Then appeared Guru Teghbahadar, whose grace stretches across the entire creation;
who upheld the right to faith and immortalized the Guru’s message in the age of Kaliyug.‍

     Sainapati, Sri Gur Sobha

Today, we commemorate the 350th anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Teghbahadar Sahib and three devoted Sikhs. Though the Guru embodied innumerable Divine hues, history often narrows this vastness. Despite the Guru’s active leadership, participation in the Battle of Kartarpur (1635), and ultimate martyrdom for freedom of life and expression, the Guru is frequently portrayed as a recluse. In our limited vision, we overlook the Guru’s profound engagement with the world—rooted in love, justice, humility, and forgiveness. Guru Teghbahadar Sahib remains a dynamic, multi-faceted presence beyond inherited narratives and traditional portrayals.

We honor the Guru as a Sovereign-Mentor, Mediator-Diplomat, and Savior-Martyr. While these titles offer glimpses, none fully capture the essence of a being who transcends time and space.

Sword-Warrior: The Guru demonstrated unparalleled mastery in martial skill while embodying a deep, detached love (udas) for IkOankar (the Divine). Despite this prowess, the Guru chose a humble life in Bakala for twenty years before assuming Guruship, remaining unwaveringly committed to panthak (community) life.

Mediator-Diplomat: The Guru fostered peace between the Ahoms of Guwahati and the Mughal empire.

Sovereign-Mentor: The Guru upheld Sikh sovereignty (millat), encouraging socio-political awareness and empathy for the oppressed, as reflected in Haqiqat-e-Bana Uruj-e-Firqah-i-Sikhan (1783).

The Guru’s teachings awakened awareness of religious, social, and political rights among the masses—deeply unsettling Emperor Aurangzeb. The emperor suggested leaving the Guru undisturbed if the Guru embraced reclusion, revealing the state’s fear of the Guru’s influence. But as the embodiment of raj-jog (spiritual-political sovereignty), Guru Teghbahadar Sahib refused isolation. The Guru continued empowering ordinary people and cultivating collective awareness, which the empire feared could become resistance. This steadfastness ultimately led to the Guru’s execution.

How do the Guru’s teachings guide us today? When we expand our understanding of the Guru’s life and actions, we glimpse the vast Divine workings that Sabad-Wisdom evokes. The Guru’s life was rooted in principle yet unfolded in wondrous, divinely guided ways.

As we reflect, we turn to the Guru’s own words:

No one knows the ways of IkOankar.Many yogis, celibates, ascetics, and wise people have exhausted themselves trying to fathom the mystery of these wondrous plays and failed.1. Pause.

In the blink of an eye, IkOankar turns a pauper into a king, and a king into pauper.

Makes the poor wealthy, and the wealthy poor. This is the way of IkOankar.1.

IkOankar Own-Self has expanded Own wondrous play in the world, and Own-Self takes care of it.

The multifaceted IkOankar has assumed many manifest forms, but in the transcendent state, remains distinct from them.2.

IkOankar, who has led the entire world into the illusion of material allurement, is incalculable, limitless, beyond human understanding, and free from the influence of material attachment.

Guru Teghbahadar states: O being! Give up all anxiety and fear, and connect your consciousness to the Nam of that all-virtuous playful IkOankar; IkOankar alone can free you from the influence of material attachment.3.‍

     Guru Granth Sahib 537

This Sabad reminds us that Divine will is ever-active, fluid, and wondrous—transforming, guiding, and sustaining. In this same light, the Guru’s actions are not isolated historical moments but expressions of that same boundless Divine play: dynamic, compassionate, beyond human logic.

Today, we also mark the 350th Gurgaddi—the ascension—of the “Rider of the Blue Steed,” Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, Father of the Sikh Panth. Guru Gobind Singh Sahib ultimately realized Guru Teghbahadar Sahib’s vision—human rights, liberty, and justice—in the body of the Khalsa, initiated through khande-ki-pahul (Amrit prepared with the double-edged sword).

May the Guru’s words and actions illuminate our thinking and strengthen our resolve to live with courage, compassion, and conviction.

With gratitude,
The SikhRI Team