Summary of 'Baba Deep Singh , The Great Sikh Martyr And Scholar' By Daljeet Singh Sidhu

Baba Deep Singh is one of the most revered martyrs of Sikh history. Throughout his life, he exemplified the saint soldier spirit of the Khalsa. He joined Guru Gobind Singh and then Baba Banda Singh Bahadur to fight several wars against the Mughals. When Ahmad Shah Abdali was returning to Kabul after enslaving hundreds of men and women from Hindustan, Baba Deep Singh rescued them in daring attacks on the Afghan army. He ultimately sacrificed his life at the age of seventy five when he mounted an attack to evict the Afghans from Harmandir Sahib, the holiest Sikh shrine, and restored it to the Sikhs.

Baba Deep Singh was a scholar of Sikh theology and many languages including Gurmukhi, Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic. He assisted Bhai Mani Singh in writing the pothi sahib (now called Guru Granth Sahib) when Guru Gobind Singh dictated it to them at Damdama sahib. Baba Deep Singh also set up three taksals (academies) to propagate Gurbani and the Sikh philosophy. These taksals continue to render invaluable service to this day.