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introduction

This Bani, revealed by Guru Arjan Sahib (1563-1606), is recorded on pages 1360-1361 of the Guru Granth Sahib. It has twenty-four saloks, with the lines ranging from two to four. The title of this Bani, ‘Gatha,’ seems to use the metaphor ‘salesh.’ On the one hand, Gatha refers to an ancient Prakrit language in which this Bani is composed, and on the other hand, Gatha refers to the ‘mysterious story’ of IkOankar. It is also indicated in the sixth salok of the Bani: gāthā gumph gopāl kathaṅ mathaṅ mān mardanah. hataṅ panc satreṇ nānak hari bāṇe prahāraṇah.6. (The tale of IkOankar is woven in Gatha Bani; by uttering and contemplating it, pride is destroyed. Nanak signature: Five enemies die, with the stroke of IkOankar’s Nam-like arrow.6.) -Gu ...