Talk:Guru Rāmadās
By Swami Harshananda
Childhood of Guru Rāmadās[edit]
Guru Rāmadās lived in A. D. 1534-1581. He was the fourth of the ten Gurus of Sikhism. He was the son of Haridās, a shopkeeper, and Anup Devī. His mother was also known as Dayā Kaur. They belonged to the Khatri caste. He was born in Chuna Mandi in Lahore district which is now in Pakistan. He was given the name Jethā. He lost both the parents when he was just seven years. Then he was brought up by his grandmother in her village Basarke. He lived by selling cooked beans in the market place.
Marriage of Guru Rāmadās[edit]
At the age of twelve, he shifted to Goindvāl, a new habitation founded by Guru Amardās.[1] Very soon he attracted the attention of the Guru whom he joined and started serving. He served his guru with great sincerity and devotion. The Guru, being pleased by it, married his daughter Bībī Bhānī to him. The couple stayed at Goindvāl itself so that they could serve the Guru. Gradually Jeṭhā came to be known as Rāmdās. The couple had three sons:
- Prīticand
- Mahādev
- Arjandev
Contributions of Guru Rāmadās[edit]
Contribution in Golden Temple[edit]
Once, Guru Amardās sent him to Lahore to meet the Mughal Emperor Akbar[2] who was camping there. He went to clear some wrong notions about the teachings of the Guru. He fulfilled this assignment admirably. Before passing away, Guru Amardās chose Rāmdās as his successor. He also instructed him to construct a pool in the land especially acquired for that purpose. It was 40 kms.[3] to the northwest of Goindvāl. Gradually a town also developed around the pool. This is the now famous city of Amritsar with its pool round the Golden Temple. Guru Rāmdās had to take a lot of trouble to complete the work due to lack of funds. However he finally succeeded in the same.
Other Contributions[edit]
Another contribution of the Guru was the establishment of ‘Mañjīs’ or preaching centers. The Sikh brotherhood was divided into 22 mañjīs. They had special couches on which pious Sikh teachers would sit and preach the tenets of Sikhism. Guru Rāmdās was a great poet. The Guru Grantha Sāhib contains his 638 hymns in 30 rāgas.[4] They are full of the praise of God, his name and a sādhaka’s yearning for God. He passed away in 1581 after anointing his last son Arjandev, since he was the most devoted and faithful disciple.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore