Guru Ram Das was the fourth Sikh Guru of the ten Gurus of Sikhism. He’s founding father of Ramdaspur, later often known as Amritsar, the centre of Sikhism and the positioning of the Sikhs’ principal place of worship—the Harimandir Sahib, or Golden Temple. Guru Ram Das composed 638 hymns or about 10 p.c of hymns within the Guru Granth Sahib. Whereas Guru Amar Das launched the manji system of a non secular group, Ram Das prolonged it by including the Masand establishment.

The masand had been Sikh group leaders who lived removed from the Guru, however acted to guide the distant congregations, their mutual interactions, and accumulate income for Sikh actions and temple constructing.

Born as Bhai Jetha on 9 October 1534 — in keeping with the Nanakshahi calendar — in Lahore, he misplaced his dad and mom on the age of seven and was introduced up by his grandmother, who later took him to Goindval in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district. It was right here that he met Guru Amar Das and determined to develop into the latter’s disciple. He shortly rose within the ranks to emerge as his Guru’s favorite, and even married the latter’s youthful daughter — Bibi Bhani — and finally, was appointed Ram Das, the fourth Guru of the Sikhs. His bani, or set of songs, contained greater than 600 hymns that held varied teachings for followers of the religion. However his teachings went far past the books. When a bunch of Brahmins in Goindval raised objections to langar — that ostensibly ignored distinctions of the 4 castes — Amar Das dispatched his son-in-law to fulfill Emperor Akbar and tackle the grievances. Ram Das’s strikingly easy assertion on the royal courtroom, that each one had been equal within the eyes of god, led Akbar to dismiss all objections.

Within the years to come back, Ram Das additionally stepped up efforts to strengthen the apply of commensality and even proclaimed that “kings and emperors are all created by God; they arrive and bow in reverence to God’s humble servant”.

However he needed to depart Goindval quickly after his coronation in 1574 when he was confronted with rivalry from Amar Das’ sons. As suggested by his father-in-law, Ram Das and Bibi Bhani then moved to a brand new place.

An ‘autonomous’ Amritsar

It’s this new place, the chief function of which was its human-made sarovar (tank), that was to develop into Amritsar within the years to come back. Guru Ram Das had laid the foundations of Ramdaspur, later renamed to Amritsar, when he inaugurated the pool’s excavation in 1577. The sarovar later grew to become the nucleus of Amritsar when Ram Das’ youngest son and successor, Guru Arjan Dev, constructed a temple complicated round it and positioned a duplicate of the Adi Granth at Harmandir Sahib in 1604.

Ramdaspur or Amritsar was additionally maybe a kind of few cities that remained autonomous within the context of a bigger Mughal rule. Arjan Dev’s proclamation that the city had no collector of taxes was a sworn statement to this truth. He had pointed towards a actuality that the city was below the “authority of the Guru, not the Mughal state”.

Charting roadmap for a wedding regulation

Amongst Guru Ram Das’s most well-known compositions, essentially the most well-known is his wedding ceremony hymn that fashioned the premise of the Sikh wedding ceremony ceremony referred to as Anand Karaj. This ceremony is centered on the laavaan — 4 stanzas that the fourth Guru had composed. The hymn additionally emerged to be the point of interest on which the British-era Anand Marriage Act of 1909 was later fashioned. Within the years after Independence, nonetheless, the Act garnered controversy when Sikh marriages had been introduced below the fold of the Hindu Marriage Act. After years of protests, in 2012, a number of states, together with Delhi, determined to permit Sikhs to register their marriages below the Anand Marriage Act.

As Bhai Jetha grew up, he started to understand the straightforward issues in life. He wished to know extra about God and the completely different religions of the world. He would usually ask his dad and mom all kinds of questions on issues he couldn’t perceive such because the racist hindu caste system, the scriptures, the creation of the world and the like.

When his dad and mom had been unable to offer passable solutions, Bhai Jetha would flip to the realized males who might. The seek for solutions led Bhai Jetha to clergymen, to students, and different holy males who occurred to go Chuna Mandi. He started discovering their discourses so intersting that he would spend increasingly time with them.

At first his dad and mom encourged him hoping that he would develop into a greater particular person by way of his affiliation with holy males. However as he grew up they started to get fearful. They realised that Bhai Jetha was spending extra time with these males than on his vocation. They feared that he would develop into an reclusive sadhu, if he continued mixing with the holy males. Thus, they requested him to take up some work in order that he might earn a dwelling, and get entangled in family affairs.

Although Bhai Jetha was not inquisitive about establishing a commerce, he nonetheless obeyed his dad and mom. He requested them what he was purported to do. His mom thought onerous. It so occurred that their neighbour used to hawk roasted grams within the close by market, and earn moderately properly from it. Daya Kaur determined that her son might do the identical. After they advised Bhai Jetha about it, he agreed dutifully.

Serving to The Needy

On the very subsequent day, Daya Kaur ready a bagful of roasted grams and gave it to Bhai Jetha to promote. After leaving residence, Bhai Jetha went on his errand along with his meals. However as he handed by the financial institution of the river Ravi he occurred to see a bunch of holy males. Happy to see them he determined to cease by, and pay his respects. In the course of the course of their dialog he gathered that none of them had eaten something because the morning, and had no hope of discovering something to eat for the remainder of the day. Bhai Jetha was so pained after listening to this that he determined to not go to the market in any respect. As a substitute he supplied the holy males his bag, of grams. Because the hungry holy males started consuming the grams they thanked younger Bhai Jetha, and blessed him. It happy Bhai Jetha to have fed the hungry holy males who in any other case would have gone to sleep on an empty abdomen. However then he out of the blue realised that his dad and mom could be very upset after they would hear that as an alternative of promoting the grams, he had donated it to a bunch of holy males. He was nonetheless questioning what to do when he noticed a bunch of Sikhs passing. He realized that they had been heading in direction of Goindwal to pay their respects to Guru Amar Das, who was the third Guru of the Sikhs.

When Bhai Jetha heard this he was so thrilled on the prospect of assembly the Guru that he instantly determined to affix the group, as an alternative of going again residence. To him, nothing appeared extra essential than seeing the Guru in particular person, and in search of his blessings. He left Lahore with out giving it a second thought, and eagerly appeared ahead to assembly the Guru seeking God.

Selfless Service

Bhai Jetha was once both cleansing the utensils within the kitchen or sweeping the home or one thing else. He was all the time round to assist different folks. He was liked by every person, together with the Guru and his household. Quickly, Guru Amar Das grew to become so keen on him that he started guiding him spiritually. When he realised that the younger boy was actually a slave of God, he started to dote on him. Bhai Jetha, then again, took it upon himself to serve Guru Amar Das in each method, and he started taking care of the Guru’s private comforts by himself. He would clear the dharamsala, serve the meals, press the Guru’s toes, therapeutic massage his physique, and typically even wash his garments with nice pleasure. All this endeared him vastly to Guru Amar Das, and he grew actually keen on Bhai Jetha. The boy too felt very glad and content material when he was with Guru Amar Das, in his service.

When the entire celebration returned to Lahore, Bhai Jetha stayed again in Goindwal to serve the Guru. He knew his dad and mom would initially be upset at his choice, however he additionally knew that with time they’d settle for his choice, and even admire it. They had been as non secular minded as he was, and lived by the teachings of the Gurus. He determined that at some point he would go himself and clarify his choice to them, however for now he needed to keep by his Guru’s facet.

He continued to carry out all kinds of duties as a right for himself. He was all the time doing one thing both for Guru Amar Das or for the opposite folks, and in addition the dharamsala. It was not lengthy earlier than he truly grew to become a part of their household.

The Necklace

Someday, a really wealthy banker arrived in Goindwal to go to Guru Amar Das. As a mark of respect he introduced a really costly pearl necklace containing valuable stones to the Guru. The person wished to place the necklace on Guru Amar Das, however the Guru stated he was too previous for such ornaments. As a substitute, he requested the person to place it the necklace on one who was the Guru’s picture, that resembled him essentially the most. The puzzled devotee did know what to take action he handed the necklace to Guru Amar Das asking him to offer it to the one he thought was his mirror picture. The gathered Sangat began speculating whether or not it could be one of many Guru’s two sons, Mohri and Mohan, others once more considered different trustworthy and obedient Sikhs.

Guru Amar Das stunned all of them when he requested Bhai Jetha to strategy him. Then, inserting the necklace, with all its magnificence and splendour on him, he declared that nobody resembled him extra in appears to be like and nature than Bhai Jetha. This was an open indication to the those that Bhai Jetha would succeed Guru Amar Das.

The Faqir’s Slander

On an occasional afternoon Guru Amar Das used to go along with his retinue to the financial institution of the river Beas. On the way in which a dirty bare muhammadan faqir, who was virtually all the time below the affect of intoxicants, took up his place. The faqir wished to maliciously slander the Guru.

As Guru Amar Das handed, he stated, in a voice loud sufficient for the Guru to listen to, “He consumes the wealth of the entire world. The older he grows the extra miserly he turns into. He solely makes presents to these from whom he wishes one thing in return. He takes no discover of faqirs, and has by no means remembered me who am a beggar like others. I take opium and bhang, and he by no means offeres me any, although he ought typically to think about the poor. I look after nobody, be he king or emperor; I converse the reality to his face. When a person provides me something I pray for his welfare.”

The faqir usually used such offensive language in reference to the Guru. The Guru, who was persistence incarnate, used to stay silent and go on. Someday Bhai Jetha accompanied the Guru, and on listening to the graceless faqir spluttering and discharging, because it had been, the sediment of his bhang, stated to the faqir, “Why take part in sin by slandering the true Guru?”

The Faqir’s Gratitude

The faqir replied, “Why ought to I not? He has by no means given me alms. Give me the necklace you put on.” On this Bhai Jetha took off his valuable necklace, and put it on the faqir. Upon this the faqir started to sing aloud the Guru’s praises, “You’re extra beneficiant than Raja Harishchandra, than Raja Karan, and than Raja Vikramadit (these Rajas had been famend for his or her generosity).”

Because the celebration returned from the river within the night, and whereas the Guru was nonetheless distant, the faqir started to bathe additional praises and blessings on him. “You save the world; could your sons and grandsons prosper and flourish!” The Guru on listening to this remarked that any individual will need to have been beneficiant to the faqir, in any other case he might have altered his tone and language so shortly. After making enquiries, Guru Amar Das realized what had occurred. Bhai Jetha confessed, “Guru Sahib, I gave the faqir my necklace. You’ve got given me God’s identify as a necklace; I maintain it by me. This perishable necklace, I supplied in your identify.” On listening to this the Guru Amar Das was very happy and blessed Bhai Jetha.

Ramdaspur

The Metropolis of Amritsar (actually “pool of nectar”) was initially referred to as Ramdaspur (Guru Ram Das’s metropolis) and Chakk Ramdas, or Chakk Guru, or just Guru Ka Chakk. The habitation was began by Bhai Jetha (the long run Guru Ram Das) when Guru Amar Das requested him to ascertain a brand new colony of Sikhs.

Guru Nanak’s Go to

At the moment there was no habitation close by Ramdaspur. Just a few kilometers away had been the villages of Sultanwind, Tung, Chattiwind and Khaparkheri. Guru Amar Das knew that Guru Nanak stayed on the financial institution of the small pure lake and the berry timber. Guru Nanak rested at evening and within the early morning all through the day, sang Gurbani (kirtan). Guru Nanak sang of his thirst just for the nectar of the God’s Identify, to be engrossed in devotion to Waheguru. After staying close to the pond for someday, Guru Nanak then travelled in direction of the west. Bhai Jetha was tasked with discovering the placement that Guru Nanak had visited. Bhai Jetha searched, and located an open uninhabited tract of nation some twenty-five miles from Goindwal, and there he established himself.

Santokhsar Sarovar

Bhai Jetha, with the assistance of Sikhs and labourers started to excavate the earth for the development of a sarovar (tank or pool of water). This primary sarovar was not Amritsar, it was Santokhsar. When Bhai Jetha started the work on digging Santokhsar sarovar, he discovered a yogi, meditating close by. After someday the yogi opened his eyes and advised Bhai Jetha that he had been meditating right here for a very long time, ready for a Guru to offer him salvation. He disclosed his identify as Santakha after which breathed his final. The sarovar was then named as Santokhsar nonetheless Bhai Jetha was undecided the placement of Santokhsar was the right web site that Guru Nanak had visited.

Return To Goindwal

After a while, when a portion of the work was achieved and several other folks had constructed huts for themselves on the brand new web site, Bhai Jetha, affected by the ache of separation from the Guru, returned to Goindwal to report the extent of the work he had carried out.