Guru Arjan

"Arjun Dev" redirects here. For the Indian historian and educationist, see Arjun Dev (historian).

Guru Arjan
ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜਨ
Guru Arjan
Painting of Guru Arjan by the family atelier of Purkhu of Kangra, circa 1800
Title5th Guru of Sikhism
Personal
Born15 April 1563
Goindwal, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire
(present-day Tarn Taran district, Punjab, India)
Died30 May 1606(1606-05-30) (aged 43)[2]
Lahore, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire
(present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Cause of deathExecution
Resting placeGurdwara Dera Sahib, Walled City of Lahore
ReligionSikhism
SpouseMata Ram Dei
Mata Ganga
ChildrenGuru Hargobind
Parent(s)Guru Ram Das and Mata Bhani
Known for
Other namesFifth Master
Fifth Nanak
Signature
Religious career
PredecessorGuru Ram Das
SuccessorGuru Hargobind
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Guru Arjan[3][4] (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜਨ, pronunciation: [gʊɾuː əɾd͡ʒənᵊ]; 15 April 1563 – 30 May 1606)[2] was the fifth of the ten total Sikh Gurus. He compiled the first official edition of the Sikh scripture called the Adi Granth, which later expanded into the Guru Granth Sahib. He is regarded as the first of the two Gurus martyred in the Sikh faith.

Guru Arjan was born in Goindval, in the Punjab, the youngest son of Bhai Jetha, who later became Guru Ram Das, and Mata Bhani, the daughter of Guru Amar Das.[5][6] He completed the construction of the Darbar Sahib at Amritsar, after the fourth Sikh Guru founded the town and built a sarovar.[7][8][9] Arjan compiled the hymns of previous Gurus and of other saints into Adi Granth, the first edition of the Sikh scripture, and installed it in the Harimandir Sahib.[7]

Guru Arjan reorganized the masand system initiated by Guru Ram Das, by suggesting that the Sikhs donate, if possible, one-tenth of their income, goods or service to the Sikh organization (dasvandh). The Masand not only collected these funds but also taught tenets of Sikhism and settled civil disputes in their region. The dasvand financed the building of gurdwaras and langars (shared communal kitchens).[10]

Guru Arjan was arrested under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir accusing him of supporting a rebellion under Khusrau Mirza.[7][11][12][13] He was asked to convert himself to Islam.[14][15] He refused and, as a result, was tortured and executed in 1606 CE.[14][16] Historical records and the Sikh tradition are unclear as to whether Arjan was executed by drowning or died during torture.[14] The Sikh tradition states the Guru's execution was a part of the ongoing persecution of the Sikhs under the Mughal Empire.[17][18] His martyrdom is considered a watershed event in the history of Sikhism.[14][19] It is remembered as Shaheedi Divas of Guru Arjan in May or June according to the Nanakshahi calendar released by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 2003.[20]

  1. ^ Singh, Jasmer (2005). Sri Guru Granth Sahib - A Descriptive Bibliography of Punjabi Manuscripts. Patiala: Punjabi University of Patiala. p. 145.
  2. ^ a b "Arjan, Sikh Guru". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference mb12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Dehsen, Christian (1999). Philosophers and religious leaders. Routledge. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-57958-182-4.
  5. ^ Mcleod, Hew (1997). Sikhism. London: Penguin Books. p. 28. ISBN 0-14-025260-6.
  6. ^ William Owen Cole; Piara Singh Sambhi (1995). The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-898723-13-4.
  7. ^ a b c Christopher Shackle; Arvind Mandair (2013). Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures. Routledge. pp. xv–xvi. ISBN 978-1-136-45101-0.
  8. ^ Pardeep Singh Arshi (1989). The Golden Temple: history, art, and architecture. Harman. pp. 5–7. ISBN 978-81-85151-25-0.
  9. ^ Louis E. Fenech; W. H. McLeod (2014). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4422-3601-1.
  10. ^ DS Dhillon (1988), Sikhism Origin and Development Atlantic Publishers, pp. 213-215, 204-207
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gandhi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference ps5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference lkca was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference thackston was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Louis E. Fenech, Martyrdom in the Sikh Tradition, Oxford University Press, pp. 118-121
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference whm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Eleanor Nesbitt (2016). Sikhism: a Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. pp. 6, 122–123. ISBN 978-0-19-874557-0.