Bhai Balu Hasna

Bhai Balu Hasna (13 November 1564 – 2 December 1660) was a Sikh preacher and leader of a branch of the Udasi sampradaya. He was the younger brother of Bhai Almast.

Balu Hasna was born on 13 November 1564, in a Gaur Brahmin family of Srinagar (Kashmir) to Pandit Hardatt and Mai Prabha.

Initially named Balu, he travelled with his elder brother Alu, also known as Bhai Almast, to receive teachings from Guru Arjan in Amritsar in 1604. Balu devoted himself to serving the Guru, and later accompanied Guru Hargobind on his chases, always wearing a smile that earned him the nickname "Hasna," meaning the laughing one. At the request of Guru Hargobind, Bhai Balu Hasna joined Baba Gurditta, the Guru's eldest son and spiritual successor of Baba Sri Chand, the founder of the Udasi sect.

Missionary work

Baba Gurditta assigned him the task of preaching Sikhism in the Pothohar region for the remainder of his life. Balu Hasna continued this mission until his death in Peshawar on 2 December 1660.

Bhai Lal Das Daryai and Bhai Jado Rai, both Punjabi poets and disciples of Bhai Balu Hasna, carried on his work in western and southern Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, and Sindh. According to sources, Bhai Lal Das accompanied Guru Gobind Singh to the South, received khalsa baptism, and was renamed Prahilad Singh, writer of one of the Sikh codes of conduct, the rahit-nama, is attributed to Balu Hasna.

Udho Das, another of Bhai Balu Hasna's followers, served Mata Panjab Kaur, the widow of Baba Ram Rai at Dehra Dun after her death in April 1741, and succeeded her, constructing a Samadhi or Mausoleum honouring Bhai Balu Hasna at Dehra Dun.