SOBHA SINGH (1901-1986), painter, famous especially for his portraits of the Gurus, was born on 29 November 1901 in a Ramgarhia family of Sri Hargobindpur, in Gurdaspur district of the Punjab. His father, Deva Singh, had been in the Indian cavalry. At the age of 15, Sobha

DAULTAN, a Muslim midwife of the village of Talvandi Rai Bhoi, who attended the birth of Baba Kalu`s son who became renowned as Guru Nanak. As the birth of a male child was announced, Baba Kalu requested the family Pandit, Hardial, to cast the child`s horoscope. As Hardial worked

GURPRANALI, a distinct genre in Punjabi historical writing, providing in prose or in verse chronological information about the lives of the Gurus and of the members of their families. The genre records in the main dates of their birth, marriage and death. Occasionally, the dates of some major events are

GURPURB, a compound of two words, i.e. guru, the spiritual preceptor, and purb, parva in Sanskrit, meaning a festival or celebration, signifies in the Sikh tradition the holy day commemorating one or another of the anniversaries related to the lives of the Gurus. Observance of such anniversaries is a

JAITA, BHAT, was a devout Sikh of the time of Guru Arjan. He had received initiation at the hands of the Guru at Amritsar. Returning home, he, along with his companions, Bhai Nanda and Bhai Piraga, had ceased observing the caste rites and rituals. Their family priests chided them

KARMA, THE DOCTRINE OF, closely connected with the theory of rebirth and transmigration, is basic to the religious traditions of Indian origin such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. The term karam, as it is spelt in Punjabi and as it occurs in Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, has

TRANSMIGRATION OF THE SOUL. doctrine of rebirth based on the theory that an individual soul passes at death into a new body or new form of life. Central to the concept is the principle of universal causality, i.e. a person must receive reward or punishment if not here and now

ALAHUNI,(mournful song by women) When a person dies. women cry and often sing songs in chorus in praise Of the deceased. There is a lot of pessimism in, such songs. Generally professional women used to lead in the singing of mourning songs. Guru Nanak used this form of poetry

Arun, the charioteer of the lamp of the world (i.e. the sun) and brother of Garuda, the king of the birds became a cripple on account of his past actions. (Dhanasari Trilochan, p. 695) Aruna was the son of Kashyapa (Brahma\'s son) by his wife Vinata. Kashyapa had two

BYASA (VYASA) The sage Byasa sings the Praises (of Guru Nanak Dev). He reflected on the Vedic Grammar. (Swayye Mahle Pahle Ke, p. 1390) Byasa narrates the sayings of Narada, ask Suka about it. (Maru Kabir, p. l J 03) Brahma, the son of Lotus (who sprang from the

DULEY, village in Ludhiana district, 17 km southwest from the city (30° 54`N, 75° 52`E), claims a historical shrine called Gurdwara Phalahi Sahib Patshahi 10. Guru Gobind Singh halted here awhile under a phalahi tree, while travelling from Alamgir toJodhari at the close of 1705. An imposing new gurdwara building,