There was a great saint named Chaturdas Ji who served his Guru. Later, he became known as Khoji Ji. Whenever his Guru went to relieve himself, Khoji Ji would stand outside holding water. One day, as he stood with the water, a breeze caused leaves and seeds from a nearby Peepal tree to fall to the ground. After his Guru returned from relieving himself, he started laughing. While helping his Guru wash his hands, Khoji Ji asked the reason behind his Guru’s laughter.
The Mystery Behind the Guru’s Laughter
His Guru said, “How can you call yourself my disciple when you don’t even understand why I laughed? A disciple who cannot understand the Guru’s mind is not a true disciple. Leave my service and go find out why I laughed.” Serving a Guru is indeed a difficult task. His Guru continued, “Your intellect is no longer worthy of my service. Do not come back until you discover the reason for my laughter.”
Khoji Ji’s Struggle
Khoji Ji prostrated himself before his Guru and set off to fulfill his command. Wherever he met saints, he would humbly bow and ask them, “My Guru laughed while relieving himself. Can you tell me why?” All the saints replied, “Ask us about the Gita, the Bhagavatam, or the Vedas, but how would we know why your Guru laughed?” People started mocking him.
Khoji Ji was consumed with inner turmoil as he could no longer serve his Guru. He spent his days and nights in agony, seeking an answer from every saint he encountered, but to no avail.
The Appearance of Kabirdas Ji Before Khoji Ji
Khoji Ji finally thought that his life would be useless if he could no longer serve his Guru. He decided to commit suicide. He went to a secluded forest and began chanting the Lord’s name, intending to commit suicide. For days, he neither ate nor drank. Eventually, Kabirdas Ji appeared before him.
When someone calls upon God with genuine devotion, God sends His divine messengers to him. Kabirdas Ji answered Khoji Ji’s question, “When your Guru was relieving himself, he noticed a seed from the Peepal tree flowing with his urine. Seeing this, he reflected that within this tiny seed lies the potential for a great tree. When this seed was part of the Peepal tree, it was revered and orderly, but once separated from the tree, it was swept away in the flow of urine.”
Kabirdas Ji explained, “The meaning of this is that the Peepal tree represents the lord, and the seed represents the soul. When the soul is separated from the lord due to ignorance, it becomes attached to the material world and is swept away in the currents of worldly pleasures. If the soul remains connected to the lord, it remains divine and worthy of worship. However, when the soul turns away from the lord, it becomes entangled in worldly desires and pleasures, wasting its life just as the seed was swept away.”
Khoji Ji’s Return to His Guru
Khoji Ji exclaimed, “Oh! Such a profound reason behind my Guru’s laughter.” His doubt was cleared, and he returned to his Guru, prostrating before him. He told his Guru that Kabirdas Ji had answered his question. His Guru smiled and said, “A single question has enlightened you. From today, you have become as enlightened as I am. You will now be able to understand my thoughts.”
The Secret Behind Khoji Ji’s Guru’s Liberation
Khoji Ji’s Guru was always absorbed in the thoughts of the lord. When his final moment came, he tied a bell and instructed his disciples that it would ring on its own once he attained liberation. However, when he passed away, the bell did not ring. All the disciples were puzzled and worried that their Guru had not attained salvation. At that time, Khoji Ji was away on pilgrimage. When he returned, he saw the disciples were sad and asked them what had happened. They explained everything to him and showed him the place where the Guru had passed.
Khoji Ji went to that spot and lay down. He looked up and saw a ripe mango above him. He plucked the mango, and when he sliced it open, a worm crawled out and immediately died. At that moment, the bell rang. Khoji Ji explained to the disciples that their Guru’s mind had become attached to the ripe mango at the moment of death. As a result, he had taken birth as a worm in that mango. But Khoji Ji added that while his Guru’s mind may have been on the mango, he had intended to offer it to God. This thought had filled his final moments, so God entered that worm’s body to fulfill his Guru’s wish. Once the worm died, the divine Lord, present in the worm as parmatma, met with Khoji Ji’s Guru, and the bell rang.
Teachings
- The mind is very restless. Those seeking God must be careful that their mind doesn’t get attached to anything else until death.
- Those who develop the habit of seeing God in every person, object, and place will never suffer.
- A disciple who remains in the refuge of their Guru and follows their command will be elevated by the Guru to greater heights than the Guru himself. When Khoji Ji’s Guru commanded him to stay away, it was to make him even more enlightened. Therefore, we should surrender our lives to the Guru’s command and focus our minds on the Beloved Lord’s name, form, pastimes, and abode.
Narrated By: Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj
