In order to halt a downstream-flow of a 'body-of-water', one must build a dam and to stop a running vehicle, one must apply breaks. To let a soft vine grow upward, the support of straight shaft shall be essential. Likewise, to turn around the tide of falsehood and elevate the truthfulness back on track, one must seek the light from a 'Man of God'. In case of Sikh faith, these 'Men of God' happened to be the 'Ten living Prophet-Gurus' who successively graced this earth between the years of 1469 through 1708 and nurtured humanity with the ultimate truth. In order to keep the stream of spirituality flowing for ever, the Tenth Master, at time of departure for heavenly abode, made a departure from the established tradition of choosing a human-being as the next Guru. Instead, he ordained 'Sub Sikhan Ko Hukum Hai, Guru Manyo Granth' meaning 'From now, all Sikhs must accept Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikh Scripture, as their next Guru unto Eternity'. This Guru Granth Sahib Ji or 'Adi Granth' had been earlier compiled and gifted to humanity by the 5th Prophet-Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Arjun Dev Ji, the first Sikh Martyr, whose 400th years martyrdom day is being celebrated all over the world in the summer of this year.

As per pages of Sikh history, Guru Arjun Dev Ji, the compiler of Guru Granth, was assigned the spiritual seat of Nanak on September the 1st, 1581 ⁽¹⁾. In a short span of two scores and three years, this Sachcha Padshah brought forth a unique revolution in the cultural, organizational, scriptural and doctrinal aspects of the growing Sikh community. It was Guru Arjun Dev Ji who provided the Sikh people with the most important religious place, the Hari Mandir, a shrine like no where else on this earth. The Amrit Sarovar in which this was erected, had been partially dug during times of his father, Guru Ram Das Ji. As per later day accounts, the foundation stone of Hari Mandir, popularly known as Golden Temple was laid by a Sufi Saanyeen Mian Mir, a Muslim Divine. Its foundation was intentionally kept a few steps lower than the surroundings, signifying that the 'House of God is exalted for it truly believes in humility' ⁽²⁾. In contrast to a philosophy that limits the presence of God Almighty to the east or the west, the entry to Hari Mandir was kept open on all sides. By reaching out beyond the boundaries of its own faith, Guru Arjun Dev Ji emphasized the concept of universality and tolerance for each other's faiths "My faith is for the people of all castes, creeds, communities and cultures from whichever direction they come" thus openly declaring the presence of God in all directions and everywhere ⁽³⁾. Hari-Mandir became a central rallying-point for Sikh pilgrimage as well as an indestructible symbol of pride under the stewardship of Guru Arjun Dev Ji ⁽⁴⁾.

While the central temple was being built, Guru Arjun Dev Ji started compiling the Sikh Scripture, the Adi (primal) Granth. Through this unparalleled scriptural gift that was later to be ordained as the Eternal Guru of the Sikhs, albeit with some additions, Guru Arjun Dev Ji made the faith of Guru Nanak Dev Ji stay the course. As per Sarup Das Bhalla in Mahima Prakash, he undertook this huge task with the announcement "As the Panth (community) has been revealed unto the world, so must there be the Granth (book) too" ⁽⁵⁾. To do so, He went on foot to his maternal uncle, Baba Mohan's house to humbly seek for the Pothis (the books) containing Baanis of the first three Gurus. Several Sikhs were sent all over the country to collect widely scattered Baanis of previous Gurus. Also included were the hymns of few Hindu Saints and Sufis with a compatible Philosophy. To sort out what was real from what was not was a monumental task. Bhai Gurdas was assigned the duty of the scribe. Guru Ji then codified about 6000 hymns in thirty-one different Ragas based on musical measures and a sequence in where all the Gurus renderings were followed by Baanis of fifteen Bhaktaas of different castes, Sufis and bards ⁽⁶⁾.

"His own hymns are the largest in number, covering almost one third of the Adi Granth. They truly bespeak of his vast talents in the understanding of the different languages of India as well as his musical comprehension. It provides an insight into his skill as a supremely sensitive poet of divine inspiration that he was. Included in His Baani is the Sukhmani, 'the Psalm of Peace', a world-renowned rendering that had been translated in many languages. Once the Adi Granth was completed, it was ceremoniously installed on a raised platform inside Hari-Mandir on 16th of August, 1604 with Guru seating himself at a lower level" ⁽⁷⁾. He asked his Sikhs to pay full obedience by bowing before it for this was the collection of divine revelation and spiritual inspiration ⁽⁸⁾. Baba Buddha, the only person who was blessed to have been in the company of six Gurus, was declared the first Granthi (custodian) of the Adi Granth. He opened it with great reverence to receive the Divine Command, the Hukum, while Guru stood behind in attendance ⁽⁹⁾. This unique treasure of the Sikhs is kept open in all the Sikh Gurdwaras to all irrespective of status or caste. The women could equally read it, minister it and lead a congregation like men.

To alleviate the misery wrought upon by famine, Guru Ji traveled throughout Punjab to help its people dig wells and Baolies (the wells with steps going down). He convinced Emperor Akbar to forgo revenue-remittance from the farmers of Punjab. But soon after death of Akbar, when his son Jehangir succeeded the throne, the equation started changing. In order to please the bigoted orthodox Ulema of the Sunnis, who were being bothered by the influence of what they perceived as a potentially rival spiritual power, Emperor Jehangir started to look for a ripe excuse to put Guru Ji down. Such an opportunity was provided by mutiny of Khusrau, son of Jehangir against his father. While passing through Punjab, Khusrau had sought Guru's blessings and partook Langar prior to his journey onward. Once rebellion subsided and Khusrau apprehended, Jehangir wreaked his vengeance against all who came in contact with his revolting son ⁽¹⁰⁾.

Guru Ji was arrested and taken to Lahore where he was put to extreme torture. Based upon conclusions drawn from personal memoirs of Jehangir, Dr. Gopal Singh mentions that Guru Ji was primarily tortured for religious reasons and not the political ones ⁽¹¹⁾. The heinous pains, inflicted upon Guru Ji persisted for five days and nights on the banks of river Ravi outside the Fort of Lahore. Finding the opportunity ripe, Chandu, an official, left no stone unturned in using all the cruel means in carrying out his personal vendetta against Guru Ji. In the hot summer sun of May in northern India, Guru Ji was made to sit on the red hot iron plate while the hot sand was concomitantly poured over his head. He was then asked to take dips in a caldron of hot boiling water. If it weren't enough, a dip in the cold water of river Ravi became the final straw for the blistered mortal body. Saanyeen Mian Mir, the Sufi Faquir sought permission to intercede but was advised by Guru Ji to accept and find peace in the 'Will of God'. Guru Ji immersed himself in constant meditation throughout this ordeal and accepted 'Will of God' a spiritual hallmark of the philosophy of this Sachacha Padshah. The purest of the pure Guru-Atmaa, that had been longing for its re-union with Parm-atmaa finally found its ultimate flight on May 30th in the year 1606.

Through His Shiromani sacrifice for firm moral convictions, Guru Ji set into motion a process that ultimately transformed Sikh people into a force to reckon with. From there on, the Sikhs would hesitate not to offer their heads and hearts to protect the meek and weak, whenever and wherever a call came from. And they would do so irrespective of hurdles thrown into their paths by the then bigoted and religiously intolerant rulers. Guru Ji's sacrifice for a morally correct principle proved beyond doubt that what mattered at the end of a day was not the pseudo-power that the mortals often sought rather the courage to stand up for 'the moral convictions'. While the regal Mausoleum of Emperor Jehangir could be collecting dust and pigeons droppings, the simple platform, that witnessed the ultimate in torture and the supreme sacrifice of this 'Man of God', was transformed into a beautiful Shrine, the eternally alive Gurdwara Dera Sahib. Thousands and thousands of pilgrims from all over the world assemble here every year on martyrdom day, to seek blessings of this "Sachcha Padshah" whose courage and convictions had no parallel any where in the world. The following couplets, in the 'Song of Khalsa' penned by Livtar Singh Khalsa sung aloud in many Gurdwaras, beautifully sums it all up:

"Many speak of courage, speaking can not give it,
It's in the face of death, that we must live it.
Guru Arjun gave His life to stand for what was right,
He was burned and tortured, five long days and nights.
He could have stopped it at any time, just by giving in,
His strength a solid wall, He never gave an inch at all".⁽¹²⁾

References:

1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 Dr.Harbans Singh in The Encyclopedia of Sikhism

2, 3, 8, 11 Dr. Gopal Singh in A History of the Sikh people

4. Patwant Singh in The Sikhs

12 The Song of Khalsa by Livtar Singh Khalsa