Sikh Gurus > Guru Gobind Singh Ji
BHAI NAND LAL
Bhai Nand Lal Goya, born at Ghazni in Afghanistan in 1643, was an
accomplished persian scholar who composed verses in praise of God and
Guru Gobind Singh. He was hardly nineteen when his parents passed away
and after that he moved to the city of Multan. The Nawab of Multan
being impressed with his scholastic talents and personality, appointed
him as his 'Mir Munshi' (Revenue officer). At the age of 45 Nand Lal
left the service and set out in pursuit of peace. At last he reached
Anandpur. Nand Lal wanted to test the Guru before he could accept him.
He took a small house and started living quietly in that and made up
his mind that he would go to the Guru only when the Guru beckoned him.
The Guru did not call for sometimes. During this period Nand Lal became
very restless which he recorded:
"How long shall I patiently wait?
My heart is restless for a vision of thee,
My tearful eyes, says Goya,
Have become flooding streams of love
Flowing in a passionate affection towards thee."
(Nand Lal- Translated)
At last the Guru called Nand Lal. When he reached there for his holy
sight, the Guru was sitting in a trance with his eyes closed. As Nand
Lal saw the Master, he was wonder-stuck and he recorded:
"My life and faith are held in bondage,
By His sweet and angelic face;
The glory of Heaven and earth,
Is hardly worth,
A hair of His golden looks.
O! How can I bear the light,
Shed by the piercing glance of His love,
To ennoble and enlighten life,
A glimpse of the Beloved is enough."
(Bhai Nand Lal)
After a short while the Master opened his eyes and smiled as he looked
towards Nand Lal. By mere opening of his eyes, he enabled Nand Lal to
see the Divine. His one glance of Grace opened the spiritual eyes of
Nand Lal. He bowed down saying, "Lord, my doubts are dispelled. I have
known the Truth. The doors of my heart are opened and I have attained
peace."
Nand Lal, thus, continued to live at Anandpur in the service and love
of the Master. One day the Guru commanded him, " You left the home and
renounced the world; such a renunciation is not acceptable to me. Go
back and live in the world, work for your living and serve the
humanity; but remain unattached to Maya (materialism), keeping God
alive in thy mind." Nand Lal asked, " Whither should I go, O Master?"
The Guru replied, " To whichever direction your feet carry thee."
Bhai Nand Lal bowed and left Anandpur and after sometimes he reached
Agra, the city of Taj Mahal where. Prince Bahadur Shah was holding his
court. There were some poets, scholars and artists patronized by the
prince. Nand Lal was soon recognized at Agra as a great scholar which
earned him a high office and emoluments from the prince. It is said
that Emperor Aurangzeb had to send a letter to the King of Persia and
Nand Lal's draft of that letter was deemed as the most suitable. Upon
this Aurangzeb sent for Nand Lal, and after an interview he remarked to
his courtiers that it was a pity that such a learned man should remain
a Hindu. Aurangzeb told Prince Bahadur Shah to convert Nand Lal to
Islam by persuasion if possible, and by force otherwise. This news
leaked out and Bhai Nand Lal with the help of Ghiasuddin, a Muslim
admirer and follower of him, escaped from Agra one night, and fled to
Anandpur, the only place where such refugees could find safe asylum.
Enjoying the blissful life at the Master's feet at Anandpur, Bhai Nand
Lal then settled down to a routine of a devoted disciple. He presented
to the Guru a Persian work called Bandagi Nama in praise of God, a
title which the Guru changed to Zindagi Nama, or 'Bestower of Eternal
life'. The following few extracts are from that work:
"Both worlds, here and hereafter, are filled with God's light;
The sun and moon are merely servants who hold His torches.
............................................................
They who search for God are ever civil.
(Bhai Nand Lal- Translated)
BHAI JOGA SINGH
From the early youth Joga Singh was living at the Guru's Darbar and was
a great devotee. One day Guru's eye caught him and he asked what his
name was. He replied, " O true king, my name is Joga Singh." The Guru
asked, " Whose Joga you are?" (Joga means for whose service he is fit
or simply for whom he is?) "I am Guru Joga (I am in the service of the
Guru), " replied Joga Singh. Upon this the Guru promised, " If you are
Guru Joga, then Guru is tere Joga ( then the Guru is for you)."
After sometimes Joga Singh went to his home in Peshawar for his
marriage. When the marriage ceremony was half-way through, a man
arrived with an urgent message from the Guru to him to proceed to
Anandpur without delay. Joga Singh read the command and instantly left
for Anandpur without completing the marriage ceremony. He obeyed Guru's
order over everything else. Indeed the path of the devotees is sharper
than the edge of a razor blade, and it is even narrower than the
hair-breadth on which they have to tread.
Joga Singh continued his journey to Anandpur as fast as he could. After
passing through Lahore and Amritsar, he reached a resting spot at
Hoshiarpur. On his way his ego got inflated and he thought, " Who could
have acted like me? Certainly very few Sikhs would carry out the Guru's
order like me." This sense of pride brought his fall. At night he was
overwhelmed by evil-passion and he started towards the house of a
prostitute. Joga Singh was wearing Guru's uniform- a turban and beard.
On his way to the prostitute, Joga Singh talked to himself, " If some
one sees me going into the house of a prostitute, it will bring
disgrace to the Guru. Outwardly I am in Guru's attire. So nobody should
see me entering the prostitute's house."
As soon as he reached near the house of the prostitute, a watchman
appeared saying aloud, " Be aware fellows!" Joga Singh could not enter
the house and he walked on to the next street. Looking around and
thinking that the watchman might have left, he hurried towards the
house of the prostitute again. To his amazement the watchman reappeared
shouting, " Be aware fellows!" Joga Singh could not afford to be seen
by anybody going into the house of the prostitute, knowing in his heart
that it would bring slur to Guru's name since he was in Guru's uniform.
Finally he quit his evil act after trying a few times without success.
Next morning he started his journey and reached Anandpur. Joga Singh
stood mute before the Guru with his head down. The Guru asked him about
the well-being of himself and his family but Joga Singh stood mute. The
divine Guru then addressed him, " Joga Singh, do you remember when you
said that you were Guru Joga, and the Guru had promised, if you were
Guru Joga, then Guru tere Joga." Upon this the Guru further explained,
"In the garb of a watchman I guarded you in the streets of Hoshiarpur
last night, against the sinful deeds and thus saved you from disgrace."
Joga Singh fell on Guru's feet and asked for forgiveness.
Such are the ways of the Master. Once we put our complete faith in him, he does not abandon us. The Guru confirms:
"As long as the Khalsa remain distinct and intact,
I shall bless them in every way;
When they detract from the prescribed path,
I detest them for ever."
(Guru Gobind Singh)