Executive Briefing: The Letter of Victory
Composed in exquisite classical Persian verse following the loss of his four young sons (*Sahibzadas*) and entire fortress at Chamkaur, Guru Gobind Singh sent the Zafarnama to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, indicting the emperor’s broken oaths on the Quran.
1. The Just War Principle: When All Recourse Has Failed
The famous couplet 22 articulates the definitive Sikh doctrine on armed resistance: *”Chun kar az hameh heelate dar guzasht, halal ast burdan ba-shamsheer dast”* (When all other methods have failed, it is righteous to take sword in hand).
2. References
- Guru Gobind Singh. (1705). Zafarnama. Translated by N. G. K. Singh (2015). Penguin Classics.