The Life and Times of Guru Gobind Singh

In this episode, we shall talk about the tenth and final living
Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh and his role in giving a final shape
to the Sikh beliefs and ethics. The life of Guru Gobind was marked
by Aurangzeb’s unprecedented policies of oppression against the
Sikhs as well as the Hindus, Buddhists and the Jains. It would be
fair to characterize Aurangzeb as a ruthless, power hungry ruler
who had an utter disregard for human rights and was also intolerant
and hostile to all faiths other than Islam.

In such an oppressive political and social environment, Guru Gobind
played a pro active role in shaping the Sikh society as we know it
today. He took concrete and positive steps in formulating new
structures and strategies to promote the cause of the Sikhs. He was
the architect of the Khalsa, the Sikh society, which was a model
deeply rooted in the concepts of equality, freedom and justice
first proposed by Guru Nanak almost 200 years before him.