It is said that the whole of the Jaitsari ki War was composed by the Guru as instruction to a Sikh called Tiloka. Parts of it are read daily, and the whole completed in ten days after the decease of a Sikh :—
SLOK I
In the beginning God pervaded creation, in the present
He pervadeth it, and in the future He will pervade it. [ p. 371 ]
Nanak, the saints remember the All-pervading who is the Destroyer of sin and Lord of the world.
Behold, hear, and cause others to hear, and fix the True One in thy heart.
Nanak, be absorbed in the love of God who is fully contained in all things.
God’s omnipotence and omnipresence :—
PAURI I
Sing of God, the only Pure One; He is contained in everything.:
He is potent to do and cause to be done: what He doeth taketh place.
In a moment He establisheth and disestablisheth ; there is none but Him.
He pervadeth the continents, the universe, the nether regions, the islands, and all worlds.
He whom God causeth to understand understandeth ; he alone is the pure man.
Why forget God who brought man forth from the womb ?—
SLOK II
God having put thee into thy mother’s womb, made the framework of thy body.
Thou didst remember Him at every breath, Nanak, and so the great heat did not consume thee.
With body reversed thou didst dwell in a filthy place.
Nanak, why forget that Lord by whose name thou didst escape therefrom ?
PAURI II
O man, thou wert conceived from blood and seed, and placed in the fire of the womb.
Thy head downwards, thou wert dirty, restless in the darkness of a terrible hell.
By remembering God thou wert not burned ; clasp Him to thy heart and soul. [ p. 372 ]
Forget not for a moment Him who preserved thee in a painful place.
By forgetting God thou shalt never be happy, but shalt lose thy human life.
Ever remember God and His benefits :—
SLOK III
God bestoweth the gift of the fulfilment of the heart’s desires and of all hopes.
Nanak, remember God who destroyeth suffering and misery ; He abideth not far away.
Love Him through whom thou enjoyest all pleasures.
Nanak, forget not that Lord even for a moment who made this beautiful body.
Thank God for what He hath given thee :—
PAURI III
God who is able to give, gave thee soul, life, body, wealth, and pleasures to enjoy.
He gave thee houses, mansions, chariots, horses, and made thee fortunate ;
He gave thee sons, wife, friends, servants.
Meditate on that God; thy soul and body shall be refreshed, and the pain of separation from Him healed.
Repeat God’s praises in the company of the saints, and all thy maladies shall depart.
Man’s first duty is to God :—
SLOK IV
They who strive for the sake of family and make various efforts for wealth,
Who are without the service and love of God, O Nanak, are as ghosts.
That love shall fade which is devoted to any other than God.
Nanak, true is the way of loving the Lord.
[ p. 373 ]
The body perishes unhonoured, wherefore man should remember God, with whom rests salvation :—
PAURI IV
By forgetting God the body becometh ashes, and every one calleth it a ghost.
Even they whom one loved allow him not to remain a moment in their house.
Of what use is wealth improperly amassed ?
As man soweth, so shall he reap; his body is the field of acts.
The ungrateful who forget God shall wander in transmigration.
Superstitious ceremonies are of no avail; God’s light in the heart burns all sin :—
SLOK V
Millions of alms, ablutions, and various penances for purification are of no avail.
Nanak, to repeat God’s name with the tongue removeth all sin. |
However much firewood one may collect, if a spark be applied to it, it will be consumed in a moment ;
So when the true Lord dwelleth in the heart, Nanak, all sins disappear.
The effect of remembering and praising God :—
PAURI V
Millions—yea, all sins depart by remembering God’s name.
Man obtaineth the reward his heart desireth by singing God’s praises.
The fear of transmigration is removed, and a lasting and true abode obtained.
If it be so decreed in the beginning, man becometh absorbed in God’s feet.
O God, mercifully preserve me ; Nanak is a sacrifice unto Thee:
[ p. 374 ]
The Guru likens to worms those who only think of pleasures :—
SLOK VI
They who turn their thoughts to peerless houses, to pleasures, and to delights of the palate,
And who never think on God—such people, Nanak, are worms in filth.
Forsake all worldly things: why fix thy love on them ?
Nanak, the body which forgetteth the Lord shall become ashes.
PAURI VI
Man may enjoy a beauteous couch, varied pleasures, and all delights ;
He may possess a palace, gold, and silver; he may use perfumes and wear pearls and diamonds ;
He may enjoy the pleasures his heart desireth and have no anxiety whatever ;
But if he remember not God, he shall be like a worm in ordure.
Without God’s name there is no peace, how shall the heart be consoled ?
The bliss of spiritual happiness obtained by toil :—
SLOK VII
Anchorets search in the ten directions for the love of God’s lotus feet :
They renounce deceptive mammon, Nanak, in the delightful company of the saints.
May I repeat God’s name in my heart and with my lips, and wander preaching in all countries !
Nanak, all worldly things are false; I live by hearing God’s true fame.
The poor and holy man, if pious, is king of the world :—
PAURI VII
He who liveth in a ruined hut with all his clothes torn,
Who hath neither caste, nor lineage, nor respect, who wandereth in the wilderness,[ p. 375 ]
Who hath no friend or lover, who is without wealth or beauty, and who hath no relation or kinsman,
Is king of the whole world if his heart be filled with God’s name.
God is well pleased with him, and men are saved by the dust of his feet.
Worldly pleasures are vain without devotion :—
SLOK VIII
A man may have many sports, empire, pleasures, beauty, the umbrella of empire, fans waving over him, and a throne to sit on—
They who are absorbed in such things are fools, ignorant, and blind; Nanak, the desire for mammon is a dream.
In dreams man enjoyeth all pleasures, and worldly things appear sweet to him.
Nanak, without the Name beautiful Maya is deceptive.
The fool is misled by his folly :—
PAURI VIII
The fool attacheth his heart to a dream :
When he awaketh he forgetteth empires, pleasures, and delights, and suffereth disappointment.
His life passeth away in pursuing worldly things,
But his desires have not been fulfilled because he hath been fascinated by Maya.
What can the poor creature do when God Himself leadeth him astray ?
The condition of the persons and habitations of those who forget God :—
SLOK IX
They who forget God, Nanak, are as wanderers in the wilderness,
Even though they dwell in heaven or conquer the nine regions of the earth.
Where there are millions of plays and spectacles, without remembrance of the Name,
Nanak, that place is desolate, and equal to millions of hells.
[ p. 376 ]
PAURI IX
Man deemeth a place a city, though it be only a very terrible wilderness.
On seeing false wealth, man believeth it to be real.
Men go mad through lust, wrath, and pride.
When the club of death falleth on their heads, they shall Neeret.
He who wandereth without the company of the perfect divine Guru is a demon.
Everything deceives except devotion to God :—
SLOK X
Deceptive is empire, deceptive is beauty, deceptive are wealth and pride of birth.
Man amasseth poisonous wealth with deceit and guile, Nanak, but nothing can go with him save God’s name.
Men mistake on beholding the colocynth which appeareth beautiful—
It is not worth an eighth of a paisa; Nanak, thus wealth appeareth beautiful, but will not depart with one.
Contempt of wealth and condemnation ofidolatry:—
PAURI X
Why amass what will not go with thee as thou proceedest ?
Say why thou endeavourest to acquire what thou must leave behind ?
How can thy mind be contented and not distressed when thou forgettest God ?
He who forsaketh God and attacheth himself to idols shall abide in hell.
O God, be merciful and compassionate, and dispel Nanak’s dread of transmigration.
The holy man finds no pleasure in worldly enjoyments :—
SLOK XI
Not sweet to me are the pleasures of empire, not sweet are sensuous enjoyments, not sweet are the pleasures of wealth. [ p. 377 ]
Sweet is association with God’s saints, O slave Nanak ; sweet is the sight of God.
It is thus love is produced, and the mind absorbed therein.
The real thing is then found and the Lord is then sweet.
PAURI XI
Without God nothing is sweet to His saints :
All other pleasures are insipid: I have seen this after careful search.
The doubt and pain of ignorance were removed when the Guru became my mediator.
When the love of God’s lotus feet pierced my heart, it became as if dyed with madder.
God then dwelt in my life, my soul, my mind, and my body ; and everything that was false vanished.
The lower animals are led by their senses, the saints only by devotion :—
SLOK XII
The fish cannot live without water, nor the chatrik without the cloud ; The deer is smitten with the arrow of the bell; the bee is entangled by the odour of the flower. The saints are pleased by God’s lotus feet, Nanak, and by nothing else.
The Guru’s love for God :—
O God, may I behold Thy face without blinking and not turn my mind elsewhere !
Nanak will abide with that Lord God who is the Friend of the saints.
PAURI XII
How can a fish maintain life without water ? How can the chatrik be satisfied without raindrops ?
As the deer fascinated by the bell runneth towards the huntsman ; [ p. 378 ]
As the greedy bumble-bee on finding an odorous flower hath itself shut up in it ;
So holy men love God and are satisfied on beholding Him.
SLOK XIII
The saints meditate on God’s lotus feet and adore them at every breath.
They forget not the name of the Imperishable One ;
O Nanak, the supreme God fulfilleth their hopes.
God is stitched into their hearts and is never a moment out of them.
Nanak, the true Lord fulfilleth their desires and ever watcheth over them.
A supplication :—
PAURI XIII
O Lord, fulfil my hopes who have hopes in Thee.
He who meeteth God shall never grieve.
My heart desireth Thee ; grant me a sight of Thee that my anxiety may depart.
May my body be purified with the dust of Thy feet !
May the supreme God through the divine Guru be ever present !
The devotion of the saints :—
SLOK XIV
Nanak is ever a sacrifice to those who meditate on the Supreme Being,
Who repeat His name with their tongues and hear His ambrosial word with their ears.
Everything is false save the Lord alone :
Nanak, blest are they who love the True One.
Holy are they who in any manner are concerned with God :—
PAURI XIV
I am ever a sacrifice to those who hear God’s story.
Perfectly distinguished are they who bow their foreheads to God. [ p. 379 ]
The hands of those who write the praises of the Endless One are adorned thereby.
Their feet are pure and clean who walk in God’s way :
They are saved with the saints and all their sorrow fleeth away.
Happy the time when the saints meet God :—
SLOK XV
To make effort and repeat God’s name are completely obtained by God’s will.
Happy that moment, O Nanak, when I obtain a sight of God !
The value of that moment cannot be estimated; its happiness is beyond measure. Nanak, that time is acceptable when my Beloved meeteth me.
PAURI XV
Tell me what time that is when I shall obtain God :
That time is very auspicious when I shall meet the Lord.
By meditating on God for the eight watches of the day, the desires of the heart are realised.
By great good fortune the company of the saints is obtained ; I bow and touch their feet.
My heart thirsteth for a sight of the saints; Nanak is a sacrifice unto them.
The reward of devotion :—
SLOK XVI
God is the Purifier of sinners, the Remover of every sorrow.
Nanak, they who repeat His name enter His secure asylum.
They altogether abandon pride and cling to God’s feet.
Nanak, on beholding God their troubles and anxieties depart.
A fervent prayer :—
PAURI XVI
Blend me with Thee, O Compassionate One ; I have fallen at Thy door. [ p. 380 ]
Preserve me, O Compassionate to the poor; wandering I have become very weary.
It is Thy function, O God, to love the saints and save sinners.
Beside Thee there is none: grant my supplication.
Take me by the hand, O Compassionate One, and save me from the ocean of the world.
The cure for the heart’s fever :—
SLOK XVII
I have the support of the praises of the merciful God who saveth the saints.
Nanak, man groweth pure by associating with the saints and taking shelter in God.
The heart’s fever is not at all removed by sandal, the moon, or the cold season ;
It is cooled, Nanak, by repeating God’s name.
Salvation is secured by devotion :—
PAURI XVII
All men are saved by the shelter of God’s lotus feet.
The heart groweth fearless on hearing God’s glory.
There shall be nothing wanting when the wealth of the Name is stored up.
The society of the saints is obtained by greatly meritorious acts.
Meditate on God during the eight watches of the day, and ever hear His praises.
All mercies are obtained by repeating God’s name and praises :—
SLOK XVIII
Nanak, to repeat the praises of the name of the merciful supreme Being
Is to obtain mercy, to remove sorrows, and to shake off mammon.
The burning fever of my heart hath been quenched ; God Himself hath preserved me.
Nanak, repeat the name of that God who created the world.
[ p. 381 ]
The results of meditation and holy association :—
PAURI XVIII
When God is merciful we feel not worldly love.
Millions of sins are removed by meditating on the one God.
When the body is bathed in the dust of the holy man’s feet, it becometh pure ;
The mind and “ay are relieved; man obtaineth the perfect God,
And he is saved with his family and all his tribe.
Praises of the true Guru :—
SLOK XIX
The Guru is Gobind, the Guru is Gopal, the perfect Guru is Narayan ;
The Guru is merciful, the Guru is omnipotent; Guru Nanak is the saviour of sinners ;
The Guru is the boat to cross over the dangerous and unfathomable ocean of the world.
Nanak, everything is effected by touching the feet of the ime Guru.
The Guru’s power :—
PAURI XIX
Hail! hail to the divine Guru in whose company God’s name is repeated !
When the Guru is merciful, all demerits vanish.
The supreme being, the divine Guru, exalteth the lowly ;
He cutteth off the galling chains of mammon, and maketh man his servant.
Through him the tongue singeth the praises of the Eternal God.
God alone to be worshipped :—
SLOK XX
The one God is seen, the one God is heard, the one God is spoken of.
Nanak beggeth the gift of His name: O compassionate Being, mercifully grant it to him. [ p. 382 ]
I worship the one God, I remember the one God, I make supplication to the one God.
Nanak hath amassed the wealth of the Name, the real capital.
God alone is merciful, omnipresent, and omnipotent :—
PAURI XX
God is merciful, illimitable ; He alone filleth the world.
He is everything Himself; whom can I mention like Him ?
O God, Thou grantest gifts, and again receivest them.
Transmigration dependeth altogether on Thine order ; immovable is Thine abode.
Nanak beggeth a boon; mercifully grant him Thy name.
Vain are decorations and wealth without devo tion :—
TODI
Without knowing God man’s birth were vain :
He decketh and adorneth himself in various ways, but it is as though he were dressing a corpse.
The miser running in every direction amasseth wealth with toil;
Yet he practiseth not charity or serveth the saints, and his wealth availeth him not.
A woman putteth on her jewels, decketh her couch, and maketh great preparations :
If she obtain not the company of her spouse, the sight of her decorations will but pain her.
A man may work all day pounding husks with a pestle ; [1]
Yet he only suffereth pain like a forced labourer ; his wealth shall not be spent on himself.
God implanteth His name in the heart of him to whom He is kind.
Nanak, such a man yearneth for the society of the saints and obtaineth God’s love.
[ p. 383 ]
A prayer to God :—
Ocean of mercy, dwell for ever in my heart ;
So enlighten my understanding that I may love Thee, O God.
May I obtain the dust of Thy saints’ feet to apply to my forehead !
From being a great sinner may I be purified and sing Thy praises and Thine attributes !
May Thine order be sweet to me, and what Thou doest please me !
May what Thou givest satiate me, so that I may run after no one else!
O Lord God, may I ever know Thee near me, and may I remain the dust of all men’s feet !
May I meet the company of saints so that I may obtain my God !
We are ever and ever Thy children ; Thou, O God, art our Master.
Saith Nanak, we are children ; Thou art our father and mother: put Thy name as milk into our mouths.
The Guru prays for God’s name as the sole means of salvation :—
O Lord, I crave Thy name as a gift ;
Naught else shall depart with me ; may I also obtain the favour of singing Thy praises !
Empire, wealth, varied pleasures and enjoyments are all as the shadow of a tree.
Man hasteth in every direction, but all his efforts are vain.
All his affairs who desireth other than God appear to be unstable.
Nanak prayeth for the dust of the saints’ feet that his mind may obtain rest.
God’s name is all things to the Guru :—
God’s name is the support of my soul ;
By its use my life, soul, and mind are comforted.
The Name is my caste, the Name is my lineage, the Name is my family ;[ p. 384 ]
The Name is ever my companion ; God’s name delivereth me. :
The pleasure of worldly things is much spoken of, but none of them shall depart with thee.
The Name is my beloved and my friend ; God’s name is Nanak’s storehouse.
By devotion mind and body are purified :—
Sing God’s excellent praises and thy maladies shall be healed.
Thy countenance shall become bright, thy heart pure, and thy life profitable in this and the next world.
Wash the Guru’s feet, serve him, and make him thy heart as an offering.
Abandon egotism, contention, and pride: accept what cometh from God.
He on whose forehead such destiny hath been written, attacheth himself to the Guru’s service.
Saith Nanak, except the one God there is none able to accomplish aught.
The Guru prays God to forgo his account :—
O True Guru, I have sought Thy protection.
May I obtain Thy name to give comfort and glory and remove my anxiety.
I behold no other place of shelter ; I have arrived weary at Thy gate.
Heed not my account ; without it may I be saved ! deliver me though devoid of virtue.
Thouever forgivest, Thou art ever kind, Thousupportest all.
The slave Nanak followeth the saints: save him in this human birth.
The Guru’s beatitude when singing of God :—
When my tongue singeth of God, who is an ocean of merits,
Peace, composure, and delight spring up in my heart, and all sorrows take flight.
O man, whatever thou askest thou shalt obtain by worshipping God’s feet, the abode of pleasure. [ p. 385 ]
They shall free thee from both birth and death, and carry thee across the terrible ocean of the world.
Searching and searching I have ascertained that the real thing is to depend on God as His slave.
If, O Nanak, thou desire everlasting happiness, ever remember God.
The miser especially needs God’s favour :—
O miser, thy body and soul are full of sin.
In the company of the saints worship the Lord; it is He alone who draweth a veil over thy sins.
When there are many holes in the boat,[2] they cannot be stopped by the fingers.
Address Him who made the boat, and they shall be stopped, and the frail boat become sound.
If any one try to lift a mountain with words, he cannot succeed ; where it was there it remaineth.
Nanak hath no strength or power ; O God, preserve him; he hath sought Thy protection.
They who are slaves of mammon shall with difficulty be saved :—
Alas! alas! the wealth in which thou art wrapped up, O fool, is little or naught.
What thou deemest thine own is not thine.
Thou hast not thought of thy God for a moment.
What belongeth to another thou deemest thine own.
Thou hast not given a place in thy heart to the Name which is with thee.
Thou hast attached thy heart to things which thou must abandon.
Thou hast amassed worldly things but remainest hungry and thirsty.
Thou hast not obtained the viaticum of the ambrosial Name.
Thou hast fallen into the pits of lust, wrath, and worldly love.
Nanak, through the favour of the Guru some rare man is saved.
[ p. 386 ]
Serving the one God is the Guru’s‘sole occupation :—
I have but one God ;
I recognize none other.
I have found my Guru through great good fortune.
He hath impressed on me God’s name,
Which is to me devotion, penance, fasting, and religious observances.
By meditating on God I have obtained all comfort and peace.
To praise God is my devotion, my occupation, and my caste.
I feel great joy on hearing His praises.
Saith Nanak, he who hath found God
Hath all things in his home.
The Guru has found God by diligent and pious search :—
Man desireth the love of God the Beautiful,
But God’s love is not obtained by mere words.
Searching for a sight of Him I look in every lane.
My doubts have been dispelled on meeting the Guru.
I have obtained this wisdom from the holy man according to the destiny recorded on my forehead.
In this way Nanak hath seen God with his eyes.
Reject mammon and be simple at heart :—
O mother, mammon is deceitful,
She is, if God be not worshipped, as burning grass, the shadow of a cloud, or the water of a hill-stream.
Renounce thy devices and great cleverness; clasp thy hands and follow the way of the saint.
Remember the Lord the Searcher of hearts; this is the best fruit of human birth.
Holy men preach divine knowledge, but luckless fools understand it not.
The slave Nanak is absorbed in love and devotion; by remembering God the filth of his sins hath been burnt.
[ p. 387 ]
God’s saving name is obtained from the Guru :—
O mother, the feet of the Guru are dear to me ;
God giveth them by favourable destiny: millions of advantages are obtained by beholding the Guru.
By singing the praises of the Immortal and Indestructible, unmannerly lust, wrath, and pride vanish.
They who are dyed with the true love become permanent ; birth and death shall not again torment them.
I deem all joys and pleasures false except worshipping God through the compassionate Guru.
The slave Nanak hath obtained the jewel of the Name, without it everybody is robbed of his human birth.
BAIRARI
The advantage of congregational devotion :—
The saints meeting together sing God’s praises,
And thus remove the pain of millions of births.
What the heart desireth is in this wise obtained.
They have mercifully granted me God’s name
In which abide all happiness and greatness.
By the Guru’s favour Nanak hath obtained this knowledge.
TILANG
The kindness of God :—
Kind, kind is the Lord ;
My Lord is kind:
To all creatures He giveth gifts.
Why waver, O mortal? the Creator will protect thee.
He who gave thee birth will support thee.
He who created the earth will take care of thee.
He is the Master and the true Cherisher of all hearts.
His power and worth cannot be known ; He is great and unconcerned.
Servant of God, do Him service as long as there is breath in thy body. [ p. 388 ]
Thou, O God, art all-powerful, ineffable, inapprehensible ; the soul and body are Thy property.
Nanak’s prayer ever is that by Thy mercy he may obtain happiness.
The Guru praises God under whatever name known :—
OQ Creator, on beholding Thy might I long to meet Thee.
Thou alone art my spiritual and temporal Lord ; Thou art unsullied by the whole creation.
In a moment Thou makest and unmakest: wonderful are Thy manifestations.
Who knoweth Thine acts?[3] Thou art a light in the darkness.
O Allah, Thou Thyself art the Lord of the world, the merciful Khuda.[4]
Why should they who adore Thee day and night go to hell ?
Azrail is a friend of the slave whose support Thou art.
All the sins of Thy servant who obtaineth a sight of Thee, are pardoned.
All worldly things are for the present ; true happiness is to be found in Thy name.
On meeting the Guru, Nanak hath ascertained this ; wherefore he ever singeth the praises of the one God.
SUHI
God has installed the Guru as a beloved housewife in His palace :—
God hath given me possession of the household ; I have become the housewife.
My Spouse hath made the ten organs of action and reflection my slaves.
I have put together all the things of the house,
And with thirsty desire I long for my Beloved.
What merits of my beloved Spouse shall I mention ?
He is the wise, handsome, and compassionate God. [ p. 389 ]
I have put on chastity as my ornaments and applied the fear of God as a pigment to mine eyes.
I chew the ambrosial Name as my betel ;
My bracelets, my dress, mine ornaments admirably become me.
A woman obtaineth all happiness if her Beloved go to her house.
I have fascinated my Spouse by the charm of my virtues :
I have made Him subject to me and the Guru hath dispelled my doubts.
My palace is the most exalted of all.
My Beloved hath forsaken all other women and become my lover.
The bright light of the sun [5] hath appeared.
I have spread my couch with infinite faith in Him.
My Darling who affordeth ever new delight hath come to my couch to enjoy me.
Nanak, when I met my Beloved I obtained happiness.
Man is unable to render due thanksgiving to God for all His favours :—
What praises of Thine shall I recount, O Thou who bestowest on me though devoid of virtue ?
What skill hath a purchased slave ? this soul and body are totally Thine.
I ama sacrifice to a sight of Thee, Thou merry, beloved, and fascinating Darling.
O God, Thou bestowest on me a poor beggar; Thou art ever and ever beneficent.
What can be accomplished by myself is nothing, O my inaccessible and infinite Lord.
What service shall I perform ? what shall I say to please Tiree?
How shall I obtain a sight of Thee ?
Thy measure cannot be ascertained ; Thy limit cannot be found ; my soul thirsteth for Thy feet.
Becoming bold I pray to obtain this gift that the dust of the saints’ feet be applied to my face. [ p. 390 ]
The Guru extended mercy to his slave Nanak, so God reached him His hand and saved him.
Man is swift to evil and slow to good :—
Man riseth early for evil deeds ;
But he sleepeth when it is time to repeat God’s name.
The fool knoweth not his opportunity ;
He becometh involved in worldly love and pleasures ;
In the midst of his covetousness he is elated, pleased.
And looketh not even at holy men.
The ignorant clown never understandeth.
He is again and again involved in entanglements.
He is pleased on hearing immoral songs,
While his mind is slow to hear God’s praises.
O blind one, thou seest not with thine eyes :
Thou must leave all these false occupations and depart.
Saith Nanak, O God, mercifully grant me
The favour of the company of Thy saints.
Man obtaineth something when he becometh the dust of the saints’ feet—
He to whom God giveth understanding repeateth His name.
The Guru’s instruction :—
Man seeth with his eyes, but yet is blind; he heareth, but yet is deaf ;
What is near him he deemeth distant ; the sinner ever committeth sin.
O mortal, do such acts as shall secure thy deliverance,
And repeat God’s name the ambrosial word.
Thou art ever filled with the love of horses and palaces,
But none of them shall depart with thee.
Thou scrubbest thy vessel of clay ;
Yet it is very foul, and shall be punished by Death’s mace. :
Man is bound by lust, wrath, covetousness, and worldly love,
And is thereby swallowed up in a great pit.
Hear Nanak’s prayer—
O my God, save me, a sinking stone !
[ p. 391 ]
The Guru’s self-sacrifice and abject servility to God’s saint :—
God’s saint is my life and wealth ; I am his water-carrier ;
He is dearer to me than all brethren, friends, and sons, yea, than even life itself. |
Let me make a fan of my hair, and wave it as a chauri over the saint ;
Let me bow my head beneath his feet, and apply their dust to my face ; .
Like a poor man let me offer him my supplication with sweet words ;
Abandoning pride let me fall at his feet, and obtain the treasure of virtues.
Let me obtain a sight of him again and again.
Let me treasure up his ambrosial word in my heart, and make him continual obeisance.
I desire the society of holy men ; I hope for it, I pray for it.
O Lord, have mercy upon Nanak that he may touch Thy slaves’ feet.
God’s praises :—
I supplicate the true Guru to grant me the Name as my support.
When the True King is pleased, the world is cured of its fever.
Thou, O Lord, art the prop of the saints; Thou art the shelter of the saints; Thou art the true Creator.
True are Thy chattels, true Thine extension.[6]
Thy form is unapproachable ; unequalled is a sight of Thee.
I am a sacrifice to Thy servants to whom Thy name is dear.
All hopes are fulfilled when the Unapproachable and the Unequalled is obtained.
Guru Nanak hath met the primal God, and is a sacrifice unto His feet.
[ p. 392 ]
Salvation is only found in the Guru’s instruction which is open to all :—
Salvation is not obtained by reading all the Veds, the books of the Musalmans, the Simritis, and the Shastars.
He who under the Guru’s instruction repeateth the one Word shall obtain unsullied glory.
The four castes of Khatris, Brahmans, Sudars, and Vaisyas are partners in God’s word.
Nanak, by repeating under the Guru’s instruction the name of God who dwelleth in every heart, man shall be saved in this age.
ASHTAPADI
The magnification of God’s name :—
The Simritis, the Veds, and the Purans proclaim
That without the Name all ritual is false and valueless.
The Name, which is unequalled wealth, abideth in the hearts of the saints.
Transmigration, worldly love, and sorrow are removed in the company of the saints.
They who indulge in worldly love, strife, and pride shall assuredly weep.
They who are without the Name shall find no happiness.
By boasting of his property, bonds are forged for man.
They who devote themselves to works of mammon shall be born in hell and heaven.
By reflecting and reflecting and reflecting I have come to this conclusion,
That without the Name there is no happiness and man assuredly faileth.
Many come and go, die and are born again.
Without knowing God all is vain and men wander in wombs.
They to whom God is merciful, obtain the society of the saints,
And repeat God’s name which is ambrosia.
Millions, yea, countless and endless persons search for God ; [ p. 393 ]
But God is near him whom He causeth to know Him. Forget me not, O Bountiful One; grant me Thy name. It is Nanak’s pleasure to repeat Thy praises day and night.
CHHANT
God ever speaks mildly :—
God who is my Friend and my Lord, speaketh mildly ;
I am weary of trying Him, but He never speaketh harshly.
The perfect God who thinketh not of our demerits, knoweth not how to speak harshly.
To purify sinners is God’s function ; He destroyeth not a particle of man’s work.[7]
He dwelleth in every heart ; He pervadeth everything ; He is the nearest of the near.
The slave Nanak is ever under the protection of God, his immortal Friend.
The advantage of singing God’s praises :—
BILAWAL
Exalted, peerless, endless Lord, who knoweth Thy merits ?
By singing them man is saved ; by hearing them man is saved, and multitudes of sins are effaced.
O Lord, Thou savest beasts, sprites, and idiots; even stones Thou causest to cross the terrible water.
The slave Nanak hath entered Thine asylum, and is ever and ever a sacrifice unto Thee.
The first verse of the following is often inscribed on new houses :—
The True Guru hath made my house and family permanent.
He who slandereth them is already destroyed by the Creator.
The slave Nanak taketh the protection of Him whose word is eternal and incomparable.
Advantages of meeting the Guru and his saints :—
The cripple can cross over a mountain, the blockhead become an accomplished preacher, [ p. 394 ]
And the blind see the three worlds on meeting the pure Guru.
O my friends, hear the advantage of the company of the saints—
With them impurity is washed away, millions of sins set aside, and the heart purified.
Such is service to God that by it an ant can overcome an elephant.
God hath given the fearless gift to him whom He hath made His own.
For him a lion becometh a cat, and a mountain a blade of grass :
They who toiled for half a dam have become very rich.
What praise of Thine can I utter, O Thou of endless excellences ?
Mercifully grant Nanak Thy name, O God, otherwise he cannot behold Thee.[8]
The Guru’s self-abasement before God’s saints :-—
Let me perform service for Thy slave, O Lord: and wipe his feet with my hair.
Let me give him my head as an offering, and listen to the praises of the Abode of pleasure.
My soul reviveth on meeting Thee ; wherefore meet me, O Merciful One.
Night and day my mind is happy thinking on the Merciful One.
O God, attach me to the skirts of Thy saints who save the world.
O God, grant me the gift of the dust of the saints’ feet.
I have no tricks of speech or cleverness, nor can I labour in Thy service.
Preserve me from doubt, fear, and worldly love, and cut away Death’s noose.
I implore Thee, O Lord of mercy, O Father, to cherish me!
O Abode of happiness, let Nanak sing Thy praises in the company of the saints.
[ p. 395 ]
Abase thyself before the saint of God :—
Draw water, fan, and grind for God’s slave, and then shalt thou be happy.
Burn for him in the fire empire, possessions, and dominion.
Touch the feet even of the saints’ servant.
Forsake the possessors of wealth and the lords of umbrellas.
The saints’ dry bread is equal to all treasure.
The thirty-six dishes in the house of the infidel are as poison.
A man is not naked when he clotheth himself in the rags of the saints ;
He loseth his honour when he putteth on the silken robe of the infidel.
When one contracteth friendship with an infidel, it is dissolved half way.
Whoever serveth God’s saint shall be saved in this life and the next.
Everything was produced by Thee, O Lord; Thou didst contrive this contrivance of the world.
Nanak, on beholding the saints, singeth God’s praises.
The Guru’s search for God :—
Searching and searching I search round the forests
For that God who is undeceivable, invulnerable, and inscrutable.
When shall I behold my God the delight of my soul ?
Better than waking is the dream in which I abide with God.
As I listen to the Shastars on the four castes and the four stages of life, I am not satisfied but thirst to behold God.
He hath no colour nor outline, nor is He made of five elements ; He is imperishable.
The saints or some rare man of great sanctity may describe His appearance.
They whom He mercifully meeteth are to be congratulated.
His doubts vanish who seeth God within him and without him.
Nanak, he whose acts are perfect meeteth God.
[ p. 396 ]
There is salvation for the repentant sinner :—
Body, wealth, and youth pass away.[9]
Thou hast not repeated God’s name, and day hath dawned on thee while committing sin at night.
Through continually eating various forms of food thy teeth are worn and drop out.
Thou wert robbed while talking of thy possessions, and thou didst feel no compunction on committing sin.
Great enormities are a terrible sea of trouble in which man perisheth ;
But the Lord God, O Nanak, taketh the arm of him who seeketh His protection and extricateth him.
The Guru’s love for God :—
I am in love with the Beloved.
The Lord hath drawn me with such a strong thread that if I try to break it, it will not break; and if I try to let it go, 1t will not go.
O Lord, mercifully abide day and night in my heart.
Tam a sacrifice to God, an account of whom I have heard, but cannot express.
The slave Nanak, Thy slave of slaves, prayeth—O God, show me Thy mercy !
Submission to God’s saint is equal to all pilgrimages :—
The feet of the Supreme Being’s slave whose praise is pure, are equal to millions of pilgrimages to the Ganges.
Nanak, he who batheth in the feet of the holy man shall have the sins of many births washed away.
BILAWAL ASHTAPADI
The Guru describes his love for God :—
O God, there is none but Thee.
The love of my heart for Thee is like that of the chakor for the moon,
Or the love of the fish for the water. [ p. 397 ]
As the bumble-bee forsaketh not the lotus,
As the chawki desireth the sun,
So Nanak thirsteth for God’s feet.
As the husband is the life of his young bride,
As the covetous man is pleased with a gift of wealth,
As the affinity of milk for water,
As the very hungry man desireth food,
As a mother loveth her son,
So, O Nanak, ever remember God.
As the moth falleth into the lamp,
As the thief fearlessly stealeth,
As the elephant is entrapped through his lust,
As the sinner is caught in his misdeeds,
As the gambler’s vice forsaketh him not,
So Nanak applieth his soul to God.
As the deer loveth the hunter’s bell,
As the chatrik longeth for the rain-drops,
So I live by association with the saints.
I love to worship God,
And my tongue repeateth His name.
O God, grant Nanak a sight of Thee.
He who singeth, heareth, or writeth God’s praises Shall receive all the reward thereof from God.
He shall himself cross over the ocean of the world, And save all his family.
God’s feet shall be a boat for him
Who in the association of the saints singeth God’s praises. O Lord God, protect mine honour.
O God, Nanak hath taken the protection of Thy door.[10]
GAUND
Man, even when captivated by the world, shall be saved by seeking God’s protection :—
O man, thou art caught like a fish or a monkey ; thou art captivated with the dye of the safflower.
The movements of thyfeet and thy breathings are counted; thou shalt only be saved if thou sing God’s praises.
O man, understand this and cease thy perversity.[ p. 398 ]
Canst thou not find a place to dwell in at home? why goest thou to others’ houses ? [11]
Impelled like an elephant by the pleasure of lust, thou remainest attached to thy family.
As birds meet together and again separate, so thou too shalt be separated from thy people, but thou shalt obtain a firm abiding-place if in association with the saints thou meditate on God.
As the fish perisheth through love of its palate, so foolish man is ruined by his covetousness.
Thou art in the power of thy five enemies, but tho. shalt escape from them by seeking God’s protection.
O Destroyer of grief, be merciful to the poor; man and the lower animals all are Thine.
May I obtain the favour to continually behold and meet Thee! Nanak is the slave of Thy slaves.
The supreme efficacy of God’s protection :—
Him whom the Protector protecteth
The Formless One will assist.
Fire shall not touch him in his mother’s womb ;
Lust, wrath, covetousness, and worldly love shall not affect him.
When man repeateth the name of the Formless One in the company of the saints,
Dust shall be thrown in the face of whoever slandereth him.
The spell of God’s name[12] is armour for His slave :
Enemies and ill-wishers can make no impression on him.
He who indulgeth in pride shall pass away,
While God protecteth His poor slave.
God will embrace and defend him
Who falleth under His protection.
He who is very proud
Shall in a moment be blended with the dust.
I am ever and ever a sacrifice to Him [ p. 399 ]
Who is, was, and shall be the true One. God hath mercy and protecteth His slaves : He is the support of Nanak’s soul.
God described by negatives :—
Wonderful and greatly unequalled is a description
Of the Soul of the world, the Supreme Being :
He is not old, nor is He young ;
He hath no sorrow, nor is He caught in Death’s halter ;
He neither perisheth, nor departeth ;
In the beginning and in every age He pervadeth the world ;
He feeleth nor heat nor cold ;
He hath no friend, no enemy ;
He feeleth nor joy nor mourning.
Everything belongeth to Him and He is potent to act.
He hath no father, and no mother ;
He is without lhmit, and from the beginning ;
He is not the subject either of virtue or of vice.
In every heart He is ever awake ;
He created one energy Maya with the three qualities.
Great Maya is His shadow. :
He is undeceivable, invulnerable, inscrutable, and compassionate.
Compassionate to the poor He is ever merciful ;
His condition and measure cannot be known :
Nanak, I am a sacrifice unto Him.
RAMKALI
A prayer to God and miscellaneous instruction :—
Have mercy upon me, O Bountiful to the poor, and think not at all of my merits or demerits.
Why should we wash clay ? O Lord, to be unclean is the condition of man.[13]
O my soul, serve the True Guru, and thou shalt be happy.
Thou shalt obtain whatever thou mayest desire, and not again feel sorrow.
God fashioned us frail vessels, put His light within us, and cherisheth us. [ p. 400 ]
We act as theCreator predestined for us from the beginning.
Man claimeth his soul and body to be entirely his own ; hence his transmigration.
He thinketh not on Him who gave them; he is blindly wrapped up in worldly love.
He who knoweth the God who made him shall reach His unequalled palace.
May Nanak Thy slave serve Thee and sing Thy praises, O God!
By due meditation on God man Is preserved from the deadly sins :—
My God hath assisted me, and I have disposed of all mine enemies. .
I have bound the enemies who plundered this world.
My God is the True Guru.
To utter His name and put confidence in Him is equal to enjoyment of the delights of many empires.
The Protector watcheth over him who thinketh of none but Him.
He whose support is Thy name alone, O Lord, despiseth the world.
He who hath met the Giver of comfort, becometh perfect ; he is not deficient in anything.
On meeting God, the best thing, man obtaineth the supreme position, and forsaketh it not to go elsewhere.
I cannot describe a Being like Thee who art true, invisible, and infinite.
Nanak, our Lord is unequalled, unfathomable, and unwavering.
Praises of God :—
Thou art wise, Thou art immovable, Thou art my caste, Thou art my lineage.
Thou art unwavering, Thou waverest never; then how can I feel anxiety ?
Thou alone art the one God ;
Thou alone art the one King.
Through Thy mercy I have obtained happiness. [ p. 401 ]
Thou art a lake; we are Thy swans; in Thee are gems and rubies.
Thou art the Giver; Thou hesitatest not at all; we eat from Thy hands and are ever happy.
We are children, Thou art our Father, Thou puttest milk into our mouths.
We all play and Thou ever fondlest us: Thou art ever brimful of excellences.
Thou art perfect and fillest every place: O Perfect One, we too are satiated with Thy company.
After many efforts I have become blended with Thee ; Nanak, there is nothing more to be said.
A votary of Krishan invited Guru Arjan to see the circular dance in honour of his god. The Guru replied that the whole world was dancing and playing, and there was no necessity to go to such an entertainment. A man ought to dance as follows :—
Make thy hands the cymbals, thine eyes the kettledrums, thy forehead the rebeck,
Thine ears the sweet pipe, and thy tongue the prelude.
Bring dancing with the heart as the motions of thy hands and thy tinkling anklets,
And dance to God.
Let the Compassionate One be the spectator and behold thy dressing and decorations.
Let thine arena be the whole earth, the firmament above its canopy,
And the breath the sole manager.
From the water and the other elements God created a puppet to which acts are attached.
In the four corners of the earth God lit up and placed Both the moon and sun as lamps.[14]
There are ten dancing girls[15] and five accompanists [16] together in one chamber.[17] [ p. 402 ]
They separately gesticulate and all speak different tongues.
In every house there is dancing day and night, and in every heart the trumpets [18] sound.
God causeth one man to dance in secular occupations, another He diverteth therefrom, and a third He debaseth by transmigration.
Saith Nanak, he who meeteth the perfect Guru shall not dance again.
Instruction to a Jogi :—
O Jogi, the four Veds call to thee, but thou obeyest them not ;
The six Shastars also tell of one thing.
The eighteen Purans combined speak of the one God ;
Yet, even so, thou hast not found their secret.
The kinguri of God playeth an unequalled strain,
O intoxicated Jogi.
In the first age the village of truth was inhabited ; [19]
In the Treta age there was some falling off ; [20]
In the Dwarpar half the truth remained ;
In the Kal one-fourth remained, and then God was shown by the Guru.
On one string [21] the gems of sou/s were strung ;
They were all kept separate by knots : [22]
The rosary thus formed revolved in many ways.[23]
When God draweth the string, they all come together.[24]
From the four elements the body [25] was constructed.
In it there were difficult passages and many windows.[26]
When the Jogi cometh searching and searching to God’s door, [ p. 403 ]
Then, O Nanak, he shall find God’s private apartment. Thus shall his kinguri play an unequalled strain : On hearing it the Jogi’s mind will be pleased.
The Guru recommends God’s love instead of the practice of Jog :—
There[27] are the full sounds of the five musical instruments.
Without being struck they play wondrously and marvellously.
The saints, God’s people, sport there.
The Supreme Being pervadeth all things, but is not combined with them.
In His palace are happiness, composure, and joy.
The company of the saints sit and sing God’s praises ; theirs is not the malady of transmigration.
There only God’s name is remembered.
Few are they who there find rest.
Love is their food and singing their support.
There are countless everlasting seats.
There no one falleth, or wavereth, or runneth astray.
It is only by the favour of the Guru a few find that paradise.
There is neither doubt, nor fear, nor worldly love, nor mammon.
There in deep repose is the merciful God
Who hath not end or limit.
He is at once concealed and manifest.
Nanak, the wonderful condition of him cannot be described
In whose heart is God’s love.
The following was addressed to a _ tyrannical official :-—
Thou amassest wealth by causing misery ;
But it shall not avail thee ; it shall only benefit others. Thou practisest pride and actest like a blind man ;
Thou shalt be bound by Death’s halter in the next world. Dismiss thy jealousy of others, O fool.
Thou hast but one night to stay here : [ p. 404 ]
Though intoxicated with wealth thou must depart ;
Yet thou continuest to love vanities.
In the period of childhood one is heedless ;
In the heyday of youth man is attached to unsavoury pleasures ;
In the third stage of life he amasseth wealth ;
When old age cometh on he leaveth everything and departeth with regret.
After long time man obtaineth a human body so difficult to obtain ; :
But it is as dust without the Name.
He who knoweth not Him who created him,
Is worse than a beast, a sprite, or an idiot.
Hear me, O Creator, Gobind, Gopal,
Compassionate to the poor, ever merciful,
If Thou free men, they shall be freed from their bonds.
Nanak, the world is heedless ; O God, pardon and unite us with Thee.
Where the saints dwell and pray, there is heaven :—
Where the saints put their feet, there are the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage ; Where the Name is uttered, there is heaven.
Advice to a Brahman :—
Sing the praises of God’s name, O Pandit.
Religious ceremonies are of no avail ; pride is of no avail ; go home contented in thy mind.
The Hindu gods, goddesses, and sacred books know not God’s greatness :—
The Veds know not His greatness ;
Brahma knoweth not His secrets ;
The incarnations know not His limit :
The Supreme Being is without limit.
Only God knoweth His own state ;
Men merely speak of Him from hearsay.
Shiv knoweth not His secret ;
The demigods have grown weary searching for Him ; [ p. 405 ]
The goddesses know not His secret ;
The unseen Supreme Being is over all.
God playeth according to His pleasure :
It is He who separateth, it is He who uniteth.
Some wander, others He applieth to His worship.
He causeth man to know His works.
Hear the true instruction of the saints—
It is only they who have seen with their eyes who can tell God’s greatness.
He is not the object either of virtue or of vice.
Nanak’s God is all in all.
The Guru warns man to seek God’s protection betimes :—
O man, neither thy body nor thy soul is thine own :
It is by thy worldly love thou fallest into such error.
Thou friskest about like a lamb or a kid:
When thou expectest not, Death will cast his noose and hurl his quoit at thee.
O my soul, seek the protection of God’s lotus feet.
Repeat the name of God the Helper who is with thee, and under the Guru’s instruction thou shalt obtain the true wealth.
The imperfect things of this world will never be perfect.
Man is ever miserable on account of lust, wrath, and pride.
He committeth sin to gratify his heart.
O thoughtless man, nothing will go an inch with thee.
Thou practisest deceit, and knowest many tricks ;
Thou laboriously siftest dirt for kauris ;
Thou never thinkest on Him who gave thee everything ;
Thou art greedy for perishable things, and thy pain will not leave thee.
When the supreme God was compassionate,
My heart became the dust of the saints’ feet.
God with His lotus hand hath attached me to His skirt.
Nanak hath become absorbed in the Truest of the True.
[ p. 406 ]
ASHTAPADI
God’s praises and the Guru’s instructions to men :—
O man, remember the Preserver,
Who fashioned thee out of this water,
And made thy earthly body—
The Luminous One who gave thee speech, understanding, and reason,
And who protected thee in thy mother’s womb.
© man, forsake all else and meditate on Him
Who gave thee father and mother,
Who gave thee brother and sons,
Who gave thee a wife and friends.
Remember that God
Who gave thee priceless air,
Who gave thee priceless water,
And who gave thee fire to burn—
O man, remain under that God’s protection.
Place thy heart at the feet of that God
Who gave thee thirty-six species of food,
Who made within thee a place to contain them,
And who gave thee land and chattels to use.
O man, adore the feet of that God
Who made thee eyes to see, ears to hear,
Hands to work, feet to walk,
A nose, a tongue, and a head to crown[28] all ;
Who made thee pure from being impure,
And who gave thee the highest among all births.
Wilt thou now be accepted by Him, or wilt thou not ?
O man, thine affairs shall be arranged by meditating on Him.
In this world and the next there is but the one God ;
Wherever thou lookest, there is He.
The heart is slow to serve Him ;
But by forgetting Him man cannot abide for a moment.
We are sinners and without merits ;
We do no service or good deeds. [ p. 407 ]
The boat of the Guru is only found by good fortune.
Nanak, a stone floateth over by associating with the saint.
This corresponds to the English expressions—threshing beaten straw, winnowing chaff, &c., &c. ↩︎
Thou hast committed many sins. ↩︎
Also translated—play. ↩︎
Allah and Khuda used in this verse are Muhammadan names of God. ↩︎
Divine knowledge. ↩︎
The world which has been projected from the Creator. ↩︎
That is, man loses not a particle of the advantage of devotion. ↩︎
Rita, which means empty, also means way, and the phrase may be translated—Show me the way to behold Thee. ↩︎
Also translated—The play of body, wealth, and youth is over. ↩︎
Duar in the original. ↩︎
Do good thyself, and then go and preach to others. ↩︎
Ram kawach. Literally—God’s coat of mail; but the term is also applied to a particular spell. ↩︎
That is, man is eyer sinful. ↩︎
An attendant holding a lamp in each hand goes round and lights the theatre. ↩︎
The organs of action and perception. ↩︎
The five senses. ↩︎
The body. ↩︎
Thoughts, fancies, &c., &c ↩︎
That is, truth dwelt wherever there were human habitations. ↩︎
Dutera—two or three. Men were at sixes and sevens. ↩︎
God’s power. ↩︎
That is, by different bodies. ↩︎
Men were subjected to different forms of transmigration. ↩︎
Are absorbed in God from whom they sprang. ↩︎
Mat. Literally—a Jogi’s dwelling. ↩︎
This refers to the practice of the Jogis fixing their breath in different parts of the body and practising introspection. ↩︎
In the company of the saints. ↩︎
Literally—the large bead in a rosary. ↩︎