Guru Gobind Singh

From Freepedia

Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji (Punjabi: ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ) (Patna, Bihar, India, December 22, 1666 – October 7, 1708) was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in the footsteps of his father Guru Teg Bahadur. Before he died, he nominated the Guru Granth Sahib as the next perpetual Guru of the Sikhs. This Granth is more than a holy book for the Sikhs.

Guru Gobind Singh (also sometimes less accurately written as 'Govind') was the last of 10 Sikh Gurus, who were the founders of the Sikh religion. The part played by this Guru in the development of the Sikh faith has been monumental. The First Sikh Guru was Guru Nanak.

Guru Gobind Singh exemplified the teachings of Sikh principles during his lifetime. He not only taught the teachings, but he felt the pain of sacrifice in upholding those beliefs and teachings. Gobind lost his father, mother, and all four of his sons to a religious war, fought against the Mughal emperor of the time, Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb demanded that all Sikhs either convert to Islam or be killed. It was in this fight for spiritual survival the Guru Gobind felt the pain of loss.

Guru Gobind Singh also finalised many elements of Sikhism. He proclaimed himself the last living Guru and established the Guru Granth Sahib -- a compilation of the ten Gurus' writings -- as the eternal guru for the Sikhs. However, it was only spiritual authority that was bestowed upon the Guru Granth. Temporal authority was given to the Sikhs as a whole. Guru Gobind also established the Sikh baptism ceremony, the partaking of amrit.

The following is a summary of the main highlights of Guru Gobind Singh's life:

Compilation of the 1428 page Dasam Granth Sahib.
Author of various important Banis which Sikhs recite daily: Jaap Sahib, Chaupai, etc.
Wrote autobiography Bichitra Natak
Built various Gurdwaras - Kesh Garh Sahib etc.
Developed Anandpur Sahib as a Sikh Centre of Excellence.
Enhanced the structure of Sikh society by introducing various administration systems.
Extreme personal sacrifice for society: Father martyred for protection of Kashmiri Hindus, all four sons sacrificed to the Mughal and Tribal Forces.
Sent Zafarnama to Aurangzeb.

Preceded by: Guru Teg Bahadur (1 April 1621 - 11 November 1675)	Guru Gobind Singh	Followed by: Guru Granth Sahib (Perpetual Guru of the Sikhs)

These are the Ten Gurus of Sikhism
Guru Nanak Dev \| Guru Angad Dev \| Guru Amar Das \| Guru Ram Das \| Guru Arjan Dev \| Guru Har Gobind \| Guru Har Rai \| Guru Har Krishan \| Guru Teg Bahadur \| Guru Gobind Singh \| (Followed by Guru Granth Sahib, Perpetual Guru of the Sikhs)

Image:Khanda.png Topics in Sikhism Image:Khanda.png

Gurus:	Guru Nanak Dev \| Guru Angad Dev \| Guru Amar Das \| Guru Ram Das \| Guru Arjan Dev \| Guru Har Gobind \| Guru Har Rai \| Guru Har Krishan \| Guru Teg Bahadur \| Guru Gobind Singh \| Guru Granth Sahib \| Sikh Bhagats
Philosophy:	Beliefs and principles \| Underlying values \| Prohibitions \| Technique and methods \| Other observations
Practices:	Aardas \| Amrit \| Chardi Kala \| Dasvand \| Five Ks \| Kirat Karni \| Kirtan \| Langar \| Naam \| Simran \| Wand kay Shako
Scripture:	Guru Granth Sahib \| Bani \| Chaupai \| Dasam Granth \| Jaap Sahib \| Japji Sahib \| Mool Mantar \| Rehras \| Sukhmani \| Tav-Prasad Savaiye
More:	Ek Onkar \| Gurdwara \| History \| Khalsa \| Khanda \| Literature \| Music \| Names \| Places \| Politics \| Satguru \| Sikhs \| Waheguru