The Exalted Spirit of "Chardi Kalaa"
Guru Arjun Dev sacrificed his life for the scriptures which he had compiled in the sacred Granth and installed in Harmandir Sahib. When ordered to change certain passages which offended Mogul rulers, he refused. His unwillingness to comply resulted in his being arrested during the hottest part of the year.
His captors allowed him no food, water, or sleep. The next day they immersed him in a cauldron of water over a flame and brought it to a boil causing his flesh to blister. On the third day, inflicting further torture, they poured burning sand over him, searing his skin. On the fourth day, they forced him to sit on an iron plate roasting over red hot coals. On the fifth day, thinking to torment the guru’s ravished body with icy cold water, his captors led him into a nearby river. Guru Jee dipped below the surface to bathe, disappearing forever from sight. His persecutors never recovered the guru’s body.
Historian’s record that the fifth guru never succumbed to his captor’s demands, nor did he ever cry out in pain, but only gave praise to the sweetness of divine will. Guru Arjun Dev is remembered as an outstanding example of the exalted spirit known to Sikhs as “Chardi Kalaa”.
If you should ever feel buried beneath a mound of troubles, remember this hymn composed by Guru Arjun Dev:
"Baah pakarr gur kaa-dti-aa so-ee outri-aa paar||3|
Grasping their arm, the Guru lifts them up and out, and carries them across to the other side." ||3||
SGGS||44
Comments
“Chardi kala” in Punjabi literally translates as “high spirits.” It means a lot more. It is an attitude that almost defines a Sikh and the term is nearly impossible to define or even really explain, but it can be illustrated. This description of Guru Arjan is great.
I love my Dad’s description, too.
“When your enemy has you flat on your back, his knife at your throat. his gun cocked at your temple and his boot on your face,you laugh at him. ‘Ha! You can kill me, but you cannot defeat me!’ That’s chardi kala. That’s what it means to be a Sikh.
Of course, we look forward to the day when enemies are just a shadow from the distant past. Then, we’ll have to think up a different illustration, I suppose.