Guru Ram Das Ji

Guru Nanak Dev Ji appointed his successor at Kartarpur but asked him to go and live at Khadur. Guru Angad Dev Ji asked his successor, Guru Amar Das Ji to live in Goindwal. Before leaving this world Guru Amar Das Ji asked Ram Das to search for a place other than Goindwal as a residence for the Sikhs. Guru Ram Das Ji left Goindwal for his new colony. Many Sikhs followed the Guru and settled there. At first this city was called Ramdaspur, which is now called Amritsar.

A revenue collector of Patti in district of Lahore had five daughters, the fifth daughter was very religious. One day the father asked, “who gives you to eat and drink”. The first four daughters said that it were their parents who had provided them with food and other necessities of life, but the fifth daughter told her parents that God was the only Cherisher of His creation. On hearing this reply her father got very angry and remarked, “I shall see if God will protect you.”

One day a crippled leper came to the town and the father married his fifth daughter to him to teach her a lesson. She willfully accepted him as her true husband. She put him in a basket and carried him on her head, and begged from door to door to maintain their livelihood. One day she left him under a tree near a lake and went to the nearby colony to beg for food. The leper saw some crows (black in color) dipping in the water and they turned white when came out of the water. The leper thought that the water had some miraculous healing property. So he left his basket and crawled into the water, and the leprosy at once disappeared from the body except one finger which was left out of water. When the lady came back, she did not believe the story of the healed leper. The leper then dipped the finger that was left out of the water and still had the disease on it. As soon as he dipped the finger leprosy disappeared from that finger. His wife couldn’t believe her eyes and ultimately went to Guru Ram Das, who confirmed by saying that the lake possesses such extraordinary efficacy which the man alleged. Upon this the couple became Guru's followers. Guru then began the construction of the Golden Temple on that lake.

The tree under the shade of which she left her husband, is still standing there and is called 'Dukhbhanjni Beri'. The pool is known as Amritsar - tank of nectar within which the Golden Temple is situated. Upon this the whole city itself came to be known as the city of Amritsar.

Like his predecessors, Guru Ram Das carried on the work of Langar in a more elaborate and methodical way. As in the past strict adherence was made, anybody irrespective of race, caste, creed, religion or sex, could partake of food without any hesitation. The caste system and pilgrimages were decried and superstitions were denounced.

Guru Ram Das composed a hymn known as 'Lawan' currently in page 773 of Guru Granth Sahib, and asked his Sikhs to recite them to solemnize marriages. The Sabad 'Lawan' embodies in itself a lesson for the couple to develop true love for each other and God.

The Guru composed the following Shabad to instruct his Sikhs in the practice of their religion:

“He who calls himself a Sikh of the true Guru, should rise early and meditate on God. He should make an effort early in the morning, bathe in the inner tank of nectar. Repeat God's Name under Guru's instruction, and all his sins and transgressions shall be erased. At sunrise he should sing the Guru's hymns, and whether sitting or standing meditate on God's Name. The disciple who at every breath meditates on God, will be dear to the Guru. The Guru imparts instruction to that disciple to whom my Lord bestows His grace. The servant Nanak prays for the dust of the feet of such a disciple of the Guru who himself repeats God's Name and causes others to do so.” (Guru Granth Sahib, 305 - 306)

Sahari Mal, Guru's cousin from Lahore, invited the Guru to grace his son's marriage. For some reason the Guru could not go, but he asked his eldest son, Prithi Chand to attend the marriage. Prithi Chand refused to go. His refusal is attributed to possibly two motives. It is said that he was incharge of the offerings that were made to the Guru and was able to furtively set aside much wealth for himself. If he had gone to Lahore, this illicit gain might have fallen in somebody else's hands. Secondly he thought that the time was fast approaching for the selection of a person to succeed his father as Guru and so he should remain in Amritsar. Mahadev, Guru Ji's second son, did not want to go because of his indifference to worldly affairs. The third son, Arjan Dev agreed to attend the marriage. He was instructed to stay on in Lahore after the marriage to look after the affairs of the Sikh Sangat of that place.

After some time he started feeling the pangs of separation for his father and the Guru, and wrote three letters, two of which were intercepted by his elder brother, Prithi Chand. He did thid to keep Arjun Dev away so that he could become the next Guru. A letter marked '3', reached the Guru and Arjan Dev was immediately recalled from Lahore. On his return he told his father that he had sent three letters. The truth came to light and Prithi Chand was forced to produce the other two letters. Thus Prithi Chand's actions were exposed.

In August, 1581, Guru Ram Das embraced Arjan Dev, sent for five paise and a coconut, and placed them before him. As ordained by God, Guru Ram Das Ji descending from his throne, seated Arjan Dev there before the whole assembly of the Sikhs. Thus Guru Ram Das passed on the Divine Light to Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the fifth Guru. Thus God created a fifth Nanak. “Divine Light is the same. Way and Mode are the same. The Master has only changed the body.” (Guru Granth Sahib, 966). Having nominated Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Ram Das left for his old house at Goindwal. After a few days he left this world on the first of September, 1581.