Guru Har Krishan | |
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ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿ ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨ | |
.jpg) Painting of Guru Har Krishan, Basohli, circa 18th century | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Kishan Das Sodhi 7 July 1656[1] |
| Died | 30 March 1664(1664-03-30) (aged 7)[1] Delhi, Mughal Empire |
| Cause of death | Smallpox |
| Parents |
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| Other names |
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| Signature |  |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Religious career | |
| Period in office | 1661–1664 |
| Predecessor | Guru Har Rai |
| Successor | Guru Tegh Bahadur |
Guru Har Krishan (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿ ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨ, pronunciation:[ɡʊruːhəɾkɾɪʃən]; 7 July 1656–30 March 1664[1]) also known asBal Guru (ChildGuru),[2] orHari Krishan Sahib,[3][4] was the eighth of the tenSikh gurus. At the age of five, he succeeded his father,Guru Har Rai,[2] and became the youngest guru in Sikhism. He contractedsmallpox in 1664 and died before reaching his eighth birthday, with the shortest reign as guru, lasting only two years, five months, and 24 days.
He is remembered in the Sikh tradition for saying "Baba Bakale" before he died, which Sikhs interpreted to identify his grand-uncleGuru Tegh Bahadur as his successor.[2][3]
Har Krishan was born in Kiratpur Sahib (Shivalik Hills) in the northwestIndian subcontinent to Krishen Devi (Mata Sulakhni) andGuru Har Rai, the seventh Sikh guru, on 20 July 1652.[5] His family belonged to theSodhi clan ofKhatris. In the war of succession to the Mughal Empire throne between the sons of Shah Jahan, Har Krishan's father supported the moderateSufi-influencedDara Shikoh over the conservative Sunni-influencedAurangzeb as the two brothers entered into a war of succession to the Mughal Empire throne.[6]
After Aurangzeb won the war in 1658, he executed his brother and later called Guru Har Rai to his court to explain his support for Dara Shikoh. Guru Har Rai, however, sent his elder sonRam Rai, aged 13, to represent him. Aurangzeb kept Ram Rai as hostage and questioned him about a verse in theAdi Granth, the Sikh holy text, claiming that it disparaged the Muslims.[7][8] Instead of standing by the Sikh scripture, Ram Rai changed the verse to appease Aurangzeb, an act for which Guru Har Rai excommunicated him and nominated his younger son Har Krishan, aged five, to succeed him.[7][9] The child became Sikhism's eighth guru on 7 October 1661.[1]
Aurangzeb meanwhile rewarded Ram Rai, patronizing him with land grants in theDehra Dun region of the Himalayas. A few years after Har Krishan assumed the role of Sikh Guru, Aurangzeb summoned him to his court in Delhi throughRaja Jai Singh, with an apparent plan to replace the child guru with his elder brother Ram Rai.[10]
When Har Krishan arrived in Delhi in 1664, however, he contracted smallpox and his meeting with Aurangzeb was canceled. Some sources state that the cancellation was due to Har Krishan's outright refusal to meet with theMughal emperor because he foresaw that Aurangzeb would demand that he perform miracles, forbidden in Sikhism.[10]
Har Krishan's illness, which may have occurred because he contracted smallpox while successfully curing his followers, brought him to the point of death at the age of only seven and a half.[3] Sikh historianKavi Santokh Singh describes the final moments of the child guru, speaking with thesangat or congregation, in which he said that there were many reasons why he was dying but that it was of no use to go into them because thegaddi (throne) of Guru Nanak Dev—representing succession of gurus—was continuous and glorious. Because the body is only temporary, he counseled, the true guru is theGranth Sahib, Sikhism's holy scripture, and that those wishing to see or speak to him could do so by just viewing or reading or listening to it. At this, the community asked him not to leave them leaderless but to bless them with someone like him, whereupon he requested a coconut and fivepaise—an action symbolic to Sikhs—and went on to describe the greatness of the next guru, saying that he would attract millions of followers and greatly evolve Sikhism.[11]
He then pronounced,"Baba basay je gram bikale," which thesangat interpreted this to mean that his successor would be located in the village of Bakale. In time,Tegh Bahadur (Har Krishan's great-uncle) was identified there as the ninth Sikh guru,[6][3] which greatly frustrated Aurangzeb because he had wanted Ram Rai in that position so he could control the community.[10]
Authentic literature with more details about Guru Har Krishan's life and times is scarce and not well recorded.[12] Although some biographies of him, particularly about who his mother was, were written in the 18th century—in particular by Kesar Singh Chhibber—and the 19th century, they are considered highly inconsistent.[13]
![Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, residence of Raja Jai Singh of Delhi,[14][10] where Guru Har Krishan died—now one of North India's most famous gurudwaras](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aFront_view_of_Gurudwara_Bangla_Sahib%2c_Delhi.jpg)
Again, the emperor summoned Guru Har Krishan to Delhi through Raja Jai Singh who hosted the young Guru in his bungalow. Anticipating that the emperor would insist that he demonstrate miraculous feats, the Guru refused to meet him in person. Meanwhile, an epidemic of smallpox was raging in the city of Delhi, and the Guru came out of Raja Jai Singh's bungalow to tend the sick. During the service of healing the sick Guru Har Krishan was himself afflicted with the disease of smallpox, which ravaged his body. He made the pronouncement of designating his successor as "Baba Bakale", meaning that the next Guru would be found in the town of Bakala. He was specifically referring to his great-uncle, Tegh Bahadur (youngest son of Guru Hargobind), who lived at the town of Bakala at that time. His sagacious decision once again frustrated Aurangzeb's attempts to bring the mainstream Sikh community under control. Guru Har Krishan passed away on March 30, 1664.
| Preceded by | Sikh Guru 6 October 1661 – 30 March 1664 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
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