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Guru Gobind Singh () (Born in Patna , Bihar , India , on December 22 , 1666 as ''Gobind Rai'' – October 7 , 1708 , Nanded , Maharashtra , India (Jyoti Jyot)) was the tenth and last of The Ten Gurus Of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11 , 1675 following in the footsteps of his father, the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur . Guru Gobind Singh (also sometimes transliterated as 'Govind'), played a monumental part in the development of the Sikh faith. The First Guru was Guru Nanak Dev , the founder of Sikhism . Guru Gobind Singh exemplified the teachings of Sikh principles during his lifetime. He not only taught the teachings, but also felt the pain of sacrifice in upholding those beliefs and teachings. Guru Gobind Singh lost his father, mother, and all four of his sons to a religious war, being waged by emperor Aurangzeb , the last of the six grand Mughals . Aurangzeb demanded that all Sikhs either convert to Islam or be killed. It was in this fight for spiritual survival (or as Guru Sahib himself called it,''Dharamyudh'', the war for righteousness) that Guru Gobind Singh felt the pain of loss. Guru Gobind's father,Guru Tegh Bahadur, was beheaded in Delhi (where the Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib stands today) on the orders of emperor Aurangzeb for refusing to convert to Islam. His two elder sons, Sahibzada Ajit Singh and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh died by being buried alive by having a brick wall built around them for no chance of escaping or of survival because they wouldn't convert to Islam. at Chamkaur Sahib. His mother Mata Gujri was killed along with his younger sons Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh for refusing to convert to Islam . Guru Gobind Singh also finalised many elements of Sikhism. He proclaimed himself the last living Guru and established the Guru Granth Sahib -- a compilation of the ten Gurus' writings --as the eternal guru for the Sikhs.This Granth is thus, more than a holy book for the Sikhs.However, it was only spiritual authority that was bestowed upon the Guru Granth. Guru Gobind also compiled the Dasam Granth sometimes known as the ''Dasven Padshah Ka Granth''(the Granth of the Tenth Emperor).He also established the Sikh baptism ceremony, the partaking of Amrit or Amrit Sanskar . The following is a summary of the main highlights of Guru Gobind Singh's life:
THE RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR THE KHALSA Guru Gobind Singh, after administering Amrit to the 'Five Beloved Ones',ordained them to do the following: I. They must all wear the following articles. The name of each article begins with 'K'. These are known as the 5 Kakas (the letter in the Gurmukhi alphabet corresponding to 'k':
II.They must observe the following guidelines. These are known as the ''Rahatnamas''(Codes of Conduct):
(A supplementary ordinance was issued that any one who did not observe any of the above four directives, must be re-baptized, pay a fine, and promise not to offend any more; or he must be excommunicated from the Khalsa). III.They must rise at dawn, bathe, meditate on Gurmantar-' Waheguru ', Mool Mantar - the preamble of Japji, and recite the five banis- Japji, Jap Sahib and Swayas in the morning; Rehras in the evening; and Kirtan Sohela at bed time at night. IV.They must not worship idols, cemeteries, or cremation grounds, and must believe only in One Immortal God. The Guru further spelled out that they should practice arms, and never show their backs to the foe in the battle field. They should always be ready to help the poor and protect those who sought their protection. They were to consider their previous castes erased, and deem themselves all brothers of one family. THE LEGACY OF GURU GOBIND SINGH The Khalsa's impact on the socio-political scene of the Punjab The long term effects of the creation of the Khalsa on the socio-political scene of Northern India in general and the Punjab in particular was immense. Pearl S. Buck says that, "The creation of the Khalsa was the greatest work of the Guru. He created a type of super-human, a universal servant of God, casteless and country less. The Guru regarded himself as the servant of the Khalsa. He said, "To serve them pleases me the most; no other service is so dear to my soul." The Khalsa was the spearhead of resistance against tyranny." Khushwant Singh in his 'A History of the Sikhs - Volume 1' records that "Within a few months of the famous baptismal ceremony, a sect of pacifists was suddenly transformed into a militant brotherhood of crusaders. The hills around Anandpur began to echo to the beating of wardrums and military commands. The Guru had dinned into the timid peasantry of the Punjab that they must 'take the broom of divine knowledge and sweep away the filth of timidity.' Thus did Gobind 'train the sparrow to hunt the hawk and one man to fight a legion.' Within a few months a new people were born - bearded, beturbanned, fully armed, and with a crusader's zeal to build a new commonwealth." Not long after the death of Guru Gobind, Madhodas Bairagi, the man that he baptised at Nanded as Banda Bahadur , challenged the might of the Mughal Empire in Northern India. Eventually, he was captured and executed. But his example inspired many more. After his death, the Sikh Misl s rose in the Punjab. The Misls clashed with the armies of the Persian invader, Nadir Shah and his successor in Afghanistan , Ahmed Shah Abdali . After Abdali's exit from the Indian scene following the Third Battle Of Panipat ,the Misls constantly fought Mughal forces and soon came to control the area between the Indus and the Ganges . They were however fractured. Until the last Sukerchakia Misldar united them and captured Lahore in 1799, a century after the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind and established the Sikh Kingdom of the Punjab. He was Ranjit Singh , Maharaja of the Punjab. The works of Guru Gobind Singh The Dasam Granth The collection of writings attributed to Guru Gobind Singh is known as the Dasam Granth . It consists of the following eighteen works:
(From Khushwant Singh's 'A History of the Sikhs - Volume 1') Popular hymns/compositions by Guru Gobind Singh
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