Collecting Authentic records for the Compilation of Guru Granth Sahib Ji

The pure belongs to the 'Wonderous Enlightener'. The victory belongs to the 'Wonderous Enlightener'.

After the previous unsuccessful attempts of the Sikhs, Guru Arjan Dev Ji went himself to collect the Gurbani (divine words) of the previous Gurus (knowing this to be a task for himself). After bathing in the ‘Bauli Sahib’ (that was constructed by Guru Amardas Ji) and reciting Jap Ji Sahib, Guru Ji proceeded to the house of Baba Mohan Ji. A ‘Bauli’ or ‘Bavli’ is a staired well where one must descend down a set of stairs to access the source of water. Upon reaching the house, Guru Ji sat in the alley way outside the house and sang the following revelations whist playing a ‘Tanboora’ (also known as Thanpura) which is a four stringed instrument):

“Gauree, Fifth Form. O Mohan, your temples are exalted, and your mansion is beyond limits. O Mohan, your gates are so beautiful, they are the worship-houses of the Saints. In these incomparable worship-houses, they continually sing Kirtan, the Praises of the Lord and Master. Where the Saints and the Holy gather together, there they meditate on you. Have pity and mercy O house of compassion; be Merciful to the meek. Prays Nanak, I thirst for your Blessed Vision so that I may see you; receiving Your visualisation, I am totally at peace. ||1||

O Mohan, your speech is incomparable; wondrous are your ways. O Mohan, you believe in the One. Everything else is dust to you. You adore the One Lord, the Unknowable Lord and Master; His Power gives Support to all. Through the Guru's Word, you have captured the heart of the Primal Being, the Lord of the World. You Yourself move, and You Yourself stand still; You Yourself support the whole creation. Prays Nanak, please preserve my honor; all Your servants seek the Protection of Your Sanctuary. ||2||

O Mohan, the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation, meditates on you; they meditate on the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. O Mohan, the Messenger of Death does not even approach those who meditate on You, at the last moment. The Messenger of Death cannot touch those who meditate on You single-mindedly. Those who worship and adore You in thought, word and deed, obtain all fruits and rewards. Those who are foolish and stupid, filthy with urine and manure, become all-knowing upon gaining the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. Prays Nanak, Your Kingdom is Eternal, O Perfect Primal Lord God. ||3||

O Mohan, you have blossomed forth with the flower of your family. O Mohan, your children, friends, siblings and relatives have all been saved. You save those who give up their egotistical pride, upon gaining the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. The Messenger of Death does not even approach those who call you 'blessed'. Your Virtues are unlimited - they cannot be described, O True Guru, Primal Being, Destroyer of demons. Prays Nanak, Yours is that Anchor, holding onto which the whole world is saved. ||4||2||”

(Raag Gauree, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 248)

In this Shabad of four verses, the word ‘Mohan’ is used eight times in reference to God as ‘the enticer’ (who lures the devotee’s minds away in worship). ‘Mohan’ refers to God, but (out of his own ego) Mohan Ji thought that he was being praised by Guru Ji. As a result, his Samadhi released and he shouted to Guru Ji in frustration “first you took my Guruship and now you want to take away the volumes of Gurbani from me too?" However, his heart soon melted with the divine ‘Kirtan’ being expressed by Guru Ji. Mohan Ji placed the Pothis on his head and brought them down the stairs after the recitation of the Shabad’s third verse was completed. Being overwhelmed with love for Guru Ji, he placed the volumes into the palanquin that Guru Ji brought to escort the Pothis back to Amritsar Sahib. Mohan Ji pleaded to Guru Sahib “Please listen to my request, let me prostrate on your feet in submission. When my father (Guru Amardas Ji) gave the Guruhsip to Guru Ram Das Ji, he ordered all Sikhs to bow before the next Guru. However, me being engrossed in my ego, I refused to do this out of jealousy for the fourth Guru. My father then uttered that 'I will feel a constant swing of moods due to my ego, forever lacking peace in my mind’ and ever since, I was never able to mentally settle. Soon realising my mistake, I later begged for forgiveness and whilst repenting to the fourth Guru, Guru Ram Das Ji appeared in my mind saying that when Guru Arjan Dev Ji will come to your house, only then you will feel at ease but only if you submit before him.” Thus, Baba Mohan Ji let go of his ego and even though senior in age and a maternal uncle in relationship (Mama), bowed before his nephew Guru Arjan Dev Ji as the form of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

(Gurpartap Sooraj Parkash, 3rd Raas, Anshoo 34)

Guru Sahib displayed the effects of humility here and the power of the Shabad which together is the formula to melt even the most stubborn hearted. Crucial to mention here is that Baba Mohan Ji’s son ‘Sahans-Raam’ was the scribe for writing Gurbani of the previous four Gurus in these two specific volumes. From a young age, his mother had passed away and in the presence of Guru Amardas Ji, he would rewrite the Gurbani of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Guru Angad Dev Ji and Guru Amar Das Ji. Sahans-Raam also continued to scribe at the time of Guru Ram Das Ji too. Hence why these volumes were safely kept in the family residence of Sahans-Raam (on the top floor of the house) where his father Mohan Ji would sit and meditate. It was these same volumes that Guru Arjan Dev Ji had travelled over 26 miles by foot to come and collect. According to Google maps today, this is a 9 hour and 50 minutes’ walk. Interestingly, these Pothis were returned by Guru Ji alongside the palanquin to Mohan Ji (after he had used them to compile the Aadh Granth Sahib) and remained in the ‘Chaubara’ of Baba Mohan Ji until recent times. One of the Pothis in particular today is famous amongst the scholars as the ‘Ahiyapur Vali Pothi’ due to its current location (Ahiyapur is a locality in Urmar Tanda Tehsil, Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India).

The spot where Guru Ji travelled to is marked by the historical Gurdwara ‘Chubara Sahib’ where many artefacts of Guru Amardas Ji are still preserved alongside the very palanquin that has been mentioned. It was also this Gurdwara where one could visit, to see these two manuscripts until they both migrated to two separate places alongside their two different custodians (both from the lineage of Guru Amardas Ji).

To be continued...

The pure belongs to the 'Wonderous Enlightener'. The victory belongs to the 'Wonderous Enlightener'.

References: 1. Guru Granth Sahib Ji 2. Sant Gurbachan Singh - 'Pehla Parkash' Katha 3. Jatha Randhawa - Gurbani Arth Bhandar 4. Baba Hari Singh - Katha 'Pehla Parkash' 5. Giani Pinderpal Singh - Katha 'Pehla Parkash' 6. Kavi Santokh Singh - Gurpartap Sooraj 7. Kahn Singh Nabha - Mahan Kosh 8. S.G.P.C - History displayed at historical Gurdwaras 9. S.H.A.R.E - Sikhi to the Max 10. Alphabet Inc. - Google