Guru Arjun's Love Letters

     Guru Ram Das had three sons, Prithia, Mahadev, and Arjan. He had to
decide who would be Guru next. Guru Ram Das's cousin visited him and
said, "My son is getting married, will you come and bless the wedding?"
The Guru couldn't go so he decided to send one of his sons. He asked
Prithia his oldest son. Prithia complained and didn't want to go. Guru
Ram Das went to Mahadev and asked him, "Mahadev, will you go to Lahore
and represent me at a wedding?" Mahadev only wanted to meditate and had
nothing to do with the world. "It's all Maya, I won't know what to say
or do, please don't send me." So his father the Guru had compassion and
let him stay. Next Guru ji went to his youngest son, Arjan and asked
him to go in his place. "Yes father, as you wish. I'm lucky to even
have you ask. I'll do what you say." said Arjan. Then the Guru told
him, "Go to Lahore, bless the wedding. When the wedding is over, share
the light of the teachings of Guru Nanak with the people there and take
care of the poor. Listen to me son, do not come back until you receive
a letter from me." Arjan said, "I'll do just as you say my beloved Guru
father. I shall leave right away."
     So Arjan left for Lahore. The
wedding was full of good food and people. The people were pleased with
how Arjan acted and the things he said. Arjan missed his father the
whole time. So someone told him, "Write a letter to your father and ask
him to send you back." So Arjan wrote a short a beautiful letter of
poetry telling of his longing to see the Guru: "My mind is thirsty for
the sight of you. I am always, always a sacrifice to you beloved
saint..." And he sent a Sikh to deliver the letter to the Guru. When
Prithia saw the Sikh coming he recognized him and met him at the door.
"Have you brought anything from my brother?" he asked. "Yes, I have a
letter from Arjan for the Guru." Prithia said, "I'll give it to the
Guru, give it to me. My father wants him to stay there longer" When
Prithia read the letter he became jealous of how beautiful the poetry
was and he hid the letter. The Sikh came back to Arjan and told him,
"Prithia says your father wants you to stay longer and he will give the
letter you wrote to the Guru." Arjan knew that Prithia was a liar and
so he wrote a second letter: "Your face is beautiful and your words are
pleasant. I haven't seen you in such a time, without seeing you I have
no peace. I am a sacrifice to you my divine friend..." Arjan told his
messenger to deliver it only to the Guru.
     When the Sikh arrived Prithia
met him there. "Give me the letter!" The Sikh tried to protest but
Prithia said, "I am the Guru's oldest son, do as I say. The Guru wants
him to stay there we will bring him back soon. Go." When Prithia read
this second letter he got even more jealous of how beautiful this
poetry was. The messenger returned and told Arjan of how Prithia forced
him to give up the letter. Arjan couldn't return as there was no letter
from his father yet. He was getting sick from missing the Guru. He
couldn't sleep and forgot to eat. He felt empty without seeing his
father. He wrote another letter of poetry which was full of devotion:
"A second without you is like endless darkness. When can I see you, I
can't sleep without seeing your court. I am a sacrifice to you...." At
the end of the note he wrote: "#3" so his father would know he wrote
two others. "Don't be tricked and only give this personally to my
father himself." When the messenger arrived to the Guru's court Prithia
was waiting but the messenger hid and waited for Prithia to leave. Then
he snuck in and put the letter at the Guru's feet. "Oh, a letter from
Arjan, I was wondering when he would request to come back. It's a very
beautiful letter but why does it say '#3' on it?"
     The messenger told
Guru Ram Das how Prithia took the other letters. Guru ji called for
Prithia and asked him, "Did you take the other two letters?" "No, I
didn't.... I don't know, I forgot." The Guru had someone go in to
Prithia room and find the letters, which they did. The Guru sent the
messenger back to tell Arjan to return. The Guru announced to everyone,
"I tested Prithia and found him to be a liar and a cheat." When Arjan
returned he was very happy to see his father finally. The Guru told
him, "You have written 3 letters, write a fourth and complete the
poem." Then Arjan wrote the final letter: "How fortunate I am to see
you dear saint. I have found God in my heart. I want to serve as a
slave. I am a sacrifice, a sacrifice..."
     The poem was so beautiful the
Guru hugged him and said, "This poem is so full of longing it has the
power of a thousand shabds. It is called Shabd Hazare. The Guruship goes to the most humble,
serviceful and devoted. I give it to you. You are now Guru Arjan." Guru
Arjan Dev ji now humbly carried the throne of Guru Nanak. He never
stopped writting love letters to God and the Guru Granth Sahib is
filled with his beautiful poetry.