Consider the following statements : 1. The early Sikh Gurus were religious preachers and did not interfere in politics but Guru Arjan extended his good wishes for the rebel prince Khusrau. 2. Guru Arjan attempted to organize the finances by introducing the system of more or less compulsory 'spiritual tribute' to be collected by his agents called Masands. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Statement 1 is correct as early Sikh Gurus primarily focused on spiritual teachings and equality [1]. However, Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Guru, met and blessed the rebel Prince Khusrau, the son of Emperor Jahangir, during his flight from Agra to Lahore. This act was perceived by Jahangir as political interference, leading to the Guru's arrest and martyrdom [1]. Statement 2 is also correct. Guru Arjan reorganized the 'Masand' system, which was originally initiated by Guru Ram Das. He institutionalized the collection of 'Dasvandh', a spiritual tribute where Sikhs were encouraged to contribute one-tenth of their income to the Guru's treasury for community welfare and religious projects [1]. This system effectively organized Sikh finances into a more formal structure, though it was later abolished by Guru Gobind Singh due to corruption.

Sources

1. [1] Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science, Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Reshaping India’s Political Map > The Rise of the Sikhs > p. 50