Guru Gobind Singh sahib ji : Guru at Damdama Sahib

60. Guru at Damdama Sahib

By this time all restrictions against the Guru by the Mughal government had been removed. On receipt of Zafarnama, the governors had been ordered by Aurangzeb to cease all molesting activities against him. It was here that the Guru's wife joined him. When she arrived, he was seated in a big gathering of his disciples. Addressing the Master, she asked,

"Where are my four sons ?"

The Master replied,

"What then if thy four are gone ? They yet live, and shall ever live- the Khalsa, Millions of our dear brave sons."

The peaceful period at Damdama Sahib was put to best possible use by the Guru. He laid abiding foundations of Sikhism in the Malwa tract. Large crowds came from far and near and presented a spectacle of New Anandpur. The Guru extensively visited the neighboring areas. Many old and hereditary Sikhs were baptized and brought more thoroughly into the Khalsa. Dalla, the chief of Talwandi; Tiloka, the ancestor of Nabha State; and Rama, the ancestor of Patiala State, are outstanding examples. Besides new converts were also made in large numbers. The Master sent for the Adi Granth from Kartarpur, near Beas, in order to incorporate Guru Tegh Bahadur's hymns in it. The original copy was with the Dhirmalias and they refused to part with it and rather remarked that if Guru Gobind Singh was the Guru, he should make one himself. It was, therefore, here that Guru Gobind Singh dictated the whole of Granth Sahib as it stands today, to Bhai Mani Singh. The sacred volume concludes with 'Rag Mala' (1430 pages). It appears that 'Rag Mala' does not form an essential part of Guru Granth Sahib. Macauliffe writes, "A Mohammadan poet called Alim in A.H. 991 (1583 A.D.) wrote a work in 353 stanzas generally from four to six lines each, called 'Madhava Nal Sangit', which purports to be an account of the love of Madhava Nal and a lady called Kam Kandala. The Rag Mala, which forms the conclusion of Guru Granth Sahib and contains a list of rags and raginis and their subdivisions, is a portion of Alim's work extending from sixty-third to seventy-second stanzas. It is not understood how it was included in the sacred volume. The rags mentioned in it do not correspond with the rags of the Granth Sahib." This sacred volume is called 'Damdama Sahib di Bir'. This Bir was installed at Hari Mandar Sahib but it is not available NOW. It is not known whether it has been destroyed or taken away by Ahmed Shah Abdali when he plundered the town of Amritsar during one of his raids. The order of the Nirmala Sikhs was also created here with a view of giving the Sikhs a band of the Sikhs exclusively devoted to the study and preaching of the Sikh faith. The Guru's Darbar here was as splendid as it used to be at Anandpur. Quite a large number of poets and scholars gathered around in his court. Due to all of his, Damdama Sahib became a famous educational center. The Guru also reorganized his forces. His strength had increased considerably. Besides regular followers, he had also taken some Dogras and Brars into his service.





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				60. Guru at Damdama Sahib By this time all restrictions against the Guru by the Mughal government had been removed. On receipt of Zafarnama, the governors had been ordered by Aurangzeb to cease all molesting activities against him. It was here that the Guru's wife joined him. When she arrived, he was seated in a big gathering of his disciples. Addressing the Master, she asked, "Where are my four sons ?" The Master replied, "What then if thy four are gone ? They yet live, and shall ever live- the Khalsa, Millions of our dear brave sons." The peaceful period at Damdama Sahib was put to best possible use by the Guru. He laid abiding foundations of Sikhism in the Malwa tract. Large crowds came from far and near and presented a spectacle of New Anandpur. The Guru extensively visited the neighboring areas. Many old and hereditary Sikhs were baptized and brought more thoroughly into the Khalsa. Dalla, the chief of Talwandi; Tiloka, the ancestor of Nabha State; and Rama, the ancestor of Patiala State, are outstanding examples. Besides new converts were also made in large numbers. The Master sent for the Adi Granth from Kartarpur, near Beas, in order to incorporate Guru Tegh Bahadur's hymns in it. The original copy was with the Dhirmalias and they refused to part with it and rather remarked that if Guru Gobind Singh was the Guru, he should make one himself. It was, therefore, here that Guru Gobind Singh dictated the whole of Granth Sahib as it stands today, to Bhai Mani Singh. The sacred volume concludes with 'Rag Mala' (1430 pages). It appears that 'Rag Mala' does not form an essential part of Guru Granth Sahib. Macauliffe writes, "A Mohammadan poet called Alim in A.H. 991 (1583 A.D.) wrote a work in 353 stanzas generally from four to six lines each, called 'Madhava Nal Sangit', which purports to be an account of the love of Madhava Nal and a lady called Kam Kandala. The Rag Mala, which forms the conclusion of Guru Granth Sahib and contains a list of rags and raginis and their subdivisions, is a portion of Alim's work extending from sixty-third to seventy-second stanzas. It is not understood how it was included in the sacred volume. The rags mentioned in it do not correspond with the rags of the Granth Sahib." This sacred volume is called 'Damdama Sahib di Bir'. This Bir was installed at Hari Mandar Sahib but it is not available NOW. It is not known whether it has been destroyed or taken away by Ahmed Shah Abdali when he plundered the town of Amritsar during one of his raids. The order of the Nirmala Sikhs was also created here with a view of giving the Sikhs a band of the Sikhs exclusively devoted to the study and preaching of the Sikh faith. The Guru's Darbar here was as splendid as it used to be at Anandpur. Quite a large number of poets and scholars gathered around in his court. Due to all of his, Damdama Sahib became a famous educational center. The Guru also reorganized his forces. His strength had increased considerably. Besides regular followers, he had also taken some Dogras and Brars into his service.

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