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Key To Guru Jee


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I have read articles and heard many people say that Guru Arjan Dev Jee said that Bhai Gurdaas Jee's vaars are the 'keys' to Guru Granth Sahib Jee...

Could some one please tell me where Guru Arjan Dev jee says this?

Warmest waheguru jee ka khalsa..waheguru jee kee fateh!!

Summeet Kaur Jeeo,

Gur Fateh! Hope this finds you well! "Sikh lore", for want of a better term, does indeed hold the writings of Bhai Gurdas Balla Ji to be the key to the Sri Guru and from my limited readings of the Vars, I must say they are most excellent in rendering Gurmat concepts into simple terms.

Whilst there is nothing wrong in treating the Vars as such, and I have found them to be most beneficial, as I know you have too and more so given your extensive reading of them :) , I don’t believe that there exists reference material to substantiate Guru Arjan Dev Ji referring to the works as a the Key to the Sri Guru.

If there is, I too would like to know of it. I base this on the historical aspects of the Vars, as the First // itself includes references to Guru Hargobind Ji on the Gurgaddi, which does not appear to coincide with the above notion of them bein

g the key to the Sri Guru, which as we know was compiled by Guru Arjan Dev Ji prior to this event and the Vars, according to Sikh lore, were already written at the time of the compilation by Guru Sahib. [Please see references below]

From this, it would appear that the Vars were written at the time of Guru Hargobind Sahib ji and possibly did not exist at the time of the compilation of the Sri Guru. As we know, the first parkash of the Sri Guru occurred in October 1604 at the Harimandir Sahib with Baba Buddha Ji as the First Granthi.

Also consider other historical aspects as such Guru Hargobind Ji's detainment in the Gwalior fort immediately after the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev ji.

In his autobiography "Tuzak e Jehangiri", the Emperor of the same name writes that he ordered the arrest of Guru Sahib, his children, family and confiscation of his property for handing over to the Governor of Lahore, Murtaza Khan. Guru Sahib was later released on Deepwali following many years (5-7) and the Harimandir given back to the Sikhs during the celebration of Deepwali, or "Bandi Chhor Nivas", as it has come to be known in certain circles.

Sikh lore indicates that Guru Sahib was held prisoner for a long time following the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. This however, does not seem to correlate with the births of Guru Hargobind Ji's children in which there was not such a long gap to account for the long detention period at the Gwalior Fort. Baba Gurdita (Udasi) Ji, the eldest son was born in 1613 and that of Guru Teg BahadurJi, the youngest in1621 (four others were born in 1617, 1619, and 1620).

From this historically perspective, it would appear that the earliest Bhai Gurdas Ji could have wrriten his Vars would have been shortly after the release of GuruSahib from Gwalior Fort (shortly before 1613).

Again, to reiterate I personally have found the Vars to be immensely beneficial in understanding of Gurbani and the foregoing is simply an ad hoc description of some wider rea

ding and application of historical references. I would therefore conclude that whilst the Vars possibly are in a sense the "keys" to the Sri Guru, the associated Sakhi has most likely been derived from a number of loosely connected events to bring out the final message i.e. the usefulness of studying the Vars. This, I feel can be said about many Sakhis and Sikh lore in general and the study of historical events and heritage go hand in hand in helping carry forward the underlying key messages, albeit these associated Sakhis and lore may present variations in their relaying of historical events.

Forgive any foolish comments in the foregoing,

GUR BAR AKAAAAAL!

-------------------------

References:

Panj piaalay panj peer, shatham peeru baitha guru bhaari

Arjan kaya palat kai moorati Hari Gobind swaaree. (Vaar 1, pauri 48)

Dastgeer hoi panj peer, hari guru Harigobind atola (vaar 39, pauri 3)

Gur govind, govindu guru, Hargobind sada vigsanda (vaar 24, pauri 21)

Ramdasauh Arjan Guru guru sabad sathoi

Hargobind Guru Arjanauh Guru Govind hoi (vaar 38, pauri 20)

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Guest balwinderkaur

yea would like to know which guru said it....but i must say the vaars are really interesting because they outline how a true gursikh should live.....and each time i read it i feel soooooooooo ashamed cuz i am FAR FROM THAT.

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yea would like to know which guru said it....but i must say the vaars are really interesting because they outline how a true gursikh should live.....and each time i read it i feel soooooooooo ashamed cuz i am FAR FROM THAT.

Dear All,

GUR FATEH!

I don't personally know which Guru Sahib declared the Vars to be the Keys to the Sri Guru, but as I alluded, they do serve and have served in that capacity more than adequately for many centuries.

As per the Sakhi, I personally believe one should view these for the underlying messages they purport as opposed to historical references (these do exist, say Pracheen Panth Prakash, Suraj Prakash, Mahan Kosh etc, albeit, these present their own issues in terms of their treatment).

The key point here (no pun intended) is that Bhai Gurdas Bhalla Ji's Vars have been and continue to be respected as an integral component in the traditional spiritual syllabus, if you will, of the apsiring Gursikh and as such, whilst I acknowlegde the clear historical discrepancies, the place of the Vars remains the same for me personally as a 'Key' in that they present in simple terms some of the more complex concepts of Gurmat.

As per the syllabus of Sikhi, traditionally a particular set system was followed for the aspirant roughly beginning with the 5 Banis, progressing through to the

39;Sunder Gutka' which compiled some common and popular shabds and banis (a tradition believed to have been begun by Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh, although the associated accounts are quite controversial surrounding the matter of curses from the Sangat and the death that he met...but this is another story!)...including the 22 vara...through to the 'Das Granthi' and eventually a full Sehaj Paath of the Sri Guru.

In amongst this cirriculum, the Vars of Bhai Gurdas would feature as well as selected portions of the Dasam Granth -the Akal Ustat in particular, with its set of paradoxical questions for the more adept Sikh aspirants...

...there is much that can be written about this matter...but in short, all I can say is patience is the king of all in learning Gurmat...so jeeo, please do not feel "soooooooooo ashamed" ...guilt and shame...judgement...these are reminiscents of Brahmanical and Judeo-Christian attitudes...having taken the sanctury of Guru Maharaj, no one has the need to feel this way...

GUR BAR AKAAAAAL!!!

SAT SRI AKAAAAAAL!!!

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I once asked my dad about Bhai Gurdas jee,

He said that when Guru Arjun Dev Ji was compiling Guru Granth Sahib, he called various bhagats to put their bani in Guru Granth Sahib. Bhai Gurdas Ji was a devoted Sikh of Guru Arjun Dev ji, however, when he saw all the bhagats, the thought came in his mind "i should say some bani too."...

that night when he went to sleep, in his dream he see himself swimming in the ocean and whenever he is listening to gurbani from Guru Granth Sahib, he is keeping afloat...but when he starts saying his own bani... he starts to drown...

the next morning Guru Ji called him and asked him to uchaar bani...and Bhai Gurdas Ji fell to his feet and said "this i cannot do"...

that is when Guru Arjun Dev Ji said that "your vaars will be the keys to Guru Granth Sahib...those who wish to totally understand and be immersed with Guru Granth Sahib will need to read your vaars"

that's the story as i know it...

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa

Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

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I once asked my dad about Bhai Gurdas jee,

He said that when Guru Arjun Dev Ji was compiling Guru Granth Sahib, he called various bhagats to put their bani in Guru Granth Sahib. Bhai Gurdas Ji was a devoted Sikh of Guru Arjun Dev ji, however, when he saw all the bhagats, the thought came in his mind "i should say some bani too."...

that night when he went to sleep, in his dream he see himself swimming in the ocean and whenever he is listening to gurbani from Guru Granth Sahib, he is keeping afloat...but when he starts saying his own bani... he starts to drown...

the next morning Guru Ji called him and asked him to uchaar bani...and Bhai Gurdas Ji fell to his feet and said "this i cannot do"...

that is when Guru Arjun Dev Ji said that "your vaars will be the keys to Guru Granth Sahib...those who wish to totally understand and be immersed with Guru Granth Sahib will need to read your vaars"

that's the story as i know it...

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa

Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Gur Fateh!

JSS Jeeo, yes that is the account as per 'Sikh Lore' however as illustrated above, if Bhai Gurdas Bhalla Ji had written his Vars at that time it doesn't appear to link in with the internal evidence that is contained within his writings (as per my first post)...but yes, your account is accurate as per the Sikh Chronic

les.

Sat Sri Akaaaal!

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An SDO follower once said to me: if bhai gurdaas jees vaars have any gurmat in them why arent they bani?

i said he felt too humble and declined guru sahibs offer..

at that point he says: who would dare decline guru sahib? nobody would if guru sahib asked them to do something they would do it, so the truth is that guru sahib declined him as his vaars are anti gurmat..

while i dont agree with this in any way, i think its a misperception that can come out of this.. im sure theres a real story behind this with basis in fact and i would like to find out.

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Guest balwinderkaur

Thanks for the input niranjana. :) Hmmm i would like to find out the true story behind this: if bhai gurdaas jees vaars have any gurmat in them why arent they bani?

The idea of bhai gurdaas declining gurujee......well so many of us decline gurujee too by not following his way of life and his instructions(face it...its true whether u wanna accept it or not...amritvela for example tongue.gif:@ ). Does this make us antigurmat folks too??? :T:

his vaars are anti gurmat..

if this was so they wouldn't have lasted so long...chardeekala folks of that time would've warned sangat about it. I dunno.....need to find out the true story behind this. :(

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