Glimpses of Guru Gobind Singh Ji
  The Dasam Granth Sahib
 

Guru Gobind Singh Ji loved everyone irrespective of caste, creed, social status or any other man-made distinction. His concept of love was all-embracing, the concept of Universal Brotherhood which cut across all barriers of caste, colour, clan and country. He received everyone, including those who considered themselves his enemies openly. Generous to a fault, he helped even the hill Rajas who were ever eager and did their level best to trouble him. Guru Ji believed in Akal Purkh, and him alone. Some have put forth that Guru Ji believed in Avatars. They are misled by the Chaubis Avatars (24 incarnations) included in the Dasam Granth. They deduce that since he praised them in verse then he must believe in them also. In reality Guru Ji wrote about them in the language of the people, drawing from the mythological lore current at the time. He wrote about their exploits in glowing terms, using forceful words with telling effect. At the head of this lengthy piece Guru Ji writes about the doctrine of incarnation. This is very appropriate and important as otherwise the reader might mistake this work as an argument in favour of incarnation. Here Guru Ji calls upon the Primordial Being referred to as Kal and Akal who is Time and beyond Time, the sole creator of the so called incarnations and the entire manifest world. Thus this prelude warns the reader that the narrative is not the work of a devotee of any of the incarnations but his aim is to inspire and exhort the reader to fight for a righteous cause, Dharam judh.

 
 

The Dasam Granth is a voluminous compilation of more then a dozen compositions some of which , in whole or part, form part of the Sikh daily regime of prayer.

Tradition has it that Bhai Mani Singh who, during his tenure in charge of the Harmindar Sahib (1721 - 34) compiled the granth as 'Dasam Patshah Ka Granth.' This however was not the only version, an independent collection is said to have been compiled by Baba Deep Singh and a third attributed to Sukkha Singh of Patna. The greater part of the three granths were the same, but there were some differences. In 1885, a committee was set up by the Amritsar Singh Sabha and in 1902 it published its authorized version of the Dasam Granth.

The Dasam Granth is a substantial work comprising of 1428 pages. Four groups of works can be found in it. There is the autobiographical (Bachitra Natak and Zafarnama), there are the devotional works (Jaap Sahib, Akal Ustat, Gian Prabodh and Sabad Hazare). Then there are two works, Swayey and Shastra Mala. The fourth is a collection of mythical narratives - Chandi Charitra, Chandi di var, Chaubis Avtar, Tria Chaitra and Pakhyan Chritra.
 

Jaap Sahib has at its beginning "Sri Mukhwakh Patshahi Dasmi" "By the holy mouth of the Tenth Master" and is the introductory invocation comprising of 199 verses in different meters. God is described in positive and negative terms and all the verses are in the form of rhymed couplets.

 
 
  Thou hast no form or feature,
  No caste no lineage;
  None can describe Thy appearance,
 

Colour, mark or Garb.

 
 

There is an inclusiveness and universalism that keeps coming to the surface. 'All' seems to be a key word.

 
 
  Thou art the source of all light,
  And the object of all praise;
  Thou art the supreme Lord of All,
  And the moon of the universe. (vs119)
   
  Perfect is Thy discernment.
  All turn to Thy for refuge.
  Thou art the Great Companion;
 

Thou art the sure Providence. (vs123)
 
 

Guru Ji's devout nature comes to a climax in the concluding verses.

 
 
  Thou fillest and feedest the whole universe,
  Thyself self-existent, auspicious and united with all.
  Thou art the embodiment of mercy;
  Thou art the deliverer from birth and death.
  Thou art man's constant Companion.
 

Everlasting is Thy glory. (v198)
 
 

Guru Sahib Ji had enmity with no one and loved all who came to seek his blessing. Among the thousand names of God in the Jaap Sahib there are seventy five Muslim names, including Rahim, Karim, Razakai (Nourisher) , Aruv (Pardoner) , Salamai (Peaceful) , Niwaz, Kamal, Rajak Rahim and Bahishtan Niwaz.

In the Jaap, the immortal One is Ajanam, without birth, he is without a body, has no name and no son. He is far from human comprehension, before whom man can but bow and bow again.
   
   
   
   
 

The second composition is the Akal Ustat. This is an incomplete work, maybe Guru Ji knowingly left it so since no eulogy of God can ever be complete. It comprises of 271 and a half verses proclaiming the unity of God.

In the opening verse God is addressed as Akal Purkh, Immortal Person; Sarab Loh, All Steel, Sarab Kaal, All Death; and ; later on as Maha Loh, Great Steel; Maha Kaal, Great Death; Asidhuj, Asiketu, Kharagketu, Having a sword on his banner; and Asipani, having a sword in his hand. Thus so early in the composition the Immortal One is pictured 'as the impersonation and source of bravery.'

  He is invisible, indestructible, and without distinguishing dress;
  He is without passion, colour, form or outline;
  He is devoid of caste, marks of any kind,
  He is the primal Being, peerless and changeless.

In the composition God manifests himself, some times as a beggar, sometimes as a maharaja; sometimes in the hymns of the Hindu, or in the muezzin of the Turk. He assumes all forms: householder, wandering ascetic, snake, bird, singer, dancer, holy man, soldier. At times he is nectar, or honey, sugar cane or its juice.

While Guru Sahib Ji writes about the Hindu gods he poses questions about some practices.

  Swine eats filth, elephants and donkeys bespatter themselves with dust.
  Jackals live at places of cremation.
  Owls live in tombs, deer wander alone in the forests, trees ever die in silence;
  The man who restraineth his seed should only have the credit of the hermaphrodite;
  Monkey ever wander bare-footed. 
  They who eat grass and renounce the desire of wealth are no more the calves and oxen. 
  They who engage in meditation resemble cranes, cates and wolves; 
  For grazing on akk, eating fruits and flowers, and ever wandering in the forests, there is no animal like the goat. 
  In the cold season the jackal barketh five times. and the elephant and donkey utter various cries. 
   If anyone were by repeating Gods name to obtain God,
  Who cannot be obtained by lip-worship, then the warbler ever uttereth "Tu hi ! Tu hi !"

Guru Sahib Ji shows futility of man made divisions.

  The temple and the mosque are the same,
  Puja and namaz are the same,
 

All men are one, it is through error that they appear different.
  Their eyes are the same, their ears are the same,
  They are of one body , one build,
  A compound of earth, air, fire and water.
  Allah and Abhek are the same,
  The Puran and the Koran are the same,
  They are alike, all the creation of the One.

This tolerance is extended to include the world as the Guru mentions among the seekers of God the people of Arabia, of France; the Kandhari, the Qureshi, the westerners, the Marathas, the Biharies, the Oriyas, the bengalis, the english; the residents of Delhi, the Gurkhas, the Chinese, the Tibetans, the easterners of Kamrup and Kumaun - all were blessed as they sing the praises of the Lord (verses 254 - 271)

In the Akal Ustat, at the end of the verse of Tuv Prasadh, Laghu Naraj Chhand, paudhi 69, it ends with:

  Tuhi Tuhi, Tuhi Tuhi, Tuhi Tuhi, Tuhi Tuhi.
  (Only) There is you, There is you, There is you, There is you,There is you, There is you, There is you, There is you,
  Tuhi Tuhi, Tuhi Tuhi, Tuhi Tuhi, Tuhi Tuhi.
  (Only) There is you, There is you, There is you, There is you,There is you, There is you, There is you, There is you,


It is said that on the banks of the river Sutlej while Guru Gobind Singh Ji was composing the Akal Ustat he went into a deep trance state (smadhi) and so deeply emersed was he in Akal Purkhs glory that we continued to say 'Tuhi Tuhi, Tuhi Tuhi......' for hours. It is a tribute to the Sikh scribes who were writing down the bani as Guru Ji was composing it that they filled pages upon pages upon pages of 'Tuhi Tuhi..' When Guru Ji opened his eyes he decided in his wisdom only to use two lines of this so as to keep within the poetic structure of the composition.

Guru Sahib Ji commences the Akal Ustat with an invocation to the God of war, the All Steel and ends with an attitude of tolerance that pictures the Hindus and Muslims and peoples in widely scattered parts of the world seeking the same God and being blessed by Him.
 
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