MADNESS FOR GOLD                                

One day Guru Nanak and Bhai Mardana reached a country which was ruled by a very cruel king named Karu. He had an urge to amass gold and silver. If he heard that one of his subjects had some gold or silver, he would ask for it and then take it away by force if his request failed. In this way, he had filled forty boxes with gold and silver.
One day he asked his minister,'' Does anyone in our country possess gold or silver about which we have not come to know?'' The minister said,'' I shall inquire about it and let you know tomorrow.''
On the next day, the minister sent a very beautiful slave girl to the market for sale. The sale price of that slave girl was fixed as one silver coin. A merchant's son went to his widowed mother and said,'' If we buy this slave girl for a silver coin, she will do all the house work and make life easy for you.'' The mother replied,'' We do not have any silver coin in our house but when your father died, he was burried with a silver coin in his mouth. You dig the grave and take out that coin to buy the slave girl.'' When the king came to know about the silver coins in the mouths of the dead, he had all the graves dug up and had the silver coins taken out.
Guru Nanak went to his palace and said to the King's gatekeeper,'' Convey our message to the King, two outsiders want to see him.'' When the King came to the door, he saw Guru Nanak counting pieces of broken earthen pots. The King asked in great wonder,'' O holy man, what use are these pieces to you?'' Guru Nanak replied, '' We are to take these to the next world.'' The King said, '' How can you take these pieces to the next world?'' Guru Nanak replied,'' In the same way as the wealth collected by you by cruelty.'' Hearing this, he realised his mistake. He said,'' I  have great love for gold and silver. Advise me so that my love for gold and silver goes away and I may embark on the path of God.''
Guru Nanak said,'' O Karu, whatever you see with the eyes will be destroyed one day. The wealth which is spent in the name of God, goes along with you to the next world. Horses, forces and kingdm will remain here when death overtakes you. You came to this world alone and empty handed and shall leave this world empty handed. You have seen with your eyes that the dead, who had been buried with one silver coin in their mouths could not take even that one coin with them. How will this wealth amassed with sins and cruelty, go with you? However the sins and cruelty committed will surely go along with you and for committing those sins you will be thrown into the fire of hell.''
Hearing about the fire of hell, he trembled more. He asked,'' How can I  escape that fire?'' Guru Nanak said,'' Only if you shun cruelty henceforth and use the wealth which you have collected by your sins, to provide free meals for the poor.''