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 Diwan 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.

As per Sikh code of conduct, only three 'Banis' of 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.

The details of his family and near relatives are enumerated in the historic book of 'Bhai NaNd Lal Granthavali' by 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 Sultaj. 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. 

His destiny however, was not to remain in Ghazni Afghanistan, he moved to Multan. After marriage and the birth of two sons, he left for pilgrimage in India where he found employment in the Mughal court at Agra where he served the crown prince Muhammad Azzam, who was to become the future Mughal emperor. 

As the tradition goes, Aurangzeb once assembled his court mullahs and Islamic scholars of Delhi to have them interpret a certain verse of the Qur’an. Each of them came up with different interpretations based on tradition and new thinking, yet none of them satisfied the emperor who got weary of the many failed attempts of skillful exegesis. At this, Bhai Nand Lal volunteered to come up with an interpretation. After the emperor had heard the exegesis of Bhai Nand Lal, he was so fascinated that he wished to meet Bhai Nand Lal in person. When he found out that Bhai Nand Lal was a non-Muslim, he gave Bhai Nand Lal the opportunity to convert or die, as it was a shame to have such talent be wasted as a non-Muslim. After hearing this, Bhai Nand Lal escaped from the Mughal court during the night and sought shelter at Anandpur where he met the young Guru Gobind Singh.Life at Anandpur

In the holy city of Anandpur, Bhai Nand Lal joined the entourage of 52 poet-scholars who had come into the presence of the Guru to compose and translate ancient works into the common language of the time. Amongst the translated works were those of spiritual treaties, political manifests of government and diplomacy, ancient mythology and philosophy, manuals of rhetoric, tales of love, eroticism and treachery, literature of warfare and heroism etc.. In this entourage of poets, Bhai Nand Lal stood out as a great scholar of Persian, but even more as a deeply devoted follower of Guru Gobind Singh. His many compositions were praised by the Guru and he was given a hukam to convey his compositions to the many sangats that arrived from near and far to have the darshan of their Guru.

A special place in his Gurus heartIn the City of Bliss, thousands of residents lived, studied and worked in the near presence of their Guru and Master. Furthermore, thousands of pilgrims came from far to see their Guru and amongst all of these, Bhai Nand Lal acquired a special place in his Guru’s heart. 

Many different stories from Anandpur relate how Bhai Nand Lal was praised and honored by the Guru who called him his own jewel, while others indicate that he was part of an inner circle of close and beloved devotees. While the evolution of the Adi Granth to Guruship was publicly announced in 1708, Bhai Nand Lal was given this information in a private conversation in 1695, that is, 13 years before it was announced to the world.

The compositions of Bhai Nand Lal

Amongst the many works of Bhai Nand Lal, a great majority are written in the classical Persian language and metre similar to the poetry of the classical Persian poets Hafez and Rumi. In many cases, Bhai Nand Lal actually uses the poems of these two celebrated poets as a platform to conceptionalize the tenets of Sikhi and how they differ from those of other traditions. Bhai Nand Lal wrote 11 compositions in all, While most are written in classical Persian, others are written in Arabic and Punjabi, and some of the compositions are a mix of two or more languages. 

While most of his works are commentaries on the Guru Granth Sahib, others are eloquent responses to other Persian poets of the past, paraphrases of Qur’anic verses and eulogy of the 10 Gurus. In the early 20th century, the Akal Takht raised his works from mere poetry to canonical scripture in the Sikh tradition. The only other Sikh to have been raised to such a high platform is Bhai Gurdas.

Neglected amongst Sikhs

In spite of his fascinating life story however, Bhai Nand Lal remains a neglected figure amongst common Sikhs. Most people know his name, but only a few have actually read his compositions and life story. 

For Sikhs of today, Bhai Nand Lal is a representation of the spiritual aspect of Guru Gobind Singh. While much focus has been laid on Guru Gobind Singh’s soldierly aspect, not much has been written on the saintly aspect. Bhai Nand Lal and his poetry is the very image of this soft and tender side of Guru Gobind Singh. As a man of piety, non-Indian roots and an exceptional talent in mystical writing, the Afghan-born Bhai Nand Lal deserves to be known throughout the world in the same way as his predecessor poets Rumi and Hafez have been known in the past few decades.

As the moon merely reflects the light of the sun, likewise, Bhai Nand Lal is an eternal reflection of the majesty and tenderness of Sri Guru Gobind Singh.