Description

Guru Har Krishan, the eighth Sikh Guru, received the jot, or the divine light and the spirit, of Guru Nanak, at the age of five from the seventh Sikh Guru, Har Rai.

He led the Sikhs for two and a half years and spent part of that time in Delhi tending to the sick and poor during an epidemic of smallpox. Thousands were healed by Guru Har Krishan. The disease subsided in Delhi but the Guru took the suffering of the people upon himself and succumbed to smallpox at the age of about eight. Gurdwara Bangla Sahib was later built at the spot where Guru Har Krishan stayed in Delhi. The amrit sarovar, or the holy tank, at the Gurdwara continues to heal thousands who visit daily.

About twenty five years after Guru Har Krishan departed from this world, the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, wrote the following about him.

Remembering and meditating upon Sri Guru Har Krishan Jee, beholding him, all pains vanish.

Some of the episodes in this book.

– Har Krishan ji is born in Keeratpur.
– Guru Har Rai predicts Har Krishan’s high spiritual status.
– Aurangzeb becomes emperor. He sends four hostile expeditions against Guru Har Rai.
– Aurangzeb invites Guru Har Rai to his court in Delhi.
– Guru Har Rai sends his elder son Ram Rai to Delhi to meet with Aurangzeb.
– Ram Rai shows many miracles to impress the emperor. He also changes Gurbani to please the emperor.
– Guru Har Rai is distressed to learn about Ram Rai’s behavior in Delhi and asks his Sikhs not to associate with Ram Rai anymore.
– Ram Rai returned to Keeratpur, but Guru Har Rai refuses to see him.
– Guru Har Rai passes the jot of Guru Nanak to Har Krishan. Guru Har Krishan becomes the eighth Sikh Guru.
– Sikhs flock to Keeratpur to seek the eighth Guru’s blessings.
– Guru Har Krishan inspires Jaswant Rai, a thief, to lead a life of piety and honesty.
– Guru Har Krishan saves Gainda Mal, a drunkard and gambler.
– Guru Har Krishan cures Baisantar, a leper.
– Muslim holy men from Ropar receive guidance from Guru Har Krishan.
– Raba Nath, a Siddha yogi, learns about the True path to God when he visits Guru Har Krishan.
– Seva Das realizes that only Akalpurakh and Guru can make a mistake and that it is foolish to question Guru’s wisdom.
– Guru Har Krishan puts Bhai Jagna, a butcher, on the path to salvation.
– Ram Rai continued to conspire against Guru Har Krishan and urges Aurangzeb to invite him to Delhi and test him.
– Aurangzeb sends an invitation to Guru Har Krishan, requesting Guru Sahib to visit him in Delhi. Guru Har Krishan agrees to visit Delhi but vows not to see the emperor’s face but only meet with the devotees.
– On the way to Delhi, Guru Har Krishan stops at several towns and villages to bless his devotees.
– At Panjokhara, near Ambala, Chajju, a village idiot, receives the knowledge of Geeta after a mere glance from Guru Har Krishan. Chajju goes on to have a discourse with Pundit Lal Chand, a learned Brahmin. The Brahmin is humbled.
– Raja Jai Singh hosts Guru Har Krishan at his Bungalow in Raisina near Delhi.
– Aurangzeb asks Raja Jai Singh to test Guru Har Krishan’s spiritual powers.
– Aurangzeb sends his son, Muazzam, to convince Guru Har Krishan to see him. Guru Har Krishan refuses but sends a Gurshabad for Aurangzeb.
– Aurangzeb makes a surprise visit to see Guru Har Krishan but is unsuccessful. Guru Sahib instructs his Sikhs not to open the door to his room.
– Epidemic of Smallpox breaks out in Delhi. Guru Har Krishan cures thousands and spends many weeks tending to the sick.
– Guru Har Krishan takes the suffering of the people upon himself and leaves his mortal frame. Before leaving, he declares that the next Guru is in village Bakala, in Punjab.
– As proclaimed by Guru Har Krishan, Guru Tegh Bahadur becomes the ninth Guru of the Sikhs.

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