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I contacted the BBC regarding the information they were provided in the above link on Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji as it was Guru Sahibs Gurpurb last weekend, they have stated "His teachings were different from his predecessors'" and that "he believed that no power could exploit the Sikhs."

I requested sources for the information provided.

This is their response to my query:

"Thank you for your email.

The statement that Guru Gobind Singh's teachings were different from his predecessors' is based on the innovations that the Guru introduced.

Guru Gobind Singh:

Ended the masand system established by the 4th Guru
Taught that Sikhs should visibly stand out from members of other religions by wearing the 5 Ks as symbols of their faith (in contrast to Guru Nanak's teaching that external differences stood 'in the way of liberation through the divine Name' (Hew McLeod).
Established the Khalsa, which joined spiritual community to political and, if necessary, military authority to bring about a society dedicated to the highest ideals
Established the Sikh initiation ceremony which uses the sword as an instrument of transformation as well as force
Instituted the Sikh code of conduct
Ended the line of human gurus and replaced it with the authority of Sikh scripture (to which he gave the status of Guru) and the Panth


The statement that 'he believed that no power could exploit the Sikhs' is drawn from his statement that 'The Khalsa belong to God, and God's truth will always prevail', and from the example of his life.

However we do think that we could improve the paragraph that you refer to, by expanding it with the points made above. We could amend the paragraph you mention slightly as well to read:

"Guru Gobind Singh succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur at the age of 9. His teachings were somewhat different from his predecessors', although based on the same spiritual principles and serving the same aims."

Do let us know what you think.

Best wishes
BBC R&E Team"

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