1 248 HISTORY OF THE PANJAB.
2 The tank of Guru Aryan constructed a new tank, and called it “ Amritsar,” or the “ Water
3 Seay of Immortality.”
4 While qnite a youth and tending his cattle, the days being hot, Nénak
5 went to sleep under the shade of a tree. The sun, declining towards the
6 west, threw its rays on Ndnak’s face. A black serpent, seeing this, ap-
7 The story ofthe proached and spread its broad hood over Nanak’s face to protect it from the
8 ferpentand Nanak. vavs of the sun. Rai Bular, the chief of Talwandi, saw this, and gave Nanak’s
9 parents the happy tidings that their son was to be a leader of men, and
10 had a great future in store for him. Kalu contemptuously observed that
11 “God’s matters were known only to God.” The place where this happened
12 is called “Kérdé Sahib,” and a large building has recently been constructed
13 on it by the Sikhs to commemorate the event. °
14 Nawdb Doulat Khan once argued with Ndnak, that, since he (Ndnak)
15 forbade idolatry, acknowledged the unity of God, and believed in the
16 mission of Mahomed, he was a Moslem, and, this being the case, there was
17 orn'nnk at the prayers nothing to prevent his professing the Moslem creed openly. He therefore
18 eregation. took him to a mosque, and Ndnak apparently expressed his readiness to join
19 in the prayers. The Hindus were much alarmed at hearing that Nanak
20 had resolved to embrace Mahomedanism, though they knew perfectly well
21 that he was not a Hindu himself in their sense of the word. When,
22 however, the prayers were being read, Ndnak kept aloof, and did not join
23 the congregation. The nawéb was disappointed, and asked Nanak the
24 reason of his not joining in the prayers. Ndnak said: “The prelate (Ziném)
25 was uneasy in his mind about the indisposition of his son, and feared that
26 his calf might fall into the wellas it had not been properly tethered. The
27 nawdb was thinking of purchasing horses from Kandahar. These thoughts
28 prevailing, how could I read prayers after such men.” The Imdm admitted
29 that what Ndnak said was really true, and that his attention was divided
30 while he was conducting the prayers, The nawdb also admitted that he was
31 thinking of making a bargain for horses at Kandahar, while apparently
32 engaged in prayers. This astonished the whole congregation; and the
33 Hindus, whose minds were much perplexed, were glad that Nanak had not
34 openly embraced the religion of the Prophet. Yet an idea generally pre-
35 vailed among the Mahomedans that Nanak was a true follower of the
36 Prophet, as would seem to be the fact from the following account. At the
37 time when Nanak breathed his last, a dispute arose between the Hindus and
38 the Mahomedans regarding the disposal of his body, each party claiming the
39 right to perform the funeral obsequies according to the form of their own
40 pypispate on his death religion. The Hindus said that, Nanak being a Hindu, his body should,
41 Mahomedans rearing after the fashion of that creed, be burnt, while the Mahomedans maintained
42 aaa aaa that the deceased was a Musalman, and that his remains should therefore
43 be buried according to the rites of the Mahomedans. A quarrel aruse
44 between the two parties, and swords were drawn, but through the mediation
45 of more thinking men, it was resolved that the body should be neither burnt
46 nor buried in the grave, but thrown into the river. When the people entered
47 the room where the body was supposed to lie, they found, to their great
48 astonishment, on raising the sheet. with which it had been covered, that it
49 was not there. In all probability, it had been secretly removed by one of the
50 contending parties, but only the sheet was, as a matter of fact, found stretched
51 on the ground, with some flowers underneath, instead of the body of the
52 deceased. The Mahomedans took half of this shect and buried it, with the
53 ceremonies observed on the death of their co-religionists, while the Hindus
54 burnt the other half which fell to their lot.
55 The place at Emnabad where Nanak slept for some time in the jungle,
56 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh J i eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com