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

Rag Asa
In Gurmat Sangit (Sikh Music), Rag Asa (a musical mode) has a lot of importance. The melodious notes of this rag can be heard everywhere in the land of Panjab. Every morning, the golden rays of dawn stream down together with the sweet melody of ‘Asa Ki Var.’ When the redness of every evening gradually begins to be absorbed in the lap of nature, the melodious notes of this rag sing the praises of ‘So Daru.’

Out of the thirty-one principal rags in the Guru Granth Sahib, Rag Asa has been designated fourth place in the sequence. Under this rag, the Bani of six Gurus and five Bhagats is recorded from page 347 to 488 of the Guru Granth Sahib. It includes one hundred seventy Sabads by Guru Nanak Sahib, fifteen by Guru Angad Sahib, forty-eight by Guru Amardas Sahib, thirty by Guru Ramdas Sahib, one hundred eighty-eight by Guru Arjan Sahib, one by Guru Teghbahadar Sahib, thirty-seven by Bhagat Kabir, five by Bhagat Namdev, six by Bhagat Ravidas, and two each by Bhagat Dhanna, and Baba Farid. Guru Nanak Sahib has revealed the greatest number of Sabads in this rag.

There are many prevalent forms of Rag Asa. In earlier times, ragis (professional singers of Sabads from the Guru Granth Sahib) used to sing this rag in various angs (styles or variations). Like Pahari ang, Bilaval ang, Kalian ang, and Kafi ang. Four other forms of Rag Asa are also available in the Guru Granth Sahib, such as Rag Asa Kafi, Asavari Sudhang, Asa Asavari, and Asavari.

Rag Asa does not fall in the category of commonly sung rags of Hindustani music. There is not much information available about this rag in the musicology texts. Another rag similar to this is Rag ‘Mand.’ Even though the same notes are used in both Rag Asa and Rag Mand, they differ in their usage (singing style). Both these rags are considered to be based on folk tunes.

Rag Asa is devotional in nature. Darbari ragi (court musician) and poet of the state of Patiala, Master Bhai Prem Singh, writes in ‘Ratan Sangit Bhandar’ that Rag Asa is obtained from a combination of Srirag, Rag Megh, and Rag Maru. This rag falls in the category of sandhi-prakash rags, which are sung and played during mornings and evenings. This is an utrang vadi rag.

Rag Asa is Panjab’s famous and melodious rag. Long before Guru Nanak Sahib’s time, the famous ‘Tunde Asraje Di Var’ (an ode to the maimed king Asraj) was also sung in this rag. The Bani of the Bhagat contributors of the Guru Granth Sahib, who predate Guru Nanak Sahib, is also written in this rag. This establishes the fact that this rag was prevalent even before Guru Nanak Sahib’s arrival. Folk legends, songs, stories, and tunes sung and narrated in Rag Asa were extremely pleasing. Because of its unique qualities, outside of the kirtan tradition, Rag Asa is dominant in folk-music, classical music, and cinema also.

Sri Vimalkant Rai Chaudhary has given two forms of Rag Asha in Hindustani music. In one form, notes Re Ga Dha Ni are flat (komal), and in the other form Ni is flat and jati (class) is given as aurav-sharav. This second form of Rag Asha is closer to the Rag Asa prevalent in Gurmat Sangit. The same form has been accepted by the Rag Nirnayak Committee, which is as follows:

Description of Rag Asa
That: Bilaval.
Svar (notes): all normal/natural (shudh).
Varjit Svar (forbidden notes): Ga and Ni in ascending scale (aroh).
Jati: aurav-sampuran.
Vadi: Ma.
Samvadi: Sa.
Aroh (ascending scale): Sa, Re Ma, Pa, Dha Sa (tar saptak - upper octave).
Avroh (descending scale): Sa (tar saptak - upper octave) Ni Dha Pa, Ma, Ga Re Sa Re Ga Sa.
Mukh Ang/Pakar (Main Part): Re Ma, Pa, Dha Sa (tar saptak - upper octave), Ni Dha Pa Ma, Ga Sa Re Ga Sa.

Singing Time
First-quarter of the morning (dawn) and the evening (dusk).

Rag Tilang
Out of the thirty-one principal rags in the Guru Granth Sahib, Rag Tilang has been designated fourteenth place in the sequence. The Bani of four Gurus and two Bhagats is recorded under this rag on page 721 to 727 of the Guru Granth Sahib. Rag Tilang includes six Sabads by Guru Nanak Sahib, three by Guru Ramdas Sahib, five by Guru Arjan Sahib, three by Guru Teghbahadar Sahib (two in Rag Tilang and one in mixed Rag Tilang.

Tilang is a popular rag. This rag falls under the category of popular and simple rags of Hindustani music. It is believed to have originated from folk songs and folk melodies. Due to the popularity and simplicity of this rag, common people are also able to recognize its form. This could be the reason why Guru Nanak Sahib used it to describe the atrocities of Babur’s attack on Saidpur (Eminabad, Pakistan) and the tragic massacre carried out.

Rag Tilang is believed to have originated from Khamaj that. The name ‘Telangi’ has also been used for this rag in the texts on Hindustani music; still the name Tilang is more common. Both Rag Khamaj and Rag Tilang have close affinity. In Rag Khamaj, the notes Re and Dha are clearly used, but in Rag Tilang, Dha is forbidden (varjit) and Re is sometimes used in the upper octave (tar saptak). Thus, Rag Tilang assumes a separate form from Rag Khamaj. In the melodic form of this rag, both notes of Ni are used, Re and Dha are forbidden (varjit), and all other notes are normal/natural (shudh). Normal/natural Ni (shudh) is used in its ascending scale (aroh) and flat (komal) Ni is used in its descending scale (avroh). It is customary to use the note Re in the upper octave (tar saptak) of this rag, but it is always forbidden in the middle octave (madhya saptak). Due to the prohibition of two notes, the jati (class) of this rag is aurav-aurav.

In Rag Tilang, the two note combinations “Ni (komal - flat) Pa” and “Ga Ma Ga” are very important. On the basis of these note combinations, devotional singers (ragi) establish the form of this rag. This rag is mostly rendered in the middle (madhya saptak) and upper octave (tar saptak), and rarely in the lower octave (mandar saptak). Some writers consider this rag to be a part of shingar ras (aesthetic element related to romance, love, attractiveness) and include it under the category of playful and lively rags.

The same form of Rag Tilang is being given here, which has been accepted by texts on musicology like ‘Gurbani Sangit Prachin Rit Ratnavali,’ ‘Sri Guru Granth Sahib Rag Ratnavali’ etc., and also the Rag Nirnayak Committee.

Description of Rag Tilang
Rag: Tilang.
That: Khamaj.
Svar (notes): Both Ni and rest all normal/natural (shudh).
Varjit Svar (forbidden notes): Re and Dha.
Jati (class): aurav-aurav.
Vadi (prominent note): Ga.
Samvadi (sub-prominent note): Ni.
Aroh (ascending scale): Sa Ga, Ma Pa, Ni Sa (tar saptak - upper octave).
Avroh (descending scale): Sa (tar saptak - upper octave) Ni (komal - flat) Pa, Ma Ga, Sa.
Mukh Ang/Pakar (Main Part): Ni (komal mandar saptak - flat lower octave) Sa Ga Ma Pa, Ni (komal - flat) Pa, Ga Ma Ga, Sa.

Singing Time
The third quarter of the day.