A short sketch of the life and work of guru gobind singh bhagat lakshman singh by Sikh Digital Library

A SHORT SKETGH

THE LIFE AND WORK

THE 10TH AND LAST GURU OF" THE SIKHS, .

HHAGAT LAKSHMAN SINGH, DI~TnI(:'l'

I NSPB!:'l'0I1

01' SCHOOLS,

L UDll lANA,

HISTORY AND BNOLISH LI'l'.~I'A. ~fIS8ION COLLEGE, HAWALPINDI, FORMERLY MEMBER, KUALSA COLLEGE COUNCIL, LATE EDITOR OF H'llnE KHALSA."

LA'l'}':;

PROl!'J<JSSOR 01'

'l'URI-J,

GOHDON

1909. Prinwd at "The Tribune Steam Press," whort. PRICE ONE RUPEE.

Pain gar! jab

te tllmre,

. .

Tab'te kou allkh tUl'e tlaMn allgan.

" Lord, since I took shelter at t,by feet, I have not noticed anyone !" Eliai kaj dhUl'a IUlln jWUllIIam, Salll(U" leo Sad"lt sab -l ila 1II1II1Il1ll, DltmÂˇ/It clw/Uwan sallt Ill/haran, Du,y/tt sltbltan ko mill "P(t1'(ltl.

this purpose was I born, Underst.and all ye pious people! To inaugurate righteollsness, to lift ull tbe good, To destroy all evil-doers, 1'00t and branch!"

" F01'

Kahiyo Pl"abh zi so bltak" llltil. ,

Kis"

1/(1

"all "ak" 111<11,â&#x20AC;˘

" As the Lord told me I say. I do not feal' anyone,"

Btt;O\Q~T

B;o\!.MUKANll, B.;o\., U..B .â&#x20AC;˘

(llied October 31"11, lOOt). PLEADER, CHIEF COURT, PUNJAB.

Jeloueb Jrofb~r, For t.hy amiabilit.y and s p c ckl('~sly pm'!' life, thy sdllc8R }mt.riotisJl1, and t.hy dl'Yont reg:nd for India's g-rcat. 1111'11, I takl' t.hc libt'rfy to dedicatc to thy s:l(~rcd memory Illy j his hl1l11ble effort to sketch the life /Iud wOl'k of (mp of tll e g reatest. of IlIdil\' ~ SOliS. III \iI'", though thon wast Ft hardly 30, thy "kathUs " from Hie Upuishads, and thc MahaBhltl'ata l'aiscd UIC ~ pirits lind gladdelled the hClirts of thc eong regatiou s of t.hy towlISmcn Hnd tOWIISwomen. I trnst that, in death, through t.hi s hnmblo work, thou mayst heal' a message of hope Rnd cheer to the down-trodden lind the lowly of this unfortunRte faction-ridden land of sociRI and religious tyranny .and of superstition aml oppression. March 10th, 1909, A. D.

LAKSHMAN SINGH.

INTROD UOTION. Bhngat Lak,hUlRn Singh, th" wl·iter of thoJUI'moir, has ('h<:l""n to renwlUb~r me kindly in connection with his con("('ptioll of this work IIUU now insists (lU my writiug " IWl'fH('" in "pite of my Itwl, of leisnre 'HI (I o"cupatioll of mind wit It mat,tprK other than .Iiterm·y, Thongh yipl(ling to hi~ J!cor"i"tPlICe I regret, n'l'y mlteh that T shllll not he nhl" to (·onVl'.y to the 1"eallm" what I hllve feU, for many },'ars now, IIbont· Ih ,' s nhjp-d. of thi~ slu,t("h. (t1ll'U Go.ind SinKh hllK hpcn a nnilllte ptJrsonalit., in hist,or)" tIll' fnll heal'iug 01" who,.. Iifp has yet to lw roalizPll. BOl'II in IL ramily of "nlp1",' of m"n', mind, lit It timp of g"'''Ht difficult.y in t·ho hi,;tory of his eounh'Y, amnngst l& ('ollllllnnit.y of oPlH'essetl, U"IH"eS,;"t1 and disOL'gauisc(1 I)('opl", he showeu himself "quill to till' orcasion lIllIl has left illllelible mal'kK on the mareh of evcuts. WLlIlt, " diffkult. position had he and how diu he IWI)uit, himself ?-Sllm8 IIp the life of thi, OUIl of t,h(, gl'ellte.Ht of t,h(, human-born. He was horu to " gadd; of II snccession of saints, whose high and unblemislwd lin's, who~e nni!Jlw nnu ullrh"nlled teachings, whoso 1'IIsition liS protl~ct01"S lind saviors he had to contiune unuer mnch morc complex conditions aud in awkward times. He was not to sllcceed to a gllddi of ("'C'~tiC8. bnt. to mlll'L'Y, real' up children and see t.heir end. He WIIS til snceeed to a position of wealth, )lower and ,,/flnencl', all of which he had to ndminish,l' not forbis own IItHl his family's good bnt for the good of thl' commnnity. He ball to receive homage from the l'nlt'I'8 Rnd the ruled, the rich Ilodlllie poor; the good

aad the bad, the high and the low, and to keep hishead calm lind coo\. He hlld the choi,'e of perpetuating the succession of his fllmily, he hlld the option of ilworpol'lIting himself with the mightit',t of the Iml(l alld the times, he had tIll' temptlltion to wI'cek tIl(' work o[ generation,; what he ,lid a..tnally in 111 .. ,(' lIlaHer,.; is wpll lmow II HlHI need", 110 repetitiou, HIll'w IIIP a llIall ill th" histol'Y of t}\(O world ill snch dif1i:lllt p,,,it iOIl allti wit h SII('h a spi!'IHli(1 r('('ol'd, 01' this 1I1111l Bha~'at f,,,k,,hrullU Sing'h writ",.; and

wl'it ('.' a.' a h"li!'u'I', :'ILllly ot h!'r,; will I'ol\ow aud 'VI'it.!' piJiio,.;ophi!'all,l. "I'iti"all) a III I with more mat!'rial" at th"il' (lisl'"."d and .,how th"t nlll'u Govind Sill.!(h wa~ a :-;Hi Ll t~ Hdwlal', :o-:oldi(,I*, :--;taJt':-nnan Hnd ~:niollr, tIll' like 01' whi('h lIlay not ('Ollie agaill, LA HOlm:

HIli .1lttJ'('h, WOO, )

HARJOSHKIILAL,

PllEFAO~.

Of all works on Sikh hi~tory compiled by Enropean authors not one contllins a comprehensive account of the life of Guru Govind Singh, the 10th and Inst Guru of the Sikhs. As It rule these writer'! hllve commenced ibcir works from the time of Bn ha Nltnak, t.he founder of t.he Silih ('['eed, and baye cneled thf'm with It hrit'f refe'rl'ne'(\ to !.lie politie~ftl "011vlllsiollS of the perio(l in whie'h th" 1Htlt Gllrll plnycd 1101, a mlall part. TIH'y hcli"n'el, Illong with tho majority of the ludiau wrile!' .• , that. tlH' principal "'Ol'/( Clf till' Gllrll WIIS of a pol it i('nl natu!'l' nnd by giriug him ClI'e'lIil fell' this th,'y thonght that t.hey had said all j·hat, ('ould he ~l\id of hilll. This, I s nlJlllit, i" tOCI POft1' II trihute to the nWlllOl'y oj' the Guru. I han' h'i",l to show, ill thi" 1Il111110il', that IIi. militnl'y It('hicvclll('nhl were Clnly a ..tln-pt",]! in hi ..; iiI',' a1111 t hat. hi, gr"nt and lasting' wOI·k was to pr('a('h th" ]<'al.h(,l'hoo<1 of Go<1 >11111 t.ile lll'otlll'rhood of ,"an, when'by he illfns,',l trull lllalllill~sS illto till' h('arb; of Hw I'eol'!(' of th:~ lalHl. I have endeal'llCll·,'d to write, II SiUlple, rca,lahll' and helievable St01'y of the GUI.'U'S life and hal''' based it mainly on the Dassalll GranUI which COlltlliuR writ.ings believed t.o have heen written by the Gur,. himself. I have ",efcrretl t.o the contemporary and later Moslem historians and English writers on Indian history and, where necessary, I have quoted largely frolll them to (·.orroborate what I have said. I have visited several of the Gurudwaras RIllI places of note with which t.he memory of t.he Guru is associated, Rud have Ilcrsonally enquired into the traditions that are current there. In a word, I have done all that my bumble resources eould permit me to do. I do not, of course, believe that I have

.aid all t.hat could be said about. the Guru, or that I have exhausted all sources of information in writing this work. I have only attempted to place ill the hands of the English knowing public a handy book containing a simple narrative of the life of one who is regari!ed as SavioUL' by millions of men, inhabiting the land of the Five Waters. I fed confidcnt that my humble effort will stimnlatc fin intere~t in t,i1e work of the Divine Poet" Sage, Refoi'mel', Patriot find Martyr, an(l that abler and better informed men will feel ell(~onragc(l t.o write a con]prph(,llsin~ acconnt, of hi, life. The P"rsiHn l'a"Hge on pages 51 and 52 and its trllnslHtion have been taken fl'om a paper ('ontributed to the" Tribune", SOllle 3 yellrs ba('k. Thc Persian extl'act. ou JlRge 4,t 11118 been inserted on the authority of II Muslim frieud. I have not been able to .. crify the Huthorship of these pllssagcs. Some friends haH' just told me that Snndri Devi, and not .Titoji, WH.; the Guru's first wife. The suggestiou has come too late fot路 t.iw institution of lin enquiry. The bllttl" of llhnng'llli hilS been purposely described along with other batt.!es of the Guru with the hill Rajas, for the sake of t.he tenor of the story. Though it had taken place sometime before the foundation of the" Pauth," its cnuse WHS the same-the resentment of the hill Rajas at the Guru's efforts to infuse military spirit into his followers and to march, at times, in milit.ary array. LAHORE:

LAKSBMAN SINGH. Jiareh IOtA, 1909.

INTRODUCTION. "God ercates slIints from age to Itge", say our Sl'l'iptnrl1s, .. mIll preserres rirt'lle."* The history of the humlln 1'11('(' bear" Itbundant. testimony to the truth emhodied in these worlh. How Galltltlll Buuha 1ll'(,Hehed 10H' nnd sympathy, how Christ was ('I'u!'ified whil(' stl'i"illg to h'aeh the ll'ssons uf ehllrity and rig!Jtrous dell ling, how, Ilgain, the Sufis ha ve l'lldellvoured to mollify the stuhhorn henrt, of 1lI1lny II follower of the CI'CS('('nt, :ue IIII1H('r, Qi' lliotory, Gurll Goriml Singh's mission was eXlldly the same. Hl-brought the RIIIIIp messllge and receired nun·t~rdom whcn comlllllllil'ating' it. The sanl\' srene is enllcted in the drama of human life fl'OIll IIge to age, The plld played is the same, more or h.ss. Only the time, stage, lind lIetul'S are different" The story of Guru Govind Singh's life is at onc. pathetic am!" heart-stirring. Bereft of his sllintly fathel', when yet II l.hild, trouhled hy jealous kinsmen, persl'cuh-d by unscrupulous foes, nnd hetl'RYl'd hy falsI' friends, Jill lived tu he ahle to procure freedom for his countrymen from the tyrRnllous IloliticRI yoke of the Mughal and the demoralizing sph'itual subjection of the Brahman. He swened not, from duty He ('ommunicated hi8 message holdly and fearlessly. The times of his advent were very hard. The Hindn social ~ystem had deadenell the hearts of peopl•• Eaeh individual lived for himself, The feelings of

* Jug .Jug Bhagnt Upninda paij rakbdll aiyli.

2 manliness and sympathy wet'e gone, A desire t& avenge wrong was not felt, Even a wild mouse presents a bold front to the enemy when he stands at hay, But, t hauks to the fl'aml'rS and administrators of the Hindu IIIW, the whole mnss of the humauity, within the Hiudu pnh" had hecome iUBlIiuUlh', H~ it W('l'P. It:-; 111('11 were takl'H into ('''pli,ily IIlld WOIll('1l 80Id ill Ihe frouti,'r mal'lid,,; hul il lIlovl'd not. In addilioll 10 Ih .. calamilil'" that th" Punjah Hindus sulrer!'d frolll Iwillg' ('xl'os!'d to th .. fl'("l'H'llt inroad., of the Muslim inHull'rs th,'y I,ad to put lIJl witl,' ('onslaut ill,uH" at the hlluds of tlw Muslim ollieiab and Ilohll's, I,ife and prOIH'rty \l'1~l'e not ~af('. Y{HI1Ig'~ IllHllfll'l'ied, heautiful Biudll girl" w!'rl' for"ihly Inkl'n away from their parent sand glUlI'dians, Marl'ig!' padies Well' waylaid, llride-grooms were assa,sillat .. d aud their In'id,,s WH!' gnateh .. ,l frolll them. The Hiudu pla!'l's of worslli" IV!'!'!' dl'sl'(','aIL'" ; hut uo Iloti('!' was talit'll of n", ,'on,h]('t or n", rnJ1inus who did .'0, A rl'glllar ('lllllpHigll, 1I1Hl(,I' uf1i('ial pat-l'OlHtgc, was going 011 to Jor('ihly "OUYl'd thl' Hindus to th" Mnslim Faith; and, tllll,;, hroH... r" \\'1'1'1' lorn fro III hrotlH'rs, fnUlIn's IImI Illuthl'l' .... frolH tIll'il' ...;ou~ Hila ua.l1~:htPlÂˇS. 'l'ho~l" who rl'fused were tortured til death. All Hinull hellrths wcr,' house~ of 1ll01lrlling, A ('onstant wail went forth from the Biudu Pllnjab. 'I'h" unl'ortllnllt .. , oppressed' l)l''')l11' fOllnd ('omlllation ill t hpi!' religion, They Ilttrihllted their hOllhles til Fate IIud resigned themsl,lvl's to Fall'. T1lt'y thuught they were being punished fur theil' â&#x20AC;˘ Karmas', ill pl'c\'ious births, and Hlllt their o}llJrt'ssors IVl)rl' lIot to hlame! They wero

;}

only instrnments in the hands of God! What otherattitude could. be adopted by a people who had become mentally so low as to aeqnie.'lce iu tho belief that C\"eIl Par" Ralll, wll{) is sni(l to han' annihilatml fh(' whole Kshatrya raee, wa" an incllrnation of Yishnn lind was, as sneh. ('utitled til t111'ir homage! this llPlll't-l'l'Jl(lillg S""Ill' GilI'll OllyilHl Singh apPl'arl'd, as a heale]'. to IlL'!'a"h " n"w UIl,!' .. 1 to the oppr(',,,cd hnmanity. HI' Illld thelll til disl'ar(1 theil' worthIes,.; oM helieY"t and til throw themsehes Oil tllP tIIel'ey of the Gra(路ion.,.; P,'oridell(,p and they wllnld he SflYe(\. "Sin all(1 sllIT('I'ing appl'oll('h not those who llH'ditate on tllP Lord's IlHIIlP" wa.' 1111' message he hl'onght, II" mUlI(, thplIl I\ndcl'stllml that all su/fl1ring wall the r"",11 of thpi]' own failings, that God sellt no it'ouhlc, t.hat the oppresso],s werl' not IIis im!rnnwnts. that Ih!''y shllllld helil'rl1 ill OUl' Uo(l ant! shonld Ion' onc auotllPr as hrothel'H, that thpJ sllOnltl ris(, togetlH'r IIml fall togdhcr, that they ,honld rl'sist Rml root out nll eril-doers. that thl'Y ~ltollld not fl'lIr death, and that tlll'y shonld rl'garll lifl' only I\S 11 lIleallS to 1111 eutl-to attain heatitude at the fl,et of the Timell'ss One, Hl' died in Ol'dCl' t.lmt God's PCOlilc ,houhllin'. Thosl' who hl'lu'd the lIIl'ssagl' wert' san'{l. Himln hroth~r'. you have (lisowlll'd your Sayionl'! 011

LAHORE;

}

LAI(SHMAN SINGH.

Dall'd .1/(/1'('" 10th, 1909.

t Phokat dhal'm na kandi kamau,

THE AUTHOR'S OBLIOATIONS.

I am indebted to my esteemed friend, Hon'bl. Lala Harkishen Lal, B. A., Barristel'-at-Law, Cantab. tIll' great pioneer of iudustrial progress in the Pnnjab, for the conception and publication of this work, It WIIS he who, eight ,P'III'S back, put the idea into my hea(l to record what I knew of the Guru and it is, IIg'ain, he who has horne the expense" of it~ puhlication aud Ims Ilrranged for it, sale 011 ('ost price. The major portion of the book was 'Vl'ilten, six years haek, when Illy time was my own and it would llllve heen puhlished the sallll' year; but it was my dl'sirl' to th'st show it t;o some ft'iPIHls with a ri('w to gd language and style improved, so far as possible. My friends, Indillns and Europeans both, 11IlHl not., for some rl'l\SOn or othel', ht'en lwlpflll in this matter. So tIH' hook appl'ars h.'fore the puhlic lllainly liS it. was written. The only Sikh who 11118 been of SOllle IIssistance to llle in going through the proofs nnd giving seveml useful suggestions is my young friend aud pupil, Bhai .Jodh Singh, M. A ,Professor of Divinit.y, Khalsa College, Alllrit.sar, to whom my acknowledgments are due. Ul\(!t,r the cil'l'umstanl'!'s it must be full of imperfe('tiow. ; but if till' IIdlllil"I'l'H aud disciples of the Guru kindly fll\'lllll' me with their snggestions the 2nd oditioll lllay Ill' cOlllparlltin'ly II f1awlcss one. LAllOln: ;

Jlurch lUt", 190!I A. D.

I,.\I{SHl\IAN SINGH.

CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Birth-childhood and mRninge

CHAPTER II. " . 6 tl) 19

Hi. father's llIarlyrdum

CHAPTElt III. Boyhood, youth nEd daily avoctltiolls

.. . 22 to 2t

CHAPTER IV. Remarilnble presenls-Masallds Pnnished

.• 2.)

to 29

CllAPTER V. The st"te of Hinduism ill the time of Guru Govind Singh

... :30 to 31

CHAPTElt VI. ·Guru Govino Singh's aims allo methods

... 82 to 35

CHArTER VII. The foundalion of the Khalsa Panth

... 36 to 38

CHAPTER VIII. The Founde.'s creed

... 39 to 46

CHAPTER IX. The propagation of the Gospel-Visit of the hill Raju and the GUI'Ii'S address to them-slory of an aS8 in a tiger's skin-testing the Sikhs

incoonito

... 47 to 56 CHAPTER X.

Str.uggle with tho hill Rajas ...

... 57 to 59

CHAPTER XT. Paget. 'Second marriage-reconcilintiol1 of the Raju of Nahan and GhRrwRI-foundation of the fortreos of Paunta-meeting wilh :;>odhi Ram Rni and Budhu Shah-employment of P"lllltns ... tiO to 61

CHAPTER XII. 'The origin of ~il'ln"ln Salll'ns-,helter to Rajpllt rebels-denth of Sodhi R'm Rai-punishment of his Mllsanus-birth of prinCe Ajit Singh ... G2 to

(j.j.

CHAPTER XIII. Struggle with the I.il! ltlljas rellewed

.. , (i,'j

tG ti7

CHAPTE.{ XIV. ... f,S to 72

Battle of Bhangani

CHAPTER XV. Reward. to Budhu Shah IIl1tl Kil'p'] Das-arl'iv,,1 at Annndpur-!luslilll pel's~cutioll ami conseqnant discontent alld oppo"it:ou-lhe founding of a workshop-dealll of ""allaki-reconciliation with lhe hill Rajas-ereetion of fortresses-testing the 73 to 7G

Sikhs.

CHAPTER XVI. The Rajas suppliant-defe,rt of Alif Khan-birth of prince Jujhar Singh-def.at of Shaur Khaninvaoion of H usaini and his death at Goler-2nd invasion of Shaur Khan-prince Munzzam's march ngainst the hill Rajas-another Muslim invasion of Aoandpur-Nand Lal's mission-brief peace and encouragement of literature; molestation of the Sikha-c!tastisement of Bajrnr 77 to 86 CHAPTER XVII. Sb'lIsgle with *he hill Rlljaa renewed

... 87

to 92

iii

CRAPTEU

xvrrr. Page8.

Peace-telum to Anandpul'-slury of Jog Singh-visit to Raw"ls.r "nd exllOrtaUoII to the hill Hajasthe building of a golden temple-disregard of riches-treasure thrown into the river-sharp fight near Cltamkaut· ••• !l3 to!J7 CIIAPT~U

XIX.

Relurn to An"ndpur-plllnder of Bassi-the ltill Itnjas appeal tf) the l 1Jtnperor-:ulvunce of the Imperial Army-siege of Anandpur-evllcuatioll of Auu,ndpul'-oceupation of Chamlmursiege of Chamkaur-mart.Jrdom of prinCeS Ajit

Singh "lid Jnjhar Si"gh

9810107

CHAPTER. XX. Escape from Chamkal1r-trnvelling incoynitomurder of princes Zorawll.r Singh and ~latah Singh and the tragic elltl of moUler Gujri nt

Sirhind-I'alt at Deen,,-epi,tle

'v Aurangzebe 108 to 115

CII A PTE R. XXr. mne dress cast off-Ihe discourtesy of lhe founder of the Jfaridkot Stllte-c,,"version of a Sodhithe Manjha Siklts mal,e overtures for recon. ciliaUon-the hattie of Muhtas"r-Pardon to recalcilrant M"njill" SiidJs 116

119

CHAPTER XXIf. The Jals demand P"y-collversion of " SyadRai Dalla.'s fidelity-tite Guru'~ mnl'vellou3 memol'y-ill\litntion from Aurnngzebe-march to Ihe Dec"an 120 10 12~

i.,

CHAPTER XXIII • • 'F Pagtl. Death of Aurangzebe-atruggle for Ihe thronemillion from prince Muazzam-Iucces. of the million-!lrince Azam faUs-coronation of prince Muazzam Babadur Shah. The Guru as a date guelt-visit to NanMd-conversion of Bairagi BandR-Ballda's punitive expeditionfall of Sirhind, Samana and MustafabadWa.ir Khan and' Such" Nand die ignomi. niously-':Excessel by . Banda aDd 'his capture and death-allaasiDation of the Guru ... 124 to 181

CHAPTER XXIV. A Retrospect

...

18~

to 140·

CHAPTER XXV. A contraIl-the Gnru'. catholicism-His cosmic sympathy-the Sikhs wrest a position fur themselves 141 to 148·

CllAPTER XXVI. Non.interference with other True idea of nationality

people's

beliefs... 149 to 158

CHArTER XXVIl. A .,iew of modern Sikhism

... 159 to

16~

CHAPTER :XXVIII.

What the future may bring

... 170 to 175-

CHAPTER XXIX.

mether the Guru performed miracl••

. .. 176 to 181'

CHAPTER Xxx.

la ~ fo_t.,. of Baba Nanall:

... 182 to 18"

OHAPTER-I. ~_ URU

GOBIND SINGH was born on Friday the lath of Poh, Sudi 7th, Salllvat Vikrillladitya 1723, according to 1666 A.D. at Patna, a large town of historic renown; in the Province of Behar, His father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, WRS ahsent at tbe time, at Kamrup, in Assam, wherc Ill' had gone with Raja Bishen Singh of Jodhpur whom he had helped in the conquest of that Province and who subsequently becallle his very ardent follower. Both at Patna and Kamrup great rejoicings took place to mark this auspieious event. From RII parts of the counh'y the Gnrlt's :followers floeked to Patna to see t1wil' future Guru IIml to nlHke their offerings in (,Rsh and kiIid. Gobind Singh's UlaternHI nIH·le, Kirpal Chand, received them kindly ami sent them bRck lORded with favours. After the lapse of eleven months Gm'u Tegh Balutdur halted at Patna to sec his family and t,he newly-born bHbe wit,h whom the Providem'c had blessl.d him 1111(1 who was destined :to add lustl'e to his alr('Hdy illustrious name. After ,a brief sojourn he l)roposed to his mother IlIld to bis wife that they sbould rcturn to Anandpnr whieh he had himself built, for his residence, on thc "pm's {If the HimRlayas; but, the ladies preferred thD quiet ~f Patna wherc no ill-feeling eould be exl'ited in the breasts of their jealous kinsmen aud where the plots and intrigues of Ram Rai and other Sodhi claimants to the (huldi ('(mld (10 them no

• Arr,OI·dilll! 10 .toml? mrifers fl'e GIIl'1/ wenf to

Blllltmi and

IIl1t

to A.asam.

harm. So the Guru returned alo11.e- to Anandpur .to the ' great dismay of the men who had consoled themselves with· the belief that he had left · thll Punjob for good and. who were making- strenuous efforts· to prevail upon Aurangzebe to confer the vacant· (]mldi on Ram Rai, and' t.o the boundless joy of his adherents who came in large numbers to welt'ome him back iu their midst Rnd to receive from him the solace of religion." The devoted worshippers.brought with them the offerings·they had deposited for years aud built spacious mansiohs for the visitors and the. Guru's family. Anandpur, in those days, WRS eXRctly the place of bliss, IlS its name implies. Guru Tegh BRhadur was a sai1.lt immensely rieh in t.he love of God and man. His days and nights were mostly spent either in ..meditation or in preaehing t~ all who cnme to him that this world and its ties were trRnsient, that only t.he .Lord's name was real and. that real happiness lay not in the enjoyment .o f gross earthly pleasures but in losing one's self in the contemplation of the Creator. His writings are throughout imbued with transcendental spirituRlity. No sooner the eye rests on them, or the ear heRrs them l'ecited, a thrill runs through one's whole frame. The grosser nature seems then to be entirely subdued in the holy presence; and though when this sacred influence is removed it may recover its power over the frail man, it ,may be said with justice that for the time t.he sacred influence lasts the worshipper feels, as it were, complet!Jly purified .and fit .t o be received into the bosom of the Father. When this, is the influence

3 of the G'uru's "writings the for('c of his presence eRn well be imllgined. No wonder, then,' thRt the 'whole of Northern IndiR hRnkering Rfterspiritual 'knowledge should have sought, relief in pilgrimage to Amllldpur; Rnd if it can be supposed that God incarnates or sends his ('hosen into this world to better the (,ondition of the fallen humanity' Guru Tegh B",hadur (,ert.ainly deserved to be favoured .with a SOD worthy of being entrusted with a divine mission. When the Guru was engageiI in miIiistering to the spirituRI wRnts of his followers at Anaudpur his son, Govind Singh, was being brought up at Patna, under t,he care of his mother, grandmother and uncle Kirpal Chand. He remained here about five years. The writers of . Sikh ehronides say that; when R' ehild at Patua, Govind Singh developed features which showed unmistakahly thnt he WRS destined to be a . lender of men. He . gnthered round himself boys of his Rge lIud plR.yed val"iou. gRIlleS with them. He organised boat rRees, arrllnged mImIC fights nnd handsomely r(lWllrded those who won. In a word he hnd mnde himself so fnmou., even as n dlild, and' had endeared himself so mueh to all who came in ('ontact. with him that, when pressed by the importunities of his followers; Guru Tegh BRhadur sent for him to Anandpur, the men and women of Patna, youug aud. old, be(,nme dis('t-llsolate. Lit.tIe did they think, perhaps, that the dlild, who in pRrtiug from them paiI}ed them 80 deeply, would路 grow to be so fltmous. nnd that 'Pllttia, 88 , .' .' I his 'blrt,' place, .would be assot'iated with his name

4 a8 long as Sikh history lasted and' .'W.outtl" bet'oine .S Beat of pilgrimage for ages to come. At Anandpur Govind Singh's arrival was hailed with joy. Immense multitudes thronged on the roads and in the telllple to haye the priYilege of casting first glance on him. Guru Tegh Bahadur solemnised this occasion by offering thanksgiyings to the FRt.her Almighty and feeding thousands of the poor. The news of Goyind Singh's arrival soon spread far and '):)e,ar 'and disciples from Multan and Sindh, Kabul and KRndhar, DhRui Rnd Pot.hoha!" Rnd oth~r parts of the Punjab brought for him al\ sorts of presents. These ho distributed alllongst his playmates. The gifts inrluded horses of the dlOieost breed from Khorasall and Persia and R.rrows and weapons of the rarest make from Kabul and KRudhar. The future' founder af the Sikh military power pl'ized these路 gifts most and even at that age he took spedal delight in organising an army of inegulars and in roaming about the jungles at t.hilir bQRd in Beardl of Sldkm路. His hRndsome face, his prineoly bearing. his kind look, his sweet Patna dialect, made still sweeter when it. proceeded from his sweet lips, his pleasing ma.nnCl路S and his winning smile made him a universHI faYOluite. The calls. on his time were so many that hiB mothel' and grandmother often complained that he st.ayed out for the great.er part of the day. At the age of seven be was placed under the tutelage of Sahib Chand Granthi to learn Gurmukhi in company with Manya who, under the name of Mani Singh, subsequently played nn important pnrt in Sikh history anA:~ed' as a martyr, Nand Chand, his future eo1tlllJiI.lor and

his other playmates. Gifted a,s he ",as with aD extIoordinalY genit:s l!e ccmpJetely 1"111 nt, He Ad Granth in a ~hort time, lind bis reeitlltions elidted populllr appllluse. In the slime yellr Qllzi Pi1' Mobammed WIIS IIppointed to telleh him Persian lind an expert Rajpuf was entrusted with the duty of /r"ining bim in horsemamhip and in the use of weapons. From tbe worldly point of view this IllRy be regarded RS tbe hllPpiest period of Govind Singb'. life. All that mRn ('mIld desire was his. His fRther was the spirituRI l'uler of men or Sacha PlIdsl"d" the real King, by whi('h ' name he was remembert'd by the Sikh dis('ipl"8. His mother Rnd grRnd-mother W(1re adored by millions of men Rnd women. His mornings Rnd evenings were .pent, in devot,ion and dRYS in Sldkm' Rml ot hel' manly gRmes. At night befOt'e he went to bed, in the palRtial residen('e set apart fOl' him, nunH'rous aUendRnts sang for him hymns from Granth Sahib and made a paradise, as it, were, of his home. But it was not for these clll路tMy blessings and worldly enjoyments that God had sent him into this world. So before he ('on: pleted his ninth year all this vista of humRn bliss unished lind the stern Providen('(' {'aUed him to duty.

CHAPTER-II. ~

. .....

. ALAMGlR AURANGZEBE, the Moghal Emperor~ co:me 'to'the throne by imprboning his nged father; ~nd to se('ure it to himself he hnd the saintly Dara Sbikoh, bis .elder brother, nnd the timid Murad, his younger brother, cruelly mrirdered'. TIle third brother~ Shujah, fled to Arakan where he died miserably, These crimes, though not .so ,mCOlnmon in t,hose days, .(,rested indignatipn . t.hroughout the Muslim " ." .. . world. For the murder of Dara Shikoh he put f~f~ard ih~' eicuse 'thnt he had be(,ome a Sufi and had died the death of a heret.i{路. But for other misdeeds he could render ~o 8atisfa{'tory explimation. Discontent, therefore, brewed near his throne and iii the 'remote provinces. The Moghal officers in' Deccall, Bengal, Oudh, Punjab and Kabul lost fait.h in the o('(mpnnt of the Delhi throne and began til' "devise ways and means for shaking off their allegiimce. "The Sheriff of Mecca refused to reciJive his envoys a\t.hough they brought. him money presents. Shah Abbns of Pm'sia hated Auraugzebe, and severely condemned him for his treatment of his father' and his breth~en; He scoffed at the title which Aurangzebe had nssumed of "Conqueror of the World"; and he threatened to mnrch an Ilrmy to Delhi, Aurllngzebe wns in the utmost nlllrm ".'

, ,

In this plight, Aurangzebe took shelter with Ulemaa and professors of his religion and by tlleir sympathy, which he purchased hy the tree

; ,' g bestowal of royal favours, he began to play the rOle of the Defender of Islam. To pander to the prejudices of the fanatical mob, quite , agRin~t the conciliatory ' policy of ' his t,hree ill\l8trious. pr~ dece~sors, he be'gan to rule his vast empir!;l, i,n~ habited by R population of diverse creeds and races, by -organising a regular Jehad against all non-Muslim~, Orders were issued that thenceforward no non-Muslim should be appointed to any Civil or Miiitary offi~e ; that , LambRrdRrs and ZRildars should be 'Muslims ; that Sanskrit should not be taught; t.llRt Hindus 8hO\~ld not be allowed to go on pilgrimage to their time_ , , honoured shrines.' All sorts of oppressive taxes. were levied on non-Muslims and" wl;ent.h~se8odl,'c~s ~'f, tyranny were exhausted, he ordered the forcible 'c onc version of the Hindus. The worship of "idol& W,as, .\ " ' . made a crime. The temples of the non-Muslim~ were demolished and mosques were , substituted , i':l their place, some of which, may , still be seen ill different parts of India. "Inste,ad of permiHjllg the followers of other religions to worship God in t,h~ir. own way, Aurangzebe ,songht to for('e t,hem into be:"' comiug MuhammadRlls. He began by , destroyi~g idols and pagodas within his own tel'l'itories, and building up mosques in their room. He burnt down a great pagoda near Delhi. He converted a mRgnifh,ent temple at Mathra into a mosque. He drove religiousmendicallts,'of"every idolatrous sect ~ut of HindustRn. He ordered the Viceroys of provinces to carryon the same ,work , throughout the Empire. At the same time he prohibited the celebration of the Hindu festivRis. He required all Hindu servant,s of ,

all

. "

tile Mgglud Government to become ,~uhammadan~ nude" pRin of losing their appointments. _He imposed the Jezy~ on all his ~ubject8 who refused to become Muhammadans. Eve)} the English,!\nd Dutch residents in India were 8,ubjeeted to the same .obnoxious impost. The Rana, of Udaipur was .ordered to allow cows to be sbmghtere,d in his "territories"·.- , ,

When this was the attitude tIu' head of the Empire the atrocitie~ committed, in the name of rer ligion, by petty potentates in the provin('es, may w"n ,be imagined. Kltlimlt or the swo~d w'a. the option ~iveu to uon-Muslims. A story, somewhat exagg .. rated, is told that iu those days, Aurangz"b" had resolved 1 hat 'he wou.ld' ~ot takl' his breakfast uuless one arid a quarter" maund 81wred threads were bro'ught to him daily and their wearers made Muslims. In Kashmere the Gove~rio'l' Sher Afgan forl'ibly converted half the population to' Islam, The chosen few .among the r,,~t took shelter with Guru Tegh Bahadur. It is stated by some that the Kashmiri PUlldit,s were advis .. d to seek the Guru's aid by the deity presiding over the shrine of AmRr Nath, in the north-west of Kitshniir: and by others that the Gu'ru's kinsmen, burning with the fire of envy and labonring under the mortificRtion they had experienced in the ('ompl .. te 'failure of their ~01't8 to obtain tlie Gltddi, put this idea into the liea1 of th~' defenceless Kashiniris fo involve Guru •

• Talboy's pages 177-78.

Wheeler, a shm·t Hi,ytm'.'1

of I nt/j't

9 'l'egh Bahadur into a quarrel with the gl'eat Moghal 'whose migllt would llltiumtely ('rush him'Rnd 'lIIake it impoSilible ' for his descendMuts to retain, 'bold (H'e .. tbe (hl/ltti. Be that as it mlty, the Guru received them most kiJidly. Their tale of woe nre]t.ed runi. int,o tears. For a long time Iw remnined speeehless. When at lnst, he (,om posed himself he gravdy replied that, until some virtuous persoll sacrificed himself at the alt,at" of Fait,h. God's people would find no rest. Silence prc\'ailed in the audience. Govind Singh WI\8 then nine yenrs old. Respedfully leaving t,he lap of his fat,her and kneeling before snid" Su.'e, thon art all embodinllOnt, of him he virtue. Give t,hy life for thesl' poor lleoille. Who else will protect them?" These brave WOl'ds ft'om It child of nine years nddressed t.o the parent into whose lnl' he had been plnyiJlg a few minutes previons, spread a feeling of wonder Rlld Rmazement into t,he whole audience. They stnrcd now iuto the fac" of the father mul then into t.hnt, of the son and began t,o feel a sort, of ~nperllat,nt'al awe in theil' l,resence. There was, however, litt.le cau"tl for wondel'ment, in what t.lleY witnessed. Bot.b tbe~ll, fat,her and son, had been sent into this world for It specilll purpose" the fulfihnellt of which liecessitated ext.ro.ordiuary ('onrage aud Slwl'ifi('e. With these manly 'Virtues t,hey were most thol'onghiy e~jlowed. ~th were consdol1s of the mighty voltttions that, the Divine Ruler had ordained through them and both were ('omplet,ely resigmld.to His will.

re-

HI The ~peedl of Govind Singh re(~eived a l'eady response. Guru Tegh 13ahadal' asked the Kashmiri Pundits to writ.e to t.he Emperor that in ('ase His Majest.y prevailed upon their leader, Gur'u Tegh 13ahadur, t.o become a Mus8alman t.hey would all 8(~cept the Kulimu of t.he Prophet; otherwise they should be allowed t.o worship t.heir gods AS - before.. 'fhe Kashmiri. Pundits, reduced to desperation' though they were, for a while hesitated hi 8ub-' mitt-ing sudl a petition. They had, of course, ('ome t.o ",ek the Guru's aid; but nothing was furt.her from their intention t.han t.o involve a saint like the Guru into such a serious difficulty. Superstitions t.o the extreme they had thought. thAt by some miraculous agency the Guru would avert t.he calamity that. fU(~ed them. aut t.o t.lwh路 horror the blessed saint recommended a course whidl simply meant deat.h to him. At length, pressed by the Sodhi enemies of the Guru, to whom his death was Illost 路 welcome, they yielded. The petition was Ilccordingly sent to the Imperial PotentAte t.hrough Zalim Khan, Subah of t.he Punjab. On re('eipt of it Aurangzebe ('alled a meeting of t.he lflelf/.a.Y Ilnd Qazis of his (~Olll't and asked their opinion. All were agreed that it. would be a matter for (,ongratulation if by one man's conversion millions of infidels entered the fold of Islam. As a result, of this deliberation two special messengers wel'e' serit to bring Guru Tegh 13ahadar to Delhi. The GUl'U; however, preferred not to go with the Imperial guards. He sent back the emissaries of Aurangzebe with the reply that he would come attended by his own men.

11 Very Boon after he made preparations fOI' his departure and gave instructions to Govind Singh as to how the work was to be <'arried on during his abRl)m路c. His parting with his mother aud llis wif9 was ~mply patheti<,. The mother's heart gave way atl the thought that het路 son was leaving her to come no, more. The wife was quiet; but her reserve distind.ly betrayed how she felt her lord's separntion. The Guru ('onsoled them by re('iting several hymns of his own composition whleh nil inculcated that t.his world was a sort of a Sera; whet路!, men stopped, fOl' a while, on Bleil' way home. Their tics wel'e transient. Father, son, mother. ehild, husband, wife, nil were bound together by selfish instineis. In tinw of prosperity they wer9 allfl'iends, but. in adversity all fled away. That the. only obje('t of love should be God Aimighty who was real and eternal friend. In this wny taking h'arl' of his family and followers the Gurn started fot' Delhi. On his way he halted at vnrioll8 places and preached God's name to t.he people. This caused delay. Aurangzebe was persuaded to believe that till' Guru was hiding himself for fear. . Messeng"l's Wlwe sent in all dh路ed.ions to sellrdl for him. A priw was set on his head. Meanwhile the Guru was proceeding in the direetion of Delhi by slow marehes. But before he reached there ' he changed his mind lind went to Agra instead. Why he adopted the latter co urse is difficult to acconut for. The Sikh writers say that. an old lady of Agra, Bhago by name, a disciple of Guru Arjan, longed to see him. Also thnt Olle

12 HR"Han Ali; an impe('unions BYRd, old Rnd decrepit. heRring, thRt a IUIIl(bome rewnrd wns set on the. Guru's heRd prRy"d that . if, as people said, the Guru . WRS a friend of . the poor Rnd knower of heRt·ts, insteRd of s'lrrendering himself t.o> the Moghal Empel'or he would ·come to him so thRt, by handing him OH'r to the ImperiR! iiut~s" he might get the promised t'eward Rnd thereby relieve the burden of his old Rge. To sRtisfy the ('.rnving of these two persons , the Guru went to· Agra, where he was arrested in a garden, in the subn,rbs, of AgrH, and was imprisoned in the 101'f11 flll,tress. When the inddent was 'reported tI. AurHngzebe he was overjoyed at the thought that. now, throngh the Glll'U of the Hindus, he would 8t1l'"eed iiI ('On \'I·joting ('ounth-s" llwn to the ('I'el,d of IslRm, The 'Guru WIlH tHk .. ti to Ddhi undel' Imperial es('ort. Through the advil'e of the HeRd Qazi hewlIs lodged in 11 dilllPidated building, 8UIIposed to be haunted by evil spirits wlwre, Il('('ording to the populllr belief, many persIIl18hRd been t()1'melltetl to denth. But uo evil genius molested the Guru, Next mOl'ning th .. Glll'U wns presented to' Aurangzebe who received him with honour and implored him to lend the ' weight of his .influence in his poli('y of ('omersion. The IndiRn peoples, he sRid, were hopelessly divided into numberless creeds. whid. "<'"ulh-II in mutulli hllh'ed 1111d internel'ine' qUIIl'I,.,I" ' IInd ('llu8ed ('o\llltlC-' di/tieulties to th", Government. If people he\i(ll't-<l in oU'e religion they would Ihe in pell('e IIIIlI.: Il(·(·ord. The Guru, 88

R sll('ressor of BRhR NIIlUlk. _hl'uld llllil the prOB-

ta peet of his people gIVIng up idols and belie.-ing in one God. Should the G'Jru proffer him the ' re-, quired assistance he woltld give him a lady of tlu~ royal household in marriuge, make him N awab of the Punjab or, if he so elel'ted, he would issue R' decree that the -whole of Muslim India should-re. gard him a.8 their premier Pil". He路 felt ('onfident that even if the Guru did not feel indined to accept the Kaliullt he would H('knowledge the Prophet for the sake of the millions of the Hindus who weresuffering no end of persel'ution -on aCcOlUlt d their refusal to a\'Hii themseh-es of the blessings of Islam. Men of his stHmp laid down their lives for the sake of othm's. In Uw present instlUH'e RO demllllli WHS made on his life. A little in('onvl'nil'nceto him would r('slIlt in 1\ blessing to millions of hi!!. fellow-men who would obtHin peal'e in this life and paradise in the next. Should he, hOWt'yt'r. ('\\Oose to refnse the offer he would lIleet dt'ath Ht thehauds of the public. ex('('ntioner. The Gnt路u heard the speeeh of the astute Moghal wit,h perfect serenity. He ('ahnly replied that it was a . mistaken poli('Y to compel people to change their faith. A belief in this or that need did not ent,i tle anyone to> a seat in Heaven. To God MU88almans lIud Hindus were all alike. It was blind fanaticism that led men to> believe that God was partial to one creed and inimical to Huotlwr. Entry into Heaveu rested ou oue's actions aud not ou lip professions. To him the pleasures of this life had \it,tle charm. He had no ambition to ('ouhal't mat.rimonial ti!)s wit.h Hie royal fRmily or to wi"Jd ~piritnal sway by the aid of au Imperial

14 decree. He was completely resignd to the will of God, and in Divine gl'a('e alone lay the fruit,ion of his desires. He WitS not Itfraid of deRth. Death was only the inevitable dissolution of the elements of whkh the body WRS composed. Rama had passed away. Rawan with his large offspring hRd met, a similar fate. The world was like a dreRm and nothing in it was stable. Anxiety necd be felt for wllllt WHS 1111 nuusullI catastrophe. Whoevel' was born mnst, 'die sometime or other. He had given up al\ worldly entanglements lIud had tllken to, the singing of the Lord's glory. Finding that the Gnrn ("onld not he won O\'lH' by smoot,h spee("h Am'lIugzebe ordl'red his snhjedion to tortm'" in the vilest of dllllg!'on, so thllt {lhysi('HI snffering might. ("Olllpt'] him to 1'111 bl'l>("e Islam. DiwRn Mati Ram, Bhai Gnrdittn, Bh禄i DYIII", Ilncle of Mania, Bhlli Udai aud Bhai ,Jllita, Mazhnhi Sikhs. who lmd accolllpllnied the GIlI'U fro III AnRndplll' were ilu'ar('erat,ed in separRte I路OOIllS. The duugeon-, keepers impl'essed hy the Gnrll's holy presence gave him no tt路ollble. They qllietly sat, outside Hnd the tlW8,cngers hom AIlIUldpur, sent by mother N anaki, and t,he Sikh disl'iples frolll Delhi wert. freely ad_ mitt .. t1 to pay tJwir hOlllage to the Gurn. A few days after, the Gm'u, togeUwl' with his cOlllpllnions, was talwn to the royal pl'esellce. AurHugzebe again ("ailed upon the pltrty to give up their flllse c~eed. Diwan Mati RRm sai,l, by way of retort, that it was Islam that was false and not the Sikh ereed. If God had viewed Islam with f"vour "he would )lIlYe ('rested all men l'ircumcised. The Diwan's boldness cost him bis life. An in-

15 fernRI ma('hine WRS immediately erected in the Diwlln Khllna Hnd Mati Ram was forthwith ~awn into pie(,,路., Aurangzebe and his hardened courf,jer~ stood emotionless. Their diabolie looks, on the (~ontrRl'J, betrayed inward satisfaction. Bhai Dyaln, 111'" ble to- eontrol himself, gave vent to his feelings by ('alling Aurangzebe a tyrant. He cursed him for eommiUing sueh atroeities in the name of Go(1 and religion and predicted the rapid filII 'Of his dynasty. Aurangzebe WitS all wrath. The 'court parasites .WI more furious. The Bhai was dragge[1 ont of (\ourt ami thrown into a boiling 'Cltuldron. The royal Illonstm' then turned upon the GIll'n aud dismis,,<ed him by ,saying that if he did not accept Islam he too would meet similnr fate. Next dny Hhai Gurditta appl'oaehed the Guru Rnd proposed n means of es('npe from the prisou. The Guru, per"~lVlng his motive, permitted him ami 11i8 ot,her two eompnuion8 to returu to t,heit' homes. Somehow they esc,nped from the prison, but with remorse t,hey returued nud stayed wit,h the Guru till his death. WIlen the news of the mnrtyrdom of Diwan Mati Ram aud Bhai Dynla reaehed Auandpur mother Namtki wns filled with nlarm , regnrding the snfety of her son. Overpowered by coutiuned anxiety nnd sorrow she sought- relief in frequent attempts to I~roceed to Delhi. Govind Singh, 'how'ever, informed timely, invnriably prevailed npon her to desist from the resolve nnd to have the satisfaction that her son wns courting a death that was noblel' than life itself. The Guru, too, thought

AurIRt,gzebe's .thre/tt f,med in its eft'~t, and the prospect, of the Guru' 8 ('ollversion was a8 remote RS ever. Sedate and calm he waited for his end patiently. One dlty when he was att.endillg to his toilette on the roof of bis uungeon, he cast R ,look> towards the south. The matter was brought . to the not.i(,e路 of Aurltngzebe. who sent, for him and H''''used him of looking at the ladies of the Imperial palace. The Guru is !laid to have cRlmly l"'plied thRt be hRd lie en looking in the direction of the sea from where a white rRce would coml', take possession of the Moghal throne Rnd violate till' sanctity of the ~oyal seraglio. The prophecy exdted ' a furious uproar. Both the King and the "OIlrtiers showered impre(路lttions em the ho~ry-heHdlld sHint. The I'ries of" down with the' inftdel!" "Kill the praHng Kafir!" filled the air. The Gm'u wag HI'l'OI,dihgly condemned to die Imd WR" beheaded publi('ly in Chandni Chunk on the 13th of Maglmr 17:t2 Vik., Sudi Ii, aC('ording to 1(;75 A. D. Tltekind hearted among the by-stRnders, Mnillims or non-Muslims, ('Onld not restrRin shed4ing a t\lor of sympathy. The whole country WitS ~onvulseli, from one end to the other. In the words ~f Govind Sin~h" A Wlti! went fort,h from the denizens of the globe Hnd hail!, hail!, bail!, was heard from on high." And though the stRtement o()f the Sikh writers that when the - Guru died a strong wind blew, earthquakes sbook the globe, many hQuses feY Mnd the whole nature seemed to Bve Deen disturbed may savour of . exaggerat.ion tD~ i8 no doubt that tiK, bei4eading of Guru Tegh ~dtll.. aUeB8ted UIt' SYmpAthies of millions of SQ.

nltlll iiud tile Em}lire of'tlhe· Moghltls reeei¥eUlI l'ufle 8lioek. '-YO

~ .

~',

. '*.N01E.-A DUl'blll' wa.'\. held

at ,Delhi, .. in honour of the eoronat,ioll of. His Mlljesty, King-Emperor l<Jdwal.'ll,during tlte lirst, ten <lilY" of JIIIlUIll'y, . l!ma. The autho.r of t.his memoir happened to be thel'e on the occasion, Oil the HUI idem, the HUll'ning' of GlIl'Il GovimlSingh's B;rth Anniversary, that was ('.e\ebl'nted ill the Slmhhl Ganj. seat of .mH.rtyr(lom of Gm'lI Tegh Bahmlur, the Sikh prinel'" (,anw in stat,ll to plly their homage to the shrine. Among. Ute sight-secrs were the speeial cOl'\'espondcnt8 of IIbolIt, twelve Anglo-IndiHn /tnd Engli,.h jOlIcnak The fo\lowing cxll'a('~, from the report. of the eel"hra,tiolls pnhlis/",d in the 7'iIlH"~ 'if [lIdi", Bombay, dated.Tanlllll'Y· 14th, l!!fI:l, will ~hew the extent of the grateful feeling the .visit to the Shahid Ganj evokCll in the brea:;t:; .of the Engli:;h correspoll(lents :-"Two hundred amI, twHLty-sen'nyears '11,gO 1\ Guru, or all Ilpostle \)fthe Sikhs,' w!ls 'in captivity in II small bliilding in Clmhdni Chauk; lit Delhi.' Hti was Guru Tegh Blihadlll', tlie nint,h in ~uecl>~sioH of the great Gm'\H; who 'welded the ' Sik11s iuto It blllul of Asiltlie !rllll-sidi,,,, in"pirctl by - Jhll'(' reli!(ious l.!'al. made vllliant by till' 1II0i;/ rig'oron" lIIi1itm'y (liseipline. TeghBaltailni' had fallcn into t:lw dlri(!iIes of t.he great. Emperor Auritllgzehe who WIIS ·cager to cOJllpass his {JOOll!. AJ ' lll"t. II faise dtarge' WlIs t.rumped up against. him. -He WIIS -accused' 'of ·Imviug, 'when' outside hi" prison, Milred 'eurfolisly ill ~he dh'el'tioll of the great 'MoghHI'~ ZellauH:' Qtws.

is tioned as to his alleged crime he answered loudly '1 was uot looking towllrds the zenana, I was looking south for thl' white rll('e who are ('oming from beyond the "ea to teur down thy pardllhs IIud to destroy thine empire.' The words sealed his doom, He was token boek to the dnngeon and behellded by the ol'der of Hw illl'cnsed potentllte, But his words lived in till' melllOl'y of the )!Ill'seented Sikhs, His pl'oplllWY was slll'l'ad, far mHI wid", by Govind Singh, the ll1th II]HI gl'Plltcst (hll'n, who finally consolidated Mil' Sikh, into II religions aud, political power, destined to he('ollll' dominant, when t,h:, Moghal Empire ('l'lllllhll'd to pi",,,.", And on the day when .John Ni .. hobon led the IIs8auU on Delhi, which ended the MogllfIl reign for evet', the Sikh troops who helped to storm the hrl'/whes shonted nlond the )!rophe",y of t1"'ir Illl1l'tYI't,d Gurll, To-day WitS the Birth day of HmilHl Sillgh, an 011niversnry held ga(,I'ed hy all Sikh", wlll'lI they nled in their temples to off!'r prayl'I" to hi, 1IIl'IIHll'y, It was decide(\ hy Hill It'ading Sikh Mahnrnjl\8 now nt the Illlpl'rial n88elllhlngl' to 1(0 in 80lell111 procession to tlc 8hr;II" of Tegh Bnhadlll' ,tIlti to do homage to the lIame of G,,,inti Singh and renew their vows of loynlty to the King-Em)!l'l'OI' upon that venerated spot. FOl' the littl .. prison b now It temple Rlld plnee of pilgrimage, hallowed by the lleople, for wh08!.' snke the 8ailltly Gllru died, The eeremony wns witnessed by about, a dozen Eurol)ean8 for it had not. been pllhli"ly annolln,'e(l. But thonsantis of Sikhs from nIl ovel' N orthet'n India were there, drnwn together by a cOllimon motive.

It wa~

one of the most dranllltic events of this event--

ful gat,bering; For t.his Darbar marks t,he final fulflhnent. of till' propltec'y, Hpl'e hI ' Imperial Delbi thl' monRrl'b of tltl' 'White RRce from over the Spa' has just. \ll'odnilllcd hi~ right to rule over 1\ vast.N' ('mpir(l HUIll thc Moglmls ever kllew, By t.he aid of Hu, galillut. Sikh~ t.J1lI predict.ion has been fulfilled to t.he leHer. And it路 was a sight wort.h seeing, t,hat of Hill Sikh, f\ockillg t.o do homage to Uw King-Empl'l'OI' upon till' vel~y spot where their leml!>r laid down his lifc for his faith. It was somet,hillg that rt Ilat.riotic EuglisllDlIUl remembering how ('lImpld,cly the vision of t,he Guru had been l"!!llisB'i, could not ('ont.emplatc without a thrill of pride. . . . . When you t.hought, of the martyred a"cetic', of his vi~ioll of the Whit,1) Race from over t,he Ol'I'Im, of' t,he gallant Sikhs fighting for Grent Bl'it.nin in HI<' st'I~I.ds of Delhi, I\nd Illst nnd strongest sight of nU, of tlw Sikh, j,ht>msl)hes snlut,ing t.heir sn{'rl,d hook t.llllt llIol'uing with the British N ntiolllli Allthplll, you fP)t, thllt, here wn~ It moving picture whi!'ll, ('ould they but see it, might well give .pause . t路o HIl> (,llcmics of Ellglnnd."

, 20

CHAPTER-III. IN the midst of the "onfu.ion whidl WR8 eRu"ed, when Guru Tegh Bahadur WIIS hehCllded, his head, whi"h IlRd fnllpn lit Home dishlll!,1' from the plRee of execution, WIIS nt OIH'" pi"ked up hy Bhai JHitn nnd taken to AUlludl'ul' where it WIIS !'l'elllllted WiUl ,lue honom',. .Hi, hody lay iu tlU' dung,·on. Whl'n in th" dusk of the I'vl'Iling LHl<hi, II follower of th" Guru IlIHl a1'"I'nIl1 ('ont1'R..tor, WI!' I·eturning from tlH' fm't , with '(WI'II hundr,·d "mpty (,Rds, BhRi U dlli }l1'opose,l to him to rpmoVl' the Guru's r('mllius. The proposal WIIS Rgrp",\ to. What for the dusk of Ute evening and what for Hw ('Iouds of dust stirred up hy so mllny H'hides the hody WIIS remoy",l u.noh.'twVl·d iuto II "Hrt· nIHI tRkeu with thl' grl'Atl'Rt pOR:;ihle sIW,;,l to Rllkah Gauj Rhout '" miles fl'om tI", pifU',' of (·xp,'utiou. TIll' othpr "lIrt. followI,,1 nt, tlll'ir "sufli spl·pd. Whl'll tlH'Y were goue and the dust "',·I\I,.,d 111111 tit" ' ''lltiIWls noti"N\ the fellt the matter WIIS reported to the lIuthorities. A detndllIllmt, of ('!\valry WHS ""nt in plll'suit; hut nil this WIIS in vain. Before th" troops IIrl'ived the hut" in whi"h the Guru's hody 1111,\ heen pia,' ed, was R, hugepillllr of 1lrc. Tlw gallnnh'Y displayed hy Bhai .laitH" Itft,erwards Jeewan Singh, WI," (~uly 1'1\warded. Later he perfornll,tl "t.ilI gl',>ntel' de",l" lind wou n name for a\l t.ime. AecOl'ding to ~llother R('('Ollllt wbi('b, in pllrt, ligrees with t.hat, of the author of Sni1'-III-Mutakhh'iu Anrnngwhe hlld o1'd"1'"d that. the Gllru's hody be ('ut into four 'I"lIl'ter8 and exposed nt, Ihe fOUl' gRt.es of t.he town, To avoid t.his iguominous treatment

21 BhRi .JRita 8ngg~8ted to his rnthH tllRt the body be 1'lllUoved befOl'1l Auraugzche's lIIlln ~hould ('ome to tuke it, It WitS, howevel', not 1111 !lll'y tusk fo accolUplish, The sentinels peeped int.o t.he cell (\\'ny the minut,es to sathfy thelll ~elv"8 thllt. nil w,, ~ rip Itt, Bhni ,T"ita proposed thltt he shollld dill, th" Gnl'n ', body be remove:l lind his snh.l t.it.nfe:l ill it... st!,"<I, PII.rentlll IIll'eetioll I'efnse!l 1'.Ollsent, 'fhe futhl\!' l'(llllllllstrnted urging t.hllt he, Bhni .Tllitll, WII' yet too yOling to die, At.lengt.h, after IllIU'], nHel'l'at.ion, it was ngreml t1lRt .Tllit.1I .houltl (mt his fllUter's IlI.'lId all!1 slIhst.it.ut.e the headless hody wit.h thRt of Uw Gm'u, The hrHve lleml WitS Itccomplishelllluobscl'vc(1 to the ..,It'rlm.! glm'y of both the fllther lind the SOil, Aft.er the Glll'll'S obserl"ills WOl'e performed wit.h dne solemllity Govilld Singh WII" fOI'lnaUy iust.lIlled 011 the (;mldi on t.he bt Bisnkh Ii:!;! Vik, (U'I'ordillg' t路o lfJi6 A, D, When the 1'(\relllOnills ill l'01mc('t.ion with Hili instunllt.iou WCl'e ovm' it wus Pl'''pu,erl to him tllllt, II t~ltlllpltigl1 be llI'gl\\Ii,e[1 to wl',,~.k \路 ,m.~el\lll'e on t.b" tyrRut, Alll'l\ugzebc ; bnt, t.Iw propo.;Hl wa .. not l'""eiVL,t1 wit.h favour, He klHlW t1ut!. hi. IlUg'll.;t fut.her had himsolf son~ht his doom ill Imler HUll, by offm'ing his life nt. the (lUllr of his "ountl'y he might. set IIIl cXllmple of ~elf-sl\el'ifll'e to the oppressed I'ommnnity to . whil,h he belonged /lud thereby I'l'(mte in them It fecling of 1'1'_ sistum'e of lIuthol'ity dllliberlltely mi:;nsl'd in dllIlnt.ion_ IIlisiug t.hem Itud in fOl'eing Hlllm to aeeept. way" lIul! beliefs in whicll t.lley saw 110 heanty, Hll belieHld tbRt. his mission lay in nurtm'iug RlUl st.rcngthenillg this feeling and iu mRking hi" peoph, self-I'cspe..ting /llld solf-reliRnt, So frolll this very t.imo forWRrd 1111 his

22 efforts were direeted to bring Abont this res lilt.. Though young in yeArs he WRS wisc cnough t.o see thRt Rll t,he ills from whidl the Hindu eummullity suffered prm'eelled 1I0t, from WiUIOllt bllt. fl'OIll wit.hill路 Their OWll sOl'.iRI fabril' wa~ 1I0t. based 011 80111111 Ilrilldples. Their religious cOllvi(路tiOlIS were nut, ~lIflkil'IIt.ly strong. If relyillg solely on the Timeless One t,hey performed t.heir duties t.o them~eheA IllIII to their eonnt,ry properly no ext-ernnl foe ('(HlIll dnl'e do t路hem harm, If, Oil the other hnlld, they were nil_orbed ill l'ompRssiug t.hl1ir illdividllltl ends Ilml di"reg'lIrded ('ommnuRI illterests they III II st, filII I\U ellsy Jll'('y iuto Hie hllnds of some foe or other, Therefore, he did 1I0t, !1ntert.l\iu prop08nl. for WH路l' H,ud ('Omml'l}('ed I'ollst.rnet.in, work, The Illttl'r pllrt, of hi. life WIlS spent. OIt n Will' with the MoghAl., uo donht; hnt this Will' WIIS ('nt.irely due to Uti' int,rigne" 1\11(1 lIulI'hillAtiolls of RRjR Bhim ChRlld of Billlspnr, in th" 'outlw],11 HimRlyll.S, Rnd oHlIlr Rnjns of Hie ncig'hholll'ing hi!!" who fell ont. wiUI him fol' trivilll I'ellsons lind WllOs(' whole resonr('es W(1re exbausted in endeavonring to dest.roy bis growing inf\uen!'e, as would be sbown lat.er Oil, Re WIIS then merely a hill. To undertRke slU'h R great ta~k, at Hlllt Age, would have been silD)lly suiddRl. He gRve his whole timll Rnd nHention to self-l'uUurll, He bad in bis Imy tlozens of eminent, writm',j ;n verse wbo were attracted to his l'Ollrt from RU places of Il\Iu'lIing and whom he employed in prepRring vernRcular edit:ion~ of sOllie of t.he choicest, works in SRnskrit, Early Rt dRwn be rOse to perform ablut.iolls and After recit.ing Jnpji nnd pRying bis regRrds to his mqt,her Rnd grandmother

he attended tIw praym' meet.ing in t,he

Gllrlltill'arfl

wh ere his followers were already Ilssembled and whm'e aner hearing the singing of hymns in praise of t,he Lord he reeited n Katlla from GrRntIl Snhib Rud thereby satiatcd Uw ('rnving of large congregat,ion8 that. daily ('lime from the l'emotest regions of India nnd the N orth-West Fl'ontiel', This done he looked t路o the dist.ribution of food to the visitors and to the pO/ll', The l'I"t of UI(' day he spent at his pnlatinl residen!'c. If the weltlbel' was filiI' he went out fOl' sport, Hi" love for manly games necessitated Uw employment of lllany a bl'nve spirit. The sons and gl'Hmhons of Uw wltl'\'iol's who had served under Guru Hal' Govind wm'e sent for and ent.ertained, Among thelll were SlllIte who subsequently eal'ned gl'ellt fnllH' in Hikh hi"toI'Y. In blld wenthel' he stnyed nl home 111111 ""tinted his intelledunl appetites in select company. In the evening beror" it wns Il!u'k he went to the V/lr/lt/wllI路1t nnd sat thel'e Inte in the night, The 1)l'og1'aulme of the morning was repented. In addition to the Kntb .. from the Ad GrAnth the hl'lu'ers were entertained slIInetimes with redilltions from RamRYlllln, Mnllltbha1'lIta . nnd Hnnllmnn N IItnk and sometimes with pnllsHges of his own ('oll1po"itioll. All poet:; whose writing8 hltve infllleneed Ute all"!.ini"" of nation" WI']'e more 01' les" insph'ed; but. very few possessed Huru Govilld Singh'" power of exprc""ion. The forl'e lind I'athos of his poeh'y, the purity of his style and the sublimity of purpose that undel'iics his writings IIrc ,;imply dlllrllliug nnd to thb day cven if II poltroon heHrs them recited he is sure to be forthwith galvani~ed into action, It i~

:/4 thl. pOWet' of stlrl'ing IIp men's best, feelings t,hat, more than anything else, ellHb/cd him to wield 81H'h It vast, infiucn('e OVCl' their heHds_ And what is Jlarii('iIlllrly notewilrthy is thllt this }lowel' was utilised by him in ehlYatillg his follow'er. HlId not in eX('iting their gro", f('elillgs to attain lilly ullworthy objed,

CHAPTER IV. Kabnl, the Capital of Afghanistan, has always been noted f01' the manly hearing amI large hcnrtedness of its pe!Jplc. On a Besakhi fcstival Duni Chand, a trader from }{ahnl, pl'~sellted the Guru wah a woollen t,en!, which surpassed in excellence even the one helonging to Emperor Aurllngzebe. When if, WitS crec'tell in the ,,,"laidllll the spectators were rooted to the ground in Hstonishment. They saw thereon, emh1'oidered in gold and silver, represl'ntaHons of all f,)lIIt was g1'I\1Hl anti heautiful in nature. Men looketlat th" artistic work with feelings of g1'cat delight, and ecstllcy alHlatimiret! Duni Chaut!and other disciples ÂŁ,'om Balkh, Bokhara anti Kanllhar on whoso conjoint, expense and labondlHl gift, had been prepared. In the sallle yeat', on the occasioll of the Diwali festival, Raja Rattan Rai of Assam came on a visit to the Guru. He was the son of Raja Ram Rai, an admirer of Guru Tegh Bahat!ur. Raja Ram Rai hat! llO offspring and was consequently unhappy. Blessed by the Guru he got a son whom he lHtme[1 Rattail Rai. When he sncceedell jo the throne, Rattan Rai proposed to his mother that she should accompany him to Anandpnr to pay resped,,, to their benefad,or'8 son. The mother very glatlly expre1!sed her willingness. So taking with t~Wlll valuable presents 1t!!:I. IIccompaniell by a lat'ge retinae they started for Anandpnr. On arrival there they were accommollated in the tent above-menf,ioned at the sight of which the Raja was lost in wonder and forgot the gl'andelll' of his owu court. Next day he bronght as lll'esents for the Gnru

26 an elephant named Pershadi with a forehead white a~ snow, Il!Hl sa~ldle!1 with II sellt wrought. in gold, bmmtiful !lonie3, II curious weapon which when unfolded bec,amc by turns II spellr, sword, guu aud pistol, n Baldal wOld chow.'ei with ctwved stllnds, a gllrlllnd 01 pcal'ls, II wig bedecked in p)'ecious stones nllll several thallY of DaceR Muslin, The preseuts were gi'.dollSly ncceptml RlIlI t.he RRja WIIS assigued a place of hOllour in the reception 1'00111, After II1Rking nsual ellllllil'ies ('oncerllin,'5 the health of the royal yisitor the Gnru dcliH')'ecl a S(>l'1l10U ou t,he yarions aspeds of Dharma, The Guru's deep insight iuto the domain of religion Rstonished the Plludits who had accompllniell t!w i!nja aUlI his heavenly beaut,y dn~zled the Ra.j:t himself. The Rajtt's mother lIud Runi snw the G .lI'n next dtt)' RIllI received from him the solace of )'eligioll, AU the while the Raja stayccl with the Gnrn he was trelltl1l1 lIIost kindly. He was rcgnlnr in IIttending the diviue sl'rvicc e\'ery mornill!" nnd dncillg t.hc dBy he had the pleasurc of accompanying t,'1e Gm'u's sporting lmrties. At. Icngt.h dec ply illlprJ;5s!ld with nil t.hat he hml seen aud expcrieu('ed th" Raj)t left AnRlldpllr for gooel, A temple WitS ('redocl by him Itt the s('at, of his GoYc)'llmcnt whcl'e to t,his day t.he Sikh \'i,it,~)r., rc('eive Rttelltioll, The ordcr of Mas>llHis bcc'flmc It perfect scaudal in tlt~ tiliw of Guru Govind Singh. As agents of the GUI'Il i the ll1ns!t:Hls were highly respected by t.he dj~c'ipleg in theil' rl)spective sphcres of work. To those who, for soalJ rJ;BO:) or other, were unable to ('ollie It:!l IlJraonally pay their respc('ts to the Gm'lls t.he)'

were as gQod objects of veneration as the Gurus them.

27 selves, The majority of t,he MRSRUds snccnmbccI to ihe mRlly temptations to which they WeI'C tlxpo.,e:I and llmde thelll~elve8 obuoxious to tlw p ~o pJe, The disciples, simple as most, of them were, CDuhllJ:l :, lllustel' COlu'ag J enongh.t.o report to th e GUl'n the uameless obwen it.ies cl)mmitt.~d by t,lJ() M'l nU!l. ., O.l ~ ,] when th!) Guru was holdiug a Durbm', ~oclle it.j ll~mut, dl'1\111aiists availed thmll~clvc.l of an OpilOl' tlluity t,o bl'ing t,h e nefarious doing,; of hi., MRSAl II!s t fI hiR notice. A pet'son took the part of a MnsltlllI alH! allothm' of a dancing girl. With two male ntt.enriants and riding on hOl'seback the Ma811nd and his parltmonr visited the honse of It poor discipJll, Finding' the owner of the house abstlllt he cursed him in It 1011(1 t.one. The noise malle at.trltcted t.he disciple's wife t,o the door, 011 seeing the Mllsnnd she fcllat his feet nud asked for his blessings, She WIIS l'ewardm! with II I,;!'l, and was nskml to arrange for a I\lIlUbel' of bids. She hrought the best ones in the hou~e; bllt t.he 111 HSllnd <lid not nppl'ove of them and flung t,hem into tll!l st,l'eef.. Thc WOlIlan, then, bOl'l'nwc(! bettol' hm!s from It neigltboul'. This done Ute Mnsltn<l Ol'l!"I'e(1 o:w of the young dnnghters of the Sikh disciple t,o shampoo t,he dancing girl nlHl sc nt t,he ot,hel' after hc~ fat!wl'. His servlluts took a8 Illlwh of hay and foddt'!, for t.he llOrses as they please<1 ; but when N"IIII1'i (It mixel! foo<1 compose{l of gram flour, raw sugar nlHI l'eel pepper) was not fort,hcoming the wl'at,h of the MI\~nlHl knew no bomds, He WIIS about to g ive t,he llIistr(l~ s of t.\w house a b ~at,i.ng wheu her hURbaml l'et,ul'nillg fl'OIll work fen at t.he man's feet and, 1'18 usual, prayed for his blessings, But, poor as lie was he fl\ile<1 t,o snlute

28 thee Ma~and wit,h a silVl'l" coin ' in his hand. This, coupled with his wife's iUCllpllcity to provide NellUri for, the ponie." redoublell the Masand's linger. In fear, the mUll路 mortgaged his wife's ol'llllments lind pnrehasell provisiom to sel've dllinty dbhes to the Masllnd ami his paramoltl路. But as these did not include meat and liquor they w{>re t,hrowll to the dogs. At length the faithful disciple mortgaged a plot of his land and, with the money thns obtained, he provided such IIrtide, of fOOl! as he was asked to do and mil de presents of m!llle] Ull!! clothes tf) the Masllnd and his plll'llm0 iU', liS wdll II; ta their mule IIHeudants. Next mnnill.~ when tlHl Musand prepared t,o leave he lI~kel! for the haUL! of one of the di.dple's daughter,; for all attendant; bllt as she was alrelldy betrotlllld the Sikh WIlS not IIble to comply with the demand. For this l'efuslII he was rewllrded with It shower of impreclltion8. The poor matron wept, in distress aIHI wishe!l they ha!1 been rich enough to satisfy theil' gllests and d.,serve hettel' treatment. lit their hands. Her husband rem Ill' ked that the MRSRUd Wit. the Guru's represellt,ItHve Itud, therefore, what, Jill liaid am! did ought, to result ill lasting gootl to them. The Guru was alreltdy sick of the Mltsltnds. Tlw heinous pictm'e drawn before him drew forth teal'S from his eyes. He dismissed the performers lltden with presents and thanked them for their enabling bim to come to It derision on a mlltter of such serious moment.. The messeuger~, sent throughout the country, brought the Masands bound in chains. They were tried and punished Ilccordiug to their

29 desert.s, Some were flogged; others were made to 'return their ill-gotten wealth to the owners; while the few who were' found innocent Wel'e released and sent back rewarded. The ordel' of Masands, however, ceased to exi~t from t,hat date, The Sikhs wert', thenceforward, forbidden to hold any intercoul's(I with them.

00-

CHAPTER V. The stElte of Hindubm in the time of Guru Govind Singh was liS Imd 8S CRn possibly be eon(·eived. In Chaptm' III the meaSlll'eS that the Moglml Governors had taken to SUP!ll'J.33 Hin,lnism thl'oughout Hindu~tall have h~eu de3crib~d at some l!'ngth. But the PllUjau, hC'itl3' Hialastan's gats t.hrough which all inVltller." gl'e·tt. lin,} small, llllsse:l on theil' way h Delhi, hac} h~~ll r~~~,i71u3' tln braut of the Muslim iuvndon, for c;)utarie3 previolB. It was, t.llCreforc, coust.antly ill all uuset,t]ed COllditiou. Th.l aillcuitie.' of It ra.~ ' llal· G;)f~I'nlD:lt, even of a tyrilll1lical one, wen not wit.hin tID r~ :teli of the p~ojlle. The plll~J l or war31tip Of the Hin ·l ln w~?n l'azed to, the g,·;nnl. To bllilti new ones was a criminal act.. Those were til?, day, of rnnk supel'st.i(.ion lind IIwful ignorllnce. As during the Dark Ages the whole Christendom was led to hJliev() that scat, in Heaven could be pUl'ehased (.hrough thJ intcl'velltion of the Popes, tlw Hindu; W' .. 1I taught to give all they had to t.he Brahmans and seck d~ath t.o l'each Heaven earlier. An infernal ulf\chine, caUe[i Kltlwiltl'lI, was erected in B~nar~3. ThoBalHh or pilgl'im, were sawn into pieces a~ld t.heir bJlonging3 weI''' appropriat.ed by the craft.y prie3t.~. To sit in the mhht of h~au; , of fir~, to st.ani fo? w"ek~ II'1:i 1ll0!lt!n ill c')111 witter, brea.t. de?p, to lie down 011 iron nails and t.o canse bo[lily pain to one's self by similar devices, to b:1rll alive W()!ln :l Wl the pyre3 of their husbands, t.o offer human sacrifices at. the IIltllr of

t,he so-eaUetl deities and nBU] othcr barbarou8 praetices wer';)' regarded ad" or merit, Thus the bl1uight.e(1 humanity WII~ En.reiel'ell, robbed ami plundere:I by it., own p!'ie.i~ L HCl'e anri thero Hindu amI Sikh Sadhu8 Il,d ["'lll'IIe(i Pandits illcuicatell hig1n'r it!lla~; bllt n 1 sud. instances were rare they did no hl~!;jllg goo:!. Apart fro III this tlw oh,CnaIH'/l of ('astc I'ulcs Im(i l!:iIIed fellow路 feeling frllm th3 minds of the HilHiu8 and hall ll1'llle th~'ll ('rnel t.o aUlI suspicions of OliO another, The Sikhs in thosc days dilTcr('tl from the Hindus only in dodrinnl matters mostly, In ev('1'Y othm' I'Cspect they were ullllistinguishnble from the Himlu8 ill thought and (icclL The tcaching.; or the previolls nine Gurns hat!, no doubt, millie thcm deront, more or less, but the inelllstic Hiudu social ('O(ie still swayed thcm lind forbade their existcnce liS lin indepenuent comlI1uuit.y with powel' to frallHl lll,.'s for HlCir own IHll'llIoni()l.~ dlwelopmsll', They still belicvetl in Hindn Avatal's IIIHI m]thologit'1I1 lll'l'ocs, Still the Hindu Stlpcl'st,itions IImi customs gO"crned their daily lives, They realiily permitted themselves to be invohed in !lny brawl 01' fray in whil'h the Hindus h!lppened to b~ ollgngelirightly or wL';mgly, TiH'Y were thoroughly aud complctely irlentilic1 wiUI tho Hindus in IIIl agitations IIgainst the ruling rlW(', No wondcl', then, that they' should have cpnlly snffered with their Hindu kin81l1(111 from hoth internal nnu cxternul trouhle"

CHAPTER VI. , Guru Govind Singh sought to organise his followers .. who were seattered far and wide nnd who belonged to the various grades and eastes of the Hindus, into a real bl'otherhood united by not only a community of beliefs but by that of other worldly interests. Mere singing of hymns and recitation of the scriptures did not satisfy him. He yearnt for the adoption of tho means wherewith he could inspire his people with the feelings of love, manliness and sacl'iflce. It was when he was engaged in such meutal pursuits that, the Pnndit whose duty was to recit.e Katlws frol11 Maha Bhllrlltll, while lect.ul'ing to the Sikhs, dwelt on the mllnifold advantages thllt resulted from the performance of 'Hllvan.' The mighty Kshat,rya princes of yore, said he, owed their strength and valour to the performance of 'Havan.' From Rama and Lakshmana down to Bhim and Arjun all the great warriors were blessed by the goddess Kali, invoked during the performance of this cCl'emony. The Guru had no faith in ,such superstitions; but pressed by a number of disciples lind pllrticularly to show the absurdity of the notion he gave his consent to the performance of the ceremony. Preparations were elaborate and expenditure profuse. Days, weeks and months passed, but the goddess did not appear. Some ingenious reply or ot,her was giTen to the Guru's impatient enquiries. At length thll cunning old priest, Kesho Dall, who preside4

,",.

at the ceremony declared. that the goddess would' not appear unless t,he Guru sacrificed some sacred persou at her altar. The Guru underst,anding what. was plissing in the man's mind observed that ilO far as he could think the presiding priest himself was th~ only pel'son qualified to receive the'distinc- . tJon suggested. The night following the Pmidit took. all< that he could and fied for ,his lifil. The G,uru, thereupon, threw the' whole samigri (ingredients) of 'Havan' into the fire. The night was pitch dark. The fiames . rose high and their frngl'nnce pervnded the whole ntmosphere. People on the distnnt hills nSl'ribed this unusual illumination to the nppenrnnce of t.he goddess. Large crowds IJoured into Annndpur to congratulat.e the Guru On the suceessful termination of the ceremony.. No time was, however, lost in making the proper explanation nnll exposing the deecitfl1l behavioUl' of the runaway l)l'ie~t. By this time n complete change came on the , GUI'U. He was no more a jolly, communicat.ive, dashing prince. His smiling face gave place to sadness Rnd gloom. He shunned societ,y and loved lÂˇetirement. His admirers were filled with a feeling of alarm. The Masands who inwardly disliked him for the repriIn,ands they had so often received rejoiced at the, change which they thought would soon lead to insanityâ&#x20AC;˘. But the Providence had decreed otherwise. The patient, if so he may be called, was, all this while,. in communion with t,he Creator. He was snffering. from an acnte pain at the sight of so many of ' his

<,o!lntrYUlfll alld (,ountrywomen sUlik ill del'p ignor<'!Wl~ nndr{,lhtee(l to SIIlVPl'Y: ' He IH'ostl'Rtt,d himself ./Jpfol'l\ tlte FRtltel' Almighty Rml prnye(l for grant of P,!wt'r . witeJ'l'with 'hll ('mIld put life into his people. 'fh.I', pl'IIH'.r was' beal'(1. A mice hom on bigh told hjlll thllthe bR'll' been anointed as God's son lind (:Vlltmis"ioned to 8,we humRnity fro III sin IUIII suffering· Thus sh'engthenell by diyine ' support he CIIIII!' ont of bis pIlleI' (If ret,i1'ement nml tllking a lIake,). sword in hnllrt '\lH~ . adlll'cssillg. n 'Iarge assembly of fiis followl'r." Ill' tolll' them that this w.a s the goclde"" that had appeRrccl to him allli !'lIquire!1 if ullY one was l'cady to slIe1'ilicc his lifc lit it., a!tal' for the ~lIke of the Guru Rml the community. All ,' WRS qui!,!. Not olle Ollt of, the thOUSRlllb ",sembled I'CSI'OlHi"d tr. tlw call.·Colonl· yanisbell ft'OIll tlw chceks of IIInllY. The (·tdl WIIS 1't'pcatecl. ' This ·time therc Wit,., II 1',,8j1onSIl. Dayn ,Ram Klmtri of Lahorc .tood Ill) 'I'Hi offered hi, lH'a~1. He Wit'! taken into the adjoilli!l);' tent.. Dowll (,Rllte the sword, A hOlly fell with .. tllIHI. mO'Ol\ flowell in t.orrent,. TIll' whole assl'mhly wa. "'pl'l'l'hle," with. horL'ol'. In R cOllph\ of minute. 1.\1-.. Hnru (',ime untolI\Hl delll~lll[lt'llllnotlll'I' ,acrifil'I' , D!'l\rnm .Tllt h[)lclly ealll(l fUl'WIII'(\1lI1l1 o/l'm'l'll himsl'lY' h hI' 'Hcrilll't'11. lIo, tou, WII' tllken in,ide, Th .. ",.\lI1l1 of the ,wort!, 11< it wli. hrlllHli,hel\ ill ' the II i I'. I\lIll the thm\ were again heaNI from the tent, lIml hluml flnwl'l\ Ollt. ill lIu'gel' Ijulllltities. Rtl"lck with· ttlri'llI' till' '1\li"lul[\" rill. tot hI' Gllrll·.- llri \'life '1'I',i(\"111'(' nllt\1'cporhd to moth;'l' Hlljri thllt 11l'1' SOil hafl ""tuaUyh{'{'ullIl' ill:d, thllt h,' WII" killing his (Ii,cillle,. l oy' \,i. own h'md HlHI thllt if, ,I". did Ullt iu!t,\'f.",,, ,-' .... J

35 ill time thet'i' wa'-no kllo'wing ' how -m'any lllOI'(l Ih'e" wOllill h~lost, ,The goou lally WitS' nlltu1'lt1ly paim.\(I to he:w nil this ; hnt" before hm' JJ\l'ssenget',-; 'dl'rh'",l' to fill:l out what the' 1ll1lttpI' WIIS', thl'ee :lll()l'e " IlL'III'O' n1O,n ,', lIillllllftt, water "al'riel', Sahibll, h1.rhm·, a!lll' Mohkalll, wMherlllftll, hatl offered them'elve .., to h, •. >lat'l'itiel'll aIHI hall hm'lI ii'PRtmi like Daya Ram mill Dllnl'ma. A few millut.t'.'l 1ll0l'C "hIPSPIl. The the bl'ave m~'l1 stooll in new nttire hefore theh' hewiI!ler",l hrethren. The Glll'n followNI and seatl,d tlw Fh ,,' P,If!tj'it.~ (Ihe lorell om's) a' tlll'neeforwlU'!l they m'm tle.,I.in!'!1 to h:. l'l,ml'lllhlll'IHI in Sikh histol'J, on the' dai" Il\ong.;ille of him'l'lf. He congl'atnlatd litH assemhleu Sikhs on tlwir po.',.;e.'lSing sl~ch l}l'llYe .,01111':1 mea, He Wit, Sl1!'e thHt.·t!Il";e Ii,'e Wel'e not tlwonly gem, they pO;SC,;·H'11. ,WIIl'n so lIlany , were I'ell:ly' to . give aWAY theil' \'[')'Y lin'." for , the sake of ,zltw'jW" Sikhism' WA' It real fUI'I'" de,t,incll to ·work wOll(lm'", They K'tW t.Jm!, in'll.~a!l of taking the live; or the Fim P!JlII"In he had. J<illeu goat.;. He had rcsortml to thi~ Jll'o~ll!lnl'e to know if hi, ]ll'opll' wel'c l'cally to ginl theil' Iivcs Itt. his hidlling'. TIll' d,wice hltll slll'I'ppdpIl to his illlluHnse KHti,flll'tion. The tliseiplcs BOW g'a"c fl'l'C vent. 1·0 their IOBg' }Jellt, ujl fC2ling.; allll the ail' rcsoulIllClI with tIll' nics ·of " Slit, Sri AImI ! " (Tlw Timeless Oue is true!) Some l'egr1lttcll that. they ,hollld have failed in offering their lives and eal'ning" this uniqne hononr, Othel'" werH glad that the awful srelle they Imll witnessed a few m[)luents Jll'edolIS was at IRst over, In this WRy Ihn evening pass,eel off pleasantly,

CHAPTE,R-VII. -The mo.rning after the incidents related at th" clo.se o.f the la&t chapter, i.e., o.n the 1st o.f Baisakh, Sam vat 1756 , Vik., acco.rding to. 1699 A. D., the dis:" ciples mustered路 in fo.rce o.n the terrace o.f K-esgarh, in response to. an invitatio.n. Dressed in pure whitethe Guru came and seated himself on the thro.DI'. ~ 'l'he Five PYUYCtll wel'e sent fo.r and marshalled iiI frnnt nf the Guru. They were asked to. prnnounc" W ah-i-GurI1 ! (nail t,he Divine Teacher !), Wah-iGuru!, Wah-i-Gm'u !, in audible toues and to fix their minds on the Lord. An irnn bnwl was sent for and some wat!'1' mill sugar wel'e put into. it. The Guru stirred the wllt .. r, tllll~ mixetl, with the pnint of the t,Wo. edged dagger he II ..ld in his right hand, All thi,'! while to. Sflnctify the watl'l' he recited hymns in praise nf the .L nrd of Hnsts. Thus the wllter WIIS ('o.nverted into Amritu, the water that when drunk made immortals of tlU' mortals. It was then, by hll'n~, administered to. the Five P!Jaras who were thereupon lllRtle to shout aloud "Wah-iOuru ji ka Khalsa, Sri Wah.i-Guru ji ki fnteh!" (The Khalsa is of the Divine Teacher! Vidol'y is nf the Divine Tl'!H'hel'!) 'They were further required to recite some hymns in praise of the" Lnrd, and then tlll'Y all pnrt,ook nf Kttrait Ptlraitad (a cooked , fOOll comp08!'d nf equal quantities nf sugal', Hnur ~nd g!we amI' n" llluch wat ....) fl'om the same vessel t,o. show that tlwy rellOIllH'ell ('aste prejudices, so. far a'!t,hl'se l\1'fprt.pd inter-dining. The GIll'n bade them to. rl"mllmbprtlmt t11('U('efol'ward thl"y 'IV~re all brotherl!o

and members of one churllh called KhalIl' (unalloyed. pure). They Wel'e to regard him as their spiritual father and his wife Sahib Devi as their mother. 'They were to preach the brotherhood of man and were to believe in one God alone. They were all to assume the name of 'Singli' (lion) and to ('arry arms on their persoll. They, were to wear garments suited to the life of a "soldi~r: T.hey were . to abhor tobacco and tither intoxicants in any form. 'They were to stRnd by one allother ill time of trouble and Illstly ill all that t IlI'Y did they were to be fair amI upright. The Guru then drank A,nrifn from the same ,'essd Rnd pllrtook of KIIl路tl/. Plt1'slwd offered by the Five Pyttrtll. The, baptislll of the spirit lind the sworll thus admini.terml inaugurated a lIew era in HII' histOl'y of Indiau refol'm. Before Guru Goyiml Singh not oue person of stwh a high des('ent aIHI stauding had taken SUdl R' bold stell IIml faced the consequent risks. With on(' sh'ok .. the illustrious GUI'n (lid ItWIlY with distinriions that had engendered selfislllll'8S and man-hlltred and had mude spil'itual and politienl slaves of the Hindus. The new eOll11l1nnity with ,~ueh beliefs and aspirat.ions I.. d by II person 80 august lind brave stal'ted on its cal路eer. Men belonging to the lowest orders of tIm Hindu societ.y and lI'eated as helots ill Greece and PI~beans in Rome, became gl'eat leaders and brave warriors. Peasants, hitherto never mentioned in history and kept in ignorance deliberately, became preachers of. the new Gospel Rnd holdly entered into discussionswith the advocates of the old, dead and dying beliefs N 01 unlike the English Puritans their simple ideas' , simple garb, pure lives and sincere regftrd aud earnest:

38 nes~ for the establishment. of the reign of ,'irtllil'" won' them IInivel'~al ndUliration, Th~i~ H'ry "collfllct,' IIny Hie nwy sight of , them serve(1 as a ' spell. In spite of theUlsehl" Ulen fl.It'1t sh'ong ctnl'ing to be allmiltetl into the new PIII/t" (foM). lit Il worll, "the hithlll'to uegiectml 1l11l1 dowlI-trolltiell hlltll/luity nil of a .nrIll('1I ' WAs r0I1S1111. into, ndhity" It bi'('lIlue coilscion' of it_ sh'cngth Itml eag,'riy 80nght fOl' 0PllOI,t!lll'ities to di,play it." The vnt.all'il'" of Ill'W creed wOI'ke(l, linl:i ' nUll,li"ll fOl' whAt they con~idl"'lHl to he g011l1 nnd lJOllourablt', ' Rtl'lIight.fol'wnl'd, ollt,spoken, gllilcll'~S nIH\ confhling, stHllneh fl'il'llIl, of t.\", wpnk mHl t,he defencele.s liml hllplncnble fill'" of the strong' >HHl th,, ) oppressive they wel'l' I'''"p"dml IIml fefllled whpr(,I'I!I' t,hey went, 1111(1 Whl'reYN' they liv ()(I. 'fill',\' \VI'I'e Ill) ,l onge r '1'11et, timill, h/'nm siIlgill,l(' devot.ees with littl" tnlllhitioll IImlstill 'iess "pil' it, 'l'h,\,v no 11)ll/ol"'I' ,,"hUlit- . cd }lllssivdy to Hie Hlin, >elfish "ull IJI'ivi\I'gP<\ ('I",,~c, thllt hAil kept tbcllI !lown fro,n tiuHl imm(mWl';1I1 1111(1 II1Hl Jlllllle tlillm "heWP1'8 of \y()ud nnd draWl'''' of wl\h' .. ," They uo longer look(,d with 1'("I)('1'l 011 till' 8i\l\.h'II" til lit, Imlllllade it criminnl for them to lI~pi1''' for t,hillgs highet', Theil' 80nb fl'clllI from tbe ' tlll'nl(\(;l1n, of, age<, thlli .. e~'e" opeued, t 110;" minds widenc(l, they vigoronsly tnrne ll tllllil' nUclItion to tllll ""P[)'UI';' of fllll false pretence" nIH\: nil injn8tiee in religion, llolitie8 I\IHI 8ocit\l "ltut[)llOIllY, Thc anthority of tlw Ilrie8t1y dn8ses nutI t.Ilcir Ildhe'l'c nt,~ alllong RAjpnj.g I\nd Kshntrys5 was .ddiel\ nllll, t,jmght by 1\ lellder wit'" tbougb so high, lovc(i to be l'cg'llt'detl ' l\~ one of t!1 3:n, tbey len~'l1t, thRt they \~ere God's soltlieril seut dOWll to 'protect his kingdom ' niHr Pllili,'" iii" eneinies,

tllC

CHAPTER VIII· Guru Gol'ind Singh taught lll'lil'f 'in OlW gre"t Hod, "the 'fimelesM Olll'," be ('"11(,(1 Him, A('cordillg to him God i,. .Tn,t, Mel'('iflll, AlI-Po\vl'rful. Ollllli"'il'nt Iwd All-Loling. He dol" lIot take 'hirth II, Hindus nud Clll·i,.tinll" beliPH'. 'Coll,idl'l'ing thAt Hindu" W('I'e.tOO m)1('11 Ill'one to I'I'g1l1'd tlll'it" gl'l'Ht weu 118 illl'nruntiow' of tIl(' Dpily HIllI tllllt lIis followl'I" wllo lllO~jJy "lime fl'OIII tllllt ,,/tJl'k migbt Jlo! f,,11 iuto this 1'1'1'01' he told th"lII ill till' ('Il'url"t po"sih\" Illngullge tiull those who wHult1 ('JIll him Gml wOllld 1)(' llJl'(HI'U iuto 11('11. Enjoin" h,' : -

" Bill I\I,rtlir I a ~il 1:!JU

HUtl 0,

Aa njOll

njui UUllt\J,iJi tell P(ume&llfll' j:lIlO, Kalla bhniyo jo all j'lgnt me!). oasak Asul' Har gL,ie ; Adhnk pnrpal)ch ,lil<h"" sabl'"11 kith ,ipe Bralnn ~lIh,i •. BhRI)j£Lll, glU\l'aU s(lmrath sad{l Prllbh~l so kim j(lt giutlyn,. l\,,)le .orb ~:\I ke asko gl,fie bnchite Dn "yo, Kailet"he \:\1' hoi Bnll jill' ap dubyo bhan s"gar, thlJi,t lIo k,,1 pIJii!)." te lab IIi gno Bari, j.gnl:ignr, "

, 'l'hl' Crt'lltor and uot crellted ohjl'd, "lltIllld Jj,. w()l',hil)Pl'd. He Illone ,honld 1)(' ('"u'id"~,,t1 1'11'I'n11'.,he.,. who i, ' the Pl'illwm\ Beiug, ''';''''1' till"" hirth, i. 1ll1t'001l11l"l'l1hl,. IUltl ilHl,'",h'nl'tihlt,. WIUlt if 11m' "HIlI{' iutn tlti, world, ,Idlletl "'lII" it'll .1.", 1'8 (111ltll'igilll") ""hihit"tl lot, 01' I,"zzliug rl'lIt~ mltl tilillJl~' 1t:1lI",1f 1'(1)'''' ,,,. God? 'Ih' "/1'1'1I111101'd Hilll>"It' 1:1l" FtlW('l; to , lIlllk,' IIIHI to , ,!,·",tl'oy, Wh,l' ",Iltlllltl ht'llHYe p""mittt'fl hhll,clf fo hl' l"'gUl't1"tI 'i' J)t'lollgiug to 1\ l'ul'li"lIl",' (,II'/"? •TIt(',I)),,~lt'lltl"l' 1If/"I' ",IiI ill,'

h'H1()(;I:~

was not able to sine \tiw8elf frow the blow struck by the Angel of Death; How can he take across any one who himself was drowned in the Sp/\ of Fear? Those who desire t.o escape from the noose of death" should take shelter with the Lord of the Ulliverse. " .. Numerous such passRgell .al·C extant over .his w:ritings which all tend to show unmistakably· that Gnru Goviud Singh did not believe in the theory of God's incarnation. He was not /\ worshipper of images. On the · contrary he oppnly ('ondemned image worship. Says he:Kahn lni I IIha" I uj uhnrio .i .. kal.u Ini li';g gllre Inll<tiyo, Klihu lnkhyo Bnr n"r.ehl .lj.l,a me,), Hid. p"elo l,ah ko ~+'1 llhf{'Y",

Kuhu b"I"" ko pujllt I,,'; .pas" kill,,! mrilil" ko \luj _II dlll(Yo, Kur kl'iJl\ uril,yo aauhl- jng Sri Bhngw"" ko blicu 11" payo.

"Some peol)le ta.k e idols and rcverent.ially place them on their heads. Some wear the 'L iIlKlIln ronnd their necks. S\,~e search for God toward. the east., some bow~ their heads towards UIC west. 80me benightlld . people worship images, soml) adore tombs. The whole world i. entangled in false pursuits. The secret of Sri BTtagwlIll no 0111.'1 has found out." Though he respected all great men and valued all good work he did not put faith in the so-called .revealed books. Says he : Pile gilh. jllb Ie tumre taute ko'\ 4~kh to,r. nnl'i>:! anyOI), Ramn, Rnl,im, Poroioa, QurulI; ,wek kallni~ llInl ek n" manyo>:!, Simrila, SlIaatn, Bed salmi 1.0"011 bloed hbf.! IInm ok na janlO~, Bed, Purdo, Kllteb, Qur"" auu ••l Dirrall snbb .. i PRC" I,o\ro,

BIled na pu I.kyo Anbbed ko klle.lnlloai Ancioloed p"Ure.

sak na sog nn. 8n~g telnire. Ad, An .;d, Aglil1h, Abhekl., AdlVaikh japyo tin hi kul tare ......

Rag, n& r{lp 118. l'ekh un ral}g

l~a

Bed kl\leb utk he Har mihi \1 • . Jan leho IInr jR,n mlln IIlilhil,l.

" Since I have tnken RheUm' at Thy feet O. Lord! , I have lIoticed 110 oue. Rama, Rahim, the Pnranss, Qurau, talk of UIlJll<ll'OIl, fait,hs ; I IIcknowledge lIot, even olle of them. . The SlIll'iti,., the SllI\stras, . the . Vedas 1111 h'Reh (~olltl'n(lidi"us; I believe Ilotju allY . ·of t.hem. , .. .. .... The V c<in" th" Pm·allaS,.tlw Books, ·the . Qlll'all alld sO\"I'l'ei~n Jll'illecs have f .. iled to know Thy mystel'y.· Tllt~y hum not b""ll able to · fathom Hie deJlt.h of ThOll UUI.. thOlllllhlc 0111'. ·Tlll'Y eall Thee UlItrM,·ahl.· while foiling aftpr Th.·.·. Thou hast no .H.tb\.{~lilnl·uts,

no ff'uf Ui'es, no uo Rorrow nnd no n.-;:o;oc.'iate.

lilll·nllu~llt.1"',

uo eolour, G·ellernt.i{)u~ of thOHO

hnve nttnine(! 8nhntioll who meditnte 011 Thee, the First. One, the Eternal, tim Unknownhle and The 'O ue IIbov.' rIlU('OIll' lin.! I'l'ejlltli.·.· ...... . ... UnderAhllld ye believ .. l'" :Had i" not in t,l... V.·.In ,. IInl! the Books; He i~ enshrine ..} ill ' Jun t ~nvll lu~nrt ...;." I.; prc-Briti.h Jle1'iotl HlIll chiefly when Hu)' Brahmall" were in a~(,clldm)('y PCOI'\t; wm'e t.aught to at.t.ncll t.o·o milch importance tn Pl'lIIl11.If{/1Il, and tu vuriow~

"£01'1118

()f · all~t.Cl·it.ie~.

GIll'I; Go'·in.! Singh ihese l'rn.:til· c~.

clIlphntienlly .mndenlllt'd

8ay" he : -

Al)kh m {lI.lu !tOI') dimuh u ildl;l'OVni, ;\ndhar Iii padw! knh pilwni,

A I,lle !l mi ch ma.g ~«jlt un j;i i, 'l',U;i Anlll~t mile },im Bli lll, Je je ,.bl:e1d1 sutfin,

m e l)

dh:im

Te Prn bllu ,jJ.u kw!;d. k::i I:a

bi (' l)j'l 1' P ,

42 Samnjh Iiyo sab i"n man mahi;),

Dlljlll uan .tneJ.l Pai'mealmr nahlJ).. Je je kllrnm kit,. dimbh diklHii. Tin P"ubh logan me.) gat mibi.). JiwAt c\oalllt jngnt ke ki.j.i,

S\.RQg d.kh knr pujnt Roijol, S\'Vilngnn m8~1 P.lrmesllfir unlit!),

Khoj pilirni sabhi ko kithh),

.Apno man kat" mo jill aliA. Pur Orninna ko tiHr pncllhana.

Bheleh diklllt. jognt ko log"" leo bas kin, AI)t kal ki\ti kllty0 bas narale mo.) lill,

Nasa mUl]d knl'ai

pnl'lltuna.

Phoknt dGnnn no. kaudt '",ma,

Hilth hiltie surg lU'L jill':, J8 man jit sRk:'t un. luh"l.

"He who pretends RnIH路tHy by (路Iosing ilis eyes shall attain tIle position of tile bllt. By elosed eyes one can not feel his wily. How, then, elln the Endless Qne be seen by so doing? God's people do not att.a('h any yalue t路o those who Ilppeul' in the vurions garbs of saintliness, Understllnd ye lleople God ('an not be obtained by resorting to hypocriticnl ways, Those who act hypocritil'nl\y nre not respected by godly men. As long as such persons liYe, their worldly objects are gained; for kings and princes, deceived by appearances, worship such persons; but God can not be seen in men who pose 8S HiS' representatives; thongh all may search for them anywhere. TbQse alone know God who control their' minds. Those who wear saintly garbs and enslave

43 hell. The belief of those who close their nostrils and perform Prulluyum is false alld worth not a shell. The moving of hands will take none to heaven llnle,'I ,~ p't~s io ll' are sllblncll." III allother placl/ says he;N ... jafti mlwd ,1II1tto~, n" mUlluml!!; 81V.\ro~,

Japo lai mimn. sfLtoai sarb 1camfl., Nu. nainal} rn"\clu\ u'} nao llhimbhfu.Ldikll:l.t1.:), No. kllkat'tlffi ki\mMt \~ nn. bhekhi kah{L uIJ.

"I wear not matted hair

my heMl. I; do lIot adorn Illy ear" with ear-rilllo\'s. I repent t.ho namo of the 01l~ who II~Si>;t,.; ill nil things. I sit, Ilot~with eyes half clo~e[l. I deceive nil ouc. No evil deetl;do I perform, uo spuriolls garll do I wear. " 01\

To escapc frolll sin IIlllI suffering lind t.J1II" to aUaill to 8alvlltioll he pointed ont 1111 easy way, 'I!IZ., repenting the nllllle of the Lora. Rays he;Jill jill ntUll tilltLrO tlhi[Lya, Dukh p{'p till "ikat na ,\y'\, Bin Ha,' ",\m "It b,\clmll pai Imi, C[",uh 10', 'j:itie b"s 1<llIe (;i')le I<"he pa\"i Itai, Rim .., R:ii.im, ublu',r lin. s,lk hili jilt} k'lh Ullin raiai ha.i. i?mlllna, Bishan, Rud"" SlIry", S"sSf" te bas k,,1 8ab~i hai. Oed .., Pum,,_, Qumll, s .bI."i mat j li k,d, net kahai J18i.

I'hlm, PI:t.ni,)d''oI, M ,ni.,d,',. Kal.lp b"ho dhiyalVat dlliyu'l

nallillai.

Ja. k 'h fl'P ra',11! n"

j~"i.at

'0 kim Synl~" ka"ai hni,

Chhutlto kill phoi. te llibl,l lahe cltnrllan Iiptai hai.

"Those that meditate 011 Thy Ilam~ si~ and suffering approach not. " "Without the Lord's name salvntioll is impo~sible. How canst, thou, 0 man, hide thyself from what (Death) has subdued the four

· een worlds? Ram~ and Rahim whose names thou epeatest c~n not raist, thet'. (Have they not nil beeome victims of Death? COIll!' and take shelterwit,h the Lord of Lords hefore whom the mightiest of t.he mighty bow their hea<l~ ill suhmission.) Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Surya, Saspl. 1111 are in the clutches of Death. Whom the y .. tIns, the Pnranas, tht) Quran, 1\11 call Eternal. whom Indra, Phanin<lrn, MIIUill[lrll, have for H.ges meditntml on and of whonl they have failed to form !l concl'ption, whose feat,ures aud colonr uo oue knows. why tImt thou benighted man call Him Syamlt (durk-colonl'e!l)? Then alone wilt thon be tlisenhUlgled from the noose of Dellt.h wlten t.JIOU c1ingest, t.ltyself to th!' f!'et of the Eternal One." Gnru Govind Singh belongt'tI to the dn88 of grent lIIen who, though t.hey boldly IIl't'aelICd their ideas and even suffered dent.1t for upholding t.hem, resented the IIppIicntion of force in nHlfh'.t,s of belief. Like the Vedantis lind Sufis of t.he higher type Ite snw God in all things and ronsidered it, a sacrilege to look down on any human being, howerel' 11I1Inble or lowpl!tced. , MllulaDa Rum, Hie fam01l 8 SlIfi, whose name will liI·e for all tilll~ in the rdigiOlls hi8tory of the world says : Nest 1\1). j'e ki I\l).j •• jnlwn.i-j{IIl{'Il"I~ nest. Chrst Rn.lnr K&'bn itninionlll ki dar bul kitiLlla ne,t. AftAb.i-ynk diytiro gaubnr.i.ynk ma'dnnem. AsilllliYIlRem ba hnm hecb kas begllna nest.

41i

"There is no place wherl' the lustre of th~ Lovell Oue is Ilot, What i~ thCl'c ,1., in Ka'alm, I ,,"oUlII'r, which is not in a Pagodll ? We lire the sun of the same hellveu aud .iewels of the sanw mine. WI' are all mutual friends uot, one is II strangm'," The gospel of love prelleiw(l by this greut suint WI\S not acceptable to the Uleln(l,v of the cOlllmunity to which he WIIS cOllneded by the lIIel'!, aC!'itlent of hirth amI which hlld Hourishell nlllinly hy the aJlpli('ation of fore I'. For his out:;poken advocacy of the pl'ineiple of toleration in lIIattl'rs of helief the Moulanll WIIS hounded to dellth. GIIl'U Govillll Aillgh 1Il'l'IIched the samll principle lHul rI'c{'ived till' sallie hl'ntmellt fl'om the people in whose intel'('st Ill' \vOl,kI'd all his lifl'. Aays he :~

Kou bl,niyo

m(l'~dY<l'

SftllYUSi.

!C,,(, Jog! bhai Bmhmachltri !Cou Jati"n mlillbo, Hindn. Tllrk, kou RMzi, ImamsloMi, manush kl jilt sabl'ai ek paiel"ln bo, KaTh. Karim sol,i, Rtlzik Ral,im ohi, dugn, 111\ bhed kof uln'tl bhram mllllbo. Deh.il MasH 80hi P{lja au Ilamilj ohi, manush .abhai ek hai nnel< ko PI''' bh,\o )".i. Dewata, AdelV, Jachl,a, Gahndharm, Turk, Hindu, nii,re" nii,r. desall ke bhes ko prabi,,-IO hai, Ek ek hi Barup sabai ekai jot janbo.

"Sollie are Udllsis, Sanyasis, some are Yogis,. 80mI' BralulllIl'hllris: some call themselves .Jlltis,. some call themselves Hindus, some Turks, som!} Rllfzis and Imllm Shafts. Believe all mankind 118 one â&#x20AC;˘. Kllrta lind Karim lire the slime; Raziq aml Rllhimthe same; entertllin not the lellst doubt IIbout, it evell'

46 mistakenly." "Temple and Masjid are the same; .' Puja "and "Natuaz "-the same; mO e!! are all of -0 ne essence; though they appeRr different. Demtns. A~urs. Yakshyas, Gaudlmrms. Turks and Hindus are so called on accoilllt of local consideraf.ion" of different climes and cOlllltrie8. They nre RII brothers and nre all equally the e mltnat.ions of tIll' Great Spirit that enlivens ull." He scouted the idcu of this Ol" that l'uce being tIll' 路chosen Ilcople of GOlI, 01' that, t.here was anyl,hillg inherent. in any c1uss of llIen that, IIIH.de I.helll incapable -of aSllirillg aft-ct' higher life. He conllclIlnCl\ wit,1t great force I,he pructiee of IlIflking God responsibl" for Ihe vltrions so cullt~11 holy wars t,hut were wagell to enslave or exterlllinute weaker l'III"-l8. Oil no point he hu! luid so linch stress in hi" writings a" on tho aU-loving nRture of God. 8'1\y" ho : RogR.n te nr sogan le jlll logan le banh blait,~t bnc1l1lWl\i, Sn.tru nnel,;: chnln.wni ghnw tnn tan ek

Rlikhat 1m; apno k"r

ue k"r

Ill\.

lagan pawai,

pAp Bab\' nhan bhe~ na p,byai: .

"The Heavenly FRthm' prllt.ecl-s from si('kness and ' sorrow, I\IId from se,," llloll8ter s ill many ways. N nmerous foes m'e ..Iw,,"ys Iyillg ill wait to strik,. thee, 0, mltu ; but路 t hou receivest 110t, olle blow! B" eKtends thee His helping hand Itud Rll malevoleut iufluences approach Hlee not ,"

CHAPTER IX, . The new .creed was named "Khalsa Pauth" (pure way), The persons buptised were called Khalsas(pure ones). According t.o till' Guru "th" man who· meditates day and nigbt on the Ever Shining Light Hnd doe" not give plaee in hi" heal't to any OIIll except the One; who adorns himself with the belief in t.he love of the Perfect One; who discards fasts nnd tomb worship; who in ahus-giving, cOllllnisscration, ascctichnll . nnd contillenec reeogllises lIot nlly other sa\re •the One ; in whose henrI, blll'ns Uw light of tlIll Pel'feet One alone deserves to be known H" a true KhHI8a.. " The baptism of the spit'it and the sword did produee sueh

nll~ll.

Pm-lsesscd of

Ull

iron-will the

haptiscd easily conquered Uwir pH"iollS and t.lm" a('quil'illg snpreuuH'y oyer th? elleluy within thClll they became conquerors of Hw world out.side. In ,'espOl"e to a pro('lamation issued by the Guru multItndcs of people came to Anandpm' to receive bapt.ism· and parties of the disciples were sent all round the '''Hlntry to spreaa the new Gospel. These itinCl'Hnt pl'eachers met with considerable sucee"" aIHI not many years elapsed berOl'e a band. of earnest lIlen gathered round the bRImel' of the new creed. The rise of the new creed, however, failed to elicit a feeling of gratitude or even of admirat.io n from the breast.s of high caste people generally. On the contrary it provoked hostility in all conservative centres. For a t.ime this opposition was not a pr~ __ .L! _ _ _

J.1.. ................... \,. ..... , . ,

converts to the new Gospel increased t.heir open disregard of old beliefs and rituals engendered " bitterness wbich soon assumed" serious form. People forgot the blessings they had received from the Sikh DispellsRtioll. The purit.y and soundess of its 1>",,11 principles was ignored. They regarded the new doetrim'" as heresies and thought. it an aet of merit to do All they could to prevent their getting hold over men·s minds. But as has been Ute ease evcrywhel·" the opposition of the eonservat.ive clement. strengthened still 1IIore tho heoU"ts of the reformers Ami bouml them more ("Io.ely togetlJer. The mere sight of It Sikh glad(\ened anoUlCr Sikh. A Sikh way-fnrt'r llnding, a co-religionist, lying wearied am\ exhausted ilu"the l~ondsicle at. onee laid down Ilh; things, shampooed the. man and shared with him Ule loaf of hre.,,\ ,or r(msted .·orn that he ("a!"riel\ with him for his own use. In" word, the Sikhs of those t.imes share.\ tllPir '80l·'·OW' ami pleasures with one , another and a" tlwy were dcl'OuUy religious, 8acrifking and .·onfiding, th,·y were Able to take ullitNl fwt.ion in mRny a ('Ol1l't'l'll of lif(·. Spedal festivals were organisml whi,'I, W("re Iltrgdy attended. Men CAme from distant lands to Jneet in "H COllllllOU"wo}'ship and share in n l'OllllllOll_ amusement;· ntHl just a8 t,heBe great, llationlll gat/wrings were of "e<"-ulia.· importance in Grecian history t'hey playell not, It smali part ill the histol·y of Sikh progress. In the wOl"(ls of a EuropeAn historian tl...y were of

pride,

g'l'Ntt

use

ill "

fOl!ltel'illg a common llution:ll

sound physicRI training, i11tell("dual yi"our , tllHl emlllHtioll and It lum.Jt.hy .desi.l·P for ~.lH·(·e ...;s iu t~YlWy Idnd of {'oIDlwtition, where tlw l'eward ('~n "ist",l ('hielly ill til(' high opinions WOIl from tlwir ["l~ 1.,1>;-11]("11. " fI

At thist.ime the Raja of Bilaspur vi8ited Allaudpnr accompanied by several othel' hill chieftains. The Guril received them in 1\11 open Dnrbar RlHl in an eloquent speech Rsked them Rnd othm' higli-caste Hindu leaders, assembled on the GccRsion, to join hRnds with him in his cRmpaign of reform, " Theil' nncesf.ors " said hc, " wcre t,he Lor'd's Paralllount ill f.h e country. They madc and ndministered lRw; accorlling to their requirements, FL'om time imillcmoriltl they were RC.<"nstomed to r ecei ve homRge frolll contempor/U'y potentRtes and mell of note nllli infiuellce. Their people were happy and prosperous. In religioll, as in nrts, lIRtions of Hill world cOllsidered it n privilege to follow their lcnd. But the st,nt,e of things hnd, thilll, nndeL'gonc n eOlllplete change. They were no more 路 n self-governing, conscicntion~ lind sRerificing people. Theil' religion was discar(led. Thcir plnccs of worship were insultcd and demolished. Their men werll taken into slavery. Their womcn werc forcibly removed iuto the seraglios of the 'rurks and their l,hildt'en were sold iu thc ulRrket, of Knbnl lIud KIUldlmr for a llellny a hen(!. They were 110 mOL'e 111118ter~ bnt sill.ves in fheir own lRllll, incnpltble of doing a good tnrn to the IUS elves or t.o other.,;. Whllt was thi~ <Ine to? Certaiuly the land hll(1 not ehllug()[l; neither the elemcnts hRd grown fickle in their minis-. trlltion of beneficence. The SIIUlO HimnlayH~ fe ,l t,he streams that waterc(l their fields IlIld gal' dens 11.11(1 quenched their thirst. The saUlC Illuus yielded t.helll numerous vllrieties of corn ami Inscious 拢i'nits. The SIlIDe snn Rnd IIiI' rl,freshe(l their soul~ lind pnrified their homes. Thotlsand aud oue other blcssings existed

50 as of yore. Evidently. therefore, the _ fault wa,s their's Dnd t,heir'" alone. They had ceased worsbipping God Almight.y and hEld t,alten to t.he w,orship of stocks and stones instead. This hatl deprived them of the only souree of goodness Elnd had consequently destroyed fellow-feeling in their minds. Their religion WEIS only an hallueinEltion, their BociElI system WEIS st.ill worse. It. was bElsed on selfish principles that brought, good to few I1IHI evil to many. Professedly intended to bind people into , one homogeneous whole, in relllity it engendered Elnd nurtured mEln-hElt.red. Did they not daily witness the sight of large crowds of Hindus overElwed by a handful of tIle conquering race? And did t.hey not notic" thnt the members of t.his _rElce were powerful because their heads were united, while they, the Hindns, would not, snffer fOI' one .mother's t.roubles? If they st,jJ) desired t.o have a place IIlnong the living, .md pI'ogre8sive nations of the world, he would ask them to entm' the fold of the Khalsa Panth and be saved from the otherwise inevitable downfall and extinction," This pathetic appeal failell to move thc stonchearted hill-men, in whom all manliness had become dead. "The Guru," they I'eplied, "being gifted with miraculous power's could well afford to face the mighty Moghili. He was, mOI'eover, a Faqir having no land or country of his own. Wherever he liveu was his home' This wus not the ('RBC with them. They were lUen of the world having' much to lose. The Moghuls would not notice him s;ll'iously; for they knew they could not wrest from him ttny territory or trettsure. But

51 what would he their position ? They would he kicked and turned out from the land of their fathers lind wonld b[\ either killed or sold as slaves. They kuew full well the might of the Moghuls and r"gartied the expectations raisetl by the new Agitation AS mere idle drea?ls. The religious aud sodal propaganda of the Gura was still less acceptable to them. They refused to belil'Vtl that any ceremony could dri,'e ont, the brute from the base-born or that any good ronld come ont of promiscuous eating and inter-mingling with the low castes who fOl'med the major portion of his followers. They saw no Imrm in the worship of idols, lind they did not see why they should not slirk to their old ways a11(1 beliefs. They had come to AllIlD dpur out of mere cllriousity to see how the low castes looked in their uew garb. 'fhe previous nine Gurus had confined t,hcmselves to the preaching of God's name aud impressing upon the people the importllnc,e of Bhakti (devoutness) above all other things. They did not disturb the old order of things or introduce IIny l'evolutiolllU'Y mellsure. They wishml to be understood that these {'hllnges WCl'C not IIc('eptllblc to them." Ghllillm Mohi-ud-din, It contemporllry Muslim historian, thus refer8 to the IIbove address of the Guru Rnd to the response with which it was met:Hama lut (Iar yak mllzhllb dar (Iyand ki Mil dnrmiyan bnr khezlld wa hal' chllMr wllrn i Hllu(ld

liZ liZ

Brahmall, WII KshAtrya wa S(ldra WII V nish ki hAl' yak ra dar Dharm Shllstra din i alnihda muqllrar list IhuIL 'tark dada bar yak tarik slIl(lk llumaYRud, wa hama

barabar and wa yake khnd ra bar dlgare tarjlh n/\ dihml wa tlL'ath luti mani~d i GIt~g wllgah'a lhlki ditr V (1(1 Sh(l~b\r t'ltlim i {mhlt Utkl,l i mazld raftlt Ilst liZ khMar badllr kllnaud wa sawlli oz Guru Nanak klmHflii

blu' digllr

Ki~lll\n,

wa BI'lIhlll:\

ullIDniylllHl.

ItZ

(1)11'

(Jiglll' i81"h hlll'md. gl1ft,n~Hl,

Chlll~

Br'lhlll'm~ll

8anadld i Honltd maRal R'lm,

WII

Dewi wagair" i'tiqad lin

W" Palllli i nUIlI

1mI' ('Imhll!' baran

WII

gil'iftll mHl,t!llllllln i

yak zltrltf bikhm'a))(l, Hllm

1II!1l'dum~n

dll1ll1n

Wit

nz yllk

Hllkhnnn bi.y,ir

hi~hini£1IlI~<l

biHY{lre liZ wa Chhntriyfm barkh{lstnlld wn guftmHI . .

ki mnzhaM ki mukh'llif i Veil Sh{lstllr hllwlld llllrgiz 'lahM Ulllll(' kUllelll WII lllltzlmh i kuhnlt ki p(\Hhlnig!\~l hllr{tl~ 'i'ld{un llllm(ldalHl ha guftai kodak{, (GUI'Il Gobind Riugh dih6m,

WlI' It

young lUHn then) az da .• t nil

in guna hal' kh{"tmHl. Magill' hi,t hllz:h' kll"

rllz'l tl,ulalHl

Wit

mutoihll'l'tt, bill' zuh{tn :1 wur,lnnd. "

"That nil 8houltl come into (the fol,l of) one religion, "0 thllt tho tlifferelll'e hetween them (the Hindu, Itlld the men of the new Faith) may £1i8.,appellr 111)(1 all thc four castes of the Hindus, ·viz., .the Bl'lIhlllanS, the Chllttt.ris, the V Iti.ha", and the Shudl'lI", for o!lt'll of whi"h t.11ll V cd Shllstrll haH pres(,rihed II differont el'ee(l, llIay leave thnt ('reed Rnd deal wit.h one allot,lier lIl'cordillg to Ollll "reed; . 'tliRt t.hey shOltld con.~ider each other liS equlIls lind no olle should t.hillk himself superior to anot.her. And all pilgrimages like that to the Ganges, etc., which are enjoined iu the Vedas aud Shastras must be

1'6tnoved ft'om ·tJw mind ··and ·with tile '&xoeptiou.iJ Garn NlIllllk 1I.1ul hi~ ~\l('I'l'~"OI''', none like RRIllII., Kri~hna, Bl'ahmll IIUIl DIWi, &('., shonld he blllil'\'ed in. And 1Irt.,,~ biking my Pltlllll (baptism), men of nil Hill. fou~ ca~te~ lI1ay- eat out of one vessel alHl nmy It'a~:) £;'0111 OlW Ilnothel·. He (Guru Gobind Singh) slIid IL great. IlIll1ly t.hiug., like t.his. When the people 1ll'lld t.hem, many of t1w Hl'ahlllRllS nnd ClihRhis got np nlHl S:lill tllRt. t.Iwy wonld llllv"r nceept. a ('reed thnt was opposell to Hie Vedas nud Shllstras Rnd they wonld uot girl' np the old religion whi~h t.heir RUI'est:o!'s had h:.lieYlHI in, upon the IIdvil'e of Il yout.h (Guru Ho"ilHl Singh W.IS II YOllug maa CU:I). Sayiug thi., t.hey got up; bnt tWl'nty t.hollsH.n:1 p:'llpln nel'l'ptlHl tIll' 1'1'0Im~all[la a:d agrlll·:1 t.1l nd up to jts pJ·itu·ipll·S." The Guru, finding it nsdess to nrgue lIuy further wit.h 1IIen who were ment.nlly so low, changed t.he topic of th " di~eonrse I1nd tnl'nl'd to the lIlonstrons gatherin~ of tho disciple:; to whom his mere look was life !tIllI his IDl're wortl hl W IlIHI in .tIl illlprIl8.~ive Hcr:UQ!l pl' e par :~d t.hmn for t.he coming sh·lIggle. LitUe dill the hill Rlljpllt.S who boasted their high lineage thiuk that. t.he t.ime \VIIS not very dist.nnt. wllPll t.llll vllry ~R.me low-('Rst.e .TRts, whom t.hey ' l ' opllnly lli8cRrlh'l\ IIIHI for rpclnimiug whom tlll'! hllrbourl'll sinistel' ll1ot.ives RgRinst. .the GilI'll, woulll .hed t.heil' bloJ ~1 t.o ellllst.ise thcir Moslem oppressors, would res_ cne t.heir men 111111 WOIDen from iufRmy, and WOuld make t.he desecration of t.heir t.emples and the br!'ak_ ing of theil' idols a thing of t.he past. ! LiHlp did HI!'y know that not It century would elapse before these

low-castes would' rule over them; . nay would even employ them'as their gate-keepers and orderlies. Oue day when the Glll"U went. out. for sftikIJ)' he b"ggetlll lllrge tiger. Au I\B Wil~ dr{J~setl in the skin of this tiger and let free to roam about in the fields. For several day,~ the as~ frMly gi'azed in the extensive farms and grew fat. Tlw farmers believing' him to be a rJal tigar dare 1 not g;) ID}U' him. Ollce in the course of his wanderings the ass thought of paying a visit to the house of his master who was a washermau. It was twilight. Men wero returning to their homes after the day's work. Shops and places of businoss were about to b~ closed. The sight of the ass, in the tiger's garb, a3 h3 g'lllutel'cl along the streets, inspired terror in-the mintls of the people who fled fOt路 their live, ill all dirJ~tions. The ass, however, took no notice of t.he agitation his presence in the village had caused and went straight to the washerman's house. The women and children of t.lw house ran upstairs and shrieked for help. Meant.ime the washermall returned from work. He, too, was at first alarmed ou seeing the brute; but not.idng t.hat the animal qnictly grazed he felt emboldened to go a little nearer. On seeing his old master the a98 braycd in way of recognition. Forthwith the washermall took a clnb and gave him a gool bsating. "ViciOlB brub," said he, ., why and where didst t.hon keep away so long? I see thou hast grown fnt. I shall plal'e donble load on thee henceforth." When it was made known in the village that the brute that. had e.t:J.sed 80 much fright to the entire populatioll was OJ1y /Ill ass there was great uproar lind laught.er. People cursed themselves for

155 having been so easily befooled and many were the men who regretted that they should have failed to approach the brute amI administer him kiekA to their heart's slItisfaction. N "xt moruing th" Guru relllted the last night's incident to the (lis('iples in the audience hall. The moral of the story, said he, was evident Flo long liS the ass kept IIloof from his past company the tiger's skin protected him from insults and enabled him to graze unmolested wlwrevel' it so pleasO!I him. He was, further, feared by hoth lllan and beast who all fled at the very sight of him. But he was, after all, an ass. The tiger's skin aided him temporarily hut ('ould not make a veritable figel' of him. Similarly those who assumed Sikh form, without imbibing Sikh spirit resemble(l the donkey WiUI the tiger's skin. They might, for a time, decoinl people and obtain tcmpOl'llry distindion; but, theil' exposure was inevitable, sooner 01' later, and thcy would not fare better than the donkey of the story. As is the case nowadays, in the Guru's time, too, there were lots of blal,k sheep in the fold. The continued stay of the Guru ..t Anandpur had IIttracted a large number of diseiples from places near and remote. The more w()althy of the disciples established {angars (free kitehellf') from wherll the poor and the needy could get food. This free distribution of food was considered 1111 act of mcrit and those who per路 formed it won JloJlular ('steelll. SOUlO of the GUl'lt'S IIgents Rnd courtiers who traded ill the name of religion and whO,ll business was to delll with the visitors in their respective countries considered it incumbent on them to start ltll/gw's of their own. But

most of what, th!'y did was lllere show: On!' night the Guru, dressed as a Badhu, went rounti the town IIml asked for food from all the ltlll{Jllrs. Nobody recognised him. In most places hi~ request for food WIIS refused. Some gave him stale Rnd dried cl'umbs of bread 011 (,he plea t.\mt, HIe fresh food had been u~ed up: Ouly frolll the Lallgfl1"s of Diwall N 1l1l(1 Chand, Bhai~ N nnd Lal, RRln Kam' and S.lhib Chand ft'eslt alld ~ufficient food Wll~ obtaincd. The following day (,he Guru related the experience of the night and exhibited Ule crnmbs of brend. This public exposure of men who pret,e nded virtuc hntl a salllt,nry en'ed ou the morals of the Sikhs.

CHAPTER 0X. The Guru's teachings were a menace to the power of the hill Rajas, Such ciespots IlIlye yet to be born who woul(l allow in their own tm'ritorics the hoMing of conferences where men are t,flUght to ('hallenge the birth right, of priests and princes and wher~ the brotherhood of man is not only tRugl~t but pra('_' tised. The sight of the Sikhs eathlg from the SRn;~ illnKar (common kitchen), on the sallie Chowka, disregardful of the faet as to who ('ooked Uw food, w'ho . dishibutet! it nnd who sharea it with them exaspprated thc hill Rajputs who t,o this day Hre very cOlisel'vative in such matters and who would not for any 'consideration allow men of lower castes to sit with them on the samc couch. They regarded sueh prHdices HS an , attack till old customs and usages; URY as prllliminliries to au uttHck on theil' own HutllOrity HS well. At this time the number of immigrants into AnHlHlpur increased considerably. Some of them were attraded by tIwir love for SpOl路t, while the great majority cOllsist()(1 of the refugees whom Aurangzebe's persecution hHt! made hOllleI!,ss. The Gurn kuew well tllltt by Hccording )ll'oteeiiou to sueh llIen he WU8 giving Anrllngzebe II ('Huse for provocation; but the laws of chivalry, tltllt then obtained, and his position as II greut spiritual leader, left him no other IIlternative. For his own lind for their protection it was cOllsidered imperative to drill the r ew hundred attendants that he then had and to comtuntly remain prepared for an attack from outside. Thus It small standing corps was formed, the maintenance of which in II state of

liS efficiency necessit_ated the adoption of military forms and usages. Whenever he went out for an excursion the men of I,his corps, of course, accompunied him. The beating of the drum, the martial array and the soldierly bearing of the party, excit,ed jealousy in the breast of Bhim Chaml, Raja of Bilaspm" in whose territory lay the cstate of Anandpur. He sent word to the Guru to disband the corps 01' else he would turn him out of Anandpur. This threat was accompanied with a demand fOl' Pershadi, Ute elepilltnt pl'esented hy the Raja of Assam. The Guru refused to comply. Messeugers aft,er messengers came fl'om the Raja to ask for the elephant; hut as presents made by the disciples were inalienable the Guru stuck to his previous resolution. At leugth, advised by Pamma, his family priest, the Raja formally declared wal' against t,he Guru. The news spread like fire. The veterllns in the Slll"l'icll of the Gm'u hailed the advent of an opportunity to win laurels in the field. But colour iled from the cheeks of the parasites who ouly knew to cllt and drink and to live upon the' offm'iugs of the disciples. Fearing their occupation would be gone in ease the Guru WIIS defellted and driven out from Anamlplll' they wllitOll upon his mother allfl grandmother 'u nd requested them to pl'evuil upon him to yield. The ladies accordingly sent for the Guru and, in II' very loving tone, asked him to giv.ll up his active propagandll und lead the life of an ascetic like most of his predecessors. They told him that fOl' such beaks his grandfather, Guru Hargovind, had to leave

Amritsar and that if he, too, followed in blM grandfather's footsteps they were afraid they would havll to leave Anandpur too. Bhim Chand, as head of the princes who ruled over the southern Himalayas, would be a formidable opponent. Further, there was the danger of Aurangzebe's comiug to help the Rajas, in which case it would be simply impossible for him to hold his grouud. The Gm'u listellml to the speech with respect; but, he submitted to the ladies in a del'ish'e and firm tone, that hi~ missiou did not, resemble t.hat, of his Jll'ed,w,',SOI" in tilt' Guddee ill all respects; that times had nhanged a1111 along with them had changed their requirements. His errOl,t, was to breathe a Hew spit'it into his followers which would enable them to I~esist wrong-doer~ ami to hold their own against, nil possible opponents. Instellli of himself coming fOI'ward and taking tlw lead in tlw effort to afford such relief to the oppressed as wo" possible, Bhim Chand was placing (Wel'y hilHlranee in the way of national upheaval; for fear lest the reformers, if sucet.ssful, might tl1l'n their eyes on his owu principalit.y, ~J oalous to the ext,reme, of a suspicions bent of mind and of wavering l'esolntion, Bhim Chand was not a man to be trusted. Som(,day 01' other a trial of strength was to take place and t,he sooner it happened the better. He was, therefore, not prepsl'ed to yield to the threats of the wily hill ehieftain. War was, howevel', avoided. The betrothal cel'emony of Ajmere Chanll, Bhim Chand's 80n, being at hand, it was thought inauspiciolls to inallgurate it by bloodshed.

CHAPTER XI. No son having been horn of .Jeef,oji, tlJe GlIl'U'S flr.st wife, his mothel' Hnd grand-lIlothCl' insistc ed on his second marriage, So in 1684 A.D. the GU1'U was married to Sundri Devi, daughter of Ram Saran, Kuml'ao Khatri of Bijwnra. Prince Ajit Singh Wlt~ the offspring of this union. In t.hose days the Guru settled It long standing boundal'y disput.c betweeu Raja Maidni Prakash of Nahan and Raja Futch Shah of Sl'inagar, Gharwal. This gltve rise to the growth of a feeling of eOl'dialit.y between these two Chiefs and the Guru. The Raja of Nahan offered him a vast estate lUul so ul'eply attaehed he becallltl to him that he insisted (In his residing there pernumenHy, 'fhe Guru found it difficult. to wholly refuse mi' offer so kindly made. H,' consented to live in tllC Nahan Territory, as long a, eil'('UJIIstances permiUed, and accordingly in the JIIonth of Magh the foundations of the fortress of Paunta were laid at a picturesque spot on the banks of .Jamna. The fortress was soon ('ompleted IUlll a separate lIIansion was built for the Guru's residence, the relllllius of whi"h exist to this day. Here t,11e Gurn r('sided fOl' It couple (j)f years, Raja Fateh Shah aml Raja Maidni Prakilsh were his constant visitOl'S and t[wy fl,.,quellt1y accompanied his shikar pal't.ies. From a long time previous Sodhi Ra 1lI Rlli had ·settled himself in the territory of Raja Fateh Shah and ,bad made .a large following there • . He hlld tak"u IIU .activ.e part·in.the . procee<lings . that, . ultimatl.lly led. to the death of Gurus Harkrishna and Tegh BIlh.llqU.f.

61 On finding t,hc increR~e of the Guru's influence over Fateh Shah a11(1 fearing' lest this might prove prejudicial to him he sought for R reconciliRtion. In this Rttempt h", WR8 8ll(路cessful. A meeting WRS RrrRnged Rt wliich the Sodhi was grRuted pRrdon Rud RSSlll'ance" W(Jl'(l given to him of future protection [md good will. Budlm Shah, a Muhammadan saint of SadhRurll, was, in those days, touring in thRt l'egion, HeRring of the Guru's renown he cllnw to pay his respects. The meeting wa'l ('ordial and resuHed in the establishlIlent of life-long friendship. Aurangzebe hnd, for senne reason, dismissed five hU11(lre!1 PRthRns whom no Hindu or MussRlmllu ruler dared to !'Illploy. On the recolllmendation of Budlm Shah aUlI taking pity on their condit,ioll the Guru took them into his service. The Siruars KRle KhRn, BikhRn KhRn, NnjnbRt Khnn, Haynt Khan Rnd Umar Khnn were pRid RH. ;) per day !tD!1 the men R rupee R dny.

CHAPTER XII. Guru Govind Singh Wlt~ a great patron of leltrning. He hlt(\ grcltt love for the st.udy of Sanskrit and WitS anxious that his people should kuow al\ Utllt was good in j he Shlistras. Pundits, fll mous for their learning, were employed to render import.aut Sanskrit works into vernacular and olle Raglm N aU. Puudit was engaged to teach Sauskrit to the Sikhs. When this Pundit name to know that among the pupils lllany Wel'l) carpent.t'l'~' Jats, washet'men and barbers he refust, d to teach them. According to the Shastras, said he, the Sudras who road and the men who taught them Sanskrit were both guilty of It crime which reCIuired pouring of molten lead into t.heir ears RlH~ t.hough the Brahmans had long since lost political a sceodalH'Y a1l(\ such pllnisilluent could oot., therefore, be iuflieted he was slIro if I." carried out the Gllru's orders ho would iUCU1' mortltl hatred of his east,e people. The Guru dismissed the Brahmltll immedintely and sent five promising youths Karm Singh, Gaoda Singh, Vir Singh, Saina Singh, and Ram Singh to Benares where assuming atliric dress and a (\opting the life of Brahmacharis they acquired compet.ellcy in Sanskrit lore. After a few years they ret,nrlled Rnd under the hOlloured t.it.le of Nirmalas (purl' olles) they did great service ill illumining men's minds, In the year WA;,) A. D. neWB was brought of the tragic end of Sodhi Rllm Rai. He had incnrred enmity of some of his corrupt Masands. On Olle

63 (}ccasion when he was absorbed in meditation they represented him to be dead and despite the protests of his wife, Puujab Kaur, cremated him alive. Punjab KaUl' wrote to the Guru informing him of the true version of the aff"ir and praying that he should come and put matters right. The dastardly behaviour of the Masands enrAged everyone, particularly the Guru, who immediately proceeded to Dehra Dun on a visit of condolence and assuring Punjab Kal1r of sympathy l'eturned to Paunta. In response to lin invitation issued by Punjab Kaur the Masands of the late Sodhi came to Dehl'a Dun, on the 17th day of his dellth, to offer mourning gifts. The Guru, too, came accompllnied by Diwan Nand Chand, his consins Mohri and Sango, uncle Kirpal Chand, Durga. Ji, J awahir Ji, Bhikhan Khan, Kale Khan and other veterans. Punjab Kaul' )'eceived everyone with due respect. N ext day the Guru reprimanded the Ma8ands fOl~ their misbehaviour. Not a word of regret or penitence was heard. On the contrary he was confronted with the l'eply that heing a guest he had no business to meddle with other people's affairs. Finding that not the proper time to take any ad ion in regard to the matter the Guru kept quiet. Dastarbrmdi ceremony was then pel路formed. His gifts to Punjab Kaur consisted of a garland of pearls, a bracelet of gold and a white shawl. Other kinsmen and friends made snitable presents. All the Masands assembled in a meeting, the day following, to reeeive Khilil'ts. Bhai Sundar, Pnnjab I{aur's principal agent, desit'ed them to shift to auother room close by. About sidy soldiers had

been already stationed at the entrance of that room. A~ each Ma~and entered he was subjected to a very searching examination. Those who wel'e found to be innocent were released while the guilty wcre incarcerated in a room set apart for the purpose. Some were tined, others flogged, while a few were put to death, The news of this exemplary punishment had a salutary effect. Thenceforward the Masands never troubled Punjab Kanr. A few weeks after thiH incident, when the Guru was at Paunta, his second wife Sundri gave bit,th to priuce Ajit Singh. Great rejoicings took place. Salntes were tired from the fortresses of Nahan aud Sl'inagar. The ladies gave alms to the poor allli gifts to dependents. IHsciples from distant places came and presented beautiful clothes and ornaments to the llrince.

CHAPTER XIII-. As has been said in a previous chapter, the d8ughf.er of Fateh Shah of Srinagar was betrothed to Ajmere Chand, son of R8ja Bhim Cliand of Bilaspur. Guru Govind Singh was invited to participate in the marriage festivities at Srinagar and Will! asked to take with him all of his attendants. The Guru did not avail himself of the invitation as he WIIS afraid lest the splendour of his retinue might rekindle the fire of jealousy in the breast of Bhim Chand. But to show t.hRt he valued the friendship of Fateh Shah he sent Diwall Nand Ohand and Prohit Daya Ram with a hundred :';OWW'S to present tambol. .It consisted of gifts valued at a lac and a qnarter, of rupees. The marriage came off with great eclat•. When the time of receiving t(,mbot came the presents of the Gurn were announced amongst others. No kinsmall of Fateh Shah, from among the Rajas present, had given him tambol of such value. This ont-bidding· annoyed them a\l. Bbim Ohand was p8rticnl8rly fnrious. R8j8 Kirpal Ohand Katochia and Raja Bir Sen of Mandi, at heart inimical to Bhim Chand, excited him still more. He sent · for Fateh Shah and threatened him with the severance of the newly contracted tie in case he continued to keep any friendly intercourse with the Guru. At tirst Fateh Shah protested agAinst Bhim Ohand's behaviour towards the Gnrn; but when the infuriated Ohlef of Bilaspur actually carried out his threat and de~ p8rted from ' Srinagar with his son, lenvingthe bride behind, he gave Way. It was, then, agreed upon

66 that the tambol sent by the Guru ' be plundered and not Il man be left alive to take the tidings to the · Glll'I;. Noticing the change in Filteh Shah's demen. onr and divining his motive, Diwan Nand Chand and hi~ Rttendants fOl,thwith drew their swords Rnli fought their wily to Pannta. A report was 'mado to the Guru thllt Bhim Chand and his confederate · Rlljlls were coming up on Paunta, Immediately am!lluuition was distributed t.o the men Ilnd the fortress was placed in Il stat·e of defellce. When a haudful of t,he Guru's men escilpell unhurt, Bhiin Chand collected Illl the confederate Rlljas and in all e:uited speech appeilled to them ·to help him in either killing the Guru 01' sending ,hinl in cnstody to Aurangzebe who woultl deal with , him liS he had done with his fathm:, Guru Tegh Bahadur. The appeal was listened 'to, Rajas Bhim Chaml, Fateh Shah, Kirpal Chaud of Kangrn, Bir Sen of Mandi, Kesri Singh of Jaswal, Hnri Chnnd of Hnndul', Dyal Chand of Kot Garh and about twenty others · put their respective armies in motion amidst tho ·bea.t of drums and t,he shouts of the populace. On the side ' of the Guru Mohri Chand, Gulab Rlli, Sahib Chand, Hari Chand, Kil'pal Chand, . Prohit rDaya .Ram, Jaita, Rana Sanga, Jowahirji, Udaji !land other veterans advanced to meet the Rajas, ., Bribed by the Rajas the Plltbans who had been ·I.employed on the recommendlltion of Bndbu Sbah .went.over to the enemy II few hours befol'e the bllttle, · I ~y,-:Kale Khllll lind bis hundred men remained :ri~ak., ,Five or six hundred Udasi Sadhus who had

67 been daily feeding

them~elves

oll.the Guru's boullty,

fearing lest they too might bl' called upon to engage in the fight, took advantage of the (larku!'s8 .of t.he night and Hed. Only Sadhu Ki~pltl Das refused to accompany t.he fugitives .ltncI renlfiined behind to live or die with the Guru.

CHAPTER XIV. The Rajas and their advisers had supposed that when the Pathans were alienatml from the Guru he would have no fighting men left; but as it was subsequently proved, in this belief they were mistaken. The low-caste, unwarlike men who had been hitherto looked upon with contempt and who had never becn heard of in the history of Indian warfare proved more than a match for the Rajputs and Pathans combined. The Guru had perfect faith in his men. Leaving Ram Kaur, Mehra, and Kala in charge of the Paunta fortress and accompaniea by his uncle Kh'pal Chand, Sahib Chand, Lal Chand, son of 13iahi Ohana, whose wondrous feats of valour in the time of Guru Har Govina have won him a name in Sikh history, Diwan Nana Chand, Lal Chana, confectioner, U dai Singh, Bachittar Singh, Alam Singh and Chandan Rai the Guru marched out at the head of a few hundred devoted followers to give battle to the enemy. Arriving at the maidan of Bhangani, a village some 8 miles from Pannta, he observed the armies of the Rajas and the detachment of Pathans coming down in full speed. A hfllt was immediately ordered. Oommandant Sango Shah advanced with half of the Guru's detachment, the other half being kept in reserve. The hill armies, thereupon, fired volleys of bullets and the hattie ensued. Sango Shah stationed his meni~ a ravine which served a. a rampart. A strong wind blowing in the face of the hill army

69 increased the swiftness of the arrows shot by the Sikhs and created an impression that even the elements were partial to the Guru. Wheu Rajas Hari Chand, Bhim Chand and Fateh Shah came near enough the Sikh bullets killed about a thousand men and repulsell the enemy. Kesri Singh, brother-in-law of Bhim Chand, seeing this came to their help. The disloyal Pathans tempted by the hope of plunder eagerly came forward. But the bullets and arrows of the Sikhs impeded their progress. Reinforced by five hundred horsemen, led by Prohit Daya Ram and Diwan Nand Chand, the Sikhs pierced the breasts of the hillmen by their arrows and laid hUllllreds of them prostrate . â&#x20AC;˘Tust when the battle was raging furiously, Budhu Shah, with four sons, two brothers aud a thousand followers, arrived to atone for the treachery of the Pathans who had beeu employed on his recommendation, and fell upon a section of the Rajput army. This fidelity and sacrifice delighted the Guru. Kale Khau, with his hundred men, was sent in aid of Budhu Shah. The battle, thus raged in three places, divided the strength of the enemy. At this time Lal Chand Mahi, the Guru's wrestler, feeling a strong impulse ran his horse into the thick of the fight where Sango Shah and his brothers were fighting the enemy, and although he was unpractised in the art of war his poniard killed so many that when at last he fell the air resounded with shouts of bravo!, bravo!, bravo!, from all sides. His example was imitated by Lal Chand, confectioner, who had never handled a weapon. Bowing to the Guru with 1\ sword and a shield in his hands he joined

76 Pl'ohit . Dayll Rmuand Diwlln N lind Chllnd IIml spreading hilYQC , in, .thl' rauk.. of t!te Afghall traitors died, brayely. . . :l~t;ol)l'i ,Clmnll next ru~hed into the rRuk,s of.the ,Pat.hftllS and st,,'uek down Illltuy; hut surrotlndell by ' the fOil he was 8{'['jously wounded. Chandan, Rai and SanKo Ram, with fift,y men, ('awe to 'Mohri'slHilp aIH\uft{'[, rescming him fought bravely on the side of COlllmandant Sango Shah. M!lanwhile Budhu Shah was pm'forwing great, deeds of. valoUl' and IIlthough his two sous and many followers had fallen in'the battle, Iw was intlicting heavy losses on the enemy. Soon after he was reinforced by the Guru's uucle, Kirpnl Chand, from whose arrows death rained on the invading ariny. A detaclnnent of the elilemy then <lired!1d theh' arrows to the spot f!-,om where Gllrll Goyind Singh , was watching the progress of the fight; but it WIIS repulsed by tile ' fllry of , the missiles thrown from there. At this stage taunted by Bhim Chand IIIHI other Rajput Rajas, Hayat Khan and ot,her Patljans fell upon the main line of 路t he Sikhs. The air resound",d wUh the eries of Ali I Ali! Ali! I 'fhe Rajpllt forces also joined in .t.he tight.. Arrows and hullets ponrllli down in torrents. Men aUlI horses fell in large numbers. Several Rajput. lll'inces Wlll'e slain. Observing the Pathalis advancing from a flauk, U dasi Kirpal Das, taking hoM of a mace, shuck it forcibly on Hayat, Khan's head. The man's skull was broken and brains $eattered. His friend N ajabat Khan was about to cut. the 8adlm into pieces when Diwau Nand Chand tlt~u,ck ~he Pathall with aspear:- .

71 The wonnd iiIflided waR, however; slight. R~颅 covering from the shock N ajabat l{ha!l ' together with Bhikhan Khan fell npon Diwan N allll Chand. But t,he Guru's nncle Kirpal Chand, 'Lui Chand, Sahib Chand, Ganga Ralll aud Daya R,inr P"ohit "erignged 'with the Pathnns and were ahaut 'to'llUt thelll to flight when Raja Ghnzi Chnn(l of Chillidi,d Rttneked the Sikhs from hehin(l; and ,ll) aMy ' diet 'he flgbt tlult the Sikhs wonl,l have heen compdllld' to retire had not Udai Singh, Bachit.iar siligl;;" ah'd" otl;er Rajput ,'efugees (")llle to t.heir help MU!!' 't iiriIed' the tide of war. And t.hough Rajas Hari Chand and Gopal Chand, aide,l hy R,tja If""'i Singh, fought bravely the confederate "rillY fel! back. The heroic Ghazi Chand, true to the name he bore and N ajabat Khan, Illutble to ben,' the ignominy of defent, fell upon the Sikh COlllmnndallt Snngo Shah. The latter wns killed in n hand to hand light ",ith N a.jabat Khan. The loss of Snngo Shah am! Mohri iustend of disheartening the Sikhs only scrvel! to insph'e them with the courage born of de,.;pait路. Death l'aiued frolll their arrows. , N nlller OilS Pathan~ fell dead. Bhikhan Khan received a wound and fiC(I. His flight Cl'eated confusion in the rauks of the hill-men. The veteran Hari Chand, recovering from his wounds, again appeared on the scene, killC(l Jit Mal and inflicted se~eral woumls on Guru Govim! Singh. But hi~ deat.h IIpproaehed. Tlw Gl1l'll'S arrow felled him down. His kinsmllil Raja Fateh Shah fought like It lion to wreak vengeance on the Sikhs and victory would have been theirs; but the arrival ot

two wooden路 batterie~ that had been prepared by a Sikh carpenter, Rama, strengthened the hands of .the Sikhs .. Shells of stone rained upon the monntaineers and crushed them to death. Paniest,ruck the enemy fled in all directions. The victorious Sikhs put the flying路 Pathana and hill-men to the sword, plundered stores of ammunition and provisions and returned to their quartor3 singing the glory of the Lord of Hosts who had granted them victory. On their arrival at Pauuta great rejoicings took place to celebrate the victory.

73 CHAPTER ' XV~'"

" ... ,.

This was the first battle the Guru had fought and the first victory he had won. Several of his brave friends and near kinsmen had fallen in the battle; but this dispirited him not. Budhu Shah who had lost two Bons, a brother, and hundreds of fpl~ lowers, and Sant Kirpal Das who had fought so well, were rewarded with a grant of the Guru's turbans which were tokens of undying friendship. Some weeks after the battle of Bhangani the Guru left Paunta. Raja Maidni Parkash who had throughout remained loyal to the Guru, presented him with valuable parting gifts. For a week he halted at Loh Garh from where the great Baba Banda fought agaiust the Imperial army for years. Thus stoppiug at various places and spreadiug the light of Faith, a detailed account of which cannnot be giv\ln in this short narrative, he arrived at Anandpur where he was accorded a hearty welcome. During the three years' absence of the Guru from Anandpur, Aurangzebe's bigotry, obstinately conti~ nued in defiance of the solemn warnings he had. received in other parts of the Empire, provoked serious discontent in the Punjab. As Guru Govind Singh was the spiritnal Lord of the Hindus and Sikhs who regarded him as Sacha Padshah (real King) nay as an emblem of the Divine Being Himself, it was only natural that people should have Hocked to him with their complaints. Their tales of woe and wrong, the heartless indifference of the profligate Muslim officials

74 to the troubles of the Hindus, the reuuction of respectable HIndus;into slavery, the fOl'cible removal of Hindu virgins int,o the seraglios of the Muslim gentry and nobility pRined him deeply. He was convinced that the:ollpressors had exhaust,c u ImmRn tolerance and that time had come for t,he adoption of Borne plRD of r,etributioD. So he employed all the force of his eloqucnce in telling the people that. they should no longer meekly submit to Muslim tyranny, thRt they should return blow for blow and should not rest till they, wreaked vengeance on their oppressors. The influence of this'路 teaching permented the whole of North Western India. In other parts of the country too, the information of the new movement inspired the Hindns wit,h cout'nge in t,heir struggle for freedoJll. , With R view to prepat'e for future cont,ingen<'ies t,he Gurn llew st,a rted n fndory at Annndpnr for t,he mnnufnct,ure of guns, swords, nmmunition and other implements of war. Henceforth thongh the disciples Ironi the wnr-like tribes of the North-West continued to supply wenpolls of the best steel and finest路 make, the Gnru was no longer dependent for war materials on tWs source nlon~. At tws time mother N tlllIlki who had played no small part in moulding t,h e chnractcr of her ilIustriolts Bon, ,Guru Teg Bahadnr, and stm !IIore illnstrious grAndson, . Guru Govind Singh, passed away, after Hving .long enough to Ree her great-grandson, prince AjitSingo, the ,boy Iqart,yr, who subsequently fought 80 bravely at the siege of Chnmkoul'.

75 Aft,er the battle of BhRngani, t,he hill RAjAS, convinced thAt it WAS 'llO . eftsy' mntter ,to c'r ush the Guru, t.1lOught, it. , prudont to c'o urt his fnvOttr. Their leader, Bhim Chand, accompanied by his Ministel', PArma Nand, came to the Guru to ask for forgiveness for his past condlict. The Guru accllsed him of having waged a wa~ which had res lilted in the death of so mallY brave men on both sides; but as no good could be expected from tho prolongation of the quarrel be forglwe the Raja and bis allips. In the year 16HH-89 A. D. fOllr forh'esses, Anand Garh, Loh Garh, Fateh Garb and Kes Garh were built in t路he vicinity of Anandpnr. Of theso Anandgarh proyed Illost sel'yiMnhlo during the siege of AURndpnr by the Imperial army. To test tho fidelity and pntienee of the Sikhs the Guru once ordered thRt no Sikh should leave AURndpur without Ius permission. GUllrds were stlltioned at all gates to prevent egress. Many of those who were loud in their professions of love for the Guru were the first to grow impatient for seeing the world outside. Before IL week passed they adopte(1 curious plans for getting onto One device was particularly very ingenious. A person was made to feign death. Re was lllacod ou a bier and taken to the eremat.ion ground accomplLuied by a regular crowd who all the while kept on singing fnnernl songs. When the procession passed ont of t,he tOWll, the Guru who had somehow divined tbe secret ordered the part,y to halt. The body wa~ placed on a funeral pyre Blld when preparations were being made to cremate it

â&#x20AC;˘t~e ma~who had hitherto lain motionless threw otI ;;funeral :attire and fled to the jungle to the confusion 'of' the. men who had resorted to this fraudulent 'practice and to the astonishment and laughter of the .,lleholders. The incident greatly embarassed the . delinquents and confirmed the impression that the 'Guru was a knower of hearts and that it was .' i Dipossible to deceive him.

'17

CHAPTER XVI. AurRngzebe was at this time engaged in qnelling disturhances in the Deccan. Ueinforcements were sent from the Pnnjab. Tho. military strength of the Province was considerably rednced. The revenne fell in to arrears. Noone cared to collect tribnte from the hill Rajas. When a few crores of rupees were demanded for the Imperial tl'eRsury, the Governor of the Punjah expressed his iuability to comply. This excited the wrath of the Emperor. Commandant Miyan Khan was sent t,o apply force Rnd obtain the money. On arrival at Lahore ho marched against the Raja., west of Ravi, aud scnt his nephew Alif Khan against Raja Kirpal Chaud of Kangra and the Rajas of the adjoining hills. Kirpal Chand and Dyal Chand paid the trihnte. They suggested to Alif Khan that, t,he relllization of the tribnte from all the hill RajRs would be a comparatively eRSY task if their chief, Bhim Chand, was taught to respect the power of the Imperial al路ms. The suggestion was adopted and a punitive force marched against Bilaspnr. A halt was ordered in the plain of N adaon froll1 where a messenger was sent to Bhim Chand to tell him that in case he did not pay three years' tribute immediately he would be taken prisoner and his territory looted. The threat failed in its effect. The Raja flew into rage on learning that it was at the instigation of his enemy Kirpal Chand that the expedition was coming against him. A council of war was held in all haste and it was unanimously reBolved that the advancing Moghals sboltld be opposed.

78 The allied RRjRs brQugM their respective fQrces Imd a battie eommeu(·ed. The Rajputs fQught well ; but, they could ·n ~t hope to contiuue the sh·uggle against 8.0 powerful an enemy. SQ when the night fell and the Rajas met nt·dinner they resolverl to seek the Guru's aid; lind with this view they fQrthwith despatched an embnssy tQ Anandpur. At first Guru GQvind Singh hesitate(l tQ enter intQ lUI alliance with 8.0 treacherQus a peQple; but when Wazir Parma Nand, Prime Minister .of the Raja .of Bilaspur, fell at his feet and when he I'onsidcrcd that the time was nQt distant when he himself WQuld have tQ .offer resistance tQ this very same power ho decilled to prQffer assistance. Diwan Nand Chand was ordered tQ take five. hundred chos"n men aud befQre it was dawn the Guru himself l'eac.hml N adaml with a cQnsiderable fQrce. The arrinil .of the Sikh,~ strcngthened the failing hearts .of the hill men. At nQQn the batHe was recQmmencf>d. The arrQWS .of the Sikhs wrought havQc in the ranks .of the Mllssalman army. Raja Dyal Chand; Am Khan's nlly, was killed by au arrQw, shQt by the Gurll, and when his friend Kirpal Chand, too, was wQunded the Muslim ArmJ lost heart and retreated under CQYel' .of dRrlmess. Bhim Chand and the eonfederate Rnjas expressed their ·gl'at.itude to the Guru and pressed him to stay with them aud enjQy their hQspitality; but very soon nfter it transpired that Bhim Chnud had made a private treaty with Alif Khan by virtue .of which he was allQwed t.o pay tribute in smull instalments .on cQnditiQn that he s11Quld keep alo31 and let Alif Khan realize the tribute from the confederate Rajas in such ma.n.

79 ner as might appear proper to him. The intelligence spread . alarm in the Rajput circles. The Guru took offence at this and left Bilaspur in sheer disgust. And though Bhim Chand endellvoured to concmate him by the oO'er of costly presents to the Sikh soldiery he bluntly toM the j.rencherolls hill chieftain that he could put no fnith in men who worshipped. stocks and st.ones ant! whose hellrts were dead as ' stones. The passnge of Hle Sikh soldi!'ry, on their way to Anandpui', was opposed by the RlljPllt.8 of j,he village of Alsoon who were t.he ela1l81J1en of Bhim Chand. On previous occAsions, too, thesc men had murdered and plundereu the Sikh pilgrims. So the Sikhs fell upon the villagcrs. With the cxception of old men, women 'Hnd children, nl\ who opposed their advance were put t.o the swol路d. Iu this way inflictiug condign punishmcnt ou these high-WHY robbers t.he Sikhs marched forward. The trenhnent of the Alsoon Rajputs iuspirerl the whole hill popuhltion with a feeling of awe for the Sikhs. No furl.her difficuUy WitS, therefore, encount,e red WI their return to Anandpllr. . The Gurn's wife .Teet.oji had no offspring WI now. She had, times ont of number, prayed to t.he Guru for being blessod with a son; but had as often met wit.h the reply thnt such a gift was not in hi~ power to grant. Now Jeetoji bad constantly seen people coming to t路he Gnru and receiving blcssings which had invariably resultlld in the satiation of tlJeir desires. Sbe WaS at a 10RS to understand her husband 's refusal to her repeated prayers.

At Il1ngth she took courllgc lind

so. asked for an explanation. The Guru enquired from her if she remembered what he invariably told all who came to him with some request or. other. "Serve the poor and the needy and the ~adh Sangat (assemblies or' pious persons)" .was the reply. "Do thou likewise," said the Guru, "and the Timeless One will grant thy prl\yer." The command was respectfully obeyed. The wife of the Sachcha Padshah, whom the mightiest of the mighty worshipped and adored, was daily seen washing the feet of the pilgrims to 路Adandpur and serving in the cooking and the dining rooms. The Sikhs naturally disliked such offices from such an august lady but none dared object. The sel'Vices had the effect desired. The Sikh devotees filled with emotion fervently wished her Heaven's chociest blessings.Their prayer was heard and the illustrious lady was blessed 'with a son on the 21st of Ohet, Samvilt Vikrimadittya 1747, according to 1640 A. D., who was . named Jhujhar Singh and who received martydom in the batUe of Ohamkour. The assistance that the Guru 路had l'cndered to Raja Bhim Ohand of Bilaspur and the other confederate Rajas and which had contributed to the defeat of Am Khan, was, of course, calculated to offend Dilawar Khan, Subah of Lahol路e. Not many months had elapsed before a campaign was .organised and sent against the Guru, nnder the leadership of the Subah's son, Rustam Khan. ,The invading army eneamped in the bed of a hill to~rent near Anandpur at nightfall. The Gnru, timely informed, immediately '~rdered an advance against the foe. The night was dSJik.T路he air resounded with the War cries of the

Hi Rikhs

tI](' noisl' or the

t1wy flew ' intotlwrallk. of till' (\!wmy, l'I'eat~(1 nn exaggl'I'iltl-d hil}J!'1',,,'ioll !'I'g"llI'dill!!: till' IlUII1I",)' oj' t,I,,· Rikh a~"lilnnl", ]':n-I\ UII' 1·1I''''I·Ilt., ''''''!1l1'11 to "idl' with thl' Rikh~, 'I'he l'uin fell in tm'L'ent, and the wllh'J'. of the hill slt'mull ,,,wept, off g",('llt llIallY MIl"Salmlllls nIHl l'om}Jell!'d th,' r,·,t to fl('(' fOl' tI"'h' lin'" IiIHI

IlI'I'OW8, AS

TIIIl' ,lis!'omfit .. d till' enemy returned to Lnhore to Ulll 1\'!'1'111 ,'I"'grin of the Sllbnh wllQ,~e I'l1gc knew no bounds nnd who now burned with II desh'(l to wreak nmgl'IIIH'e Oil tlH' 1II11n who WIIS the authOl' of so Hllwh diHg!'lIl'e t,o him, His mlopted HlIll, Husaini, a fI")'",, and nUl'e1I'nUnl pet'son, waH now pIlleI'd in ('ollllllllnd of HnoHwl' expedition Ag'ainHt the GIIl'n, with Alif KhAn, !{!'ipII Ram, 111111 Chandan Singh, Raja 01' Nul'pul', liS his Lifmtenl1nts, 011 his way Husaini nL'Ht, plulHhwed Amllrlwt, ",IHhle<l IIw Dhfl{lwalH "ml l'"nlged the Dnn. HI' pnt to th!" sword mllny otlll'r hill I'hillft.ains of note ami devAstllte,l tlwir territoriI'S, Thll l'epol'!, of hi~ l'rulli de!'(l~ sprelld fill' amI wide, Bhim Chlllul of Bila"pllr amI his ally Kit'lml CIHlIlII Kfltochia, furgeWng thflt it WAS

llo.e Gnrll's HUppOl·t of them thllt hfl!lled the Governor .f Llolhol'l' to wllge war on him, joined H usaini and olterl'd theil' services for til!' ,'nbjllgation of Anandpill' lind tI", ,'aptnrl' of its Lord, 'I'lle roport of : tliis trearhernlls (',olHllld WIIS h)'onght to the , Gnr.ll . who gave Ordl'rH t.llllt AumHlpur he plac(',d in a, stRt.e of derencl', DiwRIl NIIlHI Chllnd was ,pllleed in COllimllmi of tIll' garrison, Th" illt.ellig'·llce of the expec,t,- ell IIttack filled the miu.d.~ ' of ll\1I11y lin easy-going

82 Sikh with terror. Unused to the hardships of , ir~r au'd Rc~u8tomed to a life of ease they saw iu these Muslim invRsiori"s the approaching cDllapse of t.ht'> time~honoured strllct,IIl'e that t.ht, Gurll~ luttl rllised. They wlIlted upon the Guru's moUt~r IIntl I\sked hel' '- t~ pe~,~ade her son to make peaee with Husl\ini on auy t~rms. But j,he device failed. The G"ru refused to listen to such IIU humiliating JlroJlo~lIl. He had beeu commissioned, "lIi(1 he, to pllt 1\11 eml to t,he at;ocities oi" the ruling race. To submit to their ' ~'~tIi~rity ~M, therefore, out of qllestiou. t

: ."

•

MeanHme Husaini WR8 mRrching ou An»Jltlpur. &jll Gop~l Chaud of Goler, aft'Rid of th(', cruelties ~f the blubarous iuvRder, met, him on the WRy ali(I olte~e(t 'a part of the tribute. But Kirpal Chnllllllntl 'lJbiu{ 'Chand a(ivis!'tl Husaiui to !1r1'e~t, G01'III Chaml and demaud the whole amount due. Gopal ChRlIl1 ·~'.~D.t.~ived to escllpe Rud shut himself up in the fortrcss of Goler togethllr with his ally Raja Ram Siugh. Husaini laid siege to Goler. HRrd pressed by the scarcity of provieions, and of both men and ammunition, the Raja of Goler sent his WRzir to Husllini suing for peace. Husaini demanded t,c n thol1sand rupees. SlIngtia Singh, with half 1\ do~en othm' Sil'dHl's and a few hundred men, was sent to bring the RRja. Solemn promises were given that the Rllja would not be molested. Gopal ChaJ\(1 cllwe; but no agreement could be IIrri'fed at,. Kirpal Ohand Kotocbia, bidding adieu to his 801~mn obligations, suggested

his..:, ...ca~ufe .. _. Of M~l\sl!iDftt.iOU. ~, '

The effort fldled. Go~a\

came to know of the Hinister desig~ lind' ~scaped ·tohi~· cawp. The battle now raged furiously. On both side8 there was a great loss of Iife~ Bhim Chand's 81(,;, Kirpal Chand, and Sangtia Singh, both fell, buftIi~ . • loss of the Muslims was great. Bhiw Chand sought safety in flight lind Husaini, who hall boasted that he would tnke the Guru prisoner to Lahore, was killed. Gopal won the baWl'. TIlliS elldml the secoud Mu~lim . IIUewpt. io inmde AUlludpur. _ "~, I

Dilawal' Khan IIgRiu seut ShaUl' Khan against th~. , GIIl'n with II largo army; but his passuge was 0l,posed by the Raja of .Jaswal iu whos~ tcrri~ory a deciei1:~ ' hilt tie WIIS fonghl. .JhujhlIL' Siugh lind N Rrai;1 Chlllld;, Rajrnt wllrriors, who ('ommnnded Muslim forccs, feil fighting brllyely. Their death dispirited the Muslim force which, 1lI1!Icr the prct.ext. of sickness, returued to Lahore. Enrllged at M JUun)" l'eyel'SIlS hi nil' M~slim ' Ili'~" Auraugzebe p],\ced his eld('~ t, 80n, Muazz~m, in COI;;~ maud of 1\ IlIrg tl impcI'inl forcll ill th e yellr 1 iHl A.. D....., The Prince hiwself pl'oreedlld to Lahore ami 8ellt, hiel .. ,· LieutenRnts to collect the h·ibll.tll nnd punish the Rajas who refused to make imwClliate . pAyment' of ~Il ' the arrears. They met with success everywhere • . The Moghul officer who visited Anandpur noticed witb admiration the bounteouil lllllnner in which I,he poor Bnd the needy were fell and lookecl A.ftl"'. Ao fa\·oJll'· ably impressed Wile he wit-h all Uist he saw thst l,e .. took upou hilllself the duty of punishing the hill

,chi,eftains who had hitherto given some trouble 01' · other t,o the Sikh Colony u~; Auaudpur. The faces of grell;t mauy wel'e blackened aud pla('cd ou donkeys tli~y. were carried fFom village to .vHlage amidst the cries I\nfl taunts of the street imps. V cry few of them es\'apcd ignominol1~ treatlllent Ht the hauds of, the Moghuls. Thi8ex(~I~ptioual

attclltiou to the GUl'll l;oused all allgry fcelillg in the hrea.,ts of /he hill Rlljll8. Much time had not l'l!lp~l'dhefor!' t1wy fO!'llll'd a (h·putat.iou under the leadership (If Ajlllt·r Challli. 'Oil of Bhim Chami of Biluspur, lind waiteli upon the Governor of Lahorc with It (~omplaillt that Guru Gohind Singh had stored Im'g(l qURlltitill" of ammunition, Thou.,an(ls of bl'RVI,l out.!aws were ill hi, clhploy, He had NlInlIluml of It large itoea",u'y t.o whi(,\, all hi, disci pit·, (~ollh'ibuted oUl'-tlmth of their ilH'omc, Hh, WllOll' energies aUli reSOI1l'('CS were deHl/ed to ('(IIlYt'rting the Sikhs into II militlllit power. This WIIS why / hm'c WIlS so lIluch UU1'cst iu 1111 ]1111'(', of thc conuhy wlw1'c the Sikhs lived, If this dallgeL' WIIS lIot nipl'l·tl ill the bud they wm'e aftoai(l t.he time WR~ lio/distuut. wlwn the Sikhs would he mnholdelwd t.o UH1H8nre ,;word8 witlt the IlllJlCl'illl GOyerlIUH·ut. The Hnhllh of I,nIHIl(' WIIS IIlrcady prejlHlicetl again'/' Hw GUI'Il, '1'0 eOHVert. him to thi,., JwlieY wa,~ I\ot, II tlil1icuU l.a,k. Ho on the

\l\d

dllWgll

o\' hi8 l\iding the\\i\\ RI\~\\~ in t\\\l \)\\\\\\\l\

linler 1.l' seu\ a ('ous.ih'l'IW\I· 'o\'~\\ "gnills/ Ihe Glll'n witl, O1'dl'l'" Ilwt /I Jilw of N,., 111,1111// bel'eI\Jizcd frolll him lIun ill cIIse Ill' I'efu",ed c,OH1l'lial1CI! he slWll/d 1)(' ('''ptul'cd and bl'uught to Lulwl'U us It prisouer. . lu llU\:~Ul\nCe of thi~ urdor the Subah'& sou' , I III "N"i\"o"

Hnu

iICeompnuied hy the N aib NIIZillJ, DaM Khan, attllcked Anl\lldpur in the following spring nud, IIlthough t,htl Sikhs bravely resist.ed, t.hc invadcrs entcrcd the town, mltssaered n IlIrge number of peol,lc and tnking IIWIIY

nil t,bey ('ould lay,tllCit'lllllH18 upon t.lwy bllited lit the village Bhulon,8ollJll Smiles fL'om Annndpur, Flushed with "il',tory thcy drank, slIug and dllllcml WI lllte in Ule night, When thcy thus hlY drunk the Sikhs fell Upon tllCllL, This t.igcr-Iikc bouncc sprcucl punic ill the wllOle Mu~lilll CIIIlIP, Whllt fOl' thl' llllrkn('ss of the niglJt nud wbnt for t he consternation cnused by this sncld('n Rttlll'k thel'c WIIS gl'ont confl\~ion ill tlw Muslim inVllding force, In dnrkness lIud Ilprom' fl'il'lIds stL'lll'k friends, A gL'eat Ulllny Hed rOL' their lin's IIl1d of tho splendid fOL'I'o t.lLllt had rought so IH'lndy Ii few hOllrs I,redolls uot n s"l1l r[\lIlIIiu('(1. Till' Hikhs I' lt l'Itll'cd hn'ge ,I"orl's IIIHllIllllllllllifiulL which IIIUI'(' limn cOllntm'lmlllncl'd pluudered.

fhe

propl'L'fy

Anuthl'l' t\xp('dil.ioll

WIIS

tltl'

Muslim>,

Illld

hrillg OI'gnuised "gRillSt

fhe Guru wilen through tho inllucncc of Bbni N aUlI Lal and Diwnu Hnkim Rni of Agrn who Wl'l'e t,lte Gurll 's

llilleiples

prince

MIIIl~~1I1l1 fOL'!.mdl'

further

operaf,ions Ilguin8t him, The prince hnd 1I111bitiollS of his owu. Though he wn8 UIC chles!. ,on of AIII'lIllg~dJ(" IlIIII tlllIs rightf'ul heiL' to

til!' Mllgl1l11

f"l'UII(',

Iw HIl"1r

thnt when hi, nld ,~il'" !lid III' would haH' tn fight. J'Ol' willi!. wn,~ his by l'ilCht, 1ll'l'nI',ling fn f,\II' tl"lIlitio/(1i1 IIL'nd,il'!' ill hi _ rUlIlily, in

SCCIU'C

this view

It wu s, thereforl', hi, illto1'osi

n8 1lII1ny' supportl'!'" lis he ('Onill g(,t;

With

e.e ut Diwan Nllud LlIlto AUlIl,ldpul'

86 praying lor the Guru's aid, both spiritual and tem}lOral. The pl'ayer was granted, The Gurn assured Diwau Nand Lal tlIRt by God's grace Muazzam would be made Emperor of Delhi, The prince was greatly pleased at the 811('Ce88 that had attended Diwau Nand LaI's mission ami rewarded him with befittiug honours, Now that through tllll intel'venHon of prince Muazzam peace l'eigned in t,h e northern Pun.iah the Guru's whole Hnw wa,.. taken up with the IJ1'opag'lttiull of spiritunl and BeclIlar knowledgl', The Pundits and poets in his employ illumined the minds of the disciples from disblllt lands who came to rec~eiye the solace of religion, Those times wer!', however, of anarchy and confusion, The pilgrims to Anandpur wer!' not unoft.eu molested ~y both Hindus and Muhammadans, Their' numbers inst.ead of a/'fording them se('urity tempted evil-disposed persons who, nuder the impression that the Sikhs eanied mhUlhles on their perSOliS, committed raids lIpOU them, taking away whRt they could and causing no small loss of lifa, It, i~ noteworthy to remark that notwithstanding these h~oubies j he Flikh pilgl'im8 continued to visit AnRmlpnr in inrge lllllllbers to pay their homnge to t.he Guru, i\ t length the state of t,hings became unbearable and wheu the Raughnl's of Bajrnt', n clHII of. Rerc'e MussaiulIms, m~de it a regular professiou to molest the Sikh pilgrims /I Sikh force surrounded their village, The Raughars fought for II while; but at length gave way and fled, The village was looted aud much of the plundered property of the Sikh pilgrim! WaS restored to their oWllers.

OHAPTER XVII. The couservative population of the hills never forgl\ve tho Sikh" fOl' thllir 1I0vel WilY" uml Iwlil'fM IIJIII gun' them no end of IIllIHIYIIUCII, The lauds "Undled to Auaudpur d'i ,lnot yield sufficient produce for the I!ver-growiug Sikh colouy, The Sikhs were consequently (lOmpelled to go to the .Jungle. Hlld to the ,.mll,ge" I\djoining to Pl'oClu'e gl'IIS~ IUIII fllel Rud IlIll'chn8e IH'oVIsIOns. Tlw people of these villnge" geuet'ally gl\ve trouble on these occasions, The Sikhs were, therefore, not infrequently rompelled to employ force in providing themselves with t,lle neces811l'ie" of Iif,.. The result was ('onstllnt confli(.ts bet, ween the Sikhs lind the hill men. The hill poteutates took sides with their clausmeu allli instead of exer('ising their influCll<'e in fl\voUl' of peal'e andfllcilitllting th" pm'l'hllse of supplills they inYl\l'iably resorted to menaces !lUll threll18 whil'h lIlade mllt/ers sHll worse, The hatred of the Sikhs nlso for the hill Rajpnts knew 110 bounds, Lp!l\'ing apart the many petty acts of persecution on the PRI,t of the hill men their princes had llIany a time bOl'l'owed stl'engt,h fl'om MU88almans to exterminate the Sikhs. It was when the feeling between the two peoples was very high thllt the Guru, while 011 an hunt.ing expeditioll, with a party of his followers, was waylaid by Ra.ia Bhim Cham( who was lying in ambush with a considerable forl'e, The Sikhs, t,hough taken by surprise, repulse(l the attack lind inflicted heavy losses on the 1l8~ajhmt,8. The other ~a.ia8, hearing of this, held II council at. which it was decided to tm'n out the Guru from Anandpul' with the help o~ the Mogh~1 Emperor, A man Wl\8 immediatel,.

sent.t,o Sil'llill<\ wiHI Hie IDI'8sngc t.hnt Gnrn Govilld Singh hRII orgnuj'ClI II militn ('Y 1·1I~t.t' with II vimv to wrl'nk .vmlgl'llIwI' on thl' Mo~ItI\I,. Tid" pl'opll' IUlll "pl'l':1.11 IlIUI.rdIY (Ulli •· ... II'II.i,," ill 1.1", j'I'l'I'itclI'il" "I' UIt' Rnja", Lifll IIl1d Ill'opert.y WI'I'" not ~Ilf,'. All pl'ori . . ions W"I',' l)I\ing plllll(lel"1l1 lIIul Inllll I"id Wll~tt'. Allrnug1.('h~' was, nt. thi~ tim", ('lIgng"d ill Will'S ill t\w Dlw,',IIl. 011 tI", """"ipt. of tit., 1II""""gl' I\l'. ,,('lIt 01'.1.,... f...· M", 'I'pprl...«illU "I' till! I'i"illj.r Sikh pom'I'. Adiult BIlg, Moglml (JOIIllIHHuler, with Pnilldlt }{hIlU,1l brllve Pnt.llltll, II~ hi . . I,i"lIhlllllllt, ~tl\l'tc,l IIgaiust. t.11I' Gurn wit,h 1n,noo m,'u. 'rhe Rnjns al"o hronght. t.heir me~ to lll'lp till' Mo~hnl Cllllllllallller, 011 the appronch '01' tim al\illli Ill' my t.JIll Will' IIl'n 11\ WII.' heltteu. The ~ikhs ulIllu',lint...Iy P""IUI.I'NI thl'III""!>"" for light, A hnt.He WII" fonght."t wltid, Pnhuln I{hllu f"\1 ill lIlI hllnd to lunu\ light with till' Gnrn, PI'in('!' Ajit. Sillgh, attemlcl\ hy Yllt·,'rlm wnrrior., l'Ollllllith'l\ h'''lIIcndoll'' sll\ughtm' in Ule rlluks of the hill lllClI nud rout,ed t.lHlm comp\et!'\y, Allin" BIlg fiuding himself lit. II disl\dV/lutage tllougltt it \)l'udcnt 1.0 r"t.r('lIt, I\ud ret.nruml to Sirhil\(l. This revcl'se did not dispirit, t.lll' Rllj""' Tlwy IIgll.in IIwt Itt Billlspnr am\ l'e~Ohlld t,o make "noUler c!'fort to SlIb.ingllh, t1HlSikh", On tlti" occlIsion they wei'" helped by n renownod warrior Azmlthllllth, 1"lIdtlr of the Gnjjllr8, residing in thos(' pl\rt.. TIItl Guru's army WIIS st.rcngth"nc(l bv reinforcement.s from Mllnjhn, MI\\wllnnd the North~ West Pllnjnb, The fOl'trl'~~(,8 of Fnteh Gllrh, Loh GIIl'h alld Anand Gllrh Wt'I'(l glll'I'i~oned, Tht' I'OIll. llllloUdof Ml\ujhl\ Sikhs WII" c\lt,rnstc<l t.o DIIY" Siugh

'snd that of the Ma\wa Sikhs' to Prince Ajit Singh; The hill army surrounded the Sikh~. on .n sides, and though they ' fought with their usual gallantry t,he brave Azmatulla and his men compelled them to abandon many a position of vantage. Noticing this Prince Ajit Singh and the veterans Udai Singh, Bachittar Singh, Subegh Singh and others displayed so great skill and Talour t,hat the Sikhs were, at length, able t,o hold their ground. Azmatulla was surrounded by a flank movement and killed by a sword thrust. The hill men were naturally disheartened; but the flght continued till sunset, when both armies retired to their camps. During the night the Rajas held a council and resolved upon blockading Anandpur with a view to starve the Sikhs and thus foree them to submit. The Guru somehow got scent of this and when early 8t dawn the Rajputs surrounded Anandpur and set about pitching their tents, the arrows and bullets of the Sikhs forl~ed them to retreat. Prinee Ajit Singh then called on his men to fall upon the retreating Un,jputs amI slew large numbers of them. The glad tidings was SOOI1 conveyed to the Guru who blessed his promising son and his officers who had maintained the dignity of the SilUI name. At night when the Rajas again met at supper Kesri Singh Jaswalia with a view to raise the spirits of his colleagues offered to lead his mad elephant against the Guru and 'bring him A prisoner. At this time the Rajas were in a frame of mind in which anything that could give. ray of hope was of immense relief. Kesri Singh: WAS a braggart. His intention was no SOODer' expressed

90 fha~

known throllgholll the Sikh camp. The Gprll ,desit'ed Dllni Chllnd, :ellder of the Mllnjbll contingent, to facp qw elephant lind pnt him to d,eatp; bnt the mlln Hed Ill. the dpad of night and died of snake-hite on hi, way 11Onl!'. Nl1xt morning Kesl'i Singh, with the mild "lephllnt in front of hilll' advltn('cd with his arlllY agHinst tllP GIll'n. When the eleph!lnt ('n ,m(' nem' "nong'h Ra,路hiHar Singh NRjput rO,,!e towllrds him, Un'nst, his ~pl'm' into the animal's JUaile,! forelwlu! mill pim'",,,] it throngh. The wounded hrutc, thl'lI, shot hal'k ill/o thl' Raipnt rauk., all(1 . , tralllpled llllllllr('(j,.; uud(,l' hi, rept. Raja J{",ri Siug'h pranced his fed rl'stl,',,~ly, )'ight IlIIlI "'ft, wlll'u Udai Singh fell npon hilll 1111(1 thl'owing him oft hb- horS(' cut of]' hi, h('ad mill lifting it ou Oil(' ('ud oj' hi" 'IJe~l'

jj; WIIS

hrought, it trinlllilimiltly I" hi.. cRmp. ';rhe death of such It valiaut cOlllrade instead of dishcart,cning the hill RajaR in('rea"ed their rage. 80 during the hattie of the dny following' they fonght so . hl'ltveJy . that, t,he Sikh" had to twit'" reh'eat to their fortresses, TIll' hlo('klldiug for('c was, howev!'l', not sllflieientiy 8h'OIlA' to tnru out the t'ikh, from theil' sheltering pillces, FOF weel" t.he baHle ragl'll; but no prospect of th" Sikhs giving way WH" vbible. At length on the ,uggestion of Pam mil, a priest, Ill. the convt ' of the Rlljll of I("hloor, whose hated name has been lumdetl down to posterity, the Raja" had I'l'(,Ol1r'e t"o a st,ratngcllI. A cow WHS stationed nellr the pl'iucipal gate of the town. In a hillet placed 011 its neck the Gl1l'U Was told t1l11t the Un.ia,; had llU\de \\ mbtake ill Waging

~~"t\\\~l\\\\%\ \\\\\\., ~\w:5 \~I.)\\\I\ \\\\W, ~~hw\\.~~ \\\ \\\~\.~

uomes ).ong ago; hut they were afraid leot 'this aet

91 of theirs might, he intm'Jll'l>td as C'lwardiee on t.heir PIU't.. They Wel'(' the Hnr(l" ,'ow, and as such I,,'sought him to I'l'nh'd tlu,h' hO!IfHIl'. If h~ ,;ar'at.ed Anllndl'm' fOl' a day HIP.' wonltl \'ais,' HlP blo,'kade IUHI ,'"til'P. Aft"l' t.J", lap,;" of t,hi" period he might reoe"npJ til(' tUWII. The ,lratltgem was ,ncccssfnl. The Hm'll gNut",1 th,' appl'lIl. 'l'he Sikhs on nwating Aultll(lpm' "1I(,IUllp('[1 at. Nirmogllrh, '" conp!!. of mile, orr. A., WII" \.xpp('f,e,1 insh'lu! of retiring i'rom the fi.,ld the hill Rajas fell npon the Sikhs Rml the litHe" wern <'xpos!'ll on ",II side.s. Victory, however, deda]'"cl itself for t.helll. A cannon ball, dil'\wt,mi against, tIll' HIll'n, renn,'c,i his attendant. Ram Singh t.o afum,; hnt the Gnrll himself WIIS not hurt. His mb.8i1e;, Oll the cOllh'ary, slew II large number of the assailants. At lengt.h, IilHiing that eveu in the open the Sikhs wen. invincihle, tho invlltliug army l路etl'Oate(l. M('ftnt.iuw, in l路{\~P()ll~l'. tn an appoal, ulade hy the Raja~, Wa"il' Khan, Huvm'lIol' of Sirhiud, hl'ought ""il1fol','ellll'lIt.,;. 1'hil' ~t.rl'llgt.\telled th!) hill lIlen again inYe,t",1 th" Sikh;" Bill. t.he ouslanght.s of thl' lathH', 'lIlllel' PI~ill .. e Ajit Singh, marl" it difficult for Ute allierl arm in.' to tnl'u tiWlI\ ont frolil their positions. The Sikh .. h,'onielers say that Wazir Khall, linding' that, the Sikh." WI'ro It formidable foe to deal with, propo""l to t.he Gllm Un'ough the Raja of Basali that ill "as" he retire[1 to t,he lat,tcr's domiuious t.he sieg" would be raiser! anrl that pre,sed by his advi.~(Jrs Uw Gnrn comp1ietl wit,h the reque8t, The truth, however, seoms to he thnt wit en, some days nfter, the Sikhs suffered a reverse the Guru retreated to Basali, iu the dominion of a friendly Rnja

in : the

neighbourhood of Anandpur and sheltered himself in the fortress there, and that the invading army did not c01l8ider it worth while to follow him. Here he stopped for some time, amI resumed his occnpation8 of peace.

OHAPTER XVIII. Raja Dhnrlllpni of Bnsnli hlwnnw a sinl'I"'I' 11I1Inirpr of the GilI'll. He l'xllRlIsted all hi~ I'PSOI1l'I'I'~ to do him honol1l' and ','Imminetl ill cOllstant. aUI'Iulunce on him. The time, at, length, al'ri ved, when the GIll'U had to leave BURaJi, with a view to re-occupy Auandpur. He ncknowledged the Raja's ntteutions and bltl~setl him with a promise of untlying' frielHIRhip. On the way, a halt WRH ordm'ed at Bllllmham' wit.h whose I路hief the Guru luul heconw acqunintetl wl.iltl at Basali. He pasHml sOllie months at this place and employed his time in spl'ending his doctrines. The discipl()s on hearing of his long 80 jouru hore came from pluce~, far and ncar, and brought him offerings. A party of them was way-laid and plundered by the ruffians of a village called Kalmot. When the information reached the Guru he ordered a band of Sikh sepoys to punish the offending "ilIagers and recover the plunderetl propert.y. This was forthwith done amI from that time forwnrd the Sikhs were not molested by that people. Not long after the Guru l'eturned to A nllndpur and repopulated it. The l'etreating bill Rajus and Mussahnans had not forgotten to de~t.roy its fortifications and pull down its important edifices. A young disciple .Tog Singh wus v()ry assiduous in the service of the Guru who naturally favonred him Ulost. This excited jealousy and when, one day, he went RbroRd Rlone Ire WRS way-laid Rud assaulted. JI I) bQ1,'1) tb.1l trel\tmel\t with forbel\rl\nce I\ud did not

94 mention the incident to nny one, When the Gnrn, somehow, heard of the matter he sent for .Tog Singh nnd n,kml him why Iw IHlII fnilt'll to l'''pod, the IIffalt路 t.o llim,' .Tog Singh replied' that uothing' ('xtrnol'(linAl'Y had o(~el1rred thnt Ill'eessitnted a report, to the Guru, The Guru II10ne WIIS the suhjed of his thoughts alld the kisses 01' ki('ks of people did 1I0t. engross his mind, This .. xhihitioll of sdf-nl)lwgRtion highly plellse!! thp Gl1ru mill the follow('r" in whose Iwal'ing the stnt ..mellt. had heen mad... It is ardent. mlmu'ers, 1111 contiuillg nnd nil slIcrifieing, su('h as .Tog Sillgh, t.hat followed the Guru's hRnner in his efforts to relt'a'l' the people from spirihllll And politiCAl slflH'ry. At. this time the hill RajRs were Itt peace with 'the Gilru, Experience had taught them to respect. the Guru's fluthority, Theil' nmhassadors, fit t.lHl Guru's Court, dliefly Pamma, who",' lIItllle has heeome an oppl'ohrious (路pithet. iu Sikh t(路rminology, employed tlleir (liplonllwy lind smooth tongn(,R ill keeping t.he Sikhs in humol1r. During tlll1se days of nmit.y lind accord the Guru WflS persuadell to visit. Rawalsar, a sacred lalH', ill t.he vicinit.y of Suket. On t.he day of' Ikadnsi ' when most of the hill Raja, were assemhled, lit that, sent of pilgrimage, the Guru agnin addressed them on their abjl路et coudition, and the means for theil' amelioration, nnd 80 effective Wfl8 his speeeh that a gl'eat many of t.hem volunteered .to receive the Sikh hapti~m; hut unluckily theilBrahman advisers dissiladed them from t.aking the step 'and thus prevent.ed th<l formation of a coalition which , would have considerably facHit.ated the work of India's

-regeneration, Thus the great s('heme which the illus-

triol\s Sikh leRder had forOllllat.ed was ollposed, troD! it.s ~'ery start" by n large and illfiuent.ial seet.ion of the vcry people in who~o intcrests it had been conceived nnd nuoptel1. Aud, as will he sholVn, in thc following pages, these very hill Rajns woro inst\'lllnontal iu the llUimate defeat of the GIIl'l1 and the scattering of the Sikh forces whon tIll' IOlpel'inl troops ,ull'llnced ngaillst the Guru !\luI III0108t, IInnihilate(1 his political illflnolOce, during t.l1C In"t siege of Anllndpnr, The splendour of Ow Gllru's ('olld" Itt thi~ t.ime, "l1l'PIIS"ClI even that 01 jill' l\Toghul EIIlPl'l'Ol'S, Ali Umt ('uuill allll tu ils hrilliHn('y Ulul enhauce ii s glory tlwl'e, The Mo~hul Blllpel'ol' had It thl'()1w of gold ai, Dl'lhi, The Sikh" WOllillnot l'l'st contcnt,ed Hnlt'ss II telllph. of gold was el'cctl'll nt thc scat of their Guru',; government. A('cordingly Y"J.",IOllS lJl1llntit-it.s of goltl poured in 11'0/11 all purt~ nF the cOllllh'y, The "difico 'VII S erecte(l in It ~ Ilrpl'i,illgly short Hme and t.he Sikh Scriptures wcre inst.nllc!l therciu,

w."

Riches amI worldly 'plelld011l' hmo ahvIIJs (')ÂŤ",_ ci,,(.d a "i/iRting inllueuce 011 pllhlic lIlurals, The wi<l(,awake GilI'll saw thnt the ae(!llmullltiou of ridW8 Oil wh i..ll sllb.~i,ted tho large body 01' his l'ctllinCl's WII8 proving hurHul to them, l\It'u WCl'C becoming gl'('edy .IUlI worc losing reVeL'cuce for t,he hig-hlll' idcRl8 of lifc, To l'rRuicnt,e the evil IIml show his supreme contolUpt for l'ichl" Ill! costly l'!limen!.s wcre put to the. Jlame aud the h'ORSlIl'C thrown intu I he Sntlo,i, ThcllcefOl'WIll'd it WIIS ruleu that the Gllru lind all hi,~ dependellts ~honld live ill the ,tl'i<,tcst simpli<'it.y, This act the Guru elicited adveree comment. Most .o! the

parasites that had fed upon public aIm's gav'e out that the intellect of the Guru had become demented ul1(l that he WitS making it impossible for his followers to 8trengthen his hllnds. The grellt, majorit)' of Ule followers had, however, implicit faith in the Guru's judgment Itnd unmurmuringly obeyed him in all things. They still remember how abstemiously the Guru passed Ute latter pal路t of his life and none of his principles has taken a deeper root in the Sikh mind than the belief that it is a sin to live Inxuriantly UpOll public offeriugs. Not, unlike his illust.rious preuecessor, Haba N IInltk, the Guru too]( plell'Hu'e ill visiting principal plll(,('" of pilgl'illlllge lind m'adi~at,ing superstition. beliefs .. In 1 i02 A. D., IIccompltnied by his mother and family and atten~ed by a strong body-guard, the Guru left Anaudpur to aUend an Edipse Fair Itt Thaneswar. Arl'iving there he preached the pure doctrines of his ('I'eed lind to show that Iw had 110 fllHh in the ahsurd notions, prevalent, lit Ute t.ime, such as the helief HlItt the o(fering of a cow facilitated Hie journey of a pilgrim, after death, the Guru offered all ItSS illstead. The lloveUy exciteu gellel'lllltttcntioll alld when all explallatioll WitS IIskeu t,he Gm'u thol'oughly exposed such superstHiollS and askeu the people to lool( to Gmt aloue fOl' protectioll, whether ill this worlu or the next. The visit of the Guru to ThlUle~Wllr gaye all' o~(~llsion to Ute hill Raj"s to again sturt conspiracie. agllinst him. It Wll8 known that the Guru's e8~ort consiste(1 of It few hundreu men alone. So with a force of a few t.housand men it was thought that it

91 would not be a difficult task to intercept him, on his way back to Anandpur, and put him easily to death. Said Beg and Alif Khan, Muslim commanders, were marchiug towards Lahore, with a large force. The hill Rajas, aided by the Pathans of Ropar, persuaded the Generals to wait for the arrival of the Guru Imd annihilate him and his small part.y. When the Guru eneam'ped in the vicinity of Chamkour the Moghuls fellnpon him. The Sikhs fought with such desperate valour that Said Beg Khan, moved by a feeling of' admirat.ion, CRllle over to the Gurn and prayed for permission to serve the Sikh cause. The desertiou of Said Beg dispirited A lif Khan and compelled him to order a retreat,. Thus enlie!l a cowardly attempt to take the life of one who was so unselfishly working in behalf of the very men who Wet'e cOllspiring fo~ his

life.

98 '

OHAPTER XIX. Immediately after the battle described in the last I'hapter the Guru returned to Anandpur and resumed his usual avocations. One day a Brahman came to him with a complaint that when he was returning, home, with his newly married wife, Jabbar Khan, a leading Pathan of Bassi, forcibly took her to his house awl detained her there. He had, in vain, endeavoured to. .app,e al for help to all men of influence in the IQI\IJIity. " He was confident that the Guru, who was a; p~otectorof the poor, would rescue his bride and ~.estore -her to him. The appeal t.o the Guru was, successful. PrinceAjit Singh was immediately ordered to rescue the woman and bl'iI\g her ravisher, hound hand BUd foot, to Anandpur. Early at dawn, when the people were s!ill asleep, prince A.iit Singh andbis party forced their entrance into the village. Those who opposed were put to the sword. Jahbar Khan was captured and brought to Anllndpur. The BrahMan's wife was restored to him. Jabbar Khall was put to death and so exemplary was the pUllishment accorded tllRt. for y{\ars following t.he (路l路ime WitS not repeated. The Sikhs never forgave the tr{\Rcherol1s (路onduct. of the hill men in waylaying the Guru when he WIlS returning from Thanes war with a small escort. WhenllYN they found Rn opportunity they wreaked their vllilgeance on the perpeil'utors of the iniquity. Tile B8.Jas again invaded Anundpur with a lal'ge army; b.l'Q;when notwHhstanding their display of valolll' they were compelled to raise the siege a conncil of wal;

wa9 held at which they I\dopted . a petition to the Moglllli Emperor in which they suught help ~gaitJ.st the Guru who, said they, had raised a standard' of rebellion and was preparing to invade Delhi and avenge his father's assassination by driving out the Mqghuls from the Imperial capital. The latter part of Aurangzebe's life was spent fn quelliug' disturbances in the different parts, ofllis dominious. The policy of distrust an'" blind. fanaticism had create[l for him numbedess foes among , the Mnslim~ lIud uou-Muslims of Hiudustan proper and the Decclln. The despatches of his Lieutenants in the Punjab, describing the sel'iousness of affairs, in that far 011' province, made him turn' in his 'bed. ' IIill limited military resources were hardly sufficient to meet the situation nearllr home. He knew that t,he removlIl of the fighting men, from either the Hindn&tlln or the Deccau, would seriously hamper the o,perations in which hll himself was engaged and would give lin occasion to the turbulent spirits, in his domfnions, to harass the people. So he very ingenionsly contrived II plan which cost him nothing and fully, m~t the requirements of t,he ease. He , wrote to the Nllwabs of Sirhind and Lahore to march against Anandpur, raze it to the groulHlllnd bring the G:uru a prisoner to Delhi. Mandlltes were issued u~der the royal selll to IIll defenders of the Faith in. the Punjab and its North-West border to cru~h ,thhlri8ing infidel power. Nllwllb Mohammad 'Khan of Mal~l'足 Kotla, Usman Khllll of Qasur, Shams Khan of BijIwata" Najib Khan of Jullundur and a h.ostof .. petty chiefs from Jhang, Multan,' Bahawalpur ,6nd,,,t~e

100 centres of Gakhar infiuemll', in HI(' eountry now (10111prising the districts of Ruwalpindi, Attock aud Huzllra, started with t,heenthu~ias1l1 of t,he Plwly Christiau crusaders, on a holy war against the Guru. They were joined in large nnmbers by hordes of Rajput. hill-men who were not less inimically disposed towards the Sikhs, for their ultra-radicalism and their arrogance 'in adopting the forms and names which Rajputs alone had assumed frolll t.ime immemorial. This heterogeuous mob, l'e"embliug uot, a little t,he mob that marched against, .Jerusalem undm' the leadership of Peter the Hermit, enl'ampPlI at the distlllll'e of a few miles from Anandpur. The intelligenl'e of fhi" great and popular campaign against the Guru had spread throughout, Mill IRnd~ Bands of Sikh disciples poured in Anandpnr from all quarters. Before /tny engllgement took place the Guru had about 10,000 tighting men; but they were neither so well-armed nor so wellequipped. The Imperial army Oil t,he other hand is said to have cO:lsisted of over a hundred thousand men, mostly used to the trouble" and hardships of war. Their disadvant,age lay in their di.versity of tougues and multiplicity of 'lounsels. The different component parts of the Imperial hosts, though nominally under two or three Generals, iooked to their respective leaders for taking the initiative. In this respect the Sikhs were at an advantage. They had one leader whom they obeyed implicitly, through life and death, and who was to

them more 8 god than man.

101 Whl'n thl' vAnguard of t Iw Imperial army was ohserved f,'oUl a di'/RI"'" ,"'illce Ajit, Singh, aided by Saill Bl'g KhRn Auti Mmull Khan, led a band of the Kha.\8a against, the ndvlIIH'ing army Imd /oI'nve them hattie. The fight waH de8}Jerate. Both Said Beg Khan amI Mmnu Khan fell in the action. Several Rajput Rajas and hundreds of MU8lhll

officcl'~

Hud

Illon

WtWC

killed.

The

lOBs

of the Sikhs, too, in kille(I and woundt'd was not snmll.

But, the lIIoral gain was enormous.

The Mus-

lims thenceforward were uot ahle to ~OIUe too near Anandpm. No great batUe afterwards took place, Profiting from past l,xperieJlI'tJ the Muslim Generals avoided close lights, Anmlllpllr WIIS 811r1'OI1lHle(1 all sides and its t'omllllluieatiou with the ont~ide world was ('ut off, The siege lasted for lllouths,

Prince Ajit, Siogh and theGnrn'sGeollrals,DayaSingh, Dlmrm Singh, Sahib Singh, Odni Singh Rnd Alalll Singh frequently ('auw Ollt lind, both in the dead of night and in the broad light of day, fen upon the 11ll}Jerial store houses, unawares, and took away large qll/mtities of provisions,

But Hme at length came

when this source of supply could not meet requirements. The Guru once made a grellt eft'ort and himself led out his men against the besieging host; but although th" Muslim hordes suffered immensely, the loss was not sufficiently serious to compel the Imperial officers to rllise the siege. The protracted operations, however, made them impatient. They took it fI serious reflection on their valour that, with

102 a force so huge, t,hey shonhl have t,aken so many months to reduce a' Faqir' to snbjeetion. In thu Imperial despatches, furthermore, they were reprimanded for their incompetency. They know that if the expedition failed they would be disgraced and exposed to public ridicule. All these considerat.ioll3 compelled them to take Anandpur. Twice they foreea an eutrance iuto it, by breaking t,he gat,eR Ojlim hnt, were tnrned out with a tremendons loss. Lad'\e!'.j were prepared and several attempts were m:l:lll to scale th" walls; hnt the vigilanee of the guards, in the fortress of Anandpur, defeated these at.tempts. At length tirm! of these manly efforts the Imperial officers had almost detel'milled to raise tho siege when .the cnnning hill Rajas prevailed npon them to employ craft and thns get rid of the Illttcli ÂŁOJ. They represent.ed to the Moghnls that the Sikh, were rednced to the verge of starvation and that the; wonld gladly evarmate Anandpur, if thn Imp~rial aut,horitins guarant.eed their safe passage. The propOSAl was agreed to And commnnientcrl to the Guru through a special messenger. When the messenger arrived some of the Sikhs who, unused to war, were yearning for an opportunity to leave Anandpnr ran to mother Gujri and entreated her to prevail upon the Guru to yield and thus prevent the annihilation from hunger and thirst of tha m:J!l who had served him so faithfally. The kind-hearted lady immediately repaired to . the Diwan Khana and remonstrated with the Guru

for his stubbornness in sticking to a place which had neen the cause 01 so much trouble to her family ever

103.

shwe it WII~ occupied. She proposed moviug to Malwa the people of which were mostly adherents of the Guru und where he would have gr('ater freedom in maturing and advancing his schollles. It would be a grievous mistake, said she, to refuse taking advantage of the safe conduct asslll'ed by a royal decree and a shcer c"acHy to see so many faithful and loving fellowors die of hnnger and suffering. The Guru refusea to listen to the proposal. He told her l'espectfnlly that he haa no faith in t,l,e promises of either the hill Rajpnts 01' of the Turks. 'l'llll ('np of iniquity of both these ag-grcssive people hall Ill'eome fullalld t,imo was not distant when t.lJeY woultl be pnnished for theil' misdee<ls. He knew that the besieging Generllis had become tired of cont!l1Uillg their operations) and he was confident that if the Sikhs patiently bore the <Iillicnlties for a few days more, the siege would be raised and all trouble would then be over, But the speech was not at ull consoling' t,o the mother who left the GU1'U in anger saying thut if he persisted in his obstinate cOlu'se not. one Sikh would remuin with him. No ,00111'1' ,lIP l..rt, th" Guru seut rOl' I,i, followel" mHI told them that they were fl'ee t.o go if they ('011~~lIted to disown ],illl as their Guru and subscl'ihed their nllllles to a doculllent, thcrcaftm' l'emembered as 'Beda'wa.' Most of them, reduced to mere skeletons, by starvation ana disease, took this desperate step and thus escaped to their homes, Some were still left. who even then had not the cOUl'age to abandou their GilI'll, They assured him that they hud devoted t hClllselves to hilll, body and soul, and that death with

104 him was dearer t,o them than life without, him, But (Ieath from starvation is the most terl'ible of all deaths. With the exception of a very small number all of them again approached mother Gnjri amI repeated their previous prayer, and wheu in reply to her statement that she had no control over her son they pl'oposed to her that she and the Guru's wife lIud sons might lellve Anllndpur, she gave her consent disregat'dful of the Guru's wishes, believing that by so doing slw would save the lives of the members of hel' family as also of the Sikhs who wlwe erlually dear to hm', The Guru's feelings, when he learnt of the preparations for departure, in defiance of bis wishes, can well be imagined, Finding bis autbority, thus set at, nanght, he, too, arranged to accompany his family and followers, though even then he conld not help saying that the , step tnken wns suicidal autl that if they bad wnited n (,ouple of days mOl'e Hill trouble would have been over, In all haste the Indies and children, IJrovided with such valuables as couIll be removed, were placed in ehal'iots, Of the Pynl'as and other faithful warriors some posted themselves in the front Imd others lit the back while the Guru and his seled. Lieutenants protected the Hanks, The party marched in this order, When it hlld fairly got out the perfidious Muslim Generals, instigated by Raja Ajmere Chand, ordered an assault, The Sikhs re,turned the fire, Prince Ajit Singh stopped to face t.he enemy and, for a while, prevented t.hl'ir n<lvanee whieh enablell the Guru to cover a dist,ance of Home mUes, But t.hough

~~i.\l.'i.oJ!cemellt8 arrived, the 8Ulall. ~lW.t~

\\t t\\~ ~\\.\\% '\'(\\~

105 over-powered by the myriads of the Imperial army. Some wm'e kille(\ and wounded. Otbers' Heel ,in all direct.ions and were ~Ilbseqllently killed by the vindictive hilll)OJlulation. A few, among whom were the Guru and his family, retreat,ed in the direction of Chamkaur ; but their progres8 was , impeded by the hill torrent Sirsa. Meantime the royal army came upon thcm. Resistance being impossible tho Gnru, with his two sons, Ajit Singh and J lljhar Singh, plunge<l into the river and escape!" His two lI'iv88, dressed in mftle attire, were escorted to Delhi lI'her,(J they found shelter with a disciple named Jowahil' Singh. Mother Glljri, with pri!l(~es Zorawar Singh and Fat,eh Singh, who werc yet mere (,hildren, concealed herself in a mwe. Ganga Ram, an old BrnhrilRn' 8el', vaut of thc fnmily, WftS in attendance upon her. He offered her the ~helt"r of his' house in the village I{heri, a few milns off. Under the circumstances Mltl offer wns gladly accepted. The mau lodged the lady and her t,wo grandsons at his house and deposit,ed the luggage which cout,ailled jewelry ' and other valuables in some sncrct place. Gnru ~GovilHl Singh himself with princes Ajit Singh alHl .1 ujhar Singh and a hundred men t,ook tllll diredion of Ropar. In the way t,lIe Pathans of Ropar fell upmi the party, The Sikhs fought, with 路 usual valour with their an('ient foe and inflicted a heilVY loss on t,hem; but their own llumber was reduced to forty by the time they reached Chamkau.r. A~ the place where they haIt-ed was exposed to the attack of the enemy who were following them closely ,Gariba, a

106 poor .Jat, offered them a shelter in a kinsman's house, bllilt in the shape of a redoubt. It was an offer too good to be refused. Forthwith the part,y repnired there aud with the help of the villagers at路tended to necessary repairs. Early at dawn, the enemy surrounded the redoubt. The Sikhs, profiting from the night's rest., fought like lions. Their arrows spread terror into the ranks of the enemy. At length, when ammunition and provisions were exhausted and no hope of escape except an ignominous surl'emler wns left, Prince Ajit Singh, who was hat'dly seventeen yenrs old, begged leave to emerge from the fortress nnd die fighting, The request was grnnted. With Mohkam Singh Pyara, Ishwar Singh, Lal Singh, N nnd Singh, Kesra "Singh, Mohr Singh and hnlf a dozen more Sikhs Prince Ajit Singh left the redoubt and with a sword in hand and the nnme of the Timeles~ Ono on his lips he fell upon the enemy. The skill and brnvery with which he fought drow forth ndmirntion from both sides. Nazim Wazir Khnn and Zabardnst Khan who were witnessing t,he fight from an eminence called upon some of t,heir braved 'nen to engage with the prince nnd his comrades, innn hnnd to hand encounter; but none dared advance. The end could not, however, be delnyed. Having killed a regular host of the :enemy the Prince died a glorious death immortalisiug his name tor all time. Seeing Prince Ajit Singh die so gloriously his brother, Prince Jujhar Singh, who was not yet fourteen and whose beauty and plensing manners had made hini a universal favourite, approached his father

107 . with a request for permISsion to die likewise. The Guru, pleased at the exhibition of so much courage on the part of his young boy, sent him into the bat.tle-Held, hoantifully dressed and well armed, with Dimmat, Singh and Sahib Singh Pyara mHI half a dozen more valiant. disciples. The brave litt.le boy had not proceedo(l far when feeling his lips parched, all of .. sudden, he stopped and askeil for a cup of wat~r. "Darling", said the Guru, "angels nre Itwaiting thee with a cup of the water of iIllIllOrt.Hlit.y! Go Rnd luke it in the company of thy hrother !" The young Prince did not cast another look on those whom he was leaving hehind. Inspired with the enthusiltsm of the moment he plungec1 himself into the thick of the fight. Lik~ an eagle he seemed to alight from on high and fall on his prey, when least eXllected, flying back with equal suddeuness and lcaving t,he hnge concourse of meD looking np helplessly with wonder and (lismay.- ' Dis sprightly feats, performed with tho handsome little sword with which his fathcr had provicled him, the wondrous movements of his steed, which seemed to move in the ranks of the enemy, more like a spirit thRn It being of flesh and hlood, olicitec1 shouts of applause from the ImperiRI Generals who would fuin havo sRved his life; but before they could do anything to give effect to this desire all was over. The Prince and his comrades f ell to rise no more !.

108

CHAPTER XX. Prince J ujhar Singh departed with the last rays of the departing Sun. The horizon' was darkened and .iust as the great Orb of Heaven while sinkiug appears to grow bigger and bigger, t,h~ i11llstrioll8 Sikh Lender, notwithst,andillg t,hat he had lo,t his equally iIIu,strious BOns lind many of his brave chumpions, sccmml to be illspireu with grouter vigour ,han he cver p08sessed. The night sprilau its curt..tins; bllt his arroW! st.illpiorcllll many 11 breast. The bnllet" from the rUIDplirte sWI ruineu dilltth on Ute lllen below. The enemy, however, did not, scelll to mind this fusihlt\e. Ellited with joy at, t,he tnrn the event,s of the day hau tllken and (',ouBdcnt in t,he bplief that, in t.he morning following, thoy wonl<l eitIwl' kill the GIll'U or tllke him Il pri~oner to Delhi they stoppIlll fight ing lind ordering 1\ small (iet.uehment 1-0 keel' guard they retired to their t,lmts to luke UII' night'" rcpose. The nOll challlncc of the !\[ogltnls ,mggested tho iclol,\ of eli cape to Hie Pyal'as Dhurlll Singh IUlIl DaYII Singh and Bhai Man Singh. They prcvail,,(l uJlon the Guru t,o lea\'e Blllti Sungat, Singh, I{ehr Singh, Sllntokh Singh, DewlI Singh, Rllm Singh, .Jccwlln Singh and Kathn Singh in chlll'go of the forhess IIml suggested that he should himself esrape IIttended by t,hem. At the dcad of night when nlllVas quiet outside the redoubt, the Guru lIud his three attendants esrllped eluding UIO "igilance of the guard. 'I'he uigh t WIIS pitch-dark. P.xcept the stcllt,orinll voic., of the scnt,inels not It 801~. ,was audible. The party hud not

gOll~

far off when the advlllluy guard catching t,he s n 路. !l or footsteps find suspectiug that it must be the fll"itivtls from the redoubt sOlllllled their horns. The .., wlnb camp was dist,urbed. Mlln rushed to lind fro. Fl'ieads killed friends aud in the eonfusion thus caused t,he GUl'U and his attendflnts were sepllrated. At dawn he roached the outskirts of village Kheri. Alfu lind Galllll, Gujjllr,;, who were grll~illg t,heir cflttle in t,he Hold reeoglli~ed him and retar!led his progress, WIll'1l even the gift of a few jlie('es of gold failed to secure their good-will the Guru put, them t.o the sword. In the vidnity of Bahlolpur the Sun rose, Espying a dellse duster of trees the Guru laid himself down under their shllde. No water WIlS wit.hin sight. He quenched his thirst with the jui('e of the leaves of the , Aq , plaut, and jlflrt.ly on aC('OIll1t of the intoxicating inflnellt'e of tbis juice and ('hielly on a('COIll1t of inteme fatigue he fell in II swoon. , At nightfall 01l regainiug rOllsciousness Iw end('lIvOIll'ed to resume his journey; but hi~ strength failed. He had made Ill' the distmH'1l fi'om Chamkallr bare-foot.ed. The rOllgh and thorny paths hlld lacm'flted his limbs. He had not In'Oreede!1 far off wheu his legs refll~ed to work. Lying on the gras!, when blo()(l was flowing pl'ofllsely from hi~ limbs, when hlluger aUII thirst were t.ormenting him he invoked the spirits abofC to go and convey to the Divine Preceptor this tidings of him, his di~eiple. "DCIII' friend", says he in the hymn, " wiwre Thou art not, there ~ort beds life to me like disease; residence in mansions like living IImong serpeHts ; wine bottles like the !'ross ; winc cnps like the sword; all this liku death fl'OIll a bu~''l; ffntihl'! I J.frWI8rhu V Friend's turf

110 is better, far better! Cursed be residence in palaces!" In this manner he passed the night ~inging the glory of the Lord of Hosts and remembet'ing Him iu words expressing the greatest gratitude. A few hours before dawn, refreshed by the night's breeze and feeling some strength he took the direction of Malwa. At daybl'eak he Slink again, from sheer exhaustion, at a garden, in the suburbs of Machhiwara. As the Providence would hnve it the Pynras Dharm Singh, Dayn Singh IIml Bhai Man Singh urrind lit the same garden in their search for the Guru. Learniug from some one working in the garden, that a person dressed like them was lying in another part of the garden they proceeded thither. To their intense joy they recognis.ed their Guru in the man that lay prostrate before them. Slowly' Itnd noiselessly they approltched him and kissed his feet. The Guru lltid his hand on his sword believing it must be the touch of enemies; but when his cyes opened and he saw his beloved followers, knceling before him, the momentary rigidity of his couutenance gave place to a radiant smile. They drew out thorns from his feet nnd clothes, and Man Singh, placing him on his back, took him to a well close by and there attended to his bath. Mennt,ime Ghani Khltn and Nabi Khan, Rohilla Pathans, who were the mltsters of the garden,and from whom the Guru had purchased horses several times, arrIved Itt the spot. Seeing him in such a plight they were moved to tears Itnd then and there vowed that they would do all iu their power to serve him ana would die with him, if need be. Gulaba Masand, too'

111 on hearing of the Guru's presence in the garden came to pay his respects and brought food for the Guru and his attendants. A short while after the Guru was removed to a room in the upper storey of the Masaud's house. No seener this was dene the Imperial army sm'rounded the village. Befere, hewever, they could institute any SClll"ch for him the GIll'U dressed himsl'lf in bh", and in this guise succceded in making his escllpo through the kind offi"es of Ghani Khan and N IIbi Khan. At two days' distance from Machhiwara whcn the danger of pursuit by the Imperial soldiery was over Ghani Khan and N abi Khan were SCllt hllek I I' th!,ir hOIn('s rewarded WiUl Ilukml1ltlflflY erdm'ing all disciples 1,1' re{'ognize tlwir faithful servi('e, When he IIrrived at the village of A IHlUgil', by slew marches, a brother of the fameus Bhai Mani Singh offered a beautiful horse which the Guru accepted. Resuming the journey on horse back he met Rai KalIn, a Muslim Chieftain. This man WIIS a Rajput cenvcrt. The Guru's story drew tears from his eyes and 80 strong was his emetion that he weuld not permit him te preceed further unless he henoured his ahode and tasted his food. The invitatien was accepted. At night at the instance of the Guru, a messenger named Mahi, was s{'nt to Sirhind t,o bring tidings of the Guru's family and followers. Mahi, next day, brought the intelligence that Gangu Brahman, when escorting mother Gujri te his native village, fonnd out that the mule carrying princes Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh

112 was laden with gold and jewelry. From his childhood upwnrdR he , IlItd worked in the Guru's kitchen and had lived on the Guru's bount.y. The immense wealth he was ('al'rying turnl'd hi, bead. " How ea,y it is," thought he, " to appropriate all this. Now this life of drudgery is over. The remainder of my dn.ys, o lurk 1 I shall P"SS in easo and comfort I" Arrh'ing Itt his house he conceale(l the jewelry somewher!1. Lltte in HIe night, he eried out "Thief! Thief!" Mother Gujri Illul pAssed n sleepless night. She hnd not. seen /lny strnngl'r in the room. Only GlIlIgU IlIId been Hwre severnl t.illlCS. "Denr boy", snid she to Gangu," no Odd IUts cOllie hm路(). I hnve hel'n awltke Itll this while. Prny do not IIlltke noise. Tnke posstlssiop of nil t.he jewelry nnd enjoy it, as best. as thon mayst. Tholl' hast been bronght lip ill Ollr house and it would ' be, indeed, a pleasure to lap, if the jewell'y ~hould fnll into thy hnmb rathl'r Hum into those of Hill Moghals. But pray do uot iuvitE' It crowd here. Pc.ople will rl路cognise ns and t.he crud Turks will not. "1'111'1' the liYf's of Illy boys." The traitm', preh-nllin;.;, (;) llItve beell insulted, aC!'lIsed the Indy of ingrnt.it.mle. Hc' hnd rps(路twcl her and the ylHlll,l\" princC'" fl'ol1l till> ('Intl'!ws 01' death and for this II!: was rewllrded hy being ('nlled n thief. Immediately he plnced the Indy Rnd the pl'inees in the custody of the Muslim .tllthorities who transferred t.hem to vVllzir Kimll, Snbnh of Sirhilld. This bigot, disl'egnrdillg t.he ages of the prilH'C's, who were yet mere chilclrPII, offered t.h{lll the option of the K"lima or t.he sword. They prefllrred t.he latter. After subjecting thrm to naJ[leless tort.nres the monster ordered thcir being.

113 .bricked up Rlive â&#x20AC;˘ .When the wRIl reached the wai.sts, Qf .t.he p~inces they ,w ere agRin asked to accept Islal!l' slI \llI\t tlieir lives ~lglit be spared; but they refuse!i",io yield. "We R1'''1,'' said they, " Bon~ of Guru . Govind ,Singh,' What is .death to us? We must die.in' order ;that,the wrongs of A,l'yavartll may be avenged., ,So, millcreRnt. let thy craving for blood be satiated." Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan of Malerkot,la interceded ,for t,he young princes; but Sucha Nand Khatri, Minister of the N IIwab of Sirhin.l, WI\S 1I0t in favour of sparing their lives. ,. In his opinion they woro young' 'cobras and deservOIl to be treated RS such. Wazir Khan ' was only too glad to accept his Minister's suggestion. He no'd ded to thc public executioner. 'The order was forthwith ob"YCll ami so in the presence . of ~, va'st multitude the hends of the princes were cut off~ When t,he illteUigClwo of this ittrocious crime . , - . 'las _. " conveyed to motller Guj"i she threw herself out of the window of t.l1C dungeon lIucl flllling on the ground below expired immediately. The disciples, became frantic with gril't Their loud Illmentations wtlJ:e hear'(\ thronghout t.ho land and men saw t\lat J.he 'tilly. of retribution was not far off. Taking leave of RRi Kalla the Guru trRveUen,from village to village in Ma!wa. When he arrived -- at' Deena, Lakhmir, Snmir Rud TRkht Mal, grRndsolls ' ofÂˇ Rai Jodha who had helpe!1 Gur'u Har ' Govind:iri' obtaining vic.tory over the Moghal Genera!s, La! Beg' Klian a'nd 'Karm Khnn, at the hattie, of" GUPJl:'-SRI} came their. respects t,o him; , Tho brothers' vied witli one another in serving the GlIrU and bit

,to pay

114 attendants. Their love and devotion prolonged t,b e Guru's stay there. From all pa\'ts of tbe count,r.ll people flocked to the place to pay their respecb to him. The greater part of his time he spent in preaching God's word to them and in inculcating the principles of fellow-feeling al1l1 sacrifice. His sermons, imbued 1Jith heavenly fervour, his account of the heroic deeds qf the Sikhs during the siege of Anandpur, his reference to the mart,yrdom of princes Ajit Singh Rnd J~jhar Singh and to the bold manlier in which princes Zorawar Singh Rnd FRteh Singh met deRth Rt Sirhind '!Jere listened to with the deepest attention. The very lOuis of the heRrers were stirred. The IRrge mustering of mon Rt Deena RlRrmed Wazir Khan. A messenger brought R "PR1'wRnR" in whicli the SubRh charged Lakhmir Rnd Samir with 路 sheltering an enemy of the Emperor and threRtened them with condign punish ment if they did not immediately deliver him to the authorities. Lakhmil' .' and Samir returned tho messenger with tho reply.I that they had done no wrong in serving their Guru and that instead of delivering him to his enemics they would sacrifice their homes and hearths, nay their very lives, for his sake, when time came. Finding that the time wall arriving when another have to be fought with his old foe, the SlIbah of Sirhiud, the Guru . issued a proclamat,ion caning upon 1111 fighting men among his diSCiples to oome all.i\ 011\\8\ tn tbe army he was raising. In a 1e1J days a large number of bra'fe Barars, a clan of deled themielves for service, and thus the '

~ttlewould

.r,t.,

115 Guru again had a regular force for service in t.ime of emergency. At this time he wrote all epistle to Aurangzel!ll in which he described the circumstances under whttlh inetigated by his officers, the Raja of Bilaspur and路ib'e confederate hill chieft.ains, he had waged anunprovdb'M war against him, causiug immense loss of\iffe and resuJt,ing in no good to the Empire. To gain ''Ii'n advantage over him the meanest. subterfuges ':tiHd been resortell to and even oaths on the Quran !'ilIId not been respected. Did His Maj .. sty think thfit 'he Great Protector of the wol'id would leave euch -ibisdeeds unpunishell ? The mission of the Gurus \,~Ii\Jse (}"ddi he was adorning was that of peace. Nllhher he llor his illustrious predecessors had any ambititln for acquiring temporal sway over men. His only tUin was to instil the fear of God into men's minds and'to point' out to them the advantages of righteous living. But blinded by prejudi('e and worldly authority neither His Majesty nor His officers would rest content until a law-abiding people, driven to desperation, 'took up arms and put an end to his iniquitoue rule.

iUI

OHAPTER XXI

'j'

,I .. During the Guru's travels in Malwa, Sodhi Kaul, "idescendal1t o~ Pritl,i Rai, paid him a visit. The blue ~rments that the Guru still wore no longer served, any useful purpose. So when Sodhi Kaul presented him a white suit of clothes the blue ones were cast 011' an4 torn into pieces. When asked to explain his action Ile said that blue cloth was the symbolic representation "of Islamic influence. Baba N anak had bl~~sedBabar with the rule of Hindust.an for seven ' , genel'ations. The period specified was closing and in tearing the blue dress he was only making this allnouncement. The Moghuls had made themselves a'scourge'and 'the intel路est.s of humanity dcmaudell t.lmt. tlie seeptl'e of Government be wrested from them. '

" Chaudhri ' Kapura was an influential Jat and ()wner of a hundred villages. Pyara Dharm Singh ll8jl.ed him, on behalf of the Guru, to allow the accupat~ of his fortified village of Kot Kapura. The man rllfused the request. He failed to understand the r!\8sopablenessof oll'eringfurther opposition to Moghlil arms, shut up in a tiny village like Kot Kapua, when the fort.iflcations of Anamipur had provcd of no llvai!. Moreover, he had no mind to consent to an undertaking that would be tantamount to rebellion against the authority of the Moghul Emperor. He had a great .take in the country and he was not prepal'ed to lose his vast pl'operty and meet death at the hauds of a hangman. This coarse reply oll'ended the Sikhs. The man left the ;assembly in disgrace and, curiously eno.ugh, as fute ,!ould have it., he was hanged, not long .

117 . after, by the order of Isa Khan, a .neighbouring Muslim Rajput, with whom he had a dispute of long standing. His son Sukhiya and gandsou Hamira lost uo time in tendering an apology for the insolence of their faiher and offered themselves to be baptised. For this penitent act Hamira received the blessing that his descendants would rule over that part of the country. The present Raja of Farid Kot is a lineal descendant of this Hamirll. Sodhi Kaul, finding that baptised .Jats were so highly honoured by the Guru alld the Panth and thinking that a Sodhi, when baptised, would acquire a far superior rank in the estimation of the believers had Abhai Chand, a grandson of his, also bapt,ised to the new Faith. This person, thenceforward known by the name of Abhai Singh, always posed as a Guru alUl gave no end of trouble on account of his extreme greed and selfishness. The Manjha Sikhs who had deserted the Guru at Anandpur and had disowned him were, in their turn, dieowned by their people, on their return home. Their wives told them to wear female attit路., and stay at home, while the women would go and fight for the Guru. So public hatred as well a~ self-mortification, led. them to seek for a reconciliation with the Guru. With"thi. view forty penitent souls went to Malwa to haT.e an andience with the Guru and pray for forgiveness. The Guru's ar~y lay encamped in the outskirts of a wood. Espying the Moghul forccs advancing towards it 'from a distance Uwy entrenrhed themselves behind a cluster of trees that grew arol1nd a smHll pool of water 'and reeolved to give their lives for the sake

111 of the Guru, then and there. When the Muslims e'tme within shot, bullets and arrows from the bushes retarded their progress. Believing that this was the m,ass of the, Sikh force the enemy did not approach nellr enough; but, after some hours' fighting they were emboldene<l to come to dose quarters. The brave blind fought like lions, and though infinitesimally small in number, they died to amlin, inflict,i ng heavy losses on the enemy. The heat WIIS intense lind the country waterless. Both man lind bellst pllnted for breflth. Immediately the aspect of the heavens chmlged. A strong wind began to blow in the face of the invadOl路s. Clouds of sand rose high in the air Rnd seemed to be determined on burying the marauding hosts aUve. The horizon was darkened. Not R soul could be distinguished. Fellring annihilation the Subah of Sirhiud ordered a retreat without engllging the mllin body of the Sikh al'my. The defence of Hill pass of Thermopylm hy a small band of Spartans under Leonidas is not more proudly and more gratefully remembered by Hellenic peoples than the gallantry which these forty men displayed in opposing the progress of thousands of disciplined warriors in an open country, wanting even in a pretence of defence. There is no Sikh home, no Sikh temple, where, up to this day, the Sikh <levotee <loes not admiringly remember the" Forty Saved Ones". The story is pathetically tol<l that when after the reheat ef the royal army the Guru visite<l the place of actio)! he saw mother Bhago, prince Zorawar Singh's nurse, washing her wounds. She it was that had taunted the men for their previous defection. She it was that ha<l

l1f1 brought thorn bal'k to atolle for their sill by offering their lives for theil' ('0 untt-y and their Guru and had led the attack on the IIdVall('ing foe. Among the heaps of the slain tho Guru rel'ognised his , dist'iples. Lifting them, One by on", and plRcing their heads on his thigh, he wiped their fRees WiUl his kerchief, kissed them, ('RIling them by their nRmes and praising them for their unpl'ecedented valour, as if they were Rlive and were hearing his loving remembrllnl'es. While he WIIS thus engaged his honds fell upon one Mahan Singh in whom life wos not yet extinct. The man's delight knew no hOUlllls at the sight of t,htl SlIviour hoMing him in his emhrn"e. The Guru, t,oo, was equlllly filled wit,h joy at the opportunit,y tlms IIfforded of exchanging II few words with 0111' of the devoted homl of htwo!'s. He enquired if the dying mlln hnd 1\ wish whi .. h he desired to be full filled. "Tllti "do". " Unite the broken t.ie" wns the reply. He believed the Guru to be the image of the Most High and Just. As the Providence fOl'g'H'e penitent sinners, he prayed that the GlIl'n might be grnciously plellsed to fOl'give him lind his cOlllrndes for theil' hnving IIbllndoned him at Anllndpur. The SlIviour WIIS move(l to tears. Fort,hwith he took out the "Beditwa" ÂŁrolll his pocket IIIllI tore it into pieces, thus convinping the dying hero that. the signllt,ories to the document were thenc('forwanl forgiven. Mllban Singh shed telll'S of joy 11Ilt! expired in Ihe Guru's Illp. No wondel', then, thllt the spot should

W'"

have been, thereafter, remembered Mllktsllr (Tank of Salvation) and should have become one of the chief places of pilgrimage.

120

CHAPTER XXII. So long a8 the Guru Wit" at Anamlpur it was never found necessary to pay the disciples for service rendered. Men and women, highly respected in society, considered it an act of merit to perfo,rm eve;} t,he meanest duties in the Guru's household. When war was proclaimed Itgainst, him the disciples ran to him, armed and equipped at their own expense and providl'd with sufli('iput, stOI"'S l\Iul ammunition for their usc. But when the Guru was compelled to leave Auandpur and ret.ire t,o Mlllwa the nncertainty of his movements made it difficult for the diseiples, in the remote provinces, to mllke themselves useful to him. 'He hllcl thplll'eforward to depend most.Jy on the Mlliwa JiltS. When he found it necessary to raise an IIrmy in Malwa to oppose the ad vance of the Impel'ial forces under the Subllh of Sil'hhul he had, for the first Hme, to introduce t,he system of paid service. His rcsources, lit, this time, WI,re, however, not c,onsider1::'~ ,). The pay of the men fell in arrears. The result was that they became turbulent, lind l'efradol'y ami, if a dis{'iple from the N orth-West frontier hlld not timely al'rived, with a mule load of gold and silver coins, it would have been difficult to mllintain discipline.

The trouble being thus over the

paid t,roops were immediately disbanded. Only a small number of disciples remained who formed a volunteer forcp, under Dan Singh, a devoted follower,路 resident of 1\ village in the. neighbourhood ' of . liot Bhai, in the Ferozepore district.

121 Synd Wnillni, II Muslim FlIllil' or gl'eat renown ill those parts, was baptised to t,ile Sikh FRith and named Ajmere Singh. Hi~ name is frequently mentioned iu the Sikh annals; and it is stated that he was one of the few who accompanied the Guru to the Deccan and rendered him conspicuons service. Such conTersions, though rare, afford suffieient evidence to show that Muslims were taken into the Sikh fold and ' were given the same status as was posse!sed by converts from amongst the Hindus. This conversion. serves as an illustration of the Gurn's ('atholicity , and shows that Sikhism is 1\ proselytising creed lind i~ not exclusive as Hinduism. N otwithstllnding the general belief that the Government of the day was against the Guru and his propagauda he still continued t,o obtain adherents from amongst the influential land-holders an,d Jagirdars of Malwa. Of these chieftains Rai Dalla, of Talwandi Sabo, now known as Damdllma Sahib, was the foremost. He pla('ed all his vast, resources at the disposal of the Guru and became an enthusiastic champion of his cause. This alarmed Wazir Khan, Subah of Sir hind. He sent several threatening orders to the Rai calling upon him to beware of harbouring a foe of the Emperol路. The threats proved of no avail. The Rai wrote in r"ply that the Guru wae his spiritual lord and master to whom he was bound by most sacred ties and that for no considerat.ion he would be a party to any scheme that aimed at harassing him. Infuriated at this rebuff the Subah again applied to Aurangzebe for assistance in subduin~

122 the Guru aad thll refractory .T at nobles takea up hi8 C/luse.

that had

Wheu the Guru was sharing the hospitality of Rai Dalla his wives Suudri and Sahib Dewi came from Delhi. Since they were taken to the Imperial capital, in male attire, ou the occasion of the bloody skirmish that had taken place on t,he banks of Sirsa, they had received no intelligence concerning ,t he subsequent events. On hearing of the martyrdom of Princes Ajit Singh, J ujhar Singh, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh and of the tragic end of mother Giljri they fell senseless on the floor. The large gathering of Sikh ladies and gentlemen who had come to pay their respect,s to them were filled with grief. The lalllentations of the bereaved mothers, when they regained conseionsness, drew tears from the eyes of the whole assembly. The Guru, all the while sitting ledate and calm, said to them words of comfort and lolace. They were told that their sons were not really dead. They had died to remain alive for all t,ime ; for theirs was the death of martyrs for their country and their creed. The Guru's memory was wonderfully ret,entive. This was exemplified in his compiling the whole of A.d Granth from memory. He had asked for the oriiinal Granth from Baba phirmal ; bnt bis request was refused with the taunt that when he prided so much on his talents it could uot be a difficult, matter to him to have a Granth of his own. Now when the Guru was free from the worries and anxieties of war "hI! reproduced the whalll volumll from memory.

123 When the epistle referred to in Chapter XXI wae delivered personally to Auraugzebe by Prara Daya Singh he was deeply impressed by the demeanour of the messenger and by the ability and pathos the writing displayed. A bigot though he was he could not conceal from hi\lll~lf the fact that at the , insMgation of the hill Rajas his officers in the Punjab had unnecessarily involved themselves into a quarrel with the Guru amI had committed wanton exct'sses whieh provoker\ opposition and resnlted in so much loss of life. He sent peremptory orders to the Punjab Subahs to stop molesting the Guru any fnrther and let him live where it snited him. In reply to Wazir Khan's reqnest for further reinforcements to chastise tho Malwa Jats, for taking np the Gnru's canse, he reprimanded the Snbah asking him to explain why he had lent support, to the hill chieftains in their efiort,s to crush the growing influence of the Guru and had unne('essarily provoked popular opposition to the Muslim rule. He sent a special messenger to the Guru askiug him to come and see him eo that he might have an opportuuity of making amends for what had happened. Though warned by many a disciple for placing any reliance on the ' treacherous old monarch the Gurn accepted tho invitation. The ladies were again sent to Delhi. Wah a reduced following tho, Guru immediately afterwards started for the Deccan) where Aurangzebe was then engaged in quelling" dis-turbances.

12~

CHAPTER XXIII. While the Guru was on his way to the Deccan intelligence arri"ed of the death of Aurangzebe. This did not deter him from prosecuting t,he journey. He had a desire to "iait, Rajputm18 Rnd preach his doctrines in this Irmd of heroes; but he had hardly sot his foot, on the Rajput territory wheu a messenger from prince Muazzam arrived which led to a chauge of his plaus. The usual sanguinary strife that, iuvarillbly took place among the e1aimllnts to the throne ou ,the death of an Asiatic sovereign divided the Moghul counscls. Prince AZl\lll with Ule help of t,he Iwmy hnd himself proclaimed Emperor. Prince Mn8zzam, the eldp-st sou, was at Kabul st the time of Aurangzebe's death. He, too, assumed regal hOl,lours and, uuder the title of Bl\hadal' Shah, marched to Dolhi to ('outest the throne. He sent his Minister, Diwan Nand Lal, to the Guru prayiug for assistance in the prosecution of his design. Diwau Nand Lal WitS II fllvourite disciple of the Guru. His mission wns, therefore, successful. The Guru Hssured him of his sympathy lind fort,hwit,h issuo(l ordors to the disciples in the whole Punjab aud the frout,i er summoniug them to Agra. In response to the summons the Sikhs mustered in fore('. Their commaud WIIS ent,rusted t.o Pyarll Daya Siugh. In the baUle that ensued the combatllnts f~ught bravely: but when t,he partisllns of prim'e MUR.zzam, merely on account of the smlliluess of uumbel', were giving way, the Gurn's arrow, it is said, killed prince Azam. Hi8 death WIIS a signlll of flight, to his army. At, 11 Dnrbar, hei<luext day, in the fort of AgrA, BahAdAr Shah was duly

125 proclaimed Emperor. On Uli~ occa~ion he 'lfM prll~ented with NazuTs by all men of might and influence in the land. He availed himself of thllt opportmlity to pllbliely Ileknowledge his gratitude to the Guru. The Sikh officers and men were handsomely rewlll路ded. This done he took lenve of the Guru and left for Delhi. A eourt notable was appointed who remained in attendance on the Guru. According to Kahfi Khan, " at the time that Bahadar Shah nlRrched towards Hyderaba[I the Chief Gnru of this se('t came to join him with two or three hnnth'ed horsemen*." For what pnrpo"e the Gurn joined Bahadur Shah Kahfi Khan docs not say. But beal'ing all things in mind ono feels strongly persuaded to believe ill the Sikh version of the affair and to regard the attentions of Bllhadnr Shah as an expression of a feeling of gratefulness or, what is not very unlikely, the Moglllll Emperor might have been prompted by the ordinary diefates of policy in honouring the Guru, as h" did, mHl kept him in close touch with himself; for a formidable foe, removed from his sphere of influence, becomes quite harmless, in the nature of things. Leaving Agra and passing through Mathrll, Brinda .Ban and Goklll, plllces of historic renown, the Guru Ill' rived Ilt Delhi and encamped in the spacious la wns of Moti Bagh. The Emperor was assiduous in his 路attentions to him. Seeing Bahadur Shah firmly established on the throne, the Gurn usked him to concilillte his Hindu ,.;: Vide HiR10'Y of India, ae toli by its o"n JJ1storia'1s, h,. Sir H. M. Elliot, K.C.B. Volume VII.

126.

a.d Sikh subjects by erdering the abandonment of the policy of forcibly converting people to Islam and chastising his Lieutenants in the province8 whose outrageous conduct had provoked rebellion all round. The Emperor did not feel himself sufficiently strong to comply with the demand made. He allowed days, wceks and months to pass without doing anything. The Guru must have felt annoyed, when he found that his wishes were not respected by the m~n who had come to the throne through his own in~trumentalit,y. But it appears that the Emperor was able to keep him in good humour; and when he had fairly succeeded in restoring order at his capital he left {or Rajputana to suppress a rebellion of the Rajputs in Jeypore and Marwar. When he was engaged in t,hisoccupatioll the Guru separated from him to pay a visit to N anded, a small town on the Godaveri. There is no evidence on record to show that, while in the Deccan, the Gurn opened communications with the Marhatta chieftains during hi8 8ojourn 'in their country. It may be that improved relation~ with the Moghul Emperor might have luggested to him the adoption of peaceful ways for the amelioration of his people and avoid a coalition with It people in open revolt against the Moghals; or he might have quietly lived among the Marhatta8 with a view to cultivate friendly' relat,ions with them in order that he might count upon their aS8i8tanc. in time of emergeney. But though he did not liTe long enough to raise recruit8 in Mah!lra8htrlt for senice in the Punjab, his eon version of a Bairal(i,

subsequently known in history as Btmda, more t路han

127 outweighed the Ildvantnges of a possible alliance with the Rajput~ or the Marhatt/l~. Banda was /I great genius of the age. Iu learning and 路worldly wisdom, in militm'y valour and religious fervour, few surpassed him. Hearing of t.he Guru's arrival at Nall(leu he n'ent to see him and lvrl~ so deeply impressed with hi~ divine gra(~e that he iwmediately became his disdple and remained, till death, his very ardent. admirer and defoted folJower. Commissioned by the Guru to c/lrry on the work of freeing tho Punjab from the tyr8uuou~ yoke of tho Muslims and of tho arrog/lnt ruling castes and priestly da sses h e immediately left for that country. Arriving at a village on the southeast,ern front,ier of the Provillee, he issued 1\ nUlDifesto, in the lIame of the GIll'U, to the disciples throughout the land to ~olll e IIml muster nnder his bUlIlIer. SeHJral Sikh nobles of Mnlwa responded to tho ('all. Mali Singh lind Ali Singh Man, who were in the sorvice of the SlIbah of Sirhind, deserted him and joined Banda. In a snrprisingly short, time large bands of Sikhs, thirsting for revenge, IIssembled in the place of mnster. The town of lSil'hind was razed t.o t.he ground uUlI it.s fort.ili('at路ions were dismantled. Samanl\ was st.ormed and pillaged. A dct,a!'hment of Moghul Horse carrying lacs of rupees was overpowered and the money dist,ributed amollg t.he victors. The town of Mustofabnd was then besiegt'd ' and capt,ured. The MnssnlmRns who hnd been accustomed to slaughter kine in Hindu (Illal't~rs aud \'iolate thll chastity of Hindu girls were pllt to the sword, and their houses were plundllred. Damla, the village of the

128 t,rellrhrrou8 Patlutll8 who had de8('ried the Guru in the battle of Bhllngani, was pillaged and plundered. Hnndred. of other towns lind village,s met with a similar fate aIHI the whole Islamic Pnnjab was struck with terror. In rage Wazir Khan of Sirhind who was mainly responsible for this outburst of reTenge marched in force to chastise the marauders. His career was, however, run, N eit,her he nor his army now inspired respect 01' fear. He was captured in a pitched bllttle. Hi" sons lIud other kinsmen ,,,ere put to death in his presence all(i he himself met lin ignominons end, too shocking to <le~(,1路ibe. His Vizir, Sueha Nand, who iuuI urged the murder of princes ZorllwlI~ Singh IInti Fllteh Singh. WIIS likewisc tortured to death. In this nianner most of those who hlld been guilty of atrocious behaviour were chastised. Banda himself WIIS foredoomed. He had ovcrsieppe(l the Guru's instruetions lind flushed with vic路tory had set up II sect. of his own which subordinated everything to politi('al craft. The exeesses (~ommitted by him Rnd the unheeded warnings of t,h,, ' Gnrll couL1 not go unpunished. To nse the words of Talboys Wheeler" the Sikhs were signltlly defeated an(l Bandll Gllru was tllken prisoner lind condncte(l t,o Delhi ami(ht a horrible procession of eight hundred prisoners doomed to death lind two thousand bleeding heads borne on poles. The executions that followed were ghastly and sickening. The Sikh prisoners wel'C behe~ded at the rate of a huudred 'a day. The captive Guru WitS clothed in mock robes of state aud exhibited with an infaut ,80n in an iron cage. The child was butchered before

12!J his eyes and he himself was hot pincers. But Blmdf1 Guru of llurtyrdolll (Jxlliting in the been raised by God to S(lOllrge sions of age."

tortured to death by perished in the glory dream that he had the sins and oppres-

Bbai Karm Singh, 11 young Sikh histol'ian who has written a beautiful \if" of BmIlla in Punjabi, snys that the body of Banda was thrown on the banks of J alllllR. SOllie splll'k of lif" was still left. A hermit close by took him to his hut and attended to his wounds. Carcful nursing resuseitated him. When able to move about he left Delhi il1cognito and took up bis abode on the banks of the Chenab, neill' the villago of Bllbbllr, in the J lllnlllU terl"itory. There he l'enl!lrried. His descendants are still fonnd there. They have a large following. Meantime Gurll Govilld Singh', cud drew nigh. One dllY when he was lectnl'ing on God's love for mankind, irrespective of caste 01' erecd, clillle or conntry, and was attacking the creeds which legalised persecution of the people,s diJrerent iu faith he was stllbbed by a Path au fanatie. The wound was inllneiliat.ely stitched and, ill a few months, the GUJ'n was able to move about aUll attend to his usnal programme of work. Unforhllllltely, however, before the wouud was quite helliell he st.ret.ched " huge bow at an athletic tournament, The effort was too much for un invalid. The stitehes of the wound broke aSllndet, and blood flowed profusely, When he saw that. his st,rength was failing and his dissolution wa~ approaching he collected his disciples and told them

lau to regard the Principle in the Granth 8l1hib BS their 'Guru, thenceforward, and to submit other matters of ~ome'~t to an assembly of five representative elders and abide by their decision. He told them to worship only t,h e one Lord of Lords and to lead temperate and useful lives. Thus st.rengthening the belief of the disciples in the t,ellet.s of his creed ami exhorting them to receive all calamities with resigna'tion the Saviour passed away. His dissolution took lliace at the age of fody-two, in 1708 A. D" according to SllmvlIt 1765 Vikriumditya, on Sudi lith, Kartik, at midnight. His body was cremated and the ashes were buried at a spot where now st.amls t,he GllrudWIII'(t of H'azur Sahib, or Abchala Nagar, situated at Nnnded, in the t',;lrritory of the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Gur.tdwlIra is principally maintained on the in~om e of a .TlIgir from tM Nizllm's Government.. Rnilway communication hilS been opened now with Nanded. The number of visit,ors to the GU'l'IIdzv!t1,1t is, tiwrefore, increasing yelll路ly. Maharlljll Sil' Ifrishna Prashad, Prime Minister of Hydcrabad, and It lineal descendant or ,()hnlUl" Slmllof historill renown, i" t he leading Sikh in that part of thc country mui the grant of the .Tagir for t.he maintenRnce of t,he Garudwara is due llIainly to the influence of the Maharaja's family in the StRte of Hydel'abuu, Vllrious a ccounts are giren of the nlllnucr in which Guru Goviud Singh met with his death. Khafi Khan merely says that the Guru "died from the wounds of a da,g ger , and his Dlnr<i('rer WflS not dis(路o\'pred." Thp nut.ho~ of Slti'r -ul-1I1utllkllllrin II later ' writ Ill', says that "the los8 of his children affected

131 Guru Govind Singh so deeply that he shortly after died of grief." Tho majority of the writers of the Sikh chronicles, 011 the ot.her haud, hold that the Guru never died. According to them the Gurn disappeared as soon a s he seated himself on the funeral pyre and was suhsequenUy seen, riding his favourite steed, clad a s a warrior. Some of the less credulous say that the Guru had two Pathan lAds in his employ whose father he had Idlled in a hattIe and who, filled wit.h a feeling of r.,vellgo, stole oue night int.o his bed room Rnd stabbed him when be lay asleep. Other s more ingenious state t.hat the Gurll constantly told those Pathans that those who did not revonge th eir fathOl路'~ death were cowards and poltroons mHI thus he nctufilly inl"ited them to IIssassinate him. This is ~imply attributing to the Gnrn the thong bt.s of a Silicide. According to of-her aecounts the Guru was IlIllrderClI by t.he se,'ret agent.s of Emperor Ballll!Iur Shnh who, though outwardly friendly, sec.retly conspired to get l'i,I of n powerful foe, in as quiet a mann"l' as possihle, nn explnnation which thoroughly accord s wit.h the admitted blood-thirsty instincts of the \lIt,er l\loghnl ErnperOl路s. It i8 a fact, that O'n the receipt of the news of t.he fAil of Sirhind, Samalla and Mu st.afabad, Bahadllr ShAh snspended O'perations in the Deecll.n and led HIl Army in person to' put down the Sikh rebellion. He might have been under the impression t.hat Banda WIlS only acting under instructions from the Guru. It does not., therefore, reqnire much effort to imagine that the assassin whO' put 8n end to the Gurn's eart.hly existence was an emissary of Bahadur Shah.

132

CHAPTER XXIV. The foregoing pages will show thut the Gurn pussed uwuy when 1)(\ had hal·dly ut,tuined to ripe munhood. The laU,..r pnrt of his life wus most,ly t,uken up by wars und these wurs were provoked by his religions und socinl pl·opagundn. His originnl ideu wus to see to the hurmonions development of his peo}llfl through peacl'fu\ wap. He h"Ii(wed thnt if peop$' win'shipped one true God and gnvo up man-hatred nnd I"urnt, to he loving- lind 8u('riti('illg' th" prohlem of their regl'Ilerntion w(m"l solv" it,ell'; but Yr'I'Y ")oil he relt it IW('('Ssary to nrm his follow(O)'8 in splf-d"f(,$('(·, TllIl conservutivl' Hilldu Rajas of the hills ill whosl' territory he st,uri,ed work hml got uccllstome.l to religious, social and politil'al slavery, from time immemoriul, At first t,hcy regarded the GUl'n's following as u ('ont,emptihle rabble; hut when, lit length, theh' eyes were opened and thl'Y suw the merest (h'''g's of Bo('iety culling tl,emsclve. lions nnd n"suming airs of snperiority; wh('n they snw their prejudi('es disregArd",1 und their time-honoured ('aste distinctions seriously threuten(1d; when they saw theil' Huthority set ut nanght hy u class of men whom they hlld been hitht.rto uc('ustomed to tread lUule,' their feet; their susce}ltihilif,ies were wounded und th •• y invented excuses to resort to violence, But their threats und. menaces and military operations aguinst the Guru lent increascd vigour to tbe new movement. The Guru was firmly convinced thut the prevuiling religion of t,be tiIlle was incapable of infusing vitality into the inert muss of humanity whi('h inhabit,ed t,his country. Us multiplicity of creeds, its t."

133 countless gods nnd myriads of ob.iects of wOl'ship IUld r e move(! p(lople h'om t.JIC wot'~hip of the one great Lord who alone wa~ the sOtll'ee of all good, This r ebellion agaimt the Lord of t.he Univet'se was at t.he root of all (wil'. Hindu Society had fllrthm' lost its (I)1\8ticil,y, k!uptlltion to ehanglld orde t' of thing_, liberty of eons deu('", a m! expansive Illoralil,y were UII)(Jl)w :t ~<) I,\n Hiudus. Theil' h'llllscelll!enl,nl pllilosophy IUld t.lw ir boast.eu lil,era tllre h at! failed to instil love for t heir fellow-m eu into thdr miu ch. Elwh imlivi~lult) lived for himsell". R.wh Il t.hing 118 eOl\lition ngaill ,~ I, ~oll\ll\on (illll!-\"I'l' was ulIlmo\Vu j,o UIt' IIl. TI", sl'1'ipl,II1'I'8 llIl(! h"~11 so lI1011''I,,,l amI so int"l"pl"l路t"fl ",s to milk" till' m~ l, Indian pOjlulat,ion hdi"H' !.IlItt, t.lw I)("t thing that t.hey could UO \VII S to SC l"Hl th o B"lIhlllllllS lIud t1l\1~ to " t tain b[lnt.it.utle in t.his life !Lnd tlmt to collte. Thns t.llC grea t. III1tS S of Imlitlll humanity WIIS k ept by il,~ o\Vn l"Rclm'" in et.e rllal, illtelh.d.ual, spil'itual ntH! l)olit.i(路[11 hOlHlaK" wi!.llflnt, knowill/-\", lll'rhal)s, j,hat su ch a conI's" wouhl )pad not, only to th .. grlldunl (!,mlornlimt,iol\ of I h.. ).(,路I路al, IIlajority of I,hpil' rountrymcn, hut, to th .. i1' own dowllfall, 1/,' it, lln.utually dit!. How t,rnly t,he wl'it,er of a ('Olllllllllli('uted IIrti<'ll', h eaded" The Bt,ru/\,glll for FI'''''llolll,'' ill tIll' LHhore l',.iIJIIIIC, datell Novemhr L' arc!, HI/iii, express", hilllsl'lf in t.his connection : "Politics, Religion, Seieu('c, lind BOl'io)ogy are so inextri(,ah\y llIixe(1 1IJ1 tOA"dllcl' III at it. is '" Pllrmeshar te bhullian viyaJllln sabhe rog,

134 impossible to sllY where one ends lind the other begius. Turn which wily you like religiou stm'es you in the face. Professor Huxll'y said that whatever paUl he pursued in scicnce he came across the everlasting notiee board" No Thoroughfare "-by ordpr of Moses. Tlll1 st,ruggles for seiclItific truths have been bittlll" nud immense. The ecclesiastics have in the his!'ory of the world wielded an immense power. Kingdoms have beeu made lIud kiugdoms have beeu given nwny in the name of religion. The t,eachers of religion" have alway" lived on the fat of the !nud, nml ill l路pt,nrn for ' the muniliecnt gifts by pious devotees they have taught t,hem obedieuce t,o themselves, dlftrity which invariahly is exercised in their fnvolll路,. hy douation of !nuds, houses, jewels, mmwy -amI hat,rcll of Ot\Hll" seds, which hns bel'u the cause of so much hloollsherl. in the pnst, aud of the degradatiou of whole coulluunities in our own times. How the Roman Oatholi('s llAte the Protestnnts with a hiHer hntret! in the uame of the Lord they hot,h worship! How tlw Bunni, hllte Uw Shiahs in the name of the Prophet th .. y both a('lmowledge! 'l'lw Mulmlids hato nUl ,tr";,, M"k"Hds! How the Brahmin despises the Sudra and how he has by minutely detniled lnws路 kept the Sndrn . down in intelligence and knowledge only to serve his owu selfish ends! Religion has mnde (livine Inws to Iwep one community strictly sepnl'ate!l from another. The laws of Moses Wel'e very strict on the suhJect.. In Deuteronomy (Oh. VI!) it is written" Ant! when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee, thou shalt smite them lind utterly destroy them. Thuu shlllt make no covenllnt

135 w.ith them,nor show /tny merey unto them. Neither shalt thou make marriage wit.JI UteID. Thy daughter tllOu shalt not give uuto his sQn nor his daughter shalt thou take unto YOIll' SOll. For thou art /tu holy people unto tho Lord thy God." Manifestly, theu, the might.y Jehovah of t.i1C .Jews was a I,l%:tl God IIl1d not a God of Unil'ersal Brotherhood liS preached by Christ I,MIlI years Inter. l'he Inws of ]}IRIIU Rre pm路hups nneqllfllled by any thing of a like nature in I,htl world for I,heir severity, inequulit.y, injustice aud cl'lleit.y, In Chaptel' I, it is fLlIs wl'itten:"'/<'or t,he sake of IH'esc1'"illg thi.. u lliL'ersc the lJeing, S\l1lralll~ly gloriolls, allotted scpltrnte dnties to those who spraug respectively frolll his mouth, his m'ws, hi:! thigh aul his foot. To Bl'allluins he assignell the lIuti cs of rmttlillg the Vedas, of teaching it, of sncriij,,_ in.!\" of assisting ot.hers to sacrilice, of giving ahn s if they be rieh a~d if illlligcnt of rl\C~e ivillg gifts. To defend the people, to give alm s, to ~a{'I'ifi!'e, to rend the Ve(la, to shun the Itlltn'cl11lmt", of ~cnsual gratitkation, are in a few word~ the duties of K~hat.t'ya. To keep hcrlls of cattIe, to best路ow largesses, to sacrifice, to read the s(,riptul'cs, to ClIl'l'y on It'ade, to lend on interest and to cnlfimt" laml m 'e pel'Ulitte<i to a Vaishya." One principnl duty the SUP1'cUle Ruler nssigned t.f) It Bulll'lI, lllllllt'ly, to serve the classes above mentioned. Hel'c we have a law, nnder the sllnction of I,he Supreme Rulel' of t.he Universe, whi{'h dividcs God's PI!ople into fonr distillct classes, Rnd the last clllss wcre born only t,o serve in /I meninl capacity the twice born classes. Could there be allY law wore

136 unjust., more lJartial aud more cruel? Could a Sudra join hand~ with any oUler cll\88 to form a nation? Is there any ('olllmunit,y of interest in a born' slave and his cruel mast,er? The teaehings of Histol'Y are dear and definite on t.he point that no priestridden people have ever developed into a nation', The priests for their own selfish ends will not allow the intelleCt t,o expand and have its natural gl'owth. It is cramped and dist,QI't,e[l hom it" infmwy and is never given an opportunity to free itself from the trammels of their dodrin~8 and dogmas. The struggle,for freedom obviously then is a struggle for freedom of the intellect. from Ute chains of religious ' ideas. Mazzinni in his IIlcssage to the Halimf workmen said :-" In It..ly such aspirations of heurt can no,t, exist until the Papitey shall be overthrown in the name of the moral law llcknowlellged us" high above all pretended intermediates between God allli Uw peopll'." The whole qucstion of the struggle for freedom rl'8ol ve8' it,self into one word EdMcation. It is only by educution that the durkness of ignorance, of religious prejudicc, a IllltrmI ' of fellow creatures under vm'ious pretext.s can be dispellell. We must convince mcn t1mt thcy are ull SOliS of one sole God and bound to fulfil and cxecutc one sole law hcl'c., on CIlI'th, that each of them is bound to live not for himself but for othcrs. The aim of existenee is not t.o be m01"e happy but to make oursclves and others lIlore virtuous. Whut Indiu nceds is u new religioll of humunity, which embruccs all t.hat, is best, truest. undbrigbtest in life. To live for other I! and not for self, is'the greatest bappi~esll

of each of us a~ it i~ OUl' plain lind 'simple dut,y. The very end of life is to press ollwarde ever to a higher st.ate, t.owltrds a truel' sense of duty fOl' each of us, It purer fOl'111 of life for OUl' human kind. We should acknowledge·tha,t, in lllll11RUit,y is gathered up all that is abiding in the past, adive in the pl'eBent, and of promise in the fnture of man-t,he worship of one true God of univcl'slIl hl'otherhood, of univ~rsRI equali!,y, and of uuiversal free(lolll," This is exac!.ly t.\lC GUl'U'8 ideal. His God is not It Hindu God, not a Muslim, .Tewish 01' OlJristian God; but God of Christ, of Ral11 Mohan Roy, of Keshab Chandnr Sen, of M oulnnR RUI11, of Shams Tnhrez-in a word, one True God, t.o Whom whohl humllnity is alike, Who has <'rentcd it, fep). fOl' it Ilnd provides for it., and "Who," tc.. use hi~ own wOl'ds, ,~ hU:-l 110 nRIne, no homc, no easte, no fentnrcs, no colour, uo lineaments. Who is the Primevnl Being, Emhodiment, of generosity, Unborn, the First. Esseuce Rnd Impeuetrable. Who has uo ('OllUt.ry, uo uatioual costume, no di~t,inctive c?llIplexioll, shnpc or Ilia", find Who here, there, fiud cverywhere pm'meatcs aud Rppellr~ in the form of Love."" The Gurn had come into t,he world to iuitugurate the reign of ,'ighteonsness mul to snppl'llSS chicanery and frRud in Rny form, He, therefore, disregarded

• N{tm t,hlun UR jilt jllkllr l'IIP rang nn rekh, Ad Purkh. Ud,\t' Mltrat Ajon Ad Awkh. . Des RUt· UR bhes jllklll' rup rekh.1lI1 r'tg. JatrR tRtrn disht( vishR hoe phRilio Rnllrag.

J ap ji, stanza 79,

138 the threats of the hill chieftains and preached open remIt from error. Both in public and in private he condemned mlln-worship and image-worship in the boldest possible manner. In hi8 famous epistle to Aurangzebe he said that he was a messenger of tae Most High sent into the world t,o put down rebellion from God's authority. The RRjput, RajRs of the hills on whose representations the Imperial officers in the Punjllb hlld persecuted him were his foes; because they wcre worshippers of images, while he was an image-breaker. This explains why he condemned all religions systems which led people astray from the Divine Being aun w]IY he set. up a creed of his,ow)), called t,he Khal81l Pant-h (Pure Way). Into his fold he invited all, Brahmans l\IId 8udrll8, the proud nobles 'and the humble serfs, and united them by the t.ies of a common brot,h erhood. He did 110t confine education lind religions cultnre to any particulRr section of the community. All were free to aspire to t,he highe~t rRnk in society. Noone Wal deprived of the solace of religion became of his low orlgm. Hope was held out to IIll t.hnt God lifts all wbo 8~ek His Rid.· This WIIS the gospel brought by the blessed Saviour. Reglu'ded as the representative of God on .the Earth, he held out 1\ belpiug hand to the hpmble and the lowly. But this ministration of beneficence lVns short-lived_ .A grllRt, creed that produced Rishis and made" hawks of 8parrow8" was smothered, as it were, in it·s infancy. Its tenets Jmd not yet been promul. • "Jite sharn IIi hIIin tite nikh lai haiu."

gnt&IHong enough when a protrnct.e(l wnr ens ned and amidst its excitement all else was forgotten. It is, no doubt" true that at the daily congregntions, presided over by the Saviour, the disciples were taught the worship of the One Great LOl'li; !Jut it is too much to expect that amid the worries nnd earcs of wflr he could have given sufficient attention to his varied programme of reform; Unfortunately, for this reason, Hw Guru has not left a complete memoir of his own. He has left no rode of laws for the Government of the Panth; pet'haps,because he did not like to fetter the hands of his disciples and left them free to make laws for themselves according to the requirements of time and place. The Dassam Gl'anth iH believed by some to have been,'written by the GIll'U himsell'; b lit the great majority of modern Gyanis and thinkers fire of opiuion that it cousi~ts of the literary produt'iions of lite GUI'll and of tho meD of letters who lin,d Ilt his court. 'lite writings of the Guru and of his mOil were lost ,,'I:en the Moghnl nrmy treacherously fell upon tlie G mu and the party of 'Ins followers, after their eVllcuntion of Anandpnr, on' the bonks of the rhc1' Sirsll, Hud tl:e Sil<hs were either' slain or scattered. SUi'll mlllluscripts as were lertwith the dis('iples were IOJlg after coUn'ted by thllm 'and, the wltole volume W[,8 ('lIlled by them Dossam Grantb, 01' the Grllnth of tl:e 10th foUl'll. Thus the only book, n8sQ('int"d with the Guru's nome, does not give n complete fi('colmt of whnt Le accomplished. The men who live(l with him IIml worked with him oud understood his missiou posse d 8way, without lellving on accouut of their doings. Their suecessor$ were only inspired with the one

140 feeling of revenge IIgllinst Mnssalmans I\S 1\ elas8. It occurred to nobody that it 'was the Hindu Rajas of the hills who had excited Muslim fanaticism against the Gnru and his work, that Sucha Nand, II Khatri Minister of tht' Nawah of Sirhind, was mainly responsihle for the Lriddng up alive of princes Zorawar Singh ftnd Fatch Singh, th,' Guru's two yonngl'r sons. Nohody l'omidl'red the fad that it wae respectahle Muslims that had helped t.he Guru in ,making his escape from the Mughol camp at Mnchhiwara. All that the people remembered was that the Muslims Wl're til" sole cause of the Guru's troubles and oUhe pr"nlftture death of his two elder and the murder of his two young"r 80m. This was enough to excite thl' worst passions of the commltllity. A wave of anti-Muslim feP]ing spread throughout the land, causing havoc nncl destruction 8nclultimately removing' f every vestig'" of tile Muslim ~upl'emac'Y in the Punjah. And when this resnlt w... achieved to the ordinary Sikh mind the mi.sion of the Khalsa was accomplished. ,~ The pro hi ems of vftster signifiCAnce and 1ft sting . , benefit, the reconshuction of the soeiftl system of the ('ommllnity on a just hftsis, the readjustment of their relations with other fellowmen on humanitarian principles were thenceforward madtl suhservient to mattm's politil'''!.

...

14,1

CHAPTER XXV.

Talk what some people mRy about the superior civilizatiou of Rncient I ndia, a little examination of such fragmentltl'y knowledge as we possess of the state of society that obtRined even in t,he most palmy dayS of the IndiRn cirilization estRblishes beyond qut'stion thRt Rl1leRruing WI'S confined to I' veJ'y smnU privileged class. The greRt mRjority of tile popuh\tion, deeply Bunk in ignorance, hRd got accustomed, from time immemoriRI, to look to this class for guidance in I'll matters. Theil' feelings were not their own; t~eir thoughts not their mm; Rnd their beliefs not their own. Worshippers of elements, Rt first, in .time they becnme worshippers of men, at whose bieding they put nu eud to the lives of their owu benefactors and fl'ustrnted the efforts tllRt were made, from time. to time, to rescue them from the irongrip of a clique thnt, not unlike vampires, had suck their very blood out of them and hRd reduced them to the position of serfs. It is impossible not to Rdmire the feeling which prompted RRmn t,o relinquish the honours of sovcreignty and prefer long sojourn iu the wilds of Central and Northern India in order that the promise given by his agell sire might be fullilled. But it is difficult to justify so much bloodshed in the WRr that he waged against RawBn, whom the gifted Kali Das himself describes as a renowned BrRhman and whose only fault seems to have been thnt he revenged a wanton insult to his sister and that he ' espoused the cause of the unfortunate aboriginal tribes who were dow to perceive Bny heRut,y

In the aggredsive rl'ligion lind dviHzlltion of our conquering Aryan anrestors. The aut,hor of' the Ma1Mltharatha himself throws no small blame on Sri 'K,ishnaji for his share in the wars of Kauravao and Pandavas during which, according to all whose opiniOn .possesseo nny value, the Kshatrya race became · extinct · alld India received .. shock from whilmit has not yet recovered. And, yet Rama and Krlshua .Imve becn honoured, a8 has been the case' witlf,rut man, before or after them. The troitors Sngriv and,B4ibikhnnand the erratic Pandavos, who gambled' aWAY' their own kingdo1ll, have been immortalized'; simpl"·bManse they were all pro-Brahmans and were' of a· ilia.. that did ..nything at the bidding. of' Brnm"ln,; Gurn Govind Singh was no advocate 'of Brllltinauicld supremacy. His whole life was spent in the' service of the we'll< and the oppressed. Of' higll' de~cent himself he lived for the people, worked ' fo1' the people, ..nd died for the people. This ' explaiirs why no Brahmlln bard ha. sung GurU' Govind Singh's praise. Among the·world's grellt men there have beell'" mauy .who have toiled, all through life, in working-out-· an .idea; Unmindful' of what passed around- them" gre~t sa~es have unfnrled gates of wisdom. Seekers· affer seient.if\cknowledgl'> have 'probed into natnre' and reveahld '1£s' my~ttlritl~ to'tl'le'WOliderl'llg humanity; The mostreno""ile:l"ofemplte-bl1il1ill!S"1I1ld fonnder8 ' of religiPns hiwo performedthilll' "work . disregardful " of oth'er peoples'- feeHbgK 'and hitet~st!. But at al1"

,times Gnru Govind ÂˇSiJlgh had a tear for . the ,woebegone and a smile for the hra,'o spirits st'IUI!f!ling to break through the bondago of sin oUlI slaTery. His energies were not restricted to one sphere of action nnd his sympathies were not confined to one .clnss or commnnity. He befriended M nsslllmans when th~y needed his assistance. Alllong~t, lois adherents there were not It few who belonged to the Mu~lim ])'ait,h, wbo were a8socinted wiih him in his efforts to chastise evil-doers, nnd who remRined stcr.dfast in their loyally to him WI his very last dRYS. '!hough he inculcated a distinct creed, organised his followers into a dist,inet community with distind "ymbo)s .ond distind ways nnd beliefs, he WIIS the first and foremost in eSllousing the CILuse of t,he down-trodden Hindu8 , ,â&#x20AC;˘ thus inculcating t,he principle, which the enlightened Europe learnt centuries Inter and which the modern Hindus Rnd Hinduiled Sikhs, notwit,hstonding their mnch vannted cnUure, find it difficult to eODl.preh~nd, that diversit.y in matters of belief and opinion j~ no bar to lin exchange of conrtesies in matters social and political, aud that in no way it fo~bids co-operat.ion in meetjng common danger. Indeed,, his whole life'. work WIIS to cha"tise those who belie,'ed that it WftS incnmbent 011 them to force evel'Y to their own way of thinking in religious motteN-,aud that it was RU Ret of merit., or at least it WAS nil sin to appropriate the .bdollgings of those WhosclJ!.'eed WIUl dilferllnt. If Aurllllgzebe hnd adhered to: the belief propouuded in the Qllrau that 8 Eovereipis a shadow of God on the Earth lIud, as web, had ireated IIU bill Eubjnts alike, it does 1I0t require lJlutli' ttro~t

oue

id to imagine that Guru Govind ' Singh would hln'e confined himself to purely' religious work Rnd MU8"lmans would not, have lost their Government. What a serious mistake some people make when they Assign a mAn of Gm'u Govind Singh's (,osmi(, sympAthy a place among petty politiciAns And warriors whose best energies were employed in the n.ggl路n.ndisement of their own communities at the ~1I('rifice of other peoples' liberties. True it is that, during the laUer part of his life the Guru was eugoged in R protracted WA1'; but in this Will' he played ouly a defensive port. Jt, was not a war of his own ~eeking. The motive to enrich himself and the community that followed his leRd, Rt the expense of others, did not guide his Rdions. H(i t,ook up the couse of the Hindus not because he was' cOllliect.ed with Ulem by the tie of blood; but because the /lh-oeious rule to which th ..y were subject had mode R hell, as it were, for them, on this earth, to rescue them from which he thought, to be his paramount duty. J f Hiudus had beeu the oppre~sor~ it goes without sayiug thRt he would have as boldly and bravely resisted them. Though politicRlly oppressed the high-coste Hindus were most provokingly aggre~~i"e iu matters religious ' and social. Guru Govind Singh's whole life was a protest against thi. aggression. Dis whole force WRS employed in exposing the iniquity of the Hindu social system and the major part of his writings consists of most uncompromising' ('ritidsm of the ways and doings of the Hindu ' religious hierarchy. ' Thus it, is truly ltated i~ Bachitt~r Natak, that ~e had been sent by

tbe'GracloulS rrOYldellcetoreSculHnnoeetit people fro~

140 oppression lind to ehnstise evil-doers. In 1\ word, hIs mission was to ~levate the fallen Immlluity and both by precept and example he showed how this end could be attained. Before GUl'u Govind Singh similllr efforts have been made in this country. ]n pre-historic times the erudite Rawan raised the standard of rebellion· against the aggressive BrahllUlns and KsIJl\tryas and perished in the attempt. Mahatma Gautam Blldha succeeded in establishing the Kingd(lm of. Righteousness in this country. The rule of t,he classes gave place to that of the masses. People no longer hated one another. They assembled in pnblic meetings to confer on ma1.ters of communal interest" There were· Budhist Kiogs no doubt, bnt, in· roamy the will of the people was law. This reign of peace and good-will lasted for over a thonsllnd years. Bot a godless creed, however beneficent in conception, was the last to hold· permanent sway over the minds of the Indian people. Rllther than have no God the Bu·dhist pcasants cont.rived to instRll gods of wood· Rnd stone in their places of worship. The Brahmans Improved upon this. They gave· them humlln gods: The traditional respect whieh t hey commanded, their superior intelligence and capacity for organization enabled them, in the course of time, to regain their ascendancy. The seductive teachings of , .' : Shankaracharya and other learne<l reactionaries, won. . over the reigning Uajpnt families. A c mcordat. Wl)~ thus Rrrive:l at between. the two· POVI e :fnl cllste~ •. the Brahmans and the· Rajputs, . into whose hand~

146 the goTernment of this country has p8!~ed alternately, .from ·time .immemorial,.t,o· subjugate t.he mass of t,h e Jndian pop\dation by means fair orfou1.· ,·Those .'Who . rllfused to submit ·to the , authorit,y, of the cdaliiiiln were honoured by the names of Asurs, RRksliasa~ 'and YRvans lind were t,ortured to deat.h. If, is stated t.hRt non-conforming Blldhiits were' hllddlecl toget,her lato boats and were drowned in the Gangcs. Be that 8S it may in this thert> cnn be no doubt, that when the sword of Islam, after centlll"ies of employment, flliled , to exterminute the Hindus,the driving out, of milliilus oftbe indigenous populat.ioll into far off uninviting cold count,ries, Ill' it may be, their exterminatioil, -m'ust have been accompanied by horrid forms of t,orture' too . diffieult t,o describe: The hill Rajputs made similar efforteto ext,erminMe the heterodox SHlhs; but though Guru Govind Singh was treacherously vanquished, with the help "of the Mughal Emperor, his work left a ' last.ing ·hnpress and his assassination and that of his two infant 'JlOUS ereated a WllYe of iudignat.ion · whieh .spread t,hroughout the land. The Sikhs 'were , converttffi.·into a great powel' as if by magic. They WI' caked vengoonee on the Muslim tyrants to their hearts' content "and before a century elapsed the conservative hierarehy lay prostrate at the feet of the Sikhs. Thus J,lot only the Sikhs were able to hold their own against the 'overwhelming odds of thtl enemy,. they acquired a posit.ion which wrested respect and admiration even frow.the haught.iest sUPJlorters of the Brllhwanical 8uprema~y.

1-J,7,\ , ,Of, all'vices that have debased humanity, more or less, in "II "g,es and in all rountries, selfishness is the most potent OIle, The greatest ene'my of maD is man, The stntistics of 8ny 'counh'y l11ay be collected, It will be found that the nll1uber of deaths from 路the attacks, of wild animals and poisonous vermin 8 excluding of course deaths from natural causes, such as disellse, old age or other accidents, is infinitesiuIIlUy slIlnll as comllllred with tinlt due to wars wnged to dept-ive people of their liberty or to murdm's commif.ted either to take wrongful possession of other peoples' belongiugs or to encourage acts ])rolllpted by lust which ' is only anot,iwr forl1l of selfishness, When we e10sely examine the evol"tion of hUl11an society we find that in all its stages of dm'elopment it has had among its builders men who hll!l more or less insight into {,he workings of the human soulnn!] who, witb a view to mnke it ns difficult. as possible fOl' a persou or a set of pet'sons to em'roac'h "pon othet' peoples' rights or' to obtain status to which by virtue of their attainments t,hey nmy not be cnt,itled, have framed laws and to ensure obedionce to these laws tho authorit.y of both God and man hilS been )路eqnisitioned. Bnt these law8 worked satisfactorily only for II "hort, time and so frail is man',; nature and so prono is he t.o Cl'r that continued effort,s bave had to be mllde at regular intervals to thwart opposition to sncb lIuthority and rehabilitate it witb addit,ional prestige of some sort or other. In individual Cllses it has been always eRSY to punish people fOl' t.heir disobedience to such IRWS; but when men formed mutuRI defence ~ocietie8. deeigunted 118 cllstes, guilds or SO tort,h, l\Il(lnrrogate4

148 to themselves dignities and honours whieh they were ,never entitled to, the ll'gislature found it difficult to 'h~uI them up before the courts of justice. This is why the All Merciful Providenee, from time to time, sends high souled'precept,ors, like BudhB, Christ and Govind Singh, to point out to people the errors of t,heir ways and to tell t,hem how to trl'at their fellow-men justly. Their contemporaries mostly scoffed at their work; but t路he history of the human race benrs testimony to the good work done by t,hese great benefactors. Wherm-er the force of their teachings is felt men are comparntively kind and considerate in their dealings with olle another.

OHAPTER XXVI. Interference with other peoples' beliefs has been and still is. the bane of 1111 Asill. It hils crippled Asiatic peoples and hils impeded their mo}.'ch onwards. Leaving aside one solitary installl'e j)f Japan, there is no country in A~ia where t)lis feeling of isolation on account of religious opinions is not distinctly pronounced. E,'en in India, notwithstanding the spread of liberal Western education, meu of light aud lead in this country are still seen striving after nation III unity on the bonde of religious Ilffillity. It is sickening to hear, from our pulpits and platforms of a Hindu nation, Sikh nation and a Mus salman nation. Too much stress cannot be laid on pointing out the ab~urdity of the belief that the members of a religious denomination neces~arily form one nat,ion ality. Religion, thongh originally intended to bring people together on a common platform, has never bound together any very large nnmber of men, for a long time. On the contrary, diversity in religious beliefs has been made in all ages and climes the ground for unspeakable barbal'ities and oppression. Em'opean peoples after sufferiug immensely from outbursts of fanaticism and bigotry have found out the mistake of t,he . heads of theil' chnrches and now they are indifierent as to the religious opinions of their countrymen. European nationalities lire now bused on politicul rather t,han on religious interests. And immense has been the gain to humanity for this change. LikewisA if the various communities, thut inhubit this eonntry, do ,not realize

t\at theo' are all descended frolll one stock, that t~Q

iso blood that ruus in their ,,,ins is the Slime, that their destinies are inlol'woven, andt,hllt they must rise tog~ther' or fllll together, no ' matter what they eat, ' how they pray, Rnd how they dress, the future of this' land is gloomy. Any religious system that does not bindma~ t,o mllu aud does not give birth t,o feelings of amity lind accord is as good as useless, In these days of politiclil clap-trap when glibtongued haranguet's have mouopolized the pulpit, lind the platform, wheu the excit,ement of race-hatred lind fauaticism lire synonyms for patriotism and public service it will be refreshing to read the following extract from the Lahore T,路ibIlIlC in whi"h the writers IIttemp~ a foreclist of the natiunalization of the Indian races, d'I wish to emphasize the opinion of a COl'respondent in it recent issue of your paper who speaks with'so much feeling uf the gl'adual nRtiUllRlizlltion of tbjj Indian rMes, the 'welding together of all tbe races' Bud castes in India into a national whole.' We must' all tlllderst,and, once for all, as to what is involVlid in this 'noble a"piration, and ,then work our way'steadfastly to the goal, turning neither to the right'nor to'the left" Let me say, at once, thllt to my mind, the ' Indian Nation' of the futUre will be neither an exclusively Hindu nor' Muhammadan nor Christiall nation; but, though based largely upon the noblest trllditions and tl'ait,s of character of its largest complliient, it will include all these three liS well a8 ttru ' lessllr 'communities, Doubtless, liS' your correspondent points ont, there nre several forces at路 ,.

work "hleb tend ultimately to Unite the Whole

151 peninsnlR " in one single frRtol'nal bond;" bnt we must not shut om' oyes to the fact that, at · the sRme ·.time, · ~there Are forces, apparently feeble yet eapable of ·bei'ilg readily fanned to a fm'y, whieh make for disruption, . Now if we wonld bo a nRtion, it is onr . duty to strengthen t,he forces of nnion ngainst ·t,hose . of disrupt.ion, and t.his we ('au best. do by .80('ial intorcourse aud the pract.ice of charity and relig.ious t,oleration, It is t,his spirit which has made J'\llan . . a , great. nRHon. Iu the absence ·of . this cardinal , .virtue ·it, will be vain for I1S to look for lin Indian .. . . nation. Togo, the great Japanese Admiral, as . well liS the victor of t.he battle of Ohemulphu, ..are Christians. In J lipan it is not an uncommon t~ng .for a Shinto fat,her and a ChristiRn son to live under the same roof. It. wiH, perhaps, be a long t,iroe before ..we real,lh the slime stage in India; but we se~ that,• ..even iu an Asiatic country, the purest... and h.i ghest patriotism ('an dwell in the midst of relig.\ous differences. Why should it be otllCrwise in Iudia ?:'. The same paper has the followiug extrllcts from the Hindl/, A Madrns daily, RDd from tbe reply of the 'Maharaja . Adbirllj of Bnr(lwan, to the . address presented by. the Burdwan Muhammadan Association, ill its issues of J Illy 1Hh, 19{)8, and February 1st" 1909, A. Dor They are given here to show · that correct idea8 are gaining bold throughout the length and · the bread th of the. land. " The time has come without doubt in the history of modern India, when its people shOUld not. need the services of s ;)ecial missionaries to straighteJ;! theil' • Trlbuile, dated JUlie 11th, 1904.

social system and when the progress of society should be acc4;llerRted by t.he assimilRtion of progressive ideas in the mass of the people, and by the community advancing as a whole, independent of extrRneous propelling influences. It is, we think, R blot on t.he capacity of the Indian people for progressive IIdaptR~ tion t.a cit'cumstances thRt their progl'CSS in social matters has been slow. What is the CRuse of this? In writing /lbout. the nRtions of the East, J, S.MilI S.RyS : "Those nRtions must once htn'e had nriginalit.y. They did not stRrt out of the ground populous, lettered and versed, in mRny of the arb of life. They made t.hemselves all this and wm'e then Ihe groate~t and most powerful nations in the world. What are they now? The subjects or dependents of tribes whose forefathers wRndered in the forests when theirs had magnificent pRlaces and gorgeous teillples; but over whom cust.om exercised only a ' divided rule wit.h liberty a.nd progress. A people, it appears, mRy be progl'essive for R certain length of time, 'and then stop. When does it stop? When it ceases to possess indivi(luality." It is pointed out that in the East, 'the despotism of custom is complete-custom is there in all things . the final app~al.' This is, indeed, the CRnse of the all social stagnation which is to be observed in this country路; and until the dominion of cu'stom which is stereotyped in somll of the social institnt.ions of the country is broken down and free scope is given to individuality, ~o great progress, in the direction in which national life should grow, is possible. We have recently- come I'Cl'088 the case of an English Missionary gentlelDan

153 who is the heml of all edueatiollRI institution in tilis Presiden"y, who is au exceptionally khHt-hearted teachm', nnd shows himself absorbed in the welfare and improvement of hi8 pupils. It is his llraetice to take outhi.s pupils on eXCllrsions into the villages for the purpose of nRt.ure-instl'uetion anel for relaxatioll; and the difficulties he has had to ('1H'ounter for food, when in compllny with his high cnste pupils, wer~ narrated in such a llllllllH'l' liS to mnk(~ his Hindu amlitor blush for the cnstoms anel "(willi hllbitR of his count.ryrnl'n." " It. hRS Iwen II Illid down poli('y ill this Raj to show a ~pirit of t.olerallce t.o <,very ('l'ped IIIHl (mit, and t.o the Mllhalllnllldlllls part.icularly; for the Burdwan Ra.i owes it.s existenee t.o the Moghul Emperors, nlHI you may .be . certain that. fully awal'p as I nm of my l'!1spollsibilit.ies, thi" poli,'y will ne"er be lost. sight of by 111". FIll,tlter, I look UpOIl you, Mnhammadlllls, just. as lIluch my brothel' ('011l1trYlllcn as my brother-Hindns. You lire a pot.ent fact.oI' in the national life of India. Wit.hout. YOIl that IInit which alone cOllld imild UJl Tnelia liS 1\ naH(1ll ('ould neve!' come into existence. It. pllius me wh"lHwt'r I cOllle acrO~8 any inddent. relating to fri.路tiou betw':Nl Hindus alld Muhamllladans; for YOIl /llay be U~e followers of Islam, lind we lllay be t.he followers of t.he Vedas; but. we arc Indians. India to you is jlist. as mnch t.he mothel' countl'Y as it. is to us. Her iuterests should be as. much the iuterest.s of t.he Muhammadalls as of hop" th~t you will . the Hi':'dus, aud I, t.herefore, ' . , always remem}}er this faqt, and that in ,this distril,t, we Hindus and Muhammadans may always live in

154

harmony 88 WP hafp dOIlP ill thp Jla~t, and go on working fOl' t,itp good of O\U' cOllntry, ~tllllcIing ~hollidel' t,o Ihonldm', iu ('alamiti('~ II~ WI'U II~ (Inring perio(18 of exultation amI joy." No people lire God's chosen ones. He helps th08e who lIet up to His principles. So far and ~o long as a people act up to these principles they are able to do good to thelllseives and to others. If instead of these life-giving principles thl'y are gnidell in their actiolls by sordid mot,ive" they 10"0 I,ll(' snstaining Illoral force aIHI becom(' politically extinct, sooner or laler. "God first crellted light", says Bhagat Kabir, " All are snborllinate to the inexorable lllltllr('. The whole world is 1111 "emallation from the same Olle Light. Whom shall we ('all good and whom ball? Th,' Creatol' is in t,he creatiou and ('reation i" in the Cr('atOl路. Hi, spirit perllwate. all." The famnu,; Punjabi Muslim ~Hint, Blllll'h ShHh, sings in the same .h-aiu : Sahiyo uwri bukul vi('h .. hnr. KOI RAm DB.-, kOI Fatl'll MohAlllmad ph hai qa(Ullli "hol'. "Frieud", the thief is wii hiu me. Soml' J rl'garll as Ram Dass's; some Fateh Mohammads. This is the old old strife." Gnru Govind Singh thus proclaims the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man : .J aise ek Ag te kan(lkB kot Ag uthe niyAre niyAre hoe kai phil' ag men milahet;tge ; JRise ek dh(lr te Rnek dhur p(lrat hai dhur ke kan(lka pher dh(lr hi sRwaenge ;

155 Jaise ek n{HI te j,al'lIng kot npj h..i pan ke sllhai P/IU hi

tarA~g

knhae~ge,

T.. ise hiswlt I'('p t,e IIbh(,t, hh,H pI'agat, hoe hilli',' te npj sabai to'ohh, lIIel!

sa'Ut(.,~,gl"

" As from ou e lire lIumberiess spllrks of lire l'ise amI part aluiagain join iu lire; as from a cloml of dnst ullmberlt,ss ,lust clouds spread ore,' the sky aud part,il'l'ls of dll8t agaiu ' lose themselves in dust; a8 I'rol1l one "jver llllluhel'le8S wn\'(~s rise lip IlUd waves of water will always he ca lled water; similarly fro III the Being of whom the Universe is 1\ manifest.atioll 1'01'1118 of spirit, Illllt lIIatter appearing will lo~e themselves 1'1'0111 wher e they callie," Verily, it, is lIlUll ' S vi"ions self t.Jmt prolllpts him to lonk ,lowll Oll his fellow h"iugs merely 011 aCl'onllt of differeu('e of opinion ill 1lI ..tt. e r~ of belief, Some religious mRY he more ,'o,mi,' iu their llIilli"tration of blllWllel'lI!'I', otht'", I,,"" "0; hut, rpligioll" "y"tl'lII" whil'h permit, lIIRII-ha/toell m'p 'lRnefnl ill the Ilxtrlltn!', Gurn GO\'ilUI Flillgh's r eligion WAS a "eligion of love t.o llIan lind devotion to God, All his life htl laboured to see to the harmoniolls dCTeiopment of hie country. As has been previously stated if he took up arms it was not to a~quirc a kingdom for himself or to deprive ot.her people of t,heir Iibert,y, He opposed the Rajput Rajas of the northern PunjAb when they provoked him, and he resistlld the Moghnl power when it sought to cru~h him altogether and when it interfered with his mission of establishiag

1M the reign of good-will and peace. in this reepect, Gurn Govind Singh stands alone among the world's great benefactors and in this lies the peculiarity of his mission. He was a patriot,; but hi~ patriot.ism was of a higher type, of not an aggressive kind. He was an an!el sent down to mini.ter to the needy, to prot,ed the defeneeles" and to rllise the lowly. TIlt' merest dregs of sodety, even sweepers, whose very tonch WIIS pollution, were purified and allotted positions side by side wah high. caste Brahmans lind KshlltriYlIs from lIIuong t.iw disciplee. The rieh mill the grellt vied with one IInot!wr in Jlarting wit,h theil' weaIt.h, in ol路dm路 that the poor among UWIII might be above want.; lIud Ute poor, in thpil' turll, rl'lldprecl willing "{,rYice lind made themselve" useful 80 Hlllt tllPy might Hot be looked down by theil' Kltlll'riorH. The whole tone of the community WIlS highly moral. Tlw thonghts of the believel'" w('re pure and theil' lives tempernte. They Ihed Hot fOl' lucre Ol' for fame. The smiles of royaHy ami tho hestowal of .Jagil's had lIO dlRrm for them. Life itself WIlS not regarded by thcm ns worth anything if it was not spent in the service of t.he Palltlt, Ol' if it. necessitated renunciation of the Giu;n 01' of the Palltt... " Many stories are t.old!" snys Klmtl l{hall, t.h" historian of the times of Auraugzebe RlHl n few latel' Moghul Emperors," nbout the dogs of this sed whieh the understnnding rpjects ; but the nuthol' will rl'inte what he saw with his own eyes. Whcn the excent,ious wel'l' going on, the mother of one of the prisouers, n young man just, nniveli at lDanhood, having obtained some inHucnt.iai 8UJlJlOl't, plel\ded the cause of her son, with great feeling and

157 carnestness, befol'e the Emperol' aIHl Syuu Abuullah Khan. She t'epresented that her son had suffered imprisonment IInu hllrdship at the hands of the sect. His property WIlS plundered and he was made prisonCl·. While in ('Aptivit,y, Ill' was, wit,hout any fault of hi~ own, introduced into t,he seet lind now stood innocent among those senteneed to dcath. Farukh Siyar commisscrated this IIrtful womlln, lind mereifully seut au officer with oruers to relellse the youth. That cunning womllu IIrrived with the order of r .. lcase just II~ the exel"utiOlwr was stllnding with his bloody sword upheld oyer the young mllll's helld, She showed the orum' for his release. The youth, titen, broke out into complaints saying" my Ulother tells a fnlsehood, I, with my heart IlUd snul, joiu my fellow-beli .. vel's in my devotion to the Guru. Sl'nd me quil'kly after my companions."· To a comlllunity consbtillg of lIIeU with sm·h hI'HV(J sonls lind united by ties so noble, the Guru left his own Glldd"" aud invested t,hem with \lowel' to govern iu matters spit'itual and tempol'lIl. A council of elders, consisting of 1111 elllsses of people, was fOl'med. MRttet·~ of moment were submitted to it .lUd its deci8iolls were l"cspedfully obeyed. This unique commonwealth, based not 011 the principles of Liberty, Fraternity and E<]uality; but 011 that of sacrifice f01" common good, fOl' whieh pm'pose considerations of self hlld, of course, to be set IIside, was estllblished in Rn Asiatic country, undet· the sway of one of the most, nl1scrupulons and tyrauni('al of despots .. [Sir Charles Elliot-History of Iudill, as told by its own hi~tOl'illn8 J.

158 t hilt hllve ever !lisgl'ace!l II throne; nnd though I路his commonwealth cen~ed to e.xist., IIpwal'!ls of II c.cllhu'y

lRter, for want of intdligcnt., fnrogccing nmi unsclfish leaders, the 8llCCCSS t.hat it n('hio"ed, during its short oxi~tence, will scno li S fin object-lessoll to evcry Indilln Jlllh'iot of wbntcvcr rllcc 01' nemiumi .will cheer him nJl ill the most dismal of momcllts,

159

CHAPTER XXVII. Morlm'n Sikh~ are gell(wally not, gooll ~p,,('ill1"ns of what hue Sild)~ wel'l.' only half a ceutul'y back. They Ilrtl not iu:~ pireil with any markp,[l dl'gree of zel\l £01' the propl'gation of their creed. Places of worship are visit.ed and ~cripture8 l'p,ad as a mere matter of fOl·m. At 110ne of t.he principal (iurudwllrf/.! t.he ()ardinal dodrillll~ of Ule flikh belief are daily inst.il11'11 into t.hl' mind, of tIl(' IlI'1ilwel'", as wa_ t,he case in t.he time of the Gurus. In flld there i~ a deart,h or Gy II II i., or iuterl)reters of t.he scriptures. The Ni"mrtl!u, a scd. of Sikh -"(Ill/lUa, founded by the 10th Guru, who are well up boU) in the Sikh and Sauskrit. lore and ('ount among thmn thinl(er.' an tI d ehat.el·", who woulll b" an a"qnisition to Ituy eomml1uity, have mostly gone Ovcr to Hinduism, allll it i" t.lll'Y who nl'l' IllIlSUy l""l'onsihlc fo,' the HiUllui~ing of tl)(\ Sikh ,·reeil. To ,\II ol'thmtox Sikh olltwnNt £OI'm" '''''(> nHlsUy Illorl' illl)lnl'tant, than inwllt't! pnrity. Tn him nn i<lm),! flikh is a VI,t'it",}'I,' ('OXMIII), who ('au ('ollvI1nienUy wonr nil popull'l' forllls of flikhislII, an,l can hahhll1 out, PIIl'l'Ot-liko, II r"w pa~8ag('~ fro III HIe scriptures. l.'hig disregard of inward cn!t,lll'e is, to no small ext.ent, responsibltl for the mental prosh'ation of the Illns" of the community; aud it is ou ncrollut. of this alone that so m8ny imposters, whet.hef of old 01' new t.ype, lind it 80 easy to get II following, from the mass of the Sikh population. In pillce of the Brahman priesthood, a comparatively les8 inteliectnf\l, bnt not less perverse, priesthood has acquired a thorough mastery over ~he Sikh mind, The SlIfljdllUri Sik.hs afe seceding

160 RlHlgoing over to the commnnitil'" ,who do,not assign to them an infel'ior l'auk among t hl'm, The 10th .Gnru did not ,in~ist thnt all his followers should receive Am-rita, There were many who did not t,akllJ A mrit,,; but l'emainell f~it,hfnl to , him, Only those ,,'ere bnpt.ised to the Faith aud wore the symbols, Kwd, (au .iron bracelet), Krw"'//! (short drawers), (daggel'), Kes!ltIs (mwut heml hair) nnd Kung!'" (comb), who took n \'ow of rCllIllleilltiou lind offel'l.d thl'mseires til he slIl'l'i/i"ed iu the "I')'\'icl' of the 'Prill''', In 'a word the baptismnl I'cremony was Yllhmtn)')" It WAS Ilot forfled UpOIl IIny Olll'. Only heroeR nIH\ ' mnrtyl'" reel路iyed , the di~tiu('tion of bItJlti~m. Bnt IlO discrimiulttiou is now exercised in' the ,perfOl'mlllH'c, of Hill I'erl:mouy. The form lIIul the symbols 'l'emI\ut.;, ,bnt, t,he splrit seems til hllve mostly flown nway. Take, orr till' , gll.c)'ed th)',I'IHlof a Hinllu, Ink!' oil' hi, 1I",li (hnil' tuft on the lU'lId) II(' i, 1\ Hindn, A Cill'ist,ian mlly ('fIt all~' thillg, mny , drl'"" nny Wlty, he diU'S not ('('IIS(' t,o be a. Chl'istillu. But, tnke nWlly thc symbols of ,a Sikh. lIud he is lost to Hw commuuity! . Sikhism hilS ('Ouw to this pass that its wellwi.hel's haY<' felt pl'ompti'li to re.comnll'ud tllllt, it, should' prny fOl' a longer lense of ,life from II GOYl'rnml'llt. profl'~siug a different religion. The 1'lm.路,. of Illdia, IlU Anglo-IndiAu jourual ,of Bombny, tlms wrote in one of its issues in 1903 A, D. :_ ](i"1l!ill

"An RIIOIiymolls writ-ol'- ill the EmpirE Revi ~1" has discovered a novel duty fOl' the Government of ~ia.路It i,~ that they should Rccopd ofIiciahecoguitiou~ud

support to the religiou of the Sikhs.

The Sikhs,

16( ~

argnes the writer, mllke the best IndIan s91di'e~" /\tut: I it is their religion thRt makes thelD so. .! decline:/ of E\ikhisrrl, t,herefore, would mOlm .t decline 'of the : military ' st'l'ength of t,he Empirt,. The State is :' consequently inferested in the Illailll,cnanee of that" Faith and without St.nte recognition and support the decline cannot be checked. V{ ritings such as the arl,iele un del' notice are mischievous. From the support of a religion, for political reasous, 1,0 the propagation of it, for th~ Sf\,na rCf\sons, is but u narrow step. There would be rpuson for anxiety about the precarious posit,ion in the modern world of State nentrality in matters of belief, if there were any considerable number of thoughtful men favouring the view which finds expression in the Empil'r? lIe,路;w路. But it is not so; lind effusions such liS those under notice should be; regarded as instances of intellectual ata,"ism-the reltppeltrltnce after Ull intcrml of generations of an obsolete idea, in R lUodern writer." The Civil and lIlilitm'y Gllzetf,', the Llthore Anglo-Indian daily, in its issne of April liith, 19()a, thus exprl,ssed itself on modern SikhislD, in the ('ourse of a leading urticle : "Sikhism appe!\rs a remarkable cl'(led. It organized the Hindu Jut cultivators of the Puujab, who had been coutent to submit to each sllccessive horde of, . invaders and pity taxes to Tartar and Pathan, MughRl Rnd Path an again, with no more 5l'riol1! rl'sistance thlln all oc'cllsioual outbreak of dacoil,y, int.o a formidllble luilit.wy power, more closely unitell thlln the Marhattas. , and held together hy religions fervour as well liS by 路 the instinct of national resistllllc,e to theforeig'll, Mnbamma{lftll路 power. It is not a" littlel'ellla'kll~l~

162 ihai a faith so simple in its dogmas and so alien to t~fL~p~j.t,of older Hindu religions, ~hould have been able. ,to ,effect so complete a change in the character of it~ votaries, metamorphosing even the outcaste and despised "Chnhra" into the Mazahbi, a very respectable fighting man, as the r ecords , of our Pioneer regiments abundantly t est,ify. The present position of Sikhism i., however, very unsatisfactory. It is not One of the proselytizing roligions and barely holds it,s own. No doubt among the Jats of the Punjab proper, its vitality is unimpaired; but while it preaches eqoality it fails to give full practical elhct to its leading doctrines; and in the Sikh districts the IQw-castes turn not to Sikhism but to Christianity. To the studeut of Indian religions Sikhism appcars dO'O/JI,e,d 路to share the fate of BudhJs m and the religion of the Jaiqs -of o,'ery one of the great social and religiQus movement.s which have arisen in India and end~avourod to shake oft' the bond s of the tyrauny of the caste system and tho spiritunl despotism of Brahmllnical Hinduism. Certain races, at a given stage of their development, appear inl'apable of supporting the b~acing atmospher e of constitut,ional government or rational religions UIHI resign themsehos to /I. military despoHsm and a dominant priesthood and the Indian races have always been so ruled, in t.he mass; though from time to time tbere have ariseu movements to protest against the system. The present position of Sikhism, as a social Coree is, we think, also unsatisfactory. It is in danger of losing its great, distinctive featnres and merging int,o ti,e dead tevel of its surroundings; and, perhaps, in a generation

163 or two, it will only snrvive like the Cnmeronians in the tit,le of a few historic regiments." The above extract from the Cilfil and Military U/l.ze !tc will be read by all Sikhs with n gratefnl feeling; for evidently the writer thereof seems to have been actnated by It desire to see Sikhism ' occupy n rC3p~ct.abl(l pb~e among the religions of the woMd. Bll!, it shoulll not be forgotten that., however high and onnobling a system of beliefs may be, it most t.nke time to completely influence tho lives of a community. Guru Govind Singh' 8 life wns spont Rmong Rajputs ant! Khatris whom· cOIl'Ceit anel prejudice of ages ha'l comilletely blinde:! nnt! who, just us the Jews saw no beanty in Chri~t 's Go~ p()l, w~r e either imliffcrent or ' opposed ·to tho G,"'u's mission. The Barar clan of theMalwaJa~ who foUowe:l the G'lrll'S leall thongh brave, generous, guileless nlHl confiding, were itmst intoUectual · at ··the time; and just as til() fanatic MussR.lmans of Central Africa are the last people on the face of the Earth to understand the higher aspects of Islam, the Jat popnlation of tho Punjnb, who· hael never come in cont'II ~ t, with enlightenment, w()re llot t'ail:l1t1". of continually spreading the Gl1l'U'S propaganda iu its entirety. To them to be Sikh was to avow open lntro:l for Brahmans and MmsaitllllllS. Men, with a strollg arm, ready to strike a blow on the Mussalmalls nu ~l fi t b suffer gr~at physical hardship! were princi- · pally in damaud and when these people succeeded:, in crushing .the Mudim llolver thoy only demanded adherance to outward symbols of Sikhism. Mtissalmans lubdue,l, the discreet high-caste Hindus mllde.lldvallcea

,; for .... a. c.oncililltion with the new power. A compromise , was effected by which the Sikhs abandoned their revolutionary programmu and the Hindus included \\·'\the names of the ten Gurus Rlnong the incarnations '. :' of.. Yishnu. ". From that time Sikhism may he said to , have commenced losing it.s distinct individuality Rnd , theLllhore Tribune was right when, eommenting on · th~ agitation' stRrt.ed iu the aho\'c-lllentioncd Anglo: indian journals, it ohserved in its issue of Mny 7th, , ,'1903, that" the grcnter the room nnd scope of military service the greater will he the numerical streng I hand , pro~p'erity of the Khalsa. No npprehension need be felt "as'to the ' supply of Sikh soldiers ever falling short of 'the demnnd. The boy in the family, among the stalwa~t Hindu rustics in the Punjab, who is destined for 8 career of arms, is given the suffiy. "Singh" to his name, wears loug' hair aud becomes a Khalsa. So, RS long as recruiting officers wiII prefer Sikh lads, Sikh lads will be forthcoming." .~ .

~.,

• I.

The , remarks of the writer in the Trihune are no .doubt true' to a large extent. This predominance of mercenary feelings in the Panth is a matt.er for serious conccrn. Evidently the keeping of uncut · hair ba~ (~eased to necessarily indicate a belief in the teachings of the 10th Guru. The men who enlist in the army and take 'PalmI' do m08tly for lucre and, if this objed. fan be secured without keeping long hair, long huir wiII not adorn their hends • .':rhe situation is serious enough to demand the · earnest att!lllt.ion of thc thinking portion of the community. At present there is no guarantee that ·the wen who seek admissioD i~lto ibe ·Pemt" do so

isA from worldly motives or otherwise. Strict adherance to the Guru's principles should be insisted upon so . that it may become difficult or not worth while for men to leave the Sikh fold aftet路 they have once entered it. As previously stated Government support, has neit,her been sought nor offered. But, Government oflieers have not bceu aitoget,her unmindful of Sikh interests. They have always a good word to say for the Sikhs and thus keep up their ideas of self-respect and courage. The last brilliant Vic,eroy, I,ord CUl'zon, when presented with an alldr115s by tJw Khalsa Diwan of Lahore, on April lith, lH!l!l, during the days when the Lahore Sikhs were making rejoicings, on the occasion of the 2nd centenary of the foundation of the Khalsa Panth, thus alluded to the Sikhs :-" Your Honpur and Gentlemen. In responding to the address which was presented to me, a few days ago, by the Municipalif.y of Lahore, I spoke of the Punjab as the home of a race that produces not merely men but heroes. When I used that phrase I did not know that I should have the pleasure, before I left this city, of meeting a representative body of t.he nationality to whom it obviously applied. The incident of Saragarhi, to which you refer in your address, is one of several that were in my mind in making the remark iu 'luestion. There are many qualities required to constitute the ideal soldier, bravery, endurllnce, a certain aptitude of intellect and discipline; but I am not sure that above them all I would not place that unfaltering devotion to duty

and heroic disregardofself that imJ>clsa man to diel't

路hi!! post, as thll Sikhs at S~rngarhi did, unmnrmuring and eTen happy, fighting against overwhelming odds. Of this virtue the Sikh soldiers of the army of the Qneen have given many 1\11 illustration, in fifty years of fighting for the British RBj, since the time, when they fought so well against us ; so that the name of your rRCtI has become almost synonymons, in the English language, with traditions of des perat .. courage and unfliuchiug 10yaUy....... Never may the <1n,y Ilrriv(J when the British Government., in t.ime ef need, can n'o t rely upon his (Sikh soldier路s) staunch aud uU'luJ5 tioning s()rvice. .. .... Nevertheless in the Ulo:l Cl'n world, military virtues, howev~r pre-eminent., r.~" not the only r("lui"it.es to t路h e prescrvatioa of national existcllC(J lind you hnv(J wisely realizcd that, if you are to hold your own with tho more erudite peoples, among whom yon lire placed, you must provide yonI' fnmilies with nn education compatible wit-h theirs. I am pleased to learn that the KhRlsa College hns already aUnined to a 'high standard of excellence Itnd I hope that it may continne to receive the Itctive snpport. of the Sikh princes of the Punjab and may turn out It number of young men who, like Lord Lawrence, in t.bc famons statue which stands ill this city, may be compet.ent 1.0 wield the pen at t.h~ sa,ne time that th"ir other ~nd r~sts con6dcllU'y upon 路the hilt of the swol'el " .. Only recently Sir Charles Rivnz, the then Lil\u. tenant~Governor of tho Pnnjltb, spent six days in Amritsar. Representative :Sikhs from all Indi" assembled and nea:.::ly twenty lacs of rupees were

[" QllQted from the Kllalsu of April 12th, 1890j.

167 subscribed iu Rid of the College. In Rddition to this the district oIDeers in Sikh district~ threw themselves iuto the work of collecHng funds for th... Khalsa Âˇ College with an enthusiasm that wrested IIdmiration from all Sikhs and caused not a little heart-burning in lion-Sikh circles. Thus, iu a IDlluuer, the civil power hilS lent the weight of it:~ influenec in fllvour of the Sikhs. Opinions, however, differ as to the ultimate res nIt of_such extraneous help. All JJ:uropean writers, however, do not take a very desponding view of the situation. " . Notwithstanding these ehRlIges," says Cunninghmn, in his History of the Sikhs, * "it has been usuRl to regard the Sikhs as essentiAlly Hindu Rnd they doubtless are so in their lRnguuge aud every day cnstoms; for Govind Singh did not fetter his disciples with political systems or codes of Municipallaw8 ; yet in religions fllith lind worldly IIspiratious they are wholly different from other IudiRns; and they are bouml together by a community of inwnrd sentiment Rnd of outwllrd object lluknown elsewhere. But the misapprehension need not surprise the public nor onr scholars, when it is remembere<l that the learned of Greece lind Rome misunderstood the spirit of those humble men who obtained It llew lif.. by baptism. Tacitus and Snetonins regarded the Christians RS II mere Jewish sect. They faild to pet'ceive the fnndamental difference and to appreciate Hie latent energy and relll excellence of that doctrIne which has added dignity anl purity to moJcrn civiliution." â&#x20AC;˘ [EditioUQf1S49, A. D.)

Thl$ -is elCactly the "jew we take of the mission of our creed. We do not believe that the seed sown by the Gurus and fed by the blood of thousands of our martyrs is dead. With all their faults the Sikhs, properly so called, are brave and generous as compared with their other fellow-countrymen. Though they do not follow iu its entirety the programme of their great leaders they are socially and religiously on a higher plane and their Hindu compatriots have been very lllr.gely influenced by them in matters social and religious. Hindus, in the Punjab, are Vef] liberal in their thoughts and deeds as compared with their eo-religionists in other parts of India. They all freely inter-dine. Such a thing as separate CllUWklt8 (dining rooms) for members of the same families is not known in the Punjab. No one is excommunicated fOf crossing the seas. The question never arises to which caste the cooks 8hould belong. In places where the influence of the Sikhs is most felt it is the practico to employ Muhammadans to fetch water. Imbibing this spirit hordes of Punjabi Hiudus emigrate to Balkh, Bukhara and Yarqand, the chief centres of Mussalmun commerce and industry, and acquire riches and afilucnce. Thongh yet not quite free from the clutches of the Brahmans they do not view the remarriage of widows with disfavour. The feeling is general and real that enforced widowhood i8 a crying evil and crime against society and it does not require a prophet to foretell that many years will not elapse before the Punjabis will proclaim a rebelliQu against this sQcial tyranJ;1Y. The

169 l'cmal'rillgc of willows is airellily an institution limon/!, Mw Sikh .J nts who fOl'lll Uw most pre-eminent pltt,j, of U", Sikh commuuity, Hilllilnrly iu other' IIIlItt.ers of rt'ÂŁot'lII till' Pnnjnbi Hiudus lu'e remarkably bold, lind i'ol'ward, 'All thi" is dne to Gnru Govilld Singh's 1eliciting which infuses ehil'llh'y into 1111 who come under its illllucnce.

170

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Sildls lies in their ]wl\ping the integrity of theil' cree(l intact, If they (,ease to lose tlmir individuality they will cease to exist ill a few gell~rations lUOl'C, Theil' GIll'US were honoured, in theil' tillie, becllusc they were the noblest of their ('oni,emporaries and when tlwy waged WUI' against snperst.ition, sin mill slavcry, no ot,her force wus' opcrating fol' the good of the country, The "tute of t.hings is HOW l'lUlHged, Thc wOl'k of reforlll hilS now hellIl tukell up hy the enlightened mell of nil sedions of Hill Indiull COllllllllllity, The IInfi-Muslilll and allti-Brahmall propugullIlu with which the Sikh pioneers shll'ted work hus lost it,s forcc; for neit,hel' the Mn.limB nor the 'Bl'uhmulls are now in a position to tyrannize OVeL"'llllyhody, thunks to Pax BrittaniclI, In ordel' thut Sikhism shonld he able to uti.l'llct modern humanity it, should he in It position to offer something HlIll'" ('OlldudVl\ to the well-h(,illg or maukiud thun what, tll(J votal'ies of II/hpl' ('I'ecd,~ ul'e 'Tlw,,,fnty of tlw

l)l'''llltrcd to gin路, '1'h" Muslim tyrants hllve he en hrought to Ute klle", The RralHnans, in this counh'y, have pral,t.ieally lost. their supl'emaey, But the politit'al work do Ill' hy t.he Sikh" is only a dosed ('haptl'l' in the hiRtm'y of t.ll!\;'路 ('olmtry, TIl<' Rildl Chnrch I'l'lluircs rc,'onsh-nl'iion. The ('h1l'n'" ideal of ~lll"'acljllg the Sikh ('reed, of l'ai"ing the ~aint8 and rooting ont IIll IlI'illlocl's," of founding Uw IGngdmn of Righteousness " Dharm l'hal{lwlln

~aut

ubHl'an,

Dueht sabhaa ko runl uparan.

171 on this Earth, of hl'illgillg all llHlJi 011 the l)\atform of equality, of int.er-l\epBlldmH'e, of nc'(lniring r01U1l11l1ml might, nlHl Ilt1ln.'lH"'· i, nn (' VI'I' 11I'''"''llt lint')" to perf01'/11 wJlidl Illl('('n~ ing, whnlo ht'lll't .. d "iI'orts ar!' 11('('(\('(1. hL~ hoo\;, Chlll'netl'l', hilt. "\'I')'Y ,1,,:111 Ugh

"It iR dilfirnlt," sn,ys 8mil,,", in

" t·n ",vim ngllill st, t.l... "t.I·'· ... m (·'Ill f1onj, nlollg' with it,." Mpn \Vh" "allnnt jI,ink YOI' them""},,,", who Jo"k nJl 1<1 t.Ili ,. ClI' IIlIIt, 11I'1'''on tn tdl t,h"UI t.hat, t. his is right nnd t.hat is wl'ong', whom enstom and t'l'lI.litiou nlmw g'lIid." nl''' IiIce t·l,., tlNI.1 fi sh. All theil' lif" till'.y k"" pflollting alollg' wit,1t the .·III.·l'pnf. nf 1'01'11\"" opillioll. It i,. lIot slIelt 1ll"11 who f01'1lI t.I,,, vit nl fnl" ~ " of a "odal organism. Th" g)·"nt.,l' th" nllmhel' of '11I'h 1IH'1I ill n cnllll11l1nity th" mol''' w.'"k it is. ~':h[(',h lIH1n ...... It dallgm' to t,h., Atnt..·. 'l' h"y I"',ulily I'a ll iut,o snlll·.,. Ambitiolls lIud (h'sig'ning· illll;"idll"l ~ a JlIH' II I In tl ... il' decp-I'ontell' Jll'cjlldi.·.·s aw\ fIlIlRt,i"i"lII nlld elllplny them " " t.ool s. 'l'bl' amhition, plM,fnl'm nr"tol~ diIHt.,,~ nil t.h .. snperiol'ity of t.hi ~ person Ol~ that. .· IIl~s. H.· ducl< llOt. look to hllrmon;onA •. oIII III til 11\ I d,,,,e\opmcut,, RII waxes eloquent. un.t· th(\ great, achievement" 01' ollr "OIllWOU AI'YIlU for •• ruther' . H" IlIlhli"he, t,o t.he world t,hnt, 0111' progenitol's wel'e nobl(\ Hu.1 euligMcued wheu the IUwest...·' of t.he W(lst,erll p(loples l'oam (lc\ in jnngll's. H" flat/,m's ollr l)I'id .. ; hilt I1CCollnt,s not, for om' fall. He JlI·oclailll' with II f10nri sh tllllt Uw nut'ieut Egypt.inn" and Hnl'RCenS,

* " Deg)eg fRteh. "

172 ROmltnR AJ1(1 GrMb have 1t11 tliNl; bllt, IU1 tloes uot expillin wlmt pride t.here is in 1\11 inel't I'xistence, If nne follow", him,llI\1H\ers t.o the pltssion~ of the popuIIIee, he is lUI ornllment of the ('ommunit,y, If hll tlllws one 1'('111. hold step, in refol'm, bl'('llks oft' frolll the t,ln'ltldom of (lust,om, Ill' is nowhere, Down (\OnW8 on him the wI'nth of the t.illllHil1l'iug pulpit hlll'lUlglWl', His sllhsidis!l(\ newspnpt,rs (lischlll'ge "nlm" of iUV('('t.i"e, His pnitllllllis""rie~ "(,IlUP)' HI(' poi~on IIIHI the gO-llhead mall ",tullds 11l'iwti('II.11y ostrll('iz(lu, Thi~

(,lump plttriot.ism lilts thrown tlw work of )'1'111 reflll'lII (,llntlll'i.'8 hackward"" Cn",t('s IIIHI I'll",>.. 11I'(lViollsly diyidNI IHlOP\t" Denomiunt,iolllli institllt.iOIlS, horn 01' rae!' Imt')'t路u nnd hl'cU nil fllunti('ism. have toru tlwm asunder still furth"I', Thi", WI"I' oj' fnnatil'iAIIl 11II~ ('al'l'ied nil hefol'(1 it, The Aildl f)i~颅 pellsation, conceiyt,d ltIul ulII'tnl'ed hy ~lIillt8 IIl1d hllllowed h~' th(, blood of lIlartF's, ought to llIak,. no distill"tiou ill its miuish-lltioll of henefi.,ClH'C, Not, uulike a ('onscient,ious physician who 11111 h路s uo distiu,,t,ion of 1'11"(', el'ee(1 ()\' ('olonr. it. shollid III1g1'IIdgiugly Itpply hahu on all so ring hearts who lIIay ('om" to it fol' ('lire, Nay. with the howl of "AlIll'itn." iu hand it 8hould kuock lit "very door and teU all who m'l' di8consoiltt.e Ulltt Uwy ('lin yet hI' hnppy, thllt th .. y ('ltIl yet, rise Itnd iiV!' joyous lives if tlwy tnkl' II. ~ip from ihe N ect.al' and t.ake t,he "Vow of Renuurilltioll," the YOW to love Hud minist.er t.o the wants of their fellowmen wit,hout. distinction; fot, God ll1l1kes no distinction, t.he Gurll~ ll1ltde 110 distinction. But if it. is nhsurd to put new wines into old bottles, if it is absu.rd to t.urn back the diltt of tim!',

173 . it, i~ equally IIhsl1l'd to ~tl\l't Ilnew in 1\11 l'espects 1l11(1 t.o ignore t,\w "xpel'i"lu'", of OUl' gl'cllt Al'Ylin IIncestor8, W,' June 0111' own 8I'l'iphll'(" no douht; but., equAlly with ot,he)' l'II"t1~ of Al'Jnll extrndion. we ought to feel II nlllurol pride ill Hw Ill'hierenwnt. of (;111' 11I'ogellitOl'" lIud ,honld ('onsid,\(' it 1\ hounden dnty 10 pl'"sprl" 1111 that mil) JII' worth 11I'('"(')'rin~, No one hns dOl\(' 1111))'" to poplllari". Bhnkti ("pvllllt.(l('""). pi .. t), alld '~('I"I'HI ot.\1(1]' ('I('Hlting plms('" of tl", rplig'ion pl'eadled in the PIIl'HllIIS tIum t1w Sikh GIII'Il,~ /tInl the Int,路), Sikh wl'it"l'", J ndepd it i" 110 "xlIggprntion to 811,1' tlJllt jJl(' ma",~ oj' thp Pnnjnh Hindlls rec('in' 'pil'iinlll mini"ll'Iltion tlll'ollgh Sikh Rllflhn" lind Sikh F\('ripitlr .. >', It ('111111111 JH' .~ai" with ('('dainty whnt th .. I'lllm'(' Ill' Sikhislll will 1)(', Ally "Il('h flll'e('II,t lIlllst )W('(',~'Ill'iJJ J)(' JlIl"'d 011 ,'(mj('dlll'e, Hilt. exomined fro III all poin/.. of ril'w till' Sil,hi"lll 01' GilI'll Gnvind Singh pl'p8('nt" I'"ntlll'('" wiJi('h nil h'llIl til ('I'pllh' the iIllIH"'"iull tIlIIt it hns lIot J('t pl.IJ(,(1 Ollt it" pllrt, It i,. only pa,'Sing tlll'l)l]gh II "tllgl' Ill' h'lIn"itioll an,l. jllst, n" th" light 01' t1Hl Olll'i"tilln Plli/h .hmw dimly dnring tlu' DIII'Ii Age" IIllllmell'" mill(l" l'('mained ,',mlplll'ntively nn-illlllllin."J, till' i1wlIll'lItion 01' the IH'llrt-~oll,.oling pI'ilH'iples IIf Rikhi"1ll lUI' heNI, "0 til "pellk, kt'pt in nbeYllu,'." Illllitl t.he wlll'l'ing pIl8:;ioll' of the comhatllut, Uillt hnve been flg'ltting fol' politi(,1l1 SIl!ll"路UlII('Y. in thi~ couutry. d\ll'iug the Illst (','utilI'), IlIHl /I half, But now thllt p('nee has been )'e8tol'e<1 Ilud Wl'gl('l'U kuowledge hn" been diffused, fnl' nud wide, the Sikhs, alollg with

174 'I,

other conimnnities, 11Il\'(' been IIwllkenml to II 8(iliso (If tlteil' relipollsihilily IIlId though tlte effort.s of 'Uw, work"rs 'limoU'g t.hem Are y"t. fe('bln IIIHI tlteir r{'sult. III'" cOII.eqlwlltly not l'''lIl/1rkllhl ..,; it, m'uy hll'confident.ly 1)l"'IU,'teli Uonf, with" numher of elll'llI'st, Rnd "inc"r.' w'lrkel'" "I' ~/)oll morale, ' Siklti.<m m~.y '. y .. f. live to )..' u 1I'luling' CI""'!!. All tlint. . i, WIJ.nj."d i, t.o nrrllllA''' ,I'm' t.h.. In,npnglllion of IhA Aiklt G"'IIPI 111111 iilfdst. np"" til,· Ill'H.'ti'·HI oh"'l'l'l\IlI'" of it, 1I11111l0YI·,1 Il1'incipl",. wit.hout l'''~'I1I'd to what ot.III'L'

1"'''111" thiuk

Ill'Sfl),.

GUl'U Govilld Singh'" \ife lIud tea"hill~' P"SSI'SS uli etel'lIl1i .·harm. His wl'it.iugs POSS""' II fOl'ce Hlllt will. for 1111 tinH', infnse spirit. Men int.1} the Ill!'r!'st p"lh'onll I\IHI will I'nise d.·admell illto life, as it wel'e. His is 't.h" highllst. '(1xlllllpl" nl' pi.,ly, f...JlolV-i'I'.'\illl\' mul "1I<'I'ili,"', If · p""ple milk.· hilll f,hej,· id"al 111111 h'lIl'lI tn w/llk in hi, foot,II')I' t hey will h('.'IIIIW s,o\f-l'dillllt. lIud ,df-I'.·p,,,,t.illg",

Their tllit.h in t.he

Thnd"" 0111' will help thcm in rntillK what. t.l", wm'\<l can gin' Ill. it,., prop!'\' I'lIlne, Wenlth nud ~pl('.lHlo;H· will to tempt them alHl the smile._ "" Hit' fl'OWIl~ or Ihe wOl'1<I'~ (Ie"pot,s will fail to ~ .. (h,,'c t1 ... 1II. Their word will Iweo(J'" law, their look ,'ollllllnllll. No snl'Ogl' hR,nd shnll molest t.hem, No (IYiJ

"i'lL",'

heal't. shnH dm',' dishll'h th .. )lellrl' of their heal'tI" ntHI hOllies, The W.,stel'll Mllt,·riali.m, whieh hns (' .. ('nte ll nl't.ili<'ifLI wnllt.~. IItHl hilS liIll'll people WiUllU\ illor<liuflt.c pn~ ~ ioll for "id",~,

whi .. h takes 1I0t, lillII'll illto I\(,COUIII 'how it.s votaries come hy wellUII nnd (lower, which lui s fniled t.o solVl' t.l\(\ populnlion nlld ponwt.y prohlems, will onee agnin how herore ollr ERstern Spiritualism

175 which forbids indulgence in nny form, which regllrds t.his lifc only as II Jlctiod of IIJlJlrcut,i~cshiJl for II highcr and uobler existence IIlld whieh reKurds it n. sin that ouc hl'ot\ll'l' shonld 1'011 in weaUh while t,I", othm' gl'Ollns in povetty. "First" Hay 0111' S('l'iptlll'es ""ow t.o die. Give nl) hope of life, Bceome t.ll0 dust of evm'y ouc's foct. Tlwu CUlltO t.t.) IllC~" ~ Paille mllt'llll (ll1b(tl, jiwull di chlllld 'I" ; Ho sngal ki l'oll-k,l路 tan '\0 hllllllll'O I"'ts,

CHAPTER XXIX. J hllve olllitted 1111 mention of the mil'ae\cs IIth'ihuted to the Gm'u, A Sikh ('ontrnciOl' to whom I mentioned Ulis filet sh'ong'ly disappl'ol'ed of my ndion, He helieved, amI UItH'C Illlly be I1Il1ny who ngrec with him, that in so doing I have placed t.he slIbjed. of this mellloiL' in the lowm' rnnk of Ute fOllllll"I's of ot.her grellt. crceds, I do 1101" however, plcnd gnilty t.o the IIccllsatioll, I do not helieH' thnt "Iwh miracle" were ertn' plH'fm'IIHl(l. 'fhey lIIo"tly signify dl'm't H to llrlwent the workillg' of thl' laws of l1uttu'c IIlId the men who bllKe the grelltlles8 of their heroes on tbl' extcllt to which they could slI"pellil Hie operntlou of the,.,e lI\w,., do not cxplnin why the grllat meu ut who,.,e ~uprice Uw c1cmllllt.8 l'iuUlgeu tbe fund-ions u,.,signcd to them by the (Âˇh'ent Milker of th~; Univcrse hud to submit., olle IIlId nIl, to tbe grl!llt. irre\'ocllble IlIw thllt. all who lire horn lIlust II iI" Ae.col'ding til the GIIL'U "Whllt till' I,llI'd gl'Heiously givllth is Illllirllcle"* i.hall which a clearcr expllsition i" impossible to give. Nothing 1'1111 he more astonishing t.hnn the hOlUlllleKs love of the Merl'iflll Pl'ol'idence wbicb take_ not. iuto HI'count our Illllny IlIl nd of omission HIllI commis,ioll nud )'eal'~ and pj'otedM IlS from birth to deRth, To my mind tlw gl'(1lltne"" of tilt' world'" gl'eat. epoch milker, IllY not in tbeir freaks mHI lmpri,~e; ImL ill t hl'ir CIlPIICity io compl'ehellll Ood'8 hlW8 lind in theil' ability to make theil' followel's act in confol'mity with t h!'st,

â&#x20AC;˘ Sahib tuthe jo wile Nsuak

sa karamat,

177 laws. .J udged in this light the mission of Gurn Govind Singh has been a unique - suc('ess. It is more than raising the dead when his boast that lui would make hawks of sparrows was realized, when he iufused life into the hitherto iIwrt mass of humanity' that inhabited the Punjab, when ellch individual who wore his uniform really b"liewd Ilnd .showed that he embodied the strength Ilud vigour of Il Illc Ilnd qUllrter of men. And it is Il true prophecy that he lIldlle when he said that the salHly wIIstes or the SouthEllstm'n Punjah would be (,ollverte!l into smiling fields of wheat whi('h they now lire-really Il marvel of Sikh industr),. On the eonh-ary I hold tlmt Guru Go,-ind Singh openly dis('al'd('(1 tIm theory of mit'ades, If 110 had any faith ill it he would uot have C'llllraeterized miraculous perfol'lI1l1ll("'" of the deified heroes of Jndilln mythology 118 â&#x20AC;˘ PI'II'P"Ul'il,' (trickeries.) How could he, t,hen, eonsistently pel'form deeds wlJich he ridil,uled when done hy ot hcrs? The grelltness of Guru Govind Singh, it may be repellted, lay in his elemting millions of men who were hitherto content to be used as chattelllnd beast" of burden by the high-caste and high-placed men of their owu country lind the membcrs of the ruling "Ilee, in makiug them selfrespeeting and self-t'eHllnt, ill endowing them with iron-will and unbending l'esoilltion, Ilnd in creating in them a capacity to l,tde themselve.~ and others. To him steel was a symbol of power. He remembered God generlllly a~ All-Steel and attributed his sueeNS to the graee of All-Steel, With All-Steel as his model he strove to mllke his men strong liS steel. So long

171 al his followers retained this strength of character tlleir star was in ascendancy; but when they lost sight of the ideal chalked out for them by their great leader, when t,hey failed to act upon the principles of life laid down by him, when they yielded to their grosser .elf and ignored and saeriflced communal interests, they fell and gave place to a people higher in character and more capable of assuming and discharging public responsibilities. How truly it has been said that history repeats itself. When the stnrdy peasants of Rome, who bad not yet, come nnder the enermting influences of' ill-gotten wealth and power, met, deliberated and made laws for communal good, and obeyed t}lese laws, they were feared and respected. Their achievements in Politics, Law and Social Autonomy, which have won for them eternal fame, all relate to this period. But when they became unscrupulous and greedy, when all theil' energy was spent in enslaving their fellow-men, when t,hey aubdued great nations of antiquity and carvcd out far themselves one of the greatest Empires the world has ever seen, when the spoil of distant lands swelled their fortunes, when princes and princesses of foreign lands were made captives and served as page8 anrl honsehold altendants of the Roman nobility and gentry, when their places of residence and public rIllJort were built of marble and were bedecked in precious stones and inlaid in gold, when all that wealth and power could procure adorned their tables and filled their cellars, in a word, when they mistakeniy believed that th011ferll. a mighty and great people, when men of

179 t'

letters employed~themselve(in singing their:~eotintry'iI glory, the State was rotten in reality, its spirit had Hown away and its body alone had remained. No wonder, then, that the barharians from t.he nortll, nay their women, unarmed and stooping under tbe, weight of the infants they carried on their backs, should have made footballs of t,he stately Roman;;, and should have easily over-run the whole Em}lirll and made themselves its masters. .i The same is the rase with t路he Greeks. Wben they subordinated their individual interests to those of the State, when mothers laid the first stone to Iiury alive their own sons, guilty of treachery to their fatber..; land, when a handful of men kept hordes of Persian invaders at bay, when such a thing as state-craft was unknown, when men, though blunt and hlu~, understood Rnd ncted upon the simple principles of polity, they won 1\ position for themselves amoug tbe great nations of t,he world. But no ~ooner tbey bade adieu to these priuciples, and envy, jealousy, and lust for power took hold of their minds, they fell to rise no more. The subtle philosophy which the few inculcated fewer still understood. Tho ma~ter wOl'd-paititera harangued the people in 路m in. Their rhetoric, wanting 'liS it did in sincerity of conviction, failed in its liffect. Both the leaders and the led strayed from the patb 'of rectitude. The whole State was morally prostraied and fell an easy prey into the hands of the great Alexander. The same is the story of the rise and fall of all the great nations of the world. When the Sikbs were infinitesimally small, as compared with their

180 .pre8ent number, when they were hunted; like wild beRsts by the: Government of the day, when prizes were set on their heads, when rem' glides from amongst themselves lind their Hindu brethren lived upon such rewards, when t,hey hid themselves in far off wildernesses, when the caves and dens in which they found shelter were set fire to by theil' pursuers lind thus proved graves for most of them, when their food was coarse and their garments rude, rather, when they subsistetl on the leaves and barks of trecs and coveretl their nakedncss with skins, t,hey were a terror to their unscrupulous persecutors. They had no commissllriat, llO trallsport, no reserve militia and uo treasury. But when thcy rallicd forth from th~ir fa!tnesses, they weI'" sure of vidory. Theil' number was small" but their hcnrts were united. They had 1111 one aim HlId olle Hmbition-to oycrthrow tyrannic rule. The thonght of splf never pntl'red their minds. Lu~t, antrice, lind hlXury, werc ulIknowlI to them. They regarded liI'(' ni! trunsient awl nil its enjoyments sinfnl. Snch II people wel'e surc of success in any work they took upon themselves. They succeeded inJhrowing off the yoke of the Muslims who, though l'ieh and powerful, wore not 80 well o]'gllllizpd Rnd_so well brought UJl. But when the Sikhs trRllsplanted t.he Muslims in thEl government of the country, when the changed surroundings left little scope for the exercise of the virtues that had made them brave and Jllanly, when luxUl'Y found admittance into their homes, wpen, not unlike theil' predecessors in government, they indulged in unbridled licence, whEln prineiples of administration laid down by Guru Govind Singh

181 were ignored, when the ' Sikh' Commonwealth passed into the hands of au iudh-idual or individuals and thus no opportunities were left for the cultivation of communal feelings and the discharge of communal responsihilities aud, finally, wheu mercenary instincts governed the actions of the Sikhs, the State passed illto other hands. This is VI' hat we learll from history. 路 These are the miracles which the great Divine Maker performs, fl'om time to time, to show how frail are the jackals of t.yrltllny, everYlvher{\, though armed with thc most horrid of weapons of tort.ure 路 and death which human ingelluH,y can invent, to invite attention to the much neglectl'd, but, all the same, inexorablo law, that "E.ie:hteousness alone exalteth ? nation,"

1'82

'OHAPTER XXX. It will not be out of place to compare Guru Govind Singh's work with his nine predecessors in the "Guddee." Bab .. Nauak, the fouuder of the Sikh creed, was 0. contemporo.ry of John Knox, Calvin and Luther, and not uulike them he devoted the best part of a long life in pointing out the o.bsurdity of depending for sahation on ritualism in which both Hindus and 'Mussalmalls mostly believed. He called upon lUeu' to rely solely on tbe protectioll of the Lord who was always with them and who lll they could easily plcase by right thinking and right living. He remembered God as if He was his husband IU).~ himself as His spouse o.ud thought it unchaste .to give a plaell to any other person br object in his heart. From Balkh, Bukhara ani Khoro.lo.n, on one side, to Assam on the other, and from t,h e lakes of Mansrovar and Kuenlin mount·aills to Ceylon, accompanied by his family bard MardBlla, he sang the song of hi~ Beloved's glory, with the accomllaniment of the harp. Men inflated with .the pride of CMte o.nd vitio.ted by the lust of power sneered at him and sometimes, even, refused him the shelter of thoir roofs. They ridiculed the novel idea propounded by him that all men were equal in the sight of the Lord and to show the antipo.thy with which they received his doctrine they called him l( ul'dhi (heretic). But the woe-begone and the lowly heard him with rapture and found consolation in his company. When he appeared darkno88 was dispelled and the world was illumined .•

• Sat Gur Nanak pragatiya mit! dhund JILg chana~

hoa.

188 The places his feet touched became seAts of worship. t A brotherhood Was thus formed and it was found necessary that the Baba shonld have some one t路o whom he could bequIlathe his liFe's work, when death would take him away from the scene of his labours. Such a succes~or lie found in Bhlii Lehna, a disciple whom for his devotion t,o himself lind to his cause htl named Augad, pllrt aud parcel of his own bOIly, aud who, as o\so Guru Amar Das, th" 3rd ' in successiou, faithfully followed in his wake Rod ('onsolidated the Ohurch established hy him. Tho 4t.l1 Guru, Ram Do_, in addition to spirituaiminiiltraf.ion, distiuguished himself in acts of benevolence Rlld chllrity IIlId the fnmous Golden Temple lit Amrit~Rr was constructed iu his honour by his son, Guru Arjan. The foundatioll st,one of the temple was laid by HRzrRt Mian Mir, the premier Muslim saint of the time. Gurn Arjan compiled Gr"nt" SlIlti", the Sikh Scriptures, ill which, iu addition to his owu composit.ions, he in('\ude(lnot only the writings of his fonr predecessors in t,he" Gnddee "; but those of Hindu alld Mns~RhllRn sRints III~o, Hetting the first example in the history of religions, in equally honouring godly men, professing other t'ree,ls-1I1l example whi"'lalHrue Sikhs COli sider it, 0 privilege to follow. Guru Hal' Govind WllS the flr.t Gurn who felt t.he necessit,y of infu8ing militRry spirit into his people, tooknn IIctive part in the ' Politics of the period and fought several battles with the M ughal Government in which ht'l mostly vanquished his oppouenf,8. Guru Tegh Bahadar !tIRO I

t Jithai Baba pair dharai V~l" I of Bhai Gurdas.

p(lj~

"san thapan

80a.

184 followed in his father's wake and won the nRme he bore by many an act of bravery. Guru Govind Singh gave the finishing touch to the Disponsation brought by his predecessors in the" Guddee". He called for the active di~play of ht1il.l't virtnes in the service of humanity. Tlw call met with a hearty response. Men learnt to resist tyranny and oppression. The hitherto down-trodden and spiritless Hindns presented a bold front. The rnthless Pathsn, the ('l'afty Mughal and the parasitiesl Brnhman, looker} bewit(lered. Thfl whole n"pert of the poliUcnl nnrlsJliritllRI firmnment changed. A IHlW, hl'ight, era dllwned upon the history of this lall(l of the Ri,his. Guru Goviml Singh WIIK brllve, generous, loviug, lind coufiding. Ever wntchful of the interests of the community thnt 路 followed his lead he did uot confine his sphere of work to their spiritual regeneration. He 8ctivlliy iuterested himseU in their everyday occupations an(i joined and led them in their struggle to occupy a position of honour in the land that gave them birth. Men followed his lead believing him to be their Spiritual and Temporal Lord, worthy of receiving their unquestioned homage. Hewasdearer to themithan811 tloeirearthly belongings Health, wealth, wife, children, brothers, sisters, friends,' relative8-all were believed to be t,he Guru's gifts. Men WllO p~.1Sessed these bll'ssings never flliled to express t1wir gratitude for their bestowal. 'fhose t.hat had no relatives and no property were not less happy; for they all serionsly believed they were the Gurn's Ions and thus embodied iu themselves all that was good and'honourllble.路 "Gnrn ang sang rahe!" (May the

185 Guru beRr thee company!) was the benedicl.ion, most highly prized, with which one Sikh greeted another Sikh, when parting! The Ourll, too, on his part waS l'xactly the embodiment of self-sacrifice and courage. If the disciples considered it a privilege to sacrifice their all at his bidding, th!'re was not,hing whieh he, too, did not risk for them. He washed the feet of his diseiples, served them with food and, in other ways, ('(lllvinced thell1 Bmt he was one whose eXall1ph, they (~ol1ld follow, who was not a deified person whom it was impossible to imitlltc. One great defect in our national charadeI' has bel'I1 to deify our Iwroe8. When once deified thl! heroes ('eased to lJe our ideals. No human being could follow in their wake. They b(wame objects of worship; hut he tween them and the worshippers was plHl'cd an impassable harrier. Guru Godnd Singh strongly resented the title to divinity set UJl by many a great mall before him. He always took care to see that his people looked upon him only as their spiritual father and that their only object of adoration Wll~ the Timelcss One. He took pride in ackuowledging that his victories were due to his devoted disciples and thus inspired them with confidence in themselves. No ' wonder, then, that he should have been able to draw ~ together men of diverse castes under one banner of righteousness. No wonder, then, that the hitherto repellent forces should have converged to effect a mighty revolution and men, forgetting their mutual differences, and inspired with one feeling or

â&#x20AC;˘ Judh jite inhi ke prasad.

186 liberating the country from the yoke of a tyrannic rule. should have shown to the 1t6'rld that, rescued from the yoke of Brahmanism, the Indian races were as capable as any body to defend their hearths and homes and that wheu properly led, they and their delcendallt. could perform heroic deeds which the world's mighty Generals and great statesmen love to recount and admire. No wonder, that the Guru's followel's should have faced the aggressive I slam wit,h the stern. command :-" So far and no further'!"

â&#x20AC;˘ Agar tin hote GUTI' Gooilld Sillgll 8Imat "oti .tab hi! Bulleh Shah.

Bot for Guru Govind Singh all would have beea circumcised.