There was a great drought, no water to drink or to grow food. Animals were died and the farmers became scared and desperate. A Brahman monk told the farmers, "The reason why there is a drought is because you are giving respect to a man who is not a Brahman. Everyone is treating this 'Guru Angad' like a holy man. Kick him out and I will bring the rain. The farmers listened to the monks false promise. What will Bhai Amar Das do when he hears the Guru was kicked out for this nonsense.
Amar Das ji rode to meet the True Guru. The Guru and Amar Das ji were related and Amar Das ji was a couple decades older. When Amar Das ji saw his saintly face, instead of hugging the Guru, Amar Das ji fell on his knees and said, "Please don't consider me your relative and don't even consider me your elder. Just take me as a student and show me the right path!" Amar Das ji devoted himself to the Guru's service for the rest of his life.
Amar Das Bhalla was a very devoted Vaishnava Hindu. When he was 62 he met a monk on one of his long pilgrimages. The monk asked, "Who is your guru?" Amar Das had no answer, he didn't have a guru. When the monk found out about this he became very angry, "I shared food with a man who has no guru!" Amar Das knew he needed a guru, would he ever find one?
This was during the time of Guru Hargobind Ji, the 6th Sikh Guru and in India the Sikhs were being starting to be persecuted. Guru Hargobind knew that it time to prepare an army of saint-soldiers for battle for the defense of the all his Sikhs and of the Dharma. He didn't want to attack anyone, but his Sikhs needed to be able to defend themselves and others if war was declared on them. Guru Hargobind was a beautiful saint and the Sikhs loved him very much. They completely trusted him, saying, "Guru Ji, we are at your feet, you are the True emperor, you are the True King."
Young Gobind Rai was a very playful boy and he and his friends used to go down to the riverside to play almost every day. They weren't the only ones who went there. A lot of people used to bathe at the river Ganga because it was also a holy spot. One of them was Shiv Dutt, a very rich and wise man. At the riverside he built a platform and placed statues of different gods on it to make a kind of altar. He did his prayers and recited his chants in front of this platform. He was a spiritual man and was greatly respected by others.
Gobind Rai was born in the city of Patna in the state of Bihar. Gobind Rai; A divine soul sent from the heavens to help this earth. People always noticed that when he played with his friends, even though he was physically stronger, he was always kind to everyone. He was always having fun, joking around and he laughed all the time. And there were so many games he liked to play with his friends. Sometimes he also liked to do mischief.
Like most children, young Gobind Rai liked to have fun. But unlike most children, he never cried and he was always in a happy mood. His mother dressed him up in princely clothes and put a feather in his turban and he always looked very clean and handsome. He was looked after by everyone and was very well protected. His mother, grandmother and uncle were all very saintly people who played with him and raised him in his early years. They loved him so much. Throughout his childhood Gobind Rai had entertainment, games, friends and everything, he was always happy.
A noble King had all his subject do a fast in honor of Vishnu on the day of Ekadasi. There was one man who didn't do the fast though, he was a Sikh of Guru Nanak. "I am constantly fasting. I eat little food and sleep little. I fast from any and all temptation that distract my devotion to God," explained the man. The King was very impressed and wanted very much to meet this Guru. But how would he ever meet this famous saint known as 'Baba Nanak'?
Bibi Shanti was a devoted Sikh of Guru Hargobind ji. She taught her son, Pulla, that if he believed strongly, then surely the Guru would come and visit them. One glorious day Guru Hargobind and some Sikhs really did come and visit. Their humble prayers were answered. The Guru had them make langar and all the villagers experienced a miracle they wouldn't soon forget.
Guru Nanak began his mission of spreading light to the world. He went to the Himalaya mountains where many Sadhus were practicing many spiritual disciplines. The Sadhu's were impressed with his wisdom and purity. He told them that they shouldn't run away to the mountains and be by themselves but the true way is to keep a spiritual discipline while living in the world. Many of them did not like what this young man had said.....