The next morning, Guru Ji sent Bhai Mardana…

The next morning, Guru Ji sent Bhai Mardana to bring fire from somewhere to arrange for food outside their tent. Seeing a fire burning near a nearby tent, Bhai Mardana went there to fetch some embers. At that time, a ritualistic Vaishnav Sadhu was preparing food. The Sadhu had purified the stove by smearing it with cow dung and had drawn a sacred line around the kitchen while chanting mantras, a practice they called Kaari Kadhna. Their belief was that by drawing this line, no evil spirit would be able to consume the essence of their food.

Bhai Mardana requested, "Kindly give me some embers so that we can also light a fire and prepare food."

The Vaishnav Sadhu looked at him angrily and said, "You seem to be a Mlechha (impure person). Your shadow has fallen on my sacred food, and now it has been defiled. I will not spare you!" Saying this, the Sadhu picked up a burning log and ran towards Bhai Mardana to hit him. Seeing this, Bhai Mardana ran back towards Guru Ji’s tent, with the Sadhu chasing him while shouting curses.

Both of them reached Guru Ji’s camp. Bhai Mardana pleaded with Guru Ji, "Please save me from his wrath."

As soon as the Sadhu saw Guru Ji, he felt embarrassed but still complained, "This man from a low caste has defiled my kitchen!"

Guru Ji called him closer, but the loud shouting and commotion attracted a crowd around them.

Seeing this, Guru Ji addressed everyone and said, "This Sadhu claims that my disciple is of a low caste. Let him prove how he is lowly and how the Sadhu himself is superior."

The Sadhu had no logical argument.

Then Guru Ji said, "I will tell you who is truly lowly. A lowly person is one who, without reason, hurls filthy abuses at others because he harbors demonic anger within himself. A person who lacks compassion for others carries a butcher’s heart. Condemning others without reason is the act of an ignorant and foolish person who, due to blind faith, categorizes God's creation into superior and inferior beings, while in reality, God has created all humans physically equal. The Divine is omnipresent."

The teaching of this incident is reflected in the sacred bani:

Kubudhi doomaṇi, kudaiya kasāiṇi, Par ninda ghaṭ chuṛhi, muṭhi krodh chaṇḍāli. Kaari kaḍhi kiā thīai, jāṁ chāre baiṭhiā nāli.

(Sri Raag, Page 91)