By Asia Samachar | Faith |
Guru Arjan is the first of two Sikh Gurus sacrificed their lives for something larger than themselves. Some of often reasons given for the martyrdom is being questioned by today’s youth. So, what was the driving factor behind the great martyrdom?
The compilation of ‘spiritual messages’ into the Pothi Sahib (precursor to the Guru Granth Sahib) was a major impetus that led to the eventual martyrdom of the fifth Sikh Guru.
Did you know that the Mughal emperor Jahangir – a fanatical and intolerant religious zealot – ordered that composition of his choosing be added to the Pothi Sahib?
“Guru Arjan refused on grounds that the sacro-sanctity of Gurbani and the compositions of the 34 divine beings and Pothi Sahib could not be violated,” Karminder Singh Dhillon argued in a message from Global Sikh Council (GSC) in conjunction with the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan.
“Jahangir brought the weight of his empire to bear in Guru Arjan Ji in the form of unspeakable tortures.”
Lessons for Sikhs and humanity:
- Freedom of beliefs and the freedom to practice those beliefs
- Love for humanity in wanting to give us the divine experiences of 34 divine beings in an unadulterated and untainted form.
- To allow Sikhs, in particular, and humanity, in general, to have access to divinity within the Pothi Sahib for time immemorial.
Click here for the message in English and here for message in Panjabi.
RELATED STORY:
Martyrdom: Meaning & Purpose (Asia Samachar, 18 June 2018)
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