Page 29 - Gurmat Book 5

Lesson 14: The Need to Create Khalsa

The late 17th century was a brutal time in northern India. The Mughal emperor

Aurangzeb wanted everyone to convert to Islam. People were afraid to speak up.
Those who did, they were punished brutally. The people were divided by the
caste system and could not work together to develop any strategy to overcome

the difficulty they were facing.

Guru Gobind Rai who later became Guru Gobind Singh, wanted people to learn
martial art and be ready to challenge the Mughals. Guru Ji had a clear vision to

make people mentally and physically strong to face the cruel Mughal rulers and
lead a life full of self-respect and compassion for others. He wanted to create a
group of people who were brave in their actions and pure in their spirit- the
Khalsa.

Guru Gobind Rai sent out a message to his Sikhs to meet him at Anandpur Sahib
on Visakhi March 30, 1699. Tens of thousands of Sikhs came. Many came from as
far as Orissa in the east and Gujrat in the South.

In the morning Diwan, Guru Gobind Rai Ji came in front of them. A tent was sent
up behind the stage. He had a shining sword in his hand. He roared that his
sword was thirsty for blood. He needed someone to come to him and to give his

head. What was Guru Ji saying? People thought he wanted to kill someone. But
Guru Ji actually wanted to see who was courageous enough to lay down his life
for the Guru.

Guru Ji repeated his order for a head. Still no one got up. On the third call, Bhai
Daya Ram got up and offered his head to Guru Ji. Guru Ji took his hand and
walked him to the tent. He returned alone with his sword dripping in blood.

Seeing this, people were frightened and some even ran away.

Guru Ji repeated his demand for another head. Bhai Dharam Das got up and
offered his head to Guru Ji. Guru Ji took him into the tent and returned alone

after a few minutes. In this way, he repeated his call three more times, and one
by one three more people got up. They were Bhai Himmat Rai, Bhai Mohakam
Chand and Bhai Sahib Chand. He took each one into the tent.

Guru Ji stayed inside the tent for a while. People wanted to know what was going
on. Later as the people sat in suspense, he came out of the tent with the five

Stepping Stones Gurmat Sikhia Book 5G 2023 Edition Page 27