The sun god under some heavenly command is moving down and down towards the west and looking towards the earth in regret. It appears that it does not want to separate from the earth where its eyes are watching its beauty.
The beauty of the earth in separation from the fading sun is getting ready for solitude and peace. Sweet breeze is blowing. Green fields are in bloom. The birds are returning to their nests.
At this time, one can hear the sound of a ninning well, zoon , zoon ,
that is a divine song for a godly child dyed in the Lord's love.
Three persons have come here from the town and are sitting on the sheet spread on the platform and are talking.
Brij Nath: O priest, can you tell us about the miracle that the prophet child showed at the time of putting the sacred red thread?
Priest (Hardayal): Even, you were there. All the sadhus and brahmins of the town were present. Do children of this age have such high thinking, exuberance and strong determination?
Tutor (Gopal): O pandit (looking towards Brij Nath), I have always dealt with children. I have never seen such a thing. What do you say?
Pandit (Brij Nath): Yes, he is a unique child. The signs are those of a prophet. I have bowed my head to him. But one thing I have not understood is, that if he is a prophet and has come to allay the suffering of the people, then why is he not in tune with the old traditions and customs as per the Vedic scriptures? The powerful that he is, I hope he will not make us lose our prestige.
Hardayal: Yes, pandit. This is the fear I had. Even, at that time I tried my best, but the child spoke forcefully and exposed the declining character and mistaken beliefs of us Hindus. He said about the people indulging in vices and passions? How he repeatedly said, 'What will the red thread do when the eyes, ears, nose, hands and feet are not controlled'? He spoke in such beautiful language, 'What is the use of the thread on the neck when the body senses are not tied'?
He meant to control the passions and vices.
Pandit: Well, that's right. But you see, if the rituals are gone, then, what will remain?
Priest (Hardayal): I was also in despair. But I had a dream last night. I was sitting on the bank of the sacred Pampasar Lake in South India. The water was full of worms. The surrounding forest was full of sadhus. Everyone had a bath there and felt uncomfortable but nobody was able to clean the water. Then, I saw Sri Ram Chandra, while going to Sri Lanka in search of Sita, came and sat at the bank. All the sadhus and ascetics came and paid respects to him and prayed: O prophet, this lake is full of worms. You put your sacred feet in this water and make the lake free from the worms.
He asked everyone to have a bath in it. On his orders, everybody had a bath in it but the worms did not go. Then, Sri Ram Chandra himself had a bath in it. Even then, the worms did not go.
On seeing this, the sadhus started doubting. They thought, when he has no supernatural powers, then, he cannot be a prophet.
Meanwhile, Sri Ram Chandra asked one destitute woman, whom the sadhus thought to be of a lower caste: O woman, you have a bath in this lake. The moment she entered the lake for a bath, the worms were all gone and water became pure and clean.
Then, I wondered and realized that the prophet has all powers but in these miracles they demonstrate that ego of upper caste is not desirable. What is required is the love of the Lord. The destitute woman was in love of the Lord. Then, I got up and sat down. I said to my mind: O Lord, you have given me a proof that the miracle of Guru Nanak Dev Ji was to lift us above the caste-ego and make us steadfast in the love of the Lord. We did not understand him properly.
Again, in the case of a ceremony of pandavs, Shri Krishna observed that such a ceremony was fruitless. Only when Balmeek of lower caste had food, then it became fruitful. Shri Krishna could himself make it fruitful but to show
that the caste-ego is not good, he did like that. Shri Krishna had even praised the lower caste sadhus more than the upper caste ones. So my doubt has been cleared. His miracle was only to remove the bad things from our society.
Pandit: It looks like that. It is good. There is no place for despair now.
Tutor: O priest, you are right. You have more faith. The Lord has shown you the light.
While they were still talking, the Muslim priest came. He saw the three pandits sitting. He came forward and said: You have taught and observed Guru Nanak Dev Ji. I have also taught him. What a unique child he is. He has so much knowledge. First, I taught him. Then, I bowed to him. He is a big saint. In our scriptures, it is written that another prophet won't be there. Otherwise, I would have said that he is a prophet. But he is definitely a big saint. He has so much saintliness. I have heard that at the time of the red thread ceremony, he spoke very boldly on the decline of character and in favor of remembering the Lord. Nanak is above rituals. He made fun of an egoistic Muslim sitting next to the big well in the town and praying without attention. He is not afraid of anyone. He speaks boldly. He doesn't spare anyone. He doesn't believe in empty rituals. But whenever there is an argument, he accepts defeat in such a way that the other person feels ashamed and loses.
Hardayal: Yes, this is what we were talking about. He is surely a prophet.
Meanwhile, a voice could be heard from the forest. It kept on getting louder and in moments the godly child was standing amidst this foursome. He looked towards all of them and greeted them with respect but they got up and bowed to him.
Then, the Muslim priest said: O Nanak, I taught you the worldly language but you gave me the spiritual knowledge. You are great.
The godly soul had tears in his eyes. He looked towards all of them and then, towards the heavens and his eyes closed. Then, he went away.
All the four felt that they had come out after a dip in a sacred tank.
The godly child had different moods. Sometimes he was quiet. Sometimes he would go to the forest and had discussions with the saints and sadhus. Sometimes, he kept on sleeping for long hours. Sometimes, he sat in the forest with eyes closed. For some time, he was a herdsman for the buffaloes. The buffaloes grazed and he sat in meditation. It is said: The Lord looks after the work of his beloved ones.
In the biography, it is written that his parents got him married at a young age. It was their duty that they fulfilled when he was in a happy mood. In fact,
Mehta Kalu Ji's efforts were to deviate him towards worldly merriments and comforts. He was sure that after marriage, he would get engrossed in the family and leave his saintly habits. The love of the wife will trap him in worldly entanglements and he will get into sentimental love.
But Guru Nanak Dev Ji's love for the Lord was not shallow. It was too deep. He was deeply immersed in the love of the Lord. His mind was swinging in the heavenly swing. His mind was swimming in the heavenly ocean, like a fish in the ocean. His mind was flying in the heavens, like a bird flying in the sky.
He never troubled his parents intentionally. Whatever they said, he did. But when there was a pull from the Lord, then the attraction towards the Lord was absolute and he did whatever the Lord wished.
So, Mehta Kalu Ji's hope that his son would get into worldly entanglements by marrying was falsified. He went to the forest everyday to graze the buffaloes. Mehta Kalu Ji wanted that he should do some work, even if it is taking the buffaloes for grazing.
O Lord of the heavens! You are grazing the cattle.
When, you are immersed in the love of the Lord,
Then, the gods and celestial beings graze your buffaloes.
There was a nice shaded tree in the forest.
One morning, the godly child sat in meditation under the tree and after sometime lay down and fell asleep.
Rai Bular Ji had gone for hunting. He saw the godly child Nanak, whom the priests, pandits and the Muslim priests praised, sleeping under the tree.
When he returned in the afternoon, he saw the cattle grazing in the fields and on one side under the tree the godly child was still asleep.
The shades of all the trees had changed their direction but the shade of the tree that was near his head had not changed its direction. The shade remained there, where he was sleeping.
He said: People had seen the miracles of Nanak and I had only heard. I had not seen any with my own eyes. Am I not seeing a miracle today? It appears as if somebody has put a guard on duty to provide shade to Nanak.
His companions said: Sir, you are right. The shade has not changed its direction. It is there. Nanak is a prophet.
He bowed his head and said: Go and wake him up.
When Rai Bular Ji's men woke him up, then the godly child stood up and looked towards Rai Bular Ji graciously. He looked at Rai Bular Ji again and again. Rai Bular Ji got ecstasy. He felt that the godly child's glance has love and gives
ecstasy. Then, Rai Bular Ji called Mehta Kalu Ji and said: Mehta, this son of yours is a gem, a pearl. He is a Lord's child. He has come from the Lord's palace. Give him respect. Don't ever say bad words for him. Never scold him.
Again, one day, it wasn't noon as yet. The buffaloes were grazing in the fields, when the child Guru Nanak Dev Ji sat and then lay down in a beautiful green field on one side and it appeared as if he was sleeping.
Soon, it became noon and the sun was hot. One Cobra snake came where the child lay down. It came near the head of the godly child, raised his head and expanded and spread its hood. It acted like an umbrella and made shade on the handsome child's face where the sun was sending hot rays.
In the meanwhile, Rai Bular Ji passed this way. When he saw intently, he noticed it was a Cobra snake. He asked his men to scare the snake lest it may bite the child. The snake ran away fast and vanished.
The godly child now got up. Rai Bular Ji was amazed: O! Even snakes make shade for him. He went forward, bowed and embraced the child fondly. But see, what happened? He felt rapture and started reciting the Lord's name. He felt as if he had embraced the Lord.
Today, when he saw the transformation in him by embracing the child, then he got full faith that he is not an ordinary child.
He said: You are a prophet and the Lord's beloved.
Now, since some days the child Nanak stopped talking.
Sometimes, he lay down in the house or went to the forests and had discourse with saints and sadhus. Sometimes, he would go to the forest and sit there in meditation.
After spending some days in solitude and meditation, again he came to a happy mood. He started talking and listening to everybody.
So, one day, dad said to him: O child, you do farming now. We can employ tillers. We already have our land. You get the tilling done and earn in this way. If you don't like farming, then you may open a shop. If you do not like a shop, then you become a buyer and seller of horses. You move in different cities. Buy from somewhere and sell somewhere. If you do not like this, then you can take up a job in this city or in any other city.
If you become a sadhu and go away, then what support we will have? Besides, people will make fun of us.
Then, Guru Ji said: O dad, farming is already being done. The shop is already being run. Trading in horses is already going on.
Then, Mehta Kalu Ji said: But I do not see you doing any business.
Then, Guru Ji said: I do farming like this. My mind is the farmer. My body is the land. I am sowing the seedlings of the Lord's name. I am giving water to this land. The water is 'Not doing something that the Lord doesn't like'. If I do something for which I have to feel ashamed when I go to Him, I do not do that thing. This is the water I give to my land.
Then, whatever you give, I eat and I am happy in that. I do not desire for more and more. This is the ash that I spread on the land before and after sowing the seedlings of the Lord's name.
What is ash? A farmer first ploughs the land. Then he puts ash on it to make the earth soft. Then he sows the seedlings in it. Again he puts ash on it so that the seeds remain covered and the birds may not eat them.
Guru Ji said: My putting the ash is that whatever the Lord gives, I am happy in it and my mind never goes after greed. Educated people call it contentment.
Then, I am happy in poverty. I do not require wealth. I do not wish to accumulate wealth and move in the world with pride and ego. I wish to be humble and live a simple life.
Then, we have a shop. This life that we have is a shop. Trading is going on. The breath is moving and our mind is thinking and wandering. We should put the Lord's name as merchandise here. This should be the place for keeping the Lord's name as merchandise and we should put our thinking and attention in the Lord's name.
O dad, we should do trading in horses in this way: We should listen to the Holy Scripture. In the scripture is written, 'Buy Truth (Lord's Name)'. We should consider 'truth (Lord's name)' as a horse and 'to do goodness' as walking with the horse. This is buying the horses and our earning.
We should go to our Lord's palace with this horse of 'truthLord's name)' and 'good deeds'.
If you talk of employment, then, we should think the Lord as our employer and reciting His name the job that we have to do. One has to run after the employer's work day and night. Day and night we should keep away from evil. This will be our running around. So, this is the employment.
O dad, with this employment one feels happy. You get respect in the Lord's palace. The Lord loves you.
Then, the dad said: O son, you are talking of the Lord in this young age. Let your old age come. Now you earn and accumulate wealth, so that you live comfortably when I am no more.
Guru Ji: O dad, this wealth that you say I should accumulate, will remain here. It does not go with you. Then, what is the benefit of accumulating this wealth? But dad, it is not in your control. This wealth and worldly desires have deceived everyone. Everybody is running after it. Only one in a million understands that this wealth is deceiving us and making us forget the love of the Lord. Everybody is in the forgetfulness of the Lord.
While talking all this, the loving Guru Ji's eyes closed and it appeared as if he were not conscious, and talking of the Lord, he went into deep meditation.
Now, Guru Ji started living more in solitude. He would not sit and talk to anyone. He would not eat anything for two days or sometimes for three days even. But his face was ever shining and bright. His body however, looked weak. If he lay down, then he remained lying down for long hours. When he sat, he sat with eyes closed. He had completed adolescence.
Guru Ji had crossed fifteen. Now, he was a young man. But his body was slim and a bit weak. Three months passed like this.
Then, the relatives, friends and neighbors said: Mehta Kalu Ji, your son has some illness in the body. You better show him to a doctor.
On seeing his son's condition and on listening from the relatives that his son has some illness, one day he brought a doctor to his house. He took the doctor inside where Guru Ji lay down. The name of the doctor was Haridas. Haridas sat on the bed where the guru lay down.
Mehta Kalu Ji said: Doctor, my son does not eat anything. He has become weak. He keeps on lying down. You examine him properly to diagnose his illness.
The doctor saw Guru Ji's face, then, he looked at his feet, then he held Guru Ji's right arm to check his pulse.
Then, Guru Ji pulled his arm back and got up. He asked: O doctor, what are you going to check?
The doctor said: O child, I want to check your pulse to see what illness you have in your body?
Then, Guru Ji looked towards the doctor with a charm in his eyes and the handsome and alert Guru Ji said: Listen, O doctor, you have been called to treat me. You have come for my treatment. You want to check my pulse to find out the illness in my body. There is no illness in my arm. There is no illness in my body. I have pain deep in my heart. I have pangs of love for my loving Lord. That you cannot see. O doctor, you cannot find that pain.
Guru Ji heaved a sigh and with slightly closed eyes again said: I will think you are a good doctor if you first understand your own illness and then find a remedy that should treat all illnesses so that you become all right and feel happiness in your body. O doctor, if you can first treat yourself and remove your illness then only you are a doctor and you can ask others to call you a doctor. Then, you become a doctor for Nanak.
The doctor was bewildered. He put his hand back and said: O child, do you think that I am sick?
Guru Ji said: Yes doctor, you are suffering from the illness called 'Ego'. This is an illness. Everybody is afflicted with it, but people do not understand.
Doctor: What suffering this illness of ego has given us?
Again, he looked towards the doctor with merciful eyes and said: This illness has separated us from the Lord. It has created a divide between brothers and brothers and other people.
Doctor: We cannot feel this illness. You tell, how we come to know of it? When there is an illness, there is pain. One feels the suffering. Is there no pain in this illness?
Guru Ji laughed and said: O simple fellow, see, death is standing on everybody's head. The fear of death is eating up everyone. You tell me, is fear not a suffering? Everybody is afraid that one day the messengers of death will take us away from this world. See, doctor, everyday you eat, everyday it becomes ash. Again you want to eat. Is this hunger not an illness? If we don't eat when we are hungry, then we become sick.
Then, there are so many diseases that you have studied. Everybody is afraid of those. These diseases come without asking you. Our body gets ill suddenly by so many illnesses. We are proud when the body is healthy. We go after the passions of the body. But the body is subject to disease. They can come at any time. O doctor, then, there is another illness. That is separation.
When there is separation in relatives and friends, both sides feel the suffering and cry. When the husband and wife are separated, both cry like sick people. When friends separate, they cry. O doctor, what remedy do you have for anybody? Then, there is another separation. We are separated from the Lord. This is an illness that nobody understands and comprehends. You are a doctor but you do not understand this illness.
You tell, how will you cure it when you do not even understand this illness.
I have understood this illness. I know this pain. I have treated this pain.
What medicine can you give me? I have already treated this pain and am cured.
What cure can you prescribe for me? I am already cured and am curing others now. O simple fellow, you don't suggest any medicine for me. You look after your own cure.
The doctor was initially astonished. Now he felt some ecstasy coming from Guru Ji. He felt Guru Ji's glance was giving him ecstasy.
He said: O son, you talk of inner happiness. You talk of the soul. Your talk has deep meanings and difficult to understand. How can I understand? I am a doctor for the body only. I do not understand the inner illness.
Guru Ji: O doctor, what is the use of this body if the inner illness is there?
See, everything has a cover like our body and inside is life.
When the life is there, then only, the breath comes and goes. When there is no life and no breath coming and going, then, what use is this body for?
Like, Sandalwood. When the fragrance is there, then, it is Sandalwood. If the fragrance goes away, the fragrance is not there, then the wood is of no value at all.
Similarly, when the breath goes away, then your medicines cannot be taken.
See, till the body is alive there is pain. When there is pain, then, we come to know that there is some illness in the body. If there is no pain, then, we won't know that there is any illness. So the pain is a doctor like you. It tells you about the illness otherwise how would you know? I have pain in my heart.
I am suffering because of separation from the Lord. You do not have any cure for this pain. You don't give me any medicine and don't say unnecessarily that I have illness in my body.
The doctor's mind got an awakening. He said to his mind: Is he ill or is he a doctor for all illnesses? Is he an ordinary person like us? He is a prophet sent by the Lord. He, who talks of such high and true things, is he a Guru Ji of the yogis or a Guru Ji of the saints?
With such a thought he asked: O goodness, you have said right. Tell. Is it true? You say we are separated from the Lord and this is an illness and we •do not understand this. It is an inner illness. How we got this illness and why don't we feel the pain as you feel? The pain that you have said, why don't we feel in our heart?
The merciful Guru Ji opened his sweet lips and said: O doctor, listen good man.
Man's mind, whatever it sees beautiful and good, it desires to acquire and the desire is so strong that he runs after it like a blind person. You have heard people say many times, 'that person is blind after this thing or that'.
So, man acquires the things for which he ran blindly. Then, he ravishes and enjoys those things and makes merry. He becomes blind. Absorbed in merriments he forgets the Lord. Like, when a child is playing with other children out of the house, then, he is absorbed in the play and forgets the parents.
Similarly, our mind is absorbed in worldly desires and we forget the Lord.
Now, when we forget the Lord, the sufferings come. The body becomes ill. The illness is in the body but the mind feels the pain.
The mind that had forgotten the Lord and was absorbed in worldly pleasures had become blind. Now, whatever illnesses the body has, is a punishment to the blind mind because the pain is in the mind. This pain is a punishment and a medicine also, because the pain is telling you the illness. This pain acts as the medicine. You don't try to cure my heart's pain. This is a love pinch of my handsome Lord. You try to cure your own illness of the mind that is there but you don't feel its pain.
Now the doctor's eyes were full of tears. With folded hands he prayed: O handsome Guru Ji, O doctor of the inner mind, you tell some cure for the blind mind, for the suffering mind.
Guru Ji looked towards him with love and said: O doctor, pray, the Lord may awaken your sleeping soul. You have felt a little pain now. Now, you listen to the cure with ears open. The handsome Lord is the Savior. The handsome Lord's loving name is the medicine. The Lord's name can clean the dirt of the mind. The Lord's name is the cure for the illnesses of the mind. When the Lord's name enters and lives in the suffering mind, then, this body that has life in it shines like gold and gets a new life. Then, all the sufferings of the mind and the illnesses of the body go. In this way one becomes free of all sufferings when the Lord's name gets into the mind.
See, where there is the pain pinch of my loving Lord, there resides the Lord's name. You see, my heart, my body cells, my nerves all have got new life in them. My body has no illness.
The doctor who was earlier bewildered, now felt the love of Guru Ji. He forgot that he was a doctor. His mind got so much attraction for Guru Ji that his eyes stopped blinking. He felt some sweet love rays coming from Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He felt some fragrance from Guru Ji's body.
He fell at Guru Ji's feet and prayed: Now, you bless me. You cure my inner mind's illness.
The guru said: Recite the Lord's name with love. Your illness will go.
Now the doctor stood up and bowed his head to go.
He said: Mehta Kalu Ji, Don't worry. Your handsome son is not sick. He has no illness, no worries and no attachments. He is Lord's loving child. He is a prophet. He has come from the Lord to allay the suffering of the people.
Then, one day the three pandits came to meet him. They greeted him with respect and said: O Nanak, your mom and dad are sad. You make them happy.
Guru Ji replied: If one listens to the Lord's command, then only, one can be at peace day and night.
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