ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>N&#256NAK VIJAI</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 VIJAI</i>, more properly known as <i>Sr&#299 Gur&#363 N&#257nak Vijai</i>, in manuscript, is a narration in verse of the events of Gur&#363 N&#257nak's life. During his journeys across the country and outside, Gur&#363 N&#257nak met a variety of people whom he won over by his gentle and persuasive manner. This explains the title of the work <i>N&#257nak Vijai</i>, which literally means "Victory of N&#257nak." The author, Sant Re&#7751, originally from Kashm&#299r, had settled down in the Punjab towards the end of his life. He was born in AD 1741 at Sr&#299nagar in a Gau&#7771 Br&#257hma&#7751 family. He was the only son of his parents&#8212father, Pa&#7751&#7693it Hari Vallabh, and mother, S&#257vitr&#299 Dev&#299. From his very early years, Sant Re&#7751 was indifferent to worldly affairs and had a passion for travel and for the company of holy men. He left home in his youth and started upon his wandering career. During his journey through the Punjab, he came in contact with B&#257b&#257 S&#257hib D&#257s, who was much respected and revered Ud&#257s&#299 s&#257dh&#363 of his times. Sant Re&#7751 came in the Ud&#257s&#299 fold under the influence of B&#257b&#257 S&#257hib D&#257s from whom he received instruction in the Sikh faith. He visited especially the places of religious pilgrimage with a view to having an opportunity to discourse with saints, <i>r&#7779&#299s</i> and <i>sanny&#257s&#299s</i>. He visited far-off parts of the country like Mah&#257r&#257sh&#7789ra and modern Madhya Pradesh, in the south, Sindh and Bal&#363chist&#257n in the west, Nep&#257l and Ked&#257rn&#257th in the north. He himself established many <i>ma&#7789hs</i> and monasteries. The most important of these was the &#7693er&#257 Gujr&#257&#7749w&#257l&#257 , which had a <i>j&#257g&#299r</i> assigned to it by Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh. The B&#257l&#257pur Pi&#7789h, one of the schools set up by him in the distant Akol&#257 district, in Mah&#257r&#257sh&#7789ra, is still in existence. He took a leading part in the establishment of <i>Sarab Ud&#257s&#299n Pa&#7749ch&#257it&#299 Akh&#257&#7771&#257</i>, with the help of Sant Pr&#299tam D&#257s Nirab&#257n. During his last years, Sant Re&#7751 settled at the village of Bh&#363dan, near M&#257lerko&#7789l&#257, in the Punjab, where he died on Phaga&#7751 <i>sud&#299</i> 12, 1928 Bk/AD 1872 at the ripe old age of 130. His <i>sam&#257dh</i>, built by a woman devotee, stands till today. Sant Re&#7751 was a versatile poet. He has left five books including the voluminous <i>N&#257nak Vijai</i>. The other four are: <i>Man Prabodh, Anbh&#257&#299 Amrit S&#257gar, Ud&#257s&#299 Bodh</i> and <i>Sr&#299 Gur&#363 N&#257nak Bodh</i>. Of these four, the first two have been published in a single volume by Shr&#299 Sant Re&#7751 &#256shram, Bh&#363dan.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The manuscript <i>N&#257nak Vijai</i> is a huge volume of 1860 leaves 7-3/4" X 12". Each page contains 24 lines with 18 to 20 words per line. The book is divided into 20 sections called <i>kha&#7751&#7693s</i> and 324 <i>adhy&#257yas</i> (chapters). The original manuscript, in Gurmukh&#299 characters, is in the author's own hand. Later four copies were prepared from it for the four important centres of his devotees. The work is a detailed biography of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. The author has made full use of the available sources, including the Janam <i>S&#257kh&#299s</i> and Bh&#257&#299 Santokh Si&#7749gh's <i>Sr&#299 Gur&#363 N&#257nak Prak&#257sh</i>. The events are narrated from the Point of view of a devotee, and pious legend and mythology are freely intermixed with history. On the doctrinal side, <i>N&#257nak Vijai</i> presents Gur&#363 N&#257nak's teachings in the framework of Vedantic philosophy. But the author's devotion to the Gur&#363 and his faith in his <i>b&#257&#7751&#299</i> are undisputed. The poet has used in his work various metres from the Indian poetic tradition such as <i>kabitt ku&#7751&#7693ali&#257, &#7693oh&#257</i> and <i>chaupa&#299</i>. In addition to these, he has employed some folk tunes and has invented some new metres of his own as well. He has made considerable use of the figures of speech, mainly similes and metaphors. The language of <i>N&#257nak Vijai</i> is Western Hindi, more polished and scholarly than S&#257dh Bh&#257kh&#257 of the saint poets of earlier times. Yet it is not as pure as modern literary Hindi. It is, in fact, a mixture of Br&#257j Bh&#257&#7779&#257 idiom and grammar and of vocabulary from different languages, mainly Punjabi.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The exact date of the completion of <i>N&#257nak Vijai</i> is not known, though according to the author's own statement, he started writing when he had reached the age of hundred. The writing was not done at any one fixed place. The author wrote as he travelled, depositing the sheets into a <i>ma&#7789&#7789</i> (earthen pitcher) carried on a country-cart.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Vaid, R&#257m D&#257s, ed., <i>Sr&#299 Sant Re&#7751 Granth&#257val&#299</i>. Malerkotla, 1953<BR> <li class="C1"> Padam, Pi&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Maha Kav&#299 Sant Re&#7751</i>. Patiala, 1959<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Jagj&#299t Si&#7749gh; Ropa&#7771<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>