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Introduction to Babarvani and Sabad 1: The Terror of Hindustan

Babarvani: Guru Nanak Sahib on War & Tyranny - Part 1

Tuesday

,

12

August

2025

Babarvani: Guru Nanak Sahib on War & Tyranny

In our first session, we explore the background of Babarvani (Utterances on Babar), beginning with the meaning of Vani, the identity of Babar, and the political landscape of South Asia at the time.

In our first session, we explore the background of Babarvani (Utterances on Babar), beginning with the meaning of Vani, the identity of Babar, and the political landscape of South Asia at the time. We examine the first sabad from Babarvani in Rag Asa (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 360).

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In this sabad, Guru Nanak Sahib condemns the injustice of war, where the powerful oppress the powerless. With a profoundly human plea to IkOankar (the One), the Guru asks, “Did the suffering not reach You?”—a haunting cry that continues to stir us today.

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Sabad 2: The Plight of Women in War

In This Video

Santbir Singh

Research Associate

Santbir Singh is a Research Associate with SikhRI. He is currently doing his Ph.D. in Sociology at York University. His graduate research focuses on Sikh activism and the inherent relationship between Sikhi and anarchism explored through historical and contemporary Sikh movements, such as the Kisān Morcha (Farmer’s Protests) of 2020-2021.

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