The Source Book On Sikhism

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Guru Gobind Singh Ji

The Tenth Guru of the Sikhs

Prof. Puran Singh

Anandpur of the Tenth Master

Out of the joy of the Masters have grown the names of our cities filtering down into the common language of the people! The Sikh gave to the Panjab thirty-five new words for “Joy”. Guru Nanak founded, on the Ravi the city of the Creator – “Kartarpur”. “Goindwal” is “The City of God”. Amritsar means the “Pond of Ambrosia”, or “Lake of Immortality”. Guranditta, son of the Sixth Master, named Kiratpur “city of praise”. Anandpur is “the City of Divine Bliss”, founded by Tegh Bahadur. At the martyrdom of Tegh Bahadur, there was no sorrow at Anandpur: the new Nanak Gobind led the town in celebrating the event with a new purity of joy: -

“Tegh Bahadur is gone!

The world says, ‘Alas! Alas!

The heaven rings with hallelujahs!

Welcoming his return home!

The angels sing 'the victor comes home! The victor comes home!

All victory is in the Dhyan of His Glorious Name!

His disciples and his saints sit still in that His Supreme Dhyanam!

And in His love is freedom for them!’

Anandpur was made once again, under the divine leadership of Gobind Singh, the City of Immortal Bliss. Nothing was lacking, the former Master had provided everything for his children. He gave all his soul to his people, coming no more in earthly form to them. He knew it; though they did not and could not know of his purpose.

Gobind Singh, too, brought new delight to the Sikh people. He scattered joy and light in an abundance hitherto unknown even in the Sikh life of the past nine generations of this dispensation of divine grace!

Anandpur was a centre of life of the people; spiritual, mental, and physical. Around the Master assembled poets and painters, and scholars; and he encouraged the development of art and learning in his people. The disciples were sent to Benaras to learn Sanskrit. He caused many long Sanskrit books to be translated into Hindi. In fact, the disciples had returned to their own line of work, forgetful of the injuries inflicted on them by the kings. There was a tremendous revival of literature and art at Anandpur. We have accounts of this period from the Dhyanam of Bhai Vir Singhji, in the little brochures published by the Khalsa Tract Society, Amritsar. One of these, Malin, or the Gardener’s Wife, lifts up the curtain that time had let fall on Anandpur, and allows us to see more of that place and its society than is permitted by an earlier historian.