Anand Sahib

The Utterance of Anand Composition: A Contextual Reference
The first reference to the revelation of this composition is found in ‘Gosti Guru Amardas’ which was written by Hari Ji. According to it, one day, while Guru Amardas was in Goindwal (Panjab), a baby boy was born in the house of his son Mohri. He was named ‘Anand.’ At that time, the women started singing the song, ‘raṇ jhujhaṭṛā merī māe. hasanu khelaṇu kar āe.’ The Guru asked, “What are these women singing?” He was told that since a son was born in Mohri’s house, the women were singing ‘raṇ jhujhaṭṛā.’ The Guru asked, “What is ‘raṇ jhujhaṭṛā?’” He was told that “this song is sung during weddings or happy occasions. Here it is being sung to celebrate the birth of the child.” The Guru then said, “Let us sing the joyful song of praise (Anand) of the One who has sent this child and becomes completely blissful.” The Guru said, “Call the rababis.” The Guru asked the rababis, “In what rag are these women singing ‘raṇ jhujhaṭṛā?’” They replied, “O Sovereign, you are the knower of everything; this is in Rag Ramkali.” Guru Amardas Sahib then said, “The ‘Guru’ has sent Ramkali ‘Anandu;’ sing that ‘Anandu’ only.” He asked Kalai Mithde to play the rabab. After singing the Guru’s salok in alap form, the Guru Amardas Sahib sang ‘Anandu’ in Rag Ramkali: anandu bhaïā merī māe...satigurū mai pāiā. -Guru Granth Sahib 917.

In ‘Mahima Prakash,’ Sarup Das Bhalla, the ninth descendant of Guru Amardas Sahib and Bhai Santokh Singh in ‘Gur Pratap Suraj Granth’ have also linked the revelation of this composition to the aforementioned narrative with a slight variation. But the Sanatan influence on these narratives is clearly visible. According to the narratives recorded in ‘Mahima Prakash,’ an old Sidh came to visit Guru Amardas Sahib. He requested, “O Guru, since the time you sat on the seat of Guru Nanak Sahib, I have had the desire in my heart to visit you. Today, meeting you I am exalted.” Speaking about his life, he said, “I have attained supernatural powers through several yogic practices and various penances, due to which people submit and worship me. Despite this, my mind is not at peace. Have mercy on me, bless me with anand (bliss). The Guru listened to his request and said, “You will have to give up your body, adopt a new body, and then come to me. Then you will attain anand.” He accepted the word of the Guru and gave up his body and took birth in the house of Baba Mohri as the grandson (Anand) of Guru Amardas Sahib.

When his grandson was born, the Guru asked his Sikh Bhai Balu (who had become a Sikh during Guru Angad Sahib’s time and later remained in the service of Guru Amardas Sahib) to bring him the child who was born in the house of Mohri. Bhai Balu brought the boy to the Guru. The Guru held his newborn grandson and said, “This child has been born as a great saint and has come to our house to attain anand. So, I will reveal one composition and name it ‘Anandu.’ Through this composition, all desires of the seekers will be fulfilled.” In this way, while holding his grandson in his lap, the Guru revealed this composition.

After revealing the composition, the Guru asked Bhai Balu to sing it aloud to the beat of a dholki. The entire Sangat entered a state of bliss upon listening to the singing of this composition. In the end, the Guru stated that this composition is the bestower of devotion and liberation. One who listens to it will have all their desires fulfilled and whoever reads it regularly will receive the rare thing.

Elaborating on the above narrative, Max Arthur McAuliffe, in his book ‘Sikh History’ has written that the sidh had expressed his desire to be born within the lineage of the Guru. The Guru bestowed him the boon of being born in the house of his son Mohri. The name of the elder son of Mohri was Bhai Arth Mal and that of the younger was Sidh Yogi. The Guru named Sidh Yogi ‘Anand.’

Regarding the narratives in the Mahima Prakash and Gur Pratap Suraj Granth, Giani Haribans Singh is of the opinion that, “Such narratives make Sikh history interesting but associating ‘Anandu’ composition to the name of the Guru’s grandson ‘Anand’ is not in line with Gurmat principles as no evidence substantiating this fact is found anywhere in Gurbani.”

Regarding the revelation of this composition, Dr. Mahinder Kaur Gill has written: “According to the Sikh tradition, Guru Amardas Sahib uttered this composition after the birth of his grandson Anand, who was born in the house of Mohri in the year 1544 CE. Among all, this could be one of the motivating factors for uttering this composition, but not the main motivating factor, ... According to me, the original motive of the composition ‘Anandu’ can only be to clarify the concept of anand (bliss) as per the Gurmat. In short, it can be concluded that during the joyful occasion of the birth of his grandson, the Guru as an elder advised the family members that in life even simple occasions that bring joy should be considered a Divine gift.

Even though the revelation of this composition is associated with the birth of Guru Amardas Sahib’s grandson Anand, the message of this composition is very deep, and it would be inappropriate to associate it only with a worldly context. In it, Guru Amardas Sahib has spoken about spiritual bliss which is attained through the eternal Wisdom (Guru).

Regarding the Revealer of Anand Composition
In Mahima Prakash, Gur Pratap Suraj Granth, Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Satik (Faridkot Wala Tika) and Shabdarth Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Guru Amardas Sahib has not been considered the revealer of the entire ‘Anandu’ composition. Sarup Das Bhalla writes in ‘Mahima Prakash:’
bānī anand gur kīā ucār. paüṛī aṭhatīs bānī sukhsār...
ānand-mūl bānī gur karī. ik pauṛī cauthe mahal tahā dharī.
ānand mahātam ustat kī pauṛī. srī satigur mahal panjave joṛī.

Bhai Santokh Singh also gives a similar view in Gur Pratap Suraj Granth:
anand mūl bāṇī subh karī. bhagati virāg gyān soṁ bharī.
caturth pātshah jabi bhae. ik pauṛī tinhuṁ raci kae.24.
ik srī arjan tih saṅg joṛī. anand mahātam cālis pauṛī.

Same views are also recorded in the Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Satik (Faridkot Wala Tika). In Shabdarth Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji too, the same idea has been presented by referring to the old traditions. Thus, in all these sources, Guru Amardas Sahib has been considered the composer of only the first thirty-eight pauris. According to these sources, the composer of the thirty-ninth and fortieth pauris are Guru Ramdas Sahib and Guru Arjan Sahib respectively. But these opinions are not based on any authentic source.

Contrary to the above views, in ‘Gur-Pranali,’ which is composed by the poet Gulab Singh, Guru Amardas Sahib has been considered the sole revealer of all forty pauris of ‘Anandu’ composition. Refuting Bhai Santokh Singh’s view, Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha also believes that the revealer of the entire composition of ‘Anandu’ is Guru Amardas Sahib: “Composition of Anandu contains forty pauris. Bhai Santokh Singh writes that thirty-eight pauris are of Guru Amardas, one is of Guru Ramdas, and one is of Guru Arjan, but this is not correct, the entire composition is of the third Guru.” Scholars like Bhai Vir Singh, Prof. Sahib Singh, Bhai Joginder Singh Talwara, etc., also agree with the opinion of Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha.

Giani Haribans Singh points out that “Bhai Santokh Singh has not quoted reference from any text as to where from and how he got this information? ...If we examine this opinion and apply the test of touchstone, it becomes evident that the last two pauris have been composed by Guru Amardas Sahib himself because, in this composition, the Guru has already mentioned ‘sohilā’ in the sixteenth pauri as ‘ehu sohilā sabadu suhāvā.’ Then, the same ‘sohilā’ has been reminded of in the thirty-ninth pauri as ‘ehu sācā sohilā sācai ghari gāvahu.’ Guru Amardas Sahib has also used the word ‘sohilā’ on page 770 in the Guru Granth Sahib. This proves that the last two pauris have been composed by Guru Amardas Sahib himself.

Similarly, Dr. Ratan Singh Jaggi also believes Guru Amardas Sahib to be the sole revealer of the entire ‘Anandu’ composition. According to him, “wherever Guru Arjan Sahib added his own Sabads/saloks to the compositions of some other composer, he gave the required information regarding this in the beginning. For example, in the var composed by Guru Nanak Sahib in Rag Malar, the twenty-eighth pauri has been written by the fifth Guru. An indication regarding this has been given at the beginning: ‘pauṛī navīṁ m:5.’”

Mahinder Kaur Gill too, while acknowledging the above opinion, believes Guru Amardas Sahib alone to be the composer of the entire ‘Anandu’ composition. According to her, as per the editorial approach of Adi Granth, the term ‘mahala’ (which indicates authorship of a composition) should have appeared at the beginning of these two pauris. This is because, wherever an exception has occurred in the vars recorded in the Adi Granth, a clear indication has been given through ‘mahala-number.’

Thus, the references regarding the revealer of this composition in Mahima Parkash, Gur Pratap Suraj Granth, Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Satik (Faridkot Wala Tika), and Shabdarth Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji do not seem to be valid as per the internal textual arrangement in the Guru Granth Sahib. Based on the similarity in the literary style of the last two pauris with the previous pauris of Anandu composition and the editorial approach of the Guru Granth Sahib, it is proven that the revealer of the entire ‘Anandu’ composition is Guru Amardas Sahib.

The title of this composition is ‘Ramkali Mahala 3,’ which proves the fact that all the pauris of this composition are revealed by the third Guru, Guru Amardas Sahib. If any of these pauris belonged to Guru Ramdas Sahib and Guru Arjan Sahib, they would have been marked with ‘Mahala 4’ and ‘Mahala 5.’ Because wherever Guru Arjan Sahib has added a Sabad or even a stanza of his own or any other contributor, he has added information regarding the same at the beginning:

• gaüṛī kabīr jī kī nāl ralāi likhiā mahalā 5 (Guru Granth Sahib 326)
• If Guru Arjan Sahib has recorded even a single pauri of his own in the vars revealed by Guru Nanak Sahib and Guru Ramdas Sahib, then also he has indicated that: paüṛī mahalā 5 (Guru Granth Sahib 316) or paüṛī navīṁ m: 5 (Guru Granth Sahib 1291).

Thus, based on the above discussion, it is clear that Guru Amardas Sahib alone is the revealer of the entire composition of ‘Anandu.’