Supreme Sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur For Hindu Dharma

(Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, was beheaded under orders of the then Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb on November 11 1675, in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, at the spot where Gurudwara Sisganj stands now The Guru, as recorded in various historical accounts of the time by many Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, was punished by the Emperor for trying to plead the case of non-Muslims, Brahmins particularly aganist coercion to convert to Islam. The following write-up provides a glimpse of events leading to the great tragedy Editor)

If God wishes that there should be only one "I no body would be born a non-Muslim. If he wanted that only Hinduism should exist then in that case only Hindus would be there That is not the case You are violating the orders of the Almighty and as a consequence you shall rot in Hell You punish those who disobey you. You shall surely be punished by God. Can you ask your eyes to do the job of your ears, or ask the nose to perform the work of your mouth? If you can do that, convert the Hindus to Islam. Why should we renounce the divine path and accept man made religion and pave our way to Hell?"

That is what the Guru told the Emperor when he was brought to the Emperor's Court on November. 11, 1675, for the second time within a week, and offered "the choice between embracing Islam and showing miracles to prove his divinity" The Guru rejected the "choice" by saying:

"to show miralces is to defy God To accept Islam is to lose one's own faith. I shall offer my head The body is mortal and must perish one day"

This, according to various chroniclers, enraged the Emperor, who ordered execution of the Guru The orders were executed late in the night on November 11, 1675 A.D.

Persecution

In his eagerness to convert India, the land of infidels", into the land of the faithful", Aurangzeb thought of converting Brahmins to Islam because the Brahmins formed the core of the Hindu religious tradition and sustained the Hindu religion socially and theologically. The Hindu centres of pilgrimage were the citadels of Hinduism. Aurangzeb focussed his attention specially on Kashmir, Kurukshetra, Benaras and Haridwar and ordered that they should be brought speedily into the Islamic fold. According to S.M. Latif (History of Punjab) "the emperor had in those days thrown hundreds of Brahmins into jail in the hope that if they first embraced the religion of the Prophet, the rest of the Hindus would readily follow their example".

According to Shri Ram Sharma (Religious Policy of Moghul Emperors), Lalita Temple (Delhi), Malirana Temples (Jaipur), Vishwanath Temple (Benaras), Gopi Nath Temple (Benaras), and Vallabhacharya Temple (Mathura) were demolished under Aurangzeb's orders around 1669 A.D. He had issued orders in 1665 that Holi should not be celebrated; in the same year Deepavali celebrations were also banned; in 1668 Aurangzeb banned the holding of Hindu festivals in pilgrimage centres.

In Kashmir

The Brahmins of Kashmir were then renowned for their learning and orthodoxy. According Macauliffe (The Sikh Religion), the experiment of wholesale conversion was first tried in Kashmir as conversion of "Kashmiri Pandits who were well known for their scholarship would encourage other Hindus to embrace Islam". The Emperor also tried to tempt the "Brahmins from Kashmir into accepting Islam by promises of money and government appointments".

Temptations having failed to achieve the desired results, the then Moghul Governor of Kashmir, Iftikhar Khan, carried out the fanatical policies of Aurangzeb with great zeal. According to Surjit Singh Chawla(Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur) "Iftikhar Khan vigorously pursued the instructions of the Emperor and relentlessly and ruthlessly attempted to convert the Pandits with the help of force. Those who refused to accept Islam were put to sword". According to Koer Singh Kalal (Gurbilas Patshahi Das) "the Sikh tradition tells us about piling of sacred threads of the Brahmins who had been converted or killed" under the command of Iftikhar Khan.

The predicament of the Brahmins of Kashmir at the time is depicted by P.N. Kaul Bamzai (A History of Kashmir) as under:

"Iftikhar Khan, a Governor of Aurangzeb, was using force to convert the Pandits in Kashmir to Islam. Some pious men among the Pandits then met and decided to go to Amarnath and invoke the mercy of Shiva there for delivering them from the tyrannies of the bigot. At the AmarNath Cave, one of the Pandits, in a dream saw Lord Shiva who told him to go to Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs in the Punjab and ask for help to save the Hindu religion. He spoke to his companions about the revelation. About five hundred Pandits proceeded to Anandpur where Guru Tegh Bahadur was living.

According to Seva Singh (Shahid Bilas), the sorrow-stricken Brahmins led by Kirpa Ram Datt of Mattan, the Sanskrit teacher of Gobind Rai (Guru Govind Singh), who was "naturally aware of the spiritual strength, altruism and compassion of Guru Tegh Bahadur, his inviolable integrity and spirit of self-sacrifice", approached the Guru thus:

"Protect us, O Lord, the son of Guru Hargobind. Hear, our pathetic pleas, GuruTegh Bahadur, protector of the poor and the cows, you are the Prophet of the Almighty in the Kalyuga. We have none to go to for help. Our condition is most pitiable. Protect us the way Lord Krishna protects Draupadi. We have gone from pillar to post. You are the Lord Krishna of the present age. We have no other hope. We seek refuge at your feet, O Lord".

The Guru was deeply moved on listening to the stories told by the Brahmins and said that their problems could be solved only if some man of truthfulness and integrity offered himself for sacrifice. to save the faith of the Hindus Everyone was stunned into silence. Only Gobind Singh, who was at that time only nine years old said, "Who else can be more truthful and sublime than you. You alone can protect the Hindu religion. You alone are the great soul sublime" Guru Tegh Bahadur was delighted to hear the brave words of his son. He told the Pandits: "Go and tell the Emperor that all of you shall embrace Islam, if he is able to make Guru Tegh Bahadur to embrace Islam" (Gian Singh in 'Twarikh Guru Khalsa").

Shri P.N.K. Bamzai (A History of Kashmir) puts the entire episode like this:

"They told him about the atrocities committed on them by Aurangzeb's Governor, Iftikhar Khan The Guru was deeply touched on hearing the details and was in a sorry and pensive mood. At that time his son Gobind Singh, who was only nine years old was playing outside, came to him. He saw a crowd of Pandits sitting there in distress and his father mute as a fish. He asked his father why he looked pensive. Guru Tegh Bahadur, pointing towards the Pandits, told his son mournfully that the Hindus were being forced to renounce their religion and that he thought that they could be protected if some holy man offered himself to be sacrificed for them. Guru Gobind Singh with folded hands said to him, who else is a holier man, more fit for being sacrificed?'' than yourself, for saving Hindu religion' Guru Tegh Bahadur replied 'I have no hesitation in giving my head but I am grieving that you are still a child, who will take care of you after me?' Guru Gobind Singh replied 'Almighty will take care of me'. Guru Tegh Bhadur was pleased to hear the courageous answer from his worthy son and then advised the Brahmins to go to Aurangzeb and tell him that they, with all the Brahmins of Kashmir, were quite ready to embrace Islam if Tegh Bhadur, who was the chief Guru, would first be converted".

That was in the month of May, 1675 AD. The Guru's resolve was duly conveyed to Aurangzeb through Zalim Khan, the then Governor of Lahore. According to Harbans Singh (Guru Tegh Bahadur), a congregation was held at Anandpur Sahib on July 8, 1675, and Guru Gobind Singh was anointed the tenth Guru of the Sikhs by Guru Tegh Bahadur. He exhorted the people to acknowledge Guru Gobind Singh as their Guru and told them that the time for his departure for Delhi had come. The devotees of the Guru were in a sad mood and bade him a tearful farewell on 11th July 1675. "He told them that the new Guru would be a great warrior and founder of a distinct panth" (Satbir Singh in Kino Bado Kalu Mahe Saka). The next four months were spent in and out of the prisons of various Governors of Aurangzeb by Guru Tegh Bahadur, and the Supreme Sacrifice was offered on 11th November. The sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur brings out in bold relief the invincibility of the human soul and vulnerability of temporal authority In a glowing tribute to his father, Guru Gobind Singh says in his Bachitra Natak

"The lord protected their paste mark and sacred thread. He performed a mighty deed in Kalyug. He spared no sacrifice to defend the righteous. He gave away his head but did not utter a groan He laid down his life for the sake of Dharma. He sacrificed his life but not his ideal."

Courtesy:- M L Bhat Ex Editor Koshur Samachar and December 1994 Koshur Samachar

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