Life is uncertain and man ought to repent betimes :—
Though only a guest for a ghari or two, man arrangeth his affairs.
He is absorbed in mammon and lust; and, fool that he is, knoweth not that he is but a guest.
He only repenteth after his departure, and so falleth into the power of Death the executioner.
O blind man, thou art sitting on a falling bank.
If thou art so fated from the beginning, then act according to the Guru’s instruction.
The Owner [1] may gather the crop whether it be green, halfripe, or ripe and fit to be cut.
The reapers [2] make preparations, bring sickles, and arrive on the ground.
They cut the crop as it is measured out to them when the Landlord giveth orders.
The first watch of night is gone in business; during the second man sleepeth his fill ;
The third is passed in idle discourse ; and at the fourth the morning dawneth.
He who gave soul and body never entereth into man’s mind.
I sacrifice and devote my life to the society of the saints,
Through whom understanding entered my heart, and I met God the Omniscient.
Know that Nanak hath ever seen God who is the Searcher of hearts with him.
[ p. 103 ]
The attributes of God :—
I love that true One who dieth not or suffereth transmigration ;
Who, being contained in everything, will not be separated from me though I separate from Him ;
Who removeth the pain and sorrow of the poor, and truly loveth His servant.
Wonderful is the form of the Pure One; the Guru hath caused me to meet Him, O my mother.
O my brethren, be friends with such a God.
Accursed is the love of worldly things; no one attached to them appeareth happy. .
God is wise, generous, mild, beautiful, and infinite ;
He is the companion, the helper, exceeding great, exalted, and altogether without limit ;
He is not known as young or old; everlasting is His court.
What we ask Him we obtain; He is the support of the weak.
On beholding Him sins vanish, and the soul and body are at peace.
If man with single mind meditate on Him, mental doubts shall be dispelled.
He is the treasury of excellences ; ever new and complete are His gifts. |
Ever and ever adore Him; forget Him not by day or night :
He is the companion of those who are so destined from the beginning.
Devote your body, your soul, and your wealth all unto Him ; sacrifice your whole life unto Him.
He beholdeth, Heheareth, He is ever present, He pervadeth every heart.
He cherisheth even the ungrateful ; O Nanak, God is ever the Pardoner.
God’s beneficence :—
Ever and ever remember God and clasp Him to thy heart, who gave thee soul, body, and wealth, and adorned thee ;[ p. 104 ]
Who constructed all the materials of thy body and infused into it immortal light.
O my soul, there is none but God.
Ever remain under God’s protection and thou shalt feel no sorrow.
Jewels, wealth, gems, gold, and silver are all dust.
The affinities of mother, father, sons, and kinsmen are all false.
The perverse man, unclean beast that he is, knoweth not Him who made him :
He deemeth that God who is within and around him is distant ;
Avarice clingeth to him, and his heart is attached to pride and falsehood.
Boatfuls of persons without devotion or God’s name come and go.
O God, the Creator, mercifully preserve man and Thine other creatures.
There is no protector but Thee; very unfeeling is the god of death.
Saith Nanak, O God, have mercy on me that I may not forget Thy name.
Nothing can be concealed from the omnipotent God :—
In the dust of the saints’ feet are found the merits of hundreds of thousands of pilgrimages, fastings, and mortifications.
From whom canst thou hide thine evil deeds, since God ever present beholdeth thee ?
My God pervadeth and filleth every place.
True is His empire, true His authority, and truest of the true[3] His seat.
The True One exerteth true power in the creation of the world.
Nanak, repeat the true Name to which I am for ever and ever a sacrifice.
[ p. 105 ]
The Guru counsels the rejection of worldly pleasures :—
Deeming the pleasures of the world sweet, man partaketh of them, but they prove to have a bitter taste.
He causeth his brethren and friends to love him heartily ; he is vainly devoted to sinful pleasures.
These shall pass away in a trice, and he shall be astonished without the Name.
O my soul, apply thyself to the service of the true Guru.
Whatever is seen is perishable, abandon thy perversity.
As a mad dog runneth in every direction,
So the avaricious man distinguisheth not, but eateth both what is allowed and what is forbidden.
He who feeleth lust, wrath, and pride shall enter the womb again and again.
Mammon hath spread out her net and placed a bait within te
The greedy bird is snared and cannot escape, my mother.
Man knoweth not Him who made him; wherefore he shall suffer transmigration again and again.
This world hath in many ways and forms bewitched man.
He who is preserved by the omnipotent and eternal Being shall be saved.
The people of God are saved by their love for Him ; to them Nanak is ever a sacrifice.
Man during his brief measure of life ought to practise devotion :—
When the herdsman goeth only for a few days to the pasture ground, why should he prefer a claim to it ?
When thy time is completed, thou must depart ; yet thou art arranging thy household affairs.[4]
O man, sing God’s praises and serve the true Guru with love.
Why art thou proud of a trifle ?
Like the guest of a night thou shalt depart in the morning.[ p. 106 ]
Why art thou attached to thy family? everything is short-lived as the flowers of the garden.
Why ever speak of thy property ? Long for the God who gave it thee.
Thou must assuredly depart and leave thy lakhs and karors.
Having wandered among the eighty-four lakhs of existences, thou hast at last obtained human life so difficult to obtain.
Nanak, remember thou the Name ; the day of thy departure is near.
While life remains learn wise conduct :—
O body, as long as the soul thy companion is with thee, so Jong thou livest happily.
When thy companion departeth, thou shalt be blended with the dust.
If thou have felt love of God and a desire to behold Him, blest shall be thine abode.
As long as the soul dwelleth with thee, every one will say * Sir, Sir,’ to thee ;
But when it departeth no one will care for thee.
Serve thy Bridegroom in thy father’s house, and thou shalt abide in happiness in thy father-in-law’s.
Having met the Guru, learn wise conduct ; and sorrow shall never befall thee.
All must go to their father-in-law’s ; God taketh every one away.
Nanak, blest is that happy wife who loveth the Bridegroom.
Some moral injunctions :—
Store up God’s wealth, worship the true Guru, and renounce all sin.
Remember that God who made and adorned thee, and thou shalt be saved. |
O man, repeat the name of the one eternal God,
Who gave thee soul, mind, and body, and who is the support of the heart.
[ p. 107 ]
The world is intoxicated with the prevailing lust, wrath, and pride.
Enter the asylum of the saints, fall at their feet, and thy misery and mental blindness shall be removed.
The practice of truth, patience, and mercy is the best work man can accomplish.
He to whom God the Formless One granteth grace, renounceth pride and becometh the dust of all men’s feet.
Whatever is seen, the extension of creation, is all Thou, O God.
Saith Nanak, the Guru hath cut away doubt ; and I consider all things God.
The Guru addresses God as a child his father :—
Relying on Thee, O Beloved, I have been made happy.
Even if I have gone astray, I am Thy child, O God; Thou art my father and mother.
It is easy to talk,
But to act as Thou pleasest is difficult.
In Thee I repose mine honour and my strength ; I know Thee as mine.
Thou art within and without everything ; Thou needest nothing, O Father.
O Father, I know not Thy ways.
God freeth me from entanglements, O saints, and cherisheth love for me.
The Lord hath been merciful, and my transmigration is at an end.
On meeting the Guru, Nanak hath recognized the Supreme God.
Better seek God’s protection than join any of the current Indian religious sects :—
I know not what things please the Lord ;
O my soul, seek His way.
The meditator practiseth meditation.
He who is possessed of knowledge may employ his knowledge,
Yet few know God.[ p. 108 ]
The Bhagauti[5] acteth according to the rules of his sect ;
The Jogi claimeth that he alone is emancipated ;
The Penitent is absorbed in his penance ;
The Silent observe silence ;
The Sanyasi, the Brahmachari,
And the Hermit are devoted to their lonely lives ;
The Bhagats worship in nine ways ;[6]
The Pandits shout the Veds ;
The householders who practise household duties,
The Eksabdis,[7] Bahurupias,[8] the Audhuts,
The Kaprias, the Kautas, the Jagutas[9] all plume themselves on their religious merits.
Some bathe at places of pilgrimage.
The Nirahars fast ; the Aparasas touch nothing they deem impure ;
Some hide and do not allow themselves to be seen.
Some in their own estimation know everything :
Nobody admitteth any deficiency in himself.
All say that they have found God ;
But it is only the saint whom God uniteth with Himself.
All the above-mentioned efforts
I abandon, and seek God’s protection ;
Nanak, I fall at the Guru’s feet.
The Guru confesses the benefits he has received from God :—
I fall at God’s feet to conciliate Him ;[ p. 109 ]
The true Guru hath blended me with God; there is none so great as He.
The Lord of the earth is my Beloved ;
He is dearer to me than mother, father,
Sisters, brothers, and all friends ; there is none like Thee, O God.
By Thine order Sawan [10] hath come,
And I have yoked the plough of truth.
I begin to sow the Name in the hope that God in His beneficence will cause it to yield heaps of corn.
Having met the Guru, I recognize the one God ;
I know nothing of any one else.
God appointed me to the one duty;[11] as it pleaseth Him, so I perform it.
Do you, my brethren, eat and enjoy yourselves ;
The Guru hath invested me with a robe of honour in God’s court,
I have become master in my own village ;[12] I have taken its five claimants [13] captive.
I have entered Thine asylum, O God.
The five claimants have now become my tenants.
None of them can interfere with me ;[14] Nanak, the village is now thickly populated.[15]
I am a sacrifice and devote myself to Thee,
O my Sovereign ; on Thee alone I meditate.
Thou hast re-peopled a ruined village: I am a sacrifice unto Thee.
I continually meditate on God, the Beloved,
And thus obtain the fruit my heart desireth.
God hath arranged all mine affairs and appeased the hunger of my soul.
I have abandoned all mine avocations,[ p. 110 ]
And I serve the true God.
God firmly tied the Name, the receptacle of the nine treasures in my robe.
I have found the comfort of comforts.
The Guru hath implanted his instruction in my heart.
The true Guru placing his hand on my forehead hath shown me God.
I have built a true temple :
I search for and bring into it the disciples of the Guru.
I bathe their feet, fan them, and ever prostrate myself before them.
Having heard of the Guru I went to him:
He implanted in my heart the virtues of the Name, of charity, and of ablutions.
The whole world, Nanak, having embarked on the true boat [16] hath been saved,
The whole creation waiteth on Thee,O Lord, day and night.
Lend Thine ear and hear my supplication.
I have seen and examined every one; it is Thou alone who graciously deliverest us.
The order of the Merciful hath now been issued
That no one should annoy another ;
That all should dwell in ee ane that this should be a benign reign.[17]
Nectar falleth in torrents. _ I speak as the Master inspireth me.
I am very proud of Thee, O Lord; do Thou accept me.
Thy saints ever hunger for Thee ;
O God, fulfil my desires.
Giver of comfort, grant me a sight of Thee and embrace me:
I have found none so great as Thou.
Thou art in the earth, the heavens, and the nether regions ;
Thou art. contained in every place, saith Nanak ; Thou art the true support of the saints.
I am the wrestler of the Lord :
Having met the Guru I put on a tall turban.[18][ p. 111 ]
All are assembled for the wrestling ; God Himself is seated to behold it.
The music of the drums and clarions striketh up ;
The wrestlers enter the arena and walk round.
I have vanquished the five youths—the deadly sins ;—the Guru patted me on the back.
All came together to see the wrestling,
And they shall take their various ways homewards.
The holy have obtained profit ; the perverse have lost even their capital.
Thou art devoid of colour and marks ;
O God, Thou appearest ever present.
O Lord of excellences, Thy saints hear Thy praises, meditate on Thee, and love Thee.
I am God’s servant in every age.
The Guru cut the rope of ignorance which bound me.
I will not again engage in wrestling ; Nanak hath searched and found this opportunity of deliverance.
The happiness of the saints :—
When the Lord is merciful, men bathe in the dust of the saints’ feet.
Nanak hath obtained all things in God who is wealth and property.
Beautiful, O Lord, is Thy house; the saints live in the hope of rest in it.
Their souls and bodies dissolve in love on remembering God’s name, and they drink its nectar ;
They drink its nectar, live immortal lives, and while drinking deem the water of sin insipid.
When my God the Lord of the earth became merciful, I deemed the saints’ society a treasure.
O beloved saints, all happiness and abundant joy are theirs who have sewed God’s jewel in their hearts.
They forget not for a moment the support of life; O Nanak, they live by repeating God’s name.
[ p. 112 ]
Gratitude to God who treats all men as equal.
That season is pleasant when I remember Thee, O God ;
That work is pleasant which is done for Thee.
O Thou who bestoweth on all, that heart is happy in which Thou dwellest.
Thou art our universal Father,
In Thine inexhaustible storehouse are all treasures.
He on whom Thou bestoweth is satisfied and satiated, and he is Thy worshipper.
Every one reposeth his hopes in Thee.
Thou abidest in every heart,
All are partners in Thee; Thou disownest none.
Favour with God is likened to a woman’s happy married life :—
In the house where the Beloved celebrated His marriage
Female friends sang songs of rejoicing,
Where the Spouse hath adorned the bride, there reign joy and pleasure.
The woman who is dear to her husband, is beautiful, clever, skilful,
Well conducted, and distinguished :
She is accomplished, and very fortunate ;
She possesseth sons and is a virtuous wife ;
She hath all decorations, and it is she who is wise.
She who is adorned with the love of her Spouse, is of good family and a queen.
The greatness of her whom her Spouse
Hath embraced cannot be described.
The married life of her who hath the support of the love of the Unapproachable and Inapprehensible Spouse shall be eternal.
The Hindu Shastars and religious ceremonies are of no avail:— —
I have searched and searched in the desire to behold Thee, O God ;[ p. 113 ]
I have traversed every variety of forest.
Is there any one who will bring me my God—who is devoid of qualities, and yet possesseth all qualities—and introduce me to Him?
Man may recite aloud the wisdom of the six Shastars ;
He may worship, apply frontal marks, and bathe at places of pilgrimage ;
He may perform the nivali feat, and sit in the eighty-four postures of the Jogis, but he shall obtain no comfort therefrom.
Man may perform devotion and penance for many years ;
He may travel and roam over the earth ;
Yet peace shall not enter his heart for a moment, and his soul shall wander again and again.
God being merciful hath caused me to meet the saint.
My soul and body are refreshed, and I have obtained consolation.
The immortal God resideth in my heart, and Nanak singeth to God a song of rejoicing.
Praise and prayer to the Almighty :—
Darling God, merciful, joyous,
Deep, profound, endless, Sustainer of the earth,
Lofty, unfathomable, eternal Lord, I live by remembering Thee.
Destroyer of sorrow, priceless treasure,
Without fear or enmity, unfathomable, unequalled,
Deathless, unborn, self-existent ; the mind becometh refreshed by remembering Thee.
O God, Thou joyous One, be ever with me.
Thou art the Cherisher of high and low.
Thy name is the elixir which satisfieth my heart ; under the Guru’s instructions let me drink the nectar.
In pain or pleasure I meditate on Thy name, O dear One:
This wisdom have I obtained from the Guru.
Thou art Nanak’s support,O God; by Thy love I shall be saved.
[ p. 114 ]
The Guru expresses his love for God by familiar similes :—
Thou art, O God, an ocean of water; I am Thy fish :
I a chatrik thirst for the drops of Thy name.
In Thee is my hope, for Thee I thirst, my heart is absorbed in Thee.
As a child is satisfied by drinking milk,
As a poor man is happy on finding wealth,
As a thirsty man is refreshed by drinking water, so is my soul happy with God.
As a lamp shineth in the darkness,
As a woman’s hopes are fulfilled on beholding her spouse,
As one becometh happy on meeting one’s beloved, so is my soul gladdened with God’s love.
The saints have put me on God’s road,
And being merciful have made me intimate with Him.
God is mine; I am His slave; Nanak, the Guru hath given me the true Word.
God’s name is the sweetest and most potent of all relishes :—
The ambrosial Name is ever pure.
God is the bestower of comfort and the Destroyer of sorrow.
I have tasted and tried all other relishes, but to my mind God is the sweetest dainty of all.
They who drink the nectar of His name are satisfied,
And become immortal on possessing it.
The treasure of the Name is obtained by him in whose heart the Guru’s word abideth.
He who obtaineth the essence of God’s name is satisfied and cloyed.
He who hath obtained God’s sweets wavereth not.
God’s name is obtained by him on whose forehead favourable destiny was recorded.
God hath come into the possession of one man, the Guru, from whom many receive favours.
On meeting him many obtain salvation.
The pious obtain the treasure of the Name, but few, O Nanak, are they who have seen them.
[ p. 115 ]
God’s praises :—
God is my ocean, God is perfection, God is my wealth ;
O deep and profound One, Thou art the boon of my life.
He who toucheth the Guru’s feet enjoyeth countless pleasures and delights.
They who have seen God are pure,
And save all their brethren and friends.
My Lord is inaccessible, and inapprehensible ; I meditate on Him, the True One, by the kindness of the Guru.
A few by great good fortune have obtained a sight of Him,
Whom men make every effort to find. |
His palace, exalted, infinite, and invisible, the Guru hath shown me.
Deep and profound is Thine ambrosial name, O God ;
He in whose heart it dwelleth obtaineth deliverance.
Nanak, they whose bonds are all cut off by the Guru are absorbed in God.
The Guru delights in his devotion :—
By God’s favour I meditate on His name,
And by His mercy I sing a song of joy.
All your lives whether standing, sitting, sleeping, or waking, meditate on God,
The holy man hath given me the Name as medicine ;
He hath cut off my sins, and I have become pure :
All my pains have departed, all my pangs have been assuaged, and I have become happy.
He whom my Beloved assisteth
Shall be delivered from the ocean of the world.
Why should he who recognizeth the Guru as true be afraid?
Since I have obtained the society of the saints
And met the Guru, the demon of pride hath departed.
At every breath Nanak singeth God’s praises; the true Guru hath cast a veil over his sins.
The condition of God’s worshipper :—
God pervadeth His worshipper as warp and woof ; God, the Bestower of comfort, cherisheth His worshipper. [ p. 116 ]
I draw water, I fan, I grind corn for him, and am ever ready to do the work of the Lord.
God hath cut off my chains and applied me to His worship.
The order of the Lord is pleasing to the worshipper’s heart.
He acteth as is pleasing to the Lord ; he becometh versed in spiritual and wordly knowledge.
Thou art wise, O God; Thou knowest all things.
God’s worshippers enjoy His love. |
What belongeth to God belongeth to His worshipper ; the worshipper is distinguished in the company of his Lord.
He whom God hath clothed with His robe of honour,
Shall not again be called on for his account.
Nanak is a sacrifice to that worshipper ; he is a gem of the Deep and Unfathomable.
The devotion of the householder is superior to that of the anchoret :—
Everything is found at home, nothing abroad :
He who searcheth abroad is lost in doubt.
He who by the Guru’s favour hath found God in his heart, is happy in mind and body.
A stream of nectar raineth on jum in torrents.
The man who drinketh it after hearing and reflecting on the Word,
Rejoiceth and is glad day and night, and ever sporteth with God.
Separated from God through many births, I have now found Him,
And though dried up have revived by the Guru’s favour.
Having met pious men I have obtained excellent wisdom, and meditated on the Name.
As waves blend with water,
So light is blended with light.
Saith Nanak, the doors of error have been opened for its escape, and there shall be no more wandering.[19]
The Guru’s devotion to the holy :— I am a sacrifice to him who hath heard Thy praises ; [ p. 117 ]
I am a sacrifice to him who uttereth Thy name ;
I am ever a sacrifice to him who worshippeth Thee with heart and soul.
I will wash his feet and behold
That merciful person who walketh in Thy path.
I will bestow my heart on that friend of mine who meeting the Guru hath found God.
Greatly fortunate are they who know Thee;
Among crowds they live apart unaffected by them ;
In the company of the saints they subdue all passions and cross the terrible ocean.
Having renounced pride, insolence, and the darkness of worldly love,
My soul hath entered their asylum.
Ye saints, grant Nanak the gift of the name of that inacccessible and unfathomable God.
God pervades creation :—
Thou art the tree; Thy branch[20] hath blossomed ;
From being small Thou hast become great.
Thou art an ocean, Thou art its foam and its bubbles ; there is nothing seen besides Thee.
Thou art the string, Thou art the beads of the rosary,
Thou art its knots, Thou art its chief bead.
God is in the beginning, the middle, and the end, and none besides is seen.
O Bestower of comfort, Thou possessest no attributes, and yet Thou possessest all.[21]
Thou dwellest at ease ; Thou art the Enjoyer ; Thou art saturated with love.
Thou knowest Thine own affairs ; it is Thou who rememberest Thyself.[22]
Thou art God, and again Thou art Thine own worshipper ;
Thou art concealed, O God, and again manifest.[ p. 118 ]
The slave Nanak ever singeth Thy praises: look on him with a little kindness.
Man is happy on meeting the Guru and hearing his universal instruction :—
O God, Thy Word is nectar :
On hearing it my final emancipation is obtained.
On beholding the true Guru the burning of my mind hath been quenched, and it hath become cool ;
Happiness is obtained and sorrow fleeth far away.
When the saints repeat God’s name,
Water, dry land, and lakes are completely filled with it ; there is no place without it.
The Creator showing mercy
Cherisheth all men and lower animals.
By the kind, merciful, and compassionate One all living things are satisfied and satiated.
God made the forests, the glades, and the three worlds :
He created them all in a moment.
Under the Guru’s instruction, Nanak, adore Him who fulfilleth the desires of the mind.
God’s relationship to man :—
Thou art my father, Thou art my mother,
Thou art my kinsman, Thou art my brother ;
Thou art everywhere my protector; then why should I feel fear and anxiety ?
By Thy favour I recognize Thee ;
Thou art my shelter, Thou art mine honour.
Besides Thee there is none other ; the whole world is the arena of Thy play.
Men and lower animals all hast Thou created ;
Thou didst appoint them to whatever duties pleased Thee.
Everything Thou hast created is Thine ; there is nothing ours.
I have obtained great comfort by meditating on Thy name,
And my heart is refreshed by singing Thy praises.
The perfect Guru hath congratulated me; Nanak hath overcome his difficulties.
[ p. 119 ]
Divine instruction refreshes the mind :—
By God’s order the rain beginneth to fall.
Let us, my friends, having met the saints, repeat His name.
I have obtained coolness, peace, composure, and comfort, since God Himself infused coolness into my heart.
By God’s grace the Guru’s instruction has been promulgated :—
The Lord God hath become merciful ;
Rain hath fallen everywhere.
The Creator, compassionate and ever merciful to the poor, hath bestowed comfort on us,
And cherished His human beings and lower animals
As a mother taketh care of her child.
Thou, O Lord, art the Destroyer of grief, an Ocean of comfort, and Thou givest sustenance to all.
The Kind One filleth sea and land :
I ever devote myself and am a sacrifice to Him ;
I ever meditate on Him night and day, who in one moment saveth all beings.
Since God Himself preserveth them,
All their sorrows and afflictions depart.
When the Name is repeated,
And God looketh on us with favour, O Nanak, the soul and body are refreshed.
The universal happiness produced by the diffusion of the Guru’s instruction :—
Rain hath fallen ; God made it fall :
He hath caused all men and animals to dwell in comfort:
Their sufferings have departed, and they have obtained true happiness by remembering God’s name.
He whose they are cherisheth them ;
The supreme God hath become their Protector.
My God hath heard my supplication, and my labour hath been successful.
By the Guru’s favour I have beheld Him
Who is the Benefactor of all living things.
The things that dwell in sea and land, beneath the earth, [ p. 120 ] and in the firmament, are all satisfied, and I shall now wash the feet of holy men.
I am ever and ever a sacrifice to Him
Who fulfilleth the heart’s desires.
O Nanak, the Destroyer of pain hath bestowed this boon on me, and I am dyed with the love of Him who is the abode of pleasure.
Praise and thanksgiving :—
My soul and body are Thine ; my wealth also is Thine ;
Thou art my Lord and Master ;
My soul and body are all Thy capital; my power is from Thee, O God.
Ever and ever Thou alone art the Giver of happiness.
I bow and bow and touch Thy feet.
If it please Thee, and Thou give me work, O Merciful One, I will perform it.
O God, it is from Thee alone I receive; Thou art mine ornament.
Whatever Thou givest I treat as happiness.
Wherever Thou placest me, there shall be heaven for me : Thou art the Cherisher of all.
Nanak having remembered Thee hath obtained happiness.
He hath sung Thy praises all day long ;
All his heart’s desires have been fulfilled, and he shall never more be unhappy.
God sent the Guru to comfort the world :—
The supreme God hath sent the cloud,[23]
And hath caused it to rain on sea and land in all directions.
Comfort hath ensued, all thirst is quenched, and there is joy everywhere.
An exhortation to holiness :—
My soul and body are dyed with the beloved God.
Sacrifice to Him all that thou hast :
Sing God’s praises the live-long day, and forget Him not even for a moment. [ p. 121 ]
He who meditateth on God’s name in the company of holy men,
Is my beloved saint and friend.
In the company of holy men thou shalt cross over the world’s ocean and cut Death’s noose.
By God’s service the four boons [24] are obtained.
Repeat His name who is the Tree of Life unseen and inscrutable.
The Guru hath cut off my sins of lust and anger, and my hopes have been fulfilled.
The mortal who hath perfect good fortune
Shall meet God in the company of holy men.
Nanak, he within whose heart the Name abideth shall be acceptable, whether a householder or an anchoret.
Prayers ought only to be offered for worthy objects :—
If any one pray for worldly objects,
He shall not take long to perish.
He who ever worshippeth the Supreme Being, shall on meeting the Guru abide everlasting.
He in whose heart there is love and devotion,
Ever waketh day and night singing God’s praises.
God will take his arm and blend with Himself him whom He hath destined to receive from Him.
God’s lotus feet dwell in the hearts of the saints.
Without God’s assistance all men are robbed.
Ever desire the dust of the saints’ feet : the name of the True One is their ornament.
Whether standing or sitting sing God’s name:
By remembering it a permanent boon is obtained.
O God be merciful to Nanak ; what Thou doest must be endured.
The Guru replies to several questions of his Sikhs :—
Who is saved ? Who hath found the right way ? Who hath divine knowledge ? Who is the preacher ? [ p. 122 ]
Who is householder ? Who is anchoret ? Who hath found God’s price ?
How is man bound ? How is he set free ?
How shall he escape from transmigration ?
Who doeth good works ? Who doeth unselfish works ° Who speaketh of God and causeth others to speak of Him ?
Who is happy ? Who afflicted ?
Who turneth towards the Guru? Who turneth away from him ?
How is God met ? How doth man separate from Him ? Who shall explain this to me ?
What is that word by which the mind’s wandering ceaseth ?
What is that instruction by which man may bear weal and woe alike °
What is that way by which man may meditate on the Supreme God ? What is that way by which man may sing His praises ?
The following are the replies seriatim to the above questions :—
The believer is saved: the believer hath found the right way ;
The believer possesseth divine knowledge; the believer is the preacher.
Blest is the believer, whether householder or anchoret ; the believer hath found God’s price.
By pride man is bound; by the Guru’s instruction he is freed.
The believer escapeth from transmigration.
The believer performeth good works; the believer performeth unselfish works; whatever the believer doeth is acceptable.
The believer is happy ; the unbeliever is afflicted.
The believer listeneth to the Guru ; the unbeliever turneth away from him.
The believer meeteth God; the unbeliever is separated from Him—the Guru hath explained this.
The Guru’s instruction is the Word by which the mind’s wanderings cease ; [ p. 123 ]
By the Guru’s instruction woe and weal are borne alike.
The Guru’s teaching is the way by which the supreme God is meditated on, and man singeth His praises.
Thou Thyself hast made the whole creation.
Thou art the Cause of causes, and — established everything.
Saith Nanak, from being one Thou hast become endless, and in the One the Endless is absorbed.
God’s praises :—
God is indestructible, then what anxiety can there be ? [25]
God is Omnipotent, so His slave is perfectly happy.
O Giver of life, soul, honour, and happiness, we obtain happiness from what Thou doest for us.
I am a sacrifice and my life is a sacrifice to that holy man to whose soul and body Thou art pleasing.
Thou art my mountain ;[26] Thou art my shelter; none can rival Thee.
He to whom Thy works are agreeable
Hath seen Thee, O Supreme God, in every heart.
Thou art the one sole God contained in every place.
Thou gratifiest all the heart’s desires :
Thy storehouses are filled with devotion and love.
He whom Thou mercifully protectest shall be absorbed in Thee by perfect good works.
God hath brought man to the surface out of the blind well.
He mercifully regardeth His servant with a favouring eye.
The servant singeth the perfect and immortal God’s praises in repeating and hearing which there is no end.
In this world and the next Thou art the Protector, O Lord ;
Thou cherishest the child in its mother’s womb.
The fire of Maya cannot affect those who are dyed with God’s love and sing His praises.
What excellences of Thine can I remember and relate ?
In my soul and body I behold Thee.[ p. 124 ]
Thou art my Friend, my Saint, and my Lord; I know none but Thee.
He whose helper Thou art, O God,
Feeleth no hot wind.
Thou art the Lord; Thou givest comfort to those who seek Thy protection; by repeating Thy name in the company of the saints, Thou becomest manifest.
Thou art exalted, unfathomable, infinite, and inestimable.
Thou art the true Lord; I am Thy servant and slave ;
Thou art the King, eae is Thy sovereignty. Nanak is a sacrifice unto Thee.
God. ↩︎
Death’s myrmidons. ↩︎
In this hymn as in many passages of the Granth Sahib the word true means eternal. ↩︎
Also translated—Arrange thy household affairs; that is, make preparation for thy journey. ↩︎
The Bhagauti in the Sikh writings is a worshipper of God. In the Guru’s time the Bhagautis appear to have formed a separate sect. ↩︎
Bhagats enumerate nine forms of devotion. They are shrawan, or hearing God’s praises; kiratan, singing God’s praises; simiran, remembering God; bandan, prostration before God ; dasatwa, menial service of God ; sakkyatwa, believing God to be one’s companion ; archan, invocation of God; atam naiwedan, sacrificing one’s life for God; padsewan, worship of God’s feet. ↩︎
The Eksabdis, on going to a house for alms, repeat the one word ‘Alakh’ or Alekh, the Invisible. If they receive nothing, they walk quietly away. ↩︎
The Bahuripias and Kautas are men who perform in religious dramas. ↩︎
Men who watch at night. ↩︎
The month when the rains begin in India. Here it means human life. ↩︎
To lead men to holiness. ↩︎
That is, my own body. ↩︎
The five evil passions or deadly sins who claim a partnership in the village of the body. ↩︎
Literally—Can put his ear forward to hear complaints against me. ↩︎
The body is now full of merits instead of demerits. ↩︎
Having clung to the Sikh religion. ↩︎
The reign of the Sikh religion. ↩︎
Victorious wrestlers in former times were decorated with lofty turbans. The Nihangs, a small sect of Sikhs, quote this line in justification of their tall head-dress. ↩︎
Jaulan has two meanings—chains or wandering. ↩︎
The world which has been expanded from God. ↩︎
Nirgun sargun. God is said to possess no qualities when He has drawn the world within Him. He is said to possess all qualities when He projects matter from Him to form creation. ↩︎
Man remembers and worships God through Him as He is seated in each person’s heart. ↩︎
The true Guru. ↩︎
Dharm (faith), arth (wealth), kam (the fulfilment of desires), mokhsh (salvation). ↩︎
That is, God will ever watch over man. ↩︎
To which to retreat for protection. ↩︎