Satguru ji, for his servants, creates Vairagya in the heart like Brahma; gives Gyaan like Vishnu does; destroys the vices like Shiva; cools the fire of the vices like the Chander; dispels the darkness of attachment like Soorya. The ones who are pure, Guru ji lights Divas in them of Gyaan and shows them that they are separate from Maya. I bow to the feet of such a Satguru who destroys the fear of such beggars like myself. He is the ship that takes the Humans across this world ocean. He destroys the life and death cycle of the people.
Sri Bala Sandhur Vaach.
Mata ji had a cradle made in which she would place her son in. She would kiss the forehead of her son and hug him. She couldn’t stop looking at Guru ji’s face. Looking at his face would make all the sorrows go away. His eyes were like the petals of a lotus flower. His nostrils were more beautiful than the sesame plant. Mata Tripta ji had golden jewellery made for Guru ji. A golden chain with small bells was made for Guru ji to put around his waist. It was very beautiful but it became more radiant by touching Guru ji. Golden bracelets were put on his wrists. Whoever saw him, couldn’t stop looking at him.
As time went on, two small teeth on the top gums could be seen. They looked like two small pearls, peaking out of a small box. Guru ji’s body grew and he began to crawl in the middle of the house. His feet were pulled by his knees. I am a sacrifice unto those feet. Mata ji would rejoice seeing his feet. Guru ji would crawl and look back. He would smile at others and make them smile too. He would make sweet noises as he played in the house. It would sound like the praises of Nirankaar. The ladies of the Bedis would come to play with Guru Nanak Dev ji. They would see him and be filled with joy. He was the plant of Anand. They would grab him by the arms and take him into their lap. They would hug him and kiss his forehead. They would speak to him to play with him and he would respond to their speech with a smile. Some people came everyday to see his smile at least once a day. Both parents would play with him. When Guru ji would crawl, his clothes would get dirty. His mother would wash his clothes with water. She would wash Guru ji’s face and body with water. She would put new clothes on him then. She would put a fine cotton shirt on Guru ji’s body. She would give him milk to drink. He would close his eyes and Mata ji would lay him down. Guru ji would sleep for an hour and be ready to play again.
As he grew more, he started to pull the beds and stand up. He slowly began to walk by holding the furniture. As his legs and feet got stronger, he began to stand. He started to walk and run without support. Other kids of his neighbourhood would come to play with him. These were the saints and sadhoos who wanted to take birth with Parmeshwar; so they could play with him as a child. Some were strong Jattis and Satis. Some were Devatas and Gandarvs who took birth. Guru ji’s small jewellery would clank as he would play. His eyes were beautiful. He played in the house and in the street. He would play till his mother would come to get him. He would run with the other children. Mata ji would call him and give him food to eat. Mata ji was in bliss raising him. Mata ji would mix rice and yoghurt for Guru ji to eat. Guru ji would eat about half and then turn his head towards the door, signalling his intent to play. He would leave his food half-eaten. His childhood was great. He was unlimited. Mehta Kalu ji would play with his son. He would come home and look at his face. He would take him in his lap and give him love. Guru ji would then go back to his friends to play with them. He was the temple of beauty. Whoever looked at him, their attention would be focused on him. People from the street would like to listen to his words. His words were like honey. People would say: “Mehta Kalu is fortunate to have such a son. He makes everyone happy.”
When Guru ji would play in his neighbourhood, people would look at him and fall in love with him. He was like the ocean, pulling all of the rivers (attention) into him. Everyone’s eyes were like Chakors and Guru ji’s face was like the moon. They couldn’t stop staring at him. He was charming like the sun. The people were like the lotus flowers that would bloom, looking at Guru ji. His voice was like the hunter’s bell which would attract the deer towards it. People would be mesmerized by his voice. In this way Guru ji behaved like a child. The Sikhs that think about his childhood, they will be saved in this world ocean.
When Guru ji turned 5 years old, he would take the expensive household items and lose them after taking them outside of the house. He would take pots, pans, jewellery and clothes outside of the house and give them to the poor. He would throw them in front of them instead of handing it to them. He would do this everyday. He started the tradition of charity in Sikhi. His personality was full of compassion. One day, Guru ji took a silver dish from his home and gave it to a beggar. When he came back to his home, Mata Tripta ji noticed that he had a silver dish in his hand when he left, which was no longer with him. She got mad at her son and said: “where did that dish go that you had? You just had it in your hand a little while ago.” Guru ji remained quiet. The giver of Mukti did not say anything. Mata ji took a wooden stick and attempted to scare her son. She wanted him to speak by showing him the stick. Guru Nanak Dev ji’s eyes were big and wide. They were beautiful, like the eyes of a fawn. He lowered his eyes and pretended to be scared. His eyes filled with tears. The tears flowed from his eyes. In the same time, Guru ji’s Chacha ji, Bhai Lalu ji came and saved his nephew. Mata ji got mad and said: “you don’t know what he’s been doing. He’s been taking the household items and giving them to random people off the street. He is fearless and stubborn. I have never seen such a stubborn child before. He has lost many things in the house. I have told him not to do that but he doesn’t listen. He should be beaten but you saved him. You should tell him to stop doing what he does.” In this way, Mata ji scolded him but then eventually melted and picked up her son. She took him into her lap and hugged him. She wiped his eyes with her chunni. She cleaned his face. She was filled with the mother’s love. She regretted yelling at her son: “I only have one son. He is still a child and doesn’t know own from other. He doesn’t know profit or loss. When he grows up, he will understand. I won’t yell at him again.” Mata ji thought about this and hugged him. Guru ji left his mother and started to play with his friends. Seeing Guru ji would wash one’s sins away.
When Pith Kalu ji heard about his son’s ways, he thought about what Pandit Hardial ji said. He was thinking that his son would bring prosperity but his son was giving everything away. He thought about this and wanted to yell at Pandit ji. He went to Pandit Hardial ji’s home to speak to him. He said to Pandit ji in an angry way, without greeting him: “what Jyotish Vidya did you read? Not one thing you said came out to be true. You mentioned many qualities of my son. I have figured out that he is going to put us in a loss. “A great Chatter (canopy) is to flow over my house,” you said. He is giving away my items. If he is given something, he loses it. If we ask him where did the thing go, he doesn’t speak. The calculations of qualities you spoke about, I don’t see any of them. I am surprised how a skilled Jyotish such as yourself can be so wrong. Did you say all those things to make me happy? Did you say all those things to get a good donation from me? You have made a mistake in your calculations. You probably misspoke.” The Pandit heard Mehta Kalu ji’s faithless words. He said words to reignite the faith in his heart: “there was another quality that I saw then, but I didn’t talk about it because you were happy. I can see that characteristic clearly now. I will tell you what it was: this child’s relatives will never understand his greatness. Many others will benefit from his greatness but only a few within the family will know his greatness. When this child grows up, his radiance will grow; just as Bhavan’s size grew to measure the 3 worlds. Peers and Meers (saints and kings) will follow him; just as the people of Gokul followed the Bhagavan of Mathura (Krishan ji). They will worship him in the same way. He has all the qualities of Ram Chand ji. You can test him as he grows older. He will be a scholar, greater than Vyaas. The one who has faith in him, will be blessed. Have faith in your son. Reject your love of money. He is the complete form of Parmatma. He is the root of consciousness; aware and unaware.” Mehta Kalu ji had nothing to say. He was still upset though. The praise of Guru ji from Pandit Hardial ji’s mouth was like a garland of pearls from the ocean. Just as a vegetable seller does not know of the value of pearls, Mehta Kalu ji did not understand the value of his son. Mehta Kalu ji went home and got busy with his work. He forgot Pandit ji’s description of his son’s qualities.
The night came and Mata ji would love to look at her son’s face. She fed her son and gave him milk. She laid down and put her son to sleep. Guru ji went to sleep and became one with the bliss. At about 2 am, Mata Tripta ji saw a beautiful dream. She saw beautiful Devatas and Devis getting together and having a celebration. Their faces were radiant. They had beautiful flowers in their hands with great fragrances. She saw a Singhasan, throne, with expensive gems embedded into it. The Devatas cleaned the Singhasan. On top of the Singhasan, Mata ji saw her son sitting on it with great radiance. He was more handsome than millions of Kamadevas. The Devatas and Devis were bowing to Guru Nanak Dev ji and showering him with flowers. They were expressing their devotion towards Guru ji and doing his Jaikaras. They said: “you are the pure, ancient and supreme Purakh who cannot be quantified. You have come into the house of Bedis to give support to the Dharti, world. You have come to illuminate Bhagti in the world and to destroy the sinners and the sins. You came to start a new Panth in Kaliyuga. You came to show the path of Satsangat. You came to save the world; make everyone do Simran of Akaal Purakh; destroy the pains of the Bhagats; give protection to the ones who come to you; destroy the bad wisdom; show the righteous path. You came to destroy the ego of the Meers and Peers. You came to make everyone do Simran of Vahiguru. May you be victorious!” After saying these praises, the Devatas and Devis worshipped the feet of Guru Nanak Dev ji. They then went back to their worlds saying “Jai, Jai!” Mata ji was surprised to see this dream. She didn’t understand this. When she woke up, she started to look at her son to make sure he was fine. She noticed her son’s body, as if it had been worshipped by the Devatas. She could smell the sandalwood fragrance sprayed on his body. She saw flowers by his feet. He was laying down and asleep but there were flowers all over his body. Mata ji was confused and couldn’t figure out if she saw a dream or if it was for real. She rubbed her eyes and then looked again. Nothing changed. She thought to herself: “I can’t tell if I saw a dream or not. My son is an Avatar. He is the knower of the Sat and Chit. Devatas came to worship him. The Devatas bowed to him.” Mata ji forgot that he was her son. She began to bow to her son, knowing him as Akaal Purakh. She thought to herself: “I saw the sandalwood.” It was soon morning and the sun came up. Mata ji figured out who Guru Nanak Dev ji was. Guru Nanak Dev ji opened his eyes and knew that his mother had understood everything. In order to cast the shadow of attachment over her eyes again, he made a distressed face and said: “Mata ji, I am hungry. Give me food.” Mata ji forgot everything she saw in her dream right away. She could only think that her son was hungry.
Mata ji brought food for her son and just saw him as her child. Satguru ji ate and went to play with his friends. The jewellery on his body would clank. He loved to play with his friends. He would run with his friends. When he would stop, his friends would stop as well. If he would sit down, his friends would sit down as well. The other children would listen to Guru Nanak Dev ji’s words. Guru ji would tell the kids about Bhagti and Vairagya. He would say the Katha of Hari to them. They would hear him (Sarvan) and accept his words (Manan). They would apply his words to their lives (Nidhyasan). The children were Sadhoos and saints in their past lives who came to see the childhood of Akaal Purakh’s form. They would want to hear more of his Kathas. They would ask him to tell them about the Katha of Hari. Guru ji’s words were sweet; like the fragrance from a lotus flower. The lessons Guru ji would give were like the essence of the lotus. The children were like bees around a flower. They heard Guru ji’s words and attained bliss. If people passing by heard the Katha of Guru ji, they would stop and listen to Guru Nanak Dev ji’s words. His words were sweeter than a scholarly Pandit’s. They would praise Guru ji: “this child speaks valuable words! What is he saying? He is a child but speaks like a great scholar-saint.” His words were like Amrit and his face was like the moon. The people listening were listening to the Amrit Katha of Hari. Their ears were like the pot that would hold the Amrit. The children loved Satguru ji. They were all best friends. They wouldn’t leave Guru ji all day long. They would keep looking at Guru ji’s face. When Guru ji would go home in the evening, the children would not leave Guru ji. They would come to his home. When Guru ji would leave his home, the children would leave with him. They were in bliss. Many of those children were given Mukti because their minds had become pure, listening to Guru ji’s Hari Katha. Some were made deserving and some were given Mukti. This was the childhood of the Guru. Kavi Santokh Singh ji says: “I have stated the Katha of Guru ji. Whoever would listen to or read this Katha, Satguru ji will give them joy.”