GURUDWARA NANAK PIAO:
Gurdwara
Nanak Piao is a historic gurdwara located in north Delhi in India. This
gurdwara sahib is
dedicated to the first Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Nanak Dev.
Gurdwara Nanak Piao was built at the site, in the garden where Guru
Nanak Dev camped when he visited Delhi in 1505 during the reign of
Sultan Sikandar Lodi. It is situated on Rana Pratap Road (also known as
Grand Trunk Road or GT Road). It is said
that people flocked to the revered prophet and offered him and Bhai
Mardana precious gifts and offerings. Guru Nanak used to distribute all
these offerings to the poor and needy. Besides this, he used to offer
food and water to the hungry and thirsty, hence the name of the shrine.
The word "Piao" mean to "offer liquid to drink" and refers to the
offering of water to all the thirsty who visited this shrine.
Even today, the well used by the Guru is preserved and one can still see the well from which Guru Nanak served water at the shrine. Consequently, over time Gurdwara Nanak Piao attained a status of a holy and revered historical shrine. Guru Nanak was an apostle of peace, brotherhood, non-violence and amity. His sermons created very uplifting and healthy impact on the people who bowed before him as respect for his spiritual guidance. The garden surrounding the gurdwara became a place of pilgrimage for the people from all over Delhi. This is where they received the message of spiritual deliverance.
A story goes that during his stay in Delhi, rumours spread that Guru Nanak by the grace of God had revived a dead elephant. Emperor Sikander Shah Lodi came to know about this holy man who had won the admiration of all the Hindu and Muslim divines of Delhi and had brought a dead elephant to life. It is said that when one of his favourite royal elephants died, he sent for the Guru and requested him to revive his elephant too. But the Guru refused to oblige him. Consequently the Guru was immediately imprisoned. In the prison his deep compassion for the suffering of prisoners had a great moral and spiritual influence on the prison officials. They informed the Emperor that Guru Nanak was not an idolater and that as a saint he was greatly respected all the people including Hindus and Muslims.
A strange thing happened during the imprisonment of Guru Nanak. A great earthquake shook the capital on July 3, 1505. According to a chronicler "the mountains were overturned and lofty edifices were dashed to the ground. The living thought the day of judgment had come and for dead the day of resurrection". Many thought that the new Faqir Nanak who had been imprisoned by the Emperor had cursed the King and the empire. This or some other equally strong influence like the intervention of the Chisti Sufi saints changed the mind of Emperor and he ordered the release of the Guru Nanak and at his request many other prisoners were released with the Guru.
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Even today, the well used by the Guru is preserved and one can still see the well from which Guru Nanak served water at the shrine. Consequently, over time Gurdwara Nanak Piao attained a status of a holy and revered historical shrine. Guru Nanak was an apostle of peace, brotherhood, non-violence and amity. His sermons created very uplifting and healthy impact on the people who bowed before him as respect for his spiritual guidance. The garden surrounding the gurdwara became a place of pilgrimage for the people from all over Delhi. This is where they received the message of spiritual deliverance.
A story goes that during his stay in Delhi, rumours spread that Guru Nanak by the grace of God had revived a dead elephant. Emperor Sikander Shah Lodi came to know about this holy man who had won the admiration of all the Hindu and Muslim divines of Delhi and had brought a dead elephant to life. It is said that when one of his favourite royal elephants died, he sent for the Guru and requested him to revive his elephant too. But the Guru refused to oblige him. Consequently the Guru was immediately imprisoned. In the prison his deep compassion for the suffering of prisoners had a great moral and spiritual influence on the prison officials. They informed the Emperor that Guru Nanak was not an idolater and that as a saint he was greatly respected all the people including Hindus and Muslims.
A strange thing happened during the imprisonment of Guru Nanak. A great earthquake shook the capital on July 3, 1505. According to a chronicler "the mountains were overturned and lofty edifices were dashed to the ground. The living thought the day of judgment had come and for dead the day of resurrection". Many thought that the new Faqir Nanak who had been imprisoned by the Emperor had cursed the King and the empire. This or some other equally strong influence like the intervention of the Chisti Sufi saints changed the mind of Emperor and he ordered the release of the Guru Nanak and at his request many other prisoners were released with the Guru.
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Gurudwara Hemkunt in the Himalayas is also regarded as one of the holiest places of the Sikhs. It was there that Sri Guru Gobind Singh the tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs is reported to have meditated in his previous life.
In 'Bachitar Natak' the great Guru relates his story in the following words- "I shall now relate my own story, how God sent me into this world. I was busy performing penance on the hills of 'Hemkunt' where seven peaks are prominent. The place is called 'Sapt Shring’ where King Pandu had performed Yoga, there I practiced austerity and worshipped the god of death.
He writes in
his autobiography that Ram Chander son of Raja Dasrath had two sons Lava
and Kushu. Lava
and Kushu ruled over Northern India for many years.
They remained good friends during their rule and they colonized two
important cities Lahore and Kasur in Punjab. But when they died their
sons could not tolerate each other. They became great enemies. In order
to get their supremacy they quarreled with each other, One grand son of
Lava named Sodhi won the battle and became the king of Punjab. The
grandsons of Kushu being defeated took shelter at Banaras. There they
learnt the Vedaas.
Due to their knowledge of Vedaas, they were nick named as Bedees. The Guru writes
“Lavee sarab jeete Kushee sarab haare..... Bache je balee praan lai kai sidhaare.
Chattur bed pathiyang keeyo Kashi basing..... Ghanai barkh keene tahaan hee niwasing. (52)”
One-day king Sodhi remembered his relatives living at Banaras. He made
up his mind to call them. He sent a messenger and all Bedees reached in
the Darbar of King Sodhi at Lahore.
King Sodhi asked them to
recite the four Vedaas according to the divine process. When the Bedees
recited three Vedaas and started to read the fourth Vedaa, the King
Sodhi got up from his throne. He asked the leader of the Bedees to take
his royal seat. He offered his kingdom to the Bedees with great honor.
He himself decided to go to forests in order to contemplate the Name of
God.
When king Sodhi got prepared for his new abode, the newly
crowned king Bedee said, "As you have gifted us the worldly kingdom
after hearing three Vedaas, similarly in Kalyug we would offer you the
Divine Kingdom in our third incarnation. In Kalyug Guru Nanak was born
as first Divine master. He was called the true Patshah. After reigning
as the Divine King in the form of Guru Nanak Dev, Guru Angad Dev and
Guru Amar Dass, he offered his Divine kingdom to Sodhi Patshah Guru Ram
Dass Ji.
The Sodhi king grandson of Lava proceeded towards
jungles and he selected a very beautiful place for his abode. He
worshiped there the name of God for many thousand years.
About his own life Guru Gobind Singh writes in his auto-biography as under: -
Ab main apnee katha bakhaano..... Tap saadhat iih bidh muhe aano.
Hemkunt Parbat hai jahaan,.... Sapt sring sobhit hai tahaan.
The Guru Ji tells us about his previous incarnation, that in the
Himalayan range, where there is Sapt Sring Mountain, on that hill he
meditated the Name of God. In his meditation when he became one with
God, then the Almighty ordained him to take birth in India in order to
crush the cruel rulers.
"My father and mother meditated on the
incomprehensible. They both practiced the highest yoga through diverse
spiritual efforts. Their devout service in the love of God pleased the
Almighty who commanded me to take human form in this world. I did not
like to come. God sent me into the world with a mandate saying, 'I
cherish thee as my son and send thee to establish the path of truth. Go
into the world and establish virtue and keep the people, away from
evil.'When my father came to Triveni (Allahabad) he daily devoted
himself to meditation and charity. There at Allahabad the dazzling light
manifested itself into human form."
Ih bidh karat tappsaya bhayo ........ Davai te ek roop havai gayo.
Chit na bhayo hamro aavan kaih ...... Chubhi rahee srut Prabhu chaman maih
Jio tio Prabh ham ko samjhaayo........ Im Kaih kai ih lok Pathaayo.
The Guru was so much engrossed in the Name of God, that he did not want
to take re-birth. But some how the Almighty, persuaded him and he was
born at Patna Sahib. His mother was Mata Gujri and his father was ninth
Guru Tegh Bahadar Sahib.
As Guru Gobind Singh had mentioned,
the place of his previous incarnation in his auto-biography, many sikh
scholars tried very hard to locate the exact place. In this field the
names of Sant Sohan Singh, Hawaidar Moan Singh, Sant Thandi Singh and
Sant Surat Singh are taken with great respect. They dedicated their
whole life to locate the exact place in order to construct the Gurdwara
Hemkunt Sahib. In this field the services of the Hem Kunt-Trust are
laudable. The Trust has constructed roads leading towards Hemkunt Sahib
and for the benefit of the travellers it has built big Gurdwaras on the
way.
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