ਸੁਲਹੀ (sul-hee)
Meaning: noun: Sulhi Khan, an official of Mughal emperor Jahangir.
Quote:
ਸੁਲਹੀ ਤੇ ਨਾਰਾਇਣ ਰਾਖੁ॥ ਸੁਲਹੀ ਕਾ ਹਾਥੁ ਕਹੀ ਨ ਪਹੁਚੈ ਸੁਲਹੀ ਹੋਇ ਮੂਆ ਨਾਪਾਕੁ॥
sulhee te naaraaiṇ raakh.
sulhee kaa haath kahee na pahuchai sulhee hoi mooaa naapaak.
The Lord saved me from Sulhi Khan. Sulhi did not succeed in his plot and died an unholy death. – Guru Arjan Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, Page 825
Message: The quote above relates to another incident involving Sulhi Khan, an Afghan official of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Prithi Chand conspired with him to bring about the downfall of Guru Arjan, but instead Sulhi Khan was killed in the incident.
We are reminded time and again, that unshakable devotion to the Almighty will always be protective. Guru ji here is grateful that he has been saved from the clutches of his opponents. Divine intervention foiled the conspiracy. Human frailty in the form of our egoism holds us back from the degree of devotion that our Gurus had. When there is doubt, how can we expect complete protection?
Notes: The term naapaak (unholy, disgraceful) refers to how Sulhi Khan died. Sulhi Khan along with his horse fell into a fiery brick kiln and turned into ash. Islam forbids the burning of the body and for a Muslim to die in a fire is equivalent to dying an unholy, disgraceful death. Sulhi Khan’s life ended in this shameful manner.
Click here to listen to full hymn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAHb9jOb1s
Summary of the Week:
Incidents involving Guru Arjan Sahib and his son Hargobind have been the focus of this week’s words and verses. In one sense, they lived a life like any one of us.
Guru ji had wished for a child. He faced animosity from members of his own family, through no fault of his own. He had to deal with threats on his son’s life and on his own.
What is the obvious difference? The obvious difference, is his steadfast devotion to the Almighty, to an unshakeable belief in the role of the Almighty as a father, a mother, and hence, a protector under all circumstances.
Faith is reacting positively to a negative situation. – Robert H. Schuller, Televangelist, 1926-2015
