316. How many hymns of Bhagat Trilochan are included in the Guru Granth Saheb ?

4 (Four) Hymns, one each in Sri Raag and Raag Dhanasari, and two in Raag Gujri.

317. Who were the 'Bhattas' ?

Bhattas were bards who recited poetry lauding the grandeur of a ruler or the gallantry of a warrior. In the Sikh tradition, Bhattas are poets with the personal experience and vision of the spirituality of the Gurus whom they celebrate in their verse.

318. Guru Granth Saheb contains the compositions of how many 'Bhattas' ? Name them.

Eleven Bhattas. They are :

• Bal

• Bhal

• Bhikha

• Gayand

• Harbans

• Jalap

• Kirat

• Kulh Sahar

• Mathra

• Nal

• Sal

319. What is the total number of Savaiye contributed by the Bhattas in Guru Granth Saheb ?

123 (One hundred twenty three).

320. Which Bhatta is reckoned to be the most learned of all the Bhattas ?

Kulh (also called Kul Sahar or Kul Thakur).

321. What are 'Chaupadas' ?

Hymns of four padas or verses (stanzas).

322. What are 'Chhepadas' ?

Hymns of six padas or stanzas.

323. What are 'Chakas' ?

A sixer. It signifies a bunch of six padas.

324. What are 'Dupadas' ?

Hymns of two padas or verses (stanzas).

325. What are 'Panchpadas' ?

Hymns of five padas or verses (stanzas).

326. What are 'Chhants' ?

Lyrics usually of four stanzas each.

327. What are 'Ashtpadas' ?

Hymns of eight verses.

329. Who wrote Sukhmani Saheb ?

Guru Arjan Dev Ji.

330. Which Raag is Sukhmani Saheb written in ?

Raag Gauri.

331. What is the literal meaning of 'Sukhmani' ?

Consoler of the mind.

332. When is the Sukhmani Saheb believed to have been composed ?

Around 1602-1603 A.D.

333. How many cantos (Ashtpadas) are contained in Sukhmani Saheb ?

24 (Twenty Four), each comprising eight stanzas. A Sloka or couplet precedes each Ashtpadi.

334. What is a 'Salok' ?

Sloka, in Sanskrit, signifies a verse of laudation. In Hindi and Punjabi, Salok has come to imply a couplet with a moral or devotional content.

335. How many Saloks are contained in Salok Mahala 9 (Saloks of the composition of Guru Teg Bahadur, forming the concluding portion of the Guru Granth Saheb, preceding Guru Arjan's Mundavani)

57 (Fifty Seven). They were incorporated in Guru Granth Saheb by Guru Gobind Singh. As is commonly believed, they were composed by Guru Teg Bahadur while in the 'Kotwali' (prison) at Chandni Chowk, Delhi, before he achieved martyrdom.

336. How many Saloks comprise Salok Sahaskriti ?

71 (Seventy One) verses (67 by Guru Arjan and 4 by Guru Nanak).

337. What does the term 'Sahaskriti' denote ?

The term 'Sahaskriti' denotes the language-form, a mixture of Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit, in which these Salokas have been written.

338. What is a 'Vaar' ?

Vaar is a verse form in Punjabi, popular in folklore as well as in refined poetry. In the old bardic tradition of the Punjab, Vaar meant the poem itself with it's typical theme as also the form in which it was cast. Structurally, a Vaar consists ofa number of stanzas called Pauris. The number of Pauris as well as lines to a Pauri varies from Vaar to Vaar, though the lines to a Pauri must have a common rhyme.