WHY DO THE SIKHS HAVE TEN GURUS PART II

WHY DO THE SIKHS HAVE TEN GURUS

PART II

In Part I of this Article we discussed the contributions of the first five Guru Sahiban.  In this part, we will discuss the unique and great contributions of the next three Guru Sahiban which also made Sikhism a unique and a Great Nation; and the Sikhs as a highly charitable and fearless People.  It was because of the hard spiritual work and the great sacrifices of the Sikh Gurus that the Sikhs were able to establish a great and a large kingdom under the able leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh;  and the Sikhs are well known all over the world now-a-days.

NOTE: This article is NOT meant to describe the brief life histories of Guru Sahiban; its sole purpose is to discuss the Great contributions of each Guru Sahib for the spiritual, moral and physical development of man.

6. LIBERATOR GURU HAR GOBIND SAHIB (1595-1644): The Embodiment of Spirituality and Self-Respect (Self-defence)

When Jahangir ordered the arrest of Guru Arjun Sahib, Guru Sahib knew full well what kind of inhuman treatment was waiting for Him, and that He would not return to Amritsar alive. So, He decided to pass on the Guruship to His young son, Sri Hargobind Ji before leaving for Lahore to be martyred. Sri Hargobind Sahib was only about 11 years old at the time.  Even though He was very young, He was way ahead of His times. He knew that even though the Sikhs were well enlightened in the spiritual world and had abandoned their belief in useless rituals and the worship of various gods and goddesses, they were not yet ready to openly fight against oppression and injustice, especially caused by the Mughal rulers.  So, Guru Hargobind Sahib knew that many Sikhs might be demoralized after the martyrdom of Guru Arjun Sahib. Guru Sahib could not afford for His Sikhs to be demoralized thereby risking some loss of high moral values that the first five Guru Sahiban had instilled in the Sikhs through great personal hard work and sacrifices.  To keep the Sikhs united and focussed, and to keep their morale high after the unparalleled sacrifice of Guru Arjun Sahib was a big challenge before the young Guru Sahib. The farsighted Guru planned quickly how to meet such a challenge.

It was a custom in the house of the Guru Sahiban that when Guruship was passed on to the next holy soul, a sword was presented to him symbolizing the Divine Power which meant that the Guru was a representative of Waheguru (God) and a symbol of justice, equality, non-enmity and non-partisanship.  This sword was never used to attack any one – not even in self-defence. Guru Hargobind Sahib surprised everyone when at the time of His ascension to the throne of Guruship He wore two swords – one representing the Divine Power as customary, and the other representing the Power of Freedom (or Sovereignty).  In other words, Guru Sahib assumed the power of self-defence and to fight injustice and oppression if forced to do so.

Building of Akal Takhat or the Throne of Waheguru

To eradicate the fear of the unjust and oppressive rulers from the hearts of the Sikhs some of whom had been overcome by the terror of the rulers who had martyred Guru Arjun Sahib in such a cruel way, one of the first things that Guru Hargobind Sahib did was to build a throne representing the worldly power and named it “Akal Takhat” or the Throne of Waheguru Who is fearless but without any enmity.  The Akal Takhat is a symbol of sovereignty but without any injustice, oppression or enmity unlike the rulers of the time.  The big and magnificent building was built by Guru Sahib Himself in front of Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) and was completed in 1609. The completion of the Takhat infused a new life in the Sikhs who began to feel like rulers themselves but without any ego.  Guru Sahib also built a fort, Lohgarh, near Amritsar to protect Harmandir Sahib in the event of an attack.

The idea of sovereignty was seemingly a shift in philosophy from pure spirituality to the right of self-defence. However, it must be made clear that this was nothing new and absolutely no change from Guru Nanak Sahib’s Philosophy.  Even though Guru Nanak Sahib never used any physical force to defend His high-moral Principles, He always fought against injustice and oppression through non-compliance. Recall the following incidents.

§ Even though He had agreed to offer nivaj with the Nawab and the Qazi of Sultanpur Lodhi, Guru Nanak did not go through any of the rituals which displeased the Nawab and the Qazi.

§ At Hardwar, Guru Nanak offered handfuls of water in the westerly direction in contrast to all other pilgrims who were offering water to the rising sun in the East.

§ He refused to accept the invitation to join the rich feast arranged by Malik Bhago in Emnabad thereby earning his displeasure.

§ During His visit to Mecca, Guru Nanak Sahib slept with His feet pointing towards Qaba thereby inviting a big risk from the zealot Hajis because Qaba is considered to be very holy by the Muslims and pointing feet towards Qaba is a blasphemy.

§ When Baabar attacked Emnabad and killed thousands of innocent citizens, Guru Nanak Sahib had the courage to call him barbaric and savage.

§ Guru Nanak Sahib had already earned the ire of the Hindu as well as Musalman clergy because He had preached strongly against their nefarious practices whereby they were robbing the masses in the name of religion.

There are hundreds of similar examples of such defiance by Guru Nanak Sahib.  So, Guru Hargobind Sahib did not change anything in terms of the Philosophy professed by Guru Nanak Sahib; He simply started to give it a practical shape.

Guru Hargobind Sahib continued to propagate the noble Teachings of the first five Guru Sahiban and helped the poor and the needy in every which way. He earned the respect and affection of the common masses, and many Hindus and even Muslims began to embrace Sikhism.

Jahangir had also found out that his rebellious son, Khusrau, was not helped by Guru Arjun Dev Ji in any way, and all such allegations leveled against Him were ill-founded, and that he had made the unjust decision to martyr Guru Arjun Dev Ji.  So, he had changed his opinion about Guru Hargobind Sahib and did not interfere in the Sikh affairs for the next few years.  Guru Sahib travelled over most of the south-eastern Punjab to preach Sikhism. He stayed in Kartarpur (dist. Jalandhar) for a few months and a large number of Hindus, Muslims, and followers of Sakhi Sarvar embraced Sikhism.  Painday Khan, a young Pathan from nearby village also became a dedicated Sikh who fought with great chivalry as a Sikh soldier in the first Sikh-Mughal battle which took place in 1628 at Amritsar.

Despite the soft attitude of Jahangir, Guru Sahib continued His plans to eradicate the slave mentality among the masses and inject a new life into them whereby they would enjoy freedom from injustice and oppression without any intimidation from the powerful.  He also knew that by doing so there would be a distinct possibility of confrontation between the Sikhs and the oppressive rulers. So, in order to defend the Principles of Righteousness, He decided to raise an army of paid personnel or dedicated volunteers for who would be fearless and ready to lay down their lives for righteousness any time.  To meet the defence needs, Guru Sahib asked His Sikhs to bring Him good horses, latest weapons, and brave young men rather than cash offerings.  The Sikhs began to gladly comply, and soon Guru Sahib had a small army of highly trained and fearless young soldiers – both paid and unpaid volunteers.

Incarceration of Guru Har Gobind Sahib and Liberation of 52 Rajahs

Even though Emperor Jahangir did not interfere in the Sikh affairs for the first few years, he could not tolerate the growing popularity of Guru Sahib even among some Muslims. He was also alarmed at the military strength of Guru Sahib, so he thought of putting Guru Sahib in jail to control His spiritual as well as military power.  Towards the end of 1620, he invited Guru Sahib to visit him in Agra. The highly respected and influential Sikhs like Baba Buddha Ji and Bhai Gurdas Ji did not like this invitation as they felt something fishy about this invitation especially because Jahangir had just returned to Agra after visiting Lahore. In their opinion if Jahangir had to spend some time with Guru Sahib, then why he did not do so when he was so close to Amritsar. However, Guru Sahib decided to go to find out what Jahangir really had up his sleeves. When Guru Sahib reached Agra, Jahangir gave Him a warm welcome and took Guru Sahib to Gwalior pretending to show Him the infamous fort there. When they were inside the Fort, Jahangir ordered the doors closed behind Guru Sahib thereby putting Him in jail.  The Fort was infamous for incarcerating the rulers or the leaders who were considered a threat of some kind to the Emperor. Jahangir had put 52 small rajahs – mostly Hindus- as prisoners in the Fort.  There were also two Muslim peers (holy men) from Sarhind as prisoners in the Fort.

Under pressure from the Sikhs and form Meean Mir Ji (a big devotee of Guru Arjun Sahib from Lahore), and under his own mental stress, Jahangir could not keep Guru Sahib in prison for a long time.  He was suffering from asthma and had to go to Kashmir for some relief the following summer, so he decided to release Guru Sahib and the two Muslim peers before leaving for Kashmir.  Guru Sahib refused to be released unless the 52 Hindu Rajahs were also released who were unreasonably held there in the Fort.  Jahangir had to yield and the Rajahs were also released. Because of this kind act of liberation of the Rajahs, Guru Sahib is also known as the Liberator. Guru Ji was released from the Fort in the early summer of 1621. On his way to Kashmir, Jahangir wished to travel with Guru Sahib up to Lahore. Guru Sahib reached Amritsar near the Diwali festival.

Forced Battles on Guru Sahib: High Moral Values Maintained

Despite the treason of Jahangir when he put Guru Sahib under incarceration, Guru Sahib bore no ill-will against the Emperor and they again developed good relationship with each other during their journey together to Lahore.  A few years passed by peacefully.  Jahangir died of asthma in on Oct 28, 1927 and was succeeded by his son, Shah Jahan who was not very tolerant of the growing influence of Guru Har Gobind Sahib.  Because of his negative feelings towards Guru Sahib, the Mughal rulers in Lahore also became hostile, and began to look for excuses to attack Guru Sahib.

First Battle at Amritsar (1628): Without any solid reason, the Mughal army from Lahore under the command of Mukhlis Khan attacked Amritsar in May 1628 – a day before the wedding ceremony of Bibi Viro Ji, the only daughter of Guru Sahib.  When the news reached Guru Sahib, He carried Guru Granth Sahib (called Pothi Sahib at that time) and left for Jhabal, a town near Amritsar. The Sikhs fought with great valour and defeated the Mughal army. The Commander, Mukhlis Khan, was killed and the Mughal soldiers fled away. Sikhs like Bhai Bidhi Chand and Painday Khan displayed showed extraordinary valiance, but Painday Khan became highly conceited.

Second Battle, Sri Har Gobind Pur (1630): Guru Sahib’s high Morality: After Jahangir had realized that martyring Guru Arjun Sahib was not justified, he had handed Chandu Lall who had orchestrated all the inhuman suffering for Guru Arjun Sahib to the Sikhs. Despite Guru Sahib’s strong objections, the Sikhs punished Chandu Lall severely before he was lynched as they were highly enraged at his role in the martyrdom of Guru Arjun Sahib.  In 1629 Guru Sahib visited Sri Har Gobind Pur, a small town founded by Guru Arjun Sahib in 1587 on the west bank of River Beas, and stayed there for some time. Chandu Lall belonged to a small village, Ruhela, near there. Chandu Lall’s son, Karam Chand, who had become an enemy of Guru Sahib because of the killing of his father by the Sikhs, found this as a good opportunity to punish Guru Sahib as He had only a small army with Him. Karam Chand approached the Nawab of Jalandhar and convinced him to attack Guru Sahib so as to kill a grave enemy of the Muslims and also to please the Nawab of Lahore.  The Nawab agreed and attacked Guru Sahib with a large army. The Sikhs were taken by a complete surprise, but they fought with great valour.

Karam Chand was face to face with Guru Sahib and challenged Guru Sahib to fight with him. Guru Sahib asked him to attack first. He attacked Guru Sahib three times, but failed miserably to cause any harm to Guru Sahib. When Guru Sahib returned the attack, Karam Chand’s sword broke in the middle. He then attacked with his spear which was cut into pieces by Guru Sahib. Now Karam Chand was without a weapon. Guru Sahib gave him His own Miri sword (signifying worldly power).  Now Guru Sahib was without a weapon. He had the sword of Piri (signifying spiritual power) but He never would use that sword as a traditional weapon. Gur Sahib ducked all attacks of Karam Chand with the shield, and at the right moment, killed Karam Chand with His bare hands. This was an example of an extremely high moral value which Guru Sahib wanted to instill in His Sikhs. The commander of the Mughal army was also killed and the Mughal soldiers fled the battle field to save their lives. Another important aspect of this battle was that the conceited Painday Khan did not take part in this battle.

Third Battle, Mehraj: No Intimidation of Others, but No acceptance of Intimidation by others Either: A Sikh form Kabul was bringing two very elegant horses for Guru Sahib when a Mughal ruler on the way took them away forcibly and sent them to the Nawab of Lahore for his use. Bhai Bidhi Chand a brave Sikh, recovered the horses from the royal stable first under the guise of a hay- man and then as a fortune-teller. When Bhai Sahib recovered the second horse, he disclosed his identity.  The Nawab became very angry. He had not yet forgotten his defeat of Amritsar at the hands of the Sikhs.  Now he was tricked by a Sikh causing him a loss of two elegant horses.  Guru Sahib was in the Malwa area of Punjab those days. He sent a large army under the command of two very able commanders – Lalla Beg and Kamar Beg - to teach the Sikhs a lesson.  Having experienced two surprise attacks, and having defeated the Mughal armies each time, the Sikhs now had become even more brave-hearts and they were always ready to face an attack now.  The Mughals faced the Sikhs at Mehraj, near Rampura Phool in 1632. This was a much fiercer battle than the earlier two.  The Sikhs fought without caring for their lives and both the commanders were killed. The Mughal soldiers fled from the field as fast as they could.  About 1200 Sikhs and many more Mughals lost their lives in this battle.  Painday Khan was again missing from this battle.

Fourth Battle Kartarpur (1634): No Enmity even with the Enemy: Painday Khan’s Conceit and Treason, and Guru Sahib’s Forgiveness

After the battle of Mehraj, Guru Sahib returned to Kartarpur near Jalandhar and continued disseminating the Divine Message peacefully. Painday Khan who was a resident of a village near Kartarpur and who had not taken part in the last two battles began to visit Guru Sahib on regular basis. Even though he had shown much conceit after winning the first battle at Amritsar, Guru Ji was as kind and pleased with him as ever. However, Guru Sahib did not like, and scolded him when Painday Khan lied to Guru Sahib on some personal issue.  Painday Khan with a big ego was highly offended and left Guru Sahib’s Court. Not only he left displeased, he was very confident of his bravery and thought that he could defeat Guru Sahib. So, he approached the Nawab of Jalandhar who had suffered humiliation at the hands of Guru Sahib and asked him to attack Guru Sahib with his help.  Painday Khan assured the Nawab of his victory as there was only a small army with Guru Sahib at the time. After the Nawab agreed, Painday Khan approached the Nawab of Lahore and discussed his sinister plan to attack Guru Sahib with the joint armies of the two Nawabs.  The latter dispatched his army under the command of Kaley Khan, a brother of Mukhlis Khan who had been killed by the Sikhs six years ago at the battle of Amritsar in 1628.

The joint armies besieged Kartarpur from all sides. Even though the Sikh army was much smaller than the Mughal armies, the Sikhs fought with exceptional valour and killed a large number of Mughals. Exuding confidence, the highly conceited Painday Khan came face to face with Guru Sahib and challenged Him to fight.  Guru Sahib smiled and asked Painday Khan to attack first.  Painday Khan tried three times but was unsuccessful to cause any harm to Guru Sahib. When it was His turn, Guru Sahib delivered such a serious blow with His sword that Painday Khan was badly wounded and fell from his horse.  Guru Sahib alighted from His horse and put dying Painday Khan’s head in His lap covering it from the sun with His shield. Painday Khan felt very sorry and asked for forgiveness. Guru Sahib affectionately forgave him and asked him to deliver his parting away Muslim prayer.  Such was the character of Guru Sahib!!

Both the commanders of the Mughal armies were also killed and the soldiers fled the battle field. Even though Guru Sahib had won all the four battles decisively, he never developed any enmity with anyone and never claimed even a cm of the enemy land. Another important aspect of this battle was that Guru Sahib’s youngest son, Takhat Mal Ji (later Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib) also fought in this battle. Even though he was only about 13-14 years old (born in 1621) yet he fought with such bravery and skill that Guru Sahib was impressed to a great extent, and gave him a new name – Tegh Bahadur (sword-valiant).

Display of Supernatural Powers Strictly Disapproved

Even though all Guru Sahiban and high level Sikhs were endowed with supernatural powers by Waheguru (there are hundreds of holy Shabads in Guru Granth Sahib that prove this fact), yet no Guru Sahib ever used such power to prove their such abilities or to impress other people.  They also did not approve the use of such powers by any member of their families.  There are two such examples in Guru Har Gobind Sahib’s life.  Baba Atall Rai Ji was the second youngest son (older only to Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib) of Guru Har Gobind Sahib and was born in 1619. He was very kind with a very pleasant personality.  One evening in 1628 when he was playing with his friends, it got dark and the children had to quit the game in the middle. A boy named Mohan was serving in the game when the night fell. The players decided to continue the game next morning when Mohan would still serve.  As luck would have it, Mohan died that night as a result of a snake bite.  Next morning when Atall Rai Ji went to Mohan’s house to resume the game, he found everybody wailing. Baba Ji was taken by surprise and he wanted to know the reason of all that wailing. He was informed about Mohan’s death who now had been laid on the floor.  Baba Ji said casually, “Mohan is not dead. He is simply pretending to have died so that he would not have to serve in the game.”  Baba Ji put the hook of his stick around Mohan’s neck and asked him to get up.  As soon as baba Ji did that, Mohan sat up ready to play. Everybody was very happy except for Guru Sahib who did not like Baba Ji’s generosity. Strongly disapproving Baba Ji’s act and scolding him, Guru Sahib said, “Are you a rival of Waheguru? Why have you interfered with His will?”  Realizing his kind mistake, Baba Ji decided to lay down his life because he had revived a dead person. So, Baba Ji recited Jap(u) Ji, knelt before Guru Sahib and let his soul leave his body.  Baba Ji was 9 years old at that time. To honour him, the Sikhs raised a beautiful 9-storeys building near Harmandir Sahib which is known as Baba Atall Rai Ji’s Tower.

Something very similar happened with Baba Gurditta Ji, the eldest son of Guru Har Gobind.  Gurditta Ji was born in 1613.  One day in 1638 Gurditta Ji was hunting near Kiratpur Sahib - a town which was founded by Guru Har Gobind Sahib – when he accidentally shot and killed a cow of a destitute man who would not stop crying at the loss and was also not willing to accept any compensation from Guru Sahib’s son. Not realizing his mistake that his Guru Father would not approve the use of any supernatural power, Gurditta Ji revived the dead cow. When Guru Sahib came to know about that, He reminded Gurditta Ji of the consequences that Baba Atall Rai Ji had to suffer. Baba Gurditta Ji understood his Father’s wish and let his soul leave his body just the way his younger brother had done.

Such were the Principles of Guru Sahiban!! They could accept the loss of their dear ones, but would not accept the violation of Guru Nanak Sahib’s Teachings.

Service to the Masses

At the time of Guru Arjun Sahib, there is a severe drought and an epidemic of small pox which took the lives of thousands of helpless people. Guru Sahib had spent many years helping people in the affected areas. During Guru Har Gobind Sahib’s time, there is a grave epidemic of mumps which affected people from Punjab all the way to Kashmir. Guru Sahib worked tirelessly to help the suffering people regardless of their faith or caste.

Contributions of Guru Har Gobind Sahib

Guru Har Gobind Sahib gave practical shape to the following Principles as preached by Guru Nanak Sahib

§ Young age is not a factor to harbour Divine Knowledge

· Sikhs are basically God-fearing and peace-loving people who treat all humanity on equal basis. Painday Khan was a Muslim who never formally embraced Sikhism, but was loved by Guru Sahib very much.

· Sikhs do not attack anyone, but have the strength to defend themselves against oppression and injustice or when attacked. Also, when battles are forced on them, they do not use any immoral method or technique and respect the dead even if they are enemies. Guru Sahib gave His sword to Karam Chand in the battle of Sri Har Gobind Pur.

· Service to humanity is the primary objective of the Sikhs. Remember the service rendered by Guru Sahib to the people suffering from mumps; and the liberation of the 52 Hindu rajahs from the fort of Gwalior.

· Guru Sahib Himself went to visit people who were dedicated to Him but could not travel for whatever reason.

7. GURU HAR RAI SAHIB (1630-1661):  Apostle of Peace and Respectful of Gurbani

According to Guru Granth Sahib, Guruship is decided by Waheguru. There are hundreds of holy Shabads that testify to this fact. After the cruel and inhuman martyrdom of Guru Arjun Sahib, many people had become scared of the Mughal Empire and were reluctant to even visit Guru Sahib until Guru Har Gobind Sahib infused a new life in them.  When the time came for Guru Har Gobind Sahib to pass on the Guruship to the deserving holy soul, Guru Sahib decided to pass it on to His grandson, Baba Har Rai Ji who was the younger son of Baba Gurditta Ji. Baba Gurditta Ji had two sons – Dhir Mal Ji and Har Rai Ji – but Dhir Mal Ji was engrossed deeply in Maya, so Guru Sahib did not think as capable for Guruship. In 1644, Guru Sahib anointed Har Rai Ji His successor and left for His heavenly abode after listening Gurbani continuously for one week.

Har Rai Ji ascended the throne of Guruship at the age of about 14. He was very kind, caring and had love for humanity.  Har Rai Ji deserved Guruship in every which way.  After the four battles which the Sikhs had won decisively against the mighty Mughals, Guru Har Gobind Sahib had wanted to show the world that Guru Nanak Sahib’s Sikhs were basically peace loving people and the battles were simply forced on them.  So, He wanted His successor to be peace-loving. Guru Har Rai Sahib was a perfect choice in that area.  Guru Har Rai Sahib did maintain an army of 2200 soldiers, but He never fought with anyone and always preached to live peacefully. He also maintained an up-to-date medical dispensary where most modern and rare medications were available free of cost.  Emperor Shah Jahan’s son, Dara Shikoh, received treatment at Guru Sahib’s facility when he could not be cured at any other place.  He was the governor of Lahore at the time. Wounded wild animals were also treated at the dispensary.

Severe Drought in Punjab

Punjab’s economy has always been based in agriculture and droughts were quite common in Punjab as a result of which the state suffered from major shortages of food from time to time.  In 1646, Punjab again suffered from severe drought and people began to die in thousands for lack of food.  The situation was so bad that people were selling their children to buy food.  When Guru Har Rai Sahib saw the misery of the masses, he opened the doors of His treasury to the people and gave away all the money He had to serve the suffering humanity.  He also travelled in different areas of Punjab to provide comfort to the people.

Royal orders against Hindu Temples

Emperor Shah Jahan promulgated an order that no new Hindu temples be allowed to be built. The ones under construction were dismantled and the old ones were not given permission for repairs. However, he was pleased with Guru Sahib’s helping of the masses including the Muslims during the drought.  He was also pleased with Guru Sahib because he had treated his favourite son, Dara Shikoh.  So, he did not pass any such order against Gurdwaras which were being built at a fast pace.  So, again to provide moral support to the Hindus, Guru Sahib visited different areas of Punjab, particularly the Hill areas, for 4 years from 1654-58.

Unbounded Respect for Gurbani

Unless you develop full faith in the principles professed by someone, you do not develop respect for the individual, and do not follow his principles with full zeal. Same is the situation with Gurbani.  Guru Sahib wanted His Sikhs to respect Gurbani more than anything else. Guru Sahib could not accept any disregard for Gurbani no matter how slight in the eyes of others.

1. One time Guru Sahib was lying on his bed to take rest after the midday meal when a jatha (group) of Sikhs arrived at Kiratpur Sahib from some distant place to visit Guru Ji. As the jatha (group) approached Guru Sahib’s resting place, it was chanting holy Shabads from Gurbani as it had done all along its way. When Guru Sahib heard the approaching Jatha singing Gurbani, He quickly rose from the bed to show respect for Gurbani. During the rush to rise, He hit his knee against the bed support badly. From that day on Guru Sahib decided never to lie down on a bed during the day.

2. In 1658, Aurangzeb imprisoned his father, Emperor Shah Jahan, and occupied the throne of India. However, his two brothers, Dara Shikoh and Shujah, were still alive still a threat to Aurangzeb’s independence. By June 1659, Aurangzeb had rendered his brothers powerless and they had run away to southern India. So, Aurangzeb was now fully confident of his emperorship and he celebrated his crowning.  Now he was only concerned about the growing popularity of Guru Har Rai Sahib although he knew that Guru Sahib was a peace-loving godly person and was no threat to the Emperor.  Aurangzeb still wanted to visit with Guru Sahib to know Him from close.  So, towards the end of 1660 he sent an invitation to Guru Sahib to come to Delhi to see him.  Guru Sahib decided to send His elder son, Baba Ram Rai Ji to see Aurangzeb. Even though, Baba Ram Rai Ji was only 11 years at that time, he was very smart and knowledgeable.  Before Ram Rai Ji left for Delhi, Guru Sahib advised him to be highly careful about two things. (a) He should not be intimidated by the Royal power and should not be over-impressed by the Royal hospitality. Also. Aurangzeb was very fond of the display of supernatural powers (which Baba Ji had in plenty), so he (Baba Ji) should not display any supernatural power to earn the favours of Aurangzeb. (b) Under no circumstances, should Baba Ji show any disrespect to Gurbani or twist it to please the Emperor. Guru Sahib sent a few reliable Sikhs with Baba Ji who would keep Guru Sahib up-to-date of all the developments in Delhi.

When Baba Ram Rai Ji reached Delhi, he was warmly received by Aurangzeb who was greatly impressed by the intelligence and the wit of Baba Ji. Aurangzeb requested Baba Ji to show some supernatural powers.  In complete defiance to Guru Father’s strict orders, Baba Ji gladly complied with so many powers that Aurangzeb was overwhelmed and became a big fan of Baba Ji. The Qazies could not digest the honour being accorded to Baba Ji by Aurangzeb, and began to think of something by which they could hurt Baba Ji’s image in the eyes of the Emperor. There is a holy Shabad by Guru Nanak Sahib in Guru Granth Sahib where Guru Sahib teaches the unimportance of the way a dead body is disposed of. The holy Shabad goes like this: Mitti Musalman ki pairray puee ghumihaar --------

The Qazies asked Aurangzeb to ask Baba Ji to explain the meaning of the holy Shabad. On being asked, witty Baba Ji replied right away that it was a mistake on the part of the person who copied the Shabad. Actually, it was not “Mitti Musalman ki” it rather was “Mitti bayeeman (dishonest) ki -------“   Aurangzeb was highly pleased at the wit and the eagerness on Baba Ji’s part to please him.  Aurangzeb thought that Ram Rai would be the perfect guru to serve his (Aurangzeb’s) demands. Aurangzeb gave Baba Ji a big estate in the Hills where the city of Dehradun now stands.

When the news reached Guru Sahib, He was highly disappointed in Ram Rai. Guru Sahib could probably have forgiven Ram Rai Ji for his display of supernatural powers, but He could not accept the twisting of Guru Nanak Sahib’s Divine Gurbani in any way. So, when Baba Ji reached Kiratpur Sahib after his meeting with Aurangzeb, Guru Har Rai Sahib ordered him not to enter the house and go anywhere he chose to go. Baba Ram Rai Ji went to his estate at Dehradun.

Guru Har Rai Sahib’s Contributions

1. Despite the fact that Guru Sahib had a reasonably strong army, He never was engaged in any battle giving the message that Guru Nanak’s House was basically a House of peace-loving people.  At the same time, the maintenance of the army sent a clear message that Sikhs would not allow to be intimidated.

2. Guru Ji had a great concern for the wellbeing of all people not just the Sikhs. His help of all kinds for the drought-stricken people and the maintenance of a medical store clearly support these golden Principles. 3. Gurbani deserves utmost respect and is dearer than even the dearest relative.

8. GURU HAR KRISHAN SAHIB (1656-64):  The Child Guru and a Great Martyr

When Baba Ram Rai earned the goodwill of Aurangzeb after pleasing him during his Delhi visit, Guru Har Rai Sahib suspected some intervention by Aurangzeb to appoint the next Guru. Obviously, Ram Rai Ji was more suitable to Aurangzeb as the next Guru. The far-sighted Guru Har Rai Sahib decided to pass on the Guruship to His younger son, Baba Har Krishan Ji, before Aurangzeb could cause some damage to the sanctity of Guruship. So, Guru Sahib called a big gathering of the Sikhs for October 5, 1661 and passed on the Guruship to Baba Har Krishan Ji who was only five years and three months old at the time (He was born on July 7, 1656). Even though Baba Har Krishan Ji was so young, yet His spiritual level and knowledge were similar to His predecessors. Knowing the foxy and the devious nature of Aurangzeb, Guru Har Rai Sahib advised the young Guru to be watchful of Aurangzeb’s unholy moves and avoid meeting with him if possible.

Guru Har Rai Sahib was only 31 years of age and perfectly healthy at the time, but on Oct 6, 1661, His soul left His holy body to be one with God.  Everybody was curious to learn about the spiritual heights of Guru Har Krishan Sahib, but He amazed everyone with His Divine Knowledge and His wisdom and everybody showed the same respect and dedication for the young Guru as for the previous Guru Sahiban. A little more than two years passed before Aurangzeb expressed his wish to see Guru Sahib and invited Him to Delhi for a meeting during which time Guru Ji would be royal guest. Guru Ji thought very carefully about the invitation and agreed for a very short meeting (see the note below) with the Emperor but refused to stay there as a royal guest.  Rather than getting offended by Guru Sahib’s declining his offer, Aurangzeb greatly admired Guru Sahib’s courage and agreed to what Guru Sahib had said. Aurangzeb asked Raja Jai Singh, a high official in Aurangzeb’s court, to make travel arrangements for Guru Sahib.

Raja Jai Singh sent fifty of his trustworthy assistants to go to Kiratpur and request Guru Sahib to come to Delhi and stay with him at his residence. He issued strict orders to his soldiers to show full respect to Guru Sahib and obey all His instructions.

NOTE: Most of the Sikh history books write that Guru Sahib refused to see Aurangzeb.  But it seems highly unlikely for Guru Sahib who is the manifestation of Waheguru (God) to do so.  All human beings are equal in the eyes of the Guru and everybody deserves a chance to have a holy sight of the Guru. Moreover, Guru Sahib was not an ordinary person who would be forced to do something against His Principles.  He was strong enough to face any pressure of any kind.  Also, if He was not to meet with Aurangzeb, then what was of the purpose of Guru Sahib to go to Delhi in the first place?

Guru Sahib’s Journey to Delhi

Most of the Sikhs were very apprehensive of the invitation by Aurangzeb who was an untrustworthy ruler.  The Sikhs feared that Aurangzeb might cause some harm to Guru Sahib because their previous experiences of the invitations to Guru Arjun Dev Ji and Guru Har Gobind Sahib were very bitter. At first, the Sikhs pleaded with Guru Sahib not to go to Delhi, but when Guru Sahib dispelled all their fears, a large number of them accompanied Guru Sahib.  Guru Sahib left Kiratpur Sahib in mid Feb, 1664.

Brief Stay at Punjokharra: Pundit Lall Chand

Guru Sahib made a stay at Village Punjokharra about 10 km from the city of Ambala.  When people heard that the Eighth manifestation of Guru Nanak who was only about 7 years old had come to Punjokharra people went in droves to have His holy sight.  One of them was a Brahman named Lall Chand (see note below) who was highly conceited of his knowledge of Hindu Granths.  Also, Brahmans in general were opposed to Guru Nanak Sahib’s Teachings because He had exposed all the mall-practices of Brahmans and their popularity among masses had suffered a great deal as a result.  He also thought that how knowledgeable a young child like Guru Har Krishan Sahib could be.  So, he thought that it was a God-send opportunity for him to take some shine off Guru Sahib’s Divine Light.  He approached Guru Sahib and without expressing any respect that Guru Sahib deserved, said tauntingly, “I hear that your name is Har Krishan, and that you are occupying the seat of Guru Nanak. There was Lord Krishna who uttered the holy Gita. You have the same name, I wonder if you could explain the meaning of even a single shloka of Gita.”

If the Pundit had said something derogatory to Guru Sahib Himself, He would have ignores that, but this was a direct challenge to the throne of Guru Nanak because all the Guru Sahiban are believed to be the manifestations of Guru Nanak. Guru Ji replied very calmly, “Pundit Ji, Guru Nanak Sahib was a manifestation of Waheguru; to explain the meanings of the shlokas of Gita is not difficult by any of His successors, but you will not believe in the explanation regardless because that is not your real objective.  So, the best thing for you to do is to bring a man of your choice from the village, and by Guru Nanak’s grace, even he would be able to explain the meaning of any shloka of your choice.”

In total disbelief, but the happy Brahman brought a total illiterate water-carrier named Chhajju before Guru Sahib and asked Guru Sahib to make Chhajju explain a certain shloka which the Brahman had thought to be the toughest one to interpret.  Guru Sahib put His stick on Chhajju’s head and asked him to explain the meaning. The Brahman was overwhelmed with awe as he had never heard such a wonderful explanation ever before. He had no recourse left but to fall on the feet of Guru Sahib. He became so respectful of Guru Sahib that he accompanied Guru Sahib to Kurukshetra, about 32 km from Punjokharra.

NOTE: Some historian believe that this meeting took place at Kurukshetra and the name of the Brahman was Krishan Lall.

Making small stops on the way, Guru Sahib reached Delhi in early March, 1664.  Raja Jai Singh thoroughly cleaned his palace and decorated it appropriately for Guru Sahib’s stay.  Aurangzeb came to see Guru Sahib at His place of stay, but the meeting was very brief.  It is written that the Rani of Jai Singh wanted to test Guru Sahib’s spiritual heights.  She had invited some of her very rich friends and had asked them each to don like a queen.  The test was that if Guru Sahib (as He was only about 7 years of age) recognized her among the queen-like friends and sat in her lap, she would be convinced about His spiritual heights.  When Guru Sahib walked through the group, He at once recognized the real queen and sat in her lap. Everybody was amazed at this.  All the news about Guru Sahib, including the meeting with Pundit Lall Chand, and with the wife of Rajah Jai Singh were delivered to Aurangzeb regularly by his secret agents which made him highly respectful of Guru Sahib.  After all that information, Aurangzeb did not interfere with Guru Sahib’s planning in any way.

Small-Pox Epidemic

When Guru Sahib reached Delhi, the city had already been in the grip of a severe epidemic of small-pox and scores of people were dying every day. It is natural that such epidemics hit the poor the most because they lack the proper amenities of life. As has been the tradition of Guru’s House, Guru Har Krishan Sahib rushed to help the suffering people both economically and in terms of treatment.  He worked tirelessly around the clock to help the needy. He did not have time even to eat. As a result, Guru Sahib Himself became a victim of the killer disease and suffered from a very high temperature. Realizing that it was the time for Him to merge His soul with Waheguru, He asked His Sikhs to bring Him the customary articles needed to formally pass on the Guruship to the next deserving holy soul. He gave the articles to a few of His Sikhs and told them that the next Guru was His grandfather (Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib) who was living in Bakala, a village about 40 km from Amritsar. A few moments after the Sikhs were dispatched, the Great Guru left for His heavenly abode.  There is a beautiful Gurdwara named “Bala Sahib” where His holy body was cremated. There is also a beautiful Gurdwara named Bangla Sahib where Guru Sahib stayed with Raja Jai Singh.

Contributions of Guru Har Krishan Sahib

§ The very young age of Guru Sahib proved that Divine Knowledge was not restricted to certain age or a range of age. He even had the ability to understand and explain the meanings of Gita which was written in Sanskrit, and this had nothing to do with His faith (or lack thereof) in Gita.

§ His refusal to have a long meeting with Aurangzeb clearly demonstrated that successors of Guru Nanak could not be intimidated by any royal power as they stand for Truth.

§ Service to mankind is the foremost objective of Guru Nanak’s House even at the cost of personal life.

NOTE I: This article has become much too large than I had expected. So the contributions of the Ninth and the Tenth Guru Sahiban will be covered separately under Part III

NOTE II: To learn more about the life of Guru Har Krishan Sahib, please read the Web Article,  Guru Har Krishan Sahib: A Great Martyr