40 Mukte – The Story of Forty Liberated Souls | Sikh History Story for Children
A Time of Hardship
Long, long ago in Anandpur Sahib,
Guru Gobind Singh Ji and his brave Sikhs were trapped inside the fort.
The enemies had surrounded them from all sides.
Food and water were gone.
But inside the fort, the Sikhs did not lose faith.
They softly sang, Waheguru,
and kept their spirits strong.
“Brothers, our children are hungry.
How long can we survive like this?”
Bhai Bhag Singh said quietly to Bhai Maha Singh.
“Have faith, Bhag Singh.
The Guru is with us.”
“Faith.”
“Faith cannot fill empty bowls.
Maybe it is time to go.”
The Bedava
That night, some Sikhs from Majha wrote a paper called Bedava,
a letter saying,
“Guru Gobind Singh,
You are not our Guru,
and we are not your Sikhs.”
Their hearts heavy with fear and hunger,
they handed over Bedava
and quietly left the qila.
The moment they left,
darkness entered their hearts,
like a clear pond turning black
when the water stops flowing.
At the request of some of his close companions,
Guru Gobind Singh Ji left Anandpur Sahib with his family.
The Sarsa River roared like thunder.
Families were torn apart in the flood.
Families were separated, scattered in the storm.
At Chamkaur,
the Guru’s two elder sons,
Baba Ajit Singh Ji and Baba Jujhar Singh Ji,
fought bravely and became martyrs.
Later, his younger sons,
Baba Jorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji,
were bricked alive in Sirhind.
Their beloved grandmother, Mata Gujri Ji,
also left this world.
When the Sikhs who had left heard this terrible news
in their village of Chabal,
their hearts broke.
“The Guru lost everything for us,
and we ran away.” Bhai Maha Singh Ji felt ashamed.
Mai Bhago’s Call
“Then we must go back,” said Mai Bhago in a steady voice.
“We cannot hide in shame.
If we broke the bond,
we will mend it with our lives.”
Their souls stirred.
The pain of vichora,
separation from the Guru,
burned inside them.
They rose to seek forgiveness
and to find their Guru once again.
The group reached Rameyana
and met Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
Upon meeting the Guru,
Bhai Bhag Singh Ji hesitantly requested,
“Guru ji, please stop fighting.
Sit peacefully like the earlier Gurus.
We can make peace with Lahore.”
The Guru looked at them calmly and said,
“A Sikh's path is to follow the Guru’s Hukam,
not to offer counsel.
If you cannot stay true to the path,
write again that you have no bond with me.”
Some Sikhs hesitated
and wrote another bedava.
The Line in the Sand
At that very moment, urgent news arrived.
Wazir Khan's forces were close.
They were following the Guru
and had nearly reached him.
There was no time to stay.
Without hesitation,
Guru Gobind Singh Ji mounted his horse,
without anger,
without fear.
He turned forward
and rode ahead on the path of Hukam.
As the Guru moved forward,
the Sikhs who had written the Bedava
began stepping backward.
Their feet moved away from the Guru,
their faces filled with doubt.
Bhai Maha Singh watched the Guru riding ahead
and men stepping away.
Something burned inside him.
He stepped forward
and drew a line in the sand.
“Whoever still loves the Guru,
cross this line.
Let us die before the enemy reaches him.”
The Battle
40 Sikhs crossed.
They promised to fight
and sacrifice everything for their Guru.
The Guru rode toward Kiddrane di Dhab.
The 40 sikhs followed,
led by Bhai Maha Singh Ji and Mai Bhago.
“Brothers, spread your chadra and kachere over the bushes.
Let the enemy think a huge army waits here.”, Mai Bhago suggested.
Bhai Rai Singh Ji laughed fearlessly and said,
“Then let them come.
They'll see 40 Sikhs worth thousands.”
The Mughal army charged like a storm,
but the sikhs roared back with light.
Guru Gobind Singh Ji stood on a nearby hill,
sending arrows into the battle.
On the battleground, fierce and devotional,
Bhai Maha Singh Ji prayed,
“Waheguru, this battle will wash away our sin.”
They fought until every drop of strength was gone.
The ground was red,
but their hearts were pure.
By evening,
Wazir Khan’s army was exhausted
and turned back, thirsty and defeated.
Forgiveness
When the battle ended,
Guru Gobind Singh Ji walked down from the hill.
He moved among the fallen sikhs,
wiping blood and dust from their faces
with his own shawl.
Guru Gobind Singh Ji found Bhai Maha Singh Ji still breathing.
The Guru gently lifted his head
and placed it in his lap,
in honor even his own sons had not received.
“Oh, Guruji,
tear that unfortunate paper
and mend this broken bond.
Forgive us.”
The Guru took out the bedava from his belt,
tore it into tiny pieces,
and let the wind carry them away.
“Tutti so nakutti.”
He said it three times.
The bond was mended
because it had only broken from one side,
never from the Guru's side.
The Guru blessed Mai Bhago who had survived the battle.
He prepared the shrouds and lit the pyres himself.
From that day,
the place was called Mukatsar,
the pool of liberation.
The Message
Kids, the story of the Chali Mukte teaches us
that even when we fail
or lose our way, the Guru's grace can bring us back.
Because the Guru's heart never closes,
it always forgives.