The Source Book On Sikhism

Chapter Thirty-Six

The Saintliness of Guru Gobind Singh Ji

Dr. S.S. Sodhi

It is an empirical fact that the highest flights of charity, devotion, trust, patience, bravery, self-sacrifice have been flown by saints operating at super-conscious states. These super-conscious states are very difficult to comprehend by ordinary individuals who usually are stuck at the linear, myopic, convergent and fanatic levels of consciousness.

Saints are universal, i.e. they are found in every religion. They are always in touch with the “True Reality of the Unseen”. They develop an unshakeable conviction not based on inference but on personal experiences. These experiences help them in melting down confining selfhood, thereby providing them with immense freedom of self surrender. In Guru Gobind Singh this self surrender became so passionate that it led to self-immolation. The inner, non-ego conditions in him succeed in overruling the demands of the flesh and he found a positive pleasure in sacrificing his SARBANS. He could stand the loss of his father, mother, four children because he had experienced a sense of enlargement of life - a feeling of stretching his soul which led to fortitude.

Guru Gobind Singh took up the spiritual heritage of Guru Nanak and disseminated it. Guru’s strength (physical/spiritual), handsomeness, grace, dignity of his imposing appearance enthralled the sangant especially those who had martial tendencies. He became warrior/prophet for them and they flocked towards him with deep devotion. His super-spiritual powerful body and properly cultivated crystallized intelligence suffered constant dissonance at the thought of what is and what could be. His mind became a battlefield for his storm-tossed soul. He wanted to burn what was evil and lay the foundation of Indian nationalism based upon self-respect, courage and action leading to equality. Battle and life became synonymous to him. He wanted to burn fast for the maximum glow - a glow that anewed the conscience of India.

Saints or Karmyogis such as Guru Gobind Singh have been called Arahat in traditional literature. Arahat is the perfect man, the ideal man who has destroyed the obsessions, lived a life according to His directives, done what was to be done, laid down the burden, attained the goal, broken the fetters of humanity through spiritual actions. Arahat personifies the Ultimate Truth. he is so imbued with the basic virtues that it is impossible for him to act otherwise.

To sum up, it can be said that Guru Gobind Singh presented to the world, spiritual actions which were of vital import to humanity. His awareness of problems and their solutions was clear and incisive. The kernel of the matter consists in the fact that he possessed qualities for which at present we have no names or concepts. It is sometimes difficult to visualize that such a "Man" walked the beautiful land of India and enlightened its people by His Spiritual Grace. In Guru Gobind Singh the human race reached the peak of spiritual evolution.