ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>S&#362RD&#256S</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="SjRDS"> <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">&#65279S&#362RD&#256S, one of the medieval Indian <i>bhakta</i> poets whose verses have been incorporated in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. S&#363rd&#257s, whose original name was Madan Mohan, is said to have been born in 1529, in a high-ranking Br&#257hma&#7751 family. As he grew up, he gained proficiency in the arts of music and poetry for which he had a natural talent. He soon became a celebrated poet, singing with deep passion lyrics of Divine love. He attracted the attention of Emperor Akbar who appointed him governor of the <i>parganah</i> of Sa&#7751&#7693&#299l&#257. But S&#363rd&#257s' heart lay elsewhere. He renounced the world and took to the company of holy men dedicating himself solely to the Lord. He died at Ban&#257ras. A shrine in the vicinity of the city honours his memory.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib contains one hymn by Bhakta S&#363rd&#257s, in the S&#257ra&#7749g measure. In fact, it is not a complete hymn but a single line : "0 mind, abandon the company of those who turn away from God." It is believed to be the refrain of a complete hymn composed by S&#363rd&#257s in which he described one who had turned away from God as an incorrigible sinner for whom there was no hope of redemption. Gur&#363 Arjan omitted the rest of the hymn probably because it ran counter to the Sikh belief in God's grace even for the worst of sinners. He therefore composed a hymn to explain and supplement the single line of S&#363rd&#257s. Its refrain is : "Men of God abide with the Lord".</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;S&#363rd&#257s whose verse figures in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib is to be differentiated from the blind poet of the same name who wrote <i>S&#363r S&#257gar</i>.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"><i>&#346abad&#257rth Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib</i>. Amritsar, 1975<BR> <li class="C1"> Gurdit Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Itih&#257s Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib (Bhagat B&#257&#7751&#299 Bh&#257g) </i>. Chandigarh, 1990<BR> <li class="C1"> S&#257hib Si&#7749gh, <i>Bhagat B&#257&#7751&#299 Sa&#7789&#299k</i>. Amritsar, 1959-60<BR> <li class="C1"> Chaturved&#299, Parshu R&#257m, <i>Uttar&#299 Bh&#257rat k&#299 Sant Parampar&#257</i>. Allahabad, 1964<BR> <li class="C1"> Macauliffe, Max Arthur, <i>The Sikh Religion : Its Gur&#363s, Sacred Writings and Authors</i>. Oxford, 1909<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">T&#257ran Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>