"Saflo birakh haree-aavalaa chhaav ghanaeree hoe||
He is the fruit-bearing tree, luxuriantly green with abundant shade." (Guru Nanak) SGGS||59
One day Guru Nanak's father Kalu sent him to watch over the family’s herd of cows and buffalo while they grazed from early morning until late evening. Rai Bular, the headman, of Nanak’s village, rode out on horseback to survey the village fields. As he passed by the pasture where Nanak’s herd grazed, he noticed the boy resting beneath the shade of a Jal tree in a meditative pose.
On his return Rai Bular noticed something amiss with the afternoon shadows cast by the trees in Kalu’s pasture. He rode closer and observed an odd occurrence. The shade of one Jal tree had remained in the same spot since morning. It had not moved with the sun, as had the shadows of the surrounding trees.
Mystified the Rai rode up closer to inspect the tree. He looked up towards the sun and then down to the ground. He spied Nanak Dev in a meditative posture beneath the tree where he had been since morning. The tree’s shadow had lingered to protect Nanak from the scorching sun as he contemplated God, providing him with its cooling shade during the hottest part of the day. Feeling that he had witnessed a miracle, Rai Bular realized that Nanak Dev could be no ordinary person.
Read About Historic Gurdwaras Commemorating Guru Nanak's Childhood
