Guru Gobind Singh (December 22, 1666 in Patna, Bihar, India - October 7, 1708) was the tenth and last of the Ten human form Gurus of Sikhism. After the first five Khalsa had been baptized, the Guru asked the five to baptize him as a Khalsa. [55] The Sikh resisted, led by Gobind Singh, and the Muslim-Sikh conflicts peaked during this period. [36] Additionally, prior to the Khalsa, the Sikh congregations across India had a system of Masands appointed by the Sikh Gurus. [citation needed] His two eldest sons, aged 13 and 17, were killed in the Battle of Chamkaur against the Mughal army. [76][77], According to Dhavan, the Persian texts that were composed by Mughal court historians during the lifetime of Guru Gobind Singh were hostile to him, but presented the Mughal perspective. [10] His four sons died during his lifetime – two in battle, two executed by the Mughal army. [76] Dhavan writes that some Persian writers who wrote decades or a century after the death of Guru Gobind Singh evolved from relying entirely on court histories of the Mughals which disparage the Guru, to including stories from the Sikh gurbilas text that praise the Guru. Before Guru Ji left his body, he nominated Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) as the next perpetual Guru of the Sikhs. The two secretly pursued the Guru whose troops were in the Deccan area of India, and entered the camp when the Sikhs had been stationed near river Godavari for months. Tobacco, eating 'halal' meat (a way of slaughtering in which the animal's throat is slit open and it is left to bleed before being slaughtered), fornication and adultery were forbidden. [29] According to the Sikh tradition, he asked for a volunteer from those who gathered, someone willing to sacrifice his head. [55] Both Mughal administration and Aurangzeb's army had an active interest in Guru Gobind Singh. [2], Guru Gobind Singh had three wives:[3][25], The life example and leadership of Guru Gobind Singh have been of historical importance to the Sikhs. [80], Guru Gobind Singh saw the war conduct of Aurangzeb and his army against his family and his people as a betrayal of a promise, unethical, unjust and impious. J Deol (2000), Sikh Religion, Culture and Ethnicity (Editors: AS Mandair, C Shackle, G Singh), Routledge. The Guru returned to the crowd without the volunteer, but with a bloody sword. Memorials have been erected commemorating their deaths. [2] In 1670, his family returned to Punjab, and in March 1672 they moved to Chakk Nanaki in the Himalayan foothills of north India, called the Sivalik range, where he was schooled. [29], Guru Gobind Singh initiated the Five K's tradition of the Khalsa,[31], He also announced a code of discipline for Khalsa warriors. The grandparents of the tenth Guru were, the sixth Sikh Guru Guru Hargobind and Mata Nanaki. [37][38], The Khalsa warrior community tradition started by Guru Gobind Singh has contributed to modern scholarly debate on pluralism within Sikhism. [44][47][48], The Dasam Granth has a significant role in the initiation and the daily life of devout Khalsa Sikhs. [16] It is a controversial religious text considered to be the second scripture by some Sikhs, and of disputed authority to other Sikhs. [5][84], Wazir Khan, a Muslim army commander and the Nawab of Sarhandh, against whose army the Guru had fought several wars,[6] commissioned two Afghans, Jamshed Khan and Wasil Beg, to follow the Guru's army as it moved for the meeting with Bahadur Shah, and then assassinate the Guru. Named Gobind Rai at birth, he was the couple’s only child. [4] However, the new code of conduct also led to internal disagreements between Sikhs in the 18th century, particularly between the Nanakpanthi and the Khalsa. This made the Guru the sixth Khalsa, and his name changed from Guru Gobind Rai to Guru Gobind Singh. [29][30] The Guru also gave them a new surname "Singh" (lion). He was married to Mata Jito and Mata Sundari. Robert Zaehner (1988), The Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Living Faiths, Hutchinson. [18] Guru Gobind Singh also declared this text to be the eternal Guru for Sikhs. [2][14], His father Guru Tegh Bahadur was petitioned by Kashmiri Pandits[21] in 1675 for protection from the fanatic persecution by Iftikar Khan, the Mughal governor of Kashmir under Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. [56], Guru Gobind Singh believed in a Dharam Yudh (war in defence of righteousness), something that is fought as a last resort, neither out of a wish for revenge nor for greed nor for any destructive goals. For example, Aurangzeb had imposed taxes on non-Muslims that were collected from the Sikhs as well, the jizya (poll tax on non-Muslims), pilgrim tax and Bhaddar tax – the last being a tax to be paid by anyone following the Hindu ritual of shaving the head after the death of a loved one and cremation. [57] To Guru Gobind Singh, one must be prepared to die to stop tyranny, end persecution and to defend one's own religious values. It is but lawful to take to the sword. [11][12][13], Among his notable contributions to Sikhism are founding the Sikh warrior community called Khalsa in 1699[4][14][15] and introducing the Five Ks, the five articles of faith that Khalsa Sikhs wear at all times. [6], According to Senapati's Sri Gur Sobha, an early 18th century writer, the fatal wounds of the Guru was one below his heart. [4] Guru Gobind Singh declared that Khalsa does not need to continue this practice, because Bhaddar is not dharam, but a bharam (illusion). [85], The tenth Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher, This article is about the tenth Guru of Sikh religion. He became Guru on November 11, 1675 at the age of nine, following in the footsteps of his father Guru Teg Bahadur. Aurangzeb issued an order to exterminate Guru Gobind Singh and his family. [83], Aurangzeb died in 1707, and immediately a succession struggle began between his sons who attacked each other. [39][40][41], Guru Gobind Singh is credited in the Sikh tradition with finalizing the Kartarpur Pothi (manuscript) of the Guru Granth Sahib – the primary scripture of Sikhism. He institutionalized the Khalsa (literally, Pure Ones), who played the key role in protecting the Sikhs long after his death, such as during the nine invasions of Panjab and holy war led by Ahmad Shah Abdali from Afghanistan between 1747 and 1769. He was born in Patna on 22 December 1666, Bihar in the Sodhi Khatri family [20] while his father was visiting Bengal and Assam. When all other means have failed, [58][61], Gobind Singh's mother Mata Gujri and his two younger sons were captured by Wazir Khan, the Mughal governor of Sirhind. Research of historians which supports evidence that the gurus married multiple wives includes English-language authors: [2] He stayed in Paonta, near the banks of river Yamuna, till 1685. [4][34] Not shaving the head also meant not having to pay the taxes by Sikhs who lived in Delhi and other parts of the Mughal Empire. He became Guru on November 11, 1675 at the age of nine, following in the footsteps of his father Guru Teg Bahadur. [29] He asked for another volunteer, and repeated the same process of returning from the tent without anyone and with a bloodied sword four more times. Christopher Shackle and Arvind Mandair (2005), Teachings of the Sikh Gurus, Routledge. [44][45] The Dasam Granth includes hymns, mythological tales from Hindu texts,[16] a celebration of the feminine in the form of goddess Durga,[46] erotic fables,[16] an autobiography, secular stories from the Puranas and the Mahabharata, letters to others such as the Mughal emperor, as well as reverential discussion of warriors and theology. One came forward, whom he took inside a tent. He was born in Patna on 22 December 1666, Bihar in the Sodhi Khatri family while his father was visiting Bengal and Assam.