Tyag Mal
On 1 April 1621, in the house called Guru Ke Mahal in Amritsar, a baby boy was born to Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji and Mata Nanaki Ji.
He was the youngest of six children. He had four older brothers, Baba Gurditta Ji, Baba Ani Rai Ji, Baba Suraj Mal Ji and Baba Atal Rai Ji, and one older sister, Bibi Viro Ji.
His family called Him Tyag Mal.
From His earliest years, Tyag Mal had a calm, saintly nature. He was thoughtful, brave and fearless, and He loved quiet moments of reflection.
His father, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, looked after His upbringing Himself. Tyag Mal learned Gurmukhi and the wisdom of Gurbani, and the teachings of the Gurus who had come before. He also learned to ride horses and to handle weapons.
When He was still young, Tyag Mal was married to Mata Gujri Ji, the daughter of Bhai Lal Chand Ji of Kartarpur.
The Brave Sword
Those were dangerous years. More than once, Mughal armies attacked the Sikhs, and Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji led the Sikhs in defending themselves.
At the battle of Kartarpur, young Tyag Mal fought beside His father. He rode fast, moved quickly, and used His sword with such skill and courage that everyone who saw Him was amazed.
After the battle, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji gave His son a new name: Tegh Bahadur, which means brave of the sword. From then on, that was the name everyone knew Him by.
Soon after, the Guru’s household moved to Keeratpur Sahib. For nearly nine years, Tegh Bahadur Ji lived in His father’s court there, helping with seva and with sharing Guru Nanak’s message. Those years soaked Him through and through in the colours of Gurmat.
He grew tall, with a broad chest and long arms, like His father. His face was bright and peaceful, yet serious. He dressed like a prince, but inside He was deeply humble. He loved Gurbani with all His heart. He gave freely to anyone in need, and He never wanted to be praised for it.
Even as a young man, He had a rare mix of qualities: the courage of a warrior, the kindness of a saint, and a heart that stayed close to the Divine in everything He did.
The Quiet Years at Bakala
Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji asked His son to go and live at Bakala, with Mata Nanaki Ji and Mata Gujri Ji. Bakala was where Mata Nanaki Ji had grown up, and her parents still lived there.
Tegh Bahadur Ji’s days at Bakala followed a peaceful rhythm. He rose in the early hours before dawn, called Amritvela, and recited Gurbani. Then kirtan began, and the gathered to listen.
People brought offerings, because they knew He was the Guru’s son and a person of deep spirit. He never kept any of it. He gave every offering straight away to Sikhs who needed it.
He also looked after His family, rode out on His horse, and took part in everyday life. This was the way of Gurmat: to stay close to the Creator while living fully as a householder.
Some people misunderstood His quiet ways and thought He must be a hermit, hiding away from the world. In fact, He was living exactly as the Gurus taught: caring for His family, serving others, and keeping the Creator in His heart all the while.
Seekers often came to Bakala with questions.
One asked why hardship comes to people who love the Creator. Tegh Bahadur Ji explained that in hard times, we quickly understand how fleeting the world is, and a person of faith learns to accept even hardship as a gift.
Another asked about rituals. He replied that in the Guru’s house, what matters is remembering the Divine Name, Naam, and that empty rituals have no value. Any good deed done without ego, He said, is true worship.
Years later, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji wrote this Shabad, which is in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji today. It speaks to anyone who thinks the Creator can only be found by running away from life:
ਕਾਹੇ ਰੇ ਬਨ ਖੋਜਨ ਜਾਈ ॥
ਸਰਬ ਨਿਵਾਸੀ ਸਦਾ ਅਲੇਪਾ ਤੋਹੀ ਸੰਗਿ ਸਮਾਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥Why do you go searching for Him in the forest?
He lives in everything, yet nothing can stain Him. He is always right here with you.— Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 684
When Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji passed away, the Light of Guru Nanak passed to Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji, Tegh Bahadur Ji’s nephew. Whenever Tegh Bahadur Ji visited Keeratpur, He went to Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji’s sangat and bowed before Him as a devoted Sikh. The two often sat together and talked deeply about Gurmat.
Journeys to the East
Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji knew how wise and how good at sharing Guru Nanak’s message Tegh Bahadur Ji was. So He gave Him an important task: to travel east and strengthen the Sikh sangats in faraway towns and cities.
Tegh Bahadur Ji set out with His mother, Mata Nanaki Ji, His wife, Mata Gujri Ji, other members of the family, and a group of devoted Sikhs.
First they went to Kurukshetra, where they stayed a long time. The Sikhs formed small groups and walked out to the villages around, sharing the Guru’s message. Then they went on to Haridwar, arriving on the day of Vaisakhi, and later to Garhmukteshwar, before coming home.
A few years later, they set off again on a much longer journey. They travelled through Delhi, Mathura and Agra, to Prayag and Banaras, through Gaya, and all the way to Patna, beside the great river Ganges. For about a year, they stayed in and around Patna, bringing the sangats together and helping them grow.
There, sad news reached them. Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji had passed away at Keeratpur, and the Light of Guru Nanak had passed to His young son, Guru Harkrishan Sahib Ji.
Tegh Bahadur Ji began the long journey home. On the way, He learned that Guru Harkrishan Sahib Ji had come to Delhi at the invitation of Emperor Aurangzeb’s court. Tegh Bahadur Ji and Mata Nanaki Ji went to meet Him at the haveli of Raja Jai Singh, where Gurdwara Bangla Sahib stands today. It was the last time they would meet.
Soon afterwards, smallpox spread through Delhi. Guru Harkrishan Sahib Ji cared for the sick and the poor, giving them medicine and food from the sangat’s Dasvandh. Then He fell ill Himself.
Before He passed away, Guru Harkrishan Sahib Ji spoke two words: “Baba Bakale.” The Baba is at Bakala.
Baba means a grandfather or an elder, and it was also a respectful way to speak of the Guru. The next Guru was an elder of Guru Harkrishan Sahib Ji’s family, and He lived at Bakala. It could only be Tegh Bahadur Ji.
Guru Ladho Re
A group of respected Sikhs travelled from Delhi to Bakala to honour Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji as the ninth Guru. The ceremony was kept quiet and simple, because the Mughal rulers were unfriendly to the Guru’s house.
But because it was quiet, many Sikhs did not know where the true Guru was. And some greedy people saw a chance.
Soon, twenty-two men were sitting in Bakala on raised seats, each one claiming, “I am the Guru!” The loudest was Dhir Mall, the elder brother of Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji. Visiting Sikhs did not know whom to believe.
One of those visitors was Bhai Makhan Shah Ji, a devoted Sikh merchant. He went from seat to seat, but none of the claimants felt like the true Guru to him. At last, someone sent him to the quiet home of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, and the moment he met Guru Ji, he knew. His heart leapt. He ran up onto the roof, waved his scarf, and shouted at the top of his voice, “Guru Ladho Re! Guru Ladho Re!” (I have found the Guru!), and the sangat came streaming to Guru Ji’s door while the false Gurus slipped away.
Dhir Mall was furious. One of his men, Shihon, climbed onto a nearby roof with a gun and fired at Guru Ji. The bullet only grazed Guru Ji’s forehead. Then Dhir Mall’s men burst into the house and carried off everything they could find, even the offerings of the sangat.
Mata Nanaki Ji spoke up bravely against Dhir Mall. But Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji stayed calm and cheerful. He said that they were travellers on the path of the Creator, and that their work was to carry Guru Nanak’s message to every home. “What does it matter if he has taken some wealth?” He said. “The House of Guru Nanak did not open a shop to collect riches.”
When Makhan Shah Ji heard what had happened, he went to Dhir Mall’s camp with his guards and brought everything back. He also brought back the Adi Bir, the first volume of the Adi Granth, written by Bhai Gurdas Ji, which Dhir Mall had been keeping.
Dhir Mall’s men were brought before Guru Ji, tied up. Guru Ji forgave them and let them go. Then He sent back all of Dhir Mall’s own belongings, and even returned the Adi Bir to him.
The man who had shot at Him received nothing but forgiveness.
Closed Doors, Open Hearts
About six weeks later, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji set out to visit the sangats in the towns and villages nearby.
When He reached Amritsar, the city founded by the Gurus, the men who looked after Sri Harmandir Sahib were afraid He would take away their control and their income. They shut the doors against Him.
Guru Ji simply sat down peacefully nearby, where Gurdwara Thara Sahib stands today.
But the people of Amritsar had not forgotten Him. The sangat came in great numbers. The women of the city set up a langar for Guru Ji and the Sikhs with Him, and scolded the selfish keepers for what they had done. One of them, Bibi Haro Ji, invited Guru Ji to her village, Walla, and He went with her.
Later, the keepers came to Walla to apologise, mostly because they worried that the offerings would stop. Guru Ji saw what was in their hearts, and told them plainly that they were burning inside with greed.
From there, Guru Ji travelled on through Tarn Taran, Khadur Sahib and Goindwal Sahib, where huge crowds gathered to see Him.
At Talwandi Sabo, where water was scarce, He stayed for fifteen days and had a sarovar dug for the people.
At Dhamthan, a man named Ramdev joined the Sikhs. He took on a simple seva: carrying water in big leather bags for the sangat to bathe, for the langar, and to settle the dust on the ground where everyone sat. He sprinkled so much water, so lovingly, that it felt like a cool shower of rain.
Guru Ji was delighted. He gave Ramdev a new name: Bhai Meehan Ji, Brother Rain. Then He sent him east to share Guru Nanak’s message.
Wherever Guru Ji went, He helped people give up stealing, tobacco and superstitious worship, and encouraged them to serve one another and remember the Creator with love. He taught them to live with dignity and without fear.
This new courage made the Mughal rulers uneasy. Reports about Guru Ji began to travel to Delhi.
Chakk Nanaki
In the hills near Keeratpur lived Rani Champa of Bilaspur. Her husband, Raja Deep Chand, had recently died, and she asked Guru Ji to come and comfort her family. Guru Ji went, with Mata Nanaki Ji and other members of the family.
Rani Champa had heard that the Sikhs at Dhamthan wanted Guru Ji to build a new centre there, far away. She asked Mata Nanaki Ji to beg Him to stay close, in the hills, and offered Him land as a gift.
Guru Ji agreed to stay. But He would not take the land for free. He insisted on buying it at a fair price.
The land lay beside the river Sutlej, around an old, empty mound called Makhowal. Nobody would live there. People said the place was haunted, and they were afraid of it.
Baba Gurditta Ji, a descendant of Baba Buddha Ji, drove the first wooden peg into the ground to mark the foundation. Guru Ji named the new town Chakk Nanaki, after His mother, Mata Nanaki Ji. Today we know it as Anandpur Sahib.
Once the Guru made His home there, the old fear disappeared from people’s hearts.
Guru Ji planned the town Himself. Houses and market streets were built. Wells of sweet water were dug. There were rest houses for visiting sangat and a langar that never closed. Families came from far and wide to settle. Every morning and evening, the sound of kirtan filled the air.
People spoke of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s court as a place of Simran, open-handed giving, and langar for all.
Wherever the Sangat Gathers
Sikhs from Patna and Dhaka came to Chakk Nanaki to ask Guru Ji to visit their cities again. He agreed, and set out east once more, this time with Mata Gujri Ji and a group of devoted Sikhs, among them Bhai Mati Das Ji, Bhai Sati Das Ji and Bhai Dyala Ji.
On the way, at Dhamthan, Guru Ji was arrested for the first time, with His companions, on Emperor Aurangzeb’s orders, and taken to Delhi. Aurangzeb tried to persuade Him to give up His faith, then threatened Him, but Guru Ji would not move. After about a month, Rani Pushpa and her son Raja Ram Singh, who loved the Guru’s house, persuaded the emperor to release Him, and Guru Ji continued His journey.
All along the way, He shared Guru Nanak’s message.
In Agra, a devoted woman, Mai Jassi Ji, offered Him plain cloth she had spun with her own hands, full of love. Guru Ji gladly accepted it. There, too, a man told Guru Ji he was about to leave his family and become a wandering hermit. Guru Ji told him that earning an honest living, caring for his family, remembering Naam and sharing with others was the true way to please the Creator.
At Sasaram lived a much-loved Sikh, Chacha Phaggu Ji. He had built the gateway of his house extra tall, so that the Guru would never have to bow His head to come in. Guru Ji rode right in on His horse. Chacha Phaggu Ji kept honest accounts of every offering, and Guru Ji praised him before the whole sangat, saying that Sikhs like him are the pillars of the Panth.
In Patna, the crowds grew so large that the sangat had to move to bigger and bigger places. Some Sikhs asked how they could always be near the Guru. Guru Ji answered that wherever the sangat gathers, there He is, because the sangat walks on the Guru’s path.
Guru Ji left His family in the care of the Patna Sikhs and travelled on to Dhaka. There, joyful news reached Him: in Patna, Mata Gujri Ji had given birth to a son, Gobind Rai.
From Dhaka, Guru Ji went towards Assam, where Raja Ram Singh was leading a Mughal army against the Ahom kingdom. Raja Ram Singh had asked Guru Ji to come with him.
As the two armies faced each other, soldiers and generals from both sides began coming to Guru Ji’s sangat. Even the Ahom king came. Little by little, Guru Ji’s words melted the anger between them. Both sides came to trust Him so much that they asked Him to help them make peace.
Guru Ji helped them agree to respect the old border between their lands. To remember this peace, soldiers from both armies carried earth in their shields and helmets and built a great mound at Dhubri, in memory of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Then news came that Aurangzeb had ordered temples and schools across the land to be torn down, and people who did not share his faith were being treated cruelly. Guru Ji decided to go home, to stand beside the people who were suffering.
In Patna, He saw His son Gobind Rai for the very first time.
As He travelled on, Guru Ji spoke out against Aurangzeb’s cruel orders. At Agra, He was arrested a second time and taken to Delhi. After about two months, Nawab Saif Khan, a Mughal nobleman who loved and respected the Guru, used his influence to free Him.
Guru Ji’s family joined Him again, and Gobind Rai, who longed to see the town named after His grandmother, came with Him to live in Chakk Nanaki.
Fear None, Frighten None
Some time later, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji set out on another long journey, this time through the dry, sandy country of Malwa and the Bangar. Mata Gujri Ji and young Gobind Rai travelled with Him. The journey lasted a year and a half.
Wherever people struggled, Guru Ji helped.
At Mulowal, there was no good drinking water, so Guru Ji had deep wells dug, and sweet water came up.
When a throat sickness spread through the villages near Handiaya, Guru Ji arranged medical treatment for the sick. In thanks, the villagers dug a pool and named it Guru Sar.
At Dhilwan, crowds gathered during an eclipse of the sun, when many people believed they had to give gifts to priests to stay safe. The sangat offered Guru Ji more than a hundred cows. He gave every single one away to poor families. Helping people in need, He explained, is something we should do every day, not only during an eclipse because we are afraid.
At Maur, people avoided a stretch of land they believed was cursed and full of ghosts. Guru Ji explained that ghosts are only fears in our own minds. The real “ghosts”, He said, are people who have let jealousy, greed and cruelty take over their hearts. Then He set up His sangat right there on the “cursed” ground, and kirtan rang out. The fear never came back.
Everywhere He went, Guru Ji shared one teaching: fear none, frighten none. Do not be afraid of anyone, and never make anyone else afraid. He wrote it in one of His Saloks, which is in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji today:
ਭੈ ਕਾਹੂ ਕਉ ਦੇਤ ਨਹਿ ਨਹਿ ਭੈ ਮਾਨਤ ਆਨ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੁਨਿ ਰੇ ਮਨਾ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਤਾਹਿ ਬਖਾਨਿ ॥੧੬॥One who frightens no one, and is afraid of no one:
says Nanak, listen, my mind, call that person truly wise.— Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 1427
People who had lived for years with their heads bowed in fear began to stand tall. They learned to live with dignity and self-respect, trusting the Creator alone.
The emperor’s officers watched with growing worry. Aurangzeb ordered them to keep a close eye on the Guru and His Sikhs.
Whose Arm You Hold
Far to the north, in Kashmir, the emperor’s governor, Iftikhar Khan, was forcing the Hindu Pandits to give up their faith and become Muslims. Many had already been made to convert. The rest were terrified.
They had prayed and pleaded everywhere, and nobody had helped. At last, a group of Pandits, led by a respected scholar named Pandit Kirpa Ram Ji, travelled all the way to Chakk Nanaki to come before Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji.
With tears in their eyes, they told Guru Ji what was happening to them. “Take us by the arm,” they said. “We only ask to live by our own conscience. Help us, so that we are not forced to give up our faith.”
The whole sangat fell silent with sorrow.
Just then, young Gobind Rai came in. Seeing everyone so serious, He asked His father what was wrong.
Guru Ji explained, and said that to wake up the world’s conscience and stop such cruelty, a pure and noble soul would have to give their life.
Gobind Rai answered at once: “Who could be more worthy of that than you, Father?”
The sangat was stunned. But Guru Ji’s heart filled with joy at His son’s courage, and He held Him close.
Then Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji gave the Pandits a message to send to the emperor: If you can make Guru Tegh Bahadur give up His faith, then all the Pandits will follow.
Pandit Kirpa Ram Ji had long been a visitor at Guru Ji’s court. Years later, he took Amrit from Guru Gobind Singh Ji, became Bhai Kirpa Singh Ji, and gave his life in the battle of Chamkaur Sahib.
This was something remarkable. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji did not wear the janeu, the sacred thread, or the tilak, the mark on the forehead. But Guru Ji believed with all His heart that no one should ever be forced to give up their faith. He was ready to give His life so that the Pandits could keep theirs.
For about a month and a half, Guru Ji prepared the sangat. He told them to stay in Chardi Kala, rising spirits, whatever happened, and to keep their minds steady with Gurbani. He told them never to bow to cruelty, to live with dignity, and to stand shoulder to shoulder with the poor and the weak.
Then the Light of Guru Nanak passed from Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji to His son, Gobind Rai, known today as Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
Soon after, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji set out for Delhi, with three devoted Sikhs: Bhai Mati Das Ji, Bhai Sati Das Ji and Bhai Dyala Ji. He asked the rest of the sangat not to follow.
The Canopy over the World
Near Ropar, at the village of Malikpur Ranghran, Guru Ji and His three companions were arrested for the third time. They were held in prison at Bassi Pathana for about three and a half months, and then taken to Delhi locked in iron cages.
In Delhi, the officials told Guru Ji, “People call you a great Pir. Show us a miracle to prove it.”
Guru Ji answered calmly that showing off miracles is an act of ego, and has nothing to do with remembering the Creator. He would perform none.
Then they gave Him three choices: show a miracle, give up His faith, or die.
Guru Ji refused the first two. He said that threats of death could never turn Him from the path of truth, and that no true faith allows innocent people to be tortured.
The officials had Guru Ji tortured for days, but He stayed calm, absorbed in remembering the Creator, without a word of complaint.
The Sikhs of Delhi collected a large sum of money to bribe the officials to stop the torture. When Guru Ji heard of it, He forbade them. He would not buy His way out. He was afraid of no one.
So the officials tried to frighten Him by hurting the people He loved. One by one, His three companions were ordered to give up their faith or die, and one by one, each refused. Bhai Mati Das Ji was sawn apart, Bhai Dyala Ji was put into a boiling cauldron, and Bhai Sati Das Ji was wrapped in cotton and set on fire, each one calm and steady in faith to the end.
Guru Ji stood firm.
On 11 November 1675, in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, while Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji recited Japji Sahib, the executioner’s sword fell, and Guru Ji was martyred.
The people of Delhi, Muslims and Hindus alike, were shaken to their hearts by what had been done.
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji gave His life for the freedom of people whose rituals He did not follow. He is honoured as a , a word that means witness: His life and His death bore witness to a simple truth, that every human being has the right to live by their own faith and conscience. That is why He is remembered as a protector of all.
Sainapati, a poet at the court of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, described it like this:
ਪ੍ਰਗਟ ਭਏ ਗੁਰੂ ਤੇਗ ਬਹਾਦਰ।
ਸਗਲ ਸ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਟਿ ਪੈ ਢਾਪੀ ਚਾਦਰ।Guru Tegh Bahadur shone forth,
and spread a protecting canopy over the whole world.— Sainapati, Sri Gur Sobha
Today, Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib stands in Chandni Chowk, at the place where Guru Ji gave His life.
Ranghreta Guru Ka Beta
The officials had ordered that Guru Ji’s body be cut into pieces and hung on the gates of Delhi the next morning, to frighten everyone. The Sikhs of Delhi were determined that this would never happen.
That night, a group of brave young Sikhs met in secret at the house of Bhai Nanu Ji. Among them was Bhai Jaita Ji, who had already gathered the remains of the three Sikhs that day and placed them in the river Yamuna.
They heard that Bhai Lakhi Shah Ji, a Sikh who carried supplies for the emperor’s army, had just arrived near the city with a long train of bullock carts. A plan was made.
In the middle of the night, Lakhi Shah Ji’s carts rumbled through Chandni Chowk, raising clouds of dust. The tired guards noticed nothing unusual. In the noise and dust, Bhai Jaita Ji and Bhai Nanu Ji lifted Guru Ji’s head and carried it away. At the same moment, Lakhi Shah Ji’s sons placed Guru Ji’s body in one of the carts.
Bhai Jaita Ji placed Guru Ji’s head in a basket, covered it with fresh leaves and clean cloth, and set out on foot for Anandpur Sahib, carrying it on his own head. Bhai Nanu Ji and Bhai Uda Ji followed a little way behind to keep him safe.
On the fourth day, they reached Keeratpur. Guru Gobind Singh Ji hurried there with the sangat, and everyone received the head of their beloved Guru with tears and deep respect.
Guru Gobind Singh Ji held Bhai Jaita Ji in a loving embrace and said:
“Ranghreta Guru Ka Beta.”
The Ranghreta is the Guru’s own son.
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s head was cremated with full honour at Anandpur Sahib, where Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, Anandpur stands today.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, Lakhi Shah Ji’s sons drove the cart with Guru Ji’s body to their village, Rakab Ganj. Before dawn, Lakhi Shah Ji gently placed the body inside his own house and set the whole house on fire, so that the Guru’s body could be cremated with honour before the guards found out. When officers came running, all they saw was a house burning down.
Lakhi Shah Ji gave up his own home for his Guru. Today, Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib stands on that spot.
Reflection
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was named for His bravery with a sword. That same fearless courage shone through His gentleness, His open-handed giving, and the sacrifice He made for others.
He gave away every offering He received. He forgave the man who fired a gun at Him and sent back all his belongings. He dug wells for thirsty villages, arranged care for the sick, and brought two warring armies to make peace. He founded Chakk Nanaki, Anandpur Sahib, on land that people had once been too afraid to live on.
He taught everyone to fear none, and frighten none.
And when the Pandits of Kashmir came to Him for help, He held their arm and did not let go. He gave His life so that every person, of every faith, could worship freely.
Whenever you see someone being bullied or left out, remember the ninth Guru, who spread His protection like a canopy over the whole world, and stand beside them.
Discussion Questions
Let’s Talk About It: Guru Ji forgave Dhir Mall’s men and even sent back Dhir Mall’s belongings. Why do you think He chose forgiveness instead of punishment?
Let’s Think About It: Guru Ji taught, “Fear none, frighten none.” Can you think of a time when someone used fear to get their way? What would living by Guru Ji’s teaching have looked like then?
Let’s Think About It: Guru Ji did not follow the Pandits’ rituals, yet He gave His life for their right to follow them. What does that teach us about how we should treat people whose beliefs are different from ours?
Let’s Try It: Bhai Meehan Ji served the sangat by carrying water. This week, find a small, quiet seva you can do for your family or your Gurdwara without being asked.
Let’s Try It: Draw a big canopy, a chadar, and underneath it draw or write the names of people you want to protect and stand up for.
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Adi Bir | The first written volume of the Adi Granth, prepared by Bhai Gurdas Ji. |
| Amrit | The Khalsa initiation given by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. |
| Amritvela | The peaceful early hours before dawn, a time for Gurbani and remembering the Creator. |
| Chadar | A sheet or canopy spread over someone to cover and protect them. |
| Chardi Kala | Rising spirits: staying hopeful, positive and strong, even in hard times. |
| Dasvandh | A tenth of one’s earnings, given to the Guru’s work for the good of everyone. |
| Dharam | Righteousness; living by what is true and right. |
| Gurmat | The teachings and way of life given by the Gurus. |
| Guru Ladho Re | I have found the Guru!: what Bhai Makhan Shah Ji shouted from the rooftop at Bakala. |
| Haveli | A large house built around a courtyard. |
| Janeu | A sacred thread worn by some Hindus. |
| Langar | The free community kitchen, where everyone sits together in equal rows to eat. |
| Kirtan | Singing Gurbani together, usually with music. |
| Naam | The Divine Name; remembering the Creator. |
| Nirbhau | Without fear. |
| Panth | The whole Sikh community, walking the Guru’s path together. |
| Pir | A title for a Muslim spiritual guide. |
| Ranghreta Guru Ka Beta | The Ranghreta is the Guru’s own son: Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s words of honour for Bhai Jaita Ji. |
| Sadh Sangat | The company of people who remember the Creator together. |
| Salok | A short verse in Gurbani. |
| Sangat | The community of Sikhs who gather together for kirtan, to learn, and to serve. |
| Sarovar | A pool of water, often 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. |
| Simran | Remembering the Creator lovingly, again and again. |
| Shabad | A hymn of Gurbani. |
| Tilak | A mark worn on the forehead by some Hindus. |
Explore More
- The True King: The Life of Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji — on the Sixth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s father, who named Him for His courage
- The Gentle Healer: The Life of Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji — on the Seventh Guru, who sent Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji to strengthen the sangats of the east
- The Ocean of Peace: The Life of Guru Arjan Dev Ji — on the Fifth Guru, the first Sikh Shaheed