Chandi Charitar Ukti Bilas


Chandi Charitar Ukti Bilas or Chandi Charitar Ukat Bilas, also called Chandi Charitar 1 is a heroic poetic composition, included in the 4th chapter of Dasam Granth, whose authorship is generally and traditionally attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.
Though crew is based on Markandeya Purana, The direction and narration of whole story is totally independent of Markandeya Puran.

Overview

Chandi stands for the embodiment of ferocious "shakti" or the female form of cosmic energy. Bilas comes from vilaas which can also be described as chronicles/descriptive/heroics, Ukati means on, and Charitar means characteristics and function. So, Chandi Charitar Ukti Bilas means "Discussion on characteristics and functions of Chandi".
Ukat bilas is divided into eight cantos, comprises 233 couplets and quatrains, employing seven different metres, with Savaiyya and Dohara predominating. In the former, the source of the story mentioned is Durga Saptasati, which is a portion of Markandeya Purana, from chapters 81 to 94.
The language of the composition is Braj. Ukti Bilas was composed at Anandpur Sahib, before 1698, the year when the Bichitra Natak was completed. The concluding lines of the last canto of Chandi Charitra Ukti Bilas as included in the Dasam Granth manuscript preserved at Patna, however, mention 1752 Bk / AD 1695 as the year of the composition of this work.
There are few more related compositions of Guru Gobind Singh i.e. Chandi Charitar 2, Chandi di Var and Ugardanti.

Contents

The bani starts with ੴ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫਤਹਿ ॥ and ends with ਇਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ੍ਰ ਮਾਰਕੰਡੇ ਪੁਰਾਨੇ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਚੰਡੀ ਚਰਿਤ੍ਰੋ ਉਕਤਿ ਬਿਲਾਸ ਦੇਵ ਸੁਰੇਸ ਸਹਿਤ ਜੈਕਾਰ ਸਬਦ ਕਰਾ ਅਸਟਮੋ ਧਿਆਇ ਸਮਾਪਤਮ ਸਤੁ ਸੁਭਮ ਸਤੁ॥੮॥
In the beginning, the author mentioned attributes of one whom he worshiped:

Definition of Chandi

First Twelve Lines are about Definition of Word Chandi. After this basic explanation Author have explained the Character of Chandi:


Chandi means "the violent and impetuous one". In Gurmat, Chandi is attributed to intuitive and discerning mind called Vivek Budhi which fights with negativity. In contrast, Sakar Hindus and the anti-Dasam Granth people portray Chandi as a lady having physical appearance: a combination of Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Maha Saraswati.

Deh Siva Var Mohe

The most popular Hymns in Sikhism is taken from Chandi Charitar Ukati Bilas,

ਦੇਹ ਸਿਵਾ ਬਰੁ ਮੋਹਿ ਇਹੈ ਸੁਭ ਕਰਮਨ ਤੇ ਕਬਹੂੰ ਨ ਟਰੋਂ ॥
ਨ ਡਰੋਂ ਅਰਿ ਸੋ ਜਬ ਜਾਇ ਲਰੋਂ ਨਿਸਚੈ ਕਰਿ ਅਪੁਨੀ ਜੀਤ ਕਰੋਂ ॥
ਅਰੁ ਸਿਖ ਹੋਂ ਆਪਨੇ ਹੀ ਮਨ ਕੌ ਇਹ ਲਾਲਚ ਹਉ ਗੁਨ ਤਉ ਉਚਰੋਂ ॥
ਜਬ ਆਵ ਕੀ ਅਉਧ ਨਿਦਾਨ ਬਨੈ ਅਤਿ ਹੀ ਰਨ ਮੈ ਤਬ ਜੂਝ ਮਰੋਂ ॥੨੩੧॥
देह शिवा बर मोहे ईहे, शुभ कर्मन ते कभुं न टरूं
न डरौं अरि सौं जब जाय लड़ौं, निश्चय कर अपनी जीत करौं,
अरु सिख हों आपने ही मन कौ इह लालच हउ गुन तउ उचरों,
जब आव की अउध निदान बनै अति ही रन मै तब जूझ मरों ॥२३१॥

Translation: O Siva grant me the boon, that I may never deviate from doing a good deed. That I shall not fear when I go into combat. And with determination I will be victorious. That I may teach myself this greed alone, to learn only Thy praises. And when the last days of my life come, I may die in the might of the battlefield.