Listen to this story:

Mata Ganga Ji was the wife of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. The wife of a Guru is a very blessed thing to be. Even though her life was very blessed with the Guru, she still seemed very sad. One day she overheard an enemy of the Guru saying, “Ganga hasn’t had any children. She can’t have children. Someday Guru Arjun will die and he won’t have a child to appoint to be the next Guru. When that happens, we will be in a position to make sure that our son becomes the Guru. Ganga can’t do anything about it.” Hearing this made Ganga Ji sad because she wasn’t sure if she could have a child, even though she always really wanted one.

So she talked to her husband, the Guru. “My beloved husband and Guru, I need to ask you something very important. Can you bless me to have a child so that our lineage can continue? I want to make sure there is stability in the house of Nanak.” Guru Ji looked at his wife and kindly explained, “If I bless you to have a child, I’m blessing myself to have a child. This cannot be, I am not here to bless myself, I am here to bless others. I am nothing.”

Mata Ganga Ji asked again, “My dear wise husband, surely there is a way. Surely you know of something I can do.” He said, “You need to ask the blessing of another holy man. Why don’t you request this blessing from a saint like Baba Budha?” She took her husband’s suggestion as an order. She immediately called all her servants, “Get ready we are going to travel to the village where Baba Budha lives.”

A caravan was prepared. She made sure her servants prepared the finest food, so she could give it to Baba Budha as an offering. She put on her most beautiful dress. She rode in a carriage and a whole group of her royal servants and attendants came on horses. They were a most impressive procession!

The grand procession made its way to the village outside of Amritsar, where Baba Budha lived. When she got there, she asked a villager, “Where is Baba Budha, I have come to give him an offering.” The villager said, “He said he knows why you have come. He also said he doesn’t want to talk to you and he wants you to leave him alone and go away right now.”

This made Mata Ganga even more sad than she was before. She went back and asked the Guru, “What should I do now?”

Guru Arjan told her, “You are visiting a saint for special, personal blessing. Don’t come as a queen. Don’t come as royalty. Just go humbly as yourself.”

Mata Ganga knew what she had done wrong. She realized that she didn’t need to make a big scene like that. She got up early the next morning. She kneaded some dough with her own hands while humming prayers. She chopped vegetables for subjee and lovingly prepared a home-made meal. Of course she brought some raw onions. Holy men love onions. It is always a perfect gift. Then she left bare-foot and told no one where she was going. She carried the food on her head for more than 12 miles until she got to the village where Baba Budha lived.

When she arrived Baba Budha Ji was standing outside the village joyously waiting for her. When she got to him, he said, “I have been waiting for you! I’m hungry!” As they sat down, she humbly asked him about having a child. He smiled and blessed her.

Then he said,

“Your son will become a large, strong and handsome man. He will wear two swords.” Then Baba Budha put an onion on a plate and he smashed it with his fist. He said, “Your son will crush the bad people in the same way that I crushed this onion.” And Mata Ganga Ji did have a son, and he was named Hargobind. Guru Arjun made sure he was trained in martial arts and self-defense so when he grew up he could defend himself and others.

When Mata Ji prayed humbly to a saint her prayer came true.

This story is courtesy of Sikhnet.

Storyteller:  Guruka Singh Khalsa