Deg Tegh Fateh

"Deg Tegh Fateh" (Gurmukhi: ਦੇਗ ਤੇਗ਼ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ; Persian: "Charity, Sword, Victory") is a slogan commonly considered to be the Sikh national anthem.^[1]

This slogan celebrates the reign of the Khalsa and its heroic qualities, and dedicates all victories to God; it is a call to moral duty for the Sikhs. The New York Singh Sabha describes "Deg o Tegh o Fateh" as a "national anthem" similar to the German anthem Deutschland Uber Alles or the Canadian anthem O Canada.^[2] The Sikh warrior Banda Singh Bahadur incorporated this slogan into his seal, and Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia struck it into coins in 1765 after a decisive defeat of the rival Afghans; these traditions continued during Maharaja Ranjit Singh's reign.^[3]

Usage in Sikh states

Banda Singh Bahadur introduced an official seal for his Hukamnamas and Furmans, or letters and orders. It bore the inscription:

Deg-o-Tegh-o-Fateh Nusrat-i-bedirang,

Kettle (the means to feed the poor), Sword (the power to protect the weak and helpless), Victory and Unhesitating Patronage

Yaft az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh.

(are) obtained from Nanak Guru Gobind Singh.^[4]

This inscription was later adopted by the Sikh Misaldar Sardars and rulers on their coins. It was the national anthem of the princely state of Patiala during the Sikh Confederacy. This national anthem had been sung in all the Sikh States until 1948. Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, too, has mentioned it in his magnum opus Mahan Kosh (at page 1165 of the 1999 edition).^[4][5]

Lyrics

ਦੇਗ ਵ ਤੇਗ਼ ਵ ਫ਼ਤਜ ਬੀਦਰੰਗ ਯਾਫ਼ਤ ਅਜ਼ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ

(ਖਾਣ ਪੀਣ, ਜ਼ੋਰ ਤੇ ਜਿੱਤ ਰੁਕੇ ਬਗ਼ੈਰ ਨਾਨਕ ਤੇ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਦੇ ਤੋਹਫ਼ੇ ਨੇ)

ਰਾਜ ਕਰੇਗਾ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਅਕੀ ਰਹੇ ਨਾ ਕੋਇ। ਖ਼ਾਰ ਹੋਏ ਸਭ ਮਿਲੇਂਗੇ ਬਚੇ ਸ਼ਰਨ ਜੋ ਹੋਇ॥

Degh o tegh o fateh o nusrat bedirang,

Zaafat az Nanak - Guru Gobind Singh.

Raj karega Khalsa aaki rahe na koe,

Khuar hoe sabh milenge bache sharn jo hoey.^[4]

References

1. ^ Deg Tegh Fateh
2. ^ Sikh National Anthem Retrieved Feb 2009.
3. ^ Deg Teg Fateh - Origin and Meaning Retrieved Feb 2009.
4. ^ ^{a b c} Sikh National Anthem
5. ^ Banda Singh Bahadur