Nanak and the River

     Every day Nanak would take a bath in the near by river early in the morning. He would clean himself with the cold water and then he would meditate. The time was coming for Nanak change his life. All his life he only cared about God. The astrologer predicted that he would be a great man that Hindu's and Muslims both loved. It was soon his time to go out and do his mission.
     One day as he was meditating all kinds of demons came to him and tried to scare him. He was being tested to see if he believed in God or if he was fearful. He wasn't scared at all though, he had perfect faith.
     When they couldn’t scare him they changed their method. They decided to offer him lots of riches. They showed him gold, rubies and gems of all kinds. They were very convincing and said “There’s nothing wrong, just take it, you deserve it, just take it.” He was being tested to see if he would be distracted. He couldn’t be tricked though. He just smiled and let them keep talking. He couldn't be distracted. The path that he would take couldn't be distracted.
     Then they offered power, “People will love you, you will have control, you can do anything you want, all will obey you. You will be like a great ruler and people will worship you. Anything you want will just happen”. Still he resisted them and saw through their offers. He knew it was just a trick and he kept meditating on God.
     Next they showed him the occult powers. They said, " You could do magic, you could turn things in to gold, you could fly, you could do all kinds of extraordinary things." Again he just laughed and said “Only a fool would take these things.” They offered every enticing thing in the world there is to offer, but he wasn't fooled for a second.
     After nothing could distract him from his mission, he went to bathe in the river. Then he disappeared and no one saw him. He was gone for a very long time. People started walking up and down the river calling, "Nanak, Nanak where are you? Nanak, Nanak".
     He was in a special state and was merging with God during this time. The heavens revealed secrets to him. He was given divine nectar to drink. He heard a voice say, "I am with you". It was the voice of God. "I have made you happy. All who follow you will be happy. Don't get stained from anything in this world. Recite the Naam, share with others. Be kind to the beloveds. I am God of the universe and you are the divine Guru." Guru Nanak was completely absorbed. He merged with God.
     After three days he came out of the river. People were surprised to see him alive. He looked different and he didn't talk much. After a long time he finally spoke. He said “There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim.” During this time he spoke the Mool Mantra and the rest of Japji. His mission had begun. He, Mardana and Bala started to leave. Guru Nanak’s wife, Bibi Sulakhani, started crying and told him not to leave. He touched her on the forehead and she saw how the world was suffering. She understood what he had to do. She said, "It's true, you must go. The world is on fire and you must put it out." So they left as humble travelers spreading a message of One God to all.