CleanupBot II at 09:14, 14 August 2023

2023-08-14T09:14:40Z

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Short description|The eighth Sikh Guru}}
{{redirect|Hari Krishnan|the Indian actor|Hari Krishnan (actor)}}
{{Infobox religious biography
| religion = Sikhism
| name = Guru Har Krishan<br>ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿ ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨ
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image = Sri Guru Har Krishan Ji Gurudwara Pothi Mala.jpg
| alt = A fresco of Guru Har Krishan ca. 1745
| caption = A fresco of Guru Har Krishan, ca. 1745
| birth_name = Kishan Das Sodhi
| birth_date = 7 July 1656<ref name="Kohli1992p12"/>
| birth_place = [[Kiratpur Sahib]], [[Subah of Lahore|Lahore Subah]], [[Mughal Empire]] <br> {{small|(present-day [[Rupnagar district]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[India]])}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1664|3|30|1656|7|7|df=y}}<ref name="Kohli1992p12"/>
| death_place = [[Delhi]], [[Mughal Empire]] <br> {{small|(present-day [[India]])}}
| resting_place =
| period = 1661–1664
| other_names = ''Bal Guru'', The Eighth Master
| occupation =
| predecessor = [[Guru Har Rai]]
| successor = [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]]
| spouse = ''none''
| children = ''none''
| parents = Har Rai<br />Mata Sulakhani
| death_cause = [[Smallpox]]
}}
{{Sikhism sidebar}}

'''Guru Har Krishan''' ([[Gurmukhi]]: ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿ ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨ, pronunciation: {{IPA-pa|ɡʊruː həɾ kɾɪʃən|}}; 7 July 1656 – 30 March 1664<ref name="Kohli1992p12"/>) was the eighth of the ten [[Sikh Guru]]s. At the age of 5, he became the youngest Guru in Sikhism on 7 October 1661,<ref name="Kohli1992p12">{{cite book|author=Mohindar Pal Kohli|title=Guru Tegh Bahadur: Testimony of Conscience|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3H1XAEqCOqAC&pg=PA12 |year=1992|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|isbn=978-81-7201-234-2|pages=12–13}}</ref> succeeding his father, [[Guru Har Rai]].<ref name=singha/> He contracted [[smallpox]] in 1664 and died before reaching his eighth birthday. It is said that he died because he contracted smallpox while successfully curing his followers.<ref name="Fenech2014p148">{{cite book|author1=Louis E. Fenech|author2=W. H. McLeod|title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA148 |year=2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1|page=148}}</ref>

He is also known as '''Bal Guru''' (Child [[Guru]]),<ref name=singha>HS Singha (2009), The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Hemkunt Press, {{ISBN|978-8170103011}}, pages 96–97</ref> and sometimes spelled in Sikh literature as '''Hari Krishan Sahib'''.<ref name="Fenech2014p148"/><ref>{{cite book|author1=Pashaura Singh|author2=Louis E. Fenech|title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CzYeAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT951|year=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-100412-4|page=951}}</ref> He is remembered in the Sikh tradition for saying "Baba Bakale" before he died, which Sikhs interpreted to identify his granduncle [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]] as the next successor.<ref name=singha/><ref name="Fenech2014p148"/> Guru Har Krishan had the shortest reign as Guru, lasting only 2 years, 5 months and 24 days.

==Biography==
Har Krishan was born in Kiratpur ([[Shivalik Hills]]) in northwest [[Indian subcontinent]] to Krishen Devi (Mata Sulakhni) and [[Guru Har Rai]]. His father, Guru Har Rai supported the moderate Sufi influenced [[Dara Shikoh]] instead of conservative Sunni influenced [[Aurangzeb]] as the two brothers entered into a war of succession to the Mughal Empire throne.<ref name="Mandair2013p50">{{cite book|author=Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair|title=Sikhism: the Guide for the Perplexed |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA51 |year=2013|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7|pages=50–51}}</ref> After Aurangzeb won the succession war in 1658, he summoned Guru Har Rai in 1660 to explain his support for the executed Dara Shikoh. Guru Har Rai sent his elder son [[Baba Ram Rai]] to represent him. Aurangzeb kept the 13 year old Ram Rai as hostage, questioned Ram Rai about a verse in the [[Adi Granth]] – the holy text of Sikhs. Aurangzeb claimed that it disparaged the Muslims.<ref name=britharrai>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Har-Rai Har Rai: Sikh Guru], Encyclopædia Britannica (2015)</ref><ref name="Grewal1998p67">{{cite book|author=J. S. Grewal|title=The Sikhs of the Punjab|url= https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew|url-access=registration|year=1998|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-63764-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew/page/67 67]–69}}</ref> Ram Rai changed the verse to appease Aurangzeb instead of standing by the Sikh scripture, an act for which Guru Har Rai excommunicated his elder son, and nominated the younger Har Krishan to succeed as the next Guru of Sikhism.<ref name=britharrai/><ref>{{cite book|author1=William Owen Cole|author2=Piara Singh Sambhi|title=The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zIC_MgJ5RMUC&pg=PA33 |year=1995|publisher=Sussex Academic Press|isbn=978-1-898723-13-4|pages=33–34}}</ref>

Aurangzeb meanwhile rewarded Ram Rai, patronizing him with land grants in [[Dehra Dun]] region of the Himalayas. A few years after Guru Har Krishan assumed the role of Sikh leader, Aurangzeb summoned the young Guru to his court, with an apparent plan to replace him with his elder brother Ram Rai as the Sikh Guru. However, Har Krishan contracted smallpox when he arrived in Delhi and his meeting with Aurangzeb was cancelled. On his deathbed, Har Krishan said, "Baba Bakale", and died in 1664. The Sikh religious organization interpreted those words to mean that the next Guru is to be found in Bakale village, which they identified as [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]], the ninth Guru of Sikhism.<ref
name="Mandair2013p50"/><ref name="Fenech2014p148"/>

Authentic literature with more details about Guru Har Krishan's life and times are scarce and not well recorded.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Pashaura Singh|author2=Louis E. Fenech|title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ |year=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|page=41}}</ref> Some of biographies about Guru Har Krishan, particularly about who his mother was, were written in the 18th century such as by Kesar Singh Chhibber, as well as in the 19th century, and these are highly inconsistent.<ref>{{cite book|author=Surjit Singh Gandhi|title=History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606–1708 C.E |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vZFBp89UInUC&pg=PA590 |year=2007|publisher=Atlantic Publishers |isbn=978-81-269-0858-5|pages=590–591 with note 2}}</ref>

==Lesson in humility==
[[Sikh Gurus]] have been known to impart lessons in humility during their lifetimes. One such famous incident as noted by Macauliffe in ''Sikh Religion - Vol 4'' is from the life of Guru Har Krishan. Once on the way to Delhi from Punjab, Guru Har Krishan was staying at Panjokhara, near present day [[Ambala]]. Gurudwara [[Panjokhra sahib]] is situated at this place now. A very learned pundit by the name of Lal Chand, noting that the guru's name was similar to that of Lord Krishna, came visiting with the intent to test him on the knowledge of [[Bhagavad Gita]] by asking the meaning of a few ''shalokas''. The guru, with the intention to cure him of his pride, said that Lal Chand did not need the guru for this task and that anyone could do that. On hearing this, Lal Chand brought a mute and ignorant water carrier named Chhajju. The guru placed his stick on Chhajju's head. Macauliffe writes "The Brahman and the water carrier accordingly began to discuss, and the water carrier gave such learned replies, that the Brahman stood in astonished silence before the Guru." He accordingly begged Har Krishan's pardon for his mistake and became the Guru's disciple.<ref name="Macauliffe1">{{cite book|author=Macauliffe|title=Sikh Religion – Vol4 [[iarchive:in.ernet.dli.2015.69685/page/n337|p. 321]]|publisher=Oxford|year=1909|pages=321–322}}</ref>

==Visiting Raja Jai Singh and death in Delhi==
One of the most famous Gurdwara of [[Sikhs]] in North India, [[Gurdwara Bangla Sahib]] was at that time the residence (''bangla'' is indic term for bungalow) of Raja Jai Singh of Delhi. Raja Jai Singh humbly requested the Guru to come to Delhi, so that he and the Guru’s Sikhs may behold him.<ref name="Macauliffe3">{{cite book|author=Macauliffe|title=Sikh Religion – Vol4 [[iarchive:in.ernet.dli.2015.69685/page/n335|p. 320]]|year=1909|publisher=Oxford|pages=320}}</ref>

Because of the Guru’s young age, the Raja’s wife too wanted to test his spiritual powers. Disguising herself as a maid, she sat amongst the lady attendants. However, the Guru instantly identified her and sat on her lap, proclaiming, “This is the Rani”, thereby convincing her of his spiritual powers.<ref name="Macauliffe4">{{cite book|author=Macauliffe|title=Sikh Religion – Vol4 [[iarchive:in.ernet.dli.2015.69685/page/n339|p. 324]]|year=1909|publisher=Oxford|pages=324}}</ref><ref name="delhivisit">{{cite web|title=Guru Harkrishen And Gurdwara Bangla Sahib|url=https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F08%2F06&entity=Ar01416&sk=8387AB1A}}</ref>

It was during his stay here that a deadly disease of smallpox and cholera had spread in the city of Delhi. When people learned of Guru Har Krishan's presence there, they went to him for shelter and protection. Guru Har Krishan asked them to bathe in the well in the Bungalow to cure themselves. Anyone who took a bath there recovered.<ref name="Macauliffe5">{{cite book|author=Macauliffe|title=Sikh Religion – Vol4 [[iarchive:in.ernet.dli.2015.69685/page/n339|p. 323]]|year=1909|publisher=Oxford|pages=323}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Front view of Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Delhi.jpg|[[Gurudwara]] [[Bangla Sahib]], where the Guru died
Gurudwara Panjokhra Sahib, Haryana.jpg|[[Gurudwara]] Panjokhra Sahib, [[Ambala]], [[Haryana]]- Pertaining to 8th Sikh Guru Har Krishan
History of Gurudwara Panjokhra Sahib, Haryana 01.jpg|History of Gurudwara Panjokhra Sahib, Haryana
</gallery>
{{clear}}

== See also ==
* [[Gurudwara Bangla Sahib]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==

*[http://www.sikhs.org/guru8.htm Sikhs.org]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090505091438/http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/gurus/nanak8.html Sikh-History.com]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Guru Har Rai]]
| title = [[Sikh gurus|Sikh Guru]]|years=6 October 1661 – 30 March 1664
| after = [[Guru Teg Bahadur]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Sikhism|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krishan, Guru Har}}
[[Category:Sikh gurus|Har Krishan]]
[[Category:Deaths from smallpox]]
[[Category:1656 births]]
[[Category:1664 deaths]]
[[Category:Punjabi people]]
[[Category:1661 in India]]

Guru Har Krishan - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 09:14, 14 August 2023