Martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur by Jaswinder Singh Chadha

Aurengzeb the Mughal
was vicious and cruel
a fanatic and a bigot
he was both fire and fuel

Hindus were regarded
as a hoard of infidels
who must be converted
or else gotton rid off

death and destruction
had become a norm
the Hindus wern't safe
in this vicious storm

the schools and temples
symbols of Hindu culture
were particular targets
of the wayward Mughal

Vishwanath shrine at Benares
was levelled down
so was Keshvari temple
in the Mathura town

conversion to Islam
was policy of the state
forced on pain of death
it was a dreaded fate

the cruel Iftikar Khan
the Governor of Kashmir
started the Hindu purge
and swung it into gear

the man's killer instinct
needed no further urge
enough was his obsession
Hindus were a scourage

Brahamins of Kashmir
met at Amarnath shrine
where a dream revealed
a guidance from divine

with Kirpa as a leader
and in circumstances grim
they met Guru Teg Bahadur
to state their case to him

sad tale of the Brahamins
was heard by the master
how Janeous in thousands
were being torn asunder

the Guru was distressed
and troubled in mind
when Gobind, barely nine
walked in from behind

amidst the Brahamins
sat his much worried dad
Gobind looked at him
and said "you do look sad"

" the earth is heavy
with tyranny and dread
a sacrifice is needed
of a great and noble head"

the brave lad responded
relieving his dad's tension
" who is better than you
for a task of this dimension"

Brahamins were advised
to give Aurengzeb a bid
everyone shall accept Islam
If Guru Teg Bahadur did

the Guru then left for Agra
the king was expected here
Teg and his companions
were arrested over there

they were moved to Delhi
and kept under house arrest
then the torture started
it began with caging first

Teg was offered awards
to accept the Islamic path
he should comply
or face the king's wrath

Teg Bahadur was solid
determined and steadfast
nothing could deter him
from his chosen path

they couldn't break him
as they tortured his Sikhs
Bhai Matti Dass was the first
who went through this

Matti Dass was sawn
he was sliced into two
the cruel deed was enacted
infront of the Guru

Bhai Dyalla was next
he was boiled in a cauldron
the Sikh kept his faith
and he couldn't be won

Teg was then to bear
Bhai Satti Dass's ordeal
who was burnt alive
defending the Sikh ideal

both carrot and the stick
had failed in the end
the revered Guru
will neither yield nor bend

in Chandni Chowk Delhi
Teg was beheaded
a fate he met with calm
a fate he never dreaded

during that night
a dust storm had blown
in its blinding fury
the severed parts were gone

Lakhi Shah hid the body
in a cart of hay
brought it inside his home
and burnt the house away

the head was collected
by Bhai Jaita of Delhi
who took it to Anandpur
after a hazardous journey

the young Guru Gobind
put flame to the funeral pyre
and the sangats present
offered the prayers

ashes arrived from Delhi
with the brave Lakhi Shah
he recounted to the sangats
an account of what he saw