Bhai Buddha’s original name was Ramdas, and the name of the village in which he lived was called Ramdas after him. He belonged to a cowherd family, and in his early years tended the cattle in his village. One day, Guru Nanak visited this village, and he served him with & of milk. The Guru asked him if he had a problem. He asked: “Sir, how can I over come the fear of death’? The Guru felt surprised by his philosophical question and renamed him “Buddha,” which means a wise old man. He became a disciple of Guru Nanak. Just before his death, Guru Nanak gave him the position of anointing his successors. Bhai Budha performed the ceremony of installation of Guruship to Bhai Lehna, who then became Guru Angad in 1539.

The word Bhai means brother. Guru Nanak who disregarded caste and preached the doctrine of the brotherhood of man, de sired that all his followers should be deemed brothers, and thus he addressed them as such. The title Bhai is now bestowed on Sikh priests and others who have made a special study of the Sikh sacred writings. Later on, Bhai Budha performed the installation ceremony of the third Guru, Guru Amardas. To avoid the hostility of the sons of the late Guru Angad, Guru Amardas concealed himself in a lonely and deserted house. When the Sikhs failed to find Guru Amradas, they sought the help of Bhai Budha. In his wisdom, Baba Budha let the horse of Guru Amardas loose, hoping that the animal would be able to trace his master. The horse stopped at the locked door of a deserted house. Outside, it bore a notice, that anyone who broke the door open, would be suit ably punished. Again Bhai Budha found a way to overcome this difficulty. He made a big hole in the wall and entered the room. Guru Amardas was there in deep meditation, and later agreed to address the congregation.

Bhai Budha was in the prime of his life when Bhai Gurdas wrote the Granth Sahib for Guru Arjan. In 1604, Guru Arjan appointed Bhai Buddha as the first Granthi of the Golden Temple, Amritsar. He died in 1631 and his last rites were performed by Guru Hargobind.

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 25, 1996