Prince George Sikh Youth: Four Sons and a Mother: Remembering Guru Ji's Family

Quilla Anandgarh (1/5 forts at Anadpur)

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 as well as Mata Gujri Ji. This weekend we have an Akhand Paath to commemorate the older Sahibzaade, next weekend will be for the younger Sahibzaade and Mata Gujri Ji.

This year for the first time we travelled to see Anandpur Sahib, Sarsa Nadi (the river where the family was separated), as well as the locations of the martyrdoms and Macchiware. I will add pictures of those through this post.

Looking back at the history, it is important to reflect on what happened. The creation of the Khalsa united the Sikhs but the Rajput Hill Rajas became concerned as the basis of their power was a system of discrimination, which the Sikhs were against. The Raja of Bilaspur 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. Anandpur Fort is actually unconquerable, it took this broken promise to bring the Sikhs out.

On the night of December 5, 1705 Guru Gobind Singh Ji and his fellow Sikhs left Anandpur 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. At Chamkaur the Sikhs stayed in a mud two-story house. Very sadly, the original Chamkaur-de-Gari/Kachi Gari was demolished by the SGPC and replaced with a new Gurdwara Sahib. Our original history has been lost just for the sake of modernization. See picture of the original Kachi Gari on the right (https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwara_Garhi_Sahib)

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.” 37 Sikhs were martyred including 3/5 Panj Pyare. The remaining five Sikhs used their authority of Guruship and told guru Ji to escape at night, followed by three Sikhs. Guru Ji gave his clothing to Sangat Singh, and in the meantime escaped, as well as Bhai Dya Singh, Dharam Singh and Mani Singh. When the Mughals invaded the next day, Sangat Singh and Sant Singh were martyred.

Gurdwara Thanda Burj
(cold tower where the Sahibzaade slept)

Meanwhile, on December 5^th 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 confronted him so he went to turn them in to the officials, who arrested the Sahibzade and Mata Gujri on December 8^th and confined them in Thanda Burj (Cold tower) at Sarhind (pronounced sar-handh). 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 but the Sahibzade refused to believe him. They greeted Nawab Wazir Khan with "Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!" and refused to bow down to him. He purposefully made the door to the room small so they would have to crouch down to enter (and bow), but instead they put their feet through first. He tried to get them to convert to Islam by bribing them with many gifts and riches but the young 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.

Gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib
(where the Sahibzaade were martyred)

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. It is notable to say there has been some research done which I read on Sikhnet last year which also talks about the fact that the retelling of what happened is perhaps much milder than what actually happen to the younger Sahibzaade and they were actually tortured prior to being bricked alive.

Tree under which Guru Ji
wrote the shabad

When Guru Ji learned of the death of his younger sons 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 while sitting under a tree at Machiwara forest.
"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."

For a beautiful version of this shabad listen to this:

Guru Ji went to the house of Gulaba then visited Gani Khan and Nabi Khan’s home for two days and nights. The brothers were horse dealers and knew Guru Ji from Anandpur. They called him “Uch Da Peer”- the holy man of the old seat of Muslim Saints. Then Gani Khan, Nabi Khan, Bhai Dya Singh, Dharam Singh and Mani Singh carried out Guru Ji on a palanquin, disguised as their prophet so that Guru Ji could make a safe escape from the Mughals. 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. When we think about how this is possible that these Sahibzaade were able to make such a sacrifice, or that Guru Ji was able to cope with the loss of both of his parents and all of his sons. It is only through the understanding of what it means to be merged into God completely, that there is no separation, all is God. Their lives didn’t end or begin on this earth and they achieved mukhti; that they did what needed to be done.

We remember the sahibzaade because their sacrifice means today’s freedom, and because their courage is our inspiration. 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 should be inspired by this story to read stories of our children as Mata Ji read to the Sahibzaade as it gave them strength, as well as to read Gurbani and build internal strength.

Links to poems about the Sahibzaade are below. I read Je Chalo Ho Sarhand Nu today at the Gurdwara and will be trying to read throughout the week in the evenings as well as on Wednesday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjdKr6KTSgw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1iQhh3Ps0o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgLzn8ovDNg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpdK-6_jyNw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smMIdcndDbw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1aSTZIfGc&t=199s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7WZf7OLZMQ

I sang these and posted them on my youtube channel as well: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaJVqGlOz5r_yLZk2KkcenQ

References:

http://www.sikhspirit.com/khalsa/sahibzadas.htm

http://sikhism.about.com/od/Historic-Events/p/Battle-Of-Chamkaur-And-Martyrdom-Of-Elder-Sahibzadas-December-1705.htm

https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Char_Sahibzade