Duty Done (Baba Nanak G)

[Deepak Kamboj]

Duty Done

God makes everything. Each and everything born in this world adds something to it and then it dies. This is God's will. A flower makes the people happy for some time and then it dies. A tree gives shade and fruit for a longer time than a flower then we find it fallen. It is the same with all human beings. Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers have lived on this earth and died.

Guru Nanak was now seventy years old. He had travelled a lot. He had talked to millions of people. Now thousands of people were doing what he had asked them to do. So he stayed at one place and started farming. Many people came to help him. That place is called Kartarpur (God's town). Everyone in the town used to get up early in the morning, have a bath, and then sit down for prayers with the others. After that all went to the fields and worked hard. All lived like brothers, worked hard like good workers, prayed like saints and helped all who needed help. But the Guru still thought that his work was not finished. He wanted more and more people to accept his ideas. He wished to see the world as one family where all live like brothers and love one another. But he knew that he must die like everybody else in the world. So he wanted to choose a very good man who could carry on his work.

One day when he was working on his farm, he thought of how to find the right person. That day the Guru and his friends had worked hard from morning Ql till evening A heap of grass was lying in the fields. It was raining. The grass was wet and muddy. Guru Nanak called his two sons and said, "Can you carry this grass home on your heads?"

"What for? I don't think we need it at home," said the elder son.

"Also it is wet and muddy and it will spoil our fine clothes. Why don't you ask one of your Sikhs to do that for you?" said the younger son.

"The Sikh and the son are equal before me," said the Guru, "You must work as hard as anybody else."

Then the Guru looked towards his Sikhs. At once a Sikh named Lehna ran forward. He tied the grass into a bundle, put it on his head and ran to the town as fast he could. The Guru was now sure that his sons wouldn't carry on his work because they didn't like to work hard. They were too proud of being the Guru's sons.

On another day the Guru and his Sikhs were walking along a road. It was a cold winter morning. They were passing by a pool when a rupee slipped out from the Guru's hands and fell into the water. The pool was deep and the water was cold and dirty. The Guru wanted the rupee back. Nobody liked to take it out, not even the Guru's sons. Once again the Guru just looked up as if he was very sad. At once Lehna jumped into the water. He did not even take off his clothes. He brought the rupee out and they went on their way again. Lehna was wet and feeling cold but he did not say a word nor did he even thought for dry clothes. He only went on saying, "Service is my duty, service I must do."

After some time the Guru asked, "Don't you feel cold, Lehna?"

"No, I don't, my Lord. I enjoy working for you. It keeps me warm," said Lehna.

"How long do you think you will do what I ask you to do," asked Guru Nanak once again.

"As long as there's life in me, my Lord. Your word is sweet and my duty is sweeter still. I wish I could go on serving you till death," replied Lehna.

"So will it be, Lehna. You will do God's duty after me." So saying the Guru patted Lehna on the back. He gave him clean and dry clothes and they reached their village. That day, after the evening prayers, he made Lehna the Guru. He named him ANGAD (Myself). He himself bowed before Angad and asked everybody to do the same. Late that night Guru Nanak died. Angad was now the second Guru of the Sikhs.