Latest / Sikh Religion Gurus and Sacred Writings, Vol. 5 / 029 - Life of Guru Gobind Singh - Chapter XXIX

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029 - Life of Guru Gobind Singh - Chapter XXIX · Sikh Religion Gurus and Sacred Writings, Vol. 5

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty nine of Seek Religion, Volume five by Max
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  Speaker 1: Arthur McAuliffe. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain
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  Speaker 1: Life of Guru Gobin Singh, chapter twenty nine. When auring
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  Speaker 1: Zeb died, his eldest son Bahadur Shah, was engaged in
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  Speaker 1: a military expedition in Afghanistan. When his younger brother tara
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  Speaker 1: azim usurped the throne, Bahadur Shah hastened back to India
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  Speaker 1: to claim and do battle for his heritage. He consulted
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  Speaker 1: non Laal, a friend of his, as to how he
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  Speaker 1: should be successful. Nod Lao advised him to seek the
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  Speaker 1: Guru's assistance. The Guru, on being appealed to, promised him
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  Speaker 1: not only assistance, but sovereignty if he agreed to a
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  Speaker 1: request he was about to make and did not prove
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  Speaker 1: false Like his father. Bahadur Shah was pleased to accept
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  Speaker 1: these vague conditions and informed the Guru accordingly. The Guru
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  Speaker 1: sent Dharm Singh with some trustee seeks to render him
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  Speaker 1: all possible assistance, and, feeling anxiety regarding the grave political
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  Speaker 1: circumstances of the country, deemed it advisable to retrace his
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  Speaker 1: steps to the north in hope of meeting and conferring
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  Speaker 1: with the Emperor. When Bahadur Shah had fully equipped his army,
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  Speaker 1: he marched to Agra. Tara Azim, who was at the
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  Speaker 1: time in distant ahmad Nagar, on hearing of his brother's operations,
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  Speaker 1: marched by Gualiar to contend with him for empire. Bahadur
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  Speaker 1: Shah advanced to meet him and encamped at Jaju near
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  Speaker 1: Dalpur Dolpur, where the opposing armies met. After a fight
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  Speaker 1: of three days duration, not only tara Azim but several
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  Speaker 1: of his princes officers were slain. Upon this, his army
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  Speaker 1: fled and victory remained with Bahadur Shah. He now undisputed
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  Speaker 1: monarch of India, returned to Agra and dispatched Dharam Singh
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  Speaker 1: to inform the Guru of his victory. On the Guru's
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  Speaker 1: arrival in Dili, he encamped on the left bank of
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  Speaker 1: the Jamna. His Sikhs thought it unsafe for him to
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  Speaker 1: enter that strong Mohammedan and imperial center. He erected a
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  Speaker 1: temple on the spot where his father, Guru tag Bahadur
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  Speaker 1: had been cremated. On hearing of Bahadur Shah's victory. The
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  Speaker 1: Guru resolved to go to Agra to congratulate him, and
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  Speaker 1: made arrangements to leave his wives in Dili under the
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  Speaker 1: protection of his sikhs. Upon hearing this, Mata son Dari
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  Speaker 1: wept copiously. The Guru consoleder with the arguments and reflections
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  Speaker 1: he had previously employed a dam Dama on the transitoriness
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  Speaker 1: of human life and the bliss in which her son
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  Speaker 1: abode as a mighty hero and religious martyr. A goldsmith
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  Speaker 1: residing in Dilly came to the Guru to pray him
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  Speaker 1: to grant him the favor of a son. One day,
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  Speaker 1: as the Guru went to the chase, accompanied among others
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  Speaker 1: by the goldsmith, they saw a woman abandon her male
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  Speaker 1: infant in the forest. The Guru told the goldsmith to
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  Speaker 1: take and rear the child. The goldsmith said he could
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  Speaker 1: not afford a wet nurse. The Guru directed him to
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  Speaker 1: take some water, recite while Guru over it, and wash
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  Speaker 1: his wife's breast. Therewith when she took the child in
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  Speaker 1: her lap, milk would at once come in abundance. The
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  Speaker 1: goldsmith accepted the Guru's advice, and the promised result was obtained.
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  Speaker 1: When the child was five years of age, he was
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  Speaker 1: seen by Mata son Dorry, who founded him a marvelous
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  Speaker 1: likeness to her martyred son and duly adopted him. Sahib
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  Speaker 1: Khour importuned the Guru to allow her to accompany him.
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  Speaker 1: At last he yielded to her entreaties. Bahadur Shah sent
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  Speaker 1: a messenger to the Guru to expedite his departure. The
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  Speaker 1: messenger informed him that the Emperor feared the bigotry of
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  Speaker 1: his co religionists, were he himself to pay the first
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  Speaker 1: visit the Guru. On the third day after his departure
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  Speaker 1: from Dilley, arrived at Matura and encamped at saraj Kund
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  Speaker 1: on the banks of the Jamna. He made a tour
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  Speaker 1: through Bin Drabhan and visited all its famous and interesting places.
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  Speaker 1: On his journey to Agra, the Guru wanted water. One
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  Speaker 1: of his sikhs fetched it from the house of a
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  Speaker 1: barren woman of the priestly class and told the Guru
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  Speaker 1: that there being no children there, the water must be pure.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru would not admit that children defiled water and
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  Speaker 1: asked it to be brought him from some house where
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  Speaker 1: there were sons and daughters. On that occasion, he set
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  Speaker 1: a hermit his best. When alone, pure is his body
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  Speaker 1: and pure his mind. But where there is a householder
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  Speaker 1: with a large family, the house is still purer, and
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  Speaker 1: so are his body, mind and understanding. The Guru duly
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  Speaker 1: met the Emperor Bahadur Shah in Agra. The emperor thanked
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  Speaker 1: him for such assistance as he had given him in
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  Speaker 1: obtaining the throne, made him costly presence, and invited him
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  Speaker 1: to spend some time with him. The Guru was pleased
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  Speaker 1: to accept the invitation. One day, as the Guru and
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  Speaker 1: a high officer were seated together, a sayid of t
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  Speaker 1: Sarhind asked the Guru if he could perform a miracle.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru replied that miracles were in the power of
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  Speaker 1: the Emperor. He could raise a humble person to the
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  Speaker 1: highest office and dignity, or to grade him therefrom The
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  Speaker 1: sayad said he knew that, but had the Guru himself
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  Speaker 1: the power of working any miracles. Upon this, the Guru
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  Speaker 1: drew forth a gold coin and said that it was
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  Speaker 1: a miracle for everything could be purchased with it. The
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  Speaker 1: salad asked if he could show any further miracles. In reply,
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  Speaker 1: the Guru drew his sword and said that that also
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  Speaker 1: was a miracle. It could cut off heads and confer
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  Speaker 1: thrones and empires upon those who wielded it with dexterity.
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  Speaker 1: Upon this, the Siad hung down his head and asked
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  Speaker 1: no further questions. Some Rajas of raj Patana came to
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  Speaker 1: visit the Guru. He told them they did one very
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  Speaker 1: regrettable thing, namely, they gave their daughters a marriage to
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  Speaker 1: Mohammedan emperors and princes. He made them swear that they
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  Speaker 1: woul for the future desist from the practice. One day,
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  Speaker 1: in conversation with the Guru, the emperor maintained that if
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  Speaker 1: anyone were to repeat the Mohammedan creed, he should not
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  Speaker 1: be consigned to hell. The Guru denied that the creed
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  Speaker 1: had that efficacy. If anyone, after repeating it were to
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  Speaker 1: do evil, the repetition of the creed would not avail him.
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  Speaker 1: The emperor asked how he was to be assured of that.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru replied, the creed is stamped on thy rupee.
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  Speaker 1: We shall see the affor thereof. The Guru secretly sent
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  Speaker 1: a bad rupee to the marketplace to be changed. The
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  Speaker 1: money changer applied to at once rejected it as counterfeit.
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  Speaker 1: It was then taken to the other money changes with
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  Speaker 1: the same result. The Guru then addressed the Emperor. See
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  Speaker 1: in thine empire, even in thine own marketplace, no one
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  Speaker 1: hath paid any regard to Thy creed engraved on this rupee.
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  Speaker 1: So how shall it conduct ment to Heaven? Thou today
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  Speaker 1: enjoyest empire, and canst do what thou pleasest? If here
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  Speaker 1: in thy presence this bad rupee, even with the creed
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  Speaker 1: on it, cannot pass. How can it be accepted by
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  Speaker 1: another monarch in God's court guilding availeth not the counterfeit
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  Speaker 1: and the genuine are there distinguished, and men obtain the
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  Speaker 1: reward of punishment due to their acts. Thy creed Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: as in the present case, cannot avail thee for admission
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  Speaker 1: into Heaven without good works. When all accounts are called
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  Speaker 1: for by the Great Examiner, it is only those who
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  Speaker 1: show balances to their credit who shall be delivered. The
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  Speaker 1: Guru and the Emperor's conversation turned on the subject of
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  Speaker 1: Hindu pilgrimages. The Guru said he himself had no concern
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  Speaker 1: with them. Next day, when he visited the emperor. The
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  Speaker 1: latter said there were two ways, the Hindu and the
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  Speaker 1: Mussulman in the world, and inquired which the Guru preferred
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  Speaker 1: to follow. The Uru said he was well disposed towards both,
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  Speaker 1: and he instructed every one as he found him. The
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  Speaker 1: Emperor replied, there is one God in one faith. On
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  Speaker 1: what dost thou a lie. The Guru smiled and said,
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  Speaker 1: my brother, there are three gods. The emperor inquired where
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  Speaker 1: that was written, and added, a child born yesterday knoweth
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  Speaker 1: there is only one God. The Guru continued, why did
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  Speaker 1: thine ancestors hinder the Hindus from worshiping ram now Rayan
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  Speaker 1: and tell them they must only utter mala pak or kuda?
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  Speaker 1: Thou proclaimest that heaven is made from Moslems and hell
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  Speaker 1: for the Hindus. Hindus will not associate with anyone who
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  Speaker 1: adoreth malak pak or Kudah, such as the quarrel between
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  Speaker 1: the two sects. Know that my religion is that regarding
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  Speaker 1: which there is no controversy. The Hindus have a God
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  Speaker 1: whom Muslims do not acknowledge, and I have a God
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  Speaker 1: whom neither of them acknowledge. The emperor one day, preached
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  Speaker 1: the Guru a sermon against Hindu superstitions. The Guru agreed
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  Speaker 1: with him, but at the same time would not flatter
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  Speaker 1: the Mohammedan religion. He said that as the Hindu worshiped stone,
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  Speaker 1: so did the Mohammedans worship departed saints and even a black,
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  Speaker 1: lifeless slab at Maka. And as the Hindus went at
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  Speaker 1: prayer turned their faces to the east, the Mohammedans turned
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  Speaker 1: their faces to the west. The Mohammedans supposed that their
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  Speaker 1: prophet could mediate for them, but he had become ashes,
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  Speaker 1: and what advantage could his ashes or those of his
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  Speaker 1: saints confer men. The Guru thus found fault with both
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  Speaker 1: the Hindu and Mohammedan religions, and said that he had
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  Speaker 1: struck out a religion of his own, the basis of
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  Speaker 1: which was the worship of the sole immortal God. Some
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  Speaker 1: discussion arose on the subject of the Guru's discourse, but
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  Speaker 1: he promptly answered all objections. The Guru now explicitly stated
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  Speaker 1: the request he had several times hinted that he desired
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  Speaker 1: to make. It was to deliver up to him Wazir Khan,
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  Speaker 1: who had killed his children at Tsarhind. The emperor naturally
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  Speaker 1: desired to note what the Guru proposed to do with him.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru candidly replied that he would have life for life,
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  Speaker 1: according to the law of retaliation contained in the Emperor's
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  Speaker 1: sacred Book. The Emperor shuddered on hearing this request, but
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  Speaker 1: gave no direct refusal. He said he would reply after
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  Speaker 1: consulting his ministers. At the same time, he felt that
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  Speaker 1: if he surrendered a viceroy to the Guru, a popular
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  Speaker 1: rebellion and a mutiny of his Mahommedan army would be
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  Speaker 1: the result. The Emperor therefore requested the Guru to wait
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  Speaker 1: for a year until his rule was more firmly established,
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  Speaker 1: and then he would consider the request made. The Guru,
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  Speaker 1: on this reproached the emperor with falsehood and said that
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  Speaker 1: a Sikh should arise, who should call the false and
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  Speaker 1: counter of it to account, who should seize and kill
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  Speaker 1: the emperor's viceroy's priests and magistrates and contribute to the
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  Speaker 1: ruin of the Mughal Empire. Notwithstanding this blunt language in
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  Speaker 1: undisguised menace, the Emperor invited the Guru to go with
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  Speaker 1: him on a visit to Jaipur and other cities. The
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  Speaker 1: Guru promised to join him on the March. After a
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  Speaker 1: few days, he set out and overtook the emperor. They
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  Speaker 1: both visited Jadpur and Jaitaw. Each Raja sent his envoy
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  Speaker 1: to conciliate and do homage to the Guru. At Chatawar,
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  Speaker 1: there arose a quarrel between the Sikhs and the raj
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  Speaker 1: Puts on account of some grass the former had taken
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  Speaker 1: for their horses. The Guru censured his Sikhs and ordered
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  Speaker 1: them to take nothing for the future without payment. The
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  Speaker 1: Emperor and the Guru continued their journey to the Narbada River.
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  Speaker 1: The quarrel between the Sikhs and the Mohammedans was kept
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  Speaker 1: alive by the Emperor's escort, many of whom were relations
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  Speaker 1: of the imperial soldiers slain by the Sikhs. At Ananpur,
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  Speaker 1: the Guru sent Man Siingh, one of his five beloved,
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  Speaker 1: to adjust the difference between both parties. While on his
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  Speaker 1: mission of peace, the brave Man Singh, one of the
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  Speaker 1: surviving heroes of chan Kaur, who had never parted from
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  Speaker 1: the Guru, was assassinated by a fanatic. The Emperor was
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  Speaker 1: much distressed on hearing of his death, and ordered that
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  Speaker 1: his murderer should be seized and given up to the
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  Speaker 1: Guru for punishment. The Guru pardoned him and thus gained
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  Speaker 1: great praise from the Mohammedans for his mercy and clemency.
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  Speaker 1: The emperor and the Guru continued their march to bur
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  Speaker 1: Hanpur on the Tapti River. The inhabitants had prepared a
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  Speaker 1: house there for the Guru, where he passed some time.
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  Speaker 1: A holy man came to visit him and said, Oh, Guru,
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  Speaker 1: I was present with my father on the bank of
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  Speaker 1: the rah Mahputra when thou wert born in Patma. He
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  Speaker 1: said that thou should afterwards traveled to the south of India,
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  Speaker 1: the prophecy having now been fulfilled, I've come to meet
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  Speaker 1: and welcomed thee He then gave the Guru hospitable entertainment.
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  Speaker 1: The Emperor continued his journey and left the Guru at Burhanpur.
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  Speaker 1: After some days, the emperor wrote to him to join him,
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  Speaker 1: and he acceded to his request. Both then proceeded to
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  Speaker 1: Puna and thence to Nander on the margin of the
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  Speaker 1: river god Daarvari in the present state of Daurabad, and
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  Speaker 1: about one hundred and fifty miles northwest of its capital.
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  Speaker 1: End of Life of Gurugo Bin Singh, Chapter twenty nine,