It 22 December,
on this day 348 years ago, a legend was born, a legend that enlightened the
world from his valour. He
was a symbol of bravery that showed a different way to live the life, for the
Indians. A legend who fought for the weak people of the society, a legend who
is the real role model for anyone, I am talking about- Guru Govind Singh. He
was a warrior, philosopher and poet, who contributed so much for the Sikhism.
He became the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine due to his father’s
sacrifice for the society. He was the son of Guru Tegh Bahadur, ninth guru of
Sikhs. His major contribution was to initiate the Sikh Khalsa in 1699, passing
the Guru-ship to the Eternal Sikh Guru, the Guru Granth Sahib- holy book of the
Sikhs.
In 1699, Guru Ji addressed his followers on April 13,
1699, the day of Vaisakhi. He addressed the
worshippers from the entryway of a tent pitched on a small hill. He first asked
everyone, who he was for them? Everyone answered - "You are our
Guru." He asked them, who were they, to which everyone replied - "We
are your Sikhs." He then said that today the Guru needs something from his
Sikhs. Everyone said, "Hukum Karo, Sache Patshah" (Order us,
True Lord). Then withdrawing his sword, he asked for a volunteer who was
willing to sacrifice his head. No one answered his call, but on later
invitation, Daya Ram came forward and offered his head to
the Guru. Guru Govind Singh took the volunteer inside the tent. The Guru
returned to the crowd with blood dripping from his sword. He then demanded
another head. One more volunteer came forward, and entered the tent with him.
The Guru again emerged with blood on his sword. This happened three more times.
Then the five volunteers came out of the tent in new clothing unharmed.
Guru Govind Singh Ji then poured clear
water into an iron bowl and added Punjabi sweeteners into it, he then stirred
it with a double-edged sword along with reading from Adi Granth. He called this
mixture as Amrit ("holy water")
and gave it to the five men. Guru Ji later honored these five men, who were
ready to sacrifice their life, as Panj Pyare. They
were the first (baptized) Sikhs of the Khalsa:
Daya Ram, Dharam Das, Himmat Rai, Mohkam Chand, and Sahib Chand.
Guru Govind Singh then
called a line, which has been the rallying-cry of the Khalsa since then:
'Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji Ki Fateh' (Khalsa belongs to God; victory
belongs to God). He gave them the entire name "Singh"
(lion), and selected them as the Khalsa, the body of baptized Sikhs.
He
founded a valiant tribe who must have five K’s along them- Kachha, Kangha,
Kesh, Kirpan and kada. Whose mission was to fight for the society and, against
the injustice of Mughals, they saved so many weak people from being, converted
into Islam. His life is an inspiration for us; we should honor him and respect
his life in the society. We should learn from his life and protect the poor
people of the society from being, converted into a Christian and Muslims, who
are doing this forceful conversion since independence. His life, his principles
and his dedication to the society is worth to remember. I believe the people of
the society should learn the characters of selflessness, patriotism and dignity
from him!
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