The Guru was now ready to sacrifice his own life for the five Sikhs who showed such devotion to him.
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 93
W
HHe clad them in splendid raiment, so that they I shone like the sun, and thus addressed them : * My * brethren, you are in my form and I am in yours. He who thinketh there is any difference between us erreth exceedingly.' Then seating the five Sikhs near him, he proclaimed to the whole assembly, * In the time of Guru Nanak, there was found one devout Sikh, namely. Guru Angad. In my time there are found five Sikhs totally devoted to the Guru. These shall lay anew the foundation of Sikhism, and the true religion shall become current and famous through the world.* The people became astonished at the Guru's expedient, and fell at the feet of the five devoted Sikhs, saying, * Hail to the Sikh religion ! You, brethren, have established it on a permanent basis. Had we offered our heads like you, we too should be blest.'
The Guru again addressed his Sikhs : ' Since the time of Baba Nanak charanpahul hath been cus- tomary. Men drank the water in which the Gurus had washed their feet, a custom which led to great humility ; but the Khalsa can now only be main- tained as a nation by bravery and skill in arms. Therefore I now institute the custom of baptism by water stirred with a dagger, and change my followers from Sikhs to Singhs or lions. They who accept the nectar of the pahul shall be changed before your very eyes from jackals into lions, and shall obtain empire in this world and bliss hereafter.'
According to the Persian historian Ghulam Muhai ul Din, the newswriter of the period sent the Emperor a copy of the Guru's address to his Sikhs on that occasion. It is dated the first of Baisakh, Sambat 1756 (a. d. 1699), and is as follows : * Let all embrace one creed and obliterate differences of religion. Let the four Hindu castes who have different rules for their guidance abandon them all, adopt the one form of adoration, and become brothers. Let no one deem himself superior to another. Let none
pay heed to the Ganges, and other places of pil- grimage which are spoken of with reverence in the Shastars, or adore incarnations such as Ram, Krishan, Brahma, and Durga, but believe in Guru Nanak and the other Sikh Gurus. Let men of the four castes receive my baptism, eat out of one dish, and feel no disgust or contempt for one another/
The newswriter, when forwarding this proclamation to his master, submitted his own report : ' When the Guru had thus addressed the crowd, several Brah- mans and Khatris stood up, and said that they accepted the religion of Guru Nanak and of the other Gurus. Others, on the contrary, said that they would never accept any religion which was opposed to the teaching of the Veds and the Shastars, and that they would not renounce at the bidding of a boy the ancient faith which had descended to them from their ancestors. Thus, though several refused to accept the Guru's religion, about twenty thousand men stood up and promised to obey him, as they had the fullest faith in his divine mission.'
The Guru caused his five faithful Sikhs to stand up. He put pure water into an iron vessel and stirred it with a khanda or two-edged sword. He then repeated over it the sacred verses which he had appointed for the ceremony, namely, the Japji, the Japji,^ Guru Amar Das's Anand, and certain Sawai- yas or quatrains of his own composition.
The Guru in order to show his Sikhs the potency of the baptismal nectar which he had prepared put some of it aside for birds to drink. Upon this two sparrows came and filled their beaks with it. Then flying away they began to fight, the chronicler states, like two rajas struggling for supremacy, and died by mutual slaughter. The inference was that all animals which drank the Guru's baptismal water should become powerful and warlike.
^ The Japji is Guru Nanak's, the Japji the tenth Guru's own composition.
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 95
Bhai Ram Kaur, a descendant of Bhai Budha, went and told the Guru's wife, Mata Jito, that he was inaugurating a new form of baptism. He also gave her an account of the incident of the sparrows. Mata Jito, taking some Indian sweetmeats called patasha, went out of curiosity to the Guru. He said she had come at an opportune moment, and asked her to throw the sweets into the holy water. He had begun, he said, to beget the Khalsa^ as his sons, and without a woman no son could be produced. Now that the sweets were poured into the nectar the Sikhs would be at peace with one another, otherwise they would be at continual variance.
The five Sikhs, fully dressed and accoutred, stood up before the Guru. He told them to repeat 'Wahguru' and the preamble of the Japji. He then gave them five palmfuls of the amrit ^ to drink. He sprinkled it nve tmTes on their hair, and their eyes, and caused them all to repeat ' Wahguru ji ka Khalsa, Wahguru ji ki Fatah.* On this he gave them all the appellation of Singhs or lions. He then explained to them what they might and what they might not do. They must always wear the following articles whose names begin with a K, namely, kes, long hair ; kangha, a comb ; kripan, a sword ; kachh, short drawers ; kara, a steel bracelet. They were enjoined to practise arms, and not show their backs to the foe in battle. They were ever to help the poor and protect those who sought their protec- tion. They must not look with lust on another's wife or commit fornication, but adhere to their wedded spouses. They were to consider their previous castes erased, and deem themselves all brothers of one family. Sikhs were freely to inter- marry among one another, but must have no social
^ This word comes from the Arabic /^/id/is pure, and was applied by Guru Gobind Singh to the Sikhs who accepted the baptism of the sword, which will presently be described.
"^ Nectar. The consecrated water used in the baptism of Sikhs is so called.
k
^
or matrimonial relations with smokers, with persons who killed their daughters, with the descendants or followers of Prithi Chand, Dhir Mai, Ram Rai, or masands, who had fallen away from the tenets and principles of Guru Nanak. They must not worship idols, cemeteries, or cremation-grounds. They must only believe in the immortal God. They must rise at dawn, bathe, read the prescribed hymns of the Gurus, meditate on the Creator, abstain from the flesh of an animal whose throat had been jagged with a knife in the Muhammadan fashion, and be loyal to their masters.^
tWhen the Guru had thus administered baptism to his five tried Sikhs, he stood up before them with clasped hands, and begged them to administer bap- tism to himself in precisely the same way as he had administered it to them. They were astonished at such a proposal, and represented their own un- worthiness and the greatness of the Guru, whom they deemed God's vicar upon earth. They asked why he made such a request, and why he stood in a suppliant posture before them. He replied, * I am the son of the immortal God. It is by His order I have been born and have established this form of baptism. They who accept it shall hence- forth be known as the Khalsa. The Khalsa is the Guru and the Guru is the Khalsa. There is no difference between you and me. As Guru Nanak seated Guru Angad on the throne, so have I made you also a Guru. Wherefore administer the bap- tismal nectar to me without any hesitation.' Accord- ingly the five Sikhs baptized the Guru with the same ceremonies and injunctions he .liimself had employed. He-_tbus_JnvestedJiiis__.^egt} with the dignity of Gurudom. The GimTcaSlmtEelSvi^iHis wHd^irad^baptized him his Panch Piyare, or five
I ^ In the present day an injunction is added at the time of baptism / to be loyal to the British Government, which the neophytes solemnly / promise.
[i
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 97
beloved, and himself Gobind Singh, instead of Gobind Rai, the name by which he had been previously known.
Upon this many others prepared to receive bap- tism. The first five to do so after the beloved of the Guru were Ram Singh, Deva Singh, Tahil Singh, ^jf) Ishar Singh, and Fatah Singh. These were named the Panch Mukte, or the five who had obtained deliverance. After them many thousands were baptized. A supplementary ordinance was now issued that if any one cut his hair, smoked tobacco, associated with a Muhammadan woman, or ate the flesh of an animal whose throat had been jagged with a knife, he must be re-baptized, pay a fine, and promise not to offend any more : otherwise he must be held to be excommunicated from the Khalsa. The place where the Guru administered his first baptism is now known as Kesgarh.
The Sikh chronicler, Bhai Santokh Singh, has composed the following on this memorable event : —
God's Khalsa which arose is very holy. When its followers meet, they say ' Wahguru ji ki fatah ! '
The Khalsa hath abolished regard for pirs, spiritual rulers, and miracle- workers of other sects, whether Hindu or Musalman.
The world on seeing a third religion was astonished ; enemies apprehended that it would deprive them of sove- reignty.
The Guru inaugurated a new custom for the establish- ment of the faith, the effacement of sin, and the repetition of God's name.
Chapter XII
We now come to further objections made by the Hindus to the Khalsa. They said, ' It is impossible to observe the rules of the Khalsa. How can the four castes dine together ? Were we to accept the Guru's words, there would be no trace of caste left
SIKH. V JJ
in the world. The Guru hath confounded the four castes. He hath stirred water with a dagger and called it nectar. No matter who cometh to him, he associateth with him without distinction of caste and without regard for the duty prescribed for his stage of life. He hath renounced the Veds and the popular beliefs, and only believeth in Asidhuj,^ of whom we have never before heard, and who is not known even to pandits. The learned men among the Hindus preach of Ram, Krishan, and the other incarnations recorded in the Purans, and adhere to the ancient religions. Brethren, this Khalsa is a new-fangled institution for which we have no scriptural authority. It is the Guru who hath introduced this absurdity, and informed the world that there is only one caste. He hath broken the sacrificial thread of Brahmans and Khatris, and by causing them to eat together hath brought discredit on ancient customs sanctioned and hallowed by religion. He hath ordered us not to give our daugh- ters in marriage to any one who cutteth his hair. So smitten is he with affection for his Khalsa, that he hath rejected not only the Hindu but the Muham- madan religion. He hath prohibited tobacco, pil- grimages, and periodical oblations to the manes of ancestors.' ^
The Guru wrote to his Sikhs wherever they resided to come and accept baptism, and become members of the Khalsa. He warned those who failed to do so that they should afterwards regret it. When they met with affliction, they would be glad to seek the protection of the Khalsa, but this could only be obtained by their acceptance of baptism and by their repentance and submission. The holy Khalsa would then remove their entanglements and accept them as brothers in the faith.
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 99
On this great occasion the hill chiefs, including Raja Ajmer Chand, the successor of the late Bhim Chand, went to visit the Guru. Ajmer Chand said, * It is thou who hast instituted the Khalsa religion. By thy power and greatness all the Turks shall be destroyed/ The Guru replied, ' If thou be baptized and become a Sikh, thy glory shall increase tenfold.' Ajmer Chand inquired what the marks of the Guru's Sikhs were, that is, how they could be recognized. The Guru replied, ' My Sikhs shall be in their natural form, that is, without the loss of their hair or foreskin, in opposition to ordinances of the Hindus and the Muhammadans.' In reply to Ajmer Chand' s further inquiries, the Guru informed him of the acts allowed and disallowed his Sikhs. Ajmer Chand rephed, ' Great king, we must worship our idols and shave on the occasions of deaths in our houses. This is ordained by our religion.* The Guru replied, ' If hair were not pleasing to God, why should he have caused it to grow ? In giving the baptismal nectar I change you from jackals to tigers. My Singhs shall destroy all oppressive Pathans and Mughals, and rule in the world.' Ajmer Chand said, ' That is impossible. Each Turk can eat a whole goat. How can we who only eat rice, cope with such strong men ? ' The Guru replied, * My Singhs too are permitted to eat flesh, and one of them shall be able to hold his ground against one hundred thousand Turks. I will kill hawks with sparrows. O Raja, have no anxiety. I shall make men of all four castes my Singhs (lions) and destroy the Mughals. If thou too embrace my faith and become a Singh, thy realm shall abide.'
The Guru's teaching had the magical effect of changing a pariah or outcast through an intermin- able line of heredity into a brave and staunch soldier, as the history of the Sikh Mazhabi regiments con- clusively proves. This metamorphosis has been accomplished in defiance of the hide-bound preju-
H2
dices and conservatism of the old Hindu religious systems. Prior to the time of the Sikh Gurus no general ever conceived the idea of raising an army from men who were believed to be unclean and pol- luted from their birth ; but the watchword and war-cry of the Sikhs ' Wahguru ji ka Khalsa, Wah- guru ji ki fatah', and the stimulating precepts of the tenth Guru, altered what had hitherto been deemed the dregs of humanity into warriors whose prowess and loyalty never failed their leaders.
The Guru continued to address the assembled rajas : ' How has your religious, political, and social status deteriorated ! You have abandoned the worship of the true God and addressed your devotions to gods, goddesses, rivers, trees, &c. Through ignorance you know not how to govern your territories ; through indolence and vice you disregard the interests of your subjects. You place over them officials who not only hate you, but are besides your mortal enemies. In your quarrels regarding caste and lineage you have not adhered to the ancient divisions of Hinduism into four sections, but you have made hundreds of sub- sections and subordinate minor castes. You despise and loathe one another through your narrow preju- dices, and you act contrary to the wishes of the great Almighty Father. Your morals have become so perverted that through fear and with a desire to please your Musalman rulers, you give them your daughters to gratify their lust. Self-respect hath found no place in your thoughts, and you have forgotten the history of your sires. I am intensely concerned for your fallen state. Are you not ashamed to call yourselves Rajputs when the Musalmans seize your wives and daughters before your very eyes. Your temples have been demolished and mosques built on their sites ; and many of your faith have been forcibly converted to Islam. If you still possess a trace of bravery and of the ancient spirit of your
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH loi
race, then listen to my advice, embrace the Khalsa reHgion, and gird up your loins to elevate the fallen condition of your country/ Upon this the rajas took their departure without accepting the Guru's proposal to substitute his Khalsa for existing Indian religious systems.
A Sikh called Ude Singh appeared before the Guru without any offering. He said he had one, but was unable to lift it. He had killed a tiger, but was not strong enough to bring its body to the Guru. The Guru sent for the tiger, skinned it, and clothed a potter's donkey with the skin. The donkey thus arrayed being let loose frightened all animals and rejoiced in his unmolested freedom. Several com- plaints and requests to kill him were made to the Guru. One day the Guru and some Sikhs went to shoot him. On hearing the noise made by the Guru's party the donkey fled for protection to his old master. The potter, seeing the animal's behaviour and movements those of a donkey and not of a tiger, and moreover hearing him bray, approached him, took off the tiger's skin, gave him a sound drubbing, and employed him as before to carry burdens. The Sikhs on hearing this asked the Guru what he meant by such a stratagem. The Guru replied, 'As long as you were bound by caste and lineage you were like donkeys and subject to low persons. I have now freed you from these entanglements and given you all worldly blessings. I have clothed you in the garb of tigers, and made you superior to all men. Enjoy happiness in this world, and the Guru will take care of you in the next, and grant you the glorious dignity of salvation. When the donkey wore a tiger's skin he was formidable, but when he fell into the potter's power he was beaten and a load put on his back. In the same way, as long as you preserve your tiger's exterior, your enemies shall fear you, and you shall be victorious, but if you part with it, and return to caste observances, you shall
revert to your asinine condition and become subject to strangers. Moreover, I have made you really tigers, and not merely given you their garb, and it is for you not to resume your caste habiliments. As I have raised you from a lowly to a lofty position by imparting to you spiritual knowledge, so if you revert to evil ways and Hindu superstitions from which I have delivered you, your last condition shall be worse than your first, for then there will be no hope of your amendment.'
Some Sikhs went to the Guru and told him that the Ranghars and Gujars of the village of Nuh had been plundering their property, but that those who were armed had successfully defended themselves. The Guru took this as a text to preach to his people the advantage of wearing arms. They who practised their use should develop their martial instincts, enhance their prestige, and defend their property, while those who remained in the slough of ancient apathy should lose all they possessed. But in addition to arms men should also come to him to be baptized, and should for the purpose appear before him with their hair uncut, with drawers, daggers, and complete armour, and retain all these objects of defence as long as they had life.
A man named Nand Lai now visited the Guru. He was son of a Vaishnav Khatri and disciple of a Bairagi. At the age of twelve years the Bairagi desired to put on his neck a wooden necklace, one of the outward symbols of his sect. Nand Lai refused, and asked to be invested with the necklace of God's name, which he might repeat to obtain future happiness. The Bairagi dismissed him, and subse- quently explained his action to Nand Lai's father. He had not the particular necklace which Nand Lai had asked for, and so he set him free to select another spiritual guide.
Nand Lai was an accomplished Persian scholar. There is a tradition preserved among his descendants,
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 103
that when the King of Persia sent a dispatch to Aurangzeb, his chief courtiers were invited to draft a reply. Nand Lai's draft was deemed the most suitable, and it was accordingly selected for dispatch to Tuhran. Aurangzeb sent for Nand Lai, and after an interview remarked to his courtiers that it was a pity such a learned man should remain a Hindu. Nand Lai on being apprised of the emperor's desire to convert him to Islam, and ever thinking of the spiritual guide suitable for him, decided to flee from court and take refuge with the Guru. He communi- cated his intention to a friend of his, a high Muham- madan official. They resolved to go together to Anandpur and place themselves under the Guru's spiritual guidance. Nand Lai presented the Guru a Persian work called Bandagi Nama in praise of God, a title which the Guru changed to Zindagi Nama, or ' Bestower of eternal Ufe.' The following are extracts from the work : —