ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>N&#256NAK&#298 M&#256T&#256 (d. 1678)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="NNAK*,MT"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279N&#256NAK&#298, M&#256T&#256 (d. 1678), mother of Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur, was born to Har&#299 Chand and Harde&#299, a well-to-do Khatr&#299 couple of Bak&#257l&#257, in the present district of Amritsar. She was married to Gur&#363 Hargobind in April 1613. Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur, the youngest of the five sons of Gur&#363 Hargobind, was born to her on 1 April 1621. It is said that the Gur&#363 on seeing the newborn babe predicted auspiciously: "Of my five sons, he shall take the office of Gur&#363." The fond mother rejoiced at the prophecy, but, although Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur grew up into a healthy youth and even exhibited military prowess in the battle of Kart&#257rpur, he seemed to take little interest in worldly affairs. He remained always saturated in the remembrance of God and spoke but little. This raised misgivings in M&#257t&#257 N&#257nak&#299's heart about her son succeeding his father on the throne of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. Besides, her husband had lately started bestowing special favours upon his grandson, Har R&#257i. However, when she unburdened her heart to Gur&#363 Hargobind, he simply repeated his prophecy and advised her to rejoice in God's Will.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 Hargobind passed away on 3 March 1644. M&#257t&#257 N&#257nak&#299, obeying her husband's command, removed to Bak&#257l&#257 along with her son and daughter-in-law. Twenty years later, the prophecy was fulfilled and her son was anointed Gur&#363 on 11 August 1664. The family moved back to the &#346iv&#257lik foothills where Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur founded, on 19 June 1665, a new habitation which he named, after his mother, Chakk N&#257nak&#299. Soon after this, however, the Gur&#363 set out on a long journey, through the M&#257lv&#257 region and what is now Uttar Pradesh, to the eastern parts visiting old <i>sa&#7749gats</i>. M&#257t&#257 N&#257nak&#299 accompanied him.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur had been married since his early youth but had been without offspring. M&#257t&#257 N&#257nak&#299 had longed to see a grandson, and none was happier than her when Gobind R&#257i was born on 22 December 1666 at Pat&#7751&#257. But as the family returned to the Punjab in 1670, the shadows of a gathering gloom were already appearing in the distant horizon. Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's increasing concern at the bigoted policies of the Delhi ruler gave rise to forebodings also in the mother's heart. Her worst fears proved true when, on 16 November 1675, she saw the severed head of her martyred son brought to Chakk N&#257nak&#299. The grief-stricken mother was consoled by her grandson, Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh. M&#257t&#257 N&#257nak&#299, reassured by the quiet dignity of the young Gur&#363, lived on for another few years. She died in 1678.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Sohan Kav&#299, <i>Gurb&#299l&#257s Chhev&#299&#7749 P&#257tsh&#257h&#299</i>. Amritsar, 1968<BR> <li class="C1"> Kuir Si&#7749gh, <i>Gurbil&#257s P&#257tsh&#257h&#299 10</i>. Patiala, 1968<BR> <li class="C1"> Santokh Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth</i>, Amritsar, 1927-35<BR> <li class="C1"> Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Panth Prakash</i>. Delhi, 1880<BR> <li class="C1"> Macauliffe, Max Arthur, <i>The Sikh Religion</i>. Oxford, 1909<BR> <li class="C1"> Trilochan Singh, <i>Guru Tegh Bahadur : Prophet and Martyr</i>. Delhi, 1967<BR> <li class="C1"> Harbans Singh, <i>Guru Tegh Bahadur</i>. Delhi, 1982.<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">A. C. Banerjee<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>