Guru Arjan Dev and his sacrifice

 

Guru Arjan Dev and his sacrifice

 

Dr. Vivek Arya

 

Whenever the history of the tradition of sacrifice is written, the name of the Sikh panth will be included in it in golden letters. Suffering from inhuman atrocities of Islam, the Sikh panth was established as a reaction. Guru Nanak Dev witnessed with his own eyes the atrocities of Babur. Babur received the title of “Mujahid” when, in 1519 AD, during the initial phase of his conquest of India, he attacked the small state of Bijaur in the North-West Frontier Province. In his autobiography Baburnama, he described this event with great delight and jubilation:

“Since the inhabitants of Bijaur were enemies and rebels against Islam, and heretical and hostile customs and traditions prevailed among them, they were massacred. The women and children were taken captive. According to an estimate, three thousand persons were put to death. After conquering the fort, we entered it and inspected it. Along the streets, in the houses, in the lanes and passages, countless Hindu bodies lay scattered. All who came and went had to pass over the corpses… On the ninth day of Muharram, I ordered that a tower of the heads of the Hindu dead be erected in the field.”[i]

Babur had a fondness, like his ancestor Timur, for building towers of the heads of kafirs. Reflecting upon the indescribable sufferings inflicted upon the Hindus by Babur, Guru Nanak was so deeply moved that he questioned the Creator of the universe, the Supreme Father, saying:

“O Lord! How can You endure such massacres, such tortures, and such suffering? “

He said:

“God has placed Khurasan under His protection (i.e., remained absorbed in samadhi) and has left Hindustan open to Babur’s atrocities. O Giver of Life! You never take any blame upon Yourself; You ever remain detached. Was it death itself that came in the form of the Mughal to wage war against us? When such terrible slaughter was taking place, when such dreadful cries were arising, did You not feel pain?”[ii]

 In the Cambridge History of India, Sir Jadunath Sarkar wrote:

 “Guru Nanak condemned the Muslims of his time and called them low, fallen, and misguided.”[iii]

The words of Guru Nanak stand as testimony to history revealing sectarian mentality. It was this same mentality of which Guru Arjan Dev Ji became a victim. His father, Guru Ram Das, had bestowed upon him the Guruship on 1 September 1581 at the age of eighteen. The establishment of Sri Harmandir Sahib and the compilation of the Adi Granth are credited to him. Akbar respected him. After Akbar, Jahangir ascended the throne. He was addicted to wine and opium and was licentious. He had Guru Ji arrested. The reasons behind this were:

“First, Guru Arjan Dev was honoured by Akbar. Second, the bigoted Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi instigated Jahangir against the Guru. Third, Shaykh Farid Bukhari informed Jahangir that his brother Khusro had sought assistance from the Guru, whereas the Guru should have arrested him and presented him before Jahangir.”[iv]

In Jahangir’s autobiography, Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri, it is written:

“A Hindu named Arjun, who resides at Goindwal on the bank of the River Beas, has become a pir or shaykh. Under his influence many Hindus, ignorant people, and even some foolish Muslims have adopted his ways. He has declared himself a saint and a siddha. From all sides some horsemen and fools have become his disciples. This business has been going on for 3 or 4 generations. I had long desired to put a stop to this and to bring him into Islam. When Khusro passed by his place, he made him stay, met him, and at the time of departure applied a mark of victory upon his forehead.”[v]

Jahangir summoned the Guru to Lahore. The Guru sensed the coming difficult time. He said to his wife Ganga:

“This body will not remain forever. A wise person never takes pride in the body. That which is born must end. And the pride that one carries will, sooner or later, certainly be destroyed. This is the law of nature… After I depart, you must continue to live. Do not lament for me, nor should you ever think of taking your own life.”[vi]

He was presented in Jahangir’s court at Lahore. A fine of two lakh rupees was imposed upon him in the name of assisting Khusro. He said:

“ Whatever I possess has been received in charity. You may take it whenever you wish. But if you desire to take it as a fine, I will not give even a shell, because fines are imposed upon the corrupt and sinners, not upon saints.”

 He refused to pay. He was imprisoned. In the scorching heat of May–June, in the Lahore Fort, from morning till evening he was kept in chains in the open burning sun. Beneath him was hot sand. At intervals, boiling water was poured upon his body, which became scorched. While enduring these tortures, Guru Ji uttered:

 “Tera kiya meetha lage; Naam padarth Nanak mange.” (Sweet is Thy Will, O Lord; Nanak seeks only the gift of Thy Name.)

On the final day, when the tyrants came to kill him by sewing him into a cowhide, Guru Ji said: “I am a saint. I will not embrace death with an impure body. I wish to bathe before I accept death.” Under heavy guard he was taken to bathe in the River Ravi. There, in the river itself, he relinquished his life and became a traveller upon the path of martyrdom. On 30 May 1606, at the age of forty-three, he attained martyrdom.[vii]

He accepted being scorched upon burning sand, but did not accept the invitation to Islam. Salutations to such a great Guru Arjun Dev Ji.

(Reproduced from book ‘Dharam Balidaniyon ko Janen in Hindi, Published from Suruchi Prakashan, Keshav Kunj, Jhandewalan, Delhi.’

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[i] Baburnama, trans. A. S. Beveridge, New Delhi, reprint 1979, p. 370–371.

[ii] Guru Nanak, p. 125, Publication Division, Government of India.

[iii] Vol. 4, p. 244.

[iv] Hari Ram Gupta, History of the Sikhs, Part I, Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi, 1984, p. 148.

[v] Ibid., p. 148–149.

[vi] Ibid, p. 149.

[vii] Ibid, pp. 149–152.