Lava

There are six chants revealed by Guru Ramdas Sahib (1534-1581) in Rag Suhi, on pages 772-777 of the Guru Granth Sahib. The four stanzas of the second chant on pages 773-774 are known as ‘Lavan’ in the Sikh tradition. This name became popular due to the presence of the word ‘Lav’ in these stanzas. Even though there is no title with the name ‘Lav or Lavan’ found in the Guru Granth Sahib, but the word ‘Lav’ is found to be used in one of the vars by Bhai Gurdas: vigasī putra viāhiai ghoṛī lāvāṁ gāv bhaloī. -Bhai Gurdas, Var 37, Pauri 11. According to Dr. Gopal Singh the word ‘lav’ (round) literally means ‘breaking away’ from parent’s home in Sanskrit. These four stanzas, which were initially written to describe a seeker’s union with the Divine ...