Guru Nanak Dev Ji was very young when he met a boy who had a very strange name. The boys name was Mar-Ja-Na which means "Will die".
When Guru Ji asked about this strange name the young boy explained that in his family all his brothers and sisters had died at a very early age and that he too would suffer from the same fate.
Guru Ji felt very sorry for this boy who was looking at him with a very long sad face and after a little pause Guru Ji said "don't worry my friend you will not die at a young age. You will live a long and happy life and will be remembered by future generations. From now on your name will be Bhai "Mar-Da-Na".
Bhai Mardana who sensed that this young person was very special was very happy as "Mar-Da-Na" meant "Will not die". From that day on Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Bhai Mardana became very good friends and spent a lot of time together.
After many years had passed Guru Nanak Dev Ji decided that it was time to embark on a long journey to spread the word of God.
So Guru Ji stopped working at the Granary store in Saltanpur and asked his friend and companion Bhai Mardana Ji to accompany him on his Yatra to spread the word of Vaheguru.
Bhai Mardana Ji who was always at peace in Guru Ji's presence was humbled and honoured. Guru Nanak Dev Ji explained to Bhai Mardana that if he wanted to accompany him then he would have to follow three golden rules:
1. Always get up early in the morning (Amrit Vela) to remember God
2. Never say anything bad about religious people (Sadhus, Sants, Pirs, Fakirs)
3. Do not cut any of your hair.
Bhai Mardana Ji readily agreed and he always followed the three golden rules. Every where they went Bhai Mardana would play the rebab and Guru Ji would sing the shabads of God. They helped many people on their travels.
Many years had passed. Gurur Nanak Dev Ji and Bhai Mardana Ji had completed four long Yatras. By now Bhai Mardana Ji was very old and frail. He was also very sick and was not going to survive for much longer.
Guru Ji went to Bhai Mardana's bedside and said "Bhai Mardana your were born a Muslim, shall I make you a magnificent tomb so that people will remember you forever?".
Bhai Mardana looked into Guru Ji eyes and said "Guru Ji you have always given me freedom from this world so why do you want to lock me up in a tomb now? You are my True Guru and have always helped me, guided me and kept me safe so, can you please decide for me?". The next morning Bhai Mardana passed away.
Guru Ji had Bhai Mardana's body cremated along the banks of the River Ravi. Everyone in the Sat Sangat sang Shabads and Karah Parshad was distributed to all the thousands of mourners that had come to pay their last respects.
Guru Ji gave comfort to Bhai Mardana's family and asked them not to weep. He said that Bhai Mardana had returned to his heavenly home and was now in the presence of Vaheguru.
Homework Questions:
- Who is Vaheguru?
- What does Vaheguru mean?
- What does Yatra mean?
- What were the tree golden rules that Guru Ji asked Bhai Mardana to follow?
- What does “Bhai” mean?
- Some say that Sikhs were told not to cut their hair after the Khalsa had been created by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Is this true?
- What is a Rebab (see picture for clue)?
- Who was the other person that used to travel with Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Bhai Mardana?
- How many journeys did Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Bhai Mardana go on?
- What does “Sat” mean? Give examples of when you would use the word “Sat”?
- Was Guru Ji right when he said Mardana would be remembered forever?
I think that this is a very good site because anyone who goes on it will think of all the things they should be doing as a sikh and what you should not do as a sikh! :)
ReplyDelete