THE GURU
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji
Inheriting a legacy of profound peace and unwavering courage, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji crystallised and magnified it for generations of Sikhs to come, as well as for humanity at large, as we strive to co-exist and govern our lives in a plural world, still marred by conflict and oppression.
As the ninth light of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Guru Tegh Bahdur Ji epitomised the principle of nirbhau, nirvair – not fearing or causing fear, not hating or causing hate. As the grandson of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the first Guru who faced martyrdom, he epitomised ‘na ko bairi, nahi begana’ – non is a stranger or enemy. And as the son of Guru Hargobind Ji, he epitomised principles of miri, piri, to ensure that leadership of our worldly life is firmly governed by the leadership of spiritual wisdom, virtues and responsible conduct.
At the age of 54 years, during an intense phase of religious and political oppression in Mughal India (after the rule of earlier, more tolerant Mughal rulers) Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji gave his head to defend the principle of religious freedom for all. This historic sacrifice stood as a precursor to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. His commitment to humanity’s shared welfare, or sarbat da bhalla, reverberates also in the proposed but unadopted Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities.
In Sikh history the ninth Guru’s sacrifice became a catalyst for the founding of the Khalsa order, and personal transformation of every individual disciple through a path of loving and loyal commitment. As Sikhs today, may we revitalise our own understanding of and commitment to the path of the Khalsa, ensuring that the flame of Guru Ji’s loving and selfless act may never diminish, and be strengthened for all the years to come.
Guru Ji's Life & Legacy
Early life & marriage
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was born at Guru Ke Mehal, near Sri Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar, on April 1, 1621. He was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind and Mata Nanaki Ji, and grandson of Guru Arjan Dev Ji and Mata Ganga Ji.
Named Tyag Mal from childhood, he received training in religious wisdom and martial arts from two extremely revered and accomplished Sikh mentors of the time — Bhai Gurdas Ji, the enlightened scholar and scribe for Sri Aad Granth Sahib, and Baba Budda Ji, who had served since the time of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Tyag Mal also came to know Hazrat Mian Mir, the renowned Sufi saint, who continued to visit the Guru’s family after the fifth Guru’s shaheedi, or martyrdom, under the rule of Jehangir.
At the age of three, during the wedding of his elder brother, Baba Gurditta, Tyag Mal had noticed a poor child with barely any clothes to wear. Moved at this sight, he instantly gave away all his expensive attire to help the child. This gesture echoed his name, for Tyag means to give away, signifying a spirit of detachment. On learning of this, his father smiled, stating that this was only the beginning and that in the future he would sacrifice everything for the downtrodden.
Tyag Mal was married to the pious and noble Gujri Ji, in 1633, in Kartarpur, Jalandhar. This painting depicts the groom’s procession: Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji and his children, Baba Gurditta, Suraj Mal and Bibi Viro, while Tyag Mal rides the wedding horse. Alongside them walk Bhai Gurdas Ji and Bidhi Chand Ji, who had accompanied Guru Arjan Dev Ji to Lahore where he faced imperial torture.
Spiritual and martial nurture
As the son of Guru Hargobind Ji, the young Tyag Mal was nurtured with the principle of miri-piri. This taught that worldly leadership (miri) must itself be guided by the leadership of spiritual wisdom and values (piri), and that power must be used for benevolence instead of tyranny. This principle called for the need to balance shakti (empowerment) with bhagti (prayerfulness).
It was with this same ethos that Guru Hargobind Ji fought four defensive battles to defend against both aggression from the Mughals, and hostility from local rulers.
At 13 years old, Tyag Mal requested permission to fight in the battle of Kartarpur. Facing off over 100,000 soldiers, the Guru’s army of 1,800 emerged victorious. Given the outstanding courage and swordsmanship that Tyag Mal had shown, he was renamed Tegh Bahadur, from tegh meaning ‘sword’ and bahadur meaning ‘brave’.
Having shown so much valour as a teenager on the battlefield, Tegh Bahadur was then advised by Guru Hargobind Ji to devote time to nurture saintliness. This was to ensure his martial drive would not take over, and instead be kept in balance by cultivating spiritual wisdom and virtue.
Then, before departing from the world in 1644, Guru Hargobind Ji appointed his grandson, Guru Har Rai Ji (Bhai Gurditta Ji’s youngest son) as seventh Guru. At this time, with his wife, Gujri Ji, and mother, Mata Nanaki Ji, Tegh Bahadur Ji moved to live in Bakala. This marked a long period of bhagti, devoted to prayerful meditation and contemplation.
During this period of deep inner focus, the couple also prayerfully prepared for future parenthood and the arrival of an exalted soul. The place where Guru Ji meditated is marked by Gurudwara Tap Asthan Bhora Sahib (Baba Bakala).
Discovering the true Guru
In 1661, Guru Har Rai Ji chose his youngest son, Harkrishan Sahib as the eighth Sikh Guru. During his short life as a child, Guru Harkrishan had shown the gift of healing during a major smallpox epidemic. In a way, he sacrificed his own life to heal others. With his health deteriorating, he departed from the world saying “Baba Bakale”, to indicate the location of his successor.
Following this, numerous Sikhs flocked to the village of Bakala, looking for the new Guru. They were confronted with 22 relatives, each claiming to be the successor as named by Guru Harkrishan Ji, leaving everyone in confusion.
Meanwhile the cargo ship of a wealthy merchant, Makhan Shah, got caught in a fierce sea storm. He vowed to offer 500 gold coins to the Guru if his goods safely reached home. His wish was fulfilled and his merchandise safely arrived at port. Makhan Shah immediately set out for Delhi to give thanks to Guru Harkrishan Sahib.
On learning that the eighth Guru had sadly left this world, and that the next Guru was in Bakala, Makhan Shah set off in that direction. On arrival he found himself in the same quandary, as to who was the real ninth Guru, amongst this group of self-proclaimed Gurus.
Being a businessman, Makhan Shah decided he would test them to find the answer. Paying homage, turn by turn, to the twenty two claimants, he placed two gold coins before each of them as tribute. Each time, he was saddened to see that none had asked for the 500 gold coins he had prayerfully promised on the ship.
As he continued his search, a child pointed out that, while he didn’t call himself a Guru, there was a holy man who lived across the street. Deciding to pay him a visit, Makhan Shah entered the house and found Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji deep in meditation.
Waiting patiently for Guru Ji to open his eyes, Makhan Shah then placed, as before, two gold coins before him. Smiling, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji gently observed: “I thought that you had pledged 500 coins.”
Elated, Makhan Shah then kissed the Guru’s feet and started shouting from the rooftop: “Guru laadho re — I’ve found the Guru!”
At that moment, all the Sikhs rushed to the house of the quiet saint and rejoiced to hear Makhan Shah’s story. Thus, the pious, humble saint Tegh Bahadur was proclaimed as the true, ninth Guru of the Sikhs and natural successor to Guru Harkrishan.
ਭਵਜਲੁ ਬਿਖਮੁ ਡਰਾਵਣੋ ਨਾ ਕੰਧੀ ਨਾ ਪਾਰੁ ॥
ਨਾ ਬੇੜੀ ਨਾ ਤੁਲਹੜਾ ਨਾ ਤਿਸੁ ਵੰਝੁ ਮਲਾਰੁ ॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਭੈ ਕਾ ਬੋਹਿਥਾ ਨਦਰੀ ਪਾਰਿ ਉਤਾਰੁ ॥4॥
The ocean of existence seems so terrible and fearsome,
With no shore visible in any direction.
No boat, No raft,
No oars, No boatman.
On this ocean of fear,
The only boat is the True Guru,
Whose glance of grace carries us across.
– Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, ang 59
Empowered with forgiveness
As devotees flocked to see and honour Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, there was one person who was not so happy. This was Dhir Mal, grandson of Guru Hargobind Ji and elder brother of Guru Har Rai Ji.
Since he was in possession of Sri Aad Granth Sahib, the original scripture compiled by Guru Arjan Dev Ji, he had wanted to claim the Guruship. In his anger and jealousy, Dhir Mal attempted two assassinations.
On one occasion, he sent some men, including Sihan, a masand (priest) loyal to him, to attack the Guru. Attacking the house, they shot and injured Guru Ji and ransacked his belongings. On another occassion, a bullet grazed Guru Ji’s forehead.
In retaliation, loyal Sikhs raided Dhir Mal’s house. They had decided to loot it and take with them the Sri Aad Granth Sahib.
When they presented what they had taken to Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, they were ordered by the Guru to return all of the stolen property, including the original sacred scripture.
Furthermore, Guru Ji prayed for Dhir Mal’s wellbeing, condemning any retaliation from his disciples. This was a clear sign of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s noble spiritual character and moral standing, infused with detachment, forgiveness, resilience and compassion.
Whenever Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji encountered jealousy, animosity and arrogance, these same qualities were reflected on many occasions, right until the end of his life.
ਕਬੀਰਾ ਜਹਾ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਤਹ ਧਰਮੁ ਹੈ ਜਹਾ ਝੂਠੁ ਤਹ ਪਾਪੁ ॥
ਜਹਾ ਲੋਭੁ ਤਹ ਕਾਲੁ ਹੈ ਜਹਾ ਖਿਮਾ ਤਹ ਆਪਿ ॥155॥
Oh Kabira, consider the impact of your inner condition:
Where spiritual wisdom flourishes,
There is virtuous and responsible living.
Where falsehood holds power,
There is wrongdoing and spiritual decay.
Where there is greed, there is famine.
And where there is forgiveness,
God’s own Divine presence is ignited within.
– Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, ang 1372
Dignity & detachment
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s birthplace of Amritsar was named after the sacred sarovar, excavated by Guru Ramdas Ji, the fourth Guru. When he visited the city as the ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, was refused entry into the sacred shrine. This was controlled, at the time, by the grandson of Prithi Chand. Prithi Chand was the brother of the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, who had conspired against the Sikh Gurus.
As reflected in the heavy skies and leafless trees of this painting, this was a period of much hostility towards the new Guru. Yet, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji maintained a peaceful composure, without retaliation — despite his authority as Guru, and formidable martial skill. He bathed in the waters of the sarovar, that represented inward cleansing and immersion in the Divine, and simply paid his respects from outside the shrine. This location is marked today by Gurudwara Thharha Sahib.
For some years, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji lived in Kiratpur, the town founded by Guru Hargobind Sahib in the Himalayan foothills. In 1665, in the same mountainous region, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji established Chakk Nanaki. Named after his mother, it would one day become Anandpur Sahib. From this new base, Guru Ji continued to journey far and wide to spread the message of the Gurus and serve the common good.
In decades to come, aware of his father’s response to being barred from Sri Harmandir Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh Ji did not travel to Amritsar, or challenge anyone to obtain the original copy of Sri Aad Granth Sahib that had been compiled there. Instead, in utter humility, he sat and recited the entire scripture to be re-scribed —with his father’s verses included — in the scripture he would command Sikhs to revere as Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Uddassiya: Peace-building journeys
Upon becoming Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji made a number of journeys to key centres established by his predecessors. This included Khadur Sahib (founded by the second Guru), Goindwal Sahib (founded by the third Guru), Amritsar (founded by the fourth Guru), and Kiratpur (founded by the sixth Guru). He also visited Taran Taran, where Guru Arjan Dev Ji (the fifth Guru), had established a sanctuary to care for lepers.
Since the time of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s famous journeys in the early 1500s, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was the next most travelled of the Gurus. Like Guru Nanak Dev Ji, his journeys were not to conquer or convert, but to connect human beings to one common Creator, to start building peace from within.
Known as uddassiya, these travels were characterised by a detached gaze at human nature and compassion for human suffering. Across religious divides, these journeys were dedicated to igniting humanity’s collective potential for goodness, and sincere Godliness, in times of religious and political shallowness and hypocrisy.
On some of his uddassiya, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji retraced the footsteps of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Beyond Punjab and Haryana, he visited Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Dhaka in historic Bengal.
In many arid regions, like Guru Nanak Dev Ji before him, he established wells, fitting some of them with Persian wheels. The socio-economic problems of irrigation and food that were solved by these wells, reflected the priority the Gurus gave to serving sarbat da bhalla, the wider welfare of all.
Accompanied by his wife and mother, Guru Ji’s journeys took him across the Punjab and onwards to Delhi, Kurekshetra (the battle site of an apocalyptic war, as depicted in the ancient epic, the Mahabharata), Agra and Allahabad. In Bihar, he visited the holy Hindu city of Benares, then Bodh Gaya, the place of Buddha’s enlightenment, and Patna, the ancient imperial capital. Guru Ji also travelled as far east as Assam, where he secured a peace treaty between the regional ruler and the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb.
As a result of this extensive outreach, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji became renowned as one of the most pioneering and enterprising spiritual leaders of his time. It was this reputation, of genuine public service and grassroots empowerment, that would eventually lead the Kashmiri Pandits to seek Guru Ji’s guidance.
The Patna Sahib legacy
When Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji visited Patna, Mata Ji was expecting their first and only child, following many years of prayerful preparation. By now, they were both in their forties. By visiting Patna, they followed the footsteps of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, some 160 years earlier in 1506.
On that visit, Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s trusted companion, Bhai Mardana Ji, was anxious to get food and supplies for their travels. Lifting a stone from the ground, Guru Ji asked him to trade it. Out of all the jewellers he visited in the city, only one, by the name of Salis Rai Jori, had the eyes to recognise the stone’s precious value, and not dismiss it as worthless.
Salis Rai immediately requested to have audience with the Guru who had discovered and recognised such a rare and remarkable stone. Meeting Guru Nanak Dev Ji he offered his sincere hospitality.
When Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji arrived in Patna, this time it was the descendants of Salis Rai Jori who offered him hospitality. They also invited the Guru’s family to remain there for the child’s birth, while Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji continued his travels.
In 1666, Gobind Rai was born. It was in Patna that he spent his tender, formative years, under the wing of his mother, grandmother and maternal uncle. Eventually, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji returned to Patna, meeting his four-year old son for the first time.
Guru Ji spent over a year in Patna Sahib with his family, training Gobind Rai in religious wisdom, cultural knowledge, horse riding and swordsmanship. Guru Ji then sent his family onto Punjab. After further travelling, he returned home to Chakk Nanaki, that Guru Gobind Singh would later name Anandpur Sahib.
ਮੁਰ ਪਿਤ ਪੂਰਬ ਕੀਯਸਿ ਪਯਾਨਾ ॥ ਭਾਂਤਿ ਭਾਂਤਿ ਕੇ ਤੀਰਥਿ ਨਾਨਾ ॥
ਜਬ ਹੀ ਜਾਤ ਤ੍ਰਿਬੇਣੀ ਭਏ ॥ ਪੁੰਨ ਦਾਨ ਦਿਨ ਕਰਤ ਬਿਤਏ ॥1॥
ਤਹੀ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ ਹਮਾਰਾ ਭਯੋ ॥ ਪਟਨਾ ਸਹਰ ਬਿਖੈ ਭਵ ਲਯੋ ॥
ਮੱਦ੍ਰ ਦੇਸ ਹਮ ਕੋ ਲੇ ਆਏ ॥ ਭਾਂਤਿ ਭਾਂਤਿ ਦਾਈਅਨਿ ਦੁਲਰਾਏ ॥2॥
ਕੀਨੀ ਅਨਿਕ ਭਾਂਤਿ ਤਨ ਰੱਛਾ ॥ ਦੀਨੀ ਭਾਂਤਿ ਭਾਂਤਿ ਕੀ ਸਿੱਛਾ ॥
ਜਬ ਹਮ ਧਰਮ ਕਰਮ ਮੋ ਆਏ ॥ ਦੇਵ ਲੋਕ ਤਬ ਪਿਤਾ ਸਿਧਾਏ ॥3॥
My father, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, proceeded eastwards.
He bathed at places of pilgrimage, visiting Triveni,
And passed his days conducting acts of benevolence.
Born and first raised in Patna,
I was then brought to Punjab
Where I was nurtured by various caregivers.
There I was safeguarded and taught martial skills,
As well as many forms of education.
As I came to know the path of dharam and karam
– Of wise, virtuous and responsible action,
My father departed for the heavens.
– Chapter 7, Bachittar Natak [Tenth Guru’s autobiography],
Sri Dasam Granth Sahib, panna 60
A calling to protect
The Sikh Gurus clearly critiqued religious hypocrisy or pakhand. At the same time, they pro-actively valued all faiths and saw them co-existing, not in competition, but as part of the world’s shared spiritual heritage. As such, they taught that each faith deserved nurture and protection.
Following the relative tolerance of early Mughal emperors, Aurangzeb sharpened oppressive policies towards non-Muslims. Whether politically or religiously motivated, these policies included the destruction of prominent Hindu shrines and imposition of the jizya tax on non-Muslims.
By then, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji had become a prominent peace-builder within Mughal India. When a delegation of Hindu priests from Kashmir approached him for help, it was his young son (then Gobind Rai) who remarked that there was no leader more capable than his father to take a stand before the emperor. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji set off, to raise with the emperor the issue of religious oppression, not just for Sikhs but for all the subjects in the Mughal empire.
Travelling with his close companions, including Bhai Mati Das Ji, Bhai Sati Das Ji and Bhai Dayala Ji, Guru Ji visited places close to the imperial capital of Delhi. Internally he was prepared to face the emperor at any time. The Guru and his companions were then arrested and placed in captivity.
Supreme courage, supreme sacrifice
In captivity, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was placed in an iron cage, subjected to starvation and to witnessing the torturous deaths of his three close and beloved disciples. Bhai Mati Das Ji was tied between two pillars and his body split in two as he was sawn alive. Bhai Dayala Ji was boiled alive in a cauldron of boiling water and Bhat Sati Das Ji was wrapped in cotton wool and set on fire.
The emperor threatened execution if the Guru refused to show a miracle or convert to Islam. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji remained steadfast, showing no vengeance or pain at the atrocities he was forced to witness. Instead, he reiterated that any policy to oppress or forcibly convert non-Muslims was unethical and irreligious. For this, he was publicly beheaded on November 11, 1675.
Oral accounts tell of the remorse of the executioners, who were forgiven by the Guru before the beheading took place. It is said that Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji had specially instructed a disciple, Bhai Jetha Ji, to sit near the front of the crowd. Miraculously, the blade did not actually touch the Guru. As Guru Ji’s head fell, it landed in Bhai Jetha Ji’s lap. Risking his life, he lovingly transported it on horseback to the Guru’s family in Anandpur.
In the chaos and turmoil that followed, another disciple, Bhai Lakhi Shah Ji, placed the Guru’s body into a cart. Transporting it to his own residence, he set his house on fire, as a funeral pyre, and was able to scatter Guru Ji’s ashes with loving reverence.
Through this supreme sacrifice, the ninth Guru lived up to his name, Tegh Bahadur. Not only did he show supreme courage to wield the sword in his youth — he bravely faced the sword, at his very last breath. For giving his head to defend countless others, he also lived up to his childhood name of Tyag Mal.
As shown in this painting, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, in his own words, described his father’s supreme sacrifice as a historic and spiritual victory. It crushed the oppressive policies of Aurangzeb, the ruling head of the Mughal Empire in Delhi.
The tenth Guru also stated that, while the whole world mourned and lamented, the heavens rejoiced at the ninth Guru’s unparalleled act, that changed the course of history for so many.
The poignant precursor to the Khalsa
Reaching the city of Anandpur Sahib, Bhai Jetha Ji lovingly brought the severed head of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji to his mother, wife and son, now Guru Gobind Rai Ji. Narrating the events in Delhi, Bhai Jetha Ji explained how those witnessing the execution were scared to speak up for fear of persecution.
Learning of this, Guru Gobind Rai Ji saw a need to strengthen the inward and outward Sikh identity of Sikhs, to encapsulate the fearless, yet compassionate spirit of his father. This same spirit had been reflected in his great-grandfather, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, when he endured fatal torture in Lahore, under Jehangir’s rule, in 1606.
On November 16, 1675, a pyre of sandalwood was constructed. Showered with roses, the head of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was cremated by the young Guru Gobind Rai Ji. For his father to sacrifice his head, but not his conviction, left a deep impression on the young Guru.
The ethos of resilience and positivity against the odds resounded in the meaning of Anandpur Sahib — the ‘City of Bliss’. Known earlier as Chakk Nanaki, Anandpur Sahib became a well-defended centre of spiritual and cultural renaissance, and of martial resistance, in a climate of intensifying religious and political oppression.
It was in Anandpur Sahib, by the Himalayan foothills, that Guru Gobind Rai Ji would summon an immense gathering of Sikhs in 1699, to ask who had the conviction to give their head – a question infused, no doubt, with poignant yet empowering memories of his father’s sacrifice.
As five disciples, one by one, answered the tenth Guru’s call, his dramatic test led to the birth of the Khalsa order of initiated disciples.
ਧਰਮ ਹੇਤ ਸਾਕਾ ਜਿਨਿ ਕੀਆ ॥
ਸੀਸੁ ਦੀਆ ਪਰ ਸਿਰਰੁ ਨ ਦੀਆ ॥
For the sake of Dharam, for wise, virtuous and responsible conduct
He gave his head, but not his conviction
– Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Sri Dasam Granth