Guru Ram Das (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਰਾਮ ਦਾਸ) was the fourth Sikh Guru.
Guru Amar Das Sahib did not consider his sons fit for Guruship and instead chose his son-in-law (Guru) Ram Das to succeed him. (Guru) Ram Das had true sprit of service and his keen understanding of the Sikh principles deserved this.
Guru Ram Das was Guru for seven years, he was born in Chuna Mandi, Lahore. As a Guru, one of his main contributions to Sikhism was organizing the structure of Sikh society. Additionally, he was the author of Laavan, the four mains hymns of the Sikh Marriage. He was planner and creator of the township of Ramdaspur which became the Sikh holy city of Amritsar.
The Sakhi (story) of Guru Ram Das's early life and where he was born.
As Bhai Jetha grew up, he began to appreciate the simple things in life. He wanted to know more about God and the different religions of the world. He would often ask his parents all sorts of questions about things he could not understand such as the racist hindu caste system, the scriptures, the creation of the world and the like.
When Bhai Jetha met Guru Amar Das it was a turning point in his life. The golden words of the Guru's teaching had a profound impact on him. He suddenly realised that all the questions that had so far disturbed him, seemed so simple now.
Bibi Bhani was the youngest and most beloved child of Guru Amar Das. When it was time to arrange the marriage of Bibi Bhani, Guru Amar Das's wife struggled to find a suitable match. At the time Bhai Jetha (the future Guru Ram Das) was about eighteen years old.
The hostility of the hindus now began to assert itself even more offensively than before. The racist khatris and brahmins sought to preemptively destroy Sikhi before it could fully establish itself.
One day, a very rich banker arrived in Goindwal to visit Guru Amar Das. As a mark of respect he presented a very expensive pearl necklace containing precious stones to the Guru.
The City of Amritsar (literally "pool of nectar") was originally called Ramdaspur (Guru Ram Das's city), or Chakk Ramdas, or Chakk Guru, or simply Guru Ka Chakk. The habitation was started by Bhai Jetha (the future Guru Ram Das) when Guru Amar Das asked him to establish a new colony of Sikhs.
Guru Amar Das asked both his son-in-laws to construct a Thara (platfrom) near the Baoli, one that he might sit on in the morning, and the other in the evening. He who did the better work would receive the greater honour. Soon they got to work, and both built nice looking platforms. When the platforms were completed, the Guru went to inspect them, he looked at each platform critically and shook his head in disapproval.
Amritsar, short for Amrit Sarovar, was established by Guru Ram Das at the time of the story of the Dukh Bhanjani Beri and Bibi Rajni. At the center of its walled old town, the gilded (gold) Sri Harmandir Sahib is seen as one of the holiest gurdwaras of the Sikh religion.
Even those people who had initially not approved of Guru Amar Das's choice, were won over by Guru Ram Das's humility. Baba Sri Chand had heard a lot about Guru Ram Das and his humble nature, and when he saw how devoted the people were to him he decided to meet the Guru out of sheer curiousity.
When Amritsar was being established, a group of yogis visited Guru Ram Das. They were studying the Sikh way of life and challenged Guru Ram Das on the lifestyle of the Sikhs.
On account of the general impression produced by the Guru's teaching, people of every class and religion flocked to see and hear him, and there was a great accession of converts. Several persons, as usual in such cases, became envious of his fame and success, and foremost among them was a Tapa or penitent (a hindu ascetic or sadhu).
A businessman of Jehlam named Bhai Soma Shah was visiting Amritsar. At Jehlam Bhai Soma Shah was considered to be an established businessman but when he saw Guru Ram Das and the residents of the city he decided to settle in Amritsar.
Bhai Sahari Mal, Guru Ram Das's first cousin, invites Guru Sahib to visit his birthplace in Lahore. It had been a long time since Guru Ram Das visited his home town, Chuna Mandi, in Lahore. Guru Ram Das agreed and promised that he would arrive in due course.
A Sikh of Guru Ram Das was in the court of Emperor Akbar, he said, "If you desire to see a living God in this world, then you should meet Guru Ram Das. He is the same man, who was a Sikh of Guru Amar Das, who met you at Lahore to solve the complaints of the malicious brahmins."
Amritsar grew famous for the healing properties of its sarovar. It was said that the diseases of those who bathed in the amrit sarovar vanished. Soon huge numbers of people started flocking to Amritsar and visits to the Ganges diminished. It is said that once Raja of Multan was afflicted with such a disease that all vaids and doctors failed to cure him.
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