Chapter 12

GURU HAR KRISHAN
(1656–1664)

Ram Rai must have been hurt and upset by what his father had done. But he respected and loved his father. By himself, he would have accepted his father’s wishes and would not have claimed the succession. But a group of very senior and powerful masands, who wanted a puppet Guru, persuaded Ram Rai to send a petition to the emperor, claiming that he had been deprived of his birthright.

The petition asked the emperor to use his influence to settle the matter and ensure that the Guruship was restored to Ram Rai as he was the Guru’s elder son.

Aurangzeb decided to send a message to Kiratpur, asking Guru Har Krishan to come to Delhi so that he could decide about this matter.

Raja Jai Singh was a very important officer in Aurangzeb’s court. He was an admirer of the Gurus and their teachings and was not happy at the sequence of events that was taking place. He was afraid that Guru Har Krishan would refuse to come to Delhi and this would give Aurangzeb the excuse to attack the Sikhs. Raja Jai Singh requested permission to take the message to Kiratpur personally and escort the Guru back to Delhi, a request which the emperor granted to the officer.

Raja Jai Singh arrived on the outskirts of Kiratpur in the late evening. It was a beautiful place. As a background to the prayers, there was the sound of the river and the sound of the wind in the trees. The prayers themselves were so beautiful that Raja Jai Singh sat on for many hours listening to them.

The prayers finished, and the sangat was at last aware of the strangers in their midst. The raja was escorted up to the platform where the Guru sat. He greeted the Guru, the Guru’s mother, Mata Krishan Kaur, and other Sikh elders. The Sikhs had heard good things about the raja, but they were suspicious of his sudden arrival in their midst. Despite the suspicion, the raja was greeted warmly and made comfortable.

The discussion took place the next day after the morning prayers.

‘As you are aware Guruji, your brother Ram Rai has presented a petition to the emperor. Before he takes any decision, he would like to hear your side of the case and has asked me to escort you to Delhi,’ said the officer The Guru did not say anything, only looked straight into the raja’s eyes.

‘As far as we are concerned, there is no case, there are no sides,’ Mata Krishan Kaur said. The Guru looked quickly, once at his mother, as she began to speak, and then back again at their visitor.

‘Guru Har Rai anointed Guru Har Krishan as his successor; for the Sikhs that is final. There can be no argument, no conflict, no doubt in this matter; he is the inheritor of Guru Nanak’s light. There is no need for him to go to Delhi to settle this.’ she clarified.

There was a pause and Raja Jai Singh realized how difficult his task was going to be.

‘I agree with you mother. This fact is beyond doubt. But if he does not go to Delhi, there are those who will think that he is afraid because he is not sure of his position, and this will strengthen the lies that Ram Rai’s admirers are spreading,’ said Jai Singh.

Still the young Guru did not say anything. His eyes were fixed on the raja’s face. After a pause, Mata Krishan Kaur spoke again. ‘We do not trust the Mughals. Nothing good has ever come for the Sikhs from him. We cannot even be sure of the Guru’s safety while he is in Delhi,’ she said.

‘I will take personal responsibility of that, Mother. The Guru will be my guest. You know the Rajput code of conduct with regard to guests: I will give my life before I allow a hair of his head to be touched. I will be by his side always,’ said Jai Singh.

He further added, ‘This will be a chance for the Sikhs to meet their Guru. All the way to Delhi and in Delhi itself, hundred and thousands of Sikhs will get a chance to have darshan of their Guru. Many of these Sikhs will never be able to come to Kiratpur, and this is something they will talk about for years. “We saw the Guru,” they will tell their children and their grandchildren and the Guru’s blessings and their memory of these blessings will make their lives richer. Would you deprive them of this?’

Mata Krishan Kaur turned to the other senior masands sitting behind her. They had a short discussion in low voices and then she lowered her head and spoke to the Guru. The Guru listened to her words and nodded his head. Then he turned back to the raja and said. ‘My mother and my masands advise me that I should go to Delhi.’ His voice was strong and unafraid. He added, ‘I bow to their advice. I will go to Delhi with you, but I will not see the emperor.’

There was a gasp of surprise from the people around, and the raja knew that this was a decision the Guru had made on his own. Again there was a discussion between the Guru’s mother and his advisers. Again she whispered to him. Again he shook his head, but this time in the negative.

‘My mind is made up. My father, my Guru, made me promise that I would never see the emperor’s face. I gave him this promise. I will not break this promise,’ he said.

The raja recognized the steeliness in the Guru’s voice and knew that there was nothing that would change his mind. He realized that he was in a difficult position. Guru Har Krishan’s refusal to appear before the emperor would enrage him. At the same time, if he did not accept the Guru’s decision, the Guru would refuse to go to Delhi.

‘I promise you that you will not have to see the face of the emperor. I myself will act as your ambassador. I will see the emperor on your behalf and tell him whatever you wish to say to him,’ Jai Singh said at last. There was silence for a while. Doubts and suspicions and misgivings seemed to have all been laid to rest.

The raja had been right. As they moved towards Delhi, word of their coming had reached before them. Large crowds had gathered even before dawn, and when the Guru arrived, there were hundreds and thousands of people jostling for a glimpse of their beloved Guru.

All through the journey, the Guru conducted himself with such confidence and dignity that looking at him Raja Jai Singh marvelled at the fact that he was only five years old. It was as if it was Guru Har Rai who walked amongst his people, as if Guru Hargobind walked amongst his people.

In Delhi, the Guru and his party were escorted to Raja Jai Singh’s house in the village of Raisina. He was treated with great respect by the raja’s household and given every comfort. A beautiful Gurdwara, Bangla Sahib, now stands at this site.

Word of the Guru’s arrival spread quickly. Ever-increasing crowds gathered each day at Raja Jai Singh’s house. The emperor did not seem to be in a hurry to take a decision. Raja Jai Singh, sensing the conflict in the emperor’s mind, spoke on behalf of the Guru.

‘Do not decide in favour of Ram Rai, Your Majesty,’ he advised the emperor at one of their private meetings. ‘You have seen what a large following the Guru has here in Delhi. I have seen the people who came to meet him all along the way. I can assure you that his following is far, far greater in the Punjab. If you support Ram Rai, you will earn the enmity of all the Sikhs. There will be unrest among them, which might lead to an open revolt,’ he further added.

This was a strong argument because Aurangzeb could not afford unrest so soon after he had become the king.

‘Besides, think of the insult if the Sikhs do not respect your decision. They have already made their decision. You have seen for yourself the hundreds and thousands of people who have accepted him as their Guru. Do you think you can force them to change this?’ Jai Singh pointed out.

The raja was, of course, right and Aurangzeb understood this. He sent his son to meet the Guru to express his support. At the same time, he gave Ram Rai a large piece of land in the Doon Valley to set up his dera. By doing this, he indicated that Ram Rai would not be going back to Kiratpur. Ram Rai founded his own gaddi in Dehradun, which continues to this day. In fact Dehradun got its name from Ram Rai’s dera.

At this time, smallpox broke out in Delhi and within a few days, thousands of people had died of the dread disease. Many of the Guru’s followers were of the view that the Guru should not risk his life by staying on in Delhi, and should return at once to Kiratpur. Others said that even if he did not return to Kiratpur, he should remain quarantined in his apartment and not meet anyone. If he continued to meet his disciples, there was the risk of his contracting the disease. The Guru ignored both these groups: Perhaps he felt it would be cowardly to turn his back on danger; that he could not turn away from his people when they needed him the most. He continued to meet all his devotees and tried to help those who were sick.

What his admirers feared did come to pass eventually. The Guru was struck by smallpox, and soon it was clear that their Guru was close to his end. Before he died, his mother and his masands collected around him. They put five copper coins and a coconut on a thali and asked the Guru to name his successor.

With Ram Rai and Dhirmal both claiming the Guruship, it was important that the dying Guru settle the issue of succession before he breathed his last. The words he spoke came slowly, one at a time. But they were spoken clearly and everyone present heard them and understood them. ‘Baba Bakala,’ he said, and having performed his final duty as the Guru, Guru Har Krishan found eternal peace.

Guru Har Krishan was about eight years old when he died and he had been the Guru for nearly three years. He was a friendly, cheerful boy who won the hearts of all he met. He respected the age and wisdom of his mother and the masands, and listened to their advice. But he was quite capable of taking his own decisions and of sticking by them. He was sensitive to the world around him and was a keen observer of men. He showed great concern for his people and was aware of his duties as their Guru, and did not let anything come in the way of performing these duties. He showed flashes of great maturity and wisdom, most notably in the choice of his successor.