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Punjab treasurehouse of Hindi literature A major part of Hindi literature in the Gurmukhi script
has remained unexplored, inaccessible and unpublished. In addition to
the literary works relating to the Nath, Siddha, Sant and Sufi cults and
on Rama and Krishna, sufficient literature has been created in Punjab on
medicine, prosody, logic, Vedanta, yoga, short story, drama and
journalism. About 500 writers and poets of Punjab have produced over
5,000 literary works. Among these, works in Braj bhasha on Rama,
Krishna and romantic topics dominate. There are also excellent
translations of works in Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu, Rajasthani and
Haryanvi. Prominent are many smiritis, Upanishads, the Mahabharata,
the Valmiki Ramayana, the Puranas, the Yoga
Vashishtha, the Tulsi Ramayana, the Hanuman Natak,
Zafarnama, Mudrarakshasa, Gulistan, Bostan and Basant Bahar. Among
the original works, five satsais (700 verses), the story of Heer
Ranjha and the works of Bhai Santokh Singh — Guru Nanak Prakash
and Guru Partap Surya — occupy a place of pride in Hindi
Literature. The contribution of the court poets of Guru Gobind Singh has
been no less significant. These books are housed at the Motibagh
Library, Patiala, Sandhu Ashram, Hoshiarpur, Languages Department,
Punjab, the Central State Library, Patiala, and the deras of
sadhus. One of the characteristics of this literature is the composite
spirit. Poets and writers without any distinction used a single
language, Braj Bhasha and in their compositions used such words and
expressions as could be easily understood in all parts of India. The
people of Punjab lived in fear due to frequent invasions. The spirit of
patriotism took a beating due to mutual feuds and the people did not
have the capacity to present a united front to the invaders. In such a
situation, people had no other way than to leave all their troubles to
the care of God. Among those who wrote on Lord Rama, the names of Sodhi
Mehirban. Hriday Ram, Sadhu Gulan Singh, Bhai Santokh Singh, Kavi Nihal,
Govind Das Sadhu and Gurdas Singh are worth recording. Various aspects
of Lord Krishna’s life have been portrayed to depict him a symbol of
love and joy. These writers created their own divine personality of
Krishna, his childhood pranks and his exploits of love. The Krishna
story is available in various forms: fables, inscriptions, ballads and
songs and, above all, in various musical compositions. Prominent among
such poets is Gulam Nabi Raslin, who in Ras Prabodh exemplifies
his hero and heroine by Krishna and Radha. Among those who made their
mark in this field are Khushal Rai Keshav Das, Chandra Shekhar Bajpai,
Amir Das and Basant Singh Ritu Raj. Literary works by saints on the
formless god are also available. The Sikh gurus played an important role
in the creation of such literature. This school sought to bridge the
gulf between the Hindus and the Muslims. Sufi poets presented love
stories from the Hindu tradition in an Islamic idiom as the means to
reach closer to God. The aim was to bring the two communities closer.
Among the famous poets of this school are Baba Farid, Shah Hussain
Sheikh Sharf and Bulleh Shah. The erstwhile Patiala State was in the
forefront of promotion of literary works because the rulers were men of
letters themselves as well as patrons and connoisseurs of literature.
Literary works produced during that period include Barah Maas by
Keshav Das of Patiala. Buddhi Prakash Darpan by Krishna Madhuri
Basant and Hamir Hat by Chandra Prakash and Sudhasar compiled
by Gopar Singh Naveen of Nabha. Also important were Krishna Bharat and
Dash Avatar composed by Kavi Jawala and Bhai Kahan Singh’s Gurmat
Prabhakar. Raja Kanwar Vikram Singh and Maharaja Fateh Singh of
Kapurthala State and Maharaja Narinder Singh and Maharaja Rajendra Singh
of Patiala also produced excellent literary works.
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