भारतीय इतिहास के ६ स्वर्णिम पृष्ठ (वीर सावरकर - विदेशी आक्रान्ताओं पर विजय गाथा)

Hindu world. Naturally, throughout the whole of India, the Hindus too,
opposed him violently. Aurangzeb, particularly, aimed at the top-ranking
Brahmins of Kashmir, and enforced on them the Jizia tax, if they did not opt
for conversion. This caused a great commotion everywhere. At this time,
Guru Teg Bahadur told the Hindus boldly not to pay any such taxes and
preached that they should sacrifice their lives rather than forsake their
religion. When the Hindus began to give such bold replies, Aurangzeb was
aflame with rage. He captured Guru Teg Bahadur and commanded him to
court Islam on pain of death. Guru Teg Bahadur thereupon staunchly refused
to be a Muslim and defied Aurangzeb, who immediately had him beheaded.
This horrible tragedy took place in A.D. 1675. Along with Guru Teg
Bahadur, several of his Hindu disciples also were caught and they all
suffered horrible deaths after all sorts of atrocities and torments, but they
defied the tyrannical Muslim emperor by boldly refusing to be Muslims. The
heads of some of the prominent Hindus were actually cut asunder with a big
saw. Among these martyrs was Bhai Matidas, whose family was lovingly
given the title ‘Bhai’ by the Sikh Gurus and in this very family was born the
latter day Hindu patriot, Bhai Parmanand. The son of this very brave Guru
was the holiest of the holies, the Hindu national hero, Shree Guru Govind
Singh!
The Hindu National Hero—Shree Guru Govind Singh
964. To Shree Guru Govind Singh goes all the credit of militarizing
Sikhism and to create out of that sect, a militant and invincible organization,
which gave a strong impetus to the establishment of a strong and
independent Hindu government in Punjab at the time of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh. He was called Tenth Emperor— दशम बादशाह —because he was
the Tenth Guru from Shree Guru Nanak, not only by the Sikhs but even by
all the Punjabi Hindus. From innumerable daring and thrilling events in his
life, which well illustrate the above remark, only one might suffice here for
want of space for others!
965. As inevitably happens in the case of every big religious organisation,
Guru Nanak’s disciples also came to be divided into many sections and sub-
sections, but they were all living a Hindu way of life. In respect of
marriages and other religious rites and social customs, they were not in any
way separated from the Hindu society. In the ‘Gurugranth’ itself, the
sayings of Hindu saints like Sant Namdev and Kabir were incorporated
along with those of Guru Nanak himself. And from the beginning till this