Today, Sikhs around the world gather at their local Gurdwara to celebrate Guru Gobind Singh Ji's Janam Din. Guru Gobind Singh is perhaps the most well-known of the 10 Sikh Gurus, possibly because his life was filled with incredible struggles and trials and for ultimately institutionalising Sikhism through creation of the Khalsa.
Guru Gobind Singh became the 10th Guru when he was nine years old upon receiving the head of his father, the 9th Guru, in a box. His father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, had been beheaded by the Emperor in India at the time for refusing to convert from Sikhism. The period in which the Guru lived was one of conflict between local landowners endlessly trying to oppress the people in their undying quests for power and the Emperor at the time trying to suppress all those who politically and religiously differed from him in his own attempts to maintain power. The Guru followed his father's example as well as the example of the eight Gurus before them, refusing to capitulate to those in power and fighting to maintain freedom for not only Sikhs but other oppressed people as well. After all, Guru Tegh Bahadur had been beheaded not only for refusing to convert himself but for refusing to convince others to convert as well.
Guru Gobind Singh Ji is perhaps most well-known for creating the Khalsa within Sikhism. The Khalsa is the collective of baptised Sikhs. Ultimately the Khalsa is the brother/sisterhood of Saint-Soldiers of Sikhs. The idea behind it is simple; one must not only be involved in spiritual affairs but also in temporal affairs. The soldier has two swords as symbolised in the Khanda, the symbol of Sikhs- one to fight the oppressors of people and the second with which to defend the innocent. This is reiterated in the uniform of the Khalsa given to Sikhs by the 10 th Guru. The 5 K's, which make up the uniform, include the kesh (uncut hair), kept because all of God's creation is perfect so to cut it is a dishonour to God, the kanga (wooden comb), to maintain cleanliness of the kesh, kara (steel bracelet), a reminder that a Sikh is bound to God, kachhera (long undershorts), symbolising modesty and high moral character, and the kirpan (strapped sword), worn to not only remind one of her duty as a Khalsa but also worn as symbol to defend one's faith and to defend those who cannot defend themselves.
No one embodied the idea of a Saint-Soldier more than Guru Gobind Singh Ji. He lost not only his father, but his mother and his four sons, the two elder were killed in battle, and the two younger were bricked alive (all of whom died for refusing to convert from Sikhism). Despite these tragedies which would have crushed the spirit of any man, the Guru continued to be a beacon of hope and light for all people. He himself fought in many battles mostly in defense of people increasingly subject to religious persecution from the rulers of India at the time as well as to defend his own religious freedom and that of his followers. The Guru found no reason to be tied to any Empire or local ruler; rather he believed that people should be allowed to live their own lives as they see fit. This obviously led to clashes between him and the Emperor at the time as well as with local landlords who cherished the feudal system, under which they lived and prospered. Ultimately he was assassinated for refusing to bow down to those in power, for recognizing no power but that of God. He was the last of the living Gurus for the Sikh people passing on his succession to the eternal Guru, the Guru Granth Sahib which is the holy scriptures of the Sikh people.
Gobind Singh Ji was an amazing man and his birthday is a time to not only celebrate and remember his legacy as something of the past but to honour it by embodying these ideals within our own lives in the present and future. BOLE SO NIHAL! SAT SRI AKAL!
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