Next day, observing the Guru’s glory and splendour, the Jogis ran to their priest with the same haste as cowards flee from the field of battle, and related to him all that had occurred since Guru Nanak had visited the place. The priest called to their recollection how Guru Nanak had vanquished the Sidhs who opposed him, and advised them to subdue their pride, conceit, and arrogance, bow before the Guru, and seek his protection. The Jogis became very angry at not receiving a promise of assistance or even encouragement. One of them said, ‘Shall we who are Sidhs and Jogis, and live for endless years, bow before a child of yesterday, who, moreover, is not a celibate like ourselves ? ’ Another Jogi said, ‘Guru Nanak is no more, let us take possession of our temple.’ The Jogis consulted with one another, and came to the conclusion that until the Guru was in some way dishonoured, he would never leave them alone. They then in a body [ p. 54 ] went to the Guru in all the bravery of the habilaments of their order—ochre-coloured robes, rings in their ears, selis on their necks, wallets on their shoulders, and crutches in their hands—and represented to him, ‘ Thou art a married man; we are well-known holy ascetics. From of old this place, bearing the name of Gorakhnath, hath notoriously been ours. Wherefore leave it, and go and abide wherever it pleaseth thee!’ The Guru replied, ‘Whom do you call a holy ascetic? I apply the name only to him who hath renounced pride and who hath the love of God in his heart. It is he, and not.a man who weareth an ascetic’s garb, who shall obtain salvation.’
The Jogis, in order to terrify the Guru, then began to make a show of their pretended powers, and cries of ‘Strike the Guru! strike the Guru!’ arose from the whole band. The Sikhs began to grow apprehensive. The Guru pacified them, and said no harm should come to them. The Jogis exerted all their powers, but could produce no effect on the Guru. Weary and abashed, they returned to their priest, who told them that, on account of their pride, they had forfeited such reputation as they already possessed. Since that date the place has borne undisturbed the name Nanakmata, and remained in the possession of Udasi Sikhs.
The Guru remained some time in that neighbourhood. He occupied himself with the chase, with preaching to his Sikhs, and with the organization of a methodical Sikh service for them under the guidance of Almast.
The Guru on his return journey proceeded to Daroli, where his mother and wives were anxiously awaiting him. They went forth to meet him, and great joy reigned in the village on his arrival.
Sain Das said to the Guru, ‘ Almast is a very fortunate man, for whose sake thou didst undertake such a long journey, and whose devotion hath [ p. 55 ] rendered thee so subservient to him. When did he become a Sikh?’ The Guru replied, ‘He was originally a goat-herd on the banks of the Ravi, and was known as “The simpleton”. He had long cherished a desire to see Guru Nanak, and, on accidentally doing so, love and devotion sprang up in his heart. He milked one of his goats, and offered the milk to the Guru. The only recompense he asked was to be allowed to gaze on the holy man. The Guru requested him to ask for some further favour. He replied as before, that his only desire was to behold the Guru. Then Guru Nanak said, “Twice three are six. Thou hast thrice desired to behold the Guru, and now thou shalt live to behold the sixth Guru in succession to me.”’ Sain Das on hearing this narrative congratulated Bhai Almast, and applied to his case the following hymn of Guru Arjan :—
O God, by Thy favour I have dispelled my doubts ;
I have reflected in my mind that by Thy favour everything is mine.
By service to Thee millions of sins are erased ; by a sight of Thee sorrow departeth.
By repeating Thy name have obtained great happiness, and banished all my anxieties and maladies.
In the company of the holy man I have forgotten lust, wrath, avarice, falsehood, and slander.
I have cut off the shackles of mammon; Nanak, God, the Ocean of mercy, hath Himself saved me.[1]
It was now time for Ramo, Sain Das’s wife, to hold a spiritual colloquy with the Guru—‘ Friend of the poor, true Guru, my prayer is that I may worship my husband with my body, and discharge all the duties of conjugal chastity, that the love of God may abide in my heart, and that I may ever remember His name, so that at the last He may assist me, and that I may have no fear of death, [ p. 56 ] or hell, or further transmigration.’ The Guru replied, ‘God at all times assisteth those whose hearts are pure. With a pure mind meditate on His name, and accept His will. Then shalt thou be happy and all fear forsake thee.’
The time of Damodari’s lying-in was approaching, and her mother-in-law Ganga continued to pray for her safe delivery of ason. Damodari ever meditated on God and repeated Guru Nanak’s hymns and those of her husband’s father the late Guru. Ona Wednesday night when the moon was full, in the month of Kartik, Sambat 1670 (A.D. 1613), she gave birth to a son, who was afterwards named Gurditta, and who bore a remarkable likeness to Guru Nanak. When morning dawned, the Guru went to see his child, and then distributed alms to all applicants. Instead of worldly songs of rejoicings the compositions of the Gurus were sung on the auspicious occasion. The hymn composed by Guru Arjan on the birth of Har Gobind received special prominence.
During the Guru’s long absence from Amritsar, prayers were offered there for his speedy return, and a letter was sent reminding him of his duty to return quickly to his Sikhs and the temple of his forefathers. He told his mother of the communication he had received, and she highly commended his resolution to attend to it. The Sikhs who accompanied him also pressed him not to delay. On his arrival in Amritsar the following, among other hymns of the fifth Guru, was sung with rapture :—
O Guru, may I behold Thee and live,
Then shall my fortune be completed, O God ! [2]
Hear this supplication, O my God ;
Grant me Thy name and make me Thy servant.
O God, the Giver, protect me in Thine asylum. [ p. 57 ]
By the Guru’s favour some rare person knoweth Thee.
O God, my Friend, hear my supplication,
That Thy lotus feet may dwell in my heart.
Nanak uttereth this one prayer—
That he may not forget Thee, Thou Lord of perfect exeellences ! [3]
The Guru having taken up his residence at home used to preach to his congregation and occasionally go on shooting excursions. When not occupied with preaching or prayer, he generally sat in the open air and received his Sikhs. The places where he used to sit are now called Pipali, Lohgarh, and Chaurasti Atari. During the Guru’s absence Bhai Budha organized a nightly sacred concert to be sung round the tank of Amritsar. The Guru, on hearing of it, said, ‘ This choir shall for ever abide, and I shall be always with it.’
Painda Khan arrived in Amritsar with the army and the horses the Guru had left in Kartarpur. Painda Khan’s ordinary gymnastic practice was to tie two large earthen vessels filled with sand to his brawny arms, and thus encumbered swing clubs weighing one hundred and sixty pounds each round his head. The Guru was pleased with him, and used to make him presents of valuable clothes, horses of Iraq, clarified butter, sugar, and all such food as was calculated to promote strength.
Two men, called Niwala and Nihalu, went to the Guru, and asked how they could be saved. The following was the Guru’s reply: ‘As there is fire in all timber, but without attrition it lighteth not or dispelleth cold; and as butter is contained in milk but cannot be extracted without churning ; so there is divine knowledge which yieldeth the essence of happiness in the hymns of the true Guru. In perusing them there is great merit, but divine knowledge is not to be obtained unless man meditate [ p. 58 ] on them, implant them in his heart, and act according to them in all his affairs. It is then he shall obtain bliss and a knowledge of God, and dispel for ever the pain of transmigration.’
The Guru thus addressed Krishan and Pammu who also had sought his advice: ‘Even if an ignorant man read the Guru’s hymns, all his sins shall be remitted. When man putteth forward the feet of desire, he shall easily obtain divine knowledge by practice, and be strengthened in the service of the saints. But the sinners who read to receive honour from men, are worthy of expulsion from all societies. Though they cause themselves to be addressed by every one as gyanis, yet they have no faith or divine knowledge. Such people are proud, and associate not with the holy. They give themselves all praise in the hope of receiving money, but they never obtain divine knowledge. How can they who possess such pride enter God’s court ?’
There was an ancient Jogi in Garhshankar in the Jalandhar district, who gave out that Shiv had promised that whoever beheld him should secure emancipation. Many persons went to see the Jogi on that account. Tilak alone of his village refused. The Jogi became curious to know the cause, and decided that he would go to see him. Tilak at the interview put a screen between himself and the Jogi, so that the latter might not afterwards say that Tilak had seen him and thus obtained emancipation. Tilak told him that all his own devotion was centred in the Guru, and he would resort to no one else for his salvation. The Jogi on hearing accounts of the Guru’s teachings conceived a desire to visit him, and begged Tilak to introduce him. Tilak consented, and both proceeded to Amritsar for the purpose.
The Jogi opened the conversation by saying to the Guru, ‘If Guru Nanak had divine power, why hast thou, who sayest thou art the sixth Guru, not preserved his original body ?’ By this the Jogi [ p. 59 ] desired to know why Guru Nanak had not survived, and why it was necessary for him to appoint successors, The Guru replied, ‘The soul putteth on a body like clothes which when old fall into tatters. Kings and rich men take off their old clothes and put on new ones. Poor people patch and stitch their torn clothes, so that they may last a little longer ; but, when a man hath new clothes, why should he patch and wear the old ones?’[4] The Guru in support of this argument quoted the following verses of his father :—
He who remembereth not God, leadeth the life of asnake ; [5]
So liveth the infidel who forgetteth the Name.
He who liveth remembering God even for one moment,
Shall last for hundreds of thousands and millions of days, Yea, for ever.[6]
The Jogi on hearing this began to feel humble. He became profuse in his thanks both to the Guru and Tilak who had led him to Amritsar. He then begged the Guru to make him like Tilak, a believer in one God, and grant him the gift of faith. The Guru replied, ‘ God is in the power of love, but love is not that which can be bought. It is the gift of God, and is bestowed on him to whom He showeth mercy. If thou have faith, thou shalt obtain what thou prayest for from Guru Nanak’s house. The store of love and devotion, a little of which had been granted to the avatars, jogis, rikhis, and munis, was entrusted in full by the Creator to Guru Nanak. He hath generously distributed it with open hands and from him no account shall be taken. As hath been said :—
He to whom God gave a drop of nectar became immovable and immortal ; [ p. 60 ]
He entrusted a store of devotion to Guru Nanak, and then took no account from him.[7]
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.[8]
[ p. 61 ]
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 Chaparnala 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 :—
[ p. 62 ]
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 corn 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 Guru is all powerful ;
He hath removed my troubles and anxieties, my fears, doubts, and sufferings.[9]
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.[10]
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, [ p. 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.[11]
[ p. 64 ]
When God’s saints are praised, it is God’s glory.
God is only pleased with His own praises when His saint is congratulated.[12]
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 spell 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 Panjab 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 ofa dwarf. Thence the Guru proceeded to Gujrat in the Panjab. The people of that city were so satisfied with their own priest Shah Daula[13] 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.[14]
The Guru thence proceeded to Wazirabad and thence to Hafizabad, both in the present district of Gujranwala. In Hafizabad he was hospitably received [ p. 65 ] by a Sikh called Karm Chand. The Guru read the Japji 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 obtained 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 Mahadevi. 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.
Devgandhari. ↩︎
Also translated—
O God, may Thy full favour be extended to me, That through the Guru I may behold Thee and live ! ↩︎
Suhi. ↩︎
The Guru compares the Gurus to rich men who change their clothes, the Jogis to poor men who patch them. ↩︎
He may live long like the snake, but he possesses no knowledge of God. ↩︎
Gauri Ashtapadi. ↩︎
Guru Arjan, Sorath. ↩︎
Gauri. ↩︎
Gauri Ashtapadi. ↩︎
Maru. ↩︎
Gauri ki War I. ↩︎
Sorath ki War. ↩︎
Shah Daula was believed to have attained such illumination of mind that he could discover hidden treasure. His successors at Gujrat now produce a class of men with small heads who are let out to beg. For an account of Shah Daula see the Khulasat-ul-Tawarikh. ↩︎
Pandit Tara Singh’s Gur Tirath Sangrah. ↩︎