Vol. IV — Life of Guru Har Rai, the Seventh Guru, Chapter V

Aurangzeb was now secure on the throne of Dihli. He kept his father a prisoner in^Agra until he died. Dara Shikoh was dead, Shujah Muhammad had fled, and Murad Bakhsh was a prisoner with his father. Aurangzeb having acquired a bigoted Muhammadan training set himself to uproot the Hindu religion. He began with the temples and idols in the sacred city of Mathura, known even to the Greeks of the age of Alexander as a Hindu place of sanctity, and destroyed there every vestige of Hindu worship. He then destroyed the temples and idols in other parts of India. He pulled down the temple of Brahma in Pushkar and threw its materials into the neighbouring lake. He demolished seven hundred temples in the state of Ajmer. He then proceeded to Banaras, the great stronghold of Hinduism, where he found ample materials for his destructive fury. Wherever his iconoclastic zeal prevailed he built Muhammadan mosques. Whenever two or more men had a suit or a contention, it was always decided for the party who became Muhammadan.

Meantime complaints were made to Aurangzeb against the Guru. The Guru, it was said, had met Dara Shikoh, blessed him, and assisted him in opposing the Emperor ; and it was also reported that he was preaching a religion distinct from Islam, and performing miracles in evidence of his divine mission. The Emperor was accordingly advised to send for him and convert him to Islam unless he could clearly establish his religious pre tensions by the performance of miracles at the royal court. When the Guru was once converted, hundreds of thousands of Hindus would follow his example. Moreover, the Guru, who had been a friend of the Emperor's enemy, Dara Shikoh, could never become his friend.

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The Emperor accordingly addressed the following to the Guru : — ' Guru Nanak's house was the house of holy men. He treated friend and foe in the same way, but thou hast supported Dara Shikoh in his effort to obtain sovereignty. I have captured and put him to death, so he hath in no way benefited by thine assistance. But let bygones be bygones, and let us now be friends. Come to me. I am now enthroned as Emperor. I have a great desire to behold thee. Wherefore thou shouldst come to me without delay.'

The Guru replied, ' I have no business with thee that thou shouldst have summoned me. I am not a king who payeth thee tribute, nor do I desire to receive anything from thee, nor do we stand in the relation of priest and disciple to each other, so wherefore hast thou summoned me ? So far from my having conferred empire on Dara Shikoh, it was the eternal throne and umbrella of religion I conferred on him. He had no wish for terrestrial empire. The empire he hath obtained is imperishable. It is only he whom God loveth who can be like Dara Shikoh. If thou have any doubt as to the empire Dara Shikoh hath obtained, meditate on him as thou goest to sleep, and thou shalt have a vision of the reality.'

The Guru's words proved true. Aurangzeb one night saw his brother seated on his throne. Celestial maids were dancing round him. Sandal, attar of roses, and other perfumes exhaled from them, and garlands of flowers adorned their persons. Aurangzeb dressed in dirty clothes in the style of a pariah was carrying a basket of filth. Rain fell at that moment and the filth overspread his features. Then up came a slave- driver and struck him such a blow with a stick that he fell on his face. Upon this the Emperor awoke and began to reflect. ' The Guru sent this dream to terrify me. Now what is to be done ? I will not abate a jot of my efforts against him. I will straight way send an army to capture him and bring him