"Wow Vechara, I can't believe you caught a mermaid!" said the fisherman's son and they helped him haul the net out of the river into their wooden boat. The mermaid was wriggling and furious, "Let me go, you men think you can take what you want. I'm not just another fish in the sea, I am queen of the ocean, daughter of the Creator and nobody else's slave, so release me at once!"
As the air touched her fin it changed into a pair of legs, now there was a naked woman lying at their feet. The fisherman's son was looking lustfully at her, his father was thinking that life was so difficult since his wife died, and this beautiful lady could cook and clean and worship the ground he walked on. Vechara was thinking that women are nothing but trouble, and recently he'd been trying to follow the teachings of the great Baba Bayb-koof who never got married, who never even looked at a woman. Baba Bayb-koof spent his whole life surrounded by young men who would ensure that no deceiving woman could cross his path. If Baba Bayb-koof did happen to see a woman, even accidentally, he would spend 40 days in solitary confinement, eating only fruit and water purifying himself. Baba Bayb-koof was a great man, no-one was as wise and pure as him. He taught that the soul was born again and again, but until it entered the body of a Man it could not attain salvation. That is why Baba Beb-koof had successfully stopped parents from educating their daughters about God. Baba Bayb-koof taught that having attained the Man's body, there would be great tests. A woman would be the one to use her deceiving, sexy charms and drag them away from God. He said a woman was impure because she had periods every month and she should be kept away from the family for 5 days without any human contact. She shouldn't be allowed to cook or clean or touch anything until 5 days had passed, infact her mother, father and brother should turn their head away from her if she looked at them. Baba Bayb-Koof was truly a great saint and Vechara Singh scorned at her and turned his head away.
"Set me free at once!" screamed the mermaid, frantically trying to get the net off her body, "Look I'll give you each one wish if you let me go." The men looked at each other, the fisherman's son didn't believe it and said, "OK, I've been getting pretty bad grades recently, double my intelligience." The mermaid clicked her fingers and the teenager started quoting the ancient holy scriptures, then he started talking about complex maths, physics and chemistry formulas. His father was amazed and said, "If I had half a brain I could easily turn this one fishing boat into an international business. Triple my intelligence!" The mermaid clicked her fingers and amazingly the fisherman got out a pen and piece of paper. He had a vision to convert the bay into a dock where a fleet of fishing trawlers could sail from, he quickly produced a business plan and cashflow projections. The mermaid looked at Vechara, having seen her powers he was jumping up and down with excitement. He said, "Quintuple my intelligience!" The mermaid said, "Are you absolutely sure you want me to make you 5 times cleverer? You know you will see the universe in a completely new way, you will become tuned in with nature and feel the cosmic energy flowing in and around you. You will understand the deeper meaning of life and realise love is the answer and ego is the disease. Are you absolutely sure you want me to click my fingers?"
Vechara thought even Baba Bayb-Koof didn't have power like this mermaid. She insisted that the net was removed and as she dived back into the water a thumb and finger click was heard.
Vechara turned into a woman!
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All of the Guru's made great efforts to raise the status of women in male dominated India. Guru Nanak Dev jee taught that it was the soul that was important, the body was equal regardless of gender. The mouth which sung God's praises would be saved. And a woman was not impure because of monthly periods, the impure person was the one who had lies and slander in their mouth day after day. Guru Amar Das jee insisted that women removed the veil, or purdah, as it was not right they cover themselves up so drastically so that men wouldn't have lustful thoughts on seeing them. Guru Amar Das jee sent women missionaries around India and stopped the cruel practise of Sati were a widow would burn herself on her dead husband's funeral pyre. Guru Ram Das Jee rejected the dowry system, where the grooms' family demanded gifts and presents along with the bride. Guru Ram Das jee said that the only Dowry to ask for was that of God's Name. After Guru Gobind Singh jee, his wife commanded the Khalsa nation. Mai Bhago jee was a great saint-warrior, a lioness fighting alongside lions.
Guru Nanak dev jee summarises in Asa-Dee-Var :
FIRST MEHL: From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound. So why call her bad? From her, kings are born. From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all. O Nanak, only the True Lord is without a woman. That mouth which praises the Lord continually is blessed and beautiful. O Nanak, those faces shall be radiant in the Court of the True Lord. || 2 ||
Posted by Harjit Singh Lakhan