The Unique Sacrifice, The Sacred Bond

By Radhikakrpa dasi

If there had ever been a dark age in the history of the 5000 years old Hindu religion, it was during the reign of Aurangzeb. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were just “existing and not living.” The plight of the Hindus under Aurangzeb can be compared with that of the Jews under Hitler . The privileges of riding a horse; flying a flag; growing a moustache, chewing a beetle leaf or tying a turban were reserved only for the muslim members of the Indian society.

Aurangzeb had started a campaign of converting Hindus to Islam en masse. He had been advised by the Qazis to convert the Brahman priests into Islam, for the rest of the Hindus would automatically follow their example; owing to the respect that the Brahman priests enjoyed in the Hindu society. One further point to note is that by a mass conversion of the Brahmans, Aurangzeb had aimed at uprooting Hinduism root and branch, for under the traditional Hindu society, knowledge was the confine of the Brahmans, and if they were converted, then no one could read the ancient scriptures that were written in Sanskrit. Anyone, who did not wish to embrace Islam, had to pay a tax called “Jazia” (substitute money for the price of indulgence). Another instrument of the policy of putting economic pressure on “non-believers” was the granting of rewards to the converts, and the offering of posts in the public service, release from prison, or succession to disputed property, as a reward for accepting Islam.

The temples of the Hindus were desecrated and destroyed and mosques were constructed on their foundations. The cows that are so sacred to the Hindus were slaughtered in their temples and their flesh thrown into the wells, from which Hindus were ordered to drink water. Therefore, it would be no exaggeration to say that Hinduism was on the verge of extinction.

The Brahmans were tyrannized to such an extent that the bundles of sacred threads of Brahmans, who had either been forcibly converted or forcibly killed. It is popularly believed amongst the Hindus and the Sikhs that the Emperor converted so many Hindus every day that their sacred threads, forcibly removed on conversion, weighed a “Maund and a quarter” (approximately 47kg). When it is considered that one sacred thread weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, the extent of the tyranny can well be imagined. Literally, hundreds of thousands of Hindus were being forcibly converted to Islam. .

A contingent of 500 Brahmans led by Pandit Kirpa Ram and Trilok Nath Raina reached Anandpur Sahib to meet the ninth Sikh Guru ;Guru Teg Bahadur ji. On reaching Anandpur Sahib a few of their leaders presented themselves before the Guru’s court.

After the completion of the Kirtan. Pandit Kirpa Ram told Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji their sorrowful tale. He told Guru ji how the Emperor was forcibly converting thousands of Brahmans every day, and those that had so far been spared were leading a condemned life.

Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, on hearing the sorrowful tale of the Brahmans, prescribed a unique prescription to put an end to the miseries of the Brahmans and the Hindus. He said to the , Prince Gobind Rai( later came to be known as Guru Gobind Singh – the tenth guru) who was present there had never seen such a tense atmosphere in the House of Guru Nanak. for this was the House of happiness. Seeing strange faces in the Guru’s Court. He asked: “O Father, who are these men?” and “what do they want?” The Guru told His nine-year-old Son that they were the Brahmins from Kashmir; their faith was at stake, Tilak and Janau ( the sacred Brahmnical thread were at stake) and they had come to The House of Guru Nanak to seek protection. Guru ji told His Son that the only way in which their religion could be saved was that a holy man should come forward and sacrifice his life for the cause of protecting Vaisanavism. To this. Gobind Rai ji replied: “O Gurudev, who is holier than you in this age of ignorance? They have come to seek protection from you. Therefore you must protect them; even though in doing so you may have to sacrifice your life.” The Guru was pleased with the reply of his son. Guru Tegh Bahadur ji could visualise that His Sacrifice at Delhi would be the first of a chain of sacrifices that would follow. He could see that his son would create the class of people that would always come to the rescue of the downtrodden and the helpless.

Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib told Pandit Kirpa Ram and other delegates to go and inform the Emperor of Delhi that they have chosen Him to be their leader and that He lived at Anandpur Sahib in the Punjab. If Guru Tegh Bahadur ji accepts Islam, then all Hindus shall also embrace Islam as their faith. But until such time as negotiations were going on between the Emperor and the Guru; the Emperor should stop his crusade of forcible conversions. They acted accordingly. and the Emperor was tempted and readily agreed. He thought that his job had been simplified. All he had to do was to convert one man – Guru Tegh Bahadur ji. and the whole of India would be Muslim. But the foolish Emperor did not know that the True Prophets of God stay unmoved on their ground and that the sariifice of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib would cause the destruction of the mighty Mughal empire.

Guru Tegh Bahadur could not be negotiated into accepting Islam.
The tyrant Emperor then issued his final orders that Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib should be beheaded in Chandni Chowk which was the central market place of Delhi, then as it is now.

Next morning, a large crowd gathered at Chandni Chowk to see the unique sacrifice of a Pir, whom all Hindus acknowledged to be their spiritual leader. Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur took His bath in a nearby well and recited the holy hymns. This well still exists and is situated near the back entrance to Gurdwara Sis Ganj. The Guru was then seated on a platform which had been erected for this occasion under a banyan tree, Qazi Abul Wahhab Borah then read the “fatwa.” The executioner Jalaluddin of Samana stood nearby.

The Guru requested Jalaluddin to strike the blow when He had finished the recitation of “Japji Sahib” (Sikh morning prayer) and when He bowed in reverence at the end. Accordingly, Jalaluddin struck the blow. The holy head flew into the lap of The World had seen a miracle and the Mastery of the Sword at Delhi the like of which they had never seen before. The Guru performed this “supremely heroic act to uphold righteousness” on Thursday, the eleventh day of November 1675 A.D. or 1732 Bikrami a few minutes after the clock had struck nine. It is recorded in history that the martyrdom took place a little after sunrise. At the place where Guru Tegh Bahadur ji ‘was martyred there now stands the magnificent shrine Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib.

Thus the great guru of the Sikhs laid down his life for the Sanatana Dharma(religion); for the cause of Vaisanava culture.