Stories:
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Holy
Cakes |
A
devoted old woman had one prayer: that Guru Har Rai would
eat the bread made by her own hands. She made her living
by spinning, and one day was able to make some extra money
with which she bought the wheat flour and other ingredients
for making bread. She made two cakes and took them to
a spot where the Guru passed daily. She sat down next
to the cakes, focused her mind on the Guru, and began
praying. The Guru felt the strength of her prayer. He
mounted his horse and, on his way to the chase, went joyfully
right to where she was waiting.
She had almost given up hope of his coming when he arrived.
He said that he was very hungry from the chase, and wished
to have something to eat. She offered him the cakes, which
he ate on horseback, without washing his hands. He then
said to her, "This is the most delicious food I have ever
eaten." She was overjoyed and thanked the Guru for visiting
her and accepting her hospitality. He shared his spiritual
teachings with her and finally blessed her with liberation
from rebirth.
Meanwhile, the Sikhs who had accompanied the Guru were
astonished that he had taken food from a strange woman,
eaten it on horseback, and not washed his hands. They
asked him why he had done so. He gave them no reply, but
continued on through the forest. The next day, they prepared
sweet cakes with great cleanliness and took them to the
forest with the Guru, to eliminate his need to eat unclean
food from someone of lower caste. After a while, the Sikhs
offered the Guru the cakes they had made, but he said,
"I ate food from that woman's hands because she was holy.
The food you have made for me, with great ceremony, is
not pleasing to me." The Sikhs replied, "O Guru, yesterday
you ate two cakes on horseback from that old woman. There
was no clean and sacred place to eat; the food was in
every way impure. Today, with great care we have made
the purest cakes, yet you reject them. Why is this so?"
The Guru gave this explanation, "With great faith and
devotion, that old woman made those cakes out of what
she had earned by the sweat of her brow. Because of this,
the food was very pure and that is why I ate it. I was
hungry for love; in the matter of love for God, no rule
is recognized."
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