Guru Gobind Singh’s Priceless Gifts

Guru Gobind Singh’s life was a saga of selfless sacrificeThe Guru’s thoughts and actions were guided by justice and dharma Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa and introduced the symbols of Sikhism The tenth Sikh guru left us with several invaluable gifts – most important of which is anointing the Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal guru we can turn to anytime, anywhereGuru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, gave the religion its final form. He founded the Khalsa and introduced the symbols of Sikhism. He and gave us the gift of Guru Granth Sahib – declaring that the sacred words contained in the Granth would henceforth be the guru – the eternal guru.Travel journalist and author Inder Raj Ahluwalia talks to Mona Mehta about his perception of the 10th Sikh guru -- Guru Gobind Singh, a messiah who inspires him day in and day out. medium109534436When he was barely nine, his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was martyred in Delhi to save Kashmiri pundits and the very fabric of secularism. Later, his elder two sons were killed in battle and his younger two bricked alive. Almost his entire life was spent fighting off his legion of enemies. Yet when people mourned his four sons’ deaths, he declared, ‘So what if four have gone. Everyone around is my child.’ With these epic words he left us the gift of parenthood, says Ahluwalia.Through the new order, known as the Khalsa, pure, which he created at Anandpur Sahib, to propagate dharma, the Guru sent out a forceful message to all. He called upon everyone to shun rituals and superstitions, show respect to women, and consider everyone equal. He emphasised that one should look at all persons as human beings, all deserving kind treatment, peace, and dignity. His myriad problems notwithstanding, the Guru patronised the arts and the wisdom of learning. At Damdama Sahib, he proclaimed the value of education and literary arts -- a gift for all humanity. Guru Gobind Singh’s ultimate gift was to designate the Guru Granth Sahib as our ‘eternal Guru’. This way he ensured that guidance, direction, and blessings for everyone are available at any gurdwara, on any day, anywhere in the world.Within a short span of forty-two years, the Guru left an indelible mark on humanity. He has inspired millions to look beyond their own, limited world view and think of the welfare of others. The virtues he propagated are precisely the beliefs the world’s fractured society needs today.While Sikhs owe him their very existence, he wasn’t just a guru for the Sikhs, but also a saviour of other communities, instilling in them a sense of pride and dignity. We owe it to him to practice his ideals of brotherhood, dignity, freedom and women’s rights and safety. We don’t need to stress and strive to grasp the richness of the Guru’s legacy left to us. We just have to ‘be still and open our eyes’. It will help us to open our hearts, which is what Guru Gobind Singh was all about.Inder Raj Ahluwalia is a travel journalist and author.Audio production: Prateek Kapoor