Guru Nanak Dev Ji Sache Patshah (true King) and Bhai Mardana Ji ;
One day, they sat on the edge of the river named Ravi.
While sitting on the edge of this river, Guru Nanak Dev Ji will always say:
"Mardaneya, I am very hungry."
"Why don't you play the tune of Kartar"
"Why don't you play the Dhunee (tune) of my Creator."
Bhai Mardana Ji was told
by Mata Tripta ji,
the mother of Guru Nanak Dev ji;
" this son of mine does not feel hungry for normal foods".
"He only feels hunger for that One Kirtan of my Kartar (God).
So Bhai Mardana Ji would always play the Rabaab
and my Guru Nanak Dev Ji Sache Patshah (True Lord) would sing
this Kirtan and go into the state of ecstasy.
They would often close their eyes and
meditate for many days after listening to the Kirtan.
They would stay in such a state of ecstasy while sitting on this edge of this river named Ravi.
There was a milk-maid,
who walked back and forth
on the edge of this river
and saw this Saint (Guru Nanak Dev Ji),
sitting there and meditating on Akaal Purakh for many days.
For many days she would walk by daily, carrying milk on her head.
She would walk back and forth in the morning and in the evening.
Many days had passed and she thought "this Saint is truly someone who is blessed."
"I see something different on his face and every time I walk by
I just experience a different type of fragrance."
This maid noticed that the Saint has not eaten anything for many days.
So what does she do?
She says "I do not have anything".
So she takes a little bit of milk and
walks up to Guru Nanak Dev Ji Sache Patshah.
She puts the milk in front of him and says:
"Oh holy Saint, true King, why don't you drink my milk?
"I do not have any food. I'm very poor."
"I cannot bring anything else, but I brought whatever I had with me."
"Please drink this milk."
I have noticed you haven't drank or eaten anything for many days."
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Sache Patshah (True King) opened their eyes,
and at that moment, a glance of grace was bestowed upon that maid.
Piaario, she started experiencing such bliss!
Guru Nanak Dev ji said to Mardana Ji
"Pour the milk."
Mardana Ji poured the milk and Guru Nanak Dev ji drank the milk.
After drinking the milk Guru Nanak Dev ji smiled and said
"Mardania, why don't you pour milk and feed it to this maid as well?
Guru Nanak Dev Ji said " Oh maid drink this milk. You will be blessed as well."
The maid was filled with so much bliss!
She drank the milk, but my beloveds, that milk was not just milk any more.
That milk had turned into Amrit (Immortal Nectar)
Once she drank the Amrit of Guru Nanak,
her eyes were filled with tears.
A lotus flower had now blossomed inside of her heart.
She was experiencing that smell, the fragrance all around her.
She didn't see Guru Nanak Dev ji or Bhai Mardana.
She didn't see the world or the road or the milk anymore.
All she saw was my Akaal Purakh; the creator.
She then returned to her master's house.
He was called Dodda and was the lord of the area.
Doda owned the land and the cows in which the milk came from .
When she spoke to Dodda,
she was speaking differently.
The look in her eyes are different.
Her actions were different.
Because now she was just living in a state of Vismaad.
Dodda said to her: "there is something different about you today."
"What happened to you?"
She replied: "I have been blessed by the Saint that sits at the edge of the River Ravi."
After seeing this, Dodda said "I want to experience this bliss as well."
That's how much this fragrance of Naam spreads
Dodda then travels to Guru Nanak Dev ji.
He bows at the feet of Sache Patshah (true King) with his hands folded
and says "Sache Patshah, please bless me as well
with the same experience that you blessed the milk-maid with."
Guru Nanak Dev ji asks: "who are you?"
Dodda replies: "I am that person whose milk you drank."
Guru Nanak Dev Ji says "I drank YOUR milk."
Dodda replies "No; you drank the milk of MY cow."
Guru Nanak Dev ji asks "YOUR cow."
Dodda replies "Yes; the milk came from the cow that I own."
Guru Nanak Dev ji asks " how did you get the cow?"
"How did the cow become yours."
Dodda replies "I bought the cow."
Guru Nanak, Dev ji asks "how did you buy the cow?"
Dodda replies "I bought it with money."
Guru Nanak Dev Ji then asks "how did you get this money?"
Dodda replies "I sold grains in the market. "
Guru Nanak Dev Ji asks "where did these grains come from?"
Dodda replies "I grew these grains in the farms."
Guru Nanak Dev Ji asks "whose land it is where these grains grew?"
At first Dodda thought that the land belonged to him but
soon he realized what Guru Nanak Dev ji was teaching him.
Guru Nanak's light was now inside of his mind.
Dodda then says: "Sache Patshaah, that land is not mine.
That land is Kartar's (Creator)."
"The grains that fed the cows came from the soil of this land."
"In truth, the milk or the cows are not mine."
Nothing is mine."
The Guru Nanak Dev ji says "truly nothing is yours."
"Even I am not yours; even you don't belong to yourself."
Therefore say "Sat Kartaar (true is the creator).
When Dodda said "Sat Kartaar",
Inside of his heart such a blossom came,
and inside of his eyes tears started flowing.
He was now experiencing that same bliss!
Dodda said "Sache Patshaah, you have blessed me was such bliss,
that I am going to name this city after you."
Dodda was a very rich person and was in charge of that town the village.
He said "I am going to name the village after you."
"I am going to call it Nanakpur."
Guru Nanak Dev Ji replies with humility "why would you call it Nanakpur?"
"Why would you name it after me."
"Because if you are of Kartar's, then I am also just his Dtadi as well."
"I am just a singer, a musician of my beloved Creator."
"Why don't you name this city Kartarpur."?
That is how, at the edge of the river Ravi, Kartarpur City was founded.