guru

GUJARI KI VAR MAHALA 3 is one of the four vdrs composed by Guru Amar Das structured in the form of a vdr or folk poem adapted to a spiritual theme. The Vdr, as the title indicates, falls in the Gujari musical measure, fifth of the thirty-one rdgas in the Holy Book. This rdga is usually sung a little after dawn, though in the Sikh tradition considerable freedom is exercised in choosing the hour for reciting this and other rdgas. At the head of the Vdr is given the direction as to the tune to which it had best be sung.

GURBANSAVAU, by Saundha (variously Saundha Singh), is a chronology in verse of the Gurus and of their families. The author, a contemporary and for some time an employee of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was a Sandhu Jattofthe Lahore district. His father was Chaudhari Hem Raj, and his elder brother, Hira Singh, was the founder of the Nakal family. Among his other works are Amrit Mahimd, Gur Ustati, Parsang Pdlshdhi Dasvm and Hdlimndmd, besides several independent poems. The Gurbansdvali which is more a good piece of literature than a document of historical information starts with homage to the Gurus.

GURMAT PRABHAKAR (gurmat = the Guru`s teaching or instruction; prabhdkar= the sun, light, i.e. illuminator or elucidator) is a compendium of Sikh principles and of the Sikh way of life arranged topic wise and alphabetically by the celebrated Sikh theologian and lexicographer Bhai Kahn Singh of Nabha. First published in 1898, the book is dedicated by the author to "Panth Akali" who is vowed to the welfare of the people and the country. The purpose of the author was to enable the reader locate in the voluminous Guru Granth Sahib verses relevant to any special occasion or to his requirements.

GOVARDHANA Through the Guru\'s discipline, Krishna lifted the Govardhana (mountain). (Maru M. l, p. 1041) Govardhan-dhari (One who holds up the mountain Govardhana)... (Maru M. 5, p. 1082) Govardhana is the name of a mountain in Vrindavana near Mathura. Once Krishna induced the cowherds and Gopis to worship this mountain instead of the god Indra. On this Indra was greatly enraged and caused a heavy rain to deluge the area. In order to remove the distress of the inhabitants, Krishna held up the mountain as an umbrella to shelter them ane their cattle, on his little finger for seven days. The baffled Indra paid homage to Krishna.

HASANPUR QABULPUR, twin villages separated only by a narrow lane, in Patiala district, about 15 km southeast of Rajpura (30°28`N, 76"37`E), arc sacred to Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Gobind Singh is said to have come here as a child from Lakhnaur in 1670, and Guru Tegh Bahadur during his tour of the Malva in 1672-74. According to local tradition, two Muslim Shaikhs, Azmat and Bahra, served the Gurus with devotion and were rewarded with special letters of appreciation.

HUKAM, Arabic hukm for command, order, decree, law, has acquired in Sikh usage a metaphysical shade connoting the Divine Law or Order, regulating the entire universe. Its importance in Sikh theology is indicated by its occurrence at the very beginning of the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Scripture), in the first verse of the Japu. In the penultimate line of the stanza, Guru Nanak puts the fundamental question of how enlightenment is to be gained: How is Truth to be attained? How is the veil of falsehood torn asunder? In the final line of the stanza, he provides the answer: Nanak, thus it is written: Submit to the hukam, Walk in its way.

IOH SIMBLI, commonly called NASIMBLI, is an old village in Patiala district, about 5 km southwest of Ambala city (30"23`N, 76"47`E). It has a historical shrine, Gurdwara Manji Sahib Paishahi X, dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh who, according to local tradition, visited the site during his stay at Lakhnaur in 1670. The Gurdwara is situated inside the village. The present double storey building, constructed in 1952, comprises a square sanctum within a rectangular pavilion on the ground floor and a hall on the first floor.

JAITA, BHAI. See JIVAN SINGH, BHAI JAITA SETH, BHAI, a devout Sikh of Guru Hargobind`s time, was a brave warrior. He stood guard at the Guru`s door and humbly served the visiting Sikhs. According to Bhai Man! Singh, Sikhdn di Bhagat Maid, he once said to Guru Hargobind, "0 sovereign true! some say that he who possesses gidn (knowledge) has little use for bhakti (devotion). Is that true? "The Guru explained, "Gwm without bhakti is lame and ungainly.

JARG, village 19 km southwest of Khanna `(30°42`N, 76°13`E) in Ludhiana district of the Punjab, claims a historical shrine, Gurdwara Hargobindpura Sahib, dedicated to Guru Hargobind, who, according to local tradition, made a brief halt here in a grove, about 400 metres southwest of the village. This grove lay along an old cart track wliich connected Rauni to Jandali but the track is no longer in existence. The place is now approached by JargSirthala link road.

JHANDA, BHAI, of the village of Dalla, now in Kapurthala district of the Punjab, was a devoted Sikh of the time of Guru Amar Das. He was among those who waited on the Guru when he visited Dalla. Among the visitors was also a learned Pandit. He undertook to serve the Sikhs by reciting to them the holy texts and ask for nothing in return. The Guru ended the assembly by adjuring the Sikhs faithfully to observe the Gurus` festivals. See Bhai Gurdas, Varan, XI. 16. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Mani Singh, Bhai, Siklun`i di Bfiagnt Maid.