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 – Defender of Saints
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…
“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 –
Mool Mantra – Golden Temple in Moonlight
Mool Mantra – Soul Swans
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“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)
Mata Gujri Ji and the Chote Sahibzade
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
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“With my eyes I look, and I see none other than Hari. My eyes are lovingly fixated, and I cannot speak of anything else.”
– Guru Angad Dev ji (Guru Granth Sahib, 655)
I noticed that I hadn’t done any sketches or paintings of Guru Angad Dev ji. So I had to take some time out and paint Guru ji in a meditative state.
Guru Angad Dev ji – The Graceful One
There was a sakhi of Guru ji where He went to meet Guru Nanak Dev ji. When He came to the house of Mata Sulakhini Devi ji, She said that Guru Nanak Dev ji is working in the fields.
Despite wearing His high quality, clean, white robes, He went into the fields and helped Guru Nanak Dev ji carry the crops back and was covered in dirt and the black liquid from the crops.
This painting arose from a state of devotion and surrender. I wanted to capture that feeling at its highest level but I wasn’t able to show this sakhi along with it. However I still wanted to show an iconic feature of Guru Angad Dev ji and highlight that in this painting.
Guru Angad Dev ji instituted the Gurmukhi script. He built schools for children and taught them. He promoted physical activities such as wrestling. He carried forward Guru Nanak Dev ji’s tradition of langar as well as His teachings.
Any of these sakhiyan would be iconic to show. However since this was a portrait, I decided to incorporate the Gurmukhi alphabet into the painting, by featuring the first five letters.
The way Shri Hari ji protected the honour of Dropadi ji, He protects the honour of all His Saints. The fabric came from Shri Hari ji and covered Dropadi ji up as she was being dishonoured. In a similar way, in this painting of Guru Angad Dev ji, the fabric emerges from Shri Hari ji, whose symbol is the Ek Onkar, and wraps around the turban of Guru Angad Dev ji.
The Grace of Shri Hari ji is always upon Guru Angad Dev ji and those who meditate on Him while carrying out their responsibilities.
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“Wherever I look I see the Divine Light residing as the Union of Shiva and Shakti.”
– Guru Nanak Dev ji (Guru Granth Sahib, 21)
The Union of Shiva and Shakti
In this painting of Shiv-Shakti, the Spiritual Dimension is represented by Shiv ji, and the world, the Material Dimension is represented by Shakti ji.
Shiva and Shakti are the Spiritual and Material Forces of the Universe. In this painting, the Spiritual Force, Shiv ji, is represented by the open and spacious Cosmos and the Material Force, Shakti ji, is represented by the concrete and natural Earth.
These Forces have been personified and shown embracing each other because they are complementary forces. They work in unison, side by side.
Guru Nanak Dev ji ki bani – ਜਹ ਦੇਖਾ ਤਹ ਰਵਿ ਰਹੇ ਸਿਵ ਸਕਤੀ ਕਾ ਮੇਲੁ ॥ Wherever I look I see the Divine Light residing as the Union of Shiva – Spirit – and Shakti – Matter. (Guru Granth Sahib, 21)
The Saints viewed the world as created by the Union of Vishnu ji/Shiv ji (father spirit, paternal, patterns) and Lakshmi ji/Shakti ji (mother matter, maternal, materials).
When a Pattern is imposed on a Material, then it gives birth to beautiful shapes and forms. You take a stamp (pattern), add some ink (matter) and press it on some paper and you get beautiful shapes.
Similarly, when Spirit penetrates Matter, it gives birth to life, to Us, because we are composed of matter and spirit.
Our Body is made of Matter and our Mind is all Spirit.
Our Body consumes Material as Food and relies on Matter to survive. Our Mind consumes Spiritual as Food and relies on Spirit to survive.
(It is even more intertwined as our Body is organized according to certain Patterns of information and our Mind is projected from (brain) Matter, which in itself is ordered according to certain Patterns, which have evolved over millions of years.)
So we are children of the Great Father Spirit and Great Mother Matter.
You may call them Spirit/Pattern and Matter, you may call them Vishnu ji and Lakshmi ji, you may call them Shiv ji and Shakti ji, or you may call them Mahakal ji and Kalika ji.
ਸਰਬ ਕਾਲ ਹੈ ਪਿਤਾ ਅਪਾਰਾ ॥ ਦੇਬਿ ਕਾਲਿਕਾ ਮਾਤ ਹਮਾਰਾ ॥ Mahakal ji is my Limitless Father, Devi Kalika ji is my Mother. – Dasam Granth
Regardless of what names you give the spiritual and material dimensions of life, these are not phenomenon that you can just read about and know. They must be tasted within the body.
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