Devotee of the sixteenth century; two hymns in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
Bhagat Bhikhan
The author of two hymns in Raag Sorath at ang 659 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, which call the Name the remedy for the ills of the world. His identity is not settled. The sources disagree over which of two men of this name wrote the hymns, and neither one's life is well recorded.
Who he was
The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism's short entry dates him from 1480 to 1573. It says there were two holy men of this name in that period, a bhakta and a Sufi, and it treats the author of the hymns as the bhakta, in the line of Bhagat Ravidas and Bhagat Dhanna.
Macauliffe takes the other view, and counts him among the Muslim saints of the scripture. He thinks the author was most probably Shaikh Bhikhan of Kakori in the Lucknow region. He quotes the historian Badauni, who describes that man as a highly learned teacher who knew the whole Quran by heart and avoided speaking of Sufi matters in public. Macauliffe writes that he passed away early in Akbar's reign.[EoS][Macauliffe]
Hymns in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
BaniDB lists two hymns, both in Raag Sorath at ang 659. The first describes old age, with tears running, a wasted body and hair as white as milk. The second compares the Name to a priceless jewel gained through good fortune. The Encyclopaedia agrees that there are two hymns and points out their theme of the Name as a cure.[DB][EoS]
What the sources disagree on
- Identity
The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism identifies the author as Bhakta Bhikhan, distinct from a Sufi of the same name. Macauliffe identifies him as the Muslim scholar Shaikh Bhikhan of Kakori. The hymns themselves do not settle the question.[EoS][Macauliffe][DB]