Summary of 'Guru Gobind Singh's Jap Sahib and Other Hymns' By Prof. Surinderjit Singh 

It was a cold winter night of December 1666. Pir Bhikhan Shah was up and about as usual in the ambrosial hours of the later part of the night. His disciples too were awake and waiting for their teacher to appear out of his hermitage to begin their day with his audience and blessings. As he emerged out of the Western door of his abode, his disciples offered their respect in their usual manner. Oblivious of their presence, Pir Bhikhan Shah turned around, looked Eastward and raised his arms heavenward, fell on his knees to the ground and in a state of trance written all over his face, bowed his head and kissed the ground before him. His face was lit by an aura of divine illumination. His lips moved without emitting a sound.

His disciples were wonderstruck to see the strange phenomenon. A little while later, one of them picked up courage and said : ''Oh holy master! We are amazed to see you bowing your head so reverently towards East while the house of Allah, the Lord is in the West. We hope no harm has befallen your enemies during the night Sir."

¹¹By the grace of Allah the Almighty and His prophet Hazrat Mohammed (Peace be upon him), I am absolutely fine. However, I see the divine light of Allah having taken birth at Patna, somewhere in the East, to whom I have bowed my head in supplication."

The disciples fell silent and got busy in their daily chores. Pir Bhikhan Shah had decided to set out for Patna immediately in order to see the new born child that he had so reverently described as 'the Light of Allah.' The child prodigy whose divine vision was seen by Pir Bhikhan Shah on the morning of 22nd December 1666, was no other than Gobind Rai, son of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji and Mata Gujri Ji. Guru Tegh Bahadur had left his family at Patna on his way to Assam where he had been called by his Sikhs for obliging them with his Darshan as well as for mediating in the settlement of some long itstanding disputes between two chiefs of the area.

Gobind Rai had spent most of his childhood at Patna without the watchful eye of his father who could see his son only after nearly four years of his birth. The child prodigy was brought up under the care of his mother and her brother Bhai Kirpal Chand. The childhood of Gobind Rai at Patna is full of his pranks not commonly found in a normal child. Would a four year child be interested in the art of warfare, and indulge in mock battles with his friends using sticks and wooden boards for sword and shields ? Would he be so conscious of his rights as a human being?

Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji had to cut short his stay in Assam. He returned to Patna and without wasting much time, had to set out towards Punjab in order to assuage the hurt and pacify the anguish of the people of Northern state at Emperor Aurangzeb's orders curtailing basic human rights of Hindus. Guru Tegh Bahadur travelled through many places of Hindu pilgrimage and set their minds at rest besides preaching Guru Nanak's message of universal brotherhood. On reaching Anandpur Sahib, he sent for his family from Patna.

The education and training of Gobind Rai in martial field had started in right earnest as soon as the family reached Anandpur Sahib. Having travelled across India, and sensing the sinister design of the Mughal emperor, Guru Tegh Bahadur was fully conscious of the coming events. Therefore it became imperative that his successor must further strengthen the doctrine of Miri-Piri propagated by his father, the sixth true emperor.

It was the month of April 1675. The weather had become very pleasant after a severe winter. The trees and shrubs around Anandpur Sahib were wearing a new look. River Sutlej was now filled with cold and clear waters of melted snow. 

Table of Contents 'Guru Gobind Singh's Jap Sahib and Other Hymns' By Prof. Surinderjit Singh

- Key to Pronunciation  5

- Guru Gobind Singh Ji 

A Personality Beyond Narration 7

- Jap Sahib : A Brief Introduction 24

TEXTS AND POETICAL RENDERING IN ENGLISH

Jap Sahib 27

Tva Prasad (i) Swayye 87

Tva Prasad (i) Swayye 97

Kabiyo Bach Benti Chaupai 105