Guru Gobind Singh - Lesson of Pure Hands

Dadi: "Guddu, look at your hands."

Guddu: "*looks* Okay... they're just my hands, Dadi."

Dadi: "Are they pure or dirty?"

Guddu: "I washed them before dinner! They're clean!"

Dadi: "*smiles* That's not the kind of pure I mean. Let me tell you a story about Guru Gobind Singh and a rich boy's hands."

Guddu: "Okay, Dadi!"

Dadi: "One day, the great Guru Gobind Singh was teaching his followers. He announced, "I am thirsty. Who will bring me water?""

Guddu: "Someone must have jumped to help!"

Dadi: "A rich boy spoke first. "I will, Guru Ji!" He was eager to serve. He ran off and brought back a glass of water."

Guddu: "That was nice of him."

Dadi: "But the Guru looked at the boy's hands. They were soft and smooth - the hands of someone who had never worked a day in his life. "Tell me, boy, what do you do for work?""

Guddu: "What did the boy say?"

Dadi: "The boy said proudly, "My parents are very rich. I don't need to work. Whenever I want something, a servant brings it to me.""

Guddu: "He never worked at all?"

Dadi: "Never. He just took and took. The Guru set the water aside without drinking it. Later, someone asked, "Guru Ji, weren't you thirsty? Why didn't you drink the water?""

Guddu: "What did the Guru say?"

Dadi: ""That water is dirty. His hands have dirtied it.""

Guddu: "But the boy didn't touch anything dirty!"

Dadi: "That's not the kind of dirty the Guru meant, beta. He explained, "Hands are made pure by doing service. If you never serve others, never work, never give - your hands become dirty in a different way. And anything you touch carries that energy.""

Guddu: "Oh... so even though his hands were clean from washing, they were spiritually dirty?"

Dadi: "Exactly. The rich boy was a taker, not a giver. He always received but never gave back. And that made his heart - and his hands - impure."

Guddu: "That's a deep thought, Dadi. What happened to the boy?"

Dadi: "These words hit him hard. He realized that being rich wasn't enough. Being a good person wasn't enough if you never did anything for others."

Guddu: "Did he change?"

Dadi: "He changed completely! He started waking up early - something he had never done before. He took cold showers and did his prayers. And then, he went to the Guru's kitchen and worked."

Guddu: "What did he do there?"

Dadi: "He served food to the hungry. He scrubbed dirty pots. He swept the floor. He cleaned dishes. His soft hands became rough and stained from real work."

Guddu: "That's a big change for a rich boy!"

Dadi: "After some time, he brought water to the Guru again. This time, Guru Gobind Singh looked at his hands - now rough and marked from labor. He looked at the water - now carrying the vibration of love and service."

Guddu: "And?"

Dadi: "The Guru smiled and said, "THIS is pure water!" And he drank it happily."

Guddu: "*quiet for a moment* Dadi, I think I understand. Even though I'm a kid, I should help around the house, right?"

Dadi: "*nods* Making your bed, helping in the kitchen, doing your schoolwork properly - these aren't just chores. They make your hands pure. They make your heart shine."

Guddu: "But what if I don't feel like working?"

Dadi: "The story teaches us that when we only receive and never give, something inside us becomes spoiled. But when we serve others - even in small ways - we grow. Our hearts become light, and our hands become pure."

Guddu: "I want pure hands, Dadi. Tomorrow, I'll help Mommy with the dishes without being asked!"

Dadi: "*hugs him* That's my good boy. And you know what? When you serve with love, it doesn't feel like work at all. It feels like joy."

Guddu: "Like the rich boy felt after he changed?"

Dadi: "Exactly. He found something money could never buy - the happiness of giving. Now, goodnight, my little seva-dar."

Guddu: "Goodnight, Dadi!"