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About Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji

"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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