Remembering Guru Tegh Bahadur , also known as Hind-di-Chaadar (Protector of India) for protecting Hindus and Sikhs against forced conversion in the hands of Muslims under Aurangzeb, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਤੇਗ਼ ਬਹਾਦੁਰ) (Wednesday, April 18, 1621 - Wednesday, November 24, 1675) was the ninth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism, becoming Guru on Saturday, 16 April 1664 following in the footsteps of his grand-nephew, Guru Har Krishan. Before his epic challenge of Aurangzebs policy of forced religious conversion, the Guru Sahib had nominated his son, Gobind Rai as the 10th Guru of the Sikhs. A summary of the main highlights of Guru Tegh Bahadurs life: He built the city that his son would enlarge and rename Anandpur Sahib. He sacrificed his own life, facing down Emperor Aurangzeb on behalf of the Kashmiri Hindus, ending Aurangzebs threat to either convert to Islam or be executed.He contributed 115 hymns to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, all of them Sloks.His Saloks (Mahal 9) near the end of the Guru Granth Sahib are extremely popular. To protect their right to wear their caste-marks and sacred threads, Did he, in the dark age, perform the supreme sacrifice. - Guru Gobind Singh Guru Tegh Bahadurs execution turned the tide of history of the Sikhs and of Punjab. His son and successor Guru Gobind Singh reflected on the history of India as well as on the history of the Sikhs. Guru Nanak had described the rulers of his time as tigers and dogs. His great Grandfather, the fifth Guru, Arjan, was executed at Lahore. His grandfather Guru Hargobind, had been imprisoned in the Gwalior fort for twelve years. His father was beheaded simply because he happened to be the head of a religious body. There had been no change in the attitude of rulers as described by Guru Nanak even after two hundred years. After a most determined meditation on this state of affairs, the Guru came to the conclusion that if the king was bad, people must rise in revolt. The greatest need of the time was to create a national army. Such an army was to be based on social justice. There should be no discrimination in the name of caste, creed or colour. The unpaid, unequipped and untrained army was to be inspired by feelings of patriotism and nationalism. This objective was achieved by creation of Khalsa. Guru Gobind Singhs famous words; Chirian to mein baaz tudaun.Gidran to mein sher banaun.Sawa lakh se ek ladaun. Tabe Gobind Singh Naam kahaun. (It is when I make sparrows fight hawks and mould giddars into lions,when i make 1.25 lakh soldiers fight one that I am called Gobind Singh). The down trodden people who had lived for centuries under complete servility turned into doughty warriors. In the course of one hundred years they not only ended the foreign rule but also put a full stop for ever to the foreign invasions from the North-West.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 03:08:16 +0000
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