Sajjan Thug - The Reformed Robber

Dadi: "Guddu, can someone who has done terrible things ever truly become good?"

Guddu: "I think so? If they really want to change?"

Dadi: "Tonight I'll tell you about a man named Sajjan who proved that even the darkest heart can become pure. His name meant "good person" - but his deeds were anything but good."

Guddu: "What did he do?"

Dadi: "Sajjan lived in a town called Tulamba. On the outside, he seemed wonderful. He had built a comfortable inn for tired travelers. He even built a mosque for Muslims and a temple for Hindus. Everyone thought he was generous and kind."

Guddu: "That sounds good so far..."

Dadi: "But Sajjan had a dark secret. At first, he just kept things that travelers forgot. Then he started stealing from sleeping guests. Then he began killing travelers who had valuable belongings and burying their bodies at night."

Guddu: "That's horrible! He was a murderer!"

Dadi: "A murderer who hid behind the appearance of goodness. The "sajjan" (good person) had become a "thug" (robber). People started calling him "Sajjan Thug." He and his men would gain travelers' trust, then attack them at night."

Guddu: "Did no one suspect?"

Dadi: "His disguise was very clever. Imagine - a kind innkeeper with a temple and mosque! Who would suspect such a man?"

Guddu: "What changed him?"

Dadi: "One evening, Guru Nanak arrived at his inn with his companion Bhai Mardana. Sajjan looked at the Guru's peaceful face and thought, "This must be a wealthy holy man. He will have valuable offerings.""

Guddu: "He wanted to rob Guru Nanak?"

Dadi: "Yes! He served them food with extra attention, planning to attack them that night. But here's where things went differently. Evening came, and Sajjan told the Guru to go to sleep."

Guddu: "What did Guru Nanak say?"

Dadi: "The Guru replied, "God's minstrel does not sleep until God sends word." Then he began to sing a hymn while Mardana played music."

Guddu: "What was the hymn about?"

Dadi: "It was about false appearances. The words explained that if a person is bad at heart, outward shows of goodness mean nothing. God knows our minds - no one can fool Him. True friends are our good deeds, not our masks. Bad actions make our souls dirty, and that dirt follows us even after death."

Guddu: "Was Sajjan listening?"

Dadi: "Every word went into his ears and straight to his heart. As the hymn continued, Sajjan began to "see" himself truly for the first time. He saw the bodies he had buried. He saw the trust he had betrayed. He saw what he had become."

Guddu: "What happened then?"

Dadi: "Sajjan Thug fell at Guru Nanak's feet, trembling. "Guru Ji," he confessed, "I am Sajjan only by name. By my deeds, I am a thug. I have killed. I have robbed. I am an evil man.""

Guddu: "What did the Guru say to a murderer?"

Dadi: "Guru Nanak said something beautiful: "In the kingdom of God, grace is obtained by two things - open confession and making right what you did wrong.""

Guddu: "How could he make murder right?"

Dadi: "He couldn't undo the past. But he could give everything he had stolen to the poor. He could stop his evil immediately. He could dedicate his remaining life to goodness."

Guddu: "Did Sajjan do it?"

Dadi: "He gave away all his ill-gotten wealth. He became a true follower of the Guru. His inn was converted into a dharamsal - a place for worship and service to travelers. It became the first major center Guru Nanak established for his disciples!"

Guddu: "The place of murder became a place of worship?"

Dadi: "Yes! The very building where evil happened became a source of light. A "sajjan" by name, who became a thug by profession, finally became a sajjan by his deeds."

Guddu: "That's a powerful transformation, Dadi."

Dadi: "It is. Today in Pakistan, there's a Gurdwara built in his memory. Even Guru Nanak Dev University has a guest house named after him! From murderer to someone honored by universities."

Guddu: "So anyone can change?"

Dadi: "That's the message, beta. No matter what we've done, the door to goodness is never permanently closed. It takes three things: honest confession (admitting what we did wrong), true repentance (feeling genuine remorse), and changed action (actually living differently)."

Guddu: "Sajjan did all three."

Dadi: "And so can anyone. The Guru didn't run from the thug or condemn him forever. He sang truth until the thug's own heart convicted him. Then he showed him the way back."

Guddu: "I like that God gives second chances."

Dadi: "Not just second chances, beta - infinite chances. The door of grace is always open. We just have to walk through it honestly. That's what Sajjan Thug learned, and that's what his story teaches every generation: it's never too late to become the good person your name was meant to be."