ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>SARABLOH GRANTH</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>SARABLOH GRANTH</i>, a poem narrating the mythological story of the gods and the demons, in ascribed to Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh, and is therefore treated as a sacred scripture among certain sections of the Sikhs, particularly the Niha&#7749g Sikhs. The authorship is however questioned by researchers and scholars of Sikhism on several counts. First, the work is marked by extraordinary effusiveness and discursiveness of style over against the compactness characteristic of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's compositions collected in the <i>Dasam Granth</i>. Qualitatively, too, the poetry of <i>Sarabloh Granth</i> does not match that of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's <i>Cha&#7751&#7693&#299 Charitras</i> and <i>V&#257r Durg&#257 K&#299</i> dealing with the same topic of wars between the gods and the demons. Profusion of metaphor and superb imagery of the latter compositions are missing here. Second, the author of <i>Sarabloh Granth</i> often uses his name, <i>'D&#257s Gobind'</i> or the phrase <i>'D&#257s Gobind fatah satigur k&#299'</i>, which is generally contrary to the style of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh. Third, the <i>Sarabloh Granth contains</i>, quite out of context, an account of the Sikh religion, which also includes a reference to the devolution of gur&#363ship on Gur&#363 Granth and Gur&#363 Panth (stanzas 3159-66). This would be out of place in a work of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's own composition. Lastly, there is also a reference in it to <i>R&#363p D&#299p Bh&#257sh&#257 Pi&#7749gal</i> (stanza 2938/8), a work on prosody written by one Jaya Krishna in 1719, i.e. eleven years after the death of the Gur&#363.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;According to Pa&#7751&#7693it T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh Narotam, a nineteenth century Sikh scholar and researcher, <i>Sarabloh Granth</i> is the work of Bh&#257&#299 Sukh&#257 Si&#7749gh, a <i>granth&#299</i> or priest at Ta<u>kh</u>t Harimandar S&#257hib at Pa&#7789n&#257 S&#257hib, who however claimed that he had acquired its manuscript from an Ud&#257s&#299 recluse living in a forest near Jagann&#257th (O&#7771&#299ss&#257).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Whatever its origin, the Granth became quite well-known and many hand-written copies of it exist. It is now available in printed form published in two parts by B&#257b&#257 Sant&#257 Si&#7749gh, head of the Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257 Dal of Niha&#7749g Sikhs. It is a lengthy composition in a variety of metres, comprising totally 4361 stanzas (862 pages in print). The original source of the narrative is, according to the author (stanzas 2093,3312,3409), <i>&#346ukra Bh&#257shya</i>, an old classic of Hindu mythology. It is divided into five parts, part-I starting with a lengthy panegyric and invocation to goddess Sr&#299 M&#257y&#257 Lachham&#299, who is identified with &#256di Bhav&#257n&#299 (lit. Primordial Goddess), Durg&#257, Jv&#257l&#257, K&#257l&#299 or K&#257lik&#257, Cha&#7751&#7693&#299, as also with masculine Har&#299 and Gop&#257l. Among her myriad attributive names is also Sarabloh (lit. all-steel) which had been used by Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh for Ak&#257l-Purakh, the Supreme God, in <i>Ak&#257l Ustati</i>. In part-II, Lord Vi&#7779&#7751u is entreated to become incarnate as Sarabloh (stanza 1167). But it is early in part V that it becomes clear that Sarabloh is an incarnation of Mah&#257k&#257l or Gopal, the Supreme Deity (stanza 2386).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The plot of <i>Sarabloh Granth</i> is almost identical with that of <i>Cha&#7751&#7693&#299 Charitras</i>. The gods defeated by the demons approach the Goddess Bhav&#257n&#299 who kills several demons including their chief Bh&#299man&#257d during the 7-year long war. Later, Bh&#299man&#257d's son, V&#299ryan&#257d, rises in power and wages war against the gods. This time Lord Vi&#7779&#7751u comes to their succour. Brahm&#257 and &#346iva also help ; but V&#299ryan&#257d not only remains unbeaten in the 12 year long war, but also captures the king of the gods, Indra, along with his sons. Vi&#7779&#7751u secures their release and leads them to Mah&#257k&#257l, who at their supplications appears as Sarabloh and after further battles, fiercely fought, puts an end to V&#299ryan&#257d and his host. At this stage, the poet also describes the epic as a contest between reason and irrationality in which the former ultimately triumphs.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Major Gurmukh Si&#7749gh (Retd.)<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>