Bhai Lalo Ji and Malik Bhago

During Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s time, there was someone named Bhai Lalo Ji who earned his living by honest work. Bhai Lalo Ji once got lunch for Guru Nanak Dev Ji and his companion, Bhai Mardana Ji to have. Bhai Mardana Ji asked, “This meal tastes like nectar. What has been put in it?” Guru Nanak Dev Ji replied, “That was the taste of truthfulness and honesty that you tasted. This taste is above the taste of worldly delicacies.”

There was a high government official of the city called Malik Bhago who gave a general feast and also welcomed Guru Nanak Dev Ji. However, Guru Ji refused the invitation and said, “We are fakirs, what have we to do with your feast?” He was then asked again; therefore, Guru Nanak Dev Ji took Bhai Lalo Ji with him and went to Malik Bhago. Malik Bhago said furiously to Guru Ji, “You are dishonouring Kshatriyas by eating dry chapaties in the house of a low caste carpenter. My feast will offer you delicious food. Why do you refuse to eat it?”

Guru Nanak Dev Ji then took Bhai Lalo’s chapati and Malik Bhago’s fried sweet pancake. When he squeezed Bhai Lalo’s chapati milk dripped out from it but when he squeezed Malik Bhago’s fried pancake, blood dripped out from it.

Guru then said, “Look Malik Bhago, wealth gathered by cruelty and corruption towards the poor is like sucking their blood which you have done. You had invited me to partake of blood, leaving food pure as milk. How could I accept it?” This showed that Bhai Lalo was the symbol of honesty and hard work.

Therefore, the story shows how food from the faithless cynic is nothing but poison, just how Gurbani mentions that Maya is just like sugarcane which is sweet from the outside but inside Maya is just poison which only leaves pain in the end.

ਸੰਤਨ ਕਾ ਦਾਨਾ ਰੂਖਾ ਸੋ ਸਰਬ ਨਿਧਾਨ ||
ਗ੍ਰਿਹਿ ਸਾਕਤ ਛਤੀਹ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਰ ਤੇ ਬਿਖੂ ਸਮਾਨ ||੨||

“The dry bread of the Gurmukh-Saints is equal to all treasures. The thirty-six tasty dishes of the faithless cynic are just like poison.”

( Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji – 811)