Mata Sahib Kaur, the Guru’s youngest wife, died of grief very soon after her husband. She was cremated at the shrine of Guru Har Krishan in Dihli. When Ajit Singh, the boy adopted by Mata Sundari, the Guru’s remaining wife, grew up, she provided him with a wife. He begot a son called Hathi Singh. Ajit Singh imitated the late Guru as much as possible. He used to hold court, call himself a guru, and entertain a retinue. He endeavoured to obtain from Mata Sundari the arms belonging to Guru HarGobind, which the late Guru had given to Sahib Kaur on her departure from Nander. Ajit Singh believed that if he wore them, every one would hail him as Guru. When he made his demand for the arms he was sharply reproved by Mata Sundari. On this he drew his dagger to kill her, but some friends interposed. Mata Sundari then cursed him, said he should forfeit his faith, and die an untimely death. One day as he was riding in the bazar his herald said to him, ‘O guru, behold the Muhammadans praying.” The Muhammadans overheard this, and, [ p. 255 ] believing that he ridiculed their religion, reported to the Emperor that under a Muhammadan administration the Sikhs were mocking the faithful. The Emperor at the instigation of the qazis ordered Ajit Singh to cut off his hair and appear thus humbled before him. If he failed in this, the Emperor reserved to himself the right to punish him as he thought fit. Ajit Singh, fearing death, cut off his hair, and grovelled before the Emperor. Mata Sundari was enraged on hearing of this act of apostasy, and told him never again to show her his face. She drew up a document to the effect that, though she had adopted and cherished Ajit Singh as a son, she now renounced him. She then entrusted Guru Har Gobind’s arms to the faithful Sikhs of Dihli, and expressed her desire to live no longer in such an evil and ill-omened city. The Sikhs, however, prevailed on her to alter her determination. Ajit Singh now abandoned by the Sikhs went to beg at Mata Sundari’s door. She sent him money, but would never consent to see him.
A Muhammadan fagir on whom Ajit Singh when in good circumstances used to bestow money, one day met him in the Dihli bazar, and asked for alms. Ajit Singh in his poverty could only give him a few copper coins. The faqir was not satisfied, but followed him to his house, and further importuned him. He would not leave but dogged his steps as he went shooting during the afternoon. Ajit Singh complained to his servants of the annoyance the beggar was causing him, whereupon they beat the man so severely that he died. They disposed of his body by throwing it into a well for the purpose of concealment.
The faqir’s fate gradually became known, and the Emperor ordered Ajit Singh to be arrested and brought before him. Ajit Singh refused to obey the order, and put himself in a posture of defence. His house was besieged, and his adherents fought bravely | [ p. 256 ] to protect him. He contrived to send his wife and son Hathi Singh, both disguised in soiled clothes, to MataSundari. He then succeeded in escaping from his house and concealed himself in astrawstack belonging to Hindus who lived near. The owner of the stack discovered him and on hearing that a proclamation had been issued for his arrest, informed the authorities. Ajit Singh was seized, tied to an elephant’s tail, and dragged through the city. Ata turning in one of the streets the elephant trod on his head, upon which his brains oozed out.
Mata Sundari, thinking her position unsafe in Dihli on account of having received Ajit Singh’s wife and son, put into execution her long-cherished project of abandoning that city and proceeded with her charge to Bhagatgarh. The head man of the place would not allow her, through fear of the Emperor, to remain in his city. She thence went to Mathura, where she was received with great distinction. The governor of the city induced the Raja of Jaipur to grant her the revenue of two villages and also a suitable place of residence. In Mathura Hathi Singh grew up to manhood, adopted his father’s style, and maintained a retinue of sixty mounted orderlies. He tried to compose hymns but inspiration failed him. He then abstracted some from the Granth Sahib, and wherever the name Nanak occurred inserted hisown. Mata Sundari on being informed of this became very wroth, abandoned Hathi Singh and his mother at Mathura, and returned to Dihli. During the invasion of Ahmad Shah, Hathi Singh fled from Mathura to Burhanpur, where he subsequently died, leaving no male issue.
When Mata Sundari arrived in Dihli she by the kind offices of Raja Ram, the Emperor’s minister, obtained possession of her house and property, which had been seized by the Muhammadans after her departure. She spent the remainder of her days there, and died in comparative worldly comfort in [ p. 257 ] Sambat 1804 (A.D. 1747). Her body was cremated near the shrine of Guru Har Krishan.
It will be remembered that when the Guru evacuated Anandpur, he sent Gulab Rai and Sham Singh with a letter to the Raja of Nahan requesting him to grant them the means of subsistence. The raja gave them two villages. Gulab Rai afterwards purchased Anandpur for sixty thousand rupees from the Kahlur Raja and returned to live there. He caused himself to be worshipped by the Sikhs and carried his unseemly pretensions so far as to actually instal himself in the Guru’s seat. Sadhu Gurbakhsh, who had been an attendant on the Guru and had by him been left in charge of Guru Teg Bahadur’s shrine, remonstrated against the usurpation, whereupon Gulab Rai became very angry, and addressed him in offensive language. Gurbakhsh then cursed him saying, “Thou and thy line shall perish!’ In a short time Gulab Rai and his two sons died. After that Gulab Rai’s widow took theofferings of the Sikhs, and remained in possession of Anandpur. When she was on the point of death she appointed Surjan Singh, Sham Singh’s son, now old and experienced, as heir of Anandpur. His descendants still occupy that city, and receive a yearly revenue from the Indian government and the Sikh states.
A Sikh writer called Gurdas, who lived long after the time of Guru Gobind Singh, wrote a War in his praise which the Sikhs appended to the compositions of Bhai Gur Das, and which now appears as the forty-first War. The following pauris are extracted from it :—
PAURI 15
Guru Gobind was manifested as the tenth avatar.
He repeated the name of the Creator who is unseen, eternal, and stainless.
He established the Khalsa, a sect of his own, and gave it great glory. [ p. 258 ]
Wearing long hair he grasped the sword and smote all his enemies.
He put on the kachh of continence and practised arms.
He established the Sikh war-cry and was victorious in mighty battles.
He caused all demon enemies to be surrounded and trampled upon.
Then his endless praise was gradually proclaimed throughout the world.
Thus arose the race of Singhs who wore blue clothes,
Who killed all the hostile Turks, and repeated God’s name.
No one could withstand them, so the Turkish leaders decamped :
Rajas, kings, and amirs all became the dust beneath the Singhs’ feet.
Great hills trembled when they heard their victorious drums. ,
There was then great commotion throughout the whole world ; the enemy abandoned their homes,
And perished in the great confusion and trouble that ensued.
There is none so great a destroyer of fear as the true Guru.
He handled and displayed such a sword as none could withstand.
Well done! well done Gobind Singh! thou wert at once Guru and disciple ! |
PAURI 16
By the order of the immortal God the great Guru obtained inspiration.
Then he gradually established the Khalsa, whole-bodied [1] and manly.
Then arose the roaring of the Singhs (lions) which terrified the whole world.
They levelled with the earth the shrines of Hindus and Muhammadans. [ p. 259 ]
They cancelled the Veds, the Purans, the six Hindu systems and the Quran.
They abolished the call to prayer and the prayer-carpet of the Muhammadans and killed the Turkish monarchs.
Temporal and spiritual leaders all hid themselves or became converted to Sikhism.
The Mullas and the Qazis grew weary of reading, but found not God’s secret.
Hundreds of thousands of Pandits, Brahmans, and Astrologers had become entangled in worldly affairs.
Worshipping stones and temples they had become exceedingly superstitious.
Both the Hindus and the Muhammadans were altogether engaged in deception.
Consequently a third religion, the Khalsa, arose and became renowned.
The Singhs by the order of Guru Gobind Singh seized the sword and wielded it.
They killed all their enemies and caused the name of the Immortal God to be repeated.
Then God’s order was promulgated in the world.
The drum of victory resounded and drowned the cry of SOITOW.
The great sagacious Guru established a third sect.
Well done! well done Gobind Singh! thou wert at once Guru and disciple !
Sabit. Not circumcised like the Muhammadans, and not cutting their hair or shaving like the Hindus. ↩︎