Wali was dumbfounded by Nanak’s strange actions. Mardana was also aware of his guru’s spiritual powers. He still looked confused as he had never witnessed his guru do something so strange. Scratching his beard, he kept his eyes glued on Nanak’s every movement. After a few minutes, Nanak stopped singing. He simply bent down, effortlessly picked up a large stone and tossed it aside. It rolled over scores of pebbles and settled amongst other rocks. The inquisitive villagers followed the rolling stone till it came to rest. But when nothing happened, they looked at each other, wondering what had occurred.

And just as they were beginning to give up, a big fountain of fresh water erupted from beneath the earth’s surface, exactly from where Nanak had displaced the stone. The stream sprang high up in the air and fell on the parched, sandy earth with a gush. The sudden burst took everyone by surprise. In utter disbelief, the crowd retracted at first but then, recovering almost instantly, ran towards the fountain. Their flat, dry and dusty palms felt the cold water. Their tongues caught the droplets mid-air to realize that indeed it was the priceless shower of life. Many lay down on the wet surface while others cupped their hands and drank the sweet nectar to their heart’s content. Having quenched their thirst, they began collecting the precious liquid in their containers.

The water continued to flow freely in a steady stream and soon created a large pool at the foot of the mountain. The villagers realized that their deep desire to have their own reservoir had been fulfilled. Ecstatic and filled with joy, the innocent, humble and poor farmers began dancing. Their bare feet hit the wet soil and tiny droplets splashed on their sunburnt faces. Water had been scarce, but now, their livestock wouldn’t die of thirst, their children would be able to quench their thirst at will and they would have sufficient water to grow their crops. They even momentarily forgot the saint who had made this happen.

Guru Nanak quietly moved away and sat on a bigger rock at some distance. He had a prayer to say. He needed to thank the lord. A shell-shocked Mardana sat on the edge of the pool, his hands folded under his chin, his feet immersed in water. His heart was filled with gratitude. He felt blessed to be accompanying a true saint on his travels.