Bhai Gurdas (1551-1636) was a Punjabi Sikh writer, historian, missionairy, and religious figure. He was the original scribe for the Adi Granth and the Guru Granth Sahib.^[1] He was a companion of four of the Sikh Gurus. The Punjabi people (Punjabi: Shahmukhi: پنجابی; Gurmukhi: ਪੰਜਾਬੀ also Panjabi people) are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group from South Asia. ... A Sikh (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ) is an adherent of Sikhism. ... Guru Granth Sahib (Granth is Punjabi for book, Sahib is Hindi meaning master, from Arabic, meaning companion, friend, owner, or master) or Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji or SGGS for short, is more than a holy book of the Sikhs. ... The Guru Granth Sahib (Punjabi: , ) — Granth is Punjabi for book; Sahib is Hindi meaning master, from Arabic, meaning companion, friend, owner, or master. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Early Life

Bhai Gurdas was born in 1551 in Goindwal, a small village in the Punjab. His father was Bhai Ishardas who was a first cousin of Guru Amar Das (see family tree) His mothers name was Jivani^[2]and she died in 1554 C.E. when Gurdas was only three^[3]. Sri Guru Amar Das Ji (Punjabi: ) (5 April 1479 – 1 September 1574) was the third of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 26 March 1552 following in the footsteps of Guru Angad Dev, who died 29 March 1552. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

After being orphaned at the age of 12 , he was adopted by his uncle Guru Amar Das. He learned Sanskrit, Brijbhasha, Persian and Gurmukhi and eventually began preaching Sikhism. He spent his early years at Goindval and Sultanpur Lodhi. At Goindwal he listened to scholars and swamis who kept visiting the town while traversing the Delhi-Lahore road. He later moved to Varanasi where he studied Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures. There, he was subsequently initiated into Sikhism. After Guru Amar Das passed away his successor Guru Ram Das, appointed Gurdas as the Sikh missionary to Agra. ^[2] Sri Guru Amar Das Ji (Punjabi: ) (5 April 1479 – 1 September 1574) was the third of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 26 March 1552 following in the footsteps of Guru Angad Dev, who died 29 March 1552. ... The Sanskrit language (Skt. ... Look up Persian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Gurmukhi (ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ or ਗੁਰਮੁੱਖੀ) script, derived from the Later Sharada script and standardised by Guru Angad Dev in the 16th century, was designed to write the Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ) language. ... Sikhism (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ) is a religion that began in sixteenth century Northern India with the teachings of Nanak and nine successive human gurus. ... Sultanpur Lodhi is a city and a municipal council in Kapurthala district in the Indian state of Punjab. ... Swami playing the Harmonium Swami is a primarily Hindu honorific, loosely akin to master. It is derived from the Sanskrit language and means owner of oneself, denoting complete mastery over instinctive and lower urges. ... Delhi   (Hindi: , Urdu: ‎, Punjabi: ) is a metropolis in northern India. ... Lahore (Urdu: لاہور) is the capital of the province of Punjab, and the second most populated city in Pakistan, also known as the Gardens of the Mughals or City of Gardens, after the significant rich heritage of the Mughal Empire. ... The Sanskrit language ( , ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Sikhism (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ) is a religion that began in sixteenth century Northern India with the teachings of Nanak and nine successive human gurus. ... Sri Guru Amar Das Ji (Punjabi: ) (5 April 1479 – 1 September 1574) was the third of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 26 March 1552 following in the footsteps of Guru Angad Dev, who died 29 March 1552. ... Sri Guru Ram Das Ji (Punjabi: ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਰਾਮ ਦਾਸ ਜੀ) (24 September 1534 – 1 September 1581) was the fourth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 30 August 1574 following in the footsteps of Guru Amar Das. ...

Later Times

In 1577, Bhai Gurdas contributed his labor to excavating the pool at the Harimandir Sahib. Twenty years later, he went on an expedition to Kartarpur and recited many of the early hymns to Emperor Akbar. This was at a time when many of the Sikhs were becoming very anti-Muslim in tone and family feuds within the Gurus family had put Sikhism in danger. Akbar received the verses positively and became convinced there were no anti-Muslim suggestions. Harimandir Sahib Harimandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib (also Hari Mandir, Harimandar and other variants; Punjabi: ਹਰਿਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ or ਹਰਿਮੰਦਿਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ) is the most sacred shrine in Sikhism, located in Amritsar, Punjab, India. ... Kartarpur is a small town located about 16 km from Jalandhar. ... Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar (Persian: جلال الدین محمد اکبر), (alternate spellings: Jellaladin, Celalettin) also known as Akbar the Great (Akbar-e-Azam) (October 15, 1542 – October 27, 1605) was the son of Nasiruddin Humayun whom he succeeded as ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1605. ... A Sikh (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ) is an adherent of Sikhism. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Sikhism (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ) is a religion that began in sixteenth century Northern India with the teachings of Nanak and nine successive human gurus. ... Photograph of a rally against Islamophobia in Londons Trafalgar Square on February 11, 2006, in the wake of the Muhammad cartoons controversy. ...

After Guru Ram Das passed away Bhai Gurdas formed a close relationship with the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev. Guru Arjan Dev had great respect for him, and regarded Bhai Gurdas as his ‘Mama’ (maternal uncle). It is said that the Mughal emperor Jahangir was growing jealous of the popularity of Sikhism and Bhai Gurdas was sent to Kabul, Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Varanasi again to preach Sikhism. Sri Guru Ram Das Ji (Punjabi: ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਰਾਮ ਦਾਸ ਜੀ) (24 September 1534 – 1 September 1581) was the fourth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 30 August 1574 following in the footsteps of Guru Amar Das. ... Guru Arjan Dev (Punjabi: ) (15 April 1563 - 30 May 1606) was the fifth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 1 September 1581 following in the footsteps of Guru Ram Das. ... Guru Arjan Dev (Punjabi: ) (15 April 1563 - 30 May 1606) was the fifth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 1 September 1581 following in the footsteps of Guru Ram Das. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... Nuruddin Jahangir (Persian: نور الدین جہھانگر) (August 31, 1569 – October 28, 1627) was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until 1627. ... Sikhism (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ) is a religion that began in sixteenth century Northern India with the teachings of Nanak and nine successive human gurus. ... Kabul, Kâbl (locally: کابل), is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan with a population of approximately 3 million people. ... Kashmir (or Cashmere) may refer to: Kashmir region, the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent India, Kashmir conflict, the territorial dispute between India, Pakistan, and the China over the Kashmir region. ... Rājasthān (DevanāgarÄ«: राजस्थान, IPA: )   is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ... VārāṇasÄ«   (HindÄ«: वाराणसी, UrdÅ«: وارانسی, IPA: ), also known as Benares, Banaras, or Benaras (HindÄ«: बनारस, UrdÅ«: بنارس, ; IPA: ), or Kashi or Kasi (काशी کاشی ), is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... Sikhism (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ) is a religion that began in sixteenth century Northern India with the teachings of Nanak and nine successive human gurus. ...

Literary Works

He completed the Adi Granth in 1604. It took him nearly 11 years to complete this task. Bhai Gurdas not only wrote the Adi Granth as dictated by Guru Arjan Dev but also supervised four other scribes, Bhai Haria, Bhai Sant Das, Bhai Sukha and Bhai Manasa Ram. He assisted these scribes in the writing of various scriptures.^[4] His other works in Punjabi are collectively called Varan Bhai Gurdas. Guru Granth Sahib (Granth is Punjabi for book, Sahib is Hindi meaning master, from Arabic, meaning companion, friend, owner, or master) or Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji or SGGS for short, is more than a holy book of the Sikhs. ... Varan Bhai Gurdas is the name given to the 40 Varan (chapters) of writing by Bhai Gurdas. ...

Numbers

• 6 Chands of 8 verses each in Sanskrit.
• 672 Kabits and 3 swayyas in Brij Bhasha.
• 40 Vars containing 912 pauris (in Punjabi).^[4]

Brij Bhasha (or Braj Bhasha) is a language spoken in India by more than 42,000 people in the undefined region of Brij Bhoomi, which was a political state in the era of the Mahabharata wars. ... Var is a type of Punjabi poem. ... Pauri are stanzas of Punjabi poetry, mostly used in Vars. ... Punjabi (also Panjabi; in Gurmukhī, Panjābī in Shāhmukhī) is the language of the Punjabi people and the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. ...

Death

He died on August 25, 1636 in Goindwal.^[3] Guru Har Gobind Sahib personally performed the ceremonial cremation.^[4][1] Goindval is a place in Amritsar district in Punjab province in India. ... Mid-nineteenth century miniature of Guru Hargobind. ...

See Also

• Varan Bhai Gurdas
• Var (poetry)
• Adi Granth
• Braj Bhasha

Varan Bhai Gurdas is the name given to the 40 Varan (chapters) of writing by Bhai Gurdas. ... Var is a type of Punjabi poem. ... Guru Granth Sahib (Granth is Punjabi for book, Sahib is Hindi meaning master, from Arabic, meaning companion, friend, owner, or master) or Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji or SGGS for short, is more than a holy book of the Sikhs. ... Braj Bhasha is language spoken in India by more than 42,000 people. ...

References

External Links

• Bhai Gurdas - Answers.com