Deh Shiva Bar Mohe Ihai
Guru Gobind Singh's prayer for courage, the anthem of the Khalsa and of the Sikh Regiment.
This short prayer in Braj comes from the Chandi Charitar in the Dasam Granth, attributed to Guru Gobind Singh. In it the poet asks the Almighty for one boon: never to turn away from doing good, never to fear when going into battle, to be certain of victory, to keep the teaching in the mind, and when the end of life comes, to die fighting on the battlefield.
It became the anthem of the Khalsa. It is sung at the close of gatherings, at Hola Mohalla, at the passing-out parades of the Indian Army's Sikh Regiment, which adopted it as its regimental prayer, and at moments of collective resolve. Its melody, slow and stately, is one of the best known in Sikh music.
Because it was composed for a warrior community under persecution, its words carry the spirit of the Khalsa's founding: devotion that does not shrink from struggle.
More famous songs and poems
Amrita Pritam's lament for the Partition, calling on Waris Shah to rise from his grave and see Punjab now.
▶ Watch
Batalvi's poem of a girl called Love, who is lost and never found again.
▶ Watch
Bulleh Shah's kafi of who I am not, turned into a rock song that became India's anthem of 2005.
▶ Watch
Reshma's song of a long separation, sung in a Hindi film and adopted by both Punjabs.
▶ Watch
The dhamaal of the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, sung by every great Sufi voice of the Punjab.
▶ Watch
Pash's poem that the most dangerous thing is the death of our dreams.
▶ Watch
'Guard your turban, farmer': the protest song of 1907 that became the slogan of every Punjabi farmers' movement since.
▶ Watch
The bhangra of Southall and Birmingham, which mixed the dhol with synthesisers and reggae and went round the world.
▶ Watch
Arif Lohar and Meesha Shafi's version of the old Jugni that made Coke Studio Pakistan famous across the world.
▶ WatchMadhaniyanFolkThe farewell song of the bride to her mother and father, one of the saddest songs in Punjabi.
▶ WatchKala DoriyaFolkThe teasing wedding song of the black thread, sung by women at the mehndi and in giddha.
▶ WatchLathe di chadarFolkA mahiya duet about a sheet of white cotton: a lover's invitation to sit down and talk.