Mata Gujri ji (1624 -1705), daughter of Bhai Lal Chand Subhikkhi and Bishen Kaur, spent her childhood in Jalandhar, Punjab. She was married at the tender age of nine years, following the traditions prevalent then, to Tegh Bahadur (1621 – 1675; later became the 9th Guru of Sikhs in 1664), son of the 6th Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji (1595-1644), in 1633 though betrothal ceremony that had been completed four years earlier.
In 1635, young Mata Gujri witnessed the prowess of Guru Tegh Bahadur in the battle of Kartarpur when Guru Hargbind ji was attacked by Mughul forces.
After marriage, the couple came to reside in Amritsar initially and then shifted to Kiratpur in 1635 and finally to Bakkala, with a widowed mother-in-law, Mata Nanki (1598- 1678) in 1644. Young Mata Gujri, as a devoted Sikh, a dutiful wife, and a loving daughter-in-law, won the heart of everyone by her dedication to the Guru, mother-in-law, husband and sadh sangat.
In 1664, after Guru Tegh Bahadur ji was installed as the 9th Sikh Guru, Mata ji travelled to Amritsar, Makhoval and Chakk Nanki (later on Anandpur Sahib). After this, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, accompanied by Mata Nanki and Mata Gujri, set out on a long journey to Eastern part of Bharat. Guru Tegh Bahadur left the family at Patna and travelled to Bengal and Assam. In 1666, Mata Gujri ji, aged 42 years, gave birth to a son, named Gobind Rai, later becoming Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru of the Sikhs. Guru Tegh Bahadur ji briefly returned to Patna in 1670 with the instruction to his family to reach Anandpur Sahib. In 1671, accompanied by an aged Mata Nanki and a young son, Mata Gujri reached Anandpur, family reuniting once again with Guru Tegh Bahadur ji.
In 1675, at Anandpur Sahib, a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits met Guru Tegh Bahadur and an interaction between 9-year old Gobind Rai and Guru Tegh Bahadur led to a momentous decision that resulted in a supreme sacrifice for the freedom of practicing religion. Mata Gujri was a witness as a mother and wife to this unique unfolding of history. She was with her young son when the sacred Sees of Guru Tegh Bahadur was received from
Rangretta-Guru-ka-Betta, Bhai Jaita Ji. She was responsible for guiding and managing the administrative affairs of Anandpur Sahib from 1675 to 1705.
In 1677, Guru Gobind Singh ji was married and soon blessed with four children, Sahibzada Ajit Singh (1687), Sahibzada Jujhar Singh (1691), Sahibzada Zorawar Singh (1696), and Sahibzada Fateh Singh (1699). Furthermore, Mata Sahib Devan (1681–1747) married Guru Gobind Singh ji around 1698, before Baisakhi in 1699. Mata Gujri ji, now a mother-in-law of two, one biological mother of four children and the other, spiritual mother of the Khalsa, staying in the same household must have had her own set of unique responsibilities. As a grandmother of 4 children, 2 in their teenage years and 2 very young, managing the household must be a challenge. Amidst all this, instilling a balanced value system in young sahibzadas.
In 1705, after a prolonged siege, Anandpur was vacated. In the night of bitter cold, Mata Gujri, with two younger grandsons, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, were separated from the rest of the sangat. The three were misled by the old cook of the family, finally arrested and confined to the Thanda Burj (cold tower) of Sirhind Fort. The young children, aged 9 years and 6 years were summoned to the court of Mughal Governor of Sirhind, Wazir Khan, on 3 consecutive days and each day before leaving Thanda Burj, Mata Gujri would guide them to stay steadfast on their faith to the Guru, and sterling standards established by their father, their grandfather and their great grandfather. The attractive offers of various kinds to distract their faith away from their religion and live a luxurious life following Islam were of no avail in front of Mata Gujri’s love and Janam Sakhis.
The young Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh accepted to be bricked alive, accepted death but did not get seduced or bribed by many lucrative offers. Mata Gujri, on hearing the news of beheading of young children after the wall came to their neck, though sad left for her heavenly abode fully satisfied that she has served the cause of Guru, her father-in-law Guru Hargobind Ji, and her husband, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, to espouse the right cause and stay steadfast in faith, not to be lured by any attractions. At the ripe age of 81, Mata Gujri had achieved excellence in every role that she was cast in.
Relevance of Mata Gujri to Contemporary Social situation
In modern times, role of Mata Gujri assumes great relevance for all of us, in our social and personal life. The companionship that she provided to young Tyag Mal, later Tegh Bahadur, must have been very special and caring, while he was preparing for the battles with the Mughals as well as the important spiritual task of upholding freedom of practicising religion. His constant travels and absence during the birth of his only child, at an alien place, Patna (away from home at Bakala) must have also placed Mataji in great inconvenience but she accepted all these challenges with a smile. The value system, upbringing and ecosystem of friends that she provided to young Gobind Rai at Patna and at Anandpur, despite the challenges, is also worthy of appreciation.
Mata Gujri played a key role at Anandpur Sahib after 1675, serving as a guide and philosopher to young Guru Gobind Singh ji. This was the time when local hill Rajas and Moghul forces were upset with the widely spreading glory of Sikh Gurus. The Guru had to shift base from Anandpur Sahib to Paonta Sahib for some time before returning to Anandpur Sahib. Many battles were fought with the Mughals and hill Rajas during this time. The Masand system was abolished and the Khalsa brotherhood was created in 1699. In all these discussions and initiatives, Mata Gujri contributed regularly.
In the same household, with one wedded daughter-in-law and four grandchildren while the other, wedded as a spiritual partner of the Guru but no children must have added different dynamics to the family. All this was happening in the presence of her mother-in- law, Mata Nanki ji, who spent 34 years of widowed life with Mata Gujri ji in the same house until 1678.
Thus, it can be visualised that the role Mata Gujri played as a young daughter betrothed at age 5, married at 9, mother at 42, widow at 51, mother-in-law at 53 and grandmother at 67 has been exemplary. As a companion to Guru Tegh Bahadur, as a mother to Guru Gobind Singh, as a mother-in-law to Mata Sundri ji and Mata Sahib Devan and finally as a grandmother to young sahibzadas has important lessons for all of us in modern times.
Mata Gujri’s life of sacrifice, from enduring separations to guiding her grandsons, to martyrdom stands as a timeless inspiration of steadfastness, motherhood, and spiritual strength in the Bharatiya history.
