This paper is based on my forthcoming monograph, entitled, The Zafarnama of Guru Gobind Singh: A Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary, with a preface by Wheeler Thackston.
My paper presents the first critical edition of the Ẓafarnāma (Epistle of Victory), a powerful critique of Mughal imperial authority composed by the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, circa 1705. This text represents a crucial articulation of the Sikh doctrine of Double Sovereignty (mīrī-pīrī), wherein temporal power remains inseparable from moral truth. Despite its philosophical and historical significance, scholars have long worked with unreliable printed editions suffering from pervasive textual distortions.
After examining thirty-eight manuscripts, my research reveals that nearly a third of all verses in modern printed editions of the Ẓafarnāma contain serious defects: broken meters, missing qāfias (rhyme patterns), errors in subject-verb agreement, and introduced readings absent from manuscript evidence. By returning to near-contemporaneous sources, this critical edition corrects misinterpretations that have persisted unchallenged for over three centuries.
The Sikh tradition's rigorous commitment to written transmission through Gurmukhī script provides unique opportunities for textual reconstruction. Beyond serving as a writing system, Gurmukhī standardized transmission across linguistic boundaries while networks of skilled scribes maintained exacting standards. This critical edition capitalizes on these strengths to resolve persistent problems of meter, grammar, and coherence.
Among significant contributions, my work clarifies verses centered on Kāngaṛ as the Guru's bold assertion of sovereignty—an interpretation obscured by generations of misreading. Similarly, I recover the true meaning of verses long misunderstood as praise for Aurangzeb, revealing instead a coherent critique of imperial authority. Additionally, the phonetic nature of Gurmukhī script preserves historical Mughal Persian pronunciation, validated through comparison with modern Dari patterns.
This critical edition establishes new foundations for studying the Ẓafarnāma through exhaustive documentation of manuscript variants, detailed grammatical analysis, and careful examination of historical contexts. In addressing fundamental questions about legitimate sovereignty, sacred oaths, and eternal justice, this work transforms our understanding of how religious authority confronts imperial power.
This paper presents the first critical edition of Guru Gobind Singh's Ẓafarnāma (1705), a powerful critique of Mughal imperial authority that articulates the Sikh doctrine of Double Sovereignty (mīrī-pīrī). Based on my forthcoming monograph, The Zafarnama of Guru Gobind Singh: A Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary with a preface by Wheeler Thackston, this work examines thirty-eight manuscripts to correct pervasive textual distortions in modern printed editions. Nearly a third of all verses in current editions contain serious defects including broken meters and missing rhyme patterns. By returning to near-contemporaneous Gurmukhī manuscripts, this research recovers the Guru's bold assertion of sovereignty and transforms apparent praise for Emperor Aurangzeb into a coherent critique of imperial authority. The phonetic nature of Gurmukhī script additionally preserves historical Mughal Persian pronunciation. This critical edition establishes new foundations for understanding how religious authority confronts imperial power through extensive manuscript documentation, grammatical analysis, and historical contextualization.