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

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty two of Sikh Religion, Volume five by Max
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  Speaker 1: Arthur mccauliffe. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain
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  Speaker 1: Life of Guru go Bin Singh, chapter thirty two. We
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  Speaker 1: now proceed to continue the history of Banda. Having set
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  Speaker 1: up for the Panjab in accordance with the Guru's instructions,
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  Speaker 1: and in due time taking up his post on an
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  Speaker 1: eminence near Buria, he found the reinforcements promised by the Guru.
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  Speaker 1: They came in numbers and clamored for food to supply themselves.
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  Speaker 1: They were obliged to resort to forcible measures. Upon this
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  Speaker 1: there arose a violent altercation between the Sikhs and the villagers,
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  Speaker 1: in which the latter were put to the sword. The
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  Speaker 1: inhabitants of two or three other villages were similarly treated.
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  Speaker 1: On seeing the license granted to Bonda's troops, all the
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  Speaker 1: robbers of the country flocked to his standard. An outcry
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  Speaker 1: everywhere arose, and the people went in large numbers to
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  Speaker 1: complain to the governor of Mustaphabad, a city five or
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  Speaker 1: six miles to the west of Berea, where were two
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  Speaker 1: thousand imperial troops under arms and ready for any emergency.
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  Speaker 1: These were dispatched with two large guns against whereupon many
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  Speaker 1: of his mercenary recruits deserted him. He encouraged all who
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  Speaker 1: remained and promised them protection and pecuniary assistance. He then
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  Speaker 1: pulled forth one of the Guru's arrows, drew a line
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  Speaker 1: on the ground with it, and said that no bullet
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  Speaker 1: or arrow should cross the demarcation thus made. Upon this,
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  Speaker 1: his troops rallied and made such a successful defense that
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  Speaker 1: the Mohammedans all fled, leaving their cannon behind them. After
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  Speaker 1: this victory, of the deserters returned and rejoined Banda's army.
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  Speaker 1: His forces then proceeded to Mustaphabad and laid it waste.
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  Speaker 1: Banda's next expedition was against Sandhara. The imperial troops stationed
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  Speaker 1: there came forth to oppose him, but were easily defeated.
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  Speaker 1: They fled and took shelter behind their city walls. Banda's forces,
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  Speaker 1: with great bravery, captured the fort and leveled it with
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  Speaker 1: the ground, then ensued a general massacre of the inhabitants.
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  Speaker 1: Banda next marched and laid siege to Samana, a considerable
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  Speaker 1: town in the state of Patiala. Here there was a
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  Speaker 1: sanguinary battle. The city was sacked and the male inhabitants
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  Speaker 1: put to the sword. He then proceeded to Sarhind. On
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  Speaker 1: the march, his troops took supplies forcibly from villagers. Wazir Khan,
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  Speaker 1: on hearing that Banda was marching against him, sent to
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  Speaker 1: the Viceroy of Lahore for assistance. Banda plundered Ambala on
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  Speaker 1: the way. He then marched to Banur, where he was
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  Speaker 1: encountered by Wazir Khan's army, which had marched from Sarhin
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  Speaker 1: to oppose him. The battle began on the following day,
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  Speaker 1: when several of the Mohammedans were slain. Wazir Khan and
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  Speaker 1: Banda engaged in single combat. Banda thus addressed him O
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  Speaker 1: sinner thou art the enemy of Gurugo Bin Singh. Thou
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  Speaker 1: hast shown him no respect, But on the contrary, hast
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  Speaker 1: put to death his innocent children and thereby committed a
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  Speaker 1: grievous and unpardonable crime, the punishment for which I am
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  Speaker 1: now going to deal thee thine army and thy country
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  Speaker 1: shall be destroyed at my hands. Upon this Banda struck
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  Speaker 1: off his head with one blow of his sword. Then
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  Speaker 1: the whole of the Mohammedan army fled, followed by the Sikhs,
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  Speaker 1: who possessed themselves of their horses, arms, tents, cannon and
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  Speaker 1: other munitions of war, and then advanced in triumph to
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  Speaker 1: sar Hind. There they effected a general massacre. The Sikhs
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  Speaker 1: captured Sukanan, who had instigated the murder of Gurugobin Singh's children.
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  Speaker 1: They put an iron ring in his nose, and, passing
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  Speaker 1: a rope through it, let him round the streets to bay.
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  Speaker 1: At every shop. He was shoe beaten until he died.
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  Speaker 1: Such of the inhabitants as were not killed, prostrated themselves
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  Speaker 1: before the conqueror. He was not disposed to mercy, but
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  Speaker 1: gave an order to raise the city to the ground
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  Speaker 1: and plow up its site. In the process, large treasure
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  Speaker 1: was found, which materially assisted him in his further career
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  Speaker 1: of ray pine, bloodshed and devastation. Bonda then went on
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  Speaker 1: an expedition to the east and plundered most of the
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  Speaker 1: hill Raja's states. After this, he made a pilgrimage to
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  Speaker 1: ann Poor and performed reverent worship at the shrine of
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  Speaker 1: Guru teg Bahadur. He then made pilgrimages to the places
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  Speaker 1: hallowed by the visits of Guru gobidd Singh. The Raja
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  Speaker 1: of Tamba, in order to conciliate him, sent him a
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  Speaker 1: supremely beautiful girl. She had large eyes, her limbs were
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  Speaker 1: graceful and delicate, and she is described by the enthusiastic
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  Speaker 1: chronicler as the very image of the goddess of love. Bonda,
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  Speaker 1: on seeing her, parted with his caution and completely forgot
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  Speaker 1: the Guru's injunctions. He dived into the ocean of sensuality
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  Speaker 1: and thought not of the fate that awaited him on
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  Speaker 1: the forfeiture of his continents. Having subjected all the hill chiefs,
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  Speaker 1: Banda planned a tour in the bist dh Ab and
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  Speaker 1: proceeded to Jalandhar, where he killed the Mohammedan male inhabitants.
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  Speaker 1: The Mohammedan women were converted to Sikhism and became wives
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  Speaker 1: of the Sikh soldiers by the ceremony of Anand He
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  Speaker 1: thence went into the man Jaha and plundered Batala. Thence
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  Speaker 1: he marched to Lahore and put its viceroy Aslam Khan
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  Speaker 1: and all his principal officers to the sword. He there
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  Speaker 1: heard that troops sent by the Emperor Bahadur Shah were
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  Speaker 1: marching against him. He proceeded to meet them as far
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  Speaker 1: as Ludhiana and defeated them. He thence went on a
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  Speaker 1: pilgrimage to the shrine of gurut Nanak in the Gurdaspur district,
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  Speaker 1: where he met by Ram Kauar sixth in descent from
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  Speaker 1: by Buddha. Banda induced him to remain with him, probably
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  Speaker 1: with the object of persuading him, in imitation of his
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  Speaker 1: pious ancestor, to invest him with the dignity of Guru.
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  Speaker 1: Banda had by this time obtained supreme power from the
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  Speaker 1: neighborhood of Dilhi on the south to Lahore on the north.
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  Speaker 1: He appointed his own police easts, levied revenue and ruled
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  Speaker 1: the country. Baba Benad, saying whom the Guru had sent
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  Speaker 1: with him, gave him great assistance in administration. He endeavored
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  Speaker 1: to dissuade him from that Chamba liaison and another of
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  Speaker 1: a disreputable character, which Banda had also contracted. On one occasion,
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  Speaker 1: when Baba Benad Singh remonstrated in open dharbar with him
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  Speaker 1: for his departure from assetic principles and the injunctions of
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  Speaker 1: the Guru. An altercation arose of such a violent character
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  Speaker 1: that Banad Singh drew his sword and would have cut
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  Speaker 1: off his head had not Khan Singh interposed. Khan Singh
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  Speaker 1: then foretold the departure of Banda's glory and his ignominious death.
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  Speaker 1: Banda next paid a visit to the Great Temple at Amritsar.
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  Speaker 1: He gave out that he had been empowered by the
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  Speaker 1: Guru to claim succession to the Guru ship. The Sikhs
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  Speaker 1: then reflected that he did not live according to the
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  Speaker 1: rules prescribed for the Calsa. In order to make trial
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  Speaker 1: of him, they put meat before him, at which he,
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  Speaker 1: as the result of early prejudice, became horrified. He fell
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  Speaker 1: into a passion with the Sikhs who had thus made
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  Speaker 1: trial of him, and they in turn grew enraged with
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  Speaker 1: him for refusing meat allowed by their religion and for
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  Speaker 1: his manifold irregularities. The result was that the Sikhs divided
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  Speaker 1: into two factions. Those who rejected Banda were called the
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  Speaker 1: Tatkalsa or real Sikhs, and those who accepted him the
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  Speaker 1: Bandai Calsa or followers of Banda for the Sikh salutation
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  Speaker 1: while Guru g Calsa while g Qui Fata. He substituted
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  Speaker 1: Fata Darshan victory to the sect, an alteration which was
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  Speaker 1: deemed apostasy from the Orthodox faith. Another cause of the
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  Speaker 1: dissatisfaction of the Sikhs with Banda was that he disregarded
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  Speaker 1: a letter of Mata Sandhari to the effect that he
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  Speaker 1: had now accomplished the mission imposed on him by the Guru,
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  Speaker 1: namely to bring the governor of Sarhin to justice, and
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  Speaker 1: it was time for him to arrest his career of
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  Speaker 1: carnage and spoliation. Bonda said that as Mata Sandhari was
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  Speaker 1: only a woman, she was not competent to give him
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  Speaker 1: advice or orders. Many seeks, thinking that this was a
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  Speaker 1: slight to the Guru's wife, deserted Banda and from that
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  Speaker 1: time his power began rapidly to decline. When the defeat
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  Speaker 1: of the army sent by the Emperor against Banda was
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  Speaker 1: heard of in Nandar, it was attributed to the Emperor's
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  Speaker 1: failure to keep his promise to the Guru. Banda continued
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  Speaker 1: to pursue his violent career until Bahadur Shah himself at
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  Speaker 1: the head of a powerful avenging army, proceeded against him. Bonda,
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  Speaker 1: not deeming his troops sufficient to cope with the imperial host,
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  Speaker 1: fled to the mountains and took refuge in a fort
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  Speaker 1: called lo Gar. The imperial army besieged him, but the
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  Speaker 1: wily chief escaped in a desperate sally. A Hindu who
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  Speaker 1: remained behind to personate him was sent by the Subadar's
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  Speaker 1: orders to be executed in Dilhi. Very soon after this,
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  Speaker 1: the emperor died in Lahore and then ensued the usual
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  Speaker 1: Oriental scramble for the throne. His eldest son, Jahandar Shah,
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  Speaker 1: who has been described as a drunken profligate, succeeded, but
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  Speaker 1: was murdered by his nephew var ruk si Yar, son
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  Speaker 1: of Bahadur Shah's second son azam Ul Shan. While the
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  Speaker 1: struggle was in progress, Banda came forth from his hiding
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  Speaker 1: place and again commenced his depredations. Baya ZiT Khan, the
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  Speaker 1: new viceroy of Sarhind, went forth with his troops to
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  Speaker 1: oppose Banda, but was killed while at his prayers by
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  Speaker 1: a follower of the outlaw. On this the Emperor ruk
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  Speaker 1: Si sent abd Ul Samad Khan, also known as Diller Jang,
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  Speaker 1: to arrest Banda's progress. When Jang thought his troops said
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  Speaker 1: surrounded Bunda, there was no bounded to be seen. He
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  Speaker 1: and his followers had again fled and disappeared in the mountains.
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  Speaker 1: Dahler Jang took up his quarters at Lahore to await
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  Speaker 1: the outlaw's reappearance. After a year, Bounder again emerged from
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  Speaker 1: his fastnesses and took possession of Kala Nuar and San Togar.
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  Speaker 1: He sent letters in all directions inviting the Sikhs to
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  Speaker 1: join his standard. In two months, he received considerable reinforcements
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  Speaker 1: and defeated Shaer Muhammad Daim, the general commanding at Ambala.
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  Speaker 1: The latter then went to Dialer Jang at Lahore to
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  Speaker 1: complain of Banda's lawlessness and tyranny and concert more stringent
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  Speaker 1: measures for his repression. Dalar Jang sent the Ambala general's
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  Speaker 1: complaint to the Emperor. Upon this, the Emperor ordered mir
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  Speaker 1: Ama Khan, the general commanding at Aurungabad, to join his
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  Speaker 1: forces with those of Dilor Jang and the other generals
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  Speaker 1: in the Panjab, and all proceed against Bonda. The latter
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  Speaker 1: took refuge in gur Dspour and strongly entrenched himself. The
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  Speaker 1: Mohammedan army besieged him. The Sikhs were reduced to such
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  Speaker 1: extremities that they killed for food all animals in their possession.
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  Speaker 1: Baba Banad Singh, who had hitherto accompanied Bonda, now abandoned him. Bonda,
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  Speaker 1: when rendered totally helpless, sent a letter under flag of
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  Speaker 1: truce to dialer Jang, offering to surrender if his life
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  Speaker 1: was spared and his troops treated with consideration. Dialer Jang
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  Speaker 1: promised to intercede with the Emperor for him and held
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  Speaker 1: out hopes of his pardon. When Bonda gave up his arms,
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  Speaker 1: he was not allowed an interview with dailer Jang, but
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  Speaker 1: placed at once with all his followers under restraint. They
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  Speaker 1: were all sent to Dilly with many circumstances of disgrace,
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  Speaker 1: Bonda himself being put into an iron cage to be
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  Speaker 1: disposed of by the Emperor. Here English testimony is available
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  Speaker 1: the members of an English mission who went from Calcutta
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  Speaker 1: to Dillhi in seventeen hundred and fifteen to petition the
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  Speaker 1: Emperor for certain privileges have left on record that they
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  Speaker 1: saw a procession of eight hundred Sikh prisoners marched through
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  Speaker 1: Dillhy with two thousand bleeding heads born aloft on poles.
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  Speaker 1: The sieghs bide with one another for precedence in death.
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  Speaker 1: While the executions were in progress, the mother of one
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  Speaker 1: of the prisoners, a young man just arrived at manhood,
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  Speaker 1: having obtained some influential support, pleaded the cause of her
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  Speaker 1: son with great feeling and earnestness before the Emperor. She
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  Speaker 1: represented that her son has suffered imprisonment and hardship at
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  Speaker 1: the hands of the sect. His property was plundered and
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  Speaker 1: he was made prisoner. While in captivity, he was without
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  Speaker 1: any fault of his own, introduced into the sect, and
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  Speaker 1: now stood innocent among those set sentence to death. Faru
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  Speaker 1: Siyar pitied the woman and mercifully sent an officer with
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  Speaker 1: orders to release the youth. She arrived with the order
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  Speaker 1: of release just as the executioner was standing with his
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  Speaker 1: bloody's sword upheld over the young man's head. When she
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  Speaker 1: showed the imperial order, the youth broke out into complaints, saying,
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  Speaker 1: my mother speaketh falsely. I with heart and soul joined
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  Speaker 1: my fellow believers in devotion to the Guru, sent me
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  Speaker 1: quickly after my companions. Needless to say, his request was
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  Speaker 1: cheerfully granted. Here Baba Khan Singh and Baba Baa Singh,
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  Speaker 1: whom the Guru has sent with Banda, succeeded in effecting
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  Speaker 1: their escape. Gulam, who signed Khan, author of the Siar
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  Speaker 1: ulmah Tah Karen, states that Bonda's son was put on
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  Speaker 1: his lap and Banda was obliged to cut his throat
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  Speaker 1: in the manner of Mohammedan's sacrifice. He did so not unwillingly,
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  Speaker 1: lest the child should afterwards be circumcised and made a Mohammedan.
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  Speaker 1: Mohammed Amin Khan, when he had an interview with Bonda,
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  Speaker 1: said to him, the marks of sense and intelligence are
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  Speaker 1: visible on thy countenance. How is it thou hast never
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  Speaker 1: thought about the recompense of thy deeds, and that in
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  Speaker 1: a short span of life, with a dreadful futurity, thou
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  Speaker 1: hast been guilty of such cruelty and of such detestable
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  Speaker 1: actions to Hindus and Mussulmans. He replied, in our religions
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  Speaker 1: and sex, whenever disobedience and rebellion among mortal men passeth
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  Speaker 1: all bounds. The Great Avenger raiseth up a severe man
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  Speaker 1: like me for the punishment of their sins and the
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  Speaker 1: due reward of their deeds. When he wisheth to desolate
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  Speaker 1: the world, he placeth dominion in the hands of a tyrant.
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  Speaker 1: When he desireth to give the tyrant the recompense of
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  Speaker 1: his works, he sendeth a powerful man like thee to
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  Speaker 1: prevail over him and to give him his due reward
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  Speaker 1: in this world. As thou and I can see on
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  Speaker 1: this Bond's flesh was torn from his body by red
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  Speaker 1: hot pincers, and he expired under the horrible torture. During
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  Speaker 1: his execution, he uttered the following morning to his fellow creatures,
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  Speaker 1: who hath not suffered for his acts, who hath not
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  Speaker 1: reaped what he hath sown. Forget not that you shall
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  Speaker 1: obtain retribution for your deeds. Wheat springeth from wheat, and
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  Speaker 1: barley from barley. Though such was the fate of Banda,
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  Speaker 1: Yet Guru Gobin Singh had infused such martial spirit into
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  Speaker 1: his Sikhs that they not long after obtained possession of
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  Speaker 1: the Panjab and put an end to Mohammedan supremacy. End
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  Speaker 1: of Chapter thirty two,