Latest / Sikh Religion Gurus and Sacred Writings, Vol. 5 / 027 - Life of Guru Gobind Singh - Chapter XXVII

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

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty seven of Sikh Religion, Volume five by Max
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  Speaker 1: Arthur McAuliffe. This liribox recording is in the public domain
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  Speaker 1: Life of Gurugo Bin Singh, chapter twenty seven. The Guru
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  Speaker 1: thence proceeded to Saran and thence to nut Heha. The
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  Speaker 1: inhabitants of the latter village prayed him to leave them.
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  Speaker 1: He then went to Tahlian Batasamon, a village about twenty
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  Speaker 1: miles southwest of muk Sah, where he was welcomed. Some
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  Speaker 1: Sikhs from Hariki came to him with an offering of
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  Speaker 1: a lunghi and a kahesse. The Guru put the kahss
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  Speaker 1: on his shoulders and tied the lunge round his loins.
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  Speaker 1: Man Singh remonstrated and reminded him of his own prohibition
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  Speaker 1: of the wearing of a lunge in this fashion, and
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  Speaker 1: said he was liable to a fine. The Guru replied,
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  Speaker 1: I am dressed according to the custom of the country
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  Speaker 1: jaiha days teh the hase te lunghi madhei kahaise. Every
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  Speaker 1: country has its own dress, a lunge for the loins
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  Speaker 1: and a cahasse shawl for the shoulders. The Guru, feeling
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  Speaker 1: his insecurity, asked that a guard should be provided for him.
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  Speaker 1: The warlike Sikhs put some dogars on guard. The Guru
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  Speaker 1: intended to reward the Hiriki Sikhs had they kept guard themselves.
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  Speaker 1: As it was. He blessed the dogars and foretold that
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  Speaker 1: they should have possession of all the adjacent river banks.
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  Speaker 1: The prophecy has been fulfilled, and there their descendants have
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  Speaker 1: since remained. Next day, the Guru continued his journey and
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  Speaker 1: rested under a bird tree, where he passed the night.
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  Speaker 1: The following day he proceeded to Wajidpur, some six or
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  Speaker 1: seven miles to the east of Vairazpur. The inhabitants told
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  Speaker 1: him that the Emperor's drums were often heard there, and
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  Speaker 1: they suggested to him to depart. The Guru said that
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  Speaker 1: instead of the drums of the Emperor, the praises of
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  Speaker 1: the Sikhs should subsequently resound in the locality. The place
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  Speaker 1: afterwards fell into the possession of the Khanhaya Nissal. While
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  Speaker 1: in this neighborhood, the Guru heard the cry of a
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  Speaker 1: partridge and pursued it. The partridge gave chase and tired
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  Speaker 1: out men and horses. At last the Guru caught it,
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  Speaker 1: plucked it, and threw it before his hawk, which, after
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  Speaker 1: some hesitation, began to devour it. The Guru, when asked
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  Speaker 1: the cause of this strange proceeding, told the following anecdote.
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  Speaker 1: In a previous birth, the partridge had been the agriculturist
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  Speaker 1: and the hawk a money lender. The agric culturists had
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  Speaker 1: borrowed from the money lender, squandered the money, and then
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  Speaker 1: went to live in another village. The money lender followed
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  Speaker 1: him and insisted on payment that the agriculturists begged for
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  Speaker 1: time and promised to discharge the debt. The money lender
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  Speaker 1: demanded a surety. The agriculturist said he had no surety,
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  Speaker 1: but the guru. The money lender was then satisfied and
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  Speaker 1: went home. The agriculturists, however, ultimately failed to pay the money.
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  Speaker 1: Both died soon after, upon which the agriculturist became this
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  Speaker 1: partridge and the money lender my hawk. The hawk at
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  Speaker 1: first refused to touch the partridge, as the latter had
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  Speaker 1: given me as surety. I have now fulfilled my surety
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  Speaker 1: ship by bestowing the partridge on the hawk. If anyone
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  Speaker 1: give me again as surety and discharge not his debt,
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  Speaker 1: I will treat him as the hawk hath done the partridge.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru left Rajidpur and returned to Muksar. Thence he
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  Speaker 1: proceeded to Rupana, and thence to Bahundar, Gurusar and to Hehri.
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  Speaker 1: After that he proceeded to kal Jaharani. Thence he marched
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  Speaker 1: to Chaha Tiana, and on his way passed through several
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  Speaker 1: minor villages. In Chaha Tiana, some of his soldiers clamored
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  Speaker 1: for their pay and said they would not allow him
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  Speaker 1: to proceed further until he had paid them their arrears.
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  Speaker 1: He offered them their choice of remaining his sikhs or
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  Speaker 1: of taking their pay and returning to their homes. They
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  Speaker 1: elected to take their pay and dismissal. At this juncture,
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  Speaker 1: a Sikh opportunely arrived with a large pecuniary offering for
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  Speaker 1: the Guru. He summoned his soldiers and gave them their
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  Speaker 1: pay at the rate of eight honas per day for
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  Speaker 1: cavalry and for anas per day for infantry. To Dan Singh,
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  Speaker 1: their officer. The Guru offered his pay but he refused
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  Speaker 1: to take it and elected to share the Guru's fortunes.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru complimented him on laying the foundation stone of
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  Speaker 1: the Sikh religion in Mahwa, as Mahan Singh had done
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  Speaker 1: in the man Jaha. His troops were meditating how they
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  Speaker 1: could extort more money from the Guru. They told him
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  Speaker 1: he had offered them the alternative of taking their pay
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  Speaker 1: or becoming Sikhs. As they had accepted the former, they
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  Speaker 1: were now excluded from Sikhism. They asked for double pay,
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  Speaker 1: partly to compensate them for their religious disability and partly
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  Speaker 1: to support their people at home. The Guru complied with
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  Speaker 1: their demand and that he might not be pested with
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  Speaker 1: further extortionate demands. Buried the remainder of the money which
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  Speaker 1: is Pie's follower had brought him. A Mohammedan fakir called
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  Speaker 1: brah brahmmi Ibrahim, who lived on a neighboring mound, came
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  Speaker 1: to the Guru with offerings and asked to be baptized.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru expressed his satisfaction at the proposal. Thou art
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  Speaker 1: the first Maslim to be baptized according to my rights,
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  Speaker 1: if any Muslim whether of high or low position, and
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  Speaker 1: good faith desire to join the Kahalsa, it is proper
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  Speaker 1: that he should be baptized and received into our community.
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  Speaker 1: The Mohammedan was accordingly baptized and received the name Ajmir Singh.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru thence went to the village of sahib Jahan
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  Speaker 1: and thence to cut Bahai. On his way, he baptized
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  Speaker 1: several people. From there, he proceeded to Rohilah and then
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  Speaker 1: to Bambuha, where he remained nine days. Thence he returned
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  Speaker 1: to Bajak. When the Guru was in the neighborhood of
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  Speaker 1: Maluka and Kotha, one of the sect called Dwana's Madmen,
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  Speaker 1: who attempted forcible access to him, was cut down by
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  Speaker 1: his sentry. While the Guru was in Bajak, Gudha, Dwana's
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  Speaker 1: spiritual guide sought to avenge the death of his follower
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  Speaker 1: and accordingly sent fifty men of his sect to assassinate
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  Speaker 1: the Guru. On learning, however, that the Guru had a
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  Speaker 1: strong bodyguard, forty eight of them turned back and only
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  Speaker 1: two Suku and Buddha, proceeded to the Guru. They carried
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  Speaker 1: no weapons, but wiled away their time on the journey
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  Speaker 1: with the music of Sarangi. On reaching the Guru, instead
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  Speaker 1: of trying to kill him, they began to play and
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  Speaker 1: sing for him. They sang, among others, the following verses,
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  Speaker 1: The soul resideth in a frail body. Parents are not forever,
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  Speaker 1: nor doth youth abide. We must all march onwards. Why
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  Speaker 1: should man be proud? The Guru was much pleased with them,
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  Speaker 1: and they were equally pleased with him. To show their
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  Speaker 1: satisfaction and the pleasure they felt in his company, they
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  Speaker 1: took up his bed on their shoulders and carried it
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  Speaker 1: for more than a mile. The Guru gave them a
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  Speaker 1: square roop and told them to preserve it in memory
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  Speaker 1: of him, and promised that they should obtain whatever their
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  Speaker 1: hearts desired. The Guru then proceeded to Jasi Baghuala and
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  Speaker 1: thence towards Twandi Sabo now called dam Dama in the
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  Speaker 1: Patiala state. Halting on the way at a place called
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  Speaker 1: Paka intel Wandhi, Sabo resided his friend Dalla, who asked
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  Speaker 1: him why he had not previously applied to him for
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  Speaker 1: assistance against the treacherous Mohammedans. He said he could have
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  Speaker 1: saved the Guru much suffering. Here the Guru met some
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  Speaker 1: Sikhs who had come from Lahore with a musket. As
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  Speaker 1: an offering, he asked Dallah for two men to service
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  Speaker 1: targets to make trial of the weapon. All who heard
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  Speaker 1: him thought he was insane and made no reply. The
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  Speaker 1: Guru then sought to rag Gahreta seeks and invited them
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  Speaker 1: to submit to the trial. When the Guru called them,
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  Speaker 1: they were tying on their turbans, But so eager were
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  Speaker 1: they to please them that they went before him with
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  Speaker 1: the turbans only half bound, and vied with each other
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  Speaker 1: as to who should first be the subject of his experiment.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru said he only wanted one of them, and
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  Speaker 1: further explained that he merely desired to prove the cowardice
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  Speaker 1: and disloyalty of Dalla's soldiers and show that had they
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  Speaker 1: been with him in a non poor they would have
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  Speaker 1: deserted him in the hour of danger. The Guru's wives,
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  Speaker 1: Mata Sundari and Sahib Khawer here joined him in his wanderings.
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  Speaker 1: They wept copiously. On hearing the fate of the young children.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru endeavored to console them, and said Objet Singh,
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  Speaker 1: zorah War Singh, judge Haar Singh and Fata Singh have
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  Speaker 1: been sacrificed for their religion and obtained eternal life. So
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  Speaker 1: why should the mothers of such heroes lament? Though the
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  Speaker 1: whole world is transitory. There is first childhood, then youth,
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  Speaker 1: which diminisheth day by day, and at last old age,
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  Speaker 1: when the body perisheth in the presence of God. What
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  Speaker 1: is old age? What childhood? And what youth? They are
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  Speaker 1: all the same, equally of short duration. The more we
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  Speaker 1: love our bodies, the more suffering we endure. Love for
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  Speaker 1: the body is meaningless. Only those who apply it to
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  Speaker 1: good works profit by their lives. Your sons have gone
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  Speaker 1: with honor to where it bliss ever abideth, Having performed
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  Speaker 1: the work of the immortal God, they have now returned
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  Speaker 1: to him. Therefore, accept God's will as the best and
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  Speaker 1: most advantageous portion. Instead of your sons, I present you
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  Speaker 1: with my sikhs as a brave and worthy offspring. Dai
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  Speaker 1: Yao Das, a grandson of Bahai. Bahag too came from
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  Speaker 1: Behoop Joe to visit the Guru. The Guru wished to
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  Speaker 1: baptize him, but he refused, saying he was a Sikh
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  Speaker 1: of the ancient fashion and wished to remain so. Ram seeing,
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  Speaker 1: a great grandson of Baha'i Bahag too, came from chak
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  Speaker 1: Bahai to invite the Guru to go and stay with him.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru promised that he would go some day and
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  Speaker 1: requested him to hold his house in readiness to receive him.
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  Speaker 1: The women Bihago, who remained with the Guru after the
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  Speaker 1: Battle of Muksar, in a fit of devotional abstraction, tore
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  Speaker 1: off her clothes and wandered half naked in the forest.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru restrained her, gave her the cat or Sikh drawers,
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  Speaker 1: and allowed her again to wear man's costume. She attained
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  Speaker 1: a good old age and died in ab chah Lanagar.
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  Speaker 1: Nander revered by the Sikhs as a saint. While the
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  Speaker 1: Guru was in Tahwandhi, Wazir Khan sent a peremptory note
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  Speaker 1: to Dala to surrender him or he would dispatch an
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  Speaker 1: army and put them both to death. Daala replied that
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  Speaker 1: the Guru was his life and he could not part
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  Speaker 1: with him. If Wazir Khan sent an army, The Guru
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  Speaker 1: and Dalah would go into the recesses of the forest,
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  Speaker 1: where even if an army penetrated it with perish for
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  Speaker 1: want of water. In fine, Dalah manfully and courageously stated
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  Speaker 1: that he intended the Guru should reside with him forever.
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  Speaker 1: One day, the Guru, probably not wishing to compromise his
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  Speaker 1: friend Allah, said he would like to see the old
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  Speaker 1: fort of Bahatinda, which had been founded by ben Naipaul.
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  Speaker 1: He first, however, in pursuance of his promise, went to
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  Speaker 1: visit Ram Singh at chak Bahai. Ram Singh informed Dayal
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  Speaker 1: Das of the Guru's visit and suggested to him to
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  Speaker 1: prepare dinner for him in Behook Joe. He did so,
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  Speaker 1: but the Guru refused his hospitality and proceeded to Bahagtu.
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  Speaker 1: On his way to Bahatinda, the Guru took up his
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  Speaker 1: residence on the top of the fort, where now is
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  Speaker 1: a small temple dedicated to him. At night, some balaches
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  Speaker 1: sang of Sassim Punu Sasi had been brought up by washermen.
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  Speaker 1: Panu was a Baylok merchant who came to the Punjab
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  Speaker 1: with merchandise for sale he met Sasi, fell in love
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  Speaker 1: with her and remained with her until his brother came
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  Speaker 1: and took him forcibly away by night. Sasi, at daybreak,
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  Speaker 1: hearing of his abduction, followed him, and on arriving at
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  Speaker 1: a sandy desert, was so overcome by the heat that
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  Speaker 1: she expired. The poet represented that she had entered the
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  Speaker 1: earth in quest of Punu. Next day, the Guru took
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  Speaker 1: occasion to expatiate on love. He said, men may perform
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  Speaker 1: devotion and penance for hundreds of thousands of years, but
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  Speaker 1: it would be all in vain without the love of God.
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  Speaker 1: The Bahrars told the Guru a legend regarding the founding
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  Speaker 1: of Bahatinda. One day, as Benai Paul was hunting, he
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  Speaker 1: saw wolf and a goat struggling. The goat was trying
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  Speaker 1: to save her young from the wolf. On the very
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  Speaker 1: spot where the struggle between the two animals took place,
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  Speaker 1: Banaipaul caused the fort to be erected. Bahrars told the
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  Speaker 1: Guru that there was a subterranean passage between Bahatinda and
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  Speaker 1: Bahatna in Bakanar. The chroniclers do not state who was
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  Speaker 1: in possession of the fort. When visited by the Guru.
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  Speaker 1: The Guru thence proceeded to Sama and thence returned to Taiwan.
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  Speaker 1: Sabo there is friend Allah again met him. Dai al
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  Speaker 1: Das I had been following the Guru for some time
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  Speaker 1: to present him with the sacred food he had prepared
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  Speaker 1: for him and thus secure the Guru's pardon. On arriving
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  Speaker 1: at Dama, Ram Singh, who was in the Guru's service,
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  Speaker 1: interceded for Dai al Das, and the Guru was pleased
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  Speaker 1: to restore him to his friendship. Wazir Khan sent another
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  Speaker 1: letter to Daala to arrest the Guru or he would
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  Speaker 1: plunder his country and put him to death without mercy.
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  Speaker 1: Daala replied, O Vice, I fear Thee not, however much
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  Speaker 1: thou threatenest me. With thine army having destroyed it, the
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  Speaker 1: Guru and I will retire into the forest where thou
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  Speaker 1: shalt have no power over us. And whence thou shalt
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  Speaker 1: have to return, when thy troops have perished of hunger
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  Speaker 1: and thirst. I will, by no means have the Guru
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  Speaker 1: arrested to please Thee. Nay I will defend him with
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  Speaker 1: my life. Z Bardast Khan, the Viceroy of Blahore plundered
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  Speaker 1: a party of Sikhs who were going to make offerings
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  Speaker 1: to the Guru, while Zir Khan, the Viceroy of t
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  Speaker 1: Sarhemd plundered another party going on the same errand the
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  Speaker 1: Gur then repeated his exhortation to his Sikhs to wear
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  Speaker 1: arms and diligently practice their use. In the early days
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  Speaker 1: of Sikhism, it was different. At that time. The Guru's
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  Speaker 1: teaching was to remember the true name and not annoy anybody.
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  Speaker 1: Freed said, if anyone strike thee with his fists, strike him,
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  Speaker 1: not back. With such teaching, the Guru said, the Sikhs
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  Speaker 1: had become fainthearted and ever suffered defeat. Now that the
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  Speaker 1: times had altered and the Sikhs were obliged to defend themselves,
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  Speaker 1: he had established the Khalsa, and whoever desired to abide
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  Speaker 1: in it should not fear the clash of arms, but
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  Speaker 1: be ever ready for the combat and the defense of
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  Speaker 1: his faith. At the same time, the name was still
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  Speaker 1: to remain the chief object of the Sikh's adoration. End
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  Speaker 1: of chapter twenty seven