Guru Arjan was the youngest son of Guru Ram Das and Mata Bhani. He was born at Goindwal on April 15, 1563. In 1579 Guru Arjan was eventually married to Ganga Devi daughter of Krishan Chand 1579

As previously mentioned, Arjan received the Guruship from his father Guru Ram Das in 1581. To finish the task his father had started there and to escape his envious older brother, Prithi Chand, Guru Arjan now departed Goindwal for Ramdaspur (Amritsar). Santoksar and Amritsar's two tanks were finished by Guru Arjan, and Ramdaspur was expanded.

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In the centre of Amritsar's tank, the Guru lay the foundation for the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple). It was the Sikhs' unanimous wish that it stands as the highest structure in the new town. Guru Arjan thought otherwise, though. He emphasised to his disciples the need for humility. As a result, the temple was constructed at the lowest elevation possible. The Harmandir Sahib had entrances on all four sides to refute the Muslim belief that God's House is in the west and the Hindu belief that it is in the east where the sun rises. Guru Arjan exclaimed; "His faith is for the people of all castes and all creeds from whichever direction they come and to whichever direction they bow." To help raise money for these monumental public works projects, the Guru declared that all Sikhs should donate 1/10th of their earnings to charity.

Around 1590, Guru Arjan decided to travel throughout Punjab with the help of dependable Sikhs like Bhai Gurdas and Bidhi Chand. He travelled to Barath, where he encountered Baba Sri Chand, the elderly ascetic son of Guru Nanak, as well as Khadur, Goindwal, Sarhali, Bhaini, Khanpur, Taran Taran, Lahore, and Dera Baba Nanak. Additionally, Guru Arjan bought some property close to Jullundur and built the walls of a new settlement called Kartarpur and dug a well by the name of Ganga Sagar.

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When the Guru eventually made it back to Amritsar, Prithi Chand, his oldest brother, was still as envious as ever. Prithi Chand anticipated that his son Mehrban would be able to succeed Guru Arjan as the next Guru as the Guru has not yet had offspring. "If you need a boon, ask not me but a pious Sikh like Baba Buddha, the aged seer and devout disciple of Guru Nanak," Guru Arjan said in humility to his wife Ganga Devi. She travelled to Baba Buddha, who resided in a jungle not far from Amritsar, with a sizable entourage and considerable fuss. She gave him a variety of delicious foods to eat there. This incensed Baba Buddha, who resisted bestowing any blessings. Guru Arjan learned what had occurred and instructed his wife to return, this time on foot and carrying a straightforward supper she had made. This time, Baba Buddha liked the basic cuisine and ate some. He made the following proclamation: "A son will be born to thee who will crush the enemies of Nanak's house, just as I have crushed this piece of onion with my hand."

Soon thereafter Ganga Devi became pregnant. Prithi Chand meanwhile cultivated Sulhi Khan, a revenue officer of the Mughal court to raid Amritsar on the pretext of collecting a tribute. Guru Arjan along with his family left Amritsar and settled at Wadali a few miles away. It was here that on June 14, 1595, the Guru was blessed with a son, Hargobind.

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Meanwhile, Sulhi Khan postponed his attack on Amritsar after learning that Guru Arjan and his riches had left the city. In Amritsar, Prithi Chand made an effort to persuade the Sikhs that he, not Arjan Dev, was the true Guru. However, he was met with disappointment as the Sikhs persisted in thronging to visit Guru Arjan Dev. Therefore, Prithi Chand devised a plot to kill Hargobind, the Guru's only kid. He attempted to poison Hargobind by sending a wet nurse with poison, getting a snake charmer to release a snake nearby, and sending a servant with poison milk. All of these attempts were unsuccessful, and the people who carried them out publicly admitted that Prithi Chand had dispatched them.

Eventually, a large delegation of Sikhs was able to convince the Guru to return to Amritsar.

Now, a circumstance happened that needed the Guru's undivided attention. The Guru received information that Prithi Chand was writing his songs and giving them to the visiting Sikhs as works by Guru Nanak and other Gurus. Others were also misrepresenting the Sikh Guru's compositions as their own. Guru Arjan understood that the Sikh religion would be undermined if this condition was allowed to persist. After providing the Sikhs with a main site of worship, they now need a genuine collection of their Guru's hymns. As a result, Guru Amar Das began compiling all of the Gurus' original verses.

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He sent dependable Sikhs around the nation in quest of authentic manuscripts, including Bhai Piara, Bhai Gurdas, and Baba Buddha. Goindwal, Khadur, and Kartarpur were among the places Guru Arjan travelled to see the families of the previous gurus. Mohan, the son of Guru Amar Das, Datu, the son of Guru Angad, and Sri Chand, the son of Guru Nanak, all gave genuine manuscripts of the Gurus to Guru Arjan. Guru Arjan now set up a tent on the side of the Ramsar tank and began the laborious job of producing the first edition of the Holy Guru Granth Sahib, leaving Baba Buddha in charge of the spiritual requirements of the numerous pilgrims visiting Harmandir Sahib. The Guru's scribe for the master copy was assigned to Bhai Gurdas. Unlike any other religious book in history; Guru Arjan decided to also include the compositions of Hindu and Muslim saints which he considered consistent with the teachings of Sikhism and the Guru's. Guru Arjan included the works of such Hindu Bhaktas as Kabir, Jaidev, Namdev, Dahnna, Ravidas, Pipa and Ramanand. The Guru also included the works of such Muslim divines as Farid, Mardana, Satta and Balwand, the Guru's minstrels, as well as several bards (Bhatts). Bhai Gurdas was invited by the Guru to include his verses but declined out of modesty.

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The enormous work was finally finished. In August 1604, the first copy of the Guru Granth Sahib, known at the time as Pothi Sahib, was placed on a tall pedestal inside the Harmandir Sahib. All Sikhs were told to bow before it, not as an idol but rather as the book of divine inspiration that taught living men how to follow God's teachings and devote their lives to the secular life, as Guru Arjan had done. The first Granthi (custodian) of the book was chosen to be the legendary Baba Buddha. According to Guru Arjan, unlike the Hindu scriptures, anyone of any caste, creed, or sex is free to read the Pothi Sahib. There is still a copy of the original in existence.

A rich arrogant Hindu banker of Delhi called Chandu Shah tried to marry his daughter to Hargobind. But due to his arrogance, Guru Arjan refused the match. Prithi Chand knew that Chandu Shah welded some influence with the imperial court. He used Chandu Shah's anger at being rejected to cause further trouble. Prithi Chand had Chandu Shah complain to Emperor Akbar that the Guru had prepared a book which was derogatory to Muslims and Hindus. Upon hearing this Akbar ordered the Guru to be brought before him along with the. Guru Arjan sent the revered Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas to the Mughal court along with a copy of the Holy Granth. Akbar opened the Holy Book and the first hymn readout.

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Akbar was relieved to hear this since he had always regarded the Sikh Gurus as social reformers who upheld the unity of God and the brotherhood of mankind. Chandu Shah, on the other hand, charged Bhai Gurdas with reciting a hymn from memory rather than reading the text. As a result, Akbar called a Sahib Dyal who could read Gurmukhi to the witness stand and randomly selected a page for him to read. 

Except for love and devotion to God, I so far find neither praise nor blame to anyone in this Granth," the Emperor cried out. It is a book deserving of respect. Additionally, Akbar wished to provide Guru Arjan with an appropriate gift. Since there was a terrible drought that year, Guru Arjan requested that the Emperor free the people of Punjab from the annual land revenue. Akbar obediently carried out the Guru's instructions, which substantially boosted the Guru's standing among the peasants.

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