ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>VIJAI VINOD</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>VIJAI VINOD</i>, also called <i>Bijay Binod</i>, is an account of the events at Lahore Darb&#257r after the death of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh. This work was composed in 1844 by Gv&#257l, the court poet at Lahore Darb&#257r, at the orders of Pa&#7751&#7693it Jall&#257, the mentor and most influential adviser of R&#257j&#257 H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh &#7692ogr&#257. H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh became the prime minister after his father, Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh, was murdered. But because of the minority of the sovereign, Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Duleep Si&#7749gh, he was the <i>de facto</i> ruler of the Sikh empire. Since the book was written to please H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh and Pa&#7751&#7693it Jall&#257, it is full of praise for the &#7692ogr&#257 clique of Lahore Darb&#257r.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The poet starts with the praise of goddess Sh&#257rd&#257, Lord R&#257ma and Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh. Then he gives a brief account of the exploits and victories of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh (up to stanza 24) whom he describes as the incarnation of Lord K&#7771&#7779&#7751a, and Prime Minister Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh &#7692ogr&#257 is compared to the legendary hero, Arjuna (up to stanza 42). Special mention is made of the celebrations at the birth of H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh (57). He gives a detailed account of events beginning after the death of Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh in AD 1839. The succession to the throne of Kha&#7771ak Si&#7749gh (111-13), his death (124); the death on the same day of the heir apparent and promising youth, Prince Nau Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh (127-34) and brief reign of Mah&#257r&#257&#7751&#299 Chand Kaur are described in detail The poet deals with even leading to the succession of Sher Si&#7749gh (1942-50). Then follow details about the flight of Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257s to British territory, their reconciliation with the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 and their readmission to the Darb&#257r (274-84), and the treacherous assassination of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Sher Si&#7749gh and his son, Ka&#7749var Part&#257p Si&#7749gh. The poet tries to paint a rosy picture of the administration of H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh and Pa&#7751&#7693it Jall&#257.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He praises them in high-flown language (472-85). The last historical event narrated in the <i>Vijai Vinod</i> is concerning the attack of the Lahore army on the &#7692er&#257 of the famous Sikh saint Bh&#257&#299 B&#299r Si&#7749gh of Naura&#7749g&#257b&#257d, where Atar Si&#7749gh Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257 was staying with his contingent. Atar Si&#7749gh was defeated and beheaded, but during the fierce battle Bh&#257&#299 B&#299r Si&#7749gh was also killed, though he himself and his followers did not take part in the strife. The death of this saint ultimately became the main cause of the downfall and assassination of H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh and Jall&#257. But the poet does not narrate this last event, because he had fled from Lahore and taken shelter in N&#257bh&#257 Darb&#257r just after the murder of his patrons.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Vijai Vinod</i> is a large composition consisting of 487 stanzas of varying length. Since the poet was an eye witness to all the happenings, the account he provides is very detailed and is of considerable historical value. But it is not linear narration of history. The poet does not provide even a remote hint of the intrigues of the &#7692ogr&#257 trinity behind all these tragic episodes. His work, therefore, is more a panegyric of the &#7692ogr&#257 family than objective history.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Vijai Vinod</i> no doubt is a commendable literary work. Gv&#257l was a poet of merit and recognition in his time, who has written a number of poetic works in addition to <i>Vijai Vinod</i>. He was a native of Mathur&#257 and his language was Braj Bh&#257&#7779&#257. He entered the court of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh when he was still very young.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The poet has used eleven different poetic metres including <i>kabit, savaiyy&#257, so&#7771ath&#257, doh&#257, p&#257dha&#7771&#299</i>, etc. The author has himself given full statistics of the <i>chhands</i> (metres) used, and their total number. The book was completed on S&#257van <i>sud&#299</i> 8, 1901 Bk/August 1844.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The work was first published by Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee in 1950 in the collection entitled <i>Pr&#257ch&#299n Ja&#7749gn&#257me</i> edited and compiled by Shamsher Si&#7749gh Ashok. Again it was published by the same committee in 1977 in the collection called <i>Pr&#257ch&#299n V&#257r&#257&#7749 te Ja&#7749gn&#257me</i>.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1">Ashok, Shamsher Si&#7749gh, ed., <i>Pr&#257ch&#299n Ja&#7749gn&#257me</i>. Amritsar, 1950<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Shamsher Si&#7749gh Ashok<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>