Guru Teg Bahadur took upon himself the task of rescuing not just the Kashmir Brahmins but the entire Hindu society. Those were the days, when the Sikhs were the army of India.
Gobind Rai (later the legendary tenth and the last Guru of the Sikhs), the light of the Khalsa movement, was at that time, only 9 years old and was sitting beside his father, Guru Teg Bahadur .
Guru Teg Bahadur declared to the Kashmir Brahmins, go and tell Aurangzeb that:
- Kashmir Pundits would convert to Islam; If Guru Teg Bahadur converts.
- Therefore the Brahmins of Banaras would convert and then
- The entire Hindu faith would eventually would convert to Islam .
Delighted at such an easy solution of converting the entire Hindu dharma into Islam, Aurangzeb invited Guru Teg Bahadur Ji to Delhi.
Guru Teg Bahadur along with his disciples Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das and Bhai Dyal Das, went to Delhi and met Mughal brigand Aurangzeb.
The great Guru held extensive discussions to dissuade Aurangzeb from converting Hindus to Islam. Aurangzeb, deeply disappointed and disillusioned, made two offers to Guru Teg Bahadur:
- Either embrace Islam or
- Face beheading
The great Guru preferred beheading than to convert to Islam. Aurangzeb ordered that Guru Teg Bahadur and disciples be killed. Right in the presence of the great Guru, his disciples were killed one after the other.
- Bhai Mati Das was cut into two halves by slicing head downwards as per dictates of Islam. He was asked if he had any parting words, to which Mati Das answered, “I request only that my head be turned toward my Guru as I am executed.” Two executioners placed a double-handed saw on his head. Mati Das serenely uttered “Ek Onkar” and started reciting the Japji Sahib, the great morning prayer of the Sikhs. He was sawn across from head downwards.
- Dyal Das abused the Emperor and his courtiers for this act. He was tied up like a round bundle and thrown into a huge cauldron of boiling oil. He was boiled alive into a block of charcoal.
- Bhai Sati Das condemned these brutalities. He was wrapped around with cotton and burnt alive and then he was hacked to pieces limb by limb.
- Then Guru Teg Bahadur was beheaded.
All this happened on 9th November, 1675 AD at Chandni Chowk. They all endured inhuman suffering and sacrificed so that Hindus can live.
How many Hindus today know the above History? Hindu sovereigns still admire Aurangzeb—a very important road in Delhi is named as Aurangzeb road.
Let every Hindu realise that without a visit to Sis Ganj Gurdwara his pilgrimage would be incomplete.
