Guru Gobind Singh Ji: As a Patriotic Poet, Who Resurrected a Nation through his Verses:-
By Cdr Alok Mohan
Janana Prabodha – Attributes of God and the Quest for Liberation
Abstract
Janana Prabodha comprises 125 verses that celebrate God’s attributes such as omnipresence, formlessness, agelessness, immortality, and invokes Him in earnest supplication. In a “Benati” chopāī, the poet beseeches God to destroy evil and liberate the virtuous. Some verses adopt a dialogue form between the soul (Ātma) and God (Paramātma), wherein the soul inquires about its fate across the cycles of kingship (rājā), charity (dāna), enjoyment (bhog), and salvation (mokṣa), but God’s response is confined to the realm of charity (dhana dharma), suggesting the poem may be incomplete. Multiple Hindi meters—harajā, tribhaṅgi, kalāsa, chappaya, kaviṭṭā, chaupālī, doḥā, tomara, etc.—are employed, showcasing formal variety.
While Janana Prabodha is not widely discussed in contemporary scholarship online, this thematic structure resonates with classical devotional-poetic traditions that emphasize divine attributes and the efficacy of charity as a spiritual path.
The Chobis Avatāra in the Vichitra Nāṭaka
The Chobis Avatāra (Twenty‑Four Incarnations) forms part of Guru Gobind Singh’s Vichitra Nāṭaka or Bachitar Nāṭak and covers 24 incarnations of Viṣṇu, as well as incarnations of Brahmā and Rudra—thus extending beyond the usual Purāṇic list. It spans roughly 5,571 verses, accounting for approximately 30% of the Dasam Granth, with the Krishna Avatāra (~2,492 verses) and Rama Avatāra (~864 verses) being the longest sections.
The Chobis Avatāra diverges from classical Purāṇic avatars by including figures like Jain Arihanta, Buddha, Brahmā, Śiva, even the sun (Sooraj) and moon (Chandra), and semi‑legendary historical leaders, attributing them as manifestations of Viṣṇu in a martial, dharmic mission to restore righteousness.
The Rama Avatāra (Rām Avtār)
Date & Scope: Composed circa 1698 AD (Samvat 1755) at Anandpur, the Rama Avatāra consists of 864 verses in 26 adhyāyas (cantos).
Sources & Innovations: Based on Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, but omits many subsidiary stories (akhyānas) while incorporating motifs from later works like Uttara Rāma Carita—for instance, the battle of Lava and Kusha, and Sītā’s exit—thus blending traditional narrative with original poetic invention.
Structure & Style:
Guru Gobind Singh does not conform to strict sarga-length conventions; for example, the 9th adhyāya has 109 verses, but the 11th only three, reflecting his deliberate brevity and swift narrative pace.
Some vital episodes (e.g. Kaikeyi’s boon, Lakṣmaṇa–Sūrpnakha encounter) are treated tersely, occasionally in a single verse, which may disrupt narrative continuity—but the text compensates through vivid imagery and emotional intensity, especially in scenes like Rāma bidding farewell to Kausalyā.
Language & Metrics:
The poem is written in Braj‑bhashā, integrating meters both classical Hindi and Punjabi (chaupālī, doḥā, kaviṭṭā, saṁvayā, chhappāya, alongside newer forms like baiṇṭ and virāgṭ), and even Persian-influenced rekhta and mak̲l̲ā.
The poet uses sophisticated rhetorical devices—upamā (simile), rūpaka (metaphor), anuprāṣā (alliteration), vamaka—to animate scenes of heroism and nature, especially during forest sojourns. His use of Persian/Punjabi idioms and occasional loanwords (e.g. haram, harim, tamāśā) adds linguistic richness.
Sentiment & Ideology:
The poem promotes moral upliftment: Rāma’s life as a template for duty and valor resonates with the ideals of selfless warrior-poet, weaving devotional elements into martial ethos—similar to Tulsi’s moral poetry, but with a stronger emphasis on heroism and social reform.
The Krishna Avatāra (Kṛṣṇa Avtār)
Scope & Structure: The Kṛṣṇa Avatāra, at around 2,492 verses, is the longest section of the Chobis Avatāra.
It is divided into four thematic parts: Bala‑Līlā, Rāsa Mandala, Gopī Viraha, and Yuddha Prabandha, each subdivided further to narrate the divine life of Kṛṣṇa—from childhood deeds to romance and the climactic battle.
It follows the Mahākāvya model: begins with maṅgala-ācharaṇa (invocation), has heroic (vīra) sentiment as central rasa, though vātsalya and śṛṅgāra appear as supporting emotions.
Erotic Aesthetic: Parts like Rāsa Mandala and Gopī Viraha depict erotic longing and union—Gopīs drawn by Kṛṣṇa’s flute to Yamunā, nocturnal meetings, water‑play—all expressed tastefully under poetic restraint, avoiding obscenity. Nature itself—birds and deer—is depicted as responsive to his charm.
Moral Purpose: Even in romantic contexts, Kṛṣṇa’s portrayal remains anchored in his role as the destroyer of evil. Thus love never overrides ethical ideals; Kṛṣṇa’s heroic character continues to guide society toward dharma, similar to Ramāvṭār and earlier authors like Vālmīki or Tulsi.
Comparative Literary and Philosophical Themes
Inclusivity of God’s Avatāras: Chobis Avatāra treats Brahmā and Rudra (Śiva) themselves as Viṣṇu avatāras, and yet showcases their incarnations separately—departing significantly from classical Purāṇas by expanding the spectrum of divine agents and elevating charitable, martial, philosophical, and ascetic leadership as manifestations of Viṣṇu’s cosmic action.
Language & Metrics Innovation: The author draws from a rich meter palette—fifty different meters, mixing Hindi, Punjabi, Persian—even as he grounds poems in the Brij dialect, resulting in a stylistic blend unique to late‑17th‑century northern India.
Ethical Intent: Across Rama and Krishna sections, the poems serve both devotional and reformist aims—using epic narrative to inspire righteousness, martial valor, and spiritual discipline. The poet rarely indulges in derailed eroticism or trivial embellishment, keeping focus on uplifting moral paradigms.
Conclusion
Taken together, Janana Prabodha, Chobis Avatāra, Rama Avatāra, and Krishna Avatāra comprise a visionary literary project that blends devotional theology, epic narrative, innovative poetics, and ethical reform. Janana Prabodha spotlights God’s transcendental qualities and charity as spiritual remedy. Meanwhile, Chobis Avatāra reconfigures traditional avatar myths into a martial‑ethical drama, with Rama and Krishna Avatāras as its centerpiece: poetically compressed yet deeply resonant works, mixing originality with inherited sources, grounded in heroism and moral upliftment. The linguistic, metrical, and thematic diversity of these texts exemplify their role in shaping the devotional‑martial aesthetics of Sikh and Hindi literature.
References
Chobis Avtar, part of Dasam Granth, traditionally attributed to Guru Gobind Singh, covering ~5,571 verses, Rama (~864) and Krishna (~2,492) avatars (Wikipedia).
Divergence from Purāṇa tradition: including Brahmā, Śiva, Buddha, Sun, Moon, Jain Arihanta as avatars of Viṣṇu (Wikipedia).
Historical composition dates: Krishna Avatāra composed ca. 1688 AD (Samvat 1745) in Paonta; Rama Avatāra composed ca. 1698 AD (Samvat 1755) at Anandpur on Sutlej bank.
Rama Avatāra’s stylistic structure, narrative compression, emotional intensity, and blending of sources including Bushabhūti’s Uttara Rāma Carita.
Language, meters, rhetorical features: fifty meters, Persian and Punjabi idioms, imagery in forest, heroic stylings.
Krishna Avatāra structure, rasa aesthetic, moral framing and avoidance of base eroticism.
Janana Prabodha described as 125 verses praising divine attributes and focusing on charity; inclusion of dialogue with the soul; mixed metrical usage.
In the Krishna Avatāra, imagery such as:
“जहां चाँद की चांदनी चाजत है … जहां पैट चमेली के सजेउ ही है … सेट गुल राजत हैं जिह जमुना डिंग आई वही है!”
reveals the poet’s skill in deploying upamā (simile), rūpaka (metaphor) and utprekṣā (hyperbole). One example of upamā includes:
“खारन के घन बीच विरजीति मानहु विज्ज छटा है!”
Here the moonlight is likened to paper‐white jasmine and the Yamunā’s glow to silver garlands: evocative similes that enrich the sensual articulation of nature. The poem is largely cast in savaiyā metre, with occasional kaviṭṭā, chaupālī and dohā; yet the wide variety of metres found in the Rama Avatāra—with its fifty or so forms—is notably restrained here. This reflects a more focused aesthetic, where imagery and sentiment take precedence over formal polyphony.
Chandi Charitra: Heroic Poetry in the Service of Resistance
Chandi Charitra refers to two distinct compositions in the Dasam Granth—Chandi Charitra Ukti Bilās (or “Ukti Vilas”) and Chandi Charitra II (Dvitiya). Both are set in Braj-bhāṣā, both express vīra rāsa (heroic emotion), and both narrate the exploits of Goddess Chandi (Durga) against demonic adversaries. The first work, Ukti Bilās, explicitly cites the Durga Saptasati portion of the Markandeya Purāṇa as its source, while Chandi Charitra II lacks internal attribution but closely parallels its predecessor in structure and theme .
Chandi Charitra Ukti Bilās spans eight cantos containing approximately 233 couplets and quatrains, deploying seven different metres, especially savaiyā and doharā. It ends in an unfinished canto, invoking God as Śiva in its closing verses. Chandi Charitra II, composed in the same period (prior to 1698 AD), similarly comprises eight chapters, around 262 verses, mostly in Bhujangprayat and Rasaval metres .
Composed in an era of political and religious oppression, these texts were intended not merely as mythic retellings, but as symbolic rallying‑cries. The battles of Chandi echo the real siege scenarios Guru Gobind Singh and his followers confronted—e.g., the siege of Anandpur—invoking divine valor to rouse martial spirit among Hindus and Sikhs alike. Demonic hordes turning into flower garlands on contact with Chandi’s body serve as poetic metaphor for the invincible force of righteous courage transforming the weapons of tyranny into tokens of beauty and spiritual triumph .
Bachitra Natak: Autobiography as Divine Mission
The Bachitra Natak, part of the Dasam Granth, is both autobiography and theological mission statement. Authored by Guru Gobind Singh himself, it recounts his lineage (traced to the Solar and Raghu Vamsa), his divine calling, previous penances at Hemkunt Sapat Sring (the Himalayan highland), and early battles such as Bhangani and Nadaun—the first fought at about age twenty-two. It also reveals that his prior spiritual austerity earned him a divine identity as “son” of the Akal Purukh, the Timeless God, who summoned him to reestablish dharma on earth .
Chapter VII of Bachitra Natak recounts his earthly birth in Patna (while his father Guru Tegh Bahadur toured eastern pilgrimages), his upbringing in Punjab, education, and early military action. Importantly, Guru Gobind Singh never claimed divinity for himself; rather he affirmed his role as God’s humble servant (“paramesara uchari hoon“) opposing any who would deify him . Thus the narrative crafts a model of leadership grounded in duty, discipline, and spiritual humility—eschewing self-glorification.
Charitropakhyāns: Allegorical Tales with Didactic Purpose
The Dasam Granth includes around 404 Charitropakhyāns—tales primarily about women, many stemming from Purāṇic sources, Punjabi folk ballads, and historic anecdotal traditions. Composed circa 1696 AD, these tales are woven into a central frame—for instance, the king ordered his son be killed at his queen’s bidding—but his wise minister counters that by narrating numerous instructive stories, thus preventing the deed.
Dr Harbhajan Singh categorizes these tales into four types: tales of love, heroism, entertainment, and erotic tales. Figures like Hīr & Ranjha are reimagined as avatars of Menakā & Indra, and heroines demonstrate independence and constancy—such as Padminī, Rukmiṇī, Sahibā, and Draupadī, who even take up arms or scheme to protect their honor. In contrast, some “erotic tales” portray deceitful women—driven by revenge, seduction, or spurned love—as warnings to youth against moral decline. Yet even these characters retain one positive trait: loyalty in love .
Separation-love (vipralambha śṛṅgāra) dominates within these narratives—expressed through vivid physical beauty and its emotional impact, while retaining a didactic core: love without dharma is ruinous. For instance, the tale of Vīram Dev, who rejects romantic overtures from Ala‑ud‑din Khilji’s daughter and chooses martyrdom in battle rather than converting, serves as a moral exemplar.
Overall, these chapters—Krishna imagery, Chandi heroics, Bachitra Natak autobiography, and Charitropakhyāns—form a richly layered corpus. The poetry alternates between aesthetic devotion, moral instruction, and militant inspiration—all grounded in an ethos of dharma, courage, and inner reform.