There was a time when Guru ji was sleeping at night on his bed, when, there came a loud shriek from a woman. She woke up the whole village with her scream. Guru ji, the giver of peace, opened his eyes and said to his servant: “Bhai Bhalloo, who is crying at this time? Find out why this woman is crying.” Bhai Bhalloo ji inquired and came back to Guru ji and said: “Guru ji, some lady is crying and yelling: “my son, my son.” I don’t know if her son is sick or dead.” Guru ji said: “go and find out what happened.” Bhai Bhalloo ji went to the lady and saw that the woman’s son was dead. He inquired about what happened and came back to Guru ji. He said: “Guru ji, there is a widow woman who had only one son. He was sick with the Teeya Taap (a fever that comes every third day. This is a severe type of fever and slowly make a person weak) and died because of that. The boy had become really weak.” Guru ji responded: “when it will be morning, her son will be alive again. Tell her not to grieve. Tell her to do Simran. I will capture the Teeya Taap and imprison it.” Bhai Bhalloo ji went back to the woman and said: “Mai (mother), don’t cry. Bring your son to Guru ji in the morning. Guru ji will awaken your son.”
The lady brought her son’s body to Guru ji’s Chabarra in the morning. Guru ji touched the boy’s body with his foot and the boy woke up, right away. Guru ji showed everyone that everything is in the Guru’s hands. Guru ji then summoned the form of Teeya Taap and showed everyone its face. These illnesses are powers as well. Guru ji made the Teeya Taap into a child. He fastened a chain on its feet and a strap around its neck. He tied its hands up and imprisoned the powerful illness. The illness was put in an iron cage. There is a place in Goindwal called the “Teeya Taap Khotri.” The place is in Goindwal Sahib where Teeya Taap was kept. Guru ji instructed the Sikhs and said: “keep this illness imprisoned here. He has done a great sin by coming to this village. He killed a widow’s child and didn’t respect my determination to not let any parents’ child die while I am here. He killed a child during my time. If I imprison one illness, the other diseases will be afraid to come here. Keep this illness in this cage. It deserves to be punished. It came into Goindwal without fear.” Guru ji had the chained illness kept near his door. Many months passed and the illness was chained by the Guru’s words. The illness became weak, without any energy. It would fold its hands and beg the Sikhs to have Guru ji let it go. It wanted to be released by a Sikh but nobody would listen to him. The close servants and Sikhs of Guru ji saw the disease’s state but understood that the illness would reek havoc on everyone.
Some Sikhs from Dhulla village came and brought gifts for Guru ji. They bowed to Guru ji and sat in his court. They made conversation with Guru ji with love. Guru ji said: “is everyone doing good in your village?” The Sangat responded: “everyone gets together and does Kirtan and Simran with your blessings, Guru ji.” Guru ji said: “the Sikhs of Dhulla are beloved to me. Paro, Lalo and others are close to me. I have a deep connection to them. Bhai Lalo and Paro are great. They have given many others salvation and wisdom. Just as one flame lights another, they have created many other saints.” Bhai Lalo ji was sitting close to Guru ji and said: “Guru ji, we are your Sangat. Please bless us. Our praise is because of your blessing. We are nothing. If we wake up in the morning and do Simran and earn Sikhi, it is your will and blessing.” In this way the Sikhs conversed with Guru ji. They stayed for a few days and decided to go back. Bhai Lalo ji would see the cage with a small child, tied up in it. He noticed that it was weak and begging to be released. Bhai Lalo ji had pity on the child and asked Bhai Bhulloo ji: “who is this child?” Bhai Bhalloo ji said: “this is the Teeya Taap illness. He killed a widow mother’s son and Guru ji has punished him by tying him up.” Bhai Lalo ji went to Guru ji and said: “Maharaj, please release this child. Guru ji, why are you punishing him? You have love for all. Why has he been imprisoned? He is asking us to request you to release him.” Guru ji then responded: “Lalo, he is very bad but I’ll let him go if you say so. Take him with you then and don’t let him come into our village again. He has been punished because he killed a widow’s son. I have resurrected the boy but I am punishing him.” Bhai Lalo ji then released the child and took him along to Dhulla.
The Sangat walked a few miles towards Dhulla and it was noon. Teeya Taap was hungry and asked Bhai Lalo ji: “I cannot walk anymore. I am hungry and will die if I don’t get my food. It has been a while since I had my food. Please give me permission to eat. I will return to you.” Bhai Lalo ji said: “our village is close by. You will get kheer (milk pudding) and pooray (sweet pancakes). You will get lentils and roti, whatever you ask for. We will feed you well. It is only a few miles from here and will be there in an hour. Eat to your heart’s delight once we get there. We will walk slowly so you can keep up. There’s nothing for you to eat here.” The boy then said: “my food is here. I just need permission to go. I’ll be back in an hour. I can’t eat without your permission. If you give me permission, I’ll be back quick.” Bhai Lalo ji said, casually: “ok, go and have your food and we will wait a half an hour for you. Then we will go back.” There was a pond, where the Sangat was standing. A portion of that pond was where the dhobi Ghatt (where laundry is done) was. There was a Dhobi (launderer) washing clothes and ringing them to hang them dry there. As soon as Teeya Taap got his permission, he infected the Dhobi. The Dhobi caught a fever and fell to the ground. The Dhobi began to shiver in pain. He was cold from the fever. Teeya Taap soaked his blood just like the Dhobi was extracting the water from the clothes by ringing them. He took a pot that laid nearby and filled it with the blood of the Dhobi. He brought the pot full of blood back to Bhai Lalo ji and showed it to him. Teeya Tap said to Bhai Lalo ji: “Look, this is my food. I eat blood. This is my nourishment by which I thrive. I was hungry and now I will be satiated. You have blessed me by releasing me. You have done a great favor for me. I do not eat kheer, pooray or lentils. This is my food.” Bhai Lalo ji heard Teeya Taap’s words and was shocked and surprised. He thought: “I have done a big mistake by releasing him. He is very dangerous. I should not have had him released. He drinks blood and kills people to survive. I didn’t realise this was so bad. Guru ji had done right by capturing him. This is a very bad thing that I have brought him along. Guru ji is all-powerful and all-knowing.” Bhai Lalo ji said: “listen boy, I need to take you back to Guru ji. I need to take you back to the cage in front of Guru ji’s door. I have made a mistake. I will take you back to where you belong. You will kill many people if you are allowed to roam around for food. You are a sinner. You give people pain. You make people crazy and give them great pain. Guru ji will keep you in his cage. He is great. He can do everything. I can’t give you blood everyday. You don’t eat Kheer or other foods that we eat.” Teeya Taap got scared and said: “please don’t take me back to Guru ji. I will do as you say. From now on, I promise you: that whoever listens to this story of what happened between Guru ji, you and I: how I came to Goindwal and killed the child; the child was resurrected; you, Bhai Lalo, released me; I took the Dhobi’s blood; whoever listens to this or reads it, will be rid of the Teeya Taap. Whoever remembers Guru Amardas ji, I will not come close to them. I will not give them a lot of pain. Wherever my story will be said, I will go away. Bhai Lalo ji, please release me since you had pity on me once, please don’t go back on your sympathy. If I infect someone, if they listen to this story, I will leave.” Bhai Lalo ji said: “ok, if you follow your word, you will be fine.” In this way, Teeya Taap was released from Guru ji’s imprisonment. Teeya Taap never came back to Goindwal. No other illness came to Goindwal, fearing Guru Amardas ji. Bhai Mani Singh ji writes in his letter to Mata Sundri ji in 1716 AD that he was sick when he came to Amritsar and that he had listened to the “Taap Ki Katha” twice. In olden days this story used to be printed in Gutka Sahibs.