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{{Short description|Guru Nanak's younger son (1497–1555)}}
{{Distinguish|Lakhmi Chand|text=[[Lakhmi Chand]], a Haryanvi poet}}
{{Infobox religious biography
| religion = [[Sikhism]]
| sect = Jagiasi
| image = Detail of Baba Lakhmi Das (also spelt as Lakhmi Chand; younger son of Guru Nanak) from a mural located in the haveli of Khem Singh Bedi located in Kallar Syedan, Rawalpindi district, Punjab.jpg
| caption = Detail of Lakhmi Das from a mural located in the haveli of [[Khem Singh Bedi]] located in Kallar Syedan, Rawalpindi district, Punjab, circa 1850–1890
| birth_date = 12 February 1497
| birth_place = [[Sultanpur Lodhi]], Delhi Sultanate
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1555|04|09|1497|02|12|df=y}}
| death_place = Kartarpur (on Ravi), [[Suri Empire]]
| parents = [[Guru Nanak]] (father)<br>[[Mata Sulakhni]] (mother)
| relatives = [[Sri Chand]] (elder brother)
| spouse = Dhanvanti
| children = Dharam Das (son)
}}

'''Lakhmi Das''' (12 February 1497 – 9 April 1555{{Efn|Some sources give his birth year as 1496.<ref name="The Sikh Gurus">{{cite book |last1=Dhillon |first1=Harish |title=The Sikh Gurus |date=2015 |publisher=Hay House |isbn=9789384544454 |quote=Guru Nanak was about twenty-seven years old when he moved to Sultanpur. He had got married in the year 1487, and had been blessed with two sons. His father-in-law was Mulchand Khatri who lived in the town of Batala in Punjab. He had a daughter Sulakhni, who was said to be polite and soft-spoken. Both Jairam and Nanki had felt that she would make a good match for Nanak. It was during his stay at Sultanpur that his sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das, were born, in the years 1494 and 1496 respectively. ... Ever since he had returned home from his journeys, Nanak knew that neither of his sons could be his successor - Sri Chand lived a life of renunciation while Lakhmi Das was too materialistic.}}</ref>|group=note}}), also known as '''Lakhmi Chand''', was the younger son of [[Guru Nanak]] and [[Mata Sulakhni]] and founder of the Jagiasi [[Sects of Sikhism|sect]] of [[Sikhism]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Harbans |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University, Patiala |year=2011 |edition=3rd |pages=553}}</ref>

== Biography ==
[[File:Guru Nanak with his sons Siri (Sri) Chand and Lakshman (Laxmi or Lakhmi) Chand. Sikh-Guler. Middle or last quarter of 18th century AD.jpg|thumb|Guru Nanak with his sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das. Sikh-Guler. Middle or last quarter of 18th century]]
He was born to Guru Nanak and Mata Sulakhni in [[Sultanpur Lodhi]] on 12 February 1497.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Singh |first=Bhupinder |date=October–December 2019 |title=Genealogy of Guru Nanak |url=https://sikhinstitute.org/oc_2019/colbhupindersingh.html |journal=Abstracts of Sikh Studies |publisher=Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh |volume=21 |issue=4 |archive-date=2023-06-02 |access-date=2023-05-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602073320/https://sikhinstitute.org/oc_2019/colbhupindersingh.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> He differed in his life path from his elder brother, Sri Chand, as the latter became an ascetic recluse whilst Lakhmi Das married and had children, living the life of a householder.<ref name=":0" /> He married a woman named Dhanvanti and settled in [[Dera Baba Nanak]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Singh |first=Bhupinder |date=October 2019 |title=Genealogy of Guru Nanak |url=https://sikhinstitute.org/oc_2019/colbhupindersingh.html |journal=Abstracts of Sikh Studies |volume=XXI |issue=4 |archive-date=2023-06-02 |access-date=2023-05-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602073320/https://sikhinstitute.org/oc_2019/colbhupindersingh.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lakhmi Das worked the land as a farmer.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sibal |first=Rajni Sekhri |title=The Guru - Guru Nanak's Saakhis |year=2022 |isbn=9789392661099 |pages=146}}</ref> Lakhmi Das was also fond of [[hunting]] and was an avid huntsman.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Sikh Review, Volume 37, Issues 421-432 |publisher=Sikh Cultural Centre, Calcutta |year=1989 |pages=39}}</ref> His wife eventually bore him a son in 1515, named Dharam Das (also spelt as Dharam Chand).<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Grewal |first=J. S. |title=The Khalsa: Sikh and Non-Sikh Perspectives |publisher=Manohar |year=2004 |isbn=9788173045806 |pages=64}}</ref>

=== Guruship candidacy ===
[[File:Full view of a fresco of Guru Nanak testing his potential successors by asking them to climb a tree to obtain food for a gathering, only Bhai Lehna followed his command, from Gurdwara Baba Atal, Amritsar 01.jpg|thumb|Mural from [[Gurdwara Baba Atal]] depicting the story of Guru Nanak testing his potential successors by asking them to climb a tree to obtain food for guests. Lakhmi Das and Sri Chand refused to do so (both are depicted below Nanak) whilst Bhai Lehna obeyed (depicted climbing the tree to obtain sustenance for the gathering below).]]
According to Harish Dhillon, Guru Nanak may have passed over Lakhmi Das when deciding who will be his successor because he was too absorbed in [[Economic materialism|materialism]].<ref name="The Sikh Gurus">{{cite book |last1=Dhillon |first1=Harish |title=The Sikh Gurus |date=2015 |publisher=Hay House |isbn=9789384544454 |quote=Guru Nanak was about twenty-seven years old when he moved to Sultanpur. He had got married in the year 1487, and had been blessed with two sons. His father-in-law was Mulchand Khatri who lived in the town of Batala in Punjab. He had a daughter Sulakhni, who was said to be polite and soft-spoken. Both Jairam and Nanki had felt that she would make a good match for Nanak. It was during his stay at Sultanpur that his sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das, were born, in the years 1494 and 1496 respectively. ... Ever since he had returned home from his journeys, Nanak knew that neither of his sons could be his successor - Sri Chand lived a life of renunciation while Lakhmi Das was too materialistic.}}</ref> A ''[[sakhi]]'' tells of a time when Guru Nanak requested his two sons to climb a [[Vachellia nilotica|''kikar'' tree]] to obtain fruit to feed guests but Lakhmi Das and his brother refused to obey his solicitation while Bhai Lehna gladly obeyed and obtained bountiful amounts of fruit, showcasing his devoutness and loyalty to the Guru.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=MacAuliffe |first=Max Arthur |title=The Sikh Religion: Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1909 |series=The Sikh Religion: Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors |volume=1 |location=Oxford |pages=4–10}}</ref> Another sakhi tells of a time when Guru Nanak asked his two sons to carry a bundle of sticks but they refused to whilst Bhai Lehna humbly obliged this command.<ref name=":3" /> Another anecdote of a test performed by Nanak occurred when he asked Lakhmi Das and his elder brother to pickup a jug that fell into dirty ditch and bring it to him.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Holt |first=James D. |title=Understanding Sikhism: A Guide for Teachers |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2022 |isbn=9781350263192 |series=Teaching Religions and Worldviews |quote=Many at the time would, perhaps, have expected one of Guru Nanak's two sons, Sri Chand and Lakshmi Das, to succeed him as Guru, but a couple of stories are told as to why Guru Nanak chose Lehna to be the second Guru, Guru Angad. The first story tells of a jug that had fallen into a muddy ditch. On being asked to retrieve it, Sri Chand felt that the jug was too dirty and that the dirt would possibly pollute him. Lakhmi Das refused, the suggestion being that it was too menial a task for a son of the Guru. On the other hand, Lehna retrieved it, cleaned it and brought it to Guru Nanak filled with clean water.}}</ref> Lakhmi Das refused to as he saw this task as beneath him, he thought very highly of himself since he was the son of Guru Nanak.<ref name=":4" /> Meanwhile, Bhai Lehna obeyed without hesitation and completed the task by bring the Guru fresh, clean water in the jug that he obtained from the ditch.<ref name=":4" /> When his father died, him and his elder brother initially rejected the reality of the [[Guru Gaddi|guruship]] being passed onto Bhai Lehna, who became [[Guru Angad]].<ref name=":2" /> They may have wanted to make a claim for the guruship themselves but according to Sikh legend, when they requested Guru Angad give them their father's cloak (a symbol of the guruship), neither Lakhmi Das nor his son, Dharam Das, could lift it.<ref name=":2" /> This satisfied their hearts that Guru Angad was the rightful successor to their father and quelled their desires for the seat of leadership.<ref name=":2" />

=== Spiritual career ===
Lakhmi Das was the purported founder of the Jagiasi sect of Sikhism (also known as Jagiasu or Jijnasu; from the Sanskrit word ''[[jijñāsā]]'' meaning "desire to know").<ref name=":15">{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Harbans |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University, Patiala |year=2011 |edition=3rd |volume=2: E-L |pages=318}}</ref><ref name=":16">{{Cite journal |last=Singh |first=Bhupinder |date=October–December 2020 |title=Nanakpanthis |url=https://www.sikhinstitute.org/oct_2020/8_bhupinder.html |journal=Abstracts of Sikh Studies |publisher=Institute of Sikh Studies |volume=XXII |issue=4 |archive-date=2024-09-28 |access-date=2023-05-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240928075215/https://www.sikhinstitute.org/oct_2020/8_bhupinder.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=":17">{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Bhupender |title=Baba Nanak Shah Fakir |year=2022 |isbn=9789357046602 |pages=14–15}}</ref><ref name=":18">{{Cite book |last1=Fenech |first1=Louis E. |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |last2=McLeod |first2=W. H. |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2014 |isbn=9781442236011 |edition=3rd |series=Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements Series |pages=161}}</ref> It was a sister-sect to the Udasis and bore many similarities to it, with the critical difference being that the Udasis follow a lifestyle of [[celibacy]], [[Recluse|reclusiveness]], and [[asceticism]], following in the footsteps of Lakhmi's elder brother, Sri Chand, the Jagiasu sect which Lakhmi had founded on the other hand promoted and lived the life of a householder, known as ''grist marg''.<ref name=":15" /><ref name=":16" /><ref name=":17" /><ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19">{{Cite book |last=Malkani |first=Dada Kewalram Ratanmal |title=The Sindh Story: A Great Account on Sindh |others=Sani Hussain Panhwar |pages=123 |quote=Guru Nanak’s two sons Baba Lakhmichand and Baba Srichand, gave rise to the Jagiasu and Udasi schools of preachers. They also established many temples. Chief of them was Bawa Gurpat Saheb, the twelfth-generation descendant of Guru Nanak. He played a notable role in Sindhi society. No wonder the Sindhis are very familiar with Sikh scriptures. Today even important Sindhi Muslim leaders such as G.M. Syed feel that the teachings of Guru Nanak would be good for all Sindhis and Punjabis.}}</ref>

There exists a belief that Lakhmi Chand may have been the scribe of the ''Guru Harsahai Pothi''.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Balwant Singh |first=Dhillon |title=Early Sikh Scriptural Tradition: Myth and Reality |publisher=Singh Bros. |year=1999 |isbn=9788172052393 |pages=79 |quote=XII. SCRIBE - 12.1. In the Pothi no colophon indicating the scribe, date and place of writing, has been noticed. Sometimes, Lakhmi Chand, the younger son of Guru Nanak has been associated with its scribing. But no internal and external evidence corroborates the above view.}}</ref> Balwant Singh Dhillon finds the connection unlikely.<ref name=":5" />

=== Death ===
Lakhmi Das died on 9 April 1555 at the age of 58 in [[Kartarpur, Pakistan|Kartarpur]] (Sur Empire) near the [[Ravi River]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":02" />

== Legacy ==
His son, Dharam Das, wedded a woman from the Passi [[Khatri]] clan in 1527, who was the daughter of [[Dewan|Diwan]] Uttam Das and Bibi Lajwanti.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Dharam Das had two sons named Manak Das and Mehr Das.<ref name=":1" /> The Bedi descendants of Guru Nanak, such as [[Sahib Singh Bedi]] and [[Khem Singh Bedi]], trace their lineage ultimately from him.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Grewal |first1=J. S. |title=Early Nineteenth-Century Panjab |last2=Banga |first2=Indu |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2016 |isbn=9781317336945 |quote=All the descendants of Guru Nanak have been men of felicity. At present, Baba Faqir Bakhsh, Sant Bakhsh, Har Bakhsh and Kartar Bakhsh, the sons of Bhup Chand, have distinguished themselves for their commendable manners and apparent and intrinsic qualities. They belong to the 11th generation from Guru Nanak. Baba Nanak had two sons: Sri Chand and Lakhmi Chand. Sri Chand became renunciant and did not get married. Baba Lakhmi Chand came to have a family. His son was Dharm Das who came to have two sons: Manak Chand and Mehar Chand. Manak Chand had three sons: Datar Chand, Jagat Chand and Inayat Chand. In the house of Datar Chand were born five sons: Gurditta who became an emancipated man, Bahar Chand, Tara Chand, Udai Chand and Fateh Chand. Baba Bahar Chand had four sons: Asa Chand, Mansa Chand, Harkaran Chand and Suraj Singh. Asa Chand had three sons: Gursahai, Purab Chand and Karam Shah. In the house of Karam Shah were born two sons: Baba Maya Dhari and Baba Gurcharan Das. The latter died without a child. Baba Maya Dhari came to have three sons: Baba Bhup Chand, Milap Chand and Jamiat Chand. God gave four sons to Baba Bhup Chand, all of whom became learned: Baba Faqir Bakhsh, Baba Sant Bakhsh, Baba Har Bakhsh and Baba Kartar Bakhsh, who have been mentioned above. It is believed that an emancipated darvesh named Tawakkul Shah came to the house of Baba Bhup Chand in Dera Baba Nanak and stayed there for a long time. He was an Udasi belonging to the order of Sri Chand, the son of Nanak Shah and he was well versed in all the branches of knowledge. It was because of their association with him that the sons of Baba Bhup Chand came to possess good manners and learning.}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Sikhism}}

[[Category:Family members of the Sikh gurus]]
[[Category:1497 births]]
[[Category:1555 deaths]]
[[Category:16th-century Indian people]]
[[Category:People from Kapurthala district]]

Lakhmi Das - Revision history

Svetltdz at 02:55, 6 October 2025