3-11 The Devi Appears
It was the 9th day of the light phase of the moon, Sunday, 4 pm, Chet month (March/ April); the Shakti of Akaal Purakh appeared. The wind blew hard in every direction. The dust flew in the world. There were storms in the world. Black clouds approached and thundered. Scary sounds came from all directions. The sounds of lightening came from the sky. All these signs were in the sky. All five elements (earth, fire, water, space, air) were in chaos. There was a great illumination. The Devatas were all scared. The Earth was shaking. Everyone was scared. The mountains rumbled. Their peaks broke and fell. The ocean was in a chaotic state. The demons were scared. Ancient trees with deep roots were pulled. There was chaos everywhere. It looked like the world was going to end. All life form curled inwards in fear. It was as though space and time were going to collapse. Nobody knew what was happening. Nobody knew the reason for this chaos. It was a scary time in the world.
The Queen of the Universe appeared; the origin of virtues; the saviour and blesser of saints; the sun and moon are nothing in front of her hair; the Devatas close their eyes and bow to her; fire and lightening are nothing in front of her; there is no other illumination equal to her (sun, moon, lightening, starlight, fire, firefly; are the 6 jyotis); the Aatam Jyoti is the mother of the Universe; nobody could look towards her; the Jumms fear her; everyone trembles in front of her; her feet are huge; her toenails are scary; her legs are like huge tree trunks; her waist has a garland of bones; looking at her stomach, one is scared; her hair is scattered; her skin is black; her 8 arms are like tree trunks; she has a garland of skulls around her neck; her teeth are ferocious-looking; there is fire coming out of her mouth; her forehead is stiff; her eyes are red; her head is huge; she is naked; the sword in her hand is shining; the Joganis are with her and dancing a scary dance. Cowards are scared to see her. The ghosts are dancing. The Kaljognis dance and scream; they laugh out loud. They are trying to scare Guru Gobind Singh ji but he is still. This is the last test. The 52 Bir are dancing in front of Guru ji. The earth is shaking, the mountains are splitting; there are loud noises everywhere. The Kaljognis and Kaali are making noise. Wherever Kaali goes, there is fire. She scares the world with her witches. They make scary noises.
It was a very scary form that Chandi had taken on. This form destroyed all fears. Where Guru ji was reciting the Mantras, Chandi came and stood in front of him. She said in a loud and thundering voice: “Barang Brooh! (ask for a boon).” Guru ji stood up and folded his hands. He said to her: “jai Jagdamba!” He looked at her scary form and brought it into his mind. He looked at her whole form and bowed to her. He closed his eyes and thought of her form in his mind (The reason he closed his eyes will be revealed later). He stood there with his hands folded and welcomed her. The Devi understood Guru ji’s wishes without him saying anything. Guru ji and Akaal Purakh were one form. This was to only show the world. He called her to enter his Sikhs. The Devi changed her form to the beautiful form of the Divine Goddess. Her skin became golden and she sat on a lion. She became the calm and beautiful Chandi from the ferocious black form of Kaali. She had weapons in all her arms. Her face was beautiful like the full moon. She said to Guru ji in a sweet and motherly voice: “my son, present your wishes to me. I will give you what you ask for. You made me happy with your strict Seva. Remember your first wishes in Satyuga: I told you that I will be in your Panth and will assist you.” Guru ji opened his eyes and witnessed the calm and beautiful golden form of Chandi. He said to her: “Mother, bless me that I can start a new Panth. I want to finish the Turk kingdom as they wish to finish the Sanatan Dharma of the Rishis and Munis. I wish to re-establish the ancient Dharma. I wish to receive the Khanda from you by which I will create the new Panth. Give me the double-edged Khanda by which I will make my Khalsa drink its nectar. My Khalsa will be radiant and strong. It will kill the sinners. Oh mother, please stay with my Panth at all times. Protect my Panth at all times. May my Khalsa grow by the day. May your battle form live in my mind. I wish to meditate on you day and night. I wish to create the Panth and finish the Turks. Bless me.” Mother Chandika laughed and said: “my son, I will give you the Panth with the unshorn hair. They will wear the long Dumaalaa. You closed your eyes when you saw me, therefore 40 years after you leave this earth, that is when your Panth will rule. Your Panth will grow a lot. The Mughals will be finished then. Your wish will be fulfilled. This will be true.” Chandi gave Guru ji a Shaster and said: “stir this in water and sweets. Drink that nectar. Your wishes will be fulfilled. Your Panth will be strong and fearless. They will be warriors. The sinners will run away. Give me a gift on behalf of your Panth. If you give me a gift, there will be happiness.” Guru ji took the Khanda from Chandi and cut his hand with it. His blood began to flow from his hand. Guru ji took his blood and anointed the Khanda with it. Guru ji give gifts: “when the battles begin, I will give you my four sons. Thousands of Singhs will give their heads to you. (The sword is the Chandi).” The mother took the gift of Guru ji’s blood and promises. She then disappeared. Chandi has another power named Lankereeya, who is her servant. Lankereeya said to Guru ji: “Guru ji, my dress is the Kachera. I wish to give this to you for your Panth. They can wear this which will help them fight. This will be their dress. They will be radiant with this. They will be powerful. I will help them when they fight.” Lankereeya said this and disappeared as well. Guru ji sat down and looked at the Khanda in his hand. He was really happy. His face was full of joy. His eyes were extremely radiant. He was happy to see the Shakti of Akaal Purakh. He had his kumerkassa, bow and a quiver full of arrows. His wishes were all fulfilled. Guru ji climbed down the mountain. The earth was still rumbling. The people of Anandpur came to receive Guru ji when they saw him coming. The Sikhs were all siting at the foot of the mountain. The army was on guard there for 11 months. They would stop anyone from going up. Keshav Das came forward to meet Guru ji. He folded his hands and saw Guru ji’s red and radiant face. He gave Guru ji a blessing: “may you be happy and glorious. Please tell us how Jagdamba appeared and blessed you. Tell us everything. Tell us what you talked about. Tell me please.” Guru ji told Keshav Das everything. He told him how she appeared: “I was seated in the Havan Kund and reciting the Mantras. All of a sudden, I heard “Barang Brooh! (ask for a boon).” I told her I want to create a new Panth. She said to me: “it will be as so.” She gave me this small Kirpan which I placed in my Dumalla. She gave me a Khanda to create the Panth. Pandit ji, you were my support in this endeavour. This task was a success because of you.” Keshav Das was happy to hear all this. He said: “Guru ji you are great. You saw the beautiful form of the Shakti of Akaal Purakh. There has never been any other Avatar who saw the form of Chandi as you did. You are the greatest Avatar. You took on so much pain for this Havan. You recited the Mantras. Many Tapasvis have recited these mantras but even they did not get to see the Chandi with their own eyes. You are the only one to see her with your own eyes. On top of that, you did this in Kaliyuga. There is no one else like you who has seen the Shakti. You have illuminated the Sodhi family. Let’s go to Anandpur and live in bliss. Give everyone donations now. Your wishes have been fulfilled.” Keshav Das sang Guru ji’s praises. He explained the importance and significance of Chandi’s blessings. Guru ji walked with Keshav Das and continued to climbed down the rest of the mountain. Guru ji’s face was red and radiant. Nobody was able to look towards Guru ji’s face. There was so much light from his face, that people had to lower their sight when looking towards his face.
3-12 Keshav Das Upset
The Sikh Sangat and army, with their weapons fastened, were gathered to meet Satguru ji. To see Guru ji, they were all standing with their hands folded at the foot of the Naina Devi Mountain. Guru ji’s radiance was really bright. The Sikhs ran up ahead to bow to Guru ji. They saw his radiance and bowed to his feet. Looking at Guru ji’s radiant face, they saw his Tapasya. His face was like a million suns. He had become one with the Shakti of Akaal Purakh. Some people were not able to tolerate his radiance and bowed standing from a distance. Guru ji walked forward and the Sangat walked behind. The Brahmins came to congratulate him for a successful Havan. Guru ji gave them donations. He mounted his horse to go to his home. There were many people standing in the markets to see Guru ji. Guru ji reached his home by evening. There was a great celebration as Guru ji rode home.
A Sikh came to give Mata Gujri ji the good news. She gave the Sikh so much money as a gift for the good news that he became rich. Mata Sundri ji and Mata Jeeto ji also heard the news and gave clothes and money to the poor. Baba Ajeet Singh ji came forward to see his father. He came and bowed to his father as it was a long time since he had seen his father. Guru ji’s vision was divine. People bowed to him as he walked. Baba Jujhar Singh ji and Baba Zoravar Singh ji saw their father and were very happy. They bowed and walked along with their father as he came home. People showered Guru ji with flowers as he walked home. Guru ji’s walk and talk was different. People were surprised to see his radiance. Guru ji didn’t speak to anyone this day. He would usually talk to people and ask how they were but today, he was in a different state of mind. He had just seen the form of the Divine Akaal Purakh’s power. He did not look towards anyone else. He didn’t look towards his sons either. He was in the “Udaaseen” state, above the world. He was just looking straight, seeing right past people. His radiance was really bright. There were Divas lit in every home to celebrate Guru ji’s return home and that his Havan was successful. It was as though seeing clouds of rain after a long, hot and dry summer. Guru ji was the cloud of joy. Guru ji gave shade to everyone. Guru ji went inside his home and sat on his throne. Karah Prashaad was made in every home to celebrate. The Sangat finally met Guru ji and so they brought Prashaad to the court. Guru ji would meet the Sikhs and stay quiet. There were Divas and flowers everywhere. The Naubats, Shanks, Napheeryas and other instruments were played. Guru ji had done the impossible. No other Avatar had done such a great task. He did it in the most difficult time of Kaliyuga. Guru ji was the most intelligent. He knew that the only difference between Satyuga and Kaliyuga was a matter of thought. Whatever Guru ji did, he did it with full determination. People shouted Jaikaras of Guru ji’s name. Everyone made great food and distributed it. Everyone praised Guru ji. They all slept the night.
Guru ji awoke at Amritvela, did his bodily routines and bathed. Guru ji got ready and fastened his Shasters. Guru ji gave donations to everyone. He gave them a lot of money. Guru ji was extremely happy. Everyone else was happy as well. Guru ji gave out a command to do a great Yagna for the celebration of a great task that was successful. The Yagna consisted of Langar being distributed. Many delicacies and sweets were to be made. Kheer, Karah Prashaad and Puris were made. All the saints, Brahmins and Fakirs were invited to come. Everyone came and ate as much as they wanted to. The poor people, Bhatts, Sanyasis, Jogis were all given donations. They all saw Guru ji’s donations. Kuber and Sumer Mountain got scared at how much Guru ji was giving away. Kuber was afraid of being looted and have his money given off as donations. Many coins of silver and gold were given. The people were happy to receive the donations. People seeing this, were over-joyed. There was happiness and bliss everywhere. Guru ji called many people to this Langar.
Keshav Das, however, was not invited, as he had run away on the ninth day of the Navratrays. He made an excuse of collecting Samaghri for a sacrifice but never returned to the mountain. Keshav Das was sitting in the garden, waiting for an invitation: “I have not been invited. How did this happen?” Guru ji sensed in his heart of what Keshav Das was thinking. He knew that Keshav Das was upset because he wasn’t invited. Guru ji called Divaan Nand Chand and said to him: “go and call Keshav Das. Tell him that I forgot to call him. I didn’t mean to, though.”
Divaan ji went to the garden where Keshav Das was. He folded his hands and said: “Pandit ji. Guru ji is calling you. Please come and eat Langar. Please receive donations as well.” Keshav Das replied: “I am not coming. I am not going to eat Langar or take donations. Everyone has been invited and I was called last. Other Brahmins and saints have already eaten. I am called last. This is my disrespect. I was the head, who did the Havan. I’ve been here for more than a year. I helped with the great task, stepping forward. I am now being called after everyone else. If I go now, the traditions of the Brahmins will be violated. We are to eat before everyone else. Tell Guru ji that I am not coming to him.” Nand Chand responded to Keshav Das: “please calm down. You are the treasure of all virtues. You are a scholar. Let go of your anger. This is the truth: we all forgot. Please come and eat. Don’t consider Guru ji like a normal person. He is the Ishwar of the Universe. He is the Avatar of Akaal Purakh. You shouldn’t be upset with him. You should try to impress him. Let go of the pride of your caste. Please come and be happy.” Keshav Das said: “don’t say that. You are saying that he is the Avatar of Akaal Purakh? Read your Guru’s Bani, if you call him Akaal Purakh, you will be committing a sin because he says: “whoever calls me Parmeshwar, they will go to Hell. I am the servant of Akaal Purakh, there is not doubt in this.” This is your own Guru’s Bani. I will give you another reason: when Chandi, the destroyer of evil, appeared, the whole world was in chaos and everyone’s patience was lost, Guru ji closed his eyes. If he is the Avatar of Akaal Purakh, he shouldn’t have closed his eyes. He should have been able to see her with patience. For this reason, I don’t believe he is the Avatar of Akaal Purakh. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I have doubts about him.” Nand Chand responded to Keshav Das: “listen Pandit ji, we know everything. You don’t understand anything about Guru ji. That is why you have doubts. Listen to what I have to tell you: Guru ji came to this world as the form of Bhagti. He did not mention his real form. He is formless and infinite. He is omnipotent and omniscient. He calls himself the servant of Akaal Purakh. Just as actors take on different roles in plays, they speak different words in different tones and dialects. (Guru Nanak Dev ji said to Guru Angad Dev ji, 1. See yourself as the Braham Saroop, but don’t ever say it; 2. Call yourself the servant of Akaal Purakh; 3. Don’t see life as permanent, see yourself as a visitor to Earth). Pandit ji, I will recall to you the Avatars of Hari that you know: Bhagavan came as Mucha Avatar (fish), Kucha Avatar (turtle) and Varaah Avatar (the wild boar). As the boar, he did not speak as a human. He spoke the language of a boar: “kurr kurr.” As the Narsingh (lion-man) Avatar, he roared like a lion and frightened all the worlds to kill Haranakash. Now, Parmeshwar came as a Bhagat, a devotee of Akaal Purakh. He established the tradition of Bhagti and did not make his real form to be known to anyone. You did not see his real form as well. You did not understand why Guru ji wrote that in his Bani. Guru ji has raised questions regarding Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in his Bani. He said that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva did not fully know Akaal Purakh. If Guru ji would have called himself Akaal Purakh, people would have doubted him. They would have said: Guru ji has said that Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and other Devatas could not see the beginning or end of Akaal Purakh, but called himself as the Brahm. They would say that Guru ji called himself Parmeshwar while questioning the other Devatas. Would this not be self-praising? Guru ji thought about this. Guru ji did not question Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva. He questioned the considering of their bodies as Akaal Purakh. Their Aatma was the Brahm Saroop. Guru ji did not want anyone to focus on his body as being Akaal Purakh because it is not permanent. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are not permanent either. They will cease to exist one day, but nonetheless, they are the form of Akaal Purakh. Thinking of their bodies as Akaal Purakh is futile. The Avatars are always servants of Akaal Purakh. The Aatma is the form of Akaal Purakh. Guru ji only meditated on the real form of Akaal Purakh. Guru ji also clarified his ideology in his Bani: “I have done the Tapasya in such a way, that from two forms, we became as one.” Your second doubt about Guru ji closing his eyes when the Devi appeared, I will clear this for you as well. When the Mother of the Universe appeared in front of Guru ji, she appeared in the form of the Goddess of war. Guru ji was extremely happy to see her. Guru ji wanted to capture the form of the Goddess of war. He decided that she can only reside in his eyes. The eyes are the highest of all body parts. The eyes are the most beautiful part of the body and therefore he made her reside in his eyes. It is the purest. He wanted to give Shakti through the eyes when he creates the Khalsa. (For this reason, The Panj Payaaray look into the eyes of the Sikh while giving them Amrit; and say “Bol: Vahiguru ji ka Khalsa, Vahiguru ji ki Fateh.” This is the transfer of Shakti to the Sikh) The form of Chandika is in his eyes. Guru ji says that his Sikhs will be able to kill people by looking at them. The Shakti will be in their eyes. He will make his Sikhs fight millions at a time. The people of his Panth will have power in their eyes. He made the form of Chandi live in his eyes.” Nand Chand cleared all of the doubts of Keshav Das. He convinced him and took him to where Guru ji was sitting. Kalgidhar ji gave a lot of respect to Keshav Das and made him sit close to him. Guru ji made Keshav Das happy. Divaan Nand Chand told Guru ji about his conversation with Keshav Das. Guru ji wrote Bani regarding this:
Sri Mukhvaak.
Svaiya.
Whatever has been written in your destiny by Vidhatta, that is what you receive, Missar ji (Pandit ji), do not be upset about this..
I am not at fault. I forgot about you. Don’t be angry..
I will give you good clothes, comforters and beds today. I will give you good things. Keep faith..
This Khalsa, who has eaten before you, they are the Kshatriyas (who will protect the saints, scholars and Brahmins). Give them your blessings and think of them..
I have won many battles because of them. By them, I have given donations from their Dasvand..
By their effort, many sins are destroyed. By their efforts, the houses are full of wealth..
By their effort, education was achieved. By their effort, all the enemies died..
By their effort, I have taken form. Without them, there are many others like me who wander without wealth..
I only like their Seva and no one else’s..
Giving them donations is the best. I don’t like giving to others..
Only giving the Khalsa donations will give you rewards in the court of Akaal Purakh. To give donations to anyone else is without fruit..
In my house, from my mind and body, including my head and wealth, it all belongs to the Khalsa..
Dohra..
These words made the Brahmin angry for a few moments..
The Brahmin began to cry as he thought that donations and food were in trouble now, as the Khalsa will receive everything. .
(Dasam GGS 716)
(Guru ji was officially transferring the value of the Brahmins to the Khalsa. This was a proclamation to everyone that the Khalsa would be taking his primary attention as apposed to the Brahmins.)
Guru ji saw that the Brahmin was sad and so he respected him and brought him great food to eat. He gave him a donation of 125,000 Rajitpuns. Keshav Das was extremely happy then. He took the money and sent it to his home. He stayed for a few more days with Guru ji. He said to Guru ji: “Sri Guru ji, your Panth will grow. They will battle Turks and kill them. They will win and become kings. They will win the whole world. Guru ji, I wish to be born among the Singhs.” Kalgidhar ji was happy to hear this. Guru ji said to him: “you are great for wanting to become my Singh. You discarded the pride of your caste and wish to become a Singh. You will be born 3 times into the Panth and become a leader.” Keshav Das was happy to hear this.
When Keshav Das died, he was born as a Singh. He was a leader. He fought battles (as Baba Gurbaksh Singh Nihang Singh Shaheed and Maharaj Ranjit Singh). He enjoyed a great kingdom. This was the katha of Keshav Das Pandit.
3-13 Advising the Pahari Rajas
When the Devi appeared, there was a very loud noise with earthquakes. The oceans had tidal waves and the whole nature was in chaos. Everyone knew that Guru ji had called Chandi. The Pahari Rajas found out that Guru ji made Chandi appear. They found out that Guru ji received boons from the Shakti of Akaal Purakh. They were amazed to hear all of this. They worshiped the Devi but did not know what the Aad Shakti of Akaal Purakh was. They had no deep knowledge of this concept. Bheem Chand and the other Rajas wanted to come see Guru ji. They sent many expensive gifts of weapons and clothes to Guru ji.
The Pahari Rajas came to Guru ji’s court, where Guru ji was seated on his throne. Many expensive carpets and rugs were laid out. Guru ji was in the middle. The Sangat was surrounding him with the warriors. Cheto and other Masands were seated as well. The Masands were fat as they were rich and well-fed. They wore expensive clothes. The poets and scholars were holding court as Guru ji was listening to their compositions. Bheem Chand and the other Pahari Rajas came. They were egotistical about being kings. They brought their egos with them. Bheem Chand was well dressed with royal clothes and weapons. He came up to Guru ji and bowed with his hands folded. He placed money and gifts at Guru ji’s feet. He took permission and sat close to Guru ji. He had a Shamshir on his waist and was also wearing a Kalgi. They were all amazed that nobody can make Devatas appear in Kaliyuga but Guru ji made the origin of all power, the Shakti to appear. They were surprised and concerned that Guru ji got a boon as well. Guru ji’s face was red now because of power. He was radiant, more than ever. It was hard to look towards his face. Guru ji had a golden hilted sword tied to his waist. It was a very sharp one. He had a quiver full of sharp arrows tied to his shoulder. He had his 9 Tonka bow on the other shoulder. Chaurs were being waived over his head. His clothes and jewellery were very expensive. Guru ji was without any pain and sorrow.
Guru ji asked how the Pahari Rajas were. They all folded their hands and said: “with your blessings, all is well. Maharaj, we have found out that you have made the Devi appear in front of you. Who else would have been able to do this besides you? We heard that you were granted a boon that you asked for. We felt the great earthquakes that came during that time. We knew that the Devi appeared at that time. The Mughals kingdom is strong right now. No one else besides you can face them. You wish to create a new Panth and way of life, when you give your Sikhs the kingdom, that is when everyone will know.” The Rajas were jealous and so were speaking in a shallow way. They were praising Guru ji but did not mean anything. Guru ji heard them and said: “you should come into the fold of Guru Nanak Dev ji’s Sikhi. Take the Pahul of the Khanda. It will make your radiance grow. I will give you the kingdom of the whole world. The whole country will be your servant. The Mughals will be uprooted. They will serve you. Your wealth and radiance will grow. Protect the Dharma.” The Rajas heard this and thought about this. They all discussed this and said: “Guru ji, we are ready to take Amrit but we wish to keep our old traditions. We wish to keep our Dhotis instead of wearing a Kachera. We wish to keep the Janyow and Bhodi (lock of hair tied on the head). We will accept all other commands of yours. These are the most important symbols of our Dharma. When a senior in our family dies, we need shave our heads. We bathe in the Ganga and wear a Janyow. If we don’t do this, our people will mock us. Our Dharma will not be followed, our traditions will not carry on. We will take your Pahul but we wish to follow the traditions of the Hindu Dharma. We will become your Sikhs though. We will follow your path and obey your commands. We will not follow the Rehit of unshorn hair or wearing the Kachera.” Guru ji heard this and laughed. He spoke to them: “in Sanatan Dharma, the Sanyasi renounces all the traditions. They remove their Janyow and Bhodi. They renounce all the traditions of Brahma. They renounce all traditions and follow the traditions of the Sanyasi. They make them wear coloured clothes, while removing the symbols of the Hindu religion. Some rub ashes and some wear earrings. Some have to wear their hair in dreadlocks. I will not make you do any of these things. I will give you the form of the Mahakaal (the great death). The form that Parmeshwar has given you, the hair is important. Keep the hair, this is the stamp of the Guru. The Kharag (sword) is the Janyow on this earth. You can kill the sinners with it and rule the earth. I will give you the Gyaan of the Aatma as the Janyow for the afterlife. Whoever wears this, they will be glorious and peaceful. They will be happy. I will give you the name “Singh” to add to your name. The Lion is the king of the Earth. The “Nihang” (crocodile) is the king of the water. The falcon is the king of the skies. Wear the Kachera which is the oldest tradition. Hunuman wore the Kachera along with other great saints and warriors. 2000 years ago, there was a king named Nand Raja who was a barber. He was afraid of Brahmins. Brahmins would recite Mantras for Shakti and give the Kshatriyas this power. The Shakti would only come if the Brahmins kept their hair unshorn. Nand Raja was afraid that the Brahmins and Kshatriyas would take his kingdom from him. He was afraid that they may bribed and double-cross him. He called all the Brahmins and paid them to cut their hair. He also made the Brahmins change their Mantras and add them to their Shastras. The tradition to cut the hair, spread across the land. You should let go of this false tradition and come back to the real Sanatan Dharma of keeping your hair unshorn. If you do not like this path of purity, then do as you please. This form is the purest and most divine. The unshorn hair form. All four of the castes have become lower than the Turks. I will give them Pahul and make them kings. Without this pure form, a person is an orphan. I will place my hand on their heads to bless them. They will destroy the Mughals and reduce them to dust. All these horses, elephants, tents, Nagaras, jewels, gold, kingdoms and kings, of the Mughals, they will not be found.” Bheem Chand heard this and was surprised. He said: “Guru ji, what you are saying, this is impossible. These low castes won’t be able to fight the Mughals. They don’t even have lentils to eat. They eat spinach and other leaves. The Mughals eat a full goat in one day. The Mughals are experts in weaponry. They are intelligent as well. Their kingdom cannot be mapped. When they fight, they are like falcons. The four castes are like sparrows in front of them. I am doubtful that these sparrows will kill the falcons.” Guru ji responded: “I will make the sparrows break the falcons. Just as Ram Chander ji in Treta yuga did. Everyone knows this: that he collected all the monkeys and went to fight Ravan, the king of the three worlds. The Devatas were defeated by Raavan. The monkeys fought the demons and were victorious. I will make my poor Sikhs into kings by placing my hand on their head. They will have the radiance of the Khanda Pahul. They will keep weapons. I will teach them how to use the weapons. They will be ready to fight, all the time. They will love war. They will challenge the status quo and kill them. It is only a matter of time that the Mughals will die. The Khalsa will grow like the river that flows in all 12 months. They will be kings. Every Sikh will be an emperor. These people that call themselves men, they will roll in the dust. My Sikhs will be the greatest warriors. You will become their slaves as well. If you do not give in to their rule, the Khalsa will take your kingdom from you.” Bheem Chand and the other Pahari Rajas heard Guru ji and could not tolerate this. They said in anger: “we do not accept this. We will not keep our hair unshorn or wear your Kachera. You may do as you please. You can bless the other castes as you wish.” Guru ji then responded: “you only care about your kingdom. You are intoxicated by your kingdoms. It is good you said no. If you would have become Sikhs and ruled the world, you would have said: that you did it by your own accord. You will not be grateful to the Guru. You would have been egotistical about your past. When the lower castes become kings, their people will grow. They will say: “the Guru has given us the kingdom. This kingdom was achieved by the radiance and power of the Guru.” These poor people will become kings. The day they become kings is the day I will be known as the “Deena-Bhandhu Guru” (the Guru who is the friend of the poor). I will bless them and take them to the feet of Sri Asket (Akaal Purakh). This was your fate and karma. You didn’t see what was best for you. Your kingdom will be taken over by my Khalsa. You will regret this and cry, but nothing could be done for you.” In this way, Guru ji spoke to the Pahari Rajas. They would have been better off but it wasn’t meant to be. They stayed for a little while and then left to their camps. They had discussions and thought about Guru ji’s words. They talked about Guru ji’s great radiance and how the Khalsa would take the kingdom of the Paharis.
3-14 The Guilty Masands/ Cheto Masand
Just as a rich person keeps track of their money and business, they see their profit and loss as well; in the same way, Guru Kalgidhar ji began to check his Sikhs. The Sangat came from every direction. The Masands were the ones responsible for bringing the Sangat to Guru ji. In order to see who was eligible to be part of the Khalsa, Guruji tested the different leaders of society to prove to the world that the Sikh Sangat was the only deserving ones to be the Khalsa, the Avatar of Mahakaal. He tested the Brahmins by keeping two types of Langar and using money as a test. Most of the Brahmins failed, as they broke their own traditions for money and ate meat. The Kshatriya Pahari Rajas were tested and also failed to follow Guru ji’s commands. It was now time to test the leaders of the Sangat, the Masands. The Sikhs followed the Masands. Guru ji sent hukamnamas: “it will be Vaisakhi soon. The Sikhs are ordered to come to Anandpur to see Guru ji. Come with the Masands.” The hukamnamas were sent to far away lands. The Sikhs heard this and were very happy. They were happy to go see Guru ji on Vaisakhi.
The Sangat set off towards Anandpur from different lands. The Masands gathered the Sangat and headed towards Anandpur. The Masands took most of the money of the Sangat that was gathered and sent it to their own homes instead of taking it to Anandpur. They only took about 25% to Anandpur. The Masands were all connected and had their secret agreements. They were thieves of the Sangat instead of being their guides. They were not afraid of Guru ji. They thought to themselves: “what can the Guru do without us? We run the Guru’s Langar. We collect all the money in different lands from the Sangat and bring it to Guru ji.” They had attachment, doubt and greed in their minds. Because of the doubt, their Dharam was destroyed from their hearts. As the Dharam was destroyed, they were “bemukh” (unfaithful) to the Guru. They destroyed their life on earth and in the house of Akaal Purakh. Karma cannot be erased. They saw Guru ji as an ordinary man. They did not see Guru ji as omniscient and all-powerful. Guru ji sensed the feelings of the Masands. He knew that the Masands’ logic was destroyed because of greed: “they give my Sangat pain. They take money from the Sangat and other expensive items from them in the name of religion. They scare the Sangat and take their money. I must protect the Sangat. The Masands have big egos but the Sangat follows them and serves them. They brainwash the Sangat using blasphemy. The Sangat is innocent. These foolish Masands are greedy for money. They have become atheists. The 7th Guru made a prophecy: “the ship of Guru Nanak has broken. This will be fixed in the 10th incarnation.” It is time to fulfill that prophecy. Everyone has made their own path and follow what they wish. They are not following the path of Guru Nanak Dev ji. The whole Sangat is in my protection. I must protect them now. The ship that is broken, I must collect it and fix it. The foolish Masands must be punished. They do not know who I am. They see me as a young and over-ambitious boy. They preach as they wish and do not respect the Guru. They make the Sangat worship themselves. They call themselves, Guru.” Guru ji thought about all this: “the Masands need to have their egos broken. Just as a young king, whose father dies, the ministers disrespect the king, the Masands see me in the same way. They are greedy and egotistical. They do not think about sin and virtue. This is an important task.”
The day of Vaisakhi 1698 CE came. Guru ji held a great court. The tent was set up and the floors, carpets and rugs were laid out. Guru ji’s throne was set up. Guru ji fastened his weapons and got ready. He came to the Divaan. He was wearing expensive jewellery. He had a sword with a golden hilt. The throne had legs made of gold. The seat was made of a very fine and expensive fabric. Two Chaurs were waived over his head. Thousands of Sikhs came to meet Guru ji. They received all the wishes they asked for. The Masands all came to the Divaan as well. They were richly dressed with much jewellery. Their minds were blind because of money. They had thousands of Sikhs with them who travelled with them. They came and placed the money at the feet of Guru ji. Many clothes, weapons and money were placed at Guru ji’s feet. All the money and gifts were gathered in one place. Guru ji glanced towards the pile of money and gifts this day.
On the next day, Guru ji called a meeting with all the Masands. After sitting down, Guru ji said to them: “all of you are my well-wishers. My Sangat follows you. They do as you say. Tell me this: why was the money less this year that came? Did some people stop giving you their Dasvands? Why is it so much less? I do not understand why it is so much less? What is the reason for this? I am asking all of you.” The Masands, as they were already aligned with each other, heard this and spoke with their hands folded: “the Sikhs that were rich and gave a lot of money, have all died. We have travelled around to other lands and seen that only the poor Sikhs are left. We have tried many things but have not been able to collect more money. Guru ji, you must bless those poor Sikhs so they become rich. If they are rich, they will send more money. It is only because of your power that people become rich. You don’t bless the Sikhs and therefore the Sikh’s businesses are not prosperous. This is the reason why the money is less.” Guru ji heard this and said: “let go of your clever ways. You used to bring money before, bring it now. Complete your task. Don’t give less. This is not a good thing what you are doing. Make sure the Sangat’s money comes here. You should be worried about the money not coming here. What you have taken from the Sangat, bring it here. Don’t be greedy. Don’t keep it in your home. Think about what I am saying.” The Masands were asked to leave the presence of Satguru ji.
The Masands went back to their camps. They were now worried. They thought to themselves: “no other Guru has ever asked us about money. None of the other Gurus asked for the accounting. Whatever we used to bring, Guru ji would take.” The Masands all gathered in one place and had a discussion. The most senior out of the Masands was a person named Cheto. They all went to his home. He was their representative as well. He knew about all the transactions of the Guru’s home. He had say in the court. The Masands all came to see Cheto and paid him money as they bowed. They said to him: “Guru ji spoke harshly to us today. He told us to give him all the money of the Sangat. He said the money was not coming to him. We all made excuses but he did not listen. You are the senior Masand. You must save us and calm the Guru down. You must solve this situation. Otherwise, Guru ji is strict. It will be hard to stop him.” Cheto Masand heard all this and gave them hope: “the Guru is young. That is how young people are. Young people say whatever they wish to, without thinking about good or bad. Don’t worry. I will make the Guru understand that he should be cooperative with you.” The Masands were then happy and thought that Cheto would take care of everything.
The next day, Cheto went to see Guru ji. He placed money at Guru ji’s feet and bowed. He sat down near Guru ji and said: “all the Masands are your servants. They bring money from far away lands, collecting it from many villages. We bring the money and present it to you. You should think about them too. They need to eat as well. You give them food to eat. They serve you. Please bless them. Don’t spoil it with them. Keep them in your protection. We have been Masands from the time of the elder Gurus. Our elders served the Gurus as well. We are all in your command. Whatever we collect, we bring it to you. If we collect less, we bring less; if we collect more, we bring more.” Guru ji heard the Masand and smiled. Guru ji spoke casually: “listen Bhai Cheto what the Masands said. You have been a Masand for a very long time. It is a simple thing I asked for. These Masands are trying to manipulate me. They said to me that the rich Sikhs have all died. Why did they say this? This made me mad. They said that only the poor Sikhs remain. They said that people don’t give much and that they collect the money. These were false words. I did not like this. My Sangat is huge and many. There will be one more richer than the other. They will grow richer by the day. They will donate a lot of money and run many Langars in the world. These Masands are greedy for money. They say that the rich Sikhs have died. They have been taken over by greed and brought less money to Anandpur. They stole the money from the Sikhs. They take the money and eat it which made their wisdom poor. First of all, they stole the money and secondly, they are not afraid of me. They said it was my fault that the Sikhs are poor. They speak false words. They have no faith in the Guru.” Cheto spoke to Guru ji and tried to convince him: “all of the Masands are yours. Give them Siropas with respect and keep them happy. Send them off to their homes so they can collect money for next year. If you respect them, that is how the Sangat follows them and gives them money. If you don’t respect them then the Sangat will not give them money to bring to Anandpur. If they bring the money then the Langars can run. The daily expense is a lot. Don’t disrespect them or scold them. Bless them.” Guru ji said: “I have figured you out as well. You are one of them. You speak their language and defend them. I find you at fault as well. You take their side. Your wisdom is dead as well. You lie and steal. I find these as big faults. You try to manipulate me with your words. You do not fear me. You lie in my presence.” Cheto Masand heard this and was upset. He had no faith or devotion towards the Master. He spoke to Guru Sahib arrogantly: “don’t speak like a child. You shouldn’t speak to elders, like me, as you did. We have been upholding the traditions from the time of Guru Ramdas ji. We have preached and followed the traditions of the Gurus. We bring the money and that is how the Guru’s house runs. The Sangat only gives us money. You do not understand our power because you are still a child. You need to think about this. It is because of the Masands that the Guru’s house is maintained.” Satguru ji heard this and thought to himself: “these Masands are blinded by greed. They do not know how to respect saints and Gurus. They did this during the elder Gurus’ times as well. It was the Masands that made Dheermal make his own place. They think I am a child. They do not know the power of the Guru. They are sinners and deserving of punishment. They did not do Seva with faith and devotion.” Guru ji stayed quiet after thinking about this. In the court, Guru ji changed the subject but he wanted to get rid of all the Masands now. Their wisdom was dead because of greed. We wanted to destroy the egotistical ones.
3-15 The Fault of Cheto Masand
The Sangat was oppressed by the Masands as they would be looted by them. The Masands would discourage the Sikhs from faith and devotion. The Masands would scold the Sikhs and take their money. Guru ji thought to himself: “my Sangat is of various personalities, workers, trades and businesses. Some are rich, some are poor. Some are Hindu, some are Muslim. Some are really poor and some Sikhs are really rich. Some Sikhs have love for the Guru and some are disciplined in their lifestyles. Some are soft-spoken and generous; they are willing to help everyone. Some Sikhs have self-pride and do not tolerate any insults. Some are foolish and some are scholars. Some follow the Guru and some stay with the Guru. Some only like their religion and not others. Some have solid faiths and some have wavering faiths in the Guru. Some have very harsh speeches. The Sangat depends on the Masands. If this carries on, the Sikhs will not last long in this world. Guru Nanak Dev ji’s light is only to stay in my body as the last human abode. There will not be an 11th body. I need to take the pulse of the Sangat and see how the traditions will carry on after me. If the Masands stay on after me, they will ruin the traditions. They will be fearless and loot the Sangat. Sikhi will not survive. I need to make the Sangat independent from the Masands. I will do such a thing that the Sangat brings the money themselves. I will send a hukamnama that they should not give money to the Masands.” In this way, Guru ji thought about how the Sangat would not need to depend on the Masands anymore.
A lot of Sangat would come to see Guru ji. Mata Gujri ji was visited by the Masands including Cheto. They would say to her: “Mata ji, Guru ji has become strict with the Masands. Guru ji is still young, he is inexperienced and does not know how hard the Masands work to get the money from the Sangat. He speaks harshly to the Masands. The Sangat follows the Masands. The Masands keep the Sangat together. If the Masands get upset, they will break the Sangat from the Guru’s home. Nobody would come to bow to the Guru then. Please speak to your son that everything is going well now. Don’t ruin it with the Masands. It is up to the Masands on who to make the Guru. What will he do then? We can make whoever we want as the Guru. Whoever we seat on the throne, they will be the Guru. The Sangat follows us. The Sangat will worship the Guru who all the Masands bow to. None of the other 9 Gurus ever scolded the Masands. The Gurus depended on the Masands to run the house of the Guru. We have made all the Gurus and made the Sangat worship them. Every member of Guru Ramdas ji’s family call themselves Guru. We can make someone else the Guru if we want to. Guru Gobind Singh ji does not keep us close to him. He has made his own army. He does not talk about giving and taking with us. If this carries on, the money that comes to the Guru’s house, comes through the Masands, from lands far away, this will all stop. The Masands collect the money and eat from that money as well. We need to eat as well. How else will we run our households? We bring the money to you too. This is the way it has always been. You should think about this. The Masands should be happy. Guru ji says that the Masands bother the Sangat. He cannot tolerate this. Day and night the Sangat meditates on the Guru. He says the Masands bother his Sikhs.” In this way, the Masands would complain about Guru ji to Mata ji. Mata ji would speak to Guru ji and tell him not to speak harshly to the Masands. This went on for a few months. The tension grew between Guru ji and the Masands.
The Sangat would come from far away lands. New people would come. Cheto Masand would gather the gifts and money form them. The Sangat that Cheto used to collect Dasvand from, had arrived in Anandpur. A few months back, a poor Sikh had given a gift for Guru Sahib to Cheto Masand. He had a bracelet for Guru Sahib. It was made of the skin of a rhinoceros. It was embedded with diamonds and precious gems. It was very expensive and beautiful. The Sikh got the bracelet from somewhere, that is not clear how he got it. It was very expensive. The poor Sikh brought it home and hid it. He didn’t want a Mughal to steal it from him by force if they found it. For this reason, he didn’t go to a jeweller to get it appraised. He would have gotten in trouble for it. He tried to sell it without telling anyone but was not successful. For many years he had it hidden in his home. One day he thought to himself: “I can’t sell this but this is good for Guru Sahib. I should give it to him. There is no one else deserving of this bracelet.” The Sikh went to Cheto who was collecting money in the Sikh’s area. The poor Sikhs saw the Masand and decided to give it to him for Guru Sahib. He came to Cheto and gave him the bracelet. He said to him: “please give this to one of Guru Sahib’s wives: Mata Jeeto ji or Mata Sundri ji. Please give it to Mata Gujri ji who will decide on who to give it to. Please bow to all the mothers and Guru ji for me.” Cheto took the bracelet and other money from the area.
Cheto came back to Anandpur with the bracelet and money. He stayed in his home that night and showed his wife what he brought. When his wife saw the bracelet, she became greedy and said: “I will keep this bracelet. It is very beautiful and expensive.” Cheto lost his wisdom and became greedy. He put the bracelet on his wife’s wrist himself. He also took some of the money from the Dasvand and kept it in his home. The remaining he took to Guru ji’s treasuries. The next day, he deposited the money. The Sikh that had given the bracelet was now in Anandpur. He first came to meet Cheto Masand. He wanted to find out if the bracelet was given to Guru ji: “was my gift given to Guru ji? I had offered that with devotion.” Cheto responded: “the bracelet that you gave me, I had placed it in the feet of Guru ji. He was very happy to see your bracelet. He said that you will be very happy and never be in pain. The Guru will be with you in the afterlife.” The foolish Masand lied. Cheto began to feel guilty and his guilt began to eat away at him. Cheto thought to himself: “there was never a bracelet so expensive that ever came to Guru ji. I wouldn’t want the Sikh to go and ask Guru ji himself about it. If he tells Guru ji, I will get caught. I should do something that this Sikh should not meet Guru ji.” Cheto went to the guard of the court and said to him after giving him money: “make sure this Sikh (pointing him out) does not go to the court of Guru ji. Keep an eye on him. He bothers Guru ji when he sees him. I don’t want Guru ji to be angry or disturbed. He is foolish and only comes to beg from Guru ji. He is foolish and uneducated. He doesn’t know anything and only bothers Guru ji. He keeps talking to Guru ji and doesn’t stay quiet. Don’t let him in, day or night. Keep an eye on him.” In this way, Cheto covered his tracks. He thought he didn’t have to worry anymore.
The Sikh who had come to Anandpur tried to go to the court. The guards stopped him from going in. They were told by Cheto to not let the poor Sikh in. The Sikh tried for the next 2 days but he was not able to see Guru ji. He was very sad in his heart. He thought to himself: “I came this whole way with faith and devotion to see Guru ji. I wonder why I am not allowed to go in. The other Sikhs are all allowed to go and see Guru ji. I wonder what I did wrong. I see groups coming and going. I must have made an error. Guru ji must have seen some mistake or sin of mine, that’s why I can’t see Guru ji. But I didn’t do anything that was so bad.” He sat in one place and kept thinking. He was starring off into the distance and wondered when he couldn’t see Guru ji. He was upset. One day, he walked about 2 km away and sat under a tree. He kept on thinking of the form of Guru Gobind Singh ji. He was not calm. He kept praying in his heart: “what have I done wrong? I wish to see you like the other Sikhs. Why am I not able to see you. Prabhoo, you are gracious and bless everyone. You are omniscient and know everything. If I have erred, please tell me what I did, so that I may ask for forgiveness and pay for it. Please listen to my Ardaas Guru ji.” The poor Sikh kept praying, sitting under a tree in the fields. He kept thinking of Guru ji’s feet.
Guru ji heard the Sikh’s prayers. He knew what the Sikh was feeling. He saw the whole situation with his divine vision. Guru ji knew what Cheto had done. Guru ji called for a Sikh Servant and said to him: “go and find a Sikh in the field, 2 km from here, who is sitting under a tree. Bring him to me.” The Sikh ran outside and found the poor Sikh sitting under the tree as Guru ji described. His face was sad as well as his heart. The Sikh Servant said to him: “Satguru ji is calling for you. I do not know what is the reason, but you have been called upon to come and see Guru ji.” The Sikh was over-joyed that his prayers were answered. He went with the Servant and came to the court. The guards said: “he can’t go inside.” The servant said to the guards: “Guru ji has called this Sikh himself.” The guards then let them go in. It was as though the “end” of the Masands was walking into the court. The field of the liars was about to be hailed upon. Their green fields were about to be ruined.
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