Part four of six. HOLY MOTHER GULAB KAUR

I went to Haripur to see a very enlightened woman Saint, who had achieved, the state of blessedness. The Sikhs of Haripur who knew me also came to meet me. But I was anxious to see this woman Saint whom people called Mother Gulab Kaur, and the tales of whose supreme renunciation and saintliness had impressed me deeply. It would be proper to write here briefly about the early life of this woman Saint who had achieved the highest spiritual state. She was the first real Saint I met in life. Her story as told to me by a Sikh from Haripur is as follows:
Gulab Kaur's husband was a very religious man. The spiritually enlightened husband had a devote and very pious wife in Gulab Kaur. The love and service of her husband was to her, the love and service of God. Like the inseparable Sheldrake and the moon, she could not live apart from her husband even for a moment. According to the wishes of her husband she had memorised the Sukhmani Sahib and Bavan Akhari and she recited these prayers every day. She was however not leading much of a contemplative life. She was too absorbed in the love of her husband. She did not a yet know tile spiritual significance of the divine Name, when her husband died at quite a young age. The death of her husband came as such a blow to her, that she turned her mind away from the world and like a true Sati (she who sacrifices herself alongwith her dead husband), she died to the physical world around her, only to live in spiritual ecstasy of divine silence. The light of God began to shine in her pure soul. The love for her husband gradually changed into an intense love for God in which she became deeply imbued.

She was beautiful and quite young. The spiritual grace on her face revealed her radiant soul. It was difficult to look straight into the red, dazzling glow of her face. She renounced the world and left her home. In this fearless state this young Child of Light wandered away, detached and free like a bird. Her mind was always fixed on God and she spent her days in deep meditative mood. She appeared to have lost all her body consciousness. Deeply absorbed in the divine Name, Mother Gulab Kaur moved about with a radiant charm on her face. There are innumerable stories about her saintliness and spiritual powers, which for want of space cannot be related here. Wherever she went, her meditative silence and spiritual beauty attracted people. The streets, the villages or even the forests bloomed with life and with the spirit of reverence, when she was there. She became very well known in Haripur, Hazara and the surrounding areas. She was so deeply absorbed in her meditative moods that she rarely spoke to anyone.

Such was the spiritual condition of this saintly lady. She became careless about her clothes. All she had was an underwear (kach) and a blanket wrapped around her body. When I expressed my desire to meet her, people said: "She does not allow anyone to come near her. She drives away everyone by throwing stones at them. Out of fear no one goes near her. No one has seen her talking to anyone. Sometimes she is seen mumbling some words in a soliloquy. It is not easy to go near her. If you want to see her from a distance I can show her to you. If you wish to go near her, you may go at your own risk. Otherwise we do not dare to go near her."

After saying a short prayer, I set out to meet Mother Gulab Kaur. I came to know that she was sitting in front of a shop which was closed. People showed her to me from the corner of a street. She was sitting with a blanket around her body and her back was towards us. While other people turned back, I moved on nearer her. Even her face was covered with the blanket. As I moved on with reverence and devotion close to her, the Holy Mother through her inner vision, having divined my presence, stood up with electric suddenness, and turning towards me with folded hands, she greeted me with the Khalsa greeting:

I was deeply moved and the people who looked on were quite surprised. One or two people dared now to come further. Mother Gulab Kaur was still standing with folded hands. In humble adoration I moved forward to touch her feet, but with her lotus like pure hands she prevented me from doing so. She was about to spread her blanket for me to sit, but I begged her not to do so, as a humble person like me could not bear to see such a divine soul like her bestow so unusual a respect and reverence on me, which I did not deserve. "I seek a humble place in the dust of thy feet Holy Mother", said I. I sat near her on the ground leaving the blanket with her. She sat there in a calm meditative mood, and I can still visualise her saintly figure sitting in silent contemplation. The profound impression of her divine personality is deeply engraved in my heart. It is difficult to describe the spiritual influence of the great personality and its cool and thrilling effect on my heart and soul. I felt purified and exalted and my heart began to beat louder with the rhythm of divine Name. There was a spiritual union of our souls and in this mystic silence we conversed with each other. The thought waves emanating from one were understood by the other. What need was there to speak. After sometime the Holy Mother spoke in a melodious voice saying: "I am only a lone traveller. How shall I entertain you? I am just a lone traveller."

In a very sweet and musical voice she repeated these words again. Then she suddenly got up, asking me to keep sitting there for a while. She took her blanket and in an intoxicated mood moved towards a fruit shop. She picked up some fruits from the shop, brought them there and offering them to me said:

"Accept this humble offering of one who is dedicated to the Lord". I accepted the great Saint's offering of love and felt greatly blessed. Then she said: "May you ever be blessed. All blessings on you, noble Sikh of the Guru. The Guru has indeed lighted a wonderful lamp". In a sublime state of mind she showered blessings and love on me. I begged the Holy Mother to bestow benediction on me and pray that this lamp which had been lighted by the Guru may ever keep on burning. She said: "It will keep on burning with ever increasing light." We were both standing and she now wished me to depart. I asked the Holy Mother, "When may I get a chance to have a glimpse of her divine personality again". To this she replied:

"Spiritually united souls never feel any separation. On the physical plane there may not be any meeting but we will meet again in the Presence of the Lord." And then in a tone of blessing she said, "you have now received the divine call to perform Akhand Paths. Go, be blessed, and enjoy spiritual enlightenment. On the way pay homage to the Panja Sahib Gurdwara.

These were the few words she spoke in the short meeting between us. I bowed low to touch her feet. There were tears in her eyes. I too was overwhelmed with tears. Placing her hand on my back she blessed me again and helped me to rise to my feet. After completing the pilgrimage to Panja Sahib and Amritsar, I came back to the village and met the divine friends from whom I had been long separated. By the grace of the Guru there was one Akhand Path after another and my spiritual condition became more and more exalted. I do not know for how many years and months this undisturbed peace and bliss lasted until suddenly the hawks of fate pounced on a carefree bird and then started the saga of long prison life.

It is learnt that Mai Gulab Kaur was born in Village Burhan in Campblpur district in the year 1920 AD. She was the daughter of Bhai Darha Aml, a sahajdhari Sikh and devotee of the Guru. She was married at the age if fifteen to one Bhai Des Raj of Haripur in 1935 AD. The couple stayed in Sohewale Mohalla in Haripur. She had one son and two daughters. Ten years before her deathe her husband died. Mai Gulab Kaur died some time in the year 1949-50. She spent the last ten years of her life in a state of spiritual intoxication. Bhai Sahib Bhai Randhir Singh says that when he met her, she wore a kach, and wrapped her body in a blanket. She was amritdhari (baptised) and lived strictly according to the Khalsa code of conduct, but it was not known where and when she was baptised. At Haripur people called her Gulabo, the mad woman. The Muslims revered her as a great saint, and respected her more than the Sikhs and Hindus.

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Beautiful Women . Spiritual Strength of Women . PART 5