Lehal Library

Birth of Sikhism 31 The people replied, "He was in the river and is out of his mind." The Khan said: "Friends, this is very distressing", and turned back in sorrow.' 'Nanak went and joined the fakirs. With him went the musician Mardana. One day passed. The next day he got up and spoke. "There is no Hindu, there is no Mussalman." Whenever he spoke, this is all he would say: 'There is no Hindu, there is no Mussalman.'" 16 This incident probably took place in AD 1499 when Nanak was in his thirtieth year. It marks the end of the first phase of his life: the search for the truth was over; he was ready to go forth to proclaim it to the people of the world. There is some uncertaintv about the exact itinerary· of Nanak's travels in the years following. 17 All sources are, however, agreed that he did travel extensively to different parts of India and abroad as far west as Baghdad. Wherever he gained adherents he set up a centre of worship. In all probabilily the first extensive tow· was to the east, when he went through Hindu places of pilgrimage like Mathura, Benares. Gava, and on to Bengal and Assam. 111 On the way back he stopped at Jagganath Puri. He spent some years travelling in the Punjab, paying more than one visit to the Sufi establishment at Pak Pattan. His next tour was southwards through Tamilnad down to Ceylon. He is said to have come back along the western coast through Malabar. Konkan, Bombay, and Rajasthan. 1!1 The third tour was in the Himalayan regions as far as Ladakh. 16 JcmamsaJ/hi, pp. 18, 19. 17 TI1e janamsakhis and the evidence of lablets found in Baghdad are at ,·ariance on the subject. 18 See Dnra, Rrview. OcLOber; Nm·ember 191!5. pp. 224-32; Janua11 1916, pp. 316-22: Febn~/ March 1916. pp. 375-8. Anic-les b) Gurbaksh Singh on the relics commemorating Gum Nanak's visit lo Bengal and the evidence of his tours in Bihar and Assam. 19 There 1s reason to doubt cbe extent oflhisjoumey. Thcjanamsakhis ar(' unanimou~ in stating that the king of Ceylon was a Hindu. This is historically incorrect. Besides, there is \'ery liu..le direct refcrt'n<"<: to Buddhism in Gwu Nanak·s compositiom;; only Buddhist nomencla111rc: like nirniiiia, sa,igat, etc. which was also used by the Hindus, appc:ar in his