GURU ARJAN DEV JI--A GREAT GURU and CROWN of MARTYRS

        

GURU ARJAN DEV JI--A GREAT GURU and CROWN of MARTYRS

On 15th April, 1563 AD (7th Vaisakh, 94 Nanakshahi), a pious and noble soul Arjan Dev took birth in the home of Guru Ram Das Ji and Bibi Bhani Ji, in village Goindwal, Distt  Amritsar, Punjab. During childhood his maternal grandfather Guru Amar Das JI prophesied him as “Dohita, Bani Ka Boitha” i.e. He will orate Gurbani, which will act as a ship to take the humanity across worldly ocean. He learnt many languages i.e. Punjabi, Braj Bhasha, Sanskrit, Persian and regional languages of India. He was a great Saint, thinker, scholar, and a statesman. He was fearless, possessed tender heart with a resolute will.

One day, Guru Ram Das Ji asked His elder son Prithi Chand to go to Lahore to attend the marriage of the son of His cousin brother Sahari Mal, but Prithvi Chand avoided it on the pretext that he has many responsibilities of 'Langar' etc. at Amritsar and moreover he will not be able to bear the heat enroute. He wanted to avoid going away from Amritsar as he controlled offerings made to The Guru and secondly the time for transfer of Guruship was nearing. Then The Guru asked His second son Mahadev to go and he also replied that he does not want to get involved in such matters, as he has spiritual inclinations and wanted to remain aloof from worldly affairs. Guru Ram Das Ji then asked His youngest son Arjan Dev to go for the purpose. He replied that:- “dear father, i only want your blessings, You are sending me for occasion of joy. Even if you send me for some task that would endanger my life, i would obey your order with pleasure”. Guru Ram ji told him to stay at Lahore till a written message to come back is sent to him, and preach Gurbani to the sikhs and serve ‘Langar’ to the poor and the needy.

As Guru Ram Das Ji did not call him back for a long time, he sent two letters to his father through a messenger but his elder brother Prithi Chand did not give it to his father as he was jealous of his proximity to The Guru and himself told the messenger to convey to Arjan Dev that his father has asked him to stay at Lahore till He calls him back. Then Arjan Dev wrote a third letter, particularly recording digit three on it to let his father know that it is his third letter and directed the messenger to give it to his father only. The messenger this time ensured this and delivered the letter to Guru Ram Das Ji personally. The letter read as under :-

IK GHARHI NA MILTE TA KALYUG HOTA  II

HUNH KAD MILIYE  PRIYA TUDH BHAGWANTA  II

MOHIE REIN NA VIAVAI NEEND NA AAVAI BIN DEKHE GUR DARBAARE JEEOU  II 3 II

HAU GHOLI JEEOU GHOLI GHUMAEE TIS SACHE GUR DARBAARE JEEOU  II1II RAHAOU II-SGGS---96

After reading this letter, The Guru enquired about first two letters from the messenger and he explained the whole story to The Guru. On hearing the reply,The Guru got annoyed and enquired about first two letters from Prithvi Chand, but he denied having any knowledge. Guru Ram Das Ji then told him that the letters were in the pocket of his coat at home. He then sent a person directing him to bring the coat of Prithi chand from his house, which was hanging on the peg on the wall. Both the letters were recovered from the pocket of his coat. Guru Ram Das Ji then told the 'sangat' that it was a test for honesty of Prithvi Chand. Then Guru Ram Das Ji directed Baba Budha Ji to bring Guru Arjan Dev Ji from Lahore. When Guru Arjan Dev Ji came back and met his father, Guru Ram Das Ji told him that he had written three couplets in his letters and now he should orate the fourth couplet to complete the ' SHABAD'. Then instantaneously Guru Arjan Dev Ji orated the following couplet :-

BHAGH  HOA  GUR  SANT  MILAYA II  

PRABHU  ABINASEE GHARI MEIH PAAYA  II

SEV KARI PALU CHASA  NA  VICHHURHA  JAN NANAK DAAS TUMARE JEEOU II 4 II

HAU GHOLEE JEEOU GHOLI GHUMAEE JAN NANAK DAAS TUMARE JEEOU II RAHAOU II1II4II--SGGS--97

After hearing this couplet, Guru Ram Das Ji was very pleased and took Arjan Dev in His arms and said:- “We give Guruship to you”. Then Guru Ram Das Ji got down from His throne and made Guru Arjan Dev Ji to sit on His throne and Himself bowed before Guru Arjan Dev Ji and thus transmigrated the light into Him. Prithi Chand got very annoyed and spoke unparliamentary language to Guru Ram Das Ji and declared that he will remove Guru Arjan Dev Ji from the throne of Guruship and himself sit on the throne of Guruship, to which even the King will agree as per law. As he continued his misbehaviour and refused to accept Guru Arjan Dev Ji as The Guru, Guru Ram Das Ji declared him 'Meenha'(scoundrel) and directed the Sikhs that they should not have any relation with him. After this, Guru Ram Das Ji went to Goindwal, along with Guru Arjan Dev Ji. After two days, He did His prayers early in the morning and after telling Sikhs to follow Guru Arjan Dev Ji, left this world on 1st September, 1581 AD (3rd, bhadon,112 Nanakshahi). He was so kind hearted that when Prithvi chand approached the local heads of Amritsar for help, on their request Guru Arjan Dev Ji gave him and his second brother Mahadev some revenue and rental property for their living.

Fifth Nanak I.e. Guru Arjan Dev ji, then set to start the construction of 'sarovars' and Ramdaspur city as desired by Guru Amar Das Ji. After completing Santokhsar ‘sarovar’ in 1588 AD, He started the work of brick lining of Parikarma and stairs of the ‘sarovar’( holy tank) of Harmandir sahib, as the excavation was already completed by Guru Ram Das Ji. Guru Arjan Dev Ji then started the construction of Harmandir Sahib and got the foundation of Harmandir Sahib laid in the centre of the ‘sarovar’ in Amritsar on 28 Dec,1588 AD from a Muslim saint Mian Mir. Prior to this, the temples and mosques were built on a raised plinth. But Guru Arjan Dev Ji built Harmandir Sahib on lower plinth than surrounding area, symbolizing that God could be attained by being low in submission and humility. Moreover the temples and mosques are closed on three sides and have one door, but the doors of Harmandir Sahib are open on all four sides, signifying that It is open to all humanity, irrespective of caste, creed, colour, rich or poor. There are no idols, pictures for worship in Harmandir Sahib, but only the glory of The God is done by singing hymns from GURBANI round the clock.

He started preaching of Sikhism in Majha area and for this purpose, He founded the town of Tarn Taran in Distt Amritsar in 1590 AD, to counter the Sakhi Sarwar's Muslim preaching centre located at a distance of 12 km, who were converting Hindus to Islam. He also developed a ‘sarowar’( tank ) and town named Kartarpur in Distt Jalandhar in Doaba in 1594 AD, which became centres of trade. He also constructed a well in Village Wadali near Amritsar, which worked with six Persian wheels to meet scarcity of water in the area and it later came to be called chheharta.

He started the practice of doing ‘Kirtan’ I.e. singing of hymens by the SANGAT themselves in the congregation, after the bards, Satta and Balwand were illusioned that the importance of The Guru is because their singing hymns in congregation and refused do ‘Kirtan’.

He also encouraged Sikhs to take trade adventures of horses to Kabul, Turkestan and Central and west Asia. He encouraged them to do trading in timber, iron and do work of masons and carpenters, in addition to agriculture and grocers.

The Guru represented the problem of high prices of grains to the emperor and got the tax reduced by one-sixth, When the King Emperor visited Guru Arjan Dev Ji at Goindwal on November 24, 1598 AD, after He learnt of popularity of The Guru among the people and that they called Him ‘Sacha Paatshah’. But The Guru asked him to partake ‘Langar’ sitting with the common people on the ground in ‘Pangat’ before meeting Him to ensure abolition of caste system and difference of rich and poor.

He further strengthened the institution of Masands and started the practice of setting aside “Dasvandh” I.e. one tenth of Income among the sikhs for the preaching of Sikhism and welfare of the society and helping the poor and the needy.

He gave the biggest gift of the compilation of  ADI GRANTH( SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB), containing ‘BAANI’ of four Gurus, to which He added His own 'Baani’ and that of 15 saints of different faiths, 17 bards (bhatts) and 4 gursikhs of different castes and called it “POTHI” and installed it in Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar on 16 August, 1604 AD (1, bhadon, 135 Nanakshahi ) and appointed Baba Budha ji as first Granthi (custodian ). His aim was that the ‘BAANI’ to be added should give peace and contentment to the individual who follows it and spread message of truth, love, tolerance, peaceful existence, diversity and equality in the world.

He gave “POTHI”, the status of the home of The GOD, as the ‘Gurbani’ in the SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB (SGGS) connects one with The God and whoever sings the glory of God in Saadh SANGAT, the company of the holy, gets knowledge of God.THE GURU emphatically says that He does not know what to speak and that He is chanting all that God commands. The Guru Says that :-

Poṭɦee paramesar kaa ṭɦaanu ||

i.e. The Holy Book is the home of the Transcendent Lord God.
Saaḍɦasaṇgi gaavahi guñ gobiṇḍ pooran braham giȧanu ||1|| rahaaū ||-----SGGS---1226

i.e. Whoever sings the Glorious Praises of the Lord of the Universe in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, has the perfect knowledge of God. ||1||Pause||

Hou aapahu bol n jaanadhaa mai kehiaa sabh hukamaao jeeo || ----SGGS---763
i.e. By Myself, I do not even  know how to speak; I speak all that the Lord commands.
Sathigur kee banee sat sat kar jaanahu gursikhu har karataa aap muhahu kadhaaeae ||--SGGS –- 308
i.e. O Gursikhs, know that the ‘bani,’, the Word of the True Guru, is true, absolutely True. The Creator Lord Himself causes the Guru to chant it.

Thus Guru Arjan Dev Ji gave the priceless gift of SGGS to the Sikhs and the humanity, as it gives a universal message of Truth to the humanity, irrespective of caste, creed, rich, poor etc. He arranged it in such a way that no interpolations could be made in it and its purity is maintained. In the entire religious history of man, no other prophet felt it essential to authenticate his message so as to secure its purity and exclude the possibility of any interpolations and misinterpretations.

When Guru Arjan Dev Ji brought SGGS from Gurudwara Ramsar to Harmandir  Sahib, He brought it in a very respectable way in a procession and SGGS was carried by Baba Budha Ji on his head and Guru Arjan Dev Ji Himself was doing “Chaur”(flyer) over it, throughout the journey. At night, He asked the Sikhs to keep SGGS on His bed in His room and He himself slept under that bed.

The compilation of SGGS, construction of ‘Sarovars’(holy tanks) at Taran Taran, Kartarpur and Harmandir Sahib in the centre of ‘sarovar’ in Amritsar, where the people could take a dip without any restriction of religion, caste, creed etc.

As ‘GURBANI’ was sung around the clock in Harmandir Sahib and as per blessings of The Guru, the desires of the people paying obeisance at Harmandir Sahib and taking dip in the sarovar with faith were fulfilled and it came to be called Amrit-Sar ( the pool of Ambrosial nectar) and Consequently Ramdaspur city was popularly known as AMRITSAR. The Hindus and Muslims being attracted by Guru’s message of brotherhood, started converting to Sikhism.The fanatic Quazis and Brahmins complained to Emperor Akbar, when he was at Batala during a visit to Punjab in 1605 AD, that a book is being compiled by Guru Arjan Dev Ji which contains passages blasphemous to Islam and Hinduism. King Akbar called for bringing SGGS in his presence and Guru Arjan Dev Ji sent it in custody of Bhai Gurdas and Bhai Buddha Ji. King Akbar got The SGGS read at random and was satisfied to hear the praises of God. He made an offering of 51 gold coins to SGGS and a robe of honour for The Guru and to both custodians of SGGS.

But Sakhi Sarvar sect head, Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi did not digest this action of King Akbar and he hatched a conspiracy of even getting King Akbar killed and getting appointed his drunkard and foolish son Salim, as his successor, for the purpose of getting Guru Arjan Dev Ji eliminated. He managed slow poisoning of King Akbar, due to which he died shortly on October 17,1605 AD. As planned, his son Salem was declared his successor, who named himself Jahangir. Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi Instigated Jahangir against The Guru that He is converting Muslims to Sikhism. Consequently, Jahangir declared that the conversions of Muslims to Sikhism will not be tolerated and further said and recorded in his diary that :- “For a long time I wanted to close this shop of falsehood (the Sikh preaching centre), which is running for three four generations, because not only Hindus but also unwary Muslims were becoming disciples of The Sikh Gurus. I therefore ordered that either The Sikh Guru be converted to ISLAM or be killed”. He therefore summoned The Guru to Lahore.

The Guru had realized that His end was near as the King Jahangir did not like his spreading of Sikhism,which teaches humanitarian values and standing against atrocities of rulers. Moreover he was also aware of instigation being done by his enemies. Therefore, before leaving for Lahore, The Guru consoled His wife Ganga and asked her not to veil or mourn after He leaves this world. He appointed His son, Hargobind, as His successor and asked him to be armed and keep an army of Sikhs.

After this, The Guru went to Lahore along with five sikhs but the Sikhs were separated from Him and were put in confinement. As tutored by Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi, who wanted to kill Guru Arjan Dev Ji as he was jealous of spread of Sikhism, Jahangir asked The Guru to do the following three things :-

1. Add some couplets in SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB in praise of ISLAM.
2. Give tax from the offerings He receives from the people.
3. To accept Islam.  

The Guru refused to do any of the these three things, replying that :-

1. He can not add anything in SGGS in praise of ISLAM, as it only contains the glory of God, method to attain God, praises of those who attained God and condition of those who failed to attain God.
2. He can not pay any tax as it is people’s money and can only be used for welfare of the poor and the needy.
3. He will prefer being killed than being coerced into accepting ISLAM.                                                     

But Jahangir, being influenced by Guru’s enemies, asked The Guru to pay a fine of two lakh rupees and efface certain verses in SGGS. But The Guru refused to oblige, telling them that the money belongs to the people and is for welfare of the poor and the needy. Moreover the men with bad deeds are fined and not the saints. As regards the erasing of hymens in SGGS, He replied that :- He can not erase or alter an iota, as what the God commanded Guru Nanak Dev to Guru Ram Das and He Himself, has been recorded in SGGS and there is nothing against Islam or any other religion. He further said that their aim is to preach TRUTH and destroy falsehood for welfare of humanity, and if while doing this duty He has to die, it will be His good luck. The Sikhs of Lahore showed willingness to raise subscriptions to pay the fine, but The Guru issued strict instructions not to pay any fine telling them that whosoever pays any fine, will not be His Sikh. On hearing Guru's reply, Jahangir ordered that:- “He be killed, His property and family be handed over to Murtaza Khan”. Another enemy of The Guru, Chandu Shah also played a role of putting oil on the fire in this episode, who had become inimical to The Guru after refusal of his proposal of wedding of his daughter with His son Hargobind by The Guru, as the Sikh Sangat of Delhi did not like his hippocratic behaviour.

THE HOLY MARTYRDOM:-

Guru Arjan Dev Ji was handed over to Subedar of Lahore Murtaza Khan for executing the punishment as he was also inimical to The Guru and was party to the conspiracy of killing of King Akbar by slow poisoning for the purpose of appointing his drunkard and foolish son Salim, as his successor. He was imprisoned in Lahore fort and was not given anything to eat and not allowed to sleep on the first day.Second day He was chained to a post in the open sun from morning to evening and tortured by making Him sit on special sand, which burns like a furnace. On third day He was made to sit in boiling water. On fourth day He was again made to sit in boiling water and hot sand was poured over His head and naked body. Then on fifth day He was asked to sit on hot plate under which fire was burning and boiling water was poured over His head. Thus He was tortured for five days, but The Guru remained unmoved, undeterred and told them that:- 'O, foolish people, everything is in the will of God and your tortures give me peace '. Here The Guru sermonized a 'SHABAD', the couplet of which is as below:-

Pɦooto ȧadaa bɦaram kaa manahi bɦaïõ paragaasu ||

i.e. The egg of doubt has burst; my mind has been enlightened.

Kaatee beree pagah ṭe guri keenee baṇḍi kɦalaasu ||1||--SGGS--1002

i.e. The Guru has shattered the shackles on my feet, and has set me free. ||1||

During this period, an old friend of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Sufi Saint Mian Mir came to meet Him. He found Guru Arjan calm and serene, having completely resigned himself to the will of God. At the sight of The Guru, he shed tears. He cursed the govt for atrocities on an innocent man of God. He said that he would pray for the destruction of the cruel govt. But The Guru calmed him and told him that it was the will of The God and no man should try to obstruct the will of The God. The Guru told him that:- "I bear all these tortures to set an example for the Sikhs so that they may not lose patience or vail against God in affliction, but face it bravely. The true test of faith is in the hour of pain, without examples to guide them, ordinary people's minds would tremble in the midst of suffering”. He further told him that this is the practical reply to the couplet below, the meaning of which he had asked Him to explain, when he last met Him in Amritsar. The GURU says that :-

Ṭanu manu kaati kaati sabɦu ȧrapee vicɦi ȧganee ȧapu jalaaëe ||4||--SGGS--757

i.e. I would cut my mind and body apart into pieces, and offer them all to You; I would burn myself in fire. ||4||

After hearing these words, Muslim Saint Mian Mir went away, singing the praises and admiring the will power of The Guru. After five days of torture, as Guru's body was completely damaged beyond recovery, they were afraid of any backlash. But The Guru asked for taking bath in river Ravi before he dies, they accepted His request as His body was badly blistered they thought when dipped in water will be more painful. As such He was taken into the river with a strong escort, but when The Guru took a dip in the water, He was not seen again and The light merged with The light. Thus Guru Arjan Dev Ji attained THE HOLY MARTYRDOM on 30th May, 1606 AD ( 7th jeth, 137 Nanakshahi).

Despite extreme torture, Guru Arjan Dev Ji remained calm, unruffled and unperturbed. There is no parallel to His MARTYRDOM in this world, bearing extreme torture with equanimity as per WILL OF The GOD, for spreading TRUTH, righteousness, fighting for freedom and equality for the humanity.

Guru Arjan Dev ji had realized earlier that violent intervention in His mission would not subside as Sikhism, despite its emphasis on peace and tolerance, was perceived by the Muslim rulers, Quazis and Brahmins as a threat to their religions. Therefore, to ensure that Sikhism could withstand such onslaughts, He trained His son, Hargobind in martial arts and instructed him to be armed and a keep a strong army.

Thus the Holy Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji brought a revolutionary change and proved a watershed in Sikhism as it changed the entire character of this reformatory religious movement. His successor, GURU HARGOBIND SAHIB Ji wore two swords symbolizing 'Miri' (Power) and 'Piri' (Saintliness) and maintained an army, as per directions of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. He had to fight four battles with Mughal rulers and won all the four battles, despite having only about 2500 Sikh warriors in first three battles and about 5000 sikh warriors in the last battle,  against a large Mughal army.                                                                    

GURU HARGOBIND SAHIB JI--A SAINT-SOLDIER

 GURU HARGOBIND SAHIB JI--A SAINT-SOLDIER

Guru HargobInd was born on June 14, 1595 AD in village Wadali in Distt Amritsar in Punjab in India. Guru Arjan Dev ji had realized earlier that violent intervention in His mission would not subside as Sikhism, despite it’s emphasis on peace and tolerance, was perceived by the Muslim rulers as a threat to their supremacy as the rest of the population of Indian subcontinent, except Rajputs, had submitted to Muslim rulers. Therefore, to ensure that Sikhism could withstand such onslaughts, Guru Arjan Dev ji instructed Baba Buddha Ji to train His son Hargobind in martial arts. Accordingly Baba Budha Ji instructed Young Hargobind in the sacred lore, taught use of offensive and defensive weapons, hunting, riding & wrestling etc. He grew to be an all-rounder, healthy, strong, as well as saintly and enlightened. As it was revealed to Guru Arjan Dev Ji, while in captivity, that the nascent religion can be guarded from annihilation only with the help of arms, He sent instructions to young Hargobind through a Sikh that he should be fully armed and maintain an army of Sikhs to the best of his ability, and transmigrated the light to him.

At the time of martyrdom of his father on May 30, 1606 AD, Guru Hargobind Sahib ji was only 11 years old. On the occasion of His succession ceremony to Guru-ship, He asked Baba Buddha Ji to adore him with two swords, one symbolising ‘Meeri’( shakti ) i.e. worldy leadership and the other symbolising ‘Peeri’ ( Bhakti ) i.e. the Divinity, as per advice of His father. He thus carried the torch lit by Guru Nanak and added to it  the lustre of the sword, to complete the mission of Guru Nanak. For this purpose, He laid the foundation of God's throne in front of Hari Mandar sahib on  july 2, 1609 AD and raised it to 12 feet height( keeping it above thrones of worldly kings ) and called it ‘Akaal Bunga', which lately came to be known as AKAAL TAKHT i.e. the throne of Almighty. Hari Mandar was the seat of spiritual authority and Akaal Takht became the seat of temporal authority.

He gave a call to young men to come to Him at Amritsar with horses and arms and gave them training in martial arts to protect human rights and faith of the people. The Guru also gave sermons and held morning and evening congregations from here and encouraged the people to have their disputes decided among themselves at this place. He enrolled a guard of 52 stout Sikhs, who formed the nucleus of His future Army. In due course, He formed an infantry of about 500 dedicated Sikhs, 60 gunners, 300 horsemen and 700 horses. These young men offered their services, to do and die for The Guru, with the wages of only two daily meals from Guru’s ‘Langar’ and one uniform after six months. The Guru gave them horses, arms and trained them in martial arts.

He also started the practice of singing of heroic poems/‘vaars’ by poets/ bards (Dhaadis) at the ‘Akaal  Takhat’ to arouse in the people the spirit of self-respect and kindle in them the desire of self rule. He built a fort at Amritsar, named Lohgarh. He had His own flag and a nagaara (drum), which was beaten at sunrise and sunset. He watched wrestling matches, shooting exercises with arrows and matchlocks. Thus, with meditation and preaching, He included riding, wrestling and hunting. He administered justice like a king in the court, accepted presents of arms and horses and  conferred honours and awarded punishments. He created a Govt of His own like that of Mughals and all His disciples formed a separate and independent entity, thus Sikhs occupying a kind of a separate state within the Mughal state. This was the beginning of militarism or transformation of Sikhism.

Evidently, the emperor Jahangir was alarmed at these preparations and activities of The Guru. Jahangir was also instigated by Guru's uncle Prithvi Chand, Chandu, Shaikh Ahmad sarhindi, a deadly foe of Sikh Gurus and shaikh Farid Bukhari, viceroy of Punjab, who was Guru's enemy, that The Guru Hargobind intended to raise a revolt. Jahangir ordered The Guru to pay the balance of fine of Rs two lakhs imposed upon His father. On being summoned to Delhi, The Guru went to the emperor and gave the same reply as given by His father that as He has not committed any crime, He would not pay any fine. As regards hunting and wearing arms, He replied that it was not banned by his Govt. About His holding courts, The Guru submitted that it related to religious matters and there was no politics behind it and He did not preach anything against his govt. Jahangir invited Him to join him in a hunting expeditions and on the way enquired from Him that why He called himself a true king, which implied that emperor was a false king. He replied that He did not tell any one to call Him true king, but it is out of His love with the people that they call him so.

After emperor fell ill at Agra, the astrologers told emperor to imprison Guru Hargobind to avert serious consequence of evil stars, on chandu's instigation. The Guru was arrested and sent as a prisoner to the fort of Gawalior in Madhya Pardesh, away from Punjab, where some other ruling chiefs were also serving their terms of imprisonment. The Guru’s followers started going to Gwalior fort and after kissing the walls of fort from outside, returned to their homes. Even good Muslims raised their voice in sympathy of The Guru and on intervention of Mian Mir, the emperor was moved to release The Guru. The Guru however did not accept the offer until 52 princes jailed with Him were released from jail along with Him on October 30, 1620 AD, each holding part of his garment for which He is known as “Bandi Chhorh” or deliverer.

Guru Hargobind Ji again met Jahangir on bank of river Beas and the emperor was very pleased to meet Him and persuaded The Guru to accompany him to Kashmir. The Guru travelled to Kashmir along with Jahangir. The royal camp halted enroute at Gujarat, where a Muslim saint Shah Daulah met The Guru and enquired why He being a religious man has a family, worldly wealth and horses. To this Guru replied “a wife is man’s conscious, his children are descendants, wealth gives sustenance and horses stand for status. Then another saint Goswami Ram Das, guru of Shivaji, met Him in Kashmir and asked The Guru that He being successor of Guru Nanak, why He was keeping sword, horses and army. The Guru replied that sword is to protect the poor and destroy the tyrant. Ram Das was pleased to hear the reply and he later trained Shivaji in the same manner.

Having developed cordial relations with Jahangir, He utilized the opportunity for preaching of Sikhism and travelled to Nanak Mataa etc. and eastern Punjab and many Hindus and Muslims became Sikhs. He utilized the opportunity for giving military training to his own followers and take possession of chandu for dully punishing him for his misdeeds.

However, after Jahangir died in 1627 AD, Shah Jahan succeeded him and he destroyed many Hindu temples and built mosques in their places. He also started repression of Hindus. While returning from Kashmir, he noticed that many Hindus of Rajauri, Bhimbar and Gujarat have married Muslim girls and converted them to Hinduism. He recovered about 4500 such women and fined their husbands and even executed some of them. He only allowed only those to retain these girls who braced Islam. Such Hindus looked up to Guru Hargobind for support and He came to their rescue. Consequently, The Guru was involved in a number of engagements with imperial forces. He had to fight four battles with Mughal rulers i.e. Hargobindpur, Amritsar, Mehraj(Lehra  Gaga) and Kartarpur. The Guru won all these battles, although He had only about 5000 soldiers, but all His battles were for defensive purposes.

This gave rise to a new heroism among the Sikhs and the people of the land, which aroused in them the will to resist Mughal rulers. After these battles, The Guru settled down at Kiratpur in 1635 AD and devoted the remaining seven years to preaching of Sikhism. He did not neglect the work spreading the light of Guru Nanak. He turned His attention to Bihar, Bengal, U.P and hilly regions ruled by Rajput princes, where there was no Mughal domination. He sent Masands / Udasis to hills, even up to borders of Tibet and Khotan etc., to spread message of Sikhism.

Knowing that His end was near, He appointed His grandson, younger son of Baba Gurdita, namely Har Rae as His successor. Consequently Dhir Mal, elder son of Baba Gurdita got antagonised and took the original copy of Adi Granth to Kartarpur. On refusal of His grandson Dhir Mal, to give the copy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, He excommunicated him from SIKH PANTH as he was misusing it for vested interests.

Thus the fruits of martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev ji were borne. He awakened His countrymen to rise against cruel Mughal rulers to get their wrongs redressed. He created a revolution in Sikhism by arming the sikhs and gave them military training and advancement, although He had clear conception that militarily he had little chances against mighty Mughal rulers. Thus He showed the true path of deliverance from political bondage to the people.

GURU AMAR DAS JI--A REFORMER PAR EXCELLENCE

                

                     

Guru Amar Das Ji was born on 5 May 1479, AD in village basarke in Dist Amritsar in Punjab in India, in the home of Mata Lachmi and father Tej bhan, a farmer and petty trader. He adhered to the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism for much of his life and followed Hindu ritual pilgrimages and fasts, being born in Hindu family. He was married to Mansa Devi and had four children.

One day on return from pilgrimage in 1539 AD, after a Hindu saint left his company after knowing that Amar Das had not adopted any spiritual Guru, he came to village khadur and heard his daughter Bibi Amro reciting hymns by Guru Nanak Dev Ji and was deeply moved by it. He persuaded her to introduce him to Guru Angad Dev ji, who was his father in -law's brother and was living in the adjoining house. After meeting Him, He adopted Him as his spiritual Guru at the age of 61 years. Thereafter he performed the service of bringing of water daily for bathing etc. for Guru Angad Dev Ji for a long period of 12 years from Goindwal located on river Beas at a distance of about 5 km from village khadur, despite any odds. Before leaving this world, Guru Angad Dev Ji transmigrated the light to him and handed over to him the pothi containing BAANI of Guru Nanak Dev ji, after adding His own BAANI and directed him to live in Goindwal. Thus He became Third NANAK and The Guru of the Sikhs on 26th march, 1552 AD.

Soon large numbers of Sikhs started flocking to Goindwal to meet The Guru. After his father's death, Datu one of Guru Angad's sons proclaimed himself as Guru at village Khadur, against the wishes of his father. He was so jealous of Guru Amar Das Ji that he, with a small group of his supporters, proceeded to Goindwal to confront the Guru. Upon seeing Guru Amar Das Ji seated on a throne surrounded by his followers he said, "You were a mere menial servant of the house until yesterday; how dare you style yourself as Guru and he kicked the aged Guru Amardas ji so hard that he fell to the floor. Taking the seat of the Guru he then proclaimed himself Guru to the assembly of Sikhs. The Sangat was indeed shocked as he not only acted against Guru Angad's wishes, but against centuries of respect that the people of India and the Punjab had for their elders and Gurus. Guru Amar Das, however, in utter humility, righted himself and caressed Datu's foot saying, "I am old and my bones have grown very hard, I fear they have hurt your tender foot. " After this Guru Amar Das left Goindwal that evening and returned to his native village of Basarke.

Guru Amar Das shut himself in a small house in that village for solitary meditation. He had told no one where he was headed, but just in case someone tracked him down, he put up a notice on the front door saying, "He who opens this door is no Sikh of mine, nor am I his Guru." A delegation of faithful Sikhs led by Baba Buddha found the house and seeing the notice on the front door, finally chose to 'go between the Guru's words', cutting a hole through a wall to reach their beloved Guru. Then Baba Buddha said to the Guru, "Guru Sahib, being a supreme yogi, we know you care for nothing in the world - neither fame, nor riches nor a following, but we cannot live without your guidance. Guru Angad has tied us to your apron, where should we go now if you do not show us the way ?" At the tearful entreaty of the Sikhs, Guru Amar Das Ji overwhelmed by their devotion, returned to Goindwal where Datu, who had been unable to gather any followers of his own, had returned to Khadur.

Third Nanak i.e. Guru Amar Dass ji  abolished casteism by institutionalizing the practice of “Pehle Pangat, Pachhe Sangat”, telling all to take meals in communal seating for bringing a feeling of equality among rich and poor, low caste and high caste etc. He instructed that anyone who wants to meet Him , he must first take meals in the LANGAR and then come to meet Him. He even asked Akbar to take meals in LANGAR by sitting in communal seating, before meeting Him. It was a crusade against a caste ridden society. When Akbar came to meet Him, He persuaded Akbar to abolish collection of tax (ZAZIA) from Hindu pilgrimages going to Haridwar.

Guru Amar Das Ji was an important innovator in Sikhism, who appointed 22 trained Sikh preachers called 'Manjis', a system that expanded and survived into the contemporary era. He orated a large no of hymens and added them to Pothi, received from Guru Angad Dev Ji. Guru Amar Das Ji gave us the gift of BAANI of Anand Sahib to be recited at time of all Sikh occasions such as baby birth/naming, wedding, funeral etc. He founded the town of Goindwal as centre of Sikh pilgrimage and dug a well( baoli with 84 steps below ground level). He also bought about 700 bigas of land for site of Harmandir Sahib from villagers of Tung, Dist Amritsar in Punjab.

He was a great reformer and discouraged the practices of ‘Sattee’ ( dying in funeral fire of husband by Hindu women) and the practice of observance of “Purdah”(veiling by Muslim women), which were prevalent at that time.  He introduced the practice of 'Daswand' (one tenth of income of Sikhs ) for utilizing for welfare of community and running of free kitchen for all, irrespective of caste, creed, low or high.

He emphasized that the human body is temple of The God and as such we must keep it clean and healthy. He prohibited use of intoxicants/alcohol in the strongest words, as it spoils the intelligence of human being and one even forgets The God and receives punishment at His court. Guru says that :-
Maañasu bɦariȧ ȧañiȧ maañasu bɦariȧ ȧaï ||.

 I.e. One men brings a vessel full of alcohol/intoxicants and another comes and fills a cup there.
Jiṭu peeṭai maṭi ḍoori hoï baralu pavai vicɦi ȧaï ||
I.e. Drinking the wine, his intelligence departs, and madness enters his mind;
Ȧapañaa paraaïȧ na pacɦɦaañaëe kɦasamahu ḍɦake kɦaaï ||.    I.e. He cannot distinguish between his own and others, and he is struck down by his Lord and Master.
Jiṭu peeṭai kɦasamu visarai ḍaragah milai sajaaï ||.     I.e. By drinking which the Lord is forgotten and the mortal receives punishment at His court.
Jɦootɦaa maḍu mooli na peecɦaëe je kaa paari vasaaï ||
i.e. Do not drink the false alcohol at all, as for as it lies in your power.
Naanak naḍaree sacɦu maḍu paaëeȧi saṭiguru milai jisu ȧaï ||.     i.e. O Nanak, the True Guru comes and meets the mortal; by His Grace, one obtains the True Alcohol.
Saḍaa saahib kai raṇgi rahai mahalee paavai ṭɦaaū ||1||--SGGS--554
I.e. he shall dwell forever in the Love of the Lord Master, and obtain a seat in the Mansion of His Presence. ||1||

Guru Amar Das emphasised both spiritual and ethical pursuits in daily life and advised all to wake up before dawn, do their ablutions and then meditate in silent seclusion on God. He taught us to be truthful, keep mind in control, eat only as per requirement, seek company of The holy I.e. SAADH SANGAT, make an honest living, not covet another's wealth and never slander others.  Guru says that:-
AAVHU SIKH SATGURU KE PIAARIHO GAAVHU SACCHI BAANI II
i.e. come, beloved Sikhs  of the true Guru, sing the true baani of the Guru.
BAANI T GAAVHU GURU KERI BAANIA SIEIR BAANI II----SGGS---921
i.e. sing the baani of the Guru, the supreme baani of all baanis.  
Kari ïsanaanu simari prabɦu ȧpanaa man ṭan bɦaæ ȧrogaa ||
I.e. After taking your cleansing bath, remember your God in meditation, and your mind and body shall be free of disease.
Koti bigɦan laaṭɦe prabɦ sarañaa pragate bɦale saṇjogaa ||1||--SGGS--611
I.e. Millions of obstacles are removed, in the Sanctuary of God, and good fortune dawns. ||1||

He stressed on contemplating on The word of the SHABAD of The Guru as it has come from The God. Although all living beings behold The True Guru, but it is not sufficient for attaining liberation. Guru says that:-
Vaahu vaahu baañee niraṇkaar hai ṭisu jevadu ȧvaru na koï ||--SGGS---515
I.e. Waaho! Waaho! is the Bani, the Word, of the Formless Lord. There is no other as great as He is.
Saṭigur no sabɦu ko vekɦaḍaa jeṭaa jagaṭu saṇsaaru ||
I.e. 'All the living beings of the world behold the True guru.
Dhithe mukaṭi na hovaëe jicɦaru sabaḍi na kare veecɦaaru ||--SGGS---594
I.e. One is not liberated by merely seeing Him, unless one contemplates the Word of His Shabad.

 GURU GOBIND SINGH JI--A SAVIOUR OF HUMANITY 

      ( on the eve of 350th janam shatabadi )

                                                

Due to a long spell of about 800 years of ruthless Turkish / Mughal rule, Hindus and even brave Rajputs and kashatris had totally lost their manliness, power and glory. The time had come that Hindu religion would have been eroded from India as happened with residents of Iran, Afghanistan, Balochs tan, Turkistan and the Qureshis in The Arab. At this crucial time, a Pious soul and a messenger of The GOD appeared in this world on December 22,1666 AD in Patna, India in the home of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji in the lap of MATA Gujar kaur Ji. He was named Gobind Rai as per directions given by his father, before leaving the home to enlighten the humanity in Bengal and Assam.

After His birth Peer Bhikhan Shah, who was living in Punjab, paid obeisance towards the east against Islamic practice of facing towards the west for praying. On questioning by his followers, he replied that the messenger of GOD has appeared in Patna in the east, as such he bowed toward east. He even told them that He would fight for truth, virtue and destroy the evil and finish tyrannical Mughal rule and create a new 'PANTH'.

Then Peer Bheekhan Shah went to Patna along with two of his disciples to receive His blessings. On reaching the house of infant Gobind Rai, he requested for meeting the Infant Gobind Rai, but the mother and grandmother of Gobind Rai refused initially, conveying him that the child is just about two weeks old and that he should come sometimes later. Else he can stay there and all facilities for the stay and food will be provided to him. But he insisted on meeting Gobind Rai, telling them that they should not fear as he is not an ordinary child but he is a messenger of The GOD and has come to save humanity and will destroy the evil. He sat in front of the door of the house and declared that he will not eat anything till he is allowed to meet Gobind Rai and continued singing praises of Guru Nanak. After about one and half day, seeing his determination to meet Gobind Rai, he was allowed to meet Him. After meeting Him, he placed two clay pots filled with sweats and covered with white cloth before Gobind Rai. Gobind Rai placed his both hands on both the pots. On seeing this, Peer Bhikhan shah was very delighted and started saying loudly that he is ‘Mureed’/disciple of Gobind Rai and touched His feet. On questioning by his two disciples that why is he taking back two pots filled with sweets placed before the child, Peer Bhikhan Shah replied that he kept one pot for Hindus and the other for Muslims to know that which of the two communities He would help. But He placed both of His hands on both the pots indicating that He will protect both, thus conveying the message that ALL HUMANITY IS ONE to Him.

Then GuruTegh Bahadur Ji also confirmed this, while giving instructions to His wife Mata Gujari ji, at the time of leaving Patna for Punjab, telling her that they should not treat Gobind Rai as a normal child as He is the messenger of The God and will be a GURU like earlier Sikh Gurus and a great reformer and warrior. He asked her to act according to his wishes and not to do anything contrary to His wishes. When the Sangat insisted Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji to stay for more time to fulfill their wishes, He told the Sangat of Patna that Infant Gobind Rai will fulfill all their desires, when they place their desires before him.

Guru Gobind SIngh Ji fullfilled wishes of Pandit Shiv Dutt and gave him ‘Darshan’ in the form of Sri Ram Ji, as he was praying since long to have Darshan of Sri Ram and he became a disciple of  Guru Gobind Singh Ji.    

                                                                                                                                          

Thus evidently Guru Gobind Singh ji was a messenger of GOD by birth, which is further authenticated by young Gobind Rai at the age of about 8 years, when He told his father that there is no soul holier than Him to sacrifice life for saving the lives and religion of Kashmiri Pandits, who had come to Him to seek His help.

Guru Gobind Singh ji himself says in His autobiography ‘Bachitar Natak’ that The God sent Him as His son, for propagating a righteous faith (PANTH) for fighting the evil and end repression in the world, as He says that :-

MEI APNA SUT TOHI NIVAZA II

PANTH PARCHUR KARBE KAHU SAAZA II

JAAHI TAHAN TEI DHARAM CHALAYAI II

KABUDHI KARAN TE LOK HATAYAI II 29 II--Bachitar Natak---69

Gobind Rai was about six years old when he was brought from Patna to Anandpur in February 1672 AD. He learnt Persian, Sanskrit and brijbhasha etc and became well versed in armoury training, horse riding and swimming etc., as he had great inclination towards warfare and used to make children fight artificial battles by dividing them in groups in Patna. When Gobind Rai was about eight and half years old, a deputation of Kashmiri Pandits requested Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji for saving their lives and religion as Aurangzeb was forcing them to convert to Islam or face death, as already many Hindus had been killed in Kashmir, as Sri Guru Teg Bahadur ji had become popular among the people. Gobind Rai, who was then by the side of The Guru, asked Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji the reason for being in deep thought, to which The Guru replied that some Holy  person has to sacrifice his life to save their lives and religion. Gobind Rai replied instantaneously that:- 'Who can be more Holier than You'. The climax reached after Guru Tegh Bahadur asked Kashmiri “Pandits” to tell Aurangzeb that if he converts Guru Tegh Bahadur ji to Islam, who is their Guru, they will all follow the Guru and convert to Islam.On learning this, Aurangzeb summoned Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji to Delhi. Having been convinced that Gobind Rai will be able to meet the challenges of the hard times ahead, He consoled the family and the Sikhs and handed over the responsibility to Gobind Rai and left Anandpur to proceed to Delhi on His own volition, along with close companions, He was arrested enroute on 12th July, 1675 AD in village Malikpur near Ropar and taken to Sirhand and then sent to Delhi in an iron cage on 5 November 1675 AD. He was asked to convert to Islam and tortured for five days, to which The Guru refused.Then His close companions were extremely tortured to death I.e. Bhai Mati Dass was sawn alive, Bhai  Sati Das was wrapped in cotton and burned to death and Bhai Dyala JI was boiled to death in water in front of the Guru so that on seeing the torture He may accept Islam. As The Guru remained unmoved, He was put in chains and was asked to perform miracle, which even He refused, to appease the persecutors. Consequently He  was then publicly beheaded and martyred on 11th Nov,1675 AD in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, which The Guru endured with infinite peace, sacrificing His life to save religion and life of Hindus, for the sake of humanity.

Tenth Nanak i.e. Guru Gobind  Rai was only about nine years old, when the great responsibility of directing the affairs of the Sikhs fell on His shoulders. He was very saddened to learn from Bhai Jaita, who carried the head of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji from Delhi after a perilous journey and presented to Guru Gobind Rai at Anandpur Sahib, that at the time of the trial of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji very few Sikhs, with the exception of immediate followers, had shown the courage of their conviction. Also the fact that only a few sikhs volunteered to take the headless trunk of The Guru to perform the last rights by eluding the guards was disheartening. Amongst the few Sikhs was Lakhi Shah Vanzara, who burnt down his own house in order to cremate Guru Tegh Bahadur ji's body(trunk).Thus Guru Gobind Rai visualized the danger of backsliding among the Sikhs. He therefore vowed that He will make appearance of The 'KHALSA' as ordained by WAHEGURU, who will be spotted and identified even amongst a crowd of lacs and who will be fearless and fight against oppression for the cause of humanity.

The exemplary self-sacrifice of His father to protect the oppressed at the cost of His life was engraved in His heart. The task before Him was stupendous, having no resources, no army, no wealth, but only a handful of Sikhs for this purpose. He was aware of killing cowardice and utter despondency of the Hindus who had fallen in all aspects, i.e. cast-ridden, lost manliness being suppressed by Muslim rulers, having faith in many gods, Demigods, Goddesses, stones, fire, water, animals, vegetation, metals etc.The spark of fighting for humanity was lit in the heart of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji , which all earlier Hindu reformers such as Sri Ramachandra, Sri Krishna, Shankaracharya and Ramanuja greatly lacked.Thus with great wisdom, patience for an opportune time in mind and desire of cooling down the opposition of Ram Rai ( a contender for Guruship), GURU GOBIND RAI retired to the hills in the state  of Nahan, where He founded a fort called 'Paonta' on land offered by the ruler of Nahan. He calibrated ways and means to free His countrymen from the bonds of sins and sufferings. He placed literary activity in the forefront of His programe of national reconstruction and for this purpose He engaged 52 poets. His purpose was to diffuse a new spirit among the people and devise means to utilize to its good effects. He studied chronicles of great warriors and philosophies of other religions. He also practised riding, hunting, swimming, archery and sword play etc. Sikhs started gathering around Him, seeing His 'aura' and accepting the fact that Ram Rai’s claim had proven hollow. He then set to prepare an army of Sikhs. His living embraced all phases of life i.e. moral, socio-political and spiritual. Guru Gobind Singh Ji has made His mission clear in “Bachitar Natak", where  He says that He came to this world to propagate principle (dharma) and to protect saints and annihilate tyrant rulers and that He Prays God for seeking His blessings for appearance of The ' KHALSA'. Guru says that :-

Thadh bhayou mei jori kar  Bachan Kahu Sirr niayaie. II 

Panth Chalie tab Jagat mei Jab tum karo sahayie. II--BACHITAR NATAK --p---69

His intellectualized emotions rose to the highest when He communes with The God, which is mentioned in His Baani, “Akaal Ustat”, where He addresses God with “Tu Hi” sixteen times, and gets absorbed for 16 hours. His increasing influence made hill rulers jealous and they attacked Him and the Guru defeated them in the battle of 'Bhangani ' in 1686 AD. But the Guru did not use the victory for any political gains and returned to Anandpur. Here, He built four forts to keep hill state rulers in check. He tried to rouse the hill people and hill rulers to a sense of national unity but found them not rising above caste and, racial prejudices and vested interests by making common cause with Muslim rulers and even joining hands with the enemy against Him. After having exercised all possible peaceful means of persuasion to stop the repressive acts of the Mughal rulers against humanity, The Guru  was forced to take up armed struggle when he declared that :-

CHU  KAR  AZ  HAMA HEELTE  DAR GUZASHAT II

HALAL  AST  BURDAN  BA SHAMSHEER DASAT II 22 ||   Dasam Granth ( Zafarnama )

i.e.  all modes of redressing a wrong having failed; raising of  sword is pious and just.

The sword remained to be put to test. He also felt that the Sikhs were very limited in
number to take on the Herculean task of wrecking the tyranny of the Mohammedan rulers and put an end to the evil. He felt the necessity of building the Psyche of Indians and in particular the Hindu mind as it had lost its manly character and had become submissive and the very sight of the sword terrified them. Moreover, the Hindus of north India had no truck with the Hindus of south India, both being unconcerned with the east India and none of these having any single practice common with the western India. The Indian people had been reduced to servile and spineless people as Hindostan was completely enslaved by the Mohammedans, so much so that even Rajputs had started offering their daughters to Mughal rulers. Something spectacular and miraculous was needed to revolutionize the thought and will of the the people of the people.

The Guru decided to wake up their conscious and make them brave and fearless by baptising them with KHANDE DI PAHUL (Amrit) i.e. the water of immortality and give them a unique identity. He called a congregation at Anandpur on Baisakhi day i.e. March 30, 1699 AD. When all were seated, He drew out His sword and said loudly, “Is there anyone here, who would lay down his head for Dharma”?. After this call, the whole assembly was thrown into commotion, but THE GURU went on repeating His demand. At the third call, Daya Ram, a Khatri of Lahore, volunteered. The GURU took him into an enclosure. He came out with the sword dripping in blood and asked for another head. At this instance Dharam Chand, a jat of Delhi, came forward and was taken into the enclosure. In a similar fashion, three more men offered themselves for the sacrifice. The GURU after dressing these five in handsome attire with flowing beards and 'KES' (hairs) maintained; submitting to Laws of nature/ Will of GOD and tying handsome turban to preserve them nicely and brandishing four other 'KAKARS' i.e. 'KARHA', 'KASHEHRA', 'KANGHA', 'KIRPAN', Symbolising holiness, spirituality, masculinity, self-restraint, sovereignty and destroyer of darkness and brought them before the assembly. He baptized them with“khande da Pahul" (Amrit) I.e. water of immortality, which was prepared by stirring water in an iron bowl with His double edged sword called “Khanda” and  reciting the divine ‘baanis’ of 'Japji', 'JAAP', 'Tav Prasad Savaiye', 'Kabio Baach Benti Chaupai' and 'Anand Sahib' Himself with the blessings of The God and which was sweetened with sugar crystals added by Mata Sahib kaur ji. He baptized them by making them drink KHANDE DI PAHUL (the water of immortality), pouring “Amrit” into their eyes and head. He also asked them to drink it from the same iron bowl, although four of them were from low castes and one was from high caste. Thus with this revolutionary deed, The Guru turned 'jackals' to “lions” and emboldened 'sparrows' to face “Eagles” and simultaneously took a great step for abolishing caste system in India and created a caste less universal brotherhood. Thus He made religious fervor the backbone of His warlike doctrines and created the practical skill with mystical meditation, the subsequent results of which speak for themselves.

Thus The 'NAAM' and spirit of Omnipotent God was instilled into water with having recited 'GURBANI', thus turning it into “Amrit” and sugar crystals were added to it ,giving the devout and the fearless the character of love, tolerance, respect, humanity along with traits of a warrior as per Divine Command. He called them “Panj Piaras” i.e. Beloved ones and gave them the name “Singh”. He also gave them the slogan “Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji KI Fateh” to greet each other. The Guru then requested these five beloved ones to give Him “Amrit” and make Him their first disciple as they collectively should be His Guru. He thus became Guru Gobind Singh from Guru Gobind Rai. The Guru hence  set an example of religious development in the world i.e. The Guru baptizing the followers and the followers baptizing The Guru. The Guru thus passed the leadership to “Panj Piaras” and called them 'KHALSA', who is subordinate to none as 'KHALSA' belongs to The ALMIGHTY GOD AND IS HIS ARMY to fight evil in the world and has appeared as per HIS WISHES AND WILL SURVIVE TILL ETERNITY. THE GURU thus completed the framework of a SIKH for which it took almost 200 years to complete the task. THE GURU declared that 'KHALSA' has been born as per wishes of the God as Guru says that :-

KHALSA  KAAL PURAKH KI FAUJ  II     
PARGATYO KHALSA PARMATAM KI MAUJ II--Guru Gobind Singh ji (Sarbloh Granth)-line-459  

i.e. khalsa is God's army. it has appeared by the will of Almighty God.

He took this revolutionary step, realizing that evil in the world was spreading on the wings of the sword. He thus decided to face it by organizing virtue with the help of sword so that the sword of a reformer should act as surgeon’s knife. Thus the founding of “KHALSA” was the climax of founding of Sikhism. The people divided as Hindus, Muslims, rich, poor, low and upper castes were united into one universal brotherhood. Thus the religious evolution started by Guru Nanak reached its goal i.e. the communities which hated each other were united into one brotherhood i.e. SIKHISM. The Guru thus made appearance of The “KHALSA”, who will worship one God, be sovereign in religious and political aspects of life and fight for justice, freedom and equality and punish the evil and endure to establish a humanitarian rule. He called the “KHALSA” His own self as the Guru says that :-

KHALSA MERO ROOP HAI KHAAS II

KHALSE  MAHIE HOUN KAROUN NIWAAS II

JAB LAG KHALSA RAHE NIYAARA II

TAB LAG TEJ DEEOUN MAEN SAARA II-------Guru Gobind Singh ji (Sarb loh Granth)--p--291

i.e. ‘Khalsa’ is very essence and I live in the KHALSA”. Till the Khalsa is perfect/ pure as envisaged by Him, His blessings will be with the Khalsa. 

Thus The 'KHALSA' created by Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji, acting on the advice, the spirit and with the blessings of The Guru, gave a Heroic fight to the Mughal/Turkish rulers and routed the Sirhand Muslim ruler and thus the first SIKH STATE of Sirhand was created by Baba Banda Bahadur Singh in 1710 AD as per directions of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji given to him at  Nander in 1708 AD, after The Guru gave him five arrows, Nagara and directed him to act on the advice of five sikhs He deputed with him for advice. Baba Banda Bahadur Singh established a humanitarian rule and gave ownership rights of land to the actual tillers of the land i.e. the farmers. No Mosques were destroyed and no Muslims were killed, except the rulers. Continuing their tirade,the Sikhs then established 12 Sikh 'Misals' from boundaries of Delhi to Lahore under different brave Sikhs Generals such as Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Nawab Kapur Singh,Charat Singh, Sham Singh Attariwala etc. The 'KHALSA' then unified these 'Misals' and ultimately established 'KHALSA RAJ' right from boundaries of Delhi to 'DARYA KHYBER' in Afghanistan under Ranjit Singh in 1799 AD, who was declared Maharaja in 1802 AD by Sahib Singh Bedi, who was 'sarbarah' of Akal Takhat.The brave 'KHALSA' Generals like Hari Singh Nalwa fought so bravely that his name haunted the Muslims and Pathans and they used to frighten their children by taking his name. He was so strong that he killed a lion without any weapon by pulling apart his both jaws, when he was asked by Maharaja Ranjit Singh to fight the lion on the behest of Dogras, as Dogras wanted him to be killed.

Thus the prophecy of Guru Gobind Singh Ji made in ' jafarnama' written to Aurangzeb that :- 'How does it matter that you have killed my four sons, but my KHALSA snake is alive, Who will finish / swallow your empire and make you pauper, proved to true and THE KHALSA destroyed The Mughal rule. Thus SRI GURU GOBIND SINGH Ji transformed the cast-ridden, coward, fallen and utterly despondent society of Hindu India to “lions”, to whom He gave the name of 'KHALSA ', who removed the shackles of slavery of about 800 years suffered by Indian people , by destroying the tyrant Mughal/Turkish rule in Punjab and creating the 'KHALSA RAJ' in North-west of India. Brave sikh generals like General Hari Singh Nalwa blocked the entry of foreign invaders from Khyber pass forever, which laid the foundation for destroying Mughal rule in Hindostan. So much so that sikh generals like BAGHEL SINGH occupied the Delhi throne and unfurled 'KHALSA' flag over Lal Qila. But as THE ' KHALSA' did not have enough army to control whole of the area and  therefore left it after taking Rs three crores in cash as booty and taking assurance for building Gurdwaras in memories of Sikh Gurus in Delhi, for which about 4000 sikh Army stayed back who built these Gurdwaras.

Thus when we visualize the short life of 42 years of GURU GOBIND SINGH JI, it is like being connected to a live electric wire. He was luminous like the sun and had conquered death. Although all Gurus contributed to the task started by Guru Nanak Dev JI for the welfare of humanity but SRI GURU GOBIND SINGH JI reached the climax. He completed the task by giving birth to 'THE KHALSA', and giving the status of THE LIVING GURU to SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI as it gives a universal message for the humanity at large, Thus The GURBANI in Sri Guru Granth Sahib became the spirit and soul and if the Sikh Nation acts as per this spirit, their life attains the true spirit of the GURBANI, it becomes THE KHALSA- the pure and true and therefore the “GURU KHALSA PANTH”. In consonance with Guru Gobind Singh ji’s wishes the Sikh faith is guided by joint sovereignty of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and “GURU KHALSA PANTH” i.e “GURU GRANTH PANTH” i.e. the Guru is the scripture permeating in the Sikh community. But at the same time,Tenth Guru cautioned that if The ‘KHALSA’ follows the brahmanical ways and thus departs from the spirit of ‘Gurbani’, He will not be with them. Guru says that:-

JAB EH GAYE BIPRAN KI REET  II

MAEN NA KAROON IN KI PARTEET  II----Guru Gobind Singh ji (Sarbloh Granth )--p--291

I.e. If The Sikhs follow the brahmanical ways, The Guru will not give His blessings to The KHALSA.

Thus The GURU says that if the Sikhs do not act on the directions of the Guru in ‘Gurbani’ and do not imbibe its true spirit and follow the brahmanical ways, they do not get Guru’s blessings and thus lose the rights of “KHALSA” and become the same host of misguided people who existed before the advent of the Guru and consequently lose the right to be part of 'GURU GRANTH PANTH'.

THERE IS NO PARALLEL TO THE SACRIFICES OF GURU GOBIND SINGH JI IN THIS WORLD, AS HE SACRIFICED HIS ENTIRE FAMILY i.e. FATHER, MOTHER, FOUR SONS FOR FIGHTING REPRESSION AND END EVIL FOR THE WELFARE OF HUMANITY AT LARGE, WHEN ALL WARS IN THE WORLD HAVE BEEN FOUGHT FOR WOMEN, LAND / KINGDOM. WE SHOULD PLEDGE TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF TRUTH, LOVE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, EQUALITY AND FIGHTING REPRESSION AND ENDING EVIL FOR ESTABLISHING A TRULY DEMOCRATIC RULE IN THE WORLD, FOR WELFARE OF HUMANITY AT LARGE.