Guru Hargobind created the Sikh concept of Miri-Piri, joining spiritual and temporal authority.
The sixth Sikh Guru succeeded Guru Arjan in 1606. After the Mughal execution of his predecessor, Guru Hargobind emphasized that Sikh life involved both spiritual responsibility and the defense of justice. Miri refers to temporal authority, while Piri refers to spiritual authority.
He is traditionally associated with wearing two swords symbolizing these two dimensions. He also established the Akal Takht at Amritsar as a seat of Sikh temporal authority, although the question about the institution’s name is a separate historical fact.
Miri-Piri does not mean that Sikhism separates religious life from public ethics. Instead, it expresses the idea that spiritual commitment should guide responsible action in the world.