50. Guru At Achal Bataala
About
25 miles from Kartarpur, there was a place called Achal Batala where on the
occasion of Shivratri festival, hundreds of Jogis used to come to take part
in the festival. The Guru also went to Achal Batala to preach his doctrine.
Thousands of people came from far and near to see and hear him. There
were three camps- one of the Jogis, another of the Guru and the third one of
a party of musicians. More and more people gathered around the Guru's camp
than that of the Jogis. This made the Jogis very angry and jealous and they
were determined to humble the Guru.
Whatever
the money the musicians were getting from the audience, they put it in a
bowl. Somehow the Jogis stole their bowl full of money and hid it someplace
thinking that the musicians would go to the Guru for help and if the Guru
was unable to locate the bowl, he would be humbled.
Knowing
about the greatness of the Guru, the musicians went to the Guru for help to
find their bowl of money. The wonderful Guru told them about the mischief of
the Jogis and recovered their bowl from the hiding place. Thus the Jogis
suffered a tremendous defeat.
Next
attack from the Jogis came through a discussion. As mentioned before the
Guru after his travels, laid aside the pilgrim's apparel and had put up
ordinary dress of a family man. The Jogis said,"O Guru, you are a holy man
but you are wearing the garb of a family person. Why does a holy man lead a
family life?" Jogi Bhagarnath further asked the Guru,"When the milk becomes
sour, no butter is produced by churning it, why have you cast away your
hermit's dress and donned ordinary clothes?"
The
Guru replied,"O Bhangarnath, your mother was an unskilled woman. She knew
not how to wash the churn, and so spoilt the butter in producing thee. Thou
hast become an anchoret after abandoning thy family life, and yet thou goest
to beg to the houses of family men."
Upon
this reply the Jogis were enraged and through their miraculous powers, they
started to harass the Guru. One Jogi became a cobra to frighten the Guru,
the other became wolf and other started rain of fire. The powerful Guru sat
calmly unperturbed and unharmed. When the Jogis were beaten badly,
Bhangarnath asked the Guru that he exhibited miracles to the world, why he
was slow to exhibit the same to them?
The
Guru replied that he had no miracles except the True Name, and he uttered
the following Shabad:
(Majh
di Var, Slok Mohalla 1, Pag :147)
Were
I to put on a dress of fire, construct a house of snow and eat iron; Were I
to turn all my troubles into water,drink it, and drive the earth as a
steed; Were I able to put
the firmament into one scale and weigh it with a tank; Were I to become so large that I could be nowhere contained; and were
I to lead every one by the nose; Had I such power in myself that I could
perform such things or cause others to perform them, it would be all in
vain. As great as the Lord is, so great are His gifts; He bestoweth
according to His pleasure. Nanak, he on whom God looketh with favor
obtaineth the glory of the True Name."