RAVANA Rama has gone and Ravana has gone, who had a big family; the world is a dream and nothing is stable, saith Nanak. (Shalok M. 9, p. 1428) Ravana, who had one lakh sons and lakh and a quarter grandsons; there is not even a lamp and a

SAIN or SAIN, whose one hymn has been included in the Guru Granth Sahib, is counted among the disciples of Ramanand (1300-1411). Guru Arjan, Nanak V, says in one of his hymns in the Holy Book that the name of Sain was a household word as a bhakta of

BAVAN AKHARI, a poem constructed upon 52 (bavan) letters (akhar) of the alphabet. In this form of poetry each verse begins serially with a letter of the alphabet. The origin of the genre is traced to ancient Sanskrit literature. Since the Devanagari alphabet, employed in Sanskrit, comprises fifty-two (bavan, in

SANT TRADITION comprises those medieval monotheistic and devout personalities belonging to different shades of Indian society who are supposed to have been quiet, tranquil nonsectarian, opposed to Brahmanical ritualism, piously tired of the duplicity of the world but otherwise deeply conscious and critical of the outrageous anamolies professed by certain

BHAGAT (BHAKTA) BANI The Sikh Holy Book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, comprises writings coming from two sources the sayings of the Gurus and those of the Bhagats (Bhaktas). The term Bhagat here broadly covers, besides some of the saints of medieval India whose compositions occur in the Guru Granth

SURAHI (SURABHI, SURAHA) Your gait is that of Suraha (Surahi, Surabhi) and the hair on your tail glitter (Basant Kabir, p. 1196) Comments : The word \'Suraha\' seems to be a derivative from Surabhi, \'the boon granting or wish-rulfilling cow\'. In the hymn pertaining to the above reference, Kabir

BAIKUNTHA (VAIKUNTHA) Everyone talks of going there, but I do not know the situation of Baikuntha. They do not know their own secrets, they only mention Baikuntha in their talk. As long as the mind hopes to go to Baikuntha, till that time, it cannot abide at the Feet

THITI with the variation THITTIN, is a title shared by three different compositions, one each by Guru Nanak, Guru Arjan and Kabir, in the Guru Granth Sahib. According to traditional Indian calendar, thitt (Skt. tithi) denotes a day or a date of the lunar cycle of the month. In

BENARES (BANARASA, VARANASI) .....They have rosaries around their necks and glittering jugs in their hands—they cannot be called the saints of Hari, they are the Thugs of Benares (Varanasi).(Asa Kabir, pp. 476) He lives on the bank of Asi rivulet in Benares (Varanasi). (Gond Namdev, p. 873) It is

VAR SAT ("Seven Days of the Week"), title shared by two of the compositions in the Guru Granth SahibKabir`s in measure Gauri and Guru Amar Das` in measure Bilaval. The one by Guru Amar Das is entitled Var Sat, while that by Kabir has a variation in the form

BHISTA (BAHISHTA) He holds fasts, offers prayers and recites Kalimah, in this way Bhista (Bahishta) or heaven cannot be achieved..... Having comprehended himself, if one tries to know? others, then he can become a resident of Bhista..... (Asa Kabir, p. 480) You are impure and are not conscious about

DHANNA, BHAGAT (b. 1415?), one of the medieval saints whose bani has been incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib, describes himself in a hymn, in Raga Asa, as an ignorant Jatt and explains how he was attracted to the worship of God by the examples of Namdev (a calicoprinter),