Radiant Luminary of the Bhartiya Tradition: Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji

ॐ

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal Baithak

30-31 October, 1 November, 2025, Jabalpur

 

 

 

Radiant Luminary of the Bhartiya Tradition: Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji

 

On the sacred and inspiring occasion of the 350th anniversary of the supreme sacrifice of the Ninth Guru of the Sikh tradition, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the people of Bharat, along with various religious and cultural institutions, are organizing a series of commemorative programmes throughout this year with profound reverence and respect.

 

During that period of intense struggle, much of Bharat was afflicted by the cruel oppression of the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. Throughout the country, the faith-based culture and spiritual traditions that had flourished since ancient times were being destroyed through forcible religious conversions.

 

At that time, in the Kashmir valley, the leading figures of society assembled in the sacred Amarnath cave and, after due deliberation, sent a delegation led by Pandit Kriparam Dutt Ji to seek the guidance and protection of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Guru Ji resolved to awaken the conscience and spiritual strength of society by offering his own life in defence of Dharma.

 

The fanatical Mughal regime arrested Guru Ji and demanded that he either embrace Islam or face execution. In the face of such tyranny, Guru Ji chose the path of self-sacrifice refusing to bow before injustice, and thus openly challenging the cruel rule of Aurangzeb.

 

A few days earlier, in a brutal attempt to break the Guru’s resolve and spiritual strength, the Mughal authorities had martyred three of his devoted disciples in an act of extreme cruelty. Bhai Dayal Ji was boiled alive in a cauldron of hot oil; Bhai Sati Das Ji was wrapped in cotton (soaked in oil) and burnt alive; and Bhai Mati Das Ji was sawn alive — all were killed with extreme cruelty.

 

Thereafter, on Margashirsha Shukla Panchami, Samvat 1732 (24 November 1675), at Chandni Chowk in Delhi, Guru Ji offered his life in supreme sacrifice for the protection of Dharma. His martyrdom inspired in society a spirit of self-sacrifice and resistance in the defence of Dharma, shaking the very foundations of the Mughal Empire.

 

The life of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was dedicated to the strengthening of Dharmic faith in society, to liberating it from rigid conventions and social evils, and to the service and welfare of humanity. He taught mankind to lead a noble life, one who rises above joy and sorrow, praise and blame, honour and dishonour, desire and anger.

 

At a time when the people were terrorized by the oppression of the Mughal rulers, his divine message —“Bhai kahu ko det nahi, na bhai manat aani” (“Fear none and frighten none”) — instilled in the hearts of the masses the spirit of fearlessness, courage and the resolve to uphold Dharma.

 

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh holds the considered view that the truest homage to Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the shining star of the Bharatiya tradition, lies in carrying the significance of his teachings and supreme sacrifice to every heart and every home.

 

The Sangh earnestly calls upon its swayamsevaks, and the society at large, to draw inspiration from the lofty ideals and guidance embodied in the life of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, to shape their lives in that light, and to participate with devotion and reverence in all programmes being organized throughout this year in his sacred memory.