BĪR MRIGESH, full title SRĪ BĪR MRIGESH GURBILĀS DEV TARŪ, is a voluminous nineteenth-century work by Bhāī Sher Siṅgh, a disciple of Bābā Khudā Siṅgh (1786-1861), who completed it in 1911. In bold Gurmukhī typography, the book runs to 1912 pages, divided into two parts comprising 847 and 1065 pages, respectively. It contains accounts, in ample detail, of the lives of Bābā Sāhib Siṅgh Bedī, Bābā Bhāg Siṅgh of Kurī, Bābā Bīr Siṅgh of Nauraṅgābād and Bābā Khudā Siṅgh. The author refers to these luminaries as gurū and calls his book gurbilās (biography of the Gurūs). The phrase Dev Tarū added to title literally means godly tree and accordingly its sub-parts are called skandhs (branches). Skandhs are further sub-divided into adhyāyas (chapters). The first part called Pūrvārdh, lit. earlier half, contains two skandhs and 61 adhyayās while Part II, Uttarārdh, lit. the latter half, has three skandhs and 84 adhyāyas. The author describes the four holy men as spiritual adepts of the highest rank, and revels in a detailed exposition of their views. The language the author uses is sādhukaṛī a dialect common among the sādhūs, and the style is anecdotal.

Gurcharan Siṅgh Giānī