Shaheedi of Guru Arjan Dev Jee

Shaheedi of Guru Arjan Dev Jee

Guru Arjan Dev Ji, 1563-1606

As we all know this week marks the Shaheedi Divas (Martyrdom Day) of Guru Arjan Dev Ji who was the fifth Sikh Guru and the first Sikh martyr: he gave up his life for the Sikh people. He laid down the tradition of living in dignity and dying with honour, and paved the path for the tradition of martyrdom in Sikh history. The way in which he died changed the course of Sikhism forever. This is a very important day for all the Sikhs all over the Globe.  

Guru Arjan Dev Jee said, lived, and showed that he can accept Shaheedi (martyrdom) but he cannot accept insult. The way a leader or prophet lives becomes the character of the followers. Guru Sahib showed that a Sikh should live in dignity and die with honour, and that a Sikh should never tolerate insult or oppression.

It wrenches your heart to hear and read about his torture that we have no words to express, it just makes you feel very miserable and brings mist to your eyes.  

It is also very important for us to also know about his contributions towards Sikhism too and the reason of Martyrdom.

Guruji laid the foundation of the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) in Amritsar. He also designed the four doors in a Gurdwara, proclaiming that "My faith is for the people of all castes and all creeds from whichever direction they come and to whichever direction they bow."

He also declared that all Sikhs should donate a tenth of their earnings to charity.

The greatest contribution he made to the Sikh faith was to compile all of the past Gurus' writings into one book, now the holy scripture: the Guru Granth Sahib (as we Sikhs believe that Guru Granth Sahib is our Guru now after Guru Gobind Singhji the tenth Guru left his physical body in the year 1708). It was this holy book that made Guruji a martyr.

Guru Arjan Dev included the compositions of both Hindu and Muslim saints which he considered consistent with the teachings of Sikhism and the Gurus.  In 1606, the Muslim Emperor Jahangir ordered that he be tortured and sentenced to death after he refused to remove all Islamic and Hindu references from the Holy book. Through all these circumstances Guru Arjan Sahib Ji fell a victim to the bigotry and inhumanity of Jahangeer.

Chandu, the officer of Jahangeer, was in charge of torturing Guru Sahib. Guru Sahib told them, “I bear no enemies or ill-will against any one. All happens as God Almighty wills it to happen. I am prepared to accept His Will. You may do what you like”.

Chandu began to torture the Guru. It started then with Guru Jee not being given anything to eat or drink. He was kept awake and not allowed to sleep at night. Sit in a large copper vessel. He filled the vessel with water. He ordered his men to light a fire under the copper vessel. The water began to get hot. After a time, the water began to boil. It scalded Guru Sahib’s body.  Made some sand red hot in iron pans. Seat the Guru in burning water. Burning red-hot sand was poured over his head and on his body and it burned Guru Jee’s head and body from above.The water boiled Guru Sahib’s flesh from below. The boiling water made the Guru’s flesh soft and left blisters all over his body. .Guru Jee was made to sit on an iron plate. It was heated from below. The iron plate became red hot with the heat. Guru Jee’s flesh began to be roasted. He sat with his mind fixed on Waheguru and physically living the message of Gurbaani and accepting the Will of Waheguru sweetly.

Guru Sahib was taken to the bank of the River Raavi bounded in shackles. Guru Sahib’s physical body was covered with burns and blisters. Guru jee was pelted with rocks. One rock hit Guru ji on his forehead which led to bleeding. Two drops of blood fell to the ground. Jahangeer had given strict orders that Guru jee should be tortured to death in a such a way that his blood should not fall on the ground in the belief that a holy or great man’s blood spilling on the ground leads to further martyrs being born. He felt no anger against those who were torturing him. He remained absorbed in the sweet remembrance of Waheguru and repeated, “All is happening, O Waheguru, according to Thy Will. Thy Will is ever sweet to me.”

He kept on reciting : ਤੇਰਾ ਕੀਆ ਮੀਠਾ ਲਾਗੈ ॥

tera keeya meetha lagai.

O Waheguru! Your actions seem so sweet to me.

ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਪਦਾਰਥੁ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਮਾਂਗੈ ॥੨॥੪੨॥੯੩॥

har naam padarath nanak maaNgai.

Nanak begs for the treasure of the Naam, the Name of the Lord.

Baba Mian Meer Ji (a Muslim Sufi Saint and friend of Guru Sahib) tried to intercede on behalf of Guru Sahib but Guru Ji forbid him to interfere in the “Will of the Almighty”. Guru Sahib said, “All is happening in accordance with Waheguru’s Will. Men who stand for Truth have often to suffer. Their sufferings give strength to the cause of Truth. Go, brother. Pray for me. Pray for the success of my cause. Pr

ay for Victory to Truth.”

Finally this tradition which is called Nasar law and was upheld by Genghis Khan. To hide the bloodied body of Guru jee, the soldiers threw Guru jee’s body in the River Ravi and then concocted a story that Guru ji went to bathe and never came out of the river. This fake story was used to firstly, make the martyrdom into a suicide case and ensure that people do not revolt in response to the barbaric martyrdom of Guru jee.

Dhan Satguru Sri Guru Arjan Dev Jee.

Shaheeda Nu Lakh Lakh Parnaam.

Satnam Sri Waheguruji

Parsan Narang

8th June 2016