GARAB GANJANI TIKA, by Bhai Santokh Singh, is an exegesis in the Nirmala tradition of Guru Nanak`s Japu. The commentator, a celebrated poet and chronicler and author of the monumental Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth, completed the work, his only one in prose, in 1886 Bk/AD 1829. Whereas all his

ANJULIA (N), by Guru Arjan, is a short composition comprising two hymns entered in the Guru Granth Sahib under Maru musical measure (GG, 1019). This word anjulia (n) is the plural form of Sanskrit anjuli which means the joining together of palms in supplication, reverence or salutation. The word

CHANDI CHARITRA, title of two compositions by Guru Gobind Singh in his Dasam Granth, the Book of the Tenth Master, describing in Braj verse the exploits of goddess Chandi or Durga. One of these compositions is known as Chandi Charitra Ukti Bilas whereas the second has no qualifying extension

GUNVANTI, lit. a woman of becoming qualities, is the title of one of Guru Arjan`s compositions, in measure Suhi, in the Guru Granth Sahib (GG, 763). It follows Guru Nanak`s Kuchajl (lit. an awkward, illmannered woman) and Suchaji (lit. a woman of good manner). The term gunvanti is figuratively used

PIPA, one of whose hymns is incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib, was a prince who renounced his throne in search of spiritual solace. He was born at Gagaraun, in present day Jhalawar district of Rajasthan, about AD 1425. He was a devotee of the goddess Bhavani whose idol

SLOKAS OF SHAIKH FARID. Baba Shaikh Farid GanjiShakar (1173-1264), the famous Sufi saint born in the Punjab, some of whose compositions are included in the Guru Granth Sahib, was a poet whose Punjabi verses form the first recorded poetry in the Punjabi language. Guru Nanak himself seems to have

ARDAS, supplication and recollection, is the ritual prayer which Sikhs, individually or in congregation, recite morning and evening and in fact whenever they perform a religious service and at the beginning and conclusion of family, public or religious functions. The word ardas seems to have been derived from Persian

POTHI, popular Punjabi form of the Sanskrit pustaka (book), derived from the root pust (to bind) via the Pali potlhaka and Prakrit puttha. Besides Punjabi, the word poihi meaning a book is current in Maithili, Bhojpuri and Marathi languages as well. Among the Sikhs, however, polhi signifies a sacred book,

In Punjabi Letters this term is not current. There is a long tradition of tikas, meaning compositions in which a poetic text is published with every line followed by its meaning in prose, including a brief comment wherever considered necessary by the tikakar.

KARKHE PATSHAH DASVEN KE. The term "karkhe" is the plural from of`karkha" which is the name of a poetic form, mostly used in war poetry in old Hindi. The Karkhe Pats hah Dasven Ke consists of two such poems, desciribng the battles of Guru Gobind Singh. The poet goes by

SUKHANFAKIRANKE, an eighteenth century work in Punjabi prose attributed to Bhai Addan Shah, a Sevapanthi saint. Two manuscript copies of it are known to existone (MS.No. 2196) in the Central Public Library, Patiala, and the other (MS. No. 11560) in the Pahjab University, Chandigarh. The latter has since been included