|
Jaap Sahib: Sri Guru Gobind Singhs Inspirational Composition
Manohar Singh Batra*
Jaap Sahib is one of the foremost compositions of the Tenth Guru, Sri Guru
Gobind Singh, integral to the Dasam Granth, and it has its own divine
flavour. In fact it is the first work of the Tenth Guru enshrined in this
momentous scripture. Whereas the founder of the faith, Sri Guru Nanak Dev had
described succinctly the attributes of the Almighty God in the Mool Mantra,
Guru Gobind Singh used a myriad adjectives to enumerate the qualities of the
Lord, paying obeisance to innumerable forms of His compassion and mercy,
though the unity of one God has been emphasised. He has been described as the
Perfect Illimitable Creator. He has no indicator, class, caste, form, colour
or sign. He is self-evident with boundless light. He is the king of countless
kings and the Lord of innumerable gods. He is omnipotent and omniscient. He is
omnipresent and can be seen in all worldly and celestial entities.
Concept of the Divine:
Upto the Middle Ages the religious texts mostly visualised the all-powerful
God as kind, compassionate, merciful, beneficent and caring Protector, but
till the time of Guru Gobind Singh, significant developments had taken place
including the martyrdom of two Sikh Gurus, and now the question of defence
against tyranny had taken a tangible shape. A need to extricate the terrified
and traumatised society towards the shores of self-respect and self-esteem had
arisen. It became all important to raise the common man from the slumbers of
apathy and self-resignation to the heights of self-defence, self-evaluation
and self-protection. This class of people looked up to the Supreme Lord to
give them strength, courage and valour to dodge the aggressor and to thwart
the evil monger in his misdeeds. The militant form of the Creator started to
be combined with His compassionate image, and valour began to be juxtaposed to
worship and prayer.
According to Gita, to maintain equipoise in the world it is necessary to crush
the malignant and evil powers in the form of satanic, demoniac and ominous
manifestations. It also postulates the advent of a divine personage to bring
an equilibrium between the damage to the righteousness and the domination by
the irreligious forces. This was indicative of the inevitability of appearance
of avtars, i.e. of the messengers of God. But in Jaap Sahib, instead of
according recognition to prophets, valour has been attributed to the Supreme
Lord Himself. Being courageous and valiant a warrior, Guru Gobind Singh saw
God as an embodiment of all courage, valour and power. He combines tenderness
with intrepidity and compassion with gallantry. God is unconquerable and
invincible. He is the most spectacular Being and can erase what exists. He has
the strength of overpowering and annihilating the mightiest of the mighty
creatures. That is how the Sikh Warriors were able to draw strength form the
Almighty Lord to plunge into the battles thrust on them by ill-meaning and
devious, self-perpetuating and avaricious, self-indulgent and vicious invaders
and chieftains.
Eulogy to Supreme:
In Indian literature, the mantras in praise of the Lord can be found in
Rig Veda, with elaboration in religious and Puranic treatises. Some scholars
have equated Jaap Sahib to Vishnu Sahansranama and have renamed it Akal
Sahansranama. But there is a marked difference between the two. Whereas
Vishnu Sahansranama related to the strength, beauty and vision of Lord Vishnu,
Jaap Sahib is in eulogy of the Supreme Lord Himself, whose praises have been
sung in multitudinous ways. Some variable and antithetical adjectives have
also been used. On the one hand the Lord has been described as heroic and
warlike, and on the other He is seen as the fountain of peace and harmony. On
the one hand He envelopes His creation in mystery and gloom, but He is also a
source of dazzling light and enlightenment. He is destroyer, but also
preserver; He causes emptiness, but also brings fulfillment. He is purveyor of
mortality, but also bestows immortality.
The vocabulary used in this composition is such that it can appeal to the
followers of any faith and any denomination. It conveys a special message to
the whole of humanity. It is a specimen of lingual purity, unadulterated
depiction of Gods supremacy and glorification of the divine magnificence.
Every word used in it is an accolade to God. Every stanza is a paean to the
Almighty and an expression of surrender to the all-pervading. Every verse is
inspiring and animating. It is a confluence of valour and meditation, the
qualities of a devotees and a warrior, of a saint and a soldier. That is why
when Guru Gobind Singh used to give practice in swordsmanship to his soldiers,
he made them recite Jaap Sahib. Every word is steeped in devotion to God and
is simultaneously Spartan in nature. It is like an armed column marching in
rhythm with sounds of divine notes rippling with devotion. This is a
recitation of combat with forces hostile to humanity. Its language is an
amalgam of Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Sadhukri and Punjabi. Prakrit and
Aprabhansh are used in the form of Sadhukri. One example of amalgamated
languages can be cited in the word samastulzuban, of which samast
is from Sanskrit, ul has been taken from Arabic, and zuban is a
Persian word for tongue or language. Some of the verses are without the usage
of verb and consist only of adjective, e.g. Akal, Dayal,
Alekh, Abhekh, Annam, Akaam, Agaah and
Adhaah. Similarly Gobinde, Mukande, Udaare, Apaare, Harian, Karian,
Nirnaame and Akaame are adjectives. Ten types of Chhand have been used
in the composition and twenty-two times these chhands have been shuffled. This
keeps the mind of the devotee totally engrossed in divine exhilaration. He is
transformed into ecstatic rapture and elation. The great Guru Gobind Singh has
transplanted Vigour and excitement with spirituality and saintliness. That was
in keeping with the needs of the tumultuous times. The turbulent winds were
tempered with holiness and piety. The use of innumerable names of the Almighty
confers universality of faith on this composition inspiring religious fervour,
on the whole humanity. It is an invaluable example of all pervading emotional
integration. It has also helped to combine the attributes of a saint and a
soldier in the psyche of the Khalsa.
God as Infinite:
In Jaap sahib it has been postulated that the Supreme Lord has no caste, race,
denomination or sign. He is worshipped by the entire creation; to Him everyone
bows in prayer and reverence. Self-existent and formless as He is, it is
impossible to praise Him. He is indestructible, inviolable and invulnerable.
He is without beginning and end. He is unfathomable and unbendable. He is most
generous and bountiful. He is indefinable and indescribable. Salutations to
Thee, O Lord, who can never be intimidated or shocked. Thou art most radiant,
impenetrable and unpierceable. Thou art magnanimous and munificent.
Salutations to Thee, O Lord, who art infinite, everlasting and unending. Thou
hast one from and limitless forms too. Thou hast no country and no particular
raiment. Thou art free of all bonds, all limitations, all confusions,
misunderstandings and misconceptions. Thou art without any name, desire or
aspiration. Salutations to Thee, O Immortal one! Thou art immovable and
inexorable, unseeable and unbereavable. Thou art imperturbable and
undistressable. Salutation to Thee, O Lord, who art known in all the three
regions of the universe.
Adoration:
Thou giveth shelter, Thou art an ocean, Thou need no shelter, Thou need no
community nor any religion. Thou art the greatest wonder, glorious royalty the
greatest philanthropist. Thou art the preserver, the patron of all and the
carer of all. Thou hast all the colours and hues, Thou hast the power of
creating and decimating everyone. Thou art beyond end, bounteous and the
melody of love. Salutations to Thee, O Lord, Who art beyond time, beyond
elements, beyond fate and beyond ambition. Thou art the treasure for all, Thou
art without birth, without any past and without any conflict. Thou art
unshakable, unbreakable and unbounded. Thou art inconceivable, imperceptible,
greatest of the great. Thou art peerless, loftiest and unreachable.
Salutation to Thee, O Lord, who are accepted by all, the repository of all
bounties, the God of gods and without any form; the dweller of all the worlds
and the traveller to all the galaxies. Without any limb, Thou art and without
a master, without a companion, the Sun of all suns and the moon of all moons.
Thou art the lyric of all the lyrics and the tune of all the tunes.
Salutations to Thee who art the music of all the music, the destroyer of all
evil-doers and the Master of all elements and all tangible and intangible
substances.
Salutations to Thee, O Lord, who art the wielder of all weapons, the
Omniscient, O the Mother of the entire universe, above all misconceptions and
the Master of all wisdom. Thou art the healer of all ills and troubles, Thou
the embodiment of all love and compassion, all peace and contentment and the
dweller in every soul. O the Bestower of all wisdom, the remover of all sins
and the provider of all perfections, Salutations to Thee. Thou art the
architect of the whole universe and art its Master. Thou art in water and on
the land, Thou art beyond comprehension, are faultless and impeccable. Thou
who art the embodiment of ecstasy and peace, who art without a patron,
Salutations to Thee.
Thou art the victor of all, who can put fear in everyone, who can attract
everyone and can see everyone. Thou art the life of all the living ones, thou
art the seed of all seeds, thou cannot be peeved and can permeate everything,
Thou whose deeds are immortalising, whose creed is everlasting, whose faith is
all embracing and who is worshipable by all, Salutations to Thee. Thou art the
life of everyone, the strength of everyone and integral to everyone. Thou
knowest the mind of everyone, Thou art preserver and destroyer of everyone.
Mystery of Divine:
O Lord, who have been forever inscrutable; no one can know Thy mysteries, who
art present in all directions as pure love. Thou have no dwelling of Thine
own, Thou hast one form and myriads of forms; Thou who indulgeth in play and
then returneth to Thine own form. Thou who hast no parents, no caste, no clan
and goeth not through the cycle of births and deaths. Thy will is obeyed in
all three regions of the universe. Thou art purest of the pure, most perfect
of the perfect, Creator and demolisher of the entire universe. Thou art above
all praise and adulation; Thou art without body, indestructible and without
soul. Thou art the one whose form, complexion and dimensions are out of
reckoning of all Shastras of all Shastras, Vedas and Puranas. Trillions of
Smritis, Puranas and Shastras are unable to visualise Thee. Thou art emblazer
of all knowledge and of long arms. Thy luster, speed and generosity are
unimaginable; Thou art fearless, selfless and the source of illitimable light;
all thy actions are effortless.
Salutations to thee, O Lord, who art salvation to all, Protector of all and
destroyer of all. Thou have no adversary nor a friend, Thou never taketh birth
nor face the any death. Thou have no reflection, no image; Thou have the
purest form. Thou can take away the light from the sun, Thou art the Creator
of the elements. Thou art the insignia of faiths and the ornament for all.
Thou provideth sustenance to all; Thou art the Master of thyself. Thou
forgiveth the sins of all, Thou art present everywhere, thou ruleth all. Thou
art the strength of everybody, Thou art the life of everyone, Thou art present
in al lands and in all forms. Thou art the utterance of all, the wisest, the
most beautiful, always secure and stable. Thou defeateth all adversaries, Thou
art everywhere on land and the heavens; Thou knoweth all, Thou bestoweth
attention on all, friend to all and sustainer of all. Thou art the ocean of
all waves; Thou bestoweth honour and receiveth tribute. Thou art immortal and
decorateth all.
In Total Devotion:
Thou have no name, no body, Thou art beyond description and art unaccountable.
Thou existeth before Time, before any yug, Thou art above all worldly ties and
desires. Thou art above all worries, all enumeration and art independent of
everything. Thou knoweth all, Thou art present in all faiths, Thou art part of
everything and free of everything. Salutation to Thee, O Master of the entire
universe, Thou fulfilleth the desires of everyone, Thou the friend of all,
Thou have no progeny, no father or mother, no caste, no society. Thou art the
lamp of all beauty, Thou art provider and pardoner of everyone. Thou art the
destroyer of hell, Thou dwelleth in heavens, Thou travelleth everywhere, Thou
identifieth everyone and art beloved of everyone. Thou art present on the land
and in the skies, Thou art most generous and fountain of valour. Thou art
source of immeasurable fragrance; Thy seat is immovable, Thy glory is beyond
description. Everyone worships Thee, prostrates before Thee; thy deeds are
unchallengeable, Thou art endless and beyond defiance.
Salutations to Thee, O Sun of the suns, Moon of the moons, King of the kings,
Brightest of the of the bright, Wisest of the wise, Thou destroyeth all evil
deeds and are the kindest of the kind.
|
|
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)
ਜਾਂਤੇ ਛੁਟਿ ਗਯੋ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਉਰਕਾ ਤਿਹ ਆਗੈ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਕਿਆ ਤੁਰਕਾ। (ਚੌਬੀਸ,
19)
ਦਸਮ ਕਥਾ ਭਾਗੌਤ ਕੀ ਭਾਖਾ ਕਰੀ ਬਨਾਇ, ਅਵਰ ਬਾਸਨਾ ਨਾਹਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਧਰਮ
ਜੁੱਧ ਕੇ ਚਾਇ। (ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨਾਵ, 2491)
|
