Latest / Sikh Religion Gurus and Sacred Writings, Vol. 5 / 030 - Life of Guru Gobind Singh - Chapter XXX

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

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty of Sikh Religion, Volume five by Max Arthur McAuliffe.
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  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Life of
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  Speaker 1: Gurugobin Singh, chapter thirty. The original name of nander was
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  Speaker 1: now non Deira because it is said that nine rickeys
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  Speaker 1: dwelt there in prehistoric times. It is supposed to occupy
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  Speaker 1: the site of the ancient city of Tagara, described by
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  Speaker 1: the author of the peraplace of the era three and
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  Speaker 1: sea in the middle of the fourth century, was still
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  Speaker 1: a place of importance in the capital of a Petti kingdom.
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  Speaker 1: Its fortifications have long since been dismantled or have perished
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  Speaker 1: by lapse of time, and there is now no trace
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  Speaker 1: of any ancient building, save a few old temple pillars
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  Speaker 1: preserved in a small mosque near the court of the
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  Speaker 1: sub collector. The country is diversified by dale and hillick
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  Speaker 1: along the laisy flowing Gadabari. The Guru arrived in Nandar
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  Speaker 1: in Sawan July August a d Seventeen hundred and seven
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  Speaker 1: with some infantry in two or three hundred cavalry equipped
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  Speaker 1: with lances. He went to the hut of Madho das
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  Speaker 1: Baragi hermit, finding the Baragi absent, and hearing that he
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  Speaker 1: possessed such skill in magic that he could overthrow anyone
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  Speaker 1: who sat on his couch, the Guru proceeded to sit
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  Speaker 1: there on and make himself at home. He shot one
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  Speaker 1: of the Baragi's goats and cooked and ate the flesh.
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  Speaker 1: A disciple went to inform the Baragi of the guru's proceedings.
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  Speaker 1: It was a sacrilege to kill an animal at the
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  Speaker 1: Baragi's seat, and another sacrilege to take possession of the couch,
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  Speaker 1: which served him as a throne. He came to demand
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  Speaker 1: an explanation of the intruder's strange conduct. The Baragi represented
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  Speaker 1: that the place had been first his Guru's seat, then
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  Speaker 1: his own, and he did not desire to have it
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  Speaker 1: usurped by an unknown stranger who moreover committed violence and sacrilege.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru replied that he had arrived fatigued in Nander, and,
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  Speaker 1: having heard of the Baragi's hospitality and philanthropy, took the
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  Speaker 1: liberty of testing the favorable accounts he had received. The
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  Speaker 1: Baragi accepted the Guru's explanation, recognized from his words and
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  Speaker 1: manner that he was a great man, and called himself
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  Speaker 1: his Banda slave, the name by which he was subsequently known. Banda,
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  Speaker 1: whose original name was Lachmandev, was son of Ramdev Rajput
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  Speaker 1: and native of Rajari in the Himalayan state of Punch.
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  Speaker 1: Before he adopted a religious role, he had been a
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  Speaker 1: zamindar or cultivator. In early years, he practiced the use
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  Speaker 1: of firearms and was devoted to the chase. Once, when
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  Speaker 1: he shot a female deer, he found two young ones
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  Speaker 1: in her womb. He was so distressed at what he
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  Speaker 1: had done that he he decided to renounce the world
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  Speaker 1: and became a disciple of a fakir named Janki pras Sad.
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  Speaker 1: As a wandering Mendi Kent, he made his way to
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  Speaker 1: the source of the Godavari at Nasik. He there made
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  Speaker 1: himself a hut and began to perform austerities. Yogi Callluni
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  Speaker 1: visited him and instructed him in the science of yog
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  Speaker 1: and incantations. Being thus accomplished, he set out again on
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  Speaker 1: his travels and followed the source of the Godavari until
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  Speaker 1: he arrived in Noander. There he became known as a
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  Speaker 1: holy man, in possession of many charms for the acquisition
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  Speaker 1: of spiritual and temporal advantages. He used to pray and
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  Speaker 1: perform penance on a little mound overlooking the Godavari, and
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  Speaker 1: thence at intervals watch its slow and dreamy motion, as
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  Speaker 1: if it were loath to lose itself in the open sea.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru was pleased with the position and seclusion of
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  Speaker 1: Nander and decided to make it his permanent abode. He
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  Speaker 1: used to sit in prayer and meditation on a small
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  Speaker 1: stone structure on the margin of the river. Near it
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  Speaker 1: is a little larger building where the Grand Sahib was read.
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  Speaker 1: It is now and has been for years in a
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  Speaker 1: state of dilapidation. The Guru instructed Bonda in the tenets
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  Speaker 1: of his religion, and in due time baptized him according
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  Speaker 1: to the New Rites. On that occasion, Banda received the
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  Speaker 1: name ger Bakish Singh, but continued to be known as Bonda.
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  Speaker 1: He conceived a great affection for the true religious guide
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  Speaker 1: he had at last found, and one day asked him
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  Speaker 1: if there were any service he could perform for him.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru, after reflection, found that he had an account
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  Speaker 1: to settle with the Mohammedans of the Panjab, and replied,
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  Speaker 1: I have come into the world to consolidate the faith
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  Speaker 1: and destroy oppressors. Art there prepared to assist me. Banda
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  Speaker 1: promised to undertake any enterprise suggested by the Guru. Upon this,
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  Speaker 1: he was enjoined to proceed to the job and wreak
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  Speaker 1: vengeance on the enemies of the Calsa. Thou hast called
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  Speaker 1: thyself my slaves of the Guru, But thou shalt be
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  Speaker 1: the most exalted of all. Saying this, the Guru presented
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  Speaker 1: him with five arrows, and thus addressed him. As long
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  Speaker 1: as thou remainest continent, thy glory shall increase. He who
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  Speaker 1: is continent turneth not away from the combat, and his
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  Speaker 1: opponents cannot withstand him. The continent man succeedeth in everything.
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  Speaker 1: Once thou forsakest the cause of principles and associatest unlawfully
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  Speaker 1: with woman, thy courage shall depart. He then ordered Bonda
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  Speaker 1: to proceed towards the Jamnah Wait at a little distance
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  Speaker 1: from Berea for reinforcements which he would cause to be
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  Speaker 1: sent him. Then go to Sadhara. Barria and Sandhara are
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  Speaker 1: both in the present district of Umbala, and plunder and devastated.
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  Speaker 1: The reason was that the Mohammedans of the place had
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  Speaker 1: caused Boodu Shah and his disciples to be executed by
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  Speaker 1: the Emperor for the offense of having assisted the Guru
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  Speaker 1: at the Battle of Bangani. When Banda had disposed of
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  Speaker 1: the Guru's enemies that Sandhara, he was to proceed to
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  Speaker 1: sack some more Mohammedan cities, then march to Sarhind and
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  Speaker 1: put its governor, Wazir Khan to death. The Guru gave
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  Speaker 1: him instructions to cut off Wazir Khan's head with his
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  Speaker 1: own hands and not entrust this pious duty to any subordinate.
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  Speaker 1: This done, Banda was commissioned to go to the hills
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  Speaker 1: and searched for the hill Rajas who had so often
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  Speaker 1: and so cruelly persecuted the Guru, and mete out to
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  Speaker 1: them the same justice as to the Mughal enemies of
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  Speaker 1: the Kalsa. With Banda, the Guru dispatched Baba Benod Singh,
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  Speaker 1: his son, Baba Khan Singh, descendants of Guru am Goad
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  Speaker 1: and Baz Singh, a descendant of Guru Ahmar Das, who
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  Speaker 1: were all three to give Banda further instructions in the
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  Speaker 1: new religion. He had adopted. With these, the Guru sent
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  Speaker 1: five others seeks to assist in the enterprise and support
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  Speaker 1: the martial fame of the Calsa. After Banda's departure, the
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  Speaker 1: Guru lived at various places in the immediate neighborhood. At
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  Speaker 1: the Shikhar Got or game ferry, whence he used to
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  Speaker 1: go hunting at the Nina God, where a Sikh presented
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  Speaker 1: him with a valuable signet ring, which he flung into
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  Speaker 1: the river, at the Hiraghat, where he disposed in a
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  Speaker 1: similar manner of a valuable diamond ring presented him by
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  Speaker 1: the Emperor. While in Nandar, and at the spot now
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  Speaker 1: called the Sagat Sahib, where he used to give religious
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  Speaker 1: instruction to his followers and expounded them the Grand Sahib.
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  Speaker 1: While at the Sangat Sahib, amal Tani Sikh brought the
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  Speaker 1: Guru an offering of a bo and two arrows. He
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  Speaker 1: was much pleased and put the bow to the test
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  Speaker 1: by discharging one of the arrows from it. He sent
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  Speaker 1: one of his followers to inquire where the arrow had fallen.
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  Speaker 1: On being informed of the spot, he said that was
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  Speaker 1: where he wished to reside. The Mohammedans objected, but their
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  Speaker 1: objection was overruled by the Emperor, who made the Gu
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  Speaker 1: a present of the land. He went and abode there
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  Speaker 1: and made it the scene of his propaganda. It is
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  Speaker 1: the place on which his shrine was subsequently erected. After
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  Speaker 1: some time, a Pathan one day came and claimed from
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  Speaker 1: the Gu a sum of eleven thousand rupees as the
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  Speaker 1: price of horses he had supplied him. The Gu had
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  Speaker 1: not sufficient funds to discharge the debt. He said that
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  Speaker 1: thirty years after his decease, the Sikhs should be in power,
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  Speaker 1: and the Pathan had only to present the guru's acknowledgment
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  Speaker 1: of the debt to their leaders when he should receive
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  Speaker 1: the amount many hundredfold. The debt was duly discharged by
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  Speaker 1: the Sikhs under happier and more prosperous circumstances. End of
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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirty