Matho Murari

There was at that time a young boy whose name was Prem. His mother died in childbirth. His father and other relations died in some epidemic when he was quite young. Being alone in the world, he soon contracted leprosy. The disease ravaged his body, and soon his fingers and toes fell off one after the other. He was reduced to crawling about to move himself from one place to another.

He had heard of the Guru and resolved to go and meet him, hoping that somehow he could be cured. Leprosy was a dreaded disease and nobody would allow him to approach. Still, he listened to the singing (kirtan) and preaching from outside the Guru's place. On hearing of his plight, Guru Amar Das went out to see him. The Guru himself looked after him, bathing him and wrapping him in clean clothes. He was given to eat from the Guru's kitchen, and allowed to join the congregation for prayers and hymn singing.

It is said that his health improved and that slowly he was cured; whether this cure was of mind and spirit, or of his physical body, is left for the reader to speculate. The Guru gave Prem a new name, Murrari, which means destroyer of the demons. Guru Amar Das then asked his Sikhs if anyone would give his daughter in marriage to this young man. A man named Singha offered his beautiful daughter, Matho, to be his bride. Naturally, the mother of Matho was quite upset.

She told the Guru that she objected to this marriage, for her daughter was virtuous and intelligent. This man had no family and no wealth. Matho's mother argued that she did not even know who the father or mother had been. Guru Amar Das told her that he was his son. He was both father and mother to him, and that he had great plans for him and her daughter. The couple would be known as Matho Murrari. The wedding took place. Both husband and wife served the Guru and took extensive training from him. When Guru Amar Das organised his parishs, he appointed Matho to head one of them. Murari was to assist her in every way possible.

References

Alice Basarke "The Champion of Women. "