A Historical Article By Shaheed Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha
A Historical Article By Shaheed Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha
One Universal Creator God
(Started writing – 14-10-88)
Salok, First Mehl:
The Dark Age of Kali Yuga is the knife, and the kings are butchers;
righteousness has sprouted wings and flown away.
In this dark night of falsehood, the moon of Truth is not visible anywhere.
I have searched in vain, and I am so confused; in this darkness, I cannot find the path.
In egotism, they cry out in pain.
Says Nanak, how will they be saved? ||1||
To the entire Sikh Qaum, return the greeting of our Guru
The Khalsa belongs to Waheguru!
To Waheguru belongs victory!
I am here in high spirits by the grace of Waheguru and stand before Divinity to ask that the entire Sikh community find itself in high-spirits.
Zafarnama Patshahi 10
When God Almighty is one’s friend, what can the enemy do
even if he sends hundreds of men upon him
This means if one is with God then what can the enemy do, even if they were to engage in hostilities a hundred times over.
Dear Khalsa! The Sikh community has been subjected to many atrocities since our earliest times. The Sikhs continued to fight these tyrants with great zeal. No religion or community treated the Sikhs as if they were human beings, instead they placed prices on our heads and killed us. Sikhs though have continued to follow the teachings of our Guru to “recognise the human race as one” and have protected people of all religions from tyrants.
In India’s independence, the Sikhs liberated India by making 85% of all sacrifices. As soon as the independence was won, the Sikh community was stabbed in the back. The Hindus who were the leaders of the freedom struggle at that time, separated from the Panth an area of Lahore called Rai Bhoi di Talwandi (which is the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji) which in the Sikh world has a place of immense importance, as well as separating many other places of worship.
Lahore was the capital of the Sikh state and the Sikhs lived scattered around it. The separation was made to make a point and the Punjab, the land of the five rivers, was thus divided into pieces. Millions of Sikhs were scattered far and wide. At the time of Partition, thousands of Sikhs were martyred and many more came into India empty handed, due to which they are spread all over India today and living a life of fear at the mercy of the Hindu rulers. Having arrived empty handed, so many Sikhs who believe in accepting the Divine Design of Waheguru as sweet, made great progress through their hard work, which is intolerable to these Hindus. Hard work which is today being looted and burnt through any number of excuses.
It is very painful that some Sikhs are frightened and term themselves Hindu, or say that Sikhs emanate from within the Hindu people. It is contrary to our fifth Guru, Guru Arjan, who says:
I do not keep fasts, nor do I observe the month of Ramadan.
I serve only the One, who will protect me in the end. ||1||
The One Lord, the Lord of the World, is my God Allah.
He administers justice to both Hindus and Muslims. ||1||Pause||
I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines.
I serve the One Lord, and not any other. ||2||
I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers.
I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; I humbly worship Him there. ||3||
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
My body and breath of life belong to Allah – to Raam – the God of both. ||4||
Says Kabeer, this is what I say:
meeting with the Guru, my Spiritual Teacher, I realize God, my Lord and Master. ||5||3||
Patshahi 10 Bachittar Natak Dohra
Someone studies the Quran and someone studies the Puranas.
Mere reading cannot save one from death.
Therefore such works are vain and do not help at the time of death.47.
At the time of independence, Sikh leaders were not far-sighted and so could not understand the tricks of these tyrannical Hindus and showed their faith in what was supposed to be a wide, nationalist state. Muhammad Jinnah at the time had said that India would become a Hindu state and that was the reason for creating Pakistan. These Sikh leaders could not understand his statement at that time.
Is the Government of India not forcibly occupying and in possession of a Muslim majority area today? Could Kashmir not have been seceded to Pakistan instead of Lahore at that time? But this was all a ploy to destroy the Sikhs. After independence, discrimination of Sikhs began. In order to comply with every legitimate demand of Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal had to organise agitations and through those protests, thousands of them were martyred and incarcerated in prisons, but still the demands were not met. Nehru formed states on the basis of language, but years later the Akalis demanded formation of a Punjabi state on the basis of the language, and yet still Punjabi speaking areas were separated from Punjab.
The Hindus deliberately opposed the demands of Punjab claiming these as the demands of the Sikhs and so expressed their hatred for the Sikhs. They left Punjabi and adopted Hindi instead of Punjabi. They celebrated the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar as their own victory and distributed sweets. Upon seeing Sikh shrines demolished by tanks and artillery fire, filled with corpses, they rejoiced in happiness. Did they forget that the Guru of this Divine institution, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji Maharaj was martyred in Delhi to save the Hindu people?
He protected the forehead mark and sacred thread (of the Hindus)
which marked a great event in the Iron age.
For the sake of saints,
he laid down his head without even a sign.13.
The Sikhs who have been and are being opposed by the Hindus, these Sikhs have made so many sacrifices for the country and against oppression. When Ahmad Shah Abdali, Nadir Shah, and Zakariya Khan would mount attacks upon India, the Hindus were robbed and their mothers and sisters were taken away; a handful of Sikhs came out of the jungles at that time to fight the tyrants, to recover looted and plundered goods, and to return their mothers and sisters back to their homes. Now what have those same Hindus not done in Delhi and in other parts of India from 1984 until today?
Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj was martyred by a Hindu, Chandu Brahmin. Mata Gujri Ji and the two sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj were also given up for martyrdom by a Hindu, Gangu Brahmin.
In 1733, Zakariya Khan forced the Sikhs to live in the jungles. Sikhs continued to live by eating plants and herbs in the forests. Rewards were given of one hundred rupees for apprehending a living Sikh, and twenty-five rupees for the decapitated head of a Sikh. At that time, Hindus and Muslims killed many Sikhs in order to claim the rewards. In the same way, today’s Hindu government has valued the heads of the Sikhs at millions of rupees. Sardar Bhagat Singh, a valiant warrior who fought for the independence of India, was hung having been given up by the testimony of a traitorous Hindu companion. For this reason, these Hindus are not to be trusted and they should be remedied.
Not only this, the government of this Hindu empire has also begun to interfere in our religious affairs. Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj declared that ‘all Sikhs are commanded to revere the Granth as Guru’ and also preached to never believe in an incarnate Guru. This Hindu government has produced many incarnate, polygamous Gurus into the Sikh community so that Sikhs become divided. These disguised individuals have disrespected Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj, for which reason on the day of 13th April 1978, thirteen Sikhs were martyred at the hands of Narakdharis. It is most unfortunate that at that time, Punjab was ruled by the Akali Dal and the Akali failed to punish the accused of this crime. And so, it was left to the Khalsa to correct the guilty, as continues to be done now.
When a Sikh becomes a ruler of a state, they become a great nationalist and when a Hindu becomes ruler of a state they become a great separatist. The Lion of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh is an example of this, and now as a Brahmin sits on the throne, the evidence is there in front of you too.
It is a great pity that our own do not stay as our own, rather they aid and accompany those who do evil deeds. Jesus Christ prayed before the Timeless One to save him from his friends. The meaning to take from this is that, a man is always vigilant against the enemy but it is his own who can cause him harm at any time. It is as in this story: tree-fellers were passing through carrying their wood-cutting axes; the trees started laughing when they saw them, remarking what damage can you do to us with your steel; but when they saw them coming back to the forest, with their axes attached to wooden handles, the trees began to cry lamenting how can we be saved now when our wooden limbs are with the tree-fellers?
How will the enemies adopt those who cannot own their own? Guru Sahib explains it thus:
Third Mehl:
They inflict their hatred upon the Saints, and they love the wicked sinners.
They find no peace in either this world or the next; they are born only to die, again and again.
Their hunger is never satisfied, and they are ruined by duality.
The faces of these slanderers are blackened in the Court of the True Lord.
O Nanak, without the Naam, they find no shelter on either this shore, or the one beyond. ||2||
The Sikh state was also lost by these traitors after Maharaja Ranjit Singh. When these traitors demanded titles from the British, the British replied that when you could not be loyal to your own, how will you be loyal to us?
The dear mother of Guru Sahib saved many traitors from being burnt in oil by Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj. Guru Sahib had told his mother to not stop him at any time, for these could do great harm to the Sikh nation at any time.
We cannot compete with the government’s propaganda. My heart-felt plea to the Sikh Qaum is to avoid the tricks of the government and to become like the ancient Sikhs.
While the Khalsa stays true,
I will offer my full support.
When they follow the ways of others,
I will withdraw my assistance from them.
Swaiyye Patshahi 10
Bravo to the soul of that person, who remembers the Lord through his mouth and reflects in his mind about the war of righteousness.
Who considers this body the war of righteousness, who considers this body as transient, ascends the boat of Lords’ praise and ferries across the dreadful ocean of the world.
Who makes this body as the abode of forbearance and enlightens it with the lamp of intellect
and who taking the broom of knowledge in his hand sweeps away the rubbish of cowardice.2492.
Gurbilas Pathshahi 10
Then amongst everyone the Master [Guru Gobind Singh] proclaimed;
“Brothers, without a sword and arrows do not remain in my presence.
Without long hair [kesh] and weapons a man is a sheep,
grabbed by their ear they can be dragged anywhere.
This is my command listen my beloved ones,
without a sword or long hair [kesh] do not come to see me.
Whoever follows these words of mine
will have all of their desires fulfilled and will become all-knowing!”
My request to the government’s employees who are Sikh is to help our Sikhs as much as possible. Whether you are in the army, whether in the police or in any other department, seize the opportunity when it comes. If we live, live with dignity, Gursikhs are not obsessed by career and money. Respect is needed. Ne’er-do-wells also have a lot of money. Death is better than a life of disgrace and slavery. Bhagat Farid Ji says:
Fareed begs, O Lord, do not make me sit at another’s door.
If this is the way you are going to keep me, then go ahead and take the life out of my body. ||42||
Out of greed served from the government coffers, those who behead the Sikhs, by martyring them, or capturing them for money or to gain promotions; who remove Sikh prisoners in order to murder them through fake police encounters, these miscreants will never be forgiven by the Sikh community. Moreover, their families will be wiped out.
Patshahi 10 Bachittar Natak Chaupai
Many days passed in this way,
the saints were protected and the wicked persons were killed.
The tyrants were hanged ultimately killed,
they breathed their last like dogs.
A Sikh does not become a Sikh by having uncut hair and a beard. The Tenth Master explains it thus:
A person who is having long hair, but has not taken Pahul/ Amrit is a foolish Sikh.
Such a sinful beggar will not see my vision.
A Sikh who takes the Guru’s Amrit and becomes a Khalsa will not betray the Qaum, nor will they kneel before tyrants because the Guru’s Khalsa emulates the Guru once they have consumed Amrit:
Khalsa is my true form.
Within the Khalsa, I abide.
Khalsa is my main support.
I am always with the Khalsa.
Can a Khalsa betray the Sikh community or will they raise his hands against the enemy?
The Sikh Qaum should never forget the sacrifices made in 1984 by Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale and his associates, for the way in which they bravely fought this Hindu tyrannical government and attained martyrdom to oppose slavery in the highest of spirits. These Khalsas repeated Sikh history. Now those Khalsa who are fighting against oppression should set an example, not stigmatise the Sikh community as those who partook in the ‘Black Thunder’ operation did. Sri Guru Ram Das Ji Maharaj explains that those people fear death who have sinned:
Bihaagraa, Fourth Mehl
The Lord continually watches, and hears everything, O my soul;
he alone is afraid, who commits sins.
One whose heart is pure within, O my soul,
casts off all his fears.
When the Khalsa has entered the battlefield then what is there to fear from death. The hero is the one who can win on the battlefield or is martyred whilst fighting on the battlefield. The Tenth Master explains it thus:
O Goddess, grant me this that I may not hesitate from performing good actions.
I may not fear the enemy, when I go to fight and assuredly I may become victorious.
And I may give this instruction to my mind and have this temptation that I may ever utter Thy Praises.
When the end of my life comes, then I may die fighting in the battlefield.231.
I would like to ask the Sikh students of Bidar (Karnataka) whether now any doubt remains in your mind; what are you looking for now, take up arms and as soon as possible avenge your brothers by punishing the misdeeds of those miscreants who were responsible. If you can’t do so yourselves, then meet with the Khalsa wherever you can to aid them in punishing these wrongdoers. In Delhi and other parts of India, the government will not punish the killers of martyred Sikhs. Black laws and solitary confinement prison cells are for the Sikhs only:
Patshahi 10
Khalsa is the one who rides the horse.
Khalsa is the one who is ever ready for righteous war. (53)
Khalsa is the one who adorns the arms.
Khalsa is the one who exterminates the vicious. (54)
Those responsible for murdering countless Sikhs on that day when the two Khalsa executed the evil Brahmin Indira were given ministerial positions. I put this request before all Sikhs, that if our Khalsa hero Bhai Satwant Singh is hanged then we must avenge him by tearing down the Hindus of Delhi and Punjab brick by brick. If Satwant Singh should ask for forgiveness from the President, then the Sikh community should have nothing to do with him.
The Akali leaders have now become like empty cartridges and the Sikh Qaum has seen their deeds for more than forty years, now they should sit comfortably at home to recite Gurbani and Simran, and seek the upliftment of the Sikh Qaum. If they seek office as did Longowal, Balwant and Barnala, then they will be corrected in the manner of Longowal. Bhai Gurdas Ji says:
If a mother administers poison to her son then to whom else that son could be more dear.
If the watchman breaks open the house, then, who else could be a protector.
If the boatman makes the boat sink, how one could get across.
If the leader himself makes the people go astray, who else could be called for help.
Today, not every Sikh seeing his neighbour’s house on fire goes to save it, thinking that it is not my house; but I want to remind you all that this fire will reach your house tomorrow, so why not counter it today together.
Thousands of Singhs have been martyred, thousands languish in prisons, thousands more have left their homes to go underground, and face martyrdom at the hands of the State. As children we all may have heard the story of a wise old man who called his children one by one and gave them a piece of wood each, asking them to break it. They broke them immediately. Then the old man gathered together four or five pieces of wood, tied them together and instructed them to now break these. They tried with great strength but could not break them. In this way, for how long will we continue to be martyred standing one by one. Take the name of Waheguru and attack together. You are the Khalsa of the Guru and what is there that the Guru’s Khalsa fear. In the time of the Guru, those men who were afraid were expelled from the town and those who faced the tyrants were highly respected:
Pathshahi 10 Bachittar Natak
Those, who did not join the forces, were turned out from the town.
And those who fought bravely were patronized by me 37.
Those who are today fleeing from the form of the Guru, the Khalsa. In a fiery rage, Aurangzeb sent his son Mu’azzam Shah (Bahadur Shah) to the Guru. Frightened by his impending arrival, people left Guru Sahib and ran away. Those vultures tried their utmost to scare Guru Sahib.
Patshahi 10 Bachitar Natak:
On his arrival, all were frightened and hid themselves in big hills.
The people tried to frighten me also, because they did not understand the ways of Almighty.
While Aurangzeb’s son was passing through the Punjab, he made a gift of a courtier whom he sent to Anandpur Sahib and went to Lahore himself. His courtier fell at the feet of Guru Sahib and went on to demolish the houses of those vultures who left the Guru and ran away, blackened their faces and did more damage, and later the vulture’s problems worsened:
Patshahi 10 Bachittar Natak
Those who turn away their faces from the Guru,
their houses are demolished in this and the next world.
They are ridiculed here and also do not get and abode in heaven.
They also remain disappointed in all things.
Today those Sikhs who do not follow the teachings of Guru Sahib and follow the customs of the Brahmins; for example who ask the Brahmins questions, undergo their rites of passage and all affairs through the Brahmin, it is for this reason that we have been suffering:
When they mimic the habits of others
I will not offer my assistance.
Those who do not serve the Panth and do not give alms for the service of the Panth, their homes will be looted by the enemy who will inflict heavy losses and are doing so now:
Those who do not deliver the Guru’s money,
the successors of Babur shall seize and take away forcibly from them.
They will be greatly punished
and their houses will he plundered.
Those who never fought against the wicked, and never gave alms for the service of the Panth, and have not earnt the nectar of the Name, nobody knows them at all. They live frugally in fear of famine, but timeless death still overwhelms them:
Patshahi 10 Dohra
Those who have never participated in the war in the battlefield and also have not earned approbation by offering bride.
Who are not known by anybody as the residents of the village, it is, indeed, wonderful as to who hath given their address to Yama (the god of death). 22.
In the time of Guru Sahib ji there were Khalsa who were highly respected and today, the Qaum and the leaders of the Qaum have been sullied by being branded as terrorists and anti-nationals. Today the leaders of the Qaum and the Sikhs do not praise the Khalsa out of their own selfishness and out of fear for the Government. Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji states as follows:
By the kindness of these Sikhs, I have conquered the wars and also by their kindness, I have bestowed charities.
By their kindness the clusters on sins have been destroyed and by their kindness my house is full of wealth and materials.
By their kindness I have received education and by their kindness all my enemies have been destroyed.
By their kindness I have been greatly adorned, otherwise there kindness I have been greatly adorned, otherwise there are crores of humble person like me. 2.
I like to serve them and my mind is not pleased to serve others.
The charities bestowed on them are really good and the charities given to others do not appear to be nice.
The charities bestowed on them will bear fruit in future and the charities given to others in the world are unsavoury in front of donation given to them.
In my house, my mind, my body, my wealth and even my head everything belongs to them. 3.
Waheguru has been so kind to me, to show me the way so that I could serve the Panth, otherwise there was no strength in a humble being like me. Waheguru himself takes care of the pride of his Khalsa.
Khalsa is God’s army
and it was created by His Will.
Those who would discredit the Khalsa as cowards and robbers will now come to learn. I request all Sikhs to not forget the teachings imparted by Mata Gujri ji to the Sahibzade:
Children don’t forget your mother’s teaching
Do not bow your head in court
My request to the Sikhs is that you continue this fight against the wicked and to those Sikhs incarcerated to stay in high spirits always, don’t be shaken, remain lions. I know that nobody asks after you once you return from prison, but we must contentedly accept Waheguru’s Divine order. We are following the order of our Guru Sahib Ji in opposing the enemy. What do we expect from anybody? Waheguru’s grace alone is needed.
Today, the label ‘agents of the government’ has become commonplace in the mouths of traitors. Those sacrificing themselves for this Qaum are being maligned as agents of the government and more. For this reason, I want to tell the entire Sikh Qaum some names. These Sikhs will serve for the high spirits of the Qaum until their dying breath. Any Sikh not included in this list of names should not harbour any ill-feeling or jealousy in their hearts because Gursikhs are very humble and maintain a desire to serve at all times.
Kabeer, I long to die; let me die at the Lord’s Door.
I hope that the Lord does not ask, “Who is this, lying at my door?” ||61||
Those men who are jealous of one another and who think they are great heroes and cause dissension amongst the Khalsa, they perish in an instant. Those who carry pride, Waheguru makes a horrid state of them:
One who deems himself to be the strongest of all,
in an instant, shall be reduced to ashes.
One who thinks of no one else except his own prideful self –
the Righteous Judge of Dharma shall expose his disgrace.
One who, by Guru’s Grace, eliminates his ego,
O Nanak, becomes acceptable in the Court of the Lord. ||2||
I urge the entire Qaum with folded hands that we stand with them so that with the grace of Waheguru and our support they bring the Panth into high spirits.
Forgetting the past differences of these Sikhs, may they serve wholeheartedly for the high spirits of the Panth. When deciding among themselves, the decision of the majority should be accepted and where there are differences of opinion the decision of the majority should be accepted as true instead of division or the formation of separate organisations. These Sikhs should form an advisory committee comprising a Sikh from every organisation.
My heartfelt request to Bhai Jasbir Singh Ji Khalsa, Jathedar of Sri Akaal Takht Sahib, and to the other Jathedars of the Takhts, to help the Sikhs who are fighting for the freedom of the Sikh Qaum in every possible way and to walk along with these Sikhs.
I also make a heartfelt request to Professor Darshan Singh Ji Khalsa to perform the great service that they have previously done in awakening the Sikh Qaum through Kirtan and Gurbani, and to preach today leaving behind all other work so that the spirits of the Sikhs are raised and by all means that the Panth is united under one Kesri banner. Bhai Gurdas Ji says:
Just as millions of ants follow the path blazed by an ant,
walk on it very attentively without faltering a step;
Just as cranes fly in a disciplined formation very cautiously in peace and patience
and all of them are led by one crane;
Just as a herd of deers never stagger from their sharp march
following their leader and all proceed so very attentively,
Ants, cranes and deers keep following their leader,
but supreme leader of all the species who leaves the well-defined path of the True Guru, is surely a fool and a highly ignorant person. (413)
The demand for Khalistan, which Sikhs have been and are being persecuted for, is the consequence of this. Sikhs are not safe in any part of India. To the extent that we are also being persecuted in Punjab. The latest proof of this is that the I.G. of Punjab Police Chaman Lal took leave because of his senior ranking police officers and the government was forcing him to persecute the Sikhs. If a Sikh officer protests in this way he would have been left to rot in prison like D.I.G. Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann. Until Khalistan is achieved the struggle against the miscreants will continue. The following list of Sikhs with the grace of Waheguru will guide as to how and where Khalistan will be achieved:
Without sovereignty there is no righteousness nor justice.
Without righteousness and justice all is lost and futile.
- Daljit Singh Khalsa (President of All India Sikh Students Federation)
- Gursharan Singh Khalsa (Gamma)
- Kanwarjit Singh Khalsa (Sultanwind)
- Sukhdev Singh Babbar (Babbar Khalsa)
- Jaspal Singh Khalsa
- Baba Ajit Singh Khalsa
- Baba Gurbachan Singh Khalsa Manochahal
- Baba Dalwinder Singh Khalsa
- Ranjit Singh Khalsa (Kuki)
- Charanjit Singh Khalsa (Talwandi)
- Sukhminder Singh Khalsa (Sukhi)
- Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann
- Atinderpal Singh Khalsa
I request all of these Sikhs to seek the advice of our elder brother. For some particular reasons I don’t want to write the name of elder brother. Some from amongst you all know whom our elder brother is.
The Khalsa belongs to Waheguru!
To Waheguru belongs victory!
Bhai Sukhdev Singh Banwait
Son of Sardar Mehnga Singh Banwait
Village 16 F.F.
District Ganganagar (Rajasthan)
16-10-88
Yerawada Jail Poona (Maharashtra)