Evolution of Khalsa - Eradication of Deep Rooted Social Evils

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Evolution of Khalsa - Suffering and Successes

Sikh Missionary Society: Publications: Evolution of Khalsa:

Eradication of Deep Rooted Social Evils

Eradication of Deep Rooted Social Evils

Our great Gurus had a highly difficult Mission of uplifting a totally despirited, degraded and oppressed people. On the strength of Hindu religious scriptures (Shastras), the exploiters had fully convinced the common man that the sub-human living of theirs, was a necessity to atone for the sins of past life. Such a highly unjust and unfair system was practiced ever since the 3rd/4th century before Christ (when Manu gave such Laws).The Society was divided into 4 castes. Brahmins were given religious and social leadership. Kshtryas were assigned political and military leadership. Vaishayas were made traders and Shudras were to serve the other 3 upper castes. In due course of time, Shudras were taken as worse than slaves, even their shadow was taken to be a pollutant. Thus, they were treated as untouchables having no political, religious or social rights. If anyone of them happened to listen to a religious discourse the punishment was filling of his/her ears with molten lead. Women were given the equation or status of footwear. A woman, on becoming a widow, automatically forfeited her right to life, as she must burn herself along with the dead body of her husband. A religious sanctity was attached to it, as if she was pursuing chastity [satt ]. It was also named immolation, as if it was a voluntary act; although it was pursued as social obligation. Surprisingly, a man as a widower; had no such obligation to burn himself, in pursuit of a similar chastity, rather he was left free to remarry.

Treatment of women was extremely insulting. Even up to the year of 1947, several Rulers of small Indian States could be seen keeping hunderds of women in their palaces. To a considerable extent, as a matter of status symbol, the malpractice percolated down to many common families also. Men of God were practicing the other extreme. In the name of celibacy and spirituality; they often forsake their kith and kin; as also their hearths and homes; favoring a secluded life of hills and jungles which the Gurus rejected, as being totally useless and unnecessary and favored the relationship of one man and one woman as sound, correct and pious.

Another problem was the enmity and distrust among the two main religions. Hindus hated the Muslims, labeling them as tyrant invaders, malechh=dirty people. While Muslims labeled Hindus as infidels and stone worshippers. The Rulers being Muslims took it as their religious duty to convert Hindus to Islam even forcibly. Guru Nanak tried to convince them both, that all human beings were the children of one and the same God and as such entitled to love and respect from one another and that religion of either kind was immaterial and that what really mattered for both were good deeds of love, compassion and help to the needy. In the company of Bhai Bala (a Hindu) and Bhai Mardaana (a Muslim), Guru Nanak visited important centres of both the religions in India, as also Muslim centers of Islam in the Middle East of Mecca, Madina, Baghdad etc. The Guru tried to explain true principles of each religion .and wean them away from the malpractice of each. A period of nearly 20 years was spent on such Missionary Tours.

The Guru declared that there is only one God for the whole humanity. He could be worshipped and loved by anyone, by any name. Further that the others should not consider a believer of one faith as a non-believer, merely; because he prefers to use a word of his own language, for the same God. He preached: "There is no Muslim, there is no Hindu, all are equal human beings because they all, are the children of the same Father, God." A question was put to Guru Nanak, as to who of the two (Muslim and Hindu) was superior? Reply was "Anybody without good deeds will repent."

The Guru made it clear that God lived in everyone and knew what was there in their minds. One could cheat people but not Him. As His is, a perfect watchful system, nothing escapes His notice. Final judgment will be based on one's actions only.

Guru Nanak was born in a traditional Hindu Khatri family. According to Hindu religious rules, a person is to be initiated as a Hindu by a ceremony presided over by a Brahmin who makes the candidate wear a sacred thread caIled "Janjoo", When at the age of 7 or 8, Guru Nanak faced that situation; he refused to wear it, on the plea, that it was a useless ritual. Instead, he advised that the values of God worship, truthfulness and compassion, etc. were everlasting and needed to be inculcated.

For the cause of a high status for women, the Guru vigorously pleaded that they were a highly important part of the society. Without them, so many relationships would be missing. Even a king is born to a woman, how could she be inferior? As such, Sikh women are free to lead the congregations and prayers; while such an active participation by women, is missing in other major faiths of the whole world.

With a view to arouse and awaken the better values of human life and make the common man courageous and pious enough, first Nanak and the nine succeeding him, had to take various effective steps towards religion, society and politics, a few of them briefly are:

a) When Guru Nanak saw, Emperor Babur and his armies committing atrocities on the common/weak people, he raised a strong voice of protest. For that, he had to suffer an imprisonment .

b) Guru Nanak was staying with a poor artisan Bhai Lalo at Eminabad [Pakistan] who earned his livelihood by hard and honest labor. Malik Bhago, the then village head, served a sumptuous feast to the whole village and Guru Nanak was also invited but he refused to attend. The village chief felt insulted and wanted to know the reason for the refusal. In the presence of whole gathering, the Guru made it clear that Malik Bhagos food was made out of the money illegally and forcibly taken from the poor people and thus was tainted with human blood while Bhai Lalo's food was out of honest and hard labor and thus was better. That awakened the sleeping soul of Malik Bhago.

c) With a view to redeem the persons fallen on bad ways, Guru Jee went to their places and successfully brought them around to adopt pious ways of living. One of them was Sajjan Thug (a looter and murderer) who lived near Multan (now West Pakistan). Another one was Kauda Raakash (a man-eater) near Jabbalpur in Madhya Pradesh (India).

d) Guru Nanak declared that God and Guru were the companions of the lowliest of the so called lowly and both had not much to do with the so called high.

e) The Guru revealed that God was merciful and fearless and accessible to all, irrespective of color, country, caste, creed or sex. Further, that on worshipping Him such and other traits of Him could come to any man, who through the word of Guru could connect himself to Him, and thus could draw upon the source and strength of such a supreme power. Moreover it was revealed that God in His discretion created one cycle (consisting of 8.4 million kinds of lives) and that human life among them is the only one single opportunity when a soul could unite with God and thus to avoid the long cycle of births and deaths. For that Guru's grace is basic and that is ever available, when one adopts the wisdom of a true Guru, so as to practice a pious and virtuous life, as guided by the Guru, a few of which are:

Constantly worshipping and remembering only one God, through the word of Guru.
Earning one's livelihood through hard labor and honest means.
Sharing the honest earnings with others, who are needy.

f) The Guru also disclosed the fundamental truth, that God in His discretion, upon a single call, created this whole universe. That includes millions and millions of worlds like our own (Incidentally no other religion of the world unraveled the mystery.) However, now the scientific world, in its recent discoveries, is getting increasingly convinced of the phenomenon. In this respect, Brawdshaw at S. No: 7, of opinions of Eminent Non- Sikh Scholars says: that Guru Granth is the only scripture in the world that speaks of innumerable worlds.

g) On the right bank of the river Ravi (now in Pakistan), Guru settled at Kartarpur and himself worked out the above principles of life. To remember God, morning and evening congregations were regularly held and these were open to all, irrespective of caste, creed, race, or religion. Untouchables were equally welcome. Sharing of food on one and the same level, irrespective of rich or poor, touchable, untouchable, was open to all.

h) The Second Nanak (Guru Angad Dev) regularly attended the Kartarpur congregations for a period of 7 Years. For the obedience of the Guru's word, Guru Nanak tested his own sons and Bhai Lehna [later on known as Guru Angad]. Bhai Lehna succeeded. It was then only, that he was entrusted with the Guruship and advised to make Gurmukhi script more popular.
i) The third Nanak (Guru Amar Dass) had been in attendance at Khadur Sahib for 12 years, when Guruship was passed on to him. At Goindwal (on the right bank of River Beas), a new center started flourishing. Continuing with the practices of his predecessors, third Nanak for effectively doing away with, the malpractice of untouchability; made it compulsory for everyone to take food at one and the same level, before participating in the congregation or meeting the Guru. All this was not, to the liking of some Hindus. who wanted to stick to the caste prejudices. During those days, the Emperor (Akbar) was available quiet nearby at Lahore. So they took their complaint to him. Guru was summoned; but he sent Bhai Jetha (later on known as Guru Ram Dass as the 4th Nanak), who explained the matter to the Emperor Akbar. Upon that, the Emperor got interested to see things for himself. The Emperor also was required to
take food like a commoner, at one and the same level. He was greatly impressed and proposed to the Guru, to accept the land revenue of a cluster of nearby villages of Pattee Pargana (a revenue circle), for running the common kitchen. The Guru gracefully declined the offer, on the plea, that the common kitchen is not to be run, on government aid but on a share of honest, small and hard earnings of Sikhs.

So as to further strengthen the crusade against untouchability and prejudice, the third Nanak got constructed a Baulee (a well which had 84 steps), so that water could be available to all, without any discrimination. With a view to enabling the women folk, to become equal and active participants in congregations, they were asked to cast off the custom of purdah or veil on their faces. They were advised to move about in society and congregations without any veil on their faces. Sikhs were also asked to do away with the malpractice of Sattee (widow burning herself with the dead body of her husband). Widow remarriage was also advised.

j) The 4th Nanak (Guru Ram Dass), in 1577, purchased 100 acres of land for the sum of Rs.700. The present Golden Temple complex at Amritsar was constructed during the Guruship periods of the 4th and 5th Nanaks. It contains a very big water tank, which is open to all, including the so-called untouchables for bathing. Near the southern half side of it, a pathway leads to the sanctum sanctorum which his nearly in the middle of the tank. where only God's Praises (Gurbani Kirtan) are continuously sung from the third hour of early morning to the tenth hour of evening.

k) The fifth Nanak (Guru Arjun Dev) collected the hymns of his predecessor Gurus, as also hymns of Hindu and Muslim saints, and those of his own, arranged in their suitable modes of singing Ragas and got compiled in a single volume (then known as Pothee Sahib).The authenticity of it, duly certified, could be seen at Kartarpur near Jalandhar.

In the Harimander Sahib, In the year 1604, the Pothee Sahib was installed at a Pirah, a higher level cot. Baba Budhajee,a devout Sikh from the time of Guru Nanak; was appointed as first Granthi. From then on, Guru Arjan Dev, throughout his life, slept on the ground level as a mark of respect to the Holy Word of the Holy people. Body form, being perishable and Word form being permanent, each was shown its proper place. Much earlier, when Sidh Saints at Sumer Hill, had asked Guru Nanak as to who was his Guru? The reply was: the holy words is Guru. As against the emphasis on Body Guruship, then prevailing among the holy men, the Guru cleared up that body form is not as important as the Word, the later, being permanent and former being perishable. Later on, in 1708 the Tenth Nanak ,Guru Gobind Singh formally bestowed Guruship on the Holy Words of Guru Granth Sahib.

The fifth Nanak also set an example of respecting other religions. The ground breaking foundation laying ceremony of Harimander Sahib [popularly known as Golden Temple] was got performed by a well known Muslim Saint, Peer Mian Meer of Lahore. But certain leading and bigoted Muslim clergy took the peace movement as a danger to the advancement of Islam. As such the Lahore Government sent a military commander Sulhi Khan to Amritsar. Incidently at the outskirts of Amritsar in the Putlighar area, Khan's horse became so wild, that it, along with its rider, jumped into the burning brick kiln and both were burnt alive. Another military commander while preparing to move on was beheaded by one of his own soldier. Later, some people complained to Emperor Jahangir that the fifth Nanak had financially helped the rebellious prince Amir Khusro.

Actually, it was only a normal use of an availability of an all-open hospitality of Guru ka Langar and the night stay arrangements for everyone, coming to Guru's door. A Sikh tradition, places the responsibility on a Hindu Khatri official Chandu whose pride was hurt when Guru on the advice of sangat, had refused to accept Chandu's daughter as a wife for his son (Hargobind). May be, that these factors may have had their limited play. A more clear fact remains that emperor Jahangir in the early years of his reign was highly intolerant and bigoted, under the influence of Sheikh Ahmed of Sirhind (1569-1624) the leader of Nakshbandi order of the Sufis. He was also known as mujjadid-l-alaf-sani (second new prophet). In his letter as quoted in Maktubaat-l-imaam-I-Rabbani, he had expressed jubilation over the "execution of the accursed kafir (infidel) of Goindwaal."

Another fact may be that emperor Jahangir was alarmed at the growing influence of Guru Arjan, spreading far and wide. In his own book of biography in Persian (known as Tuzak-I-Jahangiri) he wrote: "so many of Hindus, nay many foolish Muslims too, had been fascinated by the Guru's way and teaching. For many years the thought has been presenting itself to my mind; that either I should put an end to this false traffic, or that he be brought to the fold of Islam."

Soon after Prince Amir Khusro was apprehended. Jahangir wreaked terrible vengeance on the people, he had suspected of having helped his son Amir Khusro. Guru Arjan was heavily fined and on his refusal to pay the fine, was arrested. For several days he was subjected to extreme torments, was seated on red-hot iron plates, hot sand was poured over him. He was also made to dip in the boiling water. Mian Mir, the Guru's Muslim friend, came to see him and offered to intervene, but the Guru declined the offer and requested the Mian to take it easy, as it is God's will. The Guru was taken to river Ravi and a dip in tile cold water was more than the blistering body could bear. The Guru peacefully passed away.

Sixth Nanak (Guru Hargobind) put the concept of a Saint-Soldier into action, when, at the age of 11, he started wearing Two Swords (one representing spiritual Power:- Piri and the other one temporal Power-Miri). In 1609, in front of the gate of Harimandir Sahib, the Sixth Nanak laid the foundation stone of Akal Takhat (The True Throne). It is a seat that oversees the political welfare of the Sikhs. The Guru invited youngmen to come to Amritsar with horses and arms to protect their rights and defend their faith in times of emergency. The Guru was arrested by Emperor Jehangir and was put to prison in the fort of Gwalior (500/600 miles away from Amritsar) and was released after nearly two years. Earlier, the Lahore governor's armies had attacked the Guru thrice and all attacks were repulsed by the disciples of the Guru. So as to avoid armed clashes, the Guru shifted to Keeratpur in the foothills of the Himalayas.
The 7th Nanak (Guru Har Rai was the grandson of the Sixth Nanak) did maintain over two thousand soldiers but avoided any clash with Rulers. For the battle of throne at Delhi, Aurangzeb put his own father in prison and executed his own brothers and won the throne. He claimed to be a puritan, yet he unleashed terror not only against non-Muslims but also against liberal and Sufi Muslims. Himself being a Sunni Muslim was intolerant of Shias. The leader of Bohra Muslims and 700 of his followers lost their lives. The Guru was summoned to Delhi. He sent his elder son Ram Rai along with some followers. A couplet at Page 466 of Guru Granth Sahib refers to the futility of the Muslim practice of burying a body (to save it from being burnt). Ram Rai failed to stand by the actual word of 'Muslman' and instead said as if it was Bayeeman=a dishonest. The Guru was pained at Ram Rai compromising the religious principles to win court favors and just forsake him. The Guruship was thus passed on to 8th Nanak Guru Har Krishan at a young age of 5 or 6 years and he died at Delhi at the age of 8 years but before that he had replied to the Sangat Question that Baba is at Bakala. Out of 22 such claimants, Makhan Shah Lubana was able to identify Guru Tegh Bahadur as the 9th Nanak, who after purchase of village Makhoval from the Hill Raja of Bilaspur had established another centre, now-a-days known as Anandpur Sahib. A delegation of Kashmiree Brahmins visited Anandpur Sahib and narrated tales of forcible conversions by the state. Further, that their ancestors, against similar atrocities of Emperor Jehangir, had depended upon the Sixth Nanak and that excepting him [9th Nanak] they had no one else to turn to and who else could be helpful. The Guru assured them of his support and told them to convey to Emperor Aurangzeb that if the Guru could be converted, all others will follow. When the word reached the Emperor, it angered him and he ordered the arrest of the Guru. The Guru and his associates were asked to accept Islam or face torture. Prolonged torturing got no tangible results. All were ordered to be put to death. Bhai Mati Dass was split into two by a saw and Bhai Dyala was boiled to death in water. Bhai Satti Dass was wrapped in cotton and burnt alive. The Guru was beheaded. Citizens were forced to watch these horrifying acts. Gurdwara Sis Ganj at Delhi protects these memories. Lakhi Shah Vanjara took Guru's headless body to his hut and cremated it by setting fire to his hut. Gurdwara Rakaab Ganj, New Delhi, protects that memory. In the annals of world history, this sacrifice for protecting others' religious freedom, than of one's own, shall always remain unique. An opinion of Dr. Rajinder Prasad at No.24 could also be seen.

n) Tenth Nanak (Guru Gobind Singh) was only 9 years old when the responsibilities of Sikh faith fell on his young shoulders. Guru's approach to men and matters was that when in pursuit of a noble and pious cause, all other means fail, resort to sword is justified. As such, Sikhs were invited to Anand Pur Sahib with arms and horses. The Guru never ever attacked anyone but always fought in self-defense. In all, a total number of 13 battles were forced on him. Only two of these were technically lost. Substantially, these were also victories; when judged, on the principles of living up to one's words, fighting to the last man, no surrender.

o) On the Baisakhi day of 1699, the Guru called a special gathering of Sikhs. There is an official report that eighty thousand people had gathered. With the show of an unsheathed Kirpan (sword), the Guru demanded a Sikh to offer his head to him. The demand was made 5 times and one by one each time, a Sikh came forward. Incidentally none of them belonged to the Brahmin Caste [the so-called superior class] all were from the so-called lower castes. They sipped Amrit out of the same bowl. The Guru declared destruction of: 1) family attachment (Kul Nash); 2) prejudices (Bharam Nash); 3) past actions (Karam Nash) and that onwards it was their new life, in the house of the Guru. It was indeed a wonderful way of abolishing and finally ending up (over two thousand years old) malpractices of birth, caste, sex, and other prejudices and complexes. They were pronounced to be the Five Beloved Ones and Guru himself took Amrit from them, as their first disciple. Twenty thousand people are officially reported to have taken Amrit on that day. Others who wanted to carry on with caste prejudices went without taking Amrit. Thus a corporate body of the Sikhs (Guru Khalsa Panth) was created and one brotherhood was established, serving the society without distinction of caste, creed or faith and the Saint-Soldiery was thus brought about.

p) The ten Gurus' systematic working with the downtrodden, demoralized and oppressed people, produced a wonderful transformation from a totally timid to a totally courageous society, could easily be seen from the following few events:

The crusade against untouchability, caste and class hatred, started by the first Nanak and practiced by the succeeding Nine, rooted out the caste prejudices, removed the inferiority complexes and brought about equality to every human being. Thus, the ten Gurus facilitated the common man to grow courageous, defend not only himself against any mighty oppressor, but even help others out of difficulty.
The rulers of the day forced the Sixth Nanak and his Sikhs to defend themselves in 3 battles. In the Kartarpur (Beas) battle one of his sons then known as Tyagh Mai, gave such a brave fight, that the Guru renamed him Tegh Bahadur (a brave sword wielder). Despite the Soldier in him, his saintly qualities are depicted by another event. When Makhan Shah Lubanafound him as Ninth Nanak, the rival Dheer Mai attacked the Guru who just escaped death. Ultimately Lubana's men overpowered that of Dheer Mai and lot of things of Dheer Mal's camp came to their hands. Precious of all was a volume of Guru Granth Sahib duly signed and verified by the fifth Nanak who had prepared it. Guru Tegh Bahadur instructed Lubana to send all the belongings of Dheermal to him. Lubana pleaded battle rules that, all enemy things that come to the winner hands, belonged to the winners. The Guru did not agree. Then Lubana pleaded for at least keeping Guru Granth volume, as it rightfully belonged to the Guruship. The Guru told him that nothing coming as involuntary is acceptable. The volume is still available at Kartarpur (Beas) with the successors of Dheermal.
The Gurus enthused high spirit in a totally despirited people, so as to enable them to resist the repression and oppression of mighty armies could be seen from the events of Anandpur Sahib and Chamkaur Sahib battles. There were over a million men in the joint armies of Delhi Emperor, 22 Hill states, governments of Lahore and Sirhind that seiged the Anand Garh fort where only a few thousand Sikhs were defending. There were daily skirmishes as the seige continued for seven months. Getting weary and seeing no end to it, the generals of the empire felt injury to their sense of pride and felt ashamed of themselves in not succeeding. They proposed to the Guru that they were interested in a semblance of victory and that could be had, if the Guru and his Sikhs agreed to temporarily move out and return later on, when so desired. A safe passage was assured by vowing upon Hindu and Muslim holy books. One of these was by Emperor Aurangzeb on a Holy Muslim Book, Quran and that formed the basis of an agreement to move out. The Guru, his family and a few hundered Sikhs, had hardly gone a couple of miles towards Kiratpur Sahib,when they were treacherously attacked, The Guru assigned the defence to Bhai Udey Singh with fifty Sikhs and Bhai Bachitar Singh with 100 Sikhs. Bhai Udey Singh killed Mughal Commander Rustam Khan, the onslaught somewhat halted. On reaching the bank of rivulet Sirsa ,Gurujee detailed one Sikh to take his mother and two younger sons Baba Zorawar Singh (9), Baba Fateh Singh (7) to Delhi, where they could join Guru's wife, Mata Sundrijee.
Alongwith 40 Sikhs, five Beloved ones; Baba Ajit Singh (17), Baba Jujhar Singh (15)both the elder sons of the Guru, crossed Sirsa rivulet and all went to village Kotla Nihang Khan. The Khan was a devotee of the Guru. After a brief stay, they further moved on to village Chamkaur, where they occupied a. small mud fortress (Garhi).The Imperial forces numbering in lakhs, surrounded them there. Turn by turn, each time; five Sikhs would come out and give tough fight. The enemy lost thousands of lives. The Guru lost both the sons, three Beloved ones (Sahib Singh, Himmat Singh, Mohkam Singh), Kirpa Singh Kashmeeree, three sons of Bhai Manee Singh and other Sikhs. At that, the Guru was getting ready to go out and fight himself. But then, the remaining Sikhs tried to dissuade him. On seeing him insistent, in their capacity as Guru Panth; they presented a written order that the Guru, in the better interests of carrying out his mission further; must move out. The Gurmata, a consensus of Sangat, the Guru had to obey. It was decided that Bhai Daya Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh, Ram Singh and Man Singh will also accompany him. The Guru's Kalghi was transferred to the forehead of Bhai Sangat Singh who had strong resemblance to that of the Guru. It was 2 A.M. when the Guru moved out of the fortress. At a distance of 200 yards from the Garhi, with a repeated big clap of his hands, the Guru loudly declared that he was going, making the enemy aware of it.
Before the dawn, the Guru reached the wild bushy jungle of an area now known as Jharh Sahib and spent his day there. At the night fall, moved on to Machhiwara and entered into a garden there. To serve him as a pillow, he got hold of a brick and used ground for the bed. Even after such terrifying adversities, he was calm and cool, without any complaint. Through a Shabad:Yar-rhay da sanoo sathar changa, Bhath kherhaian da rehna; a deep contentment was duly expressed. An English version of it may be, that the Guru felt comfortable with his bed on the ground, so long as God wants it and that without God in mind, even household comforts are real discomforts. Earlier, fifth Nanak [ Guru Arjan Dev ] also was similarly cool and contented with the three days of extreme physical tortures. Guru's four other companions also joined him there. For one day, all stayed with Masand Gulaba. He and Ghani Khan, Nabee Khan {first cousins of Nawab Nihang Khan of Kotla ], dressed the Guru in the garb of a high Muslim Saint [Uch da Peer ] and seated him on a cot. Front two sides, of the cot were lifted by the Khan brothers, on their own shoulders. Likewise the hind two, were lifted by two Sikhs. A whisker made of peacock feathers was being served by Bhai Daya Singh. On the way, several check posts failed to detect. Through the villages of Lall, Kubey, Rampur Katani, Kanech, Alamgir, Jodhan, Mansuran and Mohi; they reached Hayyar and stayed with Mahant Kirpal Dass. He suggested that it would be better if the Guru reached village Lamma-Jatpura, where two brave, fearless and trustworthy, grand father and grandson were living. After, highly appreciating the services of the Khan brothers, Guru gave them leave to return to their place. Then the journey for Lamma- Jattpura was on. When, outside village Kamalpura,at the crossing points of the then routes of a couple of neighbouring villages; the ruler of the then state of Raekot, Rai Kallah met the Guru and expressed his concerns of the atrocities on him and his Sikhs. The Guru reacted what has to happen does happen. The Rai went along upto the destination and made arrangements for a comfortable stay and requested the Guru to continue his stay in the Rai's territories for a considerable period of time and that he would be visiting the Guru very often. An other earlier personal link, does deserve mention. In the year 1694 the daughter of Rai Kallah was married to Aalam Khan son of Nawab Nihang Khan of Kotla. Then the Guru was invited to bless the couple and the Guru had attended that occasion.
The Lamma-Jattpura stay and two Sacred Relics; The Guru resided in the chobara [upper storey] of Ram Ditta Mal Dhillon. After every early morning prayers, routinely, the Guru took to riding on a horse -back and move out to the fields of surrounding villages, more particularly the outer areas known as Dhabs [water points or pools] of Manuke, Akhara, Panjuana, Mehdayaana and others. Now-a- days, streams of people visit Gurdwara Mehdayaana Sahib for an additional interest to look up the works of a local artist, successfully depicting many events of Sikh history as repeated in the daily Ardas.
Gurujee was keen to know about the welfare of his own mother and the younger sons. He had asked Rai Kallha to depute some reliable person to bring correct news and for that, Noora Mahi had gone to Sirhind. Gurujee and Rai Kallha were together at Panjuana, when the news arrived. With an arrow iin his hand, Gurujee was playing with the root of a long grass. At the same time Gurujee was listening to the version of events as related by Noora Mahi. He disrlosed as to how Gangoo, a one time kitchen servant of the Guru took all the three to his own house and promised to look after their comforts and then got greedy to deprive Gurujee's mother of the possession of (cash and ornaments, she was carrying with her. Next morning Gangoo got them arrested. Detailing the proceedings before Nawab (Governor) of Sirhind, it was told that Dewar: Sucha Nand advised death penalty for the innocent children, but Nawab of Malerkotla pleaded that there was nothing in Muslim Law by which innocent children could be punished for the faults of their father. Even then, Dewan Sucha Nand vehemently insisted upon his original proposal. However, temptations of worldly riches and freedom could not win them over, nor could the threats of severe punishments or that of death penalty cow down their courage. To a question as to what would they do, If they are freed ? Answer was, that they would fight against injustice. They then were ordered to be bricked alive till they were dead. On reaching the level of their necks, the bricks fell down, but they were ordered to be beheaded. Soon after, the news reached their grandmother, who also expired, in prison. There were heavy restrictions against permitting cremation of bodies, but Dewan Todar Mal paid a very heavy price and succeeded in cremating the bodies. Upon that the Guru declared: all Turks will soon be uprooted in the way of this grass, only Malerkotla will remain rooted in. At this Raj Kallah rose up with folded hands, seeking an exception about himself and his successors of him, on the ground that although he was a Muslim by faith, even then he had no sympathy with the oppressive rulers of his own faith.
Guru's Sword as a Safeguard: In reply to Rai Kallah, Gurujee rose up, untied one of the swords, he was wearing and gifted the same to the Rai, telling him that so long as he or his successors do not treat it as an ordinary sword but treat it as a sacred gift from the Khalsa, deserving of utmost respect, no harm would visit him or his successors. At that,Raj Kallah felt very happy and promised giving the sword full respect by him and after him.
Later on, the Rai in exchange of so sacred a gift from the Guru, offered precious gifts of a good horse, a sword with shield, bow and arrows and one hundred gold coins. During the regimes of Rai Kallah and his son Rai Ahmed sanctity of the sacred Relic was duly maintained, but during the regime of the grandson namely Rai Ilias [1779 to 1802 ] laxity came. So much so that, one day Rai Ilias ventured to treat it as an ordinary sword and thus wore it, on a hunting expedition, near village Sherpurwhich is located on the present day Jagraon - Sidhwan Bet road. Rai Ilias was driving his horse after a deer and then his horse suddenly fell, his foot entangled in the Rakab. In an effort at disetanglement, he drew out the sacred sword so that he could cut off the leather leading to the Rakaab, but the horse suddenly rose up, cutting the throat of Rai Iiias and he died. His grave is there. Noor-uI-Nissa, mother of Rai Ilias and later on Bhag Bhari widow of Ilias succeeded him. In 1799 Ranjeet Singh got hold of Lahore. In 1803 British captured Delhi. Upon a dispute of one village Dulladee, States of Nabha and Patiala were ready to go to war. But the then, Raja Bhag Singh of Jind State was a maternal uncle of Ranjeet Singh. The latter was persuaded by the former to intervene. The dispute of Nabha Patiala was settled by Ranjeet Singh. However he was informed of turbulent conditions in Raekot and that Raj Ilias in 1783 had fought a battle at Jodhan Mansuran; with Baba Sahib Singh Bedi, for whom Ranjeet Singh had the highest of respects. Baba Bedi had performed the ceremony of declaring Ranjeet Singh a Maharaja. Ranjit Singh Scattered Raekot. After settling the Nabha Patiala dispute, on his way back,Ranjeet Singh left only a few villages with Noor-ul-Nissa namely Raekot, Talwandi, Chhajjawal, Hayyar and Morkariman. The rest of it was given to the States of:Jind,Nabha, Kapurthala and Ladwa respectively. The number of villages given to them, was 54, 31, 106,and 32. Dewan Mohkam Chand was given 71 villages, S.Wadhawa Singh 10 and Bhang Singh only one. With the Amritsar Agreement of 1809, Ranjit Singh was left with no influence over the territories lying South-East of Sutlej River. Even then, through Choudhary Kadir Bux of Kapurthala, Rani Bhag Bhari was approached by Ranjeet Singh, with an offer of a Jagir, for the Sacred sword. Reply was, that they do not sell sacred things. Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha writes that, through the Nawab of Malerkotla, Raja Jaswant Singh of Nabha got the sacred sword which is lying in Gurdwara Saropa Sahib at Nabha. But, there is another version also. After the death of Ranee Bhag Bhari in 1854, her adopted son Imam Bux succeeded her. When the Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana came for the mourning, with a view to win favour, Imam Bux presented the sword to the Deputy Commissioner and on Nov. 25, 1854; it was sent to England.
Another Relic of Guru Gobind Singh is available with Rai Dynasty. It has Extra-Ordinary and Wonderful Characteristics: Details are: During his stay at Lamma-Jattpura,Guru Gobind Singh used to spend his day time, away from habitats and in the outlying fields. Here it may be explained that until the year 1947,gujjars as a community, were well known breeders of milching cattle and for grazing their cattle, they would move about in fields. One day, Gurujee asked the passing by gujjars to supply him milk. They told him that their cattle were dry but a youngman coming behind was with a milching cow. After saying so, they went on. When the man with the cow came, Gurujee asked him too. He replied to the Guru that, had his cow been milching, he would have gladly given him the milk. Further that the passing gujjars have only jokingly told that my cow was a milching one.The Guru smiled, saying jokes were good pastime. The Guru had a water vessel [popularly known as Ganga Sagar], full of holes and it is the same,even now. The Guru gave it to Mahi [a common name for a cattle breeder] and asked him to milch his cow and that God would give milk. Upon that the Mahi started milchlng, a part of it was dropping down, through the holes and a part of it was being retained by the vessel and when it had gone full; it was brought to the Guru who drank the milk and said "Bishamber hain, Sarbang bhar hain" God fulfills everything. "Then the Guru told the Mahi to keep the vessel with him and that would gratiate his wants."Rai Kallah had requested the Guru to visit Raikot to enable their ladies to meet him and the Guru had given a word that he would visit them some times. One day outside Raekot, along with two of his Sikhs; Gurujee reached the garden of Rai Kallha and the horse was tied to a Tahlee tree. Now a Gurdwara there, is known as Tahliana Sahib. Very soon then, the family members of Rai Kallha also reached. Then the Mahi along with the vessel or Ganga sagar, also arrived. Mahi related the whole story and placed the vessel before Rai Kallah. Gurujee again repeated the same words and said that was why God was known to be fulfilling everything. Before the partition of the country in 1947, Rai Inayat Ulla Khan was an honorary Magistrate of Raekot. At his residence, on every full moon day the Gangasagar was shown to public. On each Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh, the vessel full of water was always shown publically. Alongwith Raj family, the vessel also went to Pakistan.

There Rai Inayat Ulla Khan died in 1953 and his son Faqir ulla Khan died in 1958 and the vessel is with Aziz Ulla Khan, grand son of Inayat Ulla Khan. On the request of Sikh Sangats, the sacred Relic has been shown in U.K., Vancouver [Canada], Singhapur, Australia and New Zealand. On Feb.11,1996, on the request of Dr. Sukhjeet Singh Chahal; the Sacred Relic was shown in Gurdwara Nanaksar Frisno [C.A.], U.S.A. It was a gathering of 12,000.S. Didar Singh Bains and Ragee Harbans singh Jagadhari also attended. For concerns of safety and security the Sacred Relic has since been put in a Bank Locker in U.K.

The stay at Dina Kangar [Bhatinda] :The Guru and his companions moved to village Dina Kanger (now in Bathinda. There from, the Guru wrote the Zaffarnama, a letter of victory in fine Persian poetry to Emperor Aurangzeb making clear to him that the religious vows of his and his generals were deceitfully broken and unkept and thus morally it was a defeat of the imperial forces. Numerous other bitter truths of the Emperor's character were also written. The Emperor felt impressed and requested the Guru to meet him in the far south part of India, where he was engaged in quelling a rebellion. This reply had reached the Guru at Talwandi Sabo. In response to which, the Guru had gone only less than half the way; when the news of Aurangzeb's death arrived.
Between the dispatch of the letter of victory (Zaffarnama) from Dina Kangar (Bathinda) and the receipt of its reply at Talwandi Sabo-Damdama Sahib (Bathinda) two very important events happened. (i) Against the imperial forces, the Guru had a very successful battle at Mukatsar. Mata Bhag Kaur enriched Sikh history by actively participating in the battle at Mukatsar. She also had played a historical role, in persuading those 40 Sikhs who had earliar at Anandpur Sahib deserted the Guru; to participate in the battle at Mukatsar. All the 40 attained martyrdom. They were blessed by the Guru as the liberated souls, freed from the cycle of birth and death. The place is now known, after that title of theirs. (ii) At Talwandi Sabo, after adding the hymns of the Ninth Nanak, the Guru prepared the current version of Guru Granth Sahib, the copies of which were prepared by Baba Deep Singh and sent to all-important Sikh centers. Later on, Guruship was passed on to this version of the scriptures with clear cut guideline that advice of the Guru could be sought, in the word of the Guru available there. All this would show how wisely and timely the Panthic decision was, in ordering Guru Gobind Singh to move out of the battle field of Chamkaur Sahib, as he had yet to take, the above all important steps of his mission. For example liberating the humanity from the shackles of seeking Guruship in body form and thus helping them to avoid tire pitfalls lying, the way of body form.
Gurujee stayed at Talwandi Sabo, nearly for 10 months. Choudhary Dalla was the chief of the area, who looked after the comforts of Gurujee. One day Gurujee asked Dalla to ask for, what he would like to have. Dalla stated that all other things he was having already but he was in need of a small sitting place, an equaivalent of a small cot [peerhi], in the Court of God. Gurujee advised Dalla to ask for any thing of this world. But Dalla still insisted on the same original demand of his. Upon that, a mystery that is almost always told in very subtle terms was told to Dalla in very clear and plain language. Gurujee told Dalla, that without the partaking of Amrit [the baptimsal ceremony ] a small cot in AImighity's Darbar [court ] was too big a space to ask for, as without that, even the small space, as that of a small hole of a needle made for the thread was not possible.

With Dalla here, there was another incident. Dalla was speaking very highly of the bravery of the persons he was keeping in his own force. Even boasted, had the Guru, sought the help of his force, things would have been different. Incidently then, a Sikh came with a gun, to offer it as gift to the Guru. Gurujee proposed to Dalla to send for any one of his brave men to offer himself for the test of the gun on him. No one agreed, on the plea that battle field alone could be a testing place. Then, Gurujee sent a clear message to his Sikhs desiring one Sikh to present himself as a target for the newly arrived weapon. From among the Sikhs working in the kitchen, two Sikhs; father and son came running and each vied with one another to be shot down by the Guru. One of them was tying his turban and in the same condition he offered to be shot. Thus Dalla's pride was settled.

On the demise of Emperor Aurangzeb a battle of succession among the sons of Emperor Aurangzeb came on the political scene. The eldest one [Bahadur Shah] approached the Guru for help. Bahadur Shah won the battle for succession and honored Guru Gobind Singh at Agra. Then both of them went to south but parted at Nander (Hazoor Sahib). There, the Guru happened to meet an ascetic from Kashmir whose name was Madho Dass Laxman Dass Bairagee. On meeting the Guru, the ascetic felt committed to the Guru and on taking Amrit from the Guru, the name changed to Gurbax Singh (popularly known as Banda Singh Bahadur). The Guru gave Banda some of his weapons and letters to Sikh Sangats to support Banda's mission, as also five Singhs were deputed with him to aid and advise him respecting the matters of campaign and other such things. The mission was to root out the oppressive Rule of Sirhind government. After fast successes at Panipat, Samana Sadhoura. a battle with Sirhind governmenu was fought. Troops were engaged outside Sirhind at village Chappar Chiri, where the Khalsa was victorious and Nawab (Governer) of Sirhind was killed.
Earlier Emperor Bahadur Shah's amicable relations with Guru Gobind Singh had made the Sirhind Governor uneasy and insecure. So he had detailed two of his agents to kill Guru Gobind Singh. Only a few weeks after Banda had left for Punjab the assailants attacked the Guru , one of them was killed by the Guru while the other one escaped. Treatment of injuries continued for some days, but ultimately the injuries proved fatal.
However, before the Guru's pious spirit left his mortal body, so as to mingle with the Almighty and Eternal spirit, the Guru sent for the Sangat and Granth Sahib, popularly known as Damdami Bir (the version prepared at Taiwandi Sabo. now known as Damdama Sahib). In due reverence, the Guru bowed before the Granth Sahib and declared that from then on, the Guruship shall eternally and for all times to come, will always remain vested in the Guru Granth. Further that, the Sikhs could seek guidance from the Shabads (words) in the Granth, in the manner of a Guru speaking in body. Throughout the past ages, finding a True Guru in a body form has all along been very difficult. The above dispensation by the Tenth Guru, wholly and effectively solved the problem. In fact, the system was duly evolved from the time of Guru Nanak Dev. At the time, he visited Sidh saints at Sumer Mountain, they had posed him a question, as to who was his Guru and the reply was that the Shabad or Word was his Guru. In due letter and spirit there to, the fifth Nanak, very demonstrably worked it out: when after installing the Granth (then known as Pothi Sahib) put it on a Peerha (high cot) and himself throughout his life slept on the floor. Then on, he never used a cot for himself. That way, he showed a proper place to the body form. After adding verses of the Ninth Nanak, the tenth Guru during his stay at Talwandi Sabo, completed the Granth. When his earthly departure time arrived, he made the declaration recognizing the Granth Sahib the Guru, for all times to come.
Emperor Bahadur Shah was very uneasy at the successes of Banda Singh Bahadur, who had even minted coins in the names of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh. Under Amir Khan the emperor detailed 60,000 troops to capture or kill Banda. But he escaped to the hills. The emperor became mentally ill and expired on February 17, 1712. Ultimately Farukh Sayyer succeeded him. In 1715 Banda with 700 men was camping in a small village (Gurdas Nangal) in Gurdaspur when the Imperial forces seized the village and the skirmishes continued for 8 months. Feeling frustrated, the Mughals embarked on negotiations. These were, through a Kashmiri Raj Kaul. Banda was offered the rule of Jammu and adjoining hill areas. Banda agreed to a discussion. The trick worked. Banda was captured with his men and all taken to Delhi under strong guard. At Delhi, near Harding Library one hundred Sikhs were daily murdered in cold blood and none gave up his faith and each accepted death gladly. All this is mentioned by a British reporter to his chief at Calcutta.After the Guru Period: challenges for the Sikhs were great, hardships were greater and sufferings were still greater but courage, sagacity and achievements were no less. It is history now, that Sikhs had to fight against the oppression and tyranny let loose by two Empires; Mughals (then ruling India) and king Abdali of Afghanistan who invaded India some 17 times.
After he won the battle of Panipat from the Marathas, no one else in India except the Sikhs challenged him. Inspired by the Ten Guru's teachings, without any military power (worth the name) almost everytime, the Sikhs were able to challenge Abdali and ultimately put a stop on his entry into India. His last three attempts failed him and he died as a frustrated and dejected man.
In independent India also, the Sikhs had to fight against the Govt. policies of discrimination and oppression. A glaring instance is that when Indian Army attacked Akal Takhat in 1984 (with tanks, mortars, armored vehicles and air droppings) less than 100 people (some say only 40) under Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale, fought to the last man for three days. Rajeev Gandhi, as Prime Minister, publicly admitted to at least 700 causalities of army personnel. For reasons of saving false prestige the Government gave out untrue figures of casualties, so also about civilian casualties which were in thousands. Knowledgeable people believe that Army casualties were also in thousands and not less than three thousand. For the cloaking up of truth, curfew, press gag, keeping out of Punjab the foreign and independent journalists were heavily resorted to.
The Sikhs had great sufferings and successes: some specifics are:

1716-1726: Abdul Samaad Khan, the then Governor of Punjab committed extreme atrocities on Sikhs. Anyone with the head of a Sikh could get a prize of Rs.25 and Rs.100 for an alive Sikh. Zakaria Khan S/o Abdul Samad Khan became governor of Punjab. For Sikhs he was worse than his father. Sikhs hid in hills but even then some govt. troops and treasuries were attacked.

1733: Through Shah Begh Singh, Zakaria Khan senta proposal of one lakh Rupees Jagir and a title of Nawab. None was tempted to accept the power and pelf of Governorship (Nawabee). Then a consensus developed in favor of passing it on to Kapoor Singh who was a care taker of horses. He put his own condition that he will not be deprived of his then duties of horse caring. He organized Buddha Dal and Taruna DaI.The former of oId people and the latter of young people.

1735: Zakaria Khan confiscated the Jagir.

1738: Bhai Mani Singh head Granthi of Darbaar Sahib, was hacked to pieces, joint by joint; event is daily remembered in Ardas.

1739: King Nadir Shah of Persia (lran) invaded India, ransacked Punjab, looted and massacred Delhi; where from he got the world famous biggest jewel, Kohinoor, (now adorning the crown of England). He made thousands of people his slaves and ordered them to march to his country. While he was returning through Punjab, the Dal Khalsa lightened much of his load and freed many of the prisoners. Khalsa would come like hawks, do their job, and ride away before the army quards knew what had happened. Qazi Noor Mohammed historian had come along with Nadir Shah. It may be relevent to refer to his opinion at S.No.15 of Eminent scholar's opinions. Zakaria Khan further intensified the atrocities on Sikhs. The local authorities were sending to Lahore, cart loads of Sikh's heads. Alive, but arrested Sikhs were taken to Lahore under chains, starved, tortured and butchered before big gatherings, in the horse market, later named as Shaheed Ganj.

1740: Amritsar Sarowar (Tank) was filled with debris. The local chief Massa Rangharh used to sit in Harmandar Sahib, smoke there while watching half naked girls perform dances. When the news reached them, the Sikhs were camping in the desert areas of Bikaner, Bhai Sukkha Singh and Mehtab Singh, disguised themselves as revenue officials, reached Harmandar Sahib. One of them drew the sword and suddenly beheaded Massa. The other picked it up. Both of them rode off on their horses, before the dancing girls could overcome their shock and alert the watchman.

1745: Bhai Taru Singh was a farmer of village Poohla (district Lahore). He used to send some food rations to the Sikhs. A co-villager, Harbhagat Niranjan informed the authorities. So Taru Singh was arrested and given an option to save his life by converting to Islam. He refused and they wanted to cut off his hair. He told them that instead of cutting his hair they could cut his head or scalp. The event is daily remembered in Sikh Ardas.

1745: Zakaria Khan died. His son Yahaya Khan became Governor of Lahore. The Sikhs felt some relief. They advised the villagers to rid themselves of the Mughal tyrant rule. This enraged the Government. The minister, Lakhpat Rai, sent his brother, Jaspat Raj, to control the Sikhs, but he himself was killed in the battle. During a fight with the Sikhs, Jaspat Raj was riding an elephant. A smart Rangretta Sikh suddenly caught the tail of the elephant and climbed the back and chopped off the head of Jaspat Rai. Angered by this, the Moghuls instructed their army to seek out the Sikhs and kill them. Rangretta is one of the lowest castes. One of them [on taking Amrit was named Bhai Jeewan Singh]. He did a real heroic deed, in as much as, in utter defiance of the then Government orders, all the way; from Delhi to Anand pur Sahib, a distance of over 200 Miles, had brought the head of Ninth Nanak. At that event, the tenth Nanak [Guru Gobind Singhi had affectionately remarked: Rangrette Guru Ke Bete: (Rangrettas are Gurus sons). Ever since then traditionally the word is used for recognising such subsequent acts of bravery.

Bhai Shah Begh Singh was a small farmer of village Poohla of Lahore district and was an employee of Zakaria Khan. It was through him that in 1733 Zakaria Khan had offered governorship to the Panth. Later on he was doubted to be secretly helping the Panth. Shah Baj Singh S/o Shahbegh Singh was also arrested. Both were asked to convert to Islam. On refusal, both were crushed between the rotating spiked wheels. They are remembered in daily Sikh prayer- ARDAS.

1746: Khalsa decided to move to hills for safety. But they were pursued amidst the sedges and reefs along the Beas River in Kahnuan area of Gurdaspur. About 10,000 of them were massacred there and it is known as Chhota Ghalughara, the small Holocaust.

April 1748: At Akal Takhat Amritsar, Nawab Kapoor Singh organized the Dal Khalsa into five divisions or misels. Later on, the numbers increased to eleven. The twelfth was Phulkian of Malwa region but that was not a part of Dal Khalsa.

1748: Mir Mannoo became the governor of Punjab. At first, under advice of Dewan Kaura Mal; Mir Manoo refrained from being harsh to the Sikhs. Later on things changed. Ahmed Shah Abdali, the king of Afghanistan, was a yearly menace for Punjab and Delhi. To fight him, Mir Mannoo received no help from Delhi. Therefore, Mir Mannoo changed his loyalties and in 1752 Mir Manoo allied himself with Abdali (instead of Delhi). Abdali advised Mir Mannoo to repress Sikhs. Their hunting in Punjab was restarted. If the males escaped arrest, the females were brought to Lahore to be tortured and butchered. The women were imprisoned, starved and forced to work in labor camps. Their children were chopped into pieces and strung around their necks as necklaces. The event is also daily remembered as a part of Sikh Ardas. The Sikhs refused to submit to Mannoo's tyranny.

1753: Mir Mannoo died.

Abdali for the fourth time invaded Delhi, looting the whole of North India (Delhi, Mathura, Agra). While he was returning with gold and valuables, along with thousands of men and women prisoners, the Sikhs attacked him and prisoners were freed and escorted to their homes. Most of the treasure fell to the share of Sikhs. In anger, Abdali tore down the Golden Temple and filled ttle Sarover with debris and General Jahan Khan with ten thousand soldiers was given the task of destroying the Sikhs. Abdali made his son Temur, the governor of Punjab. However, the Afghan army was defeated near Hoshiarpur.

On learning the desecration of Darbar Sahib [Golden Temple], Baba Deep Singh, who was then at Damdama Sahib, volunteered to either liberate the city and rebuild the temple or die in the service of the Guru. With a few thousand Sikhs, Baba Ji fought bravely against the well-equipped army and did reach the Golden Temple and became a martyr. With an eye on the governorship of Lahore and a weak Temur, Adina Begh of Jalandhar sought help of Sikhs and Marathas. Therefore, Temur and Jahan Khan vacated Lahore. While they were retreating to Afghanistan, the Afghans and their guns were intercepted near the Chenab River. The Afghans were brought to Amritsar as prisoners and made to undo what they had done some months earlier in desecrating the Amrit Sarovar. After they had cleaned the Sarovar and removed debris, they were freed without any other punishment.

1756: Abdali again invaded India. In the battle of Panipat, Abdali was the winner against Marhattas. From Delhi, he had brought looted wealth and 2,000 women prisoners. Khalsa liberated them all and also took away most of the looted wealth. Abdali was dejected and extremely angry, as he was returning empty handed. Thus he resolved to come back with enough force to destroy Sikhs. With a large organized force, Abdali again came. Knowing it, the Sikhs vacated Lahore. About 60,000 men, women and children were moving to safety in Malwa and Abdali decided to make a lightning march. He crossed two rivers and covered a distance of 100 miles in just two days. The cavalry took, the slow moving Sikhs by surprise, when they were near the village of Kupp (about 30 miles south of Ludhiana). Some 30,000 Sikhs lost their lives and the rest, escaped further south towards the town of Barnala. This was Wada Ghallughara (Great holocaust). Abdali again blew up the Golden Temple and filled the sarovar with refuse and dead cows to desecrate it.

May 1762: After reorganizing, a large number of Sikhs gathered again and took over Sirhind.

Oct.1762 : On Diwali day, 60,000 Sikhs gathered at Amritsar and Abdali was pushed out of Amritsar and he had to run for his life.

Dec. 1764: Again for the seventh time, AbdaIi invaded. Only 30 Sikhs were at Amritsar. They fought to the last man. a fierce battle to defend Akal Takhat. Qazi Nur Mohammed, a historian who had originally come along with Nadir Shah in 1739; wrote a historic treatise known as Jang Nama literally meaning the battle Accounts. As a witness to the event, wrote in his Jang Nama that under the leadership of Gurbux Singh of Khem Karan; the Sikhs fought very well. The warrior qualities were highly praised by him. His views could be seen at S.No. 15 , among the scholarly opinions, on the closing pages.

April 1765: At Akal Takhat gathering of the Sikhs it was decided to reconstruct the temple and protect it constantly from future desecration. Amrit- Sarovar was cleaned, a lot of money was spent on rebuilding. At Harmandir Sahib, regular Keertan was started. The arrangements for Guru Ka Laingar were duly made. Abdali again came, for the eighth time. He offered the Governorship to Lehna Singh, who declined to accept it. On the return Journey of Abdali, the Sikhs repeated just the same actions.

1768: For the ninth time again Abdali came. The Sikhs surrounded him near Jhelum, where from he returned.

1769: Tenth time again Abdali came towards Peshawar, the Sikhs intercepted him there and he was forced to return disappointed.

April 14, 1772:Abdali died.

1783: Under the leadership of Baba Baghel Singh, Sikhs conquered Delhi, which was under the rule of Shah Aalam II. His wife saved the reputation of her husband by becoming an honorary sister to the Sikhs and many concessions were given. The Gurudwaras of Delhi, such as, Sis Ganj, Rakaab Ganj, Bangla Sahib and others were then rebuilt.

April 12, 1801:Ranjeet Singh was declared the Maharaja and he united all the misels who were ruling the Punjab at that time with reason or by force, ln July 1813, Attock was occupied and in 1919 Peshawar was occupied by Sikhs. Under the Maharaja, administration was secular. Many Muslims and Hindus held responsible posts. There was no capital punishment. The three Dogra brothers Gulab Singh, Dhian Singh and Suchet Singh held prominent positions. Through an understanding with the British, the Dogras fomented hostilities among the members of the Maharaja's family and as a reward, the British later allowed Gulab Singh the rule of Jammu and Kashmir states, although ostensibly, it was a sale for the surface consideration of Rs. 150 lakhs. Their descendant Hari Singh opted to join India in 1947.

During the pre-independence period, when India was struggling to be independent, the Sikhs were hardly 2% of the population of India, yet they contributed to 82% of sacrifices i.e. hangings to death, life imprisonments, deportations, and confiscations of properties. The then political leaders of India had assured that-"in North India a place could be carved where Sikhs could feel a glow of freedom." But on the power coming in hands, they went back on their words, on the plea that 'circumstances have changed'. At serial No. 5 of the opinions of scholars, historian Cunningham is proved correct when he says: What the Sikhs have done for the country, the Hindus and human rights has not been appreciated.

Amazingly enough, both the opposite positions, were taken up by one and the same statesman, namely, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, known as a world figure. In such a state of statesmanship, ethics in public life was the first causality. In pre-independence days, the Indian political leadership had held out promises of a loose confederation of states with powers of seceding on the pattern of Russia to the states reorganized on the basis of language. Contrary to that, the states were left with only nominal powers. Excepting Punjab, all other states were reorganized on the basis of language. During his life time, Pandit Nehru did not allow a Panjabi speaking state. After Nehru's death in 1964, Lal Bahadur Shashtri succeeded as Prime Minister. In fighting the1965 war with Pakistan; Shashtri appreciated the patriotism of Sikhs and conceeded the demand. But before the boundaries could be drawn, Shashtri died. Indira Gandhi, daughter of Pandit Nehru, succeeded him as P.M. Ignoring the officially accepted regional formula, punjabi speaking areas were given to Hindi states and are still with them. Contrary to the rule as applied to other states of India, Punjab remains deprived of its capital city of Chandigarh. Similarly contrary to the Laws of the Land as applied to other states, the control of river waters, power head works is with the Central Government. Relief is nowhere in sight.

In June 1984 the Indian Army, with a large forces strength, invaded the Darbar Sahib complex, including the Akal Takhat and continued firing for 3 days. Fire power of heavy artillery tanks, mortars, armored vehicles and other weaponry was used to demolish Akal Takhat and other structures. The Golden Temple also received its share of bullets and even the Guru Granth inside it had a share of bullets.

For several months, the complex was occupied by the indian army and the Government forcibly rebuilt the Akal Takhat. On getting back the control of the complex, the Sikhs demolished the government built structure and re-built it on their own. Highly valuable Gurmat literature, original manuscripts and others were either taken away or destroyed during the army occupation. Such a cultural onslaught is still on and that is much more dangerous than the one on buildings. A deliberate misinformation regarding facts about Gurus' ideas and their lives is still on.

For the last over 50 years, the above policies towards a small minority have been pursued by a party that constantly labels itself as national and non-communal. Now, Bhartya Janta Party is in power. That has an openly harsh agenda towards all minorities. Basically the agenda of both the major political parties are similar. The only minor difference is that one has a hidden agenda and the other an open one.

As early as August 11, 1911 the Director of CID of the British Indian Govt. had reported in some such terms as under:

"About Sikh faith, Hindu friend always plays an adverse role because the Sikh Guru's had taken effective steps against Hindu discriminations perpetrated by the caste system and on the face of the fact that Brahminical thought was wholly structured on the basis of discriminations and differences. That is why the Hindu attitude was always directed towards downing Sikh principles and religion. Hindu religion has successfully stifled Budhism, being its dangerous opposite and now it had adopted same terrifying means against Sikh religion.
[These words are merely an attempt at transliteration from the contents appearing in a Punjabi book at page 522, as authored by Gurnam Singh Mukatsar]. However the small report sufficiently fore-sees, the root cause of such an attitude of the Indian leaders as shown by the events as mentioned in the foregoing and succeeding pages of this small handbook.

The present Prime Minister is known to be the best of the lot. He is reputed to be an idealistic man of liberal views. However his party's reaction about the 1984 attack on Golden Temple was that it was a delayed one and thus, impliedly supported it (Spokesman July 1996, Page 46). During the last 15 years, several authors and intellectuals, including several retired Army Generals have commented that it was an unwise action and avoidable also. Even then, after 15 years hindsight; there is no regret forthcoming. The leaders of other civil societies have apologized for their excesses such as U.S.A. for bombing Japan, Germany and Japan for World War II.

For the Sikhs, the only solution that is suggested by Prime Minister is that they should forget the excesses of 1984, although the party of the Prime Minister, is not prepared to forget what happened 500 years back. Demolition of Babri Masjid is just a recent instance and a similar agenda as to several others is so often in the news.

Mahatma Gandhi was the heart and soul of the Indian National movement and he was given the title of the Father of the Nation. In the thirties of the 20th Century, Dr. Ambedkar, as leader of untouchables, now known as Dalits, felt convinced that Sikhism was one faith, where there is equality for all and is free from caste prejudices and other discriminations. He therefore proposed to Sikh leaders that they should set up a Khalsa College at Bombay. That College is still going on there. So as to scuttle the move of adoption of Sikh faith, the Father of the Nation threatened a fast unto death and Dr. Ambedkar yielded.

Master Sujan Singh Sarhaliwas a famous Akali leader. We were close neighbourers at Bassi Pathana in Fateh Garh Sahib. About Dr. Ambedkar's matter said above, Masterjee shared his experience of a meeting with the Mahatma (a prefix used for Gandhiji's reputed saintly mannerism). Masterjee told me that he personally met Gandhiji and proposed to him that in view of the fact that Hinduism and Sikhism were historically closer and native, there should be no objection by him if Dr. Ambedkar with his followers adopts Sikhism. To the surprise of Masterjee, the Mahatma's reply was that he had every objection. At that, Masterjee put up another proposition of the said Dalits possibly turning to Islam. For the additional surprise of Masterjee the reply was that then the objection was lesser. Against such a discriminatory approach and attitude of a Father of a Nation reputed to be saintly, Masterjee registered his protest by telling the Mahatma at his face, that as a ground reality Gandhijee's tall talk of secularism and sermons about morality were thus a mere hoax and hypocracy. The fore-going facts about the Mahatmajee are substantially corroborated at Pages 522 to 525 of the above said book by Gurnam Singh Mukatsar.

The above instances of the wrong attitude of the political elite of Indian leadership is really disappointing. It could only be a pious wish, in this wide world to expect someone to come forward to make the Indian leaders realize that in the better interests of a strong nation, they should leave their narrow and possessive approach; get to be tolerant and co-existent with any and every religion; just as Sikhism preaches and practices. Further that winning over the trust and confidence of minorities is a better policy than try to subjugate them.

It is very well known that U.S.A. is the strongest country of the world. Towards its minorities, it pursues open minded policies and feels proud of the contributions made by them, in its economic and cultural strength. The diverse groups of immigrants are often recognized and acknowledged for that reason. Merit is encouraged, India also needs to do likewise.

After independence, the Congress regime set on the course of damaging the Sikh valuation system. For that, various instruments of State power were used. The decade beginning with 1984 was the climax of it all. In that process the congress did get some short term political gains. However, for the long term; the Congress appears to have damaged itself, beyond repair.

The present Prime Minister's reputation of honesty, selflessness and liberalism, has won the governance of the country for his party. It is mainly for his clean image that the regional parties dropped their shyness to associate with the party he represents. Earlier, in his short stint, as a Foreign Minister in the Janta Dal Government, he was able to retrieve the loss of relations respecting Pakistan and China that had been damaged in the Congress regime. Thus it could be expected that the domestic problem of minorities will also receive his attention that is due. In so doing and delivering justice to the minorities; he could win their full confidence. That could also earn stable political and electoral gains for his party. Such an enlightened leadership of the country could be expected of him. The wrong policies started by the Congress for damaging Sikh values needs to be stopped immediately, for the simple reason that these values, during the past over 5 centuries have served the country's vital interests very well and are likely to do so in future also.

The caste system had demoralized the society. The discriminations practiced by it made the common man timid, In all the social activities, Gurus had introduced equality. The worshipping of one God was made open to all, food partaking at one level, bathing also in one pool open to all. These and such other practices retrieved the morale and courage that the discriminations had taken away. Guru Nanak could speak and protest against the excesses of Babur. The sixth and tenth Masters could offer armed resistance against the excesses of Mughal Emperors. The ninth Guru could support and assert the human right of freedom of religious beliefs of Hindus and even though personally, he had no belief in Hindu religion.

Knowing that it will cost him his life, mattered little. Scholarly opinion at serial 24 refers. The 18th and 19th century Sikhs could challenge the armed might of King Nadir Shah of Iran and liberate thousands of Hindu men arid women under marching orders, as slaves going to Iran. Similarly Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan, was challenged several times and Indian men and women got released from his captivity, a good number times. His last three attempts to enter India failed and he died as a dejected man. Thus the invaders from west were permanently stopped. Against the British Rule, in the struggle for freedom, Sikhs contributed 82% in terms of sufferings and sacrifices. These figures were collected by Dr. Pattabhai Sitaramayaa Congress President. After independence, India was in food deficit and was importing food grains from U.S.A. and other countries. Then very soon. the Sikh farmers of Punjab turned the deficit into a surplus one. All these excellences are traceable to the practice of the system of Sikh Values. To save these and promote these, is a national necessity. An adverse process started by Congress Regime against these good values, needs be immediately reversed. For that the present Prime Minister is now in a strong position to play a historic role.

Before 1947, Hindus used to be an oppressed lot. Our Great Gurus and their Sikhs; struggled very hard, to secure for the Hindus, their basic human rights of freedom of beliefs. In that process they did not mind paying the highest cost of laying down their precious lives. Here opinions of scholars at S. Nos. 5,12, 16,and 22 are referable.

Such a high, noble and humane valuation system is sought to be destroyed, by the one-time beneficiaries of it. The various instruments of state power are being used as destruction tools. To name only one of them: the Government prepared and prescribed school text books. to pollute the young and impressionable minds, with distorted facts regarding the lives and ideas practiced by the Gurus. Even the prohibitory orders issued by Punjab High Court are not honored by the Government agencies. Facts about these have appeared in various issues of monthly Spokesman Chandigarh. Few specifics are :-

January 1999 issue at pages 8 to 11 is an article authored by Dr. M.S. Rahi Advocate Panjab High Court, Chandigarh. It is to the effect that National Council of Education, Research & Training (N.C.E.R.T.) is an agency working under Central Government. That agency published a book of history for class XII students. With it objectionable material about Guru Gobind Singh was being taught to impressionable young minds. Dr. Rahi sought an interference of the High Court. In the year 1996 the court ordered the deletion of the objectionable material. Even then, in the new edition of 1997 no deletion was made. Against which contempt proceedings are pending. About Class XI also objectionable material was being taught about Guru Tegh Bahadur. The writer of the books Shri Satish Chander cleverly denied the contents of substance and took refuge in alleging regards and respects to Sikh Gurus. But in his new book entitled "Histograph" at Page 172 he writes :--

''In Punjab there is a long history of Sikh Guru's opposition to Mughals. Under the leadership of Guru Gobind Singh, Sikhs tried to establish a separate kingdom, which could be at the cost of Hill Rajas. Very soon the opposition engulfed the Mughal authorities of the area." Yet another writer Dr. Rita Joshi of Allahabad University is quoted. At Pages 101 to 105 of her book Dr. Rita concludes: Aurangzeb was not at all responsible for the death of Guru Tegh Bahadur. In the beginning Sikhs struggled but ultimately Guru Gobind Singh accepted defeat (Note it as a total falsehood :in view of contents of Letter of Victory authored by the Guru himself and sent to Aurangzeb from village Dina Kangar in Fine Persian Poetry-- copy of which is easily available everywhere). After Aurangzeb's death, Bahadur Shah gave an employment to Guru Gobind Singh. That way the opposition between the Sikhs and Aurangzeb ended up ....... no doubt, "Aurangzeb was not responsible for the clash between Mughals and Sikhs and nor he caused the death of Guru Tegh Bahadur". All these are just baseless and even malicious lies.

Famous publishers M/s Atma Ram and Sons are reported at Page 14 of April 1999 Spokesman issue, to have published a book authored by one Jai Parkash Bharti from 4 cities (Delhi. Jaipur, Jalandhar and Chandigarh). It tells a big lie that Guru Tegh Bahadur was not ordered to be beheaded by Aurangzeb but one of the Guru's Sikhs beheaded the Guru, on the request of the Guru- himself after initial hesitation. At Page 47 of the same; there is another story from an advocate of Ferozepur which is to the effect that a daily news paper "Panjab Kesari" from Jalandhar has printed a story from someone that fourth, fifth and ninth Guru's used to worship Durga Devi at Durgiana Mandir (which was in fact built in the begining of the 20th Century on the suggestion of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya).

At page 23 of Oct 1999 Spokesman, notice is taken of the activities of a newly formed body Rashtrya Sikh Sangat which has taken an aggressive role to project Sikhs as a part of Hindu religion. At pages 25 to 28 there is detailed discussion about Banda Singh Bahadur having been baptised by the tenth Guru and the effort to label Banda as a Hindu ascetic hero, not as disciple but a friend, is real mischief. More so that tens of thousands of Banda's pictures in Hindu attire have been distributed all over the Indian cities. Under the banner of the above said Rashtrya Sikh Sangat, Hindu saints journeyed from Patna to Anandpur Sahib. However the pamphlets distributed all the way claimed that Guru Gobind Singh was inspired by Hindu religious books i.e. Gita, Ramayan and Upinshads and that the Guru was also inspired by Hindu Heroes like Krishan, Arjan, Bhim and Ram Chander. They were never bothered by the truth that the Guru in his Chaupai composition (a part of a Sikh daily prayer) mentions specifically that he was not at all bothered by the teachings of Quran or Puran and so also Krishan or Vishan etc. There the Guru declared that his only guide is one God.

None of the Gurus ever tried to establish any kingdom. None of them had ever attacked anyone. However when attacked, they always successfully rose in self defense, 6th Guru 3 times and tenth Guru 13 times. The long string of untruths and distortions attempted by all these Hindu writers is suggestive of a deep-rooted conspiracy and a set design so as to smear and belittle the better reputation and respect earned by the Sikh Gurus and their Sikhs. Law of the land does not permit one section of society to pounce upon the religious susceptibilities of another and the offenders could be booked under Criminal Law. The absence of any such action by the state, rather the states' own agencies so actively indulging in objectionable activities is suggestive of an unfair play by the state itself. Such a painful conclusion by Dr. Rahi is convincing enough. Dr. Rahi finds the present situation of Sikh culture, as akin to the idea of a Checkoslovakian writer Milan Kundera who wrote :"To finish a nation the first thing to be done is to erase its power of memory. Ruin its books. Build a new culture, even construct a new history. Very soon that nation will forget what it was early and what it is now. Man's struggle against power is really a struggle against forgetfullness and to keep memory intact."

Dr. Rahi has also referred to the views of Swami Vivekanand as reported in A.I.R. 1965 Supreme Court 2101. According to Swamijee, Vedant is a religion fit for the whole world. According to him all other religions are connected with the teachings, principles and behavior of one or more leader. If that relevant historic stone, connected to the leader is shaken or broken, the whole edifice will fall or break leaving no chance for recovery. According to Dr. Rahi, under such vision and policy enunciation by the swami, the doubts are deliberately being cast on historical facts against Sikh Gurus.

The above survey of odds against Sikh values shows that these are really very heavy. Because the political elite of India, exercises full control over the media and other state resources, those are consistently exploited, for covering up the excesses and injustices done to minorities like Sikhs. That way, they remain completely free from any sort of accountability. As compared to foreign based rulers, the local political elite has an unfair advantage; in garnering sympathy from the majority which they have knowingly misled by employing media and other State resources. Now the question arises as how to handle it? And who will do it? Ever since the early twenties of this century, AkaIi party has been taking up such causes of injustice. Unfortunately no more, as the present leadership has gone totally selfish, demoralized and dispirited. That is the achievement of the over fifty years policies of central government working at them.

In such a difficult situation, how to save the culture and Sikh values of life? Earlier it has already been suggested that Indian society could profit by saving and nourishing the Sikh valuation system, as these stood the test of most difficult times in history. In the larger national interests of India the Sikh system could be a highly valuable asset. In the past, when the British promoted Sikh values among the Sikh defense personnel, they reaped rich dividends in the form of brave acts of Sikh personnel. For example the Sikh Regiment's 21 persons bravely fought the Saragarhi battle. That is recognized as one of the five greatest battles ever fought on earth. The Unique battle is taught in schools of France. Also it is one of the 8 stories published by UNESCO. Additionally the society benefitted by getting a rich crop of Sikh holy saints like Sant Attar Singh Mastuana and many others who spread the finer values of life, among the people. It is really unfortunate to find that under the native rule, the trend has been reversed. Now, very few Sikhs of the defense personnel support the basic Sikh shape of keeping unshorn hair. As such, now expecting higher values could only be a far cry.

Buddhism and Jainism arose, as two distinct systems of retegion that originally distanced from Hinduism. By now both have merged into Hinduism. The events as narrated in foregoing pages could convince any logical person that very strong forces are at work to seal the fate of Sikhism, the same way.

Then how to defend and survive the onslaughts advancing in different ways. As suggested in the introductory pages 1 to 5 we got to organize ourselves world wide and for the proper up keep and working of religious or political institutions, we may have to devise a strong system of checks and balances with a view to safeguard against any misuse or abuse by any institution or an individual.

Over a period of nearly 239 years our Gurus worked among the most demoralised, depressed and timid people and made them courageous and capable of challenging the mightiest of the oppressors. The guidelines so set, are as much relevant today, as these were then. The first Guru, unmindful of the cost of imprisonment raised his voice against the atrocities of Babur and his army. To stifle the activities against injustice, the sixth Guru was imprisoned by Emperor Jehangir. In a similar cause of justice, the tenth Master had to sacrifice the whole of his family. Intellectuals and persons with saintly fervor must now start acting in the footsteps of Gurus and begin participating actively in the religious and political institutions, with the purpose of safe guarding proper panthic interests. After duly identifying the wrong(s) of any eminent personality, an organised voice must reach the quarter concerned and also it be made public. That way let them throw their weighty opinion in support of truth. Those organisations which are already working for social activities need to establish watchdog bodies to take care of the current problems of the Panth. For registering public protest, the language employed needs be seasoned, sweet and well balanced one.

With Dr. Rahi neither S.G.P.C. nor AkaIi Dal are co-operating. He is giving a big fight single handedly. Before he leeIs exhausted and frustrated, he should be contacted and offered co-operation of ever sort moral financial etc. whatever is needed by him. He is taking up the cause on behalf of us all. Our response needs be there.

Living faithfully by the Sikh code of conduct is highly important for every Sikh. The S.G.P.C. Amritsar is a body lawfully elected by Sikh adult voters. As such it had unique representative character to handle Sikh religious affairs. It had entrusted the framing of Rehat Maryada question, to a body of eminent scholar's of Sikhism. A few among them being Principal Teja Singh, Bhai Jodh Singh, Bhai Randhir Singh and others. The panel deliberated over two decades and produced the document which was duly accepted by the representative body. Copies of the document are freely available. Every Sikh is duty bound to live by it and practice it. It provides the number and specifics of Gurbanee to be recited daily, as also sharing/ donating of one tenth of one's income for religious purposes. So also, the procedure about Amrit Sanchar (baptimsal ceremony). One becomes a Gursikh only after going through this ceremony. It is only by that process that a true bond of a Guru and a Sikh is duly established, commitments on both sides are made. In return for a life long obedience to Guru's directions, the Guru extends his protective umbrella for the committed Sikh, so long as the Sikh keeps his word. A mere birth in a Sikh family is not enough. It is nothing more than an opportunity made available to become a true Gursikh.

Awareness is the strongest key to any adversity, as it helps the planning to face it. In that connection regular habit of reading informatively good material is a must. For that journals like Spokesman, Abstracts of Sikh Studies and Sikh Review Calcutta could be of much help. Moreover getting mindful of the guidance, as handed to us by the Tenth Mastcr in his own words is "Jab lag Khalsa rahe niaraa,Tab lag tej dio main sara. Jab eh gahe biprin ki reet, main nanh karoon in ki parteet." An English equaivalent may be: "So long as Khalsa maintains its distinct entity or identity, it could enjoy all the power that is with me. If and when it adopts the Brahmnical tradition, it looses my trust and confidence."

A few heartening news:There have been cases of Hindu saints realizing at late stages that Hindu scriptures (Vedas and Shastras) carry no true stories, while Sikh scriptures are free from any such myths, and carry only truth about God. There is a case of Swami Nitya Nand who wrote a book, 'Gur Gian'. He died at the age of 135 years and writes: I, in the company of Guru Brahma Nandjee, went to Mathura. While on pilgrimage tour, we reached Punjab and there we met Swami Satya Nand Udasi. He explained the philosophy and religious practices of Nanak, in such a way that Swami Brahma Nand Jee enjoyed a mystic lore. During the visit to the Golden Temple, Amritsar, his soul was so much affected that he became a devotee of the Guru. After spending some time in Punjab, he went to Hardwar. Though he was hail and hearty, one day l saw tears in his eyes. I asked the reason for that. He replied,"l sifted sand whole my life. The truth was in the house of Nanak. I will have to take one more birth in that house, only then I will attain Kalyan". "After that his soul left his body".Swami Nitya Nand also tells his own experience: "I also constantly meditate on Waheguru revealed by Nanak. I practice yoga assans under the guidance of Yogis and did that for many years, the bliss and peace, which I enjoy now, was never attained earlier."
Russians turn to spiritualism: A prominent English daily of Punjab, the Tribune, Chandigarh dated March 15, 1998, carried a news item that a delegation of Russians visited Punjab, with a view to study Sikh religion. According to the Russians, they had realized; that the basic cause of failure of communism, was the lack of spiritualism. They felt that Sikhism is easily the best one, as it has spiritualism plus socialism. To their seminars in Russia, they invited some Sikh scholars and intellectuals.Also, we could perhaps profit by the opinions and comments of non-Sikh scholars from east and west (one dozen of each category). They are world class personalities, among them Nobel Prize holder, historians, philosophers, writers and thinkers. For reasons of brevity only a few relevant extracts are given. Many of them are convinced that Sikh religion is a religion of future world, as whole humanity needs it. It is practical, scientific and is only one to have original authenticated scriptures in Guru Granth Sahib. During these year long celebrations of birthday of Khalsa Panth, everyone of us could profit by getting fully committed to the teachings of our Great Gurus. The only way is to replace one's limited wisdom by the vast wisdom of the Guru. Those who are already baptized should feel all the more committed and devotedly live by the undertakings given to the Guru and others who are yet to get baptized should do it fast. In the forgoing pages, we have seen how a totally despirited people, were enabled by the Gurus to challenge the mightiest of the mighty oppressors and tyrants, because those Sikhs accepted the wisdom of the Guru, in place of their own. May Akal Purakh grant us the strength to become worthy of the teachings of the Gurus.

Sikh Religion as seen by EMINENT non-Sikh SCHOLARS of East and West: Abstracts are:

C.H. Payne: Sikh religion is the highest and the best of all religions.
Miss Jean Cooler: If the Sikhs forsake the Kakkaars, Khalsa Panth will end. These Kakkaars show up the everlasting Guru. Due to these alone, Sikhs have done so much, as no one else could do. Kakkaars are a Sign of Love to the Guru. On forsaking these, cannot do pure deeds, as also he cannot live a life of high spirit.
Dunken Greenledge: Sikh religion is an ideal brotherhood. In it, God worship is ever present.
Pearle S Buck: Other than Sikh religion, none other could inspire my mind. Gurbani is full of truth and provides consistent influence. It accords with scientific truths also.
Cunnigham Historian: Sikhs are Lions. But, what they have done for the country; the Hindus and Human Rights have not been appreciated.
Archer: The religion of Guru Granth is a universal and practical religion. The world today needs its message of love and peace.
H.L. Bradshaw: Sikhism is a universal world faith for the New Age with a message for all Men. The other religions contain the truth but Sikhism contains the fullness of truth. The Sikhism is truly the answer to the problems of the modern man. Guru Granth, Of all the WORLD SCRIPTURES ALONE states that there are innumerable worlds and universes, other than our own.
Dorothy Field: Sikh religion is one, which could appeal to the occidental mind. If judged from the pragmatically standpoint, it will rank almost First in the world. Of no other religion, can it be said that it has made a nation in so short a time. The religion of the Sikhs is one of the most interesting at present existing in India, possibly indeed in the whole world.
Frederic Pincot (British Scholar): For Nanak, there was no such thing as a God for the Hindus, a God for the Mohammedans and a God or gods for the outer heathen. For him there was but one God, one sole Indivisible, self existent, incomprehensible, timeless, all pervading "to be named, but otherwise Indescribable and altogether Lovely. Such was the Nanak's idea of the Creator and a conception what at once abrogated all Petty Fictions of Creed, Sect, Dogma, and Ceremony.
Frostier (Historian):Sikh does not like slavery. Sikh lives with self-respect and in high spirits. He fears none and terrorizes no one.
Tyanbee (Historian): Of all humans, a Sikh is the most beautiful, who maintains a flowing beard, long hair and turban on head.
Macauliffe (Dy. Commissioner): From Sikh religion, history and character, I am overwhelmingly influenced to resign from my high job, so as to make a deeper research. No other race is as brave as the Sikhs are. No other religion is as Humane, on Principles, as the Sikh religion is. Sikh sense of living is the purest of all. Gurbani, is a source of Comforting Peace and unity of all? Unlike the scriptures of other creeds, Sikh scriptures do not contain love stories or accounts of wars waged for selfish considerations. They contain sublime truths, the study of which cannot but Elevate the Reader spiritually, morally, and socially. There are least things of sectarianism in them. They teach and inspire the believer with an ambition to Serve his fellow men, to sacrifice all and die for their sake. Macauliff further observes: Many of the great teachers of the world have known, have not left a line of their own composition, and we only knew what they taught through tradition or second hand information. If Pythagorean wrote any of tenets, his writings have not descended to us. We knew the teachings of Socrates only through the writings of Plato and Xenophobe. Buddha has left no written memorials of his teaching. Kung Fu-tze, known to Europeans as Confucius, left no documents in which he detailed the principles of his moral and social system. The Founder of Christianity did not reduce his doctrines to writing, and from them we are obliged to trust the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Arabian Prophet did not himself reduce to writing the chapters of the Quran. They were written or completed by his adherents and followers. But the compositions of the Sikh Gurus are preserved and we know first hand what they taught. They employed the vehicle of verse, which is generally unalterable by copyist, and we even become in time, familiar with their different styles. No spurious compositions or extraneous dogmas, can therefore be represented as theirs. Based on the Unity of God, it rejected Hindu formulations and adopted an independent ethical system. It would be difficult to point to a religion of Greater Originality or to a more comprehensive ethical system.
A. N. Banerjee: Professor of Guru Nanak Chair:Yadav Pur University, West Bengal, India. In Brahmnical Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism "generations of teachers and commentators gave New shapes of religious and philosophical doctrines and sometimes changed them beyond recognition. The six schools of Hindu Philosophy branched off, into different groups of thinkers. The same process divided Jains and Buddhists. The history of Islam and Christianity present the same phenomenon of doctrinal disintegration. But Sikhism never succumbed to warring commentators; it preserved intact the heritage, which Guru Nanak had left for it. None but farsighted founder can formulate doctrines capable of surviving the shocks of political and social revolutions, for centuries. His humanity is transparent in verses.
Historian Hari Ram Gupta: After reading Sikh history, there is no need to ask as to what wonder is.
Nur Mohammed Qazi: (Nadir Shah period historian): Sikhs are lions in battlefield, as they fight like lions. They do not attack who flee or have fallen. They are not Characterless. They don't even have a look toward a lady laden with gold. Women folk of enemy are entrusted to successors of enemies.
Ranbir (author of a book on Guru Gobind Singh): Without Guru Gobind Singh, India could not have attained Independence for one thousand years. The element of bravery and sacrifice ignited by Guru Gobind Singh is present in his Sikhs, even after 300 years of him and shall continue.
Dr. W.O. Cole of U.K. [an author of half a dozen books on Sikhism in his keynote address of 1985] says: Remember the Tenets of Guru Nanak. His concept of God and Universal brotherhood of man. The Unique concept of Universality and system of Langar [free community kitchen] in Sikhism are the two features that attract me towards the study of Sikhism. Langar is an exclusive feature of Sikhism and found no where else in the world Sikhism is the only religion which welcomes each and everyone to its Langar, without any discrimination of caste, creed or color.
Sir Gokal Chand Narang (writer of a Book on Transformation of Sikhism). The sword that was lifted by Guru Gobind Singh was sharpened by Guru Nanak.
Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya advised Hindus in their own interest to mould eldest son as a Sikh.
Historian Sayyed Mohammed Lateef : All great historians hold a unanimous view that Guru Gobind Singh enthused both the spirits of humility and kingship in the Khalsa. In the battlefield Khalsa was brave, strictly observing pious principles. Excepting the Sikhs, no one else was seen treading along these values.
Dr. Zakir Hussein (late President of India): Sacrificing whole of the family for the country and religion, there is no other example available. In the Sikhs, Guru enthused a spirit of Bravery, Perseverance, Initiative, Fearlessness, Self-Respect and Sacrifice.
Daulat Rai Arya (Book written on Guru Gobind Singh): Guru Gobind Singh lifted down trodden to the highest level. He made lions out of worms. GuruJee was patriot, complete human being, and sacrificer of whole family, creator of democracy, producer of Red Cross and protector of religion.
Dr. Radha Krishnan (Late President of India): Sikh religion is a religion of simple people, as it contains highest values. The principles of this religion are easy to find.
Dr. Rajinder Prasad (late President of India): So as to save another religion, Guru Tegh Bahadur sacrificed his own life, such a sacrifice no one else did.

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