Guru Gobind Singh
- Original name:
- Gobind Rai
- Died:
- October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra (aged 42)
- Founder:
- Khalsa
- Notable Works:
- “Dasam Granth”
- Notable Family Members:
- father Guru Tegh Bahādur
Guru Gobind Singh (born December 22, 1666, Patna, Bihar, India—died October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra) was an Indian spiritual leader who is revered as the 10th and last of the human Sikh Gurus, known chiefly for his creation of the Khalsa (Punjabi: “the Pure”), a casteless order of Sikhs that embodies courage and commitment to Sikh ideals.
Life
Guru Gobind Singh was born Gobind Rai to the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and his wife, Mata Gujri, in Patna, Bihar, India. At the time of Gobind’s birth, his father was on a tour of Bengal and Assam. Soon after his return Guru Tegh Bahadur moved his family to Anandpur, Punjab (then known as Chakk Nanaki), on the foothills of the Shivalik Range, in 1672. Guru Gobind Singh received his early education in Punjabi, Braj, Sanskrit, and Persian languages. He was also trained to use various weapons, including the sword, spear, bow and arrow, musket, and matchlock.
During the Mughal era, rulers carried out forced conversions to make India a Dār al-Islam (House of Islam). Under Sher Afghan Khan in Kashmir, Brahmins and Kashmiri pandits faced massacres and looting. In 1675, seeking protection, a group of pandits turned to Guru Tegh Bahadur, who resolved to resist the forced conversions, ultimately sacrificing his life for religious freedom when he was beheaded for refusing to convert. His martyrdom meant that Guru Gobind Singh became the 10th Sikh Guru at age nine. A polymath, Guru Gobind Singh had mastered Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, and Punjabi by that age. In his later life, he codified Sikh law, composed martial poetry, and authored the Dasam Granth.
Contributions to Sikhism
Birth of the Khalsa
Guru Gobind Singh is credited with the creation of the Khalsa in 1699. The Khalsa (Punjabi: “the Pure”) is a casteless group of Sikhs that embodies courage and commitment to Sikhism. The people within this order strive to live by the highest principles of integrity and morality. The origin of the Khalsa has been traced to Baisakhi Day (a harvest and new year festival in Punjab) in 1699, when a large number of Sikhs had gathered at Anandpur for celebration.
According to traditional accounts of the event, on that day Guru Gobind Singh emerged from a tent at the height of the festivities with a drawn sword and asked if anyone would sacrifice himself for the faith. The crowd fell silent, and the Guru repeated his question. Finally one man stepped out. The Guru led the man inside the tent, and moments later returned with his sword stained in blood, requesting another volunteer. At the Guru’s request, four more devoted men came forward. Each was taken inside the tent, and the sound of a striking sword was heard by the assembled crowd. Finally, all five men emerged from the tent dressed in identical saffron-colored robes, each adorned with a neatly tied turban, also saffron, with swords hanging gracefully at their sides. The Guru had merely tested the men’s faith and slaughtered five goats instead.
It was then that the Guru introduced a new process of initiation—khande ki pahul, initiation by sweetened water (amrit) churned with a double-edged broadsword (khanda). Drinking this amrit is considered to be a sacred part of the initiation process, as it connects one with God. The five volunteers were the first to be initiated and were given the title panj pyare (“the five beloved ones”); they formed the nucleus of the Khalsa. Later it was determined that all the men of the community would bear Singh (“lion”) as their last name, and the women would carry Kaur (“princess”). Additionally, it was ordained that they would wear the five Ks of the Khalsa as a defining part of their identity. These traditions are still observed today.
- kesh (uncut hair)
- kara (steel bracelet)
- kangha (comb)
- kirpan (sword)
- kachchera (military undergarments)
The Khalsa
The Khalsa is the purified and reconstituted Sikh community instituted by Guru Gobind Singh on March 30, 1699, Baisakhi Day. Khalsa Sikhs celebrate the birth of the order on April 13 or 14 of each year. His declaration had three dimensions: it redefined the concept of authority within the Sikh community; it introduced a new initiation ceremony and code of conduct; and it provided the community with a new religious and political vision. Khalsa is used to denote both the body of initiated Sikhs and the community of all Sikhs.
The Khalsa in action
The Rajput rulers of the Shivalik Hills were concerned about the growing Sikh influence in the region. They united under the raja (king) of Bilaspur, in whose territory Anandpur was situated, to drive the Guru out. Despite repeated attacks between 1700 and 1704, their efforts failed. They finally sought assistance from Emperor Aurangzeb, who ordered the governor of Lahore and the faujdar (police officer) of Sirhind (a town in Punjab) to provide reinforcements. Together, they marched to Anandpur in May 1705 and laid siege. Guru Gobind Singh, after making the Khalsa the guiding spirit of the reconstituted Sikh army, moved against the Sikhs’ enemies on two fronts: one army against the Mughals and the other against the hill tribes. His troops were highly committed to Sikh ideals and were willing to risk everything for the cause of Sikh religious and political freedom. For many months the Guru and his troops resisted relentless assaults. The attackers eventually offered them safe passage, swearing on the Qurʾān to honor their promise. Trusting their word, the Guru and his followers evacuated Anandpur one night in December 1705. However, as soon as the Sikhs left, the combined forces of the hill chiefs and Mughal troops betrayed their oath and attacked. In the ensuing chaos, many Sikhs were killed, and many of the Guru’s belongings, including precious manuscripts, were lost.
The Khalsa against Aurangzeb
Guru Gobind Singh managed to escape with a small group of about 40 Sikhs and his two elder sons to Chamkaur, 25 miles (40 km) from Anandpur. The pursuing forces caught up with them. On December 7, 1705, in the Battle of Chamkaur, the Guru’s sons Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh were killed, along with nearly all of the Sikhs. Only five Sikhs survived and urged the Guru to escape to ensure the future of the Khalsa. Accompanied by three followers, the Guru sought refuge in the forests of Malwa, a region in Punjab. In the evacuated Anandpur, the Guru’s two younger sons, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, along with their grandmother Mata Gujri, were betrayed by their servant and handed over to the faujdar of Sirhind. On December 13, 1705, the two young boys were killed after refusing to abandon their faith. Their grandmother died of grief on the same day. About this time, the Guru wrote the Zafarnamah (“Epistle of Victory”) to Emperor Aurangzeb, condemning his betrayal and emphasizing moral integrity. Zafarnamah was later included in the Guru’s Dasam Granth. Moving westward, he made a final stand at Khidrana on December 29, 1705. In the ensuing battle, the outnumbered Sikhs repelled the Mughal forces with the help of 40 Sikhs who arrived under the leadership of Mai Bhago (a Sikh woman who fought against the Mughals). They sacrificed their lives, earning the Guru’s blessing as the 40 Mukte (“saved ones”). The site of their martyrdom is now known as Muktsar, the “Pool of Liberation.”
Chaar Sahibzaade (“Four Princes”)
The Chaar Sahibzaade—Ajit Singh, Jujhar Singh, Zorawar Singh, and Fateh Singh—were the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh. They are renowned for their exceptional courage and sacrifice. Ajit Singh, at 18, and Jujhar Singh, at 14, embraced martyrdom during the Battle of Chamkaur, where they fought against overwhelming odds. Zorawar Singh, age nine, and Fateh Singh, age six, were captured by the Mughal authorities and subjected to torture to abandon their faith. Despite their youth, they refused to compromise their beliefs. As a last attempt to force their conversion to Islam, the young boys were sentenced to be entombed alive in a brick wall, but the wall repeatedly collapsed despite numerous attempts to build it. They were finally slaughtered in Sirhind. Their martyrdom is considered to be of great importance in Sikhism.
Guru Gobind Singh’s textual successor
On January 20, 1706, Guru Gobind Singh arrived at Talvandi Sabo, which is now called Damdama Sahib. He stayed there for more than nine months, during which many Sikhs reunited with him. It is here that the Guru finalized the Dasam Granth (a collection of works of the Guru) and the Adi Granth (the scripture of Sikhism). In 1708 the Guru was assassinated after being stabbed by a Pashtun (Pathan) in Nanded, Maharashtra, on the orders of Mughal ruler Nawab Wazir Khan of Sirhind, who was driven by insecurity over the Guru’s cordial relations with Emperor Bahadur Shah. When Bahadur Shah learned that the Guru had been stabbed, he dispatched surgeons, including an Englishman, to tend to his injuries. Despite their efforts, the wounds reopened after being stitched, leading to the Guru’s death on October 7, 1708. One day before his death, the Guru proclaimed that he was the last of the human Gurus. From that point forward, the Sikh Guru was to be the holy book, the Adi Granth, which is often called the Guru Granth Sahib. Thus, the scripture came to be known as the 11th Guru of the Sikhs.
Did You Know?
The Adi Granth is considered as the 11th and final Guru of the Sikhs. It is the central object of worship in all gurdwaras and is accorded the reverence paid a living Guru. It is ritually opened in the morning and wrapped up and put away for the night.
Literature
Guru Gobind Singh was the Sikh Guru who finalized the Adi Granth, and the scripture has been the Sikhs’ Guru since then. He included verses and devotional hymns (also known as shabads) composed by his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and further enriched Sikh tradition by codifying its laws, writing martial poetry, and composing music. One of his most significant contributions is the Dasam Granth (“Tenth Volume”). It is a compilation of hymns, philosophical writing, Hindu mythological tales, and erotic fables, written in Braj, Hindi, Persian, and Punjabi. An autobiography titled Bachittar Natak also features in the Dasam Granth. This autobiography narrates the events of the first 32 years of the Guru’s life. While the Guru is widely believed to be the author, some scholars believe otherwise.
The Dasam Granth includes many important incidents in the Guru’s life, but one shabad stands out, as it is believed to have been composed in the aftermath of the loss of his four sons. This shabad is unique in that it is written in Punjabi, whereas the rest of the text is composed in Braj language. Guru Gobind Singh recited this shabad after the death of his sons, as a way of connecting with God.
Shabad by Guru Gobind Singh
Mittar pyare nu, haal mureedan da kehna
Tudh bin rog rajaian da odhan, naag nivasan de rehna
Sul surahi khanjar pyala, bing kasaian da sehna
Yaarade da saanu sathar changa, bhatt khedeyan da rehna
Tell the beloved friend about the state of his devotees.
Without you, we feel sick wrapping ourselves in our quilts, it’s like living in a snakepit.
The flask is a thorn in the side, the cup a dagger, it’s like enduring the butcher’s blows.
Better to sleep on the ground near the beloved; staying in the village is like being in a furnace.
This shabad symbolizes how one can find peace with God in time of hardships. In modern cinema, characters often recite this shabad to display resilience in hard times.
Guru Gobind Singh and the takhts
Takht is a Persian word that translates to “throne” or “seat of authority.” There are five takhts in Sikhism that are considered to be the highest temporal and spiritual centers.
Five Takhts of Sikhism- Akal Takht in Amritsar, Punjab
- Takht Keshgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib, Punjab
- Takht Damdama Sahib in Talvandi Sabo, Punjab
- Takht Patna Sahib in Patna, Bihar
- Takht Hazur Sahib in Nanded, Maharashtra
Four of the Five Takhts are closely linked to Guru Gobind Singh’s legacy. Takht Patna Sahib marks his birthplace, while Takht Keshgarh Sahib is where he founded the Khalsa in 1699. Takht Damdama Sahib commemorates the months he spent at Talvandi Sabo, during which he finalized the Adi Granth. Lastly, Takht Hazur Sahib in Nanded, Maharashtra, is where he spent his final days and was cremated in 1708.
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, also known as Guru Gobind Singh’s Prakash Diwas (“Enlightenment Day”), is celebrated every year by the followers of Sikhism to commemorate his birth anniversary. The date of his birth according to the Gregorian calendar usually falls in January. The celebrations include lighting and decorating the gurdwaras and the akhand path (“nonstop reading”) of the Adi Granth. In modern times the Sikh community celebrates by lighting candles in their homes and gurdwaras at night.