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{{Short description|Composition ofattributed to Guru Gobind Singh}}
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{{Infobox religious text|religion=[[Sikhism]]|name=Bachittar Natak<br>{{Small|ਬਚਿਤ੍ਰ ਨਾਟਕ}}|subheader=[[Dasam Granth]]|previous=Akal Ustat|next=Chandi Charitar Ukti Bilas|image=The hymns from the first chapter of Bachitar Natak by the hand of Guru Gobind Singh.png|caption=The hymns from the first chapter of Bachitar Natak by the hand of Guru Gobind Singh|author=[[Guru Gobind Singh]]|language=Braj Bhasha|chapters=14|verses=471<ref>{{cite book |last1='Makin' |first1=Gursharan Singh |title=Zafarnama: The Epistle of Victory |date=2005 |publisher=Lahore Book Shop |isbn=8176471798 |pages=13 |edition=1st}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Singha |first1=H.S. |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (Over 1000 Entries) |date=2000 |publisher=Hemkunt Press |isbn=9788170103011 |pages=54}}</ref>}}
{{Dasam Granth sidebar}}
The '''''Bachittar Natak''''' or '''''Bachitar Natak''''' {{Efn|Other spellings may exist such as ''Bachitra Natak''.|group=note}}({{Lang-pa|ਬਚਿਤ੍ਰ ਨਾਟਕ|translit=Bachittar Natak|label=[[Gurmukhi]]}}; 'The Wonderful Play') is partly an autobiography of [[Guru Gobind Singh]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |lastlast1=Pashaura Singh |title=The Oxford handbook of Sikh studies |last2=Fenech |first2=Louis E. |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8 |edition=1st |series=Oxford handbook |location=Oxford}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Grewal |first=Harjeet Singh |date=August 2012 |title=Sri Dasam Granth Sahib: questions and answers |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17448727.2012.731146 |journal=Sikh Formations |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=267–269 |doi=10.1080/17448727.2012.731146 |issn=1744-8727}}</ref>. The appellation ''Bachitar Natak'' is sometimes confusingly only applied around the [[Dasam Granth]].<ref name=":1">Rinehart, Robin. ''Debating the Dasam Granth''. Oxford University Press, 2011.</ref><ref name=":3" /> The ''Bachitar Natak Granth'', not to be confused with the ''Bachittar Natak'' composition, contains a large corpus of the Dasam Granth canon.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |lastlast1=Singh |firstfirst1=Kamalroop |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199458974.001.0001 |title=The Graṅth of Guru Gobind Singh |last2=Mann |first2=Gurinder Singh |date=2015-10-29 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199458974.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-19-945897-4}}</ref>
== Overview ==
The Bachittar Natak is part of the [[Dasam Granth]],<ref name=":0" />, the second holy scripture of [[Sikhism]].<ref name=":0" /> The composition covers various aspects, including the lineage of Guru Gobind Singh,<ref name=":1" />, the persecution of [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]], the author's own rebirth,<ref name=":0" />, and the defense and spread of [[dharma]] (righteousness). It also includes descriptions of battles, hunting expeditions, and journeys in Punjab and the [[Gurdwara Hemkund Sahib|Himalayan foothills]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4">Michaud, Heather. ''Walking in the Footsteps of the Guru: Sikhs and Seekers in the Indian Himalayas''. Canada: University of Calgary, 1998.</ref> The Bachitar Natak consists of fourteen chapters, sometimes also called "Apni Katha" (meaning "my story"), which provides an autobiographical account of Guru Gobind Singh's life until the year 1696. It has 14 chapters.
[[File:Artistic depiction of "Dusht Daman", the alleged previous incarnation of Guru Gobind Singh as narrated in the "Bachittar Natak".jpg|thumb|258x258px|Artistic depiction of "Dusht Daman", the alleged previous incarnation of Guru Gobind Singh as narrated in the "Bachittar Natak"]]
== Synopsis ==
The Bachitar Natak is partly an autobiography of Guru Gobind Singh,<ref name=":1" />, the tenth Sikh Guru, in which he narrates the events and circumstances of the first 32 years of his life. It outlines the history and challenges faced by the Sikh community during that time. It states the author was [[Gurdwara Hemkund Sahib|meditating in the Himalayan foothills on a 7-peaked mountain]] before being called to take birth.<ref name=":1" /> This previous incarnation of Guru Gobind Singh is known as Dusht Daman.<ref name=":4" />
The Bani (composition) starts with a praise of the [[Akal Purakh]] (the ultimate being) and then provides a genealogy of the Bedis and Sodhis, tracing their lineage back to [[Lava (Ramayana)|Lava]] and [[Kush (hindu)|Kush]].<ref name=":1" /> It also includes the author's own biography and discusses significant events such as the [[Battle of Nadaun]],<ref>{{Citation |last=Grewal |first=J.S. |title=In Battles and Politics (1685–98) |date=2020-02-20 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199494941.003.0004 |work=Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) |pages=73–90 |access-date=2023-07-02 |publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/oso/9780199494941.003.0004 |isbn=978-0-19-949494-1 }}</ref>, "the Husaini Battle", and the arrival of [[Prince Muazzam]] in Punjab. The composition concludes around AD 1696.
The Bachitar Natak contains 14 chapters.
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{{Sikhism}}
[[Category:SikhBooks about Sikhism]]
[[Category:Sikhism]]
[[Category:Dasam granth]]
[[Category:Sikh scripture]]
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