By Karminder Singh Dhillon | Sikhi |
Guru Gobind Singh looms large in the minds of Sikhs. What are the life lessons that we can pick up from the tenth Master of the Sikhs? We asked Karminder Singh Dhillon to put on his thinking turban to list them out.
- Tasks That Are Entrusted to One Must Be Completed.
The task of creating a complete spiritual being amongst human kind was conceptualized by Guru Nanak upon his coming on the 1st of Vesakh 1469. Eight subsequent Gurus were assigned the task of progressing this task. Guru Gobind Singh ji was entrusted the task of completing the mission – which he did on the 1st of Vesakh 1699. Had he not done so, the entire mission and the efforts and sacrifices of his predecessor Gurus would have become futile.
- Perfecting a Human Being Takes Time.
The task of elevating the human being towards becoming one with the Creator within and one with Humanity without took 10 Gurus 239 years in total (1469 till 1708). This is because human beings have to be persuaded, convinced and won over in terms of their hearts and minds for them to accept change; and because the human being must want to change. Both of these processes require a great deal of time.
- It is Not How Long One Lives, But What One Does in One’s Lifetime.
Guru Gobind Singh ji’s life span was 42 years. In this short life he accomplished an enormous amount of tasks and made even more enormous sacrifices. He steered Guru Nanak’s mission towards completion, established the Khalsa, fought 13 defensive battles and re-edited the entire Pothi Sahib to present it as the Aad Guru Granth Sahib. He also sacrificed his father first, and his 4 sons subsequently – thus ending his blood lineage – and his mother too. Writer Shah Mohamad has put it well – One could count the stars in the night sky if one was sufficiently diligent, but not the contributions of Guru Gobind Singh.
- Fight for Principles, the Wronged and Downtrodden, not for Self Gain.
All 13 of the battles that Guru Gobind Singh fought were defensive, on the principle of self-determination and against oppressors. Of these, two were against the ruling tyrant and intolerant extremist Aurangzeb. The remainder were against the Hindu Hill Rajas who wanted to annihilate Guru Gobind Singh ji because his principles of equality of humankind, embracement of human beings who were considered “low caste” by the religious dogma, and gender equality went against the beliefs that were held by the Hill Rajas. The Guru came out victorious in all 13 battles, but he did not occupy one inch of territory, loot one cent from anybody, or capture war gains of any sort. His fight simply was of a different type.
- Fight Against Wrongs, Injustices and Tyranny Not Against People Who Subscribe to These.
This principle may appear contradictory but only if the nuances are ignored. Guru Gobind Singh fought against Aurangzeb and all the people who supported the Mugal ruler’s tyranny and intolerance. But the battle was against the tyranny per se. It was against the tyrants – only for as long as they subscribed to tyranny. When Aurangzeb’s successor Bahadur Shah discarded the tyrannical ways of the Mugal empire, the Guru struck a friendship with him – joining him on hunting expeditions even. Had Aurangzeb changed his ways, there is no reason to believe that the Guru would not have treated him the same was as he did Bahadur Shah.
- When it Comes to Use of Force, Never Take the First Resort.
In the Battle of Bhangani, the Hill Raja Hari Chand challenged Guru Gobind Singh to a duel. The Guru accepted his challenge because the reasoning was that the duel would decide the outcome of the battle; and thousands of deaths of the soldiers on both sides could be thus avoided. In the duel, Guru Gobind Singh ji gave the first attack opportunity to Hari Chand who aimed his arrow at Guru ji’s horse to prevent the Guru from escaping should the Guru change his mind. When he missed, the Guru gave him a second opportunity. This time he aimed at the Guru, and missed again. The Guru offered him yet another opportunity. This time the arrow from Hari Chand’s bow pierced the Guru’s leather armor and injured him. The Guru claimed his turn and eliminated Hari Chand. Offering three chances to the enemy that has come to kill you is the Guru’s way of saying “I do not subscribe to use of force at the first resort.”
- Numbers don’t Matter, Conviction Does.
In all of his 13 battles, the Guru was grossly outnumbered – in some cases a hundred to one. At the Chamkaur Fort, all he had was some 40 warriors. But he was victorious in all his battles. This is because while the other side had numbers, well paid mercenaries, the backing of kings, and equipment; the Guru’s Sikhs were imbued with a just cause, passion to fight for their principles, their love for their Guru, and an unparalleled determination to sacrifice. The Guru proved that the ones fighting to earn a living – no matter how big their numbers – cannot defeat those with deep convictions – no matter how small their numbers.
- Leave a Legacy that Benefits Mankind.
Most mortals leave behind gifts, inheritances, bequests and legacies that benefit the next of kin or families. What Guru Gobind Singh left behind was for mankind as a whole. His greatest gift to mankind is the Aad Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. This is a legacy for the entire human race; for the entirety of the spiritual world and for humanity in general. No one single group can lay claim to this legacy.
- Role-modeling Begins at Home.
Leaders – religious ones included – are often seen to be good at preaching to the outside world while failing in their own homes. The fact that the Guru’s four young sons aged 7 till 16 were able to walk the path of principles instilled in them by their father is clear indication that he had been a good role model for his own family as much as he was to the world at large.
- Caste and Socio-economic Status Are Dividing Forces That Need to be Eliminated.
The principle had been introduced by Guru Nanak, the subsequent Gurus, and expounded on passionately by the 35 spiritualists whose writings are contained within the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Gobind Singh ji added his part by ensuring that the initiation ceremony of the Khalsa in 1699 was participated in by individuals from all walks of life. He further insured that the first five Sikhs who partook in the initiation came from different geographic locations, had disparate socio-economic backgrounds, and belonged to different “castes.” It was his way of unifying humanity by eliminating the dividing factors.
Sikh thinker, writer and parcharak Karminder Singh Dhillon, PhD (Boston), is a retired Malaysian civil servant. He is the joint-editor of The Sikh Bulletin and author of The Hijacking of Sikhi. The author can be contacted at dhillon99@gmail.com.
RELATED STORY:
Do we, the Sikhs, know the truth about Guru Gobind Singh? (Asia Samachar, 4 Jan 2024)
The story of Guru Gobind Singh’s Sahibzade (Asia Samachar, 26 Dec 2023)
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Gurfateh Jios.
A side reflection on the number 52 – apart from the instances of 52 mentioned in the above posts, there is another famous 52 !! This is the 52 Bachans of Guru Gobind Singh often quoted as the Do’s and Dont’s ordained by GGS. ( Many are not in conformity with the sidhants of SGGS and therefore suspect as well)
My essay is an attempt to answer the question posed by Asia Samachar to me namely, “What are the life lessons that we can pick up from the tenth Master of the Sikhs?” Had I been asked to write about the Guru’s talents – which are plentiful – including that Guru Sahib was a scholar, I would not have been able to include them all (or even a majority of them) in a 10-point essay.
All our Gurus and Bhagats were scholars and prolific writers. The irrefutable evidence is within the 1429 pages of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji (SGGS).
The fact remains that the tenth Guru composed no bani. If he had, he would have included it into the SGGS. After all, he edited the SGGS and added his father Guru Teg Bahadur’s bani. So Dr Gurnam Singh ji’s statement that “Guru Sahiib was famed for his passion for scholarship and literature as evidenced by his patronage to 52 poets and his own prolific social, political and spiritual compositions,” needs evidence.
The following points are worth noting. One, patronage of 52 poets does not necessarily translate into “prolific, social, political and spiritual compositions.” Babur, Akbar, Jahangir, Aurangzeb and many other rulers patronized hundreds of poets, singers, musicians, artists, dancers etc. It does not mean any of them added anything to these fields.
Two, those who believe Guru ji wrote compositions will inevitably point to the Dasam Granth (DG). But the contents of this granth are deeply defective on two counts – first, they are lifted from pre-existing granths such as the Shiv Puran, Bhagvat Puran, Markanday Puran, Shansarnama etc; and second – some 600 pages of it are filled with 404 tales of sexual depravity. So if the conclusion is that Guru Sahib did indeed write these compositions, then what is the life lesson from such contents that we Sikhs can pick up?
Three, there is an anti-Sikh segment based in Benares, joined in by the Nirmlas – who are in the business of forcing the notion that the DG is composed by Guru Sahib. One of the ways this is done is to push the notion that the Guru was a great scholar, a great poet and a great writer. And that he patronized 52 poets. One has to read the writings of the Nirmlas such as Santokh Singh, Gyan Singh, and Veer Singh as well as those of the Arya Samajis such as Dya Nand to see how they have drilled home these points in their writings – all to prove that Guru Sahib is the author of the DG.
Four, one can ask why 52? – especially since the figure 52 is auspicious to Snatan thought. Is it a coincidence that the sixth Guru too freed 52 Hindu Rajas from Gwalior on Diwali day? Or does this 52 thing end up showing the real hands of people behind these sort of narratives?
Every Sikh aspires to accord the highest of virtues and qualities to our Gurus. But in doing so, we need to be able to discern the truth from claims that are intended to advance questionable agendas.
The fact remains that all our 10 Gurus followed in the tradition of Guru Nanak who was a great scholar, poet, musician, linguist and writer. The fact also remains that Guru Gobind Singh did not leave us any writings of his own. All claims to the contrary need to be established with evidence.
I agree with all the above observations, and I have immense respect for Dr Dhillon’s writing. However, given Gurusahiib was famed for his passion for scholarship and literature as evidenced by his patronage to 52 poets and his own prolific social, political and spiritual compositions, why this aspect was not mentioned! Please note, I am not seeking to enter the debate regarding the so called ‘Dasam Granth’, but a recognition that Guru Sahib, in addition to being a ‘saint/soldier’ was also a scholar.
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