Yol. 29 No.

41-42 NEW DELHI-9-16 June, 1980 Price: 50 Paise

'New Congress (1) Ministry In Punjab
FORMIDABLE T ASKS BEFORE
, ,
DARBARA SINGH
Merger Of Chandigarh And Leftout Punjabi-Speaking
Areas Should Be Given Top Priority
The new cabinet's immediate
task shOUld be to build a strong
Tasks facing new Punjab Chief Minister Darbara
Singb are really formidable.
economic, social and political
emphasis on Mrs Indira Gandhi's infrastructure. It is nOt ,correct
20-point programme to help to say that the previous Akali
the weaker sections is under- ministry did nothing substantial
moment, these worthwhile projects
are scrapped or modified, it
would be a tragedy, Rather,
they should be vigorously pushed
through to finality.
With a razor-thin majority
of only four in 1l7-member
state assembly, be would have .
to strive hard to keep his flock
together_ Tbe ' first rumblings
were audible when he had to
struggle for three days before
announcing his eight-member
cabinet_ Claims by rival factions
within the party necessitated
wholesale cbange in tbe onginal
list. The ranks of tbe disgruntled
would swell after the promised
expansion has been carried
out.
With the exception of Sardar
Santokh Singh Randhawa, his
team is inexperienced insofar as
governmental work is concerned.
Most agonising is the fact that
tbe ca'binet is not exclusively of
his choice, most of the men
being compromise candidates
foisted on him by the central
leaders, In this way, he would
be hard put to it to manage tbe
state's complex problems.
Sardar Darbara Singh has
many years of administrative
experience. His devotion to
secularism as well as political
and social service is well known.
But his open and one-sided
animus against "communa)jsm"
of the AkaJis would be a
handicap because he tends to
ignore the more virulent com-
munalism of some Hindu
bigots led by Arya Samajis.
His declaration that his first
priority would be a "crusade
against corruption" is welcome.
But this tricky job is easier said
than done. If he can reduce
corruption by even 10 percent,
not to speak of eliminating it
altogether, he would be worthy
of plaudits from everyone_ His
standable. But the real taste of in the matter. For the first time Then there are issues which
the pudding lies in its eating. in Punjab history, Sardar transcend party barriers. They
He would be judged most by Parkash Singh Badal introduced include the merger of Chandigarh
the results he obtains from its development plans for the rural and leftout Punjabi-speaking
implementation. Despite tbe areas through focal points and areas with Punj.b, the retention
loud talk about it during the opening of rural dispensaries, of headworks at Ropar, Harike
dreaded emergency, the common thereby trying to bridge the and Ferozepore with the state,
man's lot was not infinitely better gap between urban and rural reversion of control of Bhakra-
than before, amenities. If, in the pique of tbe Nangal complex to Puojab, and
~
Guru Arjan Dev's martyrdom auniversary falls
June 16, tbis year.
ou
equitable di stribution
o of Ravi-Beas surplus
waters. To them
must be added the
need for securiog lar-
gescale industries for
the state and the
speedy consummation
of Thein Dam anc;!
other power projects.
Some of the decisions
were made by Mrs
Gandhi herself way
back on January 29"
1971, and they were
to he iinplemented
"within five years".
Now that she is again
at the helm of affairs
at the centre aDd there "
is Congress (I) minis-
try in Punjab, Sardar
Darbara Singh should
not find it difficult to
have them translated
into reality. , In . this
noble venture, he shaH
h.ve tbe support of
all parties in the state_
He must not run aw'ay
from tbem merely be-
C,use they are espoused
by Akalis.
THE: " SPOKESMA N" WEEKLY.
2
t.
New:A;rtangenien(s ;At ', Tbe -Centre Not Impressive
.. inlhe.-.;\-Ilinj:l s!ates, < ..yhich went
fi!ldlDg new for
the 'Ch1ef . preoccupation of
poJiticaiieaders, especially of Congress (1).
in Tamil Nadu where
Mr M.G. R?m.ch2ndran took
over .5 cbief minister, neither the
exercise was smooth, nor the
results impressive. Democratic
processes were mumed and
imposition fro!Il tbe top made tbe
rule.
Ordinarily, the Congress (I)
legislature parties io the states
concerned should have been
given the unfettered freedom to
choose their leaders. But this
was not done, tberebY dealing a
blow to democratic traditions.
Drafting of men from the
centre to lead state governments
in some states was not due to
lack of talent in tbe state parties
but was occasioned by tbe central
desire to bave its own favourites
at tbe belm of affairs tbere.
Only in Gujarat, Raj astban ,
and Orissa, tbe choico of new
chief ministers was free from
factional struggles.
In Punjab, Prime Minister
Mrs Gandhi had to snub the
two warring groups, who stood
outside ber ' resideoce in battle
artays, and personally decide in
favour ofSardar Darbara Singb.
Fortunately, the cboice was
accepted relatively fast, though
the dissident groups delaye.d. the
swearing-in of mmlStry
with their counter-claim, for due
:representation.
In Madbya Pradesh and
'Mabarashtra, the going was
tougb, with t?e leaders
'Putting up sbff re,\Stan.ce. In
M.P., tbe strife was
witb the offer of d
7
puty chief
to Mr Sh,va
So anki who was the
contender against Mr ArJun
Singb. But in Maharasbtra,
former Chief Minister Vasantdada
Patil stuck to his guns till the
end. He turnej down , firmly
and scornfully. twin offers of a
berth for him in tbe central
cabinet and deputy chief minister-
ship for his wife. Thus,. tbe
election of Mr A R. Antulay as
the leader, witli blessing.s from
Mrs. Gandhi, cannot bide the
internal These can grow
to menacing proportions if he
is unable to win over tbe
traditional powerful Marathas in
tbe party.
Uttar Pradesh faced a
.dilemma. lis party bad "unani-
mously" elected Mr Sanjay
'Gandhi as its leader. But the
prime minister, in keepmg with
earlier declaration, refused
to allow bim ascend tbe throne
in Lucknow. The job would
have tested the youngman's
ability to clear the mess and
provide a bold and imaginative
leadership in that vast state. If
he had succeeded, be would
liave earned more laurels for
'himself and his mother. But if
he had failed. he . would
have been exposed as a.' "gas
.b,ag" .'
In Bihar, the choice of Dr
Jagannath Mishra was a fore-
gone conclusion.
At the centre, tbe long-
awaited ' expansion bas not
answered all the questions.
portfolios like defence.
. industries; steel and mines,
labour, and health and family
welfare are still witbout full-
time incumbents. The three new
9-16th June. 1980
cabinet min isters have been given
departments . by cbipping and
cbopping resPQnsi'1ilities. of .
aien-things which do not make
much sense. Also most 6i tbe
new entrants are unknown
entities. Maybe more inductions
would cbange tbe :>icture for the
better. Of course, inclusion of
Sardar Buta Singb was expected .
for long.
- N.S."" VasantlsNew
P .S.E.B. Chief
Sardar N.S. Vasant, General
Manager of Delhi Electricity
Supply Undertaking, bas been
apPolDted Chairman of the Pun-
jab Slate Electricity Board:
He took over from Sardar
T.S. Madan who bas proceded
on' leave.
THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 3

_A THOUGHT FROM GURBANI . . $
$ Tbe dirt of miod througb Simran goes $
$ Witb tbe Nectar-Name tbe beart o'er fiow. $
$ Tbe Dread of Deatb is cbased away ;,
! '. And ",Isbes are fulfilled_ rigbtway f
If -Guru Arjao Dev 1\
-;:sp;b;;;;;:;'
Vol_ 29 No. 41-42 9-16 June, 1980 Price: 50 Paise
DEVOUT MARTYR
Guru Arjan Dev, whose martyrdom day we are
celebrating this week, had very few equlls. In the long
line of Sikhs who sacrificed their lives for noble causes,
he was the first; braving the indescribable tortures inflic-
ted on him, he bowed to God's will without murmur,
thereby setting an example to be emulated later on by
tens of thousands. This was the first encounter with
death of a saintly person through non-violent means_ But
it did give birth to a new thinking among his followers
who felt that rel igious persecution had to be met with
arms also; that was why Guru Hargobind donned the
two swords of "miri" (temporel power) and "piri"
(spiritual power), and asked his men to learn the
martial art of fighting. .
The Fifth Guru, brought up on the lines laid down
by his predecessors, took measures to consolidate the
Sikh faith. He initiated steps to build the Golden
Temple at Amritsar as converging centre of all faithfuls;
the fact that its foundation stone was laid by Mian
Mir, a Sufi Muslim saint, testifies to the Guru's sense.
of secularism; in his eyes, all human beings were the
creation of the Almighty and all religions were mere
different paths to attunement with Him. He also
compiled the Adi Granth with of the first
five Sikh Gurus as well as various Hindu and Muslim
men of God; this was the first time tliat a religious
scripture contained hymns of persons from other faiths
also; this constituted an attempt to end religious bigotry
and propagate the concept of universal brotherhood.
To strict principles, the . Guru adhered; for him,
wealth and fame had no attraction; faith in truth and
God was uppermost in his mind; and he practised what
he preached. Humility was one of his cardinal qualities;
yet he was brave and defiant when confronted with a
challenge; then even death could not cow him down or
dampen his spirits. The prestige of the community he
valued more than his own self-respect; that was why
he rejected the hand of Chandu' s daughter for his
son when the latter had made disparaging remarks
about his community.
Amidst celebrations, which have been replete
with Kirtan, processions and diwans, we have to think
seriously whether we are truly following that prince
among martyrs. Scruples most of us have discarded
in selfish pursuits while interests of the community
have been subordinated to personal ends. The esprit-
de-corps, which the Guru nurtured so assiduously, is
nowadays conspicuous bY'its absence amongst .us. The
craze for sacrifices for noble causes and the com-
munity's good, though still found among the masses,
is lacking among the leaders; the latter are always busy
feathering their own nests, unmindful of others' welfare
or needs. Let us, 'during this auspicious week, indulge
in introspection and become true followers of the Great
Guru.
9-16 lune, 1980
NOTES AND COMMENTS
AKALI ROLE
After a gap of nearly three
years, the Akal1s would again be
sitting on opposition benches in
Punjab assembly. Though they
did put up a dogged figbt in
assembly elections last week,
they could not muster enougb
strength to return to power; for
this debacle, they themselves are
to be blamed; if all had worked
together for tbe success of
official candidates, keeping aside
tbeit personal dislikes and
factional motives. tbey could
have won at least 10 to 15 more
seats. And this could well ensure
tbeir victory tbe hustings.
Now tbat tbe issue has been
settled for tbe time being, A.kalis
would do well to ponder over
tbeir recent actions, remedy tbe
factors whicb led to tbeir
downfall, and try to rjse,
pboenix-like, from the ashes.
Tbeir role for the time being
sbould be of constructive . opposi-
tion, not of mere destructive
approacb. In this way, they can
bope to win back the faith and
affection of tbe Punjab mas .. s.
If some of them felt disgusted,
it was mainly because of the
lathedars throwing tbeir weight
about and getting things done
their own way. It is bigh time tbe
lathedars learned a lesson.
The first start must be made
with house-cleansing. Jatbedar
lagdev Singh Talwandi is one
of those most worsied; he lost
beavily in his own Ludbidna dis-
trict whicb bad all along been an
Akali stronghold; elsewbere bis
men could not make the grade
for varied reasons. To some
extent, this could be deduced as
a lack of faitb in his leadership;
in his own interests and for tbe
good of the party, be should
now make way for another
person wbo can impart dyna-
mism, states!Danship, and fac-'
tionless leadership to tbe Shiro-
mani Akali Dal.
Sardar Parkash Singh Badal
has tbe backing of nearly 28 of
the 37 Akali MLA.s. Tbough '
be may be - beld responsible for
several acts of commission and
omission as chief minister, none
can challenge his I wisdom, since-
rity and secularism which are
necessary to keep the State free
from communal virus. If he could
not pusb his development plans
at a faster rate, the fault again
lay witb ' tbe organisational
leaders who interfered at every
slage in tbe day-to day working
of government machinery; for
instance, focal points were
changed several times under
one pressure or tbe otber.
Defeat would enable the Akalis
to gauge tbeir real self and
val ue, and we hope they would
emerge brighter and purer from
the ordeal.
NIRANKARI PRESSURE?
The CBI inquiry into the
murder of Sant Nirankari Chief
Gurbachan Singh and his
bodyguard, Pratap Singb, bas
apfoarenUy got stuck up in a
blind alley; despite loud claims
now and then for a " break
tbrough in a day or two", no
definite clues are available yet
about the real culprits or their
motives. The police bas arrested
four persons so far but none of
tbem has been pinpointed as
a definite murderer or an
accomplice in tbe coaspiracy;
.teams sent to various states
have drawn a blank. Even tbe
navy divers, called from Bombay,
to dig out the alleged' weapons
used from tbe Jamuna bed did
not succeed; now tbe story has
been disbed out that these
weapons, after baving been
dumped into the river after
tbe commission of the crime;
bad been retrieved by tbe
assassins. If this. yarn is to be
believed, then tbe alleged
murderers are bigger experts tban
the navy divers.
As tbe . pressure from Sant
Nirankaris mounts, the police
has heen barassing people in tbe
trans-Jamuna area of tbe Indian
capital. Every Sikh, who has
been attending a particular
Gurdwara or the adjoining
Akhara, is a suspect. Local
leaders allego a reign of terror
in the area let loose hy the police.
Encouraged by police - bigh
banded ness, followers of lat.
Gurbachan Singh have been
belabouring e"ery Sikh who
bappens to pass by tbeir Niraokari
Bbavan; tbis is, to say tbe least,
very saddening.
Now stories have been put
out in the press lhat tbe cons-
piracy was batched witb tb.
"active support" of Sant Jamail
Singb Bhindraowale; tbis may b.
just preparing the ground for
bis arrest. His application for
anticipatory bail bas been rejected
by the Delhi Higb Court, tbough
Gurbacban Singb himself was
granted it even when he and
his men had been bauled . up for
mowing down, witb bullets and
otber letbal weapons, 13 innocent
Sikhs at Amritsar in 1978. or
course, the discretion lies with
tbe individual judge, but Sikhs
feels that a distinction should
bave been made between two
persona)ities; Sant Bhindranwale
is a mucb more pious and godly
man than Gurbachan Singb.
ever was; he is also held in much
more reverence by people tban
the lalter. The Sant, devoted as
be bas always been to peaceful
protests against Gurbacban
Singb's antics, could not be a
party to such a ' beinous crime.
fie has proclaimed he is "ready"
to offer bimself for arrest.
lies his bravery and proof
of lDnocence. .
- '.
THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY
Sacred
Sikh
Shrines
Associated
With
Guru
Arjan
By:
Prof. Rajindar Singh,
P.E.S. (Retd.)
In his life span of 43 years
(1563-1606), including 25 yeats
of pontificate (1581-1606),
Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Guru
sanctified several places. They
are mostly situated in the ' district
of Amritsar. though some of
them now form parts of Jullun-
dur Doab and Lahore as well
as Gujranwala districts of \yest
Pakistan. His grateful SIkhs
have constructed magnificent
gurd waras to mark these sacred
places. I give here. below a
brief account of such Import.nt
places:-
Haveli Sahib Goindwal
Sabib
This was the residential house
of Guru Arjan Dev, the third
Guru. Near the verandah is a
small room. Here was born
Guru Arjan on 15th April , 1563
A.D., the youngest son of Guru
R'lm Das and Bhani. A
site called 'Thamb Sahib' shows
the'stump ofa tree which served
as a prop for the infant Arjon to
stand up on his legs.
Towards the west of
Phillaur, some 18 Km. away
fJ:om it is Meo gram, the village
where Guru Arjan was married
to Mata Ganga , daughter of
. Krisban Chand in 1579 A.D.
In the last pages of Guru
Granth Sahib after the Sanskrit
Sa10kas are given some stanzas
under the heading 'Phonch,
which ftcall the wedding songs
sung on the occasion. The
parental house of Mata Ganga
is now Gurdwara.
Labore, Diwan Kbana
Guru Ram Das .
After Prithi Chand and
Mahadeo had declined to go to
Lahore to attend the marriage
of Sahansar Ram's son, a
cousIn of G"ru Ram Das, the
fourth Guru departed Arjan
Dev to represent him on the
occasion. He stayed at Dewan-
kbana Guru Ram Das. Tbe
stay was prolonged because of
the intrigues of Prithi Cband.
Arjan pined lor Guru' s Darshan
and expressed his yearning In
Sbabad Hazare Majh Mohalla
t Prithi intercepted these
Jetters. It was one of tbe issues
which clincbed tbe succession in
favour of Guru Arjan Dev. The
historic place was left at the
mercy of Pakistan in 1947.
Guru Ke Mabal, Amritsar.
It is supposed to be the
first building on Amritsar (Chak
Guru) situated on tbe way from
Guru Ka Bazar to Lobgarh. It
formed the nucleus of Ramdas-
pur. Guru Arjan ascended. tbe
'Gadi' here in 1581 wben 'TIlak'
was applied and tbe period of
his Gurusbip commenced.
Harimandir Sahib
Every incb of Darbar Sahib,
its precincts, the Amrit-sarovar
and the circumambulatory patb
(Parkarma) round it bear the
foot-prints of Guru Arjan. Tbe
work bad been started by tbe
Fourtb Guru. He bequeatbed it
to Guru Arjan, who comploted
the Pool of Nectar and tben
constructed a temple in its
midst, open on all fours, and
accessible to all, big and small,
irrespective of faiths, creeds,
castes ana colours. It was com-
pleted by 1589 . A.D.
To the south of Darsban
. Darwaza is a 'Ber' Tree, whose
fruit is a.s tasty as an lIlachi hnd
tberefore called JIlachi Ber. The
Fifth Guru sat under tbe sparse
sbade of this tree to supervise
work of ex.cavation and coos-
tructi"n. Otbers too would
assem ble here after a hard
labour. Prominent among them
was Bbai Salo. Mebtab Singb
of Miran Kot and Sukba Singh
tied their houses to the trunk of
it, when they came from Rajas-
thilO in 1740 and swooped upon
Macca Ranghai, wbo had de-
filed the sanctuary witb his mad
orgies. Baba Buddba, the first
head priest of Harimandir set
under a 'Ber' on the northern
wing and collected material
for construction. A Tharra
Sahib exists to tbe east of the
temple from where Guru Arjan
expounded tbe gospel of Guru
Nanak to tbe Sangat. Duklt
Bhanjan Sahib is a portion of
tbe Pool of Immortality on the
east under a 'Ber'. A dip at
tbis spot is believed to beal all
ailments.
4 9-16th June, 1980
Guru Arjan Dev sanctified
places. His grateful Sikhs have cons-
tructed magnificent Gurdwaras to
mark these sacred places.
In tbe Guru Ka Bagh is situ a- Tarn Taran
ted Manii Sahib wbere Guru Guru Arjan was a builder
Arjan held Diwans, be- par-excellence. In the heart of
sides giving sermons ID tbe the Majba between the Rav; and
afternoon every day, he. would . tbe Beas a tank was dug and a
also distribute clothes, and food temple was raised between 1590
to tbe needy. Opposite to 'Har and 1996 A.D. It would, he
Ki Pauri' to the east oftbe said, serve as a "sbip of salva-
Golden Temple near Ber Dukh' tion". Tbe sturdy Jats of
Bhanjani, is a platform- called Majba, tbe Magbails, entered the
Alhh Salhh Tiralh, whIch com- fold' of Sikbism and became Jts
memorates the arrival of 'Potbis' back-bone. A dip in tbe tank;
from Goindwal containing tbe according to tbe faitbful,
'Baris' of the first four Gurus, removed leprosy.
tben in possession of Baba On the banks of the pool
Mohan. were tbe residential quarters of
Tabli Sahib Santokhsar the Guru. A well was dug to
Tbe excavation of Santokb- provide water,
sar had been in progress since Kartarpur
tbe time of Guru Ram' Das. In the Inllundur Doab he
-Under the shade of a Tahli tree laid the foundation of tbe city
Guru Arjan used to sit to of Kartarpur, by digging tbe
supervise work. first sod of a well, called Gang-
. Tobha Bhal . Salo recalls tbe sar, wbicb would be as sacred
self-less services of Bbai Salo as tbe boly Ganges.
in tbe execution of Guru Arjan's Baoli In Dabbi Bazar Lahore
plans for tbe development . of During his visit to Lahore,
Amritsar. It is situated in a be constructed a Baoli (a well
Bazar. witb steps descending to tbe
lanbar village lying some ,0 level of water).
miles south of Lahore had tbe He also paid to village
bonour of having a pillar, cal- Bhagalh in Gurdaspur and met
led Dukh Niwaran, believed Baba Sri Chand.
to beal leprosy. The . villagers Gurn Ka Bagb
had preserved a. warden staff Situated in the village Ghuke-
and a pair of sboes of the Guru w.li, Tebsil, Ajnala some 18Km.
and reposed tbe faitb tbat tbe from Amritsar, Guru Arjan
toucb of the articles healed stayed bere for sometimes. The
patients like a magic wand. house he stayed at was conver-
Cbola.8ahib . ted into a Gurdwara. It
To avoid all chances of con- became the focus of a classic
frontation between the Sikbs struggle during the . Gurdwara
and tbe Minas, Guru Arjan Reform Movement in In!.
proceeded to Tbe Ram Sar
residents of Sarhah p31d scant The ever-lasting contribution
attention to the visitors, and tbe of Guru Arjan Dev is tbe COm-
Guru wen!l away to village. pilation of Adi Guru Granth '
Cbaffar. He stayed at the that- Sahib. The work needed solitude
cbed but of a poor devotee, and he selected a . place of
Homa by name. Thence. be natural beauty not far from the
made way to Bhaini, wbere Harimandir. Jand, Ber and
tbe wife of tbe village headman Pipal trees provided cool sbade.
.' presented bim a tunic (a 'Chola'). A pool, Ram Sar was . construe-
The Guru blessed the village, ted and round about it tents were
"Cbola, Guru Ka Ola". patched up for bards, ministrels
Wadali from Cbola Sahib and saints who offered to assist.
he went to Wadali 7 Km. South - Here he dictated the . hymns to
of Amrit.ar. Here was born Bbai Gurdas, who acted as the
Hargobind, tbe successor Guru scribe. The monumental work
in 1595. was completed in 1604 and
Cbbeberta Sabib installed in the Harimandir witb
To commemorate the birth of Bbai Buddha as the first .Granthi.
his son and to meet the needs Dera Sabib Labore
of people for water, Guru Arjan Tbis Prince of Martyrs was iD
dug a well with. six Persian 1606 executed under orders
wbeels plying over Jt. of Jehangir by Murtaza Kban,
Pipli Sabib the Governor of the Punjab.
When Prithi Cband stopped He was tortured at Lal KuaD
all supplies to the Langar and some 200 steps south of the
misappropriated tbe Labore fort, wbere lived Cbandu
Bbai Gurda, ' sat under a Plpal Shab, a Mugbal official, wbo was
tree outside tbe boundary of . bent upon wreaking veugeance
Guru Ka Cbak and received tbe upon the Guru for the re-
Sangats and collected their fusal to accept the hand of his
offerings for tbe Guru. daughter for his SOD Hargohind.
THB "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 5 9-16th June, 19'80

, Guru Arian (1581-1606), the
fifth Guru of the Sikhs, was the
First Martyr to. the faith. He
was victim o.f nDt Dnly the
fanaticism Df Jehangir but had
incurred the displeasure o.f tbe
Empero.r because Sikbism . was
becDming very po.pular in nDrth
India and many Hindus and
Muslims were being attracted by
this faith. BDrn Dn 15th April,
1563, Guru Arjan was an Drigi-
nal thinker, illustriDUS poet,
practical philo.sopher and a great
organiser.
It will be interesting to.
analyse tbe achievements Df this
great Guru and also. to. (pro.be
into. tbe ulterier mDtive Df
Jehangir who. was determined to.
put an end to. this faith.
Harimandir
SDDn after his successien in
1581, Guru Arjan started huild-
ing Harimandir in the Chak
Ramdaspur. He invited Miran
Mir-a Muslim saint o.f Laho.re
to. lay its feundatio.n sto.ne. In-
stead Df build ing the shrine Dn
a high plinth, as is custemary
with the Hindus, he had it built
en a level lewer than the
surreunding land so. that the
wershipper would have to. go.
down the step to. enter it. Unlike
Hindu temples which had only
o.ne entrance, Harimandir was
o.pen o.n all fo.ur sides. These
features were symbelic o.f the
new faith which required tbe
Inwest to. go even lower and
whnse denrs were npen to. all
who desired to. enter it.
After the Harimandir was
co.mpleted, Cbak Ram Daspur
was renamed as Amritsar. As
thnusands o.f Sikhs visited the
city every day, it So.Dn grew into
tbe premier co.mmercial centre
o.f the pro.vince. The city be-
came the mo.st impo.rtant place
o.f pilgrimage fDr the Sikhs.
What Mecca was to. the Muslims
and Benans to the Hindus,
Amritsar became to. the Sikhs.
The vast area cDvered by tbe
Harimandir, the hely tank .and
the Akal Takbat, wbicb was
added later clearly indicate the
gro.wing po.pularity o.f the new
faith during the life-time o.f
Guru Arjan. It ceuld acco.m-
modate ' lakhs ef peo.ple-as it
dees even to.day. It was inten-
ded to. be tbe fDcal point of
attracting the fDlIDwers Df the
Guru and it bas remained so.
till this day.
Towns
Besides Amritsar, the Guru
built three Dther tDwns-Df these
Dne was Tarn Taran, eleven
miles south Df Amritsar where a
Gurd wara and leprDsarium were
built. The Dther was Kartarpur
in the Jul1undur DDab and the
last was HargDbindpur Dn the
river Beas.
Dasvandh
To. raise mDney fDr the
building of Harimandir, Guru
Arjan asked all Sikhs to. dDnate
dasvandh-a tenth Df their
incDme-in the name Df the
Probing The Ulterior Motive Of Jehangir
Martyrdom Of Guru Arjan
By : Dr, K. Jagjit Singh, Kbalsa College, Bombay
Guru. In this way a central pDo.I
Df money was created fDr the
co.mmunal prDjects and cDntri-
bution Df dasvandh became
a regular feature.
Compilation of Adi Grantb
Guru Arjan was a gifted and
. prelific po.et. He desired t6 raise
the status Df Sikhism frDm a sect
to. a religiDn. This Dbject CDuld
be attained by prDviding the
Sikhs with nDt only a place Df
pilgrimage but also. a holy
scripture ef their DWn. The
Guru was aware Df the danger
Df spurious scriptures gaining
currency.. _He, therefore, decided
to. make an authentic completiDn
Df the writings Df bis predeces-
sors. He welcomed contributio.n .
from different sects ef Hindus
and Muslims fer co.nsideration.
H;ndu and Muslim writings
were included in wbat is called
tlie Bhagat Vanl. Adi Granth
is thus unique amo.ngst a wDrld
scriptures as it includes hymns
written by non-Sikhs. Guru
Arjan believed that a faith
ShDUld prDduce a balanced cut-
IDOk. Therefere, while editing
a nd its cDntents he
arranged them in an Drderly
manner and in such a way that
they reflected philDSDpby Df the
balanced life. The Granth reflec-
ted the faith o.f Nanak in'
its to.tality. Its hymns were of
a higb pDetic Drder and its
language simple. The hDly bDek
at Dnce hecame a mo.st pDwerful;
factDr in spreading the teach-
ings ef the Gurus amo.ngst
masses. .
After cDmpiling tbe bDOk,
he installed it in Harimandir in
1604 and himself bDwed before
it. By dDing so, be was acknDw-
ledging the higher authDrity Df
the Gurbani to -that of persDnal
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THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 6
nal importance and significance
which he possessed as a Guru.
The book became the focal
point both in the life of an
individual and the community.
It became source of consola-
tion, joy aDd encouragement.
The compilation of Adi
Granth was an important land-
mark in the history of the Sikhs.
It became the sacred Granth of
the new faith and created con-
sciousness among the Sikhs of
their being a separate commu-
nity. It served as a source of
divine wisdom. Its fascinating
hymns chanted in deep reverence
and devotion inspired the minds
of listeners to lofty ideas of simple
living and high thinking. The
Granth soon' began to serve .s
the symbolic representation of
the Gurus.
There is a tradition that while
the Adi Granth was being com-
piled, those who were jealons of
the Gurus informed Emperor
Akbar that the book contained
teachings which were hostile to
Islam. A copy was thus brought
to Akbar, who was pleased to
find out that it contain,d compo-
sition not only of the Sikh Gurus,
but of Hindu and Muslim saints
as well. To express his satis-
faction he made a gift of gold to
the books and offered robes of
honour to Bhai Buddha and
Bhai Gurdas who had brought
the book.
The fact that Akbar was
approached and an attempt wa>
made to poison his ears indicates
that velted interests had started
actively operating anj they were
ready to use both fair and foul
means [0 stop the peaceful
spreading of the faith.
Growing Popularity
Guru Arjan was the first Sikh
Guru who laid aside the garb of
Faqir and kept an estahlishment
like a grandee and engaged also
in trade in a grand style. Accor-
ding to Trumpp before Guru
Arjan, the Sikhs were a com-
munity neither very numerous
nor much taken notice of. This
stago w"' comiderably changed
under Guru Arjan. The Hari-
mandir became a rallying point
for the Sikhs.
Guru Arjan's reign saw the
full flowering of Sikhism. The
number of his followers increased
by leaps and bounds. To them!he
was indeed an important
temporal and spiritual figure.
V nder him everything was set
fall for the achievement of a
great destiny.
As the Sikh increased in
number and spread fast over the
Punjab, they began to draw
public attention on themselves
and this arouse:! the
of the Mughal Government.
In the writings of the Sikh
Gurus there was an unmistakable
-insistence on the uniqueness and
universality of Guru Nanak's
message. The belief that the
.truth discovered by Guru Nanak
:and shown to others was superior
to any other was shared alike by
the Guru and his followers.
Today Jehangirlives only in
the pages of history whereas
entire Sikh community is a
hVlng monument of Guru Arian.
Moreover the teachings of the
Sikh Guru never attempted any
combination of existing patterns
of beliefs 10 constitute a new and
more pleasing pattern or any
reconciliation of Hinduism and
Islam. In fact to get to the source
of religion itself the Sikh Gurus
had set both Hinduism and Islam
aside.
Jebangir : Man Of
Contradiction
Both' Akbar and Jehangir
were contemporaries of Guru
Arjan. When Jehangir succeeded
;'kbar, there was sudden change
m the religious policy of the
Mughal Empire. Jehangir was a
strange compound of tenderness
and cruelty, justice and caprice.,
refinement and brutality, y,ood
sense .aod childishness. According
to Vmcent Smith, his love for
ease, his self-indulgence in drink
and love, his caprice and
cruelty and his superstition and
childishness were notorious. His
character was full of contradic-
tions. This can b. seen in one of
the tw.lve Institutes in which he
says, "No person is permitted to
mJ"e or sell wine or ony other
prohibited liquor which occasion
inebriety, though I myself am
addicted to wine-babbing."
He says, "I have been
accustomed to take wine
from my eighteenth year to. the
present, which is the thirty eighth
year of my age, have regularly
partaken of it_ In early days,
when I craved for drink, I
sometime took as many as twenty
cups of double-distilled liquor".
Though a Muslim can have
at the most four wives, according
to Father Xavier, Joh.ngir had
no less than twenty lawful
wives, Concubines raised the
harem to the monstrou:; number
of 300. There is thus much in
Jehangir's character that deserves
to be condemned.
Jehangir's religious policy is
also not easy to define. Sir
Thomas Roe denounced him as
an atheist. He _ did not also
frankly accept any particular
revelation or subscribe to any
definile creed. His personal reli-
gion seems to h!ve. been a vague
deism. He asSumed the name and
title of Nur-u-din Muhammad
Jehagir Pad shah Ghazi.
At Jehangir accession, the
Muslim theologians who had not
been pleased very much with
Akbar's attempt at secularizing
the state seem to have tried to
win back their lost influence.
Mulla Shah Ahmed, one of
the greatest leaders of the age,
wrote to various court dignitaries
exhorting them to get this state
of things altered in the very
beginning of the reign because
otherwise it would be difficult to
accomplish anything later on.
Jehangir maintained intact
the Muslim organisation of the
state in its essential aspects.
Those. who could influence him
believed that if a man believed
in the truth ofa religion, he
could only prove it by persecuting
the non-believers. It is said that
in the beginning of his reign
Jehangir favoured Islam in order
to seat himself securely on
the throne of Delhi. He
acted as 'Protector of the
True Faitb' rather than as the
King of a vast majority of non-
Muslims.
, Jehangir's attempt at playing
the part of a Protector of the
True Faith led him into the
persecution of religious opinions
not favoured at the court.
facts throw ample
light on the religious policy of
Jehangir :
i During his reign converts
to Islam, according to
Jesui duthorities, were given
daily allowances;
ii When Mewar was invaded
many temples were des-
troyed. When he visited
Kangra and Ajmer he
desecrated many Hindu
temples;
iii He prosecnted Jains. Their
religious leaders were ac-
cused of immoral practices.
He summoned Man Singh,
their religious leader to
his court. Afraid of meeting
a more ignqooiniolls fate,
he took poison on his way.
Jehangir issued orders
thereupon for the expulsion
of the Jains from the
Imperial territories;
iv Qazi Nur Ullah was flogged
to death by Jehangir on
account of his being an
effective Shia writer;
v Shaikh Ibrahim, a religious
leader of Punjab who had
a large number of Afghan
followers was imprisoned '
in the fortress of Chunar.
vi Sh .. ikh Ahmed Sirhindi
was a scholar and leader
of Chistia Qadain and
Naqsbandia sect of Muslims.
According to some Muslim
theologians he claimed
to have risen to the status
higher than that of the
Caliph. He was called from
Sirhind an'd asked to
explain his position. Not
satisfied with his explana-
tion, Jeh.ngir ordered the
Shaikh to be imprisoned fat
his refusal to perform Sijda.
Scholars give the following
explanations for the torturous
death of Guru Arjan :
I) During the early years
of Jehangir's reign Shaikh
Abmed Sirhindi felt iealous of
Guru Arjan's influence especially
with Muslims. He wrote in
9-16th June, 1980
strong terms to Jehangir
Guru Arjan. He was not well
dISposed towards men like
Mian Mir and other Sufis who
believed in tolerance of other
faiths.
. 2) According to Sikh tradi-
tIOn, Jehangir's wrath was also
aroused by Diwan Chandu Shah
whose offer for the marriage of
hIS daughter with the Guru's
son Har Gobind had been earlier
turned down.
3) :rhe whole period of
Guru i\rjan was also influenced
by the opposition - of his
elder brother Prithi Chand.
WIth' Mughal courtiers and
officials, Prithi Chand conspired
to turn the Emperor's
m md agamst Guru Arjan and was
responsible for the Guru's death.
. In fact Guru Arjan had
IDcurred . displeasure
because S,khISm was attracting
many followers and was
becoming very popular in north
IndIa. Some Muslims were also
reported to have accepted him as
theIT religious leader and thu's
Islam. Two courses,
Jeha,ngIT b,mself says, were open
to hIm. He could either convert
Guru Arjan to Islam forcibly or
take steps to close his 'religious
shop'. It seems that for longhe
had been considering both these
and fortune provided
hIm WIth an excuse which settled
the matter for him.
. Khusro had met Guru Arjan
In the company of his grand-
father Akbar and when after
the unsuccessful rebellion against
father he fled to Punjab he
waited on Guru Arjan.
was already hostile to tbe Guru
and this meeting provided an
excuse to put a.n end to the
false traffic. Jehangir writes
about this meeting in his
autobiography. He says, "In
these when Khu.sro passed
along thIS road, tbIS foolishly
insignificant fe.llow (Arjan)
proposed to walt upon him.
Khusro bappened to half at the
place where he lived. He came
to meet him. He discussed several
matters with him and made On
his forehead a finger mark in
saffron which in terms of Hindu
IS called Qashqa and is consi-
dered propitious".
In fact the Guru eould never
contemplate involving himself
in the struggle for throne. Tbis
was struggle for power and the
Guru had nothing to do with
it. According to Macauliffe
Khusro was provided with a
rew thousand rupees. Beni
Prasad in his History of Jehcrngir
puts this amount at Rs 5,000/-.
As already seen, in fact
Jehangir himself wos opposed
to Guru Arjan possibly because
of his popularity. He was
eagerly waiting for an oppor-
tDOlty to lay his hand upon
him. His writing in Tuzke-
Jehangiri clearly reveals his
ulterior motive and intensions.-
(Continued on page 16)
THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 7
Guru Arjan Dev
worship, a rall}'ing point for
Sikhs. He constructed what is
now known as Golden Gurdwara
(Temple) or Darbar Sahib. Its
foundation was laid hy a Muslim
faquir Mian Mir. It is located
in the centre of the tank, the
digging of wbich was slarted
dunng the time of Guru ' Ram
Das, and its reflection therein'
gives a nice view.
"Alas! many a precious life
has been spent and lost
in this thankless business
of reforming the hUlllaa
beast, yet still one sickens
at the sight of society
and its carnal pursuits."
-Prof. Puran Singh.
Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru
of rhe Sikhs, though not a
founder of the Sikh faith, but
it was he who placed the new
faith on proper and firm footings.
There is no doubt that the
fou'r Gurus who preceded Guru
Arjan had each one of them
played his part. Guru Nanak,
the founder of Sikh faith,
preached U oity of God (Sahib
mera eko hai, eko hoi bhai eko
hail; according to him there was
no need of the crowd of deities,
gods and godm.n. He rejected
polytheism, worship of id"ls and
the caste system so deeply rooted
in the 'Illdiall society. Secondly,
ho preached the brotherhood of
man. He said that all human
beings were the creation of the
Almighty, there was no high or
low. Thirdly, be initiated the
instiiution of langar (free kitcben)
where everyone irrespective
of caste and creed sat togetber
and ate.
Guru Nan.k was succeeded
by Guru Angad who gave
"definiteness and distinctiveness"
to the general principles ' laid
down by Guru Nanak. He
modified tbe Gurmukhi script
whicb, in the words of Duncan
Greenless, "did much to break-
down the ba ughty exclusiveness
of ' the Brabmins. who had
enjoyed almost a monopoly of
literacy and learning for so many
years", He took interest in
pbysical exercises to maintain
tbe health of his disciples. He
collected information from his
disciples coming from far and
near alld had Guru Nanak's
travels consolidated in writing.
Guru Amar Das, tbird ill
line, furtber developed the
institution of langar, and made
it obligatory for ever), one to
eat in the langar before he could
have the Guru's darshan. Even
Akbar, the Great did not
violate this principle and par-
took of meals in the langar,
before he could see the Gurll.
He coodemned sati, parda,
infanticide, renunciatjon, and
encouraged widow re-marriage.
As the number of Sikhs had by
then increased and were spread
over large areas, the Guru
divided tbe country into 22
manjis (dioceses), each under the
charge of a Sikh. He trained and
sent out 95 men and 52 women
to various places to preach the
new faith.
Guru Ram Das, who
succeeded Guru Amar Das,
founded Amritsar where the
beginning was made by digging
a tank (sarovar) at tbe place.
Then came Guru Arjan.
He took many steps to nourish
the iouog plant of Sikhism aod
laid its foundations on firm
footing.
Guru Grauth Sahib
The first step he took was
to compile Ibe Scriptures in the
form of a book contaioing the
tenets of Sikbism tais was l.ter
given tbe status of Guru by
Guru Gobind Singh and since
then is knowo as Guru Grantb
Sabib. This became the sacred
book of the Sikhs, as bible is
for Cllristians and the Quran
is for Muslims. Besides the b3ni
of the Sikh Gurus, Guru Granth
Sahib cootains bani of the
various Magars belollging to
other religions. ,various castes,
and hailing from different parts
of tbe country. This creates a sense
of national integration, and in the
words of Sadhu T.L.- Vaswani
is " a Scripture of Union, a
melap-shastra". AccordioS to
Archer, its compilation "into
compact coherent form, and its
elevation authoritative scripture
was a significant 2chievemenf'.
Darbar Sahib
(Golden Temp!e)
The second step taken by
Guru Arjan Siogh was to give
his disciples a central place of
Tbis "Lordly House, tbe
Court of Honour, tbe Hall of
Audience" having spiritual
atmosphere has become the
central place of worsbip for
Sikbs, it is tbe Mecca of the
Sikhs. and attracts the devotees
from all over the world. The
Sikhs have ever since been
coming to Amritsar for homage
at tbe Darbar Sahib; the practice
was Dot discontinued ' even wben
a visit to Amritsar sometimes
meant loosing one's life, espe-
cially during the 18th Century.
As this central place became .
a source of inspiration and
strength, the Darbar Sabib bad
to face many vicissitudes of life.
Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani),
whom th Golden Gurdwara
appeared offensive a n ~ an obs-
tacle in his way, bad it demoli-
shed in 1762; it was rebuilt , by
tbe Sikhs after two years and
also cleansed of the rubbisb the
Durrani had had tbrown ioto it.
After a rew years, the Durrani
again had it destroyed, and the
Sikbs again bad it rebuilt. Later,
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when Mabaraja Ranj it Singh,
developed tbe city of Amritsar, .
he also bad the Darbar Sahib,
decorated with marble, inlaid,
precious stones, and gold leaf.
During the British rule in India,
tbe Sikbs bad to figbt and lilIe-
rate Darbar Sahib and . many
other gurdwaras from tbe hold.
of Mabants who misused these'
places. In the process lot or:
Sikh blood has flown in its '
precincts, and Darbar Sahib has:
thus become a symbol of Sikh,
history.
Besides the Darbar Sahib;
Guru Arjan have bad construc-
ted a rew towns also. For exam-
ple, Tarn Taran and its shrine
(asylum for lepers) and Chbe-
barta (both in Amritsar district" .
Kartarpur (Jullundur d;'trict) ..
. He also had a baoli built m. the:
Dabbi Bazar ofLabore.
Economic Factors
Alongwith tbe founding of'
new towns, the Guru like bis
predecessors, did not ignore tbe
economic factor, He devoted
his attention towards the deve-
lopment of agriculture, . small i
scale industry, and inVited ani--
san. to settle' down in thew.
places. He directed his fol1ow-
ers to engage in horse-trading.
He encouraged tbem 10 go-
across tbe Indus, a taboo in
Hinduism, purcbase bo,s.s in
Turkestan and sell them in India.
He popularised horse riding
among bis disciples, and thus
laid tbe foundation s of Sikb
cavarry; g"dually the Sikbs be-
came tbe fines. borsemen in
nortbern India.
All this trade donations
brQugbt lots of money and
various kinds of precious.
material to the Guru's coffers.
/
TH "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 8 9l6th June, 1980
Manjis
Guru Arjan re-organised and
improved upon the Manjis sys-
tem. Tbe Sikhs in charge of
these Manjis were designated as
Masands. They were tbe Guru's
lieutenants (naibs) who passed
on to the ' Sikbs the Guru's
messages and collected donations
from tbem for onward remit-
tance to tbe Guru.
Tbus Guru Arjan had created
an autonomous community, a
"State within a State", with "a
good deal of power and prestige
such as must awaken jealousy
and suspicion in tbose who were
ultra-loyal to tbe Mugbal
Empire",
Martyrdom
Tbe establishment of tbe
Mughal dynasty in India by
Babar, ' and the origin of
Sikhism with tbe advent of
Guru Nanak had taken place
simultaneously and tbere was
accord between the two in tbe
initial stages during tbe time of
tbe firH tbree Mugbal Emperors
and tbe first four Sikh Gurus
and a part of the fifth. Tbese
Mugbal Emperors respected
tbe Si kh Gurus, and even visited
their deras to pay bomage, wbicb
in turn increased tbe Gurus'
prestige. But the situation took
a tum witb tbe accession to the
Delhi throne of Jahangir, wbo
could not tolerate tbe iocreasiog
power of tbe Sikh Gurus . which,
in time, cculd prove dangerous.
So, J abangir was out in looking
for an excuse so tbat be could
nip tbe danger in tbe bud. Tbis
is evident from wbat he wrote
in bis memiors : "For a very
long time I bad been pondeting
that eitber tbis false shop should
be exterminated or he (Guru
Arjan) should be brought into
the fold of Islam." (It is quite
likely tbat since tbe Mugbals
bad not been firmly establisbed
in India till under Akbar, tbat
Ibe confrontation Wlth the Sikhs
was postponed!)
In his nefarious designs,
Jahangir was assisted by a number
of persons and circusmtances. Tbe
first of this kind was Guru
Arjan's elder brotber Prithi '
Chand who had been superseded
for gur-gaddi by their father; be
often connived with and carried
- tales to tbe Mughal Court against
Guru Arjan. Tbe second per-
son was Cbandu Mal, an official
of Jahaogir. Cbandu Mal, on
learning that his . bad
been engaged with Guru Arjan ' .
son, passed certain derogatOl y
remarks .against tbe Guru. Tbe
Sikbs resented the remarks and
requested the Guru not to accept
the relat ionshi p. Tbe Guru
agreed. (Tbis appears to be tbe
first ever passed gurmatta). TblS
estranged tbeir rel ationship and
Chandu started looking for a
chance to avenge this insult. He
got this chance and joined bands
witb Prithi Chand.
But what really gave Jahan-
gir a bandle to deal with Guru
Arjan .was tbe revolt of ' the
Emperor's son Khusro. Tbe
defeated Khusro during bis
figbt bad paid a visit to Guru
Arjan who bad given tbe prince
ti/ak and also blessed bim, an
ordinary routine followed at tbe
Guru's court whenever some one
visited tbe Jera. Jahangir, anno-
yed at tbis act of tbe Guru, fined
tbe latter to two lakbs of rupees.
Tbe Guru refused to pay the fine
and also advised bis Sikhs ac-
cordingly. On tbi s tbe Guru
was imprisoned and tortured: he
was placed in boiling water,
made to sit on the heated iron
plate, bot sand was poured over
his head. Consequently tbe Guru
died.
In this respect also, .Guru
Arjan laid the foundations on
wbicb a marvellous mansion -. bas
since been raised.
Before tbe Guru expired, he
bad realised tbat bis followers .
needed protection wbicb' was
not possible witbout being
armed. So, Guru Arjan sent
his last injunction to bis son and
successor, Guru Hargobind, tbat
he should sit on tbe gaddl fully
armed, and maintained a military'
force. He tbus laid tbe founda-
tions of the Sikb martialism.
A Rallying Point
To sum up, Guru Arjan by
building tbe Darbar Sabib at
Amritsar gave tbe Sikbs a
central place of worsbip, created
a rallying point for tbe Sikb
nation. He compiled the Guru
Grantb Sabib and placed it in
tbe Darbar Sabib; he produced
a doctrinal sacred book for his
disciples to guide tbem spiritual-
ly. He founded a number of
new townsbips and encouraged
economic development of tbese
places. He encouraged his Sikbs
to go for borse-riding and his
son to b. armed, thus laying the
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foundations of tbe martial
spirit among his " Sikbs who,
later, became renowned soldier.s.
Finally he laid tbe foundations
of sacnficing ooe's life for good
aod honest cause on whicb a
noble mansion bas since been
. erected.
. So, it was Guru Arjan writes
Malcolm, "who ought, from tbis
act, to be deemed the first who
gave consisteDt form and order
to the religion of tbe Sikbs, an
act wbicb, though it bas produc"
ed Ibe effect be wished, of unit-
ing that nation more closely
and of increasing tbeir numbers,
proved fatal to himself". Tbus,
in tbe words of Sadhu T .L.
Vaswani, "be was, perhaps, the
greatest man of his century '
aDd tbese four centuries and
more he has been one of tbe
dam ioant figures in tbe bistory of
India, the history of the world".
. Regd. Office: Merchant Chambers
41, New Marine Lines, Bombay 4(J0 020 .

l'HE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY
Martyrdom Of
Guru Arjan Dev
By : Prof_ Hazara Singb, Ludhi.oa
The fifth Nanak, Guru Arjao Dev (1563--1606) . whose
martyrdom anniversary falls on the fourth lunar day of the IndIan
montll Jyaistha, made a distinct cootrioution to the socIal transfor-
mation io the Punjab. He compiled the Guru Graoth, the holl
scripture of Sikhs, founded Har Maodir at Amritsar and through blS
martyrdom showed a way of hope aod hooour to manklOd.
Compilation of Guru Granth
For compiling tbe Guru Granth, Guru Arjan Dev sorted out tbe
works of all religious teacbers belonging to the Bhag/i Movement.
It had been a cult which believed in religious tolerance. Three tests
were proscrib<d for the selection of bymns to be mcluded In the Guru
Granth:
i) such works SllOUld preach oneness of God;
ii) they should neither advocate communal batred nor incite
religious fanaticism; and
iii) laS[ but not least, tiley sbould not deride woman. .
In addition to the preachmgs of the SIkh Gurus, Guru Orantb
contains tbe works of Muslim divines like Baba Farid and HlOdu
saints like Nam Dev. It is, in fact, Bhagtan Di Bani, I . e. the word
of saints who preach about the reality of mortalltfe.
meditation, sublime is the meditation of the Lord
Master's Name, .. .
Of all the renunciations, the excellent renuncIatIon IS the
renunciation of lust, wrath and avarice.
None of them either tends to tempt people to lead a virtuous
life by assuring them the reward of heaven after death, . or
tbem from a life of sin with the warnlOg of l.n bell.
According to the Sikh faith the blesslOgs of a VIrtuous hfe. and
sufferings of a mode of living addicted to VIce, are mostly enjoyed
and borne during the span of mortal life itself.
. No brother or sister accompanies tbem
Leaving bebind their property.
Youth and wealth they marcb off
Tbey know not tbeir kind and Beneficent Creator Lord
and shall be pressed like the basket fuU of sesame.
If the Lord shows His grace,
then alone meditate I upon the Lord.
Associating with the saints, one falls not into hell
o Lord, bless Thou Nanak, with the - gift or Thine Nector
Name.
He ever sings tbe songs of Thine Praise.
Guru Arjan Dev also popularised ttte script so that .
the words of saints could be presented to people 10 thelT own language.
Foundation of'Har Maodir .
Temples and mosques bad been tbe main places of worship
then. Entry to them was restricted to tbe people of respective
Temples open towards .east and mosques face towards west, 10 wblcb
direction Mecca, tbe bIrth place of Hazrat Mohammad, IS located.
Guru Arjan Dev founded Har at Amritsar. It ope!,s in all
tbe four directions thereby welcomlOg tbe people belonglDg to all
faitbs and castes to visit it.
The Qne Lord is the father of all
We are the children oftbe One Lord
Thou 0 Lord art our Guru.
. The new religious shrine not only believes in the universal
pervasion of God but also recognises the oneness of buman race.
For laying the foundation stone of Har Mand", Guru ArJan Dev
invited the Muslim Divine, Mian Mir. It .was a very sagacious step as
it demonstrated lhat tbe new faith regards aU buman beings as equal
and extends tbe same respect t9 all God-fearing people irrespective of
tbeir religious beliefs. .
Some call on the Lord, 'Ram, Ram' and some 'Khuda'
Some serve Him as 'Gosain', and some as 'Allah' .
He is the cause of Causes and Bountiful.
Some talk of tbe Extender of mercy and some of tbe Merciful.
Some batbe at tbe Hindu pilgrim stations
and some make tbe pilgrimage to Mecca.
*
Says Nanak, he who realises God's Will
knows the secret of tbe Lord Master. '
9 9-16th Juoe, 1980
Persecution of Guru Arjan Dev
The foundation of Har Mandir at Amritsar enraged the Mugbal
Emperor, Jebangir. He lacked tbe Jargeheartedness of 'bis father
. Akbar. The Muslim fanatics did not favour the new faith, as it was
emerging as a force equally acceptable as Islam. Tbe Brabmins
opposed it, as their supertitious hold on people was waning. Jehangir
had also a personal grouse against Guru Arjan Dev because tbe
latter had blessed Prince Khusro who bad revolted against the '
Mughal Tbrone. Tbe regal representative at LabOre was ' ordered to
persuade Guru Arjan Dev to give up bis new faith, faihng wbicb he
was to be persecuted to deatb. It was tbe scorcbing month of May ..
Ou the refusal of Guru Arjan Dev to give Ull bis path, he was made
to sit on an iron sheet under which fire was burning. Hot sand was
poured over his body to break his iron will tbrough physical torture,
He neither sighed nor groaned, but sang in a sublime voice: .
. 'He who chooses the lover's role'
must also choose to walk tbrougb deatb.'
Mian Mir happened to learn about that inhuman treatment
being meted out to Guru Arjan Dev; ' He rushed to the place and in
his rage about to curse the when Guru Arjan Dev
forbade him saying tbat God willed like that.
Tbine doings seem sweet unto me,
N.nak Craves for the wealth of God's Name.
He died with a complete repose of mind without utteriog a
single word of illwilL All tbe saints of tbe past suffered from an
inexcusable babit of cursing people in a fit of anger. Such rash curses
are the themes epics. None of the Sikh Gurus cursed even their
worst foes, as they believed in the inevitable will of God.
No one is my enemy, nor is anyone
a stranger to me and I am the friend of all.
Effect of Martyrdom
Tbe martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev was tbe beginning of a
new epoch in the history of the East. So. far the cult <;>f non-
violence preached by Lord Buddha had remamed an academIC creed.
Guru Arjan Dev was the first to practise it. It had a double purpose.
It tended to arouse, through noble and brave sufferings, tbe hardened
and inhuman conscience of the wicked rulers from a slumber. It also
inspired the oppressed and the for a? hono.ura ble way . of
life, by impressing on them that non-cooperatton WIth eVIl IS as
much a moral obligation as is co-operation with good. Non-violence
and passive resistance were fearlessly preached and succ,ssfully.
practised by the fifth Nanak more than two centuries before tbe
America.n political theorist, Henry' David Thoreau, wbo is
the preceptor of both Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandbi, wrote.
about tbem in his famous book Walden . . Tbe inspiring martyrdom
of the Sikh Gurus (5th and 9th) marked the advent of an era or'
hope and honour for our people. The social revolution which got:
stirred, the political emancipation which became a war-cry anj tbe:
economic exploitation wbich was vehemently denounced strove t<>
forge the Indian society into an order which precoded Rousseau's
slogan of equality, fraternity and liberty by more than a century.
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Langar or community kitcben is a part and parcel of a Sikb
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Tbis belps in bringing about social equality among people. Tbe
service in the kitchen of Guru is complementary to prayer.
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THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 10
Who Is A True Guru 7
By : Sardar Isher Singh, New Delhi
There are Gurus galore tbese Let us now visualise the
days in our werld. So 'many picture of a Guru ~ h o sacrificed
people claim to be Gurus, having his life for tbe cause of righte-
a divine mission of preaching ousnes's about 375 years back.
spirituality in all parts of the Whereas a modern Guru of today
world. sits on a soft velvety sofa,
The origin of sucb modern flower petels are showered on
Gurus is India but they have his head by . his disciples, takes
tbeir main centres of activity at bath in modorn bathroom and
New York, Miami, Pennsylvania, swimming pools, Guru Arjan
Milbu, California etc. ID Dev, ' wbose martyrdom day
U S A d
th . h we are commemorating, can be
. " " ninO er fie
countries of tbe West like seen, on the otber hand, sitting
Switzerland, France, Holland, on an iron plate below wbich
Italy and England. A few have fire is burning; hot sand is being
their centres here in India as poured on his head; he is made
well but all sucb ' Gurus are to sit in boiling water for a batb,
living ostentatious ' lives in and he still sings Sweat is Thy
richly furnisbed palatial buildings Will 0' God; [crave from Thee
using Rolls Royce, Mercedes nothing but the wealth of Thy
or other costly cars and having Name.
all other luxuries of life. And for what purpose he is
. , gladly suffering all this torture?
Tbat all sucb modern Gurus Mugbal Emperor Jebangir
have been able to attract a himself says in his autobiography
sizable following is due to the Tuzk-i-lehangiri tbat he ordered
wellestablisbed principle of torture and death of tbe Guru
demand and supply. Whereas as he wanted to stop his
about 60% of world population preachings which were attracting
is subs;sting below poverty line both Hindus and Muslims. The
and their foremost demands . Guru was not prepared to stop
are food , clothing and other his preachings whicb constituted
essential , of life, the other tbe very purpose for which he
40% have affluence of wealth was called a Guru. Tbat 'purpose
but not affluence of peace of was to propagate the ideal of
mind . This nch upper class devotion and worship of One
generally consists of ministers, God by aU human beings
politicians, high officials, indus- whether Hindus, Muslims or
triaJists, businessmen etc. who any other. This constituted the
have acquired their wealth by objective of all the Sikb Gurus
all sorts of corrupt means. This from Guru Nanak to Guru
class stands in need of some such Gobind Singh.
Guru who may not question The practical example of
their corrupt vocational life and Guru Arjan Dev leads us to
yet give them spiritual solace understand who can be treated
and till them some easy way of as a True Guru The history
salvation. This demand is met records that the Muslim saint,
by the modern Gurus who Mian Mir, who was very
readily offer their specialised friendly with Guru Arjan Dev,
formula for meditation. came to see. him and expressed
Some attach such esotericism his great surprise why the Gnru
and secrecy to {beir special was not using his divine powers
methods that tbey offer to to destroy tbe tyrants. The
divulge only to those wbo Guru s.aid t!le Divine powers
become their disciples. The were not meant to be used to
formula is then whispered in the achieve comforts for self;
ears of a disciple with a strict rather the self was meant to
injunction not to divulge it to ' obey Divine Will.
others. This procedure makes ' He alone can be called a
the personality of a living Guru Guru who realises the Will
very important and creates a of God and does not assert
wide circle ' of hi s disciples. his own selfish will. Guru Nanak
Both tbe Guru and the disciple had said: "He, who realizes the
,are enabled in this way to Will of God, asserts no more
achieve their selfish interests, his own selfish Will, (Haumai)"-
the former getting easy wealth (Nanak hukmai je bujhai ta
and the latter easy salvation. Haumai Kolrai na koe (lapji).
This freedom from the sense of
selfishness or Haumai constitutes
Qne essential quality of a True
Guru. . .
Guru Nanak has used here
rather a new word Haumai
implying something which is
opposite to God's Will. This
is so because God is the
source of all goodness 'and
His Will means all goodness,
righteousness or Dharma. If
man asserts the free will given
to him by God, ignoring the
voice of God's Will Or the
voice of righteousness or
Dharma, which is indicated to
him by his own conscience and
is affirmed and fostered by the
teachings of a True Guru
tbat means assertion of .H aumaf -
which IS evil and opposite to
. God's Will .
In previous religious philoso-
phies, evil is represented by
Maya, Satan, Iblis etc. but
these are only symbolic words
having no real Personified
forms. Guru Nanak has
indicated a reality that evil is
inside man as his Haumal.
Guru Arjan Dev's mind was
saturated ' with the realisation
of God's Will and by his
sacrifice for the caus.e of righte- .
ousness he has left his footprints
on the sands of time and a
great lesson for the world that
a True Guru is he, who is
altogether free from the evil of
Haumai.
He also describes the second
essential qualification of a True
Guru when he says: " He who
possesses the knowledge (gyan)
of .God, can be called a True
Guru; says Nanak a di,ciple
can achieve liberation from the
world when such a Guru puts
him on the way of love and
praises of God" -Sat purakh
jin jaania Satgur tiska naon;
Tis kai sang Sikh adhrai Nanak
har gun gao-(Sukhmani) .
Tbe word "Guru" has
become very common and
any teacher, temporal or spiritual
is being called a Guru. But in
its highest sense, as used in the
vQcabulary of Sikh religion,
a Guru is one whose adv-ent in
this ' world takes place with the
authority of God Almighty
sends from time to time a
Guru with a mission to spread
Dharma or righteousness in the
world. Guru Nanak said: "God
Guru Arjan Dev's mind was saturated with the realisation
of God's Will and by bis sacrifice for the cause of righte-
ousness he . has left his footprints on the sands of time .
and a . great lesson for the world that a True Guru is he,
,:who is altogether free from the evil of HHaumai".
9-16th Jlloe, 1980
Almighty called me: an idler,
to His Co.Url of Trutb; He g3\;'
me the mission of life to sing
His praises and spread His
worship in the world ' -Majh
Var.
Guru Nanak's enlightened
spirit worked in ten bodies upto
Guru Gobind Singh, to carry
out the divine mission.
A Guru can also be called
a Saint, Bhagat or man of God
but not the vice versa. A Saint.
Bhagat or man of God is not
a Guru even though he also
is devoted to God and free to
a great extent from Haumai
but he rises from manhood
towards God and is not
invested with any authority from
God. If any of the present day
so called Gurus are doing
a job as a Saint, Bbagat, or
man of God and spreading
God 'worship in the world their
activllies are certainly praise-
worthy.
But the difficulty is that most
of such Gurus are not free from
selfishness or Haumai . They are
desperately after their own
comforts, wealth and fame.
They are not satisfied with the
status of a saint of God and
assume a higher . status of
Guruship. If so many saints of
God had worked in the world
without selfishness, the world
would certainly bave been better
tban What it is now. But when.
the so called Gurus are full of
selfishness, the disciples cannot
be otherwise. In fact, sdfishness
or the evil of Haumai is on
top and this is the dangerous
malady affl icting the majority
of human beings at all levels-
ministers, politicians, officials,
businessmen etc.
The greatest .lifework of Guru
Arjan Dev was the compilation
of the volume of Adi Granth.
Two things, on which highest
emphasis is given in this volume,
are remembrance of God's
Name and avoiding the evil of
Houmai. A human being, by his
very nature, flows down towards
evil more readily' ttian towards
God. He needs a True Guru.
From Guru Nanak to Guru
Gobind Singh, all Sikh Gurus
performed the divine job assigned
to them . . Guru Arjan <Dev and
Guru Tegh Bahadur sacrificed
'their lives. Guru Gobind Singh
sacrificed his father, mother,
all his four sons and thea
himself at Nanded in Deccan .. '
All the Gurus never cared for
their own comforts and were
free from Haumai.
The first five Gurus, it
appears, were ordained to
produce a book' of scripture
which may contain all the
. spiritual ' guidance peeded ' by
human beings for liberation
from the world, and a\l of them
contributed their spiritual
compositions -for such a scripture.
The latter five Gurus, .as is
evident from their work, did
the main job of creating a strong
THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 11. 9-16th June, 1980
organisation of saint-soldiers
-riho may be in a position to
stand with dignity in this world
and propagate tbe guidance
eontained in the volume of the
Adi Granth, even though Guru
Tegh Bahadur also added his
contribution to tbat volume.
That guidance. witb its twin
most important principles,
worsbip of God and suppression
.of Haumai, is the dire need of the
world.
The Ideal Of
Guru Granth And Guru Pa.nth
Guru Gobind Singh, before
his pbysical departure from tbe
'World, completed both the
main jobs undertaken by his
predecessor Gurus. He comple-
ted tbe volume of Adi Granth
by adding therein the composi-
tions of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
He also completed tbe formation
of the strong organisation of
saint-soldiers, the Kbalsa
Panth, on the Baisakbi day of
tbe year 1699 A.D. Tbe five
Sikbs, who offered the sacrifice
of tbeir lives on that day,
were full of two convictions.
Firstly ihey were observing the
aight of God realisation in
in his Rehtnama the last injunc-
tion wbich Guru . Gobind Singh
gave to tbe Sikhs. "By tbe
Will of God Almighty tbe Khalsa
Paoth is established; All Sikhs
are ordained to accept Granth
Sabib as Ibeir Gorn, aDd 'Gum
Khalsa' as bis pbysical body"
(Mahan KosI!, p. 596.)
Ever since the volume of
Guru Granth Sahib ' was
compiled by Guru Arjsn Dev,
he used to show great respect
to it by resting at a lower place
and all subsequeot Gurus also
treated the volume as deserving
full respect. They held the
simple but most logical princi'ple
that tbeir teachings in the form
of their words carried all value,
not tbeir physical mortal
bodies.
The Sikhs pray to God everyday for
mankind "Sarbat Ka ' Bhala".
Sikhs.
Firstly, tbe Namdbaris
believe that a living Guru, not a
book of scripture, is always
essential to guide human beings
to God while according to tbem,
tbe Sikhs believe tbat only
Gurus' words or sbabad, and
not a living Guru, can be a
True Guru.
Secondly the Namdharis
believe that Guru Gobind Singh
did .Dot transfer Guruship to
Guru Granth Sahib but to Baba
Balak Singh whom they believe
as their 11th Guru iu tbe line
of tbe Sikb Gurus.
Regarding the first point
that a liying Guru is always
essential, the Sikhs bold tbat
.a True' Guru is sent by God
from time to time whether be is
the welfare of the
To achieve this,
entire
they
must, therefore, first complete ' the of
'Guru Panth' which is the instrument to propagate
the teachings in Guru Granth Sahib.
-Guru Gobind Singh and were
understanding that his call in
the name of Dbarma meant
'spreading God worship in tbe
world. Secondly, tbe five had
eliminated {[Urn their minds a \I
self-interest and were ready to
<lie for Dbarma. The history is
well known tbat Guru Gobind
Singh bimself bowed before
-such five Beloved Sikhs, as they
were tbe specimen of the Khalsa
the Sikh Gurus wanted to create.
The Guru said "Khalsa is
my own special form; I contioue
to live in tbe Khalsa"-Sarb
Loh.
Subsequently in tbe year
1708 A.D. wben tbe time came
for physical departure of Guru
Gobind Singh from tbis world,
he bequeatbed his Guruship in
two ways. Overwhelming evidence
of recorded words of bistory as
well as of those Sikhs who were
closely connected with Guru
Gobind Singh's life such as Bhai
Prehlad Singb, Bhai ' Cbaaupa
Singh, Bhai Daya Singb, Bhai
Nand Lal and others, exists
which clearly shows that Guru
Granth Sahib, as tbe repository
of Guru's spirit, was declared
as the everlasting future Guru
of tbe Sikhs, while the Khalsa
constituted tbe everlasting
physical body of the Guru, in
which the Guru said he continued
to live.
To give only one quotation,
Bhai Prehlad Singh records
One geeat endeavour of all
the Sikb Gurus was to pull back
'and reduce the importance of
their physical selves in favour
of tbe impOrtance of worsbip
of God, devotion to Him,
remembrance of His Name, the
tbings which are emphasised
most in tbe contents of Guru
Ciranth Snhib. Ultimately, this
reduction and withdrawal of
pbysical selves was complete
and Guru Granth Sahib became
tbe Guru containing all their
teacbings but not prone to
seeking anything like wealtb.
power, pride etc. for self or in
, other words not prone to any
sense of Haumai.
It is also evident tbat Guru
Khalsa or Guru Panlh was
i.ntended to be an integra! part
of. the legacy of Guruship left
by Guru Gobind Singb. The
Five Beloved Ones, as ideal
Sikhs; saints and soldiers were
to be leaders.of tbe Sikhs. They
and other ' good Sikhs, saints
and the entire Khalsa were also
intended to interpret and
propagate the teachings of tbe
Gurus contained in Guru Granth
Sahib.
Recently two books have
been brought out by Namdhari
sect of tbe Sikbs entitled Satgur
tis ka naon and Purukh Guru.
In these books two main points
are highligbted as constituting
the difference between N amdharis
and tbe main slream of the
calIed a Guru, Avtar or
Prophet, Guru Nanak was sent
by God and his .pirit worked
in ten lives upto Guru Gobind
Singh. To say tbat a living
Guru is always essential ;s to say
something wbich is impossible.
It is not in tbe bands of man
to manufacture a True Guru
or acquire one from tbe
market place just as other
articles of bousehold which are
essential for life are acquired.
Rama, Krisbna, Jesus Christ,
Mobammad and others have
been coming to the world from '
time to time as Avtars and
Prophets with authority from .
God but tbere couid not be a
second Rama or Krishna, a
"cond Christ. a second Moham-
mad.
It has never been possible
to have a continuous line of
Avtars and Prophets for alI
"times.
The Namdhari authors, Shd
Bharti and Sbri Mehr
Singh, have quoted in proof of
this contention of theirs, a line
from Guru Granth' Sahib,
jug jug peeri chalai Satgur ki
jinni gurmukh naam dhiaaia.
But tbis oniy means "In every
age tb.e race of tbose devoted
human beings (Gurmukhs), who
worship God with the guidance
of a True Guru, is increased".
This line is part of a .long
hymn of Guru Ram Das
wberein, on the one band
social ev.ils like dowry are
deprecated and marital relations
between man and woman are
raised to a sacred bond of love
and devotion; on the otber hand
that simile is carried to ro lation
of love and devotion between
man and God. The increase of
human race and race of such
devoted persons ' continues in
all ages, not of , the Gurus
themselves.
The second point of
Namdhari authors is that Guru
Gobind Singh did n.ot die in
1708 A.D. at Nanded, but lived
as Baba Ajaipal Singh at Nabba
and transferred his Gurusbip to
Baba Balak Singh whom they
treat as their 11th Guru. Both
these contentions are mere
perversion of bistory.
Baba Ajaipal Singh was a
Sikh of Guru Gobind Singb, not
Guru himself. Bhai Kabn Singh
of Nabha writes, "Baba Ajaipal
Singh called bimself a Sikb ...
He had received Amrit from
Guru Gobind Singb. I firmly
believe that just before his death,
Guru Gobind Singh declared
Guru Granth Sahib as the
everlasting future Guru and he
did not continue any line of
living Gurus"-Guru pad nimai-
Bhai Jodh Singh, p. 130. '
Baba Balak Singh was born
in 1799 A.D., 91 years after
the death at ' Nanded of Guru
Gobind Singh and Baba Ramf
Singh, the 12th Guru 0
N amdharis was born in 1815
A.D. Both may be treated a
Saints of God but not Gurus.
In' fact, Baba Ram Singh was
also a great patriot who played
a pioneering part in Indian
struggle for freedom against the
British and started tbe noo-
cooperation movement much
before Mabatma Gandbi came .
on tbe Indian scene, but he
never called himself Guru.
If the Namdharis and other
splinter sects of Sikhs, who
believe in ten Sikb Gurus anq
quote extensively the bymns of
Guru Granth Sahib, concentrate
on tbe main task wbich is
stressed most in Guru Granth
Sabib tbat is devotion to One
God, tbat could bring immense
good to tbe world. The pre, ious
Avtars 'and Propbets have also ..
beeD stressing tbe same. But
our' world i$ woefully lacking
in anything, ' it is worship ,of
. One Common God wbile warship"
of personalities is in full switig; -
In Hindu temples idols of.>
personalities are being worsbipw
ped every and ,the
of worshippers .liever :" rtlii
higber to realize formre" lGOlfi
in Sudr.as 'or HFl!,i
THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY
12 9-16th June, 1980
Western religions are even more
devoted to personalities and,
therefore, during the last several
centuries they have been giving
highest importance and priority
to one job and that is to convert
otbers to have faith In tbe
personalities of their Prophets
whom they believe as the
greatest and truest.
Personalities arc IDany while
God is one and higher devotion
to many has oCreated religious
divisions and ",,,o.fticts. Instead of
Nam-iimrin, n0W it is Man-
simnin.
Some splinter se.cts of Sikhs
have alsQJoined this and
are desperately in seMeh of
places of 'imp,mlanee and pride
for personalities whom they
treat as Gurus. It not
be surprising, if in
our <of today"", find
tbe darkness of selfislmessand
evil every where wbile tbe light
of noble qualities of truth,
justice, mercy etc. wbich comes
through Nam-simrill is conspicu,
ous by its absence.
For such conditions, perhaps
the greatest responsibility lies
on the mainstream of Sikhs
themselves. So far they have
not even completed tbe structure
whicb Guru Gobind Singh had
envisaged for tbem. While they
rightly accept Guru Grantb
as their everlasting Guru, they
have not cared to set up tbe
everlasting institution of 'Guru
Pantb' along with ibe Akal Takht,
Amritsar, wbich is the bighest seat
of tbeir religious autbority.
Sbould the present Sikb
leadership at Amrits.r wbicb
have recently presented a degrad-
ing picture of group rivalry and
selfishness, be treated as 'Guru
Panth' ? Such leadership is
meant for Gurdwara management
but has been running after
Ministers of Central Government
to seek tbe assistance of Govern-
ment, police and magistracy even
for management of the sacred
Gurdwaras by enactment of an
All India Gurdwara Act.
Perbaps tbey are not content
with corruption ' and set back
to Sikh way of life caused by tbe
existing Gurdwara Acts of
Punjab and Delhi.
Tim.e bas come tbat we
Sikbs sbould now turn, not to
any Minister, but Guru Gobind
Singh and seek bis blessings that
we may complete the structure
of 'Guru Pantb'. Tbe entire
Khalsa of the wbole world
is tbe body of ' Guru Pantb' and
tbe 'Panj Piyaras' are to be its
head. This head sbould be
constituted by Five Best Sikhs
selected from tbe world
under .a suitable plan.
- We bave before us the
example of Catholic Cbristians,
who .have selected tbeir religious
head, tbePope, from amongst
Cbristians of tbe ' wbole world.
For tbe Sikhs it should not be
imppssible to have 'Panj. Piaras'
as envisaged by Guru Gobind
Singh himself. In fact, a suitable
plan for this purpose has already
been publisbed by Kendri Sri
Guru Singb Sabha in its
pam.phlet no. 3/77 entitled
'A Plan for Sikb Reorganisation'.
. "Many Sikh scholars have
commended tb.t plan.
world than tbe seIC-seeking
modern pseudo Gurus. .
Tbe Sikbs pray to God every
day for welfare of tbe entire
mankind Sarbat Ka Bha/a. To
achieve tbis, they must . therefore,
first complete the structure of
'Guru Panth' which is the
.J
instrument to propagate tbe
teachings cpntained in Gurw
Granth Sahib. Tbose teacbings
can establish God worship in the
world and that, in turn, can
bring about the welfare of tbe
humanity.
For instance tbe eminent -
scbolar Sardar Kapur Singb,
Ex. I .C.S. has termed it as
'Excellent Plan ' .
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Tbe 'Panj Piaras' will be tbe
right leadersbip for chardi kala of
Kbal sa Pantb. Tbey will also be
an institution of 'Brotherbood
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good brothers like, and with
inspiration from Bhai Dyaa
Singb. Bbai Dbaram Singh and
tbe rest tbere. They will be in
a better position to bring about
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THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY \3 9-16th June, 1980
A musical function titled,
HBanuri", '!"was organized in the
Femises of the Sangeet Natak
Akademi, New Delhi, from 2nd
March to 7th March this year.
It was a presentation by a society
called
t
URaag Rang", in colla
boration with the Sangeet ~ t k
Akademi and the Sahitya Kala
Parishad. In the broohure
brought out for the festival,
the object is stated, "to disc.ss
and demonstrate the influence
of Vaishnavism and Sufism . on
Indian dance and music".
Basis Of Shabad Kirtan
The evening programmes
;ncluded some well known
maestros who gave performances
<If classical mu.ic and dance at
the nearby Kamini Hall, for six
"venings. The symposiums were
confined to three morning
sessions only. as under:
3-3-1980-Sufism
4-3-1980-Vaisbnavism
5-3-1980-Summing up
Shabad Kirtan was not inclu-
ded in the programme listed in
the brocbure. It seems to have
occurred to the organizers later,
and a supplimentary leaflet was
hurridly typed out and distri-
buted to the audience on
5-3-1980 ancoucing the pro-
gramme for 6-3-1980, as follows:
Dr. Ajit Singh-Lecture and
Demonstration on Shabad
Kirtan.
Bhai Avtar Singh and Party
-Sbabad KirtaD. Botb of tbem
did commendable service in
enlightening the small audience
regarding the basic principles of
Sbabad Kirtan.
But wbat would undoubtedly
irk tbe sentiments of the Sikhs
is a para in an unsigned article
in tbe brocbure whicb reads:
"Besides there are other
forms, such as tbe Shabad
Kirtan of the Sikhs, which has
been higbly influenced by Sufis-
tic experiences. and Vaisbnavaite
song forms from South India,
such as tbe compositions of
Annamacbarya, Ramdas, and
tbe Tamil poetess Andal."
Tbe Sufis sang Qawwalies,
where the aim is to produce a
feeling of "Wajad": that is:
intense spiritual commotion,
wbicb can even force tears from
the eyes of tbe listeoers. Not
only tbe beart, but the whole
body is caused to reverberate
with accented rbythmic beats
of the drum and vigorous clap-
ping by a chorus of gesticulating
singers. There is no trace of
such vociferous singing by the
traditional ragies. On the con-
trary, tbeir aim is to project a
peaceful atmosphere aod create a
feeling of H Aaoand", or spiri-
tual bliss in tbe minds of the
Sangat, witbout causing excite-
ment.
Similarly, Vaisbnavaite sing-
iDg of Bbajans by a group of
devotees is accompanied by loud
beating of drums, wooden
clappers and iron tongs. Tbe
rbythmic beats predominate
be cause their worsbip is based
<In dancing in front of tbe deity.
Ecstatic devotional fervour is
By : Sordor Doljlt Singh, LudbioDa
generated, but bardly any
moment of tranquillity. While
on the contrary repo,eful
melody prevails over subdued
rbythmic beats as we hear
Gurbaoi Kirtan performed by
the traditional ragies. Hand-
c1appiDg, dancing even gesticula-
ting are taboo in a Gurdwara.
There is no trace of Sufi or
Vaishnavaite music in Gurbani
Kirtan. It is probable that tbe
Gurus of tbe Sikhs may bave
never heard eveD tbe names of
Saint Annamacbarya or the
Tamil poetess Andal. Soutb
. Indian languages and music are
so different from the nortb
Indian languages and music tbat
not even an inkling of tbeir
elements can be imbibed on
bearing them off and on. Tbat
is why that eVen after 30 years
of strenuous efforts by the Govt.
of India at integration of tbe
two systems, there have remained
poles apart. It has taken a
century of sustained bearing
of western .music that some of
us are now able to appreciate
western music to some extent.
Guru Nanak Sabib though
belonging to Bedi clan displayed
aD independent bent of mind,
wben he refused to be invested
with the Janeau (sacred thread)
by a Brabmin, wbile tbe Guru
was on Iy in his early teens.
Tbere are maDY such examples
particularly bis not joining in
the Aarti being performed at
the temple in Pu.ri . Hence it is
only just and fair to conclude
that he evolved bis own music
for the Shabads he composed_
Some would like us to believe
that Sbabad Kirtan was tinged
by Dhrupad form of singing_
The word Dbrupad is derived
from Dbru>a-pada, wbich means
dramatic SODg. It was evolved
from a folk song prevalent in vil-
lages around Gwalior during tbe
reign of Raja Man Singb Tomar,
after Guru Nanak Sabib. But
it did not become known until
Mian Tan Sen sang it during
tbe reign of Akbar at Fatebpur
Sekri, near Agra. Guru Arjan '
Sabib was by then busy com-
piling tbe Banies of his predeces-
sors. It would be wrong to
tbink that G\lru Arjan Sabib
would have cbanged the forms
and style of Sbabad Kirtan of
the previous Gurus, since tbey
all meticulously followed the
guidelines set by Guru Nanak.
They even adopted "Nanak",
as tbeir Pen-Names. Besides,
Bhai Mardana had already
establisbed a Gbarna with its
own elusive style of preform-
ing Shabad Kirtan, wbicb was
maintained in all its purity by a
large number of Rababies
including .the well-known, Bbaies
Sata and Blewand, during the
reign of Guru Arjan Sahib.
Dhrupad form never became
popular with the singers or the
listeners. H>rbert Popley wrote
in his popular book:
"It (Dhrupad) is very exact-
ing, demanding a voice of the
large compass of about three
octaves. 'Tbe man who bas the
strength of five be-buffaloes, let
tbat man sing Dhrupad', runs
an old saying."
8esides, Obrupad is trad i-
tionally rendered only in a few
selected- talas, such as, Rupak-
tala, Cbau-tala and Dbima-tala.
So it is the exclusive preserve
of tbe maestros. Only Dbolak
is used for marking time with
open band and even in tbree
days Tabla (Jodi) is never used.
But there is an oral tradilion
among tbe' ragies that Jodi was
evolved in tbe Darbar of Guru
Arjan Sahib. Surely, tbe Guru
Sahib would not bave allowed
this innovation if Dhrupad bad
then been in vogue at his
Darbar. Hence we can affirm
tbat Dbrupad had notbing to
do with Sbabad Kirtan. Its texts
mostly in Sanskrit and its music
is so austere that most of tbe
listeners would jump out of tbe
nearest window whenever Dhru-
pad is announced as tbe next
item at a concert. Dbrupad
wa .. composed botb in spiritual
and secular texts and Tan Sen
was accused for bringing it to
a low level of profanity for
pleasing the Mogbal King and
bis courtiers. It has always
remained a museum piece tbat
is why you can hardly find any
exponent of this genre except
Dagar family, and few others.
Indeed, Dhrupad was not
relished by the public at large
at any time. That is wby
Kheya\ form was evolved, after
tbe period -of the Gurus, to
impart beauty and lightness '
wbicb could go better witb tbe
discriminating listeners. It was
exclusively for secular mebfils.
Complete freedom to tbe ma.stro
and luwrient use of decorative
devices by them caused mutila-
tion of the words. For tbe
Sikhs accurate pronunciation of
tbe boly Words is most essential,
Hence Shabads could not be
sung in tbis Kheyal form. Some
otber semi-classical forms such as
Thurnri, .Dadra and Tappa were
evolved during tbe nineteentb
century at tbe court of Nawab
Wajid Ali Shah in Lucknow. It
is unfortunate that tbese forms
are also used for Bbajans, but
tbe Sikb tradition has kept to
tbe narrow patb sbown by tbe
Gurus.
It is amply borne out from
tbe sayings of the Gurus that
tbeir words enveloped in divine
music were directly inspired
from Wabe-Guru.
Chaitanya Deva.
priately stated tbe
Shabad Kirtan in
bas appro-
quality of
his book,
. Indian Music:
"In singing these (Shabads)
tbere is scrupulous avoidance
of musical complexities ... Set to
a definite tala, and wben beard
especially in a ' Gurdwara,
Sbabad Kirtan bas a tende r
appeal of its own."
That is how traditional ragies
like the late Bhai Gopal Singh
could generate optimum spiritual
feelings in the aud ieoce that
their eyes were suffused with
divine dew. Yet be used no tans,
sargam singing, or otber gaudy
flourisbes .
It is furtber stated io tbe
hrocbure :
"A major festival on the
Bbakti tbeme in music and dance
of tbe Eastern regions of India is
expected to be beld at Manipur.
Similarly a Festival of Kirtan of
the Western regions comprising
Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maha-
rashlra is proposed to be orga-
nised at Abmedabad. At Bangalore
. the Akade.ni has- plans to bave a
similar Festival on the Harikatba
form in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu
as well as Maratbi."
Shabad Kirtan is not included
in tbe above programme. Tbis
is so because in the absence
of any Gurbani Kirtan Akademi
under the control of the S.G.P.C.
the organisers of "Raag Rang"
and tbe Sangeet Natak Akademi
do not know to wbom they
sbould approacb for enlighten-
ment on tbe distinctive features
of Sbabad Kirtan. Even tbe
foundation stone of tbe Akademi
has not been laid so far, in
spite of repeated promises
made by the custodians of our
faitb for the last six years or
more! It is bigh time tbat the Sec-
retary of tbe S.G.P.C. contacted
the organisations concerned for
organising a festival . on Sbabad
Kirtan in tbe Punjab also. It
may be mentioned tbat Raja
Bbalindra Singb of Patiala is '
the Patron-in-Cbief & Chair-
man of "Raag Rang", and tbere
are some other influential Sikhs
also associated with this organiza-
tion.
Another point of interest is
tbat tbe UNESCO had fixed
Octoher one eacb year as:
"International'Music Day". Tbe
object is tbat the musicians of
all denominations should
assemble in various towns
on tbat day to discusstbeir
problems. It would be appro-
priate that the ragies as a class
sbould also get together on
first October eacb year for tbe
purpose. Tbe first function of tbe
"International Music Day", was
beld in most towns of the world
on first October, 1975. More
details in tbis respect, can be
obtained from The National
Centre for tlul Performing Arts,
Nariman Point, Bombay.
THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 14
The Candle: The Radiance
By : Giani Gurbachan Singb, Dehradun
Ko; an milavai mera prilam pia,a houn lis paih ap vechain
Darsan Har dekhan kai la;n .
Kripo karainh 10 salgur melcrihn Hor Har nom dhiain
Ie sukh dehn la lujhaih aradhin dukh bhi lujhai dhiain
Ie bhukh dehn to il hi ,ajan dukh wich sukh manain
Tan man kat kal sabh arpin wich agni ap jalain
Pakha pherin pani dhowan jo devainh so khain
Nunak garib dhaih paiya duara; Har mellaihu:wadiai
The Grace!
Whoso brings about my meeting with the Beloved
Unto him I sell out myself! . '
Just for a glance of tbe Lord, yea!
If Thou be merciful 10 me,
And gel me in toucb with Ihe Satguru,
Ever and ever I <:<lntemplale Thee, Lord!
If Thou keepest me in comforl,
I contemplate bul Tbee;
In pain, too, I concentrate on Thee alone!
If Thou keepesl me bungry,
I am fulfilled even then:
In pain do I enjoy pleasure!
I offer my body and my mind bit by bil .
In fire I consume myself!
J rock fan, I felcb water,
And eat what Thou givesl me ! '
Prostrale at Thy door,
Lies Nanak, the humble, 0 Lord,
O.vn him up out of sheer Grace !
"
wax. He shone and be danced
as tbe particles in tbe flame of
his Master's torch did.
The construction of the
Hari Mandir not by tben tbe
temple . of- fte dazzling gild,
mtnd, tt and the holy tank
was on. rhe Guru sang
H,mself has the Hari come
to lend a helping hand in tbis
task of the saints". Someone
like me, conjectured tbe
must have seen God, one of tbese
days, in the buman form, carrying
a basket over His head and
working as a labourer, there.
Oh, only a melting candle in its
own light could see whether
God inhuman form had come
do,:"n to take part in tbat holy
Ya]na, or .that whole surrounding
of sacnfice and devotion had
risen itself to cel estial godli-
hood!
Who knows whether the
particles danced to the tune of
the Flame or the Flame danced
. with tbe particles ?
In any case, the whole
Guru Arjan Dev was the His elder brother grew fibre of the Guru danced . as
torch bearer of his Master. Nay, jealous of bim when the Guru be sang, "Mother, sweet are
when ligbt blends with light, succeeded his father. All that Guru'S feet! Through great
it is all light. No ending, counted with the former was good fortune God blesses lone
no beginning all but light I the inflow of money offered by WIth them: fruition of myriad
Guru Arjun Dev was Guru the devotees. He not only saw rewards only brings a gleam
Nanak Dev. All you can say to it that nothing reached the of Guru's vision !"
is that now the Guru set forth Guru, but even forced liis exit People flock from all sides
to sbare in the lot of his country- from Amritsar to the nearby to have a vision of Guru Arjan
men at the hands of Babar's Wada!i. Dov. Where is he to be found?
bordos. And, noW he proceeded The Guru kept peacefully Fan,?ing air over the sleeping
to Labore to face Jehangir's poised as a candle is wbetber it to hImself, or pressing
vengeance and wrath against were tbe days of privation and tbe" hred limbs 10 tbeir sleep,
wbat tbe Emperor bad been hunger, or - of affiuence and or even look 109 after their shoes
made to believe "was a shop of abundance on his return to after their entry into the
falsehood, duping even the Amritsar. precincts where he is expected to
uninformed Momins". "H?w does it add to my be!
glory If you make me sit on a W h t h' .
Neitber of tbe onslaugbts, as e no teac 109 his
throne", be said ' to hl's God de t tb t b d
as history bears out, could, ' vo ees a e saw an served
"Wbat does it take away 'rom th G h ' b
however, eclipse the Sun and Ii e uru as muc 10 t eir own
me even if you reduce me to mt'd t th h H'
tbe light ultimately sbone forth s as ey soug t 1m in
a heggar !" h' ? W h t I .
rending asunder tbe clouds of un . as e no aYlDg the
. L,ght he shed, melting his foundat'o f tb t I f
barbaric fanaticism and bigotry. __
A horrified world witnessed
the candle, the 5th Guru Nanak,
melting and shedding light from
within a boiling cauldron, atop
a red-hot iron plate and from
beneath tbe showerings of
burning sands. A sight too
gruesome for tbe eyes to see or
tbe lips to narrate. But the
process had actually had a
beginning mucb earlier than
that.
The Guru was yet a child.
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9-16tb June, 1980
.. Ape Gur . Chela"-lJimself the
Guru and the disciple-en uncia.,-
ted by Ihe Tenth Master ob
the Baisakhi of '1699 when he
begged the Five- Beloved Ones
to baptise him in Ihe very manner
hed himself baptised tbem
Just before?
That is what cine is compelled
to read tn his sending
Mala Ganga to Bhai Budha for
prayer for the hoon of ' a SOD.
:rha! is how one can possibly'
IOlerpret hIS letting Bhai Kamla'.
spontaneous sbout from the
road side to supersede hi. own
blessings for the success of It
Sikb's brick kiln. And wbo was
Bhai Manjh standing in the
waler deep down a well with a
bundle of firewood for the langar
upheld dry over bis bead, if not
Guru Arjan Dev himself?
. He had certaillly melted away
hIS wax, bis indiyiduous selfhood'
when while dictating Ihe Word:
Ihe Guru Granth Sabib, 10 Bhai
Gur Das, he sat lower Ihan
where the . scribe did. How
otherwise could he have illumined
the human soul with this Lighl
of Ihe Word ? .
Most of the troubles of the
Panth would be Over if we learn
to own the Guru' s selfless
humility, jf we get out of the
splitting suffocating noose of the
persooality cult. Yea,
tf, as on", man, we rally round
Guru Granth Sahib as the focal
pivotal centre of all our temporal
as well as spiritual objectives.
Surely. Guru Arjun Dev did so
before tbe Ten Ih Master
tnstalled our ScriptUres as our
Guru I
Tbere are scores of bymns in
the Guru Granth Sahib expressing
gratitude to Akal Purkh on tbe
btrth of Guru Hargobind on
bis recovery from small pox as
well on the completion of tbe
Hari Mandir and Sarovar at
Amntsar. But all this because
10 borrow from the Guru's
words, thereby, Dharam Kala
Har Bandh Bahali, God bas
established His spiritual dispensa-
tIon. On the complelion of the
stupendous task of compilation
of Guru Grantb Sabib, all tbat
the Guru bad to say was Te ra
kita jato nahin mainun jog .kitoi
I fail to realise what Y ou
done unto me in rendering me
fit (for tbis job). .
Whereas all this and, perbaps,
much more the Guru had to
address to his God, what we can
lay at, his feet is, to borrow again
from his Sukhmani. B;ham Giani
ki gat Brham Giani janai,
. only a God-awakened cari
realise tbe stature of a God-
awakened.
But will anything please' the
Guru more, and could our
homage to him be more effec-
tively factual than tbat we lead
a life as be wanted us to lead.
That we do all )Ve can to deserve
the tribule paid to us by the
He was sent to Lahore to attend
the marriage of a relative. He
had extremely endeared bimself
to tbe Sangat, - there, due to his
sweet illuminating ways. Never-
tbeless, his .own inner self was
crying like a Chatrik, tbe wings
of bis longings fluttering with
t!angs of burning separation,
tIll he got back into tbe arms of
his beloved Guru-father, the 4th
Guru Nanak . .
54 IndustrIal Estate, Ahmednagar
PHONE
1018 , .
_ Master : Khalsa mera rup
hal khas, 10 my own very image
is the Khalsa cast ! -
THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 15 9-16tb June, 1980
Need Of Establishing Federation Of
Sikh Societies Of Canada
the Sikhs and their struggle for,
retaining their identity and
culture in an alieo- environment.
He pleaded for a united and
collective approach and criti-
cised factionalism' and party
politics. Mrs. Avtar Kaur Khalsa
d wel too the sacrifices and
sufferings of Sikh women in
defence of tbeir rights as settlers
in Canada. She wanted more
documentary,films on Sikh
history and values to promote
a better appreciation of Sikhism
on the 'part of tbe host com-
munity.
could bo considered. It conti-
nued to be a forum for rededica-
tion to Sikh values. Dr. J.
O' Connell discussed the contri-
bution of Guru Ram Dos Ashram
towards Sikh education and
wanted the place of yoga in
Sikhism to be defined and
demarcated. Dr. Jarnail Singh
, spoke of the "Dynamism of Sikh
Institutions" and wanted the
gurdwaras to function as a
centre of community-life.
(From Our Correspondent)
The. Sikh conference spon-
by the Ottawa Sikh
was held at Charleton University
Conference Centre from 16th
to 18th May, 1980. About 400
delegates from Canada and USA
participated in the deliberation .
Two special guests invited from
abroad were Dr. Gobind Singh
of London and
Prof. Pritam Singh Gill of
lullundur. The first evening
was utilised for registration and
reception of guests and informal
communication among the parti-
cipants.
The inaugural session began
on 17th May at Southam Hall,
with the Sikh prayer. Dr. Harpal
Singh Buttar welcomed the dele-
gates. Dr. Bakshish , Singh
Samagh, Chairman of working
committee, dwelt on the need
-of promoting better understand-
ing between Sikhs and other
'Communities.
The inaugural r address was
delivered by Mr. P.G.L. Fair-
weather, Chief .commissioner,
Human Rights Commission,
Ottawa. The Key-note Address
was presented by Dr. J.W.
Spellman, Head of the Institute
-of Asian Culture, University of
Windsor. He elaborated tbe
id'ea of the Canadian mosaic in
contrast to the American con-
cept of the melting p1t of
multi-racial culture. He affirmed
that all cultures were a part of
,the Canadian identity.
The second session Wl.' rlevo-
ted to the theme of " Evolution of
Sikhs in Canada". Dr. G.S.
Paul dealt with the three pbases
of Sikh immigration to Canada:-
(i) Struggle for existence; (Ii)
Participation stage (1954-70); (iii)
Settlement of Sikhs. Prof. J.
O'Connell dwelt on the State
of Sikh Studies in Canada and
the need of research in their
problems. Dr. Sukhmandar Singh
spoke on the richness and effec-
tiveness of the Sikh way of life.
Dr. Balwant Singh of Lewisburg
stressed the need for more
studies of Sikh theology and
Values.
The third session was devoted
to the preservation of Sikh
beritage. Dr. Gobind Singh
threw light on the philosophical
and spiritual concepts of Sikh-
ism and their application to the
problems of living. The interac-
ting between what he called the
Five S's of Sikhism-Sewa, Sada-
char, Sadh-Sall gat, Sangeef and
Simran-resulted in the integra-
lion and fulfilment of human
He affirmed that
the gulf between man' s words
,and deeds led to imbalance and
tension. Dr. Amarjit Singh
Sethi spoke on the spiritual
consciousness in Sikhism and the
<:ontribution of Nam-Simaran to
personal and social happiness in
modern society.
Prof. Pritam Singh Gill spoke
on the heritage of Sikh culture.
He mentioned the components
of Sikh culture-its egalitarian
society, its moral values and the
treasure of fine arts and plead-
ed for the understanding and
development of tbe Sikh heritage.
Sardar Navtej Singh spoke on
tho concept of Chardi kala and
its effective response to the
crises posed by modern techno-
logy. Dr. Gurnam Singh Khullar
dwelt o'n Sikh Culture which be
thought was the embodiment of
tbe best of the cultures of the
east and the west.
Tbe fourth session was
devoted to "Sikhs Today".
Dr. M.L. Handa dwelt on the
vocal and visible ethnicity of
The next day-18tb May-
was devoted to the problems
of Sikh institutions and education
of youth. Mr. Ralph Singh,
an American Sikb, dwelt on the
"Practical Aspects of Sikh
Institutions". He regarded the
gurdwara as a social, economic
and political centre, where the
problems of the community
Two ladies spoke on tbe
education of Sikh children in
Canada. Pushwant Kaur dwelt
on the functions of Simran
(hearing), Manan (reflection)
and Dhyan (contemplation) in
the teaching of Sikhism. Surjit
Kaur Virdi $poke on the need
of producing special literature
for Sikhchilllren.
The afternoon session was re-
served for discussion of tbe guide-
(Continued on page 17)
.
1
I'
,
'.
PSB. Growing with families
for over .70 years.
gj
N ,
i! '
..
..
..
;;:
..
'- ' ''Thirty years ago, my 1 0(
(rather oP.ened an account ,
for me at PSB. Today, I've
,done the same for my
Banking with PSB is a legacy that , is handed c':;;
down from father to son in all PSB families- (
families who have grown up with us, and stayed
with us. For over 70 years. Because we have '
traditions of banking service very few can match. ""

(A C;""'rnment of India Cndcrtaking)
" . ..... ..,. -
. i
TH "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 16
Martyrdom Of Guru Arjan great good fortune:
(Continued!rom page 6) Torture
He says, "A Hindu named Arjan of bymns in the Granth Mohsin Fani, the autbor of
lived at Goindwal on the bank Sahib, I cannot erase or Dabistan, says, Guru Arjan was
of river Beas in the garb of a alter an iota ... The hymns tied in the burning sun over hot
saint and in ostentation. As which find a place in It are sand and was tortured. The
a sesult many of the simple not disrespectful to any severest heat of May overhead
minded Hindus as well as ignorant Hindu incarnation or Muham- hoi sand under him and boiling
and foolish Muslims had been madan prophet. It is certainly waler poured on his bare body
persuaded to adopt his way of stated that prophets, priests, caused blisters all over." .
living and he had raised aloft and incarnations are the During .one of the inter-
the standard of sainthood and band-work of tbe Immortal missions in the torture Guru
holiness. He was called Guru. God whose limit none can Arjan was permitted to batbe
This business had flourished for find. My main objecf is the in tbe cold water of the river
Ihree or four generalions. For spread of truth and destruc- Ravi lIowing just below the
a long time it had been in my tion of falsehood, and if, in fortress where he was kept
mind to put a stop to this vain pursuance of ' this object, prisoner. Repeating God's Name
affair (Dukan-e-Batil) or to bring this perishable body must he bad a dip but being exhausted
him inlo t/oe fold of Islam. depart, I shall account .it and famished, the clirrent bore
Jehangir's writing reveals the
following important facts:
i) The Guru lived both as a
saint and in ostentation;
ii) A large number of Hindus
and Muslims were being
attracted to this new faith
for three or ' four genera-
tions; .
iii) The Guru professed only
to be a saint or a holy
maD;
iv) Jehangir wanted "to put
a stop" to this vain affair
or bring the Guru "into
tbe fold of Islam".
Thus this great Emperor
who is known to the world for
his justice had a prejudiced mind
and had pre-conceived , idea
of "putting a stop to this vain
affair". It is clear that even if
Guru Arjan had not blessed
-- Khusro, Jebaogir would have
definitely stopped this vain
affair. Since there was no
quest jon of the Guru going into
the fold of Islam, death was
waiting for him at the bands of
this Ghazi.
After the revolt of Khusro
was crusbed and he was captured
Jebangir wreaked his vengeance
on his followers and supporters.
The list of Khusro's supporters
submitted to Jehangir contained
the name of Guru Arjan.
Jebangir writes in Tuzak-i-
Jehangir, "I fully knew his
(Guru Arjan's) heresies and I
ordered thai he should be
brought into my presence, his
house and children be made over
to Murtala Khan; his properly
be confiscated and he be put to
death by torlure.
It is said that Jehaogir, in
the first instance, had only fined
him two lakhs of rupees and
ordered him to expunge from
the Ad; Granth passages opposed
to the Hindus and the Musal-
mans. But to this the Guru replied:
"Whatever money', I have is
for the poor, the friendless
and the stranger. If thou
asketh for money than
mayest take what I have,
but if tbou asketh for it by
way of fine, I shall not give
thee even a Kauri (shell), for
a fine is imposed on wicked
and worldly perso,n" and not
on priests .and anchorites.
And as to what thou hast
sa.id, regarding the erasure
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Bengal Potteries, Ajmal Khan Road_ Tel: 516527.
916tb June, 1980
him beyond the reach of his
tormentors. He was only 42 '
years old then-almost of the
same age at which Guru Gobind
Singh-tbe tenth Guru of tbe'
Sikhs also later died.
It may be noted tbat Khusro-
himself was also blinded and
imprisoned. Subseguently he
recovered his sight but not hill-
liberty. He was destined to be a.
pawn in the political game and'
was ultimately disposed of under
very tragic and suspicious.
circumstances.
According to Beni Prasad, tli ..
martyrdom', of Guru Arjan wali-
a politieal execution. According:
to Sir Jadu Nath Sarkar, Gurw
Arjan had blessed Khusro and
given bim financial help. 00-
Khusro's defeat the Guru was;
fined and on his refusal to pay'
the fine, he was imprisoned and
tonured which were the usual
punishments of revenue defaulters
in those days.
Impact of Martyrdom
Guru Arjan' s martyrdom was
the first of the long series of
religious persecution which the
Sikhs suffered at the hands of
the ' Mughal Emperors. Guru
Aljan's . son Guru Hargobind
was also ill!prisoned by Jehangir_
According to Dablslan he was
imprisoned for twelve years for
the non-payment of tbe fiDe
imposed on his fatber. During
the 27 years of Guru Arjari':>
ministry the Sikhs had become
conscious of the fact that they
were now neitber Hio9US, nor
Muslims, but a separate com-
munity. After the 'm'artyrdom of
Guru Arjan, the Sikhs resolved
not to submit to any oppressionS.
but to defeod their rights by
arms and there . began the
process of transformation of
the Sikhs into a military power.
The death of GJlru Arjan
is thus considered a turning.
point in the development ot"tJie
Sikh community. From thllt
time onward there' commenced
tbe struggle whicb changed the
whole character of tbis socio-
religious movement. IWhen
eleven years old Son of Guru
Arjan tooK the seat of his father
he girded round his waist two
swords; one to symbolise -spiritual
power and the other temporal.
He declared to his followeis that
he would welcome offerings of
arms and horses." He built
a small fonress Lohgarh in
Amritsar and also built Akal
Takht-the throne of the Timeless
God where the
heard ballads exalting featS 'of
heroism. Change in the com-
plexion of the Sikh organisation
was clearly visible.
The change came because
Guru Arjan -a great saintly
figure. an original
illustrious poet; practical philo-
sopber and a great organiser feU
victim to the fanaticism of
Jehangir. Today Jehangir lives
only in the pages of history where- ,
as tbe entire Sikh community
is a living monument of Guru ,
Arjan.
THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY
OUR CHANDIGARH NEWSLETTER
Punjab's Political Scenario
By : Sarilar Bharpur Singh
There has been a turn of
events in Punjab in favour of
Congress (I). The AkaJi Party
headed by Sardar Parkash Singh
Badal will now occnpy the
opposition benches along with
the C.P.L and the C.P(M) Party
members and the Congress (I)
members will occupy the Treasury
benches.
There is no doubt that the
Akali party along with its
alliance partners viz. C.P.I.
and C.P. (M) have given a good
account of themselves in the
elections and the Congress (1)
have tbeir majority-thinner than
in any other of seven States
where Congress (I) government
bas come into power in some
case with absolute majority
and in others with the dependable
majority. The Akali party had
given a good fight to the
Congress (I) party-the papers
are full of comments that if the
Akali leaders had put up - a
united fight against the
Congress (I) party, the results
migbt have been different.
According to some reports
there are signs of simmering dis
unity in the Congress (I) party-
particularly between the old
guards and the youth wing. The
Akali party is now settled down
as a united party without signs
of factionalism and the
C.P'!. and the C.P. (M) are
adhering to their poll pact
for the ' present. Nob ) I, can
predict whether there will be or
not cases of iloor crossi ng. The
signs are that these cannot be
ruled out entirely. The disgruntled
are not likely to stick to their
party if political and economic
advantages come their way.
(Continued/rom page 15)
lines for the Constitution of the
Federation of Sikh Societies of
Canada. Sardar Gurcharan Singh
made a tabular formulation of the
aims and objectives of the
proposed Federation with audio-
visual aids. Sardar Rajindar
Singh Ranga, the Chairman of
the Session made useful sugges-
tions for the establishment of
the Federation. The represen-
tatives of Sikh gurd waras and
associations, who had received
copies of the proposed constitu-
tion, wanted more time to study
the details.
After much discusion, the
gathering unanimously approved
in principle the need of establisb-
ing a Federation for Canada
and authorised the chairman
to get the tepesentatives of the
various gurdwaras and societies
together to consider the constitu-
tion and present it to the confe-
rence next year. It was decided
to hold tbe next conference at
Calgary.
In the circumstances Sardar
Parbsh Singh Badal is reported
to be very alert and watchful
and may be able to keep his
party intact and weather all
storms tbat are likely to arise in
the next few weeks.
Sardar Darbara Singb
Sardar . Darbara Singh is a
seasoned soldier of the Congress
who has spent many dec.des of
loyal devotion to the Congress
and after split to the Congress (I).
He is a very mild mannered
political leader who does not
lose his equilibrium by sudden
Situations and sudden provoca
tions. He will have to steer the
State ship tbrough many political
whirlpools and tbrough many
economic whirlwinds. Time will
show whether this aged (62)
but experienced political leader
will b, able to satisfy the
political aspirations, the political
ambitions of the youth Con-
gress (I) members who have now
entered tbe assembly for the
first time. They may be impa-
tient, they may be ebullient
but it will require tbe tactful
handling of the political colts hy
Sardar Darbara Singh. His
tenure of Chief Ministership
may turn out to be a blessing
if he can unify the energy and
the utility of the youth wing to
control tbe spiralling prices
particularly of the esse'ntial
commodities to the relief of poor
,ections of people and backward
classes.
Task Before New
Chief Minister
Sardar Darbara Singh will,
without doubt, bave to tackle
many difficult problems-service
problems-threats of strikes
galore, processions of govern-
ment servants passing through
main streets crying hai hai. This
does not give good impression
of government and in the long
run Cluses disaster. The second
problem of prices-though an
all India phenomenon, has its
local bearings also. The com-
modity control, the market
control, the availability of
. essential daily requirements of
life are local problems and are
the concern of the State Govern-
ment, particularly. of the Chief
Minister and how he successfully
tackle. them will be seen in due
course of time. The . third
problem which is no less impor-
tant and perhaps is more impor-
tant than all others is the ever
mounting crime wave.
Law And Order Situation
Nobody can deny ' that the
incidence of crime is rising in
Punjab. The police force, no
doubt, is beaded by a very
active and devoted Inspector
17
General of Police but the brunt
of controlling and nipping the
crime and criminals is th"-
concern of local police every-
where. Their ability and tbeir
reputation on tbis account is at pre-
sent at a low ebb. !twill be indeed
for Sardar Darbara Singh to
infuse a new spirit of loyal and
devoted work in all ranks of the
police force to control crime, to
rise above partisanship, not to
succumb to political pressures
in criminal cases. There is
sufficient public dissatisfaction
in the working of the law and
order machinery-wbich inci-
dentally has a Iso its effect, its
impact on market rates. If
black marketing thrives under
the very eyes of the police what
can an average man do. So this
will require careful thought and
plenning at the hands of or on
bebalf of the Chief Minisler
under his direct superVISIon.
This does not mean tbat Sardar
Darbara Singh in spite of political
pre-occupations, solving political
wranglings in and outside the
party, will not handle the
problems which face the common
man both in urban & rural areas.
Rural problems which deserve
his immediate attention are the
scarity of electric . power to run
tuhe well. without the restrictions
of time, tbe 'Khad' . which
quite often is passed on to the
cultivators in an adultrated form
and is to aU intents and purposes
useless. The diesel to run the
tractors. There . is no otber item
on which a cultivator has to
waste '0 much time and feel quite
frustrated as the nonavailability
of diesel oil. There is the
question of reliable seed which
not unoften is not fit for use
and the hopes of good crops
are broken.
Urban problems .which are
equally important if the Con-
gress (I) is to enbance its
prestige and popularity with the
common citizen is the proper
control of full scale reduction
of consumer goods. The
manufacturers of articles of
common use create artificial
scarcity by either lowering the
production or by withbolding
stocks f'Jr some time, for coming
into the market and then letting
the retailers and even the
wholesalers create a panic and
raise the prices. It is, therefore,
for the Chief Minister to see
that the manufacturers in tbis
State carryon full production
e.g. vanaspati , oil, sarson, soaps,
detergents, etc. and above all
fertilisers so that the prestige of
the Congress (I) may not suffer.
The Akali Dal will certainly
cooperate witb the Congress (I)
only in public interest viz. to
give much needed relief to the
very much harassed . general
public. Sardar Darbara Singh
will, no doubt, accept the offer
of Sardar Parkash Singh Badal
that tbe latter will cooperate
with the former to give as much
relief to the general public in
916th June, 19S0
Ihe matter of supplies and prices
as possible. No doubt much
depends upon the Congress (I)
ministers whom Sardar Darbara
Singh puts incharge of key
portfolios whicb toucb the public
every day. The popularity of the
Congress (I) will not increase by
confrontation witb Akalis but
by securing their goodwill, good
faith in general public matters.
Court Notices
In the Court of Sh. B.L. Garg,
D.J.S., Sub Judge, 1st Class, .
Delhi.
In the matter of application
No. 252/S0 from I. Smt. Shanti
Devi d/o Chet Ram Verma. wlo
Bhonath Singh, Advocate, Palwal,
District Gurgaon (Haryana), 2.
Smt. Veer Wati d/o Chet Ram
Verma, w/o Sh. Trilok Chand,
12-A, Nangli Razapur, P.O.
Nizammuddin, New Delbi'13, 3.
Smt. Jaswanti Devi dLo Chet Ram
Verma, w/o Sh. Bhagwan Sahai,
rio Village ' & P.O. Dhikauli
(Mawana), Dis!. Meerut, U.P., 4.
Smt. Thakri Devi wd/o Chet Ram
Verma, rio Village Sadorpur.
P.O. Baraula, Dist. Ghaziabad
(U.P.), for a Succession Certifi
cate under Act XXXIX of 1935.
To All concerned
Whereas the above named
applicant has applied for suc-
cession Certificate to this court
under section 372 of the Indian
Succession Act, 1925, in respect
of debits/securities amounting . to
Rs. 20,778.39p said to be stand-
ing in the name of Sh. Chet Ram
. Verma deceased.
Whereas the 12th day of
August, 19S0 at 10 O'clock i8
the forenoon bas been fixed for
hearing of the application, notice '
is hereby given to all concerned.
Given under my hand and
the seal of the court on this .
29.5.S0.
Sd/- Sub Judge, 1st Class,
(Seal) Delhi.
In the Court, of Sh. B.L. Garg,
D.J.s ., Sub Judge, 1st Class,
Delhi.
In tbe matter of application
No. 349/S0 from Smt. Harbans
Kaur, wd/o Shri Late Gurbachan
Singh, R/o . 22/2A, Double
Storeys, Prem Nagar, (Tehar II),
New Delhi llOOI8, for a Suc
cession Certificate under Act
XXXIX of 1925.
To All Concerned.
Whereas the above named
applicant has 'applied for suc
cession Certificate to this court
under section 372 of tbe Indian
Succession Act, 1925, in respect
of debits/securities amountiug to.
Rs. 6626.00 said to be standing
in the name of Shri Gurbacban
Singh deceased.
Whereas the 19.5.80 at 10 0'
clock in the forenoon has been
fixed for hearing of the appli.
cation, notice is hereby given to
all concerned. .
Given under my hand . and
the seal of thecollrt on this
31.5.80.
Sdl- Sub-Judge, 1st Class,
(Seal) / . D:lhi. .
THE "Sl'OKESMA.N" WEEKLY
:tietters To j 1;he Editor
'" _, I \
Assembly Elections
of the Opposition leaders will do
well to give up active politics and
some of the parties sbould at once
be wound up if the Opposition is
to exist and do well.
The country now is passing
through a critical stage, the old
guard not relinquisbing and
showing signs of sacrifice ' and
tbe masses being quite helpless.
For the future we have to depend
upon now set of leaders, the
youth of tbe country. Let them
work hard, deserve and then
desire. It is they wbo can save
the country from misrule
dictatorship, dynastic rule and
. disintegration.
-Professor Darbara Singh
Amritsar ' ,
18 9-16th June, 1980
Training Camp At Paonta Sahib
[n a press note Sardar
Balwinderpal Singh, . General
Secretary (Student Wing) of
Guru Gobind Singb Study Circle,
Ludbiana, informs tbat the
Annual Workers Training Camp
of Study Circle will be held from
15tb June to. 22nd June, 1980 at
Paonta Sahib district Sirmor
(Himachal Pradesh) in which
more than 200 workers from Pun-
jab & otber states will participate.
PrincipaL Surji! Singb Bha'iia,
Principal.Harbhajan Singh, Prof.
Ram Singh, Dr. Dalip Singh Deep,
Prof. Bhagwant Singh Bir, Sardar
Gurbax Singh Guide Giani Lal
Singh, Prof. [nderjit Singh
Prof. Vikram Singb, Dr.
Ajit Singb Sikka, Prof. Joginder
Singh, Prof. Jaspal Singh, Dr.
Darsban Singh, Sardar Pritbipal
Singh Kapoor , Principal Hardyal
Singb, Principal Manjit Singb,
Dr. Joginder Singh, Prof. Baljit
Singh, Prof. Manjinder Kaur,
Prof. Hardy.l Singh, Prof.
Gurdip Singb, Prof. H.S. Suri,
Prof. ' Gurmoban Singh, S.
Bban Singb, Prof. Amarjit Singh
Dua, Principal H.S. Pardesi,
Prof. Gurmel Singh;Prof. Samsher
Singb and many otbers will come
to discuss and ddress on various
aspects of Sikbism. To encourage
tbe workers Shabad Recitation,
Poems Recitation and compe!i-
The inaugration of the Camp
will , be on 15th June by
hoisting 'Kesri Nisban Sahib' and
presenting Gaurd of Honour to
Guru Granth Sahib. Dr. Jaswant
Singh Neki, Director, P;G.I. will
hoist the Kesri Nishan Sahib and
Dr. Bbagat Singh, Vice Cbancel-
lor, Punjabi University will preside
over tbe first session, Sardar
Gurcharan Singh Tohra is
also expected to attend .and
encourage tbe campers.
Padam, tion will be held. Prof. Piara Singh
j
-
- .

Sir About tbese Assembly elec-
tions 'Mrs indira Gandhi cried
aloud that she must be given
levers of J, .. wer in States also to
push up tbe progress of the
countryaud that the States
shallle! have the same party's
govern meat as at the Centre
and some of (Iile voters ignored
her misrule of Emergency,
arrests of iIlnoeent persons
tampering with the Constitution,
price rise aad lawlessness 10
the country etc., aad obliged her
and voted for C .. " gress (I). The
victory that she has go! in tbese
Assembly elections is not, due to
her popularity or cbaflsma but
tbe presenco of so maoy OPPOSI-
tion parties, and the. voters
thougbt that these part!eS were
of no use. Moreover the Con-
gress (I) spent buge sums. and
the government controlled the
elections by transferring key
officials on a large scale and
inserting tbeir loyal men in tbeir
places and doing all sorts of
wrong propaganda. , These
me.sures tilted the voting on
Congress(I) side which ?ot
majority in eight States, exceptIDg
Tamil Nadu.
But even then tbe Congress(I)
got less votes tban the Opposi-
tion parties combined and
votes were entirely agaIDst It.
Take tbe case of Punjab Con-
gress (I) got 63 seatswitb 44 9%
of tbe valid votes cast while
the Opposition got 54 seats
with 55.1% of votes. Even the
Akalis got 37 seats with 26.92%
of votes, In the last Lok Sabba
election Congress (I) had got
52% votes, winning 12 out
of 13. Tbis shows conSiderable
decline in tbe popularity of
Congress (1) and that of Mrs
Gandhi herself.
YES, YOU CAN CROSS
,BUT DON'T BE "CROSS"
IF YOU HAVE TO WAIT
A LITTLE AT THE GATE
Rashness Level
Crossing can be highly'f'
dangerous. Do not )
try to cross through
closed and
closing gates.
Tbe Opposition has lost as
tbere bave been too many parties
and too many candidates. Had
there been only one candidate
for one constituency the sbape
of tbings could be quite different.
Summing up Mrs Gandhi since
the last ,Lok Sabha elections has
been losing in popularity and
utility. Her competence to rule
may not be questioned lomt the
imperious craving of her mIDd to
become a: dictator and bring in
her own son along with ber is
surely harming her and tbe time
may come when ber own party
men will give ber their refllsal to
support her.
But tbe Opposition parties
also have to learn. Tbey sbould
give up ,their fanciful dreams and
selfishness and agree to' work
together. Unfortunately they
have lost their leader Jai
Prakash Narayan but they can
depend upon J.B. Kriplani and
person like Chagla, wbo has been
very sincere to the countu. Some
-i
,
,

"

NORTHERN
RAILWAY
THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 19 916 June, 1980
USER
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