of the reeds and waving plants, the murmur of the rivulets, the gushing of torrents, the humming of the bees, the constitutes the orchestra of nature. Love of music is a part of human nature. Whenever a person is happy or alone, he sings or hums a tune. Why not use the natural instinct for music for higher goals and values! Why not sing holy songs in praise of Allah-the Lord of the Universe! This kind of music attunes the individual should to the Universal Soul. The baser tendencies and depraved cravings of man are thus directed to sublime channels. As such, music can be used as an aid to spiritual fulfilment. The pir was greatly impressed by the Guru's argument in favour of sacred music. He and his followers who had come to lynch the Guru for the alleged crime against Islamic tradition became his admirers and friends.

Though Guru Nanak mainly followed the traditional forms of Indian poetry like Salok, Pauri, Chlant, Var, Sohila, he did not stick to the fixed number of matras (time-units). He started singing as the words came to him, but he changed the number of matras according to the requirements of the raga and tala. He also wrote popular kinds of poetry like Barah-mah, Aarti, Patti, Pahray, Gosht and Alahaniya. In all he composed 974 hymns in nineteen ragas.

At Kartarpur, two sessions of devotional music were held for the congregation. In the first session held before dawn-Amrit-vela-the Japji was recited and it was followed by the singing of hymns. The second session was held in the evening when Sodar and Aarti were sung. Sohila was recited by individuals late at night when they went to bed. Bhai Gurdas confirmed this routine in his var.

'Early morning, japji was recited and later (in the evening)
Sodar and Aarti were sung' [6].

Kirtan became popular in the colony at Kartarpur:

'Every house became a temple, because kirtan was regularly performed therein' [7].
'The songs of Guru Nanak were sung to the accompaniment of the music of the rabab and the rhythm of mridang' [8].

According to tradition, Guru Nanak wrote the following hymn in Tukhari raga near the end of his life, wherein he expressed his joy at the realisation of his goal:

'The couch of my home becomes beauteous, when my Beloved enjoys me. By Guru's grace, I fulfilled my destiny.
Nanak says, my Beloved enjoys me day and night.
By obtaining God as my Spouse, I have become eternal' [9].

Guru Nanak's contribution to sacred music may be summed up as under:

(1) He sang of the Absolute and Infinite God and regarded devotional music (kirtan) as the best and easiest method
of worship. Those who could not perform kirtan could listen to it; as they would imbibe the love of God, they would
find joy and peace in their hearts. The Guru used kirtan as a means of union with the Divine Essence. By linking
one's consciousness with the hymns, one realises the mystic bliss. Guru Nanak says:
'O my soul, singing God's praise, you shall easily merge in Him'[10].
He calls kirtan a ladder to reach the Lord's Mansion. The Holy Word of the Guru established a bond between the
soul and the Creator. A man who performs kirtan with love is not subject tp sorrow pr decay. Guru Nanak says:
'The man who performs kirtan is not subject to the harassment of death...
He is awakened with the love of God's Name and his soul is linked with the Lord' [11].

(2) Guru Nanak democratised sacred music and brought it from the exclusive temple halls to the homes of the
ordinary men and women. Kirtan is the universal food-for the children, for the sick, for the illiterate, for the man in
the street and for the highbrow. The Guru brought the awareness of regional music to the masses by singing his
hymns in folk tunes. At the same time, as a master of music, he sang in classical ragas and specially in the reputable
dhrupad form for the elite and the connoisseur.

(3) Guru Nanak used music as an instrument of national integration. His accompanist (instrumentalist)-Mardana,
who played on the rebec, was a Muslim. Through his musical compositions, he laid the foundation of a popular
religious literature and spiritual culture. Moreover, 'his popularisation of ragas like Asa, Suhi, and Tilang in shabad-
kirtan testifies to the Muslim impact. The blending of Hindu and Muslim music was initiated by Guru Nanak during
Babar's time'[12].


Guru Angad (1504-52)

During the last few days of his life, Guru Nanak instructed his successor-Guru Angad- to start the traditio of kirtan
of Asa-di-var. Rababis-Bhai Balwand and Satta have written fine verses about the second Guru in their Var.

of the reeds and waving plants, the murmur of the rivulets, the gushing of torrents, the humming of the bees, the constitutes the orchestra of nature. Love of music is a part of human nature. Whenever a person is happy or alone, he sings or hums a tune. Why not use the natural instinct for music for higher goals and values! Why not sing holy songs in praise of Allah-the Lord of the Universe! This kind of music attunes the individual should to the Universal Soul. The baser tendencies and depraved cravings of man are thus directed to sublime channels. As such, music can be used as an aid to spiritual fulfilment. The pir was greatly impressed by the Guru's argument in favour of sacred music. He and his followers who had come to lynch the Guru for the alleged crime against Islamic tradition became his admirers and friends.

Though Guru Nanak mainly followed the traditional forms of Indian poetry like Salok, Pauri, Chlant, Var, Sohila, he did not stick to the fixed number of matras (time-units). He started singing as the words came to him, but he changed the number of matras according to the requirements of the raga and tala. He also wrote popular kinds of poetry like Barah-mah, Aarti, Patti, Pahray, Gosht and Alahaniya. In all he composed 974 hymns in nineteen ragas.

At Kartarpur, two sessions of devotional music were held for the congregation. In the first session held before dawn-Amrit-vela-the Japji was recited and it was followed by the singing of hymns. The second session was held in the evening when Sodar and Aarti were sung. Sohila was recited by individuals late at night when they went to bed. Bhai Gurdas confirmed this routine in his var.

'Early morning, japji was recited and later (in the evening)
Sodar and Aarti were sung' [6].

Kirtan became popular in the colony at Kartarpur:

'Every house became a temple, because kirtan was regularly performed therein' [7].
'The songs of Guru Nanak were sung to the accompaniment of the music of the rabab and the rhythm of mridang' [8].

According to tradition, Guru Nanak wrote the following hymn in Tukhari raga near the end of his life, wherein he expressed his joy at the realisation of his goal:

'The couch of my home becomes beauteous, when my Beloved enjoys me. By Guru's grace, I fulfilled my destiny.
Nanak says, my Beloved enjoys me day and night.
By obtaining God as my Spouse, I have become eternal' [9].

Guru Nanak's contribution to sacred music may be summed up as under:

(1) He sang of the Absolute and Infinite God and regarded devotional music (kirtan) as the best and easiest method
of worship. Those who could not perform kirtan could listen to it; as they would imbibe the love of God, they would
find joy and peace in their hearts. The Guru used kirtan as a means of union with the Divine Essence. By linking
one's consciousness with the hymns, one realises the mystic bliss. Guru Nanak says:
'O my soul, singing God's praise, you shall easily merge in Him'[10].
He calls kirtan a ladder to reach the Lord's Mansion. The Holy Word of the Guru established a bond between the
soul and the Creator. A man who performs kirtan with love is not subject tp sorrow pr decay. Guru Nanak says:
'The man who performs kirtan is not subject to the harassment of death...
He is awakened with the love of God's Name and his soul is linked with the Lord' [11].

(2) Guru Nanak democratised sacred music and brought it from the exclusive temple halls to the homes of the
ordinary men and women. Kirtan is the universal food-for the children, for the sick, for the illiterate, for the man in
the street and for the highbrow. The Guru brought the awareness of regional music to the masses by singing his
hymns in folk tunes. At the same time, as a master of music, he sang in classical ragas and specially in the reputable
dhrupad form for the elite and the connoisseur.

(3) Guru Nanak used music as an instrument of national integration. His accompanist (instrumentalist)-Mardana,
who played on the rebec, was a Muslim. Through his musical compositions, he laid the foundation of a popular
religious literature and spiritual culture. Moreover, 'his popularisation of ragas like Asa, Suhi, and Tilang in shabad-
kirtan testifies to the Muslim impact. The blending of Hindu and Muslim music was initiated by Guru Nanak during
Babar's time'[12].


Guru Angad (1504-52)

During the last few days of his life, Guru Nanak instructed his successor-Guru Angad- to start the traditio of kirtan
of Asa-di-var. Rababis-Bhai Balwand and Satta have written fine verses about the second Guru in their Var.