Char Sahibzade Shaheedi - This is the week we remember the sacrifice of the four young sons. Their sacrifice was within 6 days of each other: The elder two were martyred fighting with a huge Mughal army on December 21st and the younger two were mercilessly walled alive on December 26th. Guru Gobind Singh recited the following shahad in the Machhivara forest while he was separated from his family. Even in such pain, the pain he talks about is the pain of separation from Waheguru, who he calls my “beloved friend” … mittar pyara:
Mittar Pyare Nu:
Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji, the two youngest of the Chaar Sahibzade were told by Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind to be bricked alive because they refused to become muslims. This event took place on 26th December 1705. Before the Chaar Sahibzade attained Martyrdom, they wew captured and kept in a cold tower called "Thanda Burj" with their grandmother Mata Gujari, in the middle of winter.
They were taken to Fatehgarh Sahib where they had a brick wall built around them but had broken down before the Princes lost their breaths. Wazir Khan then ordered the executioners to slit the throats of the Princes. After hearing this news, their grandmother took her last breath.
The two older Princes, Baba Ajit Singh Ji and Baba Jujhar Singh Ji both fought in the Chamkaur battle, which attained their martyrdom. This is how Guru Gobind Singh Ji lost their four sons and mother.
Today, I find myself immersed in the enchanting melodies of "Mai ni main kinon aakhaan," a mesmerizing Punjabi Sufi song penned by Shah Hussain. As I listen to this captivating composition, it evokes memories of Guru Gobind Singh's soul-stirring Mittar Pyare Nu. I am also reminded of a couple of poems by Ghulam Fareed and Sultan Bahu mentioned below.
Shah Hussain, a revered poet of the 16th century, is known for his poignant verses that encapsulate the anguish of separation. His poetry delves deep into the human experience of longing and heartache, particularly in the context of love and spiritual connection.
In this poignant poem, Shah Hussain cries out, "O mother, who should I tell this pain of separation?" These words convey a profound sense of despair and helplessness, as the poet grapples with the overwhelming agony caused by separation from a beloved. In this poem, Shah Hussain goes beyond expressing his pain of separation and delves deeper into his emotional state. He articulates the profound sense of isolation that accompanies his suffering, lamenting that there is no one who can truly comprehend the depth of his agony. This realization adds another layer to his anguish.
Recorded at SpacePepper Studios (http://www.spacepepper.com/)
Bansuri - Pt. Ajay Prasanna:
Video - Aman Kakkar:
Correction to the video: The year given in inscription in the start of the Shabad that is 1699 is incorrect. The correct date is Dec 1704. My apologies for the mistake. - Shivpreet (May, 2020)
Historical Backgroud for Mittar Pyare Nu
‘Mittar Pyare Nu’ is a shabad, by the tenth guru Guru Gobind Singh ji, who has said to have recited it in the Machivara Forest when separated from everyone after the Mughal's attacked Anandpur Sahib. The Guru had lost his mother, two elder sons in battle, two younger sons by execution and faced further hardships in battle facing an army of 100,000 against his fearless 40. Despite all the losses, the Guru is only concerned about his separation from Waheguru, not from his family, friends or property.
Line 1/2 - In the times of this separation from you, I keep looking absent minded at the doors and walls of my home. Sometimes I wait in anticipation of the messenger and sometimes for the wind coming from your direction for the winds coming may have some hint of you.
wo aaein ghar mai hamare khuda ki qudrat hai
kabhi hum un ko kabhi apne ghar ko dekhte hain
Line 3/4 - My lover has come to my house; it's a miracle from the God. I sometimes look at her, and sometimes I look at the ruins that are my only abode. Such beauty amid the desolation and ruins! How do I get to deserve this luck? This has to be a miracle from God.
nazar lage na kahin us ke dast-o-bazaboo ko
yeh log kiyu mere zakhm-e-jigar ko dekhte hain
Line 5/6 - May I not cast an evil eye looking at the lovely hand and shoulder of my beloved? Why do people look at my tortured heart (due to this unflinching love) and gossip about it? The poet says that he has been cautious to not stare at his beloved so as not to cast an evil eye and also catch the society's attention. Yet why do people not let me live peacefully?
tere jawahir-e-taraf-e-kala ko kiya dekhen
hum auj-e-talaa-e-laal-o-gohar ko dekhte hain
Line 7/8 - What to see/say about your jewelry and your golden belt and that crown of yours? The poet laments on the stark social differences between them and says that I see my luck and my position (lowly existence) on one hand and your opulent string of pearls and diamonds on the other.
Here is a poem about Baisakhi ... The poet imagines a conversation between Guru Gobind Singh and Bhai Dayaa Singh and describes the price that Guru Gobind Singh paid for Amrit. The guru gave up everything - his father, his sons, his kingdom, and in return he asked to the the servant of the khalsa. No wonder Bhai Nandlal calls him Baadhsah Darvesh Guru Gobind Singh: the king who was also the subject.
Painting by Sir Sobha Singh
Background to the poem
Five Sikhs accepted a terrifying challenge from the Guru and offered their heads to become the the first ones to receive pahul. After giving pahul to the five, the Tenth Guru then requested pahul from Bhai Daya Singh ji, the head of the Panj Pyare. As the Guru had asked a price from his Sikhs, so did Bhai Daya Singh demand a price from the Guru in exchange of the pahul. In keeping with his position as the father of the Panj Pyare, the guru couldn’t just get away by offering merely his own head. In this imaginary conversation penned by the poet, the Guru is going through the offerings he shall make to earn the pahul. The poem is a reminder to us how incredibly valuable the pahul is. The Guru has granted us this priceless pahul for free; maybe that’s why we have lost appreciation of its value.
ਦਾਮ ਤੋ ਦੇ ਨਾਂ ਸਕੂੰ ਭੇਟਾ ਮੰਜੂਰ ਕਰੋ Daam to de na saakun, Bheta manjoor karo I am incapable of paying the price, but please accept a token offering instead ਸੁਣੋ ਦਿਆ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੋ ਜੋ ਭੇਟ ਮੈਂ ਚੜਾਊਂਗਾ Suno Daya Singh jo jo bhet mein charaunga Listen to me O Daya Singh, the offerings I am going to make
ਪਿਤਾ ਕਟਵਾਕੇ ਜੈਸੇ ਖੂਨ ਕੀ ਖਿਲਾਈ ਹੋਲੀ Pita katwake jese khoon ki khilai holi, Getting my father slaughtered as I played Holi (the Hindu festival of throwing red colour on others) with his blood ਵੈਸੇ ਹੋਲੀ ਬੇਟੋਂ ਕੇ ਖੂਨ ਸੇ ਖਿਲਾਊਂਗਾ Vaise holi beton ke khoon se khilaunga The similar Holi I shall play with the blood of my sons
ਸਿਹਰੇ ਕੁਰਬਾਨੀਓਂ ਕੇ ਬਾਂਧ ਕਰ, ਕਰ ਸੰਗ Sehre kurbanion ke baandh kar, kar sangh Sacrifice of life shall be the wedding ornament which I will tie on their head ਮੌਤ ਕੀ ਘੋੜੀ ਬੇਟੇ ਆਪਨੇ ਬਿਠਾਊਂਗਾ Maut ki ghori bete aapney bithaunga Death will be their wedding steed on which I will make my sons ride
ਦੋ ਚਮਕੌਰ ਮੇਂ ਕਟਾਊਂਗਾ ਕਟਾਰੋਂ ਸੇ Do Chamkaur main kataunga kataron sang Two of them I shall get slaughtered by daggers in Chamkaur ਦੋ ਸਰਹੰਦ ਕੀ ਦਿਵਾਰੋਂ ਮੇਂ ਚਿਣਾਊਂਗਾ Do Sirhind ki divaron mein chinaunga The other two will I get buried alive in walls of Sirhind
ਕਿਸੀ ਤਰਫ ਮਾਤਾ ਔਰ ਕਿਸੀ ਤਰਫ ਬਾਪ ਹੋਗਾ Kisi taraf mata aur kisi taraf baap hoga Mother will be led in one direction, and father somewhere else ਕਿਸੀ ਤਰਫ ਬੇਟੇ ਕਹੀਂ ਮਹਿਲੋਂ ਕੋ ਰੁਲਾਊਂਗਾ Kisi taraf bete, kahin mehlon ko rulaunga Sons sent separately, and I will get my wives harassed somewhere else
ਹਾਥ ਪੇ ਨਾਂ ਬਾਜ ਹੋਗਾ ਸੀਸ਼ ਪੇ ਨਾਂ ਤਾਜ ਹੋਗਾ Haath pe na baaj hoga, seesh pe na taaj hoga There will be no falcon on my arm, no crown shall adorn my head ਖੁਸ ਗਿਆ ਰਾਜ ਹੋਗਾ ਲਾਵਾਰਿਸ ਕਹਿਲਾਊਂਗਾ Khus gaya raaj hoga, lavaris kehlaunga Banished will be my kingdom, and I will make people say that nobody is left to look after me
ਹੂਂਗਾ ਇਕੇਲਾ ਔਰ ਫਿਰੂਂਗਾ ਜੰਗਲੋਂ ਮੇਂ Hoonga ikela aur phiroonga jungalon mein Alone I will wander in the jungles ਛਾਡ ਕੇ ਪਲੰਗ ਸੇਜਾ ਕਾਂਟੋ ਕੀ ਬਿਛਾਊਂਗਾ Chhaad ke palang seja kanton ki bichhaunga Abandoning my comfortable bed, I will lie on a bed of thorns
ਮਾਤਾ ਕਾ ਨਾਂ ਪਿਆਰ ਹੋਗਾ ਬੇਟੋਂ ਕਾ ਨਾਂ ਹਾਰ ਹੋਗਾ Maata ka no piyar hoga beton ka na haar hoga Taken away the affection of my mother, no garland of arms of my beloved sons around my neck ਸੁੰਨਾ ਸੰਸਾਰ ਹੋਗਾ ਸਾਂਈ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਊਂਗਾ Suuna sansar hoga, saaeen gun gaunga Lonely will become this world, and I will sing songs of the Lord ਸੁੱਖ ਕੇ ਸਮੇਤ ਸਰਬੰਸ ਸਭ ਭੇਟ ਕੀਆ Sukh ke samet sarbans sabh bhet kiya I am offering all comforts and my whole family in exchange ਅਬ ਤੋ ਪਿਲਾਦੋ ਪਾਹੁਲ ਸੇਵਕ ਕਹਿਲਾਊਂਗਾ Aab to pilado pahul sewak kehlaunga. Now! will you please give me pahul to drink, I wish to be called your servant.
Singing oneness!
