Bhai Haridas Soni
Bhai Haridas Soni was a resident of Gwalior and used to serve all the disciples and saints with mind, speech and actions. He was very keen to see Guru ji.
Chandu shah was a highly depraved person. He maliciously reported to the king that the son of Guru Arjun Dev, Guru Har Gobind calls himself the ‘True Emperor’.
Earlier he had sent a proposal for his daughter’s marriage with Har Gobind ji but Guru Arjun Dev had not accepted it. Chandu had then maliciously reported to the king and Guru ji was called, tortured and he gave up his body. Now Chandu made a complaint to the king against Guru Har Gobind Sahib ji. The king’s men came to take Guru ji to Delhi. The disciples cautioned Guru ji against the barbarous Muslim rulers. Guru ji told them that he would tackle them like a teacher and Chandu would also reap the fruits of his actions. Guru Har Gobind Sahib ji went to Delhi and met the king. The king was very pleased and ordered that Guru ji should be made comfortable and his camp be put up in the garden.
After seeing all this Chandu was very disturbed. He incited the astrologers to tell the king that the planetary position for him was very unfavourable. If Guru Har Gobind Ji would meditate in Gwalior fort for forty days, it would be good for the king. The king thus came to Guru ji’s camp and requested him to go to Gwalior and meditate there for forty days. After this period, he would call him back.
Guru ji thus went to Gwalior where Bhai Haridas came to meet him. Guru ji told him that his love and devotion had pulled him to Gwalior.
Chandu then bribed the officers of the fort to keep Guru ji under difficult conditions. But the king had written that Guru ji should be made as comfortable as possible. So Guru ji was kept comfortably. Bhai Haridas would send twenty maunds of wheat flour, five maunds of ghee and five maunds of sugar and other types of food etc for all the residents in the fort. (One maund is equal to 37 kilogram or 40 seers in weight). All the prisoners in the fort were very happy.
At the end of forty days Bhai Jetha appeared as tiger in the king’s dream and frightened him. The king asked the astrologers about the nightmare. Bhai Jetha dressed as an astrologer told the king that unless he sends for Guru Har Gobind ji from Gwalior fort, his nightmares would continue. The king therefore requested Guru ji to come back to Delhi. But Guru ji said that there were 52 innocent Hindu rulers imprisoned in the fort. Unless all of them were released he would not leave. So the king ordered the release of all the 52 rulers and they left the fort with Guru ji, holding on to his garment. Guru ji also brought Bhai Haridas along with him.
In Delhi, Guru ji gave a very precious pearl to the king. The king took it to his palace and gave it to his queen. The queen asked for another pearl like it. When the king requested for another pearl, Guru ji told him that when Guru Arjun Dev ji had left his body, he had a rosary of 108 such pearls with him. The king should question Chandu about the pearl rosary. When the king inquired, Chandu denied about having any such pearl rosary. Then Guru ji asked for the custody of Chandu since he was the murderer of his father and also promised to recover the pearl rosary.
Chandu was then brought to Guru ji’s camp where he was beaten with shoes and he died. He was cut up in pieces and thrown in the dirty drain. The precious pearls were also recovered and were handed over to the king. At night a lion came in the king’s camp. After killing the guards, the lion reached the king’s tent. Guru ji killed the lion with his arrow. The king was highly pleased and requested Guru ji to ask for anything. Guru ji asked for leave to go back to Amritsar.
Guru ji sent back Bhai Haridas ji to Gwalior with instructions to serve the Guru’s disciples.
Acknowledgement: http://tuhitu.blogspot.com/