Guru Har Rai was also well-versed in medicines. Having spent his childhood in the Himalayan region he had grown familiar with most of the trees, shrubs and herbs present there. He was well aware of the medicinal value of the various herbs that grew on the Shivalik Hills, and he began to use them not just for his Sikhs, but for all the poor and needy that came to him for help. In no time, word had spread around about his medicinal skills, and people thronged his house for some medicine or the other. Guru Har Rai was very grateful to god for providing him with his abilities, and he saw it his fellow-men. He asked his Sikhs to open up a free dispensary from where anyone could describe his ailment, and pick up his medicines free of cost. When Guru Har Rai saw the number of people suffering with some ailment or the other, he felt aggrieved. He asked his Sikhs to buy medicines from other places too and keep it in their dispensary. Some of the medicines were so rare and expensive that the poor people could never afford it. In fact, the Guru ensured that his dispensary kept all kinds of medicines for the poor. He felt5 most satisfied when he was able to alleviate their pain in any way. Most people who had benefited from Guru�s medical centre willingly accepted his faith and sang his praises far and wide. Guru Har Rai had earned more devotees by his kindness and good deeds than the Mughals did by force.

With the passage of time, the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan too realized that the Sikh community was a piece-loving one, and posed no threat to his kingdom. Like the Guru, he also felt that nothing would come of continuous warfare between them, and so he tried not to provoke any ill-feelings in the Sikhs. He too had heard of the way in which the Guru took care of his people and he admired him for it.

Shah Jahan was getting old and he had begun to appreciate the peace-loving ways of Guru Har Rai. His own four sons were a source of great worry to him, and he had begun to feel the strain of his sons vying for the throne. His eldest and favorite son, Dara Shikoh, was the apparent heir but faced a huge threat from his third son, Aurangzeb, Who was not only very shrewd but cunning too. In order to get rid of Dara Shikoh, he had tried many plots so that he could ascend the throne.

One day, he was told by his men that a tiger�s whiskers could be highly poisonous. So, he had these addede to Dara Shikoh�s food after bribing the royal cook. As expected, when Dara Shikoh ate those, he became seriously ill. Shah Jahan had doctors and fakirs brought to his palace, from all corners of the country, but no one could come up with a remedy to cure the prince. They all said that only a special kind of medicine made from some rare herbs could cure the prince, but they had no idea where to find that herb. Shah Jahan�s heart broke with sorrow, and he had almost given up hope on his son�s recovery when one of the local doctor suggested that he ask the Guru fo that rare medicine since he was well informed about herbs. At this, Shah Jahan immediately dispatched some of his men to Kiratpur with a humble and polite letter from him, requesting him to provide the medicine and save the young prince�s life.

When those men reached Guru Har Rai he was holding his court, and was surrounded by all his men. When the Guru�s Sikhs saw the Mughal soldiers approaching, they felt that the king was once again back to his challenging games, and they were immediately on their guard. But Guru Har Rai told them to first equire what they wanted. When the soldiers informed them of their errand, the Guru bade them welcome and had his men take care of them, while he arranged for the rare medicine. Some of the Sikhs tried to tell the Guru that Dara Shikoh was the son of the enemy, who had been responsible for the death of so many of their men. At this, Guru Har Rai patiently explained to them that at that moment the emperor had come to his doorstep full of hope for help, and there was no way that he was going to disappoint him. He also told his men that at such times one should lay aside all grievances and complaint, and offer as much help as one is capable of. To him, on the one hand, it was a sign of humility in the enemy to come to his enemy�s doorstep seeking help. While on the other hand, it was a sign of greatness to forget everything else and lend a helping hand. The Guru then handed over the medicine to the soldiers with a letter instructing the king as to haw the medicine was to be administered. He also asked to be informed when the prince recovered.

Shah Jahan�s joy knew no bounds when the soldiers arrived with the medicine. After taking the medicine the prince recovered in no time. So overcome was Shah Jahan with gratitude that he forgot all the old enmity between the Muslims and the Sikhs, and realized the greatness of the Guru. He was about to send messengers to the Guru to inform him about the recovery and well-being of Dara Shikoh. But then, he decided to go personally and thank him for saving his son�s life.

Soon the news of Shah Jahan�s arrival reached the Guru, and he welcomed the emperor with all due respect and honor. Shah Jahan bowed to the Guru and expressed his gratitude heartily. He sought the Guru�s blessings and begged him to accept his hand of friendship. The Guru willingly agreed because he was always in favor of cordial relations between them, since it meant peace and prosperity not just for his men but for the whole country. Besides, he was also won over by Shah Jahan�s humility and sincere wish towards friendship. Guru Har Rai embraced Shah Jahan and accepted his friendship. The Sikhs were also happy since they too had seen too much of bloodshed in the recent past, and did not want anymore of it.

The period of follow was that of peaceful co-existence of the Mughals and the Sikhs, but unfortunately it was very short lived. Shah Jahan fell ill and was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb, who became the new Mughal emperor. Since Aurangzeb did not like the Sikhs much, everyone knew that the friendship was bound to end.

Guru Har Rai, Himalayan region, shrubs and herbs, Shivalik Hills, free dispensary, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, Sikh community, Dara Shikoh, Aurangzeb, Kiratpur, Mughal soldiers, Muslims, Aurangzeb Mughal Emperor