Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, was born in Amritsar in April 1621 as the fifth child of Shri Guru Hargobind Ji, the sixth Guru of the ten Guru tradition. It is written in ‘Guru Bilas’ that Bhai Vidhi Chand saw with great surprise that Guru Hargobind ji bowed down to the new born child with extraordinary respect and said that he saw the devotion of his father respected Guru Arjun Dev Ji in that child. Guru Hargobind Ji named the newborn child ‘Tyagamal’.
Tyagamal, the embodiment of Guru Hargobind Ji’s bravery and Mata Nanaki’s kindness and mercy, was very charitable and curious. He had immense curiosity about the plays of nature, human behaviour, life and death. He understood that the goal of life is only to remain steadfast on the path of true religion and live according to the will of Akaal Purakh and his command.
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was a strong supporter of uniformity in conduct and behaviour. He considered the difference between words and actions to be the biggest pretence. He had learnt in his childhood itself that without uniformity in conduct and behaviour, impact cannot be created, without purity in conduct, speech cannot attain purity, words are not just script or sound, but pure feelings flow only through words.
Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s initial education started at the age of five under the supervision of Baba Buddha ji, who was also the main operator of the Guru Appointment Ceremony. Bhai Gurudas Ji, who prepared the first copy of ‘Adi Granth’ under the direction of Guru Arjun Dev Ji, imparted knowledge of poetry and philosophy. Babak and Yodha Mal Ji taught him the art of warfare. Nature also played a strong role in educating Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji spiritually.
In his adolescence, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji lived with his father Hargobind Ji in Kartarpur for a few years. It was here that his father got Tegh Bahadur married to Lalchand’s daughter Gujri with great pomp and show. Guru Hargobind Ji propagated the Ten Guru tradition and weapons, the symbol of faith, in Kartarpur with great vigor, due to which many of his opponents complained against him in the Mughal court of Lahore.
In 1634, Hargobind Rai was surrounded by the Mughals in Kartarpur itself, who were followed by Kale Khan and Paida Khan. Contemporary historians write that after getting the permission of his father, Tyagmal’s weapons were shining like lightning in the battlefield. The calm, quiet, young boy Tyagmal was showing his valour in the battlefield like a warrior, after this war, Tyagmal became famous as ‘Tegh Bahadur’, realizing the philosophy of Miri-Piri.
Attainment of Guru Gaddi
The eighth Guru Harkishan Ji, while preaching to his disciples in his last moments, said, “The Guru may leave this world, but his ‘Guru Granth Sahib Ji’ will always be with you in your heart.” And after the last Gurubani, he uttered only two words ‘Baba Bakala’. Which his disciples correctly interpreted to mean that the next Guru to the Guru Gaddi is located in Bakala itself, soon this news spread. All the people who followed the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji were saintly in nature, but Harikishan Ji was not able to clearly declare the name, due to which the disciples were mentally confused, due to which fake people in the society started making false pretences of calling themselves Guru. The Mughal rulers had 22 Subedars, so Guru Amar Das Ji created 22 Manjis, after which the word Masand became popular, their main work was to organise the Guru Sangat, propagate the Guru’s teachings and deliver the Daswandh’s offering to the Guru Gaddi. These Masands were appointed by the Guru himself and the Guru Gaddi. In the desire to obtain the Guru Gaddi, all the 22 Masands appeared in Bakala and the sages of the Dhirmal or Sodhi clan belonging to the Guru family declared themselves to be the successors of the Guru Gaddi and occupied their respective Gaddis.
Dhirmal made a strong claim to the Guru Gaddi because he was a direct descendant of Hargobind Ji, who was the son of Guru Hargobind’s eldest son Guruditta Ji and whose brother and nephew had already served as the seventh and eighth Gurus. He also had the original copy of the Adi Granth prepared by Guru Arjun Dev Ji in his possession, due to these reasons Dhirmal was fully confident that he would be the ninth inheritor of the Guru Gaddi.
But the mental fog in the hearts of the Guru Sangat and their restlessness is described in ‘Mahima Prakash’ as follows- Dagam Man Sangat Bhaiya Gid Nische Man Nahi Hoi, Jis Chitri Paas Neer Ki Pai So Tript Na Soi.
Because all the sadhus who had camped in Bakala were of hypocritical nature, due to which the Sangat did not get peace of mind after reaching there, but became even more restless after seeing such behaviour.
Tegh Bahadur Ji was engrossed in his meditation, unaware of all these events. But Mata Nanaki Ji was very saddened by the deception done by the fake persons. The followers of Guru Harkishan Ji, especially Bhai Guru Ditta, Bhai Sati Das and Bhai Mati Das, considering the Adi Granth as a divine vision, consulted it and got a premonition of the name ’Tegh’. When they went to Mata Nanaki with the same name, she told them that Tegh is her son, who was engrossed in spiritual worship. After taking the permission of Mata Ji, all the followers went to Tegh Bahadur and were told about the last words of Guru Harkishan Ji, in which he had said that after him Baba should take the Guru’s position.
It is known from historians and poetry that the first public display of recognition of Tegh Bahadur as the ninth Guru was done by a person named Makhan Shah Lubana. Makhan Shah was basically a merchant, whose trade extended to countries across the sea. Once his ship loaded with goods got caught in a sea storm. The waves of the sea tossed his ship like a straw, seeing which Makhan Shah remembered in his heart that if the goods are saved, he will give a Daswandh from the earnings of that goods to the Guru Gaddi. So both the goods and the ship were saved and a lot of profit was gained from the trade of that goods. After returning to Punjab, he set out in search of the Guru with a bag of 500 gold coins as Daswandh, which brought him to Bakala.
Makhan Shah’s heart was very saddened on seeing 22 Manjis claiming the Guru Gaddi in Bakala. To find the true Guru, Makhan Shah thought that the Guru who would ask for exactly 500 Mohars from him, (which he had decided in his mind) would be the true Guru. Taking permission from Mata Nanaki, he met a Guruji and as per his plan, he presented five Mohars in front of him, then Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji blessed him and asked him in a simple way, where is the remaining part of your vow amount?
On hearing this, Makhan Shah was very surprised and a wave of happiness ran in his heart, due to which tears came out of his eyes, he bowed his head and saluted Guru Ji and presented the entire amount of the remaining offering to Guru Ji. After bowing his head to Guru Ji, waving a piece of cloth in the air, he started shouting with full force, “Guru Laadho Re…..Guru Laadho Re…”
Tiu Makhan magan Bhaye Guru Paiya. Chad Uchch Mandir Ter Sunaia.
Aao Gursikh main satguru langha. Jaki Mahima Agam Agadha. (Mahima Prakash)
On hearing the deafening voice of Makhan Shah, the entire congregation gathered to have the darshan of Guru Ji and announced to the general public that Guru Ji is sitting on the Guru Gaddi, due to which the congregation that follows the teachings of Nanak saw him and paid their respects.
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s Journeys
1.Amritsar Journey: The cycle of time was such that the sixth, seventh and eighth Gurus remained at a constant distance from the region of Punjab and Sri Harimandir Sahib built by Guru Arjun Dev Ji. Guru Tegh Bahadur, along with some of his devotees and Makhan Shah, left Bakala and reached Amritsar to visit Sri Harimandir Sahib. In 1664, when Guruji went to pay obeisance at Sri Harimandir Sahib after taking a bath in the holy lake, the then sevadars of Sri Harimandir Sahib closed the doors in front of him. Actually, they were afraid that Guruji might sit on Harimandir Sahib and stop their source of income. (Book: Rashtranayak- Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur, Author: Harminder Singh Malik, Page: 42) It is written in ‘Suraj Prakash’ that Makhan Shah was very angry at such an act of the sevadars and he asked permission from Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji for violence, but the Guru did not allow anything like this to be done. Guruji calmly and lovingly paid his obeisance to Sri Harimandir Sahib from outside and rested at a place near Akal Takht, which is known as ‘Gurudwara Thada Sahib’.
2. Establishment of Anandpur Sahib: Raja Deep Chand of Bilaspur was a great friend and devotee of the sixth Guru Hargobind Ji. After his death, his wife Rani Champa Devi gifted some land of the state to Guru Ji for the peace of the departed soul, which Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji accepted on payment of Rs 500. At the same place, in June 1665, Guru Ji laid the foundation of a village named Chakk Nanaki in the name of his mother, which later became famous as Anandpur.
British historian Alexander Cunningham has written in his book ‘History of the Sikhs’ that, “Guru Tegh Bahadur felt that due to the communalism and intolerant policy of the Mughal rule, a safe place should be made the center so that religion could be propagated.” Later, in 1699, Guru Tegh Bahadur’s son Guru Gobind Singh Ji created the Khalsa sect and prepared an organized army.
3. Journey to Sasaram: The number of Nanak Naam Leva Sangat in Bihar (Sasaram) was quite large, but Bhai Fagu Ji’s devotion was unique. He had a feeling that the Guru of Guru Gaddi would come there. In anticipation of his arrival, a beautiful building was constructed which had a grand porch and a very big entrance. Whose entry would be done by the lotus feet of Guru Ji. As per the wish of the devotee, the ninth Guru Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji reached Sasaram and made a beautiful entry into the building built by Bhai Fagu Ji and converted it into ‘Sangat Gurudwara’.
4. Assam Yatra: When Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji reached Assam during his tour of Bharat, Assam, a part of Delhi Sultanate, was also struggling for independence. Under the leadership of King Chakradhwaj Singh, the Ahom community kept challenging the Mughals from time to time. After getting the support of the people, the Ahom community attacked the Mughal army in Guwahati and forced them to flee. Aurangzeb sent Ram Singh as the head of the Assam campaign with the intention that if Ram Singh was killed in the war, he would take revenge from him for Shivaji’s escape from prison and if he won the war, his victory would expand the Delhi empire. Ram Singh was devoted to the Guru’s house. He got the opportunity to meet Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. Guru Ji was also on a visit to Assam to meet the Nanak Naam Leva Sangat in Assam and to propagate religion.
Only through the historical records of Assam and English historians, with the inspiration of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, could peace be reached between Raja Chakradhwaj and Raja Ram Singh, under which the Mughals would have control over the conquered areas, but the Ahom empire would have control over the Guwahati region. As a result of this treaty, the Ahom empire got the opportunity to strengthen its army by ruling in Guwahati, as a result of which the Ahom empire again included a large part of Assam under its rule.
Concept of Sacrifice
Aurangzeb, who had a fanatic and religious mindset, was sucking the blood of the indigenous people of Bharat by issuing various types of taxes and fatwas to please the Caliphs and Qazis. In April 1669, Aurangzeb issued a decree in which the famous temples were to be demolished.
In August 1669, the Vishwanath temple in Varanasi was demolished and a mosque named Gyanvapi was built at that place. The Somnath temple of Gujarat was also demolished by Aurangzeb. In the month of Ramzan in 1670, the famous Keshavrai temple of Mathura was also demolished. According to the decree of the cruel Aurangzeb, famous temples were also demolished in places like Malwa, Odisha, Jodhpur, Ujjain, Udaipur, Maharashtra, Hyderabad etc.
According to historians, the number of temples demolished by the Mughals is over 40,000. Even Aurangzeb started controlling holy festivals like Diwali and Holi, which are supported by many political parties even today. Many contemporary historians write that the main reason for Aurangzeb’s fundamentalist social position was religious education and the lack of organization of Indian society.
To make the society manly and to re-establish harmony, the time had called for a great man who was fearless and powerful to lead the society selflessly. In such a time, destiny chose Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. The qualities that the Bharat needed were present in no one except Saint Shiromani Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. Guru Nanak Dev Ji was the first to oppose the atrocities of the Mughals, he addressed Babar as Jabar and signalled the society to unite. Guru Arjun Dev Ji, the first martyr of the ten Guru tradition, took inspiration from Guru Nanak Dev Ji and took all the atrocities upon himself so that the society could awaken the spirit of manliness and unite to protect the nation and this happened with his sacrifice. Once again, in the need to unite the nation, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji embarked on the path of sacrifice for the nation.
Due to the presence of Nanak Naam Leva Sangat in the entire Bharatiya region, Guru Ji kept getting news of Aurangzeb’s misdeeds in the society. In 1671, Aurangzeb appointed Iftikhar Khan as the governor of Kashmir. In order to Islamize, Aurangzeb made Kashmiri Brahmins his target so that by weakening the Brahmins and breaking the backbone of Indian society, religious inferiority could be created in the entire nation and the entire nation could be converted.
According to British historian Macauliffe, “The mass experiment of Islamization first started in Kashmir by converting people to Islam.” According to Kojar Singh Kalaal, the author of ‘Guru Vilas Padshahi’, the sacred threads (Janeau) of the Hindus who embraced Islam on the orders of Iftikhar Khan weighed 1.25 mons. According to the popular saying of those times, Aurangzeb would not eat until he got the news of the removal of 1.25 mons of sacred thread of Hindus.
The Kashmiri pandits had collectively organised a group discussion in Mattan and after getting everyone’s consent, a group of Kashmiri Brahmins reached Anandpur Sahib under the leadership of Pandit Kriparam. During the conversation between the Brahmins and Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur said that the only solution to these problems is that a truthful person with high ideals and conduct should sacrifice himself for the protection of the nation. A nine-year-old boy Govind Rai, sitting nearby, said that who can be more worthy than you in the society at this time? The concept of sacrifice that was in the heart of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was confirmed by his son Govind Rai.
On hearing this, after getting permission from Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the Kashmiri Brahmins sent a decree to Delhi that, “If the king can convert Guru Tegh Bahadur, then the entire Indian society along with him will accept Islam by their own will.” National poet Maithilisharan Gupt poeticized this moment: Jao vipvaro nirbhaye ho, likh do badshah kop attar, Tegh bahadur Musalmaan ho to yeh mat phaile sarvatar, Vahi agrani aaj hamara hum sab bharti uske sang, dekhe kaya uttar deta hai iska anyayi aurang.
Aurangzeb was enraged on seeing the letters sent by Kashmiri Brahmins. He tried his best to break Guru Tegh Bahadur, but he was engrossed in the will of God and was firm. In front of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, his three devotees – Bhai Sati Das, Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Dayala Das were given unbearable tortures so that on seeing them he would agree to change his religion.
Aurangzeb’s cruelty was at its peak, but the aura on Tegh Bahadur Ji’s face was worth seeing. A cruel ruler like Aurangzeb lost in front of his spiritual power and, fed up, he ordered to behead Guru Tegh Bahadur. According to then times, On November 24, 1675, after taking bath, Guru Tegh Bahadur recited Japji Sahib under the Banyan tree. Seeing him reciting peacefully, even the executioner Jalaluddin was disturbed because there was no fear of death at all on his face.
After reciting Japji Sahib, Guru Ji was beheaded as per the order of the emperor.
To humiliate the idol of Bharat, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji and the entire nation, Aurangzeb ordered that no one would cremate his body. Opposing this, Bhai Jaita Ji wrapped his body in cotton and kept it at his home and set the whole house on fire and set out for Anandpur Sahib with the head. When Bhai Jaita Ji handed over Guru Ji’s head to his son Govind Rai, Guru Gobind Rai addressed Bhai Jaita Ji as ‘Rangreta Guru ka beta’.
Gobind Rai cremated Guru Ji’s head respectfully by reciting the holy Gurbani. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s sacrifice for the nation was described by Gobind Singh Ji in Vichitra Natak: Tilak Janju Rakha Prabh Taka, Kano Badho Kalu Mahi Saka. Sadhna hetu itti jinni kari, sees diya par si na uchari, Dharam hetu saka jin kiya, seesu diya paru sirur na uchari.
The self-sacrifice of great men should be considered the best in the world, because it is because of their sacrifice that the whole world has become peaceful. The sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur shook the sleeping people of entire Bharat.
In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, taking inspiration from the sacrifice of his father Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, established the Khalsa Panth on the day of Vaisakhi in Anandpur Sahib and created an organised Khalsa army, due to which the Mughal Empire was destroyed from the soil of Hind. He preached to the congregation gathered from all over Bharat and united the society by giving them the title of Singh. Hurt by the sacrifice of Guru Ji, Pandit Kriparam joined the army of Gobind Singh Ji and fought the battle of Chamkaur and was martyred. After the establishment of Khalsa Panth by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, every Hindu family started making their eldest son a Sikh.
Poetry of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji
After the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, his baani was included in the ‘Adi Granth Sri Guru Granth Sahib’ under the sign of Ninth Mahala. They contain 59 words tied to 15 ragas and 57 verses of spiritual contemplation. The entire baani of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji is such a confluence of religion, culture and philosophy in which the mind of the devotee becomes completely pure. The gentleness, simplicity and accessibility of his poetic compositions draws the devotee towards God. Guru Ji composed compositions in Punjabi, Baraj and Awadhi languages. There is a flow of Bhakti Ganga in the compositions of Guru Ji so that the importance of Brahma can be conveyed to the common people very easily.
The ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji of the Ten Guru tradition of Punjab sacrificed himself for the right to religion freedom. All the incidents that happened in Guru Tegh Bahadur’s life were to be done as per God’s destiny so that the society could be taught the meaning of religion disciplined by truth. The whole nation should learn from the life of such a great man that how to represent the society by establishing harmony by taking all sections of the society together. And every possible effort should be made to protect the nation even by sacrificing everything, so that social harmony can be re-established.
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