After departing from Prayag, Allahabad, Guru…

After departing from Prayag, Allahabad, Guru Nanak Dev Ji reached Banaras. During those days, the Shivratri fair was taking place. There, a belief had spread among the people that if, on the festival of Shivratri, a donor gave away all his wealth and, freeing himself from worldly attachments, conquered his desires by having his body cut into two pieces with a special type of saw kept in the Shiva temple, he would attain salvation.

A local king and landlord, Harinath, had been persuaded into this superstition. In reality, he had already attained detachment and desired to renounce the world to achieve the ultimate state.

After appointing his son as his successor and donating a vast amount of wealth to the priests, the priests, according to their pre-planned scheme, firmly convinced him that by being cut by the saw and dying, he would immediately attain the supreme state. To fulfill this desire, the simplest and only means was to execute this program during the Shivratri festival.

Upon reaching Banaras, Guru Nanak Dev Ji learned about this and arrived there in time to prevent this heinous act of murder.

What he saw was that King Harinath was sitting under the saw. The priests, at that moment, lightly moved the saw over his head just once, causing fountains of blood to gush out. However, as per their predetermined plan, they did not move the saw a second time and instead started shouting, "The sinner has arrived! The sinner has arrived!" Because of this, they claimed that the gods had held the saw and it would not move further. They further declared that the saw would only proceed when the king’s son once again made a donation as per the gods' wishes.

Hearing this, King Harinath’s successor said, "My father has already given you almost everything. Now, nothing remains that I can give you."

Then the priests said, "You still have the rights to your ancestral estate. Give that to us as well."

However, the prince replied, "How is this possible?"

On the other hand, writhing in pain, King Harinath said to his son, "I am in the middle of my journey. Hurry and grant me salvation."

At this moment, the priests urged the prince, "Do not be attached to false worldly wealth. Quickly give us your word so that the gods will be pleased and order the saw to move again."

Then Guru Nanak Dev Ji roared in a loud voice, "Stop! Stop! Do not commit this atrocity. Remove the saw from his head immediately!"

Guru Ji addressed the prince, "Why are you standing like a coward? At this very moment, order your officers and soldiers to free your father from the clutches of these fraudsters."

That was it! The prince's mind was struck by realization, and he immediately grasped the situation. Without delay, he ordered the priests to be captured and imprisoned. King Harinath was treated, and since the wound was not too deep, his life was saved. In this way, Guru Nanak Dev Ji intervened in time and prevented a heinous crime from taking place.

Addressing the entire gathering, Guru Ji said, "We are acting like fools in the grip of superstition. Everyone should firmly remember one thing—no one can attain liberation without meditating on the Divine, no matter how many donations they make or what rituals they follow to leave their body. Salvation can only be achieved through self-purification while performing all kinds of duties in this world. In other words, true liberation comes from conquering the mind. A person should live life by controlling their desires."

After this incident, Guru Ji received great respect in Banaras, and many scholars began to come to have his darshan. During discussions on spiritual philosophies, everyone expressed their doubts, and the main issue that emerged was that the Vedas are based on the principle of virtue (punya) and sin (paap). However, Guru Ji described such ideas as mere transactions. So, what is the real path to attaining the Divine?

In response, Guru Ji said, "Balancing sin and virtue is merely a calculation—it is nothing more than a business transaction. In reality, a successful life is based on high moral conduct and deep devotion to the Divine. To achieve this, one must take inspiration from the ‘Guru’s Word,’ curb the restless tendencies of the mind, and hold onto the company of the saintly."

"Sabad sahaj nahi bujhia, janam padaarath manmukh haaria."