Some Sikhs asked the Guru how karah parsad or sacred food should be prepared. He replied : ' Wash and clean the cooking-place, then procure equal portions of refined sugar, fine flour, and clarified butter. Boil the sugar in water and render it liquid. Put the clarified butter and flour into another vessel, and boil them until they assume a reddish colour. Then mix the liquefied sugar with the clarified butter and flour, and boil all together. When this is done a Granthi must repeat certain prescribed prayers. The mixture then becomes sacred food (karah parsad) and is fit for use.'^ The cook must be a Sikh who has bathed in the morning and who can repeat at least the Japji from memory.
A Sikh married couple came to the Guru in order to complain against their son. They said they were satisfied with the wealth God had given them ; their only trouble arose from their son's contumacy. He was ever in attendance on religious men, and paid no regard to what he ate or what he wore. If
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 115
the subject of marriage, so natural to a young man, were mentioned to him, he was ready to die as if poisoned. When pressed on the subject, he said that the Guru had forbidden his marriage. When they represented to him that the Guru himself was a married man, the youth would only say, ' He can do what he pleaseth himself. He hath forbidden me.' The Guru sent for the youth and asked when he had forbidden him. He replied, ' O Guru, in the Anand which thou wrotest as Guru Amar Das for the instruction of the Sikhs, there is the following passage : —
O dear man, do thou ever remember the True One.
This family which thou seest shall not depart with thee ;
It shall not depart with thee ; why fix thy thoughts on it ?
Never do what thou shalt have to repent of at last.
Listen thou to the instruction of the true Guru, it is that which shall go with thee.
Saith Nanak, O dear man, ever remember the True One.
* This instruction,' said the youth, ' is imprinted on my mind.' The Guru was so pleased on hearing this that he embraced him, and said to his parents, ' Men are continually warned, but none taketh heed. Blest is he who hath forsaken mammon. It is his good fortune that he hath awakened to contempt of the world. This son of yours shall save both your families, and you shall have another son besides to gladden your hearts.' The Guru detained the youth, and dismissed his parents. He was pleased that the spontaneous love of God had sprung up in the young man's heart, and he instructed him in the duties both of a husband and a hermit. After a comparison of both, he embraced domestic life.
Once in the sultry weather, as the Guru was perspiring, his servants took his bed from the ground floor to the top of his house. From there he heard an altercation between two Sikhs regarding a debt
of seven rupees. Mala Singh had lent this sum to Lahaura Singh, but the latter would not return it. When, at the suggestion of Mala Singh's wife, Lahaura Singh was further dunned, he composed this couplet : —
O Sikh, eat the wealth of a Sikh without anxiety ; Thou hast come to annoy me at which I am very angry ;
and added: — A Sikh shall receive whatever is written in his destiny.
Mala Singh replied, ' Thou embezzlest my money, and then lecturest me; thou forgettest what hath been said : —
They whose acts are deceitful shall be punished in God's court :
Death shall smite them ; they shall greatly weep and regret when they enter hell.*
Lahaura Singh capped this with another : —
No one shall ask for an account as long as God pardoneth.^
The Guru overhearing this interchange of verses cried out, * They who live and spend money by de- ceiving others shall be bound in God's court. Ponder on all your acts so as to preserve your honesty.' The Guru then quoted for the disputants the lines of Baba Nanak against dishonesty.
After hearing the Guru, Lahaura Singh began to speak civilly to Mala Singh, and promised to give him his money on the morrow. Lahaura Singh kept his promise, and then went to the Guru to solicit his pardon. The Guru upon this repeated for the first time his ' Muktnama ', or means of salvation. The following are its principal injunctions : ' O Sikhs, borrow not, but, if you are compelled to borrow, faithfully restore the debt. Speak not falsely and associate not with the untruthful. Associating with ^ Guru Arjan, Maru ki War II.
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holy men, practise truth, love truth, and clasp it to your hearts. Live by honest labour and deceive no one. Let not a Sikh be covetous. Repeat the Japji and the jApji before eating. Look not on a naked woman. Let not your thoughts turn towards that sex. Cohabit not with another's wife. Deem another's property as filth. Keep your bodies clean. Have dealings with every one, but consider your- selves distinct. Your faith and daily duties are different from theirs. Bathe every morning before repast. If your bodies endure not cold water, then heat it. Ever abstain from tobacco. Remember the one immortal God. Repeat the Rahiras in the evening and the Sohila at bedtime. Receive the baptism and teaching of the Guru, and act according to the Granth Sahib. Chng to the boat in which thou hast embarked. Wander not in search of another religion. Repeat the Gurus' hymns day and night. Marry only into the house of a Sikh. Pre- serve thy wife and thy children from evil company. Covet not money offered for religious purposes. Habitually attend a Sikh temple and eat a little sacred food therefrom. He who distribute th sacred food should do so in equal quantities, whether the recipients be high or low, old or young. Eat not food offered to gods or goddesses. Despise not any Sikh, and never address him without the ap- pellation Singh. Eat regardless of caste with all Sikhs who have been baptized, and deem them your brethren. Abandon at once the company of Brah- mans and MuUas who cheat men out of their wealth, of ritualists who lead Sikhs astray, and of those who give women in marriage with concealed physical defects, and thus deceive the hopes of offspring.
* Let not a Sikh have intercourse with a strange woman unless married to her according to the Sikh rites. Let him contribute a tenth part of his earnings for religious purposes. Let him bow down
at the conclusion of prayer. When a Sikh dieth, let sacred food be prepared. After his cremation let the Sohila be read and prayer offered for his soul and for the consolation of his relations. Then sacred food may be distributed. Let not the family of the deceased indulge in much mourning, or bevies of women join in lamentation. On such occasions let the Gurus' hymns be read and sung, and let all listen to them.
' Worship not an idol, and drink not the water in which it hath been bathed. The rules of caste and of the stages of Hindu life are erroneous. Let my Sikhs take care not to practise them. O Sikhs, listen to me and adopt not the ceremonies of the Hindus for the supposed advantages of the manes of ancestors.
' My face is turned towards him who calleth out to a Sikh '* Wahguru ji ki Fatah ! " my right shoulder towards him who returneth the salutation with love, my left shoulder towards him who returneth it as a matter of custom, and my back towards him who returneth it not at all.^ To him who abide th by these rules I will grant a position to which no one hath yet been able to attain, and which was beyond the conception of Shankar Acharya,^ Dattatre, Ramanuj,^ Gorakh, and Muhammad.
' As, when rain falleth on the earth, the fields yield excellent and pleasant fruit, so he who listeneth to the Guru and attendeth to all these injunctions shall assuredly receive the reward thereof. Whoever accepteth the Guru's words, and these rules which he hath given, shall have his sins pardoned ; he shall be saved from transmigration through the eighty- four lakhs of animals, and after death shall enter
* Mani Singh's Gydn Ratandwali.
^ An account of this saint will be given in the final volume of this work.
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 119
the Guru's abode. If any very worldly man devoted to pleasure tell you to the contrary, listen not to him, but ever follow the Guru's instruction.'
Chapter XV
A Sikh went to the Guru, to complain that his wife having been enchanted by a Muhammadan desired to embrace Islam. He prayed the Guru to perform incantations whereby his wife might adhere to her faith and conjugal duties. The Guru repUed, ' Charms, incantations, and spells are useless. The Gurus' hymns alone are of any avail. No jin,^ fairy, or demon shall approach her who daily reciteth or heareth the Japji. It is the duty of all Sikhs to give their wives religious instruction. Thy wife on receiving it shall return to her reUgion and allegiance to thee.'
One day the musicians were singing the story of Gopi Chand in presence of the Guru. The story being affecting, the audience were moved to tears. One man said that the musicians ought to be fined because they had in the Guru's presence sung the epic of Gopi Chand instead of the hymns of the Gurus, and it was written in the Anand that all compositions except the Gurus' were inadmissible. The Guru replied, ' Only those compositions are forbidden which lead men astray from God. When simple men sing verses which lead to a reconciUation with Him, it is not thy duty to spurn them. It cannot harm thee to listen to a story which containeth a moral.'
The Guru thought it prudent to be ever prepared for war, and he continued to enhst all who offered themselves for service. He provided them with horses and arms, and often represented to them that the power of the Turks had now grown beyond all endurance.
One day as the Guru was on a hunting excursion in the Dun, Baha Chand and AHm Chand, two hill chiefs, seeing him with only a small retinue, resolved to surprise and capture him. A fight ensued, but the Sikhs were too few in number to cope with their assailants and were obliged to retreat. A Sikh trooper came upon the Guru, who had lost his way in the mel^e, and thus addressed him : ' As a forest hath no beauty without a tiger, so a Sikh army hath no ornament without its Guru. If thou assist us not in our present difficulty, it will be a matter of eternal reproach to thee.' The Guru then dis- charged five arrows at the enemy which took fatal effect. Upon this the Sikhs, though few in number, were encouraged to return to the combat. Blood was spilled on both sides like red powder at the Hindu festival of the Holi. Balia Chand, on seeing the destruction of his men, rushed forward, but found himself opposed by Ude Singh, one of the bravest soldiers of the Guru's army. Alim Chand also advanced to support the hill army, but was con- fronted by Alim Singh. Both sides fought despe- rately, and men fell like trees cut down by the woodman's axe. Alim Chand aimed a blow of his sword at Alim Singh, who received it on his shield, and then with his return blow struck off Alim Chand' s right arm. Alim Chand, however, contrived to escape, leaving Balia in sole command of the hill troops. Balia Chand did not long enjoy that honour, as he was soon shot dead by Ude Singh. The hill troops, finding that one of their chiefs had fled with the loss of his arm, and that the other was dead, took to flight, leaving the honours of victory to the Guru and his Sikhs. After the battle the Guru, undismayed, continued his hunting excursion.
After this defeat, the hill chiefs thought it highly dangerous to allow the Sikhs to increase in power and number. They remarked that the Sikhs were to-day in thousands, but in a short time they
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 121
would be in millions, therefore immediate measures ought to be taken for their repression. An Indian fig-tree when small can be easily destroyed, but, if allowed to grow, it becomes a forest and cannot be eradicated. The hill chiefs therefore thought it desirable to complain to the Dihli government against the Sikhs. The Emperor Aurangzeb was still engaged in warfare in the south of India. In his absence the Subadar or viceroy of Dihli heard their representations. The hill chiefs, having traced the Guru's history from the time he had left Patna and settled with a humble following in Anandpur, thus continued : ' Knowing that he was a successor of the holy Guru Nanak, we made no objection to his residence among us. When he obtained power and we essayed to restrain him, he went to Nahan and there formed an alliance with its raja. He then came into collision with Raja Fatah Shah of Srinagar, which ultimately led to the battle of Bhangani, where there was great destruc- tion of human life. After his return to Anandpur, the Guru established a new sect distinct from the Hindus and Muhammadans, to which he hath given the name of Khalsa. He hath united the four castes into one, and made many followers. He invited us to join him, and promised, if we consented, that we should obtain empire in this world and salvation in the next. He suggested to us that if we rose in rebellion against the Emperor, he would assist us with all his forces, because the Emperor had killed his father, and he desired to avenge his death. As we did not think it proper to oppose the Emperor, the Guru is displeased with us, and now giveth us every form of annoyance. We cannot restrain him, and have accordingly come to crave the protection of this just government against him. If the govern- ment consider us its subjects, we pray for its assist- ance to expel the Guru from Anandpur. Should you delay to punish and restrain him, his next
expedition will be against the capital of your empire.*^ This representation was duly submitted by the Subadar to the Emperor.
A Qazi called Salar Din came to visit the Guru, reminded him of the Sikh and Muhammadan belief in destiny, and upbraided him with having reversed the judgement of heaven. ' They on whose fore- heads unfavourable destiny was written,' he said, ' have been blessed and have received from thee all bounties and good gifts in return for their services and their fidelity.' The Guru replied, 'Destiny is as the reversed letters on a seal. I bless those who bow to the Guru. The letters of their destiny then present their ordinary appearance.' This shows that the Sikhs need not implicitly believe in the con- trolling power of destiny.
In October, when the cold season was approaching, his troops represented to the Guru that they re- quired warm clothing. He requested them to be patient. A Sikh, he said, was bringing him a bag of money to relieve all their necessities. A rich merchant, who had been originally a follower of Sakhi Sarwar, soon arrived with an offering of two thousand rupees, and related his story : ' While I was a follower of Sakhi Sarwar, I invested a large sum of money in merchandise, but failed to dispose of it to advantage, notwithstanding a large offering of sweets to my patron saint. That and other mercan- tile ventures of mine having failed, I set about finding a religious guide who possessed influence with the supreme powers. I then heard that the tenth Guru occupied the seat of the holy Guru Nanak, and I vowed that in the event of commercial success I would give him a tithe of my profits. I have accordingly brought this bag of rupees, and I promise that I will no longer be a follower of any Muhamma- dan, but a Sikh of the Guru.' The Guru duly bap- tized him and accepted his offering. The Guru was
r
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 123
thus enabled to provide warm clothing for his troops, and their devotion to him and their belief in his prophetic and divine power increased in consequence.
One day when the Guru felt thirsty, he asked a Sikh to fetch him water. Before the Sikh had time to do so, a young boy, who had come to see the Guru, volunteered to perform the service. The Guru noticing that the boy's hands were soft and clean, asked him if he had any occupation. He replied in the negative. That was the first time he had ever offered to fetch water for any one. When he brought it the Guru refused to drink, saying it was impure. The boy remonstrated and insisted on its purity. The Guru repHed, ' Hear me, O Sikhs, it is an impor- tant article of the Guru's faith that performing service for saints contributeth to man's salvation. The hands are purified by serving them. The feet are purified by going to behold the Guru. Without serving holy men ^ man's body is as unclean as the limbs of a corpse from which all shrink and which all fear to touch.'
The Guru quoted the following from Gur Das's Wars : —
Curses on the head which boweth not to the Guru and which toucheth not the Guru's feet ;
Curses on the eyes which instead of beholding the Guru look at another's wife ;
Curses on the ears which hear not and pay no attention to the Guru's instruction ;
Curses on the tongue which repeateth other spell than the word of the Guru ;
Curses on the hands and feet which serve not the Guru : all other work is fruitless.
Hi^ disciples are dear to the Priest ; happiness is obtained by seeking the shelter of the Guru.^ After this the boy placed himself under the Guru's instruction and learned to know God.
In due time the orders of the supreme government were received on the representation of the hill rajas' envoy to the viceroy of Dihli. An army would be sent to assist them against the Guru, if they paid its expenses, but not otherwise. They accordingly sent the necessary funds, and further represented that they had no hope except in the Emperor's assistance. The viceroy sent for Generals Din Beg and Painda Khan,^ both commanding divisions of five thousand men, and ordered them to take their troops to resist the Guru's encroachments on the rights of the hill chiefs. When the imperial troops arrived at Ropar, they were joined by the hill chiefs at the head of their contingents. They decided to expel the Guru if he offered resistance, but, if he undertook to be a loyal subject for the future, they were prepared to allow him to abide in Anandpur.
A Sikh, hearing of the force proceeding against the Guru, hastened from Kiratpur to Anandpur to give him information. The Guru's men were soon under arms. He appointed the five whom he had first baptized, as generals of his army. The Sikh chronicler states that, when the engagement began, the Turks were roasted by the continuous and deadly fire of the Sikhs. The Guru went into the midst of his troops and gave them every form of encouragement. They never retreated, but staunchly confronted the enemy.
General Painda Khan, seeing the determined resistance of the Sikhs, shouted to his men that they were engaged in religious warfare, and called on them to fight to the death against the infidels. Upon this his troops discharged clouds of arrows, which obscured the sky. Painda Khan himself formed the design of engaging in single combat with the Guru, and thus deciding the battle. The Guru, on hearing his challenge, advanced on horseback and said, * O Pathan, I am Guru Gobind Singh, the
^ This is not the Painda Khan who was killed by the sixth Guru.
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 125
enemy of thy life.' On hearing this Painda Khan's eyes became bloodshot, and he vowed to fight to the death against the priest of the Sikhs. He invited the Guru to strike the first blow, so that he might not afterwards have cause for regret. The Guru refused the role of aggressor and said he had vowed never to strike except in self-defence.