Summary of 'Biography And Writings Of Bhai Sahib Bhai Nand Lal Ji' By Prof. Ujagar Singh Bawa 

Or the only four acceptable and recitable Sikh scriptures in Sikh Gurdwaras including Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, sanctum sanctorum of the Sikhs, one of them recognized by the highest Sikh religious authority is the "Writings of Bhai Nand Lal Ji", the other three being Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Dasam Granth and Compositions of Bhai Gurdas Ji.

This publication has five parts; the first part is the Biography of Bhai Nand Lal Ji, and the remaining four parts are his noted books, namely, 63 Gaza ls, 13 Rubaayeeyaan ', and the second, Zindagee Naamaa, the third, Ganj Naamaa, and the fourth, Joat Bigaas. Zindagee Naamaa has 510 verses, Ganj Naamaa 160, and Joat Bigaas 175 verses. All his original writings were· in Farsi. [Note: I have utilized three books: Bhai Nand Lal Granthaavalee by Ganda Singh's Punjabi translation, Gazaleeyaat Bhai Nand Lal by Dr. Sayyad Abid Hussain's Urdu translation, and The Pilgrims Way by P. B. L. Bedi 's English translation. The contents of each of them, although referring to the same theme, are somewhat different. I have no way to compare them, with the originals. Verses nos. 31(4), 42(4), 46(2), 47(3), 52(1, 2, 4, 7) and Gaza! nos. 62 and 63 were not in Professor Ganda Singh's or Dr Hussain's books, while 9 of the 13 Rubaayeeaans were not in Mr. Bedi 's book. I have however, included all of these missing ones in this publication.

Bhai Nand Lal was an avid scholar of Farsi, Arabic and Sanskrit. He had acquired a vast knowledge of Sikhism, Islam, Soofeeism, Vedas and Hinduism. His Farsi verses are melodious and heart rendering .. He was abundantly equipped with virtues like compassion, perseverance, and nobility. He was a connoisseur of meditation and Naam and was like, Bhai Gurdas Ji, a perfect and unique Gursikh. He was thoroughly impressed and dedicated to his affection for the Sikh Gurus, specially, Guru Gobind Singh Ji. With his devotion to the Guru and with Guru's grace, he became absolutely firm in his absorption in meditation and Naam. This is amply evidenced in his writings.  

The orgnization of this book is as follows: First, the original Farsi (Persian) verses, in Gurmukhi script, are on the left hand side, under which is the transliteration into English. Then, a simple translation in Punjabi language is given on the right hand page with English translation following it. Every original and translated verse has numbers corresponding to each other. The footnotes contain some of the Farsi words and expressions with their English translation.

It has been an extraordinary experience for me in working on this book. Combining three languages, Punjabi, Urdu and Farsi into English was rather interesting but challenging as well. In describing Bhai Sahib's biography, his writings or translations, there may be several misrepresentations or deviations from the original documents in sense or interpretation. In that event, please do let me know. In any case, only I will remain guilty and answerable for omissions, commissions and errors for which I seek forgivenenss from my Satguru, the reading public and the Saadh Sangat.

Table of Contents For 'Biography And Writings Of Bhai Sahib Bhai Nand Lal Ji' By Prof. Ujagar Singh Bawa

Copyright and Library of Congress Catalog Card No iv

Dedication v

Symbols and Sounds vi

Comparative Numerals vi

Other publications of The Washington Sikh Center The Sikh Youth Forum vii

Preface viii

Acknowledgements x

1. Bhai Nand Lal Goya Biography & Publications 1

2. Gazals 16

3. Rubaayeeyaan (4 line verses) 136

4. Zindagee Naamaa 150

5. Ganj Naamaa 320

6. Joat Bigaas 386

7. Translator 447