Lehal Library

70 The Punjab and the Birth of Sikhism He was apprehended, along with a band of devotees, at Agra, brought to Delhi, and arraigned before the Kazi's court.75 25 Sikh and Muslim sources are al variance on the reasons for Tegh Bahadur's arrest and subsequent execution. Cunningham and Trumpp have based Lheir versions on Siyar-ul-MutaAherin written by Chulam Hussain over one hundred years after the event. They accepted Raymond's tran~ lation, which is as follows: 'This man [Tegh Bahadui-) finding himself at the head of so many thousands of people. became aspiring; and he united his concerns with one Hafyzadam, a Mahomeda:n fakir.... These two men no sooner saw themselves followed by multitudes, implicitly addicted to their chiefs will, then, forsaking every honest calling, they fell lo subsisting by plwider and rapine, laying waste the whole province of Pendjah.' (Raymond's t.ran.slation, p. 85.) Professors Ganda Singh and Teja Singh have rendered the sa:me passage in the following words: 'Tegh Bahadur gathering many disciples became powerful, and thousands of people accompanied him. A contemporary of his, Hafiz Adam, who was a fakir belonging to the order of Shaikh Ahmed Sirhindi, had gathered about him a great multitude of followers. Both of these took to the practice of levying forcible exactions and moved about in the land of the Punjab. Tegh Bahadur took money from Hindus and Hafiz Adam from Mus.salmans. The royal newswriters wro1e to the Emperor that two fakirs, one Hindu and the other Muslim named so-and-so. had taken to that practice. It would nol be $trange if, with I.he increase of their influence, they created lrollble.' (A Shbrt History of lhi! Silihs. p. 57.) The latter translation is the more accurate and cenainlv says nothing of 'subsisting by plunder·. Ghulam Hussain is also wrong about the place of execution. Tegh Bahadur was executed in Delhi and not in Gwalior as stated in the Siyarul-M1lliilllll"fin. This Muslim chronicler's scanty reference co the Sikhs is full of inaccuracies and biased to the ex-rent of being abusive. The Sikh version. though undoubtedly biased in favour of their guru, has tht> advantage of being based on contemporary sources. According lo this. A delegation of Kashmir Brahmins had approached the Guru lO help them out of their predicament. (They had been ordered to accept conversion to Islam.) The Guru is alleged to have advised them to tell the Mughal officials thaL if Tegh Bahadur would accept conversion they would follow suit. The Guru was consequently summoned to Delhi, and on his refusal co renounce his faith was beheaded. This version is supponed by Tegh Bahadur's son, who was then old enough to know what was going on. (Macauliffe, TM Sikh R.eligion. IV, 371-2.)