The Mystic Experiences of Guru Nanak Devji

On his birth a horoscope was made by a Pundit and his father Kalyan Chand ji was told: “your son will sit under a canopy. Both Hindus and Turks will pay him reverence. His name will become current both on earth and heaven. The ocean will give way to him, so will earth and the skies. He will worship and acknowledge only One Formless Lord and ask others also to do the same. He will consider every creature to be the creation of that Formless Lord.”

In his seventh year he was sent to school with muhurat or auspicious day and time but he surprised his teachers extemporizing the Punjabi alphabets each with a verse that reflected far beyond his age. These verses are recorded in Guru Granth Sahib. To the Maulvi who taught him mathematics he says there is no digit beyond ONE. The Almighty is only One and all ends there.

As he entered the eleventh year he was to be initiated into Hindu Dharma by wearing a sacred thread Janeyu in a celebration with invitations to all relatives and friends. He refuses to wear the Janeyu and utters the following verse;

Let compassion be thy cotton;

Spin it into the yarn of contentment;

Give it knots of continence and twist of truth.

Thus alone will though make the Janeyu for the soul.

If such one though hast, put it on me.

The thread so made will neither snap, nor become soiled.

It will neither be burnt nor lost.

Blest is the man O Nanak,

Who wears such a thread around his neck.

At the age of sixteen while grazing his cattle and coming into contact with wandering Sadhus and learning from his own inner solitude a change came upon him and he became silent and preferred only to sleep. Worried parents called upon a Vaid. Nanak told him the sickness is not that of body and recited following verse;

They have called the physician to try his physic;

He grips the wrist and searches for the ailment.

Little doth the good physician knows that the ache is in the heart.

The physician a wise old man understood what Nanak meant and said;

He is free from any ailment and might well become healer to others.

Nanak was sent to Sultanpur Lodhi at his sister’s place to learn fathers trade from a local Nawab. He had gone to the river for his morning ablutions and didn’t return home for three days. A puratan janam Sakhi says;” he was taken to the presence of Lord Almighty and bestowed with Nectar and a robe and lord’s Name. He was told to rejoice the Name and bestow upon others in God’s Name. Thus Nanak recited the Name and uttered following words that became invocation to the Guru Granth Sahib and Gurbani;

The One transcendent Being,

He is truth Eternal,

He is the Creator,

He is the person All Pervading,

He is without fear,

He is without rancor,

He is beyond time,

He is the form that exists,

He is unborn,

He is self-existent,

Through the grace of the Guru is He realized.

They say he reappeared after three days on the bank of Bein River where he had drowned. The Puratan Sakhi writer says; he was in the court of Almighty and by transmitting His Name the Almighty bestowed His grace with following words;” He, who is just in thine eyes, Nanak will be just in Mine. He, who receives thy grace shall abide in Mine. My Name is the Supreme Lord  thy name is the divine Guru.” With this robe of honour Nanak returns and utters following words;

“There is no Hindu, there is no Musalman”

His first sermon was to eradicate difference between man and man on the basis of religion or caste. He now knew the Will of Almighty to look beyond this barrier of religion and see all humanity as equal. Complaints were made to the Nawab about his preaching and he was summoned and he uttered following verse;

It is not easy to be called a Musalman;

If there were one let him be so known.

He should first take to his heart the tenets of his faith,

And purge himself of all pride.

He will be a Musalman who pursues the path indicated by the founder of the creed.

Who extinguishes the anxiety of life and death,

Who excepts the Will of the Lord as Supreme,

Who has the faith in the Creator,

And surrenders Himself to Him.

Only when he established his goodwill for all, O Nanak,

Will he be called a Musalman.

When all people who had gathered expecting punishment for him, the sons of the Nawab, Mufti, Quazi, Hindus and Musalman heard Nanak’s utterances were all amazed and then Nawab said: “Quazi Nanak has arrived at the truth, one cannot question him further.” People around in the gathering started feeling that the God Himself has spoken on Nanak’s lips.

At this stage Nanak was completely imbued with the grace of God and was ready to impart what he received from the Almighty.

He finally started his mission to disperse the Dark Age.

Dear friends I wish each one of you a very Happy Gurpurab. Stay blessed.