Bhai Mallo and Bhai Manga

Bhai Mallo and Bhai Manga were devoted disciples of Guru Nanak Dev ji, who had learned to recite the hymns of Guru Sahib and interpret Gurbani. They came to Guru Nanak Dev ji seeking wisdom and enlightment, which could liberate them from ignorance.

Baba Nanak said If you practice Tasmic Tapsya: dark minded austerities of self mortification, such as sitting near the fire in hot season or spending days and nights in water and enduring heat and cold with a naked body or leading a homeless life, going from one place to another, you have to learn and practice very difficult feats of religious austeritiy. On the other hand you can control the mind and concentrate on God's presence by listening to the sermons of divine wisdom and singing the sacred hymns of the perfect and interpreting them is Rajasic Tapasya

Bhai Mallo asked, "we are told that the more you labour the more are the fruits of your labour, one who works hard gets more wages and one who does light work gets less, but you say such such easy spritual efforts as Kirtan(singing of hymns) and Katha(interpretation of Hymns) yield greater spritual benefits than the more difficult and austeric practices of the ascetic)?

Guru Nanak replied "The wood cutters and potters, who carry heavy goods, work very hard, but earn very little compared to the grocery shopkeeper who does far less physical labour, but earns much more money. Cloth merchants and Goldsmiths work even less than grocers, but trade thousands of rupees and make a lot of profits. The jewellers lead an easy and peaceful life, but by trading in pearls and gems they earn more than all others. He who serves in the shop of jewellers (contd)