This shabad is about Guru Harkrishan, the eighth Guru. The lyrics were written by Guru Gobind Singh. I have added some lines from Bhai Nandlal (because Guru Gobind Singh talks about all the other gurus but himself; I added the lines from Bhai Nandlal who describes Guru Gobind Singh's relationship with him).

Shri Harkrishan Dhiyayiyeh Jis Dithai Sab Dukh Jaye

I remember Shri Harkrishan envisioning whom all pain vanishes

Interesting that Guru Gobind uses the “Shri” suffix, which is used to respect the elders, the gurus and the avatars of God, as in Shri Raam and Shri Krishna. It is clear how respected Guru Harkrishan was a short time after his departure.

When Guru Har Rai, the 7th Guru in the lineage of Guru Nanak, passed away on 20 October 1661, he chose Shri Harkrishan, the younger of his two sons to be the next Guru. At this time Shri Harkrishan was merely 5 years old. While he was young in years, he was mature in wisdom. Bhai Santokh Singh writes,

Shri Harkrishan was very popular in northwest India -- so much so that the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb wanted to meet him.  Aurangzeb was notorious and would have not been able to access to Shri Harkrishan were it not for Mirza Raja Jai Singh, a Rajput king from Amer, Rajasthan who held the followers of Guru Nanak in very high esteem.  He convinced Shri Harkrishan to visit Aurangzeb in Delhi and he was invited to live as a guest in the bungalow in 1663.

During Shri Harkrishan's visit there was an ongoing epidemic of cholera and smallpox and seven year old Shri Harkrishan boldly decided to serve the community.  While the rulers of his time were hiding in palaces, Guru Harkrishan went from community to community, house to house, and connected with them. He used his resources to help the community with aid and highly sought clean water from the well at Raja Jai Singh's bungalow. 

The Hindus called him "Bal Guru" and the muslims called him "Bala Peer" ... the child guru. He served the community of Delhi no matter what their religion or social status was. It is said that anyone he met was overwhelmed with reverence, and a calming sense of peace. It became well known that whoever met Shri Harkrishan was relieved of suffering. He served the community until he himself succumbed to small pox infection.

Where he was cremated now stands Gurudwara Bala Sahib; I have a fond memory of walking to Bala Sahib with my grandfather when I was very young.  In place of Raja Jai Singh's bungalow where Shri Harkrishan lived now stands the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, one of the most prominent Sikh house of worship. It was first built as a small shrine by Sikh General Sardar Baghel Singh in 1783 during the reign of Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II.

Millions of people visit Bangla Sahib every year and thousands get free food every day. The water from the well of the well is considered holy. The bed where he used to sleep is found within the premises of the Gurdwara. When I recently visited Delhi, I drank some water from the well and had langar sitting next to a local laborer who told me that he often eats here. Even when most of Delhi was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the homeless are being fed outside Bangla Sahib.

Guru Harkrishan's boldness and his kindness at such a young age remains exemplary in the history of humankind. He lost his life early, but he won the hearts of people forever, gained the respect of generations to come, and continues to inspire us with his courage and generosity. It is no surprise that his legacy lives on.

Music and Oneness abounds despite the Covid-19 pandemic. I am spending some time recording some simple tracks while we are quarantined in California. This album will be my humble attempt to make love proximate, even as we are all physically distant due to the concerns of spreading of the virus. I believe this album will provide strength, peace and joy at a time when grief, fear and uncertainty has gripped the world. I might not make videos for each track for this album but you can find the audio here: https://soundcloud.com/shivshivshiv/sets/love-in-the-age-of-social

A growing body of research attests that that music therapy is more than a nice perk. It can improve medical outcomes and quality of life in a variety of ways. Here’s a sampling:

Improves invasive procedures. In controlled clinical trials of people having colonoscopies, cardiac angiography, and knee surgery, those who listened to music before their procedure had reduced anxiety and a reduced need for sedatives. Those who listened to music in the operating room reported less discomfort during their procedure. Hearing music in the recovery room lowered the use of opioid painkillers.

Restores lost speech. Music therapy can help people who are recovering from a stroke or traumatic brain injury that has damaged the left-brain region responsible for speech. Because singing ability originates in the right side of the brain, people can work around the injury to the left side of their brain by first singing their thoughts and then gradually dropping the melody. Former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords used this technique to enable her to testify before a Congressional committee two years after a gunshot wound to her brain destroyed her ability to speak.

Reduces side effects of cancer therapy. Listening to music reduces anxiety associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It can also quell nausea and vomiting for patients receiving chemotherapy.

Aids pain relief. Music therapy has been tested in patients ranging from those with intense acute pain to those with chronic pain from arthritis. Overall, music therapy decreases pain perception, reduces the amount of pain medication needed, helps relieve depression, and gives people a sense of better control over their pain.

Improves quality of life for dementia patients. Because the ability to engage with music remains intact late into the disease process, music therapy can help to recall memories, reduce agitation, assist communication, and improve physical coordination.