ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>FAR&#298DKO&#7788 &#7788&#298K&#256</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="FAR*DKOl,l*K"> <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">&#65279FAR&#298DKO&#7788 &#7788&#298K&#256, the earliest full-scale exegesis or annotated version of the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, was prepared under the patronage of the princely rulers of the state of Far&#299dko&#7789. Hence its popular name <i>Far&#299dko&#7789 V&#257l&#257 &#7788&#299k&#257</i> or, for short, <i>Far&#299dko&#7789 &#7788&#299k&#257</i>. Its full title is <i>&#256di Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib J&#299 Sa&#7789&#299k. Sa&#7789&#299k</i> literally means with <i>&#7789&#299k&#257</i>, annotation or commentary.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib is an anthology of spiritual poetry of six of the Gur&#363s and a number of medieval saints as well as of some of the followers contemporary with the first five Gur&#363s. The language used is, by and large, Punjabi or Hindi, not difficult to understand. Yet, because of its poetic form and philosophical content and the linguistic peculiarities bequeathed it by a long range of time and space it spanned, the Scriptural text transmitted to the laity required to be annotated and explained. In consequence arose a whole body of exegetical literature; also several schools of interpretation. The starting-point is that corpus itself. Successive Gur&#363s clarified, elaborated and expounded in their own verse the meaning of the compositions they had inherited. The Janam S&#257kh&#299s contain these interpretations clothed in much hagiographical detail. This is especially so in the case of writers attempting to provide a setting and background to the hymns they are expounding. One prominent example is the <i>poth&#299</i> by B&#257b&#257 Miharb&#257n. The writings of Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s (d. 1636) are placed by some in the same category.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; During the eighteenth century and up into the early part of the nineteenth, the task of interpreting and preaching the Holy Writ primarily rested with the Ud&#257s&#299 and Nirmal&#257 schoolmen. In the worst days of persecution they were left unmolested. They remained in control of Sikh shrines and institutions; also during the time when the Sikhs had established their authority in the Punjab. All instruction was carried out orally. The only writings of this period were the <i>Rahitn&#257m&#257s</i> which were, strictly speaking, rules of conduct rather than works of exegesis. The first Ud&#257s&#299 exegete of this period who left a written record of his scriptural studies was &#256nandghana, who completed his <i>&#7789&#299k&#257</i> of <i>Japu</i> in 1795, followed by exegeses of several other <i>b&#257&#7751&#299s</i>. &#256nandghana was the first to separate historical account from interpretative comment. His interpretations are saturated with Upani&#7779adic lore and are densely Vedantic rather than Sikh, and are apparently a conscious reincubation of Hindu ideology in Sikh thinking.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Nirmal&#257 scholars generally echoed the Ud&#257s&#299 trend of interpreting Sikh scriptural texts in the inflated style prescribed by Hindu commentators on Upani&#7779adic and Vedic texts. Bh&#257&#299 Santokh Si&#7749gh (1788-1843), the most prominent among the Nirmal&#257s, did write his <i>Garabgañjan&#299 &#7788&#299k&#257 (&#7789&#299k&#257</i> to humble the <i>garab</i>, i.e. pride, of &#256nandghana) in criticism of &#256nandghana's interpretations in his <i>Japu &#7788&#299k&#257,</i> but he too was writing from within the Hindu framework and represented a deep Br&#257hma&#7751ical influence. Besides <i>&#7789&#299k&#257s</i>, annotation of scriptural writings continued to flourish throughout the nineteenth century in the form of <i>Pray&#257i</i> (glossaries) and Ko&#347 (dictionaries), two prominent illustrations being <i>Granth Gur&#363 Gir&#257rath Ko&#347</i> (1895) and <i>Pray&#257i &#256di Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib J&#299 De</i> (1898).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A new phase of exegetical writing began with the advent of Western learning. It was, in fact, a Westerner scholar, Ernest Trumpp who first took up an end-to-end English translation of the entire Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. But Trumpp's scorn for traditional interpretations of the faith and his overt antipathy towards it earned him the reproach of the entire Sikh people. Following the publication of Trumpp's work in 1877, unfinished though it remained, R&#257j&#257 Bikr&#257m Si&#7749gh, ruler of Far&#299dko&#7789 (1842-98) and patron of the Amritsar <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n, commissioned a full scale commentary in Punjabi on Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. The first draft prepared by Gi&#257n&#299 Badan Si&#7749gh of Sekhv&#257&#7749 was ready by 1883. It was then revised by a synod of Sikh scholars representing a wide variety of schools of thought current among the Sikhs, with Mahant Sumer Si&#7749gh of Pa&#7789n&#257 S&#257hib as chairman. Other members of the committee were Gi&#257n&#299 Harbhajan Si&#7749gh of Amritsar, Sant Si&#7749gh of Kap&#363rthal&#257 state, Jha&#7751&#7693&#257 Si&#7749gh of Gurdw&#257r&#257 N&#257nak&#299&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib, near Sa&#7749gr&#363r, R&#257i Si&#7749gh of Ja&#7749g&#299 R&#257&#7751&#257, Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh of Sekhv&#257&#7749, Pa&#7751&#7693it Ham&#299r Si&#7749gh Sa&#7749skrit&#299, Pa&#7751&#7693it B&#257lak R&#257m Ud&#257s&#299 Sa&#7749skrit&#299 and B&#257b&#257 Ba<u>kh</u>t&#257var Si&#7749gh Gi&#257n&#299. The revision was completed during the time of R&#257j&#257 Bikram Si&#7749gh, but he did not live long enough to see publication of the work he had sponsored. The printing started during the reign of his successor, R&#257j&#257 Balb&#299r Si&#7749gh (1869-1906). Three volumes came out during his time and the fourth and final one during the reign of his successor, Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Brijindar Si&#7749gh (1896-1918). By this time the first edition had already run out. A large number of the sets had been presented free of cost to <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i> and to scholars. The rest were sold at a nominal price. Meanwhile, suggestions for further revisions and for the use of standard Punjabi instead of Braj in the exegesis had been pouring in from various Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257s and <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257ns. The Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 ordered, in August 1918, the formation of a revision committee and, pending the revision, ordered the publication of a second edition to meet the immediate demand. However, his untimely death a few months later (22 December 1918) upset the entire plan. The proposed revision never took place, though a second edition did appear in 1924. Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Brijindar Si&#7749gh's successor R&#257j&#257 Harindar Si&#7749gh was averse to the idea of a revision. He used to say that the <i>&#7789&#299k&#257</i> had been commissioned by his ancestors and it must remain in the same form and style in which they had left it. The original copy of the <i>&#7789&#299k&#257</i> is still preserved in the <i>tosh&#257<u>kh</u>&#257n&#257</i> of the late R&#257j&#257. There have, however, been reprints of the original brought out by the Languages Department (Bh&#257sh&#257 Vibh&#257g) Punjab, the first one in the series appearing in 1970.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> T&#257ran Si&#7749gh, <i>Gurb&#257&#7751&#299 d&#299&#257&#7749 Vi&#257khi&#257 Pra&#7751&#257l&#299&#257&#7749</i> Patiala, 1980<BR> <li class="C1">"Introduction" in <i>Far&#299dko&#7789 &#7788&#299k&#257.</i> Patiala, 1970<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Major Gurmukh Si&#7749gh (Retd.)<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>