<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>SARD&#362L SI&#7748GH GI&#256N&#298 BH&#256&#298 (d.1913)</TITLE>
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<p class="C1">&#65279SARD&#362L SI&#7748GH GI&#256N&#298, BH&#256&#298 (d.1913), the eldest son of Gi&#257n&#299 Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh of Amritsar and a grandson of Gi&#257n&#299 Bishan Si&#7749gh, was a noted Sikh scholar of his time. The family lived near Chowk B&#257b&#257 A&#7789al in a street still known as Gal&#299 Gi&#257n&#299&#257&#7749, the street of the Gi&#257n&#299s. Bishan Si&#7749gh's <i>sam&#257dh</i> used to be behind Gurdw&#257r&#257 B&#257b&#257 A&#7789al of which shrine he is believed to have been officially a priest. The adjunct Gi&#257n&#299, meaning a priest as well as an expounder of sacred texts, thus passed on to the names of the male members of the family. Gi&#257n&#299 Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh became the first secretary of the Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 established in Amritsar in 1873. Sard&#363l Si&#7749gh inherited the family's interest in Sikh learning. One of the aims of the Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 was to research and rewrite Sikh history. Under the aegis of the Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257, scholars from Amritsar and other places used to assemble for discussions at M&#257ñj&#299 S&#257hib within the precincts of the Darb&#257r S&#257hib. The very first question at the very first such meeting was raised by Bh&#257&#299 Sard&#363l Si&#7749gh, who held forth that the birth anniversary of Gur&#363 N&#257nak fell on the third day of the light half of the month of Bais&#257kh and not on full-moon day of the month of K&#257rtik as commonly believed. It was as a result of such scholarly discussions spreading over three years that a <i>Gur Pra&#7751&#257li</i>, or calendar of the dates of the Gur&#363s, was compiled. A poetic version of it prepared by Bh&#257&#299 Sard&#363l Si&#7749gh Gi&#257n&#299, was first published in a magazine, <i>Mast&#257n&#257</i>, in 1936.</p>
<p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bh&#257&#299 Sard&#363l Si&#7749gh was an active member of the Gurmat Granth Prach&#257rak Sabh&#257 set up on 8 April 1885 to study the Sikh texts, historical as well as religious. A theme which was entrusted to the Prach&#257rak Sabh&#257 by the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n, Amritsar, and in which he became deeply involved, was an exploration of the <i>b&#257&#7751&#299</i> or poetic works of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh, and to prepare an authorized version of the <i>Dasam Granth</i>. Summing up a protracted debate, Bh&#257&#299 Sard&#363l Si&#7749gh prepared two reports, namely, <i>Report Sodhak</i> (Revision) <i>Committee, Dasam P&#257tsh&#257h&#299, Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Gurmat Granth Prach&#257rak Sabh&#257</i> and <i>Report Dasam Granth d&#299 Sudh&#257&#299 D&#299</i>, or report on revision of the <i>Dasam Granth</i>. The complete report was published in February 1898.</p>
<p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;	Bh&#257&#299 Sard&#363l Si&#7749gh was one of those learned Sikhs who assisted Max Arthur Macauliffe in his work on Sikh religion. He had some knowledge of English, too, and he taught Punjabi to several of the British officers posted at Amritsar. His own writings, comprising 22 titles, are all in Punjabi. They broadly fall into two categories; biographies of the Gur&#363s and expository essays on Sikhism. Not all of these works were published during the author's lifetime. Among those which were may be counted <i>Gurisikkh&#257&#7749 de Nitya Karam</i> (1885), or the daily duties of the Sikhs and <i>Y&#257tr&#257 Abchalnagar</i> (1897), a travelogue of the author's pilgrimage to N&#257nde&#7693, both published by the Gurmat Granth Prach&#257rak Sabh&#257. A collection of his essays entitled 52 <i>Lekchars</i>, discourses delivered at Gurdw&#257r&#257 B&#257b&#257 A&#7789&#257l S&#257hib, ran into several editions; its first edition under the title <i>Gurmat Sambandh&#299 Vi&#257khi&#257n</i> was published by Waz&#299r Hind Press in1904 and its tenth edition is dated 1938. <i>Gur&#363 Pr&#299khy&#257</i>, or the Gur&#363's Test, a 40-page pamphlet again published by the Prach&#257rak Sabh&#257, refutes the charge that Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh ever worshipped any goddess, and asserts the sovereignty of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257. Twenty three eminent persons and priests of the Harimandar, the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t and the Darb&#257r S&#257hib, Tarn T&#257ran, are signatories to the document attesting the correctness and authenticity of the meaning of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's stanza on which the author has based his thesis.</p>
<p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1897, Bh&#257&#299 Sard&#363l Si&#7749gh Gi&#257n&#299 was given charge of the S&#257r&#257ga&#7771h&#299 shrine at Amritsar where he passed the rest of his days. In December 1908, he was involved in a serious accident in which his tonga overturned as a result of which he sustained serious injuries and remained in a coma for a whole week. He survived the mishap only to suffer another tragedy, the sudden death of his only son, Darb&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh, on M&#257gh <i>sud&#299</i> 4, 1965 Bk/ 25 January 1909. The bereaved father himself expired exactly four years later to the day, M&#257gh <i>sud&#299</i> 4, 1969 answering to 10 Feburary 1913.</p>
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<p class="BIB">
BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1">Jagjit Si&#7749gh, <i>Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 Lahir</i>. Ludhiana, 1974<BR>
</ol><p class="CONT">Sarmukh Si&#7749gh Amole<br></p><BR>
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