Tegh Bahadur – The mighty with the Sword; Guru Tegh Bahadur was given this name when he showed extraordinary valour in the fight against Mughals. A mighty warrior, an undisputed leader, a meditating ascetic, the epitome of sacrifice, the list of greatness of his being is endless. We know him as “Hind ki chadar”.
Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth guru of the Sikhi. A spiritual magnet, Guru Tegh Bahadur attracted followers in thousands wherever he traveled. In addition, his life was dedicated to service of others. His major contribution was towards protecting the tormented Kashmir Hindus when religious tortures on Kasmiri Hindus were touching inhuman levels. Guru Tegh Bahadur resisted persecution and conversion of Kashmiri Hindus. Back then Kashmir was a major centre of Hinduism and and religious bigot Aurangzeb wanted to converted all Kashmiris to Islam.
India was witnessing one of the darkest times during the reign of emperor Aurangzeb. He was a cruel man who killed his elder brother for the throne, tortured his own children and had starved his father to death. Guru Tegh Bahadur had become a socio-political challenge to the Muslim rule and Aurangzeb.The Sikh movement was rapidly growing in the rural Malwa region of Punjab, and the Guru was openly encouraging Sikhs to, “be fearless in their pursuit of just society: he who holds none in fear, nor is afraid of anyone, is acknowledged as a man of true wisdom”, a statement recorded in Adi Granth 1427, statement that still gives his followers strength to stand up against social injustice.
Guru Tegh Bahadur was summoned to Delhi by Aurangzeb on the pretext to talk, but when he arrived, he was offered, “to abandon his faith, and convert to Islam”. Guru Tegh Bahadur challenged Aurangzeb that before converting Kashmir Hindus he would have to convert Guru Tegh Bahadur first. He and his associates were arrested and were tortured for weeks to force them into conversion and eventually executed. Bhai Mati Das was sawed into pieces and Bhai Dayal Das was thrown into a cauldron of boiling water, while Guru Tegh Bahadur was held inside a cage to watch his colleagues suffer. The Guru himself was beheaded on 24 November 1675 before public in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. Owing to his grand sacrifice he was named “Hind ki Chadar” ;The protective cover of Hind.
The Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, was built on the spot where he was beheaded.
Gurdwara Sisganj Sahib in Punjab marks the site where in November 1675, the head of the martyred Guru Teg Bahadar which was brought by Bhai Jaita (renamed Bhai Jivan Singh according to Sikh rites) in defiance of the Mughal authority of Aurangzeb was cremated here.
The execution hardened the resolve of Sikhs against Muslim rule and the persecution. If the martyrdom of Guru Arjan had helped bring the Sikh Panth together, Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom helped to make the protection of human rights central to its Sikh identity.
The 9 year old son of Guru Tegh Bahadur became the 10th Guru of Sikh religion, we know him as the Great Guru Gobind Singh; another spiritual master and a valiant hero who further organised Sikh community against religious injustice.
Today marks his martyrdom day. Kashmiris and Indians will forever remain indebted to Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur for his ultimate sacrifice. Let us remember his messages of courage and compassion. May his teachings guide us all.
An Article for the Publication
By-Rajesh Pathak
311, D.K. Surabhi, Gomati Colony,
Nehru Nagar, Bhopal [M.P.]
Martyred for the cause of Dharma
(Guru Tegbahdur Martyred on 24th November)
When the atrocities on Kashmiri Hindus under the rule of Aurangzeb, the most rabidly truculent of Mughal kings, to force them to embrace Islam reached beyond tolerable limit they formed a delegation to be led by Shri Kriparamji and approached Guru Tegbahadur to tell them their woes. On hearing their heart rending tale of woes in the Sikha-Sabha of Anandpur, Guru Tegbahadur got to be dumbstruck, sinking into deep thought.
Seeing the condition of the father, his son drew near him and asked, ‘Why don’t you speak, father?’
‘Now you are young, and unaware of the hard realities’, said father, after a little pause; ‘Turks are perpetrating harrowing atrocities on the people everywhere’. ‘But, not one brave heart is there in sight to come forward to risk his life for their liberation from this hell’.
‘Why! – Who could be more able for this supreme sacred service than you, father?’ pleaded the son, Govindrai[ later to be popularly known as Guru Govind Singh, the last of the Sikh Gurus]
Hearing the things of his own heart from the son, Guru Tegbahadur decided to help the Kashmiri Hindus, telling the delegation, ‘You send the message to Aurangzeb that the ninth Guru consecrated on the seat of his holiness Guru Nanak Dev is your Dharma -Rakshak[the defender of Dharma]. First convert him into Islam then you would follow the suit.’
Kashmiri Hindus did the same, sending an emissary with the message of Guru to Aurangzeb. As was obvious, the content of message put insolent Aurangzeb on violent rage. It was a challenge to his lordship; so far he never encountered the audacity of such kind from anybody in his kingdom. Fuming Mughal king soon arrested Guru along with the other five Sikhs- Shri Matidas, Shri Gurudittji, shri Udaji, Shri Chimaji and Shri Dayalji. He laid the two options before them- choose either Islam or death. But, caring not the threat looming large on their lives, they rejected the offer of living in the alien’s religion. Consequently, first Guru’s followers were put to brutal death; and, then, Guru’s head was chopped off.
However, the martyrdom of Guru Tegbahadur and his devoted followers went not in vain. It proved instrumental in transforming the very ethos of Sikh- philosophy. This tragic episode, and before it the martyrdom of their seventh Guru Arjundev in the hands of the then Mughal King Jhangir, made Sikhs well realize that the counting of the beads and muttering of mantras [hymns] though redeem them spiritually, but to survive in the mundane world especially in the prevailing situation being governed by barbaric mentality of intransigent Turks they would have to wield the arms in the hands. Thus, the sect which was peaceful and religiously devotional gradually assumed martial character, which found its peak with Khalsa panth initiated by Guru Govind Singh as he succeeded Guru Tegbahadur to the highest seat of Sikhism.