Chaubole

This composition is revealed by Guru Arjan Sahib and recorded on pages 1363-1364 of the Guru Granth Sahib and contains eleven stanzas of two lines each. The theme of this composition is ‘love.’ It has been depicted that the state of being absorbed in the beloved is called ‘love.’ A lover absorbed in love is ready to sacrifice everything for their beloved.

Literary Aspect of Chaubole
From a literary perspective, many definitions and types of Chaubole can be found. The word ‘chaubole’ is plural; its singular form is ‘chaubola.’ According to Mahan Kosh, ‘chaubola’ is also a verse form, and from a linguistic perspective, a composition in verse form containing four languages is also known as ‘chaubola.’

In the poetic traditions of North India and Pakistan, chaubole was often used in folk songs. Additionally, chaubole with devotional sentiments were also written in earlier times. There is also mention of a book titled ‘Chaubola’ written by Shri Biharin Dev. Later, chaubole as a poetic form was adopted for plays. One such example is the famous Urdu play ‘Indra Sabha,’ where the dialogue from the king of the gods, ‘Indra,’ is as follows:
rājā hūṁ maiṁ kaum kā, aur indar merā nām.
bin parīoṁ kī dīd ke, mujhe nahīṁ arām.
merā saṅgaldīp meṁ, mulkoṁ-mulkoṁ rāj.
jī merā hai cāhatā, ki jalsā dekhuṁ āj.


As a poetic form, chaubole primarily has seven or eight forms. One of these forms is associated with the dohra meter. The dohra meter form of chaubole is used in the current composition. Previously, a part of a line (before the pause) was called a ‘charan,’ but nowadays, the entire line is referred to as ‘charan.’

One form of chaubole is also linked to the tatank meter. According to some scholars, tatank is synonymous with chaubole. Tatank is also a metered poetic form constituting four lines. It contains 30 meters, with the first pause after 16 meters and the second after another 14 meters:
jiu jiu japai tivai sukhu pāvai satiguru sevi samāvaigo.1. rahāu.
bhagat janāṁ kī khinu khinu locā nāmu japat sukhu pāvaigo.

Similarly, various forms of chaubole are also associated with meters, such as dohra, tatank, aril, savaiya, and chaupai. One form of the four-line aril meter, where each line has 21 meters and which ends with a long-short-long (guru-laghu-guru) meter, is also called chaubole. A vocative (address) word (like he, hai, ho, etc.) also appears at the beginning of the fourth line of this form, which, according to Dr. Rattan Singh Jaggi, is not counted in the meter. An example of this form of chaubole is:
sunai guṅg jo yāhi, su rasnā pāvaī.
sunai mūṛha cit lāi, caturtā āvaī.
dūkh darad bhau nikaṭ, na tin nar ke rahai.
ho! jo yākī ek bār, caupaī ko kahai.

Some scholars believe that a ‘chaubola’ is a savaiya that ends with four different rhyming lines. As a ‘savaiya,’ the chaubola verse form is also used in Dasam Granth:
caübolā savaiyā.
srī raghurāj sarāsan lai, ris ṭhāni ghanī rani bān prahāre.
bīran mār dusār gae sar, ambar te barse jan ore.
bāj gajī rath sāj gire dhar, patra anek su kaün ganāvai.
phāgun paün pracanḍ bahe ban, patran te janu pattra uḍāne.

In Prakrit and Apabhransha languages as well, ‘chaubola’ is used as a poetic form. Its usage can be found in the Prakrit text ‘Prakrit-Paingalam.’ The same poetic form is found in ancient texts under the name ‘Manamthavilsit’ in Prakrit and ‘Chatushpadi’ in Sanskrit. Acharya Bhikharidas’ chaubola is composed by combining two chaubolas of Prakrit. For this reason, it can also be compared to tatank. In Hindi, the usage of chaubola is equivalent to chatushpadi. Poets like Keshavdas, Sudan, and Raghuraj have used this poetic form in Hindi.

Despite the diverse features shown in the examples above, they all share the common characteristic of typically consisting of four lines. Therefore, it can be stated that, more than any other characteristic, chaubola shares the common feature of having four lines with these poetic forms.

From a linguistic perspective, a composition is called ‘chaubola’ if four different languages are used in its four lines. For example, we can see the use of Braj, Multani, Dingal, and Hindi languages, respectively, in the following four lines of the chaubola from ‘Ramavatar:’
gāje mahāṁ sūr ghūṁmī raṇaṅ hūr, bhramī nabhaṅ pūr bekh anūpaṅ.
vale valī sāṁī jīvīṁ jug tāīṁ, taiḍe ghol jāī alāvīt aise.
lagoṁ lār thāne baro rāj mhāne, kaho aur kāne haṭhī chāḍ thaise.
baro ān moko bhajo ā toko, calo dev loke tajo beg laṅkā.

In musicology, a composition called ‘chaturang’ is also termed ‘chaubola.’ Chaturang is a musical composition or setup which contains a simple song, a set of notes, a tune, and notes of percussion instruments like mridang. Here also, chaubola is associated with the number four in the count.

According to Dr. Rattan Singh Jaggi, in Avankari (a dialect of Panjabi spoken in the Panjab province of Pakistan), sometimes ‘chaubole’ are used to express sarcasm and love. Thus, within the folk tradition of this region, it symbolizes an expression of love through sarcasm or gentle criticism. ‘Chaubole’ is also considered a form of ‘char-bol’ (endearing words) in Apabhransh.

Chaubole Composition
As per the Sikh tradition it is believed that this composition was revealed as an address to four Sikhs: Saman, Musan, Jamal, and Patang. For this reason, it has been given the title ‘Chaubole.’ This belief does not seem to have a basis if we look at it in light of the above discussion on the chaubole poetic form, as well as the different meanings of these words given by various scholars. Various scholars have interpreted these four words (nouns) in the following ways:

Interpretation/Interpreter	Saman	Musan	Jamal	Patang
Adi Guru Granth Sahib (Faridkot Tika)	Saman ji	Musan ji	A saint named Jamal	Moth, Bhagat Patang
Shabdarth Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji	O Saman!	O Musan!	O Jamal!	Moth, a Sikh names Patang
Bhai Vir Singh	O Saman!	O Musan!	Beauty	Moth, bumble-bee, name of a fakir
Prof. Sahib Singh	O charitable person!	O person, being robbed of spiritual life!	Delicate beauty	Moth
Sant Kirpal Singh	O Saman!	O Musan!	Revered Jamal	Revered Patang, like the sun
Giani Haribans Singh	O Saman!	O Musan!	O Jamal!	Moth
Dr. Rattan Singh Jaggi	O Saman!	O Musan!	O Jamal!	An insignificant moth
Sant Singh Khalsa	O Samman!	O Musan!	O Jamal!	Moth
Harjinder Singh Dilgeer	O Saman!	O Musan!	O Jamal!	Moth
Gurbachan Singh Talib	Listen Samman!	Listen Musan!	Listen Jamal!	Listen Patang!
Manmohan Singh	Saman	Musan	Beauteous	Moth

Apart from Professor Sahib Singh, all other scholars have portrayed Saman and Musan as individuals. Though Dr. Rattan Singh Jaggi also interprets their meaning as addresses to two people (‘O Saman,’ and ‘O Musan’), he also links Saman and Musan with folk tales and describes their folkloric roots as over 2,500 years old. There is a difference of opinion among these scholars regarding Jamal and Patang as well. Adi Guru Granth Sahib (Faridkot Wala Tika), Shabdarth Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Sant Kirpal Singh, Giani Haribans Singh, Dr. Rattan Singh Jaggi, Sant Singh Khalsa, Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, and Gurbachan Singh Talib present Jamal as an individual. However, Bhai Vir Singh, Professor Sahib Singh, and Manmohan Singh interpret it as beauty or delicate beauty. Patang is personified by Gurbachan Singh Talib, while Professor Sahib Singh, Giani Haribans Singh, Dr. Rattan Singh Jaggi, Sant Singh Khalsa, Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, and Manmohan Singh interpret Patang as an insect. Adi Guru Granth Sahib (Faridkot Wala Tika), Shabdarth Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Bhai Vir Singh, and Sant Kirpal Singh interpret Patang as both an individual and an insect. This disagreement among scholars is evident. Most scholars accept the names of only two individuals (Saman and Musan) in this composition. Dr. Rattan Singh Jaggi suggests that Saman, Musan, Jamal, and Patang were not Sikhs of the time of the Guru. It is possible that these stories were used as examples to instruct the congregation.

Based on the above discussion, it can be concluded that chaubole is a poetic form consisting of four lines and dramatic elements, filled with emotions of love. The Chaubole composition recorded in the Guru Granth Sahib is also full of these elements.