Guru Nanak And Two Friends

Once Guru Nanak Dev Ji visited a village where two friends lived. One of them was a sincere spiritual person while the other friend was just an average man. The sincere friend said that Guru Nanak Dev Ji is staying here!! He is a true man of God. I will not eat or drink until I meet the Guru! 

He was definitely going to visit the Guru. The average friend was not that interested and said that he might go as well. 

The average friend told his wife that today he was going to visit Guru Nanak Dev Ji with his friend. His wife gave him some money to be given to the Guru. She said that they did not have much but this much money she could collect and their children also gave their little pocket money! The average man told his wife not to worry as the Guru will definitely get this offering.

The two friends started their journey to visit Guru Nanak Dev Ji after their work. On the way, there was a fork in the road. As they stood and wondered which way to go, a woman started to convince them not to proceed further and to follow her, they would gamble and drink alcohol. The sincere friend was determined not to go elsewhere and said that he would visit the Guru!" The average friend however was not sure. The woman asked him whether he liked cigarettes. And his wife would not know that he was with her.

The average friend went with the woman to waste all his wife and children's money on cigarettes and alcohol and gambling. He got drunk and he smoked and he had fun with people who wasted their lives doing nothing well. When he came home, he lied to his wife. She asked him that how he felt about meeting Guru Nanak Dev Ji. She asked her husband again whether he received their offering. The average friend lied and said that Guru Ji received their offering and blessed their family.

Meanwhile, the sincere friend had spent his time with the Guru and the devoted saintly people. He begged the Guru to receive his offering and use it to help the poor. He said that he was ever at his service and to keep his blessings on him always.

Every day the two friends would walk home together and then they would split ways. One would go towards the Guru to listen to the Guru's words, to sing, give charity and be with the Sadh Sangat. While the other friend would go with that woman. He lied to his wife and children and he wasted their offering. He spent their money gambling, drinking, and smoking with that woman. He spent his time with bad, low people who wasted their lives. 

This happened every day for several days.

Finally, the average friend said to his friend that the latter always spends his time in the Guru's court doing good deeds. While he lied to his wife and kids and wasted all his time in useless activities. But neither of their lives had changed. So what does it matter if they did good or bad, their lives were just the same! 

 The sincere friend said that they should ask the Heavens this question and they would surely get the right answer. Tomorrow, after he visits the Guru, and the average friend visits his usual company, they would meet back under a specified tree and the answer shall come to them! Both of them agreed. 

The next day the sincere friend went to sit in the presence of the Guru. He listened to and sang Gurbani. The other friend went with the woman again and wasted his time. 

The average friend came back first, the sincere friend had not arrived yet. So he waited for a while for his friend to arrive. He got bored and started drawing lines in the dirt with a stick. Sticking out of the dirt he found a GOLD PIECE! He found more... he found a jar and thought that it was his lucky day! He opened the jar to find out if there was more gold in it, but inside the jar there was just coal. He felt a little disappointed but he was happy to find at least one gold coin. 

Then the sincere friend arrived after visiting his Guru. He was in pain and was limping. He said that he stepped on a big thorn and his foot was injured!

Both of them were confused. They had asked The Heavens if it matters whether they do good or bad actions. The one who did bad was rewarded with gold and the one who did good was rewarded with an injury. They could not understand this answer from The Heavens so they decided to ask Guru Nanak Dev Ji. 

They described the whole situation to the Guru. The sincere friend asked Guruji what the message was that the Heavens were trying to tell. Guru Ji explained with deep wisdom and said that in a past life the sincere friend was a thief and stole from many people. He told many lies and did many corrupt things. Hence In this life, he was destined to be killed by a spike... BUT, in this life, he had made so much progress and used his time well and had cleaned his heart with the Holy Naam! He had merged in the holy Sangat and had burned his karma. Because of this self-work, his karma had been reduced so much that instead of dying, all he received was a foot injury! 

The sincere friend was grateful to hear this. The average man still wanted to know about himself. Guru Ji described his past life and said that the average person was very virtuous and shared with others. Once he gave a holy man a piece of gold. Because of his devotion and sincerity, that gold coin multiplied many times. He was meant to get a whole jar full of gold... but because of his deeds, the gold turned to coal. He received only that one gold piece that he had first given to the holy man! 

 Both men were humbled and bowed down to the Guru in gratitude. 

We all have karma. There is no good luck or bad luck. What we get in life is because of our past actions and deeds. We therefore should not waste our precious life. We should be around saintly people as much as we can. If we have bad karma, our bad luck will be reduced. And if we have good karma, our good luck will not go to waste and turn into coal!.