ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>GURD&#256S BH&#256&#298 (1551-1636)</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="GURDS,BH*,Person,Person"> <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">&#65279GURD&#256S, BH&#256&#298 (1551-1636), much honoured in Sikh learning and piety, was a leading figure in early Sikhism who enjoyed the partronage of Gur&#363 Arjan under whose supervision he inscribed the first copy of Sikh Scripture, the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, which is still extant. He was born in a Bhall&#257 Khatr&#299 family (father: &#298shar D&#257s; mother: J&#299van&#299) at Goindv&#257l in 1608 Bk/AD 1551. Bh&#257&#299 &#298shar D&#257s, one of Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s's cousins had settled in Goindv&#257l soon after the town was founded in 1603 Bk/AD 1546. Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s, who was the only child of his parents, lost his mother when he was barely three and his father when he was 12. He spent his early years at Goindv&#257l and Sult&#257npur Lodh&#299. At the former place, he had the opportunity of listening to many men of knowledge and spiritual attainment who kept visiting the town which fell on the Delhi-Lahore road and was then the religious centre of the Sikhs. He later proceeded to V&#257r&#257&#7751as&#299 where he studied Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures. He was initiated into Sikhism by Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s in 1579. He travelled extensively visiting &#256gr&#257, Lucknow, V&#257r&#257&#7751as&#299, Burh&#257npur, R&#257jasth&#257n, Jamm&#363 and Chamb&#257 hills, preaching Gur&#363 N&#257nak's word. After the passing away of Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s, in 1581, he returned to the Punjab, visited Goindv&#257l and thence proceeded to Amritsar to pay his obeisance to Gur&#363 Arjan, Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s's successor. He made Amritsar his home and through his devotion and love of learning carved for himself a pre-eminent position among the Gur&#363's disciples. When the Gur&#363 decided to compile the Holy Granth containing the hymns of the Gur&#363s and of some of the saints and s&#363f&#299s, he chose Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s to be his principal helper. They worked together on the volume which was completed in 1604. The entire text was inscribed by Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s. The copy written in his hand is preserved to this day in the family of the Gur&#363's descendants at Kart&#257rpur, in Jalandhar district of the Punjab.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s also contributed the labour of his hands to the excavation of the sacred pool at Amritsar (1577). He was chosen to recite the Gur&#363s' hymns to Emperor Akbar when he visited Kart&#257rpur in 1596-97 on his way back from a military campaign. As the tradition goes, the Emperor had been incited by Prith&#299 Chand and his supporters against Gur&#363 Arjan saying that the hymns he was planning to compile into a volume had an anti-Muslim tone. As Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s read out verses selected at random, the Emperor was deeply impressed with their spiritual content. When Gur&#363 Hargobind, N&#257nak VI, decided to construct in front of the Harimandar, Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t, Throne of the Timeless Lord, he entrusted the task to the two most revered Sikhs of the time, Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s and Bh&#257&#299 Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257, the latter blessed by Gur&#363 N&#257nak himself. Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s was assigned to looking after the premises. Gur&#363 Hargobind also appointed him to teach his young son (Gur&#363) Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur ancient classics even as Bh&#257&#299 Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257 supervised his training in manly arts of archery and horsemanship. Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s led a batch of Sikhs to Gw&#257l&#299or where Gur&#363 Hargobind had been detained under the orders of the Mu<u>gh</u>al emperor Jah&#257&#7749g&#299r. He was present at the weddings of the Gur&#363's sons B&#257b&#257 Gurditt&#257 (April 1621) and B&#257b&#257 S&#363raj Mall (23 April 1629). He offered <i>ard&#257s</i> at the death in 1621 of M&#257t&#257 Ga&#7749g&#257, wife of Gur&#363 Arjan, and recited Scripture and offered <i>ard&#257s</i> at the time of B&#257b&#257 Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257's death on 17 November 1631.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s was the bulwark of Sikhism for many years. He was the expounder and exemplar of the Sikh way of life. He was a man of wide learning especially in ancient texts and philosophy, and devoted his exceptional talents to preaching the Sikh faith. He composed verse which is valued for its racy style and for its vivid exposition of the teaching of the Gur&#363s. His poetry, now available in two volumes, in Punjabi <i>V&#257r&#257&#7749 Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s</i> and in Braj <i>Kabitt Sava&#299yye</i>, forms part of accepted Sikh canon and is sung along with <i>gurb&#257&#7751&#299</i>, the Gur&#363s' word, at holy congregations. Gur&#363 Arjan put his seal of approval on it by designating it as the "key" to the Holy Scripture.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s, who never married, died at Goindv&#257l on Bh&#257do&#7749 <i>sud&#299</i> 5, 1693 Bk/25 August 1636.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Jagg&#299, Ratan Si&#7749gh, <i>Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s: J&#299van te Rachn&#257</i>. Patiala, 1974<BR> <li class="C1"> Sard&#363l Si&#7749gh, <i>Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s</i>. Patiala, 1961<BR> <li class="C1"> Nripinder Singh, <i>The Sikh Moral Tradition</i>. Delhi, 1990<BR> <li class="C1"> Darshan Si&#7749gh, <i>Bha&#299 Gurd&#257s: Sikkh&#299 de Pahile Vi&#257khi&#257k&#257r</i>. Patiala, 1986<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Rattan Si&#7749gh Jagg&#299<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>