ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>POTH&#298&#256&#7748 B&#256B&#256 MOHAN V&#256L&#298&#256&#7748</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="POTH*D,BB,MOHAN,VL*D"> <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">&#65279POTH&#298&#256&#7748, B&#256B&#256 MOHAN V&#256L&#298&#256&#7748, manuscript copies (<i>poth&#299&#257&#7749</i>, lit. books), in Gurmukh&#299 script, containing some of the compositions of the fast three Gur&#363s and eight medieval saints, which, according to Sikh tradition, Gur&#363 Arjan (1563-1606) obtained from B&#257b&#257 Mohan, the elder son of the Third Gur&#363, &#256mar D&#257s, and which he utilized in the compilation of the &#256di Granth.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; They are also known as <i>Goindv&#257l v&#257l&#299&#257&#7749 poth&#299&#257&#7749</i> for the reason that they were transcribed in Goindv&#257l, the seat of the Third Gur&#363, and remained there until the earlier half of the 20th century, except for a brief priod of time when they were in the custody of Gur&#363 Arjan in Amritsar. Still another title is <i>Saha&#7749sar R&#257m v&#257l&#299&#257&#7749 Poth&#299&#257&#7749</i>, recalling the name of the writer, Saha&#7749sar R&#257m, son of Mohan and grandson of Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Two of the <i>poth&#299s</i> are still extant, both in the possession of the descendants of Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s. One of them is preserved at Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 and is the property of B&#257v&#257 Bhagat Si&#7749gh Bhall&#257 (since shifted to Piñjaur, near Cha&#7751&#7693iga&#7771h),who first took it from Goindv&#257l to Mard&#257n in 1940 and brought it to Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 to which town he migrated after the Partition of the Punjab (1947). This <i>poth&#299</i> is on view for <i>darshan</i> in his house on the morning of the full moon day each month. People gather to offer obeisance and after hymn-singing, <i>hukam</i>, i.e. a <i>&#347abda</i>, is read out from the <i>poth&#299</i> by one of the family members as the Gur&#363's command (<i>hukam</i>) or lesson for the day. Use of the <i>poth&#299</i> for scrutiny or scholarly study is not permissible. Of the other Goindv&#257l <i>poth&#299</i>, now at the village of D&#257r&#257pur near U&#7771mu&#7771 in Hoshi&#257rpur district of the Punjab, a photo-copy was obtained by the Punjabi University and is preserved in its Library. This <i>poth&#299</i> in the order of writing in fact precedes the Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 manuscript. Preceding both in point of time is the <i>poth&#299</i> mentioned in the <i>Pur&#257tan Janam S&#257kh&#299</i> as having been bequeathed by Gur&#363 N&#257nak to his successor, Gur&#363 A&#7749gad, which is sometimes, though with insufficient authority, identified as Gur&#363 Harsah&#257i v&#257l&#299 Poth&#299, now believed to be lost for good.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The B&#257b&#257 Mohan <i>poth&#299s</i> were in preparation for two years. The work, commenced in September 1570, was completed on 10 Bh&#257do&#7749 1629 Bk/9 August 1572, but additions perhaps continued to be made even later. The size of both the <i>poth&#299s</i> is the same, i.e. 13" x 9.5". This is inclusive of the 2-inch margin which runs all around the page and is marked by five lines, two very thin on either side and one somewhat thicker in the middle. Each page, with but rare exceptions, has 13 lines. The first page of the first <i>poth&#299</i> and the first two pages of the second have illuminations in highly decorative designs. The two manuscript make up 300 + 224 folios, or 1,048 pages. At various places in both, pages are left blank, presumably to provide room for any hymn or hymns that might subsequently be located. The script used is Gurmukh&#299 of an initial stage. The formation of some of its letters show their kinship with &#346&#257rd&#257 and &#7788&#257kar&#299. For instance, letters /h/, /1/, /a/, /th/, /n/ have close resemblance with their counterparts in those scripts. Folios 167 and 227 of the first <i>Poth&#299</i> are written in a different hand in an unfamiliar <i>la&#7751&#7693&#257</i> script which has no vowel signs nor any diacritical sign for the nasal sound /&#7749/.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A note recorded in the margin of folio 216 of the second <i>poth&#299</i> alludes to the origin of Gurmukh&#299 Characters in these words : <i>Gur&#363 A&#7749gad gurmukh&#299 akhar ban&#257i b&#257be de age sabad bhe&#7789 k&#299t&#257</i> (Gur&#363 A&#7749gad coined Gurmukh&#299 letters and presented to the B&#257b&#257). The text facing this note is Gur&#363 N&#257nak's hymn beginning with <i>p&#363ran param joti paramesar pr&#299tam pr&#257n ham&#257re</i>, in R&#257g S&#257ra&#7749g.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The <i>&#347abdas</i> included in these manuscripts fall within fourteen different <i>r&#257gas</i>. Compositions in the first <i>poth&#299</i> (D&#257r&#257purv&#257l&#299 also called Ahiy&#257purv&#257l&#299, correctly spelt Y&#257hy&#257purv&#257l&#299) occur under <i>r&#257gas</i> S&#363h&#299, Prabh&#257ti, Dhan&#257sar&#299, Basant, Tila&#7749g, G&#363jar&#299, Bhairo, M&#257r&#363, Ked&#257r&#257, Va&#7693ha&#7749s, Bil&#257val, Mal&#257r and &#256s&#257, and those in the second under R&#257mkal&#299, Sora&#7789hi, S&#257ra&#7749g and Mal&#257r.The order of <i>r&#257gas</i> and of the <i>&#347abdas</i> and <i>pad&#257s</i>, however, does not correspond with that adopted in the &#256di Granth. There are variations in the text also; sometimes whole lines and pad as differ. Gur&#363 N&#257nak's hymn, <i>kau&#7751 tar&#257j&#299 k&#257va&#7751u tul&#257</i>, which occurs in measure S&#363h&#299 in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib appears in the D&#257r&#257pur <i>poth&#299</i> in Parbh&#257ti Lalat. In the text, <i>kau&#7751</i> is written as <i>kavan, tul&#257 as tol&#257</i> and <i>mere l&#257l j&#299o ter&#257 ant na j&#257&#7751&#257</i> as <i>ter&#257 b&#257b&#257 antu na j&#257&#7751&#257</i>. At places, in the <i>poth&#299s</i>, two different versions of the same hymn appear side by side. Certain hymns are jointly credited to Kab&#299r and N&#257mdev. For exmple, <i>basant b&#257&#7751&#299 Kab&#299r N&#257me k&#299</i> and <i>bhairau Kab&#299r N&#257mdev bhagat</i>. Two hymns show both Kab&#299r and N&#257mdev to be the disciples of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. Their headings run : <i>bhairau Kab&#299r N&#257m&#257 bhagat b&#257be j&#299ke</i>, and <i>Ked&#257r&#257 Kab&#299r N&#257m&#257 b&#257be p&#257ts&#257h de bhagat</i> (folios 263 and 292, respectively, of vol. I). The <i>poth&#299s</i> begin with the invocaton : <i>lk oa&#7749k&#257r satigur&#363 pars&#257d sachu n&#257m kart&#257ru nirbhau niri&#7749k&#257ru ak&#257l m&#363rti aj&#363n&#299 sa&#7749bho</i>. This is different from the form in which Gur&#363 Arjan recorded the prelude to the Japu in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib : <i>lk o&#7749k&#257r satin&#257mu kar&#257t&#257 purakhu nirbhau nirvairu ak&#257l m&#363r&#257ti aj&#363n&#299 saibha&#7749 gurpars&#257di</i>.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Bhall&#257, Sar&#363p D&#257s, <i>Mahim&#257 Prak&#257sh</i>. Patiala, 1971<BR> <li class="C1"> Santokh Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth</i>. Amritsar, 1927-35<BR> <li class="C1"> Chhibbar, Kesar Si&#7749gh, <i>Ba&#7749s&#257val&#299n&#257m&#257 Das&#257&#7749 P&#257tsh&#257h&#299&#257&#7749 K&#257.</i> (ed.Rattan Si&#7749gh Jagg&#299). Chandigarh, 1972<BR> <li class="C1"><i>Pañj&#257bi Duniya</i>. Patiala, June 1958<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Pi&#257r Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>