Guru Arjun's multifarious
activities, apart from making a very major
contribution to the organisation of the mission, demonstrate, as laid down by
Guru Nanak, that no field of life, whether temporal, social or political, is
excluded for the operation of a mystic. Slowly but surely the movement came out
with a distinct identity of its own and with clear-cut religious- and
socio-political facets.
Guru Arjan Dev was the youngest son of Guru Ram Das
and Mata Bhani. He was born at Goindwal on April 15, 1563. In 1579 Guru Arjan
was eventually married to Ganga Devi daughter of Krishan Chand in 1579.
The Guru laid the foundation of the Harmandir Sahib
(Golden Temple) in the middle of the tank of Amritsar. All of the Sikhs desired
that it should be the tallest building in the new town. Guru Arjan Dev however
felt otherwise. He reminded his followers that humility should be a great
virtue. The temple was therefore built on as low an elevation as possible. To
counter the Muslim belief that God's House is in the west and the Hindu belief
that it is in the east where the sun rises, the Harmandir Sahib had entrances on
all four sides. Guru Arjan Dev exclaimed; "My faith is for the people of all
castes and all creeds from whichever direction they come and to whichever
direction they bow."
His system of voluntary offerings for the common cause and the sharing of one's
earnings was made regular. Every Sikh was supposed to contribute 10% of his
income to the common fund maintained by the Guru. The representatives of the
Guru collected contributions from their respective areas and sent them to the
common treasury.
The construction of the
temple at Amritsar was started by the Guru and its
foundation stone was laid by the reputed Muslim Sufi Saint, Mian Mir. He built
another tank and temple at Taran Taran. These temples had doors on all sides,
indicating that these were open to all castes and communities.
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. It was a significant development The organisation of the community,
according to Gupta, became a state within a state.
An important step in the separate consolidation of the religion was the
compilation of the Adi Granth as the sole and authentic scripture of the Sikhs.
It has a significant feature. Besides the hymns of the five Gurus, it contains
the hymns of Hindu and Muslim saints. The Adi Granth was formally installed at
the Amritsar temple on the annual gathering of the Sikhs. From the very start it
was recognised as the Sikh scripture. Emperor Akbar made an offering of 51 gold
coins to the Adi Granth. Its installation at the only Sikh temple constructed
then by the Guru and the appointment of the most venerated Sikh as its Granthi
(minister) show that it was meant to be the exclusive scripture of the Sikhs and
the embodiment of the Gurus system and thought In this way conjectures about
links with the other systems or scriptures were set at rest for ever. This is an
important step, especially when we find that in Guru Granth Sahib no status or
sanctity has been given to any gods, goddesses or avatars.
This compilation is a landmark in the history of Sikhism. It is a clear
testimony of the fact that the Guru took this vital step to emphasise that their
message and mission were prophetic. This fact comes out in all its glaring
singularity when we see that, in the entire religious history of man, no other
prophet felt it essential to authenticate his message so as to secure its purity
and exclude the possibility of interpolation and misinterpretation. In fact, in
most cases the utterances of the prophets were compiled by their devotees long
after their ministry. This authentication of the scripture by the Guru himself
once and for all ensured its separate identity and purity. In the case of other
prophets, their opponents can say that the prophets themselves never meant to
declare any new truths, but their overzealous followers made it into a separate
system not intended by the prophets. Nothing of that kind can be asserted about
the Gurus and Guru Granth Sahib.
It is something very extraordinary that, in line with Guru Nanak's hymn
that 'with the help of other God-conscious beings he would help every one to be
a God-centred person', the Guru included in the Adi Granth hymns of twenty two
Muslim and Hindu saints. It is a singular example of the Guru's sense of
personal anonymity. He truly felt that in accomplishing this task he was working
 only as an agent of God's mission. We also find that contemporary saints like
Mian Mir and Pir Budhu Shah, irrespective of religion and race, remained closely
associated with the mission of the Gurus.
Owing to the growing religious and political influence of the Gurus, the
Sikhs had got a clear consciousness of their religious and socio-political
identity. Consequently, the position of the Gurus had naturally given rise to
hostility, both in the religious and political quarters. Saikh Ahmad, the head
of the Naqashbandt order at Sirhind and a leader of the revivalist movement of
Islam in India, got upset at the influence of the Guru among men of both the
communities. He had access to the court of Jahangir. But, probably the chief
reason that upset the Emperor was that the Guru had blessed Khusro and helped
him monetarily while the latter had rebelled against Jahangir. The local
administration was naturally aware of the growing Sociopolitical strength and
influence of the Guru. Chat this incident rankled in the mind of emperor
Jahangir, is evident from his own statement recorded in his autobiography. He
wrote that he had ordered the execution by torture of Guru Arjun unless he
embraced Islam, because the Guru had raised aloft the standard of holiness and
many Hindus and Muslims had foolishly become his followers.
Prithi Chand and his son Meherban called themselves real gurus and
Meherban glorified his father Prithia and discredited Guru Nanak's
hymns. They were both plotting against Guru Arjan. Others who were
against Guru were Sulahi Khan of Batala, Chandu Shah Khatri of Lahore,
Sheikh Ahmad faruqi Sarhindi, Emperor Jahangir who was unlike his father
Akbar and pretty much intolerant of other faiths.
Around the year 1590 Guru Arjan Dev decided to go
on an extensive tour of Punjab accompanied by such trusted Sikhs as Bhai Gurdas
and Bidhi Chand. He visited Khadur, Goindwal, Sarhali, Bhaini, Khanpur, Taran
Taran, Lahore, Dera Baba Nanak, as well as Barath where he met the aged ascetic
son of Guru Nanak, Baba Sri Chand. Guru Arjan Dev also purchased some land near
Jullundur and laid the foundations of a new township called Kartarpur as well as
digging a well called Ganga Sagar.
The Guru eventually returned to Amritsar to find
his eldest brother Prithi Chand jealous as ever. With the Guru having no
children as yet, Prithi Chand hoped that his own son Mehrban would be able to
succeed Guru Arjan Dev as the next Guru. Guru Arjan in his humility asked his
wife Ganga Devi; "If you need a boon, ask not me but a pious Sikh like Baba
Buddha, the aged seer and devout disciple of Guru Nanak". She proceeded with a
large entourage and much fanfare to Baba Buddha who lived in a jungle near
Amritsar. There she presented him with many delicacies to eat. Baba Buddha
resented this and refused to provide any blessings. Upon hearing what happened,
Guru Arjan Dev told his wife to return this time on foot, with a simple meal
prepared by herself. This time Baba Buddha was delighted and partook of the
simple food. He prophesied; "A son will be born to thee who will crush the
enemies of Nanak's house, just as I have crushed this piece of onion with my
hand."
Soon thereafter Ganga Devi became pregnant. Prithi
Chand meanwhile cultivated Sulhi Khan, a revenue officer of the Mughal court to
raid Amritsar on the pretext of collecting a tribute. Guru Arjan Dev along with
his family left Amritsar and settled at Wadali a few miles away. It was here
that on June 14, 1595 that the Guru was blessed with a son, Hargobind. The love
of a father for his son can be seen in the following lines:
"My True Guru is my Savior and Protector.
Showering us with His Mercy and Grace, God extended His Hand, and saved
Hargobind, who is now safe and secure. The fever is gone - God Himself
eradicated it, and preserved the honor of His servant. I have obtained all
blessings from the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy; I am a sacrifice to
the True Guru." (Guru Arjan Dev, Sorath, pg. 620)
Meanwhile Sulhi Khan upon hearing that both Guru
Arjan Dev and his treasure were no longer in Amritsar put off his attack on the
city. In Amritsar Prithi Chand tried to convince the Sikhs that he was the real
Guru and not Arjan Dev. He only met with disappointment though, as the Sikhs
continued to flock to see Guru Arjan Dev. Prithi Chand therefore concocted a
plan to assassinate the Guru's only child Hargobind. He sent a wet-nurse with
poison, got a snake charmer to release a snake near Hargobind, and on another
attempt sent a servant with poison milk. All of these attempts failed with the
perpetrators all publicly confessing that Prithi Chand had sent them.
"The poison had absolutely no harmful effect.
But the wicked Brahmin died in pain. || 1 || The Supreme Lord God Himself has
saved His humble servant. The sinner died through the Power of the Guru." (Guru
Arjan Dev, Bhairon, pg. 1137)
Eventually a large delegation of Sikhs were able to
convince the Guru to return to Amritsar.
Guru Arjan now started the training for his son
Hargobind for the responsibilities which he would one day have to face. He had
the young Hargobind not only trained in languages and religious philosophy, but
also in riding, the use of weapons, astronomy, medicine, agriculture, public
administration and the sciences. Baba Buddha was put in charge of the religious
education of the young Hargobind, while a team of experts were employed for
instruction in their areas of expertise. Guru Arjan Dev meanwhile kept quite
busy attending to the spiritual needs of the large masses of Sikhs who came to
see him daily. He would daily perform devotional music from the Harmandir Sahib,
being a great instrumentalist and vocal singer.
A situation now arose which would require the
Guru's complete attention. Reports came to the Guru that Prithi Chand was
composing his own hymns and was passing them to the visiting Sikhs as the
compositions of Guru Nanak as well as other Guru's. Others were also passing of
their own compositions as the works of the Sikh Guru's. Guru Arjan Dev realized
that if this situation was allowed to continue it would be the undermining of
the Sikh religion. Having given the Sikhs a central place of worship, they now
needed an authentic compilation of the hymns of their Guru's. Thus Guru Amar Das
started collection the original verses of all the Guru's. He sent trusted Sikhs
such as Bhai Piara, Bhai Gurdas and Baba Buddha across the country in search of
original manuscripts. Guru Arjan Dev made trips to Goindwal, Khadur and
Kartarpur to visit the families of the previous Guru's. Guru Arjan Dev collected
original manuscripts of the Guru's from Mohan (son of Guru Amar Das), Datu (son
of Guru Angad) as well as Sri Chand (son of Guru Nanak). Putting Baba Buddha in
charge of the spiritual needs of the large number of pilgrims visiting Harmandir
Sahib, Guru Arjan now pitched a tent by the side of Ramsar tank and started the
arduous task of compiling the first edition of the Holy Guru Granth Sahib. Bhai
Gurdas was entrusted as the Guru's scribe for the master copy. Unlike any other
religious book in history, Guru Arjan Dev decided to also include the
compositions of Hindu and Muslim saints which he considered consistent with the
teachings of Sikhism and the Guru's. Guru Arjan Dev included the works of such
Hindu Bhaktas as Kabir, Jaidev, Namdev, Dahnna, Ravidas, Pipa and Ramanand. The
Guru also included the works of such Muslim divines as Farid, Mardana, Satta and
Balwand, the Guru's minstrels, as well as several bards (Bhatts). Bhai Gurdas
was invited by the Guru to include his own verses, but declined out of modesty.
The monumental task was finally completed. This
first edition of the Guru Granth Sahib known at that time as Pothi Sahib was
installed on a high pedestal within the Harmandir Sahib in August 1604. Guru
Arjan Dev seated himself at a lower level and instructed all Sikhs to bow before
it, not as an idol, but as the book of divine inspiration which instructed
living men in the ways of God and dedicated secular life. The revered Baba
Buddha was appointed the first Granthi (custodian) of the book. Guru Arjan Dev
dictated that unlike the Hindu scriptures, the Pothi Sahib could be open to
reading by anyone of any caste, creed or sex. This original copy is still in
existence today.
A rich arrogant Hindu banker of Delhi called Chandu
Shah tried to marry his daughter to Hargobind. But after discussing this with
his followers, Guru Arjan Dev refused the match. Prithi Chand knew that Chandu
Shah welded some influence with the imperial court. He used Chandu Shah's anger
at being rejected to cause further trouble. Prithi Chand had Chandu Shah
complain to the Emperor Akbar that the Guru had prepared a book which was
derogatory in nature to Muslim's and Hindu's. Upon hearing this Akbar ordered
the Guru to be brought before him along with the. Guru Arjan Dev sent the
revered Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas to the Mughal court along with a copy of the
Holy Granth. Akbar opened the Holy Book and the first hymn read out was;
"My God has breathed His Light into the dust. And
so brought the world into being. He it is who created the sky, the earth, the
waters and all vegetation. O man, whatever one sees, passes away. But the world
usurps anothers due and is forgetful of God. It is the world of the animal, nay,
of ghosts and goblins. It eats the forbidden fruit, usurping what belongs to
another. Hold thy mind, O man, or God will burn thee in the fire of Hell. Thy
benefactors, thy brothers, thy courts and kingdoms and thy homes. Are of no avil
to thee, when seized thee the Angel of Death. My Lord, purest of the pure, knows
all that is within thee. Nanak: pray thou to His Saints that they lead thee on
the Truth Path." (Tilang)
Upon hearing this Akbar was satisfied as he had
always looked upon the Sikh Gurus as social reformers and believed in the unity
of God and the brotherhood of man. However Chandu Shah accused Bhai Gurdas of
not really read the text but recited a hymn from memory. Akbar therefor got one
Sahib Dyal who could read Gurmukhi to appear before the court and opened a page
at random for him to read, he read the following;
"You don't see God who dwells in your heart. And
you carry about an idol around your neck. A nonbeliever, you wander about
churning water, And you die harassed in delusion. The idol you call God will
drown with you. The ungrateful sinner. The boat will not ferry you across. Says
Nanak, I met the Guru who led me to God. He who lives in water, earth, nether
region, and firmament. " (Sulhi)
The Emperor now exclaimed; "Excepting love and
devotion to God, I so far find neither praise nor blame to anyone in this
Granth. It is a volume worthy of reverence." Not only this but Akbar wanted to
offer Guru Arjan a suitable gift. Guru Arjan asked the Emperor to instead exempt
the people of Punjab from the annual land revenue that year since their was a
severe drought. Akbar graciously complied with the Guru's wishes, this greatly
increased the Guru's popularity with the peasants.
On October 17, 1605 Akbar died and was succeeded by
Jahangir as Emperor. Jahangir was a person of lax morals, pleasure loving and
fond of drinking. He left much of the administration duties of running his
kingdom to others. Because of his lax morals Jahangir set out to please the
orthodox Muslim clergy which he knew did not approve of his actions, or the
tolerant attitude that his father Akbar had previously displayed to other
religions. Jahangir wrote the following in his memoirs called Tuzak-i-Jehangiri;
"At Goindwal on the banks of the river Beas, lived a Hindu, Arjan by name, in
the garb of a Pir or Sheikh. Thus, many innocent Hindus and even foolish and
ignorant Muslims he brought into his fold who beat the drum noisily of his
self-appointed prophethood. He was called Guru. From all sides, worshippers came
to offer their homage to him and put full trust in his word. For three or four
generations, they had warmed up this shop. For a long time I had harbored the
wish that I should set aside this shop of falsehood or I should bring him into
the fold of Islam." Jahangir further writes; "In these days, Khusro (Jahangir's
rebel son) passed through this way. The foolish person resolved to call on him.
Khusro halted for a time at this place and this man came to see him and
discoursed with him on many matters and also applied with saffron on his
forehead what the Hindus call kashkeh (tilak) and consider a good omen. When I
heard this account personally, I knew about his false pretenses. So I ordered
that he be brought into my presence, that his property be confiscated and his
sons and other possessions be made over to Murtaza Khan and he be dealt with in
accordance with the political and common law of the land."
When Guru Arjan received the summons to appear
before Jahangir, he knew that it was not a good sign. The Guru declared that his
son Hargobind should be installed as the next Guru. Prominent Sikhs gathered and
revered Baba Buddha applied the saffron mark on Hargobind's forehead anointing
him as Guru Hargobind.
Upon reaching Lahore, Jahangir demanded that Guru
Arjan Dev revise the Holy Granth, removing all references to Islam and Hinduism.
This of course the Guru refused to do. Since Jahangir was on his way to Kashmir,
he asked Murtaza Khan to deal with the Guru.
Murtaza Khan immediately jailed the Guru, and
ordered the Guru Arjan Dev to be tortured to death if he did not agree to remove
the alleged derogatory references in the Holy Granth.
Prince Khusrau who was
also son of Akbar and was contesting for throne was captured by
Jahangir's men. This prince Khusrau was the son of Jodha Bai, daughter of
Udai Singh of Jodhpur, since he was born
to a Hindu mother, was disliked by the fanatics who wanted Prince
Salim who was a 100% Sunni Muslim (as oppose to the popular Hindi movie
Mughal-e-Azam, where Jahangir was shown as son of Hindu mother). Prince
escaped and went to Guru Arjan. Guru Arjan was moved at the 13 years
old Prince and gave him help with money and shelter. Salim succeded with
the title of Jahangir. Jahangir hated all those who were in Akbar's good
books. He summoned Guru to Lahore, Sikhs of lahore pleaded with Jahangir
to let them collect the fine and pay to him to release Guru, but Jahangir
refused. Jahangir appointed Murtaza Khan to confiscate
the property of
Guru and hand it over to state., apart from that a fine of 2 lakhs was
also collected from the Sikhs. Guru was imprisoned at Lahore fort. He
was chained to a post in an open place exposed to the sun from morning to
evening in the months of May thru June. Below his feet a heap of sand
was put which burnt like a furnace. Boiling water was poured on his
naked body at intervals. His body was covered with blisters all over.
In this agony Guru used to utter.
Tera Kiya Metha lage, naam padarath Nanak mange (whatever you ordain appears sweet. I supplicate for the gift of name)
The Guru was ordered
to be executed. In addition a fine of Rupees two
lakhs was imposed on him. Some historians say that, as a measure of clemency at
the intervention of Mian Mir, this fine was imposed in lieu of the sentence of
death. The Sikhs offered to pay the fine themselves but the Guru forbade them to
do so. He replied to the Emperor, "Whatever money I have is for the poor, the
friendless and the stranger. If thou ask for money thou mayest take what I have;
but if thou ask for it by way of fine, I shall not give thee even a Kaurz
(penny)."'7 The Guru accepted death by torture and suffered the first
great martyrdom. His sacrifice further steeled the faith of the community in
the mission of the Gurus. Gupta, who considers the views of all other historians
as relevant material, concludes that it was principally a political execution.
The bore all of these brutalities with calm serenity,
for five long days he was tortured. When the torturers found the Guru
unresponsive to their torture they did not know what to do. On May 30, 1606 the
Guru asked for a bath in the river Ravi by the side of the Mughal fort.
Thousands of followers watched the Guru who could barely walk make his way to
the river with tears in their eyes. His bare body was covered with blisters,
Guru Arjan Dev repeated over and over; "Sweet is Your will, O God; the gift of
your Name alone I seek." The Guru then calmly walked into the river bank,
bidding his farewell to his followers and was gone forever, his body carried
away by the currents. This act of brutality in ending such a saintly life with
such cruelty was to forever change the course of Sikhism.
A ruling administration never takes notice of a religious institution,
unless it has a political complexion and potential. The Mughal emperors never
bothered about any saint of the Bhakti school. The Sikh movement was growing
into a clear socio-political body, fired with a religious and moral zeal. It
constituted a disciplined people who were being guided and led towards their
ideals by a prophetic mystic. It was this socio-political growth which no ruler
or administration could fail to take note of as a potential danger and challenge
to its existence and rule. It is evident that the Sikh growth was of such
dimensions that it attracted the attention of the administration and also of the
Emperor. In addition it is a political fact that the Guru, as recoded by Beni
Prasad (the historian on Jahangir), had given a very substantial aid of Rs.
5,000/- to Khusro, leading a rebel army and claimant to the throne. Further,
this organisation was of such size and importance that the Emperor not only took
the extreme step of the execution of Guru Arjun, so as to stop altogether this
unwanted growth (as recorded by the Emperor), but also found the movement and
the episode as significant enough for mention in his autobiography Jahangir was
undoubtedly right that the organisation and the movement posed a political
threat to the Empire. But he was mistaken in his belief that by the execution of
the Guru he had nipped this growth in the bud. In this background and the
context of future developments, it would surely be naive for anyone to say
either that Jahangir, by this execution of Guru Arjun, converted a simple,
peaceful and innocuous movement into a military organisation, or that the
reaction of the Sixth Guru to his father s execution was overzealous, especially
when we know that by the very nature of the Gurus' thesis, socio-political
developments and activities were an integral part of their spiritual life. The
Fifth and the Sixth Gurus had done nothing beyond the extension and development
of the foundations laid and the organisation built by Guru Nanak.
Gupta calls Guru Arjun an original thinker, an illustrious poet, a
practical philosopher, a great organiser, an eminent statesman and the first
martyr of the faith. He completely changed the external aspect of Sikhism."
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