Guru Granth selections: Life of Guru Nanak and the Japji (The Sikh Religion vol. I)

1 The fire of evil passions. 2 Of my youth. 3 Of desires. Man is here the measure of infinity. The ocean is supposed to contain fire which consumes it and hinders its increase. This fire is called barwtinal, and is supposed to be near the Equator. 4 Meditation and divine knowledge. 5 Also translated — He who hoardeth mercy instead of wealth recognizeth God. 6 Literally — in a moment thou canst make a tola a masha, and in a moment a masha a tola. A tola is 180 grains avoirdupois, the weight of a rupee. A masha is the twelfth part of a tola. The hymn is from Basant. Ramkali, the first two pauris or stanzas of which are as follow :— * It is the one God who created Brahma ; l It is the one God who created our understanding ; It is from the one God the mountains and the ages of the world emanated ; It is the one God who bestoweth knowledge. It is by the word of God man is saved. It is by the name of the one God the pious are saved. Hear an account of the letter O — 2

O is the best letter in the three worlds. Hear, O Pandit, why writest thou puzzles ? Write under the instruction of the Guru the name of God, the Cherisher of the world. He created the world with ease : in the three worlds there is one Lord of Light. Under the Guru's instruction select gems and pearls, and thou shalt obtain God the real thing. If man understand, reflect, and comprehend what he readeth, he shall know at last that the True One is every where.3 The pious man knoweth and rem ember eth the truth — that without the True One the world is unreal. On hearing the whole fifty-four stanzas of the Oamkar, the Pandit fell at the Guru's feet, and became a Sikh and possessor of God's name. During the Guru's stay at Banaras Krishan Lai and Har Lai, two eminent young pandits, went to visit him, and he explained to them the tenets and principles of his religion. From Banaras the Guru proceeded to Gaya, the famous place of pilgrimage, where Buddha in days long past made his great renunciation and per formed his memorable penance. There the Guru uttered the following in reply to Brahmans who had

This means that the true God is superior to all other gods. - The symbol of the eternal God. It is here used instead of the Name. 3 Nirantar, pervades creation uninterruptedly. urged him to perform the ceremonies usual among Hindus for the repose of the souls of ancestors. The Name alone, is my lamp, suffering the oil I put therein. The lamp's light hath dried it up, and I have escaped meeting Death. 0 ye people, make me not an object of derision. The application of a particle of fire will destroy even hundreds of thousands of logs heaped together.1 God is my barley rolls 2 and leafy platters,3 the Creator's name the true obsequies.4 In this world and the next, in the past and the future, that is my support. Thy praises are as the Ganges and Banaras to me ; my soul laveth therein. If day and night I love Thee, then shall my ablution be true. Some rolls are offered to the gods, some to the manes 5 ; but it is the Brahman who kneadeth and eateth them. Nanak, the rolls which are the gift of God are never exhausted.6 The Guru and Mardana in the course of their travels found themselves at a grain-dealer* s house. A son had just been born to one of the partners, and several people had come to offer him congratula tions. Some threw red powder7 in token of joy, and voices of blessing and congratulation filled the neighbourhood. Mardana sat down and gazed on the

1 That is, God's name will remove hundreds of thousands of sins. 2 Find] this word also means the body which is supposed to be put together by the offering of these rolls. 3 Paital, literally, plates of leaves generally of the palas (Butea frondosa) in which food is placed. 4 Kiriya, the ceremonies performed on the thirteenth day after death. 5 Chhamchari, those who walked the earth, the manes of ancestors. 7 Red powder is thrown on passers-by in India on occasions of festivity. The practice is particularly resorted to on the occasion of the Holi, a Hindu saturnalia. spectacle. In the evening, when the grain-dealer's entertainment was at an end, he stood up and went to his private apartments without taking any notice of Mardana. The latter went to the Guru, who sat at some distance, informed him of the birth of the child, and gave him an account of the enter tainment. The Guru smiled, and said it was not a son who had been born in the grain-dealer's house, but a creditor who had come to settle his account. He would remain for the night and depart in the morning. Then the Guru ordered Mardana to play the rebeck, and sang to its strains the following hymn :—

In the first watch of night, my merchant friend, the child by God's order entereth the womb. With body reversed it performeth penance within, O merchant friend, and prayeth to the LordIt prayeth to the Lord in deep meditation and love. It cometh naked into the world, and again it departeth naked. Such destiny shall attend it as God's pen hath recorded Saith Nanak, in the first watch the child on receiving the order entereth the womb. In the second watch of night, O merchant friend, it forgetteth to meditate on God. It is dandled in the arms, O merchant friend, like Krishan in the house of Yasodha. The child is dandled in the arms, and its mother saith, * This is my son.' Think on this, O thoughtless and stupid man,1 nothing shall be thine at last. Thou knowest not Him who created thee ; meditate upon Him in thy heart. 1 Man in the original might be translated mind, but the word includes the heart in the next line. Saith Nanak, the child hath forgotten to meditate at the second watch. At the third watch of night, O merchant friend, man's thoughts are of woman and the pleasures of youth ;

He thinketh not of God's name, O merchant friend, which would release him from his bondage. Man thinketh not of God's name, but groweth beside him self with worldly love. Devoted to woman and intoxicated with his youth he wasteth his life in vain. He hath not traded in virtue or made good acts his friends. Saith Nanak, in the third watch man's thoughts are of woman and the pleasures of youth. In the fourth watch of night, 0 merchant friend, the reaper cometh to the field ; The secret hath been given to none when Death shall seize and take away his victim. Think upon God ; the secret hath been given to none when Death shall seize and take man away. Hollow are the lamentations around. In one moment man's goods become another's. He shall obtain those things on which he hath set his heart.1 Saith Nanak, O mortal, in the fourth watch the reaper hath reaped the field.2 When morning came, the grain-dealer's child died, and the grain-dealer and his relatives came forth weeping and wailing. Mardana asked the Guru what sudden change of fortune had come to those who yesterday had been engaged in their rejoicings

1 It is supposed that man shall receive in the next world the things which formed the object of his last thoughts in this. He who has not fixed his thoughts on God at the last moment shall not find Him, but begin anew a course of transmigration. See Trilochan, Gujari, vol, vi. 2 gri R5 Pahare. and saturnalia. Then the Guru uttered the following on the vicissitudes of human life :— They to whose faces were uttered gratulations and hundreds of thousands of blessings, Now smite their heads in grief; and their minds and bodies suffer agony. Of the dead some are buried, others are thrown into rivers.1 The gratulations have passed away ; but even so do thou, O Nanak, praise the True One. As the Guru and Mardana pursued their way they saw a small enclosed field of gram.2 The watchman of the field began to roast some for his dinner, while the Guru and Mardana gazed at him at a distance. As the watchman was preparing to eat, he saw them, and it occurred to him that they wanted something more dainty than gram, so he would go to his house and bring them better fare and comfortable bedding. As he stood up, the Guru, who did not wish to trouble him, asked whither he was going, and, on being informed, uttered the following verses : —

Thy pallet is a coverlet and mattress for me ; thy love is my dainty dish. Nanak is already satiated with thy good qualities ; come back, O monarch. In due time the watchman obtained spiritual dignity in return for his kind intentions towards the Guru. There was at that time a shopkeeper whose mind had taken a religious bent, and who desired to meet a religious guide. He heard of Guru Nanak's arrival, and vowed that he would not eat or drink until he had had an interview with him. Having 1 The Musalmans bury their dead. The Hindus cremate them, or throw them into their sacred streams. 2 Ghana, Cicer an'etinum, chick peas, on which horses are fed in India. It is called gram by Europeans. When roasted green it is sometimes eaten by the poorer classes. once visited the Guru he continually went to him to receive religious instruction. A neighbouring shopkeeper heard of his friend's visits, and said that he too would go to see the holy man. They proceeded together, but on the way the second shopkeeper saw a woman of whom he became enamoured, and his visit to Nanak was indefinitely postponed. It was the custom of both to set out together, one to visit his mistress, and the other to visit the Guru. The second shopkeeper desired to put the fortunes of both to the test, and said, ' Thou practisest good works, while I practise bad works. Let us see what shall happen to each of us to-day. If I arrive first, I will sit down and wait for thee ; and if thou arrive first, then wait for me/ This was agreed upon. The second shopkeeper went to the house of his mistress as usual, but did not find her. He then proceeded to the spot where his :friend had agreed to meet him, but his friend, who on that day tarried long with the Guru, had not yet arrived. The second shopkeeper needing some occupa tion in his solitude, drew out his knife and began to whittle the ground with it, when he found a shining gold coin. He continued his excavations with the weak delving implement he possessed, when, to his disappointment, he only discovered a jar of charcoal. He had, however, obtained some reward for his labour.

Meanwhile the first shopkeeper arrived in doleful case. Having left the Guru, a thorn pierced his foot. He bound up the wound, and proceeded sore limping to the trysting-place. His friend told him of his better fortune. They both saw that he who went daily to commit sin prospered, while he who went to his religious teacher to pray and meditate on God, suffered ; and they agreed to refer to Guru Nanak for an explanation of their unequal and unmerited fates. The Guru explained that the sinful shopkeeper had in a former birth given a gold coin as alms to a holy man. That coin was converted into many gold coins as a reward for the alms-giver, but, when he entered on his career of sin, the gold coins were turned into charcoal. The original gold coin was, however, restored. The shopkeeper who visited the Guru, had deserved to die by an impaling stake for the sins of deceit and usury, but, as he continued to progress in virtue, the impaling stake was reduced in size till it became merely a thorn. Having been pierced by it, he had fully expiated the sins of a former birth. Thus may the decree of destiny be altered by the practice of virtue. Both men were thoroughly satisfied with this explanation of unequal retribution. The sinful as well as the virtuous man fell at Guru Nanak's feet, and both became true worshippers of God. The Guru then uttered the following verses : —

The heart is the paper, conduct the ink ; l good and bad are both recorded therewith. Man's life is as his acts constrain him ; there is no limit to Thy praises, O God. O fool, why callest thou not to mind Thy Creator ? Thy virtues have dissolved away by thy forgetfulness of God. Night is a small net, day a large one ; there are as many meshes as there are gharis in the day. With relish thou ever peckest at the bait, and art ensnared ; O fool, by what skill shalt thou escape ? The body is the furnace, the mind the iron therein ; five fires 2 are ever applied to it. Sin is the charcoal added thereto, by which the mind is heated ; anxiety is the pincers. The mind hath turned into dross, but it shall again become gold when it meeteth such a Guru As will bestow the ambrosial name of the one God; then, Nanak, the mind shall become fixed.3 1 Literally— Conduct— heart being the paper — is the ink. 2 The deadly sins. 3 Maru. The Guru then took the opportunity of discoursing on the immoral shopkeeper's peculiar vice : * Man is fickle when he beholdeth a courtesan ; he then hath a special desire for love's play, and can in no way be restrained. On meeting her he loseth his human birth. Bereft of his religion he falleth into hell, where he undergoeth punishment and profusely lamenteth. Wherefore look not on her, but pass thy time among the holy.'

After this they all separated, and the Guru and Mardana continued their wanderings. On the way they were encountered by robbers. On seeing Guru Nanak, they said to themselves that he on whose face shone such happiness could not be without wealth. They accordingly went and stood around the Guru. As they beheld him morning dawned, so they were able to examine him more closely. He asked them who they were, and what they wanted. They candidly replied that they were thags,1 and had come to rob him. The Guru gave them spiritual instruction, and said that their sins should be wiped out when they had abandoned their evil career, turned to agriculture, and bestowed charity out of the spoils in their possession. They acted on his suggestions, began to repeat the Name, and reform their lives. The Guru on that occasion composed the following :— Covetousness is a dog, falsehood a sweeper, food obtained by deceit carrion ; Slander of others is merely others' filth in our mouths ; the fire of anger is a sweeper.2 Pleasures and self-praise— these are mine acts, O Creator. My friends, doth any one obtain honour by mere words ? Call them the best, who are the best at the gate of the Lord ; they who do base acts sit and weep.

1 Indian robbers who generally effect their purpose by the use of stupefying and poisonous drugs. 2 Also translated — Slander of others is our neighbour's dirt, filthy language a sweeper, anger fire. There is pleasure in gold, pleasure in silver and in women, pleasure in the perfume of sandal ; There is pleasure in horses, pleasure in couches and in palaces, pleasure in sweets, and pleasure in meats. When such are the pleasures of the body, how shall God's name obtain a dwelling therein ? It is proper to utter the words by which honour is obtained. Injury resulteth from uttering harsh words ; hearken, O foolish and ignorant man. They who please God are good ; what more can be said ? They in whose heart God is contained possess wisdom, honour, and wealth. What need is there of praising them ? What further decoration can they obtain ? Nanak, they who are beyond God's favouring glance love not charity or His name.1 By the following the Guru recommended agricul tural labour : — The oxen are disciples,2 the ploughman is their Shaikh ; 3 The earth is a book, the furrow the writing. The sweat of the ploughman's brow falleth to his heels, And every one eateth of his earning.4 They who eat the fruit of their earning and bestow a little from it,

O Nanak, recognize the true way. Then the Guru departed thence. 2 Mushaiq. This is the Arabic mashshaq, a striven 3 Their spiritual guide. ' On its oxen and its husbandmen An empire's strength is laid.'

The Guru and Mardana went to Kamrup,1 a coun try whose women were famous for their skill in incantation and magic. It was governed by a queen called Nurshah in the Sikh chronicles. She with several of her females went to the Guru and tried to obtain influence over him. Then the Guru uttered the following verses : — You buy saline earth,2 and want musk into the bargain : Without good works, Nanak, how shall you meet your Spouse ? The Guru continued as follows : — The virtuous wife enjoyeth her husband ; why doth the bad one bewail ? If she become virtuous, then shall she too go to enjoy her husband. My Spouse is an abode of sweetness ; why should He enjoy other women ? If a woman become virtuous and turn her heart into a thread, She shall string her Spouse's heart thereon like a priceless gem. I show the way to others, but walk not in it myself ; 3 I say I have already traversed it. If thou, 0 my Spouse, speak not to me, how shall I abide in Thy house ? Nanak, excepting One there is none besides. If Thy wife, O Spouse, remain attached to Thee, she shall enjoy Thee.4

Nurshah observed that her people's spells were of no avail, however much they tried. The Guru, on 1 In the time of the Guru it is believed that Kawaru, or KamrDp, included at least the present districts of Goalpara and Kamrup. 2 Kallar, impure nitrate of soda found in sandy soils in India. ' Fungar vice cotis, acutum Reddere quae ferrum valet, exsors ipsa secandi.' — HORACE. beholding their fruitless efforts, uttered the following hymn in the Suhi measure entitled Kuchajji, or the woman of bad character : — I am a worthless woman ; in me are faults ; how can I go to enjoy my Spouse ? My Spouse's wives are one better than the other ; O my life, who careth for me ? l My female friends who have enjoyed their Spouse are in the shade of the mango.2 I do not possess their virtues ; to whom can I attribute blame ? 3 What attributes of Thine, O Lord, shall I blazon abroad ? What names of Thine shall I repeat ? I cannot even attain one of Thy many excellences : I am ever a sacrifice unto Thee. Gold, silver, pearls, and rubies which gladden the heart —

These things the Bridegroom hath given me, and I have fixed my heart on them.4 I had palaces of brick fashioned with marble. In these luxuries I forgot the Bridegroom and sat not near Him. The kulangs cry in the heavens,5 and the cranes have come to roost.6 The woman goeth to her father-in-law's ; 7 how shall she show her face as she proceedeth ? As morning dawned she soundly slept, and forgot her journey. She separated from Thee, O Spouse, and therefore stored up grief for herself. 1 Literally — who knoweth my name ? 2 That is, they are fortunate. The mango is an evergreen, and its leaves always afford shelter. 3 It is my own fault that I possess not virtue. 4 And forgotten the Giver. 5 The Orientals believe that very old men hear noises in their heads. The kulang is a large stately Indian bird. 6 Grey hair has come. 7 In the Granth Sahib the present world is called one's father's house, and the next world one's father-in-law's. In Thee, 0 Lord, are merits ; in me all demerits : Nanak hath this one representation to make. Every night is for the virtuous woman ; may I though unchaste obtain a night also ! 1

Nurshah grew weary of her efforts. She felt that her ill success was the result of her sins. Her women then, beating drums, stood in front of the Guru, and began to dance and sing. He on that occasion com posed the following hymn : — The impulses of my heart are my cymbals and madiras.2 The world is my drum ; this is the music that playeth for me. Saints like Narad dance under the influence of this Kal age.3 They who call themselves continent and virtuous also enter the dance. Nanak, I am a sacrifice to the Name. The world is blind in the opinion of those who know the Lord. Contrary to custom, a disciple eateth from the hand of his guru, And goeth and dwelleth with him only for the sake of food.4 If man were to live and eat hundreds of years, Only that day would be acceptable in which he recognized the Lord. Compassion is not exercised by merely beholding a suitor ; 5 There is no one who receiveth or giveth not bribes. The king dispenseth justice when his palm is filled. If a man make a request for God's sake nobody heedeth him. /Nanak, men nowadays are men only in shape and name :

1 She has grown grey in sin, and is not desirable to her Husband. 2 The madiras were struck with a stick, and somewhat corre sponded to European triangles. 3 Even saints dance for pleasure, and not for the love of God in this age. 1 This is described as a custom of this degenerate age. The proper course would be for the disciple to feed his master. 5 A bribe must be paid to the judge. In action they are dogs ; shall they be accepted at God's gate? If man by the favour of his guru deem himself a guest in this world, He shall acquire some honour in God's court.1 Again the Guru uttered the following verses : — In words we are good, but in acts bad. We are impure-minded and black-hearted, yet we wear the white robes of innocence.2 We envy those who stand and serve at His gate. They who love the Bridegroom and enjoy the pleasure of His embraces, Are lowly even in their strength, and remain humble. Nanak, our lives shall be profitable if we meet such women.3 When the Guru had uttered these verses, Nurshah thought she would tempt him with wealth. Her attendants brought pearls, diamonds, gold, silver, coral, sumptuous dresses, all things precious the state treasury contained, and laid them at his feet. The Guru rejected all the proffered presents, and uttered the following hymn, which he sang to Mardana's rebeck :—

0 silly woman, why art thou proud ? Why enjoy est thou not the love of God4 in thine own home ? The Spouse is near ; O foolish woman, why searchest thou abroad ? Put the surma 5 needles of God's fear into thine eyes, and wear the decoration of love. Thou shalt be known as a devoted happy wife 6 if thou love the Bridegroom. 2 Literally— we are white outside. 3 Sri Rag ki War. 1 The Indian husband is deemed as a god by his wife. 5 A species of collyrium. 6 Suhdgan, from the Sanskrit su, good, and bhag, fortune, is applied to a wife whose husband is alive. Her lot is happy, and her state deemed holy in comparison with that of a widow. What shall a silly woman do if she please not her Spouse ? However much she implore, she may not enter His chamber. Without God's grace she obtaineth nothing, howsoever she may strive. Intoxicated with avarice, covetousness, and pride, she is absorbed in mammon. It is not by these means the Bridegroom is obtained ; silly is the woman who thinketh so. Go and ask the happy wives l by what means they obtained their Spouse —

' Whatever He doeth accept as good ; have done with cleverness and orders. ' Apply thy mind to the worship of His feet by whose love what is most valued is obtained.2 * Do whatever the Bridegroom biddeth thee ; give Him thy body and soul ; such perfumes apply.' 3 Thus speak the happy wives : 4 ' O sister, by these means the Spouse is obtained. ' Efface thyself, so shalt thou obtain the Bridegroom ; what other art is there ? ' Only that day is of account when the Bridegroom looketh with favour ; the wife hath then obtained the wealth of the world. She who pleaseth her Spouse is the happy wife ; Nanak, she is the queen of them all. She is saturated with pleasure, intoxicated with happi ness,5 and day and night absorbed in His love. She is beautiful and fair to view, accomplished, and it is she alone who is wise.6 1 Who have God for their spouse. 2 That is, salvation. Also translated — from whom the wealth of love is obtained. 3 That is, let these be thy blandishments. 4 This is the reply of the favourite wives showing how they won God as their Spouse.

5 Sahij. This word has many meanings in the Granth Sahib. It means natural disposition, easily, slowly, divine knowledge, divine tranquillity, God, &c. In some of its meanings it is derived from sah, with, andy'a, born. 6 Tilang. Nurshah and her women, on hearing this hymn, twisted their head-dresses around their necks in token of submission, and fell at the Guru's feet. They asked how they could obtain salvation. The Guru told them to repeat God's name, conscientiously perform their domestic duties, renounce magic, and they should thus secure future happiness. It is said that they became followers of Guru Nanak, and thus secured salvation* The Guru, on leaving Kamrup, entered a wilderness. There Kaljug1 came to tempt him. Mardana became sore afraid. The Guru remonstrated with him ; asked why he was afraid of Kaljug ; if he felt fear it ought to be the fear of God. The Guru then sang the following hymn : — Put the fear of God2 into thy heart ; then the fear of Death shall depart in fear. What is that fear by fearing which the fear of Death may take fright ? 0 God, there is no other abode than in Thee ; Whatever happeneth is according to Thy pleasure. Fear if thou have any other fear than that of God : Fear is mental disturbance.

The soul dieth not, neither is it drowned ; it is saved through fear of God. 'He who made something will make something. By His order man cometh ; by His order man goeth ; Before and behind us His order prevaileth. The swan of the heart aspireth to fly to heaven ; But on the way it is a target for great hunger which restraineth it. Let the swan make fear its eating, drinking, and support ; Without such food the stupid bird would die. Who hath a helper let anybody say. Everybody is Thine ; Thou art the helper of all. 1 Kaljug here means Satan. 2 Dar ghar, the abode of fear, is explained by the gyanis to mean God. Nanak, to name and meditate on Him to whom belong Men, lower animals, wealth, and property, is difficult .l Mardana inquired who Kaljug was, by what signs he was known unto men, and what prerogative he exercised ? The Guru replied :— When true men speak the truth and suffer for it ; when penitents fail to perform penance in their homes ; When he who repeateth the name of God meeteth obloquy — these are the signs of the Kaljug.2

Kaljug offered the Guru the wealth of the world if he would abandon his mission. He said, ' I possess everything. Say but the word, and I will build thee a palace of pearls, inlay it with gems, and plaster it with fragrant aloes and sandal. I will bring thee very beautiful women, and give thee the wealth of the world, the power of working miracles, and confer upon thee the sovereignty of the East and of the West. Take whatever pleaseth thee/ The Guru informed him that he himself had renounced all sovereignty. What could he do with what Kaljug offered him, which moreover belonged to others ? Then the Guru uttered the following stanza :— Were a mansion of pearls erected and inlaid with gems for me ; Perfumed with musk, saffron, fragrant aloes and sandal to confer delight ; May it not be that on beholding these things I may forget Thee, 0 God, and not remember Thy name ! My soul burneth without Thee. I have ascertained from my Guru that there is no other shelter than in God. Were the earth to be studded with diamonds and rubies, and my couch to be similarly adorned ;

Were fascinating damsels whose faces were decked with jewels to shed lustre and enhance the pleasure of the scene ; 1 Gauri. 2 Ramkali. May it not be that on beholding them I may forget Thee and not remember Thy name I Were I to become a Sidh and work miracles ; could I command the wealth of the universe to come to me ; Could I disappear and appear at pleasure, and were the world to honour me ; May it not be that on beholding these things I may forget Thee and not remember Thy name ! Were I to become a monarch on my throne and raise an army ; Were dominion and regal revenue mine — O Nanak, they would be all worthless — May it not be that on beholding these things I may forget Thee and not remember Thy name ! l Then Kaljug went round him in adoration, fell at his feet, and took his departure. On the way Guru and Mardana sought shelter in a village, but were not allowed to remain there. The villagers began to play practical jokes on them. The Guru on that occasion uttered the following verses : —

When I remain silent, they say I have no understanding in my heart ; When I speak, they say I chatter too much ; When I sit, they say I have spread my pallet to stay ; When I go away, they say I have thrown dust on my head ; 2 When I bow down, they say I perform my devotions through fear. I can do nothing by which I may spend my time in peace. Both here and hereafter may the Creator preserve Nanak's honour ! Then the Guru composed the following hymn in the Rag Malar : — 2 That is, I have become a faqlr and dishonoured my family. Death is forgotten amid eating and drinking, laughter and sleep. By forgetting the Lord man hath ruined himself and ren dered his life accursed ; he is not to tarry here. O man, ponder on the one Name, And thou shalt go to thy home with honour. What do they who worship Thee give Thee ? Nay, they cease not to beg of Thee. Thou conferrest gifts on all creatures ; Thou art the life within their lives. The pious who meditate on God receive nectar ; it is they who are pure.

Day and night repeat the Name, 0 mortal, that thine impurities may be washed away. As is the season so the comfort of the body, and so the body itself.1 0 Nanak, that season is agreeable in which God's name is repeated ; but what is any season without the Name ? The Guru and Mardana did not remain long in that village. Mardana asked the Guru what his decision was regarding its inhabitants. He replied, ' O Mardana, may they remain here ! ' The inhabitants of the next village at which they arrived showed them great attention. They remained there, however, for only one night, and departed next morning. The Guru when leaving said that the village should be abandoned. Then Mardana re marked, ' Sir, the village in which we were not allowed to sit down, thou hast blessed ; and that which bestowed great attention and kindness on us thou hast cursed.' The Guru replied, ' Mardana, if the people of the former village remove to another, they shall ruin it ; but if the people of the latter village remove to another, they shall save it.' The Guru returned from Kamrup by the great river Brahmaputra, and then made a coasting voyage to Puri on the Bay of Bengal, where Vishnu or

1 That is, the condition of the body is as changeable as the seasons. Krishan, under the name of Jagannath, lord of the world, is specially worshipped. When the lamps were lit in the evening the Guru was invited by the high priest to stand up and join in the god's worship, which was of a gorgeous and imposing character. In that rich temple offerings to the god were made on salvers studded with pearls. On the salvers were placed flowers and censers. A fan was employed to excite the flames of the incense, while the lamps around threw light over the temple. But the use of these articles showed artificial worship, while the expanse of the firmament, the sun and the moon, the procession of the stars, the natural incense of the sandal, the winds and forests, were the fitting acces sories of Nanak's purer worship of the God of creation. The Guru therefore, instead of accepting the high priest's invitation to adore the idol, raised his eyes to heaven, and gave utterance to the following hymn : — The sun and moon, O Lord, are thy lamps ; the firmament, Thy salver ; the orbs of the stars, the pearls enchased in it.

The perfume of the sandal l is Thine incense ; the wind is Thy fan ; 2 all the forests are Thy flowers, O Lord of light.3 1 Malianlo, literally — the wind from the Malay tree. 2 In the original, chauri, a flapper made from the tail of the yak or Thibetan cow, and used in India to brush away flies. J The following is Dr. Trumpp's translation of these two verses : — The dish is made of the sky, the sun and moon are made the lamps, the orbs of stars are, so to say, the pearls. The wind is incense-grinding, the wind swings the fly-brush, the whole blooming wood is the flames (of the lamps). While the present author was engaged in translating the sacred writings of the Sikhs at their request, one Bhai Gurumukh Singh projected a rival translation, which was to surpass all others. His modus operandi was to alter Dr. Trumpp's words here and there, and thus produce what he perhaps deemed would be an original version. He circulated the following as his translation of these lines : — The sky is for my plate (for arti) ; the sun and moon are for lamps ; (and) rows of stars are as it were for pearls.

The air of sandal wood for perfumary smoke, the wind (for my) fan and all the rows of blooming forests (for flowers), O Lord of light. What worship is this, O Thou Destroyer of birth ? l Un beaten strains of ecstasy are the trumpets of Thy worship. Thou hast a thousand eyes and yet not one 2 eye ; Thou hast a thousand forms and yet not one form ; 3 Thou hast a thousand pure feet and yet not one foot ; Thou hast a thousand organs of smell and yet not one organ — I am fascinated by this play of Thine.* The light which is in everything is Thine, O Lord of light. From its brilliancy everything is brilliant ; By the Guru's teaching the light becometh manifest. What pleaseth Thee is the real arati.5 O God, my mind is fascinated with Thy lotus feet as the bumble-bee with the flower : night and day I thirst for them. Give the water of Thy grace to the sarang 6 Nanak, so that he may dwell in Thy name.7 L That is, of transmigration. 2 Thou hast many spiritual eyes, but no material eye. 3 Thy manifestations are many, yet Thou hast no bodily form.

4 Also translated — In this way Thou hast enchanted the world. 5 In memory of the circumstance recorded in the text the Sikhs repeat several prayers in the evening. The prayers are collectively called Arati, and consist of this hymn and some others, which will be noted in their proper place. The word Arati originally meant waving lamps at night before an idol. 5 The Sarang, or pied Indian cuckoo, the Cuculits Melanoleukos is supposed to drink water only when the moon is in the mansion of Arcturus, so, when its time comes to drink, it is naturally thirsty. This bird is also known under the names chatrik and paplha. Its love is celebrated in song and story. It is in full voice on the ap proach of the Indian monsoon, when its plaintive strains are beard clearest at night. It is said that they make love's unhealed wounds bleed anew. 7 Dhanasari. While at Jagannath, Guru Nanak met a Brahman who kept his eyes and nose closed so as to receive no pleasure from these organs. He averred that in that state he with his mental eyes saw the secrets of the world. Nanak hid his lota and the Brahman could not find it, so Nanak by the following hymn in the Dhanasari measure twitted him on his want of omniscience : —

This is not the age, there is no longer acquaintance with Jog ; this is not the way of truth. The holy places in the world have fallen ; the world is thus ruined. In this Kal age God's name is the best thing. Thou closest thine eyes and boldest thy nose to deceive the world. Thou boldest thy nose with thy thumb and first two fingers, and sayest that thou seest the three worlds. But thou seest not what is behind thee, this is a wonderful thing.1

The Guru and Mardana after their travels in Eastern India returned to the Panjab, and proceeded on a visit to the shrine of Shaikh Farid, a Moslem saint, at a place then called Ajodhan, but now Pak Pattan, in the southern part of that province. A saint called Shaikh Brahm (Ibrahim) was then the incumbent of the shrine. He was the first to speak. On seeing the Guru, whom he knew to be a religious man, dressed in ordinary secular costume, he said : — Either seek for high position 2 or for God. Put not thy feet on two boats lest thy property founder.3 The Guru replied : — 1 Also translated — lo ! this is thy devotional attitude. Padam asan is one of the Jogis' attitudes. 2 Muqaddami, literally, the headship of a town. 3 The meaning is — lead either a secular or a religious life. Do not combine both. Put thy feet on two boats and thy property also on them : 1 One boat may sink, but the other shall cross over.2 For me there is no water, no boat, no wreck, and no loss. Nanak, the True One is my property and wealth, and He is naturally everywhere contained.

Shaikh Brahm replied : — 0 Farid, the world is enamoured of the witch 3 who is found to be false when her secret is known. Nanak, while thou lookest on, the field 4 is ruined. Upon this the Guru urged : — 0 Farid, love for the witch hath prevailed from the very beginning. Nanak, the field shall not be ruined if the watchman be on the alert. Then Shaikh Brahm : — Farid, my body faileth, my heart is broken, and no strength whatever remaineth me. Arise, beloved, become my physician and give me medicine. Then the Guru exhorted him : — My friend, examine the truth, lip-worship is hollow. Nanak, the Beloved is not far from thee ; behold Him in thy heart. Then Shaikh Brahm uttered the following : — When thou oughtest to have made thy raft, thou didst not do so ; When the full river 5 overfloweth, it is difficult to cross 1 That is, enjoy the world and also remember God. 1 The body may perish, but the soul shall be saved. 5 When the body has completed its measure of sin. Sarwar is, literally, a tank or lake, but Shaikh Brahm refers to the broad river Satluj, near which he lived.

Put not thy hand into the fire or it will burn,1 my dear. Some have obtained honour for themselves by uttering God's name. As milk will not return to the udder, so the soul will not again enter the same body. Saith Farid, O my companions, when the Spouse calleth The soul shall depart in perplexity, and the body become a heap of dust.2 The Guru replied by a hymn in the same measure : — Make a raft of devotion and penance, so mayest thou cross the stream.3 There is no lake, no overflowing ; such a road is easy. 0 Lord, Thy name alone is the madder with which my robe is dyed. Such colour is everlasting, O my dear. If thou, my beloved, go not thus arrayed to meet the Bridegroom, how canst thou meet Him ? If thou possess virtues, He will meet thee. If He become united with thee, He will not part from thee ; that is, if union be really effected. It is the True One who putteth an end to transmigration. She who hath abandoned egotism hath sewed for herself a garment to please the Bridegroom. Under the Guru's instruction she obtaineth her reward in the ambrosial converse of her Lord.

Nanak saith, O female companions, the Lord is thoroughly dear. We are His slaves, true is our Spouse. Then Shaikh Brahm uttered the following : — They who have heart-felt love for God are the true ; But they who have one thing in their hearts and utter another are accounted false. 1 Also translated — Touch not safflower : its dye will depart. 3 Wahela, also translated — comfortably. They who are imbued with the love of God and a longing to behold Him are also true. They who forget God's name are a burden to the earth. God hath attached to His skirt those who were darweshes at His gate. Blest the mothers who bore them ; profitable was their advent into the world. 0 Cherisher, Thou art illimitable, unapproachable, and endless. 1 kiss the feet of those who recognize the True One. I seek Thy shelter, O God ; it is Thou who pardonest. Grant Thy worship as charity to Shaikh Farid.1 On this the Guru uttered the hymn called Suchajji, the fortunate, in the Suhi measure :— When I have Thee I have everything ; Thou, O Lord, art my treasure. In Thee I dwell in peace, in Thee to dwell is my pride ;

If it please Thee, Thou bestowest a throne and greatness ; if it please Thee, Thou makest man a forlorn mendicant ; If it please Thee, rivers flow over dry land, and the lotus bloometh in the heavens ; If it please Thee, man crosseth the terrible ocean ; if it please Thee, he is drowned therein ; • If it please Thee, Thou art my merry Spouse — I am absorbed in Thy praises, 0 Lord 2 of excellences. If it please Thee, O Lord, Thou terrifiest me, and then I am undone with transmigration. 0 Lord, Thou art inaccessible and unequalled ; I am exhausted uttering Thy praises. What can I ask of Thee ? What can I say to Thee ? I hunger and thirst for a sight of Thee. Under the instruction of the Guru I have obtained the Lord ; Nanak's prayer hath been granted. 2 Task is a Persian word meaning Lord. The gyanis translate it vessel. The Guru and Shaikh Brahm remained together that night in the forest. A kind-hearted and charit able villager who had seen them, took them a basin of milk before daylight. The Shaikh separated his own share from that of the Guru, and uttered these verses : —

Devotion in the beginning of the night is the blossom, in the end of the night l the fruit. They who watch obtain gifts from the Lord.2 The Guru responded : — Gifts are the Lord's ; what can prevail against Him ? 3 Some who are awake receive them not ; others who are asleep He awaketh, and conferreth presents upon them.4 The Guru then asked Shaikh Brahm to put his hand into the milk and feel what was in it. Farid found that it contained four gold coins. Upon this the villager, deeming that he was in the hands of magicians, went away without his basin. The Guru uttered the following hymn : — O thou with the beautiful eyes, in the first watch of a dark night Watch thy property, O mortal ; thy turn shall come next. When thy turn cometh, who will awake thee ? Death shall taste thy sweets as thou sleepest. The night is dark ; what shall become of thee when the thief breaketh into and robbeth thy house ? O inaccessible, incomparable Protector, hear my suppli cation. • O Nanak, the fool hath never thought of God ; what can he see in a dark night ?

1 That is, the end of life. 3 No one can force Him to bestow His gifts. 4 Sri Rag ki War. It is the second watch ; awake, O heedless one. Watch thy property, O mortal ; thy field is being eaten up. Watch thy field, love God's praises ; while thou art awake, the thief shall not touch thee. Then shalt thou not go the way of Death, nor suffer from him ; the fear and dread of him shall depart. The lamps of the sun and moon shall shine for thee, if thou under the Guru's instruction ponder on the True One in thy heart, and utter His name with thy lips. Nanak, the fool heedeth not even now ; how shall he obtain happiness in the second watch ? It is the third watch, thou art wrapt in slumber. By wealth, children, and wives men are afflicted with sorrow : Yet wealth, children, wives, and worldly possessions are dear to man ; he nibbleth at the bait, and is continually caught. If man under the Guru's instruction meditate on the Name, he shall obtain rest, and Death shall not seize him.1 Transmigration and death never forsake us ; without the Name we are afflicted.

Nanak, in the third watch men, under the influence of the three qualities,2 feel worldly love. 1 Death only seizes the soul which has to undergo further trans migration. He does not harass the emancipated soul. 2 The three gunas or qualities of goodness, passion, and darkness — or reality, impulse, and ignorance — are frequently mentioned in Sikh as well as Hindu sacred literature. The Mosaic and Zoroastrian systems recognized two principles, good and evil, in the economy of nature. It was the Indian sage Kapila who discerned the three prin ciples or qualities above stated. He beheld good, moderately good, and evil everywhere in creation. He believed that these qualities, but in different degrees, pervade all things, and are the distinguishing characteristics of matter implanted in it by the Creator Himself. The demigods possess goodness in excess, the demons darkness, and men passion. Manu thus defines the three qualities : ' It ought to be known that the three gunas or fetters of the soul are goodness, passion, and darkness. Restrained by one or more of these it is ever It is the fourth watch ; the sun riseth. They who night and day are watchful have saved their homes.

Night is pleasant for those who under the Guru's instruc tion watch and apply themselves to the Name. They who act according to the instruction of the Guru shall not be born again ; the Lord will befriend them. In the fourth watch hands shake, feet and frames totter, eyes grow dim, and men's bodies become like ashes. Nanak, without God's name abiding in the mind man is unhappy during the four watches. The knot of life is open ; arise, thine allotted time hath come. All pleasures and happiness are at an end ; Death will lead thee captive away. Without being seen or heard he will lead thee captive, when it so pleaseth God. His turn shall come to every one ; the ripe field shall ever be cut down. An account of every ghari and moment shall be taken, and the soul shall obtain punishment or reward. Nanak, God made everything, demigods and men are herein agreed.1 When the Guru and Shaikh Brahm left the forest the villager returned to fetch his basin. On lifting it up, it is said, he found that it had become gold, and was filled with gold coins. Then he began to repent of his suspicions, and confessed to himself that they were religious men. If he had come with

attached to forms of existence. Whenever any one of the three qualities predominates, it causes the embodied spirit to abound in that quality/ The aim of the soul apparently should be to divest itself of all three qualities. Compare Plato's distinction of the three parts of the mind corresponding to the three classes of his ideal state. 1 Tukhari Chhant. his heart disposed towards God, he would have gained holiness. ' I came with worldliness, and worldliness have I found.' Upon this he took up his basin and departed. Shaikh Brahm remarked that it was difficult for those who attached themselves to mammon to obtain salvation, and inquired what aid besides God's name was ordinarily necessary for future happiness. The Guru replied with the following hymn :— The union of father and mother produceth a body, On which the Creator hath written its destiny, The gifts, the divine lights, and the greatness allotted it • But on associating with mammon it loseth remembrance of God. 0 foolish man, why art thou proud ? Thou shalt have to depart when it pleaseth the Lord. Abandon pleasures, and peace and happiness shall be thine. Thou shalt have to leave thy home ; no one is permanent here.

Eat a little and leave a little, If thou art again to return to this world.1 Man decketh his body, dresseth it in silk, And issueth many orders ; He maketh a couch of ease and sleepeth thereon. Why weepeth he when he f alleth into the hands of Death ? 2 Domestic entanglements are a whirlpool, O brother ; Sin is a stone which floateth not over. Put thy soul on the raft of God's fear, and thou shalt be saved. Saith Nanak, such a raft God giveth but to few.3 Then the people brought them bread, but Shaikh Brahm said that he had already dined. The people, annoyed that their offerings were thus spurned, said 1 That is, to practise great economy would be useless for him who is not to return to this world. 2 If man disregard the present opportunity of doing good works, why should he afterwards weep when Death seizes him for punishment ? to him : ' You must be a liar from that country where Farid, who wore a wooden cake on his stomach, held religious sway. Whenever any one offered him food he used to say he had taken dinner/ l Upon this Shaikh Brahm said : ' What shall be my condi tion, who am ever saying that I have dined, when I am only fasting ? ' The Guru was pleased to observe the Shaikh's tender conscience, and said to him : ' Shaikh Brahm, God is in thee.' The Shaikh then asked the Guru to tell him of God, and by what virtues and merits He was to be found. The Guru replied as follows : —

Come, my sisters and dear companions, embrace me. Having embraced me, tell me tales of the Omnipotent Spouse. In the true Lord are all merits, in us all dements. 0 Creator, every one is in Thy power. Meditate on the one Word ; where Thou, 0 God, art, what more is required ? Go ask the happy wife by what merits she enjoy eth her Spouse — * Composure, contentment, and sweet discourse are mine ornaments. ' I met my Beloved, who is an abode of pleasure, when I heard the Guru's word.' How great, O God, is Thy power ! how great Thy gifts ! How many men and lower animals utter Thy praises day and night ! How many are Thy forms and colours ! how many castes high and low ! When the true Guru is found, truth is produced, and man becoming true is absorbed in the truth. When man is filled with fear through the Guru's instruc tions, then he obtaineth understanding, and honour resulteth. Nanak, the true King then blendeth man with Himself.2 1 An account of Farid will be found in the sixth volume of this work. The Guru, after his pleasant visit to Shaikh Brahm and his district, where he made several converts, proceeded to a country called Bisiar, probably the state of Bushahir in the Himalayas, where he was ill received. The inhabitants, deeming his presence pollution, purified every place he had stood on. One man alone, Jhanda, a carpenter, was found to treat him with hospitality. He took him to his house, washed his feet, and drank the water used for the purpose. While drinking, it was revealed to him that Nanak was a Guru. He joined him in his wanderings.

The Guru and his companions directed their steps to the East. They went to an island in the ocean where they could obtain no food. There the Guru composed the Jugawali, a poem (no longer extant) on the four ages of the world. Jhanda committed it to writing and circulated it. With the new composition in his possession he returned to his own country, leaving the Guru and Mardana to continue their pilgrimage. Not long after they found themselves in a lonely desert. Mardana began to feel the pangs of hunger, and thus addressed his master : ' We are lost in this great wilderness, from which God alone can extricate us. Here I shall fall into the clutches of some wild animal which will kill and eat me/ The Guru asked him to take care, and nothing should come near him. He further consoled him by stating that they were not in a desert, as the place where God's name was uttered was always inhabited. ' Many better men than we', said the Guru, 'have endured greater hardships.' Upon this he composed the following :— The demigods in order to behold Thee, O God, made pilgrimages in sufferings and hunger.

Jogis andjatis1go their own ways, and don ochre-coloured garbs. 1 Jatis, men vowed to perpetual continence. For Thy sake, O my Lord, the darweshes are imbued with love. Thy names are various, Thy forms are various, the number of Thy merits cannot be told. Men leaving houses and homes, palaces, elephants and horses go abroad. Priests, prophets, holy and sincere men leave the world to obtain salvation. They abandon good living, rest, happiness, and dainties ; they doff clothes, and wear skins. Imbued with Thy name they in anguish and pain become darweshes at Thy gate. They don skins, carry begging bowls, staves, and wear hair-tufts, sacrificial threads, and loin-cloths. Thou art the Lord, I am Thy player ; Nanak representeth, what is caste ? 1 The Guru further remonstrated with his attendant : ' We cannot succeed without God's word. Think of some hymn and play the rebeck.' Mardana replied that his throat was collapsing for want of food, and he had no strength to move, much less to play. The Guru then pointed to a tree and told him to eat his fill of its fruit, but take none with him. Mardana accordingly began to eat, and so much enjoyed the flavour of the fruit, that he thought he would eat what he could, and also take some with him, lest he might soon again find himself in a similar plight.

As they continued their wanderings, Mardana again felt hungry, so he drew forth his stock of fruit. Directly he tasted it he fell down. The Guru inquired what had happened. Mardana confessed his dis obedience of his master's instructions in having brought with him and eaten some of the forbidden fruit. The Guru remonstrated with him for his disregard of orders. The fruit was poisonous, but the Guru had blessed it for the occasion and made it wholesome. The Guru put his foot on Mardana's forehead as he lay stretched on the ground, and he at once revived.

Mardana had by this time had enough of travel, hardship, and hunger, and thus addressed his mas ter : ' Blessings on thy devotion and thy deeds ! Thou art a holy man who hast abandoned the world, who neither eatest nor drinkest, and who never enterest a village. How can I remain with thee ? ' The Guru asked him on what conditions he would change his mind and continue to accompany him. He replied, ' I will remain with thee if thou satisfy my hunger in the same way as thou satisfiest thine own ; and if thou also promise not to take notice of anything I do/ The Guru agreed to these conditions, and told him he should be happy in this world and the next. Mardana then fell at his feet. It would appear, however, that Mardana soon represented to the Guru the duty and propriety of returning home, and seeing his parents after twelve years' wandering. The Guru adopted his suggestion, and they both directed their steps towards Talwandi. They halted in the forest some three miles from the village. Mardana asked permission to go home and inquire if his people were dead or alive. The Guru replied, ' Since thou desire it, go and see thy people. Go also to my father Kalu's house, but mention not my name. Return quickly.'

When Mardana reached his house he found several persons assembled there. They all affectionately greeted him, and said he had grown like Nanak. He was a great man now, and no longer the humble person he had been before. Mardana, having seen his people, proceeded to the house of Kalu, and sat down in his courtyard. The Guru's mother, on seeing him, arose, embraced him, and wept for joy. She asked for some account of her son Nanak. By that time a great crowd had assembled, and every one wanted to hear about him. Mardana evaded all inquiries, only telling people that he had been with Nanak. He then went away. The Guru's mother at once suspected that he must have had some ob ject in departing so quickly, and that her son could not be far off. She again arose, and taking some clothes and sweets for Nanak, followed Mardana and overtook him. She earnestly requested him to take her to her son. Mardana made no answer, but went on his way, she following. Nanak arose on seeing his mother, and respect fully saluted her. She kissed his forehead and began to weep, saying, ' I am a sacrifice unto thee. I am a sacrifice unto the ground thou treadest on. Seeing thy face hath made me happy. Now I desire that thou shouldst abandon thy wanderings, abide with us, and turn thine attention to commerce for thy livelihood/ The Guru, who was in turn delighted to see his mother, called on Mardana to play the rebeck while he himself sang the following : —

Drunkards abandon not stimulants, nor fishes water : So God is pleasing beyond all others to those who are imbued with their Lord.1 I am a sacrifice, I would be cut in pieces, 0 Lord, for Thy name. The Lord is a fruit-bearing tree whose name is ambrosia. They who have partaken of it are satisfied ; I am a sacrifice unto them. Why appearest Thou not unto me, 0 Lord, since Thou abidest with all ? 1 These two lines are also translated — If drunkards obtain not stimulants, and fishes water, they are pleased with nothing else, So all who are imbued with their Lord are content with none but Him. How shall my thirst abate when there is a screen between the Tank l and me ? Nanak is Thy dealer ; Thou O Lord, art his capital. Illusion leaveth my mind when I praise and pray to Thee.2 His mother placed before Nanak the new clothes and sweets she had brought for him, and asked him to eat. He said he required no food. His mother inquired where he had eaten. He again called on Mardana to play an accompaniment to the following hymn :— To obey God's word is all sweet flavour ; to hear it is salt flavour ;

To utter it with the mouth is acid flavour, and to sing it is spices. The love of the one God is thirty-six dishes 3 for those on whom He looketh with favour. O mother, other viands afford ruinous happiness ; By eating them the body is pained, and sin entereth the mind. His mother asked him to take off the faqir's jacket he wore, and put on the new becoming clothes she had brought him. His reply was the following : — To be imbued with God is as red, truth and charity as white clothing ; To cut away the blackness of sin is blue, to meditate on God's feet is the real raiment ; Contentment is the waistband : Thy name, 0 Lord, is wealth and youth. Mother, other dress affordeth ruinous happiness ; By putting it on, the body is pained and sin entereth the mind. By this time his father Kaluhad heard of Nanak's arrival, and went on horseback to meet him. Nanak 1 God. 2 Wadhans. 3 Indian gourmets enumerate thirty-six palatable dishes. bowed to him, and fell at his feet. Meantime Kalu continued to weep for joy. He asked his son to mount the horse on which he had come, and go home with him. Nanak replied that he had no need of a horse, and then sang the following :-

To know Thy way, 0 God, is as horses with saddles made of gold. To pursue virtue is as quivers, arrows, bows, spears, and sword-belts. To be honourably distinguished is as bands and lances ; Thy favour, 0 God, is as caste for me. Father, other conveyance affordeth ruinous happiness ; By mounting it the body is pained, and sin entereth the mind. The father again pressed the son to return with him, if only for once. He said he had built a new house which he should like to show him after his long absence. Nanak ought also to visit his wife, and then, if he felt so disposed, he might continue his wanderings. Nanak replied :— The pleasure of the Name is as mansions and palaces ; Thy favouring glance, 0 Lord, is as family for me. To please Thee is mine empire ; to say more were alto gether useless. Nanak, true is the King ; He decideth without taking others' counsel. Father, other intercourse affordeth ruinous happiness ; By indulging in it the body is pained, and sin entereth the mind.1 Kalu again said : ' My son, tell me at what thou art offended. If thou desire it, I will find thee another wife.' The Guru replied as follows :—

He who made the world watcheth over it, and appointeth His creatures to their various duties. Thy gifts, 0 Lord, are as light to the mind, and as the moon and lamps to the body. Thy gifts are as the moon and lamps to the body, by which the pain of darkness is dispelled. The bridal procession of attributes which accompany the Bridegroom who hath chosen His bride, appeareth beautiful. The marriage hath been performed with splendour to the accompaniment of the five musical instruments.1 I am a sacrifice to my unchanging companions and friends. I have exchanged hearts with those to whom my body is attached. Why should I forget those friends with whom I have exchanged hearts ? Let those whose sight giveth pleasure be clasped to the heart. All merits and not one demerit is theirs for ever and ever. If one have a casket of virtues, let him extract odour from it. If our friends possess virtues, let us go and become partners with them. Let us form a partnership with virtue and abandon vice. Let us wear silk, go in state, and take possession of our arena.2 Wherever we go, let us sit down, speak civilly, and skim and drink nectar.

If one have a casket of virtues, let him extract odour therefrom. It is God Himself who acteth ; to whom should we complain ? No one else acteth. Go and complain to Him if He forget. If He forget, go and complain to Him ; but why should the Creator Himself forget ? He heareth, seeth, giveth His gifts without asking or praying for. The Giver, the Arranger of the world giveth His gifts, Nanak, and true is He. 1 The voice, stringed instruments, wind instruments, leather instru ments, as drums, and metallic instruments as cymbals, bells, &c. Panch sabd may also mean the five species of breath enumerated by Jogis. 2 That is, the company of saints. ioo THE SIKH RELIGION When He Himself acteth, to whom should we complain ? No one else acteth.1 Nanak continued to address Kalu : ' Father dear, it is God who arrangeth marriages. He maketh no mistake, and those whom He hath once joined He joineth for ever/ By these words the Guru perhaps meant to establish monogamy.2 The Guru's mother then interposed, and asked her son to stand up and go with them, and cease his nonsense. He would obtain wealth by attending to his worldly duties. The Guru replied with the following hymn : —

In the end of the night call upon the name of the Lord, And tents, umbrellas, pavilions, and carriages shall appear ready for your celestial journey. They are ever obtained by those who meditate on Thy name, 0 Lord. Father, I am without good works and false ; I have not meditated on Thy name. My mind is blind, led astray by superstition. The pleasures I have had have blossomed into pain by primal destiny, O mother. The pleasure was little ; the pain great ; in much pain have I passed my life. What separation is there from those who have separated from God ? and what meeting is there with those who have met Him ? Praise that Lord who made and beholdeth this play. By good destiny men meet God and enjoy pleasures even in this life. By evil destiny they who meet separate, O Nanak, but even so they meet again by God's favour.3 2 Bhai Gur Das, so understood the Guru's words when he wrote— Be chaste with one wife (War, vi, 8). In the Prem Sumarag, a work containing the supplementary teaching of Guru Gobind Singh, is found the injunction: 'Be satisfied with one wife. That befits a good man.'

Kalu, finding his arguments vain, appealed to his son on the score of his health and safety, and pointed out how regardless of them he had been. The following was the Guru's reply : — I have no anxiety regarding death, and I have no desire for life. Thou, 0 God, art the Cherisher of all living things ; our breathings l are taken into account. Thou dwellest in the holy ; as it pleaseth Thee, so Thou decidest. O my soul, by uttering God's name the heart is satisfied. Under the Guru's instruction divine knowledge is obtained, and the burning of the heart extinguished.2 The Guru again addressed his parents : ' Father dear, mother dear, I have returned home. I have been until now a hermit. Obey God's order and let me again depart.' His mother replied : ' My son, how shall I console myself, seeing that thou hast only now returned after an absence of twelve years ? ' Then the Guru urged, ' Mother, agree to what I say ; con solation shall come to thee.1 She then became silent, thinking it was useless to make further remonstrance.

The Guru and Mardana again set out on their travels. It is said that they went to the west and crossed the rivers Ravi and Chanab, and, after a long circuitous route through a desert country, made their way again to Pak Pattan to pay another visit to Shaikh Brahm. They sat down to rest about four miles from the city. Shaikh Kamal, a pious and God-fearing disciple of Shaikh Brahm, who had gone 1 Sas giras, expiration and inspiration. 2 Sri Rag. into the forest for firewood, observed the Guru and his attendant. The latter was playing his rebeck and singing the following :— Thou art the tablet, 0 Lord, Thou art the pen, and Thou art also the writing. Speak of the one God ; O Nanak, why should there be a second ? l Shaikh Kamal went and, after obeisance, sat down near them, and asked to have the couplet repeated. This was done, and he learned it by heart. He then took up the firewood he had collected and went home. He told his master of his adventure, and repeated the couplet for him. Shaikh Brahm was highly pleased that the Guru had again visited his country, and he promptly proceeded to welcome him. After mutual salutations, the Guru thanked God for having again granted him a sight of Shaikh Brahm. After some friendly conversation, the Shaikh asked the Guru to explain the couplet. ' Nanak, thou sayest, " There is only one God ; why should there be a second ? " I say :—

< There is one Lord and two ways ; Which shall I adopt, and which reject ? ' The Guru replied :— There is but one Lord and one way ; Adopt one and reject the other. Why should we worship a second who is born and dieth ? Remember the one God, Nanak, who is contained in sea and land. The Muhammadan priest then said in turn : — Tear thy coat into tatters and wear a blanket instead ; Adopt a dress by which thou mayest obtain the Lord.2 The Guru traversed this instruction : ' It is not 1 Malar ki War. 2 Faiid's Sloks. necessary for me to tear my coat or adopt a religious garb. Men who reside at home and work in their ordinary costume shall find the Lord if they fix their hearts on Him ; ' l A young wife sitteth at home, her Beloved is abroad; she continually thinketh of Him and pineth away. She shall have no delay in meeting Him if she have good intentions.2 Shaikh Brahm replied to the latter couplet :— When she was little, she enjoyed not her Spouse ; when she grew up she died.

Lying in the grave she calleth out, ' I have not met Thee, O Lord.' 3 Guru Nanak then gave utterance to the following, to the effect that salvation depends upon virtue and not on a pleasing exterior or the possession of accomplishments :— A woman may be stupid, untidy, black, and impureminded ; Yet, if she possess merits, she meeteth her Beloved ; otherwise, Nanak, the woman is to blame. The Shaikh then put the following questions :— What is that word, what that virtue, what that priceless spell • What dress shall I wear by which I may captivate the Spouse ? 4 1 This reply of the Guru was subsequently versified by Guru Amar Das:— Why tear thy coat, Nanak, and why wear a blanket ? Seated at home thou shalt find the Lord if thine intentions be good. 2 Wadhans ki War. 3 Farid's Sloks. 4 Farid's Sloks. The Guru replied :— Humility is the word, forbearance the virtue, and civility the priceless spell. Make these three1 thy dress, O sister, and the Spouse shall come into thy power.2 The Spouse shall be hers who serveth Him. Forsaking all His other companions He will go to her.

The Shaikh then said he wanted a knife — ' Give me such a knife as will make those who are killed with it acceptable to God. With the ordinary knife in use the lower animals are killed, and if a man's throat be cut with it he becomes carrion.' The Guru replied : ' Dear Shaikh, here it is : — Truth is the knife, truth is pure steel ; Its fashion is altogether incomparable. Put it on the hone of the Word, And fit it into the scabbard of merit. If any one be bled with that, O Shaikh, The blood of avarice will be seen to issue forth. If man be slaughtered with it, he shall go to meet God, O Nanak, and be absorbed in the sight of Him.'3 On hearing this the Shaikh raised his head in amazement and said, ' Well done. Thou hast seen God, and art dear to Him. God hath been very kind to me in that I have met thee. It would be rude to ask any further questions of those who are so beloved by Him.' The Guru then volunteered the following :— There is friendship between beauty and love, alliance between hunger and dainty viands ;

Companionship between greed and wealth, between a sleepy man and a bed and coverlet. 1 Tewar, three pieces forming an Indian woman's dress 2 Fand's Sloks. 3 Ram'<ali ki War. The anger which barketh is despised ; it is vain to worry with worldly occupations. To be silent, O Nanak, is good ; without the Name the mouth is defiled.1 The Shaikh asked the Guru to let him hear a strain in praise of the one God. ' My idea is ', said the Shaikh, ' that adoration cannot be performed without two beings, that is, God and the Prophet ; Let me see whom thou makest man's intercessor/ The Guru called upon Mardana to play the rebeck and recite the first slok and pauri2 of the Asa ki War. I am a sacrifice, Nanak, to my Guru a hundred times a day, Who without any delay made demigods out of men. Nanak, they who, very clever in their own estimation, think not of the Guru, Shall be left like spurious sesames in a reaped field — They shall be left in the field, saith Nanak, without an owner. The wretches may even bear fruit and flower, but these shall be as ashes within their bodies.

God Himself created the world and Himself gave names to things. He made Maya by His power ; seated He beheld His work with delight. 0 Creator, Thou art the Giver ; being pleased Thou bestowest and practisest kindness. Thou knowest all things ; Thou givest and takest life with a word.3 Seated Thou beholdest Thy work with delight.4 1 Malar ki War. 2 A shlok in Sanskrit is a distich or couplet, but in modern Indian poetry it may extend to the length of an English sonnet. The word pauri is literally a ladder. In the Granth Sahib it means a stanza of five lines, and always follows a slok. 3 Also translated — Thou givest and takest life from the body. 4 Asa ki War. io6 THE SIKH RELIGION Shaikh Brahm asked the Guru for further instruc tion. The Guru then spoke on the subject of humility, and said that as water, which resteth lowly on the earth, riseth under pressure into the air in sparkling fountains, so they who preserve a humble mind mount to God's highest pinnacle. The Shaikh then rose to take his leave, and said, ' O Nanak, thou hast found God. There is no difference between Him and thee. Kindly grant that I too may be on good terms with Him/ The Guru replied, ' Shaikh Brahm, God will cause thy cargo also to arrive safe.' By this the Guru meant that God would accept the Shaikh's devotion. The Shaikh requested the Guru to give him a certain promise of this, and the Guru complied. They then shook hands and parted.

The Guru next proceeded to Dipalpur. During his journey a Sanyasi asked him to define the word udas. The Guru replied : ' To make use of all things in this world and not deem them one's own, but only God's property, and ever to possess a desire to meet Him is udas.' The Guru then visited Kanganpur, Kasur, and Patti in the Lahore District. He thence proceeded to Windpur, not far from the present town of Cholha, in the sub-collectorate of Tarn Taran in the Amritsar District. He met some Khatris who dwelt there ; but when they saw him dressed as a f aqir and heard his minstrel Mardana sing, they were displeased at what they considered the masquerade he had adopted, and said to him, ' What dress is this which thou hast assumed ? Having become a faqir, thou hast dis graced thy tribe, and led the world astray. Quit this place.' The Guru represented that he would only remain for the night, and would depart next morning. He added that he was not leading people the wrong way, but guiding them to salvation. They replied that they would not allow him to remain for a moment in their village. He must

depart at once, or they would forcibly expel him. The Guru, complying with this insulting order, said that the Guru's place should ever be permanent. The Guru thence proceeded to a village on the site of the present Goindwal, where he desired to stay, but no one except a poor leper would receive him or allow him to remain there. The leper took him to his hut, and entertained him for the night. The leper thanked God that he had at last seen a human face, for even the lower animals had fled from him. When he began further to bemoan his fate, the Guru uttered the following :— My mind is ever and ever troubled. In many troubles my body pineth away and ever groweth worse. The body which forgetteth God's word, Screameth like a real leper. To make many complaints is to talk folly •'Without our complaining everything is known to God, Who made our ears, our eyes, and our noses ; Who gave us tongues wherewith to speak ; Who preserved us in the fire of the womb ; And through whom the breath moveth and speaketh every where. Worldly love, affection, and dainties Are all blackness and stains.

If man depart with the brand of sin on his face, He will not be allowed to sit in God's court. If he meet Thy favour, 0 God, he repeateth Thy name. v By attaching himself to it he is saved ; he hath no other resource. ^Even if he be drowning in sin, God will still take care of him. ^Nanak, the True One is beneficent to all.1 The Guru further warmed towards the leper and blessed him. The leper was cured of his malady, fell at the Guru's feet, and began to utter the Name. io8 THE SIKH RELIGION The Guru then travelled through Sultanpur — his old head quarters when he was a Government official — Vairowal, and Jalalabad, until he arrived at a place called Kari Pathandi in the Amritsar District. In Kari Pathandi he made many Pathan converts. They used to serenade him with instru mental music, interspersed with cries of ' Hail to King Nanak ! ' The Guru there composed the fol lowing : — He who made the world watcheth over it ; what shall we say, O brother ? He Himself who hath laid out its garden knoweth and acteth. Sing the praises of the Beloved ; sing His praises by which happiness is ever obtained.

She who enjoy eth not her Spouse with love shall after wards repent. She shall wring her hands, and beat her head as the night passeth away. She shall not be able to repent when the whole night is at an end ; But she may again enjoy her Husband when it cometh to her turn.1 The wife whom the Spouse hath chosen is better than I. I have not her merits ; whom shall I blame ? I will go and ask the female companions who have enjoyed their Spouse ; I will touch their feet, implore them, and induce them to show me the way. Nanak, she who obeyeth her Spouse's order, applieth fear as her sandal, And performeth the incantation of merits, shall find her Beloved. She who meeteth Him with her heart shall continue to meet Him ; that is called a real meeting. However much one may desire it, a meeting is not effected by words. 1 That is, in a future birth. Metal blendeth with metal and love hasteneth to love. Know the Guru's favour, and thou shalt find the Fearless One. A garden of betel may be in the house, but the donkey knoweth not its merits.

When one is a judge of perfume, then may one appreciate flowers. He who drinketh nectar,1 Nanak, putteth an end to his doubts and transmigration ; He easily blendeth with God, and obtaineth the undying dignity.2 The Guru continued his wanderings and visited Batala in the Gurdaspur District. Thence he pro ceeded a second time to Saiyidpur, where he again visited Lalo. Lalo complained to him of the oppres sion of the Pathans. The Guru replied that their dominion should be brief, as Babar was on his way to the conquest of India. The Guru then addressed the following threnody to his host :— As the word of the Lord cometh to me, so I make known, O Lalo— Bringing a bridal procession of sin, Babar hath hasted from Kabul and demandeth wealth as his bride, O Lalo. Modesty and religion have vanished ; falsehood marcheth in the van, O Lalo. The occupation of the Qazis and the Brahmans is gone ; the devil readeth the marriage service,3 O Lalo. Musalman women read the Quran, and in suffering call upon God, O Lalo. Hindu women whether of high or low caste, meet the same fate as they, O Lalo. They sing the paean of murder, O Nanak, and smear themselves with the saffron of blood.

Nanak singeth the praises of the Lord in the city of corpses, and uttereth this commonplace — 1 He who performs heartfelt devotion. 2 Tilang, Ashtapadi. 5 This refers to the licentiousness of Babar's army. no THE SIKH RELIGION He who made men assigned them different positions ; He sitteth apart alone and regardeth them. True is the Lord, true His decision, true the justice He meteth out as an example. Bodies shall be cut like shreds of cloth ; Hindustan will remember what I say. They shall come in '78, depart in '97, and then shall rise another disciple of a hero.1 Nanak uttereth the word of the True One, and will pro claim the truth at the True One's appointed time.2 Lalo asked the Guru what he meant by saying that God had assigned men different positions. The Guru replied as follows : — God can cause lions, hawks, kestrels, and falcons to eat grass ; And the animals which eat grass He can cause to eat meat — such a custom can He establish. He can cause hills to appear in rivers, and unfathomable rivers in sandy deserts. He can appoint a worm to sovereignty, and reduce an army to ashes.

What wonder would it be if God caused to live without breath all the animals which live by breathing ? Nanak, as it pleaseth the True One, so He giveth us sustenance.3 A Brahman came to the Guru, offered him a basket of fruit, and said, ' My friend, thou art uttering hymns of wrath/ The Guru replied, 'Remain not here ; there is a pool three miles distant ; go thither with thy family. All who remain here will be put 1 That is, the Mughals shall come in Sambat 1578, and depart in Sambat 1597 (A.D. 1540). The Sambat year is fifty-seven years in ad vance of annus Domini. The departing monarch was Humayun. The disciple of a hero is understood to be Sher Shah Sun, \vho dispossessed him. This line appears to be an answer to a question put to the Guru by Lalo. 2 Tilang. 3 Majh ki War. LIFE OF GURU NANAK in to death.' The Brahman acted on his advice. After some days Babar assaulted and destroyed the city. He also devastated the neighbouring villages. There was a general massacre of the people, and Pathan as well as Hindu habitations were plundered and razed to the ground.

The lives of the Guru and Mardana were spared, probably because they were strangers, but they were imprisoned and placed under the superinten dence of Mir Khan, an officer of Babar's army. Mir Khan, on seeing them, ordered, ' Take away these slaves to work/ The Guru was condemned to carry loads on his head, and Mardana to do the work of a groom. The Guru upon this uttered the fol lowing :— I am a purchased slave, my name is Lucky. I have sold myself in the shop for God's word ; where He placed me, there am I placed. What cleverness hath Thy slave ? He cannot obey the Lord's order. My mother was a slave, my father a slave, I was born a slave. My mother danced, my father sang, I perform Thy service, O King.1 If Thou drink I will fetch Thee water, O Lord ; if Thou eat I will grind Thee corn. I will fan Thee, I will shampoo Thy limbs, and continue to repeat Thy name. Saith Nanak, ungrateful is Thy slave ; if Thou pardon him, it will be to Thy glory. In the beginning, in every age, Lord of mercy, Bestower, without Thee salvation is not obtained.2

When the Guru had finished this hymn, Mardana saw some women weeping and shrieking as they passed along, and asked his master what had hap pened to them. The Guru told Mardana to play the 1 That is, I am a hereditary servant of God. 2 Maru. ii2 THE SIKH RELIGION rebeck. Mardana replied that he could not do so, as he was holding a horse. The Guru bade him utter ' Wah Guru ' and let go the horse. Mardana obeyed and played the Rag Asa, to which the Guru sang the following hymn : — They who wore beautiful tresses and the partings of whose hair were dyed with vermilion, Have their locks now shorn with the scissors, and dust is thrown upon their heads. They dwelt in their private chambers ; now they cannot find a seat in public— 0 Primal Being, Thy limit is not known ; Thou makest and beholdest the different phases of existence — When they were married, they appeared beautiful near their spouses ; They came in their sedans adorned with ivory ; Water was waved round their heads,1 and glittering fans over them. They had hundreds of thousands waiting on them sitting, and hundreds of thousands waiting on them standing.

Eating coco-nuts and dates they sported on their couches ; But now chains are on their necks, and broken are their strings of pearls. The wealth and beauty which afforded them pleasure have now become their bane. The order was given to the soldiers to take and dishonour them. If it please God, He giveth greatness; and if it please Him, He giveth punishment. If they had thought of Him before, why should they have received punishment ? But they had lost all thought of God in joys, in spectacles, and in pleasures. When Babar's rule was proclaimed no Pathan prince ate his food. 1 The bridegroom's mother or elder sister waves water around the head of a bride and then drinks it, so as to take all her ills on herself. Some lost their five times of prayer, others their hours of worship. How shall Hindu women now bathe and apply frontal marks without their sacred squares ? f They who never thought of Ram 1 are not now allowed even to mention Khuda.2 One may return to her home ; another may meet and in quire after the safety of a relation ; But others are destined to sit and weep in pain. v/ What pleaseth God, O Nanak, shall happen ; what is man ? 3

After this, Mir Khan, the governor of the jail, arrived. He saw that the Guru's bundle was raised a cubit over his head without any apparent support, and that the horse entrusted to Mardana followed him while he played sacred music on his rebeck. The governor communicated this information to Babar. The Emperor replied that, if he had known the city contained such holy men, he would not have destroyed it. At the governor's suggestion he went to the prison, which was two miles distant. There were Pathan and Hindu women huddled pro miscuously together, grinding corn. The Guru had also been supplied with a hand-mill for the same purpose. It is said that the mill revolved of its own accord while he put in the corn. The Emperor addressed the Guru, but he was in a trance, thinking of the slaughter of his unoffending countrymen. On awaking he uttered the following hymn, which, however, is not found in the Granth Sahib :— 1 The Hindu name of God. 2 The Muhammadan name of God, which Hindus shrink from pronouncing. God of our fathers ! what is man, That thou towards him with hand so various, Or might I say contrarious,

Temper'st thy providence through his short course, Not evenly, as thou rulest The angelic orders, and inferior creatures mute, Irrational and brute ? No one can kill him, O Kind One, whom Thou preserves!. How can Thy praises be numbered ? Thou savest countless beings. Preserve me, O Beloved, preserve me ! I am Thy slave. My true Lord pervadeth sea and land, the nether and the upper regions. Thou didst preserve Jaidev and Nama, Thy beloved saints — Thou didst save those on whom Thou didst bestow Thy name— Thou didst preserve Sain, Kabir, and Trilochan who loved Thy name. Thou didst preserve Ravdas, the tanner, who is numbered among Thy saints.1 Nanak, who is without honour or family, uttereth suppli cation. Extricate him, O Lord, from the ocean of the world, and make him Thine own. It is said that the Emperor, on hearing this, fell at Nanak's feet, and declared that God appeared on his face. Upon this all the courtiers saluted Nanak. The Emperor asked him to accept a present from him. The Guru replied that he wanted nothing for himself, but he requested that the captives of Saiyidpur might be released. Upon this the Emperor ordered that they should be set free and their pro perty restored to them. The captives, however, refused to depart without the Guru. He was then allowed to go with them, and they went to their homes in the city. They found that all the people who had remained in Saiyidpur had been put to death. Mardana told his master that it had all hap pened as God had willed it. Upon this the Guru, to the accompaniment of Mardana' s rebeck, sang the following lamentation : —

An account of the saints mentioned in this hymn, with their com positions contained in the Granth Sahib, will be given in the final volume of this work. Where are those sports, those stables, and those horses ? Where those bugles and clarions ? Where are those who buckled on their swords and were mighty in battle ? where those scarlet uniforms ? Where those mirrors and fair faces ? we see them no longer here. This world is Thine, O Lord of the earth. In one ghari Thou establishest and disestablishest ; Thou distributest wealth as Thou pleasest. Where are those houses, those mansions, and those palaces? where those beautiful seraglios ? Where are those easy couches and those women a sight of whom banished sleep ? Where is that betel, those betel-sellers, and those fair ones ? They have vanished. For wealth many are ruined ; this wealth hath disgraced many. It is not amassed without sin, and it departeth not with the dead. Him whom the Creator destroyeth He first depriveth of virtue. Millions of priests tried by their miraculous power to restrain the emperor when they heard of his approach. He burned houses, mansions, and palaces ; he cut princes to pieces, and had them rolled in the dust.

No Mughal hath become blind ; no priest hath wrought a miracle. There was a contest between the Mughals and Pathans ; the sword was wielded in the battle. One side aimed and discharged their guns, the other also handled their weapons : They whose letter * hath been torn in God's court must die, my brethren. There were the wives of Hindus, of Turks, of Bhattis, and of Rajputs. 1 In India when announcing the death of a relation it is usual for the writer to tear the top of the letter. The reference here is to that custom. ii6 THE SIKH RELIGION The robes of some were torn from head to foot ; the dwellings of others were their places of cremation. How did they whose husbands came not home pass the night ? The Creator acteth and causeth others to act ; to whom shall man complain ? Misery and happiness are according to Thy pleasure ; to whom shall we go to cry ? The Commander is pleased issuing His orders ; Nanak, man obtaineth what is allotted him.1 A propos of the change of circumstances in India the Guru uttered the following : — God -hath given fixed time for all events, and fully estab lished the nine regions, the seven seas, the fourteen worlds,2 the three qualities, and the four ages.

He put four lamps 3 one by one into the hands of the four ages. 0 kind God, such is Thy power. The dwellers at every hearth are Thy slaves, and religion is their ruler. The earth is Thy cooking-pot, Thou gavest once for all ; destiny is Thy storekeeper. Instigated by their hearts 4 men lose patience and beg again and again to their ruin. Covetousness is a black dungeon, demerits the fetters on the feet. Wealth ever beatei;h the soul with its mallet, while sin sitteth as judge. Man shall be either good or bad, O Lord, as Thou lookest on him. 2 The Hindus and the Muhammadans agree in believing that there are fourteen worlds, seven above and seven, including the earth itself, below. According to the Hindus these worlds emerged from the mundane egg when divided into two equal parts. 4 Narad the Muni is here understood by the gyanis to mean the human heart. Some furiher account of Narad will be given. The Primal Being is now called Allah ; the turn of the Shaikhs hath come. There is a tax on the shrines of the gods ; such is the practice established. There are ablution-pots, calls to prayer, five daily prayers, prayer-carpets, and God appeareth dressed in blue.1

In every house all say ' Mian ' ; 2 your language hath been changed. Since Thou, who art Lord of the earth hast appointed Babar a Mir,3 what power have we ? In the four directions men make Thee obeisance, and Thy praises are uttered in every house. The profit which is obtained from pilgrimages, repeating the Simritis,4 and bestowing alms all day long, Is, O Nanak, obtained in one ghari by remembering the Name which conferreth greatness.5 The Hindus and the Musalmans who returned to Saiyidpur began to dispose of their dead, and there was weeping and mourning in every house. People said, ' Such and such was the deceased/ Upon this the Guru fell into a trance, and uttered the following hymn : — ' As herdsmen stay for a short time in the pasture-ground,6 so do men stay in this world. Men by the exercise of falsehood build houses for themselves. Awake, awake, ye sleepers ; lo ! the soul the dealer departeth. If ye are to remain here for ever, then build houses. The body shall fall and the soul depart, if any one desire to know the truth. The Muhammadans frequently \vcar blue clothes, a custom which has descended from the ancient Egyptians.

2 Mian, a title of respect addressed to Muhammadans. In the hill districts of India it is given to the sons of Rajput princes. 3 Mir, a lord or master. 4 Simrifit, the traditional ceremonial and legal institutes of the Hindus. The principal Simritis are twenty-seven in number. ' This refers to the nomadic life which prevailed around the Guru's natal village. n8 THE SIKH RELIGION Why criest thou ' Alas ! alas ! ' 1 God is and shall be. Ye weep for others, but who will weep for you ? Ye worry with worldly occupations, my brethren, and practise falsehood. The dead hear not at all ; ye only cry to be heard of others. He who laid them to sleep, Nanak, will awake them. If man know his own home in God, then shall he not sleep. If any one know of any one at his departure taking any thing with him, Then let him with open eyes amass wealth — know and consider this. Do thy dealing ; gain thine object ; be not sorry here after. Thou shalt be known as a true dealer if thou take profit with thee. Sow the seed of truth in the soil of honesty ; in that way practise tillage.

Forsake vice, practise virtue, so shalt thou obtain the Real Thing. If it be God's favour, man shall meet the true Guru, understand his instruction, Repeat the Name, hear the Name, and deal in the Name. As is the profit so the loss ; that is the way of the world. What pleaseth Him, O Nanak, is my glory.2 One day Mardana took it into his head to ask the Guru to explain the cause of the Saiyidpur massacre, and said, ' Sir, some Pathans have done wrong ; but why have so many been killed on their account ? ' The Guru pointed out a tree, and told Mardana to go and sleep under it. When he awoke, the Guru would give him an answer. Mardana accordingly went and lay down to sleep under the tree. A drop of honey fell on his naked breast. As he slept, ants came to drink it, and the sleeper half unconsciously crushed them to death with his hand. The Guru asked him on awaking what he had done. He replied 1 Ohi, ohi ! There is a pun on the word ohi. It means, Alas ! and He (God) is. 2 Asa Ashtapadi.

that one insect had bitten him, and so he had killed them all. The Guru replied, * It is in that very way the people of Saiyidpur were killed/ Upon this Mardana fell at his feet, and the remnant of the inhabitants of Saiyidpur became his disciples. After this the Guru returned to the Emperor's camp with the object of obtaining another interview with him. He visited the prison and sang hymns for the prisoners whose treatment he deplored. Under the influence of such feelings he composed the following : — Babar ruled over Khurasan and hath terrified Hindustan. The Creator taketh no blame to Himself ; it was Death disguised as a Mughal who made war on us. When there was such slaughter and lamentation, didst not Thou, O God, feel pain ? Creator, Thou belongest to all. If a tyrant slay a tyrant, one is not angry ; But if a ravening lion fall on a herd, its master l should show his manliness. The dogs of Lodi 2 have spoiled the priceless inheritance ; when they are dead no one will regard them. 0 God, Thou Thyself joinest and Thou Thyself separatest — lo ! this is Thy greatness.

If any one give himself a great name and enjoy himself to his heart's content, In God's view he is as a worm which nibbleth corn ; But he who while alive is dead, may gain something, O Nanak, by repeating the Name.3 When Babar had heard this hymn, he ordered the Guru to be sent for. When the Guru appeared, the Emperor asked him to sing the hymn again, and 1 The master of Hindustan at the time was Sultan Ibrahim Lodi. He only met Babar' s force at Panipat, where he was defeated. 2 The Pathan dynasty of the Lodis who ruled in India prior to the advent of the Mughal Babar. the Guru did so. Upon this, it is said, Babar's brain opened for the reception of spiritual truths. He praised the Guru, and opening his bhang-pouch, offered him some. The Guru replied that he had already taken bhang whose intoxication would never subside. JBabar asked what bhang that was. The Guru replied with the following hymn :— 0 God, fear of Thee is my bhang, my heart its pouch ; 1 am an intoxicated hermit. My hands are the cup ; it is for a sight of Thee, 0 God, I hunger,

And ever beg at Thy door — For a sight of Thee I crave. I beg at Thy door ; grant me Thine alms. Saffron, flowers, musk, gold, and sandal are all applied to the body ; So the bright perfume of the saints rendereth all souls fragrant. No one calleth clarified butter or silk impure ; ] Such is a saint in regard to caste. May Nanak obtain alms at the doors Of those who are imbued with Thy name and continue to love Thee ! 2 The Emperor was so pleased with the Guru that he asked him to accompany him. The Guru would at first only promise to remain one day with him, but, on being pressed to remain three days, at last consented. The Guru was always distressed as he looked towards the prisoners. For the third time he sang the preceding hymn, and then fell into a trance and became unconscious. The Emperor stood over him, and asked the bystanders what had happened. They replied that the faqir, on beholding God's wrath, was in suffering, and had fallen into a trance. Babar became alarmed for the Guru's safety, and asked the people to pray to God for his re-

1 That is, no one despises them. 2 Tilang. covery. Upon this the Guru stood up, and there then shone such light as if a thousand suns had arisen. Babar saluted, and asked the Guru to be gracious unto him. The Guru replied, ' If thou, O Emperor, desire kindness, set all thy captives free.' He agreed, on one condition — that the Guru should promise that his empire should continue from generation to generation. The Guru replied, ' Thine empire shall remain for a time.' The Emperor on this ordered that all his prisoners should be clothed with robes of honour, a matter which gave great pleasure and satisfaction to the Guru. The Emperor asked the Guru for instruction suitable to his position. The Guru said, ' Deliver just judgements, reverence holy men, forswear wine and gambling. The monarch who indulgeth in these vices shall, if he survive, bewail his misdeeds. Be merciful to the vanquished, and worship God in spirit and in truth.' At the final parting, the Emperor pressed the Guru to embrace Islam, which recognized only one God, as the Guru himself had been preaching, so he would not have far to go on his spiritual journey and his progress to salvation. Moreover, on embracing Islam he would have the advantage of the mediation of God's holy and last prophet Muhammad. The Guru replied :—

There are hundreds of thousands of Muhammads, but only one God. The Unseen is true and without anxiety. Many Muhammads stand in His court. So numberless they cannot be reckoned. Prophets have been sent and come into the world. Whenever He pleaseth He hath them arrested and brought before Him. The slave Nanak hath ascertained That God alone is pure and all else impure. The Emperor, instead of being incensed at this outspoken language, invited the Guru to ask him a favour. The Guru replied to the accompaniment of Mardana's rebeck :— It is the one God Who hath commissioned me. Every one partaketh of His Gifts. (He who looketh for human support Loseth both this world and the next. ^There is but one Giver, the whole world are beggars. They who forsake Him and attach themselves to others lose all their honour. Kings and Emperors are all made by Him. There is none equal to Him. Saith Nanak, Hear, Emperor Babar, He who beggeth of thee is a fool.

The Guru then departed for Pasrur, and thence to Sialkot, the fortress of the Sial tribe, now a can tonment in the northern part of the Pan jab. He rested under a wild caper tree, which still exists outside the city. Having taken refreshment, he sent Mardana to the market-place for a paisa, or a farthing's worth of truth and a paisa worth of falsehood. Nobody understood what the messenger meant till Mardana reached Mula, who was a Karar, or petty shopkeeper. The latter said that death was true and life false. Mardana returned with this message to the Guru. Upon this a great friendship sprang up between the Guru and Mula, and Mula afterwards accompanied him to Kabul. On a subsequent occasion when Guru Nanak and Mardana visited Sialkot, Mardana went to Mula. His wife, thinking her husband would again leave her, concealed him, and told Mardana to say he was not at home. In his concealment, he was bitten by a snake and died. On this Guru Nanak composed the following :— Friendship with Karars is false, and false is its foundation. Mula saw not whence death would come to him.1 1 Additional Sloks of Guru Nanak. When his work was accomplished in Sialkot, the Guru proceeded to the south of the Pan jab as far as Mithankot (in the present district of Dera Ghazi Khan), where Mian Mitha, a famous Muhammadan priest, resided. The Guru took up his quarters in a garden near the town. When Mian Mitha heard of the Guru's arrival he said, ' Nanak is a good faqir ; but, if I meet him, I will squeeze the juice out of him as if he were a lemon. Mardana, when reporting his speech to the Guru, said, ' Mian Mitha is thine automaton, and will play as thou causest him to play.' Mian Mitha continued his boasting : ' I will go to see Nanak, and, if I meet him, I will take the cream off him as I would skim milk.' Mian Mitha met the Guru and, after saluting him in the Muhammadan fashion, sat down. He challenged the Guru by the following slok :—

The first name is that of God, the second that of the Prophet. O Nanak, if thou repeat the Creed,1 thou shalt find acceptance in God's court. The Guru replied :— The first name is that of God ; how many prophets are at His gate ! O Shaikh, form good intentions, and thou shalt find acceptance in God's court. The Guru continued : ' Mian Mitha, at God's gate there is no room for a prophet. He who dwelleth there is God alone.' Mian Mitha then put the Guru two questions : ' How can a lamp burn without oil ? and, How shall man obtain a seat in God's court ? ' The Guru replied as follows :— Act according to the Quran and thy sacred books. Put the wick of fear into thy body ; Burn in it the knowledge of truth ; 1 That is, if thou become a Muhammadan. Thus shall thy lamp burn without oil. Make such a light, and thou shalt find the Lord. When God's words leave an impression on man And service is performed, happiness is obtained. All worlds come and go : While abiding in this world perform worship ;

Thus shalt thou obtain a seat in God's court, And, saith Nanak, triumphantly swing thine arm.1 Mian Mitha then put to the Guru the question con tained in the first line of the following hymn. He also inquired the condition of the souls of the wicked after death. The Guru replied as follows : — * My brother, salam alaikum ! for God's sake tell the truth ; how shall man obtain distinction in God's court ? ' As man soweth so shall he reap ; he shall eat what he obtaineth from the Commander. Nanak, without the true Name man shall be bound and endure suffering. Praise be to the Creator ; when man goeth down to the wretched dark grave, God's power shall be manifested. The angels, the heralds of the Almighty, shall come with His orders. They shall hold quivers, maces, battle-axes, two-edged swords, bows, Lances, and shields made of fire ; and put chains on men's necks. By God's order they shall bind and lead away the back biter as well as the man without a priest. Nanak, the true Name, the source of consolation in this last age, shall procure man's acceptance in God's court.

Ye fear lions, jackals, and snakes ; but they shall make their dwellings in your graves. Oxen shall root up your graves, and even your enemies' hatred of you shall cool. Brethren, friends, and lovers read the fatiha,1 and say prayers for the departed. Nanak, such things are false, and God alone is true. The sinners who have committed transgressions are bound and led away. Their luggage of sins is so heavy that they cannot lift it. The steep road ahead is dark, while the executioner walketh behind them. In front is a sea of fire ; how shall they cross it ? Ravens stand on men's skulls, and peck at them fast as a shower of sparks. Nanak, where shall man escape when the punishment is by God's order ? The eyes of the sinful shall be torn out ; they shall be come blind, and terrible darkness prevail. Their ears shall be pressed as if they were the sockets of oil-presses,2 and storms of filth shall assail their noses. Their tongues shall be cut out for breaking their promises and forgetting the True One. They shall cry aloud when their skulls are burning in the fire. No one can save the ignorant man who is covetous and hath no priest ;

But they whose demerits are pardoned through their merits shall be, O Nanak, of the elect. As sesame is heated and pressed, or cotton carded by means of a thong, so shall sinners be punished. Like paper they shall be beaten with mallets, and put into presses ; They shall be heated like iron ; they shall burn and cry aloud ; The wretched beings' heads shall be taken up with tongs and placed on anvils, 1 The introductory prayer of the Quran. Its secondary meaning is prayers offered up for a deceased person. 2 The Indian oil-press is a primitive machine. A beam is made to revolve in a socket in which the seeds to be pressed are placed. The meaning here is, that the ears shall be tortured as if the beams of oil-presses revolved in them as sockets. On which they shall be beaten with hammers in time according to the smith's l lead. Nanak, without the true Name they shall have no rest either in this world or the next. Iron spikes shall be driven into their feet, and the sun shall burn their heads. They who are captivated with the strange woman's flesh, shall lose their manhood and their honour ;

They shall be bound to a heated pillar, and no one will go near them ; They shall be unloosed and again tied to it ; they shall repent and implore pity — Everybody, Nanak, is an enemy of the sinner — They shall be put into a furnace and bodkins of fire thrust into their eyes ; They shall be burnt by sand under which fire hath been kindled ; They shall be roasted in a caldron like rice, and shall then crackle and make a report. God Himself pardoneth, O Nanak ; whom else shall we address ? As the juice of sugar-cane is expressed by putting great weight on it, So man is weighed down by eating, drinking, dressing, and pleasures which degrade his mind. An account shall be demanded from the soul which hath dealt in such things. Feet and legs perform the duties the soul ordereth them. The tongue which tasted sinful savours shall stand up in court and cry out against the soul ; The ears shall also depose that it is the soul which is false and deceitful. The nose and eyes shall also plead not guilty, and it is the poor soul which shall suffer.

The soul under arrest in Death's court pleadeth, 'It is the senses which have led the whole world astray : * The senses united have thrown man into misery as the smith putteth iron on the anvil.' 1 Dharmraj, the Pluto of Greek mythology. Nanak, he who meeteth not the true Guru and obtaineth not divine knowledge, shall find no rest in this world or the next. The soul shall be filed seventy times like an arrow ; It shall be melted like gold in a mould ; O soul, thou shalt suffer for what thou hast done. The soul shall have to bear a prodigious saddle and be driven like a steed. Nanak, it shall be bound by Death, and have to suffer transmigration again and again. How many enemies shall it have on sea and land ! the forests and glades shall cause it to suffer. Every house shall bear it enmity ; Nanak, the real thing is to meditate on the Eternal. Death with the three bloodshot and terrible eyes shall lie in wait for the soul. The whole world is Death's provender ; merciless is the god of death. He seizeth men, Nanak, and hurrieth them away in obedience to the Commander.

My body is before Thee ; Thou art Master ; Thou mayest preserve or destroy it. There shall be no mother, father, kinsman, wife, or brother, Son, or wealth to assist us ; how shall we have conso lation ? There shall be no quiver, or bow, or shield, or sword to protect us, But a seething caldron day and night ; consider this under the Guru's instruction. vxMake honesty thy steed, truth thy saddle, continence thine equestrian armour ; vxThe five virtues 1 thine arrows, and truth thy sword and shield. Nanak, pious men who have truth in their hearts, shall obtain honour in God's court. 1 Contentment, compassion, piety, patience, morality. The list of the five virtues is somewhat arbitrary. Truth is generally included in them, but here the Guru makes it a separate virtue. v' Brahma who came into the world repeating the Veds cannot describe God. What is poor Krishan who by God's order descended upon Shiv and countless gods and goddesses standing at Thy gate praise Thee. He who turneth from God shall pine away and die ; the True One is ever the Pardoner.1 Mian Mitha then spoke : ' What is that one Name which thou praisest so much ? ' The Guru replied, ' Hath any one ever known the worth of that Name ? ' Mian Mitha asked him to be good enough to explain it to him. The Guru then took his arm, led him aside, and said to him, ' Shaikh, hearest thou the Name of the one God ? ' While they were speaking, the name of the Prophet vanished amid the sounds of divine ecstasy, and when they looked again there appeared instead of it only a heap of ashes. Then came a voice from heaven which only repeated ' Allah ', God's Arabic name. Upon this Shaikh Mitha got up and kissed the Guru's feet. The Guru then fell into a trance, and in that state gave utterance to the following :—

v N ASIH AT NAM A 2 The present are favoured ; the absent are not. Faith is a friend, want of faith an infidel ; Pride is ruin, wrath is unlawful ; Concupiscence is Satan, conceit is infidelity ; The slanderer's face is black. The man without faith is unclean ; he who is tender hearted is pure. Knowledge is gentleness. The non-avaricious are holy ; the avaricious are impatient. The honest man hath a bright, the ungrateful man a yellow face. 1 Banno's Granth Sahib. It must be noted that this hymn is not generally accepted by the Sikhs. 2 Instruction. This too is not found in the Granth Sahib. Truth is heaven, falsehood is hell. Force is oppression, justice is pure. God's praises are ablutions, the call to prayer is noise. Theft is greed, adultery uncleanness. Patience is humility, impatience deceit. The right way is that of spiritual advisers ; the wrong way is for those who have none. Compassion is wealth, want of compassion useless. The sword is for warriors, justice for monarchs. He who knoweth and causeth others to know these things, Is, O Nanak, called a wise man. Upon this the Guru and Mian Mitha separated.

The Guru proceeded to the river Ravi and thence to Lahore. The Lahore territory was then farmed from the Emperor by a millionaire Khatri, whose name was Duni Chand. He was performing the ceremony of shradh 1 for his father, when he heard of the devout Nanak' s arrival. He took the Guru to his house, and treated him with great affection. When everything was ready for the anniversary feast, Duni Chand began to feed the Brahmans. The Guru, on being summoned, asked what the matter was. Duni Chand replied that it was his father's shradh, and that he had fed one hundred Brahmans in his name. The Guru replied, ' It is now two days since thy father hath eaten anything, and yet thou sayest thou hast fed one hundred Brahmans for him.' Duni Chand asked where his father was. The Guru replied that he had become incarnate in a wolf, which was now in a clump of trees six miles distant. The reason 1 Shrddhs are oblations of cakes and libations of water made to the spirits of deceased ancestors : Vide Monier Williams's Indian Wisdom, passim. I3o THE SIKH RELIGION his father's soul had entered a wolf was, that while he was in human birth he had coveted meat which a Sikh was cooking, and had died in that desire.

The Guru, on seeing several flags over Duni Chand's door, asked what they were. It was explained that each flag denoted a lakh of rupees which Duni Chand had acquired. On this the Guru gave him a needle, and told him to keep it until he asked for it in the next world. Duni Chand took the needle to his wife, and told her to put it by for the purpose indicated. She believed him crazed, and asked how a needle could go to the next world. She accordingly charged him to return it to the Guru. Duni Chand took the needle with his wife's message to the Guru, who said, ' If such a small and light thing as a needle cannot go to the next world, how can thy wealth reach there ? ' Upon this Duni Chand fell at his feet, and prayed him to tell him by what means his wealth should reach the next world. The Guru replied, ' Give some of thy wealth in God's name, feed the poor, and thy wealth shall accompany thee.' Upon this Duni Chand distributed seven lakhs of treasure, for he understood that disobedience to the Guru's order would militate against his salvation. He then became a disciple of the Guru, and began to repeat the Name. Guru Nanak uttered the following on the occasion : —

False are kings, false their subjects, false the whole world ; False are mansions, false palaces, false those who dwell therein ; False is gold, false silver, false he who weareth them ; False the body, false raiment, false peerless beauty ; False husbands, false wives ; they pine away and become dust.1 Man who is false loveth what is false, and forgetteth the Creator. 1 Instead of chhar, dust, the Granth Sahib has khwdr, despised. With whom contract friendship ? The whole world passeth away. False is sweetness, false honey, in falsehood shiploads are drowned — Nanak humbly asserteth — Except Thee, 0 God, everything is thoroughly false.1 The Guru went in a north-east direction, and took up his post on the bank of the Ravi. His arrival there caused great excitement, and every one went to see him. He was universally held to be a man of God. All who visited him went away pleased. Every verse that he composed was at once pub lished abroad. He used to compose verses like the following, which faqirs sang to the accompaniment of reeds : — Falsehood is at an end ; Nanak, truth at last prevaileth.2 There was only the one Name mentioned in the Guru's dwelling, and he became the object of great popular admiration.

A millionaire official who dwelt in a neighbouring village began to depreciate the Guru. He said, ' Who is this person whose name is repeated by every one, as if he were a god, though he is only a mortal like ourselves ? The Hindus are being perverted, and even the Musalmans are losing their faith. Come, let us imprison him.' When the speaker mounted on horseback, the animal shied and threw him. Next day he again mounted, but, as he proceeded on his way, became blind and had to alight. Those who witnessed his calamity were afraid to make any remark save that Nanak was a great saint. They, however, suggested to the millionaire that he should do homage to the Guru. Upon this he began to praise the Guru ; and those who were with him bowed towards the Guru. The millionaire again 1 Asa ki War. 2 Ramkali ki War I. mounted his horse, intending this time to go and supplicate the Guru, but immediately fell down. His companions addressed him, ' Thou hast made a mistake in going on horseback. Go on foot, that thou mayest be pardoned/ He took this advice. On arriving at a spot whence the Guru's residence could be seen, he recovered his sight, and began to make salutations in the Guru's direction. On arriving in his presence he fell at his feet. The Guru was pleased and made him his guest for three days. The millionaire, in honour of the Guru, founded a village, which he called Kartarpur, on the margin of the Ravi, and built a Sikh temple therein, both of which he dedicated to the Guru.

One day a fanatical Brahman came to the Guru and begged for alms. The Guru, who was at his break fast, invited the Brahman to join him. The Brahman replied that he would not eat food in that way. He would only eat what he had cooked himself. He would first dig up the earth to a depth of a cubit so that all impurity of the surface might be removed, and he would also make a cooking square into which none but himself might enter. He would then dig a span deeper, and make a fireplace on which he would put firewood which he had washed, so that no insects might be burned in it. The Guru had not attended to these formalities, and the Brahman spurned food otherwise cooked. The Guru told him he would give him uncooked viands which he might cook himself. He then went outside and began to dig up the earth, but wherever he dug he only turned up bones, which he deemed a still greater abomination than the Guru's food. He continued digging all day, but with the same result. At last, overcome by hunger, he went and threw himself at Nanak's feet, and asked for the cooked food he had previously rejected. The Guru was pleased to gratify him, and then composed the following : —

Cooking places of gold, vessels of gold, Lines of silver far extended, Ganges water, firewood of the karanta l tree, Eating rice boiled in milk — 0 my soul, these things are of no account Until thou art saturated with the true Name. Hadst thou the eighteen Purans with thee, Couldst thou recite the four Veds, Didst thou bathe on holy days and give alms according to men's castes, Didst thou fast and perform religious ceremonies day and night ; Wert thou a qazi, a mulla, or a shaikh, A Jogi, a jangam,2 didst thou wear an ochre-coloured dress. Or didst thou perform the duties of a householder— Without knowing God, Death would bind and take all men away. The duties of all creatures are recorded on their heads ; They shall be judged according to their acts. Foolish and ignorant men issue orders— * Nanak, the True One hath storehouses of praises.3 The Guru initiated the practice of singing hymns in the end of the night. A boy seven years of age used to come to listen and stand behind him. When the singing was over, he used quietly to depart. One day the Guru ordered his servants to detain the boy in order to discover the object of his continual attendance. He was accordingly brought before the Guru, who asked him, ' O boy, why comest thou so early in the morning to listen to hymns ? This is the time of life for thee to eat, play, and sleep/ The boy replied, ' Sir, one day my mother bade me light the fire. When I put on the wood, I observed that the little sticks burned first and afterwards the big ones. From that time I have been afraid of early death. It is very

1 The Carissa Carandas. 2 A class of faqirs with matted hair and thin chains to their feet. They generally go about ringing bells. 3 Basant. i34 THE SIKH RELIGION doubtful whether we shall live to be old, and so I attend thy religious gatherings/ The Guru was much pleased on hearing this wisdom from the child's lips, and said he spoke like an old man (budha). On that occasion the Guru composed the following : — In the briny unfathomable ocean the fish did not recognize the net.1 Why did the very clever and beautiful fish have so much confidence ? It was caught through its own doing ; death cannot be averted, 0 my brethren ; know that in like manner death hangeth over your heads. Man is like the fish upon which the net falleth unawares. The whole world is bound by death ; without the Guru death cannot be destroyed. They who are imbued with the True One, and have abandoned worthless mammon, are saved. 1 am a sacrifice unto those who are found true at the gate of the True One. Death is like the hawk among the birds, or the huntsman with the noose in his hands.