LA HISTORIA DE GURU NANAK

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Guru Nanak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539) was the founder of the religion of Sikhism and the first of ten Sikh Gurus. Sikhs believe that all subsequent Gurus possessed Guru Nanak’s divinity and religious authority. Not Hindu or Musalman, he was, and is still, everyone’s Guru, the teacher guiding all to the right path, and everyone’s Pir, the benefactor and spiritual guardian. Guru Nanak was born on 15th April- 1469, now celebrated as Prakash Divas of Guru Nanak , into a Bedi Kshatriya family in the village of Rāi Bhōi dī Talwandī, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore, Pakistan. Today, his birthplace is marked by Gurdwara Janam Asthan.
His father, Mehta Kalyan Das Bedi, popularly shortened to Kalu Mehta was the patwari (accountant) of crop revenue for the village of Talwandi in the employment of a Muslim landlord of that area, Rai Bular Bhatti. Guru Nanak’s mother was Tripta Devi and he had one elder sister, Bebe Nanaki.
Bhai Gurdas , a purported scribe of the Gurū Granth, wrote about Guru Nanak’s life in his Vars.He ( in Var 1/27) has equated the event of Guru Nanak Dev ji's birth with the sun that lights up the earth after a dark night : According to Puratan Janam Sakhi, the trees starting dripping juice, many a pauper became rich, the diseased were blessed with health. The earth heaved a sigh of relief.
According to Janam Sakhis, when Daulta Dai, the maid nurse was offered money, she refused it on the plea that she had already been rewarded by the very glimpse of the holy baby. Guru Nanak gave his first message that he belong to God and would exert the people to worship His Name. Bhai Nand lal ji has well said that Guru Nanak was asked by the Almighty to turn the face of humanity towards Him.
Story about Guru Nanak Devji in SchoolWhen Nanak was a little boy, his parents decided it was time for him to go to school. The teacher knew that when nanak was born an astrologer had predicted that he would be a great man. At school he remembered the whole alphabet on the first day. The teacher saw this and believed the child was very special. So he continued to teach everything to this special boy .Nanak quickly learned whatever the teacher said. He only wanted to chant God’s name. Sometimes the teacher would leave the students and they were supposed to write down the alphabet to try and remember it. Nanak would tell all his friends about God and about chanting the Naam. When the teacher would come back all the kids would be meditating instead of doing their homework. The teacher said, “Nanak, have you written the alphabet?” and Nanak showed the teacher what he had written . Even the teacher was surprised what the child had written. Not only did he write all the letters, he wrote down a description of God using each letter. He wrote the deepest wisdom with the deepest meanings. At such a young age, Nanak had written things that even great scholars and saints hadn’t written .Not only did he understand everything the teacher had to say, he also knew God. As Nanak continued school he learned all about numbers and how to use them for business. He learned to read all the holy books. One day the teacher found that Nanak wasn’t reading anything and asked, “Why aren’t you reading anything?” Nanak replied, “Do I have anything left to read?” The teacher said, “It’s true, you know everything. You have read all the holy books. You fully know how to add and use numbers for business. You are very smart and have learned all these things.” Even though the child Nanak was smarter than his teacher and he didn’t really care for the things being taught in school. He said, “My business is God. My reading is God." The teacher was so impressed with this beautiful boy that he bowed to him like a respected saint. Then next time he saw Nanak’s father, he told him, “He is doing very well in his studies, in fact, I have nothing left to teach him.” Nanak’s father couldn’t believe this! He was just a little kid and this man was an old teacher who had studied for many years and was very knowledgeable. He was obviously a very smart and divine child, wise beyond his years. Now that he couldn’t learn anything more from the teacher, Nanak spent his time meditating.
Story of Guru Nanak Devji's thread ceremonyWhen Nanak was older, but before he was a teenager, his parents decided it was time for him to do the ceremony that Hindu boys do to become men. When a boy comes of age, a huge ceremony is made in honor of him. This was their family tradition. They had a family priest to give him a thread that was imbued with powerful, ancient mantras. The thread was called a janeo. He was supposed to wear this thread over his shoulder for his whole life and it would help him meditate and it would mean that he is high caste and not low caste. People used to believe that everyone was born high or low. If a person is low caste, they can never do great things and they can never really know God. All they can do is lowly tasks.
Now if this thread ever broke, Nanak would have to get another sone put on, so he would always have the remembrance of God. It would be a sign of honor that he belonged to the high caste.
His father called the whole family and their friends and guests. Everyone came to participate in this special ceremony. It was a very important occasion. Nanak always wondered why people do different ceremonies and rituals when God is inside of everyone. When all the guests had gathered, the priest explained, “Now you will be a true high-caste Brahman. This thread, this ‘janeo’, is the foundation of our religion. If you wear it, you shall not be a low caste person. You can become great and happiness will come to you in this world and the afterworld. It will always remind you of God.”
The child Nanak was both rebellious and wise, so he refused to put on the thread.

He told the priest, “I can remember God without a thread. When someone dies, they leave their body and this sacred thread behind. Only the soul goes on. If you could give me something that goes with my soul, I will wear that.”When Pandit Hardyal asked Guru Nanak again, to put on the Janeo, he refused to have the thread that discriminated amongst mankind. The Janeo which was made of the silk for a brahmin, of cotton for a khatri, of wool for a Vaish and which was strictly abondoned for Shudara. And again which is three folds for brahmin, two folds for Khatri and only one fold for Vaish.

He asked the Pandit if he had the thread made of compassion the cotton, contentment the yarn, continence the knot and purity the twist, he was ready to wear it. The Pandit was dumb-founded :
The priest said, “This is an ancient ritual passed down in the most sacred writings. Dear child, you are very young, do you think you are wiser than we priests!? If you wear this thread you can be a man of God.” The beloved child started saying things which the adults could not understand. He said, “People do so many bad things and then they think if they put on a thread they are men of God. This thread will break and a new one will have to be put on. This kind of thread will get old and fall apart”Now the priest got angry. Mehta Kalu, Nanak’s father got angry too. We was very embarrassed because all the guests were there. His father thought, “What is he doing? If he doesn’t wear a thread, how will he be successful? How will he find a good woman to marry? How will he make a living. He’ll just be a low caste person!”
The angry priest, not expecting a good answer asked, ”Well than child, what kind of thread would go with your soul?”

Nanak said, “Meditating on the Naam is how to wear a true thread. Meditating on the Naam brings honor and grace. The Naam will go with the soul and will never break. The Naam can go with us into God’s house.”

A lot of people didn’t know what to think about what he said. A lot of people wore threads their whole lives. But Nanak only believed in truth and not in doing something because everyone else did it. He loved the Truth and he spoke the Truth. And sure enough, Nanak remembered God his whole life without a thread. He lived the Truth! The highest thing is living the Truth.

The life and activities of Guru Nanak were remarkable from early childhood.

His father was keen that his son should adopt a respectable and lucrative profession. At the age of 12, his father wanted him to be a trader and thus gave him 20 rupees and asked him to use the given money to strike some good and profitable bargain. Instead of doing so, Guru Ji, bought food with the money he had, and distributed everything among the sadhus, who had not eaten anything for days. When his father asked him what happened to the money? He replied that he had done a "True business" by feeding the hungry holy men. Nanak knew that whatever we can give to people in need we should. Whatever we can do to serve holy people, no matter what it costs, is well worth it. He said “This is the real profit - serving others.”His father was angry that his son had wasted the money, but his elder sister, Nanki, stood by her dear brother and strongly defended his actions.

Such noble actions of the young Nanak and his refusal to hoard worldly wealth indicated that he was no ordinary man, but one who was destined to be the Guru, the spiritual teacher of mankind. Today, at the place where Guru Nanak Dev Ji had fed the poor, stands a Gurdwara named, Sacha Sauda. Story about Guru Nanak and the CobraWhen Nanak was a child he loved to meditate on God. Even when he was sleeping, he was with God. Once he fell asleep under a tree. The tree was shading his face from the sun. As the day passed the sun moved and the tree couldn’t protect Nanak’s face from the sun. His skin was going to get burned by the hot sun. When someone is with God they are actually with everything there is, because God is in everything. All the animals, birds, fishes and even snakes are reminded of God around a person of God.When the child Nanak was sleeping under a tree a big poisonous snake called a cobra saw him. It was a really big cobra with a huge hood. The cobra saw Nanak in his divine sleep and noticed something. The sun moved so the tree wasn’t giving shade to the child anymore. The cobra thought, “I wouldn’t want him to wake up becausssse of the hot ssssun! We are all here to sssserve God’s people. Thissss boy issss very holy and I shall sssserve him. The cobra spread it’s hood over this great child to give shade from the hot sun.
While the cobra was hovering over him like this, someone came riding by on a horse. It was Rai Bular who was the head of the village. He thought, “Dear God! There is a huge cobra over Nanak. I must go and rescue him from being bitten. That child is very special, I have to protect him!”
As Rai Bular rode over to rescue Nanak, he noticed something odd. He felt how the child was in a divine sleep and the cobra seemed like he was meditating too. Rai, Bhullar thought, “It doesn’t seem like a dangerous situation, it actually looks like a peaceful scene. The snake was just making a shadow for him with his hood spread out and hedidn’t move in as though he was going to bite. Not only was the snakenot going to harm Nanak, he was actually protecting Nanak from the sun. Great are the saints of God!
When Rai Bular saw this he felt overwhelmed. It was so beautiful and precious! It was so sweet and sacred. It was so amazing. He never forgot that day. He always loved Nanak very much.
[Will continue with the stories and teachings of Guru Nanak] Guru Nanak clearly says: "The road to the abode of God is long and arduous. There are no short cuts for rich people. Everyone must undergo the same discipline. Everyone must purify his mind through service of humanity and Nama Smarana. How to find Him? There is one way. Make His will your own. Be in tune with the Infinite. There is no other way."
Below is the continuation of the Blissful Stories of Guru Nanak Devji-1 . Incase you have not yet read that mail- Here is the link ....http://debu7370.blogspot.com/search/label/Blissful%20stories%20of%20Guru%20Nanak

Story of Nanak and the Corn FieldDo you ever feel that your mom or dad doesn’t understand you? Well, when Guru Nanak was a boy his father didn’t understand him. Nanak didn’t seem very interested in the world as his father hoped he would. He went to school but he didn’t seem to like it very much. All he ever talked about was God. His father thought “Maybe I should let him do something really simple. He seems to like being outdoors.” So he decided to have his son take care of the family cows.
Nanak took the cows to the fields and the cows enjoyed eating the sweet grass. Nanak relaxed and enjoyd the beautiful nature full of God’s presence. He felt the gentle breeze and enjoyed the trees and the sky. It was so peaceful, everything was in perfect harmony.
Sometimes he thought about God so much that he slipped into a deep meditation. Sometimes he would even sleep, but in his sleep he was still praying. He wanted to be with God so much that even when he was sleeping he was still deeply concentrating on God.
One time, while he was sleeping, the cows wondered into the neighbor’s field. Nanak was sleeping and the cows were eating away as cows like to do. The neighbor’s field had some corn that was coming up. It was just baby corn and it was very sweet. The cows ate it just like the grass. A long time went by and the cows destroyed a huge amount of the neighbors cornfield. His field used to be full of baby corn and now there was almost nothing left. You know, a farmer waits for months and carefully waters and watches over his crop to make sure it grows strong so he can sell it. That’s how a farmer makes a living.
When the farmer saw his field destroyed, he was really upset. He thought, “I’m ruined! How will I feed my family now!!? That boy was supposed to make sure his cows don’t go into my field... and now look!!” So he complained to the leader of the village, Rai Bular. “Rai Bular, Mehta Kalu’s son, Nanak, he, he’s destroyed my field. My corn was coming up and now it’s destroyed!”
Rai Bular and the farmer went to Nanak’s father, Mehta Kalu. Rai Bular was a very fair man. Since it was Mehta Kalu’s son who was responsible for the accident, he asked Mehta Kalu to pay the farmer for the corn that had been destroyed. So they all went to the field to see how bad the field was so they could figure out how to make it up to the poor farmer. When they got there, the field was perfect! In fact, it was greener and better than before!
Some kind of miracle must have happened! Perhaps because the innocent child Nanak was so in love with God, he was protected.

What bad can come from those who love God so much?

Rai Bular remembered how at Nanak’s birth the astrologer had predicted that Nanak would be a great man. He started to think that there is something divine and special about this child, the child Nanak who was wiser than sages and always yearned to be with God and God’s saints.

Story of Panja Sahib :The Miracle at Hassan AbdalSometime between the year 1510 and 1520 Guru Nanak is said to have traveled to the Arab lands visiting, among other places, Mecca and Baghdad. Some suggest that he even performed the hajj but there is no conclusive evidence of that. (To give the reader an idea of the time line, it was the time just before the Mughal rule began in India.) On the way back from his sojourn abroad Guru Nanak passed through Kabul and Peshawar and then, after crossing the Indus, halted at a small hamlet at the foot of a steep hill, short of the Margallas, where Hassan Abdal is located today.
Attracted by his teachings, both Muslims and Hindus of the hamlet and the surrounding area started flocking around Guru Nanak. At the top of the hill, at the back of the back of Hassan Abdal, there lived a ‘peer’ (a Muslim saint of sorts). He was called Baba Wali Kandhari. His last name referred to his origins in Kandhar, Afghanistan. Other than having a better vantage point from where he could see all that happened in the village below, Baba Kandhari also had the advantage of having a fresh water spring nearby, which was the source of water not only for Baba Kandhari but also for the people down below.
Baba Kandhari could not help noticing that many more people were flocking to Guru Nanak than were visiting him. He felt a bit of resentment towards the Guru. What could he do? If he couldn’t stem the flow of devotees to the Guru, he thought, he could perhaps stop the flow of water to the hamlet below and thus drive the Guru away. And stopped the water he did. Upset over the cutting off of their water supply, a delegation of people from the hamlet went up to Baba Kandhari to request him to be kind enough and let the water flow. But the Baba angrily sent them back, taunting them that why didn’t they ask their Guru to find water for them. When Guru Nanak heard this, he asked his lifelong disciple and companion, Bhai Mardana (a Muslim), to go to Baba Kandhari and plead with him the case of the village folks. But the Baba did not relent and Bhai Mardana came back empty handed. Guru Nanak sent Bhai Mardana again, and yet again, to beg the Baba for water, but to no effect.
Becoming desperate, the people turned to Guru Nanak asking him what should they do. According to the story, Guru Nanak told them not to despair and trust God, and then, pointing to a large stone embedded in the ground, asked them to dislodge it. When they pushed the stone aside, fresh water gushed forth from the ground, enough for the needs of the little hamlet and some more!

Baba Kandhari saw this happening from the hilltop, and was surprised at what seemed like a miracle but also dismayed at this development. But his dismay turned into shock and anger when he discovered that his own spring had meanwhile dried up. Enough was enough, he thought, and decided to do away with the Guru. He pushed a huge boulder down the hill in the direction of the Guru that, he thought, would sure crush the Guru and the people around him. The boulder rolled down, gaining speed and kicking up dirt. When the people heard the rumble and saw the huge rock hurtling down, they panicked and started fleeing. But Guru Nanak stayed calm and continued sitting where he was. When the boulder came close and it seemed it would crush him, Guru Nanak calmly raised his right hand as if to order the rock to stop. The boulder pushed against his hand — and stopped!

The Guru’s open palm sunk into the boulder as if pressed into wax and left a deep imprint.

When Baba Kandhari saw this, he needed no further proof of the spiritual reach of the Guru. He came down from the hill, touched Guru Nanak’s feet, and joined the Guru’s devotees.
The rock with the hand imprint is embedded, today, in the concrete structure of the Panja Sahib building complex. Clear, fresh spring water gushes out from somewhere behind the rock and spills over the face of the rock into a very large pool.

The imprint of a right hand is clearly visible underneath the thin sheet of water overflowing the face of the rock.

Next to the pool, on an elevated platform, stands a beautiful small gurdawara, built in the Mughal style by Maharaja Ranjeet Singh (1780-1839). The gurdawara houses the Granth Sahib – the holy book of Sikhs.

The impression of his hand on the rock exists even today . There now stands a beautiful shrine by the side of the spring which is called: "Punja Sahib".

Devotees gather around the holy relic of Punja Sahib at the historic gurdwara in Hassan Abdal

Gurdwara Panja (Palm) Sahib was established during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The foundation of the beautiful three-storey building, designed after the samadh of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore, was laid on 14th October, 1932, by five eminent holy men, Panj Piyare. Built with grey sandstone, its exterior is spotted with protruding domed bay windows. The central fluted dome is surrounded by several symmetrically placed big and small domes. Unlike the Maharaja's samadh in Lahore, it has porches covering entrances to the sanctum which stands within the sarovar that receives water gushing forth from around the rock bearing the sacred Panja Sahib or the palm-imprint of the Guru. Several other buildings for staff and pilgrims and other ancillaries were added subsequently. Guru Ka Langar at Panja Sahib was famous for the quality of food and service at all hours of day and night. Congregational fair used to be held on Baisakhi (mid-April) and on 30th October until 1947. Now only organised bands of pilgrims occasionally visit Panja Sahib with the permission of the Pakistan government. One of such regular visits coincides with the Baisakhi festival.

For Sikhs, Hassan Abdal has special significance — and a special place in their hearts. It houses the imprint of the hand or punja believed to be that of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion.

This makes Punja Sahib one of the three holiest shrines of Sikh religion — the other two being the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India and Nankana Sahib in Sheikhupura, Pakistan.

Story of Guru Nanak and Prayer

Guru Nanak was a grown up man now, and he had begun to travel and teach. He walked everywhere on foot with his friends and wherever they went, they sang. His friends were Mardana, who was a Muslim, and Bala, who was a Hindu. Those were the two main religions in India during that time. People wondered, “Well, his friends are odd, one is a Hindu and one is a Muslim, but he looks a little different. Is he a Hindu? Is he a Muslim? What is he?” They asked Guru Nanak, “Are you a Hindu or are you a Muslim?” He told them, “Well, you know there is no Hindu and there is no Muslim.” They said, “What?! What?! What do You mean by that? Someone went and told the Governor of the town, “This man Nanak, he says there are no Muslims!!” The Governor was alarmed when he heard this. He thought, “Well he can say what he wants about the Hindus, but he can’t say there’s no Muslims because I am a Muslim.” So, he said, “Go and bring Nanak here!” The messenger said, “Okay, I’ll get him, and I’ll bring him here.” He was going to go over to Guru Nanak and be very forceful and say, “Hey, you must come with me. The Governor wants to see you right now!” When the messenger got to Guru Nanak though, his mind suddenly changed. He saw how beautiful and saintly the Guru was and he was very polite and said “Sir, the Governor would like to see you. Would you please come with me? Guru Nanak said, “Okay”. So he went to the royal court of the Governor and the Governor asked him, “Why did You say there’s no Muslim and there’s no Hindu? What are you talking about?” Nanak said, “Well, you have forgotten. You have forgotten that if you can’t see God in ALL, you can’t see God at all. You have your rules about this and that and the other, but the same light is inside of everyone.” The Governor said, “Well, alright, maybe you’re right about that. But if you don’t think that you’re a Muslim or a Hindu, all of us here are going to say our Muslim prayers, will you pray with us?” Nanak said, “Yes, I would love to. If you will lead the prayers, I will pray with you. So they began their prayers. They put down their prayer rugs and they all got on their knees and started bowing, but Guru Nanak stayed standing up. Instead of getting on his kneews and bowing, he stood up with his eyes open. They were continuing their prayers and the Guru was just looking around. That made the Governor very mad, and after-wards, he said, “What were you doing? You weren’t praying at all! We were all bowing and doing the proper prayers. You look like a saintly person but you didn’t keep your word! You said you were going to pray with us but you didn’t. You weren’t doing anything. The Guru said, “Well, I said I would pray with you if you would lead it, but you weren’t praying at all.” He turned to the Quazi, who was the Muslim priest, and said, “You were thinking about the new little baby horse, the foal, that was just born at your farm. You were worried it might fall in the well in the courtyard.” The Qazi thought, “That’s right, that was what was I was thinking.” The Guru turned to the Governor and said, “And you were thinking about all the horses you are going to sell and how much money you are going to make when you sell them. The Governor thought, “Oh wow, that’s amazing! He’s right, that’s true, I was thinking about that.” They realized how even though they were bowing and looking as though they were prayer, they really weren’t and that even though Nanak wasn’t bowing he was really praying... for them! Then they asked him, “Well how can we really pray?”

Nanak said, “You have to calm your mind, and you have to pray from inside your heart, not from your mind, and you have to let the Light of God shine into your heart.”

Story of Guru Nanak and The Honest Work of Lalo
Guru Nanak used to travel all around the land with his companions Bala and Mardana. Where ever they would go, they would play music, help people understand God and spread truth. In one village everyone found out that Baba Nanak was coming. Lalo, a carpenter, determined to find the Guru to him, "My soul is honored to see your divine presence. Please come to my house so I can serve you." So Guru ji went to this simple carpenters house and ate the food he offered. It was a meal of rice, daal, yogurt and chapati's. Even though it was simple food, it was made with love and Guru Nanak enjoyed eating it very much. Lalo and his wife were very hospitable and serviceful. When Guru ji left they felt very blessed to be able to have such a saint in their house. Also in this town there was a very rich man, who was the governor. He didn't treat people very nicely but every year he made a huge feast to please God. His servants got expensive, rare, and delicious food from all over. It took them days to prepare the meal. Then the governor, Malik Bhago sent a Messenger to Guru Nanak, to ask him to join the festival. Guru ji first said no. But the servant said, "He might beat me if you don't come back with me to the feast." So Guru ji went with him. When he was there, he didn't eat any food, he just sat by himself meditating. Malik Bhago was offended. He knew that the Guru had eaten at Lalo's house. "Why haven't you eaten any of this food?You will eat at the house of a low caste carpenter but not my food! It is the most exotic, expensive, rich food, why won't you eat?" He asked. Guru ji said, "I will show you why." Guru ji turned to someone and said, "Go to Lalo's house and bring some of his food here." When the food arrived, Guru ji got a chapati from Lalo's house in one of his hands. He got a chapati from Malik Bhago's feast in the other hand. He began squeezing the chapati's and something amazing happened. Out of the Lalo's, milk came out! Everyone was amazed! It was a miracle. Out of Malik Bhago's chapati came blood. Everyone was shocked. Malik Bhago said, "What does this mean?!"

Guru ji said, "Lalo works and honestly earns for himself. His wife cooked the food with love and they served it with kindness and devotion." Lalo's food was like milk to a saint. Guru Nanak continued, "Your servants made the food with fear. They are afraid of what will happen if they do anything wrong and angry at you for treating them like you do." Malik Bhago's food was like blood.

"Only food that is made with love is good for the body." We eat food to nourish our bodies. But if it has bad energy in it, than why should we eat it? It's not really good for our bodies. It's always good to eat food with good energy.

Malik Bhago learned a great lesson that day.

Being mean to people all year and then making a feast just once, doesn't make God happy.

He tried to be nicer from then on and became devoted to this holy saint, this great teacher, Guru Nanak.

[This image comes from Popular Sikh Art by W.H. McLeod (Oxford U. Press, 1991). ]

Story of Guru Nanak and the Cannibal

Guru Nanak, Bala and Mardana traveled to many, many places all over India. They encountered lots of different people and situations and always Guru ji blessed every spot where he touched his feet. He healed all those he saw. He gave the medicine of Truth to everyone he spoke to. One time Mardana got hungry and went to get some food in the woods near by. What he didn't know is that a cannibal, someone who eats humans, saw Mardana. The cannibal, named Kauda, tied a rope around Mardana and took him back to his dwellings. He boiled some oil in a huge pot which he was going to cook Mardana in. Even while Kauda started to chop other foods to cook with him, Mardana just kept praying in his mind, "Satinam, Satinam, Satinam...." Guru Nanak felt what was going on. He said, "Bala, let us go find Mardana, he needs our help now." So they came to the place where Kauda was about to cook Mardana. At first Kauda the cannibal wanted to eat the two new men who came his way. His mind had been twisted almost his whole life. His body never felt real peace. Even though he was a king among the wicked, his soul suffered from the dark path of his life. When Kauda saw the Guru, he felt different somehow. Guru Nanak didn't have to say anything, his eyes spoke more than words can. Kauda knew he had no secrets from this new traveler with the bright eyes. He felt the Guru looking so deep in to him that he knew not only his whole life, but his soul too. He felt the Guru's understanding. He felt that Guru ji didn't want to punish him for all the awful things he had done in his life. The Guru saw who he was and understood him, had compassion for him.

It's hard to imagine someone having compassion for a man who kills and eats other people. The Guru had no fear of him but just radiated love.

[However, according to another story Nanak miraculously cooled the cauldron by dipping his finger into it, after which it remained cool despite the cannibal's efforts to stoke the fire. ]

Kauda fell on his knees and began to cry. Without even saying a word Guru Nanak had made this fearsome man helpless. Without raising a fist Guru Nanak made this filthy murderer defenseless.

The Guru said, "By your actions you decide your destiny. Why do you do the actions which will make your burn?" The Guru kindly said, "You have become blind and do not know what you do."

Kauda fell at the Guru's feet crying.

Guru ji said, "God is Forgiveness and Compassion. If you truly want to change your ways, change them. Everyone was created by the Creator. Everyone will eventually go back to the Creator. You are a child of God. Always remember God and chant the Naam. Earn an honest living and share with others. You must do this and show all others to do the same."

Kauda took everything the Guru said to heart. He went from being filthy and dirty to being well dressed and clean. Instead of stealing from people and killing them, he worked hard and shared with others. The rest of his life he dedicated to living the teachings of the Guru. He became a righteous man and always remembered the Guru in his heart. God loves everyone.

Story of Guru Nanak and the Queen of Black Magic

Once Guru Nanak, Bala and Mardana traveled to a part of India that was known for magic. The people of Kamrup are famous for their devotion to and practice of black magic. When they arrived, Guru Nanak meditated under a tree while Mardana went ahead in to the city to see if there was anything for them to eat or drink. As Mardana got the the city well to get some water, some girls there asked him who he was and where he was from. When he talked they thought he sounded really funny because they spoke a different language. One of them said, "He sounds like a sheep, he's bleating like a sheep!" They both laughed and the other said, "Let's turn him in to one!" So she did some magic and put a thread around his neck. He immediately got on all fours and started bleating, "Baaa, baaha, bhaaha." Everyone who saw started laughing a lot. Guru Nanak sensed something and came over with Bala. The magic girls saw them coming over and decided to turn them in to animals too. One of them tried to cast a spell on Guru Nanak, "Bark like a dog!" She said. It was reversed though, she started barking like a dog. The other girl tried to defend her friend and raised her arm to cast a spell, but her arm just froze in the air. She couldn't move it. Whatever they tried to do got reversed back on them. One woman got alarmed and ran to tell the Queen. The Queen said, "I have to see this for myself!" When she got there she tried to help her sisters. Her magic didn't work. Then she tried to do magic on Guru Nanak but that didn't work either. She gave up and said, "You are a great magician! Please free my sisters and teach me your magic!" He freed the women, actually they were just bound by the affects of their own magic.

Guru ji said, "The real magic is meditation on God."

The Queen fell at the Guru's feet and asked him to stay so they could honorably serve him.

He told them, "I will stay. Listen, you have used your powers for mischief. You have not helped people. Stop tricking people and start saving them. God is inside us. Give that to people. Do your duties well. Show love to people. Meditate on God in your hearts and bring the cozy loving God in every house. This way you will be in bliss when you drop your bodies and go to the next realm. This way you will bring glory to your soul and light to the world.."

The women changed their ways and Kamrup became a spiritual center of great compassion.

This image shows Nanak with two of the disciples who reportedly went with him on his travels: on the left is Mardana (a low-caste Muslim musician), and on the right Bala (a Hindu)--showing again how Nanak's message transcended religious boundaries.
He is shown here with the Sufi fakir's patched cloak, and a Hindu ascetic's sandals and water-pot. This image comes from Popular Sikh Art by W.H. McLeod (Oxford U. Press, 1991).
Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji's Teachings:
"There is always room for holiness and goodness," Guru Nanak Dev Ji answers. "Just as one jasmine petal can perfume a whole bowlful of milk so can one man re-fill the world with the fragrance of faith in God and in good deeds!"