Lyrics in English
Deh Shiva bar mohe ihai
shubh karman te kabhun na taron
Na doron ar syon jab jaye laron
nischay kar apni jeet karon
Ar sikh hon apne hi man ko
ih laalach hon gun to ucharon
Jab aav ki audh nidaan bane
at hi ran main tab joojh maron.
English Translation
O Power of Akaal, give me this boon
May I never ever shirk from doing good deeds
That I shall not fear when I go into combat. And with determination I will be victorious.
That I may teach myself this greed alone, to speak only of Thy (allmighty lord Waheguru) praises.
And when the last days of my life come, I may die in the might of the battlefield.||231||
My Reflection
O Shiva, grant me this boon—
That I may never turn away from doing what is right,
That I may never falter when faced with a fight,
And that I may always possess the courage to triumph.
Let my heart be shaped
By the trials of life,
With an unwavering desire
To keep your name ever in my thoughts.
And when my time comes,
Allow me to fall bravely on the battlefield.
- Guru Gobind Singh (tr. by Shivpreet Singh)
Lyrics in Gurbani:
ਦੇਹ ਸਿਵਾ ਬਰੁ ਮੋਹਿ ਇਹੈ ਸੁਭ ਕਰਮਨ ਤੇ ਕਬਹੂੰ ਨ ਟਰੋਂ ॥
ਨ ਡਰੋਂ ਅਰਿ ਸੋ ਜਬ ਜਾਇ ਲਰੋਂ ਨਿਸਚੈ ਕਰਿ ਅਪੁਨੀ ਜੀਤ ਕਰੋਂ ॥
ਅਰੁ ਸਿਖ ਹੋਂ ਆਪਨੇ ਹੀ ਮਨ ਕੌ ਇਹ ਲਾਲਚ ਹਉ ਗੁਨ ਤਉ ਉਚਰੋਂ ॥
ਜਬ ਆਵ ਕੀ ਅਉਧ ਨਿਦਾਨ ਬਨੈ ਅਤਿ ਹੀ ਰਨ ਮੈ ਤਬ ਜੂਝ ਮਰੋਂ ॥੨੩੧॥
Lyrics in Hindi
देह शिवा बर मोहे इहै, शुभ कर्मन ते कबहूँ न टरों
न डरौं अरि सौं जब जाय लड़ौं, निश्चय कर अपनी जीत करौं,
अर सिख हों आपने ही मन कौ इह लालच हउ गुन तउ उचरों,
जब आव की औध निदान बनै अत ही रन मै तब जूझ मरों ॥२३१॥
Related Readings on Courage, Sacrifice and Fighting for Justice
Martin Luther King -
True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.
Guru Nanak - Jau Tau Prem Khelan Ka Chau
Jau tau prem khelan ka chau
Sir dhar tali gali meri aau
It marag pair dharijay
Sir deejai kaan na keejay
If you wanna play the game of love;
First put your head on your palm;
If you set foot on this path
Don't hesitate to give your head
Jaisi Main Avai Khasam ki Baani,
taisada kari gyaan vey Lalo
As the Word of the divine comes to me,
so do I express it, O Lalo
Kabir - Soora So Pehchaniye
Soora So Pehchaniye
Jo Larhe Deen Ke Het
Purja Purja Kat Mare
Kabhoon Na Chchade Khet
Courageous is that person
who fights for dharma
Even if he gets sliced in pieces
He does not leave the battleground
Jodi tor đak shune keu na ashe
tôbe êkla chôlo re,
If no one answers your call
make a stride and walk alone
Ghalib - Ajab Nashaat se
Ajab nashāt se jallād ke
chale haiñ ham aage
ki apne saa.e se sar paañv se
hain do qadam aage
With a peculiar intoxication
I walk in front of the executioner
From my shadow, my head and feet
I am two feet ahead.
Get in Good Trouble
Fasle gul aayee phir ik bar aseerane wafa
Apane hee kuun ke dariya me nahane nikale
Flowers are blooming again in the garden of loyalty
I came to bathe in my own blood
Advice to young kids by ee cummings - To be nobody
To be nobody - but -yourself-- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else--means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
And so my advice to all young people who wish to become real is: do something easy, like dreaming of freedom--unless you're ready to commit yourself to feel and work and fight till you die.
Remember Me and Fight -Shri Krishna in Bhagwad Gita
तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च।
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम्।।8.7।।
If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.
Singing oneness!
