Guru Ramdas

Ajit Singh Nagra
He who nurses ill will for anyone
To him no good ever comes
No one listens to him.
He cries all alone in the wilderness.
He who is given to talking ill of others
All his good deeds go to waste.
Every time he indulges in running down his neighbors,
He fouls his mouth.
He can’t show his face to anyone.
Karmas are seeds sown in the fields,
Man reaps what he sows
No amount of talk helps;
He who swallows poison must die,
The true creator does justice,
As you do so is done to you,
Guru Nanak had the knowledge of it,
He talked to the world about the ways of the world.
Guru Ram Das originally called Jetha was the son-in-law of the 3rd GURU Amar Das. He was born at the Chunne Mandi Lahore as the eldest son of Anup Devi (Daya Kour) and Hari Das, in a Hindu Khatri   family of Sodhi clan on Sept. 24, A.D.1534. His parents died in his childhood. Abject poverty and financial constraints forced him to become a bread earner at a very tender age. He would earn his living by selling boiled and  sweetened wheat  [Ghungharian]. Guru Amar Das was a ‘popular teacher who attracted a large number of Sikhs from far and near to listen to his sermons. Jetha also visited Goindwal to see the Gurus. He felt at home here under the influence of the Divine master.
He participated in prayer and hymn singing. He served food to visiting pilgrims, scrubbed the dishes and brought a head load of firewood from the forest every day for the community kitchen. He also helped with digging the bowali during his spare time.
Guru Ram Das’ devotion and dedicated disposition endeared him to Guru Amar Das who married his daughter Bibi Bhani to Jetha . Guru Amar Das ignored the claims of his own sons Mohani and Mohiri and bestowed guruship on his son-in -law.
Guru Amar Das breathed his last on full moonday of Bhadon  on sept.1, 1574 after consecrating his son -in -law as the 4th Guru of the Sikhs. In order to avoid acrimony and animosity with his brothers -in -law Guru Ram Das shifted to village Tung a site forty Kms north west of Goindwal. He purchased five hundred bighas of land on payment of Rs. 700 Akbari from the Zamindars of Tong and develops the town as Ramdaspur or Guru Ka Chak. After he had dug a tank or the pool of immortality, the town became famous as Amritsar.
The people discovered the miraculous powers of this tank. The Kardas or revenue collector had five beautiful daughters. The youngest one was religious minded and God fearing. Her arrogant father scoffed at her piety. To humble her, he married her to a crippled leaper. She did not grumble at her fate and always carried her helpless husband in the basket under a tree near the pond and left for begging food in the nearby village.
Her husband    noticed that a pair of crows came flying, had a dip into the pond and turned into swans and flew away. He also crawled into water came out completely transformed into a healthy and handsome youngman.The young bride could not believe her eyes at the wonderful miracle. Guru Das was standing on the other side of the pond and he explained the miracle to her to purge her of her doubts. Guruji was an embodiment of   humility and humanity, simplicity and serenity and patience and piety.
Once Sri chand son of Guru Nanak asked Guru Ram Das why he had grown such a long beard. Guruji bent down on his knees and replied “To wipe out the dust of your feet, O’ holy man.”
Guru Ram Das instituted the Order of Masands to expand missionary activities. He sent Bhai GurDas, a great scholar and savant to Agra as a missionary.All the Sikh Gurus used the nom de plume Nanak as all the Gurus were the images of the first Guru Nanak Devji. Guru Ram Das was called Sacha Padshah, the true king. About 679 hymns of Guruji were incorporated into the holy Granth by his son the 5th Guru Sh. Arjun Dev.
Guru Ram Das had three sons- Prithi Chand (greedy and quarrelsome) Maha Dev (who renounced worldly life and became an ascetic) and Arjun Dev, the most devoted and Guruji appointed him as his successor at the age of 18 years on 1st Sept. 1581 before his demise. Guruji expressed the hope that, “As one lamp is lighted from another, so the Guru’s spirit will pass on into Him and dispel the darkness in the world.” Guru Arjun Dev completed the unfinished works of his father.
The Mughal emperor Akbar the great was highly impressed by the generosity and altruistic measures of the Guru who had opened free kitchen for all the poor and the needy.
Guru Ramdas remained Guru for seven years. He closed his eyes on 1st Sept, 1581 and did not open them again. He rid the society of the useless rituals and superstitions and introduced the wedding ceremony a simple affair with the sacrament of the holy word. Before his departure, Guru Ram Das prescribed the following routine for his followers:
He who calls himself the Sikh of the Guru
He must get up early and meditate on him.
He must be active in the morning
And should take a dip in the pool of Nectar.
He must listen to the Guru’s advice and remember God.
All his sins and misdeeds are thus washed away.
As day dawns, he should read scriptures.
And repeat His name every moment of the day.
The Guru likes the Sikhs who remember God in every breath of their lives.
(The author is former Principal)

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