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

Whatever pleaseth Thee is good. Thou, 0 Formless One, art ever secure. Numberless thy worshippers,5 and numberless Thy lovers ; Numberless Thine adorers, and numberless they who perform austerities for Thee ; ^Numberless the reciters of sacred books and Veds ; 1 SiM, the thread on which the world is strung. The Guru means by patience the adjusted balance of the world, everything being in equipoise. 2 Here Guru Nanak obviously rejects the Hindu story that the earth is supported by a bull. 3 We understand kut as the Arabic kmvwat. \(kut be held to mean food, a meaning which the word so pronounced also bears in Arabic, the verse will be translated — Who knoweth the extent of Thy gifts of sustenance ? 4 The Hindus believe this is Eko aharn, bahu sj-iim, I am one, let Me become many. 5 Literally — repetitions of God's name. Here the word is used by metonymy for those who repeat God's name. Numberless Thy Jogis whose hearts are indifferent to the world ; Numberless the saints who ponder on Thine attributes and divine knowledge ; Numberless Thy true men ; numberless Thine almsgivers ; Numberless Thy heroes who face the steel of their enemies ;

Numberless Thy silent worshippers who lovingly fix their thoughts upon Thee. What power have I to describe Thee ? So lowly am I, that I cannot even once be a sacrifice unto Thee. Whatever pleaseth Thee is good. O Formless One, Thou art ever secure. Numberless are the fools appallingly blind ; Numberless are the thieves and devourers of others' property ; Numberless those who establish their sovereignty by force ; l Numberless the cut-throats and murderers ; Numberless the sinners who pride themselves on committing sin ; Numberless the liars who roam about lying ; Numberless the filthy 2 who enj oy filthy gain ; Numberless the slanderers who carry loads of calumny on their heads ; Nanak thus describeth the degraded. 59 lowly am I, I cannot even once be a sacrifice unto Thee. Whatever pleaseth Thee is good. 0 Formless One, Thou art ever secure. 1 Also translated — Numberless are those who issue oppressive orders. 2 Malechh. Whose desires are filthy, and who are deemed the lowest of the low, complete outcasts. In the Guru's time the word malechh was applied by Hindus as a term of opprobrium to Muhammadans. The Hindus still apply it to all who are not of their own persuasion.

Numberless Thy names, and numberless Thy places. Completely beyond reach are Thy numberless worlds. Numberless they who repeat Thy name with all the strength of their intellects.1 By letters 2 we repeat Thy name, by letters we praise Thee ; By letters we acquire divine knowledge, and sing Thy praises and Thine attributes ; By letters we write and utter the word 3 of God ; By the letters recorded on man's head his destiny is declared. He who inscribeth them on others, beareth them not on His own head. As He ordaineth, so shall man obtain. As great Thy creation, O God, so great is Thy fame There is no place without Thy name. What power have I to describe Thee ? So lowly am /, that I cannot even once be a sacrifice unto Thee Whatever pleaseth Thee is good. 0 Formless One, Thou art ever secure. When the hands, feet, and other members of the body are covered with filth, It is removed by washing with water. When thy clothes are polluted, Apply soap, and the impurity shall be washed away. So when the mind is defiled by sin, It is cleansed by the love 4 of the Name.

Men do not become saints or sinners by merely calling themselves so. 1 Also translated — (a) With their bodies reversed, that is, standing on their heads, a form of religious austerity practised in India. (If) They who try to describe Thee shall have to carry loads of sin on their heads. 2 Letters here appear to mean sacred literature. 3 Ban generally means custom. Here it is understood to be used for bani, a word. 4 Water in which the dye of the Name has been dissolved. The recording angels take with them a record of man's acts. It is he himself soweth, and he himself eateth. Nanak, man suffereth transmigration by God's order. Pilgrimage, austerities, mercy, and almsgiving on general and special occasions Whosoever performeth, may obtain some little honour ; But he who heareth and obeyeth and loveth God in his heart, Shall wash off his impurity in the place of pilgrimage within him. All virtues are Thine, O Lord ; none are mine. There is no devotion without virtue. From the Self-existent proceeded Maya (athi), whence issued a word which produced Brahma and the rest 1 — ' Thou art true, Thou art beautiful, there is ever pleasure in Thy heart ! '

What the time, what the epoch, what the lunar day, and what the week-day, What the season, and what the month when the world was created, The Pandits did not discover ; had they done so, they would have recorded it in the Purans. Nor did the Qazis 2 discover it ; had they done so, they would have recorded it in the Quran : Neither the Jogi nor any other mortal knows the lunar day, or the week-day, or the season, or the month. Only the Creator who fashioned the world knoweth when He did so. How shall I address Thee, O God ? how shall I praise Thee ? how shall I describe Thee ? and how shall I know Thee? 1 The verse is also translated — ' Blessing on Thee ! ' is said to have been the first salutation that Brahma addressed Thee. 2 Guru Nanak means the scribes who reduced the Quran to writing. Saith Nanak, everybody speaketh of Thee, one wiser than another. Great is the Lord, great is His name ; what He doeth cometh to pass. Nanak, he who is proud shall not be honoured on his arrival in the next world.

There are hundreds of thousands of nether and upper regions. Men have grown weary at last of searching for God's limits ; the Veds say one thing, thai God has no limit.1 The thousands of Purans 2 and Muhammadan books tell that in reality there is but one principle.3 If God can be described by writing, then describe Him ; but such description is impossible. 0 Nanak, call Him great ; only He Himself knoweth how great He is. Praisers praise God, but have not acquired a knowledge of Him, As rivers and streams fall into the sea, but know not its extent. Kings and emperors who possess oceans and mountains of property and wealth,4 Are not equal to the worm which forgetteth not God in its heart. 1 The verse is also translated — The Veds have at last grown weary of searching for God's limits, but they cannot give the slightest description of Him. 2 There being only eighteen Purans, the expression in the text means a thousand times eighteen or an indefinite number. The word sahans is also understood by the gyanis to refer to rikhis and learned men in indefinite numbers. 3 That is, that God is the root or principle of all things.

4 Also translated — As the sea is the king of streams, so is God the monarch of all. They who possess mountainous wealth, &c. There is no limit to God's praises ; l to those who repeat them there is no limit. There is no limit to His mercy, and to His gifts there is no limit. There is no limit to what God seeth, no limit to what He heareth. The limit of the secret of His heart cannot be known. The limit of His creation cannot be known ; neither His near nor His far. side can be discovered.2 To know His limits how many vex their hearts.3 His limits cannot be ascertained ; Nobody knoweth His limits. The more we say, the more there remains to be said. Great is the Lord, and exalted is His seat. His exalted name is higher than the most exalted. Were any one else ever so exalted, Then he would know that exalted Being : How great He is He knoweth Himself. Nanak, God bestoweth gifts on whom He looketh with favour and mercy. His many bounties 4 cannot be recorded, He is a great giver and hath not a particle of covetousness.

How many, yea countless heroes beg of Him ! How many others whose number cannot be conceived ! How many pine away in sin ! 5 How many persons receive yet deny God's gifts ! How many fools there are who merely eat ! How many are ever dying in distress and hunger ! 0 Giver, these are also Thy gifts. 1 Also translated — There is no limit to the Praised One. 2 A metaphor taken from the banks of a river. 3 Billah, literally, cry in pain. 4 Kami, in Sanskrit, is work ; in Persian, kindness, favour, or bounty. The context seems to show that the latter is intended. 5 Compare Man vekdn'n vena, the mind is encompassed with sin. Guru Amar Das. Rebirth 1 and deliverance depend on Thy will : Nobody can interfere with it. If any fool 2 try to interfere with it He shall himself know the punishment he shall suffer, God himself knoweth to whom He may give, and He Him self giveth : Very few acknowledge this. He to whom God hath given the boon of praising and lauding Him, 0 Nanak, is the King of kings.3 Priceless are Thine attributes, O God, and priceless Thy dealings ; 4

Priceless Thy dealers, priceless Thy storehouses ; Priceless what cometh from Thee, and priceless what is taken away ; Priceless Thy rate and priceless the time for dealing ; 5 Priceless Thy justice and priceless Thy court ; Priceless Thy weights and priceless Thy measures ; 6 Priceless Thy gifts and priceless Thy marks ; Priceless Thy mercy and priceless Thine ordinances. How beyond all price Thou art cannot be stated. Ever speaking of Thee men continue to fix their thoughts on Thee.7 1 Band, to be enclosed in a womb. 2 Khdik. This word is also found in the Sri Rag ki War, Slok 2 - thdo ndh'in khdika, there is no place for the fool. 3 Also translated — To those few, O Nanak, the King of kings Giveth the boon of praising and lauding Him. 4 In the true Name. 5 Also translated — Priceless is Thy love, and priceless they who are absorbed in it. 8 We ivz.<\ pramdn for parwdn. If the latter be read, the translation will be — Priceless Thy weights and priceless Thine acceptance of mortals. A third translation is— Priceless Thy scale and priceless Thy weights. 7 Also translated — Repeating that Thou art priceless, men continue to fix their attention on Thee.

They who read the Veds and Purans speak of Thee ; Learned men speak of Thee and deliver discourses on Thee ; Brahmas speak of Thee, and Indars speak of Thee ; The milkmaids and Krishan speak of Thee Shivs speak of Thee, the Sidhs speak of Thee ; All the Budhas Thou hast created speak of Thee ; The demons speak of Thee, the gods speak of Thee ; Thy demigods, men, munis,1 and servants speak of Thee ; How many speak of Thee or attempt to speak of Thee ! How many depart while speaking of Thee ! If Thou wert to create as many more as Thou hast created, Even then few of them would be able to speak adequately of Thee. Thou mayest be as great as Thou pleasest. Nanak, only the True One Himself knoweth how great He is. If any one were to speak improperly of God, Write him down as the most ignorant of men. What is that gate, what is that mansion where Thou, 0 God, sittest and watchest over all things ? How many various and countless instruments are played ! How many musicians, How many musical measures with their consorts, and how many singers sing Thee !

Wind, water, and fire sing Thee ; Dharmraj sings at Thy gate. The recording angels,2 who know how to write, and on whose record Dharmraj judgeth sing Thee. Ishar,3 Brahma, and Devi, ever beautiful as adorned by Thee, sing Thee. 1 Inspired saints who are popularly supposed to have attained divine nature. 2 Chitr and Gupt. Chitr means visible, Gupt invisible. According to the Sikhs, Chitr records man's overt acts, Gupt the designs of his heart. Both then report to Dharmraj. In Sanskrit literature Chitrgupt is one person, the recorder of Yama. 3 A title of Shiv. Indar seated on his throne with the gods at Thy gate sing Thee. Sidhs in meditation sing Thee ; holy men in contempla tion sing Thee. The continent, the true, and the patient sing Thee ; un yielding heroes sing Thee. The pandits and the supreme Rikhis,1 reading their Veds, sing Thee in every age. The lovely celestial maids who beguile the heart in the upper, middle, and nether regions sing Thee.2 The jewels created by Thee with the sixty-eight places of Hindu pilgrimage sing Thee. Mighty warriors and divine heroes sing Thee ; the four sources of life sing Thee. The continents, the worlds, and the universe made and supported by Thy hands sing Thee.

The saints who please Thee, and who are imbued with Thy love 3 sing Thee. The many others who sing Thee I cannot remember ; how could Nanak recount them ? 4 1 There are said to be seven supreme Rikhis. The Veds were written by Rikhis. 2 Also translated — The lovely celestial maids who beguile the heart sing Thee in the upper, and the fish in the lower regions. 3 Rasdle is, literally, an abode of pleasure. 4 The following is offered as a free blank verse paraphrase of this pauri : — What is that gate, that mansion what, where Thou Dost sit and watch o'er all Thy wondrous works ? Many the harps and songs which tune Thy praise, Yea countless; Thy musicians who can tell? How many measures sung wilh high delight, And voices which exalt Thy peerless name ! To Thee sing water, wind, and breathing fire ; To Thee sings Dharamraj in regions drear ; To Thee sing th' angels who men's deeds record For judgement final by that king of death. To Thee sing Shiva, Brahma, and the Queen Of Heav'n with radiant beauty ever crown'd. To Thee sing Indar and th' attendant gods Around Thy throne and seraphs at Thy gate. To Thee sing Sidhs in meditation deep, And holy men who ponder but on Thee. P 2

tat God is ever true, He is the true Lord, and the true iame. He who made this world is and shall be ; He shall neither depart, nor be made to depart.1 He who created things of different colours, descriptions, and species, Beholdeth His handiwork which attesteth His greatness. He will do what pleaseth Himself ; no order may be issued to Him. He is King, the King of kings, O Nanak ; all remain subject to His will. Make contentment and modesty thine earrings, selfrespect thy wallet, meditation the ashes to smear on thy body ; Make thy body, which is only a morsel for death, thy beggar's coat, and faith thy rule of life and thy staff.3 Make association with men thine Ai Panth,4 and the conquest of thy heart the conquest of the world. To Thee sing chaste and patient of mankind, Unyielding heroes of true faith approved. To Thee sing pandits and the chiefs of saints ; The ages four and Veds to them assigned. To Thee sing maidens who delight the sense, This world of ours, high heaven, and hell below. To Thee sing gems from Vishnu's sea that rose, And eight and sixty spots of pilgrims' haunt. To Thee sing heroes and the men of might ; The sources four from which all life doth spring. To Thee sing regions, orbs, and universe, Created, cherish'd, and upheld by Thee ! To Thee sing those whose deeds delight Thine eye, The hosts who wear the colours of Thy faith. All things beside which sing Thy glorious name, Could ne'er be told by Nanak's lowly song.

1 Also translated — Creation shall depart, but not He who made it. 2 This and the following three pauris were composed by Guru Nanak after the Jogis had pressed him to adopt their dress and their religion. 3 This verse is also translated — Make the chastening of thy body not yet wedded to death thy patched coat, and faith thy beggar's staff. 4 A sect of Jogis. HAIL ! l HAIL TO HIM, The primal, the pure,2 without beginning, the indestruc tible, the same in every age ! Make divine knowledge thy food, compassion thy store keeper, and the voice which is in every heart the pipe to call to repast. Make Him who hath strung the whole world on His string thy spiritual Lord ; let wealth and supernatural power be relishes for others. Union and separation is the law which regulateth the world.3 By destiny we receive our portion. The primal, the pure, without beginning, the indestruc tible, the same in every age ! One Maya in union with God gave birth to three acceptable children.4 One of them is the creator, the second the provider, the third performeth the function of destroyer.5 As it pleaseth God, He directeth them by His orders.

He beholdeth them, but is not seen by them. This is very marvellous. The primal, the pure, without beginning, the inde structible, the same in every age ! 1 Adesh, the ordinary salutation of Jogis. This word is derived from ddi\ primal and Ish or Ishwar, God. Guru Nanak means that this salutation should only be offered to God. 2 Anil — literally, not of a blue colour, as Krishan is represented. 3 Also translated — favourable and unfavourable destinies shape men's actions. 4 Chele, literally, disciples. 5 Lai may either mean absorption or reaper (lave). Both meanings convey the idea of destruction. His seat and His storehouses l are in every world. What was to be put into them was put in at one time.2 The Creator beholdeth His creation. Nanak, true is the work of the True One. The primal, the pure, without beginning, the indestructible, the same in every age ! Were one tongue to become a hundred thousand, and a hundred thousand to become twentyfold more, I would utter the name of the one Lord of the world hundreds of thousands of times with all my tongues. In this way I should ascend the stairs of the Lord, and become one with Him.

On hearing of the exaltation of the religious the vile become jealous.3 Nanak, the former have found the Kind One, while false is the boasting of the false. I have no strength to speak and no strength to be silent.4 I have no strength to ask and no strength to give ; I have no strength to live, and no strength to die ; I have no strength to acquire empire or wealth which produce a commotion in the heart. I have no strength to meditate on Thee or ponder on divine knowledge ; I have no strength to find the way to escape from the world. He in whose arm there is strength, may see what he can do. Nanak, no one is of superior or inferior strength before God. 1 To supply human necessities. 2 That is, before man is born, his portion is fully allotted him. 3 Literally — on hearing matters connected with heaven worms grow jealous. 4 This hyperbole means that man has no strength to do anything without God's assistance. God created nights, seasons, lunar days, and week days, Wind, water, fire, and the nether regions. In the midst of these He established the earth as a temple.

In it He placed living beings of different habits and kinds. Their names are various and endless, And they are judged according to their acts. True is God, and true is His court. There the elect are accepted and honoured. The Merciful One marketh them according to their acts. The bad and the good shall there be distinguished. Nanak, on arrival there, this shall be seen. Such is the practice in the realm of righteousness. I now describe the condition of the realm of knowledge. How many winds, waters, and fires ! how many Krishans and Shivs ! How many Brahmas l who fashioned worlds ! how many forms, colours, and garbs ! How many lands of grace like this\ 2 how many mountains ! how many Dhrus and instructors 3 such as his. How many Indars, how many moons and suns, how many regions and countries ! How many Sidhs, Budhs, how many Naths ! how many goddesses and representations of them \ How many demigods and demons ! how many saints, how many jewels and seas ! How many sources of life ! how many languages ! and how many lines of kings ! How many possessors of divine knowledge ! how many worshippers ! Nanak, there is no end of them.

1 The Hindus believe it was through the agency of Brahma God created the world. 2 Where men reap the results of their acts. 3 Narad, who instructed Dhru to obtain his exalted dignity. Narad is said to have been a son of Brahma. His father advised him to marry, but he rejected his advice saying it was only proper to love Krishan. Father and son then began to curse each other with immoral and disastrous results for both. One of Narad's epithets is Strife-maker. In the realm of knowledge the light of divine knowledge is resplendent. There are heard songs from which millions of joys and pleasures proceed. Beauty is the attribute of the realm of happiness.1 There things are fashioned in an incomparable manner. What is done there cannot be described. Whoever endeavoureth to describe it shall afterwards repent. There are fashioned knowledge, wisdom, intellect, and understanding ; And there too is fashioned the skill of demigods and men of supernatural power. Force is the attribute of the realm of action.2 Incomparable are they who dwell therein. There are very powerful warriors and heroes They are filled with the might of Ram.— There are many Sitas 3 in the midst of greatness, Their beauty cannot be described — They die not, neither are they led astray 4 In whose hearts God dwelleth. There dwell congregations of saints ; They rejoice ; the True One is in their hearts. God dwelleth in the true realm.5

He looketh on its denizens with an eye of favour, and rendereth them happy. There are continents, worlds, and universes. Whoever trieth to describe them shall never arrive at an end. 1 Sharm khand. Sharm is here not the Persian sharmy shame, nor the Sanskrit shram, toil. It is the Sanskrit sharman, happiness. The verse is also translated — Beautiful are the words of those who have attained the realm of the happy. 2 That is, the world. 3 Slta's name is apparently introduced here as she was the wife of Ram mentioned in the preceding line. 4 Na thage jah, literally — are not deceived. There are worlds upon worlds and forms upon forms. They fulfil their functions according to God's orders : God beholding and contemplating them is pleased. Nanak, to describe them would be impossible.1 Make continence thy furnace, resignation thy goldsmith, Understanding thine anvil, divine knowledge thy tools, The fear of God thy bellows, austerities thy fire, Divine love thy crucible, and melt God's name therein. In such a true mint the Word shall be coined. This is the practice of those on whom God looketh with an eye of favour. Nanak, the Kind One by a glance maketh them happy.

The air is the guru, water our father, and the great earth our mother ; Day and night are our two nurses, male and female, who set the whole world a-playing.2 Merits and demerits shall be read out in the presence of the Judge. According to men's acts, some shall be near, and others distant from God. They who have pondered on the Name and departed after the completion of their toil,3 Shall have their countenances made bright, O Nanak ; how many shall be emancipated in company with them ! 4 1 Literally — would be as hard as iron. 2 Here the denizens of the world are likened to children. Their father is said to be water, the human sperm ; the earth like a mother affords them nutriment; day supplies them with occupation; the night lulls them to rest ; and the breath of the Guru imparts divine instruction. In the East it is usual for the rich to have two nurses for a child — a female nurse by night, and a male nurse to accompany and play with it by day. 3 The worship of God and the necessity of labour for one's liveli hood are eminently Sikh principles.

4 This slok is generally believed to be the composition of Guru Angad. 2i8 THE SIKH RELIGION THERE is but one God whose name is true, the Creator, devoid of fear and enmity, immortal, unborn, self-existent, great and beneficent. This War includes sloks. The sloks also were written by the first Guru, and should be sung to the air of ' Tunda As Raja '.2 SLOK I Guru Nanak I am a sacrifice to my Guru a hundred times a day, Who without any delay made demigods out of men. Were a hundred moons to rise, and a thousand suns to mount the sky ; Even with such light there would be appalling darkness without the Guru. Nanak, they who very clever in their own estimation think not of the Guru, Shall be left like spurious sesames in a reaped field. 1 The word War originally meant a dirge for the brave slain in battle, then it meant any song of praise, and in this collection it means God's praises generally. Wars were composed in stanzas called paun's, literally ladders, which were sung or chanted by professional minstrels._ The Asa ki War is repeated by religious Sikhs after the Japji as a morning divine service.

2 As, son of Chitrbir, was a holy prince against whom a false charge had been preferred by his lascivious stepmother, which led to his hands and feet being cut off as punishment. One of the many Oriental versions of the story of Potiphar's wife. They shall be left in the field, saith Nanak, without an owner : The wretches may even bear fruit and flower, but they shall be as ashes within their bodies. God Himself created the world and Himself gave names to things. He made Maya 2 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 didst behold Thy work with delight. SLOK II Guru Nanak True are Thy regions and true Thy universes ; True Thy worlds and true Thy creation ; True Thine acts and all Thy thoughts ; True Thine order and true Thy court ; True Thy command and true Thy behest ; True Thy favour and true Thy signs. Hundreds of thousands and millions declare Thee true ; True is all Thy power, true all Thy strength ;

True Thy praises, true Thy eulogies ; True Thy might, O true King. Nanak, true are they who meditate on the True One. They who are born and die are the falsest of the false.4 1 The pauris in this collection are all by Guru Nanak, so in the original his name is omitted at their head. 2 In Sanskrit literature, Maya is styled anadi, without a beginning, hence uncreated, but this is not the doctrine of the Gurus. To believe that God did not create Maya would be to believe in a limitation of His power. 3 Also translated — Thou givest and takest life from the body. 4 Kach is here used as the correlative of sack, true. Great is His glory whose name is great ; Great is His glory whose justice is true ; Great is His glory whose seat is immovable ; Great is His glory who understandeth our utterances ; Great is His greatness who knoweth all our feelings ; Great is His glory who giveth without consulting others ; Great is His glory who is all in all Himself. Nanak, His acts cannot be described. All that He did and hath to do dependeth on His own will.

This world is the True One's chamber ; the True One's dwelling is therein. Some by His order He absorbeth in Himself ; others by His order He destroyeth.2 Some at His pleasure He withdraweth from mammon ; others He causeth to abide therein. It cannot be even told whom He will regenerate. Nanak, he to whom God revealeth Himself, is known as holy. Nanak, God having created animals recorded their names, and appointed Dharmraj to judge their acts. At His own court the real truth is adjudged ; He separateth and removeth those who are attached to mammon. There the false find no place: they go to hell with blackened faces. They who are imbued with Thy name win ; the de ceivers lose. God recorded names and appointed Dharmraj to record acts. 1 In the original, Mahala I. It is so written to mark the distinction between the preceding verses, which are sloks, and the following verses, which are in a different measure. 2 By separating from Himself. SLOK III Guru Nanak Wonderful Thy word, wonderful Thy knowledge ; Wonderful Thy creatures, wonderful their species ; Wonderful their forms, wonderful their colours ; Wonderful the animals which wander naked ; Wonderful Thy wind ; wonderful Thy water ; Wonderful Thy fire which sporteth wondrously ; Wonderful the earth, wonderful the sources of production ; Wonderful the pleasures to which mortals are attached ; Wonderful is meeting, wonderful parting from Thee ; Wonderful is hunger, wonderful repletion ; Wonderful Thy praises, wonderful Thy eulogies ; Wonderful the desert, wonderful the road ; Wonderful Thy nearness, wonderful Thy remoteness ; Wonderful to behold Thee present. Beholding these wonderful things I remain wondering. Nanak, they who understand them are supremely fortunate.

By Thy power we see, by Thy power we hear, by Thy power we fear, or enjoy the highest happiness ; By Thy power were made the nether regions and the heavens ; by Thy power all creation ; By Thy power were produced the Veds, the Purans, the Muhammadan books, and by Thy power all compositions ; By Thy power we eat, drink, and clothe ourselves ; by Thy power springeth all affection ; By Thy power are the species, genera, and colours of creatures ; by Thy power are the animals of the world.1 By Thy power are virtues ; by Thy power are vices : by Thy power, honour and dishonour ; 2 1 Also translated — By Thy power \vas created animate and inani mate nature. 2 Man abhman. The latter word is for apman, as so often in the Granth Sahib. Compare man abhiman madhe so sewak tij/itn, He who hath regard for honour or dishonour is not a holy man. By Thy power are wind, water, and fire ; by Thy power is the earth. Everything existeth by Thy power ; Thou art the omni potent Creator ; Thy name is the holiest of the holy.

Saith Nanak, Thou beholdest and pervadest all things subject to Thy command : Thou art altogether unrivalled. Man having enjoyed himself becometh ashes, and the soul passeth away. However great and wealthy a man may be, the ministers of Death throw a chain on his neck and take him away. There an account of his acts is read ; the Judge on his seat taketh the account and passeth sentence. Such a man shall find no place of shelter ; when he is beaten, who will hear his cries ? Man, blind that thou art, thou hast wasted thy life. SLOK IV Guru Nanak In fear 1 the winds and breezes ever blow ; In fear flow hundreds of thousands of rivers ; In fear fire performeth its forced labour ; In fear the earth is pressed by its burden ; In fear Indar moveth headlong : in fear sitteth Dharmraj at God's gate ; In fear is the sun, in fear the moon ; they travel millions of miles without end ; In fear are the Sidhs, the Budhas, the demigods, and the Naths ; in fear are the stars 2 and the firmament ; In fear are wrestlers, very mighty men and divine heroes ;

In fear cargoes of men come and go. God hath destined fear for every one ; 3 Nanak, the Form less One, the True, is alone without fear. 1 The fear of God is, of course, meant. 2 Addne, from the Sanskrit udugan. The phrase is also translated — In fear is the firmament extended. 3 Literally — God hath written the destiny of fear on the heads of all. Nanak, the Formless One is without fear ; all the Rams were dust. How many stories there are of Krishan ! how many Veds and religious compositions ! l How many beggars dance, and fall, and again beat time ! Actors enter the market-place and draw forth their appliances ; 2 Kings and queens sing and utter nonsense ; 3 They wear earrings worth hundreds of thousands, and necklaces worth hundreds of thousands.4 The body on which they are worn, O Nanak, shall become ashes. Divine knowledge is not sought in mere words ; to speak concerning it were as hard as iron ; By God's grace man obtaineth it ; skill and orders are useless therefor. If the Kind One look with kindness, then is the true Guru obtained.

The soul hath wandered through many births, and now the true Guru hath communicated the Word. There is no benefactor so great as the true Guru ; hear this, all ye people. By meeting the true Guru who hath removed pride from his heart, and who preacheth the Truest of the true, The True One is obtained. Let all the gharis be your milkmaids, and the pahars your Krishans and Gopals 5 : Let wind, water, and fire be your jewels ; and the moon and sun your avatars ; 1 Also translated — How many expound the Veds ! 2 Also translated — draw a crowd around them. This hymn pur ports to give a brief description of the miracle-plays of Ram and Krishan. 3 Literally — speak of the upper and lower regions. 4 Lakh takian. Takd is really a double pice, or about a halfpenny of English money, but in the plural it means money in general. 5 Gopals are herdsmen among whom Krishan used to sport. The whole earth your stage properties and vessels, which are all entanglements. Nanak, they who are devoid of divine knowledge are robbed ; the minister of death hath devoured them.

The disciples play, the gurus dance, Shake their feet, and roll their heads. Dust flieth and falleth on their hair ; 1 The audience beholding laugh and go home. For the sake of food the performers beat time, And dash themselves on the ground. The milkmaids sing, Krishans sing, Sitas and royal Rams sing. Fearless is the Formless One, whose name is true, And whose creation is the whole world. The worshippers on whom God bestoweth kindness worship Him ; Pleasant 2 is the night for those who long for Him in their hearts. By the Guru's instruction to his disciples this knowledge is obtained, That the Kind One saveth those on whom He looketh with favour. Oil-presses, spinning-wheels, hand-mills, potters' wheels, Plates, whirlwinds, many and endless, Tops, churning-staves, threshing-frames turn round ; Birds tumble and take no breath. Men put animals on stakes and whirl them. 0 Nanak, the tumblers are innumerable and endless. In the same way those bound in entanglements are swung round ; Every one danceth according to his own acts — They who dance and laugh shall weep on their departure ; 1 Jhaia is a woman's head of hair. The actors, who in India are generally all men, wear female wigs.

2 Bhini. Literally — dewy; when the atmosphere is calm and the heat not excessive. They cannot fly or obtain supernatural power. Leaping and dancing are human recreations ; Nanak, they who have the fear of God in their hearts have also love. Thy name is the Formless : by repeating it man goeth not to hell. The soul and body are all Thine : what Thou givest man eateth : to say aught else were waste of words. 0 man, if thou desire thine advantage, do good acts and be lowly. Even though thou stave off old age, it shall come to thee in the disguise of death. None may remain when his measure is full. The Musalmans praise the Shariat, read it, and reflect on it ; But God's servants are they who employ themselves in His service in order to behold Him. The Hindus praise the Praised One whose appearance and form are incomparable ; They bathe in holy streams, perform idol-worship and adoration, use x copious incense of sandal. The Jogis meditate on God the Creator, whom they call the Unseen, Whose form is minute, whose name is the Bright One, and who is the image of their bodies.2

In the minds of the generous contentment is produced in their desire to give. Others give, but ask a thousandfold more, and still want the world to honour them. Why mention thieves, adulterers, perjurers, evil and sinful men ? 1 Some suppose kdr to be a noun meaning the lines Hindus draw on the ground to enclose cooking-places, within which others are not admitted. ! The Jogis, when in intensely deep meditation, close their eyes. On opening them and looking upward they suppose that they behold God in their own image in the firmament. Many depart from here after eating what they had amassed in previous births ; l shall they have any business whatever in the next world ? 2 The animals which live in the water, dry land, the four teen worlds, and all creation — What they say Thou alone knowest ; for them too Thou carest. Saith Nanak, the saints hunger to praise Thee ; the true Name is their support. In everlasting joy they abide day and night : may I obtain the dust of the feet of such virtuous men ! Guru Nanak and Shaikh Brahm discussed the question of the disposal of the dead. The Shaik maintained that a man who was burned would either go to hell or not rise at the day of judgement.

The ashes of the Musalman fall into the potter's clod ; Vessels and bricks are fashioned from them ; they cry out as they burn. The poor ashes burn and weep, and sparks fly from them. Nanak, the Creator who made the world, knoweth whether it is better to be burned or buried. Without the true Guru none hath found God : without the true Guru none hath found God. God hath put Himself into the true Guru ; He hath made manifest and proclaimed this. Salvation is ever obtained by meeting the true Guru who hath banished worldly love from within him. Best are the meditations of him who hath fixed his mind on the True One : He hath found the Giver of life to the world. 1 And have done nothing meritorious in this birth. 2 This verse is also translated — Many depart from here after spending what they possessed; had they any other business in this world ? In pride man cometh, in pride he departeth ; In pride is man born, in pride he dieth ; In pride he giveth, in pride he taketh ; In pride he earneth, in pride he spendeth ; In pride man becometh true or false ; In pride man meditateth evil or good ; In pride he goeth to hell or heaven ; In pride he rejoiceth, in pride he mourneth ; In pride he becometh filthy, in pride he is cleansed ; In pride man loseth his caste and race ; In pride are the ignorant, in pride the clever ; In pride one knoweth not the value of deliverance or salvation ;

In pride is mammon and in pride its effect on the heart ; In pride are animals created. When pride is removed, God's gate is seen. Without divine knowledge manworrieth himself by talking. Nanak, the Commander hath thus ordained it ; As man regardeth God, so God regardeth him.1 It is the nature of pride that it produceth pride. This pride is a trammel which subject eth man to repeated transmigration. What is the origin of pride, and by what device shall it depart ? For pride it is ordained that man wander according to his previous acts. Pride is a chronic disease, but there is also a medicine for it in the heart. If God bestow His grace, man shall avail himself of the Guru's instruction ; Saith Nanak, hear, O ye men, in this way trouble shall depart. (a) Treat men according to their acts. (£) Treat others as thou wouldst be treated thyself. Q 2 They who have meditated on God as the truest of the true, have done real worship and are contented ; They have refrained from evil,1 done good deeds, and practised honesty ; They have lived on a little corn and water, and burst the entanglements of the world.

Thou art the great Bestower ; ever Thou givest gifts which increase a quarterfold. They who have magnified the great God have found Him. Men, trees, the banks of sacred streams, clouds, fields, Islands, peoples, countries, continents, the universe, The sources of production from eggs, wombs, the earth, and perspiration, Lakes, mountains, animals — O Nanak, God knoweth their condition. Nanak, God having created animals taketh care of them all. The Creator who created the world hath to take thought for it also. It is the same Creator who made the world who taketh thought for it. To Him be obeisance ; blessings be on Him ! His court is imperishable. Nanak, without the true Name what is a sacrificial mark ? what a sacrificial thread ? Man may perform hundreds of thousands of good acts and deeds, hundreds of thousands of approved charities, Hundreds of thousands of penances at sacred places, sahaj jog 2 in the wilderness, 1 Literally — Have not put their feet into evil. 2 There are two forms of Jog or exercise for the union of the soul with God. Sahaj jog or raj jog is the repetition of God's name with fixed attention and association with the holy, as contradistinguished from the hath jog of Patanjali, the severest and most painful form of a Jogi's austerities.

Hundreds of thousands of braveries, and part with his life in the conflict of battle ; He may study hundreds of thousands of Veds and works of divine knowledge and meditation, and read the Purans — Nanak, these devices would be of no avail ; true is the mark of grace. The Creator who made the world hath decreed trans migration. Thou alone art the true Lord who hath diffused the real truth. He to whom Thou givest obtaineth truth, and he then practiseth it. Man obtaineth truth on meeting the true Guru in whose heart the truth dwelleth. The fool knoweth not truth, and hath wasted his life by obstinacy ; Why hath he come into the world ? SLOK IX Guru Nanak A man may load carts with books ; he may load men with books to take with him ; Books may be put on boats ; pits may be filled with them. A man may read books for months ; he may read them for years ; He may read them for life ; he may read them while he hath breath— Nanak, only one word, God's name, would be of account ; all else would be the senseless discussion of pride.

The more one readeth and writeth, the more is one tor mented ; The more one wandereth on pilgrimages, the more one babbleth ; The more religious garbs man weareth, the more dis comfort he causeth his body. Bear, O my soul, the result of thine own acts. He who eateth not corn 1 hath lost the relish of life. Men suffer much pain through their attachment to mammon. They who wear not clothes suffer terribly day and night. Man ruineth himself by perpetual silence ; how can he who sleepeth in ignorance be awakened without a guru. Even though man go barefooted, he must still suffer for his own acts.2 If a man eat filth, and put ashes on his head, The blind fool loseth respect ; without the Name he obtaineth no abiding place. The ignorant man who dwelleth in the wilderness and at burial and cremation-grounds, knoweth not God and shall afterwards regret. He who meeteth the true Guru and fixeth God's name in his heart, obtaineth comfort. Nanak, he on whom God looketh with favour obtaineth Him. He becometh free from hopes and fears, and destroyeth his pride by means of the Word. The saints, 0 Lord, please Thy heart, adorn Thy gate, and hymn Thy praises.

Nanak, they who are outside Thy favour, find no entrance and wander in many births. Some know not their origin, and have an excessive opinion of themselves. I am a singer of low caste ; others call themselves of high caste. I only beg of those who meditate on Thee3 1 Several faqirs do not eat corn, some go naked, some practise perpetual silence, some go barefooted, some eat filth, £c. 2 The gyanis generally translate — If a man go barefooted, he is merely suffering for his folly. 3 Also translated — I beg for a sight of those who meditate on Thee. SLOK X Guru Nanak 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 waste away and become dust. Man who is false loveth what is false, and forgetteth the Creator. With whom contract friendship ? The whole world passeth away. False is sweetness ; false honey ; in falsehood shiploads are drowned.

Nanak humbly asserteth— except Thee, O God, everything is thoroughly false. Man is known as true when truth is in his heart ; When the filth of falsehood departeth, man washeth his body clean. Man is known as true when he beareth love to the True One ; When the mind is enraptured on hearing the Name, man attaineth the door of salvation. Man shall be known as true when he knoweth the true way; Having prepared the field of the body, put into it the seed of the Creator. Man shall be known as true when he receiveth true instruction ; Let man show mercy to living things and perform some works of charity. Man shall be known as true, when he dwelleth in the pilgrimage of his heart ; Let man after inquiry from the true Guru rest and abide in his own heart ; Truth is the medicine for all ; it removeth and washeth away sin. Nanak maketh supplication to those who are in possession of truth. Be mine the gift of the dust of the saints' feet : if I obtain it, I shall apply it to my forehead. Forsake false covetousness ; concentrate thy mind and meditate on the Unseen One.

Thou shalt obtain a reward in proportion to what thou hast done. If it have been so allotted from the beginning, man shall obtain the dust of the saints' feet. Ruin not thyself with scant service. SLOK XI Guru Nanak There is a dearth of truth ; falsehood prevaileth ; the blackness of this age maketh men demons. They who have sown the seed of the Name have departed with honour ; how can half-seed germinate ? If the seed be whole, it will germinate in the proper season. Nanak, unbleached cloth cannot be dyed without a base. If the body be put into the vat of fear, modesty be made its base, And it be dyed with devotion, O Nanak, there will not be a trace of falsehood in it. Greed and sin are ruler and village accountant ; falsehood is master of the mint. Lust, his minister, summoneth and examineth men, and sitteth in judgement on them. The subjects are blind and without divine knowledge, and satisfy the judge's greed with bribes. Priests dance, play musical instruments, disguise, and decorate themselves ; They shout aloud, sing of battles, and heroes' praises. Fools call themselves pandits and with tricks and cavilling love to amass wealth.

Pretended religious men spoil their religious acts, and yet want the door of salvation ; They call themselves continent, and leave their houses and homes, yet they know not the way. Every one is perfect to himself : no one admitteth himself wanting. If the weight of honour be put into the scale, then, Nanak, man shall appear properly weighed. Man's evil becometh known, O Nanak ; the True One seeth all. Every one maketh endeavours, but it is only what the Creator doeth that taketh place. Caste hath no power in the next world : there is a new order of beings. They whose accounts are honoured are the good. They whom Thou didst so destine from the beginning meditate on Thee, O Lord. There is nothing in the power of creatures ; 0 God, it is Thou who hast created the different worlds. Some Thou blendest with Thyself ; others Thou leadest astray from Thee. Thou art known by the favour of the Guru, through whom Thou revealest Thyself. They who know Thee are easily absorbed in the True One. SLOK XII Guru Nanak Pain is medicine, worldly pleasure a disease ; where there is such pleasure, there is no desire for God.

Thou art the Doer, I do nothing ; if I try to do anything, it cometh to nothing. I am a sacrifice unto Thee ; Thou abides! in Thine omni potence : Thine end cannot be seen. Thy light pervadeth creatures ; creatures are contained in Thy light ; Thou fillest inanimate and animate creation.1 Thou art the true Lord ; beautiful is Thy praise ; he who uttereth it is saved. Nanak uttereth the words of the Creator ; what is to be done God continueth to do. The Jogis deem it their duty to acquire divine knowledge, the Brahmans to read the Veds, The Khatris to exercise bravery, the Sudars to work for others ; But the highest duty of all is to repeat the name of the one God.2 He who knoweth the secret of this Is a bright God himself, and Nanak is his slave. There is one God, the God of all gods, the Supreme God of souls. He who knoweth the secrets of the soul and of God, Is a bright God himself, and Nanak is his slave. Water remaineth if confined in a vessel ; but it cannot remain without a vessel. The mind controlled by divine knowledge is restrained ; but without a guru there can be no divine knowledge.

1 Also translated — Thy power (kala) is inconceivable (a, not, and kalna, to know). The Jogis speak of divine knowledge, the Brahmans of the Veds ; The Khatris of bravery, the Sudars of working for others. All that they speak is concerning the one God. When the literate man is sinful he dcscrvcth punishment ; but punish not the illiterate saint. As man acteth so shall he be described. Play not such a game as shall bring thee defeat on arriving at God's court. The literate and the illiterate shall be judged hereafter ; The headstrong shall be punished in the next world. SLOK XIII Guru Nanak Nanak, this body of ours1 hath one carriage and one driver. They are both changed in every age : the holy man knoweth this. In the Sat age contentment was the carriage, piety the driver in front ; In the Treta age continence was the carriage, strength the driver in front ; In the Dwapar age penance was the carriage, truth the driver in front ; In the Kal age passion 2 is the carriage, falsehood the driver in front. The Sam Ved saith that the Lord is white-robed,3 that men desired truth, abode in truth, and that all were absorbed in truth.

The Rig saith that God's name is everywhere contained, that it is as the sun in heaven ; That by repeating it sins depart, 1 Meru is the large bead in which the two ends of a rosary are joined, without which it is believed that prayers repeated on the rosary are of no avail. Mer sharir here means man's body, which is superior to that of other animals. 2 Agan. Literally — fire. This word is often used for wrath, but Guru Nanak has more often inveighed against avarice or covetousness than against wrath, and perhaps it is the former that is taken as a special attribute of this degenerate age. 3 Sctambar. The Hans or Swan avatar. And that then, Nanak, man obtaineth salvation. The Yajur stateth that Kan Krishan, who was a Yadav, seduced Chandrawal ; That he brought the tree of life for a milkmaid, and amused himself in Bindraban. The Atharv belongeth to the Kal age, when God's name was called Allah. Men then wore blue clothes, and the Turks and Pathans exercised sway. The four Veds are true according to the Hindus ; but if they are read and studied there are found therein four different doctrines ;

When man hath love and devotion and is himself lowly, it is then, O Nanak, he obtaineth salvation. I am a sacrifice to the true Guru by meeting whom the Lord is remembered, Who gave me the salve of divine instruction ; with these eyes I then beheld God in the world. The dealers who leave the Lord and attach themselves to mammon are wrecked. The true Guru is a boat ; few there are who consider this, And those who do he mercifully saveth. SLOK XIV Guru Nanak The simmal-tree of the desert is very tall and very thick. Why should the birds which go to it with hopes depart disappointed ? Because its fruit is insipid, its flowers unwholesome, and its leaves useless. The tree which yieldeth sweet fruit is lowly, O Nanak, but its qualities and virtues are exquisite. Every one boweth to himself ; no one boweth to another. If anything be put into a scale and weighed, the side which descendeth is the heavier.1 J The man who is lowly is the most worthy. The wicked man like a deer-stalker boweth twice more than any one else ; But what availeth bowing the head, if the heart be impure ?

The following hymn was composed by Guru Nanak at Banaras on the occasion of a discussion with the local pandits who pressed him to dress in the style of the Hindus : — You read books, perform your twilight devotions, argue, worship stones, and sit like cranes ; You utter falsehoods as excellent jewels ; you meditate on the Gayatri * three times a day ; You wear necklaces, put sacrificial marks on your fore heads, carry two dhotis, and put towels on your heads. If you knew God's designs, you would know that yours is verily a vain religion. Saith Nanak, verily reflect that without the true Guru you shall not find the way. Some suppose that the following was addressed to Sultan Ibrahim Khan Lodi who it is believed at one time sought to persecute the Guru :— Raiment and pleasing beauty man must leave on earth and depart. Man shall obtain the fruit of the bad or good deeds he hath done : He may have exercised sovereignty to his heart's content, yet must he proceed by the narrow road. He shall be sent naked to hell, which will then appear very formidable to him ; And he shall regret the sins he committed.

The following slok, addressed by Guru Nanak to pandit Hardial, his family priest, when he came to invest him with a janeu, the sacrificial thread of the upper classes of Hindus, has already been given :— 1 Traipal is understood to be for tripada, the gayatri or spell of the Hindus. Make mercy thy cotton, contentment thy thread, con tinence its knot, truth its twist. That would make a janeu for the soul ; if thou have it, O Brahman, then put it on me. It will not break, or become soiled, or be burned, or lost. Blest the man, O Nanak, who goeth with such a thread on his neck. Thou purchasest a janeu for four damris, and seated in a square puttest it on ; Thou whisperest instruction that the Brahman is the guru of the Hindus— Man dieth, the janeu falleth, and the soul depart eth with out it. Though men commit countless thefts, countless adulteries, utter countless falsehoods and countless words of abuse ; Though they commit countless robberies and villanies night and day against their fellow creatures ; Yet the cotton thread is spun, and the Brahman cometh to twist it. For the ceremony they kill a goat and cook and eat it, and everybody then saith ' Put on the janeu '.

When it becometh old, it is thrown away and another is put on. Nanak, the string breaketh not if it be strong. By adoring and praising the Name honour and a true thread are obtained. In this way a sacred thread shall be put on, which will not break, and which will be fit for entrance into God's court. There is no string for the sexual organs, there is no string for women ; There is no string for the impure acts which cause your beards to be daily spat upon. There is no string for the feet, there is no string for the hands, There is no string for the tongue, there is no string for the eyes. Without such strings the Brahman wandereth astray, Twisteth strings for the neck, and putteth them on others. He taketh hire for marrying ; He pulleth out a paper, and showeth the fate of the wedded pair.1 Hear and see, ye people, it is strange That, while mentally blind, man is named wise. He to whom the Lord is compassionate and merciful will do the Master's work. That worshipper whom God causeth to abide by His order, will worship Him. By obeying His order man is acceptable, and shall then reach his Master's court.

He shall act as pleaseth his Master, and obtain the fruit his heart desireth ; And he shall be clothed with a robe of honour in God's court. A man at Lahore presented a cow to a Brahman. The Brahman took her with him, but had not wherewithal to pay toll at the Sultanpur ferry. He was stopped by the Khatri toll-keeper. The latter collected the cow's dung, and at once set about plastering his cooking-place therewith. Mardana went towards him, but was ordered off, lest he should defile the toll-keeper's cooking-place. Upon this Guru Nanak uttered the following:— Thou takest toll for a cow and a Brahman, the cowdung will not save thee. Thou wearest a dhoti 2 and a frontal mark, and earnest a rosary, yet thou eatest the bread of malechhas. 1 That is, he draws a horoscope. - Dhoti is a cloth tied round the loins, the Latin sulligacuhim. Thou performest the Hindu worship at home, thou readest the Quran in public, and associatest with Muhammadans,1 O my brother. Lay aside hypocrisy, repeat God's name, and thou shalt be saved. They who have strings on their necks eat men, recite the Muhammadan prayers, And use knives to cut men's throats.2

Although the Brahmans sound shells in their houses, And enjoy their viands as they do themselves ; 3 Yet false is their capital and false their dealings. By uttering falsehood they maintain themselves. Far from them is the abode of bashfulness and honesty : Nanak, falsehood everywhere prevaileth. On their foreheads are sacrificial marks ; on their waists reddish 4 dhotis ; And in their hands knives ; they are the world's butchers. Putting on blue clothes, they are acceptable in the Muhammadans' court, And, while taking bread from the malechhas, worship the Purans. They eat he-goats killed with unspeakable words,5 And allow no one to enter their cooking squares. Having smeared a space they draw lines around it, And sit within, false that they are, Saying, ' Touch not ! O touch not ! « Or this food of ours will be defiled.' But their bodies are defiled ; what they do is defiled ; 1 Also translated — Thou actest like Muhammadans. 2 Also translated — They who read prayers devour men, and they who wear strings on their necks ply knives. 3 According to the holy books of the Hindus, Brahmans should not eat in the houses of men who recite Muhammadan prayers.

4 Kdkhdi, reddish, or partially soiled from frequent washing. The word is also applied to the tucking in of a dhoti in a particular way. 5 The Muhammadan expression Bismillah (in the name of God), used when slaughtering animals as well as on other occasions. It is, of course, unacceptable to Hindus. Their hearts are false while they perform ablutions after their meals. Saith Nanak, meditate on the True One ; If thou art pure, thou shalt obtain Him. PAURI XVI All are within Thy ken, O Lord ; Thou seest all, and Thou movest them beneath Thy glance. God himself bestoweth greatness ; He Himself causeth men to do good works. He is the greatest of the great ; great is His world ; He appoint eth all men to their respective duties. If He cast a backward glance, He maketh monarchs as grass ; l They may beg from door to door and receive no alms. Guru Nanak composed the following slok on being invited by a dishonest shopkeeper to attend a shradh, or religious service, for his deceased father:— If a robber break a house and sacrifice the fruits of that robbery to his ancestors, The sacrifice shall be known in the next world, and make out the ancestors to be thieves.

The hand of the Brahman go-between shall be cut off ; thus will God do justice. Nanak, it is only the fruit of what man giveth from his earnings and toil that shall be obtained in the next world. As a woman hath her recurring courses, so falsehood dwelleth in the mouth of the false one, and he is ever despised. He should not be called pure who sitteth and washeth his body ; Rather is he pure, Nanak, in whose heart God dwelleth. 1 Ghdh. Generally translated ' grass-cutters ' by the gyanis : a third interpretation too is current. In former times men of position appeared before conquerors with grass in their mouths, implying that they were the conquerors' cows whose lives should be saved. Accordingly, the phrase is also translated — and He would cause kings to put grass in their mouths. Caparisoned horses fleet as the wind and women adorned with every aid to beauty 1 — Men fix their hearts on them, dwell in mansions, pavilions and palaces, and make display ; They enjoy pleasures to their hearts' content ; but they know not God and therefore fail. They live by their authority, and, beholding their women's chambers, forget death ;

But old age shall come and youth fail them. A rich man gave a feast to which Guru Nanak and several Brahmans were invited. During the feast a child was born in the house, whereupon the Brahmans refused food and departed, deeming the house impure. Guru Nanak remonstrated with the following : — If the idea of impurity be admitted, there is impurity in everything. There are worms in cow-dung2 and in wood ; There is no grain of corn without life. In the first place, there is life in water by which everything is made green. How shall we avoid impurity ? It falleth on our kitchens. Saith Nanak, impurity is not thus washed away : it is washed away by divine knowledge.3 Impurity of the heart is greed, impurity of the tongue is falsehood ; Impurity of the eyes is gazing on another's wealth, his wife, and her beauty ; Impurity of the ears is listening to slander. 1 Har rangi. Literally — with every colour. 2 In India cow-dung, besides being used for religious purposes, is ordinarily used as fuel by poor people. 3 In the current Janamsakhis it is stated that this slok was composed on the proposed purification of the Guru's house after the birth of his son, Sri Chand.

Nanak, even the pretended saint who practiseth such things, shall go bound to hell. All impurity consisteth in superstition and attachment to worldly things. Birth and death are ordained ; as it pleaseth God, we come and go. The eating and drinking which God sent as sustenance are pure. Nanak, the pious persons who know God have no impurity. Magnify and praise the True Guru in whom there is all greatness. If the Guru cause us to meet God, we shall behold His greatness. If it please the Guru, he will cause God's praises to dwell in the heart. He putteth his hand on our foreheads ; and when he giveth the order, removeth evil from within us. When God is pleased the nine treasures are obtained. The Brahman having first purified himself sitteth in a purified square. The purified food is placed before him ; no one may touch it. Being thus purified, he beginneth to eat and read Sanskrit verses. If it is thrown into a filthy place ; whose fault is that ? The corn was holy, the water was holy, the fire and salt were holy ; when the fifth ingredient, ghi,1 was added, Then the food became holy.

When the food entereth a sinful body, it bccomcth impure as if spat upon. The mouth which uttereth not the Name, and eateth even delicacies without the Name, Consider, O Nanak, as if spat upon. 1 Clarified butter, always deemed pure by Hindus and kindred sects. The following was Guru Nanak's remonstrance to a man who reviled the female sex : — In a vessel1 man is conceived, from a vessel he is born, with a vessel he is betrothed and married. With a vessel he contracteth friendship ; with a vessel he goeth through the world. When one vessel dieth, another is sought for ; to a vessel he is bound. Why call her bad from whom are born kings ? From a vessel a vessel is born ; none may exist without a vessel. Nanak, only the one True God is independent of a vessel. The mouth which ever praiseth Him2 is fortunate and beautiful. Nanak, that face shall be bright in the court of the True One. Every one calleth Thee his own, O Lord ; those who do not so call Thee Thou puttest away. Every one must bear the result of his own acts, and adjust his own account.

Since ye are not to remain in this world, why practise ye pride ? Call no one bad ; know this by reading these words. Dispute not with a fool. Nanak, the mind and body of him who talketh evil are evil : He is most evil, and most evil is his reputation. The evil person is rejected in God's court ; his face is spat upon. The evil person is a fool, and receiveth shoe-beatings as punishment. 1 Woman is meant. The Greeks sometimes used the word O-KCUOS in the same sense. 2 Some suppose that woman is the missing word here, as the pre ceding part of the slok is a defence of women, not a eulogy of God. If a man, foul within and fair without, puff himself up in the world, His filth will not depart even though he bathe at the sixtyeight places of pilgrimage. They who wear silk within and rags without, are good in this world. They have conceived love for God and contemplate beholding Him. In God's love they weep, in God's love they laugh, or are even silent. They care not for anything except the true Master. They beg for food at God's door, and only eat when He giveth it to them.

For them there is but one court as there is but one pen ; l we and you shall meet for justice. The accounts of the wicked shall be examined in God's court, and they shall be pressed, O Nanak, like oil in a mill.2 Thou Thyself didst create the world, and Thou Thyself didst infuse power into it. Thou beholdest Thine own work, the losing and winning dice 3 upon earth. Whatever hath come shall depart ; his turn shall come to every one. Why forget that Lord who owneth life and soul With thine own hands arrange thine own affairs. 1 That is, there is no mediator between God and man. It is God Himself who decides man's fate. 2 This with half the last line is also translated — They who confound meum and tuum shall have their accounts examined in God's court, and shall be pressed, O Nanak, like oil in a mill. 3 That is, the sinners and the virtuous. The game of chausar or chaupar is played with sixteen pieces, called saris, and three dice, called pasa. The saris while being moved round the board, like creatures in transmigration, are called kachi, unripe ; when they reach their goal, they are called pakki\ or ripe.

SLOK XXI Guru Angad What love is that which attacheth itself to worldly things ? Nanak, call him a lover who is ever absorbed in God. He who deemeth what is good good, and what is bad bad, Shall not be called a true lover if he proceed in this manner.1 He who offereth salutation and at the same time criticizeth God's works, hath made a mistake from the beginning. Both his salutation and criticism are in vain ; Nanak, such a person shall not obtain a place in God's court. Ever remember that Lord by worshipping whom thou shalt find happiness. Why hast thou done such evil deeds as thou shalt suffer for? Do absolutely nothing evil, look well before thee ; So throw the dice that thou mayest not lose with the Lord, Nay, that thou mayest gain some profit. SLOK XXII Guru Angad When a servant while performing service is proud and quarrelsome besides, And talketh too much, he pleaseth not his master. If he efface himself and perform service, he shall obtain some honour. Nanak, he who longeth for God shall meet Him, and his longing shall be acceptable. 1 He shall not be called a lover, if he rail at God in adversity. This idea often occurs in Oriental poetry.

What a man hath in his heart cometh forth ; lip-worship is of no avail. Man soweth poison and expecteth ambrosia ; behold that for justice ! Contracting friendship with a fool would never be pro fitable. He acteth according to his understanding : let any one see and inquire into this. One thing can be put into a vessel if another be first removed.1 Commands will not succeed with God ; supplications must be addressed to Him. By practising falsehood falsehood is obtained : Nanak, there is pleasure in praising God. Friendship for a fool and love for a great man Are like lines drawn on water, which leave neither trace nor mark. If a man be a fool and do anything, he cannot do it well ; Even though he do one or two things well, he will spoil the rest. If the servant who is employed in service act according to his master's wishes, His honour is all the more, and he receiveth double wages. If he vie with his master, he will excite his jealousy, Lose his large salary, and receive shoe-beating on the mouth. Thank Him by whose gifts thou liveth Nanak, commands will not succeed with Him ; the Master must be implored.

1 The love of God will enter man's heart if he first expel worldly love. SLOK XXIII Guru Angad What sort of gift is that which we obtain by our own asking ? Nanak, wonderful is the gift we obtain when the Lord is pleased. What sort of service is that in which the fear of the master departeth not ? l Nanak, he is called a servant who is absorbed in the love of his master. Nanak, God's end is not seen, nor hath He a thither or a hither side. He Himself createth, and He Himself again destroyeth. Some have chains on their necks, and some ride on many horses. It is God who causeth to act and who acteth Himself ; to whom else shall we complain ? Nanak, it is for Him who made the world to take care of it. SLOK XXIV Guru Nanak It is God Himself who made vessels 2 and He Himself who filleth them. In some is contained milk ; 3 others are put over the fire. Some sleep on mattresses, and others stand and watch over them. Nanak, God regenerateth those on whom He looketh with favour. That is, when perfect understanding does not exist between master and servant, and the service is performed without love.

Here the word bhande means human beings generally. s That is, God's love, milk being deemed pure. God Himself arrangeth, He Himself putteth what He hath made into its proper place ; Having in this world created animals, He Himself beholdeth their birth and death. Whom shall we address, O Nanak, since God doeth every thing Himself ? The greatness of the great God cannot be expressed ; He is the Creator, the Omnipotent, the Bounteous ; He provideth His creatures with sustenance. Man must do the work which God destined for him from the beginning. Nanak, except in the one God alone there is no abiding place. He doeth what He pleaseth. WHAT is that gate, what is that mansion where Thou, O God, sittest and watchest over all things ? How many various and countless instruments of Thine are played ! How many Thy musicians, How many Thy musical measures with their consorts, and how many singers sing Thee ! Wind, water, fire sing Thee ; Dharmraj singeth at Thy gate; The recording angels, who know how to write, and on whose record Dharmraj judgeth, sing Thee ; Ishar, Brahma, and Devi, ever beautiful as adorned by Thee, sing Thee ;

Indar seated on his throne and the gods at Thy gate sing Thee ; Sidhs in meditation sing Thee ; holy men in contempla tion sing Thee ; The continent, the true, and the patient sing Thee ; un yielding heroes sing Thee. The Pandits and the supreme Rikhis, reading their Veds, sing Thee in every age. The lovely celestial maids who beguile the heart in the upper, middle, and nether regions sing Thee. 1 The Rahiras is a collection of hymns by Guru Nanak, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, and Guru Arjan. It is recited by the Sikhs as divine service at sunset. 2 The following hymn is so called because in the original it thus begins. The jewels created by Thee with the sixty-eight places of Hindu pilgrimage sing Thee. Mighty warriors and heroes sing Thee ; the four sources of life sing Thee. The continents, the worlds, and the universe made and supported by Thy hands sing Thee. 0 God, the saints who please Thee and who are imbued with Thy love sing Thee. The many others who sing Thee I cannot remember ; how could Nanak recount them ? That God is ever true, He is the true Lord, and the true Name.

He who made this world is, was, and shall be ; he shall neither be born nor die. He who created things of different colours, descriptions, and species, Beholdeth His handiwork which attesteth His greatness. He will do what pleaseth Himself ; no order may be issued to Him to the contrary. He is King, the King of kings, O Nanak ; all remain subject to His will. As men have heard so all call Thee great ; But hath any one ever seen how great Thou art ? Thy worth cannot be estimated or described ; They who seek to describe it are absorbed in Thee O my great Lord, deep and profound, brimful of excel lences, None knoweth the extent of Thine outline. Though all meditative men were to meet and meditate upon Thee, Though all appraisers were to meet and appraise Thee— They who possess divine and spiritual wisdom, priests and high priests — Yet they could not describe even a small portion of Thy greatness. All truth, all fervour, all goodness, The excellences of perfect men, Cannot be obtained in their perfection without Thee. If Thy grace be obtained none can be excluded ; Of what account is the helpless speaker ?

Thy storerooms are filled with Thy praises. Who can prevail against him to whom Thou givest ? Nanak, the True One arrangeth all. If I repeat the Name, I live ; if I forget it, I die ; It is difficult to repeat the true Name. If man hunger after the true Name, His pain shall depart when he satisfieth himself with it. Then how could I forget it, O my mother ? True is the Lord, true is His name. Men have grown weary of uttering Even an iota of His greatness ; His worth they have not discovered. If all men joined and tried to describe Him, That would not add to or detract from His greatness. God dieth not, neither is there any mourning for Him ; He continueth to give us our daily bread which never faileth. His praise is — that there neither is, Nor was, nor shall be any one like unto Him. As great as Thou art Thyself, O God, so great are Thy gifts. Thou who madest the day madest also the night They who forget their Spouse are evil persons : Nanak, without His name they are naught. O servants of God and the true Guru, the true Being, offer this supplication unto Him.

We insects and worms seek thy protection, O true Guru ; mercifully enlighten us with the Name ; My friend and divine Guru, enlighten me with God's name. Under the Guru's instruction, the Name is the helper of my soul ; singing God's praises is my occupation. Exceedingly fortunate are the men of God who have faith in Him and thirst for Him : On obtaining the name of God, they are satisfied ; when men meet the company of the saints, God's attributes are known. They who obtain not the relish of God's name are unfor tunate, and shall go to the god of death. Curses on the lives, curses on the hopes of living, of those who enter not the true Guru's protection and society ! l The saints who have obtained the society of the true Guru are those on whose foreheads it was so written from the beginning. Blest is that true society, Nanak, by meeting which the relish of God is obtained, and the Name manifested. GURU ARJAN, RAG GujARi2 O my soul, why proposest thou exertion3 when God Himself is engaged in effort for thee ? He even putteth their food before the insects which He created in rocks and stones.

1 Also translated — They who enter not the true Guru's protection and society have lived and shall live accursed. 2 It is said that on one occasion there was scarcity in Guru Arjan's langar khdna, or supply depot for holy men and mendicants. When the Guru's servants were making excessive efforts to collect provisions, he composed the following/br the special occasion. It should not be understood from this hymn that the Guru discountenanced labour or exertion. The Guru himself was most active in his ministrations, in his poetical work, and in his compilation in one great volume of the compositions of his predecessors and of the most famous mediaeval Indian saints. He wrote — O man, by striving and earning enjoy happiness ; Nanak, by meditating on God, meet Him and thine anxieties shall vanish. So also Guru Nanak — They who eat the fruit of their labour and bestow some portion, O Nanak, recognize the right way. 3 Also translated- O man, why feelest thou anxiety ? O my God, they who meet the society of the saints are saved. Through the favour of the Guru they obtain the highest rank ; though they be as dry wood, they are made green.

No one can rely on mother, father, friends, children, or wives. God provideth every one with his daily food ; why, O man, art thou afraid ? The kulang flieth away hundreds of miles, leaving her young behind her. Who feedeth them ? Who giveth them morsels to peck at ? Have you not considered this ? God holdeth in the palm of His hand all treasures and the eighteen supernatural powers. Nanak is ever a sacrifice unto Thee ; O God, Thou hast no end or bounds. That Being is pure, God is the pure Being, God is alto gether inaccessible and illimitable. All meditate on Thee ; all meditate on Thee ; O God, Thou art the true Creator. All creatures are Thine ; Thou providest for them all. 0 saints, meditate on God who causeth all misery to be forgotten. God Himself is the Lord, God Himself is the worshipper ; 2 Nanak, what a helpless creature is man ! Thou, O God, the one Supreme Being, art fully contained in every heart and pervadest everything. Some men are givers, some beggars ; all are Thy wondrous sport. Thou Thyself art the Giver ; Thou art the Enjoyer ; I know none beside Thee.

1 The following hymn is so known as these are its first words. 2 On the principle that God is everywhere and in every creature. Thou art the totally infinite Supreme Being ; what attri butes of Thine shall I recount ? The slave Nanak is a sacrifice unto those who serve Thee, unto those who serve Thee. They who meditate on Thee, who meditate on Thee, O God, abide in happiness in this age. They who meditate on God are emancipated, are emanci pated, my friend ; for them Death's noose is broken. All fear hath departed from those who have meditated on the fearless, the fearless God. They who have worshipped, who have worshipped my God, are absorbed in Him. Blest, blest are they who have meditated on God ; the slave Nanak will become a sacrifice unto them. O Infinite One, Thine infinite storehouses are filled with Thy worship, Thy worship. O Infinite One, many are Thy saints, many are Thy saints who praise Thee. They offer various, various worship to Thee, O God ; they practise austerities and repeat Thy name, O endless One. Various, various saints of Thine read many Simritis and Shastars, perform their daily duties and the six acts prescribed for Brahmans ; l

But only they are saints, good saints, saith Nanak, who please God, the Omnipotent. Thou art the primal Being, the illimitable Creator ; there is none so great as Thou. Thou art the same in every age ; Thou art ever and ever the same ; Thou art the eternal Creator. What pleaseth Thee prevaileth ; what Thou doest cometh to pass. Thou Thyself didst fashion the whole creation, yet, being created, it shall disappear.2 Nanak singeth the praises of the Creator who knoweth all things. 1 Reading the Veds, expounding them, making sacrifice, assisting others in doing the same, receiving alms and giving them to other Brahmans. 2 Only God Himself is permanent. Thou art the true Creator, my Lord. What pleaseth Thee shall come to pass ; what Thou givest I shall receive. Everything is Thine : all meditate on Thee. They to whom Thou showest kindness, obtain the jewel of Thy name. The pious 1 have gained, and the perverse have lost it. Thou Thyself hast separated these and blended those with Thee. Thou art an ocean : all are contained in Thee. There is none beside Thee. All living creatures are Thy play. When Thou didst desire separation, they who had met Thee were separated from Thee ; when Thou didst desire union, Thou didst blend them with Thyself.2

That saint whom Thou causest to know Thee shall know Thee. And ever dwell on Thy praises. They who have served God have found happiness, And have become easily absorbed in His name. Thou Thyself art the Creator ; everything that is made is Thine ; There is none beside Thee ; Thou beholdest and knowest Thy handiwork. The slave Nanak saith, under the Guru's instruction Thou becomest manifest. Man hath obtained a dwelling in that tank 3 whose water God hath made as hot as fire. Man's feet cannot move in the mire of worldly love ; we have seen him drowning therein. 1 Gurumukh, literally — they who follow the Guru's instruction. 2 Also translated — Those separated from the saints Thou didst separate from Thee ; those united with them Thou didst blend with Thyself. 3 That is, the world. 0 foolish man, thou hast not thought of the one God in thy heart ; Through forgetfulness of Him thy virtues have melted away. 1 am not continent, or true, or learned ; I was born a stupid fool. Nanak representeth, he hath sought the shelter of those who forget Thee not, 0 God. Since thou hast now obtained a human body 0 man,

It is time for thee to meet God ; All else that thou doest is of no avail ; Join the company of the saints and only repeat God's name ; Apply thyself to preparation for crossing the terrible ocean. Thy life is vainly passing in worldly love ; Thou hast not repeated God's name, performed penance, austerities, or other religious works ; Thou hast not served holy men or known God. Nanak saith, base have been mine acts ; Preserve mine honour who have taken shelter in Thee. IN the house in which God's praise is sung and He is meditated on, Sing the Sohila and remember the Creator. Sing the Sohila of my Fearless Lord ; I am a sacrifice to that song of joy by which everlasting comfort is obtained. Ever and ever living things are watched over ; the Giver regardeth their wants. When even Thy gifts cannot be appraised, who can ap praise the Giver ? The year and the auspicious time for marriage are re corded ; relations meet and pour oil on me the bride. O my friends, pray for me that I may meet my Lord. This message is ever sent to every house : such invitations are ever issued.

Remember the Caller ; Nanak, the day is approaching. There are six schools of philosophy, six teachers, and six doctrines. The Guru of gurus is but one, though He hath various forms. 0 father, preserve the system In which the Creator is praised ; 2 that will redound to thy glory. As there is one sun and many seasons, In which there are wisas, chasas, gharis, pahars, lunar and week days, and months ; 1 The collection of hymns called Sohila is repeated at bedtime by pious Sikhs. It consists of three hymns of Guru Nanak, one of Guru Ram Das, and one of Guru Arjan. The word Sohila is derived from sowan wela meaning in the Panjabi language the time for sleep. 2 The meaning is that Guru Nanak rejects the Hindu systems. So O Nanak, there is but one God, although His forms are many. The sun and moon, 0 Lord, are Thy lamps ; the firmament Thy salver ; the orbs of the stars the pearls enchased in it. The perfume of the sandal is Thine incense, the wind is Thy fan, all the forests are Thy flowers, O Lord of light. What worship is this, O Thou Destroyer of birth ? Unbeaten strains of ecstasy are the trumpets of Thy worship.

Thou hast a thousand eyes and yet not one eye ; Thou hast a thousand forms and yet not one form ; Thou hast a thousand stainless 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 worship. 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 favour to the sarang Nanak, so that he may dwell in Thy name. The city * is greatly filled with lust and wrath ; but these are destroyed on meeting the saints. By predestination the Guru is found, and the soul is ab sorbed in the region of God's love. Salute the saint with clasped hands — this is a greatly meritorious act. Prostrate thyself before him — this is a greatly religious act. The infidel knoweth not the taste of God's essence ; he beareth the thorn of pride in his heart.

The more he moveth, the more it pricketh him, and the more pain he feeleth : his head shall feel death's mace. 1 The body. S 2 The saints of God are absorbed in God's name, and have destroyed the pain and fear of transmigration. They have found God the imperishable Being, and great honour is theirs in the earth's continents and the universe. 0 God, we poor, and wretched, are Thine ; preserve us, preserve us, Thou greatest of the great ! The Name is Nanak's support and prop ; I have obtained happiness through being absorbed only in God's name. 1 pray you hear me, my friends, it is time to serve the saints. Earn here the profit of God's name, and in the next world ye shall abide in happiness. Human life groweth shorter every day and night ; O man, meet the Guru and arrange thine affairs. This world is involved in wickedness and superstition ; they who know God are saved. He whom God awakeneth and causeth to drink the essence of His word, knoweth the story of the Ineffable.1 Purchase that 2 for which thou hast come into the world, and God by the Guru's favour will dwell in thy heart.

Thou shalt find a home with comfort and peace in God's own palace, and not return again to this world. 0 God, Searcher of hearts, Arranger,3 fulfil the desires of my heart. The slave Nanak craveth the happiness of being made the dust, of the saints' feet. 1 This and the concluding portion of the preceding line are also translated — He whom the saint who knoweth God awakeneth, shall be saved, And shall quaff the essence of God's name : it is he who knoweth the story of the Ineffable. 3 The gyanis often translate Bidhata— He who gives man the fruit of his acts. The third Guru uses the expression in the same sense. THE following was addressed to a man addicted to intoxicants : — The Giver gave man a pill of the intoxicant illusion. In his intoxication he forgot death and enjoyed pleasure for four days. The abstainers 1 obtained truth to keep them in God's court. Nanak, know the True One alone as true. By serving Him man obtaineth happiness and proceedeth with honour to His court. The true wine is that which containeth the true Name ; it is prepared without molasses. I am a sacrifice unto those who hear and explain this.

Man is known as properly intoxicated when he obtaineth a place in God's court. Bathe in the water of virtues ; apply the perfume of truth to thy body ; Then shall thy face become bright, and the One Giver bestow hundreds of thousands of gifts on ihee. Inform God, with whom resteth happiness, of thine unhappiness. Why forget Him who owneth thy soul and life ? All clothing and food are impure without Him. All else is false ; what pleaseth Thee, O God, is accept able. A Sikh called Prema asked the Guru where God resided, in what state He dwelt, and how He 1 Sofiiin. These must not be confounded with the Sufis of Persia whose predilections are in the opposite direction. By abstainers are here meant the truthful. could be found. The following was the Guru's reply :— The virtues of the virtuous woman are blazoned abroad ; she who is not virtuous regretteth it. O woman, if thou desire thy Spouse, practise truth. He cannot be obtained by falsehood. No boat or raft will take thee to the distant Beloved. My Lord is perfect ; His throne is secure. He whom the perfect Guru maketh holy, shall obtain the True and unrivalled One.

God's palace is beautiful ; it is adorned with bright gems, rubies, Pearls, and diamonds ; it is surrounded by a golden fortress, and is an abode of pleasure. How shall I scale the fortress without a ladder ? By meditating on God through the Guru I shall behold Him. The Guru giving me God's name is my ladder, my boat, and my raft ; The Guru is the lake, the sea, and the boat ; the Guru is the sacred stream. If it please God, I shall go to bathe in the true tank x and become pure. He is called the most perfect ; He reposeth on a perfect throne. His seat is perfectly beautiful ; He fulfilleth the hopes of the hopeless. Nanak, if man obtain the Perfect One how can his virtues decrease ? A man can only find favour with God by devotion : — Accursed is her life who is separated from her Spouse ; she is ruined by mammon. Like a wall impregnated with kallar she crumbleth down day and night. She obtaineth no rest without the Word ; without her Beloved her grief departeth not. O woman, what are thine adornments without thy Spouse? 1 The Guru is meant.

Thou shalt not obtain entrance into God's court ; being false thou shalt be despised. The Lord is wise and forgetteth not : He is true and a great husbandman. He first prepareth the ground,1 then soweth the seed of the true Name. From the name of the one God the nine treasures are produced, and man obtaineth the marks 2 of His favour. What shall be the condition of him who accepteth not the Guru's doctrine ? The blind 3 man hath forgotten the Name ; the perverse is stone-blind. His transmigration shall cease not ; he shall be ruined by death and birth. Woman may buy sandal, kungu,4 and red lead for the partings of her hair, Distilled aloe wood, sandal, betel, and camphor in great quantities ; Yet, if she please not her Spouse, all her preparations are vain : All her enjoyments are vain, and all her adornments are useless. Until she is permeated by the Word, how shall she obtain honour at God's court ? Nanak, blest is the woman who loveth her Spouse. The Guru's idea of creation :— From the True One proceedeth air, from air water. And from water the three worlds ; light was infused into every heart.

The Pure One becometh not impure : he who is imbued with the Word obtaineth honour. Guru Nanak composed the following after a con- 1 That is, man's heart. 2 A reference to the thappds, or marks, put on crops before being divided among the partners of the land. 3 That is, spiritually blind. 4 A red composition, principally of saffron, used by women to ornament their foreheads. versation with Samangir, a Sanyasi, at Talwandi. The Guru maintained the excellence of his own system and the advantage of repeating God's name obtained from the Gurii :— If I turn myself into a woman, the Enjoy er will enjoy me. Love not that which appeareth transient. The Spouse enjoyeth on His couch the pious virtuous wife. Having under the Guru's instruction obtained God's name as the water, quench the four fires.1 The lotus of the heart shall then bloom, and thou shalt be completely satiated with nectar. Nanak, make the true Guru thy friend, and thou shalt obtain happiness 2 in God's court. The following is a homily addressed to a trader called Ramu whom the Guru met at Kartarpur : — Trade, O trader, and take care of thy merchandise. Buy such goods as shall depart with thee. In the next world is a wise Merchant who will be careful in selecting the real article.

0 my brother, utter God's name with attention. Take with thee God's praise as thy merchandise, so that, when the Merchant seeth it, He shall be satisfied. How shall they whose wares are not genuine, be happy ? By trading in counterfeit goods the soul and body become counterfeit. Like a deer snared in a noose, such a trader shall suffer great misery and ever lament. The counterfeit shall not be received in the great God's treasury, and they shall not behold Him. The counterfeit have neither caste nor honour ; the counterfeit are none of them acceptable. The counterfeit who do counterfeit work, shall lose their honour in transmigration. 1 The four fires are — hinsa, cruelty ; moh, worldly love ; krodh, anger ; and lobh, avarice. 2 Sack, literally truth, but in the compositions of the Gurus the word often means happiness. Nanak, instruct thy heart by the Guru's word and advice. They who are imbued with the love of God's name have no load of sin and no superstition. They in whose hearts God dwelleth are without fear, and great shall be their gain by repeating His name. The omnipresence of God :— He Himself is the Relisher ; He Himself is the relish ; He Himself is the Enjoyer ;

He Himself is the robe ; He Himself the couch and the Spouse — My Lord, who is dyed with love, pervadeth everything— He Himself is the fisherman and the fish ; He Himself is the water and the net. He Himself is the lead of the net ; He Himself is the bait within it. 0 my friends, my Darling is in every way playful. He ever enjoyeth the virtuous wife ; see what a state is mine ! 1 Nanak representeth, Thou art the lake, and Thou art the swan ; Thou art the lotus and the water lily, Thou art pleased on beholding them.2 The following was a remonstrance to a Mulla and a Qazi who had entered on a discussion with the Guru : — He is the Lord who hath caused the garden of the world to flourish 3 and grow green, And who restraineth sea and land ; hail to the Creator ! Thou must die, O Mulla, thou must die. By all means fear the Creator. 1 Who, not being virtuous, am divorced from God. 2 The lotus opens its leaves by day and the water-lily by night. God is the sun and moon which behold them by day and night alternately.

3 Maula, a name of God in Arabic. The Hindi verb maulna means to bloom or blossom. There is in the original a pun on the word. Thou art a Mulla or a Qazi only when thou really knowest God's name. Even if thou be very learned thou must depart ; none may remain when his measure of life is full. He is a Qazi who hath renounced pride, and made the name of God alone his support. He is, was, and shall be : He was not born, neither shall He die ; True is the Creator.1 Thou prayest five times a day, and readest thy Quran and holy books. Nanak saith, when the grave calleth, man shall cease to drink and eat. The following was composed in a devotional paroxysm. Some suppose that it was uttered at Makka in reply to Qazis who had asked the Guru to tell them of the God he adored :— Persuade thy heart to sing God's name with every breath thou drawest.2 How great is He to whom one playeth and singeth, and where doth He dwell ? All Thy eulogists continue to praise Thee with affection. Father, God is inaccessible and endless.

Pure is the Name ; pure is the place of the true Cherisher. How great Thy sovereignty is cannot be known ; no one knoweth how to describe it. If a hundred poets were to be found, they could not describe a particle of it, though they sang their utmost.3 Nobody hath found Thy worth ; every one as he hath heard describeth Thy glory. Priests, prophets, saints, faithful men, martyrs, Shaikhs, Strivers, Qazis, Mullas, Darweshes who have arrived at God's gate, L True here apparently means abiding, eternal. 2 Also translated — As far as it can fix its attention. 3 Literally — even though they cried over it. Obtain further blessings if they continue to recite God's praises. He consulteth no one when He createth ; He consulteth no one when He destroyeth ; He consulteth no one when He giveth or taketh. He knoweth His own might ; He acteth and causeth others to act. He beholdeth all men with favour, and bestoweth on those who please Him. Neither His place nor His name is known, nor how great His name is among other names. How great is that place where my Sovereign dwelleth ! None can reach it ; of whom shall I inquire the way ?

High or low caste influenceth not God when He maketh any one great. Greatness is in the hands of the Great One ; He giveth to whom He pleaseth. He regenerateth man by His order without any delay. Everybody crieth ' Give me much, much ', in the hope of getting it. How great shall the Giver be called who giveth countless gifts ! Nanak saith, 0 God, Thy storehouses are full in every age, and never is there a deficiency. It is said that a Qazi and a pandit asked the Guru how man could find God and be blended with Him. The following was the reply :— All are wives of the Spouse and adorn themselves for Him. In trumpery red dresses have they come for His in spection.1 Love is not obtained by hypocrisy ; counterfeit gilding degradeth. In this way God the Spouse shall enjoy the wife. The good wife is pleasing to Thee, O Lord ; of Thy favour Thou decoratest her. 1 Literally — to be counted by Him. She is decorated with the Guru's word ; her body and soul are with her Beloved. With hands clasped she standeth waiting on Him, and offereth Him true supplication.

She is imbued with the love of her Darling ; she dwelleth in fear of the True One ; and, when dyed with His love, her colour is the true one. She is called the handmaiden of the Beloved, and answereth to the name of Lali.1 Her true affection is not sundered ; the True One blendeth her with Himself. Her soul is imbued and saturated with the Word ; I am ever a sacrifice unto her. She who is absorbed in the True Guru, shall not sit down a widow. Her Beloved is an abode of pleasure ever young and true ; He neither dieth nor is born. He ever enjoy eth His virtuous wife, and casteth true glances on her as she obey eth Him. She maketh truth the parting of her hair, and love her dress and ornaments. She maketh the indwelling 2 of God her sandal, and the tenth gate her chamber. She lighteth the lamp of the Word, and weareth God's name as her necklet. She weareth on her forehead the jewel of love, and she is beautiful among women. Her beauty and wisdom are charming, and true is her infinite love. She knoweth no man but her Beloved ; it is only for the True Guru she feeleth love and affection.

But thou who art reckless on a dark night,3 how shalt thou pass it without the Beloved ? Thy bosom shall burn, thy body shall burn, and thy mind shall burn, O woman. L The jewel or precious one. 2 Chit wasaia ; also translated — mental restraint. 3 In spiritual ignorance. When woman enjoyeth not her Husband, her youth passct li in vain. Her Husband is on the couch ; his wife sleepeth and knoweth not His presence. While I sleep, the Beloved awaketh ; whom shall I go to consult ? l Nanak, the true Guru, having taught me love, hath caused me to meet God, and 1 abide in His fear. The mind is impure until it receives instruction from a true religious teacher :— When the mind is impure the body is impure, and the tongue impure. The mouth is impure by uttering impurity ; how shall it be made pure ? The heart cannot be cleansed without the Word ; from the True One truth is obtained. O girl, what happiness is there without virtue ? Brahmans read books aloud, but understand not their meaning. They give instruction to others as a business matter. They wander about the world preaching falsehood ; while they who abide by the Word are the best.

How many pandits and astrologers study the Veds ! They glorify battles and enmities,2 but from quarrels rcsulteth transmigration. However much they tell and preach what they have heard, man shall not be freed from his sins without the Guru. All call themselves virtuous, but I possess no virtue. Beautiful is the woman who hath God for her Spouse ; that God pleaseth me. Nanak, she who is united with God by the Word shall not be separated from Him. The following was addressed to Hindu devotees whom the Guru met in his wanderings in the Hima layas :— 1 That is, there is no remedy for my negligence now. 2 The epic poems Ramayan and Mahabharat. Though man perform lip-devotion, penance, and austeri ties, dwell at places of pilgrimage, Bestow alms and perform acts of devotion, what are these without the True One ? As he soweth so shall he reap ; human life is lost without virtue. O silly one, happiness is obtained by being a slave to virtue. She who under the Guru's instruction abandoneth evil, shall be absorbed in the Perfect One. The following is a brief lecture against hypocrisy, with a few precepts to obtain future happiness : —

God carefully draweth the touchstone over men in order to assay them. The counterfeit shall not be accepted ; the genuine shall be put into His treasury. Dispel hopes and fears, so shall thy filth be washed away. Everybody asketh for happiness ; nobody asketh for misery. Great misery attendeth on happiness, but the perverse understand it not. They who consider happiness and misery the same, and know the secret of the Word shall be happy. Man may escape from the dangers of this world by accepting the Guru and hearkening to his instruc tions: — The fearful ocean of the world is dangerous and formid able ; it hath no shore or limit, No boat, no raft, no pole, and no boatman ; But the true Guru hath a vessel for the terrible ocean, and ferrieth over him on whom he looketh with favour. Love for God is inculcated by familiar Indian examples : — O man, entertain such love for God as the lotus hath for the water. Such love doth it bear it, that it bloometh even when dashed down by the waves. The creatures which God created in water die without it, and therefore love it.

O man, how shalt thou be delivered without love ? God pervadeth the hearts of the pious, and bestoweth on them a store of devotion. O man, entertain such love for God as the fish for the water. The more it hath, the happier it becometh, and the greater its peace of mind and body. Without water it could not live for a moment ; God aione knoweth the sufferings of its heart. O man, entertain such love for God as the chatrik for rain : Though the tanks be full and the earth drenched, it will not drink from either. If so fated, it shall obtain the rain-drops, otherwise it is fated to die. O man, entertain such love for God as water for milk. The water alone is consumed in boiling and alloweth not the milk to be consumed. God uniteth the separated, and conferreth true greatness. 0 man, entertain such love for God as the chakwi1 for the sun. She sleepeth not for a moment, for she knoweth that her mate is absent from her. The perverse see not ; to the pious God is ever present. The perverse make calculations, but it is only what the Creator doeth that cometh to pass.

His worth cannot be ascertained, even though all men desire it ; But it can be ascertained under the Guru's instruction ; by meeting the True One happiness is obtained. 1 The ruddy sheldrake, called by Anglo-Indians the Brahmani duck. Should the male and female birds be separated at night, for instance at different sides of a river, they are believed to call to each other unul they behold the morning sun when they renew their conjugal acquaint ance. If the True Guru be met, true love shall not sunder, And the wealth of divine knowledge of the three worlds shall be obtained. If any one acquire virtue, he will not forget the Pure Name. The birds which peck on sea and land have played and gone away. Man must depart in a ghari or two ; his enjoyment is only for to-day or to-morrow. He whom Thou blendest with Thyself shall be blended with Thee, and shall take his place in the true arena. Without the Guru love is not produced, and the filth of pride departeth not. He who recognizeth God in himself, and knoweth the secret of the Word, shall be satisfied : But when man recognizeth himself through the Guru's instruction, what more remaineth for him to do ?

Why speak of meeting God ? Man hath met Him already,1 but it is only on receiving the Word he is satisfied. The perverse obtain not understanding ; separated from God they suffer punishment. For Nanak there is but the gate of the one God ; there is no other refuge. It is said the following was addressed by the Guru, during his pilgrimage to the east, to a Raja called Harbans :— Man is led astray by the reading of words ; ritualists are very proud. What availeth it to bathe at a place of pilgrimage, if the filth of pride be in the heart ? Who but the Guru can explain that the King and Emperor dwelleth in the heart ? All men err ; it is only the great Creator who erreth not. He who admonisheth his heart under the Guru's instruc tion shall love the Lord. 1 Because the soul has emanated from God. Nanak, he whom the incomparable Word hath caused to meet God, shall not forget the True One. God cannot be deceived and His merits cannot be described :— By taking the protection of the Guru man shall be saved ; counterfeit is the capital of the perverse.

The eight metals of the King are coined agreeably to His orders.1 The Assayer Himself assayeth the coins, and putteth the genuine into His treasury. Thy merits, O Lord, cannot be ascertained ; I have seen and tested everything. Thy merits cannot be expressed by words ; if man remain true, he shall obtain honour. Under the Guru's instruction Thou, O Lord, art praised ; otherwise Thy worth cannot be described. The Guru prefers the repetition of God's name to all other forms of devotion : — My heart is penetrated by God's name ; what else shall I reflect upon ? Happiness cometh to him who meditateth on the Word ; perfect happiness to him who is imbued with God. Preserve me as it pleaseth Thee, O God ; Thy name is my support. 0 man, just is the will of the Master. Love Him who made and adorned thy body and mind. Were my body to be cut into pieces and burnt in the fire ; Were I to turn my body and soul into firewood, and burn them night and day ; Were I to perform hundreds of thousands and millions of religious ceremonies, all would not be equal to God's name.

1 Man is composed, according to Indian ideas, of hair, blood, nerves, skin, bone, seed, flesh, and fat. These correspond to ilueight simple or compound metals differently stated by Indian historians. Bhai Gur Das understands the eight metals to be the four castes of Hindus and the four great sects of Muhammadans. Were a saw to be applied to my head and my body to be cut in twain ; l Were my body to be frozen in the Himalayas, even then my mind would not be free from disease — • It would all not be equal to God's name — I have seen and examined everything — Were I to make offerings of millions of gold, many ex cellent horses and excellent elephants ; Were I to make large presents of lands and cows, even then pride would remain in my heart. The Guru hath given me the true gift that my mind is penetrated by God's name. How many opinions, and how many interpretations of the Veds through obstinacy ! How many entanglements there are for the soul ! the gate of deliverance is only obtained through the Guru's instruction. Everything is inferior to truth ; the practice of truth is superior to all else.

Call every one exalted ; let no one appear to thee low. The one God fashioned the vessels, and it is His light that filleth the three worlds. By His favour man obtaineth the truth ; what He granteth in the beginning none can efface. The holy meet the holy ; by love for the Guru man obtaineth consolation. He who is absorbed in the True Guru pondereth on the Word of the Ineffable. He who drinketh the nectar of the Name shall be satisfied, and go to God's court with a dress of honour. The strain of ecstasy2 resoundeth night and day in the hearts of those who bear great love to the Word. 1 Saws were kept at Banaras and Priyag for the immolation of Hindu devotees. The operator applied the saw first to the head and cut through the body to the middle thus dividing it into halves. Devotees believed that all their sins should thus be forgiven, and they should immediately enter a state of bliss. 2 Kinguri is a musical instrument, originally composed of two gourds or calabashes connected by a frame on which there were four strings. It is now generally made of one calabash, a frame and one j

Few there are who obtain understanding by admonishing their hearts through their guru. Nanak, they who forget not the Name, and who act according to the Word shall be delivered. The following principally inculcates the inutility of worldly possessions and the superiority of devotion :— We see mansions painted and whitewashed with orna mented doors. They were constructed to give pleasure to the heart, and through love and regard for worldly things, but they shall fall to ruin. So the body which is empty within and possesseth no love, shall fall and become a heap of dust. O my brethren, your bodies and wealth shall not accompany you. God's name is the pure wealth ; God giveth it through the Guru. If the Giver give the true wealth of God's name, The great Creator shall become man's friend, and no inquiry shall be made of him in the next world. If God deliver man, he shall be delivered ; God alone is the Pardoner. The perverse man deemeth that daughters, sons, and relations are his. He is pleased on beholding woman, but, as she bringcth joy, so she bringeth sorrow. Holy men are imbued with the Word, and day and night enjoy divine happiness.

The mind of the wavering infidel wandereth in quest of transitory wealth. Men ruin themselves by their search abroad while the Real Thing is in their homes. The pious obtain It, the perverse miss It through pride. O vicious infidel, know thine own origin. string. The Jogis apply the word to the music heard in the brain by the practice of Jog. Thy body made from blood and semen shall be brought to the fire at last. The body is in the power of the breath according to the true mark on the forehead. Men pray for a long life ; no one desireth to die. He is said to lead a happy life in whose heart God dwelleth through the Guru's instruction. Of what account are they who are without the Name, and who therefore obtain not a sight of the great God ? As a man goeth astray at night in his sleep, So doth he in whose heart there is pride and worldly love, and who is in the power of mammon. To him who reflecteth under the Guru's instruction the world appear eth a dream. As thirst is quenched when one findeth water ; as the child is sustained by its mother's milk ;

As the lotus cannot exist without water, and the fish would die without it, So, Nanak, may I obtain divine happiness through the Guru's instruction and live singing God's praises ! Without the spiritual condition which is obtained by a repetition of the Name there is no salvation : — I have become alarmed on seeing a terrible mountain in my Father's house.1 Steep is the mountain and difficult to ascend ; there is no ladder which will reach it ; But under the Guru's instruction I have found the secret ; 2 the Guru hath caused me to meet God and I am saved. O my brethren, the ocean of the world is difficult and formidable. If I have a satisfactory interview with the perfect true Guru, he will deliver me by granting me God's name. If I say I am perishable, it will not avail me ; but if I really know that I am perishable, it will. Everything that came into this world shall depart ; the Creator alone is immortal. 1 Seeing the difficulties of this world. 2 That there is no mountain. Be sure to praise the True One and love His abode. Beautiful houses and palaces and thousands of strong holds,

Elephants, horses with their housings, and hundreds of thousands, yea, countless armed men Will not depart with any one : Their masters pine away and die without gaining any advantage from them. Thou mayest amass gold and silver, but wealth is an entangling net. Man's authority may be proclaimed throughout the whole world, but without the Name death standeth over his head. When the body falleth, the soul fleet h away ; what shall be the condition of the evil doers ? The husband is delighted on beholding his sons and his wife on her couch ; He applieth distilled aloe wood and sandal ; he weareth fine clothes and decorateth himself ; Yet shall he leave his family and depart ; dust shall return to dust. He may be styled a chief, an emperor, a king, a governor, or a lord ; He may be called the headman of a town or a governor ; he may burn with pride ; Yet by perversely forgetting the Name he shall be as a reed burnt in the fire. Having come into the world, he shall depart however proud he be. The whole world is a chamber of lampblack ; the body and soul which enter it shall be tarnished.1

They who are preserved by the Guru are pure ; the fire of their desires is extinguished by the Word. Nanak, man obtaineth deliverance by the true name of the King of kings. May I not forget God's name ! may I purchase it as a jewel ! The perverse man perisheth in the terrible ocean of the 1 Literally — shall become ashes. world ; the holy man crosseth it, unfathomable though it be. How is Sat Sangat, the Society of the holy, known ? The name of the one God is mentioned there. How are Duhagins — women separated from their husbands — known ? They are those who forgetful of their Spouse wander unhonoured. They who are pleased with God's will, Remove superstition from their minds. Nanak, the true Guru, is known by his association with every one. SRI RAG KI WAR Some virtues which contribute to perfection : — Faith and resignation are the characteristics of the holy ; patience is the viaticum of angels. The perfect shall obtain a sight of God ; the fool shall find no place with Him. Caste is vain and contributes not to goodness or holiness : — Castes are folly, names are folly : All creatures have one shelter, that of God. If a man call himself good,

The truth shall be known, O Nanak, when his account is accepted. Man, no matter what his caste or social position may be, is exalted by devotion : — What difference is there between a swan and a crane, if God look kindly on the latter ? Nanak, if it please Him, He can change a raven into a swan. 1 This is understood to mark time — three beats to a bar. God as the Guru :— The Guru is the Giver, the Guru is the house of snow,1 the Guru is the lamp of the three worlds. Nanak, the Guru possesseth the immortal wealth ; by putting faith in Him happiness is obtained. The ten stages of man :— In man's first stage he loveth the milk of his mother's breast ; In his second he recognizeth his father and mother ; In his third his brother, his brother's wife, and his own sister ; In the fourth a love of play ariseth in him ; In the fifth he runneth after food and drink ; In the sixth he inquireth not a woman's caste in his lust ; In the seventh he collect eth things for a house to live in ;

In the eighth his body is wasted by wrath ; In the ninth he groweth grey and his breathing is diffi cult ; In the tenth he is burnt and becometh ashes. His companions accompany him to his pyre with loud lamentations. The soul flieth away, showing the road of departure to others. He came, he died, and departed — leaving only a name. After his death his relations offer food on leaves, and call the crows.2 Nanak, the perverse love mental darkness. Without a guru the world is lost. Other divisions of human life :— At ten a child, at twenty a rake, at thirty man calleth himself handsome ; 1 That is, he cools the fire of desires. Some suppose that hiwai ghar is for the Sanskrit himkar, the moon. 2 Portions (bait) of such offerings are set aside for cows, portions for dogs, and portions for crows. At forty he is in his prime, at fifty his feet halt, at sixty old age cometh on ; At seventy he loseth his intellect, at eighty he cannot perform his duties ; At ninety he reclineth on his couch, and feeleth no strength whatever in himself. I, Nanak, have sought and searched, and seen that the world is a mansion of smoke.