Culture
The Gurus And Shri Rama: A Study In Devotion
- The intertwining of traditions with the legacies of the Shri Rama shows how deeply connected to the land the traditions of Sikh panth have always been.
A Sikh manuscript.
रावणारि प्रगट भए जग; आन राम अवतार ॥५२॥
भरथ लछमन सत्रुघन; पुनि भए तीन कुमार ॥
भांति भांतिन बाजीयं; न्रिप राज बाजन दुआर ॥
पाइ लाग बुलाइ बिपन; दीन दान दुरंति ॥
सत्रु नासत होहिगे; सुख पाइ हैं सभ संत ॥५३॥
लाल जाल प्रवेसट रिखबर; बाज राज समाज ॥
भांति भांतिन देत भयो; दिज पतन को न्रिपराज ॥
देस अउर बिदेस भीतर; ठउर ठउर महंत ॥
नाच नाच उठे सभै जनु; आज लाग बसंत ॥५४॥
At the beginning of the thirteenth month, Ram, the enemy of Ravan, incarnated for the protection of the saints. 52.
Then the three princes named Bharat, Lakshman and Shatrughan were born and various kinds of musical instruments were played at the gate of Dasrath’s palace.
Bowing at the feet of Brahmins, he gave them innumerable gifts and all the people felt that now the enemies will be destroyed and the saints will attain peace and comfort. 53.
Wearing the necklaces of diamonds and jewels, the sages are extending the royal glory and the king is presenting documents to the twice-born (dvijas) for gold and silver.
The chieftains of various places are exhibiting their delight and all the people are dancing like the frolicsome people in the spring season. 54.
Amritsar And Shri Rama
Guru Ram Das ji as the fourth Guru of the Sikh panth, was in his pre-Guru life also known more commonly by the name of Bhai Jetha.
Guru Ram Das also wrote several compositions that got incorporated into the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
The most prominent among them were the ones that today get used in the Anand Karaj ceremony of marriage undertaken by the Sikhs.
Another important institutional change ushered in by Guru Ram Das ji was the introduction of the masand system, wherein masand or community leaders would lead distant congregations, their mutual interactions and collect revenue for Sikh activities and gurudwara building.
Guru Ram Das ji brought an important transformation to the panth by the setting up of the town of Ramdaspur, which later got renamed as Amritsar.
He also initiated building of the sarovar in which was later built Sri Harmandir Sahib (commonly known as the Golden Temple).
The choice of the site for building Amritsar remains rather interesting, given how the region around Amritsar continues to be connected to the Ramayana for many centuries. It was believed by many that Sri Valmiki ji’s ashram lay at the Ram Tirath, a site that is 12 kilometres westwards of today’s Amritsar.
Shri Rama And The Guru Lineage
Sikh panth are a testimony of the jnana parampara that marked the Indic traditions of this nation in many ways. Each of the 10 Gurus and their bani contained thereafter in the living embodiment Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, are a source of divine knowledge.
Of them, the tenth Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji, was truly remarkable in his deep understanding and knowledge of the various darsanas of India, and his writings encapsulate the various traditions in beautiful lyrical kritis of his that shed light on his truly divine character.
In the Dasam Granth, the reference to Sri Rama comes in more than one context. The first, of course, was the tradition of seeing and identifying Shri Rama as one of the chaubis avatar (24 avatars).
This count of 24 is rather fascinating, given how the Srimad Bhagavatam also identifies 24 avatars of Sri Vishnu.
This count of 24 in the Dasam Granth also includes the reference to Arihant avatar, which corresponds to the Rishabh avatar that often gets identified with Rishabhadeva or Adinatha, the first Tirthankara of Jain tradition.
In the Bachitar Natak section, we see a detailed description, wherein Sri Rama’s sons Lava and Kusha are shown to have set up the cities of Lahore and Kasur itself.
सीअ सुत बहुरि भए दुइ राजा ॥
राज पाट उन ही कउ छाजा ॥
मद्र देस एस्वरजा बरी जब ॥
भांति भांति के जग कीए तब ॥२३॥
तही तिनै बाधे दुइ पुरवा ॥
एक कसूर दुतीय लहुरवा ॥
अधक पुरी ते दोऊ बिराजी ॥
निरखि लंक अमरावति लाजी ॥२४॥
After that the two sons of Sita (and Rama) became the kings.
They married the Punjabi princesses and performed various types of sacrifices.23.
There they founded two cities, the one Kasur and the other Lahore.
Both the cities surpassed in beauty against that of Lanka and Amravati. 24.
The reference is also important to point out because Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji subsequently goes on to explain how the Gurus are essentially Ikshavakus.
In the Bachitar Natak, Guru Nanak’s clan of the Bedis is shown as the descendants of Kush and the Sodhis as the descendants of Lav.
It is said that the Sodhi king of Madra desha called upon the Bedis to recite the Vedas, and influenced by their recital, gave up the throne to the Bedis and made the Bedis in turn blessed thus:
बेदी भयो प्रसंन, राज कह पाइ कै ॥
देत भयो बरदान, हीऐ हुलसाइ कै ॥
जब नानक कल मै, हम आनि कहाइ है ॥
हो जगत पूज करि तोहि, परम पदु पाइ है ॥७॥
Having been bestowed with the kingdom (by the Sodhi king), the Bedis were very much pleased. With happy heart, he predicted this boon:
“When in the Iron age, I shall be called Nanak, you will attain the Supreme State and be worshipped by the world.” 7.
The intertwining of traditions with the legacies of the Shri Rama shows how deeply connected to the land the traditions of Sikh panth have always been.
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