Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji : Message of the six guru’s (Part-10)

45. Message of the six guru’s (Part-10)

Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib ji

Description of Gurbani : 116 shabads and Shaloks were included by Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji at Talwandi Saabo(Guru Ki Kashi) Damdama Sahib and this was called the DamDami Bir. This Damdami Bir was given the title of Guru Granth Sahib(Living Guru) by Guru Gobind Singh Ji before his heavenly departure on 10-7-1708 at Nanded( Hazoor Sahib, Maharashter) and thus it became the eternal and permanent Guru of the Sikhs all over the world in the form of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. Remarkable Deeds : Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji bought a piece of land at village Makhowal for Rs. 2200 on the banks of River Satluj in the foothills of Shivalik mountains and laid the foundation stone of Chak Nanaki on June 19, 1665. Later on, this place became known as Anandpur Sahib. Khalsa Panth (Sikhism) was established by the Tenth Nanak (Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji) at this place. The place where this task was accomplished is called Takhat Sri Keshgarh Sahib of Khalsa Panth. Secondly, the Great Guru enunciated the principle of “Fearlessness”, that is, neither to strike fear in anyone nor tolerate anybody’s fear ( bhay Kahu kou dait nahe, naah bhay maanat aan). Guru ji preached this principle and put it into practice in his life. Lastly, Ninth Nanak Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji sacrificed his life for the Hindu religion. Guru ji never believed or practiced that religion, but even then, when the poor oppressed and helpless Hindus came to his shelter, he protected their prestige at the cost of his life. This was to show that he believed in the freedom to practice religion and that the true saint is the protector of the downtrodden. That is why he is called,” Hind di Chadar(cloak of India). Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji was born on April 1^st, 1621 at Amritsar. His parents were Sri Guru Hargobind Singh Ji(Father) and Mata Nanaki Ji(mother). From early childhood, he was of an Ascetic and reclusive nature. He used to give money or clothes to anybody who he saw was poor and needy. His childhood name was Tyag Mall. Once near Phagwara (India) at the village of Palahi, the Mughals (Muslim) suddenly attacked Sri Guru Hargobind Singh Ji. Tyag Mall (Guru Tegh Bahadur ji) fought with great courage and bravery. He showed astonishing feats with his sword. The Mughals eventually fled the battlefield. Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib ji was very pleased to see this and he said,” You are not Tyag Mall, you are Tegh Bahadur(Brave). From that time on he was known as Tegh Bahadur. Throughout His life, whatever he preached, he practiced in his own life. He didn’t ask one of his childhood friends to stop eating “Gurr”( lumped brown sugar ) until he had stopped eating it himself. At the age of 13, he was married to Gujri (Mata), daughter of Bhai Lal Chand of Kartarpur (Jalandhar). When Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji gave the responsibility of Guruship to Sri Har Rai ji, Guru Tegh Bahadur was told to go to Baba Bakalaa and stay there. When Guru Tegh Bahadur ji was leaving, Guru Hargobind Sahib ji blessed him with a “Pothi”(Religious Book) and a dagger and told him that with the passage of time , Guruship would come to his home. Guru ji, along with Mata Nanaki Ji and Mata Gujri ji came to his maternal uncle’s village of Bakalaa. On reaching Bakalaa, he dug up an underground cell. He sat in that and meditated constantly for 26 years, 9months and 13 days, setting an unparalleled example of Naam Simran. Now in Delhi, before leaving for his heavenly abode, Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib ji moved his hand three times and said,”Baba Bakalaa” and bowed his head. Hearing that the next guru was predicted to be found in Bakalaa, relatives and descendants of the Sodhi clan set up 22 manji’s ( a religious seat for preaching) in order to establish their right to the Guruship, thereby trying to mislead the people through their agents(Masands). Bhai Makhan Shah ji was a wealthy merchant and businessman of that time. His ship loaded with goods was caught in a sandy sea-bed at the port of Surat(India). All efforts were tried to sail it, but they all failed. He focused his attention on the Divine throne of Great Guru Nanak Dev ji and prayed from within to offer Dasvandh(one/tenth part of total income) and 500 gold coins. By the grace of the Guru, the ship sailed to the shore once again. After selling the goods, Makhan Shah reached Delhi with his offering which he had prayed for in his mind during the difficult time he faced at sea. When he reached Delhi, he heard about the departure of Sri Guru Harkrishan ji for his heavenly abode and about the hint given by him about ‘Baba Bakalay”. Bhai Makhan Shah decided to go to Bakalaa and was confused after seeing 22 Guru’s there. He did not know who the true guru was and did not know whom to give his offering to. To test the true Guru, he went to each guru, on bowing, he placed 2 gold coins before each of them. Having done so with each false guru, he was still dissatisfied in his heart. At last, he reached Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji and did the same ritual of bowing and offering 2 gold coins to him. But the true Guru, who knew and had divine insight knew everything within a man’s heart, addressed Makhan Shah and said,” Makhan Shah ! You had prayed to offer Dasvandh of 500 gold coins but now you are giving me only two.” On hearing the words of the Great Guru, Makhan Shah fell on his feet and begged pardon. He put all the money of Dasvandh and more money upon the Holy feet of the true Guru. Then he climbed up on the building roof and began to shout loudly, waiving a cloth saying,” Guru Ladho Re”(Guru is Found). When the truth came to light, there and then an overflow of congregation rushed to Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji and a “Diwan”(religious ceremony started. On the other hand, Dheer Mall, in order to harm Guru ji physically, asked Sheehan Masand to fire a gun at him. Guru Ji had a narrow escape. Even then Dheer Mall’s Jealousy didn’t come to an end. He, along with the other masands, looted all the household articles of Guru ji’s home. However, the embodiment and symbol of patience, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, didn’t lose his balance or get disturbed. When Makhan Shah came to know of this incident, he, along with his companions, attacked Dheer Mall in order to teach him a lesson and looted all his belongings, including the copy of the Adi Granth. He brought Dheer Mall to Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, but the symbol of contentment and patience, the Great Guru returned all the belongings to Dheer Mall and asked Sangat(congregation ) to forgive him. As mentioned in Gurbilas Patshahi 6 :

Let Compassionate deeds be your ultimate penance, forgiveness for all your bathing at pilgrimage Do not take revenge, business of wealth, guru does not run this type of shop

Sat Gur Tegh Bahadur Ji thought it was wise and proper to move from Bakalaa. He came to Amritsar, Talwandi Saabo, Dham Dhaun, and Kiratpur Sahib. There on the bank of River Satluj and in the foot-hills of Shivalik mountains, he bought the entire land of village Makhowal for 2200 rupees and named it as,” Chak Nanaki(Anandpur Sahib) and laid the foundation on June 19, 1665. He paid special attention to preaching Sikhism. For this, he toured from Anandpur Sahib to Chanauli, Bahadur Garh, Naulakha, Bachhoaana, Sangheree, Dhamdhan, Kurukshetar, Bangardesh and reached Mathuraa. He went to Kanpur, Allahabaad, and reached Patna sahib to emphaaize the need of Naam Simaran(pray). Here Mata Gujri ji and other members of the family were asked to stay in the Haveli (Big Building of Salas Rai Johri ). Guru ji himself left for Dhaka, Assam, Bengal to propagate the Sikh teachings. When curious learners of Gurbani asked Guru ji about meditation and naam simran, he said to them,” Attention should be diverted from anything which creates hindrance in focusing on Waheguru. The real meditation is to create such an atmosphere of love for Almighty that all other things are forgotten. Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji contributed 116 shabads and shaloks to the Adi Granth. Then Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji included these shabads and shaloks in Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. A naam seeker named Dhanna was set on going to the jungle to become a hermit, meditate and merge with God. Great Guru Tegh Bahadur ji advised him to stay at home and meditate on God’s naam. Guru ji showed him the omnipresence of Almighty within himself. Guru ji guided him with his Gurbani not to run to the forest to find god. As stated on page 684 :

Why do you go looking for Him in the forest Although he is unattached, he dwells everywhere. He is always with you as your companion. Like the fragrance which remains in the flower, and like the reflection in the mirror, the Lord dwells deep within; search for Him within your own heart, O Siblings of Destiny. Outside and inside, know that there is only the One Lord; the Guru has imparted this wisdom to me. O servant Nanak, without knowing one's own self, the moss of doubt is not removed.





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				45. Message of the six guru’s (Part-10) Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib ji Description of Gurbani : 116 shabads and Shaloks were included by Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji at Talwandi Saabo(Guru Ki Kashi) Damdama Sahib and this was called the DamDami Bir. This Damdami Bir was given the title of Guru Granth Sahib(Living Guru) by Guru Gobind Singh Ji before his heavenly departure on 10-7-1708 at Nanded( Hazoor Sahib, Maharashter) and thus it became the eternal and permanent Guru of the Sikhs all over the world in the form of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. Remarkable Deeds : Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji bought a piece of land at village Makhowal for Rs. 2200 on the banks of River Satluj in the foothills of Shivalik mountains and laid the foundation stone of Chak Nanaki on June 19, 1665. Later on, this place became known as Anandpur Sahib. Khalsa Panth (Sikhism) was established by the Tenth Nanak (Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji) at this place. The place where this task was accomplished is called Takhat Sri Keshgarh Sahib of Khalsa Panth. Secondly, the Great Guru enunciated the principle of “Fearlessness”, that is, neither to strike fear in anyone nor tolerate anybody’s fear ( bhay Kahu kou dait nahe, naah bhay maanat aan). Guru ji preached this principle and put it into practice in his life. Lastly, Ninth Nanak Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji sacrificed his life for the Hindu religion. Guru ji never believed or practiced that religion, but even then, when the poor oppressed and helpless Hindus came to his shelter, he protected their prestige at the cost of his life. This was to show that he believed in the freedom to practice religion and that the true saint is the protector of the downtrodden. That is why he is called,” Hind di Chadar(cloak of India). Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji was born on April 1^st, 1621 at Amritsar. His parents were Sri Guru Hargobind Singh Ji(Father) and Mata Nanaki Ji(mother). From early childhood, he was of an Ascetic and reclusive nature. He used to give money or clothes to anybody who he saw was poor and needy. His childhood name was Tyag Mall. Once near Phagwara (India) at the village of Palahi, the Mughals (Muslim) suddenly attacked Sri Guru Hargobind Singh Ji. Tyag Mall (Guru Tegh Bahadur ji) fought with great courage and bravery. He showed astonishing feats with his sword. The Mughals eventually fled the battlefield. Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib ji was very pleased to see this and he said,” You are not Tyag Mall, you are Tegh Bahadur(Brave). From that time on he was known as Tegh Bahadur. Throughout His life, whatever he preached, he practiced in his own life. He didn’t ask one of his childhood friends to stop eating “Gurr”( lumped brown sugar ) until he had stopped eating it himself. At the age of 13, he was married to Gujri (Mata), daughter of Bhai Lal Chand of Kartarpur (Jalandhar). When Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji gave the responsibility of Guruship to Sri Har Rai ji, Guru Tegh Bahadur was told to go to Baba Bakalaa and stay there. When Guru Tegh Bahadur ji was leaving, Guru Hargobind Sahib ji blessed him with a “Pothi”(Religious Book) and a dagger and told him that with the passage of time , Guruship would come to his home. Guru ji, along with Mata Nanaki Ji and Mata Gujri ji came to his maternal uncle’s village of Bakalaa. On reaching Bakalaa, he dug up an underground cell. He sat in that and meditated constantly for 26 years, 9months and 13 days, setting an unparalleled example of Naam Simran. Now in Delhi, before leaving for his heavenly abode, Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib ji moved his hand three times and said,”Baba Bakalaa” and bowed his head. Hearing that the next guru was predicted to be found in Bakalaa, relatives and descendants of the Sodhi clan set up 22 manji’s ( a religious seat for preaching) in order to establish their right to the Guruship, thereby trying to mislead the people through their agents(Masands). Bhai Makhan Shah ji was a wealthy merchant and businessman of that time. His ship loaded with goods was caught in a sandy sea-bed at the port of Surat(India). All efforts were tried to sail it, but they all failed. He focused his attention on the Divine throne of Great Guru Nanak Dev ji and prayed from within to offer Dasvandh(one/tenth part of total income) and 500 gold coins. By the grace of the Guru, the ship sailed to the shore once again. After selling the goods, Makhan Shah reached Delhi with his offering which he had prayed for in his mind during the difficult time he faced at sea. When he reached Delhi, he heard about the departure of Sri Guru Harkrishan ji for his heavenly abode and about the hint given by him about ‘Baba Bakalay”. Bhai Makhan Shah decided to go to Bakalaa and was confused after seeing 22 Guru’s there. He did not know who the true guru was and did not know whom to give his offering to. To test the true Guru, he went to each guru, on bowing, he placed 2 gold coins before each of them. Having done so with each false guru, he was still dissatisfied in his heart. At last, he reached Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji and did the same ritual of bowing and offering 2 gold coins to him. But the true Guru, who knew and had divine insight knew everything within a man’s heart, addressed Makhan Shah and said,” Makhan Shah ! You had prayed to offer Dasvandh of 500 gold coins but now you are giving me only two.” On hearing the words of the Great Guru, Makhan Shah fell on his feet and begged pardon. He put all the money of Dasvandh and more money upon the Holy feet of the true Guru. Then he climbed up on the building roof and began to shout loudly, waiving a cloth saying,” Guru Ladho Re”(Guru is Found). When the truth came to light, there and then an overflow of congregation rushed to Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji and a “Diwan”(religious ceremony started. On the other hand, Dheer Mall, in order to harm Guru ji physically, asked Sheehan Masand to fire a gun at him. Guru Ji had a narrow escape. Even then Dheer Mall’s Jealousy didn’t come to an end. He, along with the other masands, looted all the household articles of Guru ji’s home. However, the embodiment and symbol of patience, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, didn’t lose his balance or get disturbed. When Makhan Shah came to know of this incident, he, along with his companions, attacked Dheer Mall in order to teach him a lesson and looted all his belongings, including the copy of the Adi Granth. He brought Dheer Mall to Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, but the symbol of contentment and patience, the Great Guru returned all the belongings to Dheer Mall and asked Sangat(congregation ) to forgive him. As mentioned in Gurbilas Patshahi 6 : Let Compassionate deeds be your ultimate penance, forgiveness for all your bathing at pilgrimage Do not take revenge, business of wealth, guru does not run this type of shop Sat Gur Tegh Bahadur Ji thought it was wise and proper to move from Bakalaa. He came to Amritsar, Talwandi Saabo, Dham Dhaun, and Kiratpur Sahib. There on the bank of River Satluj and in the foot-hills of Shivalik mountains, he bought the entire land of village Makhowal for 2200 rupees and named it as,” Chak Nanaki(Anandpur Sahib) and laid the foundation on June 19, 1665. He paid special attention to preaching Sikhism. For this, he toured from Anandpur Sahib to Chanauli, Bahadur Garh, Naulakha, Bachhoaana, Sangheree, Dhamdhan, Kurukshetar, Bangardesh and reached Mathuraa. He went to Kanpur, Allahabaad, and reached Patna sahib to emphaaize the need of Naam Simaran(pray). Here Mata Gujri ji and other members of the family were asked to stay in the Haveli (Big Building of Salas Rai Johri ). Guru ji himself left for Dhaka, Assam, Bengal to propagate the Sikh teachings. When curious learners of Gurbani asked Guru ji about meditation and naam simran, he said to them,” Attention should be diverted from anything which creates hindrance in focusing on Waheguru. The real meditation is to create such an atmosphere of love for Almighty that all other things are forgotten. Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji contributed 116 shabads and shaloks to the Adi Granth. Then Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji included these shabads and shaloks in Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. A naam seeker named Dhanna was set on going to the jungle to become a hermit, meditate and merge with God. Great Guru Tegh Bahadur ji advised him to stay at home and meditate on God’s naam. Guru ji showed him the omnipresence of Almighty within himself. Guru ji guided him with his Gurbani not to run to the forest to find god. As stated on page 684 : Why do you go looking for Him in the forest Although he is unattached, he dwells everywhere. He is always with you as your companion. Like the fragrance which remains in the flower, and like the reflection in the mirror, the Lord dwells deep within; search for Him within your own heart, O Siblings of Destiny. Outside and inside, know that there is only the One Lord; the Guru has imparted this wisdom to me. O servant Nanak, without knowing one's own self, the moss of doubt is not removed.

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