1 _GURU GOVIND SINGH. ~ 265
2 This caused some anxiety to the Mahomedan Government, ‘and the - hill
3 rajas, who had suffered at the hands of the Guru, and who were alarmed
4 lest he should expel them from their dominions, and seize upon théir-terri-
5 tories, petitioned the emperor to extirpate the power of one, who called
6 himself the “True King” (Saché Badshdh). Aurangzeb directed Zabardast
7 Khan, the Governor of Lahore, and Shams-ud-din Khan, the Governor of
8 Sirhind, to march against the Guru. The Guru made a desperate resis-
9 dance, but was at last defeated and besieged in the fort of Makhowal. His
10 mother, Gujri, and his two, sons, Zor4war Singh and Fatah Singh, effected
11 their escape to Sirhind, where they concealed themselves in the house of
12 a Hindu disciple. Kuljas, the dewan of Wazir Khan, the governor of the
13 province, produced them before the governor, who, being an orthodox
14 Mahomedan, spared their lives, in accordance with the -Mahomedan: law,
15 which forbids the slaughter of unbelievers who are minors or -belong to
16 the female sex. The dewan bore some personal grudge to Govind Singh,
17 and repeatedly entreated Wazir Khan to kill the widow and the two sons
18 of the object of his enyy, reminding him that they were the offspring of
19 one who:was the inveterate foe of all Mahomedans, and were sure to
20 follow the footsteps of their father, Wazir Khan told him that he would
21 on no account violate the rules of his religion, which prescribed that a
22 son must not suffer for the wrongs done by his father, and that every one
23 ‘was responsible for his own actions. One day, as the two sons of the
24 Guru were sitting in the governor's darbér, he’ was much pleased with
25 their graceful appearance and seemingly good looks, and said to them with
26 kindness: “ Boys! what would you do if we were to give you your liberty?”
27 The boys‘answered: “ We would collect our Sikhs, supply them with im-
28 plements of war, fight with you and put you to death.” The governor
29 said: “If you were defeated in the fight, what would you do then?” The
30 boys replied: “ We would collect our armies again and either kill you or
31 be killed”. The governor was enraged at this intrepid and haughty reply,
32 and ordered Kuljas to remove the boys from his presence and to despatch
33 them at his home. The boys were accordingly put to death by Kuljas,
34 Some say he put the children under the foundation of a wall and closed the
35 place up, and thus buried them alive. Gujri died of grief at the sad end
36 of her grandchildren. ,
37 When all the provisions in the fort of Makhowdl were exhausted, Govind,
38 with forty of his faithful adherents.(the rest all deserted him or were killed
39 in the action), effected his escape to the fort of Chamkdur below Riupar.
40 He was hotly pursued by the imperialists, who surrounded the little place.
41 His two surviving sons, Jojhar Singh and Jit Singh, with their mother,
42 Sundri, were slain before his eyes. The Guru himself behaved with great
43 bravery, killing with hissown hand Nahar Khan, the commander of the
44 imperial troops, and wounding the other, Khw4ja Mahomed. It was, how-
45 -ever, a combat of a handful of men against overwhelming numbers, The
46 devoted little band fought to the last, but the Guru, taking advantage of
47 a dark night, and accompanied by five of his disciples, threaded his way to
48 the outskirts of the camp in disguise. An interesting anecdote is told here
49 of the undaunted courage of Jit Singh, the son of the Guru. Khwaja
50 Mahomed and Néhar Khan, the commanders of the imperial troops, sent a
51 messenger to the Guru, reminding him that he had not the paltry and
52 undisciplined troops of petty hill chiefs to contend with, but was
53 pitted against the invincible armies of the great Moghal, “The King of
54 Kings, the asylum of the poor, the protector of the world, Alamgir Aurang-
55 zeb ;” that it was madness for him to attempt impossibilities ; that it would
56 Aurangzeb sends an
57 army against him, 1701.
58 The Guru is reduced
59 to straits.
60 His two minor sons
61 are put to death.
62 His mother dies of
63 grief.
64 The Guru flies to
65 Chamkaur.
66 His two surviving
67 sons, with their mother,
68 are slain.
69 His escape from
70 Chamkaur.
71 The interpredity of
72 one of his sons.
73 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary - NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com
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