Indian Classical Music And Sikh Kirtan by Gobind Singh Mansukhani (M.A., LL.B, Ph.D.) © 1982 Guru Arjan (1563-1606) |
| Guru Arjan (1563-1606) Like his father, Guru Arjan was extremely fond of kirtan. He says about himself: “Your servant is imbued with the colour of the Holy Name. God the dispeller of sorrow has been generous and my mind is enraptured in kirtan” [36]. In Sanskriti Salokas, he writes: “The sublime duty of human body is the performance of kirtan: Nectar-sweet is the Lord’s Name. O Nanak, the saints drink it and ask for more and more” [37]. His greatest contribution to the Sikh religion was the compilation of the Scripture. It contains the hymns not only of the Gurus but also of saints and minstrels belonging to different religions and castes. Guru Arjan maintained a number of musicians at his court, prominent among whom were Balwand, Satta, Jhanjhu, Mukandu and Kidara [38]. Bhai Ramu and Deepa also performed kirtan at his court. Guru Arjan told the sangat (congregation) that kirtan and katha (discourse”) are both necessary for understanding the principles of the Sikh faith. Katha is like the mother, while kirtan is her son. Many Sikhs recite Gurbani but do not understand it. For them katha is necessary, so that the teachings of Gurbani may be absorbed into their minds. He explained the a Sikh’s kirtan by comparing it to individual recitation of Gurbani: “Recitation is like irrigation by water from a well which only benefits a small field; on the other hand, group kirtan is like rainfall which covers a large area and benefits many people at the same time” [39]. Guru Arjan sought God’s blessing that he might be allowed to do kirtan till the end of his life. When asked about the time of performing kirtan, he answered that it should be done continuously, irrespective of the time of day or night. He said: “He, on whom the Lord casts his merciful glance, is blessed with truth, contentment, divine knowledge and contemplation. Night and day, he does kirtan and utters the praise of the Beloved Lord and his mind is filled to the brim with the Nectar-Name” [40]. Guru Arjan regarded the hymns not only as a channel of devotion, but also as a means of merging with the Lord: “My beloved Gurbani is a shower of nectar; By the grace of the Guru, it rains eternally on my mind. Being coloured with the hue of the Creator, The word leads to the vision of the Lord and eternal bliss” [41]. He summed up the manifold benefits of kirtan thus: “Hymn-singing banishes the threat of hell, dispels all sorrow and rids one of several maladies. The fear of death is overcome and the moral escapes death’s couriers” [42]. For Guru Arjan, kirtan is a kind of Raj-Yoga which allows both secular and spiritual sovereignty. The singing of praises of God gives the delight and happiness which is usually associated with kingly power, and on the other hand, it is a mean of union with Divinity- Jog baniya tera kirtan gaaee [43]. Balwand and Satta, the court-musicians delighted the congregation with their kirtan. One day, Balwand asked Guru Arjan for a large sum of money. The Guru earmarked the offerings of the approaching Baisakhi festival for them. However, there was little collection on the Baisakhi day and the musicians demanded more money. An argument ensued in the course of which the musicians abused the Guru and his predecessors and refused to perform kirtan. The Guru dismissed both the singers and asked the congregation to take up the duty of the performance of kirtan. He further ordered that every Sikh should learn Kirtan, and the congregation should no longer depend on the services of professional musicians. In one of his hymns the Guru says: “O God’s people! You must all sing the Lord’s praise and With your tongue chant the priceless qualities of the Lord” [45] Such non-professional singers were called ragis. The Guru blessed these singers who sang the sacred verse, without any expectation of compensation or reward: “How concentrates his mind on Him, for ever singing His praises” [45] Guru Arjan installed the Scripture-Adi Granth-in Harmandar Sahab(Golden Temple) at Amritsar in 1604. It contains his 2218 hymns in thirty ragas. He initiated the system of five music-sessions-chowkies-which are as follows and continue to be performed till this day: (1) Asa-di-var di chowki: 3 am. to 6 am. In addition to Asa-di-var , hymns are sung in ragas like Asa, Ramkali, Bhairav, Prabhati, Gauri, and Devgandhari. (2) Anand di chowki: 6 a.m to 10 a.m. First the entire Anand Sahib of forty pauris is sung and it is followed by hymns in ragas like Gujri, Todi, Suhi, and Tukhari. (3) Charan Kamal di chowki: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is also called Bilwal di chowki. During this session, hymns are sung in ragas like Bilwal, Manjh, Wadhans, Gond, Sarang, Basant, Maligaura, etc. (4) Sodar di chowki: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. It is also called Sandhi-Prakash. Hymns are sung in ragas like Sri, Dhanasri, Jaitsri, Bairari, Maru, Asa, etc. (5) Sukh Asan or Kalyan di chowki: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Hymns are sung in ragas like Kalyan, Kanra, Bihagra, Sorath, Tilang, Nut-Narayan, Kedara, Malhar, Asa and Jaijawanti. At the end Kirtan Sohila or Song of Praise is recited. Guru Arjan also started the amateur class of musicians whose main function was to perform kirtan in different ragas. Before this, the rababis were the professional musicians who sang before the Guru and the sangat. As stated earlier, when Satta and Balwand went on strike, this class of musicians called ragis came into being. The fifth Guru personally trained the ragis in hymn-singing in the appropriate ragas. Guru Arjan was not only a great singer, but also an eminent musicologist. He could sing his compositions up to seventeen ghars and he devised a musical instrument called sarinda played with a bow. He used to sing while playing the sarinda. |