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Guru
Angad who was earlier known as Bhai Lehna
was born
at Harika, a Small village in Ferozepur district
on March 31st 1504.
His father’s name was Pherumal and his mother’s
name was Daya Kaur.
Guru Angad was a man of simple beliefs and
religious temperament.
He was a worshipper of Goddess Durga. Every
year he would visit the temple of Durga at Jawalamukhi,
in district Kangra, with his friends and relatives.
One morning he heard hymns being sung in
his neighborhood.
Its melody and significance charmed him.
He learnt that Guru Nanak Dev Ji who lived
in Kartarpur had composed the hymns.
He went to Kartarpur to meet Guru Nanak.
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While
he was looking for Guru Nanak he met a cheerful
old man. He
asked the old man to show the way to the Guru Nanaks’s
house, the old man advised Lehna Ji to follow him
as he was also going the same way.
Bhai Lehna rode the horse and
the old man walked to the house of the Guru Nanak.
After Lehna Ji tied his horse in the courtyard,
the same man led him to a room.
To his utter surprise, the Guru Ji was no
other that the old man who led him to the house.
Lehna Ji fell at feet of Guru Sahib and begged
for forgiveness for riding on the horse while the
Guru Nanak walked.
Bhai Lehna Ji was impressed by the simple
and holy life of Guru Nanak and therefore moved
with his family to Kartarpur.
He learnt Gurbani and worked hard in the
langar-the free kitchen.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji always tested his two sons, Sri
Chand and Lakshmi Das, but they always failed their
test with Nanak Dev.
Once Guru Nanak asked his two sons to collect
the three bundles of grass and carry them home.
They refused to carry the grass home and
asked their father to get a laborer.
Lehna Ji asked the Guru Sahib to treat his
as his labor and Lehna picked up the three bundles
and carried them to the Guru’s home.
Everyone started calling Lehna
Ji as Baba Lehna with respect.
He was humble, devoted and obeyed Guru Nanak
Dev Ji without asking any questions.
Lehna thought of God all the time and repeated
his name. He was totally obedient to his Guru and
as such won his confidence and affection.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji began to love him more
than his own sons.
Guru Nanak decided to nominate a successor
after he had tested his two sons and other disciples.
Bhai Lehna Ji was the only person who passed
all the tests and as such was declared as the next
Guru. Bhi
Lehna became Gur Angad Dev Ji.
Soon after his installation as
the second Guru in 1539, Guru Angad moved to his
native-place Khadur to continue the mission of Guru
Nanak. He
decided to teach Punjabi.
He modified the existing script and called
it “Gurmukhi”.
The place of worship was used as a classroom.
The children and adults attended the Guru’s
classes and began to read and write the Guru’s hymns.
Guru started games and sports to promote
physical culture of the people.
Wrestling tournaments and athletic competitions
were organized to make the people health-conscious.
Literacy, physical culture and congregational
prayers were included in the daily routine of the
Sikhs in Khadur.
The Guru’s program of uplift
of the common man brought him conflicts with vested
interests. One local ascetic called Tappa made a
plan to discredit the Guru.
During a period of drought Tappa told his
villagers that the drought was due to the presence
of Guru Angad in Khadur.
The ignorant villagers told the Guru to move
to another village, which the Guru did.
Even so the drought continued.
There was no chance of saving the standing
crops. In
their desperation, the villagers came to Guru Angad
and sought his help.
He told them to pray to God sincerely for
rainfall, which they did.
After sometime, the rain fell and there was
a good harvest.
The villagers apologized to the Guru for
their mistake in sending him away and brought him
back to the village with great reverence.
It was during Guru Angad Dev
Ji’s time that Humayun; the Mughal Emperor was defeated
by Sher Shah Suri in two battles and lost his throne.
Emperor Humayun fled to Punjab with his followers
for safety.
As he was passing through Khadur, his friends
advised him to seek the blessing of Guru Agnad.
When Humayun came to meet the Guru, he saw
that a large group of people were singing hymns
and Guru Sahib sat there with his eyes closed.
Humayun was told to wait till the Guru finished
his lesson.
Emperor Humayun was very angry that Guru
Sahib did not get up to receive him.
He pulled out his sword to cut off the head
of Guru Sahib.
Guru Sahib opened his eyes at that moment,
and told Humayun that he had fled from the battlefield
in a cowardly manner, you should have drawn the
sword against Sher Shah on the battlefield instead
of running away for safety.
Humayun felt ashamed for acting in a hasty
manner and begged for forgiveness.
Guru Sahib promised to pray for him to regain
his throne at Delhi.
Humayun regained his throne at Delhi.
He never forgot about his visit to Khadur
and tried to be a good king.
Guru Angad Dev Ji remained the spiritual leader
of the Sikhs for nearly thirteen years.
He carried out the message of Guru Nanak
Dev Ji, of oneness of God and brotherhood of mankind.
He had attained the Gurudom due to his selfless
service and complete surrender to his master.
At this time, a local Zamindar-Goind
Marwaha-requested the Guru to establish a new village
on his land.
The Guru agreed to do this as a community
project and entrested the establishment of the new
village named Goindwal (after the name of Goind)
to his faithful disciple named Bhai Amardas.
Amardas shifted from his own village-called
Basaskay-to Goindwal.
He walked every morning from Goindwal to
Khadur, carrying a huge metal pitcher of water for
Guru Angand’s bath.
For the rest of the time, he would serve
in the langar.
Amardas carried out these duties with love
for more than 12 years, even though he was very
old.
One wintry night in 1552, as
Amardas was carrying a water-pitcher, he stumbled
into a pit on the way.
He did not allow the water to spill, keeping
it firmly on his head.
He was then 73 years old.
Guru Angad was so convinced by Amardas devotion
that he nominated him his successor.
Amardas took over as the third Guru in 1552.
Guru Angad spread the message
of Guru Nanak for 13 years and he made sure that
the compositions of Guru Nanak and his own were
made available to all Sikhs.
Guru Angad is remembered as a true educator
of the people of Punjab.
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