The necessity of the Guru :—
Men perform devotional exercises[1] and the six religious acts of the Hindus ; worldly people are steeped in such things ;
But without the Guru the filth of pride leaveth not their hearts, and they lose their game.
O my God, mercifully preserve me.
Out of millions some rare man is a servant of God; all others are worldly.[ p. 330 ]
The Shastars, the Veds, the Simritis, all have I searched ; they all utter one cry :—
‘Without a guru none obtaineth salvation ’ ; observe and consider this in thy mind.
Were one to bathe at the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage and wander over the whole earth,
Were one to perform various purifications day and night, all would be darkness without the true Guru.
Running hither and thither, I traversed the whole world, but now I have arrived at God’s door.
God hath removed my sinful desires and enlightened my understanding: Nanak is saved under the Guru’s guidance.
Man through his perversity is ever doing what he ought not to do :—
Man proposeth to go to the west, but he is led away to the east.
God in an instant establisheth and disestablisheth ; He holdeth in His hands the result of man’s designs.
Human devices are of no avail:
What my Lord deemeth fit shall continue to be.
Men who go forth with the object of acquiring territory and amassing money, die on the way.
Their armies, officers, and servants—all shall they leave and depart to the city of Death.
Through obstinacy man asserteth himself and deemeth there is none other like himself.
The food which blameless persons have reprobated and laid aside he eateth again and again.[2]
He to whom God is kindly disposed and merciful shall have his shackles cut off.
Saith Nanak, he who hath met the perfect Guru is acceptable, whether he be a family man or an anchoret.
The advantages of devotion and charity :—
They who repeat the priceless Name shall have their shackles cut off ;[ p. 331 ]
They shall be freed from the sins of lust, wrath, worldly love, and the disease of pride.
They who joining the company of the saints sing God’s praises,
Shall have their hearts purified by the favour of the Guru and obtain the highest of all happiness.
I have adopted this as my worship—to deem good whatever God doeth :
To consider friends and enemies as the same is an index of the way to God.
He filleth every place, wherefore I go nowhere.[3]
He is in every heart, uninterruptedly in all things; He is immersed in love and dyed with love.
When God is merciful and compassionate, man arriveth at the abode of the Fearless.
In one moment his troubles and anxieties are at an end, O Nanak, and he becometh absorbed in God.
Man ought to trust to God alone :—
Every one to whom I address myself is full of his own troubles ;
But he who heartily adoreth the Supreme God shall cross over the terrible ocean.
None but the greatGod can remove thisdistressandsorrow.
Whoever forsaketh God and becometh a worshipper of others, shall find his honour, dignity, and reputation decrease.
They who are acquaintances and relations for the sake of mammon are of no avail.
God’s slave, even though he be of lowly birth, is exalted ; in his company man obtaineth whatever his heart desireth.
Even though man have thousands and millions of viands obtained by sin, yet shall his hunger not be satisfied thereby.
By remembering the Name there appear endless lights by which the Unseen is manifested.
Wandering and wandering I have arrived at Thy door, O Destroyer of fear, sovereign God.
Nanak desireth the dust of the saints’ feet ; in it he findeth his happiness.
[ p. 332 ]
All worldly possessions are temporary ; the Name alone is permanent :—
Man first dwelleth in his mother’s womb ; leaving it he cometh into the world.
He then desireth splendid houses, beautiful gardens, and mansions ; but none of these shall go with him.
Vain is every desire of the covetous.
The perfect Guru hath given me God’s name; it is a thing that becometh my soul.
Man is attached to and rejoiceth in the company of dear friends, relations, sons, brethren, and wife ;
But when the last moment hath arrived, Death seizeth him while they look on.
By unworthy means man amasseth wealth, gold, silver, and copper ; |
But he really only gaineth his hire as a labourer ; everything else passeth to others.
Horses, elephants, chariots man acquireth by violence and calleth his own ;
But when there is a long journey before him, they will not travel a step with him.
The Name is my wealth, the Name maketh me happy as a king, the Name is my family and helper.
God gave Nanak the wealth of the Name which shall never perish or transmigrate.
Men of the lowest castes have by devotion obtained celestial bliss and glory :—
Those who have lapsed God hath purified and made his own; every one boweth before them.
No one now asketh their caste or their tribe; men beg the dust of their feet.
Such, O God, is the effect of Thy name !
Thou art the Lord of all creation; Thou specially assistest Thy servant.
In the company of the saints, Nanak hath obtained wisdom ; singing God’s praises is his support.
In this way God’s servants Namdev, Trilochan, Kabir, and the tanner Rav Das obtained salvation.
[ p. 333 ]
God is unknowable :—
O God, none there is who understandeth Thee ; how may we know Thee ?
Shiv, Brahma, and all the munis have not been able to realize Thy state.
The story of God is recondite and deep.
God cherishes His servants, and they sing His praises :—
God’s servant hath no worldly wisdom, resource, or cleverness ;
As occasion offereth, he meditateth on God.
It is God’s function to love His saints ;
He cherisheth and fondleth them as His own children.
God’s saints sing His praises as their devotion, penance, mortification, and religious ceremonies.
Nanak hath entered the asylum of the Lord; he hath obtained there the fearless boon of happiness.
The Guru enjoins worship and saintliness :—
My beloved friends, worship God day and night; make not the slightest delay.
Serve the saints with love ; put aside pride and obstinacy.
The entrancing merry God is my soul and honour ;
He dwelleth in my heart; my mind is fascinated as I behold His sports.
By remembering Him my mind is happy, and its rust is rubbed off.
The importance of meeting God[4] cannot be described ; Nanak, it is beyond everything.
Only the really holy man is free from worldly love :—
Men call themselves Munis, Jogis, and learned in the Shastars, but Maya hath them all under her control. The mind is lost in astonishment at her subjection of the [ p. 334 ] three gods[5] and the three hundred and thirty millions of demigods.
She is potent and continueth to pervade the whole world.
Her secret is obtained by the Guru’s favour; no one besides knoweth it.
Ever conquering she hath subdued all places, and enmeshed all the world ;
Saith Nanak, she misleadeth not the holy man, but becoming his handmaiden claspeth his feet.
The Guru humbles himself before God :—
Small is the power of mother, father, brother, son, and kinsman.
Though various forms of mammon are seen, yet none shall go an inch with one.
O God, I have none but Thee.
I am helpless, devoid of merits ; possessing none I have come to Thee.
I am a sacrifice again and again to Thy feet; in this world and the next Thine is the power ¢o save.
In the company of the saints Nanak hath obtained a sight of Thee ; to none else oweth he obligation.
God’s omnipotence :—
In a moment Thou establishest and disestablishest ; Thy worth cannot be appraised.
Thou turnest a king into a beggar in a moment, and into the lowly Thou infusest splendour.
O ye people, ever meditate on your God.
Why are ye anxious and solicitous regarding the things which perish in a moment ?
O God, Thou art my prop, my perfect True Guru ; I have fallen under Thy protection.
I, Nanak, am heedless, silly, childish; reach me Thy hand and save me.
A supplication to God :—
It is Thou who conferrest gifts on all; do Thou abide in my heart.[ p. 335 ]
He in whose heart Thy lotus feet are contained, hath not the darkness of doubt.
O my Lord, where I remember Thee, there art Thou present.
O Thou who cherishest all, have mercy on me that I may ever praise Thee ;
That I may remember Thy name at every breath and long for Thee only.
Nanak’s prop is the Creator; he hath renounced the hopes he had in others.
No evil can befall him whom God protects :—
Nanak seeketh Thy protection, O Creator ; Thou, O God, art the support of the soul.
What can the world do to him whom Thou aidest and protectest ?
The Guru humbles himself and prays to God for mercy :—
I have never fixed my attention on God.
I have passed my life in worldly occupations and not sung the name of the Treasury of excellences.
I have by deception exerted myself in various ways to amass money kauri by kauri.
How much sorrow was debited to me when I forgot God and was eaten up by the arch fascinator mammon !
Be gracious, O Lord, and take not mine acts into account.
O God, Thou art compassionate and benign, an ocean of clemency ; Nanak hath come under Thy protection.
The advantages of meditating on God :—
By the Guru’s favour I have meditated on God, and all my doubts have vanished.
Anxiety, ignorance, and fear have left me, and my sins are at an end.
God’s name is dear to my soul.
Having met the saints, I have under their instruction meditated on God in the most sinless way.[ p. 336 ]
Devotion and the performance of various ceremonies are profitable when the Name is remembered.
When Thou didst graciously protect me, my desires were fulfilled.
May I never at any time forget God the omnipotent !
How can I describe Thy various attributes? They are innumerable and ever ineffable.
Thou art the Remover of the sorrows of the poor, the Saviour compassionate and merciful.
The immovable dignity is obtained by remembering the Name; Nanak hath firmly grasped Thy protection.
God’s praises, and supplications unto Him :—
O Lord, King of men, Friend of the poor, Purifier of sinners,
Dispeller of fear and terror, Abode of mercy, Treasury of excellences, profitable is Thy service.
O God Gopal, great Gobind,
I have taken the protection of Thy feet, Thou merciful God, cause me to cross the terrible ocean of the world.
Dispeller of lust and wrath, Burner of pride and worldly love, Murari, Honey of the soul,
Sustainer of the earth, set aside my transmigration and preserve mine honour, Thou Primal Joy.
Many burn in their desire for mammon ; but by the Guru’s spell divine knowledge is obtained in the heart, and they are healed.
Prick the bubble of my pride, O Thou full of mercy, and dispel my anxieties, O Thou Eternal Being.
OQ man, remember the Omnipotent every moment, and calmly apply thyself to the contemplation of God.
O compassionate to the poor, ever happy, who fillest all space, I beg the dust of Thy saints’ feet.
From the evils of worldly and sensual love, and from the sins of hope and desire preserve us.
Preserve the faith and remove doubt from our hearts ; save us, O Formless One !
[ p. 337 ]
Even they who are without raiment become well attired from the treasury of God’s storehouses.
The stupid, the senseless, and the fools become virtuous and patient by God’s favouring glance.
Thou shalt obtain salvation while alive by repeating the name of the Lord of the world, remembering Him, and having faith in Him in thy heart.
The belief that God is compassionate and merciful to His creatures and pervadeth everything is the rule of the saints.
God showeth Himself to those who hear His praises and utter His name.
Saith Nanak, O God, Saviour of sinners, receive me in Thine embrace.[6]
When God is pleased, man obtains every boon :—
When Thou art pleased, O Kind and Incomprehensible One, Thou dwellest in my heart.
When Thou art pleased, O Kind One, I obtain the nine treasures in my own home.
When Thou art pleased, O Kind One, I act according to the Guru’s instruction.
When Theu art pleased, O Kind One, Nanak shall be absorbed in the True One.
Kings without piety are not held in honour :—
How many sit on thrones and have many musical instruments played for them !
But without the true Name, Nanak, nobody’s honour hath been preserved.
The demigods and priests do homage to God :—
Men standing with the Veds and the books of the Musalmans meditate on Thee, O God.
They who are prostrate at Thy door cannot be counted.
Brahma and Indar on their thrones meditate on Thee.
Shiv, Vishnu, and the avatars proclaim Thy praises.[ p. 338 ]
Moslem priests, Prophets, Shaikhs, and saints utter Thy name.
God the warp and woof is woven into every heart.
By falsehood man passeth away, by honesty he abideth.
Man applieth himself to those duties to which God appointed him.
They who are slow to devotion must eventually suffer :—
Man is slow to goodness, but a tiger to evil.
Nanak, to-day or to-morrow the feet of the heedless shall fall into a trap.
God loves man despite his sins :—
However evil our ways, Thy love for us, O God, is not hidden.
Saith Nanak, Thou O Lord, the true Friend, hast overlooked our sins of thought.[7]
Man is saved by humbling himself before God :—
Countless sinners become pure by fixing their attention on God’s feet.
He, O Nanak, on whose forehead such destiny hath been written, obtaineth God’s name for the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage.
The following is uttered by Sikhs when they put on new clothes :—
Thou, O God, hast given me the raiment of love to preserve mine honour.
O my Lord, Thou art wise and far-seeing ; Nanak knoweth not Thy worth.
By remembering Thee, I obtain everything, I find nothing difficult.
Nanak, he whose honour the true Lord protecteth can be dishonoured by no one.
[ p. 339 ]
God is the raft to ferry man over the dangerous ocean of the world :—
The river is deep; I cannot ford it; yet I must because I love Thee.
My heart is sewed to Thy feet, O God, saith Nanak ; Thou art the raft and the boat.
The saints are the Guru’s friends :—
They, a sight of whom banisheth evil inclinations, are my friends.
Nanak, I have searched the world all over ; there are few such persons. |
Long for the Omnipotent :—
Nanak, long for that God who is the support of all ; By whose power the earth resteth upon water, and timber containeth fire.[8]
The Guru prays to God who is potent to bestow :—
All Thou hast made is dependent on Thee alone.
What Thou madest in the beginning prevaileth in the world.
I am astounded on beholding Thy astounding might.
Thy slave hath come under Thy protection; act and I shall be saved.
All wealth is in Thy hands to give it to whom Thou pleasest.
He to whom Thou art merciful repeateth Thy name.
Men read religious books without spiritual advantage :—
The broth is stirred with spoons, but they know not its flavour.
Nanak, those men are the best who are imbued with the relish of God’s love.
The Guru is convinced of the unity of God :— When my Beloved was kind to me, I searching found One Creator ; Nanak, no other can be seen.
[ p. 340 ]
Sin may be avoided by remembering the Guru’s instruction :—
Take aim with the arrow of truth and bring down sin.
Remember the Guru’s instruction, Nanak, and no sorrow shall befall thee.
He who forgets God can never prosper :—
Millions of obstacles are in his way who forgetteth the Name :
He croaketh day and night, Nanak, like a raven in an empty building.
The life of an anchoret is not necessary to salvation :—
Nanak, I have met the true Guru, and my union with God is accomplished.
Even while men laugh, and play, and dress, and eat, salvation can be obtained.
The favours conferred by the Guru :—
Hail! hail to that true Guru who hath demolished the fortress of doubt !
Congratulations to that true Guru who hath united me with God!
The Guru hath given me as a medicine the inexhaustible treasure of the Name.
It hath cured the great and terrible disease of spiritual ignorance.
In obtaining the wealth of the Name, I have found a great treasure ;
And by recognizing myself I have won this priceless human life.
The praises of the Guru the omnipotent being cannot be expressed.
The Guru is the supreme Brahma, illimitable, invisible, and inscrutable.
Effort encouraged by the Guru :—
O man, by striving and earning enjoy happiness.
Nanak, by meditating on God, meet Him and thine anxieties shall vanish.[ p. 341 ]
God destroys slanderers and protects the holy :—
God at once destroyed the slanderers and suffered them not to live for a moment.
He caught them and yoked them to birth, for He could not endure the torments of His slaves.
He dragged down the slanderers by the hair of their heads, and sent them on the road to Death.
He threw them into hell, where they groaned in agony ;
But God, true that He was, O Nanak, embraced and protected His saints.
The intoxication of devotion :—
Thy servant, O God, is intoxicated with Thine elixir.
He who obtaineth the store of the essence of love, forsaketh it not to go elsewhere.
While seated he repeateth God’s name, while sleeping he repeateth God’s name, he taketh God’s essence for his food.
Bathing in the dust of the saints’ feet is equal to ablution at the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage.
Profitable is the life of God’s servant who hath made God a father of good children.
Nanak, he who recognizeth the all-pervading God, taketh all with him and saveth them.
The following is sung at banquets and also when the Granth Sahib is brought to the temple in the early morning :—
O God, this is the. desire of my heart :
That Thou, the Treasure of mercy, the Compassionate, shouldst make me the slave of Thy saints ;
That I should touch their feet in the morning and behold them night and day ;
That I should devote my body and soul to their service and sing God’s praises with my tongue ;
That I should ever abide with the saints and remember Thee at every breath I draw.
The Name is my sole support and wealth ; from it Nanak obtaineth delight.
[ p. 342 ]
The Guru’s delicious sensation on meeting God :—
O Beloved, Thy words are nectar.
O my Beloved, very beautiful, Bewitcher of the soul, Thou art in everything and yet distinct.
I long not for empire, I long not for salvation ; [9] my soul loveth Thy lotus feet.
There may have been Brahma, Shiv, Sidhs, Munis, and Indar, but I desire only a sight of Thee.
O Lord, I have come helpless to Thy door, and, weary that I am, have entered the asylum of Thy saints.
Saith Nanak, I have met God who beguileth the heart ; my soul is refreshed and happy.
The unity of God :—
Know that there is only one God :
Know Him to be one through the Guru’s instruction.
Why wander? wander not, my brethren ; God is surely contained in every place.
As the fire which is in timber cannot be made available without skill,
So God’s door is not obtained without the Guru.
Abandon pride in the company of the saints ;
Thus, saith Nanak, shall the Primal Treasure be obtained.
The Guru deprecates evil communications :—
Turn away, O my soul, turn away,
Turn away from the apostate.
False is the love of the false ; abandon it, O my soul, and thou shalt be saved ; thou shalt not be saved in the company of the apostate.
As any one who entered a house filled with soot would become black,
So whoever associated with the apostate would become defiled ; but he who meeteth the Guru shall escape from Maya, and flee from evil association.
O merciful One, Ocean of mercy I crave this boon of Thee, not to bring me face to face with the apostate.
Make Nanak Thy slave of slaves, and his head shall roll under the saints’ feet.
[ p. 343 ]
The following was composed in reply to a question how God could be worshipped :—
I have seen one miracle of God, O my beloved ; what He doeth is perfect justice.
God appointed the world as a beautiful arena, my beloved, where all men come and go.
He who created the earth made men’s coming and going.
God inviteth some who meet the true Guru to His palace ; others wander astray in error.
Thou alone, O God, knowest Thine own limit; Thou art contained in everything.
Verily speaketh Nanak—hear, O saints, God dispenseth perfect justice.
Come and meet me, O companions, my beloved ; let us worship God’s name.
Worship the perfect true Guru, my beloved ; let us smooth the way to death.
Having under the Guru’s instruction smoothed the arduous road, we shall obtain honour in God’s court.
They whom God so predestined fix their attention on Him day and night.
Pride, egotism, and worldly love depart when we associate with the holy man.
Saiththe slave Nanak, salvation is obtained by worshipping God’s name.
O saints, my beloved, let us unite and with clasped hands worship the Imperishable Being.
I have examined many forms of worship, my beloved ; but they are all vain; let us devote our souls and bodies all to Him.
When soul, body, and wealth belong to the Lord, what offering shall we make Him ?
The compassionate God embraceth him to whom He showeth mercy.
He on whose forehead such destiny was written loveth the Guru. [ p. 344 ]
The slave Nanak saith—let us by association with the saints worship God’s name.
I have returned, O my beloved, from searching in every direction ; and have found God in my own home.
God hath made this body as a temple, O my beloved, and He is contained therein.
The Lord God is contained in everything ; He becometh manifest by the Guru’s instruction.
Darkness is dispelled, and troubles removed when the Guru hath caused the essence of God’s nectar to trickle into the mouth.
Wherever I look, there and in every place is the Lord, the Supreme Being.
Saith the slave Nanak, on meeting the true Guru, I have found God on returning home.
The exquisitely pleasurable feeling of union with God :—
O pleasant night, grow long as I love the Dear One ;°
O unpleasant sleep, grow short that I may ever touch His feet. |
I long for the dust of His feet, and I ever beg for His name for the love of which I have abandoned the world.
Forsaking my very evil inclinations, I have become imbued with the love of the Dear One and intoxicated without wine.
I have met the Dear One on the right way; He hath taken my arm, and I have become absorbed in His love.
Nanak imploreth Thee, O Lord, to extend him the favour to continue attached to Thy feet.
O my friends and companions, let us remain attached to God’s feet.
Our hearts feel great love for the Dear One ; let us pray for His service.
Let us go and meet the saints of God, meditate on Him, and we shall obtain His service.
Let us forsake the sins of pride and worldly love, and dedicate to Him our bodies, wealth, and souls.[ p. 345 ]
God is the great Being, all-pervading, of perfect excellence ; on meeting Him all error and fear depart.
Nanak representeth, hear my counsel ; my companions, let us ever and ever repeat God’s name.
God’s spouse is a happy wife, and enjoyeth every pleasure ;
She shall not become a widow ; her Spouse is long-lived.
She is never unhappy, she meditateth on God; blest and fortunate is she.
She sleepeth in peace and rest ; her sins are blotted out, and she awaketh in the delight and love of the Name.
She remaineth absorbed in God’s love; His name is her jewels ; the words of the Dear One are to her sweet and pleasing.
Nanak representeth, I have obtained my heart’s desire ; I have met God who is a long-lived Spouse.
He in whose soul and body God the Primal Joy is contained,
Hath at home songs of rejoicing and millions of pleasures.
God, my Spouse, is infinite, compassionate, the Possessor of wealth, the Saviour of sinners.
God, the Extender of mercy, is He who causeth man to cross the terrible ocean.
God embraceth him who seeketh His protection ; this is the function of the Lord.
Nanak representeth, I have found God as my Spouse, and He ever indulgeth in dalliance with me.
Dark is the night and difficult the road. There is none to light man’s way and guide him but God :—
Thou who art imbued with love for many worldly things shall find thy way difficult.
O sinner, there is none to help thee ;
No helper is thine ; thou shalt ever regret it.
Thou utterest not God’s praises: shall these days ever revival ? [10]
As leaves separated from the tree shall not grow again thereon, so shall thy relations and friends part from thee, and thou shalt proceed alone on thy way to Death. [ p. 346 ]
Nanak representeth, without the name of God man ever wandereth in distress.
O man, thou practisest deception in secret, but God who knoweth everything knoweth thee.
When Dharmraj taketh thine account, thou shalt be pressed like a bundle[11] of sesame.
O mortal, thou shalt suffer the penalty of thine acts, and wander in many wombs.
Imbued with the love of the arch fascinator, thou shalt lose the jewel of thy human life.
Thou wert clever at everything else except repeating the one God’s name.
Nanak representeth—they for whom it was so destined are attracted to superstition and worldly love.
The ungrateful are separated from God and have no mediator.
The all-cruel myrmidons of Death shall seize them ;
Shall seize and lead them off, and they shall obtain their deserts on account of their love for the arch fascinator.
They never repeated God’s praises under the Guru’s instruction, so their breasts shall be applied to the hot pillar.
Man is ruined by lust, wrath, and pride; he loseth his senses and then regretteth.
Nanak representeth—without repeating God’s name man faileth to meet Him.
There is none but Thee, O God, the Preserver.
It is Thy function to save sinners,
I seek Thy protection, O Saviour of sinners, Master, Ocean of mercy, compassionate :
O Creator, Cherisher of every heart, rescue me from the blind well.
Thou art my Protector, cut away my heavy fetters, and give me the Name as my sole support.
Nanak imploreth—O God, compassionate to the poor, reach me Thy hand and save me.
The day when God blended me with Himself was fortunate: [ p. 347 ]
All happiness then appeared, and misery remained far apart,
Comfort, ease, joy, and delight ever accrue from singing God’s praises.
In association with the saints worship God with love, and thou shalt not again rush through births.
God graciously embraceth man according to the result of former acts.[12]
Nanak representeth—when God is met, man never again wandereth in transmigration.
Prayer and praise of God :—
Hear my supplication, O my Lord God,
Though I am full of millions of sins, nevertheless I am Thy slave.
O Thou Dispeller of grief, merciful, fascinating, Destroyer of trouble and anxiety,
I seek Thy protection, protect mine honour; Thou art in all things, O spotless One,
Thou hearest and beholdest us; Thou art with us all, O God; Thou art the nearest of all to us.
O Lord, hear Nanak’s prayer, save the slave of Thy household.
Thou art ever omnipotent ; we are poor and beggars.
O God, save us who are involved in the love of mammon,
Bound by covetousness and worldly love, we have committed various sins.
The Creator is distinct and free from entanglements ; man obtaineth the fruit of his acts.
Show us kindness, Thou purifier of sinners ; we are weary of wandering through many a womb.
Nanak representeth—I am the slave of God who is the Support of the soul and life.
Thou art great and omnipotent ; my understanding is feeble.
Thou cherishest even the ungrateful; Thou lookest equally on all.[ p. 348 ]
Unfathomable is Thy knowledge, O infinite Creator ; I am lowly and know nothing. |
Having rejected the gem of Thy name, I have amassed kauris ; I am a degraded and silly being.
By the commission of sin I have amassed what is very unstable and forsaketh man. |
Nanak hath sought Thy protection, O omnipotent Lord ; preserve his honour.
When I sang God’s praises in the association of the saints,
He united me, who had been separated from Him, with Himself.
By ever thoroughly singing God’s praises, He who is happiness itself becometh manifest.
My couch, when God accepteth me as His own, is adorned by Him.
Having dismissed anxiety I am no longer anxious, and suffer no further pain.
Nanak liveth beholding God and singing the praises of the Ocean of excellences.
God holds His court in every heart, but the screen that conceals it can only be rent by piety :—
Very exalted is His court ;
It hath no end or limits.
Hundreds of thousands and millions hasten,
But they can never reach His court.
What is that auspicious hour when God is met ?
Hundreds of thousands of saints worship Him.
Hundreds of thousands of great penitents do penance unto Him.
Hundreds of thousands of Jogis practise Jog.
Hundreds of thousands of great enjoyers enjoy enjoyments ; [13]
But God is not thus found; He dwelleth in every heart : only a few know it. [ p. 349 ]
Is there any friend who can rend the screen between Him and us ?
If that friend be kind to me, I will make efforts to meet God,
And sacrifice my body and soul unto Him.
After many wanderings I have come to the saints,
And all my sorrows and doubts are dispelled.
God hath invited me to His court to quaff nectar.
Saith Nanak, my Lord is the most high.
The love of the saint for the Beloved :—
My heart desireth to meet the True Guru; how shall I find Him, my dear ?
Even though hundreds of amusements be afforded a child, it cannot live without milk.
The hunger of my heart departeth not, O my boon companion, even though hundreds of dishes be served before me.
My soul and body feel love for the Beloved ; how shall my heart be satisfied without beholding Him ?
Hear, O my friend and beloved brother, introduce me to the Friend and Giver of happiness.
He who ever repeateth to me God’s words knoweth all the secrets of my heart.
I cannot abide for a moment without God, and I cry for Him as the chatnik for water.
What excellences of Thine, O God, shall I recount ? Thou preservest men without merits like me.
My boon companion, I am waiting for my Spouse ; when shall I behold the Beloved with mine eyes ?
All my pleasures and amusements are forgotten ; without my Beloved they are of no account.
This vesture becometh me not; I know not how to adorn myself.
I make obeisance to those companions of mine who enjoy their darling Beloved.
I have made all decorations, O my boon companion, but without the Beloved they are of no avail.
When my Spouse speaketh not to me, O my companion, my youth passeth all in vain. [ p. 350 ]
Blessed, blessed are the happy wives, O my boon companion, who are united with their Spouse.
I am a sacrifice to such happy wives, O my boon companion, and I ever wash their feet.
As long as duality and superstition were in my heart, I thought God distant ;
But when I met the perfect true Guru, O my companion, all my hopes and desires were fulfilled.
I obtained the highest happiness, O my boon companion, and discovered that my Beloved was everywhere.
Nanak hath obtained divine pleasure, O my boon companion, by touching the true Guru’s feet.
The following is sung at marriages after the usual circumambulations are completed :—
O my God, my hopes and desires have been fulfilled.
I am without merits; all merits are Thine ;
All merits are Thine, O my Lord ; with what mouth shall I praise Thee ?
Thou hast not considered my merits or demerits ; Thou hast at once pardoned me.
I have obtained the nine treasures; congratulations resound and unblown trumpets play.
Saith Nanak, I have found a good Spouse and home, and all my anxieties are at an end.
Prayer and worship are not to be addressed to idols and demigods, but only to the Creator :—
To whom else shall I pray ? whom else shall I worship, since it is God who created all ?
The different persons who appear the greatest of the great shall all be blended with the dust.
The Fearless, the Formless, the Destroyer of fear will grant all happiness and the nine treasures.
O beloved God, I am satiated with Thy gifts.
Why should I flatter wretched man ? what need I from him? [ p. 351 ]
He who meditateth on God possesseth everything ; God hath appeased his hunger.
The Giver of happiness conferreth such wealth as shall never be exhausted.
The true Guru hath introduced me to God; I am now happy and absorbed in bliss.
O my soul, repeat the Name, worship the Name, utter the Name night and day.
Hear the instruction of the saints and all thy fear of death shall depart.
They to whom my God is merciful are attached to the Guru’s words.
Who can appraise Thy worth, O God? Thou art compassionate to all creatures.
Whatever Thou doest prevaileth ; what can we poor children do, O God ?
Preserve Thy slave Nanak, as a father cherisheth his son.
Man’s life hangs by a frail thread ; his only hope is in God :—
Sons, kinsmen, the wife of thy household are attached to thee for thy wealth.
None of them will assist thee at the last moment ; their love is all false.
O man, why pamperest thou thy body ?
It shall vanish like a cloud of smoke; worship the one beloved God.
The body is disposed of in three ways—it is thrown into the river, to the dogs, or burnt to ashes.
Man deeming himself immortal sitteth at home and forgetteth the Cause of causes.
God fashioned beads[14] of many sorts and strung them together on a frail string.[15]
That string shall break, O wretched man, and then shalt thou regret.
Meditate day and night on Him who created thee and adorned thee. [ p. 352 ]
God hath extended His mercy to Nanak who hath taken the true Guru’s protection.
Happiness depends on man’s mental condition :—
To the happy every one seemeth happy; the sick man will have it that every one is sick.
The Lord God acteth and causeth to act ; in His power is the union of the soul with Him.
O my soul, he who dispelleth his doubts,
And knoweth that God is in all things, will have it that no one erreth.[16]
He whose soul is happy in the company of the saints deemeth that every one is happy.
He whose heart is filled with the disease of pride shall groan in the pain of birth and death.
Everything appeareth manifest to him to whose eyes the salve of divine knowledge is applied.
He in whom there is the darkness of spiritual ignorance seeth nothing ; again and again shall he wander in transmigration.
O my Lord, hear my supplication; Nanak prayeth for this happiness—
That his heart may be attached to the place where the saints sing Thy praises.
Men’s bodies and souls belong to the saints, and it is they who procure men’s salvation :—
Our bodies belong to the saints, our wealth to the saints, our souls are entrusted to the saints :
By the favour of the saints we meditate on God’s name, and all comfort then resulteth.
There are no givers but the saints.
They who enter the sanctuary of the saints shall be saved.
Millions of sins are erased by serving the saints and singing God’s praises with zest.
By association with the saints, which is obtained by good fortune, man obtaineth happiness here, and his countenance shall be bright hereafter. [ p. 353 ]
I have but one tongue; the saints are full of various excellences ; how far can I recount their praises ?
The Inaccessible, the Inapprehensible, the ever Imperishable, is obtained by seeking the protection of the saints.
I without virtue, low, friendless, and sinful have come to their shelter.
O God, rescue Nanak who is perishing in the blind well of domestic love.
Prescriptions for salvation :—
After bathing remember God, and thy body and soul shall be healed.
By taking God’s protection good fortune dawneth, and millions of obstacles are removed.
God’s words and hymns are the best language.
Sing, hear, and read them continually, my brother, and the perfect Guru will preserve thee.
The greatness of the true Lord is immeasurable; the saints are dear to the Compassionate One.
He hath continued to preserve the honour of the saints, and cherish them according to His ancient practice.
God’s ambrosial name ever eat as food, O man; put it into thy mouth at all times.
Continually sing God’s praises, and the pains of old age and death shall all flee away.
My Lord hath heard my supplication: all mine affairs have been adjusted,
And Guru Nanak’s greatness hath shone through the whole world.
The Guru feels that he cannot worship God with sufficient fervour :—
God is the Lord of millions of worlds; He is the Benefactor of all creatures.
He cherisheth and careth for us; but we, fools that we are, know none of His merits.
I know not how to adore God.
I only repeat « Har, Har, Guru, Guru !’
Wherefore, O God, my name is God’s servant. [ p. 354 ]
The Compassionate to the poor, the Merciful, the Ocean of happiness filleth all hearts.
He beholdeth, heareth, and is ever with us; but I, fool that I am, thought Him distant.
God is endless; even if I estimate and describe Him, how know I how great He is ?
I supplicate my true Guru to instruct me a fool.
That I am a fool is a small thing; millions of sinners are saved.
They who have heard and seen Guru Nanak shall not again fall into wombs.
Jog is worthless for those who have obtained the Guru’s instruction :—
The things which afforded me great anxiety have all vanished. .
I fixed my breath at the top of my nose, composed myself to rest, and the upturned lotus of my heart bloomed.
Behold a wonderful thing occurred !
The Guru put into my heart the wisdom of that God whom we hear spoken of as unfathomable.
The deadly sins which.had greatly tortured me became afraid,
And implored me to save them from God since they had entered my protection.
When the storehouse of God is open, he who is so fated receiveth therefrom.
One gem my Guru gave me, and my soul and body have become happy.
The Guru hath given me one drop of nectar, so I have become permanent and immortal.
God entrusted the storehouses of worship to Guru Nanak, and never took an account from him.
God and man contrasted :—
Weare impure; Thou, O Creator, art pure; we are without virtues ; Thou bestowest them.
We are fools ; Thou art clever and wise ; Thou knowest all contrivances.
O God, such are we, and such art Thou. [ p. 355 ]
We are sinners, Thou art the Destroyer of sins ; great are Thy dominions, O God.
Thou didst create all things, and having created dost cherish them: Thou hast given soul, and body, and life.
We are without merits; no merits are ours; grant us Thy favours, O Kind One.
Thou doest well towards us, but we are ungrateful ; Thou art ever and ever compassionate.
O Thou, the Giver of happiness, the Disposer, preserve us Thy children.
Thou art a treasure, the immovable Monarch ; men and the lower animals beg of Thee.
Saith Nanak, this is our condition ; preserve us through Thy saints.
The Guru has absolutely devoted himself to the saints :-—
I am, beloved friends, the dust of the saints’ feet ; I have fallen under their protection.
The saints are my powerful stay; the saints. are mine ornaments.
I have ingratiated myself with the saints,
And obtained what was allotted me.
Ye saints, my soul is yours.
With the saints have I dealt, with the saints have I traded.
From the saints have I gained a profit—the storehouses of God’s service are full.
The saints entrusted to me their stock-in-trade, and then my mind’s anxiety vanished.
What can Dharmraj do, now that all his account-books are torn up?
Through the favour of the saints I have obtained great joy and happiness.
Saith Nanak, my soul is reconciled with God, and become imbued with His wondrous love.
Human pride and forgetfulness of God :—
Man is immersed in the darkness of worldly love, and knoweth not the Giver. [ p. 356 ]
Forgetting Him who fashioned his soul and body man only admitteth his own strength.
O foolish man, the Lord God keepeth an eye on thine acts.
He knoweth what thou doest; nothing remaineth concealed from Him.
Thou art intoxicated with the pleasures of the palate, with covetousness and pride—the sources of many sins.
Weighted with the fetters of pride thou hast wandered in suffering through many births.
Closing folding-doors and hanging up many screens man entangleth himself with another’s wite.
When Chitr and Gupt call for thine account, who shall screen thee?
O Compassionate to the poor, All-pervading, Destroyer of sorrow, there is no shelter but in Thee.
Extricate us from the ocean of the world, O God ; Nanak hath entered Thy sanctuary.
The omnipresence of God :—
As fire is contained in all timber, and butter in all milk,
So the light of God is contained in everything high and low ; He is in the hearts of all living things.
O saints, He is contained in every heart. He filleth all space ; He pervadeth sea and land.
The true Guru hath dispelled all my doubts; Nanak singeth the praises of the Ocean of excellences.
The Omnipresent is contained in all things though ever distinct from them.
The Guru has obtained everything precious from God :—
When the great God was merciful, I obtained all the desires of my heart.
By touching God’s feet and singing His praises I have become immortal.
It was a good and completely auspicious occasion.
By repeating the Name I have obtained peace, composure, and happiness ; and unblown trumpets play for me.
On meeting the Lord, my Beloved, my house and home became comfortable. [ p. 357 ]
The slave Nanak hath obtained the treasure of God’s name, and all his desires are fulfilled.
The greatness of the Guru :—
When the Guru’s feet dwelt in my heart, God granted me excellent qualities.
When the omnipresent supreme God became merciful, I saw the treasure of His name within me.
O my friends, the Guru is my preserver.
He ever bestoweth greatness and glory twofold and fourfold.
The men and lower animals who have beheld him are all saved.
Wonderful is the greatness of the perfect Guru; Nanak is ever a sacrifice unto him.
Some Sikhs repeat the following before the Sohila, at bed-time :—
The word of the Guru is my protection ;
It guardeth me on every side.
My soul is attached to God’s name,
And so for shame Death hath fled away.
O Lord, Thou bestowest happiness on me ;
Thou the omnipresent God hast cut away my fetters and cleansed my heart.
Nanak, God perisheth not—
His worship is not in vain.
By repeating Thy name, O God, Thy saints rejoice,
And all their desires are fulfilled.
The Guru’s devotion to God and its results :—
I am a sacrifice to my Guru
Who hath preserved mine honour intact.
I ever meditate on my God,
And thus obtain the reward my soul desireth. O ye saints, there is none beside God.
He is the Cause of causes ;
He hath given us His blessing,
And made all other creatures subject to us. [ p. 358 ]
Nanak, when I meditated on the Name All my sorrows departed.
Man should not be ashamed, but should be eager to worship God :—
As a hungry man is not ashamed when eating,
So God’s slave is not ashamed to sing His praises.
Why be slothful in thine own business ?
By remembering God thy face shall be bright in His court, and thou shalt obtain happiness for ever and ever.
As a lustful man is greedy to gratify his lust,
So is God’s slave to sing His praises.
As a mother is wrapped up in her child,
So the holy man repeateth God’s name.
He who obtaineth the Name from the perfect Guru
Shall, O Nanak, meditate upon it.
The Guru’s prayer and its result :—
‘Hear my prayer, O my Lord; men and animals are protected by Thee.
O Thou Cause of causes, protect the honour of those who repeat Thy name.
O beloved Lord, extend Thy sovereignty over us.
Whether bad or good we are Thine.’
When the omnipotent Lord heard this appeal, He cut off my fetters and regenerated me.
He dressed me in a robe of honour, blended His worshipper with Himself, and Nanak became conspicuous as a mountain.[17]
God’s kindness to His saints :—
God hath subjected men and the lower animals to His saints; all are servants at their courts.
God accepteth His saints and causeth them to cross the terrible ocean :
He hath arranged all their affairs.
The Compassionate to the poor, the Merciful, the Ocean of mercy, the Omnipresent is my master. [ p. 359 ]
God’s servant on whom He bestoweth the robe of devotion is everywhere
Welcomed and respected, and not allowed to want for aught ; Nanak knoweth God’s power.
Man corrupted by association with the world is saved by the Guru :—
The mother’s womb is an ocean of grief, O my Beloved ; there God causeth His name to be repeated.
When man emergeth therefrom, O my Beloved, his evil passions develop and his worldly love increaseth.
Him to whom Thou didst show favour, O my Beloved, Thou hast caused to meet the true Guru.
Such a man worshippeth Thee, O my Beloved, at every breath, and is attached to Thy name.
Thou art the support of my soul and body, O my Beloved ; Thou art the support of my soul and body.
There is no Creator but Thee, O my Beloved, Thou art the only Searcher of hearts.
Man cometh into the world, O my Beloved, after wandering in countless births and suffering pain in various wombs.
He forgot the true Lord, O my Beloved, and so suffered heavy punishment.
They who have met the perfect true Guru, O my Beloved, are attached to the true Name.
We are saved, O my Beloved, by following those who take the protection of the True One.
He who eateth because the food is sweet, O my Beloved, maketh his body ill.
Bitter is the consequence, my Beloved; sorrow is the result.
Thou, O Beloved, having caused man to eat sweet food hast led him astray ; so his separation from Thee shall continue.
O my Beloved, Thou hast introduced to the Guru and saved those who were so destined from the beginning.
Man is full of longing for mammon, O my Beloved ; God never entereth his heart. [ p. 360 ]
The bodies of those who forget Thee, O supreme God, become ashes.
They utter many a groan, O my Beloved, but their torture ceaseth not.
They whom Thou didst introduce to the Guru and regenerate, retain their capital intact.
As far as possible, O my Beloved, associate not with the infidel.
On meeting him, O my Beloved, man forgetteth God and becometh dishonoured.
The perverse obtain no entrance into God’s court, O my Beloved, but are punished by Death.
It is said that a man went to the Guru and told him that he had long performed various religious ceremonies, but his heart was still troubled. He asked the Guru for the remedy, and also the way to God. The Guru replied as follows :—
Although man read and study the Veds, perform the niwali and bhujangam [18] feats,
He shall not escape from the company of the five deadly sins ; nay, he shall be the more entangled in pride.
O my beloved, it is not by such means God is found ; I know it, for I have done many such things.
I have dropped down weary at the Lord’s door: may He grant me wisdom and discrimination !
Man may be vowed to silence ; he may live on leaves ; [19] he may roam about naked in the forest ;
He may visit all the places of pilgrimage on earth ; but even then he could never escape from worldly love.
With a desire in his heart for emancipation he may take his seat at a place of pilgrimage, and apply his head to the saw ;
But even though he made hundreds of thousands of such efforts, his mental impurity would not depart. [ p. 361 ]
He may bestow gifts of many sorts—gold, women, horses, and elephants ;
He may offer corn, clothes, and lands in abundance ;_ but even then he could not reach God’s door.
He may continue attached to worship, adoration, obeisance, prostrations, and the six acts ;
But he could not in that way find God ; he would merely fall into the meshes of pride.
Men have grown weary performing Jog and the eightyfour postures of the Sidhs :
Man may attain a long life, but without association with God he shall be born again and again ;
He may enjoy the sport of kings and the delights of empire, and issue orders not to be disobeyed ;
He may possess beautiful couches, and use sandal and distilled aloe-wood, but such things form the gate of terrible hell.
Singing God’s praises in association with His saints is the highest act of all.
Saith Nanak, this privilege is obtained by him whose acts recorded in previous births entitle him to receive it.
Thy worshipper, O Lord, is intoxicated with Thy love.
Since the Destroyer of the sorrows of the poor became merciful unto him, his soul hath been absorbed in God’s praises.
How the senses lead astray :—
The fish long in love with the water loseth its life on leaving it ;
The bumble-bee dieth on account of its love for the lotus ; it cannot find its way out.[20]
Now my soul hath contracted love for the one God.
Under the true Guru’s instruction I recognize Him who neither dieth nor is born, and who is ever with us.
Through the force of lust the elephant is ensnared; the poor animal falleth into another’s power. [ p. 362 ]
The deer giveth up its life for the hunter’s bell; through love of it he is slain.
Mortal beholding his family is led astray by covetousness and wrapped up in mammon.
Very much attached to worldly things, he deemeth them his own, but at last departeth without them.
Know that he who loveth any but God, shall ever be miserable.
Saith Nanak, the Guru hath explained to me that by God’s love man ever rejoiceth.
Man blindly commits sinful acts and only abstains when his eyes are opened by the Guru :—
It is man’s practice to do what he shall be ashamed of—
He slandereth the saints, reverenceth the infidel, and adopteth other such perverse practices.
Led astray by worldly love, he loveth what he ought to eschew.
Like a mirage or the green leaves of the forest even so is man’s state.
Even if a streak be made on a donkey’s body with sandal, he will still prefer ashes ;
So man instead of loving God’s nectar devoteth himself to sinful enjoyments which deceive.
The best saints to purify men in this world are to be found by good fortune.
The jewel of life is lost in exchange for a worthless glass bead.
When the Guru applieth to man’s eyes the salve of divine knowledge, the sins and troubles of many births flee away.
By love to the one God in the company of the saints Nanak hath escaped from these evils.
The worship of the Hindus, of the Jogis, and of the Jains is unavailing :—
Worship, fasting, frontal marks, ablution, the bestowal of copious alms and presents at festivals,
Austerities, and flattering addresses to God, never prevail upon Him. [ p. 363 ]
Man only obtaineth rest by repeating God’s name.
All search for God in various ways; but the search is difficult, and He is not found.
Lip-worship, penance, wandering over the earth, the performance of austerities with body reversed,
Following the path of the Jogis and the Jains—it is not by such things the Lord is satisfied.
It is by repeating His ambrosial and priceless name and praises He is obtained by the man to whom He showeth mercy.
By association with the saints the love of God is obtained : Nanak is made happy by the dust of the saints’ feet.
Man is helpless without God :—
I am miserable; save me, O Lord,
I can do nothing of myself, O my Lord; mercifully grant me Thy name.
Family and the world are a sea of fire ;
Doubt, worldly love, and spiritual ignorance are storms therein.
While on the crest of the wave man is happy; while in the trough he is unhappy.
His thirst and hunger are never allayed.
From yielding to mental desires resulteth the disease of the deadly sins.
The five deadly sins man’s companions are very intractable.
The lives, souls, and wealth of the world are Thine, O God.
Nanak, know that God is ever near.
The foolish man is attracted by temporary not permanent advantages :—
Value as a straw the things which forsake thee ; [21]
They are useless entanglements.
Man loveth the things which depart not with him ;
His enemies he deemeth his friends—[ p. 364 ]
In such error is the world led astray—
The fool loseth the boon of human life ;
He is not pleased even to see the true religion.
Deeming falsehood and deception sweet he is attached to them.
He loveth gifts but forgetteth the Giver.
The wretched creature thinketh not of death.
He weepeth for the loss of the property of others.
He forfeiteth the benefit of all his religious acts.
Understanding not the will of God, he suffereth transmigration.
He committeth sins and then regretteth.
What pleaseth Thee, O God, is acceptable.
I am a sacrifice to Thy will,
Nanak is Thy poor slave ;
Preserve me, O my Lord !
The sensible man hoards up God’s name and praises :—
God’s name is the support of poor me.
To earn God is my daily occupation ;
The name of the one God is what I hoard up,
That it may be useful to me in this world and the next.
Dyed with the peerless dye of God’s name,
The saints sing the excellences of the Formless One.
Excessive humility is the glory of the saints ;
They recognize their greatness in God’s praises,
And find their happiness in God’s service.
In it they obtain comfort and their anxieties depart.
Where the saints meet together,
They celebrate God’s praises with music and song.
Joy hath its abode in the saints’ company,
Which is obtained by him on whose forehead such destiny was written.
With clasped hands I supplicate them
To allow me to wash their feet and sing their praises.
O compassionate, merciful, and omnipresent God,
Nanak liveth on the dust of the saints’ feet.
[ p. 365 ]
The rich, the landlords, and the rulers should consider themselves inferior to the saints :—
As the rich are proud beholding their wealth, and landlords their lands ;
As the monarch deemeth that all sovereignty is his, so God’s saints are proud of their Lord’s support.
If any one remember his Protector
And act as He endoweth him, he shall not be the worse therefor.
Nanak, by the favour of the saints they shall sing God’s praises and their hearts become pure,
Who forsaking idols take refuge in the one God, saying, * We have entered Thy sanctuary.’
God’s kindness to His saint :—
God who extended His might in the four quarters of the earth put His hand on my head,
Looked on me with an eye of favour, and dispelled my SOITOWS. i
He hath preserved me His slave.
Embracing me, the Compassionate One, the Pardoner, wiped out all my demerits.
Whatever I ask of my God He granteth me.
Whatever God’s slave Nanak uttereth shall prove true both in this world and the next.
God is ever man’s friend and helper :—
God remembering His function alloweth not man to see the hour of trouble ;
He giveth His hand, preserveth His own, and cherisheth them at every breath they draw.
My soul continueth devoted to God.
At the beginning and the end God is ever our helper ; hail to our Friend !
On beholding the marvellous greatness of the Lord my soul is delighted.
Nanak is happy remembering God; the omnipotent Lord hath preserved mine honour.
[ p. 366 ]
The vigilance of the holy :—
Deem him unfortunate who forgetteth the Lord of life, the Giver.
He whose soul is attached to God’s feet shall obtain a tank of nectar.
Thy slave awaketh in the love of God’s name ;
All sloth hath now departed from his body, and his soul is attached to the Beloved.
Wherever I look, there is God a thread on which every heart is strung.
Drinking the water of the Name, the slave Nanak hath parted with love for all beside.
The society of saints is superior to all places of pilgrimage :—
The more I bathed at sacred places the more impurity of pride I contracted ; the Lord of my heart ae not at all my exertions.
When shall I obtain the society of the saints in which there is ever divine pleasure ? My spirit will lave therein, and I shall obtain the eye-salve of divine knowledge.
He who practiseth obstinacy, and looketh for wealth, like a crane watching a fish, shall be of no account.
Is there any such bestower of happiness as will recite to me legends of God ? when I meet such a person I shall be saved.
Man amasses wealth in vain and has no real friend but God :—
Doth any one know who is a friend in this world ?
He to whom God is merciful can tell; his ways are pure.
Parents, wife, sons, relations, lovers, friends, and brethren,
Meet according to the acts of previous births, but at the Jast hour none of them will aid one.
In collecting pearl necklaces, gold, rubies, diamonds, and wealth which gladdeneth the heart [ p. 367 ]
Man’s life is passed: ever grumbling he is never contented.
Were he to possess elephants, carriages, steeds, swift as the wind, land, and armies—
Of these none would go with him; he must depart naked.
God’s beloved saints are beloved by Him; in their company sing God’s praises.
Nanak, when man hath the society of such saints, he is happy in this world, and his face shall be bright in the next.
The following was written after the Guru’s conversation with a Bairagi :—
O happy wives, my companions, give me, give me intelligence of my Beloved.
I am astonished at the different accounts I hear of Him ; I relate them to you.
Some say that God is altogether distinct from the world ; others that He is altogether included in it.
His colour is not seen; His outline is not distinguished ; O happy wives, tell me truly—
“He is included in everything; He dwelleth in every heart, yet He is not blended with anything ; He is separate.’
Nanak saith, Listen, O ye people, put the saints’ word into your hearts.
A song of rejoicing :—
Desirable is my Friend ;
Gladly sing songs of rejoicing in every house for He dwelleth in every heart.
Worship Him in weal; worship Him in woe ; forget Him not at any time.
By repeating the Name there is the splendour of millions of suns, and the darkness of superstition vanisheth.
Thou, O God, art in all places; whatever appeareth is Thine.
Nanak, he who obtaineth the society of the saints shall not again be subject to transmigration.
[ p. 368 ]
The Guru’s passionate thirst for God :—
I thirst day and night for a sight of Thee, O God; I ever think of Thee night and day.
Nanak, the Guru opening the doors of my understanding hath caused me to meet God, the Friend.
Hear me, my friends, and good people, I make one representation—
I wander, O my beloved, searching for the fascinating Darling.
Show Him to me, O my beloved, grant me a sight of Him even for a little, and I will lay down my life for you.
Mine eyes are dyed with the colour of the Beloved, and rest not even for a moment.
My soul is attached to God as a fish to the water, as the thirsty chatrik to the raindrops.
The slave Nanak hath found the True Guru, and all his thirst is quenched.
O my friend, I am not equal to any of the companions of the Beloved.
O my friend, one of them is better than the other ; who thinketh of me?
Of His many companions one is better than the other, O my beloved ; the Lord ever playeth with them.
On seeing them my heart also longeth to obtain the Lord of excellences.
I would lay down my life for any one who pleased my Darling.
Nanak saith, hear my prayer, O ye happy wives, show Him to me, that I may see what my Beloved is like.
O my friend, I love my Beloved, but He careth not for me.
O my friend, thou hast enjoyed the Darling ; point Him out to me who inquireth for Him.
They on whose forehead such destiny was written, obtain the Darling by effacing their pride.
God took my arm and drew me towards Him regardless of my merits or demerits. [ p. 369 ]
Everything becometh her on whom Thou hast put a garland of virtues and clothed in red.[22]
Nanak, blessed is that happy wife with whom her Husband abideth.
O my friend, I have obtained Him who hath ever been the object of my vows.
The Spouse I desired hath come and congratulations have been sung.
I am in great joy and happiness; the Beloved is kind and ever affordeth me new delight.
I have been very fortunate; the Guru hath caused me to meet God through the true society of the saints.
My hopes and desires are all fulfilled ; my body is united with that of the Beloved.
Nanak representeth—through meeting the Guru I have obtained the object of my vows.
Man compared with a traveller who amasses no wealth :—
The world’s inhabitants are travellers filled with pride ;
Impelled by the love of mammon they commit various Sins ;
They are drowned in covetousness, worldly love, and pride, and think not of death ;
They pass their lives talking of their sons, friends, worldly affairs, and wives.
When the days they were destined to remain in the world have expired, they shall suffer on beholding the myrmidons of Death.
Nanak, the deeds that have been done cannot be wiped out ; why hath man not earned the wealth of God’s name ?
Man maketh many efforts in worldly affairs, but God’s name he singeth not ;
Wherefore he wandereth about in numberless births, dieth, and is born again
In beasts, birds, rocks, trees, whose number cannot be told. [ p. 370 ]
Man reapeth what he soweth, and obtaineth the result of his own acts.
The jewel of his life he loseth in play, and pleaseth not his God.
Nanak representeth—man wandereth in error, and obtaineth not rest even for a moment.
When youth hath fled, old age sitteth down in possession.
The hands tremble, the head shaketh, and the eyes see Net :
The eyes see not without worshipping God ; man leaveth his wealth and departeth.
Man’s relations with whom he hath worn out his mind and body, obey him not; nay, they throw dirt on his head.
The love of the infinite and omnipresent God abideth not for a moment in the heart.
Nanak representeth—there is no delay in the destruction of the false who are as forts of paper.
Nanak hath fallen under the protection of God’s lotus feet :
God Himself caused me to cross the rough and terrible ocean.
Meeting the company of the saints I have worshipped God, and He hath embraced and preserved me.
He hath granted my prayer and bestowed on me His name; He hath not regarded my demerits.
I have obtained God the Treasury of excellences, the Infinite whom my heart desired.
Nanak representeth—I have partaken of the feast of God’s name by which I am satiated.
Kiriachar. Vhis includes worship, applying frontal marks, bathing, feeding idols, &c. ↩︎
That is, he indulges in forbidden pleasures. ↩︎
I practise my devotions at home. ↩︎
This is also translated in a secular sense—the importance of union cannot be described. ↩︎
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiv. ↩︎
The Hindi names in this hymn obviously only mean God, not any of His alleged incarnations. ↩︎
Also translated—
Whatever difficulties there may be, love is not hidden.
Thou, O Lord, preservest the honour of those in whose hearts Thou, the true Friend, art. ↩︎
It is believed that fire is naturally inherent in timber. ↩︎
The Guru loves God and expects no reward. ↩︎
Shalt thou ever again have such an opportunity ? ↩︎
As much sesame as is put at one time into a press. ↩︎
Literally—According as the sprout cometh from the seed. ↩︎
There are some sects of Hindus, notably the Bam Maragis, who believe that heaven is gained by terrestrial enjoyments. ↩︎
Human beings. ↩︎
Life. ↩︎
That is, he finds no fault in others. ↩︎
Guru Nanak became conspicuous in the world. ↩︎
Bhujangam, literally—a snake, but applied by Jogis to the vertebral column, through which they say they draw up the breath from the anus to the brain. ↩︎
Karpati. Also translated—He may use his hands as a platter. Some faqirs deny themselves plates or dishes of any sort. ↩︎
At night when the petals of the lotus close. ↩︎
Also translated—Thou doest foolish things which thou shalt have to abandon. ↩︎
The dress of the married woman, not of her who is deprived of her spouse. ↩︎