Offer What is Yours

     In order to cleanse themselves people do fasts to make it easier to pray. In one Kingdom everyone was observing the fast of Ekadasi in honor of the god Vishnu. There was one man however, that didn't do the fast. The Raja was a very devoted person. His people were good people because they knew that he was such a righteous man. Soon the Raja heard that there was someone in the kingdom who wasn't fasting. He was furious.

     The man who wasn't fasting was brought before the Raja. "Why don't you show your respects and fast on this holy day?!" demanded the king. The virtuous man replied, "My Guru has taught me to always observe a fast. Everyday I do a great fast. I eat little, sleep little and I avoid all temptations that distract my faith. I am in constant devotion to the One and I merge myself with the holy Naam. Dear Raja, everyday is most holy."

      The Raja was so touched and impressed by the words of this virtuous student. He said, "On my life, I would be honored to meet your Guru." The man replied, "If you hold a prayer for him, he will surely answer you."

     After some time there were some saints that had settled nearby. The Raja wanted to test to see if they were genuine saints, so he sent attractive, beautiful, sexy dancers to seduce and charm them. If they couldn't control themselves and acted like common men, than they weren't saints. The moment these ladies reached the divine presence of the saints, Guru Nanak looked at them. He looked past their physical bodies and saw their spirit. His glance was so loving and angelic these woman didn't feel like trying to use their bodies to catch the eyes of men anymore. They just felt soul, and their hearts blossomed with bliss. These women were now like goddesses of purity and truth. They went back to the Raja so they could tell him they quit being dancing girls.

     The Raja went out to have the darshan of the saint Guru who wonderfully transformed these women. He brought many expensive gifts and valuable offerings. "Please forgive me for trying to test you sir. Accept me as yours." The Guru didn't accept his invitation. He tried again, "Dear man of God, please come to my palace, you will be fed and taken care of in every way. I beg you." The Guru asked him a question, "Why, do you have some other special offering there?"

"The whole Kingdom is an offering to you!"

"No Raja, offer something which is yours."

"Guru ji, I am Raja, the Kingdom is mine."

"Raja, your ancestors also claimed to own the Kingdom. Where are they now? Do they still own it? In your past lifetimes you have claimed to own things. Do you still own those things? You don't own these things. Offer something which is yours."

"Guru ji, in that case, I offer you my body."

"Raja, this body of yours will one day become a pile of dust. You will drop it and go to a different realm. Then how can it be yours? Offer something that is yours."

"Guru ji, if my Kingdom is not mine and my body is not mine, than I offer you my mind."

"Raja, your mind constantly leads you astray. You are a slave of the mind. You can not say you own something that controls you. Offer something that is yours."

"Guru ji, if my Kingdom, my body and my mind are not mine, than I have nothing left. What do I have left to offer you."

"Offer this 'I'. 

     Guru ji was asking him to give up his ego. The Raja, hearing his words, drifted in to a sublime state of contemplation. He had grasped the teaching found that for the first time he wasn't thinking about himself. He had a taste of selflessness. 

Guru ji told him, "Now go rule the Kingdom."

"O, Guru ji, you are the destroyer of ignorance, the giver of light. Make me understand. I have given up. I am no one and I have nothing, how can I rule now? Please guide me further."

"Raja, you have always ruled with the idea of 'my Kingdom', 'my palace', 'my family', 'my treasure', 'my people'. Now you have given up your 'I'. All these bonds of 'Myness' have snapped. Now just be an instrument of the Divine, just be like the hand of God. Do your duty as a ritual to the Creator."

     This sense of ego, this idea of 'me', 'my', 'mine', that is what binds a soul to this earth. For the Raja, now all ego sense had left him. His bonds to the earth were broken and his soul was free. He continued to live his life and rule as he had before. Inside, though, he felt a world of difference. He truly felt released. He was no longer required to reincarnate on this earth. He obtained liberation.

     We can all do this. The task of giving up this mindset is very difficult and also very simple. By the grace of the Guru may we all become truly selfless.