Guru Amar Dass Ji Biography

Golden Temple Amritsar

Guru Amar Dass Ji Biography

• Guru Amar Das, born on 5 May 1479, was the third of the ten Gurus of Sikhism and became a Sikh Guru on 26 March 1552 at the age of 73.

• Before becoming a Sikh, Amar Das followed the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism for his life. 

• Bibi Amro was the daughter of Guru Angad Dev Ji, the second and present Guru of the Sikhs. Guru Amar Das persuaded Bibi Amro to introduce him to his father, and in 1539, Amar Das, at the age of sixty, met Guru Angad and devoted himself to the Guru and became a Sikh. In 1552, before his death, Guru Angad Dev Ji appointed  Amar Das, the third guru of Sikhism.

Also Read Guru Nanak Dev Ji

EARLY LIFE

Guru Amar Das was born on 5 April 1479 in the village of Basarka in Amritsar district. He was the eldest son of his parents, brother Tej Bhan and mother Lakhmi.

His father was Tejbhan Bhalla, a local petty trader. They were all hardcore monks and vegetarians.

At the age of 24, he was married to Mansa Devi, who gave birth to two sons, Mohan and Mohari and two daughters, Bibi Dani and Bibi Bhani.

GURU

Guru Amar Das had crossed the age of sixty years before coming into contact with Sikhism. His brother Manak Chand lived near his house, Bibi Amro, wife of Manak Chand used to sing praises to Guru Nanak.

This was in 1541, when Amardas was 62 years old. While Guru Amardas ji was on a guruship from 1552 to 1574, he moved from Khadur to Goindwal, to avoid conflict with the son of Guru Angad, the elder of whom Datu proclaimed himself a Guru.

After meeting Guru Angad Dev, he became a devout Sikh and decided to spend his whole life in the service of the Guru. He actively started serving the Guru and participated in community services.

Guru Amar Das strengthened the langar system. Regardless of religion, caste, or social status, everyone had to dine with others in the community kitchen before being given an audience with the guru. Emperor Akbar also ate food at the langar before meeting the Guru.

Guru Amar Das worked hard to spread the message of Sikhism and introduced the Manji and Piri system for this purpose. He employed 94 men as Manji and 52 women as Piris, whom he sent to spread the principles of Sikhism to the public. A prolific writer, he composed several hymns, 907 of which are included in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Guru Amardas Ji condemned Hindus for Sati, allowing widow remarriage.

He divided the region into 22 branches called Manjis and appointed a local Sikh preacher at each place. The preacher was seated on a manji (a cot), while the congregation was around him.

He introduced the system of organizing two annual gatherings of his disciples from across the country. At his headquarters, he built a baoli (a well with a perennial source of spring water). The Guru's headquarters and the Baoli became a sacred pilgrimage center for the Sikhs.

Also Read Guru Angad Dev JI

GURU KA LANGAR

Guru's free kitchen (Guru's langar) which was started by Guru Nanak and developed by Guru Angad.

The Guru intended to remove caste restrictions and prejudices of untouch ability. Therefore, it was clearly declared that all persons of all castes, high or low, rich or poor, Brahmins or Sudarshans, Hindus or Muslims, sit in the same line and eat the same food from the Guru's kitchen.

When the king of Haripur or even the Mughal emperor of India, Akbar, came to see the Guru, he had to sit with the common people and dine with them before placing the audience with the Guru.

GURU

Guru Amardas ji was very pleased with one of his disciples named Bhai Jetha, first Guru Amardas ji married his daughter Bibi Bhani to Jetha, and then pleased with the devotion of the couple, he gave the Guruship to Bhai Jetha as Guru Ramdas Of.

He departed from this world on 1 September 1574. He administered both to be included in the religious requirements for the religious and temporal needs of the disciples in the Guru's system.

Guru Amar Das selected the site for a special temple in Amritsar village, which Guru Ram Das began to build, was completed and inaugurated by Guru Arjan, and was welcomed by Sikh Emperor Ranjit Singh.

TEACHINGS

Guru Amar Das campaigned against the practice of sati and advocated for widows to marry again. He asked the women to renounce the veil (veil). He initiated new birth, marriage and death ceremonies.

Thus they raised the status of women and protected the rights of the slain female infant without question, as she had no status.

These teachings drew stiff resistance from orthodox Hindus and Muslim fundamentalists. He fixed three Guru parva for the Sikh ceremony: Diwali, Vaisakhi and Maghi.

Guru Amar Dass Ji preached vigorously against the practice of sati (wife burning on the funeral pyre of her husband), as well as freeing women from the practices of veil (wearing veil). Guru Amar Das also rejected a widow unmarried for the rest of her life.