Bhai Daya Singh Ji: the first of the Panj Pyare

This day celebrates the birth of Bhai Daya Singh Ji, the first of the Panj Pyare, the five beloved ones. On Vaisakhi in 1699, when Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji stood before the sangat at Anandpur Sahib with a drawn sword and asked who would give his head, he was the first to rise.

Daya Ram of Lahore

He was born Daya Ram in 1661 in Lahore, into a Khatri family devoted to the Gurus, and came to Anandpur Sahib as a young man to serve. Tradition remembers him as learned in Persian and Punjabi.

Vaisakhi 1699

When the Guru asked for a head, a hush fell over the gathering. Daya Ram stood up and offered his. The Guru took him into a tent and came out with his sword dripping, asking for another; four more Sikhs came forward, each from a different caste and region. The Guru then brought all five out dressed alike, gave them Khande di Pahul, the Amrit prepared with a double-edged sword, and named them Singh, and then asked them to give him Amrit in turn. Daya Ram became Bhai Daya Singh, his name meaning compassion. Read more about Vaisakhi and the creation of the Khalsa.

A life beside the Guru

Bhai Daya Singh Ji remained close to the Guru for the rest of his life. He was one of the three Singhs who left the garhi at Chamkaur with the Guru in December 1704, and tradition remembers that he carried the Guru's letter, the Zafarnama, to the emperor Aurangzeb in the Deccan. He went south with the Guru to Nanded, and is believed to have passed away at Abchal Nagar there, where a memorial to him and Bhai Dharam Singh Ji stands.

How the day is observed

Sangats remember him with kirtan and Ardas, especially at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Anandpur Sahib.