Parchian Satigura Dian

Parchian Satigura Dian or Parchian Sewa Das, also known simply as Parchian is a Sikh text written in Old Punjabi that contains 50 sakhis (stories) related to the Sikh gurus, mostly involving Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Tegh Bahadur.[1][2][3] The text is believed to have been written by Sewa Das in the 18th century, perhaps in 1741 specifically.[1][4] It is a hagiographical work that is similar to the Gurbilases genre and the later Suraj Prakash.[1] The work is classified as part of the parchai literary genre of mediaeval India, which was practiced by the Sewapanthi sect of Sikhism.[5] However, according to Gurdev Singh, Sewa Das was an Udasi, which he assumes due to the appending of the word Udasi to his name, and is distinguished from Sewa Ram, who was a Sewapanthi.[3] Sulakhan Singh classifies it as an Udasi work.[6] The text is both narrative and didactic.[5] The work is also known as Parchian Guru Gobind Singh.[5]

Dating

The text is dated within the 18th century, usually with 1741 being given as its date of composition,[1][4] although Kharak Singh and Gurtej Singh date the text to 1708 while Gurinder Singh Mann dates it to 1709.[7] Karamjit K. Malhotra dates it to 1708.[8]

Accessibility and printing

There are multiple manuscripts of the text.[3] An undated manuscript is kept in the collection of the Sikh History Research Department of Khalsa College, Amritsar.[9] It was first published in 1961 under the title Parchian Sewa Das by the Bhasha Vibhag, Punjab, being edited by Hari Singh Qadian,[10] with another edition being published in 1978.[9][3]

Translation

The text was edited and translated by Kharak Singh and Gurtej Singh, published in 1995 by the Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh.[7][11]

List of sakhis within the text

The following number of sakhis related to each guru is as follows:[1][3]

  • Guru Nanak: one
  • Guru Angad: one
  • Guru Amar Das: one
  • Guru Ram Das: one (relating to Guru Ram Das humbly wiping the feet of Sri Chand with his beard[5])
  • Guru Arjan: one
  • Guru Hargobind: one
  • Guru Har Rai: one
  • Guru Har Krishan: one
  • Guru Tegh Bahadur: four
  • Guru Gobind Singh: thirty-eight

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Chawla, Pratibha (2024). "A Note on Primary Sources". The Silent Voices and the Creation of a New Universe: Sikh Gurus on Women and Society. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 369–370. ISBN 9781837652396.
  2. ↑ Soch, H. S.; Kaur, Madanjit, eds. (1998). Guru Nanak, Ideals and Institutions. Guru Nanak Dev University. p. 224.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Singh, Gurdev. "PARCHĪĀṄ SEVĀ DĀS, variously titled as Sākhīāṅ Sevā Dās Udāsī, Mahalāṅ Dasāṅ kīāṅ Sākhīāṅ, Sākhīāṅ Dāsāṅ Pātshāhīāṅ Kīāṅ or Parchīāṅ Pātshāhī 10". Encyclopedia of Sikhism (Online Edition). Punjabi University, Patiala. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  4. 1 2 Singh, Pashaura (9 August 2024). "Retellings and Transmission - Mahima Prakash". The Routledge Companion to the Life and Legacy of Guru Hargobind: Sovereignty, Militancy, and Empowerment of the Sikh Panth. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781040106365.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Singh, Harbhajan. "Medieval Punjabi Literature - The Prose Writings". In Paniker, K. Ayyappa (ed.). Medieval Indian Literature: An Anthology. Vol. I: Surveys and Selections. Sahitya Akademi. p. 451. ISBN 9788126003655.
  6. ↑ Singh, Sulakhan (1999). Heterodoxy in the Sikh Tradition. ABS Publications. p. 7. ISBN 9788170720782.
  7. 1 2 Grewal, Jagtar Singh (25 July 2019). "Appendix 9A: Perspectives on the Zafarnama". Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708): Master of the White Hawk. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190990381.
  8. ↑ Malhotra, Karamjit K. Contemporary Evidence on Sikh Rites and Rituals in the Eighteenth Century (PDF). Journal of Punjab Studies (16:2). p. 180.
  9. 1 2 Dhillon, Dalbir Singh (1988). "Bibliography - Primary Sources". Sikhism, Origin and Development. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 347. ISBN 9788171561520.
  10. ↑ Das, Sewa (1961). Qadian, Hari Singh (ed.). Parchian Sewa Das (in Punjabi). Patiala: Bhasha Vibhag.
  11. ↑ Das, Sewa (1995). Episodes from the Lives of Gurus––Parchian Sewadas––English Translation and Commentary. Translated by Singh, Kharak; Singh, Gurtej. Chandigarh: Institute of Sikh Studies.
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