Crucifixion into Thorn.
See, how the dark clouds are coming up? How beautiful the rising and spreading clouds look in the blue sky? The breeze has become cool. It appears it has drunk all the warmth.
Mardana Ji (Lightly coughing and clearing the throat): Look, the rains have come. O Lord, it is the rainy season. One does not travel in this weather. One stays at one place. Walking long distances makes you tired. One feels exhausted. The drinking water is somewhere clean. Somewhere it is un-clean. It is a health hazard. Even otherwise, the season is un-predictable, sometimes dew at night, sometimes rain, sometimes humid, sometimes sticky, sometimes torrents of rain, and sometimes a cold breeze. Even snakes etc., although they generally come out in the hot months, but these days they are creating a terror. The small snakes are also coming out.
O my master, you live for millions of years, but these are the days to stay at one place and relax. Let us stay at one place, at least these rainy days, and remember the Lord. You are not bothered about yourself, but somebody who loves you cannot tolerate your inconvenience. Besides, I get tired very quickly. For my sake only, please let us stay at one place for a few days.
After listening to the loving and emotional words, Guru Ji, the healer of the sick, said: You are right. The rainy season is like this, but those who are serving have no rest even in this season. The postmen are carrying the letters and messages even in this season. See, a postman has just passed by us. See, how fast he goes? Service of the Lord is difficult. Wherever he sends, we have to go. Whatever he prompts us to do, we have to do. The Lord is taking us somewhere for some work.
Mardana Ji: O Master, you have got the strength of the Lord, but I have no strength in me. For my sake only, you stay at one place. I feel afraid to travel in this season. For my sake only, please relax for a few days at one place.
Guru Ji understood the sentiments of Mardana Ji. Whenever Guru Ji took up an arduous task, Mardana Ji never kept quiet. Always, he used to make a pretext that he was tired or hungry or some other such thing. He used to make Guru Ji relax in this way.
Since the month of spring, Guru Ji had been constantly on the move. He would stay only for a couple of days at one place, bless the Lord's name to the people and move ahead, and now the rainy season had arrived.
He traveled for three to four months in the hot season and blessed the people with the Lord's name. He gave life to lifelessly living people.
Now, Mardana Ji wanted that his loving master should relax for some time.
Guru Ji, for the love of Mardana Ji said: All right Mardana Ji, whichever village comes, we shall stay there.
By the grace of the Lord, beautiful green fields could be seen. They were near a nice village. On the outskirts of the village was a garden with a hut in it. Guru Ji selected this place to stay.
Mardana Ji was delighted that the constant travel is over, even if it is for a month or so. At least, Guru Ji will be able to sleep on time, eat on time, and feel relaxed.
The village was thickly populated as if it was a small town.
A rich Khatri lived in the village who was quite religious minded. He liked to meet the saints who came to the village, and was always eager to be of service to them. He came to know that somebody has come to stay in the garden. Love springs from him. Whose singing of the Lord's hymns, is such that the river would stop to listen.
When he heard all this, he came to meet Guru Ji.
The Lord's hymns were being sung. Guru Ji was sitting in the meditation of the Lord's name. A light breeze was there.
He came and sat down. The moment he sat down, his eyes got charmed. His eyes closed by the charm. He got an inner feeling of rapture in his mind. Time went by un knowingly.
Only, when he opened his eyes, he realized that a long time had elapsed.
He realized that it was a divine music that was above time.
The knowledge of time was forgotten in the rapture of the divine music.
He had never listened to such divine music earlier that would stop the feeling of the passing of time.
He had not met anybody before, who would attract your mind as if by magic, and one would not like to leave.
After some time, the Khatri who felt charmed by Guru Ji went home for his worldly chores.
The Khatri, whose name was Jeevan, started coming off and on.
He got pleasure and rapture in the divine music, and as the days passed, he got more and more attracted to Guru Ji.
He used to come and bring food for Guru Ji and felt a great delight.
Soon, he got deeply attracted to Guru Ji. Now, he decided to come everyday without fail. And in case he was not able to come for any reason, then, he would not eat food or drink water on that day.
Ill
Everyday, Jeevan was coming to meet Guru Ji, sometimes in the morning and sometimes in the evening. He was bringing food for Guru Ji, as also he was looking after other comforts for Guru Ji.
On the way was a grocer's shop. The grocer saw that Jeevan goes this side everyday, without missing a single day. Why not ask him as to where does he go?
So, one day he called him and said: Brother Jeevan, previously you used to pass from this road quite rarely when you had to go out of the village but now you go everyday. What attraction have you got which takes you everyday without missing a single day?
Jeevan replied: Outside the village, in the garden with the hut, has come an enlightened Guru Ji. He is a divine soul. I go to meet him and listen to his hymns. To meet him is rapturous. So, I have a penchant to go everyday.
The grocer said: If meeting him is so rapturous, then you take me also to meet him.
Jeevan said: Why not? You are most welcome any time. So, one day the grocer also came along.
The road going outside the village had a bifurcation. One was leading to the garden with the hut, and the other was leading to another village nearby.
On this road, at a little distance before entering the village were some houses, where some prostitutes were living.
When both these men reached the point of bifurcation, they saw one prostitute coming this side. She was beautiful, and the grocer got attracted to her beauty. He wanted to follow the woman but out of formality and shyness, he kept on walking onwards with Jeevan.
They reached the garden where Guru Ji stayed, and met Guru Ji.
The grocer was delighted to meet Guru Ji, but the evil desire that had gone into his mind did not let him have peace of mind.
Jeevan listened to the divine hymns and felt the rapture, but the grocer, due to the evil desire in his mind did not feel very happy. He felt some pleasure but he remained in two minds.
Both of them listened to the divine songs for an hour and then, returned.
Now, it came to happen that the grocer got into the habit of going to the prostitute. In the evening, both used to come together from the village, but at the bifurcation, Jeevan took the road going to Guru Ji, while the grocer took the road going to the prostitute's house.
Jeevan tried his best to persuade the grocer, saying: You had come with me to meet Guru Ji and instead you have started going to the prostitute. That is not good. Be strong. Be religious and stop this. But all his advice went on deaf ears and had no effect on the grocer's vacillated mind.
Jeevan developed so much attraction for Guru Ji that sometimes he used to get food from his house and stay with Guru Ji overnight, and then, go back home after the morning prayers. The Lord's name was giving rapture to his mind.
One day, on the way, Jeevan and the grocer again had a discussion.
Jeevan was praising the religious path, while the grocer praised the shortlived worldly pleasures.
Finally, the grocer said to Jeevan: Look here, yonder is a Fig tree. You are going to Guru Ji and I am going for my enjoyment Whoever comes back first, should wait under the Fig tree. Here, we shall sit and decide as to what you have gained and what I have gained. Then we shall decide who has profited and who has lost.
Jeevan said: If you say, we can do that, but I have no doubt that there can be any loss in my path. In this path is all gain. I have also no doubt that the path you have taken is bad. It is always a losing path. It is loss of health, loss of respect, loss of mind.
The grocer said: Never mind what you say, but let us meet on return. It will be only a while lost in waiting.
On taking this decision, both of them left.
Jeevan reached Guru Ji's place. The divine hymns were being sung. His ears listened to the divine music, his mind got elevated, he got rapture and he sat down in meditation.
On the other hand, the grocer, when he reached the prostitute's house, the house was locked. The woman, whom he had to meet, was away to another village on some errand. He felt disheartened, roamed hither and thither, and finally came back and reached the Fig tree, where he was to meet his friend Jeevan. He sat down waiting for Jeevan. The waiting became long as he had returned very early. He started pondering.
Sometimes, while pondering one digs the earth. He started digging the earth. While digging he found one gold coin. The grocer's greedy mind became very happy and in the hope of finding more gold coins, he took out a knife from his pocket and started digging the earth more and more. Soon his knife touched an earthen pot. This kept him busy. Time passed by unknowingly. He took out the earthen pot and when he opened the lid, he found pieces of coal in the earthen pot. He searched up to the bottom of the pot, but it had pieces of coal only, up to the bottom.
By now, Jeevan reached the Fig tree, but he was limping. He was wearing his shoes properly on one foot, and on the other foot he had worn the shoe after turning it down at the heel, and was rubbing his shoe to the ground and limping.
Seeing him like this, the grocer said: Why don't you put on your shoe properly on your second foot? You must be feeling uncomfortable walking like this.
Jeevan replied: O friend, when I came out of Guru Ji's hut, before I could reach my shoes, a thorn pierced my foot. I tried to pull out the thorn but a piece of the same is stuck in my foot. That is why, I have put a bandage on my foot, and I am walking without putting on the shoe properly.
Grocer: O.K. Then you better sit down and relax a bit. Then, we shall talk, and after that we shall go home.
When he sat down, then they started talking. The grocer said: Listen, today, I have found a gold coin and you have got a thorn pierced in your foot. We must ask, because you go for religious pursuit and I go for evil doing.
Jeevan replied: Whatever has happened, forget it. In any case religious pursuit is better and evil doing is always bad.
Grocer: No. Brother, either you give a plausible reasoning or we go to Guru Ji and ask him the reason.
So, both of them went to Guru Ji and touched his feet.
Guru Ji smiled, and Mardana Ji, on seeing the smile on Guru Ji's face, became attentive.
Meanwhile the grocer (with folded hands) told the entire story, regarding his evil doing, to Guru Ji, and asked him as to how it has happened that the fruit of my evil doing is a gold coin while the fruit of Jeevan's religious pursuit is a thorn pierced.
Guru Ji said: It might be better if you forget everything and don't talk about it.
Grocer again said: Well, as you wish, but we are stupid people, we do not understand things properly. Please let us know the secret, why the fruit of evil doing is a gold coin?
Guru Ji touched the head of the grocer, blessed him and said: Listen, the fruit of your evil doing is not one gold coin. The storm of your evil doing has shaken your tree of gold coins. All have been blown away. Only one remains.
The earthen pot of coal pieces was a pot of gold coins. You had donated one coin to a saint. That became hundred coins. Your evil doing went on reducing the gold coins to coal pieces. You see, your evil doing has burnt the fruits of your kind deeds. Only one coin remains that has brought you here.
This, one coin tells you that your evil deeds have made you loose hundreds of gold coins like this one. Instead of multiplying they have got burnt. The gold coins have become pieces of coal.
Jeevan's good deeds and religious pursuit, his service to the saints his listening to the Lord's hymns and reciting the Lord's name have burnt his sins. His bad deeds in his past life were so much that he deserved crucifixion. But as he started reciting the Lord's name and listened to divine hymns and did service to saints, the penalty of his bad deeds started reducing, so much so, that his penalty was reduced from crucifixion to the piercing of a thorn, which gave the pain of a needle prick, and saved him from a very big suffering.
The second thing to ponder is that the more you have gone after evil deeds your sensuousness has increased.
For Jeevan, the more he has recited the Lord's name and listened to the divine hymns his inclinations have become good and virtuous, and his aptitude for service to humanity, kindness, and meeting saintly people has increased.
As such, for the future, he is moving on the path of good deeds correctly.
What Guru Ji said went deep into the grocer's heart. The touch that Guru Ji had given to his head was a burning flame that burnt the mounds of sins. When his sins thus got burnt, the load of sins on his mind vanished.
He fell at Guru Ji's feet and said: Please be gracious. Put me on the correct path. Teach me to do good deeds and stop me from doing evil deeds.
Your strength can only do that. I have no strength in me.
Guru Ji was gracious. He asked Mardana Ji to play the music. And he himself sang the divine hymns. Guru Nanak Dev Ji's divine song and the divine hymns were heart piercing for both Jeevan and the grocer. The grocer's mind became like a crystal.
Guru Ji said: We are humans to do deeds. Our intellectual mind tells us that whatever deeds we do are of two types, good deeds and evil deeds. Whatever we do, our inclination goes that way. Inclinations become habits.
These habits, then, make us do good or evil deeds. The relish in the evil deeds is a trap in which we get trapped like a bird. The habits in our mind give us the inclination to do evil deeds. From outside the relish pulls us. In this way, man is trapped. The mind goes on becoming dirtier and dirtier.
The mind becomes dead to true happiness and gets absorbed in the short-lived momentary pleasures. The mind becomes powerless and cannot rise again towards true happiness. Because, when a man is absorbed in sensual pleasures, he cannot remember the Lord and in the forgetfulness of the Lord if he has any previously accumulated good deeds, they cannot help.
The evil deeds that he does now burn the previously accumulated good deeds. As such for a person trapped in the relish of evil deeds or having a dirty mind, the remedial measure of doing good deeds only, is not sufficient.
The evil deeds burn the freshly done good deeds.
There is only one way of cleansing the dirty mind, that is, Guru Ji has to sprinkle the Lord's name on the dirty mind.
The sprinkling of the Lord's name on the mind gets the mind into remembrance of the Lord. Remembrance of the Lord is meeting the Lord.
The evil deeds and the relish of sensuousness had created .a veil of forgetfulness of the Lord. When that veil is broken by the remembrance, the forgetfulness does not remain.
Now the strength of the Lord, His goodness, His love, His graciousness, will all come to us. That will take out all sinfulness that is in our mind. Our dirty and dead mind will wake up. It will get the sensation of the Lord's name and will become sublime.
After listening to the divine song and hymns, the Lord's name got deep into the heart of the grocer. All his bad habits and sins were washed away. His bad habits changed. His mind came on the true path.
He fell at Guru Ji's feet and said: O Lord, O Lord. Please save me. I have sinned enough.
Guru Ji lovingly rubbed his hand on the grocer's back and said:
'Say, O Lord Say, O Lord
It was not just telling him to say 'O Lord'. He made the Lord enter his body.
Both of them got the Lord's name in their mind and heart. The Lord's name went in their entire body cells like a fountain. Both became true disciples of Guru Ji.
Men do the deeds but when the Lord's name gets into the body, all bad deeds are washed out.
The love of the Lord's name is a path higher than deeds.
The Name first washes the inclinations and the dirt of the mind. The soul becomes crystal. The same Name becomes nectar and gives rapture to the mind and soul.
'By reciting the Lord's name, the dirt of the mind goes. The Name nectar goes into the heart'.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji's command to the grocer is repeated once again: " Say, O Lord Say, O Lord"
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