Deh Siva Var Mohe

Deh Shiva bar Mohe is a 17th-century hymn (shabad) written by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, in the Dasam Granth.

The language used is Braj Bhasha.

The hymn is a part of Chandi Charitar which describes the glory of Shakti (power), a section of the Dasam Granth.

Lyrics

ਦੇਹ ਸਿਵਾ ਬਰੁ ਮੋਹਿ ਇਹੈ ਸੁਭ ਕਰਮਨ ਤੇ ਕਬਹੂੰ ਨ ਟਰੋਂ ॥ ਨ ਡਰੋਂ ਅਰਿ ਸੋ ਜਬ ਜਾਇ ਲਰੋਂ ਨਿਸਚੈ ਕਰਿ ਅਪੁਨੀ ਜੀਤ ਕਰੋਂ ॥ ਅਰੁ ਸਿਖ ਹੋਂ ਆਪਨੇ ਹੀ ਮਨ ਕੌ ਇਹ ਲਾਲਚ ਹਉ ਗੁਨ ਤਉ ਉਚਰੋਂ ॥ ਜਬ ਆਵ ਕੀ ਅਉਧ ਨਿਦਾਨ ਬਨੈ ਅਤਿ ਹੀ ਰਨ ਮੈ ਤਬ ਜੂਝ ਮਰੋਂ

देह शिवा बर मोहे ईहे, शुभ कर्मन ते कभुं न टरूं न डरौं अरि सौं जब जाय लड़ौं, निश्चय कर अपनी जीत करौं, अरु सिख हों आपने ही मन कौ इह लालच हउ गुन तउ उचरों, जब आव की अउध निदान बनै अति ही रन मै तब जूझ मरों

Translation: O Lord grant me the boon, that I may never deviate from doing a good deed. That I shall not fear when I go into combat. And with determination I will be victorious. That I may teach myself this greed alone, to learn only Thy praises. And when the last days of my life come, I may die in the might of the battlefield.

Context

The entire 'Chandi di vaar' is a graphic violent battlefield scene written with the primary intent of desensitizing the docile Sikh population to horrific scenes they would experience in forthcoming battles to defend their human rights. This poem is a commentary found within 'Chandi di vaar' written by Guru Gobind Singh, which can be interpreted as a criticism of the notion that only a deity such as Shiva could help the downtrodden as they possessed superpowers beyond the reach of the common man or woman. However, being an astute general and more importantly a man steeped in the philosophy of gurmat (non belief in superstitions and mythological tales like those found in Hinduism as well as in other polytheistic traditions) , he realized that the literature from mythology can be used to prepare for life's real battles. By equating the human body to mythological superpowers he invoked humankind to seek protection by means of the self, declaring every Sikh to be greater than Siva, the mythological Hindu deity of strength. This served the purpose of psychologically breaking Sikhs away from the Hindu paradigm of seeking protection from mythological gods thru priests that was prevelant in india at the time.

The Sikh Gurus worshipped the formless God and the paragraph above is a biased representation. Guru Gobind Singh opens Chandi the war by offering a eulogy to Goddess Durga.

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