Guru Arjan the fifth Gun of the Sikh Religion was the embodiment of Godly devotion Selfless Service and Universal Love He was the treasure of celestial knowledge and spiritual excellence He substantially contributed towards the welfare of the society. He stood steadfastly for the principles he believed in sacrificed his own life and attained a unique and unparalleled Martyrdom in the History of mankind.
Guru Arjan was born on April 15, 1563 in the house of Gun Ram Das the fourth Guru He was the youngest of the three sans of the guru Ram Das
The eldest son Pirthi Chand was very astute in social and worldly affairs He managed all the affairs of the Gurus household. He administered the running of the Langar common kitchen most diligently He had realized that it was the service not lineage which had bestowed Gunship on the previous preceptors Guru Angad and Guru Amar Das This in view he indulged in the service most ardently. But his emotive intentions were quite perceptible to the father Guru Ram Das.
The second son Mahadev was captivated with reclusive tendencies. He wanted to lead the life of an ascetic His fierce full attitude to the congregants was contrary to the modesty of the Gurus teachings. Moreover he himself displayed no inclination for the acceptance of the Guru ship.
Guru Ram Das envisioned heavenly qualities in his youngest son Arjan. From the very childhood he found him imbued with the Name and Immersed in tranquility The Guru ship was destined to be Stowed upon guru Arjan; baby Arjan one day crawled up on the Divine Throne of his maternal grandfather Guru Amar Das the third Guru and sat there comfortably The Guru smiled and prophesied Maternal Grandson will Shift the Name across. The elder brother Pirthi Chand suspecting the consequence of the above prophesies indulged in numerous Means to disrupt the life of Guru Anjan but failed. Even though himself before he left for his heavenly abode he showed no remorse to his elder brother and inundated him with reverence and honor Guru Arjan was a born apostle of peace:
Although he ascended the throne of Guru Nanak at a young age of 18 he was far more advance in wisdom and angelic qualities. The letters he wrote to his father thorn Lahore not then even a teen aged boy stand testimony to the fact (Majh M. 5 G.G.S. Page 96) (He was sent there to attend a wedding. Due to the cunning manipulations of his elder brother Pirthi Chand he was detained there unjustifiably for a long time) The Basics of the new religion had been defined by Baba Nanuktind the ground work was carried out by three of his successors. Guru Arjan set upon a mission of putting it on a solid footing As ordained by his predecessors Guru Nanak through Gur Ram Das he took the task of the completion of the place for Panthic Articulation (Mehma Parkash).
Soon after the demise of fourth Guru he Moved to the place where is father had constructed a clay tank of Nectar In the true spirit of I am neither Hindu non-Muslim.. Guru Arjan invited Mian Mir a Muslim Saint from Lahore and through him laid the foundation of Hari Mandir the present Golden Temple. The doors on all four sides of the building signified its acceptance of all the four castes Contrary to the requests of the congregation the stat of the edifice was kept much below the seekers of the Gods blessings. Along with the Gods House came the existence of the City of Amritsar with all its reverence amenities and gaiety.
The preparation of the Holy Book has been the most valuable achievement of Gun Arjan Dev With three things in his mind Guru Ayan initiated the compilation of the Holy Book the present Guns Granth Sahib. The Hymns revealed through the first four Gurus were get liny amalgamated and distorted in a few imposters. He wanted to preserve the original treasure.
In the second place he wanted to bestow the Panth with an everlasting guiding light a physical and spiritual phenomenon
And most of all he wanted to establish the credibility of the Sikh Religion as a case less and secular society. Side by side the Hymns of Sikh Gurus he blended the Holy Book with the celestial utters acnes of Sheikh Farid and Bhagat Kabir Bhagat Ravi Das Dhanna Vamdev Raman and Jab Dev Trilochan Beni Pipa Surdas etc all belonging to different Beliefs Sects and Castes both high and low The poetic revelations to Guru Agjan himself are of greatest aesthetic calibre More than half of the Guru Granth Sahib is constituted of his own holy renderings. The Granth Sahib is not only a collection of the revelations but also it throws considerable light on the contemporary political and social life; the physical being and spiritual awareness are fused into one Among his other equally important accomplishment we can add the creation of new cities at Kartarpur Tam Taran with its magnanimous Tank of Salvation and the construction of Banoli at Lahore.
The institution of Masands (Representative of the Gurus at various places) was introduced by Guru Ram Das but Guru Arjan added to it the principle of Tenth of individual income payable to them for the Gurus Langar (Common Kitchen) and for other acts of benevolence of the poor. Professional bards who sang the hymns at the Gurus darbar became the victim of their ego with his love for music and expertise in the Ragas Guru Agjan introduced the tradition of singing by the congregants themselves. During his incumbency Punjab was very badly affected with a famine. By dint of his influence he gained Mughal Emperor Akbars Consent to eliminate land revenue to some extent for that year. But 1663 corresponding to May 30 aboard is the most momentous date in t Sikh chronology.
Mughal Emperor Akbar had already been convinced of the piety of the Sikh Gurus during some of his campaigns he had come to Goindwal. He partook in the Langar sitting on the floor had Course meal and paid his obeisance (o Guru Ram Das. A Muslim Saint Pir Mian Mir of Lahore had great affinity with the Gums domain. The Pir was immensely revered by Akbar. Consequently the complaints lodged against Guru Arjun in the Akbars Court by a few imposters (Path Chand and his son Me hisrban) some jealous Hindu Priests (Brahmins) were totally disregarded The complainants were virtually thrown out of the Kings Court Immediately after the death of Akbar the Muslim clergy captured the thought of Prince Saleem and helped him to regain the throne as emperor Jahangir He was assisted with the understanding that he would reinstate the Shanyat (Or the doc Muslim Law) in the country. Akbar’s grandson Khusrau was a pious man and was a liberal as his grandfather Akbar had designated him next in line to head the kingdom. But the domination of Muslim clergy made him to run for his life. While passing through Punjab he visited Guru Arjan at Tam Taran at the time and sought his blessings.
The House of Baba Nanak had gained enormous popularity under the guiding light of the Guru Arjan. Both the Hindu and Muslim populace flocked to the Gurus house in equal intensity to pay their homage. To the dismay of Orthodox Muslims Guru Arjan Dev’s popularity increased to their sore point. It was heightened by the: malicious manipulations of Chandu Shah a Hindu revenue official at the Provincial Court of the Emperor at Lahore; he had once offered his daughter in marriage Guru Arjan only son. Hargobind which was accepted.
Sheikh Ahmad Sarhind was very much revered by Muslim. He presented himself to be the Prophet Muhammad. He asserted that his status was higher than the Sikh Gurus. This was emphatically rejected by Guru Arjan Sheikh Ahmad had great influence on Jahangir. Citing the Gurus blessings bestowed upon Prince Khusrau he instigated the Emperor against Guru Agjan. Jahangir wrote in his biography Hindu named Anjan lived at Goindwal. Simple minded Hindus and ignorant and foolish Muslims had been persuaded to adopt his ways. This business (shop) has been flourishing for three generations. For Jong time it had been in my mind to put a stop to this affair or to bring him into the fold of Islam. Khusrau was captured and blinded in punishment. Thereafter Jahangir summoned Guru Arjan to Lahore with preconceived ideas Jahangir showed dissatisfaction with the Gurus explanation of Khusrau shelter labeled the Guns was party to rebellion and wanted to punish him with death. But on the recommendation of Pir Mian Mirhe commuted it by a fine of two lakh rupee plus an order to erase a few verses from the Granth May-June sun he was made to sit on the red shot.
Pir Mian Mir approached tum and offered to demolish the who Lahore with his the Guru refrained him to take such an action he believed in Thine doings seem sweet unto me Nanak craves for the wealth of God’s Name. (Rag As a Mo 5 p.394 Eng. Tr. S. Manmohan Singh).
And on this day of May 301606 he enveloped his blistering body in the cool waves of the River Ravi and journeyed to his heavenly abode.
Guru Arjan contemporary and the pioneering scribe of Gur Granth Sahib summed up like a rain bird thirsting only for a drop of rain and no other water Guru Arjan abandoned all worldly opportunities offered to him and desired but an abiding repose in the love and will of God. So deeply was he absorbed in the undisturbed and unbroken vision of the Lord that his enlightened and elevated spirit conquered all sorrow and pain and his soul rested peacefully in the eternal embrace of God’s love i am a sacrifice unto Guru Arjan the Perfect one. (Eng TR the Spoke man weekly).
Article extracted from this publication >> June 17, 1994
