2. Childhood

Tegh Bahadur was brought up with the care and attention which only princes could get. Yet he lived and grew in an atmosphere of religious discipline. This was what Guru Nanak wanted the world to understand, that it was of little use to renounce the world and become recluse. It was more important, and spiritually more rewarding to live within materialism and yet be a recluse at heart. During childhood, Babe Tegh Bahadur was aloof but always active. He was silent and meditative but very energetic and quick to learn everything his teachers taught him. He was loved by everyone in Amritsar. As he grew older, he took time to be out alone or to sit in a secluded corner, brooding over life and nature. He would pause and look into the beauty of the vast unknown. From his childhood he was tender at heart and full of concern for the poor and the suffering.