The cruel and bigoted Emperor Aurangzeb still reigned in Dihli. As we have previously seen, he had imprisoned and starved to death his own father, killed his own brothers—Dara Shikoh and Murad—and disgraced his eldest son Muazim, afterwards Bahadur Shah. On account of all his crimes he was heartily hated even by his own co-religionists. He then sent for his priests and asked them what he was to do to regain the sympathy of the Muhammadans. His counsellors said he could only do so by converting the Hindus to Islam. He should send money and other presents to Makka and Madina. His priests would take them and bring him credentials from those holy cities to show that he was an orthodox and religious Muhammadan. All this being done he was to issue proclamations throughout the empire that the Hindus should embrace Islam, and that those who did so should receive jagirs, state service, and all the immunities granted to royal favourites.[1] The Emperor [ p. 369 ] took the advice of his priests, and all the plans suggested were adopted.
The experiment of conversion was first tried in Kashmir. There were two reasons for this. In the first place, the Kashmiri Pandits were supposed to be educated, and it was thought that, if they were converted, the inhabitants of Hindustan would readily follow their example ; secondly, Peshawar and Kabul, Muhammadan countries, were near, and if the Kashmiris offered any resistance to their conversion, the Muhammadans might declare a religious war and overpower and destroy them. It was also believed by the Emperor-—without foundation as it afterwards turned out—that the Kashmiri Brahmans might be tempted by promises of money and government appointments, because the beggary and meanness of the inhabitants of that country were proverbial.[2]
The Emperor Akbar by the force of wealth and military genius not only subdued Muhammadan India but also Rajputana. His obsequious ministers signed a document which allowed him as the shadow of God on earth full jurisdiction to decide all religious questions. Instead of the Muhammadan creed he was gratified with the formula, ‘ There is no God but God, and Akbar is God’s representative.’ Men prostrated themselves before him, offered him vows, and addressed him as a deity. He caused his name to be inserted in the hymns to the gods and goddesses, and poets were found to grant him divine honours. Aurangzeb who deemed himself an orthodox Muhammadan thought that byhisown line of action he shou!d be even greater and more successful than Akbar.
Sher Afghan Khan, the Emperor’s viceroy in Kashmir, set about converting the Kashmiris by the sword and massacred those who persevered in their adherence to the faith of their forefathers. It is [ p. 370 ] said there was piled up a heap of one man and a quarter, or a hundred weight of janeus or sacrificial threads. The Hindus who would not be converted and whom Sher Afghan Khan’s troops could not capture fled the country. Even Muhammadans who in any way assisted the Hindus were mercilessly put to death.
At last Sher Afghan Khan began to reflect that there was too much slaughter, and it might happen to him as it did to the Emperor Humayun, whom Sher Shah, the Afghan chief, expelled from India, or as it happened to the Muhammadans whose seed had been extirpated from his dominions by Raja Jaipal, whose motto was, ‘ When I die there shall be an end of the world.’ Thus reflecting, Sher Afghan Khan sent for the Kashmiri Pandits, informed them of the Emperor’s order, said he was only obeying it, and begged their forgiveness. They became silent for a while, and then sued for a respite of six months to consider whether they should embrace Islam or die for their religion. Sher Afghan Khan after all the slaughter of which he had been the instrument, was glad to accede to their request.
Meanwhile the process of conversion went on in India. Aurangzeb at first resorted to the four means of traditional Indian policy in dealing with the Hindus. He made peaceable overtures, then offered money, then threatened punishment, and lastly caused dissension among them. When these measures failed, he had recourse to forcible conversion. He destroyed temples and converted them into mosques. He killed cows, so sacred in Hindu estimation, threw their flesh into wells, and forced Hindus to drink the water therefrom. Not satisfied with this defilement, he used to send the Hindus to mosques and force them to pray to the misnamed Rahim (merciful God), instead of their own Ram, a god of mildness and compassion.
When the respite of six months obtained from [ p. 371 ] Sher Afghan Khan was approaching its end, the Kashmiri Pandits were supernaturally informed that in this last age of the world Guru Nanak was spiritual king. He would protect religion. No Hindu god had power to doso. The ninth king in succession to him, Guru Teg Bahadur, was now on his throne. They should repair to him, and he would protect their honour and their faith.
The Pandits heard that the Guru was then at Anandpur on the bank of the Satluj, and thither they proceeded. On their way they stayed at Amritsar, where they bathed in the sacred tank of Guru Kam Das. They then proceeded to Anandpur, where they arrived after much discomfort and suffering, owing to their ignorance of travel in an unknown country in the plains of India and in the hot season.
On their arrival in Anandpur, they told the Guru their sad story—how the Hindus of their country were being converted notwithstanding the respite granted to themselves, and how a man and a quarter weight of janeus had been collected from Hindu converts to Islam. They represented to the Guru that he had been born with the express object of preserving religion, that his very name had power to cherish those who sought his protection ; and thev implored him to preserve the honour of their faith in whatever way he deemed most expedient.
The Guru sat silent, and for some time pondered on their request. His darling boy Gobind was then playing in the hall, and on seeing his father sad and thoughtful went to him. His father spoke not, but tenderly embraced him. The boy said, ‘ Father dear, why sittest thou silent to-day ? Why not regard me with thy usual look of affection ? What offence have I committed that thou wilt not even look cheerfully on me?’ The Guru taking compassion on his dear child—dear as only Gobind Rai could be—seated him near him and said, * My son, thou knowest nothing yet. Thou art still a child. [ p. 372 ] This matter on which the Kashmiris have come is of vital importance. The world is grieved by the oppression of the Turks. No brave man is now to be found. He who is willing to sacrifice his life shall free the earth from the burden of the Muhammadans.’ The child replied: ‘ For that purpose who is more worthy than thou who art at once generous and brave ?’[3]
When Guru Teg Bahadur heard this from his child’s lips he divined everything that was to follow. Fle told the Kashmiris to go in a body to Dihli and make the following representation to the Emperor : ‘Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru is now seated on the throne of the great Guru Nanak, who is protector of faith and religion. First make him a Musalman and then all the people, including ourselves, will of our own accord adopt the faith.’ They obeyed the Guru and proceeded to Dihli to urge his self-sacrificing proposal. The Emperor, after consulting his Muhammadan doctors, adopted it with extreme joy. He said, ‘If the Guru become not a Muhammadan, he will at any rate show us a miracle.’ Having thus decided the Emperor sent two officers to summon him. He was full of hope, which he expressed to his Qazis, that, once the Guru was converted, there would be a large accession of Hindu and Sikh converts.
The officers who bore the Emperor’s order to the Guru, billeted themselves on the towns and villages through which they passed. Four porters pressed into service at every village for each officer were obliged to take his palki to the next. In this way they were not long in comfortably accomplishing the journey to Anandpur. On hearing that the Guru gave audience in the morning, they sent word that they had a message for him from the Emperor. The Guru said that he was already expecting them, and he was not sorry that they had at last arrived. He [ p. 373 ] read the Emperor’s order, and wrote in reply that he would come to Dihli after the rainy season. He then handed his letter to the officers and dismissed them. They proceeded on their return journey without further molestation of the Guru.
According to the Suraj Parkash, Gobind Rai, though summoned by his father from Patna to Anandpur, never met him again. But, according to Bhai Sukha Singh’s Gur Bilas, an older work, Gobind Rai reached his father in Anandpur. Indeed, this would appear to be the case from Gobind Rai’s own statement. He writes: ‘ They took me to the Panjab where nurses of different sorts fondled me and cherished me in every way. I received instruction in various forms.’ It is certain that this was imparted under his father’s supervision. ↩︎
Khulasat ul-Tawarikh. Abul Fazal wrote—‘ The bane of this country is its people.’ ↩︎
Sukha Singh’s Gur Bilas, Chap. V. ↩︎