WE have seen that Guru Har Gobind, the sixth Guru, had five sons, Baba Gurditta, Suraj Mal, Ani Rai, Baba Atal, and Teg Bahadur. Baba Gurditta, who predeceased his father, left two sons, Dhir Mal and Har Rai. Dhir Mal had proved disloyal and disobedient to his grandfather. Guru Har Gobind, wishing as far as possible to observe the custom of primogeniture, and seeing Har Rai steady, pious, and in every respect fitted for the Guruship, bestowed it on him with all due formality and ancient ceremony.
Guru Har Rai was born of Gurditta’s wife, Nihal Kaur, née Natti, on the thirteenth day of the light half of the moon of Magh, Sambat 1687, A.D. 1631. He was very attentive to his devotions and ablutions, and loved to repeat to his disciples the following verses of Gur Das :—
Rise in the end of the night, instil into men’s minds the merits of the Name and of charity.
Speak civilly, be humble, do good to others with the gifts of your hands.
Sleep, eat, and speak little ; receive the Guru’s instruction.
Live on your earnings ; do good works ; even if you are great, be not conceited.
Day and night go and associate with the saints and sing with them the Gurus’ hymns.
Regale your hearts with the pleasure which the true Gurus’ words and instruction afford.
Amid hopes remain without hopes.[1]
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The Guru employed every device that sleep might not overcome him, and prevent his matutinal devotions which were the object of his earnest solicitude. Although many rich men came to visit him, he made no distinction between rich and poor, and centred his hopes only in God. His food was very simple. He desired not dainty dishes, and thanked God for all His mercies. Whatever valuable offerings were made him he used to spend on his guests. He was always surrounded, as it were, by a halo of visitors, on whom he conferred delight.
During Guru Har Rai’s stay in Kiratpur a man named Bhagtu of the Bairar tribe, who had given Guru Arjan great assistance in excavating his tank, waited on him, said he was a cultivator by trade, and asked for employment. The Guru engaged him to superintend the cultivation of his land. Once, as Bhagtu was employed as overseer of the Guru’s reapers, they complained that he did not cause sufficient ghi to be put into their bread. At that time Bhagtu happened to see a man called Sangatia passing by with hides of ghi, and asked him to sell it, and he would receive payment on the morrow. Sangatia agreed; the ghi was purchased and distributed among the labourers. Sangatia went home, and, to his surprise, next morning found the hides he thought he had emptied filled with ghi as before. He returned to Bhagtu to inform him. Bhagtu offered him the stipulated price. Sangatia fell at his feet, and with thankfulness refused the money, telling him that the miracle wrought was the result of his kindness. Bhagtu replied that he himself had no power. Whatever merit he possessed was derived from the Guru. He invited Sangatia to go to the Guru and become his Sikh. Sangatia accordingly didso. The Guru initiated him, gave him the name of Pheru, and promised that he should have a kitchen of his own to supply the wayworn saint and stranger.
In the afternoon the Guru used often to gird on his [ p. 277 ] sword, equip himself with his bow and arrows, mount his horse, and proceed to the chase. He maintained two thousand two hundred mounted soldiers. These he kept by his grandfather Guru Har Gobind’s advice as a precautionary measure. The Guru took some of the animals he had obtained from the chase home with him, and freed and protected them in a zoological garden, which he caused to be made for the recreation of his followers.
In the evening the Guru used to hold his court, listen to hymns sung by his choir, and then give divine instruction. The advantages of devotion are briefly put by Guru Arjan.
Learn the Word, my beloved, which is our support in life and in death.
By remembering the one God your faces shall ever be bright and happy.[2]
The Guru used to select suitable passages from the Granth Sahib to recite to his followers, such as:—
Make effort, ye very fortunate, remember God the King ;
Nanak, by remembering Him ye shall have all happiness, and your troubles, pains and doubts shall disappear.[3]
The Emperor Shah Jahan had four sons Dara Shikoh, Shuja Muhammad, Aurangzeb, and Murad Bakhsh. Dara Shikoh, who was the heir-apparent, was very dear to his father. Aurangzeb who was very cunning, clever, and ambitious, aimed at succeeding to the throne. He administered tiger’s whiskers in a dainty dish to his eldest brother, who became dangerously ill in consequence. The best physicians were consulted, but could not devise a remedy. The patient’s illness daily increased. The Emperor, filled with anxiety, sent for diviners and -astrologers from every country, propitiated pirs and faqirs, and had recourse to all known charms, spells, and incantations, but without avail.
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When the wise men were all assembled, they arrived at the very obvious decision that, until the tiger’s whiskers were removed from Dara Shikoh’s bowels, there was no hope of recovery. They were of opinion that if a chebulic myrobalan weighing fourteen chitanks[4] and a clove weighing one masha could be produced and administered to the patient, he would be restored to health. For these articles the Emperor searched everywhere in his realm, but in vain. At last the prime minister, who had heard the fame of the Guru, was informed that the required simples were in his storehouse. Although the Emperor was hostile to the Guru, yet as the Guru’s house was a mine of sympathy and compassion for all, there was no doubt that he would grant the articles required. In order to show the Guru’s duty in such a case, the prime minister quoted the words of the fifth Guru :—
The Guru embraceth him who seeketh his protection ; this is the function of the religious teacher.[5]
The prime minister represented to the Emperor, “It becometh thee now, O sire, to forget thy former feelings of enmity, and entreat the Guru to grant thee what is required and thy wishes shall be immediately gratified. Inthe words of a Panjabi proverb, ‘Self-interest causeth barley to be ground, even if it be wet.’[6] Shah Jahan found it necessary to humble himself before the Guru, and accordingly addressed him the following letter :—
‘Thy predecessor, the holy Baba Nanak granted sovereignty to the Emperor Babar, the founder of my dynasty; Guru Angad was exceedingly well disposed to his son the Emperor Humayun; and Guru Amar Das removed many difficulties from my erandfather Akbar’s path. I regret that the same [ p. 279 ] friendly relations did not subsist between Guru Har Gobind and myself, and that misunderstandings were caused by the interference of strangers. For this I was not to blame. My son Dara Shikoh is now very ill. His remedy is in thy hands. If thou give the myrobalan and the clove which are in thy storehouse, and add to them thy prayers, thou wilt confer an abiding favour on me.
A noble took this letter to the Guru who was then in Kiratpur and presented it in darbar on the morning after his arrival. The Guru was pleased that the Emperor had such confidence in him as to write him such a friendly letter, and consented to give the necessary medicines. He quoted a line from the fourteenth slok of the Asa ki War,
Why should they who come with hope depart disappointed ?
‘Behold,’ said the Guru, ‘with one hand man breaketh flowers, and with the other he offereth them, but the flowers perfume both hands alike. Although the axe cuts the sandal-tree, yet the sandal perfumeth the axe. The Guru ought, therefore, to return good for evil.’ The myrobalan and clove were weighed, and, as if God had so ordained, found of the required weight to cure the Emperor’s beloved son and heir-apparent. It was explained that these medicines would cause the hardest substance taken into the stomach to be digested. To these articles the Guru added a pearl which was to be ground and used as a subsidiary remedy. The Guru was in the position of a tree which, though cut with a sharp axe, feels no anger and imputes no blame to the wood-cutter, but ministers unto his wants.
The Emperor was naturally very pleased, forgot all his.enmity to the Guru, and vowed that he would never again cause him annoyance. The medicine was administered and effected a speedy and complete cure.