From the One Lord Have come forth all different forms, shapes and hues. -Guru Amr Das, the Guru Granth Sahib, p. 160. 1979 marks the quincentenary of the birth of Guru mar Das, a spiritual teacher with a rare mystical insight and wide human sympathy. He was one of the Ten Gurus or prophet-teachers of the Sikh faith. Third in line from Guru Nanak, the founder, he carried his teaching of universal love and equality of mankind to the far corners of India. He lived a simple and holy life. In personal humility and seva, deeds of self-giving love and service, he set standards scarcely equalied. He was a superb poet and wrote chaste Punjabi verse of deep spiritual intution and of moral and humanitarion import. His bani 907, subline hymns, is still preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred scripture of the Sikhs.

Guru Amar Das inherited the light from Guru Angad, the Second Guru of the Sikh faith. He was his senior in age of 25 years, yet he proved to be a true disciple. He was born on May 5, a479, at the village of Basarke, near Amritsar, and was the eldest of the four sons of Baba Tej Bahn. He shared the family's religious zeal and year after year made pilgrimage to Hardwar to bathe in the sacred waters. This he did without fail until as he was once returning from his holy duty, he was reproached by a sadhu for not owning a Guru. Without a Guru or enlightener all his exertions, he was told, must remain abortive.

Since that day Amar Das had been in search of a teacher. One day he happened to listen to the bani of Guru Nanak being recited. He felt enchanted and desired to see the Guru who sat in Guru Nanak's place. As he was escorted to Guru Angad's presence, he at once knew that he had found what he had been in search of. For him this was the beginning of a new life. He was old, yet he took to the teaching of the Guru with vigorous zeal. He performed his daily devotions and derived special joy from rendering service to the Guru. He brought water from the river every morning for his bath. He served food in the Guru-ka-Langar or community refectory and fetched firewood from the forest. His life was an example of humility and devotion. Guru Angad acknowledged the perfection he had achieved bu proclaiming him the future Guru. Guru Amar Das entered upon the office of Guru on Guru Angad's passing away in 1552. To spread the message of Guru Nanak, he screated a well-knit ecclesiastical system and set up 22 manjis, dioceses or preaching-districts, covering different parts of India.

He appointed the first days of the months of Baisakh and Magh as well as Divali for the followers to gather at Goindwal which was his permanent seat of residence. Here at Goindwal he had a baoli, a well with 84 steps, dug ad this became an important point of pilgrim interest. Guru Amar Das laid down simple ceremonies and rites for birth, marriage and death. He gave special attention to the amelioration of the position of women. Th removal of the disadvantages to which they had been subject became an urgent concern. He assigned to women the responsibility of supervising the communities of discipline incertain sectors. The customs of purdah and sati were discouraged. The Guru-ka-Langar where all sat togather to eat irrespective of the differences of caste and of high and low, gained still further renown in Guru Amar Das's time.

The Guru expected every visitor to pertake of food in it before seeing him. By this he meant to minimize the distinctions between man and man. Emperor Akbar, who once visited him at Goindwali, willingly ate out of the common kitchen. The food in the langar was usually of a rich Punjabi variety. Guru Amar Das himself, however, lived on coarse bread earned by the labour of his hands. The abni, the Guru's revealed word, continued to be the precious endowment. Guru Amar Das himself composed verse of vivid spiritual insight. He also collected the compositions of his predecessors and some of the Bhaktas of that time. When he compiled these into two volumes- both p[reserved in the descendant family to this day- an important step towards the codification of the Sikh canon had been taken.

Guru Amar Das now desired to name a successor. None was worthier of the holy responsibility than Bhai Jetha was enhanced. He was convinced that of all his disciples, Bhai Jetha had mastered the teaching of Guru nanak most worthily. He judged him suitable for the position of Guru nd consecrated him as such by his ownhands. Jetha, as Guru Ram Das became the Fourth Guru of the Sikhs. As the bards sang,"He was Nanak. He was Lahna (Angad), He was Amar Das himself". So was he acknowledged after Guru Amar Das who blended his light with light Eternal on 1 September 1574.

The Posts and telegraphs Department feels privileged to issue a commemorative stamp to mark the occasion of the 5--th birth anniversary of Guru Amar Das.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India