Guru Tegh Bahadur
Hind Di Chaddar
With my usual routine of the day as of now, I got up and as
you all know it is a ritual nowadays to open your eyes and unlock your phone so
as to check your Whatsapp and other social networking apps to find out whether
you are still important to the social apps friends. Today I found that my
whatsapp was filled with forwards of celebratory messages of the birth
anniversary of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji. For those who may be unaware,
Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji is the Ninth Sikh Guru among the Ten Masters or
Founding Fathers of the Sikh Faith. So reading all the messages and photographs
my day began. One by one I browsed through all the social media apps and
finally when I had got the approval of the social world I thought of getting
off my bed and to continue with the daily chores. Later in the day, when I
opened my laptop to do some of my office work I thought of listening to kirtan
along. So currently I am listening to Derby Samagam 2018 wherein Manpreet Singh
Kanpuri is reciting gurshabads in his very melodious voice. As I am trying to
concentrate on my work, there is a poem which is continuously running in the
back of my mind. Thanks to my morning ritual I came across this beautifully
written poem on a Instagram page titled Sikhism
It was written by an individual with the name Prabhdeep
Kaur, and lately I have been loving the poetry universe and have started
writing some it myself as well. But this piece was something which makes you
remember the horrific times of the Mughal Empire but also shows you the calm
and composure of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahibji.
She quoted “Vaara Khud Ko, Putar ko b yehi
sikhaya, Yeh to batao itna day aka bhaav kaha se aya, pandito ke liye shaheedi paa gaye, apne 3 sevako ko b
mukti dilva gaye, itni gareebi kahin aur to dekhi nahi, Guru Tegh Bahadurji
aapke dar pe peeth kisi ki lagi nahi, Aap khud Khuda ho, ya uska koi roop ho,
itna to nahi pata is nacheez ko, par Khuda ka beshumaar Noor ho, Beshumar Noor ho.” The very first line tells us all
about the sacrificing nature of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahibji, He not only
sacrificed himself, but also his entire family. Yes, Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahibji
sacrificed himself, his wife Mata Gujri, his
four grandsons Baba Ajit Singh ji, Baba Jujhar Singh ji, Baba Zorawar
Singh ji and Baba Fateh Singh ji in one of the most direful conflicts of the
Sikhs against the Mughal Empire. Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji attained
Shaheedi for the sake of freedom of practicing one’s own faith, Guruji laid
down his life as Kashmiri Pandits had come to the resort of Guruji to free them
of Aurangzeb’s atrocities of forcing them to convert their faith and practice
Islam as their religion. This action shows that different faiths and religions
were meant to co-exist and lead to a peaceful and harmony in society.
As we move
forward and look at what is happening all around us, it seems as if we have
forgotten or want to forget how to co-exist and to respect other faiths and
religions. Numerous lynching and strikes happening all across nation, makes me
wonder that whether are religions about
peace or they are just about downsizing the other faith and establish the faith’s superiority over the other?? But
when I come across such beautiful written thoughts, it is only then that my
faith gets restored and I come to the conclusion that humanity is the only way
forward for humans to co-exist and live in harmony.
-Jasलेख
