Guru Nanak Chamatkar (Part 2)-Bhai Vir Singh English ... - Vidhia.com

110 GURU NANAK CHAMATKAR PART-II
Jalal: There is no need for going into details. Come. Let us sit on fast For
forty days we shall eat one grain of barley everyday and not more than one
bowl of water. You sit with us. Whoever is able to do this, he should say that
there is something better and there is no need for this.
Guru: I have tried all practices, renunciation, concentration, penances
and fasts. Recitation ofName is the prime practice that takes us to virtuousness
and beyond. The right thing is the recitation of Name.
The right thing is to pray to the Lord for His grace.
The right thing is to accept the Lord's will as good.
At this time, Saido whispered in the Guru's ears: 0 Great Guru, why do
you want to get into this worthless exercise?
The Guru expL:'ined: I do not want. But if a child gets stuck in muddy
water, and you want t) take him out ofit, then you have to get into the muddy
water, to take him out. These sadhus and faqirs are trapped in undesirable
penances anf. they have an ego that they are great practitioners ofconcentration
and penances. Their ego will go only when they see that anybody can keep
fasts but the grace of the Lord is something higher and is not influenced by
these fasts and penances. When their ego is gone, only then they will sing the
praises of the Lord. Then they will be blessed. Otherwise, they are living in
the ego that they are the masters of concentration, penances and fasts. Their
desire is for fame. They are going on the wrong path and guiding the people
on to the wrong path.
Jalal: Come. Let us sit.
It is said that with 40 hJI"ains of barley and one bowl of water all of them
got into their rooms. The Guru was also allotted a room. Forty days passed. It
was a summer month and water is a life support. .
In the Ayurvedic system of medicine, the practitioners cure diseases by
prescribing fasts. In the same way, they had practised keeping fasts.
After spending forty days like that, they came out and then took another
two or three days to become a little alert. But everyone had become skinny
and weak. But the Guru came out with a shining red face. He was the same as
when he commenced his fasting.
Now, everybody was bewildered to see him as such and said: 0 Nanak,
have you not kept a fast? Have you been eating something?
The Guru said: Were your guards alert or not?
Faqir: Yes, they remained alert.
Guru: Then you take it from me that it is not the food only to keep you
alive. But the love of the Lord's name can also keep you alive.
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