ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>R&#256M D&#256S GUR&#362(1534-1581)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background:#EAF1F7 url('../images/gtbh.jpg') no-repeat fixed center; color: #0066CC} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="RM,DS,GURj,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279R&#256M D&#256S, GUR&#362(1534-1581), is the fourth Gur&#363 or spiritual mentor of the Sikhs in the line of Gur&#363 N&#257nak, Gur&#363 A&#7749gad and Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s. "R&#257m D&#257s "translates as servant or slave of God (<i>r&#257m</i> = God + <i>d&#257s</i>= slave). Blessed by Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s with the light of N&#257nak and appointed Gur&#363 in 1574, Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s carried the spiritual authority of the Sikh community for seven years, until his death in 1581. He constructed the nectar pool which surrounds Harimandar, the Golden Temple of modern day, and founded Amritsar, the holy city of the Sikhs, around it.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s was simply called Je&#7789h&#257 (which means firstborn) at his birth on, 24 September 1534 in Ch&#363n&#257 Ma&#7751&#7693&#299 in Lahore (now in Pakistan). His father was Hari D&#257s, a shopkeeper, and his mother was An&#363p Dev&#299, also known as Day&#257 Kaur. They belonged to the So&#7693h&#299 family, part of the Khatr&#299 caste. At seven he lost both his parents and was cared for by his grandmother in her village B&#257sarke, the ancestral village also of Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s. He was an only child. To earn his meagre keep, Je&#7789h&#257 sold cooked beans in the market-place, yet, as people said, he often gave away his food to hungry people.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; At twelve, Je&#7789h&#257 travelled to <u>Kh</u>a&#7693&#363r with some people and thence to Goindv&#257l, a new habitation founded by (Gur&#363) Amar D&#257s the same year under the orders of Gur&#363 A&#7749gad (1504-52), and chose to reside at Goindv&#257l permanently. Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s, who succeeded to the spiritual seat of Gur&#363 N&#257nak after the death of Gur&#363 A&#7749gad in March 1552, and his wife, Mans&#257 Dev&#299, recognized Je&#7789h&#257's upright character and steadfast service and gave their daughter, B&#299b&#299 Bh&#257n&#299, in marriage to him on 18 February 1554. The couple chose to stay in Goindv&#257l to be near Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s rather than return to Lahore and follow the traditional practice of residing in the native city of the husband. They had three sons, Prith&#299 Chand (1558), Mah&#257dev (1560), and Arjan Dev (1563. Bh&#257&#299 Je&#7789h&#257 continued to serve the Gur&#363 with devotion and humility. Already called by his proper name R&#257m D&#257s, he distinguished himself by his intelligent understanding of the articles of Sikh faith and by constantly attending to the needs of the <i>sa&#7749gat</i> as well as of the Gur&#363, thus endearing himself to both. Once Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s despatched him to Lahore to meet with the Mu<u>gh</u>al emperor Akbar in order to answer objections that Br&#257hma&#7751s had made in the royal court against running a free kitchen by Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s abandoning the traditional religious and social customs and ignoring distinctions of the four castes. Rim D&#257s&#8217 simple statement that all are equal in the eyes of God pleased Akbar who dismissed the accusations.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Before Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s died on 1 September 1574,he had chosen R&#257m D&#257s as his successor to carry on the light of N&#257nak as Gur&#363. Verses in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib (<i>Sad</i>, by Sundar D&#257s, great-grandson of Gur&#363 Am&#257r D&#257s (GG, 923-24), record how all the Sikhs, sons, relations and companions fell at the feet of R&#257m D&#257s in acknowledgement of his elevation to Gur&#363.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Before R&#257m D&#257s became Gur&#363, Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s had instructed him to establish a new town and to construct a pool as the central point. A site was selected 40 km northwest of Goindv&#257l. There are differing accounts of how the land was acquired. One version, reported in the Amritsar District Gazetteer, states that land, 500 <i>bigh&#257s</i> in area, was purchased from the landowners of Tu&#7749g for 700 Akbar&#299 rupees. Another version says that Emperor Akbar offered the land to Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s who refused; so the gift was made to B&#299b&#299 Bh&#257n&#299 who, in turn, donated it to the growing Sikh community. The town was first called Gur&#363 k&#257 Chakk (the Gur&#363's village), then Ramd&#257spur (the city of R&#257m D&#257s) and finally Amritsar (lit. pool of nectar; <i>amrit</i> = nectar + <i>sar</i> = pool). Merchants and artisans were invited from distant places to come and settle-here. The town grew into a centre of commerce and even more significantly into one of pilgrimage attraction. Gur&#363 Arjan, N&#257nak V(1563-1606), described R&#257md&#257spur in a hymn in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib as a city <i>par excellence</i> "I have seen all places, but I have seen none other like this..." </p> <p class="C1" style="text-align: right">(GG, 1362).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In order to finance the construction of the tank and to provide for the <i>la&#7749gar</i> or free kitchen, Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s organized a network of Sikhs to collect offerings. Called <i>masands</i>, these Sikhs travelled to other cities to carry the Gur&#363's message. Best remembered from among them is Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s, who was despatched by Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s to teach in &#256gr&#257. Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s had established <i>mañj&#299s</i> or preaching centres in different parts of the country to knit together the distant communities. The system introduced by Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s further helped to consolidate the Sikh faith.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s is pictured as having a long beard. According to tradition preserved in old Sikh chronicles, once B&#257b&#257 Sr&#299 Chand (1494-1629), the elder son of Gur&#363 N&#257nak who established the ascetic Ud&#257s&#299 sect, came to visit him and remarked in banter that he (the Gur&#363) had grown a long beard. "Yes," replied Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s, "I have grown a long beard so that I may wipe with it the feet of saintly men like you." B&#257b&#257 Sr&#299 Chand recalled his father, Gur&#363 N&#257nak, and he told all present that Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s was deservingly sitting in his father's true place.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sah&#257r&#299 Mall, Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s' first cousin, came from Lahore in 1580 to invite the Gur&#363 to his son's wedding. Unable to travel himself because of the work then in progress on the holy tank in Amritsar, Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s asked each of his three sons to go and represent him. Prith&#299 Chand asked to be excused, as did Mah&#257dev; only Arjan Dev, out of pure devotion to the Gur&#363, his father, agreed to attend. In addition, Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s asked Arjan Dev to stay on in Lahore in order to minister to the Sikhs living there until recalled. After some time, Arjan Dev began to feel the pain of separation; so he wrote a poem to his father expressing his longing to return to the Gur&#363's court. Prith&#299 Chand intercepted the letter and concealed it. He did the same with a second letter. A third letter, however, reached Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s directly, whereupon Prith&#299 Chand's deception was discovered because the letter had been marked number 3. Arjan Dev was summoned back to Amritsar where he composed a fourth stanza of the poem in joyful praise of the Gur&#363. Moved by the spiritual idiom of this poem, Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s decided to bestow the light of Gur&#363 N&#257nak upon Arjan Dev, who became the Fifth Gur&#363.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Shortly thereafter, Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s retired to Goindv&#257l where he died on 2 Ass&#363 1638/ 1 September 1581. A <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i> named Guri&#257i Asth&#257n Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s in Goindv&#257l stands upon the site where he was installed Gur&#363. In Ch&#363n&#257 Ma&#7751&#7693&#299 in Lahore, Gurdw&#257r&#257 Janam Asth&#257n marks his birthplace. Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s d&#299 Nagr&#299 (the City of Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s), the name of Amritsar in pious terminology, will remain a living monument to the memory of Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s was a poet of high merit. The Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib contains 638 hymns in 30 different <i>r&#257gas</i> or musical measures, composed by him on social and spiritual themes. His poetry, divinely inspired, speaks of God's name and praise in rhymed verse. The most often quoted composition of Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s is an instruction for the daily practice of a Sikh-rising before dawn, bathing, and meditating on God with the coming of the light:</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One who considers himself to be a disciple of the Gur&#363 should rise before the coming of the light and contemplate the Divine name. During the early hours of the morning he should rise and bathe, cleansing his soul in a tank of nectar, while he repeats the Name the Gur&#363 has spoken to him. By this procedure he trvely washes away the sins of his soul. Then with the arrival of the dawn he should sing the hymns of praise taught him by the Gur&#363. He should hold the Name in his heart all through the busy hours of the day. The one who repeats the Name with each breath is a most dear disciple of the Gur&#363. The disciple who has received the gift of the Lord's Name trvely wins the favour of the supreme Lord. I seek the very dust under the feet of such a one who repeats the Name and inspires others to do so </p> <p class="C1" style="text-align: right">(GG, 305).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote></p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In this passage, Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s defines a Sikh by what a Sikh does, rather than by what he is by birth, status or belief.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The best-known among his compositions is <i>L&#257v&#257&#7749</i>, comprising four 4-line stanzas, used as a wedding hymn which is sung at the Sikh marriage ceremony, known as <i>anand k&#257raj</i>, the recitation of each stanza preceding and accompanying successively the four circumambulations (<i>l&#257v&#257&#7749</i>, in Punjabi) around the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib performed by the couple being married.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The poetry of Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s expresses both the profound humility and the joyful exaltation of a person meeting God. His words speak sweetly to the inner voice of the listener:</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Inside, I thirst for God. The Gur&#363's word enters my heart like an arrow. Only I can know the pain of my heart. Who else can feel my sorrow? Oh God, the Gur&#363 fascinates me. I am in wonder and ecstasy seeing the Gur&#363. I wander abroad, searching, because I am intent on seeing Him. I surrender my body and soul to the Gur&#363 who has shown me the pathway to God. If anyone comes with a call from the Lord, the sound is sweet to my mind, heart, and soul. I cut off my head and put it at the feet of the one who has met God and can make me meet Him, too </p> <p class="C1" style="text-align: right">(GG, 835-36).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote></p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; His poems are rich with feeling of devotion; he speaks of being a slave, worthy only of the dust from the feet of those who are conscious of God. His words express a deep longing for union with the Lord. He writes that if he were slandered and driven away, still he would meditate on the One who can carry his soul safely home. The Gur&#363 reveals God's Name and elevates the human being to the highest state of peaceful poise and majestic dominion. The Gur&#363 is the word of God, and the word of God is the Gur&#363 &#8212 here in lies the essence of nectar. In meditating on the sacred Name of God, the mortal becomes one with God. There is no greater pleasure than to speak the Name of God. This comes from the blessing of the Gur&#363.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The endearing sound of God's name is reflected in the language of Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s; his poems have a soft, mellifluous sound:</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Name of God fills my heart with joy. My great fortune is to meditate on God's name. The miracle of God's name is attained through the perfect Gur&#363, but only a rare soul walks in the light of the Gur&#363's wisdom. I have tied the provision of God's name to my garment. It is the companion of my breath and always comes with me. The perfect Gur&#363 puts the never ending wealth of God in my lap. God is my friend, my beloved, my king. Let some one come and take me to meet God, the life of my breath. I cannot live without seeing my beloved. My soul flows out in tears. The Gur&#363 helped me as a child and is my friend. Oh my mother, I cannot live without it. Oh God, my soul, have mercy and unite me with the Gur&#363. N&#257nak has the wealth of God in the sachet of his soul </p> <p class="C1" style="text-align: right">(GG, 94).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote> </p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the act of reciting Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s' poems the reader speaks the name of God many times over-matching the message of the poetry.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s is full of praise for the saints who remember God's name in their hearts, but he is equally direct in his criticism of those who have forgotten God and gone astray in illusion and pride.</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;O man! The poison of pride is killing you, blinding you to God. Your body, the colour of gold, has been scarred and discoloured by selfishness. Illusions of grandeur turn black, but the ego-maniac is attached to them. Humble N&#257nak is saved by the Gur&#363, because the Gur&#363's song releases him from ego </p> <p class="C1" style="text-align: right">(GG, 776).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote></p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The spiritual sovereignty of Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s is attested by Bha&#7789&#7789s or musical poets who composed songs of praise in the court of Gur&#363 Arjan. The inclusion of these compositions in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib confirms their authenticity and standing in the Sikh tradition. They portray the stature of Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s, as he was viewed by his contemporaries. These eulogies occur towards the end of the Holy Book in section of poems called Savaiyy&#257s.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s was invested with the regal dignity of <i>r&#257j jog</i> (king of yoga), writes the bard named Nal (GG, 1398). Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s was given the glory of God's Name by the true Gur&#363 who established the permanent throne of Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s, says D&#257s the bard (GG, 1404). The powerful Gur&#363 placed his hand on the head of Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s and he was blessed with God's truth (GG, 1400). Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s received the fruit of his service to God by being blessed with the enduring treasure of God's Name (GG, 1401). K&#299rat, the minstrel, prays to be under his protection (GG, I406). Perhaps, the greatest tribute is sung by the bards Balva&#7751&#7693 and Satt&#257 who composed an ode of praise singing, "You are N&#257nak, and Lahi&#7751&#257 (A&#7749gad), you are Amar D&#257s, too. The miracle is complete, the Creator adores you. Blessed, blessed is Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s" (GG,968).</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Bhall&#257, Sar&#363p D&#257s, <i>Mahim&#257, Prak&#257sh</i>. Patiala, 1971<BR> <li class="C1"> Chhibbar, Kesar Singh: <i>Ba&#7749s&#257val&#299n&#257m&#257 Das&#257&#7749 P&#257tsh&#257h&#299&#257&#7749 K&#257</i>, ed., Ratan Si&#7749gh Jagg&#299. Chandigarh, 1972<BR> <li class="C1"> Santokh Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth</i>. Amritsar, 1927-35<BR> <li class="C1"> V&#299r Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Ash&#7789 Gur&#363 Chamatk&#257r</i>. Amritsar,1971<BR> <li class="C1"> S&#257hib Si&#7749gh, <i>J&#299van Brit&#257nt Sr&#299 Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s</i>. Amritsar, 1976<BR> <li class="C1"> S&#299tal J&#299t Si&#7749gh <i>Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s</i>. Patiala, 1960<BR> <li class="C1"> Macauliffe, Max Arthur, <i>The Sikh Religion</i>. Oxford, 1909<BR> <li class="C1"> Mansukhani, G.S., <i>Guru Ram Das: His Life, Work and Philosophy</i>. Delhi, 1979<BR> <li class="C1"> Harbans Singh, <i>The Heritage of the Sikhs</i>. Delhi, 1983<BR> <li class="C1"> Madanjit Kaur, <i>The Golden Temple&#8212Past and Present</i>. Amritsar, 1983<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">G. S. Mansukh&#257n&#299<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>