Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji was just eleven when the Light of Guru Nanak passed to Him and Baba Budha Ji placed two swords at His side, one of Miri and one of Piri. After His father's Shaheedi, He lifted the Sikhs into Chardi Kala, built Sri Akal Takht Sahib facing Sri Harmandir Sahib, and was honoured by the Sikhs as the Sacha Patshah, the True King. Imprisoned in Gwalior Fort, He would not walk free unless 52 captive rajas walked out with Him, and He became Bandi Chhor, the Liberator of Captives. A Sikh story for ages 8–12.
A Childhood of Service
On 19 June 1595, in the village of Wadali, a short way west of Amritsar, a baby boy was born into the home of Guru Arjan Dev Ji and Mata Ganga Ji.
They named Him Hargobind. The village is still called Guru Ki Wadali, the Guru’s Wadali.
The whole sangat rejoiced. Only one man did not: Prithi Chand, Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s elder brother, who had hoped the Guruship would one day pass to his own son. He made more than one attempt to harm the baby, and every one of his plots failed.
Young Hargobind’s earliest memories were of His father serving people in need.
When word came that a terrible famine had struck Lahore, Guru Arjan Dev Ji set off at once, and He took Mata Ganga Ji and little Hargobind with Him. In Lahore, people were dying of hunger. Fever and smallpox spread through the streets, and no one was caring for the sick or for the dead.
Using the Dasvandh, the tenth of their earnings that the Sikhs gave for the good of all, Guru Arjan Dev Ji opened langars for the hungry, brought medicine for the sick, gave the dead respectful last rites, and arranged care for children who had lost their parents. For eight months He served the people of Lahore. Then He travelled through the dry villages to the south, having wells dug where there was no water.
Little Hargobind was at His father’s side the whole time. Young as He was, He was already learning what a leader does: He serves.
Afterwards, father and son travelled together along the river Ravi, to the village of Barath, where they met Baba Sri Chand Ji, the elder son of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Soon after they came home to Amritsar, young Hargobind fell ill. A high fever came first, and then the spots of smallpox covered His whole body. The sangat was deeply worried, but Guru Arjan Dev Ji and Mata Ganga Ji stayed calm, trusting the Creator’s Will, and the child was given medical care.
Many neighbours came with advice. “Do not give Him medicine,” they said. “Smallpox is the goddess Seetla. She will be angry! Take the child to her temple and rub its dust on His spots.”
Guru Arjan Dev Ji listened kindly and explained that smallpox is not a goddess. It is an illness, and an illness must be treated. Then He said:
“Offer prayers before the Formless Lord; through His grace alone are all sorrows, illnesses and afflictions removed.”
The fever passed, and Hargobind grew completely well again. In thanks to the Creator, and to guide the sangat away from fear and superstition, Guru Arjan Dev Ji composed hymns about His son’s recovery. In one of them, which is in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji today, He wrote:
ਸਦਾ ਸਦਾ ਹਰਿ ਜਾਪੇ ॥
ਪ੍ਰਭ ਬਾਲਕ ਰਾਖੇ ਆਪੇ ॥
ਸੀਤਲਾ ਠਾਕਿ ਰਹਾਈ ॥
ਬਿਘਨ ਗਏ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਈ ॥੧॥Forever and ever, I remember the Lord.
The Lord Himself has protected the child.
He has stopped the smallpox.
The troubles have gone, through the Lord’s Name.— Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 627
Lessons from Baba Budha Ji
Guru Arjan Dev Ji was a wise leader, and He could see that hard times were coming for the Sikhs. Whoever guided the Sikhs next would need to be strong in spirit, sharp in mind, and strong in body too.
So when Hargobind was about six years old, His father placed Him in the care of Baba Budha Ji, the much-loved elder who had served every Guru since Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Baba Budha Ji taught young Hargobind to read Gurmukhi and to recite Gurbani. He told Him the sakhis of the Gurus who had come before. And then, out in the open fields, he taught Him to ride a horse, to wrestle, and to use a sword and a bow.
Whenever there was time, Bhai Gurdas Ji, the great scholar of Sikhi, helped with His lessons too.
Young Hargobind loved them all: the Gurbani and the riding, the history and the archery. He grew up strong and athletic, and at the same time full of deep spiritual wisdom. His body was ready for any task, and His heart was always with the Divine.
The Two Swords
When Hargobind was eleven, dark clouds gathered over the Sikhs.
The new emperor, Jahangir, listened to courtiers who wanted to stop the Sikh community from growing. When his son Khusrau rebelled and fled, they made a false report that Guru Arjan Dev Ji had helped the prince. It was not true. When Khusrau crossed the river near Goindwal, the Guru was not even there; He was at Tarn Taran.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji knew the Emperor would soon act against Him. He called Baba Budha Ji and spoke of passing the Guruship to His son.
Baba Budha Ji was overcome with emotion. The sangat longed to see their Guru for many years still.
But Guru Arjan Dev Ji answered calmly: “We are departing for Lahore to offer our head; from there we shall not return. Therefore, perform the ceremony now.”
At Sri Harmandir Sahib, before the whole sangat, Guru Arjan Dev Ji bowed before His eleven-year-old son. Then the whole sangat bowed too.
The Light of Guru Nanak passed to Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, the Sixth Guru of the Sikhs.
Then, as Guru Arjan Dev Ji had instructed, Baba Budha Ji placed at the young Guru’s side not one sword, but two.
One was the sword of Piri: spiritual leadership, guiding hearts towards the Divine.
The other was the sword of Miri: leadership in the world, protecting people and standing up to injustice.
Before He left for Lahore, Guru Arjan Dev Ji had told His son: if His own peaceful sacrifice did not soften the heart of the oppressor, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji must take up arms to defend what was right.
In Lahore, Guru Arjan Dev Ji was tortured for days, and His body was given to the river Ravi. He became the first Shaheed of the Sikhs.
Chardi Kala
The Sikhs were heartbroken. They had lost their Guru to cruelty, and some began to lose hope.
The Emperor had ordered that Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s family be handed over and His property taken. The sangat advised that the Guru’s family leave Amritsar for a while. So Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji and Mata Ganga Ji went quietly to Daroli, in the forests of the Malwa region, to the home of Bhai Sain Das and Bibi Ramo Ji, devoted Sikhs who were also family.
The Emperor’s spies searched, but they could not find Him.
For about eighteen months, Guru Ji stayed at Daroli. He had a well dug for the village. Every day He held a diwan outside the village, and Sikhs came from all around. And He began training them: in archery, in the sword, and in riding.
His first task as Guru was clear. He had to lift the Sikhs out of sorrow and fill them with Chardi Kala, rising spirits.
He spoke to the sangat:
“The path of Guru Nanak Dev Ji is the path of the welfare of all humanity, Sarbat da Bhala. Those who meditate on the Fearless One, Nirbhau, and the One without enmity, Nirvair, become fearless and free of enmity themselves. They frighten no one, and they live in fear of no one.”
He reminded them that Guru Nanak Dev Ji had looked the invader Babur in the face and called him a tyrant. Now the rulers had crossed every boundary. “The innocent must be protected,” He said, “and the voice of Truth must ring out.”
He reminded them, too, of the words of Bhagat Kabir Ji, which are in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji:
ਸੂਰਾ ਸੋ ਪਹਿਚਾਨੀਐ ਜੁ ਲਰੈ ਦੀਨ ਕੇ ਹੇਤ ॥
ਪੁਰਜਾ ਪੁਰਜਾ ਕਟਿ ਮਰੈ ਕਬਹੂ ਨ ਛਾਡੈ ਖੇਤੁ ॥੨॥੨॥Know that one alone as a true hero, who fights for the sake of righteousness.
Though cut apart piece by piece, he never leaves the field.— Bhagat Kabir Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 1105
Then Guru Ji sent out Hukamnamas, letters of instruction, to the sangats everywhere. When they came to the Guru’s court, He asked, they should bring horses and weapons as their offering, instead of money.
Young men began to arrive from far and wide. They were the sons of weavers, carpenters, water-carriers and barbers, people whom others had looked down on for centuries. In the Guru’s house they became strong and skilled warriors.
When they were offered pay, they refused. “Being poor, we have no gold to offer,” they said. “We have come to offer our heads whenever the Guru desires.”
All they asked for was two meals a day, and a new set of clothes every six months.
The Throne of the Timeless One
When Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji came back to Amritsar, He began His boldest work of all.
Facing Sri Harmandir Sahib, He laid the foundation of a raised platform with His own hands. Baba Budha Ji and Bhai Gurdas Ji oversaw the building. At first it was simply an open platform, about three metres high. Later, storeys were built above it.
It was called Sri Akal Takht Sahib: the Throne of the Timeless One, Akal Purakh.
In those days, only the Emperor was allowed to sit on a takht, a throne. The Emperor’s throne in Delhi stood for one man’s power. Sri Akal Takht Sahib stood for something else: truth, justice, and the equality of all people under the Creator alone.
In front of it, two tall Nishan Sahibs were raised, one for Miri and one for Piri.
Wearing His two swords, Guru Ji sat on the Akal Takht and held court. He taught the sangat, sent out Hukamnamas, and settled people’s disputes. The Sikhs called Him Sacha Patshah, the True King.
Two Dhadis, singers of heroic ballads, named Abdullah and Nath Mall, sang of the young Guru:
ਦੋ ਤਲਵਾਰਾਂ ਬੱਧੀਆਂ, ਇਕ ਮੀਰੀ ਦੀ ਇਕ ਪੀਰੀ ਦੀ।
ਇਕ ਅਜ਼ਮਤ ਦੀ, ਇਕ ਰਾਜ ਦੀ, ਇਕ ਰਾਖੀ ਕਰੇ ਵਜੀਰੀ ਦੀ।
Two swords He wears, one of Miri, one of Piri;
one of spiritual greatness, one of rule, one guarding the honour of sovereignty.
In the open ground between Sri Harmandir Sahib and Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the young Sikhs wrestled, played kabaddi, and practised with the sword, the spear and the bow. Guru Ji watched from the Akal Takht, cheering them on and giving prizes. At midday the great drum, the nagara, sounded, and the riders set out with Guru Ji to hunt in the forests outside the city.
Guru Ji also had a wall built around Amritsar, and a fort, Lohgarh, the Fort of Iron, to protect the city from sudden attack.
Now, in one place, there were two sounds. From Sri Harmandir Sahib rose the peaceful kirtan of Gurbani. From Sri Akal Takht Sahib came the beat of the drum and the Vaars, ballads of courage.
Devotion and strength. Piri and Miri. Side by side.
The True King
Not everyone was pleased.
The governor of Lahore, Murtaza Khan, sent the Emperor an alarmed report. The Guru had built a throne, he wrote. He wore a royal plume, kept an army, built forts, and was called the True King.
Jahangir decided to bring the Guru to him. He sent a friendly invitation through Wazir Khan, a man who truly admired the Guru, and Wazir Khan was assured that the Emperor only wished to talk about matters of faith.
Guru Ji talked it over with Baba Budha Ji, Bhai Gurdas Ji and the leading Sikhs, and agreed to go. Guru Ji told the sangat to place their trust in Akal Purakh alone. He left Sri Harmandir Sahib and the Akal Takht in the care of Baba Budha Ji, Bhai Gurdas Ji and Bhai Bahlo Ji, and set out with His Sikh horsemen.
The Emperor welcomed Him with honour, and the two rode out on hunts together.
One day, near Agra, the Guru’s camp and the Emperor’s camp were pitched some distance apart. In Agra lived a poor Sikh who earned his living cutting grass and selling it. He had never seen Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, and he longed to.
When he heard the Guru was camped nearby, he cut a bundle of fresh grass for the Guru’s horse, took his only copper coin, and set out.
He reached the Emperor’s camp by mistake. “I have come for the darshan of the True King,” he told the guard. The guard pointed to the Emperor’s tent.
Inside, the grass-cutter laid his coin before Jahangir and folded his hands. “O True King! My soul has longed to see you for so long. Have mercy, and free me from the cycle of birth and death.”
Jahangir smiled. He understood the mistake. “O Sikh, I am Jahangir, Emperor of all Hindustan. Ask me for riches and land, and I will give them to you. But freedom from birth and death? Those words mean nothing to me.”
The grass-cutter’s face fell. “I have made a great mistake! I was looking for the True King, who rules both this world and the next.”
He picked up his coin, lifted the grass onto his head, and asked, “Where is the True King?”
“An offering made to an emperor is never taken back,” said Jahangir. “Leave the coin, and I will make you rich.”
But the grass-cutter would not stay. He walked straight out to the Guru’s tent, laid down the grass, and placed his copper coin before Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji.
“O True King! I made a mistake, but your grace kept me from the trap of riches and brought me to your feet. Bless me with Naam, the Divine Name.”
Guru Ji blessed him. “O Gursikh! You walk the Guru’s path. Guru Nanak will fulfil all your spiritual longings.”
The Emperor had followed quietly, and he saw it all. Now he understood why the Sikhs called their Guru the True King.
The Cloak of Fifty-Two Tassels
The Emperor’s friendliness had been a trap.
Not long after, Jahangir had Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji arrested and sent to Gwalior Fort, a grim prison for important captives. He would be held there for about two years.
Inside the fort were many rajas, rulers of small kingdoms, some of them from the hills. They were kept in damp rooms, with little food, and they had lost all hope.
Then the Guru arrived.
Every day, He rose in the early hours before dawn, bathed, and meditated on the Divine. At daybreak, He held sangat. In the evening, there were prayers. The rajas began to join Him. Slowly, hope came back into the fort.
The keeper of the fort, Daroga Hari Das, was so moved by the Guru that he became His devoted Sikh, and he brought Guru Ji’s meals from his own home. Outside the fort walls, Sikhs such as Bhai Bidhi Chand and Bhai Jetha had come to Gwalior. They worked as labourers, and with their wages they sent provisions into the fort through the kind jailer.
Back home, the news of the Guru’s imprisonment filled the sangat with grief. But they did not give up.
Baba Budha Ji and Bhai Gurdas Ji began the Chaukian. Morning and night, Baba Budha Ji led the sangat around Sri Harmandir Sahib, reciting Gurbani. Soon the Chaukian spread to towns and villages everywhere. Sikhs marched through the night carrying flaming torches and the Nishan Sahib, singing Gurbani and Vaars, so that everyone would know their Guru was a prisoner. Some groups marched all the way to Gwalior. They were not allowed inside, so they bowed before the fort walls and kissed the stones.
Not everyone wished the Guru well. Chandu Shah, an official in Lahore who had helped bring about Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s suffering, was terrified of what might happen to him if Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji were freed. He sent Hari Das a letter offering five thousand rupees to poison the Guru’s food. Hari Das carried the letter straight to Guru Ji. When Chandu next sent a poisoned robe, Hari Das took it away and kept the Guru safe.
Meanwhile, the Emperor fell seriously ill, and no medicine helped. Prayers were asked of holy men, among them the Sufi saint Sain Mian Mir Ji, a dear friend of the Guru’s house. These holy men told the Emperor that it was wrong to keep such a beloved servant of the Divine in prison. Wazir Khan warned that keeping the Guru locked up was making the people angry.
At last, Jahangir ordered the Guru’s release.
When the imprisoned rajas heard, they pleaded with Guru Ji to save them too.
Guru Ji sent word to the Emperor through Wazir Khan: He would not leave the fort unless the rajas were freed with Him.
The Emperor agreed to free the prisoners with shorter sentences. But for the fifty-two rajas held for life, he set a condition: only as many as could hold on to the Guru’s robe could walk free.
Guru Ji had a special cloak stitched, with fifty-two tassels.
On the day of His release, each raja took hold of one tassel. And Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji walked out through the gates of Gwalior Fort with all fifty-two rajas walking beside Him.
From that day, the Sikhs have called Him Bandi Chhor, the Liberator of Captives.
Daroga Hari Das lit up his whole house with lamps in celebration. Guru Ji stayed a day at his home, and then set off for home. When He reached Amritsar, the whole city was lit with oil lamps to welcome Him.
In Lahore, Guru Ji went to meet Sain Mian Mir Ji and thanked him for all he had done to bring about His release.
The Guru Who Came to Them
Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji travelled far and wide to be with His Sikhs.
At Sri Hargobindpur, a town Guru Arjan Dev Ji had begun, Guru Ji built it anew. There He had a gurdwara built, an inn for travellers, and a mosque for the many Pathans who had become His followers.
Then news came from Kashmir: a terrible fever, the plague, was spreading. Frightened people were turning to pirs and faqirs to save them, but the sickness did not go away. Guru Ji set out to help the sick, and to free people from superstition.
In Srinagar lived an elderly Sikh, Mata Bhagbhari Ji. She had always longed to see the Guru, but she was too old to make the long journey to Amritsar. So, out of love, she spun cotton thread with her own hands and made a chola, a long robe, for Guru Ji.
When Guru Ji arrived in Srinagar, He went to her home and asked her for the robe Himself. What joy filled her heart! The King of kings wore her rough hand-spun cloth gladly.
Groups of Sikhs, called jathas, came from many places to be with the Guru in Srinagar. In one of them was Bhai Kattu Shah. On the road he became ill with a painful cough. He asked the leader of the jatha for a few drops of the honey they were carrying.
“No,” said the leader. “This honey must be offered to Guru Ji first.”
Bhai Kattu Shah said nothing, and suffered quietly all the way.
When the jatha leader told Guru Ji what had happened on the road, Guru Ji was displeased. “Whenever a Sikh is seen in distress, serve him,” He said. “Feed the hungry. The mouth of a Sikh is the Guru’s own golak.”
A golak is the box where offerings to the Guru are placed. Guru Ji was teaching that whatever we give to a Sikh in need, we give to the Guru Himself.
While the fever raged in Kashmir, Guru Ji spent all the Dasvandh offerings on the sick. Medicine, clothing and blankets were given out. Guru Ji worked side by side with His Sikhs, serving the suffering and running free langars. Thousands of people, moved by this care, joined the Sikh path.
On the way home, Guru Ji stopped at Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, and laid the foundation of a building there.
And there was Bibi Kaulan.
Kaulan had been raised in the house of the Qazi of Lahore, a powerful religious judge. From a young age she loved to be near holy people, and she became a follower of Sain Mian Mir Ji. From one of his disciples, Shah Abdullah, she heard Gurbani and learned it by heart. When Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji stayed in Lahore, she sat in His sangat and listened, and in her heart she became a Sikh.
The Qazi was furious that a girl of his house was reciting the hymns of the Sikh Gurus. He reasoned with her, threatened her, and punished her, but she would not give up Gurbani. At last he issued a fatwa, a religious order, against her life.
Sain Mian Mir Ji sent Kaulan safely to Amritsar, into the Guru’s care. Guru Ji was deeply moved by her love for Gurbani. He had a home built for her, and she spent the rest of her life in devotion. In her memory, Guru Ji had a sarovar dug in Amritsar. It is called Kaulsar.
Weapons for the Protection of the Poor
On one of His journeys, in the hills, Guru Ji met a well-known holy man named Samarth Ramdas. Guru Ji had just come back from a hunt, dressed as a warrior, with His armed Sikhs around Him.
Samarth Ramdas was puzzled. “I had heard that you sit on the seat of Guru Nanak,” he said. “Guru Nanak gave up the world. Yet you carry weapons, keep an army and horses, and are called the True King. What kind of Sadhu are you?”
Guru Ji smiled and answered: “Inside, the detachment of a faqir; outside, the splendour of a king. Weapons are for the protection of the poor, and for the destruction of the oppressor. Baba Nanak did not give up the world; He gave up attachment to Maya.” “This strikes deep into my heart!” said Samarth Ramdas.
Guru Ji never went looking for war. But the rulers of the time grew harsher, and in the years that followed, battles were forced on the Sikhs. At Rohela, near Sri Hargobindpur, a local chief and a Mughal faujdar attacked the Guru’s new town, and two of the Bhatts, poets whose verses are in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Bhatt Mathura and Bhatt Keerat, gave their lives defending it. At Amritsar, a quarrel over a royal hunting hawk became an excuse for a Mughal army to attack, on the very eve of the wedding of Guru Ji’s daughter, Bibi Viro. Guru Ji stayed calm, sent His family safely to Jhabal, and led the defence. At Mehraj, the imperial army came after Bhai Bidhi Chand had daringly brought back two fine horses, gifts for the Guru that the governor of Lahore had seized. Each time, the Sikhs, many of them ordinary working people, stood firm and won.
Guru Ji fought by a code. He told His Sikh Bhai Jodh Shah never to strike anyone who had fallen, who had no weapon, who was a child, old or sick, who asked for mercy, or who was a woman. In single combat, He let His opponent strike first. Mohsin Fani, a writer who met Guru Ji, wondered that not a wrinkle of anger ever appeared on His brow, even in the heat of battle.
The hardest battle came at Kartarpur, and the attack was led by someone Guru Ji had loved.
Painde Khan was an orphan who had taken refuge with the Guru. Guru Ji raised him like His own child, trained him, and made him a commander in the Sikh army. But Painde Khan grew proud, listened to bad advice from his own family, and betrayed the Guru. He urged the imperial commanders to attack Kartarpur.
In the battle, Painde Khan came face to face with Guru Ji.
“Brother Painde,” said Guru Ji, “strike first!”
Painde Khan struck twice, and both blows missed. His third blow was so fierce that his sword shattered against the Guru’s, leaving only the hilt in his hand. He leapt at Guru Ji’s horse, and Guru Ji struck him with His shield, and he fell.
Guru Ji got down from His horse and stood beside him. The sun was scorching. Guru Ji held His shield over Painde Khan to shade his face.
“Painde,” said Guru Ji gently, “recite the Kalma; your final hour has come.” The Kalma is the Muslim declaration of faith.
Painde Khan remembered all the Guru’s kindness, and his heart filled with sorrow. “O Sovereign,” he whispered, “your merciful glance is my true Kalma. Forgive my wrongs.”
Then he breathed his last, and Guru Ji covered his face with His shield.
At Kartarpur, Guru Ji’s youngest son, who was fourteen and was named Tyag Mall, fought with great courage and skill. Seeing His mastery of the sword, Guru Ji gave Him a new name: Tegh Bahadur, Hero of the Sword. One day, He would become Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the Ninth Guru.
Kiratpur
Guru Ji’s eldest son, Baba Gurditta Ji, worked tirelessly for the Sikh mission, and Guru Ji gave Him great responsibility.
Once, Guru Ji went with Baba Gurditta Ji to visit Baba Sri Chand Ji, the elder son of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who was now very old. Baba Sri Chand Ji welcomed them with great love. One day he said:
“I have now grown very old and can no longer carry the work of preaching alone. Give me your eldest son.”
Guru Ji placed Baba Gurditta Ji’s arm in Baba Sri Chand Ji’s hands. Baba Gurditta Ji became the leader of Baba Sri Chand Ji’s followers, the Udasis, and brought them close to the Sikh path. Under His guidance, Udasi preachers carried Guru Nanak’s message far and wide.
In the green foothills of the mountains, on the banks of the river Sutlej, Baba Gurditta Ji founded a new town on land bought from Raja Tara Chand of Kahlur, one of the very rajas the Guru had freed from Gwalior Fort. It was named Kiratpur Sahib. For the last years of His life, Guru Ji lived there.
From Kiratpur, Guru Ji sent Sikhs to share Guru Nanak’s message in faraway places. Bhai Bidhi Chand, the brave horseman, went east to teach Gurbani, and proved as fine a preacher as he had been a warrior. Other Sikhs went as far as Kabul and Balkh.
Guru Ji’s Sikhs were warriors, but above all they were humble servants.
One day, a wall had to be built for the langar. Guru Ji asked Bhai Choohar, a commander of a hundred horsemen, to tell the Sikhs to carry stones down from the hill. Bhai Choohar passed on the message, and then began carrying heavy stones himself, until his hands were covered in blisters.
“We told you to ask the Sikhs to bring stones,” said Guru Ji. “You are an army commander. Why are you carrying stones yourself?”
“True King,” Bhai Choohar replied, “you gave this seva to the Sikhs. I too am your humble Sikh.”
Guru Ji kissed his blistered hands. “Sublime is your seva. The Guru’s house is proud of Gursikhs like you!”
Another time, Guru Ji asked Bhai Jhanda to tell some Sikhs to gather firewood for the langar. Bhai Jhanda delivered the message, and then spent the whole day in the forest gathering wood himself. When Guru Ji asked why, he said: “Patshah, you told the Sikhs to fetch wood. I too am trying to become a Sikh.”
The Light Passes to Guru Har Rai Ji
Baba Gurditta Ji had a younger son, Har Rai, who lived at Kiratpur with His grandfather.
Even as a child, Har Rai was drawn to Gurbani and simran. He had a gentle sweetness, deep humility, and great compassion for every living thing. Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji trained Him in riding and the use of weapons Himself, and from sitting in the daily diwans, Har Rai learned much of Gurbani by heart and understood its meaning.
When Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji knew that His own time was coming to an end, He bowed before His grandson Har Rai. Then the whole sangat bowed too. Guru Ji’s sons, Baba Suraj Mall Ji and Tegh Bahadur Ji, gladly accepted their father’s decision and bowed as well.
The Light of Guru Nanak passed to Guru Har Rai Ji, the Seventh Guru of the Sikhs.
Guru Ji asked His wife, Mata Nanaki Ji, to take Tegh Bahadur Ji and His wife to live in her family’s village of Bakala.
On 3 March 1644, at Kiratpur Sahib, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji merged back into the Eternal Light.
Reflection
Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji was only eleven when the Light of Guru Nanak passed to Him, and when His father became the first Shaheed of the Sikhs.
He lifted the Sikhs into Chardi Kala. He wore two swords, one of Miri and one of Piri, and built Sri Akal Takht Sahib facing Sri Harmandir Sahib, so that kirtan and courage would always stand side by side.
He was a prisoner who would not walk free while others stayed in chains. He wore a robe spun by an old woman’s hands, and shaded the face of the man who had betrayed Him.
The Sikhs called Him the True King for the way He used His throne, His horses and His army: to protect the weak, to free the captive, and to serve the Sikhs He loved.
Whenever you see the two Nishan Sahibs flying at Sri Akal Takht Sahib, remember the Sixth Guru, who taught that a kind heart and a brave heart belong together.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 June 1595 |
| Birthplace | Wadali (Guru Ki Wadali), near Amritsar |
| Parents | Guru Arjan Dev Ji and Mata Ganga Ji |
| Wives | Mata Damodari Ji, Mata Nanaki Ji and Mata Mahadevi Ji |
| Children | Baba Gurditta Ji, Bibi Viro Ji, Baba Ani Rai Ji, Baba Suraj Mall Ji, Baba Atal Rai Ji and Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji |
| Light received from | Guru Arjan Dev Ji, at age 11 |
| Town of His Guruship | Amritsar, and later Kiratpur Sahib |
| Known for | Wearing the two swords of Miri and Piri; building Sri Akal Takht Sahib; freeing 52 rajas from Gwalior Fort as Bandi Chhor; training Sikhs of every background as saint-soldiers |
| Successor | Guru Har Rai Ji, His grandson |
| Passed away | 3 March 1644, at Kiratpur Sahib |
Discussion Questions
Let’s Talk About It: The grass-cutter Sikh walked out of the Emperor’s tent, even though Jahangir offered to make him rich. What did he want that the Emperor could not give him?
Let’s Think About It: Guru Ji said, “Weapons are for the protection of the poor, and for the destruction of the oppressor.” How is that different from using strength to show off or to get your own way?
Let’s Think About It: At Kartarpur, Guru Ji shaded the face of Painde Khan, who had betrayed Him. Why do you think He showed kindness even then?
Let’s Try It: Bhai Choohar was a commander, yet he carried the stones himself. This week, when you ask someone to help with a job, join in and help too.
Let’s Try It: Draw the two Nishan Sahibs in front of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. Next to one, write something you do for your spirit (like Gurbani or Ardas); next to the other, something you do to be strong and to help others.
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Akal Purakh | The Timeless Being: the Creator, who is beyond time. |
| Akal Takht Sahib | The Throne of the Timeless One: the seat built by Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji in Amritsar, facing Sri Harmandir Sahib. |
| Bandi Chhor | The Liberator of Captives: the title given to Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji after He freed the 52 rajas from Gwalior Fort. |
| Chardi Kala | Rising spirits: staying hopeful, positive and strong, even in hard times. |
| Chaukian | Processions in which Sikhs walked together reciting Gurbani, begun while Guru Ji was imprisoned at Gwalior. |
| Chola | A long robe. |
| Darshan | Seeing the Guru; being in the Guru’s presence. |
| Dasvandh | A tenth of one’s earnings, given to the Guru’s work for the good of everyone. |
| Dhadi | A singer of Vaars, heroic ballads. |
| Diwan | A gathering of the sangat for kirtan and teaching. |
| Golak | The box where offerings to the Guru are placed. |
| Gursikh | A devoted Sikh of the Guru. |
| Hukamnama | A letter of instruction from the Guru to the sangat. |
| Jatha | A group of Sikhs travelling or working together. |
| Langar | The free community kitchen, where everyone sits together in equal rows to eat. |
| Miri | Leadership in the world: protecting people and standing up to injustice. |
| Nagara | A great drum, beaten as a sign of sovereignty. |
| Naam | The Divine Name; remembering the Creator. |
| Nishan Sahib | The Sikh flag. |
| Piri | Spiritual leadership: guiding hearts towards the Divine. |
| Sacha Patshah | The True King: what the Sikhs called their Guru. |
| Sangat | The community of Sikhs who gather together for kirtan, to learn, and to serve. |
| Sarovar | A pool of water beside a gurdwara. |
| Seva | Selfless service, given without wanting anything in return. |
| Shaheed | Literally a witness: a martyr whose life and death bear witness to truth. |
| Takht | A throne. |
| Udasi | A follower of Baba Sri Chand Ji; under Baba Gurditta Ji, Udasi preachers spread Guru Nanak’s message. |
Explore More
- Bandi Chhor Divas — the day Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji walked free with the 52 kings, and ideas for celebrating it at home
- The Ocean of Peace: The Life of Guru Arjan Dev Ji — Book 5 in the series, on Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji’s father, the first Sikh Shaheed
- The Gentle Healer: The Life of Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji — on the Seventh Guru, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji’s grandson
- The Pool of Nectar: The Life of Guru Ram Das Ji — Book 4 in the series, on the Fourth Guru who founded Amritsar
- The Light of Truth: The Life of Guru Nanak Dev Ji — Book 1 in the series, following the founder of Sikhi