Banda Singh Bahadur:- Journey from Bairagi to Bahadur

There came a day,
Thousands of hearts were on their way
Without any binding or fear,
Life and death at their feet slaves mere;
There on the banks of those rivers
The tale of that day still shivers

Excerpts from Bandi Bir by Rabindranath Tagore

Madho Das, born as Lachman Dev and later renowned as Banda Singh Bahadur, was a distinguished saint of his era in Maharashtra. He established his spiritual center, known as a Dera, in Nanded. His teachings, which emphasized non-violence, Vaishnavism, vegetarianism, and living a Sattvic life, garnered widespread acclaim. It is his story from Bairagi to Bahadur. 

Early life:-  

Madho was born as Lachman Dev in a Hindu family in Rajouri(Jammu & Kashmir). His family was quite poor. Not much is known about his early life other than the fact that Madho was fond of hunting and shooting and learned the arts of horseriding, wrestling, archery, and swordsmanship at a young age and quite quickly. 

According to a tale about Madho Das's early life, he was once hunting at the age of 15. During hunting, he shot an arrow toward a doe which resulted in its painful death. The sight of the doe dying saddened Banda Singh. He was more deeply hurt when he cut the doe and found 2 of the doe’s babies dying who were not yet born. The event deeply scarred him and led to Banda Singh abandoning worldly affairs and becoming an ascetic. 

Meeting with Guru Govind Singh:- 

One day in the year 1708 when he was meditating with his disciples around his ashram, he got the news that some Baba had entered his dera, sat on his seat, and also killed a goat to cook in his ashram.  

Upon hearing what happened Madho Das was filled with rage. Madho Das used his Yogic powers and occultism to flip the chair the Baba sat on, but nothing happened. Filled with rage Madho Das made his way to his ashram to confront the Baba. This baba was no other than Guru Govind Singh. 

But just by Seeing the Guruji, Madho Das's anger was vanquished. He found his hands folded in obeisance and head lowered in reverence.  

Seeing his previous anger, the Guruji said softly 

"You had thrown away your spear, had broken your bow, and crushed your arrows; yet even, now, you have not changed your nature ".  

Madho Das raised his eyes just a bit and cast them low again. His body shook from head to toe. He felt as if somebody had come to know his deepest secrets.  

Taking himself a little in hand and under control, he spoke, not without an effort: 

“Your holiness, I have lost all my merit and rectitude at the hands of such a high saint as yourself.”  

The Guru: “What do you mean?” 

Madho Dass: “Baba ji, I am a confirmed vegetarian saint. You have killed lives and shed blood in my own house and you have defiled my seat on which I sit while worshipping my gods.”  

The Guru: “Does the shedding of blood profane your seat?”  

 Madho Dass: “That is the principle of my Vaishnav creed, my surroundings need to be pure, and only then i can meditate on the name of my supreme.”  

The Guru: "Is that so even though the blood has flowed in one corner of your large compound while your couch stands in a distant corner? How did that make your seat unhaloed?"

Madho Dass: “Your lordship, when blood has been shed in the hermitage, no seat in any corner of it can escape the curse of impurity.”  

The Guru: “Then tell me one thing: When in your own land(India), rivers of blood of its guiltless inhabitants happen to flow over every inch of its soil, how was it that your hermitage in this locality could remain unprofaned so far despite it all? 

How come, when the most just of the creations of your supreme were torched and butchered by the tyrants you could meditate in his name?"

These words went home and shook him out of complacency. His very soul was shaken out of its deep slumber and all his powers were up in revolt against his past. 

Thus staggered altogether, he exclaimed: “Well?” 

The Guru replied in a firm tone: “That is that.” 

A new and bright light had dawned in the inner soul of the Bairagi now. He bowed and fell at the feet of the Guru and spoke with tears welling in his eyes: 

“Pardon me, my Lord, I am your humble votary (Banda).” 

The Guru: “And I am raising my Banda (servant) to the status of Banda Singh Bahadur.”

This same Madho Das then became the most beloved general of Guru Govind Singh and was known by the name Banda Singh Bahadur who freed the poor from the grips of Tyrants and abolished Jamidari in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan region.