Sakhi Series :- 250 (Karamat qahar hai)

Baba Atal Rai Ji 

The Guru's opposition to the misuse of spiritual powers is well illustrated in the story of the sixth Master's son, Baba Atal.  Young Baba Atal was adored by all the Guru's Sikhs.  People considered him most precocious.  Whatever he said, even s a joke, always turned out to have some deep meaning attached to it.

Atal Rai died at the tender age of nine years. The circumstances of his death, as narrated in Gurbilas Chhevi Patshahi, were most extraordinary. 

The Guru's son had a playmate named Mohan.  Once they played a favourite bat and ball game of theirs all day long.  At nightfall, they agreed to go home and that Mohan would serve a penalty he had earned in the game when they resumed in the morning.

At dawn, Baba Atal went to his playmate's house to resume the game where they had left off. Mohan's family, however, was grieving when he arrived.  They told the Guru's son that his young friend had been bitten by a snake and died during the night.

Baba Atal however was determined to continue his game and he was not about to be off.

"Mohan's not dead," he said, "He's alive.  Come, I'll get him."  Arriving in the room where his friend's body lay, Baba Atal touched Mohan's cold remains with his bat and called out, "Mohan, get up!  Say "Waheguru!"  Open your eyes!  You should not sleep so late.  Get up!  It's your turn to serve." On Baba Atal speaking these words, his friend who had shown no signs of life for four and a half hours, rose as if he had been sleeping.  Mohan's family was naturally amazed and grateful to Baba Atal.

When the Guru heard of the people's rejoicing, he was not so pleased. "karamat qahar hai - Miracle-making is violence! None should attempt to intervene in the Will of the Lord," he told his son.

Atal Rai took the admonition to heart. Making a respectful bow, he quietly retired from the Guru's presence. 

Atal Rai took the admonition to heart. Making a respectful bow, he quietly retired from the Guru's presence. Baba Atal went for a bath in the sarovaar of the Harimandar.  After bathing himself, he walked four times around the temple and sat on the rim of the adjacent Kaulsar pool.  Having recited Japji Sahib on the bank of Kaulsar, he lay down on the ground with the stick underneath his head and went to his eternal repose.