''Chandi Charitar II'' or ''Chandi Charitar Duja or Ath Chandi Charitar Likhyate'' ( pa, ਚੰਡੀ ਚਰਿਤ੍ਰ ਦੂਜਾ, lit=The Story of Chandi (2)), is the 5th chapter of the Dasam Granth, whose authorship is generally attributed to

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708), born Gobind Das or Gobind Rai the tenth Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Sing ...

.Dasam Granth - An Introductory Study
/ref> The plot of the text is based on the

Markandeya Purana The ''Markandeya Purana'' ( sa, मार्कण्डेय पुराण; IAST: ) is a Sanskrit text of Hinduism, and one of the eighteen major Puranas. The text's title Markandeya refers to a sage in Hindu History, who is the central char ...

,Macauliffe, Max Arthur (28 March 2013). ''The Sikh Religion: Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors, Volume 5''. Cambridge University Press. pp. 80, 81. much like the previous Chandi Charitar I.Chandi Di Vaar : Jeet Singh Sital A retelling of the story of the Hindu goddess,

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...

again in the form of

Chandi Chandi ( sa, चण्डी, ) or Chandika () is a Hindu deity. Chandika is another form of Mahadevi, similar to Durga. Chandika is a powerful form of Mahadevi who manifested to destroy evil. She is also known as ''Kaushiki'', '' Katyayan ...

; it again glorifies the feminine with her fighting the war between good and evil, and in this section she slays the buffalo-demon

Mahisha Mahisha or Mahishaka was a kingdom in ancient India. The capital, Mahishuru, is currently known as Mysore, a city in Karnataka. This kingdom is mentioned in Mahabharata, though Puranas (especially Markandeya Purana) gives more information. The ...

, all his associates and supporters thus bringing an end to the demonic violence and war.

Overview

This composition deals with themes of battle and war. It's authorship is generally and traditionally attributed to

. This composition was written in

Braj Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhoomi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal and Ballabhgarh in Haryana ...

Anandpur Sahib Anandpur Sahib, sometimes referred to simply as Anandpur (lit. "city of bliss"), is a city in Rupnagar district (Ropar), on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most s ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

. It has eight cantos, contains 262

couplets A couplet is a pair of successive lines of metre in poetry. A couplet usually consists of two successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (or closed) couplet, each of the ...

and quatrains,Singha, H.S. (2000). ''The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (Over 1000 Entries)''. Hemkunt Press. p. 54.

ISBN The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency. An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition and ...

9788170103011.Makin, Gursharan Singh. ''Zafarnama: The Epistle of Victory'' (1st ed.). Lahore Book Shop. p. 13. mostly employing Bhujang Prayat and Rasaval measures (chhands), divided into 8 chapters.

Authenticity

This work was composed at Anandpur Sahib, sometime before 1698 CE, the year when the

Bachitar Natak The ''Dasam Granth'' (Gurmukhi: ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ''dasama gratha'') is a collection of various manuscripts in Sikhism containing compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.

was completed. According to

Max Arthur Macauliffe Michael MacAuliffe, also known as Max Arthur Macauliffe (11 September 1838 − 15 March 1913) and Max Singh Metcalfe, was a senior British administrator, prolific scholar and author. MacAuliffe is renowned for his partial translation of Sikh sc ...

, the composition was written by bards in who were employed by

and translated the

Durga Saptashati The ''Devi Mahatmya'' or ''Devi Mahatmyam'' ( sa, देवीमाहात्म्यम्, devīmāhātmyam, Glory of the Goddess) is a Hindu philosophical text describing the Goddess as the supreme power and creator of the universe. It is ...

. He could not ascertain whether principles of Sikhism were actually imbibed in Chandi Charitras or if they had a flavor of Hinduism is still in it. It differs from

Chandi Charitar Ukti Bilas ''Chandi Charitar Ukti Bilas'' or ''Chandi Charitar Ukat(i) Bilas'' ( pa, ਚੰਡੀ ਚਰਿਤ੍ਰ (ੳਕਤਿ ਬਿਲਾਸ), also called Chandi Charitar 1 (ਚੰਡੀ ਚਰਿਤ੍ਰ (ਭਾਗ ੧)) or Chandi Charitar Part One ...

in that it does not reference the chapters within the Markandeya Purana, but still tells the same story. The work contains 262 verses in total. The 8th and last chapter of the Chandi Charitar II is known as ''Chandi Charitar Ustat'' (ਅਥ ਚੰਡੀ ਚਰਿਤ੍ਰ ਉਸਤਤ) where it praises the goddess. Other related compositions include Chandi Charitar Ukti Bilas, Chandi Di Vaar, and Uggardanti. Chapter 6 of the Chandi Charitar II in the hand of Guru Gobind Singh

Chapter 6 of the Chandi Charitar II in the hand of Guru Gobind Singh

References

{{Dasam Granth Sikh scripture Dasam Granth