Reference to Durga in Writings of Guru Gobind Singh Ji

Every now and then, Indian scholars come up with the story of Guru Gobind Singh’s deep devotion for the Hindu Goddess Durga. Recently Ms Renuka Narayan made a similar claim in the Hindustan Times. The author of this article – a profilic and eloquent writer has sent the following rejoinder for the benefit of our readers.

Says Guru Gobind Singh:

‘Which Kalika did I worship? ‘Mahan Kal’ – the great destroyer, i.e. Almighty God, I worship’. He goes on:
‘Some worship Brahma and some call Shiva God. Some say Vishnu is the Lord of the earth by whose orship all sins depart. O ignorant man, think a thousand times over (over the futility of this sort of worship), none of these shall avail thee at the end. Dwell on Him alone in your heart Who was, and Who ever shall remain’- Guru Gobind Singh (33 Swaiyyas)

‘In the body corporate of the Lord there are millions of Vishnus and Shivas . In it are contained millions of Brahmas and Indras and millions of the Sun gods, Moon Gods and the Water gods’. Guru Gobind Singh (Chaubis Avtaar)

‘My Guru is the Lord that made the world, created gods, demons, yaksshas and is incarnated in all from the beginning to the end.’

‘Sin and suffering do not come near those who meditate on Thy name, O Lord, but they who dwell on other deities, destroy themselves, in futile squabbles.’

‘All deities are subject to time and therefore subject to death. He alone is the immortal Lord – beyond time and space.’

Do not accept for worship anyone created by Him, worship only the creator. The Lord without a beginning, the Unborn, the Unconquerable and the Imperishable, should be recognized as the Supreme Lord.

Do not recognize any except the One Lord. I have discarded all other doors and have taken refuge only at Thy door. I will not worship any except thee. Whatever blessings I need, I shall get these from thee.
Guru Gobind Singh (Bachittar Natak, Shabd Hezere)

Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) employed a novel technique wherein he wanted to inculcate among Sikhs a sense of bravery and to dispel fear or cowardice from the hearts of Indian people and pre-pare them for the relentless struggle he was called upon to wage. If the Khalsa was to become a brave nation, it needed that kind of inspiration.

With the same objectives, the Guru encouraged his court poets to translate epics: Ramayana and Mahabharata. When the heroic warlike deeds of the brave mythical heroes of the Puranas were recited, or sung, and the people were greatly inspired for heroic action in the cause of holy wars, to liberate India from foreign yoke.

He wrote the Classic ‘Chaubis Avatar’ on the achievements of Ram, Krishan, Brahma, Datta, Kalki and others. These were all mere translations into Hindi poetry with commentaries, here or there, of his own. In ‘Krishna Avataar’, he specifically pointed out the purpose for which these translations were undertaken.

‘I have rendered into commonly familiar dialect; the t O” chapter of Bhagwat Gita, to inspire zeal for a religious kind of warfare and for no other purposes what so ever’

For creating physical strength and courage in his people he also translated the various accounts of the goddess Chandi, or Bhagavati, and the work is entitled ‘Bhagavati Ki Var’.

It would be an over simplification to infer that the Guru paid any special homage to Chandi, or to any mythical personage as such. He extolled the achievements of Chandi in the same way as, for instance he eulogized the Sword, in high symbolism.

Not only that, it was as natural for him to employ the word ‘Bhagavati’ for the Shakti – aspect of God as he employed Sword for Him. The other Sikh Gurus too had never hesitated to bring into the service all Names that people had associated with God or an Aspect of God. lt was only the heart that should be in communion and it therefore did not matter what name was employed to express him.

*Executuve Coach and Mentor – Excalibre. Email: ks.ahluwalia@yahoo.com

(This article has been taken, with thanks, from the April 2009 issue of ‘The Sikh Review’)

K.S Ahluwalia.

June 27, 2010 Tags: Guru Gobind Singh Category: Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Shri Dasam Granth No Comments

Sri Dasam Granth and British Connection" – Fact or Fiction

The sacred Banee of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib has guided the Khalsa for the last 300 years and is part and parcel of the Sikh psyche. Sri Dasam Granth of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib is the second most respected scripture of the Sikhs after Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. In addition of being the source of the Banees of Sikh Baptism (Amrit Sanchar), Daily Prayer (Nitnem) and Ardas, Sri Dasam Granth Sahib is also the only source from where the terminologies, phrases and concepts of the Khalsa are derived. Some prominent examples are, ‘Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh’, ‘Deg Teg Fateh’, ‘Bipran Ki Reet’, ‘Panth’, ‘Khalsa’, ‘Khanda’, ‘Kirpan’, ‘Sarab-loh’, ‘Dharam-Yudh’ etc.

Recently there have been some theories that are being peddled that the Banee of the Tenth Guru is actually the creation of the British. This conspiracy theory was first propagated by one Dr Jasbir Singh Mann, a self acclaimed scholar of Sri Dasam Granth. Concocting this fake theory he claimed that Sri Dasam Granth was made by Mahants of Patna, Nirmalas and the British. This mixture of fiction and fantasy has been the most absurd theory on Sikh history.

1. Does any 18th century source state that there was a controversy about Sri Dasam Granth, (also known as Dasam Patshah ka Granth) or Book of the Tenth King?

There is no such source. There is absolutely no evidence from any source in the 18th century that claims there has been any controversy regarding the second canon of the Sikhs. There are various types of literature in Sikh History from the 18th century and within them are numerous accounts of how Sikhi came to fruition. These include Sri Gur Sobha Granth, Mehma Prakash, Gurbilas Patshahi Dasvin, Gurbilas Patshah Chevin, Bansavlinama, Guru Kian Saakhian. Then there are also the Rehatnamas which are related to the sayings of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. There is not one line within these texts that claims that there was any controversy on Sri Dasam Granth, on the contrary the evidence for the creation, compilation, and status of Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s Banee is very much positive within them.

2. Is it true that the Dasam Granth appeared only in 19th century and no copy of Dasam Granth existed in Punjab or Delhi area in 18th century?

This is a highly surprising question. On the Visakhi of 1699 the compositions of the Sri Dasam Granth were recited together with those from Sri Guru Granth Sahib. This automatically places the Granth not only in Punjab but within the clear context of Anandpur Sahib. According to the dates within Sri Dasam Granth the compositions were written at Paonta and Anandpur. So firstly the creation of these compositions was in Punjab. Secondly the Anandpuri Hazuri Bir of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the Patna Sahib Bir of 1698 were written in Punjab. So to some extent this question is incorrect as Sri Dasam Granth recensions already existed in the 17th century. The recension referred to as the Bhai Mani Singh Bir, was written by Bhai Mani Singh and he was based in Amritsar, in Punjab.

3. Is it correct that Dasam Granth was first introduced in literature by Malcolm in 1810 AD in his book titled “Sketch of the Sikhs”?

As per the answer above it is quite clear that nobody apart from Guru Gobind Singh introduced the Granth into Khalsa psyche in the 17th century. Sri Gur Sobha Granth written in 1711 by Guru Sahib’s poet Senapati was one of the first books to illuminate the writings in the Sri Dasam Granth. This book is written not only in the style and language of the Sri Dasam Granth but some verses are similar to the verses found in Sri Bachitra Natak, most notably the battles of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It is clear that the court poets wanted to emulate the writings of Guru Gobind Singh Ji as these were read in the Guru’s Durbars. John Malcolm wrote his book “Sketch of the Sikhs” over 100 years after Kavi Senapati, so he could not have introduced Sri Dasam Granth in literature. However Malcolm, a noted historian and statesman, who not only wrote extensively on the life in India, but also Iran, narrated what he saw in Amritsar, that the Akali Singhs revered two Granths, “Adi Granth” and “Dasven Patshah Ka Granth”. He wrote a detailed description of how Akali Singhs who were in-charge of Akal Takht pass Gurmatta in a congregation. There he saw both the Granths being read and revered.

4. Is there any evidence in history that reveals that British intentionally assisted in creation and promotion of “Dasmi Patshahi Ka Granth” or Dasam Granth to gain entry into Punjab and expand their Kingdom for Missionary and Political Purpose?

This is another false presumption propagated by Jasbir Singh Mann, a self-promoted expert on Sri Dasam Granth. As stated above the Granth was created by Guru Gobind Singh Ji for the Khalsa, this was the same Granth which gave the Khalsa a sense of Raj-niti. This was the same Granth which Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who created the first Sikh empire, read and whose armies carried with them together with the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. At the same time the Akalis, whose leader was Akali Phula Singh, were in-charge of the Akal Takht where both Granths were present. So the idea that the British would use the same Granth (that gave the Khalsa a sense of statehood) as a political tool makes no sense. If anything it was the British, under Dr Trump’s translations, that started creating confusion among the Sikhs by showing that the Sikh Granths were inferior to the Christian Bible. He also started labeling both Granths as something which contained Hindu idioms.

5. Is there any internal evidence showing the date when Dasam Granth was written?

This question is never asked about the creation of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, and as Sri Dasam Granth is the work of Guru Gobind Singh Ji this is also insulting. However there are no internal dates within Sri Guru Granth Sahib but there are some dates of creation of different compositions/works within Sri Dasam Granth. As Sri Dasam Granth is mainly placing Sikhism in a historical context these dates are important. Some of these dates are as follows:

ਸੱਤਰ੍ਹ ਸੈ ਪੈਤਾਲ ਮਿਹ ਸਾਵਨ ਸੁਦਿ ਥਿਤਿ ਦੀਪ ॥ ਨਗਰ ਪਾਂਵਟਾ ਸੁਭ ਕਰਨ ਜਮਨਾ ਬਹੈ ਸਮੀਪ ॥2490॥
(This work has been completed) in the year 1745 of the Vikrami era in the Sudi aspect of the moon in the month of Sawan, (July 1688 A.D.) in the town of Paonta at the auspicious hour, on banks of the flowing Yamuna.
(Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib in ‘Krishnavtar’)

ਸੰਬਤ ਸਤਰ੍ਹ ਸਹਸ ਭਿਣਜੈ ॥ ਅਰਧ ਸਹਸ ਫੁਨਿ ਤੀਨਿ ਕਿਹਜੈ ॥ ਭਾਦਰ੍ਵ ਸੁਦੀ ਅਸਟਮੀ ਰਿਵ ਵਾਰਾ ॥ ਤੀਰ
ਸਤੁਦਰ੍ਵ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸੁਧਾਰਾ ॥405॥
This (work) was completed on Sunday, the 18th day of month of Bhadon, in 1753 Bikrami Sammat (September 14, 1696 A.D.) on the banks of river Satluj.
(Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib in ‘Charitropakhyan’)

ਸੰਮਤ ਸੱਤਰ੍ਹ ਸਹਸ ਪਚਾਵਨ॥ ਹਾੜ ਵਦੀ ਪ੍ਰਿਥਮੈ ਸੁਖ ਦਾਵਨ ॥ ਤ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ਕਰਿ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸੁਧਾਰਾ ॥ ਭੂਲ ਪਰੀ ਲਹੁ ਲੇਹੁ ਸੁਧਾਰਾ ॥860॥
This Granth has been completed (and improved) in Vadi first in the month of Haar in the year 1755 Bikrami (July 1698); if there has remained any error in it, then kindly correct it.
(Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib in ‘Ramavtaar’)

6. Is there any evidence that shows that British introduced Dasam Granth to strip the Sikhs of the spirit of independence and warfare?

This is another baseless claim that Jasbir Singh Mann started some years ago, without any hard historical evidence. If the British aimed at stripping the Sikhs of their military might they would have rather wanted the Sikhs not to read and revere Sri Dasam Granth which clearly contains the Bir Ras banee. Sri Dasam Granth also has details of the wars which Guru Gobind Singh Sahib fought, and elevated the weapons to the same level as the embodiment of Akal Purakh. Hence by giving a detailed description of weapons and their usage and warning the Khalsa of the moral challenges it might face, Sri Dasam Granth prepares the Khalsa for warfare, both physically and mentally.

7. Is it true that a Nirmala priest Atma Ram of Calcutta worked with Mahants at Patna to create, compile and promote this Gurmukhi Granth titled “Dasmi Patshahi Ka Granth” in Devnagri?

In the numerous texts of the 19th century there is no mention of any Atma Ram working with any Mahant at Patna. One important 19th century text is Sri Gur Panth Prakash, the main Sikh text of this period, which was written by Rattan Singh Bhangu a descendent of Bhai Mehtab Singh Bhangu (who beheaded Massa Ranghar). There is no mention of any Atma Ram in this important source of Sikh history. The Granthi of Patna Sahib, Baba Sumer Singh makes no mention of any Nirmala priest in his book.

After Sri Dasam Granth was written it was then also transcribed in different languages including Persian, Urdu and Devnagri. There is one copy of Sri Dasam Granth kept in the British Library that was written in Devnagri in the 19th century, over 100 years after the creation of Sri Dasam Granth by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. There is however a mention of an Atma Ram in Malcolm’s ‘Sketch of the Sikhs’, who helped in deciphering the meaning of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and other works for Malcolm (see p.9). And it appears that the same person helped Malcolm understand the Indian judicial system (see p.128). There is no mention of any Granth created by Atma Ram in this book and there is no mention of any Atma Ram working with Mahants from Patna.

8. Is it true that Chhand 201 in Akal Ustat which reads as Atma Uchrio & four Chhands 126-130 in Gian Prabodh were in fact written by Atma Ram?

It’s another classical example of a conspiracy theory hatched by Jasbir Singh Mann. As Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha explains in Mahan Kosh, the ten Dohras (201 to 210) in Akal Ustat are written in the form of questions which the Man (Atma/soul) poses to the Mati (intellect). The first two Dohras are:

ਤ੍ਵਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ ਦੋਹਰਾ ॥
ਏਕ ਸਮੇ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਆਤਮਾ ਉਚਰਿੳ ਮਤਿ ਸਿਉ ਬੈਨ
ਸਭ ਪ੍ਰਤਾਪ ਜਗਦੀਸ ਕੋ ਕਹਹੁ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਧਿ ਤੈਨ ।1। 201।
ਕੋ ਆਤਮਾ ਸਰੂਪ ਹੈ ਕਹਾ ਸ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ ਕੋ ਬਿਚਾਰ।
ਕਉਨ ਧਰਮ ਕੋ ਕਰਮ ਹੈ ਕਹਹੁ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਸਥਾਰ ।2। 202।

By Thy Grace. (Dohra)
Once Atma (soul) posed this question to the Mati (intellect)
“Please describe to me the complete glory of the Lord of the World, 1. 201
What is the nature of the soul? What is the concept of the World?
What is the object of Dharma? Tell me all in detail”. 2. 202.

Similarly cantos 126 to 130 in Gian Prabodh are written in the form of a conversation between Atma (soul) and Parmatma (Almighty) where soul is enquiring about its entity to which Parmatma replies (ਪਰਾਤਮਾ ਬਾਚ ॥)

ਤ੍ਵ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਦਿਨ ਅਜਬ ਏਕ ਆਤਮਾ ਰਾਮ ॥ ਅਨਭਉ ਸਰੂਪ ਅਨਹਦ ਅਕਾਮ ॥
ਅਨਛਿੱਜ ਤੇਜ ਆਜਾਨ ਬਾਹੁ ॥ ਰਾਜਾਨ ਰਾਜੁ ਸਾਹਾਨ ਸਾਹੁ ॥੧॥੧੨੬॥
ਉਚਰਿਓ ਆਤਮਾ ਪਰਾਤਮਾ ਸੰਗ ॥ ਉਤਭੁਜ ਸਰੂਪ ਅਬਿਗਤ ਅਭੰਗ ॥
ਇਹ ਕਉਨ ਆਹਿ ਆਤਮਾ ਸਰੂਪ ॥ ਜਿਹ ਅਮਿਤ ਤੇਜ ਅਤਿਭੂਤਿ ਬਿਭੂਤਿ ॥੨॥੧੨੭॥

BY Thy Grace
On a day the curious soul (asked): The infinite and Desire less Lord, the Intuitive Entity. Of everlasting Glory and long-armed; the King of kings and Emperor of emperors. 1.126.
The soul said to the Higher Soul,”The Germinating Entity, Unmanifested and Invincible. What is this Soul Entity? Which hath indelible glory and which is of queer substance?” 2.127.

Now it is a height of absurdity that pseudo scholars have even distorted this philosophy and concocted a conspiracy theory by claiming that word Atma (soul) in these lines refers to a person named Atma Ram. Would they also dare to distort the meaning of the following Banee by Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji?:

ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਮਨ ਸਮਝਾਈਐ ਆਤਮ ਰਾਮ ਬੀਚਾਰਿ (ਸ੍ਰੀ ਮ: 1)

9. Is it true that Dasam Granth was not used by SRM committee when they composed Sikh Rehat Maryada?

The Sikh Rehat Maryada committee looked at various sources when compiling the SRM. The document that was created sets out conditions for anyone who claims to be a Sikh. And one such condition is that he should faithfully believe in:

iv. The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus
(SRM, Section 1, Article I)

So this means that belief in Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the Sri Dasam Granth is mandatory for every Sikh.

With regards to the recitation of Kirtan, SRM gives the following instructions:

In the congregation, Kirtan only of Gurbani (Guru Granth’s or Guru Gobind Singh’s hymns) and, for its elaboration, of the compositions of Bhai Gurdas and Bhai Nand Lal, may be performed.
(SRM, CHAPTER V, Article VI)

Also Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Sri Dasam Granth, Bhai Gurdas’ Vars and Kabitts and compositions of Bhai Nand Lal are sanctioned to be recited in all Gurudwaras.

Additionally, the Nitnem of the Sikhs comes from Sri Guru Granth Sahib and various compositions of Sri Dasam Granth including Akal Ustat, Krishnavtar, Ramavtar, and Charitropakhyan etc. The first pauree of Ardas is from “Chandi Di Vaar” in Sri Dasam Granth. While preparing Khande De Pahul (Amrit), Banees from both the Sikh scriptures, Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Sri Dasam Granth are recited. Hence it is fallacy to state that “Dasam Granth was not used by SRM committee when they composed Sikh Rehat Maryada”.

10. Sikh Rehat Maryada sanctified by Guru Panth recommends reading of “Benti chaupai only up to end of hymn’ Dust dokh tay loh Bachai” (401).” Why they left 402, 403, Aril, 404 and 405 hymns as present in Published Dasam Granth and various other hand written manuscripts?

SRM sanctioned the reading of the last Charitra known as Benti Chaupai from Charitropakhyan composition of Sri Dasam Granth. Whilst some verses were omitted this was not only confined to Sri Dasam Granth. In the SRM, the recitation of only partial verses of Anand Sahib is also prescribed.

While undertaking the intermittent reading of the whole Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred pudding (Karhah Prashad) for offering should be brought and after reciting the Anand Sahib (six stanzas) and offering Ardas, Hukam should be taken.

While beginning the unbroken reading, the sacred pudding should first be laid. Thereafter, after reciting the Anand Sahib (six stanzas), offering the Ardas and taking the Hukam, the reading should be commenced. (SRM, CHAPTER VII Article x)

The SRM was intended as a minimum requirement for reciting Banees from the Sikh scriptures, hence various Samprayadas continued with the full recital of the Chaupai Sahib. It should also be noted that the SRM affects only Gurudwaras; the maryada of the Takhts is quite separate.

11. Is it correct that banee of Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the sole canon to accept any idea and concept of the Sikhs?

If this was the case then the Khanda De Pahul ceremony and the recital of Nitnem Banees would take place with only two Banees (Japji Sahib and Anand Sahib). This would also mean that there would be no Ardas (as the opening sections are from Chandi Di Var). Hence Sri Dasam Granth plays an important part in the three important aspects of a Sikh religion, namely Amrit, Ardas and Nitnem.

Hence Sri Dasam Granth is an important Sikh canon second only to Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Interestingly this idea of a mutilating and destroying the Sikh scriptures was advocated by Teja Singh Bhasaur in the early 1920’s. He was excommunicated from the Sikh fold for not understanding the role that both Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the Sri Dasam Granth played in the Sikh psyche. Similarly the Akal Takht has ruled against those who have failed to grasp the idea of Miri-Piri and Sant-Sipahi including modern day atheists and communists in the garb of Sikhi. Most recently even an ex-Jathedar of the Akal Takht was found to be ignorant of the basic concepts of the Khalsa panth.

With Thanks from: patsahi10.org and sridasamgranth.com

June 27, 2010 Tags: Shri Dasam Granth Category: Uncategorized No Comments

Sri Dasam Granth and British Connection” – Fact or Fiction

1. Does any 18th century source state that there was a controversy about Sri Dasam Granth, (also known as Dasam Patshah ka Granth) or Book of the Tenth King?

2. Is it true that the Dasam Granth appeared only in 19th century and no copy of Dasam Granth existed in Punjab or Delhi area in 18th century?

3. Is it correct that Dasam Granth was first introduced in literature by Malcolm in 1810 AD in his book titled “Sketch of the Sikhs”?

5. Is there any internal evidence showing the date when Dasam Granth was written?

6. Is there any evidence that shows that British introduced Dasam Granth to strip the Sikhs of the spirit of independence and warfare?

7. Is it true that a Nirmala priest Atma Ram of Calcutta worked with Mahants at Patna to create, compile and promote this Gurmukhi Granth titled “Dasmi Patshahi Ka Granth” in Devnagri?

8. Is it true that Chhand 201 in Akal Ustat which reads as Atma Uchrio & four Chhands 126-130 in Gian Prabodh were in fact written by Atma Ram?

ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਮਨ ਸਮਝਾਈਐ ਆਤਮ ਰਾਮ ਬੀਚਾਰਿ (ਸ੍ਰੀ ਮ: 1)

9. Is it true that Dasam Granth was not used by SRM committee when they composed Sikh Rehat Maryada?

iv. The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus
(SRM, Section 1, Article I)

So this means that belief in Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the Sri Dasam Granth is mandatory for every Sikh.

With regards to the recitation of Kirtan, SRM gives the following instructions:

Also Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Sri Dasam Granth, Bhai Gurdas’ Vars and Kabitts and compositions of Bhai Nand Lal are sanctioned to be recited in all Gurudwaras.

11. Is it correct that banee of Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the sole canon to accept any idea and concept of the Sikhs?

Hence Sri Dasam Granth is an important Sikh canon second only to Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

With Thanks from: patsahi10.org and sridasamgranth.com

June 27, 2010 Tags: Shri Dasam Granth Category: Shri Dasam Granth No Comments

Guru Gobind Singh: The word, the deed and the song

IN the world of religious and spiritual phenomena, one occasionally comes across certain teasing correspondences which seem to connect disparate and distant events in history. It is difficult to account for them in terms of reason or argument. How else can one explain the striking resemblance between two widely-separated Nativities? The Magi, who were drawn to Bethlehem with offerings for the infant Christ, had seen a beckoning star. So had, perhaps, a renowned Muslim saint, Syed Bhikhan Shah, who made his way to Patna in the year 1666 A.D. to bless the day-old Gobind and pronounce him divine. The Mark of Divinity in either case was compelling.

That the Patna birth was in the nature of a Command Performance may be judged from the account given by Guru Gobind Singh himself in his Vachitar Natak or “The Wondrous Drama” — a spiritual autobiography written in the fullness of his poetic and mystic powers. After sketching the lineal and temporal graph, the Guru goes on to speak of his prenatal existence, when his disembodied self was already a part of the Divine Consciousness, free from the coils of mortality. However, at the behest of the Great God of Creation, he came into the world again to fulfil his destiny.

Guru Gobind Singh’s childhood spent at Patna and in the Punjab countryside is characterised by an intense quest for readiness. Handsome in his aspect and stance, lithe and lissom of limb, he wrought his frame into an instrument of supreme will till the body itself grew luminous with thought. As a child, he is known to have been fond of fun and frolic, of riding and hunting, of archery and falconry, but all these exercises were only a prelude to the martial theme of his temporal raison d’etre. They were a kind of warming-up for the battles he was destined to fight. “The figure in the carpet” begins to show soon enough.

Guru Gobind SinghThis was also the period of his scholastic education when he imbibed the ancient lore and wisdom of his forbears, for learning came to him as to the manner born. From the beginning, the Guru was contemptuous of cold and abstract theorising, of Brahminical casuistry and dry dialectics. His mind responded fully and richly to the colour, fragrance and music of life, and shrank from the bleached bones of Vedantic thought. One is, therefore, not surprised to find him elevated to the pontificate at the age of nine when his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, invested him with authority on the eve of his martyrdom. It was no ordinary office, but the young Gobind was no ordinary mortal either. Thereafter, the Guru’s thought is governed by two powerful urges: to vindicate his father’s martyrdom, and to redress his country’s wrongs. Henceforth, tyranny in all its forms, societal political, religious etc., is to be countered and annihilated. And there was to be no respite, no weakening of the hand till he had proved himself in action. As he pleads passionately with the Lord:

Now be pleased to grant me the boon I crave with clasped hands,

That when the end of my life cometh,

I may die fighting in a mighty battle!

And it did not take long for the moment of truth to arrive. The pack of hill rajas and Mughal satraps, grown green with jealousy at the Guru’s phenomenal success, started baying at his heels. However, nothing could stop that revolutionary spirit which now swept the Punjab countryside. The skirmishes and frays around Anandpur Sahib soon developed into cruel, long and desperate engagements. The battles of Bhangani and Nadaun which saw the enemy hosts mauled and petrified despite their superiority in numbers and arms served notice that the youthful and valiant Guru was not to be trifled with. This made even Emperor Aurangzeb sit up and think. He had failed to see that the power of the idea and of the word was more than a match for the massed might of princes and potentates. And when the word happened to be armed in steel, it was a fateful marriage of spirit and sword.

Though Guru Gobind Singh had soon enough established his spiritual sovereignty, all was not well with the Sikh House itself. The whole edifice raised with loving care and industry by the preceding Gurus had begun to lose something of its original impulse, though in reality, schismatic sects, family feuds and the parasitical priestly order of the masands were no more than mere hair-cracks. A discerning eye could still see the oceanic wash beneath the surface. The decision to evolve a new race of soldier-saints fully immersed in “the destructive element” was, then, the highest moment of a mind in search of new absolutes. Thus the commissioning of the great Congress of Sikhs at Anandpur Sahib in 1699 to initiate the order of the Khalsa amidst symbolic ceremonies and sacrifices was an event of profound significance. A purely religious body was now charged with political duties, and invested with insignia and authority. The politicising of the creed was not to be understood in terms of power and pelf, but as a doctrine of the armed spirit in perpetual engagement with the human reality. It was the Guru’s mandate from Heaven to shake that Empire of loot, lies and larceny. And even then, he resorted to force only when all other means had been of no avail. As he wrote in his Zafarnama or “The Epistle of Victory” addressed to Aurangzeb:

When all else hast proved futile,

Thou shalt rightfully lift the sword.

No wonder, in the scheme of things, he enunciated a philosophy of instant and purposive action. There was no be no hiatus between the hand and the heart. The generosity and the aristocracy of the impulse were to be respected. A committed soul could not but be a partisan of truth. And truth is strife. He thus moves away from the traditional Hindu idea of passivity and inaction. This is not, however, to say that he also moves away from “the still centre”; only he finds it inside, at the heart of the tempest, so to speak. He is “the new Gita of India in himself,” as Prof Puran Singh puts it.

If the consecrated sword is one aspect of his world-view, the idea of man’s equality at all human levels is that other aspect which has given the Sikh creed its distinctive mark and address. It may be pertinent to recall here that the Beloved Five who had offered their heads to the Guru’s flashing sword on the Initiation Day were drawn from different varnas and castes.The Guru’s word released the dormant energies of the lower orders comprising the peasant, the potter, the artisan, the sweeper, the scavenger and their like. They now broke bread with the Master himself, and were honoured citizens of a spiritual Commonwealth. The leonine aspect was symbolised in the rough exterior. The sparrow could now look the hawk in the eye! That was the paradox and its power.

But nothing great is ever born without pain and suffering. And few peoples in the world have known such sovereignty of suffering as the Sikhs. The Guru taught them to wear pain as the garment of the Lord. For tempered in the smithy of the soul, pain turned into spiritual gaiety. It’s thus that the idea of supreme sacrifice runs like a purple thread in the tapestry of Guru Gobind Singh’s life. The long and cruel siege of Anandpur Sahib and the Battle of Chamkaur were only a proving ground for his mettle.
Guru Gobind Singh, then, was a rare amalgam of spirit, action and poetry. In a way, all that he did was poetic in essence, for poetry is the inner and vital soul of things. However, he was also a great poet and a profound scholar in his own right. Vastly read in Sanskrit, Hindi and Persian literature, he brought a classical and composite awareness to bear upon his own splendid compositions. First at Paonta, where he presided over a court of 52 poets, later at Damdama, the Guru’s Kashi, he composed a large number of poems, and also undertook a recension of the Guru Granth. He had indeed an aesthetic sensibility of the highest order, and an imagination which at once comprehended the prophetic and the profane. He responded warmly to the overtures of life, but his best verse veers round the themes of Nam and one’s submission to the Lord’s will. The Dasam Granth, which includes most of his writings, is a monumental work of heroic proportions.

The Guru’s philosophy, finally, is dialectical in the profoundest sense of the word. It is aimed at the enlargement of man’s estate to a point where thought and deed coalesced in complete accord, and thus nourished perpetually the humanist dream of life. In any case, it refused to be reduced to any dogma. Compassion, love, forgiveness are the corner-stones of such a philosophy. There are any number of stories about the Guru’s compassionate heart, and the most moving is about the Forty Followers who had renounced him in the hour of need and trial. When in retrospect, they yearn for the Master’s face, the Guru tears up the tragic disclaimer, and takes them back into his wide and warm bosom. And they die on the battlefield of Muktsar, writing their signatures afresh in blood.

And, finally, it’s his luminous image that compels the imagination, and holds it in wonder and awe. Mounted on his blue, prancing and spirited steed, sporting a white falcon on his gloved hand and an aigrette on his saffron turban, Guru Gobind Singh looked royal in person and aspect. That’s how the chromatic imagination of the painter seeks to capture the essence of his rich and puissant personality on the canvas again and again. There’s something in that mien which defies the brush, something that will never be quite translated into art. For the faithful, however, it will suffice. For who could understand the full aspect of the Master, or understanding it, render its full radiance. The outline alone overwhelms the mind.

Darshan Singh Maini

June 26, 2010 Tags: Guru Gobind Singh, Sikh Tenth Guru Category: Guru Gobind Singh Ji No Comments

The Classical Importance of Dasam Granth

The Dasam Granth is the distilled essence of the devotional, spiritual and secular literature of the Indian sub-continent. It brings out the profound learning of Guru Gobind Singh and his court poets in the best poetic form of the period. It is a great and unique treasury for the students of literature, religion, culture and history of medieval India. Bhai Gurdas’ Vars are a key to unlock the meaning of Gurbani compiled in the Adi Granth. The Dasam Granth serves as a monumental reference book for understanding mythological and classical allusions found in Guru Granth Sahib. Thus, it has a very important place in Sikh theology and literature.

The Dasam Granth is a monumental work of Guru Gobind Singh and his court poets. All the traditions and currents of literature are represented in it. It covers a wide range of human knowledge including astrology, human psychology, geography, weapons of war, music, raags, musical instruments and presentation of word pictures. It had carved a niche for itself in the history of Braji and Punjabi literatures. The intrinsic literary value of the Dasam Granth is in lyricism, portrait painting and the heroic verse charged with sentiments of valour and martial music.

The writings of Marks and Engels brought about a new consciousness and awakening in the large mass of humanity. A similar purpose had been served by the poetry of the Dasam Granth. When it was set to music and recited by the Bhatts and Dhaddis of Guru Darbar then it fired the hearts of common men and instilled in them valour and zeal befitting great warriors. These men, rated as dregs of humanity, shook the mighty Mughal Empire. Thus, Guru Sahib through the poetry of the Dasam Granth awoke the dormant heroic spirit in his followers, infused them with new life, strengthened their character and elevated their spirit.

ਗ਼ਨੀਮੁਲ ਖ਼ਿਰਾਜ ਹੈਂ ॥ ਗ਼ਰੀਬੁਲ ਨਿਵਾਜ਼ ਹੈਂ ॥ ਜਾਪ ਸਾਹਿਬ 153

ਹਰੀਫੁਲ ਸ਼ਿਕੰਨ ਹੈਂ ॥ ਹਿਰਾਸੁਲ ਫਿਕੰਨ ਹੈਂ ॥੧੫੩॥

These very great strains run through the whole of the Dasam Granth.

Up to Guru Sahib’s times the Indian scriptures portrayed God as an Omnipotent and Benevolent being but the social and political set up of Guru Sahib’s times demanded lot of change in the thinking of the people. Guru Ji felt the pulse of the people and he portrayed God as the destroyer of the wicked and saviour of the good.

ਗ਼ਨੀਮੁਲ ਸ਼ਿਕਸਤੈ ॥ ਗ਼ਰੀਬੁਲ ਪਰਸਤੈ ॥ ਜਾਪ ਸਾਹਿਬ 122

In order to invoke his conception of God of all religions Guru Ji borrowed his rich vocabulary from Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit and many Indian languages. Thus, his poetry is an ideal blend of Bhakti and Shakti, which not only conveys an idea but also paints a picture and plays a tune.

Jap Sahib: Jap Sahib is recited every day by the Sikhs. God of Jap Sahib is Creator, Preserver and Destroyer. God manifests Himself in countless ways.

ਕਿ ਰਾਜ਼ਕ ਰਹੀਮ ਹੈਂ ॥ ਕਿ ਕਰਮੰ ਕਰੀਮ ਹੈਂ ॥

ਕਿ ਸਰਬੰ ਕਲੀ ਹੈਂ ॥ ਕਿ ਸਰਬੰ ਦਲੀ ਹੈਂ ॥੧੧੦॥

He is Light, Love, Good, Beauty, Truth and Energy. He is glory of the Kings and support to the lowly. He is the enemy of evil doers and destroys the tyrannical.

ਪਰਮ ਰੂਪ ਪੁਨੀਤ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਪੂਰਨ ਪੁਰਖ ਅਪਾਰ ॥

ਸਰਬ ਬਿਸ੍ਵ ਰਚਿਓ ਸੁਯੰਭਵ ਗੜਨ ਭੰਜਨਹਾਰ ॥੮੩॥ ਜਾਪ ਸਾਹਿਬ 83

ਦੁਕਾਲੰ ਪ੍ਰਣਾਸੀ ਦਿਆਲੰ ਸਰੂਪੇ ॥

ਸਦਾ ਅੰਗਸੰਗੇ ਅਭੰਗੰ ਬਿਭੂਤੇ ॥੧੯੯॥ ਜਾਪ ਸਾਹਿਬ 199

It is the sublimest hymn in praise of God and it has become a treatise of all the religions.

Akal Ustat

From the literary and philosophical point of views, Akal Ustat is a very important creation of Guru Gobind Singh. It reveals Guru Sahib’s deep vision in the eternal glory of God. God, religion and rituals, the world and Chandi form the main themes of this long devotional poem. It was a mixture of ecclesiastical satires, scattered here and there, gems of pure poetry.

ਜਲੇ ਹਰੀ ॥ ਥਲੇ ਹਰੀ ॥ ਉਰੇ ਹਰੀ ॥ ਬਨੇ ਹਰੀ ॥੧॥੫੧॥

ਤੁਹੀਂ ਤੁਹੀਂ ॥ ਤੁਹੀਂ ਤੁਹੀਂ ॥ ਤੁਹੀਂ ਤੁਹੀਂ ॥ ਤੁਹੀਂ ਤੁਹੀਂ ॥ (ਅਲਾਕ ਉਸਤਤਿ)

ਜੋਬਨ ਕੇ ਜਾਲ ਹੋ ਕਿ ਕਾਲ ਹੂੰ ਕੇ ਕਾਲ ਹੋ ਕਿ ਸਤ੍ਰਨ ਕੇ ਸੂਲ ਹੋ ਕਿ ਮਿਤ੍ਰਨ ਕੇ ਪ੍ਰਾਨ ਹੋ ॥੯॥੧੯॥ (ਅਲਾਕ ਉਸਤਤਿ)

ਹਿੰਦੂ ਤੁਰਕ ਕੋਊ ਰਾਫਜੀ ਇਮਾਮ ਸਾਫੀ ਮਾਨਸ ਕੀ ਜਾਤ ਸਬੈ ਏਕੈ ਪਹਿਚਾਨਬੋ ॥

ਏਕ ਹੀ ਕੀ ਸੇਵ ਸਭ ਹੀ ਕੋ ਗੁਰਦੇਵ ਏਕ ਏਕ ਹੀ ਸਰੂਪ ਸਬੈ ਏਕੈ ਜੋਤ ਜਾਨਬੋ ॥੧੫॥੮੫॥ (ਅਲਾਕ ਉਸਤਤਿ)

ਦੀਨਨ ਕੀ ਪ੍ਰਤਿਪਾਲ ਕਰੈ ਨਿਤ ਸੰਤ ਉਬਾਰ ਗਨੀਮਨ ਗਾਰੈ ॥ (ਅਲਾਕ ਉਸਤਤਿ)

ਜੁੱਧ ਕੇ ਜਿਤੱਯਾ ਔ ਬਿਰੁੱਧ ਕੇ ਮਿਟੱਯਾ ਮਹਾਂ ਬੁੱਧਿ ਕੇ ਦਿਵੱਯਾ ਮਹਾਂ ਮਾਨਹੂੰ ਕੇ ਮਾਨ ਹੈਂ ॥

ਗਿਆਨ ਹੂੰ ਕੇ ਗਿਆਤਾ ਮਹਾਂ ਬੁੱਧਿਤਾ ਕੇ ਦਾਤਾ ਦੇਵ ਕਾਲ ਹੂੰ ਕੇ ਕਾਲ ਮਹਾ ਕਾਲ ਹੂੰ ਕੇ ਕਾਲ ਹੈਂ ॥੧॥੨੫੩॥ (ਅਲਾਕ ਉਸਤਤਿ)

Sri Mukh Vaak Swaiyee

God, religious practices and an admonition against worldly attachment are the main themes of the Swaiyas. The first Swaiya describes the mental make up of a Khalsa and the last Swaiya stresses upon the remembrance of God. The poet points out that God cannot be identified with Ram, Krishna, Shiv, Brahma and Vishnu. He further emphasized that the study of Vedas and going on pilgrimages were of little use.

ਜਾਗਤਿ ਜੋਤ ਜਪੈ ਨਿਸ ਬਾਸੁਰ ਏਕ ਬਿਨਾ ਮਨ ਨੈਕ ਨ ਆਨੈ ॥

ਪੂਰਨ ਜੋਤ ਜਗੈ ਘਟ ਮੈ ਤਬ ਖਾਲਸ ਤਾਹਿ ਨਖਾਲਸ ਜਾਨੈ ॥੧॥Sabad Hazaré

The Shabads are musical compositions in raags. These lay stress on good actions and de-nounce Yog, ritualism, idol worship and incarnations. The most touching hymn is:

ਮਿਤ੍ਰ ਪਿਆਰੇ ਨੂੰ ਹਾਲ ਮੁਰੀਦਾਂ ਦਾ ਕਹਿਣਾ ॥

ਤੁਧੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਰੋਗੁ ਰਜਾਈਆਂ ਦਾ ਓਢਣ ਨਾਗ ਨਿਵਾਸਾਂ ਦੇ ਰਹਿਣਾ ॥

ਸੂਲ ਸੁਰਾਹੀ ਖੰਜਰੁ ਪਿਆਲਾ ਬਿੰਗ ਕਸਾਈਆਂ ਦਾ ਸਹਿਣਾ ॥

ਯਾਰੜੇ ਦਾ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਸੱਥਰੁ ਚੰਗਾ ਭੱਠ ਖੇੜਿਆਂ ਦਾ ਰਹਿਣਾ ॥੧॥੧॥

This was composed after the martyrdom of Mahan Singh, four Sahibzadas, Mata Gujri and many other Singhs. It strikes the note of humanism.

The Khalsa Mehma describes what importance Guru Ji gives to the Khalsa. He bestows all his achievements on the Khalsa. He is great because of the Khalsa. Infact, people have been made aware of the newly created brotherhood of Khalsa. Guru Ji was conscious of the vitality of the Khalsa and had faith in the collective wisdom of the Khalsa. The poem expresses Guru Sahib’s love for the down-trodden people.

ਜੁੱਧ ਜਿਤੇ ਇਨ ਹੀ ਕੇ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ਇਨ ਹੀ ਕੇ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ਸੁ ਦਾਨ ਕਰੇ ॥ ਅਘ ਅਉਘ ਟਰੈ ਇਨ ਹੀ ਕੇ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ਇਨ ਹੀ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਫੁਨ ਧਾਮ ਭਰੇ ॥

ਇਨ ਹੀ ਕੇ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ਸੁ ਬਿੱਦਿਆ ਲਈ ਇਨ ਹੀ ਕੀ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਸਭ ਸ਼ੱਤ੍ਰੁ ਮਰੇ ॥ਇਨ ਹੀ ਕੀ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਕੇ ਸਜੇ ਹਮ ਹੈਂ ਨਹੀ ਮੋਸੋ ਗਰੀਬ ਕਰੋਰ ਪਰੇ ॥੨॥

Bachitra Natak

It is a story of Guru Sahib’s life, mission and the battles, that he fought against his enemies. It relates the main events of his life upto the advent of Bahadur Shah in the Punjab. It is full of VIR RASAS and RAUDRA. It follows the Puranic tradition of legend and history. It describes the battles fought by Guru and delineates beautifully the mission with which he had come into this world.

ਹਮ ਇਹ ਕਾਜ ਜਗਤ ਮੋ ਆਏ ॥ ਧਰਮ ਹੇਤ ਗੁਰਦੇਵ ਪਠਾਏ ॥

ਜਹਾਂ ਤਹਾਂ ਤੁਮ ਧਰਮ ਬਿਥਾਰੋ ॥ ਦੁਸਟ ਦੋਖੀਅਨਿ ਪਕਰਿ ਪਛਾਰੋ ॥੪੨॥

ਯਾਹੀ ਕਾਜ ਧਰਾ ਹਮ ਜਨਮੰ ॥ ਸਮਝ ਲੇਹੁ ਸਾਧੂ ਸਭ ਮਨ ਮੰ ॥

ਧਰਮ ਚਲਾਵਨ ਸੰਤ ਉਬਾਰਨ ॥ ਦੁਸਟ ਸਭਨ ਕੋ ਮੂਲ ਉਪਾਰਨ ॥੪੩॥ (ਬਚਿਤ੍ਰ ਨਾਟਕ)

Only a soldier poet could compose such heroic verses charged with action and thrill. The soldiers of faith were thrilled and relived ancient scenes in the sandy dunes of Bhatinda. The Chandi Charitar, Chauvis Avtar and Brahma – Rudra Avtar form a part of Bachitra Natak. It not only describes the life history of Guru Ji but also describes the great heroes who appeared on the worldly stage from time to time. Guru Ji’s mission was to awaken his slumbering countrymen, to get rid of the tyranny of the Mughal rule and to bring dignity to the oppressed human race.

ਇਹ ਕਾਰਨਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਮੋਹਿ ਪਠਾਯੋ ॥ ਤਬ ਮੈ ਜਗਤ ਜਨਮ ਧਰਿ ਆਯੋ ॥

ਮੈ ਅਪਨਾ ਸੁਤ ਤੋਹਿ ਨਿਵਾਜਾ ॥ ਪੰਥ ਪ੍ਰਚੁਰ ਕਰਬੇ ਕਹੁ ਸਾਜਾ ॥

ਜਾਹਿ ਤਹਾਂ ਤੈ ਧਰਮੁ ਚਲਾਇ ॥ ਕਬੁਧਿ ਕਰਨ ਤੇ ਲੋਕ ਹਟਾਇ ॥੨੯॥ (ਬਚਿਤ੍ਰ ਨਾਟਕ)

Therefore, through his heroic verses and battles he projected God as a destroyer of the wicked and evil minded. The Akal Purakh of Bachitar Natak was capable of destroying Mehkhasur, Shumbh, Nishumbh and others in no time. People could be inspired only by such a God in order to fight against the mighty Mughals.

ਜੋ ਹਮ ਕੋ ਪਰਮੇਸਰ ਉਚਰਿਹੈਂ ॥ ਤੇ ਸਭ ਨਰਕ ਕੁੰਡ ਮਹਿ ਪਰਿਹੈਂ ॥

ਮੋ ਕੌ ਦਾਸ ਤਵਨ ਕਾ ਜਾਨੋ ॥ ਯਾ ਮੈ ਭੇਦ ਨ ਰੰਚ ਪਛਾਨੋ ॥੩੨॥

Chandi Charitar (I&II)

It is a unique composition and is devoted to the heroic achievements of Chandi. This was written with the sole purpose of instilling bravery into the hearts of the people: It induced in them the battle scenes and the sagging hearts of the people could feel the very presence of Ran Chandi dancing in their hearts. Thus, they could put an end to the political and religious tyranny of the Mughals. The verses are charged with valour and martial music keeping in view the urges of the age.

ਦੇਹ ਸਿਵਾ ਬਰ ਮੋਹਿ ਇਹੈ ਸੁਭ ਕਰਮਨ ਤੇ ਕਬਹੂੰ ਨ ਟਰੋਂ ॥

ਨ ਡਰੋਂ ਅਰਿ ਸੋ ਜਬ ਜਾਇ ਲਰੋਂ ਨਿਸਚੈ ਕਰ ਅਪਨੀ ਜੀਤ ਕਰੋਂ ॥

ਅਰੁ ਸਿਖ ਹੋਂ ਆਪਨੇ ਹੀ ਮਨ ਕੌ ਇਹ ਲਾਲਚ ਹਉ ਗੁਨ ਤਉ ਉਚਰੋਂ ॥

Var Durga ki

The first pauri of this composition forms a part of Sikh’s daily Ardas.

ਪ੍ਰਿਥਮ ਭਗੌਤੀ ਸਿਮਰਿ ਕੈ ਗੁਰੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਲਈਂ ਧਿਆਇ ॥

Its beautiful epithets inspire the troops to fight a war and gain victory. This is among the best Vars in Punjabi literature. Soldiers used to recite in good old days and the Nihang Singhs are very fond of reciting it even to-day.

Gian Parbodh

In the first part God has been described as all powerful, invisible and omnipresent. In the second part there is a dialogue between Atma and Parmatma. The poet does not take much interest in the Puranic legends but his main concern is to establish new value system, to take interest in fighting Dharam Yudh and to lead a righteous life.

ਨਮੋ ਲੋਕ ਲੋਕੇਸ਼੍ਵਰੰ ਲੋਕ ਨਾਥੇ ॥ ਸਦੈਵੰ ਸਦਾ ਸਰਬ ਸਾਥੰ ਅਨਾਥੇ ॥

ਨਮੋ ਏਕ ਰੂਪੰ ਅਨੇਕੰ ਸਰੂਪੇ ॥ ਸਦਾ ਸਰਬ ਸਾਹੰ ਸਦਾ ਸਰਬ ਭੂਪੇ ॥੨॥

Chaubis Avtar

It forms a very important part of The Dasam Granth. The 24 incarnations of Vishnu have been portrayed in it.

ਜਬ ਜਬ ਹੋਤ ਅਰਿਸਟ ਅਪਾਰਾ ॥

ਤਬ ਤਬ ਦੇਹ ਧਰਤ ਅਵਤਾਰਾ ॥

The main objective of the writer was to prepare the newly created society for Dharam Yudh. In fact, this part has been written in the common language of the people in order to make them aware of the heroic legends of the past. The Ritualism has been denounced. It reveals Guru Sahib’s conception of God. He did not accept the Puranic concept of Avatar. He thought that Avatars were the elevated souls blended with Kal Purakh.

ਜੋ ਚਉਬੀਸ ਅਵਤਾਰ ਕਹਾਏ ॥

ਤਿਨ ਭੀ ਤੁਮ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਤਨਕ ਨ ਪਾਏ ॥

Guru Ji has revealed the charming personality of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna but he has elaborated their heroic lives which did rouse the great mass of Punjabis and they tried to put an end to the political and religious oppressions. Chaubis Avatar is imbued with martial spirit.

ਮਹਾਕਾਲ ਰਖਵਾਰ ਹਮਾਰੋ ॥ ਮਹਾ ਲੋਹ ਮੈਂ ਕਿੰਕਰ ਥਾਰੋ ॥ (ਕ੍ਰਿਸਨਾਵਤਾਰ)

Guru Sahib extracted the element of heroism from them without projecting the attitude of a worshipper.

ਦਿਜ ਹਮ ਮਹਾਕਾਲ ਕੋ ਮਾਨੈ॥ ਪਾਹਨ ਮੈ ਮਨ ਕੋ ਨਹੀ ਆਨੈ॥

The description of the heroic deeds of mythological heroes and others gives a vivid picture of the battlefields of the gone by ages.

ਧੰਨ ਜੀਓ ਤਿਹ ਕੋ ਜਗ ਮੈ ਮੁਖ ਤੇ ਹਰਿ ਚਿੱਤ ਮੈ ਜੁਧੁ ਬਿਚਾਰੈ ॥ ਦੇਹ ਅਨਿੱਤ ਨ ਨਿੱਤ ਰਹੈ ਜਸੁ ਨਾਵ ਚੜੈ ਭਵਸਾਗਰ ਤਾਰੈ.. (ਕ੍ਰਿਸਨਾਵਤਾਰ)

ਅਵਰ ਬਾਸਨਾ ਨਾਹਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਧਰਮ ਜੁੱਧ ਕੇ ਚਾਇ। (ਕ੍ਰਿਸਨਾਵਤਾਰ)

Sastar Nam Mala is a sort of catalogue of weapons. For sustaining the heroic atmosphere, to make aware the newly created Sikh society about the weapons, Guru Ji composed Sastar Nam Mala.

Guru Sahib considered arrow, sword, spear etc as the worship of God because they are the main source of strength in the Dharam Yudh.

ਕਾਲ ਤੁਹੀ ਕਾਲੀ ਤੁਹੀ ਤੁਹੀ ਤੇਗ ਅਰੁ ਤੀਰ ॥ ਤੁਹੀ ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨੀ ਜੀਤ ਕੀ ਆਜੁ ਤੁਹੀ ਜਗਬੀਰ SNM-5

ਖਗ ਖੰਡ ਬਿਹੰਡੰ ਖਲ ਦਲ ਖੰਡੰ ਅਤਿ ਰਣ ਮੰਡੰ ਬਰ ਬੰਡੰ ॥

ਭੁਜ ਦੰਡ ਅਖੰਡੰ ਤੇਜ ਪ੍ਰਚੰਡੰ ਜੋਤਿ ਅਮੰਡੰ ਭਾਨ ਪ੍ਰਭੰ ॥

ਸੁਖ ਸੰਤਾ ਕਰਣੰ ਦੁਰਮਤਿ ਦਰਣੰ ਕਿਲਬਿਖ ਹਰਣੰ ਅਸਿ ਸਰਣੰ ॥

ਜੈ ਜੈ ਜਗ ਕਾਰਣ ਸ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ ਉਬਾਰਣ ਮਮ ਪ੍ਰਤਿਪਾਰਣ ਜੈ ਤੇਗੰ ॥੨॥

All the weapons were put in a mythological set up. The Sikhs accepted this and were inspired to do deeds of valour in the fight against tyranny.

Pakhayan Charitra

Humour and romance, next to religion, were always welcomed by the Punjabi mind. They helped them to escape from the sordid realities of the political suppressions, religious tyranny, despotism of the rulers and the ever-haunting shadows of foreign invasions. It is a collection of 404 romantic tales on the wiles of women. The moral of all the tales is to warn the readers and to raise their ethical and moral standard. It is an encyclopaedia of tales known to mediaeval India. Popular tales and immortal romances of Punjab are also there. At the end of the last tale there is the prayer to God known as Benti Chaupai, a daily recitation of the Sikhs.

ਹਮਰੀ ਕਰੋ ਹਾਥ ਦੈ ਰੱਛਾ ॥ ਪੂਰਨ ਹੋਇ ਚਿੱਤ ਕੀ ਇੱਛਾ ॥

The chief merit of these tales is suggestiveness. They warn the unwary against the enticements of the women. This was the main purpose of providing such literature, the study of which would make the newly created Sikh society aware of the social, religious and ideal love which are beneficial to life.

Zafarnamah

It is a letter of protest written by Guru Sahib to Emperor Aurangzeb in reply to summons from him.

The first part is a prayer to God and he seeks His blessings to resolve all his problems.

ਕਮਾਲਿ ਕਰਾਮਾਤ ਕਾਯਮ ਕਰੀਮ ॥ ਰਜ਼ਾ ਬਖ਼ਸ਼ੋ ਰਾਜ਼ਿਕ ਰਿਹਾਕੁਨ ਰਹੀਮ ॥੧॥

The second part is addressed to the Emperor. Guru Sahib condemned the Emperor for breach of faith. The purpose of writing Zafarnamah was to soften the Emperor and bring home to him his cruelty and deception. Lastly Guru asserts his right to revolt: “When all the remedies have failed, it is but lawful, to resort to the sword.”

ਚੁ ਕਾਰ ਅਜ਼ ਹਮਾ ਹੀਲਤੇ ਦਰ ਗੁਜ਼ਸ਼ਤ॥

ਹਲਾਲ ਅਸਤੁ ਬੁਰਦਨ ਬ ਸ਼ਮਸ਼ੀਰੇ ਦਸਤ॥

Hikayats

The introductory verses are in a very exalted tone.

They are Persian tales. They are in praise of God. The last verse of each tale seeks blessings from the Almighty. The aim of the tales is to bring in new consciousness in the newly created Khalsa.

Conclusion

All the merits of good poetry in the Dasam Granth give it a unique position as a work of great poetical value in Hindi and Punjabi literatures. Therefore, it can be justifiably concluded that the Dasam Granth is the greatest glories of Indian literature. Further, it is a great step towards rescuing of the old Indian thought and culture from becoming dead. So far, Sanskrit, a preserve of the elite, was used to convey the literary thought and culture. For the first time in the history of Punjab, literature for the common man was produced in their mother tongue i.e. Punjabi.

Marx talked of capitalist exploitation of the society in the 19 th century and Lenin talked of Imperialism in the 20th century. The theories of Marx and Lenin exercised a very powerful influence upon the social movements which spread in the ranks of educated people no less than in those of the working classes all over the world. Guru Sahib felt like Rousseau, one hundred years earlier that it was the common people who make the human race. Moreover, he enunciated the principle of liberty, equality and fraternity which formed the bed rock of French Revolution. Guru Sahib was a pioneer of social reconstruction but with a humanised and dynamic view of society. He brought about a social revolution without coercion. The broad outlines of Guru Sahib’s social philosophy can be perused in the Dasam Granth.

The aim of Guru Sahib was to develop a good moral character which would pave the way for spiritual progress. All Sikh Gurus laid the foundation of society’s progress not on miracles or mysteries but on the humanity of the human beings. With the help of the Dasam Granth Guru Ji revived and breathed valour into the veins of an old dying nation. Heroic literature was made the means to this noble end and his exalted mission of ending slavery of his countrymen was also fulfilled to a great extent. Guru Ji always invoked the blessing of God “ਦੇਹ ਸਿਵਾ ਬਰ ਮੋਹਿ ਇਹੈ ਸੁਭ ਕਰਮਨ ਤੇ ਕਬਹੂੰ ਨ ਟਰੋਂ ॥” to take up the cause of oppressed humanity.

The Dasam Granth is the living tribute to the versatile genius of Guru Gobind Singh.

Sadhu Singh Deol

(Sikh Review April 2006)

June 26, 2010 Tags: Shri Dasam Granth Sahib Category: Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Shri Dasam Granth No Comments

The doctrines of Bhakti and Shakti

IN the autobiographical reminiscences contained in Bachittar Natak, Guru Gobind Singh, the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs, had specified the purpose of his coming to the world: “The Divine Guru had charged me with the duty of upholding religion (dharma), and on that account I had come into this world for extending righteousness everywhere and for seizing and destroying the evil and sinful. Oh saints! Be clear that I assumed birth for getting the wheel of dharma moving, saving saints and exterminating all tyrants.”

Because of the imperfect condition of man, he is not fated to be a human being and he has been rightly compared to chimera (a fire-breathing monster having a lion’s head, a goat’s body and a serpent’s tail). Therefore, the invocation of religion becomes the only indispensable choice for taming the beastly instincts of a man.

According to the Sikh scripture, the aim of religion is to elevate man to the exalted level of an angel. (‘I hail my Guru many times a day who made angles of men and that too without delay.’)

In the epic age, the rishis involved in the spiritual affairs had always to look after the kings and princes for protection against the onslaught of demons. The rulers were also conscious that in no case could they find it safe and administratively prudent to permit the rishis or saints to overshadow their majesty, power and glory. In Khulaasa-Tut-Twarakh (Digest of histories), its author, Sujan Rai Bhandari, refers to the tragic end of saint Sayyadi Maulla at Delhi during the reign of Jalal-ud-din Khilji: “Lakhs fed in his langar where 1,000 maunds of refined flour, 500 maunds of meat and 200 maunds of ghee were cooked daily. Sayyadi Maulla, with lakhs of followers, could be a threat to the Sultan. A Sultan has to be cruel and merciless in the interest of his subjects. He has to do some pruning like a wise gardener. If lakhs of men collect even without the intention of making a riot, it is proper to disperse them for the royal satisfaction. The admirers of Sayyadi Maulla were sent to different places for the leader to be trampled by the elephants.”

The Sikh Gurus were of the considered opinion that the mixing of parallel currents of Bhakti and Shakti was a sine qua non for protecting the hermits from the evil-doers. They embraced the unique proposition, so far considered impossible, of blending spirituality with temporality in one human personality — a saint-soldier. Evil must be nipped, even if it involves the use of force. In 1708, Guru Gobind Singh, after protracted discussions and parleys with the Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah, the son and successor of Aurangzeb, came to the firm conclusion that “all means of peaceful persuasion” had failed, and it had, therefore, become the right and duty of the Sikhs to “move the hand to the hilt of the sword”.

In medieval and post-medieval period, the blessings of Ganesha and Sarasvati, the evil-destroyers, were invoked before embarking on any adventure, but the Tenth Guru, through a new phenomenon, invokes the power of the double-edged sword: “O sword, I can complete this volume if you help me. This sword cuts into pieces, destroys the evil-doers and remains to be the inner force of the battle-fields. This sword is the bestower of saints’ bliss and destroyer of the ill-will and evil tendencies. I hail this power and surrender before it which is the origin of this whole world.” The sword, which symbolises Shakti in its supreme aspect, was not to be used as a butcher’s knife but as a surgeon’s instrument and it is the protector of saints, the scourge of the wicked and the scatterer of sinners. It is to be wielded by the selfless saint-soldiers ready to sacrifice their lives at the altar of truth and for doing away with once for all the Mephistophelean forces in society.

The confluence of faith and military expertise in the saint-soldier personality of the Khalsa had given a new dimension to the Indian philosophical thought. Religion bereft of political power degenerates into a mere study of philosophy. The fusion of religious and martial spirits, which are complimentary and supplementary to each other, is sure to strengthen
God-centred forces.

The above two doctrines had assailed the concept of Avtarvad, according to which evil is destroyed by its own suicidal nature or else it must be destroyed by the direct intervention of Godly power. As per above doctrines, the evil must be routed root and branch with the help of God without waiting for the intervention of extra-terrestrial powers.

According to Gokul Chand Narang, after centuries of subjection, Guru Nanak was the first among the Hindus to raise his voice against tyranny and oppression. In this struggle against injustice and oppression, the importance of the above two doctrines assume great relevance and significance.

By Gur Rattan Pal Singh, Tribune News, 1998

June 26, 2010 Tags: Guru Gobind Singh, Philosphy Category: Shri Dasam Granth No Comments

The Relevance of Dasam Granth

The Dasam Granth was compiled by a group of trusted devotees of Guru Gobind Singh, under the guidance of Bhai Mani Singh Shaheed after more than two decades of hard work, because most of the writings were lost when he was treacherously attacked on the banks of the Sirsa by the armies of the Hill chiefs and Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb. It was after the demise of Guru Gobind Singh that a search and compilation of his writings was undertaken. When all the writings that could be traced had been collected, a controversy among the leading Sikh scholars arose on whether the writings ascribed to Guru Gobind Singh should be bound in separate folios or together in one folio, writes S. S. Dhanoa.

GURU Gobind Singh, the tenth Nanak, is the spiritual father of the Khalsa Singhs and it is to be expected that his writings are revered by the Khalsa. However, the Nihangs are the only ones among the Sikh brotherhood, who hold the granth of the tenth Guru as worthy of veneration where as the Tat Khalsa, who constitute the mainstream, are ready to accept only some portions of the Dasam Granth as genuine writings of Guru Gobind Singh.

The Dasam Granth was compiled by a group of trusted devotees of Guru Gobind Singh under the guidance of Bhai Mani Singh Shaheed after more than two decades of hard work, because most of the writings of Guru Gobind Singh were lost when he was treacherously attacked on the banks of the Sirsa by the armies of the Hill chiefs and Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb. It was after the demise of Guru Gobind Singh that a search and compilation of his writings was undertaken. When all the writings that could be traced had been collected, a controversy among the leading Sikh scholars arose on whether the writings ascribed to Guru Gobind Singh should be bound in separate folios or together in one folio.

This was the time when Massa Khan Ranghar, a local faujdar, had converted the Harmandir Saheb into a dancing hall. Sardar Mahtab Singh and Sucha Singh appeared before the sangat at the Damdama Saheb in 1740 to seek blessings for their enterprise to chastise Massa Ranghar. When they were asked to give their views on the controversy regarding compilation of the writings of Guru Gobind Singh, they said that if they succeeded in accomplishing their mission of beheading Massa Ranghar and returned in one piece, the writings of the 10th Guru should be bound and kept in one folio, otherwise not. They successfully returned to the Damdama Saheb with the severed head of Massa Ranghar as their trophy.

One would have expected that with such impeccable paternity, the Dasam Granth would continue to be revered by the followers of the Guru. However, only Takht Patna Saheb still has the practice of the Dasam Granth occupying the same position as the Guru Granth Saheb in the sanctum sanctorum of the gurdwara, commemorating the birth of Guru Gobind Singh, whereas in other gurdwaras the Dasam Granth could at best be seen in the gurdwara library.

It has to be stated that after his escape from Chamkaur Saheb, Guru Gobind Singh undertook to prepare and finalise the present recension of the Guru Granth Saheb in which the writings of the ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, were added in appropriate ragas and his shlokas were placed at the end. He spent about one year in completing this task at the Damdama Saheb but he did not consider it worth his while to recompile a granth of his bani nor did he include any of his writings in the final compilation of the Guru Granth Saheb, not even Jaap, Sudha Sawaiye and Chaupai, the three banis which are prescribed for daily recitation of the amritdhari Sikhs.

The Sikhs brought up in the Singh Sabha tradition find many of the contents of the Dasam Granth difficult to digest. According to the Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, 32 copies of the Granth were collected from different places and brought to the Akal Takht in 1895, where a group of eminent scholars pored over them, studying and discussing them threadbare between July 5, 1895, and February 17, 1896. Among these scholars were Bhai Manna Singh Hakim, Bhai Narain Singh, Bhai Thakur Singh, Bhai Sant Singh (son of Giani Gian Singh), Bhai Bishan Singh, Sant Gopal Das Udasi and Mahant Amir Singh. Opinions were invited from a wider circle by correspondence, and a complete report on the deliberations was published on October 14, 1897. The result was the recension of the Dasam Granth now current.

Therefore, it seems to be a bit late in the day to question credentials or authenticity of the Dasam Granth. There is no doubt that the Dasam Granth breaks new grounds in the Sikh religious tradition. The Guru Granth Saheb is replete with references to Ram, Hari and Krishna and the Gurbani also makes it clear that the Lord is Formless and One Reality. It acknowledges that the Formless Being manifested Himself in Ram and Krishan who could then perform the deeds ascribed to them and redeem humanity. However, no such divinity is ascribed to any female goddess in the Guru Granth Saheb.

Yet Guru Gobind Singh went lyrical to describe the valour and deeds of Goddess Chandi/Durga. Chandi di War is a part of the daily recitation of many Sikhs, especially the Nihang Sikhs. He clearly establishes his heritage from Lord Ramchandra, the son of Dasrath in Bachittar Natak which is accepted as an authentic autobiographical writing of Guru Gobind Singh. Many passages from it are sung with devotion in all gurdwaras.

It would be clear to any scholar of Sikhism that although many of the contents of the Dasam Granth may not fit in to the Singh Sabha mould of Sikhism, yet it cannot be easily disowned. The scholars who question the bona fides of the Rashtirya Sikh Sangat should also remember that the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh for a long time had on the masthead of the Organiser weekly, their official organ, a portrait of Guru Gobind Singh as one of the three heroes of the Hindus, the other two being Shivaji and Maharana Pratap. If the six Gurus in their bani could accept Ram and Krishan manifesting divinity of the Supreme Being, it seems that there is nothing wrong in Guru Gobind Singh describing Durga as manifesting the divinity and power of One Supreme Being.

It is the Divine in Ram or Krishan that is worthy of worship according to Gurbani, so it is the Divine manifestation in Durga that calls for our obeisance and that is how the daily Sikh prayer (ardas) starts with invocation of Bhagauti before mentioning Guru Nanak’s name. The Supreme Being is neither a male nor a female. The innovation of Guru Gobind Singh seems to lie in invoking the formless Almighty Being as a female.

The challenge before the scholars is to understand the purpose, design, symbolism and true import of the writings of Guru Gobind Singh rather than attributing motives to the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat. Just because some writings of Guru Gobind Singh do not fit into a particular mindset, those writings cannot just be disowned, as such an act questions the wisdom of the trusted first generation devotees of Guru Gobind Singh as well as the scholarship of the group that had critically examined the Dasam Granth from 1895 to 1897.

S. S. Dhanoa

June 25, 2010 Tags: Shri Dasam Granth Sahib Category: Shri Dasam Granth No Comments

AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem
‘science has with GOD’ The Almighty.

He asks one of his new students to stand and…..

Prof: Are you believe in GOD? Student: Absolutely, sir.

Prof: Is GOD good? Student: Sure.

Prof: Is GOD all-powerful? Student: Yes.

Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn’t! How the God is good then ?

(Student remains silent.)

Prof: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fellow. Is God good ? Student: Yes.

Prof: Is Shaitan good ? Student: No.

Prof: Where does Shaitan come from ? Student: From…God…!

Prof: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world ? Student: Yes.

Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And God did make everything. Correct ? Student: Yes.

Prof: So who created evil ? (Student does not answer.)

Prof: Is there sickness ? Immorality ? Hatred? Ugliness ? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they ?

Student: Yes, sir. Prof: So, who created them ?

Student remain silent. Prof: Science says’ you have five senses with which you identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son…Have you ever seen God ?

Student: No, sir. Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God ?

Student: No, sir. Prof: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your God ? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter ?

Student: No, sir. I’m afraid, I haven’t. Prof: Yet you still believe Him ?

Student: Yes. Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son ?

Student: Nothing. I only have my ‘FAITH’. Prof: Yes, ‘FAITH’. and that is the problem science has.

Student: Professor Sir, is there such a thing as heat ? Prof: Yes.

Student: And is there such a thing as cold ? Prof: Yes.

Student: No sir. There isn’t. (The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, super heat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student: What about darkness, Professor Sir ? Is there such a thing as darkness ?

Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness ?

Student: You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something.. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light…..But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it ? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you ?

Prof: So what is the point are you making, young man ?

Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how ?

Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure.. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey ?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir ?

(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher ? (The class is in uproar.)

Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain ?

(The class breaks out into laughter.)

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir ?

(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student: That is it sir. The link between MAN & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

June 24, 2010 Tags: Akalpurakh, hilosphy, Literature, Scientific Category: Uncategorized No Comments

THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT OF AKAL PURAKH

The Akal Purakh (or God) of Guru Gobind Singh is his model for reshaping human beings and the society that they need to grow in, observes Gurbhagat Singh. Tribune News 2000.

DASAM Granth is the creation of Guru Gobind Singh. The controversy regarding its authorship is without substance. According to the accepted scholarly norms, if written historical evidence regarding the authorship of a work is not available, then, it is the internal evidence and cultural memory that are taken into consideration. Since the “eternal departure” of Guru Gobind Singh, the Sikh memory, as mediated by the tradition, has always accepted the entire Granth as the writing of Guru Gobind Singh. The most vital internal evidence is of the meta-sign Akal Purakh (Timeless Person) that the Guru elaborates in an identical language in the entire Granth.

The second major and consistent concern is to reinterpret and modify the Hindu myth regarding the avatars and battles between the gods and the demons.

The Akal Purakh or God of Guru Gobind Singh is his model for reshaping human beings and the society that they need to grow. As manifested in the Guru’s writings, Akal Purakh is all forms (Sarab rupe), He has no caste (jati), no marked features (chen chakra), He is the king of kings (saha sultan), and greater than thousands of Indras. Using the Qur’ anic attributes and adjectives, the Guru calls Him as the Kindest (karimul karime). Employing the yogic and Buddhistic-tantric terms the Guru names Him as the Superyogi (jogeshvra) and jantra tantra. All these different forms of Akal Purakh appear to be “wonderful” yet they belong to the same enflaming energy, says the Guru.

The originality and distinction of Akal Purakh is that He is not a unitive enclosure, meaning closed to His essence denying multiple manifestation mediated by historical and geographical specificities. In Shankara’s well known classic Brahmbhashya that is a classic of Vedanta and Hindu thought Brahma’s “unity” has been called as “the true existence while manifoldness is evolved out of wrong knowledge”. Shankara further insists upon the unitarinism of Brahma by saying “it is impossible even within hundreds of years, even to bring about an effect which is different from its essence”. Shankara’s most influential text that has formed the Hindu view of person and society does not encourage multiplicity of thought and being. In Qur’ an also it is pronounced in Sura 37:4 “Verily, verily your God is One”.

Another very special feature of Akal Purakh is that He is sarab bhoge, which means He consummates multiply. The idea related to bhog can be traced back to the non-Aryan philosophy of Lokayata that prioritised the senses although the Guru in the Akal Ustat (In Praise of the Immortal) also says that Akal Purakh is without a body (deha). The Guru salutes Him because He manifests Himself in Arabic, Persian, Pahlavi, Pashto, Sanskrit, etc. He becomes Purana, and also
The second major and consistent concern is to reinterpret and modify the Hindu myth regarding the avatars and battles between the gods and the demons.

Another very special feature of Akal Purakh is that He is sarab bhoge, which means He consummates multiply. The idea related to bhog can be traced back to the non-Aryan philosophy of Lokayata that prioritised the senses although the Guru in the Akal Ustat (In Praise of the Immortal) also says that Akal Purakh is without a body (deha). The Guru salutes Him because He manifests Himself in Arabic, Persian, Pahlavi, Pashto, Sanskrit, etc. He becomes Purana, and also Karim (blesser) and Qur’ an. He is sung by the Red Indians near San Francisco, the soft bodied (probably Europeans) and by those living around the Sindh agar.

The point to be understood about the Akal Purakh, as elaborated by Guru Gobind Singh in Dasam Granth is that he is not a closed essence but a multidimensional Being manifesting through different languages and communitarian experiences located in diverse histories and geographies. It is obvious that He is the model for organising humans and society as mosaic of diversity. The Guru’s vision of God is different from the unitarian visions of Hinduism and Islam. The consummatory or dynamic Bodily aspect also distinguishes Him from the parthogenesis of Christianity that regards the Christ as outside the evolutionary or bodily processes. To the Guru, Akal Purakh is also “the highest love” and “the most beautiful song”. The appropriate word that we can use to describe the Akal Purakh of Dasam Granth is polygenesis. It means the vision of God that takes shape through the perspectives of diverse communities, nations, people experiencing life in different situations.

Another distinction of Akal Purakh is His form as the “self-ignited” and “enlightening Sword (Kharag) that acts for Justice. Through its vital action it unblocks the evolutionary process of the universe.

A substantial part of Dasam Granth is devoted to narrate the lives of the avatars or incarnations. Instead of accepting them as autonomous gods, the Guru accepts them only as among the many possibilities of Akal Purakh’s body. The Guru rather presents them, as heroes who fought against evil and injustic. Declaring forthrightly, the Guru says that he does not worship Ganesh, Krishna or Bishan. They all act on the command of Akal Purakh and were not liberated from the illusions of world-cycle. Chandi has also been accepted only as the militant light of Akal Purakh to kill the demons. The most powerful Hindu mythology that was making people alienated worshippers of an abstract kind, has been reinterpreted by the Guru as stories about the fight between the just and the unjust. This was done to radicalize people’s consciousness and prepare them for a transformative role.

No wonder, in accordance with his transformative intentions, the Guru wrote a very magnificent and all time revolutionary poem Shastramala (Rosary of Weapons). Sword, khanda, cannon, arrow etc., have been called pirs or holy men in the Islamic idiom. More than that these weapons are to the Guru expressions of Akal Purakh. Using the metaphor of Krishana myth, the cannon has been called as the enemy of the “tiger” who kills the “deer” grazing on the banks of Jamuna, the beloved of Krishna. Metaphorically, the connon is the enemy of the then cruel Emperor imposing his inhuman hegemony on innocent people and thereby wrecking the beauty of life. Raising weapons to divinity and protection of life’s dynamic music, could not be accomplished in poetry even by the most lofty revolutionary movements of our time led by Lenin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh and Castro.

A very instructive section of the Granth is Chritropakhyan on which the Guru creates a dramatic narrative. A minister is narrating stories to a king. Most of the stories are about sexually distorted women who were having sexual relations with several men by cheating their husbands and lovers, but in this very section there are also some stories about brave women like Jodha Bai and the daughter of Bijay Singh who battled with a prince refusing to marry her. The section aims at educating the Guru’s prospective armed revolutionaries about making a distinction between the distorted and authentic man-woman relationships. The section ends with a meditation and prasie of Akal Purakh who creates the drama of different temporal orders.

The over-hero of Dasam Granth is Akal Purakh, no avatar or mythological goddess. Akal Purakh has been presented as a model to emulate and reorganise human beings and society. He is neither exculsively Hindu, nor Islamic, nor Buddhistic, nor Christian. No single vision or essence can describe Him. Many polarities and visions meet in Him. For that reason the language and metaphor that the Guru employs come from different sources. In our contemporary idiom it can be said that the Akal Purakh of Guru Gobind Singh is multidimensional and multipolar. His castelessness and multiplicity distinguish Him especially from the Hindu Vedanta and Islamic-Qur’ anic vision. The language and metaphor of Dasam Granth are polygenetic, made up of different traditions and sources.

It is amazing to find the gathering of diverse cultural visions to describe and constitute the meta-sigm of Akal Purakh in Dasam Granth. Had Nietzsche read the Granth he would have called it as a writing done under the “pressure of abundance”. Massive energy and multicultural vision form Akal Purakh’s Being that is multiplicity in dialogue. He is pure dynamism and Becoming simultaneously. The idea of Akal Purakh was revolutionary in the times of the Guru. It aimed at dismantling the unitarian models of Hindu Vedanta and Islam that were pushing a singular essence and vision to organise oneself and the society around.

For its emphasis on multiplicity and multipolarity and how those can be in dialogue in Akal Purakh who can be emulated in one’s being and socio-political institutions, Dasam Granth is not only an historic contribution to Indian culture but also to the world of the new millennium struggling to evolve such vision and metaphors. The Khalsa of Guru Gobind Singh, the army of saint-soldiers in other words, is envisioned as multicultural and multidimensional vibrating with poetry and the value of justice. The incredible breadth of vision of Dasam Granth will always exceed any uniperspectival effort to hijack it.

June 24, 2010 Tags: Shri Dasam Granth Category: Shri Dasam Granth No Comments

The Book of the Tenth Guru

To quote Encyclopaedia of Sikhism �Dasam Granth� (lit. the Tenth Book generally signifying the Book of the Tenth Guru) is how the collection of compositions attributed to the Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, is named to distinguish it from the earlier work, the Adi Granth (now known as Sri Guru Granth Sahib) the First or Primary Book (Volume), compiled by Guru Arjan, the fifth in the spiritual line from Guru Nanak and to which Guru Gobind Singh added the hymns of the Ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, forbearing from adding any of his own�. The works in the Dasam Granth are varied in contents and their tenor. Some works such as 14 Cantos of the Bachitra Natakand the Zafarnamah are almost autobiographical whereas the Chaubis Autar, and Chandi Chritras may be treated as biographical. Japu Sahib and Akal Ustati pertain to pure spirituality whereas Sastra Nammala delineates the use of the weapons and elevates them to the status of God. Covering the vast bulk of the Dasam Granth is Chritropakhyanin which the narratives concerning the lust and cunningness of women and some men are included. These stories are picked up ranging from folklore, mythology to history and the contemporary situation of the poet. In nutshell works in theDasam Granth are as follows:

1. Japu(Sahib) – contains 199 verses in 10 different metres such as Chaupai, Bhujang – prayat, Chachri, Rual, Bhagvati, Haribolmana, Charpat, Madhubhar Rasaval and Ek Achhari. Japu is strand of the diverse names of God which further explain the nature of the supreme reality. Love for Humanity and the creator Lord is the matrix of Sikh thought and God is conceived in Japu as the abode and cause of all love.

The Theme of God Realization

2. Akal Ustati is the next step to the Japu. Whereas Japu may be termed as the strnad of the different names of God, Akal Ustatitakes up the theme of God realization. It touches upon the hypocritical sectarian outlook besides holding the love and its activities be they spiritual or secular as the true values of life. 271 and half verses of Akal Ustatiare available in which the real ecumenical thought of Sikh religion as enunciated in the Guru Granth Sahib about oneness of humanity, brotherhood of mankind and fatherhood of One God, has been stressed upon.

3. Bachitra Natak, consisting of fourteen chapters spread over 471 verses, deals with autobiographical notes of Guru Gobind Singh�s earlier battles of Nadaun and Bhangani while he was camping at Paonta, a small town in the present day Himachal Pradesh. In the very beginning of the first canto, the Guru has obliterated the long cherished practice of invoking Ganesh and Sarasvati and instead set up a new Khalsa tradition of invoking the Sword whom he describes as the protector of the saints and destroyer of the evil-doers. The Sikh principle of one spirit and the same methodology of all the Gurus has been reiterated in this work. One more interesting fact is revealed by the poet when he discovers his family lineage linking himself to Lava and Kush, the worthy sons of Ramchandra, the acknowledged universal monarch of India and tells how their kingdom was shattered because of the infightings of the family. Only twenty villages could remain with the family by the time of Guru Nanak (5.3.4.) who first raised a spiritual empire on whose foundations later on i.e. up to the times of Ranjit Singh a vast and mighty temporal Khalsa empire was built. In fact the purpose of the Guru is not of tracing of his lineage here but is of telling the people that quarells and infightings always prove to be self defeating. The Guru perhaps anticipating the present day infightings among the masses as well as their spiritual and political leaders, has already hinted about the self destroying effects of the schismatic posture of the people who claim to be just brothers of one and all and still hate agreeing to any common action for the common cause.

Stories of Indian mythology and folklore

4.5.6Chadi Chritra Ukti Bilas (233 Verses), Chandi Chritra (262 verses) and Chandi Di Var (55 verses); First two works are in Braj Bhashaand the last one is composed in Punjabi language. In the whole of the corpus of the Dasam Granth, the Guru has dealt with innumerable anecdots and stories of Indian mythology and folklore but nowhere the same story has been repeated thrice as is in the case of the story of Durga. Indra, the god, cries and weeps over his lost kingdom forcibly snatched away by Mahishasur, the demon and comes to Durga, the supreme power of the Shivalik hills, to seek help. Durga consoles Indra, fights with the forces of Mahishasur and killing all his commanders restores back the kingdom to Indra the sole king of the Aryans. Durga also known as the Indian mother goddess is powerful example of the matrilineal society prevalent in India before the coming of the Aryans to this land. The Aryans did have the patrilineal social set-up and had no deep regards for female counterparts as is evident from the literary epics and other religious works of the race. Guru Gobind Singh seems to have considered Durga as the mighty queen who could fight for the cause of righteousness and could even help them who had destroyed her cultural fabric and were in the process of destroying the civilization such as of Mohenjo Dero and Harappa etc. Guru Gobind Singh found Durga as the epitome of womanhood and consistent to the framework of Sikh thought in which the position of woman is not only full of respect but also she is equal partner in all the spiritual as well as secular regimen of the Sikh society. He found the story of Durga fascinating and worthy undertaking its theme for uplifting the honour of woman. In view of this the poet seems to be untiring in eulogising Durga, though in the Chaubis Autarand at some other places he categorically says that he does not accept these deities as gods or goddesses. In Guru Granth Sahib also this is held that these personalities are mighty kings and queens of different period whom people out of their reverance for their actions of common weal started considering supernatural powers.

7. Gian Prabodh (336 verses) hinges upon the framework of Indian religious thought and when one finds in it the Guru dealing with the supreme ideals of life viz. dharma, artha, kama and moksha and their corollaries such as dan, charity and santokh, the contentmet, one feels explicitly how Guru is deeply rooted in the Indian ethos. The Guru knew about the erstwhile educational system because Gian Prabodhabounds in hinting about the names of Sasskrit Grammer works such as Kaumudi,Chandrika and Kashika etc.

8. Chaubis Autar - is considerably larger part of the Dasam Granth where all the mythological twenty-four incarnations of Vishnu have been dealt with. The Guru true to the spirit of Japuji makes people uderstand here that Akal Purakh, the Supreme reality is above all the gods and goddesses. In this work Vishnu is asked by the Akal Purakh to go to earth in order to protect the saints and destroy the devils. The stories of Rama (864 verses) and Lord Krishna (2492 verses) have occupied sufficiently larger space in this work because these were the mighty kings who have been reigning supreme in the hearts and minds of Indian people since times immemorial. The Tenth Guru has used these very popular stories as raw material for chisellig out and founding the solid Sikh thought that later on appeared in the form of Khalsa order. In the last verse of the Krishnavatar he portrays the vertically and horizontally developed personality of an ideal human being, and in the main body of this work while describing Krishna�s battle with Jarasandh, the Guru creates uncommon characters in both the armies. For example, he creates Shakti Singh, Amit Singh and mighty Kharag Singh. Kharag Singh here is prototype of Khalsa to be created after ten years and he is not only not getting killed by Krishna and his associate gods and goddesses who come to help Krishna, they rather have been depicted as fleeing the battlefield thus delineating the Sikh spirit that Sikhs are not to be afraid of the devis and devatas. On the other hand Dilawar Khan and the commanders of his ilk have been shown as being destroyed at the hands of Singhs. The Guru for his own purpose of rousing the spirits of medieval Indian people against the oppressors has transformed the olden battlefield into his contemporary world. Only such works of the Guru could realise his dream of awakening the slavery ridden people from their dogmatic slumber to create a strong Khalsa brotherhood in the year 1699 at Anandpur. While writing these incarnation stories, the Guru is quite conscious of his own ideology and at places gives his comments and notes that he is not believing in the incarnations of these gods and only Mahakal, the Supreme Reality beyond time and space is his protector.

Immediately after this work in the Dasam Granth thirty-three Svaiyas have been appended which further affirm the ideological stand of Guru Gobind Singh who is the devotee of Akal, the ever burning flame of righteousness and piety and who cannot be confused with the people working in the space and time, however mighty they might have been.

The scholars and soldiers

9. Sastra Namamala or �Inventory of Weapons� is such an abstruse work that could be a good treat for the scholars and soldiers alike. The weapons such as double edged sword, musket, and arrow etc. have been elevated to the status of the Divine. In most cryptic and coded terminology numerous names of five weapons i.e., sword, sheel (chakra), arrow, noose and musket have been defined. At few places the names of spear and dagger have also been hinted at which shows that perhaps this work is incomplete one. According to Patna recension of the Dasam Granth, Sastra Namamala had 1455 verses whereas now only 1318 verses are available.

How a spiritual person can save himself in disastrous circumstances?

10. Chritra Pakhyan, Pakhyan Charitra or more commonly known as TriyaCharitra – contains 7559 verses and thus happens to the largest work compiled in the Dasam Granth. It consists of 404 episodes rooted in Puranas, Mahabharata, Kathasarit Sagar, Panchtantra, Baital Pachisi and Alif Laila etc. This is an interesting collection of Indian and non Indian contemporary stories pertaining to the wiles of different varieties of women and at few places of men. Many of the themes of the stories have been picked up from the folklore and a very thoughtful psychological analysis of different characters whether they are feudal lords, ascetics or warriors, has been undertaken. This work in the DasamGranth owes much to considering the authorship of the Granth as controversial because some scholars feel that the stories touching the prostitution and other allied activities could not be the work of the Guru. However it is worth noting that this portion of the Dasam Granthis found in all the extant manuscripts of the work, apart from also being independently available. Hanuvant Singh is a young prince whose mother is no more. His father King Chitra Singh remarries and the new queen wants to involve the young prince in incest with her to which the prince refuses. The queen intimates and incites the King who becoming furious arrests the prince. The wise minister understanding the whole affair tells the king, the stories of different fraudulent women, deeply engrossed in cajolery and quite. The aim behind these stories seems to caution the men of their possible involvement in extra marital relationship and not to denigrate the women folk but to denounce the trapping women. However, benati chaupai is available in all the manuscripts of this work. The basic stress of most of the stories in this work is on maintaining a pure and lust free character as is evident from episodes, sixteen, twenty-one, eighty-one, one hundred eighty-three etc.

11.Zafarnamahcomprising 111 verses is one of the three Persian works of Guru Gobind Singh, the other two being Fatahnamah and Hakayats. Fatahamahresembles Zafarnamah whereas Hakayats have the same theme as of the Pakhyan Chritra. Zafarnamah is that letter which was written by the Guru at Dina, a town in Malva region of the Punjab when he happened to be there after the battle of Chamkaur. Bhai Daya Singh was entrusted the work of delivery of this letter to Aurangzeb who was camping at that time at Ahmad Nagar in the Southern India. This letter seems to be the reply of a personal message or letter by the Emperor to Guru Gobind Singh. Zafarnamahshows explicitly how a spiritual person can be in high spirits even in most disastrous circumstances. The Guru very badly has reprimanded Aurangzeb for his misdeeds, and in one verse the Guru says, “O Aurangzeb, of course you are king emperor but you are totally devoid of honesty and religious mindedness. So long your service to Islam is cocerned, this also is your hypocrisy. In fact you have no faith either on Hazarat Mohammad or God the great. Then, the oft quoted verse that �when all the efforts fail then it is incumbent upon a person to take to the sword and set the things right’ is there in the Zafarnamahto infuse the spirit of righteousness and fight against the tyranny. The entailing verses of the Dasam Granth as said above are Hikayatswhich are tales almost similar to Charitropakhyan with the difference that the latter work is in Brajbhasha and the Hikayats are in Persian.

With Thanks, By:

Dr. Jodh Singh
Professor of Sikhism,
Punjabi University, Patiala(INDIA)

June 24, 2010 Tags: Dr. Jodh Singh, Guru Gobind Singh, Shri Dasam Granth, Sikh Scriptures Category: Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Shri Dasam Granth No Comments

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