Misplaced Pages

#161838

16-459: Bhai Gurdas was a first cousin of Mata Bhani , mother of Guru Arjan Dev . He was the first scribe of Guru Granth Sahib and a scholar of great repute. From his work it is clear that he had mastery of various Indian languages and had studied many ancient Indian religious scriptures. It is said that the motivation for Gurdas to write the first var was due to Guru Arjan requesting him to complete an authentic work of literature documenting and detailing

32-454: A desire for her daughter to be wed to "a man like him" as she was anxious about her youngest daughter's unwed status. The two were wed on 18 February 1554. Bhai Jetha later moved to Goindval , a Sikh town, and carried out voluntary service ( sewa ) in the construction of Baoli Sahib (sacred well). They had three sons: Prithi Chand , Maha Dev, and Arjan Dev . She kept serving her father after her marriage, as her in-laws were local. As

48-436: A high-degree of similarity in nearly all manuscriptural versions of the work, barring a few variations and discrepancies. Some Sikhs have rejected the authenticity of the 10th or 40th vars of the work specifically, the former based on religious doctrine and the latter based upon linguistic style inconsistency. A notable and outspoken critic of the 10th var was Giani Lal Singh of Sangrur. Often times, another additional Vaar, with

64-471: A janamsakhi rendition, known as the Gyan-ratnavali or Bhai Mani Singh Janam Sakhi , based upon the first var of Varan Bhai Gurdas. Mata Bhani Bibi Bhani ( Gurmukhi : ਬੀਬੀ ਭਾਨੀ; January 19, 1535 – April 9, 1598), also known as Mata Bhani (Gurmukhi: ਮਾਤਾ ਭਾਨੀ), was the daughter of Guru Amar Das , the third Sikh Guru. She played a central role in the history of Sikhism and is one of

80-463: A potential successor of her father for the Sikh guruship , however this did not come to be and her husband was selected instead. Scholar Doris Jakobsh states the following: ...Bhani alone was singled out as his [Amar Das's] economic successor. Bequeathing lands and villages to a female heir would have been inconceivable in even the later social and cultural milieu of ensuing chroniclers. Clearly, even

96-569: A wedding gift for Bhani and he figuratively viewed her as his own daughter as well. According to one version of accounts, the jagir land that was gifted to her under her own name was used for the building of Ramdaspur (future Amritsar ), where the Golden Temple was built. She was one of the head leaders of the missionary Piri system that had been established by her father to disseminate Sikhism to women, having been chosen due to her intellectual inclinations. With this responsibility, she

112-409: Is titled simply as: Bani Bhai Gurdas Bhalley ji ki. Varan . The words Gian Ratnavali as part of a title may have once only applied to the first of forty vars rather than being part of a title to describe the entirety of the work of literature. Originally, the entirety of the work was simply entitled as Varan . The SGPC officially named its publication of the work as Varan Gyan Ratnavali . Each of

128-530: The 40 chapters of Varan Bhai Gurdas consists of a differing number of Pauris (sections, paragraphs). The composition is a collection of detailed commentary and explanation of theology and the ethics of Sikh beliefs as outlined by the Gurus. It explains the Sikh terms like sangat , haumai , "Gun", Gurmukh and Manmukh , Sat , Naam , etc. Many of the principles of Sikhism are explained in simple terms by Bhai Gurdas and at times in many ways. The 40 vars maintain

144-535: The completion of the Gurdwara at Goindval neared, Guru Amar Das charged Bhai Jetha with the task of establishing a new Sikh center at a location that first was known as Ramdasar. Noticing that the waters of the pond were said to have "curative" powers, Bhai Jetha expanded the pond into a sarovar that he named Amritsar. It was in the center of this "Lake of Amrit " that the construction of the Harmandar Sahib

160-622: The four consorts bestowed with the title of Guru-Mahal . Bibi Bhani was born to Guru Amar Das and Mata Mansa Devi on 19 January 1535 in Basarke Gillan, a village near Amritsar . Her older sister was Bibi Dani and two brothers were Bhai Mohan and Bhai Mohri. Her spouse was Bhai Jetha (who later became Guru Ram Das ), a Sodhi Khatri from Lahore . The marriage was arranged by her father as he had been impressed by Jetha's devotion to seva (selfless service). Her mother, Mansa Devi, also noticed Jetha walking by one day and expressed

176-547: The life of Guru Nanak . Guru Arjan ordered me To compose 40 Vars So that peace may descend upon me. Bhai Gurdas authored the work in the late 16th century. He did not consult the knowledge of Baba Buddha (whom had been alive when Guru Nanak was around) when he compiled the work. The full title of the work given in one manuscript dated to 1782 is: Varan Gian Ratnavali Bhai Gurdas Bhalley ka Bolana , meaning "Vars [captioned] Gian Ratnavali. Thus spake Bhai Gurdas Bhalla." Another manuscript (dated to at-least 1732 or earlier)

SECTION 10

#1732779796162

192-514: The seat upright. After witnessing this, the Guru told her that her offspring will inherit the guruship. Bhani was the one who convinced Guru Amar Das to change the system of choosing a successor for the Sikh guruship to a hereditary one (but still grounded on a successor being chosen on merit). Bibi Bhani died in Goindval on 9 April 1598. It is postulated that Bhani may have been considered as

208-541: The title of Vaar Sri Bhagaut Ji Ki Patshahi Dasvin Ki, is included in the work at a 41st Vaar. This Vaar was authored by another, later Bhai Gurdas who was contemporary with Guru Gobind Singh. The 41st Vaar eulogizes Guru Gobind Singh and the Khalsa . According to Bhai Mani Singh , the first Var of the work is the only genuine and attestable janamsakhi tradition covering the life of Guru Nanak. Bhai Mani Singh would author

224-407: Was begun. The modern city of Amritsar took its name from Bhai Jetha's sarovar. She is said to have served her father devoutly. One story involves her seeing Guru Amar Das meditating on a wooden seat. She noticed one of the legs of the seat were about to break so she used her hands to keep the seat upright to prevent the Guru from falling. After the Guru finished meditating, he noticed her hand

240-421: Was bleeding from holding the seat upright. After witnessing this, the Guru told her that her offspring will inherit the guruship. During Akbar's visit to Guru Amar Das, it is said the emperor bestowed a jagir grant donation (lands and villages) as gifts to Bhani, putting the grant in her own name, as the Guru rejected receiving any such official state patronage in his own name. Akbar bestowed this land as

256-421: Was tasked with educating women on the tenets and norms of the Sikh faith. She is said to have served her father devoutly. One story involves her seeing Guru Amar Das meditating on a wooden seat. She noticed one of the legs of the seat were about to break so she used her hands to keep the seat upright to prevent the Guru from falling. After the Guru finished meditating, he noticed her hand was bleeding from holding

#161838