It was morning but the sun was shining brightly. On the outskirts of the town, near the forest, was a well. One woman was drawing and lifting water from the well. She was filling a bucket and throwing. In the meantime, one saint whose body had become weak due to the hard hath yoga practices, penances and fasts, but with glowing eyes, came.
Although his body appeared weak but his countenance showed grandeur. He came near the well and said: Daughter, can I have some water to drink?
The woman had emptied the bucket. She said: O saint, sit down. I will give you water to drink.
But the woman again filled the bucket and threw it and kept on doing like that as before.
The saint, after waiting for sometime, again said (In a little angry tone): O daughter, will you give me some water or not?
Woman: I will give you water. O Saint, sit down. Here, there are no sparrows that you will say 'you die' and they will die.
The saint sat down. His anger faded a little, but amazement struck him: The miracle of sparrows, I did in the lonely forest. How has she come to know of it?
It looks this woman is intuitive. I should sit down and find the secret.
The fact was that this saint was meditating in the forest. Early morning, when it was daybreak and pleasant, he did not feel any wondrousness, but the chirping of sparrows went into his ears.
Since he was meditating, he felt the chirping of the sparrows disturbing to his mind and felt annoyed. So, in anger, he said: O sparrows, why don't you die?
When the sparrows fell dead, then, he thought: O, Why I cursed these blameless sparrows?
Then, he thought: At least now, I know that the Lord has been gracious to me. I have got strength in my utterance. Let me make sure.
So, he said: O sparrows fly away.
Then, immediately, they flew away.
This happiness did not let him sit. He went to his hut.
Now, the sun had risen and he felt thirsty. Then, he came to the well.
Now, when the woman had thrown enough water, then the woman said:
0 saint, come and have water.
So, he went forward and with both palms joined, he drank water. Then, he said: Thank you very much and then, sat down.
Then, he said to the woman: O daughter, you tell, how you came to know regarding the sparrows and why you threw away so much water and gave me later?
Woman: To know these things is not much difficult. It is difficult to reach the Lord. These supernatural powers, one can get with a little effort only. Saint: From where have you got this intuitiveness?
Woman: I have not done any penances. I have loved my husband. I remain immersed in the love of my husband. Such things come automatically.
The water, I did not give you earlier, because at a distance of about 10 kilometers from here, is my sister's village. She has gone to meet a godly soul. There is a fire in her neighborhood and was likely to engulf my sister's house.
1 had a vision of the same while sitting immersed in the love of my husband. So, I carried a bucket and came running to the well. The water that I have been throwing, I have been extinguishing the fire. That work was urgent. Quenching your thirst was not that urgent. So, first I extinguished the fire. My sister's house is saved, and the entire village is saved. If the fire had spread, then, who knows how much loss it could do.
The saint was more amazed, that she is not only intuitive but she has supernatural powers as well. Then, he said: O Daughter, you tell me truly, from where have you got this?
The woman said: O saint, you are asking me as to from where I have got this? It has come by itself.
Saint: Are you not a lover of the Lord?
The woman said: I know my husband as my beloved and I am immersed in his love. What you say supernatural powers they are playthings. Don't consider them a gift from the Lord.
The gift is the love of my husband, my lord, and my husband has got the gift of the love of the almighty Lord, that he has got through the holy company of a godly soul, for whose glimpse my sister has gone.
Saint: Don't you wish to have a glimpse of the Lord?
Woman: I wish the glimpse of my husband. My husband looks after me. He will take me along to the Lord's palace.
He looks after me here. There also, he will look after me.
The day was declining, that one shepherd, who was grazing his cattle, felt thirsty. He came to this well to have water. When he climbed the parapet, then, he noticed that one log has been fixed to the platform and a chain is tied to it. When he peeped down, then, he saw one person hanging head down with feet tied to the chain that was tied to the log at the top.
First, he thought that the king might have given him a punishment like this, but then, he heard some voice coming. So, he bent a little and asked: O gentleman, who are you?
Gentleman: O sympathizer, don't ask me. You drink water and you may go.
Shepherd: O gentleman, why are you putting yourself to so much agony?
Gentleman: To meet the Lord.
Shepherd: Can you meet the Lord in this way?
Gentleman: Well! What do you think? Can you meet the Lord by grazing the sheep?
The words went into the mind of the shepherd. He ran fast, went to another well, tied a rope made of long grass and fixed a log of wood at the top and tied one end of the rope to the log and the other end to his feet and hung himself head down in the well. After about half an hour came the beloved godly soul at this well. He climbed the platform, peeped down and said: O Creation of the Lord, what evil deed you did that you have been punished like this?
Shepherd: I have not done any evil deed. I have hung myself to have a glimpse of the Lord. One sadhu has said that one cannot reach the Lord by grazing the sheep, but one can reach the Lord in this way.
Meanwhile, a few more persons came to the well to draw water. The godly soul asked them to take the man out.
When he was brought out, then, his eyes were red. His face was red. He was breathing fast and appeared to be a crazy person.
The godly soul told them to massage his legs. After sometime he became all right. When he saw the dazzle on the face of the godly soul, then he fell at his feet and said: Your Holiness, you have come. How great and loving are you? I am all sacrifice to you.
He kept on saying such words and the godly soul kept on rubbing his auspicious hand on the shepherd's head.
When his mind and body became cool by the blessing of the godly soul, then, the godly soul lifted his head and said: O Creation of the Lord, the Lord has come in your heart, where you had a longing and love for Him.
The first step to reach the Lord is to have a longing to meet Him.
Then you see the Lord's benevolence that he made us thirsty and brought us to this well because your rope was weak and was going to snap shortly.
Before it snapped, your true longing and true love bore fruit, that He brought us here before the rope snapped.
Thus, you have been saved. This is the second grace of the Lord to you.
Now, regarding the glimpse of the Lord, don't peep or hang in the well. Peep inside your body. He lives in the body. But He is formless. He is love. He reveals Himself in His name. So, you go on calling Him inside your body. You remember Him. You cannot see Him with these eyes. His form is love and ecstasy.
When you will remember Him with love and feel the ecstasy, then, you consider that He is giving His glimpse. His form is ecstasy and rapture.
The shepherd said: Is it like the ecstasy that I have felt just now? The godly soul said: Yes. Even more and more.
Shepherd: Then, why don't you say, you are the Lord? Why are you making excuses? You are putting off. You are the 'One'. You are the 'One'. I have recognized.
The godly soul loved the shepherd with his hand on the shepherd's head and said: as I love you, you love the Lord.
Shepherd: Then, I will be grazing the sheep and you will go away. This is not fair. As you have come away from the other person who was in the other
well, so will you leave me and go away. Oh! No. I have found you by hanging myself in the well and almost near death. Your Holiness, I won't let you go now. You have to stay with me, near me. I will offer you milk to drink and I will massage your feet. O loving soul, stay with me.
Saying this, he held the Guru's arm and said to his companion: You also come. He held his arm also and took them to his house.
The Guru, who fulfilled everybody's wish, walked with him. Seeing the shepherd's pure heart and true love, the Guru was gracious. He made the Lord's name settle in the innocent person's heart, and made him immersed in the love of he Lord.
The Guru stayed in his hut for a couple of days. When the shepherd got the sensation of the Lord's name in his mind and body, then the Guru departed.
Ill
It is a dense forest. Sunshine is falling at some places through the dense trees. At one place is sitting one in meditation.
He is talking to his mind: Alas! The Lord had been like the husband of that woman. I would have served him, given him food, massaged his body, pleased him. Then, I would have got supernatural powers and would have been godly.
Where should I find the formless, limitless, figureless Lord? How should I serve Him? How should I please him?
Alas! I wish I didn't have the desire to meet Him. I would have been merrier.
O Villain, stop. Stop. This solitude is nice. What is there in passions? The whole world is in passions, making the body weak and ill, and dying of illnesses. This fasting, penances and longing is welcome.
Silence! Some voice can be heard. (Plugging his ears with his fingers) Don't listen to the music. The code does not allow. But the code is one sided only. If somebody sings divine songs, then why should the music be considered bad?
(Taking out fingers from the ears) Listen, listen, you may listen. I am feeling dejected. Maybe, it is a divine song that gives buoyancy to the mind. If it is not divine, then you may close your ears. O yes, this is a praise of the Lord.
Listening to the praises of the Lord with music, my hard bones become full of life. Oh! Now it is not audible. Oh! The heavenly, pleasant music is gone. It is destiny.
Now, he bit the wooden bread, walked a few steps and sat down. Oh! Lord.
In the forest was a rustling of steps. The faqir was startled.
It is daytime, animals do not come out in the day. Oh! This rustling is of the feet of humans. He saw and said to himself: Who are they?
They appear to be some sadhus. Well, it is good. They are some people of the Lord. They will talk of the Lord.
Oh no! They might be Hindus. Then they will talk of idols. Hindus are bad. They are infidel. But why did the Lord create them? There must be some secret in this. When He has created, why should I say, they should not be there?
O Farid! Stop it. You have renounced the house and family. You have become a skeleton by keeping fasts and other penances.
Even then, you think of hatred. The Lord is not hatred. Oh! Old hatred. What old hatred with poor Hindus. The Hindus did not fight with the prophet. They were some Jews of those continents who fought.
Initially, the idol worshippers of Arab countries were relatives of the prophet. They oidy became enemies. Where were the Hindus?
Our Muslim religious leaders are ignorant. What for is hatred with Hindus? They never did any harm to the prophet. So, O mind do not hate anyone. By hating others the hatred enters inside your body. Hatred is an evil thinking.
By nurturing hatred the evil comes in your body. Then, where there is hatred, how can God be there?
Maybe, that is why my endeavor has not borne any fruit.
Don't nurture hatred in your mind.
Let them come, whosoever they are. They are sadhus. I am getting coolness. Meanwhile, both of them arrived.
The faqir got up and said: In the name of the Lord, I greet you. Then, the godly soul said: O saint Farid, Greetings to you in the name of the Lord, from us also.
The saint shook hands with the godly soul and both sat down.
Farid: Hindu or Muslim?
Guru: O Lord, we belong to the Lord.
Farid: I like it Are you a family man or a recluse?
Guru: None and both.
Farid: O beloved of the Lord, don't put your feet in two boats. Either you find the Lord or you find fame in the world.
Guru Nanak: O saint, this is a dual ship. It is beneficial to put feet on both. At least one will reach you to the shore. Put one foot on the family ship and one on the recluse ship. God knows which one will reach the shore.
Farid: How is that?
Guru: Really speaking, the example of ships is not correct. There is no water and no ship. Nothing is drowned. Nothing reaches the shore.
The merchandise is 'The One Lord' and the wealth we have to accumulate is also 'The One Lord9.
He is here, there, everywhere. He is naturally present everywhere.
So, we have to love the 'One Lord' whether it is a Hindu ship or a Muslim ship.
Farid: It is bad to go after body desires. The body desires are a passion. This is an illusion. At the end the body desires make you bankrupt. It is obvious.
Guru: O Saint, this body is the base in this world. We have to sow the seedlings of 'The Lord's name' in this body only. If the gardener is alert, then the seedlings become plants. They don't get damaged or destroyed.
The saint in penances and fasts trembled.
He said: When I lived in he house and family, then my mind was in desires that gave suffering. So, I renounced.
Guru: You looked towards the Lord in young age but you did not get a true spiritual guide. You look for someone who has already reached the Lord, fall at his feet with humility, and ask him, how to reach the Lord?
He will tell you that the true path to reach the Lord is 'Recitation of the Lord's name with love'.
Then, the Guru sang a divine song. Farid listened to the praises of the Lord with love. He felt delighted to listen to the love songs of the Lord and felt a longing for the Lord. His heart felt coolness. He felt a love for Guru Nanak in his heart
His mind said: He is the image of the Lord. He is the real saint. He is immersed in the love of the Lord. I should adore him.
Then, the Guru sang one more divine song. Mardana played the rebeck and it was wondrousness in the forest
Farid's eyes closed. His mind got immersed in the love of the Lord and he got ecstasy. He got rapture in his mind and body. So much time passed like this. When his eyes opened, he fell at the Guru's feet and said: I pray, today, this divine music should continue.
All three kept sitting there. Sometimes there was a discussion sometimes there were divine songs and sometimes relaxation in the sun. In this way, the day passed and the night also passed.
It was early morning. The Guru just lay down. Farid was hungry and he had got up.
One person who had seen the holy people sitting brought a pot of milk. He had also put four gold coins in the milk pot.
Farid took his share of milk in his own glass and the rest he kept for the Guru and Mardana.
When the Guru opened his lotus eyes, then the Sheikh tried to boast that he had remained awake and said:
First is endeavor, then the fruit, Whoever keeps awake, gets first the Unit. The Guru listened and smiled.
How could Farid know that those who are immersed in the love of the Lord, for them the fruits are always there, whether they are awake or sleeping?
Then, the Guru said:
When the Lord is gracious, He doesn 't care whether the recipient is sleeping or awake. He will wake up the person and give.
Farid meant that you were awake at night, but then, you were sleeping in the morning. That is why you did not get the milk first.
But the Guru meant that it is the Lord's grace. If He wishes he might not give to those who are awake or He may wake up a sleeping person and give. Because, the Sheikh, although he was awake got the milk only, but the share of the Guru, whom Farid woke up and gave, contained four gold coins also, that the Lord gave to Guru Nanak. What the Guru meant was that your remaining awake is a ritual only. We call it golden time of the morning. It is time of ecstasy. Our disciples do not meditate stubbornly. Their remembrance of the Lord is in a relaxed way. They get up in the love of the Lord, sing his praises and feel happiness in remembering Him.
The)- go into ecstasy by listening to His praises and recitation of His name. That is why it is golden time for them. But otherwise, all hours are for recitation. One should remember the Lord in exuberance all the time.
But His grace is different. When He is gracious, He gives. When He is gracious He wall wake up his beloved and give.
So, the Guru laughed and said: O Sheikh, put your hand in the milk pot Then, the Sheikh found four gold coins in it.
Then only the Sheikh who used to keep fasts and penances understood the benevolent Guru.
The person who had brought the milk had gone and the Guru was dyed in the love of the Lord.
Then, the Guru said: O Sheikh, One night comes every night and goes away every night. But one night conies once and goes away once.
The women who is waiting for her beloved, if she spends the night sleeping, then, she remains devoid of the beloved. The time of the beloved's visit is not fixed. When he will come, he will see her sleeping and go away.
So, it is imperative that the woman who is waiting should remain awake the whole night.
That night has four phases. The ignorant woman is wasting all four phases.
Sheikh said: Who is that woman and what is that night where all four phases finish in one night?
The Guru said: That woman is the self and the night is the life that has four phases.
First is childhood and adolescence that is gone in absolute ignorance and playfulness. His passions are awakened and start looting him. One does not remember the Lord in the first phase. The time is gone in forgetfulness.
Second comes the young age. In this age pride and fulfillment of desires, is the order of the day. This also goes in forgetfulness and one does not remember the Lord.
Third is the age between the young age and the old age. One is in sentimental love of wife, sons, daughters, friends and a desire for fame in the world. One does not remember the Creator. One thinks there is no time. The mind does not get turned towards the Lord. The worries and fears increase.
Now, comes the fourth phase. The ignorant self had always thought that the young age, riches, comfort, strength and sons would always remain. But now he feels dejected. The body becomes weak. Hands and feet become weak. The eyesight becomes weak. But the ignorant self is still sleeping.
Yes, those who got some awakening in the first three phases and who had been reciting the Lord's name and making the time fruitful for them this phase is fruitful. They will be out of the cycle of births and deaths and other sufferings.
So, Sheikh, Without the Lord' name all four phases went in the forgetfulness of the Lord, so to say, sleeping. The fruit of this forgetfulness is suffering. Because, when the four phases are over, the breath goes away. The soul leaves the body and goes.
Being in forgetfulness of the Lord in all the four phases the soul is in bondage of the worldly desires that did not let us remember the Lord.
Then, the evil deeds done in worldly entanglements, their influence goes with the soul. They give suffering. Only those who were in the love of the Lord get happiness. So, it is imperative to awaken the soul at all times, that should see the perishable world and the imperishable Lord and the love of the Lord. One should not be enticed by bodily passions and desires and remain un-awakened. The Sheikh listened to the Guru's discourse and said: Ah ha! O Beloved of the Lord, ever awakened, you are great
In this way, the holy company had discussions.
The sun shone bright now. The Sheikh was already a meditative. But the shortcoming was the love of the Lord and ecstasy due to that love.
The Guru blessed him with the Lord's name and he got immersed in the love of the Lord and got ecstasy. The Name went into his mind and body.
Now, solitude was not required. Nor, sitting in a fixed posture was required. The forest was also not required.
So, when the Guru departed he also went along. All of them departed, Guru Nanak the bestowal of ecstasy, Mardana, the player of exotic divine music and Sheikh Farid.
The milk pot remained there only. After a few days the person who had brought milk came to have the blessings of the Guru. But the Guru had already left and the pot was still lying. It is written that the pot was full of gold coins. He saw the milk pot, heaved a sigh and said: I brought milk with a desire for riches. I got the riches. If I had desired for the Lord's name, I would have got salvation. I found a true saint but the greed of riches deceived me.
Now, while walking they reached the capital of Aasa state. Here the king, Shyam Sunder had died. People were in distress. One thing was that the king had died and the second thing was that he could not be cremated because he had once told a lie while living.
The Brahmins said: He can get salvation only if a true saint arrives and gives him the touch of his sacred feet When the people went towards the gate of the town, they saw the saints coming. Then, they requested the Guru to give a touch of his sacred feet to the king's body.
The Guru asked Sheikh to come forward.
Then, the Sheikh said: I am nobody. This grace has to be from you only.
Then, the Guru went and gave a touch of his sacred feet to the king's body and the king was cremated.
The news spread in the city that a saint has arrived who has come from the heavens and is a true and real saint.
Now, the true Guru selected a place and sat down. Mardana played the rebeck and Guru Nanak sang a divine song.
The divine song was enchanting. The Sheikh got ecstasy in listening to the divine song. Others were also delighted.
The Guru got immersed in the love of the Lord, but the Sheikh was sitting.
The people from the city brought food and saw Sheikh sitting. They considered him a disciple of the Guru and offered him food.
More people were coming with food and other things as presents.
When they offered food to Sheikh, then he said: I have already had food.
People saw that they have come in the morning and since morning they had nothing to eat. They are not carrying any food with them. He has only a round piece of wood.
Then, they said: Are you from the land of Farid, who has kept a wooden piece, who tells a lie, I have had food and I have got it with me.
On listening to this, the Sheikh felt ashamed that 'I am telling a lie'. The king could not get salvation because he had told one lie and I tell lies everyday. How will I be blessed? Guru Nanak is telling all the time that truth is everything. He is right. We are in falsehood day and night. Truth is difficult to practice. It is good having met Guru Nanak. He has pointed out my shortcomings and I have got ecstasy in the Lord's name.
So, there is nothing to be ashamed of, and he threw away the round wooden piece that he had kept in place of bread.
Now, the Guru opened is eyes and said: Dear Sheikh, have food.
Sheikh: All right, O benevolent Guru, you give.
The Guru distributed all the food that had come and everybody was delighted.
After everybody finished eating food, the Guru again looked towards Sheikh benevolently and said: O Sheikh, the Lord is inside you. You have a longing to meet Him and you are doing penances also but you look for a spiritual guide.
Then, the Sheikh said: O.K.
It was afternoon now, and the Sheikh wanted to go. So, after some more such discussions he took leave. The Guru embraced him.
The Guru stayed here for some more days and blessed people with the Lord's name.
Many people started treacling on the true path of 'Recitation of the Lord's name with love'.
The Guru appointed one seat here.
The Guru's words to Sheikh are repeated once again:
The true path is: 'Recitation of the Lord's name with love9
Let us also recite:
O. Lord, O Lord, O Lord, O Lord. Starting with at least five minutes a day.
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