The Martyrdom of Guru Arjan

Background: The Martyrdom of Guru Arjan
Two years after the Adi Granth was installed in the Harimandir Sahib, its compiler, Guru Arjan Dev ji was arrested and tortured to death by order of the Mughal Emperor Jehangir, for harbouring the enemy’s rebel son Khusro. But, although some historians see the harbouring of Khusro as a political act, nothing in Guru Arjan Dev ji’s life supports this view. His concerns were spiritual, not political, and the murder of this man of profound learning was a senseless act. It converted a peaceful movement of reconciliation and reform into the most militant organization witnessed in India.

This tragic turning point left a deep impression on the Sikh psyche in the form of a sharp and sudden awareness of the concept of martyrdom. Out of it grew the community’s tradition of taking an implacable stand against injustice and the vagaries of tyrannical rulers. A new and lasting dimension was now added to the Sikh sense of mission and purpose.

Before his death, anticipating that the end was near, Guru Arjan Dev ji in a parting message to his son asked him to, “sit fully armed on his throne and maintain an army.” And Guru Hargobind did just that.