Everybody in the seen world is entangled in worldly desires. The Unseen Supreme Soul is immersed in itself. Someone from the seen world dyed in the love of the Unseen is a rare sight.
One side are the rivers Satluj and Beas, the other side are the rivers Chenab andjehlum. In between is flowing the river Ravi, the beautiful stream of nice cool water. On its bank has come to stay the benevolent Guru Nanak Dev Ji who is moving like a cloud showering love, the king of love and the prophet of peace. He has settled here for sometime as the snow settles softly on the Himalayan peaks. He is blessing the Lord's name to everyone. People come with their minds in fear and anxiety and go away with minds full of love of the Lord and in ecstasy. People come in despair and go away in exuberance.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji is showering love of the Lord and the Lord's name to the minds that come to him. The minds get elevation and ecstasy. Like the sweet dewdrops, it is coolness of spiritual nectar. Sometimes the grace is so extreme that the vices and passions tremble like the clattering of teeth in extreme winter. Ah ha, see, they are running away fast to distant hot spheres. O Great Guru Nanak Dev Ji
His childhood and adolescence he lived at Talwandi. In his youth he came to Sultanpur and lived there as a family man. From here only, he left his house and started his travels. He visited Saidpur Sandyali, Talwandi, Harrapa, Patan, crossed the Satluj river, visited Delhi, Nanak Mata, Benares, Gaya, Patna, Bihar, Bengal, Assam, Chittagong, Sonpur, Tanasram, Cuttack and Jagan Nath Puri. Then he returned.
On his return journey, he visited the entire eastern districts, then Agra and Mathura and reached Sultanpur and then Talwandi. That was the end of his first travel.
Then he visited many places in Punjab, came to Talwandi, stayed there for a few months and then moved along the bank of river Ravi and settled on the outskirts of Doda. This became a fortunate land. A Gurdwara was constructed, houses came up and it became known as Kartarpur. People thronged to meet him. He asked everyone to recite the Lord's Name. Hindus, Muslims and people of all faiths started coming and were blessed.
But soon he decided to travel again. This time he went to the south and reached Sangladeep. Then he returned to Kartarpur. On his journey to Sangladeep and return he visited many places and blessed the people with the Lord's Name. For sometime he stayed at Kartarpur and preached recitation of Name and singing the praises of the Lord. Again, he decided to travel.
This time he visited Kashmir, Tibet and Mansarovar. He went further to China and then to Bhutan. From there he travelled on the Himalayan path to Jammu and then to the plains and reached Kartarpur.
For sometime he stayed at Kartarpur and blessed the Lord's name to everybody. Again like a showering cloud to allay the suffering of the people he decided to travel.
This time he visited Mecca. He went by the sea route and came back via Iran and Baghdad and returned to Kartarpur.
One more travel is mentioned but it is up to the Gorakh Monastery. It appears this was a short travel to nearby places.
When Guru Ji went to Sialkot to bless Hamza Ghaus, then he had sent Mardana Ji to the city to buy two rupees worth of truth and falsehood. Mardana Ji went from shop to shop trying to buy truth and falsehood.
The shopkeepers listened, laughed and said: We do not have.
One shopkeeper named Moola took the money and gave a paper to Mardana Ji on which was written: Death is truth. Life is falsehood. When Mardana Ji brought the paper and gave it to Guru Ji, then Guru Ji laughed.
When Moola came to have a glimpse of Guru Ji, then Guru Ji asked him: What you had written on paper, have you written it on your heart too?
Moola said: O Guru Ji, I wrote what I had heard before. I do not know how to write it on the heart or how to be practical about it.
Then Guru Ji gave a discourse. Subsequently, Moola felt detachment from worldly pleasures. He left his shop and his house and accompanied Guru Ji to be at the service of Guru Ji. After sometime, one day, Guru Ji said: O Moola, your fiancee is planning to commit suicide. She thinks that either you have died or you have become a recluse for the rest of your life. You go and marry her and save her from committing suicide. I will get you
some money from the Lord. You can buy a shop and earn for your family. But be watchful, what you had written on paper that death is truth and life is falsehood, that was only what you had heard and the feeling of detachment from worldly desires was impulsive. Whatever, endeavor in Name you are doing now, do not leave this. Then your mind will not vacillate. Remain watchful. In sentimental love of wife, sons and wealth, one forgets the Lord. When one is in forgetfulness of the Lord, then one feels life as truth and death as falsehood. In remembrance of the Lord, one comprehends death as certain and life as temporary.
Time passed on. Guru Ji finished his third travel. Now he started for his fourth travel. Then he came to Sialkot and said to Mardana Ji: Go and call Moola.
Mardana Ji went and on returning said: O Guru Ji, when I went to his shop, the neighbours said that he has gone home. When I went to his house and called him, then his wife said that he has gone out.
Then the beloved Guru Ji was quiet for a moment. Then he said: O Mardana Ji, Moola's family has panicked that we have come to make him renounce his shop and family and take him along, so, they have hidden him. But we have come only to see whether he is in remembrance of the Lord or engrossed in sentimental love and is in forgetfulness of the Lord. If he is in forgetfulness, then we should put him in remembrance of the Lord. Last time when he met us he was a bachelor and his feeling of detachment from worldly desires was impulsive. Now, he has got engrossed in sentimental love of wife and sons and considers life as truth. He has gone into forgetfulness of the Lord.
Mardana Ji: Yes, if he had imbibed truth in him, then he would have come and told the truth that I have come but I have sentimental love for my wife and children and I cannot accompany you in your travels and you would have appreciated his speaking the truth. (Trembling) But O benevolent Guru Ji, you know everything. The worldly desires are terrible. Sometime, even my mind is vacillated. Who am I to blame others? It is easy to criticize others but difficult to come up to the mark one's self. We bring out faults in others and keep our own faults hidden.
The conversation was going on when somebody came and brought the news that Moola was made to hide behind a stack of cow dung cakes, lest you take him with you. There, a snake bit him and he died.
Then Guru Ji said: O Mardana Ji, have you seen the Lord's will. One thinks one is doing goodness but the fruit is bad. Moola's friendship with selfish people made him greedy.
Mardana Ji: O Master, how is that?
Guru Ji: Yes, selfish is a person who is in desires all the time. Even if he meets a saint, and bows down at his feet, he will meet him for fulfillment of his desires. O Mardana Ji, there is hardly anyone who wishes to meet a saint to seek salvation. People go and meet saints for fulfillment of their worldly desires. They think that the saints have supernatural powers and if they are blessed they will become wealthy. Some people go to a saint for curing some disease or they do service to the saint for some other want.
To seek spiritual guidance from a saint are rare. A seeker of the Lord should not keep company of selfish people. In their company the mind becomes greedy. A saint should also remain watchful that the selfish people who are at his service are not serving him to seek spiritual guidance. They love their desires. They are not seekers of the Lord. They are not seekers of the true path. But for that life, for which they tell lies and deceive, they do not know when it is going to end. They think that this life is forever but it is not so. Death is certain.
Ill
From Sialkot Guru Ji came to Talwandi. From Talwandi the benevolent Guru Ji came to Katas. He was here on the Baisakhi festival. This place is about ten kilometers from Pind Dadan Khan. Here is a spring of nice cool water. Hindus consider this place as Shiva's place, like Pushkar.
Sadhus of all faiths and lots of pilgrims throng here on the Baisakhi festival. With this point in view that this was the best time to put the people on the true path of recitation of the Lord's Name with love, the benevolent Guru Ji chose this time to visit here.
On listening to his Name and his unique tradition of 'recitation of the Lord's Name with love' and his praise all over, the Heads of different religious sects came to have discussions with him. Family men and all people swarmed around.
The benevolent Guru Ji knew the declining character of the sadhus who were propagating empty rituals. He also knew that some sadhus had good character but their minds were still in worldly gains or worldly fame. They had not reined their minds. He knew that without detachment of mind, without proper guidance from a true man of God and without 'recitation of the Lord's name with love' renouncing the family and house and becoming a recluse was worthless. So, he made the sadhus and the people rid of their mistaken beliefs and put them on the true path of 'recitation of the Lord's Name with love.'
Head of sadhus: Why do you say that renouncing the house and family is no goodness?
Guru Ji: I do not say anybody is bad. I consider that person in renouncement who is in love of the Lord and in the incessant remembrance of the Lord. He should be so much immersed in the love of the Lord that he has no other desire but of the Lord and he should do goodness to the world.
Head of a sect: Without indifference who would renounce the house and suffer hardships of renouncement?
Guru Ji: After listening to a piercing sermon or not able to withstand some problem in the house, a false impulse of indifference arises in the mind. Without a proper spiritual guide one goes after one's own mind and renounces the house. Then for fulfilling the needs of his body he goes and begs from other houses.
Head of the sect: Even then he is not a non-believer.
Guru Ji: The family duty that he had learnt automatically from the parents that he did not care for in a false impulsive indifference. Then without true spiritual guidance he could not tread on the true spiritual path. Then what is left? Wandering in passions and vices. Even if he reads some scripture, that does not give peace of mind. If he travels to pilgrim centres, even there he does not get peace of mind.
Head of the sect: What is the reason? By reading the scripture he should become wise.
Guru Ji: One may read the scripture but if he has not detached his mind from bodily passions and vices, he has not recited the Lord's Name with love as is written in the scripture, then the mind will automatically go after worldly gains and bodily passions and vices. Then the recluse, like an animal, remains in desires and passions. These are animal instincts in the body. They have neither detachment of mind from worldly desires nor they have controlled the passions of the body. Whenever it comes to their mind they buy a coloring agent. Colour their clothes in saffron and wear those. Then they make a patched blanket from rags, but now they tear new cloth and make it a patched blanket. They make a pocket in it. They dress themselves as a sadhu but the dress does not make them a lover of the Lord. Yes, the dress does make them a beggar roaming from door to door. The dress makes them a man with desires to amass wealth by begging to show that he is in renouncement but his mind is away from the love of the Lord. He has lost his honour in both the worlds. He is not treading on the true path of recitation of the Lord's name with love. He is roaming in mistaken beliefs in rituals only. He has lost this
precious human life as a penniless gambler.
Some ascetics sit in front of a ritual fire but their five fires of the body are not extinguished. The fires of the body are extinguished with devotional love of the Lord. Without a proper spiritual guide they do not go in recitation of the Lord's Name with love. Without a proper spiritual guide they roam the pilgrim centres but this does not rid them from their mistaken beliefs. The dirt of the mind is not washed. They talk ill of others. Some rub ash on their body and read the scripture but tell lies. They do not meet a proper spiritual guide. They do not practise recitation of Name. So, they do not get peace of mind.
Some recluses tie their hair. Some do not speak. They have no spiritual knowledge. Their mind is in desires. Some carry a beggar's bowl in their hands. Their minds are in desires. They are running after women in passions. They make followers but they themselves are not in love of the Lord's Name. They remain in suffering till the end of their life.
The real renouncement is, whether one is a sadhu or a yogi or a recluse or any other ascetic, that one should wash his dirty mind with the Lord's Name and have one desire to meet the Lord. He should be in the incessant remembrance of the Lord, drink the Lord's nectar.
The crux is that without the recitation of the Lord's Name there is no salvation.
After listening to Guru Ji's discourse many sadhus of different faiths started treading on the true path of recitation of the Lord's Name with love. Their followers were also benefited. Many householders became Gurudisciples and were blessed.
Then Guru Ji left this place and came to Rohtas.
In 'The Twarikh-iKhalsa' it is written that Guru Ji got one place dug up from where water came out like a fountain. This nice cool spring of water is still there. It is called Choha Sahib Guru Nanak Dev Ji. A very beautiful gurdwara is constructed there.
Bute Shah has written in his book regarding this spring as follows:
Near Rohtas Fort that is on the peak of the mountain, there is a spring of water that sprang up by the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji when he put his sacred feet on this land. Sher Shah Afghan liked that place and constructed stonewalls of a fort around the spring. But the spring of water dried up there and starting springing out from outside the walls. Sher Shah got constructed more walls to bring the spring of water inside the fort area but every time it dried up within the walls and sprang up outside the walls of the fort. Sher Shah perforce gave up. As it is, the walls of the fort still stand and the spring is flowing down below.
People who come to visit Rohtas stay here.
The benevolent Guru Ji left this place and came to Balgundai's hermit.
Again after visiting many places and blessing people he came to Dera Ismail Khan. Here, Guru Ji passed through a nice gram field. One young boy, the caretaker of the field, was standing and was roasting green grams.
Mardana Ji said: Let us go to the field and buy some green grams and eat.
Guru Ji understood that Mardana Ji was hungry. With a charming smile, he turned towards the field and sat on the clean portion of its boundary wall.
The young boy, the caretaker of the field, very respectfully offered the roasted green grams to Guru Ji. Guru Ji filled his palm with green grams and gave to Mardana Ji to eat.
On seeing this, it came to the caretaker's mind, that this is a very handsome saint and they seem to be hungry, I should bring something good to eat so that they can have. In this thinking, he got up to go.
Then Guru Ji asked: O son, where are you going?
He replied: O saint, I will bring some delicious food from the house for you to eat. I will bring a sheet to spread. You can sit on the sheet.
Then Guru Ji said: Your plain wall is equivalent to a cushion for us. Your love with which you have offered the green gram and you are now going to your house to bring some delicious food, this love is a delicious food for us. I am contented with the praises of my Lord. Come. Don't go to your house. Sit here, O king.
In the biography written by Bala Ji is written:
In return for offering the roasted green grams with love to Guru Ji, Guru Ji blessed him and the words of Guru Ji became true. After sometime, he became a king there.
From here he went ahead and visited many places, blessed people with the Lord's Name and reached Sindh.
Here at one place some Muslim pilgrims had assembled for going to Mecca. One pilgrim started talking to Guru Ji and became acquainted. The night, they stayed together. In the morning the pilgrim said: You are a sadhu because you are wearing a sadhu's dress. But the sadhus drink hashish. Neither you have the hashish nor the pouch of hashish. Neither you have the cup to drink nor the pestle to pound.
Guru Ji: O holy man, I have got love of my Lord. This love has become my hashish. My mind is the pouch where this hashish is kept. This hashish gives me intoxication that I am always madly in love of the Lord. This madness of
love of the Lord has made me detached from desires. I am always hungry to have a glimpse of the Lord. This is the cup in my hand. At the door of the Lord, with a cup in hand I always ask for His grace. I do not do the circular movement of head for ecstatic state that you do. I have a pang to meet the Lord. I am always in this ecstasy. I am in your love O Lord, at your door. O Lord, shower your grace.
Guru Ji (looking towards the pilgrim): O holy man you have asked whether I am a Hindu or Muslim? You have asked what sect I belong to? Listen: Everybody uses saffron, flowers and musk. Nobody asks about the species. Their appreciation is because of their speciality. Similarly, the speciality of a saint is devotional love. Caste or sect is immaterial. Then you see, the sandalwood gives its fragrance to all. Similarly, the devotional love that a saint has in him, he gives to all. Butter-oil comes from udder and silk comes from silk worm but nobody says that butter-oil or silk is bad. Similarly, for love of the Lord one may be of any religion, faith or sect but if he is in recitation of Name and humility, he is a beloved of the Lord. O holy man I wish to be blessed by such saints. Now, you can imagine my caste and religion.
Israelis were the forefathers of Muslims and Christians. They consider themselves as superior men of God. The Christians there do not consider anybody as the rightful person for reaching the heaven unless he has full faith in Christ.
The Muslims after them consider only themselves as the rightful persons for reaching the heavens and they look towards people of other religions with scorn and hatred. That holy man was also born with the same prejudice. He was quite astonished to hear Guru Ji's love of the Lord. The truth was impressive and it did influence his mind but a mind brought up in prejudice does not change quickly. After pondering much he said: O saint, you are a recluse and I am a householder family man. A recluse can live in the love of the Lord but a family man cannot do that.
Then Guru Ji said: This world is perishable. To love this world is to love the perishable. For material gains of this perishable world people indulge in wickedness and they do not recognize the rights of other people. They remain in the forgetfulness of the Lord. They are like animals. What will be their end? Whatever deeds they do, they will get the fruits according to that. If one remembers the Lord and lives in the presence of the Lord, one may be a family man but one should be honest and kind. If one remembers the Lord, then even a family man is a saint.
In these conversations, one day, they started the journey. On the way, the sun became very hot but after a while it became cloudy and they walked in
the shade. The holy man thought: God has sent this cloud for me. I am a Muslim. He appears to be a non-Muslim. Why should the shade come on his head? Maybe, God becomes angry and says I had sent this shade for you. Why are you taking a non-Muslim along in that shade?
In this thinking he said: O saint, you are a Hindu. Aren't you? You do not go to Mecca. But if you insist on going, then either you walk forward or you move backward. You do not walk with me.
Then Guru Ji said: All right. You move forward. Guru Ji slowed down and the holy man was soon out of sight. But the holy man was amazed. The moment Guru Ji was out of sight the cloud disappeared and the hot sun came straight on his head. The holy man then repented Oh ho! He was from the Lord. I could not recognize him.
In 'The Twarikh-i-Khalsa' it is mentioned that Guru Ji reached Jeddah by the sea route. Mardana Ji and Hamza Ghaus accompanied Guru Ji. Here, he had discussions with Shah Sharaf, a Muslim saint from India. Then the followers of Shah Sharaf tried to stop him from going to Mecca but he did not agree and reached Mecca.
On the eve of Haj, Muslims from all over the world assemble at Mecca. Many saints had gone from India as well. Some prominent saints were Makhdum Rukanudin of Uch, saint Patlia of Patan, saint Bahawaldin ofMultan and saint Lai Jati. One person Jeevan Shah was from India settled at Mecca and many more from India had gone there for pilgrimage.
This Jeevan Shah, from India used to do service at the Mecca Mosque. He had taken up the service of cleaning the Mosque area in the early morning. Like, at the Golden Gurdwara people come and do service in cleaning the area.
Today, when Jeevan while doing the cleaning service came towards the west side, what he saw was that one person was sleeping and his feet were towards the Mosque. Muslims say their prayers facing the Mosque. They consider it a great disregard to stretch the feet towards the mosque. He got angry and kicked with his foot and said: Who are you who are sleeping with feet towards God?
Then Guru Ji (rubbing his eyes) looked towards Jeevan and said: O gentleman, what is the matter?
Then Jeevan repeated his sentence.
Then Guru Ji stretched his body and said: O holy man, you do not get angry. You move my legs where there is no house of the Lord.
In a fit of anger he held Guru Ji's feet and dragged him to make his feet away from facing the mosque. But what he saw was that whichever side he dragged Guru Ji's feet the mosque also moved that side. He was dazed. On seeing the miracle, he became sure that Guru Ji has supernatural powers and he kissed Guru Ji's feet.
This was a unique habit in Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He accepted defeat. In his acceptance of defeat he won and the other person lost. He accepted: All right. My feet are towards God. You drag them where God is not there.
Jeevan realized: God is on all sides. It is my fault that I thought God is towards one side. Guru Ji has proved that God is on all sides. He has corrected my fault.
Now, Makhdum Rukanudin Abul Fateh Jalal Sani also reached here. He was on the seat of Hazrat Ali Naki. Although he was settled in India but whenever he went to Mecca he was highly respected. When he showed great respect for Guru Ji, then other saints also came and bowed to Guru Ji.
On listening about the miracle of Guru Ji everybody started respecting
him.
Then they had discussions with Guru Ji. The Indians discussed in Punjabi and Hindi. The others discussed in Arabic. But these are not available.
In the first conversation with Guru Ji, saint Rukanudin asked: In your Holy Scripture whether Hindu is better or a Muslim is better?
Guru Ji replied: Better are the deeds and love of the Lord. If a Hindu does goodness and remembers the Lord, he is better. If a Muslim does goodness and remembers the Lord, then he is better. Without good deeds and love of the Lord no one will be respected in the Lord's court. Some colours are not fast. They are washed out with water. Similarly, without the good deeds and love of the Lord all rituals of any religion have no value.
The Hindus utter Ram Ram loudly. The Muslims utter Rahim Rahim loudly. If you see, then both are the names of the 'One Lord'. Then why is there any disagreement and hostility?
So, without good deeds and love of the Lord both are not of the Lord. They are in devilish acts and deceiving themselves. On listening to this view that had a lot of weight in it they could not reply.
Then they raised another question: Whether keeping fasts, saying prayers and meditation are good things or bad?
Guru Ji: Keeping fasts, saying prayers, meditation and other practices are good if one has controlled the five senses of the body, if one has reined the mind and detached it from worldly passions and desires, if one does not look
towards a woman with evil eyes and if one has reined his mind from wandering in greed and desires. Not one day but all thirty days of the month one should remain dyed in the love of the Lord. Then the person will be respected in the Lord's court.
Remember the Lord and recite the Lord's Name. This is the fasting.
Detach your mind from passions. Keep a watch on your mind. Where does it wander? Then rein your mind. Then you will become a real saint. Detach your mind from anxieties and despair. Be kind and merciful. Believe in one God. Rid yourself from ego. Ego is the veil between our self and the Lord. Save yourself from the fire of sex. Love the Lord. Drink the Lord's nectar. Recite the Lord's Name and you may keep fast. Then you will get a sensation of the presence of the Lord in your mind, heart and body and you will be faithful to God always.
The saint bowed to Guru Ji and said: Ah ha! Today, I have got a glimpse of an image of the Lord. Then he went to the saint of Patan and narrated to him: Guru Nanak Dev Ji has come. I was fortunate to listen to his discourse and this was the conversation I had with him.
Then the saint of Patan (Sheikh Ibrahim) felt love and respect for Guru Nanak Dev Ji and came to the place where Guru Ji was staying.
Again a conversation started and Rukanudin asked: O Guru Ji, you had said that good deeds and love of the Lord is the prime thing. One has to rein the mind and love the Lord. Without this neither a Muslim is religious nor a Hindu. Hindus read the Vedas, Muslims read the Quran. Do both of them get some goodness by reading these?
Guru Ji: One may read the Vedas and other scriptures but if one has not reined his mind and detached his mind from passions and desires, then what is the gain?
Gain is in the Lord's Name.
Recitation of the Lord's Name with love is the prime thing. Have faith that the Lord is one and only one. There are no two Gods. He is the only one God.
Everybody was quite impressed by Guru Ji's reply.
Then they asked: We all are living in this world. Whether we are saints or sadhus or family men but we are in the world. The worldly desires are so enticing. How can we reach the Lord?
Listening to this question Guru Ji was overwhelmed. What they had asked was about the Lord. Guru Ji was immersed in the love of that Lord about whom they asked. He was dyed in the love of that Lord.
Then Guru Ji said: Say, O Lord, O Lord.
Guru Ji blessed them with the Lord's Name. They got elevation of mind and felt the sensation of the presence of the Lord in their mind, heart and body. They were filled with ecstasy.
Then the saints of Patan and saint Rukanudin kissed the hands of Guru Ji and kissed his feet. They prayed to Guru Ji to give them his shoes as a sacred souvenir. Guru Ji gave his shoes. They are still considered sacred by the heirs of the saint of Uch.
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