Sabads uttered in connection with Babur’s attack (Babarvani)

Sabad 1

A majority of Sikh scholars are of the view that Guru Nanak Sahib revealed the Sabad under consideration (khurāsān khasmānā kīā …) after witnessing the carnage that resulted from Babur’s attack on Saidpur (Pakistan). On the other hand, Bhai Ratan Singh Bhangu in ‘Panth Prakash’ has described the Sabads ‘khurāsān khasmānā kīā...’ and ‘koī mugal na hoā andhā…’ to have been revealed during the Guru’s ‘travels towards the South.’ According to him, the Turkish invaders started building mosques by demolishing temples in the South. The idols of the temples were disfigured and were used as ordinary stones. These Sabads, he says, were uttered in response to the desecration of religious places and the suffering of the people. However, Dr. Balwant Singh Dhillon, the editor of ‘Panth Prakash,’ in a footnote related to these Sabads, has linked them to Babur’s invasions itself.

At the time of Babur’s invasion, Ibrahim Lodhi was the emperor of Delhi. He was extremely skeptical and a cruel emperor. He imprisoned many of his office-bearers on suspicion of planning a rebellion. To kill him, Daulat Khan Lodhi (then Governor of Panjab) and some other office-bearers invited Babur to launch an attack on Hindustan. Babur had been trying to enter Hindustan even before that. But he had to keep returning to Kabul after conquering areas around the Jhelum due to the continuing unrest in Kabul. After receiving an invitation to attack from Daulat Khan Lodhi, Babur invaded Hindustan in 1519-20 CE. He didn’t face any trouble till he conquered Sialkot. But the people of Saidpur strongly opposed him. Consequently, he ordered a massacre at Saidpur, and those who survived were enslaved. Among the captured were Guru Nanak Sahib and Bhai Mardana, several children, older men, and women. They were led towards the Mughal camps while carrying loads of looted items over their heads. On reaching Saidpur, they were punished further by being ordered to operate heavy millstones. [More details on this are in ‘Sabad 2 regarding Babur’s attack.’]

Babur and Khurasan
Generally, some people interpret the first line of this Sabad as ‘having conquered Khurasan, Babur invaded Hindustan.’ However, this is not correct. Historical sources indicate that Khurasan was ruled consecutively by Genghis Khan, Timur, the Afghans, the Iranian Safavid kings and Nader Shah. The Iranian Safavid kings ruled Khurasan from 1502-1736 CE. Therefore, a question arises, when did Babur conquer Khurasan?

At the age of 12, Babur succeeded his father, Umar Shaikh Mirza of Fergana (now in Uzbekistan), and reigned from 1494-97 CE and 1498-1500 CE. From 1497-98 CE, 1500-01 CE, and 1511-12 CE, Babur even ruled over Samarkand, a city currently in Uzbekistan. In 1504 CE, he became the ruler of Kabul, where he reigned until 1526 CE. From here, he began his conquest of Hindustan, which was then ruled by the Afghan Lodhi dynasty. He ultimately became the ruler of Delhi after the victory of Panipat in 1526 CE. Babur wrote in his memoirs about his victory: With the grace of the Almighty God, this difficult task became easy for me, and that mighty enemy army was laid to dust in just half a day.

Dr. Trilochan Singh also believed that Babur did not succeed in conquering Khurasan. He wrote: “Khurasan was under the stronghold of the emperor of Iran. Babur made several attempts to seize Khurasan, but he couldn’t succeed.”

Sabad 2
Regarding the revelation of this Sabad
In an anecdote recorded on pages 160-163 of the Puratan Janamsakhi, there is a reference to the meeting between Guru Nanak Sahib (1469-1539 CE) and Babur (1483-1530 CE) during the attack on Saidpur (now Eminabad, Pakistan) by Babur. According to this Janamsakhi, during the invasion (1519-20 CE), several people were enslaved, and plundered goods were loaded on their heads. Guru Nanak Sahib and Bhai Mardana were also among them. On the orders of an official named Mirkhan Mughal, the Guru was given a load to lift, and Bhai Mardana was asked to hold a horse. At this time, the Guru revealed this Sabad in Rag Maru: mul kharīdī lālā golā... tudhu viṇu mukati na pāī.4.6. -Guru Granth Sahib 991.

Witnessing the condition of the enslaved women, Bhai Mardana asked the Guru, “What fate has struck them? They are crying.” The Guru ordered Bhai Mardana to play the rabab (rebeck). Bhai Mardana, however, said that he had the rein of the horse in his hands. The Guru then asked him to utter Vahiguru and let go of the horse. Bhai Mardana let go of the horse and started playing the rabab. The Guru then revealed this Sabad in Rag Tilang: hari kīā kathā kahāṇīā… nānak sāī gal caṅgī. -Guru Granth Sahib 925.

When the Guru revealed this Sabad, Mirkhan Mughal arrived. He saw that the load was moving almost a hand’s length above the Guru’s head, and the horse was following Bhai Mardana. This incident was reported to the emperor Babur: “[Mirkhan] said, a saint, who is in prison, has his load moving one hand’s length above his head. And he has a bard, and the horse is following that bard. And he is playing rabab, while moving. He worships the Almighty. Then the emperor said, we should not have destroyed the city where such fakirs (ones who entrust everything to the Divine) reside. Then Mir (Mirkhan) said, try to do something to atone.”

After reaching Babur’s camp, which was about 2.4 km (two koh/kos) ahead, all slaves were given mills to grind grains. All Pathan, Kshatriya, and Brahmin women were made to sit in one place. Guru Nanak Sahib was also given a mill. The Guru seemed to be adding grains into the mill while the mill was miraculously running on its own. It was then the emperor Babur arrived. Then the Guru revealed this Sabad:
rāgu āsā mahalā 1 asṭpadīā gharu 3
jin siri sohani paṭīā...nānak kiā mānukh.7.11. -Guru Granth Sahib 417.

Then, emperor Babur asked the Guru to perform a miracle. The Guru entered into a state of wonderment. At that time, this Sabad was revealed:
rāgu tilaṅg vici m:1
jis tūṁ rakhahi miharivān… apunā kari līnā.4.

When the Guru revealed this Sabad, emperor Babur came and kissed his feet. He said that the reflection of the Almighty is visible on the face of this fakir. Then, everyone, including Hindus and Muslims, started saluting the Guru.

Then the emperor said, O Dervish! Please accept something. The Guru replied that the emperor’s offering was of no use to the Guru, but the people of Saidpur who had been imprisoned should be released. All that was snatched from them should be returned to them. At that time, the emperor passed an order that those imprisoned were to be released and their belongings returned to them. The prisoners of Saidpur were freed. But they were not ready to go without the Guru.

According to the Janamsakhi Bhai Bala, the Guru revealed this Sabad while in the captivity of Ibrahim Lodhi (reign 1517-1526 CE) at Delhi. Ibrahim Lodhi had arrested the Guru for promoting ideas distinct from the Hindu and Muslim faith. It was here that the Guru revealed this Sabad as a prophecy that proved to be true when Babur invaded.

Dr. Trilochan Singh has linked the revelation of this Sabad to the devastation of Lahore caused by Babur in 1524 CE. At that time, Babur expelled Daulat Khan (then Governor of Panjab) from Lahore and destroyed the city.

Regarding the meeting between Guru Nanak Sahib and Babur
Scholars have differing views regarding Guru Nanak Sahib’s meeting with Babur. Scholars in favor of this visit provide a reference to the details given above in the Puratan Janam Sakhi and the following reference of Bhai Gurdas:
bābar ke bābe mile nivi nivi sabh navabu nivāiā. -Var 26, Pauri 21.

Besides the above, the mention of the meeting is also available in Sikh sources such as the Bansavalinama, Mahima Prakash, Gyan Ratnavali, Panth Prakash, and Twarikh Guru Khalsa. But on the other hand, some scholars refute this meeting. Their logic is that Babur, who closely observed and wrote about every incident, has not mentioned this meeting in his memoir ‘Babur-Nama.’ That is why, they reason, this meeting did not take place.

Counter-arguing this, Prof. Pritam Singh and Randhir Singh believe that many gaps can be found in Babur’s autobiography. This means that it is intermittent and has not been written continuously. According to Prof. Pritam Singh, “While the emperor Babur was writing his autobiography, the ‘Tuzuk,’ a storm came and covered him. Despite all his efforts, many handwritten pages were lost in the storm. Despite all royal efforts, the pages could not be located, neither could the emperor spare the time to rewrite them. Coincidentally, the missing pages happened to be of that period in which there was a possibility of the mention of Babur’s meeting with Guru Nanak Sahib.”

Similarly, Randhir Singh is of the view that Babur could not find spare time to rewrite the ‘missing pages’ of incidents from 1520-1526 CE (926-931 Hijri) by himself.

Dr. Trilochan Singh, who has also provided details of the missing period from Baburnama, writes that “...It is very disappointing that, in Baburnama, Babur did not mention the time when he met Guru Nanak Sahib. Babur did not write this autobiography continuously, though. Sometimes there are gaps of two years, sometimes six months, and sometimes a year and a half. Nothing has been written about what Babur did and whom he met during these periods. The state of affairs of the period in which Babur met Guru Nanak Sahib as per Sikh history is also missing from Baburnama. That is why Guru Nanak Sahib’s name is not found in Baburnama.”

To sum up, it can be concluded that the absence of any mention regarding this meeting in Baburnama is not conclusive evidence that the meeting between Guru Nanak Sahib and Babur did not take place. Nor can the Sikh sources be disregarded based on this. Harinder Singh Mehboob is also of the opinion that “Sometimes unwritten facts are more accurate than written facts. Other than the historical dates, the creative aspects of collective consciousness, the argument for the overall flow of history, the main logic of a particular religion, the eternal element of human nature, and the special philosophical experience of the omnipresence of life - these five aspects are helpful in presenting historical reality correctly.”

Sabad 3
Sikh sources have differing opinions regarding the time and place of this Sabad’s revelation. In the Puratan Janamsakhi, ‘Saidpur’ is described as the place of its revelation. In the story titled, ‘Saidpur Di Band,’ it is stated that when Guru Nanak Sahib (1469-1539 CE) returned to Saidpur after serving three day’s of imprisonment by Mughal emperor Babur (1483-1530 CE), the Guru witnessed the havoc caused by Babur’s attack. After witnessing the pitiable scenes, the Guru asked Bhai Mardana, “What had happened?” Bhai Mardana replied, “O Sovereign! Whatever is your will, that has prevailed.” The Guru asked Bhai Mardana to play the rabab (rebeck) and revealed this Sabad in Rag Asa. m: 1 kahā su khel tabelā ghoṛe… nānak likhiā pāīai.7.12.

According to Miharban Janamsakhi, Guru Nanak Sahib revealed the first five stanzas of this Sabad after witnessing the destruction of Saidpur and the next two stanzas at ‘Tilla Bal Gundai’ (District Jhelum, Pakistan), after witnessing the destruction of the abode of Yogis by Babur. The author writes that Guru Nanak Sahib moved to ‘Tilla Bal Gundai’ from Saidpur. Yogis who were residing there said, “Nanak, judging by your speech, you seem to be accomplished. But we do not believe in mere talk. We will believe you only if you perform a miracle.” The Guru replied, “I am a family man. You are celibates who have been practicing austerities for a hundred years. You are better placed to perform a miracle; what can I show?” Then the Yogis replied, “Nanak! If you are strong, then we can show miracles to you.” The Guru said, “Why do you show miracles to a poor person like me? I am not of your stature. Emperor Babur will arrive here in a day or two. Show your miracles to him." Having said that, the Guru moved on. Later, Babur invaded the abode of the Yogis. He started to kill them. After capturing them, their ears were chopped off. Their seats of power were plundered. If the Yogis tried tricks, they were beaten and chased away. None of the Yogis’ miracles worked on the Mughals; neither were any of the Mughal’s horses killed nor did any Mughal go blind. Those who called themselves Pirs or Yogis could not do anything.

According to Bhai Bala Janamsakhi, the Guru revealed this Sabad while he was in the captivity of Ibrahim Khan Lodhi (reign 1517-1526 CE), the emperor of Delhi. As per this Janamsakhi, a Kshatriya maliciously reported to Ibrahim Khan Lodhi that Nanak was a Hindu sage. He neither believes in the Vedas nor the religious texts of the Semitic tradition (kateb). He should be investigated. The Guru and Bhai Mardana were captured and were ordered to grind flour with stone mills on the orders of Ibrahim Khan Lodhi. Here the biographer has mentioned the incident in which the Guru’s mill was moving on its own. Because of this strange event, the emperor realized that the Guru was an accomplished fakir, and he released the Guru. According to the biographer, the Guru revealed this Sabad at this particular moment.

Dr. Trilochan Singh’s description of the incident regarding the revelation of this Sabad is different from the narrative in these Janamsakhis. He has connected it with the battle of Panipat (1526 CE) between Ibrahim Khan Lodhi and Babur. He has given a historical interpretation of the various stanzas of this Sabad in the context of this battle:

kahā su khel tabelā ghoṛe...hoīā chāī māī.2.
While interpreting these stanzas, Dr. Trilochan Singh writes: “It seems the Guru went to see the battlefield after the battle. Having witnessed the killing of elephants, horses, chariots, and the destruction of weapons, palaces, cremation grounds, and cities surrounding Delhi, the Guru has depicted the arrogance of these rulers and the nature or will of the Creator in these Sabads: kahā su khel tabelā ghoṛe…. khusi lae caṅgiāī.3. Neither those stables nor horses are left, neither drums nor clarinet. Neither palaces nor cremation grounds. Everything giving worldly pleasures and comforts, beautiful women, the apartments of concubines, all vanished. The kingdom of the rulers was overthrown within a day. The kingdom of the Pathans was reduced to dust. Babur distributed the wealth of the Pathans among the Mughals. Regarding this historical event, the Guru writes: ek ghaṛī mahi thāp uthāpe jaru vanḍi deve bhāṁī.”

koṭī hū pīr varaji rahāe… kinai na parcā lāiā.4.
Dr. Trilochan Singh has associated this stanza with the miracles that Ibrahim Khan Lodhi asked his men to perform to compete with Babur. He writes: “When emperor Ibrahim Lodhi left Delhi for the battle of Panipat, the fortune-tellers, holy men and dervishes who could perform miracles assured the emperor that with the power of their spells and miracles, Babur and his army would go blind. But neither the predictions of these fortune-tellers proved right nor did their spells work. Nor did the Mughals go blind.”

Performance of rituals through fortune-tellers, holy men, and dervishes for winning battles has been an inseparable part of the political life of kings. Many such examples are seen in history. One of these instances is from the time of Baba Banda Singh Bahadar. When Baba Banda Singh Bahadar was fighting against the Mughals, keeping pir-fakirs (holy men) along with the royal army was considered necessary due to the prevailing fear around the fame of Banda Singh’s purported magic. These holy men used to recite kalma (the sacred Islamic phrases), not only for the victory of the king but also for their own protection. Sometimes they were positioned in front of the army, and fearing the advancing Sikhs, they would begin reciting the kalmas even louder.

The fact mentioned above is also reflected in these stanzas by Ratan Singh Bhangu:
dohrā. jān piārī sabbha te, jāne nāl jahān.
agge bando jam disai, picchai māre shāhu jāni.3.
caupaī. tab nibāb yauṁ karī salāhi. muhrai mulāṇe tore lāi.
kalām majīd vau paṛhate jāhiṁ. ḍār kūnjan jim paṁt baṇāhi.4.
un kai aggai kare phakīr. oi bhī karaiṁ su apan tadbīr....
paṛh paṛh saiphīāṁ phūkāṁ māre. rahaiṁ pahir aṭh nibāb duvāre.6.

mugal paṭhāṇā bhaī laṛāī… tin̖ā marṇā bhāī.5.
With reference to British historian Wolseley Haig, L.F. Rushbrook Williams, and Indian Historian Jadunath Sarkar, Dr. Trilochan Singh writes about this stanza: From Lahore, Babur moved towards Panipat. On the way, they defeated the army of the Afghan Lodhis at two places. Moving from Delhi, Ibrahim Lodhi reached near Panipat while halting for one or two days after every two or three miles. His army was a full city in motion. According to Wolseley’s statement: ‘There were 25000 soldiers in Babur’s army. Lodhi’s army consisted of 1000 war elephants. Babur didn’t possess any war elephants. Babur used cannons.’ According to Jadunath’s statement: ‘These cannons were fastened to bullock carts. The officials fired arrows while sitting on their elephant seats, so Babur surrounded them from all sides and started firing cannons.’ This was a decisive battle. It seems Guru Nanak Sahib either witnessed this battle or having gathered its realistic account, wrote about this battle of Panipat… Guru Nanak Sahib clearly states that the Pathans fired arrows from their elephant seats but the Mughals won the battle by attacking them with cannons. This has been confirmed by the renowned historian Rushbrook Williams. He writes: ‘The only reason behind Babur’s victory was that he had cannons.’

This battle has also been discussed by Babur’s daughter Gulbadan Begum in her work ‘Humayun Nama.’ She writes: “Babur’s army was sent towards Hindustan several times for seven to eight years from 1519 CE (925 Hijri) and each time, states and sub-divisions were captured, such as Bhir, Bajaur, Sialkot, Dipalpur, Lahore, etc. They moved towards Delhi on the first of Safar 932 Hijri, Friday, from the hill of Dihe-Yakub and conquered Lahore, Sirhand, and every other state that came in their way. On April 20, 1526, CE (8 Rajab 932 Hijri, Friday), with the grace of the Divine, Babur defeated Sultan Ibrahim, the son of Sultan Sikander Lodhi and grandson of Behlol Lodhi. Sultan Ibrahim was killed in this battle and this victory was achieved only through the grace of the Divine because Sultan Ibrahim possessed one lakh eighty thousand cavalries and one and a half thousand frenzied (mast) elephants. The royal army was only twelve thousand in strength, including merchants, weak and strong ones; there were only six to seven thousand competent soldiers (fighters).”

ik hindvāṇī avar turkāṇī… tin̖ kiu raiṇi vihāṇī.6.
While doing a historical interpretation of this stanza, Dr. Trilochan Singh remarks: Guru Nanak Sahib has portrayed this horrible scene in such heart-wrenching and realistic words that no other contemporary evidence by any other historian is found to be more authentic. Emperor Ibrahim Lodhi’s head was presented to Babur. Hindu and Muslim women were enslaved in thousands. A sum of seventy lakh dam (Rs. 400,000) was offered from the plundered wealth.

Sabad 4
Period and Place
In historical and literary texts, this Sabad is shown to have been revealed at Saidpur during Babur’s invasion. While relating the reference to word ‘Lalo’ in this Sabad to Bhai Lalo, most scholars consider this Sabad to be a prophecy regarding Babur’s attack on Saidpur, though some scholars disagree with it too.

According to the Puratan Janamsakhi, when Guru Nanak Sahib (1469-1539 CE) reached Saidpur, weddings were taking place in the house of the Pathans. The Guru was accompanied by some saintly persons who were hungry. The Guru, along with the saintly people and Bhai Mardana, went to one of the houses where a wedding was taking place. There they asked for something to eat. But no one paid attention. [It is said that] the Guru got angry [which does not seem plausible]. He asked Bhai Mardana to play the rabab (rebec), and he uttered the Sabad under consideration in Rag Tilang.

Miharban Janamsakhi, too, gives the above-mentioned account. As per this Janamsakhi, while returning from his journey to the West, the Guru travelled through Rum (Rome), Sham (Syria), Kabul, etc. and reached Saidpur Saloi via Peshawar and Gorakh Hatri. The people of Saidpur didn’t pay any attention to the Guru and remained engrossed in their weddings. At that time, the Guru uttered the Sabad under consideration. After revealing the Sabad, the Guru said, "O brothers! Nothing is in my hands. Whatever will transpire here, I speak of that alone. That alone will happen here."

In this Janamsakhi, while referring to Babur’s attack on Saidpur, it has been written that Babur will march from Khurasan. He will attack Hindustan with all his strength and army. The city of Saidpur Saloi will be plundered in this attack. The marriage procession of sins will arrive from Khurasan. Modesty and righteousness will disappear. Falsehood and impiety will prevail. Now, Brahmins and Qazis lead the wedding ceremonies, but Satan will do this job then… Songs of blood will be sung, and blood will mark the forehead… Because the Divine wills so… Such a bloody battle will take place that Hindustan will remember it for ages. On being asked by Bhai Mardana when this would happen, the Guru replied that the Pathans would arrive in [15]78 Bikrami Sammat (BS) (1521 CE) and leave in [15]97 BS (1540 CE). Then the rule of the Pathans would end. Another warrior would rise, who would then rule. He would kill these Pathans and throw them in the grave. This ‘utterance of truth’ (sac ki bani) has been sent by the Master (IkOankar) from the court. O People! Remember my words; you will see this happening… As per the Guru’s words, Saidpur was ruined. After Babur’s attack, the Guru went to see Saidpur.

In Miharban Janamsakhi, ‘marad kā celā,’ has been interpreted as ‘emperor Babur.’ But according to Dr. Jagjit Singh, “This interpretation seems to be incorrect. The above line was uttered after Babur’s invasion, since in the previous lines the Guru has sung the songs of blood (khūn ke sohile) and has called Babur’s army a procession of sin (pāp kī janñ), described the process of enslaving Hindustan as a forced donation (jorī dānu), narrated the dishonoring of women as the Satan reciting the wedding songs (agadu paṛai saitānu) and labelled the piles of corpses as a city of flesh (mās purī). In the previous line, the word ‘uṭhsī’ (will rise) being in future tense is an indication of a situation arising in the future. This proves that ‘marad kā celā,’ is not referring to Babur here. Rather, interpreting it as Sher Shah Suri seems more appropriate.”

Carrying on with the analysis of Miharban Janamsakhi, Dr. Jagjit Singh comments, “Miharban has written that Pathans will arrive in [15]78 BS (1521 CE) and leave in [15]97 (1540 CE). This interpretation does not seem to be historically correct. The Pathans were already ruling India at that time. Therefore, ‘āvani’ (will arrive) does not seem to have been used for the Pathans at least. Babur attacked Saidpur in 1578 BS (1521 CE), and Humanyun fled to Kabul after being defeated by Sher Shah Suri in 1597 BS (1540 CE). Consequently, if a historical interpretation can be derived from this line, it possibly has to be the arrival of Babur and departure of Humanyun.”

S.S. Padam believes that this Sabad was uttered at Kartarpur Sahib instead of Saidpur. He writes, “This Sabad was actually composed during the last days of the Guru at Kartarpur when every day, during congregational prayers held at dawn and dusk, there was an opportunity to reflect on contemporary issues relating to the political turmoil, disturbed and unstable social state. The repetitive use of the word ‘O Lalo!’ indicates the same. The five-year term of Babur failed to provide a fair and stable administration to its people since most of his time was spent tackling Pathan opponents. Humanyun’s actions also proved to be disappointing. Before his death, Babur divided his empire between his three sons [in this way]: Panjab, Kabul, and Kandahar. His brothers were eager to break relations with him... In the state of turmoil, the continuing defeats of Humanyun at Gujarat and the rise of Sher Shah Suri are contemporary events of the Guru’s lifetime, the natural consequence of which seemed to be the end of the Mughal empire to the Guru; the words of the Guru regarding their departure in [15]97 BS (1540 CE) was not a prophecy, rather it was a wise and far-sighted conclusion derived from contemporary conditions.”

Meaning of the word ‘Lalo’
According to Miharban Janamsakhi, ‘Lalo’ means ‘aho’ (yea/yes), which the Mughals refer to as ‘are’ (yes, okay, alright). People belonging to southern and eastern parts of Hindustan say ‘avas’ (sure, indeed). People of Panjab say ‘aho’ (yea/yes). Pathans say ‘lalo.’ S.S. Padam is also in agreement with these meanings, and he does not believe this Sabad to be a prophecy or a future indication of Babur’s invasion. He writes, “Miharban, the author of the Janamsakhi, was a magnificent commentator. Till his time, the story linking this Sabad with Lalo, the carpenter from Saidpur, did not exist, which, in fact, is a concoction by the Hindalis. This concoction is a part of the maligning Ranghar tales, which, being unhistorical, needs to be rejected.” But Dr. Kirpal Singh and Shamsher Singh Ashok, while commenting on the word ‘lalo,’ write that in Persian, the meaning of the word ‘lal’ is: perhaps, possibly, it is possible. But here, this word refers to Bhai Lalo of Saidpur, to whom this Sabad was addressed.”

āvani aṭhatrai jāni satānvai
Bhai Vir Singh has described this Sabad as a prophecy by the Guru. According to him, this Sabad does not depict the Saidpur attack alone but also encapsulates the sufferings of the entire Hindustan. The words ‘hidustānu samālsī bolā’ (Hindustan will recall my words), appearing in this Sabad, point towards the battles of Lahore and Panipat as well. The Guru was physically present in [15]78 BS (1521 CE) while he was not there in [15]97 BS (1540 CE). Therefore, he surely made a prophecy regarding [15]97.

Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha has expressed views similar to those of Bhai Vir Singh. He states, “Guru Nanak Sahib reveals this prophecy to Bhai Lalo, that the Mughals would plunder the Pathans in 1578 BS (1521 CE) at this place (Saidpur) and depart from India in 1597 BS (1540 CE); warrior Sher Shah Suri would rise. Babur invaded India five times, and this was his third attempt in 1578 BS (1521 CE) when he slaughtered the vicious Pathans of Saidpur. In 1597 BS (1540 CE), following his defeat at the hands of Sher Shah Suri at the battle of Kanauj, Humanyun was forced to leave India. The word ‘bhī’ implying ‘too/also’ in this Sabad, indicates that the Pathans who lost at the hands of the Mughals, would regain power; consequently, Sher Shah conquered the throne of Delhi.”

Some scholars consider 78 as 1578 BS (1521 CE) when Babur began his rule over Hindustan. Still, they interpret 97 as 1797 BS (1740 CE) when the Mughal empire’s rule over Delhi ended, and Sardar Baghel Singh conquered Delhi. They believe Sardar Baghel Singh to be the ‘marad kā celā.’ As per another opinion, Guru Teghbahadar Sahib is considered the ‘marad,’ (man or brave), and Guru Gobind Singh Sahib the ‘celā’ (disciple or follower). According to a third view, ‘marad,’ refers to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib and ‘celā’ refers to the Khalsa Panth. The destruction of the Mughal empire and the establishment of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s rule is also included in this line of interpretations. Here, Maharaja Ranjit Singh is considered the ‘marad kā celā.’

There is a vast difference in the opinions mentioned above. Bhai Vir Singh’s statement is very important in this context that this Sabad does not refer to the century but only the year (78 and 97). The century will be assumed to be the same in which this Sabad has been revealed. Therefore, the opinion regarding Babur’s invasion and Humanyun’s escape after his defeat at the hands of Sher Shah Suri seems more reasonable.

As far as the question regarding the prophecy of Babur’s invasion is concerned, Miharban Janamsakhi clarifies that the Guru had visited places like Kabul before reaching Saidpur. The Guru must have witnessed Babur’s preparations for the invasion of India. This Sabad by Guru Nanak Sahib portrays a fair description of the contemporary political and social conditions of that time. The place where it was revealed is indeed Saidpur. It is possible that this Sabad may have been scribed at Kartarpur.