ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>PAINT&#298S AKKH&#256R&#298</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>PAINT&#298S AKKH&#256R&#298</i>, Iit., a poem based on <i>paint&#299s</i> or thirty five letters, is a composition in the form of an acrostic utilizing for successive verses the thirty-five characters of the Gurmukh&#299 alphabet. The poem is sometimes attributed to Gur&#363 N&#257nak but mistakenly, for it is not included in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. Had it been Gur&#363 N&#257nak's work it would have formed part of the holy corpus. It seems to have been composed by a Ved&#257ntin s&#257dh&#363, apparently after 1604, the date by which the compilation of the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib had been completed. No historical account concerning the preparation of the Holy Book refers to <i>Paint&#299s Akkhar&#299</i> having reached the hands of the compiler, Gur&#363 Arjan, the Fifth Gur&#363. The <i>Nas&#299hat N&#257m&#257</i> and <i>Pr&#257&#7751 Sa&#7749gl&#299</i> or the manuscripts of the <i>s&#363f&#299</i> saints such as P&#299l&#363, Sh&#257h Husain, K&#257hn&#257 and Chhajj&#363 which did reach him were rejected. Gur&#363 N&#257nak's own poem in this style, called <i>Pa&#7789&#7789&#299</i>, is incorporated in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, wherein the letters are pronounced in Gurmukh&#299 style as <i>sass&#257, h&#257h&#257, kakk&#257</i>, etc., and not in the Devan&#257gr&#299 style as <i>s&#257; h&#257, k&#257</i>, etc., as happens in the <i>Paint&#299s Akkhar&#299</i>. Philosophically and religiously also the two poems have nothing in common.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The verses in <i>Paint&#299s Akkhar&#299</i> are arranged in the order of the Gurmukh&#299 letters as they occur in the alphabet. The poem has seven stanzas, each with six to nine lines. The Name N&#257nak occurs once at the end of the composition. Stylistically, it is marked by simple versification nowhere reaching the sublimity of Gur&#363 N&#257nak's poetry. Its contents relate to monistic metaphysics, i.e. the concept of monism, of supremacy of knowledge obtained through the true Gur&#363 and the experience of bliss in the realization of 'That I am.' It preaches the complete identity of <i>&#298&#347vara</i> and <i>j&#299va</i>, of a saint and a thief; and does not accept duality in any form. As for Brahm, <i>Paint&#299s Akkhar&#299</i> says that He is present everywhere. He is the essence of the spirit, a non-doer and immortal. The One, indivisible and without a beginning, resides in an elephant, in an ant, and in all things from a straw to a mountain. He is the cause of causes and is still a non-doer. He is the light from which all light emanates.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As the true <i>jñ&#257na</i> or realization dawns, all ignorance born of duality vanishes. The ruler of the body, viz. the <i>j&#299v&#257</i> (soul) transcends the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep and attains to the fourth, <i>tury&#257</i>, which is the state of Nirgu&#7751a (unattributed) Brahman and which signifies the end of duality, of the notion of the empirical subject and object. The symphony of the sounds of unstruck music is heard, but only a <i>yog&#299</i> who has the ecstatic realization of unity with the Divine experiences this bliss.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The true Gur&#363 alone can grant the supreme gift of <i>mukt&#299</i> or liberation, for he gives true light, removes doubts and washes away the sins. He purifies the <i>J&#299va</i> by banishing doubt and annuls duality. One can realize <i>advaita</i>(non-duality) only when one surrenders oneself to the Gur&#363 completely. By the Gur&#363's grace are banished evil and malady. As one is rid of ignorance, of the false sense of duality, one experiences the supreme bliss. As one realizes one's true self, all suffering ends and true knowledge dawns. One merges with Brahman as water merges with water. There is none without V&#257sudeva, O N&#257nak, He is the One, He is I, He is that.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The <i>Paint&#299s Akkhar&#299</i> is one of the oldest acrostics on Gurmukh&#299 characters. It was popular reading in Sikh homes until the rise of the Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257, which discouraged the recitation of this non-scriptural text. Older people still read it daily and derive solace from it.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> S&#257hib Si&#7749gh, <i>Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib Darpan</i>. Jalandhar, 1962-64<BR> <li class="C1"> Kohli, Surindar Singh. <i>A Critical Study of Adi Granth</i>. Delhi, 1961<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">T&#257ran Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>