My Dream and The Life of Guru Gobind Singh
Updated on December 23, 2013
Guru Gobind Singh
Symbols of the Khalsa
The Greatest Indian Martyr
The Dream
Yesterday I had a dream. It was a strange dream as I saw the warrior Guru Gobind Singh on a horse and I wondered what it meant. I awoke up and looked out of the window and could only see the moon shining. I was a bit shaken and I assumed it was a message from the Guru to write about him and his message.
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh was the tenth Guru of the Sikhs. He was the man who gave a form to the religion founded by Guru Nanak. He appeared on the scene in the Punjab when the Muslim rulers had run amuck and killings, abductions of Hindu girls and beheadings of Hindus not converting to Islam was the order of the day. The guru made the supreme sacrifice. Two of his sons were killed in battle and two younger boys were interred alive by the Muslim ruler with shouts of glee all around.
Muslim Rule in the Punjab and Creation of Khalsa
To understand the contribution of Guru Gobind Singh one has to look at the rule of the Muslims in Punjab. The Hindus were a terrorized lot. They had lost their lands, their women were carried away into Muslim harems and anarchy ruled the Punjab.
Baptism with Sword and Blood
The Guru seized the moment and created the Khalsa a militant force on 13 August 1699. It was a baptism the like of which was never seen as at a vast congregation the Guru asked for the heads of 5 men who could sacrifice their lives for the true faith.
Five men volunteered and the Guru bedecked in his dress with a naked sword brandished it in the sunlight. He took the men one by one and to a place behind the dais and returned with his sword streaming with blood. It was apparent to all that the man had been beheaded. He did this five times and each time he returned with a blood stained sword.
Creation of the Khalsa or the Pure
The guru was a great motivator. After the fifth man was taken, he returned with all the five men alive. He had not severed the heads of the men, but only cut a goat. He created on that day the Khalsa to fight the Muslims and enjoined all true Sikhs to have 5 K’s. These are Kesh( hair), Kanga( comb), Kacha( underpants), Kada( Bangle) and Kirpan (sword). These became the symbols of the Khalsa as the Guru led the Sikhs into battle against the Moguls.
The Dasam Granth
His magnum opus ‘The Disarm Granth’ is a repository of his wisdom. In this he mentions that in his previous birth he was a Yogi in the Himalayas when he was ordered by the almighty to take rebirth to fight the all around tyranny. The Guru was this born in Patna now a hallowed Sikh Gurudwara (Patna Saheb).
The guru led the Sikhs into battle and the battles at Chamkor and other places are a tribute to his genius. The word ‘warrior saint’ as coined aptly fits him.
The Mogul Emperor Makes Peace with the Guru
The Moghul emperor Bahadur Shah was impressed by the Guru and invited him to Delhi. The guru came with a vast entourage and when he reached a place called Motibagh he shot an arrow which traveled 10 km and hit the Charpoy (bed) on which Bahadur shah was relaxing. The emperor was surprised and when he met the Guru mentioned that what the Guru had done was a miracle. No the guru replied ‘it was my skill’. There is a Gurudwara at Motibagh commemorating the place where the Guru fired his arrow.
Guru Gobind in the Deccan
Bahadur Shah took the guru to the Deccan and there he died stabbed to death by two Muslims. He knew his end was near and decreed that the guru ship had ended and the Sikhs would hence worth consider the holy book of the Sikhs ‘The Granth Sahib' as the last Guru. He also appointed the great Banda Bahadur to lead the Sikhs after him.
Last Word
The Guru‘s contribution is immense. He sacrificed his entire family and his life for the cause of freedom. He created the Khalsa and as such he is revered among Hindus and Sikhs as the bravest of the braves. His quote ‘If all else fails it is righteous to draw the sword’ is a living testimony as the USA grapples Islamic terror and beheadings.
No comments:
Post a Comment