The Sacred Thread Rejected

Dadi: "Guddu, tonight I'll tell you about how a nine-year-old boy challenged centuries of tradition - and changed everything."

Guddu: "A nine-year-old? Like someone my age?"

Dadi: "Just your age, beta. His name was Nanak - who would grow up to become Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith. But on this day, he was just a boy about to go through an important Hindu ceremony."

Guddu: "What ceremony?"

Dadi: "The sacred thread ceremony - janeu. When a Hindu boy from an upper-caste family reaches a certain age, he's given a thread to wear around his shoulder. It's supposed to mark him as educated, religious, and respectable."

Guddu: "Like a graduation ceremony?"

Dadi: "A bit, yes. Nanak's father, Mehta Kalu, was a prominent man in their village. All the relatives, neighbors, and the family priest Hardial gathered. It was supposed to be a day of great celebration."

Guddu: "What happened?"

Dadi: "The priest lifted the sacred thread to place it on young Nanak's neck. And Nanak caught it with his hand and stopped him."

Guddu: "*surprised* He stopped the priest?"

Dadi: ""What is this?" the boy asked. "What good does this thread do?""

Guddu: "Nobody had ever asked that before?"

Dadi: "Everyone just did what tradition told them. But Nanak asked questions. The priest explained that wearing the thread made you a true high-caste Hindu. Without it, you would be considered lower class."

Guddu: "That doesn't sound fair."

Dadi: "Nanak thought the same. He asked, "Why is this thread only for upper-caste men? Why can't women wear it? Why can't people from lower castes wear it? If it truly makes you holy, shouldn't everyone have it?""

Guddu: "Good questions!"

Dadi: "The priest and Nanak's father were shocked. Nobody questioned these things! But Nanak continued: "This thread is made of cotton. It will break. It will get dirty. It will decay. When I die, my body will be left behind with this thread. Only my soul will continue. If you can give me a thread that goes with my soul, I will wear that.""

Guddu: "*eyes wide* He said that at nine years old?"

Dadi: "He was wise beyond his years. Then he said something that the priest couldn't answer: "People wear this thread and still lie, cheat, and harm others. How does a cotton thread make someone holy? True holiness must come from within.""

Guddu: "What kind of thread would he wear?"

Dadi: "Nanak gave a beautiful teaching that is still remembered today. He said: "Make compassion the cotton, contentment the thread, modesty the knot, and truth the twist. This is the sacred thread of the soul. This is a thread that never breaks, cannot be soiled, cannot be burnt, cannot be lost.""

Guddu: "A thread made of compassion and truth!"

Dadi: "His father was embarrassed in front of all the guests. The priest was angry. But everyone was hushed into silence by the wisdom of this little boy. They felt something true had been spoken."

Guddu: "Did Nanak ever wear the cotton thread?"

Dadi: "Never. And he lived his whole life remembering God, being kind, speaking truth - without any external symbol. He proved that holiness comes from within, not from rituals."

Guddu: "But Dadi, are all rituals bad?"

Dadi: "Not at all, beta. Rituals can be beautiful ways to remember God and connect with community. But Nanak's point was that rituals without inner change are empty. What good is a thread if your heart is impure?"

Guddu: "It's like wearing a doctor's coat but not knowing medicine?"

Dadi: "*laughing* Exactly! The coat doesn't make you a doctor. The knowledge and skill do. Similarly, the thread doesn't make you holy. Compassion, truth, and contentment do."

Guddu: "Did people listen to Nanak?"

Dadi: "Millions eventually did. He traveled across India for decades, teaching that God is one, that all humans are equal, that rituals without love are meaningless. His teachings became the foundation of Sikhism."

Guddu: "All because a nine-year-old asked "why?""

Dadi: "Never underestimate the power of asking questions, beta. Sometimes the youngest person in the room sees most clearly. And never do something just because "everyone does it." Ask yourself: Does this make me kinder? More truthful? More compassionate? If not, maybe you need a different kind of thread."

Guddu: "I'll wear the thread of compassion, Dadi!"

Dadi: "That's my wise grandson. It's the only thread that truly lasts. Sweet dreams, mera bachcha."