Fourth Udasi: Difference between revisions

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Upon this the Guru picked up one stone and a stream of water immediately issued forth. In fact this water came out from the Vali's tank which soon dried up. This naturally increased Vali's rage and it is said that through his miraculous powers he hurled a boulder down the hill directly at Guru Nanak. The Guru, on seeing the boulder almost upon him, held up his right hand, and as the massive stone touched the hand of the Divine Master it came to a dead stop. With the divine touch, the stone  softened like wax leaving the shape the Master's palm pressed deeply into it. Vali Kandhari was very much astonished and at last fell at the feet of the Guru and begged for forgiveness. The Guru expressed, "O friend, those who live so high, should not be hard at heart like a stone." Vali was blessed by the Master.
Upon this the Guru picked up one stone and a stream of water immediately issued forth. In fact this water came out from the Vali's tank which soon dried up. This naturally increased Vali's rage and it is said that through his miraculous powers he hurled a boulder down the hill directly at Guru Nanak. The Guru, on seeing the boulder almost upon him, held up his right hand, and as the massive stone touched the hand of the Divine Master it came to a dead stop. With the divine touch, the stone  softened like wax leaving the shape the Master's palm pressed deeply into it. Vali Kandhari was very much astonished and at last fell at the feet of the Guru and begged for forgiveness. The Guru expressed, "O friend, those who live so high, should not be hard at heart like a stone." Vali was blessed by the Master.


The imprint of the Guru's hand (Punja) is still visible on the stone and the pool of crystal clear water still flows from around the stone where it came to a stop. Today there stands a Gurdwara at the site which is known as 'Punja Sahib'. Though the Partitian stranded the Gurdwara in west Pakistan it is still an important place of Pilgimage for  Sikhs from around the world. Many of the pilgrims make the trip up the hillside to the Site of Vali Kandhari's Dera where a monument has been built in his memory. His interaction with Guru Nanak seems to have turned the once hated and feared Holyman into one who died admired and beloved.
The imprint of the Guru's hand (Punja) is still visible on the stone and the pool of crystal clear water still flows from around the stone where it came to a stop. Today there stands a Gurdwara at the site which is known as [[Gurudwara Panja Sahib]]. Though the Partitian stranded the Gurdwara in west Pakistan it is still an important place of Pilgimage for  Sikhs from around the world. Many of the pilgrims make the trip up the hillside to the Site of Vali Kandhari's Dera where a monument has been built in his memory. His interaction with Guru Nanak seems to have turned the once hated and feared Holyman into one who died admired and beloved.


==Guru At Saidpur==
==Guru At Saidpur==

Revision as of 00:14, 11 February 2008

Guru Nanak's fourth Udasi (1519 to 1521)


The fourth Udasi was undertaken towards the west. Guru Nanak reached Pakpatan (Ajodhan) where he met with Sheikh Brahm who was the eleventh in succession to Baba Farid, whose Bani is also included in Guru Granth Sahib. The Guru had a wide range of discussion with Sheikh Brahm. The Guru stated,

"Thou art the tablet, O Lord, Thou art the pen, and Thou art
also the writing,
Speak of the one God; O Nanak, why should there be
second." (Var Malar ki Mohalla 1, 28-2, p-1291)

The Sheikh asked the Guru to explain, "You say ,'There is only one God, why should there be a second?', and the Sheikh asked:

There is one Lord and two ways;
Which shall I adopt, and which reject?"

Guru ji replied:

"There is one Lord and one way;
Adopt one and reject the other."


Traditionall in a Var (like the Asa di Var) there has to be two beings mentioned to carry on a dialogue; so the Sheikh asked the Guru to let him hear a strain in praise of the One God. "My idea is", said the Sheikh, "that adoration cannot be performed without two beings, that is, God and the Rasul (Prophet). Let me see whom thou use as man's intercessor." Upon this the Guru asked Mardana to play the Rabab and he uttered the first Slok and Pauri of the Asa di Var:

"I am a sacrifice, Nanak, to my Guru a hundred times a day,
Who without any delay made demigods out of man.
Nanak, they who, very clever in their own estimation, think
not of the Guru,
Shall be left like spurious sesames in a reaped field-
They shall be left in the field, saith Nanak, without an owner.
The wretches may even bear fruit and flower, but shall
contain ashes within their bodies.

Pauri:

God Himself created the world, and formed Himself into Name,
He created Nature by His power; seated He beheld Hiswork with delight.
O Creator, Thou art the Giver; being pleased Thou bestowest and practisest kindness.
Thou knowest all things; Thou givest and takest life with a word.
Seated Thou beholdest Thy work with delight." (Asa Mohalla 1, p-462-63)

The Sheikh then wanted a knife, "Give me such a knife that those who are killed with it, shall be acceptable to God. With the ordinary knife the lower animals are killed. If a man's throat be cut with this knife, it becomes carrion."

The Guru replied in affirmative:

"Truth is the knife, truth is pure steel;
Its fashion is altogether incomparable.
Put it on the hone of the Word,
And fit it into the scabbard of merit;
If any one be bled with that, O Sheikh,
The blood of avarice will be seen to issue forth.
If man be slaughtered with it, he shall go to meet God,
O Nanak, and be absorbed in the sight of Him." (Ramkali ki Var, Mohalla 1, 19.2, p-956)

On hearing this the Sheikh raised his head in amazement and said, "Well done. O Nanak, there is no difference between God and thee. Kindly bless me so that I too may be on good terms with Him." The Guru replied, "Sheikh Brahm, God will cause thy ship to arrive safe." The Sheikh requested the Guru to give him the firm promise of this. The Guru complied and blessed him with salvation.

According to the Puratan Janamsakhi, the first nine pauries (stanzas) of the Asa di Var, were uttered by the Guru during the discussion with Sheikh Brahm and the other fifteen pauries of Asa di Var were uttered for Duni Chand Dhuper of Lahore. The Guru then proceeded to Multan, Uch, Sakhar and reached Lakhpat, where a Gurdwara now stands marking the memory of the Guru's visit. Then he reached Kuriani where a tank is called after Guru Nanak. He visited Miani, about fifty miles west of the city of Karachi and visited the temples of Hindus and the Muslims in the area. Near Hinglaj, there is a Dharmsala preserving the memory of the Guru's visit to this place. From there he boarded a ship for Arabia.

Guru Nanak At Mecca

He disguised himself in the blue dress of a Muslim pilgrim, took a faqir's staff in his hand and a collection of his hymns called 'Pothi' under his arm. He also carried with him like a Muslim devotee, a cup for his ablutions and a rug whereon to pray. Like a pilgrim he went inside the great mosque where the pilgrims were engaged in their devotions. When he lay down to sleep at night, he purposely took care to turn his feet towards the Kaaba. A priest, Jiwan kicked him and said, "Who is this infidel sleeping with his feet towards the House of God?" The Guru replied, "Turn my feet in the direction in which God is not." Upon this Jiwan seized the Guru's feet and dragged them in the opposite direction. Whereupon, it is said, the Kaaba (temple) turned around, and followed the revolution of the Guru's body. Some say that when the Guru asked the priest to turn his feet in the direction where God was not, the priest came to realization that God was everywhere. But those who witnessed this miracle were astonished and saluted the Guru as a supernatural being.

Then the Qazis and the Mullas crowded round the Guru and asked whether he was a Muslim or a Hindu? The Guru replied that he was neither of the two. Then they asked, "Who is the superior of the two, the Hindu or the Muslim?" The Guru replied, "Without good deeds, both will repent. The superiority lies in deeds and not in mere creeds." The chief priest was a seeker of the Truth and he asked for Guru's blessings. The Guru preached the doctrine of Nam. He then gave instructions to the priest in the art of true living, to practice to live in His presence day and night and to glorify the Lord and thereby to rub out the dirt of sins from the tablet of the mind.

Guru At Medina

In due time the Guru proceeded to Medina (lit. The City) the holy city of the Muslims where their Prophet Mohammad lived for many years and breathed his last. He reached at nightfall and stopped outside the town. It happened to be a place where lepers were segregated and no provision was made for their comfort or treatment. History states that the Guru healed them all and as a result, the people came in crowds to have holy glimpse of the Guru. After that he journeyed to Baghdad through Basra.

Guru At Baghdad

There lived a very famous Muslim saint, Pir Abdul Kadar who died in Baghdad in 1166 A.D. He was also known as Dastgir and his successors were called Dastgirs too. The Muslim high priests did not like unethical and immoral musical verses. Instead of condemning the demoralizing poetry, they outrightly rejected the music ('Rag') itself. So according to Muslim Shariat (code of law), music was forbidden. The whole of Sikh scripture is in verse and in various different forms of Rags and Raginis. In the morning the Guru shouted the call for prayer, on which the whole population became rapt in silent astonishment. May be he did it differently than the Muslims. Then Mardana played the Rabab and the Guru started the Shabad Kirtan (musical recitation of Gurbani). Whosoever heard was in ecstasy. The news spread in the city. The high priest Pir Dastgir, another holy man, Bahlol and others came to see the Guru.

According to the Mohammadans there are seven skies above the earth and seven nethers including earth itself. The Guru began to recite the Japji. When he repeated the twenty-second pauri (stanza) of Japji, the Pir got wonder-stuck hearing something contrary to the authority of the holy Quran, that there were hundreds of thousands of nethers and upper regions, and that at last men grew weary of searching for them. The Pir then called upon the Guru to give a manifestation of what he said. Upon this it is said, the Guru laid his hand on the priest's son and showed him upper and lower regions described in Japji- pauri 22. To prove whether the boy actually saw those regions, he brought Parshad (sacred food) from one of those regions and gave it to his father. Both the Pir and Bahlol bowed before the Guru and asked for his blessings.

Bahlol became Guru's follower. It is said that he spent sixty years at the foot of the slab, where the sacred feet of the Guru had rested during their discussion. Later on a shrine was built there in the memory of the Guru. The English translation of the inscription on the slab inside the shrine is:

"In memory of the Guru, that is the Divine Master, Baba Nanak, Faqir Aulia, this building has been raised with the help of seven saints, and the chronogram reads. The blessed disciple has produced a spring of Grace year 917" (Muslim year).

Swami Anand Acharya of Sweden mentions in his book Snow Bird, published by Macmillan & Sons, London, that during his visit to Baghdad, he found another inscription on the slab, dated 917 Hijri. The inscription reads:

"Here spoke the Hindi Guru Nanak to Faqir Bahlol, and for these sixty years since the Guru left Iraq, the soul of Bahlol has rested on the Master's word like a bee poised on a dawn-lit honey rose."

Return From Baghdad

From Baghdad the Guru passed through Iran, Turkstan and Afghanistan and then reached Kabul. Some writers believe that the Guru took the popular route from Baghdad towards Tehran, Kandhar and reached Kabul. On his way he passed through Mehds. Bhai Mani Singh's Janamsakhi makes a reference of his visit to this place. Since the visit of Guru Nanak to Kabul, the Sikh contacts had been carefully maintained. Sikh preachers were stationed there to disseminate the teachings of the Guru. At one time Bhai Gurdas also served as one of the Sikh missionaries at Kabul.

From Kabul the Guru proceeded to Jalalabad, Sultanpur and passed through the Khyber Pass to reach Peshawar. There are Gurdwaras at Jalalabad and Sultanpur to mark his visit. There are springs of water associated with his visit. The Guru paid a visit to the Gorakh Hatri and had discourse with Yogis. He also went to Hassan Abdal, now known as Panja Sahib, and sat at the foot of the hill.

Guru Nanak And Vali Kandhari

On the top of a small hill, not far from Kandahar, there lived a Muslim Faqir called Vali Kandhari who was well-known in the area for possessing miraculous powers. Mardana needed water which could only be obtained from Vali. who had damed the spring at the top of the hill , controling its release to the villagers below. Mardana very thirs had asked his froends mermission to go to Vali and ask for water. He told him that Guru Nanak had arrived and he advised him to see the Guru, who was a great saint of God. Vali who claimed holiness exclusively for himself, became offended on hearing the Guru's praises. He refused to give water saying that if the Guru were such a holy man, he could provide water to Mardana. When this reply was communicated to the Guru, he sent Mardana back to the Vali with a message that he (Guru) was a poor creature of God, and laid no claims to be a saint. The Vali paid no heed to this protestation and still refused to provide water.

Upon this the Guru picked up one stone and a stream of water immediately issued forth. In fact this water came out from the Vali's tank which soon dried up. This naturally increased Vali's rage and it is said that through his miraculous powers he hurled a boulder down the hill directly at Guru Nanak. The Guru, on seeing the boulder almost upon him, held up his right hand, and as the massive stone touched the hand of the Divine Master it came to a dead stop. With the divine touch, the stone softened like wax leaving the shape the Master's palm pressed deeply into it. Vali Kandhari was very much astonished and at last fell at the feet of the Guru and begged for forgiveness. The Guru expressed, "O friend, those who live so high, should not be hard at heart like a stone." Vali was blessed by the Master.

The imprint of the Guru's hand (Punja) is still visible on the stone and the pool of crystal clear water still flows from around the stone where it came to a stop. Today there stands a Gurdwara at the site which is known as Gurudwara Panja Sahib. Though the Partitian stranded the Gurdwara in west Pakistan it is still an important place of Pilgimage for Sikhs from around the world. Many of the pilgrims make the trip up the hillside to the Site of Vali Kandhari's Dera where a monument has been built in his memory. His interaction with Guru Nanak seems to have turned the once hated and feared Holyman into one who died admired and beloved.

Guru At Saidpur

The Guru proceeded a second time to Saiyidpur or Saidpur, now known as Eminabad, where he again visited Bhai Lalo. Lalo complained to him of the oppression of the Pathans, who were leading a luxurious life caring little for others. The Guru replied that their dominion should be brief, as Babar was on his way for the conquest of India. Babar invaded the Punjab for the third time and it was the year 1521. He sacked the town of Eminabad and subjected it to a massacre, loot and rape. It was a horrible scene, which Guru Nanak himself describes that there laid in the dust, the fairy heads of the damsels and beautiful women.

Most of the writers including many Sikhs say that seeing this horrible scene, the Guru appealed in anguish to the Almighty when he said:

'Eti mar pai kurlane tai ki dard na aaya.' (Asa Mohalla 1, p-360)
'When there was such slaughter and lamentation, didst not Thou, O God, feel pain?'

Let us examine if these writers are correct. Did the Guru make such an anguished appeal to God or not?

  • A. In the very first stanza (pauri) of Japji on the very first page of Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Nanak says:
'Hukam rajai chalna Nanak likhia nal.'
'O Nanak thus runneth the Writ Divine,
The righteous path, let it be thine.'
Again in Asa Mohalla 5, page 394, it is stated:
'Tera kia meetha lagei
Har nam padarth Nanak mangei.'
'Sweet be Thy Will,
My Lord Nanak beseecheth the gift of nam.'
The above quotations mean that whatever happens in life, should be willfully accepted. In the house of Guru Nanak, there is no room for tears or cries. There is no place for appeal before the Divine Writ. One must embrace God's Will as the sweetest gift of life. This is the first lesson preached by Guru Nanak to the humanity in Japji. How could then the Guru go into anguish? Does the Divine Jot also feel anguish?
  • B. The Guru assures that a true devotee's prayers are always answered by the Almighty and are accepted by Him:
'Nanak das mukh te jo bolai eeha uha sach howai.' (Dhanasri Mohalla 5, p-681)
'Whatever God's servant, Nanak, uttereth shall prove to be true both in this world and the next.'
Being an embodiment of Divine Light, if the Guru had appealed to the Almighty, He should have accepted his appeal and should have punished Babar. History reminds us that Babar's dynasty was, instead, blessed with a rule of seven generations as related to Babar by Guru Nanak.
  • C. The Guru had reached Eminabad before Babar's attack on the city, and he uttered the Shabad given below in which he told Lalo about the oncoming massacre. He had warned some people to leave the city and they actually did:
'As the word of the Lord cometh to me, so do I narrate it, O Lalo,
Bringing a bridal procession of sin,
Baber has hasted from Kabul and demandeth wealth as his bride, O Lalo;
Modesty and religion have vanished, falsehood marcheth in van, O Lalo;
They sing the paean of murder, O Nanak, and smear themselves with the saffron of blood.
Nanak singeth the praises of the Lord in the city of corpses and uttereth this commonplace-
He who made men, assigned them different positions,
He sitteth apart alone and regardeth them.
True is the Lord, true His decision, true the justice He meteth out as an example.
Bodies shall be cut like shreds of cloth;
Hindustan will remember what I say. (Tilang Mohalla 1, p-722)
In view of the above analysis, it seems quite evident that the Guru did not appeal to God, but the dauntless Guru Nanak Jot addressed that Shabad to Babar, who then fell on the feet of the Guru and asked for forgiveness.

Babar wrote in his memoirs, "The inhabitants of Saidpur were put to the sword, their wives and children carried into captivity and all their property plundered."

Many people were killed and most of the rest were taken as prisoners by the Babar's army. It is said that the Guru along with his minstrel Mardana, were also taken to the Mughal's holding pen where the prisoners were given handmills to grind corn to feed the Conquerors soldiers. The Guru asked Mardana to play on his rebec and he then started kirtan. As the Divine Sabad was sung- all the prisoners came and sat around the Guru and then they noticed that every grinding mill started turning automatically and the prisoners had only to add grain.

On seeing this supernatural phenomenon, the guards stood spell-bound and they sent word to Babar, who came and witnessed the whole scene with his own eyes. Babar was wonder-stuck and asked the Guru if he could offer him anything. Boldly replied the Guru:

'Hear, O Babar Mir
Foolish is the Faqir
Who begs anything of thee
Whose own hunger has not appeased.'

Babar said, "O holy man, I see God in thy face. I will do anything you ask for."

The Guru then uttered the following Shabad and laid most of the blame of the killings on Babar:

'Thou ruled over Khurasan,
Now thou terrified Hindustan (As the Mughals called India),
He has sent you the Mughal as a messenger of death,
Has slaughter and lamentations
Awakened no compassion in thee?
The Creator is the Supreme Lord,
If a strong man beats another strong man
No feelings of resentment arise;
But if a ravening lion falls on a herd, its master should
show his manliness. (Asa Mohalla 1, page 360)

This is the Shabad which other writers have attributed to as Guru's appeal to God. In actuality, this was Guru placing the blame on Babar.

The Guru asked Babar, when his army fell like a lion on these innocent men, women and children, did he feel any pain for them?

Babar was overtaken by remorse. A new moral and spiritual consciousness was awakened in him, and he fell on the feet of the Guru. He asked the Guru to be gracious unto him. (History has revealed that kings were always afraid of the curses of the holy men).

The Guru replied, "If thou, O Emperor, desireth kindness, set all thy captives free." Babar agreed on the condition that his empire should be blessed by the Guru and should be allowed to continue for generations. The Guru promised," Thine empire shall remain for a long time." Upon this the Emperor ordered all the prisoners be set free. Babar then asked the Guru for instructions to rule. The Guru explained, "Deliver just judgement, reverence for holy men, forswear wine and gambling. The monarch who indulgeth in these vices shall, if he survives, bewail his misdeeds. Be merciful to the vanquished, and worship God in spirit and in truth."

Now the question is why was Babar blessed with kingdoms instead of being punished? The Gurbani (Divine Word) says:

'Jo saran awai tis kanth lawai eho birdh swamy sanda.' (Bihagra Mohalla 5,p-544)
'God embraces him who seeketh His protection; This is the characteristic of the Lord.'

The Guru tells us that the characteristic of his Master (God) is such that whosoever begs His pardon, falls on His feet for forgiveness, He embraces him. Since Guru Nanak himself was the embodiment of Divine Spirit, he pardoned Babar when he sought for forgiveness, and he blessed him with a boon of Mughal dynasty which continued for a long time.

External Links


Travels of Guru Nanak

First Udasi · Second Udasi · Third Udasi · Fourth Udasi · Fifth Udasi