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A vivid account of
Guru's martyrdom
Roopinder Singh
"A
Saga of Supreme Sacrifice: the Martyrdom of Shri Guru Arjan Dev
by Harbhajan Singh.
Developers India. Chennai.
162 Pages. Price not mentioned.
 Guru Arjan Dev was the fifth Guru of the Sikhs who compiled the Adi
Granth, which later became Guru Granth Sahib; founding new cities of
Taran Tarn, Goindwal and Sri Hargobindpur, and the piety and
splendour that marked his Guruship.
Guru Arjan Dev's martyrdom, indeed, a saga of supreme sacrifice, as
the title of this play says. The Guru summoned to Lahore, arrested
there by the authority of the Mughal Emperor and was tortured in a
most inhuman fashion before his soul liberated itself from the body.
However, in the early days of his Guruship, he had cordial relations
with Emperor Jahangir who had even donated the land on which the
city of Taran Taran came up. What was it that brought about such a
sea change in the attitude of the Mughal Empire?
Traditional Sikh lore lays a large part of the blame of this on the
machinations of Prithi Chand, the Guru's elder brother. The play
starts with the news of the birth of Hargobind, son of Guru Arjan
Dev. Soon, a number of conspiracies that resulted in several
unsuccessful attempts to kill him are exposed, and they are traced
back to Prithi Chand.
In keeping with the tradition of his predecessors, Guru Ram Das, the
fourth Guru, had given the Guruship to the person he found most
suitable. He has bypassed his elder son, Prithi Chand, and decided
that the younger son, Arjan Dev, possessed the qualities that would
make him the ideal Guru.
Prithi Chand did not take his not being made Guru lightly. He became
a pretender, and tried to attract Sikh followers who came to
Amritsar. He is also said to have been instrumental in various bids
that were made to poison the young Arjan Dev and his son Hargobind.
Prithi Chand, his wife Karmo and their son Meharban, form a backdrop
against which the playwright brings out the life and teachings of
Guru Arjan Dev. Ordinary Hindu and Muslim characters are used to
convey the impact of the Guru's teachings on common folk. The
message of universal brotherhood of man, of respecting every human
being, no matter what his station in life, or caste or creed, of
devoting oneself to a life of piety while carrying on one's worldly
duties, all this comes out from the dialogues of various characters.
Major historical figures like Baba Buddha, Bhai Gurdas and Chandu,
the Deewan who wanted to marry his daughter to young Hargobind. In
time Prithi Chand and Chandu join hands and complain to Emperor
Jahangir. They charge that the Adi Granth compiled buy Guru Arjan
Dev has some verses that are blasphemous to both Hindus and Muslims.
Though this charge is refuted, and various other charges do not hold
ground, the Guru is summoned to Lahore in Jahangir's court asked to
pay a fine in order to seek his release. The Guru refuses to plead
guilty or to pay any fine, or seek forgiveness.
He is tortured and finally his soul leaves his battered body. The
author has recreated the painful moments. He brings out the
surrender of the Guru to the will of God well and movingly.
Gurbani is used imaginatively to set the stage, and the play sticks
to the conventional. The author is not a professional playwright,
and at times it shows. However, the play does bring alive the life
and times of the fifth Guru of the Sikhs.
Fictionalising a historical account gives the writer leeway to
"flesh up" details, add colour to the bare bone facts that history
generally gives us. The author has worked out the recreating of the
atmosphere, the dialogues of the characters and the settings quite
well. This dramatisation depiction of Guru Arjan Dev's life will
no-doubt be well received. (Courtesy The Tribune)
14
November, 2007
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