ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>N&#256NAK PRAK&#256SH</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 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">&#65279<i>N&#256NAK PRAK&#256SH</i>, by Bh&#257&#299 Mahendran&#257th Bose, is a biography of Gur&#363 N&#257nak in the Bengal&#299 language. The author was a follower of Keshabchandra Sen, and the followers of Sen used the word Bh&#257&#299 or Rev. Bh&#257&#299 for one another to convey a sense of close kinship and brotherhood. He had lived in the Punjab in 1871 in connection with his missionary work, and had learnt Punjabi and acquainted himself with Sikh literature. He planned to write a life-sketch of Gur&#363 N&#257nak and began serializing his account in the Bengal&#299 journal <i>Dharmatatva</i> (July 1883). Interrupting the series, he started work on a book <i>N&#257nak Prak&#257sh</i>, the first part of which was published in 1885 and the second in 1893.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The <i>N&#257nak Prak&#257sh</i> is based mainly on <i>B&#257l&#257 Janam S&#257kh&#299</i>, though the author was not unfamiliar with other versions of the <i>S&#257kh&#299</i> literature. He had access to sources available in English as well. Of Trumpp's work on the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, published in 1877, he was sharply critical. The first part of Bose's book covers the Gur&#363's life up to the eve of his preliminary. <i>Ud&#257s&#299s</i> or preaching tours; the second embraces all of his four major <i>Ud&#257s&#299s</i> and his life at Kart&#257rpur. According to the author, Gur&#363 N&#257nak preached what constituted the essence of Hinduism and Islam. Harmony was the keynote of his message. The book concludes with a brief account of the development of the Sikh community till 1708, the year Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh, the last in the line of the ten spiritual teachers of the Sikhs, passed away. This portion is very sketchy and suffers from several chronological inaccuracies.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Himadri Banerjee, "Guru Nanak in Bengali Literature; <i>The Journal of Sikh Studies</i>. Amritsar, August 1984<BR> <li class="C1"> Kirp&#257l Si&#7749gh, <i>Janam S&#257kh&#299 Parampar&#257</i>. Patiala, 1969<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Him&#257dr&#299 Banerjee<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>