Bhai Jivanda, whose name is included by Bhai Gurdas among prominent Sikhs of the first half of the sixteenth century, received initiation at the hands of Guru Angad. As he first visited the Guru, he was accompanied by Bhai Durga and Bhai Lalu. The Guru in the words of Bhai Mani Singh, Sikhdn di Bhagat Maid, spoke to them: "There is nothing to match parupkdr (acts of goodwill and charity). One should put the welfare of others above one's own interests, share with the needy what one has, contribute the labour of one's hands and limbs for the common good, and pray for the wellbeing of all." Bhai Jivanda and his companions became the Guru's disciples and practised his advice. Bhai Gurdas, in his Varan, XI. 15, calls them parupkdrl or men dedicated to doing good to others.