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Appendix 3 Bhai Gurdas
G
urdas, lhe amanuensis who wrote the Adi Granth at the dictation ofGuru Arjun, was also the author of39 vars (ballads in the heroic metre) in Punjabi and 556 habits (couplets) in Braj, of which the former are of some historical and theological imponance. They are the only really authentic references to the period of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6lh gurus by a Sikh. His commentary on Sikh practices are valuable indications of the state of things at the time and are therefore regarded as the 'key' to an understanding of the Sikh scriptures. There is some uncertainly about the year of Gurdas' birth. Most historians have placed it in the time of the second guru, Angad. Others believe chat he was born after Amar Das' succession as the third guru. They contend that the name Gurdas was given by the thfrd guru and, since the naming ceremony is performed soon after birth, the event cou]d not have taken place very much earlier. He was therefore born sometime between 1540 and 1560. Gurdas was the son ofDatar Chand, the younger brother of the third guru, who took the child's education into his own hands. He was quick to learn and soon became one of the chief exponents of the teachings of the gurus. On the death of Amar Das, the fourth guru, Ram Das, formally initiated Gurdas into the faith and sent him to Agra as a missionary. On the death of Ram Das, Gurdas returned to Amritsar and presemed himself before Ram Das' successor, Guru Arjun. He was first engaged in trying to appease Prithi Oland, the Guru's elder brother, who had set himseJf up as a rival guru and had launched a campaign of vilification against Arjun. Gurdas failed in his mission. His viir (36) on Prithi Chand's attitude is full of vituperation. He came back
Appendix 3 Bhai Gurdas
G
urdas, lhe amanuensis who wrote the Adi Granth at the dictation ofGuru Arjun, was also the author of39 vars (ballads in the heroic metre) in Punjabi and 556 habits (couplets) in Braj, of which the former are of some historical and theological imponance. They are the only really authentic references to the period of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6lh gurus by a Sikh. His commentary on Sikh practices are valuable indications of the state of things at the time and are therefore regarded as the 'key' to an understanding of the Sikh scriptures. There is some uncertainly about the year of Gurdas' birth. Most historians have placed it in the time of the second guru, Angad. Others believe chat he was born after Amar Das' succession as the third guru. They contend that the name Gurdas was given by the thfrd guru and, since the naming ceremony is performed soon after birth, the event cou]d not have taken place very much earlier. He was therefore born sometime between 1540 and 1560. Gurdas was the son ofDatar Chand, the younger brother of the third guru, who took the child's education into his own hands. He was quick to learn and soon became one of the chief exponents of the teachings of the gurus. On the death of Amar Das, the fourth guru, Ram Das, formally initiated Gurdas into the faith and sent him to Agra as a missionary. On the death of Ram Das, Gurdas returned to Amritsar and presemed himself before Ram Das' successor, Guru Arjun. He was first engaged in trying to appease Prithi Oland, the Guru's elder brother, who had set himseJf up as a rival guru and had launched a campaign of vilification against Arjun. Gurdas failed in his mission. His viir (36) on Prithi Chand's attitude is full of vituperation. He came back
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