Guru Angad Dev Ji: The Second Master

This course studies the life and work of Guru Angad Dev Ji, the Second Master of the Sikhs, who lived from 1504 to 1552. We follow his journey from his birth as Bhai Lehna to his selection as Guru in 1539, and on to his many contributions at ਖਡੂਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ.

The Punjab of the early sixteenth century was a land of many faiths and a strong tradition of pilgrimage to local shrines. Bhai Lehna himself was at first a devotee of the goddess Durga before he met Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Macauliffe 1909). It was a time of change, soon to be marked by the arrival of the Mughal ruler Babur in 1526.

Throughout the course we use two main kinds of sources. The first is the classical chronicle of the Gurus, the Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth of Kavi Santokh Singh, a long devotional history composed in the early nineteenth century (Santokh Singh 1927-1935). The second is the careful English study by Max Arthur Macauliffe, The Sikh Religion (Macauliffe 1909). We read both with respect, while also learning to tell apart documented history from devotional ਜਨਮਸਾਖੀ narrative, as modern historians advise (Grewal 1998).

By the end of the course you will understand why the second Guruship was so important for the survival and growth of the young Sikh community.

The Second Master was born in 1504 in the village of Matte di Sarai (later known as Sarai Naga), in the Muktsar region of Punjab. His given name was Lehna. His father was a trader, and the family later moved to the village of Khadur (Macauliffe 1909).

As a young man, Bhai Lehna was a sincere worshipper of the goddess and would lead groups of pilgrims to her shrine each year. The traditional accounts say that one day he heard a neighbour reciting a hymn of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and was so moved that he resolved to visit the Guru at Kartarpur (Macauliffe 1909).

When Bhai Lehna met Guru Nanak Dev Ji, he was deeply changed. He gave up his earlier worship and stayed to serve the Guru with great devotion. The chronicles describe his ਸੇਵਾ as complete and joyful, carrying out every task asked of him without complaint (Santokh Singh 1927-1935). Here we should note that the order of these events comes largely from devotional ਜਨਮਸਾਖੀ sources, and historians treat their fine details with care (Grewal 1998).

One often-told episode tells how Guru Nanak Dev Ji once asked his followers to retrieve a bowl that had fallen into mud, and only Bhai Lehna obeyed at once. Such stories carry a clear teaching about obedience and humility, even where the exact circumstances cannot be confirmed by record (Singh and Fenech 2014).

The most important moment in this Guru's life was his selection as successor to Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The traditional accounts tell that Guru Nanak Dev Ji set several tests of devotion for his followers and his two sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das. Time after time, it was Bhai Lehna whose service and obedience proved truest (Macauliffe 1909).

Guru Nanak Dev Ji gave him a new name, Angad, which the tradition explains as drawn from the word ਅੰਗ, meaning a limb or part of one's own body, showing that the new Guru was as close to him as his own self (Macauliffe 1909). In 1539, shortly before his passing, Guru Nanak Dev Ji installed Bhai Lehna as the Second Master and bowed before him, passing on the ਗੁਰਗੱਦੀ.

This choice was striking because the office did not go to a son. It set a lasting pattern in which Guruship passed by spiritual merit rather than by birth alone. Historians see this as a key reason the young community held together after Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Grewal 1998).

The sons of Guru Nanak Dev Ji did not all accept this decision. Sri Chand went on to found the ascetic Udasi order, which remained distinct from the path of the householder Gurus (Singh and Fenech 2014).

One of the lasting gifts of Guru Angad Dev Ji was his work with the ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ script. The script grew out of the earlier writing systems of the region, but it was under the Second Master that it was popularised and given a settled, teachable form for the Punjabi language (Grewal 1998). The very name ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ means "from the mouth of the Guru," pointing to its use for recording the sacred word.

The Guru promoted the teaching of this script to children and followers, so that ordinary Sikhs could read and write their own language and study the ਬਾਣੀ for themselves. This helped make the community literate and gave it a script distinct from those tied to other religious traditions (Singh and Fenech 2014).

The Guru also gathered and preserved the ਬਾਣੀ of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. By collecting these hymns carefully, he helped keep them safe and true for the generations to come. This work of preservation later supported the compilation of the larger scripture under the Fifth Master. The tradition also records that Guru Angad Dev Ji himself composed verses, which were later included in Sikh scripture under the name Mahala 2 (Macauliffe 1909).

To honour accuracy, this course does not quote specific scriptural verses or page references here, since the aim is to study history rather than to fix exact citations of the sacred text.

Under Guru Angad Dev Ji the institution of ਲੰਗਰ, the free community kitchen, grew stronger and more organised at ਖਡੂਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ. In the langar all people sat together in a single row and ate the same food, regardless of caste or standing, putting into daily practice the teaching of human equality (Grewal 1998).

A central figure in this work was the Guru's wife, Mata Khivi. She is remembered for her generous management of the langar, and Sikh tradition holds her in high regard for the care she gave to all who came. The community kitchen under her hand became known for its plentiful and welcoming meals (Singh and Fenech 2014).

The Second Master also encouraged the bodily health of his followers. He set up a ਮੱਲ ਅਖਾੜਾ, a wrestling arena, where young Sikhs could train and build strength. This care for physical fitness, alongside spiritual life, reflected the Sikh ideal of a healthy and disciplined householder rather than a withdrawn ascetic (Macauliffe 1909).

Together, langar, ਸੇਵਾ, and physical training shaped a community that was united, active, and rooted in service. These practices gave the young faith strong institutions that would carry it forward.

Guru Angad Dev Ji passed away in 1552 at ਖਡੂਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ. Following the pattern set by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, he again chose a successor by merit rather than by family ties. He passed the ਗੁਰਗੱਦੀ to the elderly and devoted Amar Das, who became Guru Amar Das Ji, the Third Master (Macauliffe 1909).

The tradition tells that Amar Das had served the Guru with deep humility, fetching water each day for his bath, and that this faithful ਸੇਵਾ marked him out as worthy. As in the earlier succession, the Guru's own sons did not receive the office (Santokh Singh 1927-1935).

The legacy of the Second Master is large for so short a Guruship. He gave the community a settled script in ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ, preserved the bani of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, strengthened langar and seva, and cared for the bodily strength of his people. He also confirmed that Guruship would pass by spiritual fitness, a principle that protected the unity of the Sikhs (Grewal 1998).

As we close, we recall the value of reading our sources with care. The chronicles of Kavi Santokh Singh and the studies of Macauliffe and modern historians each offer something, and the thoughtful student honours the tradition while telling documented history apart from devotional ਜਨਮਸਾਖੀ narrative (Singh and Fenech 2014).