Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Indian English Template:Infobox religious biography
Template:Sikhism sidebar Guru Angad (31 March 1504 – 29 March 1552;<ref name=eos/> Template:Langx, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) was the second of the ten Sikh gurus of Sikhism. After meeting Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, becoming a Sikh, and serving and working with Nanak for many years, Nanak gave Lehna the name Angad ("my own limb"),<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and chose Angad as the second Sikh Guru.<ref name="Fenech2014p36"/><ref name="ColeSambhi1995p18"/><ref name=Shackle_2005>Template:Cite book</ref>
After the death of Nanak in 1539, Angad led the Sikh tradition.<ref name=eosamardas>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=cole20>Template:Cite book</ref> He is remembered in Sikhism for adopting and formalising the Gurmukhi alphabet.<ref name="Mandair2013p35"/><ref name="ColeSambhi1995p18"/> He began the process of compiling the hymns of Nanak and contributed 62 or 63 Saloks of his own.<ref name="ColeSambhi1995p18"/> Instead of his own son, he chose his disciple Amar Das as his successor and the third Guru of Sikhism.<ref name=eosamardas/><ref name=cole20/>
BiographyEdit
Early lifeEdit
Angad was born on 31 March 1504 with the birth name of Lehna (also transliterated as Lahina) in the village of Matte-di-Sarai (now Sarainaga) in Muktsar district of the Punjab region.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Mandair2013p35">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Fenech2014p36">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":8">Template:Cite book</ref> He was the son of a small but successful trader named Pheru Mal.<ref name=":8" /> His mother's name was Mata Ramo (also known as Mata Sabhirai, Mansa Devi and Daya Kaur).<ref name="eos">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His grandfather was named Baba Narayan Das Trehan.<ref name=":8" /> Like all the Sikh Gurus, Lehna came from Khatri caste and specifically the Trehan gotra (clan).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
At age 16, Lehna married a Khatri girl named Khivi in January 1520. They had two sons, Datu (b. 1535) and Dasu (b. 1542), and one or two daughters, Amro (b. 1526) and Anokhi (b. 1535), depending on the primary sources.<ref name=eos/><ref name=":8" /> The entire family of his father had left their ancestral village in fear of the invasion of Babur's armies. After this the family settled at Khadur Sahib, a village by the River Beas near what is now Tarn Taran.
Before becoming a disciple of Guru Nanak and following the Sikh way of life as Angad, Lehna was a religious teacher of Khadur and a priest at a temple dedicated to the goddess Durga.<ref name="Fenech2014p36"/><ref name="ColeSambhi1995p18">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=eos/><ref name=":8" /> His family had also been worshipers of Durga.<ref name=":8" /> He also embarked on many religious pilgrimages.<ref name=":8" /> On one of these pilgrimages, he happened to pass by the settlement of Kartarpur, that had been established by Nanak, on the way to his ultimate destination.<ref name=":8" /> It is said that a dialogue then occurred there between Lehna and Nanak, in-which the former was left with a deeply positive impression of the latter.<ref name=":8" /> Thereafter, Lehna remained at Kartarpur for six years serving his newfound spiritual master.<ref name=":8" />
Lehna in his late 20s sought out Guru Nanak, became his disciple, and displayed deep and loyal service to his Guru for about six to seven years in Kartarpur and renounced the Hindu way of life.<ref name="eos" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Selection as successorEdit
Several stories in the Sikh tradition describe reasons why Lehna was chosen by Guru Nanak over his own sons as his choice of successor. One of these stories is about a jug which fell into mud, and Nanak asked his sons to pick it up. Nanak's sons would not pick it up because it was too dirty or menial a task. Then he asked Lehna, who however picked it out of the mud, washed it clean, and presented it to Nanak full of water.<ref name="Cole 1978 18">Template:Cite book</ref> Lehna was selected as the successor of Guru Nanak on 14 June 1539 but his formal installation ceremony occurred later that year on 7 September 1539.<ref name=":8" /> Nanak touched him and renamed him Angad (from Ang, or part of the body) and named him as his successor and the second Guru on 7 September 1539.<ref name=eos/><ref name="Fenech2014p22">Template:Cite book</ref>
After Nanak died on 22 September 1539, Guru Angad unable to bear the separation from Nanak retired into a room in a disciple's house in a state of Vairagya. Baba Buddha later discovered him after a long search and requested him to return for Guruship.<ref name=":srigranth83">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Gurbani uttered at the time, "Die before the one whom you love, to live after he dies is to live a worthless life in this world".<ref name=":srigranth83" />
Angad later left Kartarpur for the village of Khadur Sahib (near Goindwal Sahib). Post succession, at one point, very few Sikhs accepted Guru Angad as their leader while the sons of Nanak claimed to be the successors. Angad focused on the teachings of Nanak, and building the community through charitable works such as langar.<ref name="Fenech2014p41">Template:Cite book</ref>
Relationship with the Mughal EmpireEdit
The second Mughal Emperor of India Humayun visited Guru Angad at around 1540 after Humayun lost the Battle of Kannauj, and thereby the Mughal throne to Sher Shah Suri.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> According to Sikh hagiographies, when Humayun arrived in Gurdwara Mal Akhara Sahib at Khadur Sahib, Angad was sitting and teaching children.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The failure to greet the Emperor immediately angered Humayun. Humayun lashed out but the Guru reminded him that the time when you needed to fight when you lost your throne you ran away and did not fight and now you want to attack a person engaged in prayer.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In the Sikh texts written more than a century after the event, Angad is said to have blessed the emperor, and reassured him that someday he will regain the throne.<ref name="Fenech2014p41"/>
Death and successorEdit
Before his death, Guru Angad, following the example set by Guru Nanak, nominated Guru Amar Das as his successor. Amar Das was born into a Hindu family and had been reputed to have gone on some twenty pilgrimages into the Himalayas, to Haridwar on river Ganges. About 1539, on one such Hindu pilgrimage, he met a sadhu, or ascetic, who asked him why he did not have a guru (teacher, spiritual counsellor) and Amar Das decided to get one.<ref name=eosamardas/> On his return, he heard Bibi Amro, the daughter of Angad who had married his brother's son, singing a hymn by Nanak.<ref name="FenechMcLeod2014p29"/> Amar Das learnt from her about Guru Angad, and with her help met Angad in 1539, adopting Angad as his spiritual Guru, who was much younger than his own age.<ref name=eosamardas/>
Amar Das displayed relentless devotion and service to Guru Angad. Sikh tradition states that he woke up in the early hours to fetch water for Angad's bath, cleaned and cooked for the volunteers with the Guru, as well devoted much time to meditation and prayers in the morning and evening.<ref name=eosamardas/> Angad named Amar Das as his successor in 1552.<ref name=cole20/><ref name="FenechMcLeod2014p29">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Singha2000p14">Template:Cite book</ref> Angad died on 29 March 1552.<ref name=eos/>
InfluenceEdit
Gurmukhi scriptEdit
Guru Angad is credited in the Sikh tradition with the Gurmukhi script, which is now the standard writing script for Punjabi language in India,<ref name="shacklexvii"/> in contrast to Punjabi language in Pakistan where now a Perso-Arabic script called Shahmukhi is the standard.<ref name="Bright1996p395">Template:Cite book</ref> The original Sikh scriptures and most of the historic Sikh literature have been written in the Gurmukhi script.<ref name=shacklexvii>Template:Cite book</ref>
Angad standardised and made improvements to the scripts of the region to create the Gurmukhi script.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Examples of possible forerunners of the script including at least one hymn written in acrostic form by Guru Nanak,<ref name=cole19>Template:Cite book</ref> and its earlier history is yet to be fully determined.<ref name="JainCardona2007p594">Template:Cite book</ref>
Angad also wrote 62 or 63 Saloks (compositions), which together constitute about one percent of the Guru Granth Sahib, the primary scripture of Sikhism.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Rather than contribute hymns, Angad's importance was as a consolidator of Nanak's hymns.<ref name=cole19/> Angad would also supervise the writing down of Nanak's hymns by Bhai Paira Mokha and scrutinize the resulting compilation, preparing the way for a Sikh scripture, as well as the beginning of a vernacular Punjabi literature, as tradition holds that he may have also commissioned an account of Nanak's life from earlier disciples.<ref name=cole19/> The collection of hymns would also be increasingly important for the expanding community.<ref name=cole19/>
Langar and community workEdit
Guru Angad is notable for systematising the institution of langar in all Sikh gurdwara premises, where visitors from near and far could get a free simple meal in a communal seating.<ref name="Mandair2013p35"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He also set the rules and training method for volunteers (sevadars) who operated the kitchen, placing emphasis on treating it as a place of rest and refuge, being always polite and hospitable to all visitors.<ref name="Mandair2013p35"/>
Angad visited other places and centres established by Guru Nanak for the preaching of Sikhism. He established new centres and thus strengthened its base.<ref name="Mandair2013p35"/>
Mall AkharaEdit
Angad, being a great patron of wrestling,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> started a Mall Akhara (wrestling arena) system where physical exercises, martial arts, and wrestling was taught as well as health topics such as staying away from tobacco and other toxic substances.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Troubador Publishing Ltd">Template:Cite book</ref> He placed emphasis on keeping the body healthy and exercising daily.<ref name="Troubador Publishing Ltd"/> He founded many such Mall Akharas in many villages including a few in Khandur.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Typically the wrestling was done after daily prayers and also included games and light wrestling.<ref name="Calcutta">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Biography of NanakEdit
It is said that Guru Angad commissioned the compiling of a biography covering the life of his predecessor, Guru Nanak.<ref name=":8" /> However, the identity of the work and whether or not it ever existed or even survives to the present-day, is debated.<ref name=":8" /> Some believe the Bhai Bala Vali tradition of the Janamsakhi literature was the biography on Nanak ordered by Angad.<ref name=":8" />
GalleryEdit
- Guru Nanak with Bhai Lehna, who is getting dirtied by carrying weeds overhead.jpg
Guru Nanak (left) with Bhai Lehna (right, who would later be known as Guru Angad).
- Guru Angad taking-leave of Guru Nanak, painting from an 1830's Janamsakhi (life stories) 05.jpg
Guru Angad taking-leave of Guru Nanak, painting from an 1830's Janamsakhi.
- Bhai Bala Recites the Life Story of Guru Nanak to Guru Angad and Onlookers.png
Bhai Bala (left) recites the life story of Guru Nanak to Guru Angad amid onlookers. Janamsakhi painting.
- Guru Angad painting.jpg
Miniature painting of Guru Angad.
- Guru Angad drawing from early 19th century.jpg
Guru Angad drawing from early 19th century.
- Guru Angad, the Second Sikh Guru (1504-52), Seated on a Terrace Beneath a Canopy With an Attendant.png
Guru Angad Seated on a Terrace Beneath a Canopy With an Attendant, Punjab Plains, circa 1830.
- Gurmukhi inscription handwritten by Guru Angad Dev, the second Sikh guru.jpg
Gurmukhi inscription handwritten by Guru Angad Dev
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
BibliographyEdit
- Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, SIKH HISTORY (in English) in 10 volumes, especially volume 1 (published by Singh Brothers Amritsar, 2009–2011).
- Sikh Gurus, Their Lives and Teachings, K.S. Duggal
External linksEdit
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