Guru Amar दस Ji

Guru Amar Das (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਮਰ ਦਾਸ) (5 May 1479 - 1 September 1574) was the third of the Eleven Gurus of Sikhism and was given the title of Sikh Guru on 26 March 1552 at the age of 73 following in the footsteps of Sri Guru Angad Dev Sahib Ji, who died on 29 March 1552 at age 48। Das established his headquarters in the town Goindwal Sahib, which was established by Sri Guru Angad Dev Sahib Ji.

गुरु अमर दस Jiwas the eldest son of Sri Tej Bhan Bhalla Ji a farmer and trader and Mata Lachmi जी . father was a shopkeeper in the village of Basarke near Amritsar।

गुरु अमर दस जी married Mata Mansa Devi and had four children - two sons named Bhai Mohan and Bhai Mohri and two daughters named Bibi Dani Ji and Bibi Bhani Ji. Bibi Bhani later married Bhai Jetha who became the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das।

Contributions to Sikh philosophy and practice:
१।Visitors to Gurdwaras take Langar (Free Blessed Food) before seeing the Guru. "First Pangat then Sangat"
२।Discouraged the caste system.
३।Raised the status of women by prohibiting the practice of Sati (a wife's suicide on her husband's funeral pyre and "Parrda" (veil covering the face)
४।Established an administration system for the Sikh congregations
५।Created the prayer ritual called Anand Sahib, which is one of the Five Banis recited daily
६।Established the city of Goindval on the banks of river Bias in 1552 A.D.
7Contributed 90७। hymns to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib।

Prior to his death, at the age of 95, गुरु अमर दस Ji nominated Guru Ram Das (Bhai Jetha) as the fourth Guru of the Sikhs।

गुरु अमर दस Ji visited and assigned Sikh missionaries to different parts of India. He divided the Sikh Sangat area into 22 branches called Manjis and appointed a local Sikh preacher for each location as follows:

In the area of Majha (Amritsar, Lahore, Sialkote)
1. Manak Chand Jhinwar (Water Carrier) at Variowal in Amritsar.
2. Sada ram, a Blacksmith near Amritsar.
3. Hindal at Jandiala near Amritsar.
4. Gangu Shah banker at Lahore.
5. Mutho-Murari, a devoted couple, at Chunian in Lahore Dist.
In Jalandhar Doab
6. Paro Julka at Jalandar.
7. Mahesh Dhir at Sultanpur Lodi.
In Kangra Hills
8. Sawan mal, Nephew of Guru Amar Das, at Haripur Guler.
9. Name not given, at Dharamsala.
Kashmir Hills
10. Phirya at Mirpur.
Malwa (Area of Patiala, Ludhiana, Bhatinda)
11. Kheira at Firozpur.
12. Mai Das Bairagi in charge of Ludhiana dist.
13. Mai Bhago at village Wayun, tehsil Kharar, dist. Rupar.
14. Mai Sewan at Village Gardnoh in Patiala District.
15. Sachna Shah in charge of Ambala distt.
16. Baba Nand Lal ji at Village Gharuan, Tehsil Kharar, Dist. Ropar
Sind
17। Lalu in chage of some area in Sind.

18 to 22: Unknown

Guru Amar Das was impressed with Bhai Gurdas' thorough knowledge of Hindi and Sanskrit and the Hindu scriptures। Following the tradition of sending out Masands across the country, Guru Amar Das deputed Bhai Gurdas to Agra to spread the gospel of Sikhism. Before leaving, Guru Amar Das prescribed the following routine for Sikhs:

"He who calls himself a Sikh of the True Guru, He must get up in the morning and say his prayers। He must rise in the early hours and bathe in the holy tank. He must meditate on God as advised by the Guru. And rid himself of the afflictions of sins and evil. As the day dawns, he should recite scriptures, and repeat God's name in every activity. He to whom the Guru takes kindly is shown the path. Nanak! I seek the dust of the feet of the Guru's Sikh who himself remembers God and makes others remember Him." (Gauri)

Guru Ji strengthened the tradition of 'Guru ka Langar' and made it compulsory for the visitor to the Guru saying that 'Pehle Pangat Phir Sangat' (first visit the Langar then go to the Guru)। Once the emperor Akbar came to see Guru Sahib and he had to eat the coarse rice in the Langar before he could have an interview with Guru Sahib. He was too much impressed with this system that he expressed his desire to grant some royal property for 'Guru ka Langar', but Guru Sahib declined it with respect. Guru Amardas Sahib persuaded Akbar to waive off toll-tax (pilgrim's tax) for non-Muslims while crossing Yamuna and Ganga, Akbar did so. Guru Amardas Sahib maintained cordial relations with emperor Akbar.

He preached against Sati and advocated the re-marrying of widows। He asked the women to discard 'Purdah' (veil). He introduced new birth, marriage and death ceremonies. Thus he raised the status of women and protected the rights of female infants who were killed without question as they were deemed to have no status. These teachings met stiff resistance from Orthodox Hindus and Muslim fundamentalists. He fixed three Gurpurbs for Sikh celebrations: Dewali, Vaisakhi and Maghi. Visiting of Hindu pilgrimage centres and paying tributes to the Muslim places were prohibited.

When the Raja of Haripur came to see him, Guru Amar Das insisted that he first partake a common meal from the community kitchen, called langar, irrespective of his caste। The Raja obliged and had an audience with the Guru. But one of his queens refused to lift the veil from her face, so Guru Amar Das refused to meet her. Guru Amar Das not only preached the equality of people irrespective of their caste but he also tried to foster the idea of women's equality. He tried to liberate women from the practices of purdah (wearing a veil) as well as preaching strongly against the practice of sati (Hindu wife burning on her husband's funeral pyre). Guru Amar Das also disapproved of a widow remaining unmarried for the rest of her life.

Guru Amardas Sahib constructed Baoli at Goindwal Sahib having eighty-four steps and made it a Sikh pilgrimage centre for the first time in the history of Sikhism. He reproduced more copies of the hymns of Guru Nanak Sahib and Guru Angad Sahib. He also composed 869 (according to some chronicles these were 709) verses (stanzas) including Anand Sahib, and then later on Guru Arjan (fifth Guru) made all the Shabads part of Guru Granth Sahib।

Once during several days of rain while Guru Amar Das was riding by a wall which he saw was on the verge of falling he galloped his horse past the wall। The Sikhs questioned him saying; "O Master, you have instructed us, 'fear not death, for it comes to all' and 'the Guru and the God-man are beyond the pale of birth and death', why did you then gallop past the collapsing wall?" Guru Amar Das replied; "Our body is the embodiment of God's light. It is through the human body that one can explore one's limitless spiritual possibilities. Demi-gods envy the human form. One should not, therefore, play with it recklessly. One must submit to the Will of God, when one's time is over, but not crave death, nor invite it without a sufficient and noble cause. It is self surrender for the good of man that one should seek, not physical annihilation."

When it came time for the Guru to marry off his younger daughter Bibi Bhani, he selected a pious and diligent young follower of his called Jetha from Lahore. Jetha had come to visit the Guru with a party of pilgrims from Lahore and had become so enchanted by the Guru's teachings that he had decided to settle in Goindwal. Here he earned a living selling wheat and would regularly attend the services of Guru Amar Das in his spare time.
Guru Amar Das Sahib did not consider any of his sons fit for Guruship and chose instead his son-in law (Guru) Ram Das to succeed him। Certainly, it was practically a right step not as emotional, because Bibi Bhani and (Guru) Ram Das had true spirit of service and their keen understanding of the Sikh principles deserved this। This practice shows that Guruship could be transferred to anybody fit for the Sikh cause and not to the particular person who belonged to the same family or of other. Guru Amar Das Sahib died aged 95 on Bhadon Sudi 14th, (1st Assu) Samvat 1631, (September 1, 1574) at Goindwal Sahib near District Amritsar, after giving responsibility of Guruship to the Fourth Nanak,

Guru Ramdas