SIR! RAGA KI VAR, by Guru Ram Das, is one of the twenty-two vars entered in (lie Guru Granth Sahib. It occurs in Sin raga from which it derives its title. This raga, known for its musical grace and delicacy, is sung both in winter (January/February) and in summer

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

AHIMSA. The term ahimsa is formed by adding the negative prefix a to the word himsa which is derived from the Sanskrit root \'han\', i.e. \'to kill\', \'to harm\', or \'to injure\', and means not killing, not harming, not injuring. The commonly used English equivalent \'non-violence\' is inadequate as it

SUDAMA The Lord met Sudama after removing his poverty. He was emancipated through the devotion of love. Waru M. 4, p. 995) Sudama had been a class fellow of Krishna and studied under the same teacher in the early years of their lives. When Krishna was the king of

BHAGU, BHAI, of the village of Dalla. now in Kapurthala district of the Punjab, was a devoted Sikh of the time of Guru Amar Das. Bhai Gurdas in one of his couplets praises him as "a devotee who to the Lord`s love is dedicated." See SAHARU, BHAI

Pritam Singh Safir was born at Malikpur in Rawalpindi district, now in Pakistan. Safir\'s father, Sardar Mehtab Singh, who served as headmaster of Shri Guru Arjan Dev Khalsa High School, Tarn Taran, was one of the leading Sikh political activists. After graduation from Khalsa College, Amritsar, Safir qualified for

GAURI KI VAR, by Guru Ram Das, is one of his seven vars in a total of twenty-two in the Guru Granth Sahib. As the title indicates, the Vdr is cast in the Gauri musical measure a rdga commonly sung in the evening. In Sikh Scripture, Gaun is the

Sahrai, Hamam Das has written many historical novels. His Lohgarh narrates the story of Banda Bahadur who was living as an ascetic under the name of Madho Dass till he became a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and returned to Punjab with a group of Guru Gobind Singh\'s disciples

JAIDEV (JAYADEVA), saint and poet, two of whose hymns are incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib, is chiefly known to the literary world as the author of the Gita Govinda, a lyrical poem in which the love of Radha (soul or devotee) for Govinda (the Supreme Being) is described

Singh, Gur Baksh was a pioneer in the field of refined Punjabi prose-writing. He has to his credit two novel and several collections of essays and short stories. His writing has been widely translated into Russian and other European Languages. He was the first prose writer in Punjabi to

KAM (Skt. kdmd), meaning desire, longing, concupiscence, sensuality or lasciviousness, is counted among the five cardinal sins or sinful propensities. In common usage, the term stands for passion for sexual pleasure and it is in this sense that it is considered an evil in Sikhism. In Brahrnanical literature kdm

Singh, Tara, also known as Tara Singh Kamil, was born in Hookran district of Hoshiarpur, Punjab. He now lives in Delhi and is engaged in journalism. Singh began his literary career as a poet of light, witty and humorous pieces which became instantly popular at \'Kavi Darbars\'. He moved