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Table of Contents

s~cI pVHweI ...................................................................................................................................................... 3

s~cw jnyaU ........................................................................................................................................................ 7

s~cw sOdw ....................................................................................................................................................... 11

sulqwnpur dw modI ^wnw .................................................................................................................................. 15

s~cI nmwz ..................................................................................................................................................... 19

h~k dI kmweI ................................................................................................................................................ 23

kOfw Awdm^or ................................................................................................................................................. 27

s~jx T~g ...................................................................................................................................................... 31

^udw dw Gr .................................................................................................................................................... 35

hMkwrI dw isr nIvW ......................................................................................................................................... 39

bwbr dw zulm ................................................................................................................................................ 43

joqI joq smwauxw ............................................................................................................................................ 47

Bein River Entry ........................................................................................................................................... 51

Sumer Parbat And Sidh ............................................................................................................................... 55

A Strange Boon ........................................................................................................................................... 59

Guru Angad Dev ji ....................................................................................................................................... 63

References .................................................................................................................................................. 67

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s~cI pVHweI

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5

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s~cw jnyaU

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9

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11

s~cw sOdw

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15

sulqwnpur dw modI ^wnw

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s~cI nmwz

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h~k dI kmweI

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27

kOfw Awdm^or

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29

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31

s~jx T~g

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^udw dw Gr

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hMkwrI dw isr nIvW

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bwbr dw zulm

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joqI joq smwauxw

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Bein River Entry

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Sumer Parbat And Sidh

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A Strange Boon

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Guru Angad Dev ji

Guru Angad (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅੰਗਦ; 31 March 1504 – 28 March 1552) was the second of the

tenth Sikh Gurus. He was born in the village of Sarae Naga in Muktsar District in Punjab on 31

March 1504. The name Lehna was given shortly after his birth as was the custom of

his Hindu parents. He was the son of a small but successful trader named Pheru Mal. His

mother's name was Mata Ramo (also known as Mata Sabhirai, Mansa Devi and Daya Kaur).

Baba Narayan Das Trehan was the Guru's Grandfather, whose ancestral house was at Matte-

di-Sarai near Mukatsar.

In 1538, Guru Nanak chose Lehna—his disciple—to be his successor as Sikhism's Guru, rather

than one of his sons.[1] Lehna was then given the name Angad and designated as Guru Angad,

becoming the second guru of the Sikhs. He continued on the work started by the first Sikh Guru.

Guru Angad married Mata Khivi in January 1520 and had two sons (Dasu and Datu) and two

daughters (Amro and Anokhi). The entire family of his father had left their ancestral village in

fear of the invasion of Babar's armies. After this the family settled at Khadur Sahib, a village by

the River Beas near what is now Tarn Taran a small town about 25 km from the city of Amritsar,

the holiest of Sikh cities.

One day, Bhai Lehna heard the recitation of a hymn of Guru Nanak from Bhai Jodha a

neighbour who was a follower of the Guru. His mind was captured by the tune and while on his

annual pilgrimage to Jawalamukhi Temple he asked his group if they would mind going to see

the Guru. Everyone thought this most inappropriate and refused. Not one to shirk his

responsibilities, he was after all the guide and leader of the group, he couldn't abandon them

with thieves along the way. But man of honor and dharma that he was, the poems and prayers

(kirtan) of Guru Nanak still held onto his every thought. So one night without telling anyone he

mounted his horse and proceeded to the village now known as Kartarpur (God's city) to visit

with Guru Nanak. Upon receiving directions to the Guru, Bhai Lehna found a number of people

working on a field. Bhai Lehna did not recognize the Guru as he looked just like the ordinary

field workers, and asked Guru Nanak if he could take him to the Guru. Nanak agreed and took

the saddle strings of the horse while Bhai Lehna sat upon the horse comfortably. After some

time the Guru reached his home and told Bhai Lehna to sit down whilst he went to get the Guru;

when the Guru returned, this time after freshening up, Bhai Lehna realized instantly what a huge

mistake he had made. He had several thoughts going through his head about what a huge sin

he had committed by making the Guru pull him and his horse home whilst he sat upon the horse

comfortably. His face at once dropped and Guru smiled, he asked what is your name, Bhai

replied 'Bhai Lehna'. The Guru then replied: 'don't worry when someone comes to take

something they would come as you have' (as Lehna means to take something) 'if you give me

the strings of your mind as you did with the horse saddles and let me direct you, you will be

amazed... '

Bhai Lehna displayed deep and loyal service to Guru Nanak. Several stories display how Bhai

Lehna was chosen over the Guru's sons as his successor. One of these stories is about a jug

which fell into mud. Guru Nanak's sons would not pick it up; Sri Chand, the older, refused on the

grounds that the filth would pollute him, and Lakshmi Chand, the younger, objected because the

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task was too menial for the son of a Guru. Bhai Lehna, however, picked it out of the mud,

washed it clean, and presented it to Guru Nanak full of water. A different version of this story

counts this as a key part of Guru Nanak deciding upon Bhai Lehna for his successor. The

Guru's wife, Mata, said to Nanak "My Lord, keep my sons in mind," meaning that she wished

them to be the ones considered for succession to the guruship. Guru ordered them to come,

and he threw a bowl into a tank of muddy water. The Guru ordered them to retrieve it for him,

and both of them refused to do it. Guru Nanak then asked Bhai Lehna to retrieve it, and Bhai

Lehna promptly complied. In one instance, the Guru orders a wall of his house, which had fallen

down, to be repaired. His sons refused to fix it immediately because of the storm that had

knocked it down, and the lateness of morning. Guru Nanak said that he needed no masons

while he had his Sikhs, and ordered them to repair it. Bhai Lehna started to repair the wall, but

Nanak claimed that it was crooked when he was finished, and ordered him to knock it down and

build it again. Bhai Lehna complied, and Nanak still claimed the wall was not straight. The Guru

ordered him to attempt it a third time. At this, the Guru's sons called Bhai Lehna a fool for

putting up with such unreasonable orders. Bhai Lehna simply replied that a servant's hands

should be busy doing his master's work. Yet another anecdote exists where Guru Nanak asks

his Sikhs and his sons to carry three bundles of grass for his cows and buffaloes, and, as with

the other examples, his sons and his followers failed to show loyalty. Bhai Lehna, however,

immediately asked to be tasked with carrying the bundles, which were wet and muddy. When

Bhai Lehna and the Guru arrived at the Guru's house, the Guru's wife complained at Guru

Nanak's terrible treatment of a guest, noting how his clothes were covered from head to foot

with mud. Guru Nanak then replied to her, "This is not mud; it is the saffron of God's court,

which marketh the elect." Upon another inspection, the Guru's wife saw that Bhai Lehna's

clothes had, indeed, changed into saffron. To this day, Sikhs consider the three bundles as

important symbols of spiritual affairs, temporal affairs, and the Guruship. In one of the most

significant stories, Guru Nanak travels through the forest with his disciples. The Guru made gold

and silver coins appear in front of the group, and all but two followers ran to pick them up: Bhai

Lehna and Bhai Buddha. Guru Nanak led them both to a funeral pyre, and ordered them to eat

the corpse that was hidden under a shroud. Bhai Buddha started thinking, but Bhai Lehna

obeyed. When he lifted the shroud, he found the Guru Nanak himself underneath it. In a

different version of this story, Bhai Lehna is met with Parshad (sacred food) instead of Guru

Nanak. Bhai Lehna offers the Parshad to the Guru, satisfied to eat of the leavings. Guru Nanak,

after this test, reveals the Japuji to Bhai Lehna, proclaims Bhai Lehna is of his own image, and

promises that Bhai Lehna shall be the next Guru.

Guru Nanak had touched him and renamed him Angad (part of the body) or the second Nanak

on 7 September 1539. Before becoming the new Guru he had spent six or seven years in the

service of Guru Nanak at Kartarpur.

After the death of Guru Nanak on 22 September 1539, Guru Angad left Kartarpur for the village

of Khadur Sahib (near Goindwal Sahib). He carried forward the principles of Guru Nanak both in

letter and spirit. Yogis and Saints of different sects visited him and held detailed discussions

about Sikhi with him.

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References

Aulakh, D. A. (n.d.). Illustrated Stories from the life of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Jagdev, S. S. (n.d.). Bed Time Stories -2, Guru Nanak Dev Ji.