Guru Ram Das Ji (1574- 1581)
Sri
Guru Ram Das ji are known to be the Chauthi Patshahi or the Fourth Guru
as well as Guru who established the city of Amritsar. Sri Guru Ramdas
ji kept alive the tradition of first three Gurus.
Guru
Ramdas was born in Lahore into a Sodhi Khatri family residing in
Mohalla Chuna Mandi. By all accounts, the date of his birth was the
second day of the dark half of the month Karthik in the Bikrami Samvat
(1591 (24 September 1534). His parents Har Das and Daya Vati were known
for their honest and pious living. Ram Das was popularly addressed as
Jetha, being the first-born of his parents (Sanskrit word Jayeshth means
the first). In the words of Macauliffe, "He was of fair complexion,
handsome figure, pleasing and smiling face and not disposed to weep or
cry in the manner of ordinary children". From the beginning his outlook
was other wordly, and he felt the happiest when he happened to be in the
company of holy people.
The village Basarke (now in the district of Amritsar) which was the native place of the third Guru Guru Amardas was also the place to which Jetha's mother Daya Vati belonged. Like other children he too had immense fascination for his Nanake (the
house of his maternal grandparents) and was a frequent visitor to it.
During his stay at Basarke, it was his usual practice to go round the
countryside hawking boiled grains. With his charming looks and winsome
manners he soon won admiration from the men and women of Basarke and the
villages nearby. Guru Amardas felt so much impressed with him that he
decided to marry his second daughter Bibi Bhani, to him.
A very
interesting story is narrated by almost all writers, old and new. One
day the Guru's wife seeing Bibi Bhani playing about remarked to her
husband that as Bhani as grown up, they ought to search for a husband
for her. The Guru agreed and ordered the search for a husband for her.
Bibi Bhani's mother saw a boy outside her door hawking some articles of
food. On carefully observing him, she said "Search a youth like him".
Hearing this Guru exclaimed "He is his own parallel, for God has made
none other like unto him". Saying this Guru called the youth and
enquired from his about his whereabouts. After that he sent him with
marriage presents to his father Har Das in Lahore and had the betrothal
ceremony performed (1545).
Bibi
Bhani served Jetha not merely as her dear husband but also as a rare
saint. The couple lived happily and in due course three sons were born
to them. In order of seniority the were Prithi Chand (1547 A.D), Mahadev
(1551) and Arjan Dev (1553). No precise information is available as to
the exact time when Bhai Jetha assumed his permanent residence along
with his family at Goindwal, but the probability cannot be dismissed
that it was done soon after Guru Amar Das having been selected as the
third Guru had set up his headquarters at that place. Goindwal had been
founded several years back in the time of Guru Angad Dev,
and soon after its foundation Amar Das with the whole of his family had
shifted his residence here from his native place Basarke. After that
whenever Jetha and Bhani felt like meeting them, they naturally had to
come to Goindwal.
Punjab
was attacked by Mirza Hakim, the ruler of Kabul, in 1565 in a bid to
dislodge his half-brother Mughal Emperor Akbar from power. To meet the
challenge Akbar Left Agra for Punjab in November 1565 and reached Lahore
in February 1566. Mirza Hakim lost heart and beat a hurried retreat to
Kabul. Akbar decided not to pursue him and stayed on at Lahore for more
than a Year. He left for Agra in March 1567. When the Emperor was
encamped at Lahore, a small representative of hostile Brahmins and
Khatris proceeded to Lahore and lodged a serious complaint against Guru Amar Das The substance of the complaint as follows: "Thy
majesty is the protector of our customs and the redresser of our
wrongs. Every man's religion is dear to him. Guru Amar Das of Goindwal
hath abandoned the religious and social customs of the Hindus, and
abolished the distinction of the four castes. Such heterodoxy hath never
been heard of in the four ages. There is now no twilight prayer, no
gayatri, no offering of water to ancestors, no pilgrimages, no obseques,
and no worship of idols or of the divine salagram. The Guru hath
abandoned all these, and established the repetition of Wahguru instead
of Ram; and no one now acteth according to the Vedas or the Smritis. The
Guru reverenceth not jogis, jatis, or Brahmans. He worshippeth no gods
or goddesses, and he orderth his sikhs from refrain from doing so for
ever more. He seateth all his followers in a line and causeth them to
eat together from his kitchen, irrespective of caste - whether they are
jats, strolling minstrels, Muhammadans, Brahmans, Khatris, shopkeepers,
sweepers, barbers, washermen, fishermen or carpenters. We pray thee
restrain him now, else it will be difficult hereafter. May thy religion
and empire increase and extend over the world!" On receiving the complaint, the Emperor sent a special messenger to Goindwal asking Guru Amardas to
see him. The Guru did nor agree to go personally on account of his old
age but commissioned Bhai Jetha to wait upon the Emperor and to answer
the allegations made against him at the court. Before Jetha set out for
Lahore, the Guru is said to have spoken to him thus: "Thou art in mine
image; Guru Nanak will be with thee, and none shall prevail against
thee. The Khatris and Brahmans who have complained are ignorent and
false. Answer truly all the questions put to thee. Be not abashed and
fear nobody. If any difficul questions be put and thou art at a loss for
an answer, then think of the Guru, and thou shalt be able to give a
suitable reply. Vindicate before the court the true teaching of Guru
Nanak. Falsehood cannot contend with truth".
Jetha
appearing at the Mughal court answered all the charges contained in the
complaint to the entire satisfaction of the Emperor. Greatly pleased
with the skill and confidence with which he had trounced the
adversaries, the Emperor dismissed the complaint outright and requested
the Jetha to convey his deep respects to the Guru.
Jetha
was a paragon of love, devotion, service and resignation. He looked
upon Guru Amar Das not merely as his father-in-law but also as his most
revered beau ideal i.e. The Guru. He served him in a spirit of complete self-surrender. He along with his wife Bibi Bhani used
to shampoo him, draw water, cook, serve meals from the kitchen and then
wash the dishes. The more he served the Guru the more his love for him
and for all mankind increased. Gruadually his disposition became divine
just as they say iron is turned into gold by the contact of the
philosopher's stone. Later on, when the construction of the Baoli (a
well with stairs) was undertaken, Ram Dass became conspicuous for his
tireless and unremitting labour. He carried baskets of earth on his head
like everybody else and paid no heed to the banter or reproaches of his
companions of his kith and kin. Once when his relatives were returning
from a pilgrimage to the river Ganga, they halted briefly at Goindwal on
their way to Lahore. When they saw Jetha working like a common
labourer, they were furious and said to him. "Thou hast shamed the
family by performing menial service like Shudra in thy father-in-law's
house. Couldn't thou not obtain suitable maintenance to draw water,
scrub daity vessels, and shampoo the Guru". Jetha was much displeased at
this language and replied, "In your estimation the Guru is my
father-in-law but in mine he is God in person." On hearing this they
went to the Guru and complained to him about what he had made of his
son-in-law. To this Guru's reply was : "I had not made him carry filth
on his head, but I have put filth on the heads of his slanderers, and I
have caused the umbrella of true sovereignty to wave over him. If he had
not been born in your family, you would all have been damned. It is he
who hath saved the whole of your tribe."
The
final and supreme test of Jetha's spirit of service and sacrifice when
Guru Amar Das wanted to select his successor just like the first two
Gurus (and all the Sikh Gurus starting from the Guru Nanak Dev).
The Guru asked both of his sons-in-law, Rama and Jetha to make him two
platforms beside the Baoli at Goindwal. He held out the promise without
telling them about the Guruship that he who did the better work in his
eyes should receive the greater honour. When they completed their
platforms, the Guru went to inspect them. Both the platforms were
declared to be defective and they were asked to throw them down and
rebuild them. In obedience to his command, new platforms were erected.
These were also disapproved and ordered to be dismantled. On this Rama
the elder son-in-law refused to build it a third time. He demurred, "The
Guru hath grown old and his reason faileth him". Jetha's work was
subjected to the same rigorous standard. He continued to build platforms
which were then dismantled each time pronouncing it faulty by the Guru.
This process was repeated seven times. Ultimately, Jetha clasped the
Guru's feet and humbly addressed him :" I am a fool; pray have regard
for thy duty (bird) to me as thy son. I am erring and of mean
understanding, while thou possessest all knowledge." On hearing this
Guru smiled and embraced him affectionately saying, "Jetha is a perfect
being who hath become incarnate and the world following him shall be
saved" The Sikhs were astonished on witnessing Jetha's marvellous
devotion and obedience, and henceforth began to recognize him as the
image of the Guru.
In
1574 A.D. Bhai Jetha succeeded Guru Amar Das as the fourth Sikh Guru
under the name Ram Das. His pontification lasted up to 1581. Like his
father-in-law he too had to deal with the hostile and perverse attitudes
of Brahmans, Tapas and Jogis. Both Mehma Prakash and Suraj Prakash are
replete with descriptions of such categories of people coming and
holding long discussions with him on such subjects as observance of
caste discipline, performance of rites and ceremonies, pilgrimage,
reading of old religious texts, etc. One illustration will suffice to
make it clear. Once a company of Jogis called upon him and questioned
him as to why the atached no importance to the practice of Yog
(celibacy) among his Sikhs. The Guru's reply to this was that a man may
wear a Yogi's garb and keep chanting god's name and test himself to
various tests,but without devotion in his heart God will not enter it".
(Asa measure in Guru Granth, O Yogi).
Guru
Amar Das had devoted much of his time to the problems of definition and
organization confronting the young emerging Sikh panth (called nirmal
panth by sarup das bhalla). Lest the Brahmanical influence should
reassert themselves over his followers, he had all along endeavoured to
make the Sikh position in the matter of religious beliefs and practices
as well as in social behaviour as definetive as possible. Simaltaneous
he had made efforts to improve the organizational setup of the Sikh
Society. The introduction of the annual Baisakhi day, the construction
of the Baoli, and the distinction drawn between sachi (authentic) and
kachi (unauthentic) Bani (sacred compositions) were a few of the
measures taken by the Guru in this connection. Guru Ram Das went ahead
with the work thus begun by his master. Through his words as well as
deeds he underscored the essential features of the Sikh teachings and
repeatedly warned his followers against the pitfalls involved in the
Brahman's emphasis on pilgrimage, ritualism or formal reading of Vedas
and Shastars. He also left no opportunity to caution them against the
futile practices of the Udasis, Yogis, Naths, Tapas and Sidhs (all
ascetis of one kind or another. A good number of these ascetics fell
under his spell and adopted his creed.
Before
he was appointed as Fourth Guru, just after completing the Boali at
Goindwal, third Guru Guru Amardas ji had sent him to a magical place in
the vicinity of the villages of Sultanwind, Tung, Gumtala and Gilwali,
all at the pargana of Jhabal in the Taaluqa of Patti, which formed a
part of the Suba of Lahore ruled by the Mughals. Guru Amardas ji wanted
him to establish and create another Sikh center apart from Goindwal.
Guru Ramdas was so immpressed with this place that he started visiting
it every Sagrand (The first day of the Punjabi month) and Amavasaya (the
dark moonless night of the month). Bhai Jetha purchased this area with
wild shrubs(Ber trees) and jungles on the payments of Rs 700 to the
Zamindar of village Tung., later villagers of Sultanwind presented more
land to Guru out of regard and reverence for the Guru. Earlier, Emperor
Akbar also had gifted a tract of land in the vicinity to the daughter of
Guru Amardas ji Bibi Bhani, Guru RamDas's wife. After obtaining land
for the purpose of creating the Sikh center, he was told by Guru Amardas
ji to excavated a tank (now called Santokhsar at Baba Atal) that he
did, as well as created a small house for himself. Thus he founded the
town of Ramdaspur (later Amritsar) which continues to be the centre of
Sikhism till today. Just then Guru Amardas ji were nearing his end and
thus Amritsar project had to be put on hold for some time. Guru Ramdas
ji decided to start it again in 1577 and thus year 1577 has gone down in
the history as the foundation year of the Amritsar. Guru Amardas ji had
again told him to excavate another tank about 1 km down from the old
one. This is the current Sarovar of the Golden Temple. He dug a tank
which became the principal place of pilgrimage. Traders and artisans
were invited to settle at the town so that its growth could be rapid. In
due course it became the largest commercial centre in northern India.
Phrase came to be associated with the tank dug at Amritsar which was
"Ramdas Sarovar Nahate, Sab uttre paap kamate", "I bath in the tank of
Ramdas and all my sins were washed away" . It was a landmark in the life
of the community, because the Guru established a central place that was
quite distinct from that of the Hindus and the Muslims. Since then
Amritsar is for the Sikhs what Mecca is for the Muslims. All this
indicates that the Guru had a distinct sense of his mission and did
everything to establish it as a separate religious system and entity.
Guru
Ramdas was not merely a constructive genius who planned and founded a
new city and instituted an original missionary order but also a poet of
great sensitivity and tremendous effect. He composed 679 hymns in
varying musical measures, which were incorporated into Adi Granth by his
son and successor, Guru Arjan Dev.
His whole life was embodiment of love, devotion, dedication and
service. All these noble sentiments are abundantly reflected in his
writings. His straight and simple message went straight to the heart and
evoked the most sensitive chords of one's consciousness. There was only
a modocum of metaphysics in his compositions and almost the entire
emphasis was laid on life of self-less service rendered in a spirit of
total devotion to the Guru and God. For example:
O my
beloved, I live by meditating on thy name; Without the name I could not
live, O my satguru, implant it in me. The Name is a priceless jewel; the
perfect satguru possesseth it. By applying myself to the service of the
Satguru, he bringeth forth and displayeth the jewel of the Name. Blest
are the very fortunate who come to the Guru and meet him. (Adi Granth,
Sri Rag).
The
momentous career of the Guru came to its end on September 1, 1581
(Bhadon Sudi 3, 1638 BK) after a pontification of 6 years, 11 months and
18 das. He was succeeded by his youngest son, Arjan Dev. The eldest son
Prithia created many obstacles and tried his level best to influence
the decision in his own favour, but the Guru was as firm in regard to
the issue of succession as he had been all through his life in dealing
with the detractors of Sikhism.
