the Shield of India: A Novel Guru Tegh Bahadur and Price Religious Freedom

Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, lived under a Mughal empire that demanded obedience in matters of conscience. The Shield of India follows his life from childhood, marriage, and spiritual leadership to his defense of the Kashmiri Pandits and his final confrontation with Emperor Aurangzeb. Rooted in documented history, it is a novel of faith, family, political power, and the price of religious freedom.Sample: The first man died before noon. They bound Bhai Mati Das between two upright posts in Chandni Chowk, placed the saw against the crown of his head, and waited while the officer read the sentence. The crowd had been driven back from the platform, though merchants, laborers, pilgrims, soldiers, and children still occupied every place from which a face could be seen. Some prayed under their breath. Others stared at the saw and did not move, though no soldier blocked the lanes behind them.Guru Tegh Bahadur stood within the prisoners' enclosure with iron at his wrists and watched his companion straighten his back. A guard seized his shoulder and ordered him to lower his eyes. "My eyes have harmed no one," the Guru said, "and you have no lawful reason to command them." The guard raised his hand, glanced toward the kotwal, and allowed it to fall.The saw began its work while Mati Das recited Japji Sahib. His voice remained audible after the first cut. The men holding the posts tightened their grip when they heard it, and blood reached their hands before the prayer ceased.