Balvand Rai (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

late 16th to early 17th century) also spelt as Balwand and Rai Balvand, was a poet mystic and rabab player in the court of

Guru Arjan Guru Arjan (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜਨ, pronunciation: ; 15 April 1563 – 30 May 1606) was the fifth of the ten total Sikh Gurus. He compiled the first official edition of the Sikh scripture called the Adi Granth, which later expande ...

Biography

He was born a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

belonging to the Doom-

Mirasi The Mirasi (; ; ) are a community found in North India and Pakistan. They are folklore tellers and traditional singers and dancers of a number of communities. The word "mirasi" is derived from the Arabic word (ميراث) ''mīrās'', which mea ...

community who embraced Sikh thought during the time of Guru Arjan. Alternative sources describe him as being born into a Bhatt family.'''' He had a brother named

Satta Doom Satta Doom (fl. late 16th to early 17th century), also spelt as Satta Dum, was a drummer and author of eight verses found within the Guru Granth Sahib. Biography He was born a Muslim in a Doom-Mirasi family. He started playing music for the ...

. Other sources do not ascribe a brotherly blood relation between Balvand Rai and Satta Doom.'''' Another narrative is that he began playing hymns for the Sikh guru's congregation during the guruship of Guru Angad, a relationship with Sikhs that would continue up til the guruship of Guru Arjan. His three hymns are included in the

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib (, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth (), its first rendition, w ...

Ramkali Raga Ramkali is a raga in Hindustani classical music and can be themed around soothing things a man would say to please a discontent wife, it is an early morning raga belonging to Bhairav Thaat. In this raga, as in Bhairav, Rishabh and Dhaivat ...

measure at

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

. According to Sikh lore, him and his brother, Satta, became too arrogant and abandoned the guru after a disagreement over funds they requested from the Sikhs. Eventually, they would return to serving the Sikh guru after falling ill and realizing their errors, where they were pardoned for their earlier transgressions. He co-composed this Ballad of Ramkali with his brother, Bhai Satta Doom, who was a drummer (player of the jori), which includes a total of six hymns.srigranth.org
Page 966, Hymn of Satta and Rai Balvand They were motivated to compose these hymns as a means of apology for leaving the service of the guru. The compositions he co-composed with his brother Satta can be found on pages 966–968 of the Guru Granth Sahib under the title of ''Ramkali ki Vaar Rai Balwand tatta Satte doom akhi''. The Sikh guru was greatly impressed by the work and conduct of Balvand, therefore he gave the title of "Rai", which is usually reserved for

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

scholars alone. He is said to have died in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

during the time of

Guru Hargobind Guru Hargobind (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿਗੋਬਿੰਦ, pronunciation: l 19 June 1595 – 28 February 1644) was the sixth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He had become Guru at the young age of eleven, after the execution of his ...

(1595–1644) and was buried on the bank of the

River Ravi The Ravi River is a transboundary river in South Asia, flowing through northwestern India and eastern Pakistan, and is one of five major rivers of the Punjab region. Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the waters of the Ravi and two other ...

References

Sikh Bhagats {{Sikhism-stub

Biography

See also

References