LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 221
penetrated, it would perish for want of water. In line Dalla manfully and courageously stated that he intended the Guru should reside with him for ever.
One day the Guru, probably not wishing to com- promise his friend Dalla, said he would like to see the old fort of Bhatinda which had been founded by Binaipal. He first, however, in pursuance of his promise went to visit Ram Singh at Chakk Bhai. Ram Singh informed Dayal Das of the Guru's visit, and suggested to him to prepare dinner for him in Bhuchcho. He did so, but the Guru refused his hospitality and proceeded to Bhagtu on his way to Bhatinda. The Guru took up his residence on the top of the fort where now is a small temple dedi- cated to him.
At night some Baloches sang of Sassi and Punnu. Sassi had been brought up by a washerman. Punnu was a Baloch merchant who came to the Pan jab with merchandise for sale. He met Sassi, fell in love with her, and remained with her, until his brother came and took him forcibly away by night. Sassi at daybreak hearing of his abduction followed him, and on arriving at a sandy desert was so over- come by the heat that she expired. The poet represented that she had entered the earth in quest of Punnu. Next day the Guru took occasion to expatiate on love. He said, ' Men may perform devotion and penance for hundreds of thousands of years, but it would be all in vain without the love of God.'
The Bairars told the Guru a legend regarding the founding of Bhatinda. One day, as Binaipal was hunting, he saw a wolf and a goat struggling. The goat was trying to save her young from the wolf. On the very spot where the struggle between the two animals took place Binaipal caused the fort to be erected. The Bairars told the Guru that there was a subterranean passage between Bhatinda and Bhatner in Bikaner. The chroniclers do not state
who was in possession of the fort when visited by the Guru.^
The Guru thence proceeded to Samma and thence returned to Talwandi Sabo. There his friend Dalla again met him. Dayal Das had been following the Guru for some time to present him with the sacred food he had prepared for him, and thus secure the Guru's pardon. On arriving at Damdama Ram Singh, who was in the Guru's service, interceded for Dayal Das, and the Guru was pleased to restore him to his friendship.
Wazir Khan sent another letter to Dalla to arrest the Guru, or he would plunder his country and put him to death without mercy. Dalla replied, ' O viceroy, I fear thee not, however much thou threat- enest me with thine army. Having destroyed it, the Guru and I will retire into the forest where thou shalt have no power over us, and whence thou shalt have to return when thy troops have perished of hunger and thirst. I will by no means have the Guru arrested to please thee. Nay, I will defend him with my life.'
Zabardast Khan, the Viceroy of Lahore, plundered a party of Sikh^ who were going to make offerings to the Guru. Wazir Khan, the viceroy of Sarhind, plundered another party going on the same errand. The Guru then repeated his exhortation to his Sikhs to wear arms and diligently practise their use. In the early days of Sikhism it was different. At that time the Guru's teaching was to remember the true Name and not annoy anybody. Farid said, ' If any one strike thee with his fists, strike him not back.' With such teaching, the Guru said, the Sikhs had become faint-hearted and ever suffered defeat. Now that the times had altered, and the Sikhs were obliged to defend themselves, he had established the
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 223
Khalsa, and whoever desired to abide in it should not fear the clash of arms, but be ever ready for the combat and the defence of his faith. At the same time the Name was still to remain the chief object of the Sikhs' adoration.
Chapter XXVIII
While the Guru was at Damdama he dictated the whole of the Granth Sahib to Bhai Mani Singh, and added for the first time the hymns and sloks of his father Guru Teg Bahadur with a slok of his own.^
It is said that the Guru used to have baptismal water prepared and thrown among the bushes. He explained that he did so in order that the Malwa Sikhs might increase in number and spring from every forest shrub. He used also to have pens made and scattered in different directions. By this he meant that the inhabitants of the place should become learned and expert penmen.
The Guru while at Damdama used in the after- noon to go into the forest and sit under a j and- tree. The place was hence called Jandiana. A temple was subsequently erected there. At night the Guru used to return to Damdama. It was while in this neighbourhood he baptized Dalla and one hundred other Sikhs.
The Granth of the tenth Guru was really the Daswen Padshah ka Granth. The large volume which now bears that title, was com- piled from various materials twenty-six years after his demise.
The Guru sent for Tilok Singh and Ram Singh who had performed the obsequies of his two sons Ajit Singh and Zorawar Singh, fallen at Chamkaur. They came to visit him and made him large offer- ings. The Guru was well pleased with them and blessed them and their offspring. It may be here mentioned that Ram Singh is the ancestor of the Chief of Patiala, and Tilok Singh the ancestor of the chiefs of Nabha and Jind.^
One day the Guru said to Dalla, ' That is a fine field of wheat I see.' Dalla replied, ' That is grass,
0 true Guru, wheat groweth not here. Had we wheat the Muhammadans would oppress us. Say that moth and hajra^ are growing here.' Another day the Guru said, ' O Dalla, I see excellent sugar- cane here.' Dalla made the same reply as before when the Guru said he had seen wheat. The Guru said, ' Thou knowest not thine advantage. I desire to make thy land as fertile as Sarhind. The Turks whom thou fearest shall soon perish, and the soil of Malwa in time bear wheat and sugar-cane.' This prophecy has been fulfilled. Canals made by the British Government have since fertilized that part of the country.
It was here the Guru heard that Kapura had been
^ It is stated by several Sikh writers that Tilok Singh was present at the battle of Chamkaur. Though inexperienced in war, he con- ceived a desire to engage in it, and went into the thick of the combat. A Pathan endeavoured to pierce him with a lance. He snatched the lance from the Pathan's hands and cut off his head with his sword. He then took the head on the Pathan's lance to the Guru. The Guru on seeing him approach cried out, Ao, Tilok Sing, jang ke Idre — Come, Tilok Singh. Bridegroom of war.
Tilok Singh and Ram Singh had been hereditary Sikhs, and were ever regarded affectionately by the Guru, as is evidenced by his letter of the 2nd of Bhadon, Sambat 1753 (a. d. 1696), in which he wrote, Men tere upar bahut khiishi hat, aur terd ghar mera hai, that is,
1 am very well pleased with you, my house is yours, and your house is mine. This letter is now preserved with other relics of the Guru in the Sikh state of Nabha.
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 225
put to death by Isa Khan of Kot Isa Khan ni the Firozpur district. The cause and manner of hxs death were as follows : — Kaul, a descendant of Prithi Chand, had established a rehgious fair at Dhilwan ; Kapura attended it and became involved in a drunken brawl with some of the pilgrims. Kaul sent a great-grandson of his to interpose, but the youth was killed. Another great-grandson whom he dispatched on a similar errand met with the same fate. On this Abhai Ram, the father of the youths slain, became furious with Kapura, desired that the Guru's curse on him might speedily take effect, and his line be extirpated. Isa Khan with all haste employed a party of men to attack Kapura, whom he suspected to be a friend of the Guru. The latter tried to defend himself, but was worsted, and then tried to conceal himself in a haystack. Isa Khan dragged him forth, and made him a prisoner. When taking him away he thought he would be only an encumbrance, so he ordered him to be hanged on the nearest tree. Kapura himself remembered the Guru's curse, that his head should be put into a bag of ashes, so he requested that it should be done before his execution, that the words of the Guru might be fulfilled, and that he might be thus saved from further transmigration.
On one occasion a question arose as to what the earth rested on. The theories of the Hindus and other sects were put forward. The Guru concluded the discussion by saying that the earth was sup- ported by the power of God who alone was true and permanent. He on that occasion repeated the sixteenth pauri of the Japji.
Daya Singh and Dharm Singh, whom the Guru had sent with the Zafarnama to the Emperor, suc- ceeded in dehvering it, and were furnished with a parwana of safe conduct for their return journey. The perusal of the Zafarnama is said to have softened the Emperor's heart and led him to repent ;
hence his permission to the Guru's messengers to return to their own country in peace and safety. They, however, received no verbal or written reply to the Guru's letter.
The Guru asked Dalla to accompany him to the south of India. Dalla replied that he considered his humble couch at Damdama was equal to the throne of Dihli, and he pressed the Guru and his Sikhs to remain with him. The Bairars in the Guru's service also endeavoured to dissuade him from his contemplated journey. He refused to listen to them, and on this several of them left his service. The Guru was now left with only Dalla Singh ; the two great-grandsons of Bhai Bhagtu, namely. Ram Singh and his brother Fatah Singh ; Param Singh and Dharm Singh, descendants of Bhai Rupa ; and Bhai Mani Singh, the Sikh biographer and ar- ranger of the Ad Granth and the tenth Guru's Granth.
Their first march was to Kewal, thence to Jhorar, thence to Jhanda, and thence to Sarsa. Param Singh and Dharm Singh had a new bed provided for the Guru at every march. Dalla Singh to every one's intense amazement absconded during the march in the dead of night, and took with him a Sodhi and several Bairars. The Guru dismissed Fatah Singh on Ram Singh's representation that his ser- vices and assistance were required at home.
The Guru thence proceeded to Nauhar, a town of Bikaner about twenty miles south-west of Sarsa. Though the inhabitants were very rich, they do not appear to have been forward in providing supplies for the Guru and his few remaining followers. On the contrary, there was great commotion in the town because one of his Sikhs had accidentally killed a pigeon. When the Guru went into the market- place he saw that the inhabitants were very proud of their wealth, and he foretold that it should all soon vanish. In a. d. 1756 a Sikh expedition was
(
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 227
directed against Charupur (Chainpura), but on finding the water on the march brackish, the soldiers made a diversion and plundered Nauhar.
Thence the Guru proceeded to Bahaduran. There he gave Param Singh and Dharm Singh a horse each and also arms for their defence. On arriving at Sahewa (Saio) the Guru noticed that through respect for him they were taking the arms on their heads and walking beside their chargers as being a Guru's gifts. The Guru said that they should obtain whatever they required, and that their tongues should be to them as arms. On bidding them fare- well he presented them with a religious work con- taining the morning and evening divine services of the Sikhs.
The Guru's next march was to Madhu Singh ana. He thence proceeded to Pushkar, a place of pil- grimage sacred to Brahma. A Brahman caUed Chetan showed the Guru the sacred places of Ajmer. The Guru while in that neighbourhood was often severely heckled on the subject of his dress. People said it was neither Hindu nor Muhammadan. The Guru admitted the fact, and said it was the dress of the third distinct sect which he had established.
Thence the Guru proceeded to Narainpur, generally known as Dadudwara, where the saint Dadu had lived and flourished. His shrine had by this time descended to a Mahant called Jait, who quoted two lines of Dadu to the Guru : —
Dadu, surrender thy claim to every worldly thing ; pass thy days without claims.
How many have departed after trading in this grocer's shop ! ^
The Guru said these lines were appUcable to the invention of a religion, but ill suited to its preserva- tion. Rather should the lines be read : —
^ I'hat ib, the world. Q2
Asserting thy claim in the world plunder the wicked. Extirpate him who doeth thee evil.
The Mahant quoted two other lines to the Guru : —
Dadu, taking the times as they come, be satisfied with this Kal age.
If any one throw a dod or a brick at thee, hft it on thy head.
The Guru would not admit the last line, and altered it thus : —
If any one throw a clod or a brick at thee, angrily strike him with a stone.
The Guru then explained the principles of his own religion to the Mahant : ' This age is very evil. The wicked rule in it, and cause suffering to saints and holy men. Tyrants therefore deserve to be punished. They will not refrain as long as they are pardoned. O Mahant, they who bear arms, who remember the true Name and sacrifice their lives for their faith, shall go straight to paradise. There- fore I have established the Khalsa rehgion, given my followers arms, and made them heroes/
The Gum was censured by his staff for lifting his arrow in salutation of Dadu's shrine. Man Singh quoted the Guru's own written instructions, Gor marhi mat bhul na mane — Worship not even by mistake Muhammadan or Hindu cemeteries or places of cremation. The Guru explained that he saluted the shrine to test his Sikhs' devotion and their recollection of his instructions. The Guru, however, admitted that he had technically rendered himself liable to a fine, and cheerfully paid one hundred and twenty-five rupees.
The Guru thence went to Lali, thence to Mag- haroda, and thence to Kulait. Here he met Day a Singh and Dharm Singh returning from their em- bassy to Aurangzeb. It is probable the embassy reached the Emperor when he was ill. The envoys
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 229
told the Guru that when they left the Emperor's court they heard he had been seized with a colic.
The Guru thence proceeded to Baghaur. Here he heard of Aurangzeb's death and the accession of his second son Tara Azim, called Muhammad Azim Shah by Muhammadan historians. The inhabitants of Baghaur refused suppHes and quarrelled with the Guru's escort. A camel belonging to the Guru trespassed on one of the town gardens. The gar- deners beat the camel and abused the camel-driver. Upon this the Sikhs went in a body and assaulted the gardeners. This led to a counter assault and fighting which lasted two days. By this time the Sikhs had stormed and plundered the city, but the fort remained to be captured. By the advice of Ratan Singh, a Sikh whom the Guru must have met on his travels, a cannon was placed on a hill commanding the fort. After a brief cannonade the occupants held out a flag of truce. Peace was pro- claimed, but on the arrival of the raja of the place, who had been absent when the fighting began, hostihties were resumed. Dharm Singh killed the raja's commander-in-chief, and the Guru killed the raja himself. The Baghaur army then fled, and was pursued by the Sikhs until the Guru recalled them. Upon this the Guru resumed his march. On setting out he told the Sikhs that the Turks should soon fight against one another, and that the usurper, Tara Azim, should be killed.
Chapter XXIX
When Aurangzeb died, his eldest son, Bahadur Shah, was engaged in a mihtary expedition in Afghanistan.^ When his younger brother Tara Azim usurped the throne, Badadur Shah hastened back
to India to claim and do battle for his heritage. He consulted Nand Lai, a friend of his, as to how he should be successful. Nand Lai advised him to seek the Guru's assistance. The Guru, on being appealed to, promised him not only assistance but sovereignty if he agreed to a request he was about to make, and did not prove false like his father. Bahadur Shah was pleased to accept these vague conditions, and informed the Guru accordingly.
The Guru sent Dharm Singh with some trusty Sikhs to render him all possible assistance, and, feeling anxiety regarding the grave political cir- cumstances of the country, deemed it advisable to retrace his steps to the north in the hope of meeting and conferring with the Emperor.
When Bahadur Shah had fully equipped his army, he marched to Agra. Tara Azim, who was at the time in distant Ahmadnagar, on hearing of his brother's operations, marched by Gualiar to con- tend with him for empire. Bahadur Shah advanced to meet him and encamped at Jaju near Dhaulpur (Dholpur) where the opposing armies met.^ After a fight of three days' duration, not only Tara Azim, but several of his principal officers were slain. Upon this his army fled and victory remained with Bahadur Shah. He, now undisputed monarch of India, re- turned to Agra and dispatched Dharm Singh to inform the Guru of his victory.
On the Guru's arrival in Dihli he encamped on the left bank of the Jamna. His Sikhs thought it unsafe for him to enter that strong Muhammadan and imperial centre. He erected a temple on the spot where his father Guru Teg Bahadur had been cremated. On hearing of Bahadur Shah's victory the Guru resolved to go to Agra to congratulate him, and made arrangements to leave his wives in Dihli under the protection of his Sikhs. Upon hear- ing this Mata Sundari wept copiously. The Guru
^ Wdqidt Hind.
r
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 231
consoled her with the arguments and reflections he had previously employed at Damdama on the tran- sitoriness of human life and the bhss in which her son abode as a mighty hero and religious martyr.
A goldsmith residing in Dihli came to the Guru to pray him to grant him the favour of a son. One day as the Guru went to the chase accompanied among others by the goldsmith, they saw a woman abandon her male infant in the forest. The Guru told the goldsmith to take and rear the child. The goldsmith said he could not afford a wet-nurse. The Guru directed him to take some water, recite Wahguru over it, and wash his wife's breasts there- with. When she took the child in her lap milk would at once come in abundance. The goldsmith accepted the Guru's advice, and the promised result was obtained. When the child was five years of age, he was seen by Mata Sundari, who found in him a marvellous Hkeness to her martyred son, and duly adopted him.
Sahib Kaur importuned the Guru to allow her to accompany him. At last he yielded to her entreaties. Bahadur Shah sent a messenger to the Guru to ex- pedite his departure. The messenger informed him that the Emperor feared the bigotry of his co- religionists were he himself to pay the first visit.
The Guru on the third day after his departure from Dihli arrived at Mathura and encamped at Suraj Kund, on the banks of the Jamna. He made a tour through Bindraban and visited all its famous and interesting places.
On his journey to Agra the Guru wanted water. One of his Sikhs fetched it from the house of a barren woman of the priestly class, and told the Guru that, there being no children there, the water must be pure. The Guru would not admit that children defiled water, and asked it to be brought him from some house, where there were sons and daughters. On that occasion he said, ' A hermit