MANJH BHAI

MANJH BHAI, a well to do Rajput of Doaba country, converted a Sikh and earned repute for his piety, selfless service and complete surrender to the Guru`s will. His real name was Tiratha and Manjh was his clan name. He had been a follower of Sultan Sakhi Sarwar, a Muslim saint, until he once visited Guru Arjan. He did not wish to leave the Guru`s presence and begged to be initiated a Sikh. He was told that to be a Sikh he would have to break away from his old beliefs and that he might thereby lose caste with his own people. Bhai Manjh was determined. He went home and closed the alcove reserved for the worship of Sakhi Sarwar. For this he was ostracized by his kinsmen and thrown out of the village. Bhai Manjh returned to Guru Arjan and received initiation. He was assigned to collecting fuel for Guru ka Larigar. Bhai Manjh performed his allotted task with complete dedication. One evening, as says Sarup Das Bhalla, Mahima Prakash, he was returning with a load of firewood on his head when, blinded by a severe dust storm, he fell into a shallow well.

He kept standing in the water the whole night holding his load on his head to save it from getting wet. As the report reached Guru Arjan the next morning, he came accompanied by some of his Sikhs and rescued him. He embraced Bhai Manjh and spoke: “The Guru loveth Manjh as Manjh loveth the Guru. Manjh is the vessel for men to ferry them across the ocean of existence.” Bhai Manjh was appointed to preach Sikh faith in his district. He established himself in the village of Karig, 18 km west of Hoshiarpur, where Guru Arjan is said to have visited him in 1595.

A shrine, Gurdwara Baba Manjh, at Karig still commemorates him. People from the surrounding villages collect there on the first of each Bikrami month, and an annual fair is held on the first of Magh (mid-January).

References :

1. Mani Singh, Bhai, Sikhfin di Bhagnt Maid. Amritsar, 1955
2. Santokh Singh, Bhai, Sri Cur Prnldp Surnj Granth. Amritsar, 1927-35
3. Bhalla, Samp Das, Mahimd Prakash. Patiala, 1971
4. Gian Singh, Giani, Twarikh Guru Khalsd [Reprint]. Patiala, 1970