|
Akal Ustat
Akal Ustat
(In Praise of the Timeless Being) is a poetical composition by Guru Gobind
Singh in the Dasam Granth. This is the only
major composition in the Tenth Master's Book which is without a title. The
title by which it is known is made up of its first word, Akal (The Timeless
One), and its last word, Ustati (praise). In the beginning is the note: utar
khase daskhat ka Patshahi 10 (a copy of the Tenth Guru's own handwriting).
After four lines comes the next note: agai likhari ke daskhat (henceforth is
the scribe's writing). This shows that in the original text the first four
lines were written in the Guru's own hand. The Bani comprises 271 verses
excluding the first four lines. Twelve different metrical measures have been
used. The language of Akal Ustati is Braj Bhasa written in Gurmukhi
characters. The dates given for its composition are l684 for the opening
section, and 1691 for the remainder. Its final compilation came much later,
about 1735, when Bhai Mani Singh prepared the first copy of the Dasam Granth.
The main theme of the poem is praise of the Timeless Eternal Being. In the
opening invocation, God is addressed as Timeless Being, All steel, "the
personification and source of chivalry." He also is the Transcendent "Being,
distinct from all the world" (verse 9). Ten savaiyyas follow. These fourline
verses warn that religious books and rites, rigorous Asceticism or worldly
pomp and power, are useless without the love and favour of God (verses 2130).
The great God Hari is described at length in transcendent terms as the
Omnipotent Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Austere ascetic feats,
ceremonies, pilgrimages are performed by devotees everywhere, but the
conclusion is: Know that all such things are vain, And that all such devotion
is fruitless, Without the support of the One Name, Deem all religious
ceremonies as superstition . (verses 3150) Then God's omnipresence is sung, "
Thou art in the earth, Thou art in the firmament," ending in a burst of
devotional fervour when "Tu hi! Tu hi! (Thou alone art)" is repeated 16 times
(verses 6970). In the midst of another long portrayal of true and false
conception of God, the unity of mankind before the Creator is thus emphasized:
He is in the temple as He is in the mosque; He is in the Hindu worship as He
is in the Muslim prayer Men are one though they appear different... The Hindus
and the Muslims are all one, Have each the habits of different environments,
But all men have the same eyes, the same body... Thus the Abhekh of the Hindus
and the Allah of the Muslims are one, The Qura'n and the Puranas praise the
same Lord. They are all of one form, The One Lord made them all. (verse 86)
About a third of the poem is a satire on false methods of worship; but it is
satire with the kindly purpose of showing that true praise is an inner state
consisting of heart felt devotion to the One Supreme Creator. Satire, then, is
the means to carry out the divinely given mission. Then God is again described
mostly in negative terms (verses 91200) and is to be found, not by
austerities, but by worship of Him as the Treasury of Grace (verse 59), for
God is Love, Holiness, Virtue, and Omnipotence (verse 172). A series of
questions and riddles much in the nature of a religious catechism follow
(verses 20110). The final section is a veritable paean of praise. People the
world over are included as the Guru mentions, among the seekers after God, the
people of Arabia and of France, the Qandaharis, the Qureshis, the Westerners,
the Marathas, the Biharis, the Oriyas, the Bengalis, the English, the
residents of Delhi, the Gurkhas, the Chinese, Manchurians, Tibetans, the
Easterners of Kamrup and Kumaunall these were blessed as they sang the praises
of the One Lord (verses 25471). In Oriental imagery His praise is likened to
milk, buttermilk, moonlight on the Yamuna, crystal mirrors, swans, cranes, the
Ganges, until finally: His splendour appeareth everywhere, He is the treasury
of favour, His light dazzleth. His glory is perfect. The sky and the earth
repeat His Name. (verse 271) The Guru commences his great work on praise with
an invocation to the All Steel, i.e. God. He ends with the hope of human
brotherhood as men throughout the world seek the One God and sing His praises.
The Ustati overflows with many of the of quoted verses and stanzas of Guru
Gobind Singh. It presents a mixture of devotional lyrics and philosophical
reflections. It is composed in a style which is a blend of grandeur and
beauty. Diction and style of Guru Gobind Singh are unique: no resemblance of
these is available in Hindi or Punjabi literature. The main source of his
vocabulary, in this text, is Sanskrit, though in some of his other
compositions the Guru has made free use of PersoArabic words. He uses Sanskrit
words in their tadbhav form and has experimented with formation of new words
and compounds. Akal Ustati, like the Japu, is a treasury of adjectival
vocabulary. Many of these adjectives are of fresh coinage. A rich variety of
poetic metres has been used. Some of the metres like kabitt, savaiyya and
dirgh naraj are characterized by lengthy verse forms, while some others like
tomar and padhari by short ones consisting of no more than two or three words.
1. Loehlin,
C.H., The Granth of Guru Gobind Singh and
the Khalsa Brotherhood. Lucknow, 1971
2. Ashta, Dharam Pal, The Poetry of the Dasam
Granth. Delhi, 1959
3. Padam, Piara Singh, Dasam
Granth Darshan. Patiala, 1968
4. Jaggi, Rattan Singh, Dasam
Granth Parichaya. Delhi, 1990
(The
Sikh Encyclopedia)
|
|
ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦੇ ਆਸ਼ੇ ਸਿਧਾਂਤ ਅਤੇ
ਹੁਕਮ
‘‘ਆਦਿ ਅੰਤ ਏਕੇ ਅਵਤਾਰਾ, ਸੋਈ ਗੁਰੂ ਸਮਝਿਯਹੁ ਹਮਾਰਾ।’’ (ਚਰਿਤ੍ਰ 405,
385)
‘‘ਹਮ ਇਹ ਕਾਜ ਜਗਤ ਮੋਂ ਆਏ, ਧਰਮ ਹੇਤ ਗੁਰਦੇਵ ਪਠਾਏ।’’ (ਬਚਿਤ੍ਰ, 5,
42)
‘ਮੈਂ ਹੋ ਪਰਮ ਪੁਰਖ ਕੋ ਦਾਸਾ, ਦੇਖਨਿ ਆਯੋ ਜਗਤ ਤਮਾਸਾ।’’ (ਬਚਿਤ੍ਰ, 6,
33)
‘‘ਨਮਸਕਾਰ ਤਿਸਹੀ ਕੋ ਹਮਾਰੀ ਸਕਲ ਪ੍ਰਜਾ ਜਿਨਿ ਆਪ ਸਵਾਰੀ।’’ (ਚਰਿਤ੍ਰ
405, 386)
‘‘ਅਸਿ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾਣ ਖੰਡੋ ਖੜਗ ਤੁਪਕ ਤਬਰ ਅਰ ਤੀਰ। ਸੈਫ ਸਰੋਹੀ ਸੈਹਥੀ ਯਹੈ
ਹਮਾਰੇ ਪੀਰ।’’ (ਸਨਾਮਾ, 3)
‘‘ਪੰਥ ਚਲੇ ਤਬ ਜਗਤ ਮੈ ਜਬ ਤੁਮ ਕਰਹੁ ਸਹਾਇ।’’ (ਬਚਿਤ੍ਰ, 6, 30)
‘‘ਆਦਿ ਪੁਰਖ ਜਿਨ ਏਕੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ, ਦੁਤੀਆ ਭਾਵ ਨ ਮਨ ਮਹਿ ਆਨਾ।’’ (ਚੌਬੀਸ,
21)
‘‘ਜੇ ਹਮ ਕੋ ਪਰਮੇਸਰ ਉਚਰਿ ਹੈ, ਤੇ ਸਭ ਨਰਕਿ ਕੰਡ ਮਹਿ ਪਰਿ ਹੈ। ਮੋ ਕੋ
ਦਾਸੁ ਤਵਨ ਕਾ ਜਾਨੋ, ਯਾ ਮੈ ਭੇਦ ਨ ਰੰਚ ਪਛਾਨੋ।’’ ।’’(ਬਚਿਤ੍ਰ 13, 32)
‘‘ਜਿਸਨੋ ਸਾਜਨ ਰਾਖਸੀ ਦੁਸਮਨ ਕਵਨ ਬਿਚਾਰ। ਛ੍ਵੈਂ ਨ ਸਕੇ ਤਿੰਹ ਛਾਂਹਿਕੋ
ਨਿਹਫਲ ਜਾਇ ਗਵਾਰ।’’ (ਬਚਿਤ੍ਰ 13, 24)
‘‘ਦਸਮ ਕਥਾ ਭਾਗੌਤ ਕੀ ਭਾਖਾ ਕਰੀ ਬਨਾਇ, ਅਵਰ ਬਾਸਨਾ ਨਾਹਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਧਰਮ
ਜੁੱਧ ਕੇ ਚਾਇ।’’ (ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨਾਵ, 2491)
|
