SIKH COSMOLOGY. From the very beginning man has been curious to know about the structure and constitution of the Universe and its origin. To locate the stable base of this universe and to fix his own place in it have been the subjects of his constant search and speculation for

BHAGVANA. BHAI, along with Bhai Latkan Ghura, Bhai Gurditta and Bhai Katara, the jeweller, once came to see Guru Arjan and asked for a mantra, or sacred formula. The Guru, as says Bhai Mani Singh, Sikhan di Bhagat Mala, told them that any name for God would save, but

BHAGAT- Bhagat has roots in the word Bhaj or Bhakt, which means divided (into self and the \'other\'; this \'other\' may be a god or the Almighty) or sacrificed (into pieces for some god or for the Almighty); hence, Bhagat is one who is devoted to some god or the

MANMUKH, the ego guided person, as opposed to gurmukh`who is Guru guided. The gurmukhmanmukh bipolarity represents the personality typology employed in the Sikh sacred literature. Basically it opposes and contrasts the ocentric and egocentric personality types. The word manmukh is compounded of man (mind, lower self) and mukh (face):

SUNN, a Punjabi form of the Sanskrit term sunya (Pali, sunna), is derived from the root svi which is connected with the root su; both these roots mean `to swell`, `to expand` or `to increase`. From the etymological standpoint the term sunya is often used in the sense of

BEETHALA (VITHUL) Beethala is here and Beethala is there; the whole world is not without Beethala; within all the places, says Nama, O Beethala, Thou art filling all the space. (Asa Namdev, p. 485) O my Beethala, meet me, wrap Thy arms around me. (Sri Raga Trilochan, p. 92)

NAM (lit. name), a collection of sounds possessing the capacity to signify a person, place, thing or idea, is a key term in Sikh theology, embodying a concept of central importance. It subsumes within it the revelation of God`s being, the only fit object of contemplation for the individual,

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

DERA, a word of Persian extraction, has several connotations. The original Persian word derah or dirah means a tent, camp, abode, house or habitation. In current usage in rural Punjab, a farmhouse or a group of farmhouses built away from the village proper is called dera. Even after such an

PHIRNA, BHAI, a KhahiraJatt, named, along with Bhai Jodh, among Guru Nanak`s Sikhs in Bhai Gurdas, Varan, XI. Both Bhai Phirna and Bhai Jodh had received instruction at the hands of Guru Nanak. Together they had presented themselves before the Guru and prayed that they be endowed with faith.

TAKHTU. BHAI, a Dhir Khatri, embraced Sikh faith during the time of Guru Arjan. He lived up to the time of Guru Hargobind when he earned a name for himself as a soldier participating in the encounters with the Mughal troops. "Once", as says Bhai Mani Singh, Sikhan di