The Miracle for the Farmers
This story happened during the time that Bhai Amar Das ji was serving Guru Angad.
There was a monk who lived nearby. Said the monk: “It is only the priests like me that should be worshiped among men. I am a renunciate, my only job is religion and it is only people like me that can properly give God's message to the people. It is only we who can save people.”
This year it was a very hot summer and it hadn't rained at all. There wasn't a lot of food, the animals were dying because there was no water. Everyone was afraid. A bunch of farmers went to see the monk. “Sir, we all have a great problem! Please help us! How will any of us live without water? Maybe God is angry with us. Please talk to God and bring the rain!”
The monk felt more jealousy for the Guru than compassion for the people.
Monk: “No rain!? You think that is the big problem? That is a problem just of the water. Water will come. There is a much bigger problem in this area. People are worshiping this commoner, a family man! Sacred laws have been turned on their head! If this continues, soon enough the whole world will go into chaos! This is not a problem of the rain, THE WHOLE UNIVERSE IS UPSIDE DOWN!”
A man asked, “That doesn't sound good. How shall we be saved Swami?” The monk replied: “Saved!? Who am I? Go ask your family-man-Guru to save you. He's the one you worship, ask him to bring the rain?!” The man said, “But the Guru never asked anyone to worship him. He believes we are all equal, he doesn't care if someone is a king or a beggar. He is a man of God, he doesn't care about himself, he cares about feeding and helping others. No one has authority over the Guru, he only obeys God. We have no power to make the Guru do miracles.”
The monk replied: “I have renounced the world. The gods do special favors for me. I WILL make it rain in less than 24 hours, but you have to bring back order to the universe and KICK THE GURU OUT OF HERE!! The rainclouds will fill the sky, the rain will feed the starving land, JUST GET RID OF HIM FIRST!!!”
So the desperate farmers went to the Guru. “Umm, Guru ji... Will you please make it rain?”
“Yes Guru ji, that would be best, can you do that?”
The Guru said: “Be happy with reality. No one can equal God's plan, no one can change God's Will.”
“So you won't make it rain?....”
"Because the monk said that, uh... He said that... he will make it rain if... if... you leave from here.”
The Guru listened to the small mindedness of the people. The Guru never participated in smallness.
He said, “Very well, if you believe that this will get you what you want than I will be happy to leave.”
Some of the Sikhs couldn't listen to people talk to the Guru like this. Baba Budha was a saint and a Sikh of the Guru, he became angry. “You fools! How dare you try to tell the Guru what to do?!”
Guru Angad Dev Ji said: “No, no, leave it. The Dharma teaches us to forgive others.”
After the Guru said that, he turned and walked out of the town for a while. He sat and meditated under a tree he found. However, the villagers there were warned by the monk: “Do not allow this fake Guru to stay in your village OR THE UNIVERSE WILL BE IN CHAOS!”
The villagers took the warning seriously and didn't welcome the Guru, saying... “Restore the order” “Keep the sacred law” “Family-man Guru is false” “Only renunciates are special” “The Guru is not welcome.”
So the Guru left that village and went to another village. But they had also been warned and yelled out: “Fake Guru” “Only renunciates are special” “This is the sacred law” “Guru, you are not welcome.”
The Guru went to relax but in village after village no one allowed him to stay there. After seven villages the Guru finally found a hill to meditate on.
Meanwhile back at the Guru's home, Bhai Amar Das Ji had arrived to bring the Guru some water. The people there told him what had happened: that the monk had convinced everyone that the Guru should leave to bring the rain.
Amar Das Ji said, “You FOOLS! Have you lost all your senses!!? Do you think the monk will help where the Guru can not? Do you think that a candle will shine brighter than the sun!?? The true monk is the one who always focuses on the One Creator, not the person who feels worry. While others are destroyed in their own pride, the true monks are happy with just the Naam.”
The desperate farmers again went to the monk. They said, “We did as you asked, it has been far more than 24 hours and still it has not rained. Now that the Guru is gone as you requested, we don't even have food to eat from his langar!” The monk replied, “Oh ye of little faith, have some patience. The rain shall come immediately! Manumr ikaagramr asinamr abigamya maharshya....”
The monk did many incantations...but the rain still didn't come!
The people went back to Bhai Amar Das ji. “What do we do now Baba?”
Bhai Amar Das Ji said, “If the monk can make it rain, why does he beg for food from house to house? Beat the pride out of the monk. Wherever you will beat him, there it will rain.”
So the people went and got the monk and dragged him around all the fields and beat him. Sure enough it began to rain in their fields. The farmers were very happy with Bhai Amar Das and realized that if the servant of the Guru could make it rain, then they had been truly foolish to leave the Guru for the monk. Bhai Amar Das and all the people went to beg the Guru to return saying, “We are incredibly sorry. We will never doubt you again.” Bhai Amar Das Ji said, “We can not live without you. The problem has been taken care of, please come home.”
Guru ji was not pleased that Bhai Amar Das had used a miracle and that he had encouraged the people to beat the monk. He said, “You have still not gained the blessing of my company. Where is the forgiveness? Where is the patience? Where is the peace? You do not bear what is difficult. You created a miracle only to make the people happy. I am not pleased with ego, I am pleased with God's Will.”
Bhai Amar Das threw himself at the Guru's feet! “Oh my beloved, I am crazy. I just couldn't take the insult to you! Please, please forgive me. I will do exactly whatever you tell me. I only want to be your servant!”
Guru ji forgave him and blessed him, saying, “Be as patient as the earth. A mountain is not moved by happiness or sadness, be steady like this. Treat everyone with the same compassion. Have forgiveness in your heart and wish good for everyone. Be humble and you will be exalted.”