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<p class="C1">&#65279DHANN&#256, BHAGAT (b. 1415), one of the medieval saints whose <i>b&#257&#7751&#299</i> has been incorporated in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, describes himself in a hymn, in R&#257ga &#256s&#257, as an ignorant Ja&#7789&#7789 and explains how he was attracted to the worship of God by the examples of N&#257mdev (a calico-printer), Kab&#299r (a weaver), Ravid&#257s (a cobbler) and Sai&#7751 (a barber). N&#257bh&#257d&#257s, <i>Bhaktam&#257l</i>, includes Dhann&#257 among the twelve disciples of R&#257m&#257nand (1299-1410), though it has been questioned if all the twelve did indeed live at the same time. Max Arthur Macauliffe fixes AD 1415 as the year of Dhann&#257's birth, but his name nowhere appears in the writings of Kab&#299r (fl. 15th century) or Ravid&#257s (fl. 15th century). The earliest mention of him is in M&#299r&#257 B&#257&#299 (1498-1546), who in one of her songs proclaims how Dhann&#257 grew corn without sowing seed.</p>
<p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;	Dhann&#257 was born in the village of Dh&#363&#257&#7749, in &#7788o&#7749k district of R&#257jasth&#257n. His father was a simple, godfearing farmer, who frequently entertained <i>s&#257dh&#363s</i> in his house. Dhann&#257, as a child, was deeply impressed by these holy visitors and his mind turned to the pursuit of spiritual grace. Like his Br&#257hma&#7751 neighbour, he started worshipping <i>&#7789h&#257kurs</i> or idols. He was later converted to <i>nirgu&#7751a bhakt&#299</i>, i. e. worship of the Formless One without attributes, as is evident from his hymns in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. "Loving devotion, " says Dhann&#257 in his <i> &#347abda</i> in R&#257ga &#256s&#257, "is now fixed in my heart and thereby have I found solace and fulfilment. In whose heart is light divine manifested he alone recognizeth the Immaculate One. " That the devotee does not deny himself the needs of the body is attested by another hymn in which Dhann&#257 supplicates the Lord for "foodgrains produced by tilling the land seven times over, " "a cow in milk as well as a buffalo, " "a dutiful wife to look after the household. " Totally, there are three hymns by Dhann&#257 in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib.</p>
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BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> S&#257hib Si&#7749gh, <i>Bhagat-B&#257&#7751&#299 Sa&#7789&#299k</i>, vol. I. Amritsar, 1979<BR>
<li class="C1"><i>Gur&#363 Granth Ratn&#257v&#257l&#299</i>. Patiala, n. d.<BR>
</ol><p class="CONT">Hardev B&#257hr&#299<br></p><BR>
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