Charitro Pakhyan in English

(Popularly known as TRIYA CHRITER of Dasam Granth)

Published by Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh, Amritsar

Author’s Note

Guru Gobind Singh believed in a practical life-strategy. On March 30, 1699, had he announced that he wanted to raise an army to fight the forces of tyranny and promulgate the righteousness, he would have thousands of people coming forward. He did not just want a huge number. He was looking for the people with a perpetual love and an eternal urge to sacrifice their lives for a just cause. It is well known historical fact that, when he appeared on the stage with an unsheathed sword in his hand and demanded a few heads for sacrificial purposes, the people started to slip away. Only five people came forward and offered their lives. The spirit, which was infused through this aspect of practicality, became the everlasting cause of the success of Khalsa; the mighty Mughal, all-powerful Britishers and devious Brahmanical penchant could not subdue this.

As soon as Guru Angad Dev envisioned the celestial light at the portal of Baba Nanak, he abandoned his quest for the goddess. When Guru Amar Das was enlightened by Guru Angad, he forsook his sojourns to the places of deities. All the revered Sikh Gurus had instilled the worship of the One only, Akal Purkh. They wanted people to desist the rituals and adoration of gods and goddesses.

But, in spite of all that, on his advent, Guru Gobind Singh found the people (even some of those who exalted the Bani of his revered predecessors) still diverted their considerable attention to the pilgrimages to the places of Davies, the goddesses. He could have advised the masses thousands of times to refrain from such liturgy, which might have not been as effective. To make the people to understand how futile were their sojourns, and, to erase the misconception once for all, he asked the Brahmins to orchestrate a Havana, the sacrificial fire, and get the Devi manifested through their prayers. The Brahmins assured him that the goddess would personify herself at the end of the Havana.

Guru Gobind Singh spent hundreds of thousands of rupees. Tons of viands were provided to the Brahmins. The process continued for several weeks but no goddess appeared and the Brahmins had to accept the defeat.

Then, at that time, Guru Gobind Singh enlightened the people the fallacies of goddess and her, so-called, benevolence. He illuminated the minds of the astray-ones with the reality, and the reality was Bhagauti - the Shakti, Faculty and Integrity.

For the last so many ages, people had been obsessed with the writings of the Puranas and Vedas. Without comprehending the purports (being in old impenetrable languages) they listened to the expositions of Brahmins reverently. When Guru Gobind Singh fathomed the factual purport of some of those, so-called scriptures, he coveted to enlightened the world with what, as a matter fact, was entailed in such `gospels.' He realised that mere explanation of the hidden contents would not be long lasting. He set down to present the real meanings to the people in the understandable language prevalent at the time, and, also, he inspired some of his court-poets to expose the truth behind such tales, plausibly endowing them the contemporary substance. His aim was nothing but to uncover, to the public, the reality behind those renderings of the medieval books, some of which were religiously revered.

In the pages to follow have endeavoured to present truthfully what is contained in Chritropakhyan, a part of Sri Dasam Granth. I do not wish to enter into the historicity and the naming of the Granth. I leave it entirely to judgement of the readers to ascertain whether such language and such stories could emanate through them mind and the pen of Guru Gobind Singh who has endowed us a unique code of living a moral and courageous life.

The heading of this part of Sri Dasam Granth is Chritropakhyan (Tales of Male-Female Tricky Deceptions). Neither I wish to tarnish nor enhance the capability and image of the original compiler, whether he was Bhai Mani Singh or anybody else. I strived to present every aspect almost in verbatim.

Pritpal Singh Bindra
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

bindra@rogers.com