He to whom God gave a drop of nectar became immovable and immortal;
of God. 3 Gauri Ashtapadi.
6 o
He entrusted a store of devotion to Guru Nanak, and then took no account from him. 1
The Guru on hearing of the pride of a certain reputed holy man, said, ‘ God is not pleased with pride or insolence. See how humble Guru Nanak was, and what lessons of humility and devotion he gave to his Sikhs. Shaikh Farid did painful penance for twelve years in the forest living on tubers and roots, but on his return home his mother found he had not completely renounced pride. He was accordingly remanded to the forest where he renewed his penance for twelve years more, this time with body reversed in a well. Not satisfied with that, he went with a wooden cake tied over his stomach for a third term of twelve years in search of saints. In his wanderings he met a holy man whom he served. It was only then that he became emancipated from evil passions.’
One Sewa Das, a Brahman, who resided at Srinagar in Kashmir, and who had been converted by the Guru, became such an anchoret that he retained no love for his relations. When reproached for this by his mother Bhagbhari, he defended himself by repeating the following hymn of Guru Arjan :—
Relations abandon one when alive ;
Can any one when dead be benefited by them ?
He for whom it is so predestined remembereth God in his soul and body.
Mammon is of no avail—
His thirst shall never depart
Who hath partaken of the poison of deception.
Without God’s name how shall one cross over
The dangerous ocean of the world full of appalling woe ?
By meeting the company of saints, and worshipping God’s name,
O Nanak, man’s father’s and mother’s families shall be saved. 2
LIFE OF GURU HAR GOBIND
Bhagbhari made a beautiful robe to give to the Guru when he visited her village. She did not know when that time would, arrive, but she kept the robe for him, saying that as he was a searcher of hearts, and would consequently be attracted by her devotion, he would certainly visit her before she died. The Guru accordingly determined to proceed to Kashmir to meet her.
On proceeding as far as Chapamala near Sialkot, the Guru inquired of a Brahman, whom he casually met, where he could find water to drink and bathe in. The Brahman carelessly replied, that the soil was stony and water was very scant. Upon this the Guru drove a spear into the ground, and it is said, a spring of pure water issued forth. The Guru’s Sikhs constructed a tank at the spring. The Brahman was quite put to shame by the power of the Guru, confessed that he had been drowning in the pride of caste, and asked pardon for not having recognized the Guru’s greatness. The Guru replied,
‘ The sins of him who repenteth shall be pardoned.’ The tank was called Gurusar, or the Guru’s tank.
The Guru continued his journey into the mountains of Kashmir, where he received offerings of delicious apples, and admired the beautiful scenery and the temperate climate of the country. There he met Kattu Shah, a converted Muhammadan and faithful Sikh who had visited him at Amritsar. The Guru passed a night in his house. Thence he proceeded to Srinagar, where he found Sewa Das waiting for him and meditating on God. On hearing the neighing of the Guru’s horses, Sewa Das came forth and found the Guru already at his door. The Guru was received with great demonstrations of respect and affection. Sewa Das’s mother said she worshipped the very ground on which the Guru trod, and repeated for him the following hymn of Guru Arjan:—
May I remember the Guru at every breath !
The Guru is my soul, the true Guru is my capital—
May I live continually beholding the Guru !
May I drink the water in which I have washed his feet!
May I ever bathe in the dust of the Guru’s feet!
May I thus wash away the filth of pride attached to preceding births!
May I fan that Guru
Who hath put forth his hand and saved me from the great fire!
May I draw water for the house of that Guru
From whom I learned the way of finding the Unknowable !
May I continually grind com for the house of that Guru
By whose favour mine enemies have all become friends !
The Guru who gave me life
Hath purchased me and made me his slave.
May I ever and ever make obeisance to that Guru
Who caused me to love him !
Saith Nanak, my Gum is all powerful;
He hath removed my troubles and anxieties, my fears, doubts, and sufferings. 1
The Guru requested Sewa Das’s mother to bring the dress she had made for him. He put it on, and she blessed her fate that she had been so honoured. She began to praise the Guru for his condescension and repeated to him the following hymn of Rav Das :—
Who but Thee, my Jewel, could do such a thing ?
Cherisher of the poor, Lord of the earth, Thou hast put over my head the umbrella of spiritual sovereignty 2
Saying this she drank some of the water in which the Guru had washed his feet. Her son also partook of the same beverage, and the remainder she sprinkled over her house. She cooked with her own hands for the Guru as long as he remained her guest.
The Guru was visited by crowds of Kashmiris,
LIFE OF GURU HAR GOBIND 63
men and women, both from Srinagar and the surrounding villages, and many embraced Sikhism. The Guru satisfied their .spiritual necessities by preaching to them the cardinal virtues, and their temporal necessities by feeding them from his ever open kitchen. A very remarkable circumstance is said to have occurred during the Guru’s stay in Srinagar. A company of Sikhs was coming from a distant village with offerings of honey for the Guru. On the way they stayed with Kattu Shah, who pressed them to let him have some of the offering. They refused, saying that they could not offer to the Guru Kattu Shah’s leavings. When the Sikhs reached the Guru, the honey was found rotten and full of worms. The Guru said, ‘ This is the result of not having given to my Sikh in whom is the spirit of the Guru.’ He ordered them to return and satisfy Kattu Shah. Upon this, it is said, the honey became fresh and sweet as before. The Sikhs remarked on the disinterestedness of the Guru, who preferred one of his Sikhs to himself. On this occasion the following hymns of the fourth Guru were sung :—
No one knoweth the secret of the true Guru’s mind or what shall please him.
The true Guru pervadeth the hearts of his Sikhs; he is pleased with him who loveth them.
As the true Guru telleth them, so they act and pray; the work of the Guru’s Sikhs findeth acceptance.
No Sikh shall approach him who desireth to have anything done by Sikhs without the true Guru’s order.
A Sikh will work for him who heartily worketh for the true Guru.
A Sikh would never approach him who cometh and goeth to men for deception.
Nanak proclaimeth God’s decree, that the creature who doeth anything without propitiating the true Guru shall suffer great misery. 1
When God’s saints are praised, it is God’s glory.
God is only pleased with His own praises when His saint is congratulated . 1
The Guru is a Sikh, and the Sikh is a Guru; they are both one, but it is the Guru who giveth instruction.
He putteth the sj>ell of God’s name in the heart, O Nanak, and then God is easily obtained.
While the Guru was in Srinagar, Bhagbhari fixing her thoughts on him blended her spirit with her Creator. He built a temple before his departure, and charged Sewa Das to remain and preach the'true faith. The Guru returned to the Pan jab by Baramula on the river Jihlam. The next day he visited the spot where the renowned Rikhi Kashyap had dwelt, and where Vishnu was said to have assumed the incarnation of a dwarf. Thence the Guru proceeded to Gujrat in the Panjab. The people of that city were so satisfied with their own priest Shah Daula 2 that they only laughed at the Guru’s dress, appearance, and retinue.
Shah Daula went to visit the Guru and expressed his deep regret for the offensive remarks made by his fellow-citizens. He insisted on the Guru staying a night with him. The Guru was pleased with his affection and devotion and said, ‘ Gujrat is a city of mockers. Shah Daula is God’s faqir.’ Shah Daula’s spiritual position was strengthened and enhanced by the Guru’s visit, instruction and patronage.*
The Guru thence proceeded to Wazirabad and thence to Hafizabad, both in the present district of Gujranwala. In Hafizabad he was hospitably received
LIFE OF GURU HAR GOBIND 65
by 1 a Sikh called Harm Chand. The Guru read the J’apji to him and explained its meaning, objects, and advantages. Karm Chand learning from the Guru the esoteric meaning of the hymns of the Granth Sahib obtairied salvation during life. The Guru thence proceeded to a village called Muttu Bhai, sixteen miles south of Hafizabad, to whose inhabitants he communicated the principles of his religion. There he remained for some time.
In the town of Mandiali, about five miles from Lahore, there dwelt a Sikh called Dwara. His wife Bhagan was a woman of great natural endowments. They had an only daughter, modest and pious, known among the Sikhs as Marwahi; but also called Maha- devi. In proportion as she had been dear to her parents in her infancy, so distressed did she render them now by her enforced celibacy. Dwara had a Sikh friend who advised him to wed his daughter to the Guru, of whom he uttered high praises as an inducement to the alliance. Dwara accordingly dispatched marriage presents which reached the Guru in Muttu Bhai. The Guru graciously accepted them and dispatched his own return presents by Dwara’s agents. The marriage was afterwards duly solemnized in Mandiali with great pomp and ceremony.
Chapter VII
Bhai Langaha arrived from Lahore with information for the Guru—‘ My lord, thy father and grandfather constructed a temple and other sacred buildings in Lahore. Religious services are duly performed there, and travelling strangers are received and treated with hospitality. The Qazi of Lahore is now jealous of thy fame. When he findeth opportunity he maketh representations to the Emperor that our sacred buildings should be dismantled and mosques built on their site. Thy friend Wazir Khan,
however, is still alive and impedeth the. Qazi’s designs.’ The Guru replied, ‘ The dharmsal . iis God’s place. The fool who wisheth its end shall be quickly uprooted. The Guru’s dharmsal shall be ever permanent, God hath rendered its. foundation immovable. Relying on Him continue to dispense the Guru’s hospitality.’ Bhai Langaha then returned to Lahore, and the Guru at the same time prepared to leave Mandiali.
Thence the Guru proceeded to Talwandi, by this time called Nankana, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, and visited the scenes of his miracles there. The Nimani fair, called by the Hindus the Nirjala Ikadashi, held on the nth day of the light half of the month of Jeth, was at its height at the time. The Sikhs still observe this fair in commemoration of the Guru’s visit. Thence the Guru proceeded to Madar, where Guru Arjan was said to have left his shoes after having touched the Sikh Kidara with them for tubercles on the neck.
The Guru next went to Manga in the Lahore district to see the tree under which Guru Nanak had sat. Thence he proceeded to Amritsar where as usual great rejoicings were held on his return.
His wife Damodari presented the Guru with another child, this time a daughter. Among the Sikhs a name is given to a new-born child by a process of divination. The Granth Sahib is opened and the initial letter of the first word of the last hymn on the right page becomes the initial of the child’s name. The Guru’s daughter was thus named Viro.
Painda Khan, who had been recruited at Kar- tarpur, was continually pampered to increase his strength. He could raise the trunk of a tree weighing ten Mans 1 and lift two young buffaloes. He could without the aid of rope or bridle arrest a horse running at full speed. No wrestler would engage with him. _ .. ■< •••• >
*' Abcnit Sod pounds avoirdupois.
LIFE OF GURU HiAR GOBIND 67
• In Har, Sambat 1674, Marwahi gave birth to a son Whom the Guru called Suraj Mai. Nanaki, the Guru’s second wife, represented to the Guru that she had no offspring. The Guru asked her to have patience and promised that a son of hers should one day sit on the Guru’s throne. On Monday the 16th day of Maghar, Sambat 1675 (a.d. 1618), she gave birth to her first son who was called Ani Rai.
One Rama of Batala on seeing the child Gurditta the Guru’s eldest born in his father’s lap, was pleased and thought what an excellent husband the boy Would make for his daughter. He was, however, disheartened by the thought that he himself was only a poor man, and the Guru before whom emperors and kings bowed was great and famous. What alliance could there be between an elephant and an ant, an eagle and a sparrow ? Having, however, thought of the Guru’s other humble alliances after the rejection of a minister’s daughter, Rama decided on offering his daughter as a future wife for the Guru’s son Gurditta. The Guru consulted his mother, who gave it as her advice that the daughter of such an excellent Sikh ought not to be rejected. The Guru then consented to the union. The, ardas (supplication) was read, and Rama’s marriage presents duly placed before Gurditta.
One of the main occupations of elderly Oriental ladies is to contrive matrimonial alliances for their young relations. In process of time, as Viro the Guru’s daughter by Damodari was growing up, the Guru's mother suggested to him that he ought to search for a spouse for her. The Guru replied that God would settle all such things. At the same time he did not forget his mother’s suggestion. At his lev6e one;morning he saw a man in dirty clothes standing with his son at a distance. The Guru noticed 1 something noble concealed under the man’s otherwise unpromising exterior, and beckoned him to approach. The Guru : inquired his residence and
status. He replied that his name was Dharma and his son was called Sadhu. They were residents of the village of Malha, and had little in the way of worldly wealth. Dharma politely added that his son was the gift of the Guru and consequently the Guru’s servant. They had both come to pay him their respects and solicit his blessing. The Guru seated Sadhu near him and without further consideration sent to his private apartments for marriage presents. He put them in God’s name into the boy’s lap. Dharma was surprised and confused at this unexpected accession of honour, and said to the Guru, ‘ Honour of the unhonoured, where is a drop of water and where is the ocean ? Where is the ant and where is the elephant ? I am a poor creature and thou art the king of kings.’ The Guru replied, ‘ In the Guru’s house this hath ever been the rule, that he whom nobody knoweth be- cometh conspicuous. Have no anxiety, remain humble as before, and everything shall prosper.’ The Guru’s mother had not been consulted as to the status of the proposed bridegroom, and when told what the Guru had done, did not fail to give emphatic expression to her adverse opinion. ‘ What hast thou seen in him ? I hear he is a very poor man.’ The Guru replied, ‘ Mother dear, God will act for the best. The bridegroom is good and of good family. Father and son are Sikhs, and as for wealth there is no deficiency in the Guru’s storehouse.’
On Wednesday at the full moon in the month of Kartik, Sambat 1677, Nanaki gave birth to another son. The midwife praised his qualities, and the Guru’s mother was delighted. When all the ceremonies attendant on childbirth were completed, the child was called Atal Rai. The Guru on seeing him uttered this prophecy: ' He shall be absorbed in fixed (atal) contemplation, be a benefactor. to mankind, restore life to the dead, crown his life
LIFE OF GURU HAR GOBIND 69
with.; glory, and after death attain the highest position in God’s court,’
A Sikh named Mihra resided at Bakala, a town near the river Bias. He built a mansion for the accommodation of the Guru, and went to Amritsar with the object of inviting him. The Guru gave him no definite promise, but said he would come at some time. Mihra then went to wait on the Guru’s mother, expecting a more satisfactory answer from her, and hoping she would prevail on the Guru to accept his invitation. It was the time of the wedding of her grandson Gurditta to Natti, also called Nihalo, daughter of Rama, and she was in a favourable mood to listen to a request. She at once consented to go to Bakala, told Mihra to proceed thither, and she would soon follow with her son the Guru. The Guru, on consideration, thought it proper to yield to his mother and accept the invitation. He was in due course received by Mihra and the other inhabitants of the village with great respect and rejoicing.
After three days Ganga the Guru’s mother informed him that as she had now seen her daughters- in-law, and her grandchildren, it was time for her to depart. She said that she had no further desires on earth to gratify, and would go to dwell at her husband’s feet. She gave orders that as Guru Arjan’s body was thrown into the Ravi near Lahore, so should hers be thrown into the Bias. Then collecting her thoughts, repeating the Japji, the Sukhmani, and the Anand, and concentrating her attention on Guru Nanak, she went to her final repose on the 1st day of Jeth, Sambat 1678 (a.d. 1621). Four Sikhs took her body into the Bias until the water reached their necks, and there allowed it to be borne on the stream.
When the Guru after his mother’s death was preparing to return to Amritsar, Mihra pressed him to remain in Bakala and there celebrate the cere-
monies of the tenth day after his mother’s death, that is, put on a turban and affix a patch to his forehead according to ancient customs. The GUru replied, ‘The patch of Gurudom shall be applied here to the forehead of the ninth Guru. Thou shalt survive till then, and thy desire to behold his installation shall be gratified.’
The Guru went to Amritsar without waiting for the ceremonies of the tenth day. When his wives and other relations heard of his mother’s death, they were naturally much grieved for the loss of such a capable and affectionate lady. They said, * We had no anxiety as long as she presided over uS. Who will now give us counsel and consolation ? ’ The Guru by way of solacing his people recited the Alahanian or Lamentations of Guru Nanak.
Bhai Budha who had gone to Amritsar to condole with the Guru on his mother’s death, took an opportunity of making a personal representation to him, ‘ Thy mother hath gone to heaven. I see thee girding on thine arms and preparing for battle. My body hath grown old. I am no longer strong for combat, and must return to my forest home as before.’ The Guru replied, ‘ I am but fulfilling thy prophecy that I should wear two swords, and twist the necks of the Mughals. Thou mayest go to live where and how thou pleasest.’
The Guru practised all martial exercises and fcoh lected arms of every description. He hunted, witnessed exhibitions of strength by Painda Khan, and occasionally visited Kaulan to afford her spiritual consolation.
Another son, who was named Teg Bahadur, was born to Nanaki on the fifth day of the dark half Of Baisakh, Sambat 1679 (a.d. 1622). It was prophesied at his birth, that he should restrain his mind; subdue his passions, and beget a powerful arms-bearing and warrior son, who would promote religion, convert