Bani Sheikh Farid Ji

Sabad 1 and 2
Rag Asa
Of the thirty-one principal rags in the Guru Granth Sahib, Rag Asa is designated the fourth place in the sequence. The Bani of six Gurus and five Bhagats under this rag is recorded from pages 347 to 488 of the Guru Granth Sahib. This 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 Ji, five by Bhagat Namdev Ji, six by Bhagat Ravidas Ji, and two each by Bhagat Dhanna Ji, and Sheikh Farid Ji. Guru Nanak Sahib revealed the greatest number of Sabads in this rag.

In Gurmat Sangit (Sikh Devotional Music), Rag Asa is incredibly significant. The melodious notes of this rag can be heard everywhere in the land of Panjab. Every morning, the golden rays of dawn stream together to the sweet melody of ‘Asa Ki Var.’ As the redness of every evening is gradually absorbed in the lap of nature, the melodious notes of this rag sing the praises of ‘So Dar.’

There are many prevalent forms of Rag Asa. In earlier times, ragis sang this rag in various angs (styles), such as Pahari ang, Bilaval ang, Kalian ang, and Kaphi ang. Four other forms of Rag Asa are also included in the Guru Granth Sahib, such as Rag Asa Kaphi, Asavari Sudhang, Asa Asavari, and Asavari.

Rag Asa is not commonly sung in Hindustani music, and there is little information about it in musicology texts. Another rag similar to Rag Asa is Rag ‘Mand,’ and both are based on folk tunes. While the same notes are used in both Rag Asa and Rag Mand, since they are rendered differently, they form distinct rags.

Rag Asa is devotional in nature. Master Bhai Prem Singh, darbari ragi (court musician) and poet of the state of Patiala, writes in ‘Ratan Sangit Bhandar’ that Rag Asa is a combination of Sirirag, Rag Megh, and Rag Maru. This rag falls in the category of sandhi-prakash rags, which are sung and played in the 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. Hence, Rag Asa was prevalent even before the arrival of Guru Nanak Sahib. Folk legends, songs, stories, and tunes sung and narrated in Rag Asa were extremely pleasing and popular. Due to its unique qualities, outside of the kirtan tradition, Rag Asa is still dominant in folk music, classical music, and cinema.

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

Description of Rag Asa
That: Bilaval.
Svar (notes): All shudh (natural).
Varjit Svar (forbidden notes): Ga and Ni in aroh (ascending scale).
Jati (class): aurav-sampuran.
Vadi (prominent note): Ma.
Samvadi (sub-prominent note): 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
The first quarter of the morning (dawn) and the evening (dusk).

Sabad 3 and 4
Rag Suhi
Of the thirty-one principal rags in the Guru Granth Sahib, Rag Suhi, a musical mode, has been designated the fifteenth place in the sequence. The Bani of five Gurus and three Bhagats is recorded under this rag on different pages of the Guru Granth Sahib. This includes forty-two Sabads by Guru Nanak Sahib, eleven saloks by Guru Angad Sahib, forty-six by Guru Amardas Sahib, twenty-three by Guru Ramdas Sahib, seventy-five by Guru Arjan Sahib, five by Bhagat Kabir Ji, three by Bhagat Ravidas Ji, and two by Sheikh Farid Ji.

Suhi is a rag of enthusiasm associated with intense love and devotion and evokes feelings of profound adoration. There are many references to suhag (marital bliss) and suhagan (married woman) in this rag. Sabads related to engagement and Sikh marriage ceremony (Anand Karaj) are all in this rag. In this rag, the signs of the union between the soul-bride and the Divine-husband are described. The concepts of ‘kuchaji’ and ‘suchaji’ are associated with a married woman. An ungraceful bride who does not know the way is called ‘kuchaji,’ while a graceful bride who knows the way is called ‘suchaji.’ Thus, the inclusion of Sabads titled ‘Kuchaji,’ ‘Suchaji,’ and ‘Gunvanti’ in Rag Suhi is in accordance with the original tone and subject of this rag.

The mention of Rag Suhi is seldom found in Hindustani musicology texts. In some books, Suhi is listed as Suho, Suhav, and Suhavi etc. Pandit Lochan listed two names, Shudh Suhav (pure Suhav) and Desi Suhav (indigenous Suhav). Pandit Hirdainarain Dev identifies Shudh Suhav (pure Suhav) with sharav jati (class) and Desi Suhav (indigenous Suhav) with sampuran jati and connects their notes with Bilaval that. Pundrik Vithul, based on rag-ragini classification, suggests Suhavi to be a ragini of the Rag Nat Narayan and believes it to have originated from Kedar that. However, other authors have not mentioned this rag.

Among the variations of Kanra, there is also a rag called Suha, which is considered one of the more complex rags. Some scholars regard Rag Suha and Rag Suhi as the same. Although both names, Suhi and Suha, are found, the forms of these two rags are distinct. This is because Suha belongs to the Kafi that, while Suhi belongs to the Bilawal that.

Suhi is an unpopular rag, which was originally brought into popularity by the Gurus. According to Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, Rag Suhi is a sharav ragini of Kaphi that, which is also called Suha. Dha note is varjit (forbidden) in it. Ga and Ni are komal (flat); rest are shudh (natural). Ma is vadi (prominent), and Sa is samvadi (sub-prominent).

According to Dr. Gurnam Singh, there is another independent form of Suhi in the Gurmat Sangit (Sikh Devotional Music) tradition, which is popular in practice among kirtaniyas (devotional hymn singers). This rag is listed under Bilaval that by many analysts of Gurmat Sangit, which includes Bhai Avtar Singh and Bhai Gurcharn Singh, Gian Singh Abbottabad, Dr. Mansukhani, etc. The form of Rag Suhi approved by the Rag Nirnayak Committee is as follows:

Description of Rag Suhi
That: Bilaval.
Vadi (prominent note): Pa.
Samvadi (sub-prominent note): Sa.
Jati (class): sampuran-sampuran.
Aroh (ascending scale): Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Ni Dha Ni Sa (tar saptak - upper octave).
Avroh (descending scale): Sa (tar saptak - upper octave) Ni (komal - flat) Dha Pa, Ma Ga, Re Ga Re Sa.
Mukh Ang/Pakar (main part): Sa (tar saptak - upper octave) Ni (komal - flat) Pa, Ma Ga Re Ga, Ma Ga Re Sa.

Singing Time
The second quarter of the day.

The saloks have no prescribed rag.