Guru Tegh Bahadur - The Ninth Sikh Guru (English Graphic Novel)

Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs, lived during one of the most turbulent time in Indian history. His grandfather, the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev ji was martyred by the Mughal emperor Jahangir for refusing to embrace Islam. Guru Tegh Bahadur's father, the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind had several wars forced upon him by emperor Jahangir and his successor Shah Jahan. Tyranny and religious persecution of Hindus and Sikhs reached its peak when Aurangzeb ascended to the throne in delhi. He had long cherished the ambition of converting India to a land of Islam and vigorously started destroying temples and forcing Hindus to embrace Islam or face death.

Fearing the imminent destruction of their religion, a bunch of Kashmiri brahmins visited Amarnath, the abode of Hindu lord Shiva, to invoke his mercy. At Amarnath lord Shiva visited the brahmins in their dream and asked them to go to Guru Tegh Bahadur ji and plead for his help in saving the Hindu dharma.

Guru Teg Bahadur ji agreed to visit Aurangzeb in Delhi to ask him to stop the persecution and murder of Hindus. He was arrested on the way and brought in chains to Delhi. Aurangzeb asked Guru Tegh Bahadur ji to embrace Islam or show a miracle to save his life. Guru Tegh Bahadur ji refused and was executed with three of his companions. Many saints, sages and heroes have died for the sake of their own convictions, but no one in the history of the world has ever laid down his life to protect a religion or the ideals he did not fully believe in. Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, deeply imbued with the spirit of kindness and self sacrifice, fearlessly stood up for the Hindus. He died to save their honor and to defend their freedom to practice their religion without fear even though he did not subscribe to the Hindu faith or to its philosophy.

48 pages, Softcover binding

Following are some of the episodes in this book:

- Guru Hargobind is blessed with a son. Baba Buddha breaks the news to the sangat at Harmandir Sahib.
- Guru Hargobind names the child Tyag Mal.
- Tyag Mal starts his education at the age of four. Baba Buddha is his teacher.
- At the age of eight, Tyag Mal receives Amrit from Guru Hargobind.
- Tyag Mal’s elder brother, Atal Rai, brings his friend Mohan back to life. Guru Hargobind is upset at this show of miracle. Atal Rai discards his body in repentance.
- Tyag Mal marries Bibi Gujri.
- Guru Hargobind is attacked several times by the Mughals. He is victorious each time. Tyag Mal too fights bravely in these battles. Guru Hargobind renames him Teg Bahadur.
- Guru Hargobind passes the jot, or divine light of Guru Nanak, to Har Rai. Guru Har Rai becomes the seventh Guru of the Sikhs.
- Guru Hargobind discards his body and leaves for Sachkhand.
- Tegh Bahadur moves to his maternal village, Bakala, to spend greater time in meditation.
- Guru Har Rai discards his body and leaves for Sachkhand. Har Krishan becomes the eighth Guru.
- Guru Har Krishan leaves for Sachkhand and declares that the next Guru is in Bakala.
- Twenty-two men descend on Bakala, claiming to be the next Guru.
- Makhan Shah, a Sikh, gets caught in a storm with his ship laden with precious merchandise.
- He prays to Guru Sahib, asking for help and promises to offer 500 gold coins if he is saved.
- When Makhan Shah arrives at Bakala, he is distressed to find 22 men claiming to be the next Guru.
- Makhan Shah prays to Akalpurakh Waheguru and is finally led to Tegh Bahadur. Tegh Bahadur divines the purpose of Makhan Shah’s visit. Tegh Bahadur is proclaimed the next Guru of the Sikhs.
- Dhir Mal and his men attack Guru Tegh Bahadur and injure him with a bullet.
- Guru Tegh Bahadur’s Sikhs arrest the attackers, but Guru Sahib forgives all of them.
- Guru Tegh Bahadur visits Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar but the Mahants (priests) refuse to let him inside. After the Sikh women sit outside the closed gates in protest, singing shabads for several days, the mahants feel remorseful and ask for forgiveness from Guru Tegh Bahadur.
- Guru Tegh Bahadur starts building a new city at Chak Nanaki (later called Anandpur).
- Guru Tegh Bahadur leaves on a tour of eastern India. On the way, he stops at Saifabad to meet with Nawab Saifuddin.
- At Karamanak, Guru Tegh Bahadur advises Maluk Das, a Krishan Bhagat, to get rid of his pride and superstition.
- At Banaras, Guru Tegh Bahadur advises the pilgrims against killing themselves in Benaras or even coming there to die because death in Benaras can never guarantee heaven or salvation.
- River Ganga comes to Jawahri Mal, a Sikh of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
- At Bodh Gaya, Guru Tegh Bahadur refuses to offer barley rolls to Brahmins so that his ancestors may be saved from hell. Here he guides the pilgrims to the True path to salvation.
- Guru Tegh Bahadur spends a few days in Patna and then proceeds to Bengal. Mata Gujri and Guru Sahib’s mother stay back in Patna.
- In Dhaka, Guru Tegh Bahadur receives the news of the birth of his son. He names him Gobind Rai.
- Raja Ram Singh, a Mughal general requests Guru Tegh Bahadur to help in his campaign against the people of Assam. Guru Tegh Bahadur refuses to participate in an unjust war but offers to help negotiate peace with Assam.
- At Dhubri, tantric women attack Guru Tegh Bahadur and his Sikhs. Guru Tegh Bahadur’s spiritual powers repel all attacks on him. Tantric women fall at Guru Sahib’s feet.
- Guru Tegh Bahadur blesses Raja Ram of Gauripur with a child.
- Guru Tegh Bahadur returns to Patna for a few days and then proceeds to Punjab.
- At village Lehal, Guru Sahib blesses the people and saves their children from a mysterious disease. Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib is situated on this spot now.
- Emperor Aurangzeb intensifies his campaign against the Hindus. Hindus are asked to either convert to Islam or face death.
- Kashmiri Pundits come to Guru Tegh Bahadur for help. Gobind Rai, who is now nine years old, counsels his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, urging him to help the Hindus even if it means facing death at the hands of the tyrant Aurangzeb.
- Guru Tegh Bahadur agrees to help the Hindus and go to Aurangzeb to ask him to stop forcible conversions and murder of Hindus.
- On the way from Anandpur to Delhi, Guru Tegh Bahadur and three of his companions are arrested in Agra.
- Aurangzeb tries his best to convert Guru Tegh Bahadur to Islam but fails. He orders that Guru Tegh Bahadur’s companions be tortured to death. Guru Sahib is to be beheaded.
- After Guru Tegh Bahadur is martyred, Bhai Jaita, grabs Guru Sahib’s head and rushes to Anandpur. Bhai Lakhi Shah takes away the body to his house in Raisina and sets it on fire to avoid detection by the Mughals.
- As desired by Guru Tegh Bahadur, Gobind Rai is proclaimed the next Guru.
- Almost every page expands on the message of Guru Tegh Bahadur with appropriate quotes from Gurbani.