Chapter 9
GURU ARjAN DEV
(1563–1606)
Guru Amar Das’ house in Goindwal was always filled with the sound of children playing and having fun. The Guru had many grandchildren and they filled the house with their noise. The Guru loved all his grandchildren dearly and always found time to play with them and listen to their stories.
One day, the Guru had some important visitors, a group of religious leaders who had come to discuss certain issues with him. While they were all involved in their discussions, Arjan, Bibi Bhani’s youngest son, came crawling into the room. When he saw his grandfather, he made a happy gurgling sound and came crawling towards him. The Guru picked him up, kissed him on the forehead and took him on his lap. Arjan lay in his grandfather’s lap, happily sucking his thumb. Here his mother Bibi Bhani found him, when she came looking for him. But when she reached out to take him away, the Guru shook his head and Bhani understood that she must leave the baby there. She turned and went back to her work. After this it became a common sight to see the baby Arjan in his grandfather’s lap.
The Guru ate very frugally. His usual meal was ogra, a dish made from coarse rice and dal. Since he did not want any of his disciples to feel compelled to follow his example, he usually ate alone in his room. On one occasion his food was brought to him while he was busy writing, and Bibi Bhani left the covered thali and went quietly away. When the Guru did, at last, turn to have his meal, he was surprised and amused to see that Arjan had already uncovered the thali and was eating the ogra. The Guru sat back and smiled and watched the child while he ate. When his little stomach was full, he looked towards his grandfather and saw the Guru smiling at him.
Arjan grew up, and was very devoted to his parents. When his father became Guru, he spent as much time in the Guru’s presence as he could. For him the Guru was now no longer merely his father, but had become his Guru too. Young as he was, he knew that the first rule of his faith was complete obedience to his Guru. He found great happiness in being with the Guru and in carrying out the Guru’s wishes. He helped with the building of the holy tank and understood how important it was to his father. He listened while his father talked to Bhai Budha and Bhai Gurdas and understood that his father had great plans for the future of the Sikhs. Like all the earlier Gurus, Guru Ram Das too composed beautiful hymns. From him, as from his grandfather, Guru Amar Das, Arjan got the inspiration to compose poems and hymns himself.
Arjan’s life, as we have seen, was centered on the Guru. As he grew from being a boy to a young man, his need to be with the Guru grew as well.
Guru Ram Das’ time and energy were spent in building the holy tank and making plans for the temple. As a result he was never able to move out of Amritsar, even for the shortest of times. Whenever there was work to be done outside the dera, he always asked one of his senior disciples or one of his elder sons to attend to it. He understood Arjan’s need to be always with him and very rarely asked him to go on these errands and this was resented by Arjan’s eldest brother, Prithi Chand.
Prithi Chand had seen the wonderful work that was being done on the holy tank and the large offerings brought to the treasury by the masands and had met the important people who came to greet the Guru. He realized that the Guru’s position was one of great power and authority. Quite early in life, he began to consider that this position would one day be his. As he grew older, he convinced himself that since he was the Guru’s eldest son, he must be the next Guru. Now he saw that his father kept Arjan close to him and he became jealous of Arjan. His suspicious nature convinced him that this constant proximity to the Guru would assure Arjan the premier position in their father’s affection and could, one day, lead to Arjan usurping the succession that was rightfully his.
At this juncture, the Guru’s cousin, Sahari Mal, came to visit him with an invitation to his son’s wedding. The Guru was too busy in his work to be able to attend and he looked for someone he could depute to go in his place. Since it was a family affair, it would be best if one of his sons attended. Prithi was the eldest and he sent for him and asked him to attend the wedding.
Prithi stood for a moment, in silence, his eyes fixed on the ground, determined not to provide Arjan with another opportunity to come closer to the Guru.
‘Father, I cannot go.’ Everyone was shocked by his words. ‘I will stay here and work for you,’ he added.
‘This is also my work. By going to the wedding you will be serving me,’ the Guru said. But Prithi shook his head in the negative.
‘No. Representing you at a wedding is something that anyone can do. As your eldest son, it is more meet for me to stay by your side and assist you in more important and serious matters. I will not go to the wedding.’
The Guru knew what was in Prithi’s heart and smile at the mistake that Prithi was making: Succession to the gaddi had never been by the rule of primogeniture, and merely by staying on in the dera, Prithi would not be sure of securing the position of the next Sikh Guru for himself. In fact the succession had always gone to the one, who through his conduct and his actions had proved himself to be the most suitable. By his refusal to attend the wedding, Prithi had in fact, broken the basic tenet of the Guru-shishya relationship – the tenet that demands implicit obedience to the guru’s will on the part of the disciple. He had in fact taken the first step towards proving his unsuitability to be the next Guru.
‘Please yourself. It does not matter,’ the Guru said.
He turned then to his second son and asked, ‘Meherban, my son, will you go in my place?’ In this instance too the Guru knew what the answer would be even before he had posed the question.
Meherban was a recluse and did not enjoy taking part in functions like weddings. He would not make this sacrifice even to please his father.
‘Father, you know I do not enjoy taking part in such functions. Why don’t you send Arjan?’ suggested Meherban. The Guru then turned to his youngest son. The boy’s eyes filled with tears at the thought of being separated from his Guru even for a few days. But he had learnt his lesson well – No matter what the personal pain, he must carry out the Guru’s bidding. He came forward and touched his father’s feet and turned away.
‘And stay for all the ceremonies. Don’t come rushing back after a day or two,’ the Guru said in an affectionate tone.
The boy turned back to face the Guru. This time there were no tears in his eyes, no fear of the pain that he would have to bear in the coming days.
‘I will not return till you send for me, Guruji,’ Arjan said. Once more he bowed to the Guru and then turned and went away to attend the wedding.
The story goes that Arjan was very unhappy being separated from his Guru and he wrote two letters to his father, giving expression to his pain. Both these letters were received by Prithi, who, as was to be expected under the circumstance, made sure that they were not delivered to the Guru. The Guru was worried about Arjan: It was strange that Arjan should have stayed away for so long without sending any news. At last, Arjan wrote a third letter to his father and the messenger was instructed to deliver this letter only to the Guru. The Guru immediately wrote back to say that his son should return and it was only after receiving this letter that Arjan returned home.
The years passed and with each passing year, Arjan gave further proofs of his unselfish devotion to the Guru and his dedicated service to the sangat. It was clear to all that he, more than any other disciple, had understood well the teachings of the Gurus before him. So it was no surprise that when Guru Ram Das realized that his end was near, it was Arjan whom he proclaimed as his successor. Once again it was Baba Budha who was called upon to apply the saffron tilak on his forehead. On I September 1581, at the age of eighteen, Guru Arjan Dev assumed the mantle of the fifth Guru of the Sikhs.
For the first time the Sikhs had a Guru who had been born and brought up in the Guru’s household. He had listened to the teachings of two Gurus before him – his father and his grandfather, and had seen how they conducted the affairs of what had by then become a huge organization. He also understood the tasks that lay ahead of him.
The foremost task was to complete the construction of the holy tank that his father had started. The second was the construction of the sacred temple, what is now known as the Golden Temple, which had been the dream of both his father and grandfather. He knew that he had to give to the Sikhs a centre to identify with, that was as important as Banaras and Haridwar were to the Hindus, or as Mecca and Medina were to the Muslims.
Guru Arjan began by making the tank bigger. He wanted to pave the tank and build side walls, a task for which specially baked bricks were needed. Bhai Bhalo, a Sikh from Malwa region, was sure that he could give the Guru the kind of bricks that were needed for the purpose and set up the first of many brick-kilns. Wood was required for these kilns. Once again Sikh disciples were sent to the neighbouring hill states to get the wood, and word of the Guru and his teachings spread further and further into the hills, and many of the rajas came down to visit Ramdaspur (or Amritsar), and to seek the Guru’s blessing.
Prithi Chand who had still not accepted Arjan as the Guru, sought to turn the Sikhs against his brother by spreading false stories about him. The Guru heard of this but was too busy with the new project to pay any attention.
While the tank was being enlarged and paved, work on the temple’s design had also begun. The Guru kept an open mind and discussed all the details with his disciples. At first it was felt that the temple should be built at a height, like the mountain shrines of the Hindus. In this way the temple would be seen from miles around, and would inspire awe in all those who looked up at it. But the Guru convinced everyone that the temple they were going to build was not like any other temple. He said that the temple should be built at a lower level than the land around it. The Guru was a very humble man and felt that the temple should inspire humility and reverence, and not awe. If the temple was built at a lower level, everyone who came to visit it would have to go down to enter it and, in so doing, would feel humbled, which was the right frame of mind to be in, while entering a place of worship.
There was also a great deal of discussion as to the number of doors the building should have. Many different ideas were presented. Finally, the Guru voiced his opinion, ‘There should be no doors. The temple should be open from all four sides so that it is always ready to receive anyone who wishes to enter it,’ he said.
The designs were completed and work was started in 1588. Guru Arjan Dev asked Hazrat Mian Mir, a great Muslim saint, to lay the foundation stone. Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs worked side by side to build the temple. As the temple took shape, people saw that it was an admixture of the architectural styles of both Hindu and Islamic buildings.
Though the Guru’s followers gave generously of their money and their labour, the project was of such an enormous scale, that at one stage, work slowed down. Hired labour was needed, and for this, more funds were needed. Guru Arjan Dev realized that the Sikhs should have a fund from which money could be taken whenever it was needed. This would help, not only the construction of the temple but any other community work that the Sikhs might undertake in the future. He gave instructions that all true Sikhs should contribute one-tenth of their income for the service of the community, and this contribution was called Daswandh. The masands were instructed to collect this contribution and bring it with them to Ramdaspur on the first day of the month of Baisakh.
The temple was at last completed in 1604. The holy tank was filled with water and given the name of Amritsar or ‘the lake filled with divine nectar’, and in course of time, the town around it also came to be called Amritsar.
After the temple was completed, the Guru decided to go on a tour of the Punjab. This tour lasted for five years, and during this tour he built three new townships, Tarn Taran, Kartarpur (not to be confused with Guru Nanak’s Kartarpur), and Hargobindpur. Of these, Tarn Taran became a very important pilgrimage centre in its own right. During these five years, Guru Arjan Dev brought thousands of people into the Sikh fold.
Guru Arjan Dev returned to Ramdaspur in 1595. Immediately on his return, he came face to face with a fresh crisis caused by his elder brother. Prithi Chand had composed a hymn and used Nanak’s name at the end, the way all the Gurus did. Guru Arjan Dev realized that if Prithi could do this, anyone could do it and in times to come, no one would be able to tell which hymns had been composed by the Gurus, and which were by imposters claiming to be the Gurus.
The Guru knew that this could lead to a great deal of confusion and the only way to avoid this was to make a collection of all the hymns composed by the first five Gurus. This would be considered the authentic and definitive collection of the Gurus’ hymns and all confusion would be avoided.
The Guru gave this task utmost priority. He discussed the matter with Bhai Budha and Bhai Gurdas, and it was decided that Bhai Gurdas would help him in completing this great project.
On Guru Ram Das’ death, Bhai Gurdas had returned from Agra. During the construction of the great temple, he had made himself useful in every possible way – especially in dealing with all the correspondence connected with the project and in maintaining the accounts. He had impressed the Guru with his intelligence, his scholarship, and his ability to work diligently. Thus he had come to be recognized as a prominent member of the community; next only to Bhai Budha.
The first task was to collect all the compositions of the first four Gurus. Guru Arjan Dev had his father’s compositions with him and knew that he could get the compositions of the first three Gurus from his maternal uncle, Bhai Mohan, at Goindwal. As a child, he had been present when Guru Amar Das had asked his son Mohan to make a collection and if he could get this collection, it would make his task easier.
He sent Bhai Gurdas with a request to Bhai Mohan for the loan of this collection. Bhai Mohan, even though he lived in Goindwal, lived the life of a total recluse. He did not meet anyone or see anyone and rarely spent time even with his wife and son. Bhai Gurdas was lucky to be granted a meeting with the recluse and to present Guru Arjan Dev’s request to him. Bhai Mohan considered the Guru’s request for a few moments and then shook his head in the negative.
‘No. These hymns were given to me by my father. My son, Sahas Ram, has written them down in two pothis (volumes) and these pothis are the most valuable and sacred possessions I have. I will not part with them.’
When Bhai Gurdas returned with this message, Guru Arjan Dev smiled and said, ‘Baba Mohan is not one to deny a sincere request. I will go to him myself.’
By the time the Guru reached Goindwal, Bhai Mohan had again retreated to the upper room of his house, on the river Beas, and was lost in meditation. The Guru sent all his attendants away and took up his position in the street below Bhai Mohan’s window. Day after day he sat there, waiting for the moment when his uncle would notice him, and day after day there was no response. While waiting, the Guru composed a beautiful hymn in Raga Gauri and sang it in his beautiful, clear voice. The hymn was addressed to Mohan, which is one of the names given to Lord Krishna. Bhai heard the hymn and his heart softened at the sweet humility of Guru Arjan Dev. He came down to the street, bowed to the Guru, and handed over the pothis to him.
Apart from the Goindwal pothis, there were, at that time, other collections of the Gurus’ hymns, which had been collected and preserved by other Sikh devotees. Guru Arjan Dev tried to collect as many of these as possible. One of the most important of these was a volume presented to the Guru by a Sikh, Bakht Arora of the Hassan Abdal area (now in Pakistan). Guru Arjan Dev also went to Kartarpur and Khadur and got collections of the works of the earlier Gurus from Sri Datu, son of Guru Angad Dev. Then the Guru sent messengers and important disciples like Bhai Piara to far-off places to collect the compositions of the saints whose teachings were similar to that of the Gurus.
When the Guru had collected all the material possible, he went with Bhai Gurdas to Ramsar, a mile away from Harmandir Sahib (or the Golden Temple), the temple built by him in the holy tank. Here, in the centre of a thick grove of beri trees, tents were put up and the Guru and Bhai Gurdas began their monumental work. All the hymns that the Gurus composed had been composed to be sung at the sangat, and each Guru had indicated the raga in which the particular composition was to be sung. Guru Arjan Dev took this as a starting point. There were altogether thirty ragas that had been used for the different compositions. So he arranged his compositions according to the ragas. The Japji, containing the mool mantra, Ik Onkar Satnam, was kept at the beginning, at the head, and all the other compositions were arranged in thirty groups, according to the ragas to which they were to be sung.
All the Gurus took the title of Nanak when they became Guru and wrote their hymns under the pen-name of ‘Nanak’. This meant that there was no way of knowing which Guru had composed a particular hymn. However, Guru Arjan Dev felt that there should be some indication as to the authorship of the various hymns. So he gave each Guru the title Mahala or ‘Home of God’ and a number. So Guru Nanak was designated as Mahala Pehla or the first home of God. Guru Angad Dev as Mahala Dooja or the second home of God and so on … The hymns in each raga group were then arranged in the chronological order of their composition. At the end of the book, Guru Arjan Dev included the compositions of the Bhakta saints like Kabir, Guru Ravidas, Namdev, Baba Sheikh Farid, and many others.
Bhai Gurdas, who was a great poet in his own right, worked as the scribe for the original granth or collection of hymns by Sikh Gurus. For a year Guru Arjan Dev and Bhai Gurdas worked at their task and the holy book of the Sikhs, called the Guru Granth Sahib, was at last completed. When we look at the original copy we see that the Guru had studied every page again and again, even after Bhai Gurdas had set it all down. Some compositions were considered unsuitable, and were hence excluded from the final draft. The original Granth, in rich leather binding, is preserved and kept at Kartarpur. It is now in the custody of the Sodhis, the descendants of Dhirmal, Guru Arjan Dev’s grandson.
The granth, at that time referred to as the Adi Granth, was installed with great ceremony in the Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar. At the installation ceremony, the Guru asked Bhai Gurdas to recite some passages from the book. Later he appointed Bhai Budha, now an old man, as the first granthi or custodian of the book, and it was Bhai Budha who read from the book everyday at the morning and evening prayer meetings.
Bhai Budha was one of the first Sikhs to listen to Guru Nanak’s teachings. He had been invited to anoint all the Gurus, right from Guru Angad to Guru Arjan Dev, and had been by the side of all the Gurus during their stewardships.
Because the granth contained all the teachings of the Gurus, it soon became a symbol of the Gurus. This fact was emphasized by the instruction given by Guru Gobind Singh to the Sikhs. After him there would be no Guru in flesh and blood. All the teachings that the Sikhs needed were contained in the Guru Granth Sahib, and that they must regard it as their Guru. This instruction of the Tenth Guru is repeated after prayers when the Sikhs recite together:
‘Sab Sikhan ko hukam hai, Guru manyo Granth’
(We command all Sikhs to hold the Granth to be the
Guru).
The Adi Granth was from then on called the Guru Granth Sahib.
Since the granth is now considered the Guru, the text has remained exactly the same as when Guru Arjan Dev wrote it down, except for the addition of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s hymns by Guru Gobind Singh.
Thus we see that by compiling the Adi Granth, Guru Arjan Dev did much more than what he set out to do originally. He gave the Sikhs a holy text which finally became a focal point for all Sikh communities, no matter where they were based. The Guru Granth Sahib is now given the same respect that would be given to a living Guru.
All major religious ceremonies of the Sikhs consist in making a complete reading of the Granth Sahib either in forty-eight hours non-stop, or in small parts spread over a week or ten days. At the closing of this ceremony, sacred hymns are sung, and prasad is distributed. No event of any importance in a Sikh’s life can take place without the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib.
However, Prithi’s hostility towards his younger brother remained unabated. He used the Adi Granth to try and create more trouble for the Guru. Through some influential officials, he complained to emperor Akbar about the holy book. The officials complained that the book contained passages which were decidedly anti-Islam in tone. Akbar did not, at first, believe this because his own experience of Guru Amar Das and of Sikhism had shown him that Sikhism was a very tolerant religion, and taught respect for all religions. It was unlikely that the fifth Guru would preach against Islam or write anything derogatory about the Muslims. But the complaints were made persistently and repeatedly, and at last Akbar decided to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
As it happened, Akbar had to make a trip to the North. He stopped outside Amritsar and sent a message to the Guru asking to see a copy of the Adi Granth. The holy book was brought to him and Bhai Budha and Bhai Gurdas read out a few of the hymns. Then Akbar asked some other learned men like Sahib Dyal to make random readings from the granth.
Akbar found that apart from the writings of the Guru, the Granth also contained the writings of poet-saints, both Muslims and Hindus, from all parts of Northern India. He found that all the hymns were very beautiful and expressed his own beliefs that each religion should respect all other religions, and that religious practices should be simplified. Akbar was delighted with the Guru’s work. He followed the Sikh practice of bowing before the holy book and made an offering of fifty one gold mohurs. He also gave robes of honour to Bhai Budha and Bhai Gurdas and sent presents for the Guru. In spite of Prithi’s hostility, Guru Arjan Dev bore him no grudge and invited him to come and take charge of the langar at the Harmandir Sahib.
The death of emperor Akbar and the starting of his son Jahangir’s reign marked a radical change in the attitude of the Mughals towards the Sikhs.
Many Muslims had become followers of the Sikh Gurus, and this had annoyed the Muslim religious leaders. While Akbar was alive, they had not dared set up an opposition to the Sikhs. But after Akbar’s death, these religious leaders came out openly against the Sikhs. Jahangir did not have the spirit of religious tolerance that his father had, and in his keenness to to win over the Muslim religious leaders, was ready to support their viewpoint. Most of all he himself was jealous of the growing influence of Guru Arjan Dev and the Sikh religion. He wrote in his diary that he was aware that many Hindus and Muslims were following the teachings of the Guru.
From this it was clear that he was only looking for an opportunity to suppress the Sikh religion, and this opportunity came a few months after he became emperor. His son Khusrau had been Akbar’s favourite and many people at the court had felt that Khusrau would make a better emperor than Jahangir. Shortly after Jahangir’s accession to the throne, Khusrau revolted against him. While he was trying to collect a strong enough army to fight against his father, he visited Guru Arjan Dev in Amritsar and asked for the Guru’s blessing. The Guru was a man of peace and could not help the prince in his war against his father, but he gave him his blessings, just as he would have given his blessings to anyone who came to his dera. But this innocent and harmless act was to lead to trouble between the Sikhs and the Mughals. Khusrau was not able to build up a strong enough army and was defeated and arrested by his father. Jahangir decided to punish all those who had helped his son and to crush the Guru as well. Jahangir wrote in his diary: ‘I fully knew his (the Guru’s) heresies and ordered that he (the Guru) should be brought into my presence, that his houses and children be made over to Murtaza Khan, the Governor, that his property should be confiscated and that he should be put to death with torture.’
The Guru received the emperor’s summons with complete equanimity. He had no illusions about the fate that awaited him and was quite reconciled to it. Before he left in answer to the emperor’s summons, he sent for Bhai Budha and gave instructions that his son Hargobind should be ordained as the next Guru of the Sikhs.
Mian Mir tried to intervene on the Guru’s behalf, both with the emperor and the governor, but they both turned a deaf ear to his pleas. Many of the Guru’s disciples wished to accompany the Guru to Lahore because they knew that this could be the Guru’s last journey and wanted to be with him. The Guru dissuaded them from going with him. Accompanied by a handful of attendants, Guru Arjan Dev made the short journey from Amritsar to Lahore and presented himself at the court of Murtaza Khan, the Governor. Murtaza Khan ordered that the Guru be chained and taken to a dark, airless dungeon in the fort where he was treated like a common prisoner. His fine clothes were taken away and he was given a coarse, dirty robe to wear. His only food was dry rotis and water. But he did not notice these things as his mind was occupied in constant prayer.
Next day the governor ordered that the Guru be brought into his presence.
‘Do you deny that the traitor Khusrau came to your dera to ask for help?’ asked Murtaza Khan.
‘No, I do not deny it.’ the Guru replied in a strong clear voice.
‘Do you deny that you applied tilak to the traitor’s forehead and treated him with every mark of respect?’
‘No, I do not deny it,’ said the Guru once more.
‘The emperor Jahangir has ordered that for your role in the mutiny, you must make a public apology and pay a fine.’ The Guru shook his head in the negative to this. ‘I had no role to play in the rebellion. The prince came to me like many other people come to me. I gave him my blessings in the same way that I give my blessings to all the people who come to my dera. I did not give him any assistance. So I cannot apologize or pay a fine,’ he said.
‘The emperor’s orders are clear. If you do not apologize and pay the fine, you will be put to death,’ said Murtaza Khan. The Guru knew what Jahangir was trying to do. By making him apologize and pay a fine the emperor was trying to place the Guru and the Sikhs in a subordinate position. If the Guru gave in, the Sikhs would always be at the mercy of the emperor. If he apologized for something he had not done, or paid a fine, he would be recognizing the authority of the emperor over the Sikhs. The building of the Harmandir Sahib and the compilation of the Adi Granth had forged a strong, independent identity for the Sikhs. The emperor sought to undermine this identity. ‘No, I cannot apologize or pay a fine, not even if you put me to death,’ the Guru said.
Murtaza Khan looked down at the Guru from his throne. The Guru met his gaze without flinching, and it was the governor who had to look away. He knew that the Guru had not helped Khusrau and he also knew that the Guru would not give in. He would have to carry out the second part of the emperor’s orders and put the Guru to death.
‘Take him back to the dungeon,’ he ordered. Murtaza Khan sent for his chief executioner, who was a specialist in torture. He was able to invent newer and more horrible means of torture every time he had to deal with a victim. It was said that he could make people say whatever he wanted them to say after just five minutes of torture.
Now he came into his master’s presence, bowed low and waited for his master’s orders.
‘You have heard of the so-called Guru who is imprisoned in the fort?’ asked Murtaza Khan.
‘Yes, Master, I have heard of him,’ the executioner replied.
‘The emperor has a special interest in this man. He wants him to die a horrible death. But before he dies, he must apologize for what he has done and beg forgiveness, said Murtaza Khan. ‘I will do my best, my lord. I have never failed you, I do not think I will fail you now,’ said the executioner.
The executioner put his mind to the task and came up with an ingenious solution. It was the hottest time of the year, so the torture would be through heat. Out in the burning sun, on a little hillock, he dug a pit which was covered by a plate of iron. He lit a huge fire under the plate. Once the plate became red hot, the Guru would be made to sit on it.
Town criers were sent around the city to make announcements about the torture and the people were ordered to come out and see how a traitor would be punished. Long before the sun rose on 30 May 1606, a huge crowd had collected around the place of execution. Every rampart of the fort, the roof of every house and every tree-top was occupied by the people who had come to see the torture. There were soldiers everywhere to keep the people under control and to see that no one interfered with the proceedings.
Then, when the day was at its hottest, the Guru was brought forth from the dungeon. Because of the shackles on his hands and legs, he had difficulty walking. Yet he carried about him an air of dignity and pride and there was no sign of fear on his face. There was only peace and a soft glow and it was as if he was going to address his sangat and to lead them in prayers and not walking out to meet his death. A way had been cleared for him through the crowd, and at last he came at last to the base of the little hillock. He paused for a moment and then climbed up the steps that had been made for him. When he reached the top, the jailers unlocked the shackles. The Guru looked briefly at the iron plate and then down at the people swarming around and smiled. A murmur went up from the crowd and then a group of women began to wail. The Guru held up his hand and the wailing was stilled. The executioner threw a few drops of water on the plate. The water hissed and turned to steam immediately. He signalled to the guards. Two of the guards brought the Guru forward. One last time, the Guru looked around at the people. A hush descended on the crowd. There was complete silence, the silence of people waiting in fear. Then he took the few steps that were needed to get him to the iron plate. He sat down cross-legged on the plate and closed his eyes and his lips moved in prayer.
There was a change in the attitude of the crowd. There was still total silence. But now it was the silence of respect and admiration for the great courage of the Guru.
The Guru showed no signs of pain or discomfort. There was a joy singing in his heart. What he was doing was for his God and for his people. The more his tormentors made him suffer, the greater would be his sacrifice. The more he suffered, the stronger the resolve of his people would become.
The executioner was angry. He had been sure that his victim would scream with pain and beg for mercy, admit his sins and ask for forgiveness. But this had not happened. Instead this strange Guru sat through the terrible pain without a cry.
The executioner looked up at the fort. He knew that Murtaza Khan was up there in the highest chamber of the fort. He also knew that if he failed, instead of the promised reward, his own life would be in danger. He looked again at the crowd. He could see that many of the people were crying openly, many of them had folded their hands in prayer and many were now kneeling down, their foreheads touching the ground in homage to the great man. He knew he had to act quickly. If he allowed this to continue, more people would express open sympathy for the Guru and some of them might even take it upon themselves to attempt to free the Guru, and Murtaza Khan would have an open revolt on his hands.
The pit had been filled with sand over which the wood was burning. One side of the pit was open and it was through this that more and more wood was being added to keep the iron plate. The executioner summoned two of the guards. They used shovels and drew up the hot sand, which they poured over the upper part of the Guru’s body. A loud cry went up from the crowd. A few even ran to the base of the steps where they were stopped by the guards.
There was no change of expression on the Guru’s face. His lips still moved in prayer, and there was such peace and calm on his face that it touched the hearts of all the people who watched him being tortured. The executioner became more and more frustrated. He ordered more wood to be put into the pit, more sand to be poured over the Guru’s body. Yet there was no cry from the Guru; no protest, no expression of pain. On and on the torture went. For the crowd which watched, they knew that the Guru’s superhuman strength could only have come from having complete faith in God.
As the torture continued, even the executioner began to have doubts. He was sure now that the Guru was a saint, because only a saint could have lived through so much, only a saint could have borne such great pain without a cry. Had he been right to torture a man of God? God would be angry with him. He had orders to carry out. His master Murtaza Khan would have been angry with him for not carrying out his orders. But was Murtaza Khan’s anger a more terrible thing to face than God’s anger?
At last the day of agony came to an end. The sun sank low on the horizon and the breeze that blew up from the river brought a marginal relief from the heat of the day. The torture was called to a halt. The Guru put on his robe and covered his bruised body. Preparations were made to take the Guru back to his prison. Before he came down from the hill he turned to his tormentors.
‘My body is covered with blood and sand and secretions from my blisters Give me permission to wash it all clean in the waters of the river,’ he said quietly.
They had all seen the agony the Guru had been put through. They had all been touched by his great strength. Now they were moved by the humility of his request. There could be no harm in letting him bathe in the river. The Guru was led to the river bank, the crowd following at his heels.
The guards stopped at the top of the flight of steps which went down to the river bank. The Guru drew off his robe, and people saw his body covered with blisters. The Guru went down the short flight of steps and lowered his bruised and battered body into the waters of the Ravi and swam a short distance. In spite of his great courage and forbearance, the torture had been too much for him. Even the effort to swim became too great. The waters closed over his head and his soul surrendered its earthly frame.
The Sun had sunk over the horizon leaving only a soft orange glow. The darkness gathered. Lights had been lit in the fort and the homes outside the fort, and still the guards and the crowd waited for the Guru to return. An alarm was raised. Boats were sent out with professional divers to look for the Guru. But it was of no use, his body was never found by his tormentors.
Guru Arjan Dev had been the head of the Sikhs for twenty-five years. During this time he continued with the work that the Gurus before him had started. All the five Gurus had tried to combine the best features of Hinduism and Islam into Sikhism. They respected all religions and tried to build up an understanding among them. They were all peace-loving and spent their lives in prayers, meditation, and the service of others. They preached that the focus of a good life was one of love for God and service to humanity. They set up new centres of worship and new townships and collected money for projects that would benefit the whole community. They were all great poets; Guru Arjan too gave the Sikhs many hymns, including Sukhmani or the song of peace, which is one of the most popular hymns in the Punjab.
Two of Guru Arjan Dev’s greatest achievements were the building of the Harmandir Sahib and the compiling of the Guru Granth Sahib. Both of these gave the Sikhs a distinct identity. The Muslims had their Mecca; the Hindus their Haridwar; and now the Sikhs had their Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar. The Muslims looked for an answer to all their problems in the Quran, the Hindus had their own holy books. For the Sikhs the Guru Granth Sahib now contained all the lessons that they needed to learn; all the answers to their question.
But it is with his death and the manner of his dying, that Guru Arjan Dev gave a new and important lesson to his followers. His followers learnt from their Guru that they must resist evil even if they had to give up their lives to do so. They must fight evil and injustice with all the force at their command.
The last message that he sent to his son was to arm himself and to prepare himself for the struggle ahead – a struggle against the cruelty and oppression of the Mughal rule. Through his martyrdom, Guru Arjan Dev provided the strength which was to keep the Sikh religion alive in the difficult years ahead.
Sikhs all over the world remember Guru Arjan Dev’s intense pain and suffering. His death anniversary is commemorated at the hottest time of the year. On this day, Sikhs put up stalls along all roads. They beseech the passengers of all buses and cars, riders of scooters and bicycles, and all pedestrians to have the chilled sherbet they serve. By quenching the thirst of thousands of travellers, the Sikhs hope to quench a little of the memory of the terrible thirst their Guru must have felt as he sat stoically on that hot iron plate four-hundred years ago.