Page:The Sikh Religion, its gurus, sacred writings and authors Vol 1.djvu/190

94 For Thy sake, O my Lord, the darweshes are imbued with love. Thy names are various, Thy forms are various, the number of Thy merits cannot be told. Men leaving houses and homes, palaces, elephants and horses go abroad. Priests, prophets, holy and sincere men leave the world to obtain salvation. They abandon good living, rest, happiness, and dainties; they doff clothes, and wear skins. Imbued with Thy name they in anguish and pain become darweshes at Thy gate. They don skins, carry begging bowls, staves, and wear hair-tufts, sacrificial threads, and loin-cloths. Thou art the Lord, I am Thy player; Nanak representeth, what is caste?

The Guru further remonstrated with his attendant: 'We cannot succeed without God's word. Think of some hymn and play the rebeck.' Mardana replied that his throat was collapsing for want of food, and he had no strength to move, much less to play. The Guru then pointed to a tree and told him to eat his fill of its fruit, but take none with him. Mardana accordingly began to eat, and so much enjoyed the flavour of the fruit, that he thought he would eat what he could, and also take some with him, lest he might soon again find himself in a similar plight.

As they continued their wanderings, Mardana again felt hungry, so he drew forth his stock of fruit. Directly he tasted it he fell down. The Guru inquired what had happened. Mardana confessed his disobedience of his master's instructions in having brought with him and eaten some of the forbidden fruit. The Guru remonstrated with him for his disregard of orders. The fruit was poisonous, but the Guru had blessed it for the occasion and made