More Guru Amar Das Sakhis

Guru's Tour

In 1558 AD Guru Amar Das started a tour of hindu places of pilgrimage for the propagation of Sikhism. Guru Ram Das gives an account of that tour in 'Raag Tukhari'. The Guru first went to Kurukshetra where he preached the Sikh way of life to thousands of people including Yogis and recluses. Then he acquainted people gathered on the banks of river Yamuna, with the mission of Guru Nanak.

While crossing the Yamuna bridge, those collecting bridge tolls from the people, presented themselves before him with offerings. They did not collect any toll from the Sikhs crossing the bridge with the Guru. From there Guru Amar Das arrived in the village Kankhal where he told the villagers that lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride are sins which can only be subdued by following the Guru's teachings. He returned to Goindwal after preaching at Haridwar for eight days.

Write My Words In Your Heart

On one occasion when Guru Amar Das visited an outlying village to preach the message of Sikhism, the headman said his words ought to be recorded, and sent for pen and ink for the purpose.

Guru Amar Das said, "Why send for pen and ink? Write my words in your heart. If you remain in the love of God, your affection shall never be removed from God. Pens and bottles of ink shall disappear, what they write shall go with them, but the love of the True One which God bestows from the beginning shall not perish. The things which are seen shall not depart with you; see if there is way by which they may go with you. The True Guru plants the True One in your hearts; continue to love God. Nanak, the Giver of the Word is true, and God is obtained by good acts."

Instructions

On another occasion, Guru Amar Das said, "The Guru will assist those who have endurance; God is patient and patiently rewards. If any one ill-treats you, bear it. If you bear it three times, God will fight for you the fourth time, and destroy your enemies." Guru Amar Das then quoted the twenty-first pauri of the Asa Di Vaar.

Guru Amar Das continued to communicate spiritual and ethical instructions to his Sikhs, "Be good to all, but don't be proud of your service. Do not enter into relations with another's wife. Consider those who do so as snakes or a murderous elephants. Avoid evil company; don't be conceited, don't glorify yourselves, and don't slander or tell lies. Eat and work according to your ability. Do not practise hypocrisy or ostentation. Meditate on the Guru's instructions. Give ten percent of your time and money in remembering God. Associate with the virtuous and wait upon the stranger. Invoke Waheguru before eating, and God will bless your meals."

The Sikhs put a question to Guru Amar Das, "Who are the greatest saints and worshippers of God?" Guru Amar Das replied, "Those who have repeated the Name of God and renounced pride are the best. The saint who acts in this way will leave this filthy and loathsome body. True saints are passionless, and afford shelter to men. One who restrains their desires will obtain salvation while alive. The saints are ever independent. What they do is beautiful and good. The true Guru and the saints are sent into the world to benefit it, though in reality they live apart and are not of it."

Preserve Your Life

One day, as Guru Amar Das was taking a ride, he saw a wall broken by rain, which threatened to fall, and accordingly quickly rode past it. On reaching home his Sikhs quoted one of his hymns, "Death shall not approach those who meditate on God's name". They also quoted to a verse of Guru Nanak, "I feel no anxiety regarding death, and I have no desire to live." The Sikhs asked, "Great Guru, death is subservient to you. You have enjoyed a long life. You have no pride or selfishness. Why did you avoid the dangerous wall?"

Guru Amar Das replied, "The lesson to you all is that since this human life, for which even the demigods vainly desire, is so difficult to obtain, it is our duty to preserve it. If a tree can be preserved, it will many times bear leaves, blossoms, and fruit. So if the body is preserved, we can practise charity and perform religious works of every description; but when the body perishes, we can no longer perform our duty to God. Holy men derive endless advantages from their bodies. By them they serve the saints, repeat God's name, obtain divine knowledge and become liberated. The body by which we confer benefits on others, and by which happiness in this life and salvation in the next are obtained, ought to be cherished by all."

Any Date And Time Is Auspicious For Sikhs

One day the Sikhs asked Guru Amar Das, "Previously, when we started a new enterprise we used to consult the brahman (hindu) astrologers as to what date or time to begin. Now that we have come under your protection, who should we consult?" Guru Amar Das replied, "The most favourable day or time for the Guru's Sikhs to begin any endeavour is when they pray to God. If, at the beginning of all undertakings, Sikhs, with a lowly and humble mind, invoke God's assistance then their efforts shall be successful."

The Goatherd

On one occasion, on seeing a large crowd of people who had come to him for the attainment of their desires, Guru Amar Das mourned over the ills of life, and decided to seek for a time the retirement of the forest. To escape notice he started on his journey at midnight. His movements, however, became known to his sons Mohri and Mohan and a few other devoted Sikhs, and they prepared to accompany him.

When the party had been in the forest for three days, a muhammadan goatherd called Bahlol saw the Guru, and recognizing him as a holy man, fell at his feet and made him an offering of a bowl of milk. The Guru seeing his devotion, said, "I am happy." The goatherd, too, became happy in the consciousness of having ministered to the wants of a deserving man. Guru Amar Das invited Bahlol to ask a favour. The goatherd replied that there was nothing stable in the world, wherefore the only favour he asked was that he might be enabled to remember God's name. Guru Amar Das granted him this favour.

The Compassionate Guru

On another occasion, as Guru Amar Das lay asleep in the small hours of the night, he was awakened by a woman's screams. He sent two of his Sikhs to inquire as to the cause of her grief. They returned with the information that a young man had just died of tertian ague, and his mother was bewailing his loss.

On hearing this the compassionate Guru prayed to God to console her. He told his Sikhs to repeat the first pauri of the Japji, and, while doing so, to put water into the mouth of the deceased. The Sikhs, instead of performing the ceremony themselves, brought the body to Guru Amar Das. He put water into the corpse's mouth, and touched the head with his foot, when amazingly the youth was re-animated.

By Serving The True Guru Impurity Departs

Once, while a rich man was giving a religious feast, a child was born in his house. In consequence, the brahmans declared the place impure, and refused his food. The giver of the feast went to Guru Amar Das to complain. Guru Amar Das ordered his Sikhs to eat the food that was prepared, and they did so. The brahmans subsequently went to Guru Amar Das to say that his Sikhs had eaten impure bread. Guru Amar Das said;

"The love of mammon is mental impurity, by which men are led astray in doubt and suffer transmigration. The impurity of the wicked never departs until they become saturated with the Word and with God's name. Whatever takes the form of worldly love is all impurity; On this account one is born again and again. There is impurity in fire, in wind, and in water; There is impurity in whatever is eaten; There is impurity in religious ceremonies and in worship."

"Only the heart which is dyed with the Name is pure. By serving the True Guru impurity departs; Then one dies not, nor is one born, nor can death destroy one. Let any one carefully examine the Shastars and Simritis, and they shall find that without the Name there is no deliverance. In the four ages the Name is considered the best word, and by means of it, in this kalyug, the pious are saved. The true one neither dies nor suffers transmigration. Nanak, the holy shall be absorbed in God."

The Goldsmith

There was a goldsmith in Goindwal married to an elderly woman. All different kinds of medicines and incantations were used in the hope they would have children, but in vain. The everlasting cry of the childless couple was, "How shall we be happy in this world? And who will take care of our wealth?" Their youth had passed, and the advent of old age naturally made them despair even more. They decided to dig a well where travellers might allay their thirst, and build a temple where the devout might pray. They hoped that in this way their wishes might be granted, and their memory abide in the world.

When the Guru heard of the pious work they had undertaken, he went and personally assisted in it. On being informed of his presence the goldsmith and his wife hastened with offerings to do him homage. He asked them what they desired. The goldsmith's wife on this drew a veil over her face. The Guru said, "Don't be shy, ask what you want without shame." She replied, "We want an heir to our house."

Guru Amar Das inquired if they expected him to keep children for his friends. The goldsmith, with humility and faith, replied that there were children in the words of the Guru. The Guru was pleased at this reply, and told them that, if they had faith, they would have two children. They were accordingly blessed with two children. People on seeing the children with the old lady said they must be her grandchildren. New generations of the goldsmith and his wife still reside in Goindwal, and are called Maipotre (mother's grandsons) in memory of this event.

The First Sikh Gatherings

Many people from different countries arrived to behold Guru Amar Das. On seeing their number and frequency, Bhai Paro and his friends represented that there should be one place of general meeting for the Sikhs, and special fairs should be established where Sikhs could assemble and become acquainted and fraternize with one another. Upon this the Guru proclaimed that gatherings of Sikhs should be held on the first days of the months Baisakh and Magh, and on the ancient festival of the Diwali.

Note: the intention of the gatherings was not for Sikhs to celebrate Diwali or any other hindu festivals. Instead Sikhs would gather in a Sangat for their own new form of revolutionary worship where everyone was equal and not participate in Diwali or the festivals of others.

The Shopkeeper

A shopkeeper called Girdhari, who lived in the south of India, was very fortunate as far as wealth, property, and relations were concerned, but he was distressed at having no children. He took a second wife, but still there was no offspring. On hearing what the Guru had done for the goldsmith, he went to Goindwal to pay his respects. He remained there for some days and implored Guru Amar Das to help provide him with children, but could only obtain the following reply, "None can erase what was written on the forehead in the beginning: What was written happens; he who has spiritual insight understands this."

By this Guru Amar Das meant that his Sikhs should not follow the example of the hindus who go on idolatrous pilgrimages in Baisakh, Magh, and at the Diwali, or feast of lights, in autumn, but that they should attend on him three times a year for religious instruction and God's worship.

Guru Amar Das when further pressed said to Girdhari, "Repeat the Name, do good works, and obey the will of God. A hankering for sons is the cause of worldly entanglements." On hearing this the shopkeeper's eyes filled with tears, and heaving cold sighs he withdrew from the Guru's presence. Bhai Paro meeting him asked why he was leaving without having obtained his object. Girdhari then narrated his conversation with the Guru. Bhai Paro said that if he had faith he should have five children. The shopkeeper went home, and in five years found himself the father of five sons.

Be Humble, Abandon Pride, Remember God And Do Not Take Part In Fake Rituals

One day a Sikh merchant went to the Guru and said that he had given alms and feasts to brahmans, and made pilgrimages according to prescribed rules, but obtained no spiritual profit or consolation therefrom. He therefore requested the Guru, who was the pilot of the world's terrible ocean, to save him. The Guru on that occasion composed the following;

"Serve God; perform no other service. By serving God you shall obtain the fruit your heart desires; by any other service your life shall pass away in vain. God is my love, God is my rule of life, God is the subject of my conversation. By the Guru's favour my heart is saturated with God's love; that is how my service rewarded. God is my Simritis, God is my Shastars, God is my kinsman and God is my brother."

"I am hungry for God; with God's name my heart is satisfied. God is my relative, and at the last moment will be my helper. Except for God all other capital is false, and does not go with us when we depart this world. God is the wealth which shall depart with me; wherever I go, there will it go."

"One who is attached to falsehood is false, and false are the works they perform. Says Nanak, everything happens according to God's will; nothing is gained by babbling." The Guru continued, "Repeat the one God's name, be humble, abandon pride, and self-conceit. As fire burns a dry crop, so do pride and self-conceit destroy the effect of alms and religious exercises."

Remain Unaffected By Harmful Emotion

Guru Amar Das's Sikhs once asked, "If, as the saints say, the world is like a dream, then how do their bodies perform their functions?" Guru Amar Das replied, "Their bodies perform all their functions, but their minds are not affected by the world. The saints abide in the form of ordinary mortals, as the sword touched by the philosopher's stone retains its shape, but is at the same time changed into gold. By humility and contempt of the world the saints obtain deliverance at their death."

The Guru then related the following parable, "Someone told a saint that his only son had been slain. The saint on hearing the news remained unmoved. People began to admire his fortitude, and say, 'Your son was a fine, obedient young man. You ought to be congratulated that you can endure his death without being upset'. The saint replied, 'The world is like a dream or a shadow; sons, wives, and wealth are all perishable. In a dream a poor man may become a king or a king a poor man, but when they awake they find their dreams have no reality. For who shall man rejoice or mourn?' Upon this some one came and told the father that his dead son had been re-animated. On hearing this, too, the saint manifested no joy." Guru Amar Das, pointing out the moral of his story, said, "Saints are unaffected by joy or sorrow as the lotus is by water."

The Gurus Advice

Many persons continued to visit Guru Amar Das for religious instruction. Lalu, Durga, and Jawanda received the following advice, "Always do good to others. This is to be accomplished in three ways; By giving good advice, by setting a good example to Sikhs, and by helping in the welfare of others."

A Sikh named Jagga asked the Guru's permission to become a hermit. He said he had met a Jogi and asked him for instruction. The Jogi would only give it on Jagga relinquishing his family and domestic life and adopting an ascetic life by becoming a sadhu. Guru Amar Das said that deliverance could not be obtained either by the relinquishment of house and home or by the practice of Jog. As a lotus, while growing in the mud, turns its petals towards the sun, so should man while engaged in worldly affairs turn his thoughts to God by means of the instruction of the Guru.

To Gopi, Mohan, Rama, and Amru, the Guru spoke as follows, "Practise forbearance and forgiveness, and do not harbour enmity to anyone in your hearts. Should anyone address you a harsh or disrespectful word, do not be angry, but speak civilly in return.' To Gangu and Saharu the Guru delivered the following instruction, "When you have prepared food, first feed the Sikhs, and then eat the remainder yourselves. He who eats after his brother Sikhs shall become very holy. Always remember Waheguru. Do not worship cremation grounds, tanks, or hindu or muhammadan shrines."

Caste Has No Power

When Guru Amar Das paid a visit to the Sikh families in Dalla, Prithi Mai and Tulsa of the Bhalla caste went to see him. They unceremoniously seated themselves beside him, and said with much familiarity, "You and we are of the same caste." Guru Amar Das replied in the words of Guru Nanak;

"Caste has no power in the next world; there is a new order of beings. It is the good whose accounts are honoured." "This body", continued the Guru, "is composed of five elements. It is subject to hunger, thirst, joy. Some hindu women dig holes near tanks for the benefit of their ancestors. Others drawing forth mud from tanks worship unseen spirits under the name of Bibaris, who are supposed to control children's diseases, sorrow, birth, and death. It perishes, and no caste goes with the soul to the next world. They who are honoured and exalted in God's court are those whose minds are humble, who have renounced falsehood, fraud, slander, deceit, hypocrisy, and ingratitude, and who have repeated the Name and benefited others. If the high caste, on which people pride themselves in this life, is not recognized in the next, of what advantage is it? The Guru recognizes no caste."

Saviour

Bhai's Malhan, Ramu, Gobind, and Dipa asked the Guru to give them instruction whereby they might be saved. He replied, "Abandon obstinacy and pride, serve the saints, prepare sacred food according to the rules of our religion, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, rise before day, repeat the Japji, bestow a little of your time and wealth on God's service, associate with the saints, meditate on the Word."

"Perform the duties of your religion, hurt no one's feelings, sing the Guru's hymns, be lowly and abandon pride, recognize only the Creator as the one God, and all your desires shall be fulfilled. If a man is weighed down with worldliness, he shall sink like an overladen boat in the world's ocean; but, if worldliness does not lay heavily on him, his bark shall float, and he shall obtain deliverance."

Do Not Beg

Bula, a learned pandit, laid before the Guru a scheme he had devised for a compilation of the Guru's hymns, and mooted the question of remuneration for his labour. The Guru replied, "Make a careful collection of the Guru's hymns, and give it to the Sikhs in God's name. If any one offer you money, accept it for your maintenance but do not beg, and your gain shall be great".

The Proud Brahman

Once there was a proud brahman who had come to Goindwal on a visit. When he saw the reverance and sanctity with which the people viewed the holy sarovar, he was very critical. He scoffed at their naivety and said that there was nothing as pure as their holy river Ganga. When the Sikhs heard this, they were annoyed. They wished someone would teach the proud man a lesson. They finally, went up to Guru Amar Das and requested him to do something about the arrogant brahman.

Guru Amar Das invited the brahman to take a bath in the holy sarovar and the man agreed. When he came to the sarovar, the Guru noticed that he had no jug of his own to take a bath with. When he asked him about it, the brahman casually remarked that he had lost his jug while bathing in the river Ganga. At this, Guru Amar Das put his hand inside the water and pulled out his jug from inside the sarovar.

Seeing this, the brahman was rendered speechless. He could not believe that the jug he had lost in such a far-off place could end up here. He knew that it was only the Guru's power that had made this possible. He fell at the Guru's feet and asked his forgiveness. The Guru forgave him and told him that a man's body can become pure by bathing in holy water, but his mind can be purified only when he shakes off his vices.

Guru Amar Das asked the brahman to be humble towards other men. He also told him that pride was the biggest vice of all, and if he truly wanted to serve God, he should shake away all pride and vanity from his being. The brahman sought the Guru's blessings, and left Goindwal as a Sikh and a new man.

Bhatt Bhikha

A Sultanpur bard named Bhikha embraced retirement from the world so as to search for the Creator. Wherever he heard of any saints he went to wait on them. For a long time he remained in a state of pupilage under a brahman, without obtaining any peace of mind. One day he felt very sad and prayed to God to guide him. Upon this he received an inspiration to go to Goindwal and see the Guru about whom everybody was speaking. Full of devotion he arrived and had the happiness of beholding the object of his visit. He stood absorbed in thought for a short time, and said the following in the Guru's praise;

"By the Guru's divine knowledge and meditation ones soul is blended with God. One who with a single mind fixes their attention on God, shall know God who is the truest of the true. Those minds shall not fly or wander who restrain their wrath and lust. One who dwells in God's land and obeys God's order shall obtain wisdom. One who has done good works in this age shall know God. If a true Guru is found, he will willingly and cheerfully grant a sight of God. I have continued searching for a saint and seen many holy men, Sanyasis, ascetics, and sweet-voiced pandits. I have roamed for a year, but none of them have satisfied me. I heard what they had to say, but I was not pleased with their conduct. What shall I say of the merits of those who renouncing God's name attach themselves to mammon? God has caused me to meet the Guru; as you, O God, keep me, so I abide."

Hearing Bhikha's words Guru Amar Das put his hand on his forehead as a token of accepting him as a Sikh, gave him the true Name, and made him happy. Having found the true Guru, Bhikha returned to his native town and lived there. Keeping the Guru's image in his heart, he applied himself to meditation and contemplation. As the result of his devotion Bhikha's name is recorded in the honoured roll of holy Sikhs, and his verses have been distinguished by inclusion in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 1395.

The conduct of miracles is not looked upon favourably in Sikhism. Guru Amar Das refrained from such acts, but incidence of supernatural happenings throw a light on the powers around the Guru.

Gurdwara Sri Chaubara Sahib Goindwal

(approximate location) Goindwal Sahib, Tarn Taran, Punjab, India.

Associated with Sri Guru Amar Das Ji, Sri Guru Ram Das Ji, Sri Guru Arjan Sahib Ji.
Gurdwara Sri Chaubara Sahib Goindwal was the home of Guru Amar Das and his family. Many Sikh related events occurred here.