Avatar is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes used to refer to any guru or revered human being.
Guru Gobind Singh was the tenth and last human Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the Sikhs after his father Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed by Emperor Aurangzeb. His father was the ninth Sikh Guru. His four biological sons died during his lifetime – two in battle and two executed by the Mughal governor Wazir Khan.
The Guru Granth Sahib is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth, its first rendition, was compiled by the fifth guru, Guru Arjan (1564–1606). Its compilation was completed on 29 August 1604 and first installed inside Golden Temple in Amritsar on 1 September 1604. Baba Buddha was appointed the first Granthi of the Golden Temple. Shortly afterwards Guru Hargobind added Ramkali Ki Vaar. Later, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, added hymns of Guru Tegh Bahadur to the Adi Granth and affirmed the text as his successor. This second rendition became known as the Guru Granth Sahib and is also sometimes referred to as the Adi Granth.
The Dasam Granth is a collection of various poetic compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh. The text enjoyed an equal status with the Adi Granth, or Guru Granth Sahib, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and were installed side by side on the same platform. The Dasam Granth lost favor during the colonial period when reformist Singh Sabha Movement scholars couldn't contextualize the reworkings of Puranic stories or the vast collection of 'Tales of Deceit' Sri Charitropakhyan.
The standard edition of the text contains 1,428 pages with 17,293 verses in 18 sections. These are set in the form of hymns and poems mostly in the Braj language, with some parts in Avadhi, Punjabi, Hindi and Persian. The script is written almost entirely in Gurmukhi, except for the Guru Gobind Singh's letters to Aurangzeb—Zafarnama and the Hikaaitaan—written in the Persian alphabet.
Parshvanatha, also Pārśvanātha, Parshva, Pārśva and Parasnath, was the 23rd of 24 Tirthankaras of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of Kalīkālkalpataru.
The Sarbloh Granth or Sarabloh Granth, also called Manglacharan Puran or Sri Manglacharan Ji, is a voluminous scripture, composed of more than 6,500 poetic stanzas. It is traditionally attributed as being the work of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru. Scholars, on the other hand, attribute the work to after the Guru's death, being authored by an unknown poet. The work is mostly revered by the Nihang sect.
The Bachittar Natak or Bachitar Natak is partly an autobiography of Guru Gobind Singh. The appellation Bachitar Natak is sometimes confusingly only applied around the Dasam Granth. The Bachitar Natak Granth, not to be confused with the Bachittar Natak composition, contains a large corpus of the Dasam Granth canon.
The principal Sikh scripture is the Adi Granth, more commonly called the Guru Granth Sahib. The second most important scripture of the Sikhs is the Dasam Granth. Both of these consist of text which was written or authorised by the Sikh Gurus.
Sant Bhasha is a liturgical and scriptural language composed of vocabulary common to northern Indian languages, which was extensively used by saints and poets to compose religious verses. It can be understood by readers with a background in either Punjabi, Hindi-Urdu and its dialects.
Chandi Di Var also known as Vaar Durga Ki is a composition written by Guru Gobind Singh, included in the 5th chapter of Dasam Granth.
Chandi Charitar Ukti Bilas or Chandi Charitar Ukat(i) Bilas, also called Chandi Charitar 1 or Chandi Charitar Part One is a heroic poetic composition, included as the 4th chapter of Dasam Granth, whose authorship is generally and traditionally attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.
Rudra Avtar is an epic poem under the title Ath Rudra Avtar Kathan(n). It is traditionally said to have been written by Guru Gobind Singh. It is included in Dasam Granth, which is considered to be the second-most important scripture of the Sikhs. It is sometimes grouped together with the preceding Brahma Avtar composition into a combination termed as the Upāvatār.
Hikaaitaan or Hikāyatān is a title given to the semi-legendary set of 11 tales, composed in the Gurmukhi Persian language, whose authorship is historically and traditionally attributed to Guru Gobind Singh. It is the last composition of the second scripture of Sikhs, Dasam Granth, and is believed to be appended to Zafarnamah—the letter to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Shabad Hazare, also known as Sabad Patshahi 10, under the title Shabad, are ten religious hymns composed by Guru Gobind Singh that are present in Dasam Granth. These hymns have comments on ritualistic practices in Sanyas, Jogis and Bairagis, and also against any form of idolatry, human or deity worship.
Khalsa Mahima is the name of two compositions that praise the Khalsa in poetic form, composed by Guru Gobind Singh, each present in Dasam Granth and Sarbloh Granth.
The History of Dasam Granth is related to the time of creation and compilation of various writings by Guru Gobind Singh in form of small booklets, some of which are Sikh prayers. Some writings are in question as the guru did not compile the book himself. Some material was added after his demise and this is evident in the writing style and in content. After 1708, a combined form of those booklets, the present-day granth or single volume, was compiled by Mani Singh Khalsa, contributed by other Khalsa armymen under direct instructions of Mata Sundari and this volume is recognized as Sri Dasam Granth Sahib. Present day Dasam Granth includes Jaap Sahib, Akal Ustat, Bachitar Natak, Chandi Charitar Ukati Bilas, Chandi Charitar II, Chandi di Var, Gyan Prabodh, Chaubis Avtar, Rudra Avtar, 33 Sawaiye, Khalsa Mahima, Shashtar Nam Mala Purana, Ath Pakh-yaan Charitar Likh-yatay and Zafarnamah.
Chaubis Avtar is a composition in Dasam Granth containing history of 24 incarnations (avatars) of Vishnu.
33 Savaiye is a religious work written by Guru Gobind Singh which is included in Dasam Granth, second scripture of Sikhs. It is present after Sabad Patshahi 10 and continued with Khalsa Mahima. It explains qualities of Supreme and the Khalsa.
Avtar is a given name. Notable people with this name include:
Rama, known as Ram Avatar or Raja Ram, is considered an important figure in Sikhism, due to his inclusion as one among the 24 incarnations of Vishnu in the Chaubis Avtar, a composition in the Dasam Granth traditionally and historically attributed to Guru Gobind Singh. The discussion of Rama and Krishna is the most extensive in this section of the secondary Sikh scripture. The composition is martial, stating that the avatar of Vishnu appears in the world to restore good and defeat evil, but asserts that these avatars are not God, but agents of the God. God is beyond birth and death. The famous Savaiya and Dohra from the Rehras Sahib, read daily be devout Sikhs, comes from Ram Avtar Bani.
