I took this photograph in 2012 when I was in Sultanpur Lodhi, India, studying kirtan with my teacher, Bhai Baldeep Singh Ji.  Sultanpur Lodhi is particularly rich in history and is a place where Guru Nanak spent his early adulthood.  There was a small mosque which dated back to Guru Nanak’s time very near where we were studying.  In one corner of the little holy space I found this table you see in the photograph with an image of Guru Nanak.

This picture tells the story of Guru Nanak when he was asked to do Namaaz — the prayer offered five times each day by observant Muslims — with the Islamic holy men in this very mosque. Guru Nanak agreed and went inside to pray.

As you can see from the picture he is not bowing with them.  When he was asked why he did not keep his word and do Namaaz with them, he explained that they weren’t really doing Namaaz either, their thoughts were elsewhere: one of the holy men was worrying that a new baby calf would fall into the well next to the mosque, and another was thinking about a horse he would like to own.

Guru Nanak told the men that he would do Namaaz when they did Namaaz.

For more information about my trip you can see the Anad Foundation’s website.