M E L I K I A N - C: H I R V A N 1:
The Mobad met him in Lahore in 1048/15 May
1638-3 May 1639.52
Whether or not the Guru had in mind the
Sufi allegorical interpretations of the Shah-Name
characters, he conformed with the age old Ira-
nian tradition in rhetorically asking where the
Kings of Ancient Iran now are. From the earliest
times, Iranian poets ask similar questions when
meditating on the transient nature of power and
fame. To mention but the most famous of all,
they include Sa'adi, who was as avidly read at
the Moghul court of Hindustan as in Iran. 53
Guru Gobind Singh will have been well aware
that asking such questions would stir the Moghul
emperor. As he switches, within the same verse,
from a semi-mythologized character of Ancient
Iranian history to Shah Eskandar probably mean-
ing Alexander the Great, to a ruler of flesh and
blood of modern times relevant to Hindustan,
Shir Shah Suri, the abrupt transition creates a
dramatic effect. Whether steeped in ancient leg-
end or still fresh in historical memory, all rulers
vanish. The following couplet makes the point
more bluntly. Even the greatest among the em-
peror's own ancestors left this world as defini-
tively as the heroes of Iranian Antiquity. Teymur
("Timur" in Western writings), from whom the
Moghuls were proud to be descended; Bahar ("Ba-
bur"l, the founder of the Moghul dynasty; Homa-
yun who played a major role in introducing into
Hindustan the art and literature of the then con-
temporary Iran; and Akbar are also gone for ever.
In its concision, the line must have powerfully
resonated with 'Alamgir.
Ko;a Shahe Teymii.r-o Babar kojasU
Homayii.n ko;a! Sha.he Akbark ko;asU
Where is Shah Teymur? And Ba.bar, where is he?
Where is Homa.yun? Shah Akbar, where is he? 54
The two couplets relating to recent rulers come
as punchlines to the entire set of allusions to the
Shah-Name events.
Apparently, the ringing message of the ?,afar-
Name was heard. Negotiations were opened. The
emperor invited the Guru to come to court and
issued an edict [.{-mkm] ordering governors to es-
The Shah -Name Echoes in Sikh Poetry
cart the Guru to safety. Despite the past broken
pledge, the Guru was on the move when the
emperor died suddenly in February 1707. A year
later, the Guru in turn left this world.
There was a posthumous sequel to the tragic
conflict, to the ?,afar-Name, and to 'Alamgir's
belated response. The Sikhs and the Moghul
court were sufficiently r~conciled for Sikh troops
to fight on the side of 'Alamgir's sucessor Baha.-
dur Shah in 1708. But by then, the Moghul em-
pire was coming apart. 55
If the ?,afar-Name is the most powerful Sikh
poem in Persian sending back echoes of the
Shah-Name in substance and style, it is not the
only one.
2. The Shah-Name Echoes in the
So-called Fat}:i-Name
Another Persian epistle versified in the Shah-
Name metre came to light in the late 19th cen-
tury. According to the Encyclopaedia of Sikhism,
the text known today as the Fatl}.-Name was cop-
ied "around 1890" by one Ba.bu Jagan Nath Das
from a manuscript then in private possession. 56
Regrettably, the said Babu Jagan Na.th Das lost
the copy which contained over one hundred cou-
plets, as he later recounted in an unrelated con- ·
text. Eventually, the author of the Encyclopaedia
of Sikhism notice reports, "he reproduced some
of the couplets from memory which he sent to
Sardar Umrao Singh Majithi (1870-1954), who ar-
ranged them in order."
Copying down from memory and "arranging
in order" is not the soundest scientific method
of establishing the correct version of any text. It
leaves the door open to omissions and slight al-
terations. By the copyist's own account, the text
as it now stands represents less than one quarter
of the original. Two copies were made. Bhai Vir
Singh (1872-1957) received one and published it
with a Panjabi translation in the Khal$a Samii-
char of 16 July 1942.
Sikh scholars may yet be able to trace the origi-
nal which was owned by Baba Sumer Singh, ma-
hant of Takht Sri Harimandar Sal:iib at Patna
from 1882 to 1902. A critical edition of the text ·
in its integrality would undoubtedly improve our
understanding of the Sikh work. The title by
which it was originally known eludes us . Its pres-
ent denomination, Fatl}.-Name [Fatel}.-Nama in
10
 M E L I K I A N - c H I R
Hindustani pronunciation], was coined i~ the
20th century and is retained here for conveme~ce.
Even in its fragmentary form, the Fath-Name
di:spJays some obvious characteristics.
.. Contrary
t, what the Encyclopae dia of S'kh. 1 1sm states,
;either its "style" nor its " language" are r~~lly
the same as in the ?,afar-Name. The compos1t10n
prw:ecds in a more systematic manner._There are
no abrupt switches from fact to maxims, from
maxims to personal admonitions as in the ?,afar-
.\liime. Nor are there any repetitions of the same
formula in consecutive couplets, which the con-
n:ntions of Persian poetry do n ot allow.
As a result the halting tone and vibrant emo-
tion that give the ?,afar-Nii.me a compelling poi-
~ancy are lacking in the Fath-Name. The voice
b sdf-confident and at times defiant. The per-
:;onality of a mystical ascetic comes through in
the Zafar-Nam e. Here, the more aggressive tem-
pcra~ent of a military man has left its stamp.
T he Fat]:i-Name opens with an invocation to
God that is curiously at odds with the esoteric
notions expressed at the beginning of the '?',afar-
Namc and ends with a hemistich challenging
' Alnmgir to come and fight like a man, equally
different in tone from the objurgations in the
7:c1iar-Niime.
There is even a fundamental difference on
the metaphysical level between the two works.
Throughout the ?,afar-Nii.me, Guru Gobind
Singh delivers professions of faith and ·maxims
to which any Muslim would subscribe. On the
<.:ontrary, the opening couplet in the Fath-Name
ha~ a militaristic ring to it as well as a touch of
material triviality that make it very different
from the ?afar-Name:
~ 9 ~ .L..,j,L_...3,-
~9 ul...:.......... 9 ~ .L..,j9I..).__;).
L.....) ~ 0 b ,r---0 .L..,j9 I..).__;).
I~ .J.::, ~ 0 ~ I .L..,j9I..).__;).
R..:-~dm Khodavand-e figh-o tabar
_K.hndizvand-e tir-o senan -o separ
I-:. 11~1dch ':md -e mardan -e i ang-ii.zema
1'lwdc1vand-e aspii.n-e pa dar hava
In the name of the Lord of the Sword and the
Battle-axe
v A N 1: The Shah-Name Echoes in Sikh Poetry
The Lord of the Sword, the Spear and the Shield
The Lord or the Battle-hardened Braves
The Lord of the Horses that Fly in the Air57
The writer taunts the emperor, trying to provoke
him, in sharp contrast to the ?,afar-Name, where
Guru Gobind Singh claims his distress and out-
rage. The author of the Fath-Name defiantly says
at the end:
To az naz -o ne<mat samar kborede
Ze iangi ;avanan na bar khorede
You have tasted the fruits of comfort and pleasure
You have not had encounters with fighting
youngsters58
Taken literally, these lines would point to the
profile of a writer other than Guru Gobind Singh.
They suggest a young man, enrolled among the
"fighting youngsters" [iangi ;avanan]. That is
corroborated by another couplet in which the
author of the Fath-Name unceremoniously tells
'Alamgir how weak he is:
~ I o ~ 01; ~ .J.,....:S c},-..J
;~ i.s-4b ) 1.5~ ~~
To'i gorg-e baran keshide agar
Naham nize shirl ze damI be-dar
i~ You will be a wolf drenched by rain if
I lay at your door a lion [released] from its trap59
The wolf drenched by rain is the m etaphor of a
predator weakened by age. The verse is an allu-
sion to the custom of releasing caged lions on the
hunting ground of Moghul emperors. A wet wolf
is what the emperor will be, if the writer of the
Fath-Name arrives at his door like a lion, the
king of animals, in a fuming rage because he has
just been released from a trap.
These would be surprising words, coming from
Guru Gobind Singh. He too was an ageing man.
The words " fighting youngsters" should then be
11
. ,_ M E L 1 K I A N - c H I R v A N 1: The Sh ah-Name Echoes in Sikh Poetry

understood metaphorically. On the other hand, drine Mirror 11 [A'Ine-ye Eskand al'i] inspired by
however vehement the Guru becomes when de- Ne?am1 1s Sharaf- Ntim e which comes closest in
nouncing in the ?:afar-Name the crimes com- style to the Shah -Nii.me among later romances
mited against his sons, he does not utter abuse. the first two couplets read: '
Such discrepancies might seem to point to two
different authors. Sikhs, such as Mr. Pannjit
Singh, explain them by ascribing an earlier date
to the Fath-Name, written immediately after the
battle of Cham Kaur, when the Guru's indigna-
tion at the unjust execution of his younger sons
was intense.
Interestingly, the connection with the Shah-
Name is more apparent in the Fath-Name than
in the ?:afar-Name. It is evident from the two [ahii.n -Padeshaha Khoda'I to-ra'st
opening couplets which are modelled on the for- Azal ta abad padesha'I to-ra'st
mulation of the first two couplets in the Shah- Goshii.yande-ye cheshm-e binesh To'i
Name. Both even have a comparable musicality Negii.rande-ye afarinesh To'I
in the final rhymes. See p. 11.
0 King of the World, Lordship belongs to you
In past and future eternity, Kingship belongs to
..).r---3- 9 0 ~ ~91..L...> , ~ you
..) ) :£, .r. ~ .,\_jl ~ .H ~;,-S You are Him that opens the eye of perception
You are Him that paints creation61
1..5~ ~ 9'-.L.:>- 9 ,Li ~91..L...> _
The choice of words in a number of Fat~1-Nii.me
1.5l ¢ : lb) o..) 1..5)9) ~91...l.....--> couplets emphasizes the Shah-Name tone. This
is obvious in an address to <_.Alamgir, called here
Be nam-e Khodavand-e jan-6 kherad "Owrang-zib." The third couplet of the Fath-
Kazin bartar andishe na-g'iarad Name uses the archaic demonstrative of the
Khodavand-e Nam -a Khodavand-e [ay Shah -Name, (hamtin kii., "he who") and the ar-
Khodavand-e Ruzi-deh-e Rahnamay chaic verbal form be-dad instead of dad, while
the fifth couplet is in perfect imitation of the
In the name of the Lord of the Soul and the Intel- Shah-Name's style:
lect
Beyond Whom our thinking does not reach ..) 1--½ ~ Ll..) l; IJ ,__; ,-S u~
The Lord of [all] Names and the Lord of [all] Places
The Lord who gives nourishment and shows ..) I~ u--lb~ ~..) ..::,.._J9..) ~
the way60
~) ..L)911Li l;--3 ~~
The Fath-Name rhymes (-ar, in the first cou-
plet, -a in the second couplet) closely resemble ~_,j ~4--i 0 ~ ) ...L)9I)
the Shah-Nii.me rhymes, respectively -ad and -tiy,
or -ti as it would often be spelt in the ll/l 7th or Haman kii. to-ra padeshahi be-dad
12/lSth century. The most telling indication of Be-ma dowlat-e din-panahI be-dad
a·n intention to match the style and tone to the
Shah-Name is the opening in Be-nam-e Khoda-
vand-e, 11 In the Name of the Lord of,'1 not found Na-zibad tora nam-e Owrange-zib
in later Persian romances. Taking for example, Ze owrange-zibtin na bayad farib
the five romances of the "Quintet" [Khamse]
written by the most famous Hindustani poet in He who gave you Kingship
Persian, Amir Khosrow Dehlavi, none has an Gave us a rule/state that is the refuge of reli-
gion
opening remotely resembling the words of the
Shah -Name. In Amir Khosrow's "the Alexan-

12
 M E L
I
K I A N - c H I R v A N 1: The Shah-Name Echoes in Sikh Poetry

That this bitterness and thirst of yours may go

r hC: name O wrang-zib [Beauty of the Throne] I will light such a fire under the horse shoes [of
does not becbme you
your steed]
F ,nn the Beauties of the Throne, there ~ust be
r . no dece1t62 That of Panjab I shall give you the watering, not
a drink64
In 1.Jouplct 7, the harangue to <i\.lamgir goe~ on
· pure Sluib-Name style. It uses the ancient The "water" here refers to the watering of steel
inhrJSC kerddr-e zes h t, 11 ug1y ac t'10n," th e o b so- blades. The last couplet means: I shall make you
fc:t. noun seresht for "nature," "character," and taste the water of the blades of Panjab that can-
the archaic verbal form be-dadi instead of the not be drunk.
l,ttcr J,idI, "you gave": As he continues to challenge <i\_lamgir, the au-
thor of the Fat]J. -Name says in couplet 15, using
.;.....;,) ).)r5' ~ I ) ; ~ ._s"L;.. ,-, the archaic verbal form of the present tense end-
ing with the postposition hami and a Shah-
..:..,.;,r IS.)IJ.....-! ;..)l.r--! up~ Name set phrase, shir-e zhiyan "ferocious lion":

Jh khtik-e pedar-ra be kerdar-e zesht

~ ~Lo o..L-i) 0~; ~ ~
B.·-khiin-e bariidar bedadi seresht
~ ..wL.........,., ~U_-;_;I ,____.; )
You Jefined [lit. "gave"] its character for the land
of your father
Cho shir-e zbiyan zende manad hamI
By your ugly action in spilling the blood of your
Ze to enteqamI setanad bamI
brother63
As a ferocious lion remains alive
'I\vo lines down, in order to describe military
It will wreak its revenge from you65
·mov~ments, the author of the Fat}J.-Name com-
pnscd these three couplets that have a truly epic
rin~ worthy of the Shiih -Niime itself: Were it not for the Arabic loan word enteqam,
"revenge," the well turned out couplet could
pass for a Shah-Name quotation.
iS.l.oT ilS' ~ u-5.) o,-S ; Four lines away, the poet describes the two
IS.l.oj f4 ~ ~ ) ~ ) armies marching towards one another. In three
successive couplets he resorts to n early purely
..) , ) <-Al~ 0 ,--..5'I p ,_.,., ~.r--! Persian vocabulary. The poetic effect achieved
is poor but the attempt at striking a Shah-Name
.)') ,- ! e':: ; , u-... I ; ul t..__S tone is reasonably successful. Ashkara, "vis-
ible," had long been obsolete by the early 12/
18th century. Razmgah, literally "battle em-
placement, Kii.rezar, " combat," even longer out
of use, both come up several hundred times in
the Shah-Name:
;~i;; kiil1-e Dakan teshne-kiim amadi
Zc Mcyviir ham talkhe jam amadi ~~ 1) ~ ~ ,.) ul-½- ~
lidt·lll sii c:hon akniin negahet ravad
. Kc: .in talkhI-o teshnegiet ravad ..w~ [I] } ~T ~ IS),.))
Ch,•ncin dteshi zir-e na<aJet naham
?e.: Panitibe iibet na khordan daham ol) ~ r-9 ,..) ..wL__.o , .) 0 ½---A
Fr.,m the mounts of the D eccan, you came thirst- o lf ~)) 0!. I .) .) .r--5 ~ I ) o ~
F ing for success
rum Meyvar too you came with the bitter cup );)ls' 0T ).) ~ 0 T)I
<I_,_,,~
[of defeat]
.\-. yuur eyes now look this way, A~-.....,., , . ) ~ ~ .) :r:, '½ ~ T {.)--°

13
.. ,;c-s !l' ' · · M E L 1 K r A N - c H 1 R
Be meydan do lashkar liaf-ara shavand
Ze duri be-ham ashekara shavand
Miyan-e do man ad do f arsange rah
Chon -arasete gardad-in razme gab
Az-an pas dar-an <ar$e-ye karezar
Man-aycim be-nazd-e to ba do savar
In the lists, the two armies fall into ranks
From afar they become visible to one another
A distance of two l eagues remains between the
two
As this battlefield is being ordained
Now in that combat arena -
I shall come towards you with two horsemen66
Whatever the shortcomings of the Fat}:1-Name
which may partly reflect the circumstances of its
transmission, its author's close acquaintance
with Ferdowsi's Shiih-Niime is evident.
In the Fat}:i.-Name as in the ?,afar-Niime, the
desire to express thoughts or allude to events
in Shiih-Niime fashion proves that in Sikh cul-
ture, the Shah-Name was highly meaningful to
the literate elite. The choice of the Shiih-Niime
mode would have been deemed doubly appro-
priate by Sikh leaders, firstly because it was
well suited to touch a chord with the Moghul
emperor, and secondly because the Gurus them-
selves acted like the kings of their community
which in turn saw them as "shahs." This is ex-
pressly stated in "The Book of the Treasure"
[Ganj-Name] written by Bhai Nand Lal (or La<al
as it is spelt in ll/l 7th century Persian), the
great Sikh mystic and court poet to Guru Gobind
Singh who spent his childhood and early youth
in Ghazni in the south-eastern Iranian area un-
der Moghul control. 67 In it, Bhai Nand Lal hails
Guru Gobind Singh as:
~ ~I ,;-f ol..ST J---> J-->
~ ~I 9.J ol .7. : ~~ o ~
J:Iaqq-e J:Iaqq-iigiih-e Guru Gobinde Singh
Shiih-e Shiihenshah-e Guru Gobinde Singh
Bar do <aJam Shahe Guru Gubind Singh
Kha$me rii jiiii-kah Guru Gubind Singh
Truth, cognizant of the Truth[= God], is Guru
Gobind Singh
Shah and Shahenshah is Guru Gobind Singh
Of the two worlds, he is the Shah, Guru Gobind
Singh
v A N 1: The Shah-Name Ech oes in Sikh Poetry
Of his foe, he shortens the life, Guru Gobind
Singh]68
The second hemistich says that the Guru is
the sovereign of the King of Kings (Shahenshiih)
himself.
Bhai Nand Lal ends his lyrical celebration of
Guru Gobind Singh by echoing a traditional Sufi
tenet: kingship is spiritual kingship. The darvish,
the ascetic that has renounced the world, is the
true shah:
J:Iaqq-e ]Jaqq-andish Guru Gobind Singh
Padeshiih-e darvish Guru Gobind Singh
Truth, that has God in m ind, is Guru Gobind
Singh
A dervish king is Guru Gobind Singh69
In short, the Shah-Name tone adopted by the
tenth Guru in the ?,afar-Name and the marked
Shah-Name style of the Fat}:1-Niime suggest that
Sikhs would have seen the Shah-Name as the lit-
erary model par excellence for epic poetry.
The continued influence of the Shah-Name on
Sikh thinking resulted, among other things, in
the adoption by a Sikh martial community of a
Shiih -Name metaphor as its name. They called
themselves Nahangs, pronounced in present-day
Pan jab "nihangs," "crocodiles. 11
Part Two: The Nahangs
and the Shah-Name
The image of the crocodile used to conjure up
ferocious courage goes back to the beginnings of
Persian literature and the noun nahang, "cro-
codile," is entered in early dictionaries. In lit-
erature, 'however, the nahang metaphor receives
unique emphasis in the Shah -Name. There, it is
repeatedly used in connection with heroes of ex-
ceptional courage and strength such as Rostam.
In later times, it continued to crop up at wide in-
tervals and while distinctly rarer after the 7/ 13th
century, it never entirely vanished.
14