Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

One time in the holy court of Dhan Dhan Satguru Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj a Gursikh was reciting the following pankti:

laekh n mittee hae sakhee jo likhiaa karathaar ||
The inscription inscribed by the Creator Lord cannot be erased, O my companions

A Sikh who was sat in Guru Sahib’s darbar listened to this tuk and began to think very deeply about its meaning. After a while this Sikh who was a King from Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) went and bowed before Guru Ji and said, “Maharaj whilst listening to your beautiful bani I heard the following tuk, ‘laekh n mittee hae sakhee jo likhiaa karathaar’. If this means what is written on our foreheads cannot be erased then what is the point of becoming a Sikh of the true Guru? What is the point in doing Simran and Seva? What is the point of grasping hold of your beautiful feet?”

Satguru Ji smiled and told the Sikh that he would give him the answer to his question tomorrow. Later that night as the Sikh slept he had a very vivid dream. In that dream he saw himself as the King of Mandi who was sat on a throne surrounded by countless riches, servants and other materialistic things. He then saw himself die and being reborn into a very poor and low caste (Chandal) family. He dreamt about growing up as a boy working hard in the fields to earn enough to eat. He witnessed firsthand the sacrifices his father and mother had to make for him and his siblings who often went to sleep on an empty stomach. He saw himself being taunted and bullied daily for belonging to a low caste. His life was full of pain and sorrow.

Eventually after enduring countless hardships he grew up and got married and had children who suffered the same fate he did. One day while he was working in the fields under the blistering sun with his children he collapsed and died. When this happened the King got up from bed in a sweat and looked around. He was shocked as his dream felt very real but he told no one about it. The next day the King and his entourage went to the holy court of Satguru Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj once again but this time the King was very anxious and distressed.

After bowing before Guru Sahib, Guru Ji told the King to accompany him on his morning walk. As they walked the King began to get more distraught as he began to recognise the surroundings he had witnessed in his dream. As Maharaj and the sangat continued to walk forwards they came across a house where a few people were crying. Just then a little child came running towards the King with tears in his eyes and looked up and said, “Bapu Ji you have come back?” The child then ran back to his house and called the rest of his family who quickly came outside. When they saw the King their tears were turned into smiles as they kept repeating, “You’ve come back, you’ve come back”.

The King and his entourage were taken aback by this. The King himself began to shout out that he isn’t the father of the child. All the noise and fuss which was being made attracted more villagers who collectively agreed that the King was indeed the father and husband of the mourning household. The King was shocked after recognising all his relatives and fellow villagers but vehemently denied having any association with them. In this way both groups - the villagers and the family who stated that the King belonged to them and the King and his entourage – kept arguing.

Guru Sahib calmed everyone down and then told the people from the household to go and dig up the grave of their husband/father. When they did this they expected to find no body but to their surprise they found the body that they had buried just hours ago. As both groups saw this body they were all astounded as there was no difference between the physical appearance of the King and the dead body. Collectively both groups went to Guru Sahib and asked him what this all meant.

Maharaj smiled and then said that according to the pralabadh karma of the King he was destined to die and be reborn into this family and face all the hardships that fate had in store for him. However the King became a Sikh of Satguru Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj and took refuge in the beautiful charan kamal of Guru Sahib which saved him from enduring this and instead reduced this whole life of suffering to a dream. Although laekh was not erased it was reduced to such a level that this whole life/karma was not even felt by the King.

Dhan Dhan Satguru Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj.


Quote

kaanarraa mehalaa 5 ||
Kaanraa, Fifth Mehla:

charan saran gopaal thaeree ||
I seek the Sanctuary of Your Lotus Feet, O Lord of the World.

moh maan dhhoh bharam raakh leejai kaatt baeree ||1|| rehaao ||
Save me from emotional attachment, pride, deception and doubt; please cut away these ropes which bind me. ||1||Pause||

booddath sa(n)saar saagar ||
I am drowning in the world-ocean.

oudhharae har simar rathanaagar ||1||
Meditating in remembrance on the Lord, the Source of Jewels, I am saved. ||1||

seethalaa har naam thaeraa ||
Your Name, Lord, is cooling and soothing.

poorano t(h)aakur prabh maeraa ||2||
God, my Lord and Master, is Perfect. ||2||

dheen dharadh nivaar thaaran ||
You are the Deliverer, the Destroyer of the sufferings of the meek and the poor.

har kirapaa nidhh pathith oudhhaaran ||3||
The Lord is the Treasure of Mercy, the Saving Grace of sinners. ||3||

kott janam dhookh kar paaeiou ||
I have suffered the pains of millions of incarnations.

sukhee naanak gur naam dhrirraaeiou ||4||6||17||
Nanak is at peace; the Guru has implanted the Naam, the Name of the Lord, within me. ||4||6||17||


Dhan Dhan Satguru Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj.
Dhan Dhan Satguru Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj.
Dhan Dhan Satguru Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj.
Dhan Dhan Satguru Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj.
Dhan Dhan Satguru Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh