THE CROPS

Nanak daily took the cattle to the fields. One day he dozed off and the cows went into the nearby fields.

The farmers were not there, and the cows ate a lot of their crops. Many birds also came and started eating the grains from the fields. When Nanak wake up and saw this, he thought of God, who had made ways for everyone to live.

Nanak and Mardana did not stop the birds from eating crops. Nanak felt that the crops belonged to God and the birds belonged to God. So why should they be stopped from eating the crops.

The farmers came and saw that the cattle and the birds were eating their crops. They were angry with Nanak and Mardana for not stopping their cattle from destroying the crops.

When the farmers started beating the cattle to drive them away from their farms, the soft-hearted Nanak could not bear to see this.

He told his friend Mardana, “Please go and stop the farmers from beating the cattle. I cannot bear to see them being beaten.”

Mardana and Nanak tried to stop the farmers from hurting the cattle, but the farmers just didn’t listen to "them; they were very angry at their loss.

One farmer shouted at Nanak, “First you let the cows spoil our fields and then you don’t let us drive the away.

Another farmer said, “You should be punished for this. I will tell Rai Bular to take money from your father for the loss we have incurred.”

Nanak replied, “You can complain to him, but don’t beat the poor and innocent cattle. They do not know that they have done something wrong.

The farmer went to Rai Bular and told him of how Mehta Kalian’s cattle had destroyed and eaten up their crops.

The farmer wanted that Nanak’s father should pay money for the loss they had to suffer because of his cattle.

Rai Bular patiently listened to the complaints of the angry farmers.