Sikhi and Diwali — lessons from Bandi Chor Divas

Takeaways
· A spiritual meaning of the victory of light over darkness, of release from the prisons of our own expectations and habits
· A historical event highlighting the rise and fall of Muslim extremist influence in political decision-making
· A contemporary relevance in fighting for the rights of prisoners of conscience around the world.
In 1619 the first black American slaves landed in Virginia in the United States of America and the actor Richard Burbage, the actor who first played Lear, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, Romeo, Henry V and Richard III in Shakespeare’s plays died.
On the Diwali of 1619 Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru of the Sikhs was released from prison. ‘Guru’ is made of two words — ‘gu’ and ‘ru’, and literally means a “destroyer of darkness”; in other words, an enlightener. It is this release that is celebrated today as Bandi Chor Divas — Prisoner Release Day. Some focus on the spiritual meaning of the victory of light over darkness, of release from the prisons of our own expectations and habits. In addition to this there is the historical and political impact and importance of the event that I believe has equal relevance today.
The Guru had been imprisoned in Gwalior Fort. This was a building much like the Tower of London in Britain. It was a castle but also a jail with a fearsome reputation. He had been imprisoned because the Emperor Jehangir had feared that he was a political enemy. Why would he think this?
The Emperor Jehangir had no claim to the throne. He was actually Prince Salim and the throne rightly belonged to his brother, Prince Dara Shikoh. Their father, the legendary Emperor Akbar the Great favoured Prince Dara Shikoh. However, the liberal attitude of father and son disturbed Muslim extremist elements. Their faction, therefore, promoted Prince Salim, through whom they thought they could push their agenda.
In some ways they were right. The Emperor came to power in October 1605. By June 1606 Guru Arjun, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs, had become Sikhi’s first martyr. They persuaded the Emperor that Guru Arjun posed a threat to the state and he was therefore executed by yasa. We can see this play out in the diaries of the Emperor, the Tazak-i-Jehangiri. He complains that Muslims as well as Hindus are accepting his authority and decides that he must do something about this. He decides to have him killed by yasa. Yasa was a Mongol form of punishment and involved ensuring that the blood of a holy person was not shed. In other words he regarded him as holy but also as a threat.
The power of the Muslim extremists grew and in 1617 Guru Hargobind was also arrested. However, in the intervening two years he realised that the extremists actually felt that they were the rulers. They were the biggest threat to his rule. When he rejected them, he decided to release the Guru.
  However, he hit a problem — the Guru refused to be freed while other prisoners, innocent of any crime, in other words, prisoners of conscience, remained in custody. The Emperor made an offer — Guru Hargobind could release as many prisoners as could hold onto his robe. A robe was made with 52 tassels. Holding a tassel each, all the political prisoners were released.
The holding onto the cloak also has a symbolic meaning of which he can get a sense in the phrase, “hanging onto someone’s coat tails.” By holding the tassels the political prisoners, rulers in their own right, allowed the Guru to vouch for their future good conduct.
Almost half a century later Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs visited Dacca, now the capital of Bangladesh. He visited between December 1666 and January-February 1668 to settle a dispute between rival neighbouring kingdoms. These were heirs of the rulers who had been freed by the intervention of Guru Hargobind on the Diwali of 1619. At the court of Shaista Khan, the ruler of Bengal, his painter, Ahsan, made a portrait of this arbitrator. It is the only known contemporary portrait of a Guru.
While people should focus on liberation from the prisons of their own beliefs and habits, they should also realise that oppressive and unjust political systems rise and will fall and that they should do their bit to make this world a better place. The portrait of 1666–1668 is a ripple from the stone tossed into the lake on the Diwali of 1619.
Ranvir Singh
Other essays on Medium by the author:

Sikhi beyond the Singh Sabha story
Siddha Gosht: an exploration of Buddhist and Sikh spirituality
Azrael and Satan in Sikh scriptures
Sikh rites of passage and mystery traditions
Anti-Sikh riots of 1984: seeking justice at the United Nations
Sikhi and science
Is Sikhi a form of virtue ethics