Dr Mandeep, S.Azad and Dr Manmeet Motan
To give one’s life for a cause is a difficult and highly challenging undertaking. Many in past human history have given their lives for their own personal reason; however, what is astonishing in the case of the ninth Sikh Guru is the fact that the Guru was not protecting the right of his “own people” called the sikhs to practice their religion but instead the rights of the non-Sikhs, the peace-loving people from Kashmir Pandits.In 1675, some prominent Brahmins (the highest caste Hindus) sought Guru Tegh Bahadur’s help. The Mughal emperor was forcibly converting them to Islam under the threat of torturous death. Even though the Guru followed a different faith than Hinduism, he believed in everyone’s right to practice one’s own religion freely, a core principle of his Sikh faith. The same principle is now being followed in Indian constitution ie Right to religion.The Guru advised the Brahmins to tell the emperor that they would embrace Islam if the Guru did so. He also encouraged people of all faiths to stand up to oppression and practice their faiths freely without fear. One of the Guru’s hymns says: Neither frighten anyone, nor be frightened (translated from Siri Guru Granth Sahib).
The commitment by the sikh guru to protect and support the liberty of all the people of a country was unprecedented. This type of supreme sacrifice had never previously been recorded in human history. On May 25, 1675 in answer to an appeal of a large group of revered Kashmiri Pandits, Guru Tegh Bahadur made the momentous decision that has forever changed the level of moral commitment, dedication and sacrifice required by followers of God. The Guru made this critical decision to risk laying down his life if necessary to protect the right of the Hindus to follow their religion freely without interference or duress.
Resolved to court execution and ransom justice, Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji set out from Anandpur. Orders for his arrest were issued by Aura?gzeb as soon as he received reports of his declared intention. Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji departed from Chakk Nanaki (Anandpur) on 11 July 1675. He had on 8 July 1675 nominated his son Gobind Das as his spiritual successor and conferred on him the marks of Guru ship. On 12 July he along with his Sikhs was taken into custody by Nor Muhammad Khan of the Ropa? police post at the village of Malikpur Ra?gh?a?, in Ghanaul parganah and sent to Sirhind the following day. The faujdar of Sirhind, Dilawar Khan, ordered him to be detained at Bass Pa?han and reported the news to the Emperor. For over three months he was kept in jail and given the harshest treatment. He was then cast in an iron cage and taken to Delhi, where he arrived on 4 November 1675. He was put in chains and ordered to be tortured until he would accept Islam. But neither physical chastisement nor any worldly allurement could have any effect on him. When he could not be persuaded to abandon his religious faith, he was asked to perform some miracle to prove the divinity of his mission. This also he declined, saying that it was never right for any one to try to intervene in the Will of God. Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji was beheaded in public in Chandni Chowk, in Delhi, on 11 November 1675. The mutilated body was left in Chandni Chowk unattended, and none dared claim it for fear of Mughal reprisal. At Nightfall, Luba?a, helped by his son and others, placed the headless trunk in a cart and carried it off to his home. Since open cremation would not have been possible, the Luba?a Sikh set fire to his house, burning with it the body of the martyred Guru. The spot is now the site of Gurdwara Rikabgañj.The severed head was lifted by Bhai Jaita ji who secretly carried it to Anandpur where Guru Gobind Si?gh Singh Ji performed the obsequies with dignity and reverence on 16 November 1675. Lakkhi Shah and other Sikhs arrived from Delhi with the sacred remains. “Hail ! Guru Tegh Bahadur, Dharam di Chadar (i.e. the protector of dharma), “proclaimed the sa?gat, as the full sequence of the events in Delhi unfolded itself.
Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom was particularly meaningful as it reflected two important principles of the Sikh faith. The first is to stand up for not only one’s own but also others’ religious practices, even when one does not agree with those practices. The Gurus believed in One Universal ‘God and in equality of all human beings. They did not believe in the caste system or in idol worship. They also raised their voice against many prevalent Hindu practices such as Sati (a wife immolating herself on her husband’s pyre). Also, for the Gurus, the spiritual journey was the journey of the surat (consciousness) and not that of the body (e.g., involving bodily ablutions and other such actions). Even though such differences existed, and the Guru did not believe in many of the Hindu principles and practices, he sacrificed his life for the right of Hindus to practice them. This reflected the Guru’s principle of free exercise of religion for people of all faiths.
The other principle manifested in the Guru’s martyrdom is: “no one is an enemy, nor a stranger, I get along with all” (Siri Guru Granth Sahib). Most Mughal rulers, such as Jahangir, Aurangzeb, Zakria Khan, Yahiya Khan, Mir Manu, Ahmad Shah Abdali and others, had perpetrated brutal repression against Sikhs. At times, substantial official bounty on Sikhs’ heads had driven them into deep jungles. On several occasions, Hindu leaders, such as Chandu, Gangu, Sucha Nand, Lakhpat Rai, the Hill Rajas(kings from the hilly areas), and others who had the ear of the Mughal rulers, had provoked and often directly led unprecedented repression against Sikhs, their Gurus and the young children of a Guru. However, the Sikh principles were clear — that anyone needing help must be helped.Despite being attacked frequently by far better equipped and manned Mughal armies, Sikhs like Bhai Ghanaiya would help and nurse even those who had been wounded in attacking the Sikhs. When Ahmad Shah Abdali took away thousands of Hindu and Muslim girls as war trophies, the Sikhs got them liberated at a tremendous cost to their own lives. These sacrifices echoed the principles enshrined in the sacrifices made by Guru Tegh Bahadur, Guru Arjan, and countless other Sikhs..
On this Day, why would I feel thankful for the martyrdom of a spiritual lighthouse — a Guru? His sacrifice underlines one of the most fundamental principles of human existence: ensuring the right of everyone to breathe free.
This message is equally, if not more, important today, when hate among various segments of our society is tearing the very fabric of our society apart. Hateful acts of one segment of society beget even stronger hateful responses. This vicious cycle is permeating more and more aspects of our life — religion, race, class, national boundaries, political ideology, economic strains and many others. Unless the cycle of hate and vengeance is broken by love, compassion, and standing up for each other, our reasons to be thankful will be at stake.
So on this day of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji martyrdom we should keep in mind his teachings and his selfless sacrifice for humanity and must go one step further in interfaith tolerance and solidarity. Even if we do not agree with others way of religious life, we have to not only respect it, but also defend their freedom to practice it. We have much to be thankful for in our life. Not the least of which is the fact that we are born free. However, we can truly live free only when everyone enjoys the fundamental right to live free and to breathe free.
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