Guru Hari Kishan Sahib was born in Kiratput. Guru Hari Ray was his father and Mata Krishna Kaur was his mother. He was the younger son of Guru Hari Ray.

RECEVING OF GURU GADDI

Bhai Rama Ray, the elder son of Guru Hari Ray had committed the crime of reversing Vani of Guru Nanak Dev at the temptations offered by Aurangzeb. As a result Guru Hari Ray had expelled him from Guru Ghar. At the time of his demise Guru Hari Ray had transferred the Guru Gaddi to his younger son, Hari Kishan, who thus became the Eight Guru of the Sikhs. At the time of his receiving Guru Gaddi, Hari Kishan was just five years old.

CONSPIRACY OF RAMA RAY

When Rama Ray came to know about the transfer of Guru Gaddi to his younger brother Hari Kishan, he grew indignant. He consulted with his uncle Dhirmal and hatched a conspiracy and accordingly began backbiting in Auranzeb's court against Guru Hari Kishan. He also requested Aurangzeb to help him in asserting his right to Guru Gaddi.

Aurangzeb instructed king Jai Singh to coax Hari Kishan by love or force to come to Delhi.

Every where in the world, opposing forces seems in action. On the one side is light and on the other is darkness, night is opposite of day and sorrow is the opposite of happiness. Similar thing applied to Guru Hari Kishan and his brother Rama Ray. Guru Hari Kishan's heart was free from illusions, greed and was fearless with no enemity for anyone. On the other hand was his elder brother Rama Ray whose heart was full of illusions, greed, enemity and envy.

VISIT OF DELHI BY GURU HARI KISHAN

King Jai Singh sent his Diwan Paras Rama with fifty cavaliers and instructions to go to Kiratpur and request Guru Harkishan to come to Delhi. He also instructed Paras Rama to bring Guruji respectfully on a Palanquin. When the followers learned about Guruji's plan to visit Delhi on the call of Aurangzeb, all of them began to follow Guruji. The followers had wished to accompany Guruji up to Delhi. But Some how Guruji convinced them to go back and took only a few Sikhs with him.

PUNDIT RAMALAL

In the town of Punjokhor (Pinjaur), lived a Pundit Ramalal. He was very envious of Guruji's name and fame. All knowing Guruji was aware of Pundit's feelings. So when the two happened to face each-other, Guruji asked Pundit of what suspicious did he have. Pundit said: Maharaj, you are only five years old. And a boy of this age can't be a learned person, and without learning one can't preach about knowledge, truth, religion etc. Moreover without knowledge one has no right to be callled as Guru."

"In Dvapar," continued Pundit, "God appeared as Lord Krishna. But your name is even bigger than Him that is Hari Kishna. To prove your name, if you explain some of the Shlokas (Stanzas) of Bhagwad Gita, my suspicious will be removed."

Guru said,: O Pundit, for your first question, I have only to say that the knowledge and Satya Dharm (true religion) are not governed by age, but they are dependent upon bounty. One, who has the bounty of God, is lerned in true sense, no matter whether he is a boy or an old man. For the second question, I will just say that, if I myself explain the meaning of Gita's Shlokas, your doubts will not be removed. You may perhaps think that people of hight society get knowledge in early age donating money. So I will make any person of your choice to explain the meaning of Gita Shlokas. Thus blinded by the ego, Pundit did not import the meaning of Guruji's words. He at once brought a person named Chhajju from the village. He was deaf and dumb since birth, and did nothing except roaming here and there in rags. He appeared before Guruji in the same dire condition. Pundit Ramalal asked Guruji: "Maharaj, make this person to explain the Shlokas of Gita." Pundit was not aware that by his action, he was receiving some good deeds of Chhajju's previous birth, as said in Guru Vani:

PURAB KARAM ANKUR AB PRAGATE|
TAB BHETIO PURAKH RASAK BAIRAGI||

That is, when the seeds of some good deeds from previous birth germinate only then one happends to see Akal Purakh (the supreme being).

Guruji was holding a stick in his hands. He put that stick on Chhajju's head. And as soon as the stick touched Chhajju's head, his doors to knowledge opened and fourteen kinds of knowledge illuminated his mind. Guruvani also says:

KHULADE KAPAT NANAK SAT GURU BHETATE ||

Chhajju himself asked Pundit Rahalal: "Tell me, O Pundit, what should I recite to you?" And when Chhajju explained the meaning of Gita's Shlokas, Pundit was taken aback. Even thousands of people, who were present there, felt blessed. Now, Pundit realized that knowledge doesn't see age. He fell at Guruji's feet in submission. Guruji asked Pundit to seek a boon. But, by Guruji's grace his heart was pure now. So he could not utter a word. He simply sought a boon for Brahma Gyana (the divine Knowledge.)

MIRACLES IN DELHI

In Delhi, Guruji refused to accept Aurangzeb's hospitality. King Jai Singh then requested Guruji to stay at his residence. Accepting Jaisingh requested Guruji stayed at his palace. Early in the morning everyday now Satsang began to be held at Jai Singh's palace. People from far-off places began to throng there in order to have a sight of Guruji.

A curious thing happened one day. Wife of the king Jai Singh was an intelligent and learned woman. Like Pundit Ramalal, she too had begun to doubt the supremacy of Guru Har Kishan. She declared: " I will regard him as the Guru only when I have tested him thoroughly." Thus, the queen invited many other high-class women to her palace and took a firm determination in her mind that if Guru was true, he would sit in her lap only. When Guru Hari Kishan arrived, he paid no heed to other women and went straight to the queen and sat in her lap. The queen was overjoyed, and she embraced Guruji and since then assumed him as her son.

GURUJI'S GRACE

During Guruji stay, the city of Delhi was reeling under a severe outbreak of cholera. Thousands of people died daily. There was great panic among the public. Ultimately the people appealed Guruji for help. At their appeal, Guruji got a small pond dug in the city and sat beside it with his feet in the water.

He then dictated the people to drink the water from the pond, assuring them that thus their disease would be fully cured.

With faith people drank the water from the pond. And as soon as they started drinking the water from the pond, epidemic of cholera began to disappear. Thus, with Guruji's grace, the whole city of Delhi was free from the disease in just two days.

During his stay in Delhi, Guruji didn't go to see Aurangzeb. So Aurangzeb sent his son, the prince Muajjam, to Guruji. With spiritual preaching, Guruji pleased Muajjam. The prince then informed Aurangzeb about Rama Ray's claim that Guru Gaddi was neither an inheritance, nor a private property. As Rama Ray had changed Guru vani, so his father, the previous Guru, abandoned him. There was no atrocity, no injustice. Only the most blissful gets Guru Gaddi, and it is not governed by any mundane law.

From the words of Guruji, the emperor felt for sure that Rama Ray was not a victim of atrocities. The emperor had himself seen the graceful personality of Guru Hari Krishna.

DEMISE OF GURU HARI KISHAN

While Guruji was still in Delhi, outbreak of another epidemic took the city with storm. This time it was small pox. Guruji at once setout to help the victims. Guruji visited the areas where the disease was particularly rampant. As a result, Guruji himself got the disease. First it was high fever. But soon the symptoms of small pox appeared on his body. Some Sikhs then suggested, "Maharaj, you have saved the whole city from the disease. You please cure yourself also."

Guruji replied: "It is not my rule. I can only beg for God's grace for other but not for myself. Order of God is the excellent task in Guru Ghar. God has given everybody rights. But one should not use those rights for his personal benefits, because such actions interfere with in the laws of the nature. By God's grace, I can only do away with the grievances of the people.

Slowly, the small pox over powered Guruji's strength. Guruji informed all of his followers that he was going to pass away. While Guruji was breathing his last he uttered: Baba Bakale, that is, the true successor of the Guru Gaddi is in Bakale. Thus transferring the Guru Gaddi to Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib, Guru Hari Kishan breathened his last.