Preface To 'Guru Tegh Bahadur' By Prof. Surinder Singh Kohli

This handy volume for the general readers is a humble tribute to the memory of the great Guru Tegh Bahadur on the occasion of his martyrdom Tercentenary. His martyrdom is unique for all times. He sacrificed his life for the freedom of conscience and raised his voice against religious fanaticism and parochialism. He was a great spiritual leader. His motto was: Fear not and frighten not. Such a divine and fearless personality, which was followed by multitudes, became a target of imperial despotism. But the sacrifice that he made for the humanity as a whole, gave an unlimited strength to the oppressed in due course and caused the decline and fall of the aggressor.

In this short treatise, a humble effort has been made to throw light on his life and work. Several misunderstandings created by the Muslim chroniclers about the personality of the Guru have been critically analysed and reviewed in the light of the Sikh chronicles and sayings of the Guru. The western writers followed mostly the Muslim chronicles and considered them authoritative. They ignored the Sikh chronicles. But the real history of a people can only be written by its own men. The life of a divine personality is always in tune with his sayings therefore a critical study of the literary contribution of the Guru has also been made.