Quote
Very true and to the point - not sure i think Binod singh's son stayed with Baba Banda Singh and attained shaeedi and didnt go with his own father ?? please confirm.
Yes, Binod Singh's son refused to run away and wanted to attain martyrdom along with all Singhs. He was captured and taken to Delhi but as per Saroop Daas Bhalla, his family used their influence and got him released whereas all other 700 Singhs attained martyrdom.
The article about Baba Banda Singh on Sikhiwiki is totally misleading. Baba Banda Singh never became Guru. If he had become Guru, then he could not have attained such glorious Shaheedi. He remained a loyal Sikh of Siri Dasmesh jee till the end. What to talk about him becoming Guru, he did not even become a king. He was above such worldly lusts.
The Bandai Khalsa came into being after his Shaheedi. The Mughal intelligence got this propaganda going about Baba jee so that Sikhs don't pursue the noble ideal of establishing the Khalsa Raj. The Sikhs that opposed Baba Banda Singh, had accepted the supremacy of the Lahore Darbar and used to get a grant from them.
Another allegation on Baba jee is that he surrendered. This is totally false. Baba jee stayed at Gurdas-Nangal till all their supplies had exhausted. They had been hungry for days and in the end all Singhs decided to attack the enemy and attain martyrdom. Countless Singhs attained Shaheedi there and many carts full of severed heads of Singhs were taken to Delhi. Baba jee and 700 Singhs were caught alive. So many other Singhs in history got caught alive. This does not mean that they were traitors or that they surrendered. Baba jee would have been wrong if he and other 700 Singhs had given up Sikhi instead of embracing Shaheedi.
The Mughals tried everything to coerce Sikhs into leaving their religion but none of the Sikhs yielded. A person who becomes Bemukh to Guru Sahib can never attain such glorious Shaheedi. Baba jee was a true Sikh. All the writers who have written about him have been either mislead or were malicious in intent. None of these writings are contemporary writings but were written at least 60 years later. His most fierce slanderers and Nindaks wrote all this stuff about him more than 100 years after his Shaheedi.
Here is a short story on Baba jee, written earlier by this Daas:
Baba Banda Singh Jee In KahiloorThe Khalsa is Bir Rasseya Parupkaaree all the time such is the amazing state of Naam Rasseya Gursikhs of Vaheguroo.
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur (Baba Gurbaksh Singh jee) was one of the greatest general in the Sikh history. For many invalid reasons, he does not enjoy the respect and honour that he deserves amongst the Sikhs. He is the one who showed the Sikhs in general that the Pathaan, Moghul or Muslim fighters are not invincible and that the Mughals can be uprooted. He spoke with the tyrants of that time, the language they understood i.e. the language of the sword. He avenged the shahidee of sahibzaadas by punishing the offenders.
He along with his very dedicated companions, conquered a great part of present day Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Himachal Pardesh. He was a very devout Sikh and was a very accomplished Sikh. He was a Sikh of high spiritual stage and Guru Sahib had given him so much power that whatever he said, came true.
Here is a very little heard saakhi to prove how great he was. After conquering Punjab, he moved on to punish the Hill Chieftains who had helped the Mughals against Dhan Guru Gobind Singh jee. He approached Kahiloor area of Hills. Baba jee had in his mind all the atrocities that the Kahiloor kingdom had committed against the Sikhs. He sent a notice to the king of Kahiloor to surrender before the Sikhs.
Hearing the notice of Baba jee, the king of Kahiloor replied back saying that it was impossible for the Sikhs to conquer his kingdom as it was located at very high altitude. He further said that this area was blessed with the Devis (Hindu Goddesses) and that the Sikhs did not have power to reach there.
Baba jee was full of spiritual shakti. Hearing his arrival, the people of Hill kingdoms flocked to him and all of them got their wishes like having children, money and other problems fulfilled. The King of Kahiloor got very jealous of Baba jee and sent forth representatives to talk to Banda jee.
During the conversation between the representatives from Kahiloor and Baba jee, the reps started talking highly of their army. They said that the peasants of Punjab were no match for the sophisticated warriors of their kingdom. Hearing this, Baba jee came in Bir Rass. He replied with full confidence that he was ready to accept their challenge and asked them to have a one on one fight.
They readily accepted it and at this Baba jee in full Jaaho-Jalaal (Bir Rass) told them that only one Singh would fight against their 5 warriors. They asked Baba jee what Baba jee would give in return if he lost. At this Baba jee told them that he would give them abundant money and leave them alone. Then they asked Baba jee what he expected them to do if they lost. At this Baba jee said that Khalsa does not take anything from anyone. He said that he could take whatever he wishes through Satguru jee. Just look at how full-of-Gurmat this reply was. Baba jee said that Khalsa does not take anything from anyone. Vaah!
The reps of the kingdom left and returned the next day with giant looking 5 warriors. Along with them came a small group of army. Now Baba jee decided to choose a singh to fight the giant warriors. He asked 5 Singhs to get together and let him know who should be sent to fight. The five Singhs, looked at one ordinary looking Singh, whose name was Bhai BaaghaR Singh. They recommended that singh for the competition. They placed their hand on his back and asked him to go. Baba jee too placed his hand on his back. As soon as the Singhs and Babab jee placed their hands on his back, Bhai BaaghaR Singh felt a surge of power in his inside.
With this new power Bhai BaaghaR Singh jee excitingly offered to fight not 5 but 500 soldiers alone. He came right in front of the five chosen warriors of the opponent party, and forwarded his right foot. He asked them if anyone of them could move his foot. Hearing this the advocates (reps) who had come with the enemy side, told their warriors not to touch his foot as it was a trick to get them to touch his feet and thus humiliate them.
At this BaaghaR Singh jee said that they will have to fall at his feet anyway. One of the warriors moved his hand forward at Bhai Baaghar Singh jee. Bhai Baaghar Singh jee too moved his hand forward and their hands locked. They were both trying to squeeze each other’s hands. In a few moments, the opponent of Bhai BaaghaR Singh jee started crying with pain. Bhai Baaghar Singh jee had crushed his hand and reduced it to nothing.
Then began the battle between the remaining warriors and Bhai BaaghaR Singh jee. Eventually, all five lay in the feet of Bhai BaaghaR Singh jee.
Such was the glory of Baba jee's Bachan and the Singhs of that time. This is why Baba jee along with the Khalsa, uprooted the kingdom of Mughals. The 800 years old Muslim rule was uprooted.
Kulbir Singh
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥
