Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur

[Jassa]

Yesterday marked the death anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur which was more than 300 years ago whereby he sacrificed his life for freedom of religion. Regarded as the "shield of Hindustan", he saved the Hindu dharam from becoming extinct.

A short summary of what took place:

The Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb cherished the ambition of converting India into a land of Islam. His experiment was first carried out in Kashmir. The viceroy of Kashmir carried out the policy vigorously and set about converting non-Muslims by force. A group of Kashmiri Pandits (Kashmiri Hindu Brahmins), approached Guru Tegh Bahadur and asked for his help. They, on the advice of the Guru, told the Mughal authorities that they would willingly embrace Islam if Guru Tegh Bahadur, did the same. His arrest was made in July 1675 and he was kept in custody for over three months. He was then cast in an iron cage and taken to Delhi in November 1675. The Guru was put in chains and ordered to be tortured until he would accept Islam. After all this he could not be persuaded to abandon his faith and was executed.

Lest we forget such a mighty sacrifice.

 

[Jassa]

"That man, who in the midst of pain, does not feel pain, who is not affected by pleasure, affection or fear, and who looks alike upon gold and dust; Who is not swayed by either slander or praise, nor affected by greed, attachment or pride; who remains unaffected by joy and sorrow, honour and dishonour; who renounces all hopes and desires and remains desireless in the world; who is not touched by sexual desire or anger - within his heart, God dwells. That man, blessed by Guru's Grace, understands this way. O Nanak, he merges with the Lord of the Universe, like water with water."
Guru Tegh Bahadur - [SGGS: 633].

So much wisdom to reflect upon.. Touches the soul.

 

[Marco19]

Thank you Jassa for sharing,

I have always thought how the heart of this man was full of love (real love), that embraced all not only the Sikh. even it's hard to recall some historical events when a leader of religious group sacrifice himself not only for his faith but also for others.

I think that he is a good example of human brotherhood.

 

[Satnaam]

Sikhi is a unique way of life. It promotes the teachings of equality, tolerance, love and justice.

Nowhere in history can you see a man who sacrificed his life for the cause of another NATION, an ideology in which he did not believe.

The Sikh Gurus actually discarded both Hinduism and Islam, but still stood up for the rights of the Hindus who were being persecuted at that time.

Guru Tegh Bahadur defended the right to freedom of expression, belief long before something called the 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights' was even known.

An unparallelled sacrifice indeed...