The Source Book On Sikhism

Malin, or the Gardener’s Wife

Mohina and Sohina were once rich people but they had renounced all in love of Nanak. They were accomplished singers, gardeners, flower-breeders and poets. They came in disguise as poor people, and entered Gobind’s service in his garden. They never tried to see him as they had once had sentence pronounced against them by a Sikh “He will not grant you a glimpse of himself”: these words had escaped the lips of the Sikh when he was fatally wounded and dying of thirst, and when he was refused water by Mohina and Sohina who were carrying sacred water to the temple for the worship of their stone deity - for at that time they were idol-worshippers. They had been so haunted by the Sikh that they had returned hurriedly from the sanctuary to give him the very same water, but the Sikh had died meanwhile. His voice rang in their empty souls: “He will not grant you even a glimpse of himself”. One day Kesara Singh (Saffron Singh), the Guruís gardener, exhibited specimens of their work of plant breeding and making many a flower bloom out of its season, and named them to the Guru. Nobody else knew anything about them. He looked up to the sky, and repeated in an undertone the words of the dying Sikh, “He will not grant you a glimpse of himself”. Then he added: “Tell them they cannot see the Master yet”. But the Mother afterwards paid them occasional visits in their neat nest-like hut in the garden, and they used to sing the song of the master to her. Every morning, whatever the season, they sent her a garland of flowers, with which the Mother garlanded the Beloved. One day, a Faqir called Roda Jalali came and begged of the couple for some of their flowers that seemed to him a curiosity at that season. Mohina and Sohina could not part with them; they were sacred. Roda Jalali stole like a cat into the garden at night, and plucked all the flowers with a view to presenting them to the Guru in the morning. Next morning, as the Master was sitting in the assembly of disciples, Roda Jalali presented himself and made an offering of the basket of flowers. “Why did you not bring gold Mohurs as an offering?” said the Master. “Faqirs never touch gold", said Jalali. “Then a Faqir should come empty handed”, said he, “the empty hands of a Faqir are beautiful”. “But one must come with an offering”, said Jalali. Thereupon the Master made a sign to Bhai Mani Singh to take off Roda Jalali’s cap from behind - when lo! a few gold Mohurs fell out of it. Meanwhile the Guru, looking at the flowers, cried like a grieved father: “O Roda! You have not plucked flowers from the bush, but you have torn two souls from God”. Saying this, the Master ran barefooted to the hut of Sohina and Mohina. The couple had already fainted amid their despoiled bushes; they seemed near to death. He revived them with his glance, and sat by them, lifting their head into his lap while the Mother gave them water to drink. Their opening eyes saw those of the master gazing deeply into them. Thus did Mohina and Sohina enter the path of discipleship.