(Guru Tegh Bahadur martyrdom Day: 24th November)

In 1621 a child was born in Amritsar. He was named Tyagmal. When he was 4 years old, the wedding of his elder brother took place. The procession of the groom was on the way and the little boy noticed a boy who had no clothes on and was watching the procession attentively from a distance. At that very moment, the little boy perceived; ‘The poor boy does not even have a loincloth and I am wearing royal dress!’ The boy’s heart was overwhelmed with pity and he immediately gave his clothes to the poor boy. When his mother noticed him without clothes, she was amazed: ‘I have only just dressed my darling son, where is the clothing?’

Upon asking, the boy explained everything.

Realising the sensitivity of her son to the plight of others, the mother felt that her telling the inspiring stories of Saints like Baba Farid and devotees of God like Dhruva, Prahlada, and Lava Kusha to him had been fruitful. The mother hugged Him and showered blessings upon him.

Do you know who was the mother and who was that boy? The mother was Nanaki Devi and the boy was ‘Guru Tegh Bahadurji’, who ascended the Gurugaddi as the 9th Guru in the succession of Sikh Gurus. He had raised the slogan of protest against forced religious conversion:

गुरु तेग बहादुर बोलिया, सुनो सिखो बड़भागियाँ ।

धड़ दीजिये धर्म न छोड़िये ।।