52.
Sakhi Bhai Pheru Jee - Humility
Bhai
Pheru Jee : Good Masand
Masands
who were appointed by the third Guru, Guru Amardas jee were very chardi kala
wale Gursikhs but by the time Guru Gobind Singh jee took the Guruship from
Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, the masands got corrupted very badly. The masands
who were appointed to preach Gursikhee, collect Daswand and provide social,
political and religious leadership to the Sikhs who lived in far off lands,
totally forgot their duties and started extorting money from people, and did
some very bad things etc. They made the people quiet by scaring them with
curses and other means. In short they had become scoundrels from saints.
When
Guru Gobind Singh jee heard all this he got very upset. He ordered his
Khalsa to make the masands appear in front of him. He further ordered his
Singhs to bring them holding them by their beards. The Singhs heard this and
heeded by dragging and abducting the masands and made them appear before
Guru Sahib.
In
those days the masand of Lahore was Bhai Pheru jee who apart from being the
true masand was a Gursikh of high spritual stages. When the Singhs came to
get him they could not dare to put their hands on the beard of such a great
Gursikh. At this Bhai Pheru jee begged them to hold him by the beard but the
Singhs could not do it. Then Bhai Sahib jee held his beard in his own hand
and came in the darbar of king of kings Guru Gobind Singh jee.
When
Guru Gobind Singh jee saw Bhai Pheru coming, he got 'bairaag'. He got up
from his Singhaasan (throne) and embraced Bhai Pheru jee and said that the
order of holding the masands by beard was not for the Gursikhs like you.
Such is the humility of Gursikhs. Bhai Pheru jee took amrit and got even
more respect now after appearing in the Guru darbar.
Moral Gursikhs
keep humility and never ever show pride in the darbar of Guru. What is the
being (aukaat) of a human. If Guru takes away the sight of mercy from an
individual, a person becomes dust in two seconds.
"Kabeer,
let yourself be a pebble on the path; abandon your egoism. Such a
humble slave will meet God. Kabeer, what good would it be, to be
a pebble? It would only hurt the traveler on the path. Your slave, O God,
is like the dust of the earth. Kabeer, what then, if one could become
dust? It is blown up by the wind, and sticks to the body. The humble
servant of God should be like water, which cleans everything. Kabeer,
what then, if one could become water? It becomes cold, then hot. The
humble servant of God should be just like God"
Shri Guru Granth Sahib ji Ang. 1372.