Dr Mandeep Singh Azad
Today is Guru Arjan Dev Martyrdom day
The contribution of all the 10 Gurus in Sikhism is exceptional but fifth Guru made some unique contribution which is worth mentioning on his martyrdom day. At the time of Guru Arjan Dev, other religions taunted his followers by remarking “You have neither a holy book nor a center of pilgrimage (Shuma na ahli Kitab ast na ahli Makam)”. He gave us not only a center of pilgrimage, Harimandar Sahib, which is open to all and a unique holy scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib which has universal appeal. He also left us the tradition of selfless sacrifice for a noble cause. Guru Arjan Dev elevated the concept of martyrdom to new heights. He sacrificed his life knowingly and voluntarily for selfless and noble causes such as truth, righteousness, freedom of belief and resistance to tyranny. He did not attach any importance to his physical mortal existence or desire for any reward after death. He courageously stuck to his principle against heavy odds and unbearable tortures, and sacrificed his life, but did not bow to Jahangir’s unjust demands. Guru Arjan Dev proved his faith in his principle of ‘Sweet is Thy Will’ and accepted God’s will.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs, was the embodiment of Godly devotion, Selfless Service and Universal Love. He was the treasure of celestial knowledge and spiritual excellence. Although he ascended the throne of Guru Nanak at the age of 18, he was far more advanced in wisdom than normal for his years not to mention his angelic qualities.
The basics of the new religion had been defined by Baba Nanak, and the groundwork was carried out by three of his successors. Guru Arjan Dev Ji set upon a mission of putting it on a solid footing. As ordained by his predecessors, Guru Nanak through Guru Ram Das Ji, he took the task of the completion of the place where his father had constructed a clay tank of Nectar. In the true spirit of “I am neither Hindu, nor Muslim…” Guru Arjan Dev Ji invited Mian Mir, a Muslim Saint from Lahore to lay the cornerstone of the foundation of the Harmandar, the present Golden Temple. The doors on all four sides of the building signified its acceptance of all the four castes and every religion. Contrary to the requests of the congregation, the floor of the Harmandar Saheb was kept lower than the surrounding area; as the water flows downward so would the seekers of God’s blessings.
The preparation of the Holy Book is the most valuable achievement of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. With three things in his mind he initiated the compilation of the Holy Book, the present Guru Granth Sahib. Unfortunately the hymns and teachings of the first four Gurus were being added to and even distorted by impostors. Seeing such things going on Guru Arjan wanted to preserve these original treasures. Not only fixing the path of the efforts of his predecessors, but also bestowing, on the Panth, an ever-lasting guiding light that was to serve as both a physical and spiritual phenomenon. And most of all he wanted to establish the credibility of the Sikh religion as a casteless and secular society. Laced among the hymns of the earlier Nanaks he added his own compositions as well as, the celestial utterances of Sheikh Farid and Bhagat Kabir, Bhagat Ravi Das, Dhanna Namdev, Ramannand, Jai Dev, Trilochan, Beni, Pipa and Surdas. All of whom belong to different times, beliefs, sects, and castes from high and low.The poetic revelations of Guru Arjan are of the greatest aesthetic calibre. More than half of the Guru Granth Sahib is constituted of his own holy renderings.
The Guru had a well-organised central establishment which included the maintenance of a contingent of horses and elephants. He encouraged his followers to trade in horses from Central Asia. For his personal maintenance, the Guru also took up the trade. As such, the Sikhs became good horsemen and formed later the nucleus of military power. All these features were important developments because they were clear preparation for the military organisation that was to follow from the time of the Sixth Guru. It was in the lifetime of Guru Arjun that his son, Hargobind, started learning to wield the sword and hunting.
In 1598, the Guru interceded on behalf of the local peasantry with Emperor Akbar to get the excessive levy of land revenue reduced. These activities of the Guru gave him a new status. It was at this time that the Guru came to be called by the Sikhs as Sacha Patshah (True Emperor). The Guru had come to guide, govern and influence the lives of the Sikhs both in the temporal and the spiritual fields.
The system of contributing something for the common good was further extended and organized by the Guru. He made it absolutely compulsory for his Sikhs to abide by the institution of “Daswandh” which was introduced by Guru Ramdas. He laid it down that every Sikh should set aside at least one-tenth of his income for the national purposes.
This increase in popularity of Guru Arjan caused jealousy and grave concern among the strict and fundamentalist Muslims at the Mughal court in Delhi, who started being hostile towards the house of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. This great doubt, concern and wrong suspicion about the Guru in the minds of the Mughal leader was being flamed by the enemies of the house of Nanak. The Guru was imprisoned and excessively tortured. His body was exposed in the scorching heat of May-June sun. He was made to sit on the red-hot sand, and boiling hot water was poured on his naked body. On 30th May 1606, Guru Arjan enveloped his blistering body in the cool waves of the River Ravi and journeyed to his heavenly abode
While we celebrate his martyrdom every year by visiting Gurdwaras, having Akhand Paatths and taking out religious processions (Nagar Kirtans), but we are forgetting his teachings because we only bow to Shri Guru Granth Sahib ji and do not care to understand his teachings and rarely try to follow them.Understanding Gurbani and following its teachings is more important than any other method of celebrating the Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev. May Waheguru give us wisdom and strength to understand and apply his teachings to our daily life.
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