LEHNA

In 1932, Guru Nanak was working in his fields when a person came to meet him. He was Lehna Singh.

Lehna Singh was born in 1504 in the village of Harike in Ferozepur district in Punjab.

He was the son of a trader named Pheru. His mother's name was Mata Ramo.

Lehna was born in a Hindu family and was a devout worshipper of Goddess Durga. Onec when he heard a recitation of Guru Nanak's hymn, he felt his mind captured by it. It was then that he decided to go and visit Guru Nanak in Kartarpur.

On meeting Guru Nanak, he became his loyal and faithful disciple. He devoted himself to the service of Guru Nanak and his followers.

Once Guru Nanak had tied a few bundles of grass for the cattle. When he asked his two sons to carry these bundles home, they refused saying that it was not befitting the sons of the Guru to do such menial work.

The work that Guru Nanak's sons refused to do was gladly accepted by Lehna. As he carried those bundles of wet and muddy grass, drops of muddy water fell on his fine silk clothes. But this did not bother him; he was too happy to get this chance to serve Guru Nanak.

Guru Nanak wanted to appoint someone who would carry on the spiritual message after him. Once, to test his followers, he said, "My bowl has fallen into the sewer drain."

Without waiting for a second, Lehna went and took out the bowl.

Once Nanak was going with Lehna and his two sons. They saw what seemed to be a dead body with a sheet covering it.

"Go and eat it," said Nanak.

His sons refused to eat it, but Lehna agreed to eat it. As he removed the cover he found a tray full of food..

Lehna first served it to Guru Nanak and then to others.

Guru Nanak blessed him for being an ideal disciple and a true Sikh.

Guru Nanak's wife wanted one of their sons to be named the successor. But Guru Nanak wanted to choose a successor only on merit.

Lehna was an ideal student. He loved to obey and serve Guru Nanak. He found true happiness in doing all that Guru Nanak wished him to do.

He recited Guru Nanak's hymns and chanted God's name with a sincere heart and true faith.

So Lehna was chosen by Guru Nanak as his successor to carry on the spiritual message.

The ceremony of appointing lehna as the successor took place.

Guru Nanak called him his own image, a part of his ang. So he gave lehna the new name Angad, Guru angad.

Guru Nanak had a very simple ceremony for making Guru aged the successor. He put five coins and a coconut in front of him and said, "You are my own image."

Guru Nanak bowed before Guru Angad, and he asked Bahia Buddha to put a saffron mark on the forehead of Guru Angad.

When they went for prayers, Guru Nanak made Guru Angad sit on his seat of the guru or teacher.

In this way, Guru Angad became the successor of Guru Nanak. This choosing of a successor showed how well Guru Nanak had thought out things.

He had planed that even after him, the faith he had started would be continued. There would be a guru to guide the followers.

The common kitchen would be continued in the Guru wars, and this would help to establish a sense of quality among the people.  

When they got together to eat, they would also sing hymns and chant God's name.