Question

Which son of Guru Ram Das Ji in Sikh tradition is called ‘Meena’?
A. Mahan Dev
B. Arjan Dev
C. Prithi Chand
D. Krishan Chand

Answer 1

Hint: Guru Ram das Ji was the fourth Sikh Guru. He was succeeded by Guru Arjan Dev, who was his youngest son, to lead on the teachings of the first Guru of Sikhs i.e. Guru Nanak Dev. The tradition which formulated the Sikh community has faced multiple challenges, not just from outside their community but also due to the propagation of parallel ideologies in the Sikh community itself.

Complete answer: The eldest son of Guru Ram Das Ji was Prithi Chand. When Guru Arjan Dev Ji was selected by Guru Ram Das Ji to be his successor, Prithi Chand stood vehemently against the decision. According to him, being the eldest son, he should have had the right to succeed his father in the lineage and be the next Guru.

Let’s look at the option;
Option A- Baba Mahan Dev was the second son of Guru Ram Das Ji and accepted his decision.
Option B- Guru Arjan Dev Ji was the successor of Guru Ram das Ji.
Option C- The supporters of Prithi Chand broke away from the orthodox line of the Sikhs and continued their section parallelly to the mainstream Sikh community and were called Meenas (meaning scoundrels). This community has survived for years and remained one of the biggest critiques of the Sikh tradition by calling the lineage faulty in the name of Guru Arjan Dev Ji and blaming him for wrongly occupying his father’s property as well as the place amongst the ten Gurus.
The Meena section has slowly faded into the background of the larger Sikh community and bears little significance today but has been an important turn in the history of this community.
Thus, the correct option is (C).

Note: In popular knowledge, it is believed that it was Prithi Chand who had made a connection with the Mughal rulers and officials by claiming his position to the official position as the next Guru and blamed Guru Arjan Dev Ji for usurpation. Thus, he is said to be connected to the arrest and execution of Guru Arjan Dev.