Harnaakash

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This is the name of a great King whose name was King Harnaakash. He is mentioned in the Guru Granth Sahib several times. He was a demon and full of ego. Through penance and meditation he had become very powerful, a great warrior, and also a great yogi. It is said that his meditation was so strong, his devotion so one-pointed that Lord Shiva himself appeared to him.

Quotation from Sikh Stories for Children

Lord Shiva is the God of Yogis and the God of Death. Lord Shiva said, "Oh Harnaakash, your meditation is great, your devotion very strong, they have made me come. So I shall now grant you a wish. Any wish you desire, I shall give you." The King thought for a moment, and then said, "Oh Master of Death, oh Supreme Shiva, grant me this boon that I may never die by day nor by night, that I may never die inside nor outside, that I may never die by a man nor by an animal, that I may never die in the heat nor in the cold." "So be it.", said Lord Shiva, and he disappeared. Harnaakash returned to his palace. Now that he was immortal, he became more and more egocentric. He became very mean, and stopped being a good King. In those days, people used to chant Rama, for this was a very beautiful name of God. It means God who created the Sun and the Moon. But Harnaakash decided that since nothing could kill him, he was God, so he told everyone, "I am God. You will chant my name now. Harnaakash! Harnaakash! Harnaakash! Anyone who chants Raam will be put to death!"