The Preface
Title
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A book worth to be a part of
collection in each Sikh Home Library for Knowledge , Grace and Learning.
(Size: 8" x 13" , Hard Bound,
Printed on Art Paper)
This book compiled
by Mr.Tilak Raj Sarangal and Mr. Sewa Ram Sarangal ably throws light on
the life of Guru Gobind Singh and traces the origin and development of
Sikh faith culminating in the emergence of the Khalsa.
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Back Cover
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The creation of the Khalsa has
been great and epoch-making event in the history of Indian religions, which
has changed the tone and tenor of the national outlook. A large number
of institutions, religious bodies, thinkers and scholars have shown keen
interest in celebrating the tercentenary of such a great event. Various
seminars have been planned and a series of marches, meetings and functions
are being held to make the people aware of the significance of this historical
event. It is a matter of great satisfaction that the people belonging to
different streams, religions, ideologies and religious beliefs have come
together to express their sincere and deeply felt homage to the great Master,
Guru Gobind Singh. The book in hand is also a devout pouring of thoughts
and feelings, sentiments and emotions focussed on the tercentenary of the
Khalsa.
This book compiled by Mr. Tilak
Raj Sarangal and Mr. Sewa Ram Sarangal ably throws light on the life of
Guru Gobind singh and traces the origin and development of Sikh faith culminating
in the emergence of the Khalsa. guru Nanak Dev, the First Guru fought against
the social inequality, religious corruption and political injustice and
raised his emphatic protest in Baba Ban and preached a social setup based
on equality, liberty and fraternity. He built the concept of the Gurmukh,
the ideal man, who stood for ethical and moral values in social behavior
and religious conduct. Passing through eventful two centuries, the ideal,
conceived by the First Guru, culminated in the creation of the Khans which
shaped a new social order. The concept of the Khalsa, in reality, is the
evolution of the concept of the Gurmukh.
The First Guru urged the people
to discard the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness and encouraged
them to believe in the God and to work for building a social order so as
to channelize the creative and constructive energy of the masses. The second
Guru, Angad Dev, used the Gurmukhi script to spread the message and inspired
the writing of the incidents relating to the life of Guru Nanak Dev in
the form of Janam Sakhis and encouraged the culture of religious books
and practiced common kitchen to bring the people belonging to different
castes together. The Third Guru, Amar Dass, established 22 Manjis (propagating
agencies) to spread the message of oneness of God and encouraged the people
to rise above the narrow confines of caste considerations and superstitions
so as to lead a meaningful and socially useful life. He also collected
the religious outpourings of the Gurus, Saints and Bhakats for including
in the Goindwal compilations. The Fourth Guru, Ram Dass, undertook the
construction of the town of Amritsar (Guru ka chak), thus creating a central
holy place for the congregations of the devotees. The Fifth Guru, Arjan
Dev, further developed Amritsar city and Harimander Sahib and ensured the
purity of the Banis of the preceding Sikh Gurus and Bhakats by compiling
and editing Sri Guru Granth Sahib which is the most revered sacred book
the Sikhs. Defending his principles he achieved martyrdom and stemmed the
suppression by the rulers and blessed his son, Guru Hargobind, the Sixth
Guru, to prepare for an armed struggle. Guru Hargobind, propagated the
concept of use of force for protecting the religion. The nature of offering
by the devotees underwent a sea-change. The rosary and the sword were juxtapositioned
in the Sikh tradition and the decile Sikh followers became horse-riding
and sword-wielding seasoned soldiers who showed their mettle in defeating
the Mughal army during four different battles.
The great martyrdom of Guru Tegh
Bahadur infused spirit of sacrifice for the cause among the people and
the Tenth Guru, while living in hilly areas, organised the common
folk to free the society from the oppressive rulers. Guru Gobind Singh
on the one hand trained the Sikhs in weaponry and on the other hand steeled
them with the renderings of the myths and legends of bravery of their mythical
and historical predecessors in the language of common people. His efforts
bore fruit in the battle at Bhangani. The Tenth Guru, with the aim of making
his followers free from the fear of death and temptations of life and to
keep them in a state of eternal readiness baptised them through the ceremony
of Amrit. This ceremony at Kesgarh Sahib, transformed the total concept
of the Sikh society and the Sikh became a synonym of high consciousness,
high purpose and co-existence. This effort on the part of Guru Gobind Singh,
injected new blood in the body of downtrodden, who had lost all hope of
leading a dignified life. The social life in India at the time of Guru
Nanak Dev was completely transformed by the time of the emergence of the
Khalsa, which gave the Indians self-confidence, self-esteem, democratic
concepts and national pride. Guru Gobind Singh abolished all boundaries
based on birth, caste, religion and profession, and through the ceremony
of baptism built a new social order and prepared the people for collective
action for common good. The social leaders belonging to higher castes oposed
the revolutionary steps being taken by the Guru through which he was making
the people belonging to backward and downtrodden tribes and communities
to fight against injustice and oppression of the rulers.
Guru Gobind Singh was the first
Indian leader who by uplifting the people belonging to the low castes organized
them and turned them into fighters and warriors and removed the feeling
of inferiority from their psyche. He was the true leader of the Dalits.
The Guru in his literary and religious writing also used the images from
the life of these out castes to inspire them to lead their life with dignity
and price. The creation of Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh was the first national
effort to create a social order based on the concepts of equality and unity
of human race.
In this book Sarangals have displayed
the glorious character of the Khalsa with a deep sense of devotion and
dedication. They have thrown light on Fatehnama, Zafarnama and Institution
of Hukamnama in Sikh history in an authentic and convincing style. They
have also added the much needed details regarding the great martyrs and
the famous religious places connected with the Tenth Master.
The authors are emotionally involved
in the book and their descriptions are to echo of their deeply felt feelings
rising from the purity of heart and sincerity of purpose. The distinct
quality of this book is that, though it is a book in the subject of religion,
yet the approach is scientific and the facts stated are historically correct.
The inclusion of illustrations and pictures make the whole effort multidimensional
and multifaceted.
This book occupies a place of distinction
in the literature being published on the occasion of the tercentenary of
the venation of the Khalsa. This book is not merely an academic exercise,
it is much more and is rightly aimed at acquainting the common reader with
the role played by Guru Gobind Singh. The book successfully presents the
mission of the Tenth Guru in the right perspective.
The authors richly deserve the
appreciation and I am very happy to congratulate them on their outstanding
achievement and wish that this book should be published in other languages
as well, so that more and more people can get benefit from this book |
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About the Author
| The Preface | The
Contents
Scenes from the 1999
Celebrations at Shri Anandpur Sahib
A Map of Guru Gobind
Singh Marg ( Anandpur Sahib - Talwandi Sabo )
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