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Mata Gujri Jeeo
A Poem by GURMEET KAUR
Of Mothers in the world
Many sparkle but one shines
Your glory unmatched, your legacy divine.
Mata Gujri Jeeo ...
You served him in meditation
Loved him in despair
Your husband: the Saint of martyrs.
Mata Gujri Jeeo ...
You birthed King of kings
Raised him extraordinaire
Without his father since he was nine.
Mata Gujri Jeeo ...
Administered the army
Managed Panthic affairs
Instilled a million strong with virtue and bravery.
Mata Gujri Jeeo ...
Grief of Husband?
Separation of Son?
Lead little grandsons to the path of martyrdom.
Mata Gujri Jeeo ...
Walking the path of death
You gave us new life
Courage undying
Conviction unwavering
Direction to motherhood,
Womanhood and sainthood
Your path I shall ever trace
O Mother Sublime.
Mata Gujri Jeeo ...
Of Mothers in the world
Many sparkle but one shines
Your glory unmatched, your legacy divine.
Mata Gujri Jeeo ...
May 8, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Sukhmandir Kaur, May 08, 2010, 1:09 PM.
Thank you, ji. Wonderful!
2: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), May 08, 2010, 8:17 PM.
To add to Gurmeet ji's lovely poem, it remains a a formidable task to scan Mata Gujri Ji's life, considering the most trying period starting with the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadar, her husband. As a period of respite, she had Bala Pritam growing up, and he must have been quite a handful, so full of fun and antics that endeared him to everyone including the ones who had their earthen vessels shattered with his unerring aim of his catapults, on a regular basis. These vessels were replaced with brass ones and I'm sure he would have dented them too with his arrows. Remember the story when a devout Sikh made an offering of two gold bangles studded with pearls, and wanted the Guru to wear them to gladden his heart. The Guru wore them but decided to go for a swim and promptly let one slip off his wrist into the river. Mata Gujri, like all mothers, I suspect, was unhappy at the loss of such a precious bangle. Every effort to recover it failed, and eventually asked the child to show the exact spot where he had lost it. The Guru promptly took off the remaining bangle and threw it into the river - "There, that's where I lost it!" Aghast, the onlookers exclaimed: "What have you done?" Bala Pritam had loving ways: "These bangles had to go one day - what if it is today instead of tomorrow!" In her old age, Mata Gujri had yet to face the ultimate 'bhana' with the loss of her two infant grandsons - bricked alive, for refusing to accept conversion to Islam by their Mughal captors - and to lose the two elder ones on the battlefield, fighting the same tyrants. On Mother's Day, is there any other worthy of such a tribute?
3: Hardeep Singh (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), May 10, 2010, 8:53 PM.
Beautifully Crafted! Loved the phrase: " Courage undying, Conviction unwavering".
4: Harpal Singh (Birmingham, United Kingdom), May 11, 2010, 6:30 PM.
Wah ji wah! No words to thank you enough. Great poem.