Deg Tegh Fateh

Deg Teg Fateh (Punjabi: ਦੇਗ ਤੇਗ਼ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ, or Victory to Charity and Arms) is a Sikh slogan in the Punjabi language that signifies the dual responsibility of the Khalsa: to provide food and protection for the needy and oppressed.[1]

Deg Tegh refers to the "cauldron" and "sword", respectively – the kettle symbolizes charity and is a reference to the Sikh religious obligation to provide langar, the free distribution of food, to all people, irrespective of an individual's religion, caste or ethnicity.

The sword, or (kirpan), represents the warrior code of the Khalsa. The Khanda icon conveys this principle.

The Sikh warrior Banda Singh Bahadur incorporated this slogan into his seal, and Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia struck it into coins in 1765 after decisively defeating the rival Afghans.

This inscription was later adopted by the Sikh Misaldar Sardars and rulers on their coins. It was the national anthem of the princely state of Patiala during the Sikh Confederacy. This national anthem had been sung in all the Sikh States until 1948. Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, too, has mentioned it in his magnum opus Mahan Kosh (p. 1165 of the 1999 edition).

References
  1. Cole, W. Owen; Sambhi, Piara Singh (1997). A popular dictionary of Sikhism (Rev. ed.). Richmond, Surrey: Curzon. p. 28. ISBN 0-203-98609-1.
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