A bubble in the water

As the bubbles in the water well up and disappear again, So is the Universe created, O Nanak, Listen, O my friend-the mortal does not remember the Lord even for a moment, he is blinded by the wine of Maya... If you yearn for eternal peace, then seek the Sanctuary of the Lord... In good times, there are many companions around, but in bad times there is no one at all, Says Nanak, vibrate, and meditate on the Lord. He shall be your only Help and Support in the end...

The above shabad, composed by the ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur, is completely devotional in nature, having strands of moral aspect as well. All the 57 slokas, composed by Guru Tegh Bahadur, form the concluding part of the Guru Granth Sahib as salok mahalla nauva. The compositions urge human beings to recognise this life as a mirage which, with all its attractions, is basically only maya. The only remedy is to remember the lord’s name — nam-simran. Guru Tegh Bahadur says, “To the praise of God you have not lent yourself, Your life you have thus wasted away. Says Nanak cherish God’s name in your heart, As the fish cherishes water.”

Maya and its false manifestation in worldly things and persons cannot bring true happiness. This is but temporary. The only way to live in this world is to live like a martyr — a true sanyasi. The person who is: “Not swayed by pleasure, attachment or fear, holds gold and dust alike; holds praise and dispraise alike; Has renounced lure of the world and covetousness; And frees himself from all desires, abjures lust and wrath — In the mind of such a one does the Creator dwell. By grace of the Lord alone does man learns this way of life. Says Nanak, Such a one is merged into the Lord, As water into water.”

And a true martyr the Guru was. Guru Tegh Bahadur defended the true cause, dharma, by sacrificing his life. For the martyr his cause is the way to salvation, his act is the act of the Almighty, the hukam of the Waheguru. Sacrifice means to defend the truth even if the opponent is all powerful and oppressive by nature. This is what the Guru did.

To defend those who were in the right, he spared himself no sacrifice; He gave away his head, but uttered not a groan. In order to uphold the truth he enacted this great deed; He sacrificed his life, but did not resile from his ideal... None ever performed a noble deed like Tegh Bahadur.”

Guru Tegh Bahadur met his martyrdom in 1675 at the spot where gurdwara Sis Ganj was later built. Gurdwara Rakab Ganj is the place where the Guru was cremated.

Kulbir Kaur teaches sociology at Shyama Prasad Mukherji College, Delhi University