Beautiful Sikh Art by Bhagat Singh
Guru Hari Rai ji, also known as Guru Harrai or Guru Har Rai, is the seventh Guru in the lineage of Guru Nanak Dev ji.
Guru Hari Rai ji is the liberator of all, humans and animals alike. In this painting, Bhagat has depicted Guru ji as a blissful sovereign being, whose presence uplifts all beings.
A revolutionary step, that Guru ji took, has been largely been ignored by the sikh tradition.
What was this step?
Hundreds of years ago, today, the sikh community celebrated Diwali with Guru Hari Gobind ji, after he returned from the Gwalior Fort.
Guru Hari Gobind ji, commonly known as Guru Hargobind, is the sixth Guru in the lineage of Guru Nanak Dev ji. Guru ji was granted Gurgaddi at the young age of 11, after his father, Guru Arjun Dev ji, was unjustly executed by the Mughal ruler Jahangir.
After his father’s martyrdom, Guru ji emphasized a need for self-defense within the sikh community. However this shift soured the relationship with Jahangir further. Feeling insecure or threatened or simply suspicious, he had Guru ji imprisoned in the Gwalior Fort.
Many years later, upon Guru ji’s release, along with the 52 imprisoned kings who held the tassels of his robe, he arrived at Amritsar. The sikhs rejoiced. They had been celebrating Diwali for the victory of God over Ego, of Shri Ram over Ahankar. Today they had an additional reason for celebration, having been reunited with Guru ji after many years
Guru Hari Gobind ji is the vanquisher of armies, and a benevolent warrior. In this painting, Bhagat has depicted Guru ji with an aura of Bir Ras, the Essence of Warriors…
Gurgaddi, the Throne of the Guru, is the hot plate, meaning, it is Self-Sacrifice. Without Self-Sacrifice, the Guru is not the Guru.
Sacrificing yourself for the right things, for the right principles. This is what leads to Greatness.
“Guru Arjun Dev ji sits on the throne, the Guru’s canopy shines above his head.” – Guru Granth Sahib, 969
The Mughals lit a fire under Guru ji and made him sit on the hot plate.
On Guru ji’s head and body, they poured hot sand.
The Mughal Emperor Jahangir ordered that Guru ji convert to his religion.
Guru ji refused and so they tortured him.
Guru ji forgave them and sat on the hot plate, as if it were his throne, as if the hot sand was the shade of his canopy.
This idea filled my eyes with tears.
When I contemplated the torture of Guru Sahib, I could not imagine the amount of pain he must have felt.
When I contemplated how Guru ji dealt with it, I felt overwhelmed by a cascade of emotions.
I realized that the Throne of the Guru, is the hot plate, meaning, it is Self-Sacrifice. Without Self-Sacrifice, the Guru is not the Guru.
Sacrificing yourself for the right things, for the right principles. This is what leads to Greatness.
This is the insight that emerged when this shabad intermingled with this painting.
My painting cannot capture the entirety of the scene, and it cannot even capture what I saw and felt. However I have tried my best to depict that moment when Guru ji, the King of Kings, sat on the hotplate as if it were his throne.
“The Name of Shri Hari ji is the Mool Mantra (the basis of wisdom) and the source of all Tastes (of Pure Consciousness); those who chant the Name of Hari ji find Complete Wisdom.”
– Guru Nanak Dev ji (Guru Granth Sahib, 1040)
Shri Guru Granth Sahib ji starts off with praise of Waheguru in the form of the Mool Mantra. In the Mool Mantra, Guru Nanak Dev ji expresses the essence of spirituality that is at the heart of not just the Sikh religion but of Indian spiritual traditions as a whole.
The central thrust of Guru ji’s teachings is to orient oneself towards the Truth. This message shines through the Mool Mantra.
The Mool Mantra is available for your home, in two designs –
Beautiful Sikh and Hindu paintings for your home.
– High Quality Prints
– Fast Reliable Shipping
– Display Hassle-Free
Join Patreon and get access to Premium Content.
– Play Singh and Gun
– Get Wallpapers for your Phone and PC
– Unlock Secret Artwork
and more!
“On whose head, He places His Hand [is liberated]. My Lord is the Lord of the helpless. He is the Saviour of the fallen and the Treasure of mercy. Forever and ever, I am a sacrifice to Him.”
– Guru Arjun Dev ji (Guru Granth Sahib, 900)
Guru Gobind Singh ji had challenged the Mughal government for the forceful conversions of Hindus and for the unjust killing of his father and Warrior Saint, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, who had tried to peacefully persuade the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb to stop.
When Guru Gobind Singh ji arrived in the forest of Machhiwara from Chamkaur, he had lost his two older sons Baba Ajit Singh ji and Baba Jujhar Singh ji in the Battle of Chamkaur.
Before the Battle of Chamkaur, he had evacuated his mother, Mata Gujri Devi ji, his wives Mata Jito Devi ji, Mata Sundari Devi ji and Mata Sahib Devi ji and younger sons Baba Zorawar Singh ji and Baba Fateh Singh ji, out of harm’s way.
In the stormy night, the Sirsa river had flooded so crossing it became nearly impossible. Guru ji was separated from his wives, who were separated from his children and their grandmother.
Mata Gujri ji and the Chotte Sahibzade were looking for a sanctuary however they were tricked and captured by the Mughal police. They imprisoned Mata ji and the children of Guru ji in a cold tower (Thanda Burj).
Cold towers in Mughal architecture were built to be a cool place to relax in the summer. They were built as part of their palaces and buildings, and were of varying heights. Not always a tower as we imagine it today. Sometimes they were just raised off the ground by several feet.
But these were winter months so the cold tower was exposed fully to the onslaught of the winter chill.
Imprisoned here for a few days, the Chote Sahibzade were bricked alive, encased in a wall. When the wall wouldn’t hold up, the Mughal officials decapitated the children.
Mata Gujri ji passed away in the tower as this was going on.
In this painting, Mata Gujri ji and the Chote Sahibzade are saying their Antim Ardas, their final prayer, in the cold tower where they were imprisoned by the Mughal police, before execution.
Guru Arjun Dev ji ki bani –
ਜਾ ਕੈ ਮਸਤਕਿ ਰਾਖੈ ਹਾਥੁ ॥
On whose head, He places His Hand [is liberated].
ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਮੇਰੋ ਅਨਾਥ ਕੋ ਨਾਥੁ ॥
My Lord is the Lord of the helpless.
ਪਤਿਤ ਉਧਾਰਣੁ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ ॥
He is the Saviour of the fallen and the Treasure of mercy.
ਸਦਾ ਸਦਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਕੁਰਬਾਨੁ ॥੨॥
Forever and ever, I am a sacrifice to Him.
-Guru Granth Sahib, 900
Beautiful Sikh and Hindu paintings for your home.
– High Quality Prints
– Fast Reliable Shipping
– Display Hassle-Free
Join Patreon and get access to Premium Content.
– Play Singh and Gun
– Get Wallpapers for your Phone and PC
– Unlock Secret Artwork
and more!
