Inderjeet S. Bhatia “Prince”
Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji, the 9th of the ten Gurus of Sikhism was born on 1st April 1621 at Amritsar in the house 6th Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind Sahib ji and Guru Mata Nanki ji. Born as Tyag Mal,Guru ji was the youngest of the five sons of Guru Hargobind Sahib ji. Guru ji became 9th Sikh Guru in 1664.The hymns composed by Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji were included in Adi Guru Granth Sahib Ji (originally compiled by Guru, Arjan Dev Ji in 1604) by his son and 10th Sikh Guru, Shree Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji at Talwandi Sabo (Damdama Sahib)The total number of hymns (Shabad Gurbaani) composed by Guru Tegh Bahadur ji and included in Adi Granth Sahib Ji is 115 in Fifteen ragas.
Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, whose original name was Tyag Mal Ji, spent his early childhood in Amritsar. Guru Ji learnt Gurmukhi, Sanskrit, Hindi and Indian religious philosophy from Bhai Gurdas ji and archery and horsemanship from Baba Budha ji.Guru ji’s father, Guru Hargobind Sahib ji, the master of Miri and Piri, taught him swordsmanship. Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, thus trained as a warrior, participated in most of the battles fought by his father, Guru Hargobind Sahib ji. As a matter of fact, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji asked his father to accompany him into the battle for the 1st time at an age of about 14 years old, when their village was attacked by Painde Khan and the Mughal army at the behest of Shah Jahan. During the battle, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji had bashed in to the enemies with abandon, slashing his sword right and left.
After the battle of Kartarpur was won, the victorious Sikhs returning home, honoured their new hero with a new warrior’s name. And so, Tyag Mal ji was renamed as Tegh Bahadur ji, (Tegh meaning the best weilder of sword and Bahadur meaning brave).
Guru Tegh Bahadur ji was married to Mata Gujri ji in at Kartarpur on 3rd February 1632.The young Guru ji soon started showing a bent in the directions of earlier Sikh Gurus. In 1640, Guru ji moved to their ancestral village of Bakala along with his wife and parents on the call of his father Guru Hargobind Sahib ji, who was not keeping good health. After the demise of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji stayed and meditated in the village Bakala for about next 20 years (1644-1664). Guru ji lived a strict and holy life spending most of his time in meditation. Yet, Guru ji was not a recluse and attended his family responsibilities quite well.
After Guru Hargobind Sahib ji left for his heavenly abode, the responsibility of guiding Sikh faith fell on the shoulders of Guru Har Rai ji,the 7th master of Sikhism, who was the grandson of Guru Hargobind Sahib ji. Guru Harkrishan Sahib ji ,also called as “Baal Guru “, was chosen to be the 8th Sikh Guru when he was only 5 years of age. In the year of 1664 , Delhi came under the dangerous grip of small pox.Guru Harkrishan Sahib ji contracted this deadly disease while serving the patients of small pox on the outskirts of Delhi .Guru Harkrishan ji succumbed to small pox on March 30,1664. Gurudwara Bangla Sahib stands at the place where Guru Harkrishan Sahib ji stayed to serve the people suffering from small pox. Guru Harkrishan Sahib ji, before leaving for his heavenly abode, indicated that his successor would be found in the village Bakala in Punjab. The delegation of Sikhs visited the village but were surprised to find about 22 members of Sodhi dynasty styling themselves as the 9th Guru of Sikhism.
There is myth as how Guru Tegh Bahadur ji was selected as the 9th Sikh Guru. Baba Makhan Shah Lobana, a wealthy Sikh trader had once got trapped in a wild sea storm. At that time, he prayed for his well being and promised to donate 500 gold coins to the Sikh Guru in case he survived. Astonishingly, the storm subsided and Makhan Shah Lobana reached home safe and sound. He, then too went out in search of the 9th Sikh Guru and reached Bakala. Moving from one Guru to another, he started paying two gold coins to each of them after paying his obeisance believing that the real Guru would be knowing of his silent promise.
Bhai Makhan Shah Lobana was thus offering only 2 gold coins to each self styled Guru at village Bakala and leaving the place without any objections. However, when he offered 2 gold coins to Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, Guru ji blessed him but remarked that his offering was considerably too short of the promised 500 gold coins. Bhai Makhan Shah Lobana was overjoyed on hearing this from Guru ji. He went upstairs on the rooftop screaming, “Guru Ladho Re, Guru Ladho Re,”(The true Guru has been found) On 16th April, 1654, a Sikh Sangat (delegation) led by Diwan Manga Ram arrived at village Bakala and appointed Guru Tegh Bahadur ji as the 9th Guru of Sikhism. A formal Tikka ceremony was also performed conferring Guruship on Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji.
To spread the message of universal brotherhood, Guru ji travelled extensively through the Indian Sub continent, setting up new preaching centres on his way. Guru ji founded the town of Chak Nanki, later enlarged and developed in to the present day holy city of Anandpur Sahib.
In August 1675, a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits called on Guru Tegh Bahadur ji. They were seeking Guru ji’s intercession against the forced conversation of Kashmiri Pandits to Islam on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Famous historian, P N K Bamzi in his book ,”A History of Kashmir, “wrote as under:
“Iftikhar Khan, on the orders of Aurangzeb, was using force to convert Kashmiri Pandits to Islam. ”
It is said that Aurangzeb, being clever, decided if he could convert the revered Kashmiri Brahmin Pandits of Kashmir to Islam, thousands of their followers will also convert to Islam. Threatened with conversation or death, the Kashmiri Pandits overcome by panic, came in the form of a delegation to Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji seeking his help.Hearing the serious nature of conversation, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji’s 9 year old son, Gobind Rai ji, asked his father what the problem was .Guru ji told his son about Kashmiri Pandit’s dilemma and said that it would take a holy man to literally laying down his life to intercede, but the question is who would be such a man?.The young Gobind Rai responded ,”Who would be better than you to defend these Kashmiri Pandits. “Guru Tegh Bahadur ji smiled and decided to stand up for the right of freedom of Hindu Dharma. Guru ji told the henchmen of Aurangzeb that if he could convert their Guru, the Kashmiri Pandits would gladly convert to Islam too.
Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji, in order to confront the persecution of the Kashmiri Pandits by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, left for Delhi. Three of Guru ji’s colleagues namely Bhai Mati Dass ji, Bhai Sati Dass ji and Bhai Dayala ji also accompanied Guru ji up to Delhi. All of them were stopped at Ropar and were taken as prisoners to Sir hind. Four months later, in November 1675 ,they were taken to Delhi and were presented in the court of Aurangzeb. The Emperor asked Guru ji to perform some miracle to prove his nearness to God or embrace Islam to save his life. Guru ji refused both these options. The Emperor, in a bid to frighten Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, ordered that Guru ji’s colleagues be tortured to death.Bhai Mati Dass ji was sawn to pieces, Bhai Sati Dass ji was burnt alive and Bhai Dayala ji was thrown in a cauldron of boiling water. Thereafter ,Guru Tegh Bahadur ji attained the Supreme martyrdom to protect the religious freedom of the Hindus under the cruel reign of Aurangzeb .Guru ji was publicly executed via beheading on 24th, November 1675,for supporting Hindus’s religious freedom and resisting their forced conversation to Islam. The martyr day of Guru, called as “Shaheedi Gurupurav ” is observed on 24th of November every year .Today, Gurudwara Shree Sisganj Sahib and Gurudwara Shree Rakabganj Sahib stands on the sites of beheading and cremation of Guru Tegh Bahadur body.
On the Supreme sacrifice of his father to champion the fundamental human rights for all, his son, the 10 Nanak, Shree Guru Gobind Singh Ji wrote as under:
“Thheekar forh dilees sir,
Prabhpur kiya Payaan
Tegh Bahadur see kirya,Karee Na kinahoo Aan,
Tegh Bahadur ke chalat,
Bhyo Jagat Ko Sog,
Hai Hai Sab Jag Bhayo,
Jai Jai Sur Lok!”
(” Casting off his bodily vesture on the head of Suzerain of Delhi; Tegh Bahadur ji departed to the realm of God. None who came in to this world performed such glorious deeds as him. On his departure, there was dismay in the world. This world cried “Alas!, Alas!” The heavens rang with greetings of victory!”)
Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji was a poet, thinker and a warrior who carried forward the light of divinity and sanctity of Guru Nanak Dev ji and subsequent Sikh Gurus. Guru ji’s spiritual writings detailing various themes such as nature of God, worldly attachments, body, mind, pain joy and sorrows, divinity, service, death and deliverance are registered in the form of 115 poetic hymns in the sacred scripture, the holy Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
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