Wife of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji; by tradition mother of the Khalsa
Mata Sahib Devan
Mata Sahib Devan is honoured in Sikh tradition as the mother of the Khalsa. At initiation, Sikhs declare themselves her children and those of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. After 1708 she lived at Delhi and issued letters to the Sikh sangats with Mata Sundari.
Marriage
The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism says she was the daughter of Bhai Har Bhagwan, also called Ramu, and his wife Jas Devi, of Rohtas in present-day Jhelum district. Her parents had dedicated her to the service of Guru Ji from childhood. They brought her to Anandpur at Vaisakhi 1700.
Guru Ji, who already had a family, declined the offer. Her father pressed the point, saying she could not now marry anyone else. Guru Ji then agreed, on the terms that the marriage would not be a physical one, and they were married at Anandpur on 15 April 1700. Gupta reports the same condition and the same date. Macauliffe says she agreed to serve Guru Ji and was placed in his mother's apartments.[EoS][Macauliffe][Gupta]
Mother of the Khalsa
The Encyclopaedia says Guru Ji proclaimed her the mother of the Khalsa, and that those who receive initiation declare themselves children of Guru Ji and of her. Macauliffe tells it as a promise. When she asked for a son of her own, Guru Ji said he would place the whole Khalsa in her lap. He adds that Sikhs of his day still named her as their mother when asked about their parentage.[EoS][Macauliffe]
After 1705
After the evacuation of Anandpur, Bhai Mani Singh escorted her and Mata Sundari to Delhi. They rejoined Guru Ji at Talwandi Sabo in 1706. She went with him to Nanded and was persuaded to return shortly before he passed away. She carried back weapons associated with Sri Guru Hargobind Ji, which are now kept at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj in New Delhi.
From Delhi she took part with Mata Sundari in the affairs of the community. Her hukamnamas open with a formula naming the Khalsa of the Timeless One, and they are dated between 1726 and 1734. Her memorial stands beside Mata Sundari's in the grounds of Gurdwara Bala Sahib.[EoS][EoS][Mann][Gupta]
What the sources disagree on
- When she passed away
No exact date has been confirmed. The Encyclopaedia reasons from her letters that it fell between 1734 and 1747. Gupta gives about 1750. Macauliffe says she passed away of grief very soon after Guru Ji in 1708, which her dated letters contradict.[EoS][Gupta][Macauliffe]
- Her name and father
She is Sahib Devan in the Encyclopaedia, Sahib Devi in her own letters and in Gupta, and Sahib Kaur in Macauliffe, who says she received that name at initiation. The Encyclopaedia names her father as Har Bhagwan, also called Ramu, and Gupta as Ram Basi.[EoS][EoS][Gupta][Macauliffe]
- When she came to Guru Ji
The Encyclopaedia and Gupta date the marriage to April 1700. Macauliffe notes that Bhai Sukha Singh places the episode during Guru Ji's journey to the south.[EoS][Gupta][Macauliffe]
- How many weapons, and her return to Delhi
The Encyclopaedia says five weapons, and Macauliffe six. The Encyclopaedia has her return to Delhi from Nanded before Guru Ji passed away, as does Macauliffe. Gupta elsewhere says she was sent to Delhi from Kharkhauda with an escort during Banda Singh Bahadur's advance.[EoS][Macauliffe][Gupta]