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  In the Guru's footsteps
 
In the Guru's footsteps

Sikh Missionary Society: Publications: In the Guru's footsteps:

Guru Har Krishan


Guru Har Krishan

Guru Har Rai had two sons. Their names were Ram Rai and Har Krishan. Ram Rai, the elder son, had proved himself unfit to be Guru because he had changed the lines from the Granth. This was to suit his own convenience and to save his life when the Emperor of Delhi was angry due to some words in the Granth regarding the Moslems. Instead of understanding the deep meaning of the hymn he had changed the word 'Musalman' to 'Beiman' simply to escape from the anger of the Emperor. Guru Har Rai called this great weakness and cowardice and therefore gave the Guruship to his younger son, Har Krishan, who was only seven years old. Ram Rai was mad with anger and began to think of ways to become the Guru by force or fraud. On the one hand, he made friends with some of the Masands by offering them a lot of money and on the other, he complained to the Emperor of Delhi about the decision of the Guru.

The Emperor knew Ram Rai well and when he went to him with a complaint, the Emperor at once agreed to help him and find out all about the case. Ram Rai claimed that he could perform miracles whereas Har Krishan was only a Child and could do nothing. He wanted the king to believe that if Har Krishan couldn't work miracles he could not be the true Guru. The Emperor decided to see the young Guru and to find out for himself about the claim to be Guru. The Guru was summoned to Delhi and was asked to perform some miracles.

Guru Harkrishan Saheb discoursing on the Holy WordThe young Guru reached Delhi with his mother and some Sikhs and was asked to stay with Raja Jai Singh and answer all the questions he put to him on behalf of the king. When asked to perform miracles, the Guru flatly refused and quoted from the Holy Granth,

"Miracles and magic are useless, they keep you away from God."
The Guru was, however, ready to discuss Sikhism and the Granth. Later the Guru answered the questions so well that the Emperor's ministers and Raja Jai Singh were left in no doubt that he was the true Guru. However, the Emperor still wanted to test him.

That evening the Guru stayed at Raja Jai Singh's bungalow where the Emperor sent his queen disguised as a maidservant. After the evening prayer, the queen visited the Guru, along with some of her maids, and asked the Guru if he could go with them to see the queen to discuss religion with her. The Guru said that there was no need to go to the queen's palace because she could hear him very well if he spoke from his seat. The maids again asked the Guru to accompany them to the queen's palace because it was the royal order. The Guru smiled and said, "I am sorry you care more for tricks than for truth."

Saying this he rose from his seat, picked up a small stick and walked towards the maids. He stroked the first with his stick and said, "God bless you." Then he stroked the second and said, "May you live long." He stopped near the real queen, put his stick on her head and said, "Truth is more powerful than tricks. You need to learn more, your Majesty. The time is fast approaching when queens like you will become maids not in disguise but in reality. Kings and queens will be found only in stories for children." Everybody, was surprised at this incident and the Guru's words. The matter was reported to the king who felt satisfied that Har Krishan was the real Guru of the Sikhs. He rejected Ram Rai's claim to Guruship there and then.

The Guru stayed in Delhi for some time. He had an attack of smallpox and became so weak that he was not able to walk or to get out of bed. One day he asked his Sikhs to sit near him and when everybody was ready to listen to him, he waved his hand in the air as if saying goodbye and uttered. "Baba Bakale!" The Guru was no longer alive. The young Guru's last words meant that the next Guru was to be found at the village of Bakala.
 

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