"Chirian to mein baaz tudaun,
Gidran to mein sher banaun,
Sawa lakh se ek ladaun,
Tabe Gobind Singh naam kahaun."
Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji
Crusader of Rights
Guru Gobind Singh, a crusader of rights and a harbinger of patriotism and nationalism,occupies
a unique place in the history of India. Known as "Hind ka Pir", the
Guru’s ideology and teachings not only brought about social
transformation but also inspired rebellion against tyranny. Founder of
the institution of Khalsa, he passed on his succession to the holy Guru
Granth Sahib, the ultimate spiritual authority.
Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the tenth Sikh Guru was
a divine preceptor and crusader of human welfare. He embodied social
and spiritual unity that was inspired by the highest patriotic and
humanitarian ideals. His life was one of intense struggle against
unimaginable odds: it was replete with poignant tragedies, untold
suffering but, in the end, also glorious triumphs.
He believed his missions were ordained by “divine
will” and he sacrificed his all to serve humanity and attain
spirituality. He was a great religious leader, a poet, a mystic, a
scholar and a philosopher. Revered as the warrior-saint, Guru Gobind
Singh was a fearless soldier and military commander who persistently
fought against tyranny and oppression so that the people could live in a
just and benign state. His singular aim was to protect the rights of
the people and arm them with moral and spiritual courage.
He ushered in a new philosophy of life and lived the ideals that he
preached.
REVOLUTIONARY IDEOLOGY
Guru Gobind Singh challenged some of the most
difficult set of conditions of the times, showing supreme courage in
protecting the people’s freedom to worship and their right to social and
spiritual justice. He fought relentlessly against the oppression of
the mighty Mughals – a gallant leader of battles against both the
Mughals as well as the Rajputs. And, it is in championing the cause of
righteousness that the Guru inspired a fatalistic, defeatist and
purposeless people to gain in confidence and mould themselves into
warriors against tyranny. Guru Gobind Singh motivated the people with
his
revolutionary ideology. According to William Irvine, “Gobind Singh
transformed the outward forms and ceremonies to a great extent. But such
philosophical basis as the religion had,
remained in theory unchanged...” His mission, like lightning from
heaven, infused new life and self-belief in the people and encouraged
them to stand up and fight against the exploitation of an autocratic
state.
The Guru did not aspire for personal power or territorial
possessions; he merely strived for a just society, human dignity and
humanitarian unity. His aim was social and moral uplift of all and
freedom of the
land from oppressive rule. The warrior-saint’s stand was based on
moral ethics and open challenge. His life was a reaffirmation of his
divine mission and the Sikh philosophy of universal humanitarianism.
His dynamic vision and uncompromising belief in the principles of
Sikh philosophy led him to proclaim: Manas ki jaat sabhe eko pahchanboo
(mankind is one). Not surprisingly then, his teachings hold great
significance in man’s search for intellectual and moral solutions
to the problem of human existence.
SOCIAL REFORMATION
Guru Gobind Singh not only projected the glorious
cultural heritage of our multi-cultural country but also introduced
innovative social transformation methods and value patterns to protect
human freedom and the democratic rights of the people.
He established direct relations with Sikh Sangats after eliminating the
Masand (representative of the Guru) system in order to bring about
reforms in the Sikh organisation. Guru Gobind Singh talks about
malpractices of Masands in the Dasam Granth.
Poet Senapat conveys the importance of this reform in his writings by
saying that corruption within the Masand system was a primary source of
chaos within the Panth.3 In the desperate times of the era, the
continued meddling and counter-demands of Masands and dissenters were a
threat to the Guru’s very existence. The Masands also abused their power
by coercing Sikhs and acting in ways that directly contradicted the
Guru’s teachings. Their expulsion placed the entire Panth under the
Guru’s direct authority.
WOMEN AS EQUAL TO MEN
Guru Gobind Singh’s message to people was liberty, equality and
fraternity of mankind. He condemned privileges on the basis of caste,
creed and birth raising the lowest equal to the highest in all respects.
As a social reformer, the Gurus took special note of women as the worst
sufferers in medieval society. Sikh women played a significant role
during Guru Gobind Singh’s time.
He advocated equality of men and women in all walks of life. When he
was quite young, the administration of the Guru’s darbar and the affairs
of the Sikh community were conducted by his mother, Mata Gujari, as is
clear from some of her letters –hukamnamas – available to us.
Even during the initiation ceremony of the Khalsa, due
respect was shown to Mata Sundari who put patasas (a kind of sweetmeat)
in the holy water (amrit) prepared for baptism. Emphasising this aspect
of equality, the Guru, at the time of the birth of the Khalsa, had
declared: “From now onwards you shall be to one another a bhai
(brother). Work (worth) and not birth, shall determine the place of each
in society. You shall treat the womenfolk equal to men in every way.”
Thus Guru Gobind Singh not only established equality
amongst men, but also brought women on an equal footing with men. Women,
he said, were not inferior to men either intellectually or otherwise.
They were thus baptised the same way as men; their obligations also
remaining the same as of men. A woman was allowed to read and interpret
the scripture. She was given the right to participate as well as lead
religious congregations. It was a great revolution that the Guru brought
about in human relationship. It was complete departure from the
traditions of all world systems and social concepts prevailing at that
time.
Guru Gobind Singh, thus, freed women from the slavery
of men, opening up new avenues for them in all walks of life. It is thus
abundantly clear the Guru’s views about democratic equality were much
more advanced that mere equality amongst his followers. He, thus,
restored manhood to man, womanhood to womanhood, and nationhood to the
people.
A spiritual saviour and emancipator of the suffering
masses, Guru Gobind Singh was also a political guide for the people of
Punjab. He infused vitality, chivalry and martial spirit in the people
which enabled them to fight against tyranny and win back their honour,
dignity and political freedom. He not only protected the glorious
cultural heritage of our diverse country but also established a
universal value system, bringing about impressive social transformation.
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