4-41 Wazir Khan’s Arrival

In this way Guru ji and the Khalsa stayed at Nirmohgarh for a number of days.  The Paharis were nearby and the Khalsa would attack them once in a while. 

The Emperor’s messenger reached Sirhind with Aurangzeb’s message.  Wazir Khan heard the message: “the Guru is causing problems in the Pahari area.  Go and take a big army.  If the Guru speaks to you with friendship, great.  Otherwise fight him.”  Sooba Sirhind got ready to attack with his army.  Wazir Khan called his 52 representatives and mobilized his army.  He saddled the horses and the army was ready.  They played the Nagaras and unfurled their battle standards.  Hundreds of dhols and Nagaras sounded.  They headed towards Anandpur.  It was like a great tidal wave rising from the ocean.  There were countless foot soldiers along with cavalry.  There were elephants; like alligators in the water.  Horses were like other dangerous water life.  The energy and volcanic heat were represented by the weapons in the soldiers’ hands.  Regiments walked in their lines like smaller waves.  The Nagaras and the dhols were like thundering clouds.  They reached Ropar from Sirhind.

Bheem Chand and Guru Gobind Singh ji found out that Wazir Khan was coming.  This is what Guru Gobind Singh ji wanted.  Guru ji gave out rifles, bullets and gunpowder to his Singhs.  The Pahari Rajas got ready as well.  The Turks were coming to join the Paharis.  Guru ji told the Singhs to get ready: “a big battle is brewing.”  It was hard to name all the soldiers.  Bheem Chand, Bhoop Chand and the other Rajas were happy.  They laughed and said: “where will the Guru go now?  The Guru has no fort or support to fight in.  We will surround the Guru and capture him.  If we can’t catch him, we will surely kill him.  The Turks have a big army.  We should call more soldiers.  We will fight with them too.  The Emperor’s army will attack.”  100 mounted soldiers were prepared and sent with 2 generals to receive Wazir Khan.  Bheem Chand said to the generals: “give the Sooba my Salaam.  Go and welcome him.  Tell him everything of how the Guru is in an empty field on the Nirmohgarh Mountain.  It will be easy to catch him.  We won’t have to fight a long fight.  We will attack from this side as well.”  The generals were sent to welcome Wazir Khan.  Gifts and food were sent for Wazir Khan. 

The generals welcomed Wazir Khan.  Bheem Chand’s ministers were sent too.  They informed Wazir Khan of the best battle strategies.  The rifles were prepared and warning shots were fired.  The Khalsa was fearless.  The Khalsa was in Bir Ras.  The Khalsa was like the lion attacking a herd of deer. 

The Sangat was headed to Anandpur to celebrate Diwali.  They had all gathered from different parts of the world.  Lakhs of Sikhs were headed towards Anandpur Sahib.  When the Shasterdhaari Singhs within them heard, they met Guru ji and folded their hands.  They said to Guru ji: “we have heard that there is going to be a battle with the Turks.  We will fight and then go back.”  Kalgidhar ji was really happy to hear this.  He said to them: “this is the Dharma of the Shasterdhaari.  The sinners need to be killed.  There is nothing better than this.  You will receive all the gifts from the Guru’s home.  Your wishes will be fulfilled and you will be praised in the world.  If you receive Shaheedi, you will go to Sach Khand.  I will protect you in both worlds.  Kill the sinners and don’t go back.”  The Singhs went ahead and set up their morchas.  Guru ji told them: “don’t be too eager.  Don’t be over-confident by going ahead.  Stay in your morchas and fire your guns.  The enemy won’t be able to stay.  If they come forward, shoot them.” 

The Singhs gathered in Morchas around Nirmohgarh.  They systematically fired their rifles so it was constant.  It was like hail.  The charge came and soldiers began to fight.  A fierce battle started.  It was like thundering clouds clashing.  The rifles were firing.  The charges advanced.  As the fearless soldiers came forward, the Khalsa shot them down.  Guru ji released arrows from his 9 Tonka bow.  He released his Khapra arrows.  His arrows could go farther than 7 miles.  They would go through 3 people at a time.  There was so much force in his arrows.  The soldiers fought and fell onto the ground.  It was a fierce battle.  The bullets hit the soldiers.  Some were hit in the head and some were hit in the chest.  Guru ji released arrows towards the Turks.  He was dropping 7 Turks at a time, putting them to sleep.  Just like stars surround the moon; like a flood surrounds a field; like a bracelet surrounds the hand; that’s how the Turks surrounded Guru ji and the Khalsa.  The Paharis thought they were going to win.  The Singhs in the Morchas kept firing their rifles.  They kept pushing the enemy back.  They were very fast to shoot.  They had no fear of dying.  They were the Akaalis, the worshipers of the deathless one.  The Khalsa planted their feet and fought.  The Khalsa was 10 km away from Anandpur.  The Singhs did not let the enemy come close.

Sahibzada Ajit Singh ji took a heavy bow in his hand and released Khappra arrows.  The arrows flew and went through the Turks’ foreheads.  He sent the advancing Turks back.  Baba Ajit Singh ji would take many arrows out of his quiver at once and put them in front of him.  He just picked up one arrow after the other from in front of him.  He kneeled with one knee on the floor and released the arrows like an automatic gun.  He sat in Bir Asan as he shot the arrows.  He pulled the arrows to his ears.  He killed many soldiers.  The arrows were like cobras.  The arrows went through the chest like a snake going back into its burrow.  The soldiers fell and died.  They didn’t get time to ask for water.  The enemy got scared.  When Baba Ajit Singh ji killed many, the enemy began to back down.  Wazir Khan said to his soldiers: “why are you scared?  Kill the Guru!  He is in an open field.  Attack quickly and kill the Guru!  Pull out your swords and go into the enemy line!  Whoever died, don’t worry about them.  You go and attack with spears and swords.  Fire your guns at the same time to kill the Singhs.  The Guru will be alone.  What will he do alone?  We want to arrest him.”  The soldiers heard the Sooba and gathered.  They became angry and charged hard.  They fired their guns and swung their swords.  The bullets were fired from all around.  They came hard but the Khalsa faced them evenly.  They charged back with their horses.  The spears and sailays were used.  When both sides used their full force, Guru Gobind Singh ji started releasing many arrows at a time.  He fired hundreds in a few minutes.  The enemy began to fall.  The horses were empty.  The soldiers died and their wishes in the world remained in their hearts.  Guru ji came into Bir Ras and fired many arrows.  The soldiers fought in close combat.  The ground was red from the blood.  The bodies piled on top of each other.  The Khalsa did not back down.  They stood in their Morchas and fired their guns.  The ego of the Turks was gone.  They did not feel proud.  They lost their logic.  A fierce battle enraged.  It is difficult to describe this in words.  The Khalsa was top-notch.  They fought for 4 and a half hours.  Thousands of soldiers were killed by Guru ji.  The egos of the Turks mixed into the dust. 

When the evening came, darkness fell.  The soldiers got tired and stopped fighting.  The soldiers came back to their camps.  Guru ji and the Khalsa did not surrender.  He was the supreme warrior.  The Dal went to their camps and rested.  They ate and rested the night. 

4-42 The Rajas influence Wazir Khan/ Meeting Rai Bisaali

Guru ji and the Khalsa were on the mountain in the middle of the field.  Guru ji was near the river, in the direction of Kiratpur Sahib.  A fierce battle had taken place.  There were many dead bodies all around.  The vultures and other scavenging animals were eating the flesh.  Rudra (Shiva/death) was with his Gans, in its most fierce form.  The Kaljognis were laughing and drinking the blood.  Many weapons and horses were spread all over the ground.  Nobody came back for the injured.  They suffered to death and the scavengers ate their flesh.  The Turks suffered a great blow.  There was mourning.  They thought they would arrest Guru ji but their plans remained in their minds.  Wazir Khan thought to himself: “what happened to my army?  The Guru caused chaos.  I can’t figure out why I couldn’t win.”  He was upset that he was defeated for the first time.  “The Singhs were less in numbers and we couldn’t kill them.  They are raising a rebellion.  My army is in the Lakhs.  The Khalsa doesn’t have a fort to fight from.  The Guru is fighting near the banks of the river.  They have camped in the open field.  Thousands of my people and horses have died.  We couldn’t rescue our injured.”  In this way Wazir Khan was upset.  This fool did not know who he was dealing with.  The Guru, the omnipotent, omniscient one, that’s who he fought.

Bheem Chand Kahilooria went to Wazir Khan with Bhoop Chand.  They did their Salaam to Wazir Khan by bowing forward.  They said to Wazir Khan: “the Guru is a great warrior.  He is a skilled archer.  We have spent the last 25 years fighting him.  We tricked him into leaving Anandpur, being out in the open.  We will surely capture him now and take him to the Badshah.  We will then be worry-free.”  Wazir Khan said to the Rajas: “today’s battle was fierce.  None of you fought in this war.  You were at the back.  Thousands of my men and horses have died.  Thousands of my men are injured.  They fought in the Morchas and killed many of my men.  We are not fighting tomorrow.  I need to take care of my injured men along with the funerals of the dead men.  We will fight the day after but you should attack the Guru from the other side.  We will attack the Guru from every direction.”  Bhoop Chand Handooria spoke: “what you said is good and true.  You are our master.  Please complete our tasks for us.”  Wazir Khan then asked: “why did you get into a conflict with the Guru?  Did nobody resolve your conflict using diplomacy?  You have been fighting for over 20 years.  Why didn’t anybody resolve your differences?”  Bheem Chand responded: “what can I say?  What are the Guru’s wishes?  We all met the Guru once.  The Guru had made the Devi Chandi appear.  He has the Shakti of the Devi.  The Guru wanted to give the kingdom of Delhi to us.  When we went to go see him, the Guru said to us: “take the Pahul and become my Sikhs.”  (They were lying to Wazir Khan as their conflict of Bhangaani was before the Amrit Sanchaar) He wanted us to keep our hair and wear Kacheras.  We didn’t like this.  He also said: “I am the Badshah’s enemy.  Let’s get together and fight the Emperor.  I will give you the kingdom of Delhi.  Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji was my father who the Chavgatha (Aurangzeb’s last name) ordered to be executed for no reason.  I wish to take revenge on him.  I wish to ruin his country and take his kingdom.  (They were filling Wazir Khan’s ears) I will take Lahore first and give it to the Pahari Rajas.  I will give Delhi to my Sikhs.”  We heard his words but didn’t agree with him.  We are well-wishers of the Emperor but the Guru wanted to fight him.  We didn’t listen to what he said.  He tried to convince us but we didn’t say yes.  We came back to our capital and the Guru became our enemy.  His Singhs began to loot our area.  We have no other enmity with him.  He can’t tolerate anybody thinking bad about the Emperor.  It is good that you are here.  We will fight him together.  We will do what you say.  We are the Badshah’s slaves.  We will never be against you.  Let’s strike hard and capture the Guru.  If we can’t catch him, we will kill him.  We will attack him from every direction.  We will kill his Sikhs and arrest him.  The whole world will praise you.”  They gave their Salaams and went back to their camps and went to sleep.  In the morning they got up and got ready.

Over near the Sutlej, there was a place called Bisaali.  A wise man was the king there.  He found out that Guru ji was being attacked by the Pahari Rajas: “Bheem Chand has become the Guru’s enemy.  The foolish Raja has already lost before.  Kesri Chand and Jamtulla Bhao was killed by the Guru’s Sikhs.  Thousands of others were killed.  The fool didn’t succeed at anything.  The fool did an even lower thing: they let go of their Shasterdhaari Dharma and cheated the Guru.  He stooped low by giving the Guru the sake of the cow to leave the city.  Guru ji left right away.  The Raja is deceitful.  He let go of Dharma and had no shame.  He sent Pamma Purohit in the night like a thief and left a flour cow at the door of Anandpur.  The Rajas had no shame.  The Guru is a warrior and so he accepted the proposal.  He is courageous and patient.   He left Anandpur that same day.  He was like the great Dharmi people of Satyuga.  Who else would have taken the sake like that?  The fool Bheem Chand didn’t stop there.  He surrounded the Guru.  He called the Turks.  Guru ji is sitting in an open field now.  He has no fort to fight from.”  The Raja of Bisaali called his ministers and said to them: “let’s go and bring the Satguru to our home.  The Rajas have taken enmity with the house of Power.  Their generations will suffer for fighting the Guru.  They will be in pain and go to Hell.  They are doing sins and they will be ruined.” 

The Raja got ready and went to see Guru ji.  He was eager to see Guru ji.  He took an army with him along with his ministers.  He brought horses and weapons.  Guru ji was sitting next to the river.  The Raja bowed to Guru ji’s feet and made many requests: “Prabhoo ji, please come with me.  See me as your servant.  Please step into my home and make it pure.  Your holy feet will make my home pure.  The Nagar of Bisaali is yours.  Live there, Guru ji.  Prabhoo ji, the ocean, land and the 3 worlds are your kingdom.  You are the master of all.  Bheem Chand and the other Rajas are fools.  They are sinners.  Their faces have become black.  They have no respect left.  Their stains cannot be washed away.  Their faces are getting blacker by the day.  They have stained their generations as well.  They will try but won’t be able to wash their stains.  They will regret these days when they cheated you.  They can bathe in the Ganga, Banaras or Yamuna; the blackness from their faces will not be washed away.  They can go to Himachal, Badrinath but it will be useless.  All the Teeraths and the 7 seas will not cleanse their hearts.  They are damned forever.  You are the flag of the Hindu Dharma.  You are benevolent and gracious.  You are the supreme light.  There is no one at your level.  You are the Avatar of Kaliyuga.  You are the archer like Ram Chander ji.  You are an Athrathi, like Krishan ji.  Just as Jarasandh surrounded Krishan ji and his family on a mountain; that is what happened to you.  You are Krishan Bhagavan and Bheem Chand is Jarasandh.  You are Parmeshwar but you act like a human to fulfill the rules of the world.  You are benevolent.  You can blow away these armies with your words.  Bless us.  These people don’t see your greatness.  They will go to Hell and be in pain.  Please come to Bisaali and leave the battle.  Come and rest there.”  Guru ji heard the Raja and looked at him with love.  Guru ji said to him: “when I did Tapasya as Dusht Daman, you did my Sangat.  You are getting rewarded now.  You wanted your bonds to be broken.  Your wisdom is illuminated now.  You were fearless and came to the Guru.  Everyone is my enemy.  You came here without thinking about this.  If you have this deep love for me, I will come with you to your home.  You go now and make preparations.  I will not go yet without finishing this battle.  I will kill thousands.  I will wage a fierce battle and then come to you.  I will destroy the egos of the Turks and the Paharis.  I will take their kingdom and radiance from their families.  Their generations will be grass-cutters.  They are sinners.  I have created the Khalsa Panth who will take everything slowly.  The blessing of Kalka Chandi, Akaal Purakh’s power, is always with me.  I will kill the enemy in the field.  You go on ahead and make preparations.  I will stay at your home.” 

4-43 The Battle Continues

The Raja of Bisaali said: “Guru ji, you have fought many battles.  Please come without fighting.  Pack up everything and come to my home.  Bheem Chand and the Pahari Rajas have committed many sins.  They will die due to their sins.  They won’t live in peace.  The Turks will leave on their own.  Prabhoo ji, why do you wish to fight a war?”  Guru Gobind Singh ji answered with patience: “alright, I won’t upset you.  Take the Vaheer: women, children, pots, and other items.  Leave the weapons and required things for battle.  I will fight the Turks and break the egos of the Paharis.  I will roll their heads on the battlefield.  I will fight for sure.  The Turks love to fight.  They won’t back down without fighting.  If we leave, the Turks will think we left out of fear.”  The Raja tried to convince Guru ji not to fight but Guru ji did not accept his plea.  The Raja then took the Vaheer and went to Bisaali.  When he reached the river, he made most of the Vaheer cross the river; Guru ji had the Nagara sounded.  The Khalsa prepared the rifles.  They all got ready to fight.  Guru ji had the arrows loaded on to mules.  Bhai Uday Singh ji, Bhai Aalam Singh ji, Bhai Daya Singh ji, Bhai Mokham Singh ji and other Singhs mounted their horses.  1,000 Singhs came with Guru ji.  Sahibzada Baba Ajit Singh ji had another 1,000 warriors.  Bhai Sahib Chand ji, the great warrior (who fought in the battle of Bhangaani.  Some scholars believe he was the brother of Mata Sahib Deva ji but it is not verified), a thousand Singhs were with him.  The Singhs had their rifles and swords in their hands.  Guru ji said to the Singhs: “Baba Ajit Singh ji will go forward.  He will kill the enemy.  Sahib Chand will remain behind and kill the enemy that approaches.  The rest of the Khalsa will stay with me.  We will keep a tight formation.  The Vaheer will cross the river soon.”

As Guru ji and Khalsa went ahead, the army of Wazir Khan and the Pahari Rajas attacked from all sides.  The Nagaras sounded.  The earth mixed into the sky, as the dust flew.  It was hard to see.  The dust covered the rays of the sun.  The army came like the sea, tidal waving over.  The dhundhabs and dhols sounded along with the Shehnais and Pattas.  The instruments played all at once.  The guns and rifles all fired at once like popcorn popping.  The Khalsa fired and killed two at a time.  The double-barrel rifles pierced the arrows.  The Turks fell one-by-one onto the ground.  The Khalsa prepared their next shots quickly.  The Turk and Pahari army surrounded the Khalsa quickly.  They came from all directions in great numbers.  Baba Ajit Singh ji showered his arrows from the middle.  Bhai Uday Singh ji and others sliced the enemy.  They were like lions in a herd of deer.  They Paharis had tasted their strikes before.  The battle was fierce.  The Khalsa pushed ahead and dropped many.  Guru ji released arrows in every direction.  Wherever the enemy would be strong, Guru ji would release arrows in that direction.  His arrows would go through 10 soldiers before leaving the perimeter of the battleground.  Guru ji would fire left, right and ahead.  He would see where the enemy was coming from.  His Khapra arrows flew right through the enemy like black cobras.  They would go through 3 or 4 soldiers at a time.  The arrows were so fast that they wouldn’t even touch the blood.  The arrows would flip the soldiers and horses as they did their damage.

Bhai Sahib Chand ji was coming from behind Guru ji, releasing arrows.  When he would fire, he would kill the enemy instantly.  The enemy would fall and die before they could ask for water.  The Sooba of Sirhind, Wazir Khan was amazed to see this.  He saw Guru ji’s arrows for the first time.  He had never seen such amazing archers before.  He had never seen the king of the archers.  The battle was fierce.  He tried to motivate his army: “go ahead and fight.  Don’t keep fear in your mind.”  He was trying to extinguish his own fear as well.  The Bhijkokh and Bhaagan canons of Guru ji fired.  The Turks got scared as it blew away 20 soldiers at a time.  The Turks struck hard.  The Gujjars and Rangar came in the thousands.  Bheem Chand sent in his army.  They saw their soldiers fall in front of their eyes.  Bhoop Chand Handooria got angry and took his soldiers.  He wanted to charge and come close to the Singhs.  The Khalsa’s bullets hit Bhoop Chand’s people in the chest.  They would back down then.  They all let out their Jaikaras.  The Singhs were like the lions.  Nobody would come close them.  The courage of the Turks and Paharis left them.  They lost their patience to face the Khalsa.  Guru ji advanced slowly.  Whoever came in front of him, he blew them away.  There was noise and chaos everywhere.  Nobody came close to Guru ji.  The Khalsa was showering the bullets all at once.  There was nobody brave enough to stand in front of Guru Gobind Singh ji.  Bheem Chand and Wazir Khan thought to themselves: “if we surround Guru ji from every direction, we will be able to kill him.”  Guru ji and the Dal were illuminating like the moon.  The enemy was like small stars.  The Dal of the Singhs was like the Mandrachal Mountain.  The Turks and the Paharis were like the Devatas and Daynts during the Samundar Manthan.  The Mandrachal Mountain could not be controlled.  They tried to stop Guru ji but they couldn’t.  Guru Gobind Singh ji was like Vishnu, supporting the Khalsa on his back; just as Kucha Avatar supported the Mandrachal Mountain.  Just as Raavan was killed by Vishnu; his Lanka was destroyed; the Khalsa is destroying the enemy.  The enemy surrounding the Khalsa is like the ocean.  Guru ji is illuminating like Ram Chander ji.  Baba Ajit Singh ji is radiant like Lakshman.  It was like Jarasandh’s army surrounding Krishan and Balram along with the Yadavs.  That is how Guru ji was with his eldest son.  The Turks and Pahari came like black clouds, trying to block the sun, Guru Gobind Singh ji.  They tried to block his rays.  Guru ji’s arrows were like the rays of the sun.  The moon comes for help.  Baba Ajit Singh ji is like the moon, slicing through the clouds.  The Dal of the Khalsa was like the stars.  The clouds are temporary.  They can’t do anything to the sun, moon or starlight.  It was like all the lightening gathered in one place with all the clouds coming.  Guru ji was in the middle.  A fierce battle was in progress.  Guru ji’s mind was in bliss.  The Singhs’ faces were radiant.  Not an ounce of fear was in them.  The Singhs chopped the enemy and made them fall.  The Joganis came and laughed.  The Prayt and Bhoots danced.  The Joganis drank the blood and burped.  The vultures came to eat the flesh.  They were satiated with the meat.  It was a fierce battle.  The warriors died and went to heaven.  The fairies from heaven came to marry the souls of the warriors.  The warriors did not want to go to heaven as they were drenched in Bir Ras.  They wanted to continue fighting.  Dead bodies were piled all around the Dal.  The sight was extremely scary and chaotic.  There were rivers of blood everywhere.  It is hard to describe the battle.  The enemy used their full strength but they failed to defeat Guru ji.  Guru ji and the Dal reached close to the Sutlej River. 

4-44 The Fierce Battle/ Sahib Chand’s Shaheedi

The battle raged on near the Sutlej.  The battle got fierce.  The bullets flew.  The soldiers fought with anger.  Some were shot in the chest and some in the head.  The guns were fired, the bullets and sharp arrows flew; like black cobras.  The charges from both sides came.  There was yelling everywhere.  The blood mixed into the dust.  The bodies piled up.  The bodies were lifeless.  Some eyes remained open.  The warriors laid dead on the ground.  Bheem Chand looked at his dead warriors.  The rest of his army wouldn’t go forward.  The Singhs did not back down.  They fought with great courage.  Bhoop Chand spoke: “listen wise warriors, the royal army is with you, the one we called for help.  The Guru does not have a fort today.  He is in front of you in the field.  If the Guru remains strong today and is not defeated, then tell me, how will your morale survive?  If you can’t capture or kill the Guru today, then how will you defeat him if he goes back into a fort?  He won’t be killed any other way.  He will gain strength and kill us if he is not killed today.  He has a lot of courage.  Go close to the Sooba and tell him to have his army do a fierce charge.  We should surround Guru Gobind Singh ji and capture him.  This opportunity will not come again if the Guru finds a fort.  The Emperor’s command was to catch him alive.  If we can’t catch him, we are to kill him.  Make sure he doesn’t cross the river.  If he goes to Doaba, he will collect a bigger army.  Stop him from the front.  Catch him right now.” 

The Rajas all went to Wazir Khan and rallied the troops to attack.  The army charged and surrounded Guru ji and the Khalsa.  Wazir Khan was a great warrior and went on ahead.  The Rajas, Gujjars and Rangars all attacked fiercely.  There were countless warriors who attacked at once.  It was a fierce battle that started.  They came close to the Khalsa.  Bhai Sahib Chand ji fought with the warrior spirt.  He had a sword in one hand and a shield in the other.  He was fighting many soldiers at one time.  Hundreds of Singhs were with him.  They held the charge up and forced their way into the enemy lines.  They rolled many heads of the enemy.  Their swords chopped many limbs and chopped the enemy into many pieces.  The enemy went yellow.  Many limbs were cut.  Elbows, knees and heads were on the ground.  They were quick and cut many.  They did not stop.  They swung so hard that they cut the enemy through the waist.  Knees and legs were cut.  Chests were ripped.  Some were killed by the hilt of Bhai Sahib Chand ji’s sword.  They stopped the strikes with their shields.  The swords were drenched in blood.  They were shining red.  They looked like the tongues of the Jumms.  They looked like tongues that went red from eating Paan.  The warriors that were injured were suffering.  They couldn’t get up.  The warriors fought bravely.  Some were shot and almost about to die.  Their clothes were red from the blood.  It looked like red flowers on the clothes.  It seemed as though they were wearing red clothes.  It was like fire without the smoke.  The warriors fell onto the ground.  Bhai Sahib Chand ji was eager to see the enemy coming.  He went on ahead and swung his sword.  He was filled with adrenaline when he saw the enemy.  The Paharis came with a strong charge.  Bhai Sahib Chand ji was surrounded.  He took on many slashes of the enemy’s swords but did not back down.  He got angrier.  Many surrounded him and started to cut his limbs.  He kept fighting till he fell to the ground.  He kept looking around and swung his sword to cut the enemy.  It took hundreds of soldiers to bring him down.  He had finally attained martyrdom.  He was now a Shaheed.  The fairies of heaven came immediately to marry him.  Their faces were like the moon.  He was taken to Heaven in a beautiful vessel.

A Singh quickly ran to Guru Gobind Singh ji to give him the news: “Bhai Sahib Chand ji is surrounded by hundreds.  He is swinging his sword and killing many.  We don’t know if he is still alive.  If he is alive, we should go and rescue him.  If he has died, we should get his body.  The Singhs can’t reach him as the army is big.”  Guru ji heard this and said: “go and tell Sahibzada Ajit Singh ji to take the army and stay strong up to the river.  Don’t let the enemy come close.  I will go and get his body.  Don’t worry about anything.  Bhai Uday Singh ji and Bhai Allam Singh ji!  Kill the enemy!”  Guru ji was filled with anger and took Bhai Bachittar Singh ji and others with him.  They loaded their rifles with two bullets each.  Where Bhai Sahib Chand ji’s body was, hundreds of the Turks were around him.  Guru ji and the Singhs charged there on their horses.  They all fired at once upon the enemy.  The bullets rained on the enemy.  Many Paharis and Turks fell.  Guru ji and the Singhs charged towards that place.  The enemy was a lot but they got scared of Guru ji’s arrows.  His arrows went through many.  It was like a lion running towards you.  Many ran away at the site of Guru ji charging towards them.  Guru ji killed many with his arrows.  The enemy lost their morale and did not want to stand there.  They turned back and ran.  The Singhs yelled out: “kill them!”  Many Turks were killed in this charge.  The ones that were alive, saw their brothers fall and got scared.  They were afraid that they were next to die.  The Khalsa attacked all at once.  Guru ji said: “that’s all we need.”  Guru ji stopped the charge.  The swords were pulled out.  They shined in the sun.  They swung them onto the Turks.  The enemy began to run away.  They reached the place where Bhai Sahib Chand ji’s body was.  Guru Gobind Singh ji picked up his Singh’s body.

When Wazir Khan saw that his army was running away, he began to swear at his soldiers: “what happened?  Why is my army not standing?  You are running away from a few Singhs.”  Guru ji took Bhai Sahib Chand ji’s body and went towards the Sutlej along with the other Singhs.  A fierce battle raged.  They were met with the Paharis.  Wazir Khan sent the Pathaans to attack.  The Rajas came as well.  They were embarrassed that they couldn’t catch Guru ji nor could they keep the body of Bhai Sahib Chand ji.  They were swearing at their people.  They were upset.  They couldn’t keep their patience.  The Singhs saw them and fired their bullets like hail.  They were like clouds, raining bullets.  The Paharis were like plants on a field, being destroyed by the hail.  The Paharis fell.  The metal clashed.  The warriors fought each other.  The close combat began.  The swords struck each other.  The horses lost their riders.  The saddles were shinning.  Many horses died.  Many warriors died.  Many were injured.  Many ran away.  Many were struck with spears and sent to the Jumms.  Many were hit with Saangs through their chests.  Many were split in half by swords.  Many were shot with pistols.  The warriors were mixed in the dust.  Guru ji’s arrows pierced many and put them to a never-ending slumber.  Bullets were fired form both sides.  Many were killed.  Many were stabbed with Kataars.  Many were stabbed in the stomach.  Raag Maaroo sounded in the sky by the Gandarvs.  The warriors fought.  They played Holi with each other.  They pushed each other. 

The Kaali Mata laughed out loud, looking at the feist of flesh before her.  The dust flew up and covered the sun.  The dust came into the faces of the warriors.  The blood flowed and the intestines could be seen on the ground.  The vultures came and shrieked.  The dogs barked.  The scavengers came to eat the flesh.  The bullets were flying.  The wish to live longer, was gone.  They had no hope of surviving.  The chainmail and armour broke.  They soldiers got tired.  The bullets pierced many.  The rifles continued to fire like rain.  The battle of Nirmohgarh, near the Sutlej looked like the battle of Mahabharat.  The warriors did not back down.  The ground was filled with bodies.  The injured ran away.

4-45 Victory/ Going to Bisaali

The dust flew from the ground.  The smoke from the riffles and canons flew up.  There was so much smoke and dust that filled the sky, the sun could not be seen.  Guru Gobind Singh ji’s Khalsa fought fiercely.  The enemy had to accept that Guru Gobind Singh ji and the Khalsa were the kings of the battlefield.  The rifles fired and the enemy died.  The Khalsa swung their swords and sliced anyone who came their way.  On the shores of Sutlej, the warriors fought bravely.  They fought with courage and did not back down.  Baba Ajit Singh ji released sharp arrows, pulling them to his ears.  He released them with great strength and speed.  He fired them one after the other.  They were like dangerous cobras.  He killed many.  He made the warriors drenched in their blood.  He released many arrows towards their chests.  He would yell out: “stay there!”  He was angry.  He laid many bodies on the ground.  The ones that came in front of him, all died.  His arrows flew with force.  Guru Gobind Singh ji was fighting the battle with eagerness.  He was in bliss.  This was the ultimate Teerath.  The battleground is the holiest place that decides the fate of righteousness.  Guru ji said to the Khalsa in Bir Rass: “shot the enemy that comes in front of you!  Pierce their chests.  Make a path so we can go to the river.  Don’t let the enemy come to the river.  Let’s go!  Don’t let them go ahead.”  Guru ji said this and the Singhs came in Bir Ras.  Baba Ajit Singh ji, Bhai Aalam Singh ji, Bhai Uday Singh ji, Bhai Daya Singh ji and the others shot the enemy.  They charged and reached close to the river.  Guru ji yelled out: “don’t let the enemy go!  Shot your sharp arrows.”  Baba Ajit Singh ji went on ahead.  Bhai Uday Singh ji was filled with Bir Ras.  Bhai Aalam Singh ji and Bhai Daya Singh ji followed through.  Bhai Mokham Singh ji rode out in front.  Bhai Baksheesh Singh ji and Bhai Baksh Singh ji along with Bhai Ishar Singh ji, Bhai Sher Singh ji, Bhai Deva Singh ji, Bhai Bachittar Singh ji, Bhai Nahar Singh ji, Bhai Garja Singh ji, Bhai Ajab Singh ji, Bhai Ajaib Singh ji, Bhai Sant Singh ji, Bhai Anik Singh ji, Bhai Bhagavan Singh ji, Bhai Maha Singh ji, Bhai Dharam Singh ji, Bhai Sahib Singh ji and Bhai Ram Singh ji all charged fiercely.  They were the form of Death for them.  They rode their horses hard.  They were all in Bir Ras.  Guru ji’s warriors were brave.  They came to stop the enemy.  The Turks attacked but were stopped by the Singhs.  The armies fought fiercely.  The bullets and arrows rained.  They were engaged in close combat.  The Singhs flipped the enemy.  Wazir Khan noticed that his soldiers were losing.  The Singhs had Dheeraj (patience), Bhuddi (wisdom), Bal (strength), Bibek (wit), Gat (speed), Mitt (calculation/strategy), and Ausar (opportunity).  Wazir Khan yelled out to his people and went to the front line.  The soldiers all fought.  Guru ji released thick arrows by pulling them hard.  The ones that were hit with the arrows, died along with their horses.  Guru ji would take down 10 at a time.  Baba Ajit Singh ji made the enemy turn around.  The enemy had to move back.  The path was cleared.  The ones who tried stopping them, all died.  They were killed with force.  The Khalsa began to cross the Sutlej.  They Paharis tried to stop them but failed.  They could not reach the path to the river.  Guru ji and Baba Ajit Singh ji fired many arrows.  Many soldiers died.  They couldn’t not stand in front of the rain of arrows.  Guru ji’s arrows still went through at least 10.  The horses and Turks died.  His arrows went through the bodies.  Guru ji’s son lead the way.  Guru ji came behind him, followed by the Khalsa.  They caused a lot of damage for the enemy.  They laid down many bodies.  The enemy was kept away using a lot of force.  The Shasters kept everyone away from the Khalsa.  The Khalsa crossed the river with ease.  The Turks remained where they were.  They wanted to chase Guru ji.  They fired many bullets but the flow of the river was too strong.  They got angry and grinded their teeth as they were helpless.  They fired canons and tried to cross but the Khalsa fired back. 

Bheem Chand and the other Rajas met the Pathaans and said to Wazir Khan: “the Guru crossed!  We tried to fire but failed.  We shouldn’t chase him, though, as the river current is too strong.  The Guru is a great warrior.  Look what we wanted; but looked what happened.  You were wondering why we couldn’t handle the Guru.  You should have figured out why we called you.  You couldn’t face him either.  You used to tease us about this.  Look what the Guru did to your army with a few soldiers.  He can fight Lakhs at a time.  He has few soldiers and no servants.  Lightening cannot be held.  This is how the Guru is.  Let’s set up camp and collect our dead and injured.  The Guru is far now.  We can’t chase him.  He seems to have left our Desh now.  He is on the other side.”  Wazir Khan was surprised: “the Guru was shocking.  I thought we would have caught him or killed him.  He is like the flow of the river, which cannot be stopped.  He killed his way through.  He destroyed our forces.  Look at the thousands that he killed.”  Wazir Khan was upset at the damage he took.  They couldn’t catch Guru ji.  Guru ji was victorious.  The Paharis and the Turks were fools.  They still couldn’t understand Guru ji’s greatness.  They didn’t understand that he had the powers of Akaal Purakh.  He had all of the powers of Akaal Purakh.  He was the son of Akaal Purakh.

The Turks and Paharis turned back and set up camp far away, fearing Guru ji coming back and attacking them.  They came back 6 km.  They didn’t want to be close to the river.  They feared the Khalsa coming back.  They didn’t sleep the night out of fear.  They were worried.  They were afraid of Guru ji coming back.  They laid with their guns in hand.  They didn’t collect their dead as they had thousands of dead soldiers.  They couldn’t dig that many graves.  The bodies laid on the ground at night.  Bheem Chand folded his hands and paid a lot of money to Wazir Khan for the damages.  He gave him gifts to make the Sooba happy.  He gave him an elephant for his help.  He said: “thank you for coming and helping us.  The Guru was going to kick us out of our Desh.  Thank you that we can rule in peace now.  Now that the Guru crossed the river, he has left our area and we can live in peace now.”  After giving Wazir Khan the gifts, the Paharis gave him leave.  They said: “you can go back to Sirhind.  We are Aurangzeb’s servants.  We will call you if we need you.  We hope you will help us when we need you again.  We will go home tomorrow morning.  You can go too.  The battle is over.  The Guru is gone now.”  They all had their discussions and went to their camps after. 

Many were crying over the dead as they lost their relatives in the battle.  The news came home to the Pahari area and the relatives began to cry in mourning over their dead relatives.  Some lost their sons, fathers, husbands and brothers.  They swore at Bheem Chand and blamed him for the death of their relatives.  They didn’t like how he took fights with Guru ji: “he is the reason.  Bheem Chand killed our relatives.  He fights the Guru who has Khuddah’s powers.  Bheem Chand is a fool for fighting him.  What has he gained from this conflict?”

Guru Gobind Singh ji and the Khalsa crossed the river and came to Doaba.  They all rested in peace like a lion after a hunt.  They took care over their injured brothers.  The warriors were given respect.  The Shaheed’s bodies were cremated.  Guru ji made sure the souls of the Shaheeds reached Sach Khand.  Guru ji entered them into the 96 Krori Fauj of the Shaheeds.  They were taken to the Darbar of Akaal Purakh Guru Nanak Dev ji.  Guru ji applied the Sail Patter on to the injured and fixed them by morning.  He took away their pain and sorrows.  Everyone ate and slept the night in peace.  In the morning, the Raja of Bisaali came to Guru ji.  He bowed to Guru ji’s feet and asked about the war.  He was happy to hear of Guru ji’s victory: “you are great Guru ji!  You are the complete Guru Prabhoo.  You are the Karta Purakh of the world.  There is none other, like you.  Bheem Chand is an egotistical fool.  You broke his ego.  You mixed the pride of Wazir Khan in to the dust.  There are many dead bodies across the river.  The vultures are eating their flesh.  There are thousands of scavengers there.  They will be able to eat for many months.  There is no shortage for them.  It is great that you came to my place.  I am blessed.  Please come to my home now.  Bless my home and make it pure.  My home is yours.  My wealth is yours.  Bless Bisaali and do as you please.  Use anything you need.  Be in joy.”  Guru ji saw the Raja’s love and became gracious.  Guru ji had his horse saddled and the Rajit Nagara played.  The sound of the Nagara echoed in the valley.  Guru ji had the army mobilized and moved onwards to Bisaali.  Guru ji took Raja Salahi Chand with him and had discussions on the way.  The Raja couldn’t get enough of looking at Guru ji. 

Guru ji and the Raja reached the palace.  The Raja had Guru ji enter his home with love.  He did his Seva with great love.  He presented many expensive items to Guru ji.  He was very happy to do Guru ji’s Seva.  Baba Ajit Singh ji and the Khalsa came as well.  The Singhs praised the Raja to Guru ji: “Guru ji, this Raja is very fortunate and filled with love.  He has all the joys.  He has served all of us well.”  The Khalsa ate well.  Guru ji was very happy with Raja Salahi Chand.