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Theology

Chandi Di Var and Chandi Charitar: Heroic Poetry and the Divine Feminine

Professor: Dr. Kamalroop Singh Source: SikhLibrary

The Dasam Granth contains three major compositions celebrating the divine feminine warrior-power: Chandi Di Var, Chandi Charitar I, and Chandi Charitar II. This course examines these compositions as theological reinterpretations of classical Hindu narrative, analyzing how Guru Gobind Singh transforms the Devi Mahatmya tradition into a vehicle for Sikh monotheism and the spiritual rationale for Khalsa heroism. Students engage with the fetched source texts and scholarly analysis to understand the theology of divine power operating through heroic agency.

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Prerequisite recommended.

What you'll learn

  • Explain the theological difference between the Guru's use of Chandi imagery and Hindu goddess worship
  • Analyze the Devi Mahatmya narrative as transformed in the Chandi compositions
  • Trace the Var metre and its significance in the Punjabi literary tradition
  • Evaluate the mangalacharan invocations as theological framing devices
  • Interpret the concept of Bhagauti as the divine power underlying heroic action
  • Connect the Chandi compositions to the spiritual rationale for Khalsa martial identity

Key terms — ਸ਼ਬਦਾਵਲੀ

ਚੰਡੀ ਦੀ ਵਾਰ

The Ballad of Chandi; Punjabi heroic poem on the battle against demons

ਭਗਉਤੀ

The Divine Power; the supreme sword-deity; used as an epithet for both God and Durga

ਵਾਰ

A ballad or heroic poem in the Punjabi literary tradition

ਮਹਿਮਾ

Glory; greatness; the divine power celebrated in the Devi Mahatmya tradition

ਦੁਰਗਾ

The Sanskrit goddess of war; in Dasam Granth presented as instrument of one God

ਮਹਿਸ਼ਾਸੁਰ

Mahishasura; the buffalo demon defeated by the goddess in classical narrative

ਖੰਡਾ

The double-edged sword; cosmic creative symbol in Dasam Granth theology

ਦੇਵੀ ਮਾਹਾਤਮਯ

Devi Mahatmya; Sanskrit text glorifying the goddess; source for Chandi compositions

ਮੰਗਲਾਚਰਨ

Auspicious opening verse; theological framing at the start of a composition

ਪਾਉੜੀ

A stanza in Var metre; the structural unit of Chandi Di Var

Lessons

1. The Chandi Tradition in the Dasam Granth

Full course contents
  1. The Chandi Tradition in the Dasam Granth
  2. The Devi Mahatmya: Sanskrit Source and Its Theology
  3. Chandi Di Var: The Punjabi Var Tradition
  4. The Mangalacharan: Theological Framing of Chandi Di Var
  5. The Cosmogony of the Khanda
  6. The Battle Narrative: Demons, Gods, and Divine Power
  7. Chandi Charitar I and II: Braj Bhasha Retellings
  8. Bhagauti: The Theology of Divine-Heroic Power
  9. The Goddess as Instrument, Not Sovereign
  10. Heroic Aesthetics and Khalsa Identity
  11. Modern Interpretive Debates
  12. The Chandi Compositions in Contemporary Sikh Practice

Three Compositions, One Theological Argument

The Dasam Granth contains three compositions centered on ਚੰਡੀ: Chandi Charitar Ukti Bilas (Chandi Charitar I), Chandi Charitar (Chandi Charitar II), and Chandi Di Var. The first two are in Braj Bhasha; the third is in Punjabi Var metre. Together they constitute Guru Gobind Singh's most sustained engagement with the tradition of the divine feminine warrior-power. However, the Guru's compositions differ from their Sanskrit antecedents in a decisive theological respect: Chandi is consistently presented not as an independent goddess-sovereign but as an instrument (ਸਾਧਨ) of the one transcendent God (Singh and Mann 2015, 101).

The Classical Source

The primary Sanskrit source for the Chandi compositions is the Devi Mahatmya, a text embedded in the Markandeya Purana and dated by scholars to roughly the fifth or sixth century CE. The Devi Mahatmya narrates three battles in which the goddess Durga — manifesting through Kali, Ambika, and other forms — defeats the demons Madhu and Kaitabha, Mahishasura, and the pair Shumbha and Nishumbha. Coburn (1984, 15) describes the Devi Mahatmya as the founding document of Shakta tradition in India, establishing the goddess as a supreme independent cosmic power. Guru Gobind Singh's retellings engage this tradition directly, but his theological framing systematically reinterprets it within Sikh monotheism.

Why These Compositions?

Understanding why Guru Gobind Singh chose to engage this tradition requires attention to his historical context. The Khalsa faced sustained military opposition from Mughal forces and hostile hill chiefs. The Guru needed a theological vocabulary for heroic action — a way to understand the Khalsa's military struggle as spiritually meaningful rather than merely political. The Chandi tradition, with its celebration of righteous battle against demonic oppression, provided precisely this vocabulary. By reframing Chandi's victory as the work of the one God operating through a heroic instrument, the Guru gave the Khalsa a mirror for its own mission (Fenech 2013, 9).

2. The Devi Mahatmya: Sanskrit Source and Its Theology

Structure of the Devi Mahatmya

The Devi Mahatmya (literally "The Glory of the Goddess") comprises thirteen chapters embedded in the Markandeya Purana. It narrates three great battles: the first against the primordial demons Madhu and Kaitabha (fought while Vishnu sleeps), the second against the buffalo-demon Mahishasura (whose defeat is the most famous episode), and the third against the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha. In each battle, the goddess manifests in increasingly powerful forms, culminating in the emergence of the Matrikas (mother-goddesses) and Kali from Durga's body. Coburn (1984, 25) identifies the text's central theological claim as the assertion of feminine divine sovereignty: "All that is, is Devi."

The Theological Challenge for Sikh Reinterpretation

For a Sikh Guru committed to monotheism, the Devi Mahatmya posed a theological challenge: its narrative power derived from the goddess's independent sovereignty and the plurality of divine forms. Simply adopting the narrative would seem to endorse polytheism and goddess worship, both explicitly rejected in Sikh teaching. Guru Gobind Singh's solution was radical reframing: the Chandi compositions retain the narrative drama while systematically relocating divine sovereignty in the one transcendent ਅਕਾਲ ਪੁਰਖ. The goddess's powers are attributed to God; her battles are God's battles fought through her; her victory is God's victory (Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh 1993, 78).

Engagement Rather Than Rejection

It is worth noting that the Guru chose engagement with the Devi Mahatmya rather than rejection. This stands in contrast to the approach of, say, the Arya Samaj reformers who would later reject all Puranic literature as superstition. The Guru's engagement reflects a theological confidence: the tradition's narrative resources can be redeployed in service of Sikh theology without compromising that theology's integrity. Mandair (2009, 182) places this approach within the broader tradition of Guru Nanak's theological method — engaging the religious vocabulary of his time to reorient it toward the one God.

3. Chandi Di Var: The Punjabi Var Tradition

The Var as Literary Genre

The ਵਾਰ is a distinctly Punjabi literary form: a ballad or heroic poem celebrating martial exploits, typically composed for oral performance to accompany the movements of armies or for recitation at warrior gatherings. The Guru Granth Sahib itself contains twenty-two vars, suggesting that the form was already recognized within the Sikh tradition as appropriate for celebrating divine themes. The var proceeds through ਪਾਉੜੀਆਂ (stanzas) that advance the narrative, typically interspersed with refrains. The form's martial associations made it the natural choice for celebrating Chandi's battles (Loehlin 1971, 61).

Chandi Di Var's Structure

Chandi Di Var consists of a series of pauri stanzas narrating the battle against the demons. The narrative follows the Devi Mahatmya's broad outline while adapting the episodic structure to the var form. As attested in the fetched source text, the composition opens with the lines: "The Kali Yuga danced, the Kali of Saraswati played the dholak. To humble the gods, Mahikhasur and Sumbh were created. They conquered the gods and ruled all three worlds." This compressed narrative efficiently establishes the cosmic stakes: demonic forces have displaced divine order, and the gods cry out for divine intervention (Chandi Di Var source text, page 4).

Oral-Performance Dimensions

The var form's oral-performance roots are relevant to understanding Chandi Di Var's theological function. The compositions would have been recited — possibly sung to specific traditional var tunes — in the context of the Guru's court, including among warriors preparing for battle. This performative context reinforces the interpretation that the compositions served as theological education for the Khalsa: through hearing the divine power celebrated in heroic verse, warriors internalized a theology that understood their own battles as participation in the cosmic struggle against evil. Jaggi (1966, 108) notes that several traditional singing groups in Punjab still perform Chandi Di Var to martial tunes.

4. The Mangalacharan: Theological Framing of Chandi Di Var

The Opening Invocation

As preserved in the fetched source text, Chandi Di Var opens: "One Universal Creator God, Victory to the Lord! May the Divine Power assist. The Ballad of the Divine Power. By the Tenth King." This ਮੰਗਲਾਚਰਨ is doctrinally decisive. The composition begins with the Sikh declaration of monotheism and immediately identifies the "Divine Power" (ਭਗਉਤੀ) not as an independent goddess but as something that "assists" — an instrumental power, not a sovereign deity. The designation "By the Tenth King" establishes Guru authorship and places the entire narrative under Gurmat sanction (Chandi Di Var source text, page 2).

The Guru-Lineage Invocation

The opening continues with a remarkable theological move: "First, remembering the Divine Power, I meditate on Guru Nanak. Then, from Angad, Amar Das, and Ram Das, may assistance be received. Remember Arjan and Hargobind; meditate on Sri Har Rai. Meditate on Sri Harkrishan, by whose sight all suffering departs. Remembering Tegh Bahadur, the nine treasures of the home come rushing. May assistance be present in all places." Every Guru in the Sikh lineage is invoked before the battle narrative begins. This invocation transforms what follows: the battle against demons is understood as occurring within the Sikh theological tradition, under the protection of the entire Guru-lineage (Chandi Di Var source text, page 2).

The Significance of the Framing

The mangalacharan's function as theological frame cannot be overstated. Without it, the Chandi Di Var could be read as straightforward goddess devotionalism. With it, the composition is marked as a Sikh theological statement: the Divine Power that defeated the demons is the same power that animated all ten Sikh Gurus and now animates the Khalsa. Singh and Mann (2015, 104) argue that this framing is the key to understanding the entire Chandi tradition in the Dasam Granth: "The Guru is not worshipping Durga; he is claiming her power for the theology of the Khalsa."

5. The Cosmogony of the Khanda

The Cosmogonic Verse

Following the mangalacharan, Chandi Di Var contains a powerful cosmogonic verse preserved in the source text: "First, You created the Khanda, and from it, You brought forth the entire universe. You created Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh, and established the play of Your creation. You created oceans, mountains, and the earth, and suspended the sky without pillars. You created demons and gods, and within them, You created conflict." This verse is one of the most theologically dense in the entire Dasam Granth (Chandi Di Var source text, page 3).

The Khanda as First Principle

The identification of the ਖੰਡਾ (double-edged sword) as the first act of divine creation is without precise parallel in either Sikh or Hindu tradition. In most Hindu cosmogonies, creation begins with divine speech (Vac), breath (Prana), or consciousness (Cit). The Guru's substitution of the sword as the primordial creative act reflects the theology of the Dasam Granth as a whole: divine creative and destructive power are united, the cosmos is a theater of divine will exercising itself through the sword of discrimination and justice. Singh and Mann (2015, 106) note that this cosmogony directly supports the Khalsa's sword-bearing identity: the kirpan is not merely a weapon but a symbol of the primordial creative principle.

Creation as Divine Drama

The cosmogonic verse continues by describing creation itself as conflict: God "created demons and gods, and within them, You created conflict." This is a sophisticated theological position — evil and the struggle against it are not accidents but part of the divine drama (ਲੀਲਾ). The demons were created by God as were the gods; the battle between them is authored by God as a theater in which divine power ultimately asserts itself through the goddess's victory. From the Sikh Khalsa perspective, this means that the Khalsa's battles against injustice are not anomalies but participation in the cosmic drama that God has authored from the moment of creation.

6. The Battle Narrative: Demons, Gods, and Divine Power

Mahishasura and the Humiliation of the Gods

The fetched source text provides a vivid account of the demons' triumph before Chandi's intervention: "The Kali Yuga danced... To humble the gods, Mahikhasur and Sumbh were created. They conquered the gods and ruled all three worlds. Calling themselves great heroes, they held a canopy over their heads. They expelled Indra and looked towards Mount Kailash. Terrified, the demons increased their fear within their hearts. Indra came to Durga." The scene of the gods being humiliated and fleeing to Durga for help establishes the narrative stakes: the cosmic order has been inverted, and only divine heroic power can restore it (Chandi Di Var source text, page 4).

Durga's Response

The source text records Durga's confident response after Indra presents his plight: "Hearing Durga's words, she laughed heartily. She summoned the same lion to devour the demon. 'Do not worry, O Devas,' she said. The great Mother became enraged, intending to kill the demon." This passage exemplifies the heroic tone of the var genre: the goddess's laughter in the face of demonic threat, the summoning of her mount (the lion), and her wrathful preparation for battle. In the Sikh theological reading, this heroic confidence is not the goddess's personal power but the confidence of one who is fully aligned with divine will — a model for the Khalsa warrior (Chandi Di Var source text, page 5).

Victory and Its Theological Meaning

The battle narratives conclude with the gods restored to their proper places: "People, with their own power, turned them around. They sat and rejoiced in Amravati. All the demons were driven away." The restoration of cosmic order is the battle's theological point: righteousness (ਧਰਮ) temporarily overwhelmed by evil is restored through heroic action empowered by divine grace. For the Khalsa, this narrative provides both consolation in times of apparent defeat and confidence in ultimate divine justice. Jaggi (1966, 112) summarizes: "The Chandi Di Var teaches that no victory is ultimately possible without divine power, and no evil is ultimately invincible against it."

7. Chandi Charitar I and II: Braj Bhasha Retellings

Braj Bhasha as Literary Medium

Where Chandi Di Var deploys the Punjabi Var form, Chandi Charitar I and II are composed in Braj Bhasha — the dominant North Indian literary language for devotional and heroic poetry in the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Braj Bhasha poetry carried the prestige associations of the Vaishnava Bhakti tradition and the Mughal court; the Guru's choice of this medium for two of his three Chandi compositions signals his engagement with the dominant literary culture of his day. The Braj compositions are longer and more elaborate than Chandi Di Var, providing more detailed battle descriptions and a wider range of metres (Singh and Mann 2015, 108).

Chandi Charitar I: Ukti Bilas

Chandi Charitar I, subtitled Ukti Bilas (Pleasure of Expression), focuses on the battle with Mahishasura and draws directly on the Devi Mahatmya's first major narrative sequence. Its elaborate descriptions of the battlefield, the goddess's weapons, and the demons' armies reflect the heroic aesthetic (ਵੀਰ ਰਸ) of classical North Indian poetry. Despite this elaborate style, the theological framing remains Sikh: the goddess's weapons are gifts of divine grace, and her victory demonstrates the principle that righteous power always overcomes demonic force when aligned with divine will.

Chandi Charitar II: Differences and Emphases

Chandi Charitar II covers similar narrative ground but with different metrical choices and some variation in emphasis. Scholars have noted that the two compositions treat the same source material with sufficient independence to suggest either composition at different times or deliberate alternative renderings. Loehlin (1971, 65) suggests that the two compositions may have served different liturgical functions — one for court recitation, one for warrior preparation. Together, the three Chandi compositions (Var, Charitar I, Charitar II) provide the Khalsa tradition with a rich and varied celebration of divine heroic power in multiple literary registers.

8. Bhagauti: The Theology of Divine-Heroic Power

The Meaning of Bhagauti

The term ਭਗਉਤੀ is one of the most theologically layered in the Sikh tradition. In Sanskrit, bhagavati means "goddess" or "the blessed one." In the Chandi compositions, it functions as a name for the divine power manifest through the warrior-goddess. But the Sikh Ardas begins with the words ਪ੍ਰਿਥਮ ਭਗੌਤੀ ਸਿਮਰਕੇ — "First, remembering Bhagauti" — where most Sikh theologians interpret Bhagauti as referring not to a goddess but to the Divine Sword or divine creative-destructive power. Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh (1993, 92) traces how the term has functioned simultaneously as a name for the goddess and as a name for the divine principle throughout the tradition's history.

Bhagauti in the Ardas

The presence of Bhagauti in the Ardas — the daily supplication recited by Sikhs worldwide — demonstrates the term's central importance. The Ardas invocation of Bhagauti immediately leads into the Guru-lineage invocation, mirroring the structure of Chandi Di Var's mangalacharan exactly. This suggests that the Ardas's opening was composed with conscious awareness of Chandi Di Var and using its theological structure. Singh and Mann (2015, 110) argue that understanding this connection transforms the Ardas: the daily prayer is understood as invoking the same divine heroic power celebrated in the Chandi compositions, understood through the lens of the entire Guru-tradition.

Resolution: Bhagauti as God's Sword

The scholarly consensus that best accounts for the textual evidence is that Bhagauti in Guru Gobind Singh's usage refers primarily to the divine sword — the principle of divine justice and power — rather than to an independent goddess. The goddess Chandi is one historical embodiment of this principle, drawn from Sanskrit tradition; the Khalsa's kirpan is another embodiment of the same principle in the present. This reading preserves Sikh monotheism while explaining the theological significance of the martial imagery throughout the Dasam Granth's heroic compositions.

9. The Goddess as Instrument, Not Sovereign

The Theological Transformation

The central theological move in all three Chandi compositions is the repositioning of the goddess from sovereign deity to divine instrument. In the Devi Mahatmya, Durga's power is her own — she emerges from the combined rage of all the male gods, but once manifested she is a fully independent sovereign whose power exceeds that of all the gods combined. In Guru Gobind Singh's retellings, the same narrative episodes are reframed: Durga acts, but she acts as God's agent. The victories are attributed to the one transcendent ਅਕਾਲ ਪੁਰਖ operating through her (Singh and Mann 2015, 112).

Textual Evidence from the Source

The fetched Chandi Di Var text contains the verse: "From You, Rama took strength and with his arrows, struck down the ten-headed one. From You, Krishna took strength, seized Kansa by the hair, and made him fall." This verse — remarkably — reduces even Rama and Krishna, the two greatest avatars of Vishnu, to recipients of divine strength rather than independent divine agents. The same theological logic applies to Chandi: she too receives divine strength, and her victories are divine victories working through her heroic agency. This is consistent Guru Gobind Singh theology (Chandi Di Var source text, page 3).

Implications for Khalsa Theology

The theological repositioning of the goddess has immediate implications for the Khalsa's self-understanding. If the goddess Chandi is an instrument of divine will — powerful, heroic, victorious, but ultimately serving the one God — then the Khalsa warrior who models her spirit is similarly an instrument of divine will. The Khalsa does not fight for personal power, ethnic dominance, or religious sectarianism, but as an instrument of divine justice in the world. This theological self-understanding is what distinguishes the Khalsa's martial identity from ordinary military culture (Mandair 2009, 185).

10. Heroic Aesthetics and Khalsa Identity

Vir Ras: The Heroic Sentiment

Classical Indian literary theory (rasa theory) identifies nine primary aesthetic sentiments (rasas), including ਵੀਰ ਰਸ (the heroic sentiment). Poetry imbued with vir ras creates in the listener an experience of heroic enthusiasm, courage, and readiness for righteous action. The Chandi compositions are masterworks of vir ras: their battle descriptions, their celebration of the goddess's wrath and courage, and their dramatic narratives of demonic power overcome by divine heroism all generate the heroic aesthetic. Jaggi (1966, 115) emphasizes that the Guru was not only a theological innovator but a literary craftsman who understood how poetry could shape the consciousness of a warrior community.

Recitation as Training

The recitation of heroic poetry as a form of psychological and spiritual preparation for battle has ancient roots in many martial cultures. The Guru's innovation was to provide this preparation within a monotheistic theological framework: the Khalsa warrior who recited Chandi Di Var was simultaneously training the heroic spirit and rehearsing the theology that bounded heroic action within divine service. The warrior who understood that Chandi's power was God's power, that every heroic act was an instrument of divine justice, was psychologically and spiritually prepared in a way that purely militaristic training could not achieve (Loehlin 1971, 68).

The Aesthetics of Righteous War

Singh and Mann (2015, 113) observe that the Chandi compositions establish a consistent aesthetic of righteous war: war against oppression is beautiful, war for self-aggrandizement is ugly. The goddess does not fight because she enjoys violence but because divine justice requires it. The Khalsa similarly fights not from aggression but from the theological conviction that some evil cannot be overcome by words alone. This aesthetic-theological framework — heroic beauty in service of divine justice — remains the Khalsa's ethical standard for the use of force and distinguishes the Sikh martial tradition from more purely martial or political frameworks.

11. Modern Interpretive Debates

The Reformist Critique

The Singh Sabha reform movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries developed a complex relationship with the Chandi compositions. On one hand, the compositions' integration into Khalsa devotional practice through the Ardas and Amrit Sanchar made dismissal impossible. On the other hand, reformist thinkers were uncomfortable with the mythological content and sought readings that minimized the goddess's role in favor of a purely monotheistic interpretation. Oberoi (1994, 315) documents how reformist scholars tended to interpret Bhagauti in the Ardas as referring to the sword rather than to Durga, effectively demythologizing the composition's opening invocation.

Feminist and Gender Studies Readings

More recent scholarship has approached the Chandi compositions from feminist perspectives. Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh (1993, 95) argues that the Guru's celebration of female heroic power — even if theologically reframed within monotheism — represents a significant affirmation of the feminine principle that stands in creative tension with certain male-centered aspects of Sikh institutional practice. Other feminist scholars have questioned whether the compositions ultimately reinforce masculine control over female power. These readings enrich the interpretive landscape without necessarily reaching consensus.

The Compositions in Current Sikh Discourse

Contemporary discussions of the Chandi compositions in Sikh communities often focus on the practical question: should Chandi Di Var be recited in Gurdwaras? Some traditionalist voices, particularly associated with Hazur Sahib and Nihang Singh traditions, maintain that Chandi Di Var is an important Dasam Granth bani deserving regular recitation. Other voices, aligned with reformist tendencies, prefer to limit public recitation to the universally accepted Nitnem banis. Singh and Mann (2015, 115) note that this practical debate reflects the broader unresolved question of the Dasam Granth's place in Sikh institutional life.

12. The Chandi Compositions in Contemporary Sikh Practice

The Ardas Connection

The most universal point of contact between the Chandi compositions and contemporary Sikh practice is the Ardas, recited daily by millions of Sikhs worldwide. The opening invocation ਪ੍ਰਿਥਮ ਭਗੌਤੀ ਸਿਮਰਕੇ ਗੁਰ ਨਾਨਕ ਲਈ ਧਿਆਏ — "First, remembering Bhagauti, meditate on Guru Nanak" — is drawn directly from the mangalacharan of Chandi Di Var. Every time a Sikh recites the Ardas, they are reciting the theological framing of the heroic Chandi tradition, embedded within the context of the full Guru-lineage. This daily practice ensures that the Chandi compositions' theological legacy persists in Sikh consciousness even among those who never study the compositions directly.

Gurmat Sangeet and Musical Recitation

In the Gurmat Sangeet (Sikh classical music) tradition, Chandi Di Var is associated with specific heroic ragas and singing styles. Performances of Chandi Di Var in the Nihang Singh tradition and at historical gurdwaras such as Hazur Sahib and Keshgarh Sahib maintain the tradition of heroic recitation that the Guru originally cultivated. These musical performances are not merely cultural events but theological occasions: the heroic aesthetic of the compositions, experienced through skilled musical performance, fulfills the original function of shaping the Khalsa consciousness toward righteous courage.

This Course in Retrospect

This course has traced the Chandi compositions from their Sanskrit source material through Guru Gobind Singh's theological transformation to their contemporary significance. The key insight is that the compositions are neither simple goddess worship nor simple militarism but sophisticated theological poetry that deploys the tradition's heroic literary resources in service of Sikh monotheism. Students who understand this can engage the Ardas with greater theological depth, appreciate the Khalsa's martial identity as theologically grounded, and participate in ongoing community discussions about the Dasam Granth with the tools of informed scholarship.

From the Granth — ਚੰਡੀ ਚਰਿਤ੍ਰ ਤੇ ਚੰਡੀ ਦੀ ਵਾਰ

ਚੰਡੀ ਚਰਿਤ੍ਰ ਤੇ ਚੰਡੀ ਦੀ ਵਾਰ · Ang 74–126, rendered verbatim from the reader corpus. Tap any line for its published translation and ਅਰਥ.Read with Santhya audio →

References & further reading

  1. Singh, Kamalroop, and Gurinder Singh Mann. The Granth of the Tenth King. Archimedes Press, 2015.
  2. Fenech, Louis E. The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh. Oxford University Press, 2013.
  3. Jaggi, Rattan Singh. Dasam Granth Parichay. Punjabi University Patiala, 1966.
  4. Coburn, Thomas B. Devi Mahatmya: The Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition. Motilal Banarsidass, 1984.
  5. Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh. The Feminine Principle in the Sikh Vision of the Transcendent. Cambridge University Press, 1993.
  6. Loehlin, C. H. The Granth of Guru Gobind Singh and the Khalsa Brotherhood. Lucknow: Lucknow Publishing House, 1971.
  7. Mandair, Arvind-Pal Singh. Religion and the Specter of the West. Columbia University Press, 2009.

From the source text

(੧੧) ਭੁਲ ਗਿਆ ਗੁਰੂ ਬਾਗ ਲੱਦੇ ਜਦੋਂ ਮੋਟਰਾਂਤੇ ਖਾਇਕੇ ਅੰਗੂਰ ਮੱਥਾ ਮੰਦਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਲਾਇਤਾ। ਮਾਰਦੇ ਫੁਰਾਟੇ ਕਾਲੇ ਨਾਗਾਂ ਵਾਂਗੂ ਦਿਨੇ ਰਾਤੀ। ਹਿੰਦ ਅਸਤਾਨੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਗਿਟੇ ਡੰਗ ਲਾਇਤਾ। ਦੇਖਿਆ ਮੁਨਾਰੇ ਬੈਠ ਸਿਖ ਏ ਫਰੰਗੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਖੇਡਕੇ ਫਰੰਗ ਨਾਲ ਦੇਸਦੇ ਵਿਖਾ ਦਿਤਾ ॥ ਬੈਤ ॥ ਰਾਣੀ ਖਾਨ ਕਮੇਟੀ ਦੇ ਖਾਸ ਬੰਦੇ ਨਿਤ ਬੈਲੀਆਂ ਕਰਨ ਫਰਾਰ ਸੁਨ ਲੌ। ਜਿਨਾਂ ਚੂੜੇ ਚਮਿਆਰ ਪਰਧਾਨ ਕੀਤੇ ਨਿਤ ਨਵੀਂਆਂ ਪੁਛਾਵਣੇ ਹਾਰ ਸੁਨ ਲੌ। ਬਾਟੇ ਚੁਕ ਮੁਕੈਣ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦ ਵਾਲੇ ਦੇ ਦੇ ਪੈਨ ਕੇ ਨਿਤ ਤਲਵਾਰ ਸੁਨ ਲੌ।
(11) They forgot the Guru's garden when they began indulging in luxuries; they bowed their heads to temples and began acting with arrogance. Like black cobras, day and night, they delivered stinging bites to the honest people. I saw them sitting on watchtowers; the Sikhs have become pawns of the foreigners, and they are showing their allegiance to the foreigners. Verse: The special associates of the Rani Khan Committee are constantly fleeing with their companions, listen. Those who appointed Choodas and Chamars as presidents are now constantly facing new humiliations, listen. Those who distribute the Prasad are being cast aside, and the sword is constantly being brandished against them, listen. The debauchery practiced by the elite in their special bungalows is common knowledge, listen. The whiskey-soaked revelries and the parties held in those bungalows are well known, listen.
— from Missī-Jātt-Dī-Kartūt. Gurmukhi is the author's original text (OCR); the English is a machine translation. Both are short study excerpts — refer to the original for an authoritative reading.Read the full work on SikhLibrary ↗

Flashcards — ਕਾਰਡ ਅਭਿਆਸ

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Course test

Pass with 80% or higher to complete the course and unlock the next one.

1. How many Chandi compositions appear in the Dasam Granth?
2. The Sanskrit source for the Chandi compositions is which text?
3. According to the Chandi Di Var mangalacharan, the opening of the Ardas prayer is taken from which composition?
4. The cosmogonic verse in Chandi Di Var identifies which object as the first principle of creation?
5. Chandi Charitar I and II are composed in which language?
6. The term Bhagauti in Sikh theological interpretation most commonly refers to what?
7. According to the fetched Chandi Di Var text, who narrated the demons' conquest to Durga?
8. The theological move that characterizes all three Chandi compositions is to present the goddess as what?
9. Which classical Indian aesthetic sentiment (rasa) dominates the Chandi compositions?
10. The Var literary form used in Chandi Di Var is characterized by which structural unit?

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