Sri Krishna In The Sikh Panth

Sri Krishna.

This one name generates a thousand images, and puts a thousand imaginations on a flight to fancy.

He belongs to everyone, and manages to touch everyone’s lives in ways that perhaps can not be comprehended.

From art to music, from liturgy to literature, rarely have we seen a figure perhaps generate so much interest and fascination, with a myriad of emotions, words, strokes and rhythms being dedicated to this one Yogeshwara.

While Sri Krishna gets often reduced to the idea of the deliverer of the sermon of Srimad Bhagavad Gita, there are innumerable facets to Sri Krishna’s personality that to this day teach mankind several things.

From his humility, despite being Krishna, to the idea of living to fight another day despite facing humiliation, instance after instance have become part of daily conservation of Indians and adherents to Indic traditions to the point of it being second nature, and not even something extraordinary.

There is none in the Indic tradition that has not engaged with Sri Krishna. A Bodhisattva to the cousin of Neminath ji, the twenty second Jain Tirthankar, every one has seen and associated themselves with this legend, this enigma.

In the Sikh Panth too, a special place has been given to the Krishna Bhakti of Sant Namdev ji. Sixty one of his compositions were incorporated in simplified language of the times at the instruction of the revered Gurus to show to the sangat what true bhakti is all about.

For instance, in Ang 485 of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, it has been dictated through the words of Sant Namdev:

एक अनेक बिआपक पूरक जत देखउ तत सोई ॥

माइआ चित्र बचित्र बिमोहित बिरला बूझै कोई ॥१॥

सभु गोबिंदु है सभु गोबिंदु है गोबिंद बिनु नही कोई ॥

सूतु एकु मणि सत सहंस जैसे ओति पोति प्रभु सोई ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥

Again, in Ang 988 of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, we see Namdev ji’s baani of congratulating Devaki, the mother of Sri Krishna:

धनि धंनि ओ राम बेनु बाजै ॥

मधुर मधुर धुनि अनहत गाजै ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥

धनि धनि मेघा रोमावली ॥

धनि धनि क्रिसन ओढै कांबली ॥१॥

धनि धनि तू माता देवकी ॥

जिह ग्रिह रमईआ कवलापती ॥२॥

Krishna as a figure was revered even in the Dasam Granth written by Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji, with a Krishna Avatar story given in detail. Ang 457 of the Dasam Granth for instance mentions the episode when Krishna showed the whole universe to Yashoda residing in his mouth:

दै बहु बि्पन कौ तब दान सु खेलत है सुत सो फुन माई ॥

दै बहु बि्पन कौ तब दान सु खेलत है सुत सो फुन माई ॥

आनंद होत महां जसुधा मन अउर कहा कहौ तोहि बडाई ॥

ता छबि की उपमा अति पै कबि के मन मै तन अति भाई ॥११२॥

अथ सारी बिस्व मुख सो क्रिशन जी जसोधा को दिखाई ॥

Krishna is a great hero for the Sikh Panth in many ways. The instance of Draupadi’s vastra haran in the Mahabharata, where Krishna is called upon by Draupadi to save her honour serves as an example of how Bhagavan rushes to the help of the bhakta when (s)he needs Him the most. As a vaaran by Bhai Gurdas ji wrote:

अंदरि सभा दुसासणै मथेवालि द्रोपती आँदी।

दूता नो फुरमाइआ नंगी करहु पंचाली बाँदी।

पंजे पाँडो वेखदे अउघटि रुधी नारि जिना दी।

अखी मीटि धिआनु धरि हा हा कृसन करै बिललाँदी।

कपड़ कोटु उसारिओनु थके दूत न पारि वसाँदी।

हथ मरोड़नि सिरु धुणनि पछोतानि करनि जाहि जाँदी।

घरि आई ठाकुर मिले पैज रही बोले शरमाँदी।

नाथ अनाथाँ बाणि धुराँ दी ॥८॥

In another vaaran by Bhai Gurdas ji, we see the example of grandness and benevolence of Bhagavan through the story of Krishna and Sudama being told:

बिप सुदामा दालिदी बाल सखाई मित्र सदाए।

लागू होई बाह्मणी मिल जगदीस दलिद्र गवाए।

दूरों देख डंडौत कर छड सिंघासण हर जी आए।

चल्या गणदा गट्टीयां क्यों कर जाईअै कौण मिलाए ।

पहुता नगर द्वारका सिंघ दुआर खलोता जाए।

पहले दे परदखणा पैरीं पै कै गल लाए।

चरणोदक लै पैर धोय सिंघासण उत्ते बैठाए।

पुछे कुसल प्यार कर गुर सेवा दी कथा सुणाए।

लै कै तंदुल चबिओन विदा करै अगै पहुचाए।

चार पदार्थ सकुच पठाए, चार पदार्थ सकुच पठाए||९ ||

The message of Sri Krishna remains eternal to many Sikhs. In recent times too, the appeal of Sri Krishna as a Divine Messenger from whom everyone can learn a lot remains.

To this end, a video by the popular Youtube channel Nanak Naam has, in a sublime manner, drawn attention to what the message of Srimad Bhagavad Gita on oneness with everything is and how this message of oneness was also the message of Guru Nanak ji.

Sri Krishna is a hero to emulate for many in the Sikh Panth for a variety of reasons, and the love and affection shown to Krishna by the Gurus and the important figures in the Sikh tradition is an example of how the bridges between the various Indic traditions shall always stand the test of time.