Vol. III — Life of Guru Har Gobind

The Emperor sent Wazir Khan and Kind Beg to summon the Guru. Wazir Khan, who was really a Sikh, on noticing the Emperor’s manner and countenance divined his object, and began to plead for Guru Har Gobind. He said, ‘ I everywhere hear his praises—that he is a worshipper of the one God; that, though young in years, he is old in wisdom, ability, and knowledge of men ; and that he hath worthily undertaken the duties of his high and onerous station.’ The Emperor concealed his disapproval of this speech, and merely ordered Wazir Khan and Kind Beg to go to Amritsar and invite Guru Har Gobind to visit him in Dihli.

Before his departure for Amritsar Wazir Khan made another representation to the Emperor—‘ I pray thy Majesty not to hold communication with any detractor of the Guru, and not to listen to any slander or calumny of him. The Guru hath no desire for empire. His wealth increaseth of itself by the power of his repetition of God’s name. When he arriveth here, thou shalt be well pleased with him.’

When the Guru heard the Emperor’s order from the lips of Wazir Khan, he said, ‘ The Emperor formerly summoned my father to Lahore, and fine service he performed for him ! Six years have now elapsed since my father’s death, and what hath the Emperor done to make reparation to my family ? ’ How can the subjects of such a monarch be happy ? Kind Beg replied, ‘ 0 Guru, the Emperor was powerless in the matter. It was really Guru Arjan himself who did this, for by his supernatural power he might have averted his fate. Thou art also to blame for not having caused Chandu to be punished. He hath now again reported to the Emperor that thou hast erected a throne for thyself, raised an army, and art preparing to contend with the imperial forces.’ The Guru replied, ‘ It was not for my father to display miracles before the Emperor; it is the evil man

himself who reapeth the reward of his evil deeds. I shall give a reply on the morrow to His Majesty’s message.’

At the afternoon meeting of the Sikhs the question was discussed whether the Guru should go to meet the Emperor or not. Bhai Budha and Bhai Salo counselled the Guru to go. Other Sikhs, on the contrary, advised him to make some pretext and not put himself in the Emperor’s power. The Guru in this difficulty went to consult his mother Ganga. When she heard of the Emperor’s summons she remained silent. She sent for Bhai Salo, Bhai Jetha, and others to ask their advice, whereupon the following decision was arrived at—‘The Emperor hath already caused us to apprehend harm from him. Guru Arjan went to him and never returned. We can now only regret that circumstance. Instead of the Guru let some trustworthy Sikhs wait on the Emperor. Should he desire to come here, we are all ready to resist him. The Sikhs are ready to sacrifice their lives to avenge Guru Arjan. We rejoice in our woodland life. The Emperor’s army will find it difficult to traverse the distance between us. Emperors are like cobras. One can only abide near them in trepidation and uncertainty. If the Emperor be angry at this determination, then war is the only resource.’ To this Mata Ganga added, ‘ The joy of my life was at an end when my husband separated from me. If my son now leave me, I cannot survive.’

The envoys invited Guru Har Gobind to make complaint to the Emperor against Chandu, and have his whole conduct thoroughly investigated. After consideration the Guru decided to appear before the Emperor. The envoys were very pleased. Wazir Khan reminded the Guru of the fact that his Gwcu Ar^an had cured him of dropsy and restored him to life. He professed to be the Guru's disciple, and to desire the destruction of his enemy.

LIFE OF GURU HAR GOBIND

The Guru replied with the following slok of Guru Ram Das :—

God’s saints worship God and magnify Him.

The saints ever sing God’s praises ; God’s name bestoweth happiness.

God ever bestoweth on His saints the greatness of the Name which ever increaseth.

God hath seated His saints firmly in their homes 1 and protecteth His own honour.

God will call for their accounts from the slanderers and severely punish them.

The slanderer shall obtain the fruit of what he meditateth in his heart.

What he doeth in secret, even underground, shall assuredly be laid bare.

The slave Nanak on seeing God’s greatness is happy . 2

The Guru continued, ‘ It is God alone who will call the slanderers to account. Ill shall they then fare. Meditate not or do evil to any one.’ The Guru quoted from his father’s hymn :—

Harbour not evil to another in thy heart,

And thou shalt not have trouble, my friend . 3

The Guru then made preparations for his journey. He assigned the secular duties of the Har Mandar 4 to Bhai Budha, and its spiritual duties to Bhai Gur Das. The Guru’s mother, seeing his resolve fixed, addressed him many words of affection, prayed for his safety, and repeated to him [the following verses of her husband Guru Arjan :—

Continually meditate on God’s name in thy heart,

And thy associates and companions shall be saved.

The Guru is ever with me :

I ever repeat His name and remember Him.

What He hath done is sweet to me.

Nanak craveth the boon of His name. 1

The Guru set out for Dihli on Monday the second day of Magh 1669 (a. d. 1612). At the first halt on his journey, when parting with the Sikhs who had accompanied him thus far, he gave them the following injunctions :—‘ The Har Mandar is specially devoted to God’s service, wherefore it should ever be respected. It should never be defiled with any impurity of the human body. No gambling, wine-drinking, light behaviour with women, or slander, should be allowed therein. No one should steal, utter a falsehood, smoke tobacco, or contrive litigation in its precincts. Sikhs, holy men, guests, strangers, the poor and the friendless should ever receive hospitality from Sikhs. My people should ever be humble, repeat God’s name, promote their faith, meditate on the Guru’s words, and keep all his commandments.’ The Guru then continued his journey to Dihli with an escort of three hundred men.

When the Guru reached the Jamna river, he pitched his camp in a flower garden near Majnun’s hillock, and dismissed the envoys Wazir Khan and Kind Beg to inform the Emperor of his arrival. Wazir Khan highly praised the Guru in the hope of obtaining a friendly reception for him at court. Crowds of Sikhs came forth from Dihli to see him. The Guru’s arrival recalled Guru Arjan’s death to their recollection and they began to mourn. The Guru consoled them by repeating to them his father’s words :—

Fortunate are those saints of Thine, 0 God, in whose houses the wealth of Thy name dwelleth.

Their advent into the world is acceptable, and profitable are their acts.

O my God, I am a sacrifice to Thy saints.

I would make a chauri of my hair, wave it over them, and put the dust of their feet on my forehead.

LIFE OF GURU HAR GOBIND

Philanthropic men have come who are beyond birth and death ;

They give their lives, apply men to devotion, and cause them to meet God.

True their order; true their empire; with truth are they imbued.

True is their happiness, and true their praise ; they know God to whom they belong.

I would fan, draw water, and grind for God’s servant.

Nanak’s supplication to God is, that he may obtain a sight of His servant. 1

The Guru satisfied all the doubts of his Sikhs. His instruction dispelled the fog of their ignorance, all light shone on them, and divine knowledge filled their hearts.

The Emperor received the Guru with great apparent respect. Seeing him very young and already installed as Guru, he put him the following question to test his knowledge of divinity:— ‘ What is the essential difference between the Hindus who worship Ram Narayan, Parbrahm, and Para- meshar, and the Musalmans who pray to Allah, the bounteous Lord ? ’ The Guru replied with the following hymn of Guru Arjan :—

The Bounteous One is the Cause of causes ;

The Merciful One cherisheth all.

Allah is invisible and unequalled ;

He alone is God great and infinite.

I bow to the one God, the Lord of the earth :

The Creator pervadeth every place.

As Madho He is Lord and Life of the world,

The Destroyer of fear ; worship Him in thy heart.

Whether known as Rikhikesh, Gopal, Gobind,

Or Mukand, 2 Thou alone, 0 God, art the kind Master.

Thou art at once Pir, Prophet, and Shaikh ;

Master of hearts, Thou dispensest justice.

i The Hindi proper names in this hymn are all names of God.

Thou art holier than the Quran and the other Muhammadan books.

’ “’Whether as Narayan, Narhar, or the Compassionate, Thou pervadest every heart and art the heart’s support. As Wasdev Thou dwellest in every place.

Thy sport is not understood.

Thou art the Bestower of kindness and mercy.

Grant us devotion and worship of Thee, O Creator.

Saith Nanak, when the Guru hath removed superstition, Allah and Parbrahm are the same. 1

. The Emperor then asked the Guru to explain the order of the world. The Guru replied, ‘ He who created it preserveth it and will destroy it. Endless . animals visible and invisible, which sprang from the Creator, shall be again absorbed in Him. Through pride they all suffer. But when man meeteth the true Guru, and frequenteth the saints’ society, his pride and arrogance are swept away, and he obtaineth salvation.’

Upon this the Emperor inquired how man could keep his mind pure from the contact of the world. The Guru replied with the following hymn of Guru Amar Das :—

When the heart is filthy, everything in man is filthy ; the heart is not cleansed by cleansing the body.

The world is led astray by superstition, my brethren ; only a few know it.

O my soul, repeat the one Name :

The true Guru hath given me this treasure.

Even when men learn the postures of the Sidhs and practise restraint of their senses,

Neither their mental filth nor the filth of their pride departeth.

t There is no means of purifying the heart except by taking shelter in the true Guru.

By meeting the true Guru, my brethren, the heart is changed beyond expression.

LIFE OF GURU HAR GOBIND 17

Saith Nanak, if any one die on meeting the true Guru and be again reanimated by his teaching,

The filth of his selfishness shall depart and his heart become pure. 1

The Emperor then asked, ‘ O Guru, tell me who are holier, the Hindus or the Muhammadans. The four elements are equally diffused in all animals from the worm to the elephant, how then is it that their lights and understandings are different ?’

The Guru replied with the following hymn of Kabir :—

In the beginning God by His Omnipotence created light and from it all the races of men.

From the one light the whole world was created ; then who is good and who is bad ?

O my brethren, lose not yourselves in doubt.

Creation is in the Creator, and the Creator in the creation ; He filleth every place.

Matter is one, but the Fashioner fashioned it in various ways.

There is no fault with the vessels of clay and no fault with the Potter. 2

The one true God is in all; everything turneth out as He hath ordained.

He who obeyeth the will of God and recognizeth Him as one, is His servant.

God is invisible ; He cannot be seen ; the Guru hath given me sweet molasses 3 to eat.

Saith Kabir, my doubts are abandoned since I have seen the Spotless One everywhere. 4

The Emperor was much interested in these hymns and with the Guru’s general exposition of his doctrines, and before dismissing him desired to hear his ideas on the duties and attributes of

beings, and human beings cannot be blamed for being created by Him. 3 Good instruction. 4 Prabhati.

SIKH. IV

a monarch. The Guru then said : ‘ A good monarch is ever philanthropic. He can never endure to see a man in misery without making great efforts with mind, body, and wealth to remove all his sufferings. . If he see a man hungry or in need of a house to dwell in, he supplieth his necessities. He provideth poor persons with work—to repair a fallen well or bridge, to level an uneven road, or to plant trees on the roadside.’ Upon this the Guru took his leave.

Chapter III

The Emperor having heard that the Guru loved the chase requested him to accompany him one day on a hunting excursion. When in the forest, a tiger issued forth and rushed at the Emperor. Elephants and horses took fright, and the beaters who accompanied the party loudly shouted in distress. Bullets and arrows were discharged, but went right and left of the tiger. The Emperor almost paralysed with fear called upon the Guru to save him. The Guru alighted from his horse, and taking his sword and shield ran between the Emperor and the tiger. As the tiger was going to spring, the Guru dealt him a blow with his sword, and he fell lifeless to the earth. The Emperor thanked his destiny that he was saved from the jaws of death by the Guru’s hand.

When it was time for the Emperor to visit Agra, he invited the Guru to accompany him. The Guru, after repeated invitations, at last consented. As they were hunting on the way, the Emperor took the opportunity of telling him what people were saying against him—‘ O Guru, my ministers and staff tell me that, although tfrbu oughtest in reality to have no connexion with worldly affairs, yet thou callest thyself the true king of the world, and thy Sikhs call me who am descended from emperors,