* Birth Anniversary of the Sixth Guru falls on 5th July 2008.

Guru Arjun died a gruesome death –

tortured at the hands of the Mughal.

Hargobind, a boy barely eleven

was left to face the vicious devil.

The revered Guru Arjun

was wise to the events approaching.

He trained the son in martial arts

to face the times harsh and taxing.

Born at Wadali, Hargobind

Was Guru Arjun’s only son,

He carried arms as a little boy

and was riding horses early on.

Baba Buddha was his teacher,

he quickly grasped the Guru’s lore,

Archery and swordsmanship –

Hargobind excelled on every score.

Before Guru Arjun was arrested

he saw the end in view

he thus installed the young

Hargobind as the next Guru.

When he was sworn in

Hargobind carried two swords –

symbolic of Miri, the temporal

and Piri, the spiritual world.

And in planning the future

The Guru adopted a martial plan

He gradually trained the Sikhs

into soldiers of distinction.

Lohgarh, a Fort was built

To defend the city of Amritsar,

And Akal Takht established

Next to Guru’s Harimandir.

The Guru advised the Sikhs,

And the Sikhs started to bring

Offerings of arms and horses:

A force was in the making

Five hundred trained Sikhs

Formed an armed brigade,

And from another fifty Sikhs

A bodyguard was raised

When Jahangir heard of this

he ordered the Guru’s arrest

imprisoning him at Gwalior fort

holding Rajas with the rest

At the time of being released

he won’t leave till others were free

the lot were granted freedom

for he made the king agree.

The Guru had three wives

Damodri, Nanaki and Mahan

pillars of his household and

he had six wonderful children

The Guru founded Hargobindpur

the things were somewhat better

he built here a Sikh centre, a mosque

and a baoli, a reservoir of water.

He founded Kiratpur as well,

Kahlur’s ruler donated the land

the Raja was freed from Gwalior

when the Guru had taken a stand

Shahjehan’s men were on a hunt

when a hawk fell in the Sikhs’ way

the Sikhs won’t part with the bird;

angry Mughal showed dismay.

A Royal force was dispatched

the Sikhs fought in Amritsar

defeating the enemy, killing

many a man and the commander.

An offering of horses for the Guru

was waylaid by Mughal at Lahore.

Bidhi, a clever Sikh retrieved them,

leaving the enemy in furore

Angry Mughal waged a battle

that was fought out at Maharaj

the Guru’s Sikhs were victorious

defeated stood the Mughal Raj.

A pool was dug on the battle site

to celebrate this victory

this memorial, called Gurusar

is like a moral of that story!

Another battle was fought and won

against a deserted Painda Khan

who came back with a Mughal force

but got killed, this foolish Pathan.

The Guru’s life style was soldierly,

yet he was a saint at heart -

rigorous at his religious calling

under him, Sikhism flourished a lot.

In the course of his travels

Guru’s word touched many a heart

besides Punjab, he went visiting

Kashmir, UP and Maharashtra.

An indelible impression was left

wherever the Guru had gone.

he was addressed as the true king

in Punjabi, Sachay Padshah!

Towards the last years of his life

Guru Hargobind moved to Kiratpur.

Sikhism started flourishing here

Guru’s presence was quite a stir

Hargobind chose his grandson

Har Rai, installed him as the Guru

meditating one day thereafter

he left for the Realm of the True.

As Har Rai became the Guru

Sikhism firmed up from before

the Sixth Guru had transformed it

by adding heroism to its core.