Bhai Budha while eating said, * The Guru is the owner of the storehouse, but I have received ’ an order to open it. As thou hast given me food to my heart’s content, so shalt thou have a son to thy heart’s content. He shall be very handsome and brave, possess spiritual and temporal power, become a mighty hunter, ride on royal steeds, wear two swords, be puissant in battle, and trample on the Mughals.’ With every morsel he ate Bhai Budha uttered a blessing on the lady’s progeny and said: ‘ As I now crush these onions thou hast brought me, so shall thy son crush the heads of his enemies, and be at once a great warrior and exalted Guru. His shall not be the humble seat of a village Guru, but a gorgeous imperial throne. As I am now filled with thy viands, so shall thy heart be filled with joy on beholding him.’ A son who received at his birth the name of Har Gobind was duly conceived; and in memory of the event an anniversary fair is held in the forest where Bhai Budha resided.
The Guru, on hearing from his wife on her return home of the graciousness of her reception by Bhai Budha said, ‘ If the saints desire it, they can make a poor man a king, fill the empty, and poise a mountain on a blade of grass.’
It may be convenient here to give a panegyric of Bhai Budha, which a Sikh biographer put into the mouth of Guru Arjan :—
Budha Sahib is the impersonation of austerity, a mine of divine knowledge and virtue.
LIFE OF GURU ARJAN
Simple and pious he hath asserted himself; he is unequalled like the sun, the moon, and the philosopher’s stone.
He hath adopted no religious garb nor in any wise practised hypocrisy ; he hath subdued all his desires and organs.
Hear, O Ganga, 1 ineffable is the word of the saints in whose complete power God is.
The Guru on being satisfied of his wife's conception composed the following :—
That the words of holy men are immutable is apparent to all.
Whoever associateth with a saint shall meet the Lord God.
This faith and comfort are obtained by uttering God’s name.
Everybody hath been making his own remarks; 2 the Guru hath brought a child to my house.
There is no doubt God is the preserver of him who seeketh His shelter.
Plant God’s name in the soil of acts 3 since this opportunity is difficult to find.
God Himself is the Searcher of hearts ; He doeth everything and causeth everything to be done.
It is God’s function to purify many sinners.
Be not led astray, 0 man, by the deceit of mammon.
Nanak, God will preserve his honour whom He hath robed in His court. 4
When Karmo, Prithia's wife, heard of the Guru's wife's pregnancy, she upbraided her husband with having falsely prophesied that no child should be born to Guru Arjan.
When Bhai Budha spoke of a stampede from Amritsar he little thought that there would be a stampede of another character, which would give his words literal fulfilment. Prithia instigated his friend Sulahi Khan, now grown insolent with power,
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to proceed, under pretence of levying tribute, with a strong force to plunder Amritsar and inspire fear in the Guru. The Guru, anticipating the raid and otherwise apprehending unprovoked annoyance from Sulahi, resolved to leave Amritsar and seek shelter in Wadali, a village six or seven miles distant. A faithful Sikh, apprehending danger to the Guru, persuaded him to retire to a tract of barren land, called Raur in the local dialect, which belonged to him. It is said that after the Guru’s arrival the land became green. It may be here mentioned that the Guru’s retreat is still called the Guru’s Raur, and possesses an imposing and well appointed temple.
The Guru was not suffered to abide long in peace in his retreat. Wadali, originally founded by the Chambal and Man tribes, had become a prosperous village, and oh this account the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages grew jealous and made war on them. The Wadali people, unaccustomed to a marauding life, were defeated, and in their difficulties, hearing that Guru Arjan was encamped in the vicinity, sought his protection and mediation with their enemies. The Guru accepted the role thus offered him, and proceeded with the Wadali men to their village, where he lived for a considerable time.
Prithia, not wishing to undergo the expense of entertaining Sulahi Khan, went forth to meet him. Sulahi after salutation said, ‘ Prithi Chand, thou the eldest hast not obtained the Guruship. Where is thy youngest brother who hath obtained it ? ’ Prithia replied, ‘ My lord, my brother Arjan, hearing of thine approach, hath left Amritsar and gone I know not whither.’ Prithia offered Sulahi a present, which he refused, saying that it was more proper for him to give than to take a present from a guru. Sulahi requested Prithia to let him know when Arjan returned, and he would take measures to restrain his irregularities.
LIFE OF GURU ARJAN
The Guru, finding in Wadali a scarcity of water, ordered a large well to be dug and worked by six Persian wheels (chheharat), whence it was afterwards called Chhiharta. On the fifth day of the light half of Magh, the Indian vernal festival, there is a yearly fair held at the place.
Chapter VI
Sikhs from distant countries visited Amritsar during the Guru’s absence, but their hearts withered and pined like a lotus without the sun. Prithia made many efforts to convince them that he was the real Guru, but the crane is not made a swan by pretence or by a coat of paint. He who has no spiritual peace, consolation, truth, love and devotion cannot communicate these gifts and virtues to others.
Har Gobind was born at Wadali on the 21st of the month of Har, Sambat 1652 (a. d. 1595). On his birth the Guru composed the following :—
The True Guru sent me a son ;
A long-lived son hath been born by destiny.
When he took up his dwelling in the womb,
His mother’s heart was exceeding glad.
•,A son, a saint of God hath been born,
The destiny recorded in the beginning hath become manifest to all.
By God's order the boy hath been born in the tenth month.
There is no more anxiety ; great joy hath taken its place.
Our female friends sing the Anand, the composition of the Guru, 1
Which is pleasing to the true Lord.
The vine of my race hath extended and shall last for many generations.
God hath erected the machinery of the faith.
The True Guru hath granted me what my heart desired.
Having fixed my attention on the one God, I have become free from anxiety.
As a child who is very proud of its father, obeyeth his words,
So I speak as it pleaseth God to have me speak.
It is not a secret or a concealed matter
That Guru Nanak, being pleased, bestowed this gift on me. 1
The Guru composed the following also on the same occasion :—
God hath remembered His function and conferred all happiness on me.
The saint 2 hath been merciful, and all my family is delighted.
The True Guru himself hath accomplished the matter.
Long be the life of Har Gobind ! God hath consulted our comfort, happiness, and peace of mind.
The woods, the dales, the three worlds are blooming and all creatures rejoice.
Nanak hath obtained the object of his heart’s desires ; God hath fulfilled .them. 3
On hearing of the birth of a son to the Guru, Karmo, Prithia’s wife, became very sorrowful. She said to her husband: ‘ Hast thou heard of the rejoicings at Wadali ? Arjail’s glory is now like that of the sun, and thou art hidden like the stars before his brightness. All thy talk and boasting have been in vain.’ Prithia’s heart also burnt, and he impudently replied: ‘ My words are ever true. What if a son hath been born to Arjan P Shall I cherish grief in my heart ? I will not allow the child to live.’ Karmo took no sustenance the following night, and was quite unable to sleep. The birth of a young heir reminded the Sikhs of the time when the whole of Ajudhia rejoiced at the accession of Ram to the sovereignty, and Kekai, one of his father’s wives, alone mourned the event.
Next morning Karmo sent for an old nurse of the
LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 37
family, and after some preliminary conversation asked her to go to Wadali, pretend to be a friend of the Guru’s family, and find an opportunity of poisoning his newly-born son. Should the nurse succeed in this, she should have as much money as she pleased. At present she could have one hundred rupees, and, when Karmo’s son Mihrban obtained the Guruship, she should be rewarded with a further pecuniary grant, an excellent house, and maintenance for life. The nurse replied: * I have been employed in your family for many generations, and now when it is my turn to obtain the post of nurse, the Guru’s wife hath employed another. My heart was already distressed before I heard thy tale. In a few days thou shalt see I will accomplish thy work.’ Karmo gave her the promised money and a splendid shawl as a retaining fee.
The deceitful nurse went home, applied poison to the nipples of her breast, mixed some more in a medicine called gurhti given to infants in the East, and proceeded to Wadali. It was at a time when, owing to some temporary indisposition, the child refused the breast, and the family was in great anxiety in consequence. Sage women recommended each her own medicine. When Karmo’s nurse arrived, Ganga the Guru’s wife was much pleased to see her, and the nurse too rejoiced in the hope of being able to carry out her hostile design. She hypocritically said, ‘ 0 Queen Ganga, hundreds of thousands of congratulations to thee! May thy child and thy husband live for ever! Thou hast not remembered me, but I have remembered thee. I have come to wish thee happiness.’
Ganga told her the child was not well and ceased to suckle. The nurse replied, ‘ Bring him hither;
I will give him infants’ medicine. I understand infants’ complaints, and I treat numbers of them who are brought to me from distant countries. After one dose of my infants' mixture they require no
more. Prithia’s wife always had her infant treated by me, and he was never ill afterwards.’ The upshot of it was, that Ganga, deceived by her specious words, entrusted the child to her. The nurse took Har Gobind in her lap, and offered him the poisoned medicine, but he refused it. She caressed and fondled him and succeeded in putting the drug into his mouth, but he would not swallow it. She then drew out her breast, and offered it to him. The moment she did so she fainted and fell backwards. Some put water into her mouth, others sprinkled rosewater on her with the object of restoring her. Having become conscious, she looked about her and said, ‘ The bribe of one hundred rupees which Prithia and his wife gave me hath undone me. Why did I poison my breasts and undertake to kill the child ? ’
The story of Prithia’s instigation of the child’s murder spread from house to house and caused him deserved obloquy. The Guru composed the following hymn on the occasion :—
The perfect Guru hath stretched forth His hand and preserved him.
The glory of His servant hath become manifest.
Ever repeat the Guru’s name ; ever meditate on the Guru,
And lay before him thy heart’s desires.
I have sought the protection of the true divine Guru,
And His servant’s service hath been successful.
He hath preserved my soul, body, youth, and life.
Saith Nanak, I am a sacrifice to the Guru. 1
During Har Gobind’s illness suggestions were made to the Guru that recourse be had to a local witch who possessed a high reputation for skill in sorcery, in the hope of obtaining from her a charm for the recovery of the child. This was to be done by repeating some cabalistic words over water and then giving it to the child to drink. The Guru
LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 39
ridiculed such suggestions and such remedies, and composed the following on the occasion :—
The name of the Pure One is holy water ;
By repeating it with the tongue sins fly away.
God dwelleth in everything ;
God shineth in every heart.
By repeating God’s name man descendeth not to hell;
By serving God all boons are obtained.
God is the support of the soul;
God is the ship of the world.
By repeating His name Death fleeth away.
God breaketh the witch’s teeth.
God is ever the pardoner,
He giveth comfort and happiness,
God manifesteth His glory ;
He is the father and mother of saints :
God is with the holy ;
They continually sing of Him.
The Invisible Thing 1 is obtained by meeting the Guru.
His servant Nanak hath taken God’s shelter. 2
Owing to the perpetual importunity and taunting speeches of his wife Karmo, Prithia’s mind became daily sadder, and he again plotted nefarious designs. He sent for a snake-charmer, gave him some money, and promising him a further large reward on his success, induced him to undertake to kill the child by exposing him to a cobra. As the mother was sitting at her door rejoicing in the sight of her son, and pleased with his youthful gambols, the snake-charmer escaping her notice let a black snake loose in the court-yard. Har Gobind took the hissing creature in his hand as it rushed towards him, and killed it immediately. Guru Arjan arrived on the spot soon after, and composed the following :—
Here and hereafter our protector
Is God, the true Guru, compassionate to the poor.
He Himself protecteth His servants ;
His voice speaketh in every heart.
I am a sacrifice to the Guru’s feet.
By day and night, at every breath we draw, He who filleth every place should be remembered.
Thou, O God, art my protector ;
True is the support of the True One.
Greatness is obtained by devotion to Thee.
Nanak, O God, hath sought Thy shelter.
When Har Gobind was about two years of age a deputation of the inhabitants of Amritsar went to the Guru at Wadali. They said to him, ' Wherever thou abidest there is happiness. Conscious of the advantage of beholding thee, we have abandoned our villages, our homes, and our relations to dwell in Amritsar, but thou continuest to dwell apart. Other Sikhs too come from distant countries to behold thee. When they arrive in Amritsar and find thee not, they return to their homes. Come now with us. Ramdaspur shall long prosper by thy presence.’
The Guru acceded to their request, and set out for his capital Amritsar. On arriving there he sent his wife, child, and servants to his private dwelling, and then walked to the Golden Temple. He bathed in the tank and distributed sacred food with the usual prayers. Then was sung the following hymn:—
I have meditated on my Guru,
And reached my home in comfort.
This is due to the greatness of the Name
Whose worth cannot be expressed.
Ye saints, worship God, God, God :
By worshipping Him ye shall obtain everything, and all your affairs shall be adjusted.
Very fortunate is He who findeth
Love and devotion to God.
The slave Nanak hath meditated on the Name,
And thus received the reward of all happiness.
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On that occasion, also, the Guru composed the following:—
I have meditated on God in my heart,
And so have returned home safe and sound.
Everybody is consoled
That the perfect Guru hath saved us.
O saints, my God is ever merciful.
God taketh no account from His worshippers, but pre- serveth them as His children.
I have clasped God’s name to my heart,
And He hath arranged all mine affairs.
The perfect Guru being pleased gave it me.
Nanak shall have no further anxiety . 1
The Guru, taking his son, waited with some sacred food on Prithia, as his eldest brother. Prithia hated the sight of the Guru and his son, but, pretending to be pleased, ironically said, ‘ May you both live long ! ’ The Guru then went with his son to visit Mahadev, his second elder brother, and receive his blessing.
There were great rejoicings and illuminations when the Guru, after such long absence, returned to Amritsar accompanied by the young heir to the Guruship. Prithia and his wife Karmo alone burned with jealousy. Karmo addressed her husband : ‘ My lord, thou hast made many efforts to secure for thyself the Guru’s throne and kill Har Gobind, but thou hast not succeeded. Now our rivals who are near us indulge in ostentatious rejoicings. My breast is burning, I suffer intense agony and cannot endure their happiness. Thou didst formerly say—and thus consoled me—that the Guruship belonged to our house, and that after Arjan’s death our son Mihrban should inherit it. Now even that hope is shattered, since a young prince hath been born in Arjan’s house. Wherefore contrive some other plan by which the desires of our hearts may
be fulfilled.’ Prithia replied, ‘ Hear me, my beautiful, have no anxiety; thy son shall sit on the Guru’s throne. Har Gobind, Arjan’s son, shall be the victim of small-pox. If he survive, then shall we contrive some other plan for his destruction. He must not live.’
When this conversation was reported to the Guru, he repeated the following composition of Guru Ram Das
The perverse are all day occupied with avarice, though they pretend otherwise ;
At night oppressed by drowsiness and their nine apertures relaxed, they worship not God.
Women exercise power over the perverse, and ever make fair promises ;
But they who act as women tell them, are impure, thoughtless, and foolish.
The impure who feel lust ask the way from women and travel thereby ;
But he who walketh as the true Guru telleth him, is a true man, the best of the best.
God produced all women and men ; He playeth every play.
Saith Nanak, all is the work Thou, O God, hast made— the best of the best . 1
Har Gobind exhibited some feverish symptoms. On the third day afterwards his body became inflamed and showed red pustules which eventually assumed a confluent form. The child’s eyes closed as if in perpetual sleep. Small-pox of a very virulent type had declared itself. The child’s mother prayed, ‘ O great God, I have one son obtained after long waiting. May he be able to bathe and rise in health ! ’ The Guru administered to his wife such consolation as suggested itself to him. The people of the city advised him to make an offering to the goddess of small-pox, and propitiate her by worshipping a young virgin. They said, ‘ The goddess is