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Guru Nanak was born in Talwandi (now in Pakistan) in 1469.
He believed that God is the creator, unborn, formless, omnipresent. God
was everywhere and could be attained by repeating his name continuously.
Nanak’s religion consisted of the love of God, love of man.
God is formless, not something which changes. The famous
manta like words SAT SRI AKAL, means God is Sat - i.e. that which exists in all
the three periods of time - past, present & future; Sri - means glorious
with great power; and Akal - i.e. that which transcends time. Nanak’s God
transcended time, eternal truth. Thus Nanak’s teachings echoed the revelations
of Vedanta.
Guru Nanak emphasized the importance of Karma to
escape from the transmigration of the soul. Right conduct is closely associated
with his idea of right belief and worship. True renunciation consisted in living
a pure life amidst the impurities of attachment. Thus Nanak reiterated the
teachings of Geeta.
Guru Nanak was a great reformer. He was against the caste
system and idol worship. He was against fasts, penance, pilgrimages,
renunciation of the world. He believed in equality of men and women and leading
an ethical, virtuous life. He laid emphasis on five things. 1. Nam or singing
the praise of God. 2. Dan or charity. 3. Ashnan or daily bath. 4. Seva or
service to humanity. 5. Simran or constant prayer for the deliverance of the
soul.
According to Guru Nanak realization of God could be
attained only through a Guru who would show the path to the ignorant disciple. A
disciple must follow Guru’s instructions but the Guru was to be obeyed not
worshipped. Nanak called his religion Gurmat or Guru’s wisdom. His disciples
called themselves Nanak Panthis or Sikhs from the Sanskrit word Shishya, meaning
a person who takes spiritual lessons from a teacher.
Babar, descending in the fifth generation from
Timur, was born on 14 February 1483. In June 1494, he succeeded his father, Umar
Shaik , as ruler of Farghana, whose revenues supported no more than a few
hundred cavalry. With this force Babar began his career of conquest. In 1504, he
made himself master of Kabul and so came in touch with India whose wealth was a
standing temptation. In 1517 and again in 1519, he swept down the Afghan plateau
into the plains of India. He entered the Punjab in 1523 on the invitation of
Daulat Khan Lodhi, the governor of the province, and Alam Khan, an uncle of
Ibrahim Lodhi, the Delhi Sultan. But, wars in his home country however,
compelled Babar to return so that his final invasion was not begun until
November 1525.
In his first invasion, Babar came as far as
Peshawar. The following year he crossed the Indus and, conquering Sialkot
without resistance, marched on Saidpur (now Eminabad, 15 km southeast of
Gujranwala in Pakistan) which suffered the worst fury of the invading host. The
town was taken by assault, the garrison put to the sword and the inhabitants
carried into captivity. During his next invasion in 1524, Babar ransacked
Lahore. His final invasion was launched during the winter of 1525-26 and he
became master of Delhi after his Victory at Panipat on 21 April 1526.
Guru Nanak was an eye-witness to the havoc created
during these invasions. Thousands of people
were massacred and taken prisoners. The barbarous treatment of prisoners
including women broke the tender heart of Guru Nanak. Guru
Nanak in his famous epic named "Babarvani" describes the atrocities of
Babar and his men in Punjab. In
spite of his destructive role Babar is seen by Guru Nanak to have been an
unwitting instrument of the divine Will. Because the Lodhis had violated God's
laws, they had to pay the penalty. Babar descended from Kabul as God's chosen
agent, demonstrating the absolute authority of God and the retribution which
must follow defiance of His laws. Guru Nanak's commentary on the events which he
actually witnessed thus becomes a part of the same universal message. God is
absolute and no man may disobey His commands with impunity. Obey Him and receive
freedom. Disobey him and the result must inevitably be retribution, a dire
reckoning which brings suffering in this present life and continued
transmigration in the hereafter. The hymn rendered in free English verse reads:
Lord,
Thou takest Khurasan under Thy wing,
but yielded India to the invader's wrath.
Yet thou takest no blame;
And sendest the Mughal as the messenger of death.
When there was such suffering, killing,
such shrieking in pain,
Didst not Thou, O God, feel pity?
Before his death in 1539, Guru Nanak nominated a kshatriya,
Guru Angad as his successor ignoring the demand of his son Srichand. Guru Angad
started collecting Guru Nanak’s hymns which were written in Lande Mahajani,
written in a rather rough/crude script. To avoid their misinterpretation, Guru
Angad decided to beautify the Lande alphabets to give birth to a new script
called Gurumukhi meaning that which came out from the mouth of the Guru.
Guru Angad nominated a kshatriya, Guru Amar Das Bhalla as
his successor. Guru Amar Das was against torturing the body, the purdah system.
Starting with Guru Amar Das the gurudom began to be hereditary.
Fourth Guru Ram Das added to the growing
solidarity of the community with a sacred tank in the city of Amritsar, earlier
known as Ramdaspur or the town of Guru Ram Das. The tank got expanded into today's
Harmandir by Guru Har Govind. He composed Lavan for the solemnization of the
Sikh marriage.
Fifth Guru Arjunmal was born in 1563. He was an original thinker, illustrious
poet, philosopher, organizer. His greatest achievement was the compilation of
the Granth Sahib. Written in Gurumukhi script it was completed in 1604. For
helping the rebellious son of emperor Jahangir, Guru Arjun was tied in the
burning sun over hot sand and was tortured at Lahore. Exhausted under its impact
he collapsed under the strain and died at the age of forty-two only. This event
proved to be a turning point in the Sikh attitude towards the Mughals.
Instructed by his father, Guru Har Govind began
the arming of his followers. In front of the Harmandir ( temple dedicated to God
) he constructed the Akal Takt or God’s Throne. Tales of valour of Chittor
rulers were sung to encourage his followers. After being imprisoned by Jahangir
he realized the art of diplomacy. On his release he became a friendly
collaborator of the Mughal emperor. This ended with the death of Jehangir.
King Jahangir died on 8th November, 1627 A.D. His
son Shah Jahan ascended the throne of India on the 6th February, 1628 A.D.
(after battle with his brothers for throne). After becoming king he issued a
proclamation, "preaching of any religion except Islam is banned. Temples
constructed in the last few years be demolished and no new ones be
constructed." In accordance with this proclamation, the step-well at Lahore
was filled up and a mosque constructed at the site. This happening alerted the
Sikhs to be prepared to defend Amritsar. Kulij Khan, the governor of Lahore, to chastise
the Sikhs, despatched General Mukhlis Khan with an army of seven thousand to
attack Amritsar. The Sikhs and the royal army of Mughals clashed
near Pipli Sahib. This was the first battle on Punjab's soil in which there was
no involvement of wealth, land or worldly thing. The Sikhs fought against the
atrocities of the Muslim rulers for the sake of the freedom and honour of the
entire Hindu community.
Guru Har Govind was busy in
warfare from 1634 to 1640.
He spent the last two years of his life converting Muslims to Hinduism. While
some people have criticized the Guru for engaging the Mughals in a battle that
could not be won, he was trying to change the age old mentality of the Hindus of
meekly submitting to the oppressor.
Guru Har Rai also kept army but instead of a direct confrontation with
Mughals he took more retroactive approach and concentrated on preaching. His
elder son deliberately to impress Mughal emperor changed the sermon of Nanak for
which he forbade his elder son to become next guru and instead made his 5 years
old son Har Krishan as Seventh Guru. Guru Har Rai passed away on October 6,
1661.
Guru Har Kishan was the only Child Guru. He had a rare
ability in explaining passages from the Holy Granth. Sikhs were
impressed with his recitation of Adi Granth which Guru at the tender age of 5
years knew by heart. He reminded them to cherish the One God alone, and asked
them to discard passions and learn the virtues of patience, charity and love.
Thus Guru Har Krishan carried on the teaching of the Gurus and preserved intact
the legacy he had inherited from them. He had a great future but untimely death by
Chicken pox at Delhi made his uncle, Tegh Bahadur, the Ninth Guru.
The ninth guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was the youngest son of
Guru Har Govind. At that time Aurangzeb was determined to establish an Islamic
state in India and took various measures to oppress the Hindus. Locals were
forced to convert to Islam in Punjab and Kashmir. This angered Guru Tegh Bahadur
who travelled across Punjab and inspired the Punjabis and Kashmiris to fight
against such oppression. Not wanting to face a rebellion, Aurangzeb summoned
Guru Tegh Bahadur to Delhi in November 1675, where he was asked to perform a
miracle as proof of his nearness to God. He refused that occult powers were a
proof of ones nearness to God. Having failed to perform a miracle, he was asked
to accept Islam. He refused and was beheaded in 1675.
The murder of his father and grand father,
oppression of the Hindus got Guru Gobind Singh fired up. He decided to create a
national awakening. The time chosen was opportune. Aurungzeb was involved in
life and death struggle in the Deccan with the Marathas. Punjab was in charge of
Prince Muazzam who lived in Kabul (this prince later became emperor with the
name of Bahadur Shah). Guru first tried to plant his ideas in the mind of the
warrior class of Rajputs of the Shivalik hills. He soon discovered that the
caste ridden and class dominated feudal lords would not respond to his appeals
and they would not fit in his idealogy. He therefore turned his attention to
down-trodden masses. While reading the Puranas, the Guru had been deeply struck
by the idea that God had been sending a saviour at critical times to save the
virtuous and destroy the wicked. He believed he had been sent for the purpose.
In the Chandi Charitra the Guru says that in the past God had deputed Durga to
destroy the evil-doers and this duty had now been assigned to him. In Bachitra
Natak the Guru says:
Hum
eh kaj jagat mo ae
dharam het gur dev pathae
jahan tahan tum dharam bitharo
dusht dokhian pakar pachharo
[for
this purpose I came into this world.
God sent me for the sake of Dharam. Where ever
you are, spread dharam. Root out the
oppressors and the wicked]
The
guru then invokes for the long life of all those who ever remember God and fight
in the righteous cause. In Krishna avtar he writes:
Dhan
jiyo tih kau jag main
mukh te Hari chit main yuddh bichare
[blessed
are they in this world, who have
Hari on their tongue and
war in their heart]
The Khalsa was founded at a congregation on the
hill of Anandpur where stands Gurudwara Keshgarh. The Guru remained busy in
meditation and contemplation. He told the congregation that 1000 years ago
Brahmins had created the brave community of Rajputs by performing hom of fire on
Mount Abu. The Rajputs were valiant people, but they had failed in preserving
independence of Indian people from foreign oppression. He was going to perform
the Hom of blood to create a new community braver and bolder than Rajputs to
liberate the country from foreign oppression and tyranny. On the morning of 30th
March Guru sought God's blessings:
Thad
bhayo main jor kar bachan kaha sar nyae
Panth chale tab jagat men jab tum ho sahae
[I
stood up with folded hands and head bent down and said, Panth can flourish in
the world only with your help]
The Guru then made the most stirring oration on
the need to protect Hindus and save religion which was in great peril, and about
his divine mission. The Guru narrated the stories of Government's tyranny,
humiliation, tortures, forcible conversions, destruction of temples and schools,
brutal persecution of those who protested and of destruction of Satnamis and
Jats. He depicted the miseries they had suffered from and presented pictures of
fresh horrors and tribulations which lay in store for them at the hands of the
emperor and his officials. He aroused their enthusiasm to get ready to fight
against those who trod upon their beliefs and on their very existence. He
expressed great faith in the power of the common people. The discourse first
excited the whole audience, then enthralled and terrified them and eventually
thrilled them. He criticised the Hindu view of life. They believed in
non-violence [ahimsa paramo dharma]. They would do no wrong to others. They
thought that the oppressor would get the punishment of his evil deeds in the
next world. Instead of self-help and resistance they practised patience,
non-violence and renunciation. For want of organization the Hindus could not
resist the onslaught of the invaders and government who called Hindus sparrows
and themselves hawks, meaning thereby that they could cut up Hindus as a hawk
mutilated sparrows.
The Guru explained that in order to safeguard their spiritual and temporal
rights the people should not depend on fate. They ought to entrust this duty to
themselves. They should individually feel any national wrong done, and
collectively organise means to resist it.
In his ecstasy the Guru sang the praises of the
sword. "God subdues enemies, so does sword, therefore Sword is God, and God
is the sword”. Addressing the Sword he said:
"I
bow with love and devotion to holy sword.
assist me that I may complete this work.
Thou art the subduer of countries.
Destroyer of the armies of the wicked in the battlefield.
Thou greatly adornest the brave.
Thine arm is infrangible,
Thy brightness is refulgent,
Thy radiance and splendour dazzle like the sun.
I bow to sword, spotless, fearless and unbreakable.
I bow to the Sword and Rapier which destroy the evil.
In this kal age and at all times there is great confidence in the
powerful arm of the Sword....
The demons who could not be drowned in the sea,
and who could not be burng by fiery arrows,
on beholding thy flash, O Sword, cast aside shame and fled...
Thy greatness is endless and boundless;
No one hath found its limits.
Thou art God of gods, King of Kings,
Compassionate to the poor, and cherisher of the lowly."
Addressing the fighting weapons the Guru said:
jite
shastar nam
Namaskar tam
jite astar bhen
Namaskar ten
Namaskrayan mor tiran tufang
Nomo khag, Adang Abhen Abhang,
Gadaen Grishtan namo saithiyan,
Jinhai tuliyan bir biyo na biyan.
[I
salute arrows and gun.
O Sword! you are powerful and relentless,
I salute thee. I salute the heavy
Gada and scimitar. Like them
no other hero is born.]
After his exciting oration, the Guru flashed his
sword and said that every great deed was preceded by equally great sacrifice.
The holy Sword would create a heroic nation after supreme sacrifice. He said
that Dharam thirsted for sacrficial blood. The Guru demanded a devotee in whose
heart he would plunge his sword. This sent a thrill of horror in the audience.
He repeated it in a sterner and more sonorous voice. All were terror-stricken
and there was no response at the first and second call. At the third call, Daya
ram, a Khatri of village Dalla in District Lahore, rose in his seat and
expressed willingness to lay down his life. He was led into an adjoining tent
and asked to sit there quietly. He dipped his sword blade into vessel full of
goats blood. The general belief is that Guru had tied five goats, and he killed
them one by one with a single stroke. This assertion does not appear to be
plausible. At the first killing the goats would have bleated loudly which could
have been easily heard in the open ground where Guru was conducting the meeting.
He came back with dripping sword, and asked for another head, one by one Guru
stopped at Five. He then ordered the curtain separating the tent from the canopy
to be removed. All were wonder struck to see the five men standing hale and
hearty. The whole area rang with loud applause and thunderous clap of hands.
All the five men were robed in similar new dresses and garlanded and then
brought into the assemble. They were as follows.
1. Daya Ram, a Khatri of Village Dalla in Lahore.
2. Dharam Das, a Jat of village Jatwara in distt. Saharanpur.
3. Sahib Chand 'nai or barber' of village Nangal Shahidan, Hoshiarpur.
4. Himmat Chand 'Kahar or water carrier' of village Sangatpura, Patiala.
5. Mohkam Chand 'Chhimba' of Buriya village in Ambala.
The Guru said that the five beloved ones were his
sons. Individually each was called a Singh and collectively they were given the
name of Khalsa. Thus, Khalsa was born.
Guru Govind Singh provided with his followers with
the 5 K’s. Kesh-long hair, Kangha-comb, Kirpan-sword, Kara-steel bracelet,
Kachcha-knickers. Long hair and turbans were supposed to protect their faces and
heads from sword cuts and lathi blows. The Kada was a reminder that a Sikh
spirit was strong and unbending. The Kacha was more suitable for fighting the
Mughals than the Dhotis and loose trousers of Muslims. Their salutation was to
be Wah-e-Guru ji ka Khalsa, Wah-e-Guru ji ki Fateh. It means the Khalsa is Thy
Own, O Lord, and so is the Victory.
After
relentlessly fighting the Mughals for years, the Guru moved to Nander. Here he
was stabbed by two pathan boys. Following the practice of Hindu saints, who at
the divine call would set in a samadhi and expire, the Guru had prepared a
funeral pyre for himself. He calmly walked into it and that was the end of an
illustrious man who valiantly fought against the Mughals.
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