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Significance of Zafar Nama:
A Moral Basis for Khalsa Commonwealth
When Guru Gobind Singh Ji
went to Talwandi Sabo, which later came to be known as Takht Sri Damdama
Sahib, he was so filled with his purposeful mission that he made his residence
there.
The
Guru-prophet had been victorious in the battle of Khidrana (Muktsar). Looking
back at the tumultuous struggle he decided to write a letter to Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb, exposing the misdeeds of the Subedars and lesser court officials.
By this letter in Farsi significantly captioned Zafar Nama the declaration of
moral victory he meant to bring home to the Emperor the repressive policies
he pursued. The following is the summary of the letter:
Fortunate
are you Aurangzeb. You are designated the emperor, known for dexterous
swordsmanship, a keen rider, intelligent scholar of Quran, and a skilled
ruler, skilled in wielding weaponry. You are the great carver of kingdoms and
collector of wealth. You are firm in the battlefield as a mountain. Your
generosity is profuse, your position exalted. Your supposed loftiness is as
that of the Pleiades. Yet how macabre is your justice, your attributes and
your regard for religions other than your own. Indeed you are far from
attributes of your own religion. Alas, a hundred times Alas, for the exercise
of your sovereignty; strange is your decree. I simply wanted to teach a lesson
to the Hindu Hill chiefs who were divided by civil strife. They worshipped
idols, while I was the idol breaker. Yet you chose to protect them, and joined
them to expel me out of my sanctuary at Anandpur.
I have no
faith in your solemn oaths wherein you even chose to make Almighty God as
witness! I have not an iota of confidence in you. All your officials proved to
be deceitful. One who puts faith in your oath on the Quran is inviting
disaster. Had I not taken you on your word upon the Quran I would not have
chosen the path I did. I knew not that your hunch men are crafty and deceitful
like a fox, else I would not have driven myself to this state of affairs. If
you want to see your promise on the Quran, I could send the (relevant)
document for sure to you.
What could my
Forty men do when your countless hordes of men pounced upon them unawares at
Chamkaur. These oath-breakers attacked them suddenly with swords, arrows and
muskets. I was constrained to engage in the combat, and I fought to the limits
of my physical ability. When affairs and circumstances pass beyond the region
of diplomacy and reason it is lawful in faith to unsheath the sword.
Your hordes
came charging like blue-bottles and all of a sudden spread in a loud bang. The
soldiers of your army who advanced beyond legitimate defences to attack my
position fell deluged in blood. When I saw that Nahar Khan entered the fight I
quickly gave him the taste of my arrow. Many soldiers who came with him, and
boasted of their prowess, ignominiously deserted the field of the battle.
Another warrior, of Afghan blood, advanced like a flood. He made many
assaults, received many wounds and was at last killed, after he had killed two
of my Lions - Singhs. Cowardly Khawaja Mardud remained behind the wall and did
not come out like a man. Had I but seen his face I would certainly have
bestowed an arrow on him too. But how could Forty men the bravest of all
succeed when opposed by countless host. Eventually when the light of the Sun
spread and the darkness of the night receded God guided me the way to escape.
I am but a
slave and a servant of Akal-Purakh, Timeless Being, who is the King of
Kings. I am ready to obey His order even at the cost of my life. God is
without fear. He is the True Emperor of earth and heaven. He is the Master of
both worlds. He showed me the way to save myself. What can the deceitful enemy
do when God is on ones side? He gives me deliverance and points out the way
to His creature.
While you in
arrogance, look upon your army and wealth, I look upon His effulgent Power.
You are proud of your empire; I am proud of the refuge of God. It matters not
that my Four Sons were martyred, my Khalsa remains behind, ever ready like a
coiled snake. What bravery is it to quench a few sparks; you are stirring up
the fire to rage all the more. My Khalsa would light fires right under the
hoofs of your horses. So be wise, Aurangzeb, smite not mercilessly with the
sword, else the sword of the All-mighty shall smite you.
The above
letter of moral triumph is known as Zafar Nama, literally the letter of
victory. Bhai Daya Singh and Dharam Singh were sent to the Deccan to deliver
the letter to Aurangzeb. The Emperor at that time, was at Ahmadnagar in
Peninsular India, while the Guru was at Talwandi Sabo in the North. There was
nearly nine months gap between the delivery of the letter to the Emperor and
the Gurus own departure for the Deccan in missionary odyssey. During these
nine months many things happened at and around Talwandi Sabo. In fact, the
Gurus stay at Talwandi Sabo proved by far the most fruitful for the Sikh lore
as well as for the inhabitants of the Malwa. The Guru visited many villages in
the region. In one trip the Guru visited Bhagi Wander, Kot Samir and Chak Bhai
Ka. Here, the Guru was given a warm reception by Bhai Ram Singh, a grandson of
Bhai Bhagtu. The Guru also visited Bathinda and stayed there for seven days.
While returning to Talwandi Sabo, Guru Gobind Singh Ji visited Mehma and
Bhokari. Bhai Dalla, Bhai Fateh Singh and Bhai Ram Singh were with the Guru
during these visits. In consequence, hundreds of thousands of Jats of the
Malwa region accepted Amrit and joined the Khalsa brotherhood. Equally
important it was at Talwandi Sabo that Guru Gobind Singh ji created the new
recension of Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib. There were Guru Tegh Bahadurs
compositions which had not been included earlier, though space had been
reserved. It was a moral and spiritual ordainment and imperative to include
the compositions of the Ninth Guru. The legendary Bhai Mani Singh, the Gurus
trusted scholar, was the blessed scribe of this final edition of the holy
Granth.
Meanwhile,
Bhai Daya Singh and Dharam Singh were successful in delivering Zafar Nama to
Aurangzeb. The impact of the letter on the Mughal Emperor was overwhelming. In
consequence, Aurangzeb invited the Guru to meet him in the Deccan. The orders
were issued to the Governors of Lahore and Sarhind to provide Guru Gobind
Singh Ji with appropriate escorts at the borders of each province, as also to
defray any traveling expenses if demanded.
(October 2007,
Sikh Review)
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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)
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