Bhai Laalo and Malik Bhago
Bhai Laalo jee
Siri Guru Nanak Dev jee Maharaaj arrived at the historical town of Saidpur (also known as Aimnabaad). In this town lived a carpenter (Tarkhaan) by the name of Laalo. Bhai Laalo had great karams from previous lives. He was destined to become one of the greatest Sikhs of Siri Guru jee. He became so great that in SachKhandi Baani, Amrit baani of Siri Guru Granth Sahib jee, a whole shabad has been addressed to Bhai Laalo. The Chaal of this shabad is breathtaking and so is the content of this shabad. Siri Guru Sahib jee has used plain rural Punjabi to describe shocking state of society of that time and has described the events that were to take place in the future.
Bhai Laalo jee’s wife too was a very great bibi. Mahima Parkash has described the happy marital life of Bhai Laalo as follows:
Laalo Saadh baRa santokhi||
(Laalo is a saint and very contented)
Kar Dharam mazoori, kaaiya pokhi||
(He earns his living through hard work and this way has a healthy body and mind)
Triya taakee baRi sujaan||
(His wife too is very sober and cultured)
Bharta ko jaanai bhagvaan||
(She respects her husband as God)
Mil Paisa, tab ann lai khaavai||
(When she gets money, only then she buys food, as opposed to collecting free saag from fields of jats)
Nahi Triya saag chugg liyaavai||
(And like other women, does not go to the fields owned by others to bring saag – a vegetable)
Bhai Laalo was on Siri Guru Nanak Dev jee Maharaj’s list of people he was going to deliver. One day Siri Guru jee went to his door and called out Laalo as follows:
“Bhai Laalo”, called out Siri Guru jee
“Jee Maharaaj”
“kee pya karna hain” (what are you doing)
“Jee, killay pyaa ghaRdaa haan (I am carving wood)
“Laalo, saari umar, killay hee ghaRda rahaengaa” (Are you going to just carve wood all your life)
The last sentence of Siri Guru jee pierced deep inside Bhai Laalo jee. All this conversation had taken place while Siri Guru was standing outside the small house of Bhai Laalo. Bhai Laalo dashed outside and fell at the feet of Siri Guru Nanak Dev jee maharaaj. He fell at this feet like an extremely thirst person would run for water. After all Bhai Laalo too was thirsty. His thirst was different from worldly thirst. He had thirst for Vaheguru.
That Bhai Laalo who did not have courage to come out of this house now after doing sangat of Siri Guru jee and after becoming his Sikh was prepared to single-handedly stand up against aggression. He went out and preached Gursikhi to others. While Siri Guru jee stayed there, he brought many to Guru Sahib and sangat started assembling twice a day.
When people heard that Siri Guru jee was staying at Bhai Laalo’s house who was from the so called lower caste, they started calling him Kurahiya (misled). The ruler of this town was Zalim Khan and Malik Bhago, a Khatri of Hairad jaat, was one of the officials of Zalim Khan. He had collected great deal of money by exploiting the common population. He was very proud of his high caste.
When Siri Guru Nanak Dev jee was at Saidpur with Bhai Laalo, Malik Bhago organized a feast called Brahm Bhoj. He invited the whole city for this event. He also invited Siri Guru jee but Siri Guru jee did not go there. While the feast was going on, he sent his officials to bring Guru Baba jee by force. Guru Sahib was brought to the Brahm Bhoj feast but Siri Guru jee refused to eat from there. Malik Bhago found out that Siri Guru jee had refused to eat from his feast. He got very upset hearing this.
He came and confronted Guru Sahib accusing him of breaking the laws of caste and eating from low caste people and not eating proper food prepared by high caste people i.e. Malik Bhago. Guru Sahib stayed calm and told Malik Bhago that he does believe in differentiating between food but not on the basis of caste but on the basis of deeds. Guru Sahib told him that there was blood in his food. Guru Sahib told him how he could see the pain and suffering in the food provided by Malik Bhago.
Guru Sahib further told Malik Bhago that Bhai Laalo was a bhagat of Akal Purakh and food prepared by him was like amrit. Malik Bhago continued to argue and while this debate was going on, the whole city was listening to it. At some point when Guru Sahib realized that Malik Bhago was not going to get convinced until he saw with his own eyes, he asked Bhai Laalo to bring a roti from his house. Bhai Laalo went running and brought a roti and at that time Guru Sahib took a roti from Malik Bhago and held each roti in each of his hands.
As Guru Sahib held roti of Bhai Laalo in one hand and that of Malik Bhago in other hand, the whole crowd went silent. There was a suspense for few moments. Guru Sahib placed two bowls under each of his hands and squeezed both rotis with his hands. A big miracle took place. From the roti of Bhai Laalo, milk start pouring out to the bowl beneath and from the roti of Malik Bhago red blood start pouring out. Everyone was taken aback. Malik Bhago was particularly shaken when he saw this.
There was a total silence and then Guru Baba jee started talking. He told Malik Bhaago that no one could knowingly swallow poison, coated with sugar. Same way it is hard to eat roti that is prepared by a person who has bad karma. Guru Sahib clearly said that eating such roti disturbs the concentration of simran (Simran naalon liv tutt jaandi hai)
Malik Bhago woke up from his long sleep and so did hundreds of people present there. They all vowed not to earn living through dishonest means and to do Bhagtee of Vaheguru. They became Sikhs of Siri Guru jee and took Naam from Guru Sahib.
From this saakhi it is abundantly evident that the karma of people who prepare food are transferred in the food. This is why it is a must to be careful in choosing what food we eat. To eat from hands of people who are far from Vaheguru is like eating poison. It is a poison because such food disturbs the concentration in simran. It is not worth the risk. Ones who do abhyaas in the morning quickly realize what role Bibeki food plays in giving concentration.
Daas,
Kulbir Singh