Bhai Gurdas (1551 – 25 August 1636) was a Sikh writer, historian and preacher who served as the Jathedar of the Akal Takht from 1606 to his death in 1636.[1] He was the original scribe of the early version of Guru Granth Sahib, having served as the amanuensis of Guru Arjan in its compilation.[2]: 131–132
Early life
Bhai Gurdas was possibly born in 1551[note 1][3][4] (exact year unknown but likely between 1543 and 1553[note 2])[3][5] at Basarke Gillan, a small village in the Punjab.[note 3] He was the only child of Bhai Ishar Das and Mata Jivani.[3] Gurdas' father, Ishar Das, was the youngest brother of Guru Amar Das, therefore Gurdas was the nephew of Guru Amar Das.[3] Gurdas was born into the Bhalla clan of Khatris. Bhai Gurdas was near 3 years of age when his mother died.[6][7]
After being orphaned at the age of 12, he was adopted by Guru Amar Das. Under the patronage of Guru Amar Das, Bhai Gurdas learned Sanskrit, Braj Bhasha, Persian, and Punjabi at Sultanpur Lodhi and eventually began preaching.[8] He was further educated in both the Hindu and Muslim literary traditions.[8] He spent his early years at Goindwal and Sultanpur Lodhi.[8] At Goindval, Gurdas listened and obtained knowledge from scholars and swamis that continuously visited the town while traversing the Delhi-Lahore road. He later moved to Varanasi, where he studied Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures. After Guru Amar Das died, his successor Guru Ram Das, assigned Bhai Gurdas as a Sikh missionary to Agra.
Later life
Folios of the So Purakh composition of Guru Ram Das from a Gutka Sahib manuscript claimed to have been written by Bhai Gurdas Bhalla, kept at Kartarpur Sahib
In 1577, Bhai Gurdas contributed his labour to excavating the Sarovar at Darbar Sahib. Twenty years later, he went on an expedition to East Kartarpur and recited many of the early hymns to Emperor Akbar. Akbar was impressed by their spiritual content and was satisfied they had no anti-Muslim tone.[6]
After Guru Ram Das left the world, Bhai Gurdas formed a close relationship with the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan. The Guru had great respect for him, and regarded him as his maternal uncle ("mama"). Gurdas led a group of Sikhs to Gwalior, where the Mughal emperor Jahangir, jealous of the popularity of Sikhism, had imprisoned Guru Hargobind.[6] After that, Gurdas was sent to Kabul, Kashmir, Rajputana, and Varanasi again to preach Sikhism. He even went to Sri Lanka, preaching the name of the Guru among the masses and showing them the true way of life.
Literary works
Detail of Bhai Gurdas Bhalla from a Sikh fresco, circa mid-19th century
Bhai Gurdas completed the Adi Granth in 1604. It took him nearly 19 years to scribe. He not only wrote the Adi Granth, as dictated by Guru Arjun, but also supervised four other scribes (Bhai Haria, Bhai Sant Das, Bhai Sukha and Bhai Manasa Ram) in the writing of various Sikh scriptures. His other works in Punjabi are collectively called Vaaran Bhai Gurdas.[6] Aside from his well-known Vaars, he also wrote Kabits, a form of poetry, in the Braj-language.[9] He was initially thought to have been the author of 556 Kabits but a discovery of 119 additional Kabits authored by Gurdas was made in 1939 by Vir Singh in a Gurmukhi manuscript.[3]
Mural showing Bhai Gurdas and Baba Buddha in conversation.
The Akal Takht was revealed by Guru Hargobind on 15 June 1606. The foundation stone of the building of the Akal Takht was laid down by Guru Hargobind himself. The rest of the structure was completed by Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas. No mason or any other person was permitted to participate in the construction of the structure. Guru Hargobind himself was the custodian of the Takht. On 31 December 1612, when Guru Hargobind was imprisoned at Gwalior Fort, he assigned Baba Buddha to perform the services at Harmandir Sahib and Bhai Gurdas as the first Jathedar of Akal Takht.
Death
He died on 25 August 1636 at Goindwal.[note 4][7][3] Guru Hargobind personally performed the ceremonial service at his funeral.
^Jaggi, Dr. Rattan Singh (1974). Bhai Gurdas. Patiala: Punjabi University Patiala. p. 19. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
^Fenech, Louis E.; McLeod, William H. (2014). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements (3rd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN978-1-4422-3600-4.
^ abcdefSingh, Pritam (1992). Bhai Gurdas. Makers of Indian literature (1st ed.). New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. pp. 15–34. ISBN978-81-7201-218-2.
^ abcSingh, Pashaura; Mandair, Arvind-Pal Singh (2023). The Sikh World. Routledge Worlds. Taylor & Francis. ISBN9780429848384. Under his [Guru Amar Das] patronage, his son-in-law Ram Das received training in the musical traditions of North India, and his nephew Gurdas Bhalla received his early education in Punjabi, Braj, and Persian languages, including Hindu and Muslim literary traditions at Sultanpur Lodhi.
^McLeod, William Hewat (16 September 2024). "Sikhism – Devotional and other works". Encyclopædia Britannica. This was particularly true of the works of Bhai Gurdas, whose 40 lengthy poems, composed in Punjabi, remain popular. Their popularity is vastly greater than that of his 556 brief poems in Braj, a language little read in the Panth today.
