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Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 06: Beloved Friend

Who to tell our condition?

Tuesday
,
14
February
2023

In this seventh podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur discuss the popularly known composition uttered by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib in the forests of Machhiwara in late December.

Introducing Sabad Hajare Patshahi 10, new translations and commentaries of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib's composition. Harinder Singh (Innovation Director) and Jasleen Kaur (Research Associate) discuss their learnings and challenges while engaging with the words of this composition. The unique contexts and subversions these compositions reveal are a treat for those who yearn to get to know Guru Gobind Singh Sahib and those who yearn to celebrate Guru Gobind Singh Sahib.

In the sixth composition of the “Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10” (popularly Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10) series, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib calls on his 1-Beloved-Friend on behalf of the Khalsa in the forests of Machhiwara. Guru Sahib affirms that nothing in this world matters except the Beloved Friend.

In this seventh podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur discuss the popularly known composition uttered by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib in the forests of Machhiwara in late December. They discuss the Guru’s compassion for the disciples, the historical context of this composition, and its continued relevance as an important part of the global Sikh psyche.

Sabad

ਖਿਆਲ ਪਾਤਿਸਾਹੀ ੧੦
ਮਿੱਤ੍ਰ ਪਿਆਰੇ ਨੂੰ   ਹਾਲੁ ਮੁਰੀਦਾਂ ਦਾ ਕਹਿਣਾ॥
ਤੁਧੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਰੋਗੁ ਰਜਾਈਆਂ ਦਾ ਓਢਣੁ   ਨਾਗ ਨਿਵਾਸਾਂ ਦੇ ਰਹਿਣਾ॥
ਸੂਲ ਸੁਰਾਹੀ ਖੰਜਰੁ ਪਿਆਲਾ   ਬਿੰਗੁ ਕਸਾਈਆਂ ਦਾ ਸਹਿਣਾ॥
ਯਾਰੜੇ ਦਾ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਸੱਥਰ ਚੰਗਾ   ਭੱਠਿ ਖੇੜਿਆਂ ਦਾ ਰਹਿਣਾ॥੧॥੧॥੬॥

Translation

Beloved Friend
Who to tell our condition?

Khyal Sovereign 10
To the Beloved Friend, tell the condition of the disciples.
Without You: using a comforter is like being ill, living in the house is like being with snakes.
Flask is like a spear; glass is like a dagger; separation-pang feels like a butcher’s knife.
Friend’s earth-bed is pleasing to us; pleasing the body-village is like living in the kiln.

In This Podcast

Harinder Singh

Senior Fellow, Research & Policy
Senior Fellow, Research & Policy

Harinder Singh is the Senior Fellow at the Sikh Research Institute. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and an MPhil from Punjab University in the linguistics of the Guru Granth Sahib. 

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Jasleen Kaur

Research Associate
Research Associate

Jasleen Kaur is a Research Associate at the Sikh Research Institute. She has received a Religious Studies B.A./M.A. from the University of Virginia, focusing on South Asian Religions through the lens of literature and poetry.

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