Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. sardar karnail siNgh panchhi (1932-xxxx) gujranvala (now in pakistan). He composed extensively in panjaabi, hindi and urdu and wrote a few songs for movies. He inherited the talent/passion for poetry from his father who learnt it at grandfather’s knee. At school he learnt panjabi, urdu and later faarsi. They had to move to India (rajasthan) in 1947 where he composed in hindi and panjabi. The family moved to rae bareilly in 1962 and he started composing in urdu. He had 6 manuscripts ready in hindi and panjabi to which he added seven in urdu. When his son started a publishing business, he gave his manuscripts to him but his son’s business, their home and all his manuscripts were looted and burnt to the ground in 1984. The family moved to ludhiana. He continued to write and publish as he went along. By 2015 there were 22 collections published with more to come. He continued to write with great love of communal harmony and devotion to figures of other faiths. This composition is linked to karbal katha on the kaaba kaashi page.
1
duur kar dii¹ sab siyaahi² diin³ ki tasviir se
Khoon-e asGhar⁴ ne Tapak kar hurmula⁵ ke tiir se 1.removed, banished 2.darkness, obscurity 3.faith 4.infant son of husain 5.marksman archer who shot an arrow through ali asGhar’s throat
The blood of innocent ali asGhar, shed by hurmula’s arrow, cleansed all darkness from the face of religion i.e., it made the difference between truth and oppression clear for all to see. In the battle of karbala, husain and his family and companions were denied access to water. husain brought out his infant son stating that a child of that age is innocent and asking the enemy to give him water. Instead, hurmula shot him through the throat.
2
dil rahega duur jab tak dard¹ ki taasiir² se
lo’g naavaaqif³ raheNge maqsad⁴-e shabbiir⁵ se     1.pain 2.effect, impact 3.unaware, ignorant 4.goal, mission 5.another name of husain
As long as one remains distant from the transformative effects of the pain of the events of karbala, one cannot understand husain’s mission. Implies that intellectual understanding is not enough, it requires emotional depth.
3
jhooT ke parde jal’e aur saamne sach aa gaya
ek laava aisa phooTa zainabi¹ taqriir² se     1.of zainab 2.speech
This has reference to zainab’s courageous and eloquent speech after the tragedy of karbala in the full court of yaziid, the perpetrator of the war. The volcanic eruption of her speech burnt the veils of falsehood and brought truth forward.
4
jhunjhunaane lag gayi hai har qadam¹ ke taal² par
jaan’e aabid³ ne kahaa⁴ kya paauN ki zanjiir⁵ se     1.every step 2.heat, rhythm 3.ailing son of husain who survived the battle 4.said 5.chain
When the brief battle was over, husain’s family were taken prisoner. His ailing son was put in shackles and forced to march. The poet describes the march in emotional terms … who knows what aabid said to the links of the chain on his shackles, they started to jangle to the rhythm of his steps; perhaps suggesting that even the sound of chains carried the message of truth.
5
is meN meri aap sab ki bhi Khataa¹ hai dosto
lo’g vaaqif² hii nahiiN gar³ maqsad⁴-e shabbir⁵ se     1.fault 2.aware 3.if 4.goal, mission 5.husain
It seems that the poet feels that the mission of husain should be made known to everyone. If they are not aware of this mission, then it is the fault of the poet as well as his audience; a shared responsibility to spread the word.
6
gaNga-jal¹ ya aab-e-kausar² se muqaddas³ haiN ye ashk⁴
apne apne paap⁵ dho lo karbala ke niir⁶ se     1.Ganges water 2.water of river in heaven 3.holy, sacred 4.tears 5.sins 6.water
When the story of karbala is recited at devotional gatherings, the audience gets quite emotional and tears are shed. The poet calls these ‘karbala ka niir’ and declares that these tears are more sacred than the waters of Ganges or kausar. He suggests that sins get washed off with the water of these tears.
7
ashk¹ se mahruum² aaNkheN le ke tum to chal diye
apna hissa to na baaNTo³ dard⁴ ki jagiir⁵ se    1.tears 2.deprived 3.give away 4.pain 5.inheritance, wealth
The pain felt at hearing the story of karbala is considered to be the wealth of the believer. This pain should cause him/her to shed tears. If they walk away with their eyes dry of tears then it is tantamount to giving away the the wealth of their pain. The poet pleads for them not to do that.
8
karbala ki ek ziyaarat¹ meri qismat² meN bhi ho
aur paNchhi³ kuchh na chaahuuN kaatib⁴-e taqdiir⁵ se    1.pilgrimage, visitation 2.destiny 3.pen-name 4.writer 5.fate
All that the poet paNchhi wants from the writer of his fate (god) is to grant him one pilgrimage to karbala. He does not want anything else written in his fate.