By Nazim Daredia
THE WORK:
This Granth, also known as Pandave jo Parab, was composed by Sayyed Imam Shah and contains 578 verses. It has virtually the same theme as Buddh Avatar of Pir Sadardin. The Granth continues the story of the Pandavas after the win the war against their cousins turned enemies the Kurus. Concurrently it narrates the coming of the ninth Avatar in the form which came to be known as Buddh who saves the Pandavas from deviating from their true faith.
PREVIOUS EDITIONS:
Up to the time of this conference it was generally believed that this Granth had only been published in Khojki of which a few copies were still available. Also this work is not well known within the community. Thus, the task of transliterating it into gujarati script was undertaken. However, it was learnt at the conference that a gujarati edition had indeed been published in the 1900's. This fact was brought to my attention by Mr Nurdin Rajan. The main reason why the Gujarati edition is virtually unknown is that only 500 copies were printed in the first edition. There is no evidence that this work was ever reprinted. The title page of the Gujarati edition is attached here as an addendum to this brief note.
SCOPE:
Pandavo no Parab can be considered as one of the major pieces of works in our Ginanic literature. It deserves careful study, especially to delineate the differences and similarities between it and Buddh Avatar. Furthermore the Granth also gives in its end the date of its composition by Sayyed Imam Shah in 1437 Samvat (1381 A.D.). There are at least 3 manuscripts of this work available at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London. One such manuscript dated Samvat 1925 (1869 A.D.) contains 580 verses. Let me mention also that Mrs Zawahir Noorally mentions in her Catalogue of Khojki Manuscripts in the Collection of the Ismailia Association for Pakistan (Karachi 1971), the existence of a "Vel" of 80 verses completing the Pandve jo Parab. The Vel is part of a manuscript numbered K.M.S. 112 written in Samvat 1935 (1879 A.D.).