ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>K&#256R BHE&#7788</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="KR,BHEl"> <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">&#65279K&#256R BHE&#7788, from Persian <i>k&#257r</i> (lit. work, labour, occupation) and Hindi <i>bhe&#7751&#7789</i> (lit. meeting, offering), denotes voluntary offering made by a devotee to the Gur&#363. It has been a common practice especially in India, for one going to make obeisance to a saint, teacher, the deity, or king to carry with him some <i>bhe&#7751&#7789</i> or offering. The <i>bhe&#7751&#7789</i>, as distinguished from legal or customary taxes or tithes, could be in the form of cash, jewellery, a quantity of grain or some other farm produce. If one had nothing better to offer, one could take out a flower, a petal or a green leaf. The term <i>k&#257r bhe&#7789</i> which gained currency in early Sikhism signified offerings made by Sikhs to the Gur&#363. A typical connotation was that <i>k&#257r bhe&#7789</i> must come from earnings made by honest labour or work (<i>k&#257r</i>). Gur&#363 N&#257nak had extolled <i>kirat</i>, synonymous with <i>k&#257r</i> or <i>gh&#257l</i> (hard physical labour or industry). Further, unlike <i>bhe&#7751&#7789</i> which once offered became the property of the personage to whom it was offered, <i>k&#257r bhe&#7789</i> was meant to be spent on works of service, such as Gur&#363 k&#257 La&#7749gar, the free community kitchen, the digging of wells and tanks and construction of <i>dharams&#257l&#257s</i> or places of worship. Sikhs brought offerings to the Gur&#363 directly or made these over to <i>masands</i> or leaders appointed by the Gur&#363 in different parts. The <i>masands</i> carried the collections to the Gur&#363 when they led <i>sa&#7749gats</i> to his presence or otherwise visited him. The system remained in vogue until the time of Gur&#363 Gobind Singh who, receiving complaints of malpractice, discontinued it and instructed the <i>sa&#7749gats</i> or local fellowships or devotees to organize collection of <i>kar bhe&#7789</i> and its remittance to the Gur&#363 through <i>hu&#7751&#7693&#299s</i>, equivalent of modern bank drafts. Now offerings, mostly in cash, are laid in front of the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, by the devotees as they go to the <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i> to pay homage and to perform religious devotions. The word in common use today is <i>dasvandh</i> or one-tenth of the income which every Sikh is expected to contribute in the name of the Gur&#363 to the common funds of the community.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is relevant to compare <i>k&#257r bhe&#7789</i> to <i>k&#257r sev&#257</i>, another peculiarly Sikh practice of offering free voluntary labour for works such as the desilting of <i>sarovars</i>, or sacred tanks, and building or rebuilding of <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i>.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> K&#257hn Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Gurmat M&#257rta&#7751&#7693</i>. Amritsar, 1962<BR> <li class="C1"> Padam, Pi&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Rahitn&#257me</i>. Patiala, 1971<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">T&#257ran Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>