Pritpal Singh Bindra, Mississauga, Ontario
The atrocities committed by the Muslim invaders had, no doubt, put the indigenous population of India into great suffering. But the impact of the Brahmanical malpractices was much greater. Through the practice of rituals and caste discrimination the Hindu priesthood was plundering the innocent people and leading them back to primitive customs. Under such circumstances Bhai Lehna was born on March 31, 1504 AD, at village Mate-deeSaran in the present District of Ferozepore in Punjab. His father, Baba Pheru Mal, ran a successful business of rope making. His mother, Mai Daya Kaur was a very pious lady. He was married to Bibi Kheevi, the daughter of Devi Chand in the year 1519 AD.
Although Bhai Lehna was an ardent devotee of the Goddess Vaishnu Devi and used to go to her Temple in the Hills every year on pilgrimage, he was disillusioned with the Brahmanical liturgy. While passing through the vicinity of Kartarpur, on his way to the Temple, he often heard about the mission of Guru Nanak, his Gurbani (the celestial revelations) and non-sectarian teachings. It was in the year 1532 AD when he decided to go and see Baba Nanak. Once he was there the divine light transcended and the man, who was born in luxuries of an affluent Khatri family, became the humble and most obedient disciple of Guru Nanak.
Guru Nanak was busy in his rice fields when Bhai Lehna, dressed up in spotless clean clothes, approached him. In spite of the presence of farm-labour, Bhai Lehna was ordered to carry away a bundle of paddy soaked with mud. Without a moment of hesitation he obeyed the order. When Mata Sulakhni, Guru Nanak’s wife, expressed her apprehension against putting a thorough gentleman into such an unclean ordeal, Guru Nanak pronounced, “The bundle, in fact, was the weight of humanity. The mud represented the spattering of saffron showered on him to honor his willingness to carry the responsibility.”
India’s caste ridden society did not permit a high status person to partake in a menial task. A mouse was lying dead at the Temple. Ordinarily a shudra (low caste) would be called to throw that away. But Guru Nanak asked his two sons for the removal of the carcass. When they refused he merely looked towards Bhail Lehna. Without any vacillation he cleared the place. Once Guru’s bathing cup fell into a sewer. He summoned his sons to take that out. As the spot smelled foul, they told the father to leave that and buy a new one. The Guru glanced at Bhai Lehna, Without any objection he jumped into the dirt and brought the cup out.
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At a very cold midnight the Guru asked his sons to go out to the stream and wash. a few clothes but they refused directly; it was the job of a washerman, they asserted. But Bhai Lehna unquestionably obeyed. During a miserable winter night, a rain storm demolished a mud wall of the house, The Guru’s sons just ignored saying that the labor could come next day and rebuild the same. But the Guru wanted the rebuilding to start immediately and Bhai Lehna commenced the work.
The pinnacle approached when Guru Nanak pretended to become crazy and lunatic. He picked up a large stick and arranged with him the company of a few stray dogs. He started to scare everybody coming on his way. His devotees began to leave, At the end he reached a place where a white sheet was spread, supposedly covering a dead-body. He ordered people to eat the corpse. Rest of the disciples, considering him absolutely gone mad, abandoned him as well. But Bhai Lehna came forward and, obeying the order, lifted the sheet. There was no dead body. A heap of Karah Parshad, the sacred sweet pudding was lying there.
The tests for the dedication and devotion were over. The Guru took Bhai Lehna in his arms, embraced him affectionately and said, “Bhai Lehna, from today you are no more Lehna but Angad. I make you as my owning, Limb.”
And, in spite of his sons’ remonstration and protests Guru Nanak initiated Bhai Lehna as Guru Angad, the Second Spiritual Preceptor of Sikhism, in September 1539 AD after accepting his unquestioned service of seven years.
To keep a cultural heritage alive, the preservation of its language is most important. Specific ‘characters’ are developed in hundreds of years to maintain the originality of a speech. Apart from his own Gurbani, Guru Nanak had collected the celestial uttering’s of a number of Saints. He endowed Guru Angad with this treasure. To safeguard the authenticity of this! great paragon, Guru Angad reformed and standardized the Punjabi alphabetical form and endowed the present Gurmukhi script to the Gurbani.
Equality prevails when people sit on the same level and eat the same type of food coming from same source. This eliminates the distinction of high and low. Pondering upon this concept Guru Nanak had launched the tradition of Langar, the community kitchen. Not only the equality, it also provided an opportunity of having full meals by the needy, handicapped and downtrodden. Sound mind needs a sound body. Realizing the importance of this notion, the Guru Angad had introduced wrestling and other forms of physical fitness. Much more sustaining food was required for the maintenance of an healthy body. Keeping this in mind, Guru Angad went a few steps further and introduced the serving of nourishing and dainty dishes such as Kheer-the rice pudding and ghee-the clarified-butter, etc., in the Langar The credit for this goes to the womanhood as well. It was Guru Angad’s wife, Mata Kheevi, who took over the responsibility of running the kitchen, and bestowed it with an efficient system. The convention of Langar turned into an important institution of Sikhism. (For his own living. Guru Angad depended upon the income from his family business of rope making. He had also issued strict instructions to his sons, Datu and Dasu, to confine to their own honest earnings for their personal maintenance).
The developments new centers of learning is considered essential for the expansion and proselytization of emerging religious values. Envisioning its necessity Guru Nanak feature as the part of his mission and established the new township of Kartarpur. (In keeping with these criteria almost all the Gurus favored the new settlements and the modern towns of Amritsar. Tarn Taran, Keeratpur. Anandpur Sahib, Paonta, Damdama, etc., were founded by the Gurus themselves. In the contemporary life, also, wherever Sikhs go, in any part of the world, they consider it their duty to set up new Gurdwaras, the Sikh Temples as their first duty).
A Guru’s Sikh named Goinda owned a big chunk of land. A devious Yogi called Tapa had marupulated people to believe that the Goinda’s land was infested with ghosts and the devilish souls and no inhabitation was possible there. Consequently all of it was lying baren. Goinda approached Guru Angad for some resolve, Not only the Guru decimated this unscrupulous fallacy, he established the hour ishing town of Goindwal at the place
Once the rainy season was delayed and the livelihood of the people was badly effected. Taps took advantage of the titration. He propagated that it was the result of Guru’s defiance towards teachings of Vedas and amalgamation of castes, particularly during eating in the community kitchen. The main would come only if the Guru’s encampment was dislodged from the area. Peace loving Guru voluntarily abandoned the place but the rain still did not appear, Guru’s ardent disciple. (Guruj Amar Das impromptu forecast that the rain would fall when and wherever Tapa’s body is dragged. Untold amount of rain started to endow the ground as soon as Tapa was taken out in the streets by the inhabitants.
Guru Nanak had reminded the mighty Mughal Emperor, Babur, of the atrocities meted out by him to the unarmed and downtrodden masses, without any fear of repercussion. The courage was infused in Guru Angad like his Master The Mughal King Hamayun chased by Sher Shah Suri, while passing nearby Goindwal, decided to seek the blessings of the pious person occupying the thorns Baba Nanak. Guru Angad was absorbed in watching the wresting bout when the king reached the place. He did not take notice of the King’s presence for a few minutes. Hamayun’s ego considered this as in insult, and he took out his sword to hit the Guru. The Guru very calmly said, “Hamayun where had this sword vanished when you faced Sher Shah Now you are brandishing it to subdue the Faguits.
Apart from the spread of Gurbani and prevalence of human values Guru Angad accumulated and safeguarded the Gurbani frorn false infiltration. He also arranged to collect the hagiographical sketches of the life of Guru Nanak and sustained them prudently. Guru Angad’s pontification lasted a period of 13 years. His two sons did not attain the level of piety required to carry the load of Guruship. Amar Das, father-in-law of Guru’s daughter, Amro, once a devotee of Goddesses, rendered untiring and inexhaustible service to the Guru, Guru’s Sikhs and the in the Guru’s Community Kitchen. Above all. Guru Angad was overwhelmed by his spiritual retention. On March 29. 1552, he installed Guru Amar Das is the Third Supreme Master of the Sikh Religion and resolved himself to merge with the Absolute. • Only those do the real service, who being contented, meditate on God, the trust of the true. They place not their foot in sin, do good deeds and practice piety. They bum (break) the worldly bonds and live (in humility) on paltry com and water. (Rag Asa Guru Angad Dev, G.G.S.P.467).
Article extracted from this publication >> April 28, 1995
