&#363 A&#7749gad, wanted to receive him with an embrace. But Ta<u>kh</u>t Mall avoided this saying, "You are back from a place of great reverence. I stand to gain by bowing at your feet (and not hugging). " This probably was the beginning of the new form of greeting. And, the practice spread. It touched its zenith at Amritsar, the town founded by Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s. The Gur&#363 had encouraged people from all castes, high and low, and from all classes, to come and settle in the new town. All of them greeted each other with <i>Pair&#299 Pau&#7751&#257</i> and touched one another's feet. This practice continued for a long time; and even today it is not unlikely that one would be greeted by an old citizen with the words <i>Pair&#299 Pau&#7751&#257 J&#299, r&#257z&#299 ho</i>" (I bow at your feet, Sir, how do you do ?).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The next vital change occurred when the Tenth Gur&#363 created the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257. Since Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh wanted a complete transformation of Sikh society, he ordered the overhauling of two fundamental institutions of the Sikhs. The first was the substitution of <i>Kha&#7751&#7693e d&#299 P&#257hul</i> for <i>Charan P&#257hul</i> and the second was the substitution of <i>V&#257higur&#363 J&#299 K&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 V&#257higur&#363 J&#299 K&#299 Fateh</i> for <i>Pair&#299 Pau&#7751&#257</i>. Sar&#363p D&#257s Bhall&#257, <i>Mahim&#257 Prak&#257sh</i>, describes the end of the custom of the <i>Charan P&#257hul</i> graphically in the following verse :</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Gur&#363 collected the washings of his feet in a jar,</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sealed its mouth with wax,</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And consigned it to the River Sutlej</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In its place he now ordained <i>Kha&#7751&#7693e d&#299 P&#257hul</i></p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote></p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Thus, the practice of administering <i>Charan P&#257hul</i> was discarded and along with it was discarded the former mode of greeting, <i>Pair&#299 Pau&#7751&#257</i>. In its place the Panth was now given a new salutation, a new form of greeting, <i>V&#257higuru J&#299 K&#257 Kh&#257ls&#257 V&#257higur&#363 J&#299 Ki Fateh</i> (<u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 belongs to God, and to Him alone belongs the Victory).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The proper salutation for the <i><u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257</i> - V&#257higur&#363 J&#299 K&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 V&#257higur&#363 J&#299 Ki Fateh - was made current among the Sikhs by command of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh at the time of manifestation of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 in 1699. <i>V&#257higur&#363</i> (also spelt <i>V&#257hgur&#363</i>) is expressive of wonder or ecstasy at Divine infinitude or glory. V&#257higur&#363 has become the most characteristic name for God in the Sikh creed, like Allah in Islam. It occurs in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib (Savaiyy&#257s by Bha&#7789&#7789 Gayand p. 1402) repeated ecstatically as a <i>mantra</i>. In the compositions of Gur&#363 Arjan (GG, 376), it is used in the inverted form as Gur V&#257hu. Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s in his <i>V&#257r&#257&#7749</i> has used it as being synonymous with the absolute, the Creator in a number of places (I. 49, IV. 17, VI. 5, IX. 13, XI. 3 and 8, XII. 17, XIII. 2, XXIV. 1, XL. 22). This prolific use by one whose philosophical exposition of Sikh metaphysics and mysticism is the earliest on record indicates that by the time of Gur&#363 Arjan (the Savaiyy&#257s referred to above were also composed by poets, Bha&#7789&#7789s, attending on him) V&#257higur&#363 as the Sikh name for God was well established and had acquired the overtones which have since been associated with it as expression of the Sikh monotheistic affirmation of faith.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Because of this close and inalienable association, Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh, at the time of introducing the new form of initiation with adjuration to the initiates to maintain a stern moral discipline and to cultivate qualities of crusaders and martyrs for the faith, administered the new faith in terms of the name of God which was held in the highest reverence in the tradition handed down to him. The new form of salutation, which annulled all the previous ones till then prevalent in Sikh society, was enunciation as V&#257higur&#363 J&#299 K&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 V&#257higur&#363 J&#299 Ki Fateh-the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 is the Lord's own : to the Lord is the Victory. This two-fold affirmation was, in the first place, expression of a special relationship between God and those who dedicated their entire life to His service. Second, it was the expression of that faith in the ultimate triumph of the forces of goodness which, despite all apparent setbacks, trials and travail, is the just and essential end of the fight between good and evil in the world. This faith has been asserted over and over again by Gur&#363 N&#257nak and his spiritual successors. After being administered <i>amrit</i> (water stirred with a two-edged dagger, sanctified by recitation of the Gur&#363's word and thus transmuted into the elixir of immortality), each initiate was adjured to raise the affirmation, V&#257higur&#363 J&#299 K&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 V&#257higur&#363 J&#299 K&#299 Fateh ! This was duly repeated, and the tradition continues till this day. Apart from being used as the affirmation of faith, this formula is also the orthodox approved Sikh form of salutation.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Two terms in this formula need elucidation. <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 is an Arabic word, meaning, literally, 'pure' and used in the administration terminology of the Muslim State system in India for lands or fiefs directly held by the sovereign and not farmed out to landlords on conditions of military service and of making over to the State a share of the produce. In the term <i><u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257</i>, both these meanings are discerned. In one of Gur&#363 Hargobind's Hukamn&#257m&#257s and in one of Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's, <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 is used for the Gur&#363's devotees, with the implication particularly as 'the Gur&#363's Own !' As Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh adopted the term and gave it centrality in the enunciation of the creed, the idea of purity perhaps came to acquire primacy. <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 occurs also in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib (GG, 654), where it is used in the sense of 'pure', 'emancipated. ' This term appealed to Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh as being truly expressive of the vision of a noble, heroic race of men that he was creating.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Fateh, fath&#803</i> in Arabic, literally means opening or forcing the portal of a besieged fort, implying victory. It has been used in the <i>Qur'&#257n</i> in the sense of victory, and one of the attributive names of God in the Muslim tradition is F&#257tih (lit. Opener, i. e. Vanquisher over all evil forces). While <i>jai, jaik&#257r</i> have been used in the Sikh tradition for victory and are used thus even in the <i>Dasam Granth, jai</i> was dropped from the new Sikh tradition, though for shouts of victory the term <i>jaik&#257r&#257</i> has become firmly established. <i>Fateh</i> was adopted as the current popular term for triumph or victory and made part of the Sikh affirmation and salutation. <i>Fateh</i> as <i>fatih</i> occurs once in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib (GG, 258). "<i>Ph&#257he k&#257&#7789e mi&#7789e gavan fatih bha&#299 mani j&#299t</i> - the noose of Yama hath been cleft, transmigration hath ceased and, with the conquest of the self, true victory hath been achieved. " The implied meaning here is of a moral victory. <i>J&#299t</i>, a word from Indian tradition, like <i>jaik&#257r&#257</i> had got established also in Sikh tradition, and in the invocation Panth k&#299 J&#299t (Victory to the Panth) is repeated in the Sikh congregational prayer daily. Fateh nonetheless remains the prime Sikh term for victory, and has been repeated again and again in Sikh history, down from the Persian couplet put on Sikh coins (<i>Deg-o-Te<u>gh</u>-o-Fateh-e-nusrat bedara&#7749g, y&#257ft az N&#257nak Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh</i>) to the common daily parlance of the Sikh people, wherein every success is designated as <i>fateh</i>.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Pi&#257r Si&#7749gh, ed. , <i>&#256di S&#257kh&#299&#257&#7749</i>. Amritsar, 1983<BR> <li class="C1"> Kirp&#257l Si&#7749gh, <i>Janam S&#257kh&#299 Prampar&#257</i>. Patiala, 1969<BR> <li class="C1"> Narai&#7751 Si&#7749gh, <i>V&#257r&#257&#7749 Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s J&#299 Sa&#7789&#299k</i>. Amritsar, 1960<BR> <li class="C1"> K&#257hn Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Gurmat M&#257rta&#7751&#7693</i>. Amritsar, 1938<BR> <li class="C1"> Ga&#7751&#7693&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Hukamn&#257me</i>. Patiala, 1967<BR> <li class="C1"> Kapur Singh, <i>Par&#257&#347arapra&#347na</i>. Amritsar, 1989<BR> <li class="C1"> Macauliffe, M. A. , <i>The Sikh Religion</i>. Oxford, 1909<BR> <li class="C1"> Cole, W. Owen and Piara Singh Sambhi, <i>The Sikhs : Their Religious Beliefs and Practices</i>. Delhi, 1978<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Gurbachan Si&#7749gh T&#257lib<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>