SRI GUR PANTH PRAKASH
(RATTAN SINGH BHANGOO)
VOLUME I (Episodes 1 to 81)
ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY
KULWANT SINGH 538 NANAKSHAHI (2006 CE)
INSTITUTE OF SIKH STUDIES CHANDIGARH
ISBN: 81-85815-28-3
SRI GUR PANTH PRAKASH
English Translation by KULWANT SINGH
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SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Dr Darshan Singh, formerly Professor and Head, Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (India), now settled in Toronto (Ont), Canada, who is well-known for his love of gurbani, kirtan and commitment to the cause of the Panth, sponsored the Project for translation of Sri GurPanth Prakash, with a handsome donation. The Institute sincerely appreciates his generosity and is deeply grateful to him.
FOREWORD
It is a matter of great pleasure for the Institute of Sikh Studies to present this valuable source of Sikh Studies to the English-knowing people both in India and abroad. Sardar Rattan Singh Bhangoo and his ancestors played stellar roles creating landmarks in Sikh history. His contributions for sharing very valuable and dependable details regarding the incidents related to the rise of the Khalsa to rule over Punjab have a specially high niche among the Sikh chronicles. He is uniquely placed among the Khalsa from both his maternal and paternal side. His passion for sharing facts of the sacrifices of the Khalsa flows from his parentage. He learnt the truth of the incidents in proper perspective from his ancesstors who had borne the hardships and were actively involved in organising and executing the plans of the Khalsa. They made supreme sacrifices for claiming what was their birth right. The historians and the Sikh people will ever remain indebted to Sardar Rattan Singh for bringing to limelight the efforts of the Khalsa to remain committed to their faith under excruciatingly trying circumstances. His writings rekindle the greatness of Sikh faith in the minds of the readers and inspire them to imbibe noble human qualities.
Dr Kharak Singh, whose scholarly eminence and global view need no introduction, had for a long time been cherishing the idea of enabling the English knowing people to have access to the monumental work of Rattan Singh Bhangoo. Refreshingly he found a worthy companion to carry out this gigantic task. Professor Kulwant Singh with rich experience, savvy command of Punjabi and English languages and sound knowledge of Sikh culture was an apt associate to form an intellectually simpatico duet to render erudite treatment to the subject. With poised profile and missionary zeal, Prof. Kulwant Singh under the benign guidance and active collaboration of Dr Kharak Singh, Editor, Abstracts of Sikh Studies, has accomplished the translation of Sri Gur Panth Prakash into English creditably. Their joint efforts have brought forth a unique literary desideratum which is a bellwether of historiographic representation. The first volume is in the hands of the readers and the second will follow it very soon.
The Institute of Sikh Studies congratulate and thank them on this accomplishment.
I wholeheartedly applaud the enthusiastic support of my esteemed colleagues of the Institute of Sikh Studies to this lofty project.
I appreciate M/s. Sidharat Media Printers for printing this volume in a decent format.
Chandigarh, October 25, 2006
Gurdev Singh President, Institute of Sikh Studies
CONTENTS
• Foreword ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... iii
• Preface ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ix
• A Significant Primary Source of Sikh History ... ... ... ... xii
• Introduction ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... xix
1 The Episode About the Origin of the Khalsa ... ... ... ... 3
2 The Second Episode ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 11
3 The Episode About the First Sikh Guru ... ... ... ... 21
4 The Episode About the Dialogue Between BabaNanak and Kaliyuga ... 35
5 Episode About Udasi to the South ... ... ... ... ... 37
6 Episode About Udasi to the East ... ... ... ... ... 39
7 Episode About Udasi to the West ... ... ... ... ... 43
8 Episode About Udasi to the North ... 47
9 Episode About the Delhi Emperor ... ... ... ... ... 51
10 Episode About the Emperor Karon ... ... ... ... ... 53
1 1 Episode About the Lineage of the Sikh Gurus ... ... ... ... 55
12 Episode About Aurangzeb's Tyranny ... ... ... ... ... 57
13 Episode About the Tenth Sikh Guru ... 71
14 Another Episode ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 75
15 Episode About the Creation the Khalsa Panth ... ... ... ... 83
16 Episode About the Expansion of the Khalsa Panth ... ... ... 89
17 Episode About Anandpur Sahib ... ... ... ... ... 101
1 8 Episode About the B attle at Anandpur S ahib ... ... ... ... 1 07
19 Episode About the Sacrifice of Elder Sahibzadas ... ... ... 119
20 Episode About Machhiwara ... ... ... ... ... ... 131
21 Episode About Kangar, Tapa and Dina Villages ... ... ... ... 137
22 Episode About the Brass Near Jaal Piloo Forest ... ... ... 149
23 Episode About Muktsar Sahib ... 155
24 Episode About Sabo (Talwandi) Region (A Talwandi of Brars) ... ... 1 65
25 The Episode About Rain in Mai wa Region ... ... ... ... 171
26 The Episode About Guru Gobind Singh's Movement to the South ... 171
27 The First Episode About Banda Bahadur ... ... ... ... 175
28 The S econd Episode About B anda B ahadur ... ... ... ... 179
29 The Episode About Guru Gobind Singh's Encounter with Banda Bahadur 189
30 Prayer of the Khalsa 199
31 Banda Singh's Faith (in the Guru) 201
vi Sri Gur Panth Prakash
32 Further Account of Baba Banda Singh ... ... ... ... 205
33 The Episode About Village Seharkhand ... ... ... ... 211
34 The Episode About the Singhs of Village Salodi ... ... ... ... 217
35 The Episode About the Town of Samana ... ... ... ... 221
36 The Episode About Slaughter and Arson at Sadhaura ... ... ... 223
37 The Episode About the Slaughter of Wazir Khan ... ... ... 227
38 The Episode of Malerkotla's Pathan Khawaja Khijar
And the Death of his two Brothers ... ... ... ... ... 23 1
39 The Episode About War Preparations on both sides ... ... ... 235
40 The Episode About Wazir Khan's Murder ... ... ... ... 237
41 Banda Singh's Entry into Sirhind ... ... ... ... ... 245
42 The Episode About Ram Rayyas And Bhujangis... ... ... ... 247
43 The Episode of Malerkotla ... 249
44 The Episode About Doaba Region ... ... ... ... ... 253
45 The Episode About Singhs of Salodi Village 259
46 The Episode About Banda Singh's Blessing Deep Singh with Teeth ... 261
47 The Mughals Feel Threatened at the Advent of Banda Singh ... ... 263
48 The Episode About Hill States ... 265
49 The Episode About the Hill chief of Kahloor ... ... 281
50 The Episode About the Hill chief of Mandi 289
5 1 Now Follows the Episode of Kullu ... ... ... ... ... 293
52 Now Follows the Episode About Chamba ... ... ... ... 301
53 Further Account About (Banda Singh's visit to Chamba)... ... ... 303
54 The Episode About Baba BandaAnd Bahadur Shah ... 305
55 The Episode About Narrating the Names of (Mughal) Custodians ... 319
56 Now I Narrate Another Episode ... ... ... ... ... 323
57 The Episode About the Death of Jaali Din ... ... 325
58 The Episode About Shamas Khan and Baizid Khan ... ... ... 327
59 Now I Narrate the Last Episode About Banda Singh ... ... ... 335
60 Estrangement Between Banda Singh And Tat Khalsa ... ... ... 339
6 1 The Mughals ' Conspiracy Against B anda Singh
And their Eulogy of (Tat Khalsa) Singhs ... ... ... ... 359
62 The Mughals' Laying of Seige Around (Banda Singh) ... ... ... 365
63 Banda Singh Launches on a Kahi ... ... ... ... ... 377
64 The Episode About Mughal's Attack (on Banda Singh's Fort) ... ... 385
65 A Fierce Battle Ensued ... ... 389
66 The Episode About the (Goddess) Kali's Sacrificial Offering ... ... 399
67 The Episode About Banda Singh's Capture ... ... 407
68 The Episode About Banda Singh's Death ... ... 415
69 The Episode About the Disappearance of Banda Singh ... ... ... 419
70 The Episode About the Manner of Farukhsiyar's Death ... ... ... 427
7 1 The Episode About the Khalsa 429
72 The Episode About the (Factional) Fight ... ... 439
Sri Gur Panth Prakash vii
73 The Episode About the Wrestling Bout Between
Miri Singh And Sangat Singh ... ... ... ... ... 447
74 The Episode About Baba Binod Singh and Kahan Singh Tehan ... ... 453
75 The Episode About the Guruship of Gulab Rai ... ... ... ... 455
76 The Second Episode About Gulab Rai 459
77 The Episode About Gulab Rai ... ... ... ... ... ... 465
78 The Episode About Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ... ... ... 469
79 The Episode About Singhs Who Accepted Martyrdom ... ... ... 471
80 The Episode About the Tat Khalsa Mehar Singh,
Gangu Shah's Dynasty and Kharak Singh ... ... ... ... 477
81 The Episode About the Origin of Gangushahian Sect ... ... ... 485
References ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 492
Index ... ... 527
A SIGNIFICANT PRIMARY SOURCE OF SIKH HISTORY
In historiography it is accepted by one and all that contemporary or semi- contemporary source of information is one of the most important factors in history writing. Where written contemporary record is not available, oral tradition is recorded to construct the history. In recent years, particularly in the study of history of African Societies, the ethno-historians and anthropologists with historical interest, have demonstrated convincingly how tradition can be recorded , collected, checked and utilized for historiographical purposes.
The tradition of the people constitutes what they have to say for themselves. In the 'Asiatic Researches' , John Malcom has significantly written "In every research into general history of mankind, it is of utmost essential importance to know what a nation has to say of itself, and knowledge obtained from such sources has a value independent of its historical utility."1
According to Jan Vasina, study of tradition occupies a special place in various kinds of historical sources. Tradition becomes more reliable, when it is corroborated by some other evidence.2
In old times, there were specialists whose concern was to memorise and transmit the traditions. In ancient India, the verses of the Rig Veda had been preserved in memory from generation to generation, until they were brought in the written form. In the Rajput states in medieval India, there used to be bards who recited the important events of the dynastic history of the rulers. In Sikh history, the descendants of Bhatts, whose verses have been included in the Adi Guru Granth, have been recording some of the important dates and events relating to the Sikh Gurus.
Just as the tradition of Guru Nanak can be studied in the Janamsakhis, the tradition of Guru Hargoind, the sixth guru, and Guru Gobind Singh , the tenth guru, can be searched in the Gurbilas Patshahi Chhevin and Gurbilas Patshahi Dasvin, respectively. Bawa Sarup Dass Bhalla, a direct descendant of Guru Amar Das, the third Sikh Guru, compiled Mehma Parkash in 1776 A.D., basing his account on traditions of Sikh Gurus prevalent in his family. Baba Sumer Singh of Patna, author of Gur Parkash, also belonged to this family. Bhai Santokh Singh's celebrated work, Gurpartap Suraj Granth, is mostly based on the traditions and anecdotes relating to the Sikh Gurus. It can be proved beyond doubt that Bhai Santokh Singh painstakingly collected the traditions of the Gurus. To cite only one example, his account of the travels of Guru Tegh Bahadur is identical with that of Sakhi Pothi subsequently discovered by Attar Singh Bhadaur and published by the Khalsa Samachar, Amritsar. The historicity of traditions cannot be lost in ornate poetry, verbosity of expression and superb imagination of similes and metaphors employed.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
xiii
One of the important works relating to the eighteenth century history of the Sikhs is Panth Parkash by Rattan Singh Bhangu. According to Karam Singh, all the dates mentioned therein are correct. I have verified some of its accounts with Persian sources, and found them to be similar. This point will be illustrated with example at appropriate place in the article. E.H. Cair explains that history is a dialogue between past and present.3 The historian watches the whole procession of history. He interprets the past and selects the relevant material. It is, therefore, very significant to understand his socio-ethnic background. In case of Gur Panth Prakash of Rattan Singh Bhangoo we must know what was his socio- religious background.
Rattan Singh Bhangoo was grandson of Mehtab Singh of village Marhi Kambo (modern Amritsar). Mehtab Singh was one of the leaders of the 18th century Sikhs, and had been fighting against the persecution campaign of Zakaria Khan, Governor of Punjab (1726- 1745 CE). Once Massa Rangarh Chaudhry of Patti desecrated the Darbar Sahib, Amritsar. Mehtab Singh, along with his companion Sukha Singh, killed Massa Rangarh. The Mughal troops were in hot pursuit to trace Mehtab Singh. Ultimately he was arrested, brought to Lahore, the capital of the province, and killed. His village was attacked to search other members of his family. The panch of the village Natha Khera was killed. Mehtab Singh's son was under custody of a Muslim family. The head of the family did his best to save the child, and was killed in the attempt. The child was severely wounded and was taken to be dead by the attackers. Subsequently some ladies of Kambo family came that way and found that the child was alive but unconscious. They took carried home and nourished him. He was Rai Singh, father of Rattan Singh Bhangoo.
The above narrated accounts have been recorded by Rattan Singh in his Sri Gur Panth Prakash in the following way:
h£ h uatr trwf fan ^3
UH% ^ Sfft? tRH TO Ffel
frfur 3fu w irfo fira^aT, ore frEfcft fire ^nt hft t fe^n »fsr »th W3 fer oft wt, ftiH era fsm\ w^ti
0^ 7? fit §ira g^fe, fara f§ sot cra§ fe^r 7? wfe\ utes oft fzs cfor, ^rae?r ira nrat
oPZ >re ^ ffD-ft WSt feH ofcf W3 cffiT Uljt wsti
xiv
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
HU ^U t H TTfe TTWl Sfftj, fecT H^T c^fes tut feu W UUUt »ffel
ifcs TOt, w Ucret era ura tWt M to, fen feu uh flra gu ira^i4
The historical significance of Sri Gur Panth Prakash lies in the fact that its author Rattan Singh belonged to an historic family which had experienced various stages in the eighteen century annals of the Sikhs. He himself was married to the daughter of Sham Singh, head of Karor Singhia Misl. Thus, he got the historical information about the Sikh struggle from his inheritance, as both the families were prominent in their areas, viz., Mehtab Singh belonged to Majha, viz., area beyond the Satluj and Sham Singh to Malwa, viz., cis- Satluj area. In the beginning of the book it has been written:
»fsr ft fe^ fnurs eft ntft, fau fe »mT^ »ptfti >>ra yu1^ 3 at Hst, u§ tj ftran ftw qu ^i5
He writes about martyrdom of Bhai Mani Singh in this way: fHUf HUft fetft, fe7 UH1^ oRft ift fcftl6
About Bota Singh's martyrdom it has been recorded:
huM ^ frfur HHt, U3?J ftfur he! ^utr
There has been controversy about the number of the Sikhs killed in Ghallughara (1762 CE). According to Rattan Singh thirty thousand Sikhs were killed:
fi-B7 tPU tffe UH % TW, §7) § H?) UH »fTtft TOI8 Historic Sense
Rattan Singh was not unaware of the fundamental principles of historiography. He knew that a writer leaves the image of his mind on his writings. For this reason a writer should not have any prejudice in his mind and he should be sincere and honest while writing an account. Rattan Singh knew that Bute Shah would not be able to do justice to Sikh history, as the Sikhs had been fighting against the Mughals who were Muslims. This apprehension he expressed to Captain Murray. The need of the hour was to present the true picture about Sikhs to the British. For this purpose he undertook to write the account of the Sikhs. Rattan says:
rra^s »rat ft ^b^, fou ft m3 rlU^I
BH 3 3Utf tra^S Wfe, IPH §H W HH?rfel
fnurs oft §3U3t tetrct, fan cru tfwr w imti
HUt U3H # f^H cfttf, W HS^t hH^I
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
xv
fetrs fod'y §ft ^um^, frfmc1) oft §3u?t fetp^i
ftTH <jfe HU ft §ft fetp^.d ft f5 ?) 3f U#^l Cffo H^^F W IfH, >HU ^-T5 ft 3uT
fftt oldfddl UHt^.reWWH fU35 3§l
crfe fts^t 5 Hiron^, 'org frra?> tut cjuf wsi
ofU UlHU UK HUt TTH?^, §H oF fefW UHfo fef^l
§h oT ^tr uh w fwt, fe?) uts ywr ^ut ^ TFati
ft Hut UHU te 3Ct ftfo feu olfoct wfe.UH §3U3 3ET tfWf fen 3H ^u fetpfei9
Significance of the Accounts of Martyrs
By narrating the accounts of Sikh martyrs Rattan Singh Bhangoo had made significant contribution in history of the 18th century Sikhs. Sikhs remember their martyrs both times, morning and evening, in daily prayer. Rattan Singh's great contribution is to give the accounts of these Sikh martyrs. He is the first person to record the history of Sikh martyrs in truly Sikh perspective, inspiring the readers with the spirit of sacrifice. He writes about Bhai Mani Singh's martyrdom thus:
T^ei >r# qu 3ft ww, us wu $ TTft yrrwi
tP?> ^JGT 5 HTTOH^, 3^ st^Ul 3HUt TPS!
fffurs o[u^ uh freer ?) urf, ^rsf ttsh uu tresr to1 tti trfurs t-pus fer 3tt, oru^ fewt frn-r rei
re re g£ fftur H?ft orarf. fen ora eute train fen^i10
How emotionally he has described the death of Bhai Mani Singh:
HTH 3% t ^cT, uut ffttft frfm HTHB HUI
ttOT fW5 HS^,§§W TTUT3 ft ^1
3^ RUfe<5 ft Hdtl'd, H'Td^'tlcS feUT fslG^ltl'd..11
The martyrdom of Bhai Tara Singh of Village Vaan has been described in detail, how valiantly he died fighting:
^uh1 fnurs uu u£, §5 § trfur Ft ttsw »t£i
3UoT5 #TT § UTUf UU^f, Ud^t re1^ fHUf?) t iMl t fe) U3^t §frHHW, 3UoT5 sfttf
fe§ fnm feft tr^r, >hu >h ft ct u^i % eft re^r ffe £3 lit § fttu w »r%i gicft Hra fftur fen feu i^r Tra?j t tftu ^u 75^1
xvi
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
fen 3^ firm wM wt, fm fct §h h^t to we\\ fen 3^ fnuf rft to? ^W.Hroa- to t^t ft #»n ^ra t itot fHH >^h oihtw, hIh^w froa
TO TO fRUJS t ffffe era TOT 3^ ITJS, TO ?7H TTO TOH cF t TO »FTO TTOI12
How the Sikhs made sacrifices smilingly has been narrated in a very impressive way The readers get inspiration from the writing. Bota Singh's death has been described in this way:
3te ^ fHur to trot, toto t f\ »wt fetnti
fffur TO fqw 3TO 3fe,UTO TOJ ?> TO HTOJI TO ?TOt d66<^'d BOT, tRUT #TO TO. TO5I
tfs fnuis sut fro to^ tos tt to iiri toh
TO: ef^ ITTO^ TO TO? TO5, TOS TT §S WE t TO^ §3 UTO5I13
The Sikhs fought with confidence, faith and high spirits. They made sacrifices, as has been narrated in Panth Prakash.
W 3+ TTUt ftt TTO TTO TTO TOTO, TTO TTTTO »FHT TOT ?tlj »W TOTOI TOW §3 f^TO 5 »PTO »ftf fwfe, ?5TO TO TO TO5T |j TO dW^'d' tfrfel
to to toto to, to fror iro5 to to i
TTO TTO fffuiS TOTO UTO, if?) HTO TO fTO1 §H TOft I
ttto to ft hJI^cS to, toj ttoto ^3 fro iro i toto to! tot fror "33^ ftfur to tot toti14
Fresh Fight on the Events
After the massacre of Banda Singh Bahadur and his companions in Delhi there was dark period in Sikh history. During the rule of Abdul Samadh Khan (1716-1726 CE), and Zakaria Khan (1726-1745 CE) heads of Sikhs carried prize. No Sikh was allowed to live in towns and villages. Nothing authentic was known about Sikhs. Rattan Singh fulfilled this gap, and provided the missing link in the history of Sikhs. According to Rattan Singh Bhangoo, whenever the Sikhs gathered strength, they attacked Sirhind which had witnessed the martyrdom of young sons of Guru Gobind Singh. The Sikhs called it Guru Mari Sirhind. There have been four attempts to destroy Sirhind from 1710 to 1763 CE. Sirhind was the capital city. Ultimately it was destroyed and its destruction led to the rise of Khalsa. Griffin, therefore, rightly stated that out of religious fervour Sikhs got political power.
Rattan Singh has written account of both the Ghalugharas, viz., 1746 CE and 1762 CE. The end of ghallughara (1746) has been described in the following way:
3f toct to § fro uro toto >w, toj3to fro w 3 3 toj^ toi to toT£ fm fro fror sfi ttoto, 3 tojI? >ro to tot we\ totu it^i15
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
xvii
Ghallughara (1762) has been described in this way:
v& %s f$Y£3\ ur§up% fer^ wfu\
3f uiz 3f w^, fedcSoi uh to ^rat towri
fe^r feu^T gsr 3fo ^ut §#' g^ tw?s, 33 trwF ^ ^ h ^fei16
Authentic Account
I have verified some of its accounts with that of the Persian sources, and found them to be almost identical. For instance, the account of Maratha-Sikh invasion of Sirhind in 1758 in Prachin Panth Prakash by Rattan Singh and that in Tazakara-i-Imadul Mulk, a contemporary source are similar. After the fourth invasion of Ahmad Shah Abdali, he appointed his son Timur-Shah and his general Khan Jehan to govern the Punjab. In order to turn out the Afghans from Punjab, Adina Beg, the Faujdar of Jalandhar Doab, invited Marathas and Sikhs to conquer Sirhind. The Sikhs were first to conquer Sirhind. The Marathas entered Sirhind a few days later. Rattan Singh writes:
ttc frfur uu ^ra >>feu ^t, fmsd ^ ^ tfti ^ f ^ >ra, feu fgg ^d'6l ^fe h u^i 3g frfurs gu wfet F^ft ^3 fm ?r wti ^ fe?r yju$ hu u^, ¥ 33f ^ w&i
Identical account has been given in the Tazakara of Imadul Malk who was the Wazir of Alamgir Sani, the Mughal Emperor. This Persian manuscript is lying in Khuda Bakhs Library, Bankipur, Patna.
Second example: Jawahar Mai of Bharatpur wanted to avenge the death of his father, Suraj Mai, who had been killed by Rohellas. Rohella leader Najib-ud-Daula had helped Ahmad Shah Abdali in the ghallughara of Sikhs in 1762 CE. The Sikhs, therefore, agreed to help Jawahar Singh Jat of Bharatpur. Rattan Singh writes:
§H »faH tfWT 75ST, 3^3 ^ £u ?T 3Htl
?i ^rgT& rm% i-rfe, gd fgw3?> iraus irrfui18
This is confirmed by Persian manuscript entitled Ahwal-i-Najib-ud-Daula preserved in Rampur Literary. Its English translation has been done by Sheikh Abdul Rashid of Aligarh University.
Thus, it is evident that the various accounts given by Rattan Singh are authentic. The sacrifices of Sikh martyrs have been given exactly in the same Sikh spirit in which they were actually made. Indeed the Sri Gur Panth Prakash of Rattan Singh is a monumental work in Sikh history and most indispensable source for writing Sikh history of the eighteenth century.
xviii
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
References
1 John Malcom, Religion of Sikhs, Calcutta, 1958, p. 85.
2 Jan Vasina, Oral History, A Study of Historical Methodology, London, 1963, p. ix.
3 E.H. Can, What is History, Pelican Book, Middlesex, England, p. 123.
4 Prachin Panth Prakash, Rattan Singh Bhangoo, edited by Bhai Vir Singh, Khalsa Samachar, Amritsar, pp. 220-224.
5 Ibid., p. 1.
6 Ibid., p. 213.
7 Ibid., p. 232.
8 Ibid., p. 358.
9 Ibid., pp. 5-6.
10 Ibid., p. 211.
11 Ibid., p. 213.
12 Ibid., p. 178.
13 Ibid., p. 231.
14 Ibid., p. 232.
15 Ibid., p. 307.
16 Ibid., p. 358.
17 Ibid., p.133.
18 Ibid., p. 411,
Chandigarh, October 21, 2006
Dr Kirpal Singh 1288, Sector 15-B Chandigarh
PREFACE
Rattan Singh Bhangoo's magnum opus, Sri GurPanth Prakash, occupies a unique position among the primary sources of Sikh history. His account of the Guru period concentrates on Guru Nanak Dev and Guru Gobind Singh, following the Janamsakhi tradition for the former and Bachittar Natak for the latter. He makes only a passing reference to the other patshahis. However, his narration of the origin and rise of the Khalsa during this eighteenth century is original and fairly comprehensive. In fact, there is no other original and reliable source for this period. The accounts given by the Mughal rulers, were highly biased and derogatory, and showed the Sikhs as outlaws and criminals interested only in trouble making. Far from showing them as saint-soldiers fighting for freedom and human rights and defence of the weak and the downtrodden, they painted them as devils with no legitimate claim to power and authority. It was, therefore, decided by the research committee of the Institute of Sikh Studies to take up work of translating into English, this great Punjabi epic which gives a true account of the happenings of the 18th century..
As explained by the author of this epic, the British who had already occupied a large part of the Indian Sub-continent, wanted to know how the Sikhs, coming from poor and helpless subjects of a ruthless empire, had risen to power and authority, overthrowing the mighty Mughal rulers. It was necessary for them to understand this, for they had their eyes on the Punjab also. For this, they knew they would have to confront the Khalsa. The East India Company Governor General's Agent, General David Ochterlony, had gathered some information through the Mughal Emperor, Farrukh Siyar, and also commissioned one Maulvi Bute Shah of Batala, through his representative at Ludhiana, Captain David Murray, to write a history of the Sikhs. His report not only confirmed the earlier Mughal version, but was even more damaging. It was at this stage that Captain Murray came into contact with Rattan Singh Bhangoo, and sought his opinion on Bute Shah's account. As expected, it was highly biased and distorted, and made no mention of the sacrifices made by the Sikh Gurus and their countless Sikhs defending the defenceless people and the lofty moral and spiritual ideals preached by Guru Nanak and his successor Gurus. Bhangoo told him all this, and added that Maulvi Bute Shah was a Musalman, and was not expected to shower praise on the Sikhs.
Captain Murray then asked him the pointed question, "How did the Sikhs establish their rule, and who gave them sovereignty?" Bhangoo replied that it was Guru Nanak, the True Emperor (Sachcha Patshah) who had conferred sovereignty on the Khalsa. This epic is, in fact, an elaboration of this brief answer to Murray's crucial question. It is the history of the struggle waged by the Khalsa to end the tyrannical foreign rule and to win freedom for their sacred motherland. It is an eye-witness account of the supreme sacrifices made by countless martyrs like Bhai Mani Singh, Bhai Mehtab Singh, Sukha Singh, Bhai Taru Singh, Baba Gurbakhsh Singh, etc., whom the Sikhs remember everyday in their congregational prayers. But for this
X
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
great epic written by Bhangoo, this great heritage, which has inspired, and continues to inspire the Sikhs, generation after generation, would have been lost.
Rattan Singh Bhangoo was in a unique position to record the episodes narrated in the epic, since he had first hand information on these events through his father and grandfather who were active participants in the high drama of Sikh history during the 18th century. On the maternal side also his grandfather, Sardar Shyam Singh was the Chief of the Karoresinghia Misl. Bhangoo was also related to the famous court poet of Guru Gobind Singh, Sainapat. With these connections, he was in touch with the current developments in high circles of the Panth, and had access to the oral history of his and the earlier times. He fully availed himself of this unique position, and has produced an epic which is testimony to the glory of the Panth as well as to his own greatness as a historian, an epic writer and a devoted Sikh.
The epic was discovered and first published by Bhai Vir Singh in 1914, and has since seen four editions. The SGPC published an edited version of this granth in 1984, with suitable comments and explanations, which has been adopted as basis for this translation. Access to this great epic has so far been limited to Punjabi knowing readers only. The vast English knowing audiences have, however, remained unaware of this great epic, and have thus been deprived of the inspiration it carries. To meet this keenly felt need, the Institute of Sikh Studies decided to produce an English translation. Prof. Kulwant Singh, who was commissioned to do it, has done an excellent job, and its Volume I with eighty-one episodes is ready. The second volume will follow soon, which will conclude the story of the origin of the Khalsa and its rise to power, recorded by Rattan Singh Bhangoo.
Prof. Kulwant Singh has added a detailed introduction, which greatly enhances the value of this publication. He has described this work as an epic comparable to some of the best ones in the Eastern as well as Westerm classical literature. There is one difference, however, that Bhangoo's epic is based on history, unlike some of the others which are largely mythological, or reflect the authors imagination, unrelated to any historical facts.
Bhangoo wrote this epic in Punjabi verse. He was, however, well-versed in Persian and Sanskrit also. This is clear from the liberal use of vocabulary from these languages in the text. Apart from the accuracy and vividness of the account given by the author in various episodes, a remarkable feature is the astonishing brevity of his expression. Its translation without loss of original beauty, is no easy task. Prof. Kulwant Singh, has, however, not only succeeded, but has come out with laurels. As a result of his efforts, we have a highly readable versified free English rendering of the epic.
I wish to express my sincere thanks to Prof. Darshan Singh of Canada (formerly Professor of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana), who sponsored this project with a handsome donation.
I am also deeply grateful to S. Gurdev Singh, President, Institute of Sikh Studies, Dr
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Kirpal Singh, Dr Gurbakhsh Singh and Dr Birendra Kaur for the valuable help rendered by them in this task. Dr Kirpal Singh has also contributed a scholarly note which highlights the importance of Gur Panth Parkash as a primary source of Sikh history.
October 10, 2006 959, Sector 59, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar
Kharak Singh Convener, Research Committee
INTRODUCTION
Rattan Singh Bhangoo's magnum opus, Gur Panth Prakash (1841), written in the great literary Western and Eastern tradition of poetical epics like Homer's Illiad, Odyssey, Ulysses, Virgil's Aenid, Milton's Paradise Lost and Paradaise Regained, Tulsi's Ramayana and Ved Vyas' Mahabharta, is one of the oldest historical chronicles of the origin and evolution of the Sikh/Khalsa Panth, the other few being Sukha Singh's Gurbilas, Bhai Kesar Singh Chhibber's Bansawali Nama Dasan Patshahian Ka(l 826) and still more ancient Janamsakhis. Epic writing is universally acknowledged as a valid genre of writing legends, both in the Western and Eastern literary canons. All these epics, in both the literary canons, have the history of their respective historical personages during the specific periods of the predominant races of those regions as their primary content and subject matter. But epic mode of presentation is poetical rather than the cold prosaic mode of pure historical works. To that extent, we find these epics dotted with diverse kinds of digressions and deviations from the focal point of history, because the authors of all these epics being poets, rather celebrated bards of their times, have a professional commitment to make their compositions acquire epic dimensions capable of capturing the imagination of their people. For this purpose, they employed well-known literary devices such as epic similes and other literary embellishments in order to perpetuate and immortalise their national heroes. All epics primarily aim at glorification and edification of their epic heroes to make them embodiments of their national, racial, and religious ethos and ideological doctrines. Rattan Singh Bhangoo's poetical epic is no exception to this rule. But despite this poetical flab of cosmetic embellishments, there runs a deep, perennial undercurrent of contemporary history in all these poetical works. Moreover, there is another dimension to these epical compositions that these epics were meant to be recited and sung, very often, to the accompaniment of music, to the vast audiences to capture their imagination. It is this poetical appeal, which has made these epics immortal since their reading and recitation before vast audiences, through the several generations of their people, have permanently etched the memory and moral stature of their heroes in the collective unconscious of their nations. It is this poetical dimension, which has kept the history of the nations and races alive and vibrant rather than the cold factual, scholarly records of the historians. Thus, these epics inform, instruct and entertain at the same time. A discerning reader can easily sift through the icy topping of the poetical flab and dip into the steady undercurrent of history and arrive at conclusions closely similar to those recorded in typical histories, minor distortions notwithstanding. Thus Bhangoo's monumental work like all other world classics, is a great work of art as well as Sikh history, especially of the blood- soaked Sikh history of over one hundred years covering the whole of 18th century (1675-1795).
Rattan Singh Bhangoo's Gur Panth Prakash came to be written under special circumstances with the British collusion with the predominantly Sikh-dominated Phulkian state rulers of the major principalities Southwest of the Sutlej to checkmate the advance of Maharaja Ranj it Singh's Khalsa forces. With the capture of Delhi, the British had established their rule on major part of
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Northern India. The British were now on the verge of having an encounter with the Sikhs whose writ was running from the river Attock in the north to the river Yamuna in the Northeast. A little earlier in 1783, a massive Sikh force of forty thousand troops had occupied Delhi during Shah Alam IPs rule under the command of S. Baghel Singh, the head of the Kroresinghia Misl who had vacated Delhi only after demarcating and constructing the major historical Sikh shrines in Delhi and after collecting a huge ransom and a significant percentage of octroi as regular payment as a condition for keeping the Sikh forces out of Delhi. The British, being shrewd and steadfast visionaries, had started gathering intelligence and compiling information about the Sikhs two decades before their occupation of Delhi. After their capture of Delhi, they speeded up their efforts to have an authentic version of history of the Sikhs, and General David Ochterloney had got one version of Sikh history prepared by Khushwaqat Rai, which was more or less a Mughal version of Sikh history with all its biases and prejudices. Thereafter, he asked his junior British resident at Ludhiana, Captain David Murray to get another version recorded from another source to check the veracity of the earlier version. Captain Murray summoned the services of one of his court officials and Muslim scribes from Batala, Bootey Shah Maulvi, to dictate to him the history of the Sikhs. This Muslim scribe, being as much prejudiced and biased against the Sikhs as the earlier chronicler, also recorded an extremely distorted and biased version of the Sikhs and their evolution. It was at this juncture, as if by coincidence, that Captain Murray also came into contact with Rattan Singh Bhangoo, a resident of Village Bhari near Samrala, in his Court at Ludhiana. During the course of their random meetings, Captain Murray shared his mission of getting the history of the Sikhs recorded, and revealed that he had already got one version recorded by his court official Bootey Shah Maulavi. Captain Murray also entreated Rattan Singh Bhangoo to acquaint him with the Sikh history, since the latter came from an illustrious Sikh family. He also sought the latter's opinion on the contents of Bootey Shah's version. Acceding to Captain Murray's request, Rattan Singh Bhangoo went through Bootey Shah's version and found it not only inadequate, but extremely biased and completely bereft of truth and objectivity. Being a direct descendent of the great Sikh martyrs and having a comprehensive knowledge of the origin and evolution of the history of the Sikhs acquired through the then prevalent oral narration of events from generation to generation as well as his study of the earlier chronological records such as those of Gurbilas, Bansawali Nama Dasan Patshahian Ka, Janamsakhis and Persian records (He was well-versed in Persian), he felt an urgent need to set the record straight and narrate a valid, unbiased and objective history of the origin and evolution of the Khalsa Panth from its beginning upto his own times. He told his patron candidly about the inadequacies and glaring distortions in Bootey Shah's version because of his in-built racial hostility and religious bias against the Sikhs. He also offered to narrate an objective and true account of the origin and evolution of the Khalsa Panth, to Captain Murray. The latter accepted this offer and entrusted him to record the history of the Khalsa Panth since this British Officer as well as his senior at Delhi had been instructed to get an authentic version of the Sikh history recorded so that its proper version could be preserved in the British Museum at London. It would also serve the purpose of chalking out the British policy towards the Sikhs in the near future. This recording of major episodes of Sikh history by the author of the Gur Panth Parkash continued for three decades from 1808 onwards. Later on, the author collected these statements into a single volume of a poetical epic in 1841 and completed its last version at Amritsar while sitting in the ancestral Bunga of his ancestor in the holy precincts of Harmandir
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Sahib. For recording these prominent historical events of Sikh history, he travelled extensively to collect information, took notice of the prevalent traditions of oral history, heard the account from his veteran Sikh ancestors and went through the available religious Sikh records. Being a good scholar of Persian, and Sikh and ancient Hindu scriptures and belonging to a Sikh family of illustrious Sikh martyrs as well as being an immediate descendant of those Sikh veterans who had participated in some of the most violent and bloody military campaigns against the Mughals, he was fully qualified to record a reliable version of the Sikh history.
Before going into the subject matter of this great epic, its sources of information and mode of its presentation, it would be appropriate to look into the brief biographical profile of its author in order to evaluate the relevance and authenticity of its historicity. The author was the grandson of the famous 18lh century Sikh warrior Sardar Mehtab Singh of Mirankot from the paternal side and Sardar Sham Singh of Kroresinghia Misl from the maternal side. S. Mehtab Singh along with S. Sukha Singh had, in a rare act of dare-devilry, beheaded the Mughal feudal lord dubiously known as Massa Ranghar in the open court for the latter's act of desecrating the holy Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar. After the martyrdom of his grandfather, his father S. Rai Singh, too, participated in many Khalsa campaigns against the Mughals. He was married to the daughter of S. Sham Singh, head of the Kroresinghia Misl and was given the territorial custody over a few villages near Mirankot in Amritsar and Sirhind, kept in their custody under the "Rakhi" system of their Misls. Rattan Singh Bhangoo, the author of this epic, was the third son of S, Rai Singh. When Maharaja Ranjit Singh established his political dominance over the north-western parts of the Punjab to the North of the Sutlej, the author's family migrated from Mirankot and settled at village Bhari in their custodial territory of Sirhind as per Lepel Griffin's1 account. It was during his stay here that he got wind of the history of the Sikhs being written by Bootey Shah Maulvi under the patronage of David Murray. Being well-versed in Sikh history, both because of his illustrious Sikh lineage and heritage as well as his scholarship in Sikh history, he apprehended the production of a distorted version of Sikh history by a bigoted Muslim. With the object of both guarding against the projection of such a biased view about his religion and history being passed on to the British and the world and presenting an authentic, objective version of the Sikh history, he established links with Captain Murray and struck a good rapport with him. It was out of this two-fold objective of protecting the rich Sikh heritage and history and projecting an almost eye-witness account of the saga of Sikh struggle and evolution, that he undertook the writing of this monumental epic. It took him to labour for three to four decades to complete and preserve the rich legacy of Sikh struggle for the coming generations.
Bhangoo used both the sources of oral history as well as the written resources for his writing of this epic. As far as the use of oral history, he acknowledges its contribution in the opening lines of his epic:
Now I undertake to write the account of the Sikhs, As it was narrated by our ancestors and forefathers. And as heard from still earlier and ancient elders,
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Who had heard it from their own talented peers2 . (2)
(Episode 1, p. 3)
This oral tradition of narration of major historical events and historical personages has been prevalent almost in every society, especially during the earlier phases of civilisation. This tradition, in the form of grandmother's tales, discourses (hatha) from the pulpit in the daily religious congregations at religious places and even stage and theatre versions, has been so strong and pervasive among the majority of all the Indian religious groups that the major contours of the character traits of the great historical personages and their legendary achievements, together with their religious and moral ethos, have been permanently etched into the memory and collective unconscious of their races. With their repetitive recitation over the generations, each religious community has come to acquire their distinct religious and moral traits. This stream of oral history has a wider mass appeal than the recorded history based on scholarship, which catres to the interests of a miniscule minority of those who study it for their scholarly and academic pursuits. This oral stream of history, though undoubtedly laced with a bit of sentimentalism and racial and religious bias, is nevertheless as pervasive and valid as the academic stream of history. The legends of Rama, Krishna, Kauravas and Pandavas, and various Hindu legendary saints and soldiers have become an integral part of the Indian/Hindu psyche primarily through this, folklorist tradition of epics of Indian/Hindu History. Similarly, major attributes of Sikh valour, charity, sacrifice and service of humanity and Sikh fundamental ethos of Naam Simran, meditation, earning one's livelihood through just and earnest means as well as sharing one's earnings with others, have entered the Sikh psyche and become an indispensable part of Sikh way of life mainly through this perennial stream of oral history in the form of verbal narration of the legends such as those works written by Sikh bard Santokh Singh's Suraj Parkash and other folklorist genres (yaars) through the generations about the lives of Sikh Gurus and great Sikh Martyrs and saints. Rattan Singh Bhangoo, like the authors of several celebrated Indian epic writers, has borrowed heavily from these oral sources while composing his epic about Sikh history together with the facts from the written sources available to him. Some of his forefathers, with whom he interacted, had given him an eyewitness account of some of the major events during the 18lh century period of great turmoil in Sikh history. His own grandfather's legendary beheading of an arrogant and spiteful Mughal stooge Massa Ranghar and his father's active participation in the major Sikh military campaigns against the Mughals, were events which were not so distant from his own times. Several instances of exceptional bravery by the veteran Sikh warriors from his own Majhail stock of Jat Sikhs and the verbal anecdotes about their valorous acts right from the initiation of the Khalsa Panth by Guru Gobind Singh through the several Khalsa campaigns including the Guru's tortuous departure from Anandpur Sahib, the bloodiest encounter and battle at Chamkaur Sahib and the sacrifice of two elder Sahibzadas; the execution of younger Sahibzadas at Sirhind; sacrifice of forty Muktas (mainly Majhail Singhs); the ransacking of major Mughal centres of power together with the destruction of Sirhind and the revengeful slaughter of Wazir Khan under the command of the most illustrious Sikh warrior and general, Banda Singh Bahadur, and the latter's most tragic execution along with his more than seven hundred devout Sikh soldiers and the subsequent two genocides (ghallug haras) of the Sikhs — to mention a few sagas of Mughal oppression and the Sikh retaliation and sacrifice, were too fresh in the collective Sikh psyche of his own
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generation. The epic writer, being a very sensitive and conscious inheritor of this painful historical legacy, was also a gifted poet in his own vernacular language. The chance encounter with the British Political resident David Murray at Ludhiana in around 1808-09, and his assigning the author with the narration of the history of his ancestors and their religion's evolution, provided him with the most appropriate opportunity to display his knowledge of events and the talent to narrate those events. Thus, it was an ideal matching of "the man and the moment" to produce a rare work of art and historical importance, as all the monumental works and events have materialised whenever the right personage arrived at the right moment. It seems his oral narration of events in the daily dialogues with the inquisitive British officers spurred his poetic imagination to put it in verse in the peaceful environs of his home at night what he narrated in one-to-one conversations to his patron in the latter's court or home during the day. The author's use of the contemporary literary poetic forms such as those of "Dohra", Chaupai, Kabit, Sortha, Kundliya, Chhand, Sawiyas, together with the appropriate quotations from the verses of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh, shows his poetic craftsmanship as well as his being well-versed in the religious literature of his own times and the ancient Indian/Hindu epics. By compiling the major events and sagas of Sikh valour and sacrifice into a poetical epic, the author has given expression to all those beliefs, religio-racial traits, ethos and a value-system together with the streak of hero worship that was embedded in the innermost recesses of the Sikh psyche of his times. Despite all the changes in the environment in the modern age, the Sikhs, all-over the world, still cherish and believe in all those fundamental tenets of Sikhism which Bhangoo's epic narrates and eulogises. It is for this rendering of basic Sikh ethos that he deserves to be counted among the great Sikh bards like Bhai Gurdas, Kavi Santokh Singh and Bhai Vir Singh. His epic, besides being a great poetico-historical document of Sikh history, primarily of the most bloody eighteenth century period of Sikh history, is, perhaps, the finest specimen of expression of the pent-up Sikh emotions and aspirations of his own times. It is a recorded expression, in a suitable and widely used linguistic medium, of all those emotions, aspirations and regrets, which were on the lips and in the terribly bruised Sikh hearts and minds. The credit for creating a unique work of art, out of a verbal dialogue and the social discourse of his times, goes to the author of this epic, the minor deviations and distortions of basic historical facts notwithstanding. Together with the assimilation and exploitation of this oral stream of history, the author has also depended on available written resources such as Gurbilas to which the author repeatedly refers during his compilation of various resources. Most of his references of the existing resources of Sikh history are meant to authenticate what he has narrated from his knowledge and use of oral history. He urges his readers, time and again, to go through the works of his predecessors in order to verify and acquire a more detailed account of events, which he has narrated briefly in order to restrict the volume of his epic to its manageable size. His travels and visits to certain places and persons related to the major events reveals his painstaking efforts to put a stamp of authenticity on his narrative creation.
The central subject and main thesis of Bhangoo's Gur Panth Prakash (the very name is suggestive) is the origin and evolution of, perhaps, the youngest religion of the world, the Khalsa Panth or the Sikh religion, despite its not very meticulous adherence to the chronological order of events of the Sikh history. The need to trace the origin of the Khalsa Panth and narrate
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its evolution arose from a purely circumstantial need to refute the calculated Muslim attempt by the discredited Mughal rulers and the Muslim scribes to feed a completely distorted version about the Sikhs and their history to the newly arrived British rulers of India after the near extinction of the once mighty Mughal empire. The author, feeling a sense of outrage at the total travesty of truth contained in the Bootey Shah's version, felt it as his moral duty to set the record straight and took upon himself to present it as a rejoinder to the Muslim version that the Sikhs, far from being followers and inheritors of a divinely revealed and painstakingly organised religion, were a section of the Indian populace which as "subjects" had become defiant and anarchic rebels against the Mughal rule because of the repeated invasions of the Afghans from the north and the consequent anarchic conditions that prevailed in the Northern region in which the Sikhs were in a dominant majority. The two Muslim versions, one that was got prepared by the first British political resident at Delhi, General David Ochterlony and the subsequent version submitted by Bootey Shah Maulvi to Captain David Murray, painted Sikhs as an irresponsible unruly section of society and rabble-rousers, devoid of any ideology and Divinely revealed religion or any legitimate authority to rule and govern after toppling an established monarchic order or having a public mandate or hierarchical sanction to take over the reigns of political power. The Sikhs in the north had been emboldened to defy the Mughal authority partly because of the Mughal rulers' preoccupation with wars in the south and partly because of the Sikh tactics of hit and run and looting and plundering the Afghan raiders from the north on their way back home after their repeated invasion of India through the Punjab/Sikh territory. Otherwise, the Sikhs had neither routed any big military power on the field of battle, nor have accomplished any other deed of any exceptional bravery nor have even received any sanction to rule from any Divine or temporal authority:
Chaupai : Then the Mughal emperor answered the Britishers' query,
That No Authority had bestowed any sovereignty or statehood on the Sikhs, They had neither accomplished any deed worthy of praise, Nor had they routed any powerful adversary in war.3 (12)
(Episode 1, p. 5)
The whole epic, through its narration of more than one hundred and fifty legends of Sikh valour and sacrifice, together with its narration of Guru Nanak's birth and his laying the foundation of Sikh religion and its final codification as a full-fledged, organised religion by the Tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, through the initiation of Khalsa Panth, is the author's answer to this specific singular enquiry of his British patron: who conferred the sovereignty on the Sikhs? Which authority, Divine or temporal, had sanctioned or anointed them to be sovereigns? Whom had the Sikhs routed in the war:
Dohra : Which powerful enemy had they routed in war?
What other accomplishments did they have to their credit?
Who had bestowed sovereignty and statehood on the Sikhs,
He must reveal the name of that Divine or Temporal Authority.4 (11)
(Episode 1, p. 5)
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And how had the mere Sikh subjects, timid like sparrows and lambs, had torn out the mighty Mughals as brave and ferocious as lions and the falcons?
Dohra : How did the lambs vanquish the lions, How did the quails kill the eagles? How did mere subjects decimate the rulers? This was, indeed, a great miraculous act. (15)
How much strength did they (the Sikhs) really wield, Which martial or religious sect did they belong to? They must record all the real facts, In order to arrive at a firm conclusion.5 (16)
(Episode 2, p. 13)
In a series of extremely poetic dialogue of exceptional brevity and brilliance, the author provides a point by point explanation to the questions of his brilliant patron:
Dohra : Then addressing me Captain Murray asked me the question, That I should disclose him this much of a mystery. "How did the Sikhs acquire political power and statehood, And who bestowed sovereignty on the Sikhs? (33)
Chaupai : Then, I answered Captain Murray in these words,
"The true Lord Divine had conferred sovereignty on the Sikhs." Captain Murray asked me who was their true Lord? I replied, "Guru Nanak is their true Lord." (34)
Murray remarked that Nanak was a mere mendicant, What did he know about political power and sovereignty? I remarked that Guru Nanak was the Lord of Lords, He was a Divine prophet and lord of the whole world. (35)
His reprimands turned many kings into paupers, And his blessings turned many paupers into kings. By keeping himself detached from politics and power, He came to acquire the status of a Lord of Lords. (36)
Whosoever sought his Divine grace and blessings,
They were imbued with power and sovereignty.
His blessings made the timid sparrows pounce upon the hawks,
And he empowered the meek lambs tear apart the lions.6 (37)
(Episode 2, pp. 17, 19)
Rest of the whole epic — through its narration of various legends of laying the ideological
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foundations of a new Sikh religion following a Divine inspiration received by Guru Nanak during his two days disappearance in the river Kali Bein and passing on his ideological message to the successive nine Sikh Gurus and its final codification by the tenth Sikh Guru and conferring the right of sovereignty on the Khalsa Panth and the subsequent sagas of Sikh resistance and sacrifices by the Sikh Gurus and his followers — provides a detailed explanation of the brief, almost monosyllabic answers made in the introductory question-answer dialogue in the second episode of the epic. By the time, the reader reaches the middle of this epic, its author has convincingly explained both to his patron as well as to his readers that Sikh religion, like the earlier major religions of the east and the west, is a revealed religion; that its founder was a divinely inspired prophet who made his divine mandate clear both through precept and example to rid the society of ignorance, corruption, religious bigotry and senseless religious rituals and to lead a human life based on truth and earnest living. He had also warned both the oppressive Lodhis and the succeeding Mughal rulers that they would rule and govern so long as they ruled justly and fairly, and would lose their sovereignty the moment they turned oppressors and tyrants. His subsequent narration of the supreme sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur to uphold the fundamental right of following one's religion and resist political coercion to propagate the ruler's religion and impose its ideology on others; the armed resistance put up by Guru Gobind Singh against the tyrannical rule of the despotic and bigoted Mughals at the cost of his own and his four sons' lives; the subsequent armed uprising of the entire Khalsa Panth under the command of the bravest and the most charismatic Sikh warrior Banda Singh Bahadur that shook the foundations of the oppressive crumbling Mughal empire and the final establishment of a sovereign Sikh empire in the north-west of India; and the narration of innumerable legends of individual bravery and sacrifice — provide a detailed and convincing explanation for the legitimate claim of the Sikhs to be sovereigns and independent. Besides the narration of this central thesis about the genesis and evolution of the Khalsa Panth with its distinct Sikh scripture and eternal Guru, Guru Granth Sahib, its church (Gurdwara), its national flag, distinct identity, dress code, value system and way of life, and their final setting up of a sovereign Sikh state with its own army, currency and civil administration over a vast territory in the north west of India, the author of this great epic of Sikh history gives a graphic narration of innumerable sagas of Sikh valour and sacrifice. Among the prominent episodes in this epic are those of the battles of Anandpur Sahib, Chamkaur Sahib, Muktsar, Baba Banda Bahadur's invasion and destruction of Sirhind and other Mughal centres of power in the north including those of Sadhaura, Banur, Samana and the slaughter of the bravest Mughal Pathan warriors including the slaughterer of tenth Guru's younger Sahibzadas, Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind; subjugation of the wily, intriguing, traitorous Hill chiefs of Baidhar states and annexation of their territories; the two worst genocides of the Sikhs known as Ghallugharas and the supreme sacrifices of individual Sikh martyrs primarily those of Baba Banda Bahadur and his more than seven hundred faithful brave Sikh followers; Bhai Mani Singh, Bhai Taru Singh, Sukha Singh, Mehtab Singh and several others. It presents a glorious saga of terrible confrontations of the Sikhs with the tyrannical and autocratic Muslim rulers of Delhi, Sirhind, Lahore, Jalandhar, Kasur, Multan, and foreign Afghan invaders like Nadir Shah Durrani and Ahmed Shah Abdali and the final emergence of the Khalsa, as if out of its own ashes like the proverbial Phoenix, as a sovereign nation and a state after a century of countless sacrifices. Having been written by a contemporary scholar, whose father and fore- fathers had directly participated in the major Khalsa crusades against the oppressors and having
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heard about the not-so-distant historical events from his elders in the best available oral tradition as well as his perusal of available recorded accounts, he was the most qualified person to record the Sikh history for his British patron. In addition to the narration of the above mentioned episodes vindicating the origin and evolution of the Khalsa Panth, the author has recorded various other events closely related to the course of history of the Sikhs which either emerged out of various distortions and fault lines that erupted out of the uneven flow of Sikh history or had a strong bearing on the growth and expansion of the Khalsa Panth. The author faithfully records the eruption of several splinter groups which set up their own shops to preach and propagate their own brand of religious outfits after deviating from the basic tenets of Sikhism as laid down and propagated by the Sikh Gurus. Notable among these splinter movements and vested organised sects, which caused a considerable damage to the Sikh Panth and are still causing it even today and which find a detailed mention of their activities in the epic are, for instance, Banda Singh Bahadur's religious order of Bandhayee Singhs with their own slogan of "Fateh Darshan" in place of Khalsa Panth's fundamental greeting of "Waheguru ji ki Fateh" and donning of red robes after discarding the Khalsa ordained blue robes after their split from the mainstream Khalsa Panth during the fag end of Banda Singh's life and his tragic execution. Similarly, the author records the activities of several other splinter groups such as those of Sultanis, Hindalias, Gangushiahs, RamRaiyas, Masands, Gulab Raias, Chandialias and Jandialias, which after splitting from the Khalsa Panth, did a considerable damage to the cause of the Sikh Panth and abused the patronage accorded to the founders of their respective sects by the Sikh Gurus, for their own extraneous and mercenary advantages. The epic, thus, includes, all these places, personages and their pontificatory activities, which got embedded into the Khalsa Panth during its checkered and tortuous evolution since its origin and well beyond the eighteenth century. Thus, its well-laid out canvas is dotted with the graphic spectacles of Sikh Panth's origin, evolution, consolidation, under the Guru period; its violent, valiant, sacrificial confrontation with the oppressive tyrannical Mughal rulers, its temperory eclipse, its mythical Phoenix-like resurgence from its near extinction and its final flowering and fruition into an independent sovereign Sikh State. To put it briefly, the narration of this divine-spiritual-politico-temporal voyage of the Khalsa Panth constitutes the Subject matter of this unique Sikh/Punjabi epic.
Among its diverse other characteristics is the portrayal of a galaxy of eminent Sikh warriors and chivalrous Sikh knights who occupy a pivotal position in the glorious history of the Sikh Panth and without whose grit, and steadfast commitment to Sikh ideals and sacrifices, the Khalsa Panth could not have evolved and preserved its religious and distinct national identity among the comity of nations and world religions. Beginning from the portrayal of the ninth Sikh Guru, the four Sahibzadas and Forty Muktas, there are more than a dozen other fully indoctrinated, highly motivated and committed chivalrous Sikh Warriors, whose legendary acts of valour and supreme sacrifice find a graphic description in the pages of this epic. While the author adopts a broadly objective approach conforming to the historical evidence in majority of the cases about their legendary contribution, in one or two cases he deviates from the historical facts and enters into an excessive glorification and edification of their charismatic personalities, due to his poetic disposition and flights of fancy. In his excessive zeal to glorify their dynamic, charismatic and almost magnetic qualities of leadership and exceptional valour, he catapults them from the human plane to superhuman level and projects them more as divine incarnations
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and demi-gods than exceptional visionaries, steadfast leaders of men, and real flesh and blood figures as they really were. Such a projection of one individual Sikh warrior and leader of men not only violates the wide spectrum of historical evidence available regarding the eminent role played by this unique Sikh warrior but also goes against the grain of fundamental tenets and principles of Sikh religion and its ideology. This dichotomy between principle and the deed pertains to Rattan Singh Bhangoo's portrayal of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. Like some other epic writers of both the east and the west, the poet's act of hero glorification assumes the dimensions of a hero-worship where the glorious deeds of bravery, chivalry and the most strategic battle victories and demolition of the most powerful citadels of the mighty Mughal empire are narrated to be accomplished more by the exercise of occult/supernatural acts demonstrated by an accomplished necromancer than by a thoroughly indoctrinated, master strategist, highly motivated, committed, and the most valiant Sikh warrior and Guru-anointed leader of men that Banda Singh, as per all historical evidence available, really was. From the word 'go' as Banda Singh enters the territory north of Delhi after his appointment as the supreme leader of the Khalsa Panth by the Tenth Sikh Guru at distant Nanded, till his final execution at Delhi on June 9, in 1716 and even after the dismemberment of his body after his death, the epic author, in his excessive poetic zeal and religious fervour, portrays him as a superhuman, supernatural and metaphysical entity rather than a talented military genius and a committed crusader of the Khalsa Panth. His every act of victory, magnanimous dispensation of the spoils of war among his impoverished, irregularly paid troops, his show of strength to his adversaries and his painstaking projection of a Sikh crusader out to wreak vengeance on the oppressive, tyrannical Mughal rulers, has been invested with a touch of miracle and supernatural display of super- human powers. He has been repeatedly projected as the mythological "Nehkalank Avtar", a divine incarnation sent to take on and exterminate the evildoers in the dark age of Kaliyuga:
Chaupai : The rumour mill made out Banda Singh to be a designated prophet,
Who had been sent to eliminate all the Muslims (from the Indian continent) This rumour made the whole Muslim populace so much scared, That it spread out (like a wild fire) throughout the entire country.(2)
(Episode 47, p. 264)
Dohra : The place where Baizid Khan was camping (with his troops) Banda Singh surrounded the place (from all sides). Seeing Banda Singh Baizid Khan's troops deserted his camp, Shouting that the prophet Nehkalank had arrived (to decimate them).7 (25)
(Episode 58, p. 333)
In about forty-five episodes devoted to this great Sikh crusader and warrior in this epic, there runs an endless chain of miracles, unbelievable blessings, curses and magical feats which get materialised by his mere sleight of a hand and batting of an eyelid. Moreover, all these feats of supernatural acts are attributed to his pre-initiation and orientation period in the Sikhfold during which he had been a devout follower of a Tantric Yogi Aloonia Sidh and from whom he is reported to have received a book of Tantric Mantras over which he attained a complete
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mastery and command. A full episode records a long list of these esoteric formulas, which Saint Jait Ram of Dadu Duar narrates to Guru Gobind Singh during the Guru's stay with the Saint during his journey to the South. Later on, this epic hero is shown practising most of these feats on his foes and sometimes on his friends as well. It will be appropriate to give a sample of some of these esoteric skills of Banda Singh to highlight the author's extent of hero-worship and excessive religious fervour in gross violation of the established principles of Sikh philosophy and faith. Banda Singh's domination over the gang of bandits and dacoits during his first encounter with them in Bangar area of present-day Haryana more through a magic spell than a real fight; his prediction about the approach of horse -riders of the Kaithalfaujdar by his stamping of his feet on the top of a wall and later on his overpowering the invading troops through magical jamming of their horses' movement and the weapons of their riders; his miraculous disarming of Aali Singh and Maali Singh's handcuffs put by the Sirhind police and later on his astrological identification of these two Sikh warriors and their innermost thoughts and feelings and a similar spotting of Sirhind custodian's spies at Samana; his burning of a body of a dead Muslim Pir at Sadhaura and his open declaration about his possession of Tantric powers learnt from his tantric Guru and possession of a book of Tantric Mantras; his reputation of his walking with his feet without touching the ground; his body casting no shadow; his non-batting of eye-lids; his planting of Khalsa's saffron standards (flags) without any support and security at Panipat and their mysterious immunity from being uprooted or damaged by any human being and a Muslim's instant burning in fire at his touch of these flags; his sitting aloof on a hilltop and non-participation in fighting during the decisive battle for the capture of Sirhind and his sudden raising of a dust storm by shooting an arrow in the final phase of battle; his possession of countless miracles, Sidhis and feats of necromancy — are all very vividly described:
Chaupai : He could go without sleep the whole night (without feeling insomniac),
As well as comprehend anybody's thoughts without listening to his verbal expression.
Banda Singh was empowered and possessed with the powers of telepathy,
As he could visualise and decipher phenomena happening at a great distance. (21)
He was also possessed with the power of reducing his body to a micron, As well as the power to exercise complete control over men and matters. He had mastered the art of flying into space without effort, As well as mastered the art of controlling several other phenomena. (22)
He could make the water flow out of a well without any device,
As well as start fires without igniting it with any spark.
He could make the rain fall without any clouds at will,
As well as make the flowing river's water stand still and calm. (23)
He could make the blowing wind stop and stand still, As well as change the direction of the facing wind in the opposite direction. He could work out such strange miraculous and magical feats, As well as demonstrate these supernatural feats without batting an eyelid.8 (24)
(Episode 44, pp. 257, 259)
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Sri Gur Panth Prakash
He is shown suddenly investing Baba Deep Singh with a set of teeth in his toothless mouth; his prediction about the imminent death of twin sons of Aali Singh and later on his blessing him with another set of twins after the death of his first twins and is supposed to be in possession of an alchemist's stone:
Dohra : "How could he manage to amass so much wealth,
If he did not possess an alchemist's stone or an alchemic formula?
How could he manage to spend money so lavishly otherwise,
As he did not have any business dealings with any other state? (19)"
(Episode 48, p. 269)
His miraculous empowerment of a single Singh, Baghar Singh, during a show of strength against hundreds of Hill chiefs' bravest and most muscular wrestlers and soldiers and Baghar Singh's winning the bout; his putting up a flag post and throwing a challenge to the Hill-chiefs to uproot that flag post with all their might and their ultimate failure; his prediction about the breakout of fire through sudden lightening and burning of Mandi chief's palace in its conflagration; his neutralising the divine powers of Hill "Devtas" or gods and goddesses and himself blessing people with the boons of male offsprings and material gifts at Jaijon further supplements his image of an accomplished Tantric or a necromancer:
He made a public declaration at a large public gathering,
That he could bless them with boons and remove all their banes.
Since he had dispossessed the hill gods and goddesses of their miraculous powers,
He could demonstrate all their powers at that place.10 (12)
(Episode 48, p. 267)
His blessing of Mandi chief with eternal sovereignty and prosperity and handing over his book of Tantric Mantras to him and blessing the two queens of the king of Jaiswal dynasty by a Banda's maid servant and consort with sons at Jaijowal; his miraculous flight with an iron cage in which he was imprisoned by the Kullu chief; his incredible crossing of a fast flowing torrential mountainous rivulet on a horse, like a pigeon, and planting of horse's statue in the midst of that rivulet; his mysterious absence from Punjab for three years, and stay and two marriages at Chamba and unilateral, unconditional withdrawal of Sikh forces from southern parts of Punjab including Sirhind just three years after its occupation and his desertion of trusted, committed Sikh warriors like Baaj Singh and his brother from Taraori, Amingarh, and Sirhind; his indifference towards Mughals' recapture of Sirhind; his second arrest in Kullu and delayed flight with the cage; his return to Punjab and intended declaration of offering one lac and a quarter sacrifices of Singhs to appease the goddess Kali further corroborate his posses- sion of esoteric powers:
He would offer a sacrifice of one lac and a quarter heads of (Singhs), And invoke (the Goddess kali) by filling her bowl with their blood,
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He would propitiate Kali" by offering the sacrifice of Singh's heads, In order to initiate his own brand of a religious order." (28)
(Episode 60, p. 345)
His resurrection after death out of the dismembered pieces of his dead body; his reappearance after death in Jammu; demonstration of miracles, and his forcible marriage with a young virgin and her giving birth to two sons, all these miraculous feats and bizarre acts of necromancy and occult powers project and portray Baba Banda Singh Bahadur more as a romantic hero who acts more on his whims and fancies and his alleged skills in necromancy than a seasoned Sikh warrior and leader of men engaged in a mighty war against the biggest and well-organised army of the Mughals and their continuously conspiring and intriguing hill collaborators.
The epic writer also portrays Banda Bahadur as an arrogant, power hungry renegade who not only violated the Guru's mandate but also disobeyed the orders (Hukamnamas) of Mata Sundri, but started his own parallel religious order of Bandhayee Singhs with a distinct slogan of 'Fateh Darshan' replacing the traditional Khalsa greeting and war cry "Waheguru ji ki Fateh" and don red robes instead of the Khalsa's blue robes and implemented strict adherence to vegetarianism:
Chaupai : The red robes which the Guru had prohibited him from wearing, He started donning those very robes out of obduracy. Doing away with the Guru-ordained greetings "Waheguru ji ke Fateh", He introduced his own brand of greetings "Fateh Darshan". (32)
He dispensed with (Khalsa's traditional dress) the blue robes, And ordained (his followers) to wear a red-coloured head gear. He banned the partaking of non-vegetarian animal food, So much so that even the wood for fuel was to be washed.12 (33)
(Episode 60, p. 347)
He is portrayed as nursing a strong vendetta against the mainstream Khalsa force "The Tat Khalsa' threatening to slaughter them in the same manner the Guru's Singhs' had slaugh- tered his goats at his monastery near Nanded and offer the Singhs' heads as sacrifices to propitiate and invoke the blessings of goddess, Kali. He is also portrayed as a treacherous, indulgent sex-maniac, who declined and deteriorated in moral character due to his various lapses of moral turpitude. Bhangoo records ten reasons for his decline in military and spiritual prowess as well as his powers of necromancy such as his alleged disobedience of Mata Sundri's express will; his decline in moral character; his loss of occult powers and the loss of book of necromancy, his condemnation of the Guru as his estrangement with the mainstream Khalsa; his founding of a new religion the act of female infanticide, and his gratuitous achievement of first acquiring occult powers and then their later loss:
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Chaupai (Author's Answer):
Banda had made the following lapses:
First, he had offended the Guru Mother.
Second, he had compromised his moral character,
Through his sexual indulgence with so many women. (11)
Third, he had lost command over his Birs (captive spirits), Which incapacitated him from flying at his own will. Fourth, he had left his book of necromancy at Mandi, By handing it over to Mandi chief Sudh Sain. (12)
Fifth, he indulged in talking ill of the great Guru.
Sixth, he got estranged from the Khalsa Panth.
Seventh, he founded his own (separate) religious order.
Eighth, he (committed a sin) of burying alive his own infant daughter. (13)
Ninth, he had received power of miracles gratuitously.
Tenth, he had abandoned meditation (on Guru's word).
A rare gift acquired gratuitously gets soon lost,
While a craft acquired with hard efforts always lasts longer.13 (14)
(Chaupai 62, pp. 371, 373)
Such a portrayal, though poetically appealing and highly glorifying initially and extremely depressing later on, not only runs counter to the basic tenets of Sikh ideology and ethos, but also contradicts the bulk of historical evidence available about Banda Singh Bahadur's steadfast commitment to Sikh ideals and his implementation of Guru's mandate to wreck the tyrannical Mughal empire. His charismatic personality, imbued with Guru's blessings and specific man- date, became a rallying point for the Sikh masses to avenge the merciless execution of the two younger Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh and other atrocities committed by the Mughals. He not only fulfilled the mandate of the Guru but also made the supreme sacrifice of his life along with more than seven hundred devout Sikh warriors with a steadfast, unflinching faith despite all kinds of temptations and incredible atrocities and indignities inflicted on him and his follow- ers. The eminent Sikh historians including Dr Ganda Singh, Dr Kirpal Singh, Dr M.S . Ahluwalia and others have contradicted in unequivocal terms the highly exaggerated portrayal of Banda Singh's powers of necromancy and his disobedience of Mata Sundri's dictat. Majority of the historians are unanimous in their opinion that Banda Singh Bahadur is one of the bravest of the brave Sikh warriors who was a military genius, a military strategist par excellence, a charis- matic leader of men with an electrifying personality, a leader of men who always fought from the front and made the supreme sacrifice, despite all provocations and tortures including the slaughter of his son in his lap and forcing the slaughtered child's throbbing heart into his mouth. This is an act of sacrifice, which is as profound and supreme as the sacrifice of the two Sikh Gurus, Guru Arjun Dev, Guru Tegh Bahadur, besides other legendary Singhs like Bhai Mani Singh, Bhai Taru Singh and many other devout Sikhs. The historical records of Banda Singh's and his contigent's execution and the manner of their execution as well as their acceptance of
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this retribution for their act of defiance negates Bhangoo's charges of moral degeneration of Banda Singh. Banda Singh's steadfast commitment to Sikh ideals and doctrines is manifest from his short sovereign rule over Punjab when he struck a coin, currency and seal in the name of Sikh Gurus rather than in his own name and abolished the feudal zamindari system and gave proprietary and occupancy rights to the tillers of the land. Bhangoo's description of Banda Singh as disobeying Mata Sundri's orders also does not stand the test of historical scrutiny. In the book edited by Dr Ganda Singh on the Hukamnamas of Mata Sundri, there is no mention of such a Hukamnama issued by Mata Sundri to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur as stated by Rattan Singh Bhangoo. Dr Kirpal Singh also corroborates Dr Ganda Singh's assertion that neither Mata Sundri issued any Hukamnama to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur nor was Bhai Nand Lai present in Delhi at the time of alleged Hukamnama. He writes:
All the Hukamnamahs written by Mata Sundri are available and have been pub- lished by Punjabi University, Patiala, edited by Ganda Singh. Nowhere do we find any Hukamnamah of Mata Sundri addressed to Banda Singh Bahadur. First avail- able Hukamnamah of Mata Sundri is dated 1717 about a year after the death of Banda Singh Bahadur. According to Das Guru Mahal, Mata Sundri during the years of the rising of Banda Singh Bahadur, had migrated to Mathura after leaving her residence inside Ajmeri Gate, Delhi where she used to live. After her stay in Mathura, she came to Delhi to live near Turkman Gate. A gurdwara at this site has been erected in the name of Mata Sundri. Under these circumstances, the writing of letter to Banda Singh Bahadur by Bhai Nand Lai on behalf of Mataji does not appear to be correct. Hence the question of Banda's disobedience to Mataji does not rise.14 He further writes:
"This account of Rattan Singh does not stand the scrutiny of historical investiga- tion. Bhai Nand Lai who is said to have persuaded Mata Sundri to write a letter to Banda Singh, had died earlier. According to Dastur-i-Insha, Bhai Nand Lai died in 1713 CE at Multan. Encyclopaedia of Sikhism and Kulyat-i-Bhai Nand Lai also give the same date of his death. All accounts agree that Bhai Nand Lai died in 1713 CE in Multan. The Emperor Farrukhsiyar entered Delhi as a Mughal Emperor on 12th February, 1713 CE. Bhai Nand Lai could not be at Delhi at that time, because according to all available accounts Bhai Nand Lai spent the last years of his life at Multan where he had opened a school, and he died in 1713 CE - three years before the death of Banda Singh Bahadur in 1716 CE."15
Dr Kirpal Singh, further counters Rattan Singh Bhangoo's portrayal of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur by asserting that while Bhangoo has relied on oral history during his narration of majority of episodes in his epic, but in the portrayal of Banda Singh Bahadur, he has not men- tioned any source. He writes:
"The treatment of Banda Singh Bahadur's account in the Prachin Panth Parkash is a bit different from the rest of the book. Rattan Singh states that he has given the
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narration as told by his ancestors. This has been repeated at several places. But in the case of the account of Banda Singh Bahadur no indication has been given as to the source of information. He writes that whatever he heard he has stated, jo suni so di aakh. Unbelievable miracles have been given relating to Banda Singh.16
Banda Singh Bahadur has been described as having been confined in the prison of Raja of Kulu in a cage. With the cage, he is described to have flown from Kulu to Chamba state, where he is said to have performed another miracle - he crossed a fast running stream while sitting on the horseback and his horse was strutting on the surface of the fast flowing water. Such narrations give the impression that these have been written on the basis of hearsay or rumours."17
Dr M.S. Ahluwalia also denies that there were any parleys held between the Mughal emperor and Mata Sundri at any stage. He comments:
"The so-called negotiations of Emperor Farrukh Siyar with Mata Sundri, the wife of Guru Gobind Singh, are not found in any contemporary or later accounts which may support the version of Pracheen Panth Prakash. An important event like the Emperor's negotiations with the wife of Guru Gobind Singh would not have es- caped the notice of 'one and all writers on the subject'."18 Neither is marriage a Taboo in Sikhism as stated by Dr Kirpal Singh.
The fact remains that Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, after his initiation and indoctrination by Guru Gobind Singh, fulfilled the Guru's mandate with complete commitment and honesty of purpose. In one of the episodes, Rattan Singh Bhangoo compares Banda Singh to a poisonous, parasitical creeper, which sucks the sap of a green healthy plant and destroys it forever. This plant is called "Bando" in the vernacular language as stated by Bhangoo. The Guru, terming Banda Singh as the Guru's "Bando", enjoins upon Banda Singh to stick to the wicked Mughal rulers and their tyrannical, oppressive rule like the viscous, sticking and sucking creeper and keep sticking to it till it is sucked, wrecked and mutilated beyond repair:
Dohra : There is a parasitical creeper that ruins a tree from the top, This creeper is known by the name of "Bando" in the world. Banda Singh should become a similar poisonous creeper of the Guru, And squeeze, sap and destroy the oppressive Mughal empire.19 (9)
(Episode 29, p. 195)
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur fulfills the Guru's fond wish and completes his mission with his utmost devotion and commitment in the best tradition and of Khalsa code of conduct except for initiating a slogan of "Fateh Darshan" temporarily which dies its own death after finding no acceptance among the main body of the Sikhs. Rattan Singh Bhangoo, being a poet, an epic
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xxxv
writer and a zealous inheritor of Sikh heritage of the dignified struggle and defiance against tyranny, has been carried away by the charisma and valour of his epic hero. It is this excessive zeal and poetic disposition of the author which makes him enter into acts of hero-worship and imaginative glorification of Banda Singh and investing him with superhuman and supernatural powers. Otherwise, all the military campaigns and victories of Banda Singh narrated by the author conform to the historically recorded achievements of Banda Singh. Thus, Rattan Singh Bhangoo's version of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur's contribution, despite his deification and glorification of Banda Singh's character is not altogether fictitious though it certainly hurts and shocks the sensibilities of enlightened Sikh readers well-versed in principles of Sikh ideology. Rattan Singh Bhangoo's excessive mythologisation of Banda Singh's personality also blunts the authenticity of this great historical document to some extent and makes it a work of imagination based on poet's fancy and hearsay. This mythologisation of his epic hero also dilutes the significance of oral history which otherwise is a valid source of historical information. Like the great English 17lh century epic poet John Milton's unconscious eulogisation of Satan for his rebellious opposition to God after the poets' own rebellion against the protestant church in his famous epic Paradise host and like the several other instances of glorification and deification of Indian figures of Rama and Krishna by the Indian epic writers, Rattan Singh Bhangoo, being a descendant of the mighty Sikh warriors, too, had deified Baba Banda Singh Bahadur to make him qualify for being an epic hero of the Sikhs. But his deification neither violates the chrono- logical sequence of Banda Singh's heroic exploits nor contradicts the historical contribution of this great Sikh warrior except the myth of his resurrection after his death.
Besides this poetic distortion, there are a few other omissions and commissions regarding the exact dates, and time of certain major events and names of certain personages due to the author's excessive dependence on oral sources of his narration. For instance, he mentions the names of Sahibzadas Jujhar Singh and Zorawar Singh who sacrificed their lives at Chamkaur Sahib instead of Sahibzadas Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh. Similarly, he records the date of their supreme sacrifice as Bikrami Samvat 1762, which according to historical records is December 7, 1705 (C.E.) or Posh 8, 1762 B.S. Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah's demise has been re- corded as 1784 (B.S.) which in terms of common era comes out to be 1727 C.E., which according to Dr B.S. Dhillon20 is not correct and is likely to be 1712 (C.E.). Banda Singh Bahadur's execution and death has been mentioned as 1778 Bikrami Samvat which means 1721 (C.E.). But he was executed on June 9, 1716.21
Mughal emperor Farukhsiyar died as per Rattan Singh Bhangoo in 1781 Bikrami Samvat or 1724 (C.E.) but he also mentions it as 1133 (Hijri) which means 1721 (C.E.) at the same place. So, both these dates do not tally. Farukhsiyar was actually murdered by Sayyad broth- ers on February 28, 1719, after blinding him.22
The epic writer makes no mention of the younger Sahibzadas being bricked alive before their execution at Sirhind, in (Episode 21) but later on describes the raising of a concrete platform at the place of their execution after its proper identification by the contemporary elders at the behest of guilt-ridden Wazir Khan, Nawab of Sirhind undergoing nightmarish hallucina-
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Sri Gur Panth Prakash
tions of his criminal act in Episode 152.
However, these poetic indiscretions and chronological discrepancies notwithstanding, this grand epic of Sikh history, especially of the most gory period of Sikh history, is a unique and rare historical document, both because of its circumstantial context of being written at the behest of a very inquisitive and intellectually discriminating British patron David Murray and the amazingly detailed narration of almost all the major historical events of that period. Despite the somewhat haphazard narration of various events instead of in their exact chronological se- quence and repetition of certain events more than once, this poetical epic never deviates from the fundamental Sikh principles except in the highly deified portrayal of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur's role. It provides rare glimpses into the genesis of Sikh Panth with the express divine sanction for its origin through the episode of Guru Nanak's mysterious dip into the Kali Bein river and his clear-cut message to expose all the decadent Brahminical and Islamic rituals through his travels across the length and breadth of India and beyond. Guru Nanak's image of being a leading light of the times, having the courage and conviction of exposing the contempo- rary social evils of caste, communalism, religious bigotry, ignorance, hypocrisy political op- pression and cant, and the need for a universal love of mankind, gets clearly reflected through the portrayal of Guru Nanak and his mission. Narration of Guru Angad Dev and Guru Amardas' mission of setting up of Sikh congregations (Manjees) and the egalitarian society through the establishment of institution of a common community kitchen (langar) is a reflection of the further evolution of the Sikh Panth. After a very brief mention, rather skipping over, the contribution of the next five-Sikh Gurus, the author comes to the most crucial role played by Guru Tegh Bahadur's supreme sacrifice for the protection and defence of fundamental human right of freedom of religious practice. With the voluntary sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Sikh Panth has passed the litmus test of maintaining its independent identity and its display of moral and physical courage to oppose political oppression and religious persecution. The author's poetical narration of Guru Tegh Bahadur's sacrifice and acceptance of Mughal chal- lenge to Indian/Sikh identity by Guru Gobind Singh in the following episode, provokes the author's British patron to question the author's thesis of defending and preserving one's ideol- ogy even at the cost of one's life. Is it necessary to sacrifice one's progeny to preserve one's ideology? Can't both family and ideology be maintained together? Through the presentation of a series of precedents from the Indian and Islamic ideological order, the author convinces his inquisitive questioner that preservation of one's family dilutes one's commitment to one's ideol- ogy:
Dohra : Then David Murray asked me to resolve this paradox,
Why did the Guru not preserve both his progeny as well as his ideology.
I replied that if one promoted and preserved one's own progeny,
Then One could not promote and preserve one's ideological organisation. (4)
Chaupai : All the ancient Sidhas and saints like Datta Tray and Gorakhnath, Also had not raised any family to promote their ideological orders. The Muslims' prophet Mohammad had also sacrificed his progeny,
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Sparing only the best among his progeny to promote his cause. (5)
Then Murray questioned me, Why was I blaming the Muslims alone,
When Guru Gobind Singh had adopted the same strategy for the same purpose.
To this query of Captain Murray, I offered the following explanation:
The Muslims were cursed because of the cold-blooded murder of Sahibzadas. (6)
Guru Gobind wished to destroy the Mughals for this grave injustice,
And the blame went to the Mughals mainly for shedding the blood of innocents.
He created the order of the Khalsa Panth with the sole motive,
Of strengthening the Sikhs and for destroying the wicked Mughals. (7)
He also attributed the blame for his own sacrifice to the Mughals,
And wished to promote his own ideological order, the Khalsa Panth.
It is not possible to promote One's family and one's ideology simultaneously,
As even Lord Rama25 and Lord Krishna26 could not promote the two together. (8)
Dohra : Both Rama and Krishna kept their own nearest kins deprived of power and They handed over power to others to uphold that tradition. Satguru Gobind Singh handed over power to his followers, the Sikhs, For further strengthening the same old great tradition. (9)
By keeping one's own family and progeny near one's heart, One can not preserve and promote one's own ideology. Much as an agricultural piece of land overgrown with weeds, Cannot give a wholesome yield of grains.23 (10)
(Episode 13, p. 73)
It is this agenda of the supremacy of ideology and the need to preserve it which explains the whole course of Sikh history. For maintaining its independence, glory and sovereignty, no sacrifice is too great for its followers. All major episodes in this epic bear a testimony to prove this thesis. The author, after completing its narrative, gets a stamp of approval by his British Patron who agrees with the author's version of all the major events of Sikh history and the reasons for the Sikh confrontation with the Mughals:
Dohra : Then once again David Murray repeated his remark, That what I (the author had narrated) was true. (But) what the (Mughal rulers) of Delhi had stated, Was controversial and full of contentious hostility. (13)
Chaupai : Good that we (the British) did not despatch (the Mughal version), Otherwise they would have been discredited for telling lies. (Now) they had thoroughly searched and evaluated everything, As well as heard and (counterchecked) from the public. (14)
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They have (consulted) the elders among both the Hindus and Muslims,
As well as enquired and identified the facts thoroughly.
Whatever they had heard from the author's narration,
Had been corroborated by the narration of enlightened elders. (15)
Praise be to the (Sikh) Gurus and praiseworthy is author's calibre, Because the narrator had stated the real facts.
Whatever had been narrated is perfectly true about the Khalsa Panth,
As they (the Mughals) had perpetrated grave atrocities on Sikh Gurus. (16)
Dohra : Then David Murray further informed me (the author), That he felt (perfectly) convinced of the account. He would now despatch the author's version, To the British Sovereign (for his consideration).24(20)
(Episode 159)
It was, perhaps, after such an authentic assessment of the Sikh character, their ideologi- cal commitment, their aspirations for sovereignty and their realisation of their dream, that the British adopted a very cautious and realistic approach towards the Sikhs unlike the bigoted Mughals. Rattan Singh Bhangoo's narration must have influenced the British policy to some extent towards the Sikhs at the highest levels of their policy making. No wonder, the British could not capture Punjab till the most powerful Sikh sovereign remained on the throne of the Sikhs. Thus, Rattan Bhangoo's epic, despite all its shortcomings, is a great historical document and its author a great chronicler of Sikh history. Despite its scattered episodic narration of events, there emerges a clear pattern of Sikh ideology from its origin to its final culmination in the establishment of a sovereign Sikh state. There is a similar "method in madness" in the poetic sensibility of its author. Both supplement and complement each other and enrich its content. The epic, in its totality, is largely authentic in its historical content, inspiring in reading and comprehensive in detail. It presents a kaleidoscopic spectacle of the major vignettes and landmarks of Sikh history in general, and the 18lh century Sikh history, in particular, on its widest possible literary canvas.
Its author, being well versed in Indian mythology, his epic is a veritable goldmine of grand epic similies and verisimilitudes, which makes for a delightful reading for a reader of vernacular Punjabi. The epic abounds in references from Indian mythology illustrative of Indian moral values, valour, sacrifice, keeping of promises and propagation of one's ideology through pre- cept and example rather than through the Islamic way of coercion and duress. There are innumerable references to the Indian mythological heroes and events like Lord Rama, Krishna, Harish Chandra, Janak, Janmeja, Sarapmedh Yajna, Gugapir and prophet Mohammad to bring out the moral fibre and valour of Sikh Gurus and Sikh heroes, especially its epic hero Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. The author, being a son of the soil, uses a folklorist rustic imagery and diction and, at times, appears to be painstakingly rhyming his verse a bit crudely and artificially
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
xxxix
into some kind of a doggerel. But his judicious economy of words and a brilliant play upon the words (puns) is amazing. For this quality of being brief and witty, his poetry can be compared to the heroic couplets of the greatest 18lh century English poet Alexander Pope whose poetic credo was — "brevity is the soul of wit". Bhangoo's definition of a true Khalsa in a single couplet illustrates his remarkable command over poetic diction:
Dohra : The Khalsa must be as autonomous and self-respecting, As embodiment of all the Divine attributes in plenty. Never submitting to the sovereignty of anyone else, Except the sovereignty and autonomy of God alone.26 (35)
(Episode 14, p. 81)
He has experimented with all the prevalent contemporary literary forms such as those of Dohra, Chaupai, Sortha, Kabit, Sawaya, Kundlia, Chhand and Tribhangi Chhand, Jhoolna, Pauri and Aril and used them quite successfully. The imagery is predominantly rustic taken from the day-to-day life of his agrarian fraternity.
Finally, translation is an arduous task, more so when the subject matter is in verse. De- spite all efforts to find exact equivalents and never to deviate from the given text, some amount of subjectivity is bound to creep in. In the translation of literary works, multiplicity of interpre- tations and variety in the linguistic usage is a distinct possibility. Yet every precaution has been taken and sincere efforts made to capture the essence as well as the literal meaning of the verses written in colloquial Punjabi. Robert Frost rightly brought out the translators' dilemma when he wrote, "Translations are like wives; the most beautiful never faithful, and the most faithful never beautiful." While trying to render this translation in a semi-verse to the best possible limit, every care has been taken to remain faithful to the text as well as to make it beautiful for the readers in English. Maximum effort has been made to maintain the spontaneity of expression and metrical balance with minimum deviations which have been put in parenthe- sis. The words and terms used in original have been explained in the footnotes for the conve- nience of the readers. After a lot of experimentation, a four-line rendering of each original couplet has been uniformly adhered to except in the case of the most brief pauseless couplets. The translator is open to all kinds of constructive suggestions and amendments to be suggested by the discerning readers.
As directed by the authorities of Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh, which has en- trusted this project to me for translation, the nicely annotated edition of Gur Panth Prakash (2000), by Dr Jeet Singh Seetal and published by the Sikh Historical Research Board of S.G.P.C., Amritsar, has been adopted for translation. All the verses quoted in Punjabi in the references relating to each episode have been taken from this edition. But valuable help has been taken to remove spelling mistakes and provide correct and specific explanations of certain events, dates and names from the footnotes of this most nicely edited (2004) edition of this book by Dr Balwant Singh Dhillon, Department of Guru Nanak Sikh Studies, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, published by Singh Brothers, Amritsar. The two volume paraphrased version of
xl
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
Prachin Panth Prakash by Singh Sahib Santa Singh "Akali" of the Shromani Panth Akali Bud- dha Dal has also been consulted for understanding the exact nuances and contextual meanings of certain Nihang usages and terminology before rendering these into English. Certain sugges- tions made by an upcoming research scholar, S. Gurmail Singh of Academy of Sikh Religion and Culture, Patiala and the valuable insights from his research paper on this epic have also been incorporated. It was on his suggestion that transliteration of the Punjabi text has also been done along with the translation into English. The Institute of Sikh Studies is extremely thankful to Dr Gurpreet Lehal, Head, Department of Advance Centre for Technical Development of Punjabi Language, Literature and Culture, Punjabi University, Patiala for lending us the latest software prepared by it for the automatic transliteration of the Punjabi text, free of cost. It would not have been possible to transliterate such a voluminous work without this software. Translitera- tion has enhanced the value of this great epic in the sense that now a vast section of readership will be able to reach the Punjabi text in the Roman script who are otherwise handicapped to read it in the Gurmukhi script but are well-versed in spoken Punjabi. The software is based on internationally accepted phonetic symbols for various sounds. Readers are requested to follow the following table as a form of key to the various sounds of the Punjabi vowels, consonants and other sounds to read the transliterated version of the Punjabi text given below each couplet in Punjabi on the left side pages:
Gurmukhi-Roman Transliteration Table
|
Gurmukhi |
Roman Combination |
Gurmukhi |
Roman Combination |
Gurmukhi |
Roman Combination |
|
(No Conversion Available) |
JT |
na |
t |
6 |
|
|
a |
V |
pa |
4 |
au |
|
|
(No Conversion Available) |
pha |
r |
a |
||
|
sa |
ba |
f |
|||
|
ha |
bha |
t |
|||
|
ka |
ma |
u |
|||
|
kha |
ya |
u |
|||
|
ga |
ra |
e |
|||
|
gha |
la |
ai |
|||
|
na |
va |
0 |
|||
|
eh |
rd |
au |
|||
|
chh |
sha |
o |
0 |
||
|
ja |
kha |
1 |
|||
|
jha |
?a |
2 |
|||
|
na |
za |
3 |
|||
|
ta |
fa |
4 |
|||
|
tha |
la |
5 |
|||
|
da |
a |
4 |
6 |
||
|
dha |
* |
9 |
7 |
||
|
na |
* |
t |
8 |
||
|
ta |
t |
u |
t |
9 |
|
|
tha |
t |
u |
* |
Double the following characters |
|
|
da |
t |
e |
i |
||
|
dha |
* |
ai |
IkOmkar |
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
xli
The author acknowledges the contribution of these above-mentioned scholars and their works, and pays his grateful thanks to them for their valuable guidance. In the end, the author is extremely indebted to the Institute of Sikh Studies and its President, S. Gurdev Singh, IAS (Retd.) and Secretary, Bhai Ashok Singh Bagrian for having entrusted me with this project and rendering every kind of financial and secretarial assistance. I am particularly thankful to Dr Kharak Singh for inspiring me to take up this project and guiding me at every stage of its preparation and providing instant explanations for the day-to-day queries during translation and sparing a few moments almost every day from his valuable time. But for his inspiration and scholarly guidance, the author would not have ventured into this new field. Dr Gurbax Singh, a devoted Sikh scholar and a crusader for the Sikh cause and Dr Kirpal Singh, the doyen of Sikh historians have been another source of inspiration during the execution of this task. I pay my humble thanks and regards to them both. Thank are also due to Mr. Ramesh Kumar, who typed the manuscript time and again. The present volume (Volume I) consists of the first eighty-one episodes out of a total of 171 episodes, besides a critical introduction. Any suggestions, amend- ments and relevant observations will be welcome for incorporation in the second edition of this major primary source of Sikh history. I hope it will meet the long-felt need of English knowing readers interested in the subject.
SASNagar(Mohali)
Kulwant Singh #732, Phase 3-B-I SAS Nagar, Phone 0172-2228109
REFERENCES
1 Lepel Griffin,, Vol. I, p. 200.
2 #M : W ft fetf fHUR Trot, fru tor »wti
w 3 ^ TOt u§ h tor fw yydjcslipn (u: 3m)
chaupai : ab main likhon singhan ki sakhi. jih bidh badan asadan akhi. aur puratan tc bhi suni. hutc ju biradh sikkh bahugum.2.
3 #M : 3^ yrferfU §3^ SuT wfd fe^ f fetf ^1
SUt ff fe^ H^'dl^, Sfe fes ^ Wtt{\ (<«) (U: 3M)
chaupai : tab patishahi utar kahyo. nahin shahi kin in kau likh dayo.
nahin kam kou inai savaryo. nahin ganim kou in nai maryo. 12.
^felftfetrrfefe, ^^nfutHSTHII^H) (U: 3>-l) dohra : maryo kaun ganim in kaun savaryo kama.
dino pato likhai jin kaho shahi us nama. 1 1 .
5 &w : i?stw^ H^t £fa fen, fen toss w?
ZraHK^^THf, CTU^raHrsfu oTtTIIIMII (U: 8o) dohra : chhclian marc shcr kim kim batcran marc baza.
au hakam marc rayytain yah karmatahi kaja. 15.
tf ft fef Ttt3 TO t feH ^# Wl
fe$ cjcfldd H#, 3 WJ UBt£ ^fell^ll (U: 8o)
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
hai in main kichhu shakat bal kai kis dadhc pantha. likho hakikat in sabho tau yah paic anta. 16.
6 : 3 W&\ fS UH 'fest W3 qU^I
feuR If^t ^FT fen, >H^fefe5lffOTU'll33ll (if: 85) dohra : tau mail nai ham kahyo itni bat batahu.
singhan payo raj kim au dino kin patishahu.33. UUBt : fet^S^ oRft, 'feuR ufdH'Jl Hrftj H§ BEn
HUf^IUUt 'fTUHt ffe'? W^tutt '■RTU?JTOT^fe'll38ll (if: 85) chaupai : tisai bat main aisc kahi. "singhan patishahi sahi sachchai dai".
man kahyo shah sachcho koi. asan kahyo "shah nanak joi". 34.
>rat cTOcf ^fe, rot dtiyld?
uft ^ug}, ^fe H'fcJAH'd, ^te hu vrjsrfui (3>-l) (if: 85)
mart kahyo bhayo nanak phakira. un shahi ki kia tatbira.
hamai kahyo vahi shahin ko shaha. din duni sachcho patishahi. 35.
cf^t wzs fes ^fe, ^ra ^ utai
OTt'WSfetWU, ^S^^^nfuS^Ffuil (3£) (if: 85) kai shah tin kiyc fakira. kai fakir kar din? pira. rahyo ap hui bcpravaha. yaun nanak bhayo shahin shahi. 36. fes Wfb cTOof UTO ijHrfe, fes ft TOfe ¥Ht tfe »fTfel fefc»W §§SW t?5^ TO 3^1 (35) (U: 85)
jin shah nanak charan parsac. tin main shakti iti bhai a?, chirdian tc un baj kuhac. chhclan kolon shcr turdac.37.
7 #M : ^T^U' fefe ?fe ^re^, fTO^TOHTOiTOJI
fcj TO ^U TO HSt,§3WMqBS ^THtll5ll (U: HMM)
chaupai : 16k kahain yahi vahi avtara. jin dene sabh music mar.
yih sun soch sabh turkan pal or char gall yaun chal gai.2.
&w : ut qrftt nfe uf , h^i
it? t& §H ^TSt, ^ffu TcSdolWol ¥^»ffe'l5>-lll (if: °ltM) dohra : huto bajido jahin pardo bando udalo jai.
phauj chhod bhaj us gai kahi nihkalank bhayo ai.25. Nehkalank: According to Vishnu Puran, a prophet by this name will take birth in Sambhal Nagar in District Moradabad (U.P.) in the house of a Brahmin Vishnu Sahaya. He would come riding on a white horse and decimate all the sinners in the age of Kalyuga. Some people regarded Banda Singh as the same divine incarnation since he had come to punish the ruler Wazir Khan, who had killed the two innocent sons of Guru Gobind Singh.
8 mfFt : TO' SUf ?U TOit W3, fw TOt H 33^ W3\
'to TORt' 3 Mr ^u^, AtffM»fiii 5=111 (u: =11-13)
chaupai : savcn nahin vahi sari rata, binan suni su batavai bat.
dur darshijo sidhi kahavai. bandai nun so siddhi avai.21.
'»fteHT nftiH1' gt feu vh, f^ftr fm 1 1 tobtoi
§^fe fWt gt ?rfu, qusfrotgt fero: 1^1155 1 1 (if: hms)
anima mahima thi tih pasa. riddhi baridh ko tho parkash. udni sidhi sadhi thi vahi. bahut sidhi thi tiskc pahi.22. rTS yU^H TO fes Ut Hwtl
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
xliii
t HfegOTfe, tT?FB?53^wfuiP3ll (U:
jal khuhan tc bahar avai. bin hi agnc agan jagavai. chahai to lcvai minh barsai. khardo karc jal chalat daryai.23.
ft BB U^rfe, HUt <d d 1 1 I
iMndidlA w»ra¥, fHysfer%3^fefelP8ll (U: pavan vagat so dac hatai. avat saunhi palat vagai. aisijugtani aur achmbha. sikhan dikhavai tajai bilamb.24. 9 BUB* : H Ufa S U^H dH'P«<£, ?U cffu § BB5 fewfel
ufo §H BTO U, ?ufet tf3H orfuyrfellUfll (U: =11-15) dohra : jau hohi na paras rasaino vahu kahin tc darab liai.
pahi us raj an vanaj hai vahu ito kharach kahin khai.19.
10 HB iZWi 3ftj Ut fe^n?T, for? Ufe B¥ TW feH§ IT^I
UH ljg#Hc5 fM Wt, B^B^^WBTlFljdl^'iTll'WII (U: W£) sadd lokan tahin hoko divayo. jis hui dukhu sukh istai payo. ham parbtian ki siddhi khos ani. dqv dqvi laya ihan pargtani. 12.
11 h^t 0 Htrr fe?rf , ft fen bbts wb w^f i
T-fh-T fHUJcS cFfjt 1>flUT§, 3BH >w3 WBWf IPtll (U: Itfo)
sava lakkh pai sis divaun. mai is jogan khapar bharaun.
sis singhan kc kali aghaun. tab main apno panth chalaun.28.
12 BUBt: gu t h. bjb uBnJf, "Hf ftre^ra§^yPjd^i
■d'PddJd ^t^UUfBt, B3HS^§H>>fUSftwtll33ll (U: HtfH) chaupai : suho tho jo gum hatayo. sou id kar un pahirayo.
vahiguru ki phat9 hatai. darshan phatc us apni thahirai.32.
?te yftras § bb bb^, mw Tp ntn w^i
nut ij^rfe t ^3 s tt?5B3tB% ^113311 (u: ^tfi)
nil pahiran tc dfir karayo. samra suha sis bandhayo.
mahan parshadi kai nerd na avai. dho kai lakrdi chaunkc pavai.33.
13 §c[ BUBt : BB B fWJ BB H UBt, ft{W H HT37 BTH BBTl
B^W^§STT3 dl^fy, S^guydP^dd^ TTTfellclclll (U: 303)
uttar
chaupai : bandai tc yih chuk su bhai. paritham su mata gussc kai. dujc lay 6 un jat gavai. naran bahu parvirtayo jai. 1 1 . Bin Bte flBW BTBt, Bt HBBt Bt ¥Btl MMbuIjMhBU, HBHSB TM^rfuil^ll (if: 303) tiji biran viddya gai. uddan ki shakti bi khai. chautho pothi rahi mandi mahi. sidh sainko saumpi vahi.12. UHH HPidJd PcWM' BBt, "if W "3JB "&3re h irati H3t§5W¥UWt, MtH^FB^IRSII (U: QO^) panjam satigur ki nindya kari. chh5V5n panth gur bigard su part, satvain un panth ap chalayo. athvain bcti us tartya dabayo.13. c?H fM W3 §S iret, BHH ?fu WBtl W3 feWHB W3fu TTt, HftfdT tfBM HfBdT fWBIRSII (U: 303) naumain siddhi thi mukhat un pai. dasmain bahyo vahi chhod kamai.
xliv
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
mukhat niamat mukhtahi jac. mahing kharidi mahing bikac. 14.
14 Hukamnamas, edited by Dr Ganda Singh, Punjabi University, Patiala.
15 Dr Kirpal Singh, History of the Sikhs and Their Religion, Vol. II.
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.
18 Dr M.S. Ahluwalia, History of the Sikhs and Their Religion, Vol. II.
19 : fydsJA f fta 3 ?5at ^rfu W §H H3TI
UHtHt f q^tff HrfeieTTOtOTTIlfl (if: dohra : birchhan kc sir jo lagc kahi bando us jagg.
hamro bando tun ban so tun jain patshahi lagg.9.
20 Sri Gur Panth Prakash, edited by Dr Balwant Singh Dhillon, Singh Brothers, Amritsar.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 : 35 'W&\' UH ystf. feHWliH^S tffe?
(§3a) WT^fefe^gH W§3Sd3S3fell8ll dohra : tab mail ham puchhyo kim ans bans na rakhyo doi.
(uttar) ans hot phir bans par utno hct na hoi.4. BUBt : B31 Ij; M atBtT fm, W BtF §?> Btft ?> fTOI
yuVe £ »m ajwt, §3a 5H §s wnti i m i i
chaupai : datta tarai au gorakh siddha. panth rakha un rakhi na binda. muhmmad nc vi ans guai. uttam bans un rakhyo badhai.5.
nat oiut, 'fen 3to feu "ten 53 ^tat nfeaja Shi ^ uh vret §3a bcI to hh^cS f faa stfiign
man kahi kim turak diho dosha, im kar karf su satigur hosa. so ham mail uttar dayo. khuin sazadan ko sir layo.6.
3aro 3 are wu3 a^ro, >h^ bh faa §s fes ^tresi
BBS1 BBt W fe3 BTTO, fHtf Qy 'dA BHB HUTTOIDII turkan kau gur chahat garna. layo dosh sir un it karna. rachna rachi panth it karna. sikh ubaran dushat sangharna.7.
bu w ut 33cf fire wnt, Bre3 wi3 w ?treti grr t >m ut ufe, am toK¥t^resBfeiitii
dch ap hi turak sir lai. chahat apno panth vadhai.
akc panth kai ans hi hoi. ram kisan bhikarc na doi. 8. BUB* : ffi B^H ftjTO H3 fcH B5 B^f d'HolA 1^31
Tf Hfddjd fHTO B^f, Mfe 5Et ^ gtelltfll (U: 3o) dohra : sri ram karisan sut nij rakhc dayo raj tin parita.
sri satigur sikkhan dayo. adhik bhai yaun rtta.9.
>w3 >HFrfu ufe feat ire wrfe BBfe s U3i
fHy^feuiym^?^ufe MS feu 5311=1011 (if: do) apnc anshi hoti dhigai par anshi badhti na hcta. bhum putar jih ghas havai nahin hui ann tih khcta. 10.
24 BUa* : 3 3 fea 5UGl 5Ut HB 3H W3\
feat ?ro wt BBt, fa w 5t toi 1 131 1
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
xlv
dohra : tau mali ng phir. kahi sachch turn bat.
dilli valan thi kai. bair bad ki bat. 13. #M : 375t 3Et UH fetf c5 TO^t, W 33 UH STO TO^I
UH H¥ 7?ftf ^tw, W $TO § TO wtwi I =t 8 1 1
chaupai : bhali bai ham likh na pathai. bat hot ham landon jhuthai.
ham sabh khud khoj lakhi liya. aur lokan 19 bhi sun thiya. 14.
hhsw »ra fu§ y^, 3cp uh ys US^I
fan! 3^ 3H 3 UH TOt, tut^^fUU^^tllHMII (U: M3£)
musalman ar hindu puran?. khub tarahn ham puchh pachhan?.
jimi taru turn tq ham sum. uhi taur kahin purang: gum. 15.
TO W 3H TO 3H fftj, ^rat W3 3H ?> Hfe TO
W^ttcTUHrt, ^ft§^TTO WISH ^3^11=1^11 (if:
dhan guru turn dhan turn buddhi. kahi bat turn nai sabhi suddh.
panth dadhg ko hai yah sachg. kio guran par zulam bad tachg.16.
HtfetfUHiHft "STO ty'dH'TdlPOII (U: dohra : tau mali ham son kahyo. ham bhayo patiyahi.
sou likh ham bhgj hain. landan ke patshahi.20.
25 tu^ : TO5H 3i to to, fan y^t yg TOfei
»F7TO>TO»TO^t, fef TO-fTOy'dH'TdllSMII (U: 58) dohra : khalso hovai khud khuda j im khubi khub khudai. an na manai an ki ik sachchg bin patishahi.35.
Sf i Gur Panth Pr akash
<\§ h fed id mrf?\ ik-6nkar satigurparsadi.
Jjt" ^'Pddld rfl" ott ^Hfe U I
sri vahiguru ji ki phathi hai. ath
sri gur panth prakash granth^
W&ft tfl" oft" ttFfe §3V3l" oft" FRfl"
('uh trn^ are fenf ofH1^")
parthm^n khals^ ji ki adi utpati ki sakhi ('panth khatar gur iti kamai')
: hI" ajd" tid<sy°t! ajd" irfife fro wfe i
fey" §3V3t tlWT, H fetT 5!^ TWfs I ^ I dohra : sri gur nanak charanband gur gobind singh dhayai. likhon utpati khalsc, mo nij karahu sahai.l.
: *m yt fm Ihuj^ at mfl" I fan fer hs^ wrs?? »Rft i Wd" Ud1^ ^ 3t HcSt i h fedir firo yddi<s1 13 1 chaupai : ab main likhon singhanki sakhi.jih bidhbadan asadan akhi. aur puratan tc bhi suni. hutc ju biradh sikkh bahuguni.2.
HPf5(f WH3 )-rat I W> ^ ife W§ I WUl I
fan Mr orat wTdrrfe m i w Qy^oc h§ uh3t 13 i
so main kahon yatha mat mahi. man tan parit bhau bhai dahi. jih bidhi kahi angrcjni sanga. rakhon uthanka sou parsnga.3.
WW ^yyl <o;h1h feddll I HdddcS ^ ofd" WCT H tMt" I
feST % fHH Hy^¥ 5Td" I mH 3"dH H TO 19 I
ay 6 huto dhabai pharansis phirngi. marhatan nai kar rakhyo su jangi.
ik kampu tis supurad kar dayo. bahut baras so chakar rahiyo.4.
3ua§H3W ?nf?j i 3wagro ww; rB?> i ytf Ite rm §h wfti i £fa m-r ar& @h m i
bhayo budho so gayo vatni. gayo bcch sabh apan jatna. piru bhain jayo us ahi. bgch saump gayo us pahi.5.
H Ufa feof ofU^? ttfd" ofr& §?> B1^ I ItHwf >»HJ Wifd" 3T3T #B aiW H1^" I £ I
Episode 1
Ik Onkar Satguru Prasad Sri Waheguru ji ki Fateh
Now
Sri Gur Panth Prakash Granth
The Episode of the origin of the Khalsa (The Guru's ordeal for the Panth)
Dohra1 : I bow my head in reverence at the lotus feet of Guru Nanak, As well as I invoke the blessings of Guru Gobind Singh, In order to write the account of the origin of the Khalsa Panth, I beseech the revered Gurus to empower me to accomplish this task. (1)
Chaupai2 : Now I undertake to write the account of the Sikhs, As narrated by our ancestors and forefathers, And as heard from still earlier and ancient elders, Who had heard it from their own talented peers. (2)
I also narrate it according to my own understanding and faith, A faith and devotion which eradicates all kinds of fears, I narrate it exactly as I narrated it to the British, It is just an introduction to the whole Account. (3)
There was one French Christian Count Benoit De Boigne3 Whom the Marathas had appointed their Army Commander, He was handed over the charge of one Brigade of Maratha Army, And he served the Marathas for many many years. (4)
As he grew old, he thought of leaving for his own motherland, So he returned home after disposing of all his belongings. It was General Pietre Perron4 , the son of his own sister, Whom he handed over the command of his brigade. (5)
Dohra : General Pietre Perron raised the strength of his army, From one brigade he increased it to four brigades.
4
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
dohra : so piru ik kampuon aur kig un chari.
dilli atg agro gang bich bahyo mara.6.
rJUZt : Htfe?) 5T HH Ultf I B1^ mof §H 3 I
*Jtf HtWH sftraw i aw en wra?; % am \o i
chaupai : marhttan ko tab sanso payo. chahain mulak usai tg layo.
piru mansubo thahiryo. bgch dgs angrgzan dai gayo.7.
ht? wsw to rm i aw hus?> § ara i
mitt loT I HU2?^ It UJ^ 3M HoT It I saiy atharan satthai sala. gayo marhttan ko vahu gala, layo mulak angrgzan roka. marhttan kai ghar par gayo shoka.8.
fnu^ ura" ?5gt B3 ftfrfr i mdiddcs 5ft aiw sra- est fiM" I tf I
tab dill mai ai vardyo karnaila. 16m akhtar jo bhayo jarnaila. singhan ghgr lai chardah dilli. agrgzan ki gal kar dai dhilli.9.
waYa^ ysCT ufenlzr i fnm }jm i i
angrgj jarnail man gusa aya. nahi singhan son jor basaya.
tab angrgzan puchhyo patishahi. singhan mulak did kin ahi.10.
IrU^1" : HW §?j 31?>tH fe> §?j H^W oTH I
tfe fetFfe frl?) 5RT Hfftj §H ST-T ffll dohra : maryo kaun ganim in kaun savaryo kama.
dino pato likhai jin kaho shahi us nama. 1 1 .
dilli d<; patishahi vach -
: ^HyldH'Hl §3g"5RM I S# Wfa fof?> fe?> § fetf I ?># oPH ^§ fe?> H^'dM I ("jftf HTcfb-T ^§ fe?> ?> H1^ I <P I chaupai : tab patishahi utar kahyo. nahin shahi kin in kau likh dayo.
nahin kam kou inai savaryo. nahin ganim kou in nai maryo. 12.
feRHW yaw 7) sw awr* i t @?7 7m sraw i
sRJW SHtlJ ttrfbHOTIT Ht^'U I Hut dlM^'U I =13 I
nijmal mugal nai nadar bulayo. dilli ko un nas karayo.
ruhglg najibg ahimadshah sadvayo. bhati marhto unai galvayo.13.
WV t IsJ H3 3M I HW5f W^t fe-T UH % I
ap thak kai vahu murd gayo. mulak aki im ham tg rahyo. patisah dushti im kapat uchara. uni singhan upar torda jharda.14.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
5
He took possession of the whole territory that stretched
Over the Gangetic plain between the cities of Agra and Delhi. (6)
Chaupai : Being suspicious of the loyalty of General Pietre Perron,
The Marathas wished to take back the army command from him. But General Pietre Perron hatched a conspiracy against Marathas, And sold the entire territory to the British for a consideration. (7)
He hatched and executed this plan in the year 1860 (B.S.), And thus he ruined the house of the Marathas. When the British took possession of the whole territory, The House of the Marathas was plunged into gloom. (8)
Thereafter, the British Commanding officer entered Delhi, Sir David Ochterlony5 was the name of this Commanding Officer. But soon, the Sikh forces attacked and laid a siege to Delhi, Which made the British extremely demoralised and crestfallen. (9)
The British general felt highly infuriated against the Sikhs,
But he did not dare to have confrontation with the Sikhs.
So the British made discrete enquiries from the Mughal emperor,
About the Sikhs and the country from which they had landed there in Delhi. (10)
Dohra : Which powerful enemy had they routed in war?
What other accomplishments did they have to their credit?
Who had bestowed sovereignty and statehood on the Sikhs,
He must reveal the name of that (Divine or Temporal) Authority. (11)
Delhi Ruler's Version44 :
Chaupai : Then the Mughal emperor answered the Britishers' query,
That No Authority had bestowed any sovereignty or statehood on the Sikhs. They had neither accomplished any deed worthy of praise, Nor had they routed any powerful adversary in war. (12)
Nijmal Mughal6 had invited Nadir Shah7 to invade Delhi, And got Delhi plundered from Nadir Shah Durrani. RuhelaNajib-ud-Daula8 invited Ahmad Shah Abdali9 to Delhi, And got the Marathas routed from Ahmad Shah Abdali. (13)
But he returned after being war-worn and exhausted, Therefore this region (Punjab) remained defiant to their writ. The vicious Mughal ruler made a travesty of the whole truth, When he squarely laid the whole blame on the Sikhs. (14)
6
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
?>ftf §?> arawj Irfe orf i ara»f?> ra 1tW 5Bt# ra^r i i
singhan ko un rayat batayo. nahin un khalso panth jatayo.
nahin un guruan bhgti kachhu kaha. guruan shahan jim jhagrdo raha.15.
t^ra1" : Ht ajf ira friH 3ft w3r ^tot i
frlH TO Ud" fer ?> H?> Utf ipif | «\£ |
dohra : sri gum nanak jim bhayo agg vadhyo partapa.
jim babar par kripa bhai kahyo na man rakh papa. 16
: frIH fed" 3^o!?) ftfe Hljij I frIH ©?> fiw W iJTd" Wo!1^ I
Ihh friH arew? farad" ffsfe i jqfrr efe w frrara ?>
chaupai : jim phir turkan hindu satag. jim un sikh au gum akag.
jim jim guruan sirar ju kiyo. sis diyo au sirar na diyo.17.
frRj Mr Ira" wz?; ara ^ i fan ajra uo?h gfe uet uoih" i
US t tTfe I S3FSt I I
jih bidhi bair shahan gur bhayo. jim gur hukam hui panth rachyo.
panth madat ko chandi jagai. chandi bhgt dag bgt lagai.18.
WUtf # tfe I ?U dddcS fFd" 3Et dd'^l I
uet trnra ajra fe3t soret i h§ ^ ?rfe H?ret i Htf i
dgh apan vi chand chardai. vahu turkan sir bhai burai. panth khatar gur iti kamai. sou dushat nai nahin sunai.19.
eura1" : wvt% w-rarr fa?> Ftra Ora ajra aro i
a&H ^ 5!^ ofa^ S @£ 3^75 I 30 I dohra : apapig apradh bin shir khor gur bala.
bgdoshg phard gal katg kahyo na ung havala.20.
tfrjst : fed" yd'tidH'Td ara s£ Pdyyl i y'dH'Pd srfe re stw fetnst i
%H a% § fed" tffe ?55t I 53 tTWH U H§ »ret I 3=1 1 chaupai : phir Mhadrashahi gur layo rijhai. patsahi kiyo sabh kala dikhai. bhgj bandg ko phir khuhi lai. tatt khalsg pai sou ai.21.
ur5^ afe araH au" uferrfuTS w arra jfe i i
dohra : kahi na gall vahu guran ki au kahi na gall vah pantha. ghultg bitg baras bahu patisahin au gur santa.22.
Hra^1" : ae ae fans sj^rfe yrut fi# Qd'PdS i
fife life H^t" aTgrfe ^Fd" 31^ ftlH >P?5 I 33 I sortha : band band sikhan katai khopri siron utarikai.
pind pind stili gadai har gag jim mugal balu.23.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
7
He branded the Sikhs as mere subjects and ordinary public,
He did not project the Sikhs as the Khalsa Panth with a distinct religion.
Neither did he relate any account about the Sikh Gurus,
Nor did he mention the manner of conflict between the S ikh Gurus and the Mughals .(15)
Dohra : Nor did he narrate how Guru Nanak took birth, here,
Nor how the House of Nanak expanded and flourished further. Nor how Guru Nanak had given his blessings to Babur, the emperor, Because his heart was filled with malice towards the Sikhs. (16)
Chaupai : He neither narrated how the Mughals oppressed the Hindus,
Nor how the Mughals persecuted the Sikh Gurus10 and their followers. Nor how the Sikh Gurus upheld their honour and dignity,
Nor how they made the supreme sacrifice without compromising their integrity.(17)
Nor how the conflict and hostility between the Mughals and the Sikh Gurus grew, Nor how the Khalsa Panth" was created through Divine sanction. Nor how the Sikh Guru12 picked up the sword in defence of the Khalsa Panth, Nor how he sacrificed his (four) sons13 for the same cause. (18)
Nor how he laid down his own life for the cause as well,
Nor how the whole blame went to Muslims for these evil deeds.
Nor how Guru Gobind Singh made such supreme sacrifice for the Khalsa Panth,
The wicked (Mughal emperor) did not make a mention of any of these sacrifices. (19)
Dohra : How the four innocent, guiltless sons of the tenth Guru,
Who were small infants dependent on others even for their feed. How even these innocent children were executed and beheaded, The Mughal emperor did not mention even these executions. (20)
Chaupai : How later on, the successor Mughal emperor14 compromised and won his grace, And regained his kingdom through the Guru's grace.
How once again the Guru took back his kingdom through Banda Bahadur15 , He did not narrate all these and the legend of the Tatt Khalsa16 . (21)
Dohra : He completely obliterated the legends of the Sikh Gurus, Nor did he narrate the sagas of the Sikh Panth. Nor how this conflict kept on raging for many years and, The strife between the emperor and the saintly Sikh Gurus17. (22)
Sortha18 : Nor how the Sikhs sacrificed by getting a mince-meat19 of their bodies made, Nor how they offered their scalps20 to be severed from their heads. Nor how they were hanged from the poles in every village in countryside, Nor how the Mughals finally lost their nerve to carry on these executions. (23)
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
thfet : nte sw h# s orat i fe&t wst fes1 ores sraut i
§h ot§ #■ fjqiy gzr i oiw snas kwhw i 39 i
chaupai : aur nadar gall sabhi na kahi. dilli lutti jinnhon katal karhi.
us kau bhi singh luttc rahc. kandhar kabal lut rah su khahc.24.
fe? wfewOTfe s!fe m aira i fec# wb# H3" ?ot i
H fHUJ?j ?> GSof'd I fHUlfc §H H1^" I 3UI
phir ahimdashahi lahaur mall bahyo. dilli agro sabh mall layo.
so singhan nai day 6 nikara. lag singhni us subg mara.25.
eu^1 : feH §h y=£ 3Hd" it sura yue^ t wfa i
3WoT fcoF% of TJH »F% feH ?^fe I 3£ I
dohra : jim us putar tammur ko langhayo murdan kai rahi. gayo talak nikar kai ham aulad avc it nahi.26.
thfet" : td" ifed §H oT WS I H§ UWT H1^" UZfe I
ug wfe I urat w i Iehz u^h1!)" H?7CT I 39 I chaupai : phcr potrc us kc ac. sou kMlsc mar hatac.
panth adi tai ghultai ayo. dusat patsahai rayat sunayo.27.
^fed"1" : tpre tiHd'yl ?>ftf 3rT friH Hdv fetf ?rfe i *mm m fusfet^r 33T h1^ % s 1 3t i
dohra : dushatdushtainahintajcjimsaraptajcbikhnahi.
akasar dudh pilaiai dang maran tc na talahi.28.
thfet : off ?> orat §?7 rrot are i f5 srm hh? hwh i
frTH @?7 oTUCT feH rT3^5 fetf TRW I H% f3 3H ?rfe PytldU I chaupai : kau na kahi un sachi bata. jhuth kahyo un samajh sughata.
jim un kahyo tim jarnail likh dharyo. sachch jhuth tab nahin bichrayo.
Hdof fUE 5T Id" U3 We I #?> HOT ot W W I
offe75 H1 rf fey H% I Hd5f feg*H^ 3 ofH 2% I 30 I turak hindu ko bair huto ada. din mazahb ko ado bada. jhuth kahin main jc ripu marai. turak hinduan tc kab tarai.30.
t^ra1" : iff Ps^'yl^f IhQ1 few sarfe i
Hfe fefW) 5OTH oM feu a^^fe I 3=1 1
dohra : bhuja bhivaniai tcl siun dijai tilai lagai.
maro hinduan kasam kar ih gayo rasul batai.31.
fmi s feH Hcst h 3§ irat fetrfe i
rofeHS Wfeol Wfl ofU Wfe I 33 I ratan singh nc jim suni so tau dhari likhai. suno sant man laikai agai kahun badhai.32.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
9
Chaupai : He did not narrate the invasions of Nadir Shah in detail, Who plundered Delhi and massacred its inhabitants. Nor how the Sikhs had been way-laying and robbing Nadir Shah as well, While he was returning to Kabul and Kandhar after committing arson and looting. (24)
Nor how, thereafter, Ahmad Shah Abdali captured the city of Lahore, And later on captured the whole territory between Delhi and Agra. Nor how the Sikhs even ousted Ahmad Shah Abdali from India, And captured all the provinces under his reign. (25)
Dohra : Nor how the Sikhs slaughtered Taimurshah21 , the son of Ahmad Shah Durrani, And dispatched him to death to lie in his grave.
Frustrated so much from his confrontation with the Sikhs, he declared, That No one from his progeny would ever set foot on this land. (26)
Chaupai : Thereafter came the grandsons of Taimurshah and Ahmad Shah, They were also decimated by the Khalsa forces/ warriors. The Sikhs who had been waging a war against the Mughals for ages, They were branded as mere subjects by the spiteful king. (27)
Dohra : The wicked adversary never sheds his wickedness and enmity, Much as a venomous snake never sheds its venom. How so often one may feed it with milk, It would never lose an opportunity to sting with its fangs. (28)
Chaupai : He (the Mughal emperor) did not speak even an iota of truth, And deliberately targeted the Sikhs while telling lies. The British general recorded this as stated by him (the emperor), Without making any effort to sift fact from fiction. (29)
There had been a conflict between the Muslims and the Hindus/Sikhs, It had been an ideological/religious conflict between the two. If it harmed the cause of the enemy (the Hindus) by telling lies, Why should a Muslim lose hold of such an opportunity? (30)
Dohra : As One dips one's arm in a vessel filled with oil,
And allows as many sesame grains as can stick to one's arm.
The Muslims should take so many oaths to slaughter so many (Hindus) infidels,
The Muslim Prophet22 , had issued such a injunction to the Muslims. (31)
Rattan Singh (the narrator) has narrated it as he had heard the legends, And he had got it recorded (To the British David Murray). He beseeches his readers and patrons to read it with concentration, As he is going to narrate these legends further. (32)
10
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
('frIH §3Ufe tFJSft') 2. ab dutiyo sakhi ko parsang likhyat^ ('jim utpati bhai khals^')
t^ra1" : m u'ldH'd fb-r srpct fe^wfo <Tfu I
dohra : jab patisahai im kahyo in dayo raj kin nahi.
rayyat aki ham bhai ag nadar ahimad sahi. 1 .
fi# fw UTftj I fi# HtlH 5!# H'fSjH'Pd 13 1
chaupai : tab angrgzan tiyo hi likh layo. singhan raj na kinhun dayo.
nahin parvano singhan pahi. nahin bakhas kin kari patisahi.2.
ftTK WfU 5fal* f3H fetffi fc^ I Urfe GT TTat fe^ I
jim shahi kahyo tim likhyo kitaba. hukam pai yau dhari shitaba. jau nahin parvano singhan pahi. au nahin bakhshayo kin patisahi.3.
fit wi3itI<s fen fey tra^ i gHZ H31W 3H y#»i^ 3^ ih i
rayyat aki kab rahng pai. laiagu in tai mulakh chhinai.
jabai angrgzan im likh dharyo. dushat mugal tab khushian bharyo.4.
t^ra1" : s m\w feK feK 5jff s y^t H^H I
3^!^ W fifcw; #S HOT tiiBIUI dohra : turak na khushia kim karain kim kahain na khoti bata.
turkan au hinduan huto din mazahb ko ghata.5.
tRJ^l" : 5!St H3H feH ate 3^ I d£Hl=S fmi I
chaupai :kai baras im bitat bhac. ranjit singh mulkhayyai santg. ui angrgzan ko lai ag. ludihanai sou an bahag.6.
eugr : jto Pr M wfer bhz nfe i
dohra : sal atharan sai bitg adhik chaustg soi.
dayo su par utar tin ranjit singh dal joi.7.
wfe H?W HfR1" fetf 1 1 I sortha : lini in thahirai satdarv par na ham lakhain.
mulkhayyan dilasai lai mulakh maphuja likh dayo. 8.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
11
Episode 2 Now I Narrate the Second Episode (The Way the Khalsa Originated)
Dohra : The Mughal emperor told the British in this way,
That no Authority had ever conferred any Sovereignty on the Sikhs. These unruly subjects (the Sikhs) had become defiant to the Mughal rule, When Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali came to invade the region. (1)
Chaupai : The British accepted the Mughal version and recorded it as such,
That No authority had ever conferred any sovereignty on the Sikhs. Neither had any Divine power bestowed any sovereignty on them, Nor had any Temporal Authority granted them any statehood. (2)
The British recorded the Mughal version as such in a book, As ordered by their seniors, they recorded this version in great haste. That the Sikh had neither any Divine sanction for any sovereignty, Nor had any Temporal Authority conferred any statehood on them. (3)
How long can mere subjects remain defiant to the rule of Authority, So they (the British) would soon take over the region from the Sikhs. When the British accepted and recorded the Mughal version as such, The wicked Mughal emperor felt extremely elated with his attempt. (4)
Dohra : Why should a Muslim not gloat over such an event,
Why should he desist from indulging in slander and calumny? There had been a conflict between the Muslims and the Hindus, A life-long ideological and religious conflict between the two. (5)
Chaupai : A period of several years passed in this way.
But when Maharaja Ranjit Singh started harassing the rulers of Phulkian States' , They invited the British to seek their protection against the Maharaja And they stationed the British troops at Ludhiana. (6)
Dohra : It came to happen after the passage of eighteenth century,
In the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty four (1864)2. That the British repulsed the attack of Maharaja's forces3 , And chased them away across the river Satluj. (7)
Sortha : Thereafter, the British negotiated a settlement with Maharaja Ranjit Singh, That their forces would never cross the river Satluj (Satdrav)4 . They also gave an assurance of providing protection to the Phulkian rulers, Provided the latter agreed to be their protectorates. (8)
12
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
: h§ §?; fen ^ft sst *e Fra^w i wkkj'S wfe yst hh~2W ft™?* hit ife i tf i
dohra : sou bat un chit rakhi luni akhtar jarnaila.
ludihanai ai puchchhi jab bhayo singhan sayon mgl.9.
tft-fst : rTH rldcSM »Rgt I UHt" FJ 3^ y'PdJd'd fetr^t" I
rflfe t Hfet" 5013^ I 1tRT tTO3 Sr HUH FRF?) I I
chaupai : jab jarnail soch chit ai. huti ju bat patishah likhai.
j arnail agg tho mali kaptana. j ih j anat hai bahut j ahana. 10.
ferra orw rjcw> awfe i HH^rfe §h arrfe i fnuj?) oft §3^et few i 1hh ora" tr^H u^ w w i ^ i
tisko kahyo jarnail bulai. samjhai khub us pas bahai. singhan ki utpati likhayo. j im kar khalso raj ad payo. 1 1 .
1% >te ^S" ?tkt i httoh1?) org frt oRrfe1 i <p i
jim kahi dillipti tim hai sati. kai kuchh lagayo muglan ghata. hindu turkan mcl kuchh nahi. muslaman kad sachch kahain.12.
feH 5Rf Ffe?J H^U FRf H1^" I H^U UUB % feH 5Rf URJ I
kim kar jattan shahi subc marg. shahi rayyat tg kim kar harg. bai subg muglan pahi. kai zazirai samundar mahi.13.
W3l Hfe # tJHffefc WH I ofe 3raH 5Rf & 3^ ?TH I UCT3" gwt" HH TO! £Rf I TO HH? W UTJB I I sari hind thi chugttini pasa. kaun gazab kar g bhag nasa. rayyat chhgli sam hakam shgra. hakam baz au rayat batgra.14.
iRRf : M»f^ K1^" FU feK feH a^U^ H% JFirT I
»T «H H1^ CRT 5ra>F3ET 5PH I I
dohra : chhglian marg shgr kim kim batgran marg baza.
au hakam marg rayytain yah karmatahi kaja.15.
u fe?> h* fbtg m(3 aw It fen ug i
fetf dofloW Ht 5 CRT lJSt£ >fe I ^£ I
hai in main kichhu shakat bal kai kis dadhg pantha.
likho hakikat in sabho tau yah paig anta.16.
FRi?fe ol }mt oTuT foHoRjt fe# ol FTRJ I §ft feftr URT UrfeFRJ I =19 I
j arnail ko mali kahi jim kahi dili kg shahi. taisg likhi pathaiai pahi landan patishahi. 17.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
13
Dohra : General Sir David Ochterlony still bore it in his mind,
(His old obsession of recording the True history of the Sikhs). He started exploring this topic on his arrival at Ludhiana, Where he came into contact with the Sikhs. (9)
Chaupai : Then it occurred to the mind of General Sir David Ochterlony,
That the Mughal emperor had recorded a (biased) version of Sikh history. He had a junior officer Captain Murray5 under his command. Who knew a large number of people of that region. (10)
So General Ochterlony summoned Captain Murray to come to him, And briefed him thoroughly about the object of his mission. He directed him to get the history of origin of the Sikhs recorded, And how did the Sikhs establish a sovereign Sikh state. (11)
And asked him to verify if Mughal emperor's version was authentic, Or had the Mughal emperor tampered with some facts of history. When there had been no love lost between the Muslims and Hindus, Then how could a Muslim speak the truth and state the real facts? (12)
Chaupai : How did Jat6 peasants wrest the provinces from the Mughals, How did the mighty rulers suffer defeat from the plebeians? The Mughals had been the rulers over twenty two states, And their writ ran over many other Islands as well. (13)
When the Mughals were ruling over the whole of India,
What mysterious force had vanquished their empire?
How did the lamb-hearted subjects overpower the lion-hearted rulers?
How did the timid quail-like subjects subdue the ferocious hawk-like rulers? (14)
Dohra : How did the lambs vanquish the lions? How did the quails kill the falcons? How did mere subjects decimate the rulers? This was, indeed a great miraculous act. (15)
How much strength did they (the Sikhs) really wield, Which martial or religious sect did they belong to? They must record all the real facts, In order to arrive at a firm conclusion. (16)
David Murray suggested to general Ochterlony,
That he was in favour of the earlier Mughal Emperor's version.
And he recommended it to general Ochterlony,
That they should dispatch the same version to the king in London. (17)
14
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
trust : fjtfe >>(3T^¥ tr fcnw>t i orf h7?^ i
^3 rT Ufe U'ldH'Td i £fe He HfS" ^fe sra-ifo i Ht: I chaupai : jarnail angrcz tho bado giani. kaha mari sou usain mani.
kahyo kurd ju hui patishahi. d§i bat mohi kuri karahi.18.
ne fe?> ssr fwe i uh fwcr w twee I thuk )?r u'dH'dt1) wfa i stw FaT# traffe ^ i ^ ,
dusar bat tin lai bichara. huto biradh au bad khabrdara. singhan au patsMhan mahi. lakhyo shariko jarnail vahi.19.
orat ae ft§ Erfo je 3m i 3% wfotil §h sst i flf Fiir u fs fe1^" i W|5 5i?M few7 i po i
kahi bat jau shahi sach hoga. bharai shahidi sabh us loga. jou shahi hai jhuth uchara. sach jhuth kar lchu niara.20
*m fete af yae^ ffecr i feH sra" uwt ufew i fete M^" 8b?) h§ i cr?rf?5^fe5ffe5uf i p^ i
akai likhat kou puratan labbhyai. im kar hamro man patiyyai. likhat bhcjiai landan sou. ya main jhuth na ik til hou.21.
B^ra1" : Wrf HW? iHW) fflK H3" 3% fetf§ I
H?) dt tfWt tTOCT t=T3T U^W I PP I dohra : raj malyo singhan jim sabh bhanti likhao sala.
sun jhcrdo sabh khalsai janyo jagg havala.22.
trust : Hat UoO-r w ©""sh o?te i as Erfo ife# he wfe i
fet(?) oBTH @H §a>TO I THUJ?) oft @3U3t fetTO I P3 I chaupai : mari hukam lai uddam kiyo. butai shahi maulvi sad liyo.
likhan katab usai phurmayo. singhan ki utpati likhayo.23.
fflK Ufe HB H§ ?f fe5^ I W H f?5 S a^W I
crfa ft^bt Enusre?) urr i wa #ik ?T TH\ U5m I PH I
jim hui sachch sou main likhaiyo. ya main jhuth na kachhu ralaiyo.
yahi javag shah landan pasa. aur dipan main hog parkasha.24.
Irua"1" : »tHt nm 3#e sra a$ ne msis i
fetW dofloid tfRH IrlH THW) §^ wfe I PU I dohra : aisi ais tagid kar butc shah samjhai.
likhyo hakikat khalsai jim singhan bhayo vadhai.25.
tRlST : §HT oftjPddl UK g 31% I H?7 CTU He H ftfe 3? I
crfe H?5# U HHW-F?) I o(3 THtl?) flH 5!% Htf1?) I P^ I
chaupai : usi kachahiri ham the gac. sun yah bat su chintat bhac.
yahi maulvi hai muslamana. kab sikkhan jas karai bakhana.26.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
15
Chaupai : General Ochterlony was very seasoned and well-informed, He did not accept captain Murray's recommendation. If the Mughal emperor's version came out to be false, Then his own reputation would be sullied and tarnished. (18)
So he contemplated recording another version,
As he was quite experienced and very well-enlightened.
That there had been a life-long strife between the Sikhs and the Mughals,
General Ochterlony was very well aware of their differences. (19)
If the Mughal emperor's version was true to the facts, The people at large would bear a witness to it. But if the Mughal emperor had tampered with the facts, Then he must sift the real facts from fiction. (20)
Else, they must discover some old manuscript, Then alone would he be convinced of its authenticity. He must dispatch only the authentic version to London, Which did not contain any trace of untruth. (21)
Dohra : How did the Sikhs capture political power and become sovereign? They must describe every event and their exact chronology. Because the strife between the Sikhs and the Mughals, Had been widely known to the people of the whole world. (22)
Chaupai : After receiving these orders, Captain Murray made efforts, He summoned the services of Bootey Shah Maulvi7 . He directed him to write a book about the Sikhs, And asked him to record the facts about the origin of the Sikhs. (23)
And further instructed him to record the authentic version only, And warned him not to tamper with the facts. Since the version was to be dispatched to the king in London, And its further copies were to be sent to other continents. (24)
Dohra : Giving him all the detailed instructions about his motives, Captain David Murray briefed Bootey Shah thoroughly. That he should write the whole truth about the origin of the Khalsa, And how the Sikhs progressed and expanded their influence. (25)
Chaupai : I (the author) had also gone to attend the court of David Murray, Hearing this conversation, I felt quite concerned. This scribe Maulvi Bootey Shah, being a Muslim, How could he narrate a just and proper account of the Sikhs. (26)
16
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
ofa 3TH3 aH Hat HHS7^ I §H oT fofiw aHfij few I §H^ aH W3 I fefi tfWT 5[Ut S H^ I 39 I
kar goshat ham man samjhayo. us ka likhia hamhi dikhayo. usko dckh ham bat uchari. in gal khalsai kahi na san.27.
#aar : h nat aT-Fa fi-B ifjt yfij fea staw y^'fe i
frTH §3VFJ 3St tf«H feH 3H Ha" fetrfe I 3t I dohra : so mari hamaro mit bhayo muhi phir kahyo bulvai. jim utpati bhai khalsc tim turn dchu likhai.28.
tft-fst : § H ofUt H?> Hat oRB1?) I 3H Hdlrld trfij HHRHTi I
sas^ fu€w> la & i irar trat sra a^ w i ?tf i
chaupai : tau main kahi sun man kaptana. turn patijat hohi muslamana.
turkan hinduan bair hai ada. khaha khahi kar rakkhain bada.29.
fafewr at 3a5f y^t ojtf i "fife sa^ fife? afr i
HWt 5043^ HtTTSt I UH J^eaW If tldd fijWTit I 30 I hinduan ki turak khoti kahain. hindu turkan nindat rahain. tab mali kaptan bakhani. ham angrcz hain chatur giani.30.
Wxi to an tfa" fw&% i sta ItTH uh fiwt i
faHsf fijwt HE UH U^l TO afe aH fe^ S ^rfij I 3^ I sach jhuth ham khub bicharai. dudh nir jim hans niarai. bishak likhavo sach ham pahi. jhuth hoi ham likhain na vahi.31.
>>raTaw fef h ua§H ttch i feH n# ftw ww^d i h| an a h^ ni i h§ yn'fidd ufij ?fes urr 1 3? i
angrcz 16k jo parbhum javta. tisai haval sabhi likh layavta. juu hot hai sach sabh khasa. suti pujait pati landan pasa.32.
#aaT : § mft s an sra^ fc?5t 33"^ i
1hu^ u1^ a^ fax w fii^ ufijnu 1 33 1
dohra : tau mali nai ham kahyo itni bat batahu.
singhan payo raj kim au dino kin patishahu.33.
thjst : fijH W3 h wh otat i "fnm yfijnat wfu h% est" i
Hat 5faW H^ H% Sffi? I W aiatf "Hnj cTOoT fffe" I 39 I chaupai : tisai bat main aisc kahi. "singhan patishahi sahi sachchai dai".
mari kahyo shah sachcho koi. asan kahyo "shah nanak joi".34.
Hat ^ cTOof ^o?ta I H'at ^t fii!W 33Hta I
an 5raw ^iu Hfe ^ h^u" i #s e?5t h% uf^Ffa 1 3u i
man kahyo bhayo nanak phakira. un shahi ki kia tatbira.
hamai kahyo vahi shahin ko shaha. din duni sachcho patishahi.35.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
17
After a thorough deliberation, I persuaded Captain Murray, That he should allow me to go through his (Bootey Shah's) version. After a thorough perusal of his narration I told Captain Murray, That he had not given the whole truth about the Sikhs. (27)
Dohra : In this way, I developed a bond of friendship with him, And he invited me to express his desire. That I should get everything recorded to him, As to how the Khalsa originated and came into existence. (28)
Chaupai : Then I told Captain Murray honestly and succinctly, That he had reposed his faith in a Muslim.
But there had been a life-long conflict between the Muslims and the Hindus, As they had been in continuous confrontation with each other. (29)
The Muslims had been as much slandering the Hindus, As the Hindus had been condemning the Muslims. Hearing this, Captain Murray made a terse remark, That the Britishers were quite shrewd and sensible. (30)
They were as capable of sifting facts from fiction, As a Swan8 would separate the milk content from water. So he (the author) must state the facts unhesitatingly, Because he would not record any thing false. (31)
Whenever the British had ventured into an alien land, They had always recorded the entire history of that region. Whatever they had found authentic and credible, They had despatched its contents to the king in London. (32)
Dohra : Then addressing me Captain Murray asked me the question, That I should disclose him this much of a mystery. How did the Sikhs acquire political power and statehood, And who bestowed sovereignty on the Sikhs? (33)
Chaupai : Then, I answered Captain Murray in these words,
"The true Lord Divine has conferred sovereignty on the Sikhs." Captain Murray asked me who was their true Lord, I replied, "Guru Nanak is their true Lord." (34)
Murray said that Nanak was a mere mendicant,
What did he know about political power and sovereignty?
I remarked that Guru Nanak was the Lord of Lords,
He was a Divine prophet and lord of the whole world. (35)
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
ofgt SFU fe?) oft? gcfru I ofst gcfru 5(3" #S Ufa I UUCT Wlf ufe aUU^U I ?TO5T 31* H^UT^ Hffu I 3£ I kai shah tin kiyg fakira. kai fakir kar ding pira. rahyo ap hui bgpravaha. yaun nanak bhayo shahin shahi.36.
frTPT WTJ (TOof BUS W% I H1 H5tf% fE3T 35t W% I
fo^»rs 3 §s a^ ?jui? i gws sk1 hu 1 39 1
jin shah nanak charan parsag. tin main shakti iti bhai ag. chirdian tg un baj kuhag. chhglan kolon shgr turdag.37.
ftt ft uif fte ?5tr otst uffu i
3tB UP=!H 'Jl afo 5!U3 5TO BT^ dFU I 3t I jin kai ghordai gail lakkh topan kai hazara. takhat patisahi bahi karat tin dasan ding gara.38.
3% ?5 77M fHU S^U" rFoT ETT I UU 7> HUT ?U 3U3 life feH c^H I 3tf |
bhang nugad lai nam sir darain jankg dasa. rahai na ardnai jog vahu turat hoi tis nasu.39.
HUT £ fwU' TO UK faf" 3HI ?TO5T tit ITOt 1HH H1^ 5TU H§ tia I
UH §H I? H??# HS H3 f>fe Hfi5> Wfe HH3U% SOU ferT UET I
W 5TU UUCT HU @U feH UH HU I WIF f5UFfe 5TUT TOi^" HUU »fa I
?^5r ort# ?n-r a# 5jw u^l frfe i u^ h§ hus HH2S sTaru na i eo i
mari ng piarg bach ham siun ucharg tab. nanak ji pai jim shahi kaho sou dhaba. ham usai yaun sunai sunon sant mitt bhai. jankg bulai samjhai kahi nij raba. raja kar rahyo mor uhai kim pujg jor. ang saun lagai kahi javiai zarur aba. nanak kaMvo nam bgdikul pavo jai. rakho jou avai saran dushtan ko garo daba.40.
Hut 5TUCT UH H??t Haa1" I Hfifc UTtT feK irTO t W I frTH §H5T UH hT£ I ® TO 3H H3 Uat£ I fcH I
mari kahyo ham sunavo subbba. janki raj kim bhgjyo tho rabba. jim usko ham uttar dino. timai suno turn sant parbino.41.
ofWMdi ?f a^ hu ar& #e i ^oti ootuh huh §w he i
f¥WU WUT HUSW |U I UW) feFTHH 5JV I 93 I
kalyug main bad par gayo dunda. vadhyo kudharam dharam bhayo manda.
lalach lagg maia bhupa. raj an pag nij dharm kup.42.
m tfuI" aT ^ i=raT i w fauw # §T giu i
HiW HU H^ 5T sTUGT I HUH U^U fefT 5JW Ulu1 §UCT I «3 I
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
19
His reprimands turned many kings into paupers, And his blessings turned many paupers into kings. By keeping himself detached from politics and power, He came to acquire the status of a Lord of Lords. (36)
Whosoever sought his Divine grace and blessings,
They were imbued with power and sovereignty.
His blessings made the timid sparrows pounce upon the hawks,
And the meek lambs tear apart the lions. (37)
Dohra : Whose armies consisted of millions of horse riders,
And whose equipage consisted of thousands of canons.
Who were the mighty occupants of royal thrones,
They were annihilated by the descendents of Guru Nanak. (38)
Intoxicated with a dose of Cannabis and the Name of the Lord,
His followers (The Sikhs) charged at their adversaries with such ferocity,
That their enemies could not bear the brunt of their attack,
And they perished instantly under their mighty strokes. (39)
Kabit
Batisa9 : Dear Murray then asked me to explain,
How Guru Nanak was blessed with Divine power? Dear pious readers, I narrated him the following account: Responding to people's prayers, God Himself invited Guru Nanak, And made him a sovereign on His own behalf, And bestowed Nanak with all the Divine powers, Thereafter with a warm hug, God sent him to the world, Naming him Nanak, bade him to take birth in the Bedi10 dynasty. God instructed Guru Nanak to protect the meek and the humble, And crush all those who were evil and wicked. (40)
Chaupai : Murray asked me to narrate all the events,
Which led to the bestowal of Divine seal on Nanak/s house.
I narrate it to my devout and dear readers,
The whole account as I did to Captain Murray. (41)
A lot of Chaos had come to prevail during the Kaliyuga, Corruption increased as religion and morality had declined. The rulers had turned greedy and avaricious, They had abandoned their moral duty of just governance. (42)
The followers of the earlier religious sects11 who happened to be there, They had also gone astray (from their moral and religious path).
20
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
panth dhari bi jg jag ag. panth bichal bhi tin kg gag.
maia moh sabhan ko chharyo. dharam har nij kul chahin bharyo.43.
3. sri mukhvak saldk
5Tfe 5P3t Wr{ oi'H'yl TOH W offo §^fo»F I
kali kati rajg kasai dharmu pankh kari udria. kurdu amavas sachu chandrma disai nahi kah chardia.
oft AM TFtff" fetflH^ (fr!7> Pf <S'<So( H?>H feu XT1^") pahlg mahllg ki janam sakhi likhyatc. (jin main nanak janam liyo dhari)
t^ra1" : § Hrgt s fe? sktct I
§STO>}f 5Tfe ol?> tTH oT?) W Wfz I HI dohra : tau mart nai phir kahyo sabh ham dghu batai. kaun sal au kali kaun dgsh kaun au thai. 1 .
33?> fHUT (ratan singh bach) —
trust : to *m fsm wfz i Utr/ h w shtxh1" Erfe i
chaupai : sal sunaun ab bikarm rai. pandra sau au chhabia thai.
nagar talvandi bular bhui rai. dhigg lahaur au kasurhi dai.2.
ynt §h M srarfe i foft fen hHtt i
U^t ^ ?U wfe g>T5n# I fTO >f <TO5T TOH fetf WT 13 I
khattri jat us bgdi kahai. liyo avtar isai kul manhi.
huti kulai vah ati dharmkari. jin main nanak janam liyo dhari. 3.
Hldrjdl K rT rfBT W sfljt I frfcJ HT TOH H S^rfiw ^ I
ni" 3% ?f hht nf i ^t-t mmqw nf ib i
satijug main jo jog tha bhayo. jih madh janam su narsingh layo. au targtai main jog bhayo jou. ram janam madh dharyo sou.4.
OTW TOHCT 1qJTO HHT fiTO" I <TOo7 tTOf H§ feT |
iTHtoTOFH I ?7H t feTO 3^ IUI duapar janmayo karishan jog sidha. nanak janam kul mill sou bidha. pita nam tho kalu dasa. mat nam tho taripto tasa.5.
^^ra1" : toh 5^ to to Hftf *j feg- §s i
feg- ora ^ ^ §s1ir § nrfe ipziTa^ to i £ i
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
21
The greed for lucre had corrupted every section of society,
Every one wished to enrich one's own family abandoning all sense of morality. (43)
Episode 3 SriMukhwakSloka1
In this dark age of Kaliyuga symbolised by a pair of scissors, The rulers have turned themselves into butchers. Dharma or Moral values have disappeared from public life. The truth, symbolised by Moon, has been eclipsed in this darkest phase.
Here I write the Legend of the First Mahal (Nanak) (How Nanak took Birth)
Dohra : Then Captain Murry asked me once again,
That I must narrate the whole story (of Guru Nanak). With all the details of the year and the age of his birth, Along with the name of the place and the country of his birth. (1)
Rattan Singh's version :
Chaupai : The year of Guru Nanak's birth falls in the Bikrami Era2 , Guru Nanak was born in the year 1526 (1469 CE). His birth place was Rai Bhoi Bullar's village of Talwandi, Which is situated in the vicinity of Lahore towards Kasur (Pakistan). (2)
It was in the caste of Bedis, a subcaste of Kashtriyas3 , That Guru Nanak took birth in this family of Bedis. It was a family of very religious and pious lineage, In which Guru Nanak took his human birth.(3)
It was under the constellation of auspicious stars in Satyuga4, That the Prophet Narsimanh had taken human birth. In the age (yuga) of Treta5 under a similar constellation of stars, Lord Rama had taken a human birth in that age. (4)
As Lord Krihna was born under a similar dispensation in Duapar 6 , So was Guru Nanak Born in Kaliyuga7 in the same order. Guru Nanak's father was known by the name of Kalu Das, And his mother was known by the name of Tripta.(5)
Dohra : Guru Nanak's family was perfect in piety and moral virtues, Although it was not so rich and sound in affluence.
22
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
dohra : dharam mahi hovat ghang dhan mahin thg kichhu una. kichh kul ko kuchh unhi ko ai pargtayo bad pun.6.
3?5 FTfe m udt 3^ 0>si=!d HBT I WE m IcJTU HHBT 19 I
bhal sait au bhal ghardi bhalo nichhatar joga. bhali ras au garih bhalg ausar bhalg sanjoga.7.
Fra-ffe w fen hb fiB hub i fgftr ftfQ s§ fiw ere nt^ |k w; w it i
janmati hi tih mat pit badhyo bahut partap. riddhi siddh nau niddh yut diyo bhum dhan apa.8.
tiust : 3Tg?> o( "firat ys^gt i 3<r tr^u fen ?vE3t wst i
W3 Hb1" UWHI J=fe Ugl* 35 tPTT I tf I
chaupai : avil gadan ko parithi khunai. tahan darab tis nadri ai.
mat pita dil vadhyo hulas, pandat sadd puchhyo bad khasa.9.
?ww : ^"fetr ira^ ?f nfe Htr u^fe i
|U m lk >fe HHoCfe I I dohra : pandat tgva likh dharyo man main badi sukh pai.
murd murd balak rup lakh mand mand muskai.10.
: usb" truer fetrfe i tOT nre ftis hu HH^fe I ugB" orftr feH wen i feu yuy yus u wti i n i
chaupai : tcva pandat dharyo likhai. dayo mat pit bahu samjhai.
pandat kahi is adab rakhayo. ih kou purakh puran hai ayo. 1 1 .
fcUoRSoi' rtf crfu 3^ ttFV I WU3 feH ^ fel? I
nihkalank jan yahi bhayo apa. japat is ko ito partapa.
nakar achhar un muhrc dharayo. nihkalank tc nanak kahvayo.12.
STSt Vu ?U ^OT UU I ^tfH SUH S §H felBU I =13 I
jo kou pave darshan ai. hui parsann bahu mohyo jai.
kai var vahu dekhyo chahai. dgkhat daras na us tariptahai.13.
%ww : t§ o^r crj 5^ fm ^§ ou I
5TU UreH'U CRT ufaj H I °(U I
dohra : kou kahai yah bhayo siddh kou kahai avtara.
kou kahai patshah yah hougu su chhatrdhara.14.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
23
Partly because of his family's piety and partly of his own volition, Guru Nanak was born here on the auspicious night of the full moon. (6)
It was the most auspicious moment and under the most auspicious Zodiac sign,
The most ideal constellation of auspicious stars.
The most auspicious Zodiac sign and the most auspicious planet,
And the most auspicious constellation of mellifluous planets. (7)
Guru Nanak's birth ushered an era of name and fame for his family, Their fame and reputation spread manifold and wide. It marked a manifold increase in family's fortunes and influence, And God blessed the family with wealth and landed property. (8)
Chaupai : When the earth was dug to bury his mother's post-natal placenta, Gold coins were sighted underneath the dug up earth. Feeling highly delighted and excited by this good omen, Guru Nanak's parents summoned the most learned pundit8 of their area. (9)
Dohra : The Pundit cast a horoscope of Guru Nanak's Nativity, He felt extremely pleased with his tabulation. He cast a glance at the child's (Guru Nanak's) face spell bound, And a gentle smile ran all over his face. (10)
Chaupai : Making a thorough interpretation of Guru Nanak's horoscope, The Pundit gave instructions to the parents of Guru Nanak. He predicted that a perfect prophet had taken birth (in their family), And that they must pay obeisance and show reverence to the child. (11)
Since this new-born was a child without any blemish,
His fame was likely to spread far and wide.
He gave him a name beginning with the letter 'N' ,
And named him Nanak after the prophet Narsimanh. (12)
Whosoever came to have a glimpse of his face, Became fascinated with his charismatic appearance. Even after having repeated glimpses of his pious face, The onlooker was never satiated with his glimpse. (13)
Dohra : Some predicted that he would be a Sidh9 ,
Others predicted that he would be a prophet.
Still others made predictions about his being a King,
With all the regalia of an enthroned sovereign. (14).
24 Sri Gur Panth Prakash
: u<v^'<s o^r est»r crfa i PcSdUcS 5ttr q?j fen Rfwftr i sit feH usif i yg^" w i i
chaupai : dhanvan kahain dgiai yahi. nirdhan kahai dhan it scviahi.
kou kahai is scv partavain. sukhna sukhain muradan pavain.15.
foH fHH H fed Id 5JW UST^ I feHfoffefH I H fet H§ H?re I »(HTH fcBlH 5?1" I °(£ I
jim jim satigur kala pargtavai. tim tim 16k su dckhan avain. jo chit chitvai sou sunac. agam nigam ki bat batac.16.
om o( H?j wfs i b% ofd'yl sra" §s i
wkr f^s at Ht1 Mdt i fan ?w ?w trof i ^ 1
kalu kc man puttar bhai. chahai karai kar un pahi. agya pit ki mordain nanhi. jit val torain tit val jahin.17.
Hfe?w w 3 stf i ofd=5'd y^tr srftr #ef i
TJUt §14%H H^ HTO ^¥ I Hfe o(d=S'd H^ Si^t1 I I satinam jap mukh tc karain. kartar purakh kahi bachan uchrain. yahi updcsh sabh balan dcvain. sati kartar un mukhon kahcvain.18.
%7Hr : ofte ^rfcfofo Hd^ #CT g^fe I
aprfe rro afo ap^st h^ to wfe i Htf i
dohra : kiyo tantaro kaninini mardanai diyo phardai.
bajai sabad bahi gavai sabh balan sath ralai.19.
trust : h tru w& t& aa1" fetr^st1 i 3%" cfe 35 ?> yst I
GF ^ ?f *m Hfe H oitf I #FT H^H foftf§ BIT I PO I chaupai : jau chahau bal sabh katha likhain. badhai granth bad ant na pai.
yan tc main ab suchi son kahon. bij matar kuchh likhio chahon.20.
frTH TO H i(S ftl^t I y3t §H^t t^" HJ-FSt I
tflH a^#5 Hf tTtP" | g^K 5Td"fe HU ^ H&f iftP" I P^ I
jim balan son khcd khidai. khcti ujardi phcr jamai.
jim balvand sou baba dckha. chMm karti sarp phan sayon pckha.21.
wa we% i wfs fks wf I
THH STd" gi? HS U3t»m I HE 5!^ cTOof W ofd^'M I PP I aur achmbhc kgtc bhac. sunc rai kichhu akkhin dikhc. jim kar rag man patiayo. sad kar nanak adar karvayo.22.
eu^" : he awf^ W 5?ftH U3 t& H urfe I
nfed" aW H3^" m m wfz I P3 I dohra : sad balvand adar kiyo putar bhog dio su pai.
andar bahar satar madh nanak khgdg dhai.23.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
25
Chaupai : The affluent wished to make an offering of their wealth to him, And the poor too wished to contribute money to his service. Some wished to test the effect of his blessings after making their offerings, Others made promises of offerings after the fulfilment of their wishes. (15)
As Guru Nanak's fame and reputation spread in the Kaliyuga, More and more people flocked to have a glimpse of him. Whosoever visited him, shared his heart's desires with him, And listened to his discourses about the unknown and the future. (16)
The father Kalu Das, impressed by his son's personality, Thought of a business proposition for his illustrious son. Being obedient, Nanak never disobeyed his father's instructions, And went on any errand that his father sent him to. (17)
He kept on meditating on the sacred Name of God,
And began his conversations with the invocation of God's Name.
He rendered the same advice to his fellow playmates,
And made them recite the name of the True God. (18)
Dohra : He improvised a musical string instrument out of a dry reed, And handed it over to his companion Mardana10 . He sang the sacred hymns to the accompaniment of music, And all his playmates joined to sing in a chorus. (19)
Chaupai : If I narrate all the details of his childhood,
Even a big volume would fall short to record his deeds.
So restricting myself to the essentially core incidents,
I wish to synopsize a few anecdotes from his childhood. (20)
How he once engaged his fellowmates in a game, And how he restored a grazed crop to its original luxurious state. How Balwand11 once saw Baba Nanak's face with his own eyes, Being shaded with the spread out hood of a snake. (21)
How did many other miracles come to light, A few he himself witnessed; others he heard from others. This is how he developed a great reverence for Nanak, And honoured him after inviting him to his palace. (22)
Dohra : Thus, Balwand invited and honoured Guru Nanak, And himself sat at his feet like an obedient son. And allowed him access to play in every corner of his palace, Inside, outside as well as his private bed chambers. (23).
26
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
w^ : uw asw. wfs wzh &u ddyld gfe i
est h )-rat 5wfe fofr asm §s 1 39 1
sortha : pai badai rai paras loh tatbir chhuhi.
dai su mari sunai dili bajiri un labhi.24.
§iw : tth aw tft 3£ glwa" 1 aui* u^tr 1
fiw w ttw ai? i43^fe 1 h hw est >rat jwfe 1 ?u 1
u —
chaupai : jab Mba ji bhag hushiara. pardahn baMg pandhg davara.
jim pandha diyo babg pardhvai. so sakhi dai mari sunai.25.
jfenrgg"auHfer& 1 ag3 are m fer fetr% 1 a1^ hh w ferft 1 3?ast§s to ?rfe 1 p£ 1
aur achmbhg bahut dikhag. badhat granth sabh ihan likhag. aur babg jab bhaya viahi. bhag bgtg do un dharyo nai.26.
a^^fcsraWi si 1 tre ag- tester ea au 1
H aW §H ut 7i Wfu I H^H Hb1" ok 3"^ wfo I 39 I kalu hatt karai lordai. khat kar khaiai darb bahu jordai. so baba us pardai na rahi. mat pita karg babg akahi.27.
aw aua^ut at i ^ 33^ nae #et i
WE! at uaew I M^^WS €W I ?t I
baba bgpravahi karai. phard rabab sabad uchrai.
sath karai mardanai parchava. lain dgn kuchh rakhai na dava.28.
(modi khana t<; v^in parv^sh)
: au few ^Imgs »ra Pr i
U3 antf HlddldPd HM=S'<Syt IrlH WH i ptf I dohra : kahai divana havai gay 6 sun ayo jai rama.
huto bahnou satigurhi sultanpurg jis thama.29.
: HMd'cSyt UH H?5a §>W§ I §753 tf1?) ("TH 5!% I feftiOTfffe^lwfe I i-rettlW ©H tOT HWfe_l 30 I chaupai : sultanpurai huto mulak umrau. daulat khan nam kahai tahu.
tisai nabab son diyo milai. modikhanon us dayo saumpai.30.
©Hat h sw5r i WOT5ra|?siit i
frlH a Wtf at tfe I cfe 3" H?> f55" Hfe I 3=1 1
sabh uski jo katha kathyyai. aur granth kahun dhundh na payai.
jis ko lord sunan ki hoi. aur granth tg sun lag soi.31.
atrT W3 rf tidied fetfW I W> H^t ft frlH ?T 5W I
3a a^ fe #ew »rw i 3^ fErr au H33 s ww i 3? i
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
Sortha : As iron turns into Gold with the touch of Paras12,
Rai Balwand also gained in reputation with the touch of Nanak's feet.
When Captain Murray heard Nanak's account from me,
He also got promoted to the ministerial position at Delhi. (24).
Chaupai : When Guru Nanak grew and gained more awareness, He was sent for getting education to a priest. How Guru Nanak taught his priestly teacher instead, I narrated that account to Captain Murray. (25)
How Guru Nanak accomplished many other miracles, Which I did not narrate so as to restrict the size of this epic. How after Guru Nanak's marriage was solemnized. He named his two sons who were born to him. (26)
How his father Kalu Das wanted his son to do business, And Wished his son to earn a fortune for himself. How Guru Nanak refused to toe the family line, And how his disobedience irked his parents. (27)
How he paid no heed to the family's business line,
And instead started reciting hymns with a Rabab.
How he passed most of his time with companion Mardana,
And took no interest in the business dealings. (28)
Guru Nanak at Modikhana13 and A Dip in River Waiyeen
Dohra : Guru Nanak came to be known as a careless romatic, Following his total lack of interest in worldly affairs. Hearing this news, Guru Nanak's brother-in-law Jai Ram, A resident of Sultanpur, came to verify this news. (29)
Chaupai : He took away Guru Nanak to Daulat Khan,
Who was the Mulk Umrao14 of the territory of Sultanpur. He introduced Guru Nanak to the Sultanpur's Nawab15 , And got him appointed as incharge of his warehouse. (30)
All those who are interested in knowing a detailed account,
They should consult some other ancient manuscripts.
Those who wish to listen to various other episodes during this period,
May go through the various other available biographical records. (31)
I have given only a very brief account of these incidents, Exactly as I had narrated these to Captain Murray.
28
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
bij matar jo chahiyat likhai. suno man son jim main kahi. tab babg dil udasi ai. bhayo udas kahun surat na lai.32.
§Ur flrfe Ij^t | urat Ufea" § fe!H S 1 33 I jat nadi tho navan nitta. sath nafar hai rakhg thitta. uhan jai Mbg gota layo. ghardi pahir lau nikas na ayo.33.
tira1" : §Ht" cSgg" ?> fe-»TH ufe urfe I
fSW §fe§ H?> tW3 W tpfe I 39 I
dohra : usi nafar ng bi-as hoi raulo dino pai.
dubyo dubyo kahi uthio sun daulat khan gayo dhai.34.
tft-fst : 3iF frfe fe?) w& ysrs- i trfe ycr h ©?> <Ffe »rg" i
R5T oiff oljj W «Uf I tTfe W OtT f^CT I 3U I chaupai : taMn jai tin jai puvag. hoi payo tau un hathi ag.
16k kahain kahun par langh gayo. jai par tin khoj dhundyo.35.
tfrT i4ST% rlHTfe ?> U7^" I ojtf Sof ^5 ofU grgt I H ^ ^ Ura" •fijzf I tf1?) HH 3^ I 3£ I
khoj parchhavai jugti na pai. kahain 16k rurdah gayo kahun thai, jai ram kai ghar pitnon para, daulat khan bahu sansai bhara.36.
# feBT fe3HWT fe£ I 3tH 3ra" fejHfe 3^ I q^t SoT H% ^ftr I 7?TJ W> tT3CT I 39 I do ik din tab ais bitag. tijg din gur niksati bhag. dhoti lak modhai vahi parno. bolg nah jan khardyo darno.37.
3Et tlW 3H Sof Hfe )»T& I wfl wt HftjH I H WM Hfe t H W I §W3 tP?) >Hit »TO I 3t I bhai khabar tab 16k chali ag. agai pachhai chahit bulag. jai ram suni kai turat su dhayo. daulat khan achmbho ayo.38.
t^ra1" : $m tr # w yn£ fto js^rfe i
W3 HIT ?Tftf 5!% tF?) Hftl Urfe I 3tf I dohra : daulat khan bhija pujyo layayo sath lavai.
babo moh kuchh nahin karai rahyo khan mohi pai. 39.
nrara" ai? ae row i § fea" U3t»iw 1 90 1
chaupai : tab daulat ng hakim bulag. mat kat nanak rog santag.
agyon babg baid samjhaya. tau phir daulat man patiaya.40.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
29
Then Baba16 entered into a very contemplative mood,
And became totally disinterested and detached from every affair. (32)
He used to go to a river for his daily morning ablutions, Where he was always accompanied by a servant. One day, he dived deep into the river, And did not come out for a very long time. (33)
Dohra : The servant, losing all hopes of Guru Nanak's survival, Raised an alarm and a lot of hue and cry. Hearing these cries that Guru Nanak had drowned, Daulat Khan, Sultanpur's custodian, also came running. (34)
Chaupai : He ordered the nets to be cast in the river to trap his body, But had Nanak been there, then alone could he be traced. When Some people surmised about his having crossed the river, A thorough search was carried out across the other end. (35)
When the foot-tracers and astrologers failed to trace him, The people felt that the current must have carried him away. There was much grieving and mourning at Jai Ram's house, And Daulat Khan also felt dumbounded and suspicious. (36)
While this suspense continued for one or two days,
Guru Nanak emerged out of the river on the third day.
With a rag wrapped round his waist and a towel on his shoulders,
He stood still and silent like a scarecrow in a field. (37)
Hearing this news, people rushed to the spot, And started rallying round Guru Nanak. Jai Ram also reached instantly after hearing, And Daulat Khan also felt very astonished (38)
Dohra : Daulat Khan also arrived at the scene, He brought Guru Nanak back home. But Guru Nanak remained completely silent and detached, Despite Daulat Khan's pleadings and entreaties. (39)
Chaupai : Daulat Khan summoned the services of Hakeems17 ,
For Nanak must be afflicted with some serious disease.
When Baba Nanak explained the psychic cause (of his silence) to the Hakeem, Daulat Khan felt relieved of his tension and fears. (40)
30
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
iM 5P# W§ ft tiff I feHZ feroff?^! f?j 5?t Heft ?> SFH I §H 5^ fedo('d I 9=1 1
mullan kaji babe son khahain. darishat band gar jadu kahain. un ki daulat mam na bata. us babe par bhayo itkata.41.
tjkj % ua^ u^h w^at i y#e ?u to u^njr i
ftfe ;?ior aij o( HHTO I tftf H#e Wfe H TSH oT3" I B3 I yah hai puran purash avtari. bhayo murid vah san parvari. hindu turak babe ko samsara. hohin mund ai so im kara.42.
t§W> ^ HB I o!TO t OT) UZ1^ I
fFTH ftTK HHyt I wfe1 fef TO TO ft I B3 I
douan ko gur sachch darirdavain. julam karan tai duan hatavain. jim jim barkat bhai mashuro. ain 16k bahu sun sun duro.43.
EU^1" : tTR3 t tffe fejHddl U3f HTO faffa I
fr1" §fe feg trfe trfe to>t to i aa i
dohra : daulat kai dui istari hotin sutan bigaira.
kini scva uni ichhc dui dui j annum shgra.44.
tR|gt : icJFtTT W 3TFT HTO H tf?> I TOJ iTO W iTRtT TO1) I
§fe b^b1" Mi 5^a^sstuHBfe?fefl#iaui
chaupai : gazi khan gaj masat su khana. mir khan au zolkhan mana.
uni naran bad charcha tori, kahain babe dai ham dui dui jori.45.
#U^" : ai? t tfrtf feK U3t feg OTUfe HTOJ I
H § TO 31* HHT §^ U3" W | a£ I
dohra : babe kai jia im huti kichh rahiai gupti sansara.
so tau pargat jag bhayo jagu utth par gay 6 khayara.46.
tR|gt : °FT> tTS^T fo!H WftJ ^tl" I ?W W^ft rf tltf I
ftlH frM W§ 5tt ^e1" 3# I It ^ 3TSt la^l
chaupai : bhan chardyo kim chhanyo rahai. lakh badal jau dhampyo chahai. jim jim babe ki charcha bhai. thorai hi main bahu phail gai.47.
ftTH 7tf £ Ufe TOJ I feH S OTlBT ^ »TTO fHW I
TOTW" ?tB U3t # I B3TO Uffe 3St HtfTOt I at I jis nar ko hui sit dabayo. kim na chahugi val agan sidhayo. dunian dukhat huti thi ghani. darshan pai bhai sukhmani.48.
fm WQ ff ftfe 3^ I TTOsJ >f foE t FRT^ I Hfe Hfe WB^H Bfe W% I ^tf gTO U1^" fTTOT^ I atf I siddh sadh jo hindu turko. huto jinhu main kichh tho jurko. suni suni achraj sabh chali ac. dekh bhai sabh har sidhac.49.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
31
There were daily confrontations between Guru Nanak and Muslim Kazis18, Some even branding him a magician or a necromancer. But Daulat Khan did not agree with any of their opinions, As he came to repose his complete faith in Baba Nanak. (41)
He believed him to be a supreme prophet of his age, And his whole family became followers of Guru Nanak.
Baba Nanak treated both the Hindus and the Muslims without any discrimination, Whosoever came to him became Guru Nanak's follower. (42)
He gave a message of truth to both the communities, And restrained both from indulging in acts of oppression. As he became more and more famous and popular, People came to seek his blessings from far and wide. (43)
Dohra : Daulat Khan had two wives, having married twice, But both the wives had no issues.
After paying obeisance to Guru Nanak, both of them were blessed, With two sons each, who grew to be as brave as lions. (44)
Chaupai : Their names were Gazi Khan, Gazi Mast Khan, The other two being Mir Khan and Zolakh Khan. The two mothers made a public declaration that they were, Blessed with a Couple of sons each, with the grace of Baba Nanak. (45)
Dohra : Baba Nanak was contemplating over the issue, How to remain detached from the world. Since the world had already come to know of his presence, So he thought of getting away from the world. (46)
Chaupai : How can the sun remain eclipsed forever
Even if the sky is overcast with myriads of dark clouds? So also Baba Nanak's presence came to be talked about, His fame spread far and wide in a very short time (47)
How can a person resist shifting towards fire,
Who had been under a severe grip of cold?
So also those people found relief in Baba Nanak's company,
Who were severely affected with pain and sorrow? (48)
All the Hindu and the Muslim Saints and Sidhas,
Possessing various degrees of spiritual powers,
Came to see Baba Nanak after hearing of his fame,
All of them went back acknowledging his spiritual supremacy. (49)
32
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
dohra : azmatian azmat dgvain gayanian gayan sunai. jaisi mansa kar avai taiso dain samjMi.50.
f^rrfl- oft#, fan 3TH3 (udasi kiti, sidh gosat)
#ust : § ai? § »ret i a^j u^f wst i
^H^e^HW wfe i ^a §s h% m^i
chaupai : tau Mbg kau udasi at. babai surat pardgsain lai.
lai mardanaun sath ralai. layo rabab un modhai chai.5 1 .
trftf ail § gnt fen w% i afrfe to afo apt i fm hht w UF3" y#e i %n ^5 ufe »rat 3#e i i
jahin babai kau khushi chit avai. rabab bajai sabad bahi gavai. siddh sadh au pir murida. dckh bhal hui agai turida.52.
frftf FTFJ W ^Hftf rTrfe I £fe §LT£H ??KFJ I UT3" firaH3" ^ I &3 oWtft fe?) oft" I U3 I jahin jahin baba dcshin jai. dci updcsh sachi namhi lai. pir pikmbar dcvi dcva. dur karai in ki scva.53.
ata fm w h?3" i 5# s aft Frfe fa§ ife^ i arar w §h ft Oh i ora^ fs?> ^ 3h iuai
Mr siddh au mantar tantra. sunai na kahai jalijiuj antra, gugo lanji au bhut ju parcta. dur karag in kg hgta.54.
tfef §S 5!^ §H p" §H 3Ffe I I
dohra : turkan kai hinduan kai j ahin j ahin dgsahi j ai.
hakk parayo un kahai usai sur us gai.55.
trust : W3 @?7 ftu jwfe i efe h1^ ?53Ffe i
H3of m l^feW) tfe I ^3 5!^ §?J HtT HtT tr€ I u£ I
chaupai : ais bhant un sachu sunai. dgvai doin sach lagai.
turak kuran au hinduan bgda. vach kahg un sachu sachu bhgd.56.
fer a1^" aw # nras am i @zf t firoTj sot i
5!^ 3THcT 3 # IrB I 55Tfe~fi=rrfh 3f 31% I UP I ik bar baba ji achlai gayo. uhan mglo tho siddhan kayo, kar gosat tg bhi jit lag. lai sidhi tgu thak gag.57.
fm ofdwl aw urerst i 1nq^ wfz bbtwI" tpsT i
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
33
Dohra : Baba Nanak blessed those with fame who sought fame,
He blessed those with knowledge who sought knowledge. With whatever desire one sought his grace, Guru Nanak directed him towards its realization. (50)
Udasees19 and Held Discussions with Sidhas20
Being overtaken by a sense of detached aloofness, Baba Nanak thought of traveling to other lands. He asked Mardana to accompany him, Who followed Baba Nanak with his Rabab21 . (51)
Whenever divine inspiration dawned upon Baba Nanak, He would recite hymns to the accompaniment of music. Sidhas, Saints, Pirs22 and their followers rallied round him, Delivering his message, he proceeded further on his travels. (52)
To whatever country Baba Nanak paid a visit, He sermonized people to dwell on God's name. He eradicated the idol worship of all kinds, The worship of Pirs, Prophets, gods and goddesses. (53)
He dispelled people's faith in all kinds of exorcism, Such as in various kinds of talismans, tantric rituals and occult powers, He also dispelled people's faith in all kinds of spirits, Such as various kinds of ghosts, spirits and Gugapir23 . (54)
Dohra : Whichever country Baba Nanak paid a visit to,
Whether inhabited by the Hindus or the Muslims,
He advised the Muslim's to shun others' belongings as they shunned Pork,
And preached the Hindus to shun others' share as they shunned cow's meat. (55)
Chaupai : Delivering a message of truth in this way,
Baba Nanak made both the communities follow truth. He explained the true import of the Koran to the Muslims, And explained the real essence of the Vedas to the Hindus. (56)
Once Baba Nanak paid a visit to the town of Achchal Batala, Where Sidhas were holding their annual congregation. He entered into a debate with the Sidhas,
But, the Sidhas, despite their spiritual powers, paled in argument. (57)
The defeated Sidhas then complained maliciously,
Against Guru Nanak to another Sidha known as Bal Gudai24 .
Undertook
Chaupai :
34
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
sidh kurlanai Ml gudai. har sidhan jai chugli khai. nanak siddh navan ik bhaya. sabh ki lahi sou lai gaya.58.
H7) @?> "firo?) ^tCT BoOT I 5kF W% § fPfiF ^ I
CRT H?> W # faw I §H^flkp Wft UTO I Utf I
sun un siddhan kiyo hankara. ihan avc tau jauga hara.
yah sun baba ji uhan sidharc. us ko jit gur agai padharc.59.
mzs ft sra- Ithzt ferrat g# ddyld i £o i
dohra : pharid patan multan madh uchann lau jo pira.
sabhan son kar gostan nahi kisaki chhadi tatbira.60.
rPJZt : ttfH 5RF ?53T 31?^ I Uuf 3ZF fHtJ TTftf Hgtw" I
chaupai : aisc aur kahan lag ganiai. pahunchain tahan siddh jahin suniai. unki siddhi dckh dikhai. jhuth chhudavain sach den lai.61.
%tm^ : fb-r ora- h?5 ufth oft ?ft?> ssr udwfe i
hot iraxHW sra" fer fer iraK i i
dohra : im kar sail panj ab ki ling 16k patyai.
kit sundar dharmasal kar nij nij dharmon lai.62.
h# dd\dd §^ oft feF fetft § ?rftr i
H?5H mft OT foH ufe Wfi! I £3 I
sabhi hakikat unai ki ihan likhi yau nahi. janam sakhi puratno dckho jis hui chahi.63.
8. oMHdl W 5ft 3tH3 oT \[H3T
(oiWHdl if feora) 4. kaljug au bab^ ki gosat ka parsnga (kaljug nun phikar)
^kra1" : oWHdi w friH Hfddid mft Ith? trfe i
ftlK fHtf fetf Wff Hfe I HI
dohra : kaljug au jim satiguru sakhi gosat hoi.
jim sikh likh agai gag dckh bataun soi.l.
ofMHdi sgBr gftr unjt urfe i m wTddid hT bIt srerfe |? i
chaupai : kichhuk bhav gur sabad bichara. kahon dckh sri granth majhara. kaljug narak chahi papi pai. par satigur ji chahain kadhai.2.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
35
That another Sidha (Guru Nanak) had appeared on the scene, Who had robbed them of all their powers. (58)
Hearing these Sidhas, he felt very arrogant about his superior status, And boasted of defeating Nanak in debate at his seat. Hearing this challenge, Guru Nanak travelled to his seat of power, And after defeating him in debate, proceeded further. (59)
Dohra : Guru Nanak then reached Pak Patan25 in the province of Multan, Where he conversed with a Pir, a heir to the Seat of Baba Farid26 . He also held spiritual discussions with other saints at UchhanLo27 And vanquished them all in spiritual discourses. (60)
Chaupai : There were countless number of other Sidhas,
Guru Nanak reached wherever he heard of any Sidha. Exposing their fake and fraudulent spritual powers, He made all of them follow the path of truth. (61)
Dohra : Thus, Baba Nanak travelled all over the Punjab,
And made people follow the true path of religious worship.
And organised many religious and spiritual congregations,
And exhorted the people to follow the teachings of their respective faiths. (62)
It is difficult to narrate and record, The whole account of Guru Nanak's life. Whosoever wishes to proceed further in this pursuit, May consult the Puratan Janam Sakhis28. (63)
Episode 4
An Account of the Dialogue Between the Kaliyuga1 And Baba Nanak (The Kalujuga felt concerned/threatened)
Dohra : How there took place a dialogue and debate,
Between the Kaliyuga and Satguru, Guru Nanak,
I would narrate the account of this debate,
After consulting the narration of my predecessors. (1)
Chaupai : How (Baba Nanak) deliberated upon and inseminated the word of God, I would narrate through illustrations from Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The Kaliyuga wanted the sinners to be cast into hell, The Satguru wished the sinners to be saved from hell. (2)
36
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
o!S eft UoJt wfe | grgT 3% §?> W mF& I
kalu chahai papi dubb jain. baba chahai un par langhai. baba apni chhadai na bana. taryo chahai sagal jahana.3.
5 5!®r1BT H?> nm llH I ?5gt OTwT Hfo WE1^ ¥H I
uh for wew anw i cTOof Btr for itoh a^rcr" 19 1
tau kaljug man ayo rosa. lai nanak mohi adalat khosa.
ham chahai nij adal bahaya. nanak chahai nij dharam bartaya.4.
UHt §H o( fHft S m I o(«.rldl IT W H7) ife> I Ufe H 5TW frIH H?^ I £tf UHHof m I hamro us ko milai na mcla. kaljug yaun ayo man khcl. hui su katha jis sunnai lora. lac dckh vah pustak hora.5.
u. ym s^cr (ere oft ferrft")
5. ab dakkhan parsang turyo (dakkhan ki udasi)
t^ra1" : feg" Hfddid ere fen 3%" h sra^ i
hhe mfl" t hw sra" ?5Gr ife i ^ i
dohra : phir satigur dakkhan disc turf su karnc saila.
sabad sakhi kg pardahn ko maradana kar layo gaila. 1 .
trust : frftf trfzf ^5 btot ^ 1 H3" ^ f§nz 335^ at£ ift 1
^fu HTTT^ HTT 5!# I H33 HIT 5!^ So!^t cpgt I 3 I chaupai : jahin jahin dcval tirath dckhc. sabh than bharishat turkan kig pckhc. dcval dhahi masitcn madh kari. murat madh kar nakti dhari.2.
w§ etr hhb Qti'dM i h k cr ynsst fey tra^ i
WTO tTHHW 5ft»T I PJ^Hd'cS S^rfeW I
HHTW S W I fe^ S l^B1" WT5»F 13 I yaun babe dckh sabad ucharyo. so main ya pustak likh dharyo. khurasan khasmana kia. hindustan daraia. koi muglu na hoa andha. kinai na parcha laia.3.
FRTS1 : oWHdl ?STftr T5!H <T £^3 Hq" aw I
fSB? at£ grfe fufw; ^ g I 9 I sortha : kaljug chhordyo nahi kis hun devat maddh bala.
bharishat kig sabh thai jo hinduan kg puj thg.4.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
37
The Kaliyuga wanted the sinners to be damned, Baba Nanak wished the sinners to be redeemed. Baba Nanak would never abandon his mission, He wished to redeem the whole mankind. (3)
The Kaliyuga felt outraged at this intrusion,
That Baba Nanak had encroached upon his jurisdiction.
While the Kaliyuga wanted to implement his own penal code of conduct,
Baba Nanak wished to spread the message of righteousness. (4)
Since they did not agree with each other's approach,
So the Kaliyuga wished to make a show of his powers.
Whosoever is keen to know of this conflict in more detail,
He may go through the other recorded sources (the Janam Sakhis). (5)
Episode 5
Episode about Baba Nanak's Travel to the South The Daccan Udasi1
Dohra : Then Satguru (Baba Nanak) set out on another excursion. This time it was in the direction of the South. With a mission to preach the word of God, He took along Mardana for company. (1)
Chaupai : To whichever place of Hindu worship Guru Nanak paid a visit, He found it desecrated by the Muslim forces.
After destroying the temples, they had raised Mosques at these sites, And put away the idols of the Hindu Deities after disfiguring these. (2)
Seeing the desecration and destruction of these holy places.,
Baba Nanak recited the following hymns as reproduced below :
"Launching their invasion from Khurasan2 (Iran),
They (the Mughals) threatened to occupy Hindustan.
But neither was any Mughal chastised,
Nor could any Deity checkmate their advance." (3)
Sortha : The Kaliyuga had neutralised every kind of moral value even as,
It had dispossessed all the gods and goddesses of their spiritual powers. It had contaminated and corrupted all the holy places, Which were considered sacred by the Hindus for worship. (4)
38
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
(&THt \ran oft)
6. ab purab ko parsang turiyo (udasi purab ki)
^uu1" : % a1^ hit fen ituct yun foe^u i
TO H^U rTftf rrfu OTT^t" H§ QWU HI dohra : tg babg madh chit dharyo purab sail bichara.
jhuth sach jahin jahin dhapyo dckhiai sou ughara.l.
uu^r : tlraH Hlddid ate araT few^'cs i futjraF fetjt i
LFU ?753T 3TU t!H I ^HctlM fl3TT iH 13 I chaupai : paritham satigur kiyo gang ishnana. rikhikcsh rikhi dckhc thana. par langh valbhi tahin dcsa. hutc 16k sabh jogi bhcsa.2.
fm uurHt a fir i aray hh ufc fena ot-t i
fur ofWrHdl HU~3TJ UHTU1" I fiTO?) ?5tf flU WUI WW I 3 I sidh chaurasi ko uhan thama. gorakh mato huti tisko nama. uhan kaljug bahu bhayo pasara. siddhan lakh jor layo bhara.3.
3U5" air nfew Farfew i aray muf ?roa hh1" h^'w i
aUUT feu^U )5f §^H I HBTS OTT SftT wf HH I 9 I
tahan babe satinam japaiya. gorakh maty on nanak mata sadvaya.
badri kidar au desh udisg. jagan nath lakhi agai baisg.4.
TU3T tR55 frTH fcTft^ HRa7! I HU fU3T oTU fgT ?> y% I
HrT?) 53T 3^ 3BH I 3BTfe §UW 3TS> SaS o(<^'£ I U I
hing khalard jim khalard muskavai. sachch hing kahun dhundi na pavai.
sajan thagg bad bhagat sadag. bhagti uhlai gal lokan katvag.5.
^uu1" : h Hfenru w fm ate h^u arcr1^ fed'fe i wr at? »rsa fktr a fs" na tawfe \€\
dohra : so satigur ja sikh kiyg sacho gayan darirdai. aisg kig angk sikh ko sabh sakai ginai.6.
trust : safr % e£ sst dd^'fe i aunr u>u urfe I
FRft FU #?> Wfe I tTUHHW HST 3U 3* Urfe 19 I chaupai : thaggi tc dag thagg hatvai. kurahon murd sabh rah die pai.
sabad sakhi sach dine lai. dharmasal dai bahu than pai.7.
tFW J%H a aU^ I HfeTW a FFV hw I >>fU Wfea flit tPTS1 I OTT TTUH fe? W1^ UrfU It I sikh sangat ko jord karavain. satinamu ko jap japavain. aur khulaikai pichchhai khain. daya dharam it lag rahi.8.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
39
Episode 6
Episode about Baba Nanak's Travel to the East (The Eastern Udasi)
Dohra : Thereafter, Guru Nanak nursed another desire in his heart, That they should undertake another excursion to the east. Wherever falsehood has eclipsed truthfulness, He must endeavour to expose it. (1)
Chaupai : First Satguru (Baba Nanak) had a dip in the Ganga, Then visited Rishikesh, the seat of the ancient rishis. He visited the place of Vallabh1 across the river, Where all the residents were dressed like yogis2 . (2)
This region was a seat of eighty four Sidhas,
It was known by the name of Gorakh Matta3 .
The Kaliyuga had spread its tentacles here widely,
As the Sidhas displayed many kinds of their magical feats. (3)
Here Baba Nanak recited and preached the Name of true God, And thereafter the place came to known as Nanak Matta. He visited Badri Nath4, Kedar Nath5 and the State of Orissa, And went further east even beyond the holy city of Jagan Nath6 . (4)
As the artificial odour of a leather packing conceals Asafetida's real flavour, And the real flavour of Asafoetida gets obliterated by the leather stink. So also many fake and fraudulent persons outnumbered the real saints, And they fleeced the people in the guise of saints. (5)
Dohra : So Satguru (Baba Nanak) made many followers in the East, And made them follow the path of truth and virtue. How innumerable was the number of such followers, No body can keep an exact count of them. (6)
Chaupai : He restrained swindlers from committing frauds,
And brought back the prodigals to the path of virtue.
He made them the followers of the true word of God,
And established many centres of devotional congregations. (7)
He organised many congregations of his followers,
And induced them to meditate upon the name of God.
He inculcated the virtue of feeding others before feeding themselves,
And made them follow the path of compassion and righteousness. (8)
40
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
trfc trfc srj ai? § §st i ^^ajuw^tst i
UH t S31 dd^'fe I H"fe Hae UH J^rfe I tf I dhanni dhanni kahai babg ko 6i. vahi vahi gur akhai toi. ham ko ktlrdon dio hatvai. sati sabad ham ding lai.9.
£h mm m srw en i ^ wii fecr eh i
DdsWsl €w oTU I feu rT wTddld fm 3?v?£ I =10 I
dgs bangalai au kavra dgsa. langh gag raj tariya dgsa. shivnabh dgs kou raja kahg. tih ja satigur sikh banvag.10.
^uu1" : fnl" aw aw feu are astiro i
§ fH¥ 3$ ast tTO sidl^'cS I <^ I dohra : usi dgs baba gayo jih bahutg bgimana.
tg sikh bhag sangat bam sach jan lay 6 bhagvana.ll.
th^t : o!H feu 3" oftr I fetfT ?> H°rT oW otU HtT I
>5fHI¥t mfl" fStPf* I afc W >>fe S U# I =13 I
chaupai : gayo kalu tih tg kar kucha. likhi na sabhi kahi kar sucha.
au ju sabh hi sakhi lakhaun. granth badhai au ant na paun.12.
5 aw oju war few i wfs ^ fe hw i Hdi6wlu ma »te 3s i ^ uu^ s for § it i <\3 1
tau baba kahun agai sidharg. jai vardg kit samundar majharg. sangladip langh aur kgtg. jin kg parat na nij ko bhgtg.13.
W3 oft 3T3 W3 rV^ I UH §H oft toJH Hoffe aW I
a^ fi?jH o(w az orb i a^ st are a1!? i ^9 1
babg ki gat babo janai. ham us ki kim shakti bakhanai. bap janam kaya bgto kahai. babai ki gat babo lahai. 14.
§3 tiH a^ wfs fra^ i uftf ag yuy ^ i
frftf frftf tra?> # uw ftraH stuh fe^ few i <w i
ut dgs babo jai jarura. hohin bhulg bahu murakh kura.
jahin jahin charan nanak ji payo. dharam karam un lokan darirdhayo.15.
tramw feu w y<v^yl i oftti fm sfe otf few i
ft oTEt W% WFTHH M I @H ^ tfF ajU fe>f o!U" ^ dharmasal tih than banvai. kiyo sikh tahin daya darirdrai. jg koi avai azmat laina. us ko khush gur timain kar daina.16.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
41
As they admired and eulogized Baba Nanak's reformist role, They expressed their sense of gratitude for his blessings. "He has restrained us from indulgence in corruption, And he has attuned us to the word of God."(9)
Then Baba Nanak visited Bengal, Kamrup7, and then crossed over, To a Country ruled over by women alone. And then to an island ruled over by Shiv Nabh8 , Who became a devotee of Guru Nanak. (10)
Dohra : Baba Nanak visited all those places,
Which were inhabited by majority of corrupt people.
All of them became his devout followers,
And they started following the path of God.(ll)
Chaupai : The people with Kaliyuga's thoughts and deeds fled away. I restrain myself from mentioning them in detail. If I narrate all the details about these encounters, Then this epic will become extremely voluminous. (12)
Then Baba Nanak proceeded further and further,
And crossed over to many other islands in the sea,
And he visited an uncountable number of Islands beyond Sangaldeep9 .
I cannot keep a count of these several Islands. (13)
Baba Nanak himself knows his own spiritual worth, How can we evaluate his worth. How can a son know the birth of his father, Baba Nanak alone knows his own powers. (14)
Where there were maximum numbersof ignorant, misguided and corrupt people,
Baba Nanak made it a point to visit such a country.
Whichever country Guru Nanak paid a visit to,
He exhorted the people to follow the path of righteousness. (15)
He established centers for religious congregations, And bestowed his grace on the people to follow his path. Whosoever approached Guru Nanak to be blessed with fame, He blessed him with happiness as he wished. (16)
42
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
0. ym UFPBH 5T lfH3f (HOT H^tTT") 7. ab pascham ko parsnga (makka madina)
t^ra1" : >ra^ ws h srul" 3h uul" hHtt i
W3" UK 5!^" 5Pt ^OT I H I
dohra : mardanai babe so kahi haus rahi man manhi.
aur sail ham bahu karc kabo dckhyo nanhi. 1 .
rJUZt : § W5 §H I 3 UH foH ?7flf m\ 33^ I
rTH 3H ^3 fefst I 3 ul" at CRT ^3" TSBFgt 13 1
chaupai : tau babe usai pharmayo. tai ham kim nahin agai batayo. jab kahto tab dct dikhai. tai hi thi yah dcr lagai.2.
3H Hlddld Wf fi-ra^fe I WfS Vmj UtT 5Ha EPfe I
fuqH1 tra3 ofd^'yl i wk nrefo frar fenst 13 1
tab satigur akkhin michvai. jai khulayo haj kabg thai, parithmain zaratrozg karvai. pachhai aurahi jaga dikhai. 3.
W3 S^t ^ fuSR cfr§ I U3CT UTT3 t I
feyi^tqwHET1ir i §f wtyte^ w£r frfe lai
babg dgra val pichhlai kio. hutyo rahat tho mundyo thiyo. it khatar tho dharyo mundahi. kou avai pir khulah apg jai.4.
vknt ^st 3tf gra" oiw i fa?j oFft" aiw i
»fH 3ftf 55tW HtT1^" I FF?^ ufe" feF §st WW IU I
aisi bhai tahan gur kala. bin kunji son khulah bhayo gala, ais achmbha tahin lakhyo mujavra. janyo pir ihan koi avra.5.
#w : firaH hhw HKfe§ ^# §fe i
dohra : parithammujavar samjhiohog valiayokoi.
yantg khulhyo mazbut dar dhund dgkhig soi.6.
tR^ : ofgt 3?5rH 7) WW I fot^> 7) UET HaU?> OT/F I
chaupai : kari talash un vali na paya. kinai na kholai hath sabhan laya.
rali milikc sabh lai rahc jora. sagvan ard rahc jo the aura.7.
au^ Hff^s »ret I CRT 3 a7? (SSt ^st 1 1 I tahan partap babe ko bhayo. khulho huto so sabbh ardaiyo. bahut soch mujavran ai. yah to bat nai ab bhai.8.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
43
Episode 7 Episode about the Travel to the West (Mecca Madina1)
Dohra : Once Mardana made a request to Baba Nanak,
That he had cherished a strong desire in his heart.
That they should proceed on a long excursion,
And that he had never gone on a pilgrimage to the Kaaba2 . (1)
Chaupai : Baba Nanak reprimanded Mardana,
Why did he not mention his desire earlier.
Why did he take it so long to express that desire,
As he could fulfill his desire much earlier. (2)
Then Baba Nanak asked him to close his eyes,
They had reached Kaaba for Haj3 when he made him open his eyes.
First he made Mardana to make obeisance at Kaaba,
Then he took Mardana to other places of pilgrimage. (3)
After that Baba Nanak laid down at the back of Kaaba,
Where the enterance from the backside was locked and closed.
It was locked and kept closed deliberately so that,
Whenever a great Prophet approached, it would open automatically. (4)
There happened such a miracle with the grace of Guru Nanak, That the gate opened automatically without a key. When this miracle came to the notice of the Shrine In-charge, He understood that a great prophet had arrived. (5)
Dohra : First It came to the mind of the shrine Incharge,
That some great prophet must have arrived at the shrine. That was how the heavily locked door had opened. So they should go and look out for such a prophet. (6)
Chaupai : They searched all around to find such a prophet,
By making everyone touch the (earlier) locked and barred door. Even as all of them were trying together to close the opened door, The remaining doors to the shrine also got enclosed. (7)
After that Guru Nanak's presence came to be realised, When all the closed doors opened on their own. At this, all the shrine-incharges felt extremely concerned, That yet another new miracle had taken place. (8)
44
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
|RW : yH'^dcS H?) fmt f&3 fife »rfe§ trfe I
fP% U3 BT^fe UH H'tidlPd sre itfe |t£ | dohra : tahan mujavran man mithi kit hindu aio hoi.
javai pat gavai ham jadugri kar koi.9.
trust : srer 5 aw t!*r i wfif§ aw §?> fife Iftr i tre uw aw a i ujnte §?> ?w erft ow i =10 1
chaupai : kari talash tau baba dgkM. lakhio baba un hindu bhgkM.
pair pasar baba tho para, ghasit unhai val duji kara.10.
§HT ^5 ot 5d" tftg I aW IcSofdW H§ »15 I ^¥ HH^dcS Wtift W3T I a^a Hfe§ ore TO I ^ I usi vail kg dar khulah gag. baba nikaryo sou ard rahg. dgkh mujavran lagi aga. babo sutio kadh bahar laga.ll.
eu^1" : 5 m ut )fe 3^ 3^ Hd" Ha 1
dohra : tau dar sabh hi mund bhag rahg jor sab lai.
uhan haji hutg panjab kg un dayo siyan batai.12.
th-PSt : oCTCT CTJ (TOof gcfrd" I fife HHWH1?) oT Ufa I
feH 3d3T fife U fe!H W7) I fi??> feoT W*J T4S^ I =13 I
chaupai : unain kahyo yah nanak phakira. hindu muslaman ko pira.
is turak hindu hai ikas jang. in dou ik sar pachhang.13.
UoT fe?) HtT fenJT" I fe?> ^fij H% U HHT WW I 3d^ #5BTr fife 33Tfc w£ I ^Sd" U5!if H§ I ^9 I
hakk nam in sach dirdaya. in rahi sachchg hai jag laya. turak bandgi hindu bhagti lag. kufar hankaron dou hatag.14.
: tT§f i4Hf yrfe ^ ^ |
h ae wfe few hw fas tre ufe mi
sortha : j ankai it pag pai ardg darvajg nahi khulhg.
jau dgvg bad duai kia jana kichh hor hui.15.
3a §s oft§ fenre wfe H"d" uh ait I
tRj5CT S 5T§ fe^g ^-fdt M" feK BTgt I <\£ I tab un kio vichar lai jor ham sabh thakg. khulhyo na kou kivar hamri shgkhi im gai.16.
#U^t : feH HH'^dcS H3 H3^ I UPot tld^'HcS OT^ I
chaupai : imai mujavran mato matayo. yanko hath darvaj an lavayo.
layti khulah darvajg ag. tau yah pir murid ham bhag.17.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
45
Dohra : Then the shrine-incharges arrived at a conclusion,
That some Hindu might have tried to enter the Kaaba. He intended to rob them of all their honour and status, By casting some kind of a magical spell over the place. (9)
Chaupai : When they carried out a search, they spotted out Baba Nanak. He was dressed in the manner of a Hindu.
Since he was lying with his feet outstretched (towards the Kaaba), They dragged his body to change the direction of his feet. (10)
Instantly, the shrine door facing Baba Nanak's feet opened, When they dragged him out, the remaining gates also closed. This incident incited and infuriated the shrine In-charges further, And they pulled Baba Nanak out of the shrine's premises (11)
Dohra : There upon, all the gates of the shrine got shut,
Despite all the force they applied to open the gates.
Incidentally, there were some people from Punjab among the Haj pilgrims, Who, recognizing Guru Nanak, revealed his true identity? (12)
Chaupai : They declared that he was Guru Nanak, a saint,
Who was a prophet of both the Hindus and the Muslims.
Who showered his benevolence equally on both the Muslims and the Hindus.
Who considered both the communities as equal partners? (13)
Who had preached the true name of God to both the communities, Who had made the people follow the path of truth and righteousness. Who had exhorted both the Hindus and the Muslims to pray and meditate, Who had weaned both the communities from non-belief and arrogance? (14)
Sortha : Did they not observe the phenomenon of doors having closed, The moment his feet were turned in another direction? What worse disaster might happen further, If he but uttered another curse? (15)
There upon, all the shrine in-charges deliberated upon the whole issue, That they had used their whole strength to open the shrine doors, But having failed in all their attempts to open the gates, They had lost all their prestige and status. (16)
Chaupai : So all the Shrine in-charges reached a unanimous resolution,
That they should get the shrine doors touched by Guru Nanak. If the doors get opened with the touch of his hands,
Then they should accept him as their prophet and become his followers. (17)
46 Sri Gur Panth Prakash
H feH t ?rfu tfB1 fe?U | § fen UGT3T I HtT Ht% ufe »fa W3 I ttfa fen GT OT>B I I jau is tai nahin khulhain kivara. tau is dgygu janon mara. mukh mithai hui karahu ab bata. ab dgkho is yaun karamata.18.
^TO H3" H§ 5^ 3^ I HT »TUat" ^ §H 3H o!U I
§hT ira^ljTU @%u u£ i sru wbu % utt au& i <vf i
hath jord sou thadhg bhag. madh arabi kg us bach kahc. usi zaban gur uttar dag. kar adar tc pas bahac.19.
U^ @?) fH?53t 5!St I tB1" HtfH H UK §" 3St I 3H UET W^fe fe?U y^tf | 374 UTTtW) t UtT S^ut I 30 I hath jord un binti kai. khata bakhsho jo ham tai bhai. turn hath lai kivar khulhavo. turn hajian ko hajj karavo.20.
uuur : § Hlddid # cr sot Hue1?; aw H?rfe i
§5 h?> uu »rfeH a1^ urfe i 3ci i
dohra : tau satigurji yaun kayo mardanc bol sunai. uth tin dine kholah dar ais babe pai.21.
Bust : fen hueto huTs fercr i feu §■ sru »ffr fercr i
Sjff BH frIH UHBH I WW ^ BHfa ^fe I 33 I chaupai : im mardanai madino dikhayo. phir us tai gur agai sidhayo.
kahain des jis pascham nai. langh gag vahi dgsahi vai.22.
BW BW foB Wtr to? I FTfe ^ foB HHU HW I §<F H1 35t I §?> eft a1^ H1?) I 33 I chalg chalg kit agai sidharg. jai vardg kit samundar majharg. uhan varan son bhgta bhai. un kibatain janai vai.23.
bust §h t^tT feru h i muti awT 1b-r §h s1^ i fur hub1?? £ 3§ tfw i a^t ^w ^3?^ few^r 1 39 1
turak usg khavaj khizar su akhain. apni boli im us bhakhain. uhan mardanai ng bhau khaya. akh babai val vatan liaya.24.
8. abb uttar ka parsang (udasi uttar di)
BUU
feu Hfeuju W> UUEI^ §3K at H BH I fHCT H^dPd UJ^ e# HUH m
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
47
But if he was unable to open the shrine gates,
Then they should make a mince-meat of him.
They addressed Guru Nanak in all humility and politeness,
So that he might display his miraculous powers. (18)
With folded hands, they approached Guru Nanak,
And addressed him in semi-arabic dialect.
Guru Nanak responded in the same medium of communication,
And asked them respectfully to sit with him, (19)
With folded hands, once again they appealed to him,
To forgive them for their acts of misdemeaneur.
They pleaded for Guru Nanak's touch to open the shrine doors,
So that the Haj Pilgrims might accomplish their Haj pilgrimage. (20)
Dohra : There upon Satguru4 (Guru Nanak) called Mardana, And gave him some verbal instructions. Thereafter, Mardana opened all the three closed doors, As per the instructions of Guru Nanak (21)
Chaupai : Thus, Guru Nanak accomplished Mardana's pilgrimage to Madina. Then they proceeded further on their next excursion. They proceeded to the countries situated further in the West, And they crossed all those countries of the West. (22)
They went on and on in the same direction, And finally sailed over many oceans.
There Guru Nanak came across Varuna5 , The God of ocean. He alone knows the discourse he had with this Sea God. (23)
The Muslims address this Sea God as Khwaja Khizar6.
This is his popular name in their own vernacular.
There Mardana got scared of the sea-life,
And he begged Guru Nanak to return to their own country. (24)
Episode 8 Episode about the Travel To the North (The Northern Udasi)
Dohra : Then Satguru Guru Nanak proceeded towards the various mountainous regions, Which were situated in the Northern part of India.
48
dohra chaupai
UUU1" dohra
chaupai
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
phir satigur sun parbatc utam bado su dcsa. siddh sadh suntahi ghanc dcvi dcv mahcsa. 1 .
§Ht" €H & HWfu oFUS I Wfe TFfi HU TO Py-d'dcS I
tof stu?5 feutFus e§ i ^mtw^ si feuM»f^ ^ 13 i
usi dcs kg sailahi karna. labhi han sach jhuth bicharna.
paritham nihal phir dharan chardhc. kalian chhad phir dhaulian vardc.2.
rW rW H H# fetTCT I cfe 3W> 3 HOT H3^ I
^ hs^ at ufe i $uyH35r ^ ro^nfe 13 1
jaga jaga jo sabhi likhyyai. granth badhan tg manhun sankyyai. jin ko lord sunan ki hoi. aur pustak tg sun lag soi.3.
irftr H^did # 3a yrf ste S ^fe I
^ W H5 H& fi?53T l-FW ^F15f 3% H"fe I 9 I jahi satigur ji tab pujc dgkhyo thik na koi. dgvi dgv au mard mato ling pathar pujak bhag soi.4.
HU fe WW hT rFt €H I 3U cVH ft^ff HH §UCH I
sf nut h1 uh ft i a^a wvt fe^ nfn s ?5uw m i
jah kit baba ji javg dgsa. tah nam dirdMvain sat updgsa.
tau mari son ham yau kahyo. babg sakhi kinai ant ng lahyo.5.
W3 FRjt HZF ^Mtu I fel FFCT fetf 3oT UU Ufa I HUH ©CTfll" 5fgt I UH 3 H§t 5!a Wifl" 3TSt I £ I babg sakhi mahan gambhira. sidh sadh likh thak rahg pira. bahut udasi babg kai. ham tg sabhi kab akhi gai.6.
W3 JXoTH # oftTT I W% HS> 3U cfr§ HHte1" I
ara at are a7! i a h 7m fed'S 12 1
babg sail akas bhikina. babai sail bahu kio jamina. babg ki gat babo janai. kai janai ju nal phiranai.7.
# §?> at Su asstm- iatr cfa au fefe§ uutm" i
# fetjt ?> ust >>rafu §u ifotB uh na ut au su 1 1 1
jo un ki sabh thaur bataiai. badhai granth bahu likhio chahiai. jo likhi na hoti aurahi thaura. likhtg ham sab hi bahu taura.8.
E K HU& I Wft Ufe S § HH 5(T I H OTJ felt ^ ufe I HfUfU ufUGB fef f5^t Hfe I tf I yatg g main suchyo dharon. agai hoi na tau sharm karaun. jau nahin sakhi likhi na hoi. jarurahi chahiyat likh lai soi.9.
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
49
These regions were supposed to be inhabited by,
Many Sidhas, Saints, Gods, Goddesses and chiefs of gods. (1)
Chaupai : Guru Nanak went on a journey to these regions,
To see the merits and demerits, to sift truth from falsehood. First they visited the low-lying sub-mountainous (Trai) regions, And then proceeded towards the snow-covered higher regions. (2)
I restrain myself from giving all the minute details of this journey, In order to restrict the size and volume of this epic. Whosoever is interested in knowing all these details, He may consult many other existing books on this topic. (3)
Dohra : When Guru Nanak visited these mountainous regions, He did not approve of the practices in these regions. He noticed several Maths' and monasteries of many gods and goddesses, Where the inhabitants were worshippers of phallic stone idols Shivling2 . (4)
Chaupai : Whichever region, Baba Nanak paid a visit to,
He preached the true Name of God to the inhabitants.
Thereupon David Murray enquired of me further,
"How innumerable are the episodes related to Guru Nanak" (5)
"The number of episodes about Guru Nanak are innumerable and profound. The Sidhas, Saints and prophets have failed to keep a Count of these. Baba Nanak has undertaken so many travels (Udasis), That I cannot narrate all those travels and episodes. (6)
Guru Nanak has traveled all the regions in the space, He has also traveled all over the various lands as well. He alone knows his powers and his worth,
Or else his companions who travelled along with him know him. (7)
If I narrate all the episodes about his travels,
The present epic will become too large and voluminous.
Had these details not been recorded in other epics (Janam Sakhees),
I would have certainly laboured to write all the details. (8)
Had there not been any earlier records of these events,
I would have certainly taken more pains to give all the details.
Whatever has not been mentioned earlier,
I have endeavoured to narrate only those events." (9)
50
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
BU^" : B Wft B ttffe Ul?5t H ?f oTuT URrfe i
Wft U UglSS H H ^ BO* ydld'fe I =10 I
dohra : jo agai hai ati ghani so mai kahi ghatai.
agai hai parchhinn jo so main dayon pargtai.10.
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(»fH »rfe tfwS 5H# oTW) 9. sakhi dilli kq patshahi ki chali (ab ai bolyo tumro kal)
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dohra : agai sakhi yau suno hutg pathan dili patshahi.
karopi kini jim gum dayo muglan ko takhat paltai. 1 .
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chaupai : lodi barhmakhan patshahu tho jadi. us avat vakat burg bhayo tadi. on sidh sadh phard pir mangag. dg chaki sabh pisan bahag.2.
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dunia turn jhuthg lut khai. nahin kamat kin hamain dikhai. tahin muslaman hinduan kahyo. jog chhudavan hai tuhi ahyo.3.
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BHorBHBHBBBow^H^^BdT mi
dohra : tau satigur hasi un kahyo turn sabh karnai joga.
ham kau jas turn dgt ho kal ko sabh bhal hoga.5.
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bct Hg' %a ub utb i Hfddid wfor 3^ hh ^fe i £ i
chaupai : sabh santan nij chakki chalai.sir ko tokri uchi dikhai.
dayo pardda sabh bhgkh par pai. satigur adhik bhayo jas vai.6.
bbb1" : y£ b^ dy^'cs t nt HfojiB bct §51% i
§S UBT BBft HB?> 5T3t oTdt BW 3T3" wftf I 9 I
Sri Gur Panth Prakash
51
Dohra : "Whatever has been narrated in great detail earlier, I have only made a mention very briefly. Whatever has gone unnoticed earlier, I have given expression to those events. (10)
Episode 9
Now Follows the Episode of Delhi's Emperor (Your Time is up Now)
Dohra : Now, my dear readers, listen to the narration further, When Delhi was being ruled by the Pathan emperor. How he invited Guru Nanak's wrath on himself, And how his reign was replaced by the Mughal rule. (1)
Chaupai : Brahm Khan Lodhi1 was the ruler of Delhi at that time, Who fell on bad days during his reign. He ordered all the Sidhas, Saints and prophets to be arrested, And made them grind corn with the manually operated Chakkis2 . (2)
He declared all of them as fraudulent exploiters of the masses, Since they had failed to demonstrate any kind of miracles. Then all the Muslim and the Hindu saints agreed unanimously, That Guru Nanak alone was capable of getting them released.