A faithful Sikh and his wife

A faithful Sikh and his wife lived in a village. They had no children. One day a group of Sikhs on their way to see Guru Har Gobind ji stayed at their house. The Sikhs prayed for the gift of a child in the family and advised the couple to meditate on God. After a time they had a beautiful son.
They named him Gurmukh. The boy was so intelligent that he not only loved to hear about the Guru but also learned many of the Guru's hymns by heart. When Gurmukh was ten both of his parents died. Gurmukh felt lonely, sad and helpless. He prayed to God in the morning and night. He had learnt from his mother that the Guru was very kind and helped his Sikhs in every way. He had now an intense desire to see the Guru in person and listen to his kind words: One day, a Sikh told him that Guru Har Gobind ji was staying at Amritsar. Gurmukh got up early and set out for Amritsar. He was near the city of Lahore when a Pathan soldier met him on the way. The soldier forced the poor boy to work for him as a slave. One day, when the boy was working on the Pathan's farm, a Sikh Masand (agent of the Guru) happened to pass by. He gave the Masand a paisa (coin), begged him to give it to Guru, and to request him to help him. When the Masand reached the Guru, he placed Gurmukh's paisa in front of guru and told him the whole story. The Guru smiled and said, "He has sent his Paisa with faith and God will bestow His glory on him. His paisa is more than a hundred thousand rupees to me. I must say he who has faith needs no help. His faith will help him out very soon. I shall pray for him." Saying this, the Guru stood up and all the Sikhs joined him in praying to God to help the Sikh out of his troubles. Back in Lahore, With every rising sun he would pray hopefully, but the setting sun always left him as sad and disappointed.
One day, the Pathan asked Gurmukh carry one of his suitcases, the suitcase was so heavy that the boy could hardly walk. Tired by the heat and the journey, they stopped at a well to rest and take a drink. As the Pathan was drawing water from the well, his foot slipped and he tumbled over into it. Gurmukh tried his best to save the Pathan and cried for help, but the Pathan had drowned before anyone could come to help. Gurmukh thought to himself, "If I go back to the Pathan's house and tell the truth, nobody will believe me, and I will be called a murderer. Even if they believe me, they will keep me as a slave forever and make me work hard for life's He did not know what to do. At last he sat down and began to sing the following hymn of the Guru : "The hot wind does not touch the man who accepts the protection of the Lord. Round about me is God's fence so nothing can hurt me. I have found the true Guru who leads me to God. He has given me God's name as a medicine and I have fixed my attention on the one God. The Saviour has saved me and cured all my sickness. Says Nanak, mercy is shown to me, and God is my helper." Having repeated the hymn he decided to run away and seek the protection of the Guru. In order to find out what was in the suitcase and whether it was worthwhile carrying it along, he opened it, and found it full of clothes, jewels, ornaments of gold, and two thousand rupees. Gurmukh decided to offer everything to the Guru. While walking for hours he was very tired but did not quit. he reached Amritsar, where he went to the Guru, placed the suitcase before him and bowed. The Guru at once left his seat and embraced him, and told his Sikhs how firm faith helps those who have it. Gurmukh was asked to buy horses with the money he had brought and in a short time he became an expert horse trader.
"A hundred thousand ways we may earn money, save or spend A hundred thousand may come and go through our hands If these honours are not counted on the day of reckoning Where shall we escape to? A hundred thousand sermons from holy books you may hear A hundred thousand pandits may explain the epics to you If these honours are not counted on the day of reckoning Consider them wasted : for they have been rejected by God. With the True Name comes honour, The Creator's Name brings grace; If day and night He lives in our hearts He will be gracious, says Nanak, And we shall be saved."

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