Guru Arjun Devji

Born as youngest son of Guru Ramdas ji and named as Arjun Mall he was destined to become the fifth Guru of Sikhs. When he was still a child Baba Budhaji called him “Bani ka Bohith”,the ship of the Bani. He was under training of Baba Budhaji and Bhai Gurdasji. He lived in very hostile conditions on one side was his brother Prithi Chand who always conspired against him and then the Mogul Empire. He was still the favorite son of Guru Ramdasji because he not only learned the ideals of the house of Nanak but composed the Bani himself. He travelled extensively in Majha and consolidated the followership to Sikhism. When he was bestowed the Guruship his first task was to complete the work of Tank and Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar. During a famine in Punjab he helped to dig wells all over Majha and a well with six water drawing channels called Chhehrta was his invention. He also helped people of Lahore during an epidemic there. His selfless service for people and kind helping nature earned him the title of ‘Sacha Padshah’. His wisdom and very sharp intelligence and most humble personality were enough to draw people to Sikhism. After Guru Nanak he did the extensive missionary work to consolidate Sikhism. He settled two towns of Kartarpur and Tarn Taran. The monumental task that he completed was the compilation of Guru Granth Sahib. In his opinion the Granth would be a perennial source of inspiration and the means of self perpetuation for the community. The utterances of all the Gurus so far were called bani and an object of highest reverence for Sikhs and Gurus themselves. It was equated with Guru and thus became ‘Bani Guru hai, Guru hai Bani’. Guru Arjunji set himself to compile these bani in a Granth and with the help of Bhai Gurdas completed the monumental task in five years. His being the scholar of extreme sharpness and wisdom and his knowledge of poetry and music is shown in the compilation of Guru Granth sahib. He not only documented the Bani in 31 ragas and raginis but the whole task was done with a usage of grammar in such a way that pollution and pilferage could be avoided. The Granth was installed at Harmandir sahib in Amritsar and Baba Budhaji was the first Granthi. The Harmandir Sahib and Guru Granth Sahib are the two statements that crystallized the Sikh faith one as a central place for Sikhs and the other as the key factor in organizing the Sikhs in a community. Guru Granth Sahib not only became the permanent repository for the messages of Gurus but the revealer of Divine truth and a spiritual and religious guide of the Sikhs. It is not only the source of literary tradition but it enhanced the intellectual and cultural environment of the Sikhs. With the compilation of Guru Granth Sahib the detractors of Sikhism saw their chance of evil plans to be executed against Guru and he became the first martyr of Sikhism.

He fulfilled the requirements of a true Sikh as according to the house of Nanak; ‘a virtuous soul must be the courageous soul.’ Willingness to suffer trials for one’s convictions was a religious imperative. Guru Arjun exemplified this principle.

Note: As I will be travelling on the occasion of Birth anniversary of Guru Arjun Devji on 2^nd May I wish all my friends who encourage me and inspire me to write “A very happy Gurpurab”