History of Baba Moti Ram Mehra Ji

Sarbansdani Sikh of the Sarbansdani Satguru

Precious Pearl (Moti) of the Sikh Community

Immortal Martyr Dhan Dhan Baba Moti Ram Mehra Ji

Dhan Dhan Baba Moti Ram Ji has been a unique and one of the Top martyr of sikh religion who earned the title of martyr by sacrificing everything in true love for the Guru.

Baba Moti Ram Mehra Ji was born on February 9, 1677, from he womb of mother, Ladhoji, in the house of father Hara Ram Ji. His father worked as a cook. He was proficient in this business because of his father’s business , and in 17 years of ago he got a job as a cook in the jail of sirhind of emperor.

  Baba Moti Ram Ji Mehra was incharge of kitchen/langafor the Hindu prisoners held captive in the prison of sirhind.

                        Pari nisa ikk moti ram, painch kaidian roti kam

                                                                                                                                   (Sri Gurpur Parkash)

        Bhai Himmat Singh Ji, one of the five beloved Gursikhs chosen by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, was younger paternal uncle of Baba Moti Ram Ji Mehra

                    moti ram sangatpur vasi, ram ram jap pun kamasi.      

      Himmat Singh tit chachu janahu,panch payaran maih pradhanahu.  

               Dhan Dhan Mata Gujar Kaur Ji and the Sahebjadas Dhan Dhan  Baba Jorawar Singh Ji and Dhan Dhan Baba Fateh Singh Ji were arrested  by police officer of Morinda on the complaint of Gangu Brahmin and  then they were presented before the Receiver of Sirhind Wazid Khan. There they were kept in the cold minaret . The Recevier of Sirhind   announced if anybody tried to help the family of the Guru, he would be   punished brutally along with his family. Despite that ,Baba Moti Ram Ji Mehra when came to know about this, cooked for Mata ji and the Sahebjadas and reached the cold minaret to serve them but Mata ji said that they won’t eat anything cooked in the kitchen of the Mughals. She said his service was  accepted but not   the food cooked  in  theKitchen  of Mughals. Baba Moti Ram Ji Mehra felt worried and returned   home sad. His mother and wife asked for the reason of his sadness. He told them that the mother and sons of Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji had been kept in the cold minaret and that they had refused to   eat the food cooked in the kitchen of evil souls. He informed that they  had been hungry and thirsty for many days. Their clothes had beentorn while passing through thorny bushes in the jungle. They had gotbruises. They had sores on their soles and their feet were also swollen. Their wounds were troubling them because of the biting cold of the  winter. In spite of all this, the Mother and the Sahebjadas are in high   spirits. Hearing all this , the mother and wife of Baba Moti Ram Ji Mehra said that their family should  serve the family of the Guru .  Afterconsulting his mother and wife Baba Moti Ram Ji Mehra put hot milk in a utensil and reached the cold minaret. Before departing , his wife had given him her ornaments in order to give the same to the guards in case they stopped him to enter the minaret. She insisted on rendering the   service by all means. Blessed were the mother and wife of Baba Moti Ram Ji who helped and supported him to render this pious service.  When the guards stopped Baba Moti Ram Ji, he gave the ornaments to the guards. One of the guards asked if he was not afraid of NawabWazid Khan’s brutal punishment to the family. Baba Ji said it would  be very fortunate if he sacrificed himself and his family for his Guru. The guard allowed him to go upstairs. He served hot milk to Mata Ji and the Sahebjadas in the bitterly cold night . Mata Ji rained  blessings upon   him . Bhai Prem Ji, a poet write:

                           pikh ke prem su Moti Kera, Mata Kehayau bhala hovai tera.

                  Her blessing was a treasure for Baba Moti Ram Ji. All other  precious things of the world were useless before that treasure. Baba Jiperformed the  sacred  duty of serving  hot  milk to  Mata Ji  and the  Sahebjadas continuously for three nights.

                Baba Moti Ram Mehra Ji saw the Sahabjadas being martyred.  He came  back to  the  cold minaret and narrated  the tragedy to Mata Gujar Kaur Ji with eyes full of tears. To break the news was not easy for him. After listening to Baba Ji, Mata Gujar Kaur Ji thanked the Almightyand blessed Baba Moti Ram Mehra Ji a thousand times. After that Mata   Ji left for heavenly abode. After the martyrdom of Mata Gujar Kaur Jiand the Sahebjadas, Baba Moti Ram Ji in consultation with Diwan TodarMata Ji, bought a cart  loaded  with  sandalwood from  Atte  khan  andhimself lifted their pious bodies and lit the pyre of the three with his

own hands at place named Gurdwara Jyoti Sarup Sahib. This service by Baba Ji would  have  remained hidden but Gangu  Brahman’s  cousin Pamma Langa Complainted about this to Waizd Khan.

                            nich gangu ko bhart ik langa, tin lino Moti sang panga.

                               Jai vajidehe bhed bataiyo, ikk jhivar hai pey piaiyo.

                                  gur ko mat bal sukhadai, isahi deen bahut vadiai.

                On the  complaint of  Pamma Langa, Baba Moti Ram Ji  wasOdered to appear before the court with family. Waizd Khan thundered In anger that he came to know that Baba Moti Ram Ji Mehra was also a Sikh and he had served milk to Mata Gujar Kaur Ji and the Sahebzadas. Baba Moti Ram Ji said it was true. He said he was a devotee of Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. He also confessed his father Hara Ram JiOnce took a cart full of provisions to Sri Anandpur Sahib, there he gotbaptized and  became  Hara Singh , who attained  martyrdom in  the battle of Sri Anandpur Sahib. Wazid Khan turned more angry and asked him to accept Islam or get ready for brutal punishment. Baba Moti Ram Ji accepted to  be  martyred. The oppressor wanted  to  give  a tougher test. Wazid Khan ordered to crush Baba Ji’s son in the oil mill.  Baba Ji looked at his son. All were looking at them holding their breath. Baba Ji felt  that  he  was  very  fortunate , as  with Guru’s  grace  , he   got the opportunity  to  tread on  the  path of  martyrdom  shown  by  theSahebjadas . Baba Ji’s six year old son , eighty year old mother Ladho Jiand wife Bibi  Bholi  Ji  were crushed  in  the oil  mill at Teli  Mohalla of Sirhind before the eyes of Baba Ji. His family was being crushed while he was accepting it with a large  heart as God’s Will . Turn by turn, the whole family  was crushed in the oil  mill . The big  pan  was  filled with blood. Bones were crushed to powder . Flesh and muscles turned into marrow. Baba Moti Ram Ji  Mehra at once realized the mortality of the world ,with the grace of the Almighty ,he was able to  foresee events. At last, Baba Moti Ram Ji Mehra was also crushed in  the  same oil  mill. Thus he attained martyrdom . When Baba  Banda  Singh  Ji  Bahadarconquered  Sirhind  and came  to  know about  the  struggle  andMartyrdom of Baba Ji, at that time  Baba Banda Singh Bahadar Ji said

                               dhann Moti jin pun kamaia.gur lalan tain duddh pilaia.

                   Baba Moti Ram Ji was  blessed by Satguruji  as he  practicallyrecited Almighty’s ‘Naam’ and his  soul  rested in  peace for ever in heaven.

                                     Jin gurmukh naam dhiaaiaa aaay tay parvaan.

                          Nanak kul udhaareh aapnaa dargeh paavahi maan.

 Blessing Bestowed Upon Dhan Dhan Baba Moti

Mehra Ji by Dhan  Dhan Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji

               The Tenth Guru Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji was village Seeloani of Malwa region , when Noora  Mahi ,  a sent by Rai Kallah,narrated about the martyrdom of Sahebzadas anMata ji  and described  in  detail every  incident  that happened at Sirhind. On hearing about the height of tyranny, Satguru Ji a plant of  ‘Kaie’  and threw it  away  saying that the kingdom of the Truck/Mughals was uprooted from Sirhind then. Guru Ji said, “The 

Boat is full of sins. The end of the oppressive state is near.”

                Terming the service and martyrdom of Baba Moti Mehra Ji as sacrifice of the highest order, Father, Sri Dasmesh Ji that Moti Ram had  earned the   position of His very near and  dear Gursikh  because  of  his   supreme  sacrifice . Kalgidhar Patshah  Ji announced that after going away from the world, Moti Ram would be very close to Him, even in heaven . Guru Ji said He would always keep Moti Ram close to His heart like a precious necklace.

          A poem composed by Bhai Kishan Singh Ji bears testimony to this martyrdom:

                  Moti hamara sikh payara  ( Moti, My beloved Sikh )

                  tis ka karaj mam sir bahara .( I am indebted to him )

                   jan ham dargah jai birajai. ( to heaven when I go )

          moti ram ham nikat rahajai. ( Moti Ram would sit beside me )

               sachkhand jab karahi ham vasa . ( In heaven when I reside )

           Moti Ram mam dhig hoi vasa . ( Moti Ram would be in my heart )

                     Hamare ur ka har veh bane . ( He be the necklace I wear )

                  Sad hi hamare rid sang sane . ( Remain he always in my heart. )

               History and Folk mind never give such a high status to anyone Without reason . Unfathomable glow of good actions performed in Previous lives along with grace of the Almighty and philosophy to Sacrifice one’s life for all others are needed to achieve such a stage. Such achievement is attained with the grace of God. Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji was pleased with Baba Moti Ram Mehra Ji and His  word will  continue  honouring  Moti  Ram Ji  till  infinity . The wording of Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji has been described in the poem on martyrdom of Bhai Kishan Singh Ji :

                    mam sikhan meh Moti khas (Moti is special among my Sikhs)

sadaa rahe gur charnan pass ( May he always remain near Guru’s feet )

     Rare Gursikhs receive such fortunate blessings of worthy Satguru.

  Gurdwara amar Shaheed Baba Moti Ram Ji Mehra is Situated at a short distance from gurdwara Si Fatehgarh Sahib . The glasses in which younger Sahibzades and Mata  Gujar Kaur Ji drank milk while they were in Thanda Burj  (cold minaret ) are placed in this Gurdwara Sahib.