Ans. On an order from the emperor Jahangir, Guru Arjan Dev had been summoned to Lahore. Before leaving for Lahore, Guru Arjan Dev had made the prescient statement:”I shall be put to death, such is the directive (of God) for sure. I am going among Mughals; they will torture me, there is no doubt in this. My body will be left behind (after my soul departs). This is the writ of my Master (God)”.
According to the history, this is exactly what happened. Guru Arjan Dev was subjected to the most inhuman tortures (made to sit on a hot plate, put in boiling water, hot sand was poured on his head and body). Finally, he was going to be cast away into the nearby river, Raavi. At that time he knew that the end was near. The following verse of Gurbani was on his lips at that time:
ਸੁਣੀ ਅਰਦਾਸਿ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਮੇਰੈ ਸਰਬ ਕਲਾ ਬਣਿ ਆਈ॥ ਪ੍ਰਗਟ ਭਈ ਸਗਲੇ ਜੁਗ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਗੁਰ ਨਾਨਕ ਕੀ ਵਡਿਆਈ॥
SGGS, P. 611
“The Lord has listened to my prayer and all my tasks are accomplished.
The glory of Guru Nanak has become manifested and rung through the whole age (of Kali)”.
The same verse was later on inscribed on the face of the building when Gurdwara Dehra Sahib was constructed (the site of martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev).Through this verse Guru Arjan Dev was conveying that through his martyrdom the significance of Guru Nanak’s principles had been made clear to the whole world.