* Guru Gobind Singh entrusted Lachman Das with the duty of punishing the men who had persecuted the Sikhs and murdered his sons. He gave Lachman Das anew name which the latter had himself chosen to describe his relationship to the Guru Sahib — ‘Banda’ or — the salve. Sikhs affectionately call him Banda Singh Bahadur. Banda was born in 1670 at Rajauri of Rajput parents.
Banda Bahadur claimed the following as his mission:
Guru sent me, who am his slave
Twill kill and ruin Wazira’s household,
I will plunder and rob Sirhind.
I will avenge the murders of the Guru’s sons,
Then destroy the Chieftains of the hills.
When all these I have accomplished, then,
Know me as Banda, the slave of the Guru.
* After Banda’s execution, the Sikhs were without a personal leader. They started the tradition of deciding matters concerning the community at the bienmial meeting which took place at Amritsar on the first of Baisakhi and at Diwali. These assemblies came to be known as the “Sarbat Khalsa” and resolution passed by it became a
“Gurmata” (decree of Guru).
Article extracted from this publication >> January 2, 1987
