[Excerpts from the chapter 'Guru Gobind Singh's ideas about his pre-natal life' (p.369-379)from the book "Guru Nanak Dev And His Teachings" By Sahib Singh(ex-prof. Khalsa College, Amritsar and ex-principal, Shehid Sikh Missionary College, Amritsar) and Dalip Singh(New Delhi). First Edition 1969.]

There is a general belief that Guru Gobind Singh in his previous life immediately preceding to his taking birth in 1666 A.D was leading a life of an ascetic doing penances and meditation at Hem Kunt Mountain, when God called for him and commanded him to take birth again as a successor Guru in the House of Guru Nanak. This idea is due to the lack of understanding of the symbolic language used by the Guru. It is most regrettable that the Sikhs have built a shrine in the memory of the Guru's previous life in that mountaneous region. This is not only opposed to the basic creed of Sikhism as preached by the Guru himself, but also is in contradiction to the account given in the text.

Let us examine the stanza occurring in Guru's Autobiography about his previous life analytically. At the onset the Guru declared that he would give the account of happenings that took place while he was in meditation. He did not say that his exalted position was as a result of the said meditation. The Guru in his own writings at numeorus places stated that the ascetic life of regression was a perversion and a spiritual degenration. The Five Symbols, Four Breaches of Khalsa Discipline and the initiation ceremony of Baptism of the Double Edged Sword signify the strong voice raised against any type of ascetic practices. We would request the readers to refer to our book on Guru Gobind Singh's life for study of this aspect of Sikhism.

The only time one has to be in solitude and self engrossed necessarily, is the embryotic state of life and is called 'Primary Narcissism' (Self Love). The Guru here described his foetal life in a most poetic and dramatic way. The Guru states, "ab main apni katha bikhano, tap sadat jai bidh mohai aano" - 'Now I narrate my story and give the experiences of my meditations (during foetal life).' He further states, " hem kunt parbat hai jahan, sapat saring sobat hai tahan, sapat saring teh nam kahava, pand raj jeh jog kamava, teh ham adak tapasaya sadi, mahan kal kalka aradhi." 'Where there is Hemkunt Mountain (Cave of Ice), seven steeples are seen there. The place is known by the name of "Seven Steeples", and it is here that King Pandu was engaged in yogic meditation. Here I also made deep meditation and remembered God.' The Guru defines his mother's womb by giving a simile of "Cave of Ice". As already stated that in dream analysis caves and solitary places are the symbolic of womb (uterus). The Guru describes that this cave of ice "Hem Kunt" (womb) has seven steeples around it. He gives the anatomical details of the uterus, which is surrounded by two Fallopian Tubes leading to two ovaries on the top, urinary bladder in front of it, rectum behind it, Broad Ligament connecting it to the Peritoneal Wall, two urinary tubes on its either side. Uterus is situated in the pelvic cavity and the other seven organs surrounding it in this cavity have been mentioned as the steeples. He gave another simile from the mythical story of Mahabharata about King Pandu, the details of which will be given here under.

King Pandu in this story had sexual union with his wife in her womb. The Guru refers to his foetal state and states that he remembered God in that state. He further states, "eh bidh karat tapasaya bhio, dwai tai ek roop havai gayo, tat mat mur alakh aradha, bho bidh jog sadhna sadha." The Guru now describes the type of meditation done by him in his foetal state, which led to complete union with God in company of his parents, who also remembered Him. The Guru clearly described that his state of solitude in womb was quite different from others. Normally the child in the womb is completely narcissistic, being self-absorbed and gratifies his instinctual desires from within itself. There is no object love there and technically the child is in a state of self-abuse. The Guru says that this was not so in his case, as his father and mother both remembered God and in their company he also remembered Him. Remembrance of God in holy association is the basic creed of Sikhism. This creed received empasis to such an extent from Guru Gobind Singh that he declared that he was in holy association even in the womb. It is a proven fact that the foetus is profoundly influenced by the mother during pregnancy by her mental states.

According to Harry Joseph and Gordon Zero, "The tiny foetus moves considerably, often visibly. The foetus has other responses. The foetal heartbeat may change following a loud noise, thumb-sucking and hiccoughing have been noted. While meaning of these observations is not fully known, they indicate that the unborn child is responsive." Precisely, the Guru apart from conveying the creed of holy association, wanted to express his indebtedness to his high and noble parentage. He clearly stated that in foetal state he was not in self love but was in holy association of his parents, in remembering God.

The next verse in the text is most important and is the key to the understanding of the whole idea of the Guru. He says, "tin jo kari alakh ki seva, ta tai bhai parsan gur deva, tin prab jab ayas mohai dia, tab ham janam kaloo main lia." 'My parents served God with great devotion and as such He was pleased with them. God wanted that I should leave my scheduled place and be in a wider association with the people. At His command I came forth and took birth in this Iron Age.' This clearly shows that the Guru was non-existent in physical form in this world before his birth at Patna. Had the Guru been at Hemkunt Mountain and talking to God there, then he could not have stated that God sent him to this world in Iron Age. This point is further elaborated by the Guru, "chit na bhio avan kai, chubi rahi surat prab charnan main, jiyon tiyon prab ham ko samjayo, ayam kai keh ahai lok pathayo." 'I had no mind to leave such a place (of comfort) but God persuaded me and thus saying sent me to this world."

The question arises that if he was already in this world, why did he not climb down from the hills? Then why he said that he had no desire to come to this world? If he could meditate on hills in his previous life, he could very well do so again and would have preached this doctrine. The answer is that the Guru was in the foetal state and was carefree as all his needs were being met effortlessly. Absorption in objective love of God is the highest aim in Sikhism and that aim of the Guru was being fulfilled in his foetal state as he was not self-absorbed but was in holy association, even in that state.

'Mahabharta' is a clossal epic poem, which gives in detail the the political, social and religious life in the antiquities of the Hindu world. Throughout world history great men of culture have shown their creative nature by their capacity to speculate and imagine. Guru Gobind Singh's works also excel in this sphere.

An account of King Pandu's life is given in 'Sambhava Purva' of Mahabharata. Vyasa, the celebrated author of Vedas, is also the author of this great epic.

[To make a long story short, Pandu was a son born of Vyasa and second widowed queen Amvalika...King Pandu one day went hunting and noticing two deer mating, he struck five arrows, thus mortally wounding them. They fell to the ground and the stag began to weep bitterly like a man... The stag was a rishi in disguise and cursed Pandu for not declaring the act of war/killing first before the waging...Pandu was cursed that every time he is in the act of copulation with his wives he shall be deemed as being killed and his wife shall follow suit....Pandu was shocked and resisted physical pleasure and became a student of the rishis....But he wished his wife, Kunti, to bear children with others since he felt he owed a debt to his ancestors....Kunti gave birth to Yudhishthira, Bhima & Arjuna....Madri, Pandu's second wife, also wished to have children and Kunti made the arrangement for her. Madri had two sons Nakula and Sahadeva. (Pandu brothers were born to King Pandu).

[One day, spring time, King Pandu felt his sexual desires returning when he was having a walk with Madri in the forest. Unable to restrain himself, he put his arms around her, while she knowing that this would be resulting in his death, endeavoured to restrain him. Intoxicated with desire, he united with his wife, resulting in his death due to the curse of the rishi. When his body was cremated, Madri also jumped into the fire.]

The word "yog" means "union". King Pandu was in sexual 'yog' with his wife. The Guru, in "Bachitar Natak" refers to king Pandu's place of union and states that there (in mother's womb) he had his union with God in the company of his holy mother & father. According to Dr. Nandor Fodor in his book 'New Approach to Dream Interpretation' (p.116) he says that dreams of staying on mountain tops are nothing but the fantasy of returning into the uterus(womb). The mountain top submerged in clouds is the same as an island submerged in the sea depicting isolation. The island is a universal symbol of the unborn child in the amniotic fluid. The fetus is a living island.

The above accounts clearly prove that Guru Gobind Singh referred to his prenatal existence in his mother's womb.

Could by any stretch of imagination be said that the Guru, who prescribed to wearing of unshorn and unmatted hair(matte dlice inhibited mass of hair in ascetics is a condition worse than shorning of hair), objective love of God and objective living, a feeling of indepenent living and thinking (an ascetic is ever dependent on others for his bodily needs - no one can sustain his body without fulfillnig its needs) and engagement in activity as the essential features for a truly religious life, should have stated that he himself reached the spiritual height by resorting to ascetic practices?