GOBIND SINGH-AURANGZEBU: THE PERSIAN MESSAGES OF THE SIKH GURU 1

The Sikh religious community plays a very prominent role in the economic, political, and social life of modern India. It grew and was forged in a tough confrontation with many empires: Mughal, Durran, British. The first large-scale stage of the Sikh struggle for survival was their armed conflict with the Mughal Sultanate at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. During this conflict, the tenth Sikh guru Gobind Singh sent two messages in poetic form to Shah Aurangzeb in 1705. This article discusses the reasons and goals of writing these works, as well as their poetic translation from Farsi compiled by the author of the article.

Key words: Sikhs, religious community, power, polity, Punjab, Mughal Empire.

At the beginning of the 16th century, a community of Sikhs ("disciples") of the teacher of faith Nanak (1469-1539) emerged in Punjab. Having emerged as a collective of adherents of the emerging new religion as a fusion of Hinduism and Islam, at first it was a purely religious community. Most of its members were members of the Khatri caste of scribes and accountants and the Arora caste of merchants. Sikhs revered Nanak and his successor gurus as spiritual guides, but by the end of the century, the process of turning the confessional community into a powerful organization, into a polity, was gaining momentum. On the one hand, Jats, representatives of the main peasant caste of Punjab, as well as members of low castes, began to convert to Sikhism en masse. By embracing Sikhism, they intended to increase their social status (the Jats were also impressed by the work ethic of Nanak's teachings). On the other hand, the succession of Sikh gurus began to turn into a dynasty and, as the community grew closer, claimed both spiritual influence over its members and worldly power over them (the fourth guru Ram Das was not only the most devoted disciple, but also the son-in-law of his predecessor Amar Das, and then the quality of guru - gurta - was inherited from father to son). Jats and low-caste Sikhs supported their gurus ' newly awakened claim to becoming theocratic princes, as it provided an opportunity to further raise their own social status. During the 17th century, Punjab was in the process of maturing the principality of Sikh gurus in the depths of the pan-Indian Mughal Sultanate (for more details, see [Fursov, 2011, ch.II]).

Almost from the very beginning, this process was met with opposition from the imperial elite, who saw the formation of a new polity near Delhi as a threat. Under the sixth Guru Hargobinds (Gurta: 1606-1644), the Sikhs withstood several battles with Shah Jahan's imperial army. This was followed by a lull, but when the Mughal Empire began to collapse in the mid-17th century, Shah Jahan's successor Aurangzeb (1658-1707) saw the Sikhs as a threat. In 1675, to decapitate their community, he executed the ninth guru Teg Bahadur (gurta: 1664-1675).

However, the case of the executed man was continued by his son Gobind (gurta: 1675-1708). His headquarters Anandpur at the foot of the Shivalik Mountains in northern Punjab was gradually becoming the capital

1 The article was written with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Scientific Research (project No. 09-01-93223k / K).

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let while geographically small, but strong principality. Gobind knew that as the empire weakened, new armed clashes with it were inevitable. So he recruited troops and encouraged the militarization of the Sikh community. The first enemy with whom the Sikhs came into conflict was the immediate neighbors of Anandpur - the Rajas of the mountain Hindu principalities of Shivalika. They feared the democratic potential of Sikhism: the egalitarian ideas of the young religion resonated with their low-caste subjects, and the latter's conversion to Sikhism automatically meant a change in political loyalty.

Attacks by the Sikh Rajahs were usually successfully repulsed, and in the 1690s the Sikh empire took over again. In 1699, in the context of an unprecedented escalation of armed confrontation, Gobind carried out a socio-religious reform: he created a paramilitary brotherhood from his followers - the khalsu ("community of the pure"). The guru also provided his followers with external attributes, which since that time can unmistakably distinguish any Sikh. This is the rule of " five k's "(wearing long hair and beard, comb in the hair, steel bracelet, short trousers and dagger), adding the element Singh ("Lion"; Gobind himself became Gobind Singh) to the name of Sikh men, and Kaur ("Princess") to the name of women, as well as a special rite. acceptance in Khalsu-khand di Pahul ("dagger initiation"). It consists of the initiate, in the presence of five members of the congregation, drinking sweetened water mixed with a steel dagger while reciting the guru's writings. A continuation of the reform was the centralization of the guru's power in the community by removing the figure of Masand, once his representative in the "branches" of the community, who eventually became an autonomous large landowner.

The creation of the Khalsa immediately had a positive effect on the defense of the Sikhs. In 1699-1704, the Shivalik rajahs and Mughals repeatedly approached Anandpur (once briefly occupied it), but each time they were defeated. Gobind Singh's military victories increased the prestige of the Khalsa, and it was replenished with new members. The socio-economic background of the rise of the anti-imperial movement of Sikhs (and not only them) was the strengthening of land-owning groups, primarily Jats, in the context of the rise of the Indian economy, the conditions for which were partly created by the Mughal Empire itself.

Finally, in 1704, a strong Mughal army under the command of Faujdar (governor) Sirhind Wazir Khan approached Anandpur. The seven-month siege had undermined the resolve of many of the besieged to resist. In December, a messenger from Shah Aurangzeb himself came to Gobind and promised the Sikhs safe passage out of the city: "I swore in the Koran that I would not harm you. If I do, may I never find a place at God's throne again! Stop the war and come to me. If you don't want to go here, go wherever you want" [Sikh Religion, 1997, p.258]. The Guru urged his men to wait a little longer, as reinforcements were moving in from the Malwa region. However, the besieged were driven to extreme need and decided that if the enemy broke their promise, it would be better to die defending themselves than to continue to sit in the city, dying of hunger. On the cold night of December 20-21, 1704, Gobind Singh left Anandpur with his mother, wife, four sons and his army.

The Mughals treacherously broke the Shah's promise, catching up with the Sikhs on the banks of the Sarsa River. Many Sikhs were killed in the battle; Guru Sundari's wife and the woman Sahib Kaur, who was considered the spiritual mother of the Khalsa, disguised themselves as peasant women and fled. The guru's mother and his two youngest sons, aged six and eight, were sheltered by their family's former cook, then turned them over to Wazir Khan, and the boys were either walled up or beheaded (their grandmother died of grief). Gobind Singh himself, fleeing from the pursuit, took refuge with a detachment of 40 people in a small clay fortress in the town of Chamkaur. A numerically superior Mughal force laid siege to the fort, and the Guru's companions sallied out and died one by one. In particular, both of his eldest sons were martyred. Only five Sikhs remained alive with Gobind. According to legend, they took him at his word and decided that for the sake of the future of Khalsa, he himself must flee. Gobind could not refuse, so he changed his clothes and disappeared.

Staying at the village of Ghulal, Gobind wrote a letter to Aurangzeb. It was a message in verse form in Farsi called "Fatehnama" - "The Tale of victory". It is a short poem of 24 Beit couplets. (It may not have been fully received.) The language of this epistle was not chosen by chance: it served as the official language of communication at the sultanate's court, the language of office work and chronicles since the XIII century. By sending the Shah a letter in Farsi in verse, Gobind Singh demonstrated that he was being addressed by a representative of the ruling stratum of the empire.

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"Fatehnama" begins with the glorification of God, and in his militant manifestation (Beit 1). Verses 2-3 deal with the theme of God's protection for Gobind, followed by Aurangzeb's accusation of duplicity (verses 4-6). The Guru recalls to the Shah the dishonorable beginning of his reign - the imprisonment of his father, Shah Jahan, and the massacre of his brothers, Princes Dara Shukoh and Murad (Bayts 7-8). Gobind then recalls the creation of the Khalsa and explicitly threatens Aurangzeb with the total annihilation of his sultanate (Bayts 9-10). In Bayt 11, the guru mocks the Shah's military failures both in the Deccan in the war with the Marathas and in Rajputana, after which he warns that the same thing awaits him in Punjab (Bayts 12-13). He recalls to the addressee the death of his eldest sons and threatens to take revenge (Beits 14-15). Based on bitter experience, Gobind accuses Aurangzeb of violating an oath written in the Koran: this is an assurance that Sikhs could leave Anandpur without fear (Beit 16). The Guru expresses confidence in his right to resort to arms if all other means are exhausted (Beit 17). He compares the Shah to a treacherous fox, and himself to a lion (Beit 18). The Fatehnama ends with a call to clarify relations in the decisive battle of the Sikhs with the imperial army (Bayts 19-24). At the same time, Gobind tries to irritate Aurangzeb by accusing him of personal cowardice (Beit 23).2
FATEHNAMA 3

1. In the name of God alone.
Both the saber and the shield are his manifestations.
2. God is with those who are well-tested in battle,
Who rides their horses proudly.
3. The God who gave you Shah's power,
You have punished me to protect my faith.
4. Duplicity, deceit - your weapon.
Crystal truth is my weapon.
5. And your name, shah, doesn't suit you:
After all, the "throne of beauty" will not deceive 4.
6. And your rosary is only bones and thread,
With their help, you want to catch them in a trap.
7. You have imprisoned your father and killed your brothers -
you have brought dishonor and ruined yourself.
8. Rule by starting with these evil deeds,
You didn't succeed in building the kingdom.
9. By the grace of God, when I have finished my labors,
I will rain down a shower of iron water 5.
10. In our pure land, this water of that
kingdom will not leave a trace.
11. The Dean has not quenched your thirst, Shah.
In Mewar you drank a bitter cup 6.
12. Here now you have turned your eyes, but here
Those thirst and bitterness are waiting for you again.
13. To you I will fan the flame of trouble here.
I won't let you drink Punjabi water.
14. Well, that jackal, who disliked the good,
Did you kill two lion cubs with two-faced guile?7

2 To be fair, Aurangzeb was 86 years old at the time of writing Fatshnama, while Gobind Singh, who challenged him, was 38.

3 Translation from Farsi moi. - K. F.

Aurangzeb 4 means "decoration of the throne"in Farsi.

5 Metaphor: By" iron water " Gobind refers to his Khalsa, into whose ranks he received Sikhs through the rite of khands di pahul-stirring the water with a steel dagger.

6 Gobind mocks Aurangzeb's inability to quell the Maratha movement and the revolt of the largest Rajputana principality, Mswara.

7 Gobind is referring to the two eldest sons who died at Chamkaurse; at the time of writing Fatshnama, he did not know that both of the younger sons were also dead.

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15. As the fierce lion lives, he sits in hiding;

16. And by the oath of Allah, which is often heard, he will avenge you cruelly for them. ,
I don't believe I know the price now.
17. There's no reason for me to trust you anymore.
It remains for me now only to raise my saber.
18. I had to deal with the old fox.
But she couldn't lure the lion into her treacherous net.
19. If you want to look me straight in the eye,
I will show you the straight and true path.
20. Let the two armies form such a formation,

21. And here is the field of battle: to arrange it,
So that there were two farsangs between the troops 8 in total.
22. And here, between two armies, I am, ready to fight,
I'll drive up to you with two good guys.
23. You are used to bathing in your wealth,

24. Taking an axe and a saber, go to battle,
But do not oppress God's creatures.

Gobind's goal in writing such a harsh letter was to encourage the Shah to quickly resolve the protracted conflict.

With the Fatehnam message, the Sikh Daya Singh set out on a long journey to the Deccan, to the Shah's headquarters in Aurangabad. Gobind continued to wander the Punjab, taking refuge in the Lakhi Forest - "One hundred thousand [trees]" on the banks of the Sutlej. It was a real jungle that had long served as a refuge for people who, for some reason, did not get along with the authorities. Then the news reached him of the martyrdom of his younger sons and the death of his mother.

In March 1705, Gobind stopped at the village of Dina. Here he was found by Daya Singh, who had returned from Aurangzeb's visit. He had delivered the message safely and now informed the guru that he had expressed regret and remorse for his perjury. Moreover, Daya Singh was accompanied by two envoys from Aurangzeb: the Shah invited the guru to negotiate. It is not difficult to guess that Gobind did not accept the invitation: he had learned the value of Mughal promises. However, upon reflection, the guru realized that reconciliation would be a way out of the impasse, and from Dina he wrote Aurangzeb another verse message in Farsi. It is called "Zafarnama", which also translates as"The Legend of Victory". This poem is much longer, consisting of 111 beits. (It is also possible that it did not reach its entirety and the end is lost.) In Zafarnam, Gobind develops the themes raised in Fatehnam, but the main idea is already the opposite-readiness for reconciliation.

The two main themes of Zafarnama are the treachery of Aurangzeb and the invulnerability of Gobind Singh. The poem begins with a long praise of God (Beits 1-12). The guru then accuses the Shah of breaking the security promise made to the Sikhs when they left Anandpur (Bayts 13-15). Using metaphors, Gobind assures Aurangzeb that God himself is helping him, so any machinations of his enemies, including such treachery, are powerless (Beit 16-17, 43-44). The Guru absolves himself of all responsibility for the Sikh military clash with the Empire, reiterating that the saber is the last resort for conflict resolution (Bayts 21-22). He again compares Aurangzeb to a treacherous fox (Beit 24). This is followed by a description of the battle of Chamkaur (Beits 26-42). From the colorful and detailed presentation, it is clear that the guru is used to composing poems on a battle theme. Gobind, masterful not only with a bow, but also with a pen, has already written many such works (the poem "Chandi di var" about the exploits of the goddess of war, etc.).

After finishing the description of the battle, Gobind returns to the charge of treachery, denying Aurangzeb the right to be called a true Muslim: after all, having broken the oath in the Koran, he essentially does not honor either Allah or Muhammad (bayts 45-49). In this, Gobind continues the idea of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, who claimed that people in his era had moved away from the precepts of their own religion. However, the guru then reassures the Shah that all is not lost, and trust can be restored if he performs an act of goodwill and arrives to meet him himself.

Farsang is a Persian measure of length, equal to 6 km.

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(Beit 50-56, 58-60, 64). Gobind declares and emphasizes that if he comes to the Shah, it will not be by his order, but only by the order of God (Bayts 62-63, 88). The guru then proceeds to accuse the Shah of oppression, particularly religious persecution (bayts 67-69). Gobind urges Aurangzeb to fear God (Beits 70, 81-82, 86), again praises God (Beits 70-75), warns the Shah that the Sikhs are not broken at all, reminds him that the Mughals ' attempts to suppress their movement were futile (Beits 78-80). This is interspersed with new exhortations to fulfill the promise (Beit 76-77, 83-84). Gobind then proceeds to... praise Aurangzeb as a near-perfect ruler (Beits 89-94). The Guru tries to mitigate the negative effect of the harsh criticism outlined above, showing that he is open to peace negotiations. This contrasts with the Shah's accusation of cowardice at the end of Fateharnama: the goal of Zafarnama is the opposite, so the task is to win the addressee over a little. At the same time, Gobind again points out that the Shah's actions do not comply with the requirements of Islam (Beit 94).

Of the final Beits, Beit 95 is particularly interesting: Gobind refers to his many victories over the Hindu Rajas of Shivalik when he mentions the idolatrous mountaineers whom he "turned to dust." Although his wars with them were not religious at all, he mentions his struggle with them most likely to emphasize what Sikhs and Muslims have in common, to remind the Shah that Sikhism is as monotheistic as Islam.

The poem ends (bayts 96-111) again with the theme of Gobind Singh's total invulnerability, sent down from above. From the experience of his escape from the encirclement in Anandpur and especially Chamkaur, Gobind instills in Aurangzeb the idea that God himself protects him from earthly enemies, so any attempts to harm him were and will be useless.

ZAFARNAMA 9

1. The Supreme creator is the lord of heaven.
He reveals himself through miracles.
2. He gives us peace and guides us along the path.
Forgives sins, gives daily bread.
3. Lord of Lords he is also loved by all.
It has no forms, it is incomparable to anything.
4.He doesn't need either Zlato or sokol 10.
Bestows the delights of the heavenly land.
5. The whole world is lower than Pure, it is omnipresent.
He gives us good things and is all-powerful.
6. He is a good giver and an immaculate creator,
To all the merciful lord of hearts.
7. He is great and glorious, and reigns over the world.
Saves you from the cold, gives you forgiveness.
8. He is ready to love the poor and the poor.
And he intends to destroy the wicked and infidel.
9. He is on guard for good, and makes right judgments.
Everyone calls him a Prophet of the Scriptures.
10. He is omniscient and wise, the Lord is omnipotent.
He knows the truth, the Lord is omnipresent.
11. Who also knows the world? After all, there is no one.
Our Lord is the cause of his movement.
12. All things he created, he moves the world.

13. I do not believe the oath that you said to me,
To whom you have called God as a witness.
14. Deception and deceit are clearly visible to us.
11 your bakhshi and divans are all liars.

9 Translation from Farsi moi. - K. F.

10 The hunting falcon served as a symbol of monarchical power. It is no coincidence that Guru Hargobind and Gobind Singh are often depicted with a falcon on their arm.

Bakhshi -Mughal military treasurer and head of intelligence; Diwan-Mughal tax collector and judge.

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15. And he who says, " The Shah keeps his oath.",
In the end, certainly misfortune will find.
16. When will someone fall phoenix shadow,
No harm will come to him on that day.
17. And if the lion is sitting behind him,
No one will harm him in any way.
18. And if you were deceived by a false oath,
I wouldn't have led my army into trouble.
19. What could forty hungry people do,
When did the ten lakhs of 12 suddenly come?
20. Our enemies have treacherously attacked us.
Behind the clouds of arrows, they can't be seen anywhere.
21. I went out to battle, if there is no choice.
But when I came out, I had both the bow and the advice.
22. Only if nothing else can help,
23. I did not believe the vow - and I brought out the army.

Not right? Well, try to name the reason 13.
24. I didn't know that the enemy was treacherous like a fox.
Otherwise, I would not have set foot here for a single step 14.
25. Who believed the oath on the holy Book,
Then it is mean to reproach him with directness.
26. All in black, enemies, shouting frenziedly,
They attacked like locusts in the fields.
27. And everyone who dared to go beyond the wall,
He got an arrow and drowned in blood.
28. Among them, who did not step over the wall then,
He did not receive any fatal wounds in the battle.
29. Beyond the wall of Nahar 15 he went out, rushed into battle,
and was immediately struck down by my arrow.
30. The Afghans were able to talk nonsense.
It came to a fight, they started running.
31. But many others rushed in at the same hour
That is, an avalanche was rolling down on us.
32. We had to fight off too many attacks.
Now sane, now insane, was the enemy.
33. The attackers took the lives of two people,
But many have lost their own.
34. Cursed Khwaja 16 so sat in the shade.
Among the brave to be-not his, to know, destiny.
35. I never saw his face in battle.

36. On both sides, the brave men were killed.
The soldiers were killed by bows and bullets.
37. Earth in that battle of good and evil

38. The stumps of their bodies were scattered by the hurricane.
It's like the sticks of a chowgan game 17.

Lakh 12 is the number of 100 thousand in the Indian mathematical system.

13 Gobind explains that the Sikhs continue to resist because of Aurangzeb's treachery, and suggests that he try to find some other explanation for their resistance.

14 Gobind means that he believed the Mughals and left Anandpur.

15 One of the Mughal warlords, Nahar Khan, who tried to lead the attack and was shot by Gobind himself.

16 Name of a Mughal warlord.

17 Persian version of the game of polo.

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39. The whirring of bows and the singing of arrows,
And the battle cry that rang across the field.
40. Arrows rain terrible field obagryala,
The bravest of the brave was losing his mind.
41. Those forty men who could commit,
If the enemy was determined to crush them?
42. The light of the world is hidden, which reigns by day.
The king of darkness rose up in his greatness.
43. Who is ready to believe the oath of the Koran
, God will show the right path to him without words.
44. I did not suffer a single wound there.
God brought them out, brought victory 18.
45. Did not know that this shah is a destroyer of oaths 19.
That he does not honor the faith - only a fan of wealth.
46. You do not honor Islam either in your mind or in your deeds.
Neither the Prophet nor Allah commands you.
47. Who intends to honor their faith,
He is accustomed to keep his word.
48. The Koran and Allah took as a witness-
But you have no faith in what you promised.
49. A hundred times on the Koran you swear an oath to me -
And then I will not believe in this war.
50. But if you trusted me, I
would decide 20
51. It behooves you to keep that word.
You have called Allah to swear an oath to me.
52. Your personal visit would have resolved everything long ago
And all the situation would have been clarified long ago.
53. It behooves you to do what you said,
And do what I wrote in the email.
54. The message came both in the letter and in the mouth:
You must do what is left in your dreams.
55. You can't believe that you don't have to,

56. I don't mind what the treasury said 21.
If you are sincere, then come-I promised!
57. Can I give you that Qur'an,
Where deception is recorded in the form of a vow 22.
58. Kangar village 23 you visit mine,
We may meet on this path.
59. To me in my Birar you will arrive without fear:
The people here are subject to me, don't forget 24.60.
I'm telling you about the meeting we need.
I will show you mercy at the meeting.
61. You wrote to me: "Give me a valuable horse
and take all this land for yourself."

18 Gobind is referring to his escape from the encirclement at Chamkaurse.

19 Aurangzsb.

20 In the original kamar baste - literally "belting", and figuratively "deciding on something" or "starting something".

21 Apparently, this is one of the Shah's messengers who came with Daya Singh.

22 Gobind speaks of a copy of the Qur'an on whose blank pages was written a promise of unimpeded passage for Sikhs (to write down any promises in the Qur'an was to swear by the Holy Book).

23 A village near the village of Dinah; after sending the Zafarnama, Gobind moved there and stayed there for several days.

24 Area of settlement of the Brar tribal community-part of the Jat caste.

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62. The Supreme Lord is only my lord.
25 he can tell me to come alone.
63. Only if I receive an order from God,
Then I will arrive at your headquarters at once.
64. And if you really honor God,

65. You must become good and righteous

66. By the grace of God, you sat on the masnad26 -
Your wives and faith are amazing.
67. You are used to rule by relying on the whip.
And your power should be pitied a hundred times.
68. Decrees about your faith amaze us:
After all, they will harm with their lies.
69. Knowing no mercy, stop shedding blood
You can't escape the sword of God.
70. Fear God - my advice
to you is that he does not need to be praised by us.
71. Our God is all-powerful, and he knows no fear,
He is the true king on earth, in heaven.
72. He created men and gave them a home.
He has given us life and nourishment.
73. The elephant, the ant, all creatures he created.
He pities the weak, tramples on the infidels.
74. "He who pities the weak" is his nickname.
He doesn't seek praise or expect anything.
75. It has no forms whatsoever.
The Omniscient One will show us the way wisely.
76. And you gave me the word in the Qur'an,

77. You need to find the way to wisdom
And do what you've already started.
78. You killed all the children while chasing your father;

79. Why is it that you extinguished a few sparks?
Rather, after all, you added fuel to the flame.
80. As the author of the Book of Kings accurately stated: 27:
"Demonic - to do things quickly."
81. When is it our turn to stand before the Almighty,
You'll have to be a witness there.
82. You will forget this, only loving yourself,
For this the Almighty will forget you.
83. It is not too late to keep your oath,
God is Merciful, knows who to reward.
84. And it will be akin to piety
to lead your days in the knowledge of God.
85. In the meantime, you have barely succeeded
, because you have done too many evil deeds.
86. The merciful one does not want to accept you -
Even if you managed to collect mountains of gold.
87. Let him swear on the Qur'an a hundred times,
I don't believe you one bit right now.

25 To Aurangzsbu.

26 Pillow that Indian rulers used as a throne.

27 In the original, "the sweet-tongued Firdousi" (Firdousi-ye khush zaban), but for rhyme I refer to the poet allegorically as the author of the epic "Shahnams".

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88. Do not wait for me to go to your court
, And there will be no step on this path.
89. Happy and great is Alamgir shahanshah 28
He is skilled in the saddle and in military affairs 29.
90. He is wise and beautiful and bright in soul,
He is the complete ruler over the whole country.
91. He gives food to all his subjects.
By means of the sword, he speaks to the enemy 30.
92. He is able to enlighten with a bright soul,

93. In battle, like a rock, the pure face of an angel,
Gifted by fate, like the Pleiades great.
94. Mighty and strong is Alamgir Shahanshah.

95. Those who worship idols live in the mountains.
I've destroyed a lot of them.
96. Look at the rotation of the mortal world.
It can make your days miserable.
97. The might of the most pure god will strike all:
With one ten lakhs he will easily strike down 31.
98. What harm will the enemy
do to him if the wise Lord grants him mercy?
99. God is ready to save us and show us the way,
He allowed us all to chant it.
100. God Almighty will blind the enemy,
It will protect orphans reliably and faithfully.
101. He is ready to find both good and mercy
To the one who follows the straight path.
102. Who is devoted to him in heart and soul,
He won't let Tom sink into the darkness.
103. Who here could have deceived a person,
Who is now being saved by God himself?
104. Even if there are a hundred thousand people for one
person, the Creator will protect them, and he will protect them.
105. Your support is the mountains of zlata and rath,
My support is the Creator's grace.
106. You are proud of your power and gold,
But I am strong by faith and by God alone.
107. Losing the frailty of fetters over time,
generations go by, changing-they go.
108. You of the mortal world see the rotation,
See how the sanctity of the dwelling is violated.
109. You should not oppress the weak
And give out treacherous oaths to others.
110. When the Lord himself comes together with the one who is being persecuted,
Then even a hundred won't be able to handle it.
111. Let those enemies be like a desert of sand -
Not a hair will fall from his head.

28 In the original "Aurangzsb", but in the verse translation this name is difficult to "embed" in the line, so I replaced it with the throne name of the shah-Alamgir. Shahanshah - "king of kings" (Persian).

29 From this couplet, Gobind, without losing hope of reconciliation, proceeds to praise Aurangzeb without any measure. However, we will make allowances for the flowery court panegyrics of the East.

30 Literally " lord of the cauldron and lord of the sabre "(khudavand-i deg o khudavand-i tegh).

31 That is, one person, if God is with him, can defeat a million enemies. True, a clear contradiction with Beit 19.

32 The original Arabic word haqq means "truth".

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"God is not in power, but in truth," Gobind tries to convey to Aurangzeb a simple idea.

"Zafarnama" is a curious example in Indian history of what is called psychological warfare in modern military art: psychological influence on the enemy to achieve certain goals (including through specially composed texts). Despite the somewhat unsystematic nature of his message, Gobind clearly conveys the message to the addressee: Aurangzeb needs to stop the war with the Sikhs and come to an agreement with them. Repeated repetition of the thesis that it is necessary for the Shah to fulfill his promise, combined with the thesis that the guru is completely immune from any machinations, is intended to strengthen the impression created. As if anticipating the methods of information and psychological warfare used by two of the greatest propaganda theorists of the twentieth century, the Germans E. Dofifat and O. Groth, methods of mental simplification, drumming repetition and emotional pumping, Gobind tries to" drum " Aurangzeb into the idea that there is no alternative. To enhance the effect, a long-term praise of God is also designed, which the author does not skimp on - the more powerful he presents God to the addressee, the more protected he will perceive Gobind himself, who enjoys his full support.

Both the tone and title of both of Gobind's poems suggest that the Sikh guru's morale was still high. Despite the almost hopeless situation of Gobind, who after Chamkaur was hunted like a wild beast and was forced to constantly move and hide, he proudly titled both of his messages to the Shah "The Tale of Victory". You might think that the author is not a defeated and persecuted petty ruler who has lost his capital, his army, his mother, and all four sons in just a few days, but a triumphant dictator who dictates his terms to the vanquished. Gobind made a good face at a bad game, and quite skilfully. However, the Khalsa's defeat was temporary, and its creator sincerely believed in its powerful hidden potential.

The guru was not wrong.

Nevertheless, the discrepancy between the tone of appeals to the Shah and the sad state of affairs sometimes breaks out in the text of "Zafarnama". Its text, admittedly, is not without contradictions. On the one hand, Gobind instills in the addressee the idea of invincibility of a person who enjoys God's help, even in the face of ten lakhs of enemies (of course, such a number is for the sake of a red word) (Beit 97); on the other hand, he writes about the impotence of his squad when it was surrounded by an equally innumerable army (Beit 19). On the one hand, Gobind calls for fulfilling the promise: better late than never (Beits 50-56), on the other hand, he claims that he no longer believes Aurangzeb as a perjurer (Beits 13, 15 and especially 49 and 87). This kind of throwing of the author is quite understandable and reflects the emotional turmoil that he had to go through, and even in such a short period of time.

Like Fatehnama, Gobind Singh's Zafarnama is not only a literary work, but also a valuable historical source. It is legitimate to consider it as a program document of the Khalsa in the initial period of its existence. In fact, the Zafarnama is a political manifesto of the tenth guru, in which he expresses his views on the proper nature of relations between the Sikh principality and the Mughal Empire. Gobind insists on the autonomy of his community within the sultanate, on relative political and absolute religious independence. Sikhs have enjoyed some autonomy as a religious community and emerging polity before, but Gobind demands more. He pushes the boundaries of autonomy quite widely, otherwise he would not have written that God alone has the right to order him to whom and when to go. Thus, in a religious form, Gobind asserts the political independence of his principality, and it already borders on independence.

And yet it is still autonomy: the very fact of possible reconciliation indicates the guru's readiness to continue to recognize the supreme power of the empire, to exist under its auspices. Even in Gobind's 1692 autobiography, Bachitar natak ("Motley Drama"), there are these lines::

Our God created both Baba and Babar.

He granted successors to each of them.

Consider one as the spiritual king.

Recognize another as the worldly ruler 33.

Baba ("father") refers to Guru Nanak; Babar is a variant of the name of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Sultanate (1526-1530). Gobind wanted to say that the founder of the-

33 Translated from Punjabi by moi-K. F.

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Both Sikhism and Mughal shahs have God-given powers, but they are fundamentally different. To God is what is God's, to Caesar what is Caesar's. Here it is appropriate to say a few words about the character of the Indian polity of the pre-colonial era (among polities with different religious affiliation of the dominant stratum, this character was approximately the same).

The American indologist Burton Stein (1926-1996) has a curious concept of a "segmental state" (he borrowed the term from the Africanist A. Southall). According to this concept, the Indian polities (B. Stein also used this term) were neither unitary structures with a clear territory and a centralized system of government, nor structures based on political ties (B. Stein called them "feudal" in quotation marks, although he also includes the medieval polities of France and England). A "segmental state" is a polity in which there are many centers of power; power is distributed among many representatives of the nobility, but the supreme power belongs to one monarch; all numerous centers of power have autonomous systems of control and coercion; lower-level political centers recognize (often in ritual form) the existence of one ritual center and an anointed monarch [Stein, 1998, p. 20].

B. Stein's concept explains quite well the nature of traditional Indian polities in general and the Mughal Sultanate in particular, with its many semi-independent governors of various levels, not to mention dependent principalities. Such principalities were among others the possessions of the mountain rajas of Shivalik. From the end of the 16th century, the Sikh community, led by its gurus, began to transform into the same principality. These polities recognized the supreme authority of the empire, although their relations with the center became increasingly strained by the end of the seventeenth century. Before the eighteenth century, there were several Sikh theocratic principalities-parallel gurus in number, since each time a gurt was succeeded by a disgruntled son of a deceased guru, who declared himself the successor, and a part of the community followed him. However, due to the fact that Gobind organized a community to resist the external enemy-the Rajas and Mughals, it was the line of Ram Das-Gobind Singh that most Sikhs began to recognize as true gurus.

Given the multi-level structure of Indian (and other) pre-colonial empires, as well as the patrimonial nature of power at each level, I propose the term "patrimonia-matryoshka" to refer to such empires. The imperial (in this case, Mughal) structure included a number of smaller power formations, each of them, in turn, a number of even smaller ones, and so on, and according to the fractal principle: the nature of power and the structure of governance in each patrimonium of the composite empire were almost identical. Gobind Singh was willing to exist in such a matryoshka empire as the ruler of a theocratic Sikh principality - provided he had broad autonomy. I repeat that Gobind's peace initiative itself meant that he was willing to remain within the Mughal Sultanate, occupying a subordinate position in relation to the Shah's court. This is also indicated by his explanation of his actions in Baytah 21-22: he raised his saber only because the Mughals left him no choice, forced him to defend himself. The guru does not make excuses, but tries to convince the Shah that he is capable of being a loyal subject, a dependent prince-just do not push the Sikhs to the extreme. The tenth Guru was not a consistent separatist, nor did he think as a politician) of Sikhs outside the all-India (Mughal) Empire.

Gobind did not entrust the text of the Zafarnama to the two Shah's envoys who arrived with Daya Singh, but again instructed him to go to the Shah, giving him the Sikh Dharam Singh as his companion. The guru also wanted to know the Shah's reaction to the letter from his men.

Gobind Singh's sending of messages to Aurangzeb with accusations is surprisingly reminiscent of an episode in the history of another country, when a representative of the ruling stratum, who also came into acute conflict with its ruler, wrote him rare letters of accusation. We are talking about the messages of Prince Andrey Kurbsky to Tsar Ivan the Terrible (the first message is dated 1564, the second and third-1579). Of course, there is a serious difference: we must not forget that Kurbsky's messages are letters from a disgraced prince who has already left the political scene and whose main goal is to explain his past actions and annoy to the king, even verbally, while Gobind was still writing in the midst of his struggle with the Mughals, his "Tales of Victory" were intended to solve the practical problem of changing the shah's course towards the Sikhs. And yet the similarity of subject matter and expressions is obvious. The table below will help you see them.

Despite the exchange of messages between the guru and the Shah, the imperial authorities of Punjab continued to persecute the Sikhs, and in May 1705, a Sikh detachment and the army of Wazir Khan occurred

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Similar passages are found in the messages of Guru Gobind Singh to Shah Aurangzeb and Prince Andrew of Kurbsky to Tsar Ivan the Terrible

Topic

Gobind Singh

Andrey Kurbsky

The prospect of retribution for atrocities in the next world

Fear God, my advice to you ("Zafarnama", 70).

When it is our turn to stand before God, you will have to be a witness there (Zafarnama, 81).

Or do you, O king, think that you are immortal and have fallen into an unprecedented heresy, as if you are not afraid to appear before an incorruptible judge... (1 Epistle).

So I considered and decided that it would be better to remain silent here, but there to dare to cry out before the throne of my Christ, together with all those who were tortured by you and driven out... (2nd Epistle)

The prospect of retribution for atrocities in this world

By the grace of God, when I have finished my labors, I will rain down a shower of iron water.

On our pure land, this water From that kingdom will not leave a trace. The Dean has not quenched your thirst, Shah.

You drank a bitter cup in Mewar.

Here now you have turned your eyes, but here again Those thirst and bitterness await you (Fatehnama, 9-12).

After all, the lion is alive ferocious-in the shelter sits;

He will avenge you cruelly for them (Fatehnama, 15).

You killed all the children while chasing your father;

The coiled snake is still intact. Why is it that you extinguished a few sparks?

Rather, you have added fuel to the flames (Zafarnama, 78-79).

Do not think, O king, and do not think in your error that we are already lost and destroyed by you without fault... and do not rejoice in it, as if boasting of an easy victory... (1st Epistle).

...All the more must those perish with their entire household who not only make impracticable laws or regulations, but also lay waste their land and destroy their subjects by whole generations... (3 Epistle)

Invulnerability of a person who enjoys the protection of God

When the shadow of the phoenix falls on someone, he will not be harmed at all on that day.

And if the lion is sitting behind him, no one will harm him in any way (Zafarnama, 16-17).

Better, I thought, to put my trust in almighty God... (2nd Epistle)

Exposing the addressee's tyranny

Having begun your reign with these evil deeds, you did not succeed in building the kingdom (Fatehnama, 8).

By the grace of God, you sat down on a masnad - Your wives and faith are marveling.

You're used to ruling with the whip.

And your power should be pitied a hundred times (Zafarnama, 66-67).

Knowing no mercy, stop shedding blood... (Zafarnama, 69).

So far, you've barely succeeded, because you've done too many evil things ("Zafarnama", 85)

You were left behind by your own evil will, in your Pharaoh's disobedience and in your bitterness against God and conscience... And the ferocity of your power has destroyed not only Nepotian and two other innocent people, but also many governors and generals... (3rd Epistle).

Mired in such atrocities and bloodshed... (3rd Epistle)

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Topic

Gobind Singh

Andrey Kurbsky

Accusation of cowardice

You are used to bathing in your riches, and you are obviously not used to military affairs (Fatehnama, 23).

But now, with all your army, you hide in the woods as a lone fugitive is buried, trembling and hiding, though no one is following you... (3rd Epistle)

Exposing the ruler's entourage

Deception and deceit are clearly visible to us. Your bakhshi and divans are all liars (Zafarnama, 14)

Instead of the chosen and worthy men who unashamedly told you the whole truth, you surrounded yourself with the worst hangers-on and maniacs... (3rd Epistle)

A call to embark on the right path

And you gave me your word in the Koran, so keep it, do what you promised then. You must find the way to wisdom and complete what you have already begun (Zafarnama, 76-77).

Conquer and subjugate the animal part in yourself to the divine image and likeness... Wake up and get up! It is never too late, for it is our autocracy and our will... it will not be taken away from us for the sake of a change for the better (3rd Epistle)

The Battle of Khidran. After that, Gobind made his bet in Talwandi Sabo, which attracted Sikhs from all over the Punjab. However, in October 1706, despite the warnings of his students, he set off with only four companions south towards Rajputana. There is a version that the guru hoped to establish contacts with the Rajputs and even the Marathas, who fought separately with the Mughals, and unite with them against the empire. However, this is unlikely.

Another version is more plausible. Aurangzeb received Gobind's "Zafarnama" in the distant Deccan (he himself mentions this in his notes "Ahkam-i-Alamgiri" - "Orders of the Alamgir"). After reading the message, the Shah finally realized that the Sikhs could not be broken, it was better to negotiate with them. Gobind turned out to be a master not only of the saber, but also of psychological warfare, and he achieved his goal with Zafarnama. Sikhs "squeezed" the empire: the Shah ordered the Nazim (viceroy) Munim Khan of Lahore suba (province) to stop military operations against them, and Gobind with a special envoy sent a letter in which he wrote about his senile inability to come to Punjab on his own, so he asked to come to him for the Deccan in Ahmadnagar, where he moved from Aurangabad in January 1706. Gobind, for his part, asked him to come to the Deccan in Ahmadnagar, where he moved from Aurangabad in January 1706. I realized that this was a chance to find justice for Faujdar Sirhind Wazir Khan as a direct abuser of the Sikh community. He rode south to Aurangzeb. However, they were not destined to meet.

On February 20, 1707, Aurangzeb died at the age of 89. The Sikh version says that it was "Zafarnama" that brought him to his grave, as if he had fallen ill from remorse for what he had done to the Sikhs. Some exaggeration is possible here, but the lines of Aurangzeb's letter to his sons shortly before his death are widely known: "I do not know who I am, where I am, where I am going, and what awaits a sinner like me... Allah was in my heart, but I did not see him. I do not know how I will be received at the court of Allah. I have no hope for the future, I have committed many sins and I do not know what punishment I will suffer for them." It seems that Zafarnama could have made a significant contribution to this state of mind of the dying Shah. Aurangzeb considered himself a devout Muslim and an (almost) exemplary Islamic ruler: he led a modest lifestyle, banned music at his court as a distraction from thoughts of Allah, and copied the Koran, which he greatly revered, with his own hand. And then the Shah is accused of breaking the oath on this book! And yet, deep down, he knew that the accusation was true. "May I give you the Qur'an / / Where deception is recorded as a vow..." In addition, the Shah might have been affected by the fact that Gobind always managed to emerge unscathed from all armed conflicts. The Shah might have taken this as a sign from above. And this man reminded him of God's punishment: "Knowing no mercy, stop shedding blood - / / You can't escape God's sword." Given Aurangzeb's psychology, Zafarnama might well have shocked and demoralized him. That's what Gobind was counting on. Or maybe I overdid it?

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After Aurangzeb's death, Gobind Singh was guided by the principles outlined in Zafarnam. In the course of the usual internecine war of princes in the history of the Mughal Sultanate, he, in fact, recognizing himself as a prince dependent on the empire, provided military assistance to one of the contenders for the throne, Muazzam, who won the upper hand, becoming Bahadur Shah. Knowing his moderation and religious tolerance, the Sikh guru hoped to implement the project of Mughal-Sikh coexistence outlined in the poem. Bahadur Shah, for his part, took up Aurangzeb's initiative and was also ready for dialogue. He invited Gobind to stay with him in Agra, then rode south with him. However, the influence of the guru at court did not appeal to many nobles, and in Nanderha in Central India, Gobind Singh in October 1708 fell at the hands of a hired assassin Wazir Khan, on whom he tried to find justice from the Shah. In Sikh history, the tenth guru was the last human guru, having bequeathed the holy scripture, Adi Granth, as his guru.

The contradictions between the Sikhs and the Mughal elite, and in particular between the local(VLA)Businessjats, who formed their backbone, and the Mughal elite were rapidly becoming more acute. In Punjab, this was a special case of the process of strengthening the socio - economic positions of rural elites (zamindars) in relation to the empire, which was common for India in the late 17th and first half of the 18th centuries. Within the framework of L. B. Alaev's concept of "two-storey property", it was a struggle between "tax owners" and "supreme owners" for the ratio of their power shares and control over resources (see: [Alaev, 2003, p. 247-249]). The martyrdom of Gobind Singh was the catalyst for a new upsurge in the Sikh struggle against the empire. His successor at the head of the Khalsa, Banda Bahadur, led an unprecedented uprising, during which the Sikhs created (albeit briefly) their first completely independent principality.

Guru Gobind Singh's Persian epistles to the Mughal Shah Aurangzeb are an outstanding example of psychological warfare in early eighteenth-century India. Being a versatile man, the last guru of the Sikhs fought against the Mughals not only with sabers and arrows, but also with the power of the word. As history has shown, the Mughals clearly lost in the second aspect of the struggle. (The subsequent history of the empire showed that they also lost in the first aspect.) The Zafarnam message was a spectacular and effective argument that finally convinced the central authorities of the need to reconcile with the Sikhs as a real force in Punjab. Although the empire later resumed its repressions against the Khalsa, the reaction of the last of the truly Great Mughals, Shah Aurangzeb, is quite significant: even he, who emphasized the use of force to solve the problems facing the empire, was forced to admit that these methods could not cope with the Sikhs. The poetic letters of the last guru of the Sikhs were one of their first psychological victories.

list of literature

Alaev L. B. Srednevekovaya Indiya [Medieval India], St. Petersburg: Alstsya Publ., 2003.
Guru Gobind Singh. Zafarnama (Farsi text), www.zafarnama.com

Guru Gobind Singh. Fatehnamah (Farsi text), www.zafarnama.com

Correspondence between Ivan the Terrible and Andrey Kurbsky. (Series "Literary Monuments"), Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1979.

The Sikh religion. Rostov-on-Don: Feniks Publ., 1997.

Fursov K. A. Levy I/yatirechya: sikkhi - velikie voiny Azii [Lions I] / yatirechya: Sikhs-great warriors of Asia, Moscow: Comradeship of Scientific Publications of the KMK, 2011.

Stein V. A History of India. Oxford: Blackwcll, 1998.

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