Search the Community

Sri Shastar Nam Mala. The sacredness of weapons. 'Sri Shastar Nama Mala' or the rosary of weapons is an unique composition found in the second Sikh canon, the Dasam Granth. Written by Guru Gobind Singh Ji it is a work of an intellectually high caliber, and is the Guru's personal treatise on the different weapons used in battle. It reads like a scientific analysation and essays a wide range of weapons, some which are in use today and some which have fallen out of favour with modern day warriors. Formulated in 1,318 poetic sub-sections, 'Sri Shastar Nam Mala' details traditional as well as modern weapons which highlight the seamless relationship between weapon, user and the need for spirituality in order for one to become a true warrior in the fundamental sense of the statement. The Guru, himself, was a great master of weapons and as a result, his composition offers a great insight into the various offensive and defensive techniques employed by the purataan Khalsa warrior. Whether it was the arrow, the quoit, or even a dagger. The Khalsa was expected to master each and every one of them and render the enemy lifeless via their use. Unlike other similar compositions the Guru does not employ any heavy discrimination between one weapon and the other. He highlights their various uses from a strategic perspective and leaves no room for questioning. Often his contemporaries would focus on any singular weapon and defend it's usage and nobility, above the others, to death. The Guru however invokes the use of all weapons and clubs them under one single entity, the warrior, and how in a similar fashion to the perpetual limbs of a civilian; they are the unique limbs of a warrior in battle. The Guru imagined and formulated a diverse fighting force which was constantly engaged in conflict, and employed a various range of weaponry and tactics to win decisively. To this end the Khalsa warrior was taught how to not only offend and defend with a weapon whilst standing, but also how to fight with it in different positions. The Guru blessed the Khalsa with the order to keep as many weapons as possible on it's person. An item as harmless as the 'Kara' was soon transformed into the stuff of nightmares for a foe. Feudalism and social hierarchy had seen the rise of a distinctive warrior class in Asia and Europe. Adorning armor and riding high on their steeds, both the knight and samurai presented a veritable figure of destruction and life to the common peasant. These individuals, he accepted as his Gods, and payed obeisance to them on a level which bordered almost on insanity. His Gods went through the training of arms at a young age and engaged in bloodbaths for his protection. They employed him, protected his family and sheltered him in a siege. The peasant was only alive because of them and thus owed his very life to these individuals. His Gods on the other hand were far from the stuff of Arthurian legends, and were given into bouts of insecurity, tyranny and rage. All three which contributed to the peasant's untimely demise. Their armor made them indestructible and their skill at close quarter combat made them greatly feared. But change was soon in the air. The almost perpetual hegemony of the metal adorning warrior was threatened with the advancement of technology. Soon bows and firearms were made available and the inevitable doom of the knight followed. Rather than spending their wealth on molding boys into men, rulers inducted peasants into their armies and gave them firearms. As was demonstrated in the later half of the eighteenth century, these long-range weapons could easily mow the now-cumbersome knight down and contributed to the leveling of the social hierarchy. The knight or samurai was no longer in the dominant position, as the peasant now won battles. He was cheap to train and equip, whereas the knight himself was a dear fortune. Such changes soon revolutionized warfare and it was not long before the metal warrior became a single of a bygone age and was heavily stereotyped by his underling peasants. The Guru had extensively demoralized social hierarchy and had eradicated it from the Khalsa, he however also knew that praising one limb of an army would incite mutiny in another. To this end he verified and highlighted the different, yet important roles of the diverse weapons employed in any battle. The archer stood on the same steed as the knight, and the peasant was soon evolved into his own master by being tutored in the use of weapons. Such a system soon saw the Khalsa transform into one of the superior fighting forces on the Asian continent, and one which could not remain beaten for long. Foregoing the eradication of a discriminatory hierarchy, one realises that the composition also carries a spiritual element. The Guru pays homage to the lord and his power through his composition. He takes great care to give credence to the lord for the various weapons and invokes his power through them. He does not see Ram Chandar as being a great archer on his own wit, he undermines his character by thanking the lord for granting Ram his skill. Victory too is not won on one's own mental basis, it is only achieved through the will of the lord. By adding a spiritual element to his work, the Guru essentially relates it back to the message of Guru Granth Sahib Ji and also demolishes the concepts of good and evil. The weapon is neither good nor evil. It is only the it's usage which earns it it's image. If used for 'Dharam-Yudh' than it is an instrument of peace and protection. If it is used for any egoistical purpose than it is vice incarnate itself. The composition can be divided into five components with each component focusing on a different concept and principle of weaponry. 1.) 'Ath Sri Shastar Nam Mala Puran'- is the opening component and includes the Guru's invocation to the one supreme creator. In this he explains the respect and value of weapons by labeling them as the Khalsa's elders. 2.) 'Ath Sri Chakra Ka Nama'- defines and names the different usages of the discuss. 3.) 'Ath Sri Ban Ka Nama'- here the Guru describes and praises various types of arrows and analyzes their usages. 4.) 'Ath Sri Pas Ka Nama'- in an almost gladiatorial fashion the Guru describes and elevates the noose, a weapon which in itself is a paradox due to it's different usages. 5.) 'Ath Tupak Ka Nama'- depicts the Guru's modern inclination and approach towards the Gun. Alongwith the prior named weapons, the gun completes and transforms one into an unstoppable force. http://tisarpanth.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/sri-shastar-nam-mala-sacredness-of.html