guru

SATI DAS, BHAI (d. 1675), the martyr, was the younger brother of Diwan Mati Das. According to Bhatt Vahl Talauda he served Guru Tegh Bahadur as a cook. He was, under imperial warrant, detained along with the Guru at Dhamtan, as the latter was travelling to the eastern parts in 1665. He was again in attendance upon the Guru when, in 1675, the latter lefl Anandpur resolved to court martyrdom. The Guru and his companions were arrested on the way and taken to Delhi. Like his brother Mati Das, Sati Das refused to perjure his faith and was tortured to death. Wrapped up in cotton wool, he was set afire and roasted alive. This happened on 11 November 1675 the day Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed.

SHAHPUR KALAN, a village 13 km west of Sunam (30"7`N, 75"48`E) in Sangrur district of the Punjab, is sacred to Guru Tegh Bahadur who, during one of his journeys through the Malva country, came and stayed here near the pond north of the village. Gurdwara Mahji Sahib Patshahi IX, which marks the site, comprises a Mahji Sahib and a Darbar Sahib. The former is a square domed room, with a circumambulatory verandah. The Darbar Sahib is a separate hall with a square sanctum in the middle and a high vaulted ceiling. The Guru Granth Sahib is seated in both buildings. The Gurdwara is managed by a committee of the village sangat.

SIDH GOSTI, i.e. dicourse or dialogue with the Siddhas or mystics adept in hatha yoga and possessing supernatural powers, is the title of one of Guru Nanak`s longer compositions recorded in the Guru Granth Sahib. A goshti (gostln) seeks to expound the respective doctrines of scholars or saints participating in it, revealing in the process their dialectical prowess and learning. In the Sidh Gosti all the questions are raised by the Siddhas and all the answers come from Guru Nanak. It brings out strikingly the crux of his teaching, especially in relation to the Siddhas` philosophy and way of life.

SIR! RAGA KI VAR, by Guru Ram Das, is one of the twenty-two vars entered in (lie Guru Granth Sahib. It occurs in Sin raga from which it derives its title. This raga, known for its musical grace and delicacy, is sung both in winter (January/February) and in summer (May/June) just before the rains set in, the time for recitation being a little before sunset. The Var comprises twenty-one pauns or stanzas, each preceded by two slokas except the fourteenth which is preceded by three slokas.

SRI GOBINDPUR. or SRI HARGOBINDPUR (30"41`N, 75°29`E), a small town in Gurdaspur district of the Punjab, located on the bank of the River Beas, was originally a ruined mound of a village called Ruhela, which formed part of the estates of Chandu Shah, diwan of the Mughal times. Guru Hargobind came here from Kartarpur during the rainy season probably of 1629 and, pleased at the attractive view the site commanded, he rehabilitated it and named it Sri Gobindpur. But because of his own association with it, the place came to be known as Sri Hargobindpur, a name still commonly used.

SUKHDEV, ruler of Jasrota, a minor chief belonging to one of the hill states situated between the Chenab and the Ravi. He took the part of the hill chieftains and Guru Gobind Singh in the battle of Nadaun fought on 20 March 1691 against the Mughal commander, Alif Khan. According to Guru Gobind Singh`s Bachitra Natak. "Sukhdev, intrepid warrior, the raja of Jasrota, burst into action raging and caring all before him."

SUNN, a Punjabi form of the Sanskrit term sunya (Pali, sunna), is derived from the root svi which is connected with the root su; both these roots mean `to swell`, `to expand` or `to increase`. From the etymological standpoint the term sunya is often used in the sense of `zero` or `cipher` (Arabic, sifr), a symbol of naught. However, `zero` again, when used by a mathematician with a figure, increases the value of that figure ten times. The word sunya belongs to the religious and philosophical terminology of India.

TAHILPURA, a small village in the interior of Fatehgarh Sahib district was visited by Guru Tegh Bahadur in the course of one of his journeys through the Malva region. A small raised platform marked the spot where he had put up. Later some Nirmala sadhus established a place of worship and installed the Guru Granth Sahib. Afterwards, Maharaja Karam Singh of Patiala (1798-1845) had a Mahji Sahib constructed here which still exists. At the back of the Manji Sahib there is an old pipal tree which is believed to have existed since the time of Guru Tegh Bahadur`s visit. The Gurdwara is maintained by the village sangat.

TARAORI (29048`N, 76056`E), also pronounced Taravri, is an old walled town 12 km north of Karnal in Haryana. It claims a historical Sikh shrine known as Gurdwara Sisgahj Patshahi Navin. After the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur at Delhi on Maghar sudi 5,1732 Bk/11 November 1675, his severed head was carried to Anandpur by a Sikh named Jaita. At Taraori, on the Grand Trunk road, Bhai Jaita, who was travelling incognito, met one Deva Ram, a washerman of the local garrison, washing clothes in the tank outside the fort.

THITI with the variation THITTIN, is a title shared by three different compositions, one each by Guru Nanak, Guru Arjan and Kabir, in the Guru Granth Sahib. According to traditional Indian calendar, thitt (Skt. tithi) denotes a day or a date of the lunar cycle of the month. In Brahmanical ritualism, certain lunar days acquired sanctity for being associated with some deity or incarnation of god or goddess and began to be observed as especially auspicious. The Thiti hymns discountenanced the notion of one day being more propitious than the others. All days, they reiterate, are auspicious if devoted to God`s remembrance and to good deeds.