Sikhism - Culture - Gurmat Veechar

'Teg Bahadur si kirya karhi na kinhoon aan'.
6. Martyrdom Day
Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib
~reil'ai
~ 3dr Sd1t:a wfulT
Martyrdom day ofSri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib, the Ninth Nanak
in succession, is also quite unique in Sikh history. Rather it is unique in
the annals of world history or history of world religions seen all
together or taken as a whole.
There are innumerable examples ofsupreme sacrifice made for the
sake ofthe cause that is dear to one or to one's principles, he or she is
supposed to observe and adhere to as per one's learning, understanding
and teaching. But one cannot find an example other than ofGuru Teg
Bahadur, for laying down his life or offering his head to the sword of
the killers for the protection ofthose values and thoughts or customary
or ritualistic things, which were not observed or rather discarded by
him and his forefathers.
Guru Nanak, the first at very young age, refused to wear the
'Janeau', (the sacred thread as per Hindu religion), terming the same as
futile, discriminatory and not everlasting, and all the succeeding Guru
Jotes steadfastly folIowed, the precedent set forth by Him, Guru Teg
Bahadur, the Ninth Nanak, agreed to give his life for the protection of
the same thread.
It so happened that Aurangzcb, the mighty but a fanatic to the
extreme and otherwise a cruel ruler too (who had annexed the Delhi
throne by putting his father, emperor Shah Jahan, in Jail and by putting
all ofhis brothers to merciless and cruel death), was busy demolishing
Hindu places ofworship and in his attempt to tum India into a country
of monotheism, was engaged in forcibly converting all the non
Martyrdom Day - Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib / 27