Excellence of Skill & Strength of body and mind]
After blessing the Saint of Kalsi when the Guru reached Paonta and the birthday celebrations were over, then his magnificence, valor and power of blessing became known all over in both the mountain states far and wide. People started adoring him.
The Guru had come to stay at Paonta recently.
Nearby in a thick forest a dreadful lion had made his place of rest. The lion was very fearsome. He was a Man-eater. It is said that this lion was white in color and very tall in stature. Suddenly he would pounce upon animals and men as if he has just risen from the ground. The traders of this region and the people living in villages were in great distress. People prayed tu die kings to eliminate this lion.
Once when King Fateh Shah, the king of Srinagar stayed with the Guru, then the people prayed to the Guru to allay their fear of this lion.
Next day the Guru accompanied by King Medni Prakash of Nahan, King Fateh Shah of Srinagar, Nand Chand and a few soldiers reached the place of rest of the lion as told by the informer.
The lion was lying down at his place of rest. One would tremble on seeing this terrifying lion even from a distance.
The true Guru challenged King Fateh Shah to come forward but he declined saying: You only can kill him. Many people have tried to kill him but they got killed. He is oldjaidarth. He kills but himself he does not get killed.
King Medni Prakash said: O Guru dear! Why do you want to go ahead and fight this shameless animal? The improvised lofts are there or we may shoot him with guns from all sides while sitting on elephants.
But the true Guru said: No. Let us fight. Saying this, he got down from his horse, took one alloy steel shield and a fine edged sword and alone moved forward and challenged the lion.
The lion roared like a thunder, took a turn and jumped to pounce but the alert Guru turned a little and stopped him on his shield and swiftly cut his stomach with his sword. The mighty Hon fell dead on the ground.
This utmost courageous feat of the Guru made the kings and others feel wondrous and applauded the Guru profusely.
On the one hand this bravery and on the second hand the blessings to saint of Kalsi, the news spread far and wide.
About five kilometers from Paonta was a village named Sadhaura.
Initially it was Sadhawar. Many Sadhus lived here. The Buddhists had constructed temples and lived here.
Here lived a saint, descendant of a saintly family. He was a landlord and a well revered saint with a large number of followers. This saint knew that Guru Nanak, a prophet has come to earth. He had also heard the sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur. He knew that now a young Guru, a Godly soul of nineteen years is on the seat of Guru Nanak. Now he got news about the Guru everyday since the Guru was staying so near at Paonta. He heard that by the Guru's efforts of reconciliation, the war between King Fateh Shah and King Medni Prakash has been averted. Then he heard that the Guru is keeping an army and is now strengthening it. He heard how the Guru had singlehandedly killed a Man-eater lion. Again he heard how the saint of Kalsi imbibed love of the Lord and got ecstasy by the blessings of the Guru.
In this way, the saint whose name was Budhu Shah felt wondrous. What he heard was not a tell-tale of the town but they were his own devoted disciples who narrated to him these happenings. So, he was sure that whatever he heard was true and to doubt anything was meaningless. Although his following was quite large still he had no ego. He was pious and kind. He had done some .penances and possessed some Supernatural powers. He liked to do goodness to his followers. Many saints and sadhus used to come and meet him and he used the meetings to gain more knowledge about God. He believed that the body soul gives strength to the mind that controls the five senses of the body. But the mind looks outwardly and is trapped in the seen world. He wondered how the body soul could meet the Supreme soul i.e. immersion in the love of the Lord. Unless this knotty problem is solved, one cannot reach the Lord. He was in search of some Godly soul who could solve this problem that he thought was a knotty problem. For this reason his bent of mind was
SRI KALGSDHAR CHAMATKAR (VOL-!)
not strictly Muslim. He had a separate kitchen for Hindu ascetics. Many Hindu ascetics used to come and stay at his place. He used to listen to Hindu ascetics who told him that the body soul is God. But he was not satisfied and was sure that there should be a way to resolve this knotty problem.
In search of someone who would solve this knotty problem, now he thought of meeting the Guru. He thought: Who knows, the Guru might solve my predicament. In this thinking, Budhu Shah left Sadhaura and reached Paonta. When he entered the Guru's hall of audience, what he saw was Royal grandeur. On one side soldiers were standing and one side intellectuals were sitting and the hall was packed with devotees. He went ahead. When he saw the Guru, he felt a pull but seeing the Royal grandeur he hesitated a little. When he reached the high seat and was about to bow down, ego entered his mind in the form of 'I am a big saint'. He refrained from bowing down and raised his hand for a shake-hand. The Guru shook hand with him softly and asked him to sit down close by.
Budhu Shah took a breather and then said: What is the way to meet the Lord? Guru: Like the night meets the day.
Budhu Shah in his mind contemplated. When the night meets the day, the night does not remain. Then how they met?
The Guru understood his doubt and said: Yes saint. What you have understood is O.K.
Budhu Shah: How?
Gura: As you have understood.
Budhu Shah had followers sitting next to him. He hesitated to say 'I have not understood' but there was no way out. He had to say: When the day comes. Night dies.
Guru: When you meet the Lord. Ego dies. The Lord comes. Ego vanishes. Budhu Shah: Then how is it a meeting.
Guru: Ego is the veil. Ego is a self created veil. The desires have created this veil. Budhu Shah: Then do we not have a soul. Are we just earthly elements without a soul?
Guru: Besides the soul we have ego in the form of 'I and Me'. That goes after desires and passions of the body and our mind forgets the Lord and remains in 'I and Me5 enticed by desires. Then the desires, passions, even kindness and religious rituals that we do are all with ego. Even the love is with ego. Ego becomes the Lord. Budhu Shah: Then what is the remedy?
Guru: The Lord.
Budhu Shah: How to meet?
SRI KALGiDHAR CHAMATKAR (VOL-I)
Guru: like when the sun comes darkness goes away. Budhu Shah: How does the Lord come? Guru: Discard the ego.
Budhu Shah: I have done lots of penances and fasts but it never goes. Guru: The ego increases because they were done in ego. Budhu Shah: To call God is not in my hand. Guru: Is discarding ego in your hands? Budhu Shah: It is but it doesn't go. It is a chain.
Guru: However much can be discarded, one should discard. Then one should seek Holy company.
Budhu Shah: I have come to Holy company.
Guru: But with the cloak of ego. ° Budhu Shah: No.
Guru: Yes. Be sure. You are accompanied by followers. You have fear that nobody should say that our saint has bowed to someone. Your coming to Holy company is with ego.
By this time the saint was in a deep thought.
He said: Yesi You are right. I have the ego in me. How this ego that is a veil between me and the Lord can go? How can the mind become crystal to feel the Lord?
Guru: The ego can go if we go by the Lord's command.
Budhu Shah: The Lord's command is with the Lord. How do I know what he wishes to command?
Guru: Lord's command is written in Man's nature, in Man's mind, in Man's soul.
Budhu Shah: How is that? I do not understand.
Guru: You are making others understand but yourself you do not understand. See! Whoever accepts your command you bless him. Isn't it? Budhu Shah: Yes.
Guru: Then blessing will come if we go by the Lord's command. If it is not written in the mind, then how have we learnt? A child, young, old, everyone blesses if you go by his command. Then if we go by the Lord's command, then the blessing is not far.
Budhu Shah: Yes! The command was in me but I did not understand. I searched the Quran, Bible, Vedas but I did not realize that the command is written in me. But one thing I would like to know is that I bless when someone goes by my command. I give food to my ego. But why does the Lord has desire to bless when his command is accepted?
Guru: He has no desires. He is without desires. His command is not out of any greed. He is without greed. He is the Truth. His command is Truth. When you do something with a desire in mind, then you go against. Kis command because command is Truth. The more you go away from fire the more cold you will feel. The more veils you put around the candle, the more in darkness shall you reach. When you want to meet Truth then leave ail desires, greed or whatever is not Truth. The more you go near the command you will find that ego is vanishing and Truth is near. Meeting the Lord is near.
Budhu Shah: By Truth do you mean speaking the truth?
Guru: Yes! But Truth is further and further.
Budhu Shah: Truth after truth, then the real Truth, the Lord. Then you put me on the path.
Guru: Are you speaking the truth? Then you put a scarf around your neck and dance.
On listening to this, he really got up to dance but soon he realized that the Guru has pointed out his folly. He is the true Guru. He saw radiance on the Guru's face. His doubts vanished. He fell at the Guru's feet. The Guru held his right hand in both his hands and clamped it fast. It appeared to Budhu Shah that some dirt is going out of my mind. He felt light. His mind became crystal. He felt he had something in his mind that had made it dirty. With this crystal mind he got up and saw at his followers who were standing. He thought they are my followers. But he felt that dirt is coming on the mind. He turned bis mind to the thought that this following is not mine. All is Lord's. I am separate and crystal. His ego of CI and me' vanished. His mind said: All is Lord's.
The Guru then spoke: My grandeur, don't think it is mine. Poet is singing poetry in the Lord's command. This swordsmanship is in the Lord's command. This spirituality is in Lord's command. Neither the kingdom is mine, nor the spirituality is mine, nor salvation to the saint of Xalsi is from me nor the killing of lion single-handedly is mine, nor the play in Yamuna, nor the music at the bank of the river, nor the sight-seeing or hunting is mine. Nothing is mine. All is Lord's command. It is all Lord's command.
The despair of the world should go and truth should prevail. People are suffering under the rule of tyranny. The command is to make them live in comfort. Whatever is visible is perishable. Your mind is elevated now. Keep this elevation. The path is 'recitation of the Lord's name with love.' See, the Lord who is the Truth. He is omnipresent here, there, everywhere. Remain in endeavor of recitation of Name. This is the bodily worship. See Lord in nature, everywhere. Don't entice your mind in ego i.e. 'I and me.' Say:
0 Lord! 0 Lord! 0 Lord! Waheguru, Waheguru, Waheguru
Budhu Shah: O Lord! O Lord! Waheguru, Waheguru
Now the Guru blessed Budhu Shah by putting his sacred hand on Budhu Shah's head and made him sit down close by.
Now Budhu Shah realized that there is nothing like insentience in the^ body. The wealth, money and followers are all superficial. He is in renunciation of mind. But the renunciations are not despair or aloneness. His mind is elevated. He feels the sensation of the presence of the Lord in the body and outside in nature. His mind is enlightened. The detachment is of the mind from worldly desires and pleasures. His mind is now attached to the Lord in remembrance of His name. He is in ecstasy. His mind is in blossom.
When the girl gets married her attachment to the parents' home is automatically gone.
Budhu Shah is now engrossed in love of the Lord like a married girl. His attachments to worldly desires are automatically gone.
Previously he was living lifelessly in forgetfulness of the Lord. Now he has got the Lord's love-spark that has enlightened his mind. He is living immersed in the Lord's love in each moment incessantly. O Great Guru with the Plume! How you bless the Lord's love-spark that burns the ego, the veil between us and the Lord. How you remove the veil and join the separated with the Lord. You are great!
0 Great Guru with the Plume!
0 Great Magnificent Guru Gobind Singh!
o o o o