Guru Tegh Bahadur ji

Guru Tegh Bahadur Quotes

• "Give up your head, but forsake not those whom you have undertaken to protect."
• "Sacrifice your life, but relinquish not your faith."
• "Consider the man, who meditates on God, day and night as His image."
• "Between God and his servant there is no dissimilarity – recognize this to be true."
• "Whatever has been created shall be destroyed; everyone shall perish, today or tomorrow."
• "O Nanak, sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, and give up all other entanglements."
• "True realization of the actual nature of this material world, its perishable, transitory and illusory aspects best dawns on a person in suffering."
• "The person who has given up his egoism by recognizing God as the creator, shall get deliverance; be sure of this truth, O my mind."
• "One who vanquishes his ego and beholds the Lord as the Sole Doer of all things."
• "Avarice and worldly love dare not touch me and pure divine knowledge fills me."
• "O mother, I have been blessed with the wealth of God’s Name."
• "That person has attained ‘Jivan Mukti’, knows this as the real truth, says Nanak."

Guru Tegh Bahadur (1 April 1621 – 11 November 1675) was the ninth of ten gurus who founded the Sikh religion and was the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in 1675. He was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India in 1621 and was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru and Mata Nanki. Considered a principled and fearless warrior, he was a learned spiritual scholar and a poet whose 115 hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the main text of Sikhism.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed on the orders of Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor, in Delhi, India. Sikh holy premises Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi mark the places of execution and cremation of Guru Tegh Bahadur. His day of martyrdom (Shaheedi Divas) is commemorated in India every year on 24 November.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was born as Tyag Mal in Amritsar and had 4 elder brothers (Baba Gurditta, Suraj Mal, Ani Rai, Atal Rai,) along with one elder sister (Bibi viro), and belonged to Sodhi clan of Khatris. He was married on 3 February 1632 to Gujri. Tyag Mal had four elder brothers. He received education in such languages as Hindi, Sanskrit, and Punjabi and studied instrumental and vocal Hindustani classical music, Hindu ancient scriptures including Vedas and Upanishads, and gurbani (the Sikh Gurus’ words or knowledge). He was also trained in horsemanship, shooting, swordsmanship, and javelin throwing. 

Guru Hargobind Singh  had militarized the Sikhs to resist Mughal oppression. As a result Tyag Mal started fighting in battles when he was very young. He earned the epithet Tegh Bahadur, meaning “brave swordsman,” after displaying his valor in the battle of Kartarpur against the Mughals.After the death of his father in 1644, Tegh Bahadur moved to Bakala, his mother’s native village, and is said to have spent most of his time there in naam simran (meditation on the divine name).

As 9th Guru

The 8th Guru, Shri Harkishan ji also known as Bal guru was the youngest Guru among the 9. By the age of 8, he encountered small pox. While on death bed, he asked his followers that his successor would be "Baba Bakala" meaning the successor is there at Bakala. Many opportunists took advantage of the case and installed them as Babas in Bakal. As a result, the followers were puzzled. The legend according to Sikh Tradition says:

Bhai Makhan Shah, a wealthy Sikh merchant, sought out Tegh Bahadur, who, he realized, displayed none of the greed and self-aggrandizement of the other pretenders. Thereupon he proclaimed Tegh Bahadur the ninth Sikh Guru. He appararantly had vowed to give 500 gold coins to the Sikh Guru upon escaping a shipwreck some time ago, and he came to Bakala in search of the ninth guru. He met each claimant he could find, making his obeisance and offering them two gold coins in the belief that the right guru would know of his silent promise to give them 500 coins.Every "guru" he met accepted the two gold coins and bid him farewell. Then he discovered that Tegh Bahadur also lived at Bakala. Makhan Shah gave Tegh Bahadur the usual offering of two gold coins. Tegh Bahadur blessed him and remarked that his offering was short of the promised five hundred. Makhan Shah made good the difference and ran upstairs. He began shouting from the rooftop, "Guru ladho re, Guru ladho re", meaning "I have found the Guru, I have found the Guru".

The consecration happened on August 1664 led by Diwan Dargha Mal, son of a well-known devotee of Har Krishan. As had been the custom among Sikhs after the execution of Guru Arjan by Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Guru Tegh Bahadur was surrounded by armed bodyguards,[20] but he otherwise lived an austere life.

Martyrdom

Guru Tegh Bahadur's martyrdom occurred on November 24, 1675, in Delhi when he was publicly beheaded on the orders of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb after he refused to convert to Islam. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed for resisting Aurangzeb's policy of forcibly converting non-Muslims to Islam. He made the sacrifice to defend the rights of the Kashmiri Pandits, who were facing persecution. According to Trilochan Singh in Guru Tegh Bahadur: Prophet and Martyr, the convoy of Kashmiri Pandits who tearfully pleaded with the Guru at Anandpur were 500 in number and were led by a certain Pandit Kirpa Ram, who recounted tales of religious oppression under the governorship of Iftikhar Khan.The Kashmiri Pandits decided to meet with the Guru after they first sought the assistance of Shiva at the Amarnath shrine, where one of them is said to have had a dream where Shiva instructed the Pandits to seek out the ninth Sikh guru for assistance in their plight and hence a group was formed for carrying out the task. Guru Tegh Bahadur left from his base at Makhowal to confront the persecution of Kashmiri Pandits by Mughal officials but was arrested at Ropar and put to jail in Sirhind. Four months later, in November 1675, he was transferred to Delhi and asked to perform a miracle to prove his nearness to God or convert to Islam. The Guru declined, and three of his colleagues, who had been arrested with him, were tortured to death in front of him: Bhai Mati Das was sawn in two, Bhai Dayal Das was thrown into a cauldron of boiling liquid, and Bhai Sati Das was cut into pieces.  Thereafter on 11 November, Tegh Bahadur was publicly beheaded in Chandni Chowk, a market square close to the Red Fort, on the orders of Aurangzeb.

Traditional Sikh accounts differ from the Islamic accounts and cite the location of the execution to be in Delhi. At the site of the Guru’s execution in Chandni Chowk, one of Delhi’s oldest and busiest market streets, stands the Gurdwara Sisganj Sahib (sis meaning “head” and ganj meaning “place”). Across the road is Bhai Mati Das Chowk, a site of sacrifice of the Guru’s three companions Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das, and Bhai Dyal Das. It houses the Bhai Mati Das Museum.

After Guru Tegh Bahadur’s beheading, a loyal Sikh took the Guru’s head to Anandpur. According to tradition, another loyal Sikh took the body to his home and cremated it; a Sikh shrine, Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, marks the spot of the cremation. Though historians cite November 11 as the date of his execution, in modern times Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom day is observed annually on November 24 by the Sikh community as a day for social justice and religious freedom.The celebrations include lighting and decorating the gurdwaras, nagar kirtans (“neighborhood devotional singing”), and the akhand path (“nonstop reading”) of the Adi Granth.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was succeeded by his son, Guru Gobind Singh, who later finalized the Adi Granth and created the Khalsa (Punjabi: “the Pure”), a casteless order of Sikhs that embodies courage and commitment to Sikh ideals.

During his lifetime, Guru Tegh Bahadur travelled extensively in different parts of the Indian subcontinent, including Dhaka and Assam, to preach the teachings of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru. The places he visited and stayed in became sites of Sikh temples. During his travels, he started a number of community water wells and langars (community kitchens for the poor). Guru Tegh Bahadur visited the towns of Mathura, Agra, Allahabad and Varanasi. His son, Guru Gobind Singh, who would be the tenth Sikh guru, was born in Patna in 1666 while he was away in Dhubri, Assam, where the Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib now stands. While in Assam, it is claimed by Sikh accounts that the guru brokered peace between Raja Ram Singh and the Ahom ruler Raja Chakradhwaj Singha (Supangmung). After his visit to Assam, Bengal, and Bihar, Guru Tegh Bahadur visited Rani Champa of Bilaspur, who offered to give the Guru a piece of land in her state. The Guru bought the site for 500 rupees. There, he founded the city of Anandpur Sahib in the foothills of the Himalayas. In 1672, Guru Tegh Bahadur travelled in and around the Malwa region to meet the masses as the persecution of non-Muslims reached new heights

Guru Teg Bahadur ji is remembered as "Hind ki Chadar" (Shield of India) for laying down his life for the sake of dharma (religious duty). His sacrifice became a guiding principle for his son, the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.His martyrdom is honored annually on November 24th as Shaheedi Diwas. In 2025, some states have declared a school holiday, though the specific date can vary (November 24 or 25), so it is best to check local announcements. 

Messages of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji's scarifice:

• Guru Tegh Bahadur's sacrifice will always be remembered as a symbol of courage and faith.
• Let's honor Guru Tegh Bahadur's legacy by spreading love, kindness, and compassion.
• May Guru Tegh Bahadur's teachings guide us towards a brighter future.
• Guru Tegh Bahadur's message of protection and love is a beacon of hope for all.
• Let's celebrate Guru Tegh Bahadur's life and legacy on his Martyrdom Day.
• May Guru Tegh Bahadur's blessings be upon us all on this special day.
• Guru Tegh Bahadur's sacrifice is a reminder of the importance of standing up for what's right.
• Let's strive to embody Guru Tegh Bahadur's values of courage, faith, and protection.
• May Guru Tegh Bahadur's teachings inspire us to make a positive impact on the world.
• Guru Tegh Bahadur's legacy is a testament to the power of faith and courage.
• Let's honor Guru Tegh Bahadur's memory by spreading love, kindness, and compassion.
• May Guru Tegh Bahadur's blessings guide us towards a path of righteousness.

Colleagues and Associates of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji

Bhai Dayala was one of the Guru's most dearest and closest companions. Bhai Dayala was the chief of the sangat (holy congregation) at Patna Sahib and enlisted incharge of all the masands in the east, and when the Guru's son Gobind Rai (Gobind Singh) was born it was him who sent Guru Tegh Bahadur a letter, who was at Dacca, informing him of his son's birth. He was boiled alongside his Sikh companions Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Sati Das and the Ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur. Dayal Das was born in a Brahmin family. Bhai Dayala was one of the twenty five or so Sikhs, alongside Mata Sulakhni (Mata Kishan), that accompanied Guru Har Krishan when he left Kiratpur to visit Emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi in 1664.

Bhai Mati Das (also known as Dewan Mati Dasa), along with his younger brother Bhai Sati Das were martyrs of early Sikh history. Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Dayala, and Bhai Sati Das were executed at a kotwali (police-station) in the Chandni Chowk area of Delhi, under the express orders of Emperor Aurangzeb just before the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Bhai Mati Das was executed by being bound between two pillars and cut in two. Bhai Mati Das belonged to a (Saraswat) Mohyal Brahmin family of the Chhibber clan. He lived in the ancient village of Karyala, about ten kilometres from Chakwal on the road to the Katas Raj Temples in the Jhelum District in the Punjab region of Pakistan. Bhai Sati Das was his younger brother. Bhai Mati Das was the son of Hira Nand, a disciple of Guru Har Gobind, under whom he had fought in many battles and was a great warrior. Hira Nand was the grandson of Lakhi Das, the son of the Bhai Praga, who was also a martyr and had been a Jathedar (leader) in Guru Hargobind's first battle. Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Sati Das were present on the Guru's eastern tours beginning in August 1665 including the tours of Saifabad and Dhamtan (Bangar) where they were arrested perhaps because of the influence of Dhir Mal, or the Ulemas and orthodox Brahmins. The Guru was sent to Delhi and detained for one month. After being freed in December 1665, he continued his tour and Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Sati Das were again in his company particularly at Dhaka and Malda.

Bhai Sati Das (died 11 November 1675) along with his elder brother Bhai Mati Das were martyrs of early Sikh history. Bhai Sati Das, Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Dyal Das were all executed at kotwali (police-station) in the Chandni Chowk area of Delhi, under the express orders of emperor Aurangzeb just prior to the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Bhai Sati Das was executed by the means of being wrapped in cotton wool soaked in oil and set on fire. During the time after Guru Har Krishan's death at Delhi and the uncertainty of the next Guru, the Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Sati Das sometimes find mention in being present looking for the Guru or directly after when Baba Makhan Shah Labana found Guru Tegh Bahadur at the village of Bakala where the new Guru was then residing.

References: online and https://www.sakshipost.com/news/national/guru-tegh-bahadur-martyrdom-day-2025-quotes-wishes-and-messages-474731