When He wisheth to desolate the world,
He placeth dominion in the hands of a tyrant.
' When He desireth to give the tyrant the recompense of his works, He sendeth a powerful man Hke thee to prevail over him, and to give him' his due reward in this world: as thou and I can see.' On this Banda's flesh was torn from his body by red-hot pincers, and he expired under the horrible torture.
During his execution he uttered the following warning to his fellow creatures : —
Who hath not suffered for his acts? Who hath not reaped what he hath sown ? Forget not that you shall obtain retribution for your deeds.
Wheat springeth from wheat, and barley from barley.^
Though such was the fate of Banda, yet Guru Gobind Singh had infused such martial spirit into his Sikhs, that they not long after obtained possession of the Panjab, and put an end to Muhammadan supremacy.
Chapter XXXIII
Mata Sahib Kaur, the Guru's youngest wife, died of grief very soon after her husband. She was cremated at the shrine of Guru Har Krishan in Dihli. When Ajit Singh, the boy adopted by Mata Sundari, the Guru's remaining wife, grew up, she provided him with a wife. He begot a son called Hathi Singh. Ajit Singh imitated the late Guru as much as possible. He used to hold court, call himself a guru, and enter- tain a retinue. He endeavoured to obtain from Mata Sundari the arms belonging to Guru Har Gobind, which the late Guru had given to Sahib Kaur on her departure from Nander. Ajit Singh believed that if he wore them, every one would hail him as Guru. When he made his demand for the arms he was sharply reproved by Mata Sundari. On this he drew his dagger to kill her, but some friends inter- posed. Mata Sundari then cursed him, said he should forfeit his faith, and die an untimely death. One day as he was riding in the bazar his herald said to him, 'O guru, behold the Muhammadans praying.' The Muhammadans overheard this, and,
^ The Persian historian, Khafi Khan, gives many other details of Banda's career in the Panjab, but they are not generally accepted by the Sikhs.
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 255
believing that he ridiculed their religion, reported to the Emperor that under a Muhammadan administra- tion the Sikhs were mocking the faithful. The Emperor at the instigation of the qazis ordered A jit Singh to cut off his hair and appear thus humbled before him. If he failed in this, the Emperor reserved to himself the right to punish him as he thought fit. Ajit Singh, fearing death, cut off his hair, and grovelled before the Emperor. Mata Sundari was enraged on hearing of this act of apostasy, and told him never again to show her his face. She drew up a document to the effect that, though she had adopted and cherished Ajit Singh as a son, she now re- nounced him. She then entrusted Guru Har Gobind's arms to the faithful Sikhs of Dihli, and expressed her desire to live no longer in such an evil and ill-omened city. The Sikhs, however, prevailed on her to alter her determination. Ajit Singh now abandoned by the Sikhs went to beg at Mata Sundari's door. She sent him money, but would never consent to see him.
A Muhammadan faqir on whom Ajit Singh when in good circumstances used to bestow money, one day met him in the Dihli bazar, and asked for alms. Ajit Singh in his poverty could only give him a few copper coins. The faqir was not satisfied, but fol- lowed him to his house, and further importuned him. He would not leave but dogged his steps as he went shooting during the afternoon. Ajit Singh complained to his servants of the annoyance the beggar was causing him, whereupon they beat the man so severely that he died. They disposed of his body by throwing it into a well for the purpose of concealment.
The faqir's fate gradually became known, and the Emperor ordered Ajit Singh to be arrested and brought before him. Ajit Singh refused to obey the order, and put himself in a posture of defence. His house was besieged, and his adherents fought bravely
to protect him. He contrived to send his wife and son Hathi Singh, both disguised in soiled clothes, to Mata Sundari . He then succeeded in escaping from his house and concealed himself in a straw stack belonging to Hindus who lived near. The owner of the stack discovered him and on hearing that a proclamation had been issued for his arrest, informed the authorities. Ajit Singh was seized, tied to an elephant^s tail, and dragged through the city. At a turning in one of the streets the elephant trod on his head, upon which his brains oozed out.
Mata Sundari, thinking her position unsafe in Dihli on account of having received Ajit Singh's wife and son, put into execution her long-cherished project of abandoning that city and proceeded with her charge to Bhagatgarh. The head man of the place would not allow her, through fear of the Emperor, to remain in his city. She thence went to Mathura, where she was received with great distinc- tion. The governor of the city induced the Raja of Jaipur to grant her the revenue of two villages and also a suitable place of residence. In Mathura Hathi Singh grew up to manhood, adopted his father's style, and maintained a retinue of sixty mounted orderlies. He tried to compose hymns but inspiration failed him. He then abstracted some from the Granth Sahib, and wherever the name Nanak occurred inserted his own. Mata Sundari on being informed of this became very wroth, abandoned Hathi Singh and his mother at Mathura, and returned to Dihli. During the invasion of Ahmad Shah, Hathi Singh fled from Mathura to Burhanpur, where he subse- quently died, leaving no male issue.
When Mata Sundari arrived in DihH she by the kind offices of Raja Ram, the Emperor's minister, obtained possession of her house and property, which had been seized by the Muhammadans after her departure. She spent the remainder of her days there, and died in comparative worldly comfort in
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 257
Sambat 1804 (a. d. 1747). Her body was cremated near the shrine of Guru Har Krishan.
It will be remembered that when the Guru evacuated Anandpur, he sent Gulab Rai and Sham Singh with a letter to the Raja of Nahan requesting him to grant them the means of subsistence. The raja gave them two villages. Gulab Rai afterwards purchased Anandpur for sixty thousand rupees from the Kahlur Raja and returned to live there. He caused himself to be worshipped by the Sikhs and carried his unseemly pretensions so far as to actually instal himself in the Guru's seat. Sadhu Gurbakhsh, who had been an attendant on the Guru and had by him been left in charge of Guru Teg Bahadur's shrine, remonstrated against the usurpation, whereupon Gulab Rai became very angry, and addressed him in offensive language. Gurbakhsh then cursed him saying, ' Thou and thy Une shall perish ! ' In a short time Gulab Rai and his two sons died. After that Gulab Rai's widow took the offerings of the Sikhs, and remained in possession of Anandpur. When she was on the point of death she appointed Surjan Singh, Sham Singh's son, now old and experienced, as heir of Anandpur. His descendants still occupy that city, and receive a yearly revenue from the Indian government and the Sikh states.
A Sikh writer called Gurdas, who lived long after the time of Guru Gobind Singh, wrote a War in his praise which the Sikhs appended to the compositions of Bhai Gur Das, and which now appears as the forty-first War. The following pauris are extracted from it : —
Pauri 15
Guru Gobind was manifested as the tenth avatar.
He repeated the name of the Creator who is unseen, eternal, and stainless.
He established the Khalsa, a sect of his own, and gave it great glory.
Wearing long hair he grasped th^ sword and smote all his enemies.
He put on the kachh of continence and practised arms.
He established the Sikh war-cry and was victorious in mighty battles.
He caused all demon enemies to be surrounded and trampled upon.
Then his endless praise was gradually proclaimed through- out the world.
Thus arose the race of Singhs who wore blue clothes,
Who killed all the hostile Turks, and repeated God's name.
No one could withstand them, so the Turkish leaders decamped :
Rajas, kings, and amirs all became the dust beneath the Singhs' feet.
Great hills trembled when they heard their victorious drums.
There was then great commotion throughout the whole world ; the enemy abandoned their homes.
And perished in the great confusion and trouble that ensued.
There is none so great a destroyer of fear as the true Guru.
He handled and displayed such a sword as none could withstand.
Well done ! well done Gobind Singh ! thou wert at once Guru and disciple !
Pauri i6
By the order of the immortal God the great Guru obtained inspiration.
Then he gradually established the Khalsa, whole-bodied ^ and manly.
Then arose the roaring of the Singhs (Hons) which terrified the whole world.
They levelled with the earth the shrines of Hindus and Muhammadans.
* Sdbi't. Not circumcised like the INIuhammadans, and not cutting their hair or shaving like the Hindus.
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 259
They cancelled the Veds, the Purans, the six Hindu systems and the Quran.
They abolished the call to prayer and the prayer-carpet of the Muhammadans and killed the Turkish monarchs.
Temporal and spiritual leaders all hid themselves or became converted to Sikhism.
The Mullas and the Qazis grew weary of reading, but found not God's secret.
Hundreds of thousands of Pandits, Brahmans, and Astrologers had become entangled in worldly affairs.
Worshipping stones and temples they had become exceed- ingly superstitious.
Both the Hindus and the Muhammadans were altogether engaged in deception.
Consequently a third religion, the Khalsa, arose and became renowned.
The Singhs by the order of Guru Gobind Singh seized the sword and wielded it.
They killed all their enemies and caused the name of the Immortal God to be repeated.
Then God's order was promulgated in the world.
The drum of victory resounded and drowned the cry of sorrow.
The great sagacious Guru established a third sect.
Well done ! well done Gobind Singh ! thou wert at once Guru and disciple !
S 2
26o THE SIKH RELIGION
COMPOSITIONS OF GURU GOBIND SINGH
In the year a.d. 1734 while in Amritsar Bhai Mani Singh compiled the compositions and translations of Guru Gobind Singh and of the bards who were associated with him. The compilation was subse- quently known as the Granth of the tenth Guru, though Mani Singh did not give it that title .^ We
Several intelligent Sikhs were of opinion that the tales and transla- tions in the volume, as at present found, ought not to have been included in it, for many of them are of Hindu origin, others not fit for perusal, and none comparable with the hymns contained in the Ad Granth. The Sikhs therefore maintained that the Hikaydt or Persian tales, and the whole of the Tria Charitar^ or stories illustrating the deceit of women, should be omitted, and included in a separate volume, which might be read, not for a religious purpose, but for the entertain- ment and delectation of the public.
While this discussion was in progress, one Mahtab Singh of Mirankot arrived from Bikaner at Damdama. He had vowed to kill one Massa Ranghar, a Muhammadan official, who had obtained pos- session of the Golden Temple, and who used the place as a theatre for dancing women ; and he was on his way to Amritsar to carry out his design. Mahtab Singh vowed that if he succeeded and re- turned to Damdama, Mani Singh's Granth should remain in one volume as he had arranged it. If, on the contrary, Massa killed him, the Granth might be arranged according to the wishes of the objectors. Mahtab Singh slew Massa Ranghar, returned in triumph to Damdama, and Mani Singh's Granth was allowed to remain accord- ing to his design.
There are many obvious defects in the arrangement of the tenth Guru's Granth as it stands. For instance, there are several questions put in doharas 201 to 210 of the Akdl Usiat to which no answer is given. Chhands 211 to 230 are obviously out of place, and belong to
COMPOSITIONS OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 261
now proceed to give translations from it of such doctrinal and historical portions as we believe to represent the Guru's own opinions and acts.
jAPl
There is one God, the true, the great, and the bounteous : —
The tenth Guru spoke with his holy mouth ^ —
God hath no quoit ^ or marks, no colour, no caste, no lineage,
No form, no complexion, no outline, no costume ; none can in any way describe Him.
He is immovable, fearless, luminous, and measureless in might ;
He is accounted King of kings. Lord of millions of Indars ;
He is Sovereign of the three worlds, demigods, men, and demons ; the woods and dales declare Him indescribable.
O Lord, who can tell all Thy names ? the wise call Thee special names according to Thy deeds.
Akal Ustat
(Praise of the Immortal)
May we have the protection of the immortal Being ! *
the second Chandi Charitar ; and the last Chhand of the Akdl Ustat is not complete. The Gyan Parbodh too has been left incomplete. There are besides many defects of arrangement.
^ This line is Bhai Mani Singh's composition.
^ Chakr. This word is also applied to depressions in the body noticed for mystical, astrological, or cheiromantic purposes. n ^, ,
^ The tenth Guru inyented__n£33LJQames__for God— AkaL (the c<\reciL)^ Immortal), Sarbloh (All-steel), Mahanloh (Great-steel), Sarbkal (All- death), Mahankal (Great-death), Asidhuj, Asiketu, and Kharagketu (having the sword on His banner), Asipani (sword in His hand), that is, God as the impersonation and source of bravery.
May we have the protection of All-steel ! May we have the protection of All-death ! May we have the protection of All-steel !
I bow to the one primal God
Who extended sea and land, the nether regions, and the firmament. 1
He is the primal Being, unseen, and immortal ;
His light is manifest in the fourteen worlds.
He is contained in the ant as in the elephant ;
He deemeth the rich and the poor alike ;
He is unequalled, unseen, and eternal ;
He is the Searcher of all hearts ;
He is invisible, indestructible, and without distinguishing dress ^ ;
He is without passion, colour, form, or outHne ;
He is devoid of caste marks of every kind ;
He is the primal Being, peerless and changeless ;
He hath no enemy, no friend, no father, no mother ;
He is far from all and near all ;
His dwelling is in sea and land, the nether and upper regions.
Boundless is His form, and boundless His voice ;
In the shelter of His feet dwelleth Bhawani ^ ;
Brahma and Vishnu have not found His Hmits ;
The four-faced Brahma pointeth out that God is indes- cribable.
He made miUions of Indars and Bawans ; *
He created and destroyed Brahmas and Shi vs.
The fourteen worlds He made as a play,
And again blended them with Himself,
He made endless demons, deities, serpents,
Celestial singers, Yakshas, excellent and beautiful.
.He is spoken of in the past, the future, and the present,
And He knoweth the secrets of every heart.
^ This is the traditional meaning of ma/ita/, but it receives no sup- port from dictionaries. See Pandit Tara Singh's Nirnai Sdgar.
^ Bawan was the dwarf incarnation of Vishnu.
COMPOSITIONS OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 263
He is not attached to any one love ;
He is contained in the hght of all souls ;
He recognizeth all people and all places ;
He is free from death and immortal ;
He is the invisible, imperceptible Being, distinct from all the world.
He is immortal, undecaying, imperishable, and of change- less purpose.
He is the Destroyer and Creator of all ;
He is the Remover of sickness, sorrow, and sin.
He who with single heart meditateth on Him even for a moment
Shall not fall into Death's noose.
Thou art without sorrow, without form, yet beautiful, the King of kings, the Giver of great gifts.
The Preserver of life, the Giver of milk and sons, the Remover of sickness and sorrow, sometimes honourable and inspiring great honour.
Thou art a student of science, an unrivalled incarnation, Thou appearest as a Sidh, Thou art the glory of purity.
Thou art the net^ of youth, the death of Death, the torment of enemies, the life of friends.
The following ten Sawaiyas, or quatrains, are recited at the administration of the pahul or baptism according to the rites of the tenth Guru :—
I have wandered and in their own homes seen crowds of Saravagis, Sudhs 2, Sidhs, Jogis, and Jatis,
Brave demons, demigods feasting on nectar, and crowds of saints of various sects.
I have seen the rehgions of all countries, but none appeared to be that of the Lord of life.
Without a particle of the love and favour of God they are only worth a ratti ^
Emperors before whom strong armed kings used to lowly bow their heads in countless numbers ; 2
Who possessed proud elephants with golden trappings, incomparable, tall, painted with bright colours ;
MiUions of horses which bounded like deer, and were fleeter than the wind —
What mattered it how great those emperors were ? they at last departed barefooted.
Though they roamed and conquered all countries beating their various drums ;
Though many beautiful elephants trumpeted loud, and thousands of horses of royal breed neighed for them—
Who can number such kings in the past, the future, and the present ? They cannot be counted—
Yet without worshipping the name of God the Lord of wealth, they went at last to their final home.
Men bathe at places of pilgrimage, exercise mercy, curb their passions, bestow gifts, exercise abstinence, and per- form various special ceremonies —
The Veds, the Purans, the Quran, and the other books of the Musalmans, the earth and heaven all have I seen ;
Thousands of tasters, Jatis who practised continence, all have I carefully observed ;
^ The seed of the Abriis precaiorius {\:i. O. Leguminosae) used in India as a small weight (see Vol. I, p. 158, n. i). '^ Also translated— regardless of their own position.
COMPOSITIONS OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 265
Yet without worshipping the name of the one God and loving Him even kings are of no account.
Trained soldiers, powerful, irresistible, well accoutred with coats of mail crush their enemies ;
Filled with high martial spirit they would put mountains to flight, themselves unshaken ;
They would shatter their enemies, destroy rebels, crush the pride of furious elephants ;
Yet without the favour of God, the Lord of wealth, they should all depart at last and leave the world.
Countless heroes very valiant without hesitation face the edge of the sword,
Subdue countries, crush rebels, and the pride of furious elephants,
Break powerful forts and even without fighting ^ conquer in every direction —
But their efforts avail not ; the Lord is the Commander of them all — the suppliants are many while there is but one Giver.
Even the demons, gods, serpents, and ghosts who repeat God's name in the past, future, and present ;
All the beings which in sea and land every moment set up God in their hearts.
Shall find their good deeds and glory increase ; they shall hear the voices of gratulation and the multitude of their sins shall depart.
The congregations of saints wander happy in the world ; all their enemies on beholding them are cowed.
^ Siibdianhi. Also iranslaied — at a word, rapidly.
Lords of men, and elephants, rulers who reign in the three worlds.
Who perform millions of ablutions, make gifts of elephants and other animals, and marry brides at various splendid swayamvars ^ —
They with Brahma, Shiv, Vishnu, and Indar shall at last be entangled and fall into Death's noose ;
But they who touch the feet of the Lord of wealth shall not again resume a body.
What availeth it to sit closing both eyes and meditating like a crane ?
This world is lost, and the next also for those who go about bathing in the seven seas.