It’s the time of year that we remember the Chaar Sahibzaade, the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji: Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Sahibzada Jujhar Singh, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh, and Sahibzada Fateh Singh. We remember the sahibzaade because their sacrifice means today’s freedom, and because their courage is our inspiration.
We can remember their sacrifice in a number of ways. First, we need to know our history. Second, we need to learn from our history. Puneet Singh Nanda writes about qualities of the Sahibzaade that we can incorporate into our lives such as standing up against oppression, not giving up your path for worldly pleasures (they didn’t take the worldly goods offered as bribes), having faith, and learning that physical death is not to be feared if we can be jeevan mukht through our mind. 'Thoughtful Kaur' reminds us that an important part of remembering the Chaar Sahibzaade is remembering that as we are all Guru Ji’s children, we all have the potential to gain the amount of strength, courage, and faith that they had. We just need to build this strength. So I think the biggest thing for us from remembering the Sahibzaade is to work on progressing our spiritual path, to learn and follow the teachings of Gurbani.
The history:
The creation of the Khalsa united the Sikhs, which caused the Rajput Chiefs/Hill Rajas to become concerned as the basis of their power was a system of discrimination, which the Sikhs were against. The Raja of Bilaspur (near Anandpur) unsuccessfully tried to force Guru Ji to move from 1700-1704. These Rajput Chiefs then approached Aurangzeb, and with the help of his army and the Governor of Lahore, they laid siege on Anandpur fort in May 1705. The Sikhs stayed strong despite their limited resources. Finally, the Mughals grew tired and Aurganzeb made an oath on the Qur’an that the Sikhs could exit safely if they left Anandpur. After such a prolonged period with little food and ammunition, the Sikhs left in December 1705. The Hill Rajas and the Mughals broke their promise and went after the Sikhs.
On the night of December 5, 1705 Guru Gobind Singh Ji and his fellow Sikhs left Andandpur Sahib when it was raining heavily, and crossed the Sarsa river with the Mughal army pursuing them. Sahibzaade Ajit Singh (18) and Jujhar Singh (14) made it to the Fort of Chamkaur by December 6 with Guru Gobind Singh Ji and a group of 40 Sikhs. They suffered many casualties trying to cross the Sarsa, and many precious manuscripts of prayers were also lost in the river. On December 7, 1705 the enemy had surrounded Fort Chamkaur and the Sikhs had exhausted their ammunition and arrows. They were “a mere forty defying a hundred thousand,” in the words of Guru Ji. There were over 100,000 Moghul soldiers on foot and 700 mounted, pursuing the small group of 40 Sikhs. The Sikhs were left to fight with swords and spears only. Guru Ji sent out his sons to battle. Sahibzada Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh were martyred while leading other Sikhs into battle. Guru Ji writes in the Zafarnama (to Emperor Aurangzeb), “It matters little if a jackal through cunning and treachery succeeds in killing two lion’s cubs, for the lion himself lives to inflict retribution on you.” After the battle, Guru Ji and three Sikhs escaped into the wilderness with the help of Gani Khan and Nabi Khan, two Muslim devotees.
Meanwhile, on December 5th Mata Gujri and the younger Sahibzaade Zorawar (age 9) Singh and Fateh Singh (age 7), and the cook Gangu were separated from Guru Ji. At that time it was winter and they were wandering through the jungles, so Gangu offered for them to stay in his home. Gangu was greedy and stole Mata Ji’s bag of coins. Mata Ji questioned him and he in turn, went to turn them in to the officials, who arrested the Sahibzade and Mata Gujri on December 8th and confined them in Thanda Burj (Cold tower) at Sarhind. The tower was freezing at night and they were allowed nothing to eat or drink. They slept on the bare floor and listened to the stories of Mata Ji. She instilled confidence and courage. The governor of Murinda went to get the Sahibzaade to meet Nawab Wazir Khan and separated them from Mata Ji, telling them that their father and brothers had been killed. The Sahibzaade did not believe him. They greeted Nawab Wazir Khan with "Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!" and refused to bow down to him. He tried to get them to convert to Islam by bribing them with many gifts and riches but the Sahibzaade stayed strong, even when they faced death. Baba Zorawar Singh told the Nawab that he lied about Guru Ji's death and that they would not give up their faith. They stayed another night at the Thanda Burj due to Nawab Sher Muhammad Khan’s insistence that they should not be killed.
The next day Nawab Wazir Khan ordered them to be bricked alive and when he hesitated due to Nawab Sher Muhammad Khan’s pleas, Diwan Suchchanand insisted that the children would grow up to be as their father was and they should not be spared. He is famously said to have used the example of a snake, "The offsprings of a cobra should be crushed." The brick wall was made as the Sahibzade recited Japji Sahib, but when the bricks reached their chests, the wall crumbled. Nawab Wazir Khan ordered them to be beheaded. Mata Gujri Ji passed away as well. Gurdwara Fategarh and Gurdwara Joti Sarup is now standing where Mata Ji and the small Sahibzaade were cremated.
When Guru Ji learned of the death of his younger sons as well he told the Sikhs “I have sacrificed four sons for the survival of the thousands of my sons who are still alive.” He wrote the shabad, Mitry Pyare Nu Haal Murida Da Kahna:
"Tell the beloved friend (the Lord) the plight of his disciples.
Without You, rich blankets are a disease and the comfort of the house is like living with snakes.
Our water pitchers are like stakes of torture and our cups have edges like daggers.
Your neglect is like the suffering of animals at the hands of butchers.
Our Beloved Lord's straw bed is more pleasing to us than living in costly furnace-like mansions."
He writes in the Zafarnama "What happened that you have killed four children (my sons), the coiled snake (in the form of my Khalsa) still remains.What manliness you have shown by extinguishing a few sparks(Sahibzadas).You have made the conflagration brighter and more furious."
May we always remember the lives given so we could have the right to practice our religion today, and the bravery that these young Sahibzaade had in choosing the path that was right instead of what was easy.
References:
A History of the Sikhs Volume I 1469-1839, 2nd Edition by Khushwant Singh
http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Supreme_sacrifice
