and saturnalia. Then the Guru uttered the following on the vicissitudes of human life:—
They to whose faces were uttered gratulations and hundreds of thousands of blessings,
Now smite their heads in grief; and their minds and bodies suffer agony.
Of the dead some are buried, others are thrown into rivers.[1]
The gratulations have passed away ; but even so do thou, O Nanak, praise the True One.
As the Guru and Mardana pursued their way they saw a small enclosed field of gram.[2] The watchman of the field began to roast some for his dinner, while the Guru and Mardana gazed at him at a distance. As the watchman was preparing to eat, he saw them, and it occurred to him that they wanted something more dainty than gram, so he would go to his house and bring them better fare and comfortable bedding. As he stood up, the Guru, who did not wish to trouble him, asked whither he was going, and, on being informed, uttered the following verses:—
Thy pallet is a coverlet and mattress for me; thy love is my dainty dish.
Nanak is already satiated with thy good qualities; come back, O monarch.
In due time the watchman obtained spiritual dignity in return for his kind intentions towards the Guru.
There was at that time a shopkeeper whose mind had taken a religious bent, and who desired to meet a religious guide. He heard of Guru Nanak's arrival, and vowed that he would not eat or drink until he had had an interview with him. Having
