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Guru
Arjan Dev Ji
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Guru Arjun's multifarious
activities, apart from making a very major contribution to
the organization of the mission, demonstrate, as laid down
by Guru Nanak, that no field of life, whether temporal,
social or political, is excluded for the operation of a
mystic. Slowly but surely the movement came out with a
distinct identity of its own and with clear-cut religious-
and sociopolitical facts.
Ache system of
voluntary offerings for the common cause and the sharing
of one's earnings was made regular. Every Sikh was
supposed to contribute 10% of his income to the common
fund maintained by the Guru. The representatives of the
Guru collected contributions from their respective areas
and sent them to the common treasury.
The construction of the
temple at Amritsar was started by the Guru and its
foundation stone was laid by the reputed Muslim Sufi
Saint, Mian Mir. He built another tank and temple at Taran
Taran. These temples had doors on all sides, indicating
that these were
open to all castes and communities. |
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The Guru had a
well-organized central establishment
which included the maintenance of a
contingent of horses and elephants.
He encouraged his followers to trade
in horses from Central Asia. For his
personal maintenance, the Guru also
took up the trade. As such, the
Sikhs became good horsemen and
formed later the nucleus of military
power. All these features were
important developments because they
were clear preparation for the
military organization that was to
follow from the time of the Sixth
Guru. It was in the lifetime of Guru
Arjun that his son, Hargobind,
started learning to wield the sword
and hunting. |
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In 1598, the Guru
interceded on behalf of the local
peasantry with Emperor Akbar to get
the excessive levy of land revenue
reduced. These activities of the
Guru gave him a new status. It was
at this time that the Guru came to
be called by the Sikhs as Sacha
Patshah (True Emperor). The Guru had
come to guide, govern and influence
the lives of the Sikhs both in the
temporal and the spiritual fields.
It was a significant development The
organization of the community,
according to Gupta, became a state
within a state. |
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An important step in
the separate consolidation of the
religion was the compilation of the
Adi Granth as the sole and authentic
scripture of the Sikhs. It has a
significant feature. Besides the
hymns of the five Gurus, it contains
the hymns of Hindu and Muslim
saints. The Adi Granth was formally
installed at the Amritsar temple on
the annual gathering of the Sikhs.
From the very start it was
recognized as the Sikh scripture.
Emperor Akbar made an offering of 51
gold coins to the Adi Granth. Its
installation at the only Sikh temple
constructed then by the Guru and the
appointment of the most venerated
Sikh as its Granthi (minister) show
that it was meant to be the
exclusive scripture of the Sikhs and
the embodiment of the Gurus system
and thought In this way conjectures
about links with the other systems
or scriptures were set at rest for
ever. This is an important step,
especially when we find that in Guru
Granth Sahib no status or sanctity
has been given to any gods,
goddesses or avatars. |
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This compilation is a
landmark in the history of Sikhism.
It is a clear testimony of the fact
that the Guru took this vital step
to emphasize that their message and
mission were prophetic. This fact
comes out in all its glaring
singularity when we see that, in the
entire religious history of man, no
other prophet felt it essential to
authenticate his message so as to
secure its purity and exclude the
possibility of interpolation and
misinterpretation. In fact, in most
cases the utterances of the prophets
were compiled by their devotees long
after their ministry. This
authentication of the scripture by
the Guru himself once and for all
ensured its separate identity and
purity. In the case of other
prophets, their opponents can say
that the prophets themselves never
meant to declare any new truths, but
their overzealous followers made it
into a separate system not intended
by the prophets. Nothing of that
kind can be asserted about the Gurus
and Guru Granth Sahib. |
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It is something
very extraordinary that, in line
with Guru Nanak's hymn that 'with
the help of other God-conscious
beings he would help every one to be
a God-centered person', the Guru
included in the Adi Granth hymns of
twenty-two Muslim and Hindu saints.
It is a singular example of the
Guru's sense of personal anonymity.
He truly felt that in accomplishing
this task he was working only as an
agent of God's mission. We also find
that contemporary saints like Mian
Mir and Pir Budhu Shah, irrespective
of religion and race, remained
closely associated with the mission
of the Gurus. |
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Owing to the
growing religious and political
influence of the Gurus, the Sikhs
had got a clear consciousness of
their religious and sociopolitical
identity. Consequently, the position
of the Gurus had naturally given
rise to hostility, both in the
religious and political quarters.
Saikh Ahmad, the head of the
Naqashbandt order at Sirhind and a
leader of the revivalist movement of
Islam in India, got upset at the
influence of the Guru among men of
both the communities. He had access
to the court of Jahangir. But,
probably the chief reason that upset
the Emperor was that the Guru had
blessed Khusro and helped him
monetarily while the latter had
rebelled against Jahangir. The local
administration was naturally aware
of the growing Sociopolitical
strength and influence of the Guru.
Chat this incident rankled in the
mind of emperor Jahangir, is evident
from his own statement recorded in
his autobiography. He wrote that he
had ordered the execution by torture
of Guru Arjun unless he embraced
Islam, because the Guru had raised
aloft the standard of holiness and
many Hindus and Muslims had
foolishly become his followers.
Prithi Mal and his son Meherban
called themselves real gurus and
Meherban glorified his father Prithi
and discredited Guru Nanak's hymns.
They were both plotting against Guru
Arjun. Others who were against Guru
were Sulahi Khan of Batala, Chandu
Shah Khatri of Lahore, Sheikh Ahmad
faruqi Sarhindi, Emperor Jahangir
who was unlike his father Akbar and
pretty much intolerant of other
faiths. Prince Khusro who was also
son of Akbar and was contesting for
throne was captured by Jahangir's
men. This prince Khusro was the son
of Jodha Bai, daughter of Udai Singh
of Jodhpur, since he was born to a
Hindu mother, was disliked by the
fanatics who wanted Prince Salim who
was a 100% Sunni Muslim (as oppose
to the popular Hindi movie
Mughal-e-Azam, where Jahangir was
shown as son of Hindu mother).
Prince escaped and went to Guru
Arjun. Guru Arjun was moved at the
13 years old Prince and gave him
help with money and shelter. Salim
succeeded with the title of Jahangir.
Jahangir hated all those who were in
Akbar's good books. He summoned Guru
to Lahore, Sikhs of Lahore pleaded
with Jahangir to let them collect
the fine and pay to him to release
Guru, but Jahangir refused. Jahangir
appointed Murtaza Khan to confiscate
the property of Guru and hand it
over to state., apart from that a
fine of 2 lakhs was also collected
from the Sikhs. Guru was imprisoned
at Lahore fort. He was chained to a
post in an open place exposed to the
sun from morning to evening in the
months of May thru June. Below his
feet a heap of sand was put which
burnt like a furnace. Boiling water
was poured on his naked body at
intervals. His body was covered with
blisters all over. In this agony
Guru used to utter. |
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Tera Kiya Meetha
lage, naam padarath Nanak mange
(whatever you
ordain appears sweet. I supplicate
for the gift of name) |
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The Guru was
ordered to be executed. In addition
a fine of Rupees two lakhs was
imposed on him. Some historians say
that, as a measure of clemency at
the intervention of Mian Mir, this
fine was imposed in lieu of the
sentence of death. The Sikhs offered
to pay the fine themselves but the
Guru forbade them to do so. He
replied to the Emperor, "Whatever
money I have is for the poor, the
friendless and the stranger. If thou
ask for money thou may take what I
have; but if thou ask for it by way
of fine, I shall not give thee even
a Kauri (penny)." The Guru accepted
death by torture and suffered the
first great martyrdom. His sacrifice
further steeled the faith of the
community in the mission of the
Gurus. Gupta, who considers the
views of all other historians as
relevant material, concludes that it
was principally a political
execution. |
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A ruling
administration never takes notice of
a religious institution, unless it
has a political complexion and
potential. The Mughal emperors never
bothered about any saint of the
Bhakti school. The Sikh movement was
growing into a clear socio-political
body, fired with a religious and
moral zeal. It constituted a
disciplined people who were being
guided and led towards their ideals
by a prophetic mystic. It was this
socio-political growth which no
ruler or administration could fail
to take note of as a potential
danger and challenge to its
existence and rule. It is evident
that the Sikh growth was of such
dimensions that it attracted the
attention of the administration and
also of the Emperor. In addition it
is a political fact that the Guru,
as recoded by Beni Prasad (the
historian on Jahangir), had given a
very substantial aid of Rs. 5,000/-
to Khusro, leading a rebel army and
claimant to the throne. Further,
this organization was of such size
and importance that the Emperor not
only took the extreme step of the
execution of Guru Arjun, so as to
stop altogether this unwanted growth
(as recorded by the Emperor), but
also found the movement and the
episode as significant enough for
mention in his autobiography
Jahangir was undoubtedly right that
the organization and the movement
posed a political threat to the
Empire. But he was mistaken in his
belief that by the execution of the
Guru he had nipped this growth in
the bud. In this background and the
context of future developments, it
would surely be naive for anyone to
say either that Jahangir, by this
execution of Guru Arjun, converted a
simple, peaceful and innocuous
movement into a military
organization, or that the reaction
of the Sixth Guru to his father s
execution was overzealous,
especially when we know that by the
very nature of the Gurus' thesis,
sociopolitical developments and
activities were an integral part of
their spiritual life. The Fifth and
the Sixth Gurus had done nothing
beyond the extension and development
of the foundations laid and the
organization built by Guru Nanak. |
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Gupta calls
Guru Arjun an original thinker, an
illustrious poet, a practical
philosopher, a great organizer, an
eminent statesman and the first
martyr of the faith. He completely
changed the external aspect of
Sikhism." |
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