Introductory - Global Sikh Studies

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religion.’ The Guru wanted to rouse the spirit of the faint-hearted
people for the purpose of defending their religion. His sacrifice was a
part of the build-up of the revolutionary struggle to follow. If the
logic of this misinterpretation is followed, no revolutionary movement
can escape being dubbed as a series of revenges and counter-revenges.
A revolutionary movement can size up to its name only if it follows a
course which invites persecutions by the established order it, wants to
change. And, if there are no reactions on the part of the revolutionaries
to those persecutions, the revolution remains still-born. Mass
movements are not born out of the personal reactions of a few
individuals or groups, unless these are integrated with the aspirations
and emotions of the people at large. In common life, so except their
kith and kin are deeply affected. But, when Bhagat Singh and Dutt
were hanged, the whole of India was shaken to its depths, because
they laid down their lives for the cause of the country.
There are two other considerations which go against the
conjecture that the militarization of the movement was undertaken
for any personal reasons. Originally, there was some opposition to
militarization in the Sikh ranks, but it was clearly on the mistaken
belief that the step was against the tenets of the earlier Gurus. This
shows that the Sikhs, who were drawn towards the Guru by ideological
considerations, judged the Guru’s activities also by those standards.
The argument which Bhai Gurdas uses in order to dispel their doubts
is that the known in due course, i.e. the Guru was militarization the
Sikhs for the sake of the mission alone. It is an appeal in the name of
ideals. Secondly, Guru Arjan died in June 1606 and the first Sikh battle
Guru Hargobind fought against the Mughals was in 1633. Also, this
battle was fought in Shah Jahan’s reign and not in the reign of Jahangir,
who was responsible for Guru Arjan’s martyrdom. Indubhusan writes
that ‘the policy that the Guru (Guru Hargobind) had been pursuing was
bound, sooner or later, to bring him into collision with the Government
and it speaks a good deal of his ability and political skill that he succeeded
in avoiding the conflict so long.” 2 This strategy suggest long-range