An encounter that may have changed history
While trawling the web looking for something else a few days ago, I stumbled on an account of a meeting between Swami Samarth Ramdas and Guru Har Gobind ji that took place in Kashmir almost 400* years ago.
This was an unexpected discovery. I was not aware that such a meeting had taken place…and I wondered whether the encounter had a role to play in Samarth Ramdas’ later life when he came in contact with Shivaji Maharaj.
Unfortunately there was not much I could find about the meeting, except a few links. Below are some excerpts that may help piece together the details of this encounter that may have changed history…
From an account of Guru Har Gobind and his travels:
Guru Hargobind now undertook extensive travels. The Guru founded the town of Kiratpur in 1626 where the land had been gifted to the Guru by one of the princes who had been freed from Gwalior by the Guru.
While visiting Srinagar the Guru had a discourse with Swami Ramdas Samrath a great spiritual teacher who would later go on to instruct Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire.
Swami Ramdas asked the Guru “You are on the spiritual throne of Guru Nanak, a great Saint. You are wearing arms and maintain troops and horses. You allow yourself to be addressed as Sachcha Padsah, the True King. What sort of saint are you?”
Guru Hargobind replied, “I display royalty only from the outside; inwardly, I’m detached like a hermit. Guru Nanak had not renounced the world. He had only renounced maya (illusion and ego).”
The Swami answered that this idea appealed to him and thus he thereafter changed his teachings of hindu renunciation.
But where was/is this Srinagar?
Is it the same Srinagar that we know today (in Jammu & Kashmir) or is(was) it another town/city? This link mention that the meeting took place at “Srinagar in Garhval” but has no further details.
The most complete description I found was in a posting on the Sikh Awareness forum by “amardeep”
During his rambles in Northern India, Samarth Ramdas met Guru Hargobind at Srinagar in about 1634. Fully armed and riding a horse, the Guru had just returned from an excursion.
“I had heard that you occupied the Gaddi of Guru Nanakâ€, said Swami Ramdas.
“Guru Nanak was a Tyagi sadhu – a saint who had renounced the world. You are wearing arms and keeping an army and horses. You allow yourself to be addressed as Sacha Patshah, the True King. What sort of a sadhu are you?†asked the Maratha saint.
Guru Hargobind replied, “Internally i am a hermit, and externally i am a prince. Arms mean protection to the poor and destruction of the tyrant. Baba Nanak had not renounced the world but had renounced Maya, i.e. self and ego:
“batan faquiri, zahir amiri
shastar garib ki rakhya, jarwan ki bhakhiya
Baba Nanak sansar nahi tyagya, Maya tyagi thi.â€
These words of Guru Hargobind found a ready response in the heart of Samartha Swami Ramdas who, as quoted in Pothi Panjak Sakhian, spontaneously said, “this appealeth to my mind – Yeh hamare man bhavti haiâ€
After reading these accounts, I have little doubt that the meeting took place …Unfortunately no detailed account(s) appear to exist.
The historic encounter must have left an impact on Samarth Ramdas and it may have encouraged him to consider armed resistance against an oppressive, tyrrannical rule. We know that in his later years he did emphasise on exercises and physical training and highlighted warrior’s role in society:
He established temples of Hanuman in towns and villages to convey importance of exercise to youth and taught them to get together and fight the enemy.
Samarth Ramdas was of course not the only one to be influenced by the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. Writing about the “Udasi Sampardaya“, Jasbir Kaur Ahuja mentions:
…the most illustrious Chela of the Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda often uttered and introduced into his writings the Sikh mystic formula, Vaheguru…In the same manner, Swami Vrihanand, the founder of Arya Samaj was influenced by the Sikh philosophy of the Name, which is the true essence of Veda…”[13]
This was very interesting but incomplete.
I did some digging but could not unearth any more details…If any reader is aware of other source(s)/references on Swami Vivekananda’s exposure to Sikhism and/or his thoughts on the Sikh Guru-jis, I would be very keen to hear of that.
In addition, I would love to hear/read first-hand accounts of the relationship between Sikhism and Hinduism especially from Hindu-Punjabi readers who have a Sikh in the family.
Thank you.
* Thanks to Rishabh for pointing out the typo (I’d mistakenly mentioned 40 years).
It wasn’t clear if you knew there was a Srinagar in Garhwal or not, so just in case, here it is :
http://www.srinagargarhwal.com/
I think it is a pilgrimage site, which perhaps makes it as the more plausible venue.
Trust you’ve found the correct Srinagar – it is the erstwhile capital of Garhwal in Uttarakhand.
If it is mentioned Srinagar in Garhwal then there is one pilgrimage site in Uttarakhand which shares its name with the other famous one in Kashmir. You will come across this town on the way to Ukhimath.
Dear Shantanu,
I have been following your blog for quite some time and find it well researched and enlightening. As a Punjabi Hindu/Sikh with people following the Khalsa Panth among family and friends, the information contained in this article does not really come as a surprise to me. Before I try to explain the relationshiop between hinduism and Sikhism on the basis of my first hand experiences (that might not be fully representative), I would like to make a distinction between Sikhism and the Khalsa panth. Sikhism is a spiritual philosophy that was propagated by Guru Nanak and then added upon by the following Gurus, while the Khalsa Panth is an order which was established by Guru Gobind Singh with the explicit purpose of fighting Mughal Tyranny. Therefore while in popular imagination all sikhs follow the five kakkars (the FIVE K’s, kanga, kirpan, kacha, kada, kesh) in reality that is not a precondition for being a Sikh. There are several Sindhis who are devout sikhs but do not follow the 5 kakkars of the Khalsa order.
The relationship between the Khalsa and the Hindus(I do not use the word Sikh here because most Punjabi Hindus go to the Gurudwara and hold the Sikh Gurus in veneration along with their own pantheon of Gods) has for most part of History been cordial and has been described as “roti beti ka rishta” or “Nauh-maas ka rishta”(same as the relationship between a nail and the flesh on which it rests) by Sikh scholars like Khushwant Singh. Indeed in the earlier times it was cutomary for the eldest son of a Hindu family to be brought up as a Khalsa (case in point being my mother’s family where 2 of her uncles followed the Khalsa Panth). At a personal level, notwithstanding British and SGPC propaganda there is faint difference between the two with a plethora of mixed customs being followed in the family (case in point being the fact that my “Namkaran” took place in a gurudwara, or the fact that quite a few non khalsa Sikhs used to marry in Gurudwaras before the SGPC banned the practice, or the fact that we recite the ardaas (Sikh Prayers) during our Diwali Puja). This is by no means a comprehensive view of the Khalsa/Sikh/Hindu traditions, but I hope this gives you a glimpse of the composite culture of the two communities. In case you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me.
In Uttarakhand, near Badri Nath, there’s a place called Gobind-dham, where it is said, Guru Gobind did ‘Tapasya’. So I too Srinagar Garhwal was more plausible venue.
froginthewell, Nikhil, Rasi and Abhinav: Thanks a lot. I was not aware of this..and as many of you have pointed out, this is most probably the location where the meeting took place…
***
@ On Sikhism: Thank you for your comment…It is very interesting to read about the close connection(s). I also noted the fine difference between being a Sikh and a Khalsa. I will email you separately for more information.
Hi, Shantanu. Nice to be in touch after many many years. Very interesting reading .
How fascinating.
My best friend is Sikh. We met at university and became very close talking about philosophy and our beliefs and culture. Every Sunday we’d go to her gurudwara in the morning and then my mandir in the evening. It was lovely.
My first book was based on Mirabai’s life. Mirabai’s guru was Sant Ravidas. Ravidas was one of Guru Nanak’s best friends. So my friend and I talked a lot about this and she read my whole book as I was writing it. In the Gurudwara I would hear the people singing songs that Ravidas wrote.
Hindus and Sikhs are family. That is my experience.
Jai
Thanks Gurmeet – Yes, great to be in touch again!
***
Jai: Thanks for that interesting aside… I was not aware of Sant Ravidas being Mirabai’s Guru…
Yes, Hindus and Sikhs are indeed like a family, as “On Sikhism” has noted in his comment too: “roti-beti ka rishta”
Shantanu,
Samarth Ramdas probably did not need any such meeting to know the value of armed resistance. His name is RAM das. What did Shri Ram do? Did he sit quietly and allow adharma to thrive, or did he fight? Shri Ram is the Maryada Purshottama for Hindus, and Sikhs venerate him just as much. You will find Ram Naam is many, if not most Sikh Bhajans.
Indeed, Guru Govind Singh used to say that he was a descendant of Luv and Kush. There was a Hindi paper written on the importance of Shri Ram to the Sikhs, during the heydey of the Khalistan movement. I will try to find it and post it here. The separatists, who try their best to deny any such commonality, did not like it one bit. Pre-separatism, I don’t think Sikhism considered itself a “separate religion”. It was one among the many flowerings of Sanatana Dharma.
I am a much older person, and I still remember Sikh friends around the 60’s who used to consider themselves just as Hindu as I do. This separatist agenda has tried to poison what was, and always will be a family.
Varsha
Jai Shivaji! Jai Bhawaani! Wahe Guru Ji ka Khalasa ! Wahe Guru Ji Ki Phateh!
Har Har MahaDev! Raaj karega Khalsa Aaki rahe na Koye!
Shantanu,
Also, remember that Hindu armed resistance to Islamic invasions was incredibly fierce and fanatical right from the beginning. Read about Jaipal Shahi, his son Anandapal shahi etc. Do you know they even invaded Ghazni as a pre-emptive move at one point realizing the threat that was emanating from there? Indeed, the first 16 arab invasions into Hind were repelled with such fury that the Caliph was reluctant to allow Mohammed Bin Qasim (712Ad) the permission to launch another attempt.
Why do you think that Islam, which destroyed Persia in 2 years, had to wait 500 years before putting a beachhead into India? That long period of 500 years of struggle, from the mid 600’s to the late 1200’s, is perhaps the greatest military resistance any civilization has put up to any other aggressive civilization. Read “glorious resistance” by Sita Ram goel, for example. I have done some independent research into the sources there, and found that there were SEVERAL instances of large (over 100,000) Hindu armies fighting and perishing to the last man and/or killing large invading Islamic armies during this time.
Read for instance about the battle of Bahraich, where a large invading Persian/Afghan army was killed to the last man by a Hindu army. Around 1235AD.
Those are the unsung heroes of the Hindu resistance. Pl. use your blog to increase awareness about them rather than make speculations of the nature this particular post makes. I do not find any such references (which your title suggests) in any of the writings of Samarth Ramdas.It is indeed a tall claim that such an encounter, (which may never even have happened) could have “changed history.”
Battle of Bahraich.
I am sorry, I had the date off and confused with the Hindu counter offensives launched in the mid 1230s to take back Gwalior, etc.
Anyways, here are the details.
http://kalchiron.blogspot.com/2008/08/battle-of-baharaich-14th-june-1033-ad.html
Varsha -Thanx for kalchiron link.
Shantanu,
A fact (not speculation): the Granth Sahib contains many verses compiled by the Marathi Varkari Saint Namadeva. I think roughly 70 verses, but may be wrong on the exact number.
I don’t think this meeting (if it took place) had much to do in mouling Samarth Ramdass, since I do not find any mention of it in his own writings. As you know, he was a prolific writer, and his writings stress the spiritual aspects of Ram Dharma, of which armed struggle for Dharma is obviously central, and therefore should be central to all Hindus. Indeed, if you look at the history of Hindus when faced with Islamic invasion, the fanatical resistance they put up for almost 1000 years (500 years keeping Islam completely out, and remaining 500 years of Vijayanagar, Marathas etc. keeping the Hindu flame alive) could simply not have happened had this Ram Dharma not inspired them. Indeed, look at what happened to Buddha Dharma, which did not have this element of armed resistance. They perished. Most areas which were Bauddha majority are today Islamic. That is why there are Islamic conclaves on the 2 sides of Bharat. The kings of Bengal patronised Buddha Dharma, as did the far West (Gandhara, etc.).
Shantanu,
Also remember that:
1. Shivaji was the son of a warrior (Shahaji Bhonsle – a general with the Bijapur Sultan). He did not need to learn his warrior creed from anyone else. His family were professional soldiers!!
2. He was already a successful kingdom builder when he first came into contact with Samarth Ramdas. In other words, he did not derive his inspiration for Hindu padshahi from Samarth Ramdas, but from his mother Jijabai and his guru Dadaji Konddeo.
3. The greatest historian of Shivaji – Babasaheb Purandare – has never mentioned any of what you speculate. Pl. do not speculate on issues like this in future, else it reflects poorly on your blog.
Varsha.
Varsha: Thanks for sharing your thoughts (and the link)…I think you may have misunderstood me…
Swami Samarth Ramdas was a unique saint in the medieval history of India. When Hindu society was being inspired and influenced by the Bhakti movement, he decided to focus his energies on reviving the resistance against tyranny of the times.
The inspiration that Sikhism has drawn from Bhagwaan ShriRam is well known (and neither did I dispute that) and you are right that Sikhs never considered themselves separate from Hindus – as numerous other commentators have pointed out too.
You are also right that Hindus were not passive sufferers under continuing and numerous Islamic invasions…In fact one of the documents that is available for download under the “Docs and Slides” widget on this page is titled “Myth of 1000 years of Hindu Slavery”. Do have a look at that. It corroborates many of the points you have made.
I was not aware of Jaipal Shahi invading Ghazni but will certainly look it up and will also read “Glorious Resistance” by Sita Ram Goel.
Chattrapati Maharaj is “Dev-swarup” (God-like) for me – as is Samarth Ramdas…this was not an attempt to belittle either of them (and who am I to even consider such a thing). I hope I have managed to clear any misunderstanding.
I managed to find some account of Swami Vivekananda’s visit to Punjab (after his return from World Parliament of Religionsin Chicargo) where he sings the glory of the land of Punjab, Sikh gurus of the likes of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
Part 1: A very well written article by Jasbir Kaur in the June 97 Issue of Prabuddha Bharat
http://www.esamskriti.com/essay-chapters/Swami-Vivekananda-in-Punjab-1.aspx
An excerpt from article …
This lion of Vedanta roared and thundered for hours, keeping the Punjabis spellbound and lifting them up to the delectable heights of his mental eminence.
Part 2: Excerpts from Complete Works of Swami Ji
http://www.esamskriti.com/essay-chapters/Swami-Vivekananda-in-Punjab-2.aspx
Hope this information helps.
In fact we have to be careful when dealing with these stories
Many of them have come up recently as an attempt to show Sikhism at the root of everything positive in India today and Hinduism as irredemeably weak and backward
In fact in the UK and Canada I have seen pictures where they show Samarth Ramdas bowing before Guru Hargobind like a humble supplicant.
Many of these new found theroies are founded by intensely anti Hindu people who are trying to delink any connection to Hinduism in their own history
Logic would dictate that if the Marathas learned from the Sikhs then the SIkhs would have risen before and not after the Maratha upsurge under Shivaji whilst in fact the Sikhs only fought with regional commanders for decades at the same time the Marathas were locked in a life and death struggle with Aurangzeb in person
THe same stories say that Guru Hargobind allowed the release of 52 Hindu kings at the same time as his release by the Mughals and yet this and countless other instances are not recorded in any Mughal or Hindu histories even by rumour
It is Hindu good feelings that allow us to accept many fanciful interpretations of history by the Sikh but in todays date we have to be very careful not to kowtow to some Sikhs who hate Hindus with a vengeance and sole existence as Sikhs is to be anti Hindu
Hello,
Nice to read this blog, I was not aware of this meeting in past history.
Please! This si a god site and I enjoyed reading all of it.
Sikhs are not enemies of Hindus-actually I beleive that we were created to uphold freedom of santana dharama.
However I resent people like versha who either don’t know history or are vigrously rewriting it to fit their fantasies.
Wikepedia has this and so too Chachnama which was written aftre first capture of Indian soil in late 7th century. Shameful because islam started a 100 years earlier.
Why did india falll bit by bit so fast-When peole are divided by caste and only 10% are allowed to carry weapons by brahmins -what do you expect?
That is what sikhism fixed-no caste and all pick up weapons___Problem solved.
Once you drink from one cup you are not a hindu!
Never mind muslims even Hindus thougth old hindu tales were myths and they were not real– BUT……..Gurus showed that Ramayana and Gita were true and those warrior tales could be repeated and shown on warfield. Try losing father mother and four young sons in name of dharma and you will find out.
Ramdas Samratha was a renouncing Hindu before he met guru Hargovind Ji- After that he became a SAINT SOLDIER beleiver and that was what Shivaji was.
By the way Guru Hargobind Sahib jI was the founder of Miri Piri- a concept responsible for saint soldier-Swami Ramdas had a an interestingf name for that kind of person too. Sounds familiar- Then what’s wrogn with two religious brothers sharing ideas to saev bharat maa?-NOTHING! Dont feel bad about it -rejoice!
“”Muhammad bin Qasim Al-Thaqafi (Arabic: Ù…Øمد بن قاسم‎) (c. 31 December 695–18 July 715) was an Umayyad general who conquered the Sindh and Punjab regions along the Indus river (now a part of Pakistan) at the age of seventeen. He was born in the city of Taif (in modern day Saudi Arabia). The conquest of Sindh and Punjab began the era of Islamic rule in South Asia.””
The descendents of 52 Hindu Rajas agree to the stories!
Ther sixth Guru was fighting mughals-13 recorded wars in Muslim books before shivaji was born. AND he won them all.
There is a reason why the Gwalior Fort has a Gurdwara in memory of 6th guru ji. Oh yeah! The same fort where 52 kings were.
Not a story by a canadian sikh!
Our Gurus were sent by Parmatma to help the world retain its humanity.
I am sure Gurus knew the ingrateful people to follow-both hindu and sikh I beleive. But they didnot care becasue what they did was ordered by God.
A muslim writer writes and pelase read it carefully:
na kahu abh ki,
na kahu tabh ki!
Agar na hotey Gobind Singh,
to sunnat hotui sabh ki.
I am not talking about now and then [this and that]
If there was no Guru Gobind singh then all would be circumcised.
Read it again and again please. Thank the Sikhs it deosn’t cost a thing buys a ton of goodwill- who knows you might need them again.
@ J Singh: Thanks for your comment…Hope to see you here more often…Just a few points…
India did not fall bit-by-bit. The belief that there was no Hindu resistance at all is a myth. Pl see my link at comment #17.
But I completely agree with you: “Sikhs are not enemies of Hindus…
and “what’s wrogn with two religious brothers sharing ideas to saev bharat maa?”-NOTHING!
Re. your verse, I have alse read the same in the context of Shivaji…Do you have any links?
J Singh
I love the constant theme of so many modern day Sikhs trying to tell the Hindus we have to be grateful and grovelling to the Sikhs – Note this is alos brought into modern day demands for water rights, Chandigarh issues the lot !
I am from the Mohyal clan from which Bhai Gurdas, Chuapa Singh, Kesar Singh, Bhai Mati Dass, Sati Dass and numerous commanders of Ranjit SInghs commanders came from – Later on from the Singh Sabha days we were dubbed as ‘Hindus’ and ‘Bahmans’ and pushed away due to modern day caste prejudice and hatred = so please give it a rest with the ‘you owe us’ nonsense
As for the so called 52 Hindu kings who you say were save by Guru Hargobind – who were they – you say that there descendants are around today then I would honestly be interested to know who they are
your comments about caste are totally wrong im afraid – most of India sat firmly outside the so called textbook definition of caste and to say that only 10% carried arms is totally wrong – otherwise it would not have taken the Muslims over three hundred years to establish an empire in India
And without tyring to bellitle Guru Hargobind his battles were regional and not a challange to the central powers of hte day – also the next three Gurus did not follow any martial passage until the time of Guru Gobind – so the question remains if he taught Samarth Ramdas then why did his own successors not follow the same line ?
most of India was under Hindu rule by the time the Sikhs establihsed themselvbes in power in the 1770s , Marathas Rajputs, Bundelas, Gurkhas, Assamese etc
saying that I have a lot of respect for Guru Gobind – a true warrior poet – he was a great dharmic leader drawing from the dharmic Hindu essence of the land
sadly his image has been reduced by a bunch of power hungry casteists and regionalists full of vile hate who would be the first to be destoyed if the Guru returned
It is true that India was saved due to valor of Punjab: Sikhs and Punjabis. The Sikh army was the last fort for British Christians. Christians tried to destroy the fighting spirit of India by Jallianwala bagh. The shame was that India never rallied behind Punjab. The worst humiliation was heaped by MK Gandhi, Nehru and Congressis who dismissed valor of Shaheed Udham Singh who sacrificed his life for country to get it free.
Look at history and you will find that all castes were allowed to bear arms. The warrior caste took it up as a profession because they were genetically more prone to aggressive behavior (due to marriage amongst warrior families) – but this did not preclude others from bearing arms.
Parshurama was a Brahmin and yet he was a mighty warrior.
Drona was a Brahmin and taught the Kuru princes.
Vyasa was a fisher-woman’s son and became a great guru and teacher.
Valmiki was a tribal and became a great poet and author of Ramayan.
Chandra-Gupta Maurya was from clan of profession “peacock keepers” (hence Maurya).
Shalivahan whose accesion to the throne gives us the Hindu era – Saka Samvat (celebrated on Gudi Padvo) was a potter’s son.
Most of the Maratha warriors were peasants and farmers who rose in the ranks of the army – example – Gaiyakwads of Baroda were “keepers of the cow” – as can be seen from their surname.
Many Rajputs of Rajasthan are of tribal origin as evidenced from their origin – Agni putra – ie converted to Rajput during a yagna.
The Gondas of MP were also of tribal or farmer stock and their queen Durgavati is a wonderful example of martial Hindu women.
History shows that Hinduism hasn’t stood in anyone’s way of becoming a warrior or a king or a merchant or a medicant. Caste was simply a social arrangement to allow people to carry out their profession in an organized manner. Since the earliest of times, all castes have produced kings, teachers, gurus etc. It is a muslim and chritian myth that caste was a barrier to social progress. History, as evidenced by literature (secular and spiritual) does not back this up.
All new sects and religious heads claim that when you enter their fold, caste is no longer an issue. This is a good way to get converts. But lets be clear, caste is not a barrier on spiritual path anyway ! Even with the new sects, when it comes to marriage etc, caste and profession of the groom get in the way, despite whatever the gurus teach.
If this was not so, how come there are dalit muslims and christians, fighting for access to places of worship in their “casteless religions” ?
Even Sikhs, with their anti-caste message, admit to having gurudwaras that are off-limits to Sikhs from “lower sections of society”.
As I have said, caste is a social arrangement and not a spiritual one.
For more info on castes read –
http://www.pushti-marg.net/bhagwat/caste-2.htm
http://www.pushti-marg.net/bhagwat/caste_system.htm
If someone is great, everyone wants to be linked to them – its a celebrity thing :))
Samrath Ramdas, had he met the Sikh Guru and been influenced by his message, would have mentioned it in his writings.
Shri RamaKrishna and Vivekananda were very open people. They praised the good where ever they found it. There is plenty of evidence that both these great men spoke eloquently about the Sikh Gurus, Bhakti Gurus, Christianity even Islam ! Shri RamaKrishna was even initiated into Tantra !! He was the most “open minded” person I know. So to use them as an example of how wonderful Sikhism is – is clutching at straws.
To believe Sikh message is the best interpretation of the Vedas is a tall claim.
All new gurus, teachers, sadhus, philosophers claim they have found the perfect interpretation of the Vedas. This is what has always happened and will happen in the future too. But lets be clear, Vedas are the Vedas and to “interpret” them is to try and take a pot of water from the Ganges and claim that water pot IS THE Ganges !!
Sikhs, Jains and Buddists have originated from the Sanatan Dharma. Though some of their followers may claim to be different from it, their roots are firmly planted the soil of Hinduism.
Time and circumstances have given rise to new sects and new understanding of the eternal message. It its own time frame, these messages are correct and valid. Let us enjoy the diversity of thought afforded by the open-mindedness of the Sanatan Dharma.
@Shantanu, Varsha,
and all other learned friends…
It was very heartening to read this whole disussion..
There is no doubt that Sikh Panth was a creation of some very great intellectual class of Hindus who had attained very high degree of spiritual realisation which only one in a million are able to achieve in their lifetime….
They understood the prime weakness of Hindu religion of not being able to reconvert the Hindus back into their mother fold, hence they ordained that besides Hindus even the Muslims could accept the philosophy of the Sikhs…!
Whereas the Hindus were requested to send the eldest son of the family to be accepted in the Khalsa Panth…, and several Hindu Families continued this practice for quite a long time. The basic idea was tocreate a strong force dedicated to the cause of protecting Hindus from the persecution and genocide conducted ruthlessly by the Muslims.
Hence there is no doubt that Sikhs are very much a part and parcel of the larger canvas of Hindu Culture..
A friend of mine who is a Shrivastava was married to girl from another Kaystha family, as usual. Once it so happened that I was scheduled to go the city of his In-laws on tour. My friend and his wife requested me to visit his In-Laws,to which I readily agreed. But my friend said, please don’t be disturbed when you see a person looking like Sikh welcoming you inside the House. i said it was no problem for me .
Later when I visited their place I was very much welcomed by a sikh gentlemen with a long flowing beard .But when I met all other members it was like any other Kayastha family household. after the normal couresies and pleasantaries were exchanged I told the Sikh Gentleman , who turned out to be the Father-in-law of my friend I was not surprised when you opend the door because Ashok had already informed me about it, but will you please fulfill my curiosity and let me know how you are the only Sikh in the family.
Then He told me that if I had heard about the call given by Guru Gobind Singhji to the Hindus to send the eldest son of the family to join the Khalsa Panth. Their ancestors had taken that pledge and since then down the line the pledge has been strictly followed. He further told me that even his eldest son has been following the glorious Sikh panth.
Similarly their are several examples that can be quoted to proove the point. But when there is doubt then why at all to discuss this issue…
Yes, Muslims have already declared from times immemorial that they are the enemies of the Hindus and that is fact that will never change … That they have Zero tolerance for the very existence of the Hindus as such…
This should be the point of concern…
Please go ahead on positive lines..
MIRABAI’S guru was SANATAN GOSWAMI AND NOT
SANT RAVIDAS.More authentic info could be
gathered from harikrishnamandirindiraniloy.com
as also Mira bhajans for the TRUTH seeker.
Shakti Sahib Ji,
[1] You said that 3 Gurus after 6th Guru Ji did no fighting?
7th Guru Ji Didn’t need to, 8th passed away when he was 6 years old and 9th had many battles and that’s why his name became Teg Bahadur Ji because he was Bali of Teg. He had fough many battles alongside his father- the 6th Guru Ji. Please learn history before you comment on it. Hindus, Sikhs, Budhhists and Jains are from one tree- no doubt- but rewriting history to look good won’t help.
The truth is that when from 700 Ad to 1200 AD we lost India bit by bit. from 1200 AD to 1500 AD we got smashed and millions of ‘our’ daugters were sold as sex slaves in middle east. The northern region has a genetic memory of atrocities. Instead of fighting we ended up making festivals such as Tian outside of village where girls were sent once a year for a week to ‘dance and have fun’ and muslim soldiers were able to raid and take as many girls as they desired. It was sick agreement by parents.
[2] MOst of India was under Hindu rule by 1770’s?
1740’s Wadha Ghalughara -BIG Genocide in 1760’s Shota Ghalughara- small genocide and in 1760’s OUR SOmnath mandir doors were looted and were being taken to Afghanistan while sikhs attacked and capture them. Which were put on Golden Temple. Yes by 1775 or Sikhs had 12 misals from Lahore to Delhi from which about 5 joined to becoem Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh and stayed as last independent Indian state up until 1849. Then British captured it by help of Indian soldiers in their army because other 7 misles became traitors and joined British against Maharaja. Then these 7 misals showed treachery by defeating most of mutiny because the Sikhs were favorite of British by then. British were ready to run away and leave India when [Maha]raja Of Patiala sent 1000’s of troops to defeat mutineers.
[3] Rewriting History is not hard. Watch Veer Shiva Ji. Some battles which took place a lot later are shown taking palce a lot earlier. Some characters are not even from history. I still love Shiva Ji the man. Big mughal elephant needed to be put down by many lions from all sides. WHat SIkhs did in north Marathhas did it in South. A sikh Maratha treaty exists and read it please- http://www.globalsikhstudies.net/pdf/The%20Maratha-Sikh%20Treaty%20of%201785%20By%20Dr.Ganda%20Singh.pdf
All in all Guru Nanak’s voice was the one that actually asked even God in anger- aittee mar paee kurlaney- Ta ki dard na ayeeay? Oh God! so much cruelty caused big screams- Didn’t you feel any mercy?
As I see ramayna, mahabharata, devo ka dev, dwarkdeesh I can’t help but say that PARMATMA shoed Indians how to live by sacrifice and we had forgotten it due to selfishness, castism, and lack of leadership- BUT God then showed us 10000 years of that in 200 years of Sikhism to remind us that vedas are not just stories and bravery can be lived withing Pratan Dharma Roots if it is free of slefish motives added by slefish priests and kings. That my friends is Sikhism or as I call it the SOmras of Indian religious philosophy!:)
Adding this twitter thread here that outlines the links and relationships between Hindu kings/kingdoms and the Sikh Gurus by @TrueIndology
E.g.,
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib was originally Bangla (palace) of great Hindu King Raja Jai Singh.
When Aurangzeb summoned 6 year old Sikh Guru Har Krishan, Jai Singh protected the Guru & offered him residence here. He donated Bangla to Sikhs.
***
Year: 1661.
Aurangzeb summoned Guru Har Krishan. He wanted to take away Guruship from the Guru bestow it onto Ram Rai.
The Great Rajput king Raja Jai Singh immediately realized that Guru’s life was in danger. He personally went to Kiratpur to pay respects to the child Guru.
Aurangzeb summoned Guru Har Krishan to Delhi. Violating the summon would only mean execution of the Guru.
But the Guru was reluctant to go to Delhi.
The Gurumata Krishan Kaur frankly said : ” We will not go. We do not trust the Mughals. Nothing good has ever come from them”.
Realizing the blockade and danger, Jai Singh Said:
“Mother, I take the responsibility of Guru’s safety. He will be my guest.
I am a Rajput. This is a Rajput’s word.
I wont allow a hair of the Guru to be touched. I will lay down my life for it. I will always be by his side ”
The Guru accompanied Jai Singh to Delhi.
Jai Singh was true to his word. He personally protected the Guru & acted as his personal ambassador. He petitioned emperor on Guru’s behalf.
Jai Singh ensured Aurangzeb didn’t even lay his eyes on Guru.
While the Guru was at Delhi, Raja Jai Singh lodged the Guru in his personal Bungalow in outskirts of Delhi.
Guru was treated with great respect & given every comfort.
Many Sikhs came to visit Guru. After Guru passed away, palace was given to Sikhs and it later became Gurudwara.
***
It was not only Rajputs.
Even many Brahmins laid down their lives to protect the Sikh Gurus and their families.
Take the case of Bhai Singha Purohit.
He rescued the daughter of Guru Hargobind, Bibi Viro, from the hands of Mughals.
***
When Guru Hargobind was attacked by Mughals, he was forced to leave Punjab plains for hills.
Raja Tarachand of Kahlur received and protected Guru Hargobind. He did not pay homage to Shah Jahan.
Raja Tarachand donated the land for the Guru. Here Guru Hargobind built Kiratpur.
He laid down his life in protecting the Guru.
***
According to Sikh historians such as Surjit Singh & Hardeep Syan, Kiratpur Sahib was built on a land that was donated by Raja Tarachand of Kahlur.
Kiratpur was Raja’s territory.
Raja Tarachand wasn’t subordinate of Mughals. His land provided full security to Guru from Mughals
***
November 1665:
Guru Tegh Bahadur was arrested by Aurangzeb.
Guru was about to be executed.
The Hindu prince Raja Ram Singh pleaded with the emperor to rescind his order.
Ram Singh eventually secured the release of the Guru.
The Hindu prince saved & protected the Sikh Guru
***
This is the Raja of Kutlehar, a jagir in Himachal.
This sword was given to this family by Guru Gobind Singh.
Why?
In 1700, when Mughals attacked Anandpur Sahib, Guru came to Kutlehar.
The Raja of Kutlehar defied Mughal orders.
He did not attack/hand over Sikhs to Mughals
When Mughals attacked, Guru was forced to leave his seat & seek safety in Kutlehar.
Guru was in a very critical condition.
In this situation,the Raja defied Mughal orders and protected the Guru from Mughals.
For this indiscipline, Mughals punished Raja. His Jagir was reduced.
***
1708-1725:
After Guru Gobind Singh ji passed away, the house of Guru’s wife in Delhi was sacked.
They were forced to leave Delhi.
Sawai Jai Singh protected Guru’s wife & family from Mughals & provided them a good house in Mathura and handsome allowance for their subsistence.
***
** Guru Gobind Singh’s Dharmapatni Mata Sundari Ji,
Caveat: This thread has not been written to show any superiority or count favors. I have respect for the Gurus and that is not my intention. This thread has been written to counter false propaganda that Hindus had been enemies of Sikhs which cites modern myths like Gangu Brahman.