Guru Nanak and Lalo

Guru Nanak Dev Ji travelled all over India with his companions Bala and Mardana. Once they visited a remote village in Northern India.

   As Guru Nanak Dev Ji and his companions walked towards this village, the people of that village heard the news and were excited that Baba Nanak was coming. Lalo, a simple and hardworking carpenter, ran out to meet him. He had heard of Baba Nanak and wanted to serve him. He wanted to invite Guru Ji to his home. He fell at Guru Nanak Dev Ji's feet and pleaded him to come to his house so that he could serve him.

  Guru Nanak Dev Ji agreed to Lalo’s request and went with him.  He and his companions ate the simple food of Lalo. It was a typical meal in the region, with rice, daal, yogurt and chapatis. Even though it was simple food, it was made with love and Guru Nanak Dev Ji enjoyed eating it very much. Lalo and his wife were very hospitable and serviceful. When Guru Nanak Dev Ji left they felt very much blessed to have had such a saint in their house!

  In the same village there was also a very rich man named Malik Bhago. He was the governor of that area. He didnot treat people nicely but every year he organized a huge festival to please God. His servants brought expensive, rare, and delicious food imported from all over India. It took them days to prepare the meal. When he heard that Guru Nanak Dev Ji had visited his area, Malik Bhago sent a messenger to Guru Nanak Dev Ji and invited him.

  First, Guru Nanak Dev Ji refused to come. But the messenger cried and said that his master would punish him if he did not come to the feast. So Guru Ji went with him. In Malik Bhago’s house, he didnot eat anything.  Instead, he just sat down and started meditating.

   Malik Bhago felt offended. He had found out that Guru Nanak Dev Ji had eaten at Lalo'

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s house just the day before. He approached Guru Nanak Dev Ji angrily and asked him as to why he didnot eat anything in his house while he ate at the house of a low caste carpenter, Lalo. It is the most exotic, expensive, rich food that he could get, then why he is not eating it?

   Guru Nanak Dev Ji said that he would show him why. He then asked someone to go to Lalo's house and bring some of the food back. When the food arrived, Guru Nanak Dev Ji took a chapati from Lalo's house in one of his hands. Then he took a chapati from Malik Bhago's feast in the other hand. He began squeezing the chapatis and something amazing happened. Out of the Lalo's, milk came out! Everyone was amazed! It was a miracle. But out of Malik Bhago's chapati came blood. Everyone was shocked.

  Malik Bhago arrogantly asked that what does it mean. Guru Nanak Dev Ji patiently replied that Lalo works and earns money earnestly. His wife cooked the food with love and they served it with kindness and devotion. Lalo's food was like milk to a saint. Guru Nanak Dev Ji continued saying that Malik Bhago's servants made the food with fear. They are afraid that if anything goes wrong then they would get punished. So Malik Bhago's food was like blood. Only food that is made with love is truly good for the body.

   We know that we must eat food to nourish our bodies. But if it has bad energy in it, then it should not be eaten! It is not really good for our bodies. It is always best to eat food made with good energy!

  Malik Bhago learned a great lesson that day and became a follower of Guru Ji. He realized that being mean to people all year and then making a feast just once, will never make God happy. He became a good man and started treating others well. And from that das he was devoted to his holy saint and teacher, Guru Nanak Dev Ji.