The following letter was written by the Guru to Aurangzeb in 1707
Dasam Granth Sahib
Total 111 verses in Farshi
KAMAAL-E KARAAMAT KAA-YAM KAREEM
RAZA BAKSH RAZAK RAHAAKUN RAHIM -1
The Lord is perfection personified. He is eternal and manifests Himself through His miracles. He is generous in granting His bounties. He is merciful and delivers us from this world.
AMAAN BAKSH BAKSHINDEH-O DASTGIR
KHATAA BAKSH ROZI DEH-O DILPAZIR-2
He grants peace and security and is always merciful in forgiving us for our sins. He holds our hand and guides us. He is provider of our sustenance and charms everyone.
SHAHANSHAH-E KHUBI DEHH-O RAH-NAMUN
KI BE-GOON BE-CHOON CHOON BE-NAMUN-3
He is the king of kings who is guiding us all the time. He showers his benevolence on all. He is without colour, incomparable and formless.
NA SAZ-O NA BAZ-O NA FAUJ-O NA FARSH
KHUDAVAND BAKSHINDEH-E AISH-O ARSH-4
He possesses no material things nor has He an army. He is merciful and grants all the pleasures of the heavens.
JAHAN PAAK ZEER AST ZAHIR ZAHOOR
ATAA MI-DEHAD HAM CHU HAAZAR HUZUR-5
The Pure one is above everything in this universe. His glory is all pervasive. He bestows us with gifts. He is present everywhere.
ATAA BAKSH O PAAK PARVARDIGAR
RAHIM AST ROZI DEHAD HAR DIYAAR-6
The merciful Lord grants us all the gifts and meets the needs of every one throughout the world.
KI SAHIB DI-YAAR AST AAZAM AZIM
KI HUSAN AL-JAMAL AST RAAZAK RAHIM-7
He is Lord of the universe. He is merciful and provides sustenance to all. His charm and grandeur cannot be matched by anyone.
KI SAHIB SHA-OOR AST AAJIZ NAWAAZ
GARIB AL-PRAST-O GANIM AL-GADAAZ-8
The Lord is intelligence personified. He protects the poor and the helpless and destroys the wicked.
SHARI-AT PRAST-O FAZILAT M-AAB
HAKIKAT SHANAS-O NABI AL-KITAB-9
The Virtuous One gives justice to all. Nothing is hidden from Him. He is the inspiration of Koran.
KI DAANISH PUYOH AST SAHIB SHA-OOR
HAKIKAT SHANAAS AST ZAHIR ZAHOOR-10
The all-knowing Lord seeks the learned. He is aware of all happenings. He is present everywhere.
SHANASINDEH-EH ILM-O AALAM KHUDA-E
KASHAA-INDEH-E KAR-E AALAM KUSHA-E-11
He has the knowledge of everything in this universe. All cosmos is moving as per His command
GUZAARIND-EH-E KAR-E AALAM KABIR
SHANAAS-IND-EH ILM-O AALAM AMIR-12
The great Lord is regulating everything in the world about which He has complete knowledge.
MARAA AITBAAR BAR EEN KASM-E NEEST
KE EIZAD GAVAH AST YAZDAN YAKEEST-13
[Aurangzeb] I have no trust in your oaths anymore. (You have written that) God is one and that He is witness (between us).
NA KATREH MARAA AITBAAR-E BAR-OST
KI BAKSHI VA DEEWAN HAMEH KIZB GOST-14
I don’t have trust even equivalent to a drop (of water) in your generals (who came to me with oaths on Koran that I will be given safe passage out of Anandgarh Fort). They were all telling lies
KASE KAUL-E KURAN KUNAD AITBAAR
HAMAN ROZ-E AKHIR SHAWAD MARD KHAWAR-15
If anyone trusts (you) on your oath on Koran, that person is bound to be doomed in the end.
HUMA RA KASE SAA-EH AAYAD B-ZER
BAR-O DAST DARAD NA ZAAG-O DALER-16
If anyone comes under the shadow of Huma bird, no one can lay its hands on it-not even a brave crow. Aurangzeb! I am under the protective shadow of Lord Himself, who has always saved me; you could not cause any harm to my person or even twist my single hair-
KAS-E PUSHT UFTAD PAS-E SHER NAR
NA GIRAD BUZ-O MEISH-O AHOO GUZAR-17
If a man sits behind the back of a lion, neither anyone can catch him nor a goat or a sheep or a deer can even pass nearby Aurangzeb! I stand in shadow of the Almighty, and your men who are like goats, sheep and deer could not harm me in spite of your deceptions
KASAM MUS-HAF KHDI-EH GAR EEN KHORAM
NA FAUJ-E AZIZ-AM RA SUM AFGANAM-18
If I had deceived by taking oath on Koran like the way you have done, I would not have brought my dear fighters to this position of disadvantage (by bringing them out of Anandgarh fort)
IN VERSES FROM 19 TO 41 BELOW, GURUJI GIVES AN ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF CHAMKAUR FOUGHT ON 22 DECEMBER 1704 AND THE REASONS THAT FORCED HIM TO TAKE UP THE SWORD AGAINST THE MUGHAL FORCES AND HILL CHIEFS
GURESNEH CHI KAR-E KUNAD CHEHAL NAR
KI DEH LAK BAR AAYAD BAR-O BE-KHABAR-19
What can forty hungry men do, when suddenly ten-lac strong army pounces upon them?
KE PEIMAN SHIKAN BE-DRANG AAMDAND
MI-AAN TEG-O TEER-O TUFANG AAMDAND-20
That the promise breakers launched a surprise attack with their swords and arrows and guns.
BA LACHAARGI DARMIAN AAMDAM
BA TADBIR TEER-O KAMAAN AAMDAM-21
It was out of sheer helplessness that I came in the battle field. (Having thus decided) I came with all the battle plans and munitions.
CHUN KAR AZ HAMEH HEELAT-E DAR GUZASHT
HALAL AST BURDAN B-SHAMSHIR DAST-22
When all the stratagem employed for (solving) a problem are exhausted, (only) then taking your hand to the sword is legitimate.
This is the most quoted verse of Zafarnama. 300 years ago, Guru Gobind Singh Ji had laid down the circumstances when a person or a nation can pick up the sword against the other.
CHE KASM-E KURAN MAN KUNAM AITBAAR
VAGARNA TU GOI MAN EEN RAH CHI-KAR-23
What trust can I have on your oath on Koran? Otherwise, you tell why should I have taken this path (of taking up the sword)?
NA DAANAM KI EEN MARD ROBAH-E PEECH
DIGAR HARGIZ EEN RAH NIYAYAM B-HEECH-24
I do not know that this person (Aurangzeb) is cunning like a fox. Otherwise I would never have come to this place i.e. Chamkaur (by vacating Anandgarh on the false oaths of Aurangzeb and his men).
HAR AAN KAS KI KAUL-E KORAAN AAYAD-ASH
NA ZAD BASTN-O KUSHTAN-O BAAYAD-ASH-25
If any person believes an oath on Koran, he should neither be tied (arrested) nor killed.
B-RANG-E MAGAS SEE-AH POSH AAMDAND
B-YAK BARGI DAR KHAROSH AAMDAND-26
They (the enemy) dressed in black and like flies came suddenly with great uproar
HAR AAN KAS Z DEEWAR AAMAD BEROON
B-KHURDAN YAK-E TEER SHOD GARK-E KHOON-27
Any person who came out from behind the wall, took one arrow (on his body) and was submerged in blood.
KE BEROON NI-AAMAD KAS-E ZAAN-E DEEWAR
NA KHURDAND TEER VA NA GUSHTAND KHAWAAR-28
Any person who did not come out from (behind) that wall, did not take an arrow and (hence) did not become miserable (die).
CHU DEEDAM KE NAHAR BI-AAMAD B-JUNG
CHASHEEDEH YAK-E TEER-E MANN BE-DRANG-29
When I saw that Nahar had come out from behind the wall for battle, he immediately took one of my arrows on himself (and died)
HAM AAKHIR GUREZAD B-JAAYE MUSAF
BA-SE KHANAA KHURDAND BEROON GAZAF-30
Many Afghans who used to tell tall stories (about their bravery) also ran away from the battlefield.
KE AFGAAN DEEGAR BI-AAMAD B-JUNG
CHU SEIL-E RAWAAN HAMCHU TEER-O TUFANG-31
That large number of other afgans came for the battle like a flood of arrows and bullets According to some transltations “one more Afgaan came for the battle”. This is erroneous view since one person cannot be compared to a “flood”.
BA-SE HAMLEH KARDAND B-MARDANGI
HAM AZ HOSHGI HAM Z DEEWANGI-32
They launched many a brave attacks. (However) some of these (attacks) were intelligently launched but some were sheer madness.
BAS-E HAMLEH KARDAND BAS-E ZAKHM KHURD
DO KAS RA B-JAN KUSHT-O JAAN HAM SPURD-33
They launched many attacks and they took many wounds upon themselves. They killed two (of my) men and also gave their own lives as well.
KE AAN KHWAJA MARDOOD SAA-EH DEEWAR
B-MEIDAN NI-AAMAD B-MARDAANA VAAR-34
That coward Khawaja ( who was hiding behind the wall ) did not come out in the battlefield like a brave man
DAREGA AGAR ROO-E O DEEDAM-E
B-YAK TEER LAACHAR BAKHSHEEDAM-E-35
Alas! If I had seen his (Khawaja’s) face, I would have sent him to the other world just with one arrow.
HAM AAKHAR BA-SE ZAKHM TEER-O TUFANG
DO SU-E BA-SE KUSHTEH SHOD BE-DRANG-36
In the end many fighters from both sides died quickly after being wounded by arrows and bullets
BA-SE BAAN BAA-REED TEER-O TUFANG
ZAMIN GASHT HAMCHU GUL-E LALEH RANG-37
Many arrows and bullets rained and the battlefield turned red (with blood) like the red coloured laaleh ( tulip ) flowers.
Guru Ji had just 40 fighters with him when the battle started. If the balltle field had turned red with blood, most of the dead must be from the Mughal forces. This speaks about the fighting capabilities, courage and bravery of the defenders of Chamkaur.
SAR-0 PAA-E ANBOH VA CHANDAAN SHUD-EH
KI MEIDAAN PUR AZ GOI CHOGAN SHUD-EH-38
The battlefield was full of (severed) heads and legs, which gave the impression as if these were balls and sticks. If the battle field was full of severed heads and legs (which
could not be counted), it again reflects on the heavy price the Mughal forces had to pay at the hands of the defenders of Chamkaur.
TARANKAAR TEER-O TARANG-E KAMAAN
BAR-AAMAD YAK-E HAI-HU AZ JAHAN-40
The whizzing of arrows and vibrations of the strings of bows produced huge commotions. And cries of “hai-hu” were coming from the whole battle field.
DIGAR SHORASH-E KAIBAR-E KEENEH KOSH
Z MARDAAN-E MARDAAN BAROON RAFT HOSH-41
And the dreadful noises of weapons had their affect on the bravest of brave men who gave the impression as if they had lost their mental balance
HAM AAKHAR CHE MARDI KUNAD KARZAAR
KI BAR CHEHAL TAN AAYAD-ASH BE-SHUMAR-42
And finally what could the bravery of my forty warriors do in battle when countless of these (Afghans) fell upon them. There is a hint here that by the evening, most of the defenders had attained martyrdom. Why did’nt the enemy finish the job? The only
plausible explanation can be that they were under the impression that there was still a large force inside the garhi. As the night fell, they must have retired to take on the remainder forces in the morning.
CHIRAG-E JAHAAN CHUN SHOD-E BURKA POSH
SHAH-E SHAB BAR-AAMAD HAMEH JALWA JOSH -43
When the lamp of the world (the Sun) had covered itself (had set), the king of the night (the darkness) came out with all its glory (it became pitch dark).
HAR AAN KAS KI KAUL-E KURAN AAI-DASH
KI YAZDAN BAR-O REHNUMA AAIDASH-44
God becomes guide of any person who trusts someone’s oath taken on the holy Koran.
Aurangzeb! God helped me in coming out of Chamkaur Garhi because I had trusted your earlier oaths that were based on holy Koran
TUBA JABR AJIZ KHARAASHI MAKUN
KASAM RA B-TEESHEH TARAASHI MAKUN
Stop torturing the weak and the timid with your military might. Do not oppress these hapless people on (false)oaths
HAK YAR BAASHAD CHE DUSHMAN KUNAD
AGAR DUSHMANI RAB-SAD TAN KUNAD
When God Almighty is one’s friend, what can the enemy do even if he sends hundreds of men upon him.
KHASAM DUSHMANI GAR HAZAAR AAWARD
NA YAK MU-E O-RA AAZAAR AAWARD-111
A thousand times let an enemy assault him, And yet touch not even a hair on his head-111
To be continued..
