Martyrdom of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji

On Thursday is the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Sahib (Dharam Dhi Chadhar) and their companions, and I've come across this wonderful poem to commemorate.

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 a 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 divine

with Kirpa as a leader
and in circumstances grim
they met Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji
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 Rai, barely nine
walked in from behind

amidst the Brahamins
sat his much worried dad
Gobind Rai 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 Tegh Bahadur Ji
did

the Guru then left for Agra
the king was expected here
Guru Ji 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

Guru Ji was offered rewards
to accept the Islamic path
he should comply
or face the king´s wrath

Guru Ji 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

Guru Ji 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
Guru Ji 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 Ji
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[/center]

By Jaswinder Singh Chadha

This poem is for few of those Hindus who have completely forgotten the unparallel sacrifice of Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib


For you He left His family, His son, His wife
For you He didn’t hesitate to sacrifice His life

For you He courted arrest, and suffered all tortures
To fill your life with the roses of happiness, and joy filled orchards

For you He saw His Sikhs sawn and boiled
The hands of the Mughals with blood were soiled

For you He refused all pleasures and comforts
And accepted the pains that can shake all hearts

For you He rejected proposals of wealth
So that your generations could thrive in health

For you He sacrificed His body and His head
So that you could live fearlessly and earn your bread

Have you forgotten all He has done
His people you made the object of fun

Have you forgotten the legacy of His martyrdom
that to the oppression of His people you act deaf and dumb?

Have you forgotten His sacrifice, oh so complete!
That today His message for you has become totally obsolete!

Have you forgotten that He is your saviour
Or the Mughals would do to you what else but devour

Forget not the One who saved you
Protected your honor and carried you through

Forget not the One who took all the pains
Death for Himself, for you all the gains

Forget not the One who had His head severed
Today His people are mocked by you, instead of being revered

Wake up my dear, before its too late
Your silence and indifference is ruining your own fate

Wake up my dear, or you will pay a cost
Hatred will fume and all love will be lost

Wake up my dear, and recognize this fact
What He did for you was an ultimate act!

Wake up my dear, wake up and bow down
Bow down to the Master of Sikhs, the Sikhs whom you labeled a clown

Wake up my dear, and say after me
Say with your heart and you will be free

Dhann Guru Teg Bahadur, tu Hind di chaddar
Tu hi sadda sacha patshah tu hi sadda rehbar

Mehtab Singh
2003

Beautiful poems!

Dhan Siri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib jee!