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The Punjab and the Birth of Silc.hism
The battle of Bhangani was fought in 1686. It was Gobind's first baptism in steel.6 The victory at Bhangani gave Gobind Rai confidence to descend from the mountains to bis ancestral home in Anandpur. The attitude of the feudal overlord, Bhim Chand ofBilaspur, also changed. He was now looking for someone to organize the hill chiefs to resist the Mughal governor, who was on his way to collect arrears of revenue. Bhim Chand asked the Guru to lead the hill men against the Mughals. The Guru's second battle wa.s fought at Nadaun• in AD 1687a few months after his return to Anandpur. The initial engagement was won by the confederates led by Gobind. Despite the victory, the hill chiefs decided to come to terms with the Mughal commander and thus avoid the likelihood of another force being sent against them. Gobind refused to enter into these discussions. After spending eight days at Nadaun he returned to Anandpur. The Mughal Emperor did not approve of the settlement which condoned a defiance of his authority, and be sent his own son Moazzam (later Bahadur Shah) and General Mirza Beg to the Punjab. The General proceeded to the hills and quickly reduced the hill chiefs to subservience. It seems that Mirza Beg had secret instructions not to bother the Guru.M Gobind was left 6 Cobind's conception of Cod had undergone a mania! metamorphosis. In the prayer he offered before the hactle of BJ1angani, he addressed Cod in the followu1g words: &emaJ God, Thou an our shield. The dagger, knjfe, the sword we wield. To us protecwr there is giv<-n The timeless. deathless, Lord of Heaven, To us all-steel's unvanquished mighL, To us alk.imt>'s resistless fiighl, But chiefly Thou. protector b,-avc, AJI stet>L wilt Thine own servant save. (Ahal Ustnt, Translation by Macauliffe.) 7 In the Rintm Nii!llk. tht> battle is referred to as the Hussaini Yudh after the name of the Mughal commander, Hussain Khan. 8 l11t" Sikh chroruclt•r of Cur Bzlm. maintains that this was due LO the good offices of one Nand Lal ·Gora', a Sikh poet of Persian, who had
The Punjab and the Birth of Silc.hism
The battle of Bhangani was fought in 1686. It was Gobind's first baptism in steel.6 The victory at Bhangani gave Gobind Rai confidence to descend from the mountains to bis ancestral home in Anandpur. The attitude of the feudal overlord, Bhim Chand ofBilaspur, also changed. He was now looking for someone to organize the hill chiefs to resist the Mughal governor, who was on his way to collect arrears of revenue. Bhim Chand asked the Guru to lead the hill men against the Mughals. The Guru's second battle wa.s fought at Nadaun• in AD 1687a few months after his return to Anandpur. The initial engagement was won by the confederates led by Gobind. Despite the victory, the hill chiefs decided to come to terms with the Mughal commander and thus avoid the likelihood of another force being sent against them. Gobind refused to enter into these discussions. After spending eight days at Nadaun he returned to Anandpur. The Mughal Emperor did not approve of the settlement which condoned a defiance of his authority, and be sent his own son Moazzam (later Bahadur Shah) and General Mirza Beg to the Punjab. The General proceeded to the hills and quickly reduced the hill chiefs to subservience. It seems that Mirza Beg had secret instructions not to bother the Guru.M Gobind was left 6 Cobind's conception of Cod had undergone a mania! metamorphosis. In the prayer he offered before the hactle of BJ1angani, he addressed Cod in the followu1g words: &emaJ God, Thou an our shield. The dagger, knjfe, the sword we wield. To us protecwr there is giv<-n The timeless. deathless, Lord of Heaven, To us all-steel's unvanquished mighL, To us alk.imt>'s resistless fiighl, But chiefly Thou. protector b,-avc, AJI stet>L wilt Thine own servant save. (Ahal Ustnt, Translation by Macauliffe.) 7 In the Rintm Nii!llk. tht> battle is referred to as the Hussaini Yudh after the name of the Mughal commander, Hussain Khan. 8 l11t" Sikh chroruclt•r of Cur Bzlm. maintains that this was due LO the good offices of one Nand Lal ·Gora', a Sikh poet of Persian, who had
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