I thought I’d
take this chance to write about Bibi Bhani Ji since we are celebrating Guru
Ramdas Ji’s Gurpurb. Bibi Bhani Ji was daughter of Guru Amardas Ji, wife of
Guru Ramdas Ji, mother of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Grandmother of Guru Hargobind, Great
Granmother of Guru Teg Bahadur, and Great Great Grandmother of Guru Gobind
Singh! This is truly amazing. She thus was a very important woman in our
history.
Bibi Bhani was born in
1535 to Guru Amar Das Ji and Mata Mansa Devi. She got married to Bhai Jetha Ji
(Guru Ramdas) in 1554 as discussed in my previous post. The couple did sewa
together, and she devotedly served her father even after having three children.
Sikhiwiki writes “There is special status of Bibi Bhani in the life of Guru
Amardas by the way she cared for her father proving that there was no
difference between a son and a daughter. Both can equally serve their parents.”
Bibi Bhani lived her life with humility and always thought about others. When a
Sikh offered Bibi Bani money for new dresses and jewellery for her wedding, she
read this line of Gurbani “False is gold, false is silver, false are those who
wear them,” and requested that this money should be spent on the langar to
serve others. After the torture and martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, she stayed
strong and supported Guru Ji’s wife and son, Hargobind. She was doing sewa of individuals with leprosy when she left this world in 1598.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji
has written about his mother’s blessings in Ang 496 of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji
“Remembering Him, all sins are
erased, and ones generations are saved.
So meditate continually on the Lord,
Har, Har; He has no end or limitation.
O son, this is your mother's hope
and prayer, that you may never forget the Lord,
Har, Har, even for an instant. May
you ever vibrate upon the Lord of the Universe (Pause).
May the True Guru be kind to you,
and may you love the Society of the Saints.
May the preservation of your honor
by the Transcendent Lord be your clothes, and may the singing of His Praises be
your food.
So drink in forever the Ambrosial
Nectar; may you live long, and may the meditative remembrance of the Lord give
you infinite delight.
May joy and pleasure be yours; may
your hopes be fulfilled, and may you never be troubled by worries.
Let this mind of yours be the bumble
bee, and let the Lord's feet be the lotus flower. Says servant Nanak, attach
your mind to them, and blossom forth like the song-bird, upon finding the
rain-drop.”
References:
“Noble and Brave Sikh Women” by Principal Sawan Singh
Pics:
http://dedicatedkaurs.blogspot.ca/2006/06/400th-martyrdom-anniversary-16th-june_18.html
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