SHABAD HAJARE PATSHAHI

SHABAD HAJARE PATSHAHI 10 is the title by which a complement of 10 of Guru Gobind Singh`s sabdas in the Dasam Granth is known. In the text these sabdas appear under the individual rag”as in which they have been composed, carrying no specific title as such. Shabad Hajare is also the title of a collection of seven sabdas picked from five different rag”as in the Guru Granth Sahib. They appear under this title in breviaries and form part of the daily devotions of the Sikhs. Many likewise read Shabad Hajare PatshahllO as well. What is the signification of the word ha/are is however not clear. One explanation is that the devotees traditionally believed that recitation of a single sabda of these banis earned one the merit of hazar, i.e. one thousand. Some scholars interpret the word hajare as derived from Arabic hijr, meaning separation. Since yearning for communion with the Divine is the dominant mood of these hymns, they have been titled Shabad Hajare.

In the midst of Shabad Hajare Patshal 10 occurs Guru Gobind Singh`s of tquoted poem delineating in powerful accents his ache and his longing for the Lord : Soft beds, dear Friend, beloved God, are but a torment without Thee, Residence in mansions like living among sepents.Winegoblets like the cross; the rim of wineglass like the dagger. All this, without Thee, like the keenness of a butcher`s thrust! To dwell with them in adversity is better, far better than revelry in places without Thee `. In another sabda men are exhorted to “worship not the creation, but the Creator” (verse 5). The true ascetic is one who considers his home to be his forest for meditation, who practises continence rather than sport matted hair, and who gives himself to the performance of his religious duties than to growing his nails long. “When you seize God`s feet, you will be freed from the noose of death” (verses 3,10).

References :

1. Randhir Singh, Bhai, ed., Sabdarth Dasam Granth Sahib. Patiala, 1973
2. Jaggi, Rattan Singh, Dasam Granth Parichaya. Delhi, 1990