Introductory - Global Sikh Studies

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4. Khalsa as an instrument of Revolution
Guru Gobind Singh invited the hill Rajas to join him in his
struggle against the Mughals. For a short time, he even succeeded in
persuading some of them to make common cause against Mughal rulers.
But, the attitude of the hill chiefs was not consistent. They were
guided primarily by their feudal interests and made war or peace with
the Mughals accordingly. Another basic point of difference was that
they were governed by caste considerations. When invited by the
Guru, they refused even to entertain the idea of working side by side
with the low caste followers of the guru. Had the Guru been guided
by the consideration of only meeting the Mughal challenge, he might
have come to terms with the hill Rajas. But he did not. This is very
significant. His basic objective was to raise the level of the poor and
the downtrodden. He wanted these very people to capture political
power for themselves. For that end, the Guru had to embark upon his
project from humble beginnings. He made arrows with his own hands 9
and trained people who had been denied the use of arms by the caste
ideology. He did not follow the easier course of depending upon the
hill chiefs who had arms and martial tradition. For this would have
been at the cost of his fundamental religious and social principles and
objectives.
Guru Gobind Singh gathered together the Sikhs and gave them
the call, ‘Take up arms and defeat the Turks (Mughals).’ He devised
the plan for baptism of the Khalsa. On the annual Baisakhi gathering
of the Sikhs, the Guru came out of the tent with a drawn sword in his
hand and demanded from the congregation the head of a Sikh for
sacrifice. There was great consternation but one Sikh got up and offered
himself to the Guru. The Guru took him inside the tent. Soon after
he came out with a blood-stained sword in his hand and again
demanded a second head. This time the consternation was greater
than before, but undaunted, another Sikh offered himself. Thrice again
the Guru made the same demand. Every time a Sikh offered himself.
This showed that the community had attained the level when it was
ready to stake its all for the cause. Finally, the Guru brought out from
the tent the Five Pyaras (Beloved Ones) hale and hearty. First he
baptised them and then got himself baptised by them. Thus was
baptised the Khalsa, ready for the mission. The Guru said: