From a childhood in Goindwal at the feet of His grandfather, Guru Amar Das Ji, young Arjan grew into a beacon of wisdom, kindness, and unshakeable poise. Guru Arjan Dev Ji built Sri Harmandir Sahib with four open doors welcoming all humanity, founded Tarn Taran and Kartarpur, cared for the sick during the Lahore famine, compiled the sacred Adi Granth at Ramsar, composed Bani in thirty raags, including Sukhmani Sahib, and met the harshest trials with the eternal words 'Tera Bhana Meetha Lage'—Sweet is Your Will. A Sikh story for ages 8–12.
The Cradle in Goindwal
On 15 April 1563, in the riverside town of Goindwal Sahib, a baby boy was born into the home of Bhai Jetha Ji and Bibi Bhani Ji.
They named Him Arjan.
Goindwal was a town alive with Gurbani and laughter. From the open kitchen of the langar, the scent of fresh parshadey and simmering lentils drifted into every courtyard. From the banks of the river Beas, the sound of the sangat singing Gurbani rose into the morning sky.
Young Arjan grew up surrounded by love, and by two great teachers.
His grandfather was Guru Amar Das Ji, the Third Guru, who guided the Sikhs from Goindwal. Guru Ji asked everyone who came to see Him, rich or poor, to first sit side by side and eat together in the langar. He built the Baoli Sahib, a deep stepwell where people of every caste and faith drew water from the same steps. He spoke out against sati, the cruel custom of making a widow die on her husband’s funeral fire, and He told women they need not hide their faces behind veils in the sangat. To carry Guru Nanak’s message to faraway towns, He divided the land into twenty-two regions and placed a trusted Sikh teacher in each one. Women were among those teachers too.
His father, Bhai Jetha Ji, was a Sikh Guru Amar Das Ji trusted completely. When some people sent complaints about the Sikhs to Emperor Akbar, it was Bhai Jetha Ji who went to the royal court and explained Guru Nanak’s teachings so clearly that the Emperor was satisfied. Guru Amar Das Ji also gave Him the work of starting a new town around a sarovar, the town that would one day grow into Amritsar. In Bhai Jetha Ji, the Light of Guru Nanak would one day shine as Guru Ram Das Ji, whose Laavan bani is sung at every Sikh wedding.
Both of them had served with their own hands, and both led the same way: with humility.
Arjan loved Gurbani from His earliest years. He read it, sang it, tried to understand it, and shaped His life by it. This love for Gurbani delighted His grandfather, and Guru Amar Das Ji said of Him:
“Dohita, Bani ka Bohitha.”
This grandson of mine will be a ship that carries the Bani.
Just as a mighty wooden ship carries travellers across a stormy sea to a safe shore, young Arjan would one day compile the Adi Granth, bringing together the Bani of the Gurus and the Bhagats and carrying millions of seeking hearts across the ocean of worldly fear and sorrow.
The Golden Seat and the Pure Heart
Years passed, and the Light of Guru Nanak passed to Bhai Jetha Ji. He was now Guru Ram Das Ji, the Fourth Guru.
Arjan stayed in Goindwal until He was about eleven, learning the ways of Sikhi from His grandfather. Then He moved with His family to Guru Ka Chak, the new town Guru Ram Das Ji was building around the sarovar: the city the world now calls Amritsar.
Guru Ram Das Ji had three sons. The eldest, Prithi Chand, was a capable administrator, but he longed for power and wealth. The second son, Mahadev, was detached from worldly life. The youngest was Arjan, who loved Gurbani deeply, followed His father’s guidance, and shaped His whole life around Guru Nanak’s teachings.
Guru Ram Das Ji saw that young Arjan understood Guru Nanak’s teachings deeply and lived by them. In Him shone the same divine Light that had shone in Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Guru Angad Dev Ji, and Guru Amar Das Ji.
In front of the whole sangat, Guru Ram Das Ji bowed before eighteen-year-old Arjan and placed in His hands the pothi of Bani: the hymns of the Gurus, along with the hymns of the Bhagats that Guru Nanak Dev Ji had gathered on His long journeys. Then the whole sangat bowed too.
The Light passed to Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the Fifth Guru of the Sikhs.
A short time later, Guru Ram Das Ji merged back into the Eternal Light at Goindwal. Among the large gathering that came together then were the Bhatts, poets who sang the praises of all the Gurus. Their verses are in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji today.
Leading the Sikh community was a tremendous responsibility for an eighteen-year-old. Amritsar was growing fast, and sangats were arriving from far and wide.
Prithi Chand was angry that the Guruship had not passed to him. He set up a rival court of his own. His agents met the sangats on the roads, collected the offerings they had brought for the Guru, and then sent them on to eat in the Guru’s langar. He also sent false complaints about his younger brother to the emperor’s court. When they were looked into, every one was found to be untrue.
Two respected elders, Baba Budha Ji and Bhai Gurdas Ji, stood by the young Guru. They set up places along the roads where arriving Sikhs were told the truth, and soon people stopped going to Prithi Chand’s camp.
Through it all, Guru Arjan Dev Ji remained steadfast and peaceful. Like a cool sandalwood tree that perfumes even the axe that strikes it, the Fifth Guru met hostility with calm.
A Foundation Open to All Four Winds
Guru Arjan Dev Ji asked the Sikhs to give Dasvandh, a tenth of their earnings, for work that would serve everyone, and the digging of the great sarovar at Guru Ka Chak went on. When it was finished, Guru Ji named it Amrit Sarovar, the Pool of Nectar. In time, the whole town came to be called after it: Amritsar.
Then Guru Ji planned something new: a house of worship in the middle of the pool. This was to be Sri Harmandir Sahib, the House of Hari, the Divine.
Guru Ji gave it doorways on all four sides. People of so-called low castes were kept out of many places of worship. The four doorways of Harmandir Sahib said the opposite: Guru Nanak’s teaching belongs equally to people of every caste, and the Creator’s house is open to all.
To lay the foundation, Guru Ji invited His noble friend, the Muslim Sufi saint Hazrat Sain Mian Mir Ji, who loved the Guru’s teaching. A Sikh house of worship founded by a Muslim saint showed that this house belonged to everyone.
When Sri Harmandir Sahib was complete, Guru Ji set a regular daily routine of worship there. From the time of the Gurus, it became the central seat of the Sikhs, a living reminder that all humanity is one family.
Tarn Taran Sahib
Guru Arjan Dev Ji travelled from village to village in the Majha region, sharing Guru Nanak’s message in Khadoor, Goindwal, Sarhali, Khanpur and many other places.
Many people in these villages followed the Sakhi Sarvar sect. Its seat was at Pakhoke, a few miles away. Its preachers drew people in slowly and gently: first they made them devotees of a pir, Sheikh Fatteh, known as Sakhi Sarvar, and then, step by step, drew them away from everything else.
One of the sect’s priests was Bhai Manjh, who kept a shrine to the pir in his own house. On his way home from the pir’s tomb one year, he stopped at Amritsar, heard Gurbani sung in the Guru’s sangat, and felt a peace he had never known. He asked Guru Ji to make him a Sikh.
Guru Ji answered: “Sikhi cannot be placed on top of another faith. Go and take down the shrine in your house, give up the worship of Sakhi Sarvar and everything against the Sikh teachings, and only then can you become a Sikh.”
Bhai Manjh did exactly that. He lost his post as priest and as village headman, but it did not stop him. He came to the Guru and served in the langar, bringing firewood from the jungle every day.
In the middle of this region, Guru Arjan Dev Ji founded a new town with a large sarovar: Tarn Taran. It became a centre for sharing Sikhi.
The Sakhi Sarvar leaders did not like it. When the Sikhs began lining the sarovar with baked bricks, they persuaded Amir Din, the son of the local governor, to carry the bricks away by force. The work went on anyway. Many years later, the Sikhs took those same bricks back and set them into the sarovar where they belonged.
Through the Tarn Taran centre, many followers of Sakhi Sarvar became Sikhs. Some, like Bhai Manjh and Bhai Behlo, became teachers of Sikhi themselves.
The City of the Creator: Kartarpur
Guru Arjan Dev Ji crossed the river Beas into the Doaba region. There, the Governor of Jalandhar, Sayyad Amin Khan, was so moved by the Guru’s teaching that he took it up himself and asked the Guru to start a Sikh centre in his region. So the Guru founded another town and named it Kartarpur, The City of the Creator. Many followers of Sakhi Sarvar in the Doaba became Sikhs.
During those years, drought struck the land. Rain was scarce, and the villages were short of water. Guru Arjan Dev Ji had many wells dug all around, so that people and their fields had water.
At Wadali, a village west of Amritsar, Mata Ganga Ji gave birth to a son: Hargobind.
The birth brought joy to the whole Sikh community, but not to Prithi Chand. Guru Arjan Dev Ji had had no children, and Prithi Chand had hoped the Guruship would one day pass to his own son, Meharban.
Prithi Chand made several attempts on baby Hargobind’s life. He sent a nurse with poison, a snake charmer with a venomous snake, and a servant with poisoned curd. Each plot failed, and each time the person sent told the truth about who had sent them. Waheguru protected the child.
The Healer of Lahore
Then famine struck Lahore. The harvests failed, and disease spread, smallpox among them. So many people died that bodies lay in the streets, and there was no one to care for the sick.
When word of the suffering reached Amritsar, Guru Arjan Dev Ji was ready to help. He went to Lahore with Sikh families, using the sangat’s Dasvandh to share the burden. His young son Hargobind went too.
The Guru provided food, medicine and shelter, and saw that the dead were given proper last rites. He served the sick with His own hands, day and night. He opened a home for orphans and a free kitchen, and built a deep stepwell, the Baoli Sahib at Dabbi Bazaar, so that the city had water. The building work also gave jobs to people who needed them.
For eight months, Guru Arjan Dev Ji stayed in Lahore, serving the people.
On the way home, the Guru stopped at Goindwal. Emperor Akbar, on his own way back from Lahore, came to meet Him there. Akbar listened to the hymns of Gurbani and was deeply impressed by Guru Nanak’s teachings. He said he wished to do something to serve the Sikh sangat and the people.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji asked him to excuse the land tax of the farmers whose harvests the drought had ruined. Akbar agreed, and the farmers’ taxes were excused.
Back home in Amritsar, a new trial came, this time inside the Guru’s own house. Little Hargobind fell ill with smallpox, the very sickness the Guru had battled in Lahore.
Worried relatives and neighbours crowded in with advice. “Smallpox is the goddess Seetala visiting the child,” they said. “Do not call it an illness, or she will be angry. Take Him to her temple. Sing songs to please her. Rattle pebbles in a basket so she does not hear the thunder!”
In those days, many families believed this. Because they thought the illness was a goddess, they did not treat it, and many children did not survive.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji listened kindly, and then spoke clearly.
“There is no goddess of smallpox,” the Guru said. “Smallpox is an illness, like any other illness. A sick child needs care and medicine. And our trust belongs to Waheguru alone, whatever happens.”
So little Hargobind was cared for and treated, and the Guru’s house stayed calm, accepting Waheguru’s will. In time, the child grew well again.
Guru Ji composed hymns about smallpox and trust in the Creator, and they are in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. In one of them, He wrote:
ਤਾਤੀ ਵਾਉ ਨ ਲਗਈ ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਸਰਣਾਈ ॥
ਚਉਗਿਰਦ ਹਮਾਰੈ ਰਾਮ ਕਾਰ ਦੁਖੁ ਲਗੈ ਨ ਭਾਈ ॥੧॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪੂਰਾ ਭੇਟਿਆ ਜਿਨਿ ਬਣਤ ਬਣਾਈ ॥
ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ਅਉਖਧੁ ਦੀਆ ਏਕਾ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥The hot wind does not touch one who rests in the protection of the Supreme Lord.
All around me is the Lord’s circle of protection; suffering cannot touch me, O siblings of destiny.
I have met the Perfect True Guru, who made all this happen.
The Guru gave me the medicine of the Divine Name, and I am lovingly attached to the One.— Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 819
The Guru who fed the hungry and nursed the sick in Lahore taught His Sikhs that caring for the body and trusting Waheguru go together, and that fear and superstition have no place in a Sikh’s heart.
The Gathering at Ramsar
By now, Guru Arjan Dev Ji held a great treasure of Bani. Guru Nanak Dev Ji had written down His own hymns, along with the hymns of the Bhagats He gathered on His journeys, and this pothi had passed from Guru to Guru, each Guru adding His own Bani. Guru Ram Das Ji had placed it all in Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s hands.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji had composed a great deal of Bani Himself. He also had the hymns of the Bhatts, a hymn by Baba Sundar Ji, and a Vaar by Bhai Satta and Rai Balwand.
Now the Guru decided to bring all of it together into one volume, in a clear and lasting order.
It was careful, demanding work, and it needed a scholar with a deep knowledge of language and poetry. Guru Ji chose Bhai Gurdas Ji and asked him to begin. For the work, they chose a calm, peaceful place outside Amritsar. Today a Gurdwara and a sarovar stand there, called Ramsar, in memory of what was done there.
Under Guru Ji’s guidance, the Bani was arranged in thirty raags, musical modes.
The hymns of the Bhagats and other writers were included only if they agreed with the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Voices of Saints: The Bhagat Bani
When Guru Arjan Dev Ji compiled the scripture, He did something truly remarkable.
The Adi Granth holds more than the hymns of the Sikh Gurus. Guru Nanak Dev Ji had already treasured the hymns of the Bhagats, saints from different backgrounds, different centuries, and different walks of life. Now Guru Arjan Dev Ji gave those voices a permanent home, side by side with the Gurus’ own words.
Bhagat Ravidas Ji was a cobbler who mended shoes and worked with leather. High-caste priests called him “untouchable” and would not let him near their temples. Yet his hymns shine with such wisdom that, in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, they sit right beside the hymns of the Gurus.
Sheikh Farid Ji was a Muslim Sufi saint who had lived centuries before. He wrote in Punjabi about how short life is and how sweet it is to love the Divine. His verses are among the oldest Punjabi poetry anywhere, and they are in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji too.
Alongside them stand Bhagat Kabir Ji, a weaver from Varanasi; Bhagat Namdev Ji, a calico-printer; Bhagat Sain Ji, a barber; Bhagat Dhanna Ji, a farmer—fifteen Bhagats in all. With them are the hymns of the Bhatts, poets who sang the praises of the Gurus, and a Vaar by Rai Balwand and Bhai Satta, who did kirtan at the Guru’s darbar.
In a land divided by caste and by religion, Guru Arjan Dev Ji placed the words of a Muslim Sufi, an “untouchable” cobbler, a weaver, and the Sikh Gurus together inside the very same Adi Granth!
When a Sikh bows to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji today, they bow to the words of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and to the words of Bhagat Ravidas Ji and Sheikh Farid Ji, all together.
But not every poet who asked was let in.
One day, four well-known poets arrived, each with a crowd of followers. Their names were Kahna, Chhajju, Pilu, and Shah Husain. Each wanted their poems placed in the Adi Granth.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji welcomed them kindly. “Recite your verses,” He said. “If they match the Light of Guru Nanak, they will be included.”
Kahna went first. He sang proudly, “I am He, I am He! The One the holy books praise—I am that One!”
The Guru gently stopped him. “This is the voice of ego,” He said. “Gurbani teaches us to bow before the Creator, not to call ourselves the Creator.”
Next came Chhajju. His verse warned men to stay away from women, even a woman made of paper.
Guru Ji shook His head. “Gurbani does not look down on women,” He said. “Women gave birth to saints and kings. Everyone is judged by their deeds, not by whether they are a man or a woman.”
Then Pilu recited: “Lucky are those who died as soon as they were born, for they never stepped in the mud of this world.”
“These are words of hopelessness,” the Guru replied. “Guru Nanak taught that this world is the home of the True One. We are here to live, to work, to serve, and to sing with joy—not to wish we had never been born.”
Last came Shah Husain. He had watched the others carefully. Instead of reciting, he smiled, bowed, and said quietly, “I understand now. This is not a place for my words to speak.” And he left in peace.
The Jewel of Peace: Sukhmani Sahib
Among the Bani Guru Arjan Dev Ji composed is Sukhmani Sahib, in Raag Gauri.
The word Sukhmani means The Jewel of Peace, or The Bringer of Comfort to the Heart.
ਸੁਖਮਨੀ ਸੁਖ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਨਾਮੁ ॥
ਭਗਤ ਜਨਾ ਕੈ ਮਨਿ ਬਿਸ੍ਰਾਮ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥Sukhmani: The Ambrosial Name of the Divine is the bestower of all peace.
It brings restful tranquility to the minds of the devotees.— Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 262
Guru Arjan Dev Ji composed Sukhmani Sahib in twenty-four parts (ashtpadis), each with eight stanzas and a slok before it.
It is like a lullaby for the restless human soul. In a rhythm as steady and gentle as a calm heartbeat, it reminds us:
Do not chase wealth and power that vanish like shadows. Do not hold grudges or burn with envy. Find peace in remembering the Divine Name, in joining the company of truthful souls, and in seeing the Creator in every living being.
People who listened to Sukhmani Sahib felt their worries melting away like morning mist before the rising sun. Angry hearts softened, and heavy hearts found quiet joy.
The First Installation at Sri Harmandir Sahib
At last the Adi Granth was complete. Bhai Gurdas Ji wrote an index, listing every hymn and where it could be found, and the Granth was carefully bound.
It was carried from Ramsar to Sri Harmandir Sahib in a palanquin and installed there. Guru Arjan Dev Ji appointed Baba Budha Ji as the first Granthi, the caretaker and reader of the Adi Granth.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji always sat at a lower level than the Adi Granth. To the Guru, the scripture was the living voice of the Divine, worthy of the highest honour in the world.
The Supreme Sacrifice: Tera Bhana Meetha Lage
The growth of the Sikh community brought joy to many, but it stirred bitter resentment too.
Some caste-proud priests could not bear to see people of every caste sitting together as equals in the Guru’s langar, or a scripture that rejected caste. The leaders of the Sakhi Sarvar seat near Tarn Taran had lost many followers to Sikhi, and they turned against the Guru. And a hardline religious leader, Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi, wanted the Guru’s growing sangat stopped, because Hindus and Muslims alike were joining it.
After Emperor Akbar passed away, his son Jahangir took the Mughal throne, with the help of Sirhindi’s followers at court, among them Sheikh Farid Bukhari.
In his own memoir, Jahangir wrote about Guru Arjan Dev Ji:
“His shop had been active for the last three or four generations. For a long time, I have been contemplating that this shop of falsehood be shut, or that Guru should be brought into the fold of Islam.”
Then Jahangir’s son, Prince Khusro, rebelled against his father and fled toward Lahore, crossing the river Beas near Goindwal. The rebellion failed, and Jahangir punished everyone who had helped the prince.
Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi and Sheikh Farid Bukhari saw their chance. They made a false complaint that Guru Arjan Dev Ji had sheltered the prince at Goindwal and blessed him. It was not true. Khusro had never met the Guru, and Guru Ji was not even in Goindwal at that time; He was at Tarn Taran.
Others had been working against the Guru too. Chandu Shah, an official in Lahore, had borne a grudge ever since the Guru, listening to His sangat, turned down Chandu’s proposal that his daughter marry young Hargobind. He spread lies about the Guru among the emperor’s ministers.
Jahangir summoned Guru Arjan Dev Ji to Lahore.
Before leaving, Guru Arjan Dev Ji called Baba Budha Ji, Bhai Gurdas Ji and other respected Sikhs. He told them what was happening in the country and warned them that a struggle with the rulers was coming. Then, before the sangat at Sri Harmandir Sahib, He passed the Guruship to His son Hargobind, who was just eleven years old.
In Lahore, Guru Arjan Dev Ji was told that He could save His life if He gave up His faith.
“I will not give up the path of Guru Nanak,” the Guru replied, “not even to save my life.”
Jahangir ordered that Guru Arjan Dev Ji be handed over to Murtaza Khan, the new title of Sheikh Farid Bukhari, the very man who had made the false complaint, and that His property be taken. He was to be put to death under Yasa, a harsh old law from the time of Genghis Khan. It was meant to kill a person without spilling their blood on the ground. That is why the torturers used heat instead of a sword.
For four days, the Guru was kept hungry, made to sit on a red-hot iron plate, seated in scalding water, and had burning sand poured over Him. His whole body was covered in blisters.
Through it all, Guru Arjan Dev Ji stayed calm and steady, accepting everything as the Will of the Creator.
Years before, Guru Ji had written these words, which are in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji today:
ਤੇਰਾ ਕੀਆ ਮੀਠਾ ਲਾਗੈ ॥
ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਪਦਾਰਥੁ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਮਾਂਗੈ ॥੨॥੪੨॥੯੩॥Sweet is Your Will, O Beloved Lord.
Servant Nanak begs only for the treasure of Your Divine Name.— Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 394
His last days showed how fully He lived them.
After four days, He was put into the cold water of the river Ravi to hurt Him even more. His body, weakened by the torture, gave way. On 30 May 1606, Guru Arjan Dev Ji was martyred.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji was the first martyr (Shaheed) in Sikh history.
The word Shaheed means a witness. A Shaheed is someone whose whole life, right to the very end, shows the truth so clearly that no one can deny it. Guru Arjan Dev Ji could have saved Himself by giving up His faith. He held to Guru Nanak’s path instead. With His life, He bore witness that truth is real and worth everything.
His martyrdom gave the Sikhs new strength, and in the years that followed it inspired them to stand against cruelty and injustice.
Reflection
Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s life shows us what it means to be at peace.
He built Sri Harmandir Sahib with doors on all four sides, open to everyone. He compiled the Adi Granth, uniting the voices of the Gurus with Bhagats of many backgrounds, the Sufi Sheikh Farid among them, and turning away even well-known poets whose verses did not ring true. He served the sick and hungry of Lahore with His own hands, and had wells dug for villages in drought.
Yet His greatest teaching came in His final days.
When faced with terrible cruelty, He held fast to the truth. He met hatred with calm, and pain with acceptance of the Creator’s Will: Tera Bhana Meetha Lage.
He taught us that true peace is not the absence of trouble; it is the presence of unshakeable love inside our own hearts.
Whenever you listen to Sukhmani Sahib, see the reflection of Sri Harmandir Sahib shimmering in the sarovar, or face a difficult moment in your own life, remember the Fifth Guru—the Ocean of Peace, who showed that love is stronger than the fiercest fire.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 April 1563 |
| Birthplace | Goindwal Sahib, Punjab |
| Parents | Guru Ram Das Ji and Mata Bhani Ji |
| Wife | Mata Ganga Ji, of the village of Mau |
| Children | Guru Hargobind Ji |
| Light received from | Guru Ram Das Ji, at age 18 |
| Town of His Guruship | Ramdaspur (Amritsar) |
| Known for | Building Sri Harmandir Sahib with doors open on all four sides; compiling the Adi Granth; composing Bani in 30 raags, including Sukhmani Sahib; caring for the sick and hungry in the Lahore famine; the first Sikh martyr |
| Successor | Guru Hargobind Ji |
| Shaheedi | 30 May 1606, at Lahore |
| In Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji | Bani in 30 raags, including Sukhmani Sahib and six Vaars |
Discussion Questions
Let’s Talk About It: Guru Arjan Dev Ji built Sri Harmandir Sahib with four open doors facing north, south, east, and west, so people of any background, caste, or faith could feel welcome. How can we make newcomers in our school, neighbourhood, or Gurdwara feel truly at home?
Let’s Think About It: When Prithi Chand turned against Him and set up a rival court, Guru Arjan Dev Ji answered calmly. Why does responding to jealousy with patience and kindness take far more strength than responding with anger?
Let’s Think About It: When Guru Arjan Dev Ji compiled the Adi Granth, He included hymns from Bhagat Ravidas Ji the cobbler, Bhagat Namdev Ji the calico-printer, and the Muslim Sufi Sheikh Farid Ji alongside the Sikh Gurus. What does this teach us about respecting wisdom wherever it comes from?
Let’s Try It: The next time something feels difficult, frustrating, or unfair—a rainy day ruining your plans, losing a game, or getting a chore you don’t want to do—pause for three slow breaths and whisper: “Tera Bhana Meetha Lage” (Sweet is Your Will). Notice how your mind calms down.
Let’s Try It: Tonight or this weekend, sit quietly with your family and listen to the opening slok of Sukhmani Sahib (Aad Gure Nameh…). Close your eyes and see if you can feel the quiet peace it brings into the room.
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Adi Granth | The compilation of Bani completed by Guru Arjan Dev Ji. |
| Ashtpadi | A hymn composed of eight stanzas; Sukhmani Sahib consists of twenty-four ashtpadis. |
| Baoli | A deep open stepwell, such as the one built by Guru Arjan Dev Ji in Lahore during the famine. |
| Bani | Sacred words. Used for all the hymns in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, of the Gurus and the Bhagats alike. |
| Bhagat | A saint or devotee of the Divine whose hymns are enshrined in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. |
| Bhagat Bani | The sacred compositions of fifteen non-Guru saints (such as Kabir, Ravidas, and Farid) included in the scripture. |
| Bhana | The Divine Will. Accepting life’s events with total trust, grace, and inner calm. |
| Bhatts | Bards and poets whose hymns in praise of the Gurus are in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. |
| Darbar | The Guru’s court, where the sangat gathered for kirtan and teaching. |
| Dasvandh | A tenth of one’s earnings, given to the Guru’s work for the good of everyone. |
| Gurbani | The sacred words of the Gurus, written in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. |
| Granthi | The custodian, reader, and keeper of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in a Gurdwara. |
| Harmandir Sahib | The House of Hari (the Divine). The central Sikh sanctum in Amritsar, built by Guru Arjan Dev Ji. |
| Kirtan | The singing of Gurbani to music. |
| Laavan | The four hymns of Guru Ram Das Ji sung at a Sikh wedding (Anand Karaj), as the couple walks around Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. |
| Langar | The free community kitchen where everyone sits together in equal rows to eat without distinction. |
| Parshadey | The rotis served in the langar. Sikhs call them parshada (plural parshadey), a blessing, because langar food is shared as the Guru’s gift. |
| Pothis | Early bound manuscripts containing the hymns of the Gurus and saints. |
| Raag | A classical Indian musical framework designed to evoke specific spiritual moods. |
| Ramsar | The serene pool in Amritsar where Guru Arjan Dev Ji and Bhai Gurdas Ji compiled the Adi Granth. |
| Sangat | The community of Sikhs who gather together for kirtan, to learn, and to serve. |
| Sarovar | A sacred pool of water beside a Gurdwara. |
| Shaheed | Literally a witness. A martyr whose life and death bear witness to truth, faith, and human dignity. |
| Slok | A short verse. In Sukhmani Sahib, a slok comes before each ashtpadi. |
| Sukhmani Sahib | The Jewel of Peace. The famous prayer of twenty-four ashtpadis composed by Guru Arjan Dev Ji in Raag Gauri. |
| Vaar | A long poem of pauris (stanzas). Guru Arjan Dev Ji composed six Vaars. |
Explore More
- The Light of Truth: The Life of Guru Nanak Dev Ji — Book 1 in the series, following the founder of Sikhi
- The Letters That Belong to Everyone: The Life of Guru Angad Dev Ji — Book 2 in the series, on the Second Guru and Gurmukhi literacy
- The Late Seeker: The Life of Guru Amar Das Ji — Book 3 in the series, on the Third Guru who began His seva at sixty-two
- The Pool of Nectar: The Life of Guru Ram Das Ji — Book 4 in the series, on the Fourth Guru who founded Amritsar
- The Gentle Healer: The Life of Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji — Another biography in the series, on the Seventh Guru