Var Bhere Ki Patshahi Dasvin

Var Bhere Ki Patshahi Dasvin (10) is an anonymous poem written in Punjabi, describing the battle of Anandpur. The poem starts with Guru Gobind Singh's engagement with the pursuing host after he had evacuated Anandpur, and ending with the Battle of Chamkaur.

The view has been expressed that this Var is the original version of another poem entitled Bhera Guru Gobind Singh Ka or Bhera Patshahl Dasviri Da. Both these vars deal with the same events, have a similarity of style and have lines, even stanzas, which are common to both. Yet a closer examination reveals that these are two different compositions and one of the poets has evidently borrowed extensively from the work of the other.

The Var is strictly conventional in its structure and mode of narration. It opens with the praise of the Timeless One and with the invocation to Goddess Sarasavati. Then follows the traditional description of Kal, the mythological spirit of evil, who is bloodthirsty and approaches Guru Gobind Singh with the request to quench her thirst by waging a war. At the same time Narad, the legendary rsi, famous for causing strife and conflict, goes to the hill rajas.

Kal and Narad instigate the rajas to attack Guru Gobind Singh. Then begins the description of the battles in a rapid manner. Details are scanty and some of the important actions or episodes are barely alluded to. Vet the poet seems to be an eyewitness and at places the battlescenes are forcefully evoked.

This is one of the earliest compositions concerning the battles of Guru Gobind Singh. It consists of 24 pauns (stanzas) with three to eight lines in each pauri. The last line of some of the pauns is of half length, which again is a peculiarity of the traditional var.

The language is old Punjabi ; archaic vocabulary abounds. At places Lahndi idiom is conspicuous, which indicates that the poet may have been from southern or southwestern Punjab.