Inder Jeet S. Prince
Guru Hargobind Ji, the 6th Nanak was born at a place called Wadali in 1595. His father, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the 5th Guru of Sikhism, was tortured to death at Lahore on May 30, 1606 on the orders of King Jehangir who had issued such orders mainly on the instigation of Chandu Shah.
Before making his supreme sacrifice, Guru Arjan Dev Ji had his son Hargobind installed as the 6th Guru in presence of prominent sikhs.
Guru Arjan Dev’s martyrdom precipitated the issues. It gave a new complexion to the shape of things in the Punjab and the Sikh polity. While Guru Arjan’s non violence and the way he made the supreme sacrifice reflects the best in Guru Nanak, the training he gave to his son Hargobind was a sign post of the long drawn out conflict that followed culminating in a momentous turbulence during Guru Gobind’s life and times.
It is said that the last message that Guru Arjan Devi Ji sent to his son Hargobind was to arm himself fully and prepare for the struggle ahead which was to be a long drawn-out war against tyranny.
The news of martyrdom of Guru Arjan Devi Ji, steeled the heart of Guru Hargobind Ji who had succeeded his father as the 6th Guru.
It is said that when Bhai Budha Ji, the grand old man of the sikh brotherhood, brought him ‘Seli’ the sacred headgear of renunciation the Guru Nanak wore and had bequeathed to his successors one after another, Guru Hargobind Ji put it aside respectfully and asked for a sword instead. Bhai Budha Ji, who had never handled a sword brought out one and put it on the wrong side, Guru Ji noticed it and asked for another. ‘‘I’ll wear two swords, ” said the Guru, “a sword of ‘Shakti, (power) and a sword of ‘Bhakti’ (meditation).
Guru Hargobind Ji, combined in him ‘piri’ (renunciation) and ‘miri’ (royalty). Henceforth the Guru’s sikhs were to carry arms and ride horses. It give birth to a new concept of the soldier saint.
Sikhs were asked to wield arms and live an active life. They wouldn’t frighten anyone nor were they afraid of anybody. They reared horses, rode on them and racing and hunting became their pastimes. The heroic youth joined him in large numbers irrespective of caste and creed. The sikhs all over presented the Guru with the best horses and finest weapons as there offerings. The Guru built forts and battlements, donned a royal airgrette and was known as “Sacha-Padshah”-the true king!
The Guru rose long before the day dawned and after his bath in the holy tank, went in to meditation. He joined his Sikhs for prayers both in the morning and in the evening. The rest of the day was devoted to parades and manovers, horses races and hunting. Bidhi Chand, Pirana, Paira and Langha were some of his sardars with a contingent of a hundred horsemen each under them. The Guru sat on a throne and received visitors and offerings like any other ruler.
All this was duly reported to the king by Chandu Shah, a banker of Delhi, who had some personnel enmity against Guru Ji. He was always poisoning the King’s ears against Guru Hargobind at last, the king (Jehangir) decided to summon Guru Ji to Delhi inspite of his courtiers advising him to the contrary.
It is said that the moment Jehangir saw Guru Hargobind, he was completely won over by his youthful charm and holiness. Among other questions, the king asked the Guru which religion was better-Hinduism or Islam? In his reply, the Guru Ji quoted Kabir:
“God first created light
All men are born out of it. The whole world cam out of a single spark;
Who is good and who is bad?
The creator is in the creation and the creation in the creator.
He is everywhere.
The clay is the same,
The potter fashions various models.
The King was deeply impressed. He had been told that the Guru was a great lover of sports. He invited Guru Ji to accompany him on a tiger hunt. Guru Ji accepted the invitation gladly. It so happened during the chase that the king was attacked by a ferocious tiger. The sportsmen accompanying the royal party lost their never, and their horses and elephants panicked. The bullets and arrows shot at the tiger missed the target and for a moments it appeared that the tiger was going to pounce upon the monarch. At this, Guru Hargobind rushed his horse and pulling out his sword, he engaged the tiger single-handed. The next moment the tiger lay slain on the ground. The king was full of gratitude.
Chandu Shah was extremely unhappy with this turn of events once king fell seriously ill. The court physicians tried their best but could not cure him. At this stage, Chandu Shah conspired with King’s astrologer who told the king that he can be cured of his illness only if some holy man went to Gwalior fort and offered continuous prayers to the deity there. And who could be holier than Guru Hargobind Ji, Guru Ji who was aware of Chandu’s in trigue agreed to the proposal and left for Gwalior fort where 52 princes of hilly states were imprisoned. Guru Ji had their living conditions improved. And when the time came to leave Gwalior fort, Guru Ji refused to leave the fort unless those 52 princes were set free with him, Jehangir had no alternative but to agree.
As a result of this episode, Guru Ji came to be known as “Bandi-Chhore”-The saviour of prisoners.
After the death of Jehangir the relations of the king Shah Jahan and Guru ji soured. The army of Governor of Lahore attacked Guru four times in addition to the forces of Faujdar of Jullundhar, engaged the Guru’s people in a scuffle. Every time the Mughal attack was repulsed by the disciples of the Guru. The plans of the Mughal ruler to kill the Guru and destroy Sikh faith misfired. The Mughals lost their prestige as invincible soldiers, the Sikhs became more confident of their ability to protect themselves sikhism became more popular to more people.
Guru Hargobind Ji established a new centre at the foot hills of Himalayas called Kiratpur. Before dying, Guru Ji nominated his grandson, Guru Har Rai Ji as his successor in 1645.
Guru Hargobind’s greatest contribution is that he gave a new turn to the sikh way of life. He turned saints into soldiers and yet remained a man of God. According to Guru Ji, non-violence is cowardice if it is resorted to out of fear or helplessness. It is the brave and heroic who can be non violent. And when all other means are exhausted, there is always justification to resort to arms.
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