The Guru took leave of his family and his devoted Sikhs, and began his journey to Dihli on the first day of the month of Har—early in June immediately preceding the rains—when the heat is extreme in northern India. On his way he visited his sincere Muhammadan friend Saif-ul-din who lived at Saifabad, near the present fort of Bahadurgarh in the Patiala state, where an imposing temple has been erected in honour of the Guru. This man received him with great honour, and invited him to stay with him during the rainy season. The Guru accepted the invitation, and during his stay gave religious instruction and spiritual happiness to many faithful Sikhs. Saif-ul-din ever found some new service to perform for the Guru, and their conversation was continually of God. Saif-ul-din became a convert to the Guru’s faith.
At the close of the rains in the beginning of October Aurangzeb again sent two messengers to hasten the Guru’s progress to Dihli. They went to Anandpur, but he was not there. They tried Amritsar but with similar ill success. They then returned to Dihli, and reported that the Guru had fled. Aurangzeb dispatched orders all over his empire to find and arrest him. The Guru remembered his own promise and took his leave of Saif-ul-din. Saif-ul-din became very sad at parting with his guest, and begged him to take him with him. The Guru excused himself on the ground that he had private business, in which it would be irksome for him to assist. He then dismissed all his Sikhs except five, namely, Mati Das, [ p. 374 ] Gurditta of the line of Bhai Budha, and three others whose names are said to have been Uda, Chima, and Dayala, and proceeded to give himself up to the Emperor at Dihli.
The Guru and his five followers first halted at Garhi near Samana, in the Patiala state. The Guru pitched his tent outside the village wallg. While there a Pathan, who had been introduced to him at Saifabad, went and paid him homage, and made him offerings. He begged the Guru to remain with him for some days. The Guru said he must move onward, and asked his Pathan friend to allow him.
The Guru went thence to a village called Hali. There lived a masand who through fear of the Muhammadans would not even visit him. The Guru next proceeded to Chikha in the present Karnal district, where lived a masand called Galaura. The Guru had once found him as a waif, and brought him up to manhood. He then left his service and went to his native village, where he was now delighted to receive his old master. The Guru knowing his devotion stayed with him and gave him spiritual instruction. Galaura’s wife, who is described as a very simpleminded person, the Guru blessed, and to Galaura himself he gave a quiver full of arrows to serve him in the hour of need. He exhorted him to act honestly on all occasions and he should prosper, but if he ever acted dishonestly he should perish.
The Guru then proceeded to Karha where there was a temple erected to Guru Har Gobind, who had rested there when he was going to visit Nanakmata. There resided another masand who through fear of the Muhammadans would not visit the Guru. The Guru, however, received great attention from an agriculturist whom he induced to dig a Bawali for the benefit of wayfarers. The Guru then went to the village of Khar where he passed the night giving religious instruction to Sikhs. When they [ p. 375 ] heard him they began to moralize on the political condition. They said that the Turks had arrived at such a pitch of power that no one could withstand them. He replied, ‘The king who acteth according to his religion, who practiseth justice, who is not greedy, who protecteth and showeth mercy to his subjects, who dispelleth their sorrows and conferreth happiness on them instead, who receiveth only reasonable revenue, who suppresseth thieves and robbers, who removeth the many similar obstacles to good government, and who ever acteth honestly, shall secure sovereignty for his descendants.
‘But those who, though they may have obtained empire by virtuous conduct in previous births, now perform evil deeds, who devote themselves mainly to sexual pleasures, and neither listen to nor make themselves acquainted with the sufferings of their subjects, who seize wealth by every means in their power, and who feel not compassion for the poor, shall find their empire and dignity daily decrease. Aurangzeb hath now formed very evil designs and seeketh to destroy the Hindu religion. In the wantonness of his pride he practiseth violence and oppression. His suffering subjects fear for their lives. Wherefore it is now abundantly manifest that his empire and dignity cannot abide but shall all gradually perish, and that there shall none of his progeny remain even to beat a drum.’ [1]
Many Rajas of the present age who suppose their position is the result of greatly meritorious acts in previous births, and that they have nothing to do but enjoy themselves in this, may not unwisely ponder on the Guru’s words.
Next morning the Guru reached Khatkar in the Patiala state. He sent for flour and dal, and had them cooked for his dinner. During the night the villagers formed a design to steal his horse, which [ p. 376 ] they saw was of excellent strain and of great value. Six men went to take away the animal, but, it is said, were immediately stricken blind and had to abandon their design. On this they recovered their sight and went to their homes. On discussing the incident there, they learned that the horse belonged to a celebrated priest. They then decided to go with offerings and beseech his pardon. They asked for another favour, that the Guru should sweeten the brackish water of their village. Both requests were granted. The Guru, drawing an arrow from his quiver, said that, as far as the arrow flew, the water of the earth should become sweet. They were enjoined to sink a well within that radius, and their labour should be rewarded. In this way the Guru continued his journey, conferring temporal and spiritual favours on his audience until he reached Agra. There he encamped in a garden outside the city.
The Guru sent for a shepherd boy he saw in the garden and asked him to do him a favour. The Guru took from his finger a large gold ring set with diamonds, and asked the shepherd to go and pledge it and bring him two rupees’ worth of sweets. The shepherd said he had no cloth in which to wrap them. Upon this the Guru took off a very valuable shawl he wore, and handed it to him for the purpose. The boy, not knowing the Guru, enjoined him to look after his herd of sheep and goats, and departed on his errand. The Sikhs who accompanied the Guru were astonished at what he had done. Mati Das took the liberty of saying, ‘ Have we not money ? why hast thou parted with thy ring ? Moreover, instead of a handkerchief thou hast given thy valuable shawl to bring the sweets in.’ The Guru replied that what he had done had been done by God’s will which could not be set aside by hundreds of devices.
The shepherd went into the city, and stopping at a confectioner’s shop showed the ring. The confectioner on examining it said it was a priceless [ p. 377 ] article, and asked the boy from whom he had received it. The boy told him, whereupon the confectioner weighed the sweets. When the boy presented the shawl to wrap them up in, the confectioner became still more astonished. He said that the boy must have stolen both the ring and the shawl, as the owner of the latter could never have sent it to be spoiled with sweets. The confectioner accordingly arrested the shepherd and took him to the police office. The boy, on being interrogated, said he had got both the ring and the shawl from a stranger who had taken shelter in a certain garden, and he described him and his five companions. The police officer sent two policemen to make inquiries regarding the visitor.
When the policemen arrived, they asked the Guru who he was. The Guru candidly told them his name and station. On hearing this one of the constables returned to the police office to give information and the other remained to watch the Guru. The Kotwal was delighted to hear that Guru Teg Bahadur had been found at last, and to think that he should get a large reward from the Emperor for his capture. The police officer then went to the governor of the fort, told him the circumstances, and chuckled at the thought that they should all become great men after the capture of the much-sought-for Guru. The Governor of the fort ordered one hundred horsemen to equip themselves and accompany the police officer to arrest the Guru. The Guru frankly replied to all their questions. They then informed him that the Emperor had sent written orders in all directions to arrest him, and asked him to kindly go with them to the fort, and they would inquire the Emperor’s wishes regarding him. The Guru at once ordered his horse to be saddled and with his five Sikh followers entered the fort. The Guru at his arrest and in the fort preserved his marvellous equanimity, never showing the slightest sign of displeasure or disappointment.
[ p. 378 ]
The Governor of the fort and the police officer reported the arrest to the Emperor. The latter was overjoyed at the capture of the great Guru of the Sikhs. He said that his wish had been fulfilled, and he would now convert the Guru to Islam, and the Muhammadan religion would then be rapidly accepted by the people. He sent off a regiment of twelve hundred horse to Agra to bring the Guru to his presence. He explained to them that the prisoner must not escape. If any persons were to assist him in endeavouring to do so, the regiment was to perform its duty. The soldiers were not, however, to annoy the Guru in any way on the journey to Dihli.
Suraj Parkash, Ras XII, Chap. 34. The Guru’s prophecy has been amply fulfilled. ↩︎