Chandi Di Var

Chandi Di Var (Gurmukhi: ਚੰਡੀ ਦੀ ਵਾਰ, romanized: Caṇḍī dī vār, lit. 'the ballad of Chandi' or 'Chandi's deeds') is a composition written by Guru Gobind Singh, included in the 5th chapter of Dasam Granth.[3]

Not to be confused with Chandi Charitar Ukti Bilas or Chandi Charitar 2.
Chandi Di Var
ਚੰਡੀ ਦੀ ਵਾਰ
Dasam Granth
Concluding page of Chandi Di Var, Stanza 54-55, in the hand of Guru Gobind Singh
Information
ReligionSikhism
AuthorGuru Gobind Singh
LanguagePunjabi language
Verses55[1][2]
Part of a series on the
Dasam Granth
ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ
Main compositions
Other compositions
Various aspects
Poetical metres, modes, measures, and rhythms

Synopsis

It is based on an episode from the Sanskrit work Markandeya Purana,[4] and describes the conflict between the Gods and the Demons.[5] 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.[6] The purpose of the work was to raise warrior spirit amongst the Sikhs.[5]

The total work is 55 verses in length.[5] The work is a retelling of the Durga Saptasati.[7]

In sequence, the text follows the Chandi Charitar II and is itself followed by Gian Prabodh.[8]

Language

The work was composed in Punjabi.[5] It is the only oeuvre contained within the Dasam Granth composed and written in Punjabi, aside from the sixth hymn of Shabad Hazare (also composed in Punjabi).[8]

Nomenclature

The text has historically been referred to by several names. These include:[3][8]

  • 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"

Var Durga Ki is the title of the work in the oldest extant manuscripts of the Dasam Granth.[8]

Authorship

According to early Sikh historians such as Bhai Koer Singh Kalal, as mentioned in Gurbilas Patshahi 10 (1751), Chandi di Var was written by Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur Sahib.[9] 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.[10][11]

Legacy

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".[7]

ਪ੍ਰਿਥਮ ਭਗੌਤੀ ਸਿਮਰਿ ਕੈ ਗੁਰੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਲਈਂ ਧਿਆਇ

Prathami bhagautī simar kai Gurū Nānakalaī dhiāi.

First I remember bhagauti (Wahguru in a feminine form'), then I remember Guru Nanak.

— First line of the Chandi di Var, Guru Gobind Singh[3][12]

Role in Sikh liturgy

The first stanza of the Sikh ardās, an invocation to God and the nine Gurus preceding Gobind Singh, is from Chandi di Var.[13][5] 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.[14][15][16] It remains part of the daily Nitnem of the Nihang sect.[5]

See also

References
  1. 'Makin', Gursharan Singh. Zafarnama: The Epistle of Victory (1st ed.). Lahore Book Shop. p. 13. ISBN 8176471798.
  2. Singha, H.S. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (Over 1000 Entries). Hemkunt Press. p. 54. ISBN 9788170103011.
  3. 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)
  4. Gurbachan Singh Talib. The Impact of Guru Gobind Singh on Indian Society. Guru Gobind Singh Foundation. p. 59.
  5. Singha, H.S. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (over 1000 Entries). Hemkunt Press. p. 43. ISBN 9788170103011.
  6. Gurbhagat Singh. Literature and Folklore After Poststructuralism. p. 89.
  7. Pashaura Singh; Louis E. Fenech (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. pp. 241–243. ISBN 978-0-19-100412-4.
  8. Robin Rinehart (2011). Debating the Dasam Granth. Oxford University Press. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-0-19-984247-6.
  9. ਪੰਨਾ 156, Gurbilas Patshahi 10, Koer Singh Kalal
  10. McLeod, W. H. (2005-07-28). Historical dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 44–. ISBN 978-0-8108-5088-0. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  11. 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.
  12. Robin Rinehart (2011). Debating the Dasam Granth. Oxford University Press. pp. 106–107. ISBN 978-0-19-984247-6.
  13. (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
  14. W. Owen Cole (2004). Understanding Sikhism. Dunedin Academic Press. pp. 8, 18, 104, 111–124, 166–175. ISBN 978-1-906716-91-2.
  15. Gurdwara, Encyclopaedia Britannica
  16. 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.
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