Once a group of very religious men and women from every religion got together. A young child watched them as they spoke to each other. These people were all talking about very important subjects and they were discussing the nature of the Universe. One of the religious leaders honestly expressed himself, "I am CHRISTIAN; There is only one way to God , and that is the way I preach." Then another lady spoke honestly, "I am HINDU and I know of a God that is much older and wiser than your God!" Then another man said, "I am SIKH and none of you know what you are talking about. Here is what God is..." Yet another said, "I am JEWISH and God is Universal. What all of YOU don't understand is this..." "No no!" said another, "I am a MUSLIM, this is all wrong, God is this..."
One day in a village in the Punjab a boy named Kanhaiya was born to a wealthy family. As he grew up, Kanhaiya was always searching and learning about new things. He learnt about life and God from many different holy men. He loved the spiritual path, and so in his life he chose a different path from the wealth of his family. He became a deeply spiritual young man who loved listening to divine poetry. He grew up to be known as Bhai Kanhaiya.
This story teaches us about patience. It happened during the time of Guru Arjan Dev, the 5th Guru. As he meditated for thousands of years the words of his master echoed as he waited to meet the Guru of the future kal yug...
Before Guru HarKrishan became the 8th Guru, many people wanted to know who the next Guru was to be. Once a man went to Guru Har Rai and asked him which of his sons was to be the next Guru & Guru Har Rai instructed the man to perform a special test that could show the sign of the greatest superpower and likewise the next guru. Listen to hear what happens next.
The Guru's two younger sons are lost and alone with their grandmother. The children who were 6 and 8 years old, were arrested and brought to Governor Wazir Khan. Their grandmother, Mata Gujri, was left alone in a freezing cold tower while the children were interrogated by the government. They were given a choice: Change their religion.... or die. Will these young ones follow the example of Guru Teg Bahadur and sacrifice their lives... or will they give up?
India had come to very dark times. The rulers were taxing, converting and killing the people. They wanted to end the Hindu religion.
Guru Hargobind became the 6th Guru, he was young and strong and he started the Sikh warrior tradition in order to protect the innocent and destroy the wicked. When emperor Jahangir asked the Guru to join his prisoners Guru ji agreed. With many lessons along the way join as the Guru gets the nickname 'Bandi Chhor'.
Please be aware that the extreme nature of this story may be too much for some children's sensitivities. Consider listening first before sharing with very young children.
And Guru ji happily drank the water… right then… the boy felt a connection with Guru Gobind Singh he hadn’t felt before and his heart filled with more love than ever.
This is a double story! This GurGaddi story is both how Guru Gobind Singh bestowed the Guruship to the Khalsa Panth and later to the Siri Guru Granth.