ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>SR&#298 SATIGUR&#362 J&#298 DE MUHAI&#7748 D&#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 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>SR&#298 SATIGUR&#362 J&#298 DE MUHAI&#7748 D&#298&#256&#7748 S&#256KH&#298&#256&#7748</i>,i.e, witnesses or instructions from the lips of the venerable Gur&#363 himself, is the title of a manuscript, preserved in Gurdw&#257r&#257 Mañj&#299 S&#257hib at K&#299ratpur in the &#346ivaliks by the <i>granth&#299</i> B&#257b&#363 Si&#7749gh, who claims descent. from B&#299b&#299 R&#363p Kaur, adopted daughter of Gur&#363 Har R&#257i, N&#257nak VII (1630-1661). The manuscript is said to have been transcribed by B&#299b&#299 R&#363p Kaur and given her as a gift by the Gur&#363 at the time of her marriage. It has now been edited and published, with five additional <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i>, by a young scholar, Narindar Kaur. Of the thirty-three <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i> in the original manuscript, one is common with MS. No. 1657 (AD 1661) and two with MS. No. 5660 (n.d.), both preserved in the Sikh Reference Library, Amritsar (since destroyed). Similarly, MS. No. 19 (AD 1700) in the Punjab Languages Department, Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, has six; MS. No. 2571 (n.d.) in the Central Public Library, Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, has sixteen; and the <i>&#256di Granth</i> associated with Bh&#257&#299 Paind&#257 has nine <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i> common with those in this manuscript. Of the additional five which find place in the printed version, four <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i> have been taken from MS. No, 5660 in the Sikh Reference Library and one from the <i>&#256di Granth</i> associated with Bh&#257&#299 Paind&#257. The manuscript at K&#299ratpur comprises 559 folios and was compiled probably in AD 1661. Folios 1-492 (a) contain hymns from the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, followed by <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i> on folios 492(b) to 524 and 528 to 532, with intervening four folios containing the hymns of Gur&#363 Arjan. Folio 533 is blank, followed by hymns from the Va&#7693aha&#7749s musical measure covering folios 534(b) to 549(b). Again folio 550 is blank, followed by some more hymns from <i>r&#257gas</i> Bih&#257ga&#7771&#257 and Gau&#7771&#299. At the end of the manuscript are inscribed dates of the demise of the Gur&#363s and of some of their descendants, but these folios are not numbered. The date of the passing away of Gur&#363 Har Krishan is recorded in a hand different from that of the writer. The name of the compiler is nowhere mentioned.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i> included in the work lay stress on moral and spiritual values and are, in a way, precursor to the corpus of literature which nowadays goes by the name of <i>rahitn&#257m&#257s</i>. They adjure the faithful to shun adultery, gambling, backbiting, cheating and falsehood and to cultivate the virtues of honesty and simplicity.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On the spiritual level, they impress upon the devout to cherish His Name, seeking the Gur&#363's guidance and discarding empty ritualism and superstition. Couched in pithy phrase, the <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i> provide glimpses into the ethical and spiritual aspects of Sikh life. Linguistically, they mark a distinct transition from the Braj-laden Hindav&#299 prose of the Janam S&#257kh&#299s to the simple speech of the central districts of the Punjab. Only some of the <i>s&#257kh&#299s</i> are credited to the Gur&#363s whose utterances they are supposed to be.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Pi&#257r Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>