17. Reetha Sahib

There were forests around Gorakhmata. About forty miles from there, the Guru met another group of Yogis. He sat under a soapnut tree and told them that by discarding family life and living in the forests away from worldly life, could not bring salvation. The inner change for attainment of peace and everlasting joy and happiness, could be obtained anywhere by contemplating on God's name. The Yogis asked,"Master, the fire of desire is not quenched even by endless subjection of the body to discipline. Pray tell us a way to quench it." The Guru replied,

"Destroy the feeling of egoism Destroy the sense of duality and attain oneness with Lord, The path is hard for ignorant and egoistic; But those who take shelter in the Word and absorbed in it, And he who realizes that He is both within and without, His fire of desire is destroyed by the Grace of the Guru, says Nanak."

(Ramkali Mohalla 1, Sidh Gosht-46, Page – 943)

The shrewd mind of the Yogis wanted to test the Guru still further. Knowing that the Guru did not have anything to offer, they asked him to give them something to eat. The Guru was sitting under the soapnut tree and soapnuts are always bitter. He gave them soapnuts to eat. To the utter surprise of the Yogis, the soapnuts were very sweet. By the Grace of God, the soapnuts of half-side of the tree where the Guru was sitting, became sweet and the other half of the same tree had bitter soapnuts. The same is true even to-day. That place is called Reetha Sahib and there is a Gurdwara in the memory of the Guru.