Rudra Avtar (Gurmukhi: ਰੁਦਰ ਅਵਤਾਰ) is an

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

under the title ''Ath Rudra Avtar Kathan''(n) ''.'' It was written by

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708), born Gobind Das or Gobind Rai the tenth Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Sing ...

. It was included in ''Dasam Granth Sahib'', which is considered to be the second-most important scripture of the

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

s. This composition covers the most important wars within

Gurmat Gurmat (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ; gur-mat, mat, Sanskrit mati, i.e. counsel or tenets of the Guru: more specifically, focusing the mind towards the Guru) is a term which may in its essential sense be taken to be synonymous with Sikhism itself. ...

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

, such as the fight between ''Bibek Buddhi'' and ''Abibek Budhi,'' (truth and falsity), and the fight between wisdom and ignorance.Dasam Granth, S.S. Kapoor, Page 17 This composition covers the concepts of ''Gyaan'' (Wisdom) and ''Dhyana'' (Attention) and is against fake ritualism and practices. Singh sanctified and narrated the life history of two souls, designating them with the title Rudra:

Dattatreya Dattatreya ( sa, दत्तात्रेय, ), Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of yoga, venerated as a Hindu god. In Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Madhya ...

- Hindu Monk and

Parshvanatha ''Parshvanatha'' (), also known as ''Parshva'' () and ''Parasnath'', was the 23rd of 24 ''Tirthankaras'' (supreme preacher of dharma) of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of ''Kalīkālkalpataru (Kalpavriksha in this "Kal ...

- 23rd Tirthankar of Jainism.

History

This poem was written in

Anandpur Sahib Anandpur Sahib, sometimes referred to simply as Anandpur (lit. "city of bliss"), is a city in Rupnagar district (Ropar), on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most s ...

, probably in 1698 CE (1755 in the ''Vikram Samvat'' calendar). This text is part of ''Bachittar Natak Granth'', as per rubrics at the end. Although modern interpreters believe that a portion of Singh's life, which he refers to as ''Apni Katha'' is ''Bachittar Natak'', the rest of the compositions are independent from it. This composition is present in every early manuscript, i.e. those of Mani Singh, Motibagh, Sangrur and Patna. The language of the composition is

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

with a mixture of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

words. The First six ''Chandds'' are introductory. 849 ''Chandds'' narrate ''Dattatreya'', and 359 ''Chandds'' narrate about ''Paras Nath''. Unlike "Chandi Charitar" and "Krishna Avtar", the source of narration of "Rudra Avtar" does not come from the 36 Puranas.

Rudra in Sikhism

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and Guru Maneyo Granth, eternal Guru following the lineage of the Sikh gur ...

covers the concept of ''Rudra Dhyaan''. Every living being's ''surt''/''dhyaan'' (attention) can be directed in two ways, one towards one's body (outer world), and the other towards one's own self. As long as attention stays only on the body, connection is lost with our selves, which is incomplete (half or ''daal'' as in Gurbani). This causes tension, confusion, and poor decisions. For those who are complete (the one as in Gurbani), their attention is focused on the source of attention (self), rendering them immune to the influence of the outside world, such as vices. Such a one-mindedness and focus is called ''Rudra Dhyaan''. From such a dhyaan, the thoughts that sprout are all under divine ''

hukam Hukam ( pa, ਹੁਕਮਿ) is a Punjabi word derived from the Arabic ''hukm ''Ahkam'' (, ar, أحكام "rulings", plural of ()) is an Islamic term with several meanings. In the Quran, the word ''hukm'' is variously used to mean arbit ...

'' (and are not self-conceived). Consequently, ''hukam'' itself is called ''Rudra''. In "Dasam Granth", ''Rudra'' and ''Shiva'' are generic terms, while Mahadev is the name of one person, whom people call Rudra or Shiva. In

philosophy, Mahadev was a Yogi who lived in the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

. In Hindu myth, Mahadev is also called Shiv or Rudra, but in Gurmat philosophy, the term ''Shiv'' does not apply to Mahadev because ''Shiv'' is ''Nirankar'' (Formless). In ''Chopai'', Singh cleared it as: '.Line 392, Chopai Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh refers to Mahadev/Shiva in the following lines:

References

{{Dasam Granth Dasam Granth Indian literature