SRI GURU GOBIND SINGH JI.

SHER SINGH.
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Published by A
JAIDEV SINGH JOGINDAR SINGH, V
BOOK SELLERS & PUBLISHERS, II
Bazar Mai Sewan, n
AMRITSAH. [}

A 1st Edition 1,000] [Price Jfe. 1. X

 CONTENTS.

1. Foreword ... ... .. %

2. Guru Gobind Singh's Personality ... l

3. Guru Gobind Singh as born leader

of mankind ... ... 11

4. Guru Gobind Singh as poet, patriot

and prophet ... ... 51

5 Guru Gobind Singh the Right ... 74

G. Two Saiuts Meet :Guru Gobind

Singh ji and Saiyad Budhu Shah ... 86

7. Guru Gobind Singh Synthesiser of

Love and War ... ... 94

8 Shri Guru Gobind Singh the Man

and the Saviour ... ... 105

9. Aurangzeb and Guru Gobind Singh.. 123

10. At the feet of the Master „.. 130

11. Banda Bahadur and Guru Gobind

Singh — A Contrast ... ... J 43

12. Guru Gobind Singh ji's Holy Words 152

 FOREWORD.
I have the greatest pleasure and pride
in paying my tribute of love, homage and
devotion to Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji.
When I was quite a child, I heard first of Him
before even I heard of Sri Guru Nauak Dev
ji, and ever since He has been my Hero and
my Master. I have tried to understand Him
slowly but steadily, but it was not until
the Master revealed Himself by His grace in
me that real comprehension came. It was at
Paunta Sahib on the banks of the holy Jumna,
that I met Him once suddenly, but I was
spiritually then a babe, and my eyes were,
therefore, over-flooded and over-powered by
the repulgent Light, that beamed from His
Face. Years passed. I wandered far and
wide. Later I felt He sent me a messenger
in the garb of a venerable old saint with a
wonderful, grizzly, flowing beard. The saint
related to me the glorj- and the sanctity
attached to the breathing- place of the Master,
namely Nander in Deccan. Tikis was a little
gesture, an inivitation to me to visit the
Master's remains on earth. But, I was slow,
tied to my and hence not quite ready to
post,
mind this beckoning. I was at fault and ;

then there came the mighty wrench, the

volcanic rush, the glacial-drift which I have
tried to describe in the story of my pilgrim-
age to the feet of the Master on the banks of
the godly-Godawari. While there, I also
tried to understand Banda Bahadur for no
comprehension of Guru Gobind Singh ji can
be complete until we understand the warrior
who was verily a link between the Guru and
the widowed-Punjab. This is why a pen-
picture about this warrior follows.

I have tried to give in this tract not what

has been already recorded, but a few of the
missing pages from the history of this great
prophet of love and war. 1 have also tried to
explain how the great Guru synthesised these
two poles on which the globe of human mind
turns *. e. the philosophy underlying the
Guru's crusades, for this portion of His life is
misunderstood by even Tagore and Gandhi.
 Ill

As a proof of the Guru's love for mankind

at large, I have tried to reproduce purport of
his talk with Saiyyad Budhu Shah who was
a bosom friend of the Guru and who sided
with the Guru rather than Aurangzeb, in the'
"War of Righteousness that ensued between
them.

For further information regarding the

teachings and mission of the Tenth Guru,
reference is invited to a companion-tract in
Gurmukhi: Dasmesh Darpan which is being
published simultaneously with this tract by
the Sikh Religious Tract Society, TarnTaran.

112-33. Sher Singh.

 GURU GOBIND SINGH'S PERSONALITY.
How to approach its study "?

Guru Gobind Singh, the last of the Sikh-

Gurus, isa world-figure of first-rate impor-
tance It was he who established the Khalsa
Commonwealth and conversely brought about
the fall of the Mughal Empire. India which
had become somnolent by centuries of foreign
rule rose from its slumber and began to stir
about and strike under him. In the first time
in the history of Punjab, under the leadership
of the Khalsa the stream of conquest began
to move westward, and India, the down-
trodden, became India the conqueror. Such
was the extraordinary impetus which the
Guru and his Khalsa brought to bear on
the masses of the Punjab. One of the Sikh
Generals in whom the Guru-given Light of
Nam burnt brilliantly namely Hari Singh
Nalwa, has been described recently by an
English historian as the world's greatest
General— head and shoulders above Napoleon
and Wellington. So also wasiBanda Bahadur
 ( 2 )

who was literally a terror to the Mughals,

and whose might is admitted as much by
Mohammedan historians as by the Hindus.
If such were the Guru's mind-born descen-
dants, how deep, profound and electric must
have been the great Guru himself whose
whole life is one supreme object-lesson of
love, sacrifice and devotion. Unfortunately,
the world knows little of Him, and what
little is known is so perverted and distorted
that He may well be called the " Great-
Misunderstood-One."

There are many reasons why the Guru's

real life is so little known, but one of the
important reasons is that the historians of the
past and present have tried to look at Him
much as they would like at any other histori-
cal general such as Caesar, Hannibal, Shivaji
or Napoleon, generals who were, if anything,
quite the reverse of Guru Gobind Singh-
There may be superficial similiarity between
the Guru and some of these successful Gene-
rals, but we have only to look deeper to find
out how they fundamentally differed, and
how that difference made quite a world of
 ( 3 )

change between them ip their outlook to-

wards God and man. As typical of the
worldly generals, let us select Napoleon, for
his successes were far more spectacular than
that of any other general, and he ruled over,
greater part of Europe than even Caesar.
The personality of Napoleon dominates still

the imagination of the modern Europe, and

we have even today Napoleons of finances, of
business, of press, of the turf. But let us
prove deeper into his personality and see him
at close quaters. Mr. H. G\ Wells, the great-
test English historian of the modern times,
deftly depicts his true character in the follow-
ing telling words :

" It would be difficult to find a human

being less likely to arouse affection One
reads in vain through the monstrous accumu-
lations of Napoleonic literature for a single
record of self-forgetfulness. Laughter is one
great difference between man and the lower
animals, one method of our brotherhood, and
there is no endence that Napoleon ever laugh
ed. Out of his portraits he looks at us with a
thin scorn upon his lips, fhe scorn of the
 ( 4 )

criminal who believes that he can certainly

cheat such fools as we are, and withal with
certain uneasiness in his eyes. That uneasi-
ness haunts all his portraits. Are we really
convinced he is quite right? Are his laurels
straight? He had a vast contempt for man
in general and men in particular, a. contempt
which took him at last to St. Helena, that
same contempt that iillsour jails with forgers,
prisoners and the like victims of self-conceit.
There is no proof that this unbrotherly, unhu-
morous egotist was ever sincerely loved by
any human being. He had never a gleam of
religion, or affectionor the sense of duty.
He was, as few men are or dare to be T a
scoundrel, bright and complete. We live in a
world full of would-be Napoleons— Napoleons
of commerce, Napoleons of finance, of the
press, of the turf; half the cells in our jails
and many in our mad-houses are St. Helenas.
In all history, there is no figure so complete^
antithetical to the figure of Jesus of Nazareth,
whose pitiless and difficult doctrine of self-

abandonment and serY-forgetfulness 7 we can

rather disregard nor yet bring ourselves to
obey. That summons to a new way of life
 ( 5 )

haunts oar world today, haunts wen lth of com-

fort and every sort of success. It is a trouble
to us all Our uneasiness grows. Napoleon
was free from it. The cultivation of the
Napoleonic legend seems to offer a kind of
—
refuge from solvation." Such was Napoleon
who may well be called the Anti-christ of
Europe who Hung his armies across the East
and the West, struck and struck with all his
might, who won, lost, re-won and was at last
confined like a great criminal in a forlorn den
namely St. Helena, the Andaman of the West.

The modern youth looks up to figures of

Napoleon, of Tiinur and leaders of that ilk, in
world-history, and with that fashionable
measuring-stock in its hand tries to measure
the greatness of Guru Go bind Singh. No
wonder that Guru Gobind Singh does not look
so tall, by that standard. But does the mea-
surer know the folly of his deed? He is try-
ing to hold up the candle to the sun, measure
light by darkness, which as the very height
of absurdity! Guru Gobind Singh is no ordi-
nary warrior, no worldly general, he does not
have war but peace. He sings again and
 ( 6 )

again in his Bani, that mosques and temples

are the same, the Hindus and Mohammedans
and men of all other denominations /are bro-
thers, and that their solvation lies in love,
amity and concord. If he took up sword
against the rulers, it was not that he loved to
do so but because he had no other alternative
but to do so. His father had been cruelly
murdered, and he was himself molested in his
peaceful meditations in thn Siwaliks, his Sikhs
and sympathisers were hunted like hares, and
there was no latitude for freedom of thought
and worship. He took up the sword at last,
but this was forced on him and it was an ex-
ceptional feature of his life, not, his life's aim.
It is true that the times did call for such dras-
tic action,but even in the battle-field Nam
congregations were held as a matter of routine
and the wielder of sword was primarily a
dispenser of the Amrit i. e. Spiritual Nectar.
He fought to save not to kill he came to root
;

out tyranny not to rear a worldly kingdom

on the ruins of the Mughals. It is true that
the Sikh Rule did f 61 low in the wake of the
Mughal, but this was merely an act of Provi-
dence nature abbors vLcuum and the Sikh
:
 ( 7 )

Rules upplied the needful want. Bub to consi-

der Guru Gobind Singh as wedded to war is
an entire travesty of history. He fought as he
had to, and then fought it out successfully,
but war is but one string to his bow which had
many more strings, the prominent note of his
lyre being peace not war, concord not discord,
life not death. Those who compare Guru
Gobind Singh to Napoleon or Shiv Ji are
therefore, fundamentally wrong, there can be
no comparison between their aims and ideals;
the comparison begs the question and is blas-
phemous.

This is, then, the first misunderstanding

which has coloured the outlook of critics of
Guru Gobind Singh, of whom Gandhi happens
to be one. But, there is yet another and
important reason which stands in the way of
proper appreciation of the Guru. The inte-
llectuals look everything with the candle-light
—
of reason they cannot and do not see reality
face to face which is the special mission of
inspired-seers. Inspiration is to reason as
noonday sun is to twilight; the intellect jp but
a toy -replica of inspire* t- vision. Hence, the
 ( 8 )

Jiliputian intellectuals are bewildered fare

always at a loss to understand and appreciate
the actions of seers whose personality is spon-
taneous and is as much free as wind and water
the elemental forces of Nature. Guru Gobind
Singh, was such an inspired seer; He did
—
what was best for the time and hence, for
all time.

Those who call him a "misguided Patriot"

are mis-guided themselves in their judgment
but we can aftord to forgive them for like
other intellectuals all the world over they say
what they do not know. Inspiration is the
very life-breath of the Gurus; it was this
hidden force which made Nanak shed tears of
blood on the battle-field of Eminabad where
Babar slaughtered Indians like so many sheep
and cows, and it was the self-same life- force
which impelled Guru Gobind Singh to lay
down his life, that of his children, of his
parents at the altar of Indian liberty. The
goddess of liberty is always propitiated by
and is not the world a big cauldron
sacrifice,
inwhich the supreme one Himself is offered
up as an eternal oblation? Hail, hail unto the
 —

( 9 )

Guru, who sacvified himself, his father, his

kith and kin for his country and religion the
world was shocked, and shuddered, dismay
stalked on earth, for a time, but the doors of
Heaven opened at last, and the honey-dew of
bliss rained from above, turning Bharth-Varsh
into the land of heel once more. Well did the
Guru sing, thus, on the eve of his father's
departure:
"The world mourns alas! alas!
The heaven rings with hallelujahs!
Welcome home to the victor!
Guru Teg Behadur gave up his head,
But he uttered not a groan !

He suffered martyrdom for the sake of

religion,
He dashed his potsheied of clay against
the head of the king of Delhi and
departed to Heaven,
No one else did what Teg Bahadur did."

That hymn is an index of the life-spirit

which pulsated in the heart of the Guru and
which found responsive echo in the receptive
"minds of the Khalsa. The Guru found India
prostrated, down-trodden, humiliated, he took
it by hand and made it stand on its own legs
 ( 10 )

once more. How the sparrows were enabled

to swoop at hawks, how the lambs tamed the
lions is a miracle which the Gam alone could
perform. He turned invertebrate masses into
herds of lions whose roar rent the sky. How
this wonderful change was wrought in a life
time we will try to describe in the following
pages describing life-sketch of the Guru.
 ( 11 )

GURU GOBIND SINGH AS BORN LEADER OF MANKIND.

1666—1708 A. D.

Patna Guru Gobind Singh

life of was born
rt
tlie Guru.
Poh Sudi 7th 1723
at Patna.
Vikrami, 1666 A. D. to Mother Gujri, when
his father, Guru Teg Bahedur, was absent
in Assam where he had gone in connec-
tion with a peaceful mission to a prince
of that The first few years of
province.
the babe's were spent at Patna which
life

is, therefore, an important "Throne" in the

annals of Sikh history. The early life of
Guru Gobind Singh recalled the innocent
revelries ofKrishna for he had won the hearts
of the people, both young and old, including
Raja Fateh Chand Maini, at that tender age.
There was some hidden charm in his radiating
face which made him at once the idol of
Patna where he lived and moved like an angel
wooing, bewitching and comforting every one
with whom he came in contact. Sometimes,
he would dart arrows from his blue bow and
knock potsherds in innocent glee, but very
often he would divide bis mates into Iwo
 ( 12 )

groups and engage them in contests of skill

and power. Hundreds of boys followed at his
heel and he would march through the lanes of
Patna like a victorious general parading his
troops. The Guru mixed with every one,
loved every one and although he was only a
child, yet many a parent used to look upon
him as their Redeemer, for all that he did,
appeared to be a foretaste of what was coming
ahead. Years afterwards, when his Patnd.
disciples came to his sequestered corner in the
Siwaliks namely the city of Bliss, they found
him the same charming youth darting mirth
and joy all around; his characteristic Patna
whoop would often throw all in joyful confu-
sion in which every one forgets himself and
rises superior to the world and its worries.

The Spiritual Whenhe was six years old,

magnwt attracts J '

spiritual the party moved towards An and-

need-
169*
pur stopping at Lakhnaur in
the Ambala District where also he became
the centre of village life. Pir Araf Din
who was held in high esteem by the local
people once said his prayer facing eastwards
instead of looking towards Mecca, and when
 ( 13 )

he was asked to explain, he stated how in his

ecstatic dreams he was attracted towards
tli is Divine Light which coming from the east

in Patna was resident atLakhnaur. The Pir

soon met the Guru and bowed before him and
asked his disciples to do the same.

Sayyed Bhikhan Shah another renowned

Muslim Faqir also came and met the Guru
being somehow attracted towards Him as a
gignatic magnet attracts little needles. The
Faqir sent for two little pitchers and placed
them before the Guru; the Guru sent for a
third and having first placed a hand on each,
then covered the third with both hands. This
brought tears of joy to the Faqir who explain-
ed to his followers that his test showed to him
that a unique leader of mankind had been
born. For by covering the pitchers, he had
shown that Hindus and Mohammedans would
be equally dear to him, but that he would
bring into being a new dispensation where
every one could live and move as a free man.
These and other incidents in wTiich religious
leaders of advanced old age flocked to a boy
who was hardly able to talx, show that there
 ( 14 )

was something inborn in him which made

him at once a dynamo of spiritual life, which
dynamo was destined to become a centre of
New life in India. Some such fascination
drew the wizards of the East to-
irresistibly
wards Palestine where Jesus lay in the corn-
bin, and we find the same phenomenon repea-
ted whenever and wherever a spiritual prodi-
gy is born. Here was then an extraordinary
the only son of the Guru, destined
little child,

to become the tenth and the last of the Sikh

Gurus.

When he started towards Anandpur, the

whole of the city poured out in thousands to
meet him and receive him. His education
began here which included thorough study
of the sacred book, besides proficiency in
Sanskrit and Persian. Although the Guru
became well versed in all of these languages,
yet the Patna dialect which he learnt first in
his life left a life-long impress on him, and his
sacred compositions were hence couched more
in Brij-Basha then in Punjabi.
 ( 15 )

Deputation of 'Yhe Gii ru was hardly nine

Kashmiri Pan-
ij its ami Martvr-
years old when a deputation
(Joini>f (jum '

Tngh Bahadur of distressed Kashmiri Pandits

sought shelter at the feet of Guru Tegh
Bahadur. The policy of religious persecution
which Aurangzeb pursued had converted
practically the whole of Kashmir, and now
only a little colony of Brahmins remained
who came to the Guru to help them or else
they were also bound to be wiped out from
existence. The tale of woe related by them
brought tears to the eye of everyone who
heard it; it was clear that some drastic a,ction
was required. The Guru heard it all and felt
more meditative than ever before. The little

child sitting at the feet of his father and

Master was all eyes and all ears, what
he felt

was passing in the mind of his father and was

engrossing his attention: "What is it, dear
father, which is enshrouding thine holy face
in care and gloom ? " asked the little son in
earnest accents. The father said : "We are
up against hard times ; the rulers have for-
gotten their duty to the ruled and are treat-
ing them not like men but as wild beasts.
 ( 16 )

Such a state of brutality cannot be endured

any longer, What cannot be mended must
be ended. But this requires a sacrifice, the
sacrifice of the purest and the whitest soul."
The child listened, and then darted out at
once " Papa, that is quite true, but who can
be holier than your august head." To Guru
Teg Bahadur, this talk did not come as a
surprise for he did not expect anything lt-ss
from his only son, but it did come to him as a
testimony of the fact that a soul was there
equal in depth and height to his own, and
that he could now do what was the pressing
need of the hour, leaving the future in the
hands of the boy who had already shown his
mettle and could be expected to discharge
the onerous duties of liis office as befit" ed
the spiritual leader of the Sikhs. Guru Teg
Bahadur repaired to Delhi where he was
offered the usual alternative either to accept
the ruler's religion or be beheaded. He
accepted the latter and this passed away the
holiest man of the times. A storm of dust
swift over Delhi that night, but little did the
Mughal Emperor know that this storm was
destined also to carry off the Mughal Empire
 ( 17 )

which was now withering and before long

would be like a. dead leaf carried off by a
whiff of wind. The Master passed away at
Delhi— but He yet lived at Anandpur!

City of Bliss. The matter does not rest there.

Men sighed and cried but angels on high revell-
ed in joy. For, they knew that dark clouds are
really harbingers of new and life. It
light
may be that the horizon would remain clouded
for sometime, but as surely as the day follows
the night, better conditions were bound to
prevail. The new sun was now destined to
rise at Anandpur, the martyred Guru's quite
retreat at the foot of the Himalayas. The
site choson by the Guru was, indeed, an
hermitage beyond the din and turmoil of the
busy work-day world. Here, the weary and
woe-begone came and sought refuge at the
feet of the Master, the sick were healed and
nursed, the hungry were fed, the unlettered
were imparted instruction in hoary lore.
When Guru Go bind Singh assumed the reins
of the spiritual suzerainty, he decided to turn
Anandpur into a veritable Paradise. Anand-
 ( 18 )

pur became a university where training was

given in religion as well as in arms. The
Guru's free kitchen ministered freely to the
body while his discourses and his Devvans
ministered to the soul of those who flocked to
him from all corners of the Punjab. His
Durbars were devoted to divine worship and
many years were passed in narrating to the
people the exploits of their forefathers inclu-
ding Rama and Krishna. The bards who
attended the Guru's court, composed and
recited poeti>v and thus the Lord's praise was
the chief education of the Guru and those
who clustered round him. He had come to
establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth,
and at Anandpur, the people did feel that
they were really in new surroundings, and
that they had what they missed in the din
and bustle of city life. The Guru was serene
and calm like the placid waters of Mansaro-
var, and his tranquil face rained bliss on one
and all. Anandpur became a place for pil-
grimage and a congregating centre for the
learned and woe-beladen.
Raja Rattan Rai, son of Raja Ram Rai of
 ( 19 )

Assam whom the NiriethGuru had blessed

with this son, came to the Guru at Anandpur
and as a token of his gratitude brought many
presents including a white-striped elephant
which waved a fan or chauri over the Guru,
held a jug of water in his trank while the
Guru's feet were washed, wiped his feet with
a towel, fetched his arrows and did many
other things which astonished all those who
saw the elephant. This elephant soon be-
came an apple of discord for Raja Bhjm Chand
of Bilaspur who saw the elephant asked for
its loan meaning never to return the animal.

On the Guru's refusal to part with Rattan

Rai's gift, Bhim Chand's wrath knew no
bounds. Other hill chiefs who were already
displeased with the Guru for letting Sudras
mix with the Keshtriyas and bringing them to
the same level, also joined Raja Bhim Chand.
The discontented Masands who were either
dispossessed or were not feeling safe under
the Guru's vilentage also conspired against the
Guru. Thus friction ensued between the
Guru and the neighbouring hill Rajas, and as
it had become necessary to do something in
 ( 20 )

self-defence, hence the Guru selected a beau-

tiful spot on the banks of the Jamna and
erected there a fortress called Paunta.

Th b ft ttIeof
The hill chiefs of Kangra,
Bh an ga „ i
under the leadership of Bhim
Chand, marched on the Guru and a fierce
battle ensued at the village Bhangani, close
to Paunta. The Guru's army consisted of
local cattle-grasers, confectioners, coblers etc.,
besides a few mercenaries who were Pathans.
While the t latter deserted the field, the Sikh
soldiery did wonders killing many a hili chief.
Sayyed Budhu Shah who was an ardent
admirer of the Guru himself joined the conflict
and two of his sons fell on the field never to
rise again. The victory of the Gum was
complete, the hill chiefs who tested the
Master's steel at Bhangani did not dare to
molest him in open warfare any longer.
The Guru's army, drunk with victory was
enrayed, at the treachery of erstwhile friend
Raja Fateh Shah of Srinagar, and sought the
Guru's permission to attack him and bring
him captive before the Guru. But the Guru
did not fight to conquer, he fought only in
 ( 21 )

self-defence, sohe restrained his army and

returned without even an inch of territory.
After a short stay at Paunta, the Guru's
array returned to Anandpur where once more
the spiritual atmosphere was restored, and
the soldiers doffed their uniforms to till land,
to toil, and to imbible Nam-dan at the feet of
the Master.

the Mughal Eu- The abode of Bliss became as

ler:
of
the Sienge
Anandpur. or
e u
old l
a centre of z i m
goqd-will and
peace. Messengers went out in all directions
with the message of the Gruru and the popularity
of the town increased. The first to receive this
message were, of course, the neighbouring hill
chiefs, some of whom became friendly, but many
of them who were blinded by deep-rooted preju-
dices and who could not feel the beauty of
mankind coining to its own, looked at him
with scorn and scoffed at him. Thus, two
cross currents were set up at Anandpur. On
the one hand, there was peaceful Movement
which brought equality and flaternity among
the masses, turning Anandpur into veritable
land of bliss. On the other hand, the ani-
 ( 22 )

mosity of the Hill-Cains was aroused, as they

could not brook the idea of seeing their bro-
thers attain their full manhood. The fight
at Bhangari had driven the current of ani-
mosity underground and when other alterna-
tives failed, the hill chiefs went and sought
the aid of Emperor Arungzeb to oust the
Guru from The emperor who was
his citedel.
watching the little Guru ever since his father
was beheaded, was only too anxious to snatch
at the opportunity of nipping the Khalsa
commonwealth in the bud. His reporter had
already informed him how on the eventful
day of Baisakhi Samet 1756 (1699 A. D.), the
great Guru had selected his five lieutinants
Panj Piyare who had gone through the ordeal
of blood, and no less than 20,000 people stood
up in that gathering and promised to lay
down their life in the fulfilment of his divine
mission, and the number had since swelled to
80,000 and was ever on the increase. Aurang-
zeb was at that time in the Deccan. He order-
ed his Viceroys of Sarhind and Lahore to
march at once against the Guru which they
did besieging Annan dpur in 1701 A. D. The
 :

i 23 )

Sikhs fought with dauntless courage, verified

by the unfluttering flame of Nam, buttheodds
were quite disproportionate, for a small colony
of resident Sikhs was surrounded by bees of
Mughal disciplined forces including hill chiefs
of Kangra, Nurpur, Chamba etc. Nothing
daunted, the battle continued. Hunger, death
and disease worked havoc in the colony, yet
this dismayed not the Guru when force failed.
The unscrupulous foe then took a treacherous
vow and promised on Kuran and cow to give
the Guru safe conduct, provided he evacuated
the Anandpur fort. This vow had its desired
effect.

„ Th e A™* of
, Mata Gujri, mother of Guru
M»gh: the forty
deserters. Gobind Singh, who felt for the
sufferings of the famished garrison told her
son : "ncy son, leave the fort and save
your people. The Mughal s have promised
not to molest us, and it is no good courting
sure death." The Guru, however, knew better
for oaths on holy books can as well be made
and un-made by unscrupulous enemies. Tak-
ing the eve from the mother, some of the
wavering Sikhs also came forward and said
 :

( 24 )

"We are dying of hunger, True King, let

us go." The Guru told them it was not safe
to leave Anandpur and to be at the mercy of
the Mughal forces. He asked thetn to wait
for a week more in which time he hoped, the
machinations of the enemy would themselves
become clear. But even this little period was
too much for them and forty out of the thinn-
ed ranks decided to desert the Guru, so they
went and informed him accordingly. The
Guru told them to do what they liked if they
would not abide by the command of the Mas-
ter, but in that case he demanded from them
a written declaration that they were no longer
his Sikhs. The forty were determined to do
anything to save their life, so after a little
pause and searching of heart, they went and
handed over the desired paper to him saying
"Take it. You are not our Guru and we are
not your Sikhs." As he extended his arm to
receive the paper, his lofty plume waved in
the air and rubbed against the rich trapping
overhead, for the Guru jumped to receive the
paper. 'Go yg then, and do what ye like"
saicr he, folding and pulling the paper in his
 ( 25 )

vesfc pocket. They had been away from their

hearts and homes for long and now they ex-
pected a hearty welcome from their families.
But their families had already known of their
infidelity, as the news of their desertion ran
like into fire. Headed by mother Bhago, their
sisters, mothers and daughters came and met
the party at a distance from the village. Lady
Bhago who was dressed in male costume
addressed them and said "O cowards, ye have
turned traitors at the time of dire necessity.
Ye men but women, come sit at home
are not
cook and spin, we will go and fight in your
stead." The telling words of mother Bhago
brought them to their self again, and shame
faced they returned to the battle-field once
more They wanted to seek forgiveness for
their desertion, but how could they face him
with guilty conscience. So they decided to
die for him and to wring forgiveness by their
sacrifice. The Forty now set out in search for
him as charged men.
Muktsar and The Guru nad Anandpur
left *
the forty imraor-
WL by that time and had reached
Khidrana, after many wanderings and when he
 ( 26 )

was there, he was informed that the enemy

was coming towards him. The Guru mounted
up his blue steed, took up his bow and arrows
and went up a sand hill from where he watch-
ed t.he enemy. But, the enemy instead of
marching on the Guru had first to fight the
forty Sikhs who had just returned and were
now encamped near a little pond. Wa;;ir
Khan, the Commander of the Royal force, saw
the encampment from a distance and attacked
the same, but, in return, they were greeted
with ceaseless vollies of arrows and bullets
shot by the forty. Although the odds were
over- whelming, the forty decided to fight
viliantly. The ground was littered with muti-
lated heads, arms and limbs. Theintrepedity
of these struck terror in the heart of merce-
nary soldiers of the Mughal army. Wazir
Khan called a council of war. Kapura, a
Government agent informed them that no
water was available in vicinity and it was not
advisable to risk life here, for the exact num-
ber of the Khals a -.vas not known. So Wazir
Khan ordered retreat. The Guru had watched
the v/hole scene with his own eyes, he had
 ( 27 )

seen the Khalsa fight and die with their faces

towards the enemy. He knew who they were
so he rushed towards them on his blue steed.
He found all the Forty there, on the ground,
breathless or on the point of death. He began
to search them one by one, from amongst the
dead. He took each individual head in his
lap. wiped and kissed it. He came across
it

one who was yet breathing, albeit heavily,

recognising him, the Master said: "Mohan
Singh, my son, is it you, look unto me." The
martyr at once recognised his Master, but his
eyes were downcast, because the scene at
Anandpur still rankled in his eyes When he
saw the kindly Master, a stream of tears tri-
ckled in his eyes, his cheeks flushed and he
tried in vain to move his mutilated body to
touch the Master's feet. The Master said:
"Mohan Singh, you have conquered me. I am
pleased with your devotion. It is never too late
to mend." Mohan Singh mumbled: "Master,
we are sinners, we deserted you at the
time of dire necessity forgive us, save us, tear
that scraf of paper we handed over to you on
that eventful, and embrace the forty more."
 ( 28 )

The Master did what he was asked to do, and

he took out that ray which he treasured in his
vest pocket, and tore it: the Be-dawa. The
forty were thus saved, they became Immortal
Mukte, and the gory ground which theybeanti-
fied with their blood is now known as Muktsar.
The Tank was rebuilt and is known as the
Tank of Salvation. The Master said: "Those
who bathe in it on the 1st of Magh, shall be
re-born ever as Muktas of old." The episode
of Muktsar is a silver lining to the dark cloud
which enveloped the Sikhs at Anandpur and
which dogged them in all their wanderings in
the sandy plains and dunes of the Malwa.
Mother Bhngo is the Arundhatiot Sikh history,
faithful, loyal and brave such as no earth-born
ever was.

Siege of
Anandpur Anandpur
r siege
° had another
(Continued.) dark cloud for
silver lining to its
the Mughal Commander-in-chief namely Saiy-
yed Khan who came as an enemy became a
friendand disciple of the Guru after personally
experiencing the Guru's powers in the field.
How this unexpected miracle came to pass in
a batfcle>field is worthy of special mention and
 ( 29 )

we will refer to it in detail later on describing

the Master's magnetic personality. Here, it
isenough to state that Anandpur, the city of
bliss,did have its charming and magnetic
atmosphere wiiich could not but attract and
influence even the avowed enemies of the
Guru. When the Guru left Anandpur
in 1704 A. D. he threw practically all valu-
ables in the river, and it was only the literary
treasure and little cash that was taken. The
Guru left the City of Peace in bliss for hymns
were chanted and the word resounded in the
air when the fortress was evacuated. When
the besiegers learnt that the Guru had
left, they lost no time in chasing them, although

they had solemnly promised not to do so

Severe fighting ensued on the banks of the
Sarsanadl and in the confusion that followed,
the Guru's mother and his two youngest sons
escaped with only one attendant namely Gan-
gu. The Guru with his two eldest sons and
a little party ot Sikhs made towards Ropar.
Most of the Manuscripts which were a result
of twenty years' prolonged labour were either
lost in the affray or washed away by the river
and the Dasam-Granth which con tarns the
 ( 30 )

Guru's word, is but a dwindled part of the

gigantic labour of the Guru on the banks of
the Jumna and Sutlej,

Ohamkaur.
Henmed in from front and be-
hind the Guru hurried towards Chamkaur
where he occupied the mud-built house of a
jat located on an eminence. The enemy
surrounded the house and tried to force open
the gate. The arrows and bullets of the Guru
and his Sikhs, however, did not let them come
so near. The missilies of the enemy fell thick
like hailstorm on the thinned band of the
Khalsa The Guru was seated on the sand-
hill and was darting his gold-headed arrows

right and left which worked havoc among the

wavering and chicken-hearted hill chiefs. The
Khalsas were dying one by one but they knew
that there was no ordinary cause. They were
fighting practically single-handed against
heavy odds because they were fighting the
asures, and the cup of martyrdom was ready
for them. The Guru- watched the battle with
divine calmness. So his master mind, the
whole thing was a melodreme, in which he,
 ( 31 )

his sons and disciples, one and all, had to play

their part and that effectively. So when he
found his ranks thinned, he called, for his own
sons. His eldest son known as Ajit or uncon-
querable, said 'Dear father, I cannot be con-
quered, let me go out first, to join my brothers
that have gone before." The Gruru knew that
to send out his son would be court to sure
death, but he asked his younger son Prince
Jujhar to follow his brother. The younger
one was hardly 14 the Guru dressed his tur-
;

ban with his own hand and gave Him a little

sword, a mere cutless. Both the princes ad-
vanced to measure their steel with heavy odds
in front. Ajit performed prodigies of velour;
his younger brother had never seen such an
odd before. His heart sank under the deafer-
ing roar of cannon, and felt a lump rising in
his throat and his lips were parched with
thirst. He came back to the Gruru to beg for a
cup of water. But the Guru said Dear Jujhar :

go where thy brother Ajit has gone, he has

the cup of nectar ready for you which will
quench your thirst." The prince did not wait
for another hint and flashing .his cutless, rush-
t
 ( 32 )

ed into the enemy's rank, killing and being

killed, blood strickling through his elastic
veins and turning the ground purple. The
Guru's face was jubilant, and his countenance
breathed unearthly satisfaction. Thus ended
another memorable day as much famous in
Sikh history as the Maghi-day of Muktsar
fame.

When the brave boys had shed their blue

blood, the remaining Khalsa gathered together
and passed a resolution (Gurmatta) that the
Guru must be saved at all cost, so obeying the
Panth, the Guruship was entrusted to the Holy
word, and Guru Gobind Singh escaped from
Chamkaur accompanied by Daya Singh,
Dharm Singh and a few others. The Sikhs
who remained in the fort put the Guru's plume
on the head of Sant Singh so that the Mughal
forces thought that the Guru is still at Cham-
kaur, his head was cut off and taken to Delhi
to regale the eyes of the Emperor. But the
Guru was yet up and doing, and he was free
from the grip of Che Mughal hands.
 ( 33 )

Murder of the
The remaining
innocent child- " two sons of the
reii: Bhujangi Guru namely Zora war Singh and
Fateh Singh who barely 9 and 7
respectively fell in the death-trap of G-angu
who in order to get hold of the cash with
Mother Ghijri, handed them over to the
Governor of Sirhand, namely Wazir Khan.
The usual alternatives of death or acceptance
of Islam were offered to them. They remain-
ed undaunted and calm and refused to change
their religion, on the other hand the loud
shout of Sat Sri Akal rent the court-room
with deafering cry. The Wazir of the Viceroy
Suchanand, a Brahmin, told him that these
are the progeny of cobra and should be smo-
thered Nawab of Malerkotla interceded for
;

the innocent children. Ultimately they were

bricked alive when their blood, flesh and
bones were utilized in place of concrete aud
mortar. This was on 13th Poh Sambat 1762
(1705 A. D.), another red-letter day in the
history of the Sikhs. The
dauntless mien of
the Guru's sons has since given another
meaning to the word Bhujhangi cobra's :
'

progeny,' for it is now used in reverent teitns

 ( 34 )

for all young-Sikhs, who are expected to come

up to thestandard of Fateh Singh and
Zorawar Singh. Forster, an English historian
has well said, that Wazir Khan, the Gover-
nor of Sarhind "sullied the reputation he had
acquired in this service ^that of persecuting
the Q-uru) by putting to death, in cold blood,
the two younger sons of Govind Singh." The
Guru's mother when she heard this terrible
news died of a broken heart. Thus all the
four children, his father and mother were
sacrificed by the Guru at the altar of Indian
liberty.

The Guru heard this astounding news

when he was in company of Rai Kalha, near
Machhiwara, and although the wept
letter
tears of blood, yet the Guru sat unmoved,
unruffled for he was above all mundane
shocks. But at that time the cosmic impulse
arose in him and involuntarily he took hold
of his poniard and with its tip dug the root
of a shrub thaf grew nearby. When Rai
Kalha asked him the meaning of this spon-
taneous gesture, he said firmly: "My sons
still live, they live in the would-be Khalsa
 ( 35 )

Commonwealth which will rise on the ashes

of the Mughal Empire whichis uprooted to-

day, even as that shrub is uprooted by

little

my poniard." This was a great prophetic

foreboding, and the fall of Mughal Empire,
may be said to synchronise from the day
wh»m the cold-blooded murder of innocent
children took place. It is the blackest spot
in the Mughal history, darker than Black
Hole or Jallianwala episodes in Indian
history left.

The epistle of One should have expected that

victory: Zafar- ^ ,
- ,.
_ , .

nam*. the Guru should have felt most

distressed at about this time of his life, for by
now he had lost his four sons, the forty were
gone, hundred and thousands of his followers
were gone, his father and mother were no more,
his wife was weaned from him, and from her
children for all time, but it was at this time
1706 A.. D. that he wrote from a village known
as Dinahis celebrated epistle: Zafarnama which
literally means: bhQEpistleQ/ victory, notof de-
feat. This is very characteristic of the Saint-
General every line is pregnant with life -and
righteous indignation and .the Guru tells
 ( 36 )

Aurangzeb that far from his being a follower of

the Prophet, Aurangzeb was one of the foremost
melingners of Mohammed, for he did not
understand the A. B. 0. of Religion. The
Guru was not an idol-worshipper, he aimed
at removing untouchability and bringing India
back to its pristone glory. In this work, he
was thwarted by the hill chiefs who conspired
and intrigued to bring in the Mughal
Emperor. The not understand the
latter did
move of theHill Rajas, and gave in. This
was not all. He has written several autograph
letters to the Guru in which he took an
oath on Qoran that the Guru and his KhaNa
would not be molested if they evacuated
A nand pur, and yet at Ohamkaur and all
along the route, the Mughal hordes had done
their worst to destroy the Khalsa, they had
even beheaded Sant Singh who looked like
the Guru. Hefering to the murder of his
sons, the Guru remarked: "What though my
four sons were killed, i remain behind like a
coiled snake ? What bravery is it to quench
a few sparks of life ? Thou art merely excit-
ing a raging fire all the more... As thou
.

didn't forget thy word on -that day, so will

 !

( 37 )

God thee." Such is the righteous strain of

this epistle even the stone-hearted
that
Aurangzeb could not but be moved. As to what
effect it had on Aurangzeb will be discussed
in detail separately, enough to state
here it is

that these outward reverses had made the

Guru all the more resilient, all the more steeled
to his iron resolve i.e. to win the cause of
righteousness. He wrote in Vichitra Natak,
that the greater the apparent reverse the ;

greater the righteous recoil faggl

W& wll
3^21 3H t^Bl),
an <i the celebrated epistle
that he wrote in rhymed Persian is a true
index of the greatness of the Guru. Mark
Napoleon in a sequestered cell at St. Helena,
he. feels despondent, care-worn, bent on com-
mitting suicide, on the other hand, the Guru
writes the Epistle of Victory on the day when
his outward fortune is at lowest ebb he is —
most himself when he is bent surrounded by
the world

Damdama or rpj^
breathing place,
Q urU m0ved On from
" nd d ti0 "? Din a to Kot Kapura,
f
Dhilwan
Jif*S
the Ad-Granth. r
and while en-route witnessed
 ( 38 )

the battle of Muktsar which was fought by

the Forty on their return from home, then
stopped for sometime in the Lakhi Jungle, so
called as the Nam-nectar had transformed the
sun-burnt sandy-hills of Malwa into a verit-
able garden of Aden. Here, many of his
followers: the saint-soldiers reclustered round
him. Ibrahim, a Mohammedan saint who
had passed many years in austerities in this
scorching plain, came to the Guru, sat at his
feet, and became a full-fledged Khalsa,
re-named Ajmer Singh. How did this '.mira-
cle come to pass deseves detailed mention
and we will refer to it later. Suffice it to say,
that whenever the Guru had little breathing
time, the Nam-congregations were held,
religious discourses were delivered, Asa-di-War
was sung in the morning as a matter of routine,
and the Anandpur blissful atmosphere was
reproduced here, there and everywhere in
Majha, Malwa and as we shall see at Nander.
That was the Nectar which sustained the
Sikhs, which stirrer! them with life anew, and
which made no difference to them whether
they lived or died; provided they were true to
 ;

( 39 )

the cause that was so dear to them and of

which the G-urn was the very head and heart.
In the Lakhi Jungle, the poets and songsters
sat on the sand-hills and under the scorching
rays of the sun, sang of the cool atmosphere
which Nam brings ; they sang papia — like of
the Kingdom of Heaven that is our birth-
right, if we could apply ourselves to it.
only
How pleased, moved and stirred were the
disciples on seeing their Master would be
evident from the following soul-stirring
effusion of the Master which flowed out of his
lips like water coming out of gargoyle:

"When they heard the call of the

Beloved
Master, even the buffaloes drop the half-
let
chewn grass from their mouths, and lifted in
hurry their half-slaked lips from the pool ;

None lingered to wait for the other;

each came running all alone, such was the
over-powering force of the fascination which
overcame their heart

The period of fascination was over; the

Friend, the Master re-met and caressed them;
then they were relieved, comforted and 'great
 : —

( 40 )

was their rejoicing when they thanked their

Lord."

This Tchayal of the Guru should be read

in conjunction with another in which the
pangs of the Disciples on their separation
from their Beloved as described by the Guru
himself thus

"Convey unto our Beloved, the woeful tale of his

disciple :

Without Thee the luxury of soft beds and of

the sweet rest is galling and excruciating
like a disease ;

Life in a palace is like living among adders

if Thou art away ;

The goblet of wine is like unto a cross,

The wine cup is like a sharp poniard — if Thou
art away ;

Yea, without Thee, these articles of comfort

choke us, kill us even as a butcher's knife ;

A pallet made of turf and straw is dearer than

a silk bed, if Thou art here,
Or else the palace burnetii like hell fire— 0, if

Thou art away."

These two spontaneous out-pourings of

love-stricken nearb show that the tie which
 —

( 41 )

united the Guru and his disciples was not

that of money, nor that of any other worldly
inducement, it was that of love, sacrifice, and
a love all, the yearning of re-union with the
Infinite. The way to heaven was always
strewn with thorns. The way to new life
lay through the cross. The saint-solidersof the
Guru were after this new life, bumper life
which lives through life and death, through
grave yea, they were after life-eternal,
;

hence it did not matter to them as to who

fell, how many fell, for one and all did live

they lived the life-eternal which defies death,

and which is the very essence of Nam-life.

From Lakhi Jungle, the other resting

place was a place known as Talwandi Sabo
where the Master's tent was pitched on a
little mound. The Master rested here much
longer,and the Anandpur atmosphere was
reproduced in right earnest. Here the Guru's
wife remet him and asked him "where are my
Four." Pointing to hundreds and thousands
of Saint-soldiers who were congregated in
that big maidan, the Guru said "For these,
:

my sons, I have sacrified the Four, what if

 :

( 42 )

they are gone, hundred and thousands do live.

The Four are not dead they live and play
;

in the lap of the Father in Heaven." Such

was the fascinating atmosphere of Talwandi,
that the Guru called it Kashi of the Sikhs,
the Beneres, for here poets, philosophers and
mystics had flocked in hundreds to the feet of
the Master. The Guru also dictated here the
Ad. G-ranth from his memory, as Kartarpur
Custodians of the Sacred Book refused to
part with their copy. The new Bir, compri-
sed the Bani pf Guru Teg Bahadur, as also one
slok of the Tenth Guru. But that slok is wor-
thy of special mention in as much as, it shows
how the spirit of the Epistle of victory perva-
des the whole of his Bani. Guru Teg Baha-
dur had written

i. "The friends and well-wishers desert us in

the end, no one sticks to the last;
O Nanak, the supreme one alone is the last
pillar of support in such calamity" (65)

ii. Strength vanishes, fetters fall in our feet,

there is no remedy;
Nanak, in this dire calamity, the Supreme
One comes to our aid even as He befriend-
 ; —

( 4(5 )

ed the elephant when caught by the

tortoise." (63)

Guru Gobind Singh interposed his own

shlok in between which is as follows :

"I have all the needful power, fetters fall oft

my feet, there is a remedy to every

melody
O Nanak, all is in the hands of theSypreme
One, who is my Friend and Suppor-
ter." (64)

This Shlok is a eve to the whoie Bant of

the Tenth Guru, in which he expresses sup-
reme faith in himself, in his mission and in his
final victory The place where the Guru
Granth was re- written is known as Dam-dama
or the restiug place.

Daiia and Sikh Whilfi at Damdama, another

bravery: An '

example typical scene occurred which deserves

of Sikh attitude.
special attention as it brings out
the devoted attitude of the Sikhs and their
bravery in such a way as cannot be illustra-
ted better otherwise. Dal la was a chief of
Damdama and he was Moslem by faith % h>ut
 ( 44 )

he was friendly to the G-uru. Dalla had heard

of the Lord's privations, how he had lost his
sons and narrowly escaped himself through
the fidality of a few faithful friends. Dalla
touched the feet of the Master and said "I:

am really sorry my Lord, you did not inform

me, your servant. I keep always a company
of no war veterans, who wield sword with rare
dexterity and whose presence spreads panic
in the ranks of the enemy." Thus Dalla was
proceeding with his speech and pro-offer when
a visitor entered and resting his head on
Master's feet presented him a gun which he
had made himself having spent love-labour at
it for many days and nights. The Guru
accepted the ofter and addressing Dalla said,
"Dalla, here is a chance, bring me one of your
men, I want to try it." Dalla was confounded
and mumbled 'Lord, should human beings
:

be used as targets, who would like to die for

nothing" Dalla repaired to his camp and
in order to prove his bravado which he had
just uttered, tried to persuade one of his
followers to come. Dal la's proposition was
met with a storm of opposition in his own
 ( 45 )

ranks, and he returned to the Lord's presence

with a drooping head. The Guru understood
the meaning of that gesture and said to one
of his attendants "Go in my camp and tell
them I want one to try my new gun." The
orders were conveyed. It erected a storm of
confusion, all was hurly burl}* and about a
dozen disciples reached the Guru's presence,
some barefooted, others yet binding their
turban. The Guru selected one who came
foremost: "Come out, you appear to be very
fond of dying, stand here." The disciple
stood, firm like a pillar,
with his breast up-
heaved, ready to receive the bullet. The
Guru guu and was about to move
raised the
the trigger when another who had just bound
his turban, rushed forward with folded hands
and said : "Sir, I request a little favour." He
said: "The target for your aim is my real
brother. Had he been singled out for a jagir
by his father or any other grant, half of the
property would naturally descend to me, but
now that you are centering, on him the cup
of immortality, I claim half of it." It amused
the Lord and he said: "I grant it, come stand
 ( 46 )

behind your bi other, so that my bullet may

deal with you both squarely, but take care
that the bullet does not miss you." Both
stood straight, one behind the other, over
anxious to receive the shot. The Lord
shouldered the gun, aimed it at them and
'click* went off the gun, but the Lord took

pretty good care to pass the bullet over their

heads. The Sikhs did not swerve an hair-
breadth. Dalla saw the whole scene with his
eyes,he was amazed, moved and changed.
H> longed to be one of the sikhs, a moth who
would burn on the Guru's flame. He was
baptized and known as Dalla Singh. The
Guru told him "your men will now have
:

enough of exercise, but you must do what the

wrestling-brothers had taught." The words
had electric effect for when Banda Bahadur
came to Punjab, these new-born Sikhs did
prove their mettle and their worth. Thus
love-conquests were made, and new desciples
picked up here, there and everywhere. Hund-
reds and thousands flocked to his standard,
wherever he was. According to Trumpt, at
Damdama alone, 1,20,000 disciples joined the
 ( 47 )

Guru.

Ufe ° f Soon
th?Guru affcer the receipt of
Zafamama,
Aurangzeb passed
away. He died in February, 1707. Bahadur
Shah was then away in Afghanistan, and his
younger brother, Mohammed Azim, who was
with his father in Deccan, usurped the throne
and took possession of the treasury. Thus
Bahadur Shah who was rightful heir, was
placed in the same position in which Dara
Shikoh was placed by Aurangzeb. But
Bahadur Shah had a strong link with Guru
Gobind Singh in that his once Correspondence
Secretary, namely Nand Lai, was now in the
Guru's Durbar, where he wielded an influen-
tial opinion. So when the war of succession
arose, Bahadur Shah approached the Guru
through Nand Lai. He promised to undo all
what his father had done, he promised to
punish the Governor of Sirhand, he wanted
to make full atonement for the wrongs of his
father. Bahadur Shah knew full well that
Guru Gobind Singh alone held the key to
the situation for he was no ordinary man but
'
Hind ka Fir all-India leader, above all
'
 ( 48 )

spiritualleader, par excellence. The Guru

whose religion recognised no difference be-
tween a Hindu and Mohammedan, and who
was always ready to help the aggrieved, met
Bahadur Shah at Agra where the Emperor
gave him a robe of honour and solemnly
promised to carry out all the promises which
he made and communicated through Bhai
Nand Lai. The Guru and theEmperor
remained together for some-time, and then
they travelled together to the south through
Rajputana, reaching Nander in Hyderabad
Deeean where Bahadur Shah was able to get
what he wanted i. e. the Mughal throne. The
Guru had promised to get back the throne
which he did for his friend and ally. But he
would not be a farther party to the subjuga-
tion of Hindu India, hence the two parted com-
pany at Nander where the Guru began to
preach the Word once more, and hundreds of
men flocked to his standard to hear what the
Master said, to be thrilled and to be electri-
fied Thus, Anandpur was reproduced once
more on the banks of the Godavri, and even
as that hallowed site was known as 'Citadel of
 ( 49 )

Peace' so this new town full of new life was

re-named as Abchal-Nagar, the city Eternal.
Day after day, the Guru held Nam-gathering
baptized people, initiated them into his creed.
The Mughal Emperor knew all this. He had
promised to punish the Governors of Sirhand.
to undo what his father did to the Khalsa
Community at large: he could not carry out
his promises, weak as he was, although he was
named as 'the brave.' When a professedly
brave man is coward at heart, then he be-
comes treacherous also, so in order to smother
the still-born Voice which waxed eloquent
again and again in his heart, he arranged to
get the Guru murdered by a 'hired Pathau.'
This diabolical deed occurred on the fifth of
bright half of Katik, Sambat 1765 (A.D 1708)
a year after his sojourn in that Eternal city
of the South. The Guru had done good turn
to the Mughal, but he was as much a traitor
as Aurangzeb, although to keep appearances,
he sent a doctor to dress the wound of the
Guru. The wound heeled, but was re-opened
when the Guru stretched his bow. Before He
passed away, He held a Durban in which His
 " —

( 50 )

last words were as follows:

"The Panth: the Khalsa is the corporate

Guru, under the enternal guidance of the im-
personal Guru: Oranth Sahib. If ye follow
that Divine Master, ye will never go astray.
My blessings to ye all I

The Master passed away— He is yet with

us in the mystic Body of the Guru-Granthl
 ( 51 )

GURU GOBIND SINGH AS POET, PATRIOT.* PROPHET.

An Poet. Every true seer is a poet for

he hears the Music Divine which made the
universe, and which is the eternal immateriaf
support of material world. All true rishts are
thus psalmists, singers, poets who know
Reality first-hand, and transcribe the same in
glowing metrical accents. This is particularly
true of the House of Guru Nanak of whom no
less than seven Gurus were first and foremost
divine poets. It is true the poetry of the
remaining three has not been transmitted to
us, who knows they may have been as
but
good poets, as the others. At any rate, it is
known of Guru Har Gobind ji, that he was a
great expert in Music, and all the Dharis which
are indicated in the martial songs known as
Vars were dictated by him. Whether the
remaining three Gurus were poets or not, this
much at least is patent that they were great
musicians and that they used to do Kirtan
themselves in Sikh Congregations which were
held by them morning and evening. And
even to this day, the greatest among the
 ( 52 )

Sikhs do not talk much, they sing out what

they have to say. For, music is the soul of
life even as mathematics is the soul of intel-
lect. Guru Gobind Singh was a poet par exce-

llencebecause he was an unearthly singer.

No other poetry displays so much variation
such startling rhythms, their sudden alterna-
tions, accentuation and harmonious blendings
as the poetry of Guru Gobind Singh. Here
you find his soul-stirring Swayyas, alternating
with half-prose Kablts, there you find the classi-
cal conciseDohras strung on to half a dozen
Chhands which sparkle, ripple and
varieties of
then crackle into two-worded or e?en-worded
Chhands which are like so many bright met-
eors shot out from the aesthetic heavens.
There is endless variety of rhythms and words,
and in one and the same compositions serried
rays of words march out in kaliedoscopic
orientations, and one feels enchanted, moved,
carried off one's feet, for such is the irresisti-

ble fascination of the Guru's pregnant words.

Above all, the Guru is arch expert in wri-

ting martiaj poetry of which his Risawal
Chhands and Varse.g,t\\e Chandi-di-Var are
 ( 53 )

best illustrations. Here you find explosive

words in small units shot out at terrible speed,
and the reader of the poetry feels transforted
for once to the battle-field where drums are
beating, the cannons bellowing and banners'
flying. A great French writer said 'Give me
martial lyrics and I will give you nation, and
this is true for all time. No nation can live
until it has soul-stirring poetry to feed the
springs of heart. Guru Gobind Singh realised
the great need of India and like as divine
physcian supplied the need. He knew that
the Indians have any number of epics such
as Ramyana and Mahabhartha, but the langu-
age in which they were written was either
dead and forgotten, or if it was in tel legible
in its translations, the metres chosen were so
dull, pro»aic and cooling, that the effect pro-
duced on the reader was quite the reverse of
what was intended. Imagine a man reading
the exploits of Rama in Lanka, or those of
Yudhistra and Krishna at Kurushetra, and
instead of the reader being stirred on to acti-
vity, he finds himself somnolent, Arjan like

averse to wielding arms — Is this not, in itself,

 ( 54 )

an irony of Indian art, for the reader

instead of taking the lesson to heart, loving
and liking the battle-field, finds himself averse
to the battle-field. Such was the tragedy of
Indian literary art it had sunk into the slough
;

of despond; even martial epics were written by

un- martial and Ahinsa —
loving writers. Thus
the Kashtriya mentality was discounted, and
even warriors like Rama and Krishna were
portrayed as etiolated, non-violent, hermit-
like men who fought only in the story, not in
actual life. What could bo worse, the literary
art had touched the nadir. That was one
reason, the most important reason why Iudia,
the home of Rajputs and the Khalsas, had
become a prey to the recurring raids of fori^g-
ners who invaded it from north, and from
south, from the hilly defiles and from the out-
spread ocean. The mentality of India had to
be changed outright. How could that be done ?
It meant re-writing of the old Indian epics of
which the most important one's were: Rama-
yana, (1698 A. D.) Mahabharta and the Devi
(Chandi) Chritra Secondly, a common langu-
age had to be found or created in which these
 ( 55 )

epics could be re-written, so that India, as a

whole, could read it, be thrilled and moved
together. What could be better language
or dialect for this purpose than Brij-Basha
which combined sweetness with the glory of
ancient Sanskrit, and which dialect was cho-
sen later on even by the Mughal Emperor:
'Zafar' to express his inborn sentiments. Thus
the choice was made and the work started.

The task was tremendous. It could not

be done single-handed and yet it had to be
done. The Guru engaged no less than
52 * bands or poets who helped him in his
task, which was Herculean, as it had to
suit the requirements of 33 crores of Indians.
Although the above band of bards helped
him, prepared for him rough translations for
approval, yet the final rendering was entirely
that of the Guru, who changed, corrected and
*0f these, the poetry of Bhai Nand Lai has been preser-
ved to us intact. He quitted the Mughal Court and having set
at the feet of the Master, drank Nectar of life. The persian
composition Zindgi-Nama is his masterpiece. The Guru used
to call him 'Nand-Lalla': Prince of Joy Be his conversion
:

see No. 19 Part II.

Saina Pati another poet wrote Gur St.bha giving impor-
tant events of the Guru's bin.
 ( 56 )

altered the drafts so fundamentally, as to fall

in entirely with the lines laid down in his
own poetry of which the best specimens are
the Jap, Akal Ustat, Bichitra Natak{ilOb A.D.)
Chandi-di-Var, and the Swayyas. The above
epics were translated, re- written and were
couched in such a verse that even " a sufi or
Bania read it, he is iikely to be changed, elec-
trified into new life." Such was the change
which the Guru intended to engender in the
Indian.

The Dasam Granth which contains this

poetry but a fractional part of his labour, for
is

many were washed down

of his compositions
in the Sarsa Nadi while evacuating Anand-
pur. It took no less than 20 years to write,
re-write and re-cast the old and to
literature,
add new poetry to it. The Dasam Granth, as
it stands, was brought into cover by Bhai

Mani Singh, but the compositions it contains,

are either wholly of the Guru, or so funda-
mentally altered by him that we may take
them to be as good as that of the Guru. It con-
tains account of 24 Avtaras, particularly that
of Rama and Krishna, the Shastra-Mala which
 ( 57 )

isan eulogy of arms and the rosary of their

names, Zafar Nama (1706 A. D.) or the
celebrated Persian Epistle of Victory, the Sri-
Mukh-Bani which is wholly the Guru's own
composition such as the Jap, Akal Ustat, Bi-
chitra Natak, the latter being autobiography
of the Guru in splendid verse. Pieces like
Gyan Parbodh show that they are parts only
which had to be completed, but which were
never completed owing to the pre-occupations
of the Guru with war. At the end is a long
collection of stories Turya-Charitra which
bring out the female sex in its true bewitching
colours cautioning the reader to be ever on
his guard against the Eve and the Serpent
who is her mentor. The pieces which com-
prise translations of old classical stories are
also interspersed with personal touches. For
instance, it is related in one of the Turya
Charitras as tohow he himself was entangled
by the Eve, and how he escaped unhurt. The
Gnru's solemn advice to the Eve is reproduced
elsewhere in His word. In the Krishna and
Rama Chritras, he makes it clear that these
Avtars are not his Isht whom he worships for
 ;

( 58 )

he worshipped only the Supreme One Akal :

Purakh, but they are there as the Indian

masses had to be tutored along those stereo-
typed lines. So the personal remarks which
he makes in these sketches may well be
reproduced : —
"I do not propitiate Ganesh, as others of in the
beginning,
I do not meditate on Krishna or Vishnu
I have heard of them but acknowledge them not,

It is only the Supreme One's feet that I adore."

In Ram Avtar, he says: —

"0 Lord ! sinoe I have taken shelter at Thy feet,

I have paid no heed to any one else,

Kama and Rahim, the Puran and Quran expound

differentnames and doctrines, but I accept
them not
O Supreme One all that I have written or
!

spoken is by Thy favour only."

In the Krishna Avtar, he says that I am

not so-called somnolent Brahman, I am a
true Kashtriya who must belete and die, for
that is the true Dharma of a righteous warrior.

lr/ the Vichitra Natak, he makes it clear

 ( 59 )

how Supreme One had ordained and sent

the
Him to spread righteousness on earth, as the
the Supreme One's own Son — :

"Saith the Supreme:

"I instal and cherish thee as my own Son,
I send thee to form and spread New Faith,
Go and spread it, the Law of Righteousness,
Restrain people from senseless acts."

This was his God-given mission and his

whole life is one continuous record of struggle,
sacrifice and ultimate triumph.

The Chandi Chrilra was translated with

the same aspect of the Supreme One, called
Shalcti, which was worshipped. The Guru
made it end that he had no other
clear at the
object in translating this than that of rousing
the masses to true martial glory. In his Akal
Ustat and other writings, he makes abundant-
ly clear that Bhagauti is the executive-energy
of the Supreme One and that it is Nam,
which is the heart and soul of Sikhism, but
this cannot be attained by propitiating so-
called Devis, but by purity and by Simran.
Hence, the insinuation that the Guru worship-
 ( 60 )

ped Naina-Devi or any other Devi, and that

Horn was held for the purpose, if an entric
travesty of the Sikh history, it is undiluted
blasphemy manufactured by avowed enemies
or ignorant friends of Sikh religion who in
their zeal to draw the Klialsa back to the old
stagment faith }i manufactured stories which
are altogether repuguent to the Bani of the
Guru, and the essence of the Sikh faith. As
the matter is discussed at full length in the
Gurmukhi portion of the book, hence, it need
not be referred to any further here. Suffice
it say, that the Guru never worshipped any
Devi, Ram, Krishna, Vishna, or for that
mattar any avtara, he worshipped only the
Akal Purakh whose unimitable and thrilling
description is given in Akal Ustat.

The battle scenes portrayed by the Guru

are photographic and cinematographic des-
criptions of Reality; the usual scene is that of
asuras fighting the Devtas, but there are
infinite variations, Coup d' Etats, counter-
actions and end victory of the right-
in the
eousness. The mythical heroes are
usual
retained, but one oan see through the trans-
 ( 61 )

parent descriptions that Hiran-aksW means

*

an asura with his eye angled {Hiran), Dhumar-

nain means smoke-eyed asura, Nis-umbh
means ignorance born of darkness {Nis), and
so on. In other words, the war is between
devilish attributes and heavenly attributes
and not between historical figures. If this

isunderstood, half of the endless and useless

discussion as to Devi and its worship is auto-
matical \y wiped out. Readers who want fur-
ther light in this connection are invited to
read the vernacular portion Of the book
which discusses the subject from the funda-
mental stand-point of Nam, which is the final
arbiter of most points.

While a considerable partof the Guru's

poetry devoted to martial lyrics, yet hym-
is

nal lyrics are not missing. These are collec-

ted together in the Ramkali Rag and come
somewhere half way in the Dasam Granth.

Thespecial characteristics of his poetry

may be summed up thus surcharged emotion,
:

volcanic force, sweet cadence, sudden change

or alteration in rhythm, perfect blendingo and
 ( 62 )

euphonious assortments of words by allitera-

tion or otherwise, devotional zeal, and above
all spiritual fervour The reader is all the
time held spelt-bound, nerve-strung, and is
ever at tip-toe of new enthusiasm. Extra-
ordinary flow, high emotion and martial
valour are strung together in the most copious
vocabulary which combines Brij Basha, Pun-
jabi and Persian in a consumnate synthesis,
and the result is the most inspiring, the most
vitalising, most military poetry ever
the
written. Guru Gobind Singh's poetry is a
true mirror of his dynamic personality, and
there is, no doubt, that he succeeded immen-
sely.

J^CrlltTol But P 0efcrV

* One string to
Khaisa Cora- bow, he
not only a poet
is but a
m on wealth. " r
prophet. His prophetic vision is
a much more important part of him than
even the poet-in-him, although the two go
together and one cannot see them apart. In
the Bachitra Natak, he makes it abundantly
clear that he is the 'Messenger of God,' 'God's
own Son' came to uproot evil and to establish
righteousness on earth. He need not argue
 ( 63 )

like philosophers as to what is evil and

Ahriman— the and it has to be
evil is there,
rooted out. Hehas to battle against it as a
hero— hero in battle-field as he fought against
Mughal forces, hero at home when he quieted
his wife at the loss of Four, hero at a son when
he sent his father to Delhi to be sacrificed,
hero in art, literature, poetry, hero at every
moment of his life. But the most important
and the most enduring result of his heroic
vision was the holding of the Durbar in which
the Khalsa was selected and crystallised
for the first time. This was on the first of
Baisakh Sambat 1756 (1699 A. D.) when a
great gathering was held at Kesgarh near
Anandpur. In the vantage ground of the
Guru's stronghold, a big tent was pitched,
and outside it thousands of ardent devotees
sat around in an out-stretched semi-circle. The
Guru harangued them and told them that new
duties would soon devolve on their shoulders,
as they had been mere spectators and hearers
so far, but they would be required to be doers
before long. At the end of the speech, the
Guru drew out his sword and said: " Is there
 — —

( 64 )

any one who would volunteer his head for

the sake of religion and the cause that is
dear to one heart i. e. righteousness." This
sudden gesture and significant call produced
consternation and at first, a little wavering
among the ranks, but lo there stood up one
!

solitary soul (Daya Rain Khatri of Lahore)

who offered to lay down his head at the
bidding of the Master. The Guru took him
into his tent, there was a down-rush of a
stream of warm blood, and the Guru came
out once mere from the closed tent, with his
sword dripping the blood. Blood seemed to
stream out of the Guru that day, and he
asked for another head Nothing daunted,
!

another volunteered (Dharm Das of Delhi. 1

and still another (Mukhan Chand of Dwarka,

Sahib Chand of Bidar, Himmat Rai of Jugg-
nath), until five Dear Ones were cliosen and
taken into the same hidden enclosure. At
each entry of new soul, the same stream of
warm blood rushed out, and there was genuine
consternation all round, but lo when the!

Guru lifted the curtains, all the Five Dear

Ones Panj Piyare as they were called
 — —

( 65 )

were there alive, attired in deathless robes of

Akalis, and at their feet were the five heads
of sheep that were served to give the Five
Chosen Ones a blood bath as it were. The
Guru baptised them with Sacred Water, the
Amrit stirred with two-edged sword: Khanda
which had been sweetened at the right time,
by his spiritual-'wife' * Mata Sahib Kaur, the
motherof the Khalsa. Before it was all over, he
sat at the feet of his disciples and asked them
to baptise the Guru with the self-same water !

Thus the great Gruru stood before the Chosen

Ones as their disciple, and so it has been well
said:

"Hurrah for the Gruru ! He is both the

Guru and the disciple " !

The Guru then addressed the whole

assembly thus :

'My dear Sikhs Be of good cheer. Ye

!

have responded and responded well. When

The Guru had but one wife namely Mata Jito who was
re-uamed Mother Suudri (the beautiful) on her marriage.
The mother of the Khalsa was 'Sahib Devan who was a
—
virgin very much like a vestal virgin-dedicated to the cause
of religion and who imbibed spiritual lesaons only from the
Master even as Miranbai does now from Mahatma Gandhi.
Those who take it otherwise are mis-informed.
 ( 86 )

Guru Nanak tested his followers, only one

— —
Sikh Guru Angad stood the ordeal success-
fully,today I find as many as five. This is
a matter for sincere gratification for I feel
sure that the task begun by me is bound to be
completed and righteousness shall prevail.
example of the
I trust others will follow the
Five Chosen Ones and do what they have
done. I shall need them before long. Go,
borrow not, toil and moil and earn an honest
living, speak not falsehood or ill of any one
else, covet none. Drink not, smoke not. Give
freely, help the poor and suffering.. Get up
early and repeat Japji and act according to
the behests of the Guru. Habitually contri-
bute a tithe of your savings to the common
kitchen which serve with your own hands.

Observe the Rahat that I enunciate today

and in which the Chosen Ones shall be first
attired. Never shave the holy Ke-shas as they
are symbols of our being oriented God- wards
— otherwise we are oriented towards the dust.
The Keshas are the holy woods on which the
honeyed-monsoon of Nam settles That must
be your first token of Sikh faith. Therewith
 ( 07 )

goes kangha which keeps them clean. You

must arm yourself with at least a kirpan for
otherwise you will like unto sheep whom
every way-faring wolf and tiger will ever
trouble. Be ever armed ; live and let live;
the keeping of arms is a sure guarantee of
peace. Mark the Supreme One, He is himself
armed with Death the Akal keeps eternal
;

company with kal. That then be thewill

third tie between you and me. But in order
to wield the sword, you must conserve your
manly strength, you must be temperate. '

Wear kachha or breechas, for that will be

constant reminder to you of the virtues of
continuance and self-control. Above all,
never forget the Akal Purkh, the Deathless
One, the Timeless One worship Him and
;

worship no other Devi, Devata. I will give

you a symbol of that Endless Entity let that :

be the Kara, the endless-circle. Worship

Him, worship no idol. Worship iron not the
gold, and if you stand fast to these symbols,
keep them in spirit, yc shall be ever oriented
towards me (Gar Mukh) or else ye shall be
turned the other way about {Man Mukh) My
 ( 68 )

blessings to ye, one and all. Beware, lest ye

forget and go astray."

The assembly listened with rapt attention,

and nodded complete aequisenee. On that
day, hundreds were baptised and soon after,
the number reached 80,000. This sacred
day when the Guru baptised and »vas himself
baptised by the Chosen Ones is the red letter-
day in the Sikh history for the foundation of
Sikh Cyminonwealth i. e. of Sikh Democracy
was laid on that day. Those who joined the
new faith were known as the KhaUa or the
Pure. The subsequent history of the Khalsa
is one long drawn out rehearsal of the Kes-
garh Baisakhi, and at every re-hears al, the
Khalsa rises fresh, re-born, rejuvenated even
as Phoenix of old. No Ironsides, no other
followers have been so true to their Masters,
as the Khalsas were to their Guru. Hence,
it is well said that the Khalsa is of the Guru,

and the Guru is of the Khalsa.

In singing the evologies of the Khalsa,

the Guru has spared no epithet, nor any
metaphor, and the praise that he made in the
 —

( 69 )

following telling words was proved by spilling

his life-blood. The Guru's remarkable words
are as under:
"Through the favour of the Khalsa, have I won
victories in battle,
Through the favour of the Khalsa, I could
bestow gifts and charity to the poor ;

Through the favour of the Khalsa, all my

troubles have been averted,
Through the favour of the Khalsa, I am rich
and strong ;

Through the favour of the Khalsa, I acquired

knowledge I have ;

Through the favour of the Khalsa, my enemies

are slain ;

Through the favour of the Khalsa, I am exalted,

otherwise there are crores of poor mortals
like me !

Such was the tribute which the G-uru

paid to the Khalsa, and the Khalsa, in turn,
was ever true and faithful to him, knit up as
it was with him with the indissoluble ties of
the Nam. Little wonder that when the
western historians saw this remarkable crea-
tion, they were made to confess that the
Khalsa came out of the Gurte even as Mkusrva
 —

( 70 )

came from the head of Jupiter, meaning

thereby an unearthly organic unity, such as
can only exist among the mind-born children
of the Pure Ones !

His Divine ~We

T . ,, , ,.
Word have thus seen how the
Divine Poet was primarily a prophet, a
seer, a messenger of God, came to spread the
Divine faith, to root out evil, and usher in
the kingdom of Heaven or earth. The whole
bani of the Guru is full of Divine love which
r
recognises n o distinctions of Caste, creed or
colour. His utterances have cosmic outlook
and the following is very typical of his broad-
mindedness:

"The temple and the mosque are the same ttie ;

Hindu prayer and the Musi man Asan are

the same; all men are equal it is through
;

error that we see them different.

All men have similar eyes, similar ears, similar

bodies, similar habits — they are, a compound
of earth, air, fire and water.

'Allah' and 'Abekh' of the Mohammadans and

the Hinfjus means the same Supreme One;
the Puraus tbid Qoran point but to the One;
 ( 71 )

th°>y are one ; it is one God who created us

all;

As from one fire, millions of sparks arise; though

separate to look it, yet they reunite in the
fire;

As in one stream, millions of ripples are produ-

ced; the waves being made of water, are re-
absorbed in water;

So, from God's form, non-sentient and sentient

beings are born ; they spring from Him, and
in the end shall be re-united in Him."

This is aa broad an outlook as it is true.

If inspite of these utterances, his message is

considered one-sided, the fault lies with the

reader. The teachings
Guru Grobind Singh of
breathe the same catholicity, the same purity
and universal outlook as that of Guru Nanak.
If Guru Gobind Singh condemned false Mos-

lem forms, so did Guru Nanak. As to the

sword, it was not taken up against true reli-

gion but against its misconception. The

Guru made it clear to Aurangzeb, that the
Emperor was not a true follower of Islam, for
he did not understand the inwardness of the
religion. All true religions are one at heart
 ( 72 )

and the seers or prophets are a spontaneous

result of the cosmic impulse which found its
latest expression in Guru Gobind Singh. The
message that he brought was a unique synthe-
sis of self-abregation rooted in self-activity,
of sword wedded to divine love, of democracy
rooted not in un-intelligent socialism but in
all-seeing, all-enveloping Nam, which is the
heart and soul of Sikhism. This Promethean
fire had become dull, and Guru Gobind Singh
revived it. India, the land of reputed warriors
like Rama and Krishna, had forgotten the
lesson they instilled into them, so they had
fallen, the Asuras had invaded and repeatedly
desecrated their holy places of worship, led
them as beasts of burden, had robbed them
of their property, children and their wives.
India had become Sick Man of the East ; it

had to be cured. So Guru Nanak the peace-

ful had to pass through no less than phases,
ton avataras, prefering India by prolonged
sacrifice, and the last avtar, namely Guru
Gobind Singh did what was the objective of
the first Guru i. e. make India stand on its
own legs. The Mughal Empire reeled and
 ( 73 )

at last and on its ashes the Khalsa raised

fell
a new Commonwealth. The tide 6f conquest
turned westwards and thus in less than a
century, the Khalsa proved that they were
true sons of Guru G-obind Singh.
 ( 74 )

GURU GOBIND SINGH THE RISHI.

Guru Gobind Singh, the last of the Sikh

Gurus, represents, in himself, quite a climax
formation, that is, the culmination of human
personality. Standing on earth, he kissed the
very heavens. He lived with us, he toiled for
us, he laid himself down, his whole family a
willing sacrifice at the altar of humanity. Yet,
he was as much of the earth as are the azure
heavens and the dancing sunlight. He com-
bined in Him rare qualities such as leadership
in war as also leadership in the domain of the
Spirit ; He is a born general yet also a soldier;
He is a king on masnadyet the poorest among
the poor labouring hard with them He is a
;

born statesman yet a saint for He knows no

guile but is artlessness personified a law- ;

giver on the pulpit, a champion in the field,

born leader of mankind, yet it is as a Rishi,

the seer, that He shines the most. Ordinarily,
we find a leader wedded to but one creed, be
it violence or non-violence, be it social service
or political service, be it devoted action in war
or contemplation in some /)ut-of-the-way place
 ( 75 )

in the Himalayas or on the banks of the

Godavari, yet in Him we find all of these
phases coalesced, brought together as in a
living Koh-i-Noor with its million faces scintil-
lating light in every direction. His many qua-
lities are ranged round Him ; in a gorgeous
array, even as whorl of ruby-red petals round
the lotus, and one knows not as to which
series is the most essential or distinctive, for
it the outer which is the brightest, while the

inner is the very heart of the lotus. So also

it is in the case of Guru Gobind Singh hun- :

dred and one colours weaved in one design

vond him, like theheavenly rainbow, which
is garment, yet today we must look
his outer
into his Inner-Self, the Interior, which sheds
radium-like lusture for it is this light which
is then refracted and re-arranged to produce

the many-hued Bow We must, therefore,

!

peep down into the inner-self of this great

leader of mankind, for there He is One, an
exhaustless Treasure of Peace and Bliss,
which is also the secret of his action. Who
does not know of his endless sacrifices the ;

sacrifice of his kith and kin, of those who

 ( 76 )

were dearest and nearest to him, of his revered

father and aged mother, of all the four sons,
of himself, and of his devoted Sikhs? But
how few know of the heart of this great seer
who single-handed fought against the Imperial
Mughals, who vanquished the strong and
helped the poor, who brought about a spiritual
revolution in India and left, for all time, his
like in the deathless Khalsa, which crystallises
all that is good and great, of the Spirit.

It was in my peregrinations in the forests

of Dehra Dun that I had got a glimpse of the
hidden heart of this great Man who comes
once in the millenium. I was encamped in a
little field on the banks of the Jamna, nearKal-

si,and not knowing of the weird surrounding's,

I strayed down to the bank of the river where
a ferryman picked me up and carried me
over to the other bank. The sun had not yet
risen, but his winged horses were already on
the horizon and the firmament was coloured
deep crimson when took my seat in the
I
ferry. My eyes were fixed on this fiery
chariot when already my feet were on a solid
pav3ment which lod up by a few steps to an
 ( 77 )

open court-yard surmounted by a globular

building which had been just laved in limpid
light wafted by the morning breeze. The
ribbed cupola, a prominent feature of this
building, was yet wet with dew which darted
iridescent light, as if to greet the visitor who
was an utter stranger to this enchanted
corner of the Himalayas. Fortunately for
me, no one was in this building at the time,
and I wondered hard in my mind as to what
could be this holy building so sweet yet
;

forlorn, perched in the very midst of a forest,

cut off from civilization, quiet corner except
for the lullab} of the all too placed Jumna.
As there was no one near about, Imused and
wondered and drank the charm which
possessed the building. I wished in my heart
of heart that I would be the luckiest man if
this building were mine and I were free to
pass the remaining days of my life in this
quiet corner, with none else to befriend me
except the Jaunty Jumna, and the sun-kissed
shrubs. My soliloquy was disturbed by a
venerable old man who came from another
building hidden in the neighbouring copses,
 ( 78 )

who informed me that I was in no less a

place than the holy precincts of Paunta Sahib,
the enchanted ground where Guru Gobind
Singh passed as considerable a portion of his
life as Jesus did in the environs of Nazareth !

Paunta as we shall soon see, is a pivotal point

in the Sikh history, Paunta is the first nursery
of the Khalsa Panth. Ah the unexpected
!

pleasure of stumbling on Paunta, Sahib. My

veins tingled with delight, and my heart
panted with pleasure, indeed my whole frame
was aquive'r with new-born joy Imagine
!

Allah Din having got back his weird lamp

from the old rtagician! Ah the superb
!

felicity of seeing the first Seed of the Great

Pauth, the Khalsa Panth's womb I remem-
!

ber I took later on a snapshot of this holy

Gurdwara, but what velox-paper can rival
the living-print which was fixed in the sensi-
tive part of my soul, never to be deleted
hereafter?

was at Paunta Sahib that the great

It
Gum repaired to complete his plans. It was
here that he taught his Sikhs the great secret
of the Self, and enabled them to realise the
 ( 70 )

Nam by Simran and contemplation. It was

here that fifty- two poets clustered round him
and he compiled a treasure of art and poetry,
much of which is unfortunately lost to us in
wars that followed. It was here that he
hunted and taught his Sikhs the rudiments
of swordsmanship even as he taught them
the how and why of sacrifice. The spiritual
atmosphere of Paunta Sahib will be evident
from the account of one Raghunath, a
millionare-disciple of the Guru, which story
is a precious heirloom bequeathed to us from

the past.

One fine morning, the Guru was sitting

on the Jumna Ghat saying his evening pray-
ers'. Down flowed the Jumna, swift yet clear,
while all around were hills dark with woods.
Raghunath, proud of his wealth, came and
bowed "Sire, I have brought a trifling pre-
;

sent, intakon of my love. May be, it is un-

worthy of your acceptance, yet it is here."
So saying he laid at the f§et of the Master
two gold bangles, inlaid with rare stones The
Guru accepted the present whith was offered
with luve, and as if to display his pleasure,
 ( 80 )

began to play with one of these bangles, toss-

ing it in the air and back again into his palm,
when lo the bangle slipped suddenly and
!

rolled down into the river. Raghunath, who

was all eyes at the time, jumped into the
river therewith. The Master was absorbed
in his meditation, yet he was not unmindful
of what Raghunath was doing. Late in the
evening, Raghunath returned from his quest,
his eyes downcast, and his clothes dripping.
"Master, I can still get the bangle, if you
point out the exact place where it fell in my
;

over-enthusiasm, I have lost bearing of the

site where it fell." So panted Raghunath,
his eyes turned more to the river than to the
Master. Knowing, as He did, all that passed
in the mind of his disciple, the Guru threw
the other bangle also in the river, and said;
"Lo! Raghunath it is there." Raghunath
stood aghast and could not believe his eyes.
He was yet pre-occupied with his bewilder-
ment when the Master ran towards him, took
him in his arms, flooded him with kisses and
said; "Raghunath, I got rid of the bangles
pu^pesety as I saw that they were a screen
 ( 81 )

between me and fcbee!" Raghunath fell at

the feet of the Master and at that very mo-
ment was changed he was no longer a
; disci-
ple but the elect ! What is true of btaghunath
is true also of Bliai Nand Lai who came t6
the Guru as a Vaishuavite, but rose up into a
—
mountain high personality: the Khalsa such
as Guru Gobind Singh alone can bring into
existence. Thus, one by one he picked up
his disciples, taught them he efficacy of Sim-
ran. and by so doing transmuted them into
his own image! Rome was not Wuilt in one
day, nor the great Khalsa Panth. Those
who think otherwise deceive themselves and
others. It was the patient preparation at
Pauuta which flowered, larer on, at Kesh
Garh Sahib. Without the one, we cannot
think of the other. Pauuta, therefore, was
the great work-shop of the Rishi wherein he
manufactured the spiritual weapons to be
used later. Here, iu these woods, the Khalsa
laid up treasure of the Nam which when once
accumulated can never be exhausted. Paunta
is, therefore, the spiritual nursery of the Khalsa

the stage of conception, even as Kesgarh

 ( 82 )

Sahib marks the place of birth. I cannofe

but draw pointed attention of the Panth to
this womb of Sikhism, for in the materialism
that is engenderd by the existing civilization
we are fast forgetting the very first rudiments
of the Khalsa Panth; the Nam, accumulated
in quiet surroundings, of which Paunta Sahib
isa standing reminder. What if we gather
the riches of the world, and lose our soul ?
No Paunta Sahib which is to be a marble
;

dream Symbolic of contemplation on Nam,

the choicest of our possession must loom once
more largely in our imaginations. Wherever
we are whether in Lahore or Amritsar, in
London or Washington, we must erect our
own Paunta Sahib, I mean a quiet corner
where we may retire into ourselves to find out
as to what we are and what is our goal,
whether our cherished possession is the world-

ly lucre or the exhaustless Treasure of Nam?

And if we are not have a sepa-
so rich as to
rate quiet corner let Amritwela be our Paunta
Sahib, for then all nature is asleep, and only
the lovers of Nam are awake. Let us rise
sufficiently ahead' of the early birds, for we
 ( 83

must sing before they sing. Man is noblest

creation ofGod and he must surpass all other
creation in contemplation.

Given the foothold of Nam, the riddle of

Guru Gobind Singh's subsequent life is easily
solved. Those who have read the great epic
of Kalidass regarding the birth of the War-
God know how Indra, with other gods, waits
upon Shiva, to ask that Kumar a, the war-god,
may be lent to them as their Leader in the
cotnpaign against Tar a k a. Indra prefers their
request, where upon Shiva bids his son assu-
me command of the gods, aud slay Taraka.
Great is the joy of Kumara himself, of his
mother Parvati, and of Indra. At last Taraka
is slain, aud the war-god returns. Taraka is
the evil genius of the bigotry aud materialism
which comes to life again aud again, hence
the necessity of Guru Gobind Singh the war-
;

god ! Such Indians as do not understand the

Guru's message, and are blindly tied to violen-
ce or non-voilence must realise that by so do-
ing they are not only false to the Guru, but to
the gospel of the Gita which they profess to
believe. For, the Gita is but an episode of the
 ( 84 )

Mahabhartha and Guru Gobind Singh is

epic,
the great actor who acted it out in this work a
day life Akbar, the great; realised the para-
mount, need of toleration, but Jahagir did not
profit from the experience of his father, and
Shah Jahan was at best lukewarm Aurangzeb,
on the other hand, was bigotry personified and
Guru Gobind Singh was the war-god, reborn
to slay incarnate Taraka. Where it not for
Guru Gobind Singh, good and great
all that is

in this ancient laud of Rishis would have per-

ished, root and branch. Guru Gobind Singh
the greatest Rishi knew that as Mother India
was in grave peril, it was no use dilly-dallying,
for such vacillation would have been criminal.
The surgeon no longer waits when the arm
is venombitten he must amputate the arm
;

out of sheer love for the body. Likewise the

forester or the gardener no longer waits when
he finds a tree disease-ridden, he cuts it forth-
with to save the remaining trees. It is futile
to be tide to this or that convention: as is the
malady so is the remedy, and grave maledies
call for drastic treatment. The original
contribution of Guru Gobind Singh, therefore,
is that to Nam he wedded unstinted sacrifice
 !

( 85 )

and thus saved Tndia from that degradation to

—
which the 'Wise' Rndha had unwittingly
led her. As there is danger of similar relapse
at the present time, one cannot help emphasis-
ing- that the creed of Ghiru Gobind Singh alone

can save India, but sacrifice that is not foun-

ded on Nam is no sacrifice, but mere idle dis-
play. of Sikhism is Nam
The substratum ;

on that foundation all else rests. Let us first

be true to our own selves. Let us not go as-
tray from our own moorings, Nam is our bed-
rock Nam is our sword; Nam '*$ our well-
;

spring; Nam is nerve and muscle; Nam is our

eternal youth and vigour. Let us, therefore,
be firmly poised in the Name; so girded let
us lay down our self at the alter of India, at
the alter of humanity, wheresoever mankind
is travelling. For, is not the Khalsa the right-

hand arm of God Himself? This, theu, is my

humble message: as we march forward to the
four corners of earth in loving service, let us
hold fast to our Simran-home: I mean, Paunta
Sahib, the fountain-head of the Khalsa Panth,
Let Paunta Sahib be the morning-star and
evening-star of this Pure Church, which is
God's own
 ( 86 )

TWO SAINTS MEET: GURU GOBINO SINGH Jl AND

SAIYAD BUDHU SHAH.

Friendshipa rare thing on earth. But

is

wherever two friends meet there is really

heaven. Such two unearthly lovers were
Guru Gobind Singh and Saiyad Budhu Shah.
Little is known to the world of Saiyad Budhu
Shah except that he was a warm admirer of
Guru Gobind Singh ji in whose service he laid
down two of his sons, and that he belonged
to villiage Sadhaura. But this much is
admitted on all hands that Budhu Shah was
a Mohammedan saint who was well-known
for his piety. The term 'Shah' is reserved
for such Mohammedan faqirs who outlive the
dark period of their ignorance and climb up
to that sun-lit peak where there is eternal
sun-shine ! In these days when the whole
world is divided into water-tight partitions,
misnamed religions, this love of one saint
representing one such religion, to another
Guru who was above so-called religions, is a
happy object lesson which no march of time
nor much dust on scrolls of history cau effec-
 ( 87 )

tually conceal or hide for all time.

Saiyad Budhu Shah had spent much of

his time in austerities like Baba Parid of old,
and although he had spent the better part of
his life in keeping Ramzan religiously and
saying prayers regularly, yet the Divine Light
was still somewhat smothered within him. He
paid a visit to the Guru at Anandpur and
the talk naturally turned on that blissful town.
"Why have you called it Anandpur, my dear,
it is so full of scrubs and thorny bushes which

have bruised my naked feet while coming to

you " said Budhu Shah. The great Gruru
took hold of the aching foot of Budhu Shah,
rubbed it with his soothing hand and replied
"If .this path has troubled thee, my love, I
am very sorry, but it is yourself who are to
be blamed for trudging it on foot, why not
use sandals or cover your feet with shoes, and
walk it out?" "But I am an hermit, an ascetic
whosubdues the flesh, not one who pampers it
at the expense of his soul " replied the Saiyad
somewhat hastily. " Quite Right " said the
Master, but you need not smother the flesh
to save your soul. There is a way in wMch
 ( 88 )

you can curb the flesh and yet not kill it, you
can subdue the brute and yet use it as your
pack-horse. The primary thing is life not
austerities, union not seeking, and the empha-
sises that you lay on this and that outer
ceremony is after all only an impediment, an
obstacle, rather than help." There was a
glow and glimmer in the eyas of the Master
which radiated unearthly light all round and
the same light could not but have its effect
in the receptive soul of the Saiyad, who felt
as if the flickering flame of his life had
received fresh leese of oil and had begun to

burn more brightly. With each word of the

Master, a new window appeared to open in
the dingj recesses of his soul, and with each
7

such discovery a new thrill, tremor, awaken-

ing appeared to overflow his soul. When the
cabin of his soul was thus over-flooded with
light, the Saiyad exclaimed : "Allah hu Akbar"
"Great is the God I have realised today,
I

how Great is the Supreme One and how

repulgent is His 'Light. But one thing I
must ask again, great Guru" said the Saiyad.
"Yes, by all meai\,s," rejoined the Master, "I
 ( 89 )

would be only too glad to lighten the load on

your soul. I know that there is dead load on
your heart, which has been oppressing you,
aching you, troubling you in your night-
dreams. There are wrinkles on your eyes
and there is that oppressive wrench on your
brow which is very significant of this and
which I noticed the very moment when I
removed thorns from oft your foot. I will be
only too glad to pick off thorns out of your
soul, if only you will unburnden your soul to
me."
The Saiyad feltrelieved, the solid burden
on his head already appeared to melt, to
dissolve into thin air, but the oppressive
Vapours of his petrified worry, still lingered
round him and he felt as if he must get rid of
this and breathe the pure
pestilence also
salubrious air which flowed out of the moun-
tain heights of the Master's blissful speech.
"Tell me then, O, Master " said the Saiyad
"tell me what is life, godly life, for which
mortals thirst 9 Tell me it all, and conceal
not what others conceal, for I have hungered
too long, laboured too hard, worked so
 ( 90 )

strenuously but am still ever so far off from

life as ever."
The Master embraced the Saiyad and
hugged him close to his bosom so hard that
the thin air between the Master and the saint
turned into a vaccum and then the blessed
Master explained : "Life, my dear, life is joy-
eternal, peace-eternal, activity-eternal. It is
long-sought-for, long-prayed-for consumma-
tion at last attained. without begin-
It is joy
ning and end. It is light that never was on
sea or land. It is perfume that distils out
of the honeyed-lotus of Nam and transmutes
all with its heavenly fragrance. It is glory-
eternal, beauty-eternal, ecstacy-eternal. Brea-
the this Air and you shall never die of con-
sumption. Swim in this ether and you need
no propulsion. Take these wings and you
soar the uppermost heights, sail through the
star lit spaces, yea, you become like the moon-
crescent which sails in the azure-blue and is
brimful with the Soma. Drink this Nectar and
thou will be a redeemed soul, a regenerated
soul,the Khalsa. Ah the glory of
! it, ah !

"
the bliss, the peace, the awakening 1
 :

( 91 )

The light filtered into the cabin of

J3udhu Shah's soul, his flame leapt high. He
feltthe ecstasy, he danced in joy, he laughed,
he swelled. He fell down in joy. The Master
had waved the magic ward and Budhu Shah
had become really a 'Shah' an Emperor of
the world !

When the saint got up from his ecstasy,

he fell at the feet of the Master and said
"Master, I have taken too much of thine valu-
able time. 1 was blind and have got eyes.
I was deaf and have regained m/ ears, I was
halt and I have re-found my lost limbs. But
one thing more remains to be explained, if you
could vouchsafe a little more time." "By all
means, my dear, have we not enough time at
—
our disposal to the end of very time What !

is it that weighs on your soul, what draws it

down, what chokes your gullet still. I am at

your disposal, ever at your side, for am I not
your Friend ? " rejoined the Master. 'T thank
thee, dear Friend, and this is why I came to
thee, because I knew that 'Thou wilt help me
evtn as thou helpest all others who knock at
Thy door. I know now what is Life, what is
 ( 92 )

Freedom, what is Higher-Love, but what

about my duty, my station in life. Need I
work or need I not, now that I have been
liberated from the getters of the world?"
mumbled the Saiyad who was still somewhat
mystified. "Work, that thou must, that each
and every one must, or else thou wilt not be
true to thine self or to thine Maker. Freedom
isgood, but it does not conflict with work,
nay, work is the crown and the consummation
of union, of Godly-Hunger. It is true, quite
true, that the gates arethrown wide open to
you today and that you go to and fro through
the heights and depths of space, but even as
the air in which thou swimmest is true to its
allotted task, so must thou be true to
th.y
station inlife. The scrubbing of door-steps
remains so also the care of house, but joys
fill it and swell it to the sky
work, that thou
;

must" emphasized the Master in stentorian

accents, and the Saiyad nodded warm
obeisance in approval.
This talk that passed behind closed doors
at Anandpur one day sealed the friendship
of
the.Quru with the saint for all time, and
 ( 93 )

when the Saiyad returned home, he felt, he

did feel, that all is well with him now. Budhn
Shah lived and died a true Khalsa, a devoted
disciple and friend of the Guru who offered
his all, his sons, his relations, his Mohammedan
disciples, at the feet of the Master and little

wonder that up till this day the Sikhs, all the

world over, hold the saint in very high esteem.
The Guru had already conferred on Budhu
Shah the gift of Nam, than which there is
nothing higher, greater or costlier, but as a
further token of his love, He also gave the
Saiyad a few long hair combed out while
performing His toilet, was made
and this gift
as the disciples of the saint need still the long
hairs, the holy keshas, which both the Guru
and the saint possessed and treasured !

All hail to the great Guru and the saint,

true friends here on earth as also Hereafter !!

 ( 94 )

GURU GOBIND SINGH SYNTHESISER OF LOVE & WAR.

(Being Philosophy of Life and War).

Guru Gobind Singh is one of the very

few master-seers who knew Reality first hand
and worked it out in the true scientific spirit.
We all know how in every living organism
two contradictory processes are reconciled
namely constructive process ovanabolism and
destructive process or katabolism, and the
joint name for these processes is metabolism.
So also in the welfare of the world we have
two processes: the upbuilding process of love
and the weeding out process of War. Both
of these process are working alongside each
other in endless equilibrium, and we can no
more separate one from the other than we
can separate da} from night. We talk glibly
r

of such phrases as Ahinsa or Non- Violence,

and so try to work it out as to avoid even the
least of injury. But modern science gives the
lie to this dubious doctrine. We find, there-
fore, a deadlock between Science and Religion,
and it is this deadlock which the Great Guru
 ( 95 )

Gobind Singh solved. Ifc was in the nine-

teenth century that Science reached its adole-
scene, and religion I mean organised religion,
received corresponding set back. While the
corner-stone of science is the theory of evolu-
tion the two pillars of which it rests are the
law of struggle for existence and conservation
of matter and force. We will take these each
separately. The law of struggle for existence
emphasises that there is. continuous conflict
between living organisms, and that in this
complicated battle-field of life the weakest
go to the wall, while those which are very fit
and adapted to these environments triumph.
Judged from this point of view, death, disease
and suppression, whether physical or moral
are like three prongs of one and the same tri-
dent which the goddess of evolution holds in
her hand, and whereby she separates the fit
from the unfit. All modern nations which
are equipped tooth and nail with steel, dyna-
mite and poison gases are firm believers in
this creed, and Herbert Spencer may be call-
ed the high-priest of this rattling philosophy
for he defined life as continuous adjustment
 ( 96 )

to that sternly beneficient process which

eternallymoves onward helping those which
move along with the current, and weeding
out all the rest. The theoryevolution is
of
only a corollary of this law of tireless struts e I

and it tells us that such variations and adap-

tations as fall in line with this ever-progress-
ing process are preserved, while others are
doomed to death or gradual elimination. Man
issupposed to have sprung from ape ancestors
and according to this theory, he has lost his
tail as it is ho longer required, and for same
reason he has lost his coat of hairs as he learnt
to grow cotton and wool. The crucial test,
therefore, whether anything will be preserved
or not lies in this whether the adaptation or
equipment in question sub-serves the possess-
or thereof if useful it is kept or else thrown
;

out, involving the possessor also in its doom.

In other words, the evolution moves upwards
and outwards on the wings of inflamed
egotism and armed efficiency.
Already at ab'out the close of the Nine-
teenth Century, we find Tolstoy protesting
agpirst the Speneerian view of life and evolu-
 ( !>7 )

tion. He argued that we could understand

on this theory struggle, competition and
efficiency, but the theory of evolution does
not and cannot explain as to how morality
and service came into the world and at what
stage of evolution do they represent impulses
which are diametrically opposite to aggression
or self-acquisition. While the law of struggle
for existence demands trampling the weak
under-foot ; how is it that the prophets and
seers rejoice in serving the weak, the down-
trodden ? Every religion espouses the cause
of the weak and the poor and it is as a matter
of fact a reaction against the aforementioned
truculent doctrine of science. Religion has
always regarded all men as equal in the eyes
of God, while science has always believed in
its contrary. That being so. it must be a
riddle of the first magnitude to explaiu as to
how and when and spirituality
morality, ethics
dawned on the mind of man when he was
just emerging from the ape stage. If you
try to find the solution of this riddle in the
domain of science you will find yourself in a
terrible fix. You can no more extract service
 ( 98 ^

and morality -from the law of struggle for

existence than you can extract light from
darkness or honey from the cobra-plant. You
may explain that morality has no deeper
root than simple co-adaptation whereby we
have agreed mutually reduce our crowns
to
to provide for all trees growing in a forest,
i. e. a sort of mutual give and take sjo that all

may exist. Even if we accept this explana-

tion for one moment in case of
morality yet
we cannot explain the
noble impulse of
service which threads through the whole
creation. You cannot say that the mother
has any ulterior motive when she suckles the
b«be nor that the cow has any selfish eye on
her master's corn when she feeds him with
milk. No, the impulse of service has its
spring in the deepest fountain of life and can
in no way be called as superficial. In any
case, the law of struggle for existence cannot
explain this, as it is quite the antithesis of
that law, even as day is antithetical to
night. Is there then no solution,
is it a dead-

lock with out any key, a mystery that admits

of no unravelling?
 ( 99 )

This antithesis between physical assertion

on the one hand; and law of service, on the
other, is indeed a riddle —a riddle greater
than what confronted Haeckel and other
scientists. But Guru G-obind Singh already
solved and in order to appreciate the
it,

solution we must first understand the mys-

terious mechanism we call Man. Those who
call man a brute or at best a machine merely

look on one side of the shield and do not see

the other. Man is a composite creature ; he
has got both the brute and the divine in him,
not as it were cross-fertilised but in co-exis-
tence. The brute-in-maii is of the earth and
is therefore, earth 1 3' ; it is he who thirsts for
the flesh,who has endless craving for the
lucre, who is never tired of hoarding and
possession and who walks on the road for
struggle of existence. The god-in-men is
there in us with the ultimate object of riding
this animal, curbing his passions and eccen-
tricities but unfortunately the beast is so
very powerful that he tramples the rider
under foot. Perhaps, the dual nature of man
will be understood better if we .compare the
 ( ioo )

brute matter, and the rider to spirit. Now,

fco

each of these has its own law of existence :

matter has inertia and must gravitate to its

own ego-centre, the Spirit, 011 the other hand,
is free from the bondage of inertia or gravi-

tation, and therefore, tends to expand, over-

flow and envelope the whole universe. All
matter is ego-centric, but the spirit is the
negation of any particular centre even as
light is as much common fco a hidden niche
or corner ac to the boundless heaven above.
The spirit is, therefore, universal and trans-
cendent, and no sooner man realises this : his
higher-self, he is no longer governed by the
law but is drawn to
for struggle of existence
a higher and nobler law which is the law of
service for it is thin law which knits the
;

whole humanity into one. It is this law which

makes the sun rise after each sunset and
bathe the dark earth in a golden shower of
light it is this law which turns the earth on
;

its axis and produces day and night in endless

cycle it is this law which makes the earth
;

curve in and out as if it had its share in the

taiTduva-daaice of the universe which produces
 !

( ioi )

seasons enfolding themselves in endless

successions, which makes the ocean,
it is this
lisps the earth in endless embrace, it is this
which oozes out of sun-lit clouds in the form
of gold each morning and evening it is this
;

which pours the unction of soothing rain on

the parched earth and which reciprocates
love in gorgeous array of leaf, flower and fruit,
which her children eat. It is this which
draws child to the arms of his mother, a dis-
ciple at the feet of his master and the whole
universe back to Formless One when the cycle
has had it prescribed course, to be sent back,
unfolded, displayed once more with the added
momentum of accumulated energy and
experience, from age to age, aeon to aeon,
to endless eternity

We are of the earth when we fight and

quarrel like cats and dogs in the street that ;

is our first stage in life, and it is then and

then alone when the law of struggle for
existence applies to us. But that law is
merely my schoolmaster; it is not my father
much less my loving mother. But when we
have cast off the shell of mate?ialism and are
 ( 102 )

re-born in the Spirit, then we are no longer

thr earth, but the salt of the earth It is to !

the latter category that all saints, seers and

benefactors belong. The law of struggle for
existence is still there on earth, but those
who are re-born have come out of the orbit of
and with the wings of love and service
earth,
have soared up into the heaven where there is
no longer the centripetal force of inertia, nor
the discordant forces of competition but every-
thing in unison, in harmony, in symphony,
which is essence of the universe!
These are then the two poles on which
the universe revolves our feet are on earth
;

but our head is destined to touch the sun-lit

clouds above. Even here, there is equilibrium
between head and and both of them are
feet,

required, for there nothing earth but sub-

is

serves the purpose. The materialists merely

emphasise the crawling nature of man, in
other words his ape-propensities; th^y do so
because they do not see the other side of the
shield. There are unbalanced spiritualities,
who merely look to the heavens above and
ignore that our feet are after all poised on
 ( I0*d )

this solid earth they stress the spirit discard-

;

ing or even denying matter. But Guru

Gobind Singh tells us of that Supreme Equi-
librium (Sahaj, as it is called in Sikhism) in
which man has his eyes up-turned all the
time to the deathless Spirit, but is not un-
mindful of the earth, he battles against the
forces of evil, of darkness, of disease and dis-
ruption, for it is in that way alone that man
can soar upwards. Guru Gobind Singh is
therefore, a Yogi and a Yodha, the
both
Warrior Saint, a climax-formation which
reconciles both Science and Religion. His
disciples are no longer Quietists, world-
relinquishing Bairaghi% or non-co-operating
profcestants, but armed Crusaders who are
ready to fight the forces of evil to the bitter
end, to fight not for further possession but
that all mankind may have what God has
made for one and all. The Khalsa are
not only crusades but angels of the Spirit,
Seraphim nearest to God, for they are tied on
Him by the silken strings ot Nam and Simran.
It is ambrosia which is administered to
this
them on the day of their initiation. This
 .

( 104 )

synthesis of science and religion, this recon-

ciliation of the law of struggle for existence
and law of sacrifice and service, of the warrior
and the saint, of the Hero-in-action and the
Hrro-in-love is then the great consummation
which great Guru Gobind Singh wrought.
Were it not for this synthesis, the hoary
Hindu civilization would have come to a
premature end, even as Greek and Egyptian
Civilisations are no more. Guru Gobind
Singh is, therefore, a regenerator of the
Hindu world and a Saviour of India, but his
synthesis and solutions apply not only to the
peculiar conditions of India but to the world
at large, for did he not aim at the unification
of the whole in one Commonwealth of Nations,
or did he not say that mosques and temples
are same, the Hindus and Muslims are the
—
same, sons of the same Wafiiguru. Vic-
tory is, to the Deathless One and the Khalsa
is also of Him !
 ( 105 )

SHRI GURU G0B1ND SINGH THE MAN & THE SAVIOUR.

I.

The greatest epithet that has been appli-

ed by man to man is the Son of man. This
is how Jesus Christ is lovingly remembered
allover the Christian world, and rightly. But
there is another epithet which overtops all
others by its sheer majestic simplicity and
that the word man, spelled in the German-
is

way with the capital M: the Man, and I would

apply that unadorned word to Him who, in
my opinion, was the greatest of all men that
mankind has known. As I look back on him
through the vast abyss of time, with its pro-
cession of men and women, of poet and philo-
sophers, of leaders of mankind and saviours,
of prophets and I see him in the very
seers
forefront, the very embodiment of Life, head
and shoulders above all others? He combines
in Him all good, grand and sweet; the
that is

honeyed-humility of Nanak, the lamb-like vir-

tues of Jesus Christ sacrificing himself at the
altar of humanity for a better and a freer
world, the cloud-rapt wisdom of Sakymuni-
 ( 106 )

Buddha, the bubbling energy of the Light

of Arabia, the sun-kissed glory of Krishna, the
homely grandeur of wandering Rama all —
these and many more colours knit up into one
integral whole even as the seven colours of a
spectrum are reconciled in an Himalayan-
Rainbow! Here, then we have a complex,
extraordinary, dynamic personality is yet
likeknown to the outside world. We, in the
Punjab, know how in that from an angel walk-
ed on earth shedding the light of His counten-
ance on the weak and the down-trodden
but outside Punjab, he is mis-understood and
misinterpreted, and even the greatest of pre-
sent-day Indian poets Dr. Tagore misreads
the whole tenor of the Sikh Movement when,
he says that it was a step backward when
Guru Gobind Singh substituted the sword for
the plough. There is, therefore, proverbial
darkness under the lamp I mean, in this land
of the Gurus. Not that there is prevarication,
but there is at bottom a genuine mis-under-
standing which must needs be cleared by the
disciples of the Guru, who know him better.
It is, therefore, the duty of the writer to show
 ( 107 )

where the misunderstanding lies, and why the

Nightingale of India has failed to understand
the Phoenix of the East.
As has been stated already, we have con-
cerned with a very complex, many sided
Personality and before we profess to know
him, we must know him at more than one
point. In the cognate sphere of science, we
know how difficult it is to know a tree, merely
from its we must study its root, stem
exterior:
and flower at different places, and at different
times before we may know the plant. In other
words, close and correct examination makes
itnecessary to study different sections of dift-
rent parts of the same plant. Even so, in the
life of a man, we must have many sections,
many snapshots as it were, out of the infolded
unfolding film of man's life. It is not possible,
considering the brief space at my disposal, to
do more than outline some silent aspects of
the life of the Gruru but here are three cross-
sections of this giant Teak Tree which had its

roots in the Land of the Five Rivers, stretch-

ing its flowers and foliage up to as far as the
sandal-plains of the Deccan.
 C 108 )

In the first scene, we see him, as may be

expected, the thick of a battle, in thepreci-
iri

nets of Anandpur, with Imperial forces head-

ed by General Saiyad Khan. The drums are
beating, the banners flowing, and all around
there is dust, dirt and bioorf. General Saiyad
Khan is obviously very much pre-occupied
with his army. He has many engagements
and his mind must be full of plans. All this
is true, but the General has heard of the Guru

fern Saint Budhu Shah, and his inner mind is

con vl used more by spiritual yearnings than
by war passions. In his heart of hearts, he
devoutly wishes to see the Guru, to sit at his
feet, and lo! the all knowing Guru is there by
his side, mounted on his blue steed Saiyad I

Khan is at first bewildered

he thinks all this
:

is a phantom, a projection of his over-worked

mind; he rubs his eyes, but the golden figure

of the Guru is still there— the Lord of the
"White Hawk, with flowing beard Enraptured !

he falls at the Guru's feet, and implores him

to confer on him Secret of Immortality
tl\e !.

—
"All this life, these weary years have I —
passed in vain, in sun and shade", says General
 :

( 109 )

Saiyad Khan, "Confer on iiip, O Lord, the bliss

of ineffable union, that thou didst confer on
Budhu Shah." "That Life, that boundless
life will be, no doubt, thine, but thou must
rise up to it,and this battle-field is the last
place for one who has yet to find out the Tru-
th" replied the Guru. "What must I do,
Lord, to get a glimpse of that Fairy Land, of
which Nasiran, my sister, mentioned to me
the other day, when I went to condole wiMi
her, on the death of her children in the battle
field!" rejoined Saiyad Khan. "That Promised
—
Land is, no doubt, real truer than this solid
—
earth but thou must first seek and get the
key to its hidden portals," and the Guru 'That
key! how may I get the same?" said the
breathless General "If thou wouldst have it,

here is the prescription

"O mortal thus practise thou

!

Ren Quotation; regard thine earthly resort

A wilderness, thus 'stablished
Remain detached in thine own heart!
Thine matted hair shall be thine self-control,
Yearning for God-union thine morning bath,
 ( no )

Instead of growing long nails

Let boundless life be thine coveted path!
Let the Guru-given Word
Thine mortal-self inflame,
And mayst thou apply
Ashes only of the Name I

Eat sparingly and sleep sparingly,

Practise virtues: loving kindness and mercy,
Let thou be steadfastly poised
In contentment, and tranquillity !

Transcend thou the Triple Cord of passions

The fetters of lust, anger, greed and pride,
Let assinine obstinacy and morbid attachment
Never becloud the horizon of thine mind !

Thus, alone thou shalt

Thine Quintessential- Self behold,
Thus, alone thou shalt meet Hira
The Being Supreme— the Being Untold !!"

{Sabad-Hazure. of Xth Guru.)

The battle still rages, the trumpets blow,

the guns boom, the cannons thunder, but
Saiyed Khan is no longer the old General, he
is a humble Sikh of the Gurus, who retires
forthwith into the secluded hills of Kangra,
to accumulate the exhaustless riches of Nam !
 ( 111 )

Even Saiyad Khan, so

as in the case of
also iu the case, of every one ofus, we have
first, to retire into ourselves to prove the
most difficult of all problems —the Bionomial
Theorem of the Self, of Atma The voice of !

of the Guru still rings, as it did in the battle-

field ; "Prove thine own self first! All the
rest shall follow." This is the A. B. C. of
Sikh ism.

II.

Time flows on ; the scene shifts.

This
time, it is a comparatively quiet place, along
the rivei- side, in a secluded hut an
ascetic is absorbed in sedentry spiritual
exercises far away from the din of city life,

and from the cockpit of battles the Punjab. —

It is the lonely hut of a Hindu Bairagi. name-
lyBanda at Nander, in Decean. The Guru
comes and occupies all of a Sudden what was
considered a sacrosanct couch, which was
that of the Banda's Guru, and which no one
dared touch, for Banda was reputed to have
magical powers! The news was communica-
ted to Banda who had gone out, sometime
 ( 112 )

before. Furthermore, he was informed that

the Guru had hunted two wild goats and had
cooked them in the forbidden square of the
Bairagi. This was adding insult to injury, so
Banda thought. He rushed back to the Guru
with all the fury of a mad man ready to take
revenge then and there. Banda was an ortho-
dox vegetarian and was Hke on« possessed ;

his feelings may better be imagined than des-

cribed. He ran full tilt at the Guru, wishing
to dispense even with the necessity of expla-
nation, but he had hardly caught the eye of
the Guru, when his wrath was lulled to sleep,
and transmitted into active worship. The
sheen from the Guru's eyes dispelled the
glimmering darkness from Banda's mind and
he fell at the feet of the Master. " I have
been waiting for gleam of Light, Lord, but
I have never had such influxes, as to-day. I
am literally flooded with Light, transmuted,
tranfigured ! Forgive me, if I unwittingly
offended Thee, as. I did not know Thee, and
accept me as one of Thy disciples and
servants," muttered the magical-Banda.
"Banda ! I knew' thee, P could half see thee
 ( 113 )

from the vantage ground of Anandpar;

I- knew that thou didst need me, but
thou hast yet to travel a long, long distance
before thou mayst become a Khalsa an age- —
long journey from the Realm of Devotion and
Meditation to the Realm of self-less Activity
— from saramkhand to karamkhand I can- !

not say whether thou hast yet fully completed

thine probation in the purgatory stage of
sarnikhand, rejoined the Master. "An age-
long journey, I have heard of . it ; I have an
idea that I listened one day from die lips of
a disciple (Sikh), the Five Rungs that lead
gradual to the Throne of the All-High ! But,
I see further Light ahead, E am prepared for
all the rough and tumble of active workaday
life —only Thou wouldst lend me Thine
if

helping hand, and shed on me the shower of

Thine Grace," whispered Banda. "Of Grace,
thou shalt have full measure, and thou art
no longer Banda (slave), but the Lion equipped
with full Treasure of Guru's Grace (Gurbakh-
sh Sinyh) but remember Grace Divine is a
; :

highly volatile principle, it evaporates as soon

as warmed up by the livid flame of seltaeek-
 !

( 114 }

ing ! Remain steadfastly continent! Do the

Master's will only and do not do thine own!
Thou the Khalsa, but the
shalt take care of
Khalsa take care of thee, lest thou
shall
stray, for there are pitfalls and back-slides
even at the very Apex of Hemkunt. " \

Banda takes the vow and there-with the

leaden cudgels which he flourished with such
marvellous strength throughout the length
and the breadth of the Punjab. No Hercules
nor Atlas could do the wonders he did in the
brief span of a few years Sirhand was!

razed to the ground and ploughed, Ambala

and Jullundur were subdued, and the banner
of Gurbaksh Singh flew from Lahore in the
north to Delhi in south and the Mughal
Emperor trembled at his name !

Hut Banda slipped back, after a spurt

HI.
The and the last scene is most
third
typical and happens to lie midway between
the above two, nol only as regards situation
and time, but as regards the condition of the
soul hungering for illumination. It is the
 ( 115 )

sun-burnt plain of Malwa, sparsely covered

by jand and other xerophytic trees, which
was. destined to be called henceforward the
Forest-worth-millions Lakhi jangle
( ». Anand-
pur had been just surrendered and Nander
had not been reached when this little miracle
occured. Hidden in one of the corners of
this jungle, there lay an old hermit, immured,
as it were, under the ever-increasing burden
of years. This was Sayyad Ibrahim who had
spent the greater part of his life in meditation,
but meditation which bore no fruit. Dana
Singh, an old friend of the Sayyad, had
become a Sikh, and there was something in
the sheen of his eyes which bespelled an
extraordinary change. Sayyad Ibrahim
implored his friend to take nine to the Master,
which he did. It was an auspicious moment
when the Sayyad stepped into the presence
of the Guru, for Axa-di-var had just been
chanted and Bhai Nand Lai and other bards
who accompanied the Guru were offering up
their new-born mind-children at the feet of
the Guru. The Sayyad sucked the spiritual
aroma even as the bumble-^ee sucks Ivpney
 ( 116 )

out of a nectary. The more he heard, the

higher was his transport, until there was but
a step from the finite to the Infinite but —
what a tremendous step When the poet's
!

gathering (Kavi- Durbar) was over, the Sayyad

took an opportunity to unlock the castle of
his heart to the Guru: "Master, I have grown
grey in meditation, but I am still as far from
the goal as ever. My friend, Dana Singh,
was initiated the other day, and is already
soaring high up into the vault of Infinity.
Bless me, O Lord, with the same magic, the
Prime Secret," beseeched the crumbling
anchorite. "Thou what thou seekest
shalt get
but didst thou try the short cut— the only
—
royal road of Simran" rejoined the Master,
taking him into his arms as a mother takes
the new-born child. '
Aye, my Master, I
have tried it, and
[ seemed very near reach-

ing the goal, but every time the Promised

Land is in sight, I feel the ground slippery
under my feet; T slip and fall back," gasped
the spiritual babe " Well that being so,

thou must take all precautions to conserve

thhiu energy. 1% appears to me that thou
 :

( H7 )

art like a pitcher which hath so rainy holes :

no water can ever lie in a vessel such as

that " retorted the Master. "That
! is exactly
mine difficulty : what what must
do to com. I
serve mine energy " enquired
the would-be
!

Sikh. "There is but one remedy," affirmed

the Master "thine golden tresses of hair !

Conserve these, if thou must conserve thine

spiritual resources," continued the Master.
"Explain to me, my Lord, explain to me still,

more ; yofl talk in enigmas, and I -am still a

new-born babe and know not the lore of
wisdom. How ? Why do these tresses trea-
sure the Store-house of Spiritual Electricity ?"
mumbled the would-be Mahma, for that was
his other name. "It is as simple and clear as
the noonday sun, my dear these tresses ;

conserve spiritual energy even as those forests

on the yonder Himalayas conserve the mois-
ture dropped by the benignant monsoons
remove those forests to-day and the whole of
India will be deluged in one day No, not for !

nothing was man, the image of Grod on earth,

equipped with this exceptional ^habiliment 1

Pause ! Ponder Consider

! !
" Ibrahim jumped
 ! !

( 118 )

at the idea, did what he has told and before

long he was taken into the fold of Sikhistn
and Christened Ajmer Singh, for it was
Ajmer and its surroundings which he was to
fertilise with the Guru-given Monsoon
Mahma Singh grew up into a towering per-
sonality, and unlike Banda, lived and died a
true Sikh, in other words, the very embodi-
ment of the Guru's dream— a Khalsa ! There
is an offshoot of the Sikli Fold which is still

associated with his name !

IV.

We have hurriedly glanced over three

typical phases of the Guru's manifold activity.
I have purposely omitted other scenes e. g.,
the selection of the Panch Plyaras—the Five
Beloved — for they are better known to the
Sikhs than their own father and mother
But let us be very clear in our mind as to
what do these incidents mean.
A.s to Sayyad Khan the Guru's discourse
is, like Krishna's discourse to Arjana, the
bewildered Pandu, but is far truer and more
real, because ft is an incident of but yester-
 !

( 119 )

day while the back inta the mist

Grita fades
of time— into philosophy and myth The first !

lesson — the A. B. C. —of Sikhism, then, is the

solution of the great Riddle of Existence, that
of the Atma or Nam— it is this, which must
first be tackled, for once connection is estab-
lished with thatTranscendental world of
Beauty, thu Sikh is on the highroad which
leads to the second step viz, of Activity.
Tangled in this silken-knot of Spirit naught
but Simran will undo this entangled web of
Maya. But the task is well worth the tune
and trouble, for is not this the goal where to
the amoeba creeps and climbs through aeons
of time until it reaches the topmost rung of
the, ladder — the Man! Those who have
reached this sun-lit Apex sing like David,
i
gustate et videle : that is to say, Taste and see.'
For, a soul must taste first before it can see
this naked Glory of Infinite Light

The goal is very distant. Banda is one

step ahead of Say y ad Khan
he has in that
already run the greater part of the gamut of
meditation. He is just on the threshold of
the Realm of Service and Activity (karam-
 ( 120 )

khand). But he has not yet stepped therein.

The Guru picks him up and throws him into
the vortex of self-less activity. This must be
distinguished from so-called activity mis-
named service, which is an easy method of
catching the public eye, for the latter is ego-
centric, where as the activity of karamkhand
is centred only in the cosmos. Here it is
that Sikhism parts company with all morbid
forms of mysticism, rightly dubbed quietism.
Guru Nanak outlined in the Japji, and demon-
strated it in many ways, above all, by the
rejection of his passive son in favour of
Lehna, the active. Guru Gobind Singh crys-
tallised and precipitated those great dynamic
forces which Nanak had set into motion.
The Khalsa is the true child of the Japji in that
this is the consummation to which the Japji
clearly tends. Not the saint, but the soldier-
saint is the objective, for does not God Him-
self battle Ceaselessly with the forces of
darkness ? Whenever there was likelihood
of any misunderstanding, in this direction,
the Guru put.his right foot foremost to remove
all' ambiguity. For instance, he changed and
 —

( 121 )

trans valuated two of the couplets of Dadu

and of G-uru Teg Bahadur, dropping quietism
in favour of high-strung self-less activity. We
need not labour the point any further : suffice
it to say that the soul of Sikh is in is the karavi-
khand activity not stolid passivity wherein the
Nightingale of India likes to see the Sikh re-
submerged. That would be agreater fall and
slide-back than that which the Buddha set in.
"The possession of God," says Ruysbroeck,
the prince of Western mystics, "demands and
supposes perpetual activity. He »who thinks
otherwise deceives himself and others. All
our life as it is in God is immersed in blessed-
ness. And
these two lives form one, self-
contradictory in its attributes rich and poor, ;

hungry and full, active and quiet." The fact

of the matter is that the Sikh Movement is
the only healthy form of Mysticism in India
the mysticism that has stood the test of time

The last great lesson is that of Brother

Mahina Singh alias Ajiner Singh, who is a
typical Khalsa — the Man
complete with no
possibility of fall or atavism. He became a
centre of divine fecundity, a torch of Light
 ( 122 )

even as Brother Kanahaya became the great

leader of service —
of Sewapanthis Red Cross
Army in the Punjab. These unobtrusive little
men now buried partly in the glimmering
sands of the materialistic times are veritably
the Pyramids of Sikh Life, which will stand
out and speak, albeit mutely, unto the end of
time India needs them the world needs them
! ;

— these holy Brethren of the Tress- knot! Of

these, Brothers Mani Singh and Taru Singh
rise up among others like the Himalayas, full
of beauty and strangeness; compared with
them, the other Sikhs may look homely and
plain. But there is no break, no discontinuity
between a plain and a mountain; it is pushed
out of plain and is part of us The value is, !

the value of the whole, of the great struggling

sacrificing humanity : the Sikhs.

When we look back and feel once more

the the throb, wherewith the Guru
thrill,

quickened the dead ashes of the Punjab into

Life-everlasting, we sing spontaneously:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah unto the Son of Man,
the Man! whose, birthday we celebrate to-day !!
 ( 123 )

AURANGZEB AND GURU GOBIND SINGH.

Little is known to the world as to why

Aurangzeb, the monarch of India decided to
have his tomb at Daulatabad in the south
than at Delhi or in any other Mughal centre
in the north. It is true that at the time he
was engaged in a compaign against Deccan
when he suddenly fell ill and died but the
Emperor left a word that he should be
interred there i. e. far away from the Punjab.
This has been generally construed into
Emperor's love for the south, but the fact of
the matter is that while the Emperor was at
Ahmadnagar, he received from the Guru the
celebrated epistle known as the 'Zajarnama'
which was sent to him through Daya Singh
and Dharm Singh. This epistle is one of the
most remarkable letters ever written by a
man of letters. But apart from its literary
value, it had a much deeper significance in
that it contained much plain-speaking which
the Emperor who lived in an hypnotic world
of artificial ceremonies, had never heard
before. This epistle, therefore, came like a
 —

( 124 )

bolt from the blue to the Emperor and when

he read it with his own eyes, then the mirror
of his heart broke into numerous small pieces.
The epistle contains several matters which
require detailed commentary, but here
we are
concerned only with such personal remarks
as darted like serpent arrows and pierced the
brittle shield of the Emperor's heart. The
following extracts may be of interest to the
reader. Addressing the Emperor, the Guru
iu/orraed him of his plighted word as under:

"I have no faith in thine oath to which

thou tookest the one Grod as witness, I have
not a par tile of confidence in thee. Thy
treasurer and thy ministers are all false. He
who on the Quran
pulleth faith in thine oath
inirteth his own The
insolent crow
ruin.
cannot touch him who cometh under the
protection of the huma He who cometh
under the protection of a powerful tiger can-
not be waylaid by a goat, a bufiialo, or a
deer.... Had I not known that thou wert crafty
and deceitful as a fox, I would never on any
account have come hither How could
forty even of the bravest succeed when oppo-
 ( 125 )

sed by a countless host? What though my

four sons were killed, I remain behind like a
coiled serpent ? Did I not know that thou,
O man, wert a worshipper of wealth
faithless
and perjurer? Thou keepest no faith and
observest no religion. Thou knowest not
God and believest not in Mohammed. ..When
thou didst swear by Mohammed and called the
word of God to witness, it was incumbent on
thee to observe that oath. Were the Prophet
himself present here, I would make it nry
special duty to inform him of thy* trachery....
As thou didst forget thy word on that day,
so will God forget thee. God will grant thee
fruit of the evil deed thou didst design I
do not deem thou knowest God when thou
lookest to thinearmy and wealth, I look to
God's praises... Lay not the axe to thy
.

kingdom. When God is my Friend, what

can an enemy do even though he multiply
himself a hundred times."
These plain words of the Guru fell like a
lightning on the heart of the Emperor and it
was such an unbearable shock that from that
very day he began to pine and decline. It
 ( 120 )

is true that Aurangzeb was very abstemious

and devoted to his own religion, but he reali-
sed now, too late in the day, on receipt of this
candid letter, that he was still as far away
from Religion as ever, for did not the Guru
inform him that the holy Prophet would not
befriend him on the Day of Judgment ?'Even
the Prophet would not befriend Aurang-
zeb !
" Yea, that was the mighty declaration
of the Guru this judgment wholly
terrible
uprooted the tree of Emperor's hope, and
Aurangzeb the mighty emperor trembled
4

like an aspen-leaf, when he read and re-read

each and every letter of this epistle, with
horrified eyes. The effect of the epistle was
electric. As may be expected, the Emperor
could not write even a line in reply to this
for the heart that wields the pen had already
fainted, but when the envys namely Dharm
Singh and Daya Singh returned, they inform-
ed the Guru that the Emperor was confined
to bed — his death-bed, the very moment he
read the letter. Soon after the Emperor
passed away, but before he died so, he snatch-
ed an opportunity to seek the spiritual solace
 ( 127 )

of his Pir and Master at Daulatabad, near

EJllora. The Emperor informed him of the
incubus that weighed on his heart and implo-
red : 'Help me, O my Master, on the day of
the judgement, for I feel the ground slipping
from underneath my feet." His Pir and
Master assured him that he will do all that
lav in his power. But the Emperor had a
dreaded night-mare of his fate to be and
wanted a tangible token of guarantee. His
Pir and Master replied "What guarantee :

need I give thee ? " and the failing heart of

the Emperor mumbled the following trembl-
ing words which brought about his interment,
where hisremains now lie " My Master, this :

Zafarnama of the Guru has snatched all peace

out of my heart. I feel, I do feel, that the
victory after all lies with the Guru, not
with ine and this is why His Epistle reads as
the 'Epistle of Victory,' not of death. My
head reels, my heart sinks within me and I
feel as if all my life has been washed, ruined,

gone to dogs. I dread to go back to Punjab,

to that far-off Delhi, the scene of my- frivol-
ties and follies ; I dread to go anywhere. I
 ( 128 )

fear the Day, the terrible Judgment Day.

But, some little corner of earth I must occu-

py, and I crave let that be under the shadow

:

of your feet— faraway from that holy Anand-

pur whose memory I would fain eftace it all
from my heart " ! ..and with these words on
..

his lips the Emperor passed away, lying for

all time where he does, in a desolete sun-
burnt coiner of the Deccan !

Lest might be thought that the Guru

it

had any grudge with the Mughal dynasty,

what followed soon after is an eloquent testi-
mony of the fact that the Master was all-
justice, all-kindness for He spared no effort
to win at once for the rightful heir, Bahadur
Shah the Mughal throne and in so doing the
Guru incurred extraordinary pains. The
Guru also referred in very eulogistic terms
to Babar whom Baba Nanak blessed, and
hence it must be clear that the Guru bad no
personal enemity against this person, he
punished only those who had gone astray
from the path of righteousness. Thus the
great Guru proved in his person that His life-
 ——

( 129 J

mission, as He stated, was to

"Extend the reign of Righteousness on earth,
Sieze and destroy the evil and the sinful."

(Akal Ustat)

The sword of the Guru cut in twain the-

petrified darkness of world, and his arrows
pierced the bosom of bigotry. And thus it
was possible for Him to prove by His own
sacrifice what He wrote once:
"The successors of both Baba Nanak and Babar
Were created by God Himself,
Recognise the former as spiritual,
And the latter as temporal kings."

Had other successors of Babar loved*

India as Akbar and Shah Jehan did, then
the Mughals might yet have ruled !
 !

( 130 )

AT THE FEET OF THE MASTER

Why He chose Deccan for rest ?

Two things had always perplexed me in

otherwise transparent life history of our last
Guru whom I revere with all my heart and
soul. But although I bow to him daily in
spirit yet this does not stand in the way of
my thoroughly understanding Him as also all
events of his life. lean understand the little

Boy under ten listening to the woe-laden tale

of Kashmiri Pandits and asking His father to
lay down hi$ precious life for the weak and
stricken, for Guru Gobind Singh was a born
patriot. I could understand his sacrificing
four children at the altar of Indian liberty,
for Guru Gobind Singh was a martyr par exce-
llence, i.e., one who does not only sacrifice him-

self but his nearest and dearest, one of all, in

one nil-enveloping act of transcendent sacri-
fice. 1 could also understand as to why He
weaned the Khalsa from further devotion to
a personal Guru, for he realised that the cumu-
lative effort of the ten Gurus had borne fruit
and the. nation was ready to stand on its feet
under Ifhe guidance of an impersonal Guru r
 ( 131 )

the G&ru Granth. But, I could not understand

as "to why the last Guru passed the last days
of his eventful life in that far-off Deccan
Peninsula which was cut away from the arena
of hisnormal activities. It would not help
to state that he went there with the Mughal
Emperor and then he stayed there until the
traitor stabbed Him, for he stayed there far
too long both before and after this event. And
if he cared to return, He could have been
moved back Amritsar or Anandpur on the
to
sick-bed, for the Emperor was so friendly and
the faithful Khalsa would have been only too
glad to return to their land of the Five Rivers.
It was, therefore, clear that he stayed in
DetJcan because he thought he must, but what
made Him do so — that was just my riddle and
it is this which is the crux of this writing.
The other riddle is, of course, Banda Bahadur,
i. e., as to why he was sent back to the Pun-
jab instead of the Guru Ji returning himself.
For the present, I will confine myself to
Enigma No. 1. These two enigmas stood out
in the sea of mind like two jutting rocks
against which the little vessel of my fanei^s
 —

( 182 )

always struck and re-struck. I had read quite

a number of histories relating to the Sikh
period and yet not one could throw any light
on this or that enigma for histories are only
concerned with the outer details of one's life;
they do not go deep down to the rock-bottom
from where the fountain of Lite springs and
bubbles up. These enigmas assailed me from
right and left like missiles of fire, and I did
not know if ever I could find a satisfactory
solution, oranything like a clue to these miss-
ing chapters in the blazing career of the grea-
test Man who walked on earth and who has
left that master architecture
his replica in
of soulwhich we call the Khalsa Nation. But
great as was my bewilderment, still greater
was the manner in which light trickled into
the soot-besmirched cabin of my soul. I do
not believe in miracles so called, but what
happened the other day with me cannot be
described anything short of a miracle as will
be apparent from what follows:

It was a very busy day in Srinagar, the

capital ef theHappy Valley when I had con-
cluded a string of engagements, and had just
 ( 133 )

alighted the car to return to my sequestered

corner in the Jai.nmu hills when a telegram
was delivered to me which on opening read
that a band of dacoits had locked my father-
in-law in Grwalior where he has a village of
his own and had taken away my brother-in-
law of whom no clue could be had from the
last fortnight! This was a very distressing bit
of news and T must confess that at that time
the Happy Valley appeared to me to be turn-
ed into a vale of Needless to say that
tears.
the required leave was arranged and for the
next two or three days I was bolting in fast
vehicles, now passing deodar-lined hills of
Batote. then bannana gardens of the blessed
Armutsar, then far-famed domes and spires
of the Taj Mahal and lastly that historical
fort in the heart of Gwalior which has still a
platform on which the Sixth Guru passed
many a year absorbed in meditation until
one tine morning orders came from the Empe-
ror to set at liberty not only the Guru 'but
quite a galaxy of imprisoned' Rajas and Maha-
rajas who sat at the feet of the Master in the
rock-girt Fort-temple of Maharaja Man Si\ig h! 3
 ( 134 )

While at Grwalior, I was informed that the

above news was only too true and that rio
clue was forth-coming as to the missing youth.
Hut T had still to catch the meter-gauge light
railway and reach suburbs which I did with-
out loss of any time. had just alighted on
I

my destination when I was informed that

there was no longer any anxiety for the miss-
ing relative had returned at about the same
moment, quite hale and hearty after about
three weeks detention by robbers who were
armed tooth and nail. This good news syn-
chronising with the termination of my journey
was miraculous enough but I did not know
that this, in turn, was merely a fore-taste of
what other wonders were about to follow. As
I was so near to Hazur Sahib, Nander, we
decided to go there as a token of gratitude
and devotion to the great Guru who had, no
doubt, rescued the youth from the jaws of
death. Unfortunately no one could accom-
pany me except my wife, as other relatives of
mine were far too busy with the aftermath
of the case. But we thought we were free
like birds in the air, as we had now thrown off
 ( 135 )

the shackles of anxiety.

We whisked off to Hazur Sahib Nander
(Deccan) but we were not like ordinary pilg-
rims who go in Tirath Yalra trains well-escoi>
red. by set routes. Early in the morning, I
woke up to find a little hillock crowned by a
temple and I was informed that this temple
belonged to the Sage Vashista who had aus-
terities close to another sage namely Agasta,
both of whom brought to my mind the wonder
ful myths which are aglow with the glory of
Rama. I had hardly gone one station ahead
when I could see a large rounded hillock sur-
mounted by a fort dominating a vast plain
which had in one of its corners a tall tower
over-towering all such towers that I had seen
in Delhi or Agra. I was surprised to see on

closer vision that the outer wall of the fort

was not was one big stone
built of stones but
for several miles of circumfrence I was in-
!

formed that the huge tower was the 'Tower

of Victory' which Aurangzob or some other
emperor had raised to commemorate the
consolidation of power in the South. As to
why the Great Mughal Emperor was enamour-
 ( 136 )

ed more of the south than Delhi and Agra in

the north was also a little riddle to me but
this was soon solved when I got down at the
Daulatabad station for that was the name of
the village in the Nizam's territory which had
the Fort of the Tower of Victory. The
Fort carved out of the underlying rock
is

trap which outcrops here and there and this

explained why it was all one, for the rock is

volcanic and does not consist of layers or

blocks. The country a'l around is scattered
with Mohammedan Shrines, here, there and
everywhere but cut off by long expenses of
scrub forest in which thorns and prickles are
pre-eminent. These shrines are, with few ex-
ceptions, in a very dilapidated condition and"
one does not see a single man for miles around.
T was informed on festival days there are fes-

tive gatherings in some of the shrines

but for
the rest of the year, they were deserted and
gloomy. Near Kagzipur, the village where
papei is made, I saw a shrine which bore the
somewhat modern label, i. e. 'the Saint with
a thousand disciples' and I was explained that
the central shrine was that of a pre-eminent
 ( 137 )

Mohammedan Saint while the little shrines

out in the distance, around in scrub forest,
all

were those of his teeming disciples. This

could explain the multiplicity and the number
of the shrines, but I could not understand why
they were so forlorn, dilapidated, deserted and
cut off one from the other; they appeared to
me like little oases, no doubt, but oases in a
gloomy, all-enveloping desert of black soil and
bushes. I saw simple but ostentatious
also
tomb of the austere Emperor Aurangzeb and'
just opposite to him lay the Shrine of his Pir
who held in his hand the heart strings of the
Emperor, and then understood the how and
why of the Mughal Emperor migrating down
tow.ards the south. Great as is the might of
wealth, but greater still is the grip of religion
for did not the great Mughal lie prostrate On
the feet of his Master, far away from the so
called civilized haunts of Delhi in the north ?

Aurangzeb ma> or may not be great as an

Emperor or as administrator but who .that
seeshim lying at the feet'bf his Master will
doubt that he had a heart which could be
stirred by spiritual yearnings.
 ( 138 )

From what has been said above the rea-

ders will be able to pick up, albeit very dimly,
of the weird Deccan area which forms the
back ground to the closing life of our Saviour.
But this was not all. When I enquired from
my informant if there was any other temple
or shrine near about, the kind guide said:
"Sir, do you not know of the world-famed rock
temples at Ellora and Ajanta to see which
tourists pour in each year from Europe and
America"? I said "No, but I should be very
glad to see them if they were near about."
The guide told me that the Ellora caves which
are the best of all rock-cut temple-caves in
any part of the world were bufc a few hour's
journey from Daulatabad. I therefore, drifted
ill that direction. I use word the drifted
advisely for it was not I who went there with
a set purpose but an Invisible Hand took hold
ofme at Srinagar in Kashmir, rocked me up
and down until it brought me in the environs
of the' Hazur Sahib Nander. I will not
at
describe the rock-temple here for they deserve
a separate article to themselves, but this
much I must say that if ever fairy-tales could
 ( 189 )

become true and be represented in stone, it is

there in the rock-cut temples of Ellora! You

find therehuge elaphantine images of the
Buddha, of Vishnu, Indra, and indeed, of all
Indian gods cut out of one rock like that
weired fort at Daulatabad, and these images
are the most impressive that I have ever seen.
It is true that they are not in silver and gold,
but that is the only reason why they have
not been tain pereil with or razed by iconoclas-
tic band The word 'elephan-
of idol breakers.
tine' cannot convey exact picture of the effigies
represented for the elephant is. perhaps, the
ugliest and most umee illy of all animals, but
those images at Ellora are the very embodi-
ments of beauty, serenity and grandeur. The
Indian art of sculpture seems to have readied
its climax there, a climax never tobereappro-

ched! Hence, it is well said by the modern

man that these temples were made by gods
—
themselves for, no amount of wealth cau re-
produce ,vhat religious zeal alone could have
accomplished in the historic past. The Ellora
caves are famous for still another reason for
here you have side by side quite an aw^y of
 ( 140 )

all shades of the Hindu religion: the Buddhist

temples in one wing, the Jain in the opposite
wing, and that masterpiece: the Kailash tem-
ple in the centre which is world in it-
a little

self as it contains all the Hindu gods carved

out of one rock, in one temple, which eclipses
the surrounding stupes and monasteries in the
same manner as the sun eclipses the stars!
Here then we have all cultures displayed side
by side; the [slamic culture in the neighbour-
hood of the Tower of Victory, the Hindu and
Buddhist in tlie roek-cuttemples close by on
which gods themselves hare lavished their best
skill. There is, no doubt, that the whole environ

is very holy and is crammed with that unear-

thy Light 'which never was on sea and land.' [f
you can picture to yourself a background
such as that which is at once the confluence
of all cultures and their common radiator, if

you can picture to yourself a fairy-land of

world-religions arranged in a mosaic of inter-
lacing art of the Spirit, if you can conjure in
your imagination gold and petrified ebony
(for such is the trap rock of which the temples

are made) lavished in endless profusion, for

 ( 141 )

miles all around, and last bub no least, if you

cau visualise quite an array of discordant
religious phases struggling for pre-eminence
and priority among themselves, then and then
alone you can realise why the Great Guru
chose this enchanted arena as a befitting cen-
tre for the stronghold of Sikhism in the south.
The master-architect, the visvakarrnan, the
Supreme God had raised here a number of
were struggling for pre-emi-
spiritual pillars
nence not realising that they were all required,
that they were quite in order onfy they requir-
ed the Taj, the soul-dome, which GuruGobind
Singh built at Nander which was to crown
them and knit them together in one spir-
all

itual cement which is Sikhism. I have only

to add the finishing touch and I think my
task is over for my lir.st riddle why the great
Guru chose that of all places as his resting
ground, is solved for all time. I returned
from EHora full of new ideas and discoveries,
and when I alighted the train at Nander in
pitch dark at night my joy knew no bounds
when a friendly bearded face assailed me with
Sat Sri Akal and asked me if I wanted to go
 !

( 142 )

u
SachEhand"\ "Yes to Sack Khand I must
go, for I had come there all the way from
Kashmir to Decean," I replied. I was soon
put into a commodious, cushioned lorry which
the Gurdwara service supplies gratis to all
pilgrims, and in a few minutes was in the
I
outskirts of that blessed land where angels
fear to tread, for do not the remains of the
last Guru lie in this hallowed spot? What
followed must be described separately, but I
cannot forget or adequately describe the sweet
glitter of the little lamps which darted flashes
of light like the morning stars and revealed
to me the golden dome hidden in the womb of
darkness. The same Hand which brought
me hither, rocked me like a little child, and
when I slept I felt, I did feel, that here at
last I had found My Master even as that great
Emperor found his, close by to the Tower of
Victory
 ( 143 )

BANDA BAHADUR & GURU GOBIND SINGH-A CONTRAST

In the whole of Indian history, there is

no which appears to me so wonderful,

figure
so enigmatic as that of Banda Bahadur. Born
of poor parents in the lonely hills of the
Siwalik, thisunknown soul had wandered as
far down as Nander in Deccan and it was
there that Guru Gobind Singh met him. To
transform this little sparrow into a hawk was
no less than a miracle. But such miracles
were not unusual with the Guru \\hose amrit
worked wonders whenever and wherever
used. Thus was Bachittar Singh of the
Anandpur fame transformed by the Guru
into a hero, in a meet a difficult
trice, to
situation that has arisen there. Thus was
Sayyad Khan, a Mughal General, weaned
from the ranks of the enemies, in the very
thick of a instructed, tutored and
battle,
initiated, so that Sayyad Khan the general
became a disciple and God-fearing Sikh.
Such miracles were the order of the day with
the great Guru Gobind Singh. But those
little miracles were more or less personal and
 ( 144 )

had at best local significance. But, this was

a different, case. Ban da had only to be
touched, to be electrified, when he became a
terror not only for the Punjab, but for the
whole Mughal Empire. Consider what Banda
did he sacked Samana, Sirhand, Sadhaura
:

and many other cities established his rule

between Lahore and Delhi. Thus, the work
of centuries was covered in less than a decade.
Indeed, Banda Bahadurworked like an
Hercules or like the Hanuman and he did in
the twinklmgof an eye what Sivaji and other
patriots could not do in many years.

In the European history, I had read of a

somewhat parallel case namely that of
Jeanne D' Arc, a peasant girl born in an
unknown village of France, who led armies
against the British to relieve Orleans, and
was successful in getting the throne back for
the Dauphin who was wrongfully dispossessed.
Here, was, therefore, an Indian Joan of Arc,
who worked on a much bigger scale and with
more startling results. Evidently this was a
mystery and it had to be unravelled.
The second thing, therefore, that attract-
 ( 145 )

ed me in my South-Indian tour was the shrine

of this hero which is Nander
quite close to the
Grurdwara. Banda Bahadur's shrine com-
mands a magnificient site on the bank of the

Godavri facing the sun. I was struck by the

general calm and quiet that still prevails in
this spot and even the holy river seems to
have acquired that tranquility which few
Southern Indian rivers possess. I was pointed
the Imli* tree under which this hero sat and
practised austerities when he was as yet only
a Bairagi. measured to be
This tree which I

8 feet in girth must have had many cycles,

grown, passed into seed, and re-grown. But
I could feel that it was happy where it was

for it was fatter than all such trees in the

adjoining jungle, and it was evidently loth to
leave this hallowed spot for it was worshipped
and kissed by many a pilgrim from the
Punjab. The fruits of this tree are used as
presents to the pilgrims, and I have little

doubt that like the leaves of the tree that

grow on Tansen's tomb in Cjrwalior, this tree
has magical qualities in which Banda Bahadur

* Tmnarix Emhlica.
 ( 146 )

excelled. My mind
was full of ideas and
dreams when I perambulated round the holy
shrine, but my head was sorely perplexed
with the enigma that I have already referred
to namely, why did not the great Guru him-
self return to the Punjab, why should Ban da
Bahadur have stepped into his shoes and did
the rest ? My mind was thus surcharged
with many a question and cross-question
when I entered into the inner temple where
sid« by side with the out-spread Guru Granth,
there were quite a number of swords, daggers,
poniards and other instruments of war dis-
played on a littlts sofa close by. There was a
lonely attendant in service who was sleeping
when I came, for evidently few pilgrims come
to such far-off shrines as this, so much of the

time of these attendants must needs be

passed in sleep. When I had paid my
obeisance to the Guru, I asked detailed infor-
mation about the instruments displayed and
I was informed that they belonged to the

great Hero. Bui. deep down in my soul, that

pert little querry still made me uneasy, so be-
ing no longei shut, I bubbled out this to that
 ( 147 )

lonely soul who though not lettered had

evidently the charms of simplicity and sinceri-
ty which are and must ever remain associated
with the spot. "Why did not the great Gum
return to the Punjab to pay the mischief-
mongers in their own coin ? Two of his sons
were butchered alive, the remaining two
were bricked up in walls and yet the great
Guru did not return to the scene of his
erstwhile activities, and passed his days in
peace in place from the
cut. off, all this way,,

Punjab." I muttered in slow trembling

accents. 1 knew that this soul may not be

able to give me polished reply such as we get

in schools and colleges, biit if holy surround-
ings have their effect, and if walls have ears,
and if 'mediums' have mouths to convey
messages hidden deep down in sub-liminal
self, then I expected to be told the truth and

the whole truth. My informant was not

startled in the least and even as a school
master instructs to tiny student,he began to
explain it all to me. ''Sir, do you not know
that Guru Go bind Singh neves wielded an
arm but to save a soul? Whoever died driller
 ( 148 )

his blow died only on earth to rise in heaven.

He was a* messenger of God, He was all-love,

He was come on earth. He fought to

saviour
usher in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth,
not to wreck vengance or build any empires."
"This is quite true," I mumbled, "if this is

true, then it should also be clear to you, as to

why he did not return in person to the Punjab
for love entertaineth no revenge. Not for
him to take up arms against those who slew
his sons, not for him to seek tooth for a tooth
and an eye for an eye! When he took up
arms before, it was for the stricken-Punjab,
for the sore-at-heart Kashmir, for the distress-
ed Mother India, but not for any personal
consideration. "All this is quite true" said I

"but where comes in the Banda." "Just here"

said he, "Banda was not Guru Gobind Singh,
but his shadow; call him his supplement, if
you like, but really he was the echo of Guru
Gobind Singh. The sword of Banda struck
but had no balm, he fought to kill but not to
save " Then all of a sudden light jumped into
dark recesses my heart like the glimmer of a
fugitive lightning and I realised after all
 ( 149 )

that Banda Bahadur was what we Neme- call

sis in history i, e. Vengence which

Terrible
comes of itself, reaching, recoiling on the ty-
rant like that boomrang of the Red Indians.
Aurangzeb had sown wind and was now reap-
ing whirl-wind. This explanation by that
unlettered little soul of Nander came like a
revelation to me for I realised that there is

Justice in History as indeed there is justice in

our own Bauda was born retribution,
lives.

he was not Guru Gobind Singh but his rever-

se !

This startling little discovery of the miss-

ion of Banda Bahadur was confirmed when I
read in history Banda's own description of his
mission which he declared before a Mohamma-
den Viceroy a little before he was beheaded.
Said he to Muhammed Amin Khan: "In all
religions and sects, whenever disobedience and
rebellion among mortal men passeth all

bounds, the Great Avenger raiseth up a seve-

re man like me for the punishment of their

sins, and the due reward of their deeds :

'When He wisheth to desolate^the world,

He placeth dominion in the hands of a tyrant'
 —

( 150 )

"When He desire th to give the tyrant the

recompense of his works, He sendeth a power-
ful man to give hiin his .due reward in this
world: as thou and lean see" On this Batida's
±leshwas torn from his body by red-hot pin-
cers and he expired under horrible tortures.

Banda Bahadur was a wonderful hero,

dauntless, terrible, terrific No other Indian
wrestled so fearlessly with the Mughals as he
end. No other Indian triumphed so rapidly
as he did. Not for him to beat about the
bush like Siva Ji, not for him to watch and
wait. He moved and used
like lightning,
sledge-hammer blows. And although he lived
like a meteor i e. biasing life of transient
}

splendour, yet his name will sparkle in history.

He has come and gone, but the lesson that lie

taught be a terrible object lesson to all

will

kings and Emperors. During his execution,

he uttered the following words to his execu-
tioners :

"Who hath not suffered for his acta ?

Who hath not reaped what he hath sown?

 ( 151 )

Forget not that ye shall obtain retribution

for your deeds wheat springeth from wheat
;

and barley from barley!"

 —

( 152 )

GURU 60BIND SINGH JI'S HOLY WORDS.

Although the Guru's sacrifices and other

doings are fairly well-known, yet there is great
ignorance about his Bani, or writings. Hence,
the following few extracts from His Writings
will be of interest :

I. Description of the Supreme Being.

In addition to other usual characteristics

of theSupreme One, Guru Gobind Singh Ji
addresses Wahiguru as under, bowing to Him
and seeking His aid in his mission on earth :—

"I bow to Thee who holdeth the gold-tipped

Arrow in Thine Hand ;

I bow to Thee who art fearless, God of gods,

garbless, eternal ;

I bow to Thee who wieldeth the Scimitar, the

Kirpan, the Falebiou and the Dagger to
smite darkness and evil;
I bow to Thee who art ever the same, changeless-
I bow to Thee who by invisible arrows punisheth
the wicked,
I bow to Thee whose Light pervadeth all the
fourteen worlds,
 ( 153 )

I bow to Thine Arrows and the Musket,

I bow to Thine sword, be-dazzling, spotless,
invincible ;

I bow to Thine powerful Mace and piercing

Lance before which naught is impregnable ;

I bow to Thine refulgent discus which though

invisible yet verily is ;

I bow to Thine invincible devouring Teeth,

that hold the world in a terrible grip ;

I bow to Thine Arrow backed by the cannon

which strike terror in the enemy's camp ;

I bow to Thine Sword and the Papier which

chop off the heeds of all tyrants,
Yea, I bow to all of Thine weapons which Thou
wieldeth, to all such weapons as Thou
hurleth !

Thou turnest men like me from boneles* blades

of grass into firm Himalayan mountains ;

Then Thou, Lord, there is no other cherisher

of the poor "— (Akal Ustat 86).

II. Description of those who are on the

Wrong Track.

Many people are wasting their time and

energy in following the wrong track and in
so doing they give up food, their occupation
 —

( 154 )

or all active life. The Guru condemns them

thus :

"Who eat filth are swine-like,

Who bespetter themselves with dust are like

donkeys or elephant.
Who live at places of cremation are jaokal-like.
Who live inmured in tombs are owlish,
Who wander in the forest are deer-like,
Who impose silence or their tongue are like
dumb trees,

Who impose rigons of too much continence are

enact.

Who wander barefooted are beggar-like,

How shall man, devoted to wrath and lust and
henpecked by his wife, be saved without the
divine knowledge ?

Who liveth in the forest is like an evil spirit,

Who drinketh only milk is child-like,
Who liveth mainly on air is serpent- like,
Who eateth grass only and renounceth the world
is like an ox or a calf.

Who aimeth at flying in the air is no more than

a bird,
Who engageth in selfish concentration is no
more than, an heron, a cat or a wolf,
Those who are really enlightened, they know
 ( 155 )

although they do not declare, that all such

are verily mistaken !

Who liveth arid wriggleth on earth is like a

worm,
Who liveth to fly is no more than a sparrow,
Who eateth only the fruit is no more than of
monkey's cadre,
Who wandereth unseen is like an hot goblin,
Who swimmeth on water is only a swimming
spider,
"Who eateth fire is like a chakor,
Who worshippeth the sun is merely another
lotus plum,

Who worshippeth the moon is at best only a

water.— (Akal Ustat 71-73).

Thus the whole world is obsessed by this

or that whim, and not knowing the Reality
wander far and wide !

III. His autobiographic description of

His Mission on earth.

I come down from the holy Himkunt

mountain of Seven Horns of Silvery Snow,
where I lay absorbed in sleep of love, a state
of ecstasy which the Pandu chief aspired to
 !

( 156 )

reach! Great were mine austerities and

protracted mine devotion. I worshipped Him
from whom Great-Death and the Vitalised
Nature sprang like a mighty ebb and flow
Thus entwined with the Lotus-Feet of the
One, I become one with Him! My father
and mother performed holy austerities on
earth, and by their devotion attached them-
selves to the Lord and the Master. This
pang of ecstatic love had its response in the
Supreme Heart who sent me down, a return
of their lov« offering. Thus, I was born in
this Kal Yug, my being still flooded with the
same Light-eternal, with the same mystic
devotion. Loth was I to come to this world,
but I had no option but to come as tho
Supreme One had to obeyed !

The Blessed One spoke thus with His

lotus lips : ''Thou artmy own, Mine only Son
!

I send thee to spread My Religion. Go and

extend my Religion and restrain those who
are mis-guided."

I stood up, bowed my head and folded

my hands unto my Lord and Master, and
 —

( 157 )

urged :

"Down I go, my Lord, Thy Religion shall

prevail as Thou vouchsaf est Thine pro-offered
!
blessing "

I tell the world what the Lord told unto

me. I bear no enemity to any one."
(
Vichitra Natak, Chaupai).

IV. All men are equal in His eyes !

"The temple and the mosque are the same,

The Hindu mode of worship and Muslmin mode
of prayer mean the same,
All men are equal in His eyes, it is through
error we think them different."
{Akal Ustat, 86).

V. How to attain the Supreme One.

"How doth it avail to sit like a crane meditating

idly,

How doth to help thee to bathe in all the seven

seas,

Thou wasteth time here and masseth thine future ?

Infatuated and swayed by the flesh, thou spendest
life in vain !
 — —

( 158 )

Lend me their ear, I tell ye truth, world !

They alone find the Lord who entertain tr.ue

love to the Beloved !! (Shabd Hazare).

VI. His idea of the result of sacrifice.

This he wrote about his father's sacrifice,

while yet a child:

"Guru Teg Bahadur is gone,

The world says alas alas ! !

The heaven rings with halle lujahs !

Welcoming the Hero on His return Home !!

The angels sing the Victor comes back

: !!

(Vichitra Natak).

No commentary appears to be called for.

To write or add a word is to hold candle to

the Sun !!

The En©.
 —

Besides, the lives of the other Gurus, by

the same author, are expected to be published
shortl Sri Guru Amardev's Life and Anand
-

Sahib, rendered into English and annotated,

will come out first.

OTHER BOOKS ON SIEHISM.

1. Life of Guru Gobind Singh — Prof. Kartar
Singh, M. A., Khalsa College 2/8/
2. .Tapji rendered into English and annota-
ted—Prof. Teja Singh, M. A. 1/-/

3. Aaa-di-Var —Do— 1/4/

4. Guru jGobind Singh's Mission —Do -/3/

5. The Sikh Prayer —Do— -/2.'

(i. Guru Nanak and His Mission — Do -/2/

7. Guru Nanak's Religion in his

own words — Do -/2/-

8. The Sikh Religion —Do— -/3/«

For further particulars of selected Punjabi books

and English books on Sikhism, ask for free catalogue

Utmost satisfaction guaranteed.

JAIDEV SINGH JOGINDAB SINGH,

Hook Sellers & Publishers,
Bazar Mai Sewan, AMRITSAR.

Printed by Mr. D. K. Sharma.i, Proprietor The Star Press,

Near Th-xatie B. KanhyaLal, Amritpar.