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Guru Hargobind (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿਗੋਬਿੰਦ, pronunciation: l 19 June 1595 – 28 February 1644) was the sixth of ten Gurus of the Sikhism. He became Guru at the age of eleven, after the execution of his father, Guru Arjan, by the Mughal Empire emperor Jahangir.HS Syan (2013), Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century, IB Tauris, , pages 48–55
He spent his early life with his father at Amritsar, while his tenure as guru involved him residing in Bhai Ki Daroli, Goindwal, Kartarpur (Jalandhar), Hargobindpur, Gwalior, Lahore, and Kiratpur Sahib, with travels to Agra, Nanakmatta, Kashmir, and Malwa (Punjab).
Guru Hargobind introduced the process of militarization to Sikhism, likely as a response to his father's execution and to protect the Sikh community. Hargobind: Sikh Guru, Encyclopedia Britannica, Quote: "Guru Hargobind, sixth Sikh Guru, who developed a strong Sikh army and gave the Sikh religion its military character, in accord with the instructions of his father, Guru Arjan (1563–1606), the first Sikh martyr, who had been executed on the order of the Mughal emperor Jahangir."; "After Jahāngīr's death (1627) the new Mughal emperor, Shāh Jahān, persecuted the Sikh community in earnest. The Sikhs under Hargobind Sahib defeated Shāh Jahān's armies four times, crushing the myth of Mughal invincibility. To the Sikh ideals of his predecessor, Guru Hargobind thus added another: the right and duty of the Sikhs to defend their faith by the sword if necessary." He symbolized it by wearing two swords, representing the dual concept of Miri piri (temporal power and spiritual authority). In front of the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, Hargobind constructed the Akal Takht ( the throne of the timeless one). The Akal Takht represents the highest seat of earthly authority of the Khalsa (the collective body of the Sikhs) today.
Amongst his social views, Guru Hargobind considered women to be the consciousness of mankind, promoted the lifestyle of a householder, discouraged asceticism, and promoted marriage as a pathway to self-realization. Beginning in 1606 and ending upon his death in 1644, his guruship was the second longest of all the Sikh gurus, surpassed only by Guru Nanak, whose founding guruship lasted 40 years.
According to Sikh hagiographies, Guru Hargobind survived two poisoning attempts by his uncle Prithi Chand and his wife, Karmo, as well as another attempt on his life, when a cobra was thrown at him by Prithi Chand. The first poisoning attempt involved Karmo dispatching her personal nurse to pretend to be interested in looking after the child Hargobind. However, the nurse placed poison around her nipple which was to harm Hargobind as he suckled her but the young boy refused to latch onto her and thus the nurse's plan failed and she became ill to the poison herself. The second poisoning plan involved a snake-charmer being sent by Prithi Chand and his wife to assassinate the young Hargobind by releasing a snake onto him but the young boy is said to have grabbed the snake in his hand by its head and squeezed it until it died. A third attempt on his life was by a Brahmin directed again by Prithi Chand and his wife, the Brahmin planned to blend poison with curd and feed the child Hargobind with it but when he attempted to do so, Hargobind knocked the curd out of the Brahmin's grasp and it fell onto the floor, where a dog - named Pista; then ate some of it and died as a result revealing its dangerous contents. The Brahmin then died of abdominal afflictions. He suffered from and survived smallpox as a child. Hargobind grew up to be "tall and handsome youth".
On 4 November 1598, an eight-year-old Hargobind was a witness to emperor Akbar visiting the Sikh court of his father, which would have an impact on Hargobind's views. Hargobind received an education from Bhai Gurdas and Baba Buddha. Guru Hargobind studied religious texts with Bhai Gurdas and was trained in swordsmanship and archery by Baba Buddha. He was also instructed on various languages, religious philosophy, astronomy, medicine, horse-riding, and administration. Hargobind spent a good deal of his early years engrossed in hymns being sung at the Harmandir Sahib complex in Amritsar.
The Guru was a martial artist ( Shastar Vidya); he encouraged people to maintain physical fitness and keep their bodies ready for physical combat. He had his own Darbar (court). The arming and training of some of his devoted followers began. The Guru came to possess seven hundred horses and his Risaldari (cavalry) grew to three hundred horsemen and sixty musketeers.Grewal, J.S. Sikh History from Persian Sources: Translations of Major Texts , p. 62 "Guru Hargobind, son of Guru Arjan, ate meat and took to hunting. Most of their the followers adopted his practice."
As the inheritor of his late father's estate, Guru Hargobind was able to finance his undertakings from the property located in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Sri Hargobindpur, and Kartarpur. Guru Hargobind also inherited his father's collection of literature, the pothi mahal, with the being a Sikh library tradition consisting of gurbani comparable to the Mughal tradition of kitab-khana. As part of this inheritance, Guru Hargobind received the Goindwal Pothi, with him leaving his autograph on one of its folio to mark its transmission to him. In-addition, the guru kept in his court ragis (musicians), Paath (reciters), and dhadhis (minstrels). Two prominent dhadis of Hargobind were Mir Abdula and Natha, who performed at the Akal Takht.
During the Battle of Amritsar, the pothi mahal (Sikh library) was guarded by the Sikhs. Afterwards, Guru Hargobind would pass on texts, consisting of both gutkas and pothis, that were kept in the pothi mahal to his associates, namely Bhai Rupa, Bidhi Chand, Sri Chand, and a Vanjara Sikh, with all four of these manuscripts being preserved to the present-day.
Regarding his spiritual teachings, Hargobind emphasized the concepts of gurmat (teachings), hukam (divine will), and Naam Japo (meditation). Guru Hargobind would wake-up in the early hours of the morning and practice Naam Japo. He also would listen to kirtan performed as Sikh music at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Guru Hargobind made his warriors wear a Kachera (undergarment breeches), kara (wrist-ring), and kirpan (sword).
Hargobind had four wives: Damodari, Nanaki, MarvahiFenech and McLeod (2014), Historical Dictionary of Sikhism, 3rd Edition, Rowman & Littlefield, , page 145 and Kaula. He had children from three wives. Two of his eldest sons from the first wife died during his lifetime. Guru Tegh Bahadur, his son from Nanaki, became the ninth Sikh Guru. The Sodhis of Anandpur Sahib are the descendants of Baba Suraj Mal Sodhi, one of Guru Hargobind's sons.
Sikh beliefs hold that Guru Hargobind secured the release of fifty-two Rajput hill rajas during his exiting from internment at Gwalior Fort, an event that is celebrated on Diwali as Bandi Chhor Divas by Sikhs.
Jahangir responded by jailing the 14-year-old Guru Hargobind at Gwalior Fort in 1609, on the pretext that the fine imposed on Guru Arjan had not been paid by the Sikhs and Hargobind. It is not clear as to how much time he spent as a prisoner. The year of his release appears to have been either 1611 or 1612, when Hargobind was about 16 years old. Persian records, such as Dabestan-e Mazaheb suggest he was kept in jail for twelve years, including over 1617–1619 in Gwalior, after which he and his camp were kept under Mughal army's surveillance by Jahangir.
It is unclear why he was released. Scholars suggest that Jahangir had more or less reverted to tolerant policies of Akbar by about 1611 after he felt secure about his throne, and the Sunni Islam and Naqshbandi court officials at the Mughal court had fallen out of his favour. Another theory states that Jahangir discovered the circumstances and felt that Guru Hargobind was harmless, so he ordered his release.
According to Surjit Singh Gandhi, 52 (kings) who were imprisoned in the fort as hostages for "millions of rupees" and for opposing the Mughal empire were dismayed as they were losing a spiritual mentor. Guru Hargobind requested the rajas to be freed along with him as well and stood surety for their loyal behavior. Jahangir ordered their release as well. Hargobind got a special gown stitched which had 52 . As Hargobind left the fort, the captive kings caught the hems of the cloak and came out along with him.
After his release, Guru Hargobind more discreetly strengthened the Sikh army and reconsolidated the Sikh community. His relations with Jahangir remained mostly friendly. He accompanied Jahangir to Kashmir and Rajputana and subdued Tara Chand of Nalagarh, who had continued for a long time in open rebellion and all efforts to subdue him had failed.Joseph Davey Cunningham, H.L.O. Garrett (2026). 9788120609501, Asian Educational Services. . ISBN 9788120609501 During Jahangir's reign, Hargobind fought a battle against the Mughals at Rohilla. The battle was in response to the militarisation of the Sikhs. The Mughals who were led by Governor Abdul Khan were defeated by the Sikhs.
Hargobind's army fought battles with the Mughal armies of Shah Jahan at Amritsar, Kartarpur and elsewhere. Hargobind defeated the Mughal troops near Amritsar in the Battle of Amritsar in 1634. A provincial detachment of Mughals again attacked the Guru, but the attackers were routed and their leaders slain. Guru Hargobind also led his armies against the provincial Mughal Empire Subahdar. The Guru anticipated the return of a more significant Mughal force, so retreated into Shivalik Hills to strengthen his defenses and army, with a base in Kiratpur Sahib where he continued to stay till his death.
Painde Khan was appointed the leader of the provincial troops by Shah Jahan and marched upon the Guru. Hargobind was attacked, but he won this battle as well. He also fought the Battle of Kartarpur. Chandu Shah, who had ordered Guru Arjan's death, was killed through torture by the Sikhs of Guru Hargobind: a thick iron ring was put around his nose and he was dragged on the floor until the man who tortured Arjan, and had since become a Sikh, poured hot sand on him from the same ladle used on Arjan.
Guru Hargobind lost his eldest son Baba Gurditta in 1638. Shah Jahan attempted political means to undermine the Sikh tradition by dividing and influencing the succession. The Mughal ruler gave land grants to Gurditta's eldest son Dhir Mal, living in Kartarpur, and attempted to encourage Sikhs to recognise Dhir Mal as the rightful successor to Hargobind. Dhir Mal issued statements in favour of the Mughal state and critical of his grandfather. Hargobind died at Kiratpur Sahib, Rupnagar, Punjab region, on 28 February 1644. Before his death, he rejected his eldest grandson Dhir Mal's politics and nominated Guru Har Rai (Dhir Mal's younger brother) instead to succeed him as the Guru. The pattern was repeated when Guru Har Rai chose his second son as his successor instead of his eldest son.
The life story and teachings of Guru Hargobind influenced the 2023 season theme and artwork of the Dallas Cowboys football team.
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