Zafarnamah

Zafarnāmah ( _pa. ਜ਼ਫ਼ਰਨਾਮਹ or _pa. ਜ਼ਫ਼ਰਨਾਮਾ, _fa. ظفرنامہ) means the "Epistle of Victory" and is the name given to the letter sent by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh in 1705 to the Mughal Emperor of India, Aurangzeb. The letter is written in Persian verse..

In this letter, Guru Gobind reminds Aurangzeb how he and his henchmen had broken their oaths sworn upon the Quran. He also states that in spite of his several sufferings, he had won a moral victory over the Emperor who had broken all his vows. Despite sending a huge army to capture or kill the Guru, the Mughal forces did not succeed in their mission.

In the 111 verses of this notice, the Guru rebukes Aurangzeb for his weaknesses as a human being and for excesses as a leader. The Guru also confirms his confidence and his unflinching faith in the Almighty even after suffering extreme personal loss of his father, mother, and all four of his sons to Aurangzeb.

Of the 111 verses, the maximum numbers of 34 verses are to praise God; 32 deal with Aurangzeb’s invitation for the Guru to meet him and the Guru's refusal to meet the Emperor - instead the Guru asks Aurangzeb to visit him; 24 verses detail the events in the Battle of Chamkaur, which took place on 22 December 1704; 15 verses reprove Aurangzeb for breaking promise given by him and by his agents to the Guru; In verses 78 and 79, Guru Gobind had also warned Aurangzeb about the resolve of the Khalsa not to rest till his evil empire is destroyed; 6 verses praise Aurangzeb.

Guru Gobind Singh wrote this letter from village Dina in malwa region of current Punjab. Guru Gobind Singh spent few days at Dina and then moved to Dod, Kotkapura, Dhilwan Kalan, Jaito, Muktsar, Lakhi Jangal, and Damdama Sahib. Guru Gobind Singh's last fight with Mughal Army happened at Khidrane Di Dhaab now called Muktsar.

External links

* [http://www.sikhs.org/transl5.htm English Translation of Zafarnama]
* [http://www.zafarnama.com/Pages/Download.html Zafarnama in Gurmukhi, Perso-Arabic and Latin script with English translations]
* [http://www.5abi.com/itihasak/zafarnama-h1.htm: Epistle of Victory]
* [http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_612147,0011000100070003.htm Hindustan Times, The Zafarnama]