ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>PAHARE</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="PAHARE"> <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">&#65279PAHARE, usually pronounced <i>pahire</i>, is the title shared by four of the Sikh hymns &#8212 two by Gur&#363 N&#257nak and one each by Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s and Gur&#363 Arjan &#8212 recorded consecutively in the Sir&#299 R&#257g portion of the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. The term <i>pahare</i> is the plural of <i>pahar&#257</i>, meaning a guard or watch, and is cognate, etymologically and semantically, with Sanskrit <i>prahar</i> which is a unit of time in the Indian system of calculation. Eight <i>pahars</i> make a day and night, a <i>pahar</i> thus equalling three hours. In the poems entitled <i>Pahare</i>, the span of human life is compared to night and is divided into four stages, each stage being called <i>pahar</i> corresponding to four <i>pahars</i> of night. Man is called a trader (<i>va&#7751j&#257r&#257</i>) and is addressed in the vocative form as <i>va&#7751j&#257ri&#257 mitr&#257</i> (O, friend trader). Each composition consists of four to five stanzas, and each stanza begins on the vocative note. For instance, the first stanza of Gur&#363 N&#257nak's composition begins with : "<i>pahalai paharai rai&#7751i kai va&#7751j&#257ri&#257 mitr&#257 hukami pai&#257 garbh&#257si&#8221</i> &#8212 in the first <i>pahar</i> of the night, O, friend trader, were you conceived in the womb by the Will of the Lord (GG, 74).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Through the example of a <i>va&#7751j&#257r&#257</i> starting out on his travels to sell his goods profitably, the purpose of human life and the frailties to which man is subject are set forth in these compositions. As the <i>va&#7751j&#257r&#257</i> must make his deals wisely and ensure that his means are honest, the human soul should traverse the journey of life always mindful of the Creator, union with Whom is its ultimate purpose. This is the true bargain for the trader (the human soul). But the trader generally stumbles at each stage, called <i>pahar</i> of the night, and comes to harm.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The first stage of human life begins when man is conceived in the womb of the mother. In the womb he constantly remembers God and prays for release from his travail. The second stage begins at birth. That is the time when he is unconscious of the purpose for which he has come into the world; he loses contact with the Creator and becomes increasingly entangled in the earthly temptations. The third stage is that of youth, when he indulges in sex and begins accumulating material goods. He loses all restraint, and is totally oblivious of the purpose of life. The fourth stage is that of old age of despondence and dejection, finally ending with death. Thus the <i>va&#7751j&#257r&#257</i> finishes his journey losing all that he possessed and throwing away a precious chance of regaining proximity to the Creator. It is repeatedly emphasized that <i>mukti</i>, i.e. release from the circuit of birth and death, can be obtained only by remembering God and by repeating His Name. This is the real aim of this journey of life which the <i>va&#7751j&#257r&#257</i> (man) tends to forget as soon as he sets out on it.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"><i>&#346abad&#257rth Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib</i>. Amritsar, 1964<BR> <li class="C1"> S&#257hib Si&#7749gh, <i>Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib Darpan</i>. Jalandhar, n.d.<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">T&#257ran Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>