[p. 154]
Whether men wear religious garbs or revel in their worldly possessions, they still need the Guru’s guidance.
Men put on many garbs and wander abroad, but in their hearts and minds practise deception.
They shall not find God’s palace, and dying their abode shall be in filth.
O man, be a hermit in thine own home.
He who hath been enlightened by the Guru’s instruction practiseth truth, self-restraint, and good works.
He conquereth his heart by the Guru’s instruction, and obtaineth salvation and deliverance in his own home.
Meet the society of the saints, O man, and meditate on God’s name.
Even though thou enjoy hundreds of thousands of women, and rule the nine regions of the world,
Thou shalt not obtain happiness without the true Guru, but shalt be born again and again.
Wealth and supernatural power follow those, even though they in no wise covet them,
Who wear on their necks God’s necklaces[1] and attach themselves to the Guru’s feet.
What pleaseth God and nothing else shall take place.
The slave Nanak liveth by repeating Thy name, O God ; grant it to him of Thy grace.
The condition of the pious as distinguished from the perverse :—
Men act as they see others act: the perverse acquire not understanding.
[p. 155] The service of the pious whose hearts are pure is acceptable to God.
They sing God’s praises, ever read them, and by singing them become absorbed in Him.
Nanak, the words of those who fix their attention on the Name are ever true.
The saints trade in God’s name :—
God is the wealth and capital of His saints; they trade in consultation with the Guru.
They praise His name for ever and ever ; His name is their merchandise and their support.
In theiy hearts the perfect Guru hath established God’s name as an inexhaustible storehouse.
O my brethren, admonish your hearts.
O man, why art thou indolent ? Ponder on the Name under the Guru’s instruction.
To serve God is to love Him, if pious men reflect on it.
God is not served by hypocrisy : the words of the doubledealer are despised.
He in whose heart are discrimination and reflection uniteth not with him.
He is called the servant of God who claspeth Him to his heart.
The holy man who placeth before Him and entrusteth to Him his soul and body, and rooteth out pride from within him,
Is blest and acceptable, and shall never suffer defeat.[2]
God is obtained by His own favour; without it He is not obtained.
Eighty-four lakhs of species thirst for God, but only he whom He blendeth with Himself shall meet Him.
Nanak, the pious man who is ever absorbed in God’s name shall find Him.
The condition of the perverse is like that of an unhappy wife :—
The acts of the perverse are like the external decorations of a wife separated from her husband :
[p. 156] Her husband cometh not to her couch, and she is ever in disgrace.
Far from reaching her husband’s chamber, she may not see even the door of his house.
The necessity of a spiritual guide :—
Though man mortified himself and performed penance with body reversed, yet pride would not forsake him.
Were he even to investigate the relation between the supreme and the individual soul, he would never obtain the Name.
The name of God abideth in the heart of him who, under the Guru’s instruction, while alive is dead.
The means of obtaining deliverance :—
Whom shall I worship ? What name shall I utter ? Go ask the true Guru.
Let me obey the order of the true Guru and remove pride from within me.
That is real worship and service by which the Name dwelleth in the heart.
It is only from the Name happiness is obtained ; man is adorned by the true Word.
O my soul, be wakeful night and day, and think upon God.
Watch thy field or the kulang Death will descend upon it.
His heart’s desires are fulfilled who is saturated with the Word.
He who feareth, loveth, and serveth God day and night shall behold Him ever present.
Doubts fly far away from him whose heart is ever dyed with the true Word.
He obtaineth the pure Lord who is true and an ocean of excellences.
They who are awake are saved, they who sleep are lost.[3]
They know not the true Word; their lives pass away like a dream.
As from an empty house a guest goeth as he came,
[p. 157] So the life of the perverse man passeth away in vain ; what face shall he show to God ?
Thou art Thyself, O God, all in all; man in a state of pride cannot utter Thy praises.
Recognize the Guru’s instruction, so shall the disease of pride vanish from thy heart.
I touch the feet of those who serve their own true Guru.
Nanak, I am a sacrifice to those who are found to be true in God’s court.
Instruction addressed to the sensual and the rise —
Hear, hear, thou who art seized by lust, why goest thou swaggering along ?
Thou knowest not thine own Beloved ; how shalt thou show thy face to Him ?
I touch the feet of my friends who know their own Spouse.
By associating with the guild of the saints, may I become like them !
O woman, the false have been ruined by their falsehood.
God the Spouse is true and beautiful, and is found by the Guru’s instruction.
The perverse know not their Spouse ; how shall they pass their nights ?
They who are filled with pride burn with desire, and suffer pain from their worldly love.
They who are dyed with the Word, and from whom all pride departeth are happy wives.
They ever enjoy their Spouse and pass their days in the highest delight.
Their Spouse hath abandoned those who are devoid of divine knowledge, and they shall not obtain the Dear One.
The spiritually blind are in darkness ; without beholding the Bridegroom their hunger shall not depart.
Come and meet me, my friends, and cause me to meet my Beloved.
She who by perfect destiny hath met the true Guru, hath found her Beloved and is absorbed in the True One.
[p. 158] The women on whom God looketh with favour are happy wives :
They recognize their Spouse, and offer Him their bodies and their souls.
By dispelling their pride, they find their Spouse in their own homes.
Nanak, they who practise devotion day and night are happy wives worthy of praise.
The holy are compared to non-migratory, the unholy to migratory birds :—
Beautiful is the bird[4] on the tree [5], which pecketh at truth by the Guru’s favour.
It drinketh the essence of God’s name, abideth in happiness, and flieth not hither and thither.
It obtaineth a dwelling in its own nest, and is absorbed in God’s name.
O man, do the Guru’s service.
If thou walk in the way of the Guru, thou shalt be day and night absorbed in God’s name.
Can the birds[6] on the tree be prized which fly in every direction ?
The more they fly, the worse they suffer ; they ever burn and scream.
Without the Guru they cannot behold God’s court or obtain the ambrosial fruit.
For the pious who are naturally true, God is an evergreen LICe.
They reject the three branches [7] and attach themselves to the Word which ts the trunk.
The name of God alone is ambrosial fruit; He Himself giveth it to be eaten.
The perverse even while erect are withered ; they have no fruit or shadow.
[p. 159] Sit not near them; they have neither house nor village.
They are ever cut down and burnt as dry wood; they have neither the Word nor God’s name.
Men act according to God’s order and wander according to their previous acts.
By His order they obtain a sight of Him, and whither He sendeth them thither they go.
Of His own will God dwelleth in their hearts; and they become blended with the True One.
The ignorant wretches who recognize not God’s order, wander about in error.
Their acts are the result of obstinacy, and they are continually disgraced.
They have no peace within them, and they love not the True One.
Beautiful are the faces of the pious who bear love and affection to the Guru.
Theirs is the real worship ; they are dyed with the truth, and found true at the court of the True One.
Fortunate is their advent into the world; they save all their families.
The acts of all are under the eye of God ; none are beyond His supervision.
As the true God beholdeth man, so he becometh.
Nanak, the greatness of the Name is obtained by good acts.
Even the holy without the Guru fall under the influence of mammon :—
Sidhs wander abroad misled by Maya, and contemplate not God with love.
Maya entereth the three worlds, and they are greatly entangled by her.
Without the Guru deliverance cannot be obtained, nor shall doubt and worldly love depart.
Whom do men call Maya ? What doth aede do ?
She it is who hath enchained man in misery[8] and caused him to do works of pride.
[p. 160]
Men even of the lowest caste obtain glory in God’s Count —
Nama, a calico printer, and Kabir, a weaver, obtained salvation from the perfect guru.
Knowing God they embraced His word, and lost their consciousness of caste.
Demigods and men sing their compositions ; none may erase them, my brethren.
Prahlad, the son of a Daitya,[9] read not of religious ceremonies or austerities, yet he knew not worldly love ;
On meeting a true guru he became holy, and uttered God’s name night and day.
He read only of the one God; he required only the one Name, and knew none other.
All long for rest and ultimate repose in God :—
Everybody longeth for rest, but it cannot be obtained without the Guru.
Pandits and astrologers grow weary of reading ; they who wear sectarial dresses wander in error.
If God be merciful, rest is obtained by meeting the Guru.
My brethren, rest is not obtained without the Guru.
It is from the Word rest proceedeth and the true God is obtained.
What is sung at rest is acceptable ; without rest recital is vain.
It is in rest devotion springeth up ; in rest love of God and contempt of the world are produced.
[p. 161] It is from rest happiness and peace are obtained ; without fest jie 1s vain,
It is in rest God is ever and ever praised ; in rest man applieth himself to contemplation.
It is in rest God’s praises are uttered, and man attentively serveth Him.
It is by the Word God dwelleth in the heart, and the tongue tasteth His nectar.
In rest death is destroyed, and man entereth the sanctuary of the True One.
In rest God’s name dwelleth in the heart, and man practiseth truth.
They are very fortunate who have found God and entered into a state of rest.
Rest is not found in mammon which produceth worldly love.
The perverse perform ceremonial works, but they destroy themselves and others by their pride.
Their birth and death cease not ; they come and go again and again.
Rest is not found in Maya with the three qualities ; she leadeth men astray in error.
What avail reading, studying, and talking if men wander from the First Cause ?
In the fourth state there is rest ; it is obtained by the holy.
The name of Him who is without qualities is a treasure ; in rest a knowledge of it is obtained.
The virtuous praising God say, ‘ True is the fame of the Tre One.’
God will grant rest even to those who have gone astray, if they have found the Word.
Without rest all are blind in the darkness of worldly love.
In rest a knowledge of the true eternal Word is obtained.
The perfect Guru, the Creator, hath pardoned and blended me with Himself.
In rest the Unseen, the Fearless, the Luminous, the Formless One is recognized.
There is one Benefactor of all, the Luminous One who blendeth man with His light.
[p. 162] Under the instruction of the perfect Guru praise God who hath no end or limit.
The Name is the wealth of those who possess divine knowledge ; in rest they trade in it.
Night and day they receive God’s name as their profit from a full and exhaustless storehouse.
Nanak, there shall never be a deficiency since the Giver hath given it.
The Guru’s preference for the Sri Rag, the holy measure :—
The Sri Rag is a measure among measures, if any one loving the True One sing in it.[10]
The understanding of him in whose heart the true God dwelleth 1s ever firm and unequalled.
He who pondereth on the Guru’s instruction obtaineth the priceless jewel.
His tongue is true, his heart 1s true, and true his body.
O Nanak, ever true are the dealings of those who serve the true Guru.
The love of mammon deprives men of their senses :—
Until one love the Lord all other love[11] is unstable.
Maya hath infatuated man, so that he cannot see or hear.
Without beholding God love is not produced ; what shall a blind man do?
Nanak, the True One who hath deprived man of sight can restore it.
The true Guru can only be obtained by love :—
The company of the Guru is not easily found cither far or edn:
Nanak, thou shalt meet the true Guru 1f thy heart dwell with him.
[p. 163]
The following is said to have been written when the Guru’s brother-in-law suggested to him that in consequence of his large expenditure on guests, charity, &c., he ought to keep accounts :—
May the pen with the ink-bottle be burnt, may the paper also be burnt !
May the writer who writeth love of the world be burnt !
Nanak, man acteth according to what was destined in the beginning ; nothing else can be done.
To read about other things than God is false ; false it is to speak of worldly things or to love them.
Nanak, nothing is permanent but the Name; man is ruined by perpetual plodding.
The evil of worldly love :—
The whole world is dead repeating ‘ Mine, mine’, yet worldly wealth departeth with no one.
Man suffereth for worldly love ; Death is on the watch for every one.
Nanak, the pious who remember God’s name shall be saved.
The Guru deprecates obstinacy :—
They who obey not God shall copiously weep ;
Through the deceit of their hearts they shall find no sleep.
If woman walk as it pleaseth her Spouse,
She shall be honoured at home and invited to His chamber—
Nanak, such wisdom is obtained by good acts—
And she by the favour of the Guru shall be absorbed in the true One.
The Guru preaches to those who are attached to worldly love :—
O perverse man who possesseth not the Name, err not on beholding the safflower dye of this world.
Paltry is its price, and it shall last but for a few days. The stupid, the blind, and the ignorant die in agony through attachment to mammon.
[p. 164] They fall like worms into ordure, and continually perish therein.
Nanak, they who are imbued with the Name are happy through the kind disposition of the Guru.
The dye of devotion fadeth not; he who applicth it shall remain absorbed in God.
The condition of the perverse :—
The pandits induced by worldly gain read, and read, and recite tne: Weds.
The fool who in his love of mammon forgetteth God’s name, shall be punished therefor.
He never thinketh of Him who gave lim life and body, and suppheth him with his daily bread.
The noose of death shall not be cut from his neck ; he shall come and go again and again.
The perverse man is blind and seeth nothing ;_ he acteth as was predestined for him.
The true Guru is found by complete good fortune ; the Name of the giver of happiness shall then abide in the disciples’s heart.
Nanak, they who forget not the Name by which honour is obtained at the gate of the True One,
Shall enjoy happiness, array themselves in happiness, and pass their lives in happiness.
The condition of the holy :—
By serving the true Guru happiness and the true Name of the Lord of excellences are obtained.
By the Guru’s instruction man knoweth himself, and God’s name is manifested to him.
He who is true acteth truly, and obtaineth greatness near the-Great, One
He praiseth and supplicateth God to whom belong body and soul.
They who praise the true Word, dwell in supreme happiness.
Though man may have practised devotion, penance, and self-restraint, yet without the Name in his heart accursed 1s lis life.
[p. 165] The Name is obtained by the Guru’s instruction ;— the perverse perish through worldly love.
Preserve me, O God, according to Thy will ; Nanak is Thy slave.
The cupidity of the Brahman :—
The Brahman when reading shouteth aloud through love of mammon.
The foolish and ignorant man recognizeth not God who 1s within him.
He preacheth to the world through worldly love, but he understandeth not divine knowledge.
He spendeth his life in vain, and dieth and is born again and again.
He who serveth the true Guru obtaineth the Name ; know and reflect upon this :
His clamour and complaints shall come to an end, and peace and happiness ever abide in his heart.
By reflecting on the Guru’s instruction, man effaceth himself and his mind becometh pure.
Nanak, they who are imbued with the Word and bear love and affection to God shall obtain deliverance.
Spiritual pride cannot be removed without effort :—
Nanak, he is brave and a hero who chaseth the enemy of pride from within him.
The pious man who praiseth the Name reformeth his ies:
He is ever saved and saveth all his families.
He who loveth the Name is honoured at the gate of the True One.
The perverse die in pride ; they die an evil death.
Everything befalleth according to God’s will; what can poor mortals do °
Man forgetteth the Master under the influence of pride and worldly love.
Nanak, without the Name all is suffering ; happiness 1s forgotten.
[p. 166]
The truly pious have no fear of death :—
He in whose heart the true Guru hath established God’s naime is freed from superstition.
He singeth God’s name and praises, light appeareth, and the way 1s shown unto him.
He destroyeth his pride, fixeth his attention on the one God, and implanteth the Name in his heart.
By the Guru’s instruction Death cannot look at him, for he Is absorbed in the true Name.
The Creator Himself pervadeth everything : He applieth to His name those who please Him.
If the slave Nanak repeat God’s name, he shall live ; without the Name he shall immediately die.
The value of true devotion :—
Through the kind disposition of the Guru adore God who is in thy heart.
If man’s spirit have faith in the universal Spirit, it shall be happy at home :
Through the kind disposition of the Guru it shall become steady and Wwover nob
Without the Guru peace is not obtained, and the impurity of covetousness departeth not from the heart.
If for one moment God’s name dwell in the heart, it is as bathing at the sixty-eight places of Hindu pilgrimage.
Impurity attacheth not to the true ; it attacheth to those who love worldly things.
It will never depart by ablution even though one bathe at the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage.
Whatever the perverse proud man doeth, he shall only recelve pain in return.
Nanak, when man is absorbed in the true Guru, his impurity shall be washed away.
The perverse prefer to tread the way of mammon :—
If the perverse be admonished, will they ever heed the admonition ?
If the perverse meet the good, these will not associate with them ; they are doomed to transmigration.
[p. 167] There are two ways—one the love of God, the other of mammon ;[12] the way man treadeth dependeth on God’s will.
The believer chasteneth his heart and applieth to it the touchstone of the Word.[13]
It is with his heart he quarrelleth, with his heart he struggleth, he is engaged with his heart.
Whoever loveth the true Word shall receive what his heart desireth.
He shall ever eat the ambrosia of the Name, and act according to the Guru’s instruction.
They who quarrel with others, instead of quarrelling with their own hearts, waste their lives.
The perverse are ruined by obstinacy and by the practice of falsehood and deception.
He who by the Guru’s instruction subdueth his heart, shall fix his affection on God.
Nanak, the believer practiseth truth ; the perverse suffer transmigration.
Service to the Guru inculcated :—
They who serve the true Guru shall be considered of account.
Having effaced pride from their hearts they shall continue to love the True One.
The lives of those who serve not the true Guru pass in vain.
Nanak, God acteth as He pleaseth ; none may interfere with Him.[14]
The fate of the spiritually blind :—
The spiritually blind who are encompassed by sin, who commit sin, And who worship mammon, shall be punished in God’s court. : Worship the divine spirit ; but without the true Guru He cannot be known.
[p. 168] Devotion, penance, and austeritics please the true Guru, and are obtained by good acts.
Nanak, service should be performed with attention ; he who pleaseth God shall be acceptable.
Vain are the lives of the perverse :—
They who worship not the true Guru or ponder on his words,
Never obtain divine knowledge in their hearts, and are as dead in the world.
They wander in the eighty-four lakhs of existences, and are ruined by transmigration.
He whom God causeth to perform the true Guru’s service shall perform it.
In the true Guru is the treasure of the Name which is obtamed by good acts.
They who are imbued with the word of the true Guru, vier truly love God,
Nanak, he whom God blendeth with Himself, shall never be separated from Him ; he shall naturally be absorbed in Him.
The Guru’s definition of a saint :—
He is a saint who recognizeth God,
Who by the Guru’s favour knoweth himself,
Who restraineth his wandering mind and keepeth the one God in his heart,
Who in life is dead, and who repeateth God’s name—
Such a saint is the best,
And, O Nanak, shall be absorbed in the True One.
The sinner who pretendeth to be a saint :—
He who hath deception in his heart and calleth himself a saint,
Shall never by reason of his hypocrisy obtain the supreme God.
He who practiseth calumny soileth his heart.
He may wash away his bodily filth, but his heart’s impurity shall not depart.
[p. 169] He who quarrelleth with the guild of the saints,
Who is smitten with worldly love, and who remembereth not the Name,
Shall, even though he perform many religious ceremonies, be unhappy night and day.
What is destined from the beginning cannot be effaced.
Nanak, deliverance is not obtained without serving the true Guru.
Hypocrisy is as vain as the external decorations of an evil woman :—
The woman whose conduct is bad, and whose heart 1s counterfeit, may decorate herself, but she shall still be ugly.
She acteth not as pleaseth her Spouse, nay, the foolish woman giveth Him orders.
She who acteth as her Guru desireth shall escape all misery.
The writing which the Creator wrote in the beginning cannot be efiaced.
Let woman devote her soul and body to her Spouse and love His word.
Without repeating His name no one hath obtained God ; reflect on this in thy heart.
Nanak, that woman whom the Creator enjoyeth, shall become beautiful and well-conducted.
The worldly grope in mental darkness, and are miserable without the Guru :—
Worldly love is darkness whose limits cannot be seen.
The perverse, the spiritually ignorant, and those who forget God’s name perish in great misery.
After rising in the morning they perform many hollow ceremonies for the love of mammon ;
Ist, it they serve their tinue Guru, they shall cross: tie terrible ocean.
Nanak, the believers by clasping the true Name to their: hearts shall become absorbed in the True One.
He who turns to idolatry falls to the level of an abandoned woman :—
The perverse woman is filthy, ill-conducted, and evil ;
[p. 170] She leaveth her husband and her home through her love for another man :
Her passion is never extinguished ; she burneth and crieth aloud.
Nanak, without the Name she appeareth misshapen and unlovely, and her husband abandoneth her.
The happiness of the holy :—
She who is tinctured by the Word, and who beareth love and affection to the true Guru is a happy wife.
She whose love and affection are true, shall ever enjoy her Spouse.
Very lovely, beautiful, and honoured shall that woman be.
Nanak, she is called the happy wife whom the Blender hath blended with Himself.
Who shall obtain renown :—
He who acteth according to the wishes of the Guru shall acquire great renown.
The name of God, which is the greatest, shall dwell in his heart, and no one can remove it.
He to whom God showeth His kindness obtaineth the Name through his good acts.
Nanak, the creation is in the power of the Creator ; a few plous men understand this.
Nanak, Mammon who is God’s servant waiteth upon those
Who worship His name and fix their attention on Him night and day.
The perfect One, the Regenerator, by His order hath made them perfect.
They who by the Guru’s favour understand divine knowledge, have attained the gate of deliverance.
The obstinate recognize not God’s order; Death the executioner shall punish them.
The pious who worship God shall cross the terrible ocean of the world.
He whom the Guru himself pardoneth, shall wipe out all his demerits with merits.
[p. 171]
The Guru’s fervid prayer :—
May I meet my Beloved and hold Him to my heart !
May I ever and ever praise my God through the love and affection of the Guru!
Nanak, she is a happy wife whom God looketh on with favour and uniteth with Himself.
The effect of the effacement of spiritual pride :—
If God look on man with favour, he shall obtain Him by service to the Guru.
By pondering on God’s name man becometh a demigod.
He who effaceth his pride meeteth God, and is saved by the Guru’s instruction.
Nanak, they on whom God conferreth His favour become easily united with Him.
God’s greatness and munificence :—
Our lives and bodies are all His ; He supporteth all.
Nanak, under the Guru’s instruction serve Him who Is ever and ever the Giver.
I am a sacrifice to those who ponder on the Formless One.
Their faces are ever bright; the whole world boweth before them.
The spiritual exaltation conferred by the Guru :—
I am completely altered since I met the true Guru; I have obtained the nine treasures to spend and eat.
The eighteen perfections follow in my train, my mind abideth in its own house and home.[15]
Unbeaten sounds ever play for me, and I direct my attention to absorption in God.
Nanak, devotion to God abideth in the hearts of those on whose foreheads such fate was written in the beginning.
The advantages of obeying the word of God :—
He who dieth by the Guru’s word is really dead?[16]
Grief shall not annoy nor Death crush him
[p. 172]Who heareth the true Word, obeyeth it, and treasureth it in his heart ; his ight shall be blended with God’s.
Tam a sacrifice, my life is a sacrifice unto those who derive glory from God’s name,
Who serve the true Guru, who apply their hearts to the True One, and who under the Guru’s instruction have become absorbed in Him.
The body is frail; it is a frail garment for the soul to wear.
If woman attach herself to the world, she shall not attain God’s court.
Night and day she shall burn and wander ; day and night without her Beloved shall she suffer great agony.
Neither men’s bodies nor castes shall go to the next world.
Where the account is taken, there shall man be delivered by the practice of truth.
They who serve the true Guru and are absorbed in the Name, shall be blest here and hereafter.
She who maketh fear and love her decorations,
Shall by the Guru’s favour obtain God in her own home.
She shall always enjoy God, and be day and night tinctured with the fixed dye of His love.
The Beloved ever dwelleth with all,
Though only a few can behold Him by the favour of the Guru.
My Lord is the most high ; through His mercy He blendeth man with Himself.
This world is asleep in worldly love.
Men forget the Name and are ruined at last.
He who put them to sleep will awaken them, and by the Guru’s instruction they shall obtain understanding.
He who drinketh the nectar of God’s name shall have his doubts dispelled,
And by the Guru’s favour attain the state of salvation.
He who is dyed with service shall ever be free from attachment to the world, and, effacing himself, shall be blended with God.
Thou didst create men, O God, and appoint them to their several duties ;
[p. 173] And Thou givest their food to the eighty-four lakhs of animal species.
Nanak, he who is dyed with love for the True One meditateth on the Name, and God causeth him to act according to His will.
All good thoughts arise in the heart :—
Diamonds and rubies are produced in the heart,
But it is by the Guru’s instruction man assayeth them and hath them assayed.
They who possess the truth utter the truth, and apply the touchstone of truth to their hearts.
I am a sacrifice, my life is a sacrifice unto those who implant the Word of the Guru in their hearts.
Though in impurity, they obtain the Pure One; and their light is blended with God’s light.
The perverse may perform hypocritical service, but for their salvation they must attend to the instruction of the Guru :—
The perverse and fools practise cleverness,
But for all their bathing and washing they shall not be acceptable.
As they came into the world, so shall they depart grieving for their transgressions.
The perverse are blind and see nothing.
They have come into the world with death written for them, but they think not of it.
Though the perverse perform religious ceremonies, they obtain not the Name, and without it they lose their human lives.
The essence of the Word is to act honestly.
Through the perfect Guru the gate of deliverance is obtained.
Night and day the Guru reciteth God’s praises and Word ; himself dyed with the truth, he dyeth others therewith.
The advantages of association with the holy :—
By serving the true Guru man obtaineth great glory,
[p. 174] And God the Inconceivable dwelleth in the heart.
God is a tree of goodly fruit; the thirst of him who drinketh its nectar departeth.
I am a sacrifice, and my life is a sacrifice unto Him who causeth me to meet the society of the saints.
God himself causeth us to meet the society of the saints, in which under the Guru’s instruction God’s praises are sung.
Serve the true Guru whose word is pleasant,
And who hath caused God’s name to dwell in the heart.
God is pure: he who removeth the filth of pride shall obtain honour in the court of the True One.
Without the Guru the Name cannot be obtained,
Though Sidhs and strivers continually cry for it.
Without serving the Guru happiness is not obtained, and it is by the greatest good fortune he is found.
The mind is a mirror ; a few holy men behold themselves Pere ti.
Rust attacheth not to it if the filth of pride be wiped away.
The unbeaten strain resoundeth from the pure Word ;_ by the Guru’s instruction man is absorbed in the True One.
Without the true Guru, God cannot in any way be seen.
If the Guru be gracious he showeth Him unto man.
God himself is everywhere diffused, and man by divine knowledge easily blendeth with Him.
He who ts pious loveth the one God,
And by the Guru’s instruction dispelleth his suspicion that there is another.
He who tradeth and trafficketh in the Name in his heart obtaineth the true treasure.
To praise God is the highest duty of the pious:
In this way they attain the gate of deliverance.
He who is dyed with Gad’s love singeth His praises night and day, and ts invited to His palace.
The true Guru, the giver, is found when God causeth us to find him.
Perfect is the fortune of him who causeth the Word to dwell in his heart.
Nanak, the glory of God’s name is obtained by SH is the praises of the True One.
[p. 175]
The world compared to a garden under God’s superintendence :—
This world is a garden ; my Lord is its Gardener :
He guardeth it ever, and there is no part of it exempt from His care.
The odour which He infused into it prevaileth ; what is planted is known by its odour.[17]
The perverse are ailing in this world.
They forget the Giver of health who is inaccessible and illimitable.
Stricken with disease they ever wander lamenting, but without the Guru they obtain not relief.
The following is a satire on actors who represent Krishan and his milkmaids :—
God is bright, and bright are his saints.
Through them my heart, speech, and desires are pure.
The saints’ hearts are bright ; their faces are ever beautiful, and they ponder on the very bright Name.
I ama sacrifice, my life 1s a sacrifice unto those who sing God’s praises,
Who speak of Him day and night, and acclaim Him and His word.
They the filth of whose pride departeth through fear of the Guru become bright,
And sing of God with natural ease.
They ever abide in bliss, they worship day and night, and hear and sing God’s praises.
Fix thine unsteady mind on God’s service ;
Obey the Guru’s instruction, and attune thy heart to it ;
Make the dispelling of worldly love thy true and perfect tune, and set thy heart a-dancing to the Word.
Death shall lie in wait for those who through worldly love
Shout aloud and dash their bodies on the ground.
Wordly love causeth the heart to dance; the deceit of man’s heart causeth him misery.
[p. 176] If God by the Guru’s instruction cause men to serve Him,
Their bodies and minds shall naturally be dyed with His love.
From the Word supernatural music is produced, and the service of the holy player gaineth acceptance.
The perverse beat time and play many musical instruments,
But no one lsteneth or payeth attention to them.
Under the influence of Maya they make a stage and dance, but, on account of their worldly love, they find only suffering.
He in whose heart there is love, hath already obtained Salvation ;
He controlleth his senses and findeth the way of truth and self-restraint ;
Under the Guruw’s instruction he ever pondereth on God— the service that pleaseth him.
It is from the Guru’s instruction God’s service is obtained in the four ages :
Irom no other source may it be obtained.
Nanak, it is by service to the Guru and obeisance at his feet God’s name 1s obtained.
The condition of the pious and the perverse compared :—
The saints whom the Guru’s instruction and the Name adorn,
Are illustrious 1n God’s true court.
They day and night ever abide in bliss, and praising God’s excellences become absorbed in Him.
I am a sacrifice, and my life is a sacrifice unto those who hear the Name and treasure it up in their hearts.
God the true, the most high, removeth their pride and blendeth them with Himself.
God is true, and true is His name.
By the Guru’s favour He blendeth a few with Himself.
They who under the Guru’s instruction meet God, are not again separated from Him; they easily blend with the True One.
Without Thee, O God, nothing can be done ;
Thou beholdest and knowest the work of Thy hands.
[p. 177] Thou actest and causest to act, O Creator; and under the Guru’s instruction Thou blendest man with Thyself.
The virtuous woman who maketh the fear
And love of God her decorations, obtaineth Him.
She who serveth the true Guru is ever a happy wife, and is absorbed in his true instruction.
They who forget the Word have no house or home:
They wander distraught like ravens in a ruined building ;
They lose both this world and the next and pass their lives in extreme misery.
Writing, writing paper, and ink have failed them—
No one hath obtained happiness from worldly love—
They write falsehood, they practise falsehood, and are ruined by their deliberate falsehood.
The pious on the contrary reflect and write what is totally mre
They are true men and gain the gate of deliverance.
True are their paper, pens, and ink; writing the truth they become absorbed in the True One.
My God dwelleth in men’s hearts and beholdeth their acts.
He who through the Guru’s favour meeteth the Lord is of account.
Nanak, they who obtain the Name from a perfect Guru obtain greatness.
God dwells in man’s heart :—
In the cavern of the heart there is an exhaustless storehouse :
In it dwelleth God, the unseen, the illimitable.
He is concealed, but becometh manifest to him who effaceth himself under the Guru’s instruction.
I am a sacrifice, my life is a sacrifice unto those in whose heart the ambrosial Name dwelleth.
Of the ambrosial Name the taste is exceeding sweet; instructed by the Guru they drink its nectar.
He who effaceth his pride openeth the adamant doors of his understanding,
And admitteth the priceless Name by the Guru’s favour.
Without the Guru’s instruction no one obtaineth the Name;
[p. 178] but, if the Guru be gracious, he implanteth it in man’s heart.
The Guru applieth to the eyes the true salve of divine knowledge,
Which illuminateth the heart and dispelleth the darkness of ignorance.
The soul is then happy, light is blended with light, and man obtaineth honour in God’s court.
He who goeth beyond his body to search for God,
Shall not find Him, but shall suffer the great misery of a forced labourer.
The perverse man is blind and seeth not, but, when he returneth home after his search, he shall find the Real Thing by the Guru’s instruction.
He from whom the filth of pride departeth seeth God in his soul and body,
And by the favour of the Guru obtaineth the True One.
He who sitteth down in a good place[18] and ever singeth God’s praises, shall become absorbed in the true Word.
He who restraineth his wandering mind and closeth the nine gates,
Shall obtain a dwelling in the tenth, God’s own home.
There the unbeaten strain resoundeth day and night, and is heard under the Guru’s instruction.
Without the Word there is mental darkness,
Man obtaineth not the Real Thing, nor doth his transmigration cease.
The true Guru holdeth the keys; none save him can open the door ; the true Guru is found by good fortune.
Thou art, O God, in every place at once concealed and manifest.
Man knoweth this when he obtaineth the Guru’s favour.
Nanak, ever praise the Name, and by the Guru’s instruction it shall dwell in thy heart.
Merits and demerits contribute to the attainment of a human body :—
Within the body are two brothers, demerits and merits ;
[p. 179] Men were created out of both.
He who under the Guru’s instruction effaceth them and entereth the asylum of the one God, shall be absorbed in Him:
The pious and the perverse contrasted :—
Their birth is the most exalted and their dwelling-place the best,
Who serve the true Guru and remain hermits in their own homes.
They abide in God’s love, they are ever dyed with His colour, and they satiate their souls with His nectar.
I ama sacrifice, and my life is a sacrifice unto those who read of and know God, and who set Him up in their hearts.
The pious who read and praise God’s name, shall obtain glory at the court of the True One.
The Unseen and Inscrutable One is everywhere contained,
Yet He cannot be found by any worldly contrivance.
If God be gracious the true Guru is found, and he causeth man to meet the Kind One.
He who readeth only secular compositions knoweth not God :
He burneth for Maya of the three qualities ;
But her bonds are broken by the Guru’s instruction ; the Guru’s instruction effecteth salvation.
Man’s mind is volatile and cannot be restrained :
Under the influence of worldly love it wandereth in every direction.
It is a worm bred in poison, attached to poison, and by poison shall it perish.
They who practise egotism and assert themselves,[19]
Are not acceptable even though they perform many devotional works.
There is none besides Thee, O God ; Thou pardonest those who are adorned with the Guru’s instruction.
They who know not God, and night and day
Wander in quest of mammon, are born and again perish.
[p. 180] The life of the perverse man passeth away in vain ; it is when he finally departeth he repenteth.
As when a woman decorateth herself for her spouse who is abroad,
Thus vain are the acts of the blindly perverse.
They have no honour in this world, no admission to God’s court in the next, and they lose their lives in vain.
The few who recognize the Word of the perfect Guru
Know the name of God.
They ever perform service, and day and night easily obtain Test:
The one God pervadeth everything :
A few pious men understand this.
Nanak, they who are dyed with the Name are illustrious, and God of His mercy blendeth them with Himself.
The following is directed against worldly-minded Brahmans :—
The perverse read and are called pandits ;
They suffer great pain from their worldly love ;
They are intoxicated by their evil passions and know nothing ; they enter wombs again and again.
I am a sacrifice, and my hfe is a sacrifice unto those who dispel their pride, and are blended with God.
By serving the Guru, God dwelleth in their hearts, and they easily quaff divine nectar.
Men read the Veds, but obtain not God’s nectar.
Infatuated by mammon the pandits engage in disputations.
Devoid of knowledge they are ever in darkness ;_ the pious know God and sing His praises.
They who are adorned by the Word speak of the Ineffable,
And by the Guru’s instruction the truth is pleasing to their hearts.
They repeat day and night the name of the Truest of the true, and dye their hearts with the truth.
The True One is ever known through the Guru’s instruction; by meeting the True One happiness is obtained.
The filth of falsehood and slander attacheth not
[p. 181] To those who by the Guru’s favour continually watch.
The pure Name dwelleth within their hearts, and their light is blended with the light of God.
They who read only secular compositions [20] know not God, the Real Thing.
They are led astray from the First Cause and recognize not the Guru’s word.
They feel worldly love and understand nothing, but by the Guru’s instruction they shall obtain God.
They who shout out the Veds for the sake of lucre
Are perverse, and through worldly love know not God.
It is secular compositions they read; they know not tlic one God, and suffer misery through their ignorance.
God blendeth with Himself those whom He loveth,
And by means of the Guru’s instruction removeth their doubts and troubles.
Nanak, the Name possesseth true greatness ; by accepting it happiness is obtained.
Polytheism is a cause of evil in the world :—
Maya is the origin of the goddesses and gods
Who composed the Simritis and the Shastars.
She diffused lust and wrath in the world, wherefore man suffereth the pain of transmigration.
Why hath he who serveth not the true Guru come into the world ?
Accursed is his life ; he hath lost his human birth in vain.
The perverse remember not the Name; without it they shall suffer great misery.
The effect of rendering praise and thanksgiving to God :—
In the kal age God’s praise hath appeared as a light for the world ;
Through it a few believers are saved.
God bestoweth it on whom He looketh with favour :
Nanak, such a man becometh holy and receiveth the jewel.
[p. 182]
The fear of God is the only fear that assists :—
In fear man is born, in fear also he dieth, fear ever dwelleth in his heart.
Nanak, profitable is his advent who dieth in the fear of the Lord.
If he who liveth without the fear of God, and enjoyeth countless pleasures,
Also die without that fear, O Nanak, his face shall be blackened.
A Sikh asked Guru Amar Das what advantage he had obtained from association with Guru Angad. The following was the reply :—
God is met by meeting the Guru ;
God then blendeth man with Himself.
My God knoweth all contrivances ;
By His order He blendeth with Himself those who recognize His word.
Through love of the true Guru doubt and fear vanish.
He who feeleth fear shall be absorbed in the love of the Tine-One.
On meeting the Guru, God will naturally dwell in the heart.
My God is great ; His worth cannot be appraised.
Let Him who hath no end or limit, be praised under the Guru’s instruction.
May my God, the Pardoner, pardon me !
On meeting the Guru all wisdom and understanding are obtained.
The heart becometh pure, and the True One dwelleth therein.
When the True One dwelleth in the heart, everything which man doeth is true.
Meditation on the Word is the best occupation.
It is through the Guru true service is performed,
And through his instruction a few know the Name.
May the giver and benefactor[21] live for ever,
Nanak, and may love attach to God’s name!
[p. 183]
The following was composed on the same subject :—
Through the Guru a few obtain divine knowledge :
He who knoweth God through the Guru shall be acceptable.
Through the Guru there resulteth divine knowledge and meditation on the True One ;
Through the Guru the gate of deliverance is attained.
It is only by perfect good fortune the Guru cometh in one’s way.
The true become easily absorbed in the True One.
On meeting the Guru the fire of avarice is quenched.
Through the Guru peace dwelleth in the heart.
Through the Guru man becometh pure, spotless, and immaculate.
Through the Guru the Word which uniteth man with God is obtained.
Without the Guru every one wandereth in doubt.
Without the Name great misery is suffered.
He who is pious meditateth on the Name.
On beholding the True One, true honour is obtained.
Whom shall we call the giver ? The One God.
If He be gracious, the Word by which we meet Him 1s obtained.
May Nanak meet the beloved Guru, sing the True One’s praises,
And becoming true be absorbed in the True One!
God ought never to be forgotten :—
Why forget Him to whom belong life and soul ?
Why forget Him who is contained in everything,
And by serving whom honour is obtained at His court and man becometh acceptable °
I am a sacrifice to the name of God ;
When I forget Thee may I die that moment !
Thou forgettest those who forget Thee—
It is they who love mammon who forget Thee—
The perverse without divine knowledge re-enter wombs.
Those with whom the one God is heartily pleased, He applieth to the service of the true Guru.
[p. 184] The one God dwelleth in the hearts of those with whom He is heartily pleased ;
And under the Guru’s instruction they become absorbed in His name.
They who have stored merits meditate on divine knowledge ;
They who have stored merits efface their pride.
Nanak, Iam a sacrifice unto those who are dyed with the Name.
The perverse sleep, the pious are awake in contemplation of God :—
The perverse have gone to sleep through their love of worldly things ;
The pious are awake contemplating divine knowledge and God’s attributes.
They who love the Name are awake.
Nobody awakened by divine knowledge sleepeth.
A few possess it by means of the perfect Guru.
The impious and the indiscriminating never possess it.
They may claim that they do, but they are burning with worldly love.
The blind unbeliever is never acceptable.
In this age salvation 1s obtained through God’s name,
Which a few obtain by pondering on the Guru’s instruction.
Such are saved themselves and save all their families.
In this kal age there is no work of devotion equal to the repetition of the Name.
The kal took birth in the house of a Sudar.[22]
Nanak, without the Name salvation cannot be obtained.
The advantages of service to the Guru which has been the custom from time immemorial :—
The service of the Guru hath prevailed in the four ages :
A few men practise it.
God’s name is exhaustless wealth in which there is no deficiency.
It ever conferreth happiness in this world and honour in God’s court.
[p. 185] O my soul, doubt not this:
Through the worship of the Guru thou shalt quaff nectar.
They who serve the true Guru are great men in the world :
They are saved themselves and they save all their families.
They clasp God’s name to their hearts.
Dyed with the Name they cross over the terrible ocean.
They who with lowly minds ever serve the true Guru,
Expel their pride, and the lotuses of their hearts bloom.
They dwell in their own homes where the unbeaten strain resoundeth.
While hermits in their own homes they are dyed with the Name.
The words of those who serve the true Guru are true.
In every age the saints have repeated their words,
And continually uttered God’s name.
Nanak, they who are dyed with the Name obtain beatitude and eternal rest.
Bliss is the portion of the virtuous :—
God ordained that woman should remain in her father’s house for four days.[23]
She is an honoured woman who singeth God’s praises under the Guru’s instruction.
She who in her father’s house amasseth merits shall obtain a dwelling with her father-in-law.
The pious whose hearts love God shall be easily absorbed in Him.
The Beloved abideth in this world and the next; say how shall He be found ?
It is God the pure and invisible who blendeth man with Himself.
If God Himself grant wisdom, man shall meditate on His name.
They who are very fortunate meet the true Guru; he putteth nectar into their mouths.
Their pride and worldly love depart ; and they are easily absorbed in bliss.
[p. 186] God Himself is all-pervading; it is He Himself who attacheth man to His name.
The perverse through pride find Him not ; they are fools and devoid of divine knowledge.
They serve not the true Guru, and shall repent again and again.
They shall obtain a dwelling in the womb, and there suffer agony.
It is the will of my Creator that the perverse shall suffer transmigration.
My Lord God wrote man’s full destiny on his forehead at his birth.
When man meeteth the brave Guru who hath conquered sin, he meditateth on God’s name.
God is my father and mother, God is my kinsman and brother.
O God, pardon and blend the worm Nanak with Thee.
The following was composed in reply to Dana, who inquired how man should cross over the tempestuous ocean of the world :—
The world ts a tempestuous ocean ; how shall man traverse it ?
Make God’s name the boat, and put the Word into it as the helmsman.
When thou puttest the Word into it as the helmsman, God Himscelf will ferry thee over, and thus shalt thou traverse the ocean, difficult though it be.
By the Guru’s instruction man obtaineth service, and is thus dead while alive.
In a moment the name of God effaceth his sins, and his body becometh pure.
By God’s name, Nanak, deliverance is obtained, and dross becometh gold.
Women and men are immersed in lust, and know not to repeat God’s name.
Mothers, fathers, children, and brothers are very dear, but they all drown even without water.
[p. 187] They drown even without water who know not the way of salvation, and who through pride wander about the world.
All who come into the world shall depart; they who meditate on the Guru shall be saved.
The pious who utter God’s name shall be saved themselves and shall save their families.
Nanak, the pious man, within whose heart the Name dwelleth, shall meet the Beloved.
There is nothing stable but God’s name: this world is a play.
Fix true devotion firmly in thy heart and deal in the name of God.
Deal in God’s name who is inaccessible and illimitable, and through the Guru’s instruction thou shalt acquire its wealth.
Thy service, meditation, and devotion shall be true if thou erase pride from thy heart.
We who are without understanding, foolish, stupid, and blind, have been put on the right way by the true Guru.
Nanak, the pious are adorned by the Word, and night and day sing God’s praises.
God acteth Himself and causeth to act; He adorneth men by His word.
He Himself is the True Guru; He is the Word ; in every age His saints are dear to Him:
In every age His saints are dear to Him; He Himself adorneth them ; He Himself appointeth them to His service.
He Himself is far-seeing, He Himself causeth men to serve Him.
He Himself is the Bestower of merits and the remover of demerits ; He causeth His name to dwell in men’s hearts.
Nanak is ever a sacrifice unto that True One who Himself acteth and causeth to act.
While praising the Gauri Rag the Guru extols the love of the True One and denounces falsehood and deception :—
The Gauri Rag is auspicious, if in it one remember God.
[p. 188] Walk as it pleaseth the true Guru; make that thy decoration.
The Word of the Spouse is true ; repeat it ever and ever.
She who devoteth her life to the True One, is deeply dyed as with boiling madder.
She who loveth the True One shall be thoroughly tinctured with a deep dye.
Falschood and deception are as things wrapped up in false gilding which remain not undetected.
False 1s the boasting of those who love falsehood.
Nanak, God is true and looketh with favour on man.
The Guru sheds celestial light on the darkness of the perverse :—
Pride, folly, mortal and venial sins have led the world NOY.
The perverse who are in total darkness, shall see God if they meet the true Guru.
Nanak, God hath blended with Himself him whom he caused to love His word.
The difference between the worldly and the pious:—
He who possesseth worldly love is very blind and deaf :
He heareth not the Word, but maketh a great uproar and tumult.
The pious are known by loving God’s word ;
They hear and believe in God’s name and become absorbed in it.
What pleaseth God He doeth and causeth others to do.
Nanak, man the instrument playeth as God causeth him to play.
Except in God’s merey there is no hope for the proud unbeliever :—
The proud unbeliever shall never know the Guru’s court : he shall be a little hither or a little thither.
Though ever invited he never goeth to the Guru’s court : how should he be accepted in God’s court ?
[p. 189] Few know the Guru’s court ; they who reach it ever stand with clasped hands. Nanak, if my God show mercy, He will restore man to Him.
The condition of those who deny their Guru :—
They who deny their Guru shall have no house or home :
They shall lose both worlds, and find no place in God’s court.
The opportunity of touching the true Guru’s feet cannot be again obtained.
If man be not numbered among the Guru’s disciples he shall pass his life in deepest sorrow.
The true Guru is a being without enmity who attacheth man to himself.
Nanak, God will release at His court those to whom He hath disclosed Himself.
The perverse are spiritually blind, foolish, and proud.
In their hearts is wrath ; they lose their senses in play.[24]
They commit the sins of falsehood and unrighteousness.
What can they hear and what can they tell others ?
They are blind and deaf; they lose their way and stray into the desert.
The blind unbeliever suffereth transmigration.
He obtaineth no place without meeting the true Guru.
Nanak, man obtaineth what is written for him from the beginning.
Even he who meets the Guru can confer salvation on others :—
He who through the Guru’s instruction obtaineth divine knowledge, discrimination, and intelligence,
Shall sing God’s praises and string a garland in his heart.
He shall be the purest of the pure and possess the highest intelligence.
He who meeteth such a person shall be saved by him.
He whose heart containeth the perfume of God’s name,
[p. 190] Shall utter great and exalted words to make happy those who hear them ;
And he himself shall obtain honour at God’s court.
Nanak, on meeting the true Guru, the Name is obtained as wealth and property.
The Guru’s ts the best of all religious systems :—
Very fortunate are they who obtain God’s system.[25]
True disregard of the world is obtained by the Guru’s instruction.
Six Hindu religious systems pass current,
But the Guru’s system is profound and unequalled.
By the Guru’s system the way of salvation is obtained,
And the True One Himself abideth in the heart.
By the Guru’s system the world is saved,
If men bestow love and affection on it.
The few who bestow love and affection on it,
Shall ever be happy.
By the Guru’s system the gate of deliverance is attained.
By serving the true Guru one’s family is saved.
For him who is without the Guru there is nowhere salvation ;
Deluded by sin he suffereth punishment.
By the Guru’s word the body acquireth happiness and rest ;
He who receiveth his instruction shall suffer no pain,
Nor shall the god of death approach him.
Nanak, the holy man shall be absorbed in the True One.
The love of mammon leads to perdition :—
The perverse when dying die evil deaths ;
They destroy themselves by their love of mammon ;
They are undone by continually speaking of their possessions :
Lulled to sleep as they are by superstition, they know not themselves.
He who dieth by the Word is really dead.
[p. 191] They, to whom the Guru hath shown that praise and blame are the same, obtain profit in this world by uttering God’s name.
They who possess not the Name shall melt in wombs.
Vain are the lives of those who are greedy for mammon.
All those who are without the Name shall burn in pain.
The perfect true Guru hath given me understanding.
The man of wavering mind shall receive great punishment :
Having lost his human birth he shall find no place of rest,
But return to the filthy dwelling of the womb :
It is there the perverse man shall take up his abode.
I am ever a sacrifice to my own true Guru.
His instruction hath blended the light of my soul with the light of God.
I have obtained the pure Word while dwelling in mine own home.
Nanak, having effaced pride, is ever a hermit.
The condition of the perverse and the virtuous contrasted :—
The perverse only practise falsehood ;
They never reach the Master’s palace.
Attached to the world they wander in doubt,
And entangled in selfishness suffer transmigration.
Lo the decorations of an evil wife !—
She attacheth her heart to her sons and their wives, to wealth, mammon, falsehood, worldly love, hypocrisy, and vice.
She who is pleasing to her Lord shall ever be a happy wife :
She maketh the Guru’s instruction her decorations ;
Her couch is pleasant and day and night she enjoyeth her Lord;
Meeting her Beloved she is ever happy.
She is a truly good wife who loveth the True One ;
She ever claspeth her Beloved to her breast.
She beholdeth him near, yea, ever present.
My Lord is everywhere contained.
Caste and beauty shall not go with thee to the next world :
There shalt thou fare according to thine acts.
[p. 192] By the Word man becometh the most exalted of the exalted, O Nanak, and absorbed in the True One.
It was represented to the Guru that salvation might be obtained by joining in the Ras Mandal, or circular dance of Krishan. The following was the Guru’s reply :—
Man may dance and play many musical instruments,
But he is blind and deaf; what availeth speaking to him ?
In his heart are the fire of avarice and the wind of superstition !
Where the lamp burneth not and nothing can be seen,
The pious man’s heart is lighted up by devotion.
He knoweth himself and meeteth the Lord.
For the pious the love of God is the dance,
The destruction of pride the time,
And the service of the pious the true way ;
But the service and dancing of the hypocrite bring sorrow.
The following refers to the religious books of the Hindus and the helplessness of their avatars :—
The ocean of the Shastars, the Veds, and the Simritis is Thine, O Lord ; the Ganges is contained in Thy feet.
There are three branches,[26] Thou art the trunk : my mind telleth me Thou art wonderful in everything.
The slave Nanak worshippeth Thy feet, and repeateth Thine ambrosial Word.
The thirty-three karors[27] of divinities are Thy slaves ; Thou givest wealth and supernatural power ; Thou art the support of the soul.
Thy form is not seen: what shall I say, however much I reflect °
Thine are the three qualities, Thine the four sources of production in every age.
[p. 193] If Thou be gracious, man will speak of Thee the Ineffable and obtain the supreme dignity.
Thou art the Creator; all creation is Thine; what can mortal man do ?
The four Veds Thou gavest to Brahma that he might read and reflect on them,
But the wretch understood not Thine order, and so he wandereth from hell to heaven.[28]
The kings created by Thee in different ages are sung of as Thine avatars.[29]
Even they did not find Thy limits; what shall I say, however much I reflect ?
Thou art true, all Thou doest is true; if Thou grant me the truth, I will proclaim it.
He whom Thou causest to understand Thy truth, shall be easily absorbed in the Name.
Worship God in thine own home and go not to the wilderness to find Him :—
In thine own home, O man, is everything; abroad is nothing.
By the Guru’s favour everything is obtained, and the doors of the understanding opened.
God is obtained from the true Guru, my brethren.
The treasure of the Name is within the heart ; the perfect true Guru hath shown it me.
He who dealeth in the name of God findeth it, and obtaineth the gem of reflection.
He openeth his heart, and beholdeth with his mind’s eye the storehouse of salvation—
Within the body are many chambers ; the soul dwelleth therein—
He shall obtain the fruit his heart desireth, and not again transmigrate.
The assayers who have obtained wisdom from the Guru, have found the real gem after testing.
[p. 194] The boon of the Name is inestimable; a few obtain it under the Guru’s instruction.
What can be found by searching abroad ? the Real Thing is in one’s own home, my brethren.
The whole world wandereth astray in error ; the perverse lose their honour.
The false one who leaveth his own home and goeth elsewhere to worship,
Shall be seized like a thief, and being without the Name shall suffer punishment.
They who know God in their own homes are happy, my brethren ;
They recognize God in their hearts bythe power of theGuru.
God bestoweth gifts and conferreth understanding ; whom shall I address except Him ?
Nanak, meditate on the Name, so shalt thou obtain glory in the court of the True One.
The perverse shall not reach God’s court, while the virtuous shall be supremely happy :—
Bad wives shall not reach their husband’s chamber or know his delights.
Their words are harsh, they are not humble, they long for another love.
How shall man’s heart be restrained ?
By the Guru’s favour it shall be restrained and return home after instruction in divine knowledge.
The Beloved Himself hath adorned good wives, and they bear Him love and affection.
Walking as it pleaseth the true Guru, they are naturally decorated with the Name.
They ever enjoy their Spouse, and then are their couches truly adorned.
They become fascinated with their Spouse’s love, and on meeting Him are happy.
Divine knowledge is the incomparable decoration of the virtuous woman :—
Through the love and affection of herSpouse she is beautiful and the queen of them all.
[p. 195] The True, Unseen, and Endless One hath infused love into her heart ;
She serveth her true Guru with true love and affection.
The good wife hath decorated herself with a necklace of virtues.
She anointeth her person with the sandal of love, and within her is the jewel of reflection.
They who are dyed with devotion are the best; caste and lineage are obtained from the Word.
Without the Name every one is of low caste and becometh a filthy worm.
Every one goeth about saying ‘I, I’, but without the Word egoism shall not depart.
Nanak, they who are dyed with the Name lose their pride, and are absorbed in the True One.
One ought to persevere and be constant in devotion :—
They who are dyed with the True One are pure, and ever true is their reputation.
In this world they are famous in every house, and in the next they shall be distinguished through all ages.
O dear playful heart, adopt a lasting colour.
When thou art dyed with the excellent Word, its colour shall not fade or depart.
We are low, filthy, very proud, and sin through love of mammon.
Coming in contact with the Guru the elixir, I have become gold, and am blended with the pure light of the Eternal
Without the Guru none may be dyed with God’s love ; on meeting the Guru the true dye is applied.
They who are dyed with the fear and love of the Guru, are blended with God whose praises are true.
Without fear the love of God is not produced, nor doth the heart become pure.
Without fear man’s works are false, and he findeth no place of rest.
God by associating him with the saints will dye whoso He desireth to dye.
[p. 196] From the perfect Guru is obtained the society of the saints, and man easily loveth the True One.
Without such society all men are like beasts.
They know not Him who made them ; without the Name they are all thieves.
Some buy merits and sell demerits through the kind office of the Guru.
By serving the Guru the Name is obtained and God dwelleth in the heart.
The Giver of all is the one God, He assigneth every one his occupation.
Nanak, God regenerateth[30] man by attaching him to the Name, and by means of the Word blendeth him with Himself.
Man ought to love God alone and not stray into idolatrous paths :—
Curse on the life in which God’s love is not obtained,
And on that occupation in which God is forgotten and man becometh attached to another.[31]
So serve the true Guru, O my soul, that the love of God may be produced and all other love forgotten.
If the heart remain attached to God, there shall be no fear of old age, and man shall attain the dignity of life eternal.
Behold, from the love of God springeth peace according to the service performed.
When I dismissed pride from within me, my heart became pure, and my light was blended with God’s.
Without good fortune such a trueGuru cannot be obtained, howsoever all may desire it.
When the screen of falsehood is removed, there shall ever be happiness.
Nanak, what service shall the servant perform for such a true Guru? Let him lay down his life for the Guru.
[p. 197] If man attend to the wishes of the Guru, the true Guru himself will show him kindness.
God’s name must be uttered with attention and love :—
Everybody uttereth God’s name, but God is not obtained by such utterance.
If by the favour of the Guru God dwell in the heart, man shall obtain the advantage thereof.
He whose heart feeleth the love of God,
Shall never forget Him, but shall ever repeat His name with heart and soul.
They in whose hearts there is deception and who pretend to be holy,
Shall never lose a particle of their thirst, and shall be sorry at their final departure.
Even though man sttive at various places of pilgrimages, the heart’s pride never thus departeth.
The king of death shall punish him who forsaketh not his pride.
If God be gracious, man shall meet Him; a few under the Guru’s instruction know this.
Nanak, he who removeth pride from within him, shall meet God.
Even he who meets the true Guru can communicate holiness to others :—
When man meeteth the true Guru, he becometh a philosopher’s stone; and when he becometh a philosopher’s stone, he causeth men to worship him.
He who worshippeth him shall obtain the fruit thereof, and giving instruction shall teach men the truth.
Until man become a philosopher’s stone, he is not worthy to be worshipped; before satisfying his own mind he instructeth others.
Though devoid of divine knowledge and blind, he calleth himself a guru: whom can he put in the right way ?
Nanak, without the Kind One nothing can be obtained ; but he on whom God casteth a look of favour findeth Him,
[p. 198] By the favour of the Guru God conferreth greatness and disseminateth His word.
A Brahman told the third Guru that he had better live at Banaras, for divine knowledge and salvation were obtained only there. The following was the Guru’s reply :—
Divine knowledge is neither gained nor lost at Banaras.
Divine knowledge is obtained by meeting the Guru, then man knoweth God.
Hear God’s praises, O man, and cause the Word to abide in thy heart.
When the divine knowledge thus obtained remaineth permanent, then shall doubt depart.
If thou give God’s feet a place in thy heart, thy sins shall be blotted out.
If thou restrain thy mind[32] thou shalt dwell in the true place of pilgrimage.
The minds of the perverse are stupid; they obtain no understanding :
They know not God’s name, and, when they at last depart, regret their ignorance.
In this heart are Banaras, all the places of pilgrimage, and the Simritis ; the true Guru hath explained this.
The sixty-eight places of pilgrimage are with him whose heart is filled with God.
Nanak, on meeting the true Guru God’s will is known, and the one God dwelleth in the heart.
They who please Thee, O True One, are all true, and shall be absorbed in Thee,
The Guru again repudiates the idea that deliverance may be obtained by assisting in the dance of Krishan and the milkmaids :—
I dance, but it is my heart I cause to dance :
[p. 199] By the favour of the Guru I have effaced myself.
He who keepeth his mind firmly fixed on God, shall obtain deliverance and the object of his desires.
Dance, O man, before thy Guru ;
He who danceth as it pleaseth the Guru shall obtain happiness, and at the last moment the fear of Death shall forsake him.
He whom God causeth to dance and whom He apphieth to His love is a saint.
He himself singeth, he himself instructeth, and putteth ignorant man on the right way.
He who banisheth worldly love shall dance day and night in God’s house and never sleep.
Every one who danceth, leapeth, and singeth of other gods, is lulled to sleep in the house of mammon ; such are the perverse who have no devotion.
Demigods and men who abandon the world dance in religious works; Munis and men dance in the contemplation of divine knowledge.
The Sidhs, Strivers, and holy men who have acquired wisdom to meditate on God, dance in God’s love.
The regions, worlds, beings endowed with the three qualities, and they who love Thee, O God, dance.
Men and the lower animals all dance, the four sources of life dance.
They who please Thee dance, as do the pious who love the Word.
They whom Thou causest to obey Thine order, are saints and real possessors of divine knowledge. »
To love the True One is the real service ; men cannot be saints without serving Him.
A few who ponder on the Word while alive are dead, and obtain the True One.
Several dance for the sake of mammon; only a few meditate on the Real Thing.
He to whom Thou art gracious shall obtain Thee by the favour of the Guru.
If I forget the True One even for a moment, that moment passeth in vain.
[p. 200] Remember Him at every breath and He will pardon thee of His own grace.
It is they who please Thee, O God, and who meditate on the Word, who really dance.
Saith Nanak, they to whom Thou art merciful shall easily obtain bliss.
The condition of the perverse :—
The hearts of the perverse are tortured by doubts ; they kill themselves with worldly affairs.
They are lulled to sleep by love of the world and never awake : they remain attached to mammon.
They remember not the Name; they think not of the Word ; such is the conduct of the perverse.
They obtain not God’s name; they waste their lives in vain ; Nanak, Death shall punish and dishonour them.
Before creation God was alone :—
When God Himself made the world, there was none else.
He took counsel and advice with Himself; what He did Came to pass.
Then there was not heaven, or hell, or three worlds.
Then was only the Formless One Himself; creation was not yet.
God acteth as He pleaseth ; there is none but Him.
God alone and not incarnations ought to be adored :—
My Lord is eternal; He is seen by him who abideth by His word.
He is ever imperishable, and suffereth not transmigration.
I-ver and ever serve Him who is contained in everything.
Why serve another who is born and dieth ?
The lives of those who know not their Lord but fix their thoughts on others, are unprofitable.
Nanak, it cannot be known how much punishment the Creator will inflict on them.
[p. 201]
Man ought to bow to the will of God :—
Ponder on the name of the True One; the True One pervadeth all things.
Nanak, by understanding God’s order man becometh acceptable, and obtaineth his just reward.
Man goeth about babbling, but he knoweth not God’s order at all; he is blind and lowest of the low.[33]
The homage offered to God must be suitable to His greatness :—
That is real devotion and penance which pleaseth the True Guru.
By pleasing the True Guru greatness is obtained.
Nanak, by abandoning pride man devoteth himself to the Guru.
Not all may receive the Guru’s instruction :—
Nanak, only a few whom God Himself hath honoured,
Receive the Guru’s instruction.
Pride prevents entrance into bliss :—
Nanak, the gate of salvation is very narrow; only the lowly can pass through.
How can he whose mind is inflated with pride enter therein ?
When one meeteth the true Guru, pride departeth and everything is illumined.
The soul is emancipated for ever, and becometh easily absorbed in God.
Happiness consists not in mammon_ but in devotion :—
Curses on such lives as theirs who heed not the true Guru,
And in whose hearts God’s name dwelleth not; what have they obtained by their advent into the world ?
Mammon is counterfeit capital ; its gilding falleth off in a moment.
[p. 202] When it slippeth from man’s hands, his face is blackened, and he withereth away.
Happiness dwelleth in the hearts of those who love the true Guru,
Who ponder on God’s name with love and remain absorbed in it.
Nanak, the true Guru hath entrusted to them the wealth which is contained in the heart,
And they obtain a high colour like the tint[34] applied to gold.
Mammon isa snake, the holy are snake-charmers :—
Mammon is a serpent which twineth herself round the World :
She devoureth him at last who waiteth upon her.
A few holy men are snake-charmers who trample on her with their feet.
Nanak, they are saved who continue to fix their attention onethe True One.
Man is called to bliss by obeying God’s order :—
There is one Lord of all ; He remaineth ever present.
Nanak, man obeyeth not God’s order; so, though God dwelleth in his heart, man goeth far from Him.
Those on whom God looks with favour He causes to obey His order :—
The wife who obeyeth His orders and loveth Him obtaineth happiness.
The evil wife burneth the whole night ; her spouse showeth her not affection.
Nanak, the good wife, whose spouse is God, abideth in happiness.
The soul while leaving the body bears its own responsibility :—
What love subsisteth between the body and the soul since the latter forsaketh the former when fallen ?
[p. 203] Why, O man, pamperest thou with words of falsehood this body which departeth not with thee ?
The body is dust and blind ; go ask the soul.
The soul—‘ I am infatuated with mammon, so I suffer transmigration again and again ;
‘I did not recognize my Lord’s order by which I should have been absorbed in the True One.’
The abiding wealth :—
The Name alone is abiding wealth ; all other wealth is unstable.
That wealth thieves cannot spy out, or pickpockets take away.
That divine wealth is contained in the soul and shall depart with it.
It is obtained from the perfect Guru, but the perverse shall not obtain it.
Blest is the trader, O Nanak, who entering the world hath earned the wealth of the Name.
The evil of pride and worldly love :—
Curses on the lives of those who forsake divine happiness, and obtain misery by the sin of pride.
The perverse devoid of divine knowledge are filled with worldly love ; they have no understanding.
They shall not find happiness in this world or the next ; after their final departure they shall regret.
A few by the Guru’s favour meditate on the Name, and from them pride departeth.
Nanak, he for whom it is so predestined falleth at the Guru’s feet.
The condition of the perverse :—
The lotus of the heart of the perverse man is reversed ; he possesseth neither devotion nor God’s name.
He acteth under the influence of mammon, and vain are his efforts.
His heart softeneth not to any one, and the language he uttereth is harsh.
[p. 204] When he meeteth the religious he associateth not with them ; his heart relisheth falsehood.
Nanak, the Creator hath so contrived that the perverse are wrecked by uttering falsehood, and the pious saved by repeating the Name.
The mental peace of the holy :—
Ievery one honoureth him who serveth his own true Guru.
The greatest of all efforts is to obtain God’s name :
A refreshing calm then dwelleth within, and the heart is ever happy repeating it.
Nanak, they who magnify God’s name eat ambrosia, and are Clothed therewith.
How God may be found :—
O man, hearken to the Guru’s instruction, and thou shalt obtain God the treasury of excellences.
God, the giver of comfort, will abide in thy heart, and thy pride and arrogance shall depart.
Nanak, if thou fix thine attention night and day on the Ixind One, thou shalt obtain Him.
The following was addressed toa proud Brahman :—
He who knoweth God and fixeth his attention on Him night and day is a Brahman.[35]
The disease of pride shall leave him who consulteth the true Guru and practiseth truth and self-restraint.
His light who singeth God’s praises and amasseth merits, shall be blended with the light of God.
In this age there are few who know God, who erase their pride and become absorbed in Him.
Nanak, happiness is ever obtained by meeting him who night and day pondercth on God.
The fate of the hypocrite :—
There is deception in the heart of the perverse and irreligious man ; his tongue uttereth falsehood.
[p. 205] Though God graciously beholdeth and listeneth, yet 1s He not pleased by deception.
He who, lost in worldly love, preacheth to men with the object of sinful gain,
Shall ever suffer misery in attainment, shall be born and die, and come and go again and again.
His superstition shall by no means be dispelled ; he shall rot in filth.
My Lord causeth him on whom He bestoweth favour to hear the Guru’s instruction.
He meditateth on God’s name, he singeth God’s name, and at last God’s name releaseth him.
The happiness of the pious :—
The pious meditate on God, a tranquillizing sound is produced within them, and they ponder on the true Name.
The pious are night and day tinctured with God’s love, and the name of God is pleasing to their souls.
The pious see God, the pious speak of God, the pious love God.
Nanak, divine knowledge is obtained from the Guru’s teaching, and the thick gloom of ignorance is dispelled.
The holy man, whose works are perfect from the beginning, meditateth on God’s name.
The heedless shall ever suffer transmigration :—
Why hath he come into the world who serveth not the true Guru,
Who loveth not God’s word, and calmly meditateth not on His name ?
He shall be born again and again, and be ever polluted with filth.
Through false avarice he shall not enjoy either this world or the next.
Nanak, the pious whom the Creator hath united with Himself shall be saved.
The condition and power of the saints :— In this age the saints have earned the treasure of the Name, and obtained God’s highest dignity.
[p. 206] By service to the true Guru they have put the name of God into their hearts, and night and day ponder thereon.
Through the Guru’s instruction they are hermits even in their own homes, and they destroy their pride and worldly love.
They are saved themselves and they save the whole world ; happy the mothers who bore them.
He on whose forehead God wrote such destiny in the beginning, hath obtained such a true Guru.
Nanak is a sacrifice to his Guru who put him on the right road when he strayed in doubt.
A satire on worldly-minded sectaries :—
Man beholding mammon hath gone astray, as the moth beholding the lamp is consumed.
Erring pandits look towards mammon to see what one may offer them.
They read for hire and are ever immersed in sin; God hath deprived them of His name.
Jogis, Jangams, Sanyasis have gone astray; they have allowed their arrogance and pride to greatly increase.
They accept not alms of clothes and food offered them,[36] but want more; through obstinacy they ruin their lives.
In the midst of so many, only he who hath pondered on the Name under the Guru’s instruction hath obtained Peuiection.
Nanak, to whom shall one complain since all act as God causeth them to act ?
The evil of worldly love ; its antidote :—
Pride and selfishness are deceitful and have ruined the perverse.
They who apply their hearts to the love of the world feel its effects and remain entangled in it.
When the light of the Guru’s words shineth, worldly love departeth from the heart.
[p. 207] Then the body and soul become bright, and the Name abideth in the heart.
Nanak, God’s name which is obtained by the Guru’s instruction is the antidote to worldly love.
On transmigration :—
Through how many ages hath this soul wandered! it abideth not permanently but cometh and goeth.
When God pleaseth, He causeth it to wander; He produceth this play of illusion.
If God be gracious, the Guru shall be found, the soul shall be fixed, and become absorbed in its Creator.
Nanak, when man’s mind believeth through the mind of the Guru, he neither dieth nor is born again.
The following sloks describe the pleasure obtained by praising God under the name of Wah Wah !—
The True One causeth Himself to be applauded through the Guru’s instruction.
Wah! Wah![37] is His praise and eulogy; some pious men know this.
Wah! Wah! are true words by which man meeteth the True One.
Nanak, by uttering Wah! Wah! God is obtained ;
His praise is obtained by good acts.
The tongue is adorned by uttering the words Wah! Wah!
By these perfect words God is found.
Greatly blest are they from whose mouths Wah! Wah! proceedeth.
They who utter Wah! Wah! shall be illustrious, and the people shall come and worship them.
Wah! Wah! is obtained by good acts, Nanak; he who uttereth it shall obtain honour at the gate of the True One.
By uttering Wah! Wah! the night passeth pleasantly ; By uttering Wah! Wah! there is ever happiness, my mother ;
[p. 208] By uttering Wah! Wah! man loveth God.
By good acts man uttereth Wah! Wah! and causeth others to utter it.
By uttering Wah! Wah! man obtaineth honour.
Nanak, Wah! Wah ! is His praise whose ordinance is true.
Wah! Wah! are true words which the pious have obtained by search :
They utter the words Wah! Wah! and clasp them to their hearts.
By uttering Wah! Wah! the pious have easily found God in their search.
Greatly fortunate, Nanak, are they who remember God in their hearts.
Address Wah! Wah! to Him who is true, deep, and profound ;
Address Wah! Wah! to Him who is the giver of virtue, of intellect, and of patience ;
Address Wah! Wah! to Him who is contained in every thine’;
Address Wah! Wah! to Him who giveth sustenance to all.
Nanak, by the words Wah! Wah! praise the one God Whom the true Guru hath pointed out.
Whenever the holy repeat Wah! Wah! the wicked poison themselves.
The words Wah! Wah! are not pleasing to them; they pass their lives in extreme misery.
The pious repeat Wah! Wah! with fixed attention and quaff nectar.
Nanak, they who repeat Wah! Wah! are holy, and have obtained knowledge of the three worlds.
They to whom God Himself giveth understanding ever repeat Wah! Wah!
By repeating Wah! Wah! the heart becometh pure and pride departeth therefrom.
The Guru’s disciple who ever repeateth Wah! Wah! obtaineth his heart’s desires.
[p. 209] They who repeat Wah! Wah! are illustrious; O God, unite me with them.
May I remember Wah! Wah! in my heart and also utter Wah! Wah! with my lips!
Nanak, I bestow my body and soul on those who utter Wah! Wah!
Wah! Wah! is that true Lord whose name is nectar.
They who worship Him have obtained the reward thereof —I am a sacrifice unto them.
Wah! Wah! is the Treasury of excellences; the man to whom He giveth enjoyeth His bounty.
Wah! Wah! filleth sea and land, and is found through the Guru’s instruction.
O all ye disciples of the Guru, ever repeat Wah! Wah!; Wah! Wah! is pleasing to the perfect Guru.
Nanak, the myrmidons of Death approach not him who heartily repeateth Wah! Wah!
Wah! Wah! are the words of the Formless One; there is none so great as He.
Wah! Wah! to Him who is inaccessible and unfathomable; Wah! Wah! to Him who is true.
Wah! Wah! to Him who is independent ; whatever He doeth cometh to pass.
Wah! Wah! to the nectareous Name which a few pious men obtain.
Wah! Wah! is obtained from good acts by him to whom God showeth mercy.
Nanak, Wah! Wah! is obtained by the holy man who night and day uttereth God’s name.
They who trust in God are not disappointed :—
Without serving the true Guru peace is not obtained, and worldly love departeth not.
However much we desire it, the True Guru is only found by good acts.
They in whose hearts there is the sin of avarice are ruined by worldly love ;
[p. 210] Their transmigration ceaseth not; they suffer misery from their pride.
Of those who fix their hearts on the true Guru none 1s disappointed.
Death summoneth not them for punishment, neither do they suffer misery.
Nanak, the pious who are filled with the true Word shall be saved.
The heart requires a driver :—
The mind is an elephant, the Guru the elephant-driver, divine knowledge the goad; whithersoever the Guru driveth, thither goeth the mind.
Nanak, the elephant without a goad goeth astray again and again into the desert.
In the following slok devotion is compared to rain from heaven, which the careful man prepares to receive. In the fervour of his heart he desires it not in drops but in a shower all at once :—
The husbandman looking at the sky[38] raiseth the boundaries of his fields to catch the rain.
In the same way holy guests enter his house in whose heart there is devotion, and are there welcomed.
Ye clouds, if ye rain at all, rain in abundance ; why rain when the season is past ?[39]
Nanak, Iama sacrifice unto those who have received the Guru’s instruction in their hearts.
Only the friendship of the upright and holy ought to be valued :—
That is sweet which is pleasing ; he is a friend who is upright. Nanak, he whom God enlhighteneth is a holy man.
[p. 211]
However much man obtains, he hankers for more :—
The world dicth in hopes, but its hopes are not fulfilled : [40]
Nanak, he who devoteth his heart to the True One hath his hopes fulfilled.
When divine knowledge is obtained there are no more hopes and desires :—
Hopes and desires shall die; He who gave them will take them away.
Nanak, there is nothing permanent but the name of God.
The success of those who turn their hearts to God :—
Nanak, the man of divine knowledge hath conquered the world which itself hath conquered everybody.
Through the Name man’s business is successful; what occurreth taketh place by God’s will.
‘The pious man’s mind is fixed, and nobody can move it.
God granteth his saints’ prayers, and their deeds become brilliant.
The perverse are led astray from the First Cause; in their hearts are avarice, covetousness, and pride.
Their nights and days pass in wranglings; they reflect not on God’s word.
God hath taken from them the good understanding they possessed ; all their words are sinful.
However much is given them, they are not satisfied ; in their hearts are avarice and the great darkness of spiritual ignorance.
Nanak, it is wise to break with the perverse to whom worldly love is dear.
The fool in his folly :—
The fool knoweth not himself; he annoyeth others by his language.
[p. 212] His original disposition hath not left him; blind that he is, and separated from God, he shall suffer punishment.
Fear of the true Guru hath not induced him to alter his disposition or chasten his heart so as to be united with God.
His doubts cease not night or day; without the Word he is in misery.
Lust, anger, and avarice are potent within his heart ; he ever passeth his life in worldly affairs, and never remembereth God.
His feet, his hands, his eyes, and his ears fail him; his days are ended ; his death is near.
The true Name, by which the nine treasures are obtained, hath never been dear to him.
He who in life is dead, and who from death again returneth to life, obtaineth deliverance.
What shall mortal obtain without God’s grace if it be not his from the beginning ?
O fool, remember the Guru’s word by which thou shalt find the way of salvation.
Nanak, thou shalt find the true Guru when thou effacest thyself.
Man’s tongue should be properly employed :—
May that tongue be burnt which hath not received the relish of God’s name !
Nanak, the tongue of him in whose heart God dwelleth, enjoyeth the taste of the Word.
May his tongue be burnt who hath forgotten God’s name!
Nanak, the tongues of the pious repeat God’s name and love it.
Who is a real darwesh :—
Few darweshes understand their duties,
Curses on the life, curses on the garb of him who wandereth begging from house to house !
Nanak will wash his feet and be a sacrifice unto him
Who abandoneth hopes and anxieties, and receiveth the Name as his alms from the Guru’s lips.
[p. 213]
The body compared to a fruit-bearing tree on which the soul alights :—
Nanak, there is one tree;[41] it beareth two fruits;[42] a bird [43] alighteth thereon.
It is not seen coming or going; it hath no wings.
Though enjoying pleasures of every sort, it only obtaineth deliverance through the Word.
The deeds of him who is dyed with the juice of the fruit of God’s name, are, O Nanak, true and resplendent.
Formal ceremonies and worldly love discouraged :—
The religious ceremonies of hypocrites are all entanglements ; bad and good are bound up with them.
Man’s exertions for children and wife, made through selfishness and worldly love, are entanglements.
Wherever I look, there I see the rope of worldly attachment.
Nanak, without the true Name it is all groping in the dark.
There lived at Goindwal a Musalman priest who conceived a great hatred of the third Guru for his spiritual success. The following was addressed to him :—
O Shaikh, abandon the violence of thy heart, fear God, and dismiss thy madness.
Through fear of the Guru how many have been saved ! through fear the Fearless One is obtained.
Let the Word penetrate thy hard heart, so shall peace come to dwell therein.
Whatever deed is done in peace is acceptable to the Lord.
Nanak, no one hath obtained Him by lust and wrath ; go ask those who possess divine knowledge.
The true Guru is a boat for man’s salvation :—
The true Guru who is dyed with the Name is a boat for salvation in this age.
[p. 214] The pious man in whose heart the True One dwelleth Shall be saved.
He remembereth the Name, he treasureth the Name, and obtaineth honour from the Name.
Nanak hath found the true Guru and obtained the Name through his favour.
The result of serving the Guru :—
They who serve and wait upon the one true Guru and love God’s name,
O Nanak, reform their own lives and save their families.
The following was composed by the Guru on hearing Hindus chanting their vespers :—
The vesper which recalleth God to my heart is acceptable:
It produceth attachment to God and destroyeth worldly love.
If man by the Guru’s favour make the contemplation of God his vespers, worldly love shall cease and his mind become stable.
Nanak, in the vespers which the obstinate repeat their souls find no repose ; they shall be ruined by transmigration.
The life of the hermit is of no avail :—
I wandered through the whole world calling out for my Beloved, yet my thirst departed not ;
But on meeting the true Guru, O Nanak, my thirst departed, and I found my Beloved in my own home on my return.
The Guru’s prescription for salvation :—
The true Guru gave me this prescription—
Kemember God’s name through the Guru.
God is ever present. Having removed the film of doubt from thine eyes allow the light to enter.
The name of God is nectar; apply it as eye-salve.
Treasure up in thy heart the order of the Guru; make the love of the True One thine abstinence ;
So shall God, O Nanak, preserve thee in happiness in this world, and thou shalt afterwards disport with Him.
[p. 215]
The Guru’s order to abstain altogether from wine :—
One man bringeth the full goblet, another cometh and filleth the cup.
The intellect of him who drinketh departeth, and intoxication entereth his brain.
He distinguisheth not between mine and thine, and 1s buffeted by his master.
If possible, drink not at all the false wine,
By which man forgetteth God and receiveth punishment at His court.
Nanak, he who by God’s look of favour meeteth the true Guru, obtaineth the true wine from him.
Thus shall man ever abide in the joy of the Lord, and obtain a position in His court.
He who practises humility fears not death :—
Who knoweth how we shall die, or what death is ?
If we forget not the Lord, death shall be easy.
The world feareth death ; every one desireth to live.
He who by the Guru’s favour while alive is dead, understandeth God’s order.
Nanak, he who dieth such a death shall live for ever.
The surpassing wealth of the Name :—
O my soul, the Name is wealth from which happiness ever and ever springeth.
Loss never accrueth therefrom, but ever gain.
It lesseneth not by eating or spending ; God bestoweth it ever and ever.
He who possesseth it hath no anxiety whatever, and never sustaineth loss.
Nanak, it is obtained through the Guru’s instruction by him on whom he looketh with favour.
Man ought to be ever wakeful in God’s service :—
Men have died and continue to die through pride. Man while he hath breath in his body remembereth not
[p. 216] God; what shall he do when he hath gone to the next world ?
He who hath divine knowledge is on the alert ; he who is without it acteth blindly.
Nanak, according to man’s acts in this life shall be his reward in the next.
Man is happy when he can rest his hopes of salvation on his Guru,
In the beginning it was God’s will that He could not be remembered without a true Guru.
When man meeteth the true Guru, God is contained in his heart, and he remaineth ever attached to Him.
He remembereth God at every breath, and no breath Passeth in. vain.
His fear of transmigration departeth and he obtaineth the dignity of eternal life.
Nanak, this dignity is obtained by him to whom God showeth mercy.
The Jogi who hearkens to the Guru :—
The Jogi who hath obtained the Name by the Guru’s instruction hath found the way.
All excellences dwell in such a Jogi’s little City ;[44] tiie garb maketh not the Jogi.
Nanak, there are few Jogis in whose hearts God’s light shineth.
Man should ever be prepared for death and for the account which he must render of his acts :—
This body is worn out ; old age hath overtaken it.
They whom the Guru preserveth are saved; the others die and are born again ;
The others die, are born again, and transmigrate; after their final departure they shall regret ; without the Name there is no happiness.
[p. 247] Man shall obtain hereafter the fruits of his own acts in this life ; the perverse shall lose their honour.
In the abode of Death are terrible darkness and great storms ; there is found no sister or brother.
This body is worn out ; old age hath overtaken it.
If the true Guru take me to himself my body shall become gold.
A Jogi went one day to visit the third Guru, and coveting a rosary he had, succeeded in stealing it. When charged with the theft he denied his guilt. The attendants of the Guru searched and found the rosary on him, upon which the Guru said :—
I thought he was a great swan,[45] so I held converse with qpbeee
Had I known that he was only a wretched crane, I should never have touched him.
The fate of the idolater :—
Curses on the lives, curses on the habitations of those who worship strange gods !
They abandon ambrosia and turn to poison; they earn poison ; poison is their stock-in-trade,
Poison their food, poison their dress, morsels of poison they eat.
Here they are totally miserable, and when they die their abode shall be in hell.
The mouths of the perverse who know not the Word are impure; they die of lust and wrath.
They have abandoned the fear of the true Guru ; their business never succeedeth on account of their obstinacy.
In the city of Death they shall be bound and beaten ; no one will hear their supplications.
Nanak, they act according to their primal destiny, while the pious abide in the Name.
[p. 218]
Death is in the power of the holy man :—
Under the Guru’s instruction worship Him who hath created Death, and no sorrow shall come to thee.
Nanak, Death worshippeth the pious man in whose heart the True One dwelleth.
The saints are superior to monarchs :—
My Beloved is pleased with the saints and hath attached them to Himself.
He hath granted them an empire and made true crowns for their heads.
They are ever happy and pure, and perform the work of the true Guru.
They are not kings who, dying in the fight, have again to enter the womb.[46]
Nanak, without the Name even kings are like noseless persons who roam about and receive no honour.
The perverse have not only mental but physical deformity :—
The perverse man who hath not obtained the Name, is a coward ugly and noseless.
Day and night he is engaged in worldly affairs, and enjoyeth no happiness even in his dreams.
Nanak, if man become pious, he shall be saved ;_ otherwise he shall be bound and suffer pain.
The necessity of faith and love of God :—
Even though man make efforts in hundreds of transmigrations, happiness will never come to him
Who hath no faith in the true Guru and loveth not his word.
Nanak, love the True One, and thou shalt obtain peace through the Guru.
God is the only male ; human beings are females who ought to love Him :— In this world there is one Male; all the rest are females.
[p. 219] He enjoyeth them all and yet remaineth separate from them: He is invisible and cannot be scen.
The true Guru showeth Him, and man seeth Him through his word.
She who serveth the Male and destroyeth pride by the Word, becometh a male herself.
The Male hath no partner, no molester, and no enemy.
Immovable for ever is His empire; it nor cometh nor goeth.
Night and day worshippers worship and sing the true God’s praises.
Nanak, on seeing the greatness of the true God, is happy.
The perverse man is foolish and contemptible :—
The perverse man enjoyeth not the relish of the Word, and loveth not God’s name.
His tongue uttereth harsh language; and he is ever despised.
O Nanak, he acteth according to destiny which none can erase.
The fate of those who think not of God :—
According to what God Himself wrote in the beginning must man act.
Worldly love hath cast its deception over him, and he hath forgotten the Lord of excellences.
Deem not that the world is alive ; it is dead through the love of mammon.
They who have not meditated on the Name through the Guru’s instruction, are not allowed to sit near God.
They are miserable in the highest degree, and their children and wives shall not go with them.
Their faces are blackened among men, and their hearts heave heavy sighs.
No one trusteth the perverse ; trust in them is at an end.
Nanak, the pious in whose heart the Name dwelleth are very happy.
[p. 220]
God is in the heart, but the perverse know it not :—
The heart is full of nectar, but the perverse enjoy not its savour.
As the deer knoweth not its own musk, and wandereth, led astray by ignorance,
So the perverse despise nectar, amass poison, and forget tlie Creator,
A few pious men obtain insight and behold God within them.
The extent of the Guru’s self-mortification :—
Though my flesh ts so mortified that if my body were pressed in an oil-press, it would not give a drop of blood,
Yet would I still further sacrifice and quarter myself for my love for the True One.
In this way I should not fail to meet Him either night or day, O Nanak.
When the love of God is real, it is not transient :—
My Friend is merry ; by His merriment He attracteth ny soul.
When clothes are dyed with madder and a base,
Their colour, Nanak, will not depart, and no other colour may be given them.
Man’s mind is difficult to restrain :—
The mind of the perverse man is incorrigible and attacheth itself to mammon.
He obtaineth no happiness even in his dreams; he passeth his hfe in extreme misery.
The pandits grow weary of reading from door to door ; the Sidhs, of sitting in attitudes of contemplation.
Man’s mind is not under restraint; men grow weary performing religious ceremonies,
Changing their sectarial garbs, and bathing at the sixtyeight places of pilgrimage,
While they exercise no control over their minds, but are led astray by pride and superstition.
[p. 221] By the favour of the Guru God’s love is obtained ; and by great good fortune God cometh and dwelleth in the heart.
When there is fear of God the mind is restrained, and pride is destroyed by His word.
The fate of those who turn away from their Guru :—
They who turn their faces from the true Guru, shall find no house or home.
They shall wander from door to door like divorced women of bad character and evil reputation.
Nanak, they who are pardoned through the Guru’s instruction shall be blended with God.
The food of life eternal :—
Three things—truth, patience, and reflection are put into a dish; and, when kneaded with the water of God’s name, become perfect ambrosial food.
By partaking of them man is satisfied, and attaineth the gate of salvation.
This food is rare, O saints, but it can be obtained by the Guru’s instruction.
Why should the spell[47] of God’s name be counteracted ? rather clasp it to your heart.
The precious character of the Guru’s instruction :—
There is one Creator, one Guru, and one Word to meditate on.
True is the shop,[48] true its dealings;[49] its garners are filled with jewels.[50]
They are obtained by the Guru’s favour, if the Bestower bestow them.
[p. 222]
The following was addressed to the Muhammadan priest of Goindwal who followed devious ways :—
OQ Shaikh, restrain thy mind which now wandereth towards the four cardinal points, the sport of the four winds.
Abandon thy crooked ways, accept the instruction of the Guru ;
Prostrate thyself before the true Guru; he knoweth everything that 1s to be known.
Banish thy hopes and desires; become as a guest a the world.
If thou walk as the true Guru desireth, thou shalt obtain honour in God’s court.
Nanak, accursed the garb, accursed the food of those who remember not God.
The inspired teacher is for the whole world :—
Great men utter instruction for a special occasion, but the whole world becometh a partner in it.
Nanak, how can he in whose heart there is no faith, expound divine knowledge ?
The self-sacrifice of the disciple must be complete :—
As the elephant offereth his head to the goad, as the anvil offereth itself to the hammer,
So should the disciple put his soul and body before his Guru, and stand and wait on him.
In this way the pious man, while humbling himself, assumeth the sovereignty of the whole universe.[51]
Nanak, the pious understand this 1f God look on them with favour.
Different ways of disposing of the dead :—
Some are cremated, some buried, and others eaten by dogs ;
Some are thrown into the river and others again into pits :
Nanak, it is not known where they shall ultimately go.
[p. 223]
The fate of slanderers :—
The slanderers hate the saints, but love the wicked to fascination.
They have no rest in this world or the next; they die and are born again and again.
Their thirst is never slaked ; they are ruined by worldly love.
Their faces are blackened in the court of the true One.
Nanak, without the Name they neither abide in this world nor cross over to the next.
When reading and study are advantageous :—
Reading and study are worldly acts if the sin of avarice be in the heart.
All who read through pride grow weary, and are ruined by worldly love.
He is learned, he is a wise pandit who pondereth on the Guru’s word :
He searcheth in his heart, findeth the Real Thing there, and reacheth the gate of deliverance :
He tranquilly meditateth on God, and findeth Him who is the treasury of excellences.
Nanak, blessed is that trader who by the Guru’s instruction obtaineth the Name as his support.
The Guru can remove the sins of previous births:—
The impurity of many births hath attached to man’s mind, and it hath become quite black.
An oilman’s towel will not become white by washing, even though it be washed hundreds of times.
His nature altereth who by the Guru’s favour while alive is dead.
Nanak, no impurity attacheth to him, and he shall not again enter a womb.
The indifference of the world to spiritual matters: —
O man, oppressed by a nightmare thy life hath passed away in sleep.
[p. 224] Thou hast not awakened on hearing the word of the true Guru, nor hath enthusiasm arisen in thy heart.
May that body which hath no virtues and performeth not the Guru’s service be burnt !
I have seen the world burning with pride and worldly love.
Nanak, they who meditate in their hearts on the true Word and seek the Guru’s protection shall be saved.
External decorations lead astray :—
Without the Word woman becometh not pure even though she don many ornaments ;
She careth not for her husband, but loveth another.
Nanak, such a woman is impure, ill-conducted, and evil among her sex.
God is the Pardoner and Cherisher :—
God appointeth men to do His service; He it is who rewardeth them.
He is the Father and Mother of all, and taketh care of them.
Nanak, they who ponder on the Name obtain a residence in God’s own palace and are honoured in every age.
A Sikh called Jacha inquired of the Guru the best means of obtaining God :—
Praise not the world which shall perish ;
Praise not men who shall die and become dust.
ant! omy lerdal
The pious ever praise Him who is true and independent.
The perverse are burning with love for the world :
They embrace not the present opportunity ; they shall be bound and beaten in the city of Death.
The lives of the pious are profitable ; they cling to the true Word.
God hath appeared unto them, and they abide in peace and happiness.
The thirst and hunger of those who forget the Guru’s instruction and are attached to worldly love,
[p. 225] Depart not ; night and day they wander in suffering :
They cherish friendship for the evil and hatred for the holy.
They shall perish with their families, and cause their whole tribe to perish.
It is not good to slander any one; yet that is what the perverse and blockheads do.
The faces of the slanderers become blackened, and they fall into horrible hell.
O man, as thou worshippest, so shalt thou be, and so shall be the acts thou performest.
It is thou thyself who didst sow ; it is thou thyself who shalt eat; nothing is obtained by prating.
When great men speak it is with some object:
They are filled to the brim with nectar, and have not a particle of avarice.
The virtuous amass virtues and instruct others.
They who meet them are fortunate ; night and day they repeat God’s name.
“He who created the earth will give us sustenance.
One alone is the Giver ; He Himself is the true Lord.
That True One is with thee, O man; thou shalt behold Him by the Guru’s instruction.
Ever remember God and He will pardon thee and blend thee with Himself.
Man is impure; the True One is pure; how shall we meet Him °
When man dispelleth his pride under the Guru’s instruction, God will unite him with Himself, and that shall be a lasting union.
Accursed is his life in this world who forgetteth the true Lord !
God will look with favour and not forget him who meditateth on the Guru’s instruction.
When the true Guru blendeth me with God, a lasting union shall be effected, and I shall clasp the True One to my heart.
Once I have found Him, through the love and affection of the Guru, we shall not be separated.
[p. 226] Let me praise my Beloved by meditation on the word of the Guru.
When I meet my Beloved, I shall obtain happiness and become an illustrious woman.
Sins are erased by devotion ; God’s fellowship with the pious :—
All his sins are erased, O God, who reverently singeth Thy praises day and night.
All men are Thine ; Thou art theirs; Iam Thine; Thou art mine.
The repentant sinner :—
The evil wife in a red dress goeth to enjoy a strange man.
Infatuated with another she leaveth the husband of her home. ;
She eateth bread because it is sweet ; its flavour greatly increaseth her disease.
She leaveth God her lawful spouse, and afterwards suffereth the pain of separation from Him ;
But under the Guru’s instruction she will return, renew her love for God, and decorate herself to attract Him.
She will then enjoy God her true Spouse in peace, and clasp His name to her heart.
She will be submissive and ever a good wife, and God will unite her with Himself.
Nanak, she who hath obtained the true God as her Husband, shall ever be a happy wife.
How repentance is effected :—
O thou with the red robe,[52] thou shalt become a good wife if thou repeat the true Name with thy heart.
By conciliating the true Guru thy beauty shall be greatly enhanced, and thou shalt have no other abode than his.
[p. 227] Put on such decorations as shall never be tarnished, that thy husband may love thee night and day.
Nanak, what are the signs of a good wife ? Her heart is pure, her face bright, and she is absorbed in her spouse.
It is not the dress that ensures happiness :—
O people, I have been in red, wearing a red robe,
But, since it is not the robe that obtaineth the Bridegroom, I have ceased to robe myself.
Nanak, they who have heard the Guru’s instruction, have found the Bridegroom.
In this way the Bridegroom is found ; what pleaseth God taketh place.
The dye of the worldly is temporary, of the saints permanent :—
Thou with the red robe, the whole world steeped in folly and worldly love is red ;
But the dye is false and totally vanisheth in a moment like the shadow of a tree.
The colour of the pious is the reddest of the red as if dyed with madder.
She in whose heart dwelleth God’s ambrosial name, turneth away from mammon and entereth the house of God.
Nanak, I am a sacrifice to my Guru by meeting whom I sing God’s praises.
Man ought not to set his heart on fleeting pleasures :—
The red colour is useless; the Bridegroom is not obtained by it ;
It taketh not long to fade. She who loveth mammon sitteth as a widow.
The woman who coveteth a red robe is silly and fickle.
Make the true Word thy red robe, and the fear and love of God thine ornaments.
Nanak, they who act according to the wishes of the true Guru shall ever be happy wives.
[p. 228]
The idolater is compared to an unchaste woman :—
The woman with the red robe who leaveth God and loveth another husband is a bad character.
She hath neither modesty nor virtue ; she ever uttereth falsehood, and is ruined by her perversity.
She for whom it is so written from the beginning, shall obtain God as her Spouse.
She shall doff all her red robes and don the garment of humility.
She shall obtain great honour in this world and the next ; the whole world shall worship her.
No one is equal to her whom the Creator enjoyeth.
Nanak, she who hath the everlasting Male as her Husband is holy, and shall ever be a happy wife.
How a woman ought to love her husband :—
It is not they who burn themselves with their husbands’ corpses who are Satis ;
Nanak, rather are they Satis who die by the shock of separation from their husbands.
They also are known as Satis who abide in modesty and contentment ;
Who wait upon their Lord and rising in the morning ever remember Him.
The concremation of widows is inadmissible :—
Women are burnt in the fire with their husbands :
If they appreciate their husbands they undergo sufficient pain by their death.
Nanak, if they appreciate not their husbands, why should they be burnt ?
Whether the husband be alive or dead such women will flee far away from him.[53]
[p. 229]
Men ought to acquire divine knowledge before adopting a religious dress :—
O woman, only decorate thyself when thou hast conciliated thy Husband,
Lest He come not to thy couch and thy decorations be in vain.
When thy Husband’s heart is conciliated, decoration will become thee.
It will be acceptable if thy Husband love thee.
Make fear thy decoration, God’s love thy betel, and reverence thy food.
Nanak, she who delivereth her body and soul to her Husband shall enjoy Him.
God cannot be won by a religious garb :—
A woman taketh collyrium, flowers, betel and attar of roses, and decorateth herself, But if her husband come not to her couch, it is all in vain.
The Guru describes an ideal marriage :—
They are not husband and wife who sit together : Rather are they husband and wife who have one soul and two bodies.
God’s praises may be said or sung :—[54]
Enjoy yourselves when God’s name is in your mouths.[55]
Measures, music, and hymns are pleasant if one meditate on God ;
But if man serve God even without measures and music, he shall obtain honour at His court.
Nanak, meditate upon God by the Guru’s instruction, so shall all the pride of thy heart depart.
[p. 230]
The Guru’s prayer for the human race :—
O God, of Thy mercy save the world which is in flames. Save it in any way that it may be saved.
The fate of the inidel.—
The five thieves [56] rob those who forget the Name
And utter falsehood; they make a breach of pride in their hearts.
The infidels who know not the savour of God’s name are ruined by their folly.
They who have lost the ambrosial Name through doubt and conceived an affection for sin,
Love the wicked and quarrel with the saints.
Nanak, the infidels shall be bound by Death and suffer torments in hell ;
They shall obtain the reward of their acts; where God placeth them there shall they remain.
The fate of the holy :—
They who serve the true Guru have become strong from being weak.
God ever dwelleth within them and Death cannot look at them.
Lakshmi is their servant in whose hearts is the sweetness of God’s name.
The servant of the servants of God obtaineth the supreme boon.
Nanak is ever a sacrifice to him in whose soul and body God dwelleth.
The characteristics of the four ages :—
In the Sat age every one spoke the truth ;
In every house God’s service was performed, and men were holy.
In the Sat age religion had four legs : [57]
[p. 231] Then a few understood divine knowledge by the Guru’s instruction.
In the four ages the Name is magnified.
They who cling to the Name obtain salvation ; without the Guru none may obtain the Name.
In the Treta age one leg[58] of religion was removed ;
Hypocrisy prevailed and men deemed God distant.[59]
He who obtained knowledge under the Guru’s instruction knew God,
And acquired happiness by implanting the Name in his heart.
In the Dwapar age worldly love and duality arose :
Led astray in error men thought the Creator and creation distinct.
In the Dwapar age religion was only left two legs.[60]
Wherever there was a holy man he fixed the Name firmly in his heart.
In the Kal age only one leg remained to religion.[61]
She went on one leg and worldly love increased :
Worldly love produced excessive darkness.
If man meet the true Guru, the Name shall be his salvation.
In every age there is only the one true Being :
In everything is the True One, there is none besides.
By praising the True One true happiness is obtained ;
But only a few pious men utter such praises.
Through all the ages the Name is the best thing ; [62]
Only a few holy men know this.
He who pondereth on God’s name is a saint :
Nanak, in every age the Name is magnified.
The cultivation of the Name :— The true Guru is the field of happiness; he whom God causeth to love it,
[p. 232] Soweth the Name; the Name springeth up, and he is absorbed in it.
Pride which is the seed of doubt fleeth away from him.
He no longer soweth the seed of doubt ; it no longer springeth up ; he liveth on what God giveth him.
When water blendeth with water, it cannot again be separated.
Nanak, that is the way of the holy ; O people, come and See :
But what can wretched people sce who themselves know nothing ?
He in whose heart God dwelleth and to whom He showeth Himself, beholdeth Him.
Sorrow is the portion of the perverse :—
The perverse man is a field of sorrow; he soweth sorrow and eateth sorrow.
In sorrow is he born, in sorrow he dieth, and in pride he passeth his life.
The mentally blind man acteth blindly, and thinketh not of his transmigration.
He knoweth not the Giver, but clingeth to what is given :
He acteth as was at first destined for him; O Nanak, he cannot act otherwise.
The following is a reply to a hymn of Kabir :—
Nanak, God will look with favour on him who hath turned himself into henna :
God Himself will grind it, God Himself will rub it, and God Himself will apply it to His feet.
This is a loving cup of the Lord. He prepareth it for him with whom He is pleased.
The following is a reflection on anchorets :—
Led astray by doubt, I have wandered the world over, and searched until I have grown weary.
God gave me no peace; what can cope with Him ?
Meditate on God under the Guru’s instruction, and clasp Him to thy heart.
[p. 233] Nanak, if God be merciful, man seated in his own home can find Him.
The false and the true Abhyagat,[63] or mendicant, who claims to have reached the final goal of sanctity :—
He in whose heart there is superstition ought not to be called an Abhyagat.
Alms given to him, O Nanak, shall be as vain as himself.
Few are they, O Nanak, to whose lot it hath fallen to give food to him
Who hungereth for the supreme reward of the Fearless and Pure.
They should not be described as Abhyagats who eat in other’s houses,
And who to fill their bellies adopt many sectarial garbs.
They are Abhyagats, O Nanak, who study their hearts,
Who search and find the Lord, and dwell in their own homes.
Man must do good acts and obey God’s laws :—
Numberless persons are absorbed in God, the Mine of jewels ; but the false suffer transmigration :
They act as they please and suffer great punishment.
Everything is in the Mine of jewels, but it is only obtainable by good acts.
Nanak, man obtaineth the nine treasures if he act according to God’s will.
Better to taste God’s ambrosia than the poison of the perverse :—
He who serveth not the Guru cheerfully shall lose his life by pride.
The lotus of his heart shall never bloom whose tongue tasteth not God’s essence.
The perverse die by eating poison; they perish by worldly love.
[p. 234] He on whom the true God looketh with favour becometh the slave of His slaves :
He serveth the true Guru night and day and never leaveth his side :
As the lotus remaineth dry in the water, so he liveth a hermit in his own home.
Nanak, the Lord of excellences acteth and causeth all to act as He pleaseth.
Dutiful children ought to accept the counsel of sages :—
Elders’[64] advice maketh children good :
They who are pleasing to God heed such counsel and act accordingly.
Go and consult the Simritis, the Shastars, the writings of Vyas,[65] Shukdev, Narad, and those who uttered excellent words.
They whom God attacheth to the truth remain attached to it and ever remember it.
Nanak, their coming into the world is profitable who save all their families.
The blind leading the blind :—
When the guru is blind, the deeds of his disciples also are blind ;
They act as it pleaseth themselves and continually utter the grossest falschood ;
They practise lying and deception and ever slander others.
The slanderers are ruined themselves and ruin all their families ;
But they are, O Nanak, in the position in which God placed them ; what can the poor creatures do ?
[p. 235]
Nothing is gained by association with a fool :—
The fool listeneth to the words of the fool.
What are the marks of a fool ?. What his acts ?
The fool is he who is stupid and dying of pride.
In its practice he is ever miserable, and in misery he abideth.
If his dearest friend fall into a well, what device shall he adopt to extricate him ?
A pious man would think about it, but the fool would remain aloof.
By repeating God’s name the pious man is saved, and they who were perishing shall be saved through him.
Nanak, God acteth as He pleaseth, and man must endure what cometh from Him.
The condition of those who have not the fear of God in their hearts :—
They who have not met the Guru and who have not a particle of fear,
Suffer great pain in transmigration, and their anxiety never ceaseth.
They are beaten like soiled garments or like a gong which striketh gharis and double gharis.
Nanak, without the true Name they are never frec from entanglements.
The Guru inculcates truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth :—
I have searched the three worlds, my friends, and discovered that pride is bad for men.
Grieve not, O my heart, speak the truth, Nanak, the whole truth.
The Guru culls divine knowledge from God’s wee The tree spontaneously produceth flowers and fruits ;
[p. 236] the bumble-bee divesting himself of fear dwelleth among them.
Nanak, there is but one tree (God), one flower (divine knowledge), and one bumble-bee (the Guru).
The Guru teaches true piety to a Jogi :—
If I become a Jogi, wander in the world, and beg from door to door,
When my account is called for in God’s court, how many persons shall I have to satisfy ?[66]
Let me make the Name my alms, patience my hut, companionship with the True One my cry; I shall not then be asked for an account.
God is not obtained by sectarial garbs ; all who adopt them shall be seized by the god of death.
Nanak, their words are false—do thou remember the true Name.
I-ven the perverse may be saved by obeying God’s order :—
A raven becometh not white, nor doth iron float.
He who accepteth the boon of the Beloved, is blest and regenerateth others.
The countenance of htm who recognizeth God’s orders shall become bright, and he shall cross over like iron on timber.
To abandon avarice and abide in fear are,O Nanak, most meritorious acts.
The heart is not chastened by wandering in forests :—
The ignorant man who goeth into the desert to chasten his heart cannot succeed.
Nanak, if the heart be chastened, it must be by reflection on the Guru’s instruction.
Even though every one desire to chasten his heart, he cannot succeed ;
[p. 2] But man, O Nanak, shall chasten his heart, if he meet the true Guru.
Were a man to forget God he would deserve expulsion from his fraternity :—
Were I to become a pandit or an astrologer and recite the four Veds ;
Were I to be worshipped for my wisdom and teaching in the nine regions of the world,
May it not be that I should forget the true Name and that none should touch my cooking-square.[67]
Cooking-squares are all false ; Nanak, God alone is true.
It is when man ceases to think of merits and demerits and fixes his attention on God alone that he is saved :—
Merits and demerits are the same ; since God created both.
Nanak, happiness is obtained by obeying God’s order and pondering on the Guru’s instruction.
The Guru refuses to use force to his slanderer :—
They who have no divine knowledge or a particle of fear in their hearts,
Have been destroyed by God; Nanak, why slay the slain ?
The Guru rejects the Brahman’s horoscope and censures his pride and pretended learning :—
To study one’s mental horoscope[68] is the real happiness.
That Brahman is good who knoweth how to meditate on God ;
Who reflecting on the Guru’s instruction extolleth God and readeth His praises.
His birth is profitable, and he saveth his family.
In the next world there shall be no inquiry regarding caste; to act according to the Word is the real thing.
[p. 238] Vain is all other study, vain all other acting, since man thus becometh attached to sin.
The perverse man hath no internal happiness ; his life is ruined.
Nanak, they who are tinctured by the Name are saved by the Guru’s boundless love.
A pandit asked the Guru to listen to a discourse of his. The Guru refused. Upon this the pandit said he himself was a Brahman while the Guru was only a Khatri, and it was the duty of Khatris to listen to Brahmans. The Guru replied as follows :—
Let none be proud of his caste.
He who knoweth God is a Brahman.
O stupid fool, be not proud of thy caste ;
From such pride many sins result.
Everybody saith there are four castes,
But they all proceeded from God’s seed.
The world is all made out of one clay,
But the Potter fashioned it into vessels of many sorts.
The body is formed from the union of five elements ;
Let any one consider if he hath less or more in his composition.
Saith Nanak, the soul is fettered by its acts.
Without meeting the true Guru salvation is not obtained.
The sectarial dresses, the scriptures, and the pilgrimages of the Hindus are of no avail :—
Even if man take off his clothes, become naked
And wear matted hair, how can he obtain union with God ?
His mind is not pure, nor tarrieth it at the tenth gate.
The foolish person wandereth and returneth again and again in transmigration.
O foolish man, meditate on the one God,
And thou shalt at once cross the world’s ocean.
[p. 239] They who expound the Simritis and the Shastars,
And who as divines and learned men read the Purans,
Practise in their hearts hypocrisy and deception.
God cometh not near them ;
How shall they obtain the Pure One,
Who while practising great self-restraint
And performing ceremonial works and special adoration,
Have greed within them, and harbour the deadly sins in their hearts °
What can he make who is made himself,
And whose movements are in God’s power ?
If God look on him with favour, his doubts shall cease ;
And if he understand God’s order, he shall obtain the True One.
He in whose heart is the filth of sin
May wander on pilgrimages through the countries of the world ;
Yet, O Nanak, it is only when he associateth with the true Guru
That the obstacles in the terrible ocean shall break for his passage.
The holy enjoy perpetual spring :—
When spring cometh, the forests bloom ;
But men and lower animals only bloom by thinking on God :
In this way the mind 1s refreshed.
By repeating God’s name day and night under the Guru’s instruction pride is removed and washed away.
When the true Guru reciteth his verses and hymns,
The world bloometh again by his love.
Fruits and flowers are produced when God Himself produceth them.
When man findeth the true Guru, he attacheth himself to God, the root of all things.
God is the spring ; the whole world is His garden ;
Nanak, by perfect good fortune special service is performed.
[p. 240]
The Hindus fast on the eleventh day of the light and dark halves of the lunar month. Besides these certain other days of the lunations are occasionally dedicated to certain Hindu divinities. Thus the ninth is sacred to Devi, the tenth to Digpal, or the elephants who support the eight points of the compass, the eleventh to Vishnu, and the twelfth to Bawan, his dwarf incarnation. The Guru in the following gives substitutes for these fasts. The slok was addressed to Brahmans who censured the Guru for his neglect of fasting :—
If man on the ninth day make a vow to speak the truth,
His lust, wrath, and covetousness will depart.
The tenth day is auspicious if one restrain the organs of action and perception: the eleventh day is auspicious if one then know that God is one.
If on the twelfth day man preserve himself from the five deadly sins, then, O Nanak, shall he be happy.
If fasts be thus observed, O Pandit, why give more instruction ?
Brahmans and sectaries obtain no advantage from reading and pilgrimages :—
Pandits and men vowed to silence grow weary of reading ; men who wear sectarial dresses grow weary of wandering from country to country.
Through love of the world they never obtain God’s name, and very great misery attacheth to the
They are stupid and blind, and make it their business to serve Mammon.
With deception in their hearts the fools read books to fill their bellies.
They who have expelled pride from their hearts, serve the true Guru and obtain happiness.
Nanak, there is only one Name to read and meditate on ; a few reflecting men know this.
[p. 241]
Man must accept the inevitable. As he came naked into the world, so must he depart :—
Naked man cometh, naked he departeth—such is the will of God ; what can be done ?
He who gave life will take it away. With whom shall man be angry on that account ?
He who is pious obeyeth God’s will and tranquilly quaffeth divine nectar.
Nanak, ever praise the Giver of happiness, and repeat His name with thy tongue.
No hope from false gods :—
When men have forgotten God’s name, what other name will they utter °
They are as worms in ordure ;_ their worldly affairs like thieves have robbed them.
May Nanak not forget God’s name! False is all other desire.
The fate of those who forget the Name :—
They who forget the Name, even though they perform many other religious acts,
Are bound and beaten in the city of Death, O Nanak, like robbers caught house-breaking.
Man should be firm in his devotion :—
As long as the mind is inconstant, man indulgeth in great pride and arrogance.
He relisheth not the Word and loveth not the Name.
His service is not acceptable; he fretteth and fretteth until he becometh an object of contempt.
Nanak, call him a servant who would cut off his head, place it before his master,
Obey the order of the true Guru, and take his instruction to heart.
Only what pleases God can be deemed devotion, penance, and service :—
If man renounce his pride, God will pardon him and blend him with Himself.
[p. 242] Man once blended with God will never be separated ; light will be blended with light.
Nanak, that man knoweth God whom he causeth to know Him through the Guru’s favour.
God is ever young, and His name is ever holy :—
The True One never groweth old, and His name is never defiled.
He who walketh in the way of the Guru shall not be born again.
Nanak, he who forgetteth the Name shall both come and go.
He who obeys and loves the Almighty needs not fear death :—
The order of the Unconcerned is over all ; no artifice can succeed and no argument prevail against Him.
The holy man who effaceth himself, accepteth God’s will, secketh His protection,
And renounceth his pride, shall not feel Death’s mace.
Nanak, he is a worshipper who fixeth his love on the Tre One:
The Creator and the creature contrasted :—
All gifts, splendour, and beauty are Thine, O God ;
Many artifices and pride are mine.
They who harbour covetousness, worldly love, and pride shall never be free from transmigration, however many ceremonial acts they perform.
Nanak, the Creator Himself causeth to act; what pleaseth Him 1s good.
The mental happiness obtained by heeding pious instruction :—
On meeting the Guru the mind is happy as after rain the earth 1s decorated :
Everything appeareth green, the lakes and pools are filled to the brim.
[p. 243] The colour of the True One attacheth to the heart as redness to madder.
The lotus of the heart bloometh by obeying the True One ; man is rendered happy by the Gurw’s word.
The perverse turn to worldly love ; carefully consider this.
The god of death is seen standing over their heads as if they were ensnared deer.
Avarice, covetousness, and slander are evil; lust and wrath terrible.
God appeareth not to our eyes until we reflect on His word.
They who please Thee, O God, acquire patience, and no longer have domestic entanglements.
By serving the Guru man saveth his capital ;[69] the Guru is a ladder and a boat of salvation.
Nanak, they who love God obtain Him; Thou art true, O God, and true is he who obeyeth Thee.
When the Guru instructs, the heart assumes a different colour. It is supposed that an Indian woman’s passions increase when there are clouds. Here she is considering what her relations with her spouse will be—whether he will withdraw or grant her his love. In the latter case she will be held to be imbued with a different colour.
Lowering clouds come and give the earth different colours.
I know not how long the love with which I have inspired my spouse will endure.
The women shall be happy in whose hearts there are fear and love.
Nanak, they who feel not fear and love are not happy.
When lowering clouds come and the pure rain falleth,
O Nanak, the women who have broken with their spouse are unhappy.
When lowering clouds come and rain falleth continuously,
O Nanak, the woman who acteth as her husband desireth, ever enjoyeth his embraces.
[p. 244]
It is God alone who sends rain :—
Why stand ye up to look? unhappy people, this cloud can do nothing.
It is He who sent the cloud ye should treasure in your hearts.
He giveth Himself a residence in the hearts of those on whom He looketh with favour.
Nanak, all on whom God looketh not with favour shall lament.
As the chatrik is in need of rain, so is man in need of divine instruction :—
O chatrik, every one longeth for Him on whom thou callest.
When God is merciful it will rain, and the forests and glades become green.
God is found by the Guru’s favour; few are they who know this.
Resting or standing continually meditate on Him, and thou shalt be happy for ever and ever.
Nanak, nectar ever raineth; God bestoweth it on the plous.
God sends a divine teacher when required :—
When the world is in distress, it heartily prayeth.
The True One attentively listeneth and with His kind disposition[70] granteth consolation !
He giveth orders to the cloud-god and the rain falleth in torrents.[71]
Then corn and wealth are produced in great abundance and of untold value.
Nanak, praise His name who giveth to all creatures their sustenance,
By eating whereof happiness is produced, and misery felt no more.
[p. 245]
God knows man’s necessities better than he knows them himself :—
O chatrik, cry not and allow not thy heart to long for water ; obey the order of the Lord.
Nanak, by obeying His order thy thirst shall depart, and thou shalt have fourfold love for Him.
There is no lack of divine instruction, but men recelve 1t not :—
O chatrik, thy dwelling is in the water ; thou wanderest in the water ;
Thou knowest not the water’s value and so thou fallest a-screaming.
It raineth everywhere on sea and land ; there is no place without rain.
So much rain falleth that they who are dying of thirst and receive it not are unfortunate.
Nanak, the pious in whose hearts God dwelleth find the water.
It is they who are favoured by God who receive divine instruction :—
This water raineth on every one; God by His kind disposition causeth it to fall.
The trees which by the Guru’s instruction are absorbed in God become green.[72]
Nanak, the animals on which God looketh with favour become happy and their misery departeth.
The bliss of those who receive divine instruction: —
On a wet night there is lightning and it raineth in torrents :
If it be the will of God, where it raineth much corn and wealth shall be produced,
By using which the heart will be satisfied and men will perform their duties.
This wealth is the sport of the Creator; it sometimes cometh and sometimes goeth ;
[p. 246] But the Name is the wealth of those who possess divine knowledge ;_ they are ever absorbed in it.
Nanak, they on whom God looketh with favour, shall obtain this wealth.
As the chatrik will not drink ordinary water, so men will not receive instruction :—
This world is a chatrik ; let none make a mistake herein.
This chatrik is an animal without understanding, otherwise it would know
That God’s name is nectar, by drinking which thirst departeth.
Nanak, the pious who drink it shall not again be thirsty.
When God is merciful men receive saving instruction :—
The Malar is refreshing ; by meditation on God in it comfort 1s obtained.
If God show His mercy it raineth over the whole world.
By rain animals obtain the means of subsistence, and the earth 1s decorated.
Nanak, this world is all water; from water everything hath sprung.
The few who know God by the Guru’s favour are ever emancipated.
God, without being asked, gives man what 1s good for him :—
O chatrik, thou knowest not the palace of the Lord ; When thou seest it: pray there.
Thou pratest much to please thyself ; thy words are not acceptable.
The Lord is very beneficent ; what thou desirest thou shalt obtain from Him.
Then the world’s thirst to say nothing of thine, poor chatrik, shall depart.[73]
[p. 247]
The chatrik, on obtaining the special drops it desires, 1s compared to the man disposed to receive instruction :—
The chatrik on a rainy night naturally loving the True One crieth—
‘ This water is my life; without water I cannot live.’
So by the Guru’s instruction the water of life is found when man dispelleth his pride.
Nanak, the true Guru hath caused me to meet Him without whom I cannot live for a moment.
God is not to be importuned for secular favours :—
O chatrik, the chaste woman obtaineth access to hey spouse’s chamber ; the unchaste one is banished.
Within thee, God dwelleth and is ever present with the holy.
Thou shalt not have to shout and scream when God looketh on thee with favour.
Nanak, they who love the Name and act according to the Guru’s instruction, shall be easily blended with God.
In the following the chatrik represents the pious man praying for the gift of life :—
The chatrik prayeth, ‘O God, mercifully grant me the gift of life !
‘Without water my thirst will not be quenched; I shall expire.
‘ Thou O God, art the Giver of happiness, illimitable ; Thou art the Giver and treasury of favours.’
Nanak, God pardoneth the pious and at the last hour becometh their Friend.
The worldly man, like the chatrik, accepts not what God grants him, but seeks his own advantages :—
O chatrik, thou knowest not what thirst there is within thee, and by what draught it shall be quenched.
Through worldly love thou wanderest, and the immortal water thou obtainest not.
[p. 248] If God cast His glance of favour, the true Guru will be easily found.
Nanak, the immortal water will be obtained from him, and man will be easily absorbed in God.
When man rises early for prayer his supplication is granted :—
The chatrik calleth at the ambrosial hour of morning,[74] and his prayer is heard in God’s court.
God mercifully issueth an order to the cloud to kindly rain.[75]
The joy felt by the holy in the rainy season :—
Woman shall be happy in Sawan by reflecting on the Guru’s instruction.
Nanak, by her unequalled love for the Guru she shall ever be a happy wife ;
But she who is devoid of virtue, and who is attached to a second love shall burn in Sawan.
Nanak, she careth not for her spouse, and therefore despiseth all decoration.
In the opinion of the Guru forgetfulness of God’s name is the greatest sin.
Saith Nanak, by forgetting the one Name sin is committed equal in the estimation of the Hindus to the killing of Brahmans, kine, and virgins, eating the food of the sinful,
And the million transgressions which render men accursed and ever and ever victims of pride.
Let all other wisdom depart, as long as the knowledge of the one God remaineth.
The devotion of the saints is compared to that of the fond wife who cooks elaborate dishes for her spouse :—
As a devoted wife in her husband’s house, intensely desiring to perform service for him,
[p. 249] Prepareth him viands of many savours, making some tart and others sweet ;
Even with the same devotion the saints praise and apply their hearts to God’s name :
They offer the Guru their souls, bodies, and wealth ; they would even sell their heads and place them before him.
Many saints pray for the fear and service of God; God fulfilleth their desires, and blendeth them with Himself.
The spiritual exaltation of the holy :—
In the heart of the pious man is composure; his soul ascendeth to the tenth heaven,
Where there is nor sleep nor hunger, and where God’s ambrosial name whitch conferreth bliss abideth.
Nanak, sorrow is not felt where the light of God shincth.
The fate of the perverse :—
The perverse man is of unstable mind; in his heart he hath many artifices.
What he hath done and what he doeth is all in vain; he is in no way acceptable.
The fruit of his religious acts and alms shall all go to the king of death.
Without the true Guru the king of death will not release him ; he shall be ruined by his worldly love.
His youth glideth imperceptibly away, and on attaining old age he dieth without repentance.
Children and wives are objects of affection, but at the last moment none of them will assist or accompany him.
The condition of those who practise worldly love :—
Worldly love is an ocean of sorrow, difficult to cross, nay, uncrossable.
The perverse pass their lives in avarice and pine away talking of their possessions.
They can neither retreat nor advance; they remain entangled in mid ocean.
God may pardon man’s transgressions. The following [p. 250] is repeated by many Sikhs on rising in the morning :—
We commit many sins of which there is no end.
O God, be mercifully pleased to pardon them.
We are great sinners and transgressors.
O God, Thou pardonest and blendest unto Thee ;_ otherwise it will not come to our turn to be pardoned.
The Guru graciously cut off our sins and transgressions by blending us with God.
Hail to those, O Nanak, who have meditated on God’s nance.
Kely not on the covetous :—
As far as possible rely not on a covetous man ; At the last moment he will lead thee where nobody can lend thee a hand.
The condition of the perverse :—
The perverse are hke children and dotards whose hearts take no thought of God.
The perverse and the pious contrasted :—
How shall he who doeth evil be acceptable ?
He shall burn in his own anger.
The perverse man 1s a fool and worrieth himself with quarrelling.
He who is pious knoweth everything. ee
Nanak, the plous man struggleth with his own heart.
His singers represented to the Guru that the Dhanasari was a very popular measure, and that whenever they played or sang it they usually received large rewards from others. On this the Guru composed the following :—
The Dhanasari measure is worthy of praise, brethren, if it perform the work of the True Guru.[76]
Brethren, heartily entrust to Him thy body and soul along with thy life; turn away from the world and obey His order.
[p. 251] Where He seateth you there sit, brethren ; and whither He sendeth you thither go.
There is no wealth, brethren, so great as the true Name.
May I ever sing the praises of the True One, brethren, and ever abide with the True One!
Make God’s attributes and praises your raiment, brethren, and enjoy the relish of the honour He granteth you.
Why merely praise Him, brethren ? You ought to offer sacrifices yourselves for a sight of Him.
A man proud of his long beard went to visit Guru Angad, but would not bow to him. Guru Amar Das thus addressed the offender :—
That is a real beard which toucheth the Guru’s feet.
They who day and night serve their Guru ever abide in happiness ;
Nanak, they are seen with beaming faces at the court of the True One.
The advantage of possessing everything true :—
When men speak the truth and act the truth, true are their mouths and true their beards.
The true Word dwelleth in their hearts, and they shall be blended with the True Guru.
From the capital springeth true wealth, and the highest rank is obtained.
They who hear the truth, obey the truth, and practise truth,
Shall obtain a seat in the True court, and be absorbed in the True One.
Nanak, without the true Guru the True One shall not be obtained ; the perverse shall go astray.
The advantage of meeting the Guru :—
The chatrik crieth, ‘Prio, prio’ (Beloved! Beloved !) through love of the cloud.
If it meet the Guru, it shall receive cool water to remove all its pain.
Its thirst shall depart, composure ensue; and it shall cease its cries and screams.
[p. 252] Nanak, the pious who hold the Name to their hearts, obtain peace.
The joy of him who is devoted to God :—
Nanak, he who is absorbed in the service of the true Guru, enjoyeth perpetual spring.
God is pleased with him, his mind and body bloom, and the whole world is clad in verdure for him.
The orison of the holy :—
At early dawn whose name should we take ? We should take the name of God who is omnipotent to destroy and to create.
The inanimate world also praises the Creator :—
O Persian wheel, thou also speakest well, saying ‘ Tu, Tu’ (Thou, Thou); [77]
But the Lord is ever present ; why call to Him with a loud voice ?
Man ought to be a sacrifice to Him who created the world and made creatures of different species.
The forests and glades of the world meditate on Thee, O God, and thus ever pass their nights and days.
Salvation is not obtained by wearing a sectarial dress :—
Union with God is not obtained by an ochre-coloured robe, nor by a dirty garment :
Nanak, it is obtained sitting in one’s own home under the Guru’s instruction.
A perusal of the Veds will render man no assistance :—
Wert thou to wander in all directions and read the Veds through the four ages, zt would be allin vain.
Nanak, if thou meet the true Guru, God will dwell in thy heart, and thou shalt attain the gate of deliverance.
God’s name. ↩︎
By evil passions or the god of death. ↩︎
Literally—are robbed. ↩︎
The soul of the pious man. ↩︎
The body. ↩︎
The souls of the perverse. ↩︎
The three qualities. ↩︎
Dukh sukh. Pain and pleasure. In the Sikh sacred writings the words combined generally mean unhappiness. ↩︎
The Daityas were a race of demons and giants who warred against the gods. Prahlad’s father was, according to the Sikhs, Harnakhas the golden-eyed, who for a long time did penance and prayed to Shiv with the object of obtaining immortal life. He had a son called Prahlad who elected the rival deity Vishnu as the object of his adoration. Harnakhas, wearied with his son’s disobedience, had him tied to a pillar with the object of striking off his head. He said to his son, ‘Where is now your God?’ Upon this, itis said, Vishnu, in one of his incarnations, half man and half lion, issued from the pillar, and with his nails tore Harnakhas to pieces. Multan is believed to have been the scene of this miracle. At any rate, a temple was built there in commemoration of the event. ↩︎
Also translated —If any one by means of it love the True One. ↩︎
Literally—separation ; absence which makes the heart grow fonder. ↩︎
Literally—running about the world. ↩︎
To ascertain if his heart has become pure or not. ↩︎
Literally—talking is of no avail. ↩︎
My mind ceases to wander. ↩︎
That is, he shall not undergo transmigration. ↩︎
The souls are the flowers of the garden, and they are known by their odour. ↩︎
In the company of the saints. ↩︎
Who cause themselves to be known, who put themselves forward by boasting. ↩︎
Literally—who read of things possessing the three qualities. ↩︎
The Guru. ↩︎
Whose duty it is to serve others and repeat God’s name. ↩︎
That is, that brief life should be man’s portion. ↩︎
They stake their precious human lives and lose them. ↩︎
The Sikh religion. ↩︎
The three qualities. ↩︎
A karor is one hundred lakhs, or ten millions. ↩︎
Brahma suffers transmigration like other creatures. ↩︎
Obviously a reference to Ram and Krishan. ↩︎
Sawdrian also means to adorn. ↩︎
That is, to idols. ↩︎
Panch bhu atman. The three qualities are in each of the five elements. The five parts of satogun make the antahkaran or mind here denoted ; the five parts of rajogun make the five organs of perception ; and the five parts of tamogun make the five organs of action. ↩︎
Literally—most unripe. ↩︎
Wanni, colouring applied to gold, no matter how pure, to enhance its lustre. ↩︎
A man is not a Brahman merely by paternity. ↩︎
Unsolicited alms which they may accept. ↩︎
Wah! Literally—bravo! The word is also a part of God’s name Wahguru. ↩︎
Literally—beholding the lofty house, that is, the clouds in the sky. ↩︎
That is, ye holy men, impart your instruction now that we may profit by it. ↩︎
Literally—hope neither dieth nor departeth. ↩︎
The body. ↩︎
Pain and pleasure. ↩︎
The soul. ↩︎
His body, the microcosm. ↩︎
A great swan in the religious language of the Sikhs means a great saint. ↩︎
They who, struggling with the world, have not obtained salvation, are born again and cannot be called spiritual rulers. ↩︎
Mundawani is a spell employed at marriages by the females of the bride’s party to induce the bridegroom’s friends to believe that they cannot partake of the bridal feast until a counterspell is employed. The word mundawani literally means a thing sealed, as viands preparatory to eating, in order to preserve their purity. Here the word is used for God’s name, the fourth ingredient of the ambrosial food. ↩︎
ihe Guru. ↩︎
In God’s name. ↩︎
Virtues. ↩︎
Spiritual sovereignty is of course meant. ↩︎
Married women wear red. ↩︎
Whether a widow loves her deceased husband or not, her cremation is useless. If she loves him, his death is a torture to her, while, if she loves him not, his life or death is of equal unconcern to her. ‘Therefore cremating her by force, or for the sake of custom or fashion, is utterly useless. ↩︎
This word in Panjabi means enjoyment, in Sanskrit a musical measure. There is in the first line of the hymn a play on the word. The Bilawal is sung on festive, the Maru on mournful occasions. ↩︎
Or—the time to sing in the Bilawal measure is when God’s name is in your mouths. ↩︎
The five senses. ↩︎
Pure religion is compared to an unblemished cow. ↩︎
That is, truth. ↩︎
And not in their hearts as believed in the Sat age. ↩︎
The second leg that fell off is supposed to be sacrifice. ↩︎
Worship is supposed to be the third leg that dropped off; God’s name, the fourth, remained. ↩︎
Superior to all religious ceremonies. ↩︎
This word in Sanskrit means a visitor. ‘The name was subsequently given to pious mendicants. ↩︎
Literally—grandfathers ; in the East the fathers are often very young, and advice-giving then becomes the grandfather’s duty or privilege. Hfere the Guru means Guru Nanak’s instruction. ↩︎
Vyas, the compiler of the Veds, see note 1, p. 31. ↩︎
I shall have to compensate numerous persons for the alms I have received. ↩︎
The Guru means that if he forgot God’s name, he should deserve the penalty that nobody would eat or associate with him. ↩︎
To know the state of one’s own heart. ↩︎
His human birth; his soul does not descend to a lower animal. ↩︎
Also translated—Of his own accord. ↩︎
The Guru gives copious instruction. ↩︎
Human beings thrive under divine instruction. ↩︎
As the chatrik wants special rain-drops, so the world seeks its own advantages. If the world accepted God’s name, all unworthy desires should depart. ↩︎
When a watch or about three hours of night still remain. ↩︎
So if a man rise early for prayer, God will hearken unto him. ↩︎
If it be employed to sing God’s praises. ↩︎
The Guru deduces the original of these words from the sound of the Persian wheel in motion. ↩︎