Chandi di Var

Chandi di Var (lit. "Chandi's deeds") is a composition written by Guru Gobind Singh, included in the 5th chapter of Dasam Granth.[1] It is based on an episode from the Sanskrit work Markandeya Purana,[2] and describes the conflict between the Gods and the Demons. In the ballad, the supreme goddess (see Chandi) is transformed into a liberating divine power in the form of sword, that crushes perpetuators of falsehood.[3]

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The first part of the text, Chandi Charitra Ukti Bilas, states it is retelling the Markandeya Purana story, where Durga fights a shape shifting buffalo demon Mahishasura and slays the evil demon and his companions.[4] The second part repeats the same story, while part three of the text is a retelling of the Durga Saptasati. The composition has been a significant part of Sikh culture, state Pashaura Singh and Louis Fenech, with its opening verses being a part of "frequently recited ardas prayer or petition".[4]

This poem describes a war scene between Sikhs and Mughals in a poetic format. Chandi is shown as the Guru Ji's army and Mahishasura as the Mughals. Art and poetry in Sikhism is a way of expressing the situation and since Durga and Chandi are associated with the good side the Sikhs are compared to her. Wherever there is death or destruction it is compared with Kali.

Nomenclature

The text has historically been referred to by several names. These include:[1][5]

  • Var Durga ki (IAST: Vāra Durgā Kī), meaning the "Ballad of Durga"
  • Var Sri Bhagauti Ji ki (Vāra Srī Bhagautī Jī Kī), meaning the "Ballad of Revered Bhagauti"
  • Chandi di Var (Chandī Dī Vāra), meaning the "Ballad of Chandi"

Authorship

 
Chandi di Var was written by Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur Sahib. According to early Sikh historians such as Bhai Koer Singh Kalal, as mentioned in Gurbilas Patshahi 10 (1751), Chandi di Vaar was written by Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur Sahib.[6] Various other Sikh historians and scholars like Giani Ditt Singh, Professor Sahib Singh, Giani Gian Singh, Ratan Singh Bhangu, Kavi Santokh Singh also supported this fact.[7][8]

Role in Sikh Liturgy

ਪ੍ਰਿਥਮ ਭਗੌਤੀ ਸਿਮਰਿ ਕੈ ਗੁਰੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਲਈਂ ਧਿਆਇ

Prathami bhagautī simar kai Gurū Nānakalaī dhiāi.

First I remember bhagauti(bhagauti means double edged sword), then I remember Guru Nanak.

— First line of the Chandi di Var, Guru Gobind Singh[1][9]

  • The first stanza of the Sikh ardās, an invocation to God and the nine Gurus preceding Gobind Singh, is from Chandi di Var.[10] The "Bhagauti"-related sections from Chandi di Var is a mandatory part of an ardas that is a part of worship service in a Gurdwara (Sikh temple), daily rituals such as the opening the Guru Granth Sahib for prakash (morning light) or closing it for sukhasan (night bedroom) in larger Gurdwaras, closing of congregational worship in smaller Gurdwaras, rites-of-passages such as with the naming of child or wedding or the cremation of a Sikh, daily prayer by devout Sikhs and any significant Sikh ceremonies.[11][12][13] The invocation includes the word bhagauti, which has been variously interpreted by scholars to mean "sword".[9][14]
  • Nihang and Namdhari Singhs recite Chandi di Var as part of their daily Nitnem.

See also

References
  1. Pashaura Singh; Louis E. Fenech (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. pp. 139–140. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8., Quote: "Var Durga ki (aka Chandi di Var) (Chandi's deeds/The Ballad of Durga)
  2. Gurbachan Singh Talib. The Impact of Guru Gobind Singh on Indian Society. Guru Gobind Singh Foundation. p. 59.
  3. Gurbhagat Singh. Literature and Folklore After Poststructuralism. p. 89.
  4. Pashaura Singh; Louis E. Fenech (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. pp. 241–243. ISBN 978-0-19-100412-4.
  5. Robin Rinehart (2011). Debating the Dasam Granth. Oxford University Press. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-0-19-984247-6.
  6. ਪੰਨਾ 156, Gurbilas Patshahi 10, Koer Singh Kalal
  7. McLeod, W. H. (2005-07-28). Historical dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 44–. ISBN 978-0-8108-5088-0. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  8. Amaresh Datta, ed. (2006). The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1. Sahitya Akademi. p. 888. ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1.
  9. Robin Rinehart (2011). Debating the Dasam Granth. Oxford University Press. pp. 106–107. ISBN 978-0-19-984247-6.
  10. (This is a model of the Ardas. It may be adapted to different occasions and for different purposes. However, the initial composition with "Pritham Bhagauti......" and the concluding phrases commencing "Nanak Nam" must not be altered.: Article IV, Chapter 3A, Sikh Rehat Maryada
  11. W. Owen Cole (2004). Understanding Sikhism. Dunedin Academic Press. pp. 8, 18, 104, 111–124, 166–175. ISBN 978-1-906716-91-2.
  12. Gurdwara, Encyclopaedia Britannica
  13. Knut A. Jacobsen; Kristina Myrvold (2012). Sikhs Across Borders: Transnational Practices of European Sikhs. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 237–238. ISBN 978-1-4411-7087-3.
  14. Banerjee, Dr. Anil Chander (April 1981). "Guru Gobind Singh and Shakhtieult". The Sikh Review. No. 378: 32.
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