When the priest and the barber returned to Dihli they told Chandu everything they had heard and seen in Amritsar—the Guru’s refusal and the reason thereof, the abuse of Chandu uttered by the Sikh in Darbar, the betrothal of Har Gobind and the actual appointment of a time for his marriage. Chandu was naturally very much incensed, but he wrote the Guru a letter, in which as a matter of policy he concealed his resentment. He began by magnifying the Guru and demeaning himself, and then continued: ‘It is certainly true that I said thou art of inferior caste to me. This expression thoughtlessly escaped my mouth, and some one hath written and exaggerated it, and made thee displeased with me. Thou art now the most worshipful Guru in the world, and it is right for thee to consider everything. It is not proper for thee to fall out with me for what lunatics and base people tell thee. If I interest myself for thee with the Emperor, he too will be at thy service. I can give a large dowry to my daughter. Retain for thy son the other girls with whom thou hast formed alliances, and accept mine also. Great people contract many marriages. If thou tell me I used overbearing language, I may or may not have done so ; but it was in my own private house and not meant for others to hear. Your people in public darbar have called me a dog. Well, let bygones be bygones, and I will [ p. 80 ] have many favours conferred on thee by the Emperor. Thou art already on bad terms with thy brother Prithi Chand. Thou oughtest to make me an ally. If thou fall out with me too, thou shalt nowhere find an abiding-place. There are now sparks flying about. If they increase there will be a blazing fire which it will be difficult to extinguish. Thou shalt not again have this opportunity. And if thou hast called me a dog I may become mad, and do thee harm contrary to my saner judgement.’
Chandu dispatched this letter by the hands of the Brahman. The Guru having read it said: ‘It is pride that ruineth men. Pride of wealth is the basis of all ills. Man must suffer for his acts. Now know that Chandu must not form an alliance with us. They whom the Creator joineth are united; but they whom man joineth are not. It is the Guru’s rule to comply with the wishes of his Sikhs. Their words are immutable. What they once reject, it is not proper again to accept. Even were I to consent to Chandu’s alliance, no good could result. He tempteth me with gain, but who would forfeit his soul therefor ? As for his threats, I have no fear of them. God alone is the guardian of all.’ The priest returned with this message without being able to prevail on the Guru to alter his determination.
The Guru then made all preparations, and invited guests to his son’s wedding with Narain Das’s daughter. He even invited his own brother Prithi Chand, but the invitation was refused. The marriage was duly celebrated with all suitable ceremony and rejoicing.
The women of Narain Das’s household sang the following composition of the bridegroom’s father on the occasion of the marriage :—
It is a time of rejoicing, I sing my Lord ;
I have heard of the imperishable Bridegroom, and joy hath arisen in my heart.[ p. 81 ]
My mind longeth to know when I shall be fortunate enough to meet the perfect Lord.
Grant me, O my friend Guru, understanding to know when I shall meet God and be absorbed in Him.
Day and night I stand and wait to find by what way I may obtain the Lord.
Nanak prayeth, have mercy and attach me to the hem of Thy garment.[1]
Prithia addressed himself to the qazis and pandits who bore enmity to the Guru on account of his compilation of the Granth, and induced them to complain to the Emperor Akbar that Guru Arjan had compiled a book in which the Muhammadan priests, prophets, and leaders, and the Hindu incarnations and gods, were spoken of with contempt. Akbar was at that time touring in the Panjab and the complaint of the qazis and the pandits was placed before him by Chandu on his arrival in Gurdaspur. Chandu supported the complaint by saying that he knew the charges were based on facts. Upon this the Emperor ordered that Guru Arjan and his Granth should be produced before him. The Guru did not go himself, but sent Bhai Budha and Bhai Gur Das to read to him from it. The first hymn which caught the Emperor’s eye was the following of Guru Arjan’s own composition in the Persian language :—
From earth and light God made the world :
The sky, earth, trees and water are God’s creation.
O man, whatever the eye can behold is perishable.
The world is an eater of carrion, neglectful of God and greedy of mammon.
Like an ogre or a beast it killeth and eateth forbidden food.[2]
Restrain thy heart, or the Omnipotent will take and punish thee in hell.[ p. 82 ]
When Azrail shall seize thee, of what avail
Shall patrons, brothers, courts, possessions, and mansions be ?
The pure God knoweth thy condition.
Slave Nanak, utter thy prayer to the holy man to guide thee.[3]
The Emperor on hearing this said it was a very proper hymn. The qazis and pandits represented that the hymn was specially selected for the Emperor’s hearing, and begged him to procure some one else to read the Granth to him, none among them being acquainted with the Gurumukhi characters in which the sacred volume is written. The Emperor turned over its pages himself, and pointing to a particular spot asked Gur Das to read from there. On this the hymn already given, beginning ‘O servant of God the Inscrutable’, was read to His Majesty.
The Emperor on hearing this was much pleased. Chandu, however, was not to be thwarted. He said that Gur Das had repeated this from memory. The Emperor must have the Granth read to him by some one else who knew Gurumukhi. Chandu found a man called Sahib Diyal, who possessed the necessary knowledge. Chandu turned over the leaves of the Granth and told him to read the hymn he pointed out. The hymn was the following :—
Thou fastenest a stone to thy neck,
And seest not God who dwelleth in the heart.
O infidel, thou wanderest astray in error :
Thou churnest water and shalt die in agony.
The stone which thou callest God
Shall take thee with it and drown thee.
O sinner, untrue to thy salt,
It is not a boat of stone which will ferry thee over.
On meeting the Guru, Nanak recognizeth the Lord.[ p. 83 ]
The Arranger is contained in the water, the dry land, the nether regions, and the firmament.[4]
When the Emperor heard this, he was still more pleased with the teaching of the Granth, and displeased with the Guru’s slanderers and enemies. He then gave his decision: ‘Excepting love and devotion to God I so far find neither praise nor blame of any one in this Granth. It is a volume worthy of reverence. He then made an offering to it of fifty-one gold muhars[5], and gave Bhai Budha and Bhai Gur Das dresses of honour for themselves and a third for Guru Arjan. He told them to give his respectful salutations to the Guru, and promised to go to visit him when he was returning from Lahore whither he was then proceeding.
When Chandu and his party heard the Emperor’s decision and his message to the Guru, their faces became pale and they hung down their heads through shame. All good people cursed Chandu, and his evil reputation spread from house to house. The Emperor, true to his word, visited the Guru on his return journey to Dihl, and was charmed with his saintly bearing. He was also so pleased with the imposing and beautiful temple which the Guru had constructed, and the delightful melodies to which the hymns of the Gurus had been set, that words failed him to express his gratification. He called himself the Guru’s slave and asked for instruction to render him happy and secure peace for his soul. The Guru then repeated for him the following hymn :—
One man invoketh Ram, another Khuda ;
One man worshippeth Gosain, another Allah ;
Some speak of the Cause of causes, others of the Benevolent.
Some talk of the Extender of mercy, others of the Merciful.
Some bathe at the Hindu sacred places, others visit Makka.
Some perform the Hindu worship, others bow their heads in the Muhammadan fashion.[ p. 84 ]
Some read the Veds, others the Musalman books.
Some wear white, others blue.
Some call themselves Hindus, others Musalmans.
Some aspire to the heaven of the Hindus, others to the heaven of the Muhammadans ;
But he who recognizeth God’s will, saith Nanak,
Kknoweth the secret of the Lord God.[6]
The Emperor partook of the Guru’s hospitality, and prayed to be allowed to make a contribution to his large expenditure, so that thereby he might secure spiritual and temporal welfare and happiness. The Guru replied, ‘The welfare and happiness of monarchs depend on cherishing their subjects and doing justice. The monarch whose subjects are happy shall himself be happy in this life, and in the next obtain praise, glory, and honour.’
The Emperor remitted the revenues of the Panjab for that year in compliment to the Guru, who represented that there was a severe famine in the land and the cultivators required His Majesty’s consideration. The Guru’s fame and influence largely increased owing to the respect the Emperor had shown him. This, in the words of the chronicler, was the cause of such agony to Prithia as would last till it had taken his life with it.
Badaoni states that on another occasion, namely, the thirteenth of the month of Azur (Jamadi ul sani), Akbar, with a gorgeous military retinue, crossed the Bias and went to Goindwal to visit Guru Arjan, whose teaching and character he appreciated. Badaoni also writes that people reverenced the successive Gurus as spiritual leaders, and solicited their benedictions.
Unfortunately for the Guru the tolerant Emperor Akbar died soon after, and was succeeded by his son Jahangir. Jahangir’s son Khusro, nominated to the [ p. 85 ] throne by Akbar in supersession of Jahangir, claimed the Panjab and Afghanistan, which his father was unwilling to concede him. Jahangir accordingly desired to obtain possession of Khusro’s person, but Khusro escaped from Agra pursued by the Imperial army, and directed his steps towards Afghanistan. On the way he visited the Guru at Tarn-Taran and begged him to grant him pecuniary assistance. The Guru said he had money for the poor, but not for princes. Khusro replied with great humility that he himself was now very poor, needy, and unfriended, and had not even travelling expenses.
Guru Arjan, seeing the Prince’s evil plight and humility, took compassion on him. He, moreover, felt friendly to the Prince, who had visited him a few times previously with the Emperor Akbar ; and he also felt a debt of gratitude to the Prince’s grandfather, the late monarch, so he gave him five thousand rupees to defray his expenses to Kabul. Khusro, however, was seized by the imperial troops as he was crossing the Jihlam, and taken in chains to his father.
Prithia managed to retain Sulahi Khan’s assistance and co-operation to ruin the Guru. Sulahi, on the pretext of having to collect revenue in the Panjab, obtained leave from the Emperor to proceed thither. On his way he visited Prithia in his village of Kotha. Under the pretence of hunting they spent their time concocting plans for the Guru’s destruction.
The Guru, on hearing of the further conspiracies of his enemies, composed the following :-—
Death laugheth over man’s head, but, brute that he is, he knoweth it not.
Involved in quarrels, pleasures, and pride, he thinketh not of death.
Serve thy true Guru; why wander, O luckless one ?
On beholding the brilliant safflower, why make the mistake of attaching thyself to it ?
Constantly sinning thou hast accumulated wealth to use it thyself ;[ p. 86 ]
But thou shalt depart naked, and thy dust shall be blended with dust.
They for whom thou didst take trouble are at variance and enmity with thee.
At the last hour they will flee from thee ; why burnest thou with wrath ?
He on whose forehead such destiny hath been written, becometh the dust of the holy man’s feet.
Saith Nanak, by seeking the protection of the true Guru man is released from his bonds.[7]
One day Prithia took Sulahi to admire some brickkilns he had made. On arriving, Sulahi’s horse started at the accidental flight of a bird from under his feet, and ran with his rider straight into a kiln in full blast. In a few minutes horse and rider became a mass of cinders. On hearing of this event the Guru composed the following :—
If any one flout the poor by stroking his beard at them,
The supreme God will burn him in the fire.
The Creator who protecteth His servant
Hath administered perfect justice.
Before and through the ages His glory was manifest—
The calumniator died in great agony.
None saveth him who is accursed of God :
In this world and the next evil shall be his reputation.
God embraceth and protecteth His servant :
Nanak, meditate on God’s name, and seek His shelter.
The Guru composed the following also on the same subject :—
God preserved me from Sulahi.
Sulahi by no means succeeded ; Sulahi died unclean.
God drew forth His axe and smote off his head, and in a moment he became ashes.
He was consumed ever meditating evil ; He who created him thrust him into the fire. [ p. 87 ]
Son, friend, wife, nothing remaineth for him now; his brethren and relations have all abandoned him.
Saith Nanak, I am a sacrifice to that God who fulfilled the words of His servant.[8]
The following was uttered by the Guru on the same occasion :—
The slanderer by the Guru’s favour hath been turned away.
God the supreme Being was merciful: He killed him with unerring arrow.
Death and Death’s noose cannot affect me since I have established the sect of the True One.
The jewel of God’s name I have earned as wealth, which will never decrease by eating and spending.
In one moment the slanderer became ashes and obtained his deserts. .
Nanak foretold what was hidden; the whole world saw the truth of his prophecy.[9]
Prithi Chand was naturally most displeased at the death of his faithful ally in evil. In the meantime Chandu was considering how he could procure the marriage of his daughter with Har Gobind or avenge himself on the Guru. He accordingly wrote to Prithia to request him to use all his influence to bring about the marriage, and in the event of his failure threatened to confiscate the fief he had recently obtained from the Emperor. Prithia, however, required no threats; he was only too willing to assist Chandu in his nefarious designs. He wrote in reply that Arjan, who had deprived him of his rights, was already his enemy ; and he would be only too happy to assist in meting him adequate punishment. He begged Chandu to use his influence with the Emperor to bring the Guru to justice. On receiving this letter Chandu summoned Prithia to Dihli. There they both concocted a plan to induce the Emperor by some means to visit the Panjab, where they would have an opportunity of entering [ p. 88 ] into some conspiracy against the Guru. Chandu informed the Emperor of the abundance of game in the Lahore district, and also explained that Lahore would be a convenient place to rest on the Emperor’s way to Kashmir, where he ought to spend the summer on account of the beauty of its scenery and the salubrity of its climate. Upon this Prithia returned home.
Chandu’s scheme proved successful. In a short time the Emperor proceeded to the Panjab. On reaching the Bias he encamped on its banks and went a-hunting. Chandu, in conversation with him, represented that there were several thieves in the country who, during the night, had stolen some of the Emperor’s property. The Emperor inquired how thieves could exist in his empire. Chandu replied that the Emperor had a rival in the Panjab, namely Guru Arjan, who entertained thieves and exercised independent authority. Upon this the Emperor issued an order to the Guru through Sulabi Khan, nephew of the late Sulahi Khan, to abstain from such practices. The Guru’s business, he said, was to restrain others from evil, and 1t behoved him not to do evil himself. Chandu wrote on his own account to Sulabi Khan to endeavour to induce the Guru to consent to the marriage alliance, and also to grant a more liberal distribution of property and offerings to Prithia than had been formerly agreed on. Sulabi Khan went to Amritsar to endeavour to carry out these measures.
When the Sikhs heard of Sulabi Khan’s intention they proposed that they should be allowed to kill him, but they were dissuaded by the Guru. He was already sufficiently armed and protected against his enemies. On that occasion he composed the following :—
Humility is my mace,
And being the dust of the dust of all men’s feet my twoedged sword :[ p. 89 ]
These no evil doer can withstand.
The perfect Guru hath arranged this matter.[10]
On Sulabi’s journey to Amritsar his party fell in with a Saiyid who was accompanied by several Pathans. The Saiyid represented to him that these Pathans had been in his uncle Sulahi Khan’s service, and that a year’s salary was due to them. Sulabi put them off with excuses, whereupon an affray arose. Sulabi’s escort, reverencing the Saiyid as a descendant of the Prophet, did not strenuously defend their master, and he was killed. When Chandu heard of Sulabi Khan’s death he represented to the Emperor that it had been done through the machinations of the Guru. He added that the Guru had perpetrated many other misdeeds. For instance, he had deprived his elder brother Prithia of the Guruship, and had endeavoured to deprive the Hindus and Muhammadans of their religions. Prithia had made complaints in person to the late Emperor, who promised to summon the Guru when he visited the Panjab. When His Majesty on one occasion did visit the Panjab, he had not time to make the necessary inquiry into the charges against Guru Arjan, but now was the time to do so. The Guru only became bolder with delay and impunity. Upon this the Emperor ordered Chandu to send for Prithia, and he accordingly did so. Prithia was overjoyed on receiving the invitation. On the way he for some business of his own visited Tarn Taran, where the Sikhs invited him to bathe. He said that the Guru’s tank there was only a common pool, and he would only bathe in his own tank at Hehar. Thither he accordingly proceeded, and after bathing in it and eating a surfeit at dinner, he got cramp in the stomach, and died the same night.
Mihrban, son of Prithia, took advantage of the Guru’s gift to Khusro to rouse the ire of the Emperor [ p. 90 ] against the Guru. He informed Chandu of it, and Chandu informed the Emperor, adding that the Guru had blessed Khusro and promised him that he should become Emperor. Chandu also represented to the Emperor that, if he did not have Khusro quickly arrested, the pretender would receive great military assistance from the followers of the Guru. The people of the Panjab, he said, were all highway robbers. The pandits and the qazis also thought it a favourable opportunity to institute new proceedings against the Guru on the old charge of having compiled a book which blasphemed the worship and rules of the Hindus and the prayers and fastings of the Muhammadans. By such accusations Chandu induced the Emperor to summon Guru Arjan. Chandu’s heart was now gratified, for he knew he had at last secured his revenge.
Bilawal Chhant. ↩︎
Also translated—The world (men) is like a demon or a beast; it killeth what is unlawful and eateth carrion. ↩︎
Tilang. ↩︎
Suhi. ↩︎
A gold muhar is now about the value of an old English guinea. ↩︎
Ramkali. The words in the first part of the lines of this hymn are Hindi, and refer to the Hindus and their worship. The words in the second part are Arabic, and refer to Muhammadans and their worship. ↩︎
Bilawal. ↩︎
Bilawal. ↩︎
Todi. ↩︎
Sorath. ↩︎