 section 27 of sick religion volume 4 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org sick religion volume 4 by Max Arthur McAuliffe life of guru Har Rai chapter 2 a pious lady continually prayed that the guru might eat bread cooked by her hands one day she gained four país by spinning and bought wheat and flour and pulse for the money she baked two cakes and took them to a spot by which the guru used to pass daily there she began to rack her brains how to procure access to him could she succeed in this he would certainly take compassion on her old age and eat from her hands the guru having by his supernatural power become aware of her desire mounted his horse and on his way to the chase went joyfully to the spot where she was waiting at the moment when she was reduced almost to a state of despair the guru arrived and asked her for some of the bread she had prepared he said it would be very late when he returned from the chase and he desired food to fortify himself until then the guru partook of the bread on horseback without washing his hands and said he had enjoyed it as if it were the most dainty food the woman paid the guru compliments for his humility in visiting her and accepting her hospitality the guru in return gave her spiritual instruction and cut off the shackles of her transmigration the six were astonished that the guru had taken food from a strange woman and eaten it on horseback too without washing his hands they asked him why he had done so he gave no answer but continued his hunting excursion next day they prepared sweet cakes with great attention to cleanliness and took them to the forest with the guru so as to obviate any necessity he might be under it to take food that might possibly be unclean from the hands of a person who might be of low caste in do time the six offered the guru the cakes they had prepared the guru said oh six I ate food from that woman's hands because she was holy this food which you have prepared with attention to ancient ceremonial is not pleasing to me it is written in the ground sahib he whose deeds are pure is called a holy man from which it appears that salvation depends on good acts and not on the food which is eaten the six replied oh true king yesterday thou ateest two cakes on horseback from the hands of an old woman whom thou knewest not there was no consecrated space and the food was in every way impure today we have with great labor prepared and baked cakes for thee no impurity attached to them and yet thou reject this them be kind enough to explain the reason we made a representation to the yesterday on the subject but receive no reply the guru gave the following explanation the woman with great devotion and faith prepared food for me out of what she had earned from the sweat of her brow on this account the food was very pure and I partook of it the guru hung rift for love and not for dainty food in the matter of love for God no rule is recognized you remember how guru nannak avoiding the society of the great and the wealthy went to the house of lalo who was a carpenter abode with him and lived on his course fair it may therefore be easily understood that attention to culinary rules and exclusiveness and eating are of no avail without real devotion it is not what man eateth that please of God it is man's devotion that is acceptable to him on hearing this discourse the six doubts vanished they replied oh true king grant that the love of God may arise in our hearts although we have in ourselves no merits yet thou who hast about saved us thy protection are responsible for our safekeeping by thy favor our boats shall reach the haven of the blessed during this colloquy the guru and his party penetrated a deep forest the guru seeing a black buck issue from the thickets chased him on horse back at full speed and prevented his escape the animal was caught and taken to the gurus zoo a logical gardens men who had come long distances to see the guru were pleased with his tenderness to animals particularly to dear which the kings of old used to sacrifice at their feasts one day as the guru was hunting he saw a wounded snake crawling with difficulty it was tortured by worms which it tried to shake off by wriggling and shaking its body the guru not only put the animal out of its pain but granted it salvation the author of the saraj parkash states that its spirit in the form of a bright light was seen to issue from its body and sore to heaven the six asked the guru what light it was the guru replied this serpent was in somewhat the same state as the python seen by my grandfather in malwa this serpent had been a pundit in a previous age who used to falsely vaunt the power of the beds he asserted that he himself was God but his conduct in a wise justified such a boast he used also to make injurious reflections on the gurus him saying what is a him in the vulgar dialect he did not know that guru no nox compositions were superior to the beds the pundit so passed into the serpent and the worms have been causing him to suffer for the deceit he practiced on men there were however some good acts to his credit from previous births and on this account he have met guru no nox followers and obtained salvation as guru are john heth said by association with the saints man heth no travail there is no necessity to toil in their company on beholding and meeting them man become a happy carefully remember that however much you read Vedantic literature it will be a source of misery unless you love God guru are john heth also said though one be very beautiful of high birth clever a divine in words and wealthy yet shall he be deemed as dead oh no nox if he have no love for God wherefore oh my six believe in the words of guru no nox worship God and boast not of your Vedantism he who possessing no divine knowledge call of himself a guru shall have no happiness but on the contrary terrible suffering the disciples of a false guru shall lose their human birth in this world a guru who possessive no holiness shall with his disciples endure terrible suffering wherefore oh my six listen unto me never consume any portion of offerings they will not assist you in distress but on the contrary lead you into the power of death whose punishment shall ring from you loud lamentations perform honest labor serve the saints and I shall everywhere be your suckerer as guru no nox has said they who eat the fruit of their labor and bestow something oh no nox recognized the right way a deficiency in your weights or want of equality in your scales must be avoided ever abide firm in your faith the six then ask the guru to give them further instruction in the sick religion he replied you must read the ground sahib and not worship any inanimate object when a sick diet sacred foods should be prepared and distributed after reading the sohila there should be no mourning but hymns of the guru should be sung and the ground sahib should be intoned no gods or goddesses should be deemed suckers of man reliance must be placed on the immortal god alone a devout sick called by ganda abode with the guru he was a saint and thought word and deed the guru was very much pleased with his sincere devotion and said oh by ganda go thou to caboo instruct the six there in the worship of the true name and preach the sick faith feed holy men and pilgrims with the offerings thou receivest and send what remained for the maintenance of my kitchen these are thy duties and I'm confident that thou will discharge them although caboo was a foreign country and there was danger from Muhammad and bigotry and residing there yet ganda cheerfully accepted the task imposed on him on arriving there he built a sick temple and carried out all the guru's instructions in other respects the following lines of guru are john which he was accustomed to repeat served him as a guide meditate in thy heart on the guru's image regale thy mind with the guru's word and spell put the guru's feet into thy heart and ever bow to the guru the supreme being one day while ganda was repeating the job g he fancied he was clinging to the guru's feet he was in such a state of abstraction that he became quite unconscious he grew as absorbed in the sight of the guru as a drop of rain in the ocean the guru by his occult power knew what was passing in ganda's mind and sat firmly on his throne keeping his feet together when dinner was announced as usual at midday he made no response when the announcement was repeated about an hour afterwards he still remained silent a third time after a longer interval dinner was announced and the cook asked permission to serve it up but even then the guru spoke not when several six were on the point of making a representation to him he broke silence and said brother six by ganda is in kabul he is in thought word indeed a saint of the guru he today hath clasped my feet how can i withdraw them from him and how can i go to take my dinner until he had let them go i'm therefore waiting until the conclusion of his meditation and obeisance by ganda did not await from his trans before twilight and it was only then the guru felt free to take his repast when afterwards the six had an opportunity of interrogating ganda they found the guru's words verified and his acts explained by ganda's reflections and movements during the state of trance the six then were thoroughly convinced of the guru's greatness and said that they themselves were poor ignorant people as guru arjan has said the glory of the saints is special to the saints my brother there is no difference between god and his saints and again know that god and the guru are one the six said the advantages of guru nanak's religion are indescribable and whoever leave with it and straith to other sex is greatly unfortunate free thereby lucid his priceless human birth once as six came great distances to the sake fair and made offerings according to their means men and women circumambulated the guru like bumblebees hovering around a lotus flower the guru inquired if there were any of his six who having established a kitchen according to his means shared his food with others he received a reply that two or three six had come who had established kitchens in several villages and distributed their food among the guru's followers the guru ordered them to be called and asked them on what principle they had established kitchens and whether they entertained all six on the same terms as their relations one sick replied when a sick is kind enough to visit me at the time of distribution of food I first satisfy him and then myself a second set I cook and distribute food with my own hands a third set I wash the feet of six and drink the water there from for it is written in the Sukhmani wash the feet of the holy men and drink the water there from a fourth sick replied whatever thine orders are O true king they shall be obeyed I wipe six shoes and place them before them as they are departing the guru interposed it is superfluous to say anymore I desire to know if you feed a sick who present of himself after the time fixed for distribution of food the six requested the guru to explain his meaning more fully he said oh six when food is distributed and there is none left what do you do if a hungry sick afterwards present himself the six replied we do not serve food after the appointed time and on that account no doubt some six go away disappointed the guru rejoined he ought to keep additional food ready feed your guest and not send him away disappointed in the course I recommend there is great merit I shall be well pleased with those who adopt it and they shall enjoy happiness here and hereafter or over it is written in the grand sahib the true guru is delighted when his disciple take it through he who through laziness and pride dismissive a sick disappointed shall gain no advantage from his past or present acts Parid have said all men's hearts are jewels to distress them is not at all good if thou desire the beloved distress no one's heart there's also a Persian expression attributed to God even by the Mohammedans I can allow you to destroy a temple or a mosque but to break another's heart is an act that cannot be sanctioned the temple and the mosque may be repaired or renewed but not the broken heart the six said only he on whom the guru looketh with favor obtaineth such wisdom we possess little wisdom and have earned it is by thy favor all our troubles are removed by words I like the juice of nectar minds of knowledge arrows to destroy worldly love and hate or guides to salvation to hill rogers went with a strong force to the guru under pretence of paying him a complimentary visit but in reality to obtain tribute from him and remove him from their country on arriving in the neighborhood of Kirat poor they encamp near a tank the guru on hearing of their arrival promptly sent them supplies of every description the Rajas presented themselves the next morning at the guru's levy but while doing obeisance to him retain guile in their hearts the guru by his oh call power knew their designs and represented to them that Falkirs were never called upon to pay tribute if they desired anything from him he would give them divine instruction which would be more advantageous than any sublunary wealth the Rajas on hearing this found their business with the guru at an end they both stood up then prospered themselves before him and begged to be put on the right way for they had seriously erred they confess that they had come with evil intentions but they would never again harbor thoughts to the guru's detriment the guru replied show not your pride to the guru go and rule your kingdoms oppress not your subjects if you do the creator will show you his anger and consign you to hell adhere to your own wives drink not wine sleep not on the top stories of your palaces out of reach of your subjects let it not be that while they are complaining below you are enjoying yourselves above the subjects are the root the Rajas the branches of the trees whatsoever king oppressive this subjects apply the acts to his kingdom construct tanks wells bridges and schools and extend religion through your kingdoms the Rajas much edified by this discourse took leave of the guru and returned to their states end of life of guru harai chapter two section twenty-eight of sick religion volume four this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org sick religion volume four by Max Arthur McAuliffe the life of guru harai chapter three there was a sannyasi called Bhagwan gear who in order to obtain spiritual consolation went to visit the guru in Keratpur the guru advised him to proceed to Dera Baba Nanak and joined the Udasis there this was tantamount to ordering Bhagwan gear to relinquish his sect for the sannyasis worship Dattatra while the Udasis have as their guru Sri Chand the eldest son of Guru Nanak the Mahant at Dera Baba Nanak at that time was mere Chand the great grandson of Guru Nanak the guru commended mere Chand as a man of piety Bhagwan gear acted on the guru's advice he prostrated himself before mere Chand and received from him initiation and the name Bhaggad Bhagwan or saint of God Bhagwan gear then traveled in various countries as a missionary but without any success he was not wanting an energy or eloquence but no one would heed him or listen to his exhortations disheartened he returned to mere Chand to report his failure mere Chand told him that if he had desired to become a priest he ought to have received initiation from Guru Harai who was the real guru and to have solicited his orders before proceeding on his mission it was however not yet too late Bhaggad Bhagwan might even now go to the guru and crave his blessing on appearing before the guru Bhaggad Bhagwan began to weep and repent of his error and not having asked his permission before he had set up as a teacher the guru cheerfully pardoned him and said that he had now become acceptable in God's court the guru directed him to go to Hindustan and reform its people he was not to hide his light but put it in a conspicuous place to illumine men's minds the guru promised that he should be everywhere well received and that his preaching should be heartily accepted Bhaggad Bhagwan proceeded on his mission and irrigated with the water of his instruction the dried and shriveled hearts of his hindu stani hearers his disciples are now prosperous landowners in the north of india one day his six inquired of the guru whether those who read the guru's hymns without understanding them derived any spiritual advantage therefrom the guru gave no reply at the time and next morning went hunting on a level plane on his way he saw pieces of a pot which had held butter the sun was melting the butter on the pots herds the guru took one of them in his hand and said ye see my sick brethren these are old pots herds but when they are heated the butter that hath adhered to them rapidly melted as the grease adhered to the pots herds so do the guru's hymns to the hearts of his six at the hour of death the guru's instruction shall assuredly bear fruit whether understood or not it hath within it the seed of salvation perfume still clingeth to the broken vase the meaning of this parable is that whoever daily readeth the guru's hymns shall assuredly obtain peace and even though he do not fully understand them God will undoubtedly assist him guru Ram Das have said the word is the guru and the guru is the word and in the word is the essence of ambrosia guru Arjan too has said God will not destroy your labor that is even though ye understand not God will accept your prayers God never in the slightest degree spoileth a good act so why should daily repetition of our hymns be wasted the guru's questioners were satisfied and their devotion increased by his mother Nadhi's advice the guru went to Kartarpur to meet his elder brother dear maul the guru remained with him sometime the greater part of which he spent in giving religious instruction to the crowds who flocked to see him the guru became a great center of attraction at the baisakhi festival in Kartarpur hymns were sung in concerts such as oh guru may i behold thee and live on that occasion bhaktu returned with several sick friends to visit the guru he was now old his hands trembled and a cane supported his tottering steps the guru having received him with great respect and seated him near him asked him when he was going to marry that is when he was going to become death's bride the guru had in mind the following verse of shaykh bharid the soul is the bride death the bridegroom he will marry her and take her away the guru receiving no answer repeated the question bhaktu believed that the guru was bantering him and went home without giving a reply while there he reflected the guru never speaketh in vain his words ever proved true and though i am old it is incumbent on me to marry and verify the guru's words bhaktu set out again to meet the guru on the way he saw a girl scaring birds off a field of badra and decided to marry her if she gave her consent he then addressed her oh fair one i desire to fulfill the words of the guru and marry thee pardon me for the proposal be these birds and trees our witnesses the girl was astonished at his words and felt so alarmed and abashed that she could make no reply bhaktu however decided to go through the form of a marriage ceremony with her and instead of the actual circumambulations of the bride moved his cane which did duty for her round a blade of badra representing the grand sahib this ceremony over bhaktu continued his journey leaving the girl and her badra field to wonder at his eccentricity when he reached the guru the same question as before was put to him he then mentioned his marriage on the way with the so object of fulfilling the guru's words the guru explained i merely desired to ask thee thine age or in other words when thou were't likely to die and perform real marriage terry with me now and i will assist thee to the utmost of my power she whom thou dismary in misconception of my words shall abide in virtue and continents and the children of thy former wife shall call her mother and be obedient to her this event occurred in the beginning of the cold season when badra ripens bhaktu lived until the end of the following april the manner of his death was as follows he contracted a severe dysentery several six went to visit him in his illness they used to say to him thou hast often cured others why not cure thyself he would reply oh six entertain no such idea the guru in this world put at an end to the sorrows of his six in the realm of death no pain is felt some of my followers used to steal cattle and give me their milk but it was a stolen nutriment for drinking it i have suffered in this world but my pain shall end here my suffering hath purified me and i shall take my journey to the next world in happiness then uttering what guru his life issued from his body as painlessly in the words of the chronicler as a garland of flowers falls from an elephant's neck the guru ordered a sumptuous beer and sent for musicians to sing the guru's hymns to rebec accompaniments on the occasion the true guru hath caused my cargo to arrive in safety the heated cauldron hath become cold the guru hath given me the cooling name the guru decided to set fire with his own hands to bhaktu's funeral pyre but the msans endeavored to dissuade him he silenced their remonstances by telling them that bhaktu born to his parents in their old age was the result of guru ram dasa's prayer and therefore worthy of all honor he was a real sick and dearer to the guru than the guru's own relations that was why he would kindle his pyre with his own hands on one of the guru's preaching tours he stayed at mark khand poor in the present jalandar district he there drove a bamboo shooting to the ground in memory of his visit and it still survives as a stately tree thence the guru went to the country of mawa and visited the tank near nathana where guru har gobin had fought their kala and karm chan two brothers of the mirage tribe came to him to complain that the people of the kala tribe would not allow them to live among them upon this the guru sent for jait parana the head of the karat tribe and endeavored to induce him to give five plows of land to the complainants for their maintenance jait replied with a punjabi proverb grass daya basna daya that is give a morsel to eat but not land to live upon and represented that the complainants tribe could never subsist on five plows of land the guru replied guru nannak will shed his blessing on the land so that it will suffice for the marhaj tribe still jait refused the guru informed kala and karm chand of the failure of his negotiations with jait and advised them to leave the place next morning terry where at night overtook them take possession of the land around them and call it marhaj the other two jait followed them and warned them off they refused to leave and quoted the guru's order kala went to the guru to tell him of their second failure to establish a prominent residence the guru seeing his friends difficulty recommended forcible resistance to jait and his people kala represented jait's strength and the hopelessness of a struggle with him the guru encouraged kala to secure a habitation and said that he himself would aid him and his party this occurred in the sambat year 1707 ad 1650 the rival tribes engaged in combat jait drew his sword on kala but missed him kala in return cut jait transversely through the body as if the passage of his sword had been marked by jait's sacrificial thread this ended the warfare after kala's party had settled in the land a second difficulty arose their neighbors would not intermarry with them here again the guru interposed he recommended the six who visited him to form marriage alliances with the marhaj people the guru remained for some time at nathana preaching to the people and kala and his friends frequently waited on him the guru by his diligent and earnest preaching made many disciples his hearers abandoned the worship of cemeteries and cremation grounds and embraced the simple worship of god there kala and his two nephews sandali and full sons of rap chan went to visit him fool was born on kala's shoulder and sandali held kala's finger as he walked when the children arrived in the guru's presence fall put his hand on his belly the guru asked why he did so and kala told him fool could not speak himself in the only way he had of describing the pangs of hunger which he felt was to slap his belly the guru took compassion on him and said he shall become great famous and wealthy the steeds of his descendants shall drink water as far as the jamna they shall have sovereignty for many generations and be honored in proportion as they serve the guru when kala reached home and his wife heard of the guru's benediction she upgraded her husband for not having taken his own children to the guru they also should in that case become kings now our son shall have to pay tribute to our nephew kala replied destiny is very powerful i knew not that the guru would bestow such abundant blessings kala's wife then put pressure on him to take his own sons to the guru and teach them to strike their bellies in token of hunger when kala and his sons appeared before the guru and the children enacted the part in which they had been instructed the guru demanded an explanation kala said he had thus acted in obedience to his wife's orders the guru replied the parents of these children are alive but at the same time they shall have their own cultivation eat the fruit of their toil pay no tribute and be dependent on no one this prophecy has been fulfilled their descendants own 22 villages called the bahaya which pay no land revenue ful had six sons from the eldest of whom namely tiluk singh and rajas of nabha and jinn are descended the ful died in sambabh 1740 80 1689 from ful's second son ram singh the maharaja of patyala is descended these three are known as the ful k rajah or fulkiyan chiefs the state of patyala is now the largest but it was the rajah of nabha when ancient times bore the title of childry than an office of power responsibility and honor end of chapter three section 29 of sick religion volume four this is a liberavox recording all liberavox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit liberavox.org sick religion volume four by max orther macaulah life of guru har rai chapter four we now return to the story of the girl who guarded the badra field and whom bag two so unceremoniously wedded she went and told her father that an eccentric old man had pretended to marry her and she described all the strange proceeding at the same time she vowed she would consider him her husband and marry no one else her father inquired who the strange bridegroom was and soon learned that it was no other than the saint bog two father and daughter took no further action at the time she remained in her father's house and continued to work in his fields it became known in due time that bog two was dead and that he had left two sons gara and jawan by a former wife gara the elder soon became the raja of batinda to him the girl's father addressed himself with a view to procure her suitable maintenance gara sent for her received her with the greatest respect and treated her as his own mother gara visited the guru when he was at nathana during his stay jasa the guru's chari bearer said to him marry me to thy second mother bog two's virgin widow who is now in thy house my wife is dead i'm a widower and the marriage of a widower and widow would be very suitable gara felt insulted at the proposal and bided his opportunity to take revenge he found it one day while they were both hunting with the guru the guru had advanced in front of the party when gara drew his sword and killed jasa when the guru heard of it he forbade gara to enter his presence after this the guru returned from nathana to karatpur wherever he went he was followed by gara who hoped to find an opportunity of soliciting his pardon and a retraction of his curse when the guru arrived at karatpur gara encamped a mile distant for six months the guru remained in karatpur and was ever shattered by gara when the guru again proceeded to mawa gara followed him as the guru was proceeding along the side ludge he met some mohammedan troops who were marching from lahore to dili one of the officers inquired the name of the party and was informed that it was guru harai and his bodyguard the officer was already aware that it was the guru's grandfather guru har gobind who had killed his grandfather general muclas khan at amritsar and he determined on taking life for life while the officer was thus inquiring and cogitating the guru passed on the officer then relayed the guru's wives who were following an attempted violence now came gara's opportunity to perform signal service for the guru with the object of obtaining his pardon the guru had been forbidden by his grandfather guru har gobind to engage in warfare but gara might fight for him and defend his family gara had his own troops they set on the muslimans and fought valiantly until night closed the combat the muslimans escaped under cover of the darkness and the guru's wives succeeded in escaping their brutality when the guru heard of gara's gallantry he had once sent for him gara was not allowed time to wash his face in hands but was ushered stained with blood into the guru's presence the guru learned from him the events of the battle and pardoned him after this gara was glad to return to his own territory the guru then marched to karatarpur and discontinued his projected tour to malwa a brahman of karatarpur had obtained a son as the result of a vow that he would make him a tired paying sick of the guru the child however died during the guru's stay the brahman took the corpse with loud lamentations to the guru's door and there sat down beside it he said if my son revive not i will die myself the guru remonstrated with him on his dissatisfaction with the will of god the boy's life was complete when the oil is at an end how can the lamp burn guru nanak has said if a boy died amid his youthful sports people will weep and say he was a merry boy he who gave him took him the weeper earth what can be done if he died in the ripeness of youth there is this difference his friends and relations will mournfully speak of him as theirs a cursed in the world are they who weep for the loss of worldly things o brahman it would have been worse had the boy died after marriage thou would suffer misery from continually seeing his widow in thy house the world is as the guru has said a chamber of lamp black and thy son have died before becoming defiled with it however much the guru preached the brahman only learned one lesson namely that he himself should die the six took compassion and interceded with the guru for him cherisher of the poor the art potent to break and to mend the brahman hath now for a day and night lane prostrate at thy door hungry and poor e too will die in thy presence the masons also went and pleaded for the brahman great king if this child revived not people of other creeds will make various remarks to our discredit the guru replied is there any among you who now make these representations sufficiently philanthropic to bestow his own life on the brahman's son on hearing this the next of the hearers sank into their bodies the guru put the question three times but received no reply within less than half an hour jawan by bhaktu's younger son drawing a winding sheet over him said oh divine guru menak i will take this boy's death on myself and give my life to him saying this he whose name was life jawan entered eternal life and the brahman's son arose repeating the spell of the true name while the people were wondering the guru said blessed is that sick who for the sake of another's life had not spared his own when the by rars the tribe to whom jawan belonged heard of his self-sacrifice they hasten to appear before the guru to express their displeasure great king jawan was only 18 years of age and had but recently brought home his bride she is pregnant and who will cherish her now yet but just entered the fair and this is his fate the guru said a son shall be born in his house whom you shall call sat das his offspring shall greatly increase and people many villages it may be mentioned that his descendants now occupy a tract in the fire ras poor district called chak bhai after this the guru returned to karat poor the emperor shah jahan kept near him his elder son dara shako whom he loved his second son shu ja muhammad he made governor of bangal arang zeb the third was appointed governor of the dakhan and rod box the fourth received the province of gujrat their ambition however was not satisfied they each sought to become emperors and for this purpose amassed wealth and armies in their respective provinces in doing so they practiced great oppression they used to make the rajput rajas stand with clasp hands in front of them and bring their daughters to them for their enjoyment this was a stigma attached to the hindus like the spot on the moon the rajput princes had to obey in everything or they would have had to don the poison skins of tigers and die when shah jahan had reigned for many years he contracted the germs of disease and showed no signs of recovery no one but dara shako was allowed to approach him a rumor then spread that his majesty was dead and thus afforded a good opportunity to thieves and highway robbers to exercise their self-elected calling there was general confusion far and near an evil fate fell on the community dara shako intercepted letters and petitions to his father and passed on them such orders as he thought expedient people were afraid to go outside their houses no complaints were listened to the emperor's sons became rebels and assumed sovereignty in their own provinces in every village men's minds were unsettled like a boat in a whirlpool he was ascertained that shuja Muhammad had arrived at Benares from patna when dara shako heard of his movements he sent for rajat jai singh and ordered him to march against him jai singh proceeded with all haste towards benares he halted it by ha duapur and shuja Muhammad went forth to give him battle shuja Muhammad's troops were defeated with great slaughter and he returned to bengal pursued by rajat jai singh the letter restored tranquility in the districts of patna and monger and dried the weeping eyes of the populace dara shako dispatched rajat jai swan singh of jadpur to preserve order in the dakhan he gave him special instructions to punish r and zeb if he's served to make himself independent and bring in chains maraud bach who had shown a disposition to usurp sovereignty jaswan singh having received command of a large army proceeded on his expedition before his arrival in the dakhan r and zeb and maraud had united their armies jaswan singh's men fought valiantly but could not succeed against numbers and were obliged to retire r and zeb was enraged that dara shako should have sent an army against him and he'd once prepared to retaliate and if possible seize the reins of empire prior to the departure of jaswan singh to the dakhan shah jahan and his son dara shako had resided in agra during jaswan singh's absence they were moved to dilly for the benefit of shah jahan's health the climate of agra not being suitable for him after jaswan singh's defeat dara shako put his father under restraint and then made preparations to oppose r and zeb's progress the emperor cautioned dara shako to beware of r and zeb who was deceitful and vindictive but the warning was of no avail dara shako proceeded with great pomp and rejoicing to oppose r and zeb he pitched his camp at mughar near the margin of the river john ball and there awaited his brother's approach r and zeb soon appeared at the head of his own and maraud's armies and there ensued a determined battle r and zeb succeeded in capturing several of dara shako's nobles dara shako himself fled from the field and only halted in dilly where he entrenched himself in the fort r and zeb proceeded to agra to seize his father who by this time had returned there the old man was very ill and in this condition was imprisoned by his undutiful son r and zeb also imprisoned his brother maraud bach though he had assisted him to vanquish dara shako he then proceeded to dilly with his own and maraud's armies and dara shako's fugitive battalions dara shako fearing that the dilly nobles would assist his brother and that he himself would be captured directed his steps to the panjab taking with him his faithful adherents and all his wealth and valuables r and zeb then issued a proclamation that no one should assist or receive dara shako on pain of his highest displeasure the result was that dara shako wandered an exile from town to town and village to village in this extremity he decided on visiting the guru who had sent him the healing clothes and mirror balans he was in the first place grateful to the guru and in the second place his favorite priest meon mir had been loud in the guru's praises dara shako dispatched the following letter to the guru oh saint of the world supremely pious by meeting whom god's light shineth on man pure image of god it is through thy favor man obtaineth salvation my heart longeth to be whole god but only those to whom thou show us favor can do so i desire to meet thee and by the fulfillment of this wish to remove my doubts if i may fall at thy feet the wish of my heart will be fulfilled but the duties of empire leave me no leisure and entangle me like a fish in the net my priest meon mir hath praised thee and since then i've desired to meet thee regard me with a look of affection the emperor forced empire on me but i told him my heart desired not greatness i was however obliged to obey my rora father's mandate mercifully assist me to this letter the guru replied oh prince thou art the object of god's grace since the holy saint meon mir showeth thee favor in the desire to tread in god's way and know thyself thou hast obtained spiritual empire aring zeb who is unmindful of god may obtain worldly empire but shall suffer without respite in hellfire fear not be confident salvation shall be thy portion thou rulest over the eternal sovereignty of religion which will last forever great is thy good fortune since thou lovest god's name and as met him who is unequaled and indescribable ever blessed is thy devotion wherefore be happy that thou hast obtained thy salvation this world is a play and transient in its nature be not enamored therewith dire chicope proceeded to garapur in the hope of obtaining the guru's assistance but found him absent the prince then sent him a second letter which reached him in kadua the result was that the guru and the prince had an interview on the right bank of the bias on this occasion the prince made large offerings to the guru the prince had been a diligent student of the hindu and mohammedan religions and had adopted opinions which belonged to the enlightened era of akbar he put the guru some questions in place before him some of his theological doubts and difficulties the guru complimented him on his spiritual knowledge and then gave him instruction in the sick religion such instruction as has often been repeated in the preceding pages the guru added it is often the duty of kings to take arms and engage in battle and either die themselves or kill their enemies for the acquisition of wealth and territory therefore collect an army and obtain as many allies as possible go to l'hor fortify that position fight when necessary and obtain victory god assisted those who assist themselves once thou inflictest defeat on r and z thou shalt have many rogers for thine allies they now know thine excellent disposition and will declare themselves on thine side when they are convinced that their action is safe thou has now no resource but the arbitrement of battle all the kings of india are subject to the emperor who will live in dilly and if thou recapture it not thou shalt have no abiding place for the master of that city shall be master of india therefore thou must struggle to collect troops for battle and prevent the establishment of orang zeb's authority dhar shako on receiving this encouragement asked the guru to grant him faith in god and said i do not require a fleeting temporal empire i merely desire spiritual perfection i will fight when compelled by my enemies to do so and endeavor to obtain victory what god desire is unalterable the guru and the prince retired to their respective tents for the night and next morning the prince was informed that orang zeb's army was pursuing him he then departed for l'hor requesting the guru to impede its progress as much as possible dara shako was pursued with great vengeance and hostility by his brother's army to l'hor multan bakar and gajrat in the present bombe presidency he was finally captured through the infamous agency of a pathan named jawan who betrayed him he was sent to dilly where his political conduct and his heterodox opinions were charged as offenses against him in the hope of softening his brother's heart he addressed him the following letter my brother and my emperor all hail i congratulate thee and thy children on the empire thou hast detained i have no worldly desires myself i only want a nook to dwell in and a female servant to kirk infetch for me so that i may pray for thee in treaties never availed with orang zeb dara shako was condemned by a jury of mohammedan priests and executed on the plea of apostasy by his brother's orders the guru's words had made such an impression on his heart that he never uttered a sigh of pain or distress in his last moments it is said that 370 mohammedan priests signed the order for his death one man named sarmad resolutely refused to sign it and thus incurred orang zeb's gravest displeasure end of chapter four section 30 of sick religion volume four this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libra vox.org sick religion volume four by max arthur macaleth life of guru har rye chapter five orang zeb was now secure on the throne of dilly he kept his father a prisoner in agra until he died dara shako was dead shuja mohammed had fled and maraud baksh was a prisoner with his father orang zeb having acquired a bigoted mohammedan training set himself to uproot the hindu religion he began with the temples and idols in the sacred city of mathura known even to the Greeks of the age of alexander as a hindu place of sanctity and destroyed their every vestige of hindu worship he then destroyed the temples and idols in other parts of india he pulled down the temple of drama and pushed car and threw its materials into the neighboring lake he demolished 700 temples in the state of ajmer he then proceeded to banaris the great stronghold of hinduism where he found ample materials for his destructive fury wherever his iconoclastic zeal prevailed he built mohammedan mosques whenever two or more men had a suit or a contention it was always decided for the party who became mohammedan meantime complaints were made to orang zeb against the guru the guru it was said had met dara shako blessed him and assisted him in opposing the emperor and it was also reported that he was preaching a religion distinct from islam and performing miracles in evidence of his divine mission the emperor was accordingly advised to send for him and convert him to islam unless he could clearly establish his religious pretensions by the performance of miracles at the royal court when the guru was once converted hundreds of thousands of hindus would follow his example moreover the guru who had been a friend of the emperor's enemy dara shako could never become his friend the emperor accordingly addressed the following to the guru guru nanox house was the house of holy men he treated friend and foe in the same way but thou has supported dara shako in his effort to obtain sovereignty i have captured and put him to death so he hath in no way benefited by thine assistance but let bygones be bygones and let us now be friends come to me i am now enthroned as emperor i have a great desire to behold thee wherefore thou should come to me without delay the guru replied i have no business with thee that thou should have summoned me i'm not a king who payeth the tribute nor do i desire to receive anything from thee nor do we stand in the relation of priest and disciple to each other so wherefore has thou summoned me so far from my having conferred empire on dara shako it was the eternal throne and umbrella of religion i conferred on him he had no wish for terrestrial empire the empire he hath obtained is imperishable it is only he whom god loveth who can be like dara shako if thou have any doubt as to the empire dara shako hath obtained meditate on him as thou goest to sleep and thou shalt have a vision of the reality the guru's words proved true auring zub one night saw his brother seated on his throne celestial maids were dancing around him sandal atar of roses and other perfumes exhaled from them and garlands of flowers adorned their persons auring zub dressed in dirty clothes in the style of a pariah was carrying a basket of filth rain fell at that moment and the filth overspread his features then up came a slave driver and struck him such a blow with a stick that he fell on his face upon this the emperor awoke and began to reflect the guru sent this dream to terrify me now what is to be done i will not abate a jot of my efforts against him i will straightway send an army to capture him and bring him before me next morning on awaking the emperor called one of his nobles and said if guru harai will not come of his own accord then arrest and produce him before me if he struggle against his arrest then write to me and i will send a strong force with sufficient munitions of war to thine assistance the noble seeing the difficulty of the enterprise before him left the royal presence go however he must but his object was never accomplished on the road he ate some badly cooked food which induced indigestion and caused his death at that time a company of six arrived from dilly to behold the guru they informed him of all the unsuccessful efforts made by the emperor to arrest him and they expressed their apprehension that some harm would befall him the guru replied at the time of my obtaining the guru ship my grandfather said that any person who strove to do me injury should vanish like hail before the fire the guru then quoted from guru arjan god is the lord of all creation he specially assisted his servants the muhammadin priests counseled the emperor not to use any harsh language in his summons to the guru but write to him in an apparently friendly manner when the guru arrived the emperor could treat him as he pleased this advice the emperor accepted and wrote his followers oh holy guru thou art in the place of guru ramdas who was universally known as the guru of the world and lord of miracles he visited my ancestor the emperor akbar and was on friendly terms with him so kindly come thou to and grant me a sight of thee show me thy miracles and tell me of the ways of god the messenger duly arrived in karate poor and presented the emperor's letter the guru consulted his six as to the expediency of going to dilly and putting himself into the emperor's power his counselors gave their opinion take care that matters go not from bad to worse the emperor is very obstinate on the other hand thou possesses miraculous power and he on whose head thou places thy hand can accomplish everything therefore in our humble opinion it is better for thee to go but thou art a search of hearts and knowest best the guru replied what you counsel is politic but i have registered a vow that i will never look at the wicked emperor r and zeb in the first place i have no business with him secondly he is very deceitful and treacherous thirdly he had imprisoned his father and put to death his brother dara chicot who was a great saint and believed in the all pervading spirit fourthly the emperor who is so cruel and bigoted and murder with holy men is everyone's enemy rom rye son of the guru arrived while the subject was under discussion the descendants of the guru were all assembled and everyone was giving his opinion some said yes and some said no upon this rom rye gave it as his opinion that someone should certainly go to the emperor otherwise their position would be one of great difficulty as the emperor would not be put off with excuses upon this the assembly turned towards rom rye and said thou art the guru's elder son and capable go thou and settle this matter otherwise there will be great trouble oring zeb hath quite determined to carry his design into execution if thou go not there will be a huge conflagration it is not on any account proper to quarrel with the ruler of the periods upon this rom rye said that if they all wished it he would go himself to the emperor and effect a satisfactory settlement with him guru har rye accordingly gave him permission to depart the guru on the departure of his son rom rye for dilly and joined him in all his words and actions to fix his thoughts on god and everything would prove successful he also impressed on him the propriety of not countenancing any objections the emperor might make to the grand sahib but of replying to him patiently and to the purpose the guru continued the emperor jahangir told my great grandfather guru arjan that certain passages reflecting on the muhammadans ought to be expunged but he indignantly refused and said he would never alter or abridge the writings of the gurus he suffered much in consequence but he never flattered anyone rom rye was then instructed to rely on the divine power of the gurus and not in any way recede from the principles of his religion rom rye made preparations for his journey and next morning with girdas and tara great grandson of by baolo and others took leave of the guru and set out on his journey when in due time they reached dilly the emperor was informed by one of his staff that guru har rye had not come himself but had sent his son rom rye who might be subjected to the same trial as had been intended for his father the emperor then decided that if his object in making trial of the guru were not fulfilled by the guru's son he was sent for the guru himself it is said that rom rye performed several miracles in dilly the emperor sent him poisoned robes which he wore unscathed at one interview the emperor had a sheet spread over a deep pit so that rom rye might fall into it but the sheet it is said would not give way and rom rye was miraculously preserved by the emperor's order a meeting of mohammedan priests was held for the purpose of interrogating rom rye on the subject of the guru's hymns the emperor opened the conversation rom rye your guru nanak has written against the muslim religion in one place he had said midi muscle manki peri pai kumiar garbanda itan kyan jaldi kara pukar the translation of which is the ashes of the mohammedan fall into the potter's clod vessels and bricks are fashioned from them they cry out as they burn what say you the meaning is rom rye began to reflect that it was with great difficulty he could please or accept if he became sulky then all his miracles would be of no avail he therefore determined to alter the line of guru nanak in order to gratify the emperor he thus altogether forgot his father's parting injunctions and said thy majesty guru nanak wrote midi by manki that is the ashes of the faithless not of the muslimans fall into the potter's clod the text has been causelessly corrupted by ignorant persons and thy majesty's religion and mine defamed the faces of the faithless and not of the muslimans shall be blackened in both worlds when alive they shall burn and when dead their ashes shall be defiled all the mohammedan priests were pleased with this reply the emperor then conferred a mark of favor on rom rye and dissolved the assembly the six of dilly lost no time in reporting rom rye's perfidy to his father their envoy swiftly proceeded to corrupt poor informed the guru of the pomp and honor with which rom rye had been received in dilly and detailed the miracles he had exhibited they then explained how he had made an alteration in the line of guru nanak in order to please the emperor and ask the guru how far this was to proceed the guru was much distressed at the insult to guru nanak and the grand sahib and said the words of guru nanak are unearing arrows great priests holy men and miracle workers revere his words guru nanak was a sovereign who established his empire over men the guru then passing in review the whole of rom rye's conduct since his arrival in dilly his treachery to his faith his unnecessary exhibition of miracles and his long absence decided that he was not fit for the guru ship the guru ship said the guru is like tiger's milk which can only be contained in a golden cup only he who is ready to devote his life there too is worthy of it let rom rye not look on my face again let him abide with oren zeb and amass money at his court in the words of guru amar das let him who is worthy sit on the king's throne the face of the liar shall be cursed the true saint only shall be magnified when rom rye who remained in dilly heard of his father's decision to exclude him from the succession he began to repent and grieve alas why have i done such an evil deed to flatter a false monarch i vaulted a word of the divine guru nanak not one iota of whose writings is inaccurate while rom rye said this in his heart he began to boast to the world at large it is of no consequence what care i for the guru ship i have locks of rupees i have endless six and followers the emperor is now a sincere friend of mine why should i desire the guru ship i will seize it by force after my father's death i will now hold my court in dilly what care i for anybody i have hundreds of thousands of brave men at my disposal to support me thus stating the pros and cons of his position and tossing his opinions from side to side as if they were a magician's ball he gave himself airs as if he had been already appointed governor of a province prior to the departure of rom rye for dilly a sick came from a distance to see the guru and asked him which of his sons should succeed him it is said that he suggested the following test take a needle to where my two sons are reading the ground sahib by turns tried to insert the needle into the couch on which the sacred volume is supported the couch which is most softened by the reading shall receive the needle if thou but prick it the needle will enter of its own accord the sick took the needle and first tried to pierce the couch when rom rye was reading but it failed to enter he waited until it was the turn of the guru's youngest son har krashan to read and after a brief delay inserted the needle it is said that it at once entered the couch which had become soft as wax by the force of har krashan's devotion the sick went and informed the guru but at his request kept private the result of the trial the guru then said the immortal god hath given the answer what impression will not har krashan's voice make on soft mind since it produces such an impression on hardwood it is only he whose words have such power who is fitted for the guru ship in the life of guru har rye chapter five section 31 of sick religion volume four this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libravox.org sick religion volume four by max arthur macauleth life of guru har rye chapter six after rom rye had resided in dilly for some time he decided he would go to koratpur to endeavor to induce his father to reverse his decision regarding him the rope may be rotten but the twist had not yet left it that is though his hopes were little yet his desire for the guru ship remained he took leave of the emperor and proceeded to a spot 12 cross from koratpur there he pitched his tent and wrote to his father for permission to visit him he said he had suffered for his sins and desired to implore the parental forgiveness the guru replied rom rye thou hast disobeyed my order and sinned how can't thou aspire to become a holy man go wither thy fancy leadeth thee i will never see thee again on account of thine infidelity if i appoint thee guru what thou has done today others will do tomorrow rom rye unreceived of this letter proceeded to lahore where he was well received apart from being the eldest son of the guru and a reputed thought montage he was also supported by the six through policy for it was believed that he possessed the confidence of the emperor on this account men who had previously not been six now became his disciples and espoused his cause rom rye in process of time wrote to his uncle dear mall to request him to intercede for him with his father tell him that it is not a good thing to uproot a household it is not proper to bestow the guru ship on my younger brother har krashan on this some very severe comments will be made when prithya was superseded in favor of guru arjan what troubles arose let not this happen again i am besides on very good terms with the emperor aring zeb and i shall certainly complain to him dear mall took this letter to the guru's mother and persuaded her to accompany him to the guru who by this time had returned to kartar poor in the hope of prevailing on him to pardon rom rye dear mall and the guru's mother both pleaded earnestly and with their own natural eloquence expanded rom rise arguments the guru replied what i have done is not at all unusual guru nannak having made trial of his sons gave the guru ship to a disciple guru on god and guru amar das having also made trial of their sons did not appoint them to succeed but gave the guru ship to their servants after full consideration i've arrived at the conclusion that rom rye was blinded by the love of pelt when he so far forgot himself as to alter a word in a hymn of guru nannak to please the emperor what was done in the beginning will also be done now dear mall was not to be easily balked he kept continually pressing rom rise claims on the guru so the latter in order to avoid an altercation with his brother resolved to leave kartar poor and return to kirat poor there is an oriental proverb that swans remain not in the mire so the guru could not abide in evil association he formed his plan overnight set out next morning and arrived in due course in karat poor where he gave a splendid banquet to his people on one occasion when some six singing hymns from the grand sahib visited the guru he happened to be lying on his couch on hearing the hymns he immediately arose when asked the reason he said here my beloved six the guru is embodied in compositions whose sanctity is immeasurable and unrivaled the guru's instruction is a raft to cross over the fiery ocean of the world it conferred happiness on the true guru's six and remove the sin from the hearts of the readers it may be called a lion to frighten the deer of avarice or an elephant to break down the great tree of sorrow it produced sith divine knowledge and dispeleth ignorance he who payeth respect to the guru's hymns shall without further effort cross over the terrible ocean of the world for great is their efficacy were i not to show reverence for the guru's hymns my six would not do so and without such reverence bliss could not be obtained that is why i rose from my couch the sick who acted according to the guru's instruction shall obtain the supreme dignity it is only he who hath no devotion or faith who reverence sith not the guru's words without reverence devotion is not obtained and without devotion there is no holiness without holiness how can there be deliverance and without deliverance the soul shall be subject to further transmigration and shall not be absorbed in god it is incumbent on the six to obtain happiness by pondering on the guru's words pilgrimage fasting sacrifice and painful austerities are of no avail the guru's saint is my sick and delighted in the guru's hymns be assured that he who doth not is no sick of mine the guru's example to rise when the sacred volume is read is still observed by his followers the guru feeling his end approaching again thought of his successor it always felt that as ram rai who was plotting and struggling for the guru's ship was unworthy it must be left to some holy person he remembered the wisdom of kabir do now the work of tomorrow and if thou do it now do it at once nothing can be done hereafter when death standeth over thy head the guru having thus resolved summon the great council of six at which the descendants of his predecessors attended the occasion was celebrated with a banquet great rejoicings the songs of many minstrels and the music of many re-backed players the guru seated his second son har gresshan who was still a child on a throne in the center of the assembly he then placed a coconut and five paese before him circumambulated him three times and had a tillock or patch put on his forehead the whole company then rose and did obeisance to the young guru guru har rai enjoined all his six to consider har gresshan as his image to put faith in him and they should obtain salvation thus was the ceremony of har gresshan's installation complete guru har rai closed his eyes in divine pleasure and went to his final rest on sunday the ninth day of the dark half of the month of kar tik sambat 17 18 ad 16 61 end of life of guru har rai chapter six section 32 of sick religion volume four this is a liber box recording all liber box recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit liberbox.org sick religion volume four by max arthur mccolliff life of guru har gresshan the eighth guru chapter one guru har gresshan the second and younger son of guru har rai and his wife krishan kaur was born in the ninth day of the dark half of the month of sawan in sambat 17 13 ad 16 56 the reason why his brother rom rai was superseded has already been given har krishan though appointed guru at the age of five years and three months gave promise of a docile spirit and acute intellect according to a hindu stani proverb the nature and ultimate size of a tree can be judged by its sprouting leaves so this child gave early indications of being worthy to succeed to the high dignity of his line it is said that even at that early age guru har krishan used to give his sixth instruction resolved their doubts and lead them on the way to salvation six came from all quarters to visit him and he sent preachers in every direction to fulfill his father's pious object to propagate and extend the faith rom rai was at the emperor's court in dilly when his younger brother was appointed to the guru ship in kairat poor on hearing of it he became very envious he said i first came here by my father guru har rai's order this powerful emperor has so appreciated me that he has given me much wealth i have moreover extended the faith and yet my father has deprived me of the guru ship and conferred it on my younger brother although ram rai's conscience told him that he had done wrong yet in the words of the chronicler jealousy stopped the ears of his intelligence the masan girders who attended on ram rai noticing his troubled state of mind said there is no need to be sad thou hast many disciples in this part of the country even the great emperor himself holdeth thee in honor of what consequences guru har rai's neglect of thee ram rai replied knowest thou not that when the sixth of this country learned that the guru ship hath been given to my younger brother they will turn away from me and go to him girders was ready with an expedient send thy masans in every direction to proclaim the guru and say that whoever ballot to any other shall be accursed by this device people will reverence thee as guru har rai's rightful successor if on the other hand people reverence guru har krishan and make him offerings that need if not disturb thy mind he is thy younger brother begotten of a guru and entitled to maintenance ram rai did not approve of the letter but he did of the former portion of girders advice namely to have himself proclaimed guru he then assembled the masans ordered them to go in every direction proclaim his succession and bring him the offerings of the faithful ram rai reflected not on the words of kabeer where there is covetousness there is death where there is forgiveness there is god himself the object of the guru ship was to save the world to give instruction in the true name and to blend men with their creator but ram rai thought it means of amassing money and for this among other reasons his father had set him aside the masans followed the example of ram rai and applied themselves not to the spread of religion of the gurus but to accumulate wealth for their pleasures the disciples whose guru is blind act blindly themselves the masans began to beat and plunder poor six and threatened with the gurus curse all who resented their conduct ram rai's desire to collect large offerings was not fulfilled the masans became proud and rebellious and kept the greater part of the offerings for themselves they treated ram rai as a non-entity for they deemed that all the six were in their own power and that they could appoint to the guru ship whosoever they pleased ram rai found himself completely at their mercy and was obliged to act according to their dictation after much reflection ram rai decided on laying his case before the emperor on obtaining an audience he thus addressed oren zepp sire my father hath gone on high and my younger brother hath taken possession of his throne his property and offerings this misfortune hath befallen me on account of my obedience to thee my father was opposed to thee on that account and at his death ordered my younger brother never to be reconciled to thee and never to look upon thy face now i pray thee to summon him to dilly and order him to exhibit miracles as i have done oren zepp who was himself the incarnation of deceit instinctively knew what ram rai was plotting but yet his conscience at first moved him to give good counsel o ram rai thy art amply provided for why annoy thy younger brother he is also thy father's son when ram rai further pressed his plane it occurred to oren zepp that he might avail himself of ram rai's displeasure for his own religious and political purposes he said to himself i want to convert all the hindus to islam but i apprehend failure in the panjab for there the people greatly reverence the guru and if they rise against me i shall have great difficulty in effecting my design i've already several times considered how i can induce the guru to accept the mohammedan faith it was on that account i summoned guru har rai he sent his son to me and i have him now in my power there's yet another brother of whose resistance to my designs i am equally apprehensive but if i succeed in bringing him here i may bribe him into acquiescence if he obstinately resist i will set both brothers at variance and they shall die by mutual slaughter in this way my faith will quickly spread in the panjab and i shall gain heaven by my success in converting the infidels the six will never suspect that i have put both brothers to death i shall kill the snake without breaking my stick oren zepp having contrived this torturous and wicked plan called raja jai singh of amber jaipur who happened to be at court and ordered him to summon guru har krishan the successor of guru har rai i wish to see him said the monarch be careful that he be treated with all respect on his journey ram rai was delighted on hearing of the order to summon his brother if my brother disobey the emperor will send an army to destroy him if on the other hand he come here it will be disobedience to our father's final order never to appear before oren zepp and he will then be deemed a greater center than i if he run away through fear of the emperor i will then go and establish him myself as guru take possession of karatpur oren zepp was as much delighted as ram rai at the decision that had been arrived at though for quite a different reason raja jai singh who had previously heard the guru's praises was pleased at the prospect of making his acquaintance and of listening to his instruction he was very glad that such a bigotive man as the emperor had ordered the guru to be summoned with the high respect due to his spiritual position the sixth of dilly also who were displeased at ram rai's proceedings manifested their satisfaction at the hope of seeing the real guru among them and begged the raja to inform him that not only the emperor but the sixth of dilly were thirsting to behold him raja jai singh sent a high official with orders that he was to invite rather than summon the guru and escort him to the imperial capital with all pomp and ceremony the raja knew that ram rai and the guru were at variance but he never suspected that the emperor harbored any evil designs when the high officer deputed to summon the guru arrived in karatpur and delivered his message the guru knew that ram rai had instigated the emperor to summon him and said he would give a reply on the morrow when the guru after breaking up the assembly in which the officer had been received went to his house he found his mother his sixth and his msans very sad uninquiring the cause his mother said that she was in perplexity as to what advice to give him whether he should proceed to dilly or not he was a child he had no father to take counsel with his elder brother a man of great craft and worldly experience bore him enmity and it was difficult to say what plan should be adopted the guru replied mother dear what cause is there for anxiety whatever what guru hath decided shall take place why be anxious regarding it what can poor mortal do if he have not god's sucker i hold my father's opinion that it is better for me not to go to orang zen or hold any intercourse with him the guru's mother rejoined thou speakest to right but the turks holds sway the emperor is obstinate and violent if thou refuse an army may be sent to fetch thee in which case there would be sanguinary fighting and many lives lost next day the guru sent for the officer and said my brother is with the emperor i do not know that i can do anything for his majesty by accepting his invitation the officer replied it is thy brother's suggestion the emperor has sent for thee but he is very anxious to behold thee himself also and the six of dilly hunger for our sight of thee wherefore come with me and please them all the guru rejoined i will go by our means where i shall be received with love but it hath been imposed on me as a duty not to look on the emperor's face write and tell rajat jai sing that if the six of dilly want me i will go to them but if the rajat desire me to meet the emperor i must decline the invitation the officer then represented that rajat jai sing had promised to call the guru to dilly but had not promised to bring him before the emperor the officer would however write to rajat jai sing and obtain precise information as to what was intended when an answer arrived the officer hastened to communicate it to the guru rajat jai sing humbly requested the guru to come to dilly so that he and the gurus six may behold him the guru may act as he pleaseth regarding an interview with the emperor if the emperor forced an interview on him rajat jai sing will foil his intention by diplomacy the guru hearing this said it is well i will set out the day after tomorrow the guru dilly set out from karatpur on the way he waited for some six who would come dither after his departure among them were the halt the maimed the lepros etc all of whom he cured by the imposition of hands in the same way he waited on the road for other six who would come from distant countries to see him much time was thus spent and rajat jai sing's messenger had to remonstrate on arriving at the village of paan jakara near amballa the guru made a boundary of sand and ordered that no sick should cross it after his departure so that he might be able to expedite his journey he said let any sick who desire to see me stand here and make his supplication he shall obtain his wishes he left some of his disciples there to give instruction there is now a temple on the spot in memory of the guru's visit chapter two while the guru at paan jakara was meditating on god a sick came and told him of a proud brahman who was in the neighborhood the brahman had asked the guru's name and learned that it was shri har krishan hearing this the brahman became very angry and said the poet of the Bhagavad Gita whom none can equal call god merely krishan and the guru called himself shri har krishan as if he thought himself superior to krishan if he be such a guru let him come and translate the Gita with me the guru replied to his informant the eyes of understanding are very good but the cataract of pride so blinded them that they cannot see god's way the proud think all persons beneath them the sick however prevailed on the guru to allow the brahman to come to him when the brahman came he did not salute the guru but unceremoniously sat down in his presence he then said thou who call us thyself shri har krishan must be greater than the god krishan translate the Gita for a little while with me the guru replied the brahmins of the present day are not deeply read they are great talkers and arguers and are deteriorating every day and in the future they will have even less religion than they have now what the brahmins know is not real knowledge and they are strangers to god i've not read the Gita and were i to translate it with thee i would say i was some rich man's son who had had a private tutor whereas i should translate by my spiritual power go and bring some ignorant rustic to discuss with thee and when thou hast vanquished him i will speak to thee the brahman went and brought an ignorant water carrier called cha jhu from the nearest village the guru looked him full in the face and said thou hast become a great divinity scholar now discuss the meaning of the shah stars with his brahman the brahman and the water carrier accordingly began to discuss and the water carrier gave such learned replies that the brahman stood in astonished silence the questions and replies related to hindu theology the pundit became convinced that the guru had infused his supernatural power into the water carrier he accordingly begged the guru's pardon for the unceremonious manner in which he had approached him the brahman added that art really the holy god krishan make me thy disciple the guru did so and to scores to him on humility raja jai singh went forth with bare feet to meet the guru the emperor sent large presence on the guru's arrival and expressed a wish to see him in reply to the emperor's message the guru said my elder brother is with the emperor and is ready to do whatever he desire it i cannot meet the emperor my father with his dying words told me that my elder brother would transact all political affairs with his majesty and i had better not meddle with them my mission is to preach the true name there is no one who can be so affectionate as a brother and there is no one who at the same time can be a greater enemy witness the treatment of his brothers by the emperor himself ram rai beareth me great enmity and worthy emperor on receiving me to show me any favor ram rai would become still more hostile and grave dissensions and families have better be avoided for this and other reasons my father forbade me to meet the emperor when this speech was reported to the emperor he was astonished that a child of seven years of age could have uttered it he said the group must be some person possessing supernatural power and nothing could be gained by annoying him such good thoughts however merely flashed across foreign zeb's mind for a moment they were but the lightning shining through black clouds on a dark night which quickly vanishes and leaves the landscape in greater darkness than before orang zeb bided his time for a new guru must grant him the desired interview crowds of six strong to see the guru and receive spiritual consolation from him there was then a plague raging in dilly and those afflicted with it who sought the guru's mediation were all healed ram rai finding the six falling away from himself and flocking around the guru became greatly incensed and said to himself the evil eye intended for him has turned out to his advantage i must now contrive some other expedient that he may not be able to oppose my designs the following day the emperor's son was announced the prince said that his father desired to see the guru the guru replied that he had already given his reason for not seeing the emperor and he repeated what he had said before namely ram rai who is at court will transact with the emperor any political or administrative business that may be necessary if the emperor desire any religious instruction i will dictate it to thee and now may us write it in persian characters when he understandeth and acted according to it the blessing of guru Nanak shall light on him and he shall be happy the prince was astonished at this reply and said the guru might write down his instruction for the emperor the guru then dictated the following hymn of guru Nanak for the emperor's edification if the true god dwell not in the heart what is eating what clothing what fruit what clarified butter and sweet molasses what fine flour and what meat what clothes what a pleasant couch for billing and cooing what an army what mace bears and servants and what palaces to dwell in Nanak except the true name all things are perishable the prince took this hymn to his father who was much impressed with it and his eyes for a moment opened to the truth but the desire of converting the guru to Islam and prolonging the enmity between the two brothers again blinded him the emperor once said in the course of private conversation to rajat jai singh thou and others highly praise the guru and say he possesses miraculous power has thou ever put into the test if thou have not done so then do so now and if thou find he possessive any superhuman power then let me know rajat jai singh replied it is difficult to put such persons to the test dealing with them is highly dangerous for they may utter curses instead of blessings but i will however as that majesty order it contrived some means of proving him jai singh then went home and in consultation with his head queen contrived the plan to test the guru she was to dress herself as a slave and sit with slaves behind the other queens when the guru visited jai singh's palace if the guru recognized her then it might be considered a proof that he really was what his followers deemed him to be the guru by his supernatural power knew the plot laid for him and became very sad at being expected to show to the world what saints and holy men conceal namely miraculous power so when jai singh went to conduct him to his palace he at first refused to receive him on pressure however the guru admitted jai singh to his presence jai singh told him in a very respectful manner that his queens desired to see him when the guru complied with jai singh's invitation he found a large female assemblage ready to receive him the guru touched the front queen with a wand and said thou art not the head queen in the same way he touched the other ladies of the zanana and rejected them all at last he touched the head queen whom notwithstanding her disguise he recognized at the back of the assembly and said thou art the head queen she was very pleased at being recognized in her menial attire the guru then said in reference to the trial made of him by rajah jai singh guru nanak will ever confer happiness on those who have unswerving faith he will ever abide with them and assist them and god will love them both in this world and the next he whose mind is perplexed with doubts is not a true believer he who through pride deemeth himself very exalted must like a lofty peak on the surface of the earth ultimately have a fall devotion which is like rain rest if not on lofty places there the field of god's love germinative not and the harvest of salvation is not gathered upon this rajah jai singh and his queens admitted the guru's sanctity chapter three on the fourth day of the dark half of chet the day after the above occurrence the guru was seized with fever his eyes were seen to grow red his breathing became very rapid and the heat of his body was felt at a considerable distance his mother krishan kaur sat by him and began to lament saying my son why art thou intent on thy death thou hast only lately been seated on the guru's throne thou art still a child and it is too soon for thee to depart mayest thou enjoy the full term of life have a family and then go to god why at this tender age turn thy thoughts away from the world the guru replied mother dear it is natural that thou should feel this paroxysm of love but have no anxiety for me it is our duty to accept the will of the almighty as guru arjan has said the master may gather the crop whether it be green half ripe or ripe and fit to be cut the reapers make preparations bring sickles and arrive on the ground they cut the crop as it is measured out to them when the owner giveth orders when it is the husbandman's pleasure he cut it down the crop there is no rule as to whether it must be green or half ripe what torture guru arjan suffered and yet he uttered not a groan why should we mourn for the body when it is god's will but it should depart what is today and what tomorrow whatever god doeth is for the best the guru however thought it proper to go outside the city to the margin of the jamna in order to breathe a pure atmosphere he pitched his camp near rajat jai singh's army rajat jai singh himself lived in the city on hearing that the guru had left it sent an officer to ask if he had offended him in any way the guru explained the reason of his change of residence prior to the officer's return rajat jai singh informed the emperor of the manner in which he had tested the guru the emperor then became still more anxious for an interview and again ordered the rajat to procure it for him when rajat jai singh returned to his palace he heard of the guru's illness he then went to inquire after his health and also to discuss with him the subject of his interview with the emperor the guru was however too ill to give any definite reply next day smallpox asserted itself its unmistakable pimples appeared on the guru's body with it a very violent fever raged and unconsciousness ensued sick writers minutely described the effects of the smallpox on the guru's tender and handsome person and the pains he suffered a man suffering from smallpox wriggles like a fish on hot sand if he desired to lie down he cannot do so on whichever side he lies he is pained and rides in anguish and torture which as the chronicler piously remarks may god not inflict even on an enemy the guru however uttered no cry of pain but continued to repeat god's name during his illness everyone was ordered to repeat the hymns of the grand sahib for the occasion the guru continued ill for several days that last his condition grew desperate he knew his end had arrived and he invited all who desired to behold him for the last time to present themselves rajat jai singh masan gurbaksh and many others went to his bedside gurbaksh with clasp hands thus addressed him great king the preceding gurus before their departure entrusted their six either to servants or sons thou being so young art going to leave us without a guru how can the six endure such a calamity cherish thy simple six and when thou hast a son who is fit for the guruship then mayest thou depart not now the guru replied be not anxious the creator will do what is best my death cannot now be averted the glory of guru in a knock's throne shall increase day by day gurus may die but their hearts that is the grand sahib shall remain with you it containeth instruction divine knowledge and the guru's spell it will satisfy all men's desires read it and act on its counsels and guru in a knock will ever assist you wherefore waver not but ever turn your thoughts towards the immortal god salvation is obtained through guru in a knock's mediation put faith in him and remember his words the six understood from the guru's language that he was about to die they began to mourn his untimely faith and to reflect that there was none so competent as he to give them divine instruction he on seeing their anxiety thus addressed them this world is transitory to fix your minds on it to indulge in rejoicing or mourning and to impute blame to god are all highly sinful acts we ought all to accept god's will and deem his pleasure as our own whatever he doeth is for the best as Baba Nanak hath said in the Jatji what pleaseth the oh god is good this body must one day perish what mattereth it whether it perish now or after the fullness of years he who obeyeth god's will renounceeth pride and other deadly sins he remembereth the true name crosses over the world's terrible ocean and is forever emancipated here the guru's strength failed him he became silent and closed his eyes after a short time he opened them and gazed affectionately on his six. Rajat Jai Singh again appeared with the emperor's reiterated request for an interview to this the guru gave the same reply as before and expressed a desire that the emperor should fix his attention on the hymn he had written for him next day the six went in a body to behold their guru Gurbash again addressed him great king Ramra is on good terms with the emperor here in the panjab there is dear maul as also other sodis who claim the guru's ship they are only waiting for thy death to assert their claims simple six will fall into their toils and intelligent six will suffer in the midst of the ensuing troubles in this manner this tree of Sikhism which hath been hitherto cherished will wither away everyone will be a guru in his own house and several sects of opinionated and heterodox six will arise be pleased to appoint someone like thyself for our salvation the guru replied why be anxious the tree planted by guru Nanak's holy hands shall never wither drought storms and heat may prevail but that shall never fade there shall be twofold and fourfold miracles and one guru shall be blended with another on this the guru called for five paiz stand up coconut he took them and not being able to move his body waved his hand three times in the air and token of sarkiman belating his successor and said baba bakali that is his successor will be found in the village of bakala when he could again speak he ordered the minstrels to sing the guru's hymns and repeat god's name mid midnight had passed and there was no indication of the guru's recovery his mother krishan kaur who sat by his bed looked at his hands and face became very sad and broke forth into lamentation what shall i do alone in the world having lost my beautiful son and my kind husband where shall i find them and how shall i live without them the guru said in reply mother dear feel no anxiety the greater part of thy life have been spent in happiness past the remainder in god's service guru arjan heth said where the physician cannot succeed where there is neither sister nor brother god alone assisted what he doeth cometh to pass he washes away the filth of sin remember that supreme being by remembering god thou shalt arrive at such a superior position that thou shalt never know sorrow and never be separated from us the guru's mother was much consoled by this speech the guru's final order was that none should weep for him but all were to sing the guru's hymns in the midst of the hymns and the repetition of god's name the guru breathed his last on saturday the 14th day of the light half of the month of chet sambat 1721 ad 1664 his body was cremated on a plane called di lakari south of dilly on the bank of the jamna where his siniary tone is still preserved a temple was subsequently built at the place where he had resided when in the city in uh life of guru har grishan the eighth guru section 33 of sick religion volume 4 this is a liberivox recording all liberivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit liberivox.org sick religion volume 4 by max arthur mccollis life of guru tegg baha dur the ninth guru chapter one guru tegg baha dur youngest son of the sixth guru har gobind and his wife nannaki was born in what is now called guru k mahal amritsar in the panjab on sunday the fifth day of the dark half of the month of by sak awa cheno quarter before day in the samba year 1679 ad 1622 immediately after the child's birth guru har gobind with five six went to see him on contemplating him the guru knew that his son would be a great hero powerful to endure the sword and so he called him tegg baha dur he prophesied that the boy should have a son who would develop a third religion distinct from those of the hindus and muslimans and who would also destroy the reign of tyranny in hindu stand when tegg baha dur was five years of age he used to indulge in trains of thought during which he would speak to no one his mother nannaki inquired of his father why he tolerated this conduct on the part of his son guru har gobind consoled her by telling her that tegg baha dur should become a guru proved very powerful and sacrificed himself for the sick religion tegg baha dur was as already stated married to gujari daughter of lal chan a native of karta poor in the chalandar district after the death of guru har gobind tegg baha dur with his mother in white went to live in bakala where guru har krishan subsequently said his successor should be found when the sodis of bakala heard of the last words of guru har krishan 22 of them claimed the right to succeed him these self-made gurus forcibly took the offerings of the six who came to see the real guru with the result the true worshipers suffered great hardship for a considerable time at last a sick called makhan shah of the labana tribe came from gujarat in the dakhan with an offering of 500 gold maharas which sometime previously he had vowed to make to the guru on the escaping shipwreck what was his surprise when he found that 22 sodis had installed themselves as gurus in this state of confusion and uncertainty he resolved to make trial of the pretenders he visited them all and made them offerings of two gold maharas each none of them knew that he had brought 500 maharas for the real guru every one of them extolled himself and said the others were hypocrites and deceivers he thought of the words of guru arjan in the sukh mani goodness shall not even approach him who calleth himself good and again he who considereth himself low shall be deemed the most exalted of all and he came to the conclusion that these 22 men only claimed to be gurus in order to plunder the six he then inquired if there were anyone else in bakala who claimed to be the guru he was told there was another man popularly called tega son of guru har goben who dwelt there in silence and retirement but had no ambition to undertake the onerous duties of the position the masans told makhan shah that if he desired to interview tega he might go with them bakhan shah on arriving at tega bahadur's house requested an interview tega bahadur told his servant to inform makhan shah that if he wanted to see him he must come alone when he presented himself unaccompanied by the masans tega bahadur reflected that as he had saved makhan shah from shipwreck so he must now disclose himself bakhan shah hath made trial of all the pretenders thought tega bahadur but found not the true guru and no pretender hath been able to satisfy him by telling him the object of his visit if i now conceal myself from him he will lose faith in the gurus he hath placed great reliance on the last words of guru har grishan baba bakala and if his desires be not fulfilled he will die moreover he hath come from a great distance it is therefore on every account necessary that i should receive him and tell him his thoughts bakhan shah was highly pleased on obtaining permission to interview tega bahadur and concluded that he must be the true guru of whom he had been in search on being ushered into his presence what did he see the guru was in deep contemplation holding his senses under complete restraint bakhan shah however fell at his feet and placed his offering of two gold maharas in front of him when the guru saw the two coins and found bakhan shah seated near him he said how now oh sick thou art trying to wiggle the guru by presenting him with two gold maharas where are the 500 gold maharas thou did's promise when thy vessel was sinking bakhan shah was delightfully surprised oh great king it is true when my vessel full of merchandise was sinking i invoked guru nanak and vowed i would offer him 500 gold maharas if it ever reached the shore bakhan shah prostrated himself before tega bahadur hailed him true guru and searched her hearts and presented him the 500 gold maharas of his vow he then ascended a house top and waving a flag proclaimed from there i have found the guru i have found the guru on hearing this the six assembled from every quarter and with all due formalities and observances placed tega bahadur then in his 43rd year and the very image of guru nanak on the guru's throne on being installed he conferred robes of honor on his six the 22 false gurus hid themselves as darkness vanishes before the sun's rays dear mal the eldest son of gradita seeing the offerings made to guru tega bahadur and the honors he received became violently jealous one day he communicated his feelings to his masan sahan who about him be of good cheer and promised that he would put a bullet through his enemy the masan accordingly took about a score of men to kill the guru he fired and the bullet struck his intended victim but did not prove fatal the masan seized the opportunity to pack up and take away the guru's movable property the guru in his affliction retained his composure and evenness of mind he felt no pleasure at excess of wealth no grief at its departure or at the bodily harm caused him but was happy in the contemplation of god's goodness when mcconn shaw heard of this occurrence from the guru's mother he with the six proceeded in a body to the guru to condone with him they found him absorbed in contemplation then with loud cries they went off to dear maw's residence he closed his door against them but they burst it open seized him and his accomplices and tying his masan's hands behind his back took him off to the guru they also recovered and restored to the guru all the property which dear maw and his men had taken away not only that but they took dear maw's own private property also including the grand sahib and placed all at the guru's disposal the masan professed great contrition and with much show of humility bent his head on the guru's feet he said he had erred and asked pardon for his offense i'm under thy protection have mercy on me oh cherry sure of the poor hear the prayer of a sinner though i am a bad son it is incumbent on the who art to me a father to preserve my honor the guru unseeing the masan so humbled and distressed ordered him to be released bakan shaw remonstrated and said that the man had only met his desserts the guru however was thrown and ordered all the property taken from dear maw to be restored to him he preached to bakan shaw and his six that the holy guru nanak gave them the wealth of the name which was sufficient for all their wants in anger man committed evil deeds he loses that wants his senses and his religion when anger springeth up in a man's heart what crime is there he will not perpetrate he think of nothing of sinning against his parents and his holy guru he taketh the life which he ought to protect and uttereth nothing but harsh language he will not refrain from any act even though he sacrifices life in its execution there is no greater sacrifice than life and yet the foolish person will deliberately make it the angry man so berneth if he obtained not his desires he cannot eat or sleep day and night he is tortured by his passion and formeth endless plans for his gratification in this way he passeth his time in misery to exercise forgiveness is a great act to exercise forgiveness is to give alms forgiveness is equal to ablutions at all places of pilgrimage forgiveness insureth man's salvation there is no virtue equal to forgiveness therefore generously exercise it never abandon this virtue but ever preserve it in your hearts you are ordered in the grand sahib to lay up the wealth of the name so that it may accompany you in this world and in the next this wealth is only found in the companionship of good men and cannot be obtained by any other means my followers possess this wealth which is superior to all jewels and gems the saints courted day and night it cannot be purchased no thief can steal no fire consume no water drown it whereas worldly wealth is generally accumulated by sin thieves can steal it pickpockets proloin it kings sees it fire berneth and earth rod it at the hour of death this sinful wealth only cause this regret and through man's desires being fixed on it his soul fallen into terrible hell end of life of guru teg bahadur the ninth guru chapter one