Born in Lahore (1534)
4th of the 10 Guru's of Sikhism
Given the title of Guru on 30th Aug 1574
Served as a Guru for 7years
Was the son in law Guru Amar Das (the third Guru of Sikhism )
Breathed his last in 1581
Founded the city of Amritsar in 1574 originally known as Ramdaspur.
The standard Sikh marriage ceremony known as the Anand Karaj is centered on the Laavan, a four stanza hymn composed by Guru Ram Das.
Spread Sikhism in North India.
Organized the structure of Sikh society.
Guru Ram Das stressed the importance of keertan (hymn singing), which remains an important part of Sikh worship.
There are 600 + hymns from Guru Ram Das included in the Guru Granth Sahib.
Designed the Gurudwara Harmandir Sahib , which translates to "The Abode of God" also known as the Golden Temple.
Guru Sahib's Bani is also part of Rehras Sahib and Kirtan Sohila which are daily prayers of Sikhs. Page 305 of the Guru Granth Guru Sahib decries the morning activity of one who calls himself a Sikh of the True Guru (God):
- One who calls himself a Sikh of the True Guru shall get up early morning and meditate on the Lord's Name. Bathe daily in the ambrosial pool and following the Guru's instructions, chant Har, Har. All sins, misdeeds and negativity shall be erased.
Malaar, Fourth Mehl: The Ganges, the Jamunaa, the Godaavari and the Saraswati - these rivers strive for the dust of the feet of the Holy. Overflowing with their filthy sins, the mortals take cleansing baths in them; the rivers' pollution is washed away by the dust of the feet of the Holy. ||1||
Instead of bathing at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage, take your cleansing bath in the Name. When the dust of the feet of the Sat Sangat rises up into the eyes, all filthy evil-mindedness is removed. ||1||Pause||
Bhaageerat'h the penitent brought the Ganges down, and Shiva established Kedaar. Krishna grazed cows in Kaashi; through the humble servant of the Lord, these places became famous. ||2|
And all the sacred shrines of pilgrimage established by the gods, long for the dust of the feet of the Holy. Meeting with the Lord's Saint, the Holy Guru, I apply the dust of His feet to my face. ||3||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl: Join the Sat Sangat, the Lord's True Congregation; joining the Company of the Holy, sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. With the sparkling jewel of spiritual wisdom, the heart is illumined, and ignorance is dispelled. ||1||
O humble servant of the Lord, let your dancing be meditation on the Lord, Har, Har. If only I cold meet such Saints, O my Siblings of Destiny; I would wash the feet of such servants. ||1||Pause||
Meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, O my mind; night and day, center your consciousness on the Lord. You shall have the fruits of your desires, and you shall never feel hunger again. ||2||
The Infinite Lord Himself is the Creator; the Lord Himself speaks, and causes us to speak. The Saints are good, who are pleasing to Your Will; their honor is approved by You. ||3||
Nanak is not satisfied by chanting the Lord's Glorious Praises; the more he chants them, the more he is at peace. The Lord Himself has bestowed the treasure of devotional love; His customers purchase virtues, and carry them home. ||4||11|
You may pluck the strings with your hand, O Yogi, but your playing of the harp is in vain. Under Guru's Instruction, chant the Glorious Praises of the Lord, O Yogi, and this mind of yours shall be imbued with the Lord's Love. ||1||
O Yogi, give your intellect the Teachings of the Lord. The Lord, the One Lord, is pervading throughout all the ages; I humbly bow down to Him. ||1||Pause||
You sing in so many Ragas and harmonies, and you talk so much, but this mind of yours is only playing a game. You work the well and irrigate the fields, but the oxen have already left to graze in the jungle. ||2||
In the field of the body, plant the Lord's Name, and the Lord will sprout there, like a lush green field. O mortal, hook up your unstable mind like an ox, and irrigate your fields with the Lord's Name, through the Guru's Teachings. ||3||
The above is just a very brief insight into this great Guru and his teachings and as we celebrate this great Guru's Birthday ,what we would like u to do is to share some more of his golden words/gems from the Guru Granth Sahib so that the ones who haven't read the holy book can learn a bit more about the teachings of the book particularly the ones by Guru Ram Das!
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