Though Guru Har Rai was only fourteen years old, he had a wise head on his shoulders, All the Sikhs who had seen and known him as a child were aware of the fact that while Guru Har Rai was young in age, he was old in the though and experienced the ordeals of the Sikh community as they bravely faced the Mughal attacks and conspiracies. He had seen the treachery of trusted people early in life, it still lives in its dark shadow; he had seen his own brother conspire with the Mughals to the over throw their own grandfather, so that he could get the Guru�s throne after him. He was proficient in the art of fighting and use of arms, but he also knew how to use it judiciously. All these qualities not only established the faith of the Sikh community firmly in him, it also endeared him strongly to them all.

By now, people had come to perceive his strength of characters and his kind heart. He had a heart that was filled with compassion and love not just for his near and dear ones, but even for those unknown to him. As per his grandfathers instructions, Guru Har Rai did not maintain an army of more than two thousand two hundred soldiers, and devoted all his time to serving the poor and the needy.

Gradually, the Sikhs began to grow stronger once again under Guru Har Rai�s leadership, and he began to guide them back to the religious path. He had agreed whole heartedly with Guru Hargobind that the Sikh community was still in its growing stage, and needed to preserve its energy and resources for bigger battles ahead instead of wasting it on petty squabbles with the Mughals. Guru Har Rai told his Sikhs that for the Mughals, �war� was a way of life; but for the Sikhs, �religion� was a way of life, and that was where they would make their progress.
By now the Guru had a son named Ram Rai , who was being brought up by the whole Sikh community in Kiratpur. The Guru used to often go on hunting expeditions with his Sikhs. This was again one thing that he had in common with Guru Hargobind. But unlike him, Guru Har Rai never killed the animals that he hunted. He would catch the wild animals and keep them as pets. He had a large reserve area where he set them free, and enjoyed watching them. He loved all living creatures and made sure that no one ever harmed them. He strongly believed that it was a sign of the highest order to hurt no one or cause pain or suffering of any kind, by his deeds. He would often quote these lines by Baba Farid, in the daily meetings of the Sikhs:

�All men�s heart are jewel;
It�s wicked to cause anyone grief or pain.
If you desire to see the dear Lord,
Cause no grief or pain, to anyone�s heart.�

To him all men were children of god, and those who were evil were only badly misled. He strongly believed that however came in their shelter deserved to be forgiven and to be treated as one of God�s man whatever his deeds may be. He said that repentance was a great quality which brought back the sinner from his evil ways on to the right path. Anyone who repented for his sins, deserved to be forgiven from the heart, with all ill feelings and grudges forgotten. All these golden words touched the hearts of his men and they tried hard to follow his teachings in their day-to-day life.

In a short span of time, the Sikh community had come closer and become stronger than ever before. They were beginning to understand the teachings of Guru Har Rai and became more tolerant and forthcoming in their interaction with people of other caste and creed. Also, the practice of serving free food in the Guru�s langar played a major role in bringing about this development in people�s thinking. It had been a regular practice since the days of Guru Nanak to operate a free kitchen for the devotees.

Under Guru Har Rai, this culture also underwent a development. The Guru gave clear instructions that the food should always be available in the langar, and should be open to everyone who came there to eat. He specifically told his devotees that who ever came to the door should not go away disappointed. He stressed that if they were unable to feed even one man who came to their kitchen, then it would be akin to a sin. He also told his followers that all visitors, irrespective of their religion and caste, were to be treated with the same devotion and hospitality as they would a relative of theirs. Sometimes, the Guru would happily go without food in order to feed all the people who had gathered around. Seeing this, the devotees too began placing the needs of others over their own. It was one of the achievements that made Guru Har Rai very proud of his men and very pleased in them.

The Guru regularly held court and exchanged views and opinions with his Sikh devotees. They would gathered before him and listen intently to his gentle words. They would gaze in his deep saintly eyes and be mesmerized by his teachings. Guru Har Rai used to enjoy the Hymns from the Holy Granth more than anything else. He would sit for hours on end, while his choir sang the holy hymns. These hymns were sung according to the various Hindustani �ragas� or musical measures, which added to its beauty and grace. So struck was Guru Har Rai by the holy hymns that he would go in a trance listening to its music and words. He felt an immediate link with Guru Nanak, and all the revered Gurus after him whenever he heard these hymns. To Guru Har Rai, these were the most beautiful expression of the devotion a Sikh felt for Guru Nanak and his successors. He held it in great esteem and it was sacred to him as guru Nanak himself. He gave a lot of respect to the holy words, and entreated every Sikh to do the same.

Once, when he was resting on his couch, a Shikh came into the room in the course of doing his work. He was casually singing the hymns from the Holy Granth. suddenly the guru recognized the holy verse and rose from his bed and sat up straight in respect of the holy word. When the Sikh asked him why he did so, He explained that the Guru himself is embodied in the hymns of the Holy Granth. And when one respects the holy scripture, one shows his respect for the Gurus too.

Guru Har Rai took great pleasure in the holy book. He used to choose passages from the Guru Granth Sahib and the Sikhs recited it during their daily prayers. He would also take great pains to explain the divine message of these sacred words to his followers so that they could learn to live by it, and become better Sikhs. He did so because was aware that many Sikhs, who recited verses from the book, could not understand it so well. He did not mind that since he knew that even without understanding its true meaning the Sikhs read it from their heart, and with complete devotion. He had as much faith in his people as they had in him. Since he was very young and only in his twenties, he showed close and personal relationship with each and everyone of his disciples. He would often smile when they read their verses without understanding it, and yet never chided them.

One day, however, a few of his disciples approached him and humbly asked him if there was any use in reading the Holy Scripture without really understanding anything at all. At that time, the Guru just smiled and let the question pass. A few days later, they left for a village to help some poor and needy people. When they reached the outskirts of that village, Guru Har Rai noticed that there lay a broken pot which was once used to store butter. He asked one of his disciples to pick up one of the pieces and get it over to him. The man did as he was told, and as the Sikhs gathered around him to see what the Guru was trying to do, he showed them a small chunk of butter that had stuck in one corner of the pot. Since it had started melting slowly. Pointing to the thin streak of melted butter, Guru Har Rai told his devotees that this is exactly what happened when they read the Holy Granth. Even if they read it without understanding, some of it does get stored in some corner of the mind provided it is read with devotion. Moreover, when the warmth of understanding is applied to it at any point of time, it surely yields wisdom. All the Sikhs present there, understood Guru Har Rai�s point clearly and all their doubts were dispelled. From then on, they began reading and reciting the Holy Granth with more devotion and reverence than they had ever done before. They also began to hold Guru Har Rai in great reverence for making everything look so simple.

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