Sakhi Series : 236 ( Veeran Malhar)

Guru Nanak Sahib ji & Veeran Malhar

(Source : Guru Nanak Chamatkar by ​ Bhai Vir Singh)

On one of Guru Nanak Dev ji's travels...

(Bhai Saado and Sheehan are said to have acompanied Guru Nanak Dev ji in one of Guru jis travels)

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Mardana: O Sheehan, see, the Guru has opened his Lord's-love-immersed eyes and his forehead is showering benevolence. It  appears he is going to bless someone. 

Sheehan: It does appear like that. He travels to distant places as if he is searching someone. 

Mardana: Yes, he is benevolent in many ways. Sometimes he showers his blessings on a large gathering but sometimes he blesses those who are already on the religious path. Sometimes he blesses some top saints who consider themselves as having reached the Lord but are actually stuck in some mistaken belief. He clears their mistaken beliefs and puts them on the right path.

Sometimes he blesses those who are occupying religious seats but are in pride and nurture hatred in their mind for other religions. (Laughingly) the true Guru is miraculous. Sometimes he blesses the robbers, criminals and sinners and puts them on the true path of love of the Lord. 

One is the Lord whose will one cannot know and one is the Guru. We cannot guess what miracle he is going to do today. See, he is in meditation since early morning. Now, he has opened his eyes. Benevolence is showering from his face.

Meanwhile the Guru said: Come. Let us move. Get ready. 

Mardana: Beloved Guru, where do we go?

Guru: Let us move. We are already in travel. The town is near. One person is in pursuit but is stuck in mistaken belief. It is like a barrier against a river. When the barrier is removed t;he river flows uninterrupted. Similarly, if his mistaken belief is removed, he will move forward with vigor.

On listening to the Guru's wish they moved ahead. They reached the town. They asked someone: Where does Veeran Malhar live? 

The person replied: A little further on this very street on the left side. They reached there and entered the hrarden. There, Veeran Malhar was sitting busy in some work. He saw them, stood up and with folded hands said: Greetings to you.

Guru: God bless you. 

Then hurriedly he brought a bed. Spread a nice white sheet on it and said: Welcome, please sit down.

The Guru sat on the bed and on the ground in front, on a mat, sat Veeran Malhar and the Guru's companions. 

Guru: Veeran Malhar, say, how are your ascetic practices going on? Veeran Malhar: I am a poor farmer. What do I know about the Lord? Mardana: Speak frankly and take some good gainful advice. 

Veeran Malhar (heaving a sigh softly): What is the name of the Godly soul?

Mardana: Nanak from the Lord. 

Veeran Malhar (Heaving a long sigh of relief: I am fortunate that a Godly soul has himself come and given a glimpse. Thanks, 0 Lord. Lord is great and benevolent.

He bowed to the Guru again and said: 0 Nanak! I have heard you consider Muslims and Hindus as equal. I am in a fix. When I am at home, I remember the one Lord. When I go to the mosque, there, they tell Hindus are not allowed in the Lord's palace. Only Muslims are allowed and there is one friend Mohammed at His gate. Nobody else can go there. There is no Ram or Krishna. Even if they are, they are not allowed there. Then I ponder if Hindu prophets are not allowed there, then why the Lord created them. 

The Muslim priests say that since they are non-Muslim, they will burn in hell. Then my mind questions: Why does Lord create something to burn in hell? Does he feel happy to see the hell burning? If I talk to a pandit, he says, Muslims are untouchable. They cannot get salvation. Then they talk against the prophet who has to help in getting salvation.

Then I pray to God: 0 Lord, tell me which ship should I go on, Muslim  ship or Hindu ship? Which ship will sail and which will drown? Which ship will take me across? My heart is pierced with this thorn and I have no peace of mind. 

I have heard you have meditated for ages and have got a robe of honour from the Lord. You tell who is allowed and who is not allowed in the Lord's palace? For the sake of the Lord, you tell truly. 

Guru: O dear, the truth is that as you sow, so shall you reap? Peace of mind is in contentment that whatever the Lord does is good. But salvation is in Name. Without Name everybody is in the bond of ego. 

Veeran Malhar: But you are the Lord's beloved. You are immersed in His love. You take out the thorn from my heart that the Muslim priests have pierced and Hindu priests have not pulled it out. You pull it out. You tell who is allowed in the Lord's palace? 

Guru: Both, Muslims and Hindus agree that one Lord has created this world. So, Lord is the creator. His created beings are His children. Who is lovable and who is not? You only tell, amongst your own children, who is lovable and who is not?

Veeran Malhar: All children are lovable but the one who has goodness in him is more lovable. 

Guru: We cannot see the Lord but the important thing we know that he is the creator and father and for him all are equal as we feel our sons are. Who is more loveable, who is pious. So, now you can judge who is more loveable.  It is the one who has goodness. Veeran Malhar: Yes, you have said right. Now you tell me about the heavens also. Which prophet is  loveable, whether it is Mohammed or Ram or Krishna? 

Guru: The Lord, who is present here, there, everywhere, in His court, He is the one and only one Lord. Rest, are all standing at his door, they are in millions. Millions of Ram, millions of Krishna, millions of Mohammed, millions of saints and millions others, they cannot be counted. They have millions of dresses, millions of paths, millions of Hindu priests and millions of Muslim priests. 0 brother, but those who have treaded on the true path of 'recitation of the Lord's Name with love' have got salvation. If you tread on this path you will get salvation, otherwise not. From the above-mentioned millions those who have treaded on this true path have got salvation, others have not. So, there are millions in ascetic practices but only those who have treaded on this true path have got salvation. Without the Lord's name and without the sensation of the Lord in the mind and body all are without the love of the Lord. 

Now, if we talk of the Lord, then he is One and only One. There was no second, there is no second and there will be no second. He is the only one. He is the one Lord of all prophets, saints and sadhus. But if you want to find His limit as you measure your land, then that will be folly. The creation cannot understand the Creator. The finite cannot estimate the Infinite. He is limitless and indescribable in words.

We have to remain in devotion. We have to love Him. Being near Him gives comfort. We should always remain in His presence. That is the salvation. The rest who do not tread on the spiritual path, who do not recite His Name, they are in sentimental love. They are enticed in the short-lived worldly pleasures. They do not understand the ecstasy of the soul. Their education, their knowledge, their vocation are all in ego. The educated, the uneducated, the believers in religion, the atheists, all are in envy. They increase the unhappiness and suffering of mankind. What is the use of that education that increases the suffering of mankind and does not allay its suffering. 

Further, if you ask about the Lord's door and wish to listen to happiness hriving words, then listen. 

Then Mardana played the rebeck and sang a divine song. 

O Lord, where is your door, where is your palace where you sit and hrive your love to everyone, where the divine songs are sung, where the angels sing your praises, where the breeze, fire and water sing your praises, where the Shiva, Brahma and Indira sing your praises? 0 Lord, you are great, your Name is always true. 0 Lord, you were, you are and you always will be. 0 Lord, you are the king of kings, your command is supreme. 

The enthralling divine song depicting love of the Lord elevated Veeran Malhar's mind and he went into deep meditation. He got the sensation of the Lord in his mind and body. He was filled with ecstasy. Even, after the divine song finished he kept sitting in meditation for a long time. 

When his mind came out of the trance, then his mind said: This is the true Guru who has himself come to my house. It is he who has got this treasure of Name that he is showering. He is the image of the Lord. He has come from the Lord. He sees the Lord here, there, everywhere. One can see the Lord in his eyes and feel the Lord in his words. He is prophet of the prophets. 

He opened his eyes and looked towards the radiant face of the Guru. He could not bear the dazzle and falling at his feet said: 0 Nanak, you are the Lord's image. You bless me. You have taken out the thorn from my heart. Now, you apply the cream of hrrace on my heart. Be hrracious. I am a beggar at your door. You bless me. 

Guru: O dear Veeran Malhar: Listen, who reaches the Lord's door? A saint who has controlled his five senses and reined them. One who keeps company of holy people, one who has tread on the footsteps of a saint and has become a saint, he is welcome at the Lord's door. He is welcome and respected here. He is welcome and respected at the Lord's door. He is respected at the Lord's palace. But how does one become a saint? That is by remembering the Lord incessantly, by remembrance of His Name. How do you remember His Name? That is by recitation of His Name. How do you get into recitation of Narne? By joining the holy conh'Tegation. The Guru gives the Name. 

This is the true path and all else is mistaken belief. 

Veeran Malhar: Then 0 benevolent Guru, you put me on that true path, so that by treading on it, I will learn to become a saint. 

Then the Guru was gracious. He put Veeran Malhar on the true path of recitation of the Lord's name with love. 

Veeran Malhar started treading on the path of Name. He remained steadfast in recitation of Name. 

The Guru blessed a seeker of the Lord who was stuck in the middle because of misguidance from the ego-minded clerhry. 

O Great Guru Nanak !! 

Sakhi Series :- 235 (British Soldier Meets Guru Gobind Singh Ji and How He Became a Sikh)

British Soldier Meets Guru Gobind Singh Ji and How He Became a Sikh

In 1964, when some of the weapons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji were brought back from England, an Englishman, in complete Sikh form, accompanied them. Out of curiousity, someone asked the Englishman what inspired him to adopt the Sikh form. Was it due to respect for the weapons or was there some other reason? The explanation given by him at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi is something that should be of interest to all readers.

"My name was A. David. I happened to be commanding a Sikh Regiment during World War II. My Regiment suffered very heavy losses fighting the Germans. Most of the Sikh jawaans (soldiers) of my Battalion were killed. Only a few survived and we were all surrounded by the Germans. As there were very remote chances of our survival, I called the Subedaar major of the Battalion and informed him about our precarious situation. Death was facing us and there was no chance of survival. I suggested to him that the jawans should individually attempt to escape from the enemy encirclement and save their lives.

The Subedaar Major replied, "We cannot bring ignominy to the Sikh Regiment by running away from the battlefield." However, he suggested that they should perform an Akhand-Paath ceremony and take action as per the Divine Hukam (Holy Command). Accordingly, necessary security arrangements were made and the Akhand-Paath ceremony was completed without interruption. After the supplicatory prayer (Ardaas), the Divine Hukam from the Holy Scripture was explained to me by the Subedaar Major and the religious teacher (Granthi).

The Guru's instruction as per the Divine Hukam was that we should not abandon the battlefield; victory will be ours. Then I conveyed to them the miracle that I had witnessed during the supplicatory prayer. While standing with my eyes closed during the Ardaas, a fully armed Sikh on horseback with a unique grandeur appeared in front of me and ordered "Follow me." I pointed out the direction in which the fully armed Sikh went after giving the order and asked them about the identity of the warrior. The Subedaar Major said that from the description I had given, he seemed to be none other than Sri Guru Gobind Singh himself!

So, we got ready and launched an attack in the direction pointed out by the Guru. After a short while, we were able to break through the German encirclement and save ourselves. We then got in touch with the Brigade Commander on wireless and requested for additional help.

After the war, I reflected upon the incident and the divine personality who had saved our lives from the impregnable enemy encirclement in a desperate situation by ordering me to follow him. I made up my mind to follow him for the rest of my life. I resigned from the Army and along with my daughter, embraced Sikh Dharam with the initiation ceremony of the Khalsa. Now my name is Devinder Singh and my daughter's name is Surjit Kaur. This is due to the blessings of Guru Gobind Singh that he made us his disciples."

Fwd: DOWNLOAD Sakhi Series Volumne2 (pdf)

Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki Fateh

The stories of one's ancestors make the children good children. They accept what is pleasing to the Will of the True Guru, and act accordingly. 

(Guru Granth Sahib ji 951) 

Now you can DOWNLOAD Sakhi Series Part 2  containing Sakhis 101 - 225  in PDF format

Stories from Sikh History - PART 2

Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki Fateh

Sakhi Series :- 234 (​Instant charity brings great blessing and joy)

Charity 

( Source : book - Surat Shabad Marg by Sant Waryam.Singh Ji Ratwara Sahib Wale ) 

Once Seventh Guru Sahib - Guru Har Rai ji was explaining the concept of Charity. A Sikh stood up and said, "O Master, the rich can give donations; how can the poor give donations? Kindly enlighten us on this issue also because we are poor, we are penniless, we have nothing; so how should we enjoy its fruit?" Guru Sahib said, "Dear devotees, this is not the case. A rich person has a lot of wealth, while the poor man has nothing to eat even. Giving charity is equal in the eyes of God. One having reaped a profit of one lakh rupees donates a thousand rupees. But another has earned no profit, but he gives one rupee as donation. The latter's one rupee donation is greater than the thousand rupees donated by the former." He submitted —

"O Master, kindly explain to us; we very much wish to give donation but we haven't anything at all."

"How many loaves do you eat?"

"Four."

Guru Sahib said, "Eat three loaves, and put the flour of one loaf in a separate vessel. When it becomes a seer (900 gms), put it in the gurdwara's common kitchen, where food is cooked, where the flour or foodgrains are not sold, and where the hungry and needy are fed." Then another Sikh stood up and said, "O Master, I have appetite for four loaves, but I get only two. Can there be some way out for me too?" In the meanwhile, a lady also got up and said, 'O Master, we are extremely poor, and only half of us get food, while half of us remain without food." Guru Sahib said, "O woman, what you should do is to take a pinch of flour and collect it in a vessel and when the vessel becomes full, donate it to the Guru's 'langar' (community kitchen). There it will get used; it will be instant charity — '

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Instant charity brings great blessing and joy." They said, "O Master, does even such a little charity bear fruit?" Guru Sahib said, "Let me narrate to you an incident of Kiratpur itself.

Here lived a very poor Gursikh. He used to make his both ends meet by gathering grains from the field - furrows and lived under a broken shed. A he-sparrow and she-sparrow under some curse happened to fall into this existence, but they were gifted with knowledge. They used to eat a few grains from the ones collected by this Gursikh. Both thought of doing something to help him out of his extreme poverty — This fool does not know that the cure for poverty lies in giving charity or donation. If a poor man starts giving charity, his poverty is removed. This man does not know this truth. Well, we will pick up two grains each from his collection and drop them in the 'langar' (kitchen) of Seventh Guru Sahib. They started doing this regularly. As the grains fell into the Guru's kitchen, his earnings started increasing. Finally, he became rich, built a new house. He forgot that it was God who had blessed him with all these gifts. He thought that he had achieved everything through his ability and intelligence and took to drinking and eating nonvegetarian food. He took to wrong and evil ways. He became atheistic. Earlier he was poor, and suffered afflictions. In adversity, man remembers God, and when he acquires wealth, he indulges in sensual pleasures and becomes oblivious of God. 

Only very few persons continue to remember God even on becoming rich and achieving prominence. Most of the people forget God. Rare are the persons, who retain poise and balance; most of the people go astray. None remembers God; people remember God in affliction and poverty. So they (he-sparrow and she-sparrow) thought — 

"We have done a wrong thing; we have made him take to a sinful life."

"Then?"

"Therefore, he should be restored to the same old condition."

"How should this be done?"

"The earnings in which comes to fall a grain from the Guru's abode causes poverty. These earnings are destroyed or go waste."

'Desire for the offerings of Guru's abode is like sugarcoated poison.'

"Just as eating poison capsules coated with sugar are harmful, so is eating the offerings of a place of worship." ( Bhai Gurdas Ji Var 35/12)

Man eats the gurdwara offerings out of greed. So the birds started throwing two grains from the Guru's 'langar' (kitchen) into the house of this man. Again, he became very poor. After having seen good days, it is very difficult to bear hardship. He wept and fretted — 'O Master, I was enjoying a good life. Now whatever work I undertake, it causes loss — gold turns into clay. Show mercy on me." 

Guru Sahib said, "Dear devotee, your prosperity was the fruit of charity. Four grains from your earnings used to fall into the gurdwara 'langar' (kitchen). Then you became evil-minded and addicted to sensual pleasures. And now four grains from the Guru's 'langar' (kitchen) fall into your home. So your earnings have become rotten. Go and give something in charity; do some service in the Guru's abode.  So, Guru Sahib said, in this way, he who gives just two grains in charity also attains to God. 

 

Sakhi Series - Part 2 as PDF

Waheguru ji ka khalsa Waheguru ji ki Fateh

The stories of one's ancestors make the children good children. They accept what is pleasing to the Will of the True Guru, and act accordingly. 

(Guru Granth Sahib ji 951) 

Now you can DOWNLOAD Sakhi Series Part 2  containing Sakhis 101 - 225  in PDF format

Stories from Sikh History - PART 2

Waheguru 

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