Akali Guru Har Rai thwarted Aurangzeb’s plan to control the destiny of Sikhism by nominating his second son, the six year old, Akali Har Krishan, as his successor. Thus, a point was made that the knowledge of Va-eh Guru, the state of enlightenment, is not restricted to any particular age or social status.

Akali Guru Har Krishan Sahib
During the smallpox epidemic of 1664 in Delhi the
great child Guru tended to the sick and eventually contracted smallpox

Ram Rai lodged a complaint with the Emperor Aurangzeb against his brother. The Emperor summoned the child Guru to Delhi. One of the mighty Sikh generals, a Hindu Rajput, Raja Jai Singh, escorted the child Guru on the journey to Delhi.

Akali Guru Har Krishan did not appear before the Emperor to answer the charge of usurper by his elder brother, but instead Raja Jai Singh and prominent Sikhs represented the Guru in the Moghal royal court. Aurangzeb, thinking it easier to control a six year old and fuel the family feud made a decision in favour of Guru Har Krishan.

Aurangzeb
The aging Emperor of India seen here in a Persian painting

The Guru was now to remain in Delhi but did not oblige the Emperor and contracted small pox that lead to his death. As he was dying, the Guru indicated the next Guru would be found in Baba Bkala, a town in the Punjab.

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