Author: B S Gupta
Publisher: Punjabi University
Year: 1978
Language: English
Pages: 152
ISBN/UPC (if available): N/A

Description

The present work is a modest attempt to present a fresh interpretative study and a synthesized view of Guru Tegh Bahadurs personality, work, vision and sacrifice. It is specifically written on the eve of the tercentenary of the holy martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur, yet it is more than a mere amalgam of the Gurus life and teachings. It is devoted to the unfolding of the Gurus creative personality, the nature and significance of his enlightened response to life and history, the hidden beauty and consistency of his poetic compositions and the philosophy implicit in them. These things are discussed not cursorily but in depth, and not in piecemeal isolation but as a whole.

The main flaw in the piecemeal approach is that it leads to conclusions which, as explained in the course of the study, fall short of a total estimate of the Gurus moral, spiritual and historical greatness. Critical interpreters and historians who do not take into account such an integral view fail to penetrate to the deeper levels of the Gurus response to life in his hymns as well as in his encounter with the historical situation. In order to enter into deeper meaning of his poetry and the fuller spirit and significance of his supreme sacrifice, a total view of the Gurus life and writings is indispensable. Hence this work, an integrated study of the various facts of Guru Tegh Bahadurs life, work, vision and martyrdom.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

CHAPTER

Guru Nanak: the Saint and Revolutionary

Guru Tegh Bahadur

The Epoch-Making sacrifice

Hymns of Guru Tegh Bahadur

Slokas and Style

The Concept of God and His Name

The Gurus Attitudes to World and Death

The Gurus Ethics

Conclusion

Index