Sikh

Guru Ram Das Ji

Guru Ram Das Ji (1534-1581) was the fourth of the ten Sikh Gurus, a saint of profound humility and selfless service who founded the holy city of Amritsar and gave Sikhs the beloved Laavan wedding hymns.

Guru Ram Das Ji, the fourth of the ten Sikh Gurus, was born on 24 September 1534 in Chuna Mandi, Lahore, into a devout family. Named Bhai Jetha at birth, he was the son of Hari Das and Mata Anup Devi (also remembered as Daya Kaur). In his early years he was lovingly raised by his maternal grandmother in the village of Basarke. Even as a boy he displayed a gentle, generous spirit, working with honest diligence while caring for those around him, qualities that would come to define his entire life. Around the age of twelve, Bhai Jetha and his grandmother journeyed to Goindwal, the centre of the growing Sikh community established by Guru Amar Das Ji, the third Guru. There the young Jetha was drawn into the orbit of the Guru's teaching, and he devoted himself wholeheartedly to seva, selfless service. His tireless work in the community langar (free kitchen) and in the building of the town's sacred baoli (step-well) became legendary. In 1553 he married Bibi Bhani, the daughter of Guru Amar Das Ji, a union remembered for its deep devotion and harmony. Bhai Jetha did not treat his closeness to the Guru's household as a reason for privilege; instead he served with ever greater humility, regarding obedience and service as the truest forms of worship. Guru Amar Das Ji, observing his son-in-law's unmatched humility, perseverance, and love, recognised in him a worthy spiritual heir. Tradition cherishes the account of how Bhai Jetha, asked to build and rebuild a platform, accepted each instruction with serene grace, embodying the surrender of ego that lies at the heart of the Sikh path. On 30 August 1574 he was installed as Guru and given the name Guru Ram Das, meaning servant of God. He carried the sacred office for seven years, a brief but luminous period of profound contribution. Guru Ram Das Ji's spiritual teachings centred on humility, devotion, and the dissolution of pride before the Divine. He taught that the true devotee rises before dawn to remember the Name of God, lives honestly, and serves others without seeking reward. His vision embraced the householder's life as a path to liberation, affirming that spiritual realisation is found not in withdrawal from the world but in loving, ethical engagement with it. Earlier, representing the Sikh community at the court of Emperor Akbar, he had gently and eloquently upheld the dignity of the langar and the equality of all people, affirming with grace and reason that every soul is of equal worth before the Divine. Among his enduring contributions, Guru Ram Das Ji founded the town that grew into Amritsar, the holiest city of Sikhism. Originally called Ramdaspur, the settlement developed around a sacred pool, and it would later become home to the revered Harmandir Sahib. He invited people of many trades and backgrounds to settle there, creating a thriving, welcoming centre of faith and livelihood. He also strengthened the organisation of the community, extending the manji system of local spiritual leadership and developing the masand institution, by which devoted preachers carried the Guru's message to distant congregations and helped sustain the growing movement. Guru Ram Das Ji was also a gifted poet and composer whose hymns form a treasured part of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture. He contributed many hymns set in thirty ragas of Indian classical music, expressing yearning for the Divine, the joy of devotion, and the beauty of a life surrendered to God. His most beloved composition is the Laavan, the four wedding hymns in Suhi raga that solemnise the Sikh marriage ceremony of Anand Karaj. In these radiant verses, the journey of two souls joining in marriage becomes a tender metaphor for the soul's union with the Divine, and they continue to grace Sikh weddings to this day, binding scripture to one of life's most sacred passages. Guru Ram Das Ji passed away on 1 September 1581 at Goindwal, having appointed his youngest son, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, as his successor, recognising in him the same devotion and spiritual depth. With this, he established the lineage of guruship that would continue through the fifth to the tenth Gurus. His legacy endures in the golden city he founded, in the manji and masand structures that nurtured the community, and above all in the imperishable hymns of love and humility he left behind. Revered across generations, Guru Ram Das Ji remains a luminous example of selfless service, gentle wisdom, and unwavering devotion to the Divine.