Behulas Quest to Heaven

Dadi: "Beta Guddu, have you ever heard of a battle where 40 warriors faced an army of 10,000?"

Guddu: "Forty against ten thousand?! That's impossible! How could anyone even try?"

Dadi: "But they did try, beta. And what happened on that cold December night in 1704 is one of the most heartbreaking and heroic stories in all of history."

Guddu: "Tell me, Dadi!"

Dadi: "Guru Gobind Singh and his Sikhs had been defending Anandpur Sahib for months. They were starving. The Mughal army and the Hill Rajas had surrounded them and promised safe passage if they left the fort. They swore on the Quran itself."

Guddu: "Did the Guru trust them?"

Dadi: "He had to, beta. His people were dying of hunger. So on a bitter cold, rainy night, the Guru and his followers left the fort. But do you know what happened?"

Guddu: "What?"

Dadi: "The enemy broke their oath! As soon as the Sikhs started crossing the swollen Sarsa river in the darkness, the Mughal army attacked. In the chaos - the cold water, the rain, the darkness, the swords - families were torn apart."

Guddu: "That's terrible!"

Dadi: "The Guru's own family was separated. His elderly mother, Mata Gujri, and his two youngest sons - Zorawar Singh, only nine years old, and Fateh Singh, just six - were lost in the confusion. From the original group, only the Guru, his two eldest sons, five beloved disciples, and 40 Sikhs managed to regroup."

Guddu: "Only 40 people?"

Dadi: "Yes. Cold, exhausted, and wet, they took shelter in a small mud fortress at Chamkaur. It wasn't even a real fort - just a haveli with mud walls. And the Mughal army of 10,000 soldiers surrounded them."

Guddu: "What did the Guru do?"

Dadi: "Even in that darkest hour, beta, the Guru began the day with morning prayers and kirtan. Imagine - surrounded by an army that wanted to kill them, and he sang hymns of devotion!"

Guddu: "Did the enemy demand surrender?"

Dadi: "Yes. The Mughal generals said, "Give up! You cannot win!" But Guru Gobind Singh answered their demands with arrows. He would not surrender."

Guddu: "Then what happened?"

Dadi: "The Guru's eldest son, Sahibzada Ajit Singh, came to him. He was nineteen years old - full of fire and courage. He said, "Father, let me go out and fight.""

Guddu: "What did the Guru say?"

Dadi: "He blessed his son. "Go, my son," he said. And Ajit Singh, with just five companions, opened the gates and charged into an army of thousands!"

Guddu: "*gasps* Just six of them?"

Dadi: "Yes! They fought like lions, beta. Enemies fell before them. When Ajit Singh's sword broke in battle, he picked up a spear and kept fighting. He was surrounded, overwhelmed, but never stopped. Finally, he fell - martyred for his faith."

Guddu: "Did the Guru cry?"

Dadi: "When his son was killed, Guru Gobind Singh didn't wail or collapse. He cried out "Sat Sri Akal!" from the ramparts - a battle cry of victory, not defeat. His son had died a hero."

Guddu: "What about the younger son?"

Dadi: "Sahibzada Jujhar Singh was only fifteen. When he heard his elder brother had fallen, he came to his father. "Let me go too," he said."

Guddu: "He wasn't afraid?"

Dadi: "The Guru embraced him and blessed him with these words: "Go, my son, and wed the life-giving bride, Death." Can you imagine, beta? A father sending his second son into certain death?"

Guddu: "How could he do that?"

Dadi: "Because for the Guru, there was no difference between his own sons and any other Sikh warrior. All were equally dear. All were fighting for righteousness. Jujhar Singh went out with six companions and fought for over two hours! The enemy was so afraid of this boy that none dared enter the circle he defended. Finally, he too fell as darkness came."

Guddu: "The Guru lost both his sons in one day?"

Dadi: "Yes, beta. Both his older boys. And still, only five Sikhs remained with him. Do you know what those brave five did?"

Guddu: "What?"

Dadi: "They commanded the Guru to leave! You see, the Guru had given the five Panj Pyare the authority to command him. So when they ordered him to escape and continue the fight another day, he had to obey."

Guddu: "How did he escape?"

Dadi: "One Sikh, Sant Singh, dressed like the Guru to create confusion. As the Guru slipped away into the darkness, he stood on high ground, clapped three times, and shouted: "The Peer of India is leaving!" Then he roared "Sat Sri Akal!" The confused Mughal soldiers started firing at each other in the darkness!"

Guddu: "He actually escaped!"

Dadi: "Yes, but at what cost? Both his older sons martyred, his family scattered, his Sikhs dead. Yet the Khalsa spirit survived. Later, the Guru wrote a letter to the Emperor called Zafarnama - the "Letter of Victory" - because even in defeat, truth had won."

Guddu: "What does this story teach us, Dadi?"

Dadi: "Beta, sometimes in life, we face impossible odds. We lose what we love most. We feel surrounded and hopeless. But this story teaches us that true victory isn't about winning the battle - it's about standing for what's right, even when you know you might lose. The Guru lost his sons, but he never lost his faith. He made no distinction between his children and his followers - all were equally precious. And because he survived that night, the Khalsa lives on today. Sometimes, living to fight another day is the greatest courage of all."

Guddu: "Those 40 Sikhs against 10,000... they're real heroes."

Dadi: "They are remembered, beta. Every one of them. "One Singh equals Sava Lakh" - one Sikh equals 125,000 ordinary soldiers. That's what Chamkaur proved to the world."