The Corpse Test - Bhai Lehnas Devotion

Dadi: "Guddu beta, today I'll tell you a story about the ultimate test of devotion - a test so strange that almost everyone failed it except one man."

Guddu: "What kind of test, Dadi?"

Dadi: "This is the story of how Guru Nanak chose his successor. It wasn't his sons. It was a man named Bhai Lehna, who became Guru Angad through incredible devotion."

Guddu: "Why didn't the Guru's sons become the next Guru?"

Dadi: "You'll understand when you hear about the test. One day, a famous yogi visited Guru Nanak in Kartarpur. Looking at the peaceful Sikh community, the yogi said, "What a beautiful community you have built, Guru Ji!""

Guddu: "It must have been a nice place!"

Dadi: "Guru Nanak replied mysteriously, "You will see just how beautiful." The next day, the Guru announced, "We will all go on a walk together!" Everyone got ready, but then strange things began happening."

Guddu: "What kind of strange things?"

Dadi: "Dark clouds filled the sky. The wind howled. And when Guru Nanak came out of his house... he looked wild. His eyes were fierce. He had ferocious, barking dogs with him. He carried a sharp knife. Without a word, he started walking at great speed into the forest."

Guddu: "That sounds scary, Dadi!"

Dadi: "Many people were scared. But they followed. As they walked, copper coins appeared on the ground. People thought, "The Guru is rewarding us for following!" They picked up the coins and went home, satisfied."

Guddu: "They gave up for some coins?"

Dadi: "The first test. Money was more important to them than staying with the Guru. The group became smaller. They walked deeper into the forest. And then..."

Guddu: "Then what?"

Dadi: "They came upon a terrible sight. A corpse was lying next to a funeral pyre. It was covered with a cloth, but the smell of decay was gut-wrenching. It was almost impossible to breathe near it."

Guddu: "*makes a face* That sounds horrible!"

Dadi: "Guru Nanak looked at the remaining followers and said, "Whoever wants to accompany me must eat this dead body.""

Guddu: "EAT a dead body?! That's... that's disgusting!"

Dadi: "Everyone stepped back. Everyone... except Bhai Lehna. He stood firm, looking at his Guru."

Guddu: "He was willing to do it?"

Dadi: "Guru Nanak said again, "Either eat or run away!" And Bhai Lehna simply asked, "Guru Ji, from which side should I begin eating?""

Guddu: "*eyes wide* He actually was going to do it?"

Dadi: "His devotion was so complete that if his Guru asked him to do something, he would do it without question. With total surrender, he lifted the cloth to begin... and do you know what he found underneath?"

Guddu: "What?"

Dadi: "Instead of a rotting corpse, there was Guru Nanak himself lying there, smiling! In some versions of the story, he found sacred prasad - blessed food - instead."

Guddu: "It was a test all along!"

Dadi: "The strangest test imaginable. But it proved something profound. While everyone else thought about coins, or ran from difficult smells, or worried about social rules, Bhai Lehna thought only of one thing: following his Guru completely."

Guddu: "Is that why he became the next Guru?"

Dadi: "Yes. Guru Nanak embraced him and said, "Bhai Lehna is of me. He is my very limb. That is why he shall be known as Angad." The name Angad means "body part" or "limb" - because Lehna had become one with his Guru."

Guddu: "What about Guru Nanak's own sons?"

Dadi: "They had failed the earlier tests. They picked up the coins. They refused difficult tasks. Being a Guru isn't inherited by blood, beta. It's earned through devotion, humility, and complete surrender of the ego."

Guddu: "Dadi, I don't think I could eat a dead body even if someone asked!"

Dadi: "*laughs* And in normal life, no one should! The point isn't about eating corpses, beta. The point is about complete trust and surrender. Bhai Lehna didn't question his Guru. He didn't say, "But why?" or "That's impossible!" He simply said, "From which side should I begin?""

Guddu: "He had zero ego."

Dadi: "Exactly. His humility and devotion completely consumed his ego. That's why he became worthy of sitting on the throne of Guruship. The test wasn't really about the corpse. It was about whether Lehna could trust his Guru even when everything seemed wrong, scary, or impossible."

Guddu: "And he could."

Dadi: "Some people say Guru Nanak only had one true Sikh - Bhai Lehna. Not because others weren't devoted, but because when the ultimate test came, only one person was willing to do whatever it took."

Guddu: "What can I learn from this, Dadi?"

Dadi: "That true devotion isn't about easy things. Anyone can follow when the path is pleasant. The real test comes when things get difficult, strange, or seemingly impossible. That's when we discover what our faith is really made of."

Guddu: "And also not to get distracted by money?"

Dadi: "*smiles* Yes! Those copper coins were a trap. Quick rewards that made people abandon the bigger journey. In life too, easy gains can distract us from greater purposes."

Guddu: "Dadi, I hope if I'm ever tested, I'll be like Bhai Lehna!"

Dadi: "The beautiful thing, beta, is that life gives us small tests every day. How we handle those prepares us for the bigger ones. Now come, let's have dinner - no strange tests required, I promise!"

Guddu: "*laughs* Just delicious food?"

Dadi: "Just love and food, mere bacche. Just love and food."