Chapter – 22 – Sikhism and its History (c)

The Great Life of the Sikh Gurus

In Sikhism, from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh, there were ten Gurus named respectively (1.) Nanak, (2.) Angad, (3.) Amardas, (4.) Ramdas, (5.) Arjun Dev, (6.) Hargobind, (7.) Har Rai, (8.) Harkrishna Rai, (9.) Teg Bahadur and (10.) Govind Singh. Each Guru at his last moment handed over his position to his successor and declared him the Guru of the sect.

When Guru Gobind Singh passed away, he wrote ‘Granth Sahib’ declared himself the Guru of the cult and ordered that no ‘person’ from now on The teacher will not. Thus Sikhism developed under the leadership of ten Gurus. The life of all these Gurus was easy, simple, plain and based on traditional Indian life values.

He profoundly influenced the political, social, religious, economic and cultural life of the time. He brought devotion, knowledge, worship, spirituality and philosophy out of the narrow confines of the upper castes to every section of society.

The Sikh Gurus taught man to live life by enterprise, to attain happiness by earning and to attain Nirankar God by meditating. He believed that a person who works hard is free from all worries. According to Guru Nanak, the person who earns by hard work and does some charity in it recognizes the right path.

‘Langar’ initiated by Sikh Gurus The (free food) practice is an example of world brotherhood, human love, equality and generosity. The Sikh Gurus emphasized alternative thinking against blind imitation. Physical exercise and fun were considered an essential part of life. Folk songs, folk dances and ‘Hola-Mahalla’ of Punjab But at the root of the feats displayed by the Shastradhars are the seeds of inspiration of the Sikh Gurus.

Sikhism

Guru Angad was the first to ‘Gurumukhi’ the words of Guru Nanak Written in script. From then on, the compilation of the teachings of the Gurus began and the Gurumukhi script began. Guru Angad gave prominence to Langar in Sikhism.

Sikhism

The third Guru, Amardas, gave each visitor ‘Guru ke Langar’ made it necessary to eat in. He condemned the veil and the practice of sati among women and ‘Twenty-two Mazzies’ for religious preaching ( twenty-two thrones) established.

Sikhism

The fourth Guru, Ramdas, founded Amritsar, which was formerly called Ramdaspur and later became the major pilgrimage site of Sikhism.

Sikhism

The fifth Guru Arjun Dev (AD 1581-1606) completed the Amritsar pond and laid the foundation of Harmandir Sahib in the middle of it by the hands of the famous Sufi saint Mian Mir. This temple had doors all around it, which meant it was open to humans from all four directions and castes of all four castes. Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras could come to it equally. He also settled Kartarpur in the Jalandhar Doab and established a Gurudwara at Tarn Taran.

In his time ‘Adi Granth Sahib’ was compiled and edited in which the Guruvani was assembled and arranged in a melodic manner. This embodied the scripture of the Sikhs. Someone once complained to Akbar that the text blasphemed Islam and other religions. At this Akbar called the Guru and asked him about it. The Guru opened the text and said, 'Read it from wherever you want.

Akbar put his hand at one place in the text. That part was read. This line praised the formless God. Akbar was pleased and presented fifty-one seals on the Granth Sahib and honored the Guru with clothes. Once Akbar, while returning to Delhi, also dined at the Guru's anchor at Goindrawal.

Jahangir, was not as tolerant as Akbar. He did not like the Tehreek of the Guru and considered it Kufr. After the death of Akbar, Jahangir's son Khusrau fled and took refuge with Guru Arjun Dev. The Guru helped the prince by giving him five thousand rupees. Jahangir summoned the Guru to Delhi and fined him two lakhs of rupees and ordered him to remove from the Granth Sahib all lines which contradicted Islam in the slightest.

The Guru refused to obey both commands. Jahangir then committed inhuman atrocities against the Guru. Burning sand was poured on them, they were placed in a burning red cauldron and bathed in boiling hot water. The Guru endured all the persecution. The Guru then came out of captivity on the pretext of Ravi-bath and went to the bank of the Ravi and gave up his life.

Thus, after the assassination of Guru Arjun Dev in 1606 AD, the history of the Sikhs changed completely. No longer were they quiet people singing hymns, but they began to organize into groups fighting and dying for their principles. They tried to harm the Mughals whenever they got the opportunity. So to face the violence of the Muslims, the peace-loving Sikh caste organized itself into boy groups.

Sikhism

Guru Arjun Dev was succeeded by the sixth Guru Hargobind. The inhuman atrocities committed against Guru Arjun Dev created a new awakening among the Sikhs. They understood that Dharma cannot be protected by chanting and beads alone. For this, one must also carry a sword and have the state force behind it. That is why Guru Hargobind ‘celied’ He tore off (the saint's robe) and threw it into the gurudwara and assumed the garb of a king and warrior on his body.

From here, the Sikh tradition of love and devotion took on the military robe. Instead of a garland and necklace, Guru Hargobind began to wear two swords, one as a symbol of spiritual power and the other as a symbol of temporal dominion. He’s all ‘mazzies’ of ‘Masando’ (Dharma Pracharaks) ordered that henceforth the devotees, would not send materials for offering to the Gurudwara but would send horses and weapons.

He prepared an army of five hundred Sikhs and organized them into squads of one hundred sepoys each. He built the fort of Lohagarh in Amritsar and established the Akal Takht in front of every temple to look after worldly affairs.

During the reign of Guru Hargobind, the Sikhs fought three battles with the Mughals and in each battle the Mughals lost their lives. This enhanced the prestige of the Sikhs and the whole Hindu society began to see them as the protectors of religion and culture. To increase the number of Sikhs, it was almost customary throughout the Punjab for every Hindu family to dedicate their eldest son to the Guru. There are still Hindu families in the Punjab in which one member is a Sikh and the remaining men are called Mauna Sikhs.

In AD 1628, Shah Jahan was hunting near Amritsar. One of his falcons went to the Guru's tent. When the soldiers of the Emperor demanded the return of the falcon from the Sikhs, the Sikhs refused to return the falcon who had taken refuge. The Emperor's army attacked the Sikhs but the Sikhs led by the Guru defeated the Mughal army.

At this Wazir Khan and other well-wishers of the Guru appeased the Emperor's anger. Some time later Guru Hargobind started building a new town on the banks of the Vyas River in Punjab which later became known as Shri Hargobindpur. The construction of this town in the middle of the Punjab was not considered to be in the interest of the Mughal Sultanate.

So the Emperor ordered the Guru not to build the city but the Sikhs ignored this order and continued the construction of the city as before. Against the Sikhs an army was sent which was beaten off by the Sikhs of Guru Hargobind. This time again the matter was somehow put to rest.

Guru's third conflict with the Mughals was due to a theft. A notorious bandit named Bidhichandra was a devotee of the Guru. He stole two horses from the royal stable and presented them to the Guru. The teacher inadvertently accepted those horses. So in A.D. 1631, a Mughal army was sent against the Guru but the Sikhs repelled it and took possession of seven mosques and took them into their own work. Shah Jahan sent an army to drive them out of the mosques.

The constant struggle with the Mughals began to interfere with the preaching work carried out by the Sikh Guru and the Sikhs suffered greatly. Guru Hargobind knew that the power and resources of the Sikhs were extremely limited while the power and resources of the Mughal Sultanate were unlimited, the Sikhs would not be able to last in this struggle for very long. So Guru Hargobind went to the hills of Kashmir for spiritual contemplation and settled in a place called Kiratpur. It is believed that it was Guru Hargobind who granted permission to the Sikhs to eat meat. Guru Hargobind died in AD 1645.

Sikhism

The seventh Guru Har Rai was also not formed by Aurangzeb but there was no war with the Mughals during his time and the work of organizing Sikhism continued.

Sikhism

The work of organizing Sikhism continued even during the time of the eighth Guru Harkishan. He wisely chose Tegh Bahadur, grandson of Guru Arjun, who became the ninth Guru of Sikhism, as his successor instead of his closest relative.

Sikhism

At the time Tegh Bahadur (AD 1664-75) became the Guru of the Sikhs, Aurangzeb's cycle of repression was in full swing and Hindus were being forcibly converted to Islam. Aurangzeb started demolishing Sikh gurudwaras like Hindu temples. Guru Tegh Bahadur raised the flag of revolt. When some Pandits of Kashmir were forced to embrace Islam, they came to Anandpur and met Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The Guru said, ‘It is impossible to protect Dharma without the sacrifice of a great man.’ At that time his son Govind Singh said, ‘Father, who would be a greater man than you?’ Guru Tegh Bahadur found this advice appropriate. He asked Kashmiri Pandits to send news to Aurangzeb that:‘If Tegh Bahadur accepts Islam, all Hindus will happily become Muslims.’

Aurangzeb invited Guru Tegh Bahadur to his court. The Guru appeared there but refused to accept Islam. He was assassinated on 11 November 1675 at Chandni Chowk in Delhi. This further inflamed the anger of the Sikhs.

Sikhism

Govind Singh was born in Patna in AD 1666 when Guru Tegh Bahadur was visiting Eastern India and his family was staying in Patna. After staying there for five years, he came to Anandpur and sat down to study in the seventh year. Sahibchand Granthi taught him Sanskrit and Hindi and Qazi Pir Muhammad taught him Persian. He soon mastered these languages.

The addiction he felt to literature from the beginning lasted till the end. When his father was martyred in Delhi at the age of nine, the burden of the cult fell on Govind Singh's shoulders. Govind Singh became the tenth Guru of the Sikhs. He converted the Sikhs into a military caste.

Guru Gobind Singh gathered the Sikhs at the Vaishakhi Mela in Anandpur. He had a large platform erected on all sides and tied some goats inside it. Then he came out of Kanata with his sword drawn and said that Chandi wanted sacrifice to protect Dharma. Whoever of you is willing to give his life, let him go to Canaan. I will sacrifice him before Mahacandi with my own hands.

At the Guru's call, a man would go to Kanat, the Guru would seat him there and cut the neck of a goat and come out with a blood-stained sword. Thus the five heroes reached within Canaan. The Guru called again but when no other person presented himself for sacrifice, the Guru took out the five heroes and said, 'These are the five beloved Khalis, or pure servants of Dharma, and I take them today from I lay the foundation of the Khalsa-dharma.'

At the same time, he filled a pan with holy water, his wife-in-law dissolved batashe in it and the Guru stirred the water with a sword and gave it ‘five loves’ with the sword itself Sprinkle on the. Drinking this nectar, people engaged in the service of the Khalsa religion. Thus Guru Gobind Singh ‘Khalsa’ established the Khalsa means ‘pure’.

He finalized the teachings of the Khalsa Panth on 30 March From then on, this sect became known as Khalsa Dharma. The followers of this sect were ready to sacrifice their lives at all times for the sake of Hinduism.

Guru Gobind Singh used to preach to his disciples that only ‘curses’ not even ‘arrow’ should also be used. His poems were wonderfully brilliant. The God whom Guru Nanak ‘Nirankar Purukh’ It was said that Guru Govind Singh named that God as Asidhvaja, Mahakal and Mahalauh. The present organization of Sikhism was largely done by Guru Gobind Singh.

He introduced the practice of wearing the turban among the Sikhs and the ‘Panch-Kakars’ made compulsory for all Sikhs to wear. ये पाँच ककार हैं- (1.) कंघी (बाल सुलझाने के लिए) (2.) कच्छ (फुर्ती के लिए) (3.) कड़ा (यम, नियम और संयम का प्रतीक) (4.) कृपाण (आत्मरक्षा के लिए) तथा (5.) केश (जिसे प्रायः समस्त गुरु धारण करते आए थे)।

गुरु गोविन्दसिंह ने सिक्ख धर्म में मदिरा और तम्बाकू को वर्जित किया। सिक्खों के लिए जो कर्म निषिद्ध हैं उनका उल्लेख ‘रहतनामा’ में मिलता है। रहतनामा में केश-कर्तन को महान् अपराध माना गया है।

गुरु गोविन्दसिंह की तैयारियों से औरंगजेब घबरा गया। उसने गुरु की राजधानी आनन्दपुर पर जबरदस्त घेरा डाला किन्तु गुरु हाथ नहीं आए। आनन्दपुर से भागते हुए उनके दो पुत्र जोरावर सिंह और फतेहसिंह, गायब हो गए। किसी ने उनके दोनों पुत्रों को सरहिन्द के शासक वजीरखाँ के हाथों में सौंप दिया। वजीर खाँ ने उन बालकों से इस्लाम स्वीकार करने के लिए कहा परन्तु उन बालकों ने भी अपने दादा की भांति, इस घृणित प्रस्ताव को ठुकरा दिया। इस पर वजीर खाँ ने उन्हें जीवित ही दीवार में चुनवा दिया गया।

गुरु गोविन्द सिंह ने औरंगजेब की धर्मान्ध नीति के विरुद्ध उसे फारसी भाषा में एक लम्बा पत्र लिखा जिसे ‘ज़फ़रनामा’ कहा जाता है। इस पत्र में औरंगजेब के शासन-काल में हो रहे अन्याय तथा अत्याचारों का मार्मिक उल्लेख है। इस पत्र में नेक कर्म करने और मासूम प्रजा का खून न बहाने की नसीहतें, धर्म एवं ईश्वर की आड़ में मक्कारी और झूठ के लिए चेतावनी तथा योद्धा की तरह युद्ध के मैदान में आकर युद्ध करने की चुनौती दी गई है।

औरंगजेब ने एक विशाल सेना गुरु के विरुद्ध भेजी। गुरु परास्त हो गए। औरंगजेब ने सन्धि करने के लिए गुरु को दक्षिण में आमंत्रित किया। गुरु गोविंदसिंह दक्षिण की तरफ रवाना हुए किंतु गुरु द्वारा औरंगजेब से भेंट किए जाने से पहले ही औरंगजेब का निधन हो गया। गुरु गोविन्दसिंह ने उत्तराधिकार के युद्ध में औरंगजेब के पुत्र बहादुरशाह के प्रति सहानुभूति प्रदर्शित की और उसके साथ दक्षिण की तरफ गए परन्तु गोदावरी के किनारे नानदेड़ नामक स्थान पर दो अफगान पठानों ने छुरे से वार करके गुरु को घायल कर दिया। गुरु ने अपनी मृत्यु से पहले ही घोषणा की कि मेरे बाद सिक्ख धर्म में कोई गुरु नहीं होगा तथा ‘ग्रंथ साहब’ को ही गुरु माना जाएगा।