15 Bhagats of Sikhism
Created | Updated Sep 11, 2006
Bhagat Beni
Bhagat Bhikhan
Bhagat Dhanna
Sheikh Farid
Bhagat Jaidev
Bhagat Kabir
Bhagat Namdev
Bhagat Parmanand
Bhagat Pipa
Bhagat Ramanand
Bhagat Ravidas
Bhagat Sadhana
Bhagat Sain
Bhagat Surdas
Bhagat Trilochan
Bhagat Beni Ji also spelt as ‘’Baini’’ and ‘’Baynee’’ was as Sikh Bhagat born in India. His Bani is included in the SGGS. The place and year of his birth are unknown but Guru Nanak dev Ji refers to Bhagat Beni as “a Master of Yoga and meditation, and the spiritual wisdom of the Guru; He knows none other than God”
BHIKHAN (1480-1573), a medieval Indian saint two of whose hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib. There are in fact two saints of that time sharing the same name— Bhakta Bhikhan and Bhikhan the Sufi. Bhakta Bhikhan was a devotee in the tradition of Ravidãs and Dhannã. He was born at Kakori near Lucknow in present day Uttar Pardesh state in India.. His hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib reflect his dedication to the Name of Hari (God) which he describes as "cure for all ills of the world."
Bhagat Bhikhan was the most learnt of the learned men of the time of Emperor Akbar. For many years, he was engaged in teaching and instructing the people. He stated that this spiritual succession was from Mir Saiyid Ibrahim of Irij. He left several children who were adorned with piety, wisdom, knowledge and virtue. The hymns of Bhagat ji resemble those of Sheikh Farid
Bhagat Dhanna Ji was a Sikh Bhagat born in Dhuan village in Tantr state, Rajasthan, present day North West India in about 1415. Three [Shabad]s of Bhagat Ji’s Bani are included in the SGGS on pages 487, 488 and 695. Bhagat ji was a farmer by trade and was born into a Hindu family. From his early childhood, he was a very simple, hardworking and straightforward person. He enjoyed the company of saints and scholars. He also spent time serving the needy and holy men with dedication and devotion. He became a follower of Bhagat Ramanand another Sikh Bhagat.
When Farid was a few years old his mother taught him his prayers. The boy asked what was gained by his prayes. His mother replied 'sugar'. She used to accordingly hide some sugar under his prayer-carpet, and, when he had finished his prayers, draw it forth, and give it to Farid as a reward for his devotion. On one occasion, when his mother was absent, he prayed a great deal, and, it is said, a great supply of sugar - a miraculous gift from God - was found under his carpet. Some he ate himself and the rest he gave to his playfellows. He related the circumstance to his mother on her return. It was then his mother gave him the surname Shakar Ganj, meaning a "treasury of sugar".
Bhagat Jaidev whose 2 hymns are found in the Guru Granth Sahib is the celebrated Sanskrit poet who wrote the "Gitgovind". His father was Bhoidev, a Brahman of Kanauj, and his mother Bamdevi. He was born at Kenduli, about twenty miles from Suri, in the modern district of Birbhum in Lower Bengal, India. He became the most famous of the five distinguished poets who lived at the court of Lakshman Sen, King of Bengal, who dates from the year 1170. The five poets were called the five jewels of Lalishman Sen’s court, and so proud was the King of them that he erected a monument to preserve their names to succeeding ages.
Bhagat Kabir Ji was a Sikh Bhagat born in Bharat, present day India and Pakistan. 500 verses of Bhagat Ji’s Bani are included in the SGGS. Both Hindus and Muslims accept his Bani. The exact place of his birth is believed to be Lahore in Pakistan, although this is not widely accepted. Bhagat Kabir was a weaver by trade. It is generally accepted that the year of his birth is about 1398 but the year of his demise is disputed. It is believed that Bhagat Ji died during the period from about 1448 to 1518. There is some dispute about whether Bhagat Ji met the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Guru Amar Das, the third Sikh Guru said the following about Bhagat Ji:Naam Dayv the printer, and Kabeer the weaver, obtained salvation through the Perfect Guru. Those who know God and recognize His Shabad lose their ego and class consciousness. Their Banis are sung by the angelic beings, and no one can erase them, O Siblings of Destiny!
Bhagat Namdev Ji was born on October 26, 1270 in the state of Maharashtra village of Naras-Vamani, in Satara district (presently called Narsi Namdev). His father's name was Damshet a calico printer/tailor, and his wife, Gonabai. Most of the spiritual message of Bhagat Namdev, just like our guru’s, emphasized the importance of living the life of a householder (grist jeevan) and that through marriage one could attain enlightenment. He emphasized that the truest form of bandage or devotional meditation, is to enter matrimony and jointly seek the holy experience Waheguru. Namdev was married before he was eleven years of age to Rajabal, daughter of Govinda Sheti Sadavarte. They had four sons and one daughter. Janabai, the family's maidservant and a bhagat and poetess in her own right, records the tradition that Namdev was born to Gonabai as a result of her worship of Vitthala in Pandharpur. This present temple building was constructed by Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and the tank by its side was repaired by Rani Sada Kaur, mother-in-law of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
PARMANAND, a Maharashtrian saint-poet, one of whose hymns is included in the Guru Granth Sahib. Born probably in 1483, he is believed to have resided at Bãrsi, situated to the north of Pandharpur, in present-day Sholãpur district of Mahãrãshtra. Parmãnand was a devotee of Vishnu and used in his songs the nom de plume Sarañg, the name of a bird ever thirsty for the raindrop. He always longed for God whom he worshipped in the Vaisnavite manifestation of Krsna. He used to make, it is said, seven hundred genuflexions daiy to God on his uncovered, often bleeding, knees. He believe for a long time that God could be worshipped as an Image only, but later he had the realization that the nirguna Supreme, God unmanifest, could also be loved and prayed to. Parminand’s one hymn incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib (p. 1253) subscribes to this view. In this hymn, he disapproves of the ritualistic reading and hearing of the sacred books If that has not disposed to the service of fellow beings.He commends sincere devotion which could be imbibed from the company of holy saints. Lust, wrath, avarice, slander have to be expunged for they render all seva, ie. service, fruitless
Bhagat Pipa one of whose hymns is incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib, was a prince who renounced his throne in search of spiritual solace. He was born at Gagaraun, in present-day Jhalawar district of Rajasthãn, about AD 1425. He was a devotee of the goddess Bhavãni whose idol was enshrined in a temple within the premises of his palace. The goddess, it is said, once told him in a dream to visit Kãshi (Vãrãnasi) and receive initiation from Bhagat Ramanand. Pipã went to Kãshi, but Ramãnand refused to see him in his gaudy robes. Pipã cast off his royal apparel and put on a mendicant’s garment. He returned home after initiation and began to live like an ascetic. At his invitation Ramãnand visited Gagaraun, and the raja lent his shoulder to the palanquin carrying him in a procession.
Bhagat Ramanand is considered a pioneer of the Bhakti movement in the Indian subcontinent. He is also regarded as the bridge between the Bhakti movement of the South and North. Though a Brahmin by birth, he did not entertain any sense of pride in his caste. The scene above depicts Bhagat Ramanand and Bhagat Pipa who received divine enlightenment by the grace of Bhagat Ramanand.
Bhagat Ramanand was a follower of Bhagat Raghavacharya of the Ramanuj Movement. In the later part of his life, Ramanand commanded more respect than even his own Guru and came to be known as an exponent of Bhakti (God worship).
Born in 1366 CE, Ramanand was the son of Bhoor Karma and Sushila. He was spiritually inclined from his early childhood. He was a Tamilian by birth. Acharya Raghavnand, showed him the path of Yog sadhna. Ramanand also visited places of pilgrimage such as Kashi, where, as a mark of respect, people built a memorial that stands there to this day. After his pilgrimage, Ramanand realised that God can be worshipped by everyone whereas his Guru Archarya Raghavnand, who came from the Sadhu Varna Ashrama believed that not everyone was entitled to perform Puja Bhagati
Bhagat Ravidas was born on Maghshudhi 14 Pooranmashi in Smt.1456, i.e., February 1399 in Kashi. His parents were in the leather trade, and were very well off. He was barely five days old when Bhagat Ramanand visited his house and blessed the child. Ravidas was a poet and mystic, was born to Raghu and Ghurbinia, who lived near the city of Varanasi.
By the turn of fourteenth century, the Muslim rule had comfortably established in India. When Bhagat Ramanand (1366-1467 AD) came to Northern India and made Kashi/Benares as his home, he noted that the Muslim religion had penetrated; a considerable number of Hindus had been converted, and they had adopted Islam as their religion. Ramanand was an orthodox devotee of Shiva. He was, no doubt, impressed with the Islamic theory of Oneness of God and Feeling of Equality in social set up; except Ruling Feudal Elite, the Muslims of all classes mingled indistinctively in every aspect of life--living, eating, religious ceremonies, marriages, etc. But he was very much distressed to observe that these criteria were enhancing the conversion of Hindus, particularly of low-caste, into Islam. He forsook the Shivaite austere practices endowed to him by his Guru, Ramanuj, and initiated the veneration of the Universal Brotherhood. He accepted Hindus of low-castes and Muslims to join him in worship, and become his followers. Among his most noted disciples were Kabir--a Muslim weaver, Sain--a barber, Dhanna--a cultivator, and Ravidas--a cobbler.
Bhagat Sadhna is one of the fifteen saints and süfis whose hymns are incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib. He was born in 1180 AD at village Sehwan in Hyderabad Sindh province. He was a butcher by profession who, by his piety and devotion, had gained spiritual eminence. He was cremated at Sirhind, in the Punjab, where even today a tomb stands in his memory. He is considered to be a contemporary of Bhagat Namdev, another medieval saint.
His ancestors were butchers by profession. He also took up the family profession of slaughtering goats and selling meat. Sadhus (holy people) and beggars passing-by would sit outside his shop for a rest under the large tree.
Many vegetarian saints would tell him, "Sadhna, your profession of slaughtering and selling meat is not good. You shall have to repay by taking birth as a goat many times over." Sadhna used to reply, "My ancestors have been following this profession for generation and so I have had to take it up as well. The Lord who has brought me into this world has given me this profession by sending me as a son in this family who have for many generations prectised this trade. Which profession is good or which is bad, I don't know. Only the One who gives us life knows better about it."
Bhagat Sain was a disciple of Bhagat Ramanand and consequently lived in the end of the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth century of the Christian era. He was a barber at the court of Raja Ram, king of Rewa, then called Bandhavgarh. The tendency of the age was towards devotion and religious composition, and Sain found leisure in the midst of duties to study the hymns of Ramanand, shape his life on the principles inculcated in them, and successfully imitate their spirit and devotional fervour.
The accomplishments and duties of an Indian court barber at the time of Sain were and are still of a miscellaneous character. He is something of a surgeon and ordinarily a marriage or match-maker, he oils the king’s body, shampoos his limbs, pares his nails, shaves his face and head, if he be a Hindu, and clips his moustaches, if he be a Musalman; amuses him with gossip and tales; often plays the rebeck and sings his own compositions, which deftly combine flattery of his master with social satire or pleasentry.
Bhagat Surdas was another influential Bhagat in the Bhagti Movement of India. Bhagat Surdas has also been incorporated in Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Many argue that some shabads in Guru Granth Sahib are of more importance then others. However, an important understanding one must have is that no shabad is greater then the other. Everything in Guru Granth Sahib has been compiled together to bring an understanding and a dialogue with the Eternal so that we may understand the 'True' essence of Ek Onkar (The One all existing forever continually creating Lord.)
Bhagat Surdas Ji is an example of this very principle. Bhagat Surdas only has one line in Guru Granth Sahib. He provides the following revelation.
shhaadd man har bimukhan ko sa(n)g || O mind, do not even associate with those who have turned their backs on the Lord.
To this Guru Arjan Dev Ji composed a Shabad in Bhagat Surdas Jis name
Trilochan, a name which literally means three-eyed, that is, seer of the present, past and future, was a celebrated saint of the Vaisya caste. His birth is said to have taken place in the year A.D 1267. He either lived at or visited Pandharpur in the Sholapur district of the Bombay presidency, and was a contemporary of Namdev, who mentioned or addressed him in his hymns. Inquiries at Pandharpur and the neighbouring city of Barsi have, however, failed to furnish any information regarding Trilochan. The following legend passes for history among his admirers.
He had a perfect faith in and love for saints, but they visited him in inconveniently large numbers, and there were only he and his wife to attend and wait on them. He thought that they were not served as he could have wished, so he resolved on engaging a servant if he could find one who was accustomed to minister holy men. He continued to search for such an attendant, but not finding one became sad at heart. It is said that God was not pleased at the sorrow of his saint, and sent him a candidate for service. Trilochan asked the candidate who he was, whence he had come, and whether he had parents and a house and a home. The man replied that he had no parents and no home. He had merely come to be engaged as a servant. He could wait on the saints of God without assistance from others, as his life had been spent in such service. He gave his name as Antarjami, which interpreted means Searcher of hearts. Trilochan was highly pleased and ordered his wife to engage him and cheerfully supply all his wants. She was cautioned to consider his pleasure as her first duty.
Bhagat Bhikhan
Bhagat Dhanna
Sheikh Farid
Bhagat Jaidev
Bhagat Kabir
Bhagat Namdev
Bhagat Parmanand
Bhagat Pipa
Bhagat Ramanand
Bhagat Ravidas
Bhagat Sadhana
Bhagat Sain
Bhagat Surdas
Bhagat Trilochan
Bhagat Beni Ji also spelt as ‘’Baini’’ and ‘’Baynee’’ was as Sikh Bhagat born in India. His Bani is included in the SGGS. The place and year of his birth are unknown but Guru Nanak dev Ji refers to Bhagat Beni as “a Master of Yoga and meditation, and the spiritual wisdom of the Guru; He knows none other than God”
BHIKHAN (1480-1573), a medieval Indian saint two of whose hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib. There are in fact two saints of that time sharing the same name— Bhakta Bhikhan and Bhikhan the Sufi. Bhakta Bhikhan was a devotee in the tradition of Ravidãs and Dhannã. He was born at Kakori near Lucknow in present day Uttar Pardesh state in India.. His hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib reflect his dedication to the Name of Hari (God) which he describes as "cure for all ills of the world."
Bhagat Bhikhan was the most learnt of the learned men of the time of Emperor Akbar. For many years, he was engaged in teaching and instructing the people. He stated that this spiritual succession was from Mir Saiyid Ibrahim of Irij. He left several children who were adorned with piety, wisdom, knowledge and virtue. The hymns of Bhagat ji resemble those of Sheikh Farid
Bhagat Dhanna Ji was a Sikh Bhagat born in Dhuan village in Tantr state, Rajasthan, present day North West India in about 1415. Three [Shabad]s of Bhagat Ji’s Bani are included in the SGGS on pages 487, 488 and 695. Bhagat ji was a farmer by trade and was born into a Hindu family. From his early childhood, he was a very simple, hardworking and straightforward person. He enjoyed the company of saints and scholars. He also spent time serving the needy and holy men with dedication and devotion. He became a follower of Bhagat Ramanand another Sikh Bhagat.
When Farid was a few years old his mother taught him his prayers. The boy asked what was gained by his prayes. His mother replied 'sugar'. She used to accordingly hide some sugar under his prayer-carpet, and, when he had finished his prayers, draw it forth, and give it to Farid as a reward for his devotion. On one occasion, when his mother was absent, he prayed a great deal, and, it is said, a great supply of sugar - a miraculous gift from God - was found under his carpet. Some he ate himself and the rest he gave to his playfellows. He related the circumstance to his mother on her return. It was then his mother gave him the surname Shakar Ganj, meaning a "treasury of sugar".
Bhagat Jaidev whose 2 hymns are found in the Guru Granth Sahib is the celebrated Sanskrit poet who wrote the "Gitgovind". His father was Bhoidev, a Brahman of Kanauj, and his mother Bamdevi. He was born at Kenduli, about twenty miles from Suri, in the modern district of Birbhum in Lower Bengal, India. He became the most famous of the five distinguished poets who lived at the court of Lakshman Sen, King of Bengal, who dates from the year 1170. The five poets were called the five jewels of Lalishman Sen’s court, and so proud was the King of them that he erected a monument to preserve their names to succeeding ages.
Bhagat Kabir Ji was a Sikh Bhagat born in Bharat, present day India and Pakistan. 500 verses of Bhagat Ji’s Bani are included in the SGGS. Both Hindus and Muslims accept his Bani. The exact place of his birth is believed to be Lahore in Pakistan, although this is not widely accepted. Bhagat Kabir was a weaver by trade. It is generally accepted that the year of his birth is about 1398 but the year of his demise is disputed. It is believed that Bhagat Ji died during the period from about 1448 to 1518. There is some dispute about whether Bhagat Ji met the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Guru Amar Das, the third Sikh Guru said the following about Bhagat Ji:Naam Dayv the printer, and Kabeer the weaver, obtained salvation through the Perfect Guru. Those who know God and recognize His Shabad lose their ego and class consciousness. Their Banis are sung by the angelic beings, and no one can erase them, O Siblings of Destiny!
Bhagat Namdev Ji was born on October 26, 1270 in the state of Maharashtra village of Naras-Vamani, in Satara district (presently called Narsi Namdev). His father's name was Damshet a calico printer/tailor, and his wife, Gonabai. Most of the spiritual message of Bhagat Namdev, just like our guru’s, emphasized the importance of living the life of a householder (grist jeevan) and that through marriage one could attain enlightenment. He emphasized that the truest form of bandage or devotional meditation, is to enter matrimony and jointly seek the holy experience Waheguru. Namdev was married before he was eleven years of age to Rajabal, daughter of Govinda Sheti Sadavarte. They had four sons and one daughter. Janabai, the family's maidservant and a bhagat and poetess in her own right, records the tradition that Namdev was born to Gonabai as a result of her worship of Vitthala in Pandharpur. This present temple building was constructed by Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and the tank by its side was repaired by Rani Sada Kaur, mother-in-law of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
PARMANAND, a Maharashtrian saint-poet, one of whose hymns is included in the Guru Granth Sahib. Born probably in 1483, he is believed to have resided at Bãrsi, situated to the north of Pandharpur, in present-day Sholãpur district of Mahãrãshtra. Parmãnand was a devotee of Vishnu and used in his songs the nom de plume Sarañg, the name of a bird ever thirsty for the raindrop. He always longed for God whom he worshipped in the Vaisnavite manifestation of Krsna. He used to make, it is said, seven hundred genuflexions daiy to God on his uncovered, often bleeding, knees. He believe for a long time that God could be worshipped as an Image only, but later he had the realization that the nirguna Supreme, God unmanifest, could also be loved and prayed to. Parminand’s one hymn incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib (p. 1253) subscribes to this view. In this hymn, he disapproves of the ritualistic reading and hearing of the sacred books If that has not disposed to the service of fellow beings.He commends sincere devotion which could be imbibed from the company of holy saints. Lust, wrath, avarice, slander have to be expunged for they render all seva, ie. service, fruitless
Bhagat Pipa one of whose hymns is incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib, was a prince who renounced his throne in search of spiritual solace. He was born at Gagaraun, in present-day Jhalawar district of Rajasthãn, about AD 1425. He was a devotee of the goddess Bhavãni whose idol was enshrined in a temple within the premises of his palace. The goddess, it is said, once told him in a dream to visit Kãshi (Vãrãnasi) and receive initiation from Bhagat Ramanand. Pipã went to Kãshi, but Ramãnand refused to see him in his gaudy robes. Pipã cast off his royal apparel and put on a mendicant’s garment. He returned home after initiation and began to live like an ascetic. At his invitation Ramãnand visited Gagaraun, and the raja lent his shoulder to the palanquin carrying him in a procession.
Bhagat Ramanand is considered a pioneer of the Bhakti movement in the Indian subcontinent. He is also regarded as the bridge between the Bhakti movement of the South and North. Though a Brahmin by birth, he did not entertain any sense of pride in his caste. The scene above depicts Bhagat Ramanand and Bhagat Pipa who received divine enlightenment by the grace of Bhagat Ramanand.
Bhagat Ramanand was a follower of Bhagat Raghavacharya of the Ramanuj Movement. In the later part of his life, Ramanand commanded more respect than even his own Guru and came to be known as an exponent of Bhakti (God worship).
Born in 1366 CE, Ramanand was the son of Bhoor Karma and Sushila. He was spiritually inclined from his early childhood. He was a Tamilian by birth. Acharya Raghavnand, showed him the path of Yog sadhna. Ramanand also visited places of pilgrimage such as Kashi, where, as a mark of respect, people built a memorial that stands there to this day. After his pilgrimage, Ramanand realised that God can be worshipped by everyone whereas his Guru Archarya Raghavnand, who came from the Sadhu Varna Ashrama believed that not everyone was entitled to perform Puja Bhagati
Bhagat Ravidas was born on Maghshudhi 14 Pooranmashi in Smt.1456, i.e., February 1399 in Kashi. His parents were in the leather trade, and were very well off. He was barely five days old when Bhagat Ramanand visited his house and blessed the child. Ravidas was a poet and mystic, was born to Raghu and Ghurbinia, who lived near the city of Varanasi.
By the turn of fourteenth century, the Muslim rule had comfortably established in India. When Bhagat Ramanand (1366-1467 AD) came to Northern India and made Kashi/Benares as his home, he noted that the Muslim religion had penetrated; a considerable number of Hindus had been converted, and they had adopted Islam as their religion. Ramanand was an orthodox devotee of Shiva. He was, no doubt, impressed with the Islamic theory of Oneness of God and Feeling of Equality in social set up; except Ruling Feudal Elite, the Muslims of all classes mingled indistinctively in every aspect of life--living, eating, religious ceremonies, marriages, etc. But he was very much distressed to observe that these criteria were enhancing the conversion of Hindus, particularly of low-caste, into Islam. He forsook the Shivaite austere practices endowed to him by his Guru, Ramanuj, and initiated the veneration of the Universal Brotherhood. He accepted Hindus of low-castes and Muslims to join him in worship, and become his followers. Among his most noted disciples were Kabir--a Muslim weaver, Sain--a barber, Dhanna--a cultivator, and Ravidas--a cobbler.
Bhagat Sadhna is one of the fifteen saints and süfis whose hymns are incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib. He was born in 1180 AD at village Sehwan in Hyderabad Sindh province. He was a butcher by profession who, by his piety and devotion, had gained spiritual eminence. He was cremated at Sirhind, in the Punjab, where even today a tomb stands in his memory. He is considered to be a contemporary of Bhagat Namdev, another medieval saint.
His ancestors were butchers by profession. He also took up the family profession of slaughtering goats and selling meat. Sadhus (holy people) and beggars passing-by would sit outside his shop for a rest under the large tree.
Many vegetarian saints would tell him, "Sadhna, your profession of slaughtering and selling meat is not good. You shall have to repay by taking birth as a goat many times over." Sadhna used to reply, "My ancestors have been following this profession for generation and so I have had to take it up as well. The Lord who has brought me into this world has given me this profession by sending me as a son in this family who have for many generations prectised this trade. Which profession is good or which is bad, I don't know. Only the One who gives us life knows better about it."
Bhagat Sain was a disciple of Bhagat Ramanand and consequently lived in the end of the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth century of the Christian era. He was a barber at the court of Raja Ram, king of Rewa, then called Bandhavgarh. The tendency of the age was towards devotion and religious composition, and Sain found leisure in the midst of duties to study the hymns of Ramanand, shape his life on the principles inculcated in them, and successfully imitate their spirit and devotional fervour.
The accomplishments and duties of an Indian court barber at the time of Sain were and are still of a miscellaneous character. He is something of a surgeon and ordinarily a marriage or match-maker, he oils the king’s body, shampoos his limbs, pares his nails, shaves his face and head, if he be a Hindu, and clips his moustaches, if he be a Musalman; amuses him with gossip and tales; often plays the rebeck and sings his own compositions, which deftly combine flattery of his master with social satire or pleasentry.
Bhagat Surdas was another influential Bhagat in the Bhagti Movement of India. Bhagat Surdas has also been incorporated in Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Many argue that some shabads in Guru Granth Sahib are of more importance then others. However, an important understanding one must have is that no shabad is greater then the other. Everything in Guru Granth Sahib has been compiled together to bring an understanding and a dialogue with the Eternal so that we may understand the 'True' essence of Ek Onkar (The One all existing forever continually creating Lord.)
Bhagat Surdas Ji is an example of this very principle. Bhagat Surdas only has one line in Guru Granth Sahib. He provides the following revelation.
shhaadd man har bimukhan ko sa(n)g || O mind, do not even associate with those who have turned their backs on the Lord.
To this Guru Arjan Dev Ji composed a Shabad in Bhagat Surdas Jis name
Trilochan, a name which literally means three-eyed, that is, seer of the present, past and future, was a celebrated saint of the Vaisya caste. His birth is said to have taken place in the year A.D 1267. He either lived at or visited Pandharpur in the Sholapur district of the Bombay presidency, and was a contemporary of Namdev, who mentioned or addressed him in his hymns. Inquiries at Pandharpur and the neighbouring city of Barsi have, however, failed to furnish any information regarding Trilochan. The following legend passes for history among his admirers.
He had a perfect faith in and love for saints, but they visited him in inconveniently large numbers, and there were only he and his wife to attend and wait on them. He thought that they were not served as he could have wished, so he resolved on engaging a servant if he could find one who was accustomed to minister holy men. He continued to search for such an attendant, but not finding one became sad at heart. It is said that God was not pleased at the sorrow of his saint, and sent him a candidate for service. Trilochan asked the candidate who he was, whence he had come, and whether he had parents and a house and a home. The man replied that he had no parents and no home. He had merely come to be engaged as a servant. He could wait on the saints of God without assistance from others, as his life had been spent in such service. He gave his name as Antarjami, which interpreted means Searcher of hearts. Trilochan was highly pleased and ordered his wife to engage him and cheerfully supply all his wants. She was cautioned to consider his pleasure as her first duty.
