Indian Antiquary Vol 52

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 516

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
( MARCE, 1995
conspicuous for pluck nor enterprise. In some respects the character of Gil Blas is not unlike that of Ranjha. Ranjha is a mixture of Kim and Gil Blas. The Jat as drawn by Waris Shah is a mixture of low cunning and boisterous brutality. To be a successful trickster; to got the better of your enemy by any ruse however deceitful; to bully people by a brute force, or to overwholm them with torrents of abuse; this seems to be the ideal of the Jat character as drawn by Waris Shah. It may be that Waris Shah did not love the Jats, but I think an impartial critic must admit that he has drawn a not untruo character of the Jat of the Punjab. This, however, is a digression, and I return to the story
We next get a description of Hír in her new home. The game or ceremony of Gana (hunt she bracelet) is played, but Hir is much too dejected to join in the game. Her apathy casts & wet blanket over the rest of the festivities and the party is broken up.
The scene then shifts to Jhang, where we see the Kizi congratulating Chuchak that Ranjha is now ont of the way. Hîr is safely married and all his domestic difficulties are at an end.
Then we get a glimpse at Ranjha's home where Ranjha's sisters-in-law condole with him on the fickleness of girls in general and of Hir in particular. "There is no trusting girls. The Khers have pluckod the flower that you used to guard so tonderly." They beg him to come home and give up all idea of Hir." If you come home we will dedicate a saucepan to Ali. We will hold a wrestling match and offer a garland to Ghazi Pir. We will light lamps in honour of Khwaja Khizar." Ranjha refuses to abandon hope, "Sisters, when autumn comes the humming beetlo waits patiently for the spring. Only the son of a Churl will run away from love."
The scene then shifts to Saida's home, whore we see that Hir will have nothing to do with her husband. Tho Five Pirs miraculously protect her from his importunities. They also grant her a miraculous vision of Ranjha. A long lamentation follows, put into the mouth of Hir. It is in the form of Barah Masa, a lament of the twelve months of the year. It is rather an insipid production and not worth quoting. If English readers wish to see what a Barah Masa is like they will find one in Macauliffe's translation of the Granth. It is a typical specimen of Barah Jasah. Hir then sends a message to Ranjha through a Jat girl tolling him to come and see her disguised as a Jogi.
Ranjha then decides to turn Jõgi and he goes off to Tilla, a hill just above Jhelum, to get initiated as a Jogi by Balnath. There are still Jögis on Tilla, and one is shown a red mark on & rock which one is told was made by the blood from Ranjha's ears when he had his ears bored. This monastery of the Jôgis is a very old one and is mentioned I believe, by Baber. “Ranjha bowed his head, placed a lump of gur before Balnath and claspt the feet of all the Jõgis." He finds all the Jõgis engaged in religious contemplation. “Some were reading Gayan, Siti, Bhagvat and Bharat." He asks to be made a chela. "The straight path is inaccessibia without the intervention of teachers (Murshids) as ourds cannot be cooked with. out milk."
Balnath doubts if Ranjha is fit to become a Jõgi. ." Your mannor does not appear to be that of Jogis ; you play on the flute and stare at women, catch other peoples' cows and buffaloes and milk them. Jat, tell me the truth, what has befallen you that you want to relinquish pleasures and to become a Fakir. Jog is a very troublesome task. The taste of Jog is bitter and sour. You will have to dress as a Jogi, dirty clothes, long hair, cropped skull, begging and all. You will have to meditate upon the Guru and hold your breath in your head (literally : “in the tenth door" supposed to be in the boad). You will have to cense to rejoice when children are born and cease from sorrow when your dear ones die.