Bhai Nand Lal ji was born on 1630 CE in Ghazni, Afghanistan in the house of Chajju Mal, who was munshi, Minister, of Dara Shikoh, eldest son of Mughal Emperor Shahjahan. When Shahjahan had sent Dara Shikoh to conquer Afghanistan, Diwan Chajju Mal went along with him. Dara Shikoh returned to India after accomplishing the assigned task while Diwan Chajju Mal stayed on as the munshi of the Governor of Kabul. And thus it was that Bhai Nand Lal was born at Ghazni. Bhai Nand Lal at the age of 12 started writing Persian poetry under the pen name of 'Goya'. He learned Sanskrit, Braj, Arabic as well as Persian from his father, who was a great scholar himself. Bhai Nand Lal was a scholar of Islamic studies too, even though he was never initiated into Islam. When he was 17 years of age, he lost his mother, and at 19 his father. Thus Bhai Sahib had to return to Punjab and he settled at Multan.
Once Auragnzeb asked his Islamic scholars about the meaning of a specific quote from Quran. No answer satisfied him when somebody recommended Bhai Sahib and Aurangzeb was astonished at the pithiness of Bhai Sahib's explication and gave him 500 rupees as reward. Aurangzeb wanted such a great Islamic studies scholar to be converted to Islam, forcibly or otherwise. Apprehensive of emperor’s intentions, Bhai Sahib left for Anandpur Sahib to take refuge there. There he wrote his first book and named it Bandginama, the Book of Servitude, and presented it to the tenth Nanak. When Guru Gobind Singh read it, he renamed it as Zindaginama, the Book of Life. Thus Bhai Nand Lal became one of the 52 poets of Guru Gobind Singh, and was initiated into the order of Khalsa. After his initiation into the Khalsa Order, Nand Lal Goya remained his pen name. Bhai Nand Lal has written the following books in Persian (Farsi) :
Gazliyat or Diwan-e-Goya
Zindaginama
Tauseef-e-Sanaf
Ganjnama
Dastoor-ul-insha
Arzul Alfaaz
Khatimaat
Jot Bigaas (Persian)
Jot Bigaas (Punjabi)
Rahitnama
Tankhahnama.
Reproduced below is one of his poems about Guru Gobind singh ji
Naasro Mansoor Guru Gobind singh
Eizde Mansoor Guru Gobind singh
(God has given Guru Gobind singh somethig special to help poor and oppressed one's)
Haq ra ganzoor Guru Gobind singh
zumla faize noor Guru Gobind Singh
( Guru Gobind singh is like a treasures of God and he is king of kings)
Khaq Rob sahaye Guru Gobind singh
Khumas vasaf pareye Guru Gobind singh
( Such is the personality, Jaho-jalal of Guru Gobind singh that even enemies cannot help but respect him)
Bardo-aalam dast Guru Gobind singh
jumla oolvi past Guru Gobind singh
(This world and that world both are in hands of Guru Gobind singh)
Bhai Nand Lal lived in the company of the Guru until the Battle of Chamkaur that is upto December 1704 CE. Bhai Nand Lal departed from this world in January of 1712 CE.