Mehta Kalian Das, also known as Mehata Kalu, was a Bedi, a caste well versed in the Vedas. As a Child, Guru Nanak was given the name of Nanak Rai in the Hindu tradition of the day. Talwandi, the village where he was born came to be known in due course as Nanakana Sahib – the holy city of Nanak. It is located about 50 km north-west of Lahore, Pakistan.

While playing with other children, Nanak was always fair, he made friends with the poor and so-called low castes. Hindu and Muslim boys were equally good friends of his. He had a melodious voice and liked to sing devotional songs. When he would sing, he would go into a trance; phrases tripped on his lips and he composed hymns praising the Lord. He would take long walks and go out of his village and into the fields and jungle. There was always a freshness on his face, a soothing light in his eyes. He was genial and gentle, suave, soft-spoken and sweet tempered.

Nanak Rai’s sister, Nanaki, was deeply attached to him, she wondered whether this was because he was her only brother, but deep down she knew it was more then that. Every time she saw Nanak, she felt a tug at her heart; he was indeed unlike all the other children. When he was asleep, Nanaki would see a glow on his face. It was enchanting to watch him and she would look at him for hours on end. Sitting alone she would sometimes sense a sudden sweet fragrance spreading around the courtyard and turning her face she would find her younger brother entering the house. When he sat in the prayer chamber, she would hear the beating of symbols and arti being recited in praise of God, she would remain glued to wherever she sat. She had no doubt that her brother was no ordinary child, but she dared not talk about it to anyone, she kept it a closely guarded secret. Nanak was to emerge in due course as the Divine Master, had his first devotee in his own sister. She found in her brother an evolved soul, a messenger of God.

The second disciple of Nanak was Rai Bular, the muslim chief of the village. Day after day, week after week and month after month he heard amazing stories about Mehta Kalu’s child. His utterances astonished both the Hindus and Muslims; they found them bold and meaningful and endowed with an unusual charm. The village school teacher Gopal Panda soon found that there was little left that he could teach Nanak. Guru Ji learned reading and writing quickly. He even composed an acrostic on the Punjabi alphabet. When the teacher tried to teach him arithmetic, he found Guru Ji proficient in figure work too. Nanak told his teacher that without knowledge of God all other knowledge was meaningless. Without truth, even a cartload of books is of little use: