DHARMA, BHAI, a devoted Sikh of the time of Guru Arjan. He received instruction at the hands of the Guru himself and learnt to repeat always the Name Vahiguru. His name occurs in the roster of devotees recorded by Bhai Gurdas, Varan, XI. 19. See UDDA, BHAi

Sita was (forcibly) taken away by Dahsira (Ravana). (Shalok Varan Te Vadhik, M. l, p. 1412) The word Dahsira means \'of ten heads\' and it is an epithet used for Ravana, the king of Sri Lanka. In Ramayana he is described as having ten heads, twenty arms and copper-coloured

GOLA, BHAI, a Kukk Jatt, was initiated into Sikhism by Guru Arjan. The Guru taught him to devote himself to the remembrance of God. See GOIND KUKK, BHAI

GURU, a spiritual guide or preceptor. The term, long used in the Indian religious tradition, has a special connotation in the Sikh system. The Sikh faith itself signifies discipleship, the word sikh (sisya in Sanskrit and sissa or sekha in Pali) meaning pupil or learner. The concept of Guru,

JAIDEV (JAYADEVA), saint and poet, two of whose hymns are incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib, is chiefly known to the literary world as the author of the Gita Govinda, a lyrical poem in which the love of Radha (soul or devotee) for Govinda (the Supreme Being) is described

KANRE KI VAR, by Guru Ram Das, is one of the twenty-two compositions entered in the Guru Granth Sahib under the rubric of vdr. Like oilier vdrs it is assigned to a specific musical measure Kanra, in this instance. At the head of the Vdr is recorded by Guru

LADDHA, BHAI, a Sikh widely respected for his piety, compassion and selfless service, lived in Lahore during the time of Guru Arjan. When Bhai Buddhu, as says Bhai Mani Singh, Sikhan di Bhagat Mala, solicited Guru Arjan`s blessing to cancel Bhai Lakkhu`s curse upon his brickkiln, the Guru deputed

MALLAN, village 15 km southwest of Jaito (30°-26\'N, 74°-53\'E) in Faridkot district of the Punjab, claims a historical shrine, Gurdwara Ramsar Patshahi X, one km north of the village where Guru Gobind Singh is said to have stopped for a short while travelling towards Khidrana, now Muktsar, in December 1705.

MAHA-MAI He who worships Maha Mai (the great goddess), from man he takes his birth as a woman. (Gond Namdev, p. 874) Maha Mai is an epithet for the goddess Parbati or Durga. She is also called Mahamaya.

NIHANGS or Nihang Singhs, originally known as Akalis or Akah Niharigs, are endearingly designated the Guru`s Knights or the Guru`s beloved, for the military ambience they still carry about them and the heroic style they continue to cultivate. They constitute a distinctive order among the Sikhs and are readily recognized

PARYAI, Sanskrit parydya, meaning a synonym or convertible term, is used in Sikh literature spelt variously as priydi, pridy and praydya. It was a popular title for glossaries explaining terms and difficult words used in Guru Granth Sahib which were the forerunners of full scale translations or exegeses of the

PUSHKAR, a famous Hindu centre of pilgimage, 13 km from Ajmer (26°27`N, 74°42`E) in Rajasthan is also sacred to the Sikhs for the gurudwaras dedicated to the First and Tenth Gurus. Gurdwara Guru Singh Sabha, situated in the eastern part of Pushkar is dedicated to the first Guru and