GRANTHI SAHIB CUTS THE GRASS

It was September 1948, Dr. Harinder Singh Dhindsa was teaching our class
under a shady tree in the grounds of the Khalsa College, Amritsar. While sitting in
the class, I could not help repeatedly looking at the Granthi Sahib of the college
gurdwara cutting grass just 50 meters away. This distracted the attention of the
teacher.
Being otherwise a disciplined student, the teacher excused me a couple of
times. Finally, he became concerned at my looking away again and again. He
himself looked back to see what was more interesting to me than the class. He also
recognized that the gentleman cutting grass was the Granthi Sahib of the gurdwara.
We know that the person holding the responsibility of gurdwara Kirtan,
recitation, and prayer commands the highest respect among Sikhs. The whole class
then also looked at the Granthi Sahib. It is totally unexpected of the person holding
that status to perform a job usually done by illiterate unemployed persons. Without
saying anything to me, the professor addressed us:
“Well boys, close your notebooks. Let us understand a great moral lesson
today. This will be a very important guide for your future life.” I felt relieved for not
being rebuked by the teacher. He continued:
“Do you see that man with a white turban cutting grass in the fields? I know
him. He is the Granthi Sahib of our college gurdwara. He is a very admirable
person. Sikhs in the locality respect him a great deal. I also know why he is
performing that lowly job. He has a cow at his house. Having put a rope around her
neck, it becomes his responsibility to provide, grass, grain, and protection for her.
If you young people get the ‘rope’ of faith around your neck, God will do
everything for you and will never fail to protect you from the worries and problems of
your life. If you follow the path prescribed for you by your faith, you will never face
any failure. You will always enjoy peace and pleasure in your heart.
It is only when we disregard the directions of our faith that we meet mental
and physical problems in our life. Think of the cow tied at his house. If she gets free
from the rope and wanders into the green crops, the farm guard will beat her with a
stick. If she damages some experiment, he may get very angry and teach her a
lesson, he may even break her leg. When we, under the stress of vices, ‘free’
ourselves of the religious ‘rope’ – the direction for a righteous life – we land ourselves
in trouble.
We see thieves, drug users and cheats, creating trouble for themselves and
leading stressful lives. If you want to be happy, respect the religious way of life. It
may appear to be restricting but it keeps you disciplined and, like the cow at his
(Granthi’s) house, safe.

GRANTHI SAHIB CUTS THE GRASS

SOURCE: TEACHING SIKH HERITAGE TO THE YOUTH - LESSONS LEARNT'

BY S. GURBKASH SINGH JI