Men of God

HOMAGE ON THE WAY

We can imagine the great sorrow of the people when Govind, now six years of age, left Patna at the Guru’s order to proceed to Anandpur. A good many of them accompanied the family, intending to go as far as they could. On reaching Danapur, the whole party were served with food by an old woman who had been longing to have darshan of the Guru and his family. Govind Rai was pleased with the simple food offered with so much love and devotion and blessed the old lady and the Handi ’the earthen pot in which the food was cooked. After the departure of the party, she converted her house into a Dharmasala and passed her days in accordance with the instructions she received from the Child. The Handi is preserved as a sacred souvenir and has lent its name to the place ’Handi Sahib’.

At this stage the family took leave of the very large crowd from Patna and visiting the holy places on the way or nearby, including Benares, Allahabad, Ayodhya, Lucknow, Cawnpur, Mathra, Brindavan--reached in a period of five months Lakhnaur in the Ambala district. Here Govind Rai’s spirits were damped a little by his father’s orders that he should stay there until he was sent for. He had not yet seen his father even once; but with his inborn wisdom and discipline and natural love for his father, he soon recovered his burning enthusiasm and made excellent use of this enforced stay. Thousands of Sikhs from far and near poured in for darsham of their future Lord and for his blessing. It is said that on one occasion when Pir Araf Din, well-known for his godliness and powers of vision passed by the place where Govind Rai was playing with his mates, he stepped out of his planquin on seeing the child, bowed to him and again bowed and then departed. Such obeisances to a Kafir were taken as an insult by his followers. To their protest the Pir’s words were: "Shall I stand rudely erect before the Lord, simply because He has chosen to illumine the person of a non-Moslem? No, friends, give up this narrow mentality. Bow to him wherever you meet him. At least I would do that, come what may."