Bhai Nand Lal 'Goya'

Bhai NAND LAL Ji 'Goya'

Bhai Nand Lal  Ji was a 17th-century Persian, and Arabic poet in the Punjab region. He was the poet laureate and headed the fifty-two poets of Guru Gobind Singh's Darbar (court). 

He was born in Ghazni Afghanistan in 1633 to a father Chhajju Ram who was a famous Persian scholar himself.  

At the age of 17 he lost his mother, and two years later his father. At that stage when he was not offered the job of the Governor of Gazani, he decided to move out of this place. He sold of his belongings and after collecting his valuables, set out to proceed to India. 

Multan was a city famous for poets, Sufis and a major hob nob for enormous business between Central and South Asia. So he camped out side Delhi Gate in Multan City and purchased a piece of land and started living there by building a dwelling. The accompanying two assistants from Ghazni as a mark of respect addressed him as 'Aaka' and hence the name of this place came to be known as Agha Pura Mohalla and is still brimming with lot of residents living there even today but without his family and near relations.

Bhai Nand Lal died in 1713 in Multan.

Family:

The family of Bhai Nand Lal Ji remained at this place for about 250 years till partition of India in 1947 When most of the family members moved out of Multan and settled down in the cities of Amritsar, Patiala and New Delhi. Most of them purchased houses at these places against the claims of their properties left in newly carved out state of Pakistan. The family's agricultural lands in Multan and Muzzafargarh were substituted and allotted in the village Badbar Distt Barnala. Some of the family members have now immigrated to USA and Canada in the last 2-3 decades.

I am fortunate to be his ninth direct descendent who was born in the same house Bhai Nand Lal Ji had built up in Mohalla Agha Pura, Multan.

The details of his family and near relatives are enumerated in the historic book of 'Bhai Nand Lal Granthavali' by late Prof Dr Ganda Singh.

Works:

1 Zindginama:

Bhai Nand Lal  called it Bandginama (Book of Prayer) and composed it in Persian. Guru Gobind Singh Sahib changed its title to Zindginama (Book of Life). Its theme is the ‘love of God and devotion to Guru;’ God is described as Creator of Universe and as One who has imparted life to all creatures. It contains 510 verses and is believed to be his first piece of work, which he wrote after he shifted to Anandpur to join Guru Sahib Ji. At places the verses echo those in the Guru Granth Sahib. 

2 Divan-e-Goya:

It is a collection of 63 ghazals. This work contains his personal spiritual experience and in many ways explains the spirit of Gurbani. Some scholars have translated this particular work in Punjabi.

3 Tausif-o-Sana:

It is in prose, but contains a few verses at the end. It is in praise of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. This work is full of Arabic and difficult Persian words.

4 Ganjnama:

(Treasure book) It renders homage to Gurus whom the poet recalls in his deep personal devotion and veneration. It is both in prose and in poetry. The poet calls Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the supreme dervish and all his successors being One with him in spirit, embodying the same message. The book concludes with his humble supplication to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib that his life may be dedicated to Guru and that he may forever remain attached to his feet. 

5 Jot Bikas (Punjabi):

It contains 43 couplets. It is mainly devoted to the explanation of Guru Arjan Sahib’s Jaitsri ki Vaar, with special reference to Ten Gurus being of One spirit, on life. This is often deemed as an exposition of the Persian works in Punjabi but that is not the case, this is an entirely independent piece of work. 

6 Jot Bikas (Persian):

It contains 175 couplets and is a laudation of Ten Gurus and their spirit being One. This composition is in deep reverence of Gurus and depicts how the spirit of Guru Nanak Dev Ji passed on to his successors. He calls Guru Gobind Singh Sahib a "complete man." 

7 Rahit Nama:

It is in the traditional form of poetry where the composition is in the form of a dialogue between a guru and his disciple. Here it is in the form of a dialogue between Bhai Nand Lal Goya and Guru Gobind Singh Ji during which Guru Gobind Singh Ji expounds the rules of conduct laid down for a Gursikh. This discourse took place at Anandpur on 5 December 1695, i.e. before the creation of the Khalsa and is written in Punjabi.

8 Tankhah Nama:

'Tankhah,' a Persian word, means salary, reward or profit, and 'Nama,' also Persian, denotes an epistle or a code. It was composed in Punjabi after the creation of Khalsa. In Sikh usage, however, Tankhah stands more for a religious penal code. Any Sikh, who received Pahul (nectar of the double-edged sword) for initiation into the fold of the brotherhood of Khalsa, if s/he commits a breach of Rahit and is found guilty of Kurahit (misconduct) is subject to be fined and is called a Tankhahi. This concept of Tankhah is based on the concept of forgiveness. Once a Sikh admits and seeks forgiveness for his mistake in front of Panj Piare he is 'rewarded' with a particular seva. After the seva as decided by Panj Piare has been performed, that Sikh is once again considered a member of Khalsa Brotherhood. The last verse of Tankhahnama, which the Sikhs usually recite in unison after Ardas, contains the well-familiar verse, Raj karega khalsa ... 

9 Dastur-ul-Insha:

It is a collection of letters in Persian prose written to his relatives and friends. These serve as a model for letter writing and contain invaluable historical information regarding the political, social and economic conditions of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib's time.

10 Arz-ul-Alfaz:

It is in Persian and contains the praise of Almighty along with Gurus. In this composition Bhai Nand Lal also gives his interpretation of Sikh concepts. Alexandar Von Humbolt who has translated some of Bhai Nandlal Goya's work in "The Pilgrims Way" has this to say about him: "Goya was among the masters who could put in verse what he felt deep within, and like the entirety of his self laid at the sacred feet of the great Guru, the Beloved. And no doubt, those who surrender the self, master the world." The common theme in his verses is presented in the below mentioned poem:

Mostly his works are written under the name of Bhai Nand Lal 'Goya' or 'Lal'.

Code Of Conduct for Sikhism:

This piece of writing was created around Decemeber 1695 along the river called the Sutlej. The evolution of the human Guruship to the that of the holy book Guru Granth Sahib is established in these works in the farm of conversation between the Guru and Bhai Nand Lal.

This work by Bhai Nand Lal is special because this seems to be the only recored work along with Tankah Nama in which a dialogue of Guru Gobind Singh Ji was recorded. The work is created in the shape of a dialogue between Bhai Nand Lal and Guru Gobind Singh. Here we can learn the rules or codes of conduct Guru Gobind Singh wanted and the discussion of the Infinite. 

As per Sikh code of conduct, only 'Banis' from Guru Granth Sahib, Bhai Gurdas Ji, and Bhai Nand Lal Ji are allowed to be rendered in the Sanctum Sanctorum of the Golden Temple Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar.