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[[Image:SriChandjeee.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
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[[File:Srichandespanola.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Baba Sri Chand Ji's statue. Sculpture by Amrit Singh Khalsa ]]


'''Sri Chand''' (1494–1629) was the eldest son of [[Guru Nanak]] Dev. Sri Chand had a reputation of saintliness, and was respected and liked by all. [[Bibi Nanaki Ji]] took in Shri Chand and adopted him as her own son. This type of arrangement was a quite common and accepted custom at that time. Sri Chand became a renounciate [[yogi]] and against philosphy of Baba Nanak.  
'''Sri Chand''' (1494 to 1643), also called Baba Sri Chand is the elder son of [[Guru Nanak]] and the founder of the ascetic sect of [[Udasi]]s. He was born to [[Mata Sulakhani]] on Bhadon sudi 9, 1551 Bk / [[9 September]] [[1494]] at [[Sultanpur Lodhi]], now in [[Kapurthala]] district of the [[Punjab]]. This type of arrangement where the child is born at the mother's parental ({{sdd|ਨਾਨਕੇ}} ''"Nanakay"'' meaning 'maternal grandparents') home was a quite common and accepted custom at that time.  


After his father, Guru Nanak left [[Nankana Sahib]], Sri Chand stayed in [[Dera Baba Nanak]] and maintained Guru Nanak's temple. Later he established the [[Udasi]] order, both he and his followers travelled far and wide to spread thir word.  
Sri Chand mastered the techniques of yoga at a very young age. He remained devoted to his father, [[Baba Nanak]] and established the Udasi order. He travelled far and wide and spread awareness of Guru Nanak.


Some Fake stories are made by udasis like When [[Guru Ram Das]] met Baba Sri Chand, the Baba commented that Guru Ram Das had the longest beard he had seen. Guru Ram Das replied, "It is to wipe the feet of the saints". Guru Ram Das bent down to do so, and Sri Chand pulled his feet back in surprise.  
Baba Sri Chand was held in great esteem by the ensuing [[Sikh Gurus]]. [[Baba Mohan]], the eldest son of [[Guru Amar Das]] and the person who is best known as the custodian of Guru Sahib's Pothis (hand written verses) from which [[Guru Arjun Dev]] compiled the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] also became a renunciate, possibly influenced by Sri Chand.  


After Baba Sri Chand's death at the age of 135, the son of [[Guru Hargobind]], [[Baba Gurditta]] became his successor as head of the [[Udasi]]s. The Udasis protected and maintained the historical shrines of [[Anandpur]], [[Hazoor Sahib]] and [[Amritsar]] for over a hundred years after [[Guru Gobind Singh|Guru Gobind Singh's]] death. When Gurdwaras were under tenure of udasis they preached their own customs and traditions and washed orignal sikhi.
==History==
===General background===


==Views of Some Scholars==
[[Guru Hargobind]] sent his son [[Baba Gurditta]] to Sri Chand. He became Sri Chand's successor and is regarded as a patriarch of the Udasi Sampardai (order). Baba Gurditta was the father of [[Guru Har Rai]],  the grandfather of [[Guru Harkrishan]], the older brother of [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]] and the uncle of [[Guru Gobind Singh]].
Nihang Baba Uday Singh comments upon the Udhasis:<br>
''Udhasi Panth is from the time of Guru Nanak it was started by Baba Siri Chand Ji. It is a ancient Panth. In it also the [Adi] Guru Granth was preached. They set up Akharas [religious gatherings] and alongside Adi Granth they gave knowledge of Ayurved [Traditional Indian medicine]. They moved like an army through the villages and towns. They visited the Kumbh [ie. the Kumbh mela, a hindu religious festival occuring every 12 years] at Hardwar on elephants and horses. This I do know about Udhasis the old ones use to preach Guru Granth with Ayurved. These Udhasis are an old Panth of Guru Nanak. They are exempt from the Khalsa initiation. From the beginning they did not get initiated into the Khalsa they adopted Udhasi way of life [non-attachment]. Baba Sri Chand had adopted Udasi life too. If they [Baba Sri Chand’s Udhasis] had been initiated into the Sikh fold they would have been successors to the Gurus. However, he [Baba Sri Chand] kept his Panth separate.''
(Baba Uday Singh, transcript of a recording, 01-03-2001)


Udhasi Gobind Das, Chief Mahant at Kankhal, Hardwar points out there was no conflict between father and son over this:
After his father, Guru Nanak left [[Nankana Sahib]], Sri Chand stayed in [[Dera Baba Nanak]] and maintained Guru Nanak Dev Ji's temple. Later he established the [[Udasi]] order.  
‘What throne of a kingdom did Baba Sri Chand occupy you tell me? Or, did Guru Nanak have such a throne so as he had to have a successor? Were they kings of some state? Guru Nanak was no king of some kingdom. He occupied the throne of a God’s devotee of devotion. Thus Guru Maharaj Baba Sri Chand Ji made his throne of devotion to God separate. In which there is none attachment and renunciation of every type, as is also found in Guru Nanak as well. Father and son appreciated each other's way of life was different, so they each preached their ways separately. The difference that was that Baba Sri Chand became preacher of Udhasis because one was a house holder [Guru Nanak] and one unattached [Baba Sri Chand].’ ‘Maharaj [Baba Sri Chand] preaching of Guru Granth that the Udasis have done in India all over. In all places, history shows, using Gutkas [small Sikh prayer books] we spread. We taught all to read Sikh scriptures. This is the gift of the holy men, the Udhasis. They [S.G.P.C. Akalis] cannot even in seven lifetimes preach as much as the Udhasis and Nirmalas have done and are still doing now. Even now, whenever we preach [to Hindus] we always without exception include teachings from [Adi] Guru Granth Sahib. We give examples [from Sikh history] of how you should follow the footsteps of the Gurus. Then your suffering shall be removed. Only then can your thinking and mind can come pure. That is if you desire Oh Brother, otherwise, it is up to you.’
(Baba Gobind Das, transcript of a recording, 16-02-2001)
(Baba Gobind Das, transcript of a recording, 16-02-2001)


Sant Baba Jaginder Singh comments on the mission Guru Nanak set his son:
===Early Life===
‘Baba Siri Chand was to teach the ascetic society how to contemplate God, how to put them on a straight path to salvation, make them firm in knowledge of God and reveal God to them. This was the duty Guru Nanak gave him.’
After Guru Nanak left home on his travels to distant lands, Baba Sri Chand's mother, [[Mata Sulakhani]] took him and his younger brother, Lakhmi Das, to her parents` home at Pakkhoke Randhave on the left bank of the River Ravi.  
(‘Siri Hazoori Maryada Parbodh’, by Sant Baba Joginder Singh, Pa. 145-146)


Udhasi Karam Prakash speaks with regard to the Adi Guru Durbar, and, how Udhasis and other Sikh religious orders presented scripture to the Hindus:
Guru Nanak had discourses with various yogis and their disciples like Gorakh, Bhangarnath, Loharipa, Hanifa, Kanifa, Bharthari etc. <ref> Twarikh Guru Khalsa - Giani Gian Singh </ref>. He taught them by answering their direct questions. <ref name="srichandgosati"> [http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sidh_Gosat Sidh Gosati] </ref><ref name="srichandTwarikh">Twarikh Guru Khalsa - Giani Gian Singh</ref><ref name="srichandjanamsakhi"> Bhai Bala Janamsakhi </ref>.  
‘Guru Granth is such a great philosophy greater than all. He who has read Guru Granth Sahib sees in it come all the reading of Vedas. How is this?
‘ Reading reading we load carts [With books]’ [quote from Adi Guru Granth]
So how many Hindu religious texts are we to read? For this reason we preached to all that in this [Adi Guru Granth] are all philosophies. The thinking of all religions is in this. Ramayana is in it,
‘Ram Ram keep near you’ [quote from Adi Guru Granth],
This is written there. For this reason all the Shashters [Hindu spiritual texts] also come in it. That is why all our traditions [Sikh] acknowledge it [as Guru].’
(Udhasi Karam Prakash, transcript of recording, 06-03-2001)


==Are Udasis/Sri Chand Sikh?==
When Guru Nanak, after his travels, had settled down at KARTARPUR on the right bank of Ravi and not far from Pakkhoke, Siri Chand rejoined the family.
He was against principles of Sikhism, see all historical sources and Practices of Udasis:
* He continued worshipping Dieties.
* He opened his own path aside of Guru Nanak, under influence of siddhas.
* He have Jataan on head which is against sikhi.
* He was not opted by Baba Nanak. think why? Why Sikhs worship Sri CHand who was rejected?
* He even wrote a poem depecting Baba Nanak as God and Gurus never thought of their own praises.
* The Udasis protected and maintained the historical shrines of [[Anandpur]], [[Hazoor Sahib]] and [[Amritsar]] for over a hundred years after [[Guru Gobind Singh|Guru Gobind Singh's]] death. When Gurdwaras were under tenure of udasis they preached their own customs and traditions and washed orignal sikhi and their traditions are still alive.
{{fa|290}}
====Article 2====


SRI CHAND, BABA (1494-1629), the elder son of GURU NANAK and the founder of the ascetic sect of Udasis, was born to Mata Sulakkhani on Bhadon sudi9, 1551 Bk/9 September 1494 at Sultanpur Lodhi, now in Kapurthala district of the Punjab. After Guru Nanak left home on his travels to distant lands, Sri Chand`s mother took him and his younger brother, Lakhmi Das, to her parents` home at Pakkhoke Randhave on the left bank of the River Ravi. Sri Chand from the very beginning loved solitude and, as he grew up, he developed an indifference to worldly affairs. At the tender age of eleven he left for Kashmir where he studied Sanskrit texts under Pandit Purushottam Kaul and later studied and practised yoga under Avinasha Muni. When Guru Nanak, after his travels, had settled down at KARTARPUR on the right bank of Ravi and not far from Pakkhoke, Sri Chand rejoined the family. He however retained his preference for the life of an ascetic.
===Reburial of Guru Nanak’s Ashes===
Guru Nanak having chosen one of his disciples as his spiritual successor, passed away at Kartarpur on 7 September 1539 and a monument was raised over the site where his ashes were buried. As the monument was washed away by floods in the river, Siri Chand had the urn containing the ashes salvaged, reburied it at some distance close to the well of Ajitta Randhava, a devotee of the late Guru, and built a mud hut over it. The place came to be revered as a dehri or samadh (mausoleum) of Guru Nanak around which the present town of Dera Baba Nanak grew.
It is mentioned in accounts of the time that that when [[Guru Ram Das]] met Baba Siri Chand, Baba Siri Chand Ji commented that Guru Ram Das had the longest beard he had seen. Guru Ram Das replied, "It is to wipe the feet of the saints like you". Guru Ram Das bent down to do so, and Siri Chand pulled his feet back in surprise.


Guru Nanak having chosen one of his disciples as his spiritual successor, passed away at Kartarpur on 7 September 1539 and a monument was raised over the site where his ashes were buried. As the monument was washed away by floods in the river, Sri Chand had the urn containing the ashes salvaged, reburied it at some distance close to the well of Ajitta Randhava, a devotee of the late Guru, and built a mud hut over it. The place came to be revered as a dehri or samadh (mausoleum) of Guru Nanak around which the present town of Dera Baba Nanak grew. Baba Sri Chand stayed on at Pakkhoke Randhave for some time. He gathered around him a band of his own disciples who, like him, shunned the householder`s life and practised austerities. With his disciples he travelled throughout the length and breadth of India, initiating more converts to his Udasin or Udasi (lit. indifferent, stoic) sect who functioned as itinerant preachers and established missionary centres at different places in the country and beyond.
===Teaching of Sikh Traditions===
Baba Siri Chand stayed on at Pakkhoke Randhave for some time. He gathered around him a band of his own disciples who, like him, shunned the householder`s life and practiced austerities. With his disciples he traveled throughout the length and breadth of India, initiating many as Udasin or Udasi (lit. indifferent, stoic) sect who functioned as itinerant teachers and established missionary centres at different places in the country and beyond.


Through them Guru Nanak`s word was also carried to far corners of the land. Baba Sri Chand`s own main centre was at Barath, 8 km southwest of Pathankot in Gurdaspur district of the Punjab. Baba Sri Chand also kept in touch with successive Gurus during his long life of well over a century. The Gurus held him in high esteem in view of his holy descent, old age and piety. In 1626, when at the behest of Guru Hargobind, his eldest son, Baba Gurditta, proceeded to found the town of Kiratpur in the lower Sivalik hills, he had the ground broken by Baba Sri Chand. According to the Bhatt Vahis, Baba Sri Chand died at Kiratpur on Magh sudi 1,1685 Bk/ 13 January 1629. Before that he had, with Guru Hargobind`s approval, appointed Baba Gurditta to succeed him as head of the Udasi sect.
Through these Udasin Guru Nanak`s word was also carried to far corners of the land. Baba Siri Chand`s own main centre was at Barath, eight kilometres southwest of Pathankot in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. Baba Siri Chand also kept in touch with successive Gurus during his long life of well over a hundred years. The Gurus held him in high esteem. In 1626, when at the behest of Guru Hargobind, his eldest son, Baba Gurditta, proceeded to found the town of Kiratpur in the lower Sivalik hills, he had the ground broken by Baba Siri Chand Ji.  


==Article 3==
Maharaj Baba Siri chand Ii was a great Udasi saint, as described by Hazrat Mian Mir in his conversation with Emperor Jehangir. Mir referred to Babaji as the "Emperor of all Fakirs." Eldest son as well as the disciple of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Baba Siri Chand Ji was highly respected by kings, saints, yogis, Sikh Gurus, and the common people of all sects and religions. Babaji devoted his long life (149 years) to meditation, preaching Nam, and to moral, spiritual, and religious uplift of society, helping the poor, the downtrodden, and those in need. As directed by his father and Master, Baba Siri Chand Ji played a unique role of setting the sadhu samaj on the right path.
Birth


Babaji was born on Bhadon Sudi 9 of Samat 1551(1494 AD) in Sultanpur Lodhi District Kapurthala, Punjab. His mother Sulakhni Ii was a great lady who did all she could to help him achieve his goal. There were several highly unusual circumstances surrounding his birth. Instead of crying, he emerged laughing. The room was filled with light and fragrance. A thin layer of ashes covered his body and the small curly knots of his hair were shining brightly. His right ear lobe was extended in a ring of flesh, leaving no doubt that he was a born "yogi."
===Death===
Early Life
[[Image:SriChandjeee.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Picture Depicting Baba Sri Chand picking his nephew from Lakhmi Das's Horse]]
Baba Sri Chand died at Kiratpur on Magh sudi 1,1685 bik/ 13 January 1629.<ref name="srichandbhatt">Bhatt Vahis</ref>. Udasi Traditions say that he never died but he vanished into the forest of Chamba.


Guru Nanak Dev Ji started Babaji's training at a very early age, mostly by personal example. Thus, as a child he formed habits of rising early, bathing, and spending long hours in meditation. He was told religious stories and sermons to which he listened attentively. Babaji did not play like other children of his age; on the other hand he collected them and taught them meditation whenever they called upon him to play. There are several miracles associated with his childhood, for instance. Once when people got anxious over the delay in his return from the jungle where he had gone, a search party was organized. It found, to its great surprise, Babaji in deep meditation surrounded by wild animals of all sorts such as elephants, tigers, and leopards. All were sitting at his feet motionless, perfectly silent, with eyes closed, enamoured by his mystical powers and in service of their master.
After Baba Siri Chand went invisible, the son of [[Guru Hargobind]], [[Baba Gurditta]] became his successor as head of the [[Udasi]]s. The Udasis protected and maintained the historical shrines of [[Anandpur]], [[Hazoor Sahib]] and [[Amritsar]] for over a hundred years after [[Guru Gobind Singh|Guru Gobind Singh's]] death.  
With Bebe Nanaki


In 1558, when Babaji was seven, Guru Nanak Dev Ji left for his first Udasi (long preaching journey as a renunciate). Babaji was placed in the care of Bebe Nanaki, Guru Ji's elder sister. "Respected sister," said Guru Nanak Dev Ji, "this is no ordinary child. He will grow to be a great saint, with a large following. He will have a long life and lead a separate seat. He will not marry but his younger brother Baba Lakhmi chand will have a family and provide a link with our future generation." Babaji visited Pakhoke and Talwandi also to meet his grandparents. Though he was a child, Babaji's face was glowing with friendliness and his wide knowledge, sharp intelligence, and spiritual achievements at such a tender age made him popular everywhere. The Nawabs at these places especially paid homage, as they did to Guru Nanak. When Guru Ji returned from his first Udasi, he found his son, a lad of fifteen, very firm in his principles and fully devoted to meditation. Guru Ji, during his brief stay at Sultanpur and before leaving for the second Udasi, gave maximum time to Babaji and blessed him with NAAM as his first disciple. On return from the second Udasi, Guru Ji advised him to study Vedas and other Shastras to continue his religious education, even though both sets of grandparents wanted him to enter business, in accordance with the family tradition.
==Sri Chand and Sikhi ==
Education at Kashmir


Babaji was in Sirinagar for two and a half years in the famous school of Pandit Purshotam Das Kaul. He was the best student and surprised everybody with his intelligence, maturity, and perspicacity. For example, when his teacher was challenged to a debate by a well-known and proud Brahmin of Kashi, Pandit Som Nath Tripathi, Babaji stepped in place of his teacher and in n6 time demolished the arguments of Pandit Som Nath Tripathi, who felt so nervous that he left in a huff.
<center>'''ਪ੝ਤ੝ਰੀ ਕਉਲ੝ ਨ ਪਾਲਿਓ ਕਰਿ ਪੀਰਹ੝ ਕੰਨ੝ਹ੝ਹ ਮ੝ਰਟੀਝ ॥'''<br>
Aarta
Nanak's sons did not obey His Word; they turned their backs on Him as Guru.</center>


Babaji's soul had now merged with God. While meditating with complete devotion, he saw the whole universe, gods and goddesses and heavenly bodies, in reverence to Guru Nanak Dev Ji. From that vision he composed "Arta" in praise of his father and Guru. Thus, when Guru Nanak returned from his third Udasi, he was greeted with candlelights and showered with flowers and saffron and welcomed by Babaji's recitation of divine hymns in his honour.
In  [[Guru Granth Sahib]] on [http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=967&english=t&id=41550#l41550 page 967], [[Satta and Balwand]] state that the sons of Nanak did not follow the path of their father and that they  "turned his ear" against the "ambrosial path" of Nanak i.e against [[Gurmat]] (Guru's way) and wandered along other paths, so they were not chosen as his successor or as teachers of Gurmat, but [[Bhai Lehna]] was.<ref  name="srichand">  [http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=967&punjabi=t&id=41550#l41550  SGGS page 967 - His sons did not obey His Word; they turned their backs on Him as Guru. (www.srigranth.org)]</ref>


Let us sing the praises of Nanak, King of kings,
[[Guru Arjun]] inserted the composition containing the above [[tuk]] (line) by bards [[Satta and Balwand]] in [[Guru Granth Sahib]] under [[Ramkali]] [[Bani]].<ref  name="srichandramkali">  [http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Balwand/Satta%27s_Bani Bani Satta  Balvand]</ref>


Emperor of both worlds.<br>
It important to note that Sri Chand did not marry or lead a life of a "[[Gristi]]" (householder) which are important consideration of [[Gurmat]]. Further the use of [[Wikipedia:Occult|Occult]] and supernatural powers ("ridhia, sidhia") is not supported by [[Gurbani]].<ref>[http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=593&punjabi=t&id=25997#l25997 SGGS page 593 -Riches and the  supernatural spiritual powers of the Siddhas are all emotional  attachments; through them, the Naam, the Name of the Lord, does not come  to dwell in the mind. (www.srigranth.org)]</ref> <ref>[http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=17&english=t&id=709#l709 SGGS page 709 -you may adopt a lofty name, and be known to have supernatural spiritual powers - even so, if you are not accepted in the Court of the Lord, then all this adoration is false. ||2|| (www.srigranth.org)]</ref> <ref>[http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=225&punjabi=t&id=9772#l9772 SGGS page 225 -He may be called a Siddha, a man of spiritual perfection, and he may summon riches and supernatural powers; (www.srigranth.org)]</ref>
::The whole cosmos is His temple<br>
::Congregations sing sweet songs in His praise.<br>
::Millions of goddesses burn holy lamps in His honour<br>
::Millions of gods sing psalms in His praise.<br>
Millions wash His lotus feet<br>
The moon and sun illuminate Him with their radiance.<br>
Masses of flowers are offering Him fragrance.<br>
The True Master, the True Light, He is merciful to the poor.<br>
::The King of the Winds fans Him<br>
::While saints and sages meditate on His holiness.<br>
::He is universally accepted as the perfect Guru<br>
::The entire cosmos vibrates with his celestial song.<br>
Bells ring out the tone -ONKAR-<br>
Continuously illluminating the heavens.<br>
He is one with God, Whose Name is Truth,<br>
In Nanak's Name saints find their support.<br>
::Siri Chand, Nanak's son, declares,<br>
::"Nanak is unattainable, unfathomable, unshakeable, and pure.<br>
::Whoever sings Emperor Nanak's praises<br>
::Resides in heaven and achieves complete salvation.<br>
Oh kind Master, protect those who seek your shelter<br>
Oh Nanak! You are the saviour; we are just your children.<br>


==Article by Baba Virsa Singh==
== Complete Composition by Satta & Balvand==
Baba Siri Chand Ji (A.D.1494-1643)<br>
([http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=966&g=0&h=0&r=0&t=1&p=0&k=0 Guru Granth Sahib pages 966-968])


Gobind Sadan has held seminars on Baba Siri Chand to have scholars explore and discover the actual history of Baba Siri Chand Ji and his contribution to dharam. We wanted the intellectuals and the major research scholars to present clear proof of who Baba Siri Chand really was.
<div style="font-size: 70%">Vaar Of Raamkalee, Uttered By Satta And Balwand The Drummer: <br>
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru: <br>
One who chants the Name of the Almighty Creator - how can his words be judged?    His divine virtues are the true sisters and brothers; through them, the gift of supreme status is obtained.    Nanak established the kingdom; He built the true fortress on the strongest foundations.    He installed the royal canopy over Lehna's head; chanting the Lord's Praises, He drank in the Ambrosial Nectar.    The Guru implanted the almighty sword of the Teachings to illuminate his soul.    The Guru bowed down to His disciple, while Nanak was still alive.   The King, while still alive, applied the ceremonial mark to his forehead. ||1||


It is my faith that there is no difference between Baba Siri Chand and God. How can we understand Baba Siri Chand unless we have the faith to talk with him or see him? Without a spiritual background, how much of his essence can we capture? Baba Siri Chand was Brahmgiani - a God-realised enlightened being. How can we express gian or Brahm in a book?
Nanak proclaimed Lehna's succession - he earned it.    They shared the One Light and the same way; the King just changed His body.    The immaculate canopy waves over Him, and He sits on the throne in the Guru's shop.   He does as the Guru commands; He tasted the tasteless stone of Yoga.  


While it is our goal to publish books and booklets on Babaji's life, it is far more important to practically demonstrate the effect of his teachings. Babaji was a highly respected scholar, but his trademark was the ability to put complex teachings forth in such simple terms that everyone could understand. At Gobind Sadan we try to live by his teachings: love God, meditate, work hard, help others, and preserve the sanctity of marriage.
<New page 967>
Baba Siri Chand's Life in Brief


Baba Siri Chand was born in 1494 as the elder son of Guru Nanak, the First Sikh Guru. As a child, he was of contemplative nature, and he became the first person to whom Guru Nanak prescribed the life of an Udasi. In contrast to ascetics who leave the world in order to meditate, an Udasi is a renunciate who lives in the world, maintaining everyday life as well as practicing meditation.
The Langar - the Kitchen of the Guru's Shabad has been opened, and its supplies never run short.   Whatever His Master gave, He spent; He distributed it all to be eaten.    The Praises of the Master were sung, and the Divine Light descended from the heavens to the earth.    Gazing upon You, O True King, the filth of countless past lives is washed away.    The Guru gave the True Command; why should we hesitate to proclaim this?    His sons did not obey His Word; they turned their backs on Him as Guru.    These evil-hearted ones became rebellious; they carry loads of sin on their backs.   Whatever the Guru said, Lehna did, and so he was installed on the throne.    Who has lost, and who has won? ||2||


Baba Siri Chand was a renunciate-self-denying, celibate, and dedicated to meditation-but he was also a farmer. His father asked him not to leave the world but to take responsibility for the community farm at Kartarpur while he, Guru Nanak, was away. When Guru Nanak returned from his travels, the whole village happily told him that they had learned from Baba Siri Chand how to combine hard work on the farm and meditation.
He who did the work, is accepted as Guru; so which is better - the thistle or the rice?    The Righteous Judge of Dharma considered the arguments and made the decision.    Whatever the True Guru says, the True Lord does; it comes to pass instantaneously.    Guru Angad was proclaimed, and the True Creator confirmed it.    Nanak merely changed his body; He still sits on the throne, with hundreds of branches reaching out.   Standing at His door, His followers serve Him; by this service, their rust is scraped off.    He is the Dervish - the Saint, at the door of His Lord and Master; He loves the True Name, and the Bani of the Guru's Word.    Balwand says that Khivi, the Guru's wife, is a noble woman, who gives soothing, leafy shade to all.    She distributes the bounty of the Guru's Langar; the kheer - the rice pudding and ghee, is like sweet ambrosia.   The faces of the Guru's Sikhs are radiant and bright; the self-willed manmukhs are pale, like straw.    The Master gave His approval, when Angad exerted Himself heroically.    Such is the Husband of mother Khivi; He sustains the world. ||3||


Baba Siri Chand had an extensive and dedicated following. When the Emperor Jehangir asked Mian Mir, his own darvesh (Muslim term for a powerful, truthful, God-intoxicated holy person), "Who is the greatest darvesh today?" Mian Mir replied, "At this time the elder son of Guru Nanak is the king of the darveshes."
It is as if the Guru made the Ganges flow in the opposite direction, and the world wonders: what has he done?    Nanak, the Lord, the Lord of the World, spoke the words out loud.   Making the mountain his churning stick, and the snake-king his churning string, He has churned the Word of the Shabad.    From it, He extracted the fourteen jewels, and illuminated the world.    He revealed such creative power, and touched such greatness.    He raised the royal canopy to wave over the head of Lehna, and raised His glory to the skies.    His Light merged into the Light, and He blended Him into Himself.    Guru Nanak tested His Sikhs and His sons, and everyone saw what happened.    When Lehna alone was found to be pure, then He was set on the throne. ||4||


Baba Siri Chand lived to the great age of 149, and his guidance was revered by the first six Sikh Gurus. Although his followers numbered in the millions, he encouraged them to be devotees of Guru Nanak rather than of himself. He never married but he took responsibility for raising his brother's son, Dharm Chand, and then arranged the boy's marriage.
Then, the True Guru, the son of Pheru, came to dwell at Khadoor.    Meditation, austerities and self-discipline rest with You, while the others are filled with excessive pride.   Greed ruins mankind, like the green algae in the water.    In the Guru's Court, the Divine Light shines in its creative power.    You are the cooling peace, whose depth cannot be found.    You are overflowing with the nine treasures, and the treasure of the Naam, the Name of the Lord.   Whoever slanders You will be totally ruined and destroyed.    People of the world can see only what is near at hand, but You can see far beyond.    Then the True Guru, the son of Pheru, came to dwell at Khadoor. ||5||


When Baba Siri Chand left the visible world in 1643, he left with his body intact. He has existed for thousands of years and he is the same now. We cannot see him with our external eyes but he has not gone anywhere. He is proof of what is written by Guru Ram Das:
<New page 968>
"Satguru mera sada sada, rut avay na ja~y Oh Abruisi Purath hai, sab me reha samay-My Guru is the Eternal One. He is for all times. He neither comes nor goes. He is the Eternal Lord Who pervades all of Creation." [1]
Meditation


It is a source of great pride to any worldly father if his children follow his instructions. How happy Guru Nanak must have been with Baba Siri Chand as he fully adopted his father's emphasis on meditation on the Name of God. As Gurbani (the Gurus' recorded teachings) says, "Nanak kei ghar keval Nam-In Nanak's house there is only Nam." [2]
The same mark on the forehead, the same throne, and the same Royal Court.    Just like the father and grandfather, the son is approved.    He took the thousand-headed serpent as his churning string with the force of devotional love,.    and he churned the ocean of the world with his churning stick, the Sumayr mountain.    He extracted the fourteen jewels, and brought forth the Divine Light.    He made intuition his horse, and chastity his saddle.   He placed the arrow of the Lord's Praise in the bow of Truth.    In this Dark Age of Kali Yuga, there was only pitch darkness. Then, He rose like the sun to illuminate the darkness.    He farms the field of Truth, and spreads out the canopy of Truth.    Your kitchen always has ghee and flour to eat.    You understand the four corners of the universe; in your mind, the Word of the Shabad is approved and supreme.    You eliminate the comings and goings of reincarnation, and bestow the insignia of Your Glance of Grace.    You are the Avataar, the Incarnation of the all-knowing Primal Lord.    You are not pushed or shaken by the storm and the wind; you are like the Sumayr Mountain.   You know the inner state of the soul; You are the Knower of knowers.    How can I praise You, O True Supreme King, when You are so wise and all-knowing?    Those blessings granted by the Pleasure of the True Guru - please bless Satta with those gifts.    Seeing Nanak's canopy waving over Your head, everyone was astonished.    The same mark on the forehead, the same throne, and the same Royal Court.    Just like the father and grandfather, the son is approved. ||6||


Baba Siri Chand continually sat in samadhi with the Name of God. He did so much taprsya (disciplined meditation) that a great bounty of God's gifts flowed through him. People of all religions from all over India flocked to him and became his followers because an ocean of God's blessings poured forth from his merciful gaze. They loved him and prayed to him not only out of respect for his father but also because of what he became by imbibing and practicing his father's teachings.
Blessed, blessed is Guru Raam Daas; He who created You, has also exalted You.    Perfect is Your miracle; the Creator Lord Himself has installed You on the throne.   The Sikhs and all the Congregation recognize You as the Supreme Lord God, and bow down to You.   You are unchanging, unfathomable and immeasurable; You have no end or limitation.    Those who serve You with love - You carry them across.   Greed, envy, sexual desire, anger and emotional attachment - You have beaten them and driven them out.    Blessed is Your place, and True is Your magnificent glory.    You are Nanak, You are Angad, and You are Amar Daas; so do I recognize You.    When I saw the Guru, then my mind was comforted and consoled. ||7||


For his part, from his enlightened vision, Baba Sin Chand could see his father's greatness. He was always praising Guru Nanak and to welcome his father on his return from his travels, he wrote "Arta," a hymn revealing that Guru Nanak is master of the whole cosmos:
The four Gurus enlightened the four ages; the Lord Himself assumed the fifth form.   He created Himself, and He Himself is the supporting pillar.    He Himself is the paper, He Himself is the pen, and He Himself is the writer.   All His followers come and go; He alone is fresh and new.    Guru Arjun sits on the throne; the royal canopy waves over the True Guru.   From east to west, He illuminates the four directions.    Those self-willed manmukhs who do not serve the Guru die in shame.   Your miracles increase two-fold, even four-fold; this is the True Lord's true blessing.   The four Gurus enlightened the four ages; the Lord Himself assumed the fifth form. ||8||1|| </div>
Let us sing the praises of Nanak, King of kings,
Emperor of both worlds.
The whole cosmos is His temple
Congregations sing sweet songs in His praise.
Millions of goddesses burn holy lamps in His honour
Millions of gods sing psalms in His praise.
Millions wash His lotus feet
The moon and sun illuminate Him with their radiance.
Masses of flowers are offering Him fragrance.
The True Master, the True Light, He is merciful to the poor.
The King of the Winds fans Him
While saints and sages meditate on His holiness.
He is universally accepted as the perfect Guru
The entire cosmos vibrates with his celestial song.
Bells ring out the tone -ONKAR-
Continuously illluminating the heavens.
He is one with God, Whose Name is Truth,
In Nanak's Name saints find their support.
Siri Chand, Nanak's son, declares,
"Nanak is unattainable, unfathomable, unshakeable, and pure."
Whoever sings Emperor Nanak's praises
Resides in heaven and achieves complete salvation.
Oh kind Master, protect those who seek your shelter
Oh Nanak! You are the saviour; we are just your children.


==Views of Some Scholars==
Some Views related to Sri Chand Exist:


Baba Siri Chand bowed before Guru Nanak, thanking him, "It is through your blessings that I have begun to meditate." As Gurbani says, "Sas, sas simro Gobind-Repeat the Name of God with each breath." [3] By meditation on God's Name, negativity becomes erased from our mind and the bad karmas that encrust our mind from so many past lives are burned, allowing our good deeds to become strong.
Nihang Baba Uday Singh comments upon the Udhasis:<br>
''Udhasi Panth is from the time of Guru Nanak it was started by Baba Siri Chand Ji. It is an ancient Panth. In it also the [Adi] Guru Granth was preached. They set up Akharas [religious gatherings] and alongside Adi Granth they gave knowledge of Ayurved [Traditional Indian medicine]. They moved like an army through the villages and towns. They visited the Kumbh [ie. the Kumbh mela, a Hindu religious festival occurring every 12 years] at Hardwar on elephants and horses. This I do know about Udhasis the old ones use to preach Guru Granth with Ayurved. These Udhasis are an old Panth of Guru Nanak. They are exempt from the Khalsa initiation. From the beginning they did not get initiated into the Khalsa [since]they adopted the Udasi way of life [non-attachment]...''
(Baba Uday Singh, transcript of a recording, 01-03-2001)
'''
Udhasi Gobind Das, Chief Mahant at Kankhal, Hardwar points out there was no conflict between father and son over this:'''


Gurbani teaches that "the curtain which separates us from God is as thin as an insect's wing-Bhanbhiri ke pat pardo bin pekhe duraio"[4]. When we meditate, that curtain falls away and we begin to see God within ourself and also outside. How beautiful are the mountains rising majestically, how beautiful the flowers in their brilliant colors, how beautiful the trees, the lush crops which God has made! As Qur'an Sharif says, "Praise be to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, And made the Darkness and the Light. He it is Who created you from clay." [5]
‘What throne of a kingdom did Baba Siri Chand occupy you tell me? Or, did Guru Nanak have such a throne so as he had to have a successor? Were they kings of some state? Guru Nanak was no king of some kingdom. He occupied the throne... of devotion. Thus Guru Maharaj Baba Sri Chand Ji made his throne of devotion to God separate. In which there is no attachment and renunciation of every type, as is also found in Guru Nanak as well. Father and son appreciated that each other's way of life was different, so they each taught their ways separately. The difference that was that Baba Sri Chand became the teacher of Udasis because one was a house holder [Guru Nanak] and one unattached [Baba Sri Chand].’ ‘Maharaj [Baba Sri Chand] preaching of Guru Granth that the Udasis have done in India all over. In all places, history shows, using Gutkas [small Sikh prayer books] we spread. We taught all to read Sikh scriptures. This is the gift of the holy men, the Udasis. They [S.G.P.C. Akalis] cannot even in seven lifetimes preach as much as the Udhasis and Nirmalas have done and are still doing now. Even now, whenever we preach [to Hindus] we always without exception include teachings from [Adi] Guru Granth Sahib. We give examples [from Sikh history] of how you should follow the footsteps of the Gurus. Then your suffering shall be removed. Only then can your thinking and mind can come pure. That is if you desire Oh Brother, otherwise, it is up to you.’
(Baba Gobind Das, transcript of a recording, 16-02-2001)


People have erected large buildings for worshipping God, but there is also a place within ourselves to worship God. However, we have lost our way to this place. The weight and filth of our past actions has become so great that we are always on the defensive, always criticizing others, always getting angry with others. We don't have a chance to think clearly. We create divisions between rich and poor, establish boundaries between religions. By contrast, when our thoughts are with God, "Na koi bairi, nahin begana, sagal sang ham ko ban aee-We see no one as enemy, no one as stranger; we get along well with everyone." [6]


The Creator has created rules for the Creation, but did not make separate religions. Whenever God spoke, the message was the same. For example, it was revealed through the Prophet Mohammad that Allah is pure (Pakk) and Unique (la sharik). In Gurbani the same message is given: "Allah pakang pak hai, shak karo je duser hoe- God is Absolutely Pure, and have no doubt: There is nothing else like God."[7]
Sant Baba Jaginder Singh comments on the mission Guru Nanak set his son:<br>
''Baba Siri Chand was to teach the ascetic society how to contemplate God, how to put them on a straight path to salvation, make them firm in knowledge of God and reveal God to them. This was the duty Guru Nanak gave him.''
(‘Siri Hazoori Maryada Parbodh’, by Sant Baba Joginder Singh, Pa. 145-146)


A religious place should be a school for the mind, so that we may attain Cod-realisation. There is no school where we can earn a degree by simply bowing at the gates. We must study and follow tht rules of that school. In God's school, we must do tapasya; we must concentrate. The purpose of tapasya is to focus our mind, to collect the energy of our scattered thoughts. Then we are blessed.
Udhasi Karam Prakash speaks with regard to the Adi Guru Durbar, and, how Udasis and other Sikh religious orders presented scripture to the Hindus:<br>
''Guru Granth is such a great philosophy - greater than all. He who has read Guru Granth Sahib sees in it come all the reading of Vedas. How is this? Reading, reading we load carts [With books]’ [quote from Adi Guru Granth]So how many Hindu religious texts are we to read? For this reason we preached to all that in this [Adi Guru Granth] are all philosophies. The thinking of all religions is in this. Ramayana is in it, ‘Ram Ram keep near you’ [quote from Adi Guru Granth], This is written there. For this reason all the Shashters [Hindu spiritual texts] also come in it. That is why all our traditions [Sikh] acknowledge it [as Guru].''
(Udhasi Karam Prakash, transcript of recording, 06-03-2001)


Now we bow at gurdwaras or temples but our mind remains scattered. We become frightened in the face of even the slightest problem. Why should difficulties affect us? Whatever God is doing is correct. Guru Gobind Singh said, "Namo kalah karta, namo shant roopay-God, You are the One Who creates conflict, and also the One Who spreads peace; I bow to You. Narno andhkaray namo tej tejay-You are Lord of darkness and also Lord of light." [8]  From his inner vision he saw God in each leaf, in darkness, in destruction, in light. Re said, "Ke zahar zahoor hain, Ke hazar hazoor hain-You are ever manifest in all Your splendour, You are ever present in all Your glory." [9]  God is always present within us; we can speak to and listen to Him inside. He Himself speaks and listens.
Virsa Singh Gobind Sadan<br>
''Baba Siri Chand was a renunciate; i.e., self-denying, celibate, and dedicated to meditation; but he was also a farmer. His father asked him not to leave the world but to take responsibility for the community farm at Kartarpur while he, Guru Nanak, was away. When Guru Nanak returned from his travels, the whole village happily told him that they had learned from Baba Siri Chand how to combine hard work on the farm and meditation. Baba Siri Chand had an extensive and dedicated following. When the Emperor Jehangir asked Mian Mir, his own darvesh (Muslim term for a powerful, truthful, God-intoxicated holy person), "Who is the greatest darvesh today?" Mian Mir replied, "At this time the elder son of Guru Nanak is the king of the darveshes."''


There is truth hidden in each of us. To discover it, we must go in search of it by meditating. God is the Force which overcomes our weaknesses and develops our strengths. God never gets angry or makes us angry. "God is always beneficent, always merciful; God always overlooks our shortcomings-Sada bakhshind, sada meharbana aogan ko na chitarda" [10]. God asks only that we bring our love to Him and fill our bags with His Love.
==See also==
Seva


Baba Siri Chand placed emphasis on work as well as on meditation. Since childhood, I have felt that work is just as important as meditation. We must work for food, clothing, a place to live, money to spend, but not only for ourselves. On Gobind Sadan's farms I work day and night for the benefit of the country, the betterment of the poor. otherwise, I have no reason to work so hard. God has given me plenty of food and water.
* [[Balwand/Satta's Bani]]
 
* [[Bhai Satta]]
This thought is always in my mind: love God and thank God, but continue development, because our country is poor. Poverty will only be eradicated if we all begin to work and share with others from our earnings. To do so, we must love each other.
* [[Rai Balvand]]
 
* [[Bhatts]]
God is not with those who sit idle and create divisions between rich and poor, who set themselves up as gurus and live off the donations of others. As they say in English, "Idleness is the Devil's workshop." Only those who have no work of their own have time to criticize or think negatively of others; only those who have no other work have time to fight. I remain always busy and always pray to God, "Please don't let a thought enter my mind that does not please You." If we work hard, our muscles will remain strong; if we meditate our thoughts will be strong. If we combine work and meditation, as Guru Nanak taught, "Man jitai, jag jit - He who conquers his own mind conquers the world." [11]
 
To work for the benefit of the people, by God's grace I choose areas which are considered wastelands. I take the map and pray before God, "Please develop this area. You are the Most Powerful. You can do anything. By developing this weak and neglected area, You will be praised." I have seen since childhood that we are to ask God for something for the benefit of humanity and then work very hard for it. When many people come to our farms for free medicine, it makes me very happy. It gives me even greater pleasure to see so many people coming to eat the food that has been grown by God's blessings. As Hazrat Mohammad Sahib said, "The day a guest does not come to your house, perhaps God is not happy with you. The day that a guest comes, think that God is very happy."
 
Our sevadars grow food by our own efforts. We do not look for donations or put pressure on anybody. I want to remain free and I want the whole world to be free. Whatever we have is for all of you. I have never felt any difference between what is yours and what is mine. Whatever is here we will eat and when it is all gone we will sit together.
 
Guru Nanak and Baba Siri Chand never recommended taking charity or collecting offerings. Rather, they always emphasized, as Guru Nanak taught, "Ghal khae kkhh hathon de Nanak ratio pachhane se-Work honestly and help others: This is the true path to God." [12]
 
This is no theory. If we link our minds with God and our bodies with work, just see what can happen. The practical results have been demonstrated at our big farm on the banks of the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, called "Shiv Sadan." That former wasteland was so marshy that in places we could travel only by boat. During the monsoon season when the Ganges flooded, the whole area lay under ten to twelve feet of water. But our sevadars, with their own hands and hard work, brought dirt in, built a dike and brick roads, and developed the land into fields of lush crops. Now people can travel about by bicycle and bus service and electricity have come on those roads to benefit the poor. We offer a free medical clinic and a school.
 
Before we started developing Shiv Sadan, the neighboring people could not do anything. They were living like animals, having childrens - as soon as one could walk they would have another. Animals simply pass through this birth to the next; humans carry their past deeds with them into this birth, but they have the opportunity to progress.
 
Neither the government nor the villages gave us a penny for the development work at Shiv Sadan. But if we love God and make friends with God, God will help us. Our goal is to help satisfy the needs of those who cannot fully provide for themselves, to give them food, clothes, education and training, to teach them agriculture, to teach them meditation, to teach them how to love each other. It will take time, but the whole area will feel the improvement. Several hundreds of thousands of people have already eaten at Shiv Sadan. Our policy is that we will help any poor person who comes to us for any reason. If we do not have what they need, we will still help them. Shiv Sadan has made such an impact on everyone who has come to see it that they have wanted to help in any way possible.
 
I will continue to love God and work to serve the people. Whether someone curses me or praises me makes no difference, because I am following my goal. Even if breaks occur in the road, I will continue to walk in that direction with full faith in God. Why should we worry? We should only become worried when we have done something wrong. We should keep our minds attached to God, stand erect, and walk straight ahead on our path.
 
When you love the Creator, you share whatever you have with others. If you do not have enough to share, you work hard to create it. We are all brothers and sisters. Do not get drawn into discord between different religions and castes, between high and low. These distinctions are created by humans, not by God. Even animal - all types of animals, even tigers - used to gather where Baba Siri Chand sat. He had a great love for animals and he used to talk with them, for the same God created the tiger as created you. If we all have the same God for a Friend, then we are all friends.
Baba Siri Chand is always with us
 
When we share with you the food that we produced with our own hands, our own labor, you will all receive Baba Siri Chand's love. You may not be able to sense it in your body, but perhaps you will feel it in your soul. Baba Siri Chand's love always fills everyone who comes to him. He is the fountain of kindness.
 
Baba Siri Chand looked on everyone with the same love, the same blessings. He taught them to overlook people's caste, religion, and personality and always recognize the Omnipresent God in every person, as also in animals, in trees, in the earth. He never proclaimed any separate religion or separate principles. Rather, he stressed universal love of the One God Who pervades all of Creation, Whom we call by different names, worship in different ways, and meditate upon by different methods.
 
Baba Siri Chand is with us today, as are Hazrat Mohammad, Jesus, Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and the other messengers of God. We cannot see them because we have closed our internal eyes and just look with our external eyes.
 
Baba Siri Chand was beyond the thrall of birth and death. He proved what Guru Nanak said: "Gurmukh avai jae nisang -The one whose whole life is turned toward God can come and go as he pleases." [13] At the age of 149 when Baba Siri Chand was sitting giving a discourse, he got up and said, "I am leaving now." Where did he go? Wherever he wanted. He walked away dressed just as he was, in his sandals. It is said that when he came to a rushing river, he stepped onto a rock and it carried him across, like a boat. It appeared to support him because Cod was in that rock. God is in everything, from ants to rocks to elephants.
 
Baba Siri Chand was Brahmgiani, one with the eternal light of Cod, one with that eternal Power of which all the scriptures have spoken. Even though he lived in the world, he remained beyond the world. As Guru Arjan Dcv wrote, "Brahmgiani sada nirlep,jaise jal me kamal alep - A Brahmgiani is always detached, as a lotus flower is detached from the mud." [14]
 
Baba Siri Chand is here eternally. look inside yourself and you will see Brahm. May Baba Siri Chand forgive us and bless us with his merciful gaze so that we may meditate and practice his teachings.


==References==


<references/>


==Links==
* Nara, Ishar SINGH, Itihas Baba Sri Chand Ji Sahib ate Udasin Sampardai. AMRITSAR, 1975
* Randhir Singh, Udasi Sikhan di Vithia. Amritsar, 1959
* Macauliffe, Max Arthur, The SIKH Religion, Oxford, 1909
* Harbans Singh, Guru Nanak and Origins of the Sikh Faith. Bombay, 1969


*[http://www.sgpc.net/historical-gurdwaras/arjandev.asp Historical Gurdwaras of Punjab dedicated to Guru Arjan Sahib] from SGPC, Sri Amritsar
==External Links==
* [http://www.sgpc.net/historical-gurdwaras/arjandev.asp Historical Gurdwaras of Punjab dedicated to Guru Arjan Sahib] from SGPC, Sri Amritsar
* [https://www.srigurugranthsahib.org/guru-nanak/holy-tribute.htm Aarta by Baba Sri Chand Ji in Praise of father, Sri Guru Nanak]
* [http://www.sikhs.org/guru4.htm Guru Ram Das (1534-1581)] from www.sikhs.org
* [http://www.sikhs.org/guru4.htm Guru Ram Das (1534-1581)] from www.sikhs.org
* [http://www.sikh-heritage.co.uk/personalities/baba%20srichand/babasrichand.htm Baba Sri Chand]
* [http://www.sikh-heritage.co.uk/personalities/baba%20srichand/babasrichand.htm Baba Sri Chand]
* [http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sikhism/udas.html  Udasis]
* [http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sikhism/udas.html  Udasis]
* [http://www.sikhnet.com/1999/anand25.html Baba Sri Chand]
* [http://www.sikhnet.com/1999/anand25.html Baba Sri Chand]
 
* [http://www.sarbloh.info/htmls/sikh_udhasi3.html Sarabloh]
==References==
*Nara, Ishar SINGH, Itihas Baba Sri Chand Ji Sahib ate Udasin Sampardai. AMRITSAR, 1975
*Randhir Singh, Udasi Sikhan di Vithia. Amritsar, 1959
*Macauliffe, Max Arthur, The SIKH Religion, Oxford, 1909
*Harbans Singh, Guru Nanak and Origins of the Sikh Faith. Bombay, 1969


{{Guru Nanak Dev Relatives}}
{{Guru Nanak Dev Relatives}}
[[Category:Guru's Family Members]]
[[Category:Guru's Family Members]]
[[Category: Mystics and scholars]]
[[Category: Mystics and scholars]]

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Baba Sri Chand Ji's statue. Sculpture by Amrit Singh Khalsa

Sri Chand (1494 to 1643), also called Baba Sri Chand is the elder son of Guru Nanak and the founder of the ascetic sect of Udasis. He was born to Mata Sulakhani on Bhadon sudi 9, 1551 Bk / 9 September 1494 at Sultanpur Lodhi, now in Kapurthala district of the Punjab. This type of arrangement where the child is born at the mother's parental (ਨਾਨਕੇ s  "Nanakay" meaning 'maternal grandparents') home was a quite common and accepted custom at that time.

Sri Chand mastered the techniques of yoga at a very young age. He remained devoted to his father, Baba Nanak and established the Udasi order. He travelled far and wide and spread awareness of Guru Nanak.

Baba Sri Chand was held in great esteem by the ensuing Sikh Gurus. Baba Mohan, the eldest son of Guru Amar Das and the person who is best known as the custodian of Guru Sahib's Pothis (hand written verses) from which Guru Arjun Dev compiled the Guru Granth Sahib also became a renunciate, possibly influenced by Sri Chand.

History

General background

Guru Hargobind sent his son Baba Gurditta to Sri Chand. He became Sri Chand's successor and is regarded as a patriarch of the Udasi Sampardai (order). Baba Gurditta was the father of Guru Har Rai, the grandfather of Guru Harkrishan, the older brother of Guru Tegh Bahadur and the uncle of Guru Gobind Singh.

After his father, Guru Nanak left Nankana Sahib, Sri Chand stayed in Dera Baba Nanak and maintained Guru Nanak Dev Ji's temple. Later he established the Udasi order.

Early Life

After Guru Nanak left home on his travels to distant lands, Baba Sri Chand's mother, Mata Sulakhani took him and his younger brother, Lakhmi Das, to her parents` home at Pakkhoke Randhave on the left bank of the River Ravi.

Guru Nanak had discourses with various yogis and their disciples like Gorakh, Bhangarnath, Loharipa, Hanifa, Kanifa, Bharthari etc. [1]. He taught them by answering their direct questions. [2][3][4].

When Guru Nanak, after his travels, had settled down at KARTARPUR on the right bank of Ravi and not far from Pakkhoke, Siri Chand rejoined the family.

Reburial of Guru Nanak’s Ashes

Guru Nanak having chosen one of his disciples as his spiritual successor, passed away at Kartarpur on 7 September 1539 and a monument was raised over the site where his ashes were buried. As the monument was washed away by floods in the river, Siri Chand had the urn containing the ashes salvaged, reburied it at some distance close to the well of Ajitta Randhava, a devotee of the late Guru, and built a mud hut over it. The place came to be revered as a dehri or samadh (mausoleum) of Guru Nanak around which the present town of Dera Baba Nanak grew. It is mentioned in accounts of the time that that when Guru Ram Das met Baba Siri Chand, Baba Siri Chand Ji commented that Guru Ram Das had the longest beard he had seen. Guru Ram Das replied, "It is to wipe the feet of the saints like you". Guru Ram Das bent down to do so, and Siri Chand pulled his feet back in surprise.

Teaching of Sikh Traditions

Baba Siri Chand stayed on at Pakkhoke Randhave for some time. He gathered around him a band of his own disciples who, like him, shunned the householder`s life and practiced austerities. With his disciples he traveled throughout the length and breadth of India, initiating many as Udasin or Udasi (lit. indifferent, stoic) sect who functioned as itinerant teachers and established missionary centres at different places in the country and beyond.

Through these Udasin Guru Nanak`s word was also carried to far corners of the land. Baba Siri Chand`s own main centre was at Barath, eight kilometres southwest of Pathankot in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. Baba Siri Chand also kept in touch with successive Gurus during his long life of well over a hundred years. The Gurus held him in high esteem. In 1626, when at the behest of Guru Hargobind, his eldest son, Baba Gurditta, proceeded to found the town of Kiratpur in the lower Sivalik hills, he had the ground broken by Baba Siri Chand Ji.


Death

Picture Depicting Baba Sri Chand picking his nephew from Lakhmi Das's Horse

Baba Sri Chand died at Kiratpur on Magh sudi 1,1685 bik/ 13 January 1629.[5]. Udasi Traditions say that he never died but he vanished into the forest of Chamba.

After Baba Siri Chand went invisible, the son of Guru Hargobind, Baba Gurditta became his successor as head of the Udasis. The Udasis protected and maintained the historical shrines of Anandpur, Hazoor Sahib and Amritsar for over a hundred years after Guru Gobind Singh's death.

Sri Chand and Sikhi

ਪ੝ਤ੝ਰੀ ਕਉਲ੝ ਨ ਪਾਲਿਓ ਕਰਿ ਪੀਰਹ੝ ਕੰਨ੝ਹ੝ਹ ਮ੝ਰਟੀਝ ॥
Nanak's sons did not obey His Word; they turned their backs on Him as Guru.

In Guru Granth Sahib on page 967, Satta and Balwand state that the sons of Nanak did not follow the path of their father and that they "turned his ear" against the "ambrosial path" of Nanak i.e against Gurmat (Guru's way) and wandered along other paths, so they were not chosen as his successor or as teachers of Gurmat, but Bhai Lehna was.[6]

Guru Arjun inserted the composition containing the above tuk (line) by bards Satta and Balwand in Guru Granth Sahib under Ramkali Bani.[7]

It important to note that Sri Chand did not marry or lead a life of a "Gristi" (householder) which are important consideration of Gurmat. Further the use of Occult and supernatural powers ("ridhia, sidhia") is not supported by Gurbani.[8] [9] [10]

Complete Composition by Satta & Balvand

(Guru Granth Sahib pages 966-968)

Vaar Of Raamkalee, Uttered By Satta And Balwand The Drummer:

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
One who chants the Name of the Almighty Creator - how can his words be judged? His divine virtues are the true sisters and brothers; through them, the gift of supreme status is obtained. Nanak established the kingdom; He built the true fortress on the strongest foundations. He installed the royal canopy over Lehna's head; chanting the Lord's Praises, He drank in the Ambrosial Nectar. The Guru implanted the almighty sword of the Teachings to illuminate his soul. The Guru bowed down to His disciple, while Nanak was still alive. The King, while still alive, applied the ceremonial mark to his forehead. ||1||

Nanak proclaimed Lehna's succession - he earned it. They shared the One Light and the same way; the King just changed His body. The immaculate canopy waves over Him, and He sits on the throne in the Guru's shop. He does as the Guru commands; He tasted the tasteless stone of Yoga.

<New page 967>

The Langar - the Kitchen of the Guru's Shabad has been opened, and its supplies never run short. Whatever His Master gave, He spent; He distributed it all to be eaten. The Praises of the Master were sung, and the Divine Light descended from the heavens to the earth. Gazing upon You, O True King, the filth of countless past lives is washed away. The Guru gave the True Command; why should we hesitate to proclaim this? His sons did not obey His Word; they turned their backs on Him as Guru. These evil-hearted ones became rebellious; they carry loads of sin on their backs. Whatever the Guru said, Lehna did, and so he was installed on the throne. Who has lost, and who has won? ||2||

He who did the work, is accepted as Guru; so which is better - the thistle or the rice? The Righteous Judge of Dharma considered the arguments and made the decision. Whatever the True Guru says, the True Lord does; it comes to pass instantaneously. Guru Angad was proclaimed, and the True Creator confirmed it. Nanak merely changed his body; He still sits on the throne, with hundreds of branches reaching out. Standing at His door, His followers serve Him; by this service, their rust is scraped off. He is the Dervish - the Saint, at the door of His Lord and Master; He loves the True Name, and the Bani of the Guru's Word. Balwand says that Khivi, the Guru's wife, is a noble woman, who gives soothing, leafy shade to all. She distributes the bounty of the Guru's Langar; the kheer - the rice pudding and ghee, is like sweet ambrosia. The faces of the Guru's Sikhs are radiant and bright; the self-willed manmukhs are pale, like straw. The Master gave His approval, when Angad exerted Himself heroically. Such is the Husband of mother Khivi; He sustains the world. ||3||

It is as if the Guru made the Ganges flow in the opposite direction, and the world wonders: what has he done? Nanak, the Lord, the Lord of the World, spoke the words out loud. Making the mountain his churning stick, and the snake-king his churning string, He has churned the Word of the Shabad. From it, He extracted the fourteen jewels, and illuminated the world. He revealed such creative power, and touched such greatness. He raised the royal canopy to wave over the head of Lehna, and raised His glory to the skies. His Light merged into the Light, and He blended Him into Himself. Guru Nanak tested His Sikhs and His sons, and everyone saw what happened. When Lehna alone was found to be pure, then He was set on the throne. ||4||

Then, the True Guru, the son of Pheru, came to dwell at Khadoor. Meditation, austerities and self-discipline rest with You, while the others are filled with excessive pride. Greed ruins mankind, like the green algae in the water. In the Guru's Court, the Divine Light shines in its creative power. You are the cooling peace, whose depth cannot be found. You are overflowing with the nine treasures, and the treasure of the Naam, the Name of the Lord. Whoever slanders You will be totally ruined and destroyed. People of the world can see only what is near at hand, but You can see far beyond. Then the True Guru, the son of Pheru, came to dwell at Khadoor. ||5||

<New page 968>

The same mark on the forehead, the same throne, and the same Royal Court. Just like the father and grandfather, the son is approved. He took the thousand-headed serpent as his churning string with the force of devotional love,. and he churned the ocean of the world with his churning stick, the Sumayr mountain. He extracted the fourteen jewels, and brought forth the Divine Light. He made intuition his horse, and chastity his saddle. He placed the arrow of the Lord's Praise in the bow of Truth. In this Dark Age of Kali Yuga, there was only pitch darkness. Then, He rose like the sun to illuminate the darkness. He farms the field of Truth, and spreads out the canopy of Truth. Your kitchen always has ghee and flour to eat. You understand the four corners of the universe; in your mind, the Word of the Shabad is approved and supreme. You eliminate the comings and goings of reincarnation, and bestow the insignia of Your Glance of Grace. You are the Avataar, the Incarnation of the all-knowing Primal Lord. You are not pushed or shaken by the storm and the wind; you are like the Sumayr Mountain. You know the inner state of the soul; You are the Knower of knowers. How can I praise You, O True Supreme King, when You are so wise and all-knowing? Those blessings granted by the Pleasure of the True Guru - please bless Satta with those gifts. Seeing Nanak's canopy waving over Your head, everyone was astonished. The same mark on the forehead, the same throne, and the same Royal Court. Just like the father and grandfather, the son is approved. ||6||

Blessed, blessed is Guru Raam Daas; He who created You, has also exalted You. Perfect is Your miracle; the Creator Lord Himself has installed You on the throne. The Sikhs and all the Congregation recognize You as the Supreme Lord God, and bow down to You. You are unchanging, unfathomable and immeasurable; You have no end or limitation. Those who serve You with love - You carry them across. Greed, envy, sexual desire, anger and emotional attachment - You have beaten them and driven them out. Blessed is Your place, and True is Your magnificent glory. You are Nanak, You are Angad, and You are Amar Daas; so do I recognize You. When I saw the Guru, then my mind was comforted and consoled. ||7||

The four Gurus enlightened the four ages; the Lord Himself assumed the fifth form. He created Himself, and He Himself is the supporting pillar. He Himself is the paper, He Himself is the pen, and He Himself is the writer. All His followers come and go; He alone is fresh and new. Guru Arjun sits on the throne; the royal canopy waves over the True Guru. From east to west, He illuminates the four directions. Those self-willed manmukhs who do not serve the Guru die in shame. Your miracles increase two-fold, even four-fold; this is the True Lord's true blessing. The four Gurus enlightened the four ages; the Lord Himself assumed the fifth form. ||8||1||

Views of Some Scholars

Some Views related to Sri Chand Exist:

Nihang Baba Uday Singh comments upon the Udhasis:
Udhasi Panth is from the time of Guru Nanak it was started by Baba Siri Chand Ji. It is an ancient Panth. In it also the [Adi] Guru Granth was preached. They set up Akharas [religious gatherings] and alongside Adi Granth they gave knowledge of Ayurved [Traditional Indian medicine]. They moved like an army through the villages and towns. They visited the Kumbh [ie. the Kumbh mela, a Hindu religious festival occurring every 12 years] at Hardwar on elephants and horses. This I do know about Udhasis the old ones use to preach Guru Granth with Ayurved. These Udhasis are an old Panth of Guru Nanak. They are exempt from the Khalsa initiation. From the beginning they did not get initiated into the Khalsa [since]they adopted the Udasi way of life [non-attachment]... (Baba Uday Singh, transcript of a recording, 01-03-2001) Udhasi Gobind Das, Chief Mahant at Kankhal, Hardwar points out there was no conflict between father and son over this:

‘What throne of a kingdom did Baba Siri Chand occupy you tell me? Or, did Guru Nanak have such a throne so as he had to have a successor? Were they kings of some state? Guru Nanak was no king of some kingdom. He occupied the throne... of devotion. Thus Guru Maharaj Baba Sri Chand Ji made his throne of devotion to God separate. In which there is no attachment and renunciation of every type, as is also found in Guru Nanak as well. Father and son appreciated that each other's way of life was different, so they each taught their ways separately. The difference that was that Baba Sri Chand became the teacher of Udasis because one was a house holder [Guru Nanak] and one unattached [Baba Sri Chand].’ ‘Maharaj [Baba Sri Chand] preaching of Guru Granth that the Udasis have done in India all over. In all places, history shows, using Gutkas [small Sikh prayer books] we spread. We taught all to read Sikh scriptures. This is the gift of the holy men, the Udasis. They [S.G.P.C. Akalis] cannot even in seven lifetimes preach as much as the Udhasis and Nirmalas have done and are still doing now. Even now, whenever we preach [to Hindus] we always without exception include teachings from [Adi] Guru Granth Sahib. We give examples [from Sikh history] of how you should follow the footsteps of the Gurus. Then your suffering shall be removed. Only then can your thinking and mind can come pure. That is if you desire Oh Brother, otherwise, it is up to you.’ (Baba Gobind Das, transcript of a recording, 16-02-2001)


Sant Baba Jaginder Singh comments on the mission Guru Nanak set his son:
Baba Siri Chand was to teach the ascetic society how to contemplate God, how to put them on a straight path to salvation, make them firm in knowledge of God and reveal God to them. This was the duty Guru Nanak gave him. (‘Siri Hazoori Maryada Parbodh’, by Sant Baba Joginder Singh, Pa. 145-146)

Udhasi Karam Prakash speaks with regard to the Adi Guru Durbar, and, how Udasis and other Sikh religious orders presented scripture to the Hindus:
Guru Granth is such a great philosophy - greater than all. He who has read Guru Granth Sahib sees in it come all the reading of Vedas. How is this? Reading, reading we load carts [With books]’ [quote from Adi Guru Granth]So how many Hindu religious texts are we to read? For this reason we preached to all that in this [Adi Guru Granth] are all philosophies. The thinking of all religions is in this. Ramayana is in it, ‘Ram Ram keep near you’ [quote from Adi Guru Granth], This is written there. For this reason all the Shashters [Hindu spiritual texts] also come in it. That is why all our traditions [Sikh] acknowledge it [as Guru]. (Udhasi Karam Prakash, transcript of recording, 06-03-2001)

Virsa Singh Gobind Sadan
Baba Siri Chand was a renunciate; i.e., self-denying, celibate, and dedicated to meditation; but he was also a farmer. His father asked him not to leave the world but to take responsibility for the community farm at Kartarpur while he, Guru Nanak, was away. When Guru Nanak returned from his travels, the whole village happily told him that they had learned from Baba Siri Chand how to combine hard work on the farm and meditation. Baba Siri Chand had an extensive and dedicated following. When the Emperor Jehangir asked Mian Mir, his own darvesh (Muslim term for a powerful, truthful, God-intoxicated holy person), "Who is the greatest darvesh today?" Mian Mir replied, "At this time the elder son of Guru Nanak is the king of the darveshes."

See also

References

  1. ^ Twarikh Guru Khalsa - Giani Gian Singh
  2. ^ Sidh Gosati
  3. ^ Twarikh Guru Khalsa - Giani Gian Singh
  4. ^ Bhai Bala Janamsakhi
  5. ^ Bhatt Vahis
  6. ^ SGGS page 967 - His sons did not obey His Word; they turned their backs on Him as Guru. (www.srigranth.org)
  7. ^ Bani Satta Balvand
  8. ^ SGGS page 593 -Riches and the supernatural spiritual powers of the Siddhas are all emotional attachments; through them, the Naam, the Name of the Lord, does not come to dwell in the mind. (www.srigranth.org)
  9. ^ SGGS page 709 -you may adopt a lofty name, and be known to have supernatural spiritual powers - even so, if you are not accepted in the Court of the Lord, then all this adoration is false. ||2|| (www.srigranth.org)
  10. ^ SGGS page 225 -He may be called a Siddha, a man of spiritual perfection, and he may summon riches and supernatural powers; (www.srigranth.org)
  • Nara, Ishar SINGH, Itihas Baba Sri Chand Ji Sahib ate Udasin Sampardai. AMRITSAR, 1975
  • Randhir Singh, Udasi Sikhan di Vithia. Amritsar, 1959
  • Macauliffe, Max Arthur, The SIKH Religion, Oxford, 1909
  • Harbans Singh, Guru Nanak and Origins of the Sikh Faith. Bombay, 1969

External Links

Relatives of Shri Guru Nanak Dev guru nanak

Grandparents: ✝ Mata Banarasi ✝ Baba Shiv Ram ✝ Grandparents (Maternal):✝ Mata Bhirai ✝ Baba Rama
Parents: ✝ Kalyan Das ✝ Mata Tripta ✝ Uncle: ✝ Baba Lalu ✝ In-Laws: ✝ Baba Mool Chand ✝ Mata Chando Rani
Wife: ✝ Bibi Sulakhni ✝ Siblings: ✝ Bibi Nanaki ✝ Brother-in-law: ✝ Bhai Jai Ram
Children: ✝ Baba Sri Chand ✝ Baba Lakhmi Das

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