Introduction To 'Guru Gobind Singh's Zafarnamah' By Prof. Surinderjit Singh

Zafarnamah is a historical letter of victory written by Guru Gobind Singh to emperor Aurangzeb in 1706 A.D. The letter, written in lucid Persian, depicts the spirit of Charhdi Kala and admonishes Aurangzeb for his tyrannical rule. On receipt of this letter the emperor was deeply touched and his conscience was shaken. It is an important historical document of the time and is always regarded as a source of inspiration for the Khalsa spirit.

Prof. Surindetjit Singh, retired as a college teacher, has devoted himself to translate the Divine Hymns in a lucid language for our coming generation. His translations of the Japjf and flip Sahib have already earned him a good name and fame. He actually recreates the text into English verse and follows the rhyme-scheme of the original text. It is really an arduous job, which he is executing as a labour of love. Sometimes he has to spend hours or days to find a suitable equivalent. We do not find suitable words to express our gratitude to the translator who has given us an opportunity to publish this unique transcreation.

The original text in Persian, Gurmukhi and Roman has also been given to increase the utility of the book. The transliteration of the text into Roman has been done by S. Gutjit Singh for which we are thankful to him.

It was felt that the reader must be familiar with.the dynamic personality of Guru Gobind Singh, who has written the epistle of victory. Hence, on our request, Col. Devinder Singh has written a brief biography in an impressive way. The narrative's flow absorbs the reader and he enjoys the proximity of the Guru's feet. We are extremely grateful to Col. Devinder Singh for the writing and also for his useful suggestions to improve the translation.

S. Parvinder Singh also deserves our appreciation for wordprocessing the data meticulously.

We hope the book will warmly be received by the young generation who is deprived of the knowledge of Persian language.

-Publishers