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Gentle Har Rai Ji by SikhNet

Har Rai ji was a gentle soul. Little of his life history has been recorded, but he

has recorded many pages on the hearts of the saints.

Though he kept the outside look of a warrior, it’s his inside spirit that makes him a
True Warrior. Many can have physical victory, but few achieve spiritual victory.

One time, as a child, the tender Har Rai was coming back from horse riding. He
saw his divine grandpa, Guru Hargobind. Har Rai’s eyes lit up, “Grandfather!” He
got off his horse and skipped over to the Guru who was meditating in the flower
garden, “Waheguru.” Har Rai ji always loved to be in his grandfather’s spiritual

presence. The scene was very beautiful and spiritual.

Har Rai wore a regal robe, a chola, like a warrior-prince. He got lost in his
excitement and accidentally caught the thorn of a rose-bush with the cuff of his
chola. He didn’t notice right away but the cloth pulled on the thorn ripped the
chola a little, and jostled the flowers. The petals of the rose broke off and fell to
the ground. When Har Rai ji saw what he had done, that his carelessness had

caused harm to another living being, he cried, “Oh no! I’ve hurt the flowers!!” He
began to cry,“Ahuhhhuuu...”

A Sikh who had been watching all this told Guru Hargobind ji, who came over to
provide comfort. The Guru’s warm voice always seemed to make things right,
“The Creator has made this whole creation. To serve God we should take care of
the creation.” The Guru’s words clarified his mind, “Think of this as a warriors
lesson. A warrior must first master themselves as they walk their path through the
world.” The Guru gently added, “Keep wearing the chola; just lift it out of the way

when needed. It is good for God’s servants to be gentle with all beings.”

Sweet Har Rai found these teachings reached deep into his heart. Though he
was always prepared for a defensive battle, he held a deep gentleness sacredly
in his heart. His life was dedicated to being kind to all beings. He sometimes
said, “A mandir or a mosque can be rebuilt and repaired, but not a broken heart.”
Isn’t that a great thing to remember?

Later, it became clear that Har Rai would become the next Guru. The Guruship
was passed on to him when he was only 14 years old. That’s not very old for
being a great leader is it? Even though he was a young man, he was very mature

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