Thursday, January 19, 2012

Bhai Bahlo Sabh Taun Pehlo

Bhai Bahlo's Sewa

He started working in the potter's kiln (oven) where bricks are baked. He worked there as hard as he could and for as long as his body would let him. At Amritvela and evening time he attended Sangat to listen to Kirtan and Katha. All day he spent his time in doing Sewa and chanting Naam. This had a profound impact on his mind. His mind was purified and soon the glow of Gurbani was glowing in his mind.

Bhai Bahlo noticed that Guru Sahib only accepted such bricks in sewa that were fully hardened and red in colour. Someone told Bhai Bahlo that if human excreta and cow dung was used along with other fuel, it helped in getting the bricks to fully harden. Bhai Bahlo got an army of sewadaars and acted on this advice. The work was very dirty and not many people were willing to undertake this work but Bhai Bahlo, whose only aim was to please Guru Sahib had no qualms over doing this sewa. While doing this sewa, his clothes became very filthy and he smelled really bad but he continued with the sewa. When all the kilns were opened, it was found that Bhai Bahlo's bricks were the best. Guru Sahib was very pleased with Bhai Bahlo's work but kept quiet at that time.

Once, there was a shortage of langar supplies. Bhai Bahlo who used to get paid for doing sewa, had saved all his funds. He presented his savings and with that the langar supplies for that time were supplied.



Bhai Bahlo's sewa Accepted

Bhai Bahlo's condition had become such that he had only one aim of doing sewa. He hardly spoke to anyone and because of working with excreta and cow dung, his clothes were very filthy during the day. Many people avoided him and some even made fun of him. Some even thought that he had gone crazy.

When he was not working on the kiln, he used to work on digging out soil from the Sarovar. Some sewadaars used to fill his bucket so heavily that it would be very hard for one person to lift but Bhai Bahlo never complained. He always stayed focus on Naam and Sewa. People mocked him but his mind had been imbued with Naam so deeply, that he never got angry, upset, or ashamed, because of the mocking. His heart was contented with Naam.

Whenever he used to see Guru Sahib, he could not keep his eyes away from Guru Sahib. His eyes were full of love for Guru Sahib. Then he used to forget all his tiredness and fatigue. He had so much love that it seemed as if his heart was beating only for Guru Sahib.

Guru Sahib was not unknown to the love of Bhai Bahlo but wanted him to get more purified. But one day, Guru Sahib could no longer restrain Himself. Bhai Bahlo had been dealing with excreta and his clothes were very dirty. The bad-smell coming from him was unbearable. He saw Guru Sahib along with some Gursikhs coming towards him. He could not think of appearing before Guru Sahib in such condition. He tried to hide behind other sewadaars but then noticed that Guru coming right towards him. When Guru Sahib came close to him, he moved backwards. Guru Sahib moved forward and he moved backwards. Then the thought came to his mind that moving backwards would amount to disrespecting Guru Sahib but to appear before Guru Sahib in such filthy condition too was disrespectful.

As he was engaged in such thoughts, he inadvertently fell at the Charan Kamal of Guru Sahib. Guru Sahib lifted him up and tightly embraced him. All curtains blocking the spiritual treasure within, were lifted in that instant. Bhai Bahlo accomplished Jyot-Vigaas there and then. Guru Sahib had done his kirpa.


More Blessings from Guru Sahib

After the completion of the Sarovar and Siri Harmandir Sahib, a samagam was held to thank Vaheguru. Baba Buddha jee was the first one to receive siropa and honour from Guru Sahib. The second one after Baba jee to receive the Siropa was Bhai Bhagtu jee. He was blessed with many boons and the responsibility to do Parchaar of Sikhi in the area of Brars. Then came the turn of Bhai Bahlo jee. Guru Sahib first all blessed him with the title of "Bhai" and called him Bhai Bahlo. Bhai Bahlo jee's original name was Bahlol but Guru Sahib changed it to Bahlo and also blessed him with the title of "Bhai".

Guru Sahib was still not satisfied with his blessings. Guru Sahib gave him the boon of "Bhai Bahlo, Sabh taun Pehlo" meaning Bhai Bahlo is number one out of Sewadaars. Guru Sahib was still not satisfied and then lovingly asked him to ask for more. Bhai Bahlo's eyes were filled with divine tears and with trembling body, he asked for nothing but Naam and Sikhi for eternity. Guru Sahib was filled with love. Guru Sahib got up from His throne and embraced Bhai Bahlo very tightly and declared him the leader of Sikhs in Malwa zone. Then Guru Sahib through another blessing gave him access to all Akali Shaktis (positive extra-sensory spiritual powers, Ridhi Sidhi). Anything that Bhai Bahlo would say and do would come true.

Hukam to go back Home

Thereafter Guru Sahib gave Bhai Bahlo the Hukam to go to his home and do Parchaar of Sikhi in Malwa zone of Punjab. Bhai Sahib arrived at his home and the whole village and friends were surprised to see him in Sikhi baana. He no longer was carrying the Aasa (long stick of Sakhi Sarvars), or wearing Sultani clothes. His shining face was showing the inner Avastha of a Brahmgyani.

The Sakhi Sarvars were furious. They first cajoled him to come back to his old faith and then threatened him but Bhai Sahib remained unmoved. Soon he started doing parchaar of Sikhi and in a matter of short time, Sikhi started spreading very rapidly in that area. Twice a year, at Vasaakhi and Diwali, he used to go to Siri Harmandir Sahib with thousands of Sikhs.

Bhai Sahib continued doing sewa and Parchaar of Sikhi in Malwa. Bhai Sahib was one of the greatest Sikhs of that time along with Bhai Manjh jee, Bhai Bhagtu jee, and Bhai Langah jee. May Guru Sahib bless us with such Sikhi as these great Gurmukhs had.

Friday, January 06, 2012

Dhan Guru Gobind Singh Ji Mahararaj

GURU GOBIND SINGH Ji

 
PERSONALITY :  A visionary of the highest order and a born leader - an excellent planner and superb strategist. Apart from educating his followers in the art of war, guruji also introduced them to literature. The Guru had a natural genius for poetic composition and knew not only Punjabi but also Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic. (among other languages)
 
TEACHINGS  :
Manas Ki Jaat Sabhey Aikey Pechhanbo.  - Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib

Behold All Human Race as ONE.

1. Have a mission and continuously work for its success. Let no grief, no hardship, no adversity, in short nothing deviate you from the goal. ,

2. The weak are to be defended against injustice, oppression and tyranny but without entertaining any malice.

3. Evil is to be resisted and uprooted, but the sword is never to be struck in hatred or in anger or in spirit of revenge.

4. Power is never to be used for material gains at the cost of suffering of others.

5. At times it might be possible to reform an evil doer by love and non violence. The silent resistance and suffering for a righteous cause might enable the evil doers to see the truth and he may be reformed, but no amount of non-violence can succeed against a tyrant who is hardened and steeped in criminal oppressive ways and pays no heed to basic values of moral and civilized conduct.

6. One must not be attached to anything as all that is visible has to vanish.

7. Wealth is never to be loved. One may attain wealth but one should always be prepared to part with it.

8. Power (Physical and intellectual) helps one gain dominance in any sphere. The powerless are pushed to wall, humbled and humiliated.

9. Wahe-Guru is symbolic of the Formless Eternal Lord, who is True Guru (Enlightener) of all and the Creator of the Universe.

CONTRIBUTIONS : The contributions made by Guru Gobind Singh ji to the society are far reaching and immense and bear the stamp of his personality. Infact, his contributions are a living embodiment of his "life in action and thought".

Guruji's organizational skills were an immaculate blend of political pragmatics and spiritual ethics and manifested itself in his creation of the Khalsa- a movement for the establishment of an egalitarian society and just social order that was initiated by Guru Nanak Dev ji and reached its finale during the times of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

The KHALSA Pure was created ostensibly to awaken fragmented society and get rid of ritualistic superstitions that were prevalent in the name of religions. Khalsa, as a new order of the saint-soldier, was to uphold Truth and achieve not only self conquest but also control physical evil.

Guru Gobind Singh ji conceived the KHALSA as a common brotherhood composed of persons who were pure at heart and in mind and soul. These persons would join each other as equals in community kitchen and in all other activities- spiritual binding force being the presence of God with them at all hours.

Underlining the significance of this act, Sri Aurobindo in his book, Foundation of Indian Culture, writes that "The Khalsa was an astonishingly original and novel creation and its face was turned not to the past but to the future."

In equally glowing terms Swami Vivekananda writes "Guru Gobind Singh by a flash of his sword filled the dying soul of India with the life- giving light of Truth and Lo! It shone in all its glory again in the life of the new born Khalsa.

Arnold Toyanbee attributed the conceptualization of this egalitarian community with just social order to Guru Gobind Singh when he wrote in Study of World History that "The Khalsa Panth of Guru Gobind Singh, established in 1699, was the fore runner of Lenin's communist party and refuted the claims of Lenin that his party, set up in 1917, was the first to establish a classless and socialist society."

Verses from Sikh Scriptures

1)  Sab Main Jot Jot Hai Soi  -Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji,  ang 663

=> God is in everyone and everywhere

2) Satguru Daya Nidh Mehma Agadh Bodh Namo Namo Namo Namo Net Net Net Hai -  Bhai Gurdas Ji

"Satguru is an Ocean of Mercy, Daya, Compassion. It means Daya on all alike. This covers the whole humanity."

3) Sarb Dharam Mein Shreisht Dharam Har Ko Nam Jap Nirmal Karam  - Sri Guru Granth SahibJi, ang 266

"Best of all religions is the thirst for the Divine and pure deeds, says Sri Guru Arjan Sahib."

4) Saach Kahou Sun Laih Sabhai Jin Prem Kio Tin Hi Prabh PaioGuru Gobind Singh ji

'Let the Eternal Truth be known by all, Only those who thirst for the Divine attain Him'