(Due to continued requests from readers, we have initiated this book review project to recommend reading titles for both our Sikh and non-Sikh readers. If anyone wishes to recommend a title then please comment below. We will be reviewing both anglophonic and Gurmukhi literature).
Since its discovery in 1972, The Lost Art Of War has incited much speculation as to the fate of its author and the almost 2,000 year old gap between its compilation and rediscovery. Credited to the illustrious general Sun Bin, the lineal descendant of the renowned Sun Tzu, The Lost Art Of War avoids the complex sophistication of Sun Tzu’s The Art Of War and relativizes Bin’s stratagems to both the battlefield and social life making it universally applicable and practical for everyday life.
The Lost Art Of War is not immersed in military detail. This is not its foremost aim. It gives the occasional advice on troop details, maneuvers, and weaponry orders but these accompany more detailed elaborations on the importance of mastering human nature and establishing standards for commanders and warriors alike. This is what significantly differentiates Bin from his ancestor Tzu, he is more clear and precise in his identification of both strategy and its application than Tzu who leaves much to the reader’s own creativity.
The theme of this book, coincidentally enhanced by the Lost in its title, is how to utilize force in a non-combative form to obtain triumph over the foe. Physical confrontation, for Bin, should only be incited when other methods fail and the enemy is psychologically weakened to the degree of heavy desperation. His ideal of generalship is not Tzu’s frontliner but that of a chess master moving pieces in advance to observe the final outcome eventuating a triumphant result; something Bin believes to be lost to the common run-of-the-mill leader.
‘Those who win 6 out of 10 wars go by the stars; those who win 7 out of 10 wars go by the sun; those win 8 out of 10 wars go by the moon; those who win 10 out of 10 wars have skilled commanders and good strategy that ruins them because they are fools.’
-Sun Bin, The Lost Art Of War.
The concepts discussed by Sun Bin substantiate both his foresight and strategic acumen. He cautions leaders against pursuing success for success’s sake alone with no viable end goal in mind or exit strategy. Leaders winning every war they unnecessarily wage are vilified by him as fools economically hamstringing their nations while depleting precious manpower. There is a purpose behind war and if this purpose is thoroughly comprehended by a leader then he knows how to manipulate the foe to the degree that a confrontation is the final blow.
‘The purpose of war is never to engage in heroics for celebration but to alter the fortunes of dying nations. To provide respite and crush those people who would do your people harm.’
-Ibid.
Sun Bin is a keen observer of human frailties, correctly identifying the precedent that wars of defense are more effective than wars of conquest, intrigue is more effective than arms, and one can incite entire nations into worshipping the cult of martyrdom to the extent that they send their youth to die without netting any viable results for themselves. Such insights, while chilling, serve to highlight the creatively lethal application of strategy in the hands of a master retaining both a purpose and vision fueling their strategic mission.
Not all is doom and gloom with Sun Bin. Although more restrained than the The Art Of War, The Lost Art Of War seems to have been intended for the underdog; for the victims of strategy to comprehend the art of strategizing and then reverse their foe’s mechanisms on the foe themselves. Sun Bin is less formal than Sun Tzu but herein lies his attraction. He writes for the less cultured warriors; the peasants shouldered with the challenge of command and meeting it head-on. Resultantly, his work is evergreen both for its empathy and relevant advice.
For Sikhs, The Lost Art Of War is a necessity. While their history pays glorious tributes to the stratagems of their Machiavellian ancestors who were consummate planners and successful executors both on and off the battlefield, the current crop of their leadership is visionless and mired in fatalism to the degree they are barely able to comprehend the concept of strategy itself. Besides potentially guiding them in the art of successful execution, The Lost Art Of War can renew the timeless strategic principles that the Sikhs of yesteryear employed.
Sun Bin’s advice on intrigue over physical confrontation is evident in the strategies of the 18th century Sikh military theocracy the Dal Khalsa that fractured both Hindu and Muslim rulers of the Punjab through espionage and internal subterfuge; engaging only in battle when victory was assured. Though there were exceptions to this rule, the Dal emerged victorious for a majority of its existence. His continued emphasis on foresight matches that of the Sikh canonical Guru Granth, the faith’s scripture and Guru for perpetuity:
ਮੰਦਾ ਮੂਲਿ ਨ ਕੀਚਈ ਦੇ ਲੰਮੀ ਨਦਰਿ ਨਿਹਾਲੀਐ ॥
ਜਿਉ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਨਾਲਿ ਨ ਹਾਰੀਐ ਤੇਵੇਹਾ ਪਾਸਾ ਢਾਲੀਐ ॥
ਕਿਛੁ ਲਾਹੇ ਉਪਰਿ ਘਾਲੀਐ ॥੨੧॥
“Avoid acts accruing unbearable consequences. Do not disgrace yourself thus. Develop foresight for your future. Play such a game, in this gamble of life, that you do not lose against your Master (divine creator). Do only that which accrues you benefit and not disadvantage.”
-Guru Granth, 474.
Bin’s instruction to undertake war to renew dying nations while promising to unite the wagers, also conforms to the notion that when forbearance is breached then it becomes righteous to confront the offenders and annihilate them. This matches Guru Gobind Singh’s, the tenth Guru’s, exhortation to the Sikhs against the fallacious faiths and the tyrants they breed:
ਚੁ ਕਾਰ ਅਜ਼ ਹਮਹ ਹੀਲਤੇ ਦਰ ਗੁਜ਼ਸ਼ਤ ॥ ਹਲਾਲ ਅਸਤ ਬੁਰਦਨ ਬ ਸ਼ਮਸ਼ੀਰ ਦਸਤ ॥੨੨॥
“When the limits of forbearance are breached then it is righteous to divest the sword (from its scabbard) for confrontation.”
-Zafarnamah.
Sun Bin’s most crucial contribution to strategic literature, and its readers, is the underscoring of timeless strategic and tactical principles in the battle of life. This is his foremost aim, to make man the master of all the confrontations dealt to him by fate and others of his own making. Today when the Sikh nation reels from the impacts of an almost 80 year long continuing genocide, it is imperative that if not its obsolete whitebeards than its youth read The Lost Art Of War for its judicious practicality and strategic considerations.
At 160 pages, The Lost Art Of War is a short read for both veterans and laymen alike. Thomas Cleary’s 1997 edition provides a simplistic and easy to understand translation that preserves the spirit of the original while inviting readers to continue with the text further. Sun Bin, from the onset, underlines that he may not have all the answers but what he offers is an insight into the practicality of strategy with his core instruction being: fight for what is right but fight smartly. Do not rush headlong into conflict. Patience over passion; justice over injustice.