Men of God

BIRTH OF GURU GOVIND

Such were the days when Guru Tej Bahadur had to take up in 1664 A.D. the task of training his Sikhs for their mission. He left Kiretpur, the city of his father, on account of the bitter jealousy of his near relatives and founded a new city named Anandpur. After a short stay here, he started on a tour and visited the holy places of the Hindus, as the first Guru did, to propagate the principles and teachings of his faith. On the way he left his family to stay at Patna, while he proceeded further to Assam. Here Govind Raj, the future Guru Govind was born in 1666 A.D. On his return Guru Tej Bahadur halted with his family for a time and returned to the Punjab leaving the family at Patna, since it was thought advisible for the family not to undertake the return journey until the baby grew into a child.

It is not possible here to mention all the recorded episodes of Govind Rai’s childhood at Patna where the family stayed until the child was five or six years of age. His chief game was to divide his companion children into two contesting parties to try their skill, endurance and strength. He was obeyed and recognised by all the children as their leader. It is said that when the chief officer of Patna was one day passing along the site where the child was playing with his mates, the servants of the officer called upon the boys to salute the Nawab to which the children responded at the bidding of their child leader by ’making mouths at the officer’— thus giving a foretaste of the flaming force which was to found the Khalsa in the face of tremendous odds hemming him in from all sides.