Reading History: The Extraordinary Story of Mata Gujri
I first became aware of Mata Gujri after reading a poem by my friend Gurmeet which she shared on Facebook. The poem was a tribute to Mata Gujri-ji on the occassion of Mothers’ Day. It was enough to spark my curiousity. I decided to find out more…and was not disappointed. Here – in excerpts – is the extraordinary story of Mata Gujri Ji, from the almost forgotten pages of Indian History.
In a talk Gurmeet delivered in 2004, she called Mata Gujri a perfect woman,a “Puran Istree“.
The word “Stree†originates from Sanskrit and means “expansion.â€[2] In a physical sense women expand by being mothers. In a spiritual sense, women give their children the ideals and values to live by; they nurture a sense of security; and they have the power to construct or destroy their families and their generations to come.
So, it is only pertinent to say that Mata Gujri was a Puran Istree in both the physical and spiritual realms.
She completed the life and mission of Guru Teg Bahadur; raised the extraordinary child Gobind; managed the affairs of the Sikh Panth while the Guru was still a child; and inspired and prepared her young grandsons for the extraordinary courage, grace and sacrifice that would be required of them at such tender ages.
From All About Sikhs, I learnt that:
Mata Gujari was the daughter of Bhai lal Chand Subulikka and Bishan Kaur, a pious couple of Kartarpur (present day Kapurthala*).
She…was married to (Guru) Tegh Bahadur on 4 February 1633.
…In 1635, Mata Gujari left Amritsar with the holy family and went to reside at Kartarpur, in the Sivalik foothills. After of Guru Hargobind left this world in 1644, she came with her husband and mother-in-law, Mata Nanaki, to Bakala, now in Amritsar district of the Punjab. There they lived in peaceful seclusion, Tegh Bahadur spending his days and nights in meditation and Gujari performing the humble duties of a pious and devoted housewife. After he was installed Guru in 1664, Guru Tegh Bahadur, accompanied by Mata Gujari, went on a visit to Amritsar, traveling on to Makhoval, near Kiratpur, where a new habitation, named Chakk Nanaki (later Anandpur) was founded in the middle of 1665.
Soon after this, Guru Tegh Bahadur along with his mother, Nanaki, and wife, Gujari, set out on a long journey to the east Leaving the family at Patna, he traveled on to Bengal and Assam. At Patna, Mata Gujari gave birth to a son on 22 December 1666. The child was named Gobind Rai, the illustrious Guru Gobind Singh of later day. Guru Tegh Bahadur returned to Patna in 1670 for a brief stay before he left for Delhi, instructing the family to proceed to lakhnaur, now in Haryana.
…From Lakhnaur the family proceeded to Chakk Nanaki where Guru Tegh Bahadur rejoined them in March 1671 after spending some more time traveling through the Malva region and meeting sangats. At Chakk Nanaki, 11 July 1675 was a momentous day when Guru Tegh Bahadur left for Delhi prepared to make the supreme sacrifice*.
She showed courage at the time of parting and bore the ultimate trial with fortitude. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in Delhi on 11 November 1675, and, Guru Gobind Singh then being very young, the responsibility of managing the affairs at Chakk Nanaki, initially, fell to her. She was assisted in the task by her younger brother, Kirpal Chand.
When in face of a prolonged siege by hostile hill rajas and Mughal troops Chakk Nanaki (Anandpur) had to be evacuated by Guru Gobind Singh on the night of 5-6 December 1705, Mata Gujari with her younger grandsons, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, aged nine and seven year respectively, was separated from the main body while crossing the rivulet Sarsa. The three of them were led by their servant, Gangu, to the latter’s village, Saheri, near Morinda in present day Ropar district, where he treacherously betrayed them to the local Muslim officer.
Mata Gujari and her grandsons were arrested on 8 December and confined in Sirhind Fort in what is referred to in Sikh chronicles as Thanda Burj, the cold tower. As the children were summoned to appear in court from day to day, the grandmother kept urging them to remain steadfast in their faith.
On 11 December they were ordered to be bricked up alive in a wall, but, since the masonry crumbled before it covered their heads, they were executed the following day. Mata Gujari ji were imprisoned on top of a tower which was opened from all sides without any warm clothes in very cold month of December. She continued the tradition of Sikhism and without complaints give her body singing guru ki Bani. Mata Gujari ji attained martyrdom the same day as her grandsons.
No doubt Guru Nanak Dev ji had said “Why isn’t woman equal to man when she is who gave birth to kings, and protectors of Dharma“. Mata Gujari ji through upbringing of her grandsons played such an important role in Sikhism that as Sikhs, we can owe our existence to her. It was due to her teachings that 6 year old and 9 year old did not bulge from their Dharma and attained martyrdom. Thus continuing and emphasizing the institute of martyrdom in Sikhism. Seth Todar Mall, a kindhearted wealthy man of Sirhind, cremated the three dead bodies the next day.
…Mata Gujri was the first Sikh Martyr lady in the Sikh history.
She is also distinguished by being the wife of a martyr (Guru Tegh Bahaar), mother of a martyr (Guru Gobind Singh), grandmother of four martyr Sahibzadas (Ajit Singh, Jujhar Singh, Zorawar Singh, and Fateh Singh), sister of a martyr ( Kirpal Chand) and aunt of five martyr sons of Bibi Viro, sister of Guru Tegh Bahadar.
I would like to end this post with excerpts from Gurmeet’s poem:
Of Mothers in the world
Many sparkle but one shines
Your glory unmatched, your legacy divine.
Mata Gujri Jeeo …
You served him in meditation
Loved him in despair
Your husband: the Saint of martyrs.
Mata Gujri Jeeo …
You birthed King of kings
Raised him extraordinaire
Without his father since he was nine.
Mata Gujri Jeeo …
Walking the path of death
You gave us new life
Courage undying
Conviction unwavering
Direction to motherhood,
Womanhood and sainthood
Your path I shall ever trace
O Mother Sublime.
Mata Gujri Jeeo …
***
Related Post: Remembering Devi Ahilya
* Sometime in the next few days, I will share with you another extraordinary story – this one about the life of Guru Teg Bahadur. Stay tuned.
Photo courtesy: Gurdwara Singh Sabha London East at SikhWiki; Main Main Image: Sikhchic.com
* Alert reader Dr Ranjeet Singh pointed out in an email that Kartarpur is not present Kapurthala, as stated in the article. It is many many miles up towards the north. Sorry for this error and thanks for correcting it.
This article should be in the school textbooks instead of Mother Theresa. For almost 5 generations & more we have been fed with wrong history, which has diminished our National Pride. I feel proud that Bharath has had such noble mother’s, lucky there were few people around to remember to piece this article together. Need more youngsters to learn our actual history. Vande Mataram
*** COMMENT EDITED ***
Awesome, inspiring and teaches us a lesson to be careful of natives like Gangoo with loose morals. These Gangoos are unfortunately found in power too especially sickular parties where they will do anything and sell anything to cling to power.
Thank you for educating me .Its really a treat to log on to your blog.
How true and inspiring? These are what the kids must be taught and not the distorted history in the text books. Thx for the post!
Thanks for this article.
Guru Tegh Bahadur gave his life for the rights of others to practise their respectively religions.
Do read about Guru Tegh Bahadur and how Aurangazeb ordered the torture and murder of his disciples and finally the Guru himself.
@UMA – But then come on aren’t you forgetting we are a sickular err…secular country.
@UMA – But then come on aren’t you forgetting we are a sickular err…secular country.
Oh yeah Devendra ji… we are sickular, hence we study about Akbar the great king and Shahjehan, the unparalleled lover. I think we should stick to home schooling!
Uma,
You are forgetting that Aurangzeb the great man who integrated India. 🙂
Apparently, there is no limit to lying in our History.
I remember what I heard from a colleague nearly 10 years back. My colleague was a lady from village in Panjab. She told me that it was a trend in her village that every children must know the atrocities Mughal forces committed to their community. At that point, it looked like an indoctrination of old hatred in new minds. But looking back, I regret that opinion. This is like an informal museum of holocaust. This is probably the reason, no SIMI is found in Panjab, this may be the reason no communal riot ever happened in Panjab. A prime minister lost her life because she dared to put army in Golden Temple and we, the suckers, forgot the bombing of Akshardham. For our own safety, parents must teach their children about what happened to us before because apparently we are paying our government to teach lies to our children. I found this written in the walls of slavery museum in Cincinnati: “We must remember the evil because when we forget the evil, evil is reborn.”
Sid, how true! We have become completely devoid of emotions and feelings! We browse thru all channels when an attack happens, cry for the day, discuss how the country is going to dogs over cups of coffee and the next day…forget all about it. The reason, I suppose is the “Chaltha hai” attitude which we must outgrow! The best way is to teach our kids the true history, make them proud of our culture, teach them to be aware of what happens if we trust the enemy. We need not be “Secular” at home for God’s sake! In that situation, love Jihads will not happen!
Sid, very true.
The museum at the Golden Temple has vivid paintings of the history of Sikhs, many of which show the atrocities done on them by the various Muslim kings and celebrate the Sikh martyrs. (As a side note, they also have a painting of Bhindrawale in the museum and list him as a martyr for their religion, but that’s another discussion.) I wonder why no secular idiot has labeled that museum and Sikhs as “bigoted”, “Islamophobist” and “hateful” – but that same secular idiot would cry uncle at Hindus talking about their history* and the atrocities done by Aurangzeb and other Muslim kings based on their Islamic faith. The denial runs deep.
* A recent example being how the cut-out of Chattrapati Shivaji and Afzal Khan caused a riot and some intellectuals (including on this website) questioned why should there have been a cut-out of Shivaji in the first place.
good story & as said truth prevail
From an email by Dr Ranjit Singh:
There is a need for another correction. You have written: The word “Streeâ€, originates from Sanskrit, and it means “expansion.â€
But, in our opinion, it is not the case. For, firstly it does not originate from Sanskrit but is Sanskrit itself, and it also does not mean: expansion. The meanings given in the Sanskrit lexicons are: योषिति नारà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤®à¥ (शबà¥à¤¸à¥à¤¤à¥‹à¤® महानिधिः)
According to Amar Kosha, they are:
सà¥à¤¤à¥à¤°à¥€ योषित-अबला-नारी-सीमंतिनी-वधà¥:/
पà¥à¤°à¤¤à¥€à¤ªà¤¦à¤°à¥à¤¶à¤¿à¤¨à¥€-वामा-वनिता-महिला तथा// २:६:2
Now, where is any mention of ‘expansion’ in these?
Etymologically, the word is derived from dhatu सà¥à¤¤à¥à¤¯à¥ˆ शबà¥à¤¦ संघातायो: (पाणिनी धातॠकोश). Shabda-stoma-mahaanidhih has corroborated and it has written: शबà¥à¤¦ संघाते च.
As to why she is called Stri, the nirvachanam done is: सà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤¯à¤¤: शà¥à¤•à¥à¤° शोणिते असà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤®à¥ — that is, because shukra and shonit (the Male fluid and the female ovum) are established in her.
With kind regards,
Dr. Ranjeet Singh.