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The
collection of Guru Gobind Singh Ji's writings are known as the Dasam Granth.
They
consist of eighteen works written in four languages : Braj (frequently
highly Sanskritised), Hindi, Persian and Punjabi. The Dasam Granth can
be conveniently divided into three: Mythological, philosophical and autobiographical.
The
largest portion is mythological and is devoted to retelling well known
tales of Hindu mythology. The Chandi Charitra I and II and Var Bhaguti
Ji Ki (Chandi di var) recount the battles of the deity Gurga and the Chaubis
Avtar are tales of the incarnations of Vishnu.
It
is a common misconception by some ignorant people that Guru
Gobind Singh ji workshipped the deities he wrote about. They are misled
by the compositions on Sri Ram Chandra Ji, Baghwan Krishan Ji, Vishnu
in the Chaubise Avtar and the vars of Chandi. They assume that
since Guru ji praised them in verse, he must have admired and worshipped
them also. These learned persons fail to recognise the fact that nowhere
in his writings does Guru Ji accept them as anything other then the creations
of the Formless Akal.
In
reality Guru Sahib Jiwrote about them in the language of the people drawing
from the mythological lore current at that time. He wrote about their
exploits in colouful martial language to raise courage in the hearts of
all who read them. It is meaningless to make one's own deductions ignoring
the words of the Guru which are very clear.
Guru
Ji writes in the Akal Ustat
(Eulogy to God)
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The
Lord Akal creates millions of Krishna, annihilates them and recreates
them.
Some
hang stones as gods around their necks, while others erroneously
call Mahesh 'God'
I
have discarded all these false religions and am of the firm view
that He who is the creator of the Universe, is the only Lord.
Everyone
is caught in the noose of Death, no Rama or prophet can escape from
it. All of them who made grand claims of being Avtars of God died
repentant. Why doest not thou, O, hapless being seek the shelter
of the One Lord. (15th swayya)
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In
clear concise language Guru Sahib Ji states :
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I
do not seek the blessings of Ganesh, |
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I
do not worship Krishna or Vishnu. |
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I
do not recognise them. |
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I
am engrossed in the loving devotion of my Lord alone. |
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The
Lord of Death, Akal, is my refuge and He saves me is all tribulations.
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(Krishan
Avtar, 434) |
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At
the start of every composition in the Dasam Granth, Guru Ji first praises
the One formless God and asks for his blessing before he continues - in
the case of Chandi Di Var's, Var Bhaguti Ji Ki and
Chaubis Avtar - to tell the exploits of various deities and Avtars.
Why then do some learned people think that in these compositions Guru
Gobind Singh Ji (who sought the protection of Akal Purkh only) was worshipping
the deity ?
Take
the composition Var Bhaguti Ji Ki, this tells how the godess
Durga Devi was called upon by Inder Devta to help him in destroying the
demons Sumb and Maha Kahsur and their legions. First and foremost Guru
Ji bows and pays homage to Sri Bhaguti (God) and then recounts
the names of the nine Gurus. He then says that you (God) created the world
and that it was from you that Durga, Sri RamJi and Baghwan Krishan Ji
got the strength to destroy their enemies.
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Var
Sri Bhaguti Ji |
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First
and formost I remember Bhaguti Ji and then set my mind on Guru Nanak.
Then I seek the help of Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das.
Arjan, Hargobind and (Guru) Har Rai be remembered. Sri Harkrishan
be meditated upon whose mere glimpse removes all sorrows. (Guru)
Tegh Bahadur be remembered as it causes home to flourish. They all
help me at all times.
The
Lord first created Khanda, the double edged sword and then his manifest
world. Having created Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, He created the entire
play of Kudrat (manifest world). He created the oceans, mountains,
earth and sky which stands above, unsupported by any pillars. He
created both gods(deities) and demons and then created polemic.
It was You who created Durga so as to destroy the demons. Rama also
took strength from you to kill Ravan with his arrow. Krishan also
got strength from You and thus threw down Kansa by his hair. Many
great deities and ascetics underwent hard austerities, but none
could fathom thy greatness. |
As
can be seen from this opening passage that Guru Gobind Singh Ji draws
all his strength and inspiration from the one formless God, Akal Purkh.
He says that Durga was created by You, O Lord. How then can Guru Ji be
worshipping Durga ?
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Sri
Akal Ustat |
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Realized
through the grace of the True Protector;
Copy
of the original in the hand of the Tenth Guru. |
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Blessed
am I with the protection of Akal; Available to me is the defense
of Sarbloh (AllSteel) Blessed am I with the shield of Sarbkal; Available
ever is the protection of Sarbloh.
Salutations
to the Primal Ek Onkar, He permeates over the earth and sea. He
is Primal Being, unmanifest and indestructible. His spirit pervades
all the fourteen regions. |
The
opening passage of the Akal Ustat (eulogy to God) makes no mistake as
to whose protection Guru Ji seeks.
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Bachitra
Natak |
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Victory
be to the wondrous Lord. |
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Now
commences the writing of the Bachitra Natak Granth. |
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From
my heart and soul I salute the double-edged sword (God). I invoke
you to help me complete this granth |
The
opening passage of Guru Ji's autobiographical composition the Bachitra
Natak calls upon God in the form of the double edged sword (Khanda) to
help him successfully complete the granth.
Every
composition starts this way, then why is it that some people say that
Guru ji worshipped this devi or that , if it was not for mischief making?
Guru
Ji's writings have a universal appeal, they touch the tender strings of
the human heart with the strains of the brotherhood of Man. They arouse
one with martial spirit with graphic descriptions of battle scenes, bringing
the battle field alive before ones eyes. The neighing of the horses, the
groaning and wounded warriors, the clash of weapons and the clamour of
war. The descriptions of the battle scenes are steeped in extremely vigorous
staccato rhythm often reduced to lines of one word. The battles waged
by Chandi and Guru Ji's encounters with the hill rajas at Bhangani and
Naduan are amongst the most stirring. All the mythological compositions
have been written in such a way as to put a Sikh slant on them so that
they fall in line with Sikh philosophy and thought. At no point does Guru
Ji 'worship' these deities, these compositions were written to rouse the
spirit of a people who had forgotten the taste of freedom, who held their
heads low as slaves.
The
Charitro Pukhyan |
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has been said by some people who regard themselves as interlectuals
that passages like the Charito Pukhyan
cannot be the compositions of Guru Gobind Singh Ji as they are tales
of the wiles of women and full of erotic imagery.
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All
around you one sees the ruchna or creation of Akal Purkh.
He has created the good things and the bad things. Akal Purkh has
created the plants, and trees, the natural beauty of the forests
and the wilderness. He has also created good people, Sants, Mahapursh,
Rishis, Munies, people with goodness in their hearts. He has also
created the bad people, the oppressors, tyrants, murderers and thieves,
the swindlers and the crooks and those people who are stuck in the
clutches of Kaam. All is his khale or play –
the good, the bad and the ugly.
So, if everything is as He wills it then why is it so difficult
to accept that the Gurus wrote about it also. If the Gurus have
written about the good things in a mans heart and the good things
he can achieve then it follows that they can and must write about
the seedier side of life and existence also. This is exactly what
Guru Gobind Singh has done with the Charitro Pukhyan. Guru Ji has
written about the wiles of not just women but about the bad deeds
of men also, so that we as Sikhs, members of the Khalsa are aware
of the traps and pitfalls, so that we can avoid them.
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Guru
Sahib Ji has written in the Sarb Loh Granth |
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Khalsa
mero roop hai khaas.
Khalsay may hau karo nivaas |
Khalsa
is my form and shape
In the Khalsa I reside in spirit |
This
is how close Guru Sahib Ji regards himself to the Khalsa so it follows
that Guru Ji wants to protect and make us aware of what goes on
in the area of Kaam so that we are fully prepared for any
eventuality. Also, these erotic passages are what happens in the
world around us, this is part of the khale or ruchna
that is around us, Guru Ji is simply writing as things stand. It
is only the way that our clouded mind interprets it that is wrong.
Guru Sahib Ji is writing nothing wrong, Guru Sahib Ji is writing
as things are, for the Gurus mind is pure and he writes as he sees,
it is our minds that takes the false root, for kaam or
lust takes over our minds when we read these passages and we start
to judge Guru Sahib Ji with our own inadequate standards, it is
us who are wrong, not the Guru.
One
has also to understand that if this composition was not of Guru
Sahib Ji's hand, then why would Guru Sahib Ji select one of the
passages from it (Bainty Chaupai) to
be part of the five banis (prayers) that all Khalsa members must
recite on a daily basis ?
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The
following is a list of prominent scholars who agree that the Dasam Granth
is the work of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
In
1902 A.D., Bhai Bishan Singh of Sangrur, son of Bhai Gurdiyal Singh Anandpuri,
wrote the book Dasam Granth Sahib Kisne Banaiya? ("Who Created the
Tenth Granth?"). According to the method and style of the writings
and much other evidence, he proved that the Dasam Granth was written by
Guru Gobind Singh.
In 1935, Bhai Sher Singh of Kashmir wrote a book, Dasmesh Darpan ("Mirror
of the Tenth Guru") in which he gave many proofs that the Dasam Granth
was written by Guru Gobind Singh.
In 1937, Dr. Jaswant Singh of Lucknow published a series of articles in
Amrit magazine. This was scholarly research in which after great effort,
giving many proofs from the scripture itself and the style of writing,
he concluded that the whole book was written by Guru Gobind Singh.
In 1955, Dr. Tarlochan Singh published his scholarly writing in 4 consecutive
issues of Sikh Review, giving the history of the compilation of the Dasam
Granth. He provided solid proofs that all the writings in Dasam Granth
are those of Guru Gobind Singh.
In 1955, Bhai Randhir Singh, eminent member of Sikh History Society Amritsar,
wrote a book entitled Dasme Patshah Ji ka Granth da Itihas ("History
of the Tenth Guru's Granth"). After 20 years of labour collecting
proofs, he firmly established that the Dasam Granth was written by Guru
Gobind Singh. This book was published by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandak
Committee. The first printing was sold out within a few days of its publication,
and there was great demand from the public. Ultimately, three printings
were made of this publication.
In April 1959, Sardar Kapoor Singh, I.C.S., published an article in the
Gurmat Prakash magazine and proved that the whole of the Dasam Granth
was written by Guru Gobind Singh.
Dr. Taran Singh, Punjabi University, Patiala, published a book in 1967
entitled Dasam Granth Roop te Ras ("Dasam Granth's Form and Taste").
He proved that the whole of the Dasam Granth was written by Guru Gobind
Singh. This book was published by the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, Chandigarh.In
1980, Giani Harbans Singh, Chandigarh, wrote the book Dasam Granth Darpan
("Mirror of the Dasam Granth"), and proved that the entire Dasam
Granth was written by Guru Gobind Singh.
Professor Piara Singh Padam wrote a book entitled Dasam Granth Darshan,
printed in 1968, again proving that the whole scripture was written by
Guru Ji.
Pandit Tara Singh Narodam, in his writing, has concurred that the whole
of Dasam Granth was written by Guru Gobind Singh.
Bhagwant Singh Hari, son of Bhai Kahn Singh Nabna, wrote Dasam Granth
Tuk Tatkara ("Line Index of Dasam Granth"), published in 1969.
The preface of this book is written by Dr. Balbir Singh, who was younger
brother of the, famous scholar Bhai Vir Singh. In that preface, he has
written that the entire Dasam Granth is the writing of Guru Gobind Singh.
After 1955, people began research of Dasam Granth to obtain PhD degrees.
In 1955 Dr. Dharam Pal Ashta and in 1959 Dr. Harbajan Singh proved in
their research papers that the entire Granth was written by Guru Gobind
Singh. In 1961, Dr. Parsini Sehgal offered her research paper along the
lines of the former two scholars. Dr. Lal Manohar Upadihiya of Benares
University, Dr. Om Prakash Bhardwaj of Agra University, Dr. Sushila Devi
of Punjab University, Dr. Shamir Singh of Guru Nanak Dev University, Dr.
Mohan Jit Singh of Usmaniya University, Dr. Bhushan Sach Dev of Punjabi
University, Dr. Nirmal Gupta of Punjabi University, etc.-about two dozen
scholars wrote their PhD and DLit research papers on the subject. They
have all agreed that the Dasam Granth was written by Guru Sahib. After
all this research, it is clearly evident that this scripture is great
not only due to its religious aspects but also due to its literary merit.
The scholars who have studied the Dasam Granth have written great praises
of the high standard of its poetry.
Today the Dasam Granth is being kept open with reverence at Takht Patna
Sahib, Takht Sach Khand Hazur Sahib Nander, and all gurdwaras maintained
by Nihang Singh. In these places, its meanings are being explained and
hukamnama (holy commandment for the congregation) is also being taken
from the scripture.
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