Revoking Resistance: On Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti 2025
Revisiting the timeless teachings of Guru Gobind Singh Ji (Tenth Sikh Guru), on his Birth Anniversary.
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti is often marked by processions, prayers and ceremonial remembrance. However, limiting the tenth Sikh Guru to ritual is perhaps the greatest disservice to his legacy. Guru Gobind Singh was not merely a spiritual leader but a political thinker, a social reformer, a poet and above all, a revolutionary who refused submission to both—tyranny and moral compromise.
Born in 1666, Guru Gobind Singh assumed leadership at an age when most are still learning obedience. What followed was a life defined by resistance—against religious persecution, social hierarchy and the quiet acceptance of injustice. His vision was unapologetically actionable.
Faith as Resistance, Not Retreat
Guru Gobind Singh redefined faith as an instrument of courage. The creation of the Khalsa in 1699 was not simply a religious milestone but a political and social declaration. By abolishing caste distinctions and initiating Sikhs into a collective identity of equality and discipline, he dismantled centuries of inherited hierarchy in one radical stroke.
The Khalsa was meant to stand as a counterforce to oppression. It was armed, organised and ethically bound. The idea of Khalsa basically implied that spirituality must not weaken resistance, but strengthen it.
The Cost of Conviction
Guru Gobind Singh’s life was marked by personal loss on a scale few can fathom. All four of his sons were martyred—two in battle, two executed for refusing to abandon their faith. Yet, even in grief, he did not retreat into bitterness or despair. Instead, he articulated one of the most enduring principles of moral warfare: “When all other means have failed, it is righteous to draw the sword.” This was not a glorification of violence but a recognition of reality that peace without justice is merely submission by another name.
Why His Teachings Still Matter
In a world increasingly comfortable with selective outrage and performative morality, Guru Gobind Singh’s life offers an uncomfortable reminder: principles demand sacrifice. His insistence on standing up for righteousness regardless of personal cost, cuts sharply against today’s culture of convenience-driven ethics.
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti should not merely be about remembrance but reflection. Centuries later, his life continues to pose an unsettling question: What are we willing to stand for when standing up becomes costly?
