Nanak further said, “I have chosen to stay with Lalo
because he is an honest and hard working man. So what if he is poor?”
The rich man felt very sorry about the kind of life
he had leaded. He felt ashamed that he had made money by cheating the poor.
He replied, “I will give all my money to the poor
and I will look after them throughout my life.
Nanak blessed him and told him, “Malik Bhago, the
Lord cherishes those who lead truthful and honest life.”
A lesson that we should learn from the true story
that one should work hard and earn by honest means.
Guru Nanak taught people to live a life of honesty
and hard work. After their stay in Saidpur, Nanak and Mardana continued with
their travels, singing the praised God.
Once they stayed on the outskirts of a city. It was
a rainy season yet many people came to meet Guru Nanak.
There was one follower who came regularly, but later
he got attracted to a dancing girl. After that he would leave his house saying
that he was going to listen to the sermons of Guru Nanak, but would actually go
to the dancer’s house.
There was a friend of his who regularly came to meet
Guru Nanak. One day when he was on his way to meet Guru Nanak, this friend got
picked by a thorn. While the other friend who was going to meet a dancing girl
rewarded by getting a gold coin.
Guru Nanak explained, “The fact is that your friend
was supposed to get a lot of money but because he did the wrong thing, he got
only one gold coin.”
The other friend asked, “But why did I get pricked
by a thorn? I come here regularly, and I try to follow the path of
righteousness.”
"You were supposed to be punished very badly
for some bad deeds you did in your previous birth. But because you are being good,
you just got the prick of a thorn as a punishment," answered Guru Nanak.
The friend then understood that being good was the
correct thing to do. Those who commit bad deeds would believe that whatever
happens happens for the best.
He continued coming to listen to Guru Nanak's
sermons till he and Mardana moved on from there and went to Kurukshetra.
Guru Nanak roamed in the northern part of India and
reached Hardwar.
questioning of meaningless customs
Guru Nanak and Mardana went to the holy city of
Hardwar to bathe in the holy river Ganga.
There Guru Nanak saw a number of pilgrims offering
water to the sun in the sky.
Guru Nanak asked the pilgrims, "What are you
doing?"
One pilgrim replied, "We are giving water to
the sun for the souls of our forefathers, who have died."
Guru Nanak turned around and started throwing water
in t opposite side.
The pilgrim asked, "What are you doing?"
"I am throwing water for my fields in
Punjab," answered Guru Nanak.
"You are really foolish. How can you water your
fields from here? They are so far away," said the pilgrim.
Guru Nanak replied, "If the water you throw
from here can reach the sun, it can surely reach my dry lands in Punjab, which
are only some hundred miles away."
All the people who were having bath in the Ganga
recognized the truth of what he was saying.
Guru Nanak's words made people re-think about an old
custom that had no meaning.
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