Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji : Message of the six guru’s (Part-6)

41. Message of the six guru’s (Part-6)

Sri Guru Ram Das ji

Description of Gurbani : 679, Shabads in 30 Raags. All are included in Sri

Sri Guru Ram Das ji (Previous name was Bhai Jetha Ji) was born on September 24, 1534 at Choona Mandi, Lahore(Pakistan). His parents were Hardas Ji and Mata Anoopi (Daya Kaur Ji). From early childhood he had a contemplative mood. He was a stable, religious minded, charitable being of immense patience. He was only 7 years old, when he first lost his mother and then father. He became an orphan and was shelter less. His real uncles didn’t help him at all or nor bothered to look after him. So his maternal grandmother (naani) took him from Lahore to Basarkay (Amritsar) with her. He had one younger brother Hardial and a sister Ramdassi who needed upbringing too. So, instead of begging from someone, he started selling boiled, salted black chickpeas in the area to meet the needs of the family. Sometime after the age of 16 he moved from Basarkay to Goindwal Sahib. He spent some of his time making a living and the rest of the time he spent in the service of Guru Ghar (Gurdwara Sahib). Owing to his hard and selfless service, he had made himself worthy of recognition in the eyes of Guru Amar Das ji. One day Mata Ramo Ji said to Satguru Amar Das ji,” O, Lord!, Bibi Bhani in now at the age to get married. Please search for a suitable groom for her.”. Sri Guru Amar Das Ji asked her in a natural tone,” What type of a groom should he be?” Mata Ramo pointed to Bhai Jetha ji who was walking with a basket over his head and said,” Lord! The groom should be like Bhai Jetha.” Sri Guru Amar Das ji replied,” Ramo only Bhai Jetha is like himself”. Indicating that Bhai Jetha was unique and one of a kind. So after consultation with Mata Ramo, Bibi Bhani¹was married to Bhai Jetha ji. Even after the marriage, he used to serve at the Gurdwara just like he did before his marriage. The pride of being a relative did not over power his mind. So he never ignored the service of the Gurdwara. Bibi Bhani ji was unique personality in sikh history having had the honour of being the daughter of guru ji then being married to Guru Ram Das ji and later the mother of Guru Arjun dev ji. When the Mughal King Akbar came to Lahore in 1566, the people of Sanatan Religion filed many applications of complaints in the court of Akbar, alleging that Guru ji was rejecting the caste system and thus blaspheming against their religion. They complained that,” They recite Waheguru in place of Ram, Ram. They don’t read Gaitri mantra and never recite Trai-kaal Sandhya prayer. They don’t worship Brahmins. They read Gurbani and offer food to people of all the castes and make them sit together. Such absurd, vague and irrational complaints were heard by Akbar the Great. So he sent a message to Sri Guru Amar Das ji to clarify and defend against the allegations. Sri Guru Amar Das ji blessed Bhai Jetha ji and sent him to clarify the matters. Bhai Jetha Ji (Guru Ram Das Ji) went to Lahore and stayed at Choona Mandi. The Royal messenger came to take him to the court with due respect. Bhai Jetha ji arrived in court. In his response about Gaitri Mantra he said,” According to Vedic tradition, Gaitri Mantra cannot be recited in front of Malaish (low caste people) however; Gurbani and the teachings of Guru’s are common to all. Gaitri mantra can only be read by Brahmins , Khatri’s and Vaish. Secondly, Gaitri is a mere description of Sun worship. On the other hand, Guru Nanak Dev ji has awakened us, with insight and understanding about that dimension, where so many suns and moons bow in praise of the Lord. The figure one is deliberately placed before the word Onkar to show that the doctrine and philosophy of Guru Nanak is the worship of one and only one God, Allah, who is Unique. Sanskrit language has been abandoned because the general public cannot understand it. Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji has given his Divine teachings to the masses in their own language so that they can understand and benefit from it”. Bhai Jetha ji also said that people have created the caste-system so that only one class i.e. that of Brahmins can rule and dominate other classes. But Gurmat(Sikh way of life) does not accept caste by birth, rather it is a person’s deeds and actions that defines whether one is high or low in society. As on page 1330 :

That is your social class and that is your status - the karma of what you have done.

Places of pilgrimage are not Holy or Sacred due to the water or vegetation there. They are holy because Holy men have meditated in Simran (remembrance) there. Where ever a being who meditates upon Naam lives, that becomes a pilgrimage. Guru ji says so on page 687 :

Why should I bathe at sacred shrines of pilgrimage ? The Naam, the Name of the Lord, is the sacred shrine of pilgrimage. My sacred shrine of pilgrimage is spiritual wisdom within, and contemplation on the Word of the Shabad

Gurdwara (House of Guru) teaches us to love God and humanity, which is created by Him. As this mutual love increases, souls experience bliss. Bhai Jetha ji in one of his answers told Akbar(Mughal King) that, “You people recite Trai-Kaal (past, present and future) sandhya prayer only in the evenings but Gurmat(Sikh way of life) teaches presence of Almighty throughout the day and night. By reciting naam (pray) any time of the day, the pleasure of God’s presence can be felt by anyone. Guru Nanak Dev ji has condemned Idol worship. An idol is situated at only one place, Almighty is at every place, at every time. An idol is the creation of a man. Gurmat forbids the worship of creation, on the contrary it strongly advocates the worship of the Creator”. As on page 43 :

O my mind, praise the Creator. Give up all your clever tricks, and fall at the Feet of the Guru.

“Becoming compassionate is the real worship of God’s or goddess’s. To be truthful and to shun falsehood is the real fast (not eating anything on a special day). Having knowledge from the Guru and molding one’s life accordingly purifies the soul. To see the light of Allah (God) in everybody , not to hurt the feelings of anyone is the biggest worship. Guru Ghar (Gurdwara) gives respect to everybody but Brahmins consider everybody else inferior to themselves. The selfish and the greedy run after money but Guru ji doesn’t even save anything for the next meal because he has faith in God and destiny”, explained Bhai Jetha. Every one was silenced after hearing these answers from Bhai Jetha Ji. No body had any further questions to ask. Akbar the Great ordered openly in court : “Parmasher Darwaysh jeh dou-oo, Nahi bhaid eako eh so-ou”( meaning there is no difference between Allah and this Saint. They seemed to be two, but actually they are one). Akbar addressed everybody and told them that there is no use arguing with this saint. He said, He is the type who is a hermit of God. One cannot question them. There is no difference between God and his saints. What if one has read the veda’s. Bhai Jetha ji returned to Goindwal Sahib after silencing everybody by God’s and with the grace of Great Guru. The Great Guru Amar Das ji blessed him with so many blessings. As ordered on page 968 :

Blessed, blessed is Guru Raam Daas; He who created You, has also exalted You.

Bibi Bhani ji is a unique personality in History who is blessed by being a daughter of a Guru(Guru Amar Das ji), wife of a Guru(Guru Ram Das Ji) and mother of a Guru(Guru Arjun Dev Ji). According to Bansawali Nama :

she didn’t think she was guru ji’s relative, just kept the desire of service in her heart She had no cleverness, nor mischievous or mocking She had love of service for the guru’s feet Without the gur she sees no else For 28 years she served guru without considering him as a father in law

Guru Ji had eradicated his desire for high public opinion, the human body and tribal mentality from his mind. He had to hear many taunts and remarks, but he never lost his composure. He served gur Amar Das ji for 24 years form the core of his heart and Guru Amar Das ji was eventually pleased. Guru Amar Das ji was so delighted over his selfless service, that he gave Guru Ram Das ji the responsibility of Guruship on 8-30-1574 and left for his heavenly abode. Now Guru Ram Das ji had to carry out all sorts of duties and responsibilities. He had to face many hardships and opposition but he always remained in the field of forgiveness and patience leaving behind only foot prints of tolerance. The great Guru stated ,” We are not to take revenge, there is no bigger penance than patience, there is no bigger pleasure than contentment. There is no bigger evil than greed. There is no bigger virtue than compassion or mercy. There is no bigger weapon than forgiveness. As one sows, So he must reap.” He further said,” If we too oppose them, then what is the difference between them and us? We should ask for the well-being of all. Who ever entertains enmity with those who have no enmity within, carries the load of all the sins of the world. As on page 307 :

One who hates the One who has no hatred, shall bear the load of all the sins of the world on his head.

And :

Anyone who directs hate against the One who has no hate, shall never be satisfied within. The True Guru wishes everyone well; how can anything bad happen to Him ?

After attaining the Guruship, the great Guru dispersed his divine knowledge in the form of 679 shabads which are entered in Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. He recited the Bani of Lavan (marriage Ceremony) and thus established the institution of Anand Karaj( Marriage). He recited Bani for the daily routine in Gauri Raag on page 305-306 :

One who calls himself a Sikh of the Guru, the True Guru, shall rise in the early morning hours and meditate on the Lord's Name. Upon arising early in the morning, he is to bathe, and cleanse himself in the pool of nectar. Following the Instructions of the Guru, he is to chant the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. All sins, misdeeds and negativity shall be erased. Then, at the rising of the sun, he is to sing Gurbani; whether sitting down or standing up, he is to meditate on the Lord's Name. One who meditates on my Lord, Har, Har, with every breath and every morsel of food - that GurSikh becomes pleasing to the Guru's Mind. That person, unto whom my Lord and Master is kind and compassionate -upon that GurSikh, the Guru's Teachings are bestowed. Servant Nanak begs for the dust of the feet of that GurSikh, who himself chants the Naam, and inspires others to chant ||2||.





				SHARE

				41. Message of the six guru’s (Part-6) Sri Guru Ram Das ji Description of Gurbani : 679, Shabads in 30 Raags. All are included in Sri Sri Guru Ram Das ji (Previous name was Bhai Jetha Ji) was born on September 24, 1534 at Choona Mandi, Lahore(Pakistan). His parents were Hardas Ji and Mata Anoopi (Daya Kaur Ji). From early childhood he had a contemplative mood. He was a stable, religious minded, charitable being of immense patience. He was only 7 years old, when he first lost his mother and then father. He became an orphan and was shelter less. His real uncles didn’t help him at all or nor bothered to look after him. So his maternal grandmother (naani) took him from Lahore to Basarkay (Amritsar) with her. He had one younger brother Hardial and a sister Ramdassi who needed upbringing too. So, instead of begging from someone, he started selling boiled, salted black chickpeas in the area to meet the needs of the family. Sometime after the age of 16 he moved from Basarkay to Goindwal Sahib. He spent some of his time making a living and the rest of the time he spent in the service of Guru Ghar (Gurdwara Sahib). Owing to his hard and selfless service, he had made himself worthy of recognition in the eyes of Guru Amar Das ji. One day Mata Ramo Ji said to Satguru Amar Das ji,” O, Lord!, Bibi Bhani in now at the age to get married. Please search for a suitable groom for her.”. Sri Guru Amar Das Ji asked her in a natural tone,” What type of a groom should he be?” Mata Ramo pointed to Bhai Jetha ji who was walking with a basket over his head and said,” Lord! The groom should be like Bhai Jetha.” Sri Guru Amar Das ji replied,” Ramo only Bhai Jetha is like himself”. Indicating that Bhai Jetha was unique and one of a kind. So after consultation with Mata Ramo, Bibi Bhani¹was married to Bhai Jetha ji. Even after the marriage, he used to serve at the Gurdwara just like he did before his marriage. The pride of being a relative did not over power his mind. So he never ignored the service of the Gurdwara. Bibi Bhani ji was unique personality in sikh history having had the honour of being the daughter of guru ji then being married to Guru Ram Das ji and later the mother of Guru Arjun dev ji. When the Mughal King Akbar came to Lahore in 1566, the people of Sanatan Religion filed many applications of complaints in the court of Akbar, alleging that Guru ji was rejecting the caste system and thus blaspheming against their religion. They complained that,” They recite Waheguru in place of Ram, Ram. They don’t read Gaitri mantra and never recite Trai-kaal Sandhya prayer. They don’t worship Brahmins. They read Gurbani and offer food to people of all the castes and make them sit together. Such absurd, vague and irrational complaints were heard by Akbar the Great. So he sent a message to Sri Guru Amar Das ji to clarify and defend against the allegations. Sri Guru Amar Das ji blessed Bhai Jetha ji and sent him to clarify the matters. Bhai Jetha Ji (Guru Ram Das Ji) went to Lahore and stayed at Choona Mandi. The Royal messenger came to take him to the court with due respect. Bhai Jetha ji arrived in court. In his response about Gaitri Mantra he said,” According to Vedic tradition, Gaitri Mantra cannot be recited in front of Malaish (low caste people) however; Gurbani and the teachings of Guru’s are common to all. Gaitri mantra can only be read by Brahmins , Khatri’s and Vaish. Secondly, Gaitri is a mere description of Sun worship. On the other hand, Guru Nanak Dev ji has awakened us, with insight and understanding about that dimension, where so many suns and moons bow in praise of the Lord. The figure one is deliberately placed before the word Onkar to show that the doctrine and philosophy of Guru Nanak is the worship of one and only one God, Allah, who is Unique. Sanskrit language has been abandoned because the general public cannot understand it. Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji has given his Divine teachings to the masses in their own language so that they can understand and benefit from it”. Bhai Jetha ji also said that people have created the caste-system so that only one class i.e. that of Brahmins can rule and dominate other classes. But Gurmat(Sikh way of life) does not accept caste by birth, rather it is a person’s deeds and actions that defines whether one is high or low in society. As on page 1330 : That is your social class and that is your status - the karma of what you have done. Places of pilgrimage are not Holy or Sacred due to the water or vegetation there. They are holy because Holy men have meditated in Simran (remembrance) there. Where ever a being who meditates upon Naam lives, that becomes a pilgrimage. Guru ji says so on page 687 : Why should I bathe at sacred shrines of pilgrimage ? The Naam, the Name of the Lord, is the sacred shrine of pilgrimage. My sacred shrine of pilgrimage is spiritual wisdom within, and contemplation on the Word of the Shabad Gurdwara (House of Guru) teaches us to love God and humanity, which is created by Him. As this mutual love increases, souls experience bliss. Bhai Jetha ji in one of his answers told Akbar(Mughal King) that, “You people recite Trai-Kaal (past, present and future) sandhya prayer only in the evenings but Gurmat(Sikh way of life) teaches presence of Almighty throughout the day and night. By reciting naam (pray) any time of the day, the pleasure of God’s presence can be felt by anyone. Guru Nanak Dev ji has condemned Idol worship. An idol is situated at only one place, Almighty is at every place, at every time. An idol is the creation of a man. Gurmat forbids the worship of creation, on the contrary it strongly advocates the worship of the Creator”. As on page 43 : O my mind, praise the Creator. Give up all your clever tricks, and fall at the Feet of the Guru. “Becoming compassionate is the real worship of God’s or goddess’s. To be truthful and to shun falsehood is the real fast (not eating anything on a special day). Having knowledge from the Guru and molding one’s life accordingly purifies the soul. To see the light of Allah (God) in everybody , not to hurt the feelings of anyone is the biggest worship. Guru Ghar (Gurdwara) gives respect to everybody but Brahmins consider everybody else inferior to themselves. The selfish and the greedy run after money but Guru ji doesn’t even save anything for the next meal because he has faith in God and destiny”, explained Bhai Jetha. Every one was silenced after hearing these answers from Bhai Jetha Ji. No body had any further questions to ask. Akbar the Great ordered openly in court : “Parmasher Darwaysh jeh dou-oo, Nahi bhaid eako eh so-ou”( meaning there is no difference between Allah and this Saint. They seemed to be two, but actually they are one). Akbar addressed everybody and told them that there is no use arguing with this saint. He said, He is the type who is a hermit of God. One cannot question them. There is no difference between God and his saints. What if one has read the veda’s. Bhai Jetha ji returned to Goindwal Sahib after silencing everybody by God’s and with the grace of Great Guru. The Great Guru Amar Das ji blessed him with so many blessings. As ordered on page 968 : Blessed, blessed is Guru Raam Daas; He who created You, has also exalted You. Bibi Bhani ji is a unique personality in History who is blessed by being a daughter of a Guru(Guru Amar Das ji), wife of a Guru(Guru Ram Das Ji) and mother of a Guru(Guru Arjun Dev Ji). According to Bansawali Nama : she didn’t think she was guru ji’s relative, just kept the desire of service in her heart She had no cleverness, nor mischievous or mocking She had love of service for the guru’s feet Without the gur she sees no else For 28 years she served guru without considering him as a father in law Guru Ji had eradicated his desire for high public opinion, the human body and tribal mentality from his mind. He had to hear many taunts and remarks, but he never lost his composure. He served gur Amar Das ji for 24 years form the core of his heart and Guru Amar Das ji was eventually pleased. Guru Amar Das ji was so delighted over his selfless service, that he gave Guru Ram Das ji the responsibility of Guruship on 8-30-1574 and left for his heavenly abode. Now Guru Ram Das ji had to carry out all sorts of duties and responsibilities. He had to face many hardships and opposition but he always remained in the field of forgiveness and patience leaving behind only foot prints of tolerance. The great Guru stated ,” We are not to take revenge, there is no bigger penance than patience, there is no bigger pleasure than contentment. There is no bigger evil than greed. There is no bigger virtue than compassion or mercy. There is no bigger weapon than forgiveness. As one sows, So he must reap.” He further said,” If we too oppose them, then what is the difference between them and us? We should ask for the well-being of all. Who ever entertains enmity with those who have no enmity within, carries the load of all the sins of the world. As on page 307 : One who hates the One who has no hatred, shall bear the load of all the sins of the world on his head. And : Anyone who directs hate against the One who has no hate, shall never be satisfied within. The True Guru wishes everyone well; how can anything bad happen to Him ? After attaining the Guruship, the great Guru dispersed his divine knowledge in the form of 679 shabads which are entered in Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. He recited the Bani of Lavan (marriage Ceremony) and thus established the institution of Anand Karaj( Marriage). He recited Bani for the daily routine in Gauri Raag on page 305-306 : One who calls himself a Sikh of the Guru, the True Guru, shall rise in the early morning hours and meditate on the Lord's Name. Upon arising early in the morning, he is to bathe, and cleanse himself in the pool of nectar. Following the Instructions of the Guru, he is to chant the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. All sins, misdeeds and negativity shall be erased. Then, at the rising of the sun, he is to sing Gurbani; whether sitting down or standing up, he is to meditate on the Lord's Name. One who meditates on my Lord, Har, Har, with every breath and every morsel of food - that GurSikh becomes pleasing to the Guru's Mind. That person, unto whom my Lord and Master is kind and compassionate -upon that GurSikh, the Guru's Teachings are bestowed. Servant Nanak begs for the dust of the feet of that GurSikh, who himself chants the Naam, and inspires others to chant \|\|2\|\|.

		SHARE