Zafarnamah is a “Declaration of Victory” and so
signifies the letter sent by the tenth Guru of the Sikh religion, Guru Gobind Singh Ji in the year 1705
to then Emperor of Republic of India Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. The letter is
written in exquisite Persian verse which is composed of 111 verses. The
transliteration of the text into Roman has been done by S. Gurjit Singh. When
Guruji was in Dina he wrote the now very famous Zafarnamah (The letter of
Declaration of Victory) to Aurangzeb with 111 excellent verses showing is love
for his religion, the almighty and then the other subjected to Aurangzeb
expressing Guru Gobind Ji’s disagreements, the shortcoming of the ruler
Aurangzeb, the warning that the Sikhs can never be subdued in the condition
where they will have to or forced to abolish the Khalsa principles which is so
much deep into the roots and can in no way diminish.
Zafarnamah
is enclosed in Hikayats, Arabic stories depicting the history and life of great
heroes who fought for their respective countries and it’s the primary Hikayat. Guru
Gobind showed his excellence with 34 verses of Zafarnamah in praise of God, 20 describing
the battle of Chamkaur, 15 verses reprimanding Aurangzeb for breaking an oath
by him and by his agents, 36 refer to his shortcomings as a just ruler and his
invitations to Guru Ji for discussions. He had also warned Aurangzeb about the
resolve of the Khalsa not to rest till his evil empire is brought to an end
(verses 78 and 79). Guru Ji has also written six verses (89 to 94) in praise of
Aurangzeb, which shows that he was not against the individual or his religion
but against his policy of oppression.
The verses evoke the sense of moral victory Guru
Gobind Singh felt even after losing all he had - his four sons, his mother, his
soldiers - to the bloodthirsty killers sent by the Mughal emperor in violation
of his pledge. Verse 22 of Zafarnamah encapsulates the poet-saint's search for
justice: "When all has been tried, yet/ Justice is not in sight/It is then
right to pick up the sword/It is then right to fight.", Said Navtej Sarna
who has also penned the English translation of this literary genius Zafarnamah.
