Zafarnama

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Written in exquisite Persian verse, the Zafarnama or ‘Epistle of Victory’ was a defiant message composed by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, and addressed to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, following a series of fierce battles between the imperial forces and Sikh warriors. Despite the ravages of the war and the loss of his four sons and many brave fighters, the guru felt that he had won a moral victory over the emperor.

With wisdom and honesty, the guru indicts the emperor for the moral and spiritual bankruptcy of his empire, as exposed by the treachery of the emperor’s commanders in battle. The 111 stirring stanzas in this timeless text form the core of the guru’s spiritual philosophy, highlighting his espousal of morality in thought and action as well as his deep understanding of the true nature of God and Creation.

In this brilliant new translation, Navtej Sarna brings to life the valiant voice of Guru Gobind Singh and the power of his poetic genius in a passionate disavowal of tyranny that remains ever relevant.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Navtej Sarna

Navtej Sarna was born in Jalandhar, India. After studying Commerce and Law at Delhi University, he joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1980. He is presently the Spokesperson for the Foreign Office in Delhi and has earlier served as a diplomat in Moscow, Warsaw, Thimphu, Geneva, Tehran and Washington D.C. He has contributed short stories to the BBC World Service, London Magazine and to the anthologies Signals and Signals 2. His book reviews appear in the Times Literary Supplement, Biblio and other journals. In 1991, he published Folk Tales of Poland. This is his first novel.