Ginans
Encyclopedia
The Ginans are a vast corpus of devotional literature in the form of lyrics and hymns worshiping and praising God, and has been the living tradition of Nizari
Ismaili
s particularly from South Asia
. The word is Hindustani
, and derived from the Sanskrit
word jñāna ("knowledge, wisdom, gnosis
"). Pir Sadardin
was an early pioneer of this form of literature.
It was originally an oral rendition mostly by Pir
s, first among whom to come to South Asia was Pir Satgur Nur in the 12th century. Ginans are composed in many languages of South Asia, especially Gujarati
, Urdu, Punjabi
, Sindhi
and many more. Similar religious traditions exist in the form of qasīda
s (قصيدة) amongst Nizari
s of Arab, Persian
and Central Asian origins authored by likes of early Muslim
duʻāt such as Qadi Noman, Nasir Khusraw
and others.
Example Translation of a Ginan (Other examples available here):
Sahebaji tun more man bhave: Verses I-VIII
My lord,
My heart is fond of you.
I think of no-one else.
None else pleases my heart.
My lord,
My heart is fond of you.
So readily, my lord,
You give me
Whatever I ask of you.
You indulge me
In so many ways,
My lord.
In all four ages,
I went about,
Looking hard.
I found none
To match you, my lord.
My lord, my heart
Is fond of you.
Come, come,
My maiden friends,
Let us go
To view the groom.
He's the one, the beloved
I've attained.
He comes to my home,
The beloved,
He but for whom
A minute is hard to pass.
How should we call him
Unhappy -
He whose lord
Is one such as this?
How should we find fault
With the merciful?
What's written
In our karma
Is what we shall have.
Ram and Raheman
Are but one Deity.
Of this mystery,
The fool is quite unaware.
Says Saiyad Mohamadshah:
I am bonded to you,
My lord.
Leaving you,
At what other door
Am I to knock?
My lord,
My heart is fond of you.
I think of no-one else.
None else pleases my heart.
My lord,
My heart is fond of you.
Retrieved from the Institute of Ismaili Studies Website;
Originally Publsihed in:
Esmail, Aziz. A Scent of Sandalwood: Indo-Ismaili Religious Lyrics. (London: Curzon in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2002), 128-9.
Nizari
'The Shī‘a Imami Ismā‘īlī Tariqah also referred to as the Ismā‘īlī or Nizārī , is a path of Shī‘a Islām, emphasizing social justice, pluralism, and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam. The Nizari are the second largest branch of Shia Islam and form the majority...
Ismaili
Ismaili
' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
s particularly from South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
. The word is Hindustani
Hindustan
Hindustan or Indostan, literal translation "Land of River Sindhu ", is one of the popular names of South Asia. It can also mean "the land of the Hindus"...
, and derived from the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word jñāna ("knowledge, wisdom, gnosis
Gnosis
Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge . In the context of the English language gnosis generally refers to the word's meaning within the spheres of Christian mysticism, Mystery religions and Gnosticism where it signifies 'spiritual knowledge' in the sense of mystical enlightenment.-Related...
"). Pir Sadardin
Pir Sadardin
Pir Sadardin or Pir Sadruddin was a fourteenth century Ismaili Da'i and is regarded as the founder of the Khoja Ismaili sect, also called Satpanth...
was an early pioneer of this form of literature.
It was originally an oral rendition mostly by Pir
Pir (Sufism)
Pir or Peer is a title for a Sufi master equally used in the nath tradition. They are also referred to as a Hazrat or Shaikh, which is Arabic for Old Man. The title is often translated into English as "saint" and could be interpreted as "Elder". In Sufism a Pir's role is to guide and instruct his...
s, first among whom to come to South Asia was Pir Satgur Nur in the 12th century. Ginans are composed in many languages of South Asia, especially Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, Urdu, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, Sindhi
Sindhi language
Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...
and many more. Similar religious traditions exist in the form of qasīda
Qasida
The qaṣīdaᵗ , in Arabic: قصيدة, plural qasā'id, قــصــائـد; in Persian: قصیده , is a form of lyric poetry that originated in preIslamic Arabia...
s (قصيدة) amongst Nizari
Nizari
'The Shī‘a Imami Ismā‘īlī Tariqah also referred to as the Ismā‘īlī or Nizārī , is a path of Shī‘a Islām, emphasizing social justice, pluralism, and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam. The Nizari are the second largest branch of Shia Islam and form the majority...
s of Arab, Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
and Central Asian origins authored by likes of early Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
duʻāt such as Qadi Noman, Nasir Khusraw
Nasir Khusraw
Abu Mo’in Hamid ad-Din Nasir ibn Khusraw al-Qubadiani or Nāsir Khusraw Qubādiyānī [also spelled as Nasir Khusrow and Naser Khosrow] Abu Mo’in Hamid ad-Din Nasir ibn Khusraw al-Qubadiani or Nāsir Khusraw Qubādiyānī [also spelled as Nasir Khusrow and Naser Khosrow] Abu Mo’in Hamid ad-Din Nasir ibn...
and others.
Example Translation of a Ginan (Other examples available here):
Sahebaji tun more man bhave: Verses I-VIII
My lord,
My heart is fond of you.
I think of no-one else.
None else pleases my heart.
My lord,
My heart is fond of you.
So readily, my lord,
You give me
Whatever I ask of you.
You indulge me
In so many ways,
My lord.
In all four ages,
I went about,
Looking hard.
I found none
To match you, my lord.
My lord, my heart
Is fond of you.
Come, come,
My maiden friends,
Let us go
To view the groom.
He's the one, the beloved
I've attained.
He comes to my home,
The beloved,
He but for whom
A minute is hard to pass.
How should we call him
Unhappy -
He whose lord
Is one such as this?
How should we find fault
With the merciful?
What's written
In our karma
Is what we shall have.
Ram and Raheman
Are but one Deity.
Of this mystery,
The fool is quite unaware.
Says Saiyad Mohamadshah:
I am bonded to you,
My lord.
Leaving you,
At what other door
Am I to knock?
My lord,
My heart is fond of you.
I think of no-one else.
None else pleases my heart.
My lord,
My heart is fond of you.
Retrieved from the Institute of Ismaili Studies Website;
Originally Publsihed in:
Esmail, Aziz. A Scent of Sandalwood: Indo-Ismaili Religious Lyrics. (London: Curzon in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2002), 128-9.