Tempo:
Appendix 3
301
There are several very notable and inexplicable omissions in Gurdas' writings. He has, for instance, produced a list of the important disciples of the earlier gurus. In the list of adherents of Guru Nanak the name ofRai Bular, the landlord ofTalwandi, who was among Guru Nanak's earliest and most important disciples, is missing. (And for a better reason, that of Bala Sandhu.) Gurdas has also nothing to say about the compilation of the Adi Granth and its scrutiny by Emperor Akbar. The reference to the execution of the fifth guru is in the vaguest terms: The Guru hath taken his abode in the river among the fish, As moths that see the flame: fall upon it and merge their light wit11 His light, A3 deer be-dr the sound of a distant drum and nm Lo it without a care of doom, As buuerflies settle on the lotus and die on it during the night.
The Guru's teachings we forget not, and like tlJe monsoon birds are ever calling. The good have peace, the nectar of love, and t11e company of the gentle. Thus is my life a sacrifice to Gum Arjun. The only possible explanation of these oversights is that Gurdas' primary object was to expound certain points from the scriptures and to propagate the ideals of the Sikh way of life, not to write a book of history.
Gurdas' Compositions Gurdas' vars are of a very uneven quality and have a baffling variety ofdiction. Some run very smoothly and are well ordered; the vocabulary of others is both antiquated and not infrequently violates eJementary rules of grammar. In the copies ofGurdas' vars which are current today, there is a 40th var written by a Sindhi poet ofShlkarpurofthe same name. The Sindhi Gurdas lived in the time of Banda (1670-1716). His composition, though in the same metre as that used-by the elder Gurcias, is ofhigJ1er poetic quality and is frequent!)' quoled in dt:scribing the mission of Guru Gobind Singh.
301
There are several very notable and inexplicable omissions in Gurdas' writings. He has, for instance, produced a list of the important disciples of the earlier gurus. In the list of adherents of Guru Nanak the name ofRai Bular, the landlord ofTalwandi, who was among Guru Nanak's earliest and most important disciples, is missing. (And for a better reason, that of Bala Sandhu.) Gurdas has also nothing to say about the compilation of the Adi Granth and its scrutiny by Emperor Akbar. The reference to the execution of the fifth guru is in the vaguest terms: The Guru hath taken his abode in the river among the fish, As moths that see the flame: fall upon it and merge their light wit11 His light, A3 deer be-dr the sound of a distant drum and nm Lo it without a care of doom, As buuerflies settle on the lotus and die on it during the night.
The Guru's teachings we forget not, and like tlJe monsoon birds are ever calling. The good have peace, the nectar of love, and t11e company of the gentle. Thus is my life a sacrifice to Gum Arjun. The only possible explanation of these oversights is that Gurdas' primary object was to expound certain points from the scriptures and to propagate the ideals of the Sikh way of life, not to write a book of history.
Gurdas' Compositions Gurdas' vars are of a very uneven quality and have a baffling variety ofdiction. Some run very smoothly and are well ordered; the vocabulary of others is both antiquated and not infrequently violates eJementary rules of grammar. In the copies ofGurdas' vars which are current today, there is a 40th var written by a Sindhi poet ofShlkarpurofthe same name. The Sindhi Gurdas lived in the time of Banda (1670-1716). His composition, though in the same metre as that used-by the elder Gurcias, is ofhigJ1er poetic quality and is frequent!)' quoled in dt:scribing the mission of Guru Gobind Singh.
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