ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>TEGH BAH&#256DUR GUR&#362 (1621-1675)</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">&#65279TE<u>GH</u> BAH&#256DUR, GUR&#362 (1621-1675), prophet and martyr, revered as the Ninth Gur&#363 or Revealer of the Sikh faith, was the youngest of the five sons of the Sixth Gur&#363, Gur&#363 Hargobind, and his wife, N&#257nak&#299. He was born at Amritsar on Bais&#257kh <i>vad&#299</i> 5,1678 Bk/1 April 1621. The early years of his life were spent in Amritsar where he was placed under the training of Bh&#257&#299 Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257 and Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s, two of the most revered Sikhs of the time. The former taught him the manly arts of archery and horsemanship and the latter the religious texts. Another of the interests he cultivated was music. He was by nature of a contemplative and mystical temperament ---a strain which found expression in later years in poetry of deep spiritual insight and wisdom. At the age of 12, on 4 February 1633, he was married to Gujar&#299, daughter of L&#257l Chand and Bishan Kaur, Subhikkh&#299 Khatr&#299s, of Lakhnaur, near Amb&#257l&#257, who had migrated and settled at Kart&#257rpur.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After the accession in 1628 of Emperor Sh&#257h Jah&#257n to the throne of Delhi, conflict broke out with the Mu<u>gh</u>al authority. Amritsar itself became the centre of a skirmish. As Gur&#363 Hargobind left the city in 1634 to sojourn in southeastern Punjab, further clashes occurred at Mehr&#257j (16 December 1634) and at Kart&#257rpur (26 April 1635). Sikh texts record that Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur took part in the battle of Kart&#257rpur and <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth</i> especially pays homage to his skill and valour. After this battle, Gur&#363 Hargobind retired to K&#299ratpur, at the foot of &#347ivalik hills. For Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur this meant nine years of uninterrupted bliss in the company of his father. After Gur&#363 Hargobind's death in 1644, he left K&#299ratpur with his mother, M&#257t&#257 N&#257nak&#299 and wife, Gujar&#299, for Bak&#257l&#257, a village in Amritsar district, where M&#257t&#257 N&#257nak&#299's father had his ancestral home. Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur was now remote from the main seat of Sikhism. He lived a strict and holy life and spent most of his time in meditation. Yet he was no recluse. He went out riding and followed the chase.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From Bak&#257l&#257, Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur made a visit to K&#299ratpur and thence set out, on 13 June 1656, on a prolonged tour towards the east. During his absence Gur&#363 Har R&#257i, Gur&#363 Hargobind's spiritual successor, passed away at K&#299ratpur transferring his mantle to his young son, Har Krishan. Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur, who returned to Delhi on 21 March 1664, called on Gur&#363 Har Krishan, then in the city summoned by Emperor Aura&#7749gz&#299b, to condole with him upon his father's death. Thereafter, he travelled on to Bak&#257l&#257. Soon after Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur had left Delhi, Gur&#363 Har Krishan died alluding to him as his successor. However, the ambiguity of his words uttered from his sickbed led to several claimants setting themselves up as Gur&#363s at Bak&#257l&#257. Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur sat in the seclusion of his home, but was discovered by Makkha&#7751 Sh&#257h Lub&#257&#7751&#257, a wealthy trader, who arrived at Bak&#257l&#257 in search of the Gur&#363. He walked from one street to another, paying obeisance and offering two gold <i>mohars</i> to each of the 'Gur&#363s' he met, but obtained satisfaction from nowhere.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally, he repaired to the house where, he was told, lived a saintly being who made no claims for himself. This was Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur and, as Makkha&#7751 Sh&#257h bowed and placed in front of him the customary two gold <i>mohars</i>, he gave him his blessing, but said that his offering was considerably short of the five hundred gold coins he had promised when his cargo boat had been caught in a storm. Hearing these words, Makkha&#7751 Sh&#257h ran upstairs and began shouting from the housetop : "<i>Gur&#363 l&#257dho re, Gur&#363 l&#257dho re</i> (I have found the Gur&#363, I have found the Gur&#363)."</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Makkha&#7751 Sh&#257h's announcement dispirited the impostors. Yet nothing could assuage the envy of Dh&#299r Mall, Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's own nephew. His <i>masand</i>, Sh&#299h&#257&#7749, fanned his jealousy. Dh&#299r Mall's men attacked Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's house and ransacked it as they willed. But the Gur&#363 remained calm. When Makkha&#7751 Sh&#257h retaliated and pillaged Dh&#299r Mall's house, he had everything retuned to him. He restored to Dh&#299r Mall goods plundered from his own house, including his copy of the holy volume, Granth S&#257hib, and to quote Santokh Si&#7749gh <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth</i>, counselled his Sikhs : "Forgiveness is the austerity most meritorious ; forgiveness is the best of charities. Forgiveness is equivalent to all the pilgrimages and ablutions. In forgiveness lies liberation. No other virtue parallels forgiveness. Forgiveness you must learn."</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;According to <i>Bha&#7789&#7789 Vah&#299 Talaud&#257 Pargan&#257 J&#299nd</i>, Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur was formally annointed Gur&#363 on Bh&#257do&#7749 Am&#257vas 1721 Bk/ 11 August 1664. The responsibility of instructing the growing Sikh community and guiding its affairs was now his. He was the focal point of veneration for the Sikhs. They came singly and in batches to seek spiritual solace and instruction. By his teaching and practice, he moulded their religious and social conscience. Connection was established with far-flung <i>sa&#7749gats</i> through <i>masands</i> and the Gur&#363's edicts or commandments, called <i>hukamn&#257m&#257s</i> issued from time to time.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Three successive visits were made to K&#299ratpur. On 21 August 1664, Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur went there to condole with B&#299b&#299 R&#363p Kaur upon the passing away of her father, Gur&#363 Har R&#257&#299 and of her brother, Gur&#363 Har Krishan. The second visit was on 15 October 1664 at the death, on 29 September 1664, of M&#257t&#257 Bass&#299, mother of Gur&#363 Har R&#257i. A third visit concluded a fairly extensive journey through M&#257jh&#257, M&#257lv&#257 and B&#257&#7749gar districts of the Punjab. The first halt during this journey was at Amritsar, followed by those at Tarn T&#257ran, Kha&#7693&#363r S&#257hib and Goindv&#257l, all of longstanding sanctity in Sikh tradition.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Crossing the Be&#257s and Sutlej rivers, Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur arrived in the M&#257lva. He visited Zir&#257, Mog&#257 and &#7692araul&#299 and then sojourned in the Lakkh&#299 Jungle, a desolate tract comprising mainly present-day districts of Ba&#7789hi&#7751&#7693&#257 and Far&#299dko&#7789. This journey took Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur up to Dhamdhan, near J&#299nd, from where he returned to K&#299ratpur. On 13 May 1665, he went to Bil&#257spur, farther, up in the hills to mourn for R&#257j&#257 D&#299p Chand, the ruler of the state. The Dowager R&#257&#7751&#299 Champ&#257 of Bil&#257spur offered to give the Gur&#363 a piece of land in her state which the Gur&#363 bought on payment of. 500 rupees. Here on the mound of M&#257khov&#257l, he raised a new habitation naming it Chakk N&#257nak&#299 after his mother, M&#257t&#257 N&#257nak&#299, which later became famous as Anandpur.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Like his predecessors since the days of Gur&#363 Hargobind, Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur maintained the marks of worldly dignity, himself living austerely. He went on long journeys to instruct the <i>sa&#7749gats</i> in different parts of the country and proclaim far and wide the message of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. One such journey took him through towns such as Ropa&#7771, Ban&#363&#7771 and R&#257jpur&#257 to what is now Bah&#257durga&#7771h, near Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, where the Muslim Naw&#257b, Saif ud-D&#299n Mahm&#363d, also known as Saif <u>Kh</u>&#257n, who had held office of governor of &#256gr&#257 under Emperor Aura&#7749gz&#299b, served him with devotion. Visiting on the way Dhamt&#257n, the seat of an old <i>sa&#7749gat</i>, now under Bh&#257&#299 Daggo, Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur reached Delhi on 8 November 1665 where R&#257&#7751&#299 Pushpa Dev&#299 of &#256mber was his host. Further journey lay through Mathur&#257, &#256gr&#257, E&#7789&#257w&#257h, K&#257npur, Fatehpur, All&#257h&#257b&#257d, Mirz&#257pur and Ban&#257ras. From Ban&#257ras he proceeded through S&#257s&#257r&#257m and Bodh Gay&#257 to Pa&#7789n&#257 where he left his family to go further east to meet <i>sa&#7749gats</i> in the remoter districts. Here at Pa&#7789n&#257 was born on 22 December 1666 his only son, Gobind D&#257s (later Gobind Si&#7749gh). Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur was at Monghyr when the news reached him. He continued his journey to &#7692h&#257k&#257, visiting on the way Bh&#257galpur, S&#257hibgañj, R&#257j Mahal, M&#257ld&#257 and Pabn&#257. With &#7692h&#257k&#257 as the centre, the Gur&#363 made trips to places such as Chi&#7789&#7789&#257gong, Com&#299ll&#257, Sond&#299p Island and Sylhet.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At &#7692h&#257k&#257, R&#257j&#257 R&#257m Si&#7749gh of &#256mber, an old disciple, who had been deputed on 6 January 1668 by Aura&#7749gz&#299b to lead an expedition against the Ahoms of Assam, waited on Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur and sought his blessing. Towards the close of 1668, they together set out for Assam, crossed the Brahmputra and reached Dh&#363b&#7771&#299, which had also been visited by Gur&#363 N&#257nak during his travels in eastern India. R&#257j&#257 R&#257m Si&#7749gh who was encamped at some distance from Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur clashed with the Ahom ruler, Chakradhvaj Si&#7749gh. The issue remained undecided and, according to the Sikh chronicles, the Gur&#363 brought about peace between the warring forces. The homeward journey began late in 1669, the longest halt being at Pa&#7789n&#257 where Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur rejoined his family and saw for the first time his son, Gobind D&#257s. He reached Delhi on 20 June 1670, and put up in the <i>dharams&#257l&#257</i> of Bh&#257&#299 Kaly&#257&#7751&#257 where disciples congregated in large numbers. Meanwhile Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's son, Gobind D&#257s, had reached Lakhnaur, his mother's ancestoral home near Amb&#257l&#257. Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur travelled from Delhi to join the family. The family moved on to Chakk N&#257nak&#299, whereas Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur journeyed extensively across the M&#257lv&#257 country before reaching there for the Bais&#257kh&#299 festival of 1672.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At Chakk N&#257nak&#299 (Anandpur), a group of Kashm&#299ri <i>pandits</i>, driven to desperation by the bigoted policies of the Mu<u>gh</u>al governor Ifti<u>kh</u>ar <u>Kh</u>&#257n (1671-75) called on Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur on 25 May 1675 to narrate their tale of woe. As Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur sat, rapt in thought, young Gobind D&#257s, then barely nine, asked why he looked so deeply preoccupied. To quote Kuir Si&#7749gh, <i>Gurbil&#257s P&#257tsh&#257h&#299 10</i>, "The Gur&#363 answered : Grave are the burdens the earth carries. She will be redeemed only if a truly worthy person comes forward to sacrifice his head."</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"None could be worthier than yourself for such a noble act," remarked Gobind D&#257s.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur was pleased to hear from his young son this brave answer and receive such spontaneous confirmation of his resolution to lay down his life to uphold the people's right to practise the religious creed they professed.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Resolved to court execution and ransom justice, Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur set out from Anandpur. Orders for his arrest were issued by Aura&#7749gz&#299b as soon as he received reports of his declared intention. The common belief so far has been that the arrest was made at &#256gr&#257 from where the Gur&#363 was taken to Delhi under heavy escort. But recent researches based on the Bha&#7789&#7789 Vah&#299s maintain that the arrest took place at Malikpur Ra&#7749gh&#7771&#257&#7749 immediately after Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur had left Anandpur. The Malikpur arrest is corroborated by Muhammad Ehs&#257n Ij&#257d, a source quoted by William Irvine in his book <i>Later Mu<u>gh</u>als</i> and by a Sikh chronicler, Kesar Si&#7749gh Chhibbar, in his <i>Ba&#7749s&#257val&#299n&#257m&#257 Das&#257&#7749 P&#257tsh&#257h&#299&#257&#7749 K&#257</i>. On the authority of <i>Bha&#7789&#7789 Vah&#299 Mult&#257n&#299 Sindh&#299</i>, Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur departed from Chakk N&#257nak&#299 (Anandpur) on 11 July 1675. He had on 8 July 1675 nominated his son Gobind D&#257s as his spiritual successor and conferred on him the marks of Gur&#363ship. On 12 July he along with his Sikhs was taken into custody by N&#363r Muhammad <u>Kh</u>&#257n of the Ropa&#7771 police post at the village of Malikpur Ra&#7749gh&#7771&#257&#7749, in Ghanaul&#257 <i>parganah</i> and sent to Sirhind the following day. The <i>faujd&#257r</i> of Sirhind, Dil&#257war <u>Kh</u>&#257n, ordered him to be detained at Bass&#299 Pa&#7789h&#257n&#257&#7749 and reported the news to the Emperor. For over three months he was kept in jail and given the harshest treatment. He was then cast in an iron cage and taken to Delhi, where he arrived on 4 November 1675. He was put in chains and ordered to be tortured until he would accept Islam. But neither physical chastisement nor any worldly allurement could have any effect on him. When he could not be persuaded to abandon his religious faith, he was asked to perform some miracle to prove the divinity of his mission. This also he declined, saying that it was never right for any one to try to intervene in the Will of God. Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur was beheaded in public in Ch&#257ndn&#299 Chowk, in Delhi, on 11 November 1675. The mutilated body was left in Ch&#257ndn&#299 Chowk unattended, and none dared claim it for fear of Mu<u>gh</u>al reprisal. At Nightfall, Lakkh&#299 Sh&#257h Lub&#257&#7751&#257, helped by his son Nag&#257h&#299&#257 and others, placed the headless trunk in a cart and carried it off to his home. Since open cremation would not have been possible, the Lub&#257&#7751&#257 Sikh set fire to his house, burning with it the body of the martyred Gur&#363. The spot is now the site of Gurdw&#257r&#257 Rik&#257bgañj.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The severed head was lifted by Bh&#257&#299 Jait&#257 who secretly carried it to Anandpur where Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh performed the obsequies with dignity and reverence on 16 November 1675. Lakkh&#299 Sh&#257h and other Sikhs arrived from Delhi with the sacred remains. "Hail ! Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur, Dharam d&#299 Ch&#257dar (i.e. the protector of <i>dharma</i>), "proclaimed the <i>sa&#7749gat</i>, as the full sequence of the events in Delhi unfolded itself.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh has left a written testimony of the martyrdom of his father in his <i>Bachitra N&#257&#7789ak</i>.</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He protected their <i>tilak</i> and <i>janeu</i>;</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In this age of darkness, he performed a grand deed;</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He made the supreme sacrifice for the sake of faith.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He gave his head, but uttered not a groan.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This martyrdom he endured to uphold righteousness</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He gave his head, but displayed not his charism...</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote></p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's martyrdom was a superb act of self-giving. Implicit in it were his boundless sympathy for the oppressed and his concern to secure the people the freedom of belief. The protection of <i>tilak</i> and <i>janeu</i> of the Hindus meant the protection of the right of everyone to practise his religion unhindered. It involved the larger issues of human rights and freedom of conscience.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's protest was against the State's interference with the individual's duty towards his faith. It meant declaring that the State had no authority over the individual's conscience and that any attempt to create a unitary, monolithic society must be resisted. It was a reiteration of the Sikh belief in a liberal and ethical order and of the Sikh principles of tolerance and acceptance of diversity of belief and practice.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gurdw&#257r&#257s and places sacred to Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur are scattered over the whole of north India from Punjab to Assam. At Amritsar there are the house (Gur&#363 ke Mahal) in which he was born and Tha&#7771&#257 S&#257hib opposite the Golden Temple marking the site where he stopped for a few hours at the time of his visit to the holy city after being refused entry into the temple by the priests. At Kart&#257rpur there stands the house where he was married. At Bak&#257l&#257 there are two shrines : one known as Bhor&#257 S&#257hib (with his meditation cell inside) and the Mañj&#299 S&#257hib where the articles of spiritual regalia were kept for his investiture as successor to Gur&#363 Har Krishan. At Anandpur are preserved his residence (Gur&#363 ke Mahal) and S&#299s Gañj, the spot where his severed head was cremated. There are numerous shrines associated with the Gur&#363's long travels outside the Punjab : the Gur&#363's shrine at Mathur&#257 ; Gurdw&#257r&#257 M&#257&#299 Th&#257n at &#256gr&#257; Gurdw&#257r&#257 Pakk&#299 Sa&#7749gat at All&#257h&#257b&#257d; a Gurdw&#257r&#257 at Ban&#257ras; Ta<u>kh</u>t Harimandar ( birthplace of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh) and Gur&#363 k&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> at Pa&#7789n&#257; Sa&#7749gat &#7788ol&#257 Gurdw&#257r&#257 at &#7692h&#257k&#257; and Damdam&#257 S&#257hib at Dh&#363b&#7771&#299 (Assam). In Delhi there are two shrines associated with his martyrdom : one in Ch&#257ndn&#299 Chowk (Sis Gañj), where he was beheaded and the other known as Rik&#257bgañj, where his headless body was cremated. The M&#257lv&#257 region of the Punjab is dotted all over with shrines in his memory.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's <i>b&#257&#7751&#299</i> is small in bulk-59 <i>&#347abdas</i> and 57 <i>&#347lokas</i> in all. The <i>&#347abdas</i> are distributed in 15 <i>r&#257gas</i> or musical measures. The <i>&#347lokas</i> or couplets form the concluding portion of the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. Totally, these <i>&#347abdas</i> and <i>&#347lokas</i> essentialize the same spiritual experience and insights as does the <i>b&#257&#7751&#299</i> of the preceding Gur&#363s. The central theme is the affirmation of Reality, the ultimate ground of all that exists. The main quest is for <i>mukt&#299</i> or release. Long devotion is set forth as the truest virtue ---the fundamental disposition for one seeking liberation. By immersing oneself in <i>n&#257m</i>, i.e. by constant remembrance of the Divine Name, one attains <i>mok&#7779&#257</i> or <i>mukt&#299</i>. This is freedom from selfbondage, from the circuit of birth and death. It is this stage of spiritual perfection which is the end of all religious striving. Life in the world is conditioned. Temporality is an essential trait of human existence. One can go beyond this contingent state, can transcend <i>sa&#7749s&#257r&#257</i>--- the sphere of temporality, the finite world of becoming-- by concentrating on God's Name. Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur bears witness in his <i>b&#257&#7751&#299</i> to these truths revealed by Gur&#363 N&#257nak and preached by his successors. Yet his expression has its individual qualities. The most striking one is the unity of mood, the singleness of <i>motif</i> which pervades his compositions. They have the same tone of voice and, despite variation of prosodic measures, they have the same harmony and the same rhythm of thought. Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's entire <i>b&#257&#7751&#299</i> is one sustained meditation on the human state. In image after image, it illustrates its imperfections and limitations. Stanza after stanza summons man to discerning reality from illusion, to overcoming his disabilities and realizing his higher potential. This poetry is not didactic or moralistic, nor of effervescent temper. It is born of the very experience of Reality, of spiritual discipline of the highest order, of philosophic wisdom and enlightenment. The language, unlike the rest of the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, which is generally in Punjabi, is Braj-unembellished, easy and smooth. The diction has classical restraint and economy. In austere decor, but in sharp thrusts, Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's <i>b&#257&#7751&#299</i> brings home to man truths he must acknowledge unless he has completely lost his spiritual sensitivity. Nowhere does Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur applaud the hermitic state. Nor does he belittle human life. On the contrary he calls it a priceless gift. It confers on man the chance to discover his real essence and achieve union with the Creator. In spite of its emphasis on the short-livedness of life, Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's <i>b&#257&#7751&#299</i> is not pessimistic or gloomy. It is not a lamentation, but a call to man to transcend his given state and attain to higher levels of consciousness and insight.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"><i>Gurbil&#257s Chhev&#299&#7749 P&#257tsh&#257h&#299</i>. Patiala,1970<BR> <li class="C1"> Kuir Si&#7749gh, <i>Gurbil&#257s P&#257tsh&#257h&#299 10</i>. Patiala, 1968<BR> <li class="C1"> Sukh&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Gurbil&#257s D&#257sv&#299n P&#257tsh&#257h&#299</i>. Lahore, 1912<BR> <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"> Bha&#7749g&#363, Ratan Si&#7749gh, <i>Prach&#299n Panth Prak&#257sh</i>. Amritsar, 1914<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. R.S. Jaggi. Chandigarh, 1972<BR> <li class="C1"> Padam, Pi&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh, and Gi&#257n&#299 Garj&#257 Si&#7749gh, ed, <i>Gur&#363 k&#299&#257&#7749 S&#257kh&#299&#257&#7749</i>. Patiala, 1986<BR> <li class="C1"> Garj&#257 Si&#7749gh, ed., <i>Shah&#299d Bil&#257s</i>. Ludhiana, 1961<BR> <li class="C1"><i>M&#257lv&#257 Desh Ra&#7789an d&#299 S&#257kh&#299 Poth&#299</i>. Amritsar, 1968<BR> <li class="C1"> Pi&#257r Si&#7749gh, ed., <i>Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur</i> (F&#257rs&#299 Sarot). Amritsar, 1976<BR> <li class="C1"> Macauliffe, M.A., <i>The Sikh Religion</i>. Oxford, 1909<BR> <li class="C1"> Trilochan Si&#7749gh <i>Gur&#363 Tegh Bahadur : Prophet and Martyr</i>. Delhi, 1967<BR> <li class="C1"> Harbans Singh, <i>Gur&#363 Tegh Bahadur</i> Delhi, 1982<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">A. C. Banerjee<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>