The praises of the Guru being the thread; Sarasvati/ Bani being the pearls; strung in the thread; whoever wears this necklace would be radiant in both worlds.
Sri Bala Sandhur Vaach..
Listen Sri Guru Angad Dev ji, oh Root of Joy; Guru Nanak Dev ji travelled on to pacify the Hell. Where the great foreign land of Rome is, ruled an emperor named Karoon (Hameed Karoon as per Bhai Mani Singh ji). Guru ji came to Rome and saw the big city. Many people lived in poverty there, men and women. The people worked all day and night. They never had money and were in pain. They did not serve any saint or poor person. The king and the subjects were the same. They did not say the name of Sri Parmeshwar. They were in pain for both worlds. To give peace to these people, the Flag of the Bedis entered the city. Where Karoon’s big palace was, Guru ji sat in front of it. The palace had many guards at the front gate. Guru ji said to the guards: “how is the king of this foreign land? How much donations does he give to Fakirs? How does he do justice for the public? How much compassion does he have?” The guards heard this and said: “he has made the public to be in pain. Karoon is a very tyrant king. He is very cheap and wishes for money all the time. He does not donate even a little bit to anyone. He has looted the subjects. He had a brother named Haroon. He had collected 40 Ganj of money. Karoon has 45 Ganj of money (1 Ganj is 30 feet wide and 30 feet high). He has collected the money of the whole land. If someone comes asking for justice, he does not listen to them. If he finds out that someone has money, he takes it from them. He is without compassion and gives pain to all. He does not listen to any other human. The people of his land live in pain and sorrow. Many villages and homes have been emptied due to people leaving. Many died seeking justice.” The Compassionate One heard this and asked the guards further: “how did he collect so much money in one place? Do the people not hide their money? Don’t they bury their money? The money stays in their heart. How did the king take all of the money? Money gives pain when it comes and when it goes.” The guards spoke: “listen, oh great Dervish, there was a time when Karoon called all his Viziers and spoke to them harshly: “is there any more money in my land? Tell me the truth!” The Viziers got scared and said: “there is no more Rajitpuns left. Just as the clouds are without water in the winter, that is how your land is. Not one Rajitpun can be find in your land.” Karoon called his daughter and said to his Viziers: “sell her in the market! Whoever gives 1 Rajitpun for her, they can take my daughter and marry her.”
The princess was taken to the market. Her face was like the moon. Her eyes were beautiful. A 14-year-old boy came to the market and fell in love with the princess. He went home to his mother and said: “mother, give me 1 Rajitpun. I wish to marry the daughter of the Paatshaah. She is very beautiful. This transaction is very favourable.” The mother said: “we don’t have 1 Rajitpun. You can search the whole land and not find it. If we don’t have money, why do you want to take the princess?” The boy became stubborn and said: “get me the Rajitpun or else I will die.” He laid on the ground and rolled around. The mother cried seeing her son like that. She took her son’s hand and said: “when your dead father was buried, 1 Rajitpun was put in his mouth. If you can’t stay without the money, go and take the Rajitpun from your dead father’s grave.” The boy was happy and went to his father’s grave. He dug the grave and found the Rajitpun. He took the money and went to the market in great joy. He gave the Rajitpun and brought the princess home.
The soldiers told Karoon about the Rajitpun. Karoon was surprised. He had the boy arrested and presented in his court. He was beaten up and asked: “where did you get this Rajitpun from? Tell us the truth or you will be killed!” The boy spoke the truth: “I took it out of my father’s grave. If you can find even 1 Rajitpun in our home, you can send me to the home of the Jumms.” When Karoon heard about this, he had all of the graves in his land dug up. In some graves he found silver coins. There is no bigger tyrant than him.” The Treasure of Virtues heard this and spoke to the guards: “this guilty person will go to Hell. It’s very unfortunate that he has earned the money in this way. His life is damned in this world. He is slandered here. People will be happy when he dies. When he goes to the court of the Parvadhagar, he will be found guilty. When he will be in great pain, he will regret his actions, rubbing his hands in worry. Listen to me, oh guards: go and tell your king that a Fakir has come to his door and wishes to meet him. Tell him that the Fakir wishes to receive no donations. There is nothing I wish for other than a meeting. He can come and do my Darshan. He can listen to my words.” The guards heard the sweet words of Guru ji; they regarded Guru ji as a great saint.
The guards went to Karoon in the palace and folded their hands. They said: “a Dervish has come to your main gate. He is a new one and very radiant. He speaks sweet words and has a great personality. He is handsome and radiant. He looks good to everyone. He does not wish for any alms. He just wants to meet you. That is what he told us.” Karoon heard this and came to his main gate. He did the Darshan of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji. He bowed and stood in front of Guru ji. A crowd of people came with the king. Guru Nanak Dev ji was sitting and collecting clay chips to put in a cloth. Karoon saw this and said: “what are you doing collected those chips? You seem like a Fakir but are doing a useless act. Collecting these chips, what will you achieve?” Guru ji said: “when I leave my body, these clay chips will go with me. That is why I am collecting them. They will help me in the afterlife.” The king said: “oh Dervish, you are not thinking about this. These chips won’t go with you. They will stay with your body. Not even grass will go with you.” Guru ji said: “you are a tyrant in your own land! You collected 45 Ganj of money. How will they go with you? You collected them with sins. Look what happened to your brother; he collected 40 Ganj of money and died. Nothing went with him ahead. You collected even more than him. How would your money go with you? You will go to Hell and suffer a lot of pain. Others will come and take your money. You gave pain to others so you will go to Hell. What will money do for you in Hell when you scream in pain? When your Pranas leave, your men around you will take your money. They will bury you after. Think about this in a good way. Wherever you saw or heard of coins, you used your strength and power to take them. You collected money with your sins. Nothing will go with you. If you want what is good for you, give the money back to the people. Listen to my words and let go of your sinful ways. If you don’t listen to me, you will go to Hell. There is fire burning for many miles/kos. The Jumms will pull you around.” Doing the Darshan of Guru ji and hearing his words, Karoon’s heart became soft. He became humble and said: “whatever happened, has happened. Please give me wisdom for my well-being. I wish to see the Path to Khuddah. Please give me faith in that path. My Munn has jealousy. I remain engrossed in money. My greed does not go away. How will I know the path to Khuddah? Please be compassionate and give me wisdom so that my vices are destroyed.” Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji heard this and began to speak the wisdom of the Naseehat (teaching), which gives joy:
Naseehat Nama
Tilang Mahal 1..
Do good with what Khuddah gives you..
What you see in the world will not last..
The money and wealth will not last forever..
The millionaires or thousand owners will not remain..
The money is owned by the one who spends or eats from it..
It (money) is given or made to be given by the will of Khuddah..
If it (money) is with you, don’t keep it with you, don’t eat alone..
It is certain, the generous one will go to Heaven..
Be respectful, don’t be egotistical..
The world will not last, the courts/kingdoms will not last..
The elephants, the horses, the thousands of armies..
They will all cease to exist, it won’t take long..
The lover of the world says “this is my country.”
When the death comes upon the head, there is no “mine” or “yours”..
Many have gone before you, playing their instruments..
That only remains, who is the True Khuddah..
You come alone and leave alone..
As one leaves, nobody goes with you..
When the accounts are checked, what will you respond with?
You will yell in regret and be in pain..
You showed your strength to earn the money..
You ate, spent and lost it without cause..
In the end you regretted and yelled Hai hai..
You will go to the court and be punished..
Damned are your earnings..
You were deceitful and looted the world to eat..
You drank capfuls and ate Kebobs..
Look oh people, how many have been ruined!
Whose human you are, he has made you..
In the greed of the worldly things, you forgot the Sahib..
You didn’t do the Ibaadat nor did you keep the honour..
You did not give justice to your subjects, when they came to you, asking for it..
You sat in your palaces..
You played in your harems where (fragrant perfumes are sprayed) the smell is pleasant..
You did not ask about what was happening outside..
The bastards killed the poor..
The villages were ruined and not established again..
They shouted and called for you but you did not listen..
The Lakh holders and Crore holders were plenty..
The millionaires or thousand owners will not remain..
They are called rulers but can’t rule..
They are lovers of the world, walking around intoxicated..
You looted many countries, wearing and eating..
The fires of Hell will kill you; burn you..
Don’t use your ego to see, oh lover of the world..
It won’t remain forever so don’t think it will..
Picking up the chessboards (courts), it won’t take him long to do..
Whose world is this? Whose homes and operations are they?
In a few days you will leave; nothing is permanently held..
Don’t be greedy for more, oh lover of the world..
You won’t be embarrassed by doing good deeds..
You won’t be wearing the cloak of slander when you leave..
If you became lazy, you will be beaten..
Daughter or son, you won’t be able to receive their respect..
You will regret your sins, don’t terrorize others..
The fire of Hell will burn your grave..
Sheiks, Prophets, many kings and Khans..
They are not seen in the world, there are no signs of them..
It is like the shadow of the moving pigeon or animal..
Many have become soil, no one asks for their names..
Gathering 40 Ganj of money, the honour was ruined..
Look Karoon, who is worried..
Not the donors remained, nor will the world remain; it is destructible..
You yourself will see with your eyes, this world will cease to exist..
You did not regret while committing sins..
Baba Nanak does the request with Bandagi, you will need to go to the shelter of such the Khuddah..
(Sri Nanak Prakash Granth)
Karoon heard the words of Guru ji and was shocked. His heart softened like wax. He was afraid of his future state, where he was going to be punished. He thought to himself: “what will happen to me when I die? The messengers of death will tie me and beat me. I was a tyrant. I did not do good for anyone.” Karoon thought to himself and spoke: “I was ignorant and lazy. I was asleep. I don’t know where Khuddah is. I heard the examples from you and am now scared. Please be compassionate with me and tell me the Path to Khuddah. The river of greed for money flows strong. I am drowning in it. I can’t get to the shore. You are the compassionate ferryman who has given me his hand to take me across. The attachment of family is a dark well. I have been in this well for a long time. See me as your follower and take me out.” Hearing the request, the Compassionate One spoke: “till faith and devotion does not come, you can’t find the path to Khuddah with words. You must do Bandagi all the time. Keep your mind still and humble. Keep it low. Till you love the world, you won’t be able to break the bonds of the world. The people you see in the world are the friends of good food and drink. They are your friends till they get to eat. When they don’t get anything from you, they become your enemies. This concept of “mine” and “not mine,” is only till you have money. Where there is no money, they won’t even look at you. Think about all of this in your heart and renounce the attachment for your family. The ones whom you love, are only in love with money. They are of no use to you in times of pain. The one who supports you in joy and sorrow is only the One Khuddah. To love the world is of no benefit. When the pain comes, everyone runs away. The love of Sri Prabhoo ji is great. Therefore, love the Sri Prabhoo ji forever. The Simran of the Prabhoo will release you at the time of death. You will be in joy here and there.” When Karoon heard such words, he became humble and grabbed Guru ji’s feet. He said to Guru ji: “I will do as you say. I won’t be able to do anything else. I come to your sanctuary. My faith is in your lotus feet.” Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji spoke when he saw Karoon humble: “release all of your prisoners from your jail. You have arrested people for no reason.”
Wherever his jails were, Karoon sent messengers to release the prisoners. He gave the money back to the people whom he took from. He had the people sent back to their homes with respect. Guru ji said: “do the Simran of Satnam. This will give you joy forever. From now on, protect the poor and weak. Let go of your tyrant ways. The money you collected with sins, give it all away in the name of Khuddah. Do Bandagi with humility. Think about your own good in your heart.” Karoon obeyed Guru ji. He did what he was told. He sent his Soobas to make Langar. The country of Rome became calm and peaceful. Donations began to happen because Sri Guru ji went there. The tyranny stopped. Many people began to come. They brought gifts for Guru ji and bowed to his feet, the Giver of Mukti. Sri Gobind ji was the Sat, Chit and Anand.
Karoon spoke with his both hands folded: “you have blessed me a lot. I was going into a deep and dark well. You took me out with your hand and destroyed my pain. I have been blessed. I have hope now in my heart. You are definitely Khuddah who has come to tell me the path.” He bowed to Guru ji’s feet over and over again. He was humble and had a lot of love. Guru ji spoke with compassion: “Karoon, this path is straight to Khuddah. You have been blessed. Your big sins have been crushed. You are thinking of Kartaar now. The bonds of the world will be broken for you.” Karoon said: “this is because of your compassion and blessings. You cut the chain of greed from my neck. You showed me the righteous path. You blessed everyone in this land.”
Guru ji spent some days in the land. The people were in joy. The wisdom of Simran and charity was given to all. The ones who obeyed were blessed. The fear in the land was crushed. Karoon was put on the righteous path. Guru ji then got ready to leave. Karoon said: “please be compassionate and stay with me. Why do you wish to leave? I am your servant in every way. You saved the whole country. If you wish to leave, then tell me: when will you give me your Darshan?” Guru ji heard this and said: “do the Simran and you will be blessed. Focus in your heart. This is my Darshan. This is the way to meet me.” After saying this, Guru ji, the Master of the World, took leave and travelled to another land.