Guru Ram Das (गुरु राम दास)

Bhaktamal | Guru Ram Das
Real name – Bhai Jetha
Guru - Guru Amar Das Ji
Place of Birth – Lahore
Birth – 9 October 1534
Death – 1 September 1581
Marital Status: Married
Language – Punjabi, Hindi
Father – Brother Hari Das Ji
Mother - Mother Anup Devi Ji
Wife - Mata Bhani (younger daughter of Guru Amar Das ji) (married 18 February 1554)
Son – Baba Prithi Chand, Baba Mahadev, Guru Arjan Dev
Disciple - Guru Arjan Dev Ji
Fame - Fourth of the ten Sikh Gurus. New unique marriage code. Ramdaspur (Sri Amritsar)
Literary works - Composed four hymns called Lava. Contains 638 sacred hymns. 30 different ragas of Indian classical music.Guru Ram Das Ji is the fourth Guru of Sikhism. He was orphaned at the age of seven and subsequently grew up in a village with his maternal grandmother. At the age of 12, Bhai Jetha and his grandmother moved to Goindwal, where he met Guru Amar Das, the third leader of Sikhism.

He was married to Bibi Bhani Ji, the younger daughter of Guru Amar Das Ji. After years of Bhai Jetha's service and spirit of sacrifice were put to many tests, in 1574 Guru Amar Das Ji changed Bhai Jetha's name to Ram Das ("Servant of God"), and appointed him as the fourth Guru of the Sikhs, Sri Guru Ram Das Ji. While in some places Ram Das was his original name, he was nicknamed Jetha because he was the eldest among his siblings.

Lavan Stotra for Marriage
Lavan verses are recited during Sikh wedding ceremonies while circumambulating the Guru Granth Sahib clockwise. The Vivaha Stotra was composed by Guru Ram Das for his daughter's wedding. It replaced the Hindu ritual of circumambulating a fire. This composition by Guru Ram Das became one of the foundations of the British-era Anand Marriage Act of 1909.

In the Lavan Stotra composed by Guru Ramdas,
◉ The first verse mentions the duties of householder life, including following the Guru's words as a guide and remembering the divine name.
◉ The second verse and the cycle remind us that the Oneness exists everywhere and in the depths of the soul.
◉ The third verse speaks of divine love.
◉ The fourth verse reminds us that the union of these two is the union of the individual with the infinite.

Teachings by Guru Ramdas
◉ Birth and caste have no significance before God. Actions alone make or destroy a person.
◉ To mislead ignorant people with superstitions and call them religion is a grave sin against both God and man.
◉ The worship of the infinite, formless, and supreme God cannot be done in the form of an idol, statue, or any ephemeral object of nature.
◉ The person who calls himself a Sikh of the true Guru should wake up early in the morning and meditate on the name of God.
◉ One should take bath in Amrit Kund every day and chant Hari-Hari as per the orders of the Guru. All his sins, misdeeds and negativities will be erased.

When Chand Dev hugged Guru Ramdas - Satya Katha