All 10 of the Gurus were from the same blissful source, Akaal Purakh. The light in the 10 Gurus was the same. I bow to the feet of the Guru and begin the history of the Gurus.
Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji was the complete Avatar. When Guru Angad Dev ji ascended to the Guru’s throne, his focus was concentrated onto the feet of Guru Nanak Dev ji. Guru Nanak Dev ji began to reside inside the heart of Guru Angad Dev ji. Guru Nanak Dev ji told Guru Angad Dev ji to leave from Kartarpur. Guru Angad Dev ji asked Guru Nanak Dev ji if he may come back when Guru Nanak Dev ji would leave for Sach Khand. Guru Nanak Dev ji said: “no, I will come to you.” Guru Nanak Dev ji’s body was not found, in fact, he entered the heart of Guru Angad Dev ji. Guru Angad Dev ji was sad to leave Kartarpur. He touched the feet of Guru Nanak Dev ji and then touched his forehead. He kept looking at Guru Nanak Dev ji’s face, while shedding tears. Guru Nanak Dev ji said: “why are you sad? There is no difference between you and I. I am always with you.” Guru Angad Dev ji left Kartarpur with the love of the Guru in his heart. He felt as though the body and soul had just separated. He kept on repeating “Guru Nanak, Guru Nanak.” He could not speak in front of Guru Nanak Dev ji and tell him that he didn’t want to go, as it was the Guru’s command. It was the most difficult thing for him to do, to leave the Guru’s presence. The only determination he was to follow, was to obey the command of the Guru. He walked to his village of Khadoor.
As he came to his village, he thought: “my Guru is so great, his personality is great. He is generous and complete. He is generous towards the weak and poor. When someone serves the Guru a little bit, the Guru gives many times more than they deserve. The Guru only sees love. Now he is going to Sach Khand and has given me the Gurta Ghaddi. He sent me away from him and now I must suffer the pain of his separation. I couldn’t tell Guru ji that I didn’t want to leave.” Guru Angad Dev ji was shedding tears and eventually reached Khadoor. He didn’t notice anything on the way, as he was only thinking about the Guru. People he met on the way, he didn’t notice and didn’t talk. He came to the home of Mai Bhirai ji, his father’s sister. Mai Bhirai ji was a devotee of Guru Nanak Dev ji. She said to her nephew: “my son, Lehna, how is Guru Nanak Dev ji? Tell me his stories.” Mai Bhirai ji was the one that showed Bhai Lehna ji the path of Sikhi. “Why have you left Guru Nanak Dev ji and come here? You look depressed and you look like you were crying.” Mai Bhirai ji kept asking, but Guru Angad Dev ji just took a deep breath. Mai Bhirai ji got worried and noticed that Guru Angad Dev ji was suffering. She thought to herself: “he is crying. I hope Guru Nanak Dev ji hasn’t left the world. It seems as though he has left the earth. That is why he is depressed. He is suffering from separation.” She put her hand on his back and held his head, embracing it. “Tell me what happened. Why do you not speak? Has Guru Nanak Dev ji left for Sach Khand?” Guru Angad Dev ji then spoke: “I don’t like anything anymore. I do not wish to speak to anyone. I wish to stay in this room, alone. I don’t wish to see anyone. I feel like I have a deep wound whose pain I cannot tolerate. When someone speaks to me, I feel like they are pressing on to my wound. I do not wish see or listen to anything. Please lock my door, seal it with bricks, and do not tell anyone I am in this room. Please do this favor for me. I will stay here.” Mai Bhirai ji responded: “stay here, I’ll bring you food but don’t have it bricked. I’ll keep it locked. I cannot see you in pain and leave you alone.” Guru Angad Dev ji did not say anything. He closed both of his eyes and focused on to the form of Guru Nanak Dev ji. It looked as though Shiva was sitting in his meditative pose. Mai Bhirai ji figured: “it’s just best to do as he says as it is his command.” She closed the door and had it bricked. She had the bricks mortared with mud and no one knew who was inside the home. The bricks for covered with mud so nobody could tell where the door was. She followed the command of the Guru. Guru Angad Dev ji remained in that room for 6 months. He stayed in deep meditation.
In Kartarpur, Guru Nanak Dev ji’s body was no more. Nobody knew where Guru Angad Dev ji was. Baba Bhudda ji, Bhai Sadhaaran ji and other Sikhs got together for discussions: “we are all anxious to see the Guru. We cannot live without Guru Nanak Dev ji. Guru Nanak Dev ji said that he and Guru Angad Dev ji are one in the same. Guru Angad Dev ji is not revealing himself. We should go looking for him. Guru ji told us to look at Guru Angad Dev ji and him as one. If someone wishes to serve him, they should serve Guru Angad Dev ji.” Baba Bhudda ji spoke: “Guru ji gave the Gurta Ghaddi to Guru Angad Dev ji and now he resides in his heart. We should go find Guru Angad Dev ji.” Some of the Sikhs began to look for him. Everyone’s heart was anxious and they were eager to meet Guru Angad Dev ji. After a while, when they couldn’t find Guru Angad Dev ji, they decided: “near Khadoor, there is a person by the name of Mai Bhirai. She must know where Guru Angad Dev ji is. There is no other way to find him.” Baba Buddha ji and other senior Sikhs went to Khadoor, doing Kirtan along the way. The Sangat followed.
They went to Mai Bhirai ji and met her. They bowed to Mai Bhirai ji with love. Mai Bhirai ji bowed to the Sikhs. Baba Bhudda ji asked: “Mai Bhirai ji, where is Guru Angad Dev ji? We wish to meet the Satguru. So much Sangat has come. They all wish to meet the Guru. We wish to see the holy feet of Guru Angad Dev ji.” Mai Bhirai ji listened to the pleas of the Sikhs but didn’t say anything. She was under orders not to say anything. She was stuck. She sat down and stayed quiet. The Sikhs all sat in the center courtyard, looking towards Mai Bhirai. All the Sikhs understood that Guru Angad Dev ji was somewhere there. They just wanted a hint. They all requested her again: “Mai ji, please have pity on us. We wish to see Guru Sahib.” When Baba Bhudda ji, Bhai Sadhaaran ji asked a second time, Mai Bhirai ji stayed quiet again. She didn’t want to violate the Guru’s commands. All the Sikhs were analysing the situation. They figured out that she was under strict orders by Guru Angad Dev ji and that she couldn’t say yes or no. She didn’t want to lie to the Sikhs nor could she say the truth, as she was under strict orders not to. Baba Bhudda ji and others figured Guru ji must be there. There was a room, but no door to it. Baba Bhudda ji knew where the Guru was but didn’t want to show his powers. He got up to the wall that was covered with mortar and bowed to the wall. He did an Ardaas to the wall: “my name is Bhudda and I have come to your court. You have blessed me in the form of Guru Nanak Dev ji. You said that I will always be able to recognize, and find you. You said that I will always be close to the Sangat. You said that whatever form you will take, I will be able to see you. Since you have disappeared, I have been very anxious, along with the Sangat, without you. You have come to this room and the patience of the Sangat has now broken. They have no where else to go. They keep looking for you, and are worried. They couldn’t find you anywhere. Please bless us with your presence by coming out of this room. The Sangat wishes to serve you and listen to your holy words.”
Baba Bhudda ji then started to scrap the mortar with his hands and pulled the bricks off. He found the door behind the bricks and opened it. He saw Guru Angad Dev ji sitting in Tapasya. The radiance illuminated out of the room. It was like the sun came out. It looked like Shiva was sitting in mediation. Guru ji had closed off all his body’s senses and focused his mind on to Guru Nanak Dev ji. His body and mind were still. Baba Bhudda ji bowed at his feet. The Sangat then came to bow. Everyone was happy to see Guru Angad Dev ji but his Samadhi (deep state of meditation) was still intact. Baba Bhudda ji came out of the room and said to Mai Bhirai ji: “please request Guru ji to come out of his Samadhi. He is gracious to the weak and poor. He will support us when he awakens.” The whole Sangat requested Guru ji: “Guru ji, please meet us. Please sit on the throne of the Guru and bless us all. Your Avatar was for the purpose of saving the Sikhs. Guru Nanak Dev ji has placed you on his seat, please fulfill your duty and save us. Please guide us. You came to this Earth to bless us. The Sikhs wish to be saved in this world and in the next. We are your servants, please give us your guidance and bless us with Simran. Please visit us in the Sangat.” Listening to the pleas of the Sangat, Guru Angad Dev ji opened his eyes. He came under their love spell and let go of his personal task. The Guru discards his personal goals and routine for the love of the Sangat. Guru ji wanted to stay alone and remain connected to Simran but he came out because of Baba Bhudda ji’s ardaas. His body had gone skinny and weak. As he came out, he was radiant. He met all of the servants of Guru Nanak Dev ji and was pleased to see their love. Guru Angad Dev ji was filled with love and spoke the first Salok of Gurbani that came to his holy mouth:
Sri Mukhvaak Mahalla 2
With whom you are in love with, it is better to die before them. Living after the death of the loved one, is not living at all.2.
(SGGS 83)
After speaking those words, Guru ji sat with the Sikhs. The Sikhs that came to meet him, were now very happy to see the Guru. They felt as though Guru Nanak Dev ji was in front of them. Guru ji gave hope to the Sangat and asked them to do the Simran of Satnam. Mai Bhirai ji prepared Langar in little time. The Sikhs began to serve Guru Angad Dev ji. The Sikhs who served Guru Nanak Dev ji then also came to meet Guru Angad Dev ji in Khadoor.
The news spread that Guru Angad Dev ji was found. People began to come from far and wide hearing about Guru Angad Dev ji. Guru ji would now sit on the throne. As people would hear about Guru ji, they would come to see Guru ji. They would see the radiance on his face and recognize Guru Nanak Dev ji in him. Just as the sun moves into the next month (in the Sankranti calendar) so did the light of the Guru move into a new form. Just as actors change roles in different plays, but remain the same actor, so did the body change but the light was the same. When the sun comes up, the thieves run away and the lotus blooms. The Sikhs bloomed and the sinners ran away. The knowledge was transferred into the hearts of the Sikhs by Guru ji. Just as a great king comes to his court wearing new clothes, so did the same Guru wear a different body. The court was set for the 2nd Guru Nanak Dev ji. Sikhs would serve and worship Guru ji. The Sikhs only saw Guru Nanak Dev ji. Just as a flame lights another diva, that is how another flame was formed. Nothing has changed from the first flame and the second is exactly the same. Everyone would come to Khadoor and listen to the Katha of Guru ji. The fortunate Sikhs would come and listen to the Guru. They remembered Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji everyday. It was a very calm and peaceful environment full of Bhagti. Guru Angad Dev ji would remain engrossed into the Simran of Guru Nanak Dev ji.
Baba Bhudda ji would sit next to Guru Angad Dev ji and talk about Guru Nanak Dev ji. Guru Angad Dev ji would ask Baba Bhudda ji: “tell me the life of Guru Nanak Dev ji.” Baba Bhudda ji would tell him the Katha. Baba Bhudda ji then said: “There is this one person that can tell you the complete history of Guru Nanak Dev ji. He is Balla of Talwandi. He is a Jaat and spent his life with Guru ji. He traveled the 9 dimensions with Guru ji. He is still alive. You can ask him the complete history. Bhai Balla ji knows everything.” As Baba Bhudda ji was speaking, Bhai Bhalla ji had arrived without notice. He bowed to Guru Angad Dev ji. Guru Angad Dev ji asked Bhai Bhalla ji to tell the Sangat the history of Guru Nanak Dev ji.
That history is bound into the Nanak Prakash Granth. All of the Sikhs listened to the history from Bhai Bhalla ji’s mouth. Bhai Bhalla ji spoke and Bhai Paira ji wrote it. As Guru Angad Dev ji heard the history, he started to eat more food as the days went by. The Sikhs that heard the history were very fortunate. The Sikhs did Kirtan, read Gurbani and sat with Guru Angad Dev ji. Guru ji would not speak to anyone much nor did he get close to anyone. He was in a childlike state and was above sorrow or happiness.