This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 71.251.9.182 (talk) at 23:31, 13 June 2019 (I added more text that explained the sentences more better. I also fixed run-on sentences). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 23:31, 13 June 2019 by 71.251.9.182 (talk) (I added more text that explained the sentences more better. I also fixed run-on sentences)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
| Guru Har Rai | |
|---|---|
 Guru Har Rai, the Seventh Guru (Early-18th-century Pahari painting) | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | January 16, 1630 (1630-01-16) Kiratpur Sahib, Rupnagar, Punjab, Mughal Empire (Present day India) |
| Died | October 6, 1661 (1661-10-07) (aged 31) Kiratpur Sahib, Mughal Empire (Present day India) |
| Spouse | Mata Krishen Devi |
| Children | Baba Ram Rai and Guru Har Krishan |
| Parents |
|
| Other names | The Seventh Master |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Religious career | |
| Period in office | 1644–1661 |
| Predecessor | Guru Hargobind |
| Successor | Guru Har Krishan |
Guru Har Rai ([gʊɾuː ɦəɾ ɾaːɪ]; 16 January 1630 – 20 October 1661) revered as the seventh Nanak, was the seventh of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He became the Sikh leader at age 14, on 8 March 1644, after the death of his grandfather and sixth Sikh leader Guru Hargobind. He guided the Sikhs for about seventeen years, till his death at age 31.
Guru Har Rai is notable for maintaining the large army of Sikh soldiers that the sixth Sikh Guru had amassed, yet avoiding military conflict. He 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.
After Aurangzeb won the succession war in 1658, he summoned Guru Har Rai in 1660 to explain his support for the executed Dara Shikoh. Har Rai sent his elder son Ram Rai to represent him. Aurangzeb kept Ram Rai as hostage, questioned Ram Rai about a verse in the Adi Granth – the holy text of Sikhs at that time. Aurangzeb claimed that it disparaged the Muslims. Ram Rai changed the verse to appease Aurangzeb instead of standing by the Sikh scripture, an act for which Guru Har Rai is remembered for excommunicating his elder son, and nominating his younger son Har Krishan to succeed him. Har Krishan became the eighth Guru at age 5 after Guru Har Rai's death in 1661. Some Sikh literature spell his name as Hari Rai.
Influence
Missionary work
Guru Har Rai traveled to Malwa region of the Indian subcontinent and gave teachings to many people there.
Singing traditions
He started several public singing and scripture recital traditions in Sikhism. The katha or discourse style recitals were added by Guru Har Rai, to the sabad kirtan singing tradition of Sikhs. He also added the akhand kirtan or continuous scripture singing tradition of Sikhism, as well as the tradition of jotian da kirtan or collective folk choral singing of scriptures.
Reforms
The third Sikh leader Guru Amar Das had started the tradition of appointing manji (zones of religious administration with an appointed chief called sangatias), introduced the dasvandh ("the tenth" of income) system of revenue collection in the name of Guru and as pooled community religious resource, and the famed langar tradition of Sikhism where anyone, without discrimination of any kind, could get a free meal in a communal seating.
The organizational structure that had helped Sikhs to grow and resist the Mughal persecution had created new problems for Guru Har Rai. The donation collectors, some of the Masands (local congregational leaders) led by Dhir Mal – the older brother of Guru Har Rai, all of them encouraged by the support of Shah Jahan, land grants and Mughal administration, had attempted to internally split the Sikhs into competing movements, start a parallel guruship, and thereby weaken the Sikh religion. Thus a part of the challenge for Guru Har Rai was to keep Sikhs united.
He appointed new masands such as Bhai Jodh, Bhai Gonda, Bhai Nattha, Bhagat Bhagwan (for eastern India), Bhai Pheru (for Rajathan), Bhai Bhagat (also known as Bairagi), as the heads of Manji's.
References
- ^ Bhagat Singh. Harbans Singh; et al. (eds.). "Har Rai, Guru (1630–1661)". Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Punjabi University Patiala. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ Har Rai: Sikh Guru, Encyclopedia Britannica (2015)
- ^ Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair (2013). Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-1-4411-0231-7.
- ^ J. S. Grewal (1998). The Sikhs of the Punjab. Cambridge University Press. pp. 67–69. ISBN 978-0-521-63764-0.
- William Owen Cole; Piara Singh Sambhi (1995). The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. pp. 33–34. ISBN 978-1-898723-13-4.
- ^ Pashaura Singh; Louis E. Fenech (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 400. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8.
- William Owen Cole; Piara Singh Sambhi (1995). The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. pp. 20–21. ISBN 978-1-898723-13-4.
- ^ Louis E. Fenech; W. H. McLeod (2014). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 29–30. ISBN 978-1-4422-3601-1.
- Charles E. Farhadian (2015). Introducing World Religions. Baker Academic. pp. 342–342. ISBN 978-1-4412-4650-9.
- Surjit Singh Gandhi (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1469–1606 C.E. Atlantic Publishers. pp. 365–367. ISBN 978-81-269-0857-8.
- Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. 2004. p. 345. ISBN 978-1-57607-355-1.
Bibliography
- Macauliffe, M.A. (1909). The Sikh Religion: Its Gurus Sacred Writings and Authors. Low Price Publications. ISBN 81-7536-132-8.
- Singh, Khushwant (1963). A History of the Sikhs: 1469-1839 Vol.1 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-567308-5.
External links
- Guru Har Rai, Sikhs.org
- Guru Har Rai, Sikh-History.com
- Guru Har Rai, Official Website of Gurudwara Shri Guru Har Rai Village Bhungarni
| Preceded byGuru Hargobind | Sikh Guru 3 March 1644 – 6 October 1661 |
Succeeded byGuru Har Krishan |
