Inderjeet S. Bhatia “Prince”
Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the youngest son of Guru Ramdas ji (the 4th Guru of Sikhism) and Bibi Bhani ji, was born at Goindwal, Punjab, in1563. Guru Arjan Dev Ji was the embodiment of Godly devotion, selfless service and universal love. Guru Ji, throughout his life, kept serving others. He helped the poor, treated the sick and build hospitals for the people suffering from Leprosy Guru ji found ways to serve anyone in need.
According to historians, Amar Das ji, the 3rd Guru of the Sikhism and grandfather of Guru Arjan Dev ji,, was extremely fond of Arjan Dev, who as a child was always hovering around him. As predicted, when the time came for Guru Ramdas ji to retire, Arjan Dev Ji was ordained as the next Guru of Sikhism. However, Prithichand, the elder brother of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, did not accept him as his father’s successor After the passing away of Guru Ramdas ji, according to a custom prevalent among the Khatris of that time, when the Mohri invested Guru Arjan Dev Ji with the Turban, Prithichand objected to it vehemently. As the eldest son of Guru Ramdas ji, he maintained it was he who ought to have been offered the Turban. When Guru Arjan Dev Ji came to know about it, he lost no time in presenting the Turban to him Not only this, he also left Goindwal for his new township to avoid any further irritation.
Prithichand started intriguing and conspiring against Guru Arjan Dev Ji. However, Guru Arjan Dev Ji didn’t take much notice of his misdeeds and kept himself busy completing the holy tanks of Amritsar and Santokhsar. It so happened that Prithichand, the elder brother of Guru ji, started composing his own hymns. He was passing them on to the Sikhs visiting Amritsar as the composition of Guru Nanak Dev ji and of other Sikh Gurus Guru Arjan Dev Ji, on coming to know about it, was very much disturbed. If this act of Prithichand was allowed to continue, Guru ji feared, it would be undoing of the Sikhs faith. Guru ji, therefore, decided to take immediate steps to stop this confusion. Guru Arjan Dev Ji had a special camp set up by the side of Ramsar tank and started compiling what subsequently came to be known the “Adi Granth, the holy book. Guru ji, consistent with the traditions of the Sikh faith, had some the spiritual verses of other Indian saints…both, Hindus and Muslims, also collected and included in this compilation. Guru Arjan Dev ji himself contributed about 2218 hymns in this holy book which originally was called as the “Adi Granth.” and after some additions of more hymns by the 10th Sikh Guru, Shree Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji, this holy book came to be known “Guru Ramdas Sarovar Naatey, Sab Uttery Paap Kamaatey!!” (A dip in the tank of Guru Ramdas ji and all my sins are washed away!) Granth Sahib Ji “. (It may can be mentioned here that the popular Sikh prayers “Sukhmani Sahib Shabad Bani”, meaning prayers of peace was also composed by Guru Arjan Dev Ji.) The master copy of this compilation was prepared by Bhai Gurudas ji. The holy tank of Santokhsar was completed in 1588. Guru Arjan Dev Ji then devoted his entire attention to the completion of Amrit -“Sar, the tank of Nectar the midst of this holy tank, Guru Arjan Dev Ji had the foundation of Harmandir Sahib, (Also known as the Golden Temple) laid. To lay the foundation stone of Harmandir Sahib Ji, Guru ji invited Mian. Mir, a highly acclaimed Muslim divine from Lahore. By choosing a non Sikh,Guru ji gave a message of religious tolerance and respect for everyone.
With resources and dedication of the Sikhs, the construction of the holy tank and temple made rapid progress. When the holy tank of Amritsar was completed, with his characteristic humility, Guru Arjan Dev Ji gave the entire credit for it to Guru Ramdas ji He wrote: The master copy of holy book, as compiled by Bhai Gurudas ji,called the “Adi Granth “,was installed in the Golden Temple Amritsar on September 1,1604.Bhai Buddha ji was appointed as the 1st Granthi of Harmandir Sahib Ji who was made responsible for reading and interpreting the holy Granth Sahib Ji for the masses referred to as “SANGAT”. Prithichand, the eternal enemy of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, complained to then ruler Akbar, through his henchmen, that the said holy book, the Adi Granth, Sahib Ji, compiled by Guru Arjan Dev Ji, had derogatory remarks about Muslim and Hindu prophets. King Akbar ordered an Inspection of the holy book Guru Arjan Dev Ji sent a copy of the Adi Granth on a “Thali” (Dish) with the following message: “In this Thali, you will find 3 things, truth, peace and contemplation, in this too, the nectar of Naam, which is the support of all humanity. ” The Emperor Akbar, however, found nothing objectionable in the holy Granth Sahib Ji.
However, Akbar did not live long. After the death of Akbar, his son Jehangir became the ruler of India. Unlike his father, Jehangir was a fundamentalist Muslim obsessed with turning the country into an Islamic state.
He got concerned about the rapid increase in the growing popularity of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Many enemies of Guru ji poisoned the ears of Jehangir against Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Jehangir himself was jealous of Guru ji’ s propagation of Sikhism. Many baseless allegations were leveled against Guru Arjan Dev Ji. The elder brother of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, called Prithichand, too started conspiring against Guru ji’s compiled Adi Granth Sahib Ji .A new allegation leveled against Guru ji was helping rebellious Khusrau who was Jehangir ‘s son and preferred choice of Akbar to be the next ruler of India. Jehangir was given to drinking wine and taking Opium who his father found unfit to rule. But in the war of succession, Jehangir had won and Khusrau had to run for his life.
In his book titled “Tuzak- e- Jehangiri” Jehangir wrote, “Now when KKhusrau happened to pass along this road, Khusrau made a halt at his place. He (Guru Arjan Dev Ji) behaved to Khusrau in some special ways and he (Guru ji)made on Khusrau ‘s forehead, a finger mark in Saffron, which the Indians call a Tilak and is considered auspicious. When s came to my knowledge, I understood his folly. I clearly ordered to Murtaza Khan to arrest him and after confiscating his property,he should be put to death.” Jehangir summoned Guru Arjan Dev Ji to Lahore. When Guru Arjan Dev Ji received the summons, he knew what was in store for him. He called his son Hargobind ji and had him installed as 6th Guru of Sikhism. Guru ji instructed his son to take up the arms and resist tyranny. At Lahore, Guru ji was imprisoned and asked to delete all references to Islam Hinduism from the holy Granth Sahib Ji Guru ji told the emperor that the Adi Granth Sahib jin was a revelation in praise God. No one dare to alter them. Jehangir was enraged who, in a fit anger asked Murtaza Khan to torture Guru Arjan Dev Ji to death for his refusal to delete some hymns from the holy book. Guru ji was tortured at Lahore long days. He was made to sit on a red iron plate.
They poured burning boiling water and was given a dip in that hot boiling water as Jahangir’s army kept pouring hot boiling sand over Guru ji’s body. While being tortured, Guru Arjan Dev Ji remained calm and continued to recite Shabad Gurbaani The Shabad given below was repeatedly uttered Guru ji: On May 30th, 1606, Guru ji asked for a bath in the river Ravi by the side of the Mughal fort . Guru ji never came out of the river. Gurdwara Dera Sahib ji in Lahore, Pakistan, commemorates the place where Guru Arjan Dev Ji was tortured to death. According to historians, the execution of Guru Arjan Dev Ji was a part of the ongoing persecution of the Sikhs by the fundamentalist Islamic Mughal rulers who were alarmed at the growth of the Sikh faith. It is believed that before his execution, Guru Arjan Dev Ji instructed his son successor, Guru Hargobind ji to take up arms and resist tyranny. Guru Arjan Dev Ji ‘s execution led the Sikhs to become armed and pursue resistance to the persecution the Sikhs under the Mughal rulers. Guru ji’s martyrdom changed the entire course of the Sikhism which culminated in the establishment the Khalsa Panth under the guidance of 10th Sikh Guru, called Guru Gobind Singh ji.
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