DAULAT RAtON

SflHIBE KAMAL

GURU GOBIND SINGH

Abridged and translated by :PROF. SURINDERJIT SINGH

Foreword by :

Dr. Dewan Singh

Gurmat Sahit Charitable TrustRegd. Office : Bazar Mai Sewan, Amritsar.

First Edition January 1988April 1993, January 1996, June 1998, July 2000, January 2003,

June 2005, February 2007, April 2008 August 2009Eleventh Edition June 20 II

Price: Rs. 30-00

Published by :GURMAT SAHIT CHARITABLE TRUST

BAZAR MAl SEWAN, AMRITSAR.

Printers:PRINTWELL, 146, INDUSTRIAL FOCAL POINT, AMRITSAR.

I have come into this world for this purpose,

The Supreme Lord has sent me for the

protection ofRighteousness:

'You should propagate righteousness everywhere;

seize and destroy the sinful and the wicked'.

I have taken birth for this purpose,

Let the holy men understand this in their minds.

I have come for spreading Divine Religion

and for protection ofsaints,

Andfor annihilating all the tyrants. (42-43/6)

(Guru Gobind Singh in "Vachitar Natak")

This book is available at :

1. S.S. Balbir Illkrnational,607, Sanlw Uuilding, Higashiku, Osalm, ,Japan.

2. S. ~inU1jan Singh SaehdevafiR-VI, Khalong'111Om Road, Bangkok, TIlailand.

8. S. S~U1gatSingh, ;\1/s. SUl:jit Singh Ranjcet Singh & Cc(.-7, High Street Plaza, Singapore.

4. S. Mehtab Singh,llindllstan Refrigerator Stores, Darya Gru~, New Delhi.

5. Sri Gum Singh 5abha,Hawlock Road, S,>utJlall, ;\1iddex (E.K.)

6. S. IIanlip Singh Chawla,Star ~lallsion, 4t.h Floor, F1at-F, ;\linden Row,TS.T Kawloon, I long Kong.

7. S. Ripudamrul Singh ;\1ali1{,10;30, Hamilton St., Vancouver, n.c. (Canada.)

R S. Sa1..nam Singh, lR/1, Old Block,~llIllInd Colonly, fiombay.H2.

9. S. GurchanUl Singh,fl7, TIle Gree:n, SoutJtall, ~1iddex. (C.K.)

10. Singh Brotllcrs,Bazm" ~lai ~\\1Ul, Amritsar.

11. Pal Pralmshrul,:309:3, &clor 4fl-D, Chandigarh.

CONTENTS

Foreword by Dr. Dewan SinghAcknowledgements

Preface by the AuthorIntroduction by Daulat RaiBirth and Early LifeUnparalleled Sacrifice of His FatherDifficulties Which the Guru FacedProblems Concerned with HindusReligious Reform

Tav-Prasad(i) KabitSocial ReformPolitical Condition of the HindusFrom Where and for Whom the Guru

Started His MissionBasic Tenets of the GuruBefore the Creation of the KhalsaGuru's Support to the Hill-RajasThe 'Story' of Naina DeviFoundation of the KhalsaBasic Tenets of the KhalsaThe Guru's Way of LIfe

712131725272932

39516975

808485

90919397

JOI

Those Who Embraced the KhalsaOpposition of the Guru by the

High-Caste HindusThe Attack of Aurangzeb's ArmyAfter the Battle of ChamkaurThe Epistle of VictoryThe Regrouping of the SikhsThe Guru at DamdamaGuru's March towards DeccanThe Guru and Bahadur ShahMeeting Banda BahadurBrutal Attack on the GuruEnding of the Guruship in PersonLast Days of the GuruOutstanding Qualities of the GuruPhilosophy of Guru Gobind SinghHis Writings

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106112123133135139140141143146149150153162172

FOREWORD

Guru Gobind Singh figures in world history asa great leader of men, a versatile genius of the highestorder, a God-man and mystic par excellence, a redoub­table warrior and adept strategist, a fearless revolu­tionary, a classical Hero of Carlylian description, apowerful poet and patron of poets, a unique religiouslaw giver and champion of the downtrodden, a relent­less defender of faith and an all-sacrificing martyr forthe cause of suffering and persecuted humanity. Infact, it is impossible to encompass and delineate inwords all the facets of his highly charismatic andremarkable personality.

Contemporary and later historians, bothforeign and Indian, have tried to assess and designatethe tremendous scope and vast dimensions of hissuper-human character and his Herculean achieve­ments. Just to cite an example, out of a whole lot,Macgregor in his famous History of the Sikhs (1846p.101) says:

If we consider the work which Govind ac­complished both in reforming his religion andinstituting a new code of laws for his fol­lowers, his personal bravery under all circum-

7

stances, his persevering endurance amidstdifficulties which would have disheartenedothers and overwhelmed them, in inex­tricable distress; and lastly his final victoryover the powerful enemies by the very menwho had previously forsaken him, we need notbe surprised that the Sikhs venerate hismemory. He was, undoubtedly, a great man.

Verily, agreat man comes to surprise and bafflethe whole world for all time to come. A man standingup against a vast scourge-like empirieial system bentupon destroying and demolishing an old and decadentindigenous religious community! What an impossiblesitutation ! What courage, what resource, what pluck!A lad of nine called upon suddenly to lead a rising anddeveloping nation, not only to save and preserve itfrom the clutches of a cruel and fanatic foreign ruler,but to reform, reshape and ensteel it into a strongfighting instrument of great potentiality. This is cer­tainly a matter for constant rumination and discus­sion - a great historical fact to enthrall and electrifypeople around for centuries to come - a rare examplefor the comity of nations to emulate and furbish - afertile subject for historians to cogitate and ponder!

Here in this important monograph based uponthe well-known biographical writing in Urdu by DaulatRai, we are concerned with an Indian Historian ofnote. He was a man of considerable insight andacumen, who rose much higher than the ordinary class

8

of historiographers and was thus able to grasp andunderstand the real historical situation obtaining inIndia before and during the turbulent times of GuruGobind Singh.

Daulat Rai, now a very popular and famousname in Sikh circles, was a man of deep thinking andimpartial religious conviction. Though an AryaSamajist himself, he was completely free fromreligious hias. Though he wrote in 1901 A.D. when thePunjab was seething with inter-religious wrangling andcommunal friction of an invidious nature, he was a rareperson who evinced in his Biography of Guru GobindSingh a highly patriotic and national feeling bytranscending all parochial limitations.

Thus he was able to see Guru Gobind Singh inhis true perspective. He saw the great Guru as a na­tional hero and a national saviour. In fact, he foundGuru Gobind Singh as a unique and peerless worldfigure, a prophet with a difference, before whosedivine refulgence, other prophets appear dim andfaded - a warrior and general whose dauntless spiritand unyielding courage has no match among the greatwarriors in history - a religious law-giver and socialrevolutionary whose like is rarely to be found amongthe galaxy of political reformers and law-givers of theworld.

Daulat Rai was, of course, well-versed with theworld history, so as to compare and contrast relevantsituation while discussing the inimitable character of

9

Guru Gobind Singh. He says with a sense of pride inpraising his matchless hero:

The Emperors of Germany, Austria and Russiadespite having huge armies with them surrenderedunabashed before Napoleon. And so didthousands of Muslims of Egypt. A brave generallike Cronje despite having guns and four thousandBoer fighters with him, laid down arms before theBritish army. But look at the unparalleled couragedisplayed by Guru Gobind Singh. He had onlyforty Sikhs with him in a dilapidated adobe struc­ture at Chamkaur surrounded by the Imperial hor­des...Guru Gobind Singh refused to buckleunder..... (page 122)

This was the type of Hero who welded Sikhsinto a powerful nation. This was the man who eman­cipated the long enslaved Hindu nation from the Mus­lim tyranny. This was the man who created a casteless,free society in India after centuries of internal frictionand inequity.

We should be all-praise for Daulat Rai whogave us a re-thinking, a new line of thought, a newperspective. He has quoted Guru Gobind Singh'spoetry at length to prove that the great Guru was a trueworshipper of the One Formless God and had nothingto do with the gods and goddesses of the Hindu belief.He had certainly a new religious Order and Dispensa­tion to offer to the strife-torn confused world. In thewords of Daulat Rai :

10

Let me declare here unequivocally that theGuru worshipped the Formless Lord Akalonly. He was dead set against the worship ofgods and goddesses and always preached in nouncertain words against it. (page 81)

In the end we should feel beholden to the"Gurmat Sahit Charitable Trust" of which Mis SinghBrothers, Amritsar are zealous protagonists for theironerous effort in printing Daulat Rai's Biography invarious languages, so that the great Guru's messageshould reach the maximum number of readers.

397, Green A venue,

Amritsar.

Dewan Singh (Dr.)Former Professor & Head,

GUnl Nanak Studies Deptt.,

Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.

II

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are pleased to make this work of Daulat Raiavailable to the English-knowing world, which hasalready been well received by Urdu, Punjabi and Hindireaders. This book, originally written in Urdu, is thethird in the series ofour project of translating this workinto other languages, which is being continued by get­ting it translated into Telugu and Gujarati.

This book could haven't been brought outwithout the continuing encouragement of ourfounder-trustee S. Pritam Singh Baura of Southall(U.K.). We express our gratitude to Prof. SurinderjitSingh, Ludhiana for translating this book in anidiomatic language. He, himself an inspired person,has accomplished this difficult task in reverence andhas made this book a smooth-reading. We are behol­den to Prof. Dewan Singh for his writing the Forewordof this book, to Prof. Prakash Singh for his goingthrough the manuscript and making some good sug­gestions, to Sh. Hari Dev Bawa for his help in theproof-reading.

-ConvenerGurmat Sahit Charitable Trust

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PREFACE

Though I was conscious of my incompetence todeal effectively with the subject, two factors promptedme to write this book.

First of all, no such comprehensive book onGuru Gobind Singh had been written which dwelt atsome length on the mission of this unique patriot andcourageous fighter. Many Janam Sakhis, written ear­lier and now, by overzealous devotees are availahle.Carried away hy their devotion and zeal these writerswrote such things as strain credence and the readersfind it difficult to sift the factual from the fanciful. Suchwritings fail to depict a true picture of the personsunder study and as such do them grave injustice.

Secondly, the majority of the people know solittle ahout this great hero that many unscrupulouspeople have tried to gain their selfish ends hy sayingmany wrong and undesirable things about the Guru,his life and teachings. I was taken aback by a book inwhich the writer out of sheer ignorance or coloured byhis personal views and prejudices had tried to belittleand denigrate the mission of the Guru by misinterpret-

13

ing his words and sayings. Feeling the need of consult­ing some Khalsa Sikhs regardings these, I was all themore surprised to learn that most of them were poorlyinformed, nay quite ignorant about their Guru's realviews. There were some whose thoughts were not onlywrong but also divergent and contradictory.

So I tried to seek the Guru by delving deep intohis own writings, and in the process my admiration,gratitude and reverence for the Guru was enhancedand I felt sorely grieved that most of his noble thoughtshad not been touched upon and many others had beenfalsely spelt out. While discussing the Guru, his lifeand mission with many learned and literary persons, Icould not escape the conclusion that they were eitherill-informed or sadly misinformed. In certain circlessuch wrong impressions had taken root that had I notpersonally gone through Guru Gobind Singh's writ­ings, I should not have considered him above an ordi­nary reformer. Impelled by the lamentable lack ofinformation among the majority and equally sadden­ing misinformation current in certain circles, Iresolved to write about Guru Gobind Singh's life, hisnoble thought and his mission so that the populace atlarge could have a just view of the Guru's greatness.

I am deeply indebted to my friend Lala JawalaDass, Master of High School, Dera Ghazi Khan for hisungrudging and valuable help. I am conscious of thefact that this book is neither perfect nor comprehen­sive. It is an humble endeavour to correct the prevail-

14

ing misconceptions about the life, works and missionof the versatile genius Guru Gobind Singh.. May itinspire some day a better-equipped person to touchthe theme with greater felicity.

23rd Jan., 1901 - Daulat Rai

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INTRODUCTION

It is imperative to describe the plight of theHindus and the origin of the Sikh religion beforemoving on to the life of Guru Gobind Singh. GuruNanak founded Sikhism in Babar's time. Hindu Indiahad then been under Muslim rule for 350 years.

Muslims were tempted to invade India becauseofdisunity among Hindus caused by political, religiousand social considerations. The concept of nationalismwas missing. Hindus were divided in numerousreligious sects following diverse and sometimesdiametrically opposite rites, rituals and beliefs. Theirmodes of worship were different and often they wereat war with one another. Starting with worship of godsand demigods, Hinduism had degenerated into animalworship. The social fabric was in shreds. The caste­system had become air tight. The Brahmins in theirhey-day had introduced it to keep themselves in powerand plenty. Shudras, the lowest caste, were con­demned to eternal slavery and damnation. The oldVedic religion in the hands of the Brahmins, had be­come savage and cruel. Religion stands for peace(outward and inward), goodness and righteous living.

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The Hindus then were bereft of the blessings of sucha religion.

Before the onslaught of Islam, Buddhism hadalready made inroads in Hindu India. Buddhism, be­sides being simple, had rejected the caste system. Thelower castes embraced it in great numbers and over­night gained equality with the high castes. Buddhismgained eminence over Brahminism till it was over­thrown by the armed might of the Rajputs (of AgniDynasty) adding fire power to the intellectual gun ofShankaracharya and his followers. These followerswere mainly Brahmins and they exerted themselvesextensively to restore the supremacy of the Brahmin,tighten the stranglehold of the invidious caste-systemand keep the common man ignorant and illiterate. Butidol-worship introduced by Buddhism had its rootsgrown too deep to be uprooted. The philosophy ofShankaracharya that 'all is God' (Sabh Brahm he hai)failed to cut any ice against the caste-system and thusbring Hindus into one fold.

Shankaracharya was a follower of Shiva. Hismain disciple Ramanuja was a votary of Vishnu, whopreached the worship of his god. He was instrumentalin creating more off-shoots of Hinduism like Madhavi,Vishnu Swami, Vallabhachari, etc. Thus instead ofintegration further ramifications took place to makethings worse for Hinduism. People were attracted tothese new fountains of clear reasoning but found thefilth of many kinds in their depths. India was weak and

18

divided into inimical, political, social and religiouscamps. The Indians had become ease-loving pleasure­seekers. Their physical well-being and gratification ofsense-pleasures became the main purpose oftheir life.The devotees of Krishna were largely responsible forthis moral degeneration. The Brahmins reassumedthe role of gurus who engrained in the psyche of thecommon man the indispensability of idol-worship andrites and rituals for spiritual uplift. His gurudom cameto stay and cannot be shaken off even now.

Liberation is the destined end of human life. Inorder to cheat the common man of his worldly goodsand money, the Brahmin advocated that this world ofphenomena with its worldly goods, is untrue and theonly true entity is Brahm. So the common man shouldoffer his worldly possessions to him, considering themuntrue and worthless. He would look after theirspiritual welfare in return. The votaries of Shakti hadbecome cruel and unchaste moral lepers. TheShaivities had taken to drugs, opium, charas, ganja andwine. Such was the sad plight of the Hindus. Theywere groping in the dark shrouded by superstition.They were no match for the one-God-Ioving (worship­ping) fierce followers of Islam. The Hindus were stuckin the swamp of polytheism and manworship. Theywere at logger-heads with one another. The welfareof others was farthest from their minds. They were notunited in anything.

The Hindu India looked an easy prey to the

19

Mohammedans who turned their face towards it andover-ran it at their will. They destroyed the last ves­tiges of Hindu power and completely enslaved thepeople. They tried their level best to belittle the Hin­dus, rob them of their wealth and women, reduce themto a servile and spineless people. In short they cameto own Hindus as thoroughly as a man owns his cattle.

The Hindus could not withstand the relentlessramming of their citadel by the Mohammedans. Largenumber of the two lower castes of Hindus embracedIslam either under duress or willingly to escape thestigma of untouchability and slavery. The high casteHindus were not greatly perturbed but rather feltrelieved that the rotten limbs of the body of Hinduismhad fallen off. "A good riddance," they mused. Thesehigh caste but purblind Hindus couldn't envisage thatthis limb was going to be rejuvenated and turn intotheir master. The neo-converts were more zealousthan the invading Muslims and had no little hand ininflicting unspeakable horrors on their erstwhilemasters and co-religionists. The idol-worship of Hin­dus invited the wrath of Muslims who considered it aholy duty to destroy the temples, along with the idols,of the infidels and bring them under the banner ofIslam. Their proselytism assumed gigantic and hor­rendous proportions.

The idols ~ere broken, the costly gems em­hedded therein taken away. The Hindu women intheir thousands were not only molested and taken into

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individual harems hut were auctioned for the pettyconsideration of two dinars in the hazaars of Ghazniand other cities. Muslims and Hindus looked downupon each other, there was hardly any meeting groundbetween them. The tyranny of the victorious Muslimswas boundless. In all walks of life the Hindus weretreated like dirt. They were butchered in thousands,their idols hroken and set in the door-steps of mosqueswhere Muslims placed their shoes hefore entering.They were asked to keep food-stuff, clothes and barenecessities of life needed for a period of six monthsonly and hand over the rest to Muslims. The chronicleof Muslim rule is full of death and decimation ofHindus, desecration and destruction of their temples,denigration of their gods, deflowering of their womenand denial of all rights to them. A Hindu was forbid­den to keep a fine horse, house, woman,children andthings with him, to ride a horse and to wear a whiteturhan. The Muslim rulers exerted themselves as­siduously to ohliterate the word victory, its concept, itsvery thought from the Hindu psyche. Whenever aHindu chess-player emerged triumphant over hisMuslim adversary, he was ordered to embrace Islamor be beheaded. If a Hindu wrestler worsted hisMohammedan opponent in the arena, he had to con­vert to Islam in order to save his skin. It was a devilishand sustained scheme to emasculate the Hindus. Thegood things of life were not for them. It was con­sidered magnanimity on the part of their victoriousrulers to let them breathe and lead a life at sub-human

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level.

The Rajputs were once considered the finestflower of Hindu chivalry. Their pride, glory and man­hood were ground to such fine dust that they vied witheach other to offer their daughters in marriage to theMuslim princes and nobles. Thus the Hindu nationhad touched the nadir. Any Hindu who lookedaskance at them was treated with scorn by the Rajputs.They had to pay jazia (tax) for remaining Hindus, andthose who could not afford to pay, had to becomeMuslims. Hindus could not keep doors and lavatoriestowards west thus desecrating Kaaba.

Those Brahmins who embraced Islam wereflatteringly called Sayyads. The raft of Hinduism wasabout to be sunk when it was steered clear of thedangerous shallows of sloth, superstition and ritualismand utter despondency by an able seaman no less thanGuru Nanak Dev Ji. He preached the oneness of manand the oneness' of God and denounced the caste ­system and its off- shoots untouchability, idol worshipand cankerous ritualism. He preached that Akal(God) is above birth and death. With disarmingsweetness he used honeyed words which had the cut­ting edge of highly honed steel. The Brahmins felt thesteel in his words but were powerless to fulminateagainst him. Guru Nanak assuaged to some extent therancour between the Muslims and the Hindus.

The Hindus had lost their country and were on

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the verge of losing their identity and faith. They hadgot some respite in the reign of Akbar but duringAurangzeb's regnancy, cruelty and tyranny, bigotryand intolerance, and proselytism reached its pinnacle.The earlier Muslim rulers were prompted by holyconsiderations in all their acts of cruelty and conver­sion. But Aurangzeb earnestly endeavoured toobliterate the last traces of Hinduism from the Indiansoil. As he had dealt fiendishly with his own brotherson his way to the throne, his showing of extreme cruel­ty to Hindus, the infidels, is quite understandable.Thereby he wanted to absolve himself of the sin offratricide and inhuman treatment of his father Shahlahan. The time had come for the annihilation of theHindus, Aurangzeb celebrated his victories by weigh­ing heaps of the sacred threads of the Hindus, killed inthe battle. The heavier the weight, the greater thevictory. All great Hindu kingdoms had vanished fromthe Indian scene. The days of the Lunar Dynasty wereover; the Yadav kings were a thing of the past. Thescions of remnants of the Solar Dynasty like the Kingof Mewar were hiding in the fastnesses of jungles andhill nooks. The proud Rajputs of the Agni Dynastywere busy offering their winsome daughters to theMuslim rulers. The pride of the Hindus was trampledupon and they lay inert under the Muslim heel.

The raft of Hindu Dharma was about tofounder. It was rudderless, without a helmsman, faraway from the shores with no hope ever of making it.

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In this predicament, piercing the mists ofdespondencythere emerged a figure of hope. This personage tookthe boat out of the clutches of the ravaging tempestand steered it to the haven of the shore. He was likebeneficial rain for the withered and drooping gardenof the Hindu Dharma. Like a true friend he alleviatedthe sufferings of the Hindus. Who was he ? No otherthan Guru Gobind Singh, known the world over. Thesapling which was planted by Guru Nanak was wateredby the blood of Guru Arjan and Guru Hargobind andfertilized by their bOI)es. Guru Teg Bahadur quick­ened its growth by injecting into its veins the vital fluidflowing out of his beheaded body. Guru GobindSinghhelped it mature into a full- fledged tree with the bloodof his five beloved disciples, four sons and thousandsof his followers. At last this tree bore fruit. Its fruitwas nationalism, brotherhood, love and monotheism.

I am endeavouring to portray in t he followingpages the life of such a fine religious precep.tor, greatbenefactor, peerless fighter, patriot and nation­builder for the perusal of the readers. If it finds favourI shall be immensely beholden to them

25th January, 1901. -Daulat Rai

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GURU GODIND SINGH

Birth and Early Life

Guru Tegh Bahadur left for Bengal along withthe Raja of Jodhpur either on his own or at the behestof Aurangzeb. He left his mother Nanaki, his wifeMata Gujri who was in the family way and KirpalChand behind at Patna. Later on he moved towardsAssam.

Mata Gujri gave birth to a son at Patna onSaturday night of 17-18 Poh of 1723 Bikarami cor­responding to December, 1666. The day was still fourand half hours away. He was called Gobind indeference to the wishes of his father. Many miraclesare related regarding his birth, which I deliberatelyleave out, considering such stories to be not factual,being born out of the blind devotion of the followers.

When Gobind was old enough to play withother boys, his favourite pastime was to divide theminto two groups pitting one against the other in mockbattles. He himself was fond of wielding the sling andthe bow and arrows.

As he was the son of a Guru, people respectedhim. The boys also showed him great deference and

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he usually assumed the role of a king or a commanderof the army. Sometimes, he would play the judge anddispense justice. He was skilled with the sling and·made the boys familiar with its handling. Whenwomen of the neighbourhood carried pitchers forfetching water, he and his boys aimed at the pitchersand broke them. The women in exasperation com­plained to his grandma who often reprimanded himand threatened him with punishment.

The Guru was fearless from his very childhood.A famous anecdote runs like this. One day he wasplaying with his band of boys. The Nawab of Patna waspassing by, in procession. The mace- bearer (of theNawab) asked the boys to salaam (salute) the Nawab.But Gobind directed his companion-boys to makefaces at him, instead. The boys did so and ran away.

When Guru Tegh Bahadur returned to Punjab,he left his family behind at Patna. He foundedAnandpur Sahib and later sent for his people.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was aware of the temperof the times, Succession involved strife and jealousy.So he got his son trained in warfare and horse-ridingalongwith religious instructions. He also made arran­gements for his son to study Persian. Guru TeghBahadur's far-sighted introduction of his son to suchfields of studies proved a great boon to Gobind Singhin his later life.

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Unparalleled Sacrifice of His Father

Guru Gobind Singh devoted himself to hisstudies and spent his spare time in hunting or travellingabout while his father was preparing for a glorious actof sacrifice, long-awaited by the people of his time.Aurangzeb was in power and was bent upon convert­ing all Hindus to Islam in whatsoever way possible.Therefore he made free use of coercion, terror andviolence. He had converted villages enmasse to Islam.The low caste and the middle class Hindus were fed upwith the relentless and extreme cruelties perpetratedagainst them by the Muslim rulers. The Hindureligion had been made so impotent by endlessdivisions that it could not offer any mental peace orsolace to these people. The high castes looked downupon the low, who themselves were not united, ami­able or even forbearing enough to lead a life of peace.Juxtaposed against this background was the allure­ment that by going over to Islam, they would becomemembers of the victorious and ruling nation and es­cape the ills heaped on them by the Hindu Dharma aswell as the torture meted out by the Muslims. Hencethe low-castes not only preferred Islam to the Brah­manic Hindu religion but found it a God-sent andjoyously joined its fold. Therefore, Aurangzeb did notinclude them in his list of priorities. He was deter­mined to convert the high castes-Brahmins andKhatris, to Islam by force. That is why he spent hugesums for the purpose of converting Brahmins and

27

Khatris of Kashmir. When the Brahmins in Kashmirrefused to embrace Islam, he summoned them to hisDelhi court.

At that time the Sikhs were gaining in strengthand stature. Guru Hargobind had earlier measuredswords with the Mughal forces of his time. Theirreligion was actively propagated and talked about.Therefore the Kashmiri Brahmins went to Guru TeghBahadur and related their tale of woe. The Gurubecame pensive on learning of their plight, his faceexpressing deep grief and concern. The sad plight ofthe Brahmins and the murderous might of Aurangzebwere thought-provoking facts. The plight of theformer was pleading for succour to the oppressed as amoral duty and his blood rose to defend the freedomof worship for the Hindus. But the stupendous mightof the Muslim ruler was a thing to reckon with. TheGuru was pondering deeply over these aspects of thematter when Gobind Rai appeared. Finding his fatherpensive, he asked the reason. The Guru replied thatthe plight of Hindu Dharma in India called for thesacrifice of a pious soul. Gobind spontaneouslyquipped that there was none more pious than the Guruhimself. The Guru replied,"If that is the Lord's Will,so be it".

The growing power of the Sikhs was rankling inAurangzeb's eyes. On learning of the Guru's help forthe Kashmiri Brahmins, he became incensed. Hesummoned the Guru to Delhi. The Guru installed

28

Gobind as his successor informing him that he wasgoing to offer his head for the cause of Righteousnessin obedience to the Akal Purakh's command. TheGuru advised his son to save his dead body fromindignity and perform the final rites after retrieving it.He further charged Gobind to shield the oppressed(Hindus) even at the cost of his life. It all transpiredas the Guru had foretold. Guru Tegh Bahadur wasbeheaded at the behest of Aurangzeb and Jiwan, aRanghar Sikh carried his Guru's head to Guru GobindSingh at Anandpur. On seeing his father's gory head,Guru Gobind Singh uttered these famous lines:

As an act of redressal, did he so,Offered his head without a word of woe.For Righteousness, performed this deed,Gave he his head, but kept his creed.

The body of the Guru was taken away by adevoted Sikh to his own house. Fearing exposure hedeliberately set fire to his house, while consecratingthe body to the flames. It was impossible to crematethe body anywhere outside.

Difficulties Which the Guru Faced

Guru Gobind Singh was fired with zeal to en­deavour for the fulfilment of his mission. But his pathwas beset with many impediments. When Guru TeghBahadur bequeathed to his son, the defence of Dhar­ma (Righteousness), the extirpation of its enemies andthe firing of hearts with patriotic fervour Guru Gobind

29

Singh was only nine. But he enshrined this legacy inhis heart. He had no experience but of the inspiringself-sacrifice of his father made for Righteousness.The task before him was stupendous, he had no resour­ces, no estate, no wealth, only a handful ofSikhs to giveofferings,just enough for bare sustenance. Facing himwas the formidable force of Islam whose swaystretched from the shores of the Indian Ocean to thepeaks of Himalyas and touching the boundary ofBurma on the east.

Destiny had pitted a penniless recluse (fakir)lodged in a corner of the vast country against thisredoubtable Islamic empire, finding him most suitablefor this task. It was imperative for a fighter of GuruGobind Singh's calibre to carry out the loving com­mand of his father. What could he do in the face of thearmed might of a pitiless and savage tyrant likeAurangzeb. An unfledged novice of nine pittedagainst a crafty and powerful potentate. Even then hedecided to free Hindus from the Muslim yoke and ridIndia of this oppressive Muslim rule. He was not anenemy of Islam nor had he anything to gain by suchanimosity. He was against such Muslims who, underthe garb of Islam, were perpetrating ungodly acts ofcruelty and were Muslims in name only. He was theenemy of these savage and cruel butchers whoregarded the shedding of blood of non-Muslims anddenigration of their religions as holy acts.

Guru Gobind Singh resolved to oust such

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people. But the fulfilment of his mission seemed wellnigh impossible. The ill was diagnosed and themedicine prescribed, but it was very difficult to obtain.He however, procured it at last. But how this VaidGobinda went about administering this medicine, withwhat wisdom and what success, needs a detailedanalysis to be fully understood.

The very exercise undertaking this task wasbeset with innumerable impediments and problems.He was a youngman just past childhood. His kith andkin were hostile to him owing to his succession toGuruship. The Sikhs were suspect in the eyes of theGovernment of the times. But he was endowed with aheart which scoffed at all troubles, was undaunted byimpediments and hardships, unperturbed by problemsand uncowed by any grief. A man blessed with such aheart had not taken birth in India (among Hindus) forthousands of years. This peerless heart was inspiringhim. But there was no material to work upon.

He wanted to shield his people from the in­solent and tyrannical hand of Aurangzeb. He wantedto free his country and Hindu Dharma from theclutches of the corrupt and cruel administration. Buthe found his countrymenl lacking in everything. Theywere spineless, cowardly, hypocritical, busy in harmingand accusing one another, sans unity, determinationand sense of honour. There was nothing to bring themtogether and nothing in them to bind them to a com­mon cause. Disgrace and decline was in evidence

31

everywhere. The Hindus were beset with extremeselfishness. There was no one to lend an ear to theirplaints and to succour them. The Kashatris had losttheir valour, the Brahmins their all after effacingothers. The Hindu had lost his self-respect, honourand possessions. There was no sense ofsecurity. Theyfaced perpetual danger.

Such was the general state of affairs, whenGuru Gobind Singh was brimming over with zeal fornationalism and defence of Dharma. He was deter­mined to restore the honour of the people, allay theirsufferings and free them from tyranny. He was alsoconscious of his inexperience, destitution and utterlack of help of any kind from any quarter. We can wellimagine his predicament. His patriotic fervour boilingover contrasted with the chilling cowardice and utterdespondency of the people. But he was endowed witha heart, undaunted by obstacles, undeterred byhardships, uncowed by the hopelessness of the situa­tion, unawed by the stupendous might of the Mughals.He viewed the situation in depth from all sides. Hefound the Hindus deflated in everything, fallen in allaspects. He found certain questions nagging his mind.and demanding attention and solution. Only afterresolving them could the Hindus be saved.

Problems concerned with Hindus

1. The Hindus had discarded the Worship of oneGod and had supplanted Him by numerous gods,

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avtaras, animals, vegetation and metals. Theobvious result with the disintegration of theirnation. Beset with physical and spiritual slaverythey were out to obliterate their very existence.How to wean them from the worship of Hiscreatures and the pull of the Vedas and restorethe worship of one God, was the fitst problem.

2. How to check the downward slide of the Hindusin physical, mental, spiritual, moral and educa­tional sphere and give it an ascending direction?

3. What were the causes of disunion, animosity,bickering and weakness among the Hindus,which should be removed to bring them on acommon platform of brotherhood and national­ism?

4. How to weaken the dominance of Islam and freeHindus from bondage?

In short, how to bring about the worship of oneGod, brotherhood and nationalism among the Hindusand how to deliver them from the clutches of degrad­ing slavery.

It goes without saying that others before GuruGobind Singh had deliberated upon this theme butwithout any tangible results. All such efforts at refor­mation had resulted in the widening of the gulf ofdifferences. All reformers had pointed in newer direc­tions, thus leading to further separations and ramifica­tions. A veritable jungle of pathways was created

33

making more and more new sects who took pleasurein the discomfiture of others. They never thought ofworking unitedly despite religious and political dif­ferences, against the common bloodthirsty enemy.Owing to mental slavery they had strayed far from theVedic religion. The Muslims trampled upon them oneby one (in turn). The only difference being that thosewho enjoyed the discomfiture of others had their mo­ment of humiliation slightly later.

They were united in not a single thing aboutreligion. All of them boasted of deriving their ownbrand directly from the Vedas and looked askance atothers. They were responsible for the slide downwardfrom mental slavery to political enslavement. Andpolitical bondage had brought them to the brink ofannihilation. Their religion and nationality was aboutto lose their identity. Their religion had no strength tobind the numerous sects together. They had nopower, wealth and manhood left to fight back. Wide­ranging reforms were needed in moral, religious andsocial fields. The last question perplexing GuruGobind Singh was that the material at his disposal wasnil. He was hard put to find a solution to the compli­cated problem.

He surveyed the field before him. There wereimpediments in the way of religious and socialreforms. The political reality was fraught with dangersand pitfalls. Despite all this he·steeled himselffor thisHerculean task. He decided to inject new vigour into

34

the frigid Hindu blood which had lost all sense ofhonour, shame, brotherhood and valour. He took thefield alI alone like a true warrior.

To put things in their true perspective, it isproper to view the scene. Guru Gobind Singh was arecluse sans wealth, power and possessions but pos­sessed of one thing which despite everything added tohis courage and impelled him towards success. It wasthe spark of nationalism and the fighting instinct of aKashatri. The exploits of Ramachandra are remem­bered with reverence and pride. But inRamachandra's time the whole of India was under theHindu Kings. Neither the country nor the Dharma wasthreatened. He himself was a king, enjoying greatwealth and power. The neighbouring kings sided withhim. No one can aver that patriotism or nationalismof any kind was involved in his war against Lanka.Undoubtedly he proved a true Kashatri warrior andkilled Ravana who had forcibly taken away his wife. Agreat deed of personal revenge.

On the other hand Guru Gobind Singh took upthe cudgels for the betterment of others, grieved at theforcible abduction of lakhs ofwives of his countrymen.He undertook this tough task under extremely difficultconditions. All exploits of Krishna were motivated bypersonal revenge. He killed Kansa because the latterwanted to obliterate his dynasty alongwith Krishna.He took to the sword in self-defence and wielded itwell. Conspiring with the Pandavas and with their

35

active support he defeated king Jarasindh, who hadattacked him fifteen times to avenge the killing ofKansa. Jarasindh had forced Krishna to leave hisKingdom and found a new Kingdom in Gujrat withDwarka as its capital.

It was pure and simple revenge that promptedthese exploits. No patriotism ofany kind was involved.There is no doubt that Jarasindh and Kansa were bothcruel despots. And it was the duty of a Kashatri to takeup the sword for the extermination of such persons.Even if we admit that some patriotic feelings werelying at the back of all this, contrary to the facts, his,exploits should be assessed in the light of his being aking with great resources at his command, with manykings at his side and the great Pandavas backing himup. His actions appear not beyond any ordinary kingof his time. No foreign power was ruling the country,which was under Kashatris and the people wereprosperous.

But the task before Guru Gobind Singh wascomparatively far more stupendous, important andcritical. In patriotic fervour he leaves Krishna farbehind. Similarly his deeds far excel those ofShankaracharya. The latter was helped by Kashatrikings in his bid to browbeat the Buddhist Scholars withhis intellect and scholasticism. Had he not been back­ed by the Kashatri might he would have failed in hismission. Guru Gobind Singh stood all alone withoutfriends and helpers. The emperor of his time was dead

36

set against him.

Prophet Mohammad had to contend with asmall tribe of Quareshi sect. Guru Gobind Singh wasfaced with a situation far more difficult and criticalthan any of these great persons had met. It requiredgreater courage and determination. His (own) Hindubrethren were against him, he himself was a pennilessrecluse. True his father had been martyred. But mil­lions before him had been butchered by the Muslimemperors. Why so far no one had ever thought oftaking revenge during all these centuries ? Why itoccurred only to Guru Gobind Singh that the Muslimpower should be weakened? Why no one had stoodup against the tyranny of the Muslim rule?

The most surprising thing is that the very Hin­dus for whose welfare Guru Gobind Singh was bearingall kinds of hardships were not only fighting shy ofhelping him, but were adding to his cup of miseries byfighting against him. The Hindus were so much con­sumed by selfishness that there was no hope of theirever rallying under the banner of nationalism. In theheart of Guru Gobind Singh was lit the spark ofnationalism which all earlier Hindu reformers includ­ing Krishna, Ramachandra, Shankaracharya andRamanuja had lacked.

The spark was there but material needed forstoking it was lacking. The Guru was only fifteen andhad this Herculean task before him. No fierce wind of

37

fear and danger, no cyclone ofcowardice, no hurricaneof hurry and selfishness, no currents of carelessnesscould extinguish this spark. Great wisdom, patientawaiting of opportune time and the knack of feelingthe pulse of the time were needed for such a task. SoGuru Gobind Singh retired to the hills in order tonurse the spark of nationalism into a blaze and devisemeans to utilise it to good effect. Another reason of hisseclusion could be his desire thereby to cool the op­position of Ram Rai, a strong contender for Guruship.It is said that the Guru stayed in the hills for many yearsand the hill chieftans did all they could to harass him.

During this sojourn, he added a lot to hisknowledge. He learnt Persian thoroughly, acquiredsome understanding of Arabic and attained proficien­cy in Sanskrit. He heard and went through thechronicles of great kings and warriors of India andstudied the lives and philosophies of great reformersand leaders of other religions. He ruminated over theups and downs of his country and listened raptly to theballads on the bold exploits of the doughty warriors ofIndia, sung by the bards. When his Sikhs gatheredaround him, such recitals were a regular feature. Theidea was to infuse valour into them. He spent someof his time in hunting tigers and other wild animals.All along, his mind dwelt on the task before him,devising ways and means to be put into practice in thetimes to come. During this period the claim of RamRai to the Guruship proved hollow and lost bite. In

38

due course the Sikhs started rallying round GuruGobind Singh. He would daily listen to the tales ofwoe inflicted by Aurangzeb which steeled him furtherin his resolve and kept the spark burning in his heart.

The might of the Mughals was evident as alsothe helplessness, sad plight and inherent weakness ofthe Hindus. He fixed his priorities and decided first ofall to remove the causes responsible for disunity,despondency and debility among Hindus. This re­quired sweeping reforms in the religious field,alongwith social reforms like eradication of caste ­system and untouchability. Needed also was the incul­cation of upward looking among the Shudras. And lastof all he was to turn to political reform. All theseinvolved considerable difficulties.

Religious Reform

From the very beginning the Hindus have heldthe Dharma as supreme, a pious binding duty nearerto the heart than everything else. At no time in theirhistory had they turned their back on it or esteemed itless. They were able to keep it alive during Buddhistonslaught and even after seven hundred years of Mus­lim atrocities. Their country, property, wealth, landsand families were seized, their libraries and booksburnt and their lives taken. In short they saw every­thing perishing before their very eyes, but they kepttheir Dharma alive. They enshrined it in the deepestrecesses of their hearts where not even the most tyran-

39

nical hand could reach it. They bore torture, enduredhardships and sorrows but somehow kept their Dhar­ma alive, because it was most dear to them. Theydefended it with streams of their blood and millions oftheir lives. They proved equal to the occasion, thoughthey were a divided lot, various sects warring with oneanother. Due to sectarian differences they came to besub-divided into groups and sub-groups.

Their existence was like the flickering light ofa dying lamp. This flickering light was about to beextinguished by the storm of intolerant fanaticism letloose by Aurangzeb when Guru Gobind Singhshielded it with his hands and saved it from extinction.The sad plight of the Hindus was evident from the factthat even in one family various ways of diversereligious practices were followed. While one wor­shipped Ganesh, the second prayed to the Sun, thethird was a devotee of Shivji, the fourth - a votary ofVishnu, the fifth, the follower of Ram, the sixthdevoted to Bhairo, the seventh worshipped Hanuman,the eighth admired Krishan Leela (Amours), the nextwas a Vedanti and so on. And added to this emaciatingdivision was mutual animosity and hatred. Thanks tothese fisiparous tendencies, the Hindus had no com­mon language. Their religious books were different.There was no unanimity on any religious issue. Theywere not united in anyone thing. How could there beany feeling of oneness, mutual sympathy and patrioticfeeling among them? There was no social intercourse

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and fellow-feeling among the Hindus.

Disunity, friction and animosity were rife. Thereligious structure was in disarray and loose. TheSouth had no love for the North. The Hindus of theNorth had no truck with the denizens of the South.Both of them were unconcerned about the easternpeople. And none of them had even a single practicein common with the West. No one trusted the others.The country was full of corrupt and deceitful people.Their religion was not the same, their morality dif­ferent, their aims different, their hopes different, theirliving different, their habits different, their habili­ments different, their prayers different, their gods dif­ferent, their temples different, their rites and ritualsdifferent, their desires different, their food different,their ways different, their tempers different, their hellsdifferent, their heavens different. There was no one­ness in their thoughts, in their actions. They followedways not only different but often sharply conflictingwith one another. They had neither love for oneanother nor shared the grief of others. They never feltinclined to succour one another.

The Hindu kings were hostile to one another.The subjects were out to harm one another. Thereligious sects were thirsty for the blood of oneanother. How could then the Hindus survive orprosper ? Why should not they have decline anddownfall? Why should not they suffer and be despon­dent? Why should not their humiliation and disgrace

41

be apparent? Why should not their honour and self­respect be well nigh extinct? Why should not theirnations' dignity and destiny be different? Why shouldnot they be termed cowardly and docile, semi-civilizedor savage rabblement?

The position of religious sects and sub-sectshad become worse. Their number could be countedin thousands. Normany the Brahmins were thefounders of these sects and groups. In addition tothem were different sects following diverse saints andfakirs. Things had come to such a pass that everyvillage had its own rites and rituals, gods and sectsquite different from all others. Some Hindus had slidstill lower by following certain Islamic sects and Mus­lim Pirs (holymen) who considered them heathens, fitonly to be bled. Some of the founders of the sectsdeified themselves as the supreme Lord, while someothers claimed direct descent from him.

If the play of Maya was eulogized at one place,the world and its goods were described as ephemeral..ula transitory at another and people advised renuncia­tion. All of the founders and leaders of sects hadopened shops, were extolling their own religious waresand were worried about selling them. Liberation wasgoing cheap and selling for a song. The fasting of a day,just one bathing at a Tirath, the recitations of a coupleof words and incantation of some names were claimedto wash away the sins not only of this life but also ofthe sum total of thousands previous births, as well as

42

those of one's forefathers and relatives. Over andabove all this they entitled one to emancipation andtransported him to heaven (Swarga). The variance inreligious affairs applied even to tilaks (marks onforeheads). The tilaks were different, their contoursdifferen't, their positions different. All this was doneto enable the agencies of the gods to recognize theirrespective devotees, after their demise. The rosaryand its beads were different. The materials used andtheir coiours were diverse. It is not possible to tabu­late all the ramifications of their diverse creeds.

Differences and contrasts were the order of theday. Rites, rituals and religious acts differed from manto man. In the religious field transactions were aglore.The rules for returns of religious dealings weredefined, rules for sale, purchase and mortgage werelaid down and enforced. One person would worshipgod, do penance and give in charity and another couldreap the rewards. Give a man some pice and take awaythe gain entailed by his prayers, recitations and incan­tations. Sin and commit crimes of all kinds. Then givea professional in the religious field some money, get areligious book read, get a couple of mantras recited bya rosary a number of times and have your sins washedaway. Appease your particular god by offering himsome flowers, Coconut, patashas (sugar-candies) etc.When absolution was so cheap and readily available,why should a man bother about morality, engage in thehard task of worship and prayers and study of the

43

scriptures? Why cleanse the inner selfwith the rigoursof austerities and abstinences ? Why should one thinkof social welfare or unity or turn towards one God?

When the rewards of here and hereafter couldbe obtained with a handful of coins, where was anyplace for virtuous acts of this and earlier lives? Notonly were one's rites, rituals, customs different in thisworld but in the next also. Every god had his ownspecial heaven and hell. When the gods were atvariance with one another, how could there be peaceamong their followers? The Hindus even denigratedthe Almighty Lord Himself. First of all they parcelledHim into gods like Brahma, Vishnu etc. Later on Hewas made to manifest Himself not only in the form ofhuman beings but also of animals like the Crocodile,the Tortoise, the Boar and what is even worse of a

"man-animal Narsingh (Half lion, half man). Theystarted idol-worship and carved idols of the gods. Buttheir idols too, were different.

One idol was headless, another without feet.While some idols were made of stone, others werehewed out of logs of wood. Even the stones were ofdiverse shapes and kinds, round, chiselled etc. Mostlythe idols of Kaam (Eros) and of Krishna were wor­shipped. It is most surprising that the idols of theTortoise, the Boar and the Crocodile were not madeand worsh.ipped.

Many tortuous austerities and different physi­cal tortures were undergone in the name of religion.

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Some considered it a pious act to die while being sawnapart in a well at Kashi, while some desired beingtrampled to death under the Chariot of Jagan Nath.But it is surprising that the cutting off of one's noseor ears had not come into vogue then, though piercingthem was considered propitious. Most bizarre thingswere done. While one tried to blight his arm the otherkept standing on one leg to proclaim his religiousfervour yet another hung downward and still anothertried to ape the animals in his stance. The religiousgarbs were of diverse colours, of different shapes. Thehair style and modes of keeping hair of the head, thebeard and the moustache were different.

This immoral and irreligious tide was respon­sible for the birth of Buddhism. The power of thesword had led to the spread of Budh Dharma and alsoto its downfall. Its good points became extinct in Indiawith its ouster but its evil practices were retained as alegacy by Hindus. Animal sacrifice was considered afit offering to the gods and goddesses, and humansacrifice was deemed still more virtuous. The priestsof the temple of Bandar Bashi proudly claimed thatanimal sacrifice was offered in such an abundance thatblood never dried on the sacrificial altar. Eating offilth was the special trait of one religious sect. Thefollowers of Bhairo indulged in drinking to please theirgod. The votaries of Shivji took to opium, charas andhemp as an act of devotion. The followers of Shakti orDevi ate meat and drank liquor as a religious dutytowards their deity. Certain sects revelled in eating

45

with dogs. Salvation could be had by merely servingthe saints and sadhus and at the soulful glance of aguru.

The Brahmins were the originators of allreligious ills. They had forbidden the non-Brahminsfrom studying Vedas and Shastras. In due course oftime the field of education became their preserve andthey refused to teach others. They opined thatSanskrit was the language of the gods and of all thepeople of the world only Brahmins were privileged tostudy it. They were the editors and rehashers ofShastras and the makers (writers) of Puranas, as wellas the creators of all religious sects. Despite beingworsted, humbled and humiliated, they were loth toforego their acquired position of authority. They werenever willing to let go off a thing over which theyclaimed their birth right and divine right. Therefore,it was well nigh impossible to interfere in anyone oftheir affairs. They were incensed by such interferenceand considered it more hurtful than the Muslimatrocities. You can fully apprehend the state of affairsif you go through the various injunctions they hadincorporated in the religious books (Shastras) to per­petuate their pre-eminence, dominance and self-ac­quired authority over others. Their number is great,but just a few are given below:

1. All the world and all that it contains is theproperty of the Brahmin. All things have beenmade for him. Manu I Chapt/96, 100,101.

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2. The Brahmin can annihilate a king with hisarmy, horses and elephants,with the power ofhis mantras. Manu 9/213.

3. The Brahmin can create many worlds like ourown. rulers of kingdoms, new gods, new humanbeings and many other perishable things.Manu 91315. (This can be true as he hadcreated many new kings and kingdoms withsmall capitals of their own by setting the Raj­puts against one another. He had createdcountless new gods, and was busy creatingmore every day).

4. The Brahmin deserves greater respect and re­verence than a king. Manu 2/139.

5. Very serious crimes committed in order tosave his body and soul, are not punishable inthe case of a Brahmin. Manu 9/205, 208, 232;4/69,165; 8/281, 283.

6. Any crime against the person of a Brahmin oragainst his property deserves ten times theordinary punishment in such cases. manu7/367; 8/378, 379.

7. It is the imperative duty of ~ king to appoint aBrahmin as his trusted minister and advisor.Manu 7/58.

8. The working of courts should be entirelyentrusted to the Brahmin. Manu 8/1, 9, to, 11.

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9. In a Yajna the Brahmins should be fed andgiven plenty of gifts and fees for spiritual ser­vices rendered. In case these are insufficientall lives,progeny, animals, good name andblessings Uoys) of now and hereafter of theperson performing Yajna are destroyed. Manu3/133 to 146; 11/39,40.

to. Atonement for not doing worship, pilgrimageand Tirath- bathing can only be obtained bylilJeral cash donations to a Brahmin. Manu11/117, 139.

11. No tax of any kind can be charged from a Brah­min. Manu 7/(132), 133.

12. If someone steals an animal belonging to aBrahmin, his feet should be cut off from theankles. Manu 8/325.

13. A shudra should preferably serve a Brahminand in case of non-availability of a Brahminmaster, he should serve a Kashatri. Manu8/334.

It is not necessary here to dwell at greaterlength on such references; these few are enough toestablish the pre-eminence of the Brahmins in allaspects of life. Everything was under their control.Their right even to create new gods had been accepted.They interpreted the Shastras to suit their selfish endsof the moment and established such rites, rituals andtraditions as were consonant with their own material

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welfare. They had already debarred the common massof non-Brahmins from the study of Sanskri1. Now theyforbade them to learn Arabic and Persian, on the plea,that the study of the language of the Malechhas (a termof contempt for the Muslim invaders) was against theinjunctions of the Shastra<;. Whosoever, commencedthe study of Persian was declared a Shudra andostracised. That is why the Kaisths who were the firstto study Persian are even to-day considered Shudras inIndia. The Brahmins completely enmeshed the Hin­dus in mental slavery which is even worse and moredamaging than physical slavery.

The Hindus were enslaved mentally by theBrahmins on the one hand and physically by the Mus­lims on the other. Guru Gobind Singh decided to freethem from both these kinds of slavery. Opposition tothe freeing of the Hindus from mental slavery wasexpected from the Brahmins, but the Hindus themsel­ves were ready to oppose him and they did so. ButGuru Gobind Singh gave a clarion call for the freedomof the Hindus despite opposition from these ungrate­ful people. And he forcefully exhorted the people forthe worship of the Aka!.

First of all he turned to reform in the religioussphere. Being a spiritual leader he preached thegospel of Lord-devotion and taught the people tospurn polytheism and to shun the following of man­made religious sects. He forcefully rebutted theplurality of god. Following the precepts of Guru

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Nanak Dev Ji, he forcefully denounced and forbadethe worship of idols. He censured the custom of ob­servance of obsequies and described the worship ofgods as a fraud, termed the concept of Avtars as anti­nature, condemned Tirath-bathing as a hoax, criticisedthe religious garbs as dresses of deceit, deliveredpeople from the worship of men, animals, vegetationsand minerals. He pulled people out of the bog ofsuperstition, and decried the symbols of religious dis­tinctions. He drew the attention of the people to theOne Creator, who is Formless and Eternal. Heeulogized supreme glory of Truth.

In short he took people away from small, slimy,stagnant and filthy fountains to the shores of the in­finite Ocean of Lord-devotion. Given below are someKabits of Guru Gobind Singh culled out of hisnumerous verses epitomising the beauty of his gospel,the depth of his Lord-devotion and the extent of rich­ness of his thought. It is hoped that the readers willrelish them:

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Tav-Prasad(i) Kabit

Khak malhan gaj gad-ha bibhUtdhari,Gidila masdn bas kario i karat haiti.Ghughil mat basi lage dolat uddsi mrig,Tarvar sadiv mon sadhe i marat haiti.Bind ke sadhaya tahe hij ki ba{iaya det,Bandra sadiv pae nage i phirat habi.Ailgna adhin kam krodh mai prabin.

Ek gian ke bihin chhin kaise kai tarat haiti. (1/71)

Could the Lord be realized :

(a) by eating filth then the swine would,

(b) by smearing the body with dust then the ass andthe elephant would,

(c) by haunting the cremation grounds then thejackal would,

(d) by living in a domed monastery then the owlwould,

(e) by wandering listlessly then the deer would,

(f) by standing still and silently then the tree would,

(g) by abstinence from sex then the eunuch would,

(h) by walking barefoot then the monkey would.

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How can a frail being, who is swayed by comelywomen, is preyed upon by wrath and lust and is bereftof perception of the True One, cross beyond? (71)

Bluit bancluiri eMit ehhauna sabllai dLidluidhari,PawL ke ahari su blwjatig janiat hain.Tril) ke bhacllhaya dhan lobh ke tajaya teto,Gallan ke jaya brikh-bhaya maniat haiiz.Nabll ke lujaya tahe pO/ie/1M ke ba(laya det,Baglllo birol brik d!lioni l!loniat !lain.fete ba(le giani tino jani pai bakhani nohe,

Aise /10 prapO/icll man bhlll aniat hoi/i. (2/72)

The Lord cannot be realized by roaming likeghosts, by subsisting on milk alone like kids and theyoung ones of animals, by l\ving on air like serpents.Those who feed on vegetation and have discarded allattachment can be likened to the oxen. Those who flyin the air (with the help of yogic power) emulate thebirds. Those who meditate can be cOILpared to cranes,wolves and jungle cats. But they who have attainedenlightenment, keep mum and do not even dream ofenacting shows of deceit. (72)

BJuim ke basayo tohe bluicllri ke jaya kahaiil,Nablz ke u(laya so eharaya kai bakhaniai.Pltal ke bltaehlw)'a tahe bdlidri ke jaya kahaili,Adis phiraya tete bIlllt kai paeh!laniai.fal ke taraya ko ga/igairi si kahat jag,Ag ke bhaehhaya SIl ehakor sam maniai.Sllraj sivaya tahe kaul ki ba(ltii det,

ChOlidrama sivayd ko kavi kai pahehdniai. (3/73)

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Those who live under earth can be called theissue of termites. Those who soar in the sky can becalled the small birds. Those who eat fruit can becalled the breed of monkeys. Those who move inisolated areas can be recognised as ghosts. Those whowalk on water are called water spiders by the people.Those who swallow flames can be likened to theChakor. Those who worship the sun earn the trait of alotus. Those who worship the moon can be comparedto a blue lotus.

Norai!) kachh machh tiildua kahit sabh,Kaul nabh kaul jih tal mai,j rahat haiti.Gopi Nath glljar gupal sabhai dhellchari,Rikhi-kes nam kaih mahant iahiat hai,i.Madhav bhavar au alenl ko kanahya nam,KQ1is ke badhaya jamdut kahiat hain.Murh nirh pilat na gllrhta ke bhed pavai,

Pujat na tahe ja ke rakhe rahiat habi. (4/74)

The octopus, the tortoise, the fish can be called"Narain ", which means "water-living".

If the Lord is called Narain (living in water)then He is the octopus, the tortoise, the fish.

If the Lord sports a lotus in His navel, then allponds sport lotuses.

If He is called Gopal, Gopinath (shepherd ofcows) then He is Gujjar by caste and profession.

If He is called Rikhikesh, then many saintswere called by this name.

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If He is called Madhav, then He is a black bee.

If He is called Kanahya, it is the name of thespider as well.

If He is called the slayer of Kansa then He is aYamdoot.

The fools chant empty words and do not realizeHis mystery and they do not worship the True one,who sustains all. (74)

Bisv-pal jagat-kal din dae-al bairi-sal,Sada pritpal jam jdl te rahat hain.Jogi jaladluiri sali sache baqe brahmchari,Dhian kaj bluikh pias deh pai sahat haiti.Nioli karam jal hom pavak pavan hom,Adho mukh ek pae lha(fhe na bahat hai;"Mdtlav phaflitid dev ddtlOv flO paveh bhed,Bed au kateb flet net kai kahat haiti. (5/75)

The Lord who is the Creator of the Cosmos, aswell as its Destroyer, the Preserver of the poor, theslayer of the vile, is ever the True Sustainer, is Eternal.The Yogis, the Celibate, those with matted hair, theVirtuous, contemplate Him and endure thirst andhunger, perform numerous Yogic feats, light sacrificialfires to air, fire and water, hang upside down, stand onone foot, go without sitting, but can't realise His es­sence. Men, gods, demons, godlings cannot unfathomHis ways, and Scriptures declare Him ineffable. (75)

Nachat phirat mor badar karat gllOr,Damani anek bhau kario i karat hai.

S4

CIIOIidrama te sita/ no suraj te tapat tej,I~idra sowi no raja bllav blulm ke bharat IIai.Siv se tapasi ad(i) bralll7la se no bed-chari,Sanat Kllmar si tapasaya no anat IIai.Gian ke bil,in ka/-pllas ke adhin soda,

Jllgan ki challkri pllirae i phirat hoi. (6/76)

The peacock is a peerless dancer, the cloud aunique drummer and the lightning an enchanting dan­seuse. The moon is unrivalled in coolness, the sun inscorching heat and Indra in kingly grandeur. There isno ascetic like Shiva, no knower of the Vedas likeBrahma and nobody equals Sanat Kumar in leading alife of austerities. And yet bereft of True realisationthey are all subject to Death and gyrate in the Cycle ofYugas. (76)

Ek siv bllae ek gae ek pher bllae,Ram Chandra Krisan ke avtar bhi a1lek llOin.Brahma ar bisa1l kele bed all pllran kete,Silimrit(i) sanulhan kai Illli Illli bilae haili.Mondi madar kete Asllllfli Kllmar kete,Afisa avtar kete ka/ bas bllae hai/i.Pir all pikalibar kele gane fla parat ele,

Bluim hi Ie Illli kai phir bllum hi milae hoiIi. (7/77)

One Shiva was born, another died still anotherwas reborn. There have been countless avtaras ofKrishna and Ramchandra and countless have beenvishnus and Brahmas and countless kinds of countlessscriptures like Vedas and Puranas. There have been count­less Mondis and Madars and countless Aswin Kumars (thetwin sons of the Sun) and countless Hansa Avtara. All

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of them were subject to death. Countless have beenthe Prophets and the Pirs who returned to dust fromwhere they had sprung. (77)

Jogi jati brahm-chan bat;!e bat;!e chhatra-dluiri,Clzhatra hi k; clzhaia ka; kos lau clzalat haili.Bat;!e bat;!e rajall ke dabit phirat(i) des,Bat;!e bat;!e bIIupall ke drap ko dalat haili.Mall se mahip tiU Dilip jaise chhatra-dluiri,Bat;!o abhimall bhuj dalid ko karat hain.Dara se Dilisar Durjodhall se mandhan,

BllOg bhog billim Ofit bIIum mai milat haili. (8178)There have been great Yogis, Brahmcharis,

Celibates and great kings whose canopies spread overmiles, who crushed the pride of other kings and an­nexed their kingdoms. And great emperors like thefamed Man Singh and Dalip who were proud of theirprowess. Great emperors like Dara and vaingloriouskings like Daryudhan enjoyed all earthly pleasures.All of them in the end turned to dust. (78)

Sijde kare allek topaclzi kapaJ bhes,Posti allekda nivavat hain sis kau.Kaha bIIaeo mall jau pai kat;!hat allek t;!Ofit;!,So to na t;!a1)t;!aut astling athas kau.Kaha bIIaeo rog; jo pai t;!ario rahio urdh mukh,Mall te lIa munt;!lIihuraeo ad(i) is kau.Kamila adhin sada damalla prabill ek,

Bhavlla bihin kaise pavai jagdis kau. (9179)The gunner, the disguised hunter bow down

countless times. The opium-eaters nod their headscountless times. The wrestler while performing his

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exercises lies on the ground and stands up countlesstimes. But all these cannot be termed prostrationbefore Him. A sick person lies with his face downwardmany times on the bed. But it is not obeisance to theLord as no devotion is involved in it. Caught in theweb of desires, skilled in the deceptive ways andwithout realizing Truth, one can't attain Him. (79)

Sis palkat ja ke ka" mai khajura dhasai,Ma;uj chhalkat mitra putra hun ke sok sOli.Ak ko charrayd phal phul ko bhachhaya sada,Ba" ko bhramaya aur dusTO na bok soli.Kaha bhayo bhe<l jo ghasat sis brichllall sOli,Mali ke bhachhaya bol pac/zh lijai jok sOli.Kamna adhin kam krodh maili prab/II,

Ek bhavlla bil,i" kaise bhetai par/ok son. ( 10/80)A person shakes his head vehemently when an

ear-wig enters his ear or when some dear one dies hebeats his head. One who grazes on celandine flowerand fruit and roams in the jungle can be none otherthan the billy-goat. What does it avail if a person rubshis head like a sheep rubbing against trees or eats dustlike a leech. Beset by desires, swayed by lust andanger, how can one go to heaven without True realiza­tion? (80)

Nacheo / karat mor dadar karat sor,Sada ghanghor ghan kario / karat haiiz.Ek pae lha<lhe sada ban main rahat brichh,Phuk phuk pav bhum(i) sravag dharat haili.Pahall anek jug ek lhaur bas karai,Kag aur chi/ des des bicharat hai,i.

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Gian kai bihin mahali dan mai na hujai lin,

Bhtivna billin dill kaise kai tarat hain. (11/81 )

Peacocks dance, frogs croak and the cloudsever chant their roaring. The trees ever on one footstand. The Sarvagi clears the passage in front beforestepping, the stones ever squat in the same place. Thecrow and the kite fly through many lands. One withouttrue knowledge, loving devotion, and faith in theBounteous Lord cannot cross Beyond. (81)

Jaise ek sva;lgi ka/z(ui jogia bairdgi ballai,Kab-hflli salin ids biles ball kai dik/ui~'ai.

Kahun paullhdri ka/llid ba((he lae fari,Ka/lli/i lobh ki khumdri SOli allek gUll gaval.Ka/llili brahmc/ldri ka/llib hdOI pai laga~'ai bari,Ka/lll1i q.aiuj-d/uiri /we kai logan bhramdvai.Kamila adMII pario IIdchaf hai IIdc/1011 SOli,

Gidn ke biMII kaise bra/1I11 10k pdvai. ( 12/82)Like an impersonator, a man enacts many roles

in his quest for the Lord. Somewhere he is a Yogi ora Bairagi, somewhere he shows up in the guise of asanyasi. Somewhere he subsists on air alone, some­where he sits in a trance. Somewhere impelled by thelove of wealth he sings the praises of others. Some­where he is a Brahmchari, somewhere he displaysmarvellous yogic feats. Somewhere he moves with astaff in his hand (as a follower of a certain religioussect). In all his roles he is trying to attract ana impressthe people. Thus swayed by desires, he prances like apuppet but bereft ofTrue Knowledge he cannot attainsalvation. (82)

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Panch bar gidar pukare pare sit ka/,KUlichar au gad-ha anekda pukar hili.Kahti Mayo jo pai ka/vatra lio kasi blelt,Chir chir ellOr{a kutharan so mar hili.Kalui Mayo phtiitsi (lar(i) bu(lio jar gangdhtir,fJar(i) (lar(i) phans thag mar(i) mar(i) (lar hili.Dlibe narak dhar murh gian ke bina bichar.

Bluivna bihin kaise gian ko bichar hili. (13/83)

The jackal howls five times in winter, theelephant trumpets and the donkey brays many times.It avails a man nothing to be sawn in two by a saw atKashi, thieves and robbers are sometimes axed. Whatif the fool does choke himself to death in the Gangesby putting a noose around his neck? Many robbershave been hanged to death. The nescient fools aredrowned in the currents of Hell because sans lovingdevotion one can't dwell on Him. (83)

Tap ke sallOi te jo pai paiai atap natll,Tapna anek tan ghael sahat haili.Up ke kie te jo pai payat ajap dey,Pudna sadh' tuhili tuhili ucharat haili.NaM ke u(le te jo pai narai{t payat,Anal akas palichhi (lolbo karat hain.Ag mai jare te gat(i) rand ki parat kar,

Palal ke basi kioil bhujOlig na laral hail;. (14/84)

By torturing one's body, one can't find the Lordof Bliss, for the wounded undergoes great physicaltorture without finding Him. By mere chanting ofsome names one can't find Him, otherwise the pQodnabird who ever chants Tu-hi (thou) would have found

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Him. One can't find the Lord by soaring in the sky,otherwise the "Anil" who ever soars in the sky wouldhave found Him. Ifby self-immolation, one could findsalvation, then the women who commit Sati, wouldhave been emancipated as also the snakes, who dwellinside the hot earth. (84)

Kou bhaeo 11Zuiu;liii Sa/illiasi kou jogi bhaeo,Kou brahmc/lari kou jati a/lllma/lbo.Hindll '{urk kou Raizi Imam Safi,Manas ki jat sabai ekai paihchanbo.Kartd karim soi razak ralzim oi,Dusro na bhed koi bhul bhram manbo.Ek hi ki sev sabh hi ko gurdev ek,

Ek hi sanlp sabai ekai jot jd/lbo. (15/85)

Though someone has shaved his head, some-one has become a sanyasi, someone has become a yogi,someone a Brahmchari, someone is a Turk, someonecalled Rafzi, someone is Imam Shaffi. But regard allhuman beings of different castes, creeds,clans,countries and continents as one and the same. TheLord is One and the same, though we call Him bydifferent names like Karta (Creator), Karim (Gra­cious), Razik (the Sustainer), Rahim (the Merciful).One should not be deluded into believing them to beseparate entities. We are the devotees of One God andHe is the Enlightener of all. All human beings havethe same physical appearance and the same soulanimates their bodies. We should recognise them asone. (85)

Delmi masit soi pujd au nivaj oi,

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Manas sabai ek pai anek ko bhramao hai.Devta adev jachh gatidharb Turk HitidZI,Niare niare desan ke bhes ko prabhao hai.Ekai nain ekai kan ekai deh ekai ban,Kluik bad atash au ab ko raMo hai.A/ah abheklz soi Puran au Kuran oi,

Ek hi sariip sabai ek hi banao hai. (16/86)

The temple and the mosque are the same. TheHindu way of worship and the Muslim prayer, Nimazare the same. The worshippers are the same, thoughwe may get the deluded impression that they are dif­ferent. Under the influence of different countries, thegods, demons, the angels, the celestial singers appearin different guises. But the human beings have thesame eyes, the same ears, the same limbs, the samebody and the same elements mixed in them. The Allahof Muslims, Abhekh of Hindus is the same. Theirscriptures, Ouran and Puran are the same. All humanbeings are the same and have been fashioned in thesame mould by the same Creator. (86)

Jaise ek dg te kalllika kot dg uthe,Niare njare hili kai pher(i) dg mai mj/dlzetige.Jaise ek dhar te anek dhar parat hai,Dhzlr ke kallltka pizer dhar hi samalwige.Jaise ek Ilad te taratig kot upjat haiti,Pan ke tarairg sabai pdll hi kahaltefige.Tajse bjsv ntp te ablull Mllll pragat1lllj,

Tahiil te upaj sabai tahiti mai samalwige. (17/87)

By giving a few graphic examples, the Guru

brings home the sameness that pervades all.

1. Countless sparks fly off from a big fire, for a timebeing they appear different having an ephemeralidentity of their own, but in the end they fall backinto and merge with the parent fire.

2. Millions of microns ofdust rise out ofa dust heapand are pulled back by it and merge into it.

3. Countless sprays of water that shoot out of and­fall back into the ocean are nothing but water.

4. Likewise all corporeal and incorporeal beingsspring from Him and in the end merge intoHim. (87)

Kete Kachll Machh kete un kau karat bhachh,Kete achh vachh hui sapachh u(1 jahelige.Kete llabh bid, achh pachh kau karaiTige bhachh,Ketak pratachh hue pachae khae jaherige.10/ kaha thaI kaha gagan ke gaun kaha,Ka/ ke banae sabai ka/ hi chabalreTige.Tej jio atej rnai atej jaise tej lin,

TahiTi te upaj saba; tahi,i main sumdhenge. (18/88)

There are countless fish and tortoises andcountless are those who eat them. Countless fled­glings growing strong shall fly offand countless are thebirds of prey who shall devour them. And countlessafter taking birth shall be finished off. All denizens ofearth, all beings living in water, and all winged onesthat fly in the sky, are the creatures of the Akal and allof them shall be mowed down by Death. As light

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merges into darkness and as darkness mingles withlight, all creatures spring from Him and shall beresorbed by Him. (88)

Kukat phirat kete rovat maral kele,laf mai 4ubat kete ag mai jari>. ,aniKete Gang-basi kete Madina Maka nivasi,Ketak udasl ke bhramae i phirat hain.Karval sahat kete bhUm(i) mai ga4at kete,Sua pai charhat kete dukh kau Marat haili.Gain mai u4at kete jal mai rahat kete,

Gayan ke bihin jak jare i marat hain. (19/89)

Many howling roam about, many wailing die,many drown themselves in holy waters, many burnthemselves alive in fire, many live on the banks ofGanges, many live in Mecca and Medina, manydeluded. by a life of detachment forsake their homesand wander about. Many bear being sawn alive, manyget themselves buried alive, many lie on planksstudded with nails and bear torture. Many fly in theair with yogic powers, many live in water. Steeped innescience they all burn in Hell-fires. (89)

Sodh hare devta birodh hare dano ba4e,Bodh hare bodhak prabodh hare japsi.Ghas hare chandan fagae hare choa-char,Puj htire pahan charhae hare fapsi.Gahe hare goran manae hare marhi mall,Up hare bhilan fagae hare chhapsi.Gae htire gaildhrab bajae hare ki,inar saM,

Pach hare pah4at tapmit hare tapsi. (20/90)

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All the gods and godlings wearied searching forliberation and Him. All the demons wearied defyingHim. All the wise ones failed to find Him throughtheir reasoning. The reciters failed to find anyknowledge of Him. Many cried off after rubbing theirforeheads with chandan, many got tired of sprinklingfine scents and aromas. Many wearied of worshippingthe stones, many got tired of offering prasad to theirgods. Many tired of worshipping the tombs and haunt­ing the graveyards. Many got tired of branding them­selves with the various symbols of the different gods.The singers and musicians failed to find Him throughtheir efforts. The pundits failed in their mentationsand the ascetics failed to find Him through penance.

(90)

The Guru did not mince his words. His crystalclear message needs no clarification. He gave a much­needed and timely turn to the religious affairs of theHindus. As for religious instruction, it was well nighimpossible for the concept of Nationalism to take birthand strike roots among the Hindus.

Guru Gobind Singh writes in his autobio­graghy - All gods, prophets, pirs were sent to the earthto reprove the people for their sinful ways. But theyinstituted their own worship quite forgetting theirLord. The Brahmins had assumed the ways of theShudras and the kashatris had said good-bye to theirduties. Hundreds of religious leaders, preceptors, pirs

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had sprung up to create countless sects. Gorakhnath,Ramanuj,Ramanand, Shankaracharya, etc. had set uptheir own religions. Mohammed had enjoined uponhis followers to repeat his name along with Allah's.Thus every guru, pir or prophet misled the people byinstituting their separate religions with diverse ways ofworship and rituals. Consequently the sins of selfish­ness, bigotry, cruelty, jealousy, hatred, wrong doingwere rife among the people. The prophets had weanedthe people away from Truth and filled them withhatred and haughtiness.

Those who were sent for showing the Highway,misled the people by making their own bye-ways. So,thou 0 Gobind, have been sent by Lord Akal to bringpeople onto the True Path of Loving Devotion to Himwho is Truth, Consciousness and Bliss. Guru GobindSingh while declaring himself a humble servant of theAlmighty Lord declared: "He, who considers me as agod or avtar shall burn in hell. I am a human being likeall others and have come to witness the world-drama.The Hundu and Muslim religions have degenerated.The Yogis and the followers of the Ouran and Puranasare all deceitful. All the religions have gathered dust.The Bairagis and the Sanyasis have led the peopleastray. Their ways of worship are misleading. The Lordis not in the pages of certain books. He embodiesHumility and Truth. I see His glorious splendour onall sides. I shall reveal His immanence, His Gracedirects all my actions. He is my True Friend The Lord-

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All Steel is my Anchor and provides all power to me."

It is evident that the Guru was sent to preachTruth, Piety, Love and Justice. He had come to relumeand propagate the True Religion of Akal. Heproclaimed that both the Hindus and the Muslims hadstrayed from the True Path. The Hindus having for­saken the Formless One were destitute. He declaredthat the Ouran and the Puranas do not reveal the Lord.The worship of idols and tombs can never give peace.The greatest asset of the Guru was that he neverclaimed to be the avtar or prophet or descendent ofAkal. But in all humility and earnestness he declaredthat he was a lowly servant of the Lord, not aboveordinary human beings, sent to multiply goodness anddwell on the glorious Truth and point to the True Wayleading to the Peerless One. Whosoever worships himas a god shall forever burn in Hell-fires. Were one toview impartially, rising above narrow sectarian con­siderations, the Guru is head and shoulders above allother religious preceptors and founders of religions.They all incorporated their ego in their religious sys­tems and provided amply for their self-reverence andself-glory, declared themselves God's beloveds, Hissons or his prophets or regents and considered them­selves a cut above the common man. But the Guru,disregarding his personal pre-eminence proclaimedhimself an ordinary servitor of the Lord commissionedto preach Love and Truth. This is the finest exampleof humility and selfless service set by any religious

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preceptor.

His status is the highest among religiouspreceptors of all times. If humility par excellence wasin evidence anywhere it was in Guru Gobind Singh. Itis not my intention to denigrate the founders ofreligious sects of any country or time. We in Indiavenerate all such persons, because in their own waythey all exerted to induce people to goodness. But Iassert unhesitatingly that all other teachers of TrueWay were impelled by the desire of self-edificationand gave themselves a status higher than a mere man's­that of a near one or dear one or the beloved or anadviser or a co-equal or the son or the Lord Himself.They all reduced Him to dependence on others. Theynever preached Oneness and omnipotence of Aka\.Guru Gobind Singh never claimed any kinship withHim or a special status for himself. He never incor­porated himself in his actions which he proclaimed asdirected by Akal. He described himself as a mere manthough he did what no other religious great had donebefore. Hence I have reasons to consider him moreworthy of respect and reverence than all others.

Guru Gobind Singh taught truth and piety tohis Sikhs, stressed why Akal who is Truth-Conscious­ness-Bliss should be worshipped through Truth andDevotion and impressed upon them not to insult theCreator by worshipping His creatures. Thus he gavethe people in general and the Hindus in particular thelesson of unity and nationalism. He pulled the Hindus

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out of the mire of superstition, turned them from theworship of His creatures to the contemplation of OneAkal, sowed in their minds the thought of a commoncause. He weaned the minds of the Hindus from theennervating thought of renouncing the world as unrealand inspired them to a life of action. He taught thepeople who had hitherto considered the killing of a catas a sin, that shedding of blood for the defence of one'sDharma and country was not sinful. He sterpmed thedownward slide of Hindu Dharma towards cowardice,helplessness and finally extinction. The Hindu Dhar­ma had almost reached the final stage of a banefulclose. He infused a new spirit, vital and virile, in theHindus. Those who were seeking reasons to changetheir religion, were so inspired by him as to lay downtheir lives for it. He filled the people with the thoughtsof selfless service and self-sacrifice for others, theircountry and Dharma, to such an extent that theseactions seemed a common occurence. He turned thecommon men of clay into doers of dazzling deeds ofdaring. Their feats of valour astounded the world andare still remembered.

A nation cannot progress as long as its peopledo not love one another and unite for a common cause.The Hindus had become helpless owing to not sup­plicating an All-powerful providence. The Guru knitthe people together in a bond of brotherhood. Hismessage went home because he taught the people inthe language of the common man. He deemed it im-

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proper rather deadly to preach his gospel and deliverhis instruction'in a language other than that of the land.He had seen the evil effects of education being deniedto the Hindus by the Brahmins. The common peoplecould not have access to it since it was imparted inSanskrit which was a preserve of the Brahmins. Hadthe Guru retained Sanskrit as the medium of his mes­sage he would have veritably failed, for the commonman would have failed to grasp it. He felt that pulseof the people and like the first Guru, Guru Nanakexpressed his thoughts in the lingua of the people.Consequently he was able to effect sweeping changesin the religious sphere.

Social Reform

He took in hand reforms in the social structurewith a similar single mindedness and devotion. Thistask was very difficult, beset as it was with insurmount­able impediments. Here too his achievements are out­standing and unequalled by any other social reformer.At that time the Hindus were miserably caught in the.web of social divisions based on the invidious castesystem. The social conditions of a people are stronglyaffected by their religious environs. The Hindus wereno exception. Changes in the religious sphere causeattendant changes in the social structure. Divisionsand sub-divisions in the religious sphere were on theincrease owing to Brahminism. New gods and avtaraswere invented and introduced, foundations were laidof numerous man-made sects which further affected

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traditions, rites and rituals. The well-being of thosewho lived on others, lay in the proliferations of sub­castes. Their ever-increasing wants and luxuries couldbe supplied only through the multiplication of sub-cas­tes. The Brahmins divided and sub-divided people onthe basis of religious differences. This process con­tinued for a very long period with the result that by thetimes of Guru Gobind Singh the number of such sectshad swelled to thousands.

One caste had no dealings or fellow feeling withanother. The Shudras had nothing in common withKashatris, the Brahmins had nothing to do with othercastes. The Brahmins and Kashatris among themselveswere -further sub-divided innumerably. These sectsand sub-sects could not inter-marry or dine with oneanother. They were poles apart. The members of onecaste or section could not eat the food cooked byothers. And these social bindings were so very iron­cast that merely by eating food prepared by otherswould make a man an outcaste and deprive him of hisreligious standing. Religion had been reduced to anarrow code of eating and drinking taboos. Differen­ces were apparent even in the kinds of foods andeatables. Such fine distinctions led to mutual hatredand much bickerings and strife everyday. How couldlove for one. another survive in such a suffocatingatmosphere? How could unity take place under dif­ferences and distinctions so varied and sharp? Eatingand drinking with one another was a taboo, the infr-

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ingement whereof resulted in the loss of one's casteand religion. Such was the sorry state of affairs thatpeople of different castes could not eat together whilesitting at the same floor. This fell traditions of un­touchability had touched the level of ridiculous super­stition. It played havoc with the sense of brotherhoodand nationalism among the Hindus.

Guru Gobind Singh wanted to efface thesedistinctions and bring Shudras at par with the highcastes. He wanted to inculcate in all a sense of equalityin consonance with the natural law of the Lord Aka!.He exerted to widen the narrow confines and boundsprevalent at the time so as to include the Shudras inthe religious and social fold. He desired to makereligion allembracing so that it facilitated the entry ofpeople of other sects and religions. Without removingthese crippling and deadening restrictions Shudrascould_not be brought in. The divisions ushered in bythese restrictions had weakened the social structureand sapped the strength of the country and the nation.The numerous castes, sub-castes, sects and sub- sectshad no love and sympathy for one another. This em­boldened the Muslim invaders to vanquish them oneby one. Instead of coming to the succour of theirneighbours, they watched their downfall with undis­guised glee. Now they had reached a state just short oftheir obliteration and of their Dharma.

Since the low castes could not be admitted tothe high ones, it was not p8ssible to get the work of

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high castes done through the low castes. This was oneof the greatest disadvantages of the caste system whichwas creating innumerable hurdles in the path ofprogress and national integration. The farsighted andsagacious Guru held it imperative to lift the low castesto the level of the high ones, so that the former couldregain their sense of dignity and manhood and workfor national reconstruction instead of just doingmenial chores for the high castes. During the days ofBrahmanic ascendency and the Kashatri reign theplight of the Shudras was very miserable. They weretreated at par with cattle and beasts of burden, thoughthey were the original inhabitants of the country.There is no doubt that they were worse off than theancient slaves that were bought and sold like animalsand than even under Muslim oppression.

Manu, the ancient law-giver of the Hindus,had ordained that the Shudras were born to serveothers. The Manu-code had made it a legal binding sothat the high castes could press them into menialservice but the food cooked by them was not to betouched. All such injunctions of Manu were not fol­lowed very strictly. But under the Brahmins'their ob­servance and hold was tightened 'to an inhumandegree. When persons of the same caste were notallowed to eat with one another, it was impossible toimagine that any person of a high caste could be al­lowed to eat the food of the Shudras. Even a Brahmincould not eat of another Brahmin and the same rule

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applied to the other high castes. Some of the blackinjunctions of Manu are given here:

During the days of distress and destitution, themembers of a caste can engage in the work of lowercaste, but under no circumstances is he to undertakethe work of the higher caste. (Chapter X/99-100)

The Shudras is forbidden to study, the Vedas,the Shastras and the scriptures. (ChapterX/127-128)

It is reprehensible for a Brahmin to study theVedas before a Shudra. (Chapter IV/99)

The Shudra should be fed the left overs of hismaster's food and clothed with his tattered and dis­carded dress. (ChapterX/25)

The Shudra is not allowed to amass wealth.(ChapterX/129)

If a Shudra abuses a man of higher caste, histongue should be cut off. (ChapterVIII/270)

If a Shudra sits near a Brahmin on the samefloor, the flesh of his bottoms should be sheared off.(ChapterVIII/28 I)

If a Shudra talks of religious matters to a Brah­min, molten lead or boiling oil should be poured in hismouth and ears. (Chapter VII1/272)

The atonement for the killing ofa Shudra is thesame as that for killing of a cat or a dog or a frog or alizard or other animals.

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It is not necessary to dwell on such ordinances.These few highlight succinctly the sad plight of theShudras under the Brahmans and Hindu rule. Theywere severely forbidden to rebel against such unjustand inhuman injunctions. Such was the fate and statusof the Shudras when Guru Gobind Singh embarked onhis mission. They were treated like dogs and cattle.They could not rise higher up in the scale and do thework of Kashatris. If per chance a Shudra attainedsome worthwhile stature in the political arena, hecould under no circumstances be admitted to a highercaste. No amount of wealth or personal status of politi­cal nature or courage or scholasticism could raise aShudra to a higher caste. What is shocking and highlydamnable is that all this was done in the name ofreligion and God, supported by the so-called gospelsof God. It was necessary to cut asunder the shacklesbinding the hapless Hindus in the dark dungeons ofsuperstition and to bring them out in the open, to exaltthem to the dignified stature of human equality.

No nation can progress, for that matter noreligion can prosper, if it is bound down by manyrestrictions. Naturalness is a must for independenceand is an assest, without which no man, no people, nocountry can forge ahead. The Vedic Dharma hadbestowed natural freedom to man. But its explana­tions, annotations, exegesis and instructions and lawsas given in later scriptures had curtailed and extremelylimited this freedom. The Hindu, to all outward ap-

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pearances a free man, was hedged and hemmed in onall sides, hardly able to breathe freely. The result wasthat he was left with no national character, if ever heever enjoyed the possession of any such thing, it was amatter of the hoary past. Now he was a prisoner ofmental slavery which further enslaved his heart andsoul. Despite all this the Hindu was highly averse toany change in his food, eating habits, dress habits, waysof worship, etc. Any change in any of the above waysof living was attended with the danger of losing hiscaste and being ostracised. It was necessary that theHindus who had become slaves mentally and physical­ly, should be jolted out of their miserable stupor. Thesad plight of the Hindus in the political field waslargely responsible for this predicament.

Political Condition of the Hindus

Hinduism is said to have been a great politicalforce not only within India but its effect was feltbeyond its confines. The Hindu conquests extendedfar and wide. But after the war of Mahabharata theirpolitical power suffered a gradual decline. In duecourse of time the country was parcelled up in smallprincipalities. Numerous Rajas no higher than fief­holders came to rule over the length and breadth ofIndia. They were always at logger-heads with oneanother, ready to destroy one another and highlygratified at the downfall of others. Only the descen­dants of Kaurvas and Pandavas were ruling over biggerchunks ofland. After this great war which can justly be

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called the war of annihilation of the Hindus, the solarand lunar dynasties ruled over their respective areasfor a very long period.

The Buddhist kings wiped off the remnants ofthese great dynasties. They came to be rememberedonly in name. The kings of the Agni (Fire) Dynastycrushed the might of Buddhist kings and threw themout of India. The descendants of the Agni Dynasty whocame to be called Rajputs were ruling over smallkingdoms and were hostile to one another. None ofthem could ever acquire a great kingdom. Mutualanimosity was at the back of all their actions and theycould never conceive the grand idea of a nation andnationalism. If we peruse the pages of history we shallfind that not a month passed, without there being abattle on the soil of India. The Rajput kings werealways fighting with one another on one pretext oranother. Though there had been great kings like RajaBikramajit and Raja Bhoj, now it was a different storyof mutual bickerings and strife. The Rajputs had dis­played great feats of personal valour sung by the bardsall over India. Such heroic actions were in great num­bers and were spread over large areas and greatperiods of time.

The Hindus had failed to forge a common bondof national brotherhood. Not to speak of nationalism,they could not think of any common national interest.According to European historians the break-up of theHindu political power in small principalities was a

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great boon to the Hindus and saved them from imme­diate and total capitulation before the Muslimsonslaught. The Muslims could not conquer the wholeof India in one or two battles. At every step they hadto face hostile and determined forces of the Rajputkings and other Hindu kings, who fought pitched bat­tles for every inch of their country and capitulated onlywhen they had no strength left. Were that these kingshad united and fought together against the commonenemy! In my opinion which is at variance with theconsidered view of the European Historians, the Mus­lim invaders were tempted and eventually triumphedbecause they faced no united opposition. Had therebeen a strong central power of the Hindus, the Musliminvaders in all probabilitywould have made a hasty andinglorious retreat. The predicament in which the Hin­dus found themselves now would never have comeabout. There was no dearth among the Rajputs and theKashatris of fighting spirit of which they gave ampleproof in individual and unorganised acts of resistance,still fondly remembered and sung. The sad story ofPrithvi Raj and his cousin Jai Chand vividly proclaimshow the mutual bickerings and internecine wars wereresponsible for the downfall of India and the Hindusand the establishment of Muslim rule lasting overhundreds of years. They were also responsible for themductioin of Rajputs in the employment of the Mus­lim kings and of their women into the Harems of theMuslim kings and princes. They were also responsiblefor the slavery of Hindu India.

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rIt is very difficult to assess the extent and enor­

mity of Muslim atrocities and insufferable indignitiesinflicted on the Hindus during this long period. TheHindus had never the inclination and genius to writetheir history and the relentless spate of death anddevastation, torture and tyranny never allowed themto gather their wits around them and to pen suchthings. They were too stunned to keep note of theseunending tales of woe and misery of their people. Itwas left to Muslim historians to keep a track of suchacts and record them. Most probably they wereprompted in this by a desire to record the glorioustimes of the Muslim rule, to record the grand deeds ofdeath and devastation of Kafirs as convincing proof ofthe stupendous Muslim might. Had they not takenpride in penning these gory details with unabashedglee, such records would have been lost for ever.

The writing on the wall was there for all Hindusspelled very dearly. They were in a state of utterdestitution and despondency, of abject humiliationand helplessness. They bore untold sufferings andhardships without a murmur, without raising a voice ofrevolt, without coming to the aid of one another,without ever dreaming of standing unitedly or at leastthinking of a common cause in the vaguest of terms.Those communities well versed in the wielding ofswords and the art of warfare had long since left thesinking boat of Hindu Dharma and gone over to theMuslim fold. They were lost for ever to the Hindu

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world. The Rajputs and the Kashatris had lost theirvalour which was confined to old stories alone.

The Muslims had been ruling over the lengthand breadth of India for many centuries. The founda­tions of their dominance had struck deep roots. GuruGobind Singh with his sagacity and farsightednessthought of loosening the stranglehold of Muslimpower by first weakening it. Dunng this long period ofslavery under the Muslims no Hindu had ever thoughton these lines. It was left to Guru Gobind Singh totransform an enfeebled, humiliated, disunited anddowntrodden people like the Hindus of his day, into alivihg nation fired with the ideals of nationalism andbrotherhood. It has been said earlier that no personhad ever thought of doing so in the last four thousandyears of Hindu history. The Guru wanted to build sucha nation over which the Brahmins could make no dentwith all their machinations. For the completion of hismission, changes of two kinds were needed, one in thereligious and the other in the social sphere.

TIle material at his disposal was dishearteningand well-nigh spent up. The Hindu power was in tat­ters, the Hindu Dharma on the way out and the peoplelying supine under the Muslim heel. The Hindus weresitting frightened in their homes like mice in theirholes. Their faces were downcast, their hearts despon­dent, their shoulders beaten, their minds bedeviled,their limbs enfeebled, their bodies emaciated. TheHindus could suffer their daughters and their women-

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folk being taken away before their very eyes and soldas slaves in the foreign markets for a petty considera­tion of two dinars. A lesser man, almost any man,would have given up before embarking on such amission as that of the Guru. Guru Gobind Singh tookup the challenge and created such a virile, upright andone-God-Ioving people like the Sikhs who struck ter­ror in the hearts of their enemies, who were ever readyto lay down their lives for their country, people andDharma, who always came to the succour of the needy,the tyrannised and the down-trodden. He changedcowards into men of great courage, uncowed by theMuslim might. He surveyed the country and selectedthe people and the area where he was to put intopractice his grandiose schemes. The selection of thearea was determined by the kind of men inhabitingtherein.

From Where and for Whom the Guru Started HisMission

He found the foot-hills of Northern Himalayasmost suitable for his purpose. It was unimaginablethat the caste-proud Rajputs even in their distressedcondition would follow him. The Hindus of WesternPunjab had lost their valour. The Kashartris ofCentralPunjab were physically and spiritually debilitated, andwere not suitable for the task the Guru had in his mind.The people of Bengal, Madras and Maharashtra hadtired of fighting the Muslims and the difference in theirlanguages was too great to be surmounted. The youth

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of these provinces had not been prepared for such atask. There was very little chance of success throughtheir efforts. The North-Eastern belt of Punjab had tosome extent been influenced by the teachings of GuruNanak Dev Ji. Some Hindus of this area had rendereddeeds of self-sacrifice, which had deeply impressed thepeople of the surrounding areas.

Guru Gobind Singh was looking for suchpeople who were healthy, brave and amenable toreligious instruction. The foot-hills of NorthernHimalayas provided such men. The people of theirarea were familiar with the teachings of Guru Nanak,were healthy and stout and were able to bearhardships. They were always ready to fly off at theslightest provocation without ifs and buts. GuruGobind Singh knew that an unkindled lamp whenlighted can very easily light other lamps of whatsoeverkind. The problem lay in lighting the first lamp. TheHindus were like a lamp without oil. The Guru wantedto furbish this oil-less lamp lying in this area in orderto enlighten the entire world. Special oil and equip­ment were needed for this. The Guru poured thewarm blood of his dear ones as oil an(fplaced the wickof nationalism in the lamp. He lighted it with the fireof the fighting spirit in such a way that the dead nationcame alive. The Great Guru never attributed thisgrand act to his personal efforts. He always gave thecredit to Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Having selected the area Guru Gobind Singh

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set to work. First of all he attained proficiency inmany fields. He passed his time in studying History,listening to recitations of heroic poems, learnt the artof hunting and the use of weapons. His youthfuldemeanour acquired the temper of steel. The Sikhswho came for seeing their Guru, started imbibingthoughts of virility and action. The Guru while hunt­ing took with him Sikhs who were living by. Tnis madethem hardy and hard-working, discarding their ease­loving ways. They started taking interest in the execu­tion of difficult tasks and learning the lesson ofbrotherhood and nationalism. From mere theorisingon religion they turned to its practice. Gradually theSikhs became aware of the martial nature of theirGuru. Instead of giving the usual offerings of clothes,ornaments, vessels, carpets and other necessities oflife, the Sikhs had switched over to weapons and hor­ses. The Guru used to express his pleasure over suchofferings which encouraged his Sikhs. The result wastwo-fold, the acquisition of weapons by the Guru andmartial spirit by his Sikhs.

In keeping with the change, the Guru assumeda lordly demeanour laying aside his ascetical robe. Henow always kept a sword at his waist whether sitting onhis cushioned seat or outside and held court everymorn and evening and often organised contests of skillin martial arts and handling of weapons. Stirringpoems, full of patriotic fervour and heroism were sungand recited, alongwith devotional hymns. Guru

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Gobind Singh himself penned Kavits and other poemsin different metres that aroused courage and quick­ened the blood of the listeners. He had detailed fifty­two poets that adorned his court, for writing stirringverses on the exploits of daring in the face of heavyodds, accomplished by Indian heroes and warriors ofyore. He kept bards at his court who always sung songs,full of heroic lore and national grandeur. In his anthol­ogy called the 'Granth of the Tenth Guru' some por­tion is devoted to the wars of goddess Durga againstthe demonic hordes. It is penned in such metres,couched in such virile words and forceful metaphors,and is full of such heroic overtones as vibrate anddelivered in such a style that the listeners are over­come with the warmth of martial emotions even inwinter. Since this portion on the exploits of the god­dess is included in the granth, some people have er­roneously concluded that the Guru was a devotee ofthe goddess.

Let me declare here unequivocally that theGuru worshipped the Formless Lord Akal only. Hewas dead set against the worship of gods, and goddes­ses and always preached in no uncertain words againstit. His only purpose was to arouse the dormant fightingspirit of the people, the selection of the protagonistswas a secondary matter. As it was, the people t)f thearea were conversant with the mythical exploits of thegoddess. Instead of inventing a new hero and invent­ing his exploits, it was better and more expedient, to

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make use of the available material. The Guru haddivined correctly, his writings were highly successful inarousing the spirit of the people, filling them withmartial thoughts. All this prepared his followers forthe coming battles.

Basic Tenets of the Guru

The Guru wanted to establish two basic prin­ciples that of universal brotherhood and the spirit ofsacrificing oneself for others without demur. The feel­ing of brotherhood can only dawn after the annihila­tion of all (man-made) artificial barriers between manand man. The baneful caste-system introduced byManu and followed with a vengeance by the Brahminshad to be nullified. During thousands of years, thedifferences, divisions and distinctions created by thissystem had entered into the Hindu psyche. The livingapart of thousands of years without any social inter­course with one another had congealed into infran­gible moulds. The cancerous poison of the castesystem had entered into vitals of the human system.How was the Guru to smash all these barriers, instil afeeling of equality in the down-trodden of centuries,bring to the level of common clay those who claimeddivine origin and had claimed and enjoyed divinerights for thousands of years. He achieved with asingle master stroke what seemed impossible. He es­tablished the new institution of the Khalsa. A man'scaste and distinctions of high and low were cast off onjoining its membership. Here all were equal, knit in

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the bond of universal brotherhood.

The different gods, gurus, sects, traditions, ritesand rituals were responsible for the creations of allkinds of differences and differentiations among thepeople. The worship of the Formless One createdconditions that were favourable for the erasing ofthese distinctions from the minds of the people. Now·they started thinking in terms of unity and nationalismto the extent of putting the country and the nationabove the self.

Before the Creation of the Khalsa

Some incidents that took place before the in­stitution of the Khalsa deserve to be dwelt upon.During the early days of the Guru's seclusion, RajaRattan Rai of Assam, a devotee of Sikh Gurus, cameto visit him. Among other presents offered to theGuru, there was an elephant called Prasadi. In thesedays the Guru was engrossed in hunting, which at­tracted a good number of brave Sikhs around him.Guru Gobind Singh used to go hunting in great style,riding his elephant accompanied by his warrior Sikhs.In those days it was customary for high officials ofnoble birth to keep their kettle-drums in their homes.They used to carry these along on hunting. The Guruon seeing the ever increasing gathering around himdecided to keep such a drum at his court. Some worldly­wise persons advised the Guru against it without suc­cess. Then they prevailed upon his mother to restrain

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him from doing so, by reminding him of the tribula­tions his grandfather had to suffer. She advised himthat the Guru should work for peace and engage inworship of Akal- the true duties of a Guru; he shouldnot take to soldierly ways and assume a regal bearing.

The Guru replied that he was the grandson ofthe illustrious Guru Hargobind Sahib, unawed byanybody, that she wanted him to remain in obscuritywhile his Lord Akal commanded his coming out in theopen and that if any king looked askance at him, thatking would have to measure swords with him. A heart,determined and dauntless, full of national fervourcouldn't be expected to give a different reply - ex­pedient and opportune. The kettle-drum was dulyinstalled and taken out on hunting excursions. TheGuru's hunting excursions, his martial bent of mindand his accumulation of weapons were causing con­cern to the local hill chieftains. The Guru often usedto enter their territories in the course of his huntingtrips, which was not to their liking. The beating of thedrum added further to their unease. They startedlooking for pretences to pick up a quarrel with him.

Raja Bhim Chand of Kehloor was the first toprovide such an occasion. He asked Guru GobindSingh to give him Prasadi, the elephant. The Gururefused, against the advice of his mother and otherwell-meaning people, who wanted him to make peacewith this offering. The Raja took umbrage andprodded by KirpCll, another hill chieftain, sent a mes-

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sage to the Guru to move out of his principality. TheGuru wanted to measure swords with Bhim Chand.But with the timely intervention of the Raja of Nahan,hostilities were averted. Some historians have pennedthat a battle ensued between Bhim Chand and theGuru, with victory to the latter. Guru Gobind Singhfounded a village called Paonta in the territory ofNahan in the Kartik month of the Samat Era 1741(1684 A.D.) and built a fort there. Some Afghan Sar­dars, namely Kaley Khan, Hayat Khan, Bhikhen Khan,under the ire of Aurangzeb, were seeking the shelterof a Raja or Nawab. But no Raja or Nawab was boldenough to provide it. The Guru took them under hiswing on the recommendation of Sayyad Buddhu Shah.A bold step, not unexpected of a man like the Guru,but inexpedient as later events proved.

During this period Raja Bhim Chand took amarriage party to Sri Nagar to marry his son to thedaughter of Raja Fateh Shah. The Guru sent hisDewan Nand Chand with presents for the occasion. Inorder to please Bhim Chand, Fateh Shah refused toaccept them. Dewan Nand Chand came back feelingsmall and insulted. This further strained relationsbetween the Guru and the two Rajas. Raja BhimChand won over Raja Kirpal Chand Katochia, RajaKesri Chand Jassowalia, Raja Sukhdial Jasrotia, RajaHari Chand Hindooria, Raja Pirthi Chand Dudwaliaand Raja Fateh Shah of Sri Nagar to his side againstthe Guru. Emboldened by this alliance they started

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causing petty annoyances to the Guru.

Then they joined their forces together and at­tacked the Guru in the Baisakh of Samat 1742 (1685A.D.). Guru Gobind Singh, who was nineteen then,led his small and inexperienced force against the in­vaders. Five hundred Udasi Sadhus who had fattenedthemselves at the Guru's Langar, decamped at the veryoutset. The Afghan Sardars, whom the Guru hadprovided shelter, left the Guru in the midst of theengagement and crossed over to the enemy, in pur­suance of a conspiracy already hatched with the Rajas.Sayyed Buddhu Shah feeling hurt by this treacherousact came to the succour of the Guru. A pitched battlewas fought for three days between the banks ofYamuna and Giri stream. The Guru was himself lead­ing his army of irregulars who were far from wellequipped. His force consisted of fakirs and men­dicants unfamiliar with warfare, of ordinary men,tillers of land, petty traders and shopkeepers who hadnever even seen a skirmish from a distance.

The list.of famous fighters on the Guru's sidementioned in the Janam Sakhis contains the name ofLal Chand, a sweet-meat seller. This gives some ideaof the composition of the Sikh army. Dewan NandChand and Kirpal Chand, the maternal uncle of theGuru, figure in the list. The Udassis, the eaters ofdainties prepared by the Halwai Lal Chand l

decamped from the field leaving their cook to fend forhimself and face the heavy odds. What a fight it was!

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The down-trodden and the dregs of society gave sucha dressing to the enemy that it slunk from the field,convincingly defeated, in disarray and disheartened.Raja Hari Chand was killed at the hands of the G~ru,

Raja Kesari Chand and Sukhdev were wounded. TheGuru dazzled the enemy with the daring display of hisswordwielding and marshalling of his men in a master­ly manner. The Guru and his men emerged victorious.

The Guru learnt a lesson from the defection ofthe Afghans and the decamping of the Udassi Sadhus.This made him ponder deeply over the whole matter.He needed his own men, virile and dedicated fighters,united in a holy bond of brotherhood cutting across allbarriers of caste and creed. The Guru was well awareof the timidity and disunity of the Hindus, lack of acommon cause, of nationalism and of fellow-feelingamong them. He felt the need of giving back to themtheir lost courage and restoring the human dignity ofman. He wanted to instil in them strong feelings ofbrotherhood and nationalism.

Sounding their war-drum, the victorious armyof the Guru entered Paonta. One son of Buddhu Shahhad died fighting valiantly in the battle-field. TheGuru honoured Buddhu Shah by bestowing a head­dress on him by way of a robe of honour. He also gaveBuddhu Shah half of his personal turban, as a token ofbrotherly love, and a credential in appreciation of hishelp. The descendants of Buddhu Shah are respectedby the Sikhs, in consequence. A month after this

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victory the Guru marched to Anandpur, his previousabode. His father, Guru Tegh Bahadur had boughtthis piece of land. Guru Gobind constructed heresome small forts such as Kesgarh, Anandgarh, Loh­garh, Holgarh and Fatehgarh designed to affordprotection against future attacks.

Guru's Support to the Hill-Rajas

Soon afterwards, these hill Rajas were attackedby a force of the Subedar of Sirhind, under Alif Khan,for not paying tribute to the Emperor of Delhi. TheRajas decided to fight instead of paying up. In direstraits, Raja Bhim Chand supplicated the Guru forhelp. The Guru forgave the Rajas their previous mis­deeds and decided to help them, keeping in view thethought of national unity, and utterly disregarding hispersonal grievances against them. He did not want tocrush the Hindus by siding with the Muslim rulers, norto remain aloof and be a silent spectator to theirhumiliating rout. He made peace with them and senta force of five hundred foot-soldiers and horsemenunder Dewan Mohri Chand and Daya Ram. The Im­perial Army was defeated and thereafter peaceprevailed for three years when Guru Gobind Singhhad no occasion to draw his sword against anyone. Hedevoted this time to the crystallisation of his thoughtsand schemes and giving them a practical shape. Healso kept on providing spiritual food to his Sikhs by hissermons and by engaging them in devotion of Akal.He did not, however, ignore to keep their martial

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spirits alive.

In the Bhadon of Samat 1745 (1688 A.D.), theSatrap of Lahore, sent a force under Rustam Khan.The hilly streams were in spate owing to the rainyseason. The area was lashed by tempests and heavyrains. This forced the army to turn back without engag­ing in a single skirmish. The stream that had compelledthe army to turn back was named the 'Helper Brook'by the Sikhs. Mter some time, Rustam Khan rein­forced by some more men and weapons attacked theRajas again but was defeated. It is said that the Guruhad sent three hundred men under Bhai Nagina Singhto help the Rajas. At last Aurangzeb had to send hisson Muazzam Khan to bring the Rajas under heel.Muazzam personally went to Lahore and despatcheda big army under Mirza Beg, a nobleman. Mirza Begdefeated the Rajas, devastated their territory, depopu­lated their habitations and humiliated their subjects inmany ways. The Guru had remained at his hilly retreat,but the Muslims plundered the village of Anandpuralso, as described by him in his biographical pieceVachitar Natak.

The 'Story' of Naina Devi

During his hilly sojourn Guru Gobind Singhwas busy planning for the future and gathering thenecessary wherewithal for the execution of his plans.Either under the influence ofPandits or of his own, theGuru decided to hold a Yajna and light the scrificial

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fire at a special place. He prevailed upon the Panditsto perform the Yajna to call up the Devi to give herblessings for the destruction of the enemies. All thingsneeded for the Yajna were stored at Malkar (NainaDevi) Hill. Some well-known Pandits of Benaras weresent for. Kalidas and Keshodas were two of the famousPandits often mentioned in the chronicles. PanditBishambar Dass was also deputed for the Yajna. Thesacrificial fire was lit for many days but no Devi ap­peared. Their earlier claims belied, the Brahmins nowclaimed that unless some holy man (Mahatama) wassacrificed in offering to the Devi, she would not makean appearance.

With a smile Guru Gobind Singh informed thePandits that there couldn't be a holier man than they;so one of them should be offered to the Devi. It is saidthat all the Pandits either on the pretext of urinationor bathing, disappeared from the scene, leaving theYajna incomplete. When none of them turned up, theGuru caused the remaining stuff of the Yajna to bethrown into the sacrificial fire. A giant flame rose upon the hill that could be easily seen for miles around,which made the people believe that the Devi had madean appearance.

The authenticity of this episode is ques­tionable. It appears that some overzealous followersof the Guru, banking upon the credulity of the ig­norant, had concocted such an improbable story. Theywere misled by the prominence their Guru had given

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to the Devi in his writings. She was the heroine of twoepic poems, where her exploits had been graphicallyeulogised. It seems farfetched that the Guru shouldresort to such a drama to impress upon the people thathe had the Devi to help him in his battles.

Guru Gobind Singh has said in unequivocalterms that he never believed that such beings had anygodly powers. How could he then make offerings tothem? He had condemned in the strongest possibleterms the worship of these creations of Akal.

Foundation of the Khalsa

The ensuing events show that the Guru wantedto create a new breed of men, steeped in nationalismand brotherly love, with a penchant for fighting, im­bued with devotion to Akal, and ready to sacrifice theirlives for their ideals. The Gurus were peace-lovingpreachers of love and devotion to the Formless One,often keeping aloof. The cruelty, plunder and heart­lessness of the Muslims and the piteous plight of theHindus, the denigration of their women and theirDharma prompted the Tenth Guru to come out of hisseclusion and feel the pulse of the people. The an­tagonism of the Hill Rajas and the wars forced on himby them made him assume the mantle of a kinglysaviour as well. He needed a band of devoted Sikhs,courageous, well versed in warfare, and eager to suc­cour the oppressed as a religious duty. Such pe.oplewere difficult to find in the Hindu society of his time.

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He decided to institute a new order of universalbrotherhood, imbued with devotion to Akal, filledwith the ideal of self- sacrifice for the welfare ofothers.Such an order would demolish the existing barriers ofcaste and creed, high and low, man and woman, andpave the way for the advent of nationalism and bringunity. It would also help in bringing about the downfallof the tyrannical foreign rule. It was not the intentionof the Guru to launch a crusade against the Muslims.

Accordingly, on the Baisakhi of Sarnat 1756(1699 A.D.) the Guru gathered his Sikhs in great num­bers at an open place at Anandpur. The Sikhs hadcome from far and wide at the invitation of the Guru.A huge tent and an enclosure had been set up in thefield. When all the Sikhs had assembled, the Guruappeared with a naked sword in his hand and declaredthat as willed by Akal Purkh he was going to offer thehead of a Sikh as the first sacrifice for the defence ofDharma. The blood of this Sikh shall serve as a livingsymbol of the defence of the country and Dharma, forthe coming generations of Sikhs and inspire them toshed their blood for these ideals. The Guru called fora Sikh willing to offer his head to his Guru, to besacrificed for the defence of Dharma and the country,to step forth and appear before his Guru. The bloodof this Sikh shall revive the dead nation. On hearingthe words of his Guru, Daya Ram, a Khatri of Lahorecame before his Guru with folded hands and sedatedignity and offered his head to be cut off at once for

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this noble cause.

The Guru took him inside the tent holding himby the hand. The sound of a powerful stroke of thesword was heard from within and blood started flowingout of the tent. The people outside felt sure that thehead of Daya Ram had been severed from his body.Guru Gobind came out brandishing a blood-stainedsword and demanded the offering of another head.Dharam Chand, a Jat of Hastinapur offered himself.The Guru took him within and the above act wasrepeated. Guru Gobind Singh emerged with his blood­stained sword. He asked for a head three times moreand Himmat Rai, a Potter, Mohkam Chand, a Tailorand Sahib Chand, a Barber, offered their heads. Theywere taken in one by one by the Guru who each timeacted in the manner mentioned above. It is difficult tofind their peers in the annals of history. At the merebidding of their Guru they offered their life and bodyto him. Such an event had never taken place in anycountry of the world at any time before.

It was with a two-fold purpose that the Guruacted in the strange manner depicted above. Firstly hewanted to find out whether the Sikhs had in them thestuff to sacrifice their all for the love of their Dharmaand land, how far his efforts and exhortations over along period had succeeded in producing the desiredeffect and whether the Sikhs had reached such a statethat they could gaily sacrifice their lives for others. HisSikhs had risen to the occasion and creditably passed

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the severe test. He had asked for the heads offive Sikhsand five Sikhs, lovingly called the Five beloveds, hadunflinchingly placed their necks under the sword oftheir Guru. This assured him that all Sikhs wouldwillingly obey him through thick and thin and that hispreparatory work had not gone waste; Guru GobindSingh must have been immensely pleased with theresult of his test.

Secondly, he wanted to bring it home to hisSikhs that only people like the Five Beloveds couldsuccessfully undertake difficult tasks for their Dharmaand country, arid that they all should be ready to makesuch sacrifices. What Five Beloveds had done, they allcould. He had sown the thought of self-sacrifice in theminds of bis Sikhs. Now he turned to its germinationand blossoming into action. He took the 'FiveBeloveds' out of the tent and held his court in the fortof Kesgarh. He armed the five and dressed them in aspecial uniform. He armed and dressed himselflikewise and asked for water from the river flowingbelow. This water was poured in a receptacle of steel,some sweets (patashas) were added to it. Guru GobindSingh himself recited the Five Banis and stirred thecontents all the while with his Khanda. He called thepreparation, Arnrit (The Eternal-life-giving Nectar).And this was administered to the Five in the followingmanner. Five times he took out five handfuls of Arnritand made the five partake of them, while the six ofthem (including the Guru) shouted "Wahe-Guru Ji Ka

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Khalsa, Wahe-Guru Ji Ki.Fateh". This ceremony wastermed 'Pahul' and the brotherhood was called theKhalsa and their Dharma called the Khalsa Dharma.All members of the Khalsa were instructed to add'Singh' after their names.

Basic Tenets of the Khalsa

The following basic tenets of the Khalsa wereset up:

(1) Whosoever adopts the Khalsa Dharma shallpartake of Amrit in the same manner as ad­ministered by the Guru.

(2) Whosoever takes 'Pahul' shall be bound toadd 'Singh' to his name.

(3) Wheresoever five Sikhs assemble, KhalsaDharma shall perfectly exist there and for thepurpose of the 'Pahul' these five shall act as theGuru. They can be any five Sikhs without anydistinctions. Accordingly, the Guru himselfwas administered 'Pahul' by the 'FiveBeloveds' and his name changed to GobindSingh from Gobind Rai.

(4) Whosoever joins the Khalsa Dharma, shall becalled a 'Singh'. He shall keep hair on his head,keep a weapon of steel like Kirpan on hisperson, wear a short (Kachha) and an ironBangle (Kara) and keep a comb (Kangha) inhis hair. From the very time of the establish-

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ment of the Khalsa, the keeping of these fiveessentials called the Five Kakkas, became amust for every Singh.

(5) All Sikhs shall be equal brethern in the Khalsawithout any distinction of high or low. Theirprevious castes and creeds and surnamesstand nullified. All the Sikhs shall eat togetherfrom the same vessel.

(6) All Sikhs shall stand freed of all previous dis­tinctions of birth, caste, creed and doings.They shall start life anew in the Khalsa Dhar­ma.

(7) It is imperative for all Singhs to attribute allspiritual and temporal powers to steel. It shallbe their bounden duty to keep weapons ofsteel, and gain proficiency in their use in abattle.

(8) The Singh who dies in battle or takes part in acrusade (Dharam Yudh) and destroys hisenemy, who is never disheartened though van­quished shall attain a high stature.

(9) The Singh shall not wear a Janju.

(10) Liberation can be attained only through Khal­sa Dharma.

(11) The Singhs should discard all rites and ritualsof the Hindus, but should respect the latter'sTemples and religious feelings and defend

their Dharma and country when endangered.

(12) It is the duty of the Singhs to destroy theenemies of the people.

(13) The Singhs shall worship the Lord throughtruthful actions and pray to the One FormlessAkal only and not to any of his creations.

(14) They shall bow before the Guru Granth Sahibonly and not bofore any man, tomb or grave.

(15) The Singhs shall hold Guru Nanak Dev as theirspiritual guide and Supreme Lord, venerate allhis successors and obey their injunctions.

(16) They shall occasionally take a bath in the holySarovar at Amritsar, the main Tiratha of Sikhs.

(17) They shall accost each other with "Wahe­Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe-Guru Ji Ki Fateh"and discard all other forms of greetings.

(18) They shall not use tobacco.

(19) They should hold Khalsa as the repository ofHis Divine Power.

Guru Gobind Singh forbade the entry of thefollowing kinds of people into the Khalsa Brother­hood:

(1) The Massands, who managed the affairs of theGurdwaras in those days.They had degeneratedinto a class of timid, worthless and indolentPujaris.

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(2) The followers and devotees of Dhir Mal called'Dhir Malleeay', who contented with GuruTegh Bahadur for Guruship and violently op­posed him and went to the extent of firing athim.

(3) 'Ram Raeeay', the followers of Ram Rai, acollateral ofGuru Gobind Singh who contestedthe Guruship and created all kinds of troublefor the Guru.

(4) The killers of new-born daughters. Since suchpeople as had become habitual killers of theirdaughters were likely to continue the evil prac­tice even after joining the Khalsa, they wereexcluded from the ranks of the Khalsa. TheSikhs were asked not to deal and intermarrywith such people.

By laying the foundation of the Khalsa, GuruGobind Singh delivered his message of love and in­itiated the completion of his mission. He inscribed inglowing letters the story of the Khalsa and its rules onthe pages of Time. Only his signature remained to beappended to it. In due course he signed with his loveand this Document of Universal Love and Brother­hood was attested and witnessed by the sacrifice of hisfour sons. Now the document was completed in allaspects for the coming generations of the world toperuse and cherish.

The ceremony of initiation into the Khalsa

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Dharma was completed. As a protest of disapproval,many high castes, Kashatris and Brahmins, who werepresent in the gathering, walked out. And upholdingthe customary ways of the high castes, they created afurore, taking the event as an unwarranted inter­ference in their Dharma, based mainly on caste systemand hollow rites and rituals. The Guru addressing hisSikhs declared that he had obeyed the mandate ofLord Akal, which enshrines the uplifting of the lowlyand the down-trodden. Disregarding the out-bursts ofthe high castes he prophesied "Those whom the highcastes spurn now shall be my heirs after my death andbecome the equals of the highest".

The Guru's Way of Life

I pen here whatever I have gleaned about theGuru's personality and life history. He was sturdy andof a somewhat hefty build. He was tall and lookedpowerful by appearance and body-structure, he inter­ested himself in tasks involving effort and hard labour.He loved the hunting field more than the sermonisingseat of Guruship and spent a greater part of his timein hunting. He always endeavoured to interest andinvolve his Sikhs in hunting. He hunted the wild boar,the lion and other wild beasts.

He always practised the wielding of weapons,in which he was highly skilled, and encouraged hisSikhs to take to arms. He made his Sikhs practise theiruse under his personal supervision. The acquisition ofskill in the use of weapons formed an essential part of

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the education of his sons. He used to feel greatpleasure in receiving the gifts of weapons and horsesfrom his Sikhs and such offerings endeared the Sikhsto him. He was fond of keeping good horses and hisstable contained some thorough-breds. He was askilled rider par excellence. After much practice hehad gained mastery in the use of the bow and thesword. While hunting, he used the scimitar, the smalldagger, the two-edged sword and the spear with greatdexterity.

He used to hold court like nobles and dressedhimself in very fine apparel like a king. He had a regalbearing and carried a sword at his waist. He was anexcetlent poet and composed verses in almost all themetres that were prevalent at that time. His verseswere a very forceful medium to inspire and enthuse hislisteners. His epics on the wars between Durga and thedemons were very stimulating and filled the listenerswith courage and martial fervour. He had gatheredaround him a group of fifty two eminent poets of histime, who wrote and recited their verses and receiveddue appreciation both in words and in terms of money.

In addition to his penchant for penning andperusing poetry, he was fond of hearing the old clas­sics. He was very well .acquainted with Persian andArabic and had attained a high degree of proficiencyin Sanskrit. He loved to hear readings from books onhistory, especially the chapters dealing with wars, and,he spent a lot of time in this pursuit. Recitals from

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Vedas, Up-Vadas, Upnishidas, Puranas and Simritisinterested him and he listened to them with lovingattention. He kept poets and pundits (learnedscholars) around him. He sent many of his Sikhs toKashi to get education.

He was not such a great lover of classical musicas Guru Nanak Dev Ji, but he daily listened to thesinging of Shabads. He was very fond of Martial musicand listened with rapt attention to the musical rendi­tions ofwar epics by the bards at his court. He was verysteadfast in the performance of his daily duties. Heused to rise early in the morning and recite Japuji, JaapSahib and Sawayye. In the evening he dutifully recitedRehrass and Kirtan Sohila. He used to spend sometime daily in the praise of Akal. The Guru was neverto be seen taking part in dancing and other festivitiesduring Holi. He had no inclination towards frivolousmodes of merry-making and luxurious living. Self con­trol and simplicity were the key notes of his character.

Those Who Embraced the Khalsa

The directions of Guru Gobind Singh and thesystem of the Khalsa Dharma had become verypopular among Jats and other Hindu communities. Itssimple and clear rules and advocacy of an open andfree way of living was so effective that thousands ofpeople joined its fold. The Jats who were consideredno higher than the Shudras by the high-caste Hindusrushed towards this fount of brotherhood like a thirstyman dashing towards a fountain of water. The Guru

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had earnestly embarked on this mission impelled byTruth and strong feelings of love for the oppressedHindus. The people at large appreciated his missionand devoted efforts, and they responded enthusiasti­cally to his call. The number of his Sikhs grew daily.There is no doubt that the Khalsa Dharma had astrong appeal for those low-caste people who wereconsidered worthless, low beings, no better than chat­tels meant for menial chores and who were never(issigned any worthwhile job.

The Khalsa of Guru Gobind Singh was a groupof people who were determined and daring, truthfuland trustworthy, and dedicated and devoted to theirGuru and Dharma. They proved their mettle andcredentials time and again. The high castes had keptthemselves aloof and hence the qualities mentionedabove could not be attributed to their inclusion. In fact,these people had over a long period of bondage andsubjection to persistent tyranny lost whatever goodqualities they ever had. The Kashatris, once known fortheir fighting prowess, valour and self- respect, wereoffering their daughters, willingly and with some sortof pride, to the Muslims. The Brahmins were ready tosacrifice their country in order to save their dhoti fromdisrespect and were not perturbed over the sale oftheir women in the bazars of Ghazni for petty sums oftwo dinars. These communities could not be said tocontribute to the wonderful qualities of Khalsa.

The Khalsa were a people ready to sacrifice

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their all for the welfare of others and for their countryand Dharma. They held life cheap before the idealsof love and universal brotherhood. They would nothesitate to raise a big pile of their bones and flesh toserve as a high pedestal for their nation and country.They wanted to cleanse with their blood the indignitiesof the last seven hundred years, animate the corpse ofnationalism with the warmth of their spouting gore.Since the Khalsa comprised mainly of people drawnfrom the low castes and Shudras, the Hill Rajas, proudof their prowess and position, jeered at the Guru.Scornfully they asked him if he proposed to defend thecountry with the help 01 these sparrows and pit hisjackals against the formidable. tigers. The Gurureplied, "Unless I raise one to stand against many,cause sparrow spurn the hawk and inspire jackals tokill lions, I shall not deserve to be called Guru GobindSingh."

There is difference of opinion about the oc­casion wheri the Guru uttered these words. But thereis no doubt that he did utter them and proved themtrue by time and again making his handful of Sikhsfight against vast multitudes of adversaries on thebattle-field. His followers were made of sterner stuff,forged in a steely mould of courage. We have alreadyseen an example of their mettle provided by the 'FiveBeloveds' at the time of the formation of the Khalsa.Later events gave ample proof of the fearlessness, thecourage and the martial qualities of the Khalsa. Twoincidents taken at random will suffice. They occurred

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in the presence of the Guru.

Once Guru Gobind Singh was sitting in hiscourt. One of his Sikhs presented a gun to him. TheGuru declared all of a sudden that he wanted to testhis aim and desired some Sikh to offer himself as atarget. Many' Sikhs got up and pleaded forcefully forthe acceptance of their respective offers.

Directing his glance and pointing to a Sikh, theGuru smilingly ordered him to be taken away andhanged immediately. Neither did he give any reasonfor this strange decision nor did he hint at offencecommitted by the Sikh, but only vouchsafed that hisGuru needed his head. Without any hesitation thatSikh offered his head. The Guru was highly pleasedand declared that only such obedient, true and stead­fast Sikhs can save the Hindu nation.

Opposition of the Guru by the High-Caste Hindus

The Kashatri Kings and the Brahmins reactedto the Guru and the Khalsa Dharma in their typicalmanner. They came out openly against Guru GobindSingh and his noble mission. The Brahmins could nottolerate the breaking up of the caste system and thediscarding of the tradition of Janju-wearing. Theycreated a furore over this. The Rajas of the surround­ing hill tracts were set against the Guru by the Brah­mins who declared that the Guru had denigratedHindu Dharma. These Rajas were already jealous ofhis growing power and saw a challenge to their own

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supremacy in his crusade against caste distinctions.The Brahmins incited them to hound the Guru persist­ently without giving him a breather so as to break hisspirit and disperse his bedraggled crowd of an army.Guru Gobind Singh invited the Hill Rajas to join theKhalsa Dharma. The Rajas belonging to the high castecould hardly be expected to respond favourably. Theyrejected the offer disdainfully and reacted despicablyand deceitfully at later times.

0, Hindus ! there can be no more ungratefulpeople than you. No other nation can boast of in­gratitude of a deeper hue than you. No other nationhas in her the fell spirit of disregarding her patriots.Who can be more savage and hell-bent on torturingthe true lovers of her land?

The Guru - The great Gobind Singh - waspreparing to sacrifice his all for thee, was busy whole­heartedly to lift thee out of thy degraded state to ahigher level of self-respect and decency and yet thypeople stand against him out of jealousy and selfish­ness! This is all due to the ungratefulness, hatred andjealousy that is suffused in thy veins. It is because ofthis perverse stuff in you that you have been con­demned to slavery.

In short, the Rajputs who claimed to be greatfighters and stupid Hill Rajas turned against the Guru.The latter, commenced making preparations againsthim with a view to harassing him. But the heart of

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Guru Gobind Singh was dauntless and nothing couldtrouble him. The Hill Rajas fired the first shot againsthim in a cowardly and unsoldierly way. They askedhim to leave their territory, get out of Anandpur andpay for the damage and destruction caused by hispeople. This compensation should be made in hardcash. In the case of non-compliance with these condi­tions, the combined army of the Hill Rajas will marchagainst him. The Guru's father Guru Tegh Bahadurhad bought the land and had set up a village there. TheGuru, a fighter by instinct and a crusader for freeingthe country from foreign dominance, could not beexpected to submit to such terms. He sent back thereply that he would pay the claimed damages with hissword and re-purchase his stay at Anandpur with bul­lets. The Rajput Kings did not like the tone and tenorof this reply. Their blood rose in vengeance and theydrew their swords. They attacked Anandpur a num­ber of times. I give below C:1 brief account of theseattacks:

The Guru had delivered a telling blow to thefalse faith and useless religious wrangles of the Brah­mins and the Mullahs by establishing Khalsa Dharmain the teeth of the silly and indiscreet storm of Hin­duism and the fanatical flood of the Muslims. He wasyet to defeat the Imperial forces of the MuslimEmperor of Delhi, for which he was making plans.Some have opined that these plans of the Guru bor­dered on madness and were impracticable. It was

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rashness verging nothing short of madness for a des­titute person to aspire to clash with a mighty power.This opinion itself sounds meaningless when we con­sider how single individuals like Nadir Shah, Baburhad carved vast empires in Asia. They gathered menaround them and then some more men and thusgathering power they marched to their destiny. Whatis needed is courage, an indomitable heart and thehelp of self-sacrificing, devoted followers. The Guruwould have succeeded in his mission but for threefactors. He could not in his time destroy the MuslimEmpire. But he left it tottering and had created a virilepeople and a strong wave of nationalism to completethe task still left undone.

The greatest factor that could not let him suc­ceed was that he was not a deceitful person like Shivaji.He considered it below his dignity as a preceptor toresort to ruse and duplicity and wanted to succeedthrough physical skill and prowess only. Diplomacyand deceit are the heart and soul of warfare, but theGuru abhorred them.

Secondly, the Guru did not create openings forgetting close to the Hill Rajas. On the other hand, thetwo parties drifted apart to the extent of open hostilityfor one another. The very house was divided againstitself. Instead of putting up united resistance againstthe common enemy, they fought against one another.This war was forced on the Guru ere he had gainedsufficient strength for the trial of arms with Delhi.

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Since the Hill Rajas had used the pretext of defendingtheir religious traditions to justify their unwarrantedattacks on him, he as a Guru and dauntless person hadto take up the gauntlet. Thus the two parties wereengaged in a mutually destructive conflict.

The third and the last factor was the lack ofproper training of his men in the art ofwar. They wereall men of indomitable courage and had the capacityand the will to fight till the last. But the lack of propertraining and weapons was a very big handicap for themwhile facing numerically far superior and betterequipped armies. If only they had more time for prac­tising warfare !

The First Attack : Guru Gobind Singh washunting in the foothills with his followers. The firstattack on him was launched by Raja Alam Chand andRaja BaHia. The Guru and his men were poorlyequipped, and the two Rajas wanted to exploit his thisdisadvantage. The Guru with his small band of menfaced them boldly and engaged them in a fierce battle.A pitched skirmish took place, for a short time. RajaBaHia was killed in the encounter and the Guru andhis men won the day in the first battle.

The Second Attack: Angered at their ig­nominious defeat, the Hill Rajas sought the help of theSubedar of Sirhind, who despatched a force. Thusreinforced the Rajas again attacked Anandpur. Thebattle raged for thirty days. Pierced by an arrow in theear Paindey Khan fell dead. Dina Beg ran away from

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the field. The victorious Sikhs pursued the retreatingenemy up to Rohtak. Ajit Singh, the eldest son of theGuru Gobind Singh displayed great valour in the field.

Kesri Chand was also killed in the battle. It issaid that the enemy brought an elephant to break openthe portal of the Anandpur fort. Duni Chand, aKashatri Sikh was ordered by the Guru to intercept theelephant, but he ran away. The Guru then askedBachittar Singh to confront the animal. Before be­coming a member of the Khalsa, he was a Lubana (alow easte) by caste. He faced the elephant manfullyand gave its trunk such a deep gash with his sword thatthe brute ran away in panic. This incident highlightedthe difference between the Sikhs of the Guru and theBrahmins and the Kashatris of the time. How low theKashatris had fallen, how brave had become the Sikhs,whatever their erstwhile caste was ! After this victory,the Guru marched to Kiratpur from Anandpur.

The Third Attack: The second defeat wasrankling in the minds of the Rajas. They tried toinvolve the Subedar of Sirhind fully now. It is said thatrupees twenty thousand were given to the Subedar incash and Raja Bhim Chand offered him the hand of afemale from his family. The Subedar was won over totheir side. The Guru had rallied some more menaround him and had built four more forts for emergen­cy use. The Guru well knew the result of opposing theEmperor of India. He had not been able to con­solidate his -position fully. The continuous warfare

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with the Rajas had not allowed him to finalise hisschem~s. He had only a small number of Sikhs withhim and no source of income except what his poor,half-famished Sikhs offered in cash or kind. The Guruhad some Pathans with him, but their number was sosmall as to be insignificant in a major engagement.With the help of the forces of Sirhind, the Raja attack­ed the Guru at Kiratpur on 17 Maghar of Samat 1755(1699 AD.).

The Guru and his Sikhs fought bravely, b~t itwas difficult to hold such large hordes there. So theGuru returned to the Anandpur Fort. His Sikhs dis­played signal acts ofbravery. Among such fighters wasone Joga Singh who is mentioned inJanam Sakhis. Inthe days when preparation of this engagement wereafoot, he was called to Peshawar for his marriage. HisGuru had asked him to return forthwith after theceremony. Joga Singh left after the completion of thecircumambulations in connection with his marriage,though his father forbade him. The Sikhs were madeofsuch stuff. The siege of Anandpur lasted some days,the Sikhs fought valiantly. Guru Gobind Singh wentover to the Raja of Sohli, who had invited him. Thisbattle has been less mentioned by the English his­torians, but all Janam Sakhis have given accounts of it.

The Attack ofAurangzeb's Army

For two years after this, the Guru moved aboutin different directions. It will be wrong to imagine thatthe courage and determination of the Guru suffered a

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fall because of this defeat. On the contrary, he wassteeled by adversity. During this period he remainedbusy in rallying his Sikhs for the coming battles. Hebusied himself in hunting during his stay with Sohli.From there he moved into the domain of the Raja ofBhanbour. After a brief stay there he went to Rawal­sar and celebrated Baisakhi there. Then he crossedinto the principality of the Raja of Mandi and built afort there. Some Sikhs came to meet him with somepresents. The Raja Kalmotia looted them on the way.On learning of this, the Guru sent his son Ajit Singhfor redressal. Mahant Jwalamukhi came with fivehundred men to help Raja Kalmotia. The Mahantincited many ~ajas against the 'Guru. Guru GobindSingh came at last to help his son. The Raja Kalmotiawas defeated and the Guru chastised the Mahant. TheSikhs looted Jwalamukhi. The offerings of his Sikhswere the only income the Guru had. If these were tobe looted enroute by Rajas the Guru was within hisright to attack these people.

In the Baisakh of Samat 1758 (1701 AD.), theGuru returned to Anandpur, which had been lootedand destroyed by both the Muslims and the Rajas. Hebuilt the place a new, repaired the fort and administer­ing Paqul to his four sons made them Singhs. Aftervisiting many places, the Guru witnessed the Kuruk­shetra Fair in Asarh of 1759 (1702 A.D.) and returnedto Anandpur. He busied himself in military prepara­tions. The Sikhs started calling him the Sacha Patshah(The True Emperor) and he became known far and

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wide by this name. It was not a new term, some of theearlier Gurus had also been so called. But now it wasused extensively with redoubled zeal and devotion.The Hill Rajas who were already jealous of his growingpower and popularity, became alarmed now. They felttheir existence in danger and determined to finish him.After great deliberations, they decided to inflame theEmperor against him and then attack him ~ith the helpof the Imperial force.

A messenger was sent to implead the Emperorfor help after poisoning his ears against the Guru. Heinformed the Emperor that the Guru called himselfthe True Emperor, dressed and conducted himself likeone, had collected a large army of Sikhs, had inventeda new religion and was ready to conflict with the Mus­lims. All robbers and dacoits had joined his group andhis power was growing daily. He pleaded that if thisnewly gushing spring was not plugged at once, it wouldbe impossible to stem the roaring torrent that it shallgrow into. The Emperor was enraged and his tyranni­cal and fanatical blood started boiling. He deemed ita god-send that all the Hill Rajas were against theGuru and resolved to finish him.

The Fourth Attack: Aurangzeb ordered BazidKhan, the Subedar of Sirhind to capture the Guru andproduce him in the Imperial Court at Delhi. He sentthree of his generals, Amir Khan Das-Hazari, NijabatKhan and Wahid Khan to help the Subedar. RajaAjmer Chand was sent with this force, which was rein-

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forced by the torces of the Hill Rajas. This combinedarmy besieged Anandpur on Phalgun 17 ofSamat 1759(1703 A.D.). The Guru having a much smaller armydid not come out of the Fort and fought from within.A bloody battle raged for five days. Many Singhs werekilled, but they had accounted for a greater number ofthe enemy. The Guru coming out on the sixth day,waged a vigorous attack. He killed Sardar AzeemKhan, a noted general and Paindey Khan. Raja HariChand lassowalia was killed by Mamon Khan, a ser­vant of the Guru.

The Fifth Attack: Feeling humiliated over thisdefeat, Aurangzeb decided to despatch a very largearmy against the Guru. He ordered the Subedar ofLahore, and it is said also the subedar of Kashmir tojoin forces with the Subedar of Sirhind, to defeat theGuru, capture him alive and produce him at his Im­perial Court in Delhi. It speaks volumes for thecourage and capability of the Guru that the forces ofthe entire Northern region were deployed against amere recluse. This formidable force consisting of thearmies of the Subedars of Delhi, Sirhind, Lahore andKashmir went into action against the Guru and hismen. It is said that the Guru had been able to musteronly ten thousand men. He deputed his eldest son AjitSingh to man the Kesgarh Fort with two thousandsoldiers. Man Singh and Sher Singh with one thousandmen were despatched to the Lohgarh Fort. AlamSingh and Suket Singh with three thousand soldierswere sent to Damdama Fort. Ude Singh was detailed

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to Agampur Fort. But it appears that either thesedetails are incorrect or all these people came to theopen field at Anandpur where the great battle tookplace.

Guru Gobind Singh himself was at Anandpur.The Imperial army surrounded Anandpur and a ter­rible battle ensued. The Sikhs fought very bravely andbeat back the Muslims many times. The Muslims withfresh reinforcement attacked fiercely. The Sikhs facedtheir charge with exemplary courage. The Muslimswere about to enter Anandpur when Ajit Singhjumped into the fray with a batch of dedicated Sikhs,but the advancing wave of the Muslims appeared tobe irresistible. Seeing the predicament of his forces,Guru Gobind Singh personally led a counter-attack.A very bloody engagement took place. The Sikhsfought with gusto. Azeem Khan and Dilawar Khan,two high officers of the Imperial army were killed.Towards the close of the evening the Muslim armywilted under this fierce onslaught and decamped. TheSikhs had won the day.

The battle was resumed on the second day. TheGuru was at Damdama now. Zabardast Khan threw acannonball in his direction. The Guru had amiraculous escape but some nearby Sikhs were killed.For some days the Sikhs fought back against fierceattacks by the multitudinous Muslim hordes. Howlong could a handful of men stand against such vastnumbers? When the number of the Sikhs was consid-

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erably reduced they went back into the Fort ofAnandpur and closed its portals. The Imperial forcescut off their supplies of food and other necessities.During one night of the siege, the Sikhs finding anopportune time waged a surprise attack and in utterconfusions the Muslim forces moved back and liftedthe siege. Raja Dadwal and Raja Jassowal were killed.The Sikhs captured some booty. The Imperial forceshung back in the neighbourhood waiting for furtherreinforcement.

The Sixth Attack: Aurangzeb gatheredanother big force from all over the Empire, supple­mented it with Rajput troops and despatched the com­bined army to help the forces of Subedars of Sirhind,Lahore, Delhi and Kashmir. This redoubled Imperialarmy attacked and besieged Anandpur in Chet ofSamat 1761 (1704 A.D.).The Sikhs bore the hardshipsof the siege with great fortitude. When there was nofood left, the Sikhs preferred death in the battlefieldto dying of starvation. But the Guru wanted the Sikhsto face the siege for some days more. There were someSikhs who were fed up with the privations they facedand desired to leave Anandpur. Guru Gobind Singhtold them that they could leave Anandpur only afterdisowning him and declaring that they were not Sikhs.Some disavowed their Guru and faith, while othersremained faithful.

The Hill Rajas sent a Brahmin who on oath ofthe sacred cow, brought word to the Guru that the

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army would not follow and molest the Sikhs if the Guruabandoned the Anandpur Fort with his men. TheGuru like a truthful man believed the word and takinghis men, their families and his own left the Fort forKiratpur. The Imperial forces after looting the Fort,went back on their solemn pledge and pursued theSikhs. Next day, the Guru and his people reachedKanwalsar on the banks of Sirsa stream, which was inflood. They were between the devil and the deep sea.The Imperial army was hot on their heels and infrontwas the raging torrent. He was in the position ofGeneral Cronje who in the war of Transval with hisfour thousand Boers was trapped by a large Britishforce. There was a stream on one side and the hills onthe other. Cronje capitulated. Guru Gobind Singhfaced even a more unenviable predicament. He hadwomen, children and the aged to protect and he washarassed and pressed upon by the Muslim hordes. Atlast some Sikhs braved the raging river and took thefamilies across. Just then the Muslim army launcheda severe attack. The Guru, with the remnants of hissmall band, faced them. But his men faltered in theface of such heavy odds and they were routed.

Guru Gobind Singh with his two sons and fortySikhs entered Chamkaur and took shelter in anenclosure. In this flight, the Sikhs took two wives ofthe Guru to Delhi. The aged mother of the Guru, withher two grandsons, took shelter with Ganga Ram, anold Brahmin cook of the Guru's household (her taleof woe shall be related later on). Let us turn to the

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field of Chamkaur where the Guru performedmiraculous feats of daring not equalled in the entirehistory of the world. The Imperial army and the Hinduhordes who were pursuing the Guru well knew that theGuru had entered Chamkaur with only forty men. Hedid not have any forces left and like a lion was shut upin a cage. The enemy could not hope for a bettersituation than this and decided to capture him alive.So this adobe structure, this shelter-house was sur­rounded on all sides.

The reader may well visualize the set up, thecritical situation for the Guru. A whole army of anEmpire supported by the Rajputs and the forces of HillRajas poised against a handful of Sikhs, destitute andin dire straits, sheltered in an adobe building andsurrounded on all sides. The entire history of theworld can scarcely produce another example of ahandful of men facing such vast multitudes. No king,no general had ever stood up or even thought ofmaking a fight against myriads of Imperial forces. TheGuru not only faced these overwhelming odds but alsoslipped through them.

He was unperturbed and undaunted. He ef­fected his escape not for fear of losing his life. He wasnot a coward, he saved himself for the fulfilment of hisholy mission. He wanted to have a breathing space soas to regroup and revitalise his people. Were he acoward, he would have taken his sons alive with him.He would not have sent his sons out to make heroic

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sacrifices right before his eyes. He left after signingwith the blood of his sons, the Divine Documentenshrining his message of Universal Love andBrotherhood. The heroic sacrifices of his sons werethe testimonies affirming this Glorious Deed. He didall this for the shameless, spineless, dastardly and un­grateful Hindu nation. Who is there among the Hin­dus so pur-blind, so base, so rash, so mean, so cynical,as to accuse the Guru of cowardliness.

The Emperors of Germany, Austria and Russiadespite having huge armies with them surrenderedunabashed before Napolean. And so did thousands ofMuslims soldiers of Egypt. A brave General likeCronje despite having guns and four thousand Boerfighters with him laid down arms before the BritishArmy. But look at the unparalleled courage displayedby Guru ·Gobind Singh! He had only forty Sikhs withhim in a dilapidated adobe structure at Chamkaursurrounded by the Imperial hordes. The enemyGeneral sent a message demanding the Guru to sur­render and bid good-bye to his Khalsa. Guru GobindSingh refused to buckle under and his son despatchedthe insolent soldier on the spot. He sent his replythrough a Sikh saying that Lord Akal commands himto die fighting rather than giving himself up, to spreadthe Khalsa Dharma rather than forsaking it.

He had only forty Sikhs with him in a pooradobe structure besieged by countless foes. Judge hisreply considering his highly vulnerable position. Can

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any man accuse him of cowardice? Here he provedthe truth of his saying that he would cause the sparrowsto spurn the hawks and then alone be worthy of beingcalled Gobind Singh. He and his men kept the Im­perial army at bay throughout the day. An exceptionalexploit, a daring display of dauntless courage, a victoryof the spirit over mere physical force. The Gurumisscd no opportunity to jump into the fray with asword in his hand to help and bolster his valiantSikhs-the Famous Forty. He sends his sons out, one byone, to fight unflinchingly and die fighting before hisvery eyes. He utters no words of anguish, feels nolashings of regret, does not abjure his faith or give uphis mission.

We all know the story ofRustam who mistaken­ly kills his son in a bout. Who lashed by regret slithersto the ground in a swoon and on gaining consciousnessis determined to kill himself. A brave man likeNapolean had tears in his eyes at the death of hisgeneral. Ram Chander wept piteously at the swooning.of his brother Lakshman and ordered Hanuman tobring the reviving herb. Guru Gobind Singh was notdisheartened by the death of his eldest son Ajit Singhbut continued the fight. His second son Jujhar Singhwho was barely fourteen or fifteen comes before hisfather. He seeks permission from his father, the Guru,to measure swords with the enemy and avenge hisbrother's death. The Guru is not swayed by fatherlylove or con~iderations of his son's tender age. Heallows his son to fight and meet certain death. Did any

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other father face such a situation and behave to non­chalantly? It seems he willed his son to dare theenemy and die and thus seal with the last attestationthrough self- sacrifice, his father's Immortal Docu­ment of Love and Brotherhood of man.

Jujhar Singh wants to drink water before goingout to fight. His father, the Guru, tells him to go aheadand quench his thirst with the enemy's blood and notwith water. He further tells Jujhar Singh to drink fromthe cup of martyrdom in the battlefield and that histhirst is symbolic of the thirst of the Khalsa for theirenemy's blood. He blesses his son to march to Heavenon the path of the Martyrs already taken by his brother,Ajit Singh. Despite his tender years, Jujhar Singhjumps into the battle like a redoubtable warrior andsheds his blood for the defence of Hindu Dharma.

Fie on him who denigrates the Guru by accus­ing him of cowardliness! May his mouth fill with filthand dirt who utters such accusals. The Guru left thefield to fight another day for his country and Dharmaat a more opportune time. He could have very easilysaved his sons and taken them with him out of Cham­kaur.

The Sikhs fought fiercely till dusk. By then onlythree Sikhs were left alive, namely Dharam Singh,Man Singh and Daya Singh, along with their Guru.Just imagine! The whole Imperial army cannot dareto capture these four Sikhs. The door of the adobebuilding is closed. Visualize the awe which the Guru

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inspires in the enemy. Not a single soul among themdares to approach the door and break it open, thoughit is kept under constant watch. The Guru kisses thefaces of his sons and the hands of the Five Beloveds,leaves their bodies behind and surveying the fieldscornfully moves out of Chamkaur. What was dearerto him than his sons, than his Five Beloveds, than hisSikhs, for which he was saving himself? It was for hisfaith, his mission of universal brotherhood and his dutyto defend the country and the downtrodden thoughungrateful Hindus that he after sacrificing his worldlyall was keeping himself alive.

Aller the Battle of Chamkaur

How did the Guru escape from there? It is saidthat the remaining three Sikhs started shouting at nightthat the Pir of the Hindus, meaning the Guru wasslipping out. The shouting created consternation andan uproar in the Imperial army. Utter confusionreigned amongst them and making use of this diver­sion the Guru slipped out in the darkness of the night,bare-footed and with a blistering heart. He movedtowards the jungle.

Leaving the Guru at this stage, let us turn to thesad and heart-rending story of his two small sons.Mter the exodus from Anandpur and the crossing ofthe turbulent Sirsa stream, the mother of the Guruwith her two younger grandsons took shelter with anold servitor of the family, Ganga Ram, a Brahmin, ofvillage Kheri that falls in Ropar district. The Guru's

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mother had taken with her some gems and hard cash.The old Brahmin servitor was filled with greed. Hethought of usurping this wealth and informing theSubedar of Sirhind about the presence of the Guru'smother and his sons. His wife remonstrated with himsaying that he had eaten the salt of the Guru and shouldnot betray him.

The glitter of the gold and the gems blindedhim, blotted all sense of shame and gratitude from hismind. He stole these from the old lady and informedNawab Jani Khan, about her and her grandsons. JaniKhan passed on the news to his superior, the Subedarof Sirhind. The old servitor committed a despicahlecrime. But for a Brahmin it was nothing extraordinary.He had been sucking like a leech the life-blood ofothers for thousands of years without compunction ormercy. For his wants and livelihood, he had neverbeen averse to deceiving his master, his king, hispeople, and his country. He had deceived all of them,too readily without a twinge of his conscience. Theentire history of India is full of instances of suchtreachery. They are shameless and ungratefuldeceivers for the sake of their pleasures and selfishends. They feel no shame in begging either in privateor openly like the mendicants.

Informed by the treacherous Brahmin, theNawab'got the lady and her grandsons arrested andsent them to Sirhind as ordered by the Subedar. TheNawab also came to know about the gems and gold

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which the ungrateful Brahmin servant had stolen. Sohe took the Brahmin along with the booty andproduced him before the Subedar. This Brahmin god(the epithet "god" is applied to the Brahmin all overIndia) got nothing for his treachery and ungratefulnessother than the saving of his dirty skin. The two sons ofthe Guru, Zorawar Singh aged nine and Fateh Singhaged seven, were produced before the Subedar, whoin the first instance sentenced them to one year'simprisonment in a Tower, known as the Chandal Burjtill today.

Later on he summoned them to appear beforehim and urged them to embrace Islam and then lead alife of luxury like royal princes. He warned them thatif they failed to heed his advice, they would be put tothe sword. Do you know what these two tender andinnocent kids said in reply? They declared that theywere the sons of Guru Gobind Singh and thegrandsons of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the king amongmartyrs of the nation and the country. In their veinsran the blood of their redoubtable father and theirnoble grandfather. Islam did not appeal to them andno temptation or hope of any reward could make themembrace it. They did not want to buy their lives at thecost of the Khalsa Dharma. They held their lives verycheaply and cared not two hoots if it flew out of theirlimbs; Death held no terror for them. They would notgo against the mandate of Akal and embrace the faithof the enemies of their country and Dharma. Theiranswer was worthy of their noble descent. It was the

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elder of the two sons who made this bold reply. Heasked if conversion to Islam could save them fromDeath. If die they must, why not die nobly for theircountry and the Khalsa Dharma?

This bold reply stunned the Subedar ofSirhind.Then seething with wrath he ordered them to be be­headed. The world is not entirely full of heartless anddevilish people only. Here and there are to be seengood and noble souls. Even in this gathering of blood­thirsty men was one such noble soul-Nawab SherMohammad Khan of Kotla. Addressing the Subedar,the Nawab questioned the justice of punishing in­nocent children for the fault of their father. Hewanted to know what injunction of the Holy Ouranpermitted the slaughter of the innocent. This gory actof great injustice could perhaps have been averted.But there was in that assemblage a Kashatri DewanSucha (Truthful) Nand, inimical to the Guru, whocounselled their killing, holding it unwise and im­politic to save them arguing that it is not wise to bringup the young ones of an asp after killing it because thewolf's whelp has the making of a future wolf.

0, Mother India, these are your offspring. Yourmost favourite, the eldest Brahmin son (Ganga Ram)had already shown his true colours of deceit, ungrate­fulness, shamelessness, indecency and inhumanity.Now be. proud ofyour second worthy son, the Kashatri,Dewan Sucha Nand who felt no hesitation in wreakinghis vengeance on the Guru, by sending his tender sons

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(of the ages of 7 and 9), to certain death. He was notto be outdone by his elder Brahmin brother, in mean­ness, jealousy, cold-blooded inhumanity and devilish­ness. These are your true begotten sons. These meanand selfish sons cause you endless pain and greatlytorture your mind. These sons of yours are consumedby jealousy and hatred for your other children. Theyare thirsty for the blood of thier own brethren and likeleeches, they are even engaged in sucking it. °woebegone Mother, whom can you accuse and com­plain against when your own children are eager to killone another? 0, who can defend you then?

0, Mother, you have been seen the work ofyour Brahmin and Kashatri sons, who claim pre­eminence over your other sons. Now Guru GobindSingh has taken with him your lowly son, the Shudra,to defend you. But the jealous, mean and haughty elderbrothers won't let them gain enough strength toachieve thei'r goal. In their wickedness the wretches ­the ignoble elder brothers - work against you andtheir own good. Their wisdom has been consumed bytheir wickedness. 0, Mother India, pray to the Al­mighty for your sons. Supplicate the Lord to teachthem to love one another and foster firm bonds ofbrotherhood.

Mter a day or two the children of the Guruwere again invited to embrace Islam. Glowing picturesof luxurious living, big Jagirs and great riches asrewards and dignities were drawn before them. But

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Zorawar Singh was unmoved and reiterated the reply.given earlier that they were not tempted by the shortand inglorious life of pleasure. They would rather diethan give up the Khalsa Dharma. They were the sonsof Guru Gobind Singh, undaunted by death. Theywould court death smilingly. They challenged him todo his worst. These words cut the Subedar to the quickand he ordered that they should be bricked alive. Theerection of a wall was started around them. They stoodunperturbed. There were no tears in their eyes, notremor on their lips, no trembling in their limbs, nobeads of perspiration on their foreheads, no palenesson their faces. What stead-fastness, what courage,what fortitude, what super-human capacity for makingsacrifices!

Just imagine, dear reader, what kept themcalm, unconcerned and unmoved under such tryingcircumstances ? This courage, this fearlessness, thisspirit was instilled in them by their father, GuruGobind Singh. When the wall rises higher, the youngerbrother aged seven shows some signs of uneasiness.Zorawar Singh addresses his brother saying, "0, FatehSingh, shout Wahe-Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe-Guru JiKi Fateh (The Khalsa belongs to God and victory is inHis hands), I hold you answerable to your vows to yourfather and your mother's milk! Do not lose heart inthe face oftribulation." Fateh Singh steadies himself.What a glorious show of manliness for a child ofseven!

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The wall reaches the level of their chests andinches higher. Their breathing is obstructed and theyfeel suffocated. At this critical juncture, they are urgedagain to choose between Islam promising life andrefusal meaning death. Their answer is the same butthey add that they see heaven across the wall, on theother side infront of them, they feel no pain. Theycherish their Khalsa Dharma and are not prepared tobargain for miserable life. They feel blessed as theycarry out the command of the Lord Akal. The wallreaches the level of their heads, then covers them. Thetwo tender hearts are stilled for ever. They died. fortheir Dharma and their Motherland. They died to livefor ever in the hearts of men . They died to reviveHindu Dharma. They died to give eternal life to theirKhalsa Dharma. They showed the world that a nationthat bears brave children like them never dies. Hal­lowed is the land which gives birth to such valiantprogeny.

Compare them with fully grown men who bidgood-bye to their religion for a handful of coins. Com­pare them with long-beards who for the sake ofawoman forsake their fai tho Some of them join the foldof Mohammed. Some others of them swell the ranksof the followers of Christ. My country-men, these werethe children who signed with their blood, the ImmortalDocument of the Love of their father. Krishanavenged himself on the enemies of his father, onlyafter growing to full manhood. We cannot comparethis feat of his maturer years with the exemplary

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courage shown by these kids of seven and nine. Theirfather was not there to guide or order them and yetthey braved death for his faith and principles. Theywere not grown up and sturdy like Krishan but theyout-did him in courage and steadfastness.

The Muslims dealt with these tender boys withthe same cruelty which was in evidence in their heart­less treatment of the innocent grandnephews of theirProphet in the battlefield of Karbla. To this day theShias and other Muslims remember the occasion withlamentations and heavy hearts. But the brave Sikhshave taken this inhuman treatment of their Guru'schildren in their stride.

When the old mother of the Guru came toknow about the heart-rending tale of her grandson'sdeaths, she was overwhelmed by the heartlessness andthe cruelty of the perpetrators of this dastardly act anddied. Let us turn from this horrendous tale of humanungratefulness, of mean, unmanly revenge, of in­human treatment of young children at the hands ofgrown-up men holding high positions, and turn tothe exploits of the Guru.

The Guru started walking bare-footed in thedark night when thorny bushes and way-side thornscould not be made out. How could he escape un­scathed. His feet became blistered and were bleedingstill he walked till day-break. The Imperial army triedto track him at night and also during the day, the heapsof the dead-bodies were sorted out to find his body but

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without success. Not knowing where to look for him,the authorities sent search-parties in all directions.

Since the Sun had risen, the Guru, certain ofbeing pursued, went to sleep in a thicket, with a coupleofclods under his head for a pillow. He was dead tiredand had not slept for many nights with the result thathe slept very soundly during the day. He passed thenight at the same spot without eating anything. Thereis a Gurdwara now at this place. In the small hours ofthe night, he marched to the east of Machhiwara townand passed the day in a garden. An edifice known asCharan Kanwal (Lotus Feet) stands in his memory.Nabi Khan and Ghani Khan,two Pathan brotherscameto their garden for a walk and recognised Guru GobindSingh because they used to bring horses to him for sale.They judged from his tattered clothes and his physicalcondition that he had come from a battlefield. Theywere under debt of the Guru for his past favours andhad earned handsomely through dealings with him.They were Muslims but were men enough not to act inan ungrateful manner.

Instead of harming the Guru or informing theImperial forces about him, they escorted him safely toBehlolpur. The three Sikhs of the Guru who hadescaped from Chamkaur in the ensuing confusion aftertheir announcement regarding their Guru's exit alsoreached there. They had dressed themselves like Mus­lims and were looking for their Guru. A column of theImperial army, looking for the Guru, arrived in neigh-

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bourhood. The Guru and his comrades took shelterwith one Gulaba Singh there, who personally tookthem to the house of Qazi Pir (or Mir) Mohammad.The Qazi and the Guru were old friends. The Qaziproved his true humanism and friendship. Afterdeliberations, it was decided that the Guru should bedeclared a Muslim Pir and dressed like one be takento Millwa region. Accordingly, the Guru was declaredUch Da Pir (The Pir of Eminence), seated on a cotraised high as per the custom prevalent then and ac­companied by the Qazi, Ghani Khan and the three Sikhsin Muslim garbs, was taken out of Behlolpur. TheGuru, attired in blue robes, was taken from one villageto another in the direction of Malwa.

What a company it was, strange and holy. Howcourageous and bold on the part of the Guru to puthimself at the mercy of Muslims, when his own people,the Hindus, for whose defence and welfare he wasstruggling, had betrayed him, when the entire resour­ces of the Muslim Empire of the time were rangedagainst him, and when every Muslim hand was raisedagainst him. Human mind staggers to take in thesituation, what a man the Guru was! His shrewdjudgement of men was proved true. He saw no Hinduworth the name, to afford him shelter and also he hadno faith in their word of honour or their honour itself.Had he trusted his life in the hands of any Brahmin Or

Kashatri, it would not have been worth a dime. Thetwo Muslims justified the trust reposed in them and atleast they escorted him safely to Malwa. The Guru in

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the guise of a Muslim Pir was taken to villageGhungrali and after buying weapons from JhandaMistri, the group arrived at the Dera of Mahant KirpalDass, in village Haer, who refused to give shelter to arebel against the Emperor. See, how a Hindu hadbehaved!

From there, the group moved farther and at lastarrived at the house of Rai Kalha, the Rais (dignitary)of Raikot, in village Jatpura. Though a Muslim, heentertained them well. The Sikhs presented horses andweapons to the Guru at that place. The Guru alsolearnt there what had befallen his aged mother and histwo younger sons. The Guru heard it all with equi­animity and thanked Akal Purkh for the consumma­tion of His Will. The Guru declared there that a daywould come when the Khalsawould raze Sirhind to theground to avenge their innocent brothers. Thesewords were a sort of legacy for the Sikhs who provedthem true.

The Epistle orVictory

Mter passing through some villages like Sheik­hupura, Dhanoula, Namgarh, the Guru in the monthof Maghar of Samat 1761 (1705 AD.) reached Dina.He rested there for some time and improved his con­dition a little. He collected some weapons from theregion, initiated some Singhs and armed them. Hereceived offerings from his Sikhs. He penned hisfamous missive "Zafar Nama" in Persian, meant forAurangzeb, who, it is said, sent for the Guru, assuring

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him of safe conduct, and proper respect. The Gururefused to believe in Aurangzeb's word of honour andwrote to him forcefully that he should refrain fromcruelty and tyranny; otherwise he would face the wrathof the Lord for his evil conduct. The Guru added thathe personally had neither any domain nor desire ofseizing any territory but he and his Sikhs would everbe ready to move against him and work for hisdownfall. The Sikhs would pay him back in his owncoin. This letter proves Guru Gobind Singhs's fear­lessness and his dedication to his mission.

After leaving Dina and passing through manyvillages, the Guru reached Kot Kapura. Rai Kapuralooked after the Guru well and offered him money andmany horses but refused to do anything else. GuruGobind Singh had desired Rai Kapura to keep him atKot Kapura, allow him to train his men in warfare andalso to lend him his personal support. Thus disap­pointed in the fulfilment ofhis desire, the Guru movedout and reached village Dhilwan. There lived SodhiKoul Sahib, a descendant of Pirthi Chand. Hereceived the Guru warmly and requested him to takeoff his blue robes. Guru Gobind Singh consigned hisrobes to the fire in his farsightedness so that his Sikhsmay not take to worshipping them. But his Sikhsbeholden to their Guru at every step could not be keptfrom keeping safe the sacred relics of their Guru likeNishan Sahib, Chola Sahib which adorn Gurdwarasnow. It is a sad story that these relics are worshippedin a way and used as a means of earning money. It is

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proper that these should be reserved and held verydear by every Sikh.

The Regrouping of the Sikhs

Here the Guru was joined by those Sikhs whohad disowned him at Anandpur Sahib during the siege.They came to ask forgiveness for their grievous sin.When these Sikhs had reached their homes afterdeserting their Guru, they were taken to task by theirbrethern and put to great shame. They had fallen solow in the estimation of the people that it had becomevery difficult for them to pass their days in that region.Now they were forced to turn to their Guru for pardon.This is an indication of the love and reverence whichthe people had for their Guru and of the public supportwhich his mission was gaining. The Subedar of Sirhindgot wind of the Guru's sojourn in the area and therallying of Sikhs around him. So partly in compliancewith Aurangzeb's order and partly fearing chastise­ment for his own crimes, he decided to finish the Guruand he set out to achieve this end. Guru Gobind Singhwas again forced into an unequal engagement. He wasable to muster only a handful of Sikhs.

Taking positions in the sandy plain ofKhidrana, Guru Gobind Singh with his band of sturdySikhs waited for the forces of Sirhind. Wazir Khan, theSubedar reached there and the battlefield came to life.The Sikhs fought tenaciously to the last ounce ofcourage and energy in their bodies. The field was

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littered with heaps of corpses. The Sikhs captured theonly source of fresh water in the area. The Muslimarmy was much troubled by the lack of water andwaged many attacks to regain the spring. Repulsedtime and again and tormented by thirst, the Muslimarmy was disheartened and decamped. The Sikhs pur­sued them relentlessly for four to five miles and in­flicted heavy casualties. Utterly van4uished, theMuslim army went back to the safety of Sirhind andabandoned any future campaigns against the Guru, inthe dangerous wilds and jungle areas. Thus, the Guruand his Sikhs captured the battlefield, having decided­ly defeated the Imperial army.

The Guru, thus, proved the wisdom of leavingthe field at Chamkaur and silenced his detractors. Itwas his farsightedness and will to fight another day inpursuance of his mission for the defence and welfareof the Hindus and the Hindu Dharma that caused himto move out of a hopeless situation. It is well toremember here that Rai Kapura of Kot Kapura whohad refused to help the Guru against the Muslims,fought on the side of Muslims against the Guru andwas killed in this battle. Proving once again that thedegenerate Hindus instead of helping the Guru fortheir own welfare had opposed him at every step. Theynever hesitated to lift their swords against him. Theyhad been reduced to abject slavery, both mental andphysical and to moral decrepitude.

When the Muslim army had fled from the bat-

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tlefield, Guru Gobind Singh approached the bodies ofhis Sikhs who had fallen in the battle. With his hand­kerchief, he wiped the blood from their faces, extollingtheir bravery and exclaiming that they had attainedheaven by virtue of their sword-arm. There was stillsome life in Mahan Singh of Majha. The Guru pouredsome water in his mouth and he opened his eyes to findhis Guru before him. He reqovered to some extentand in reply to his Guru's offer of a reward for hisheroic services, he very feebly requested his Guru totear' the Deed, disowning their Guru, signed by himand his comrades. Guru Gobind Singh took out thedocument from his cummerbund, where he had beenkeeping it all along and tore it before the eyes ofMahan Singh. Thus, the Forty Sikhs were taken backinto the Khalsa fold.

This act of Mahan Singh is highly praiseworthyand is remembered and recounted with great love andesteem. In the dying moments of his martyred life, hehad thoughts only for the welfare of his brethren andcountrymen. Selfless sacrifice for his country andKhalsa Dharma and selfless service of his comradeswere uppermost in his mind till his last breath. Blessedare such people indeed who die desiring the welfareof their comrades and countrymen, who shed theirblood for upholding the honour of their homeland,who consecrate their lives to the good of their countryand countrymen. Only those countries, that had suchmen in their folds, touched great heights in their his-

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tory. Only such countries attained great splendour andachieved great degrees of perfection in any field.Sacrifice spells success for nations. In all times and allclimes, its great need had been felt, is still felt and willcontinue to be felt. No people, no country can attainanything worthwhile without offering sacrifices. Thelamp of national honour is lit by mending the wick ofselfless service and by pouring the oil of self-sacrifice.The edifice of a nation's greatness is raised on the firmfoundation of self- sacrifice. Guru Gobind Singh per­sonally performed the last rites of his brave Sikhs.

He founded a town in commemoration of thisbattle and gave it the name of Muktsar, meaningthereby, the Tank of Liberation. He called all thoseSikhs who had died there as the Muktas (TheLiberated Ones). Then passing through many villagesthe Guru went to Wazidpur, where the people did notallow him to stay. In this jungle tract, some soldiersof the Brar clan insisted on receiving their pay, but theGuru had nothing to offer them except hunger.During this period, the Sikhs had often to go withoutfood for a day or two. The Guru managed to pay hismen after receiving some monetary help from a Sikhdevotee. One of the Sikh soldiers, Dewan Singh byname refused to receive his pay. The Guru ad­ministered Arnrit to one Brahmin Faqir, who hadbecome a Muslim at his birth, and called him AjmerSingh.

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The Guru at Damdama

Guru Gobind Singh reached Talwandi and hiswife arrived there from Delhi. After staying there forsome days, he went to Bathinda and then to Damdama.It is commonly held that since the Guru had somerespite (meaning 'Dam' in the vernacular) here, theplace was called Damdama Sahib.

Another tradition goes that the Guru sent hisletter to Aurangzeb from here through Daya Singh andDharam Singh, who brought the Emperor's reply aswell. The Emperor had invited the Guru to Delhi inflattering terms. Having no faith in the Emperor'sword and his assurances, the Guru .did not visit him.He busied himself in more important work and sent astrongly-worded reply wherein he openly reproachedAurangzeb for his cruel and evil deeds. The Gurureminded him ofthe wrath ofGod about to fall on him.The Guru also declared that the Dharma of GuruNanak is the finest of all, that Delhi holds no terror forhim since he is unawed by any earthly power, that hehas no attachment for the world and its goods, that heis patiently awaiting his end. The Guru warnedAurangzeb about the evil consequences of his evil actswhen he shall be hauled up on the Judgement Day andfound wanting in the face of the piteous cries ofaccUsalraised against him by thousands of innocent beingstortured to death by him on this earth. How should itfare with him at that time, the Guru asked him to

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visualize. Moved by this letter, Aurangzeb sent forGuru Gobind Singh once again, but the Guru did notrespond.

Damdama Sahib is held sacred for yet anotherreason. The whole of Guru Granth Sahib (AdiGranth) was' rewritten here and the Guru added theBani of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur. This volumeof Guru Granth Sahib is called the Bir of Damdama.Some people hold that the Guru effected some chan­ges in some verses of the Granth, but there is nothingmuch to substantiate this claim. The Guru, per force,had to get the Granth rewritten, as the followers ofDhir Mal who had the original Granth with them hadrefused to hand it over. He also wanted to incorporatethe Bani of the Ninth Guru, in this Granth. He hadrespite from continuous warfare now and could attendto these things. It is firmly held that Guru GobindSingh composed some portions of his famous VachittarNatak in which he deals with the lives and doings, ofthe first nine Gurus, writes about his personal life andeulogized the Glory of Akal Purkh as the Fountain­Head for all his actions.

Guru's March Towards Deccan

From Damdama, the Guru moved towardsDeccan to carry his mission to regions other than thePunjab. He passed through Rajputana. The Rajputsand their Rajas had so far been untouched by hismission. Probably this was what had prompted him to

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approach them in their own region. The people wel­comed him in a befitting manner, gave him duerespect, entertained him. They were impressed by hissermons and benefitted from them. At one place,Mahant Chet Ram, a follower of Dadu Saint receivedhim very warmly. A mention of this meeting is madein many traditional accounts.

While passing through this territory, the Guruwitnessed the Mela of Puranmashi (Full Moon) inKartik month of Samat 1763 (1706 A.O.) at PushkarRaj. When the Guru visited Ajmer, a faithful devoteeof his constructed a ghat there in commemoration ofhis visit. It is known as Gobind G.hat (wharf). GuruGobind Singh learnt of the death of Aurangzeb whilehe was camping at Baghaur town. Aurangzeb died inSamat 1764 (1707 A.D.). The Guru showed no sign ofelation of any kind and kept his usual composure onhearing this news.

The Guru and Bahadur Shah

After the demise of Aurangzeb, a tug of warensued among his sons for the Imperial throne. At thetime of his father's death, Bahadur Shah, the eldest sonwas at Kabul. Azeem Shah, another son of Aurangzebdrew his sword in defiance and sending for his youngerbrother Kam Bakhsh, got him murdered, thus follow­ing in the foot steps of his father who had despatchedhis brother Murad likewise. Bahadur had to face acruel and strong enemy. Fearing that he might face the

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same fate as did Dara Shikoh, he made great prepara­tions for the war. He also wanted to benefit by the helpof Guru Gobind Singh at this critical juncture.

By that time the Sikhs had established themsel­ves as a strong force to reckon with and had formed asizeable number. Bahadur Shah saw in the person ofthe Guru the means of enlisting the support of Sikhsfor his own good. In his farsightedness he might haveimagined that in the case of his proving victorious, hewould not have to face the opposition of the Sikhs andtheir Guru, who had made his opposition to the tyran­nical Muslim rule very clear. Therefore, BahadurShah sent two Hindu Dewans to the Guru soliciting hishelp. After pondering over all aspects of the matter,the Guru resolved to help him. The Guru did not haveto oppose any Hindu power and as a friend he couldbide his time, stay near the Emperor and also near hisSikhs whom he would be able to train and equip. Theabove factors must have weighed heavily with himwhile making this decision.

When the Guru approached Bahadur Shah, thelatter received him courteously and with properrespect. At last the Guru helped him by bringing alarge force of his Khalsa on Bahadur Shah's sideagainst Azeem Shah at the battlefield of Agra. Tradi­tion goes that the Guru pierced Azeem Shah with anarrow while he was sitting atop his elephant. It may beimagined that the Guru tried to do so. Azeem Shahwas killed whether at the hands of the Guru or of

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somebody else. But there is no doubt that the Guruwas greatly responsible for Bahadur Shah's victory. Ingratitude for the Guru's help, the new Emperor,Bahadur Shah, took him to Delhi and he stayed therefor some time. When Bahadur Shah started on hisDeccan campaign, the Guru accompanied him.Before leaving, the Guru allowed his wife Sundri Ji toadopt a son, who was called Ajit Singh. The Guru inthe company of the Emperor passed through Mathura,Bharatpur, Jaipur etc. and reached Ujjain. BahadurShah wanted to send the Guru with a big force underhim against the Marathas. The Guru saw through thepolitical gambit of the Emperor and refused to obligehim.

Meeting Banda Bahadur

Parting company with the Emperor, and pass­ing through many places, he reached Nanded. MadhoDass alias Narain Dass Bairagi, a Hindu Faqir, livedthere. The Guru met him and found in him a greatpotential for fighting and the requisite guts and fervourfor sacrificing himself for the defence of the down­trodden Hindus and their Dharma. The Guru madeMadho Dass his Shishya (a Sikh) but did not ad­minister Pahul (Arnrit) to him perhaps with a view toclosing the chapter of Guruship and forestalling anyclaim to Gurudom by him, later on. The fact ofMadho's not having been given Pahul would deter theKhalsa from upholding such a claim if ever made by

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him in time to come. * The Guru gave him the nameof Banda and sent him to Sirhind. The Guru wrote tomany Sikhs urging them to give active support toBanda in his mission. He detailed a large group ofSikhs to accompany Banda Singh to the Punjab.

At the time of sending off Banda, Guru GobindSingh made him to take five vows (1) of remaining acelibate, (2) of never telling a lie, (3) of not starting anew sect or instituting guruship, (4) of not sitting onthe seat of guruship, and (5) of treating Sikhs as hisbrethren and equals. He wrote to Sikhs in general tojoin him. Guru Gobind Singh bestowed his sword onhim.

Guru Gobind Singh, who was still alive whenBanda Bahadur embarked upon his mission, learnt ofthe plunder and the devastation of Sirhind at the handsof Banda. The Guru evinced neither elation nor satis-

* This view is refuted by a host of hiiitorians, old and modern,Punjabi, Indian and Europeans, Muslims and Hindus, whowrote in English, Persian and vernacular, e.g. Forester, JamesBrown, Mc'Gregor, Mohammad Latif, Ciulam Hussain Khan,Iradat Khan, Kanhya Lal, Sharda Ram PhiIlauri, Ahmed ShahBatalvi, Zaka-UIIah, Ganesh Dass Wadehra, Ali-u-Din Mufti.AIl these references have been quoted by Dr.Ganda Singh in hisbook Banda Singh BallOdur (Punjabi) where he writes that GuruGobind Singh bestowed the boon of Amrit on Madho Dass andcalled him Banda Singh and honoured him with the title of'Bahadur'. Giani Sohan Singh in his book Banda Singh Shahid(Punjabi) quotes many more Indian and foreign writers insupport of the administering of Pahul to Banda.

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faction over it. To him, this act was unworthy of hisnoble mission. Secondly, a man who had been sent tobear hardships for the good and betterment of othersand to be indifferent to his own worldly happiness,could not feel joy and satisfaction over such poor,negative achievement.

In reality, Guru Gobind Singh had come toshow people that the leaven of sacrifice and sufferingproduces calmness and content. He did not live longenough to witness the successful achievements ofBanda Bahadur. He received that summons from hisAkal for which all of us should ever be ready.

Attracted by the natural beauty of the areaaround the banks of Godavari, Guru Gobind Singh setup his camp there. Later on, he bought a piece of landthere and built a house on it. He called this place AfzalNagar also known as Abchal Nagar. A Mandir in thatarea too is known by this name till today. The Gurustayed there for quite some time and his Sikh disciplesstarted trickling in from the surrounding areas. TheGuru spent his mornings in Kirtan (singing ofShabads). At noon after taking his meals, he dailydistributed food among the needy. On occasions hewould go out hunting because he wanted his Sikhs tobe alive to the need of fostering fighting capabilities ir.them and keeping themselves in good shape. By hisdaily routine, he set before his Khalsa an example ofgood conduct - of how one should spend one's life inLordworship, in helping the needy and indigent and in

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doing courageous and bold deeds.

The Guru received here the news of the killingof the Subedar of Sirhind at the hands of BandaBahadur in the battle on the 13th Jeth of Samat 1764(1707 A.D.). The Sikhs were overjoyed to hear thisnews which according to them was an act ofvengeance.But the Guru heard the news with serenity and opinedthat the command of Lord Akal has been carried out.His face bore no expression of jubilation. A heartwhich is indifferent to sorrow, which is unperturbed byhardships, grief and toil, cannot be carried away by anyfeelings of joy over trivial successes. The Guru wasbasically a kind-hearted man who could not be pleasedby the shedding of anyone's blood. But a sharp distinc­tion must be made between being trigger- happy andshedding blood in the performance of one's duty. Theappreciation of this distinction had often forced himto take to difficult and dangerous paths for the successof his mission.

Brutal Attack on the Guru

Bahadur Shah passed through Nanded after theannexation of Ahmed Nagar and the completion of theDeccan campaign. He met Guru Gobind Singh andtried to take him along, but the Guru declined toaccompany him. The power and existence of GuruGobind Singh was rankling in the mind of theEmperor, who well knew what the mission of the Guruwas and earnestly wanted to exterminate him. TheEmperor was awaiting an opportune time. The ex-

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ploits of Banda Bahadur made the Emperor feel fur­ther threatened by the existence of the Guru, so heplanned for the physical liquidation of the Guru. Aftersetting the wheel ofconspiracy in motion, the Emperorremoved himself from the scene. He had incited oneTurkish youth to despatch the Guru who had killed hisfather and grandfather and it was the primal duty of aMuslim to avenge the murder of his ancestors. TheEmperor had further reproached the youth for hisshamelessness in serving the killer of his forebears. Toaccentuate the effect of his goadings, the Emperoradded the tempting offer of honours and regards forthe successful completion of the conspiracy. *

This turkish Muslim was called Gull Khan andhe along with his brother Atta-Allah-Khan, was in theservice of the Guru. They were the descendants ofonePaindey Khan, who had been killed by the Guru in oneof his many battl~s. This conspiracy had taken a stronghold on the minds of these two Turks and workedsuccessfully because the Guru trusted them. On thefourth of Bhadon of Samat 1765 (1708 A.D.), findingthe Guru asleep and unattended by anyone else, GullKhan thrust his dagger deep into the Guru's stomach.The Guru stood up wounded, and pressing his woundwith one hand and taking hold of his sword with theother struck a telling blow on his assailant, killing himon the spot.

* Historians have averred that this conspiracy was hatched by theSubedar of Sirhind.

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The wound was not very dangerous but hadbeen inflicted in a very sensitive part of the body. TheSikhs gathered around their Guru in no time.

A surgeon was sent for who stitched the woundand dressed it. The wound started healing and therewere distinct signs of recovery after some days. Butthe Guru tried his hand at archery one day, with theresult that the wound was reopened and inflamationset in. Despite all curative measures, the woundstarted deteriorating with the result that the Guru'shealth steadily declined.

Thus, the Guru, stabbed by his enemies, sealedhis Document of Love, with his own gory signature.He had started writing this Legacy to his Nation withthe ink formed out of the sacrifice of all his ease andhappiness mixed with his heart's blood, on the paperof devotion to the nation, with the pen of patrioticfervour. This Document had been witnessed andsigned by his two elder sons and the Five Beloveds withtheir blood. His remaining two innocent and tendersons had testified it with their blood. The wholeprocess of writing had commenced with the blood ofGuru Teg Bahadur, the father of the Guru. The con­tents were written with the blood of the two elder sonsof Guru Gobind Singh, while his two tender sons ofages seven and nine testified it with their blood. TheGuru with his own gore wrote finis on it.

This elegy of the Emperor of the Khalsa hadits Title written in blood. Its every dot, every word and

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every line was written with the blood that shall not drytill eternity.

All efforts to heal the Guru's wound provedunavailing. When the Guru felt that his hour wasapproaching, he asked for a coco-nut and five paise asper stipulations which he placed before the HolyGranth and enjoined the Khalsa that from then on­wards, the Holy Granth shall be their only one Guru,their Eternal Guru who shall ever protect them andguide them in all matters, that they should never ac­cept any other guru, should never bow before anyoneor any granth other than the Guru Granth Sahib. Hisinjunction was that they should 'ever remain steadfastand true to their faith, that he would be there in spiritwhere his five Sikhs gather and that these five shall bevested with the authority to administer Arnrit (Pahul)to the seekers and make them members of the KhalsaFraternity.

Ending of the Guruship in Person

In this manner the sagacious and farsightedGuru ended the cycle of succession to Guruship. Hecould feel the pulse of the people and the temper ofthe times. By putting this bar, he saved the Sikhs fromfuture degeneration, dissensions and divisions. Thatis why the Khalsa Dharma has kept its purity duringthese three hundred years. The devolution of thepower of bestowing of Pahul on five Sikhs was a greatdemocratic step which saved the Sikhs from the ills ofgurudom which had eaten into the vitals of the Hindu

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Dharma invested with multitudes of gurus in the formof Brahmins. The Guru was well aware of this fact andcould never allow this evil to afflict the Khalsa. So, hedecided to abolish gurudom for ever and did it in a veryeffective manner.

Last days of the Guru

On the next day, the 15th of Kartik of Samat1765, Guru Gobind Singh bathed himself, dressed andarmed himself, said his prayers and heard kirtan. Thenhe stretched himself on his bed and listening to therecital of Bani from Guru Granth Sahib, breathed hislast uttering the last words, "Wahe-Guru Ji Ka Khalsa,Wahe-Guru Ji Ki Fateh". Thus, he poured the finalAhuti of his body in the Sacrificial Fire which he hadlit for the betterment of the Hindus. On that day wasset the special sun of the Hindus which had enabledthem to see clearly with their own eyes, whose warmthhad ·brought spring into their withered garden with itswilted plants supporting drooping twigs and leaves,and engendered fresh sprouts.

This Sun had set in the darkness of death. Thatlightning singing patriotic songs in the storm clouds ofhope disappeared, the down pour of the soothing rainof nationalism that was helping to cool the burninghearts of the Hindus and to extinguish the fire ofacrimonious dissensions sweeping across the country,was driven away by the tempest of Death. The riverwhose overflowing currents were promising plenty andprosperity in the drought-despoiled fields of India. was

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submerged in a devastating flood. The great soulwhich had come to revive India, was whisked away; theheart full of love for the Hindus, ever zealous andready to spill its blood for their welfare, was stilled.Alas! the True Lover, the True Well-Wisher, the TrueFriend of the Hindus, the True Consoler, the LovingHelper, the Real Benefactor of the Indians closed hiseyes for ever. But he had planted the sapling ofNationalism, had watered it with his blood and hadmanured it with his bones. The sapling took roots,grew fast into a robust tree and eventually bore aplenteous crop of rich fruit.

The deep love, determination and faith withwhich he had embarked upon his mission and whichhad sustained his assiduous efforts, bore fruit at last.The string of sacrifice that took toll of the members ofhis family - his father, his mother, his four sons and ofhis own life, was crowned at last with success. TheGuru died in the flush of real achievement. He hadgained the goal he had set before him and exertedhimself to achieve. The creation, growth and steadyrise to glory of his Khalsa testifies to the successfulculmination of his efforts. He died fully conscious thathe had set wheels in motion as he had wanted to, thathe had carried out the mandate of his Lord Akal. Hehad done his duty, to the people and to the Country asordained by his Akal.

Shivaji Maratha was his contemporary. Theiraims and objective are often compared and it is er­roneously concluded that the Guru was comparatively

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unsuccessful in his mission. All facets and aspects oftheir efforts, the situations involved, the angles in­volved in their mission whether personal or nationalor a clever combination of both, their principles andscruples should be taken into account while comparingthem with e,ach other. Shivaji undoubtedly was im­pelled by the motive of national good but underneathlay vcry selfish undercurrents ofgaining power. WhileGuru Gobind Singh had no such ulterior motives in­termixed with his mission. He did not want to carve akingdom to perpetuate a dynasty like Shivaji. He, onthe other hand, sacrificed whatever he had, sacrificedhis sons, thus ending his dynasty for the sake of hiscountry and the welfare of his countrymen. Shivajiworked for gaining political power, though in somedegree nationalism was involved in it. Guru GobindSingh fought on all the four fronts, remaining in thefore-fronts in each, the social, political, religious andmilitary. He never resorted to any subterfuge in anyof his actions in these fields.

The main aim of the Guru was to uplift thedown-trodden low castes and make them atleast theequals if not the betters of the high castes by makingthem the devotees of one Formless Lord, united in thebrotherhood of man. Shivaji was not inspired by anysuch lofty ideals of Brotherhood of man and worshipof the Formless One. He worked purely in the politi­cal field unhampered by religious, social or humaneconsideration. He was free to adopt any or all methods,of deceits, duplicity and diplomacy. The Guru

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primarily a religious preceptor and.-fet'ornier, hadclosed all these avenues of help and relied entirely onhis physical prowess, determination and devotion tohis cause, to achieve his ends. The conquests of Shivajiattracted m~n to him with the lure of pelf and power.On the other hand the Guru gathered ordinarypeople, the so-called dregs of the Hindu societyaround him, filled them with love, courage, patriotismand brotherhood, in order to gain conquests for thecause of the people. Shivaji attracted fighters to him,the Guru transformed ordinary people into selfless,redoubtable fighters for Hindu Dharma, the equal ofthe highest in the world. He transformed the ruinedfield into a verdant green blossoming and promising arich crop of its fruit. The Hindus are forever beholdento Guru Gobind Singh and bow before him in gratefulesteem.

Outstanding Qualities of the Guru

It shall be amiss on my part, if I fail to writeabout the qualities of the Guru that emerge from thehappenings penned on the foregoing pages. I shallwrite only about these. Every Punjabi is conversantwith these traits of the Guru, though no one so far hastried to capture them in writing. Mine is going to bethe first exercise in this direction, if I falter here andthere, I crave the reader's indulgence to bear with me.If I repeat myself or seem to be contradicting myself,it is entirely my fault, the fault of a novice in this field.

Guru Gobind Singh was a true anchorite and a

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true patriot. Krishna and Bhishma had sermonised inthe Mahabharta that a man who gives up his life for thegood of others is the greatest of all anchorites. TheGuru not only gave up his life for the welfare of othersbut also gave up everything he had for the love of hiscountry. He sacrificed his ease and comfort, his bloodand body for his nation. He did not hesitate to sacrificehis all for his country and people. He may easily becalled the greatest among those who gave up every­thing for their country. Giving up entails first possess­ing a thing and then giving it up for a noble cause forthe general good. Buddha detached himself from theworld out of fear of pain and suffering. The detach­ment of Bhishma was inspired by the selfish motive ofgaining the favour of his father. The Guru gave upeverything he had for his people, for his country. Hesacrificed everything for the Hindus, for their welfareand for their Dharma, without any selfish motive orthought of return. Had he so desired he could haverolled snugly in the lap of luxury, could have demandedand enjoyed enormous esteem and respect, could havereceived paeans of praise as a revered Guru. Henever hankered after such petty things.

It is extremely rare if not altogether impossibleto find all the good qualities in one man. But the Guruwas an embodiment of all round perfection. He was apoet, a religious leader, a religious and socialreformer, .an excellent planner and counsellor and asuperb general. He was a poet whose verse was force­ful and vibrant with emotions of every kind, and highly

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eloquent. As a reformer in the social and religiousspheres he had no peer. In the battle-field he was adauntless general unperturbed by the turn of events.He was a sagacious and farsighted counsellor, a truelover of his country, an unflagging champion of hispeople, an unrivalled martyr of his country.

Krishna, Ram Chandra and Shankara weregreat men and in their time they performed greatdeeds. Guru Gobind Singh surpassed them all inworking wonders for the nation and the country. In thebattlefield, Krishna exhorted martial princes to driveaway any thoughts of cowardice out of their minds andprepare for the battle, while the Guru uplifted andfilled with fervour and fighting spirit such people whohad been turned into mere clods of clay during manycenturies of oppression, and who had never dreamedof holding weapons. Inspired by the Guru they per­formed such deeds- of exceptional valour as put intoshade the exploits of Arjuna in the battlefield. Andwith a tiny band of these men the Guru having noworldly possessions, confronted the innumerable Im­perial hordes with vast resources at their disposal.

He was very steadfast. He stuck to the last tothe mission of his life, which he had conceived duringthe life time of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur. Everymoment of his life, he kept his mission before him. Hecontinuously worked for its success. No grief, nohardship, no adversity in short nothing could or didtake his mind away from his mission. He did not waver

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in his resolve at the death of his sons and his near anddear ones.

Nothing could lower his courage. No defeatcould dishearten, no distress could depress him, nopredicament could make him despondent. A littlerespite after a rout, made him gather his men andprepare for another :,howdown in the battlefield witha redoubtable enemy with the vast resources of anequally vast empire at his back. He fought successfullyagainst armies made up of professional soldiers. Withbands of ill-equipped men from the lower rungs ofsociety - essentially non combatants - having little orno training in war-fare, he fought successfully againstarmies made up ofprofessional soldiers. No situationwas hopeless for him. Visualize the valiant stand takenby the Guru and his forty Sikhs against the Imperialhordes at Chamkaur. The entire History of the worldcannot offer its peer.

He was an excellent fighter himself, equallyskilled in the handling of the sword, the bow, the spearand other weapons. He always fought in the forefrontto inspire his Sikhs with feats of personal valour, andto bolster their courage. His sword used to spreadconsternation in the ranks of Imperial army and hisarrows always dented the enemy attack. He was notonly an excellent fighter, but was also a superb general.He knew how to marshall his men and get the best outof them. Many a time he defeated the combined ar­mies of the Subedars and the Hill Rajas with a small

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force. His presence was electrifying for his men. Healways went where his presence was needed most. Heinspired his men to perform deeds of unique valour, todie fighting against impossible odds, to beat backnumerically superior forces. Excellent generals hadnot been great fighters. But the Guru possessed boththese qualities in the highest degree.

He was very hardy and industrious. Wheneverhe found leisure, he used to train his men. He bore allkinds of hardships, braving the thorny paths bare­footed in the dark night, sleeping on clods of earth,breasting the raging torrents, going without food andrest, with perfect equanimity. He would often thankhis Lord Akal for such harsh blessings. He never feltdismayed by any adversity. He could send his sons tofight and see them die fighting before his very eyeswithout wincing. He could hear calmly the news of thehorrible deaths of his remaining two children of thetender ages ofseven and nine years. No word or actionof his ever displayed despondency.

The Guru was never in a haste to do anything.He would always ponder over all aspects of an issuebefore going in for any action. The laying of the firmfoundation of the Khalsa is a wonderful example of hissuperb circumspection. So firm was the foundation ofthe edifice of the Khalsa, that the Imperial swords andguns, the Imperial power and glory could not check itsgrowth. Every man who became a Sikh of the Guru,was infused with such mettle that he thought nothing

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of battling with death, ofsacrificing his life for his faithand the good of others; Guru Gobind Singh turnedcowards into courageous men, traders into toughfighters and the down-trodden into doughty warriors.His men were not only great warriors in the battle­field, but were also men of integrity, humane, gentle,full of love 'for all, God-loving, open and truthful. Heinculcated the noble qualities of selfless service andself-sacrifice in his people. He was the first man tothink of nationalism and to foster feeling ofnationalism among the Indian people.

He was not only highly circumspect but wasfar-sighted as well. He planned not only for thepresent but also for the time to come. With his far­sight he knit the Khalsa into such a strong uniont gaveit such principles as would forestall any degenerationor decline. His abolition of the Gurudom was a verysagacious, timely and far-sighted step. It has verilysaved the Khalsa from losing its purity and character.He was a good administrator and personally lookedafter everything. He managed his resources skillfullyand kept a small army at no great expense. He lookedafter the well-being of everyone of his men.

There was a magic in his words that carriedaway his Sikhs. They would gladly do anything for himso much that they would not hesitate to sacrifice theirlives at his behest. Guru Gobind Singh loved his Sikhsequally well without any distinction of high or low andthey were aware of this. The Guru endeared himself

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to all with his sweet manners, soft words and warmheart. He was a great lover of mankind and a firmbeliever in the brotherhood of man. That is whydespite being a relentless enemy of the cruel anddespotic Muslim rulers he was loved and honoured bythe ordinary Muslims. The carrying of the Guru on acot raised high by two Muslims, to a place of safetywhen the Imperial army was looking for him, bears thisout amply. He was very courteous and generous. HisLangar (kitchen) was always open to any hungry per­son. His house was always open to the needy. He andhis services were always there for the taking by anyoppressed person. Though the Hill Rajas were deadset against him and left no occasion to fight againsthim, but the Guru readily responded to their supplica­tion and helped them when they were in sore distress.

He had a jovial nature and loved to play prac­tical jokes on others. We all know how he alongwithhis fellows broke the pitchers of ladies, in hischildhood at Patna. He had a fine sense of humour,subtle as well as robust. Once one of his devotee Sikhskilled a tiger, brought its whole skin alongwith its headface, ears etc. intact and presented it to him. The Guruasked his Sikh to put the skin along with the head etc.onto a donkey. They did a nice job of it and the donkeycame to resemble a tiger. The Guru asked the Sikhsto set the donkey loose, out on the streets. The peopletaking it for a real tiger were seized with panic and ranfor their lives. Some hid themselves while some othersclimbed trees and house-tops. People locked their

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doors. At last the donkey brayed and the peopleheaved a sigh of relief.

He was not only a patron of arts but also a manof letters himself. He was fond of reading and espe­cially loved to go through historical books especiallythose dealing with the exploits of the Indian heroes.He liked such books to be read to him. He was quiteproficient in Arabic and Persian and also knewSanskrit well. He used to hear with great interestreadings from the old Scriptures, The Shastras,Upanishdas and Puranas, etc. He was a great poet andkept a coterie of 52 poets at his court. He had a greatlove for war epics, encouraged his poets to composeverses on martial themes and himself composed epicscelebrating the exploits of the goddess Durga of HinduMythology in stirring verse that arouses martial feel­ings in the readers.

He devoted some time daily, both in the morn­ing and the evening, to the worship of Akal the Form­less One, and to the singing of Shabads (hymns) fromGurbani. Recitations from the Holy Granth, the GuruGranth Sahib, were made every-day and the Gurualways attended these recitations in the holy congrega­tion. He personally recited Japji Sahib, Jaap Sahib,Swayyas, Chaupai and Rehras everyday. He was veryregular and devout in saying his prayers and perform­ing his religious duties. He thoroughly despised idol­worship' and the observance of Sharadhs (obsequiesfor the well-being of the dead ancestors).

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Guru Gobind Singh was a votary of Truth. Henever lost sight of Truth in any of his teachings andactions. He did nothing untruthful either in the bat­tlefield or in his daily works. He was often requestedby people to perform miraculous deeds. His reply everwas that man is a powerless being, all miracle-makinglies with the Lord. Once at Agra he was asked aboutthe existence of miracles. He answered that man can­not perform miracles but three things in the world aremiracles in themselves; steel, strength and wealth.Steel (the Guru meant weapons) can grant crowns,fulfil a man's desires, help him gain honour and libera­tion through a heroic death in the battle-field. Power(physical and jntellectual) helps one gain dominancein any sphere. The powerless are pushed to the wall,humbled and humiliated. They are the slaves of thepowerful people. Wealth wins over everybody. Apoor man has no friends, no relatives. Wealth enablesa man to attain honour and respect and fulfil hisdesires.

The Guru was very simple in manners and deal­ings. He loved everyone irrespective of caste, creed,social status or any other man-made distinction. Hisconcept of love was all-embracing, the concept ofUniversal Brotherhood which cut-across all barriers ofcaste, colour, creed, clan and country. He receivedeveryone, including those who considered themselveshis enemies openly, with a smiling face. He was a manwithout any shortcoming, above praise and averse to

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denigration of others. Generous to a fault, he helpedeven the Hill Rajas who were evereager and did their levelbest to trouble him. Bahadur Shah, the Emperor ofIndia wanted to grant him a Jagir, but the Gurudeclined the offer. He was never swayed by desire inhis chequered career. He was a true champion of thedowntrodden and oppressed Hindus.

Philosophy of Guru Gobind Singh

The Guru did not believe in the existence of theso call1ed Avtaras or Incarnations. Nor did he hold itpossible that there could ever be an Incarantion of theFormless One. Some people have put forth that theGuru believed in Avtaras. They are misled by his verseon Ram Chandra, Krishna, Vishnu, Brahma etc., the24 Avtaras included in the anthology of his works, theDasam Granth. They adduce plausibly that since hepraised them in his verses, he must have believed intheir existence. But these gentlemen fail to take cog­nizance of the fact that nowhere in his writings had theGuru accepted them as Avtaras or Incarnations of theFormless Akal.

In reality he wrote about them in the languageof the people, drawing from the mythological lorecurrent at that time. He wrote about their exploits inglowing terms, using forceful words with telling effect,mainly to arouse the martial spirit of the people lyingdormant then. It is too farfetched to assume that awriter's having written about something is a conclusiveproof of his belief in its existence.

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It is meaningless to make one's own unwar­ranted deductions ignoring the words of the Guruwhich are very clear. His words can be classified in twocategories: firstly (a) those in which the refutation ofAvtaras is implied or merely hinted at and secondly (b)those in which it is clear and pointed.

The First Kind

He writes in the Akal Ustat (the Praise of theLord)

1. Namastavalig A kale.

My salutations to the Lord who is above Death.

2. Namasta~g Ajallome.

My salutations to Him, who does not take birth.3. Ajallam Hai, Awarall Hui.

He has no body and no birth, He has no caste.

The Second Kind

1. Kete Krishan se kif kOlai IIpae.

Usare garhe pher mele bunae. (96)

(12)

The Lord Akal creates millions of worms likeKrishna, annihilates them and recreates and so on.

The Guru writes in 33 Swayyas :

a. Kahlln lai lhok badhe IIr Tltakur,

Kahllli Mahesh kall ish bakhanyo.

Some hang stones as gods, around their necks,while some others erroneously call Mahesh 'God'.

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b. Kahlln kahyo Hari mandar main Hari,

Kahiln masit ke blch pramanyo. (12)

Some people say that the Lord lives in theMandir alone, while some others believe that He is inthe Mosque only.

c. Kahlln ne Ram kahyo Krishna kahan,

Kahli,; manai avlar no manyo. (12)

Some people say that Krishna is God, whilesome others believe in the Avtaras of God.

d. Phokal dharam biselr sabai,

Kartar hi kau karta ji janyo. (12)

I have discarded all these false religions and amof the firm view that He who is the creator of theUniverse, is the only Lord.

2. lau kahun Ram ajon(i) aja; at(i),Kahe kau Koshi/ kukh jayo ja.Kal hun Kahn kahai jih kau,

J(jh karal) kal ke din bhayo jli. (13)

You declare that the Lord does not take birthand is formless; then how could he be born ofKaushalya's womb, why was Krishna whom youdescribe as deathless humbled by death?

(13th Swayya)

3. Kayo kaho Krishall kripa-nidh hai,

J(jh kaj Ie badhak bd~t logayo,Aur kulin udharat jo,

Kih te ofino kul nas kardyo.

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Ad(i) ajun (i) kaJuie kaho,

Kim Devak (i) ke ja.rhrantar ayo.

Tat fla mat kahai jih ko,

Tih kiyo Basudeveh bap kahayo. (14)

How come that Krishna, whom you people callthe gracious, was killed by the arrow of a hunter? Youcall Krishna the saviour of your race. Why did he lethis progeny, the Yadavs come to an end? Why was hewhom you call as the One without a beginning andUnborn, conceived in the womb of Devaki andborn? You call Krishna the One, unborn and withoutany father or mother. Then why was Vasudeva calledhis father?

(14th Swayya)

4. Jal badlle sab !Ii mrit ke,

KOLi Ram Rasltl Ila baclla/l pae.

Alit mare pacllhtae prithi par,

Je jag mai,; avlar kaJuie.

Re mafl lail ike! IIi kal ke,

Lagal kahe /la pae/l pae. (15)

Everybody is caught in the noose of Death, noRama or prophet can escape from it. All of them whomade grand claims of being the Avtaras of God, diedrepentant. Why dost not thou, 0, hapless being seekthe shelter of the One Lord?

(15th Swayya)5. Maili /la Gaflesell pritham ma/l(iun,

Kishall Bishall Kabhan fla ,dhiaun.

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Kan sune paihchan na tin son.Liv lag; mohi pag in son,Maha kal rakhwir hamOro.Maha loh mai kinkar thoro.

(Krishna Avtar, 434-35)

I do not seek the blessings of Ganesh first, Idon't worship Krishna or Vishnu, etc. I do not recog­nize them. I am engrossed in the loving-devotion ofmy Lord alone. The Lord of Death, Akal, is my refugeand He saves me in all tribulations.

6. Krishna killed some demons and performedsome other marvellous deeds. He declared himself asthe God. He was consumed by Death, so he could notbe the Lord. How can he save those who have faith inhim, since he himself was subject to Death. Only theLord is All-Powerful and only He creates and destroys.

(Shabad Hazare)

7. The Lord has no friend, no foe. He does notdesire His praise, neither is He angered by dispraise.He has no parents, neither has He any progeny. So Hecannot be Krishna, who was born of Devaki's womb.

(Shabad Hazare)

On gods and goddesses: He was as opposed togods and goddesses as .to the concept of Avtaras. Hedid not believe in them or in their worship.

1. One cannot obtain Liberation by chanting thenames of Ram or Rahim, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, the

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Sun, the Moon etc., they are all the thralls of death.2. Krishan au Bishan japo tohe kOJik,

Ram Rahim bhall bidh(i) dhiayo.Brahm japio ar(u) sanbh(u) thapio,Tih te tuhe ko kinhun na bachayo.Koi karl tapsa din koJik,Kahan na kau(ii ko kam ka(ihtJyo.KtJmak(u) mantra kasire ko ktJm no,

K41 ko ghao kinhan no bachtlyo. (97/1)

You prayed to Krishna and Bishna and millionsof others, millions of times, you worshipped Ram andRahim also, supplicated Shiva and Brahma, but noneof them could save you from death. You prayed to allof them millions of times for millions of days, but allthese countless supplications were not worth a dime.Impelled by the greed of worldly things, you indulgedin incessant incantations of Mantra and Tantric prac­tices, but none of these could save you from maulingby death. (Vachitar Natak)

The Guru considered himself no better than anordinary person. He was well aware of the tendenciesof the devotees and the temper of the times towardshis deification and elevation to the status of an Av­tara. In order to forestall any such endeavours on thepart of his followers, he unlike Christ, Moses,Mohammed, Krishna, Buddha, etc., who called them­selves the dear and near ones, the prophet of God orGod himself, called himself a lowly servitor of God.

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The Guru declares in his Vachitar Natale:

10 ham ko Parmesa.r uchar(i) haih.

Te saM narak kU;l(j main par(i) hain.

Mo ko dds tavan kd jdno.

Yd mai bhed no ranch pachhdno. (32)Main hau param Purakh ko dasa.

Dekhan ayo jagat tamasa. (33/6)

All those who call me God, shall fall in the pitsof Hell. Take me for a servitor of His, there is not theslightest doubt in this. I am a lowly servant of theSupreme Being and I have been sent to witness theworld drama. This humility raises the Guru far abovethe other saints of the world.

The verses above give a clear reflection of hisviews on gods and goddesses and their worship. Hedoes not subscribe to the Vedantic view that theCreator and His creatures are one and equal. He holdsthat the creature cannot be equal to his Creator.

Idol Worship: When the Guru did not helievein the entity ofgods, goddesses and Avtaras, how couldhe support their worship by men. He was undoubtedlyopposed to idol-worship and so was he to the worship­ping of the dead and their tombs. He has written manyverses on this theme; a few specimens are reproducedbelow:

1. Phoka{ dharam Mayo phal IIln,

Ju puj silo jug(i) koJ(i) gaveii.Sidh kahan sil ke Parse bal,

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Bridh ghall nav nidh na pal.Aj hi aj sarno ju bitiyo,Naih kaj saryo kachh(u) /aj na til.Sri Bhagwant bhajyo na are jarh,

Aise hi ais su bais gavtil. (21)

,

The following offalse religious way is a fruitlessendeavour. If you worship a stone for millions ofYugas, it will not yield any good, you have simplywasted your time. You do not gain any success, youdestroy your energy and do not obtain the worldlyriches. 0, ignoramus you have wasted your life inidol-worship. Don't you feel ashamed of yourself fornot worshipping your True Lord? (21st Swayya)

2. Kalle ko pajat pollan kau.

Kacltlul pollan mai Pamlesar nalli. (20)

Why do you worship stones? The supremeLord is not in them and cannot be attained by stone­worship. Pray to the True Lord, whose worshipremoves all your grief and sorrow. Only utter His TrueNaam, which is a panacea for all ills. Keep away fromthe futile ways of false worship. (20th Swayya)

3. Jau jug tai kar hai tapsa,Kacllh tohe prasann na pollan kai Iwi.Hath ulhoe bJzali bidh so,Jar toile kacllha bar don na dai hai.

If you worship a stone till the close of YugicCycles, it cannot express its gratification, it cannotraise its hand and bless you with anything, 0, fool !

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rHow have you come to believe foolishly that it can saveyou from any distress ? You are simply degradingyourself by this kind of worship. (22nd Swayya)

The Guru declares in Vachitar Natak:Pakhati puj hoti nahlti,Na bhekh bhij hoti kahlti.Anatit nam gae hoti.

Param Purakh pile hoi!. (35/6)

I am not a worshipper of stones, I do not followthe false sects. I sing the glories of the Infinite andsavour His Bliss.

In his famous supplication the Chaupai, hesays:

Ta kau kar(i) pdhan anumanat.Mahll murh kachh bhed na janat.Mahadev ko kahat sada Siv.

Niraitkdr kd chlnat naih bhiv. (16)

The fools, without realizing the mystery of HisInfinite Glory, take Him for a stone. They call the godof gods as the True One without understanding theconcept of the Formless Lord.

Wahe-Guru: According to the Sikh Gurus, theword 'Wahe-Guru' is symbolic of the Formless EternalLord, who is the True Guru (Enlightener) of a man (inhis life) and the Creator of the Universe. GuruGobind Singh used this word in the same way as theearlier Gurus. He says in the Chaupai :

Ad(i) ant(i) ekai avtara.

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So; Gura samjhayhu hamara. (9)

He who is the same one throughout, the onlyIncarnation of Himself is my Guru.

Tiratha: The Guru attached no great impor-tance to the practice of bathing at Tirathas. He says:

Ja/ kai majan(i) je gat(i) hovai,Nit nit meliduk navelJ.

Jaise meliduk taise oe nar,Phir(i) phir(i) jon; aveh.

If washing one's body with water helped oneattain Liberation, then all the frogs should have beenemancipated. Like the frogs, the pilgrims, who pintheir hopes in Tirathas, gyrate in the cycle of births anddeaths.

He held the rites and rituals-ridden, oldreligion as false and warned the Khalsa, time and againto keep away from them. He forbade the Khalsa to useintoxicants and smoke tobacco.

God (Ishwar) : The Guru believed in the Godwho is Truth-Consciousness-Bliss, Eternal, Unborn,Unbegotten, All-pervading, Fearless, Inftnite, Peer­less, Formless, Immaculate, Just, Sustainer Universal.All his writing in his Granth amply bear this out.

I1ham (Revelation) : The Guru always stressedthat all his actions were done in obedience to the Willof his Lord. Unlike the old prophet he never claimedany revelations for his Bani (writings) or that the Wordof God was revealed unto him. He did not believe in

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,.miracles nor did he claim to perform supernaturaldeeds. But he performed one of the greatest miraclesof all times - The turning of cowards into heroes, theuplifting of the downtrodden of centuries to gloriousheights of manhood.

His Writings

Dasam Granth is the famous anthology of thewritings of the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. Someportions out of it were composed by him, while theother portions belong to the poets that he kept aroundhim in his court. His writings bear the words Sri Mukh­Wak Patshahi dasween (from the lips of the 10thGuru). It is a voluminous book having 1066 pages. Adetailed review of this Granth is beyond the scope ofthis book. But I will briefly dwell on the writingscontained in this Granth.

Some portions of this Granth have been writtenin very forceful words in an equally forceful style. Tothe portions of the book written by his court poetsbelong compositions on Avtaras and the goddessDurga, poems concerning battles and the compositionIstri Charitar. The verses written by the Guru areinterspersed throughout the Granth. It had been writ­ten in Gurmukhi script and Punjabi language andrightly so. The ZaJamama and the last portion of theGranth is in Persian, though written in Gurmukhiscript which creates some difficulties for the reader.

This Granth is a vast storehouse of Lord devo­tion, of the Eulogy of His Traits and His Naam. Its

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main portions are:

1) Jaap Sahib: It is his composition and can beconsidered as an exposition of Japji of GuruNanak.

2) AkarUstat: The Guru's composition, containsthe Eulogy of the Akal in glorious terms.

3) Vachitar Natak : The wonderful drama in hisown forceful words, of the Guru's life and thatof his predecessors, an account of his takingbirth.

4) Chandi Charitar I } A glowing account of the

5) Chandi Charitar II mythological fierce battlesbetween Chandi goddess and the demons andher victories over them, in very stirring words.

6) Chandi Ki Var: It appears to have been writtenespecially for arousing the martial spirit of theSikhs.

7) Giao Parbodh : It is full of spiritual Lore con­cerning God and His praise.

8) Chaubis Avtara: It is a forceful recounting ofthe exploits of 24 Avtaras of Vishnu from HinduMythology, in the manner of Chandi Charitars.

9) Mehdi Mir : It is written about the future ImamMehdi yet to come with what purpose or view inmind is unclear.

10) Brahma Avtara: An account of the mythical

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Avtaras of Brahma.

11. Ruder Avtara : An account of the mythicalavtara of Ruder or Shivji.

12) Shastar Nam Mala: It is uncertain whether itis the Guru's composition or not. It is an ac­count of the descriptions of various weaponsand their praise.

13) Sri Mukhwak33 Swayyas :In these verses, theteachings of the Ouran and the Puranas havebeen shown at variance with his own teachingsand that of his predecessors. To some extentthe teachingsof the Vedas have also beencriticised.

14) Shabad Hazare: The Guru's own compositionextolling the Glory of the Lord Akal and Devo­tion to Him.

15) Istri Charitar (The Wiles of Women) : Not hisown compositions, forms a big chunk of theGranth. It is an unnecessary appendage notworthy.of inclusion in the Granth. It is an ac­count. of the female guiles and the sorrows ofthe other wife and the step-mother.

16) Hakayat: Written in Gurmukhi script butcomposed in Persian. In this Aurangzeb hadbeen confronted with sample accounts of thecruelties he had perpetrated on the people andforcefully warned of the evil consequences.

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It is quite probable that this Granth was puttogether after the death of the Guru. The Sikhs holdit in great reverence but it is not read, and recited asmuch and as often as Guru Granth Sahib. The Guruhimself never gave any directions that only his Granthshould be given the place of pride or that his Banishould be preferred to the Bani of the other Gurus.

The Guru got the Bani of his father Guru TeghBahadur included in the Adi-Granth but never made.any effort for the inclusion of his own writings. Hecould have easily done so, if he wanted.

His poetic faculty, with its felicity of phrase andfecundity of imagination, is one of the special traits ofthe Guru. His writings have the universality of appealas they touch the tender strings of the human heartwith the lyrical strains of the Cosmic Brotherhood ofMan, as they fill one with martial feelings, arouse themartial spirit and prepare for a life of purposeful ac­tion. His graphic descriptions of the gory battlescenes, bring out alive the battlefield itself beforeone's eyes, with the neighing of horses, the groaning ofthe wounded dying, the shrieking of violent death, theclashing of weapons, and the clamour ofwar.

The Guru was able to infuse new blood andvigour in the dying Hindu nation. From amongst thecowardly and supine Hindus, he created a new breedofvirile and valiant people, the Khalsa, filled with thespirit of selfless service and self-sacrifice for the goodof Qumanity and the Glory of Akal. This Khalsa, is aLiving Testimony to the Guru's mirific qualities.

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