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9. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji
(1621 - 1675 & Guruship: 1664 - 1675)
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Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was born in 1621 at Guru Ka Mahal, Amritsar. He was the youngest son of Guru Har Gobind and Bibi Nanki. In 1633, he married Mata Gujri Ji, daughter of Lal Chand Khatree, and had one son, Gobind.
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Guru Har Gobind did not choose Tegh Bahadur as his successor because the Sikhs needed a leader of men, something still lacking in his young son, who had now chosen a path of renunciation. Instead Guru Har Gobind chose Guru Har Rai his grandson as his natural successor.
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Guru Har Rai in turn chose his youngest son Guru Har Krishan as his successor. When Guru Har Krishan had suddenly fallen ill at Delhi in 1664, before his death, being too weak to move or speak the Guru had said his successor was "Baba Bakala", referring to Guru Tegh Bahadur.
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Following the untimely death of Guru Har Krishan large numbers of Sikhs flocked to the village of Bakala looking for the new Guru. On receiving the village, they were confronted by twenty two members of the Sodhi family, each claiming that they were the Guru and successor as named by Guru Har Krishan. The Sikhs were in a quandary as to who was really the true Guru ?
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Meanwhile a wealthy merchant Makhan Shah had his ships carrying valuable cargo caught in a fierce storm at sea. He vowed to offer five hundred gold coins to the Guru if his goods reached home safely. His wish was fulfilled and his merchandise safely arrived at the port. Makhan Shah immediately set out for Delhi where he received the tragic news that Guru Har Krishan had passed away and that his successor was at Bakala.
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Makhan Shah set out for Bakala to pay his homage to the Guru. When he finally got there he was confronted with the same quandary as the rest of the Sikhs -- who was the real Guru? -- He decided that he would pay homage to all of the twenty two claimants and placed two gold coins before each of them as tribute. When he had visited all of the claimants, a child pointed out to him that a holy man lived across the street. Makhan Shah decided that he may as well pay this holy man a tribute also. When Makhan Shah entered the house he found that Guru Tegh Bahadur was in meditation. He was told that Tegh Bahadur did not like to receive visitors but spent his time in meditation. Makhan Shah waited until he met the Guru and placed two gold coins before him.
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At this Guru Tegh Bahadur smiled and said to Makhan Shah, "I thought that you had pledged five hundred coins". Makhan Shah became so elated that he kissed the Guru's feet and started shouting from the rooftop "I've found the Guru, I've found the Guru!".
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All the Sikhs rushed to the house of the quiet saint and when they heard the story there was much rejoicing for many days. Thus the pious, humble saint Tegh Bahadur was acclaimed as being the true Guru of the Sikhs and natural successor of Guru Har Krishan.
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Guru Tegh Bahadur, before his accession to the holy gaddi, was most unusual. For twenty years he lived a solitary life in deep meditation in a basement cell in the village of Bakala, near Amritsar. Even as a child he was quite different from his brothers in temperament and attitude to life. From a young age he was trained in the martial arts of swordsmanship and horse riding as well as religious training by the wise Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas. He received the 'Divine Light' in the year 1664 and became the ninth Guru of the Sikhs.
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Guru Tegh Bahadur accepted the role of leading the Sikhs and set out on a number of missionary journeys. He visited Kiratpur and then made his way to the other great centers of Sikhism, Taran Taran, Khadur Sahib, Goindwal and Amritsar. In 1665, he acquired a tract of land from the raja of Kahlur and founded the town of Chak Nanaki, named in honour of his mother (later to be known as Anandpur Sahib). The Guru now continued his journeys to spread the messages and teachings of Sikhism among the masses across the land.
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Accompanied by his wife and mother, Guru Tegh Bahadur traveled across the country. The Guru traveled throughout Punjab, and wherever he would stop the Guru would get wells dug for the people and community kitchens set up. Guru Tegh Bahadur continued his tour through Haryana, Delhi, Kurekshetra, Agra, Ittawa and Allahabad, Banaras, Gaya and Patna. Wherever the Guru stopped he would preach about honest work and charity. The Guru would also give away all the offerings that he would receive from his devotees. Guru Ji, left his family at Patna, as his wife Mata Gujri was expecting their child, and moved on with his tour to Dacca and the eatern most parts of India, which were not visited since the time of Guru Nanak.
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In 1666, while on his eastern tour Guru Tegh Bahadur received the news that he had been blessed with a child, a son named Gobind Rai. This eastern tour would last three years as Guru Tegh Bahadur wanted to visit as many people as he could.
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While in Assam in 1668 Guru Tegh Bahadur was able to achieve a peace treaty between the ruler of Ahom and a large force sent by Aurangzeb under the command of Raja Ram Singh of Amber.
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In 1669-1670 Guru Tegh Bahadur started the journey homeward and travelled to Patna to see his young son, Gobind Rai for the first time. Here, Guru Tegh Bahadur spent over a year with his family training his son in the Sikh scriptures, horse riding and swordsmanship.
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Guru Tegh Bahadur then sent his family to Punjab while he continued his missionary work. The Guru finally returned home to Anandpur Sahib in 1672-1673.
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Guru Tegh Bahadur can aptly be called the peerless martyr in the history of the world. He laid down his life for the protection of 'Tilak' and 'Sacred Thread' of the Hindus. He was a firm believer in the right of the people to freedom of worship.
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In the year 1674, the religious leaders, approached Guru Ji, to help them and save the Hindu faith, from being forcefully converted to Muslim by the Emperor Aurangzeb. Guru Ji agreed to protect their faith from the tyrant ruler.
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Guru told the Pundits, "Go and tell the Emperor that you will agree to embrace Islam if he can persuade your Guru Tegh Bahadur to be converted to the Muslim faith".
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Aurangzeb on hearing this arrested Guru Tegh Bahadur and forcefully tried to make him convert to Muslim. Guru Ji, along with many of his devotees, was cruelly tortured. Bhai Mati Das, the devoted Sikh, was tied between two pillars and his body split in two by being sawn alive. Bhai Dyala was boiled alive in a cauldron of boiling water and Bhai Sati Das was wrapped in cotton wool and burnt alive. Determined not to renounce his faith, Guru Ji was even prepared to give up his life. By now, Aurangzeb had become very furious and therefore ordered that Guru Tegh Bahadur be executed publicly in Chandi Chowk.
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On November 11, 1675 Guru Tegh Bahadur took his early morning bath and recited the sacred Japji. Thereafter he was brought out of the Kotwali and seated on a platform.
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Guru Ji sat absorbed in deep meditation, while the executioner took his sword and at one stroke Guru Ji was beheaded.
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The Guru's body was left in the dust as no one dared to pick up the body for fear of the emperor's reprisal. Just then a severe storm swept through the city and under the cover of darkness a Sikh named Bhai Jaita managed to collect the Guru's sacred head and carried it off to Anandpur Sahib to the Guru's son. Another Sikh Bhai Lakhi Shah who had a cart was able to smuggle the Gurus headless body to his house. Since a public funeral would be too dangerous, Bhai Lakhi Shah cremated the body by setting his house on fire.
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Meanwhile the head was taken to the grief stricken young Guru Gobind Singh and the widow Mata Gujari.
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On November 16, 1675 at Anandpur Sahib, a pyre of sandalwood was constructed, sprinkled with roses and the head of Guru Tegh Bahadur was cremated by young Gobind.
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This ended the earthly reign of the ninth Nanak, Guru Tegh Bahadur. Never in the annals of history has the religious leader of one religion sacrificed his life to save the freedom of another religion.
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Gurdwara Sis Ganj in Chandi Chowk, Delhi, visited by hundreds and thousands of devotees, stands as a monument to the unique sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Kirtan or holy singing is performed in this Gurdwara throughout the day.
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Guru Tegh Bahadur's teachings and philosophy of life are summed up in his hymns. The Sloks given at the end of the Holy Granth, which are recited with full reverence at the conclusion of an Akand Path and on several other occasions, touch the conscience of everyone and remind human beings of the transitory nature of their lives.
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