MALICIOUS ALLEGATION AGAINST GURU TEGH BAHADUR

Malicious and Ill-Founded Allegations Against

Tegh Bahadur Sahib

Who Was Embodiment of Many Noble Qualities

Dr Devinder Singh Sekhon, Canada

Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib He was born on April 1, 1621 at Amritsar with Bibi Nanaki as His mother, and Guru Hargobind Sahib as His father. They named him Tyag Mal. As a child, he was very quiet, would stay aloof, and would contemplate for long times (1). He was taught archery, swordsmanship, and horsemanship. He got married to Bibi Gujri on Feb 3, 1632.

The Mughal rulers forced two battles on Guru Hargobind Sahib while He was still in Amritsar. To avoid any possible disrespect or any damage to Harmandir Sahib due to any possible future wars, Guru Hargobind Sahib left Amritsar, and moved to Kartarpur, a town near Jalandhar in 1629-30. In 1634 Painday Khan[DS1] , a trusted disciple of Guru Hargobind Sahib whom Guru Sahib had raised and trained to be a great warrior, became an enemy of Guru Sahib due to his own follies. The ungrateful Painday Khan poisoned the ears of the Lahore and the Jalandhar governors against Guru Sahib, and incited them to attack Guru Sahib whose power they underestimated by a large factor (2). The battle was fought at Kartarpur when Guru Sahib was besieged from three sides by the enemy forces. Much to their surprise, Guru Sahib’s Sikhs fought with such valour and determination that both the army generals of Lahore and Jalandhar, and Painday Khan, who was very conceited and confident of his swordsmanship and his physical strength, were all killed in the battle, and their armies fled the battlefield. An important thing to note about this battle was that Sri Tyag Mal was only 13 years old when he too participated in the battle, and he displayed such amazing skills in fighting that even Guru Hargobind Sahib was highly impressed, and He named him Tegh Bahadur (great swordsman).

After the battle of Kartarpur, Guru Hargobind proceeded to deliver the divine Message of Guru Nanak Sahib in other parts of Punjab, and founded another town Kiratpur on the bank of River Sutlej, and settled there with the family. In 1940, Guru Hargobind Sahib began to groom Har Rai Ji, His grandson, and the younger son of his eldest son, Gurditta Ji, to replace Him as the seventh Guru. At that time, He advised Tyag Mal Ji (now Tegh Bahadur) to go back to Bakala (4) with his mother (Mata Nanaki) and his wife (Bibi Gujri), which was the paternal town of Mata Nanaki Ji. Tegh Bahadur Sahib spent the next 22 years there mostly in isolation meditating on Waheguru’s Naam and earning only enough to lead a simple life.

When Guru Har Krishan Sahib was about to leave for His heavenly abode in March 1964 because of an attack of smallpox which he contracted while looking after the people suffering from smallpox in Delhi, He decided to ordain Tegh Bahadur Ji, who was his Baba (grand uncle) and who was living in Bakala, as His successor. At that time Guru Har Krishan Ji, who was running a high fever, did not want to disclose the full identity of the new Guru for his protection, and simply told the Sikhs that the new Guru (Baba) was at Bakala.

Hearing the news, all the 22 claimants from the Sodhi clan (of Guru Har Gobind Sahib) descended on Bakala, and each proclaimed to be the next Guru. However, Dhir Mal, the elder grandson of Guru Har Gobind Sahib and the elder brother of Guru Har Rai Sahib, was the leading contender. There was quite confusion among the devotee Sikhs as to who was the real Guru. Tegh Bahadur Ji never laid any claim on Guruship, and remained aloof from all the hype. Even among the public, almost no one expected him to be the next Guru. It was a devotee Sikh, Makhan Shah Lubana, a trader from the Jhelum dist. (now in Pakistan), who identified Tegh Bahadur Sahib as the real Guru. It so happened that Makhan Shah, who traded with overseas countries, once had his ship full of merchandise, caught in a severe sea storm and was about to sink. At that time, he prayed to Guru Nanak to save the ship from sinking. When the ship was saved, and he landed safely on the shore, he decided to offer 500 gold coins to the Guru who occupied the throne of Guru Nanak at that time.

When Makhan Shah heard that the Guru was at Bakala, he went there but was surprised to learn that there was not just one, but rather 22 claimants to Guruship. He did not know whom to offer the promised gold coins. After thinking for sometime he decided to offer two gold coins to each, and thought that if there was a true Guru, he would ask me about my promise. So, he did the same; everybody was very happy to receive two gold coins, but he was dismayed not to find the “True Guru”. Finally, on asking people if there was some other possible claimant, someone told him that there was another Sodhi saintly person by the name Tegha (1) who could be a claimant even though he never seemed that way. Makhan Shah went to Tegh Bahadur Ji’s house, and like he did to other claimants, knelt before him and placed two gold coins at his feet. Tegh Bahadur Ji smiled, thanked him, but reminded him of his promise of offering 500 gold coins when Guru Nanak had saved his ship from sinking. Makhan Shah was delighted to find the real Guru. He gladly offered the remaining 498 gold coins to the “True Guru”, and was so overwhelmed with joy to identify the Guru that he went to the roof of the house and shouted at the top of his voice saying “I have found the True Guru; I have found the True Guru. When people heard that, they came there in droves, and the Sikhs, who were overjoyed at the news, placed their heads at Guru Sahib’s feet and offered Him many rich gifts.

When Dhir Mal heard this news that his hitherto unknown uncle had been identified as the Guru, and was shown so much reverence and was given rich gifts, he began to suffer in jealousy. He shared his pain with his masand Sheehaan, and sought his advice. Sheehan consoled Dhir Mal, and assured him that he would kill the new Guru, and loot his gifts. Most of the other claimants had left Bakala within a few days, but Dhir Mal waited for the right opportunity. Makhan Shah camped near Guru Sahib’s house, and kept a watch on Him so that nobody could cause any harm to the Guru.

One day, Sheehan found Guru Sahib alone, and fired a gunshot at Him. The bullet did hit Guru Sahib, but not seriously. Sheehan’s goons looted all the money including the 500 gold coins and all the rich gifts given to Guru Sahib by the Sikhs, and rushed to leave the Village. Dhir Mal also took the only copy of Guru Granth Sahib that he had in his possession, and fled the Village. Makhan Shah chased the fleeing party of Dhir Mal, and recovered all the loot. He also took possession of Guru Granth Sahib and brought everything back to Guru Sahib. Guru Sahib thanked Makhan Shah, but did not approve the forcible recovery of anything. He ordered him to return all the loot, and even Guru Granth Sahib to Dhir Mal. Makhan Shah obeyed to do. Such was the character of Guru Sahib. A few months later, a Sikh party led by Diwan Durgha Mul reached Bakala from Delhi in August 1664 and performed the ceremony to formally recognize Him as the Ninth Guru (3).

TEGH BAHADUR SAHIB AS THE GURU

Guru Sahib moved his family to Kiratpur where Guru Har Gobind Sahib had lived until He had left for His heavenly abode in 1644, and where the Seventh and the Eighth Guru Sahiban had resided. Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib did not feel welcome there, so He founded a new town which He named Chak Nanaki after His mother’s name, and for which He had bought the land for 500 Rupees (2,4). Guru Gobind Singh Ji later changed the name of the town to Anandpur Sahib.

GURU SAHIB’S TRAVELS

Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib decided to travel to the eastern parts of India. Also, there were drought-like conditions in south-eastern Punjab due to shortage of water. So, to help people in those parts of Punjab, and to travel further to the eastern parts of the country, Guru Sahib left on a long journey in 1665 taking Mata Gujri Ji and her brother, Kirpal Ji, with Him. A number of other prominent Sikhs accompanied Him. Travelling slowly and making frequent stops, Guru Sahib helped people to dig wells for water, and also helped the needy. He also preached strongly against the use of tobacco which had been introduced recently (2). After spending a few months in Punjab, Guru Sahib went to Mathura, Agra, Kanpur, and Allahabad (Prayag). After spending a few days at each place, Guru Sahib reached Patna in Bihar after making stops in Kashi (Banaras) and in Gaya. Sikhs gave Guru Sahib a rousing welcome at all these stops as they had already been visited by Guru Nanak Sahib, and holy gatherings had been established there. Mata Guri Ji was expecting a child, and it was difficult for her to travel further. After spending some time in Patna, Guru Sahib decided to continue His journey to Bengal and Assam. He left His family in Patna.

From Patna, Guru Sahib travelled to Mungher and then to Dhaka. It was at Dhaka that Guru

Sahib heard the news of the birth of His son, Gobind Rai Ji, on Dec. 26, 1666, who would succeed Him later as the Tenth Guru. It was a great news for Guru Sahib as His only child was born after 34 years after His marriage. But even though it was a great news for Guru Sahib, yet He did not return to Patna soon after. He continued His travels to enlighten people, and it was almost three years before He saw His son in Patna for the first time when He returned to Patna. Guru Sahib was still in Assam, when Raja Ram Singh, son of Rajah Jai Singh, reached there in 1667 with an army of about 4000 on the orders of Aurangzeb to overthrow the rule of Chakardhavajj, the rajah of Kamroop (a part of Assam). It was a very tough job for anyone to do. Before Rajah Ram Singh, a very brave general Mir Jumla, died in Assam while fighting against the ruler of the people of Kamroop who were known as Ahoies (1 &2).

Actually, conquering Kamroop was not the only objective of Aurangzeb; he wanted to punish Rajah Ram Singh for some reason. Ram Singh was very afraid, and was very reluctant to attack the ruler of Kamroop. But launching at attack was a must for him. He fought with the Ahoyies, but even after about two years of fighting, Ram Singh did not achieve any success. He knew that Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib was in Kamroop at that time, so he went to Guru Sahib and sought His help. Guru Sahib did not want to takes sides with either of the two, but with His convincing logic, He got the two parties to settle for an agreement by which each had to go back to their original positions. Everybody was very happy at Guru Sahib’s ability to strike a deal between the two parties. The deal was negotiated in early 1670 (2).

By this time, Guru Sahib heard the news that Aurangzeb was forcing Hindus to embrace Islam, and their temples were being demolished. Those who refused to convert were being killed. So, He rushed to leave Kamroop for Punjab. He did not spend long times visiting places on His journey back home, and reached Patna in a month or so. He visited His family there for a brief period of time and left for Punjab reaching Anandpur Sahib in 2-3 months towards the later part of 1670. Soon, He sent for His family too. He stayed at Anandpur Sahib for the next 3-4 years, and preached there and in the nearby areas. He also got His son Gobind Rai Ji trained in archery, swordsmanship, horsemanship and in many languages including Hindi, Sanskrit, Persian and of course, Punjabi.

In the meantime, news of forced conversion of Hindus everywhere continued to pour in from all the major centres of the country. Guru Ji was very concerned about those atrocities and kept thinking to stop them. The situation was particularly bad in Kashmir where highly educated Brahmans were living. The governor, Iftikhar Khan there was particularly overzealous and brutal^*. He used extreme force to convert the Brahmans into Islam; and mercilessly killed those who refused to do so. The Brahmans did not know what to do. No god or goddess came to their rescue. Guru Nanak Sahib had visited Kashmir and had earned the respect and faith of many Hindus and Muslims there. Guru Hargobind Sahib had also visited Kashmir not too long ago, and people there had known how He had vanquished the large Mughal armies in four different battles, as a result of which the Sikhs and the Hindus in Punjab had become fearless of the Mughals. Such news kindled a ray of hope among the Brahmans to approach the Ninth Guru at Anandpur for help. So, a group of about 500 Brahmans led by Kirpa Ram arrived in Anandpur towards the end of 1674, narrated their woeful tale of persecution by the Mughal rulers to Guru Sahib, and asked for protection from the forced conversion.

^*NOTE: Macauliffe has used the name Sher Afghan Khan for the governor.

Guru Sahib listened to their story of anguish very sympathetically, and began to think of the ways to help them. Even though Guru Sahib did not support most of the Hindu beliefs and rituals, He could not allow the freedom of religion to be trampled over by anyone. But He knew that someone will have to pay a very high price for such freedom. So, after some careful consideration, Guru Sahib assured them of His full help, and advised them to write to Aurangzeb that if he could convert Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib into Islam, all of them would follow Him.

When Aurangzeb heard the news a few months later in Hasan Abdal in northwest Punjab where he had gone to crush the movement of the local Pashtuns, he was delighted because it was much easier for him to convert a single person into Islam rather than millions who would convert as promised. Also, Aurangzeb was very concerned about the rising power and influence of the Sikhs in the country - especially in Punjab. So, it was a great opportunity for him to end the supremacy of the Sikhs in Punjab and to convert the whole country into Islam.

MARTYRDOM

Soon after the Kashmiris had left, Guru Sahib began preparations to go to Delhi on His own volition without waiting for the orders of His arrest from Aurangzeb. He knew very well that He would not come back alive. So, He appointed Gobind Rai Ji as the next Guru who was only about 8 years old at the time, and left Anandpur Sahib. A large number of Sikhs accompanied Him. He made many stops on the way where He was given a warm welcome everywhere He went. They offered Him rich gifts and cash which He used to help the needy and to dig wells where there was a shortage of water. A Muslim faqir Sayyad Saif Ali Khan of Saifabad near Patiala came to pay homage to Guru Sahib, and showed great reverence for Him. In the meantime, Aurangzeb had ordered a dispatch of some policemen to arrest Guru Sahib, but when the contingent reached Anandpur Sahib, they found that Guru Sahib had already left Anandpur Sahib, and He was proceeding to Delhi to court arrest with a large number of His devotees.

So, Aurangzeb ordered his secret service to keep an eye on Guru Sahib and keep him informed about all His activities. The devotees of Guru Sahib made it very difficult for Him to move quickly to Delhi because they requested Him to spend more time with them so that they could serve Him for the last time as He was certain to be killed soon by the officials of Aurangzeb. So, they delayed His Journey, and showered Him with rich gifts. It was then that the bigoted officials fed all the misinformation about Guru Sahib to Aurangzeb that He was looting the Hindus and the Sikhs, and a Muslim Sufi faqir, Hafiz Adam (who was a devotee of Guru Sahib) was looting the Muslims (2).

Stopping at many places, Guru Sahib finally reached Agra sometime in Oct 1675, where He got Himself arrested in a dramatic way to help a poor Muslim, Hasan Ali (2 and 1). Citing Sikh history writings, Prof Sahib Singh (2) writes that there was a prize of Rs 1000 announced by Aurangzeb to whoever got Guru Sahib arrested. Hasan Ali had prayed that he should somehow get the opportunity to get Guru Sahib arrested. So, that is why Guru Sahib dramatized His arrest through Hasan Ali. Guru Sahib was accompanied by five Sikhs at the time - Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das, Bhai Dyal Das, Bhai Gurditta and Bhai Jaita.

All six were arrested. All were asked to embrace Islam as the first condition to escape death, but none agreed to that. At that, Guru Sahib was placed in a cage which was not tall enough for Him to stand, and which had sharp knives on the sides with their sharp edges facing inward so that Guru Sahib could not even lean against its walls. Seeing that inhumane treatment of Guru Sahib, Bhai Mati Das strongly condemned the barbaric treatment. For that condemnation, Bhai Mati Das was sawed alive from head to the bottom. Bhai Dyal Das and Bhai Sati Das objected to that for which Bhai Dyal Das was put in a cauldron of boiling water, and Bhai Sat Das was burnt alive. However, the authorities let Bhai Gurditta free. On Nov 11, 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib was mercilessly beheaded at Chandni Chowk. Before beheading Him, Guru Sahib was asked by Aurangzeb to accept one of the following three conditions; embrace Islam; show some miracle; be ready to face death. Guru Sahib had already flatly refused to embrace Islam which He reiterated; and He refused to show any miracle because such a display of miracles was strictly prohibited in Sikhism; so, He gladly accepted to be put to death without any mercy.

The whole country was shocked to hear the news of the supreme sacrifice of Guru Sahib who laid down His life for the freedom of a religion in which He had no faith. The people were emboldened by Guru Sahib’s sacrifice, and were not afraid of death. As a result, further conversions were stopped, and Guru Sahib was honoured as the saviour of the prestige of the country with the slogan: Tegh Bahadur, Hind the Chaadar (shield; saviour of prestige).

Admiring the supreme sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, Britannica (5) writes: Guru Sahib was offered very rich life in case he accepted to embrace Islam, which He never did.

Similarly, listing the contributions of Guru Tegh Bahadur to the society, BBC (6) maintains: He taught liberation from attachment, fear and dependence (upon others). (He taught) that (moral) strength is gained through truth, worship, sacrifice, and knowledge. During Aurangzeb’s reign, Islam was imposed on the non-Muslims, and temples of Hindus were demolished, and taxes were levied on them.

Quoting from the Tarikh-e-Punjab, even Wikipedia (3), says that the famous Sufi Faqir, Bulleh Shah (Ghulam Muhiuddin Bulleh Shah) honours Guru Tegh Bahadur by labelling Him as the true Ghazi (who fights for one’s cherished principles).

LIBELOUS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST GURU SAHIB

According to Wikipedia (3), quoting some Persian historian like Ghulam Hussain, and Indian historians like Sohan Lal Suri, Prof Satish Chandra writes that the Guru was a bandit whose plunder and rapine of Punjab with his rebellious activities precipitated his execution. According to Chandra, Sohan Lal Suri writes that the Guru gained thousands of followers of soldiers and horsemen during his travels between 1672 and 1673 in southern Punjab, essentially having a nomadic army, and provided shelter to rebels who were resistant to Mughal representatives. Aurangzeb was warned about such activity as a cause of concern that could possibly lead to insurrection or rebellion and to eliminate the threat of the Guru at the earliest opportunity.

Bhim Sen (3) writes: successors of Guru Nanak maintained extravagant life style and some of them including Tegh Bahadur rebelled against the state. He proclaimed himself Padshah (king) and acquired a large following as a result, Aurangzeb had him executed. Muhammad Qasim's Ibratnama, written in 1723 claimed Tegh Bahadur's religious inclinations along with his life of splendor and conferral of sovereignty by his followers had him condemned and executed.^[

In his book “Medieval History of India” Dr Satish Chandra also writes that after His return from Assam, the Guru in association with one Hafiz Adam, a follower of Shiekh Ahmed Sirhandi, had resorted to plunder and rapine laying waste the whole province of the Punjab. He also refused to accept that there was any forcible conversion of Hindus in Kashmir.

In a nut shell, all these historians wanted to emphasize that the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur was political rather than religious (to protect the freedom of religion for everybody).

ABSURDITY OF SUCH ALLEGATIONS (external evidence)

Before we present evidence from the life of Guru Tegh Bahadur and the Sikh history to prove that not only are these allegations baseless, but they are purely biased and malicious, let us present the arguments of some other historians and writers proving the baseless nature of such allegations. Quoting a well-respected historian Dr Hari Ram Gupta from his book “History of the Sikhs”, Dr Maheep Singh (7) points out that Satish Chandra based his statements on the book of Ghulam Hussain which he wrote more than 100 years after the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Moreover, Hafiz Adam was banished by Shah Jahan in 1642-43, and he had died in 1643 in Mecca or Madina (much before even the accession of Tegh Bahadur Sahib as the Guru). (So, how can the assertions of Ghulam Hussain be trusted when there was already such a big lie in his writings).

Oxford Academic (8) points out that Ghulam Hussain’s account of events places Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib’s confinement and execution at Lahore, when in fact most historians agree that Guru Sahib’s execution took place in Delhi (where there are Gurdwaras in His memory). (So, if there is already an important and well-known contradiction in his writings, how can his other statements be believed?)

Kundra and Bawa (12) quote another well-respected historian, Indu Bhushan Banerjee who writes in his book “Evolution of the Khalsa Volume II” “This martyrdom proves that sacrifice was a holy tradition of the Gurus. 70 years before this incident, Guru Arjun Dev had sacrificed his life for religious reasons. Now, Guru Tegh Bahadur followed this tradition. Later on, the sacrifice of Guru Gobind Singh and his sons is unique in the channel of history. Guru Gobind Singh sacrificed his life, sons, wealth, property, and family, rather everything for the sake of his religion. -------- We may take it, therefore, that the Guru (Tegh Bahadur) fell a victim to a religious bigotry, and it is understandable why later Mohemmedan writers sought to cloud the issue by giving it a political colour.

Kundra and Bawa also quote Dr Narang who writes that His (Guru Tegh Bahadur’s) execution was universally regarded by the Hindus as a sacrifice for their faith. ------------

AURANGZEB’S RELIGIOUS POLICY

The views of those, including Dr Satish Chandra, who claimed that Aurangzeb was a secular ruler and there was no persecution of the minorities (mostly Hindus) during his rule, many historians strongly contradict those views. Some sources are quoted here.

Discussing the religious policy of Aurangzeb, UN Academy (9) writes; Aurangzeb established Islamic law. He is known for his strict and aggressive religious opinions and policies which had the pure aim of converting the entire Indian subcontinent into an Islamic nation/empire. His law had two aspects – support, promote, and expand Islamic community, and adopt anti-Hindu steps.

During Aurangzeb’s rule the major Hindu temples including the Vishwanath, Chintamani, Somnath, and many more were demolished. The special tax Jaziya was imposed on Hindus, and they were forced to convert into Islam. There are three letters that Aurangzeb wrote to his sons revealing his religious bias and which offer proof of his pro-Islamic conservative, and anti-Hindu nature. These letters, basically of his repentance of his sins are reproduced by Hansraj College (13).

Wikipedia (10) writes: He (Aurangzeb) successfully imposed “Fatwa-i-Alamgiri” as the principal regulatory body. He did employ more Hindus in his government than his predecessors, but encouraged them to embrace Islam. Aurangzeb was an orthodox Muslim ruler and endeavoured to make Islam a dominant force. He was a follower of the son of a Punjabi saint, Ahmad Sirhindi, and was inspired by him. The execution of Sufi mystic Sarmad Kashni and the ninth Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur bear testimony to his religious policy.

Study Smart (11) also blames Aurangzeb for his policy of intolerance for other faiths. It writes: Aurangzeb’s policy, marked by staunch advocacy for Islamic orthodoxy significantly changed the cultural and religious landscape of the 17th-century India. This Mughal Emperor sought to enforce Shia law, diminish the influence of the non-Muslim practices and instigate a comprehensive return to traditional Islamic values.

Hansraj College (13) has very similar views on the religious policy of Aurangzeb which writes, “It is generally believed that Aurangzeb was a fanatic Sunni Musalman. His chief aim was to convert Dar-ul-harb (India: the country of Kafirs or infidels) into Dar-ul-Islam (country of Islam). He was intolerant towards other faiths, especially Hindus. He was also against Shia Muslims.

Daulat Rai (15) too professes strongly that Aurangzeb converted countless Hindus into Islam by force.

So, in the light of so many writings against the religious policy of Aurangzeb, how can anyone claim that he was a secular ruler, and he did not force the conversion of Hindus into Islam. Unbiased historians like Hari Ram Gupta and Indu Bhushan Banerjee, and authors like Macauliffe, Prof Sahib Singh, and Dr Maheep Singh fully support the view that Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib voluntarily sacrificed His life to defend the freedom of religion for the Hindus.

INTERNAL EVIDENCE FOR GURU SAHIB’S MARTYRDOM FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Even in the absence of any strong evidence for the religious cause of Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur, there are more than sufficient proofs that it was in the character of Guru Tegh Bahadur to stay fully detached from Maya (worldly attachments), and to fight for the rights of others to the extent that He could lay down His life for a just cause. You must have read on pages 2 and 3 of this article that when Sheehan, the masand of Dhir Mal who was a strong claimant of Guruship at Bakala tried to kill Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib in 1664, and looted all His wealth, and Bhai Makhan Shah recovered all the plunder from the fleeing Dhir Mal, and brought the most valuable asset, the original Guru Granth Sahib from him back to Guru Sahib, and how Guru Sahib did not accept anything back, and asked Makhan Shah to return everything to Dhir Mal. You must also remember that Guru Sahib never lay any claim to Guruship after the physical demise of Guru Har Krishan Sahib; He, indeed did not even declare that He was a son of Guru Har Gobind Sahib. He was so detached from worldly attachments, that even though He was blessed with a son after 35 long years of His marriage, He did not rush to see His son whom He saw after more than 3 years. So, how can such a noble man who was fully detached from worldly comforts, become a bandit?

Freedom of fundamental human rights was one of the main objectives of Guru Nanak Sahib’s teachings. He never bowed to any ruler, person in authority or any gangster. He fearlessly condemned the unfair and unjust behaviour of people in authority. I will quote only one of His holy Shabads.

§ ਰਾਜੇ ਸੀਹ ਮੁਕਦਮ ਕੁਤੇ ਜਾਏ ਜਗਾਵਨਿ ਬੈਠੇ ਸੁਤੇ॥ ਚਾਕਰ ਨਹਿੰਦੇ ਪਾਵਨ ਘਾਉ ਰਤ ਪਿਤਿ ਕੁਤਿਓ ਚਟ ਜਾਉ॥

§ Rajeh sheenh mukaddam kuttay, jaayay jugaavun(i) baitthaiy suttay. Chaakar nehinday paavun ghaaou, rut pit(i) kuttiyo chut jaaou.

Meaning: (16): The rajahs are acting like lions and their officers are like dogs who raid people’s houses any time and awake them whether they are sleeping or resting. The assistants wound the people (plunder their wealth) and their assistants suck the rest of their blood and chew on the bones

Guru Nanak fought for the equality of all human beings vehemently. Following the footsteps of Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Angad Dev Ji, did not bow to Humayun, the king of India at the time, when the latter visited Guru Sahib for His blessings. Guru Arjun Sahib sacrificed His life defending the rights of freedom of religion.

Guru Hargobind Sahib, the sixth Sikh Guru fought four big battles against the Mughal rulers because of their oppression of the public, and He won all of them decisively; yet He did not acquire even an inch of anybody’s territory. Also, He never initiated any of those battles which were forced on Him, and He never attacked His enemy first. He gave the enemy the chance to attack Him first. Guru Har Rai Sahib maintained an army of 2200 men, but never attacked anyone and spent His life preaching peace and equality of all human beings. Each Guru was always ready to help the needy, and each completed many projects for public good. Also, each maintained a free kitchen for everyone without any distinction of colour, caste or creed. It is said that Guru Amar Dass Ji used all the groceries that the Sikhs brought for the free kitchen the same day, and never saved even a grain. This is the extent to which the Sikh Gurus were detached from worldly attractions.

So, peaceful living with self-esteem was in the nature of the Sikh Gurus. It is true that as the number of Sikhs grew the need for more income for the facilities to be provided to the public also grew, and the Sikhs began to contribute more and more. Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib spent most of His life as the Guru on travels. He left Anandpur within about a year of His Guruship (early1665) and traveled to Assam through the provinces of Punjab, UP, Bihar, and Bengal, and returned to Anandpur at the end of 1670. He stayed at Anandpur Sahib barely for 3 years, and left for Delhi again in 1674 to sacrifice His life for the freedom of religion of the Hindus. Why would a noble soul like Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, who was representing Guru Nanak Sahib, would indulge in anything like plundering people when He knew very well that He was going to embrace death!!!! He even arranged for His surrender to the authorities through a poor Muslim so that he could receive Rs 1000, the amount which the government had declared to give to the individual who would give information about Guru Sahib.

Guru Sahib’s Own Gurbani (holy writings)

Guru Sahib wrote 116 Shabads and Sloaks (Gurbani) which are enshrined in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. His Gurbani is totally against amassing any wealth and to have any attachment with worldly things, but does preach that one should live with dignity. We will give only a couple of Shabads to support the idea.

§ ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥ ਸਾਰੰਗ ਮਹਲਾ 9 (1232)॥ ਹਰਿ ਬਿਨੁ ਤੇਰੋ ਕੋ ਨ ਸਹਾਈ॥ ਕਾ ਕੀ ਮਾਤ ਪਿਤਾ ਸੁਤ ਬਨਿਤਾ ਕੋ ਕਾਹੂ ਕੋ ਭਾਈ॥ ਰਹਾਉ॥ ਧਨੁ ਧਰਨੀ ਅਰੁ ਸੰਪਤਿ ਸਗਰੀ ਜੋ ਮਾਨਿਓ ਅਪਨਾਈ॥ ਤਨ ਛੂਟੈ ਕਛੁ ਸੰਗਿ ਨ ਚਾਲੈ ਕਹਾ ਤਾਹਿ ਲਪਟਾਈ॥ ------

§ Sarang Mehla 9 (1427): Hur(i) bin(u) tayro ko na sahayi. Ka kee maat, pita, soot, bunita, ko kaahoo ko bhayi. Ruhaou. Dhun(u) dherni ur(u) sumput(i) sugree, jo maaniyo upnayi. Tun chhootaiy, kuchh(u) sung(i) na chaalaiy, kuhaa tahi(i) luptayi.

Meaning: (16): There is none other then Waheguru (God) who can help you, oh man. Who is your mother, father, sons (children), wife or brothers (no one is yours for ever)? Pause. All the wealth, the land, and the properties which you think are yours and with which you are clinging to, are left behind when the soul leaves the body, oh man.

§ ਸਲੋਕ ਮਹਲਾ 9 (1427)॥ ਭੈ ਕਾਹੂ ਕੋ ਦੇਤਿ ਨਹ ਨਹ ਭੈ ਮਾਨਤ ਆਨਿ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੁਨਿ ਰੇ ਮਨਾ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਤਾਹੇ ਬਖਾਨਿ॥

§ Sloak Mehla 9 (1427): Bhaiy kaahi ko dayt neh, neh bhaiy maanut aan(i). Kuhhou Nanak soon(i) re mana, Giyani taahay bukhaan(i).

Meaning (16): A man who does not show his muscle power to intimidate others, and does not yield to the force of others, is truly an enlightened person, oh Nanak.

So, a great man like Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib who lived a detached life, and who preached such reality throughout His life, can even be thought to be a bandit especially when He was on His way to lay down His life and never to come back.

It is important to note that Guru Gobind Singh, Guru Sahib’s son and the tenth Guru, had to fight many battles which were forced on Him, and He won all of them in which He took direct part, but did not annex even a single inch of the territory of the losing party. Like His grandfather Guru Hargobind Sahib, He never attacked any one first. In fact, He had ordered His Sikhs to treat the wounded enemy in the battle field the same way as the wounded Sikhs. Such was the character of the successors of Guru Nanak. His two elder sons – Ajit Singh Ji (age 17 years) and Jujhar Singh Ji (age 14 years) laid down their lives valiantly in the battle field, and His two younger sons, Zorawar Singh Ji and Fateh Singh Ji aged 8 and 6 years (14) and 9 and 7 years (15)^* were bricked alive in a wall by the governor of Sirhind Wazir Khan, after his failed best efforts over three days to convert them into Islam. During that period of three days, He used the carrot and the stick treatment to coax the young boys to convert. First Wazir Khan told them that if they embraced Islam they will be married into the royal family and given very high positions in the government and all luxuries in life; but when they strongly turned down his offer saying that like their grandfather, Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, they would die but never accept Islam; he threatened them to kill mercilessly and kept them hungry and thirsty in an open verandah on the top floor of a tower. But the young children were neither afraid of death nor were they won over by the luxurious offers of marriage and riches. So, finally, the young children were bricked (entombed) alive in a wall. If this attempt on the part of Wazir Khan to convert the young children into Islam by any means was not a forced conversion, then what was that?

Had they heard anything bad about their grandfather, Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, would they have had the courage to embrace merciless death like that, and the moral strength to resist the temptations of the high government positions and marriages in the Royal family?

Also, if Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib was of that bad character, and was a rebel against the emperor, why did Aurangzeb allow His son, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, to continue as the next Guru of the Sikhs and solidify His power as an army commander who had fought many battles against the regional governments and defeated them. From all the above facts, it becomes perfectly clear, that all the malicious allegation against Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib were purely fabricated and were a work of bigotry and jealousy.

^*NOTE: The disagreement seems to have resulted from the date on which Guru Gobind Singh Ji left Anandpur Sahib under the treaty. Some historians wrote the date as Dec 1704, but now the historians agree that it was Dec 1705, which will increase the ages by one year.