Bhai Nand Lal

Bhai Nand Lal (; ; 1633 – 1713 or 1720), also known by his pen name Goya (; ), was a 17th-century Sikh poet in the Punjab region. He served as the Mir Munshi of the Mughal prince (later emperor) Bahadur Shah. He would be bestowed with the Mulla Goya title by Aurangzeb for his theological expositions. Later, he came the most celebrated poet from the Kavi Darbar of Guru Gobind Singh. A notable work of his were the ghazals he produced. Bhai Nand Lal, a respected Persian scholar, was one of the 52 poets associated with Guru Gobind Singh. He was part of the bhai tradition.

Early life Nand Lal was born in Ghazni, Afghanistan, in 1633, he was 33 years older than the Guru. His father, Diwan Chhajju Ram, held the important post of chief secretary to the governor of Ghazni.

From an early age, Nand Lal showed great promise. He quickly mastered Persian and Arabic and began writing poetry in Persian at just 12 years old under the pen name "Goya." After losing his mother at 17 and his father at 19, he saw no future for his talents in Ghazni. He decided to move to India, selling his family property and, along with his two brothers and two Pathan servants, journeyed through Kandahar and the Bolan Pass until he reached Multan. There, he purchased a house and married a local Sikh woman. Soon, he was offered a job by the Nawab, who eventually promoted him to Mir Munshi—a chief secretary role. In this capacity, he led an expedition against a notorious bandit named Sahu, resulting in the capture of the bandit and the killing of 700 of his followers. Lal died in 1713 in Multan.

Works Some of his major works include: Diwan-i-Goya – contains 63 Ghazals and 12 Rubaiyāt (quatrains) and some verses. Zindaginamah – It is a Masnawi of 510 verses which discusses the spirituality and high-spirit in one's life. Originally titled Bandaginama. by B.P.L Bedi into English has a foreword from Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and was published by Punjabi University Patiala.