Guru Stories~~~

[rajiv uppal]

Bhai Lehna Ji was a devout Hindu before he met Guru Nanak Dev Ji. At the very first meeting he fell under his spell and abandoned all other worldly businesses to devote himself to the service of the Sikh community at Kartarpur. Guru Nanak Dev Ji set a number of tasks to test his devotees, in all of them Bhai Lehna came out top. In one test Guru Nanak Dev Ji asked for someone to jump into a pool of thick mud and pick out an old cauldren, all refused saying they could get Guru Ji a better one from the local shop, only Bhai Lehna Ji jumped in without regard for his safety and brought the object back. As time for Guru Nanak Dev Ji to ascend the heavens came, Guru Ji took a journey and said harsh words to any person following him. One by one all left his side. Those remaining were pelted with stones by Guru Ji, all abandoned the Guru except Bhai Lehna Ji. " Why are are you still following me?" Guru Nanak Dev Ji said in harsh tones. "Where else have I got to go?" replied Bhai Lehna Ji "without you O, Lord I have nothing." Guru Nanak Dev Ji took Lehna Ji in his arms, he had found the most worthy person to carry on his work. His devotion convinced Guru Nanak Dev Ji that Bhai Lehna Ji, would be a better leader then his own sons.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji proclaimed “Thou art Angad, a part of my body” and had one of his chief disciples Baba Buddha Ji daub (Guru) Angads forehead and proclaimed him as the second Guru.

[tana]

Om Sai Ram~~~

The Blue Horse~~~

Guru Gobind Singh Ji was famed for his blue coloured horse, in fact Guru Sahib Ji is sometimes known as 'Neelay ghoray whalla' or 'the owner of the blue horse' and many a folk songs and vars sing the exploits of 'Neelay ghoray they swaar' the rider of the blue horse. Just as his grandfather Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, Guru Gobind Singh instructed his Sikhs to make offerings of arms and horses in readiness for the turbulent times ahead. In anticipation of this Guru Gobind Singh Ji learnt the art of horsemanship from an early age under the guidance of his maternal uncle Bhai Kirpal Chand.

As Guru Sahib Ji grew up he became an accomplished horseman and would spend time travelling the country side on horseback blessing his people who would inevitably gather wherever he went.

It is not clear where the blue horse, affectionately known as Neela, was acquired from, it may have been a gift from a royal dignitary or from a devotee. Even today the lineage of the stallions continues at Hazoor Sahib, Nanded. The horses are kept in stables and are bred from the original stallion belonging to Guru Sahib Ji, although over time the blue colour has been diluted down to a grey white. No one is allowed to ride the horses as a mark of respect and they are brought out on the festival of Holla Mahalla or gurpurbs when they are beautifully decorated with tassels and riding gear. On occasions, especially on the festival of Holla Mahalla, it has been said that the horse will get extremely sweaty and agitated, as if it is being ridden.

It is difficult to get information about Guru Sahib Ji's horse, even more so about a blue horse. These horses are very rare and many people are sceptical that such horses exist. Well, blue horses do exist. The colour is officially known as Blue Roan.

Roan horses have solid coloured coats, but with white hairs interspersed (roaning). The white hairs are not actual spots, but single white hairs mixed with the darker coat colour. These horses have a specific colour gene and this roan gene can be applied to any colour of horse. The most common are Red Roans and Bay Roans. There are also Palomino Roans, Red Dun Roans, Dun Roans, Buckskin Roans and the Blue Roan. The roan gene adds white hairs into the body of the horse. Roan is a stable colouration throughout life, whereas Grey and Varnish Appaloosa are progressive.

The legs and occasionally the head are not affected and will remain darker then the body (note in the above painting, Guru Sahib Ji's horse is shown as blue, but not the legs).The mane and tail are usually not affected, but some may have some white hairs mixed in. A Blue Roan is a dark coloured horse with the roan gene.The roan gene gives the horse interspersed white hairs on his body and this gives a general blue hue or sheen to the horse. Blue Corn is a variation of Blue Roan, in which speckles and spots of the base colour (black) appear, making a mottled appearance.

The gurdwara at Putthi Sahib (Punjab) commemorates the incident when Guru Gobind Singh Ji arrived at this place from a long journey on their way back to Anandpur Sahib. They say a man working at a furnace (putthi) baking bricks. Upon enquiring from the local artisan if there was a place to rest, the local gestured at his furnace and said mockingly 'If you call yourself Guru why don't you rest here in the furnace?' This posed a direct challenge to the Guruship, and whereas Guru Sahib Ji would much rather have not revealed the full extent of the divine seat of Guru Nanak in this case there was no option. Guru Ji ushered Neela forward who trampled on the mud surrounding the furnace and put one of his hooves on the side of the furnace. Whereas a furnace would normally take a week or so to cool down the furnace became instantly cool. Guru Ji demounted Neela and rested for the night in the furnace. The gurdwara that now stands there has been built around the now solidified mud which still has the impressions of Neela's hooves.


Jai Sai Ram~~~

[Sai ka Tej]

JAI SAI RAM

2 Pots 

On the day of Gobind Rai's birth, Bhikan Shah, a Muslim Pir who lived in the Punjab, did a very curious thing. He bowed to the east instead of to the west towards Mecca. His followers were shocked and asked him why he was doing this.

He replied, "On this day, a beloved of God has been born who will be both a saint and a hero."

He vowed to go worship the new-born saint, and would perform a daily fast until he saw him. He made the very long journey to Patna and arrived there exhausted and weak with hunger. When he came to the Guru's house, he asked to see the child. The Guru's mother and grandmother were cautious and sent word to the Pir that he should come back in three months.

He said he would sit, fast, and wait.

After two days, he was still there. Finally, Mata Gujari ji was moved by his devotion and allowed him to come in and present his offerings. The Pir brought in his presents and bowed low to the little child.

Then he did a very strange thing. He put two identical covered pots in front of the boy, and sat back and waited.

The child looked into the Pir's eyes, smiled, and touched both of the pots. The Pir smiled back at him and prepared to leave.

When the Sikhs and his followers asked him what he meant by this, he replied, "In one pot were sweets made by a Hindu sweetmaker, and in the other pot by a Muslim sweetmaker.

By putting his hands on both pots, the Guru will give equal respect to both Hindus and Muslims, and will include both in his new religion." So saying, he blessed the child and returned home, remaining a steadfast supporter of the Guru for his entire life.

SAI RAM

[tana]

Om Sai Ram~~~

Dukh Sukh~~~
 
Two shopkeepers had their shops next to one another. One shopkeeper, Gurmukh used to close his shop early and go to see Guru Nanak Dev ji. The other shopkeeper Manmukh asked Gurmukh that why do you close your shop early? He said he goes to see Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Manmukh also started closing his shop early, but started going to a bad place instead. Both kept on going to their places.

One day Manmukh asked Gurmukh to go home together and agreed upon a place to meet after visiting their places, so that they could go to their homes together. Manmukh came to the meeting place early because the door was locked at the place where he usually went. Seeing a pile of ashes, he dug through it and was very happy to find a golden ring. Gurmukh was on his way to the agreed meeting place when a thorn (kanda) scratched his foot. So he was in pain when he arrived at their meeting place with a limp.

Manmukh told Gurmukh that he used to go to a bad place and he found a golden ring but you used to go to a good place and you are now in pain. Gurmukh told Manmukh there may be something behind this and asked him to go with him to see Guru Nanak Dev Ji the next day. Both asked Guru Ji why it happened like this. Guru ji asked, "Do you know what you did in the past life?" Both said no. Guru ji told Manmukh, "you donated a golden ring in your past life and in this life you were going to get many golden rings but every day you would go to the bad place, a golden ring turned into ashes. One golden ring is left because you could not go to the bad place on the last day. Guru Ji told Gurmukh, you were supposed to be hanged but because you started coming to our place, your hanging has changed to the pain of a thorn.

Lesson Learned~~~

Dukh (suffering and Sukh (peace or bliss) in our present life are the result of deeds done in our previous lives. Gurbani says on 1030 "Sukh dukh purab janam kay kiye, so jane jin datay diye. Kis tu dosh deh tu parani suh apna kiya karaa hai". We can reduce the pains and sufferings of this life by devoting time toward WaheGuru (Naam Japna, Paath, Kirtan, changae karam karnae etc.). This will neutralize the effects of bad deeds done in the previous lives. Let us all devote at least 2.5 hours daily for Nitnem and all the time say WaheGuru in your mind. Repeating WaheGuru WaheGuru ..... WaheGuru is the most powerful way especially at Amrit vela. Keep doing that everyday without any break, not only this life of your's will be better but you will reap the benefits after this life also.

Moral~~~

The pains and pleasures one gets in this life are heavily influenced by past actions, not just in this life but in countless previous lives. When people suffer at the hands of others it's because they made that person suffer in a previous life. Most people will take revenge and so the cycle of making each other suffer continues life after life. A mythical story to explain this is of a goat and a butcher. The butcher would kill the goat in one life, the goat's soul would be reborn as a butcher and the butcher's soul would be reborn as a goat. In the next life the butcher would kill the goat and so the cycle continued. Then in one life the butcher received a customer who only wanted a goat's leg. The butcher thought if I kill the goat and sell the leg the rest of the goat will rot away. So what he thought was I'll just chop the goat's leg off and bandage the wound, that way the goat will stay alive until the next customer. Just as he was about to cut the leg, the goat spoke, "O Butcher, what's this new bad action you're starting? Life after life we keep swapping roles to cancel our actions, but if you chop my leg now and make me suffer in the next life I'll do the same to you and you'll suffer too!"


Jai Sai Ram~~~

[tana]

Om Sai Ram~~~

Sacha Souda~~~

When Guru Nanak reached the age of eighteen, his father Mehta Kalu thought of sending him out to learn a lesson on making a trade. Thinking that being a trader (banya) was a profitable profession in which his son would be happy all day communicating with his customers. So choosing an auspicious day, he called Bhai Bala to be Guru ji's companion. He gave twenty rupees to Bhai Bala and said, "Go with Nanak, buy and bring some genuine goods so by selling them we may make adood profit. He said to his young son, "If you make a good transaction, I will give you more money next time to buy goods."

So Nanak and Bhai Bala started from Talwandi to Chuharkana to purchase some merchandise. They had gone just ten or twelve miles from their village, when they came across a group of hermits sitting in the jangal (forrested area). Guru Nanak said to Bhai Bala, "Father has asked us to carry out some profitable transaction. No bargain can be more profitable than to feed and clothe these naked and hungry hermits. I cannot pass this true bargain by. One will rarely get an opportunity to carry out such a profitable transaction." So saying he took all the money from Bala, placed it before the leader of the hermits and said, "I offer this in your service."

The leader of the hermits said, "Son, this money is of no use to us. We do not go to villages or towns. We stay in the jungle. But, if you get us a meal with this money we will accept it." Hearing this Guru Nanak and Bhai Bala went to the village nearby. They had meals prepared with the money and brought them to the hermits. With the money left after purchasing the food they brought clothes for the naked hermits. This done they headed home empty handed.

When the two approached Talwandi, Guru Nanak said to Bala, "You go to the village alone, I shall sit at this well." Bhai Bala went to the village alone and narrated the whole story to Mehta Kalu. Dad Kalu was very angry that they had wasted money on the Hermits in this way. Putting aside all work he took Bala and started towards the well. Reaching the well he slapped Nanak. Bhai Bala tried to remind him that, "You had told us to make a profitable bargain, so whether you agree or not, Nanak has made a true bargain."

For Mehta Kalu amassing wealth was the only true bargain, because only moneyed men are considered noble, gentle, honest, pious and lovers of mankind. The means by which the money is earned are of no importance in this world of worldly men.

It is only people who truly understand the value of good deeds who know the meaning of a truely profitable transaction.

Jai Sai Ram~~~

[tana]

Om Sai Ram~~~

The Power of Gurbani~~~

A young child went to a Gursikh and stated that no matter how hard he tried to keep Gurbani in his heart, he just could not understand or keep it. He stated that his mind was not a bucket, but a strainer, which let everything pass through and did not contain the meaning of gurbani.

The Gursikh said "Let us try an experiment. Here is a strainer, and here is some water. Now pour a bucket of water through the strainer."

The child did this and said "See, the water was not contained, it just passed through, my mind is just like this". The Gursikh said. "Do it once more", so he did, and still the water passed through the strainer. The Gursikh said. "Do it ten times at least". The child did, and at the end of this experiment, he said " See, water still passes through, no matter how many times , and how many buckets we pass through it" . The Gursikh said "Look carefully at the strainer and see if there is any thing different." The child did, and his eyes were filled with tears, and he said. "Yes, i see the difference now. The grimy dirty strainer is now shiny and bright, like never before."

The Gursikh said "My son, this is what Gurbani does for you. It cleans your mind, and even if you do not realize it, it slowly cleanses your mind, and protects you from the five vices. The more you recite Gurbani, your mind will not only become shinier, but become like the bucket itself, which will not only become clean, but hold the meaning of Gurbani in your heart".

The child smiled, and felt he had received the best example of the power of Gurbani, ever. Gurbani is that detergent that cleanes the mind of its dirt. The more we rub our 'surti' with Gurbani the more clean it will get. Dhur kee Baani is full of amrit. Whoever utters baani of Satguru literally drinks Amrit. .. 


Jai Sai Ram~~~

[tana]

Om Sai Ram~~~

The Five Enemies~~~


One day, a Sikh named Kadhari, came to see the 2nd Guru Ji - Guru Angad Dev Ji. He had come in a "vairaag", bowed down before Guru Ji and asked the following question.

Q. The five enemies of mankind, namely lust, anger, greed, worldly attachment and the ego have surrounded the whole world. How can we save ourselves from their deadly clutches? If we can know them then some defence against them is possible, but most of the world is not even aware of their existence.

Guru Angad Dev ji gave a "parman" or example. He told the Sikh that, when a jungle catches fire most of the animals are unable to run to safety and so they perish. But there is one animal, a deer or "Hiran" which can run so fast and so reaches safety when the jungle is on fire; it runs towards a river, submerges itself in the cold water and escapes being burnt. The fire cannot reach it and it gets peace there or "sukh". Mankind is also surrounded by the fire of "Kal" and he is unable to avoid this fire unlike the deer.

Mankind is in trouble; they have no peace of mind in whose house the five robbers of lust, anger,greed, worldly attachments and ego have entered. Can that house be saved? Surely not, because only a few, like the deer, are saved. The river of cold water is the satsang. Guru Ji further explained that satsang is where praise alone is showered in God's Name. In such a "river of satsang" the five evil forces of the mind are destroyed and the coldness against the world's fire is provided by the Guru's shabad or light.

Jai Sai Ram~~~