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When any one wanted an
audience with Guru Amar das, they had
to comply with some simple instructions.
First, they had to eat from the Guru's
kitchen with all his other guests regardless
of status or gender. Women were asked
to remove their veils. The Raja of Haripur
was no exception. He came with his entourage
of wives, and all were asked to have
a meal first. The youngest wife was
very shy and refused to remove her veil.
The Guru asked her what the problem
was. In those days, women never ate
with men and were certainly not used
to he spoken to by men. The poor girl
was totally confused and embarrassed.
She ran out to hide herself. The Raja
wanting to please the Guru, feigned
disgust with her behaviour and abandoned
her altogether. Thus, when he returned
home, she was left behind, alone and
frightened. This was 500 years ago,
when women were not able to work and
support themselves independently. This
poor girl was far away from family and
friends. She hid in the forest, and
people said she went totally insane.
The Guru had many disciples and they
all did their chores together and listened
to the Guru's teaching. There was one
such man who came from a place near
Shaikhupura which is now in Pakistan.
He left his home and joined the Guru's
camp at Goindwal. He took upon himself
the responsibility of bringing firewood
daily for the kitchen. One day, while
he was in the forest, he had a terrible
clash with an insane woman. She was
filthy, her clothes were torn, and her
hair was matted. He startled her when
he accidently tripped over her. She
reacted by screaming and biting and
clawing. He managed to subdue her with
kind words and a strong arm. Covering
her with his shawl, he brought her to
the Guru. After taking a bath and eating
well in the kitchen, the lady was invited
to join the congregation and listen
to the prayers and the teachings.
A great peace entered her soul and
she was able to slowly regain her strength
and self-esteem. She was once thc Rani
of Haripur, but no one knew her real
name. As she grew stronger and joined
the others in chores as well as prayers,
she was often heard muttering "sachan
sach" meaning "truth is truth".
This soon became her nickname. As time
passed, she became totally cured, and
showed and good intelligence. The Guru
was immpressed with her commitment and
devotion. She eventually married the
gentleman who had rescued her against
her will from the forest. Mata Sachan
Sach was made a masand and sent with
her hushand to his home in west-Punjab
to preach the word of God.
Copyright © Alice Basarke "The
Champion of Women. "
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