The Guru now felt that his enemies were victorious and that his end was near, but he was confident at the same time that the vials of God’s wrath would burst on their heads. Before his departure for Lahore he appointed his son Har Gobind his successor with all ancient ceremony and formality, and gave him injunctions suitable for the occasion. The Guru then addressed his wife Ganga: ‘ This body abideth not for ever. Wherefore a wise person should not love it. Whatever is born perisheth, and whatever is high falleth sooner or later. This is nature’s law. To love the body is a grievous error. All bodies daily grow old and preserve not their original strength. From a child one groweth to be aman, and then cometh old age, which seizeth on the body and causeth it to waste away until it falleth into its final sleep. Live thou when I am gone, mourn not for me, and make no effort of [ p. 91 ] thine own to separate thy soul from thy body.’ The latter was an injunction not to cremate herself on his death.
The Guru took with him Bhai Bidhi Chand, Bhai Langaha, Bhai Paira, Bhai Jetha, and Bhai Pirana. The Emperor Jahangir was at first disposed to treat the Guru with respect, but Chandu reminded him of the Guru’s pecuniary assistance to Khusro. The Emperor then addressed him: ‘Thou art a saint, great teacher, and holy man; thou lookest on all, rich and poor, alike. It was therefore not proper for thee to give money to my enemy Khusro.’ The Guru replied: ‘I regard all people, whether Hindu or Musalman, rich or poor, friend or foe, without love or hate; and it is on this account that I gave thy son some money for his journey, and not because he was in opposition to thee. If I had not assisted him in his forlorn condition, and so shown some regard for the kindness of thy father the Emperor Akbar to myself, all men would despise me for my heartlessness and ingratitude, or they would say that I was afraid of thee. This would have been unworthy of a follower of Guru Nanak, the world’s Guru.’
The conclusion of this speech was not calculated to soothe the Emperor’s feelings. He ordered the Guru to pay a fine of two lakhs of rupees, and also to erase the hymns in his Granth which were opposed to the Hindu and Musalman religions. The Guru replied : ‘Whatever money I have is for the poor, the friendless, and the stranger. If thou ask for money thou mayest take what I have; but if thou ask for it by way of fine I shall not give thee even a kauri, for a fine is imposed on wicked worldly persons and not on priests and anchorets. Andas to what thou hast said regarding the erasure of hymns in the Granth Sahib, I cannot erase or alter an iota. I ama worshipper of the Immortal God, the Supreme Soul of the world. There is no monarch save Him; and what He revealed [ p. 92 ] to the Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Ram Das, and afterwards to myself, is written in the holy Granth Sahib. The hymns which find a place in it are not disrespectful to any Hindu incarnation or any Muhammadan prophet. It is certainly stated that prophets, priests, and incarnations are the handiwork of the Immortal God, whose limit none can find. My main object is the spread of truth and the destruction of falsehood; and if, in pursuance of this object, this perishable body must depart, I shall account it great good fortune.’
The Emperor made no reply, but rose and left the hall of audience. After this a magistrate informed the Guru that he must pay the fine or be imprisoned in default. When the Sikhs of Lahore heard this decision, they proposed to unite and raise a subscription to discharge the Guru’s obligation. The Guru would not agree, and sent them word, that whoever contributed to pay the fine imposed on him should be deemed a pervert, and would for the sake of momentary gratification imperil his future salvation. Men devoted to religion, the Guru said, never paid fines. Fines were for thieves, adulterers, slanderers, and robbers. As the Guru would not allow the fine to be paid, he was placed under the surveillance of Chandu. The gazis and Brahmans offered the Guru the alternative of being put to death or of expunging the alleged objectionable passages in the Granth Sahib and inserting the praises of Muhammad and of the Hindu deities.
The Guru replied, ‘ The Granth Sahib hath been compiled to confer on men happiness and not misery in this world and in the next. It is impossible to write it anew, and make the omissions and alterations you require. On hearing this the Guru’s enemies concluded that he would yield to no ordinary threats, so they put fetters on him, and began to torture him in various ways. They poured burning sand on him, seated him in red-hot caldrons, and
[ p. 93 ]
bathed him in boiling water. The Guru bore all this torture with equanimity and never uttered a sigh or groan. He was given another opportunity to recant and comply with the demands of his enemies. He replied, ‘O fools, I shall never fear this treatment of yours. It is all according to God’s will; wherefore this torture only affordeth me pleasure.’ On this occasion the Guru repeated the following :—
The egg of superstition hath burst ; the mind is illumined :
The Guru hath cut the fetters off the feet and freed the captive.
My transmigration is at an end.
The heated caldron hath become cold; the Guru hath given the cooling Name.
Since the holy man hath been with me, Death’s myrmidons, who lay in wait for me, have left me.
I have been released from him who restrained me; what shall the judge do to me now ?
The load of my karma is removed ; I am freed therefrom.
From the sea I have reached the shore; the Guru hath done me this favour.
True is my place, true my seat, and truth I have made my special object.
Truth is the capital ; truth the stock-in-trade which Bana hath put into his house.[1]
When Chandu threatened to put the Guru to further torture he addressed him as follows :—
The earth, the firmament, and the stars are under the influence of fear ; over their heads is unchanging law.
Wind, water, and fire are under the influence of fear; so, too, is helpless Indar.
There is only the one God without fear, as I have heard.
He who meeting the Guru singeth God’s praises, is happy and ever at peace.[ p. 94 ]
Corporeal beings and gods are under the influence of fear ; Sidhs and their disciples have died through fear.
The eighty-four lakhs of beings which die and are born, which again and again are yoked to wombs, are under the influence of fear.
All beings which Thou, O God, hast created subject to the qualities of passion, goodness, and darkness are under the influence of fear.
The helpless Lakshmi[2] who produceth illusion is under the influence of fear, and greatly so is Dharmraj.
All things are filled with fear—it is only the Creator who is devoid of it.
Saith Nanak, God is the Companion of saints; saints adorn His court,[3] and are therefore without fear.
Several Jogis and religious men who had met the Guru and appreciated his sincerity and exalted doctrines, went to condole with him in his afflictions. Mian Mir, the Moslem saint of Lahore, also went and contributed his sympathetic tears. He found the Guru’s body all blistered and suppurated, and requested his permission to appeal to the Emperor for his release and the punishment of his torturers. The Guru requested him to cast his eyes towards heaven. On doing so, it is said, Mian Mir saw angels begging the Guru’s permission to destroy the wicked, the proud, and the perverse. Mian Mir on beholding this supernatural vision asked the Guru why, when he possessed superhuman power, he consented to endure suffering at the hands of such vile sinners. The Guru replied, ‘I bear all this torture to set an example to the teachers of the True Name, that they may not lose patience or rail at God in affliction. The true test of faith is the hour of misery. Without examples to guide them ordinary persons’ minds quail in the midst of suffering. In the second place, if he who possesseth power within him defend not [ p. 95 ] his religion by the open profession thereof, the man who possesseth no such power will when put to the torture abjure his faith. The sin will light on the head of him who hath the power but showeth it not ; and God will deem him an enemy of religion. In the third place, the body is naturally subject to woe and weal, but not the spirit. The body is perishable, the soul imperishable. To set aside by the exercise of supernatural power the law of nature which applieth to all things perishable, and thereby to engender pride in the heart, would be supreme folly.’ Mian Mir on hearing this departed commending the Guru’s fortitude and singing his praises.
Upon this the Guru’s enemies again applied themselves to his torture. They kept him for three hours seated in a caldron heated by a blazing fire. The Guru’s life was well-nigh extinct, but he would not even submit to Chandu’s conditions, namely, to allow his son Har Gobind to marry Chandu’s daughter.
The Guru repeated the following also during the period of his torture :—
SRI RAG ASHTAPADI
When very great troubles befall, and nobody receiveth one ;
When enemies pursue, and relations flee away ;
When all from whom man looked for assistance have fled, and all succour is at an end,
If he then remember God, no hot wind shall strike him.
God is the strength of the strengthless.
He neither cometh nor goeth ; He is permanent ever ; by the Guru’s instruction know Him as the True One.
If man be weak from the pangs of nakedness and hunger,
If he have not a paisa in his purse, and there be none to console him,
If no one gratify his aims and desires, and he be never successful,
Yet, if he remember God, he shall obtain a permanent kingdom.[ p. 96 ]
If any one have excessive anxiety and bodily suffering,
If bound up in household and family, he feel alternate joy and sorrow,
If he wander in every direction, and cannot rest even for a moment,
Yet if he think upon God, his body and soul shall be happy.
Man may be in the power of lust, wrath, and covetousness ; he may become a miser through love of greed ;
He may have committed the four great sins[4] and all venial sins ; he may be a demon to destroy ;
He may never have listened to sacred books, hymns, and poetry ;
Yet shall he be saved if he think upon God and repeat His name even for a moment.
Even though man repeat by heart the Shastars, the Simritis, and the four Veds ;
Though he be a penitent, a leader of penitents, or a Jogi and have made all pilgrimages ;
Though he perform the six duties twice over, though he bathe and perform worship,
Yet if he love not the supreme God, he shall assuredly go to hell.
Man may have empire, dominion, and principality ; enjoyments may be scattered around him ;
He may have delightful and beautiful gardens, and his orders may be such as cannot be disobeyed ;
He may have merriment and spectacles of many descriptions, and he may continue devoted to pleasure ;
Yet if he think not of the supreme God, he shall be born again as a serpent.
Man may be very wealthy ; he may be attentive to ceremonial duties ; his reputation and conduct may be ostensibly spotless ;
He may love his mother, father, children, brothers and friends ;
Armies in full panoply and all men may show him honour ;[ p. 97 ]
Yet if he think not of the supreme God, he shall be taken and consigned to the abode below.
Man’s body may have no disease or blemish ; he may have no heart-burning or grief ;
He may not think of death, but day and night enjoy himself ;
He may have made everything his own and fear no one ;
Yet if he think not of the supreme God, he shall fall into the power of Death’s myrmidons.
He to whom the supreme God is merciful obtaineth the society of the saints.
The more that association increaseth, the greater his love for God.
He is the Lord of both worlds; there is no resting place but in Him.
If the true Guru be pleased, Nanak shall obtain the true Name.
A daughter-in-law of Chandu, daughter of a pious Sikh, who had heard of the Guru’s torture, considered what she could do to save him whom her father had ever reverenced, and from whom he had ever obtained the object of his desires. She said to herself, ‘The Guru hath eaten nothing, and not even drunk water or slept for several days. Accursed is my life in this house that I hear of the Guru’s torture, and still see the light of day!’ She prepared some sharbat and took it in the dead of night secretly to the Guru’s prison. When stopped by the sentry on guard, she drew forth a piece of jewellery and gave itto him. He allowed her to pass with strict injunctions to return quickly. She told the Guru who she was: ‘Recognize in me the daughter of a Sikh of thine. I am wife of the sinner’s (Chandu’s) son, but I ought never to have been married to him. I must have committed some great sin in a previous existence, and this is the result of it. Hence I desire to live no longer. Take this sharbat and also eat something. Look on me as thy slave, and have pity on me.’
[ p. 98 ]
The Guru replied, ‘ Hail to thee who hast so much devotion! Thou hast now but few days to live and thou mayest accompany me. Keep thy secret to thyself. I cannot take food or drink from Chandu’s house.” On hearing this, the lady begged him to take her as his companion to the unknown world.
Chandu was all night meditating further torture for the Guru. He said to himself, ‘The Guru manifesteth no pain under ordinary torture, therefore I will cause him further suffering.’ Notwithstanding all the tortures employed, the Guru would not abate a jot of his determination.
For five days the Guru suffered torture and then asked permission to bathe in the Ravi and take his five Sikh companions with him. Chandu might afterwards order what he thought fit. Chandu was very pleased at the Guru’s proposal and said, ‘ When the Guru’s body is cool after bathing, he will certainly consent to his son’s alliance with my daughter.’ He accordingly granted the Guru’s request and said, ‘Thy life shall be saved, if thou hearken to my words.’
Chandu sent with his prisoner an escort of soldiers armed with swords and matchlocks. He ordered them to keepaclose watch onthe Guru. They were not to speak to any one on the way lest they should reveal the Guru’s sufferings. They also received orders not to allow the Guru to make any détour, but proceed straight on, and not halt before he had arrived at the bank of the river. While the Guru was bathing and subsequently drying himself, the soldiers were not to address him or interrupt him in any way. They were then to return with him and keep him and his Sikhs in front of them so that he might not escape.
The Guru enveloped himself in a long sheet and set forth. The whole of his body was blistered, and the soles of his feet sore and festered. Looking where he might tread with the least pain he proceeded [ p. 99 ] very slowly. Seeing his servant Pirana near him he leaned on his shoulder, and emerged from the city by a wicket opening towards the river. Several people bowed as he passed. ‘The bystanders were astonished on seeing him weak from hunger and suffering, and said, ‘In what a state the Guru is travelling!’ His mind however appeared collected and fixed on divine meditation as in his earlier and happier days. His devotion like a mountain which cannot be moved was in no way affected by his bodily pain.
On arriving with very slow and painful steps at the Ravi he took up some of its cold water—recently melted from Himalayan ice—and bathed his feet and hands therewith. He then went into the water and bathed his whole body. Meanwhile he recited with great devotion the Japji, which confers salvation on Sikhs. His men, who were like a halo round him, followed his example. The Guru bowed at the end of his devotions and thus addressed his Sikhs: ‘I have succeeded in effecting the object of my life. Go to my son the holy Har Gobind, and give him from me ample consolation. Bid him not mourn or indulge in unmanly lamentations but sing God’s praises. Let him also restrain from grief the other members of my family. Let him sit fully armed on his throne, and maintain an army to the best of his ability. Let him affix the patch of Guruship to his forehead according to ancient custom, and ever treat his Sikhs with the utmost courtesy. Let him hold Bhai Budha in honour, and in all respects, except the wearing of arms hereby enjoined, adopt the practices of the preceding Gurus. Cremate not my body, but let it flow on the bosom of this river.
Having thus spoken the Guru observed a minstrel approach with a two-stringed instrument, and invited him to take a seat on a pleasant spot near the river, sing the Guru’s hymns, and accompany himself on his instrument. The minstrel accordingly began [ p. 100 ] to sing with great feeling and expression, whereupon the heavenly hosts thronged to listen, to witness the Guru’s departure, and to congratulate him on his victory over torture and tyranny. Some recounted the Guru’s deeds, while others listened with admiration. They vowed that the earth itself had not such patience as the Guru. There was nothing animate or inanimate to be compared with him. ‘He hath shown extreme patience and endurance, though, had he chosen to exercise his miraculous power, he might have averted his sufferings. He hath never meditated retaliation on his enemy; his praise suits fione but himself for having endured extreme suffering and heeded it not. He now cometh to us to abide in glory and bliss after his earthly misery.’
The Guru’s death occurred on the fourth day of the light half of the month Jeth, Sambat 1663 (June, A.D. 1606).
When Chandu’s daughter-in-law heard of the Guru’s death she too abandoned her body, as if it were a worthless blade of grass. Her corpse remained concealed in her chamber and none knew that her spirit had accompanied the Guru’s in its heavenly flight.
Thus did Guru Arjan for his sanctity, his conversion of the Hindus and Muhammadans, his compilation of the Granth Sahib and his assistance to the grandson of his former benefactor, fall a victim to the bigotry and inhumanity of a Muhammadan emperor.[5]
[ p. 101 ]
The temple dedicated to the Guru in Lahore bears the following inscription of his own composition :—
Perform ablution, remember your God, and your minds and bodies shall be free from disease,
Millions of obstacles shall be removed by God’s protection, and good fortune shall dawn on you.
I have uttered the compositions and the hymns of God.
O my brethren, ever sing, listen, and read them, and the perfect Guru will preserve you.
Maru. ↩︎
Lakshmi, is here called Kaula (Kamala) or the dweller on the lotus. ↩︎
Maru. ↩︎
Guru Amar Das gives in his additional sloks the four sins which the Hindus believe to be the most heinous. ↩︎
The statement of the author of the Daddstan-t-Mazahib on the subject of Guru Arjan is as follows:—‘Guru Arjan blessed the Emperor’s son Khusro who had risen in rebellion against his father, and when Khusro was arrested the Emperor ordered Guru Arjan also to be punished and a large fine imposed on him. This the Guru was unable to pay, and he was subsequently imprisoned in what the historian calls the sandy country of Lahore, where he died from the effects of the heat and the tortures inflicted on him by those who sought to realize the fine imposed. ↩︎