The Satpanthī gināns, a vernacular Subcontinent Ismāʿīlī Shīʿī tradition, thoroughly exemplify an ontotheological paradigm of divinity that at once insists upon the strongest modality of divine simplicity, and concomitantly, the theophanic nature of the divine guide, or satgur. It is between this bifurcation of the Divine guide as 'arūp', 'nirguṇ', and 'nirañjan' (formless, transcendent of qualities, predications, and characteristics), and the divine guide as saguṇa (possessing form, qualities, and ontic predications), that the ginānic theosophical paradigm is to be situated. Indeed, recognizing the centrality of both dimensions of the ginānic tradition, and their dyadic interrelationships, are essential to engaging the gināns in both their historical, and theological Subcontinent context. The nirguṇī ontotheological paradigm of divinity comprises both an essential feature of the ginān discourse, and the discourse of the Subcontinent context inherent to the background and ideational scaffolding of the gināns. The nirguṇī devotional paradigm further exemplifies a presentation par excellence of an accounting of simplicitas Dei that is at once both philosophically rigorous, and lyrically theopoetic. Central to this nirguṇī devotional and ontotheological paradigm of divinity was the formless, absolutely simple, transcendent God, beyond all properties, qualities, who grounds the infinitude of forms, both of the pleroma, and the mundane world. The efflorescence of this nirguṇī theological and devotional paradigm, exemplified by streams of traditions such as the Sant and Nāthpanthī tradition (the tradition of Gorākhnāth), permeated Subcontinent late mediaeval discourse. Such nirguṇī streams of vernacular and vernacularizing (bhāṣā) tradition arose within a period contemporaneous with the composition and proliferation of the gināns. The ontotheological paradigm offered by the traditions, flourishing within this period of devotional theopoetic religious genius, further provided a rich template for the articulation of Ismāʿīlī Neoplatonic Arabo-Persianate philosophical theology. The nirguṇī framework was mobilized to articulate this philosophical theology within a vernacular and indigenizing Subcontinent discourse. The ginān tradition skillfully weaves and interleaves these multiple nirguṇī and saguṇī threads and multivalent layers. This paper situates this facet of the ginānic discourse within the socio-historical, and theological milieu of the nirguṇī tradition and its variegated exponents, especially the Sant and Gorākhnāth streams of tradition. Such an approach affords multiple insights appertaining to theological, literary, compositional, interpretive, and historical issues. Likewise, this approach provides profound insight on authorial issues, questions of conversation partners, and self-identity within the early Satpanthī ginānic communities. Ultimately, this approach allows us to better situate the weltanschauung within which the ginān tradition was first articulated.

The gināns constitute the main corpus of the devotional literature of the Nizari Ismailis of South Asia. Nizari Ismaili tradition attributes the composition of these gināns to Ismaili pīrs (preacher-saints) who came from Iran to South Asia to promulgate the Nizari Ismaili daʿwa from the seventh/fourteenth century onward. Earlier scholars branded the gināns as “conversion literature”. While scholarship on the gināns has progressed over the last few decades and overturned such superficial conclusions, most studies have focused on the Indic historical, cultural and spiritual contexts of the gināns. My study focuses on the two central figures of the gināns, the Imam and the pīr, both designated as the satgūru (true guide) through whom the spiritual aspirant attains salvation. I argue that the imamology of the gināns is a “translation” of the Ismaili doctrines of the Imam found in Persian Nizari literature according to Tony Stewart’s notion of translation as the “search for equivalence” through “refractive mirroring” and “dynamic equivalence.” First, I compare the ginānic depiction of the Imam as the archetypal figure of ʿAlī and the tenth avatāra of Vishnu with the Nizari Ismaili doctrine of the Imam as the eternal Alī and maẓhar of the Command of God. Drawing on the Vedantic expositions of the avatāra by Shankara (eight century) and Ramanuja (d. 1137) and the Nizari Ismaili imamology of Nasīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (d. 1274), I argue that the ginānic presentation of the Imam as the avatāra is a translation, through “refractive mirroring,” of the Nizari doctrine of maẓhar. Second, I compare the gināns’ presentation of the pīr as the satgūru, the spiritual and physical inheritor of the Prophet Muḥammad through the Ismaili Imam lineage, and the avatāra of Brahmā with the post-thirteenth century Persian Nizari doctrine of the ḥujjat as the supreme teacher of the adepts, the spiritual offspring of the Imam, and the maẓhar of the eternal archetype of Salmān-i Fārsī and the Universal Intellect. Third, I look at how the gināns portray and depict the figure of the Imam and pīr with the astral symbols (sun, moon) and bridal imagery (husband, wife) and show how this symbolism follows directly from earlier Arabo-Persian Ismaili imamology. In sum, this analysis demonstrates how the imamology of the gināns – their conception of the Imam and pīr – is a “translation” of the Nizari Ismaili imamology in an Indic context by way of dynamic equivalence.

The Gināns have long remained central and relevant in the lives of the Ismaili and other Indian “Satpanth” communities. Their teachings and worldviews have shaped the beliefs, practices and identity of those who have turned to these compositions for guidance and inspiration on matters like moral conduct and spiritual quest. But the Gināns have also been a source of division at various junctures in history, being at the heart of numerous subdivisions that arose among these communities. One source of such discords relates to the Ginānic themes covering a spectrum of ideas drawn from multiple socio-religious and intellectual streams prevalent in South Asia and beyond often categorised under the labels of “Islamic” and “Hindu”. This paper will examine one such set of ideas revolving around salvific and soteriological visions articulated in the Gināns. These visions take different discursive and narrative forms, ranging from a promise of deliverance in this world and rewards in the hereafter to a hope of rescue from the corrupting power of the evil and monsters. The paper will discuss how such ideas, sitting at the intersection of disparate cosmologies, interact and the kind of prescriptive and introspective perspectives they generate. It will also examine the ramifications of such ideas for the history and modern lives of the adherents of the Ismaili tradition.

Garbis are a cycle of 25 hymns, each comprising of 15-25 verses, that are part of the vast corpus of ginans, religious compositions of the Shi’a Imami Ismaili Muslims of South Asian origin. They are attributed to the Muslim saint, Pir Shams Sabzawari who hailed from Iran and preached in the Indian subcontinent around the twelfth century. A remarkable feature of the ginans is their poliglottic language and use of religious and cultural symbols indigenous to the subcontinent. These included Gujerati, Hindi, Sindhi sprinkled with Farsi and Arabic words. Myths, symbols and theological ideas found in Hindu, Sikh, Sufi, Nathpanthi and Sant traditions, among others, are prevalent in the ginans. This paper argues that the Garbis offer insights into the theological position of the Imams of Ismaili Muslims who take center stage in their narrative. It shows the Pir preaching in a town whose inhabitants are performing the songs and dances (both called Garbi) in worship of the goddess Mata Bhavani, or Durga. Briefly, the Pir enters a town where he witnesses this scene of celebration during Navratri, a festival devoted to the goddess Durga, is angered by what he sees and begins to sing his own Garbis. A close analysis of the structure, language and religious symbolism of these songs reveals the theological underpinnings in the Ismaili Muslim interpretation of the Imams as living guides who disclose the secrets of the Qur’an and other Indian scriptures such as the Vedas and Puranas. Using the conception of guru and swami in the Indic tradition, and drawing from the Vaishnavite notion of avatar, the Pir presents the Imam as a salvific figure who, in contrast to the silent idol of Mata Bhavani, can utter the truths of religion. Drawing on other ginans composed by Pir Shams, the study will illustrate the masterful way that he has woven Indic themes and theological concepts to preach what he describes as Satpanth, the True Path, synonymous with the Quran’ic notion of Sirat al-Mustaqeem. It will demonstrate the judicious ways that the Pir utilized vocabulary drawn from the Islamic tradition to appeal not only to the local population of Hindus addressed in the Garbis, but also other religious groups. While exclusionary on one hand, the Garbis formulated a new theological structure to accommodate previous scriptures and existing religious and cultural symbols and practices.

The proposed paper will be an attempt to study the theme of sukhan in work Su’āl-o-jawāb and the tradition of Ginans. The work Su’āl-o-jawāb is a transcription in Persian of a series of inter-faith dialogues that took place between the Mughal prince Dārā Shukoh, and a Hindu Yogi, Bābā Lāl Dās. Most scholars believe that the event took place in the year 1064 A.H./1653 C.E., in the city of Lahore. This paper is based on manuscripts of the text of Su’āl-o-jawāb – specifically a shorter manuscript identified as C. Lāl Dās explains the term sukhan-i murshid as a vehicle that takes the awakened soul on the voyage which reaches the destination of lahūt. The vehicle carrying the soul becomes the murshid. The equivalent to sukhan in Sanskrit is shabad which means a word. There are a few Ginans that deal with the same theme. For example, a long Ginan (Granth) of Pir Shams known as Braham Prakāsh has a similar understanding of the term shabad. The Ginan begins with the line that the true shabad is our master. This paper seeks to compare the idea of sukhan in the Su’āl-o-jawāb with the idea of shabad in the traditions of Ginans. The comparative approach will provide a better understanding of intertextual linkages. Moreover, it will shed more light on the mysterious personality of a Hindu Yogi Lāl Dās – perhaps a Shamsi Gupti of the 17th century.