Mahima Prakash Vartak
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Mahima Prakash Vartak, originally titled just Mahima Prakash ("light of glory"), also spelt Mehma Parkash, is an episodic Sikh text that documents the lives of the ten Sikh gurus, covering historical events, didacticism, and scriptural interpretation. The work was originally authored in 1741 at Khadur by Bawa Kirpal Das Bhalla, also known as Kirpal Singh Bhalla.[1][2]
It is believed to be the earliest work to cover all the ten Sikh gurus, with 164 sakhis (stories) in total.[3][1] The work is written in prose (vartak) rather than in verse.[3] Although similar to them, the work is not classified as part of the Gurbilas genre.[4] The work has the word vartak, meaning "prose" appended to its name to differentiate it from a work with the same name written in verse (kavita). Both Mahima Prakash works were authored by the Bhalla tradition, whom were descendants of the Sikh gurus, specifically Guru Amar Das.[1][5][6]
Author and dating
[edit]None of the extant manuscripts of the work state its date of completion or original author, however it is commonly accepted as being written by Bawa Kirpal Das Bhalla in 1741.[1] Whilst dated to 1741,[2] Kulwinder Singh Bajwa dates the work from anywhere between 1741 and 1773.[1]
Sources used
[edit]The work borrows heavily from the Janamsakhi tradition for its tellings on Guru Nanak, specifically the Puratan sub-tradition.[3] It borrows from the Miharvan sub-tradition of the Janamsakhis for its interpretation of gurbani.[3]
List of sakhis
[edit]The sakhis in the text by which guru they are about is as follows:[3]
- Guru Nanak: twenty
- Guru Angad: ten
- Guru Amar Das: twenty-seven
- Guru Ram Das: seven
- Guru Arjan: fifteen
- Guru Hargobind: twenty
- Guru Har Rai: seventeen
- Guru Har Krishan: one
- Guru Tegh Bahadur: four
- Guru Gobind Singh: forty-three
Accessibility and printing
[edit]The work was re-discovered by Akali Kaur Singh.[5] Manuscript copies of the work is held by Khalsa College in Amritsar, the Languages Department in Patiala, and the Bhai Vir Singh Collection at Dehradun.[5] In 2004, Kulwinder Singh Bajwa created an annotated edition of the work, including an introduction.[1]
Legacy
[edit]The work would go-on to influence other texts, such as the Parchian (1741) by Seva Das Udasi and Mahima Prakash Kavita (1776) by Sarup Das Bhalla.[3][1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Singh, Pashaura (9 August 2024). "Retellings and Transmission - Mahima Prakash". The Routledge Companion to the Life and Legacy of Guru Hargobind: Sovereignty, Militancy, and Empowerment of the Sikh Panth. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781040106365.
- ^ a b Singh, Harbans. Guru Nanak and Origins of the Sikh Faith. Asia Publishing House. p. 31. ISBN 9780210223116.
- ^ a b c d e f Chawla, Pratibha (2024). "A Note on Primary Sources". The Silent Voices and the Creation of a New Universe: Sikh Gurus on Women and Society. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 370–371. ISBN 9781837652396.
- ^ Hasrat, B. J. (2004). Singh, Harbans (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Vol. 4: S–Z (2nd ed.). Patiala: Punjabi University. pp. 179–181. ISBN 817380530X.
- ^ a b c Singh, Kirpal. "MAHIMĀ PRAKĀSH, known as Mahimā Prakāsh Vārtak". Encyclopedia of Sikhism (Online Edition). Punjabi University, Patiala. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ^ Ahluwalia, M. S. "MAHIMĀ PRAKĀSH, by Sarūp Dās Bhallā". Encyclopedia of Sikhism (Online Edition). Punjabi University, Patiala. Retrieved 26 March 2026.