Composed by the poet Sainapati during the years 1701-1708, the Sri Gursobha, “In Praise of the Guru,” is a contemporary written narrative of the life and death of the last human Guru of the Sikh tradition, Guru Gobind Singh (1661/6-1708).

Written in the north Indian vernacular languages of Punjabi and Braj Bhasa and recorded in the distinctive gurmukhi script, the Sri Gursobha is a contemporary eyewitness account of the Guru’s life and an invaluable source of information on the life of Guru Gobind Singh and the history of the Sikh community at the turn of the eighteenth century in northern India.

This PDF is a thesis on and translation of the Sri Gursobha by Ami Praful Shah completed in 2010 as part of his Doctorate of Philosophy requirements for the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Click here to download the PDF.