Jan-March 2006 - Institute of Sikh Studies

FROM CROWN TO THE CROSS-ROADS – SIKH HISTORY GOES FULL CIRCLE73Bahadur, stood his ground for religious freedom and mutual toleranceand understanding between the different religions and cultures in theLand, was martyred in Delhi on the orders of the Mughal EmperorAurangzeb, Sikhism had begun its relentless march towards eventual“independent entity” – a Third Force as the British called it later on.Guru gobind Singh in his historic Revelation of the Order of theKhalsa on vasakhi Day 1699 sealed this Path. Since that eventfulday, the Guru Khalsa Panth has never looked back.Guru Gobind Singh reinforced in the Khalsa the Internal MoralDiscipline, the External Discipline of the rehat, and the Moral Courageto Stand Out in Millions as the Unique and one of his own kind. AKhalsa from then on could never “hide” behind the anonymity of thepublic at large. A member could be instantly recognizable from afar.Guru Gobind Singh also codified the unique concept of Punjbiasas which had been propogated by the previous nine Gurus. From1699 Vasakhi Day, the Punj Khalsa was to represent the GURU inPerson. Guru Gobind Singh gave the First Five the Pahul and thentook pahul from them to emphasize that NO ONE, not even the GURUhimself was exempted from this rule. The Concept of gurmatta andrule of the Consultation instead of an individual’s decision took rootand flourished as the Khalsa began to assert itself…finally turninginto the Misls or “groups” that practised the rule of all for one andone for all. This win-win situation worked so well that the Sikhs,although “divided” into 12 Misls or groups led by individual sardars,defeated the greatest Military Genius of the time Ahmad Shah Durrani.Ahmad Shah lost to the Sikhs when he had managed to completelydestroy the Marhatta Power and vanquished the Mughal Armies.Compared to the Marhattas and the Mughals the Sikhs were aninsignificant force – but they emerged victorious, and established theirlittle kingdoms all over Punjab – all this within a few decades of thepassing of Guru Gobind Singh from the scene. Against all odds –being hunted down like wild animals, having no home or hearth,spending their entire life on horseback, always on the run, having aprice on their head, not big enough to wage full scale war but onlysmall skirmishes with the enemy, the Sikhs went on to be the rulers ofthe land of their birthright. This was possible only with the use of the