Guru Arjan Dev and sewa: Difference between revisions

It was during the time of Guru Arjan Dev Jee. A Sangat from Kabul (Afghanistan) was on the way to Amritsar for darshan of Guruji. Along the way they met a Sikh and his wife who also were headed in the direction of Amritsar. As the group stop to rest after a long days walk the stranger busied himself doing a lot of sewa for the sangat. Their new aquaintance massaged their legs and sometimes waved a fan over them as they rested. As they walked in the heat of the sun he would often run ahead or off down some side trail, always returning with sweet water to quench their parched throats, anything they needed he was quick to do.

The next day as they neared Amritsar, at the first glimpse of the Darbar Sahib, their pace quickened. Everyone was anxious to be in the presence of their Guru. The jathedar of the Kabuli sangat asked a few of the younger boys to take care of everyones shoes, but they, having more energy than their elders, and wanting to be the first to have Darshan of Guru Arjan, paided no attention and took off on their own. The Jathedar was about to yell after them when there new companion, who had been acting more like their servant, asked him to let them go; even suggesting that everyone else should catch up as well, as he volunteered to take care of and clean the whole sangats shoes.

The sangat went inside the Darbar Sahib where they prostrated themselves in respect and then looked up to notice their was no Guruji to be seen. After waiting for 30-45 minutes, with still no Guru to be seen, their Jathedar asked one of the Sewadars in attendance, who turned out to be none other than Baba Buddha Jee, where Guruji was?

Babajee : Gurujee has gone to meet the sangat coming from Kabul.

Jathedar : But we are the sangat from Kabul!

Babajee : Didn't you meet Gurujee?

Jathedar : No Babajee, we didn't. But we did meet a Sikh and his wife who lead us here, selflessly serving us along the way.

Babajee : Where are those Sikhs now?

Jathedar : We left him to look after the shoes of the sangat, we don't know what his wife is doing.

Babajee, the jathedar, and the entire sangat went outside to look for the Sikh couple that had served them so well. They found their new companion, with a most divine smile upon his face, cleaning a pair of the shoes with his own chola.

Baba Buddha Jee went forward and took away the pair of shoes the man was cleaning. "Guruji, Why are you doing this?", he said.

The Sangat was shocked, their new found servant was non other than Guru Arjan Dev Jee himself!

Gurujee smiled and answered Baba Buddha Jee, "Babajee, I never met Guru Nanak, but you knew him well". He then asked the grand elder of the Sikhs to take a closer look at the shoes he was holding. Babaji having known Guru Nanak well, immediately recognized them, shouting out that they were indeed a pair of Guru Nanak Dev Jee's shoes!

As the realization sank in the Sangat was moved to tears.