tories from

IKH HISTORYBook-I

Hemkunt

STORIES FROM

SIKH HISTORY

BOOK-I(Guru Nanak Dev)

. ByKARTAR SINGH

and. GURDIAL SINGH DHILLON

Edited byP. M. MACORMACK

~Hemkunt Press

A-78 Naraioa Iodl. Area Phase-I New Delhi-lI0028

© Hemkunt Press 1971Twentieth Impression 1992

ISBN 81-7010-015-1--Price,~

In this seriesBook I (Guru Nanak Dev)Book II (Guru Angad to Guru Arjun Dev)Book III (Guru Hargobind to GuruTeg Bahadur)Book IV (Guru Gobind Singh)Book V (Sikh Martyrs)Book VI (Banda Singh Bahadur) .Book VII (Maharaja Ranjit Singh) and thereafter ,till 1989)

FOREWORD

Moral and religious instruction, I am glad to find, is nbw beingrehabilitated in our schools. Our country is secular, it is true, but thereis no denying the fact that 'religious and moral education has a veryuseful function to serve.

Modern psychology has emphasized that, if the child is givenproper guidance at his formative stages, it will greatly help integratehis personality. The example of the teacher and his relations withstudents leave a deep impression on the minds of students. Moral

instruction, I feel, is better given by example than by precept.

The great figures of the past, speciallythe heroes of history, haveshown mankind how to fight successfully against evil and face thechallenges, from time to time. One of the great saviours of Indianhistory is Guru Nanak. Through his example, he challenged superstition,inertia, tyrann~ and bigotry. His life is a beacon-light which givesinspiration to all who seek guidance in the path of truth and righteousaction.

The youth of today, more than any other section of society, is atthe cross-roads. School students are dazed by the march of excitingevents and the great tensions of the modern world. Science may throwlight on the physical world, but it is only the teachings of great saintsand sages which offer a glimpse into the spiritual world. Anyeducational system which does not take into account the moraldevelopment of the students will remain inadequate and ineffective.In this book for children, are presented a number of stories from thelife of Guru Nanak in a broad and vivid manner. The pictures andsketches given therein, I am sure, will create a lasting impression ontheir minds. I sincerely hope that this series of Sikh History bookswhich they have planned, will go a long way in moulding the lives ofthe young Indian students.

Ganda SinghPh.D.. D. Lilt.

CONTENTS

1. Talwand,i'2. The Child3. At School4. The Cattle-Grazer5. A Cobra Serves6. The Good Bargain7. Three Golden Rules8. All Men are Brothers9. The True Prayer

10. Bhai Lalo11. Malik Bhago12. Sajjan the Robber13. At Hardwar14. Duni Chand of Lahore15. Kauda the Man- Eater16. God is Everywhere17. A Haughty Fakir18. With Babar19. A Happy Family

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GURU NANAK DEV1

TalwandiGuru N anak Dev was the first Guru

of the Sikhs. He was born over fivehundred years ago. His father's namewas Mehta Kalu. His mother's namewas Mata Tripta. He had one sisternamed N anki. She was about fiveyears elder to him

Guru N anak was born in a villagenamed Talwandi. It was later calledNankana Sahib. It was given thisname in memory of Guru N anak. Abeautiful Gurdwara stands at the place'of his birth. It is called Janam Asthan'or the sacred birthplace.

N ankana Sahib is now in Pakistan.Noone from India can go there freely.It is very sad that we are not free to

7

visit and see our dear and sacredplace.

The village of' Talwandi was theproperty of a Muslim landlord. Hisname was Rai Bular. Baba Kalu wasBular'spatwari or manager. He lookedafter his master's lands. He was honestand hardworking. Rai Bular liked andtrusted him.

. .

Rai Bularwas a good and kind man.To him the non-Muslims were as dearas the Muslims. He grew, very fond ofGuru Nanak. He' showed his love forGuru Nanak in many ways as we shalllearn later in this book.

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2The Child

Guru N anak was not like otherchildren. He did not waste his time inidle talk. He never did anything bad or

, naughty. He was not fond of costly" clothes. He liked simple food and

simple dress. He was good and kind.He spent his time in doing' good toothers. He loved ,eve'rybody and heloved the poor most of all. He helpedthem whenever he could. He oftengave them food, clothes and money.Above all, he gave them his love. This'

" ,always made him happy.

Guru N anak was a very active andhealthy child. He was always smilingand cheerful. He liked to run aboutand play with other children. He hadquite a number of playmates. All ofthem were' fond of him. They looked

9

Giving sweets to playmates

upon him as their leader. He, too~ wasvery fond ofhis playmates. Sometimeshe used to take them to his house.There he would ask his mother to givethem sweets. Mata Tripta was a kindlady. She readily brought out sweetsfor her dear son's playmates. He him­self gave the sweets to his friends. Hetook pleasure in serving others in thisway.

He often played games with his10

friends. But he did not play suchgames· as hockey, cricket, football ortennis. Such games were not known inthose days. He used to play games likekabaddi (tip-cat) and hide and seek.He also ran races with his playmates.None could beat him at these games.

He was the best player. He ranfaster than all his playmates and hewas the fastest runner.

/

Sometimes, he played a strange newgame. It showed his love for God. Forthat game he chose a green and grassyplace near a pond. The pond was quitenear his home.

He took his seat at· the chosengrassy place. He made his comradessit before him in a half circle. Th~n hesaid to them, 'Brothers, let us playanew, good, and useful game. Let ussing the name of God. I shiHllead youwith my song. You will all sing after

11

Praying with his friends

me as I do. Do you agree, my brothers?'Yes, yes,' they said in one voice.

Then he began singing, 'DhannNirankar Sat Kartar!' This meansGod's formless & He is Truth. All hiscomrades sang after him as he did.

His voice was clear and sweet.Soon, he began to sing louder andlouder. His comrades also raised theirvoices louder and louder.

This song was heard by all who

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passed that way. Many people would·stop to listen. Some of them would gonear the singing party. Sometimesthey would also start singing with thechildren.

Rai Bular had often watched' thisgame with pleasure. He began to loveGuru Nanak. Later, he built a roomthere in memory of Guru Nanak'ssacred game. He also changed thepond into a tank.

Long afte~ards, a beautiful gurdwarawas built at that place. The gurdwarais called BalLi/a.

3At School

Mehta Kalu decided to, send hisonly son to school. Gu~Nanak wasthen about six years old. He was takento the village school. In that school hewas to learn reading, writing, ~nd

arith.metic.

Guru Nanak was very happy. He',was keen to learn. He was a very ableand clever child. He proved to be ,aquick learner. In a short time he learntall that the teacher could teach him.The-teacher was filled with wonder.No child had ever been so quick tolearn so much and so welL

On day Guru Nanak said to histeacher, 'Every 'man has to die. Noone can live foreve).. After death everyman has to give an account of his life.He is punished for his evil actions. He, .

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is t~warded for his good deeds. Whatyou t~ach can be ofno use at that time.You should teach,your pupils to give agood account 'of their lives. You shouldteach them to be .good.and: truthful.You shoulg 'tea~h them todo,good ;toothers. You should teachthem to keepaway from bad people. You shouldteach them to do no evil.You shouldteach them· to . love· and rememberGod~ Only in this way will they become

Guru Nanak with his teacher .

15

truly learned. Only in this way can youbecome a truly good teacher.

The teacher was filled with wonderall the more. 'Dear Nanak', he said,'You have taught me a good and useful

. lesson. You are my teacher. I am yourpupil. I have learnt much from you. Ishall always remember your words. Ishall always follow your advice.'

I

The child-Guru then gave up going'to the village school.

For some time Guru N anak wasfree to do what he pleased. He ranabout and played with his comrades.Sometimes he wandered about in theforest near the village. Sometimes hesat under a shady tree for hours.Sitting' there, he used to think of God.

After some time his father decidedto,put him under a Muslim teacher. Hewas to learn Persian from that teacher.

. Guru Nanak gladly agreed to that.

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, Here, again, he proved. to be a quick"learner. In a short tim.e he learnt asmuch as the teacher could teach him.He then gave up going to that school.But before doing so, he taught hisMuslim teacher to love 'and rememberGod. He taught him to be good, honest~and truthful. He taught himto love andserve all men. He taught him to teachhis pupils in the right way. He said tohim, 'Always remember one thing:God is the 'rather of-us all. W'e are allHis children. We should all' love oneanother. We should all live-togetherlike a goo~r family.' ", .-

\ . . \ '. , .

The Muslim teacher bowed beforehis pupil. He said, 'Dear N anak, youhave taught me a good \ and usefulles~on. You are my teacher. I am yourpupil. I shall ever remember. yourwOlids. I shall ever follow your advice.'

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4The Cattle-Grazer

F or some 'time again Guru N anakwas free to do what he pleased. But hisfather did not like this. He said to hiswife, 'Our only son is wasting his time.He does not do anything useful., Hemust make better use of his, time. Hemust be made to do something goodand useful. Let us make him graze thecattle.'

Mata Tripta replied, 'That is a goodidea. Let us make him a cattle-grazer.He loves to walk in the forest. As acattle-grazer, he can spend his day inthe forest. He will be doing something .useful at the same time.'

Mehta Kalu told his son what hewanted him to do. Guru N anak readilyagr-eed-to obey his father. He became acattle-grazer. Every morning he took

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his father's cattle into the forest. Helooked after them with great care. ·Hetook·them to places where there wasplenty of good green grass. They atetheir fill ofthe green grass. All the timeGuru N anak kept his mind fixed onGod.

At noon he tookthe cattle to a groveof shady trees. The cattle rested thereduring the hot after-noon. Guru Nanaksat near them in silence..He keptthinking of God. Sometimes he laydown on the soft, green grass and ,ventto sleep.

One day he sat under a tree to watchthe grazing cattle. He began to think ofGod. He soon forgot all about thecattle. His mind was ,totally occupiedwith thoughts of God. The cattle wenton .grazing as they liked. They wentinto a farmer's field. There was a goodgreen crop in that field. They liked itvery much. They had a hearty meal.

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C,attle ~azmg in a farmer's field while Nan~k sl~pt

Tht"( farmer saw the cattle destroyinghiscrop~ He, got angry. He wentrunll;i'ng to ,that" place. He drove thecattle out ofhis field. He drove them tothe shady tree under which .GuruNanak sat thinking of God. He shookhim by the shoulder. He spoke· veryangrily to him. Guru N anak kept quietand cool.

The farmer then went to Rai Bular.··He said to him, 'Sit, Mehta Kalu's

20

cattle have eaten up my good greencrop. His son allowed them to entermy field. He slept while the cattle atemy crop. Ihave suffered a heavy loss. Iam a poor man. Kindly order my lossto be made good. Order Mehta Kalu topay for my loss.'

Rai Bular sent for Mehta Kalu. Healso sent for Guru N anak. He toldthem the farmer's story. He told MehtaKalu to pay for the farmer's loss.

Mehta Kalu was very sad to hearthis. He was angry with his son. He.spoke harsh words to him. Guru Nanak'kept cool and quiet. Then Guru N anaksaid to Rai Bular, 'Please send somebody to see the field. Let him see whatdamage has been done, by my cattle.Then tell us how much to pay.'

Rai Bular sent one of his men to thefield. The farmer went with him. Thetwo soon reached the field~ The crop

21

the field.'d to see .d somebo y'Please sen .

was~perfectly all right. None of it ~adbe-en eaten' up. Th~ farmer was filledwith wonder.

The two went back .to Rai Bular.The man said to him. 'Sir, the farmer

. has told a lie. His crop is all right. Nodamage has been done.'

The farmer -said, 'Great Sir,.1 didnot tell a lie. I spoke the truth. The .cattle did eat up my crop. But now it isall right. Nay, it is even greener and·better than before. 1don't know how ithas happened.'

Rai Bular said, 'Our N anak lovesGod. He ~lways keeps thinking ofHim. God loves him. ,God has shownHis love forNanak. -He has made thecrop green and whole again. 1bow myhead qefore· him... He is a great one.Mehta Kalu, be kind to him at all

.times~ Ifhe causes you any loss, 1 shallm·ake it good to you~' .

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-

. A gurdwara was later built on the·field. It is called Kiara Sahib or theSacred Field.

5A Cobra Serves

- For some years Guru N anak wenton working as \a cattle-grazer. Everymorning he drove his father's cattleinto the forest to graze. At noon heused to drive them to a shady place~,

The cattle lay and rested under theshady trees. He sat on the grassyground thinking of God. Mter a time"he laid himself on the soft, grassyground and went to sleep.

One summer day a strange thingcame to pass. He was asleep under a

\ '

shady tree. The catt\e were restingnear him. After some time, the rays ofthe hot summer sun began to fall on hisface. Soon, a large snake came out ofits hole, nearby. It was a cobra. Acobra is a very poisonous snake. Itsbite kills a man at once. This cobra

25

was very big and black. It spread itshood. The hood was large an4 wide.How wide? It was more than thirtycentimetres wide. It was a sortofsmallumbrella. The cobra. placed its hoodbetween the sun and Guru Nanak'sface. The sun's r~ys fell on the cobra'shood. They no longer ·fell on GuruN anak's face. He did not feel the heat.He remained sound asleep.

By chance, Rai Bular came thatway. He was on horseback. He sawGuru Nanak lying on the grassy ground.1'lear him he saw a big black cobra

. 26

with its large, wide hood. He was filledwith fear. He thought, "Perhaps thecobra has bitten and killed dear N anak."He went up quickly to :the place. Thecobra saw him coming. It folded itshood. It quickly ran away.

On going near, Rai Bular found thatGuru Nanak was fast asleep. Thesun's rays were falling upon his face.He was alive. The big, black cobra hadnot bitten him: It had placed its large,wide hood' between the hot summersun and the Guru's face. It had thusshaded his face from the sun. It had

The cobra' had bitten him..

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done him no harm. It had' done a'service to him.

Rai ,Bular was filled with joy and. wOlJder. He said to hims/elf, 'Nanak is

very dear to God. Therefore, He madethe cobra shade his face from the hotsun. How wonderful'!'

-·He got down from his horse. Hewoke up the sleeping lad. He bowedhis head before him. He touched hisfeet. He took him, up in ,his arms and_kissed his forehead. From that day hebegan to, hold Guru N anak in greatrespect.

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6The Good Bargain

Guru N anak worked as a cattle­grazer for some time. Then he gave upthat work. He _wa~ again free to do \what he liked and to go where, he­pleased. He walked about in the forestfor a good part of the day. Sometimes,he met there sadhus and fakirs.(holymen). He held talks with them.His talks were about God.

, Mehta Kalu did not like this at all.He thought that his son was wastinghis time. He wanted him to do someuseful· work. He, wanted him to earnmoney.

So, one day he said to him, 'Nanak,you are now a lad of fifteen. Soon youwill have to marry. You will have a 'family. You will need money to supportthat family. But you do nothing to earn

29

money. You- should begin to earn. Ishall tell you what to do. I shall giveyou some money. You must go toanother town and use the money tomake a good. bargain. Next time, Ishall give you a much bigger sum.··Don't lose it. Spend it in making somegood bargains. Do you like the idea ?Will you obey me ?'

Guru N anak replied, 'Dear father,J. like the idea. I shall obey you. I shallmake a good bargain with the-money.'Mehta Kalu gave him a sum of twenty

. rupees. It was not at all a small sum.Twenty silver rupees of those dayswould be equal to more than a thousandrupees of today. So Guru Nanak wasgiven quite a large sum.

Guru· N"anak got ready to start.· Aservant, named BhaiBala, was togowith him. The two set out towards atown nearby. Its name wasChuharkana.In three or four hours they reached the

30

duru Nanak serving the sadhus.

town. They noticed a group of sadhussitting in a grove of shady trees. GuruN anak was fond of sadhus., He liked tomeet and talk with one of the sadhusin the grove. He learnt that they werehungry. For four long days they hadeaten no food at all.

Guru N anak had a kind heart. Hefelt pity for them. He said to himself,'To feed these hungry men of God willbe a very good bargain.' So he decidedto feed them. Bala advised him not todo so. He said, 'Your father will not

I

like this. He did not give you themoney for this purpose. He will beangry with you, if you spend his moneyin this way.'

'But,' said Guru Nanak, 'he told meto make a good bargain v{ith the money.I shall spend it in feeding these hQngryholy men. That will be a good bargain.God will be pleased witl,1 it. Myfather,

- 'I

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too, will like it very much. I feel sure ofthat.'

So, ~e and Balawent to Chuharkananearby. There he bought flour, pulses,salt, ghee and other articles of food.He spent the whole sum of twentyrupees in that way.

Those articles of food had to betaken to the shady grove. Guru Nanakhired a cart for that purpose. Thearticles of food were· loaded in that

.. hired cart. They were taken to thegrove of shady trees. There they werehanded over to the hungry holy men.They were sufficient to feed them formany days.

- ~.

The holy men made a hearty meal.They.broke their four days: fast. 'Godbless you, dear child,' said they. ,'You

. have been kind to us. May Godbe kindto you! May He make you happy andgreat.'

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He then started homewards.' Balawas with him. By sunset they hadalmost reached Talwandi. Guru N anakthought ofhis father. He said to himself,'Father loves money. He might notlike my good bargain. He might beangry with me. I should keep awayfrom him for some time.'

Near the village there was a big, tall,shady tree. Its branches touched theground on all sides. It thus formed asort of tent. Guru N anak decided topass the' night under that tent. Thattree is still there. It is' called TambuSahib or the Sacred Tent. There is aGurdwara at the place. It, is 'calledTambu Sahib.

Guru N anak told Bala to go home.'The following morning, Baba Kaluheard of Bala's return. He sent for'him. Bala told him the whole story..Baba Kalu became very angry. Hewent out in haste. He soon reached the

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Nanki placed herself hetween Guru Nanakand her father

tree under which his son was hiding.He dragged him out from under the-tree. He began to slap him, right andleft. 'You have wasted my money,'hesaid, again and again, in great anger.

Guru -N anak's cheeks became redbecause of the hard slaps. He bore thebeating bravely and calmly. Soon hissister, Nanki, came running to theplace. She placed herself between her

3S

father and her brother. Thus she made.her father stop beating qer brother.

I

But the beating did ndt make GuruNanak angry or sad. He was quitehappy in spite of the beating. He haddone a good deed. He had fed thehungry. He had helped the poor. Hehad done this in the name of God.What if he was 'beaten for it ? He washappy at the good bargain -which hehad made.

We should always remember thegood bargain made by Guru N anak.We, too, should try to do good toothers. We should all help those whoneed our help. We should be kind to

. the poor. We should feed the hungry.We should clothe the naked. We shouldlook after those who are ilL This goodwork may cause some trouble to us,'but we should not lose heart. Weshould not be sad over it. We shouldthink of Guru N anak and his goodbargain.

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7Three .Golden Rules

Mehta Kalu wanted his' son to dosome useful work. So it was decided to

- send him to Sultanpur Lodhi. Hissister N anki' s husband, Diwan JaiRam, was a servant of Nawab DaulatKhan, governor of Sultanpur. Jai Ramwas able to find a job for Guru N anak.He was appointed the Nawab's modior storekeeper. He was put inchargeof the Nawab's modikhana or stere­house.

Now you may ask,' 'What was amodikhana ? What was a modi's duty

.or work?'

Owners of land had to pay land-taxto the government. In these days, thistax is paid in cash. But, in those days,the land-owners gave a part of theircrops as the land-tax. They gave all

37

types of grain, cotton, chillies and guror brown sugar. 'All these things ,werestored in a place called a modikhana.

Some of these things were given for,use in the N awab's house. Some ofthem were given to his army, police,and servants. The rest of them weresold to the public.'

The modi had to keep an account ofthese things., He had to weigh them asthey came in. He had to weigh them'when they were given out. He had tokeep an account also of the moneymade by selling those things. Themoney had to be deposited in theNawab's treasury. For this work, hewas given some pay and some rations.

Guru N anak did this work very.well. He was fair and gentle toeverybody. All who came to themodikhana went away satisfied andpleased. He was specially sweet and

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Guru Nanak serving the poor'" .-

kind to the pOOr.. To them he gaveaway a part of his own rations.

The Nawab's· servants and the, common people began to love andhonour him. He became very popularwith them all. But some bad people didnot like this. Some of them went to theNawab and said, 'Your modi is dis­honest and careless. Your modikhanawill soon become empty. He will thenrun away.'

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The Nawab had Guru Nanak'saccounts checked a number of times.Once, the· Guru was shut in a roomduring the checking. But· everythingwas found to be all right. Rather, somebalance was found in his favour. TheN awab was satisfied. The evil persons .were put to shame.

While doing his duties so well, GuruN anak kept his mind fixed on God. Herepeated God's Name at all times. Hemade others' do the same. Everymorning, he got up about three hoursbefore sunrise. He went to the Beinriver and after bathing in the river, hesat near the Qank. He fixed his mind onGod and sang songs in His praise untilit was day.

At Sultanpur, Guru Nanak showedto all how a man of religion should liveand act. He wanted the people to liveand act like him. He used to tell them,,A .man of religion should do three

40

things. One, he should earn his livingwith honest labour. He should not leadan idle life. Secondly, he should sharehis earnings with others. He 'shouldhelp the weak. He should give food tothe hungry. He 'should give clothes tothe naked poor. Thirdly, he shouldalways rem.ember God. He should askothers to do likewise. Su~h are thethree main golden rules ofmy religion.live and act according to them. Youwill become truly religious. You will'be happy, really happy."

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8All Men Are Brothers

.GuruNanak worked as N awab. Daulat Khan's modi for about twelveyears. Then he decided to give up theNawab's service. The Nawab hadbecome very fond of him. He urgedhim to stay on in his service. But theGuru shook his head and said, 'No,friend, I cannot serve you any longer. Ihave now to serve God and His children.I must go.'

So Guru Nanak gave up the N awab'sservice. Under the N awab's orders,the Guru's accounts were cleared. Hewas given what was found due to him.He gave away to the poor all that hehad. Then he put on the dress·of anudasi. He took leave of his family. Hebade farewell to his friends. He wentout of the town~ Sitting under a tree, he

42

thought of God. He made plans for hiswork.

He remained silent for one day.Then he broke his silence on the nextday. He began to say, "There is noHindu and no Musalman."

. .These words of the Guru were soon

on everybody's lips. They also reachedthe ears of the Nawab's Qazi. He wasred with anger. He went to the Nawab.He coinphiined to him about GuruNanak. The Nawab sent for the Guru.

Guru Nanak went to the Nawab'scourt. The N awab seated him by hisside. He said to the Qazi, 'Put to himany questions that you like.'

The Qazi said to the Guru, "Whydo you say, 'There is no Hindu and noMuslim?' About the Hindus I shaJlnot say anything. But there are hundredsof Muslims in this very town. Thereare thousands. of them in the country.

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What you say is not true."

Guru Nanak replied, "It is true thatthere are thousands who call themselvesMuslims. There are thousands whocall themselves Hindus. All the same,there is no Hindu. There is no Muslim.th~ Hindus have forgotten the rulesoftheir religion. The Muslims have·forgotton the rules of their religion. AllHindus and Muslims are sons of th~

. same Father. They are brothers. Theyshould live together like brothers.. Butthey are not doing so. A true Hinduand a true Muslim should do nothingthat may displease God. He should dosuch acts as may please God. Somesuch acts are: to be kind and merciful.to all His children; to·do no harm to ah~one; to be just, humble, and truthful; to

111

avoid anger, greed, and pride; not totake what belongs to another by right;ever to think ofGod; to earn a living byhonest labour; to share one's earnings .

44

with the poor and the needy; to try tomake others .live and act in this way.Now, look around, and tell me how,many people do all this. How manypeople can be called true Hindus orMuslims ?"

The Nawah fell at Guru's teet

The Qazi could say nothing in reply..The Nawab fell at the Guru's feet andsaid, "You are right. God has spokenthrough your mouth. You have taught

45

us a good lesson. We thank you for itWe shall try to become true Muslims."

All present in the Nawab's courtbent their heads before the Guru.Even the Qazi had to do so.

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9The True Prayer

After having satisfied tl;1e N awaband· his Qazi, the Guru got ready toleave. By then. it was time for theaftemoonNamaz or the Muslimprayer.The Nawab said to the Guru, 'Youhave said that Hindus and Muslims,all, are sons of the same Father. We .are going to the mosque for Namaz.Will you join us in our prayers to thatcommon Father of us all ?"

The Guru agreed readily. All wentto the mosque. The Qazi stood up andbegan the Namaz. All present joinedhim. Only Guru Nanak remained sittingand watching. The prayer was overafter a time. The N awab said to him,"Youhad promised to join us .in ourNamaz. But you have not done so.

. .-Why not ?"

47

The Guru said, 'Yes, I did promiseto join you in your prayer. But youwere not saying the prayer. You werenot even present at the Namaz. Howcould I join you, N awab Sahib ?'

The l'rawab said, 'No, I was here,before your eyes. I was busy sayingthe prayer.' 'No,' said-the Guru. 'Youwere not here. Your body was here,no doubt. But you yourself were inKabul. You were busy buying horsesthere. That was no Namaz. It was amere show, a false show.'

The Nawab bowed his head. Hesaid, 'You are right. I was not here atthe prayers. But our Qazi is a deeplyreligious man. He must have said theprayers in the right way. You couldhave joined him.'

The Guru repiied, 'The Q azi too,was not here. His body was here, ofcourse. He has a· new-born colt athome. Before coming here,he forgot to

48

The Qazi was· thinking of his new-born colt

.tie it properly. There is a well in thecompound ofhis house. He feared thatthe new-born colt might fall into thewell. All the time he was busy, inthinking of the colt.'

The Qazi also bowed his head andsaid, 'You are right, 0 man of God.You have taught us a good lesson.'

Guru Nanak said, 'Always rememberthis lesson. When we say our prayers,our minds and hearts must be- really

49

busy in the prayers. We should not letthem run about after other things..Only such prayer is useful. God hears·t ' .1.

50'-.

10Bhai Lalo

Guru· N anak now started on histravels or tours. Bhai Mardana waswith him. The latter was a low-casteMuslim. He was a very good singer.Leaving Sultanpur, they travelled tothe west. They went from village tovillage. In every place, the Guru taughtpeople ho\v to live and act as trulyreligious men. He explained·to themhis three golden rules of religion. Indue course, they reached Eminabad.This town lies in the district ofGujran­wala in Pakistan.

There were many rich people in thetown. But he did not go to the house ofany of the rich men. Instead, he wentto the house ofa poor man named BhaiL~lo. The latter was a carpenter. Inthose days, carpenters were looked

51

upon as Hindus of a low caste. Theywere called Shudras. The high-casteHindus-Brahmins and Khatris­kept away from them. They did notaccept food or drink from a low-casteman like Bhai Lalo."

Guru N anak was a Khatri by caste.He was thus a high-caste man. But"hehad no prideof.caste. He did not thinkand act like other high-caste people.He loved people of all castes. To himall men were dear as brothers.

Bhai Lalo was a poor, low-casteman. But he was good and kind­hearted. He took pl~asure in helpingand serving others. He did this becausehe loved God. Lovers of God arealways kind to all. He, never sat idle.He was always busy in doing someuseful work. He worked for his dailybread. He shared his earnings withothers. '

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Guru N anak was ve'ry fond of goodmen like Bhai Lalo. That was thereason why he went to that poor .carpenter's house. He knocked at hisdoor. BhaiLalo looked up. He saw theGuru and his companion. He rose towelcome them. He took them into thehumble cottage which was his home.He seated the Guru on a little cot orcharpai, covered with a clean sheet.That was the only cot in his cottage.He seated Mardana on a straw mat.

Bhai Lalo's guests

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He gave them fresh, cool water todrink. Then he began to cook food forhis holy guests. He had no wife. Hence

. he had to do the cooking himself.

Soon, the food was ready. It consistedof coarse dry bread and sag (spinach).He placed it before the guests. At thesight of the coarse bread, Mardana feltuneasy. He sgid to himself. 'I fear thiscoarse dry bread will. be too hard for

. my teeth. I shall not be able to chewand swallow it. My stomach will notlike it either.'

He looked at the Guru. He saw thathe was eating and enjoying the food.Bhai Mardana put a morsel to his ownmouth. To his wonder, the food wassoft, nice, and sweet. It tasted betterthan any sort of food he had everi'akenbefore. He ate his fill.

Guru Nanak stayed with Bhai Lalofor some days. 'During the day he used

54

to go out to a shady place outside the, town. There he used to pray and_think

of God. Bhai Mardana used to _singsacred songs orshabads made by theGuru. He was a very good singer.Hehad a very sweet voice. ,He knew alarge number of shabads by heart.

Soon, people began to gather around ­the Guru. They liked to hear hissacred songs. He taught them the threegolden rules of his religion. He taughtthem to remember God and to -begood, honest and truthful men. Hebecame very popular. More and morepeople gathered around him, day by day.Many Hindus and Muslims acceptedhim as their religious teacher or Guru.They became his Sikhs. Of course, 'Bhai Lalo was the first among them.

Bhai Lalo learnt by heart many ofthe Guru's sacred songs. He under­stood the Guru's teachings better than

55

all others. They accepted him as theirleader.

Mter the Guru's departure, BhaiLalo's house became, for them, adharamshala. Every morning and,evening, they' gathered there. Theysang the Guru's sacred songs. Theysaid prayers tcgether.Everyone ofthem tried his best to follow GuruNanak's three golden rules oflife.. Thisgave them peace and happiness.

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11Malik Bhago

In a short time, the Guru's stay atBhai Lalo's house became the talk ofthe whole town. Brahmins and Khatrisdid not like the Guru's act. They said,'This holyman (sadhu) is a Khatri bycaste. He has a low-caste Muslim ashis companion. He lives and dineswith a low-caste Hindu. He is doingSOTnPthl'ng 'JTh'l"'h no u''''dll ('hOU1A do.&...._-.;.~ - \i.¥.......M...."..&.... & ....a&... u.;:J ~u., •

He has taken the ~rong path.'

Some of them went to the .Guru.They advised him to give up livingwith· the low-caste carpenter. Theysaid, 'You are doing what no high­caste Hindu should do.' .

The Guru replied, 'I 'am not aHindu. I am not a Muslim. I have areligion of my own. I have no·caste. Inmy view all m~n are equal. A man who

57

•

They said, "You are doing what nohigh-Caste Hindu should do."

does good, noble deeds is·a high-caste .man. One who does low, evil deeds is alow-caste man. IIi my view, therefore,Bhai Lalo is a high-caste man.'

They had no reply to make. Theywent away.

Eminabad, then, belonged to aMuslim sardar or chief, named ZalimKhan. Malik Bhago was his manager.This man was greedy, proud and cruel.One day, he gave a feast to Brahminsand sadhus (holymen). He· invitedGuru N anak, too. But the Guru didnot accept the invitation. This madethe Malik very· angry. He sent hisservants to bring the Guru..

Malik Bhago's men went to theGuru. They asked him to go withthem. He agreed. He wanted to teach alesson to Malik Bhago. So, he wentwith them to their master's house.Many people went with him..Theywanted to see what would happen.

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The Guru reached Malik Bhago'shouse. The Malik looked angrily athim, and said, 'You are a Khatri. Youlive and dine with a Shudra. Yourefused to come to my house and dine.Why?'

The Guru replied, 'I eat what 1 like~

1 refuse to eat what 1 do not like. 1 likethe .food given by Bhai Lalo. 1 do notlike the food given by you.'

. 'But why?' said Malik Bhago,angrily.

The Guru replied, 'I shall tell you.Let some food be brought from yourkitchen.'

The Malik's men brought a dish of .rich food. The Guru had with him apiece of Bhai· Lalo's bread. He·heldthat piece of bread in his right hand..He held a piece of Malik Bhago~s­

bread in his left hand. Lifting his arms,he pressed the two pieces. Drops of

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milk came out from Bhai Lalo's bread.Drops of blood came from MalikBhago's bread.

Drops ofblood came out from Malik Bhag(fs bread

The Guru said, 'You have seen thedifference between Bhai Lalo':s· foodand yours. Bhai Lalo is a good, God­fearing man. He earns his bread' withhonest labour. He shares his earningswith others. Such a person's food ispure. It is sweet like milk and honey.But you are a different· kind of man.

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Others work for you. You take awaymost of what they earn. You do not letthem have enough to eat. They are ill­fed and hungry. What you eat is full oftheir blood. You are proud, cruel, andgreedy. You never think of God. How .could I agree to eat your food full ofpoor people's blood ?'

The Guru's words went deep intoMalik Bhago's heart. He fell at theGuru's feet, and said, 'Tell me, a holyman, how I may get pardon for mysins. '

The Guru replied, 'Give all yourwealth tathe poor. Do honest work toearn your living. Be good and kind toall. Give up your pride. Be- humble.Always remember God. Love all menas your brothers. Help everyone whoneeds your help. Serve all who needyour service. That is the way to winGod's forgivenees and love.'

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Malik Bhago again fell at the Guru;sfeet He promised to live and act asadvised by the Guru. .

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12Sajjan, The Robber

Guru N anak and' Bhai Mardanacontinued their travels. They travelledby short stages. In every place theGuru explained to the people the three 'golden rules of his religion. He taughtthem the lessons of truth, love, labour,service and worship of God.

Once, during these travels, the Guruand his companion arrived at a placecalled Tulamba. That place is now inthe district of Multan in Pakistan. Awell-known man lived there. His namewas Saijan. He dressed himself like a 'pious man. But he was a very cruel atheart. Looking at him; nobody could,imagine that he was 'a cruel robber.

He had built for himself a largehouse at some distance from the village.It \-vas by the side of a road. At one

64

comer of the house, he had built amosque. At th~ other end ofhis house,he had· built a Hindu temple. He hadalso built a serai or a rest-house.Travellers were given food and lodgingthere free of cost.

All travellers were welcomed at therest-house. Saijan's men gave ~hem

good food to eat They gave the travellerssoft, clean beds to sleep in. After thetravellers had fallen asleep they werekilled. Their bodies wen~ thrown intoa well. All their goods were tak~n bySaiian. A very large number oftravellers

. had been killed and looted in that way.Sajjan had become very rich.

Guru Nanak had heard much aboutSaijan. He had decided to chapge himinto a good man. It was for thatpurpose he had come to Saiian's house.

.Saijan and his men welcomed theGuru and his companion. Saiian cameto the Guru and began to talk. The

65

Guru asked him his name. Sajjanreplied, 'My name is Saijan. The Hinduscall,me Saijan Mal. The Muslims call 'me Saijan Shah. But I am neither aHindu, nor a Muslim. I am a sajjan orfriend and servant of all.'

Saiian with Guru Nanak

The Guru said, 'But do you reallyact like a sajjan or friend ?'

Saijan said, 'Yes, holy Sir, Iwelcome and serve all who come here.

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In my serai all guests are given foodand lodging free. I have built a mosquefor my Muslim guests, and a templefor my, Hindu guests. Every visitor isserved'with care and kindness. Don't Iact like sajjan, or friend ?'

The Guru said, 'But what happensto them afterwards? Are .they notkilled and looted ? You may deceivepeople; but you cannot deceive God.He watches and knows all your deeds.You are gathering wealth by killingand robbing pe'ople. When you die,this wealth will remain here. The sins,wll:ich you do for it, will go with you.You will be punished for them. Take.heed, my sajjan. It is never too late to .mend. There is still time for you to.

. become ~ &ood man. There is still timefor you to wash away your sins. There .is time, still, to win God's forgivenessand love. Will you try, dear Saijan ?'

S8jjan be~an to weep. He fell at the67

Guru's feet and said, 'I will obey you. Iwill do all that you tell me to do. Tellme how I may earn God's forgivenessand love.' '

The Guru replied, 'Confess all yourevil deeds. Be sorry for them from thebottom of your heart. Pray to God forHis forgiveness. and love. Give awayall your wealth to the poor. Begin to

, live and act like a good and honestman. Help all who .need your help.God will forgive you. I shall pray for,you.

The Guru then explained to him thethree golden rules ofhis religion. Sa.ijanlistened with attention and deep respect.

Sa.ijan again fell at the Guru's feet.He promised to live and act as advisedby the Guru. He gave away his .wealth ..to the poor. He changed his house: intoa dharamshala (A religious Commune).H~ began to preach the Sikh religion.He was the first Sikh preacher.

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13At Hardwar

Once, during his travels, GuruN anak reC!ched Hardwar. A religiOU5

fair was being held there at that time.Thousands of Hindus had gatheredthere. The Guru saw a large number ofpeople bathing in the sacred river.Standing in the river, they were thro"vingwater to the east. They believed thatthe water would reach their dead·forefathers.

The Guru did not believe in suchthings. He believed that what they didwas wrong. He decided to make themsee this. So, he stepped into the Ganga.He. began to throw water to the west.He did it with both his hands. This actwas very strange. Nobody had everdone such a thing before.

People began to gather around hinl~

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They all laughed and shouted at him.He paid no heed to them. -He went o~

thr9w~lli water· to t~~ west. One of .them held him by the arm, ~nd said-

~~ .

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'Why are you throwing water to thewest ?'

The Guru said, 'Why do you throwwater to the east ?'

'Don't you know that?' shoutedmany of them at once. 'We throw.water to our dead forefathers. It willreach them. They need it very much.'

The Guru said, 'Where do yourforefathers live? How far off is .theplace from here ?'

They replied, 'They are millions ofkilometeres away. The water throwntowards the rising sun will reach them.'

'That is good news,' said the Guru.'Let me complete my work. Let mewater my crops. They must be dryingfor want of water.' . .

Saying this, he began to throw waterto the west more eagerly and mor~

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are! The water thrown by you fallsback into the :river. Don't you seethat? How can it reach your fields ?'.

The Guru replied, 'How wise youare ! Your forefathers are millions ofkilometers away. They are not even onthis earth. The water thrown by youalso falls back into the river. Yet yousay that it will reach your forefa~hers.

My fields are on this very earth, in thisvery country. They are only a fewhundred kilometres away., Why shouldnot the water thro'Yn by ~ me reachthose fields? If your water can reachyour forefathers, my water can surelyreach my. fields. '

The people had nothing more to say.They felt that the Guru was right. Theyadmitted their error. They begged himto give them more good advice. Heexplained. to them the three goldenrules of his religion. He told them howto live and act as good, honest, truthful

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and God-fearing men. Then he said,'What you give to the poor, out ofyourhone~tearnings, will go with you to the .next world.'

, ' ,

They all bowed their heads. Theypromised to live and act as advised byhim. .

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14Duni Chand of Lahore .

Guru N anak and Bhai Mardanacontinued to travel, on and on. Oneday, they arrived near Lahore. TheGuru decided to stay outside the city.He sat on a green, grassy spot near theriver Ravi. Sitting there, he fixed histhoughts on God. Bhai Mardana sangthe Guru's sacred songs or hymns.Sometime.s, the ·Guru himself wouldbegin to sing them.

Soon, people began to gather aroundthe Guru. They liked to· hear the

. sacred songs. They liked to hear the .Gu~'s talks. One day, a rich man of .Lahore came to the· Guru. He askedhim to go with him to his house. TheGuru said, 'I am all right here. lam not'fond of ~rand houses. Moreover, my

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visit to your house might cause yousome trouble.' .

But Duni Chand repeated his request,again and again. The Guru agreed, atlast, to go with him to his house. On

.reaching there, the Guru saw a numberofflags flying on Duni Chand's house.He smiled on seeing the flags.

Duni Chand took the Guru and hiscompanion inside the house. He gavethem good food to eat. He gave themcool water to drink. Then he sat nearthe Guru, with folded hands. After atime, the Guru said, 'A number offlags are lying on your roof. What are·they for? What do they mean ?'

Duni Chand replied, 'They are toshow how much wealth I have. Everyflag is a sign of one crore rupees (onecrore is ten millions). The seven flagsshow that I possess seven crore rupees.'

The Guru said, 'Then you are a very

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rich man. But are you happy andsatisfied ?'

I?uni Chand replied, 'Holy man, I;must net lie to you. Some people aremuch richer than I. This makes medesire more and more. I want to be therichest man in the city. I cannot feelhappy and satisfied until my desire isfulfilled. '

The Guru said, 'But the peoplericher than you must also be trying tobecome richer and richer. Thus, thereis a race between them and you.Perhaps, you may not be able to beatthem in this race for wealth. You may,threfore, never be happy. Have youever thought of that?'

Duni Chand said, 'Holy Sir, I haveno time to think such thoughts.'

Guru Nanak smiled and said, 'Willyou have time to do a small thing forme?'

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Duni Chand replied, 'Most gladly,my holy Sir. What can I do for -you ?'

The Guru took out a needle, andsaid, 'Please keen it with you. Give it

\ -I . The Guru took out a needle

to me, when I ask for it, in the nextworld.'

Duni Chand took the needle to hiswife. He gave it to her and said. 'Theholy man ·wants us to keep the needlefor him. He will take it back from us in

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the next world.' She said, 'Are youmad ? How can a needle go to the nextworld? How can we carry it with usthere? Go back, and return it to theholy man.' Duni Chand went back tothe Guru and said, 'Holy Sir, takeback your needle. It cannot go to thenext world. We cannot carry it there.'

The Guru smiled and said, 'Theneedle is small and light. You say that.it cannot go with you tothe next world.How can the seven or more crores ofrupees go there with you ? What goodcan this wealth do to· you th~re ?'

Duni Chand fell at the Guru's feetand said, 'Tell me how my wealth maygo with me to the next world.'

The Guru said, 'Give it to the poorin the name of God. Feed the hungry.Clothe the naked. Help the needy.What you spend thus will go with youto the next world.'

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Duni Chand accepted this advice.. .

He gave away all his wealth to thepoor.

The Guru explained to him hisgoldenrules oflife. Duni Chand becamethe Guru's Sikh. He began to live andact as advised by the Guru.

15Kauda, The Man-eater

G,uru N anak was still on his travels.Now he was going ~owards the Deccan.He wanted to go as far as Ceylon, now,named Sri Lanka. Two jat Sikhs werewith him. Their names were Saido andSiho. As usual he travelled by shortstages. Everywhere he taught the peoplehis golden rules of life and religion.

At one place, the Guru heard some­thing painful and strange. In a jurigle~

nearby, there lived a tribe of man­eaters. They ate up every ma~, womanor child whom they could catch. Some~ ,times they entered villages. They tookaway men, women and, children into'the jungle. There they killed them andate them for food.

On hearing this, the Guru becamesad and thoughtful. He decided to act

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at once. He must meet the man-eaters.Be must make them give up their cruelway of life. He must end the unhappi­ness of the people. He must free themfrom fear of being eaten by the man­eaters.

He got ready, to go. His twocompanions readily agreed to go withhim. But the people said, 'Don't go,holy Sir. They will kill you and eatyour flesh.' The Guru replied, 'No, Imust do my duty. I must make themgiv.e up their cruel way oflife. I want tomake them live like good and Godfearingmen. I have no fear. God is alwayswith me. He will help me in this work.Itjs His work. He will save me from theman-eaters. Have no fear. Pray toGod for my success. My success willbringjoy to your people. It will teachthe man-eaters p new and better wayof life.'

Accordingly, the Guru, along with

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his two companions, started towardsthe jungle. He had been told that thechief or head of the man-eaters was

I

. Kauda.He had also learnt where thatchief· man~eaier lived. 'He decided tomeet and refQrtn,-hi-m~--ifhesucceededthere, then Kauda would reform othersof his tribe.

With this end in view, the Gurustarted towards I(auda's place. Soon,he and his t\,vo companions were quitenear it. Kauda -sa\\' three men coming.He was highly pleased. He used to gofar to catcb men for food. That day~

three of them w~re,coming to him oftheir own· (r~e 'wilt.That was lqcky,indeed. HewQutd have enough meatfor many days~

He had a large, deep, frying pan fullof oil. He lit fire under it, in order tomake the oil boil. The three men hadcome very near. He felt the oil. It wasas cool as before. The fire had lost the

83

power to heat the oil. He could not·understand what had happened to thefire. He decided to roast one of thethree on the fire direct He would keepthe other two safely bound. He wouldeat them later.

The Guru was, then, very near·

The Guru and his companions werethen just near. The Guru was in front.Kauda caught him in his arms. GuruNanak smiled and said, 'Sat Kartar rKauda was puzzled. He had caught

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and eaten many men before. None ofthem haa behaved in this manner. He .threw the Guru into the fire. The Guru'stood up in the fire. ,He was smiling atKauda. Saido and Siho were sayingaloud, 'Sat Kartar! Sat Kartar !'

Kauda began to tremble. The Gurustepped out of the fire. Kauda did notpush him back. He seemed to have losthis mind. He had lost the power tomove. The Guru sat on the groundnear the fire. He began to sing a sacredsong. Kauda stood listening. His"headwas bowed. His hands were foldedbefore him.

After a time, the Guru. stoppedsinging. He looked at Kauda \Yith akind smile. Kauda fell at his feet. TheGuru said, 'Rise,qrother Kauda! Give.up your cruel way of life. Take a vowto -harm no one. Be kind and merciful.Help and serve. Always rememberGod. Repeat His name. ,Earn your

85

bread with honest work. Share yourearnings with others. Do all this your­selfand teach others ofyour tribe to dothe same.

Kauda promised to live and act asadvised by the Guru. From a killer andeater of men he became a servant andteacher of men.

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16God is Everywhere

f or over twenty years, Guru N anakhad been on his travels. He had visitedall parts· of India. He had been to theeast as far as Assam and Burma~ Tothe South he had gone .as far asCeylon. To the north he had gone, evento plaoes outside India. Crossing theHim~layas, he had visited Tibet andChina. He had travelled on foot. Whata .tireless traveller he was!

He had travelled so long and so far,but he was I)ot yet satisfied. He nowdecided to go towards the west. Hisaim was to visit Muslim countries·. Hewanted to visit also, the Muslimmosques in those countries.

He chose Mecca as' the first such .place to visit. Mecca is in Arabia. Itcontains ,the most sacred Muslim

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mosque that muslim mosque is calledthe Kaaba'orthe House ofGod. A visit 'to Mecca by a Muslim, is called haj. A

. Muslim 'visitor to Mecca is called ahaji.. Guru N anak decided to go on haj.

He put on the bluedress,wom byhajis. He took a fakir's staff, or stick inhis hand. Hajis carry under their armstheir sacred Book, the Quran. In placeof that, the Guru carried a 'book of his

, sacred songs or hymns. Like the hajis, 'he had with him a Iota or jug. He alsocarried a mat Jtke the hajis. Dressedthus, he looked like a typical haji. 'Allalong, he acted in every way as hajisdid. Bhai Mardana was with him. He,too, was dressed as a haji.

Boarding a ship at Surat, he reachedthe Arabian coast. From there, hewalked on foot: He reached Mecca indue course.

By the time he arrived in Mecca, hewas very tired. His feet were sore. He

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needed rest. So he lay down to resthimself. He knew quite well that noMuslim would lie with his feet towards,the 'Kaaba. But he wanted todraw theattention of the hajis, so thathecouldteach them' his wisdom.

So, he lay down with his feet towardsthe Kaaba. All who' saw. him lyingthus, began to shout and cry in anger.They gathered around him. Theyshouted at him. They threatened him.One of them was' more angry than theothers. His name was Jiwan. He kickedthe Guru and said, 'Who are you?Why do you lie with your feet towardsthe House of God ?'

.The Guru did not show 'any anger.In fact, he was never angry with anybody.

• t ,

He smiled at Jiwan. In a calm, sweetvoice he ,said to him, 'Brother, don't beangry. I am very tired. I need rest. Irespect the House of God as much asanyone. Please turn my feet in a

89

"Please tum my feet in a direction in which '. God is not.

direction in which God or the Houseof God is not.'

.Jiwan took hold of the Guru's feet.He dragged them in the oppositedirection. Then he lifted his eyes. Hesaw the Kaaba standing in the directionof the Guru's feet. He turned theGuru's feet in another direction. TheKaaba was seen standing in thatdirection. Jiwan dragged the Guru'sfeet to this side _and that. He dragged,

90

them round and round. The Kaabawas seen to be going round and round.It was always, in the direction of the'Guru's feet His feet were alwaystowards the Kaaba.

Jiwan and the other hajis were all,filled with wonder. Jiwan let go of theGuru's feet The Guru got up and said,'Don't you see that God's House is inevery direction ? I tell you He dwellsin everyplace, in every heart. He is inyour hearts. He is also in mine.'

In the morning, a number of learnedhajis gathered around the Guru. Theyheld· religious discussions with him.He satisfied everyone of them. Heexplained to them his golden rules oflife and religion. They listened to himwith utmost attention. They agreed tolive and act as advised'by him. One ofthem said to the Guru, 'Holy Sir, giveme something which will always remindme of you.' The Guru gave him his

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pair·ofsandals. They·were respectfully·kept in the Kaaba for some time. ThatMuslim fakir then returned to India.He qtought the sandals with him. Hekept them in his temple at Uch inBahawalpur, now in Pakistan.

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17A Haughty·Fakir,~.

After travelling through Arabia andmany other countries, the Guru returnedto the Punjab. In due course, he reached

. a place called Hasan Abdal. It is aboutfifty kilometres from Rawalpindi inPakistan.

He halted there at the foot of a hill.Soon, people began to gather aroundhim. He talked to them of God. Hetold them of their duty to Him and toHis children. More and more peoplebegan to gather around him every day.

On the top of that hill, there lived aMuslim fakir. His name was BawaWali Qandhari. His house was near aspring offreshwater. The \yater collectedthere in a small tank. From there it .flowed down to the town. It wasusedby the·people for all their needs. The'·

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people had no water from any otherplace.

Wali Qandhari was a proud man.He saw people' gathering around GuruNanak. Very few people came to himon the hill now. This made ,him angrywith the people. He made up his mindto 'punish them. He stopped the springwater from flowing down to the town.

The people became sad. How couldthey and their cattle live without water!A group of them went to Bawa WaHQandhari. They begged him to let thewater flow down as before. But he paidno heed to their, request. He ,saidangrily, 'Go to him. Ask him to giveyou water.'

They went to the Guru. They toldthe whole story to him. He said tothem, 'Don't lose heart. Trust in God.He will not let you die of thirst. BawaWaH Qandhari's anger will cool. Hewill feel pity for you all.'

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The Guru then said t6 Bhai Mardana,'Go and appeal to Bawa WaH

_Qandhari in the name ofGod. Requesthim to let the water flow down to thetown.'

Bhai Mardana went to Bawa WaliQandhari. He repeated the Guru'srequest to him. He appealed to-him inthe _name of God. But Wali Qandharishouted angrily, 'Go back to him. Askhim to give water to the people there.'

Bhai Mardana returned to the Guru.He told him the whole story. The Guru -­told him to go to the fakir once again.'Beg him,' he said, 'in the name ofGodto have pity on the people.'

Bhai Mardana obeyed.-But the fakirpaid no atte.ntiofi to his appeals. Bhai

- Mardana· returned-- to the Guru. He- told him of his failure. The Guru sent

him once again. But again he cameback with the same story.

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The people became very· worried.The Guru said to them, 'Don't loseheart, good people. God is great andmerciful. He can make springs flow .where He likes. Let us all pray toHim.' They all prayed to God. Th~

Guru·also prayed with them. Then helifted a stone. At once, a stream ofcool, clean water began to flow. It.washed the Guru's feet. It then flowedtowards the town. The people werefilled with joy.

At the same time, Bawa Wali. .

Qandhari's spring dried up~ He wasred with anger. He pushed a large rocktowards the· Guru. He thought that itwould fall on the Guru. It would crushhim to death.- It came rolling downtowards the Guru. He quietly raisedhis hand. The rock struck it and stopped. .A print of the Guru's hand was madeon the rock. The rock still exists.There is a beautiful gurdwara at. that·

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place. It is called Panja Sahib. or theHoly Hand Print.

Bawa Wali Qandhari's pride wasbroken. He came down and fell at theGuru's feet. The Guru said to him,

. 'Rise, brother fakir. Live as lovers ofGod should live. Be kind to all.' Hethen explained to him his golden rulesof life. Bawa WaH Qandhari agreed toIive and act·according to those rules.

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18With Babar

Guru N anak and Bhai Mardanacontinued their travels. During thesetravels, the Guru visited Eminabad,once more. This time als.o he went toBhai Lalo's house. He lived and dinedwith him as before.

After some time, Babar fell uponEminabad. He wanted .to becomeemperor of In~ia. He had conqueredmany places already. He wanted toconquer Eminabad also. The rulersand the people of that place foughtwell. But they were defeated. Many ofthem were killed. Others were takenprisoners. Their houses were looted.The poor, unhappy people were made

, to carry their own looted property toBabar's camp.

Guru N anak and Bhai Mardana99

were also taken prisoner. The Guruwas. given a load to carry. BhaiMardan was told to take care of ahorse.

Guru Nanak's heart was filled withsadness. He was sad not because he .had to carry a heavy load. He was sadto see the condition of the peoplearound him. They were unhappy. Hewanted to make them a little lessunhappy. He began to sing a sweet,holy song in praise of God. All whoheard the song became a little lessunhappy. They·began to think of God.A large number of them forgot theirsorrow. They dried their tears. Theybecame calm. They thanked the holyman for his sweet, holy song.

On reaching the camp, all were madeto grind corn. Guru N anak was alsogiven a handn1ill and sonIC corn togrind. He saw the unhappy peoplearound him. His healt was filled with

lOO

pity. He began to sing again. The·prisoners forgot their sorrow. Theyforgot their handmills. They sat with·folded hands, listening to the Guru'ssweet, .holy songs of God.. Thehandmills went on working as before.

. Babar's men saw this strange thing.They were filled with wonder. Theyran to Babar. They told him what theyhad seen.

-~

"What were you singing. 0 hoiy fakir ?"

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Babar went to the prison at once. Hesaw Guru Nanak sitting with closedeyes, singing in a sweet voice. Allether prisoners were sitting with folded.hands. They were listening to his song.Babar also stood listening. He did notunderstand the meaning of the song.But he liked it. The Guru· stoppedsinging after a time. He opened .. his 'eyes. Babar said to him, 'What were·you singing, 0 holy fakir ?'

Guru Nanak replied, '1 was callingupon God to see what you have done.You have killedinnocent men, womenand children. You have looted .theirhomes. Now you make them do hardwork for you. They did you no' harm.'Why should you be so cruel to them?God is the Father of all. He is your ..F ather as well as theirs. 1 am callingupon Him to see what you are doing toHis' innocent children.' '

,

Guru Nanak's words touched Babar's.

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heart. He felt ashamed. He felt sad..He felt sorry for what he had done. Hebowed to the Guru. He wanted toplease the Guru. He said, '0 holyman, what can I dQ for you ?' GuruN anak replied, 'Set all you prisoners

.·free. Return their property to them.'

Babar did all this. Then he said tothe Guru, 'Do one act of kindness forme. I wish to become emperor· of

. India. Pr~y for me.'·The Guru replied, 'Yo·ur wish shall

be fulfilled. Butyou must be a just andkind ruler. You should do your best tomake your, people happy. Be a goodman.:Do not drink wine. Do notgamble. Respect holy men. Be mercifulto those whom youdefeat. Be sp~cially

kind to women and' children. Aboveall, always rememberGod. Do nothingthat might displease Him.'·

Babar agreed to act as advised· bythe Guru.

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19A Happy Family

After cotnpleting his four great tours~Guru N"anak returned to Kartarpur.He decided to spend the remaining·days of his life there. During his tours,he had dressed himself like a sadhu orfakir. Now he took off that dress.Instead of that, he put on clothes wornby ordinary Punjabis.

Once more· he began to showeveryone how ~ man of religion shouldlive andact. He was over sixty years ofage. He had spent a very busy andactive life. It was time for him to take arest. But he did not like to sit idle. Hewanted to beaotive to the last day ofhis life. He wanted to" bea useful··member of society.

His daily programme· started threehours before sunrise. He got up at that

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"1..."{ .,

,:'~~"~/

;/IfThe sikhs gathered to liste~ to his talks

early hour. After taking his bath, hefixed his mind on God. He recited andsang the sacred hymns. At daybreak,he went to the place where his .Sikhshad gathered. They gathered there inorder to listen to his talks on life andreligion.,

After that, he spent his time as agood man of the world should do..Guru N anak was over sixty years old.Still, his body was healthy and strong.

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'It had to be so. He took plenty ofexercise all through the day. He tookexercise by doing hard useful work.He worked in his fields regularly,every day, like a good, active farmer.In the fields he raised crops for the useof his big family. All who gathered atKartarpur were members ofhis family.He also worked in his Zangar, or freekitchen for all. He took simple but .good and wholesome food. His ruleregarding food was, 'Don't eat or drinkanything which might harm your bodyor mind.' He was alw8:Ys calm andcheerful. He loved to have a heartylaugh sometimes. He spent most ofhistime in the company ofhis people. Therest of his time was spent. in thecompany of God. He. was alwaysactively busy in doing good to others.He expected his Sikhs to follow his'example.

Guru N anak's Zangar, or free kitchen,106

was open to all who needed food: Butthere was no place in it for mere idlersor people who did not do any work.

All who lived there had to do someuseful work. ,

In this langar, people of all castesate their food together. They all sat

.side by side. They lived and workedlike members of one good family.

. Guru N anak was the Chiefor Head of· that family. He was the dear Father of .

all his people. .Guru Nanak's family at-Kartarpur

was a mixed family. In it there werepeople who had been Hindus before

. they joined it. There were those who. . had been Muslims before joining Guru

Nanak's family. There were those who· had belonged to low castes. There· were those who had belonged to high

castes. There were those who hadbeen tre,ated as untouchables. Here, inthis family, all were equal. They formed

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a brotherhood of saints and workers.There were no idlers. All had to work.Some worked in the field_so Some didservice in the common kitchen. Every­one worked for the good of all.

Guru Nanak's was, indeed, a lucky,happy family. He wanted his Sikhs tolive together like one fami1y~We shouldall remember his wishes in this matter.We Should all live in peace and friend-

. ship, like members ofone good family.If we do so, he will be pleased with us.

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