Two Kinds of Food
Guru Nanak was the first of the people known as Sikhs. He did not like the biased attitude of some of the Hindus and some of the Muslims, and he always tried to bring better understanding between these two groups. He also tried to get people to give up caste prejudices.
One day while travelling with a companion, Nanak took shelter in the house of a poor, low-caste Hindu carpenter named Lalo. He took a liking to Lalo and stayed with him for two weeks. Then he heard that people were gossiping. They said, "Nanak is a high-caste Hindu; why should he be staying with a low-caste man? It is not proper."
One day a wealthy landlord of the
neighborhood decided to give a big feast and to invite
all the four castes of Hindus -- brahmins, military,
merchants and manual laborers. A brahmin friend of
Guru Nanak came to him and told him about the
feast. "You really must go," he said.
But Nanak did not believe in castes, and considered
all men equal. He did not like the idea, and said,
"I do not belong to any of the four castes, so
why invite me?"
"Ah," said the brahmin, "now I see why
people call you a 'heretic'. Malik, the landlord, will
be very displeased with you if you refuse his invitation."
And he walked away.
Nanak did not go to the feast, and,
sure enough, afterwards Malik came and confronted him.
"Why did you dishonor me by staying away?"
"Well," replied Nanak, "I do not crave
fine food. But if this offends you, then I will eat
some of your food." But Malik was still not happy,
and accused Nanak of ignoring his own caste and eating
and staying with Lalo, a low-caste man.
"Then give me my share of elegant food from your
banquet," said Nanak," and turning to Lalo
he asked him to bring him something from his stock
of simple food. When both foods were set before Guru
Nanak, he took Lalo's coarse food in his right hand
and Malik's fine food in his left, and squeezed
them both. Lo and behold, from Lalo's food milk flowed
out, and from Malik's, blood!
This was Nanak's way of showing that the landlord's food was got by the cruel bribery and oppression of the poor cultivators, and so was impure; while Lalo's simple food had been earned by honest work and was pure.
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