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 Guru
Arjun's multifarious activities, apart
from making a very major contribution
to the organisation of the mission,
demonstrate, as laid down by Guru Nanak,
that no field of life, whether temporal,
social or political, is excluded for
the operation of a mystic. Slowly but
surely the movement came out with a
distinct identity of its own and with
clear-cut religious- and sociopolitical
facets.
This system of voluntary offerings
for the common cause and the sharing
of one's earnings was made regular.
Every Sikh was supposed to contribute
10% of his income to the common fund
maintained by the Guru. The representatives
of the Guru collected contributions
from their respective areas and sent
them to the common treasury.
The construction of the temple at Amritsar
was started by the Guru and its foundation
stone was laid by the reputed Muslim
Sufi Saint, Mian Mir. He built another
tank and temple at Taran Taran. These
temples had doors on all sides, indicating
that these were open to all castes and
communities.
The Guru had a well-organised central
establishment which included the maintenance
of a contingent of horses and elephants.
He encouraged his followers to trade
in horses from Central Asia. For his
personal maintenance, the Guru also
took up the trade. As such, the Sikhs
became good horsemen and formed later
the nucleus of military power. All these
features were important developments
because they were clear preparation
for the military organisation that was
to follow from the time of the Sixth
Guru. It was in the lifetime of Guru
Arjun that his son, Hargobind, started
learning to wield the sword and hunting.
In 1598, the Guru interceded on behalf
of the local peasantry with Emperor
Akbar to get the excessive levy of land
revenue reduced. These activities of
the Guru gave him a new status. It was
at this time that the Guru came to be
called by the Sikhs as Sacha Patshah
(True Emperor). The Guru had come to
guide, govern and influence the lives
of the Sikhs both in the temporal and
the spiritual fields. It was a significant
development The organization of the
community, according to Gupta, became
a state within a state.
An important step in the separate consolidation
of the religion was the compilation
of the Adi Granth as the sole and authentic
scripture of the Sikhs. It has a significant
feature. Besides the hymns of the five
Gurus, it contains the hymns of Hindu
and Muslim saints. The Adi Granth was
formally installed at the Amritsar temple
on the annual gathering of the Sikhs.
From the very start it was recognized
as the Sikh scripture. Emperor Akbar
made an offering of 51 gold coins to
the Adi Granth. Its installation at
the only Sikh temple constructed then
by the Guru and the appointment of the
most venerated Sikh as its Granthi (minister)
show that it was meant to be the exclusive
scripture of the Sikhs and the embodiment
of the Gurus system and thought In this
way conjectures about links with the
other systems or scriptures were set
at rest for ever. This is an important
step, especially when we find that in
Guru Granth Sahib no status or sanctity
has been given to any gods, goddesses
or avatars.
This compilation is a landmark in the
history of Sikhism. It is a clear testimony
of the fact that the Guru took this
vital step to emphasise that their message
and mission were prophetic. This fact
comes out in all its glaring singularity
when we see that, in thc entire religious
history of man, no other prophet felt
it essential to authenticate his message
so as to secure its purity and exclude
the possibility of interpolation and
misinterpretation. In fact, in most
cases the utterances of the prophets
were compiled by their devotees long
after their ministry. This authentication
of the scripture by the Guru himself
once and for all ensured its separate
identity and purity. In the case of
other prophets, their opponents can
say that the prophets themselves never
meant to declare any new truths, but
their overzealous followers made it
into a separate system not intended
by the prophets. Nothing of that kind
can be asserted about the Gurus and
Guru Granth Sahib.
It is something very extraordinary
that, in line with Guru Nanak's hymn
that 'with the help of other God-conscious
beings he would help every one to be
a God-centered person', the Guru included
in the Adi Granth hymns of twentytwo
Muslim and Hindu saints. It is a singular
example of the Guru's sense of personal
anonymity. He truly felt that in accomplishing
this task he was working only as an
agent of God's mission. We also find
that
contemporary saints like Mian Mir and
Pir Budhu Shah, irrespective of religion
and race, remained closely associated
with the mission of the Gurus.
Owing to the growing religious and
political influence of the Gurus, the
Sikhs had got a clear consciousness
of their religious and sociopolitical
identity. Consequently, the position
of the Gurus had naturally given rise
to hostility, both in the religious
and political quarters. Saikh Ahmad,
the head of the Naqashbandt order at
Sirhind and a leader of the revivalist
movement of Islam in India, got upset
at the influence of the Guru among men
of both the communities. He had access
to the court of Jahangir. But, probably
the chief reason that upset the Emperor
was that the Guru had blessed Khusro
and helped him monetarily while the
latter had rebelled against Jahangir.
The local administration was naturally
aware of the growing Sociopolitical
strength and influence of the Guru.
Chat this incident rankled in the mind
of emperor Jahangir, is evident from
his own statement recorded in his autobiography.
He wrote that he had ordered the execution
by torture of Guru Arjun unless he embraced
Islam, because the Guru had raised aloft
the standard of holiness and many Hindus
and Muslims had foolishly become his
followers. Prithi Mal and his son Meherban
called themselves real gurus and Meherban
glorified his father Prithia and discredited
Guru Nanak's hymns. They were both plotting
against Guru Arjan. Others who were
against Guru were Sulahi Khan of Batala,
Chandu Shah Khatri of Lahore, Sheikh
Ahmad faruqi Sarhindi, Emperor Jahangir
who was unlike his father Akbar and
pretty much intolerant of other faiths.
Prince Khusrau who was also son of Akbar
and was contesting for throne was captured
by Jahangir's men. This prince Khusrau
was the son of Jodha Bai, daughter of
Udai Singh of Jodhpur, since he was
born to a Hindu mother, was disliked
by the fanatics who wanted Prince Salim
who was a 100% Sunni Muslim (as oppose
to the popular Hindi movie Mughal-e-Azam,
where Jahangir was shown as son of Hindu
mother). Prince escaped and went to
Guru Arjan. Guru Arjan was moved at
the 13 years old Prince and gave him
help with money and shelter. Salim succeded
with the title of Jahangir. Jahangir
hated all those who were in Akbar's
good books. He summoned Guru to Lahore,
Sikhs of lahore pleaded with Jahangir
to let them collect the fine and pay
to him to release Guru, but Jahangir
refused. Jahangir appointed Murtaza
Khan to confisicate the property of
Guru and hand it over to state., apart
from that a fine of 2 lakhs was also
collected from the Sikhs. Guru was imprisoned
at Lahore fort. He was chained to a
post in an open place exposed to the
sun from morning to evening in the months
of May thru June. Below his feet a heap
of sand was put which burnt like a furnace.
Boiling water was poured on his naked
body at intervals. His body was covered
with blisters all over. In this agony
Guru used to utter.
Tera Kiya Metha lage, naam padarath
Nanak mange (whatever you ordain appears
sweet. I supplicate for the gift of
name)
The Guru was ordercd to be executed.
In addition a fine of Rupees two lakhs
was imposed on him. Some historians
say that, as a measure of clemency at
the intervention of Mian Mir, this fine
was imposed in lieu of the sentence
of death. The Sikhs offered to pay the
fine themselves but the Guru forbade
them to do so. He replied to the Emperor,
"Whatever money I have is for the
poor, the friendless and the stranger.
If thou ask for money thou mayest take
what I have; but if thou ask for it
by way of fine, I shall not give thee
even a Kaurz (penny)." The Guru
accepted death by torture and suffered
the first great martyrdom. His sacrifice
further steeled the faith of the community
in the mission of the Gurus. Gupta,
who considers the views of all other
historians as relevant material, concludes
that it was principally a political
execution.
 A
ruling administration never takes notice
of a religious institution, unless it
has a political complexion and potential.
The Mughal emperors never bothered about
any saint of the Bhakti school. The
Sikh movement was growing into a clear
socio-political body, fired with a religious
and moral zeal. It constituted a disciplined
people who were being guided and led
towards their ideals by a prophetic
mystic. It was this socio-political
growth which no ruler or administration
could fail to take note of as a potential
danger and challenge to its existence
and rule. It is evident that the Sikh
growth was of such dimensions that it
attracted the attention of the administration
and also of the Emperor. In addition
it is a political fact that the Guru,
as recoded by Beni Prasad (the historian
on Jahangir), had given a very substantial
aid of Rs. 5,000/- to Khusro, leading
a rebel army and claimant to the throne.
Further, this organization was of such
size and importance that the Emperor
not only took the extreme step of the
execution of Guru Arjun, so as to stop
altogether this unwanted growth (as
recorded by the Emperor), but also found
the movement and the episode as significant
enough for mention in his autobiography
Jahangir was undoubtedly right that
the organisation and the movement posed
a political threat to the Empire. But
he was mistaken in his belief that by
the execution of the Guru he had nipped
this growth in the bud. In this background
and the context of future developments,
it would surely be naive for anyone
to say either that Jahangir, by this
execution of Guru Arjun, converted a
simple, peaceful and innocuous movement
into a military organisation, or that
the reaction of the Sixth Guru to his
father s execution was overzealous,
especially when we know that by the
very nature of the Gurus' thesis, sociopolitical
developments and activities were an
integral part of their spiritual life.
The Fifth and the Sixth Gurus had done
nothing beyond the extension and development
of the foundations laid and the organisation
built by Guru Nanak.
Gupta calls Guru Arjun an original
thinker, an illustrious poet, a practical
philosopher, a great organiser, an eminent
statesman and the first martyr of the
faith. He completely changed the external
aspect of Sikhism."
Copyright © Harbans Singh "The
encyclopedia of Sikhism. "
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