ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>CHATUR D&#256S PA&#7750&#7692IT</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="CHATUR,DS,PAF IT"> <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">&#65279CHATUR D&#256S, PA&#7750&#7692IT, a learned Br&#257hma&#7751 of V&#257r&#257&#7751as&#299, who engaged Gur&#363 N&#257nak in a discourse during his visit to the city. He was intrigued by the Gur&#363's apparel which was neither of a householder nor of a hermit. As relates the <i>Pur&#257tan Janam S&#257kh&#299</i>, he questioned him, "What faith do you profess? You carry no <i>s&#257ligr&#257m</i>, the devotee's stone, nor do you wear the necklace of <i>tuls&#299</i>. You carry no rosary, nor have you the mark of powdered <i>chandan</i>-wood on your forehead. What devotion have you attached yourself to?" Gur&#363 N&#257nak in reply sang a hymn to the accompaniment of Mard&#257n&#257's <i>rab&#257b</i> or rebeck :</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Let God's Name be the <i>s&#257ligr&#257m</i> thou adorest,</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Let good deeds be the basil-wreath round thy neck ;</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Make a raft of God's Name and seek His grace.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Why waste thy time watering barren land,</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Or plastering walls built on sand ?</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Let good deeds be the string of vessels</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To draw water from the well,</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And yoke thy mind to the wheel.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Distil the nectar and irrigate with it the land,</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then alone wilt thou be owned by the Gardener. . .</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; Still proud of his learning, Chatur D&#257s said to Gur&#363 N&#257nak, "I admit your devotion to God, but now that you have come to this city, stay awhile and take something of its merit. Here we teach all the fourteen sciences. . . " Gur&#363 N&#257nak said that for him only one word was of real account, adding that he reckoned him alone truly learned who engaged himself in the service of others. According to <i>Pur&#257tan Janam S&#257kh&#299</i>, Gur&#363 N&#257nak here uttered all the fifty-four stanzas of his composition, <i>Oa&#7749k&#257r</i>, in R&#257mkal&#299 Dakkha&#7751&#299 measure, which is preserved in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. In this long poem, he enunciated the nature of the True One and of His creation. A new understanding dawned upon Pa&#7751&#7693it Chatur D&#257s. He fell at the Gur&#363's feet and became a disciple. A Sikh <i>sa&#7749gat</i> or group of followers attached to the message of the Gur&#363 grew up around him.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><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"> V&#299r Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, ed. , <i>Pur&#257tan Janam S&#257kh&#299</i>. Amritsar, 1971<BR> <li class="C1"> Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u> Gur&#363 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257</i>. Patiala, 1970<BR> <li class="C1"> Macauliffe, Max Arthur, <i>The Sikh Religion</i>. Oxford, 1909<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Gurnek Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>