Having first remembered the Sword, meditate on Guru Nanak,
Then on Guru Angad, Amar Das, and Ram Das ; may they assist me !
Remember Arjan, Har Gobind, and the holy Hari Rai ;
Meditate on the holy Hari Krishan, a sight of whom dis- pelled all sorrows.
Remember Teg Bahadur and the nine treasures shall come hastening to your homes.
Ye holy Gurus, everywhere assist us !
God having first fashioned the Sword created the whole world.
He created Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiv, and made them the sport of His omnipotence ;
He made the seas and mountains of the earth, and sup- ported the firmament without pillars ;
He made the demons and the demigods, and excited dissension among them.
Having created Durga, O God, Thou didst destroy the demons .1
From Thee alone Ram received his power, and slew Rawan with his arrows.
From Thee alone Krishan received his power, seized Kans by the hair, and dashed him on the ground.
Very great munis and gods mortified their bodies for many ages.
But none of them found Thy limit.
The last line of the Bhagauti ki War is : —
He who sang this was not born again, that is, he obtained deliverance.
This line gives the meaning of the twenty-second slok of the ninety-second canto of the * Markandeya Puran ' *
The train of thought by v^hich the Guru made
^ This line shows that the Guru believed Durga to be a creation of God and not an independent divinity co-equal or co-powerful with Him and worthy of human worship.
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 83
God and the sword one was as follows : In the ' Shastar Nam Mala ' is read : —
I first mention the word shatru (an enemy) and then the word daman (subduer).
Know that the words compounded mean the Lord of the world : be assured of this.
The meaning is — God subdues enemies, so does the sword ; therefore the sword is God, and God is the sword.
At that time it was the custom to recite on the eve of battle the praises and warlike deeds of the brave, so that the hearts even of cowards might be inspired with eagerness for the fray. On that account the tenth Guru maintained fifty-two bards to translate the Mahabharat, the Ramayan, and the gallant achievements of Ram, Krishan, Chandi, and others. It does not follow from this that the Guru worshipped those whose acts were thus cele- brated ; this was only done for the purpose of inciting to bravery, dispelling cowardice, and filling the hearts of his troops with valour to defend their faith. This the Guru himself declares in his transla- tion of the tenth canto of the Bhagawat, in which are recounted the chivalrous exploits of Krishan. He says, ' I have rendered in the vulgar dialect the tenth chapter of the Bhagawat with no other object than to inspire ardour for religious warfare.*
Secondly, the Guru himself specially translated the praises of Chandi so that they might be chanted for warlike purposes, and that even cowards on hearing her story might obtain courage and the hearts of the brave beat with fourfold enthusiasm. Such being the achievements of a woman, what ought not a brave man to accomplish ? The Guru maintained that if a man became a coward and turned away from the battle-field, he would not only become ashamed of himself, but also forfeit his advantages here and hereafter.
G 2
In the third place, the Guru desired that his Sikhs, on becoming acquainted with the Hindu sacred writings, might be able to form their own estimate of them and their inferiority to the compositions of the Gurus. Among the fifty-two bards employed by the Guru there must have been several who had suffered for their religion under the persecutions of Aurangzeb ; and for their opinions the Guru cannot be held responsible.^
Chapter XI
The Guru directed all the masands to appear with their Sikh constituents before him at Anandpur at the Baisakhi festival, held about the middle of the month of April. They collected large sums of money as a preparation for their journey. Half they kept for their own use, and half they placed before the Guru. The Guru then addressed them, ' O brother masands, you have been the servants of the Guru*s house since the time of Guru Ram Das. You used formerly to collect large sums of money. Why have you brought so little this year for the support of the faith ? ' The masands replied, * O true Guru, the rich Sikhs are all dead, and we must take what we can obtain from the survivors.' The Guru rejoined, 'Say not that my Sikhs are poor. I am going to make them all kings. If you desire your welfare, disgorge the offerings you have received from them.* The masands became angry, and began to say among themselves, ' The Guru is of our own making. Did we not contribute the money necessary for his maintenance, no one would call him a Guru.'
The masands left the Guru's court and went to complain to Bhai Chetu, the eldest member of their body who had survived since the days of Guru Ram Das. They represented to him that no Guru had previously found fault with them, but now Guru
^ Bhai Dit Singh's Durga PrabodK
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 85
Gobind Rai had threatened them with serious conse- quences. Chetu promised to speak to the Guru on their behalf, but at the same time reminded them that he was at the youthful age when men utter praise and blame without due discrimination.
Chetu kept his promise and spoke to the Guru on behalf of the masands, ' True king, the masands are all thy servants. I beg thee to treat them with respect, so that the Sikhs may follow thy example. The next time they come they will bring a larger amount of money for the supply of thy public kitchen.' The Guru replied, ' Ask their brother Sikhs here what language the masands have been using regarding me. They have stolen the Guru's money and deposited it in their own homes. They are very proud. They admit not the Guru's power. They have called my Sikhs poor, whereas I am daily advancing them and bestowing on them the sove- reignty of the country. And, finally, the masands are telling me falsehoods.' Chetu begged the Guru to pardon them. The Guru then said that Chetu had countenanced them in embezzling the offerings, and that he too deserved punishment like his fellows. At this Chetu began to storm and pretend innocence. The Guru was now thoroughly satisfied that the masands had arrived at a pass where they did -not believe in any Guru, and that their insolence must be checked. He therefore decided that, as the human Guruship must end with himself, so must his Sikhs be freed from the tyranny of the masands.
Chetu went to the Guru's mother, and threatened that if the Guru disowned the masands, the Sikhs would go in a body to Dhir Mai, and the Guru would be left without any means of support. When the Guru heard this, he said, ' Be not anxious, O mother, my public kitchen belongeth to the im- mortal God, and He will supply it with provisions.'
It happened that at that time a man arrived at Anandpur from Chetu' s district. He had given
Chetu a set of bracelets made of rhinoceros hide as a present for the Guru's mother. When Chetu was questioned, he said he had duly given her the bracelets, but it was satisfactorily proved that he had not, and that he had been prevailed on by his wife to bestow them on her. Chetu was duly pun- ished for his dishonesty.
The Guru continued to receive many complaints against the masands. One of them in particular billeted himself on a poor Sikh, and claimed sweets instead of the crushed pulse and unleavened bread which formed the staple food of his host. The masand took the bread, threw it into his host's face, and dashed the crushed pulse on the ground. He then began to abuse the Sikh, and would not cease until the poor man had sold his wife's petticoat to provide him with sweets. When the Guru was informed of this he set about punishing the masand. He ordered that henceforth the Sikhs should them- selves present their offerings, and that the employ- ment of the masands for the purpose should cease.
One day a company of mimes went to perform before the Guru. He ordered them to imitate the masands. One of them accordingly dressed as a masand, two as a masand' s servants, and a fourth as a masand' s courtesan riding behind him on horse- back as he went to collect offerings for the Guru. The mimes portrayed to life the villanies and oppres- sion practised by the masands. The Guru upon this finally resolved to free his Sikhs from their tyranny. He ordered that all the masands should be arraigned for their misdemeanours. He listened in every case to their defences and explanations, punished those whom he found guilty, and pardoned those who succeeded in establishing their innocence. Among the latter was a masand called Pheru, of whom mention has been made in the life of Guru Har Rai. Pheru lived in the country then called Nakka, between the rivers Ravi and Bias. The Guru ordered
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 87
that he should be brought before him. The Guru remembered an expression used by Guru Har Rai to Pheru, ' My purse is at thy disposal. Spend what thou pleasest from it.' Guru Gobind Rai added, ' The purse is thine, and its disposal is also thine.* Pheru replied, * Great king, thine is the purse and thine also its disposal : whether I am bad or good I am thine.' The Guru knowing him to be without guile acquitted him, and with his own hands invested him with a robe of honour. Some other masands too were acquitted as the result of Pheru' s pleadings on their behalf.
Once a company of Udasis brought the Guru a copy of the Granth Sahib, written with great elegance, for his attestation and signature. At that time no Granth was accepted as correct unless countersigned by the Guru. But petitioners had first to approach his minister, Diwan Nand Chand, and submit the work to him for approval. The latter observing the beautiful penmanship of the volume formed the dishonest intention of appro- priating it. He told the Udasis to come in a month's time, and he would meanwhile find some means of obtaining the Guru's signature. When they returned after the expiration of that period, he told them he had not yet had an opportunity of speaking to the Guru on the subject, and suggested their waiting for another ten days. By similar subter- fuges he kept the Udasis going backwards and for- wards in suspense for six months. At the end of that time he asked them to take the price of the Granth Sahib from him, and prepare another for the Guru's approval. The Udasis refused, whereupon he had them forcibly expelled from Anandpur.
One day, when the Guru went hunting, the Udasis found an opportunity of complaining to him of Nand Chand's conduct. The Guru at once ordered that their Granth should be restored to them. Nand
Chand sent a message to the Guru that he was ready to return the book, but at the same time told the Udasis to leave the place at once if they valued their safety. If they made any further complaint to the Guru, they should be imprisoned and put to death. The Udasis were, however, not so easily deterred. They bided their time to approach the Guru on another occasion. They com- plained that Nand Chand had disobeyed his order, forcibly expelled them from the city, and threatened them with death in the event of their return and making a further complaint against him. The Guru sent a severe message to Nand Chand, ' Evil days have come for thee. As I treated the masands so shall I treat thee. If thou desire thine own welfare, restore their Granth Sahib to the Udasis.* When the Guru*s message was communi- cated to Nand Chand, he said, ' Go away ; I will not return the Granth Sahib. See, my friends, how the Guru seeketh to frighten me. Were I to shake the dust off the skirt of my coat, I could make many Gurus like him.' The Sikhs replied, ' Very well ; let the Guru come to thee, and thou shalt see. He will draw no distinction between thee and thy brother masands.'
Nand Chand, shrinking from the consequences of his temerity, fled with the Granth Sahib to Kartar- pur. When the Guru heard that he had fled through fear of death, he replied, ' Death will reach him there too.' When Nand Chand reached Kartarpur, he sent a message to Dhir Mai, ' Hundreds of thou- sands of Sikhs adhere to thy cause ; they will all worship thee, and make thee the Guru of the world. It is in my power to-day to raise thee to that emi- nence.' Nand Chand was, however, seriously dis- trusted at Kartarpur. It was suspected that he had come from the Guru to practise some treachery — either to kill Dhir Mai or take possession of the town. Dhir Mai consulted his masands as to what was best
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 89
to be done. They advised that Nand Chand should be put to death according to the following strata- gem. As he came to pay a visit, a musketeer should be hidden within the house to fire at him. This was agreed on. When Nand Chand entered Dhir MaFs anteroom, he received a bullet in the thigh. As he staggered, the doors were closed to prevent his 'escape, and he then received several fatal bullets from the roof which had been opened for the purpose.
One day the Guru saw two horsemen pass his place and then make a diversion towards the Satluj . They were Gurdas and his brother Tara, great-grand- sons of Bhai Bahilo and masands of Ram Rai, who had come to seek the Guru's protection, but whose courage failed them at the last moment. The Guru caused them to be brought before him. In reply to his messenger's questions they had said that they were Bairars. When they appeared before the Guru, he detected their disguise and asked why they had falsely represented themselves as Bairars. They told their history. The Guru on his visit on a former occasion to Dehra, believing them to be trustworthy, allowed them to remain there with Panjab Kaur, Ram Rai's widow, for her protection. The other masands had poisoned Panjab Kaur's mind against them, and they now fled to the Guru for protection. On arriving at Anandpur they had heard of the Guru's treatment of other masands, and through fear turned aside to avoid him. The Guru compli- mented them as the descendants of Bhai Bahilo on their finally confessing the truth to him, and men- tioned the respect in which Bhai Bahilo had been held by the preceding Gurus. After their repentance the Guru entertained them for some years, and then allowed them to depart to their homes.
The Guru always held the belief that it would be proper and advantageous to his Sikhs to wear long hair and otherwise not alter man's God-given body,
and he often broached the subject to them. On one occasion they repHed that, if they wore long hair, they would be subjected to the banter and annoyance of both Hindus and Muhammadans. The Guru then suggested that they should wear arms, and be at all times ready to defend themselves. This advice was adopted.
In ancient times the Guru said it was the universal custom to wear one's natural hair, and he instanced the cases of Ram Chandar, Krishan, Christ, and Mu- hammad. ' Why should hair grow if God had meant it to be cut off? A child's hair groweth in the womb.' ^ The Guru therefore hoped that his followers would never be guilty of the sin of shaving or cutting off their hair, and those who obeyed his injunctions he promised to consider true members of his faith.
It is recorded that at this time the Sikhs lived in great social love and harmony. They regarded themselves as brothers. They used to feed one another, shampoo one another when tired, bathe one another, wash one another's clothes, and one Sikh always met another with a smile on his face and love in his heart.
A company of Sikhs came to visit the Guru and made the following representation : * We have found it very difficult to approach thee on account of the violence of the Muhammadans. Some of our com- pany have been killed by them on the way. Others have been wounded, and have returned to their
WF^i
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 91
homes. To whom can we look for assistance but to thee ? * The Guru on hearing this remained silent, and reflected that the tyranny of the Turks had certainly become intolerable, and that all religion was being banished from the land.
The Guru invited all his Sikhs to attend the great Baisakhi fair at Anandpur without shaving or cutting their hair. On finding them assembled, he ordered that carpets should be spread on a raised mound which he indicated, and that an adjacent spot should be screened off with qanats or tent walls. When this was done, the Guru ordered a confidential Sikh to go at midnight, tie five goats in the enclosure, and let no one know what he had done. The goats were duly tied, and separate orders were given to the Guru's orderlies not to go within the tent walls.
Next morning the Guru rose a watch before day, performed his devotions, and put on his arms and uniform. He then proclaimed that there should be a great open-air gathering. When all were seated he drew his sword, and asked if there was any one of his beloved Sikhs ready to lay down his life for him. No reply was given. All grew pale on hearing such a proposal. The Guru asked a second time, but with the same result. A third time he spoke in a louder voice, ' If there be any true Sikh of mine, let him give me his head as an offering and proof of his faith.' Daya Ram, a Sikh of Lahore, rose and said, ' O true king, my head is at thy service.' The Guru took his arm, led him within the enclosure, and gave him a seat. He then cut off a goat's head with one stroke of the sword, went forth and showed the dripping weapon to the multitude. The Guru again asked, ' Is there any other true Sikh who will bestow his head on me ? ' The crowd felt now quite convinced that the Guru was in earnest, and that he had killed Daya Ram, so no one replied. At the third time of asking Dharm Das of Dihli answered, ' O great king, take my head.' The Guru,
assuming an angry mien, took Dharm Das within the enclosure, seated him near Daya Ram, and killed another goat. The Guru then looking very fierce came forth and said, ' Is there any other Sikh who will offer me his head ? I am in great need of Sikhs* heads.*
On this some remarked that the Guru had lost his reason, others went to the Guru's mother to com- plain, and said that he had undergone a complete change, and was no longer responsible for his actions. They instanced his sacrificing two Sikhs with ap- parently no object. His mother was advised to depose him and confer the Guruship on his eldest son. She sent a messenger for him, but he was too intent on his own purpose at the time to receive messengers of any description. He called out for a third Sikh ready to offer him his life, whereupon Muhakam Chand of Dwaraka offered himself as a sacrifice. Upon this the Guru handed him into the enclosure and killed a third goat. He then came forth showing his dripping sword as before. When the Guru called out for a fourth Sikh for sacrifice, the Sikhs began to think that he was going to kill them all. Some ran away and many hung down their heads. Sahib Chand, a resident of Bidar, clasped his hands in an attitude of supplication, and said he placed his head at the Guru's disposal. The Guru took him behind the tent walls and killed a fourth goat. When he came forth as before, he asked for a fifth Sikh who was prepared to lay down his life for him. On this there was a general flight of the remaining Sikhs, and only those who were very staunch in their faith ventured to stay. Himmat of Jaggannath answered the Guru's last call, and said he might take his life also. The Guru then took him inside the enclosure and killed the remaining goat.