REMEMBERING GURU GOVIND SINGH...(1666 - 1708)
''देह शिवा बर मोहे ईहे, शुभ कर्मन ते कभुं न टरूं
न डरौं अरि सौं जब जाय लड़ौं, निश्चय कर अपनी जीत करौं,
अरु सिख हों आपने ही मन कौ इह लालच हउ गुन तउ उचरों,
जब आव की अउध निदान बनै अति ही रन मै तब जूझ मरों ''
''O Lord grant me the boon, that I may never deviate from doing a good deed.
That I shall not fear when I go into combat. And with determination I will be victorious.
That I may teach myself this greed alone, to learn only Thy praises.
And when the last days of my life come, I may die in the might of the battlefield.||231||''
-- Guru Gobind Singh.
Gobind Singh, the only child of Guru Teg Bahadur and his wife Gujri, was named Gobind Rai at birth. Guru Teg Bahadur settled his family in Patna under the protection of the local Raja while he toured Assam and Bengal, and was not present at the birth.
The Raja's wife, Maini, had no child of her own and became very fond of Gobind Rai. Every day she prepared chole and poori (spicy chickpea curry and crispy flatbread) for him and his playmates. She later built a gurdwara in her home where she also fed the worshipers chole and poori. This custom still exists today and the gurdwara is now known as Maini Sangat.
In 1671, Prince Gbind Rai journey with his family to Danapur where the elderly Mai Ji, fed him khichri (khichdi) from her Handiclay kettle. Mai Ji, saved from her own meager stores until she stockpiled enough to feed the guru's entire family, and all of his entourage. When Mai ji, wished for Gobind Rai to remain with her, he advised her to feed the hungry in his name. Gurdwara Handi Sahib, of Danapur, Bihar, has maintained the khichri tradition ever since.
Guru Teg Bahadar went to Anandpur ahead of his family. When Gobind Rai was about six years old when he and his mother joined his father. His early education included martial exercise and training. When Gobind Rai was about nine years old, a delegation of Hindu Pundits appealed to Guru Teg Badadar for help resisting in forced conversion to Islam. Gobind Rai entered the council and asked what the meeting was about. His father explained, and the boy asked how a solution could be found. His father told him it would require the sacrifice of a great man. Gobind Rai told his father, that as guru, he was the greatest of men.
Guru Teg Bahadur made arrangements to leave Anandpur in order intervene on behalf of Hindus who were being forcibly converted to Islam at sword point. Guru Teg Bahadar appointed his nine year old son Gobind Rai to be his successor and tenth guru of the Sikhs. Mughal officers acting under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb arrested and imprisoned the Guru and his companions. The Mughals employed all manner of atrocities and torture in an unsuccessful effort to coerce Guru Teg Bahadar and his companions to convert to Islam. Guru Teg Bahadar and his companions remained true to their faith until their final breath.
Loyal family members surrounded young Guru Gobind Rai. His mother Gujari, and her brother Kirpal Chand watched after him and advised him. Also present were Daya Ram, an early childhood companion of Guru Gobind Rai, and Nand Chand, a trustworthy treasurer (massand). His principal companions who acted as bodyguards were his relations:
At age 11, Guru Gobind Rai wed Jito, daughter of Bhikhia from Lahore who with her family came to Anandpur for the marriage. Later his family pressed him to accept Sundari, daughter of a new Sikh convert, as his wife. He fathered four sons:
After he founded the Khalsa, the parents of Sahib Devi of Rohtas publicly promised their daughter to Guru Gobind Singh. He accepted the proposal to protect her honor on condition that theirs be a spiritual union. When she requested that he give her a child, the Guru named her Mata Sahib Kaur, mother of the Khalsa.
Guru Gobind Rai created the new spiritual order of warriors known as the Khalsa. He assembled thousands of people for the Vaisakhi New Year festival in Anandpur and called for those willing to give their heads. Five volunteers became known as the Panj Pyara, or five beloved:
Bhai Daya Singh
Bhai Mukham Singh
Bhai Sahib Singh
Bahi Dharam Singh
Bhai Himmat Singh
He initiated them as Khalsa giving them Amrit or immortal nectar to drink, and then submitted himself for initiation taking the name of Singh. The Khalsa were required to keep five articles of faith, and adhere to a strict code of conduct while avoiding four taboos.
Gobind Rai engaged in martial training from early childhood. He had a child-sized arsenal of weapons. Games with his playmates took the form of mock battles. After his father's martyrdom, Guru Gobind Rai raised a guard, built a fortress, and practiced military maneuvers. A number of minor conflicts arose with local adversaries over petty jealousies of neighboring kingdoms. After founding the Khalsa order, Guru Gobind Singh fought a series of major battles attempting to protect his Sikhs and Anandpur from assault by Mughal forces. Vastly outnumbered, courageous Khalsa warriors defended their holdings to the last breath.
Guru Gobind Singh wrote prolifically while at Fort Paonta in Sirmur. He completed the Guru Granth, adding the compositions of his father Guru Teg Bahadar, but including only one of his own. His remaining compositions are compiled in the Dasam Granth. Portions of his most important works appear in the five prayers, or Panj Bania, of the Sikhs daily prayer book,
Wazir Khan, an official of Sirhind who had ordered the death of Guru Gobind Singh's youngest two sons, later sent assassins to kill the guru. They found the guru in Nanded and attacked him after his evening prayer, stabbing him beneath his heart. Guru Gobind Singh fought and killed his assailant. Sikhs rushed to his aid and killed the second man. The wound began to heal after but reopened several days later when the guru attempted to use his bow. Realizing his end had come, Guru Gobind Singh assembled his Sikhs and instructed them that the scripture of the Granth should forever be their irreplaceable guru and guide.
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