The Bishnoi, blackbuck and chinkara: What exactly were Guru Jambheshwar’s principles regarding Thar wildlife?

As per Bishnoi lore, the Guru had asked his followers to look at blackbuck as his own manifestation
The Bishnoi, blackbuck and chinkara: What exactly were Guru Jambheshwar’s principles regarding Thar wildlife?
Two adult male blackbuck fighting for supremacy at Tal Chappar Sanctuary, in Churu district, Rajasthan.HEMANT A PATIL iStock photo for representation
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Twenty-six years ago, Bollywood actor Salman Khan along with Saif Ali Khan, Tabu and Sonali Bendre allegedly hunted two blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) in the Kankani village of western Rajasthan in September 1998.

The act earned him the undying wrath of the Bishnoi, India’s foremost defenders of ecology, wildlife and the environment. There have been many twists and turns in the case during these 26 years.

But one thing is sure: The Bishnoi zealously guard flora and fauna of the Thar and anyone who cuts trees or hunts antelope like blackbuck or chinkara (Gazella bennettii) can count on the community not letting them forget their actions.

But why do the Bishnoi guard blackbuck and chinkara in the way they do?

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The Bishnoi, blackbuck and chinkara: What exactly were Guru Jambheshwar’s principles regarding Thar wildlife?

Warriors of an ‘eco-faith’

The Bishnoi are a mostly Hindu sect (though controversy has raged around this in the past, with the British classifying them as Muslim) who mostly inhabit the western parts of Rajasthan, where the arid Thar Desert is the main topographical feature.

The sect was founded on the 29 (Bish (20) + Noi (9)) principles of Guru Jambheshwarji, who was born in 1451 Common Era.

“Guru Jambheshwarji was born on 8th August in 1451 A.D in a Panwar Rajput family in the village Pipasar. The village Pipasar is located 50 km north of Nagour district, close to Bikaner. The local people considered the birthday of Lord Krishna to be birthday of Jambheshwarji. His childhood was not as like other children,” research scholar Sukanta Biswas writes in The Guru, the Community and Environmental Ethics published in 2022 in The Review of Contemporary Scientific and Academic Studies.

Jambheshwar spent the first seven years of his life without talking with anyone and was called Gahlo, a local term meaning deaf and mute.

He gained speech at seven years of age and spent the next few years grazing cattle. His parents tried to get him married but failed.

“After the death of his parents Jambheshwarji donated all his paternal property to the village people of Pipasar and proceeded to Somrasthal Dhora, a neighboring village,” writes Biswas.

Here, he meditated. Finally in 1485, Jambheshwarji announced his famous 29 principles in addition to with his other advice known as Jambhovani or Shabadvani.

“In addition to their 29 principles, Guru Jambhoji wrote a set of 120 statements or shabdas. These are written in a poetic form and elaborate his philosophy. These poetries exhibit his pledge to equality, modesty, hygiene, tolerance, love and sympathy,” H S Gehlot and Moolaram write in their 2017 paper, Involvement of Bishnoi community for biodiversity conservation in desert landscape of Rajasthan (India).

Both the 29 principles and the 120 shabdas offer a glimpse into why the Bishnoi are against the killing of animals and particularly protect desert antelope like blackbuck and chinkara.

Guru Jambheshwarji on animals

Eight of the 29 rules of the Bishnoi are related to protecting biodiversity, especially animals and trees, write H S Gehlot and Moolaram.

For instance, they point out to Rule no 19. “Runkh  lila  nahi ghave” means “Not to fell green trees”. Rules 18 says “Jeev Dayapalni”, which means “Be compassionate towards all livings”.

The 120 shabdas enforce what the 29 rules say.

Gehlot and Moolaram point to Shabad 09. It says “Jeeva upper jorkarije, Antkal Hoysibharu”, meaning “if you are showing your power on animals, your end time will be painful”.

“Shabad 10 says “Re Bin Higunhe Jeevkyon Maro” means “why you are killing innocent animals without their fault”, Shabad 44 says “Kay na palijee vdayo” means “Why you are not kind to animals” Shabad 64 says “Jeevvin Ashelahe Karne” means “Why you kill animals for your selfishness” and Shabad 85 says “Jayojeev na ghani” means “Don’t kill live beings””,” write Gehlot and Moolaram.

But why antelope? “Wildlife existences are mainly clustered around Bishnoi villages in desert region of Rajasthan. The villagers or the Bishnoi people came forward to protect & conserve the wild fauna & flora. They give special protection to Blackbuck, Chinkara, Great Indian Bustard and Khejri tree;…” Gehlot and Moolaram say.

Vinay Lal, historian and professor at the University of California Los Angeles, offers another explanation: “The Bishnoi are said to believe that they will be reincarnated as deer, which may in part explain the sanctity extended to animals; certainly Jambaji, according to folklore, is thought to have instructed his followers that the black buck was to be revered as his manifestation.”

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The Bishnoi, blackbuck and chinkara: What exactly were Guru Jambheshwar’s principles regarding Thar wildlife?

And while we all are aware of the Khejarli massacre in 1730 where 363 Bishnoi wrere martyred while trying to protect Khejri trees from the soldiers of Maharaja Abhay Singh of Marwar, community members have also laid down lives to protect the wildlife of the Thar from hunters and poachers.

“Further nuanced and sensitive work on the Bishnoi, and an understanding of their lifestyles, may perhaps yield some insights into the forms of ecological awareness that must become part of the currency of modern thinking if we not to bequeath an ecologically devastated world to the future generations,” writes Lal.

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