Skip to main content

Full text of "The Sikh religion, its gurus, sacred writings and authors"

See other formats


ICO 
?CM 


•CD 


CO 


THE    SIKH    RELIGION 

MACAULIFFE 


HENRY  FROWDE,  M.A. 

PUBLISHER    TO    THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    OXFORD 

LONDON,    EDINBURGH,    NEW    YORK 

TORONTO    AND    MELBOURNE 


** 


1 


THE    AUTHOR   AND    SOME    OF    HIS    SIKH    ASSISTANTS 


SIKH   I      FRONT 


THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

ITS  GURUS,  SACRED  WRITINGS 
AND  AUTHORS 

BY 

MAX  ARTHUR        iCAULIFFE 


The  egg    of  superstition   hath  burst  ;  the 
mind  is  illumined  : 

The  Guru  hath  cut  the  fetters  off  the  feet 
and  freed  the  captive. 

GURU  ARJAN 


IN  SIX  VOLUMES 
VOL.  I 


OXFORD 

AT  THE  CLARENDON  PRESS 
1909 


OXFORD 

PRINTED   AT   THE    CLARENDON    PRESS 

BY   HORACE   HART,    M.A. 
PRINTER   TO   THE    UNIVERSITY 


1104940 


PREFACE 

I  BRING  from  the  East  what  is  practically  an 
unknown  religion.  The  Sikhs  are  distinguished 
throughout  the  world  as  a  great  military  people, 
but  there  is  little  known  even  to  professional  scholars 
regarding  their  religion.  I  have  often  been  asked 
by  educated  persons  in  countries  which  I  have 
visited,  and  even  in  India  itself,  what  the  Sikh 
religion  was,  and  whether  the  Sikhs  were  Hindus, 
idolaters  or  Muhammadans.  This  ignorance  is  the 
result  of  the  difficulty  of  the  Indian  dialects  in 
which  their  sacred  writings  are  contained. 

Judaism  has  its  Old  Testament ;  Islam  its  Quran  ; 
Hinduism  its  Veds,  Purans,  and  Shastars  ;  Bud- 
hism  its  Tripitaka ;  the  Parsi  religion  its  Zend- 
avesta  ;  and  Confucianism  its  Analects,  its  Spring 
and  Autumn,  its  Ancient  Poems  and  its  Book  of 
Changes.  The  languages  in  which  the  holy  writings 
of  these  religions  are  enshrined,  though  all  difficult, 
are  for  the  most  part  homogeneous,  and  after 
preliminary  study  with  tutors  can  generally  be 
mastered  by  the  aid  of  grammars  and  dictionaries ; 
but  not  so  the  mediaeval  Indian  dialects  in  which 
the  sacred  writings  of  the  Sikh  Gurus  and  Saints 
were  composed.  Hymns  are  found  in  Persian, 
mediaeval  Prakrit,  Hindi,  Marathi,  old  Panjabi, 
Multani,  and  several  local  dialects.  In  several 
hymns  the  Sanskrit  and  Arabic  vocabularies  are 
freely  drawn  upon. 


vi  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

There  were  no  dictionaries  of  the  Granth  Sahib,1 
or  sacred  book  of  the  Sikhs,  when  the  author 
commenced  his  labours.  Some  have  been  since 
published,  but  each  lexicographer  has  adopted 
a  system  of  his  own  which  makes  it  difficult  to 
find  the  word  required,  and  even  when  found  the 
interpretation  is  not  always  satisfactory.  For  these 
reasons  it  is  necessary  for  the  translator  of  the 
Sikh  sacred  writings  to  reside  for  long  years  in 
India,  and  work  with  the  assistance  of  the  few 
gyanis,  or  professional  interpreters  of  the  Sikh 
canonical  writings,  who  now  survive.  It  would 
probably  be  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  there  are 
ten  such  men  in  the  world.  Of  these  few  or  none  is 
capable  of  giving  an  English  interpretation.  They 
generally  construe  in  tedious  paraphrases  in  their 
own  local  dialects.  But  more  than  this,  there  is 
hardly  any  one  Sikh  who  is  capable  of  making  a 
correct  translation  of  his  sacred  writings.  A  man 
who  is  a  good  Sanskrit  scholar  will  not  know  Persian 
and  Arabic,  and  he  who  knows  Persian  and  Arabic 
will  not  know  words  of  Sanskrit  derivation.  A  man 
who  knows  Hindi  will  not  know  Marathi ;  a  man 
who  knows  Marathi  will  not  know  Panjabi  and 
Multani,  and  so  on.  Moreover,  there  are  words  in 
the  Sikh  sacred  writings  which  are  peculiar  to  them, 
and  cannot  be  traced  to  any  known  language. 
As  to  these  one  must  accept  the  traditional  inter 
pretations.  The  Granth  Sahib  thus  becomes  pro 
bably  the  most  difficult  work,  sacred  or  profane, 

1  Sahib  is  an  Arabic  word  meaning  lord  or  master.  It  is  applied 
by  Indians  to  Europeans  and  natives  of  position,  but  it  is  particularly 
used  by  the  Sikhs  to  denote  a  thing  revered  or  holy,  as  'Darbar 
Sahib',  the  holy  Sikh  Darbar  or  temple  at  Amritsar,  the  Granth 
Sahib,  the  sacred  book  of  the  Sikhs,  &c. 


PREFACE  vii 

that  exists,  and  hence  the  general  ignorance  of  its 
contents. 

A  portion  of  the  Granth  Sahib  was  translated 
some  years  since  by  a  German  missionary  at  the 
expense  and  under  the  auspices  of  the  India  Office, 
but  his  work  was  highly  inaccurate  and  unidiomatic, 
and  furthermore  gave  mortal  offence  to  the  Sikhs 
by  the  odium  theologicum  introduced  into  it.  When 
ever  he  saw  an  opportunity  of  defaming  the  Gurus, 
the  sacred  book,  and  the  religion  of  the  Sikhs,  he 
eagerly  availed  himself  of  it. 

One  of  the  main  objects  of  the  present  work  is  to 
endeavour  to  make  some  reparation  to  the  Sikhs  for 
the  insults  which  he  offered  to  their  Gurus  and  their 
religion.  There  are,  however,  many  other  advantages 
which  I  am  hoping  for,  and  which  will  probably  be 
understood  by  the  reader. 

All  persons  of  discrimination  acquainted  with  the 
Sikhs  set  a  high  value  on  them,  but  it  appears  that 
a  knowledge  throughout  the  world  of  the  excellence 
of  their  religion  would  enhance  even  the  present 
regard  with  which  they  are  entertained,  and  that 
thus  my  work  would  be  at  least  of  political  ad 
vantage  to  them.  In  the  second  place,  there  is  now 
a  large  number  of  Sikhs  who  understand  the  English 
language,  but  who  have  no  time  for  the  study  of 
the  compositions  of  the  Gurus,  and  I  thought  it 
would  be  useful  to  them,  if  only  from  a  linguistic 
point  of  view,  to  read  a  translation  in  the  very 
simple  English  in  which  I  have  endeavoured  to 
write  it.  In  the  third  place,  the  old  gyanis  or  pro 
fessional  interpreters  of  the  Granth  Sahib  are  dying 
out,  and  probably  in  another  generation  or  two 
their  sacred  books  will,  owing  to  their  enormous 


viii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

difficulty,  be  practically  unintelligible  even  to  other 
wise    educated    Sikhs.     In    the   fourth   place,    the 
vernacular  itself  is  rapidly  altering  and  diverging 
more  and  more  from  the  general  language  of  the 
Granth  Sahib.     Words  which  men  still  in  the  prime 
of  life  were  accustomed  to  use  in  their  boyhood 
have  now  become  obsolete,  and  new  vocables  have 
taken  their  place.    It  appears,  therefore,  that  it  would 
on  every  account  be  well  to  fix  the  translation  of  the 
many  exceedingly  difficult  passages  scattered  broad 
cast  through  the  Sikh  sacred  writings.     In  the  fifth 
place  there  are  local  legends  now  rife  which  we  have 
been  able  to  gather,  but  which  would  otherwise  pass 
into  oblivion  in  a  comparatively  short  period  of  time. 
Time  was  when  it  was  not  allowed  to  print  the 
sacred  book  of  the  Sikhs.     As  ancient  prejudice  gave 
way,  it  was  printed  in  parts  which  it  was  forbidden 
to  unite  in  one  volume  lest  it,  as  the  embodiment 
not  only  of  the  wisdom  of  the  Gurus,  but  of  the 
Gurus  themselves,  might  be  treated  with  disrespect 
This  prejudice  has  also  vanished,  and  now  the  book 
is  openly  exposed  for  sale.   There  was  also  a  prejudice 
on  the  part  of  Sikhs  of  the  old  school  against  trans 
lating  the  sacred  volume,  but  those  who   held   it 
forgot  the  injunction  of  Guru  Arjan  to  translate  it 
into  Indian  and  foreign  languages  so  that  it  might 
spread  over  the  whole  world  as  oil  spreads  over  water. 


'fw 


Suraj  Parkash,  Ras  III. 


PREFACE  ix 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that,  were  the  Gurus  and  Bha- 
gats  now  alive,  they  would  be  pleased  to  see  their  com 
positions  translated  into  a  language  like  the  English 
spoken  by  many  peoples  throughout  the  continents 
and  islands  which  extend  far  and  wide  over  the  earth. 

Until  the  year  1893  I  was  engaged  in  judicial 
duties  in  India.  In  that  year  representative  Sikh 
societies,  knowing  that  I  appreciated  their  litera 
ture,  requested  me  to  resign  my  appointment  and 
undertake  a  translation  of  their  sacred  works. 
I  acceded  to  their  requests.  My  first  intention 
was  to  make  only  a  translation.  This  occupied 
my  time  for  several  years.  It  was  prepared  on 
what,  I  believe,  is  entirely  a  novel  plan.  Most 
translators,  when  they  have  completed  their  ren 
derings,  proceed  to  publish  without  subjecting  their 
work  to  native  criticism.  On  this  account  there 
are  few,  if  any,  translations  of  Oriental  works  made 
in  Europe,  even  by  the  most  eminent  scholars, 
which  are  accepted  by  the  learned  natives  of  the 
East.  I  resolved  that  mine  should  be  an  exception, 
and  accordingly  submitted  every  line  of  my  work 
to  the  most  searching  criticism  of  learned  Sikhs. 
This  was  done  either  by  rough  printed  proofs  or 
typed  copies.  I  also  published  invitations  in  Sikh 
newspapers  to  all  whom  it  might  concern  to  visit 
me,  inspect,  and  if  necessary  correct  my  translation. 
This  entailed  a  voluminous  correspondence  which 
occupied  a  great  amount  of  time,  and  inconveniently 
protracted  my  residence  in  India. 

On  the  conclusion  of  the  examination  of  my 
translation,  Bhai  Sardul  Singh,  the  Gyani 1  of  the 

1  The  word  gyani  in  Panjabi  means  a  professional  interpreter 
of  the  Granth  Sahib. 


x  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Golden  Temple,  the  late  Bhai  Sant  Singh,  a  very 
learned  Sikh  of  Kapurthala,  and  Bhai  Prem  Singh 
of  Amritsar  favoured  me  with  the  following  : — 

We,  through  the  agency  of  learned  Sikhs  acquainted  with 
English,  have  carefully  perused  the  translation  of  the  hymns 
of  the  Granth  Sahib  by  Mr.  Macauliffe.  The  perusal  cost 
us  a  month  and  a  half  of  continuous  labour.  Wherever 
any  of  us  found  what  seemed  to  be  an  error,  we  all  met, 
discussed  the  passages,  and  either  corrected  it  or  allowed 
Mr.  Macauliffe's  translation  to  stand.  Wherefore  we  now 
state  that  Mr.  Macauliffe's  translation  has  been  fully  revised 
by  us,  and  is  thoroughly  correct.  The  greatest  care  has 
been  taken  in  making  the  translation  conformable  to  the 
religious  tenets  of  the  Sikhs.  The  translation  is  quite 
literal,  and  done  according  to  all  grammatical  and  rhetorical 
rules. 

We  now  request  the  Rajas,  Maharajas,  Sardars,  and 
the  learned  and  accomplished  of  the  Sikh  faith  to  specially 
read  or  listen  to  this  translation,  if  only  for  once.  They 
will  thus  become  acquainted  with  Mr.  Macauliffe's  labours, 
and  reap  the  advantage  of  the  true  instruction  of  their 
Gurus.  They  should  also  render  all  necessary  aid  to  the 
translator,  because  he  has  resigned  a  high  post  under 
Government  and  spent  untold  wealth  on  this  undertaking. 

I  have  received  piles  of  somewhat  similar  docu 
ments  from  learned  and  intelligent  Sikhs,  and  seen 
numerous  critical  articles  in  Sikh,  English,  and 
foreign  newspapers,  which  give  expression  to  the 
strong  desire  felt  for  the  production  of  a  work  such 
as  that  now  offered.  Among  them  I  may  be  allowed 
to  give  the  following  from  The  Khalsa,  a  Sikh 
publication  :— 

There  can  be  no  denying  the  fact  that  the  publication 
of  Mr.  Macauliffe's  work  will  be  the  introduction  of  a  new 
era  in  our  history.  Our  Scriptures,  though  written  in  our 


PREFACE  xi 

own  language,  have  been  so  much  neglected  by  our  people, 
that  it  will  be  no  exaggeration  if  we  say  that  ninety  per  cent, 
of  our  co-religionists  do  not  understand  them.  The  Com 
munity  receiving  English  education  are  without  any  idea 
of  the  sublime  truths  contained  in  the  Granth  Sahib.  From 
infancy  upwards  their  minds  are  moulded  in  such  a  way, 
that  it  becomes  almost  impossible  for  them  to  talk  and 
write  in  any  other  language  than  English  ;  and  we  shall 
not  be  exaggerating  if  we  say  that  a  great  many  of  them 
find  it  difficult  even  to  think  in  their  own  mother  tongue. 
This  being  the  case,  an  English  translation  of  our  Scriptures 
will  at  once  appeal  to  the  ever  increasing  community  of 
educated  men  who  will  be  the  leaders  of  thought  from  the 
very  nature  of  things.  Already  prepared  by  western  culture 
to  think  and  act  independently,  they  will  be  constitutionally 
fitted  to  understand  the  catholicity  of  Sikh  principles,  and 
will  feel  a  pleasure  in  spreading  Sikh  ideas  far  and  wide. 
Apart  from  this,  a  great  deal  of  the  misunderstanding  that 
now  obtains  about  the  work  of  our  Gurus  and  Martyrs 
will  be  removed,  and  the  thinking  public  will  see  with  their 
own  eyes  the  drift  of  Sikh  teachings.  The  trade  of  traitors 
among  us  who  to  please  our  wealthier  and  more  influential 
neighbours,  compromise  our  beliefs  by  ascribing  to  our 
great  men  thoughts  that  they  never  conceived  and  deeds 
that  they  never  did,  will  languish,  the  promiscuousness  in 
Sikh  ideas  will  vanish,  and  Tat  (pure)  Khalsa  will  begin 
to  start  on  a  new  career. 

Not  less  important  will  be  the  result  of  Sikh  teachings 
on  the  minds  of  religious  Europe  and  America.  Already 
the  Khalsa  has  achieved  a  world-wide  renown  in  the  matter 
of  bravery.  In  the  matter  of  religion,  too,  the  name  of 
the  Khalsa  will  shine  resplendently  when  the  glorious  deeds 
of  our  illustrious  ancestors  in  the  moral  and  religious  world 
are  made  known  far  and  wide.  The  translations  of  Hindu 
Scriptures  by  Professors  Max  Miiller,  Wilson,  Monier 
Williams,  and  a  host  of  other  eminent  writers  on  Oriental 
religions  have  drawn  the  attention  of  the  whole  civilized 
world  to  the  Hindus  and  their  literature.  These  transla- 


xii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

tions  have  secured  for  the  Hindus  the  sympathy  of  hundreds 
of  savants  and  inquirers  after  religious  truth.  What  will 
not  the  translations  of  our  Scriptures  achieve  ?  Unlike  the 
Scriptures  of  other  creeds,  they  do  not  contain  love  stories 
or  accounts  of  wars  waged  for  selfish  considerations.  They 
contain  sublimest  truths,  the  study  of  which  cannot  but 
elevate  the  reader  spiritually,  morally,  and  socially.  There 
is  not  the  least  tinge  of  sectarianism  in  them.  They  teach 
the  highest  and  purest  principles  that  serve  to  bind  man 
to  man  and  inspire  the  believer  with  an  ambition  to  serve 
his  fellow  men,  to  sacrifice  all  and  die  for  their  sake. 

The  late  Sir  Baba  Khem  Singh,  K.C.I. E.,  Member 
of  the  Legislative  Council,  who  held  a  most  pro 
minent  position  among  the  Sikhs,  wrote  to  me  :— 

It  is  fortunate  for  the  Sikh  nation  to  have  such  a  kind 
of  friend  as  you,  whose  ideas  are  naturally  inclined  to  their 
benefit,  and  they  should  ever  bear  you  thankfulness  and 
gratitude.  I  am  glad  to  express  my  appreciation  of  your 
work,  and  the  labour  and  trouble  you  have  taken  upon 
yourself  to  accomplish  such  a  voluminous  task. 

The  late  Baba  Sumer  Singh,  the  Mahant  or  Sikh 
Bishop  of  Patna,  where  Guru  Gobind  Singh  was 
born,  wrote  to  me  as  follows  : — 

I  fully  appreciate  your  attempt  to  keep  especial  eye  on 
the  sense  rather  than  on  word-for-word  rendering,  and 
wherever  the  sense  has  been  in  danger  of  being  absorbed 
in  the  language,  suitable  foot-notes  have  been  interspersed 
throughout. 

The  late  Bhai  Hazara  Singh  Gyani,  who  has  pub 
lished  a  Dictionary  of  the  Granth  Sahib,  wrote  to 
me  as  follows,  after  seeing  specimens  of  this  work  : — 

I  have  read  through  the  English  translation  of  Japji 
prepared  by  Mr.  Macauliffe.  The  translator  seems  to  have 


PREFACE  xiii 

taken  great  care  in  keeping  the  rendering  in  accordance 
with  the  Sampardai  arths  (traditional  interpretations). 
I  wish  the  undertaking  a  thorough  success,  and  nothing 
will  give  me  more  pleasure  than  to  see  the  work  brought 
out  of  press. 

The  following  is  a  translation  of  an  address 
presented  to  me  by  the  Singh  Sabha  of  Amritsar  :— 

We  are  informed  by  very  trustworthy  gyanis,  that  you 
have  been  studying  our  sacred  books  for  over  twenty  years, 
and  that,  resigning  a  good  appointment,  you  have  now 
laboured  continually  for  some  years  at  making  an  accurate 
translation  of  them  ;  that  you  have  revised  it  seven  times  ; 
and  have  now  made  it  as  complete  as  can  be  done  by  human 
effort ;  and  in  doing  this  you  have  not  only  spent  your 
valuable  time,  but  also  a  very  large  amount  of  money. 
Dr.  Trumpp's  translation  is  not  only  generally  incorrect, 
but  injurious  to  our  religion  ;  and  there  was  a  great  want 
felt  for  an  accurate  version  when  Akal  Purukh  (the  Im 
mortal  God)  induced  you  to  undertake  it  and  fulfil  our 
desires.  It  would  have  been  well,  had  we  executed  the 
translation  ourselves  ;  but  Akal  Purukh  granted  you  the 
credit  of  the  performance.  As  the  holy  Guru  Teg  Bahadur 
foretold  that  men  would  come  from  beyond  the  seas  to 
assist  the  Sikhs,  so  you  have  been  rendering  us  mental  and 
bodily  assistance  ;  and  we  now  earnestly  recommend  the 
members  of  our  faith,  who  can  afford  it,  to  render  you  all 
possible  aid  in  publishing  your  work,  and  we  trust  our  wishes 
will  be  fulfilled.  We  desire,  now  that  you  have  become 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  our  customs,  our  sacred  books, 
and  the  tenets  of  our  religion,  that  you  fulfil  the  promise 
made  in  your  Circular  letter  to  the  Sikhs,  in  which 
you  stated  that  you  would  write  nothing  prejudicial  to 
their  religion.  In  the  lives  of  the  Gurus  which  you  are 
going  to  write,  we  desire  you  to  consult  the  Gur  Bilas,  the 
Suraj  Parkash,  and  such  other  works  as  have  been  com 
piled  from  ancient  writings  not  corrupted  by  the  Handalis, 
the  followers  of  Kabir,  and  the  poets  who  infused  foreign 


xiv  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

elements  into  our  religion.  The  Khalsa  and  the  whole  Sikh 
race  will  be  thankful  to  you  for  attending  to  this  request. 
In  conclusion  we  pray  Akal  Purukh  to  protect  you  in  every 
way  on  your  ocean  journey,  and  fulfil  your  wishes  and 
desires  ;  and  that  you  may  be  ever  a  well-wisher  and 
supporter  of  our  sect  and  our  faith.  We  earnestly  hope 
that  your  translation  of  our  sacred  books  will  soon  be  in 
the  library  of  every  true  Sikh.1 

Notwithstanding  these  tributes  to  the  accuracy 
of  my  work,  to  its  utility  and  to  my  desire  to  do 
justice  to  the  sacred  writings  of  the  Sikhs,  some 
may  possibly  be  found  among  them  who  will  differ 
from  the  versions  I  have  given.  I  have  met  so- 
called  gyanis  who  could  perform  tours  de  force  with 
their  sacred  work,  and  give  different  interpretations 
of  almost  every  line  of  it.  My  Sikh  readers  may 
rest  assured  that  in  this  work  all  rational  inter 
pretations  have  been  considered,  and  only  those 
selected  which  seemed  most  suitable  to  the  context 
and  most  in  harmony  with  Sikh  doctrines.  When 
second  and  third  interpretations  seemed  possible, 
they  have  been  appended  in  the  notes. 

When  my  translation  was  thus  completed  and 
approved  of  by  the  most  learned  Sikh  priests  and 
scholars,  I  found  that  an  account  of  the  Sikh 
Gurus,  saints,  and  authors  was  absolutely  necessary, 
and  indeed  of  equal,  if  not  greater  importance  than 
even  a  correct  interpretation  of  their  writings. 
The  late  illustrious  scholar,  Professor  Max  Miiller, 
who  had  Indian  literature  so  greatly  at  heart, 
expressed  in  his  latest  work,  Auld  Lang  Syne,  his 

1  I  did  not  intend,  at  first,  to  publish  these  extracts,  and  I  regret 
having  to  do  so  now,  but  some  Sikh  friends  have  put  pressure  on  me 
to  adopt  this  course. 


PREFACE  xv 

regret  that  the  world  knew  so  little  of  the  Sikh 
reformers.     He  wrote  : — 

It  is  a  pity  that  we  possess  so  little  information  about 
the  original  Sikh  reformers.  Their  sacred  book  the  Granth 
Sahib  exists,  nay  it  has  even  been  translated  into  English 
by  the  late  Dr.  Trumpp.  But  it  turns  out  now  that 
Dr.  Trumpp  was  by  no  means  a  trustworthy  translator.  The 
language  of  the  Granth  is  generally  called  old  Panjabi ; 
and  it  was  supposed  that  a  scholar  who  knew  modern 
Panjabi,  might  easily  learn  to  understand  the  language  as 
it  was  four  hundred  years  ago.  But  this  is  not  the  case. 
The  language  of  the  Granth  Sahib  is  full  of  local  dialectic 
varieties  and  forgotten  idioms,  so  much  so  that  it  has  been 
said  to  be  without  any  grammar  at  all.  Mr.  Macauliffe, 
who  has  spent  many  years  among  the  Sikhs,  and  has  with 
the  help  of  their  priests  paid  much  attention  to  their  Granth 
Sahib,  has  given  us  some  most  interesting  and  beautiful 
specimens  of  their  poetry  which  form  part  of  their  sacred 
book. 

On  perusing  the  current  lives  and  accounts  of 
the  Gurus  I  found  them  overladen  with  puerile, 
heterodox,  or  repulsive  details ;  and  it  required 
further  years  of  study  and  consultation  with  learned 
Sikhs  to  complete  biographies  of  the  founders  of 
their  religion,  which  were  not  inconsistent  with  their 
sacred  writings'  The  orthodox  Sikhs  who  have  read 
the  lives  of  their  Gurus  in  the  voluminous  Hindi 
work  entitled  Suraj  Parkash,  and  in  the  current 
Panjabi  works  called  ] 'anamsakhis ,  will  understand, 
and,  perhaps,  be  grateful  to  me  for  the  manner  in 
which  I  have  presented  their  religion  according  to 
the  desires  and  teachings  of  their  Gurus. 

To  prevent  misconception  it  ought,  perhaps,  to 
be  here  stated  that  this  work  is  intended  to  be  an 
exact  presentation  of  the  teaching  of  the  Sikh 


xvi  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Gurus  and  orthodox  writers  as  contained  in  their 
sacred  books,  and  is  by  no  means  put  forth  as 
a  portrayal  of  the  debased  superstitions  and  hetero 
dox  social  customs  of  Sikhs  who  have  been  led 
astray  from  their  faith  by  external  influences. 

It  must  also  be  stated  that  the  intention  of  the 
author  has  been,  in  fulfilment  of  his  promise  to 
the  Sikhs,  to  write  this  work  from  an  orthodox 
Sikh  point  of  view,  without  any  criticism  or  expres 
sion  of  opinion  of  his  own.  Accordingly,  miracles 
which  are  accepted  by  many  Sikhs  will  be  found 
reverently  described  in  this  work. 

A  very  important  question  has  arisen  among  the 
Sikhs  as  to  how  my  translation  of  their  sacred 
writings  should  be  presented.  The  Granth  Sahib, 
as  already  stated,  is  to  them  the  embodiment  of 
their  Gurus,  who  are  regarded  as  only  one  person, 
the  light  of  the  first  Guru's  soul  having  been 
transmitted  to  each  of  his  successors  in  turn. 

Oi  5'   avTt\aiJL-fyav  KOL  irapriyyti\av  irp6cra>. 


The  line  of  the  Gurus  closed  with  the  tenth, 
Guru  Gobind  Singh.  He  ordered  that  the  Granth 
should  be  to  his  Sikhs  as  the  living  Gurus.  Accord 
ingly  the  Granth  Sahib  is  kept  in  silken  coverlets, 
and  when  it  is  removed  from  place  to  place  is 
taken  on  a  small  couch  by  Sikhs  of  good  repute. 
Many  of  my  old  orthodox  Sikh  friends  feared  that 
if  my  translation  were  printed  in  the  order  of  the 
original,  it  would  not  receive  the  same  respect  and 
attention  in  foreign  countries  as  in  India,  and  they 
accordingly  desired  that  it  should  be  published  in 
some  other  form.  This  desire  of  the  most  holy 
and  respected  Sikhs  is  a  great  relief  to  me,  for  it 


PREFACE  xvii 

makes  it  competent  to  intersperse  many  of  the 
sacred  hymns  in  the  lives  of  the  Gurus,  and 
thus  present  my  work  as  much  as  possible  in 
narrative  form,  which  it  is  hoped  will  be  more 
acceptable  not  only  to  European,  but  even  to  Sikh 
readers  themselves. 

Competent  Sikhs  have  also  advised  me  that  when 
the  Guru's  instruction  on  various  occasions  is  on 
the  same  subject  and  of  the  same  tenor,  it  needs 
be  given  only  once.  For  instance,  in  the  Granth 
Sahib  there  are  four  hymns  beginning  with  the 
words,  '  In  the  first  watch  of  night,  my  merchant 
friend/  Two  of  these  hymns  are  by  Guru 
Nanak,  the  third  by  Guru  Ram  Das,  and  the  fourth 
by  Guru  Arjan.  The  hymns  begin  in  the  same 
manner,  are  of  the  same  purport,  and  are  only  very 
slightly  varied  in  diction,  so  the  publication  of  the 
whole  four  appears  unnecessary. 

It  is  intelligible  that  repetitions  should  be  found 
in  the  sacred  books  of  several  religions,  for  the 
teachings  of  their  prophets  were  orally  addressed 
to  crowds  who  clustered  round  them,  and  repetitions 
served  to  impress  on  the  listeners  the  instruction 
accorded  ;  but  in  a  printed  work,  which  the  reader 
may  peruse  and  reperuse  at  pleasure,  repetition 
does  not  appear  so  necessary.  Moreover,  this  work 
is  intended  for  the  European  as  well  as  for  the 
Sikh  student.  It  is  apprehended  that  repetition 
would  prove  tedious,  and  deter  several  even  con 
scientious  readers  from  its  perusal. 

I  find,  however,  that  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
meet  the  wishes  of  all  parties.  Europeans  will 
probably  think  my  work  too  long,  and  Sikhs  may 
possibly  think  it  too  short.  As  to  the  latter  objec- 


xviii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

tion,  I  may  state  that  I  have  followed  the  advice 
of  the  most  learned  Sikh  scholars.  They  have 
decided  that  there  is  no  omission  of  anything 
necessary  to  faith  or  morals,  but  that  the  whole 
substance  of  the  Sikh  sacred  writings  is  here  pre 
sented,  and  that  if  any  Sikh  shapes  his  conduct 
accordingly,  he  will  be  in  no  danger  of  failing  to 
secure  absorption  in  the  Creator  or  a  dwelling  in 
the  Creator's  heaven. 

A  few  of  the  advantages  of  the  Sikh  religion  to 
the  State  may  be  here  enumerated.  One  day,  as 
Guru  Teg  Bahadur  was  in  the  top  story  of  his 
prison,  the  Emperor  Aurangzeb  thought  he  saw 
him  looking  towards  the  south  in  the  direction  of 
the  Imperial  zenana.  He  was  sent  for  the  next 
day,  and  charged  with  this  grave  breach  of  Oriental 
etiquette  and  propriety.  The  Guru  replied,  '  Em 
peror  Aurangzeb,  I  was  on  the  top  story  of  my 
prison  but  I  was  not  looking  at  thy  private  apart 
ments  or  at  thy  queens.  I  was  looking  in  the 
direction  of  the  Europeans  who  are  coming  from 
beyond  the  seas  to  tear  down  thy  pardas  and 
destroy  thine  empire/  Sikh  writers  state  that 
these  words  became  the  battle-cry  of  the  Sikhs  in 
the  assault  on  the  mutineers  in  Dihli  (Delhi)  in  1857, 
under  General  John  Nicholson,  and  that  thus  the 
prophecy  of  the  ninth  Guru  was  gloriously  fulfilled. 

When  it  was  represented  to  Guru  Gobind  Singh 
that  a  Muhammadan  army  would  eventually  come 
to  overpower  his  Sikhs,  he  replied,  '  What  God 
willeth  shall  take  place.  When  the  army  of  the 
Muhammadans  cometh,  my  Sikhs  shall  strike  steel  on 
steel.  The  Khalsa  shall  then  awake,  and  know  the 
play  of  battle. .  Amid  the  clash  of  arms  the  Khalsa 


PREFACE  xix 

shall  be  partners  in  present  and  future  bliss,  tran 
quillity,  meditation,  and  divine  knowledge.  Then 
shall  the  English  come,  and,  joined  by  the  Khalsa, 
rule  as  well  in  the  East  as  in  the  West.  The  holy 
Baba  Nanak  will  bestow  all  wealth  on  them.  The 
English  shall  possess  great  power  and  by  force  of 
arms  take  possession  of  many  principalities.  The 
combined  armies  of  the  English  and  the  Sikhs  shall 
be  very  powerful,  as  long  as  they  rule  with  united 
councils.  The  empire  of  the  British  shall  vastly 
increase,  and  they  shall  in  every  way  obtain  pros 
perity.  Wherever  they  take  their  armies  they 
shall  conquer  and  bestow  thrones  on  their  vassals. 
Then  in  every  house  shall  be  wealth,  in  every  house 
religion,  in  every  house  learning,  and  in  every 
house  happiness.' 

It  is  such  prophecies  as  these,  combined  with 
the  monotheism,  the  absence  of  superstition  and 
restraint  in  the  matter  of  food,  which  have  made 
the  Sikhs  among  the  bravest,  the  most  loyal  and 
devoted  subjects  of  the  British  Crown.  As  to  their 
bravery  and  loyalty,  the  following,  written  by  one  of 
them,  is  by  no  means  an  exaggeration :  '  As  for  the 
bravery  and  warlike  spirit  of  the  Sikhs,  no  Cossack, 
no  Turk,  no  Russian,  can  measure  swords  with  them. 
There  is  one  trait  very  peculiar  in  them  such  as 
must  make  the  enemies  of  the  British  fear  them. 
The  true  blood  of  loyalty  and  devotion  to  their 
master  surges  in  their  veins.  A  true  Sikh  will  let 
his  body  be  cut  to  pieces  when  fighting  for  his 
master.  The  Sikh  considers  dying  in  battle  a 
means  of  salvation.  No  superiority  of  the  enemies 
in  number,  no  shot,  no  shell,  can  make  his  heart 
quail,  since  his  Amrit  (baptism)  binds  him  to 

b2 


xx  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

fight  single-handed  against  millions.  Some  people 
may  say  that  a  soldier  sells  his  head  for  the  small 
wage  paid  him  every  month.  But  the  Sikh  does 
not  do  so  :  he  devotes  his  head,  body,  and  every 
thing  dear  to  him  to  preserving  the  influence  of 
him  whom  he  once  makes  his  master.  A  Sikh 
who  shows  the  least  sign  of  reluctance  to  go,  or 
goes  with  an  expectation  of  remuneration,  when 
called  upon  by  his  benefactor  the  King-Emperor  to 
fight  His  Majesty's  enemies,  no  matter  how  strong 
they  may  be,  will  be  condemned  by  the  Gurus.' 

If  there  is  one  superstition  more  strongly  repro 
bated  than  another  in  the  Sikh  sacred  writings,  it 
is  pilgrimages  to  the  places  deemed  sacred  by  the 
Hindus.  Some  of  the  Sikh  States,  in  ignorance  of 
the  teachings  of  the  Gurus,  have  maintained  temples 
and  spiritual  arenas  at  Hardwar  and  Rikhikesh  for 
the  reception  of  pilgrims.  At  Hardwar  there  are 
held  great  religious  fairs  every  twelve  years  at  the 
time  when  the  sun  enters  the  lunar  mansion  of 
Aquarius  (Kumbh).  It  is  calculated  that  at  least 
one  hundred  thousand  Sikhs  were  present  at  the 
last  great  fair  at  Hardwar.  All  these  pilgrims 
bathe  in  the  Ganges ;  while  bathing  many  recklessly 
yield  to  the  necessities  of  nature ;  others  drink  their 
excreta  with  the  Ganges  water  as  sacred  nourish 
ment,  and  die  of  cholera  either  at  the  fair  or  on 
their  homeward  journey.  The  corpses  of  Sikhs,  as 
well  as  Hindus,  were  pulled  out  of  railway  carriages 
after  the  last  twelfth-year  fair  and  poisoned  the 
country.  The  pest  then  extended  east  and  west 
in  all  directions.  Kabul,  of  course,  on  the  western 
boundary  of  India,  was  soon  affected,  and  the  further 
progress  of  the  disease  towards  Europe  was  thus 


PREFACE  xxi 

described  by  the  Paris  correspondent  of  the  Morning 
Post  :- 

*  Professor  Chantemesse,  Director-General  of  the  Public 
Health  Department,  made  a  somewhat  disquieting  state 
ment  at  to-day's  meeting  of  the  Academy  of  Medicine. 
He  pointed  out  that  the  cholera  epidemic,  which  originated 
in  India  and  spread  east  and  west,  had  established  itself 
last  autumn  in  four  European  centres,  namely  Transcaspia, 
Transcaucasia,  Anatolia,  and  the  banks  of  the  Volga  between 
Astrakhan,  Saratoff,  and  Samara.  As  the  winter  cold  had 
merely  checked  the  disease,  instead  of  stamping  it  out, 
there  was  every  reason  to  fear  it  would  continue  its  progress 
westward,  by  way  of  the  Baltic  ports,  the  Black  Sea,  the 
Danube,  or  Constantinople.'  According  to  another  account, 
*  seven  thousand  deaths  from  cholera  occurred  in  the  Punjab 
since  the  second  week  of  April.  The  disease  was  originally 
disseminated  by  the  returning  pilgrims  from  Hardwar.' 

Of  course  there  were  also  many  Hindu  pilgrims  at 
the  Hardwar  fair,  but  let  any  one  consider  what  a 
gain  it  would  be  to  the  world  if  the  one  hundred 
thousand  Sikhs l  who  attended  it  possessed  such 
a  very  elementary  knowledge  of  their  religion  as 
to  know  that  their  action  was  reprobated  by  all 
their  holy  Gurus. 

It  is  known  to  every  Sikh  that  tobacco  is  forbidden 
by  his  religion,  but  it  is  not  generally  known  that 
wine  is  equally  forbidden.  After  I  had  quoted  the 
Sikh  tenets  on  this  subject  in  public  lectures  at 
Simla,  it  was  taken  up  by  the  enlightened  Singh 
Sabha  of  Patiala;  and  a  resolution  in  favour  of 
total  abstinence  was  signed  by  several  of  the  best 
educated  and  most  influential  Sardars  of  the  State. 

1  At  my  request  the  Panjab  Government  ascertained  from  the 
Government  of  the  United  Provinces  the  approximate  population  of 
the  Sikh  pilgrims. 


xxii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  freedom  of  women  and  their  emancipation 
from  the  tyranny  of  the  parda  may  be  inferred 
from  the  manner  in  which  Bhai  Budha  received 
Mata1  Ganga  the  wife  of  Guru  Arjan,  from  Guru 
Amar  Das's  refusal  to  receive  a  rani  who  had 
visited  him  when  she  was  closely  veiled,  and  from 
Kabir's  address  to  his  daughter-in-law. 

The  high  moral  and  enlightened  teachings  of  the 
Gurus,  their  prohibition  of  the  heinous  crime  of 
infanticide,  and  other  injunctions  for  the  public 
advantage  will  be  found  or  understood  from  the 
composition  of  the  Gurus  and  the  Bhagats  which 
we  give  in  these  volumes. 

The  Hindu  practice  of  the  concremation  of  widows 
was  forbidden  by  the  Gurus ;  though  this  was 
not  generally  known  at  the  time  of  Lord  William 
Bentinck,  who  had  sufficient  courage  to  issue  an 
ordinance  against  it. 

The  Gurus  most  powerfully  and  successfully  at 
tacked  the  caste  system  and  the  Hindu  belief  in 
impurity  and  defilement  in  many  necessary  and 
harmless  acts  of  domestic  life. 

It  is  admitted  that  a  knowledge  of  the  religions 
of  the  people  of  India  is  a  desideratum  for  the 
British  Officials  who  administer  its  affairs  and 
indirectly  for  the  people  who  are  governed  by  them 
so  that  mutual  sympathy  may  be  produced.  It 
seems,  at  any  rate,  politic  to  place  before  the  Sikh 
soldiery  their  Guru's  prophecies  in  favour  of  the 
English  and  the  texts  of  their  sacred  writings  which 
foster  their  loyalty. 

An  advantage  of  a  literary  or  historical  nature  is 

1  The  Sikhs  give  the  title  Mata  or  mother  to  the  wives  of  the  Gurus, 
in  the  same  way  as  they  give  the  title  Baba  or  father  to  Guru  Nanak. 


PREFACE  xxiii 

also  anticipated  from  this  work.  It  is  hoped  that  it 
will  throw  some  light  on  the  state  of  society  in  the 
Middle  Ages  and  that  it  will  also  be  useful  for  the 
student  of  comparative  theology.  Professor  Geheimer 
Hofrath  Merx,  of  the  Heidelberg  University,  a  very 
distinguished  German  savant,  has  recently  written 
to  me  :  '  The  publication  of  your  work  is  certainly 
very  desirable.  You  save  in  this  way  materials  for 
the  history  of  religions  which,  without  your  help, 
would  probably  disappear.' 

To  sum  up  some  of  the  moral  and  political  merits 
of  the  Sikh  religion  :  £t  prohibits  ido^try,  hypo 
crisy,  caste  exclusiveness,  the  concremation  of 
widows,  the  immurement  of  women,  the  use  of 
wine  and  other  intoxicants,  tobacco-smoking,  infanti 
cide,  slander,  pilgrimages  to  the  sacred  rivers  and 
tanks  of  the  Hindus;  and  it  inculcates  loyalty, 
gratitude  for  all  favours  received,  philanthropy, 
justice,  impartiality,  truth,  honesty,  and  all  the 
moral  and  domestic  virtues  known  to  the  holiest 
citizens  of  any  country.') 

A  movement  to  declare  the  Sikhs  Hindus,  in 
direct  opposition  to  the  teaching  of  the  Gurus,  is 
widespread  and  of  long  duration.  I  have  only 
quite  recently  met  in  Lahore  young  men  claiming 
to  be  descendants  of  the  Gurus,  who  told  me  that 
they  were  Hindus,  and  that  they  could  not  read  the 
characters  in  which  the  sacred  books  of  the  Sikhs 
were  written.  Whether  the  object  of  their  tutors 
and  advisers  was  or  was  not  to  make  them  disloyal, 
such  youths  are  ignorant  of  the  Sikh  religion,  and 
of  its  prophecies  in  favour  of  the  English,  and  con 
tract  exclusive  social  customs  and  prejudices  to  the 
extent  of  calling  us  Malechhas,  or  persons  of  impure 


xxiv  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

desires,  and  inspiring  disgust  for  the  customs  and 
habits  of  Christians. 

And  here  let  me  remark  that  the  recognition  of 
Panjabi  as  an  official  or  optional  official  language 
in  the  Panjab,  instead  of  the  alien  Urdu,  would 
be  a  most  powerful  means  of  preserving  the  Sikh 
religion.  Panjabi  is  the  mother  tongue  of  all 
natives  of  the  Panjab,  be  they  Sikhs,  Hindus,  or 
Muhammadans.  If  it  were  recognized  as  an  official 
or  optional  official  'anguage,  Sikhs  would  not  have 
to  resort  to  books  written  in  foreign  languages  for 
religious  instruction  and  consolation,  and  the  exalted 
ethical  instruction  of  the  Granth  Sahib  would  be  open 
to  all  classes  of  His  Majesty's  subjects  in  the  Panjab. 

After  the  English  occupation  of  the  Panjab  the 
officers  sent  to  administer  it  were  transferred  from 
what  were  then  known  as  the  North-Western 
Provinces.  They  took  with  them  Urdu,  or  what  was 
much  the  same — a  bastard  Persian  with  Urdu  inflec 
tions — the  only  Asiatic  language  they  knew,  and 
they  found  it  more  convenient  to  continue  to  use  it 
than  to  learn  a  foreign  language  which  had  at  the  time 
no  status  and  no  literature.  The  vernacular  writers 
and  the  officers  who  brought  them  were  equally  igno 
rant  of  Panjabi,  and  so  Urdu  became  the  official  lan 
guage  of  that  province.  That  the  officials  did  not 
understand  the  natives,  nor  the  natives  the  officials, 
made  no  difference.  The  court  officials  gradually 
picked  up  a  smattering  of  Panjabi,  and  were  able 
to  interpret  for  the  Europeans.  This  state  of 
things  was  allowed  to  continue.  If  the  Panjabis 
remonstrated  against  neglect  of  their  language 
their  remonstrances  were  unheeded.  Now  the  Pan 
jab  has  become  more  enlightened,  the  remonstrances 


PREFACE  xxv 

have  grown  louder,  and  it  remains  to  be  seen 
whether  any  Lieutenant-Governor  will  take  the 
trouble  or  have  the  courage  to  make  Panjabi  an 
alternative  language  for  the  Panjab,  and  thus 
confer  a  lasting  favour  not  only  on  the  Sikhs,  but 
on  all  the  natives  of  the  Land  of  the  Five  Rivers, 
whose  medium  of  communication  it  is  from  their 
birth.  At  any  rate,  there  appears  nothing  to  hinder 
the  native  states  of  the  Panjab  from  making  Panjabi 
their  official  language. 

In  our  time  one  of  the  principal  agencies  for 
the  preservation  of  the  Sikh  religion  has  been  the 
practice  of  military  officers  commanding  Sikh  regi 
ments  to  send  Sikh  recruits  to  receive  baptism 
according  to  the  rites  prescribed  by  Guru  Gobind 
Singh,  and  endeavour  to  preserve  them  in  their 
subsequent  career  from  the  contagion  of  idolatry. 
The  military  thus  ignoring  or  despising  the  restraints 
imposed  by  the  civil  policy  of  what  is  called  '  religious 
neutrality',  have  practically  become  the  main  hiero- 
phants  and  guardians  of  the  Sikh  religion. 

I  have  been  at  great  pains  and  expense  to  obtain 
details  of  the  lives  of  the  Bhagats,  or  Indian  saints, 
who  preceded  the  Gurus,  and  whose  writings  are 
incorporated  in  the  Granth  Sahib,  but  I  have  not 
been  completely  successful.  I  shall  be  very  grate 
ful  to  any  one  who  can  add  to  my  information 
regarding  them. 

The  hymns  of  the  Bhagats  will  in  some  cases 
be  found  different  from  those  preserved  in  the 
Hindi  and  Marathi  collections  of  the  saints'  com 
positions  in  other  parts  of  India.  They  were  taken 
down  by  Guru  Arjan  from  the  lips  of  wandering 
minstrels  or  followers  of  the  saints. 


xxvi  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Parallel  ideas  and  expressions  to  those  of  the 
Gurus  and  the  Bhagats  may  be  found  in  ancient 
and  modern  literature,  sacred  and  profane,  and 
could  be  largely  quoted.  Only  a  few  such  com 
parisons,  which  occurred  to  the  author  at  the  time 
of  writing,  have  been  given  in  the  notes  to  this 
work.  They  are  intended  to  show  the  catholicity 
of  the  Gurus'  teachings,  and  they  may  also  occa 
sionally  relieve  the  tedium  of  perusal. 

The  writers  of  the  Janamsakhis  had  no  maps  to 
guide  them,  and  accordingly  in  some  cases  assigned 
to  the  Gurus,  notably  Guru  Nanak,  impossible 
itineraries.  Accordingly  efforts  have  been  made  in 
this  work  to  revise  the  Gurus'  travels  and  render 
them  consistent  with  scientific  Indian  geography. 
Should  learned  Sikhs,  after  full  consideration  at 
a  general  council,  prepare  maps  of  the  Gurus' 
travels,  they  will  be  inserted  in  any  future  edition 
of  this  work.  So  also  should  learned  Sikhs  con 
sider  their  own  accounts  of  the  Gurus,  their  own 
order  of  the  Gurus'  hymns,  or  their  own  versions 
of  words  or  phrases  in  the  Gurus'  compositions 
superior  to  the  gyanis'  and  mine,  we  shall  be  pleased 
to  receive  their  suggestions. 

H.H.  Sir  Hira  Singh,  Malvendar  Bahadur,  the 
Raja  of  Nabha,  has  at  considerable  expense  caused 
the  thirty-one  Indian  rags,  or  musical  measures, 
to  which  the  hymns  of  the  Gurus  were  composed, 
to  be  written  out  in  European  musical  notation  by 
a  professional  musician  whom  he  employed  for 
the  purpose.  The  rags  were  merging  into  oblivion, 
and  have  been  collected  with  much  difficulty  by 
Mahant  Gaja  Singh,  the  greatest  minstrel  of  the 
Sikhs.  They  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  the 


PREFACE  xxvii 

fifth  volume  of  this  work.  Though  they  may  sound 
bizarre  to  European  ears,  they  will  be  appreciated 
by  the  Sikhs  and  by  many  European  lovers  of  art 
who  regret  the  loss  of  the  music  to  which  the  Odes 
of  Pindar  and  Sappho  and  the  choral  exercises  of 
the  Greek  tragedians  were  sung. 

There  are  also  added  pictures  of  the  Gurus  as 
far  as  ascertainable,  of  famous  Sikh  temples,  and 
of  some  scenes  memorable  in  Sikh  history.  These 
pictures  have  been  prepared  by  Bhai  Lai  Singh 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Honourable  Tikka  Ripu- 
daman  Singh,  the  young  heir  to  the  Nabha  gadi. 

The  expense  attendant  on  the  production  of  this 
work,  which  has  been  the  labour  of  many  years, 
and  has  been  completed  with  the  assistance  for 
long  periods  of  a  large  staff  of  Sikh  scholars  and  of 
English  and  vernacular  copyists,  has  been  very  con 
siderable,  and  I  am  indebted  to  His  Highness  the  Raja 
of  Nabha,  His  Highness  Sir  Rajindar  Singh,  the  late 
much  lamented  Maharaja  of  Patiala,  His  Highness 
Raja  Ranbir  Singh,  Raja  of  Jind,  the  Tikka  Sahib  of 
Nabha,  and  the  late  Sardar  Ranjit  Singh  of  Chich- 
rauli  for  defraying  a  portion  of  it.  His  Highness  the 
Gaekwar  of  Baroda  has  promised  his  patronage  after 
the  publication  of  the  work. 

Several  persons  have  recommended  this  work  to 
the  patronage  of  the  Indian  Government  and  the 
Secretary  of  State  for  India.  The  distinguished 
scholar,  Count  Angelo  de  Gubernatis,  president  of 
the  Roman  Congress  of  Orientalists,  thus  addressed 
the  Secretary  of  State  for  India  in  a  letter  dated 
October  19,  1899  :— 

Dans  rinte"ret  de  la  science,  je  prends  la  liberte"  de  vous 
signaler  fort  particulierement  a  votre  attention  la  pro- 


xxviii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

position  de  M.  Macauliffe,  accueillee  avec  tant  d'interet  et 
si  chaleureusement  recommandee  par  PAssemblee  Generale 
du  XIIme  Congres  des  Orientalistes,  dans  sa  seance  du 
8  octobre,  pour  edition  et  illustration  critique  des  textes 
de  la  religion  des  Sikhs.  Tout  ce  queP  India  Office  decider  a 
en  faveur  de  cette  noble  entreprise  ne  pourra  etre  que  tres 
meritoire.  Et  a  ce  titre,  j'ose  vivement  recommander  a  la 
protection  de  1' India  Office  les  interessantes  recherches  de 
M.  Macauliffe  sur  les  textes  canoniques  des  Sikhs  du  Panjab. 

Count  de  Gubernatis's  letter  covered  the  following 
proceedings  of  the  Roman  Congress  : — 

A  propos  de  la  conference  de  M.  Macauliffe,  M.  le 
Prof.  L.  von  Schroeder,  Professeur  de  Sanskrit  a  PUniversite 
de  Vienne,  estime  qu'il  serait  tres  desirable  de  posseder 
une  traduction  des  livres  sacres  des  Sikhs,  telle  que  M. 
Macauliffe  en  a  con9u  le  plan  et  prepare  P  execution,  tra 
duction  dans  laquelle  se  trouverait  incorporee  et  utilisee  la 
tradition  orale  des  Sikhs  eux-memes  qui  menace  de  dis- 
paraitre  rapidement.  II  recommande  instamment  Pentre- 
prise  de  M.  Macauliffe  a  Pappui  materiel  tant  du  Gou- 
vernement  de  PInde  que  des  chefs  Sikhs.  Get  appui  a  ete 
autrefois  genereusement  accorde  a  la  tentative  meritoire 
mais  insuffisante  de  Dr.  Trumpp  ;  il  peut  seul  assurer  le 
succes  d'une  ceuvre  aussi  considerable  et  aussi  couteuse. 

M.  6mile  Senart,  Membre  de  ITnstitut  de  France,  et  Vice- 
President  de  la  Societe  Asiatique  a  Paris,  a  son  tour,  de- 
mande  a  appuyer  la  proposition  faite  par  M.  von  Schroeder, 
et  prie  la  reunion  de  recommander  instamment  a  1'appui, 
soit  du  Gouvernement  de  1'Inde,  soit  des  chefs  Sikhs,  1'en- 
treprise  de  M.  Macauliffe.  II  insiste  sur  1'interet  special 
que  presente  dans  1'histoire  religieuse  de  PInde  le  develop- 
pement  de  la  religion  des  Sikhs,  la  seule  qui  y  ait  pris 
P  allure  militante  et  guerriere  que  ne  semblaient  pas  faire 
prevoir  ses  debuts.  Le  plus  essentiel  de  la  traduction  pro- 
jet  ee  sera  dans  cette  circonstance,  qu'elle  preservera  d'une 
perte  menagante  la  tradition  orale  et  Pinterpretation 
orthodoxe.  Nulle  part  la  tradition  n'a  plus  d'importance 


PREFACE  xxix 

que  dans  une  doctrine  comme  celle-ci,  qui  est  voilee  d'un 
syncretisme  complique,  et  dont  Toriginalite  speculative  n'a 
pu  se  degager  que  peu  a  peu. 

Lord  Reay,  the  President  of  the  Royal  Asiatic 
Society,  a  nobleman  who  is  never  wanting  to  any 
benevolent  or  philanthropic  enterprise,  strongly 
recommended  my  work  to  the  favourable  con 
sideration  of  the  Lieutenant-Go vernor  of  the  Panjab. 

Mr.  L.  W.  Dane  (now  Sir  Louis  W.  Dane,  Lieu 
tenant-Go  vernor  of  the  Panjab)  has  always  adopted 
a  sympathetic  attitude  towards  my  labours,  and, 
as  far  as  in  him  lay,  assisted  in  bringing  them  to 
a  successful  conclusion. 

And  Lord  Kitchener  of  Khartoum,  after  presiding 
at  my  public  lecture  on  '  How  the  Sikhs  became  a 
Militant  People  ',  thus  expressed  himself  :— 

It  must  be  a  matter  of  great  satisfaction  to  Mr.  Macauliffe 
that  the  Amritsar  Singh  Sabha  have  accepted  his  trans 
lations  as  being  thoroughly  accurate.  We  may  say  with 
confidence  that  in  putting  the  study  of  the  Sikh  sacred 
writings  within  our  reach  Mr.  Macauliffe  has  earned  the 
approbation  of  all  who  know  the  great  value  of  the  Sikh 
soldier  ;  the  cordial  recognition  of  the  rulers  of  the  country, 
and  the  gratitude  of  the  chiefs,  sardars,  and  people  of  the 
Sikh  community — a  feeling  of  gratitude  which  I  feel  sure 
will  be  much  increased  when  Mr.  Macauliffe  has  translated 
the  sacred  writings  into  the  ordinary  Panjabi  of  the  day, 
a  labour  which,  I  understand,  he  is  about  to  commence,  and 
which  I  hope  will  result  in  their  general  dissemination 
through  every  Sikh  household  in  the  country. 

For  literary  assistance  I  must  acknowledge  my 
indebtedness  to  Sardar  Kahn  Singh  of  Nabha,  one 
of  the  greatest  scholars  and  most  distinguished 
authors  among  the  Sikhs,  who  by  order  of  the  Raja 


xxx  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

of  Nabha  accompanied  me  to  Europe  to  assist  in 
the  publication  of  this  work  and  in  reading  the 
proofs  thereof ;  to  Diwan  Lila  Ram  Watan  Mai, 
a  subordinate  judge  in  Sind  ;  to  the  late  Bhai 
Shankar  Dayal  of  Faizabad ;  to  Bhai  Hazara  Singh 
and  Bhai  Sardul  Singh  of  Amritsar,  to  the  late 
Bhai  Dit  Singh  of  Lahore,  to  the  late  Bhai  Bhagwan 
Singh  of  Patiala,  and  to  many  other  Sikh  scholars 
for  the  intelligent  assistance  they  have  rendered  me. 

In  my  translation  from  the  Sikh  sacred  writings 
I  freely  use  the  subjunctive  mood  which  is  fast 
disappearing  from  the  English  language.  The  solemn 
form  of  the  third  person  singular  of  the  present 
tense  I  have  employed  for  obvious  reasons.  My 
Sikh  readers  may  easily  learn  that  this  form  is 
not  now  used  in  conversation  or  ordinary  prose. 
I  have  avoided  the  arbitrary  nomenclature  invented 
by  European  scholars,  such  as  Brahmanism,  a  word 
which  is  not  used  in  India  ;  self  for  soul  or  con 
science,  &c. 

The  Sikh  Gurus  were  simple  men  who  generally 
chose  colloquial  language  for  the  expression  of 
their  ideas,  and  avoided  learned  words  and  meta 
physical  subtleties.  Hence  in  my  translation  I  have 
endeavoured  to  use  such  simple  language  as  I  believe 
was  intended  by  them  and  the  reformers  who  pre 
ceded  them.  My  aim  has  been  to  interpret  the 
sacred  books  of  the  Sikhs,  subject  to  what  I  deem 
a  necessary  solemnity  of  form,  in  the  current  language 
of  the  day,  and  without  any  effort  to  produce  new 
or  startling  expressions.  In  my  efforts  to  use  simple 
language,  however,  I  cannot  claim  complete  success. 
The  ideas  of  the  Gurus  and  particularly  their  epithets 
of  the  Creator  cannot  always  be  translated  without 


PREFACE  xxxi 

unwieldy  periphrasis  into  any  Anglo-Saxon  words  in 
ordinary  use.  Somewhat  analogous  words  and  ex 
pressions  may  often  be  found,  but  they  do  not  con 
vey  precisely  the  meanings  intended  by  the  Sikh 
sacred  writers. 

Archaisms,  though  deemed  necessary  by  poets, 
and  though  they  often  contribute  to  ornateness  of 
style,  I  have  done  my  utmost  to  avoid.  In  this 
way  I  hope  my  book  will  be  more  useful  to  the 
Sikhs,  and  assist  them  in  forming  an  acquaintance 
with  the  English  tongue. 

Indian  proper  names  I  have  spelled  as  they  are 
written  and  pronounced  in  India  at  the  present 
time,  and  not  as  they  were  written  and  pronounced 
in  the  Sanskrit  age.  In  this  I  am  but  following 
the  practice  of  all  modern  languages.  Nobody 
would  now  call  London  Londinium,  or  Marseilles 
Massilia,  or  Naples  Neapolis.  Nor  can  I  adopt  the 
spelling  of  Oriental  words  which  has  been  adopted 
in  this  country  ostensibly  for  the  use  of  continental 
scholars,  which  causes  sh  to  be  printed  ^,  f,  or  s\ 
j,  g;  ch,  k,  &c.  Such  spelling  is  repulsive  to  many 
persons,  and  it  can  hardly  be  necessary  for  the 
Oriental  scholars  of  any  country.  The  different 
n's,  £'s,  r's,  and  s's  of  Indian  languages  I  have 
found  it  hopeless  to  represent,  nor  would  it  be 
useful  for  my  work,  for  they  are  often  confounded 
in  Sikh  literature.  The  spelling  of  English  words 
is  that  accepted  by  the  Clarendon  Press. 

In  the  languages  and  dialects  with  which  we  have 
been  dealing  there  is  no  short  e  corresponding  to 
the  e  in  bed  and  no  short  o  corresponding  to  the 
o  in  not.  Whenever,  therefore,  the  vowels  e  and 
o  are  found  in  Indian  names  in  this  work,  they 


xxxii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

are  always  long.  E  is  always  pronounced  as  it  is 
in  eh  or  as  the  French  4.  0  is  always  pronounced 
as  in  note.  The  vowel  i  may  be  long  or  short. 
It  is  always  long  at  the  end  of  an  Indian  word, 
and  is  then  pronounced  like  the  English  double 
e  (ee) .  When  it  is  long  in  the  body  of  Indian  words 
found  in  the  notes  it  is  marked  with  a  makron, 
thus  l.  The  vowel  a  may  also  be  either  short  or 
long.  When  long  in  Indian  words  in  the  notes,  it 
is  crowned  with  a  makron,  thus  a.  The  final  a  in 
Indian  words  may  be  generally  considered  short, 
like  the  a  in  sofa.  In  the  text,  in  order  not  to 
distract  the  reader's  attention,  diacritical  marks  are 
rarely  employed. 

This  being  essentially  a  work  on  the  Sikh  religion 
we  have  commenced  with  Guru  Nanak ;  but  if  the 
reader  desires  to  follow  the  historical  development 
of  the  Sikh  reformation,  he  had  better  begin  with  the 
sixth  volume.  This  was  probably  the  intention  of 
Guru  Arjan  himself,  for  otherwise  he  could  not  have 
included  in  his  compilation  hymns  quite  opposed  to 
the  principles  and  tenets  of  his  predecessors. 

The  author  feels  that  his  work  suffers  from  a 
special  disadvantage,  because  the  scholars  of  Europe 
and  America  are  hardly  in  a  position  to  criticize 
on  its  merits  the  translation  of  hymns  composed 
in  dialects  which  can  only  be  learned  in  India  from 
the  lips  of  the  few  exponents  of  the  Sikh  faith  who 
now  survive.  Nor  have  European  and  American 
scholars  had  an  opportunity  of  perusing  the  Indian 
works  which  form  the  basis  of  our  lives  of  the  Gurus 
and  of  the  saints  who  preceded  them.  The  diffi 
culty  and  extent  of  the  author's  labours  cannot 
therefore  be  understood. 


PREFACE  xxxiii 

It  is  believed  that  a  work  of  this  nature  cannot 
be  accomplished  again.  In  any  age  it  could  not 
be  done  out  of  India  for  want  of  expert  assistance. 
In  India,  even  under  the  most  favourable  con 
ditions,  and  when  a  student  had  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  some  Indian  languages  and  dialects, 
the  translation  of  the  sacred  books  of  the  Sikhs, 
and  the  compilation  of  the  lives  of  their  Gurus 
and  holy  men,  would  be  the  work  of  years.  No 
one  while  in  the  service  of  the  Indian  Government 
could  find  leisure  to  accomplish  it;  and  few  Euro 
peans  after  their  retirement  from  Indian  service 
would  care  to  spend  long  years  and  lonely  lives 
in  India  wrestling  with  mediaeval  Indian  dialects 
and  submitting  to  the  caprices  of  gyanis ;  but 
even  should  such  martyrs  to  the  cause  of  science 
be  found,  they  would  not  be  able  to  obtain  the 
requisite  assistance,  because  the  principal  inter 
preters  of  the  sacred  books  of  the  Sikhs  will  have 
passed  away  with  this  generation,  and,  owing  to 
want  of  patronage,  there  will  be  none  to  supply 
their  place.  This  fact,  too,  would  soon  render  a 
Sikh,  even  if  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  English 
tongue,  and  possessed  of  sufficient  resource  and  in 
dustry,  incapable  of  producing  an  authoritative  and 
exhaustive  work  in  our  language  on  his  religion. 

The  preacher  of  old  said  that  'of  making  many 
books  there  is  no  end'.  For  the  last  century 
their  publication  has  increased  in  geometrical 
ratio,  and  prodigious  must  be  the  number  which 
find  their  way  into  the  streets  and  shops  which 
sell  quicquid  chartis  amicitur  ineptis.  The  author 
fondly  hopes  that  this  work,  which  contains  an 
account  of  the  last  great  religion  of  the  world 

t    SIKH.    I  C 


xxxiv  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

which  remains  to  be  exploited,  may  escape  the 
general  fate.  At  the  same  time  a  glance  at  the 
shelves  of  any  large  library  must  convince  a  writer 
of  the  vanity  of  most  literary  labour,  if  haply  the 
love  of  fame  is  dearer  to  him  than  the  love  of  his  sub- 
ject.  The  blurred  and  hoary  volumes,  elaborately 
illuminated  and  bound,  which  no  one  now  ever 
peruses,  were  often  produced  at  the  expense  of  years 
of  toil — nay,  of  health  and  even  life  itself — and  now 
remain  sad  monuments  of  the  transitoriness  of  fame 
and  the  frequent  futility  of  human  effort.  But  there 
is  even  a  worse  fate  than  this,  namely,  the  obloquy 
so  often  meted  out  to  authors  instead  of  the  legiti 
mate  recompense  of  lives  of  strenuous  toil  devoted 
to  literary  or  scientific  investigation.  Even  under 
favourable  circumstances  the  author  of  an  elaborate 
work  of  this  description,  the  production  of  which 
has  occupied  several  years  of  his  life,  cannot  always 
hope  even  for  temporary  reward  in  the  approba 
tion  of  those  dear  to  him,  those  whom  he  would 
wish  to  please ;  for  either  their  measure  of  years 
has  grown  full,  or  separation  and  varied  interests 
have  dulled  the  feelings  of  mutual  pleasure  which 
would  result  from  his  success. 


MAX  ARTHUR  MACAULIFFE. 


ROYAL  SOCIETIES  CLUB, 
LONDON. 


CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  I 

T>  PAGE 

PREFACE .        v 

INTRODUCTION xxxix 

LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK        .        .        .        . 

TWELVE  MONTHS         .        .        .        ....        .  ^38 

JAPJI   .  .  195 

ASA  KI  WAR 2I8 

RAHIRAS .        .        .    250 

SOHILA 258 

GURU  NANAK'S  HYMNS       .        .  .        .      <l*ftf 

ADDITIONAL  SLOKS      .        .        .        .        .        .        .    379 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

VOLUME  I  PAGE 

THE  AUTHOR  AND  SOME  OF  HIS  SIKH  ASSISTANTS    Frontispiece 

GURU  NANAK,  THE  FOUNDER  OF  THE  SIKH  RELIGION  .  i 

VOLUME  II 

GURU  ANGAD  AND  A  PUPIL i 

GURU  AMAR  DAS       .......  58 

GURU  RAM  DAS  RECEIVING  HIS  DISCIPLES  .         .        .  253 

VOLUME  III 

GURU  ARJAN  READING  THE  GRANTH  SAHIB        .        .  i 
THE  TANK  AND  TEMPLE  OF  AMRITSAR        .                 .13 

GENERAL  VIEW  OF  AMRITSAR     .....  20 

GURU  ARJAN'S  SHRINE      ......  101 

VOLUME  IV 

GURU  HAR  GOBIND  ..«,...  i 

THE  AKAL  BUNGA     .         .        .                 .        .        .  4 

BABA  ATAL'S  SHRINE 132 

GURU  HAR  RAI  BLESSING  YOUNG  PHUL     .        .        .  275 

GURU  HAR  KRISHAN          .         .                 .        .        .  315 

GURU  TEG  BAHADUR 331 

VOLUME  V 

GURU  GOBIND  SINGH         ......  i 

FATAHGARH 199 

AN  AKALI         ...                                           .  210 

MUKTSAR  ....                                           .  214 

THE  SIKH  TEMPLE  (HAZUR  SAHIB)  AT  NANDER  .         .  246 

VOLUME  VI 

NAMDEV'S  SHRINE  AT  GHUMAN  .....  39 
FOLLOWERS  OF  RAMANUJ  AND  RAMANAND  .         .         .105 


INTRODUCTION 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  fifteenth  century  of  the  Christian  era  was  a  period 
of  singular  mental  and  political  activity.  Both  in  Europe 
and  India  men  shook  off  the  torpor  of  ages,  and  their  minds 
awoke  to  the  consciousness  of  intellectual  responsibility. 
For  this  result,  it  is  true,  important  preparations  had 
been  made  in  the  fourteenth  century,  when  the  Christian 
reformers,  Walter  Lollard  and  John  Huss,  preached  and 
suffered  death  for  their  opinions ; l  when  the  poetical 
literature  of  England  assumed  a  tangible  form  from  the 
genius  of  Chaucer  and  Gower  ;  when  the  Musalmans  in 
Europe  penetrated  into  Thrace  and  Hungary  ;  and  when, 
after  the  overthrow  and  expulsion  of  Budhism  from  India 
by  the  astute  and  powerful  Brahmans,  there  flourished  the 
great  exponents  of  Indian  monotheism,  the  saint  Kabir, 
and  the  enlightened  Ramanand. 

But  it  was  reserved  for  the  fifteenth  century  to  bear  the 
full  fruits  of  the  mental  awakening  of  the  fourteenth.  In 
England  the  ancient  language  of  Greece  began  to  be  studied  ; 
a  further  impulse  was  given  to  the  reformation  of  the  Christian 
religion  ;  and  villenage  disappeared  as  a  political  institution. 
In  France  the  Government  was  consolidated  by  the  union 
of  the  great  fiefs  to  the  crown  ;  and  the  daring  monarch 
Charles  VII  made  his  successful  expedition  against  the 
picturesque  capital  of  Southern  Italy.  In  Germany  occurred 
the  birth  of  Luther,  and  the  revival  and  development  of  the 
invaluable  art  of  printing  in  movable  types.2  In  Italy 
there  was  a  marvellous  resuscitation  of  the  fine  arts,  and 

1  Lollard  and  Huss  were  burned  for  heresy.     Wickliffe  would  have 
suffered  the   same  fate,  had  not  a  paralytic  attack  anticipated  the 
executioner. 

2  Block  printing  was  known  in  China  before  the  Christian  era. 


xl  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

then  were  born  the  renowned  navigators  Columbus  and 
Amerigo  Vespucci,  the  great  masters  Michael  Angelo, 
Raphael,  and  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  and  the  illustrious  patron 
of  letters  Lorenzo  di  Medici. 

In  Spain  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  though  they  organized 
the  inquisition  in  their  intemperate  religious  zeal  against 
the  Saracens  and  Jews,  were  yet  conspicuous  for  a  worldly 
liberality  which  deserves  the  acknowledgement  of  posterity. 
In  Portugal  was  born  Vasco  da  Gama,  who  under  the  enter 
prising  King  Emanuel  discovered  the  maritime  route  by 
the  Cape  of  Storms  to  India.  The  Musalmans  in  Europe 
conquered  Turkey  and  Greece,  and  seized  on  the  ancient 
Italian  city  of  Otranto.  And  in  Asia,  Taimur  extended  his 
victorious  arms  from  Siberia  on  the  north  to  the  Arabian 
Sea  on  the  south,  and  from  the  Ganges  on  the  east  to  the 
Hellespont  on  the  west. 

There  is  a  wonderful  analogy  between  the  spiritual  con 
dition  of  Europe  and  India  during  the  dark  ages.  In 
Europe  most  religious  works  were  written  in  Latin,  in  India 
they  were  in  Sanskrit.  In  both  continents  all  learning 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  priesthood,  and  this  admittedly  led 
to  serious  abuses.  A  great  cyclic  wave  of  reformation  then 
overspread  both  continents.  During  the  very  period  that 
Luther  and  Calvin  in  Europe  were  warning  men  of  the 
errors  that  had  crept  into  Christianity,  several  Indian 
saints  were  denouncing  priestcraft,  hypocrisy,  and  idolatry, 
and  with  very  considerable  success.  Several  of  those  great 
men  who  led  the  crusade  against  superstition,  founded 
sects  which  still  survive ;  but  the  most  numerous  and 
powerful  of  all  is  the  great  Sikh  sect  founded  by  Guru 
Nanak,  which  already  forms  a  considerable  section  of  the 
population  of  the  Panjab,  and  which  is  scattered  in  greater 
or  less  numbers  not  only  throughout  the  whole  of  India  but 
Kabul,  Kandahar,  China,  and  Southern  Asia. 

A  cognate  cause  is  frequently  assigned  for  the  establish 
ment  of  new  religions,  namely,  that  they  appear  at  periods 
of  great  political  or  social  depression,  when  it  becomes 
necessary  for  men  to  have  recourse  to  the  superhuman  for 


INTRODUCTION  xli 

guidance  and  consolation.  Then  when  the  hour  is  darkest 
some  prophet  is  born,  perhaps  in  a  lowly  hamlet,  to  solace 
the  heavy-laden  and  lift  their  thoughts  to  a  brighter  and 
happier  world.  A  signal  instance  has  been  remarked  by 
historians.  Judaea  was  smarting  from  the  tyranny  and 
cruelty  of  Herod  when  he  whom  the  most  advanced  races 
of  the  world  call  the  Messiah  was  born. 

The  Gurus  too  appear  to  have  been  of  the  opinion  that 
God  sends  a  divine  guide  whenever  required  by  the  con 
dition  of  the  age  and  country.  Guru  Amar  Das,  the  third 
Guru,  wrote  : — 

When  the  world  is  in  distress,  it  heartily  prayeth. 

The  True  One  attentively  listeneth  and  with  His  kind 
disposition  grant eth  consolation. 

He  giveth  orders  to  the  Cloud  and  the  rain  falleth  in 
torrents. 

That  is,  the  Guru  comes  by  God's  order  and  gives  abundant 
instruction  to  all  who  may  be  prepared  to  receive  it. 

Indeed  several  events  occurred  during  the  Muhammadan 
conquests  of  India  in  the  Middle  Ages  to  force  the  Hindus 
to  consider  life  in  a  serious  aspect.  Though  many  of  the 
followers  of  Vishnu,  Shiv,  and  the  other  gods  of  the  Hindu 
dispensation  adopted  during  that  period  the  faith  of  the 
Arabian  prophet,  as  the  result  of  force  or  with  a  view  to 
worldly  advantages,  yet  others  whose  minds  were  powerfully 
directed  to  religious  speculation  sought  safety  from  perse 
cution  and  death  in  the  loneliness  of  the  desert  or  the 
retirement  of  the  forest,  and  lived  single-minded  investigators 
of  religious  truth  as  in  the  primitive  golden  age  of  their 
country. 

We  shall  here  give,  from  the  written  accounts  of  Muham 
madan  historians,  some  examples  of  the  treatment  of  Hindus 
by  Muhammadan  conquerors  of  India. 

Shahab-uP-Din,  King  of  Ghazni,  the  virtual  founder  of  the 
Muhammadan  Empire  in  India  (1170-1206),  put  Prithwi 
Raja,  King  of  Ajmer  and  Dihli,  to  death  in  cold  blood. 

1  The  I  is  generally  silent  in  such  combinations. 


xlii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

He  massacred  thousands  of  the  inhabitants  of  Ajmer  who 
had  opposed  him,  reserving  the  remainder  for  slavery. 
After  his  victory  over  the  King  of  Banaras  the  slaughter 
of  the  Hindus  is  described  as  immense.  None  were  spared 
except  women  and  children,  and  the  carnage  of  the  men 
was  carried  on  until,  as  it  has  been  said,  the  earth  grew  weary 
of  the  monotony.1 

In  the  Taj-ul-Mcfasir  by  Hasan  Nizam-i-Naishapuri  it 
is  stated  that  when  Qutb-ul-Din  Aibak  (A.D.  1194-1210) 
conquered  Merath  he  demolished  all  the  Hindu  temples  of 
the  city  and  erected  mosques  on  their  sites.  In  the  city  of 
Koil,  now  called  Aligarh,  he  converted  Hindu  inhabitants 
to  Islam  by  the  sword  and  beheaded  all  who  adhered  to 
their  religion.  In  the  city  of  Kalinjar  he  destroyed  one 
hundred  and  thirteen  Hindu  temples,  built  mosques  on  their 
sites,  massacred  over  one  hundred  thousand  Hindus,  and 
made  slaves  of  about  fifty  thousand  more.  It  is  said  the 
place  became  black  as  pitch  with  the  decomposing  bodies 
of  the  Hindus.  And  in  the  Tabaqat-i-Nasiri  by  Minhaj- 
ul-Siraj  it  is  stated  that  when  Muhammad  Bakhtyar 
Khilji  conquered  Bihar  he  put  to  the  sword  about  one 
hundred  thousand  Brahmans,  and  burnt  a  valuable  library 
of  ancient  Sanskrit  works. 

Abdulla  Wassaf  writes  in  his  Tazjiyat-ul-Amsar  wa 
Tajriyat  ul  Asar  that  when  Ala-ul-Din  Khilji  (1295-1316) 
captured  the  city  of  Kambayat  at  the  head  of  the  gulf  of 
Cambay,  he  killed  the  adult  male  Hindu  inhabitants  for 
the  glory  of  Islam,  set  flowing  rivers  of  blood,  sent  the 
women  of  the  country,  with  all  their  gold,  silver,  and  jewels, 
to  his  own  home,  and  made  about  twenty  thousand  maidens 
his  private  slaves. 

Ala-ul-Din  once  asked  his  qazi  what  was  the  Muhammadan 
law  prescribed  for  Hindus.  The  qazi  replied,  '  Hindus  are 
like  the  earth ;  if  silver  is  demanded  from  them,  they  ought 
with  the  greatest  humility  to  offer  gold.  And  if  a  Muham 
madan  desire  to  spit  into  a  Hindu's  mouth,  the  Hindu  should 

1  The  Kamilu-t  Tawarikh  by  ibn  Aslr.  See  also  Elphinstone's 
History  of  India. 


INTRODUCTION  xliii 

open  it  wide  for  the  purpose.  God  created  Hindus  to  be 
slaves  of  the  Muhammadans.  The  Prophet  hath  ordained 
that,  if  the  Hindus  do  not  accept  Islam,  they  should  be 
imprisoned,  tortured,  and  finally  put  to  death,  and  their 
property  confiscated.'  At  this  the  monarch  smiled  and  said 
he  had  not  been  waiting  for  an  interpretation  of  the  sacred 
law.  He  had  already  issued  an  order  that  Hindus  should 
only  possess  corn  and  coarse  clothes  sufficient  to  last  them 
for  six  months. 

During  the  reign  of  the  same  monarch  men  formerly  in 
easy  circumstances  were  reduced  to  beggary,  and  their 
wives  obliged  to  resort  to  menial  labour  for  their  main 
tenance.  In  front  of  the  palace  were  generally  seen  the 
corpses  of  forty  or  fifty  Hindus.  Hindus  were  punished 
with  merciless  severity  for  the  most  trifling  offences.  The 
monarch  had  his  own  brother  and  nephew  flayed  alive  on 
the  mere  suspicion  of  disloyalty.  He  then  had  their  flesh 
cooked  and  forced  their  children  to  eat  it.  What  remained 
after  the  repast  was  thrown  to  the  elephants  to  trample  on. 

The  historian,  Ibn  Batuta,  who  visited  India  in  the  time 
of  the  Emperor  Muhammad  Bin  Tughlak,  wrote  of  him : 
'  Such  was  his  inexorable  and  impetuous  character  that 
on  one  occasion  when  the  inhabitants  of  Dihli  revolted 
against  his  oppression  and  wrote  him  a  letter  of  remon 
strance,  he  ordered  them  to  quit  the  place  for  Daulatabad, 
a  city  in  the  Dakhan  (Deccan),  at  a  distance  of  forty  days' 
journey.  The  order  was  so  literally  obeyed  that  when  the 
Emperor's  servants  searched  the  city  after  the  removal,  and 
found  a  blind  man  in  one  of  the  houses  and  a  bedridden  one  in 
another,  the  bedridden  man  was  projected  from  a  catapult 
and  the  blind  one  dragged  by  his  feet  to  Daulatabad. 
But  the  latter's  limbs  dropped  off  on  the  way,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  journey  only  one  leg  was  left,  which  was  duly 
thrown  into  the  new  city,  "for  the  order  had  been  that 
all  should  go  to  this  place."  We  shall  subsequently  see 
how  Muhammad  bin  Tughlak  persecuted  the  Maratha  saint 
Namdev,  an  account  of  whose  life  and  writings  will  be  given 
in  this  work. 


xliv  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Amir  Khusrau  writes  in  his  Tawarikh  Alai  or  Khazain- 
ul-Futuh  that  when  the  Emperor  Firoz  Shah  Tughlak 
(A.D.  1351-88)  took  the  city  of  Bhilsa  in  Bhopal,  he  destroyed 
all  its  Hindu  temples,  took  away  their  idols,  placed  them 
in  front  of  his  fort,  and  had  them  daily  bathed  with  the 
blood  of  a  thousand  Hindus.  Firoz  Shah  twice  plundered 
the  country  of  Malwa,  and  took  away  everything  he  could 
find  except  earthen  pots. 

Farishta  relates  that  a  Brahman  called  Budhan,  who 
dwelt  in  a  place  called  Kayathan  or  Kataen  near  Lakhnau 
(Lucknow),  was  put  to  death  by  Sikandar  Khan  Lodi  for 
stating  that  as  Islam  was  true,  so  also  was  the  Hindu 
religion.  The  saint  Kabir  lived  under  Sikandar  Khan  Lodi, 
and  was  tortured  by  him.1 

The  Emperor  Babar's  cruelty  to  the  inhabitants  of  Saiyid- 
pur  we  shall  find  described  by  Guru  Nanak,  who  was  an 
eye-witness.  Both  he  and  his  attendant  were  taken 
prisoners  and  obliged  to  work  as  slaves. 

The  Guru  thus  describes  the  Muhammadan  rulers  and 
the  state  of  India  in  his  time  : — 

This  age  is  a  knife,  kings  are  butchers ;  justice  hath  taken 
wings  and  fled. 

In  this  completely  dark  night  of  falsehood  the  moon  of 
truth  is  never  seen  to  rise. 

I  have  become  perplexed  in  my  search  ; 

In  the  darkness  I  find  no  way. 

Devoted  to  pride,  I  weep  in  sorrow ; 

How  shall  deliverance  be  obtained  ?  2 

There  is  a  glamour  of  romance  cast  round  the  person  of 
the  Emperor  Jahangir,  partly  owing  to  the  poetry  of  Moore 
and  partly  owing  to  his  possession  of  Nur  Jahan,  the  most 
beautiful  and  gifted  woman  of  the  East ;  but  Jahangir 's 
memory  is  entitled  to  no  historical  commiseration.  His 

1  Farishta  elsewhere  describes  Sikandar  Khan  Lodi  as  just,  God 
fearing,  and  religious.     He  prayed  five  times  a  day,  bestowed  large 
sums  of  money  on  indigent  and  religious  persons,  and  was,  according 
to  the  historian,  a  model  of  a  Musalman  prince. 

2  Majh  ki  War. 


INTRODUCTION  xlv 

father  Akbar  was  disposed  to  free  thought  in  religion,  and 
it  was  believed  that  in  this  he  was  encouraged  by  Abul 
Fazal,  the  famous  Persian  historian.  Jahangir  caused  Abul 
Fazal  to  be  cruelly  assassinated.  After  his  accession  he 
compassed  the  death  of  Nur  Jahan's  husband  in  order  to 
possess  her.  He  tells  in  his  Memoirs  how  he  disposed  of 
robbers.  *  I  accomplished  about  this  period  the  suppression 
of  a  tribe  of  robbers,  who  had  long  infested  the  roads  about 
Agra  ;  and  whom,  getting  into  my  power,  I  caused  to  be 
trampled  to  death  by  elephants.' 

Sir  Thomas  Roe,  the  British  Ambassador  at  his  Court, 
gives  the  following  further  information  regarding  Jahangir 's 
method  of  dispensing  justice  :  *  A  band  of  one  hundred 
robbers  were  brought  in  chains  before  the  Great  Mogul. 
Without  any  ceremony  of  trial,  he  ordered  them  to  be 
carried  away  for  execution,  their  chief  being  ordered  to  be 
torn  in  pieces  by  dogs.  The  prisoners  were  sent  for  execu 
tion  to  several  quarters  of  the  city,  and  executed  in  the 
streets.  Close  by  my  house  the  chief  was  torn  in  pieces 
by  twelve  dogs  ;  and  thirteen  of  his  fellows,  having  their 
hands  and  feet  tied  together,  had  their  necks  cut  by  a 
sword,  yet  not  quite  through,  and  their  naked  and  bloody 
bodies  were  left  to  corrupt  in  the  streets.' 

*  The  trials  are  conducted  quickly,  and  the  sentences 
speedily  executed  ;  culprits  being  hanged,  beheaded,  im 
paled,  torn  by  dogs,  destroyed  by  elephants,  bitten  by 
serpents,  or  other  devices,  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
crimes  ;  the  executions  being  generally  in  the  market-place. 
The  governors  of  provinces  and  cities  administer  justice  in 
a  similar  manner.' 

The  following  gives  Jahangir 's  treatment  of  harmless 
lovers  :  '  Happening  to  catch  a  eunuch  kissing  one  of  his 
women  whom  he  had  relinquished,  he  sentenced  the  lady 
to  be  put  into  the  earth,  with  only  her  head  left  above 
the  ground,  exposed  to  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun,  and 
the  eunuch  to  be  cut  in  pieces  before  her  face.' 

Sir  Thomas  Roe  describes  how  Jahangir  vented  his  dis 
pleasure  on  some  of  his  nobles  :  '  Some  nobles  who  were 


xlvi  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

near  his  person  he  caused  for  some  offence  to  be  whipped 
in  his  presence,  receiving  130  stripes  with  a  most  terrible 
instrument  of  torture,  having,  at  the  ends  of  four  cords 
irons  like  spur-rowels,  so  that  every  stroke  made  four 
wounds.  When  they  lay  for  dead,  he  commanded  the 
standers-by  to  spurn  them  with  their  feet,  and  the  door 
keepers  to  break  their  staves  upon  them.  Thus,  cruelly 
mangled  and  bruised,  they  were  carried  away,  one  of  them 
dying  on  the  spot.' 

Jahangir's  son  Khusrau  rose  in  rebellion  against  him, 
and  it  is  not  a  matter  for  surprise  that  he  found  many 
adherents.  *  After  Khusrau's  arrest  he  was  brought  before 
his  father,  with  a  chain  fastened  from  his  left  hand  to  his 
left  foot,  according  to  the  laws  of  Changhez  Khan.  On 
the  right  hand  of  the  Prince  stood  Hasan  Beg,  and  on  his 
left,  Abdulrahim.  Khusrau  trembled  and  wept.  He  was 
ordered  into  confinement ;  but  the  companions  of  his  rebel 
lion  were  put  to  death  with  cruel  torments.  Hasan  Beg 
was  sewed  up  in  a  raw  hide  of  an  ox,  and  Abdulrahim  in 
that  of  an  ass,  and  both  were  led  about  the  town  on  asses, 
with  their  faces  towards  the  tail.  The  ox's  hide  became  so 
dry  and  contracted,  that  before  the  evening  Hasan  Beg  was 
suffocated  ;  but  the  ass's  hide  being  continually  moistened 
with  water  by  the  friends  of  Abdulrahim,  he  survived  the 
punishment.  From  the  garden  of  Kamran  to  the  city  of 
Lahore  two  rows  of  stakes  were  fixed  in  the  ground,  upon 
which  the  other  rebels  were  impaled  alive  ;  and  the  unhappy 
Khusrau,  mounted  on  an  elephant,  was  conducted  between 
the  ranks  of  these  miserable  sufferers.' 

Further  on  we  shall  see  that  Jahangir  caused  Guru  Arjan, 
the  fifth  Sikh  Guru,  to  be  tortured  to  death,  partly  on 
account  of  his  religion  and  partly  because  he  had  extended 
to  Prince  Khusrau  a  friendly  reception  and  hospitality. 

Jahangir's  grandson  the  Emperor  Aurangzeb  was  brought 
up  a  very  strict  Muhammadan.  The  following,  according 
to  the  Mirat-i-Alam  of  the  historian  Bakhtawar  Khan,  shows 
how  he  treated  Hindus  and  their  temples  for  the  honour 
and  glory  of  God  and  the  success  of  what  he  considered 


INTRODUCTION  xlvii 

the  only  true  religion  :  *  Hindu  writers  have  been  entirely 
excluded  from  holding  public  offices  ;  and  all  the  wor 
shipping  places  of  the  infidels,  and  the  great  temples  of 
these  infamous  people  have  been  thrown  down  and  de 
stroyed  in  a  manner  which  excites  astonishment  at  the 
successful  completion  of  so  arduous  an  undertaking.' 

The  following  is  from  the  Maasir-i-Alamgiri  :  '  It  reached 
the  ears  of  His  Majesty,  the  Protector  of  the  Faith,  that 
in  the  provinces  of  Thatha,  Multan,  and  Banaras,  but 
especially  in  the  latter,  foolish  Brahmans  were  in  the  habit 
of  expounding  frivolous  books  in  their  schools,  and  that 
students,  learned  Mussalmans  as  well  as  Hindus,  went 
there  even  from  long  distances,  led  by  a  desire  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  wicked  sciences  there  taught.  The 
Director  of  the  Faith  consequently  issued  orders  to  all  the 
governors  of  provinces  to  destroy  with  willing  hands  the 
temples  and  schools  of  the  infidels,  and  to  put  an  entire 
stop  to  the  teaching  and  practice  of  idolatrous  forms  of 
worship.  It  was  subsequently  reported  to  his  religious 
Majesty,  leader  of  the  Unitarians,  that  in  obedience  to  his 
orders,  the  Government  officers  had  destroyed  the  temple  of 
Vishwanath  at  Banaras.  In  the  thirteenth  year  of  Aurang- 
zeb's  reign  this  justice-loving  monarch,  the  constant  enemy 
of  tyrants,  commanded  the  destruction  of  the  Hindu  temple 
of  Mathura,  and  soon  that  stronghold  of  falsehood  and  den 
of  iniquity  was  levelled  with  the  ground.  On  its  site  was 
laid  at  great  expense  the  foundation  of  a  vast  mosque.' 

There  arose  a  sect  called  Satnamis  founded  by  Jagjivan 
Das,  a  native  of  Awadh  (Oude).  They  appear  to  have 
taken  many  of  their  doctrines  from  the  Sikhs.  Their  moral 
code  is  thus  described  :  *  It  is  something  like  that  of  all 
Hindu  quietists,  and  enjoins  indifference  to  the  world,  its 
pleasures  or  its  pains,  implicit  devotion  to  the  spiritual 
guide,  clemency  and  gentleness,  rigid  adherence  to  truth, 
the  discharge  of  all  ordinary,  social,  or  religious  obligations, 
and  the  hope  of  final  absorption  into  the  one  spirit  which 
pervades  all  things.' l 

1  H.  H.  Wilson's  Religion  of  the  Hindus. 


xlviii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  Muhammadan  historian  thus  describes  this  pious 
sect  and  their  treatment  by  the  Emperor  Aurangzeb  : 
'  A  body  of  bloody  miserable  rebels,  goldsmiths,  carpenters, 
sweepers,  tanners,  and  other  ignoble  beings,  braggarts  and 
fools  of  all  descriptions  became  so  puffed  up  with  vain 
glory  as  to  cast  themselves  headlong  into  the  pit  of  de 
struction.  Aurangzeb  sent  an  army  to  exterminate  and 
destroy  these  unbelievers.  The  heroes  of  Islam  charged 
with  impetuosity  and  crimsoned  their  sabres  with  the  blood 
of  these  desperate  men.  The  struggle  was  terrible.  At 
length  the  Satnamis  broke  and  fled,  but  were  pursued  with 
great  slaughter. 

'General  Khan  Jahan  Bahadur  arrived  from  Jodhpur 
bringing  with  him  several  cartloads  of  idols  taken  from 
the  Hindu  temples  which  had  been  razed  to  the  ground. 
Most  of  these  idols,  when  not  made  of  gold,  silver,  brass, 
or  copper,  were  adorned  with  precious  stones.  It  was 
ordered  that  some  of  them  should  be  cast  away  in  cut- 
offices  and  the  remainder  placed  beneath  the  steps  of  the 
grand  mosque  to  be  trampled  under  foot.  There  they  lay 
a  long  time  until  not  a  vestige  of  them  was  left. 

'  In  1090  A.H.  (A.D.  1680)  Prince  Muhammad  Azam  and 
Khan  Jahan  Bahadur  obtained  permission  to  visit  Udaipur. 
Two  other  officers  at  the  same  time  proceeded  thither  to 
effect  the  destruction  of  the  temples  of  the  idolaters,  which 
are  described  as  the  wonders  of  the  age,  erected  by  the 
infidels  to  the  ruin  of  their  souls.  Twenty  Rajputs  had 
resolved  to  die  for  their  faith.  One  of  them  slew  many 
of  his  assailants  before  receiving  his  death  blow.  Another 
followed  and  another  until  all  had  fallen.  Many  of  the 
faithful  also  had  been  dispatched  when  the  last  of  these 
fanatics  had  gone  to  hell. 

'  Soon  after  Aurangzeb  himself  visited  the  Rana's 
lake  and  ordered  all  its  temples  to  be  levelled  with  the 
ground.  Hasan  Ali  Khan  then  made  his  appearance 
with  twenty  camels  taken  from  the  Rana,  and  reported 
that  the  temple  near  the  palace  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty-two  more  in  the  neighbouring  districts  had  been 


INTRODUCTION  xlix 

destroyed.  He  was  rewarded  by  the  emperor  with  the  title 
of  Bahadur. 

'  When  Aurangzeb  went  to  Chitaur,  still  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  all  ancient  cities,  he  caused  sixty-three  temples 
there  to  be  demolished.  The  Rana  had  now  been  driven 
forth  from  his  country  and  his  home,  the  victorious  Ghazis 
had  struck  many  a  blow,  and  the  heroes  of  Islam  had 
trampled  under  their  chargers'  hoofs  the  land  which  this 
reptile  of  the  forest  and  his  predecessors  had  possessed  for 
a  thousand  years.' 

Aurangzeb's  iconoclastic  fury  knew  no  bounds  or  modera 
tion.  *  Abu  Turab,  who  had  been  commissioned  by  him 
to  effect  the  destruction  of  the  idol  temples  of  Amber,  the 
ancient  capital  of  Jaipur,  reported  in  person  that  three 
score  and  six  of  these  edifices  had  been  levelled  with  the 
ground.' l 

We  shall  further  on  see  that  it  was  Aurangzeb  who  put 
Guru  Teg  Bahadur,  the  ninth  Guru  of  the  Sikhs,  to  death 
in  Dihli.  According  to  the  author  of  the  Dabistan  the 
emperor  ordered  the  Guru's  body  to  be  quartered  and  the 
parts  thereof  to  be  suspended  at  the  four  gates  of  the 
city.2  Aurangzeb  also  persecuted  Guru  Gobind  Singh,  the 
tenth  and  last  Guru  of  the  Sikhs,  and  forced  him  to  fly 
from  the  Panjab  ;  and  it  was  a  result  of  the  same  monarch's 
tyranny  that  Guru  Gobind  Singh's  four  sons  lost  their  lives 
and  that  none  of  his  descendants  survived. 

Many  earnest  thinkers  and  reformers  lived  under  the 
above  and  other  Muhammadan  emperors  of  India,  but  they 
were  either  executed  and  none  dared  record  their  teachings 
and  their  fate,  or  accounts  of  them  belong  to  Hindu  religious 
history,  and  lie  beyond  the  scope  of  the  present  work. 

1  On  the  conduct  of  the  Muhammadan  Emperors  we  have  largely 
availed  ourselves  of  the  translations  and  narratives  in  Sir  Henry 
Elliot's  History  of  India.  The  original  Persian  histories  are  many  of 
them  difficult  of  access,  and  could  not  be  consulted. 

1  The  Sikh  chroniclers,  as  we  shall  subsequently  see,  give  a  different 
version  of  the  mode  of  execution  of  Guru  Teg  Bahadur. 


THE  SIKH  RELIGION 


CHAPTER  II 

The  great  Pandits  and  Brahmans  of  Hinduism  communi 
cated  their  instructions  in  Sanskrit,  which  they  deemed  the 
language  of  the  gods.  The  Gurus  thought  it  would  be  of  more 
general  advantage  to  present  their  messages  in  the  dialects 
of  their  age.  When  Guru  Amar  Das  was  asked  the  reason 
for  this,  he  replied :  '  Well-water  can  only  irrigate  adjacent 
land,  but  rain-water  the  whole  world.  On  this  account  the 
Guru  hath  composed  his  hymns  in  the  language  of  the 
people,  and  enshrined  them  in  the  Gurumukhi  characters, 
so  that  men  and  women  of  all  castes  and  classes  may  read 
and  understand  them.'  A  Brahman  urged :  That  religious 
instruction  ought  not  to  be  communicated  to  every  one,  it 
being  forbidden  to  instruct  Sudars  and  women  in  the  sacred 
lore.1  The  Guru  thus  oracularly  replied  : — 

0  father,  dispel  such  doubts. 

It  is  God  who  doeth  whatever  is  done ;  all  who  exist  shall 
be  absorbed  in  Him. 

The  different  forms,  O  God,  which  appear  are  ever  Thine, 
and  at  the  last  they  shall  all  be  resolved  in  Thee. 

He  who  is  absorbed  in  the  Guru's  word,  shall  thoroughly 
know  Him  who  made  this  world. 

Thine,  O  Lord,  is  the  word ;  there  is  none  but  Thee  ; 
where  is  there  room  for  doubt  ? 2 

Guru  Nanak  spoke  of  himself  as  neither  continent  nor 
learned,  and  was  in  every  respect  the  essence  of  humility. 
His  advent  was  heralded  by  no  prophecies,  and  conse 
quently  he  was  not  obliged  to  make  or  invent  incidents  in 

1  It  is  laid  down  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  the  Institutes  of  Gautam 
that  if  a  Sudar  even  hear  the  Veds  his  ears  must  be  stopped  either 
with  molten  lead  or  wax  ;  if  he  read  the  Veds,  his  tongue  must  be  cut 
out;  and  if  he  possess  the  Veds,  his  body  must  be  cut  in  twain. 

In  the  eighteenth  slok  of  the  ninth  chapter  of  the  Institutes  of  Manu 
it  is  laid  down  that  women  may  not  take  part  in  any  Vedic  rites.  Their 
doing  so,  or  having  any  concern  with  Vedic  texts,  would  be  con 
trary  to  dharm.  Women  were  therefore  deemed  as  Sudars,  and 
beyond  the  pale  of  religion. 

2  Gauri  51. 


INTRODUCTION  li 

his  life  conformable  thereto.  He  preached  against  idolatry, 
caste  distinction,  and  hypocrisy,  and  gave  men  a  most 
comprehensive  ethical  code ;  but  in  so  doing  he  never  uttered 
a  word  which  savoured  of  personal  ambition  or  an  arrogation 
of  the  attribuies_.oi  .the  Creator.  He  appears  to  have  been 
on  fairly  good  terms  with  Muhammadans,  but  his  disregard 
of  caste  prejudices  and  his  uncompromising  language  led 
him  into  occasional  difficulties  with  the  Hindus,  though  he 
was  never  embroiled  in  violent  scenes.  On  the  whole  he 
was  generally  beloved  during  his  life,  and  at  his  death 
Hindus  and  Muhammadans  quarrelled  as  to  which  sect 
should  perform  his  obsequies. 

The  Granth-  Sahib  contains  the  compositions  of  Guru 
Nanaky  -Gura  Angad,  Guru  Amar.  Das,  Guru  Ram  Das, 
Guru  Arjan,  Guru  Teg  Bahadur  (the  ninth  Guru),  a  couplet 
of  Guru  Gobind  Singh  (the  tenth  Guru),  panegyrics  of  bards 
who  attended  on  the  Gurus  or  admired  their  characters, 
and  hymns  of  mediaeval  Indian  saints,  a  list  of  whom  will 
subsequently  be  given.  The  cardinal  principle  of  the  Gurus 
and  Bhagats  whose  writings  find  place  in  the  sacred  books 
of  the  Sikhs  was  the  unity  of  God.  This  is  everywhere 
inculcated  in  the  Sikh  sacred  writings  with  ample  and 
perhaps  not  unnecessary  iteration,  considering  the  forces 
Sikhism  had  to  contend  with  in  an  age  of  ignorance  and 
superstition. 

The  hymns  of  the  Gurus  and  saints  are  not  arranged  in 
the  holy  volume  according  to  their  authors,  but  according 
to  the  thirty-one  rags  or  musical  measures  to  which  they 
were  composed.  The  first  nine  Gurus  adopted  the  name 
Nanak  as  their  nom  de  plume,  and  their  compositions  are 
distinguished  by  Mahallas  or  quartiers.  The  Granth  Sahib 
is  likened  to  a  city  and  the  hymns  of  each  Guru  to  a 
ward  or  division  of  it.  Thus  the  compositions  of  Guru 
Nanak  are  styled  Mahalla  one,  that  is,  the  first  ward ; 
the  compositions  of  Guru  Angad  the  second  ward,  and  so 
on.  After  the  hymns  of  the  Gurus  are  found  the  hymns 
of  the  Bhagats  under  their  several  musical  measures. 

The    Granth    which    passes    under  the  name  of    Guru 


lii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Gobind  Singh,  contains  his  Japji,  the  Akal  Ustat  or 
praise  of  the  Creator,  the  Vachitar  Natak  or  Wonderful 
Drama,  in  which  the  Guru  gives  an  account  of  his  parentage, 
his  divine  mission,  and  the  battles  in  which  he  had  been 
engaged.  Then  come  three  abridged  translations  of  the 
Devi  Mahatamya,  an  episode  in  the  Markandeya  Puran, 
in  praise  of  Durga  the  goddess  of  war.  Then  follow  the 
Gyan  Parbodh,  or  awakening  of  knowledge;  accounts  of 
twenty-four  incarnations  of  the  Deity,  selected  because  of 
their  warlike  character;  the  Hazare  de  Shabd;  quatrains 
called  sawaiyas,  which  are  religious  hymns  in  praise  of  God 
and  reprobation  of  idolatry  and  hypocrisy  ;  the  Shastar 
Nam  Mala,  a  list  of  offensive  and  defensive  weapons  used 
in  the  Guru's  time,  with  special  reference  to  the  attributes 
of  the  Creator  ;  the  Tria  Charitar,  or  tales  illustrating  the 
qualities,  but  principally  the  deceit  of  women ;  the  Zaf  ar- 
nama,  containing  the  tenth  Guru's  epistle  to  the  Emperor 
Aurangzeb  ;  and  several  metrical  tales  in  the  Persian  lan 
guage.  This  Granth  was  compiled  by  Bhai  Mani  Singh  after 
the  tenth  Guru's  death. 

There  are  two  great  divisions  of  Sikhs,  Sahijdharis  and 
Singhs.  The  latter  are  they  who  accept  the  baptism  in 
augurated  by  Guru  Gobind  Singh,  which  will  be  described 
in  the  fifth  volume  of  this  work.  All  other  Sikhs  are  called 
Sahijdharis.  The  Singhs,  after  the  time  of  Guru  Gobind 
Singh,  were  all  warriors,  the  Sahijdharis  those  who  lived  at 
ease,  as  the  word  denotes,  and  practised  trade  or  agricul 
ture.1  In  the  Singhs  are  included  theNirmalas  andNihangs. 
The  Sahijdharis  include  the  Udasis  founded  by  Sri  Chand, 
son  of  Guru  Nanak  ;  the  Sewapanthis  founded  by  a  water- 
carrier  of  Guru  Gobind  Singh  ;  the  Ramraiyas,  followers 
of  Ram  Rai,  son  of  Guru  Har  Rai ;  the  Handalis,  to  be  sub 
sequently  described,  and  other  sects  of  minor  importance. 

The  Sikh  religion  differs  as  regards  the  authenticity  of 

1  Some  say  that  the  Sahijdharis  received  their  name  from  the 
promises  of  certain  Sikhs  in  the  time  of  Guiu  Gobind  Singh,  that 
they  would  not  accept  his  baptism  at  the  time,  but  that  they  would 
gradually  do  so. 


INTRODUCTION  liii 

its  dogmas  from  most  other  great  theological  systems. 
Many  of  the  great  teachers  the  world  has  known  have 
not  left  a  line  of  their  own  composition,  and  we  only  know 
what  they  taught  through  tradition  or  second-hand  informa 
tion.  If  Pythagoras  wrote  any  of  his  tenets,  his  writings 
have  not  descended  to  us.  We  know  the  teaching  of 
Sokrates  only  through  the  writings  of  Plato  and  Xenophon. 
Budha  has  left  no  written  memorials  of  his  teaching, 
Rung  fu-tze,  known  to  Europeans  as  Confucius,  left  no 
documents  in  which  he  detailed  the  principles  of  his 
moral  and  social  system.  The  Founder  of  Christianity 
did  not  reduce  his  doctrines  to  writing,  and  for  them  we 
are  obliged  to  trust  to  the  Gospels  according  to  Matthew, 
Mark,  Luke,  and  John.  The  Arabian  Prophet  did  not 
himself  reduce  to  writing  the  chapters  of  the  Quran.  They 
were  written  or  compiled  by  his  adherents  and  followers. 
But  the  compositions  of  the  Sikh  Gurus  are  preserved,  and 
we  know  at  first  hand  what  they  taught.  They  employed 
the  vehicle  of  verse,  which  is  generally  unalterable  by 
copyists,  and  we  even  become  in  time  familiar  with  their 
different  styles.  No  spurious  compositions  or  extraneous 
dogmas  can,  therefore,  be  represented  as  theirs. 

It  is  not  clear,  however,  that  this  contributes  to  the 
success  of  the  Sikh  religion.  It  appears  that  the  very 
authenticity  of  the  sacred  books  of  a  religion  may  militate 
against  its  general  or  permanent  acceptance.  The  teach 
ings  of  which  there  is  no  authentic  record,  are  elastic 
and  capable  of  alteration  and  modification  to  suit  foreign 
countries  and  the  aspirations  and  intellectual  conditions 
of  ages  long  subsequent  to  those  in  which  they  arose. 
No  religion  in  its  entirety  is  permanently  adopted  by  a 
foreign  country ;  and  no  religion  when  it  spontaneously 
migrates  can  escape  the  assimilation  of  local  ideas  or  super 
stitions.  The  followers  of  all  religions  are  prone  to  indulge 
in  the  luxury  of  eclecticism.  By  a  universal  law  they  adhere 
to  the  dogmas  most  suitable  for  themselves,  and  reject  what 
they  deem  the  least  important  or  the  least  practicable 
enjoined  by  the  founders  of  their  faiths. 


liv  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

It  is  curious  that  the  greatest  religious  reforms  have  been 
effected  by  the  laity.  The  clergy,  apart  from  their  vested 
interests,  are  too  wedded  to  ancient  systems,  and  dare  not 
impugn  their  utility  or  authority.  Pythagoras,  who  founded 
a  religio-philosophical  school  and  taught  the  transmigra 
tion  of  souls,  was  the  son  of  a  gem-engraver  and  not 
a  priest  by  early  training  or  association.  Isaiah,  the 
Hebrew  poet,  who  gave  consistency  and  splendour  to 
Jewish  sentiments,  was  not  an  ecclesiastic  by  profession. 
Moses  had  a  brother  who  was  a  high  priest,  but  he  was 
not  himself  designed  for  the  priesthood.  Sokrates  was 
a  profound  thinker  and  moral  guide,  but  still  a  member 
of  the  laity  who  had  emerged  from  the  schools  of  the 
sophists.  Budha  was  a  prince  brought  up  without  any 
sacerdotal  instruction.  He  conceived  ideas  of  reform  by 
profound  contemplation  and  introspection.  Christ  was  by 
trade  a  carpenter,  and  was  never  intended  to  expound  the 
law,  or  play  the  part  of  a  Jewish  Rabbi.  Muhammad  of 
Makka  was  born  an  idolater,  herded  sheep  and  goats  in 
early  life,  and  appears  to  have  had  no  religious  instruction 
whatever  until  he  had  met  the  Hanif  Waraka,  his  wife's 
cousin.  The  renowned  Indian  teacher  Kabir  was  a  weaver, 
who  was  so  little  of  a  professional  priest  that  he  denounced 
the  Hindu  and  Muhammadan  preachers  of  his  age.  And, 
as  we  shall  see,  Guru  Nanak  was  not  a  priest  either  by 
birth  or  education,  but  a  man  who  soared  to  the  loftiest 
heights  of  divine  emotionalism,  and  exalted  his  mental 
vision  to  an  ethical  ideal  beyond  the  conception  of  Hindu 
or  Muhammadan. 

The  illustrious  author  of  the  Vie  de  Jesus  asks  whether 
great  originality  will  again  arise  or  the  world  be  content 
to  follow  the  paths  opened  by  the  daring  creators  of  ancient 
ages.  Now  there  is  here  presented  a  religion  totally  un 
affected  by  Semitic  or  Christian  influences.  Based  on  the 
concept  of  the  unity  of  God,  it  rejected  Hindu  formularies 
and  adopted  an  independent  ethical  system,  ritual,  and 
standards  which  were  totally  opposed  to  the  theological 
beliefs  of  Guru  Nanak's  age  and  country.  As  we  shall  see 


INTRODUCTION  Iv 

hereafter,  it  would  be  difficult  to  point  to  a  religion  of 
greater  originality  or  to  a  more  comprehensive  ethical 
system. 


CHAPTER   III 

India  contains  a  population  who  profess  many  religions. 
It  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  put  them  all  on  the  same 
footing.  Some  make  for  loyalty  and  others  for  what  we  may 
call  independence.  Some  religions  appear  to  require  State 
support,  while  others  have  sufficient  vitality  to  dispense  with 
it.  The  Jewish  religion  has  survived  for  many  centuries 
without  a  temporal  head  and  in  the  face  of  endless  persecu 
tions.  Islam  has  spread  in  many  lands,  and  does  not 
solicit  or  require  much  support  from  temporal  power. 
Muhammadans  only  claim  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion, 
and  this  is  allowed  them  in  India.  Many  members  of 
other  religions,  believing  that  they  are  direct  emanations 
from  heaven,  may  not  suppose  that  they  require  State 
countenance  or  support,  but  the  student  of  comparative 
theology  must  be  allowed  to  entertain  a  different  opinion. 

Our  little  systems  have  their  day  ; 
They  have  their  day  and  cease  to  be. 

To  enumerate  a  few  instances.  When  Constantine,  the 
Roman  Emperor  of  the  West,  after  his  conversion  to 
Christianity,  withdrew  his  support  from  the  ancient  religion 
of  his  country,  it  rapidly  declined.  Then  vanished,  in  the 
words  of  Coleridge, 

The  intelligible  forms  of  ancient  poets, 
The  fair  humanities  of  the  old  religion, 
Its  power,  its  beauty,  and  its  majesty. 

Budhism  flourished  in  India,  its  parent  home,  many 
centuries  ago,  but  the  successors  of  the  renowned  Asoka, 
who  were  not  so  spiritual  or  enlightened  as  he,  allowed 
their  religion  to  be  completely  banished  from  Indian  soil, 
like  an  exile,  to  find  in  foreign  lands  the  repose  and  accept- 


Ivi  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

ance  it  had  vainly  sought  in  its  own  country.  The  great 
Emperor  Akbar,  by  an  eclectic  process,  evolved  what  he 
considered  a  rational  religion  from  Islam,  Hindusim,  and 
Zoroastrianism,  but  it  perished  when  it  received  no  support 
but  rather  opposition  from  his  son  Jahangir.  The  religion 
of  the  Cross  was  banished  from  its  parent  home  of  Judaea 
and  supplanted  by  the  religion  of  the  Crescent.  Christianity, 
however,  or  the  civilization  which  passes  under  its  name, 
gained  in  other  countries  much  more  than  it  lost  in  its  own. 
Organization  and  the  material  forces  by  which  it  is  main 
tained  have  obviously  contributed  to  that  result. 

The  Emperor  Akbar's  historian,  Abul  Fazl,  very  clearly 
saw  the  advantage  of  State  support  to  a  religion.  He  says 
in  his  Ain-i-Akbari :  'Men  of  deep  insight  are  of  opinion 
that  even  spiritual  progress  among  a  people  would  be 
impossible,  unless  emanating  from  the  king,  in  whom  the 
light  of  God  dwells.' 

As  Budhism  without  State  support  completely  lost  its 
hold  in  India,  so  it  is  apprehended  that  without  State  sup 
port  Sikhism  will  also  be  lost  in  the  great  chaos  of  Indian 
religious  systems. 

The  dialects  and  languages  of  the  Gurus  are  now  largely 
forgotten.  There  are  no  readable  or  trustworthy  com 
mentaries  or  translations  of  their  compositions  in  any  lan 
guage,  and  the  Sikhs  find  it  difficult  or  impossible  to  under 
stand  them.  Added  to  this  is  the  custom  of  writing  the 
sacred  hymns  without  any  separation  of  words.  As  there 
is  no  separation  of  words  in  Sanskrit,  the  gyanis,  or  inter 
preters  of  the  Gurus'  hymns,  deem  it  would  be  a  profanation 
to  separate  the  words  of  their  sacred  writings.  It  cannot 
be  said  that  the  object  of  the  gyanis  has  been  to  keep  all 
divine  knowledge  to  themselves,  but  at  any  rate  the  result 
is,  that  the  Sikh  laity  have  now  thrust  aside  the  gyanis 
and  their  learning,  and  are  content  to  dispense  with  both. 

The  sequel  is  a  general  relapse  to  Hinduism,  which  is  princi 
pally  a  system  of  domestic  ritual.  Hinduism  has  six  philo 
sophical  systems,  two  of  which,  the  Sankhya  and  Mimansa, 
if  pushed  to  their  legitimate  consequences,  are  practically 


INTRODUCTION  Ivii 

atheistical.  The  followers  of  the  Hindu  god  Shiv  may  curse 
the  followers  of  the  Hindu  god  Vishnu,  and  the  followers 
of  Vishnu  may  retaliate  on  the  followers  of  Shiv.  To  be 
deemed  an  orthodox  Hindu  it  is  only  necessary  to  be 
born  in  Hinduism  and  to  conform  to  certain  external 
observances,  such  as  not  eating  or  touching  what  its  followers 
believe  to  be  unclean,  avoiding  contact  with  persons  who 
are  deemed  of  lower  caste,  cooking  food  in  a  particular 
manner,  and  not  allowing  the  shadow  of  strangers  to  fall 
on  it.  The  old  Levitical  Law  of  Moses  and  its  accessory 
regulations  were  sufficiently  strict,  but  Hinduism  surpasses 
all  the  religions  that  have  ever  been  invented  in  a  social 
exclusiveness  which  professes  to  be  based  on  divine  sanction. 
Truly  wonderful  are  the  strength  and  vitality  of  Hinduism. 
It  is  like  the  boa  constrictor  of  the  Indian  forests.  When 
a  petty  enemy  appears  to  worry  it,  it  winds  round  its 
opponent,  crushes  it  in  its  folds,  and  finally  causes  it  to 
disappear  in  its  capacious  interior.  In  this  way,  many 
centuries  ago,  Hinduism  on  its  own  ground  disposed  of 
Budhism,  which  was  largely  a  Hindu  reformation  ;  in  this 
way,  in  a  prehistoric  period,  it  absorbed  the  religion  of  the 
Scythian  invaders  of  Northern  India  ;  in  this  way  it  has 
converted  uneducated  Islam  in  India  into  a  semi-paganism  ; 
and  in  this  way  it  is  disposing  of  the  reformed  and  once 
hopeful  religion  of  Baba  Nanak.  Hinduism  has  embraced 
Sikhism  in  its  folds  ;  the  still  comparatively  young  religion 
is  making  a  vigorous  struggle  for  life,  but  its  ultimate  destruc 
tion  is,  it  is  apprehended,  inevitable  without  State  support. 
Notwithstanding  the  Sikh  Gurus'  powerful  denunciation  of 
Brahmans,  secular  Sikhs  now  rarely  do  anything  without  their 
assistance.  Brahmans  help  them  to  be  born,  help  them  to 
wed,  help  them  to  die,  and  help  their  souls  after  death  to 
obtain  a  state  of  bliss.  And  Brahmans,  with  all  the  deftness 
of  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  in  Protestant  countries, 
have  partially  succeeded  in  persuading  the  Sikhs  to  restore 
to  their  niches  the  images  of  Devi,  the  Queen  of  Heaven, 
and  of  the  saints  and  gods  of  the  ancient  faith. 


Iviii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 


CHAPTER  IV 

A  few  brief  paragraphs,  unburdened  with  detail,  on  the 
origin  and  progress  of  religion  until  it  received  its  mono 
theistic  consummation  accepted  by  Guru  Nanak  appear  to 
be  necessary. 

Statius,  the  Latin  poet,  expressed  his  opinion  that  it  was 
fear  which  first  made  gods  in  the  world.1  Miserable  and 
resourceless  primitive  man  felt  the  inclemency  and  fury 
of  the  elements,  and  prayed  and  sacrificed  to  avert  their 
wrath  or  to  gain  their  favour.  But  as  there  were  malignant, 
so  there  were  benignant  natural  agencies  which  received 
devout  and  earnest  worship.  The  Sun,  which  gives  light 
and  heat,  appears  to  have  been  worshipped  by  all  primitive 
peoples.  He  was,  however,  distant  and  non-tangible  ;  but 
when  fire  was  discovered,  long  ages  after  man  had  appeared 
on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  it  appears  to  have  received  the 
greatest  homage  from  the  human  race  in  all  parts  of  the 
globe.  By  its  means  men  warmed  themselves,  cooked  their 
food,  and  smelted  metals.  It  was  to  fire  (Agni)  the  Indians 
of  the  Vedic  period  addressed  some  of  their  sublimest 
hymns  ;  and  its  discovery  and  importance  led  the  ancient 
Greeks  to  suppose  that  it  must  have  been  stolen  from 
heaven,  which  had  so  long  been  parsimonious  of  its  gifts. 

As  civilization  progressed  and  the  fruits  of  agriculture 
were  added  to  the  spontaneous  gifts  of  nature,  the  bounty 
of  the  heavens  was  deemed  necessary  for  man's  comfort 
and  sustenance.  It  was  then  that  the  sky,  under  the  various 
names  of  Dyaus,  Zcik,  and  Varuna,  Ovpavos,  was  invoked, 
both  in  India  and  Greece,  to  shed  its  choicest  blessings  on 
crops  and  men.2  Other  deities  arose  as  prompted  or  required 
by  human  necessities.  Prithwi,  the  earth,  as  the  parent 
of  sustenance,  logically  and  necessarily  received,  as  the 

1  '  Primus  in  orbe  decs  fecit  timor/  Theb.  iii.  66 1. 

2  For  long  years  after  the   discovery  and  study  of  Sanskrit  there 
was  no  doubt  whatever  cast  on  the  identity  of  Varuna  with  Ouranos. 
Doubts  have  now  arisen  in  the  minds  of  some  persons  on  account, 
it  is  stated,  of  phonetic  difficulties. 


INTRODUCTION  lix 

spouse  of  the  sky,  divine  honours  both  in  India  and  Europe.1 
Each  deity  addressed  received  all  the  homage  and  adoration 
that  poetic  fancy  could  lavish  or  imagine.  His  worshippers 
endeavoured  to  make  him  feel  that  he  was  the  great  god 
who  ruled  the  world  and  controlled  man  and  nature  ;  and 
they  hoped  that  by  judicious  flattery  and  plenteous  sacrifice 
he  would  listen  to  and  grant  their  passionate  supplica 
tions. 

The  gods  as  well  as  their  votaries  appear  to  have  lived 
in  friendly  contiguity  both  in  India  and  in  Greece.  Jupiter 
had  his  temple  near  that  of  Venus  as  they  are  found  to-day 
in  the  disentombed  city  of  Pompeii.  Near  Delphi  Apollo  had 
exclusive  sway  even  to  the  extent  of  relegating  Jupiter 
into  a  subordinate  position.  Each  province  selected  in 
the  wide  domain  of  Olympus  some  deity  which  it  worshipped 
to  the  exclusion  of  all  others.  In  India,  though  the  worship 
of  Shiv,  which  is  associated  with  knowledge,  is  different 
from  that  of  Vishnu,  which  is  associated  with  devotion, 
and  though  the  worshippers  of  both  gods  frequently  quar 
relled  and  addressed  each  other  in  injurious  language,  yet 
they  were  united  by  the  common  bond  of  Hinduism,  and 
sometimes  celebrated  their  worship  in  harmony.2 

When  man  extended  his  horizon,  the  sufficiency  and 
omnipotence  of  the  gods  ordinarily  invoked  began  to  be 
canvassed.  In  Greece  the  minor  deities  became  completely 
subordinated  to  Zeus,  the  great  ruler  of  Olympus.  They 
could  do  everything  but  regulate  human  fate  and  action. 
That  was  reserved  for  the  supreme  deity  alone  :  — 


7rAr)i>  fleouri 
yap  ouris  eori  7rA.T)i>  Ato's.3 

In  India  a  belief  in  an  infinite,  illimitable,  and  supreme 
power  was  gradually  evolved  by  seers  and  philosophers 

1  Tacitus  wrote  of  the  ancient  Germans  —  '  Herthum,  id  est  terram 
matrem,  colunt  eamque  intervenire  rebus  hominum,  invehi  populis 
arbitrantur/  Germania,  cap.  xl. 

2  An  idol  in  a  temple,  Harihareshwar,  on    the    outskirts    of   the 
Maisur  (Mysore)  State  contains  the  conjoint  emblems  of  Vishnu  and 
Shiv.  3  Aesch.  Prom.  Vine.  49. 


Ix  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

ages  before  the  emigration  of  the  Aryans  to  Europe.  Pra- 
japati,  who  was  represented  as  the  father  of  the  gods, 
the  lord  of  all  living  creatures,  gradually  received  excep 
tional  human  homage.  There  was  also  Aditi,  who  appears 
under  various  guises,  being,  in  one  passage  of  the  Rig  Veda, 
identified  with  all  the  deities,  with  men,  with  all  that  has 
been  and  shall  be  born,  and  with  air  and  heaven.  In  this 
character  she  corresponded  to  the  Greek  Zeus  ; 

Zevs  eorti;  al6r)p,  Zeus  6e  y?j, 
Zevs  rot  TO.  TTCLVTOL  \&TI  Tcoi>5' 

and  to  the  Latin  Jupiter  :  — 

lupiter  est  quodcunque  vides,  quocunque  moveris.2 

But  there  appears  again  to  have  been  even  a  more  ex 
alted  concept  of  a  divinity  who  was  inexpressible  and 
who  could  only  be  described  by  a  periphrasis.  He  was 
bright  and  beautiful  and  great.  He  was  One,  though  the 
poets  called  Him  by  many  names. 


Before  there  was  anything,  before  there  was  either  death 
or  immortality,  before  there  was  any  distinction  between 
day  and  night,  there  was  that  One.  It  breathed  breathless 
by  itself.  Other  than  it  nothing  has  since  been.  Then 
was  darkness,  everything  in  the  beginning  was  hidden 
in  gloom,  all  was  like  the  ocean,  without  a  light.  Then  that 
germ  which  was  covered  by  the  husk,  the  One,  was  produced.3 
Guru  Nanak,  as  we  shall  see,  gave  expansion  to  this 
conception  of  the  one  God  :  — 

1  Aesch.  Frag.  2  Lucan,  Pharsalia  ix. 

3  Rig  Veda,X,  129.  Tacitus  indicates  one  God  worshipped  under 
different  names  by  the  Germans,  and  only  perceived  by  the  light 
of  faith  :  '  Deorum  nominibus  appellant  secretum  illud  quod  sola  reve- 
rentia  vident/  It  may  be  here  noticed  that  Tacitus'  account  of 
Germany  and  its  people  is  much  more  trustworthy  than  that  of 
Caesar,  who  was  a  less  philosophical  writer.  Caesar  states  that  the 
Germans  worshipped  the  sun,  fire,  and  the  moon,  and  them  only. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixi 

In  the  beginning  there  was  indescribable  darkness  ; 

Then  was  not  earth  or  heaven,  naught  but  God's  unequalled 
order. 

Then  was  not  day,  or  night,  or  moon,  or  sun  ;  God  was 
meditating  on  the  void. 

Then  were  not  continents,  or  hells,  or  seven  seas,  or 
rivers,  or  flowing  streams. 

Nor  was  there  paradise,  or  a  tortoise,  or  nether  regions  ; 

Or  the  hell  or  heaven  of  the  Muhammadans,  or  the  De 
stroyer  Death  ; 

Or  the  hell  or  heaven  of  the  Hindus,  or  birth  or  death  ; 
nor  did  any  one  come  or  go. 

Then  was  not  Brahma,  Vishnu,  or  Shiv  ; 

No  one  existed  but  the  One  God. 

Then  was  not  female,  or  male,  or  caste,  or  birth  ;  nor  did 
any  one  feel  pain  or  pleasure. 

There  was  no  caste  or  religious  garb,  no  Brahman  or 
Khatri. 

No  horn,  no  sacred  feasts,  no  places  of  pilgrimage  to  bathe 
in,  nor  did  any  one  perform  worship. 

There  was  no  love,  no  service,  no  Shiv,  or  Energy  of 
his  ; 

Then  were  not  Veds  or  Muhammadan  books,  no  Simritis, 
no  Shastars  ; 

The  Imperceptible  God  was  Himself  the  speaker  and 
preacher  ;  Himself  unseen  He  was  evei 

When  He  pleased  He  created  the  world  ; 

Without  supports  He  sustained  the  sky. 

He  created  Brahma,  Vishnu,  and  Shiv,  and  extended  the 
love  of  Mammon. 

He  issued  His  order  and  watched  over  all.1 

For  many  centuries  thinking  men  in  India  have  rejected 
gods  and  goddesses,  and  made  no  secret  of  their  faith  in  the 
sole  primal  Creator,  by  whatsoever  name  called. 

An  important  question  arose  how  the  Supreme  Being 
should  be  represented.  He  could  not  be  seen,  but  He  was 
believed  to  exist.  The  highest  conception  that  primitive 
man  could  form  of  Him  was  that  He  was  in  man's  own 
image,  subject  to  the  human  passions  of  wrath,  jealousy, 
revenge,  love  of  praise,  and  adoration.  This  conception 
is  what  has  been  termed  anthropomorphism — that  is,  that 

1  The  Indian  words  in  this  hymn  will  subsequently  be  explained. 


Ixii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

God  is  in  man's  image,  or,  conversely,  that  God  made  man 
in  his  own  image.1 

When  man's  conception  of  God  extended,  and  it  was 
admitted  that  He  had  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth, 
and  held  control  over  His  boundless  creation,  it  became 
difficult  for  the  philosopher  to  imagine  Him  in  human  form. 
Were  He  such,  it  would  appear  to  be  a  limitation  of  His 
omnipotence  and  omnipresence,  and,  moreover,  the  belief 
that  God  is  infinite  and  governs  His  infinite  creation,  but 
at  the  same  time  is  not  included  in  it,  though  possibly 
intelligible  to  faith,  is  not  equally  so  to  reason.  To  over 
come  this  difficulty  the  belief  arose  that  God  is  diffused 
through  all  matter,  and  that  it  is  therefore  a  part  of  Him. 
This  belief  is  known  as  pantheism. 

In  India,  pantheism  may  be  said  to  be  the  creed  of  intel 
lectual  Hindus,  but  it  cannot  be  held  to  be  a  generally 
satisfying  or  useful  cult  to  the  world.  When  a  man  believes 
that  he  is  a  part  of  God,  and  that  God,  who  pervades 
space,  pervades  him  also,  moral  obligation  must  obviously  be 
relaxed.  Nor  can  supplications  be  satisfactorily  addressed 
to  nature,  with  its  elemental  forces,  even  though  God  be  held 
to  reside  therein.  Pantheism  is  too  cold  and  too  abstract 
to  satisfy  the  reasonable  aspirations  of  the  human  soul. 
And  the  fact  admitted  by  most  philosophers,  that  men 
are  endowed  with  free  will,  must  make  them  pause  before 
they  accept  the  pantheistic  philosophy  in  its  entirety. 
Moreover,  to  gratify  his  emotional  instinct,  man  must 
have  access  in  spirit  to  a  personal  God  to  appeal  to  in  order 
to  grant  him  favours,  to  afford  him  solace  in  affliction,  to 
love  him  as  a  son,  and  as  a  kind  and  merciful  friend  to 
take  an  interest  in  him  when  he  needs  assistance.  According 
to  the  Sikh  Gurus,  God  was  a  being  to  be  approached  and 

1  The  ancient  Greeks  also  believed  that  God  made  man  in  the 
divine  image.  Thus  Plato — 'Os  Se  KwqGev  avrb  KCU  £tov  evo^cre  r&v  cu'SiW 
0€oiv  yeyovos  ayaXfJia  6  yevvrjo-as  Traryp,  rjyda-Or)  re  KCU  ev</>/>av$€ts  en.  8r) 
jMaXXov  o/x-otov  ?rpos  TO  TrapdScLyfjLa  cTrevorj&fV  d-rrepydcraa-OaL  ('  The  creative 
Father  seeing  that  this  image  of  the  immortal  gods  had  both  motion 
and  life  was  pleased,  and  in  his  delight  considered  how  he  might 
fashion  it  still  more  like  its  prototype'),  Timaeus. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixiii 

loved  as  a  fond  and  faithful  wife  loves  her  spouse,  and 
human  beings  were  to  be  regarded  with  equality  as  brothers, 
and  not  to  be  considered  as  divided  into  castes  which  were 
at  variance  with  or  despised  one  another. 

But  though  the  Sikhs  believe  in  a  personal  God,  He  is 
not  in  man's  image.  Guru  Nanak  calls  Him,  Nirankar — 
that  is,  without  form.  Gur  Das  speaks  of  Him  as  formless, 
without  equal,  wonderful,  and  not  perceptible  by  the 
senses.  At  the  same  time  all  the  Gurus  believed  that  He 
was  diffused  throughout  creation.  Guru  Nanak  wrote, 
1  Think  upon  the  One  who  is  contained  in  everything.'  This 
same  belief  was  again  enunciated  by  Guru  Ram  Das,  'Thou,  O 
God,  art  in  everything  and  in  all  places.'  And,  according  to 
Guru  Gobind  Singh,  even  God  and  His  worshipper,  though 
two,  are  one,  as  bubbles  which  arise  in  water  are  again 
blended  with  it.  This  belief,  according  to  the  Guru,  admitted 
of  no  doubt  or  discussion.1  It  is  the  error  of  men  in  supposing 
distinct  existence,  together  with  the  human  attributes  of 
passion  and  spiritual  blindness,  which  produces  sin  and 
evil  in  the  world  and  renders^  the  soul  liable  to  trans 
migration. 

No  religious  teacher  has  succeeded  in  logically  dissociating 
theism  from  pantheism.  In  some  passages  of  the  Guru's 
writings  pantheism  is,  as  we  have  seen,  distinctly  implied, 
while  in  other  texts  matter  is  made  distinct  from  the  Creator, 
but  an  emanation  from  Him.  Although  anthropomorphic 
theism  is  a  religion,  while  pantheism  is  a  philosophy,  and 
anthropomorphic  theism  is  generally  held  orthodox  and 
pantheism  heterodox,  yet,  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of 
describing  the  Omnipresent  and  Illimitable  in  suitable  human 
language,  both  religion  and  philosophy  are  inextricably 

1  Compare  'Ai/$p<o7rov  y«  ^Xn->  e*Trep  TL  KOL  oAAo  roiv  avOpniirivuV) 
TOV  0€tov  /xcrcxet,  Xenoph.  Memor. ;  '  Humanus  autem  animus  decerptus 
ex  divina  mente  cum  alio  nullo  nisi  cum  ipso  Deo,  si  hoc  est  fas 
dictu,  comparari  potest/  Cicero,  Tusc.  Disp. 

Compare  also  the  expressions  attributed  to  Christ  in  the  Gospel 
according  to  St.  John,  '  I  and  My  Father  are  One,'  '  I  am  in  the  Father 
and  the  Father  in  Me/  and  again,  'I  am  in  My  Father,  and  ye  in 
Me  and  I  in  you.' 


Ixiv  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

blended  by  sacred  as  well  as  profane  writers.     Let  us  take 
a  few  examples  : — 

Doth  not  the  Lord  fill  heaven  and  earth  ? — JEREMIAH. 

God  in  whom  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being. — ST. 
PAUL. 

Spiritus  intus  alit  totamque  infusa  per  artus 

Mens  agitat  molem,  et  magno  secorporemiscet. — VIRGIL. 

Estne  Dei  sedes  nisi  terra,  et  pontus,  et  aer, 
Et  caelum  et  virtus  ?     Superos  quid  quaerimus  ultra  ? 
lupiter   est   quodcunque   vides,    quocunque   moveris  !— • 

LUCAN. 

All  in  all  and  all  in  every  part. — COWLEY. 

Lives  through  all  life,  extends  through  all  extent. 
Spreads  undivided,  operates  unspent. — POPE. 

Deum  rerum   omnium   causam  immanentem,  non  vero 
transeuntem  statuo. — SPINOZA. 

Se  Dio  veder  tu  vuoi, 
Guardalo  in  ogni  oggetto  ; 
Cercalo  nel  tuo  petto  ; 
Lo  trover ai  in  te  ! — METASTASIO. 

An  indefinite  number  of  such  examples  might  be  cited. 


CHAPTER  V 

In  the  hymns  of  the  Gurus,  Nirvan,  or  absorption  in  God, 
is  proposed  as  the  supreme  object  of  human  attainment; 
but  a  paradise  called  Sach  Khand  is  also  promised  to  the 
blest.  There  they  recognize  one  another  and  enjoy  ever 
lasting  beatitude.  Several  learned  Sikhs,  however,  maintain 
that  Nirvan  and  Sach  Khand  are  practically  the  same. 

Contrary  to  the  practice  of  the  ancient  Indian  ascetics, 
the  Gurus  held  that  man  might  obtain  eternal  happiness 
without  forsaking  his  ordinary  worldly  duties.  Reunion  with 
the  Absolute  should  be  the  supreme  object  of  all  Sikh 
devotion  and  aspirations. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixv 

My  soul,  seek  shelter  in  God's  holy  name  ; 
Pondering  on  this  should'st  thou  all  thought  employ. 
No  more  thou'lt  grieve,  hemmed  in  by  mortal  frame, 
But  gain  in  God  Nirvana's  final  joy. 

Nirvan,  from  nir  out  and  va  to  blow,  means  in  Sikh 
literature  the  cessation  of  individual  consciousness  caused 
by  the  blending  of  the  light  of  the  soul  with  the  light  of 
God.  The  Sikhs  compare  it  to  water  blending  with  water:— 

As  water  blends  with  water,  when 

Two  streams  their  waves  unite, 
The  light  of  human  life  doth  blend 

With  God's  celestial  light. 
No  transmigrations  then  await 

The  weary  human  soul ; 
It  hath  attained  its  resting-place, 

Its  peaceful  crowning  goal. 

Nirvan  is  to  be  obtained  by  meditation  on  God,  with 
sufficient  attention  and  iteration,  and  by  a  life  spent  in 
conformity  with  the  Guru's  teachings.  Individual  con 
sciousness  then  ceases,  and  there  is  no  further  pain  or 
misery. 

A  man  may  have  performed  good  works  on  earth,  but, 
if  they  be  unattended  with  devout  meditation  and  mental 
absorption  in  God,  he  cannot  expect  either  Nirvan  or  Sach 
Khand,  but  must  undergo  purgation  after  death.  After 
this  the  soul  returns  to  a  human  body  and  begins  anew 
its  career,  to  end  in  either  the  supreme  bliss  of  ultimate 
absorption  or  the  supreme  misery  of  countless  trans 
migrations. 

If  man  have  done  evil  and  laid  up  demerits,  his  punish 
ment  after  death  must  be  severe.  When  the  punishment 
corresponds  to  his  misdeeds,  his  soul  must  enter  some  lower 
animal  and  pass  through  a  greater  or  lesser  number  of  the 
eight  million  four  hundred  thousand  forms  of  existence  in 
creation,  until  its  turn  comes  to  enter  the  offspring  of  human 
parents.  The  soul  thus  reborn  in  a  human  being  has 
again  to  proceed  in  its  long  struggle  to  obtain  the  boundless 
reward  of  Nirvan. 


Ixvi  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Longa  dies,  perfecto  temporis  orbe, 
Concretam  exemit  labem,  purumque  reliquit 
Aetherium  sensum  atque  aurai  simplicis  ignem.1 

Mind,  whether  known  as  reason  or  instinct  of  a  greater 
or  less  degree,  and  whether  an  attribute  of  the  brain,  of 
the  nervous  system,  or  of  the  heart,  is  common  to  all  animals. 
It  is  held  in  most  religious  systems  to  be  distinct  from  the 
soul.2  It  induces  the  soul,  under  the  impulse  of  goodness 
or  passion,  to  perform  good  or  evil  acts.  Both  the  mind  and 
the  soul  are  concomitants  of  life,  which  is  a  particular  com 
bination  of  certain  elements  existing  in  the  body,  and 
abides  as  long  as  the  bodily  mechanism  is  in  order  and 
harmonious  operation.  When  the  mechanism  has  fallen 
out  of  gear  by  illness,  accident,  or  old  age,  life  departs, 
and  with  it  the  soul,  which  in  some  religious  systems  is  held 
to  perish  with  the  body,  in  others  to  be  immortal  and 
individual,  and  in  others  again  to  transmigrate  from  one 
living  creature  to  another.  We  are  in  this  work  only  con 
cerned  with  the  soul  in  its  migratory  aspect. 

In  the  Mosaic  system  God  is  represented  as  jealous  and 
visiting  the  sins  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children  even  to 
future  generations.  The  Indian  philosopher  feels  that  this 
belief  is  derogatory  to  God,  and  holds  that  the  state  of 
the  soul  after  the  death  of  the  body  depends  on  its  acts 
(called  Karma)  while  contained  in  the  body.  These  acts 
attach  to  the  soul,  follow  it,  and  determine  its  next  abode. 

Hindus,  and  all  who  have  sprung  from  them,  have  never 
entertained  any  doubt  as  to  the  possibility  of  the  wanderings 
of  the  soul  in  the  bodies  of  all  created  animals.  And  not 
only  Hindus,  but  some  Europeans  of  exquisite  intellectual 
fibre  have  accepted  or  coquetted  with  this  belief,  as  if  the 

1  Virgil,  Aeneid  vi.  745. 

2  In  the  Tusculan  Disputations  Cicero  quotes  a  paragraph  he  had 
written  in  a  work  on  Consolation,  in  which  he  appears  to  treat  soul 
and  mind  as  identical.     After  referring  to  the  soul  as  that  which 
possesses  feeling,  understanding,  life,  and  vigour  ('  quicquid  est  illud, 
quod  sentit,  quod  sapit,  quod  vivit,  quod  viget'),  he  states  that  the 
human  mind  is  of  the  same  kind  and  nature  ('  Hoc  e  genere  atque 
eadem  e  natura  est  humana  mens'),  Tusc.  Disp.  i.  27. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixvii 

minds  of  men  of  vivid  imagination  were  of  necessity  recalling 
from  the  misty  past — gathering  from  the  fount  of  original 
knowledge — ideas  evolved  by  primitive  man  long  anterior, 
not  only  to  European  civilization,  but  to  all  Semitic  history. 
Many  persons  have  thought  on  beholding  for  the  first  time, 
in  this  life  at  any  rate,  scenes  in  foreign  lands,  that  they  had 
been  previously  familiar  with  their  beauties  and  derived  no 
new  gratification  from  them.  The  tenacity  with  which  the 
Greek  philosopher  Pythagoras  held  this  doctrine,  which  he 
called  metempsychosis,  is  well  known.  Well  known,  too, 
is  the  success  with  which  he  and  his  followers  for  a  long  time 
imparted  their  views  to  the  Dorian  aristocracy  on  this  and 
kindred  subjects,  such  as,  for  instance,  the  non-destruction 
of  life.  And  according  to  the  Phaedo  of  Plato,  Sokrates 
appears  to  have  proved  the  doctrine  of  Pythagoras  to  his 
own  satisfaction. 

To  some  of  our  English  poets  the  belief  has  been  one  of 
curious  interest  and  satisfaction.  Thus  Wordsworth  :— 

Our  birth  is  but  a  sleep  and  a  forgetting  ; 
The  soul  that  rises  with  us,  our  life's  star 
Hath  had  elsewhere  its  setting, 
And  cometh  from  afar  ; 

Thus,  too,  Browning  :— 

At  times  I  almost  dream 

I  too  have  spent  a  life  the  sages'  way, 

And  tread  once  more  familiar  paths. 

And  also  Rossetti  :— 

I  have  been  here  before, 

But  how  or  when  I  cannot  tell. 

The  soul  when  it  separates  from  the  body  is  likened  in 
ancient  Indian  works  to  the  moon  on  the  day  when  it  is 
invisible  on  account  of  its  conjunction  with  the  sun.  The 
soul  exists  as  the  moon  exists,  though  it  is  not  perceptible ; 
and  as  the  moon  shines  again  when  it  progresses  in  its 
motion,  so  does  the  soul  when  it  moves  into  another  body. 

The  soul  being  in  a  state  of  mobility,  and  at  the  same 

e  2 


Ixviii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

time  immortal,  seeks  a  body  for  the  performance  of  its 
functions,  and,  as  it  were,  enters  into  a  matrimonial  alliance 
with  it  for  the  completion  and  perfection  of  both.  As 
the  same  thread  will  penetrate  a  gold  bead,  a  pearl,  or  an 
earthen  ball,  so  the  soul,  bearing  its  burden  of  acts,  will 
enter  any  body  with  which  it  conies  in  contact.  This  the 
soul  is  enabled  to  do  by  its  possession  of  a  covering  of 
finer  or  grosser  texture,  which  it  takes  with  it  from  the  last 
body  it  has  inhabited.  The  soul  thus  passes  from  body  to 
body  in  a  revolving  wheel,  until  it  is  purged  of  its  im 
purities  and  deemed  fit  to  blend  with  the  Absolute,  from 
which  it  originally  emanated. 

Paramatama,  the  primal  spirit,  is  the  Supreme  Being 
considered  as  the  pervading  soul  of  the  universe.  It  is 
represented  as  light.  Jlvatama,  the  soul  of  each  living 
being,  is  also  light,  an  emanation  from  the  Paramatama  and 
not  material. 

The  lines  of  Milton  may  be  accepted  as  a  definition  of  the 
deity  according  to  the  Sikh  conception : — 

.     .     .     .     Since  God  is  light 

And  never  but  in  unapproached  light 

Dwelt  from  eternity — 
Bright  effluence  of  bright  essence  increate. 

And  of  Thomas  Campbell  nearly  to  the  same  effect : — 

This  spirit  will  return  to  Him 
Who  gave  its  heavenly  spark. 

The  Paramatama  is  likened  to  an  illimitable  ocean,  the 
Jivatama  to  a  glass  of  water  immersed  in  it.  The  glass  is 
the  subtile  body  or  covering  of  the  soul.  If  the  glass 
itself  be  broken  or  taken  away,  the  water  in  it,  which 
corresponds  to  the  jivatama,  blends  with  the  water  of  the 
ocean.  This  is  an  exemplification  of  Nirvan. 

According  to  Sikh  ontology  all  animals  have  two  bodies, 
one  a  solid  material  body  and  the  other  a  subtile  intangible 
body.1  The  jivatama  is  separated  from  the  former  at  the 

1  St.  Paul  speaks  of  a  spiritual  body  (i  Cor.  xv.  44)* 


INTRODUCTION  Ixix 

time  of  death,  but  not  from  the  latter  unless  the  state  oi 
Nirvan  supervenes.  While  the  jivatama  is  encased  in  a 
subtile  body,  it  is  susceptible  of  punishment. 

Sokrates,  in  discussing  the  possibility  of  a  separate 
existence  after  death,  dilates  on  the  pleasure  it  would  afford 
to  meet  such  men  as  Homer,  Hesiod,  &c. ;  but  Plato  has  not 
recorded  what  Sokrates'  sensations  would  be  on  meeting 
his  tormentors  and  persecutors  in  the  same  happy  region. 
John  Stuart  Mill,  too,  thought  *  that  the  most  serious  loss 
which  would  result  to  mankind  from  a  disbelief  in  an  after 
existence  would  be  the  despair  of  reunion  with  those  dear 
to  us  who  have  ended  their  earthly  life  before  us.  An 
aspiration  for  such  a  reunion  is  easy  to  understand,  and 
the  hope  of  its  realization  has  soothed  the  death-bed  of 
many  a  believer  in  the  soul's  immortality.  But  all  people 
are  not  equally  dear  to  us,  and  it  did  not  apparently 
occur  to  that  eminent  philosopher  that,  granted  the  hope 
of  meeting  those  we  love  beyond  the  grave,  there  is  also 
the  possibility  of  meeting  those  who  are  not  equally  the 
objects  of  our  affection — those  who  have  perhaps  embittered 
or  even  abridged  our  terrestrial  existence,  and  who,  it  may  be 
as  the  result  of  predestination  or  elective  grace,  are  admitted 
to  the  sempiternal  joys  of  paradise.  To  the  believer  in 
Nirvan  there  is  no  apprehension  of  such  associations.  Only 
those  who  are  sufficiently  purified  can  be  absorbed  in  the 
Absolute,  in  the  all-dazzling  fount  of  God's  infinite  perfection 
and  love.  Here  individual  consciousness  ceases,  the  supreme 
goal  of  existence  is  attained,  and  neither  sorrow,  misery,  nor 
remembrance  of  earthly  evils  can  be  apprehended. 


CHAPTER  VI 

About  thirty  miles  south-west  of  the  city  of  Lahore, 
the  capital  of  the  Panjab,  and  on  the  borders  of  the  present 
civil  districts  of  Gujranwala  and  Montgomery,  stands  the 
town  of  Talwandi,  deep  in  a  lonely  forest.  It  is  on  the  margin 

1  Kssay  on  the  Utility  of  Religion. 


Ixx  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

of  the  Bar  or  raised  forest  tract  which  occupies  the  centre 
of  the  Pan  jab.  The  town  is  still  girdled  by  a  broad  expanse 
of  arborescent  vegetation,  which,  when  not  wrhitened  by 
the  sand  blown  by  the  winds  of  the  desert,  wears  through 
all  seasons  a  cheerful  appearance.  The  jal  (Salvadora 
Persica)  predominates,  but  there  are  also  found  the  phulahi 
(Acacia  modesta)  and  the  jand  (Prosopis  spicigera).  The 
wild  deer  is  seen  occasionally  to  appear  startled  at  the 
traveller  who  disturbs  the  solitude  of  its  domain,  and  the 
hare  and  the  partridge  cower  cautiously  among  the  thickets, 
deprecating  molestation. 

In  this  retreat  was  born  Guru  Nanak,  the  founder  of 
the  Sikh  religion.  His  birth  took  place  on  the  third  day 
of  the  light  half  of  the  month  of  Baisakh  (April-May)  in 
the  year  1526  of  the  Vikramaditya  era,  corresponding  to 
A.  D.  1469.  As  to  the  month  in  which  he  was  born  there 
are  strange  diversities  of  statement,  which  we  shall  subse 
quently  notice.  Guru  Nanak's  father  was  Kalu  of  the 
Bedi l  section  of  the  Khatri  caste.  He  was  by  profession 
a  village  accountant,  but  added  the  practice  of  agriculture 
to  this  avocation.  Kalu's  father  was  Shiv  Ram  and  his 
mother  Banarasi.  Kalu  had  one  brother  called  Lalu, 
of  whom  little  is  known  besides  his  name.  Kalu  was 
married  to  Tripta,  daughter  of  Rama,  a  native  of  the 
Manjha2  country.  Tripta  had  a  brother  called  Krishan,  of 
whom  history  is  as  silent  as  of  Lalu.  Tripta  bore  to  Kalu 
one  daughter,  Nanaki,  and  one  son,  Nanak.  Nanaki  married 
Jai  Ram,  a  revenue  official  of  high  repute  at  Sultanpur, 
which  is  in  the  present  native  state  of  Kapurthala,  and  was 
then  the  capital  of  the  Jalandhar  Doab. 

When  Taimur  had  spread  anarchy  and  devastation  over 
Northern  India,  a  dynasty  of  Saiyids,  or  descendants  of  the 
Prophet  Muhammad,  aspired  to  rule  in  Dihli  in  the 
name  of  the  Mughal  conqueror.  To  Dihli  there  was  hardly 
any  territory  attached,  and  Ala-ul-din,  the  last  of  the  Saiyid 

1  The  meaning  of  this  name  will  be  explained  when  we  come  to  the 
writings  of  the  tenth  Guru. 

2  The  Manjha  is  the  country  between  the  rivers  Ravi  and  Bias. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixxi 

rulers,  in  contemptuous  disregard  for  the  small  and  trouble 
some  dominion  meted  out  to  him  by  destiny,  retired  to  the 
distant  city  of  Badaun  to  end  his  days  in  religious  and 
political  tranquillity.  He  left  Dihli  and  the  fortunes  of 
empire  to  Bahlol  Khan  Lodi,  a  man  whose  ancestors  had 
been  enriched  by  commerce,  and  whose  grandfather  had 
been  Governor  of  Multan  under  the  famous  monarch  Firoz 
Shah  Tughlak. 

Bahlol  Khan  Lodi  reigned  from  A.  D.  1450  to  A.D.  1488, 
and  it  was  consequently  near  the  middle  of  his  reign  that 
Guru  Nanak,  the  founder  of  the  Sikh  religion,  was  born. 

After  the  accession  of  Bahlol  Khan  Lodi,  Daulat  Khan, 
a  relative  of  his,  obtained  power  in  the  Panjab,  and  governed 
under  the  paramount  authority  of  his  kinsman.  He  lived 
in  state  at  Sultanpur  till  defeated  and  deprived  of  his 
possessions  by  the  Emperor  Babar.  The  Panjab  appears 
to  have  been  already  parcelled  out  to  Musalman  chiefs 
who  were  retainers  of  the  sovereigns  of  Dihli.  One  of  these 
chiefs,  called  Rai  Bhoi,  a  Musalman  Rajput  of  the  Bhatti 
tribe,  had  been  Zamindar  or  proprietor  of  Talwandi.  After 
his  death  his  heritage  descended  to  his  son  Rai  Bular,  who 
governed  the  town  at  the  birth  and  during  the  youth  of 
Nanak. 

Talwandi  is  said  to  have  been  originally  built  by  a  Hindu 
king  called  Raja  Vairat.  It  was  sacked  and  destroyed  by 
fire  and  crowbar,  like  most  Hindu  towns  and  cities,  during 
the  Musalman  invasions.  Rai  Bular  restored  it  and  built 
a  fort  on  the  summit  of  the  tumulus,  in  which  he  lived  the 
secure  and  happy  ruler  of  a  small  village,  some  limited 
acres  of  cultivated  land,  and  a  boundless  wilderness. 

Although  the  age  was  one  of  religious  intolerance  and 
persecution,  Rai  Bular  appears  to  have  been  the  very 
reverse  of  a  bigot.  His  father  and  he  were  converted 
Hindus,  doubtless  added  to  the  ranks  of  Islam  by  a  hasty 
circumcision  and  an  enforced  utterance  of  some  Arabic 
sentences  which  they  did  not  perfectly  comprehend. 1 

1  The  descendants  of  Rai  Bular  still  exist  in  that  part  of  the  country. 


Ixxii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

In  such  a  solitude  Rai  Bular  could  not  have  been  under 
the  less  worthy  influences  of  Islam  ;  and  indifference, 
the  parent  of  toleration,  appears  to  have  supervened  on 
his  Muhammadan  religious  training.  But  the  human  mind 
is  so  constituted,  and  the  religious  or  emotional  instinct 
so  dominant  in  human  nature,  that  most  men  at  some 
period  of  their  lives  are  irresistibly  impelled  to  religious 
speculation.  Something,  too,  must  be  allowed  for  Rai 
Bular's  patriotic  prejudices  for  a  suffering  though  renounced 
faith.  Talwandi  shared  not  the  tumults  and  excitements 
of  the  outer  political  world.  It  was  a  theatre  meet  for  the 
training  of  a  prophet  or  religious  teacher  who  was  to  lead 
his  countrymen  to  the  sacred  path  of  truth,  and  disenthral 
their  minds  from  the  superstitions  of  ages.  Rai  Bular  in 
his  little  realm  had  ample  time  for  reflection,  and  when 
he  heard  of  Nanak's  piety  and  learning,  felt  a  mysterious 
interest  in  the  clever  and  precocious  son  of  Kalu. 

The  house  in  which  Nanak  was  born  lay  a  little  distant 
from  the  fort.  Probably  Rai  Bular  and  his  family  alone 
inhabited  the  ancient  tumulus,  while  his  tenants  dwelt  in 
the  town  of  Talwandi  on  the  plain.  The  town  has  now 
lost  its  old  name,  and  is  known  as  Nankana,  in  memory  of 
the  religious  teacher  to  whom  it  had  the  honour  of  giving 
birth.  When  the  Sikh  religion  had  gained  prominence, 
there  was  a  temple  erected  on  the  spot  where  the  Guru 
was  born.  It  was  afterwards  rebuilt  and  enlarged  by  Raja 
Tej  Singh,  at  the  time  when  the  Sikh  arms  had  attained 
their  greatest  power  and  the  Sikh  commonwealth  its  widest 
expansion.  Within  the  temple  is  installed  the  Granth 
Sahib,  or  sacred  volume  of  the  Sikh  faith,  intoned  by  a  pro 
fessional  reader.  The  innermost  shrine  contains  some  cheap 
printed  pictures  of  the  Guru,  and  musicians  beguile  the 
day  chanting  the  religious  metrical  compositions  of  the 
Gurus. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixxiii 


CHAPTER  VII 

We  shall  now  examine  the  principal  current  accounts  of 
Guru  Nanak  and  give  brief  notices  of  their  authors. 

The  oldest  authentic  account  of  the  Guru  was  written 
by  Bhai  Gur  Das,  who  flourished  in  the  end  of  the  sixteenth 
and  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  dying  in 
A.D.  1629.  He  was  first  cousin  of  the  mother  of  Guru 
Arjan,  the  fifth  Guru  of  the  Sikhs.  He  was  Guru  Arjan's 
amanuensis,  and  wrote  out  from  his  dictation  the  Adi1  Granth , 
or  sacred  book  of  the  Sikhs,  which  then  contained  the  hymns 
of  the  first  five  Sikh  Gurus  and  of  the  saints  who  preceded 
them.  He  next  wrote  what  he  called  Wars  or  religious  cantos. 
These  are  forty  in  number.  The  first  War  begins  with  the 
Sikh  cosmology,  and  ends  with  a  brief  account  of  Guru 
Nanak  and  the  succeeding  Gurus  to  the  date  of  Gur  Das's 
composition.  Gur  Das's  object  was  essentially  religious. 
He  delighted  in  singing  the  greatness  of  God,  the  littleness 
of  man,  and  the  excellence  of  the  Guru.  Besides  the  Wars, 
Gur  Das  wrote  Kabits,  which  contains  the  Sikh  tenets  and 
a  panegyric  of  the  Gurus. 

The  details  which  Gur  Das  has  given  of  Guru  Nanak 
will  be  utilized  in  the  life  of  that  Guru.  It  is  a  matter  of 
regret  that  he  did  not  write  a  complete  life  of  the  Guru, 
as  its  details  could  at  that  time  have  been  easily  obtained. 
The  date  of  the  composition  of  his  work  is  not  given,  but 
it  is  admitted  on  all  hands  that  it  was  during  the  time  of 
Guru  Arjan.  Making  due  allowance  for  Gur  Das's  pro 
tracted  employment  in  copying  and  collating  the  sacred 
volume  for  Guru  Arjan — a  task  which  was  completed  in 
A.D.  1604 — it  may  fairly  be  assumed  that  Gur  Das  wrote 
his  own  work  not  much  more  than  sixty  years  after  the 
demise  of  Guru  Nanak,  when  some  of  his  contemporaries 

1  The  epithet  Adi,  which  means  primitive  or  first,  was  bestowed 
on  the  Granth  Sahib  of  Guru  Arjan  to  distinguish  it  from  the  Grantli 
of  Guru  Gobind  Singh,  the  tenth  Guru,  which  was  subsequently  com 
piled  by  Bhai  Mani  Singh. 


Ixxiv  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

were  still  alive,  and  one  of  them  at  least  retained  the  vigour 
of  his  intellectual  faculties. 

There  was  then  living  in  the  village  of  Ramdas1  about 
twenty  miles  north  of  Amritsar,  Bhai  Budha,  who  had 
embraced  the  Sikh  religion  under  Guru  Nanak  at  Kartarpur, 
and  who  used  to  attend  him  on  some  of  his  peregrinations. 
This  man  was  in  the  prime  of  life  when  Gur  Das  copied 
the  Granth  Sahib  for  Guru  Arjan,  and  the  latter  made  him 
reader  and  custodian  of  the  sacred  volume  at  Amritsar. 
Bhai  Budha  subsequently  lived  until  the  Guruship  of  Guru 
Har  Gobind,  when  he  died  at  the  ripe  age  of  one  hundred 
and  seven  years.  In  such  estimation  was  he  held  that  he 
was  specially  appointed  to  impress  the  saffron  tilak,  or 
patch  of  Gurudom,  on  the  foreheads  of  the  Gurus  of  his 
time  ;  and  his  descendants  had  the  same  honoured  privilege 
as  long  as  legitimate  Gurus  remained  to  be  thus  distinguished. 
He,  however,  has  left  no  memoirs  of  the  founder  of  his  religion. 

Mani  Singh  was  the  youngest  of  five  sons  of  Bika  of 
Kaibowal,  in  the  Malwa  country,  and  belonged  to  the  Dullat 
section  of  the  Hindu  Jats.  The  ruins  of  Kaibowal  may 
now  be  seen  near  the  village  of  Laugowal.  When  Guru 
Gobind  Singh  was  going  to  Kurkhetar  on  a  preaching 
excursion,  Bika  and  his  son  Mani  went  to  a  place  called 
Akoi  to  meet  him  and  offer  him  their  homage.  Bika  in 
due  time  returned  home,  leaving  his  son  with  the  Guru. 
The  Guru  one  day  asked  Mani  to  wipe  the  vessels  from 
which  the  Sikhs  had  eaten,  and,  as  an  inducement,  promised 
that  as  the  vessels  became  bright  so  should  his  under 
standing.  Mani  wiped  the  dishes  with  great  humility  and 
devotion,  and  received  baptism  from  the  Guru  as  his  reward. 
He  remained  a  celibate  and  devoted  his  life  to  the  Guru's 
service. 

1  This  was  Bhai  Budha's  original  name,  and  the  village  was  called 
after  him.  The  name  Bhai  Budha  was  given  him  by  Guru  Nanak. 

The  word  '  Bhai '  means  brother.  Guru  Nanak,  who  disregarded 
caste  and  preached  the  doctrine  of  the  brotherhood  of  man,  desired 
that  all  his  followers  should  be  deemed  brothers,  and  thus  he  addressed 
them.  The  title  '  Bhai  '  is  now  bestowed  on  Sikh  priests  and  others 
who  have  made  a  special  study  of  the  Sikh  sacred  writings. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixxv 

When  the  tenth  Guru  found  it  necessary  to  go  to  the 
south  of  India,  he  took  Mani  Singh,  among  others,  with 
him.  At  Nander,  or  Abchalanagar,  as  it  is  now  called  by 
the  Sikhs,  the  Guru  expounded  to  his  followers,  among 
whom  Mani  Singh  was  an  enthusiastic  listener,  the  recon 
dite  language  of  the  Granth  Sahib  or  the  book  par 
excellence. 

After  the  Guru's  death  Bhai  Mani  Singh  remained  as 
Grant  hi,  or  reader  of  the  Granth  in  the  Har  Mandar  in  Am- 
ritsar.1  The  Sikhs  commissioned  him,  while  so  employed,  to 
write  them  a  life  of  Guru  Nanak.  They  represented  that  the 
Minas,  or  descendants  of  Prithi  Chand,  had  interpolated  much 
incorrect  matter  in  the  biography  of  the  Guru,  whereby 
doubts  were  produced  in  the  minds  of  orthodox  Sikhs  ; 
and  they  commissioned  Mani  Singh  to  discriminate  the 
true  from  the  false,  and  compile  a  trustworthy  life  of  the 
founder  of  their  religion.  He  accordingly  expanded  the 
first  of  Bhai  Gur  Das's  Wars  into  a  life  of  Guru  Nanak. 
It  is  called  the  Gyan  Ratanawali.  Mani  Singh  wrote  another 
work,  the  Bhagat  Ratanawali,  an  expansion  of  Gur  Das's 
eleventh  War,  which  contains  a  list  of  famous  Sikhs  up  to 
the  time  of  Guru  Har  Gobind.  After  the  demise  of  Bhai 
Mani  Singh  the  copyists  interlarded  several  Hindu  ideas  in 
his  works. 

The  hymns  of  the  Adi  Granth  are  arranged  under  the 
musical  measures  to  which  they  were  intended  to  be  sung. 
Mani  Singh  thought  it  would  be  better  and  more  con 
venient  to  compile  the  hymns  of  each  Guru  separately. 
He  therefore  altered  the  arrangement  of  the  Granth  Sahib, 
on  which  he  was  censured  by  the  Sikhs.  He  apologized, 
and  was  subsequently  pardoned  by  the  members  of  his 
faith. 

In  A.D.  1738  Mani  Singh  asked  permission  of  Zakaria 
Khan,  the  Viceroy  of  Lahore,  to  allow  the  Diwali  2  fair  to 

1  Bhai  Gyan  Singh's  Panth  Parkdsh. 

2  The  Diwali,  originally  a   festival  observed   only  by  Hindus  in 
honour  of  Lakshmi,  their  goddess  of  wealth,  on  the  i$th  day  of  Kartik 
(Oct.-Nov.).     It  was  the  date  on  which  Bhai  Budha  the  first  Granthi 


Ixxvi  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

be  held  in  Amritsar.  The  Viceroy  gave  permission  on 
condition  that  Mani  Singh  undertook  to  pay  a  poll-tax  for 
every  Sikh  who  attended.  Mani  Singh  accepted  this  con 
dition,  and  sent  circulars  to  the  Sikhs  to  attend  and  hold 
a  special  Sikh  gathering.  The  Viceroy  sent  troops  to 
watch  the  movements  of  the  Sikhs,  but  the  Sikhs,  mistaking 
their  intention,  dispersed.  The  result  was  that  Mani 
Singh  was  unable  to  pay  the  stipulated  tax.  Upon  this 
he  was  taken  to  Lahore  for  punishment.  Zakaria  Khan 
asked  his  Qazi  what  the  punishment  should  be.  The  Qazi 
replied  that  Mani  Singh  must  either  accept  Islam  or  suffer 
disj  ointment  of  his  body.  Mani  Singh  heroically  accepted 
the  latter  alternative.  The  Viceroy  adjudged  this  barbarous 
punishment,  nominally  on  account  of  his  victim's  non 
payment  of  the  tax,  but  in  reality  on  account  of  his  influence 
as  a  learned  and  holy  man  in  maintaining  the  Sikh  religion. 
Mani  Singh  manifested  no  pain  on  the  occasion  of  his 
execution.  He  continued  to  his  last  breath  to  recite  the 
Japji  of  Guru  Nanak  and  the  Sukhmani  of  Guru  Arjan. 

Bhai  Santokh  Singh,  son  of  Deva  Singh,  was  born  in 
Amritsar  in  A.  D.  1788.  He  received  religious  instruction 
in  the  Sikh  faith  from  Bhai  Sant  Singh  in  his  native  city, 
and  in  the  Hindu  religion  from  a  Pandit  in  Kaul  in  the 
Karnal  district.  He  found  a  patron  in  Sardar  Megh  Singh 
of  Buria,  in  the  present  district  of  Ambala  in  the  Panjab, 
and  under  his  auspices  translated  a  work  called  Amar  Kosh 
from  the  Sanskrit.  In  A.  D.  1823  ne  wrote  the  Nanak 
Parkash,  an  exposition  of  the  life  and  teachings  of  Guru 
Nanak. 

After  this  Bhai  Santokh  Singh  entered  the  employ  of 
Maharaja  Karm  Singh  of  Patiala.  In  A.  D.  1825,  Bhai 
Ude  Singh  of  Kaithal  obtained  his  services  from  the 
Maharaja.  In  Kaithal  Bhai  Santokh  Singh,  with  the  aid  of 
the  Brahmans  whom  Bhai  Ude  Singh  had  placed  at  his 
disposal,  translated  several  works  from  the  Sanskrit.  He 
then  set  about  writing  the  lives  of  the  remaining  Gurus, 

completed  his  perusal  of  the  Granth  Sahib,  and  it  consequently  became 
a  Sikh  holiday  also. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixxvii 

and  this  task  he  completed  during  the  rainy  season  of 
A.  D.  1843  under  the  name  of  '  Gur  Partap  Suraj  ',  popularly 
known  as  the  '  Suraj  Parkash ',  in  six  ponderous  volumes. 
The  lives  of  the  Gurus,  from  the  second  to  the  ninth,  inclu 
sive,  are  divided  into  twelve  ras  or  sections,  corresponding  to 
the  signs  of  the  Zodiac.  The  life  of  the  tenth  Guru  is  pre 
sented  in  six  ruts,  or  seasons,  corresponding  to  the  six  Indian 
seasons,  and  into  two  ains,  the  ascending  and  descending 
nodes.  The  whole  work  is  written  in  metre,  and  in  difficult 
Hindi,  with  a  large  admixture  of  pure  Sanskrit  words. 
Santokh  Singh's  other  works  are  a  paraphrase  of  the  Japji 
of  Guru  Nanak  and  of  the  Sanskrit  works  Atam  Pur  an 
and  Valmik's  Ramayan. 

Bhai  Ram  Kanwar,  a  lineal  descendant  of  Bhai  Budha, 
was  specially  favoured  by  receiving  the  pahul,  or  baptism 
by  the  dagger,  from  Guru  Gobind  Singh  himself ;  and  on  that 
occasion  the  name  of  Bhai  Gurbakhsh  Singh  was  bestowed 
on  him.1  Bhai  Gurbakhsh  Singh  survived  by  twenty-five 
years  the  tenth  and  last  Guru,  and  dictated  his  history  to 
Bhai  Sahib  Singh.  To  the  writings  of  the  latter,  which  are 
now  no  longer  extant,  Bhai  Santokh  Singh  is  said  to  have 
been  indebted.  It  is,  however,  doubtful  whether  Bhai 
Santokh  Singh  had  access  to  any  trustworthy  authority. 
From  his  early  education  and  environment  he  was  largely 
tinctured  with  Hinduism.  He  was  unquestionably  a  poet, 
and  his  imagination  was  largely  stimulated  by  copious 
draughts  of  bhang  and  other  intoxicants  in  which  he  freely 
indulged.  The  consequence  was  that  he  invented  several 
stories  discreditable  to  the  Gurus  and  their  religion.  Some 
of  his  inventions  are  due  to  his  exaggerated  ideas  of  prowess 
and  force  in  a  bad  as  well  as  in  a  good  cause — a  reflex  of 
the  spirit  of  the  marauding  age  in  which  he  lived.  His 
statements  accordingly  cannot  often  be  accepted  as  even  an 
approach  to  history. 

1  The  genealogy  of  Bhai  Gurbakhsh  Singh  is  as  follows :  Bhiii  Budha, 
who  lived  from  the  time  of  Guru  Nanak  to  that  of  Guru  Har  Gobind, 
begot  Bhana,  who  begot  Sarwan,  who  begot  Jalal,  who  begot  Jhanda, 
who  begot  Gurditta,  who  begot  Bhai  Ram  Kanwar  (Gurbakhsh  Singh). 


Ixxviii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

We  shall  now  notice  works  called  Janamsakhis,  which 
profess  to  be  biographies  of  Guru  Nanak.  These  com 
positions  were  obviously  written  at  very  different  epochs 
after  the  demise  of  the  Guru,  and  give  very  different  and 
contradictory  details  of  his  life.  In  all  of  them  miraculous 
acts  and  supernatural  conversations  are  recorded.  The 
question  of  these  Janamsakhis  is  of  such  supreme  impor 
tance,  as  showing  the  extent  to  which  pious  fiction  can 
proceed  in  fabricating  details  of  the  lives  of  religious 
teachers,1  that  we  must  devote  some  space  to  a  considera 
tion  of  them. 

One  of  the  most  popular  Janamsakhis  is  a  large  volume 
of  588  folio  pages  lithographed  at  Lahore.  It  is  plentifully 
embellished  with  woodcuts,  and  its  editor  states  that  in 
its  compilation  he  has  expended  vast  pains,  having  collated 
books  which  he  had  brought  from  great  distances  at  vast 
trouble  and  expense.  He  boasts  that  no  one  can  produce 
such  a  book.  If  any  one  dare  reprint  it  without  his  per 
mission,  he  shall  be  sued  and  mulcted  in  damages  in  a  court 
of  justice.  The  work  is  apparently  based  on  Bhai  Santokh 
Singh's  Nanak  Parkash. 

To  gain  credence  for  a  biography  it  is  of  course  necessary 
to  have  a  narrator,  and  to  be  assured  that  the  narrator  is 
no  fictitious  person.  In  the  present,  and  indeed  in  all  the 
popular  Janamsakhis,  which  no  doubt  have  been  compiled 
by  altering  some  one  original  volume,  a  person  called  Bhai 
Bala  is  made  the  narrator.  He  is  represented  as  having 
been  three  years  younger  than  Guru  Nanak,  and  as  having 
accompanied  him  in  the  capacity  of  faithful  and  confidential 

1  Compare  the  manner  in  which  Janamsakhis  or  gospels  were 
multiplied  in  the  early  Christian  Church.  '  Vast  numbers  of  spurious 
writings  bearing  the  names  of  apostles  and  their  followers,  and  claiming 
more  or  less  direct  apostolic  authority,  were  in  circulation  in  the  early 
Church — Gospels  according  to  Peter,  to  Thomas,  to  James,  to  Judas, 
according  to  the  Apostles,  or  according  to  the  Twelve,  to  Barnabas, 
to  Matthias,  to  Nicodemus,  &c. ;  and  ecclesiastical  writers  bear  abundant 
testimony  to  the  early  and  rapid  growth  of  apocryphal  literature.' 
Supernatural  Religion,  vol.  i,  p.  292.  It  may  be  incidentally  men 
tioned  that  it  was  the  Gospel  according  to  Barnabas  which  Muhammad 
used  in  the  composition  of  the  Quran. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixxix 

attendant  in  all  his  wanderings.  Bala  is  said  to  have 
dictated  the  biography  to  Paira  by  order  of  Guru  Angad, 
the  Guru  next  in  succession  to  Guru  Nanak.  What  thr 
value  of  this  Janamsakhi  is  we  shall  briefly  consider. 

It  is  generally  written  in  the  current  Panjabi  dialect, 
with  a  slight  admixture  of  archaic  words,  and  no  more 
corresponds  with  the  dialect  of  the  age  of  Guru  Nanak 
and  Guru  Angad,  whose  compositions  have  descended  to 
us  and  can  be  examined,  than  the  English  of  the  present 
day  corresponds  with  that  of  Chaucer  or  Piers  Plowman. 
If  Paira  wrote  from  Bala's  dictation,  where  is  the  original 
volume,  wrhich  of  course  was  written  in  the  language 
of  the  time  ?  When  Bala  proffered  to  dictate  the  biography, 
Guru  Angad,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  Guru  Nanak, 
/  knew  so  little  of  Bala  that  he  is  represented  as  having  asked 
him  whose  disciple  he  was,  and  if  he  had  ever  seen  Nanak. 
This  does  not  appear  as  if  Bala,  supposing  him  to  have 
ever  existed,  had  been  an  eye-witness  of  Guru  Nanak's  deeds, 
or  a  trustworthy  authority  for  the  particulars  of  his  life.  If 
he  had  been,  his  fitness  for  the  duty  of  biographer  would 
have  been  well  known  to  Guru  Angad,  who  was  a  constant 
companion  of  Guru  Nanak  in  the  end  of  his  life. 

In  Gur  Das's  eleventh  War  is  found  a  list  of  well-known 
Sikhs  up  to  his  time.  He  does  not  state  what  Sikhs  were 
converted  by  or  lived  in  the  time  of  each  Guru.  Mani 
Singh,  in  the  Bhagat  Ratanwali,  has  given  the  same  list  with 
fuller  particulars  of  the  Sikhs.  Among  them  Bhai  Bala 
is  not  mentioned.  This  Janamsakhi  professes  to  have 
been  written  in  the  Sambat  year  1592, !  when  Guru  Nanak 
was  still  alive,  and  three  years  before  Angad  had  obtained 
the  Guruship.  An  earlier  recension  of  the  same  biography 
professes  to  have  been  written  in  Sambat  1582,  or  thirteen 
years  before  the  demise  of  Guru  Nanak. 

There  were  three  great  schisms  of  the  Sikh  religion  which 
led  to  the  falsification  of  old,  or  the  composition  of  new 
Janamsakhis.  The  schismatics  were  known  as  the  Udasis, 

1  The  Sambat  or  Vikramaditya  era  is  fifty-seven  years  prior  to  annus 
domini. 


Ixxx  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

the  Minas,  and  the  Handalis.  The  first  schism  of  the  Sikhs 
began  immediately  after  the  demise  of  Guru  Nanak.1  Some 
of  his  followers  adopted  Sri  Chand,  his  elder  son,  as  his 
successor,  and  repudiated  the  nomination  of  Guru  Angad. 
The  followers  of  Sri  Chand  were  termed  Udasis,  or  the 
solitary  ;  and  they  now  constitute  a  large  body  of  devout 
and  earnest  men.  Anand  Ghan,  one  of  their  number,  has 
in  recent  times  written  the  life  of  Guru  Nanak.  It  contains 
an  apotheosis  of  Sri  Chand,  and  states  that  he  was  an  incar 
nation  of  God,  and  the  only  true  successor  of  Guru  Nanak. 

The  second  schismatical  body  of  the  Sikhs  were  the 
Minas.  Ram  Das,  the  fourth  Guru,  had  three  sons,  Prithi 
Chand,  Mahadev,  and  Arjan.  Prithi  Chand  proved  unfilial 
and  disobedient,  Mahadev  became  a  religious  enthusiast, 
while  Arjan,  the  youngest,  followed  in  the  steps  of  his  father. 
To  Arjan,  therefore,  he  bequeathed  the  Guruship.  Prithi 
Chand  he  stigmatized  as  Mina  or  deceitful,  a  name  given 
to  a  robber  tribe  in  Rajputana.  Prithi  Chand,  however, 
succeeded  in  obtaining  a  following,  whom  he  warned  against 
association  with  the  Sikhs  of  Guru  Arjan.  Consequently 
enmity  between  both  sects  has  existed  up  to  the  present  time. 
Miharban,  the  son  of  Prithi  Chand,  wrote  a  Janamsakhi  of 
Guru  Nanak  in  which  he  glorified  his  own  father.  Here 
there  was  ample  opportunity  for  the  manipulation  of  details. 
It  is  in  this  Janamsakhi  of  the  Minas  we  first  find  mention 
of  Bhai  Bala. 

The  Handalis,  the  third  schismatic  sect  of  the  Sikhs, 
were  the  followers  of  Handal,  a  Jat  of  the  Man j ha,  who 
had  been  converted  to  the  Sikh  religion  by  Guru  Amar  Das, 

1  There  are  now  several  sects  of  the  religion  of  Guru  Nanak.  It 
appears  from  the  testimony  of  St.  Paul  that  the  early  Christian  Church 
was  similarly  divided.  '  For  it  hath  been  declared  unto  me  of  you, 
my  brethren,  by  them  which  are  of  the  house  of  Chloe,  that  there 
are  contentions  among  you.  Now  this  I  say  that  every  one  of  you 
saith,  I  am  of  Paul;  and  I  of  Apollos;  and  I  of  Cephas;  and  I  of 
Christ.  Is  Christ  divided  ?  was  Paul  crucified  for  you  ?  or  were  you 
baptized  in  the  name  of  Paul?'  (i  Cor.  i.  11-13).  Schisms  appear 
to  be  the  law  of  all  religions.  They  began  in  Islam  after  the  death 
of  the  Prophet's  companions.  Islam,  it  is  said,  now  numbers  seventy- 
three  different  sects. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixxxi 

the  third  Sikh  Guru.  Bidhi  Chand,  a  descendant  of 
Handal,  was  a  Sikh  priest  at  Jandiala,  in  the  Amritsar 
district.  He  took  unto  himself  a  Muhammadan  woman, 
whom  he  attached  to  him  rather  by  ties  of  love  than  of 
law,  and  upon  this  he  was  abandoned  by  his  followers. 

He  then  devised  a  religion  of  his  own,  and  compiled 
a  Granth  and  a  Janamsakhi  to  correspond.  In  both  he 
sought  to  exalt  to  the  rank  of  chief  apostle  his  father  Handal, 
and  degrade  Guru  Nanak,  the  legitimate  Sikh  Guru.  For 
this  purpose  creative  fancy  was  largely  employed.  To 
serve  the  double  object  of  debasing  Guru  Nanak  and  justify 
ing  himself  to  men,  he  stated  that  Nanak  had  also  taken 
unto  himself  a  Muhammadan  woman  bound  to  him  by 
no  bonds  save  those  of  lucre  and  ephemeral  affection. 

According  to  this  biographer,  Guru  Nanak,  on  his  journey 
to  Sach  Khand,  the  true  region,  or  the  Land  of  the  Leal, 
met  the  Hindu  saint  Dhru.  One  day  while  on  earth  Dhru 
sat  on  his  father's  lap,  and  was  removed  by  his  step-mother. 
For  this  trivial  slight  he  left  his  home  and  turned  his  thoughts 
to  God.  God  accepted  his  worship,  and  in  recognition 
thereof  offered  him  the  highest  place  in  heaven.  The 
pole,  as  not  moving,  is  supposed  to  have  the  position  of 
honour,  and  there  Vishnu  set  him  in  the  centre  of  the  stars. 
Dhru  began  to  converse  with  Guru  Nanak,  and  told  him  that 
only  one  man,  Kabir,  had  previously  been  able  to  visit 
that  select  and  happy  region.  Here  there  was  a  covert 
depreciation  of  Guru  Nanak.  Kabir,  a  famous  religious 
teacher,  by  caste  a  weaver,  was  his  precursor,  and  the 
Handali's  object  was  to  show  that  Guru  Nanak  was  a  follower 
of  Kabir  and  not  an  original  thinker.  Guru  Nanak  is  then 
represented  to  have  said  that  a  third  man,  Handal,  was 
approaching,  and  would  be  present  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 

Guru  Nanak,  proceeds  the  Handali  writer,  continued 
his  journey  to  Sach  Khand,  and  there  found  Kabir  fanning 
God,  who  is  represented  as  the  four-armed  Hindu  deity 
Vishnu.  A  rude  drawing  in  the  Handali  Janamsakhi 
represents  God  and  Kabir  in  truly  anthropomorphic  fashion 
as  a  priest  and  his  attendant  disciple. 

SIKH.     I  f 


Ixxxii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Nanak  informed  God  that  he  had  not  fully  carried  out  the 
orders  he  had  obtained  prior  to  his  departure  to  earth  and  his 
human  manifestation.  He  had  only  promulgated  God's 
message  in  three  directions.  The  western  portion  of  the 
world  remained  still  ignorant  and  un visited.  He  was  there 
fore  remanded  by  God  to  fully  accomplish  his  mission. 
On  his  return  to  earth  he  met  in  one  of  the  lower  worlds 
a  Jogi  with  whom,  as  was  his  wont,  he  entered  into  familiar 
conversation.  The  Jogi,  in  reply  to  Nanak's  question, 
told  him  that  he  had  been,  in  a  previous  state  of  existence 
in  the  Treta  age,  a  servant  of  Raja  Janak,  King  of  Mithila, 
and  father-in-law  of  the  renowned  deified  hero  Ram  Chandar. 
Nanak  is  made  to  confess  to  him  that  he,  too,  had  been  a 
servant  of  Raja  Janak,  and  that  they  had  both  served 
under  the  same  roof  in  the  same  menial  capacity.  The 
Jogi  then  questioned  Nanak  as  to  his  secular  position  in 
the  Dwapar  age.  Nanak  is  represented  as  saying  with 
the  same  unsuspecting  frankness  that  he  had  been  the  son 
of  a  teli  or  oil-presser,  a  trade  held  to  be  offensive  and 
degrading  to  Hindus.  Thus  was  the  depreciation  of  Guru 
Nanak  complete. 

Such  were  the  fictitious  narratives  introduced  into  the 
Janamsakhis,  and,  the  reins  of  fancy  having  once  been  let 
loose,  it  was  difficult  for  the  Handalis  to  know  at  what 
goal  to  pause.  The  result  was  a  total  transformation  of  the 
biographies  of  Guru  Nanak  which  they  had  found  in  exis 
tence.  This  occurred  about  the  year  A.  D.  1640.  Bidhi  Chand 
died  in  the  year  A.D.  1654.  H*8  successor  was  Devi  Das, 
whom  his  Musalman  companion  bore  him. 

The  Handali  heresy  was  opportune  for  its  followers. 
Zakaria  Khan  Bahadur,  the  Muhammadan  Governor  of 
the  Panjab,  about  a  century  afterwards,  set  a  price  on  the 
head  of  every  Sikh.  At  first  he  offered  twenty-five,  then 
ten,  and  finally  five  rupees.  The  heads  of  Sikhs  were 
supplied  in  abundance  by  both  Musalmans  and  Hindus,1 

1  It  was,  as  we  shall  subsequently  see,  a  Brahman  who  betrayed  the 
sons  of  Guru  Gobind  Singh,  and  placed  them  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Muhammadan  Governor  of  Sarhind,  who  barbarously  murdered  them. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixxxiii 

and  the  price  offered  was  consequently  reduced  by  degrees. 
The  Handalis  protested  to  the  officials  of  Zakaria  that  they 
were  not  Sikhs  of  Nanak,  but  a  totally  different  sect  who 
merited  not  persecution  ;  and  in  proof  of  this  they  pointed 
to  their  Granth,  and  their  Janamsakhi,  and  to  the  Musalman 
companion  of  Bidhi  Chand.  Notwithstanding  these  subter 
fuges,  the  Handalis  were  subsequently  persecuted  and 
deprived  of  their  land  by  Maharaja  Ran  jit  Singh,  but  they 
still  exist  as  a  small  community,  whose  head  quarters  are 
at  Jandiala,  where  the  guardians  of  their  temple  enjoy  a 
jagir  or  fief  from  the  British  Government.  They  are  now 
known  by  the  name  of  Niranjanie,  or  followers  of  the  bright 
God  (Niranjan). 

In  the  present  age,  accustomed  as  we  are  to  the  use  and 
multiplication  of  printed  books,  it  is  not  at  once  easy  to 
realize  how  records  of  every  description  could  have  been 
forged,  altered,  and  destroyed  in  an  age  when  manuscripts 
only  existed.  It  must  be  remembered  that  books  then 
were  few,  and  that  combinations  among  their  possessors, 
especially  if  supported  by  political  power  or  religious 
fanaticism,  could  easily  be  effected.  The  Handalis  appar 
ently  had  sufficient  influence  to  destroy  nearly  all  the  older 
accounts  of  the  life  of  Guru  Nanak. 

But,  apart  from  this  altogether,  there  is  no  doubt  that 
there  was  a  great  destruction  of  Sikh  manuscripts  during  the 
persecution  of  the  Sikh  faith  by  the  Muhammadan  authori 
ties.  Sikh  works  or  treatises  preserved  in  shrines  became 
special  objects  of  attack.  Their  existence  was  known  and 
could  not  be  denied  by  the  Sikh  priests,  and  systematic 
raids  were  organized  to  take  possession  of  them.  It  was 
only  copies  preserved  by  private  individuals,  living  at  a 
distance  from  the  scenes  of  persecution,  which  had  any 
chance  of  escape  from  the  fury  of  the  Moslems.1 

1  This  finds  a  parallel  in  the  destruction  of  Christian  writings  by 
fanatical  Romans  prior  to  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Constantine.  The 
records  of  the  Christian  persecutions  show  that  the  Christian  priests 
who  surrendered  their  sacred  writings  subsequently  received  severe 
treatment  at  the  hands  of  their  co-religionists.  Compare  the  manner 


Ixxxiv  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

All  the  Handali  and  modern  Janamsakhis  give  Kartik 
as  the  month  in  which  Baba  Nanak  was  born.  In  Mani 
Singh's  and  all  the  old  Janamsakhis  the  Guru's  natal  month 
is  given  as  Baisakh.  The  following  is  the  manner  in  which 
Kartik  began  to  be  considered  as  the  Guru's  natal  month : 
There  lived  in  the  time  of  Maharaja  Ran  jit  Singh,  at 
Amritsar,  Bhai  Sant  Singh  Gyani,  who  was  held  in  high 
estimation  by  that  monarch.  Some  five  miles  from  Amritsar 
is  an  ancient  tank  called  the  Ram  Tirath  or  place  of  pilgrim 
age  of  the  Hindu  god  Ram.  At  that  place  a  Hindu  fair 
was  and  is  still  held  at  the  time  of  the  full  moon  in  the  month 
of  Kartik.  The  spot  is  essentially  Hindu,  and  it  had  the 
further  demerit  in  the  eyes  of  the  Bhai  of  having  been 
repaired  by  Lakhpat,  the  prime  minister  of  Zakaria  Khan 
Bahadur,  the  inhuman  persecutor  of  the  Sikhs.  Bhai  Sant 
Singh  desired  to  establish  an  opposition  fair  in  Amritsar 
on  the  same  date,  and  thus  prevent  the  Sikhs  from  making 
the  Hindu  pilgrimage  to  Ram  Tirath.  He  gravely  adopted 
the  Handali  date  of  Guru  Nanak's  birth,  and  proclaimed  that 
his  new  fair  at  Amritsar  at  the  full  moon  in  the  month  of  Kartik 
was  in  honour  of  the  nativity  of  the  founder  of  his  religion. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Guru  Nanak  was  born  in  Baisakh. 
All  the  older  Janamsakhis  give  that  as  Guru  Nanak's  natal 
month.  As  late  as  the  Sambat  year  1872  it  was  in  Baisakh 
that  the  anniversary  fair  of  Guru  Nanak's  birth  was  always 
celebrated  at  Nankana.  And  finally  the  Nanak  Parkash, 
which  gives  the  full  moon  in  Kartik,  Sambat  1526,  as  the  time 
of  Guru  Nanak's  birth  and  the  tenth  of  the  dark  half  of 
Assu,  Sambat  1596,  as  the  date  of  his  death,  states  with 
strange  inconsistency  that  he  lived  seventy  years  five  months 
and  seven  days,1  a  total  which  is  irreconcilable  with  these 
dates,  but  it  is  very  nearly  reconcilable  with  the  date  of 
the  Guru's  birth  given  in  the  old  Janamsakhi. 

in  which  the  Gospel  according  to  the  Hebrews,  the  Memoirs  of  the 
Apostles,  and  other  valuable  Christian  records  used  by  the  early  fathers 
of  the  Church,  have  been  destroyed  and  lost  for  ever  to  the  world. 

1  The  usually  accepted  horoscopes  and  ages  of  the  Gurus  are  given 
in  a  work  called  the  Gur  Parndli. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixxxv 

How  the  month  of  Kartik  was  subsequently  ratified  by 
orthodox  Sikhs  as  the  month  of  Guru  Nanak's  nativity  is 
also  a  curious  instance  of  the  manner  in  which  religious 
anniversaries  and  observances  can  be  prescribed  and 
adopted.  Bhai  Harbhagat  Singh,  of  Shahid  Ganj  in  Lahore, 
was  a  Sikh  of  high  consideration.  He  long  debated  in 
his  own  mind  whether  he  would  accept  Baisakh  or  Kartik 
as  the  month  of  Guru  Nanak's  nativity.  At  last  he  submitted 
the  matter  to  the  arbitrament  of  chance.  He  wrote  the 
word  Baisakh  on  one  slip  of  paper  and  Kartik  on  the  other, 
placed  both  papers  in  front  of  the  Granth  Sahib,  and  sent 
an  unlettered  boy,  who  had  previously  performed  religious 
ablution  in  the  sacred  tank,  to  take  up  one  of  them.  The 
boy  selected  the  one  on  which  Kartik  had  been  written.1 

Other  reasons,  too,  for  the  alterations  of  the  date  can 
easily  be  imagined.  In  the  beginning  of  the  month  of 
Baisakh  there  have  been  large  Hindu  fairs  held  from  time 
immemorial  to  celebrate  the  advent  of  spring.  These 
fairs  were  visited  by  the  early  Sikhs  as  well  as  by  their 
Hindu  countrymen  ;  and  it  would  on  many  accounts  have 
been  very  inconvenient  to  make  the  birth  of  Guru  Nanak 
synchronize  with  them.  The  comparatively  small  number 
of  Sikh  visitors  at  a  special  Sikh  fair  in  the  early  days  of 
the  Sikh  religion  would  have  compared  unfavourably  with 
the  large  number  of  Hindu  pilgrims  at  the  Baisakhi  fair, 
and  furthermore,  the  selection  of  the  month  of  October, 
when  few  Hindu  fairs  are  held,  and  when  the  weather  is 
more  suitable  for  the  distant  journey  to  Nankana,  would 
probably  lead  to  a  large  gathering  of  Hindus  at  a  Sikh 
shrine. 

One  difference  of  opinion  among  the  victims  of  priestcraft 
is  apt  to  produce  many.  When  the  month  of  Kartik  was 
adopted  by  the  Handalis  as  Guru  Nanak's  birth  time, 
a  discussion  arose  as  to  whether  it  was  the  lunar  or  the  solar 

1  In  the  East  sacred  books  are  often  employed  in  this  way  for 
purposes  of  divination.  In  the  Middle  Ages  the  Bible,  and  in  earlier 
times  the  poems  of  Homer,  Virgil,  and  others,  were  used  for  the  same 
purpose. 


Ixxxvi  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Kartik,  there  being  a  considerable  difference  between  these 
forms  of  chronology.  The  partisans  of  the  lunar  Kartik, 
however,  prevailed,  the  lunar  month  being  the  earlier 
form  of  calculation,  and  consequently  the  most  acceptable 
to  all  personswhosereligion  is  based  on  anyform  of  Hinduism. 
Generally  the  confusion  of  solar  and  lunar  chronology  is 
the  cause  of  much  perplexity  and  qualms  of  conscience  to 
the  pious.1 

The  last  Janamsakhi  which  we  shall  notice  was  written 
by  a  Sikh  called  Sewa  Das.2  Of  this  we  have  obtained 
several  copies.  One  of  them  in  our  possession  bears  the 
date  Sambat  1645  =  A.D.  1588.  It  was  therefore  completed 
at  least  sixteen  years  before  the  compilation  of  the  Granth 
Sahib  by  Guru  Arjan,  which  is  admitted  to  have  taken 
place  in  A.D.  1604.  Its  language  is  that  of  Pothohar,  the 
country  between  the  Jihlam  and  the  Indus,  and  its  written 
character  is  unmistakably  more  ancient  than  that  of  any 
other  Gurumukhi  book  now  in  existence. 

This  Janamsakhi  appears  to  have  escaped  the  notice 
of  both  Gur  Das  and  Mani  Singh.  Had  Gur  Das  seen  it, 
he  would  doubtless  have  given  a  fuller  account  of  the  life 
of  Guru  Nanak  ;  and,  had  it  been  known  to  Mani  Singh, 
he  would  probably  have  referred  to  it  or  criticized  its 
details.  While  persecutions  of  the  Sikhs  were  raging  south 
of  Lahore,  and  the  other  detailed  memoirs  of  Guru  Nanak's 
life,  including  those  of  Bhai  Mani  Singh,  were  destroyed, 
this  Janamsakhi  was  preserved  in  Pothohar,  where  Moslem 
bigotry  was  not  then  aggressively  exercised. 

In  this  biography  there  is  no  mention  whatever  of  Bhai 

1  The  late  Bhai  Gurumukh  Singh,  who  first  gave  the  author  these 
details,  afterwards  put  himself  at  the  head  of  a  deputation  to  move 
the  Government  of  the  Panjab  to  declare  the  fictitious  anniversary 
of  Guru  Nanak's  birth  a  public  holiday.     That  Government  accord 
ingly  added  a  second  Sikh  holiday  to  the  already  long  list  of  Christian, 
Hindu,  and  Muhammadan  holidays  sanctioned  in  its  calendar.     The 
other  special   Sikh  holiday  is  the  Hola  Mahalla,  the  day  on  which 
the  tenth  Guru  held  a  mimic  battle  for  the  instruction  of  his  troops. 

2  The  late  Sir  Atar  Singh,  Chief  of  Bhadaur,  gave  the  author  this 
information. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixxxvii 

Bala.  There  is,  however,  mention  made  of  Mardana,  who 
undoubtedly  accompanied  Baba  Nanak  as  his  minstrel 
in  most,  if  not  all,  of  his  wanderings.  This  Janamsakhi 
again  is  deformed  by  mythological  matter  which  Baba 
Nanak  himself  would  have  been  the  first  to  repudiate. 

Notwithstanding  exaggerations,  such  as  occur  in  all 
religions  which  deal  with  avatars  or  incarnations,  the 
Janamsakhi  now  under  consideration  is  beyond  dispute 
the  most  trustworthy  detailed  record  we  possess  of  the 
life  of  Guru  Nanak.  It  contains  much  less  mythological 
matter  than  any  other  Gurumukhi  life  of  the  Guru,  and  is 
a  much  more  rational,  consistent,  and  satisfactory  narrative. 
At  the  same  time  it  is,  of  course,  the  product  of  legend  and 
tradition,  but  these  have,  in  at  least  one  memorable  instance, 
been  thought  more  trustworthy  than  written  records  in 
such  cases.1  We  shall  make  this  ancient  Janamsakhi  the 
basis  of  our  own  details  of  the  life  of  Guru  Nanak  2,  supple 
menting  it  when  necessary  by  cullings  from  the  later  lives  of 
the  Guru.  At  the  same  time  we  must  premise  that  several 
of  the  details  of  this  and  of  all  the  current  Janamsakhis 
appear  to  us  to  be  simply  settings  for  the  verses  and  sayings 
of  Guru  Nanak.  His  followers  and  admirers  found  dainty 
word-pictures  in  his  compositions.  They  considered  under 
what  circumstances  they  could  have  been  produced,  and 
thus  devised  the  framework  of  a  biography  in  which  to 
exhibit  them  to  the  populace. 

The  deeds  that  have  been  done,  the  prophecies  that  have 
been  uttered,  and  the  instruction  that  has  been  imparted 
by  that  great  procession  of  holy  men,  the  Sikh  Gurus,  will 
be  found  described  in  the  following  pages.  In  the  Gurus 
the  East  shook  off  the  torpor  of  ages,  and  unburdened  itself 

1  Papias,  a  father  of  the  Christian  Church,  who  flourished  about 
A.  D.  130,  wrote  that  he  considered  what  he  obtained  from  the  living 
and  abiding  voice  of  men  would  profit  him  more  in  obtaining  accurate 
details  of  the  life  of  Christ  than  what  was  recorded  in  the  gospels. 

2  That  accomplished  Sikh  scholar  and  saintly  man,  the  late  Bhai 
Dit  Singh,  has  also  made  the  Janamsakhi  that  we  use  the  basis  of 
his  Gurumukhi  life  of  Guru  Nanak. 


Ixxxviii  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

of  the  heavy  weight  of  ultra-conservatism  which  had  para 
lysed  the  genius  and  intelligence  of  its  people.  Only  those 
who  know  India  by  actual  experience  can  adequately 
appreciate  the  difficulties  the  Gurus  encountered  in  their 
efforts  to  reform  and  awaken  the  sleeping  nation. 

Those  who,  secure  in  their  own  wisdom  and  infallibility, 
and  dwelling  apart  from  the  Indian  people  spurn  all  know 
ledge  of  their  theological  systems,  and  thus  deem  Sikhism 
a  heathen  religion,  and  the  spiritual  happiness  and  loyalty 
of  its  followers  negligeable  items,  are  men  whose  triumph 
shall  be  short-lived  and  whose  glory  shall  not  descend  with 
the  accompaniment  of  minstrel  raptures  to  future  genera 
tions.  I  am  not  without  hope  that  when  enlightened  rulers 
become  acquainted  with  the  merits  of  the  Sikh  religion  they 
will  not  willingly  let  it  perish  in  the  great  abyss  in  which 
so  many  creeds  have  been  engulfed. 


'4 


GURU    NANAK,    THE    FOUNDER    OF   THE    SIKH    RELIGION 


SIKH    I      P.  I 


LIFE   OF  GURU  NANAK 


CHAPTER  I 


To  recapitulate  what  has  been  more  fully  stated 
in  the  Introduction,  Guru  Nanak.  the  founder  of 
the  Sjkh  religion,  was  born,  according  to  all  ancient 
Sikh  rprords.  in  the  early  morningjpf  the  third  day  oL 
th£  light  half  of  thp  month  of  Raisakh  (April-May)  in 
the__y£Sr_  AiD._  1469 ;  but  for  convenience  sake  his 
anniversary  is  now  observed  by  the  Sikhs  on  the 
occasion  of  the  full  moon  in  the  month  of  Kartik 
(October-November).  F^  father,  who  was  called 
Kalu,  was  accountant  in  the  village  of  Talwandi  in 
the  prespTit-JLahor-ft.  District  of  the  Panjab,  and  his 
mother  was  Tripta.  memorable  in  Sikh  writings  for 
her_devation  to  her  son. 

The  Sikh  biographers  recount  in  minute  detail  all 
the  circumstances  of  the  birth  of  Guru  Nanak. 
Daulatan,  a  midwife,  assisted  on  the  occasion. 
When  next  morning  interrogated  by  the  astrologer 
Hardial,  who  came  to  write  the  child's  horoscope,  as 
to  the  nature  of  the  voice  uttered  by  him  at  birth, 
she  said  it  was  as  the  laughing  voice  of  a  wise  man 
joining  a  social  gathering  ;  and  she  expressed  herself 
at  her  wits'  end  to  comprehend  the  child's  nature. 
The  astrologer  desired  to  see  him,  but  his  mother 
refused  owing  to  the  chillness  of  the  weather.  He 
pressed  the  matter,  and  the  child  was  brought  to 
him  in  his  swaddling  clothes.  The  astrologer  on 
seeing  the  infant  is  said  to  have  worshipped  him 
with  clasped  hands.  He  declared  the  child  should 
wear  the  umbrella,  the  symbol  of  regal  or  prophetic 
dignity  in  the  East.  At  the  same  time  he  regretted 
that  he  should  never  live  to  see  young  Nanak's 
eminence,  worshipped  as  he  should  be  alike  by 
Hindus  and  Musalmans,  and  not  merely  by  Hindus 

SIKH.  I  B 


2  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

as  in  the  previous  human  manifestations  of  the 
Creator.  The  child's  name  should  resound  both 
in  earth  and  heaven.  Inanimate  nature  should 
cry  out  '  Nanak,  Nanak  !  '  He  should  have  power 
over  matter  so  as  to  traverse  unscathed  the  depths 
of  the  ocean.  He  should  worship  and  acknowledge 
but  one  God,  and  the  creature  he  should  treat  as 
a  creature.  In  other  words  he  should  be  a  mono- 
theist,  not  a  worshipper  of  minor  deities  and  idols. 

At  the  unripe  age  of  five  years  Nanak  is  said  to 
have  begun  to  talk  of  divine  subjects,  and  to  have 
fully  understood  the  meaning  of  his  language.  Great 
trust  was  reposed  in  him  ;  and  both  Hindus  and 
Musalmans  lavished  on  him  their  characteristic 
language  of  religious  adulation. 

At  Nankana 1  every  place  with  which  Nanak  had 
any  association  is  deemed  sacred.  On  the  spot 
where  he  used  to  play  with  children  of  his  own  age 
and  subsequently  spend  nights  in  devotion,  there 
was  a  small  tank  constructed  by  Rai  Bular,  the 
landlord  of  the  village,  in  affectionate  remembrance 
of  the  childhood  of  the  Guru,  at  a  time  when  his 
fame  had  extended  far  and  wide.  The  tank  was 
greatly  enlarged  by  Kaura  Mai,  the  Diwan  or  financial 
minister  of  Zakaria  Khan,  who  was  satrap  of  Lahore. 
Kaura  Mai  was  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  Guru  Nanak, 
and  lent  his  great  material  and  political  influence 
to  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  Sikhs. 
The  spot  is  called  Balkrira  or  the  child's  playground. 

When  Nanak  was  seven  years  of  age,  his  father  in  the 
manner  of  Hindus  asked  the  village  astrologer  to  select 
an  auspicious  time  for  the  commencement  of  the  boy's 
education.  The  schoolmaster  thought  the  time  had 
arrived.  The  school  appears  to  have  been  a  humble 
one,  and  the  tuition  fees  not  exorbitant.  Kalu's 
wife  and  not,  as  in  modern  times,  the  village  money 
lender  was  the  custodian  of  the  wealth  of  the  house. 
Kalu  took  from  her  a  coin  corresponding  to  three 

1  By  which  name  Talwandi  is  now  known. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  3 

farthings  of  English  money,  some  betel-nut,  and 
rice,  and  presented  them  to  the  schoolmaster  with 
his  son.  In  India  wooden  tablets  painted  black  are 
employed  in  teaching  children  the  letters  of  their 
language.  The  schoolmaster  writes  the  letters  with 
a  kind  of  liquid  chalk  on  the  tablet ;  and  the  children 
repeat  their  names  aloud  with  much  noise  and  energy. 
The  schoolmaster  wrote  the  alphabet  for  Nanak, 
and  the  latter  copied  it  from  memory  after  one  day. 

It  is  said  that  on  that  occasion  the  young  Guru 
made  an  acrostic  on  his  alphabet.  As  in  similar 
compositions  in  other  languages,  the  letters  were 
taken  consecutively,  and  words  whose  initials  they 
formed  were  employed  to  give  metrical  expression  to 
the  Guru's  divine  aspirations,  his  tenets,  and  his 
admiration  of  the  attributes  of  the  Creator. 

The  acrostic  called  the  patti  or  tablet  in  the  Rag l 
Asa  is  as  follows  : — 

S.    The  one  Lord  who  created  the  world  is  the  Lord  of  all. 
Fortunate  is  their  advent  into  the  world,  whose 

hearts  remain  attached  to  God's  service. 
O  foolish  man,  why  hast  thou  forgotten  Him  ? 
When  thou   adjustest   thine   account,   my  friend, 

thou  shalt  be  deemed  educated. 

I.    The  Primal  Being  is  the  Giver  ;    He  alone  is  true. 
No  account  shall  be  due  by  the  pious  man  who 
understandeth  by  means  of  these  letters. 

1  Indian  writers  enumerate  six  principal  Rags  or  musical  measures, 
namely,  Sri  Rag,  Bhairav,  Malkaus,  Hindol,  Dlpak,  Megh.  To  these 
are  allotted  '  wives  '  and  *  sons ',  which  are  modifications  of  the  principal 
airs,  and  are  often  sung  differently  in  different  provinces  of  India. 
The  hymns  of  the  Granth  Sahib  were  composed  to  as  many  as  thirty- 
one  such  musical  measures,  the  names  of  which  are  as  follows : — 
Sri  Rag,  Majh,  Gauri,  Asa,  Gujari,  Devgandhari,  Bihagra,  Wadhans, 
Sorath,  Dhanasari,  Jaitsari,  Todi,  Baiiari,  Tilang,  Suhi,  Bilawal, 
Gaund,  Ramkali,  Nat,  Maligaura,  Maru,  Tukhari,  Kedara,  Bhairo, 
Basant,  Sarang,  Malar,  Kanra,  Kalian,  Prabhati,  Jaijawanti.  For 
further  information  see  Raja  Sir  Surindra  Mohan  Tagore's  learned 
works  on  Indian  music.  The  Rags  in  European  musical  notation 
will  be  found  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  volume  of  this  work. 

B  2 


4  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

U.  Praise  Him  whose  limit  cannot  be  found. 

They  who  practise  truth  and  perform  service  shall 

obtain  their  reward. 

N.  He  who  knoweth  divine  knowledge  is  the  learned 
pandit.1 
He  who  knoweth  the  one  God  in  all  creatures 

would  never  say  '  I  exist  by  myself  '. 
K.  When  the  hair  groweth  white,  it  shineth  without 

soap. 
King  Death's  hunters  follow  him  who  is  bound 

by  the  chain  of  mammon.2 
K1I.    The  Creator,  Lord  of  the  world,  giveth  sustenance 

to  His  slaves. 
All  the  world  is  bound  in  His  bonds  ;    no  other 

authority  prevaileth. 
G.  He  who  hath  renounced  the  singing  of  God's  word, 

is  arrogant  in  his  language. 
He  who  fashioned  vessels  made  kilns  in  which  He 

put  them  and  burnt  them. 
GH.  The  servant  who  performeth  the  Guru's3  work,  who 

remaineth  obedient  to  His  commands, 
Who  deemeth  bad  and  good  as  the  same,  shall  in 

this  way  be  absorbed  in  Him. 
CH.  He  who  made  the  four  Veds,4  the  four  mines,5  and 

the  four  ages,6 

Hath  been  in  every  age  a  Jogi,  a  worldly  man,  or 
a  learned  pandit. 

1  Pandit  means  a  learned  man,  but  the  title  is  now  appropriated 
by  Brahmans  versed  in  Sanskrit  literature. 

2  Maya.     In  the  sacred  writings  of  the  Sikhs  this  word  has  two 
meanings — one  is  mammon,  as  the  word  is  here  translated ;  the  other 
is  illusion  or  God's  mystic  power  by  which  He  created  matter. 

3  The  word  Guru  means  great.     Here  it  stands  for  God.     In  a 
secondary  sense  it  is  applied  to  a  great  religious  teacher. 

4  They  are  the  Rig,   Sam,  Yajur,  and  Atharv,  composed  in  the 
most  ancient  form  of  the  Sanskrit  language.     In  Sikh  literature  they 
are  named  the  white,  the  red,  the  yellow,  and  the  black  Veds. 

5  In  the  East  four  sources  of  life  are  enumerated.     It  is  there  said 
that  animals  are  born  from  eggs,  wombs,  the  earth,  and  perspiration. 

6  The  Sat,  Treta,  Dwapar,  and  Kal,  corresponding  to  the  golden, 
silver,  brass,  and  iron  ages  of  Greece  and  Rome. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  5 

CHH.  God's  shadow  is  over  everything  ;    doubt  is   His 

doing. 

O  God,  having  created  doubt,  Thou  Thyself  lead- 
est  man  astray.  They  whom  Thou  favourest 
meet  the  Guru. 

J.  Thy  slave,  who  wandered  in  the  eighty-four  lakhs1 
of  existences,  beggeth  and  prayeth  for  divine 
knowledge. 
^\  There  is  One  who  taketh,  One  who  giveth  ;   I  have 

heard  of  none  other. 
JH.  Why  die  of  grief,  O  mortal  ?     What  God  hath  to 

give  He  continueth  to  give. 
He  giveth,  beholdeth  and  issueth  His  orders  how 

living  things  are  to  obtain  sustenance. 
N.  When  I  look  carefully  I  see  no  other  than  God.  ^ 
-  The  one  God  pervadeth  all  places  ;    the  one  God 

dwelleth  in  the  heart. 
T.    0  mortals,  why  practise  deceit  ?    Ye  shall  have  to 

depart  in  a  ghari 2  or  two. 
Lose  not  the  play  of  your  lives,  run  and  fall  under 

God's  protection. 
TH.    Comfort  pervadeth  the  hearts  of  those  whose  minds 

are  attached  to  God's  feet. 
They  whose  minds  are  so  attached  are  saved,  0 

Lord,  and  obtain  happiness  by  Thy  favour. 
D.   O  mortal,  why  make  display  ?    all  that  existeth  is 

transitory. 
Serve  Him  who   pervadeth  all    things,  and  thou 

shalt  obtain  happiness. 
DH.  He  Himself  destroy eth  and  buildeth  ;    He  acteth 

as  He  pleaseth. 

He  beholdeth  the  work  of  His  hands,  issueth  His 
orders,  and  saveth  those  on  whom  He  looketh 
with  favour. 
N.  He  in  whose  heart  God  dwelleth  singeth  His  praises. 

1  It  is  believed  in  the  East   that  there  are   8,400,000  species  of 
animal  life   through  which  the   soul  may  wander  in  transmigration. 
A  lakh  is  one  hundred  thousand. 

2  A  ghari  is  a  period  of  twenty-four  minutes. 


6  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  Creator  blendeth  men  with  Himself,  and  they 

are  not  born  again. 
T.  The  terrible  ocean1  is  deep,  and  none  findeth  its 

end. 
We  have  no  boat  or  raft  ;  we  are  drowning  ;  save 

us,  O  Saviour  King. 
TH.    He  who  made  all  things  is  in  every  place. 

What    do    men    call    doubt  ?     What    mammon  ? 

That  which  pleaseth  God  is  good. 
D.  Impute  not  blame  to  any  one,  but  rather  to  thine 

own  karma.2 
I  have  suffered  the  consequences  of  my  acts  ;    I 

may  blame  no  one  else. 
DH.  He  who  made  things  after  their  kinds  holdeth  the 

power  in  His  own  hands. 

All  receive  what  He  giveth  under  His  most  bounti 
ful  order. 
N.  The  Master  ever  enjoyeth  pleasure  ;   He  cannot  be 

seen  or  grasped. 
I  am  called  a  married  woman,  my  sister,  but  in 

reality  I  have  never  met  my  Husband.3 
P.  The  King,  the  Supreme  God,  made  the  play  of  the 

world  to  behold  it. 

He  seeth,  understandeth,  and  knoweth  everything  ; 
y  He  is  within  and  without  His  creation. 
PH.  The  whole  world  is  entangled  with  a  noose  and 

bound  by  Death's  chain. 

They  who  by  the  Guru's  favour  have  run  to  God 
for  protection,  are  saved. 

1  In  Sikh  writings  this  world  is  likened  to  a  terrible  and  stormy 
ocean  which  can  only  be  traversed  with  difficulty,  and  in  which  man 
is  ever  liable  to  founder  without  spiritual  guidance.    The  Guru  supplies 
a  boat  for  salvation. 

2  Karma  are  acts  which  follow  the  soul  in  its  transmigration  and 
hinder  its  progress  to  Nirvan. 

3  The  Gurus  speak  of  God  as  a  husband  and  themselves  as  His 
wives ;  and  spiritual  happiness  they  liken  to  connubial  bliss.     This 
belief  has  to  some  extent  a  parallel  in  Greek  mythology.     Psyche,  the 
human  soul,  having  forfeited  the  love  of  Eros,  the  divine  soul,  endured 
various  sufferings  to  regain  the  affection  of  her  lover. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  7 

B.  God  began  to  play  by  making  the  four  ages  His 

chaupar  board.1 
He  made  men  and  lower  animals  His  dice,  and 

began  to  throw  them  Himself. 
BH.  They  who  search  and  feel  fear  by  the  favour  of 

the  Guru  obtain  the  fruit  thereof. 
The  perverse,  fools  that  they  are,  wander  and  heed 
not,    and    so    transmigrate    in    the    eighty-four 
lakhs  of  animals. 
M.  God  destroy eth  worldly  love  ;  is  it  only  at  death 

man  is  to  remember  Him  ? 
Other  thoughts  possess  man  and  he  forgetteth  the 

letter  M.2 
Y.  If  man  recognize  the  True  One,  he  shall  not  be 

born  again. 

The  holy  man  uttereth,  the  holy  man  understand- 
eth,  the  holy  man  knoweth  but  the  one  God. 
R.  God  pervadeth  all  the  creatures  He  hath  made. 
Having  created  creatures  He  appointed  them  all 
to  their  duties ;   they  to  whom  He  is  kind  take 
His  name. 
L.  He  who  appointed  creatures  to  their  duties,  made 

worldly  love  sweet. 
He  giveth  eating  and  drinking  equally  to  all,  and 

ordereth  them  as  He  pleaseth. 
W.  The  Supreme  Being  who  created  the  vesture  of  the 

world  to  behold  it, 
Seeth,  tasteth,  and  knoweth  everything  ;    He  is 

contained  within  and  without  the  world. 
R.  Why  quarrel,  O  mortal  ?    meditate  on  God,  under 

whose  order  is  creation. 
Meditate  on  Him  ;  be  absorbed  in  the  True  One  ; 

and  be  a  sacrifice  unto  Him. 

H.  There  is  no  other  Giver  than  He  who  created  crea 
tures  and  gave  them  sustenance. 
Meditate  on  God's  name  ;    be  absorbed  in  God's 

1  Chaupar  is  the  Indian  draughts. 

2  The  initial  of  Madhusudan,  one  of  the  names  applied  to  God. 
It  may  also  be  the  initial  of  the  Arabic  word  maut,  death. 


8  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

name,  and   thou   shall   night    and   day   derive 
profit  therefrom. 
A.  What  God  who  made  the  world  hath  to  do  He  con- 

tinueth  to  do. 

He  acteth  and  causeth  others  to  act  ;  He  knoweth 
everything  ;    thus  saith  the  poet  Nanak. 

Nanak  appears  to  have  continued  to  attend  school 
for  some  time.  One  day  he  was  observed  to  remain 
silent,  and  not  apply  himself  to  his  books.  The 
schoolmaster  asked  him  why  he  was  not  reading. 
Nanak  inquired,  '  Art  thou  sufficiently  learned  to 
teach  me  ?  '  The  schoolmaster  replied  that  he  had 
read  everything.  He  knew  the  Veds  and  Shastars,1 
and  he  had  learned  to  cast  up  accounts,  post  ledgers 
and  daybooks,  and  strike  balances.  Upon  this 
Nanak  said,  '  To  your  accomplishments  I  prefer  the 
study  of  divine  knowledge  '.  He  then  composed 
the  following  hymn  :— 

Burn  worldly  love,  grind  its  ashes  and  make  it  into  ink  ; 2 
turn  superior  intellect  into  paper. 

Make  divine  love  thy  pen,  and  thy  heart  the  writer  ;  ask 
thy  guru  and  write  his  instruction. 

Write  God's  name,  write  His  praises,  write  that  He  hath 
neither  end  nor  limit. 

0  master,  learn  to  write  this  account, 

So  that,  whenever  it  is  called  for,  a  true  mark  may  be 
found  thereon. 

There3  greatness  is  obtained,  everlasting  joys,  and  ever 
lasting  delights. 

They  in  whose  hearts  is  the  true  Name,  have  the  marks 
of  it  on  their  brows. 

1  Sanskrit  works  on  the  six  philosophical  systems  of  the  Hindus. 
They   are — the    Nyaya   founded    by    Gautama,    the  Vaisheshika    by 
Kanada,  the  Sankhya  by  Kapila,  the  Yoga  by  Patanjali,  the  Mimansa 
by  Jaimini,  the  Vedant  by  Vyas.    The  six  systems  have  been  learnedly 
expounded  by  Max  Miiller  in  his  Indian  Philosophy. 

2  At  that  time  in  India  ink   was  made  from    burnt  almond-rind 
and  gum. 

3  Corresponding  to  e*ei  in  Greek,  the  next  world. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  9 

By  God's  mercy  men  obtain  it  and  not  by  idle  words. 

One  man  cometh,  another  goeth  ;  we  give  them  great 
names.1 

Some  men  God  created  to  beg,  and  some  to  preside  over 
great  courts. 

When  they  have  departed,  they  shall  know  that  without 
the  Name  2  they  are  of  no  account. 

I  greatly  fear  Thine  anger  ;  0  God,  my  body  pineth  and 
wasteth  away. 

They  who  have  been  called  kings  and  lords  are  beheld  as 
ashes. 

Nanak,3  when  man  departeth  all  false  affections  are 
sundered.4 

Upon  this  the  schoolmaster  became  astonished, 
did  Nanak  homage  as  a  perfect  saint,  and  told  him 
to  do  what  he  pleased. 

Nanak,  having  thus  shown  his  scholastic  profi 
ciency,  left  school  and  took  to  private  study  and 
meditation.  He  remained  for  long  periods  in  the 
same  attitude,  whether  sleeping  or  waking,  and 
associated  continually  with  religious  men. 

The  scholastic  ignorance  of  the  founders  of  great 

1  Literally — we  call  them  commanders.     This  refers  to  the  custom 
of  parents  giving  their  sons  high-sounding  names. 

2  In  the  Sikh  writings  the  word  Name  is  frequently  used  for  God. 
A  somewhat  similar  practice  was  known  to  the  ancient  Jews  (Amos  vi. 
10).     At  a  time  too  early  to  be  traced  the  Jews  abstained  from  pro 
nouncing  the  name  Jehovah  for  fear  of  its  irreverent  use,  and  uttered 
instead  Adonai  or  Lord.     In  connexion  with  this  we  may  say  that  the 
repetition  of  God's  name  is  one  of  the  principal  forms  of  Sikh  wor 
ship.     Set  forms  of  prayer  are  apt  to  be  repeated  mechanically  or 
ostentatiously;    and   it  was  believed   that   by  the  constant  heartfelt 
repetition  of  God's  name  man  should  be  eventually  absorbed  in  Him, 
and  thus  obtain  the  supreme  object  of  human  birth  after  countless 
transmigrations. 

3  In  Oriental  poetical  works  it  is  usual  for  the  poet  to  insert  his  real 
or  assumed  name — /akhallus—'m  the  end  of  a  composition  or  section 
of  a  composition.    This  practice  is  unknown  to  European  poets  except 
in  the  case  of  professed  imitators  of  Oriental  poetry.     Were  we  there 
fore  to  omit  the  word  c  Nanak '  wherever  it  occurs,  we  should  be  consult 
ing  the  taste  of  European  readers,  but  the  Sikhs  do  not  desire  such  an 
omission.  4  Sri  Rag. 


io  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

religions  has  been  made  the  subject  of  many  a  boast 
on  the  part  of  their  followers.  The  object,  of 
course,  is  that  the  acquirements  and  utterances  of  the 
religious  teachers  may  be  attributed  solely  to  divine 
inspiration.  We  see  no  reason  for  ascribing  a  want 
of  education  to  the  founder  of  the  Sikh  religion  ; 
and  the  manner  in  which  his  learning  was  acquired 
is  not  difficult  to  understand.  Had  he  remained  at 
the  humble  village  school,  there  is  no  reason  to 
suppose  that  he  would  have  acquired  any  considerable 
knowledge,  but  in  the  dense  forests  around  Talwandi 
were  to  be  found  ascetics  and  anchorets  who  sought 
the  extreme  retirement  of  the  locality  for  the  com 
bined  objects  of  undisturbed  prayer  and  escape  from 
the  persecution  of  bigoted  Moslem  rulers.  All  the 
Janamsakhis  are  unanimous  in  stating  that  Nanak 
courted  the  retirement  of  the  forest  and  the  society 
of  the  religious  men  who  frequented  it.  Several  of 
them  were  profoundly  versed  in  the  Indian  religious 
literature  of  the  age.  They  had  also  travelled  far 
and  wide  within  the  limits  of  Hindustan,  and  met 
its  renowned  religious  teachers.  Nanak  thus  became 
acquainted  with  the  latest  teachings  of  Indian 
philosophers  and  reformers.  The  satisfaction  which 
he  derived  from  spiritual  thought  and  religious 
association  he  thus  expressed  :  — 
Let  Jogis  practise  Jog,1  let  gluttons  practise  gluttony, 
Let  penitents  practise  penance,  and  rub  and  bathe  them 
selves  at  places  of  pilgrimage  ; 

But  let  me  listen  to  Thy  songs,  O  Beloved,  if  any  will 
sit  and  sing  them  to  me. 

The  names  of  the  men  with  whom  Nanak  associ 
ated  in  the  forest  and  who  sang  to  him  the  songs  of 
the  Lord  are  all  lost,  and  their  excellences  merged  as 


connected  with  the  Greek  £uyov,  originally  meant  the 
union  of  the  soul  with  God,  and  may  be  compared  with  the  etymo 
logical  meaning  of  the  word  '  religion  '.  They  who  practised  Jog  were 
called  Jogis.  The  word  Jog  is  now  applied  to  certain  practices  of  the 
Jogis  which  are  detailed  in  the  Aphorisms  of  Patanjali. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  u 

by  a  process  of  nirvan  in  the  religious  splendour  of 
the  founder  of  the  Sikh  religion.  But  more  perhaps 
than  learning  from  the  lips  of  religious  masters  were 
his  own  undisturbed  communings  with  nature,  with 
his  own  soul,  and  with  his  Creator.  The  voice  that 
had  spoken  to  many  a  seer  again  became  vocal  in 
that  wilderness,  and  raised  Nanak's  thoughts  to  the 
summit  of  religious  exaltation.  In  summer's  heat 
and  winter's  frost,  in  the  glory  of  the  firmament,  in 
the  changeful  aspects  of  nature,  as  well  as  in  the  joys 
and  sorrows  of  the  inhabitants  of  his  little  natal  vil 
lage,  he  read  in  bright  characters  and  repeated  with 
joyous  iteration  the  name  of  the  Formless  Creator. 
The  Name  henceforth  became  the  object  of  his 
continual  worship  and  meditation  and  indeed  one  of 
the  distinctive  features  of  his  creed. 

As  a  man  soweth  so  shall  he  reap  ;  as  he  earneth  so  shall 
he  eat. 

No  inquiry  shall  be  made  hereafter  regarding  the  utterers 
of  the  Name.  With  banners  flying  shall  they  go  to  heaven.1 

Men  are  judged  according  to  their  acts. 

The  breath  drawn  without  the  thought  of  God  is  wasted 
in  vain. 

I  would  sell  this  body  if  only  I  found  a  purchaser. 

Nanak,  the  body  which  is  not  filled  with  the  true  Name 
is  of  no  account.2 

There  is  also  proof  from  the  satisfactory  internal 
evidence  of  his  own  compositions  that  Guru  Nanak 
studied  the  Persian  language.  Kalu  felt  that  the 
society  of  religious  men  was  not  likely  to  advance  his 
son's  secular  interests.  Rai  Bular  promised  that  if 
Nanak  learned  Persian,  in  which  all  state  documents 
and  accounts  were  then  written,  he  would  appoint  him 
village  accountant  in  succession  to  his  father.  Persian 
was  never  the  tongue  of  Hindus,  and  was  despised  by 
them  as  the  language  of  foreigners  and  conquerors 

1  San  nishanaijai.    Also  translated — if  they  bear  Thy  mark. 

2  SQhi. 


12  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

and  of  impure  Musalman  literature  ; 1  but  Hindus 
in  the  age  of  Nanak  applied  themselves  to  it  as  they 
do  now — for  the  simple  purpose  of  obtaining  a  liveli 
hood.  Nanak  soon  astonished  his  Persian  as  he  had 
previously  astonished  his  Hindu  teacher.  In  reply 
to  Rukn-ul-Din's  injunctions  he  assumed  the  role  of 
teacher  in  turn  and  composed  the  following  acrostic 
on  the  letters  of  the  Persian  alphabet  : — 

ALIF.  Remember  God  and  banish  neglect  of  Him  from 

thy  heart. 
Accursed  the  life  of  him  in  this  world  who  breatheth 

without  uttering  the  Name. 
BE.  Renounce  heresy  and  walk  according  to  the  Shariat.2 

Be  humble  before  every  one,  and  call  no  one  bad. 
TE.  Repent  with  sincerity  of  heart  lest  thou  afterwards 

grieve. 
Thy  body  shall  perish  :   thy  mouth  shall  be  buried 

with  it  ;   what  canst  thou  do  then  ? 
SE.  Praise  God  very  much  ;   draw  not  thy  breath  with 
out  doing  so, 
Or  thou  shalt  be  offered  for  sale  from  shop  to  shop, 

and  not  an  adh 3  shall  be  obtained  for  thee. 
JIM.  Put  together  travelling  expenses,  and  pack  up  where 
withal  to  go  with  thee  : 

Without  the  Lord  thou  shalt  trudge  about  wearily. 
HE.  Embrace  humility,  renounce  the  pride  of  thy  heart  ; 
Restrain  thy  wandering  mind,  O  Rukn-ul-Din,  and 

every  moment  remember  thy  Creator. 
KHE.  They  were  traitors  who  forgot  their  Creator  ; 

1  In  the  institutes  of  Parasar  there  is  found  an  injunction  not  to 
speak   the    language  of  the   inhabitants    of  Yavan — a   word    which 
originally  meant  Greece,  but  was  afterwards  applied  to  Arabia — even 
though  it  save  life  from  issuing  by  the  throat.     Parasar  possessed 
the  Hindu  abhorrence  of  strange  countries  and  gave  expression  to  it. 
His  words  are  now  understood  by  the  Hindus  to  refer  to  the  language 
of  the  Musalmans,  though  there  were  no  Musalmans  for  centuries 
after  his  time. 

2  Muhammadan  law. 

3  About  an  eighth  of  a  farthing  of  English  money. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  13 

Their  minds  were  bent  on  the  hoarding  of  wealth, 

and  they  bore  loads  of  sin  upon  their  heads. 
DAL.  Be  honest,  O  man,  and  sleep  not  during  the  eight 

watches  of  day  and  night. 

Awake  for  one  watch  and  hold  converse  with  God. 
ZAL.  Remember  God,  O  man,  vacillate  not  an  iota  ; 

So  shall  hell  fire  not  touch  thee  at  all,   and  thy 

covet ousness  and  worldly  love  be  at  an  end. 
RE.  The  advantage  of  faith  thou  shalt  know  when  thou 

arrivest  before  God — 
Restrain  the  five  evil  passions,1  O  Rukn-ul-Din,  and 

apply  thy  heart  to  God. 
ZE.  Practise  humility,  the  Lord  is  independent  ; 

He  doeth  what  he  pleaseth  ;  what  certainty  is  there 

regarding  His  acts  ? 
SIN.  Search  thy  heart  ;   the  Lord  is  in  thee. 

The  body  is  a  vessel  which  He  wrought,  and  into 

which  He  infused  His  workmanship  and  skill. 
SHIN.  Thou  shalt  obtain  martyrdom  if  thou  die  for  the 

love  of  the  dear  One. 
O    Rukn-ul-Din,    this   human   body   shall   depart  ; 

while  in  it  pray  to  obtain  God. 
SUAD.  Let  thy  mind  be  contented  when  thou  obtainest 

thine  allotted  food. 
God  who  gave  thee  the  disease  of  hunger  is  thy 

physician. 
ZUAD.  God's   splendour  is  lost   for   those  who   associate 

themselves  with  worldly  affairs. 
Arise,  look  before  thee,  and  regard  not  the  play  of 

the  world. 
TOE.  Embrace  tariqat  and  enter  upon  marafat  ; 2VX 

This  body  of  thine  shall  become  a  heap  of  dust  in 

the  grave. 
ZOE.  They  were  tyrants  who  heeded  not  the  Name  : 

1  Lust,  anger,  covetousness,  worldly  love,  and  pride. 
v   2  There  are  four  stages  of  Sufiism :  Shariat,  the  law  or  external 
ceremonies ;  Tariqat,  walking  in  God's  way ;  Marafat,  Divine  know 
ledge  ;  Haqiqat,  certainty  or  union  with  God.     Many  learned  natives 
of  India  believe  that  the  Sufi  system  is  based  on  Vedant. 


14  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

How  can  man  obtain  peace  without  his  Master  ?    . 
'AIN.  Practise  good  works  to  the  best  of  thy  power  : 

Without  good  works  and  virtues  man  shall  die  full 

of  regret. 

GHAIN.  O  Rukn-ul-Din,  they  are  rich  who  know  them 
selves— 
In  this  cage  of  the  body  God  who  hath  neither  mother 

nor  father  sporteth. 

FE.  Have  done  with  the  world,  and  think  it  not  thine  own : 
If  thou  deem  it  to  belong  to  God,  thou  shalt  not  be 

confounded. 
QAF.  They  in  whose  hearts  the  love  of  God  hath  arisen 

shall  have  no  rest  till  they  find  Him. 
The  bodies  of  those  who  have  met  the  Lord  God 

have  become  refined  gold. 

KAF.  Remember  thy  creed  ;   in  what  else  is  there  profit  ? 
O    Rukn-ul-Din,    be    not    excessively    addicted   to 

sensuality. 
GAF.  Man's  mind  is  wanton  ;   if  thou  restrain  it, 

Thou  shalt  plant  thy  feet  firmly  on  the  way  to 

haqiqat. 

LAM.  May  curses  rain  on  those  who  abandon  their  prayers  ! 
They    lose    whatever    little    or    much    they    have 

earned. 
MIM.  Wilfulness  is  prohibited  ;  walk  as  thy  religious  guide 

directeth  thee. 
The  wealth  of  those,  saith  Nanak,  who  have  not 

given  alms  shall  slip  away. 

NUN.  Look  to  truth  alone,  and  know  that  the  world  is  false. 
They  who  think  the  world  is  true   shall  die  con 
founded. 
WAW.  They  become  saints  who  associate  with  the  true. 

The  more  they  remember  God,  the  more  they  love 

Him. 

HE.  Be  in  fear  of  that  day  when  God  will  judge  thee 
What  order  will  He  pass  in  our  case,  O  Rukn-ul- 
Din  ? 

LAM.  They  on  whom  He  casteth  His  look  of  mercy  have 
become  worthy. 


/ 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  15   - 

What  is  desire  for  life  if  a  man  regulate  not  his  own 

conduct  ? 
ALIF.  God  is  in  thee  ;    why  thinkest  thou  not  on  Him, 

O  ignorant  man  ? 
By  service  to  the  guru  God  is  found,  and  deliverance 

obtained  at  last. 
YE.  Love  God  whose  empire  is  everlasting. 

He  is  unrivalled,  O  Nanak,  and  in  need  of  no  one.1 

There  are  numerous  Persian  words  and  some 
Persian  verses  of  the  Guru  found  in  the  Granth  Sahib, 
and  it  may  be  accepted  as  a  fact  that  he  became 
a  fair  Persian  scholar.  It  is  highly  probable  that  his 
habit  of  free  thought  and  toleration  for  other  men's 
opinions  were  assisted  by  his  perusal  of  the  Muham- 
madan  writings  with  which  the  Persian  language 
abounds. 

It  does  not  appear  that  even  the  acquisition  of 
Persian  tended  to  give  Nanak's  thoughts  a  more 
practical  direction.  His  father  thought  him  insane, 
and  was  sore  distressed  for  his  future.  He,  how 
ever,  sent  him  to  herd  buffaloes  in  the  adjoining 
forest.  Matters  progressed  smoothly  for  one  day, 
but  the  next  day  Nanak  fell  asleep,  and  his  cattle 
trespassed  on  a  neighbour's  field.  The  owner 
remonstrated,  but  Nanak  said  that  God  would 
bless  the  field.  The  owner  was  not  to  be  diverted 
by  this  unpractical  defence.  He  complained  to  Rai 
Bular,  and  the  latter,  hearing  that  Nanak  was  insane, 
was  not  content  to  send  for  him,  but  also  for  his 
father  to  adjust  the  quarrel.  Nanak  said  that  no 
injury  had  befallen  the  field:  it  was  blessed  by  God. 
Rai  Bular  sent  his  own  messengers  to  inspect  the  spot.  \ 
On  their  arrival  they  found  that  not  one  blade  had 
been  trampled  on  or  eaten.  The  field  where  this  ] 
miracle  is  said  to  have  occurred  is  pointed  out  to  '„ 
visitors.  It  is  known  as  the  Kiara  Sahib,  or  the  ^ 
parterre  par  excellence. 

1  This  composition  is  not  found   in   the   Granth    Sahib.      Some 
Sikhs  deny  that  it  is  the  composition  of  Guru  Nanak. 


16  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 


CHAPTER  II 

When  Nanak  had  attained  the  age  of  nine  years, 
his  father  determined  to  have  him  invested  with  the 
janeu,  or  sacrificial  thread  of  the  Hindus.  Until 
a  boy  is  so  invested,  he  is  deemed  almost  an  out 
cast.  When  the  members  and  relations  of  the 
family,  and  all  the  neighbours,  secular  and  religious, 
had  assembled,  and  all  preliminary  rites  had  been 
duly  performed,  Hardial,  the  family  priest,  pro 
ceeded  to  put  the  sacred  thread  on  Nanak's  neck. 
The  boy  caught  the  thread  with  his  hand,  and 
asked  the  priest  what  he  was  doing,  and  what 
advantage  it  was  to  put  a  thread  of  that  description 
on  him.  The  priest  then  explained  that  the  janeu 
was  the  basis  of  the  Hindu  religion,  that  without 
it  a  man  would  only  be  a  Sudar,1  and  that  by 
putting  it  on  greatness  should  be  obtained  in  this 
world  and  happiness  in  the  next.  On  hearing  this 
the  young  Guru  gave  utterance  to  the  following  : — 

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,2  and  seated  in 
a  square  puttest  it  on  ; 


1  There  are  four  great  varans  or  castes  of  Hindus — Brahmans,  the 
priestly  class ;  Kshatris,  the  militant  class  ;  Vaisyas,  the  trading  class  ; 
and  Shudars,  the  working  class,  the  lowest  of  all.     Of  these  castes 
there  are  now  many  subdivisions. 

2  Four  damris  is  one   paisa  of  Indian,  or  a  farthing   of  English 
money. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  17 

Thou  whisperest  instruction  that  the  Brahman  is  the 
guru  of  the  Hindus — 

Man  dieth,  the  janeu  falleth,  and  the  soul  departeth 
without  it.1 

The  priest  explained  that  the  custom  of  wearing 
a  janeu  had  descended  from  the  Vedic  ritual,  and 
that  no  Hindu  could  be  deemed  religious  without 
wearing  it.  The  Brahman  then  familiarly  addressed 
the  Guru,  '  Thou  art  but  a  child  of  yesterday,  and 
are  we  not  as  wise  as  thou  ?  Unless  thou  wear  this 
thread  thou  shalt  be  deemed  a  person  without 
religion.'  Guru  Nanak  replied  :— 

Though  men  commit  countless2  thefts,  countless  adul 
teries,  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. 

The  Brahman  priest,  on  hearing  this,  became  angry, 
and  asked  the  Guru  if  everybody  else  was  a  fool, 
and  he  alone,  who  had  abandoned  the  customs  of 
his  forefathers,  was  wise.  He  then  called  on  the 
Guru  to  tell  him  what  a  proper  janeu  was.  The 
Guru  replied  :— 

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. 

1  Asa  ki  War.     This  composition  will  subsequently  be   given  in 
extenso,  and  the  meaning  of  the  word  war  explained. 

2  Lakh.    Here  used  for  an  indefinite  number. 


i8  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  Guru  then  wound  up  his  instruction  on  the 
subject  as  follows  : — 

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. 

Hear  and  see,  ye  people,  it  is  strange 
7  That,  while  mentally  blind,  man  is  named  wise.1 

We  have  seen  in  the  Introduction  to  this  work  that 
Sultanpur  was  then  the  capital  of  the  JalandharDoab. 
At  that  time  and  up  to  the  period  of  British  occupa 
tion,  land  revenue  was  generally  collected  in  kind.2 
Surveyors  and  appraisers  called  Amils  were  dis 
patched  from  the  capital  to  different  districts.  Amil 
Jai  Ram  was  appointed  to  appraise  the  revenue 
demand  of  Talwandi.  While  one  day  surveying  a 
corn-field,  he  observed  Nanaki,  sister  of  Nanak,  draw 
ing  water  from  a  well,  and  saw  that  she  was  fair  to 
look  upon.  A  marriage  between  them  was  arranged 
through  the  kind  offices  of  Rai  Bular.  The  lady 
went  and  lived  with  her  husband  at  Sultanpur. 

Nanak's  marriage  must  have  taken  place  soon 
after  his  sister's.  It  is  related  in  the  Janamsakhi 
which  bears  the  name  of  Mani  Singh,  that  Nanak 
was  married  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  His  marriage, 
as  is  usual  in  the  East,  was  arranged  for  him  as 
a  matter  of  religious  duty  by  his  parents.  He  was 

1  Asa  ki  War. 

2  Under  the  Emperor  Akbar  it  was  often  optional  for  the  husbandman 
to  pay  either  in  money  or  in  kind.     Ain-i-Akbari,  Book  III,  Ain  13. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  19 

betrothed  to  Sulakhani,  daughter  of  Mula,  a  resident 
of  Batala1  in  the  present  district  of  Gurdaspur.  It 
would  appear  that,  owing  to  the  distance  between 
Nankana  and  Batala,  which  hindered  frequent  visits 
and  negotiations,  the  marriage  followed  very  soon 
after  the  betrothal.  Nanak's  sister  was  present  at  the 
wedding,  but  her  husband  could  not  obtain  per 
mission  to  attend.  He  sent  word  that  he  was 
another  person's  servant,  an  apology  that  was 
perfectly  understood. 

Nanak  appears  to  have  been  further  trusted  in 
the  capacity  of  a  herdsman.  While  one  day  herd 
ing  his  buffaloes,  he  lay  down  to  sleep  under  a  tree 
during  the  midday  heat.  Rai  Bular  passing  by  in 
the  evening  found  him  in  that  attitude,  and  observed 
that  the  protecting  shadow  of  the  tree  had  remained 
stationary  over  him,  and  not  veered  round  like  the  < 5 
shadows  of  the  other  trees  with  the  sun's  progress.  .} 
On  another  occasion,  as  Nanak  lay  asleep  in  the  S 
pasture  ground,  it  was  observed  that  a  large  cobra 
watched  over  him,  and  protected  the  youthful  saint 
with  its  hood.  Rai  Bular  acknowledged  the  mira 
culous  powers  of  the  boy,  and  congratulated  Kalu 
on  being  the  father  of  such  a  son.  Kalu  ought  no 
longer  to  be  displeased  with  him  for  his  indifference 
to  his  worldly  affairs.  He  was  a  very  great  man. 
A  jal-tree,2  gnarled  and  maimed  by  the  centuries,  is 
still  pointed  out  as  the  scene  of  the  former  miracle. 
It  possesses  a  thick  trunk,  is  still  gratefully  umbra 
geous,  and  its  venerable  branches  depend  to  the 
earth  in  a  fashion  that  suggests  the  pillared  shade 
of  the  Indian  fig-tree. 

Nanak  still  persisted  in  doing  no  useful  work,  and 
his  mother  reproached  him  with  his  idleness.  She 
counselled  him  to  rise,  work  for  his  livelihood,  and 
cease  weaving  unpractical  discourses.  She  told  him 

1  Her  place  of  birth  in  Batala  is  reverenced  by  the  Sikhs.     Maha 
raja  Sher  Singh  erected  a  temple  in  her  honour. 

2  The  Salvador  a  Oleoides. 

C  2, 


20  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

that  he  was  popularly  credited  with  madness;  but 
he  paid  no  heed  to  her  admonitions  further  than 
to  compose  the  following  hymn  on  the  occasion  : — 

He  who  dieth  in  obstinacy  shall  not  be  accepted. 

Even  though  man  wear  a  religious  garb  and  apply  much 
ashes  to  his  body, 

Yet,  if  he  forget  the  Name,  he  shall  afterwards  repent. 

0  man,  obey  God  and  thou  shalt  be  happy. 

If  thou  forget  the  Name,  thou  shalt  have  to  endure 
Death's  torture. 

They  who  apply  distilled  aloe-wood,  sandal,  and  camphor 
to  their  bodies, 

Are  immersed  in  worldly  love,  and  far  from  the  supreme 
dignity  of  salvation. 

They  who  forget  the  Name  are  the  falsest  of  the  false. 

They  who  are  guarded  by  lances,  for  whom  bands  play, 
who  sit  on  thrones,  and  are  objects  of  salutation, 

Suffer  from  excessive  avarice  and  lust. 

Being  without  God  they  pray  not  for  His  service  or  His  name. 

God  is  found  not  by  argument  or  by  pride. 

If  man  apply  his  mind  he  shall  find  the  comforting  Name.  ' 

They  who  love  mammon  are  painfully  ignorant. 

Without  money  goods  cannot  be  had  from  a  shop  ; 

Without  a  boat  man  cannot  cross  the  sea  ; 

So,  without  serving  the  Guru,  there  is  complete  loss. 

Hail,  hail  to  him  who  showeth  the  road  ! 

Hail,  hail  to  him  who  communicateth  the  Word  ! 

Hail,  hail  to  him  who  blendeth  us  with  God  ! 

Hail,  hail  to  Him  to  whom  the  soul  belongeth  ! 

Under  the  Guru's  instruction  separate  the  true  from  the 
false,  and  drink  it  as  nectar. 

The  greatness  of  the  Name  is  bestowed  according  to  Thy 
pleasure,  0  God. 

Without  the  Name  how  could  I  live,  O  mother  ? 

Night  and  day  1 1  repeat  it  and  remain,  0  Lord,  under  Thy 
protection. 

Nanak,  he  who  is  imbued  with  the  Name  obtaineth  honour.2 

1  Anudm,  translated  'night  and  day'  by  the  gyanis,  is  literally — 
every  day.  2  Gauri  Ashtapadi. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  21 

After  this  Nanak  lay  down,  remained  in  one  posi 
tion  for  four  days,  and  declined  all  physical  exertion. 

Nanak  appears  to  have  become  unfitted  for  all 
secular  occupation.  His  idleness  became  notorious, 
and  a  serious  source  of  anxiety  to  his  parents.  His 
mother  sought  to  lead  him  with  mild  admonitions 
to  secular  duty,  but  fortunately  failed.  His 
father  then  addressed  himself  to  the  task.  He 
represented  that  he  required  assistance  in  the  culti 
vation  of  his  land,  and  Nanak  was  now  of  an  age  to 
turn  his  attention  to  agriculture.  Nanak  replied  :— 

Make  thy  body  the  field,  good  works  the  seed,  irrigate  with 
God's  name  ; 

Make  thy  heart  the  cultivator  ;  God  will  germinate  in  thy 
heart,  and  thou  shalt  thus  obtain  the  dignity  of  nirvan.1 

His  father  and  Rai  Bular  represented  that  that 
was  not  the  way  to  become  a  husbandman,  whose 
business  ought  to  be  manual  labour,  and  whose 
object  was  to  gain  a  livelihood.  Upon  this  Nanak 
composed  the  following  :— 

Become  a  husbandman,  make  good  works  thy  soil,  and  the 
word  of  God  thy  seed  ;2  ever  irrigate  with  the  water  of  truth. 

Faith  shall  germinate,  and  thus  even  a  fool  shall  know  the 
distinction  between  heaven  and  hell. 

Think  not  that  thou  shalt  find  the  Lord  by  mere  words. 

In  the  pride  of  wealth  and  the  splendour  of  beauty  life 
hath  been  wasted. 

The  sin  of  the  body  is  a  puddle,  the  mind  is  a  toad  therein, 
which  valueth  not  at  all  the  lotus. 

The  bumble-bee  is  the  teacher ,3who  preacheth  incessantly  ; 
but  can  the  guru  cause  a  man  to  understand  who  will  not 
understand  ?  4 

1  Sri  Rag. 

2  Also  translated— Clear  thy  ground,  make  the  Word  thy  seed. 

3  That  is,  the  Guru. 

4  The  body  is  compared  to  a  puddle ;   the  mind  to  a  toad  which 
loves  the  puddle,  but  sets  no  value  on  the  beautiful  lotus  of  spiritual 
wisdom.  The  spiritual  guide, like  the  bee,  unceasingly  hums  his  message. 


22  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Preaching  and  listening  are  as  the  sough  of  the  wind,  when 
man's  mind  is  tinctured  by  the  illusions  of  the  world. 

The  Lord  casteth  a  look  of  favour,  and  is  well  pleased  with 
those  who  meditate  on  Him  alone. 

Even  though  thou  perform  the  thirty  days'  fast,  and  make 
the  five  prayers  thy  daily  companions,  yet  he  who  is  called 
Satan  will  cut  the  thread  of  thy  thoughts.1 

Nanak  saith,  man  must  depart  ;  why  amass  property  and 
wealth  ? 2 

On  the  same  occasion  the  Guru  uttered  the  fol 
lowing  : — 

Make  thy  mind  the  ploughman,  good  acts  the  cultiva 
tion,  modesty  the  irrigating  water,  and  thy  body  the  field 
to  till, 

The  Name  the  seed,  contentment  the  harrow,  and  the  garb 
of  humility  thy  fence  : 

By  the  work  of  love  the  seed  will  germinate  ;  thou  mayest 
behold  happy  the  homes  of  persons  who  thus  act. 

0  father,  mammon  accompanieth  not  man  when  he  de- 
parteth  : 

Mammon  hath  allured  this  world,  and  few  there  are  who 
understand  it. 

Then  Nanak  informed  his  father  that  he  had  sown 
his  own  field,  and  that  its  harvest  was  now  ready. 
He  had  such  confidence  in  his  tillage,  that,  even 
after  deduction  of  the  portion  paid  in  kind  to  the 
government  as  revenue,  the  full  produce  would  still 
remain.  ^Sons,  daughters,  beggars,  brethren,  and 
relations  would  all  be  profited  thereby.  He  had 
done  farming  work  for  God,  who  had  treated  him 
as  a  lord  does  his  tenants,  and  the  day  that  he 
effected  union  with  his  Creator,  his  soul  within  him 
would  be  glad. 

1  That  is,  make  thy  thoughts  wander.      For  man  in  the  old  Panjabi 
life  of  the  Guru  the  Granth  Sahib  has  mat.     The  line  may  then  be 
translated — Perform  the  thirty  days'  fast  of  the  Musalmans,  make  their 
five  daily  prayers  thy  companions,  and  take  care  lest  Satan  destroy 
the  effect  of  thy  prayers.  2  Sri  Rag. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  23 

On  hearing  this,  his  father  told  him  to  keep  a 
shop,  for  a  shop  was  as  profitable  as  tillage.  Nanak 
replied  :— 

Make  the  knowledge  that  life  is  frail  thy  shop,  the  true 
Name  thy  stock-in-trade  ; 

Make  meditation  and  contemplation  thy  piles  of  vessels  ;  * 
put  the  true  Name  into  them. 

Deal  with  the  dealers  of  the  true  Name,  and  thou  shalt 
gladly  take  home  thy  profits. 

Then  again  Kalu  said,  '  If  thou  desire  not  to  be 
a  shopkeeper,  take  horses  and  deal  in  them.  Thy 
heart  is  sad ;  but  do  something  for  thy  livelihood, 
and  visit  foreign  countries.  We  will  say  that  thou 
hast  gone  to  earn  thy  living,  and  that  thou  wilt 
soon  return.'  Upon  this  Nanak  uttered  a  third 
stanza  :— 

Make  thy  hearing  of  the  sacred  books  thy  merchandise, 
truth  the  horses  thou  takest  to  sell ; 

Tie  up  virtues  as  thy  travelling  expenses,  and  think  not 
in  thy  heart  of  to-morrow. 

When  thou  arrivest  in  the  land  of  God,  thou  shalt  obtain 
happiness  in  His  abode. 

Kalu  in  despair  replied,  '  Thou  art  lost  to  us  ;  go 
and  take  government  service.  Jai  Ram,  Daulat 
Khan's  revenue  officer,  is  thy  brother-in-law ; 
go  and  take  service  with  him  ;  perhaps  thou  wilt 
like  that  place  ;  we  can  dispense  with  thine  earnings. 
If  thou  go  elsewhere  without  any  occupation,  every 
body  will  say  that  my  son  hath  become  a  faqir,  and 
people  will  heap  reproaches  on  me.'  Upon  this, 
Guru  Nanak  uttered  a  fourth  stanza  :— 

Make  attention  thy  service,  faith  in  the  Name  thine  occupa 
tion  ; 

Make  the  restraint  of  evil  thine  effort,  so  shall  men  con 
gratulate  thee. 

1  In  which  the  Indian  petty  shopkeeper  keeps  his  goods. 


24  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

God  will  then  look  on  thee,  O  Nanak,  with  an  eye  of 
favour,  and  thy  complexion  shall  brighten  fourfold.1 

Nanak  then  informed  his  father  that  God  had 
granted  him  the  object  of  his  prayers.  The  gains 
of  commerce,  of  government  service,  and  of  banking, 
had  all  been  imparted  to  him.  The  astonished  father 
said  he  had  never  seen  or  heard  of  a  God  who  granted 
so  many  favours.  Nanak  replied  that  his  God  was 
the  object  of  praise  to  those  who  had  seen  Him  :— 

As  men  have  heard,  0  Lord,  so  all  call  Thee  great  ; 

But  hath  any  one  ever  seen  how  great  Thou  art  ?  2 

Thy  worth  cannot  be  estimated  or  described  ; 

They  who  seek  to  describe  it  are  absorbed  in  Thee. 

0  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  3 — 

Yet  could  they  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  store-rooms  are  filled  with  Thy  praises. 

Who  can  prevail  against  him  to  whom  Thou  givest  ? 

Nanak,  the  True  One  arrangeth  all.4 

His  father  was  not  satisfied,  but  further  remon- 

1  Sorath. 

2  Also  translated— How  great  He  is  whoever  hath  seen  Him  could 
tell. 

3  Gurhai,  translated  high  priests,  is  really  the  Persian  plural   of 
guru.     Compare  the  words  Shaikh  mashdtkh,  so  frequently  found  in 
the  Granth  Sahib.    Mashaikh  is,  of  course,  the  Arabic  plural  of  shaikh. 

4  Asa. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  25 

strated  with  Nanak.  He  enjoined  him  to  abandon 
his  whims  and  act  like  others,  as  no  one  could  live 
without  worldly  occupation.  Nanak  was  not  con 
vinced,  so  his  father  in  despair  left  him  and  went 
to  attend  to  his  ordinary  business.  Nanak's  mother 
again  attempted  the  worldly  reformation  of  her  son. 
She  requested  him  to  forget  even  for  a  few  days  his 
devotions  and  go  abroad,  so  that  the  neighbours 
might  be  assured  that  Kalu's  son  had  recovered  his 
reason.  Nanak  then  uttered  the  following  verses  in 
the  Rag  Asa  :— 

If  I  repeat  the  Name,  I  live  ;  if  I  forget  it,  I  die  ; 1 

It  is  difficult  to  repeat  the  true  Name. 

If  a  man  hunger  after  the  true  Name, 

His  pain  shall  depart  when  he  satisfieth  himself  with  it.2 

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  were  to  join  and  try  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  is  Thy  gift. 

Thou  who  madest  the  day  madest  also  the  night. 

They  who  forget  their  Spouse  3  are  bad  characters  ; 4 

Nanak,  without  His  name  they  are  naught.5 

1  Of  course,  spiritual  life  and  death  are  meant. 

2  Literally — the  pain  of  that  hungry  man  shall  depart  on  eating  the 
Name,  that  is,  on  receiving  it  as  food.     The  verse  is  also  translated — 
His  pain  shall  depart ;  all  his  desires  shall  be  merged  in  his  hunger 
for  the  Name. 

1  The  allusion  here  is  to  men  forgetting  God. 

4  A  colloquial  meaning  of  the  word  kamjdt,  which  literally  means 
inferior  caste. 

5  Sana/,  a  plural  form  of  san,  a  year,  or  an  age.     The  word  was 


26  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Then  his  mother  arose  and  told  the  household  of 
Nanak's  state.  Upon  this  the  whole  family  and 
relations  grew  sad,  and  said  it  was  a  great  pity  that 
Kalu's  son  had  become  mad. 

His  uncle  Lalu  among  others  exerted  himself  to 
console  the  young  prophet.  He  represented  to 
Nanak  that  all  his  relations  had  fixed  on  an  occupa 
tion  for  him,  but  he  had  refused  to  adopt  it.  On 
the  contrary,  he  would  do  nothing  whatever,  not 
even  enjoy  himself.  Nanak  then  gave  utterance  to 
the  following  hymn,  which,  however,  is  not  found 
in  the  Granth  Sahib  :— 

All  men  are  bound  by  entanglements  ;   how  can  these 

be  called  good  qualities  ? 

Nay,  O  Lalu,  listen  to  the  following  qualities  : — 
Forgiveness  is  my  mother,  contentment  my  father, 
Truth  by  which  I  have  subdued  my  heart  my  uncle, 
Love  of  God  my  brother,  affection  mine  own  begotten 

son, 

Patience  my  daughter — I  am  pleased  with  such  relations — 
Peace  my  companion,  wisdom  my  disciple — 
This  is  my  family  in  whom  I  ever  rejoice. 
The  one  God  who  adorned  us  all  is  my  Lord. 
Nanak,  he  who  forsaketh  Him  and  clingeth  to  another  shall 

suffer  misery. 

Guru  Nanak  then  became  silent,  lay  down,  and 
ate  and  drank  nothing.  The  whole  family  repre 
sented  to  Kalu  that  something  ought  to  be  done  for 
his  son.  A  physician  ought  to  be  called,  and  medicine 
prescribed.  '  Who  knows  but  that  behind  a  straw 
there  is  a  lakh  ?  '  that  is,  by  a  small  expenditure 
Nanak  may  recover.  Upon  this,  Kalu  went  and 
brought  a  physician.  The  physician  came,  and 
began  to  feel  Nanak's  pulse.  He  withdrew  his  arm, 
and,  drawing  in  his  feet,  stood  up  and  said,  '  O 

applied  to  coin  which  had  long  circulated,  and  which  had  conse 
quently  worn  away  and  become  worthless. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  27 

physician,  what  art  thou  doing  ?  '  The  physician 
said  that  he  was  diagnosing  his  disease.  Upon  this 
Nanak  laughed,  and  then  uttered  the  following 
verses  :— 

The  physician  is  sent  for  to  prescribe  a  remedy  ;  he  taketh 
my  hand  and  feeleth  my  pulse. 

The  ignorant  physician  knoweth  not  that  it  is  in  my  mind 
the  pain  is.1 

Physician,  go  home  ;  take  not  my  curse  with  thee. 

I  am  imbued  with  my  Lord;  to  whom  givest  thou 
medicine? 

When  there  is  pain,  the  physician  standeth  ready  with 
a  store  of  medicine  : 

The  body  is  weeping,  the  soul  crieth  out,  '  Physician,  give 
none  of  thy  medicine.' 

Physician,  go  home,  few  know  my  malady. 

The  Creator  who  gave  me  this  pain,  will  remove  it. 

The  physician  asked  Nanak  what  he  himself 
thought  his  illness  was.  Nanak  replied  :— 

I  first  feel  the  pain  of  separation  from  God,  then  a  pang 
of  hunger  for  contemplation  on  Him. 

I  also  fear  the  pain  which  Death's  powerful  myrmidons 
may  inflict. 

I  feel  pain  that  my  body  shall  perish  by  disease. 

0  ignorant  physician,  give  me  no  medicine. 

Such  medicine  as  thou  hast,  my  friend,  removeth  not 
The  pain  I  feel  or  the  continued  suffering  of  my  body. 

1  forgot  God  and  devoted  myself  to  pleasure  ; 
Then  this  bodily  illness  befell  me. 

The  wicked  heart  is  punished. 
Ignorant  physician,  give  me  no  medicine. 
As  sandal  is  useful  when  it  exhaleth  perfume, 
As  man  is  useful  as  long  as  he  hath  breath  in  his  body, 
So  when  the  breath  departeth,  the  body  crumbleth  away 
and  becometh  useless  : 

No  one  taketh  medicine  after  that. 

1  Malar  ki  War. 


28  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

When  man  shall  possess  the  Name  of  the  Bright  and 
Radiant1  One, 

His  body  shall  become  like  gold  and  his  soul  be  made 
pure  ; 

All  his  pain  and  disease  shall  be  dispelled, 

And  he  shall  be  saved,  Nanak,  by  the  true  Name.2 

The  following  was  on  the  same  subject  :— 

Pain  is  arsenic,  the  name  of  God  is  the  antidote. 

0  ignorant  man,  take  such  medicines 
As  shall  cure  thee  of  thy  sins. 

Make  contentment  thy  mortar,  the  gift  of  thy  hands  thy 
pestle  : 

By  ever  using  these  the  body  pineth  not  away, 

Nor  at  the  final  hour  shall  Death  pommel  thee. 

Make  enjoyments  thy  firewood,  covetousness  thy  clarified 
butter  and  oil. 

Burn  them  with  the  oil  of  lust  and  anger  in  the  fire  3  of 
divine  knowledge. 

Burnt  offerings,  sacred  feasts,  and  the  reading  of  the 
Purans,4 

If  pleasing  to  God,  are  acceptable. 

Empire,  wealth,  and  youth  are  all  shadows  ; 

So  are  carriages  and  imposing  mansions. 

Hereafter  neither  man's  name  nor  his  caste  shall  be 
considered. 

There  is  day,  here  all  is  night. 

Let  us  make  penitence  the  paper,5  Thy  name,  0  Lord,  the 
prescription. 

They  for  whom  this  priceless  medicine  is  prescribed, 

1  Also  translated — When  man  possesseth  even  a  portion  of  the 
name  of  the  Bright  One. 

2  Malar. 

3  It  was  intended  by  his  parents  to  make  a  horn  sacrifice  or  burnt 
offering  for  Nanak's  recovery.     The  Sanskrit  word  horn  is  interpreted 
to  mean  casting  into  the  fire,  and  correctly  represents  the  oblation  of 
clarified  butter,  sesames,  butter,  &c.,  which  forms  part  of  the  ceremonial. 

4  Sacred  books  of  the  Hindus,  eighteen  in  number.     They  are  the 
principal  authorities  for  the  idolatry  and  superstition  of  the  Hindus. 

5  To  write  a  prescription  on. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  29 

Are  fortunate  when  they  reach  their  final  home. 

0  Nanak,  blessed  are  the  mothers  who  bore  them.1 

Then  the  physician  drew  back,  stood  still,  and 
said  that  Nanak  was  not  ill.  His  relations  and 
friends  ought  to  feel  no  anxiety  for  him,  for  he  was 
a  great  being.  Upon  this  the  physician  worshipped 
him  and  took  his  leave. 

There  is  very  little  known  regarding  Nanak's 
married  life  excepting  that  he  begot  two  sons,  Sri 
Chand  and  Lakhmi  Das.  It  was  related  that  he 
used  to  retire  to  the  desert,  and  pass  his  time  under 
trees  in  religious  contemplation. 

All  the  modern  Janamsakhis  make  Nanak's  mar 
riage  long  subsequent  to  this,  and  after  his  departure 
to  Sultanpur.  They  say  that  it  was  Jai  Ram  who 
had  him  married,  and  that  his  wife  was  a  native  of 
Pakkho,  a  town  not  far  from  Sultanpur.  We  have 
followed  Mani  Singh  and  the  old  Janamsakhi.  If 
Nanak  had  been  left  to  his  own  discretion,  and  if 
his  marriage  had  not  been  made  for  him  by  his 
parents,  it  is  most  probable  that  he  would  not  have 
turned  his  attention  to  that  part  of  a  man's  duties 
after  entering  the  service  of  the  government  in 
Sultanpur.  This  will  subsequently  be  understood 
when  we  come  to  consider  his  mode  of  life  at  that 
capital. 

CHAPTER  III 

The  Guru,  on  one  occasion  seeing  his  parents 
and  relations  standing  around  him  to  consider  his 
condition,  composed  a  hymn  in  the  Rag  Gauri 
Cheti  *  :- 

Since  when  have  I  a  mother  ?  Since  when  a  father  ? 
Whence  have  we  come  ? 

1  Malar. 

2  Gauri  is  a  ragini  or  consort  of  Sri  Rag,  and  has  nine  varieties 
one  of  which  is  the  Cheti. 


3o  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

From  fire  and  bubbles  of  water  are  we  sprung  ;  for  what 
object  were  we  created  ? 

My  Lord,  who  knoweth  Thy  merits  ? 

My  demerits  cannot  be  numbered. 

How  many  shrubs  and  trees  have  we  seen  !    how  many 
beasts  created  by  Thee  ! 

How  many  species  of  creeping  things,  and  how  many 
birds  hast  Thou  caused  to  fly  ! 

Men  break  through  the  shops  and  great  houses  of  cities 
and  stealing  therefrom  go  homewards. 

They  look  before  them,  they  look  behind  them,  but  where 
can  they  hide  themselves  from  Thee  ? 

The  banks  of  streams  of  pilgrimage,  the  nine  regions *•  of 
the  earth,  shops,  cities,  and  market-places  have  I  seen. 

Becoming  a  shopkeeper  I  take  a  scale  and  try  to  weigh 
my  actions  in  my  heart. 

My  sins  are  numerous  as  the  waters  of  the  seas  and  the 
ocean. 

Bestow  compassion,  extend  a  little  mercy,  save  me  who 
am  like  a  sinking  stone. 

My  soul  is  burning  like  fire  ;  it  is  as  though  shears  were 
cutting  my  heart. 

Nanak  humbly  represent eth— he  who  obeyeth  God's  order 
is  happy  day  and  night.2 

Kalu  then  desired  that  his  son  should  embrace 
a  mercantile  life.  He  instructed  him  to  go  to 
Chuharkana  in  the  present  district  of  Gujranwala, 
and  buy  there  salt,  turmeric,  and  other  articles  to 
trade  with.  Nanak  set  out  with  a  servant,  and  on  the 
way  met  some  holy  men,  whose  vows  obliged  them 
to  remain  naked  in  all  seasons.  Nanak  was  struck 
with  this  peculiarity,  and  inquired  of  their  head- 
priest  Santren  if  they  had  no  clothes  to  wear,  or  if, 
having  clothes,  they  found  it  uncomfortable  to 

L  The   ancient  Indian   Geographers   divided    the  earth  into  nine 
regions  or  continents. 
2  Gauri. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  31 

wear  them.  Before  he  could  receive  an  answer, 
Nanak  was  reminded  by  his  servant  of  his  more 
practical  mission,  and  counselled  to  proceed  to 
Chuharkana  in  obedience  to  his  father's  instructions. 
Nanak,  however,  was  not  to  be  thwarted  in  his 
object.  He  pressed  the  priest  for  an  answer.  The 
priest  replied  that  his  company  required  not  clothes 
or  food,  except  in  so  far  as  the  latter  was  voluntarily 
bestowed  on  them.  To  avoid  all  luxury  they  dwelt 
in  forests,  and  not  in  peopled  towns  and  villages. 
Nanak  thought  he  had  found  what  he  had  sought 
for,  and  said  to  his  servant  that  he  had  already 
obeyed  his  father's  instructions,  which  were  to  spend 
his  money  to  the  best  advantage.  He  therefore 
gave  the  holy  men  the  money  with  which  his 
father  had  provided  him.  Upon  this  they  asked 
him  his  name,  and  he  said  that  he  was  Nanak 
Nirankari,  or  Nanak  the  worshipper  of  the  Formless 
One,  that  is,  God.  Nanak  was  prevailed  upon  to 
take  the  money  to  the  nearest  village  to  buy  food 
jfor  the  holy  men,  who  had  not  tasted  any  for  some 
•days. 

When  the  faqirs  took  their  departure,  Nanak 
was  censured  by  his  servant  for  his  reckless 
prodigality.  He  then  realized  the  nature  of  his 
act,  and  did  not  go  home,  but  sat  under  a  tree 
outside  the  village  of  Talwandi.  He  was  there 
found  by  his  father,  who  cuffed  him  for  his  dis 
obedience.  The  aged  tree  under  which  he  sat  is 
still  preserved.  A  wall  has  been  built  around  it 
for  protection.  Within  the  enclosure  are  found 
religious  men  in  prayer  and  contemplation.  The 
tree  is  known  as  the  Thamb  Sahib,  or  the  holy 
trunk. 

Jai  Ram,  during  his  yearly  visits  to  Talwandi  at 
the  close  of  the  spring  harvest,  had  ample  oppor 
tunities  of  cultivating  Nanak's  acquaintance,  and 
appreciating  his  good  qualities.  Rai  Bular,  too,  was 
no  apathetic  advocate  of  Nanak.  It  was  agreed 


32  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

between  him  and  Jai  Ram  that  Nanak  was  a  saint 
ill-treated  by  his  father ;  and  Jai  Ram  promised  to 
cherish  him  and  find  him  occupation  in  Sultanpur. 
Nanak's  departure  to  his  brother-in-law  was  pre 
cipitated  by  another  act  of  worldly  indiscretion.  He 
had  entered  into  companionship  with  a  faqir  who 
visited  the  village.  Nanak  told  him,  as  he  did  the 
other  faqirs,  that  his  name  was  Nanak  Nirankari ; 
and  a  friendly  intimacy  sprang  up  between  them. 
The  faqir  was  probably  a  swindler,  and  coveted 
a  brass  lota,  or  drinking  vessel,  and  a  gold  wedding 
ring  which  Nanak  wore,  and  asked  that  they  might  be 
presented  to  him.  Nanak  acceded  to  the  request,  to 
the  further  sorrow  and  indignation  of  his  parents. 
After  that  it  was  not  difficult  to  induce  Kalu  to 
allow  his  son  to  proceed  to  Sultanpur  to  join  Jai 
Ram  and  Nanaki. 

The  other  members  of  Nanak's  family  also  unani 
mously  approved  of  his  decision.  Nanak's  wife 
alone,  on  seeing  him  make  preparations  for  his 
journey,  began  to  weep,  and  said,  '  My  life,  even 
here  thou  hast  not  loved  me  ;  when  thou  goest  to 
a  foreign  country,  how  shalt  thou  return  ?  '  He 
answered,  '  Simple  woman,  what  have  I  been  doing 
here  ?  '  Upon  this  she  again  entreated  him,  '  When 
thou  satest  down  at  home,  I  possessed  in  my  estima 
tion  the  sovereignty  of  the  whole  earth  ;  now  this 
world  is  of  no  avail  to  me.'  Upon  this  he  grew 
compassionate,  and  said,  '  Be  not  anxious  ;  thy 
sovereignty  shall  ever  abide.'  She  replied,  '  My  life, 
I  will  not  remain  behind ;  take  me  with  thee.' 
Then  Nanak  said,  '  I  am  now  going  away.  If  I  can 
earn  my  living,  I  will  send  for  thee.  Obey  my  order/ 
She  then  remained  silent. 

When  Nanak  asked  Rai  Bular's  permission  to 
depart,  the  Rai  gave  him  a  banquet.  The  Rai  then 
requested  him  to  give  him  any  order  he  pleased, 
that  is,  to  state  what  favour  he  might  grant  him. 
Nanak  replied : — 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  33 

I  give  thee  one  order  if  thou  wilt  comply  with  it. 
When  thine  own  might  availeth  not,   clasp  thy  hands 
and  worship  God. 

Jai  Ram  introduced  Nanak  as  an  educated  man  \ 
to  the  Governor,  Daulat  Khan,  who  appointed 
him  storekeeper  and  gave  him  a  dress  of  honour  / 
as  a  preliminary  of  service.  Nanak  began  to  apply 
himself  to  his  duties,  and  so  discharged  them  that 
everybody  was  gratified  and  congratulated  him. 
He  was  also  highly  praised  to  the  Governor, 
who  was  much  pleased  with  his  new  servant.  Out 
of  the  provisions  which  Guru  Nanak  was  allowed, 
he  devoted  only  a  small  portion  to  his  own  main 
tenance  ;  the  rest  he  gave  to  the  poor.  He  used 
continually  to  spend  his  nights  singing  hymns  to 
his  Creator. 

If  Nanak,  when  weighing  out  provisions,  went  as 
far  as  the  number  thirteen — tera — he  used  to  pause 
and   several    times    repeat    the    word — which    also 
means  '  Thine,'  that  is,   '  I   am  Thine,  O  Lord/- 
before  he  went  on  weighing. 

The  minstrel  Mardana  subsequently  came  from 
Talwandi  and  became  Nanak' s  private  servant. 
Mardana  was  of  the  tribe  of  Dums,  who  are  minstrels 
by  heredity.  He  used  to  accompany  Nanak  on 
the  rabab,  or  rebeck.1  Other  friends  too  followed. 
Nanak  introduced  them  to  the  Khan  and  procured 
them  employment.  They  all  got  a  living  by  Nanak's 
favour,  and  were  happy.  At  dinner-time  they  came 
and  sat  down  with  him,  and  every  night  there  was 
continual  singing.  A  watch  before  day,  Nanak  used 
to  go  to  the  neighbouring  Bein  river  and  perform 
his  ablutions.  When  day  dawned,  he  went  to  dis 
charge  the  duties  of  his  office. 

One  day  after  bathing  Nanak  disappeared  in  the 

[  This  instrument,  which  was  of  Arabian  origin,  has  fallen  into 
disuse  in  Northern  India.  It  had  from  four  to  six  strings  of  goat-gut 
with  steel  strings  for  resonance. 


34  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

forest,  and  was  taken  in  a  vision  to  God's  presence. 
He  was  offered  a  cup  of  nectar,  which  he  gratefully 
accepted.  God  said  to  him,  '  I  am  with  thee. 
I  have  made  thee  happy,  and  also  those  who  shall 
take  thy  name.  Go  and  repeat  Mine,  and  cause 
others  to  do  likewise.  Abide  uncontaminated  by 
the  world.  Practise  the  repetition  of  My  name, 
charity,  ablutions,  worship,  and  meditation.  I 
have  given  thee  this  cup  of  nectar,  a  pledge  of 
My  regard/  The  Guru  stood  up  and  made  a 
prostration.  He  then  sang  the  following  verses  to 
the  accompaniment  of  the  spontaneous  music  of 
heaven  :— 

Were  I  to  live  for  millions  of  years  and  drink  the  air  for 
my  nourishment  ; 

Were  I  to  dwell  in  a  cave  where  I  beheld  not  sun  or  moon, 
and  could  not  even  dream  of  sleeping,1 

I  should  still  not  be  able  to  express  Thy  worth  ;  how 
great  shall  I  call  Thy  name  ? 

0  true  Formless  One,  Thou  art  in  Thine  own  place — 

As  I  have  often  heard  I  tell  my  tale — If  it  please  Thee, 
show  Thy  favour  unto  me. 

Were  I  to  be  felled  and  cut  in  pieces,  were  I  to  be  ground 
in  a  mill ; 

Were  I  to  be  burned  in  a  fire,  and  blended  with  its  ashes, 

1  should  still  not  be  able  to  express  Thy  worth  ;    how 
great  shall  I  call  Thy  name  ? 

Were  I  to  become  a  bird  and  fly  to  a  hundred  heavens ; 

Were  I  to  vanish  from  human  gaze  and  neither  eat  nor 
drink, 

I  should  still  not  be  able  to  express  Thy  worth  ;  how 
great  shall  I  call  Thy  name  ? 

Nanak,  had  I  hundreds  of  thousands  of  tons  of  paper  and 
a  desire  to  write  on  it  all  after  the  deepest  research  ; 

Were  ink  never  to  fail  me,  and  could  I  move  my  pen  like 
the  wind, 

[  That  is,  were  I  to  lead  even  the  most  ascetic  life  possible. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  35 

I  should  still  not  be  able  to  express  Thy  worth  ;  how  great 
shall  I  call  Thy  name  ?  l 

Hereupon  a  voice  was  heard,  '  O  Nanak,  thou  hast 
seen  My  sovereignty.'  Then  Nanak  said,  '  O  Sire, 
what  is  anything  that  mortal  can  say,  and  what  can 
be  said  or  heard  after  what  I  have  seen  ?  Even 
the  lower  animals  sing  Thy  praises.'  Upon  this,  the 
Guru  uttered  the  preamble  of  the  Japji  :— 

There  is  but  one  God  whose  name  is  True,  the  Creator, 
devoid  of  fear  and  enmity,  immortal,  unborn,  self-existent, 
great,  and  bountiful.2 

The  True  One  was  in  the  beginning  ;  The  True  One  was 
in  the  primal  age. 

The  True  One  is,  was,  O  Nanak,  and  the  True  One  also 
shall  be. 

When  Nanak  had  finished,  a  voice  was  heard 
again :  '  O  Nanak,  to  him  upon  whom  My  look  of 
kindness  resteth,  be  thou  merciful,  as  I  too  shall  be 
merciful.  My  name  is  God,  the  primal  Brahm,  and 
thou  art  the  divine  Guru.' 

The  Guru  then  uttered  the  following  hymn  :— 

Thou  wise  and  omniscient,  art  an  ocean  ;  how  can  I  a  fish 
obtain  a  knowledge  of  Thy  limit  ? 

Wherever  I  look,  there  art  Thou  ;  if  I  am  separated  from 
Thee,  I  shall  burst. 

I  know  neither  Death  the  fisherman  nor  his  net. 

When  I  am  in  sorrow,  then  I  remember  Thee. 

Thou  art  omnipresent  though  I  thought  Thee  distant. 

What  I  do  is  patent  unto  Thee  ; 

Thou  beholdest  mine  acts,  yet  I  deny  them. 

I  have  not  done  Thy  work  or  uttered  Thy  name  ; 

Whatever  Thou  givest,  that  I  eat. 

There  is  no  other  gate  than  Thine ;  to  whose  gate  shall  I  go  ? 

Nanak  maketh  one  supplication — 

Soul  and  body  are  all  in  Thy  power. 

1  Sri  Rag. 

2  The  ordinary  translation  of  Gur  par  sad,  'By  the  Guru's  favour,' 
does  not  seem  appropriate  here. 

D  2 


36  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Thou  art  near,  Thou  art  distant,  and  Thou  art  midway. 

Thou  seest  and  hearest ;  by  Thy  power  didst  Thou  create 
the  world. 

Whatever  order  pleaseth  Thee,  saith  Nanak,  that  is 
acceptable.1 

After  three  days  the  Guru  came  forth  from  the 
forest.  The  people  thought  he  had  been  drowned  in 
the  neighbouring  river ;  and  how  had  he  returned  to 
life  ?  He  then  went  home,  and  gave  all  that  he  had 
to  the  poor.  A  great  crowd  assembled,  and  Nawab 
Daulat  Khan,  the  Governor,  also  came.  He  inquired 
what  had  happened  to  Nanak,  but  received  no  reply. 
Understanding,  however,  that  the  Guru's  acts 
were  the  result  of  his  abandonment  of  this  world,  the 
Governor  felt  sad,  said  it  was  a  great  pity,  and 
went  home. 

It  was  the  general  belief  at  this  time  that  Nanak 
was  possessed  with  an  evil  spirit,  and  a  Mulla  or 
Muhammadan  priest  was  summoned  to  exorcise  it. 
The  Mulla  began  to  write  an  amulet  to  hang  round 
Nanak's  neck.  While  the  Mulla  was  writing  Nanak 
uttered  the  following  :— 

When  the  field  is  spoiled  where  is  the  harvest  heap  ? 

Cursed  are  the  lives  of  those  who  write  God's  name  and 
sell  it. 

The  Mulla,  paying  no  attention  to  Nanak's  serious 
objurgation,  continued  the  ceremony  of  exorcism 
and  finally  addressed  the  supposed  evil  spirit,  '  Who 
art  thou  ?  '  The  following  reply  issued  from  Nanak's 
mouth  :— 

Some  say  poor  Nanak  is  a  sprite,  some  say  that  he  is  a 
demon, 

Others  again  that  he  is  a  man. 

Those  who  were  present  then  concluded  that 
Nanak  was  not  possessed,  but  had  become  insane. 

On  hearing  this  Nanak  ordered  Mardana  to  play 
the  rebeck  and  continued  the  stanza  :— 

1  Sri  Rag. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  37 

Simpleton  Nanak  hath  become  mad  upon  the  Lord.1 
And  knoweth  none  other  than  God. 
When  one  is  mad  with  the  fear  of  God, 
And  recognizeth  none  other  than  the  one  God, 
He  is  known  as  mad  when  he  doeth  this  one  thing — 
When  he  obeyeth  the  Master's  order — in  what  else  is  there 
wisdom  ? 

When  man  loveth  the  Lord  and  deemeth  himself  worthless, 
And  the  rest  of  the  world  good,  he  is  called  mad.2 

After  this,  Guru  Nanak  donned  a  religious  cos 
tume  and  associated  constantly  with  religious  men. 
He  remained  silent  for  one  day,  and  the  next  he 
uttered  the  pregnant  announcement,  '  There  is  no 
Hindu  and  no  Musalman.'  The  Sikhs  interpret 
this  to  mean  generally  that  both  Hindus  and  Muham- 
madans  had  forgotten  the  precepts  of  their  religions. 
On  a  complaint  made  by  the  Nawab's  Qazi,  or 
expounder  of  Muhammadan  law,  the  Guru  was 
summoned  before  Daulat  Khan  to  give  an  explana 
tion  of  his  words.  He  refused  to  go,  saying,  '  What 
have  I  to  do  with  your  Khan  ?  '  The  Guru  was 
again  called  a  madman.  His  mind  was  full  of  his 
mission,  and  whenever  he  spoke  he  merely  said, 
'There  is  no  Hindu  and  no  Musalman.'  The  Qazi 
was  not  slow  to  make  another  representation  to 
the  Governor  on  the  impropriety  of  Nanak's  utter 
ance.  Upon  this  the  Governor  sent  for  him.  A 
footman  went  and  told  the  Guru  that  the  Governor 
had  requested  him  to  come  to  him.  Then  Guru 
Nanak  stood  up  and  went  to  the  Governor.  The 
Governor  addressed  him,  '  Nanak,  it  is  my  misfor 
tune  that  such  an  officer  as  thou  should  have  become 
a  faqir.'  The  Governor  then  seated  him  beside  him, 
and  directed  his  Qazi  to  ask,  now  that  Nanak  was 
in  conversational  mood,  the  meaning  of  his  utterance. 
The  Qazi  became  thoughtful,  and  smiled.  He  then 
asked  Nanak,  'What  hath  happened  to  thee,  that 

1  S.  colloquialism.  2  Mam. 


38  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

thou  sayest  there  is  no  Hindu  and  no  Musalman  ?  ' 
The  Guru,  not  being  engaged  in  controversy  with 
Hindus  at  the  time,  gave  no  answer  to  the  first  part 
of  the  question.  In  explanation  of  his  statement 
that  there  was  no  Musalman  he  uttered  the  follow 
ing  :- 

To  be 1  a  Musalman  is  difficult ;  if  one  be  really  so,  then 
one  may  be  called  a  Musalman. 

Let  one  first  love  the  religion  of  saints,2  and  put  aside 
pride  and  pelf  3  as  the  file  removeth  rust. 

Let  him  accept  the  religion  of  his  pilots,  and  dismiss 
anxiety  regarding  death  or  life  ;  4 

Let  him  heartily  obey  the  will  of  God,  worship  the  Creator, 
and  efface  himself  - 

When  he  is  kind  to  all  men,  then  Nanak,  shall  he  be  indeed 
a  Musalman.5 

The  Qazi  then  put  further  questions  to  the  Guru. 
The  Guru  called  on  Mardana  to  play  the  rebeck,  and 
sang  to  it  the  following  replies  and  instructions 
adapted  for  Muhammadans  :— 

Make  kindness  thy  mosque,  sincerity  thy  prayer-carpet, 
what  is  just  and  lawful  thy  Quran, 

Modesty  thy  circumcision,  civility  thy  fasting,  so  shalt 
thou  be  a  Musalman  ; 

Make  right  conduct  thy  Kaaba,6  truth  thy  spiritual  guide, 
good  works  thy  creed  and  thy  prayer, 

The  will  of  God  thy  rosary,  and  God  will  preserve  thine 
honour,  O  Nanak. 

1  In  the  original,  '  to  be  called  a  Musalman/     The  same  idiom  is 
found  in  Greek. 

2  Also  translated — (a)  Let  him  first  of  all  make  his  religion  agree 
able  to  men ;  (£)  let  him  first  love  his  saints  and  his  religion. 

3  Also  translated — (a)  which  bring  trouble  ;  (6)  to  dispel  pride  and 
worldly  love  is  to  be  filed  or  cleansed  of  impurities. 

4  This  verse  is  also  translated— Being  resigned  to  God,  obedient 
.    (din),  and  lowly   (mahane),  let  man  set  aside  all  fear  of  birth  and 
\    death — the  transmigration  which  so  exercises  the  oriental  mind. 

5  Majh  ki  War. 

6  The  great  cube-like  Muhammadan  temple  at  Makka  to  which  the 
.  faithful  make  pilgrimages. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  39 

Nanak,  let  others'  goods  l  be  to  thee  as  swine  to  the 
Musalman  and  kine  to  the  Hindu  ;2 

Hindu  and  Musalman  spiritual  teachers  will  go  bail  for 
thee  if  thou  eat  not  carrion.3 

Thou  shalt  not  go  to  heaven  by  lip  service  ;  it  is  by  the 
practice  of  truth  thou  shalt  be  delivered. 

Unlawful  food  will  not  become  lawful  by  putting  spices 4 
therein. 

Nanak,  from  false  words  only  falsehood  can  be  ob 
tained. 

There  are  five  prayers,  five  times  for  prayer,  and  five 
names  for  them  5— 

The  first  should  be  truth,  the  second  what  is  right,  the 
third  charity  in  God's  name, 

The  fourth  good  intentions,  the  fifth  the  praise  and  glory  of 
God. 

If  thou  make  good  works  the  creed  thou  repeatest,  thou 
shalt  be  a  Musalman. 

They  who  are  false,  O  Nanak,  shall  only  obtain  what  is 
altogether  false. 

The  Qazi  became  astonished  at  being  thus  lectured. 
Prayers  had  become  to  him  a  matter  of  idle  lip- 
repetition  of  Arabic  texts,  while  his  mind  was 
occupied  with  his  worldly  affairs. 

It  was  now  the  time  for  afternoon  prayer.  The 
whole  company,  including  Nanak,  went  to  the 
mosque.  Up  rose  the  Qazi  and  began  the  service. 
The  Guru  looked  towards  him  and  laughed  in  his 
face.  When  prayer  was  over,  the  Qazi  complained 
to  the  Nawab  of  Nanak's  conduct.  The  Guru  said 
he  had  laughed  because  the  Qazi's  prayer  was  not 

1  Literally — rights,  or  what  is  due  to  thy  neighbour. 

2  The  Musalmans  abstain  from  the  flesh  of  swine,  and  the  Hindus 
from  the  flesh  of  kine. 

3  What  is  not  thine  own. 

4  This  means  that,  if  wealth  be  improperly  obtained,  a  portion  of  it 
bestowed  in  alms  will  be  no  atonement. 

5  Prayers,  or  rather  texts  from  the  Quran,  are  repeated  by  strict 
Musalmans  at  dawn,  at  midday,  in  the  afternoon,  in  the  evening,  and 
before  going  to  sleep  at  night. 


40  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

accepted  of  God.  The  Qazi  asked  Nanak  to  state 
the  reason  for  his  conclusion.  The  Guru  replied  that 
immediately  before  prayer  the  Qazi  had  unloosed 
a  new-born  filly.  While  he  ostensibly  performed 
divine  service,  he  remembered  there  was  a  well  in 
the  enclosure,  and  his  mind  was  filled  with  appre 
hension  lest  the  filly  should  fall  into  it.  His  heart 
was  therefore  not  in  his  devotions.  The  Guru  in 
formed  the  Nawab  also  that  while  he  was  pretending 
to  pray,  he  was  thinking  of  purchasing  horses  in 
Kabul.  Both  admitted  the  truth  of  the  Guru's 
statements,  said  he  was  favoured  of  God,  and  fell 
at  his  feet.  The  Guru  then  uttered  the  follow 
ing  :- 

He  is  a  Musalman  who  effaceth  himself, 
Who  maketh  truth  and  contentment  his  holy  creed, 
Who  neither  toucheth  what  is  standing,  nor  eateth  what 
hath  fallen— 

Such  a  Musalman  shall  go  to  Paradise. 

The  whole  company  of  Musalmans  at  the  capital 
— the  descendants  of  the  Prophet,  the  tribe  of 
shaikhs,1  the  qazi,  the  muftis,2  and  the  Nawab  him 
self,  were  all  amazed  at  Nanak's  words.  The  Muham- 
madans  then  asked  the  Guru  to  tell  them  of  the 
power  and  authority  of  his  God,  and  how  salvation 
could  be  obtained.  Upon  this  the  Guru  addressed 
them  as  follows  :— 

At  God's  gate  there  dwell  thousands  of  Muhammads, 
thousands  of  Brahmas,  of  Vishnus,  and  of  Shivs  ;3 

Thousands  upon  thousands  of  exalted  Rams,4  thousands 
of  spiritual  guides,  thousands  of  religious  garbs  ; 

1  Shaikhs  are  superiors  of  darweshes  or  Muhammadan  monks,  but 
the  title  has  now  in  India  a  much  more  extended  signification,  and  is 
very  often  adopted  by  Hindu  converts  to  Islam. 

2  Muhammadan  jurists. 

3  Brahma,   Vishnu,   and    Shiv,    form    the    Hindu   trinity,  and  are 
respectively  the  gods  of  creation,  preservation,  and  destruction. 

4  Ram  Chandar,  king  of  Ayudhia,  deified  by  the  Hindus.     He  and 
his  consort  Slta  will  be  found  often  mentioned. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  41 

Thousands  upon  thousands  of  celibates,  true  men,  and 
Sanyasis  ; l 

Thousands  upon  thousands  of  Gorakhs,2  thousands  upon 
thousands  of  superiors  of  Jogis  ; 

Thousands  upon  thousands  of  men  sitting  in  attitudes  of 
contemplation,  gurus,  and  their  disciples  who  make  suppli 
cations  ; 

Thousands  upon  thousands  of  goddesses  and  gods,  thou 
sands  of  demons  ; 

Thousands  upon  thousands  of  Muhammadan  priests, 
prophets,  spiritual  leaders,  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
qazis,  mullas,  and  shaikhs— 

None  of  them  obtaineth  peace  of  mind  without  the  instruc 
tion  of  the  true  guru. 

How  many  hundreds  of  thousands  of  sidhs 3  and  strivers,4 
yea,  countless  and  endless  ! 

All  are  impure  without  meditating  on  the  word  of  the  true 
guru. 

There  is  one  Lord  over  all  spiritual  lords,  the  Creator 
whose  name  is  true. 

Nanak,  His  worth  cannot  be  ascertained  ;  He  is  endless 
and  incalculable.5 

It  is  said  that  Daulat  Khan,  the  Musalman  ruler, 
on  hearing  this  sublime  hymn,  fell  at  Guru  Nanak's 
feet.  The  people  admitted  that  God  was  speaking 
through  Nanak's  mouth,  and  that  it  was  useless  to 
catechize  him  further.  The  Nawab,  in  an  outburst 


1  The  Sanyasis  are  anchorets  who  have  abandoned  the  world,  and 
are  popularly  believed  to  have  overcome  nature.     The  word  sanyas 
means  renunciation. 

2  Gorakh    was    a    famous   Jogi   who   lived   many   centuries   ago. 
His  followers  slit  their  ears,  and  make  Shiv  the  special  object  of  their 
worship.     The  name  Gorakh,  meaning  Supporter  of  the  earth,  is  often 
used  for  God  in  the  sacred  writings  of  the  Sikhs. 

3  Sidhs,  in  Sanskrit  Si<Mhst  are  persons  who  by  the  practice  of  Jog 
are  popularly  supposed  to  acquire  extended  life  and  miraculous  powers. 

4  Sadhik,  persons  aspiring  to  be  Sidhs. 

5  Banno's  Granth  Sahib.     An  account  of  Banno  will  be  found  in 
the  life  of  Guru  Arjan. 


42  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

of  affectionate  admiration,  offered  him  a  sacrifice  of 
his  authority  and  estate.  Nanak,  however,  was 
in  no  need  of  temporal  possessions,  and  went  again 
into  the  society  of  religious  men.  They  too  offered 
him  their  homage,  and  averred  that  he  was  desirous 
of  the  truth  and  abode  in  its  performance.  Nanak 
replied  :— 

My  beloved,  this  body,  first  steeped  in  the  base  of 
worldliness,1  hath  taken  the  dye  of  avarice. 

My  beloved,  such  robe 2  pleaseth  not  my  Spouse  ;  How 
can  woman  thus  dressed  go  to  His  couch  ? 

I  am  a  sacrifice,  O  Benign  One,  I  am  a  sacrifice  unto  Thee. 

I  am  a  sacrifice  unto  those  who  repeat  Thy  name. 

Unto  those  who  repeat  Thy  name  I  am  ever  a  sacrifice. 

Were  this  body,  my  beloved  friends,  to  become  a  dyer's 
vat,  the  Name  to  be  put  into  it  as  madder, 

And  the  Lord  the  Dyer  to  dye  therewith,  such  colour  had 
never  been  seen. 

0  my  beloved,  the  Bridegroom  is  with  those  whose  robes 
are  thus  dyed. 

Nanak's  prayer  is  that  he  may  obtain  the  dust  of  such 
persons'  feet. 

God  Himself  it  is  who  decketh,  it  is  He  who  dyeth,  it  is  He 
who  looketh  with  the  eye  of  favour. 

Nanak,  if  the  bride  be  pleasing  to  the  Bridegroom,  he  will 
enjoy  her  of  his  own  accord.3 

Upon  this  the  faqirs  kissed  the  Guru's  feet,  the 
Governor  also  came,  and  all  the  people,  both  Hindu 
and  Musalman,  attended  to  salute  and  take  final 
leave  of  him.  Some  complaints  had  been  made  of 
his  extravagance  as  storekeeper;  but,  when  the 
Governor  made  an  investigation,  he  found  the 

1  A  metaphor  from  the  dyer's  trade.     Clothes  before  the  process 
of  dyeing  are   steeped  in  alum  as  a  base  or  mordant  the  better  to 
retain  the  dye. 

2  Cholra,  a  coat  which  reaches  to  the  knees ;  choli,  its  diminutive, 
is  a  woman's  bodice. 

'  That  is,  man  will  be  happy  if  he  by  good  works  make  himself 
acceptable  to  God.  The  hymn  is  from  Tilang. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  43 

storehouse  full  and  all  the  Guru's  accounts  correct. 
Nay,  it  was  discovered  that  money  was  due  to  him 
from  the  State.  The  Guru,  however,  refused  to 
receive  it  and  requested  the  Nawab  to  dispose  of  it 
in  relieving  the  wants  of  the  poor 


CHAPTER  IV 

After  a  short  stay  with  the  holy  men  with  whom 
he  had  recently  been  consorting,  the  Guru,  in 
company  with  Mardana,  proceeded  to  Saiyidpur,  the 
present  city  of  Eminabad,  in  the  Gujranwala  district 
of  the  Panjab.  Nanak  and  his  companion  took 
shelter  in  the  house  of  Lalo,  a  carpenter.  When 
dinner  was  ready,  Lalo  informed  the  Guru,  and 
asked  him  to  eat  it  within  sacred  lines.1  The  Guru 
said,  '  The  whole  earth  is  my  sacred  lines,  and  he 
who  loveth  truth  is  pure.  Wherefore  remove  doubt 
from  thy  mind.'  On  this  Lalo  served  dinner,  and  the 
Guru  ate  it  where  he  was  seated.  After  two  days 
the  Guru  desired  to  take  his  departure,  but  was 
prevailed  on  by  Lalo  to  make  a  longer  stay.  The 
Guru  consented,  but  soon  found  himself  an  object 
of  obloquy  because  he,  the  son  of  a  Khatri,  abode 
in  the  house  of  a  Sudar.  After  a  fortnight,  Malik 
Bhago,  steward  of  the  Pathan  who  owned  Saiyidpur, 
gave  a  great  feast,  to  which  Hindus  of  all  four  castes 
were  invited.  A  Brahman  went  and  told  the  Guru 
that,  as  all  the  four  castes  had  been  invited,  he  too 
should  partake  of  Malik  Bhago' s  bounty.  The  Guru 
replied,  '  I  belong  not  to  any  of  the  four  castes  ; 
why  am  I  invited  ? '  The  Brahman  replied,  '  It  is 
on  this  account  people  call  thee  a  heretic.  Malik 
Bhago  will  be  displeased  with  thee  for  refusing  his 
hospitality.'  On  this  the  Brahman  went  away,  and 

1  Enclosures,  generally  smeared  with  cow-dung  to  make  them  holy, 
within  which  Hindus  pray  and  cook  their  food. 


44  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Malik  Bhago  fed  his  guests,  but  the  Guru  was  not 
among  them. 

When  subsequently  Malik  Bhago  heard  of  the 
Guru's  absence  from  the  feast,  he  ordered  him  to 
be  produced.  Bhago  inquired  why  he  had  not 
responded  to  his  invitation.  The  Guru  replied,  that 
he  was  a  faqir  who  did  not  desire  dainty  food,  but 
if  his  eating  from  the  hands  of  Malik  Bhago  afforded 
that  functionary  any  gratification,  he  would  not  be 
found  wanting.  Malik  Bhago  was  not  appeased,  but 
charged  the  Guru,  who  was  the  son  of  a  Khatri, 
while  refusing  to  attend  his  feast,  with  dining  with 
the  low-caste  Lalo.  Upon  this  the  Guru  asked 
Malik  Bhago  for  his  share,  and  at  the  same  time 
requested  Lalo  to  bring  him  bread  from  his  house. 
When  both  viands  arrived,  the  Guru  took  Lalo's 
coarse  bread  in  his  right  hand  and  Malik  Bhago's 
dainty  bread  in  his  left,  and  squeezed  them  both. 
It  is  said  that  from  Lalo's  bread  there  issued  milk, 
and  from  Malik  Bhago's,  blood.  The  meaning  was 
that  Lalo's  bread  had  been  obtained  by  honest 
labour  and  was  pure,  while  Malik  Bhago's  had  been 
obtained  by  bribery  and  oppression  and  was  there 
fore  impure.  The  Guru  hesitated  not  to  accept 
the  former. 

After  this  the  Guru  and  Mardana  proceeded  to 
a  solitary  forest,  nowhere  entering  a  village  or 
tarrying  on  the  bank  of  a  river.  On  the  way  they 
were  overtaken  by  hunger,  and  Mardana  complained. 
The  Guru  directed  him  to  go  straight  on  and  enter 
a  village  where  the  Upal  Khatris  dwelt.  He  had 
only  to  stand  in  silence  at  the  doors  of  their  houses, 
when  Hindus  and  Musalmans  would  come  to  do 
him  homage,  and  not  only  supply  him  with  food, 
but  bring  carpets  and  spread  them  before  him  to 
tread  on.  Mardana  did  as  he  had  been  directed,  and 
succeeded  in  his  errand. 

Mardana  subsequently  received  an  order  to  go  to 
another  village.  He  there  also  received  great  homage. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  45 

The  villagers  came  and  fell  at  his  feet,  and  offered 
him  large  presents  of  money1  and  clothes.  These 
he  tied  up  in  bundles  and  took  to  the  Guru.  On 
seeing  them  the  Guru  laughed,  and  asked  Mardana 
what  he  had  brought.  He  answered  that  the  vil 
lagers  had  made  him  large  presents  of  money  and 
clothes,  and  he  thought  that  he  would  bring  them  to 
his  master.  The  Guru  replied  that  they  did  not  belong 
to  either  of  them.  Mardana  inquired  how  he  was  to 
dispose  of  them.  The  Guru  told  him  to  throw  them 
away,  an  order  which  he  at  once  obeyed.  The  Guru 
explained  to  him  the  disastrous  effects  of  offerings 
on  laymen.  '  Offerings  are  like  poison  and  cannot 
be  digested.  They  can  only  bring  good  by  fervent 
adoration  of  God  at  all  hours.  When  man  per- 
formeth  scant  worship  and  dependeth  on  offerings 
for  his  subsistence,  the  effect  on  him  is  as  if  he  had 
taken  poison/ 

The  Guru  and  Mardana  are  said  to  have  visited 
a  notorious  robber  called  Shaikh  Sajjan.  With 
extreme  impartiality  he  had  built  for  his  Hindu 
guests  a  temple,  and  for  his  Muhammadan  guests 
a  mosque  ;  and  he  otherwise  ostensibly  provided 
them  with  everything  necessary  for  their  comfort. 
His  hospitality,  however,  was  as  false  as  that  of  the 
famous  Greek  robber,  Procrustes.  When  night  came 
on,  Sajjan  dismissed  his  guests  to  sleep.  He  then 
threw  them  into  a  well  in  which  they  perished. 
Next  morning  he  took  up  a  pilgrim's  staff  and 
rosary,  and  spread  out  a  carpet  to  pray  in  the  true 
spirit  of  an  ancient  Pharisee.  Shaikh  Sajjan,  seeing 
the  Guru,  interpreted  the  look  of  spiritual  satisfaction 
on  his  countenance  into  a  consciousness  of  worldly 
wealth,  and  expected  much  profit  from  such  a  wind 
fall.  He  as  usual  invited  his  guests  to  go  to  sleep. 
The  Guru  asked  permission  to  recite  a  hymn  to  God, 
and  having  obtained  it,  repeated  the  following  :— 

1  Literally — twenty-fives,  because  it  used  to  be  the  Indian  custom  to 
count  money  in  heaps  of  twenty-five  each. 


46  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Bronze  is  bright  and  shining,  but,  by  rubbing,  its  sable 
blackness  appeareth, 

Which  cannot  be  removed  even  by  washing  a  hundred 
times. 

They  are  friends l  who  travel  with  me  as  I  go  along, 

And  who  are  found  standing  ready  whenever  their 
accounts  are  called  for. 

Houses,  mansions,  palaces  painted  on  all  sides, 

When  hollow  within,  are  as  it  were  crumbled  and  use 
less. 

Herons  arrayed  in  white  dwell  at  places  of  pilgrimage ; 

Yet  they  rend  and  devour  living  things,  and  therefore 
should  not  be  called  white.2 

My  body  is  like  the  simmal  tree  ; 3  men  beholding  me 
mistake  me.4 

Its  fruit  is  useless  :   such  qualities  my  body  possesseth. 

I  am  a  blind  man  carrying  a  burden  while  the  moun 
tainous  5  way  is  long. 

I  want  eyes  which  I  cannot  get  ;  how  can  I  ascend  and 
traverse  the  journey  ? 

Of  what  avail  are  services,  virtues,  and  cleverness  ? 

Nanak,  remember  the  Name,  so  mayest  thou  be  released 
from  thy  shackles.6 

Shaikh  Sajjan,  on  hearing  this  warning  and  heart- 
searching  hymn,  came  to  his  right  understanding. 
He  knew  that  all  the  faults  were  his  own,  which  the 
Guru  had  attributed  to  himself.  Upon  this  he  made 

1  The  name  Sajjan  also  means  friend.  There  is  here  a  pun  on 
the  word. 

!  The  heron,  though  white,  has  a  black  heart. 

3  The  Bombax  heptaphyllum.     It  bears  no  fruit  in  the  true  sense 
of  the  word.     Its  pods  yield  cotton,  which  is  unfit  for  textile  purposes. 
Its  wood  is  very  brittle,  and  almost  useless  for  carpentry. 

4  Like  birds  which  peck  at  what  they  suppose  to  be  the  fruit  of  the 
simmal  tree,  but  find  none.     The  gyanis  exercise  their  ingenuity  on 
this  line,  and  translate — The  parrots  (mat  jan]  looking  at  it  make  a 
mistake. 

5  Dugar,  thence  the  tribe  of  Dogras  in  the  Kangra  and  adjacent 
districts.     Dogra  literally  means  hillman. 

6  Suhi. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  47 

him  obeisance,  kissed  his  feet,  and  prayed  him  to 
pardon  his  sins.  Then  the  Guru  said,  '  Shaikh 
Sajjan,  at  the  throne  of  God  grace  is  obtained  by 
two  things,  open  confession  and  reparation  for  wrong/ 
Shaikh  Sajjan  asked  him  to  perform  for  him  those 
things  by  which  sins  were  forgiven  and  grace  ob 
tained.  Then  the  Guru's  heart  was  touched,  and  he 
asked  him  to  truly  state  how  many  murders  he  had 
committed.  Shaikh  Sajjan  admitted  a  long  catalogue 
of  the  most  heinous  crimes.  The  Guru  asked  him  to 
produce  all  the  property  of  his  victims  that  he  had 
retained  in  his  possession.  The  Shaikh  did  so,  where 
upon  the  Guru  told  him  to  give  it  all  to  the  poor. 
He  obeyed  the  mandate,  and  became  a  follower  of 
the  Guru  after  receiving  charanpahul.1  It  is  said 
that  the  first  Sikh  temple 2  was  constructed  on  the 
spot  where  this  conversation  had  been  held. 

The  Guru,  hearing  of  a  religious  fair  at  Kurkhetar 3 
near  Thanesar,  in  the  present  district  of  Ambala, 
on  the  occasion  of  a  solar  eclipse  desired  to  visit  it 
with  the  object  of  preaching  to  the  assembled  pil 
grims.  Needing  refreshment,  he  began  to  cook  a 
deer  which  a  disciple  had  presented  to  him.  The 
Brahmans  expressed  their  horror  at  his  use  of 
flesh,  upon  which  he  replied  :— 

Man  is  first  conceived  in  flesh,  he  dwelleth  in  flesh. 

When  he  quickeneth,  he  obtaineth  a  mouth  of  flesh  ; 
his  bone,  skin,  and  body  are  made  of  flesh. 

1  Also  called  charanamrit.     This  was  a  form  of  initiation  by  drink 
ing  the  water  in  which  the  Guru's  feet  had  been  washed.     The  pre 
amble  of  the  Japji  was  read  at  the  same  time.     The  ceremony  was 
inaugurated  by  Guru  Nanak. 

2  DharmsaL     In   modern    times    this    word    means    a    charitable 
rest-house  where  the  Granth  Sahib  is  kept  and  divine  worship  held, 
where    travellers   obtain   free    accommodation,    and   children    receive 
religious  instruction.     A  temple  at  a  place  visited  by  a  Guru  is  now 
called  Gurd \\ara. 

3  The  ancient  Kurukshetra,  the  scene  of  the  great  battle  between 
the  Pandavs  and  Kauravs.     In  Hindu  books  it  is  called  the  Navel  of 
the  earth,  and   it  is   held    that   worldly   beings   were   there    created. 
Khuldsal-ul-  Tawarikh. 


48  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

When  he  is  taken  out  of  the  womb,  he  seizeth  teats  of 
flesh. 

His  mouth  is  of  flesh,  his  tongue  is  of  flesh,  his  breath 
is  in  flesh. 

When  he  groweth  up  he  marrieth,  and  bringeth  flesh 
home  with  him. 

Flesh  is  produced  from  flesh  ;  all  man's  relations  are 
made  from  flesh. 

By  meeting  the  true  Guru  and  obeying  God's  order, 
everybody  shall  go  right. 

//  fhou  suppose  that  man  shall  be  saved  by  himself,  he 
shall  not  ;  Nanak,  it  is  idle  to  say  so. 

The  following  is  also  on  the  same  subject  : — 

Fools  wrangle  about  flesh,  but  know  not  divine  know 
ledge  or  meditation  on  God. 

They  know  not  what  is  flesh,  or  what  is  vegetable,  or  in 
what  sin  consist eth. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  gods  to  kill  rhinoceroses,  roast 
them  and  feast. 

They  who  forswear  flesh  and  hold  their  noses  when  near 
it,  devour  men  at  night. 

They  make  pretences  to  the  world,  but  they  know  not 
divine  knowledge  or  meditation  on  God. 

Nanak,  why  talk  to  a  fool  ?  He  cannot  reply  or  under 
stand  what  is  said  to  him. 

He  who  acteth  blindly  is  blind  ;  he  hath  no  mental 
eyes. 

Ye  were  produced  from  the  blood  of  your  parents,  yet 
ye  eat  not  fish  or  flesh. 

When  man  and  woman  meet  at  night  and  cohabit, 

A  foetus  is  conceived  from  flesh  ;   we  are  vessels  of  flesh. 

O  Brahman,  thou  knowest  not  divine  knowledge  or 
meditation  on  God,  yet  thou  callest  thyself  clever. 

Thou  considerest  the  flesh  that  cometh  from  abroad 1  bad, 
O  my  lord,  and  the  flesh  of  thine  own  home  good. 

All  animals  have  sprung  from  flesh,  and  the  soul  taketh 
its  abode  in  flesh. 

1  The  flesh  of  animals. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  49 

They  whose  guru  is  blind,  eat  things  that  ought  not  to 
be  eaten,  and  abstain  from  what  ought  to  be  eaten. 

In  flesh  we  are  conceived,  from  flesh  we  are  born  ;  we 
are  vessels  of  flesh. 

O  Brahman,  thou  knowest  not  divine  knowledge  or 
meditation  on  God,  yet  thou  callest  thyself  clever. 

Flesh  is  allowed  in  the  Purans,  flesh  is  allowed  in  the 
books  of  the  Musalmans,  flesh  hath  been  used  in  the  four 
ages. 

Flesh  adorneth  sacrifice  and  marriage  functions  ;  flesh 
hath  always  been  associated  with  them. 

Women,  men,  kings,  and  emperors  spring  from  flesh. 

If  they  appear  to  you  to  be  going  to  hell,  then  accept 
not  their  offerings. 

See  how  wrong  it  would  be  that  givers  should  go  to  hell 
and  receivers  to  heaven. 

Thou  understandest  not  thyself,  yet  thou  instructest 
others  ;  O  Pandit,  thou  art  very  wise  ! ! 

0  Pandit,  thou  knowest  not  from  what  flesh  hath  sprung. 
Corn,  sugar-cane,  and  cotton  are  produced  from  water  ; 2 

from  water  the  three  worlds  are  deemed  to  have  sprung. 

Water  saith,  '  I  am  good  in  many  ways  '  ;  many  are  the 
modifications  of  water. 

If  thou  abandon  the  relish  of  such  things,  thou  shalt  be 
superhuman,  saith  Nanak  deliberately.3 

The  Guru  succeeded  in  making  many  converts  at 
Kurkhetar.  When  departing,  he  thus  addressed 
his  Sikhs  :  '  Live  in  harmony,  utter  the  Creator's 
name,  and  if  any  one  salute  you  therewith,  return  his 
salute  with  the  addition  true,  and  say  "  Sat  Kartar  ", 
the  True  Creator,  in  reply.  There  are  four  ways  by 
which,  with  the  repetition  of  God's  name,  men  may 
reach  Him.  The  first  is  holy  companionship,  the 
second  truth,  the  third  contentment,  and  the  fourth 
restraint  of  the  senses.  By  whichsoever  of  these 

1  Said  ironically. 

2  Water  assists  the  growth  of  vegetables,  and  on  vegetables  animals 
are  fed. 

3  Malar  ki  War. 


50  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

doors  a  man  entereth,  whether  he  be  a  hermit  or 
a  householder,  he  shall  find  God/ 

The  Guru  next  visited  Hardwar  in  pursuance  of 
his  mission.  A  great  crowd  was  assembled  from  the 
four  cardinal  points  for  the  purpose  of  washing  away 
their  sins.  The  Guru  saw  that,  while  they  were 
cleansing  their  bodies,  their  hearts  remained  filthy ; 
and  none  of  them  restrained  the  wanderings  of  his 
mind  or  performed  his  ablutions  with  love  and 
devotion.  While  they  were  throwing  water  towards 
the  east  for  the  manes  of  their  ancestors,  the  Guru 
went  among  them,  and,  putting  his  hands  together 
so  as  to  form  a  cup,  began  to  throw  water  towards 
the  west,  and  continued  to  do  so  until  a  large  crowd 
had  gathered  round  him.  Men  in  their  astonishment 
began  to  inquire  what  he  was  doing,  and  whether 
he  was  a  Hindu  or  Muhammadan.  If  the  latter, 
why  had  he  come  to  a  Hindu  place  of  pilgrimage  ? 
If  he  were  a  Hindu,  why  should  he  throw  water 
towards  the  west  instead  of  towards  the  rising  sun  ? 
And  who  had  taught  him  to  do  so  ?  In  reply,  the 
Guru  asked  them  why  they  threw  water  towards 
the  east.  To  whom  were  they  offering  it,  and  who 
was  to  receive  it  ?  They  replied  that  they  were 
offering  libations  to  the  manes  of  their  ancestors. 
It  would  satisfy  them,  and  be  a  source  of  happiness 
to  themselves. 

The  Guru  then  asked  how  far  distant  their  ances 
tors  were.  A  learned  man  among  them  replied  that 
their  ancestors  were  thousands  of  miles  distant. 
The  Guru,  upon  this,  again  began  to  throw  palmfuls 
of  water  towards  the  west.  They  reminded  him 
that  he  had  not  answered  their  questions,  or  vouch 
safed  any  information  regarding  himself.  He  replied 
that,  before  he  had  set  out  from  his  home  in  the 
west,  he  had  sown  a  field  and  left  no  one  to  irrigate 
it.  He  was  therefore  throwing  water  in  its  direction, 
that  it  might  remain  green  and  not  dry  up.  His 
field  was  on  a  mound  where  rain-water  would  not 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  51 

rest,  and  he  was  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  this 
form  of  irrigation.  On  hearing  this,  the  spectators  i 
thought  he  was  crazed,  and  told  him  he  was  sprink-  ; 
ling  water  in  vain,  for  it  would  never  reach  his  field. 
Where  was  his  field  and  where  was  he,  and  how 
could  the  water  ever  reach  it  ?  '  Thou  art  a  great 
fool,  thy  field  shall  never  become  green  by  what  thou 
art  doing/  The  Guru  replied,  '  Ye  have  forgotten 
God.  Without  love  and  devotion  your  minds  have 
gone  astray.  My  field,  which  you  say  this  water 
cannot  reach,  is  near,  but  your  ancestors  are  very 
far  away,  so  how  can  the  water  ye  offer  them  ever 
reach  them  or  profit  them  ?  Ye  call  me  a  fool,  but 
ye  are  greater  fools  yourselves/ 

The  Guru  after  a  little  time  again  broke  silence, 
and  said,  '  The  Hindus  are  going  to  hell.  Death 
will  seize  and  mercilessly  punish  them/  A  Brahman 
replied,  '  How  can  they  who  repeat  God's  name  go 
to  hell  ?  Thou  hast  in  the  first  place  acted  contrary 
to  our  custom,  and  now  thou  hast  the  audacity  to 
tell  us  that  we  are  going  to  hell/  The  Guru  replied, 
*  It  is  true  that,  if  ye  repeat  the  Name  with  love, 
ye  shall  not  be  damned.  But  when  ye  take  rosaries 
in  your  hands,  and  sit  down  counting  your  beads, 
ye  never  think  of  God,  but  allow  your  minds  to 
wander  thinking  of  worldly  objects.  Your  rosaries 
are  therefore  only  for  show,  and  your  counting  your 
beads  is  only  hypocrisy.  One  of  you  is  thinking  of 
his  trade  with  Multan,  another  of  his  trade  with 
Kabul,  another  of  his  trade  with  Dihli,  and  the 
gain  that  shall  in  each  case  accrue/  The  people, 
on  hearing  the  Guru  thus  accurately  divine  their 
thoughts,  began  to  think  him  a  god,  and  prayed 
him  to  pardon  them  and  grant  them  salvation  by 
making  them  his  disciples. 

The  Guru,  requiring  fire  to  cook  his  food,  went 
into  a  Brahman's  cooking-square  for  it.  The 
Brahman  charged  him  with  having  defiled  his 
viands.  The  Guru  replied  that  they  had  already 

E  2 


52  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

been  denied.  Upon  this  the  following  was  com 
posed  :— 

Evil  mindedness  is  a  low  woman,1  cruelty  a  butcher's 
wife,  a  slanderous  heart  a  sweeper  woman,  wrath  which 
ruineth  the  world  a  pariah  woman. 

What  availeth  thee  to  have  drawn  the  lines  of  thy  cooking 
place  when  these  four  are  seated  with  thee  ? 

Make  truth,  self-restraint,  and  good  acts  thy  lines,  and 
the  utterance  of  the  Name  thine  ablutions. 

Nanak,  in  the  next  world  he  is  best  who  walketh  not 
in  the  way  of  sin.2 

While  at  Hardwar  the  Brahmans  pressed  the  Guru 
to  return  to  his  allegiance  to  the  Hindu  religion. 
They  pointed  out  the  spiritual  advantages  of  sacri 
fices  and  burnt-offerings,  and  of  the  worship  of 
cremation-grounds,  gods,  and  goddesses.  The  Guru 
replied  that  the  sacrifices  and  burnt-offerings  of  this 
age  consisted  in  giving  food  to  those  who  repeated 
God's  name  and  practised  humility.  And  where 
the  Guru's  hymns  were  read,  there  was  scant  worship 
of  places  of  burial  or  cremation,  or  of  gods,  god 
desses,  and  ignorant  priests.  As  to  the  homage  paid 
the  latter,  the  Guru  said  that  men  were  ruined  thereby, 
as  sweetmeats  are  spoiled  by  flies  settling  on  them. 

Guru  Nanak  and  Mardana  departed  thence,  and 
proceeded  to  Panipat,  a  place  famous  in  Indian 
history  as  the  scene  of  three  great  decisive  battles. 
At  that  time  a  successor  of  Shaikh  Sharaf 3  was  the 

1  Dumni,  the  wife  of  a  Dum. 

2  Sri  Rag  Id  War. 

3  Shaikh  Sharaf,  whose  patronymic  was  Abu  Ali  Qalandar,  received 
instruction  at  the  age  of  forty  years  from  Khwaja  Qutub-ul-Dm,  who 
was  also  spiritual  guide  of  Shaikh  Farid  and  of  the  Emperor  Shams- 
ul-Din  Altmish.     Shaikh  Sharaf  says  of  himself,  '  Learned  men  gave 
me  a   licence  to  teach  and  to   pronounce  judicial  decisions,  which 
offices  I  exercised  for  twenty  years.     Unexpectedly  I  received  a  call 
from  God,  and  throwing  all  my  learned  books  into  the  Jamna,  I  set 
out  on  travel.     In  Turkey  I  fell  in  with  Shams-ul-dm  Tabrezi  and 
Maulana  Jalal-ul-Din  Rumi,  who  presented  me  with  a  robe  and  turban 
and  with  many  books,  which  in  their  presence  I  threw  into  the  river. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  53 

Muhammadan  priest  of  the  place.  A  disciple  called 
Tatihari  went  to  fetch  a  pot  of  water  for  his  spiritual 
guide  from  the  well  near  which  the  Guru  and  Mar- 
dana  had  sat  down  to  rest.  The  Guru  wore  a  Persian 
hat  and  a  nondescript  costume,  which  Tatihari  took 
for  that  of  a  Persian  darwesh.  He  addressed  the 
Guru  with  the  Muhammadan  salutation,  '  Salam 
Alaikum  '  (the  peace  of  God  be  with  you).  Nanak 
replied,  '  Salam  Alekh  '  (salutation  to  the  Invisible). 
Tatihari  was  astonished,  and  said  that  until  then 
nobody  had  distorted  his  salutation.  He  went  and 
told  his  religious  superior,  the  Shaikh,  that  he  had 
met  a  darwesh  who  had  taken  the  liberty  of  punning 
on  the  Muhammadan  salutation.  The  Shaikh  at 
once  resolved  to  go  himself  to  see  the  man  who  had 
saluted  the  Invisible  One,  and  inquire  what  he  knew 
regarding  Him. 

The  Shaikh,  on  arriving,  asked  the  Guru  what 
religious  denomination  his  head-dress  denoted,  and 
why  he  did  not  shave  his  head  in  orthodox  fashion. 
The  Guru  replied  :— 

When  man  hath  shaved  his  mind  he  hath  shaved  his  head  j1 

Without  shaving  his  mind  he  findeth  not  the  way. 

Let  him  cut  off  his  head  and  place  it  before  his  guru. 

If  he  resign  his  own  wisdom,  he  shall  be  saved  by  the 
wisdom  of  his  guru. 

To  become  the  dust  of  the  feet  of  all  is  to  shave  the  head. 

Such  a  hermit  appreciateth  the  words  of  the  guru  ; 

That  is  the  way  in  which  the  head  is  shaved,  O  brother. 

Few  are  there  who  shave  their  heads  according  to  the 
instruction  of  their  guru. 

Nanak  having  abandoned  all  pleasures,  affections,  and 
egotism, 

Hath  put  on  a  hat  of  this  fashion.2 

Subsequently  I  came  to  Panipat  and  there  lived  as  a  recluse.'     His 
tomb  is  there.  l  That  is,  has  laid  aside  egotism. 

2  This  and  the  following  hymns  bearing  on  the  Jog  philosophy 
express  Guru  Nanak's  ideas  on  the  subject.  These  hymns  are  not 
found  in  the  Granth  Sahib. 


54  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  Shaikh  then  asked  the  Guru  to  what  religious 
sect  he  belonged.  The  Guru  replied  : — 

Under  the  instructions  of  my  Guru 1  I  remain  His 
disciple. 

My  stole  and  my  hat  consist  in  grasping  the  Word  in 
my  heart. 

I  have  turned  the  flowing  river  into  a  streak  of  sand.2 

I  sit  there  at  mine  ease  and  am  happy.3 

I  have  dispelled  joy  and  sorrow. 

Having  put  on  my  stole  I  have  killed  all  mine  enemies  ;  4 

I  have  settled  in  the  silent  city  and  abide  therein  : 

There  I  learned  how  to  wear  this  stole. 

Having  forsaken  my  family  I  live  alone — 

Nanak  having  put  on  this  stole  is  happy. 

The  Shaikh  next  inquired  to  what  sect  the  Guru's 
loin-cloth  belonged.  The  Guru  replied  : — 

By  the  word  and  instruction  of  the  Guru  my  mind  hath 
obtained  peace  ; 

I  restrain  my  five  senses  and  abide  apart  from  the  world  ; 

I  close  mine  eyes  and  my  mind  hath  ceased  to  wander. 

I  have  locked  up  the  ten  gates  5  of  my  body, 

And  I  sit  in  contemplation  in  its  sixty-eight  chambers.6 

With  this  loin-cloth  I  shall  neither  grow  old  nor  die. 

Putting  on  a  loin-cloth  I  dwell  alone 

And  drink  from  the  waterfall 7  of  the  brain. 

I  discard  my  low  intelligence  for  the  lofty  wisdom  of  my 
Guru. 

In  this  way  Nanak  weareth  a  loin-cloth. 

1  Nanak's  Guru  was  God.      See  Sorath   xi,  Mahalla  I,  and   Gur 
Das's  War,  xiii,  25. 

2  My  brain  is  in  a  state  of  repose. 

3  The  wanderings  of  the  mind  hither  and  thither  have  ceased. 

4  Dusht,  literally,  ill-wishers,  then  man's  evil  passions. 

5  The  apertures  or  openings  of  the  body  frequently  mentioned  in 
Oriental  medical   and  theological  sciences.      Nine   of  them   can    be 
easily  enumerated,  the  tenth  is  the  brain. 

6  In  Jog  philosophy  the  breath  is  supposed  to  wander  in  sixty-eight 
chambers  of  the  body. 

7  Jogis  believe  that  nectar  falls  or  trickles  from  the  brain  in  a  state 
of  exaltation. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  55 

Then  again  the  Shaikh  desired  to  know  what  sect 
the  Guru's  slippers  denoted.  The  Guru  replied  :— 

By  associating  with  those  who  go  the  right  way  I  have 
obtained  all  knowledge. 

I  have  reduced  my  mind  to  the  caste  of  fire  and  wind  ; l 

I  abide  in  the  manner  of  the  earth  or  a  tree  ; 

I  can  endure  the  cutting  and  digging  of  my  heart  ; 2 

1  desire  to  be  as  a  river  or  sandal 

Which  whether  pleased  or  displeased  conferreth  advantage 
on  all. 

Having  churned  the  churn  3  of  this  world  I  am  exalted, 

And  having  abandoned  evil  I  appear  before  my  God. 

To  those,  who  put  on  their  slippers  while  meditating  on 
Him, 

O  Nanak,  mortal  sin  shall  not  attach. 

Again  the  Shaikh  said,  '  Explain  to  me  what  a 
darwesh  is.'  The  Guru,  ordering  Mardana  to  play 
the  rebeck,  composed  the  following  hymn  :— 

He  who  while  he  liveth  is  dead,  while  he  waketh  is  asleep,4 
who  knowingly  alloweth  himself  to  be  plundered,5 

And  who  having  abandoned  everything  meeteth  his 
Creator,  is  a  darwesh. 

Few  servants  of  Thine,  0  God,  are  darweshes  at  heart, 

Who  feel  not  joy,  sorrow,  anger,  wrath,  pride,  or  avarice  ; 

Who  look  on  gold  as  dross,  and  consider  what  is  right 
to  be  lawful ; 

Who  obey  the  summons  of  God  and  heed  none  other ; 

Who  seated  in  a  contemplative  attitude  in  the  firma 
ment  6  play  spontaneous  music — 

Saith  Nanak,  neither  the  Veds  nor  the  Quran  know  the 
praises  of  such  holy  men. 

[  That  is — I  have  no  more  caste  than  fire  and  wind. 

2  Cutting,  as  applied  to  a  tree,  and  digging  to  earth.     That  is — 
I  can  endure  every  form  of  torture. 

3  Having  extracted  all  pleasures  from  this  world, 

4  Who  takes  no  heed  of  the  world. 

5  That  is,  who  effaces  himself. 

0  That  is,  in  the  brain  in  a  state  of  exaltation. 


56  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  Shaikh  finally  said,  '  Well  done  !  why  make 
a  further  examination  of  him  who  beareth  witness 
to  God  ?  Even  to  behold  him  is  sufficient.'  Then 
he  shook  hands  with  the  Guru,  kissed  his  feet  and 
departed. 

Guru  Nanak  journeyed  on  and  arrived  in  Dihli. 
An  elephant  belonging  to  the  reigning  sovereign 
Ibrahim  Lodi  had  just  died;  and  the  keepers, 
regretting  the  loss  of  the  animal  whose  service  had 
afforded  them  maintenance,  were  bewailing  its  death. 
The  Guru  inquired  whose  the  elephant  was.  They 
replied  in  Oriental  fashion,  that  it  was  the  Emperor's, 
but  that  all  things  belonged  to  God.  The  Guru 
said  that  the  elephant  was  alive,  and  bade  them  go 
and  rub  its  forehead  with  their  hands,  and  say  at 
the  same  time,  '  Wah  Guru  ' — hail  to  the  Guru  ! 1 
It  is  said  that  the  elephant  stood  up  to  the  astonish 
ment  of  all.  The  Emperor,  having  received  informa 
tion  of  the  miracle,  sent  for  the  animal,  mounted  it, 
and  went  to  the  Guru,  and  asked  if  it  was  he  who 
had  restored  it  to  life.  The  Guru  replied,  '  God  is 
the  only  Destroyer  and  Re-animater.  Prayers  are 
for  faqirs,  and  mercy  for  Him.'  The  monarch  then 
asked,  if  the  elephant  were  killed  would  the  Guru 
again  restore  it.  The  Guru,  not  wishing  to  be 
treated  as  an  itinerant  showman,  replied  :— 

It  is  He  (pointing  on  high)  who  destroyeth  and  destroying 
re-animateth  ; 

Nanak,  there  is  none  but  the  one  God. 

The  animal  then  died,  the  inference  of  the  chroni 
clers  being  that  it  died  at  the  will  of  the  Guru,  as 
it  had  been  previously  called  to  life  by  him.  The 
Emperor  ordered  him  to  again  revivify  it.  The  Guru 
replied,  '  Hail  to  your  Majesty  !  Iron  when  heated 
in  the  fire  becometh  red,  and  cannot  be  held  for 
a  moment  in  the  hand.  In  the  same  way  faqirs 

1  Wahguru  generally  means  God.  We  here  merely  give  its  apparent 
meaning. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  57 

become  red  in  the  heat  of  God's  love,  and  cannot  be 
constrained.'  The  Monarch,  it  is  said,  was  pleased 
at  this  reply,  and  requested  the  Guru  to  accept  a 
present  from  him.  The  Guru  replied  :— 

Nanak  is  hungry  for  God,  and  careth  for  naught  besides. 
I  ask  for  God,  I  ask  for  nothing  else. 

The  king  returned  to  his  palace,  and  the  Guru 
continued  his  wanderings. 

The  Guru  next  proceeded  to  Bindraban,  where  he 
saw  enacted  the  play  called  Krishanlila,  in  which 
the  exploits  of  Krishan  *  are  represented.  Krishan 
appears  making  love  to  milkmaids,  stealing  their 
clothes  while  they  were  bathing,  and  killing  his 
uncle  Kans.  The  Guru  expressed  his  dissatisfaction 
with  the  subject  of  the  performance  :— 

The  disciples  play,  the  gurus  dance, 

Shake  their  feet,  and  roll  their  heads. 

Dust  flieth  and  falleth  on  their  hair  ; 

The  audience  seeing  it  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  is  the  night  for  those  who  long  for  Him  in  their 
hearts. 

By  the  Guru's  instruction  to  his  disciples  this  knowledge 
is  obtained, 

1  Krishan  son  of  Vasudev,  by  his  wife  Devaki,  was  born,  according 
to  Indian  tradition,  3185  B.C.  Cattle-grazing  was  the  original  calling 
of  the  family,  and  Krishan  is  celebrated  for  his  adventures  among 
the  milkmaids  of  Mathura.  In  the  Bhagavat  Glta,  an  episode  of 
the  Sanskrit  epic  Mahabharat,  he  declared  himself  to  be  God,  the 
supreme  Soul,  the  Creator  of  the  world,  and  its  Destroyer;  and 
he  has  been  accepted  as  such  by  Hindus,  who  deem  him  an  in 
carnation  of  Vishnu. 


58  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

vXThat  the  Kind  One  saveth  those  on  whom  He  looketh 
with  favour. 

Oil-presses,  spinning-wheels,  hand-mills,  potters'  wheels, 

Plates,1  whirlwinds,  many  and  endless, 

Tops,  churning-staves,  threshing-frames, 

Birds  tumble  and  take  no  breath. 

Men  put  animals  on  stakes  and  swing  them  round. 

0  Nanak,  the  tumblers  are  innumerable  and  endless. 

In  the  same  way  men  bound  in  entanglements  are  swung 

round  ; 

Every  one  danceth  according  to  his  own  acts— 

They  who  dance  and  laugh  shall  weep  on  their  departure, 

They  cannot  fly  or  obtain  supernatural  power. 

Leaping  and  dancing  are  mental  recreations  ; 

Nanak,  they  who  have  the  fear  of  God  in  their  hearts 

have  also  love.2 

CHAPTER  V 

The  Guru  set  out  towards  the  east,  having  arrayed 
himself  in  a  strange  motley  of  Hindu  and  Muham- 
madan  religious  habiliments.  He  put  on  a  mango- 
coloured  jacket,  over  which  he  threw  a  white  safa 
or  sheet.  On  his  head  he  carried  the  hat  of  a  Musal- 
man  Qalandar,3  while  he  wore  a  necklace  of  bones, 
and  imprinted  a  saffron  mark  on  his  forehead  in  the 
style  of  Hindus.  This  was  an  earnest  of  his  desire 
to  found  a  religion  which  should  be  acceptable  both 
to  Hindus  and  Muhammadans  without  conforming  to 
either  faith .  As  the  Guru  and  his  attendant  proceeded, 
they  met  a  Muhammadan  notable  called  Shaikh  Waj  id. 
The  Shaikh  alighted  under  a  tree,  and  his  bearers 
began  to  shampoo  and  fan  him.  This  afforded  matter 
for  contemplation  to  Mardana,  and  he  asked  the  Guru 
whether  there  was  not  one  God  for  the  rich  and 
another  for  the  poor.  The  Guru  replied  that  there 

1  Thai,  plates  poised  on  a  stick  and  spun  round. 

2  Asa  ki  War. 

3  A  Muhammadan  anchoret  who  abandons  all   worldly  ties    and 
possessions.     He  corresponds  to  the  Indian  Sanyasi. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  59 

was  only  one  God.  Mardana  then  put  his  question 
in  another  form  :  '  Who  created  this  man  who  rideth 
in  a  sedan  of  ease  while  the  bearers  have  no  shoes 
to  their  feet  ?  Their  legs  are  naked  while  they 
shampoo  and  fan  him.'  The  Guru  replied  with  the 
following  verses  : — 

They  who  performed  austerities  in  their  former  lives,  are 
f  now  kings  and  receive  tribute  on  earth. 

They  who  were  then  wearied,  are  now  shampooed  by 
others. 

The  Guru  continued  in  prose  :  '  O  Mardana, 
whoever  is  born  hath  come  naked  from  his  mother's 
womb,  and  joy  or  misery  is  the  result  of  actions  in 
previous  states  of  existence.'  Upon  this,  Mardana 
fell  at  the  Guru's  feet. 

As  Guru  Nanak  and  Mardana  journeyed  on,  they 
arrived  at  Gorakhmata,  or  temple  of  Gorakh,  some 
twenty  miles  north  of  Pilibhit,  in  the  United  Provinces 
of  India.1  There  they  observed  a  pipal-tree 2  of  many 
a  religious  reminiscence.  Years  previously  it  had 
withered  from  age,  but  it  is  related  that  when  the 
holy  man  sat  beneath  it,  it  suddenly  became  green. 
The  biographer  of  the  Guru  states  that  Sidhs  came 
on  that  occasion  and  addressed  him  :  '  O  youth, 
whose  disciple  art  thou,  and  from  whom  hast  thou 
obtained  instruction  ?  ' 

Guru  Nanak,  in  reply,  composed  the  following 
hymn  :— 

What  is  the  scale  ?  What  the  weights  ?  What  weighman  3 
shall  I  call  for  Thee  ? 

Who  is  the  guru  from  whom  I  should  receive  instruction, 
and  by  whom  I  should  appraise  Thy  worth  ? 

0  my  Beloved,  I  know  not  Thy  limit. 

Thou  fillest  sea  and  land,  the  nether  and  upper  regions  ; 
it  is  Thou  Thyself  who  art  contained  in  everything. 

1  The  place  is  now  known  as  Nanakmata,  in  memory  of  the  Guru's 
visit.  2  The  Ficus  religiosa. 

3  This  line  appears  to  mean  that  God  cannot  be  weighed  or 
estimated. 


60  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

My  heart  is  the  scale,  my  understanding  the  weight,  Thy 
service  the  weighman  I  employ. 

I  weigh  the  Lord  in  my  heart,  and  thus  I  fix  my  attention. 

Thou  Thyself  art  the  tongue  of  the  balance,  the  weight, 
and  the  scales  ;  Thou  Thyself  art  the  weighman  ; 

Thou  Thyself  beholdest,  Thou  Thyself  understandest, 
Thou  Thyself  art  the  dealer  with  Thee}- 

A  blind  man,  a  low-born  person,  and  a  stranger  come  but 
for  a  moment,  and  in  a  moment  depart. 

In  such  companionship  Nanak  abideth  ;  how  can  he,  fool 
that  he  is,  obtain  Thee  ? 2 

Then  the  Sidhs  said,  '  O  youth,  become  a  Jogi, 
and  adopt  the  dress  of  our  order,  so  shalt  thou  find 
the  true  way  and  obtain  the  merits  of  religion.'  The 
Guru  replied  with  the  following  hymn  :— 

Religion  consisteth  not  in  a  patched  coat,  or  in  a  Jogi's 
staff,  or  in  ashes  smeared  over  the  body  ; 

Religion  consisteth  not  in  earrings  worn,  or  a  shaven 
head,  or  in  the  blowing  of  horns.3 

.    Abide  pure  amid  the  impurities  of  the  world  ;   thus  shalt 
thou  find  the  way  of  religion. 

Religion  consisteth  not  in  mere  words  ; 

He  who  looketh  on  all  men  as  equal  is  religious. 

Religion  consisteth  not  in  wandering  to  tombs  4  or  places 
of  cremation,  or  sitting  in  attitudes  of  contemplation  ; 5 

Religion  consisteth  not  in  wandering  in  foreign  countries, 
or  in  bathing  at  places  of  pilgrimages. 

Abide  pure  amid  the  impurities  of  the  world  ;  thus  shalt 
thou  find  the  way  of  religion. 

On  meeting  a  true  guru  doubt  is  dispelled  and  the  wander 
ings  of  the  mind  restrained. 

It  raineth  nectar,  slow  ecstatic  music  is  heard,  and  man 
is  happy  within  himself. 

1  In  the  Granth  Sahib  God  is  the  wholesale  merchant  from  whom 
all  grace  and  good  gifts  proceed,  and  men  are  the  dealers  who  receive 
from  Him.  2  SQhi>  3  The  jogis  blow  deers>  hornSt 

4  Marhi,  a  structure  raised  over  the  ashes  of  the  dead. 
'  Tari  lagdna  is  to  sit  cross-legged  in  contemplative  attitude  as 
Buddha  is  represented. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  61 

Abide  pure  amid  the  impurities  of  the  world  ;  thus  shalt 
thou  find  the  way  of  religion. 

Nanak,  in  the  midst  of  life  be  in  death  ;  practise  such 
religion. 

When  thy  horn  soundeth  without  being  blown,  thou  shalt 
obtain  the  fearless  dignity — 

Abide  pure  amid  the  impurities  of  the  world,  thus  shalt 
thou  find  the  way  of  religion.1 

On  hearing  this  the  Sidhs  made  Guru  Nanak 
obeisance.  The  Guru,  having  infused  sap  into  the 
pipal-tree  by  sitting  under  it,  necessarily  became  a 
great  being  in  their  estimation. 

The  Guru  and  his  musical  attendant  proceeded  to 
Banaras,2  the  head  quarters  of  the  Hindu  religion, 
and  the  birthplace  of  the  renowned  Kabir,  then  dead 
but  not  forgotten.  The  Guru  and  Mardana  sat  down 
in  a  public  square  of  the  city.  At  that  time  the  chief 
Brahman  of  the  holy  city  was  Pandit  Chatur  Das. 
On  going  to  bathe  he  saw  the  Guru  and  made  the 
Hindu  salutation,  '  Ram  Ram  !  '  On  observing  the 
Guru's  dress,  he  twitted  him  with  possessing  no 
salagram 3  though  he  called  himself  a  faqir,  with 
wearing  no  necklace  of  sacred  basil  and  no  rosary. 
'  What  saintship  hast  thou  obtained  ? '  The  Guru 
replied  :— 

0  Brahman,    thou    worshippest    and    propitiatest    the 
salagram,  and  deemest  it  a  good  act  to  wear  a  necklace  of 
sweet  basil.4 

Why  irrigate  barren  land  and  waste  thy  life  ? 
Why  apply  plaster  to  a  frail  tottering  wall  ? 
Repeating  God's  name,  form  a  raft  for  thy  salvation  ; 
may  the  Merciful  have  mercy  on  thee  ! 

1  Suhi. 

2  Banaras,  in  Sanskrit  Baranasi,  is  derived  from  Barna  and  Asi, 
two  tributary  streams  of  the  Ganges. 

3  A  quartzose  stone  bearing  the   impression  of  ammonites    and 
believed  by  the  Hindus  to  represent  Vishnu  petrified  by  a  curse  of 
Brinda  for  possessing  her  in  the  guise  of  her  spouse.     Salagrams  are 
found  in  the  Gandaka  and  Son  rivers. 

4  Thereby  denoting  that  he  was  dedicated  to  the  god  Vishnu. 


62  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Chatur  Das  replied  :  '  O  saint,  the  salagram  and 
the  necklace  of  sweet  basil  may  indeed  be  useless  as 
the  irrigation  of  barren  land,  but  tell  me  by  what 
means  the  ground  may  be  prepared  and  God  found.' 
The  Guru  replied  :— 

Make  God  the  well,  string  His  name  for  the  necklace  of 
waterpots,  and  yoke  thy  mind  as  an  ox  thereto. 

Irrigate  with  nectar  and  fill  the  parterres  therewith  ;  thus 
shalt  thou  belong  to  the  Gardener. 

The  Pandit  inquired  :  '  The  soil  is  irrigated,  but 
how  can  it  yield  produce  until  it  hath  been  dug  up 
and  prepared  for  the  seed  ?  '  The  Guru  explained 
how  this  was  to  be  done  : — 

Beat  both  thy  lust  and  anger  into  a  spade,  with  which  dig 
up  the  earth,  O  brother  : 

The  more  thou  diggest,  the  happier  shalt  thou  be  :  such 
work  shall  not  be  effaced  in  vain. 

The  Pandit  replied  :  '  I  am  the  crane,  and  thou 
art  the  primal  swan  of  God.  My  understanding  is 
overcome  by  my  senses/  The  Guru  replied  : — 

If  thou,  O  Merciful  One,  show  mercy,  a  crane  shall  change 
into  a  swan. 

v/Nanak,  slave  of  slaves,  supplicateth,  O  Merciful  One  have 
mercy.1 

The  Pandit  then  admitted  that  the  Guru  was 
a  saint  of  God,  and  asked  him  to  bless  the  city  and 
sing  its  praises.  The  Guru  inquired  in  what  the 
specialty  of  the  city  consisted.  The  Pandit  said  it 
was  learning,  by  which  wealth  was  acquired.  '  The 
world  admireth  the  ground  on  which  the  possessor  of 
wealth  treadeth.  By  applying  the  mind  to  learning, 
thou  shalt  become  a  high  priest.'  The  Guru  replied 
in  a  series  of  metaphors  : — 

The  city 2  is  frail,  the  king  3  is  a  boy  and  loveth  the  wicked  ; 

He  is  said  to  have  two  mothers 4  and  two  fathers  5 ; 
O  Pandit,  think  upon  this. 

1  Basant.  *  The  body.  3  The  heart. 

4  Hope  and  desire.  5  Love  and  hate. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  63 

O,  sir  Pandit,  instruct  me 

How  I  am  to  obtain  the  Lord  of  life. 

^Within  me  is  the  fire,1  the  garden  2  is  in  bloom,  and  I  have 
an  ocean  3  within  my  body. 

The  moon  and  sun  4  are  both  in  my  heart  ;  thou  hast  not 
obtained  such  knowledge  ? 

He  who  subdueth  mammon  knoweth  that  God  is  every 
where  diffused  ; 

He  may  be  known  by  this  mark  that  he  storeth  con 
tentment  as  his  wealth.5 

The  king  dwelleth  with  those  who  listen  not  to  advice,  and 
who  are  not  grateful  for  what  they  receive. 

Nanak,  slave  of  slaves,  representeth,  0  God,  in  one  moment 
makest  the  small  great  and  the  great  small.6 


Chatur  Das  requested  further  information.  '  Sir, 
shall  the  name  of  God  be  to  any  extent  obtained 
by  what  we  teach  the  people  and  what  we  learn 
ourselves  ?  '  The  Guru  inquired  in  return  :  '  O  reli 
gious  teacher,  what  hast  thou  read  ?  What  teachest 
thou  the  people,  and  what  knowledge  dost  thou 
communicate  to  thy  disciples  ?  '  The  Pandit  replied  : 
'  By  the  will  of  God  I  teach  the  people  the  fourteen 
sciences  —  reading,  swimming,  medicine,  alchemy, 
astrology,  singing  the  six  rags  and  their  raginis, 
the  science  of  sexual  enjoyment,  grammar,  music, 
horsemanship,  dancing,  archery,  theology,  and  states 
manship/  The  Guru  replied  that  better  than  all 
these  was  knowledge  of  God.  Upon  this  he  repeated 
the  long  composition  called  the  Oamkar  in  the  Rag 

1  The  fire  of  evil  passions.  2  Of  my  youth. 

3  Of  desires.     Man  is  here  the  measure  of  infinity.     The  ocean  is 
supposed  to  contain  fire  which  consumes  it  and  hinders  its  increase. 
This  fire  is  called  barwtinal,  and  is  supposed  to  be  near  the  Equator. 

4  Meditation  and  divine  knowledge. 

5  Also    translated  —  He   who   hoardeth   mercy   instead    of   wealth 
recognizeth  God. 

6  Literally  —  in  a  moment  thou  canst  make  a  tola  a  masha,  and 
in  a  moment  a  masha  a  tola.     A  tola  is  180  grains  avoirdupois,  the 
weight  of  a  rupee.     A  masha  is  the  twelfth  part  of  a  tola.     The  hymn 
is  from  Basant. 


64  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Ramkali,  the  first  two  pauris  or  stanzas  of  which 

are  as  follow  :— 

*  It  is  the  one  God  who  created  Brahma ; l 

It  is  the  one  God  who  created  our  understanding  ; 

It  is  from  the  one  God  the  mountains  and  the  ages  of  the 
world  emanated  ; 

It  is  the  one  God  who  bestoweth  knowledge. 

It  is  by  the  word  of  God  man  is  saved. 

It  is  by  the  name  of  the  one  God  the  pious  are  saved. 

Hear  an  account  of  the  letter  O — 2 

O  is  the  best  letter  in  the  three  worlds. 

Hear,  O  Pandit,  why  writest  thou  puzzles  ? 

Write  under  the  instruction  of  the  Guru  the  name  of  God, 
the  Cherisher  of  the  world. 

He  created  the  world  with  ease  :  in  the  three  worlds 
there  is  one  Lord  of  Light. 

Under  the  Guru's  instruction  select  gems  and  pearls, 
and  thou  shalt  obtain  God  the  real  thing. 

If  man  understand,  reflect,  and  comprehend  what  he 
readeth,  he  shall  know  at  last  that  the  True  One  is  every 
where.3 

The  pious  man  knoweth  and  rem ember eth  the  truth — 
that  without  the  True  One  the  world  is  unreal. 

On  hearing  the  whole  fifty-four  stanzas  of  the 
Oamkar,  the  Pandit  fell  at  the  Guru's  feet,  and 
became  a  Sikh  and  possessor  of  God's  name. 

During  the  Guru's  stay  at  Banaras  Krishan  Lai 
and  Har  Lai,  two  eminent  young  pandits,  went  to 
visit  him,  and  he  explained  to  them  the  tenets  and 
principles  of  his  religion. 

From  Banaras  the  Guru  proceeded  to  Gaya,  the 
famous  place  of  pilgrimage,  where  Buddha  in  days 
long  past  made  his  great  renunciation  and  per 
formed  his  memorable  penance.  There  the  Guru 
uttered  the  following  in  reply  to  Brahmans  who  had 

This  means  that  the  true  God  is  superior  to  all  other  gods. 
-  The  symbol  of  the  eternal  God.     It  is  here  used  instead  of  the 
Name.  3  Nirantar,  pervades  creation  uninterruptedly. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  65 

urged  him  to  perform  the  ceremonies  usual  among 
Hindus  for  the  repose  of  the  souls  of  ancestors. 

The  Name  alone,  is  my  lamp,  suffering  the  oil  I  put 
therein. 

The  lamp's  light  hath  dried  it  up,  and  I  have  escaped 
meeting  Death. 

0  ye  people,  make  me  not  an  object  of  derision. 

The  application  of  a  particle  of  fire  will  destroy  even 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  logs  heaped  together.1 

God  is  my  barley  rolls  2  and  leafy  platters,3  the  Creator's 
name  the  true  obsequies.4 

In  this  world  and  the  next,  in  the  past  and  the  future, 
that  is  my  support. 

Thy  praises  are  as  the  Ganges  and  Banaras  to  me  ;  my 
soul  laveth  therein. 

If  day  and  night  I  love  Thee,  then  shall  my  ablution  be 
true. 

Some  rolls  are  offered  to  the  gods,  some  to  the  manes  5 ; 
but  it  is  the  Brahman  who  kneadeth  and  eateth  them. 

Nanak,  the  rolls  which  are  the  gift  of  God  are  never 
exhausted.6 

The  Guru  and  Mardana  in  the  course  of  their 
travels  found  themselves  at  a  grain-dealer* s  house. 
A  son  had  just  been  born  to  one  of  the  partners, 
and  several  people  had  come  to  offer  him  congratula 
tions.  Some  threw  red  powder7  in  token  of  joy, 
and  voices  of  blessing  and  congratulation  filled  the 
neighbourhood.  Mardana  sat  down  and  gazed  on  the 

1  That  is,  God's  name  will  remove  hundreds  of  thousands  of  sins. 

2  Find]  this  word  also  means  the  body  which  is  supposed  to  be  put 
together  by  the  offering  of  these  rolls. 

3  Paital,  literally,  plates   of  leaves  generally  of  the  palas  (Butea 
frondosa)  in  which  food  is  placed. 

4  Kiriya,  the  ceremonies  performed  on  the  thirteenth  day  after  death. 

5  Chhamchari,  those  who  walked  the  earth,  the  manes  of  ancestors. 

6  Asa. 

7  Red  powder  is  thrown  on  passers-by  in  India  on  occasions  of 
festivity.     The  practice  is  particularly  resorted  to  on  the  occasion 
of  the  Holi,  a  Hindu  saturnalia. 


66  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

spectacle.  In  the  evening,  when  the  grain-dealer's 
entertainment  was  at  an  end,  he  stood  up  and  went 
to  his  private  apartments  without  taking  any  notice 
of  Mardana.  The  latter  went  to  the  Guru,  who 
sat  at  some  distance,  informed  him  of  the  birth  of 
the  child,  and  gave  him  an  account  of  the  enter 
tainment.  The  Guru  smiled,  and  said  it  was  not 
a  son  who  had  been  born  in  the  grain-dealer's  house, 
but  a  creditor  who  had  come  to  settle  his  account. 
He  would  remain  for  the  night  and  depart  in  the 
morning.  Then  the  Guru  ordered  Mardana  to  play  the 
rebeck,  and  sang  to  its  strains  the  following  hymn  :— 

I 

In  the  first  watch  of  night,  my  merchant  friend,  the  child 

by  God's  order  entereth  the  womb. 

With  body  reversed  it  performeth  penance  within,   O 

merchant  friend,  and  prayeth  to  the  Lord- 
It  prayeth  to  the  Lord  in  deep  meditation  and  love. 
It  cometh  naked  into  the  world,  and  again  it  departeth 

naked. 
Such  destiny  shall  attend  it  as  God's  pen  hath  recorded 

upon  its  forehead. 

Saith  Nanak,  in  the  first  watch  the  child  on  receiving  the 

order  entereth  the  womb. 

II 

In  the  second  watch  of  night,  O  merchant  friend,  it  for- 
getteth  to  meditate  on  God. 

It  is  dandled  in  the  arms,  O  merchant  friend,  like  Krishan 
in  the  house  of  Yasodha. 

The  child  is  dandled  in  the  arms,  and  its  mother  saith, 
*  This  is  my  son.' 

Think  on  this,  O  thoughtless  and  stupid  man,1  nothing 
shall  be  thine  at  last. 

Thou  knowest  not  Him  who  created  thee  ;  meditate  upon 
Him  in  thy  heart. 

1  Man  in  the  original  might  be  translated  mind,  but  the  word 
includes  the  heart  in  the  next  line. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  67 

Saith  Nanak,  the  child  hath  forgotten  to  meditate  at  the 
second  watch. 

Ill 

At  the  third  watch  of  night,  O  merchant  friend,  man's 
thoughts  are  of  woman  and  the  pleasures  of  youth  ; 

He  thinketh  not  of  God's  name,  O  merchant  friend,  which 
would  release  him  from  his  bondage. 

Man  thinketh  not  of  God's  name,  but  groweth  beside  him 
self  with  worldly  love. 

Devoted  to  woman  and  intoxicated  with  his  youth  he 
wasteth  his  life  in  vain. 

He  hath  not  traded  in  virtue  or  made  good  acts  his  friends. 

Saith  Nanak,  in  the  third  watch  man's  thoughts  are  of 
woman  and  the  pleasures  of  youth. 

IV 

In  the  fourth  watch  of  night,  0  merchant  friend,  the  reaper 
cometh  to  the  field  ; 

The  secret  hath  been  given  to  none  when  Death  shall  seize 
and  take  away  his  victim. 

Think  upon  God  ;  the  secret  hath  been  given  to  none 
when  Death  shall  seize  and  take  man  away. 

Hollow  are  the  lamentations  around.  In  one  moment 
man's  goods  become  another's. 

He  shall  obtain  those  things  on  which  he  hath  set  his 
heart.1 

Saith  Nanak,  O  mortal,  in  the  fourth  watch  the  reaper 
hath  reaped  the  field.2 

When  morning  came,  the  grain-dealer's  child  died, 
and  the  grain-dealer  and  his  relatives  came  forth 
weeping  and  wailing.  Mardana  asked  the  Guru 
what  sudden  change  of  fortune  had  come  to  those 
who  yesterday  had  been  engaged  in  their  rejoicings 

1  It  is  supposed  that  man  shall  receive  in  the  next  world  the  things 
which  formed  the  object  of  his  last  thoughts  in  this.  He  who  has  not 
fixed  his  thoughts  on  God  at  the  last  moment  shall  not  find  Him, 
but  begin  anew  a  course  of  transmigration.  See  Trilochan,  Gujari, 
vol,  vi.  2  gri  R5  Pahare. 


F  2 


68  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

and  saturnalia.    Then  the  Guru  uttered  the  following 
on  the  vicissitudes  of  human  life  :— 

They  to  whose  faces  were  uttered  gratulations  and 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  blessings, 

Now  smite  their  heads  in  grief;  and  their  minds  and  bodies 
suffer  agony. 

Of  the  dead  some  are  buried,  others  are  thrown  into  rivers.1 

The  gratulations  have  passed  away ;  but  even  so  do 
thou,  O  Nanak,  praise  the  True  One. 

As  the  Guru  and  Mardana  pursued  their  way  they 
saw  a  small  enclosed  field  of  gram.2  The  watchman 
of  the  field  began  to  roast  some  for  his  dinner,  while 
the  Guru  and  Mardana  gazed  at  him  at  a  distance. 
As  the  watchman  was  preparing  to  eat,  he  saw  them, 
and  it  occurred  to  him  that  they  wanted  something 
more  dainty  than  gram,  so  he  would  go  to  his  house 
and  bring  them  better  fare  and  comfortable  bedding. 
As  he  stood  up,  the  Guru,  who  did  not  wish  to  trouble 
him,  asked  whither  he  was  going,  and,  on  being 
informed,  uttered  the  following  verses  : — 

Thy  pallet  is  a  coverlet  and  mattress  for  me  ;  thy  love  is 
my  dainty  dish. 

Nanak  is  already  satiated  with  thy  good  qualities  ;  come 
back,  O  monarch. 

In  due  time  the  watchman  obtained  spiritual 
dignity  in  return  for  his  kind  intentions  towards  the 
Guru. 

There  was  at  that  time  a  shopkeeper  whose  mind 
had  taken  a  religious  bent,  and  who  desired  to 
meet  a  religious  guide.  He  heard  of  Guru  Nanak's 
arrival,  and  vowed  that  he  would  not  eat  or  drink 
until  he  had  had  an  interview  with  him.  Having 

1  The  Musalmans  bury  their  dead.     The  Hindus  cremate  them, 
or  throw  them  into  their  sacred  streams. 

2  Ghana,  Cicer  an'etinum,  chick  peas,  on  which  horses  are  fed  in 
India.     It  is  called  gram  by  Europeans.     When  roasted  green  it  is 
sometimes  eaten  by  the  poorer  classes. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  69 

once  visited  the  Guru  he  continually  went  to  him 
to  receive  religious  instruction.  A  neighbouring 
shopkeeper  heard  of  his  friend's  visits,  and  said 
that  he  too  would  go  to  see  the  holy  man.  They 
proceeded  together,  but  on  the  way  the  second 
shopkeeper  saw  a  woman  of  whom  he  became 
enamoured,  and  his  visit  to  Nanak  was  indefinitely 
postponed.  It  was  the  custom  of  both  to  set  out 
together,  one  to  visit  his  mistress,  and  the  other  to 
visit  the  Guru.  The  second  shopkeeper  desired  to 
put  the  fortunes  of  both  to  the  test,  and  said,  '  Thou 
practisest  good  works,  while  I  practise  bad  works. 
Let  us  see  what  shall  happen  to  each  of  us  to-day. 
If  I  arrive  first,  I  will  sit  down  and  wait  for  thee  ; 
and  if  thou  arrive  first,  then  wait  for  me/  This  was 
agreed  upon.  The  second  shopkeeper  went  to  the 
house  of  his  mistress  as  usual,  but  did  not  find  her. 
He  then  proceeded  to  the  spot  where  his  :friend 
had  agreed  to  meet  him,  but  his  friend,  who  on 
that  day  tarried  long  with  the  Guru,  had  not  yet 
arrived.  The  second  shopkeeper  needing  some  occupa 
tion  in  his  solitude,  drew  out  his  knife  and  began  to 
whittle  the  ground  with  it,  when  he  found  a  shining 
gold  coin.  He  continued  his  excavations  with  the 
weak  delving  implement  he  possessed,  when,  to  his 
disappointment,  he  only  discovered  a  jar  of  charcoal. 
He  had,  however,  obtained  some  reward  for  his  labour. 

Meanwhile  the  first  shopkeeper  arrived  in  doleful 
case.  Having  left  the  Guru,  a  thorn  pierced  his  foot. 
He  bound  up  the  wound,  and  proceeded  sore  limping 
to  the  trysting-place.  His  friend  told  him  of  his  better 
fortune.  They  both  saw  that  he  who  went  daily  to 
commit  sin  prospered,  while  he  who  went  to  his 
religious  teacher  to  pray  and  meditate  on  God, 
suffered ;  and  they  agreed  to  refer  to  Guru  Nanak  for 
an  explanation  of  their  unequal  and  unmerited  fates. 

The  Guru  explained  that  the  sinful  shopkeeper 
had  in  a  former  birth  given  a  gold  coin  as  alms  to  a 
holy  man.  That  coin  was  converted  into  many 


70  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

gold  coins  as  a  reward  for  the  alms-giver,  but,  when 
he  entered  on  his  career  of  sin,  the  gold  coins  were 
turned  into  charcoal.  The  original  gold  coin  was, 
however,  restored.  The  shopkeeper  who  visited 
the  Guru,  had  deserved  to  die  by  an  impaling  stake 
for  the  sins  of  deceit  and  usury,  but,  as  he  continued 
to  progress  in  virtue,  the  impaling  stake  was  reduced 
in  size  till  it  became  merely  a  thorn.  Having  been 
pierced  by  it,  he  had  fully  expiated  the  sins  of 
a  former  birth.  Thus  may  the  decree  of  destiny  be 
altered  by  the  practice  of  virtue.  Both  men  were 
thoroughly  satisfied  with  this  explanation  of  unequal 
retribution.  The  sinful  as  well  as  the  virtuous  man 
fell  at  Guru  Nanak's  feet,  and  both  became  true 
worshippers  of  God.  The  Guru  then  uttered  the 
following  verses  : — 

The  heart  is  the  paper,  conduct  the  ink  ; l  good  and  bad 
are  both  recorded  therewith. 

Man's  life  is  as  his  acts  constrain  him  ;  there  is  no  limit  to 
Thy  praises,  O  God. 

O  fool,  why  callest  thou  not  to  mind  Thy  Creator  ? 

Thy  virtues  have  dissolved  away  by  thy  forgetfulness  of 
God. 

Night  is  a  small  net,  day  a  large  one  ;  there  are  as  many 
meshes  as  there  are  gharis  in  the  day. 

With  relish  thou  ever  peckest  at  the  bait,  and  art  ensnared  ; 
O  fool,  by  what  skill  shalt  thou  escape  ? 

The  body  is  the  furnace,  the  mind  the  iron  therein  ;  five 
fires  2  are  ever  applied  to  it. 

Sin  is  the  charcoal  added  thereto,  by  which  the  mind  is 
heated  ;  anxiety  is  the  pincers. 

The  mind  hath  turned  into  dross,  but  it  shall  again  become 
gold  when  it  meeteth  such  a  Guru 

As  will  bestow  the  ambrosial  name  of  the  one  God;  then, 
Nanak,  the  mind  shall  become  fixed.3 

1  Literally— Conduct— heart  being  the  paper — is  the  ink. 

2  The  deadly  sins.  3  Maru. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  71 

The  Guru  then  took  the  opportunity  of  discoursing 
on  the  immoral  shopkeeper's  peculiar  vice :  *  Man 
is  fickle  when  he  beholdeth  a  courtesan  ;  he  then 
hath  a  special  desire  for  love's  play,  and  can  in  no 
way  be  restrained.  On  meeting  her  he  loseth  his 
human  birth.  Bereft  of  his  religion  he  falleth  into 
hell,  where  he  undergoeth  punishment  and  profusely 
lamenteth.  Wherefore  look  not  on  her,  but  pass 
thy  time  among  the  holy.' 

After  this  they  all  separated,  and  the  Guru  and 
Mardana  continued  their  wanderings.  On  the  way 
they  were  encountered  by  robbers.  On  seeing 
Guru  Nanak,  they  said  to  themselves  that  he  on 
whose  face  shone  such  happiness  could  not  be 
without  wealth.  They  accordingly  went  and  stood 
around  the  Guru.  As  they  beheld  him  morning 
dawned,  so  they  were  able  to  examine  him  more 
closely.  He  asked  them  who  they  were,  and  what 
they  wanted.  They  candidly  replied  that  they  were 
thags,1  and  had  come  to  rob  him.  The  Guru  gave 
them  spiritual  instruction,  and  said  that  their  sins 
should  be  wiped  out  when  they  had  abandoned  their 
evil  career,  turned  to  agriculture,  and  bestowed 
charity  out  of  the  spoils  in  their  possession.  They 
acted  on  his  suggestions,  began  to  repeat  the  Name, 
and  reform  their  lives.  The  Guru  on  that  occasion 
composed  the  following  :— 

Covetousness  is  a  dog,  falsehood  a  sweeper,  food  obtained 
by  deceit  carrion  ; 

Slander  of  others  is  merely  others'  filth  in  our  mouths  ; 
the  fire  of  anger  is  a  sweeper.2 

Pleasures  and  self-praise— these  are  mine  acts,  O  Creator. 

My  friends,  doth  any  one  obtain  honour  by  mere  words  ? 

Call  them  the  best,  who  are  the  best  at  the  gate  of  the 
Lord  ;  they  who  do  base  acts  sit  and  weep. 

1  Indian  robbers  who  generally  effect  their  purpose  by  the  use  of 
stupefying  and  poisonous  drugs. 

2  Also  translated — Slander  of  others  is  our  neighbour's  dirt,  filthy 
language  a  sweeper,  anger  fire. 


72  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

There  is  pleasure  in  gold,  pleasure  in  silver  and  in 
women,  pleasure  in  the  perfume  of  sandal ; 

There  is  pleasure  in  horses,  pleasure  in  couches  and  in 
palaces,  pleasure  in  sweets,  and  pleasure  in  meats. 

When  such  are  the  pleasures  of  the  body,  how  shall  God's 
name  obtain  a  dwelling  therein  ? 

It  is  proper  to  utter  the  words  by  which  honour  is 
obtained. 

Injury  resulteth  from  uttering  harsh  words  ;  hearken, 
O  foolish  and  ignorant  man. 

They  who  please  God  are  good ;  what  more  can 
be  said  ? 

They  in  whose  heart  God  is  contained  possess  wisdom, 
honour,  and  wealth. 

What  need  is  there  of  praising  them  ?  What  further 
decoration  can  they  obtain  ? 

Nanak,  they  who  are  beyond  God's  favouring  glance  love 
not  charity  or  His  name.1 

By  the  following  the  Guru  recommended  agricul 
tural  labour : — 

The  oxen  are  disciples,2  the  ploughman  is  their  Shaikh  ; 3 
The  earth  is  a  book,  the  furrow  the  writing. 
The  sweat  of  the  ploughman's  brow  falleth  to  his  heels, 
And  every  one  eateth  of  his  earning.4 
They  who  eat  the  fruit  of  their  earning  and  bestow  a  little 
from  it, 

O  Nanak,  recognize  the  true  way. 

Then  the  Guru  departed  thence. 

1  Sri  Rag. 

2  Mushaiq.     This  is  the  Arabic  mashshaq,  a  striven 

3  Their  spiritual  guide. 

4  Compare — 

'  On  its  oxen  and  its  husbandmen 
An  empire's  strength  is  laid.' 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  73 

CHAPTER  VI 

The  Guru  and  Mardana  went  to  Kamrup,1  a  coun 
try  whose  women  were  famous  for  their  skill  in 
incantation  and  magic.  It  was  governed  by  a  queen 
called  Nurshah  in  the  Sikh  chronicles.  She  with 
several  of  her  females  went  to  the  Guru  and  tried  to 
obtain  influence  over  him. 

Then  the  Guru  uttered  the  following  verses  : — 

You  buy  saline  earth,2  and  want  musk  into  the  bargain  : 
Without  good  works,  Nanak,  how  shall  you  meet  your 
Spouse  ? 

The  Guru  continued  as  follows  : — 

The  virtuous  wife  enjoyeth  her  husband  ;  why  doth  the 
bad  one  bewail  ? 

If  she  become  virtuous,  then  shall  she  too  go  to  enjoy  her 
husband. 

My  Spouse  is  an  abode  of  sweetness  ;  why  should  He  enjoy 
other  women  ? 

If  a  woman  become  virtuous  and  turn  her  heart  into  a 
thread, 

She  shall  string  her  Spouse's  heart  thereon  like  a  priceless 
gem. 

I  show  the  way  to  others,  but  walk  not  in  it  myself ; 3  I 
say  I  have  already  traversed  it. 

If  thou,  0  my  Spouse,  speak  not  to  me,  how  shall  I  abide 
in  Thy  house  ? 

Nanak,  excepting  One  there  is  none  besides. 

If  Thy  wife,  O  Spouse,  remain  attached  to  Thee,  she  shall 
enjoy  Thee.4 

Nurshah  observed  that  her  people's  spells  were  of 
no  avail,  however  much  they  tried.  The  Guru,  on 

1  In  the  time  of  the  Guru  it  is  believed  that  Kawaru,  or  KamrDp, 
included  at  least  the  present  districts  of  Goalpara  and  Kamrup. 

2  Kallar,  impure  nitrate  of  soda  found  in  sandy  soils  in  India. 

3  Compare— 

'  Fungar  vice  cotis,  acutum 
Reddere  quae  ferrum  valet,  exsors  ipsa  secandi.' — HORACE. 

4  Wadhans. 


74  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

beholding  their  fruitless  efforts,  uttered  the  following 
hymn  in  the  Suhi  measure  entitled  Kuchajji,  or  the 
woman  of  bad  character  : — 

I  am  a  worthless  woman  ;  in  me  are  faults  ;  how  can  I  go 
to  enjoy  my  Spouse  ? 

My  Spouse's  wives  are  one  better  than  the  other  ;  O  my  life, 
who  careth  for  me  ?  l 

My  female  friends  who  have  enjoyed  their  Spouse  are  in 
the  shade  of  the  mango.2 

I  do  not  possess  their  virtues  ;  to  whom  can  I  attribute 
blame  ?  3 

What  attributes  of  Thine,  O  Lord,  shall  I  blazon  abroad  ? 
What  names  of  Thine  shall  I  repeat  ? 

I  cannot  even  attain  one  of  Thy  many  excellences  :  I  am 
ever  a  sacrifice  unto  Thee. 

Gold,  silver,  pearls,  and  rubies  which  gladden  the  heart — 

These  things  the  Bridegroom  hath  given  me,  and  I  have 
fixed  my  heart  on  them.4 

I  had  palaces  of  brick  fashioned  with  marble. 

In  these  luxuries  I  forgot  the  Bridegroom  and  sat  not 
near  Him. 

The  kulangs  cry  in  the  heavens,5  and  the  cranes  have  come 
to  roost.6 

The  woman  goeth  to  her  father-in-law's  ; 7  how  shall  she 
show  her  face  as  she  proceedeth  ? 

As  morning  dawned  she  soundly  slept,  and  forgot  her 
journey. 

She  separated  from  Thee,  O  Spouse,  and  therefore  stored 
up  grief  for  herself. 

1  Literally — who  knoweth  my  name  ? 

2  That  is,  they  are  fortunate.     The  mango  is  an  evergreen,  and  its 
leaves  always  afford  shelter. 

3  It  is  my  own  fault  that  I  possess  not  virtue. 

4  And  forgotten  the  Giver. 

5  The  Orientals  believe  that  very  old  men  hear  noises  in  their  heads. 
The  kulang  is  a  large  stately  Indian  bird. 

6  Grey  hair  has  come. 

7  In  the  Granth  Sahib  the   present  world  is  called  one's  father's 
house,  and  the  next  world  one's  father-in-law's. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  75 

In  Thee,  0  Lord,  are  merits  ;  in  me  all  demerits  :  Nanak 
hath  this  one  representation  to  make. 

Every  night  is  for  the  virtuous  woman  ;  may  I  though 
unchaste  obtain  a  night  also  ! 1 

Nurshah  grew  weary  of  her  efforts.  She  felt  that 
her  ill  success  was  the  result  of  her  sins.  Her  women 
then,  beating  drums,  stood  in  front  of  the  Guru,  and 
began  to  dance  and  sing.  He  on  that  occasion  com 
posed  the  following  hymn  : — 

The  impulses  of  my  heart  are  my  cymbals  and  madiras.2 

The  world  is  my  drum  ;  this  is  the  music  that  playeth  for 
me. 

Saints  like  Narad  dance  under  the  influence  of  this  Kal 
age.3 

They  who  call  themselves  continent  and  virtuous  also 
enter  the  dance. 

Nanak,  I  am  a  sacrifice  to  the  Name. 

The  world  is  blind  in  the  opinion  of  those  who  know  the 
Lord. 

Contrary  to  custom,  a  disciple  eateth  from  the  hand  of 
his  guru, 

And  goeth  and  dwelleth  with  him  only  for  the  sake  of  food.4 

If  man  were  to  live  and  eat  hundreds  of  years, 

Only  that  day  would  be  acceptable  in  which  he  recognized 
the  Lord. 

Compassion  is  not  exercised  by  merely  beholding  a  suitor ; 5 

There  is  no  one  who  receiveth  or  giveth  not  bribes. 

The  king  dispenseth  justice  when  his  palm  is  filled. 

If  a  man  make  a  request  for  God's  sake  nobody  heedeth 
him. 
/Nanak,  men  nowadays  are  men  only  in  shape  and  name  : 

1  She  has  grown  grey  in  sin,  and  is  not  desirable  to  her  Husband. 

2  The  madiras  were    struck  with   a  stick,   and  somewhat    corre 
sponded  to  European  triangles. 

3  Even  saints  dance  for  pleasure,  and  not  for  the  love  of  God  in 
this  age. 

1  This  is  described  as  a  custom  of  this  degenerate  age.      The 
proper  course  would  be  for  the  disciple  to  feed  his  master. 
5  A  bribe  must  be  paid  to  the  judge. 


76  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

In  action  they  are  dogs  ;  shall  they  be  accepted  at  God's 
gate? 

If  man  by  the  favour  of  his  guru  deem  himself  a  guest  in 
this  world, 

He  shall  acquire  some  honour  in  God's  court.1 

Again  the  Guru  uttered  the  following  verses  : — 

In  words  we  are  good,  but  in  acts  bad. 

We  are  impure-minded  and  black-hearted,  yet  we  wear  the 
white  robes  of  innocence.2 

We  envy  those  who  stand  and  serve  at  His  gate. 

They  who  love  the  Bridegroom  and  enjoy  the  pleasure  of 
His  embraces, 

Are  lowly  even  in  their  strength,  and  remain  humble. 

Nanak,  our  lives  shall  be  profitable  if  we  meet  such  women.3 

When  the  Guru  had  uttered  these  verses,  Nurshah 
thought  she  would  tempt  him  with  wealth.  Her 
attendants  brought  pearls,  diamonds,  gold,  silver, 
coral,  sumptuous  dresses,  all  things  precious  the 
state  treasury  contained,  and  laid  them  at  his  feet. 
The  Guru  rejected  all  the  proffered  presents,  and 
uttered  the  following  hymn,  which  he  sang  to  Mar- 
dana's  rebeck  :— 

0  silly  woman,  why  art  thou  proud  ? 

Why  enjoy est  thou  not  the  love  of  God4  in  thine  own 
home  ? 

The  Spouse  is  near  ;  O  foolish  woman,  why  searchest  thou 
abroad  ? 

Put  the  surma 5  needles  of  God's  fear  into  thine  eyes,  and 
wear  the  decoration  of  love. 

Thou  shalt  be  known  as  a  devoted  happy  wife  6  if  thou 
love  the  Bridegroom. 

1  Asa. 

2  Literally— we  are  white  outside.  3  Sri  Rag  ki  War. 
1  The  Indian  husband  is  deemed  as  a  god  by  his  wife. 

5  A  species  of  collyrium. 

6  Suhdgan,  from  the  Sanskrit  su,  good,  and  bhag,  fortune,  is  applied 
to  a  wife  whose  husband  is  alive.     Her  lot  is  happy,  and  her  state 
deemed  holy  in  comparison  with  that  of  a  widow. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  77 

What  shall  a  silly  woman  do  if  she  please  not  her  Spouse  ? 

However  much  she  implore,  she  may  not  enter  His 
chamber. 

Without  God's  grace  she  obtaineth  nothing,  howsoever 
she  may  strive. 

Intoxicated  with  avarice,  covetousness,  and  pride,  she  is 
absorbed  in  mammon. 

It  is  not  by  these  means  the  Bridegroom  is  obtained  ; 
silly  is  the  woman  who  thinketh  so. 

Go  and  ask  the  happy  wives l  by  what  means  they  obtained 
their  Spouse — 

'  Whatever  He  doeth  accept  as  good  ;  have  done  with 
cleverness  and  orders. 

'  Apply  thy  mind  to  the  worship  of  His  feet  by  whose  love 
what  is  most  valued  is  obtained.2 

*  Do  whatever  the  Bridegroom  biddeth  thee  ;  give  Him 
thy  body  and  soul ;  such  perfumes  apply.' 3 

Thus  speak  the  happy  wives  : 4  '  O  sister,  by  these  means 
the  Spouse  is  obtained. 

'  Efface  thyself,  so  shalt  thou  obtain  the  Bridegroom  ; 
what  other  art  is  there  ?  ' 

Only  that  day  is  of  account  when  the  Bridegroom  looketh 
with  favour  ;  the  wife  hath  then  obtained  the  wealth  of 
the  world. 

She  who  pleaseth  her  Spouse  is  the  happy  wife  ;  Nanak, 
she  is  the  queen  of  them  all. 

She  is  saturated  with  pleasure,  intoxicated  with  happi 
ness,5  and  day  and  night  absorbed  in  His  love. 

She  is  beautiful  and  fair  to  view,  accomplished,  and  it  is 
she  alone  who  is  wise.6 

1  Who  have  God  for  their  spouse. 

2  That  is,  salvation.      Also  translated — from  whom  the  wealth  of 
love  is  obtained. 

3  That  is,  let  these  be  thy  blandishments. 

4  This  is  the  reply  of  the  favourite  wives  showing  how  they  won 
God  as  their  Spouse. 

5  Sahij.     This  word  has  many  meanings  in  the  Granth  Sahib.     It 
means  natural  disposition,   easily,    slowly,   divine   knowledge,   divine 
tranquillity,  God,  &c.     In  some   of  its  meanings  it  is  derived  from 
sah,  with,  andy'a,  born.  6  Tilang. 


78  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Nurshah  and  her  women,  on  hearing  this  hymn, 
twisted  their  head-dresses  around  their  necks  in 
token  of  submission,  and  fell  at  the  Guru's  feet. 
They  asked  how  they  could  obtain  salvation.  The 
Guru  told  them  to  repeat  God's  name,  conscientiously 
perform  their  domestic  duties,  renounce  magic,  and 
they  should  thus  secure  future  happiness.  It  is 
said  that  they  became  followers  of  Guru  Nanak,  and 
thus  secured  salvation* 

The  Guru,  on  leaving  Kamrup,  entered  a  wilderness. 
There  Kaljug1  came  to  tempt  him.  Mardana  became 
sore  afraid.  The  Guru  remonstrated  with  him ; 
asked  why  he  was  afraid  of  Kaljug ;  if  he  felt  fear 
it  ought  to  be  the  fear  of  God. 

The  Guru  then  sang  the  following  hymn  : — 

Put  the  fear  of  God2  into  thy  heart  ;  then  the  fear  of 
Death  shall  depart  in  fear. 

What  is  that  fear  by  fearing  which  the  fear  of  Death  may 
take  fright  ? 

0  God,  there  is  no  other  abode  than  in  Thee  ; 
Whatever  happeneth  is  according  to  Thy  pleasure. 
Fear  if  thou  have  any  other  fear  than  that  of  God  : 
Fear  is  mental  disturbance. 

The  soul  dieth  not,  neither  is  it  drowned  ;  it  is  saved 
through  fear  of  God. 

'He  who  made  something  will  make  something. 

By  His  order  man  cometh  ;  by  His  order  man  goeth  ; 

Before  and  behind  us  His  order  prevaileth. 

The  swan  of  the  heart  aspireth  to  fly  to  heaven  ; 

But  on  the  way  it  is  a  target  for  great  hunger  which 
restraineth  it. 

Let  the  swan  make  fear  its  eating,  drinking,  and  support ; 

Without  such  food  the  stupid  bird  would  die. 

Who  hath  a  helper  let  anybody  say. 

Everybody  is  Thine  ;  Thou  art  the  helper  of  all. 

1  Kaljug  here  means  Satan. 

2  Dar  ghar,  the  abode  of  fear,  is  explained  by  the  gyanis  to  mean 
God. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  79 

Nanak,  to  name  and  meditate  on  Him  to  whom  belong 
Men,  lower  animals,  wealth,  and  property,  is  difficult .l 

Mardana  inquired  who  Kaljug  was,  by  what  signs 
he  was  known  unto  men,  and  what  prerogative  he 
exercised  ?  The  Guru  replied  :— 

When  true  men  speak  the  truth  and  suffer  for  it ;  when 
penitents  fail  to  perform  penance  in  their  homes  ; 

When  he  who  repeateth  the  name  of  God  meeteth 
obloquy — these  are  the  signs  of  the  Kaljug.2 

Kaljug  offered  the  Guru  the  wealth  of  the  world 
if  he  would  abandon  his  mission.  He  said,  '  I  possess 
everything.  Say  but  the  word,  and  I  will  build 
thee  a  palace  of  pearls,  inlay  it  with  gems,  and 
plaster  it  with  fragrant  aloes  and  sandal.  I  will 
bring  thee  very  beautiful  women,  and  give  thee  the 
wealth  of  the  world,  the  power  of  working  miracles, 
and  confer  upon  thee  the  sovereignty  of  the  East 
and  of  the  West.  Take  whatever  pleaseth  thee/ 
The  Guru  informed  him  that  he  himself  had  renounced 
all  sovereignty.  What  could  he  do  with  what  Kaljug 
offered  him,  which  moreover  belonged  to  others  ? 
Then  the  Guru  uttered  the  following  stanza  :— 

Were  a  mansion  of  pearls  erected  and  inlaid  with  gems 
for  me  ; 

Perfumed  with  musk,  saffron,  fragrant  aloes  and  sandal 
to  confer  delight  ; 

May  it  not  be  that  on  beholding  these  things  I  may  forget 
Thee,  0  God,  and  not  remember  Thy  name  ! 

My  soul  burneth  without  Thee. 

I  have  ascertained  from  my  Guru  that  there  is  no  other 
shelter  than  in  God. 

Were  the  earth  to  be  studded  with  diamonds  and  rubies, 
and  my  couch  to  be  similarly  adorned  ; 

Were  fascinating  damsels  whose  faces  were  decked  with 
jewels  to  shed  lustre  and  enhance  the  pleasure  of  the  scene  ; 

1  Gauri.  2  Ramkali. 


80  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

May  it  not  be  that  on  beholding  them  I  may  forget  Thee 
and  not  remember  Thy  name  I 

Were  I  to  become  a  Sidh  and  work  miracles  ;  could 
I  command  the  wealth  of  the  universe  to  come  to  me  ; 

Could  I  disappear  and  appear  at  pleasure,  and  were  the 
world  to  honour  me  ; 

May  it  not  be  that  on  beholding  these  things  I  may  forget 
Thee  and  not  remember  Thy  name  ! 


Were  I  to  become  a  monarch  on  my  throne  and  raise  an 
army  ; 

Were  dominion  and  regal  revenue  mine — O  Nanak,  they 
would  be  all  worthless — 

May  it  not  be  that  on  beholding  these  things  I  may  forget 
Thee  and  not  remember  Thy  name  ! l 

Then  Kaljug  went  round  him  in  adoration,  fell  at 
his  feet,  and  took  his  departure. 

On  the  way  Guru  and  Mardana  sought  shelter  in 
a  village,  but  were  not  allowed  to  remain  there. 
The  villagers  began  to  play  practical  jokes  on  them. 
The  Guru  on  that  occasion  uttered  the  following 
verses  : — 

When  I  remain  silent,  they  say  I  have  no  understanding 
in  my  heart  ; 

When  I  speak,  they  say  I  chatter  too  much  ; 

When  I  sit,  they  say  I  have  spread  my  pallet  to  stay  ; 

When  I  go  away,  they  say  I  have  thrown  dust  on  my 
head  ; 2 

When  I  bow  down,  they  say  I  perform  my  devotions 
through  fear. 

I  can  do  nothing  by  which  I  may  spend  my  time  in  peace. 

Both  here  and  hereafter  may  the  Creator  preserve  Nanak's 
honour ! 

Then  the  Guru  composed  the  following  hymn  in 
the  Rag  Malar  : — 

1  Sri  Rag. 

2  That  is,  I  have  become  a  faqlr  and  dishonoured  my  family. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  81 

Death  is  forgotten  amid  eating  and  drinking,  laughter 
and  sleep. 

By  forgetting  the  Lord  man  hath  ruined  himself  and  ren 
dered  his  life  accursed  ;  he  is  not  to  tarry  here. 

O  man,  ponder  on  the  one  Name, 

And  thou  shalt  go  to  thy  home  with  honour. 

What  do  they  who  worship  Thee  give  Thee  ?  Nay,  they 
cease  not  to  beg  of  Thee. 

Thou  conferrest  gifts  on  all  creatures ;  Thou  art  the  life 
within  their  lives. 

The  pious  who  meditate  on  God  receive  nectar  ;  it  is  they 
who  are  pure. 

Day  and  night  repeat  the  Name,  0  mortal,  that  thine 
impurities  may  be  washed  away. 

As  is  the  season  so  the  comfort  of  the  body,  and  so  the 
body  itself.1 

0  Nanak,  that  season  is  agreeable  in  which  God's  name  is 
repeated  ;  but  what  is  any  season  without  the  Name  ? 

The  Guru  and  Mardana  did  not  remain  long  in 
that  village.  Mardana  asked  the  Guru  what  his 
decision  was  regarding  its  inhabitants.  He  replied, 
'  O  Mardana,  may  they  remain  here  !  ' 

The  inhabitants  of  the  next  village  at  which  they 
arrived  showed  them  great  attention.  They  remained 
there,  however,  for  only  one  night,  and  departed 
next  morning.  The  Guru  when  leaving  said  that 
the  village  should  be  abandoned.  Then  Mardana  re 
marked,  '  Sir,  the  village  in  which  we  were  not  allowed 
to  sit  down,  thou  hast  blessed ;  and  that  which 
bestowed  great  attention  and  kindness  on  us  thou 
hast  cursed.'  The  Guru  replied,  '  Mardana,  if  the 
people  of  the  former  village  remove  to  another,  they 
shall  ruin  it ;  but  if  the  people  of  the  latter  village 
remove  to  another,  they  shall  save  it.' 

The  Guru  returned  from  Kamrup  by  the  great 
river  Brahmaputra,  and  then  made  a  coasting  voyage 
to  Puri  on  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  where  Vishnu  or 

1  That  is,  the  condition  of  the  body  is  as  changeable  as  the  seasons. 

G 


82  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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

The  sun  and  moon,  O  Lord,  are  thy  lamps  ;  the  firmament, 
Thy  salver  ;  the  orbs  of  the  stars,  the  pearls  enchased  in  it. 

The  perfume  of  the  sandal l  is  Thine  incense  ;  the  wind  is 
Thy  fan  ; 2  all  the  forests  are  Thy  flowers,  O  Lord  of  light.3 

1  Malianlo,  literally — the  wind  from  the  Malay  tree. 

2  In  the  original,  chauri,  a  flapper  made  from  the  tail  of  the  yak  or 
Thibetan  cow,  and  used  in  India  to  brush  away  flies. 

J  The  following  is  Dr.  Trumpp's  translation  of  these  two  verses  : — 

The  dish  is  made  of  the  sky,  the  sun  and  moon  are  made  the  lamps, 
the  orbs  of  stars  are,  so  to  say,  the  pearls. 

The  wind  is  incense-grinding,  the  wind  swings  the  fly-brush,  the 
whole  blooming  wood  is  the  flames  (of  the  lamps). 

While  the  present  author  was  engaged  in  translating  the  sacred 
writings  of  the  Sikhs  at  their  request,  one  Bhai  Gurumukh  Singh 
projected  a  rival  translation,  which  was  to  surpass  all  others.  His 
modus  operandi  was  to  alter  Dr.  Trumpp's  words  here  and  there,  and 
thus  produce  what  he  perhaps  deemed  would  be  an  original  version. 
He  circulated  the  following  as  his  translation  of  these  lines  : — 

The  sky  is  for  my  plate  (for  arti) ;  the  sun  and  moon  are  for  lamps  ; 
(and)  rows  of  stars  are  as  it  were  for  pearls. 

The  air  of  sandal  wood  for  perfumary  smoke,  the  wind  (for  my)  fan 
and  all  the  rows  of  blooming  forests  (for  flowers),  O  Lord  of  light. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK 


What  worship  is  this,  O  Thou  Destroyer  of  birth  ? l  Un 
beaten  strains  of  ecstasy  are  the  trumpets  of  Thy  worship. 

Thou  hast  a  thousand  eyes  and  yet  not  one 2  eye  ;  Thou 
hast  a  thousand  forms  and  yet  not  one  form  ;  3 

Thou  hast  a  thousand  pure  feet  and  yet  not  one  foot  ; 
Thou  hast  a  thousand  organs  of  smell  and  yet  not  one  organ — 
I  am  fascinated  by  this  play  of  Thine.* 

The  light  which  is  in  everything  is  Thine,  O  Lord  of  light. 

From  its  brilliancy  everything  is  brilliant  ; 

By  the  Guru's  teaching  the  light  becometh  manifest. 

What  pleaseth  Thee  is  the  real  arati.5 

O  God,  my  mind  is  fascinated  with  Thy  lotus  feet  as 
the  bumble-bee  with  the  flower  :  night  and  day  I  thirst  for 
them. 

Give  the  water  of  Thy  grace  to  the  sarang  6  Nanak,  so 
that  he  may  dwell  in  Thy  name.7 

L  That  is,  of  transmigration. 

2  Thou  hast  many  spiritual  eyes,  but  no  material  eye. 

3  Thy  manifestations  are  many,  yet  Thou  hast  no  bodily  form. 

4  Also  translated — In  this  way  Thou  hast  enchanted  the  world. 

5  In  memory  of  the  circumstance  recorded  in  the  text  the  Sikhs  repeat 
several  prayers  in  the  evening.    The  prayers  are  collectively  called  Arati, 
and  consist  of  this  hymn  and  some  others,  which  will  be  noted  in 
their  proper  place.     The  word  Arati  originally  meant  waving  lamps  at 
night  before  an  idol. 

5  The  Sarang,  or  pied  Indian  cuckoo,  the  Cuculits  Melanoleukos  is 
supposed  to  drink  water 
only  when  the  moon 
is  in  the  mansion  of 
Arcturus,  so,  when  its 
time  comes  to  drink, 
it  is  naturally  thirsty. 
This  bird  is  also  known 
under  the  names  cha- 
trik  and  paplha.  Its 
love  is  celebrated  in 
song  and  story.  It  is 
in  full  voice  on  the  ap 
proach  of  the  Indian 
monsoon,  when  its 
plaintive  strains  are 

beard  clearest  at  night.     It  is  said  that  they  make  love's  unhealed 
wounds  bleed  anew.  7  Dhanasari. 

G  2 


84  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

While  at  Jagannath,  Guru  Nanak  met  a  Brahman 
who  kept  his  eyes  and  nose  closed  so  as  to  receive 
no  pleasure  from  these  organs.  He  averred  that 
in  that  state  he  with  his  mental  eyes  saw  the  secrets 
of  the  world.  Nanak  hid  his  lota  and  the  Brahman 
could  not  find  it,  so  Nanak  by  the  following  hymn 
in  the  Dhanasari  measure  twitted  him  on  his  want 
of  omniscience  : — 

This  is  not  the  age,  there  is  no  longer  acquaintance  with 
Jog  ;  this  is  not  the  way  of  truth. 

The  holy  places  in  the  world  have  fallen ;  the  world  is  thus 
ruined. 

In  this  Kal  age  God's  name  is  the  best  thing. 

Thou  closest  thine  eyes  and  boldest  thy  nose  to  deceive 
the  world. 

Thou  boldest  thy  nose  with  thy  thumb  and  first  two 
fingers,  and  sayest  that  thou  seest  the  three  worlds. 

But  thou  seest  not  what  is  behind  thee,  this  is  a  wonderful 
thing.1 

CHAPTER  VII 

The  Guru  and  Mardana  after  their  travels  in 
Eastern  India  returned  to  the  Panjab,  and  proceeded 
on  a  visit  to  the  shrine  of  Shaikh  Farid,  a  Moslem 
saint,  at  a  place  then  called  Ajodhan,  but  now  Pak 
Pattan,  in  the  southern  part  of  that  province.  A 
saint  called  Shaikh  Brahm  (Ibrahim)  was  then  the 
incumbent  of  the  shrine.  He  was  the  first  to  speak. 
On  seeing  the  Guru,  whom  he  knew  to  be  a  religious 
man,  dressed  in  ordinary  secular  costume,  he  said  : — 

Either  seek  for  high  position 2  or  for  God. 

Put  not  thy  feet  on  two  boats  lest  thy  property  founder.3 

The  Guru  replied  : — 

1  Also  translated — lo  !  this  is  thy  devotional  attitude.    Padam  asan 
is  one  of  the  Jogis'  attitudes. 

2  Muqaddami,  literally,  the  headship  of  a  town. 

3  The  meaning  is — lead  either  a  secular  or  a  religious  life.    Do  not 
combine  both. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  85 

Put  thy  feet  on  two  boats  and  thy  property  also  on  them  : 1 
One  boat  may  sink,  but  the  other  shall  cross  over.2 
For  me  there  is  no  water,  no  boat,  no  wreck,  and  no  loss. 
Nanak,  the  True  One  is  my  property  and  wealth,  and 
He  is  naturally  everywhere  contained. 

Shaikh  Brahm  replied  : — 

0  Farid,  the  world  is  enamoured  of  the  witch 3  who  is 
found  to  be  false  when  her  secret  is  known. 

Nanak,  while  thou  lookest  on,  the  field  4  is  ruined. 

Upon  this  the  Guru  urged  : — 

0  Farid,  love  for  the  witch  hath  prevailed  from  the  very 
beginning. 

Nanak,  the  field  shall  not  be  ruined  if  the  watchman  be 
on  the  alert. 

Then  Shaikh  Brahm  : — 

Farid,  my  body  faileth,  my  heart  is  broken,  and  no 
strength  whatever  remaineth  me. 

Arise,  beloved,  become  my  physician  and  give  me 
medicine. 

Then  the  Guru  exhorted  him  : — 
My  friend,  examine  the  truth,  lip-worship  is  hollow. 
Nanak,  the  Beloved  is  not  far  from  thee  ;  behold  Him  in 
thy  heart. 

Then  Shaikh  Brahm  uttered  the  following  : — 
When  thou  oughtest  to  have  made  thy  raft,  thou  didst 

not  do  so  ; 
When  the  full  river  5  overfloweth,  it  is  difficult  to  cross 

over. 

1  That  is,  enjoy  the  world  and  also  remember  God. 
1  The  body  may  perish,  but  the  soul  shall  be  saved. 

3  Worldly  love. 

4  Man's  body. 

5  When  the  body  has  completed  its  measure  of  sin.     Sarwar  is, 
literally,  a  tank  or  lake,  but  Shaikh  Brahm  refers  to  the  broad  river 
Satluj,  near  which  he  lived. 


86  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Put  not  thy  hand  into  the  fire  or  it  will  burn,1  my  dear. 

Some  have  obtained  honour  for  themselves  by  uttering 
God's  name. 

As  milk  will  not  return  to  the  udder,  so  the  soul  will 
not  again  enter  the  same  body. 

Saith  Farid,  O  my  companions,  when  the  Spouse  calleth 

you, 

The  soul  shall  depart  in  perplexity,  and  the  body  become 
a  heap  of  dust.2 

The  Guru  replied  by  a  hymn  in  the  same  measure : — 

Make  a  raft  of  devotion  and  penance,  so  mayest  thou 
cross  the  stream.3 

There  is  no  lake,  no  overflowing  ;   such  a  road  is  easy. 

0  Lord,  Thy  name  alone  is  the  madder  with  which  my 
robe  is  dyed. 

Such  colour  is  everlasting,  O  my  dear. 

If  thou,  my  beloved,  go  not  thus  arrayed  to  meet  the 
Bridegroom,  how  canst  thou  meet  Him  ? 

If  thou  possess  virtues,  He  will  meet  thee. 

If  He  become  united  with  thee,  He  will  not  part  from 
thee  ;  that  is,  if  union  be  really  effected. 

It  is  the  True  One  who  putteth  an  end  to  transmigration. 

She  who  hath  abandoned  egotism  hath  sewed  for  herself 
a  garment  to  please  the  Bridegroom. 

Under  the  Guru's  instruction  she  obtaineth  her  reward 
in  the  ambrosial  converse  of  her  Lord. 

Nanak  saith,  O  female  companions,  the  Lord  is  thoroughly 
dear. 

We  are  His  slaves,  true  is  our  Spouse. 

Then  Shaikh  Brahm  uttered  the  following  : — 

They  who  have  heart-felt  love  for  God  are  the  true  ; 
But  they  who  have  one  thing  in  their  hearts  and  utter 
another  are  accounted  false. 

1  Also  translated — Touch  not  safflower :  its  dye  will  depart. 

2  Suhi. 

3  Wahela,  also  translated — comfortably. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  87 

They  who  are  imbued  with  the  love  of  God  and  a  longing 
to  behold  Him  are  also  true. 

They  who  forget  God's  name  are  a  burden  to  the  earth. 

God  hath  attached  to  His  skirt  those  who  were  darweshes 
at  His  gate. 

Blest  the  mothers  who  bore  them  ;  profitable  was  their 
advent  into  the  world. 

0  Cherisher,  Thou  art  illimitable,  unapproachable,  and 
endless. 

1  kiss  the  feet  of  those  who  recognize  the  True  One. 

I  seek  Thy  shelter,  O  God  ;   it  is  Thou  who  pardonest. 
Grant  Thy  worship  as  charity  to  Shaikh  Farid.1 

On  this  the  Guru  uttered  the  hymn  called  Suchajji, 
the  fortunate,  in  the  Suhi  measure  :— 

When  I  have  Thee  I  have  everything  ;  Thou,  O  Lord, 
art  my  treasure. 

In  Thee  I  dwell  in  peace,  in  Thee  to  dwell  is  my  pride  ; 

If  it  please  Thee,  Thou  bestowest  a  throne  and  greatness  ; 
if  it  please  Thee,  Thou  makest  man  a  forlorn  mendicant  ; 

If  it  please  Thee,  rivers  flow  over  dry  land,  and  the  lotus 
bloometh  in  the  heavens  ; 

If  it  please  Thee,  man  crosseth  the  terrible  ocean ;  if  it 
please  Thee,  he  is  drowned  therein  ; 

•    If  it  please   Thee,  Thou  art    my  merry  Spouse — I    am 
absorbed  in  Thy  praises,  0  Lord 2  of  excellences. 

If  it  please  Thee,  O  Lord,  Thou  terrifiest  me,  and  then 
I  am  undone  with  transmigration. 

0  Lord,  Thou  art  inaccessible  and  unequalled  ;    I  am 
exhausted  uttering  Thy  praises. 

What  can  I  ask  of  Thee  ?  What  can  I  say  to  Thee  ? 
I  hunger  and  thirst  for  a  sight  of  Thee. 

Under  the  instruction  of  the  Guru  I  have  obtained  the 
Lord  ;  Nanak's  prayer  hath  been  granted. 

1  Asa. 

2  Task  is  a  Persian  word  meaning  Lord.     The  gyanis  translate  it 
vessel. 


88  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  Guru  and  Shaikh  Brahm  remained  together 
that  night  in  the  forest.  A  kind-hearted  and  charit 
able  villager  who  had  seen  them,  took  them  a  basin 
of  milk  before  daylight.  The  Shaikh  separated 
his  own  share  from  that  of  the  Guru,  and  uttered 
these  verses  : — 

Devotion  in  the  beginning  of  the  night  is  the  blossom, 
in  the  end  of  the  night l  the  fruit. 
They  who  watch  obtain  gifts  from  the  Lord.2 

The  Guru  responded  : — 

Gifts  are  the  Lord's  ;   what  can  prevail  against  Him  ? 3 
Some  who  are  awake  receive  them  not  ;   others  who  are 
asleep  He  awaketh,  and  conferreth  presents  upon  them.4 

The  Guru  then  asked  Shaikh  Brahm  to  put  his 
hand  into  the  milk  and  feel  what  was  in  it.  Farid 
found  that  it  contained  four  gold  coins.  Upon 
this  the  villager,  deeming  that  he  was  in  the  hands 
of  magicians,  went  away  without  his  basin.  The 
Guru  uttered  the  following  hymn  : — 


O  thou  with  the  beautiful  eyes,  in  the  first  watch  of 
a  dark  night 

Watch  thy  property,  O  mortal ;  thy  turn  shall  come  next. 

When  thy  turn  cometh,  who  will  awake  thee  ?    Death 
shall  taste  thy  sweets  as  thou  sleepest. 

The  night  is  dark ;  what  shall  become  of  thee  when  the 
thief  breaketh  into  and  robbeth  thy  house  ? 

O  inaccessible,  incomparable  Protector,  hear  my  suppli 
cation. 

•    O  Nanak,  the  fool  hath  never  thought  of  God  ;    what 
can  he  see  in  a  dark  night  ? 

1  That  is,  the  end  of  life. 

2  Farid's  Sloks. 

3  No  one  can  force  Him  to  bestow  His  gifts. 

4  Sri  Rag  ki  War. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  89 

II 

It  is  the  second  watch  ;   awake,  O  heedless  one. 

Watch  thy  property,  O  mortal  ;  thy  field  is  being  eaten  up. 

Watch  thy  field,  love  God's  praises  ;  while  thou  art 
awake,  the  thief  shall  not  touch  thee. 

Then  shalt  thou  not  go  the  way  of  Death,  nor  suffer  from 
him  ;  the  fear  and  dread  of  him  shall  depart. 

The  lamps  of  the  sun  and  moon  shall  shine  for  thee,  if 
thou  under  the  Guru's  instruction  ponder  on  the  True  One 
in  thy  heart,  and  utter  His  name  with  thy  lips. 

Nanak,  the  fool  heedeth  not  even  now  ;  how  shall  he 
obtain  happiness  in  the  second  watch  ? 

Ill 

It  is  the  third  watch,  thou  art  wrapt  in  slumber. 

By  wealth,  children,  and  wives  men  are  afflicted  with 
sorrow  : 

Yet  wealth,  children,  wives,  and  worldly  possessions  are 
dear  to  man  ;  he  nibbleth  at  the  bait,  and  is  continually 
caught. 

If  man  under  the  Guru's  instruction  meditate  on  the 
Name,  he  shall  obtain  rest,  and  Death  shall  not  seize  him.1 

Transmigration  and  death  never  forsake  us  ;  without  the 
Name  we  are  afflicted. 

Nanak,  in  the  third  watch  men,  under  the  influence  of 
the  three  qualities,2  feel  worldly  love. 

1  Death  only  seizes  the  soul  which  has  to  undergo  further  trans 
migration.     He  does  not  harass  the  emancipated  soul. 

2  The  three  gunas  or  qualities  of  goodness,  passion,  and  darkness — 
or  reality,  impulse,  and  ignorance — are  frequently  mentioned  in  Sikh 
as  well  as   Hindu  sacred  literature.     The   Mosaic   and  Zoroastrian 
systems  recognized  two  principles,  good  and  evil,  in  the  economy  of 
nature.     It  was  the  Indian  sage  Kapila  who  discerned  the  three  prin 
ciples  or  qualities  above  stated.     He  beheld  good,  moderately  good, 
and  evil  everywhere  in  creation.     He  believed  that  these  qualities,  but 
in  different  degrees,   pervade  all  things,  and  are  the  distinguishing 
characteristics  of  matter  implanted  in  it  by  the  Creator  Himself. 

The  demigods  possess  goodness  in  excess,  the  demons  darkness, 
and  men  passion.  Manu  thus  defines  the  three  qualities :  '  It  ought 
to  be  known  that  the  three  gunas  or  fetters  of  the  soul  are  goodness, 
passion,  and  darkness.  Restrained  by  one  or  more  of  these  it  is  ever 


90  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

IV 

It  is  the  fourth  watch  ;  the  sun  riseth. 

They  who  night  and  day  are  watchful  have  saved  their 
homes. 

Night  is  pleasant  for  those  who  under  the  Guru's  instruc 
tion  watch  and  apply  themselves  to  the  Name. 

They  who  act  according  to  the  instruction  of  the  Guru 
shall  not  be  born  again  ;  the  Lord  will  befriend  them. 

In  the  fourth  watch  hands  shake,  feet  and  frames  totter, 
eyes  grow  dim,  and  men's  bodies  become  like  ashes. 

Nanak,  without  God's  name  abiding  in  the  mind  man  is 
unhappy  during  the  four  watches. 

V 

The  knot  of  life  is  open  ;  arise,  thine  allotted  time  hath 
come. 

All  pleasures  and  happiness  are  at  an  end  ;  Death  will 
lead  thee  captive  away. 

Without  being  seen  or  heard  he  will  lead  thee  captive, 
when  it  so  pleaseth  God. 

His  turn  shall  come  to  every  one  ;  the  ripe  field  shall  ever 
be  cut  down. 

An  account  of  every  ghari  and  moment  shall  be  taken, 
and  the  soul  shall  obtain  punishment  or  reward. 

Nanak,  God  made  everything,  demigods  and  men  are 
herein  agreed.1 

When  the  Guru  and  Shaikh  Brahm  left  the  forest 
the  villager  returned  to  fetch  his  basin.  On  lifting 
it  up,  it  is  said,  he  found  that  it  had  become  gold, 
and  was  filled  with  gold  coins.  Then  he  began  to 
repent  of  his  suspicions,  and  confessed  to  himself 
that  they  were  religious  men.  If  he  had  come  with 

attached  to  forms  of  existence.  Whenever  any  one  of  the  three 
qualities  predominates,  it  causes  the  embodied  spirit  to  abound  in  that 
quality/  The  aim  of  the  soul  apparently  should  be  to  divest  itself  of 
all  three  qualities.  Compare  Plato's  distinction  of  the  three  parts  of 
the  mind  corresponding  to  the  three  classes  of  his  ideal  state. 
1  Tukhari  Chhant. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  91 

his  heart  disposed  towards  God,  he  would  have  gained 
holiness.  '  I  came  with  worldliness,  and  worldliness 
have  I  found.'  Upon  this  he  took  up  his  basin  and 
departed. 

Shaikh  Brahm  remarked  that  it  was  difficult  for 
those  who  attached  themselves  to  mammon  to  obtain 
salvation,  and  inquired  what  aid  besides  God's  name 
was  ordinarily  necessary  for  future  happiness.  The 
Guru  replied  with  the  following  hymn  :— 

The  union  of  father  and  mother  produceth  a  body, 
On  which  the  Creator  hath  written  its  destiny, 
The  gifts,  the  divine  lights,  and  the  greatness  allotted  it  • 
But  on  associating  with  mammon  it  loseth  remembrance 
of  God. 

0  foolish  man,  why  art  thou  proud  ? 

Thou  shalt  have  to  depart  when  it  pleaseth  the  Lord. 

Abandon  pleasures,  and  peace  and  happiness  shall  be  thine. 

Thou  shalt  have  to  leave  thy  home  ;  no  one  is  permanent 
here. 

Eat  a  little  and  leave  a  little, 

If  thou  art  again  to  return  to  this  world.1 

Man  decketh  his  body,  dresseth  it  in  silk, 

And  issueth  many  orders  ; 

He  maketh  a  couch  of  ease  and  sleepeth  thereon. 

Why  weepeth  he  when  he  f alleth  into  the  hands  of  Death  ? 2 

Domestic  entanglements  are  a  whirlpool,  O  brother  ; 

Sin  is  a  stone  which  floateth  not  over. 

Put  thy  soul  on  the  raft  of  God's  fear,  and  thou  shalt  be 
saved. 

Saith  Nanak,  such  a  raft  God  giveth  but  to  few.3 

Then  the  people  brought  them  bread,  but  Shaikh 
Brahm  said  that  he  had  already  dined.  The  people, 
annoyed  that  their  offerings  were  thus  spurned,  said 

1  That  is,  to  practise  great  economy  would  be  useless  for  him  who 
is  not  to  return  to  this  world. 

2  If  man  disregard  the  present  opportunity  of  doing  good  works, 
why  should  he  afterwards  weep  when  Death  seizes  him  for  punishment  ? 

3  Maru. 


92  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

to  him :  '  You  must  be  a  liar  from  that  country 
where  Farid,  who  wore  a  wooden  cake  on  his  stomach, 
held  religious  sway.  Whenever  any  one  offered  him 
food  he  used  to  say  he  had  taken  dinner/ l  Upon 
this  Shaikh  Brahm  said :  '  What  shall  be  my  condi 
tion,  who  am  ever  saying  that  I  have  dined,  when 
I  am  only  fasting  ?  '  The  Guru  was  pleased  to 
observe  the  Shaikh's  tender  conscience,  and  said  to 
him  :  '  Shaikh  Brahm,  God  is  in  thee.'  The  Shaikh 
then  asked  the  Guru  to  tell  him  of  God,  and  by  what 
virtues  and  merits  He  was  to  be  found.  The  Guru 
replied  as  follows  : — 

Come,  my  sisters  and  dear  companions,  embrace  me. 

Having  embraced  me,  tell  me  tales  of  the  Omnipotent 
Spouse. 

In  the  true  Lord  are  all  merits,  in  us  all  dements. 

0  Creator,  every  one  is  in  Thy  power. 

Meditate  on  the  one  Word  ;  where  Thou,  0  God,  art, 
what  more  is  required  ? 

Go  ask  the  happy  wife  by  what  merits  she  enjoy eth  her 
Spouse — 

*  Composure,  contentment,  and  sweet  discourse  are  mine 
ornaments. 

'  I  met  my  Beloved,  who  is  an  abode  of  pleasure,  when 
I  heard  the  Guru's  word.' 

How  great,  O  God,  is  Thy  power  !  how  great  Thy  gifts  ! 

How  many  men  and  lower  animals  utter  Thy  praises  day 
and  night  ! 

How  many  are  Thy  forms  and  colours !  how  many  castes 
high  and  low  ! 

When  the  true  Guru  is  found,  truth  is  produced,  and 
man  becoming  true  is  absorbed  in  the  truth. 

When  man  is  filled  with  fear  through  the  Guru's  instruc 
tions,  then  he  obtaineth  understanding,  and  honour  re- 
sulteth. 

Nanak,  the  true  King  then  blendeth  man  with  Himself.2 

1  An  account  of  Farid  will  be  found  in  the  sixth  volume  of  this 
work. 

2  Sri  Rag. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  93 

The  Guru,  after  his  pleasant  visit  to  Shaikh 
Brahm  and  his  district,  where  he  made  several 
converts,  proceeded  to  a  country  called  Bisiar, 
probably  the  state  of  Bushahir  in  the  Himalayas, 
where  he  was  ill  received.  The  inhabitants,  deeming 
his  presence  pollution,  purified  every  place  he  had 
stood  on.  One  man  alone,  Jhanda,  a  carpenter,  was 
found  to  treat  him  with  hospitality.  He  took  him 
to  his  house,  washed  his  feet,  and  drank  the  water 
used  for  the  purpose.  While  drinking,  it  was 
revealed  to  him  that  Nanak  was  a  Guru.  He  joined 
him  in  his  wanderings. 

The  Guru  and  his  companions  directed  their 
steps  to  the  East.  They  went  to  an  island  in  the 
ocean  where  they  could  obtain  no  food.  There  the 
Guru  composed  the  Jugawali,  a  poem  (no  longer 
extant)  on  the  four  ages  of  the  world.  Jhanda 
committed  it  to  writing  and  circulated  it.  With 
the  new  composition  in  his  possession  he  returned 
to  his  own  country,  leaving  the  Guru  and  Mardana 
to  continue  their  pilgrimage. 

Not  long  after  they  found  themselves  in  a  lonely 
desert.  Mardana  began  to  feel  the  pangs  of  hunger, 
and  thus  addressed  his  master  :  '  We  are  lost  in  this 
great  wilderness,  from  which  God  alone  can  extricate 
us.  Here  I  shall  fall  into  the  clutches  of  some  wild 
animal  which  will  kill  and  eat  me/  The  Guru  asked 
him  to  take  care,  and  nothing  should  come  near  him. 
He  further  consoled  him  by  stating  that  they  were 
not  in  a  desert,  as  the  place  where  God's  name  was 
uttered  was  always  inhabited.  '  Many  better  men 
than  we',  said  the  Guru,  'have  endured  greater 
hardships.'  Upon  this  he  composed  the  following  :— 

The  demigods  in  order  to  behold  Thee,  O  God,  made 
pilgrimages  in  sufferings  and  hunger. 

Jogis  andjatis1go  their  own  ways,  and  don  ochre-coloured 
garbs. 

1  Jatis,  men  vowed  to  perpetual  continence. 


94  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

For  Thy  sake,  O  my  Lord,  the  darweshes  are  imbued  with 
love. 

Thy  names  are  various,  Thy  forms  are  various,  the 
number  of  Thy  merits  cannot  be  told. 

Men  leaving  houses  and  homes,  palaces,  elephants  and 
horses  go  abroad. 

Priests,  prophets,  holy  and  sincere  men  leave  the  world 
to  obtain  salvation. 

They  abandon  good  living,  rest,  happiness,  and  dainties ; 
they  doff  clothes,  and  wear  skins. 

Imbued  with  Thy  name  they  in  anguish  and  pain  become 
darweshes  at  Thy  gate. 

They  don  skins,  carry  begging  bowls,  staves,  and  wear 
hair-tufts,  sacrificial  threads,  and  loin-cloths. 

Thou  art  the  Lord,  I  am  Thy  player  ;  Nanak  repre- 
senteth,  what  is  caste  ? 1 

The  Guru  further  remonstrated  with  his  attendant : 
'  We  cannot  succeed  without  God's  word.  Think 
of  some  hymn  and  play  the  rebeck.'  Mardana 
replied  that  his  throat  was  collapsing  for  want  of 
food,  and  he  had  no  strength  to  move,  much  less  to 
play.  The  Guru  then  pointed  to  a  tree  and  told  him 
to  eat  his  fill  of  its  fruit,  but  take  none  with  him. 
Mardana  accordingly  began  to  eat,  and  so  much 
enjoyed  the  flavour  of  the  fruit,  that  he  thought  he 
would  eat  what  he  could,  and  also  take  some  with 
him,  lest  he  might  soon  again  find  himself  in  a  similar 
plight. 

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

1  Asa. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  95 

it  wholesome.  The  Guru  put  his  foot  on  Mardana's 
forehead  as  he  lay  stretched  on  the  ground,  and 
he  at  once  revived. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


Mardana  had  by  this  time  had  enough  of  travel, 
hardship,  and  hunger,  and  thus  addressed  his  mas 
ter  :  '  Blessings  on  thy  devotion  and  thy  deeds  ! 
Thou  art  a  holy  man  who  hast  abandoned  the 
world,  who  neither  eatest  nor  drinkest,  and  who 
never  enterest  a  village.  How  can  I  remain  with 
thee  ?  '  The  Guru  asked  him  on  what  conditions  he 
would  change  his  mind  and  continue  to  accompany 
him.  He  replied,  '  I  will  remain  with  thee  if  thou 
satisfy  my  hunger  in  the  same  way  as  thou  satisfiest 
thine  own ;  and  if  thou  also  promise  not  to  take 
notice  of  anything  I  do/  The  Guru  agreed  to  these 
conditions,  and  told  him  he  should  be  happy  in  this 
world  and  the  next.  Mardana  then  fell  at  his  feet. 

It  would  appear,  however,  that  Mardana  soon 
represented  to  the  Guru  the  duty  and  propriety  of 
returning  home,  and  seeing  his  parents  after  twelve 
years'  wandering.  The  Guru  adopted  his  suggestion, 
and  they  both  directed  their  steps  towards  Talwandi. 
They  halted  in  the  forest  some  three  miles  from  the 
village.  Mardana  asked  permission  to  go  home 
and  inquire  if  his  people  were  dead  or  alive.  The 
Guru  replied,  '  Since  thou  desire  it,  go  and  see  thy 
people.  Go  also  to  my  father  Kalu's  house,  but 
mention  not  my  name.  Return  quickly.' 

When  Mardana  reached  his  house  he  found  several 
persons  assembled  there.  They  all  affectionately 
greeted  him,  and  said  he  had  grown  like  Nanak. 
He  was  a  great  man  now,  and  no  longer  the  humble 
person  he  had  been  before.  Mardana,  having 
seen  his  people,  proceeded  to  the  house  of  Kalu,  and 
sat  down  in  his  courtyard.  The  Guru's  mother,  on 


96  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

seeing  him,  arose,  embraced  him,  and  wept  for  joy. 
She  asked  for  some  account  of  her  son  Nanak.  By 
that  time  a  great  crowd  had  assembled,  and  every  one 
wanted  to  hear  about  him.  Mardana  evaded  all 
inquiries,  only  telling  people  that  he  had  been  with 
Nanak.  He  then  went  away.  The  Guru's  mother 
at  once  suspected  that  he  must  have  had  some  ob 
ject  in  departing  so  quickly,  and  that  her  son  could 
not  be  far  off.  She  again  arose,  and  taking  some 
clothes  and  sweets  for  Nanak,  followed  Mardana 
and  overtook  him.  She  earnestly  requested  him  to 
take  her  to  her  son.  Mardana  made  no  answer, 
but  went  on  his  way,  she  following. 

Nanak  arose  on  seeing  his  mother,  and  respect 
fully  saluted  her.  She  kissed  his  forehead  and  began 
to  weep,  saying,  '  I  am  a  sacrifice  unto  thee.  I  am 
a  sacrifice  unto  the  ground  thou  treadest  on.  Seeing 
thy  face  hath  made  me  happy.  Now  I  desire  that 
thou  shouldst  abandon  thy  wanderings,  abide  with 
us,  and  turn  thine  attention  to  commerce  for  thy 
livelihood/  The  Guru,  who  was  in  turn  delighted 
to  see  his  mother,  called  on  Mardana  to  play  the 
rebeck  while  he  himself  sang  the  following  : — 

Drunkards  abandon  not  stimulants,  nor  fishes  water  : 

So  God  is  pleasing  beyond  all  others  to  those  who  are 
imbued  with  their  Lord.1 

I  am  a  sacrifice,  I  would  be  cut  in  pieces,  0  Lord,  for 
Thy  name. 

The  Lord  is  a  fruit-bearing  tree  whose  name  is  ambrosia. 

They  who  have  partaken  of  it  are  satisfied  ;  I  am  a 
sacrifice  unto  them. 

Why  appearest  Thou  not  unto  me,  0  Lord,  since  Thou 
abidest  with  all  ? 

1  These  two  lines  are  also  translated — 

If  drunkards  obtain  not  stimulants,  and  fishes  water,  they  are  pleased 
with  nothing  else, 

So  all  who  are  imbued  with  their  Lord  are  content  with  none  but 
Him. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  97 

How  shall  my  thirst  abate  when  there  is  a  screen  between 
the  Tank l  and  me  ? 

Nanak  is  Thy  dealer  ;   Thou  O  Lord,  art  his  capital. 

Illusion  leaveth  my  mind  when  I  praise  and  pray  to 
Thee.2 

His  mother  placed  before  Nanak  the  new  clothes 
and  sweets  she  had  brought  for  him,  and  asked 
him  to  eat.  He  said  he  required  no  food.  His 
mother  inquired  where  he  had  eaten.  He  again 
called  on  Mardana  to  play  an  accompaniment  to  the 
following  hymn  :— 

To  obey  God's  word  is  all  sweet  flavour  ;  to  hear  it  is 
salt  flavour  ; 

To  utter  it  with  the  mouth  is  acid  flavour,  and  to  sing 
it  is  spices. 

The  love  of  the  one  God  is  thirty-six  dishes  3  for  those  on 
whom  He  looketh  with  favour. 

O  mother,  other  viands  afford  ruinous  happiness  ; 

By  eating  them  the  body  is  pained,  and  sin  entereth 
the  mind. 

His  mother  asked  him  to  take  off  the  faqir's 
jacket  he  wore,  and  put  on  the  new  becoming  clothes 
she  had  brought  him.  His  reply  was  the  following  : — 

To  be  imbued  with  God  is  as  red,  truth  and  charity  as 
white  clothing  ; 

To  cut  away  the  blackness  of  sin  is  blue,  to  meditate 
on  God's  feet  is  the  real  raiment  ; 

Contentment  is  the  waistband  :  Thy  name,  0  Lord,  is 
wealth  and  youth. 

Mother,  other  dress  affordeth  ruinous  happiness  ; 

By  putting  it  on,  the  body  is  pained  and  sin  entereth 
the  mind. 

By  this  time  his  father  Kaluhad  heard  of  Nanak's 
arrival,  and  went  on  horseback  to  meet  him.  Nanak 

1   God.  2  Wadhans. 

3  Indian  gourmets  enumerate  thirty-six  palatable  dishes. 


98  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

bowed  to  him,  and  fell  at  his  feet.  Meantime  Kalu 
continued  to  weep  for  joy.  He  asked  his  son  to 
mount  the  horse  on  which  he  had  come,  and  go  home 
with  him.  Nanak  replied  that  he  had  no  need  of 
a  horse,  and  then  sang  the  following  :- 

To  know  Thy  way,  0  God,  is  as  horses  with  saddles  made 
of  gold. 

To  pursue  virtue  is  as  quivers,  arrows,  bows,  spears,  and 
sword-belts. 

To  be  honourably  distinguished  is  as  bands  and  lances  ; 
Thy  favour,  0  God,  is  as  caste  for  me. 

Father,  other  conveyance  affordeth  ruinous  happiness  ; 

By  mounting  it  the  body  is  pained,  and  sin  entereth 
the  mind. 

The  father  again  pressed  the  son  to  return  with 
him,  if  only  for  once.  He  said  he  had  built  a  new 
house  which  he  should  like  to  show  him  after  his 
long  absence.  Nanak  ought  also  to  visit  his  wife, 
and  then,  if  he  felt  so  disposed,  he  might  continue 
his  wanderings.  Nanak  replied  :— 

The  pleasure  of  the  Name  is  as  mansions  and  palaces  ; 
Thy  favouring  glance,  0  Lord,  is  as  family  for  me. 

To  please  Thee  is  mine  empire  ;  to  say  more  were  alto 
gether  useless. 

Nanak,  true  is  the  King  ;  He  decideth  without  taking 
others'  counsel. 

Father,  other  intercourse  affordeth  ruinous  happiness  ; 

By  indulging  in  it  the  body  is  pained,  and  sin  entereth 
the  mind.1 

Kalu  again  said :  '  My  son,  tell  me  at  what  thou 
art  offended.  If  thou  desire  it,  I  will  find  thee  another 
wife.'  The  Guru  replied  as  follows  :— 

He  who  made  the  world  watcheth  over  it,  and  appointeth 
His  creatures  to  their  various  duties. 

Thy  gifts,  0  Lord,  are  as  light  to  the  mind,  and  as  the 
moon  and  lamps  to  the  body. 

1  Sri  Rag. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  99 

Thy  gifts  are  as  the  moon  and  lamps  to  the  body,  by 
which  the  pain  of  darkness  is  dispelled. 

The  bridal  procession  of  attributes  which  accompany  the 
Bridegroom  who  hath  chosen  His  bride,  appeareth  beautiful. 

The  marriage  hath  been  performed  with  splendour  to  the 
accompaniment  of  the  five  musical  instruments.1 

I  am  a  sacrifice  to  my  unchanging  companions  and  friends. 

I  have  exchanged  hearts  with  those  to  whom  my  body 
is  attached. 

Why  should  I  forget  those  friends  with  whom  I  have 
exchanged  hearts  ? 

Let  those  whose  sight  giveth  pleasure  be  clasped  to  the 
heart. 

All  merits  and  not  one  demerit  is  theirs  for  ever  and  ever. 

If  one  have  a  casket  of  virtues,  let  him  extract  odour 
from  it. 

If  our  friends  possess  virtues,  let  us  go  and  become 
partners  with  them. 

Let  us  form  a  partnership  with  virtue  and  abandon  vice. 

Let  us  wear  silk,  go  in  state,  and  take  possession  of  our 
arena.2 

Wherever  we  go,  let  us  sit  down,  speak  civilly,  and  skim 
and  drink  nectar. 

If  one  have  a  casket  of  virtues,  let  him  extract  odour 
therefrom. 

It  is  God  Himself  who  acteth  ;  to  whom  should  we 
complain  ?  No  one  else  acteth. 

Go  and  complain  to  Him  if  He  forget. 

If  He  forget,  go  and  complain  to  Him  ;  but  why  should 
the  Creator  Himself  forget  ? 

He  heareth,  seeth,  giveth  His  gifts  without  asking  or 
praying  for. 

The  Giver,  the  Arranger  of  the  world  giveth  His  gifts, 
Nanak,  and  true  is  He. 

1  The  voice,  stringed  instruments,  wind  instruments,  leather  instru 
ments,  as   drums,  and  metallic  instruments    as    cymbals,    bells,  &c. 
Panch  sabd  may  also   mean  the  five   species  of  breath  enumerated 
by  Jogis. 

2  That  is,  the  company  of  saints. 

H  2 


ioo  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

When  He  Himself  acteth,  to  whom  should  we  complain  ? 
No  one  else  acteth.1 

Nanak  continued  to  address  Kalu :  '  Father  dear, 
it  is  God  who  arrangeth  marriages.  He  maketh  no 
mistake,  and  those  whom  He  hath  once  joined  He 
joineth  for  ever/  By  these  words  the  Guru  perhaps 
meant  to  establish  monogamy.2  The  Guru's  mother 
then  interposed,  and  asked  her  son  to  stand  up  and 
go  with  them,  and  cease  his  nonsense.  He  would 
obtain  wealth  by  attending  to  his  worldly  duties. 
The  Guru  replied  with  the  following  hymn  : — 

In  the  end  of  the  night  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord, 

And  tents,  umbrellas,  pavilions,  and  carriages  shall 
appear  ready  for  your  celestial  journey. 

They  are  ever  obtained  by  those  who  meditate  on  Thy 
name,  0  Lord. 

Father,  I  am  without  good  works  and  false  ;  I  have  not 
meditated  on  Thy  name. 

My  mind  is  blind,  led  astray  by  superstition. 

The  pleasures  I  have  had  have  blossomed  into  pain  by 
primal  destiny,  O  mother. 

The  pleasure  was  little  ;  the  pain  great  ;  in  much  pain 
have  I  passed  my  life. 

What  separation  is  there  from  those  who  have  separated 
from  God  ?  and  what  meeting  is  there  with  those  who  have 
met  Him  ? 

Praise  that  Lord  who  made  and  beholdeth  this  play. 

By  good  destiny  men  meet  God  and  enjoy  pleasures  even 
in  this  life. 

By  evil  destiny  they  who  meet  separate,  O  Nanak,  but 
even  so  they  meet  again  by  God's  favour.3 

*  Suhi  Chhant. 

2  Bhai  Gur  Das,  so  understood  the  Guru's  words  when  he  wrote— 
Be  chaste  with  one  wife  (War,  vi,  8).     In  the  Prem  Sumarag,  a  work 
containing  the   supplementary  teaching  of  Guru  Gobind   Singh,  is 
found  the  injunction:    'Be   satisfied  with  one  wife.     That  befits   a 
good  man.' 

3  Maru. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  TOI 

Kalu,  finding  his  arguments  vain,  appealed  to  his 
son  on  the  score  of  his  health  and  safety,  and  pointed 
out  how  regardless  of  them  he  had  been.  The 
following  was  the  Guru's  reply  : — 

I  have  no  anxiety  regarding  death,  and  I  have  no  desire 
for  life. 

Thou,  0  God,  art  the  Cherisher  of  all  living  things  ;  our 
breathings  l  are  taken  into  account. 

Thou  dwellest  in  the  holy  ;  as  it  pleaseth  Thee,  so  Thou 
decidest. 

O  my  soul,  by  uttering  God's  name  the  heart  is  satisfied. 

Under  the  Guru's  instruction  divine  knowledge  is  obtained, 
and  the  burning  of  the  heart  extinguished.2 

The  Guru  again  addressed  his  parents :  '  Father 
dear,  mother  dear,  I  have  returned  home.  I  have 
been  until  now  a  hermit.  Obey  God's  order  and  let 
me  again  depart.'  His  mother  replied  :  '  My  son,  how 
shall  I  console  myself,  seeing  that  thou  hast  only  now 
returned  after  an  absence  of  twelve  years  ?  '  Then 
the  Guru  urged,  '  Mother,  agree  to  what  I  say  ;  con 
solation  shall  come  to  thee.1  She  then  became  silent, 
thinking  it  was  useless  to  make  further  remonstrance. 


CHAPTER  IX 

The  Guru  and  Mardana  again  set  out  on  their 
travels.  It  is  said  that  they  went  to  the  west  and 
crossed  the  rivers  Ravi  and  Chanab,  and,  after  a  long 
circuitous  route  through  a  desert  country,  made 
their  way  again  to  Pak  Pattan  to  pay  another  visit 
to  Shaikh  Brahm.  They  sat  down  to  rest  about  four 
miles  from  the  city.  Shaikh  Kamal,  a  pious  and 
God-fearing  disciple  of  Shaikh  Brahm,  who  had  gone 

1   Sas  giras,  expiration  and  inspiration.  2  Sri  Rag. 


102  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

into  the  forest  for  firewood,  observed  the  Guru  and 
his  attendant.  The  latter  was  playing  his  rebeck 
and  singing  the  following  :— 

Thou  art  the  tablet,  0  Lord,  Thou  art  the  pen,  and  Thou 
art  also  the  writing. 

Speak  of  the  one  God  ;  O  Nanak,  why  should  there  be 
a  second  ? l 

Shaikh  Kamal  went  and,  after  obeisance,  sat  down 
near  them,  and  asked  to  have  the  couplet  repeated. 
This  was  done,  and  he  learned  it  by  heart.  He  then 
took  up  the  firewood  he  had  collected  and  went 
home.  He  told  his  master  of  his  adventure,  and 
repeated  the  couplet  for  him.  Shaikh  Brahm  was 
highly  pleased  that  the  Guru  had  again  visited  his 
country,  and  he  promptly  proceeded  to  welcome 
him.  After  mutual  salutations,  the  Guru  thanked 
God  for  having  again  granted  him  a  sight  of  Shaikh 
Brahm.  After  some  friendly  conversation,  the  Shaikh 
asked  the  Guru  to  explain  the  couplet.  '  Nanak, 
thou  sayest,  "  There  is  only  one  God  ;  why  should 
there  be  a  second  ?  "  I  say  :— 

<  There  is  one  Lord  and  two  ways  ; 
Which  shall  I  adopt,  and  which  reject  ?  ' 

The  Guru  replied  :— 

There  is  but  one  Lord  and  one  way  ; 
Adopt  one  and  reject  the  other. 

Why  should  we  worship  a  second  who  is  born  and  dieth  ? 
Remember  the  one  God,  Nanak,  who  is  contained  in  sea 
and  land. 

The  Muhammadan  priest  then  said  in  turn  : — 

Tear  thy  coat  into  tatters  and  wear  a  blanket  instead  ; 
Adopt  a  dress  by  which  thou  mayest  obtain  the  Lord.2 

The  Guru  traversed  this  instruction  :    '  It  is  not 

1  Malar  ki  War.  2  Faiid's  Sloks. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  103 

necessary  for  me  to  tear  my  coat  or  adopt  a  religious 
garb.  Men  who  reside  at  home  and  work  in  their 
ordinary  costume  shall  find  the  Lord  if  they  fix  their 
hearts  on  Him  ; ' l 

A  young  wife  sitteth  at  home,  her  Beloved  is  abroad;  she 
continually  thinketh  of  Him  and  pineth  away. 

She  shall  have  no  delay  in  meeting  Him  if  she  have  good 
intentions.2 

Shaikh  Brahm  replied  to  the  latter  couplet  :— 

When  she  was  little,  she  enjoyed  not  her  Spouse  ;  when 
she  grew  up  she  died. 

Lying  in  the  grave  she  calleth  out,  '  I  have  not  met  Thee, 
O  Lord.' 3 

Guru  Nanak  then  gave  utterance  to  the  following, 
to  the  effect  that  salvation  depends  upon  virtue 
and  not  on  a  pleasing  exterior  or  the  possession  of 
accomplishments  :— 

A  woman  may  be  stupid,  untidy,  black,  and  impure- 
minded  ; 

Yet,  if  she  possess  merits,  she  meeteth  her  Beloved  ; 
otherwise,  Nanak,  the  woman  is  to  blame. 

The  Shaikh  then  put  the  following  questions  :— 

What  is  that  word,  what  that  virtue,  what  that  priceless 
spell  • 

What  dress  shall  I  wear  by  which  I  may  captivate  the 
Spouse  ? 4 

1  This  reply  of  the  Guru  was  subsequently  versified  by  Guru  Amar 
Das:— 

Why  tear  thy  coat,  Nanak,  and  why  wear  a  blanket  ? 
Seated  at  home  thou  shalt   find  the  Lord    if  thine    intentions  be 
good. 

2  Wadhans  ki  War.  3  Farid's  Sloks. 
4  Farid's  Sloks. 


104  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  Guru  replied  :— 

Humility  is  the  word,  forbearance  the  virtue,  and  civility 
the  priceless  spell. 

Make  these  three1  thy  dress,  O  sister,  and  the  Spouse  shall 
come  into  thy  power.2 

The  Spouse  shall  be  hers  who  serveth  Him. 

Forsaking  all  His  other  companions  He  will  go  to  her. 

The  Shaikh  then  said  he  wanted  a  knife — '  Give 
me  such  a  knife  as  will  make  those  who  are  killed 
with  it  acceptable  to  God.  With  the  ordinary  knife 
in  use  the  lower  animals  are  killed,  and  if  a  man's 
throat  be  cut  with  it  he  becomes  carrion.'  The  Guru 
replied  :  '  Dear  Shaikh,  here  it  is  : — 

Truth  is  the  knife,  truth  is  pure  steel ; 

Its  fashion  is  altogether  incomparable. 

Put  it  on  the  hone  of  the  Word, 

And  fit  it  into  the  scabbard  of  merit. 

If  any  one  be  bled  with  that,  O  Shaikh, 

The  blood  of  avarice  will  be  seen  to  issue  forth. 

If  man  be  slaughtered  with  it,  he  shall  go  to  meet  God, 

O  Nanak,  and  be  absorbed  in  the  sight  of  Him.'3 

On  hearing  this  the  Shaikh  raised  his  head  in 
amazement  and  said,  '  Well  done.  Thou  hast  seen 
God,  and  art  dear  to  Him.  God  hath  been  very  kind 
to  me  in  that  I  have  met  thee.  It  would  be  rude 
to  ask  any  further  questions  of  those  who  are  so 
beloved  by  Him.'  The  Guru  then  volunteered  the 
following  :— 

There  is  friendship  between  beauty  and  love,  alliance 
between  hunger  and  dainty  viands  ; 

Companionship  between  greed  and  wealth,  between  a 
sleepy  man  and  a  bed  and  coverlet. 

1  Tewar,  three  pieces  forming  an  Indian  woman's  dress 

2  Fand's  Sloks.  3  Ram'<ali  ki  War. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  105 

The  anger  which  barketh  is  despised  ;  it  is  vain  to  worry 
with  worldly  occupations. 

To  be  silent,  O  Nanak,  is  good  ;  without  the  Name  the 
mouth  is  defiled.1 

The  Shaikh  asked  the  Guru  to  let  him  hear  a 
strain  in  praise  of  the  one  God.  '  My  idea  is  ',  said 
the  Shaikh,  '  that  adoration  cannot  be  performed 
without  two  beings,  that  is,  God  and  the  Prophet ; 
Let  me  see  whom  thou  makest  man's  intercessor/ 
The  Guru  called  upon  Mardana  to  play  the  rebeck 
and  recite  the  first  slok  and  pauri2  of  the  Asa  ki  War. 

I  am  a  sacrifice,  Nanak,  to  my  Guru  a  hundred  times  a 
day, 

Who  without  any  delay  made  demigods  out  of  men. 

Nanak,  they  who,  very  clever  in  their  own  estimation, 
think  not  of  the  Guru, 

Shall  be  left  like  spurious  sesames  in  a  reaped  field — 

They  shall  be  left  in  the  field,  saith  Nanak,  without  an 
owner. 

The  wretches  may  even  bear  fruit  and  flower,  but  these 
shall  be  as  ashes  within  their  bodies. 


God  Himself  created  the  world  and  Himself  gave  names 
to  things. 

He  made  Maya  by  His  power  ;  seated  He  beheld  His 
work  with  delight. 

0  Creator,  Thou  art   the  Giver  ;     being  pleased  Thou 
bestowest  and  practisest  kindness. 

Thou  knowest  all  things  ;  Thou  givest  and  takest  life 
with  a  word.3 

Seated  Thou  beholdest  Thy  work  with  delight.4 

1  Malar  ki  War. 

2  A  shlok  in  Sanskrit  is  a  distich  or  couplet,  but  in  modern  Indian 
poetry  it  may  extend  to  the  length  of  an  English  sonnet.     The  word 
pauri  is  literally  a  ladder.     In  the  Granth  Sahib  it  means  a  stanza  of 
five  lines,  and  always  follows  a  slok. 

3  Also  translated — Thou  givest  and  takest  life  from  the  body. 

4  Asa  ki  War. 


io6  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Shaikh  Brahm  asked  the  Guru  for  further  instruc 
tion.  The  Guru  then  spoke  on  the  subject  of  humility, 
and  said  that  as  water,  which  resteth  lowly  on  the 
earth,  riseth  under  pressure  into  the  air  in  sparkling 
fountains,  so  they  who  preserve  a  humble  mind 
mount  to  God's  highest  pinnacle. 

The  Shaikh  then  rose  to  take  his  leave,  and 
said,  '  O  Nanak,  thou  hast  found  God.  There  is  no 
difference  between  Him  and  thee.  Kindly  grant 
that  I  too  may  be  on  good  terms  with  Him/  The 
Guru  replied,  '  Shaikh  Brahm,  God  will  cause  thy 
cargo  also  to  arrive  safe.'  By  this  the  Guru  meant 
that  God  would  accept  the  Shaikh's  devotion.  The 
Shaikh  requested  the  Guru  to  give  him  a  certain 
promise  of  this,  and  the  Guru  complied.  They  then 
shook  hands  and  parted. 

The  Guru  next  proceeded  to  Dipalpur.  During 
his  journey  a  Sanyasi  asked  him  to  define  the  word 
udas.  The  Guru  replied :  '  To  make  use  of  all  things 
in  this  world  and  not  deem  them  one's  own,  but  only 
God's  property,  and  ever  to  possess  a  desire  to  meet 
Him  is  udas.' 

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


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  107 

depart  at  once,  or  they  would  forcibly  expel  him. 
The  Guru,  complying  with  this  insulting  order,  said 
that  the  Guru's  place  should  ever  be  permanent. 

The  Guru  thence  proceeded  to  a  village  on  the 
site  of  the  present  Goindwal,  where  he  desired  to 
stay,  but  no  one  except  a  poor  leper  would  receive 
him  or  allow  him  to  remain  there.  The  leper  took 
him  to  his  hut,  and  entertained  him  for  the  night. 
The  leper  thanked  God  that  he  had  at  last  seen  a 
human  face,  for  even  the  lower  animals  had  fled  from 
him.  When  he  began  further  to  bemoan  his  fate, 
the  Guru  uttered  the  following  :— 

My  mind  is  ever  and  ever  troubled. 

In  many  troubles  my  body  pineth  away  and  ever  groweth 
worse. 

The  body  which  forgetteth  God's  word, 

Screameth  like  a  real  leper. 

To  make  many  complaints  is  to  talk  folly 
•'Without  our  complaining  everything  is  known  to  God, 

Who  made  our  ears,  our  eyes,  and  our  noses  ; 

Who  gave  us  tongues  wherewith  to  speak  ; 

Who  preserved  us  in  the  fire  of  the  womb  ; 

And  through  whom  the  breath  moveth  and  speaketh  every 
where. 

Worldly  love,  affection,  and  dainties 

Are  all  blackness  and  stains. 

If  man  depart  with  the  brand  of  sin  on  his  face, 

He  will  not  be  allowed  to  sit  in  God's  court. 

If  he  meet  Thy  favour,  0  God,  he  repeateth  Thy  name. 
v  By  attaching  himself  to  it  he  is  saved  ;  he  hath  no  other 
resource. 

^Even  if  he  be  drowning  in  sin,  God  will  still  take  care  of 
him. 
^Nanak,  the  True  One  is  beneficent  to  all.1 

The  Guru  further  warmed  towards  the  leper  and 
blessed  him.  The  leper  was  cured  of  his  malady, 
fell  at  the  Guru's  feet,  and  began  to  utter  the  Name. 

1  Dhanasari. 


io8  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  Guru  then  travelled  through  Sultanpur — his 
old  head  quarters  when  he  was  a  Government 
official — Vairowal,  and  Jalalabad,  until  he  arrived 
at  a  place  called  Kari  Pathandi  in  the  Amritsar 
District.  In  Kari  Pathandi  he  made  many  Pathan 
converts.  They  used  to  serenade  him  with  instru 
mental  music,  interspersed  with  cries  of  '  Hail  to 
King  Nanak ! '  The  Guru  there  composed  the  fol 
lowing  : — 

He  who  made  the  world  watcheth  over  it  ;  what  shall  we 
say,  O  brother  ? 

He  Himself  who  hath  laid  out  its  garden  knoweth  and 
acteth. 

Sing  the  praises  of  the  Beloved  ;  sing  His  praises  by 
which  happiness  is  ever  obtained. 

She  who  enjoy eth  not  her  Spouse  with  love  shall  after 
wards  repent. 

She  shall  wring  her  hands,  and  beat  her  head  as  the  night 
passeth  away. 

She  shall  not  be  able  to  repent  when  the  whole  night  is  at 
an  end ; 

But  she  may  again  enjoy  her  Husband  when  it  cometh  to 
her  turn.1 

The  wife  whom  the  Spouse  hath  chosen  is  better  than  I. 

I  have  not  her  merits  ;  whom  shall  I  blame  ? 

I  will  go  and  ask  the  female  companions  who  have  enjoyed 
their  Spouse  ; 

I  will  touch  their  feet,  implore  them,  and  induce  them  to 
show  me  the  way. 

Nanak,  she  who  obeyeth  her  Spouse's  order,  applieth  fear 
as  her  sandal, 

And  performeth  the  incantation  of  merits,  shall  find  her 
Beloved. 

She  who  meeteth  Him  with  her  heart  shall  continue  to 
meet  Him  ;  that  is  called  a  real  meeting. 

However  much  one  may  desire  it,  a  meeting  is  not  effected 
by  words. 

1  That  is,  in  a  future  birth. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  109 

Metal  blendeth  with  metal  and  love  hasteneth  to  love. 

Know  the  Guru's  favour,  and  thou  shalt  find  the  Fearless 
One. 

A  garden  of  betel  may  be  in  the  house,  but  the  donkey 
knoweth  not  its  merits. 

When  one  is  a  judge  of  perfume,  then  may  one  appreciate 
flowers. 

He  who  drinketh  nectar,1  Nanak,  putteth  an  end  to  his 
doubts  and  transmigration  ; 

He  easily  blendeth  with  God,  and  obtaineth  the  undying 
dignity.2 

The  Guru  continued  his  wanderings  and  visited 
Batala  in  the  Gurdaspur  District.  Thence  he  pro 
ceeded  a  second  time  to  Saiyidpur,  where  he  again 
visited  Lalo.  Lalo  complained  to  him  of  the  oppres 
sion  of  the  Pathans.  The  Guru  replied  that  their 
dominion  should  be  brief,  as  Babar  was  on  his  way 
to  the  conquest  of  India.  The  Guru  then  addressed 
the  following  threnody  to  his  host  :— 

As  the  word  of  the  Lord  cometh  to  me,  so  I  make  known, 
O  Lalo— 

Bringing  a  bridal  procession  of  sin,  Babar  hath  hasted 
from  Kabul  and  demandeth  wealth  as  his  bride,  O  Lalo. 

Modesty  and  religion  have  vanished  ;  falsehood  marcheth 
in  the  van,  O  Lalo. 

The  occupation  of  the  Qazis  and  the  Brahmans  is  gone  ; 
the  devil  readeth  the  marriage  service,3  O  Lalo. 

Musalman  women  read  the  Quran,  and  in  suffering  call 
upon  God,  O  Lalo. 

Hindu  women  whether  of  high  or  low  caste,  meet  the  same 
fate  as  they,  O  Lalo. 

They  sing  the  paean  of  murder,  O  Nanak,  and  smear 
themselves  with  the  saffron  of  blood. 

Nanak  singeth  the  praises  of  the  Lord  in  the  city  of  corpses, 
and  uttereth  this  commonplace  — 

1  He  who  performs  heartfelt  devotion.  2  Tilang,  Ashtapadi. 

5  This  refers  to  the  licentiousness  of  Babar's  army. 


no  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

He  who  made  men  assigned  them  different  positions  ;  He 
sitteth  apart  alone  and  regardeth  them. 

True  is  the  Lord,  true  His  decision,  true  the  justice  He 
meteth  out  as  an  example. 

Bodies  shall  be  cut  like  shreds  of  cloth  ;  Hindustan  will 
remember  what  I  say. 

They  shall  come  in  '78,  depart  in  '97,  and  then  shall 
rise  another  disciple  of  a  hero.1 

Nanak  uttereth  the  word  of  the  True  One,  and  will  pro 
claim  the  truth  at  the  True  One's  appointed  time.2 

Lalo  asked  the  Guru  what  he  meant  by  saying 
that  God  had  assigned  men  different  positions.  The 
Guru  replied  as  follows  : — 

God  can  cause  lions,  hawks,  kestrels,  and  falcons  to  eat 
grass  ; 

And  the  animals  which  eat  grass  He  can  cause  to  eat  meat 
— such  a  custom  can  He  establish. 

He  can  cause  hills  to  appear  in  rivers,  and  unfathomable 
rivers  in  sandy  deserts. 

He  can  appoint  a  worm  to  sovereignty,  and  reduce  an 
army  to  ashes. 

What  wonder  would  it  be  if  God  caused  to  live  without 
breath  all  the  animals  which  live  by  breathing  ? 

Nanak,  as  it  pleaseth  the  True  One,  so  He  giveth  us 
sustenance.3 

A  Brahman  came  to  the  Guru,  offered  him  a  basket 
of  fruit,  and  said,  '  My  friend,  thou  art  uttering 
hymns  of  wrath/  The  Guru  replied,  'Remain  not 
here  ;  there  is  a  pool  three  miles  distant ;  go  thither 
with  thy  family.  All  who  remain  here  will  be  put 

1  That  is,  the  Mughals  shall  come  in  Sambat  1578,  and  depart 
in  Sambat  1597  (A.D.  1540).    The  Sambat  year  is  fifty-seven  years  in  ad 
vance  of  annus  Domini.     The  departing  monarch  was  Humayun.     The 
disciple  of  a  hero  is  understood  to  be  Sher  Shah  Sun,  \vho  dispossessed 
him.     This  line  appears  to  be  an  answer  to  a  question  put  to  the 
Guru  by  Lalo. 

2  Tilang.  3  Majh  ki  War. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  in 

to  death.'  The  Brahman  acted  on  his  advice. 
After  some  days  Babar  assaulted  and  destroyed  the 
city.  He  also  devastated  the  neighbouring  villages. 
There  was  a  general  massacre  of  the  people,  and 
Pathan  as  well  as  Hindu  habitations  were  plundered 
and  razed  to  the  ground. 

The  lives  of  the  Guru  and  Mardana  were  spared, 
probably  because  they  were  strangers,  but  they 
were  imprisoned  and  placed  under  the  superinten 
dence  of  Mir  Khan,  an  officer  of  Babar's  army. 
Mir  Khan,  on  seeing  them,  ordered,  '  Take  away 
these  slaves  to  work/  The  Guru  was  condemned  to 
carry  loads  on  his  head,  and  Mardana  to  do  the  work 
of  a  groom.  The  Guru  upon  this  uttered  the  fol 
lowing  :— 

I  am  a  purchased  slave,  my  name  is  Lucky. 

I  have  sold  myself  in  the  shop  for  God's  word  ;  where  He 
placed  me,  there  am  I  placed. 

What  cleverness  hath  Thy  slave  ? 

He  cannot  obey  the  Lord's  order. 

My  mother  was  a  slave,  my  father  a  slave,  I  was  born  a 
slave. 

My  mother  danced,  my  father  sang,  I  perform  Thy  service, 
O  King.1 

If  Thou  drink  I  will  fetch  Thee  water,  O  Lord ;  if  Thou 
eat  I  will  grind  Thee  corn. 

I  will  fan  Thee,  I  will  shampoo  Thy  limbs,  and  continue  to 
repeat  Thy  name. 

Saith  Nanak,  ungrateful  is  Thy  slave  ;  if  Thou  pardon 
him,  it  will  be  to  Thy  glory. 

In  the  beginning,  in  every  age,  Lord  of  mercy,  Bestower, 
without  Thee  salvation  is  not  obtained.2 

When  the  Guru  had  finished  this  hymn,  Mardana 
saw  some  women  weeping  and  shrieking  as  they 
passed  along,  and  asked  his  master  what  had  hap 
pened  to  them.  The  Guru  told  Mardana  to  play  the 

1  That  is,  I  am  a  hereditary  servant  of  God.  2  Maru. 


ii2  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

rebeck.  Mardana  replied  that  he  could  not  do  so, 
as  he  was  holding  a  horse.  The  Guru  bade  him 
utter  '  Wah  Guru  '  and  let  go  the  horse.  Mardana 
obeyed  and  played  the  Rag  Asa,  to  which  the  Guru 
sang  the  following  hymn  : — 

They  who  wore  beautiful  tresses  and  the  partings  of  whose 
hair  were  dyed  with  vermilion, 

Have  their  locks  now  shorn  with  the  scissors,  and  dust  is 
thrown  upon  their  heads. 

They  dwelt  in  their  private  chambers  ;  now  they  cannot 
find  a  seat  in  public— 

Hail,  Father!  hail! 

0  Primal  Being,  Thy  limit  is  not  known  ;    Thou  makest 
and  beholdest  the  different  phases  of  existence — 

When  they  were  married,  they  appeared  beautiful  near 
their  spouses  ; 

They  came  in  their  sedans  adorned  with  ivory  ; 

Water  was  waved  round  their  heads,1  and  glittering  fans 
over  them. 

They  had  hundreds  of  thousands  waiting  on  them  sitting, 
and  hundreds  of  thousands  waiting  on  them  standing. 

Eating  coco-nuts  and  dates  they  sported  on  their  couches ; 

But  now  chains  are  on  their  necks,  and  broken  are  their 
strings  of  pearls. 

The  wealth  and  beauty  which  afforded  them  pleasure  have 
now  become  their  bane. 

The  order  was  given  to  the  soldiers  to  take  and  dishonour 
them. 

If  it  please  God, He  giveth  greatness;  and  if  it  please  Him, 
He  giveth  punishment. 

If  they  had  thought  of  Him  before,  why  should  they  have 
received  punishment  ? 

But  they  had  lost  all  thought  of  God  in  joys,  in  spectacles, 
and  in  pleasures. 

When  Babar's  rule  was  proclaimed  no  Pathan  prince  ate 
his  food. 

1  The  bridegroom's  mother  or  elder  sister  waves  water  around  the 
head  of  a  bride  and  then  drinks  it,  so  as  to  take  all  her  ills  on  herself. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  113 

Some  lost  their  five  times  of  prayer,  others  their  hours  of 
worship. 

How  shall  Hindu  women  now  bathe  and  apply  frontal 
marks  without  their  sacred  squares  ? 

f  They  who  never  thought  of  Ram  1  are  not  now  allowed 
even  to  mention  Khuda.2 

One  may  return  to  her  home ;  another  may  meet  and  in 
quire  after  the  safety  of  a  relation  ; 

But  others  are  destined  to  sit  and  weep  in  pain. 
v/  What  pleaseth  God,  O  Nanak,  shall  happen ;  what  is  man  ? 3 

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

1  The  Hindu  name  of  God. 

2  The  Muhammadan   name  of  God,  which   Hindus   shrink   from 
pronouncing. 

3  Compare  — 

God  of  our  fathers !    what  is  man, 
That  thou  towards  him  with  hand  so  various, 
Or  might  I  say  contrarious, 

Temper'st  thy  providence  through  his  short  course, 
Not  evenly,  as  thou  rulest 

The  angelic  orders,  and  inferior  creatures  mute, 
Irrational  and  brute  ? 

MILTON,  Samson  Agomstes. 


H4  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

No  one  can  kill  him,  O  Kind  One,  whom  Thou  preserves!. 

How  can  Thy  praises  be  numbered  ?  Thou  savest  countless 
beings. 

Preserve  me,  O  Beloved,  preserve  me  !   I  am  Thy  slave. 

My  true  Lord  pervadeth  sea  and  land,  the  nether  and  the 
upper  regions. 

Thou  didst  preserve  Jaidev  and  Nama,  Thy  beloved  saints — 

Thou  didst  save  those  on  whom  Thou  didst  bestow  Thy 
name— 

Thou  didst  preserve  Sain,  Kabir,  and  Trilochan  who  loved 
Thy  name. 

Thou  didst  preserve  Ravdas,  the  tanner,  who  is  numbered 
among  Thy  saints.1 

Nanak,  who  is  without  honour  or  family,  uttereth  suppli 
cation. 

Extricate  him,  O  Lord,  from  the  ocean  of  the  world,  and 
make  him  Thine  own. 

It  is  said  that  the  Emperor,  on  hearing  this,  fell  at 
Nanak's  feet,  and  declared  that  God  appeared  on 
his  face.  Upon  this  all  the  courtiers  saluted  Nanak. 
The  Emperor  asked  him  to  accept  a  present  from 
him.  The  Guru  replied  that  he  wanted  nothing  for 
himself,  but  he  requested  that  the  captives  of 
Saiyidpur  might  be  released.  Upon  this  the  Emperor 
ordered  that  they  should  be  set  free  and  their  pro 
perty  restored  to  them.  The  captives,  however, 
refused  to  depart  without  the  Guru.  He  was  then 
allowed  to  go  with  them,  and  they  went  to  their 
homes  in  the  city.  They  found  that  all  the  people 
who  had  remained  in  Saiyidpur  had  been  put  to 
death.  Mardana  told  his  master  that  it  had  all  hap 
pened  as  God  had  willed  it.  Upon  this  the  Guru, 
to  the  accompaniment  of  Mardana' s  rebeck,  sang 
the  following  lamentation  : — 

An  account  of  the  saints  mentioned  in  this  hymn,  with  their  com 
positions  contained  in  the  Granth  Sahib,  will  be  given  in  the  final 
volume  of  this  work. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  115 

Where  are  those  sports,  those  stables,  and  those  horses  ? 
Where  those  bugles  and  clarions  ? 

Where  are  those  who  buckled  on  their  swords  and  were 
mighty  in  battle  ?  where  those  scarlet  uniforms  ? 

Where  those  mirrors  and  fair  faces  ?  we  see  them  no  longer 
here. 

This  world  is  Thine,  O  Lord  of  the  earth. 

In  one  ghari  Thou  establishest  and  disestablishest  ;  Thou 
distributest  wealth  as  Thou  pleasest. 

Where  are  those  houses,  those  mansions, and  those  palaces? 
where  those  beautiful  seraglios  ? 

Where  are  those  easy  couches  and  those  women  a  sight  of 
whom  banished  sleep  ? 

Where  is  that  betel,  those  betel-sellers,  and  those  fair 
ones  ?  They  have  vanished. 

For  wealth  many  are  ruined  ;  this  wealth  hath  disgraced 
many. 

It  is  not  amassed  without  sin,  and  it  departeth  not  with 
the  dead. 

Him  whom  the  Creator  destroyeth  He  first  depriveth  of 
virtue. 

Millions  of  priests  tried  by  their  miraculous  power  to 
restrain  the  emperor  when  they  heard  of  his  approach. 

He  burned  houses,  mansions,  and  palaces  ;  he  cut  princes 
to  pieces,  and  had  them  rolled  in  the  dust. 

No  Mughal  hath  become  blind ;  no  priest  hath  wrought 
a  miracle. 

There  was  a  contest  between  the  Mughals  and  Pathans ; 
the  sword  was  wielded  in  the  battle. 

One  side  aimed  and  discharged  their  guns,  the  other  also 
handled  their  weapons  : 

They  whose  letter *  hath  been  torn  in  God's  court  must 
die,  my  brethren. 

There  were  the  wives  of  Hindus,  of  Turks,  of  Bhattis,  and 
of  Rajputs. 

1  In  India  when  announcing  the  death  of  a  relation  it  is  usual  for 
the  writer  to  tear  the  top  of  the  letter.  The  reference  here  is  to  that 
custom. 

I  2 


ii6  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  robes  of  some  were  torn  from  head  to  foot ;  the 
dwellings  of  others  were  their  places  of  cremation. 

How  did  they  whose  husbands  came  not  home  pass  the 
night  ? 

The  Creator  acteth  and  causeth  others  to  act  ;  to  whom 
shall  man  complain  ? 

Misery  and  happiness  are  according  to  Thy  pleasure  ;  to 
whom  shall  we  go  to  cry  ? 

The  Commander  is  pleased  issuing  His  orders  ;  Nanak, 
man  obtaineth  what  is  allotted  him.1 

A  propos  of  the  change  of  circumstances  in  India 
the  Guru  uttered  the  following  : — 

God  -hath  given  fixed  time  for  all  events,  and  fully  estab 
lished  the  nine  regions,  the  seven  seas,  the  fourteen 
worlds,2  the  three  qualities,  and  the  four  ages. 

He  put  four  lamps  3  one  by  one  into  the  hands  of  the  four 
ages. 

0  kind  God,  such  is  Thy  power. 

The  dwellers  at  every  hearth  are  Thy  slaves,  and  religion 
is  their  ruler. 

The  earth  is  Thy  cooking-pot,  Thou  gavest  once  for  all ; 
destiny  is  Thy  storekeeper. 

Instigated  by  their  hearts  4  men  lose  patience  and  beg 
again  and  again  to  their  ruin. 

Covetousness  is  a  black  dungeon,  demerits  the  fetters  on 
the  feet. 

Wealth  ever  beatei;h  the  soul  with  its  mallet,  while  sin 
sitteth  as  judge. 

Man  shall  be  either  good  or  bad,  O  Lord,  as  Thou  lookest 
on  him. 

1  Asa. 

2  The  Hindus  and  the  Muhammadans  agree  in  believing  that  there 
are  fourteen  worlds,  seven  above  and  seven,  including  the  earth  itself, 
below.     According  to  the   Hindus  these  worlds  emerged   from  the 
mundane  egg  when  divided  into  two  equal  parts. 

3  The  Veds. 

4  Narad  the  Muni  is  here  understood  by  the  gyanis  to  mean  the 
human  heart.     Some  furiher  account  of  Narad  will  be  given. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  117 

The  Primal  Being  is  now  called  Allah  ;  the  turn  of  the 
Shaikhs  hath  come. 

There  is  a  tax  on  the  shrines  of  the  gods  ;  such  is  the 
practice  established. 

There  are  ablution-pots,  calls  to  prayer,  five  daily  prayers, 
prayer-carpets,  and  God  appeareth  dressed  in  blue.1 

In  every  house  all  say  '  Mian  ' ; 2  your  language  hath  been 
changed. 

Since  Thou,  who  art  Lord  of  the  earth  hast  appointed 
Babar  a  Mir,3  what  power  have  we  ? 

In  the  four  directions  men  make  Thee  obeisance,  and 
Thy  praises  are  uttered  in  every  house. 

The  profit  which  is  obtained  from  pilgrimages,  repeating 
the  Simritis,4  and  bestowing  alms  all  day  long, 

Is,  O  Nanak,  obtained  in  one  ghari  by  remembering  the 
Name  which  conferreth  greatness.5 

The  Hindus  and  the  Musalmans  who  returned  to 
Saiyidpur  began  to  dispose  of  their  dead,  and  there 
was  weeping  and  mourning  in  every  house.  People 
said,  '  Such  and  such  was  the  deceased/  Upon  this 
the  Guru  fell  into  a  trance,  and  uttered  the  following 
hymn  : — 

'  As  herdsmen  stay  for  a  short  time  in  the  pasture-ground,6  so 
do  men  stay  in  this  world. 

Men  by  the  exercise  of  falsehood  build  houses  for  themselves. 

Awake,  awake,  ye  sleepers ;  lo !  the  soul  the  dealer 
departeth. 

If  ye  are  to  remain  here  for  ever,  then  build  houses. 

The  body  shall  fall  and  the  soul  depart,  if  any  one  desire 
to  know  the  truth. 

The  Muhammadans  frequently  \vcar  blue  clothes,  a  custom  which 
has  descended  from  the  ancient  Egyptians. 

2  Mian,  a  title  of  respect  addressed  to  Muhammadans.     In  the  hill 
districts  of  India  it  is  given  to  the  sons  of  Rajput  princes. 

3  Mir,  a  lord  or  master. 

4  Simrifit,   the   traditional   ceremonial  and  legal  institutes    of  the 
Hindus.     The  principal  Simritis  are  twenty-seven  in  number. 

f)  Basant  Ashtapadi. 

'  This  refers  to  the  nomadic  life  which  prevailed  around  the  Guru's 
natal  village. 


n8  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Why  criest  thou  '  Alas  !  alas  !  '  1  God  is  and  shall  be. 

Ye  weep  for  others,  but  who  will  weep  for  you  ? 

Ye  worry  with  worldly  occupations,  my  brethren,  and 
practise  falsehood. 

The  dead  hear  not  at  all ;  ye  only  cry  to  be  heard  of  others. 

He  who  laid  them  to  sleep,  Nanak,  will  awake  them. 

If  man  know  his  own  home  in  God,  then  shall  he  not  sleep. 

If  any  one  know  of  any  one  at  his  departure  taking  any 
thing  with  him, 

Then  let  him  with  open  eyes  amass  wealth — know  and 
consider  this. 

Do  thy  dealing  ;  gain  thine  object ;  be  not  sorry  here 
after. 

Thou  shalt  be  known  as  a  true  dealer  if  thou  take  profit 
with  thee. 

Sow  the  seed  of  truth  in  the  soil  of  honesty  ;  in  that  way 
practise  tillage. 

Forsake  vice,  practise  virtue,  so  shalt  thou  obtain  the 
Real  Thing. 

If  it  be  God's  favour,  man  shall  meet  the  true  Guru, 
understand  his  instruction, 

Repeat  the  Name,  hear  the  Name,  and  deal  in  the  Name. 

As  is  the  profit  so  the  loss  ;  that  is  the  way  of  the  world. 

What  pleaseth  Him,  O  Nanak,  is  my  glory.2 

One  day  Mardana  took  it  into  his  head  to  ask  the 
Guru  to  explain  the  cause  of  the  Saiyidpur  massacre, 
and  said,  '  Sir,  some  Pathans  have  done  wrong  ;  but 
why  have  so  many  been  killed  on  their  account  ?  ' 
The  Guru  pointed  out  a  tree,  and  told  Mardana  to 
go  and  sleep  under  it.  When  he  awoke,  the  Guru 
would  give  him  an  answer.  Mardana  accordingly 
went  and  lay  down  to  sleep  under  the  tree.  A  drop 
of  honey  fell  on  his  naked  breast.  As  he  slept,  ants 
came  to  drink  it,  and  the  sleeper  half  unconsciously 
crushed  them  to  death  with  his  hand.  The  Guru 
asked  him  on  awaking  what  he  had  done.  He  replied 

1  Ohi,  ohi !  There  is  a  pun  on  the  word  ohi.  It  means,  Alas  !  and 
He  (God)  is.  2  Asa  Ashtapadi. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  119 

that  one  insect  had  bitten  him,  and  so  he  had  killed 
them  all.  The  Guru  replied,  *  It  is  in  that  very  way 
the  people  of  Saiyidpur  were  killed/  Upon  this 
Mardana  fell  at  his  feet,  and  the  remnant  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Saiyidpur  became  his  disciples. 

After  this  the  Guru  returned  to  the  Emperor's 
camp  with  the  object  of  obtaining  another  interview 
with  him.  He  visited  the  prison  and  sang  hymns 
for  the  prisoners  whose  treatment  he  deplored.  Under 
the  influence  of  such  feelings  he  composed  the 
following : — 

Babar  ruled  over  Khurasan  and  hath  terrified  Hindustan. 

The  Creator  taketh  no  blame  to  Himself  ;  it  was  Death 
disguised  as  a  Mughal  who  made  war  on  us. 

When  there  was  such  slaughter  and  lamentation,  didst 
not  Thou,  O  God,  feel  pain  ? 

Creator,  Thou  belongest  to  all. 

If  a  tyrant  slay  a  tyrant,  one  is  not  angry  ; 

But  if  a  ravening  lion  fall  on  a  herd,  its  master  l  should 
show  his  manliness. 

The  dogs  of  Lodi 2  have  spoiled  the  priceless  inheritance  ; 
when  they  are  dead  no  one  will  regard  them. 

0  God,  Thou  Thyself  joinest  and  Thou  Thyself  separatest 
— lo  !    this  is  Thy  greatness. 

If  any  one  give  himself  a  great  name  and  enjoy  himself 
to  his  heart's  content, 

In  God's  view  he  is  as  a  worm  which  nibbleth  corn  ; 

But  he  who  while  alive  is  dead,  may  gain  something, 
O  Nanak,  by  repeating  the  Name.3 

When  Babar  had  heard  this  hymn,  he  ordered  the 
Guru  to  be  sent  for.  When  the  Guru  appeared,  the 
Emperor  asked  him  to  sing  the  hymn  again,  and 

1  The  master  of  Hindustan  at  the  time  was  Sultan  Ibrahim  Lodi. 
He  only  met  Babar' s  force  at  Panipat,  where  he  was  defeated. 

2  The  Pathan  dynasty  of  the  Lodis  who  ruled  in  India  prior  to  the 
advent  of  the  Mughal  Babar. 

3  Asa. 


120  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

the  Guru  did  so.  Upon  this,  it  is  said,  Babar's  brain 
opened  for  the  reception  of  spiritual  truths.  He 
praised  the  Guru,  and  opening  his  bhang-pouch, 
offered  him  some.  The  Guru  replied  that  he  had 
already  taken  bhang  whose  intoxication  would  never 
subside.  JBabar  asked  what  bhang  that  was.  The 
Guru  replied  with  the  following  hymn  :— 

0  God,  fear  of  Thee  is  my  bhang,  my  heart  its  pouch  ; 

1  am  an  intoxicated  hermit. 

My  hands  are  the  cup  ;  it  is  for  a  sight  of  Thee,  0  God, 
I  hunger, 

And  ever  beg  at  Thy  door — 

For  a  sight  of  Thee  I  crave. 

I  beg  at  Thy  door  ;  grant  me  Thine  alms. 

Saffron,  flowers,  musk,  gold,  and  sandal  are  all  applied 
to  the  body  ; 

So  the  bright  perfume  of  the  saints  rendereth  all  souls 
fragrant. 

No  one  calleth  clarified  butter  or  silk  impure  ;  ] 

Such  is  a  saint  in  regard  to  caste. 

May  Nanak  obtain  alms  at  the  doors 

Of  those  who  are  imbued  with  Thy  name  and  continue 
to  love  Thee  ! 2 

The  Emperor  was  so  pleased  with  the  Guru  that 
he  asked  him  to  accompany  him.  The  Guru 
would  at  first  only  promise  to  remain  one  day 
with  him,  but,  on  being  pressed  to  remain  three  days, 
at  last  consented.  The  Guru  was  always  distressed  as 
he  looked  towards  the  prisoners.  For  the  third  time 
he  sang  the  preceding  hymn,  and  then  fell  into 
a  trance  and  became  unconscious.  The  Emperor 
stood  over  him,  and  asked  the  bystanders  what  had 
happened.  They  replied  that  the  faqir,  on  beholding 
God's  wrath,  was  in  suffering,  and  had  fallen  into  a 
trance.  Babar  became  alarmed  for  the  Guru's  safety, 
and  asked  the  people  to  pray  to  God  for  his  re- 

1  That  is,  no  one  despises  them.  2  Tilang. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  121 

covery.  Upon  this  the  Guru  stood  up,  and  there 
then  shone  such  light  as  if  a  thousand  suns  had 
arisen.  Babar  saluted,  and  asked  the  Guru  to  be 
gracious  unto  him.  The  Guru  replied,  '  If  thou, 
O  Emperor,  desire  kindness,  set  all  thy  captives 
free.'  He  agreed,  on  one  condition — that  the  Guru 
should  promise  that  his  empire  should  continue  from 
generation  to  generation.  The  Guru  replied,  '  Thine 
empire  shall  remain  for  a  time.'  The  Emperor  on 
this  ordered  that  all  his  prisoners  should  be  clothed 
with  robes  of  honour,  a  matter  which  gave  great 
pleasure  and  satisfaction  to  the  Guru.  The  Emperor 
asked  the  Guru  for  instruction  suitable  to  his  position. 
The  Guru  said,  '  Deliver  just  judgements,  reverence 
holy  men,  forswear  wine  and  gambling.  The  monarch 
who  indulgeth  in  these  vices  shall,  if  he  survive, 
bewail  his  misdeeds.  Be  merciful  to  the  vanquished, 
and  worship  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth.' 

At  the  final  parting,  the  Emperor  pressed  the  Guru 
to  embrace  Islam,  which  recognized  only  one  God, 
as  the  Guru  himself  had  been  preaching,  so  he  would 
not  have  far  to  go  on  his  spiritual  journey  and  his 
progress  to  salvation.  Moreover,  on  embracing  Islam 
he  would  have  the  advantage  of  the  mediation  of 
God's  holy  and  last  prophet  Muhammad.  The  Guru 
replied  :— 

There  are  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Muhammads,  but 
only  one  God. 

The  Unseen  is  true  and  without  anxiety. 

Many  Muhammads  stand  in  His  court. 

So  numberless  they  cannot  be  reckoned. 

Prophets  have  been  sent  and  come  into  the  world. 

Whenever  He  pleaseth  He  hath  them  arrested  and 
brought  before  Him. 

The  slave  Nanak  hath  ascertained 

That  God  alone  is  pure  and  all  else  impure. 

The  Emperor,  instead  of  being  incensed  at  this 
outspoken  language,  invited  the  Guru  to  ask  him 


122  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

a  favour.     The  Guru  replied  to  the  accompaniment 
of  Mardana's  rebeck  :— 

It  is  the  one  God  Who  hath  commissioned  me. 

Every  one  partaketh  of  His  Gifts. 

(He  who  looketh  for  human  support 
Loseth  both  this  world  and  the  next. 
^There  is  but  one  Giver,  the  whole  world  are  beggars. 

They  who  forsake  Him  and  attach  themselves  to  others 
lose  all  their  honour. 

Kings  and  Emperors  are  all  made  by  Him. 
There  is  none  equal  to  Him. 
Saith  Nanak,  Hear,  Emperor  Babar, 
He  who  beggeth  of  thee  is  a  fool. 

CHAPTER  X 

The  Guru  then  departed  for  Pasrur,  and  thence 
to  Sialkot,  the  fortress  of  the  Sial  tribe,  now  a  can 
tonment  in  the  northern  part  of  the  Pan  jab.  He 
rested  under  a  wild  caper  tree,  which  still  exists  outside 
the  city.  Having  taken  refreshment,  he  sent  Mardana 
to  the  market-place  for  a  paisa,  or  a  farthing's  worth 
of  truth  and  a  paisa  worth  of  falsehood.  Nobody 
understood  what  the  messenger  meant  till  Mardana 
reached  Mula,  who  was  a  Karar,  or  petty  shopkeeper. 
The  latter  said  that  death  was  true  and  life  false. 
Mardana  returned  with  this  message  to  the  Guru. 
Upon  this  a  great  friendship  sprang  up  between  the 
Guru  and  Mula,  and  Mula  afterwards  accompanied 
him  to  Kabul.  On  a  subsequent  occasion  when  Guru 
Nanak  and  Mardana  visited  Sialkot,  Mardana  went 
to  Mula.  His  wife,  thinking  her  husband  would 
again  leave  her,  concealed  him,  and  told  Mardana  to 
say  he  was  not  at  home.  In  his  concealment,  he  was 
bitten  by  a  snake  and  died.  On  this  Guru  Nanak 
composed  the  following  :— 

Friendship  with  Karars  is  false,  and  false  is  its  foundation. 

Mula  saw  not  whence  death  would  come  to  him.1 

1  Additional  Sloks  of  Guru  Nanak. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  123 

When  his  work  was  accomplished  in  Sialkot,  the 
Guru  proceeded  to  the  south  of  the  Pan  jab  as  far 
as  Mithankot  (in  the  present  district  of  Dera  Ghazi 
Khan),  where  Mian  Mitha,  a  famous  Muhammadan 
priest,  resided.  The  Guru  took  up  his  quarters  in 
a  garden  near  the  town.  When  Mian  Mitha  heard 
of  the  Guru's  arrival  he  said,  '  Nanak  is  a  good  faqir  ; 
but,  if  I  meet  him,  I  will  squeeze  the  juice  out  of 
him  as  if  he  were  a  lemon.  Mardana,  when  reporting 
his  speech  to  the  Guru,  said,  '  Mian  Mitha  is  thine 
automaton,  and  will  play  as  thou  causest  him  to 
play.'  Mian  Mitha  continued  his  boasting :  '  I  will 
go  to  see  Nanak,  and,  if  I  meet  him,  I  will  take 
the  cream  off  him  as  I  would  skim  milk.'  Mian 
Mitha  met  the  Guru  and,  after  saluting  him  in  the 
Muhammadan  fashion,  sat  down.  He  challenged  the 
Guru  by  the  following  slok  :— 

The  first  name  is  that  of  God,  the  second  that  of  the 
Prophet. 

O  Nanak,  if  thou  repeat  the  Creed,1  thou  shalt  find 
acceptance  in  God's  court. 

The  Guru  replied  :— 

The  first  name  is  that  of  God  ;  how  many  prophets  are 
at  His  gate  ! 

O  Shaikh,  form  good  intentions,  and  thou  shalt  find 
acceptance  in  God's  court. 

The  Guru  continued :  '  Mian  Mitha,  at  God's  gate 
there  is  no  room  for  a  prophet.  He  who  dwelleth 
there  is  God  alone.'  Mian  Mitha  then  put  the  Guru 
two  questions :  '  How  can  a  lamp  burn  without  oil  ? 
and,  How  shall  man  obtain  a  seat  in  God's  court  ?  ' 

The  Guru  replied  as  follows  :— 

Act  according  to  the  Quran  and  thy  sacred  books. 
Put  the  wick  of  fear  into  thy  body  ; 
Burn  in  it  the  knowledge  of  truth  ; 

1  That  is,  if  thou  become  a  Muhammadan. 


124  THE  SIKH  RELIGIO 

Thus  shall  thy  lamp  burn  without  oil. 

Make  such  a  light,  and  thou  shalt  find  the  Lord. 

When  God's  words  leave  an  impression  on  man 

And  service  is  performed,  happiness  is  obtained. 

All  worlds  come  and  go  : 

While  abiding  in  this  world  perform  worship  ; 

Thus  shalt  thou  obtain  a  seat  in  God's  court, 

And,  saith  Nanak,  triumphantly  swing  thine  arm.1 


Mian  Mitha  then  put  to  the  Guru  the  question  con 
tained  in  the  first  line  of  the  following  hymn.  He 
also  inquired  the  condition  of  the  souls  of  the  wicked 
after  death.  The  Guru  replied  as  follows  : — 

*  My  brother,  salam  alaikum  !  for  God's  sake  tell  the 
truth  ;  how  shall  man  obtain  distinction  in  God's  court  ?  ' 

As  man  soweth  so  shall  he  reap  ;  he  shall  eat  what  he 
obtaineth  from  the  Commander. 

Nanak,  without  the  true  Name  man  shall  be  bound  and 
endure  suffering. 

Praise  be  to  the  Creator  ;  when  man  goeth  down  to 
the  wretched  dark  grave,  God's  power  shall  be  manifested. 

The  angels,  the  heralds  of  the  Almighty,  shall  come  with 
His  orders. 

They  shall  hold  quivers,  maces,  battle-axes,  two-edged 
swords,  bows, 

Lances,  and  shields  made  of  fire  ;  and  put  chains  on 
men's  necks. 

By  God's  order  they  shall  bind  and  lead  away  the  back 
biter  as  well  as  the  man  without  a  priest. 

Nanak,  the  true  Name,  the  source  of  consolation  in  this 
last  age,  shall  procure  man's  acceptance  in  God's  court. 

Ye  fear  lions,  jackals,  and  snakes  ;  but  they  shall  make 
their  dwellings  in  your  graves. 

Oxen  shall  root  up  your  graves,  and  even  your  enemies' 
hatred  of  you  shall  cool. 

1  Sri  Rag. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  125 

Brethren,  friends,  and  lovers  read  the  fatiha,1  and  say 
prayers  for  the  departed. 

Nanak,  such  things  are  false,  and  God  alone  is  true. 

The  sinners  who  have  committed  transgressions  are  bound 
and  led  away. 

Their  luggage  of  sins  is  so  heavy  that  they  cannot  lift  it. 

The  steep  road  ahead  is  dark,  while  the  executioner 
walketh  behind  them. 

In  front  is  a  sea  of  fire  ;   how  shall  they  cross  it  ? 

Ravens  stand  on  men's  skulls,  and  peck  at  them  fast 
as  a  shower  of  sparks. 

Nanak,  where  shall  man  escape  when  the  punishment  is 
by  God's  order  ? 

The  eyes  of  the  sinful  shall  be  torn  out  ;  they  shall  be 
come  blind,  and  terrible  darkness  prevail. 

Their  ears  shall  be  pressed  as  if  they  were  the  sockets  of 
oil-presses,2  and  storms  of  filth  shall  assail  their  noses. 

Their  tongues  shall  be  cut  out  for  breaking  their  promises 
and  forgetting  the  True  One. 

They  shall  cry  aloud  when  their  skulls  are  burning  in 
the  fire. 

No  one  can  save  the  ignorant  man  who  is  covetous  and 
hath  no  priest  ; 

But  they  whose  demerits  are  pardoned  through  their 
merits  shall  be,  O  Nanak,  of  the  elect. 

As  sesame  is  heated  and  pressed,  or  cotton  carded  by 
means  of  a  thong,  so  shall  sinners  be  punished. 

Like  paper  they  shall  be  beaten  with  mallets,  and  put 
into  presses  ; 

They  shall  be  heated  like  iron  ;  they  shall  burn  and  cry 
aloud  ; 

The  wretched  beings'  heads  shall  be  taken  up  with  tongs 
and  placed  on  anvils, 

1  The  introductory  prayer  of  the  Quran.     Its  secondary  meaning 
is  prayers  offered  up  for  a  deceased  person. 

2  The  Indian  oil-press  is  a  primitive  machine.     A  beam  is  made 
to  revolve  in  a  socket  in  which  the  seeds  to  be  pressed  are  placed. 
The  meaning  here  is,  that  the  ears  shall  be  tortured  as  if  the  beams  of 
oil-presses  revolved  in  them  as  sockets. 


126  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

On  which  they  shall  be  beaten  with  hammers  in  time 
according  to  the  smith's  l  lead. 

Nanak,  without  the  true  Name  they  shall  have  no  rest 
either  in  this  world  or  the  next. 

Iron  spikes  shall  be  driven  into  their  feet,  and  the  sun 
shall  burn  their  heads. 

They  who  are  captivated  with  the  strange  woman's  flesh, 
shall  lose  their  manhood  and  their  honour  ; 

They  shall  be  bound  to  a  heated  pillar,  and  no  one  will 
go  near  them  ; 

They  shall  be  unloosed  and  again  tied  to  it  ;  they  shall 
repent  and  implore  pity — 

Everybody,  Nanak,  is  an  enemy  of  the  sinner — 

They  shall  be  put  into  a  furnace  and  bodkins  of  fire 
thrust  into  their  eyes  ; 

They  shall  be  burnt  by  sand  under  which  fire  hath  been 
kindled  ; 

They  shall  be  roasted  in  a  caldron  like  rice,  and  shall 
then  crackle  and  make  a  report. 

God  Himself  pardoneth,  O  Nanak  ;  whom  else  shall  we 
address  ? 

As  the  juice  of  sugar-cane  is  expressed  by  putting  great 
weight  on  it, 

So  man  is  weighed  down  by  eating,  drinking,  dressing, 
and  pleasures  which  degrade  his  mind. 

An  account  shall  be  demanded  from  the  soul  which  hath 
dealt  in  such  things. 

Feet  and  legs  perform  the  duties  the  soul  ordereth  them. 

The  tongue  which  tasted  sinful  savours  shall  stand  up  in 
court  and  cry  out  against  the  soul ; 

The  ears  shall  also  depose  that  it  is  the  soul  which  is  false 
and  deceitful. 

The  nose  and  eyes  shall  also  plead  not  guilty,  and  it  is 
the  poor  soul  which  shall  suffer. 

The  soul  under  arrest  in  Death's  court  pleadeth,  'It  is 
the  senses  which  have  led  the  whole  world  astray  : 

*  The  senses  united  have  thrown  man  into  misery  as  the 
smith  putteth  iron  on  the  anvil.' 

1  Dharmraj,  the  Pluto  of  Greek  mythology. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  127 

Nanak,  he  who  meeteth  not  the  true  Guru  and  obtaineth 
not  divine  knowledge,  shall  find  no  rest  in  this  world  or 
the  next. 

The  soul  shall  be  filed  seventy  times  like  an  arrow  ; 

It  shall  be  melted  like  gold  in  a  mould  ;  O  soul,  thou 
shalt  suffer  for  what  thou  hast  done. 

The  soul  shall  have  to  bear  a  prodigious  saddle  and  be 
driven  like  a  steed. 

Nanak,  it  shall  be  bound  by  Death,  and  have  to  suffer 
transmigration  again  and  again. 

How  many  enemies  shall  it  have  on  sea  and  land  !  the 
forests  and  glades  shall  cause  it  to  suffer. 

Every  house  shall  bear  it  enmity  ;  Nanak,  the  real  thing 
is  to  meditate  on  the  Eternal. 

Death  with  the  three  bloodshot  and  terrible  eyes  shall 
lie  in  wait  for  the  soul. 

The  whole  world  is  Death's  provender  ;  merciless  is  the 
god  of  death. 

He  seizeth  men,  Nanak,  and  hurrieth  them  away  in 
obedience  to  the  Commander. 

My  body  is  before  Thee  ;  Thou  art  Master ;  Thou  mayest 
preserve  or  destroy  it. 

There  shall  be  no  mother,  father,  kinsman,  wife,  or 
brother, 

Son,  or  wealth  to  assist  us  ;  how  shall  we  have  conso 
lation  ? 

There  shall  be  no  quiver,  or  bow,  or  shield,  or  sword 
to  protect  us, 

But  a  seething  caldron  day  and  night ;  consider  this 
under  the  Guru's  instruction. 

vxMake  honesty  thy  steed,  truth  thy  saddle,  continence 
thine  equestrian  armour  ; 

vxThe  five  virtues 1  thine  arrows,  and  truth  thy  sword  and 
shield. 

Nanak,  pious  men  who  have  truth  in  their  hearts,  shall 
obtain  honour  in  God's  court. 

1  Contentment,  compassion,  piety,  patience,  morality.  The  list 
of  the  five  virtues  is  somewhat  arbitrary.  Truth  is  generally  included 
in  them,  but  here  the  Guru  makes  it  a  separate  virtue. 


128  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

v'  Brahma  who  came  into  the  world  repeating  the  Veds 
cannot  describe  God. 
What  is  poor  Krishan  who  by  God's  order  descended  upon 


earth  ? 


Shiv  and  countless  gods  and  goddesses  standing  at  Thy 
gate  praise  Thee. 

He  who  turneth  from  God  shall  pine  away  and  die  ;  the 
True  One  is  ever  the  Pardoner.1 

Mian  Mitha  then  spoke  :  '  What  is  that  one 
Name  which  thou  praisest  so  much  ?  '  The  Guru 
replied,  '  Hath  any  one  ever  known  the  worth  of 
that  Name  ?  '  Mian  Mitha  asked  him  to  be  good 
enough  to  explain  it  to  him.  The  Guru  then  took 
his  arm,  led  him  aside,  and  said  to  him,  '  Shaikh, 
hearest  thou  the  Name  of  the  one  God  ?  '  While 
they  were  speaking,  the  name  of  the  Prophet  vanished 
amid  the  sounds  of  divine  ecstasy,  and  when  they 
looked  again  there  appeared  instead  of  it  only  a  heap 
of  ashes.  Then  came  a  voice  from  heaven  which  only 
repeated  '  Allah  ',  God's  Arabic  name.  Upon  this 
Shaikh  Mitha  got  up  and  kissed  the  Guru's  feet. 
The  Guru  then  fell  into  a  trance,  and  in  that  state 
gave  utterance  to  the  following  :— 

v  N  ASIH  AT  NAM  A  2 

The  present  are  favoured  ;   the  absent  are  not. 

Faith  is  a  friend,  want  of  faith  an  infidel ; 

Pride  is  ruin,  wrath  is  unlawful ; 

Concupiscence  is  Satan,  conceit  is  infidelity  ; 

The  slanderer's  face  is  black. 

The  man  without  faith  is  unclean  ;  he  who  is  tender 
hearted  is  pure. 

Knowledge  is  gentleness.  The  non-avaricious  are  holy  ; 
the  avaricious  are  impatient. 

The  honest  man  hath  a  bright,  the  ungrateful  man  a 
yellow  face. 

1  Banno's  Granth  Sahib.     It  must  be  noted  that  this  hymn  is  not 
generally  accepted  by  the  Sikhs. 

2  Instruction.     This  too  is  not  found  in  the  Granth  Sahib. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  129 

Truth  is  heaven,  falsehood  is  hell. 

Mildness  is  victuals. 

Force  is  oppression,  justice  is  pure. 

God's  praises  are  ablutions,  the  call  to  prayer  is  noise. 

Theft  is  greed,  adultery  uncleanness. 

Patience  is  humility,  impatience  deceit. 

The  right  way  is  that  of  spiritual  advisers ;  the  wrong 
way  is  for  those  who  have  none. 

Compassion  is  wealth,  want  of  compassion  useless. 

The  sword  is  for  warriors,  justice  for  monarchs. 

He  who  knoweth  and  causeth  others  to  know  these 
things, 

Is,  O  Nanak,  called  a  wise  man. 

Upon  this  the  Guru  and  Mian  Mitha  separated. 


CHAPTER  XI 

The  Guru  proceeded  to  the  river  Ravi  and  thence 
to  Lahore.  The  Lahore  territory  was  then  farmed 
from  the  Emperor  by  a  millionaire  Khatri,  whose 
name  was  Duni  Chand.  He  was  performing  the 
ceremony  of  shradh 1  for  his  father,  when  he  heard  of 
the  devout  Nanak' s  arrival.  He  took  the  Guru  to 
his  house,  and  treated  him  with  great  affection. 
When  everything  was  ready  for  the  anniversary  feast, 
Duni  Chand  began  to  feed  the  Brahmans.  The  Guru, 
on  being  summoned,  asked  what  the  matter  was. 
Duni  Chand  replied  that  it  was  his  father's  shradh, 
and  that  he  had  fed  one  hundred  Brahmans  in  his 
name.  The  Guru  replied,  '  It  is  now  two  days  since 
thy  father  hath  eaten  anything,  and  yet  thou  sayest 
thou  hast  fed  one  hundred  Brahmans  for  him.'  Duni 
Chand  asked  where  his  father  was.  The  Guru  replied 
that  he  had  become  incarnate  in  a  wolf,  which  was 
now  in  a  clump  of  trees  six  miles  distant.  The  reason 

1  Shrddhs  are  oblations  of  cakes  and  libations  of  water  made  to  the 
spirits  of  deceased  ancestors  :  Vide  Monier  Williams's  Indian  Wisdom, 
passim. 


I3o  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

his  father's  soul  had  entered  a  wolf  was,  that  while 
he  was  in  human  birth  he  had  coveted  meat  which 
a  Sikh  was  cooking,  and  had  died  in  that  desire. 

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

False  are  kings,  false  their  subjects,  false  the  whole 
world ; 

False  are  mansions,  false  palaces,  false  those  who  dwell 
therein ; 

False  is  gold,  false  silver,  false  he  who  weareth  them  ; 

False  the  body,  false  raiment,  false  peerless  beauty  ; 

False  husbands,  false  wives  ;  they  pine  away  and  become 
dust.1 

Man  who  is  false  loveth  what  is  false,  and  forgetteth  the 
Creator. 

1  Instead  of  chhar,  dust,  the  Granth  Sahib  has  khwdr,  despised. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  131 

With  whom  contract  friendship  ?  The  whole  world  passeth 
away. 

False  is  sweetness,  false  honey,  in  falsehood  shiploads  are 
drowned — 

Nanak  humbly  asserteth — Except  Thee,  0  God,  everything 
is  thoroughly  false.1 

The  Guru  went  in  a  north-east  direction,  and  took 
up  his  post  on  the  bank  of  the  Ravi.  His  arrival 
there  caused  great  excitement,  and  every  one  went 
to  see  him.  He  was  universally  held  to  be  a  man 
of  God.  All  who  visited  him  went  away  pleased. 
Every  verse  that  he  composed  was  at  once  pub 
lished  abroad.  He  used  to  compose  verses  like  the 
following,  which  faqirs  sang  to  the  accompaniment 
of  reeds  : — 

Falsehood  is  at  an  end  ;  Nanak,  truth  at  last  prevaileth.2 

There  was  only  the  one  Name  mentioned  in  the 
Guru's  dwelling,  and  he  became  the  object  of  great 
popular  admiration. 

A  millionaire  official  who  dwelt  in  a  neighbouring 
village  began  to  depreciate  the  Guru.  He  said, '  Who 
is  this  person  whose  name  is  repeated  by  every  one, 
as  if  he  were  a  god,  though  he  is  only  a  mortal  like 
ourselves  ?  The  Hindus  are  being  perverted,  and 
even  the  Musalmans  are  losing  their  faith.  Come,  let 
us  imprison  him.'  When  the  speaker  mounted  on 
horseback,  the  animal  shied  and  threw  him.  Next 
day  he  again  mounted,  but,  as  he  proceeded  on  his 
way,  became  blind  and  had  to  alight.  Those  who 
witnessed  his  calamity  were  afraid  to  make  any 
remark  save  that  Nanak  was  a  great  saint.  They, 
however,  suggested  to  the  millionaire  that  he  should 
do  homage  to  the  Guru.  Upon  this  he  began  to 
praise  the  Guru  ;  and  those  who  were  with  him 
bowed  towards  the  Guru.  The  millionaire  again 

1  Asa  ki  War.  2  Ramkali  ki  War  I. 

K  2 


132  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

mounted  his  horse,  intending  this  time  to  go  and 
supplicate  the  Guru,  but  immediately  fell  down. 
His  companions  addressed  him,  '  Thou  hast  made 
a  mistake  in  going  on  horseback.  Go  on  foot,  that 
thou  mayest  be  pardoned/  He  took  this  advice. 
On  arriving  at  a  spot  whence  the  Guru's  residence 
could  be  seen,  he  recovered  his  sight,  and  began  to 
make  salutations  in  the  Guru's  direction.  On 
arriving  in  his  presence  he  fell  at  his  feet.  The  Guru 
was  pleased  and  made  him  his  guest  for  three  days. 
The  millionaire,  in  honour  of  the  Guru,  founded 
a  village,  which  he  called  Kartarpur,  on  the  margin 
of  the  Ravi,  and  built  a  Sikh  temple  therein,  both 
of  which  he  dedicated  to  the  Guru. 

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


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  133 

Cooking  places  of  gold,  vessels  of  gold, 
Lines  of  silver  far  extended, 
Ganges  water,  firewood  of  the  karanta l  tree, 
Eating  rice  boiled  in  milk  — 

0  my  soul,  these  things  are  of  no  account 
Until  thou  art  saturated  with  the  true  Name. 
Hadst  thou  the  eighteen  Purans  with  thee, 
Couldst  thou  recite  the  four  Veds, 

Didst  thou  bathe  on  holy  days  and  give  alms  according  to 
men's  castes, 

Didst  thou  fast  and  perform  religious  ceremonies  day  and 
night ; 

Wert  thou  a  qazi,  a  mulla,  or  a  shaikh, 

A  Jogi,  a  jangam,2  didst  thou  wear  an  ochre-coloured  dress. 

Or  didst  thou  perform  the  duties  of  a  householder— 

Without  knowing  God,  Death  would  bind  and  take  all  men 
away. 

The  duties  of  all  creatures  are  recorded  on  their  heads  ; 

They  shall  be  judged  according  to  their  acts. 

Foolish  and  ignorant  men  issue  orders— 
*  Nanak,  the  True  One  hath  storehouses  of  praises.3 

The  Guru  initiated  the  practice  of  singing  hymns 
in  the  end  of  the  night.  A  boy  seven  years  of  age 
used  to  come  to  listen  and  stand  behind  him. 
When  the  singing  was  over,  he  used  quietly  to 
depart.  One  day  the  Guru  ordered  his  servants  to 
detain  the  boy  in  order  to  discover  the  object  of 
his  continual  attendance.  He  was  accordingly 
brought  before  the  Guru,  who  asked  him,  '  O  boy, 
why  comest  thou  so  early  in  the  morning  to  listen 
to  hymns  ?  This  is  the  time  of  life  for  thee  to 
eat,  play,  and  sleep/  The  boy  replied,  '  Sir,  one 
day  my  mother  bade  me  light  the  fire.  When 
I  put  on  the  wood,  I  observed  that  the  little  sticks 
burned  first  and  afterwards  the  big  ones.  From  that 
time  I  have  been  afraid  of  early  death.  It  is  very 

1  The  Carissa  Carandas. 

2  A  class  of  faqirs  with  matted  hair  and  thin  chains  to  their  feet. 
They  generally  go  about  ringing  bells.  3  Basant. 


i34  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

doubtful  whether  we  shall  live  to  be  old,  and  so 
I  attend  thy  religious  gatherings/  The  Guru  was 
much  pleased  on  hearing  this  wisdom  from  the 
child's  lips,  and  said  he  spoke  like  an  old  man 
(budha).  On  that  occasion  the  Guru  composed  the 
following  : — 

In  the  briny  unfathomable  ocean  the  fish  did  not  recognize 
the  net.1 

Why  did  the  very  clever  and  beautiful  fish  have  so  much 
confidence  ? 

It  was  caught  through  its  own  doing  ;  death  cannot  be 
averted, 

0  my  brethren  ;  know  that  in  like  manner  death  hangeth 
over  your  heads. 

Man  is  like  the  fish  upon  which  the  net  falleth  unawares. 

The  whole  world  is  bound  by  death  ;  without  the  Guru 
death  cannot  be  destroyed. 

They  who  are  imbued  with  the  True  One,  and  have 
abandoned  worthless  mammon,  are  saved. 

1  am  a  sacrifice  unto  those  who  are  found  true  at  the  gate 
of  the  True  One. 

Death  is  like  the  hawk  among  the  birds,  or  the  huntsman 
with  the  noose  in  his  hands. 

They  whom  the  Guru  preserved  have  been  saved  ;  all 
others  have  been  entrapped  by  the  bait. 

They  who  possess  not  God's  name  shall  be  rejected  ;  no 
one  will  assist  them. 

God  is  the  truest  of  the  true,  and  His  place  is  the  truest 
of  the  true. 

They  who  obey  the  True  One  meditate  on  Him  in  their 
hearts. 

Even  the  perverse  who  obtain  divine  knowledge  under 
the  Guru's  instruction  are  pure. 

Make  supplication  to  the  true  Guru  to  unite  thee  with  the 
Friend. 

When  man  meeteth  the  Friend  he  obtaineth  happiness,  and 
the  myrmidons  of  death  poison  themselves. 

1  The  worldly  man  does  not  remember  death. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  135 

I  abide  in  the  Name,  and  the  Name  abideth  in  my 
heart. 

Without  the  Guru  all  is  darkness  ;  without  the  Word 
nothing  can  be  known. 

By  the  Guru's  instruction  light  shineth,  and  man  con- 
tinueth  to  love  the  True  One. 

Death  entereth  not  where  the  soul's  light  is  blended  with 
God's. 

Thou,  0  God,  art  the  Friend  ;  Thou  art  wise  ;  it  is  Thou 
who  unitest  men  with  Thee. 

Under  the  Guru's  instruction,  O  man,  praise  Him  who 
hath  no  end  or  limit. 

Death  entereth  not  where  there  is  the  incomparable  Word 
of  the  Guru. 

By  God's  order  all  sentient  beings  were  produced  ;  by  God's 
order  they  perform  their  functions. 

By  God's  order  they  are  in  the  power  of  death  ;  by  God's 
order  they  are  absorbed  in  the  True  One. 

Nanak,  what  pleaseth  God  shall  happen  ;  there  is  nothing 
whatever  in  the  power  of  His  creatures.1 

The  boy  to  whom  the  above  hymn  was  addressed 
was  subsequently  known  as  Bhai  Budha  on  account 
of  the  complimentary  expression  of  the  Guru. 
He  was  held  in  such  high  estimation  that  he 
was  commissioned  to  confer  the  tilaks  or  patches 
of  Guruship  on  the  first  five  successors  of  Guru 
Nanak. 

Kalu  with  all  his  people  proceeded  to  where  his 
son  the  Guru  had  fixed  his  habitation.  Sikh  societies 
then  began  to  be  formed.  The  Guru  took  off  his 
extraordinary  costume  and  dressed  in  a  more  con 
ventional  manner.  With  a  cloth  around  his  waist, 
a  sheet  over  his  shoulder,  and  a  turban  on  his  head, 
he  looked  the  impersonation  of  holiness.  The 
string  of  his  fame  rose  to  heaven,  it  was  said,  like 
that  of  a  kite.  Every  one  addressed  him,  '  Hail, 
Nanak !  a  great  saint  hath  been  born  in  the  world.' 

1  Sri  Rag,  Ashtapadi. 


136  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

At  Kartarpur,  a  watch  before  day,  the  Japji  and 
the  Asa  ki  War  were  repeated.  Then  followed 
reading  and  expounding  of  the  Guru's  hymns,  until 
a  watch  and  a  quarter  after  sunrise.  This  was 
succeeded  by  singing  and  the  reading  of  the  Arati 
(Gagan  mai  thai).  After  this,  breakfast  was  served. 
In  the  third  watch  there  was  again  singing,  after 
which  in  the  evening  the  Sodar  was  read.  Then  the 
Sikhs  all  dined  together.  The  repast  ended  with 
further  singing.  After  a  watch  of  night  had  elapsed 
the  Sohila  was  read,  and  every  one  then  retired. 

The  Guru  when  not  engaged  in  prayer  occupied 
himself  during  the  day  in  Kartarpur  in  giving 
instruction  to  all  who  sought  it.  He  thus  delivered 
himself  to  Malo  and  Bhago  on  the  subject  of  Hindu 
penances  :  '  To  burn  in  fire,  to  abide  long  in  water, 
to  fast,  to  endure  heat  and  cold,  to  hold  up  one's 
arm  permanently,  to  do  penance  with  body  reversed, 
to  stand  for  a  long  time  on  one  leg,  to  live  on  forest 
tubers  and  roots,  to  abide  on  the  margins  of  rivers, 
to  wander  over  the  world  as  a  pilgrim,  to  fast  at 
full  moon — all  such  penances  are  works  of  darkness.' 

The  Guru  thus  expressed  himself  on  the  subject 
of  the  devotional  exercises  of  the  Sikhs :  '  To  recall 
the  wandering  mind  from  the  distraction  of  the 
senses,  and  then  employ  it  in  pious  discourses 
and  in  devoutly  singing  and  listening  to  songs  of 
praise  of  the  Almighty — know  that  these  are  merito 
rious  acts  which  may  be  easily  performed.  They 
involve  but  little  labour  and  bring  great  reward. 
The  Hindu  penances  on  the  contrary  involve  great 
trouble  while  only  small  recompense  is  obtained 
therefrom.' 

The  Guru  replied  to  a  man  called  Kalu  who  had 
asked  him  for  a  definition  of  a  holy  man  :  '  Recognize 
him  as  holy  in  whom  are  to  be  found  friend 
ship,  sympathy,  pleasure  at  the  welfare  of  others, 
and  dislike  of  evil  company.  In  the  first  place,  the 
intentions  of  holy  men  are  pure.  Secondly,  they  are 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  137 

pleased  on  hearing  the  praises  of  others.  Thirdly, 
holy  men  serve  the  virtuous.  Fourthly,  they  honour 
those  who  can  impart  to  them  learning  and  good 
counsel.  Fifthly,  as  there  is  a  periodical  craving  for 
food  or  intoxicants,  so  they  feel  a  craving  for  the 
Guru's  word  and  for  divine  knowledge.  Sixthly, 
they  love  their  wives,  and  renounce  other  women. 
Seventhly,  they  avoid  subjects  from  which  quarrels 
may  arise.  Eighthly,  they  serve  those  who  are 
superior  to  themselves  in  intelligence  or  devotion. 
Ninthly,  even  if  strong,  they'are  not  arrogant,  and 
trample  not  on  others.  Tenthly,  they  abandon  the 
society  of  the  evil,  and  only  associate  with  the  holy/ 
Two  Sikhs,  called  Bhagta  and  Ohri,  asked  Guru 
Nanak  how  rest  was  to  be  obtained,  and  transmigra 
tion  avoided.  The  Guru  replied  as  follows  :  '  You 
shall  find  rest  by  avoiding  manmukh  karm  (perverse 
acts).'  Being  asked  to  define  manmukh  karm  more 
particularly,  the  Guru  replied  :  '  It  is  to  be  heartily 
envious  of  every  one,  to  desire  that  worldly  wealth 
and  all  happiness  should  forsake  others  and  come  to 
oneself,  to  suffer  great  pain  as  one  beholdeth  the 
houses  and  property  of  others,  to  believe  all  men 
one's  enemies,  and  do  good  to  no  one.  Expel  all  this 
evil  from  your  hearts.  In  the  second  place,  the 
perverse  man  is  proud  and  relentless  to  every  one. 
When  he  seeth  such  and  such  a  person  inferior  to 
himself,  he  never  adviseth  him  ;  nay,  he  laugheth 
at  him,  and  treateth  him  with  contempt,  saying, 
"His  is  not  equal  to  my  lofty  intellect."  In  the 
third  place,  the  perverse  man  is  addicted  to  slander ; 
but  do  you  renounce  it  and  never  utter  it.  If  any 
one  praise  another  who  is  superior  to  him,  he  cannot 
endure  it,  nay  he  becometh  wroth,  saying,  "O!  I  am 
well  acquainted  with  him."  In  this  way  he  uttereth 
slander.  How  can  he  who  is  proud  of  his  efforts  and 
envious  of  others  ever  possess  excellence  ?  In  the 
fourth  place,  if  the  perverse  man  receive  advice,  he 
will  not  act  on  it  through  obstinacy;  nay,  he  will 


138  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

perversely  do  the  very  reverse.  These  vices — envy, 
pride,  slander,  and  obstinacy — belong  to  the  perverse. 
Relinquish  them,  acting  as  trees  do  when  they  drop 
their  leaves  in  autumn/ 

The  Guru  was  asked  why  the  words  Sat  Nam — 
the  True  Name — were  always  written  as  an  intro 
duction  to  his  hymns.  He  replied,  '  The  Name  is 
the  God  of  all  gods.  Some  propitiate  Durga,1  some 
Shiv,  some  Ganesh,2  and  some  other  gods ;  but  the 
Guru's  Sikhs  worship  the  True  Name  and  thus 
remove  all  obstacles  to  salvation.  Accordingly,  the 
prefatory  words,  the  True  Name,  are  written  in  all 
compositions/ 

It  was  here  the  Guru  composed  his  poem  on  the 
Twelve  Months  of  the  year.  The  description  is  of 
course  suited  to  the  climate  of  the  Panjab,  his  native 
country.  We  here  give  a  translation  in  extenso 3  :— 

Hear  Thou,  0  God — according  to  men's  acts  in  previous 
states  of  existence 

The  weal  or  woe  which  Thougivest  to  each  individual  is  just. 

0  God,  the  Creation  is  Thine  ;    what  is  my  condition  ? 
I  cannot  live  for  a  moment  without  Thee. 

1  am  miserable  without  my  Beloved  ;    I  have  no  friend  ; 
yet  from  the  Guru's  instruction  I  drink  nectar. 

The  Formless  One  continueth  His  creation;4  to  obey  God 
is  the  best  of  human  acts. 

1  Durga  is  the  energy  or  consort  of  Shiv. 

2  Ganesh  is  an  elephant-headed  god  of  the  Hindus,  who  in  one  of 
his  attributes  presides  over  literature,  and  is  specially  invoked  in  the 
prefaces  to  literary  works. 

3  The  Indian  seasons  and  months  are — i,  Spring,  which  includes  the 
months  Chet  and  Baisakh  ;    2,  the  hot  weather,  Jeth  and  Har ;  3,  the 
rainy  weather,  Sawan  and  Bhadon  ;  4,  the  temperate  weather,  Assu  and 
Kartik ;  5,  the  cold  weather,  Maghar  and  Poh ;    6,  Autumn,  Magh 
and  Phagan.     These  seasons  are  in  Sanskrit  and  Hindi  called  respec 
tively — Basant,  Grikham,  Pawas,  Sard,  Him,  and  Sisar.     The  latter 
season,  when  the  leaves  fall,  is  contemporaneous  with  the  European 
early  spring.  The  Indian  lunar  year  begins  with  Chet,  which  is  movable, 
and  the  Indian  solar  year  with  Baisakh  about  the  i2th  of  April. 

4  In  Indian  sacred  writings  several  creations  and  destructions  of  the 
world  are  alluded  to. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  139 

Nanak,  the  woman  is  waiting  for  Thee  ;  hear  Thou,  O 
Omnipresent  Spirit. 

The  chatrik  l  crieth  '  Prio  !  '  and  the  kokil 2  also  singeth 
its  lays. 

The  woman  who  is  embraced  by  her  Spouse  enjoyeth 
every  happiness. 

She  whom  God  in  His  pleasure  hath  embraced  is  a  happy 
woman. 

God  established  the  nine  mansions  of  the  body  ;  the  tenth 
which  is  superior  to  them  all,  is  His  home. 

Everything  is  Thine  ;  Thou  art  my  Beloved  ;  I  delight 
in  Thee  night  and  day. 

Nanak,  the  chatrik  crieth  '  Prio,  prio  !  '  and  sweet  is 
the  kokil's  song. 

0  God,  filled  with  delight,  my  Beloved,  hear  Thou  me. 
Thou  art  contained  in  my  soul  and  body  ;   I  forget  Thee 

not  for  an  instant. 

Why  should  I  forget  Thee  for  an  instant  ?  I  am  a  sacrifice 
unto  Thee  ;  I  live  by  singing  Thy  praises. 

1  have  no  one  ;    whose  am  I  ?    I  cannot  abide  without 
God. 

I  have  sought  the  shelter  of  His  feet,  and  dwell  there  ; 
and  my  body  hath  become  pure. 

Nanak,  he  on  whom  God  looketh  with  favour  obtaineth 
peace  in  his  home,  and  his  mind  is  consoled  with  the  Guru's 
teaching. 

It  raineth  a  torrent  of  nectar,  whose  drops  are  de 
lightful, 

When  the  friend,  the  kindly  Guru  meeteth  one,  and  love 
is  established  with  God. 

God  entereth  the  temple  of  the  body  when  it  pleaseth 
Him,  and  the  woman  riseth  up  and  repeateth  His  praises. 

1  Its  cry  is  '  prio ',  a  word  which  also  means  beloved.     Hence  it  is 
said  the  bird  calls  to  God  and  lives  in  His  worship. 

2  The  black  Indian  cuckoo.    Its  name  is  derived  from  its  cry,  which 
increases  in  volume  of  sound   as   it  progresses.     It  is   larger   than 
the  chatrik. 


140  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

In  every  house  the  spouse  enjoy eth  his  happy  wife  ; 
why  hath  my  Spouse  forgotten  me  ? 

Lowering  clouds  have  overspread  the  heavens  ;  it  raineth 
pleasantly  and  love  comforteth  my  soul  and  body. 

Saith  Nanak,  Thou  who  rainest  ambrosial  speech, 
graciously  come  to  mine  abode. 


In  Chet  agreeable  is  the  spring ;  the  bumble-bee  is 
pleasing. 

In  the  Bar  the  forests  are  flowering  ;  may  my  Beloved 
return  to  me  ! 

When  her  beloved  returneth  not  home,  how  can  a  wife 
obtain  comfort  ?  Her  body  wasteth  away  with  the  pain 
of  separation. 

The  kokil  singeth  sweetly  on  the  mango-tree ;  why 
should  I  endure  pain  of  body  ? 

The  bumble-bee  is  flitting  on  the  flowering  branches; 
how  shall  I  survive  ?  I  am  dying,  O  mother. 

Nanak,  in  Chet  comfort  is  easily  obtained  if  woman 
obtain  God  in  her  home  as  her  Spouse. 


The  month  of  Baisakh  is  pleasant ;  the  trees  are  in 
blossom  ; 

The  woman  is  waiting  for  God  at  her  gate,  saying,  '  Come, 
take  compassion  on  me. 

'  Come  home,  my  Beloved,  make  me  cross  the  difficult 
ocean  ;  without  Thee  I  am  worthless. 

'  Who  can  appraise  Thy  worth,  my  Darling  ?  If  it  please 
Thee,  I  shall  look  at  Thee  and  show  Thee  to  others. 

'  I  know  that  Thou  art  not  distant  ;  I  acknowledge  that 
Thou  art  in  my  heart,  and  I  recognize  Thy  mansion.' 

Nanak,  in  Baisakh  God  is  found  by  him  who  meditateth 
on  the  Word  and  whose  mind  is  thus  happy. 


The  month  of  Jeth  is  pleasant ;  why  should  the  Beloved 
be  forgotten  ? 

The  land  is  burning  like  a  furnace  ;  woman  is  making 
supplication — 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  141 

Woman  is  making  supplication  and  praising  His  qualities  : 
'  I  shall  be  pleasing  to  the  Lord  if  I  utter  His  praises. 

'  The  Bairagi l  liveth  in  the  true  palace  ;  if  He  allow  me 
to  go  to  Him,  I  will  go. 

'  Without  God  I  am  without  honour  and  strength  ;  how 
shall  I  obtain  comfort  in  His  palace  ? ' 

Nanak,  in  Jeth  if  a  woman  know  God  and  embrace  virtue, 
she  shall  by  His  favour  become  like  unto  Him. 


The  month  of  Har  is  sultry  ;2  the  sun  is  burning  in  the 
sky  ; 

The  earth  is  suffering  ;  it  is  parched  and  heated  like  fire  ; 

The  heat  is  drying  up  moisture  ;  men  die  in  anguish, 
yet  the  sun  wearieth  not  of  his  toil. 

When  his  chariot  turneth  towards  the  south,3  woman 
looketh  for  the  shade  ;  the  grasshoppers  chirp  in  the 
forest. 

She  who  hath  departed  with  her  sins  shall  suffer  in  the 
next  world,  while  she  who  remembereth  the  True  One  shall 
obtain  comfort. 

Nanak,  with  God,  to  whom  I  gave  my  heart,  are  death 
and  life.  

In  Sawan  be  happy,  O  my  soul ;  it  is  the  season  of  clouds 
and  rain. 

'  I  love  my  Spouse  with  my  soul  and  body,  but  the  Dear 
One  hath  gone  abroad  ; 

'  My  Spouse  cometh  not  home  ;  I  am  dying  with  the  pang 
of  separation  ;  the  flash  of  the  lightning  terrifieth  me. 

'  I  am  alone  on  my  couch  and  greatly  grieved  ;  O  mother, 
my  pain  is  as  bad  as  death. 

'Say  how  can  sleep  and  appetite  come  to  me  without 
God  ?  Raiment  affordeth  my  body  no  comfort.' 

1  God,  in  the  sense  that  He  loves  not  the  sinner.    The  word  Bairagi 
ordinarily  means  a  man  without  love  for  the  world.    The  Bairagis  now 
form  a  special  sect  who  worship  Vishnu  and  wear  sacrificial  threads. 
They  are  distinguished  from  the  Sanyasis  who  worship  Shiv  and  dis 
pense  with  sacrificial  threads. 

2  We  are  obliged  here  to  take  a  liberty  with  the  word  bhala,  which 
means  good.  3  After  the  summer  solstice. 


142  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Nanak,  she  is  the  happy  wife  who  is  embraced  by  her 
beloved  Spouse. 

In  the  month  of  Bhadon  woman  in  the  bloom  of  youth 
is  led  astray  by  doubt,  but  afterwards  repent eth. 

The  lakes  and  the  meadows  are  filled  with  water  ;  it  is 
the  rainy  season — the  time  for  pleasure. 

It  raineth  during  the  dark  night  ;  how  can  the  young 
wife  have  comfort  without  her  mate  ?  Frogs  and  peacocks 
are  croaking. 

'Prio,  prio'  crieth  the  chatrik  ;  serpents  go  abroad  biting  ; 

Mosquitoes  sting  ;  lakes  are  filled  to  the  brim  ;  how  shall 
man  obtain  comfort  without  God  ? 

Nanak,  I  will  ask  my  Guru  and  go  where  the  Lord  is. 

In  Assu  come,  O  Beloved ;  the  wife  is  pining  and  dying 
for  Thee. 

Man  can  meet  the  Lord  when  He  granteth  him  an  inter 
view  ;  but  love  of  mammon  ruineth  him. 

When  woman  is  spoiled  by  falsehood,  her  husband  putteth 
her  away  ;  then  bloom  the  kukah  and  the  kahi  reeds.1 

The  heat  is  over,  the  cool  season  is  approaching  ;  on 
seeing  this  my  mind  is  uneasy.2 

On  all  sides  the  trees  are  green  and  verdant  ;  that  which 
slowly  ripeneth  is  sweet. 

Nanak,  the  true  Guru  hath  become  my  mediator  ;  may 
I  meet  my  Beloved  in  Assu  ! 


In  Kartik  what  pleaseth  God  is  recorded  in  man's  destiny. 

The  lamp  which  is  lit  by  divine  knowledge  easily  burneth. 

Love  is  the  oil  of  the  lamp  ;  the  woman  and  her  Beloved 
have  met ;  3  she  is  overwhelmed  with  delight. 

She  whom  sin  killeth  shall  not  be  acceptable  at  her  death, 
while  she  whom  virtue  killeth  shall  really  die.  4 

God  hath  given  His  name  and  service  to  those  who  dwell 
in  their  own  homes  ;  ever  their  prayer  is — 

1  Kukah  is  supposed  to  be    the  Saccharum  munja,  and  kahi  the 
Sac  char  um  spontaneum. 

2  That  is,  so  much  time  has  passed  away,  that  I  fear  I  shall  never 
meet  my  Beloved. 

3  Guided  by  the  lamp's  light.          4  Shall  not  suffer  transmigration. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  143 

'  Meet  us,  O  God,  and  open  the  doors  of  our  understand 
ing  ;  otherwise  one  hour  shall  be  as  six  months.' 

The  month  of  Maghar  is  pleasant  for  those  who  are 
blended  with  God's  person  by  singing  His  praises. 

The  virtuous  woman  through  her  virtues  enjoyeth  her 
spouse  ;  my  Spouse  is  ever  pleasing  to  me. 

While  the  whole  world  is  movable,  He  is  immovable, 
clever,  wise,  the  Arranger. 

They  who  possess  the  merits  of  divine  knowledge  and 
meditation  shall  be  blended  with  God.  They  are  pleasing 
to  God,  and  God  is  pleasing  to  them. 

The  songs,  music,  and  poems  of  bards  have  I  heard  ;  but 
it  is  at  the  name  of  God  sorrow  fleeth  away. 

Nanak,  that  wife  is  dear  to  her  spouse  who  in  his  pre 
sence  doeth  him  hearty  service. 

In  Poh  it  freezeth  ;  the  moisture  of  the  forest  and  of  the 
grass  drieth  up. 

Why  comest  Thou  not  ?  Thou  dwellest  in  my  body,  in 
my  soul,  and  in  my  mouth.1 

The  Life  of  the  world  pervadeth  my  soul  and  body  ;  I 
enjoy  pleasure  through  the  instruction  of  the  Guru. 

The  light  of  God  is  contained  in  the  hearts  of  animals 
born  from  eggs,  wombs,  perspiration,  and  earth. 

Lord  of  compassion,  beneficent  One,  grant  me  a  sight  of 
Thee,  and  give  me  understanding  that  I  may  obtain  salva 
tion. 

Nanak,  the  Enjoyer  enjoyeth  her  with  pleasure  who 
beareth  Him  love  and  affection. 


In  Magh  woman  becometh  pure  when  she  knoweth  the 
place  of  Pilgrimage  2  within  her. 

I  have  easily  met  the  Friend,  and,  by  adopting  His 
attributes,  have  become  blended  with  Him. 

Hear  me,  O  beloved  and  beautiful  God,  I  made  Thine 
attributes  mine  ornaments  ;  if  it  please  Thee,  I  shall  bathe 
in  Thy  tank. 

1  That  is,  I  ever  think  of  Thee  and  repeat  Thy  name,  but  am 
unworthy  to  receive  Thee.  2  God. 


144  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  Ganges,  the  Jamna,  the  meeting  of  the  three  rivers 
at  Tribeni  Priyag,1  the  seven  oceans, 

Alms,  charity,  and  worship  are  all  contained  in  God's 
name.  I  recognize  Him  as  the  One  God  in  every  age. 

Nanak,  in  the  month  of  Magh,  if  I  repeat  God's  name 
with  great  delight,  I  bathe  at  the  sixty-eight  places  of 
pilgrimage.2 

In  Phagan  the  hearts  of  those  to  whom  God's  love  is 
pleasing  are  happy. 

Night  and  day  are  pleasant  to  him  who  effaceth  himself. 

When  it  pleased  God,  I  effaced  worldly  love  from  my 
heart ;  O  Lord,  mercifully  come  to  my  home. 

Though  I  deck  myself  in  various  garbs,  yet  without 
the  Beloved  I  shall  not  obtain  a  place  in  heaven. 

I  decorated  myself  with  necklaces,  strings  of  pearls,  per 
fumes,3  silks,  and  satins,  when  my  Beloved  desired  me. 

Nanak,  my  Guru  hath  blended  me  with  God,  and  I  have 
obtained  Him  as  my  Spouse. 


The  twelve  months,  the  seasons,  the  lunar  days,  and  the 
week  days, 

The  gharis,  the  mahurats,4  the  moments,  are  all  pleasant 
when  the  True  One  cometh  and  meeteth  me  of  His  own 
accord. 

1  A  famous    place   of   Hindu    pilgrimage,  near  Allahabad.     The 
third  river  is  the  Saraswati,  which  is  supposed  to  meet  the  Ganges 
and  Jamna  underground.     The  Saraswati,  though  no  longer  seen, 
was  at  one  time  an  actual  river.     From  a  legend  in  the  Mahabhdrat 
it  would  appear  that  it  took  its  rise  with  other  great  rivers  in  the 
Himalayas,  that  it  thence  flowed  through  Rajputana,  where  it  occasion 
ally  disappeared  in  the  sands  of  that  country,  and  that  it  finally  de 
bouched  north  of  Dwaraka  into  the  Arabian  Sea. 

2  Sixty-eight  is  the  number  of  sacred  places  of  pilgrimage  in  the 
estimation  of  the  Hindus.  3  Ras  really  means  relishes. 

4  The  following  is  the  Hindi  time-table  :— 
60  visias        =  i  chasia 
60  chasias     =  i  pal 
60  pals          =  i  ghari 

2  gharis       =  i  muhurat 

4  muhurats  =  i  pahar 

8  pahars      =  i  day  and  night. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  145 

When  the  dear  Lord  is  obtained,  everything  is  arranged  ; 
the  Creator  knoweth  everything. 

I  am  dear  to  Him  who  decorated  me  ;  I  have  met  Him 
and  am  happy. 

The  couch  of  my  home  is  beautiful  when  my  Beloved 
enjoyeth  me  ;  the  holy  have  good  fortune  written  on  their 
foreheads. 

Nanak,  the  Beloved  enjoyeth  me  day  and  night  ;  having 
obtained  God  as  my  Spouse,  I  am  a  permanent  bride. 

At  that  time  there  was  a  man  in  very  straitened 
domestic  circumstances  who  had  a  daughter  to 
marry.  He  appealed  to  Guru  Nanak  to  assist  in 
procuring  her  a  wedding  outfit.  The  Guru  told  him 
to  give  him  a  list  of  the  things  he  required,  and  he 
would  send  for  them.  The  man  did  so.  The  Guru 
called  a  servant  of  his,  named  Bhagirath,  and  ordered 
him  to  go  to  Lahore  and  fetch  what  was  required. 
He  warned  him  at  the  same  time  not  to  spend  a 
night  in  that  city.1  Bhagirath,  on  arriving  in  Lahore 
went  to  a  shopkeeper,  and  asked  him  to  supply  the 
articles  at  once.  The  shopkeeper  bade  him  remain 
for  a  day  and  everything  should  be  ready.  Bhagirath 
said  it  was  impossible.  The  shopkeeper  told  him 
that  everything  should  be  ready  on  that  day,  but 
the  bride's  bracelets  could  not  be  made  and  coloured 
before  nightfall.  Bhagirath  explained  the  order  that 
had  been  given  him.  The  shopkeeper  inquired  what 
sort  of  master  he  had  who  had  issued  such  an  order. 
Bhagirath  replied  that  his  master  was  the  Guru. 
The  shopkeeper  inquired  who  the  gurus  of  this 
generation  were.  Bhagirath  could  only  reply  that 
his  master  was  a  great  Being.  The  shopkeeper 
rejoined,  '  Wretch,  where  canst  thou  find  a  great 
being  in  this  age  ?  '  After  further  colloquy  and 
further  praise  of  the  Guru  by  Bhagirath,  the  shop 
keeper  decided  that  he  would  go  with  him  to  his 

1  Which  he  characterized  as  a  city  of  poison  and  wrath — Lahaur 
shahr  zahir  qahir.  By  this  the  Guru  meant  the  intemperance  and 
licentiousness  of  that  city. 


146  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

master.  He  had  a  set  of  coloured  bracelets  in  his 
private  house,  which  he  would  take  and  give  the 
Guru.  '  If  he  be  a  great  being/  continued  the  shop 
keeper,  '  he  shall  be  my  Guru  as  well  as  thine,  and 
he  shall  have  the  bracelets  for  nothing ;  but,  if  he  be 
not  a  great  being,  I  will  exact  the  full  price  from  him/ 
When  the  shopkeeper  saw  the  Guru  and  heard  his 
gentle  remonstrance  with  Bhagirath  for  his  delay,  he 
became  convinced  that  he  was  a  great  being  and 
searcher  of  hearts,  and  he  accordingly  fell  at  his 
feet  and  was  made  happy.  He  remained  three  years 
with  the  Guru,  during  which  time  he  committed  to 
memory  many  of  his  hymns. 

When  the  shopkeeper  returned  to  Lahore,  he  sent 
for  merchants  and  bankers  and  sold  them  every 
thing  he  had  in  his  shop.  He  then  sailed  to 
Ceylon  to  extend  his  commerce.  There  he  took  up 
his  residence  and  began  to  trade.  At  the  same  time 
he  led  a  religious  life,  and  did  not  forget  the  Guru's 
hymns.  He  used  to  sing  them  late  into  the  night, 
and  again  rise  before  day  for  his  devotions  and 
ablutions.  On  the  subject  of  bathing  the  Guru  had 
taught  him  that  whoever  bathed  a  watch  before  day 
in  cold  water  and  repeated  God's  name  with  love 
and  devotion,  shouldreceive  nectar  at  God's  door,  and 
be  blended  with  Him  who  is  unborn  and  self-existent. 

After  bathing,  the  shopkeeper  used  to  repeat  the 
Japji  and  read  the  Guru's  hymns.  He  was  wont  to 
take  breakfast  at  daybreak,  and  then  go  to  discharge 
his  worldly  duties.  Though  the  people  of  Ceylon  were 
said  to  corrupt  strangers  who  went  among  them, 
they  had  no  influence  over  the  shopkeeper,  who  con 
tinued  to  adhere  rigidly  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Guru.  The  king  of  the  country,  whose  name  accord 
ing  to  the  Sikh  annals  was  Raja  Shivnabh,  hearing  that 
the  shopkeeper  would  not  conform  to  the  religious 
customs  of  his  country,  summoned  him  to  his  presence. 
The  shopkeeper  presented  the  Raja  with  a  coco 
nut  in  token  of  his  loyalty.  In  reply  to  the  Raja's 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  147 

questions,  he  said  that  he  had  already  obtained  what 
others  sought  to  obtain  by  fasting,  religious  cere 
monies,  and  austerities ;  so  why  should  he  perform 
them  ?  The  Raja  asked  him  what  it  was  he  had 
obtained.  The  shopkeeper  replied  that  he  had 
beheld  a  great  being  and  thus  secured  salvation. 
The  Raja  inquired  if  he  had  really  obtained  spiritual 
comfort  by  seeing  the  great  being.  The  shopkeeper 
replied,  '  Sire,  when  one  hath  met  God,  what  further 
comfort  is  necessary  ?  '  The  king  asked,  '  In  this 
Kal  age  who  is  there,  a  sight  of  whom  can  confer 
salvation  ?  '  The  shopkeeper  replied,  '  Such  a  per 
son  is  Guru  Nanak  ;  the  mere  repetition  of  his  name 
can  confer  salvation.'  He  then  translated  for  him  one 
of  the  Guru's  hymns.  The  Raja  on  hearing  it  was 
satisfied,  and  joy  thrilled  through  his  frame.  He 
then  requested  the  shopkeeper  to  take  him  to  where 
Nanak  lived,  so  that  he  too  might  behold  him.  The 
shopkeeper  replied,  '  Sire,  meditate  on  him  in  thy 
heart,  and  thou  shalt  meet  him  here.' 

The  shopkeeper  loaded  his  ship  with  the  products 
of  Ceylon,  and  returned  to  India.  Raja  Shivnabh 
remained  at  home,  thinking  of  the  Guru  and 
yearning  to  behold  him. 


CHAPTER  XII 

Meanwhile  the  Guru  made  a  journey  to  the  south 
of  India.  He  wore  wooden  sandals,  took  a  stick  in 
his  hand,  twisted  a  rope  round  his  head  as  a  turban, 
and  on  his  forehead  put  a  patch  and  a  streak.  On 
that  occasion  he  was  accompanied  by  Saido  and 
Gheho  of  the  Jat  tribe.  He  proceeded  to  the  Dra- 
vidian  country  now  named  Madras. 

His  companions,  seeing  his  morning  ablutions, 
thought  that  he  worshipped  the  river  god,  Khwaja 
Khizir,1  and  derived  his  power  from  him.  They 

1  Le  mot  de  Khedher,  signifiant  en  Arabe  verd  et  verdoyant,   on 

L  2 


148  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

determined  to  worship  the  same  god,  and  advance 
themselves  if  possible  to  a  higher  spiritual  eminence 
than  the  Guru  had  attained.  While  travelling  one 
night  for  the  purpose  of  their  worship  they  met  a 
man  carrying  a  fish  in  his  hand.  After  mutual 
interrogations  he  said  that  he  was  the  river  god 
taking  an  offering  to  the  Guru,  and  that  it  was  from 
the  Guru  he  had  obtained  his  power,  and  not  the 
Guru  from  him.  He  added  :  '  I  am  water,  he  is  air, 
a  superior  element ;  I  am  often  contained  in  him/ 
Saido  and  Gheho  then  went  and  prostrated  them 
selves  before  the  Guru.  He  asked  them  why  they 
had  come  to  him  at  that  hour.  They  used  formerly 
only  to  come  after  sunrise.  They  then  confessed  to 
him  the  whole  story  of  their  attempted  worship  of 
Khwaja  Khizir,  and  begged  his  forgiveness.  The 
Guru  composed  the  following  on  that  occasion  :— 

He  who  batheth  in  the  immortal  water  of  divine  know 
ledge  taketh  with  him  the  sixty-eight  places  of  pilgrimage. 

The  Guru's  instruction  is  jewels  and  gems  ;  by  serving 
him  his  disciples  find  them. 

There  is  no  place  of  pilgrimage  equal  to  the  Guru  ; 

The  tank  of  consolation  is  contained  in  that  Guru. 

The  Guru  is  a  river  whence  pure  water  is  ever  obtained, 
and  by  which  the  filth  of  evil  inclinations  is  washed  away. 

He  who  findeth  the  True  Guru  hath  obtained  perfect 
bathing,  which  maketh  him  a  god  out  of  a  beast  or  a  ghost. 

He  who  is  imbued  with  the  true  Name  obtaineth  it  ;  that 
Guru  is  called  sandal. 

Fix  thine  attention  on  His  feet  by  whose  odour  vegetables 
are  perfumed. 

pretend  que  ce  nom  fut  donne*  a  ce  prophete  a  cause  qu'il  jouit  d'une 
vie  florissante  et  immortelle  depuis  qu'il  cut  bu  de  1'eau  de  la  Fontaine. 
Plusieurs  le  confondent  avec  le  prophete  £lie,  que  nous  disons  faire 
sa  demeure  dans  le  Paradis  terrestre  et  jouir  de  I'immortalite'.  Parce 
que  1'arbre  de  vie  e'toit  dans  ce  Paradis,  et  qu'il  y  avoit  aussi  une 
Fontaine,  les  Musalmans  donnent  a  cette  Fontaine  le  nom  de  Fontaine 
de  Vie,  et  croyent  que  c'est  de  la  boisson  de  son  eau,  aussi  bien  que  du 
fruit  de  1'arbre  de  vie,  qu'filie  entretient  son  immortalite*.  (D'Herbelot.) 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  149 

Through  the  Guru  man  obtaineth  real  life,  and  through 
the  Guru  man  departeth  to  God's  home. 

Nanak,  through  the  Guru  man  is  absorbed  in  the  True  One  ; 
through  the  Guru  man  obtaineth  the  special  dignity  of 
deliverance^ 

On  the  same  occasion  the  Guru  composed  the 
following  : — 

They  who  forget  the  Name  go  astray  in  worldly  love  and 
superstition  ; 

They  let  go  the  stem  and  cling  to  the  branches  ;  what 
shall  they  obtain  ?  Ashes. 

How  can  man  be  saved  without  the  Name  ?  If  any  one 
know,  let  him  tell  it. 

If  man  be  holy  he  shall  be  saved  ;  the  perverse  shall  lose 
their  honour. 

Perfect  is  the  wisdom  of  those  who  serve  the  one  God. 

Servants  of  God,  take  shelter  in  Him  who  was  in  the 
beginning,  in  every  age,  and  who  is  the  Bright  One. 

My  Lord  is  one  ;  there  is  none  other,  my  brethren. 

By  the  favour  of  the  True  One  happiness  is  obtained. 

Without  the  Guru  no  one  hath  obtained  God,  however 
much  the  matter  be  debated. 

He  Himself  showeth  the  way  and  fixeth  true  devotion 
in  the  heart. 

Even  though  thou  advise  the  perverse  man,  he  will  still  go 
to  the  wilderness  ; 

But  without  God's  name  he  shall  not  be  saved  ;  he  shall 
die  and  go  to  hell. 

He  who  repeateth  not  God's  name  shall  wander  in  birth 
and  death. 

God's  worth  cannot  be  known  without  serving  the  true 
Guru. 

Whatever  service  God  causeth  men  to  do,  that  will  be 
done. 

It  is  God  Himself  who  acteth  ;  whom  besides  shall  I  men 
tion  ?  God  beholdeth  His  own  greatness. 

He  whom  God  inspireth  serveth  the  Guru. 

1  Prabhati. 


150  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Nanak,  they  who  give  their  lives  shall  be  saved,  and  shall 
obtain  honour  in  God's  court.1 

The  Guru  arrived  at  a  Saravagi  or  Jain  temple, 
which  was  much  frequented.  Narbhi,  the  Jain 
priest,  went  with  his  disciple  to  visit  him.  The 
Jains  attach  an  exaggerated  value  to  life  in  every 
form.  The  Jain  priest  heard  that  the  Guru  had  not 
the  same  tender  scruples  on  the  subject,  and  began 
to  catechize  him.  '  Eatest  thou  old  or  new  corn  ?  ' 
(that  is,  dost  thou  eat  corn  with  worms  in  it  or  not  ?) 
'  Drinkest  thou  cold  water  ;  shakest  thou  the  trees  of 
the  forest  to  eat  their  fruit  ?  Who  is  thy  guru,  and 
what  power  hath  he  to  pardon  thee  since  thou  violatest 
all  rules  and  destroyest  life  ?  '  The  Guru  in  reply 
uttered  the  following  pauri  : — 

When  the  True  Guru  is  merciful,  faith  is  perfected. 

When  the  True  Guru  is  merciful,  man  shall  never  grieve. 

When  the  True  Guru  is  merciful,  man  shall  know  no 
sorrow. 

When  the  True  Guru  is  merciful,  man  shall  enjoy  divine 
pleasure. 

When  the  True  Guru  is  merciful,  what  fear  hath  man  of 
Death  ? 

When  the  True  Guru  is  merciful  he  ever  bestoweth  happi 
ness. 

When  the  True  Guru  is  merciful,  man  obtaineth  the  nine 
treasures.2 

When  the  Guru  is  merciful,  man  is  absorbed  in  the 
True  One.3 

After  this  the  Guru  launched  out  into  a  satire 
on  the  Jains  : — 

They  have  their  hair  plucked  out,  they  drink  dirty  water, 
they  beg  and  eat  others'  leavings  ; 

1  Asa  Ashtapadi. 

2  Nau  nidhi.     This  expression  is  used  in  ihe  sacred  writings  of 
the  Sikhs  to  denote  unlimited  wealth  and  prosperity.     In  the  sacred 
books  of  the  Hindus  the  expression  has  a  more  definite  numerical 
signification.  3  Majh  ki  War. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  151 

They  spread  out  their  ordure,  they  inhale  its  smell,  they 
are  shy  to  look  at  water  ; 

They  have  their  heads  plucked  like  sheep  ;  the  pluckers' 
hands  are  smeared  with  ashes — 

They  spoil  the  occupations  of  their  parents  ;  their  families 
weep  and  wail  for  them. 

They  give  not  their  deceased  relations  lamps  or  perform 
their  last  rites,  or  place  anywhere  barley  rolls  and  leaves  for 
them.1 

The  sixty-eight  places  of  pilgrimage  grant  them  no 
access  ;  the  Brahmans  will  not  eat  their  food. 

They  are  ever  filthy  day  and  night ;  they  have  no  sacri 
ficial  marks  on  their  foreheads. 

They  ever  sit  close  as  if  they  were  at  a  wake,  and  they 
enter  no  assembly. 

They  hold  cups  in  their  hands  ;  they  have  brooms 2  by 
their  sides  ;  they  walk  in  single  file. 

They  are  not  Jogis,  or  Jangams,  or  Qazis,  or  Mullas. 

God  hath  ruined  them  ;  they  go  about  despised  ;  their 
words  are  like  curses. 

God  killeth  and  restoreth  animals  to  life  ;  none  else  may 
preserve  them. 

The  Jains  make  not  gifts  or  perform  ablutions  ;  dust 
lighteth  on  their  plucked  heads. 

From  water  gems  arose  when  Meru  was  made  the  churning 
staff.3 

The  gods  appointed  the  sixty-eight  places  of  pil 
grimages,  and  holy  days  were  fixed  accordingly  by  their 
orders. 

1  The  Jains  conform  in  many  ways  to  Hindu  customs.     The  Guru 
here  censures  them  for  not  being  altogether  consistent. 

2  To  brush  away  insects  and  thus  avoid  treading  on  them. 

3  According    to  the  Hindus,  Vishnu  in  his  Kurmavatar  assumed 
the  shape  of  a  tortoise  which  supported  the  mountain  Mandara — in 
the   Sikh  writings   called  Meru — the  Olympus   of  the  Hindus,  with 
which  the  gods  churned  the  ocean.    From  the  ocean  were  produced 
the  fourteen  gems  or  jewels  here  referred  to.     They  are  Lakhsmi, 
wife  of  Vishnu,  the  moon,  a  white  horse  with  seven  heads,  a  holy 
physician,  a  prodigious  elephant,  the  tree  of  plenty,  the  all-yielding 
cow.  &c. 


152  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

After  ablution  the  Muhammadans  pray  ;  after  ablution 
the  Hindus  worship  ;  the  wise  ever  bathe. 

The  dead  and  the  living  are  punned  when  water  is  poured 
on  their  heads. 

Nanak,  they  who  pluck  their  heads  are  devils  :  these 
things l  please  them  not. 

When  it  raineth  there  is  happiness  ;  animals  then  perform 
their  functions. 

When  it  raineth,  there  is  corn,  sugar-cane,  and  cotton, 
the  clothing  of  all. 

When  it  raineth,  kine  ever  graze,  and  women  churn  their 
milk. 

By  the  use  of  the  clarified  butter  thus  obtained  burnt 
offerings  and  sacred  feasts  are  celebrated,  and  worship  is 
ever  adorned 

All  the  Sikhs  are  rivers  ;  the  Guru  is  the  ocean,  by  bathing 
in  which  greatness  is  obtained. 

If  the  Pluckedheads  bathe  not,  then  a  hundred  handfuls 
of  dust  be  on  their  skulls.2 

The  Jain  priest  asked  the  Guru  why  he  travelled 
in  the  rainy  season,  when  insects  are  abroad  and 
there  is  danger  of  killing  them  under  foot.  The  Guru 
replied  as  follows  :— 

Nanak,  if  it  rain  in  Sawan,  four  species  of  animals  have 
pleasure — 

Serpents,  deer,  fish,  and  sensualists  who  have  women  in 
their  homes. 

Nanak,  if  it  rain  in  Sawan,  there  are  four  species  of  animals 
which  feel  discomfort — 

Cows'  calves,  the  poor,  travellers,  and  servants. 

The  Jain  priest  went  and  fell  at  his  feet  and  be 
came  a  convert  to  his  faith.  On  that  occasion  the 
Guru  completed  his  hymns  in  the  Majh  ki  War,  and 
Saido  and  Gheho  wrote  them  down  from  his  dictation. 

It  is  said  that  the  Guru  then  went  to  an  island  in 
the  ocean,  governed  by  an  inhuman  tyrant.  The 
name  of  the  island  has  not  been  preserved.  Besides 

1  That  is,  water  and  bathing.  2  Majh  ki  War. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  153 

Saido  and  Gheho  a  third  Jat  called  Siho  accompanied 
him  thither.  On  seeing  them  the  tyrant  resolved 
to  put  them  to  death  for  trespassing  on  his  domain. 
He  seized  the  Guru  as  the  first  victim  of  his  rage. 
The  Guru  fell  into  a  trance  and  sang  the  following  :— 

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.1 

It  is  said  that  on  hearing  this  hymn  the  tyrant 
desisted  from  his  intention,  and  prostrated  him 
self  before  the  Guru.  Saido  gave  him  water  to 
drink  in  which  the  Guru  had  washed  his  feet,  and 
thus  made  him  a  Sikh,  and  ensured  him  deliverance. 

The  Guru  on  that  occasion  met  a  successor  of  Pir 
Makhdum  Baha-ul-Din  Qureshi,  who  had  an  extrava 
gant  idea  of  his  own  spiritual  and  temporal  impor 
tance.  On  being  assured  of  the  man's  hypocrisy, 
the  Guru  uttered  the  following  :— 

The  heart  which  relinquisheth  God's  praises  and  magnifica 
tion  and  attacheth  itself  to  a  skeleton,2 

Receiveth  a  hundred  reproaches  by  day  and  a  thousand 
by  night.3 

The  Pir  then  fell  at  his  feet,  invited  the  Guru  to 
abide  with  him  and  desist  from  his  wanderings,  upon 
which  the  Guru  uttered  the  following  reflection  and 
instruction  :— 

1  Asa  ki  War.  2  That  is,  to  the  filth  of  the  world. 

3  Suhi  ki  War. 


154  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Rest,  sit  at  home,  there  is  trouble  in  ever  travelling. 

A  place  of  rest  is  recognized  when  men  dwell  there  per 
manently. 

What  manner  of  resting-place  is  the  world  ? 

Tie  up  the  practice  of  sincerity  as  thy  travelling  expenses, 
and  remain  attached  to  the  Name. 

Jogis  sit  in  devotional  postures,  mullas  dwell  at  places 
of  rest  ; 

Pandits  read  books  ;  sidhs  sit  in  the  palaces  of  the  gods ; 

Demigods,  sidhs,  heavenly  musicians,  munis,  saints, 
shaikhs,  pirs,  and  commanders 

Have  gone,  stage  by  stage,  and  others  too  are  departing. 

Emperors,  kings,  princes,  nobles  have  marched  away. 

Man  must  depart  in  a  ghari  or  two  ;  O  my  heart,  under 
stand  that  thou  too  must  go. 

This  is  told  in  hymns,  yet  few  are  they  who  understand  it. 

Nanak  humbly  asserteth,  God  is  contained  in  sea  and  land, 
in  the  upper  and  lower  regions  ; 

He  is  unseen,  inscrutable,  omnipotent,  the  kind  Creator. 

The  Merciful  alone  is  permanent  ;  the  whole  world  beside 
is  transitory. 

Call  Him  permanent  on  whose  head  no  destiny  is  recorded. 

The  heavens  and  the  earth  shall  pass  away  ;  He  the  one 
God  alone  is  permanent. 

By  day  the  sun  travelleth,  by  night  the  moon  ;  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  stars  pass  away. 

The  one  God  alone  is  our  resting-place,  Nanak  saith  verily.1 

Upon  this  the  Pir  was  convinced  that  the  Guru 
was  an  exalted  spiritual  leader. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

The  Guru  then  turned  his  thoughts  towards 
Ceylon,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  that  country, 
where  he  took  his  seat  in  Raja  Shivnabh's  garden. 

1  Sri  Rag,  Ashtapadi. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  155 

At  that  time  it  was  barren,  but  it  is  said  to  have 
become  green  on  the  Guru's  arrival.  The  gardener 
requested  the  king  to  go  and  see  the  faqir  who  had 
caused  the  withered  garden  to  bloom  anew.  The 
king  sent  beautiful  damsels  to  dance  before  the  Guru 
and  tempt  him  with  their  charms.  The  Guru,  wrapped 
up  in  his  own  thoughts,  neither  spoke  to  them  nor 
noticed  them.  The  king  came  and  inquired  his 
name,  caste,  and  whether  he  was  a  Jogi.  The  Guru 
replied  as  follows  :— 

The  Jogi  who  is  associated  with  the  Name  and  is  pure, 
hath  not  a  particle  of  uncleanness. 

He  who  keepeth  with  him  the  name  of  the  Beloved,  which 
is  ever  true,  hath  escaped  birth  and  death. 

The  king  asked  if  he  were  a  Brahman.  The 
Guru  replied  :— 

He  is  a  Brahman  who  hath  divine  knowledge  for  his 
ablutions,  and  God's  praises  for  the  leaves l  of  his  worship. 

There  is  but  One  Name,  One  God,  One  Light  in  the  three 
worlds. 

The  king  asked  if  he  were  a  shopkeeper.  The 
Guru  replied  :— 

Make  thy  heart  the  scale,  thy  tongue  the  beam,  and  weigh 
the  inestimable  Name. 

There  is  but  one  shop,  one  Merchant  above  all ;  the 
dealers  are  many. 

The  king  again  inquired  if  he  were  a  Hindu  or 
a  Muhammadan.  The  Guru  continued  his  enigmati 
cal  replies  :— 

The  True  Guru  hath  solved  the  problem  of  the  two  ways. 
It  is  he  who  fixeth  attention  on  the  One  God,  and  whose 
mind  wavereth  not,  who  can  understand  it. 

1  Brahmans  use  sweet  basil  and  bel  (Aegle  Marmelos)  leaves  in 
iheir  worship,  the  former  in  the  worship  of  Vishnu  and  the  latter  in  the 
worship  of  Shiv. 


156  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

He  who  abideth  in  the  Word  and  ever  worshippeth  day 
and  night,  hath  ended  his  doubts. 

The  king  then  asked  if  he  were  Gorakhnath.  The 
Guru  showed  no  inclination  to  directly  gratify 
his  curiosity. 

Above  us  is  the  sky,  Gorakh  is  above  the  sky  ;  His 
inaccessible  form  dwelleth  there  ; 

By  the  favour  of  the  Guru,  whether  I  am  abroad  or  at 
home  is  the  same  to  me  ;  Nanak  hath  become  such  an 
anchoret.1 

When  the  Guru  had  ended,  the  king  invited 
him  to  go  to  his  palace  and  see  his  queen.  He  gave 
him  an  opportunity  of  expounding  his  doctrines 
to  her. 

It  was  during  Guru  Nanak' s  visit  to  Ceylon  that  he 
composed  the  Pransangali,  which  contained  an  account 
of  the  silent  palace  of  God,  the  manner  of  meditating 
on  Him,  the  private  utterances  of  the  Guru,  and  the 
nature  of  the  soul  and  body.  The  following  are  its 
opening  verses  : — 

The  supreme  state  is  altogether  a  void,2  all  people  say  ; 
In  the  supreme  state  there  is  no  rejoicing  or  mourning  ; 
In  the  supreme  state  there  are  felt  no  hopes  or  desires  ; 
In  the  supreme  state  are  seen  no  castes  or  caste-marks  ; 
In  the    supreme    state    are    no  sermons    or  singing    of 
hymns ; 

In  the  supreme  state  abideth  heavenly  meditation  ; 
In  the  supreme  state  are  those  who  know  themselves.3 
Nanak,  my  mind  is  satisfied  with  the  supreme  state. 

Saido  and  Gheho  subsequently  wrote  out  the 
Pransangali  from  memory. 

1  Maru. 

2  The  Greek  KOL\OV,  the  Latin  caelum,  heaven. 

3  The  meaning  of  this  expression  is  totally  different  from  that  of 
yvui0i  o-favrov.      To  know  oneself,  in  the  Sikh  sacred  writings,  means 
to  know  God  who  is  within  one. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  157 

On  his  return  to  India  the  Guru,  having  heard 
of  the  fair  of  Shivrat l,  went  to  Achal  Batala 2  to 
preach  his  doctrines.  The  whole  country  crowded 
to  see  and  hear  him,  and  showered  offerings  on 
him.  The  Jogis  on  witnessing  his  success  became 
very  jealous  and  determined  to  humble  him.  Bhan- 
garnath,  their  superior,  asked  him  why  he  mixed 
acid  with  his  milk,  that  is,  why  he  a  holy  man  led 
a  family  life.  '  When  the  milk  becometh  sour/  said 
Bhangarnath,  '  no  butter  is  produced  by  churning. 
Why  hast  thou  doffed  thy  hermit's  dress,  and  donned 
ordinary  clothes  ?  ' 

The  Guru  replied :  '  O  Bhangarnath,  thy  mother 
was  an  unskilful  woman.  She  knew  not  how  to  wash 
the  churn,  and  so  spoilt  the  butter  in  producing  thee. 
Thou  hast  become  an  anchoret  after  abandoning  thy 
family  life,  and  yet  thou  goest  to  beg  to  the  houses 
of  family  men.  When  thou  doest  nothing  here,  what 
canst  thou  obtain  hereafter  ?  ' 

Bhangarnath  made  no  reply  to  the  Guru's  ques 
tion  but  broached  another  subject :  '  O  Nanak, 
thou  hast  exhibited  miracles  to  the  world  ;  why 
art  thou  slow  to  exhibit  them  to  us  also  ?  '  The 
Guru  replied  :  '  I  have  nothing  worth  showing  you. 
Man  hath  absolutely  no  shelter  except  in  the  com 
panionship  of  the  hymns  of  the  Guru.  Were  man 
to  move  the  earth,  that  would  not  induce  God  to 
grant  him  undeserved  favours.  Hear  the  Word  ; 
I  speak  verily,  I  have  no  miracle  except  the  True 
Name  :— 

1  A  festival  in  honour  of  the  god  Shiv  held  on  the  I4th  day  of  the 
dark  half  of  Phagan  (February-March).     It  was  usual  for  Jogis  to 
congregate  on  the  occasion  of  this  festival.     In  the  Ain-i-Akbari  it  is 
stated  that  the  Emperor  Akbar  used  then  to  hold  meetings  of  all  the 
Jogis  of  the  Empire  and  eat  and  drink  with  them.     Under  the  in 
fluence  of  such  carousals  they  used  to  promise  him  that  he  should 
live  three  or  four  times  as  long  as  ordinary  mortals. 

2  Achal,  about    three    miles    from  Batala,   contains   the   shrine  of 
Samkartik,    son    of    Shiv.       For  a  full  account  of   Batala    see    the 
Khuldsat-id-Tawdrikh,  whose  author  was  born  there. 


158  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Were  I  to  put  on  a  dress  of  fire,  construct  a  house  of 
snow  and  eat  iron  ; 

Were  I  to  turn  all  my  troubles  into  water,  drink  it,  and 
drive  the  earth  as  a  steed  ; 

Were  I  able  to  put  the  firmament  into  one  scale  and 
weigh  it  with  a  tank  ; l 

Were  I  to  become  so  large  that  I  could  be  nowhere  con 
tained  ;  and  were  I  to  lead  every  one  by  the  nose  ; 2 

Had  I  such  power  in  myself  that  I  could  perform  such 
things  or  cause  others  to  perform  them,  it  would  be  all  in 
vain. 

As  great  as  the  Lord  is,  so  great  are  His  gifts ;  He  bestoweth 
according  to  His  pleasure. 

Nanak,  he  on  whom  God  looketh  with  favour  obtaineth 
the  glory  of  the  True  Name.'  3 

In  Batala  the  Guru  vanquished  in  argument  all 
priests  who  attended  the  fair,  and  obliged  the 
followers  of  the  six  schools  of  philosophy  to  bow 
before  him.  The  Jogis  finally  complimented  him  on 
his  success  and  said :  '  Hail,  O  Nanak,  great  are  thy 
deeds  !  Thou  hast  arisen  a  great  being,  and  lit 
a  light  in  this  last  age  of  the  world/  It  was  the 
time  the  Jogis  took  their  daily  wine,  and  the  goblet 
was  accordingly  passed  around.  On  its  reaching  the 
Guru  he  asked  what  it  was.  They  said  it  was  the 
Sidhs'  cup.  He  inquired  what  it  contained.  They 
said  molasses  and  the  flower  of  the  dhava4  plant, 
of  which  Indian  spirits  are  made.  The  Guru 
then  uttered  the  following  hymn  : — 

Make  divine  knowledge  thy  molasses,  meditation  thy 
dhava  flowers,  good  actions  thy  fermenting  bark  5  to  put 
into  them. 

Make  the  love  of  God  thy  furnace,  devotion  the  sealing 
of  the  still ;  in  this  way  shall  nectar  be  distilled. 

1  In  Hindi  apothecaries'  weight  a  tank  is  equal  to  four  mashas,  a 
masha  is  eight  rattis,  and  a  ratli  is  the  weight  of  eight  grains  of  rice. 

2  As  a  camel  is  led.      3  Majh  ki  War.       4  The  Bassia  lafifolia. 
5  This  is  generally  the  bark  of  the  ktkar,  or  Acacia  Arabica. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  159 

Father,  by  quaffing  the  divine  juice  the  mind  becometh 
intoxicated  and  easily  absorbed  in  God's  love. 

I  have  arranged  to  fix  my  attention  on  God  day  and 
night,  and  heard  the  unbeaten  sound. 

God  is  true,  His  cup  is  pure  ;  He  giveth  it  to  drink  to 
him  on  whom  He  casteth  a  favouring  glance. 

Why  should  he  who  dealeth  in  nectar  feel  love  for  paltry 
wine  ? 

The  Guru's  word  is  a  nectar-speech  ;  by  drinking  it  man 
becometh  acceptable. 

When  man  performeth  service  at  God's  gate  l  to  obtain 
a  sight  of  Him,  what  careth  he  for  salvation  or  paradise  ? 

He  who  is  dyed  with  God's  praises  never  loveth  the  world, 
and  loseth  not  his  life  in  the  game. 

Saith  Nanak,  hear,  Jogi  Bharthari,  I  am  intoxicated  with 
the  nectareous  stream.2 

The  Jogis  inquired  if  he  lived  by  begging.  The 
Guru  replied,  '  Why  should  he  who  is  absorbed  in 
the  Formless  go  to  beg  alms  ?  '  They  then  asked 
if  he  were  an  Udasi  or  hermit.  The  Guru  replied  :— 

He  who  taketh  the  sword  of  knowledge  and  wrestleth 
with  his  heart ; 

Who  knoweth  the  secrets  of  the  ten  organs  of  action  and 
perception 3  and  of  the  five  evil  passions  ; 

Who  can  knot  divine  knowledge  to  his  mind ; 

Who  maketh  pilgrimage  on  each  of  the  three  hundred  and 
sixty  days  of  the  year  ; 

Who  washeth  the  filth  of  pride  from  his  heart — 

Nanak  saith,  he  is  a  hermit. 

1  Sikhs  and  Moslems  use  the  expression  '  Gate  .of  God '  for  God's 
throne  or  God's  court.     The  latent  allusion  is  to  a  king  who  removes 
himself  from  his  subjects'  gaze.     It  is  at  his  gate  those  who  appeal  to 
him   for  justice  wait,  and  it  is  at  his  gate  when  he  goes  forth  his 
subjects  can  obtain  a  sight  of  him. 

2  Asa. 

3  The  organs  of  action  are  the  mouth,  the  hands,  the  feet,  and  the 
generative  and  excretory  organs.     The  organs  of  perception  are  the 
five  senses. 


i6o  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  Jogis  then  asked  the  Guru  if  he  were  an 
Audhut.  The  Guru  told  them  what  an  Audhut 
ought  to  be  :— 

He  is  a  servant  of  the  Guru  who  restraineth  his  sexual 
organs, 

Whose  heart  is  free  from  worldly  desires,  whose  words  are 
true, 

And  who  receiveth  as  his  alms  the  glance  with  which  the 
Merciful  One  beholdeth  him. 

Know  him  to  be  meek  whose  heart  is  meek, 

And  whose  instruction  is  the  profitable  Word. 

Nanak  saith,  he  is  an  Audhut 

Whose  mind  is  not  fickle,  who  goeth  not  to  spectacles, 

Or  to  gamble  or  play  chaupar, 

Who  attacheth  not  his  mind  to  things  bad  or  good, 

Who  weareth  on  his  body  whatever  is  given  by  the  Guru, 

Who,  when  he  goeth  to  another's  house,  talketh  not 
scandal, 

Who  observeth  the  restraint  put  on  him  by  the  true  Guru, 

And  who  receiveth  the  Guru's  instructions — O  holy  man, 

Nanak  saith,  such  a  man  is  an  Audhut. 

The  Jogis  then  desired  to  know  if  he  were  a  Jogi, 
and  the  Guru  replied  : — 

To  remain  seated  without  support, 
To  collect  and  restrain  the  five  evil  passions, 
To  sleep  little  and  take  scant  food, 
To  keep  guard  over  the  saintly  body, 
To  be  constant  in  devotion,  penance,  self-restraint,  and 
remembrance  of  God— 

Nanak  saith,  these  are  the  marks  of  a  Jogi. 


When  he  speaketh,  he  uttereth  divine  wisdom  ; 

He  day  and  night  waketh  in  the  contemplation  of  God  ; 

He  attacheth  a  string  to  the  vacant  sphere,1 

And  by  the  Guru's  favour  never  dieth. 

All  the  gods  do  obeisance  to  him 

1  That  is,  he  fixes  his  attention  on  God. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  161 

Who  in  this  way  performeth  the  Guru's  service, 
And  who  alloweth  not  his  tongue  to  taste  dainties — 
Nanak  saith,  these  are  the  marks  of  a  Jogi. 

He  who  effaceth  wrath,  avarice,  and  greed  ; 

Who  quencheth  the  fire  of  the  five  evil  passions  within  his 
heart  ; 

Who  day  and  night  flieth  the  kite 

By  which  divine  knowledge  is  produced  and  evil  inclina 
tions  depart  ; 

Who  cherisheth  holiness,  restraineth  his  evil  passions 

And  repeateth  no  spell  but  the  Guru's — 

The  habits  of  that  good  man  are  the  best — 

Nanak  saith,  these  are  the  marks  of  a  Jogi. 

He  who  maketh  his  body  the  vessel,  remembrance    of 

God  his  milk, 

Who  putteth  pure  truth  into  it  as  his  acid, 
Who  by  contrivance  and  effort  easily  curdleth  the  milk — 
Without  contrivance  it  would  be  spoiled — 
Who  useth  divine  knowledge  as  his  churning  staff  and 

the  Name  as  its  string  ; 

Who  in  this  way  repeateth  only  the  Name, 

And  who  by  rolling  and  rolling  extracteth  the  butter — 

Nanak  saith,  these  are  the  marks  of  a  Jogi. 

The  Jogis  wondered  if  he  were  a  Bairagi.  The 
Guru  defined  the  word  for  them  : — 

He  is  a  Bairagi  who  is  sold  to  God, 
Who  in  the  presence  of  God  subdueth  mammon, 
Who  performeth  the  work  of  God  and  mammon,1 
Who  beareth  an  unbearable  and  intangible  thing, 
Who  hath  abandoned  wrath,  avarice,  and  pride — 
Nanak  saith,  such  a  man  is  a  Bairagi. 

He  who  abideth  lonely  in  the  house  of  enjoyment, 
And  dwelleth  in  the  house  of  worship — 

1  That  is,  who  performs  his  worldly  avocations  and  thinks  of 
God  at  the  same  time. 

M 


162  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Where  the  cat  fleeth  at  the  sound  of  a  mouse l — 
Nanak  saith,  is  a  Bairagi. 


He  is  a  Bairagi  who  embraceth  contentment, 
Who  reverseth  his  breath  and  is  absorbed  in  God, 
Who  subject eth  to  himself  the  five  senses — 
Such  a  Bairagi  shall  rise  higher  than  Shiv. 
He  who  renounceth  evil  ways  and  fixeth  his  attention  on 
the  one  God, 

Nanak  saith,  is  a  Bairagi. 

Upon  this  the  followers  of  Gorakhnath  pressed 
the  Guru  to  adopt  the  style  of  a  Jogi.  The  Guru 
asked  them  to  describe  a  Jogi.  They  replied  : — 

A  Jogi  weareth  earrings,  a  patched  coat,  carrieth  a  wallet, 
a  staff, 

And  a  deer's  horn  which  soundeth  through  the  world. 

The  Jogis  were  proceeding  to  give  a  further  de 
scription  of  their  sect  when  the  Guru  interrupted 
and  offered  spiritual  substitutes  for  all  the  externals 
of  a  Jogi  :— 

Put  the  Guru's  word  into  thy  heart  for  the  rings  in  thine 
ears  ;  wear  the  patched  coat  of  forbearance  ; 

Whatever  God  doeth  consider  as  good  ;  in  this  way  shalt 
thou  easily  obtain  the  treasure  of  jog. 

0  father,  in  this  way  the  soul  which  hath  been  a  pilgrim 
in  every  age,  uniteth  with  the  Supreme  Essence. 

He  who  obtaineth  the  ambrosial  name  of  the  Pure  One, 
and  maketh  reflection  his  Jogi's  cup, 

Divine  knowledge  his  staff,  and  the  Omnipresent  the 
ashes  he  smear  eth  on  his  body,  shall  enjoy  the  great  elixir 
of  divine  knowledge. 

Make  God's  praise  thy  prayer,  the  Guru's  instruction 
thy  sect  of  Atits,2 

The  renunciation  of  desires  and  quarrels  thy  sitting  in 
contemplation  in  God's  citadel 3 — 

1  Where  hypocrisy  flees  before  humility. 

2  By  Atits  here  is  meant  a  sect  of  Jogis  who  consider  themselves 
liberated  from  worldly  restraints.  3  The  brain. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  163 

From  the  sound  of  thy  horn  a  melody  shall  thus  be  pro 
duced  which  day  and  night  shall  fill  thee  with  music. 

In  everything  is  Thy  light  contained,  0  God,  and  many 
and  various  are  its  colours. 

Saith  Nanak,  hear,  Jogi  Bharthari,  the  Primal  God  is  the 
sole  object  of  my  love.1 

During  his  residence  in  Batala  the  Guru  composed 
the  Sidh  Gosht,  a  treatise  from  which  the  Jogis  are 
said  to  have  derived  spiritual  consolation. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

The  Guru  continued  his  journey  to  the  north. 
He  wore  leather  on  his  feet  and  on  his  head, 
twisted  a  rope  round  his  body,  and  on  his  forehead 
stamped  a  saffron  tilak.  He  was  accompanied 
by  Hassu,  a  smith,  and  Sihan,  a  calico-printer.  The 
party  went  as  far  as  Srinagar  in  Kashmir,  where 
they  stayed  some  time  and  made  many  converts. 

Brahm  Das  was  then  the  most  eminent  of  the 
Kashmiri  pandits.  On  hearing  of  the  Guru's  arrival, 
he  went  to  pay  him  a  formal  visit.  The  better  to 
impress  the  Guru  with  his  piety  and  learning,  he 
wore  an  idol  suspended  from  his  neck,  and  took 
with  him  two  loads  of  Sanskrit  books.  On  seeing 
the  Guru's  dress  he  said,  '  Is  that  the  sort  of  faqir 
thou  art  ?  Why  wearest  thou  leather,  which  is 
unclean  ?  Why  twistest  thou  a  rope  round  thy 
body  ?  Why  hast  thou  abandoned  the  observances 
of  thy  religion  ?  And  why  eatest  thou  flesh  and 
fish  ?  '  The  Guru,  not  paying  much  attention  to 
these  impertinent  questions,  thus  unburdened  him 
self  of  the  thoughts  which  filled  his  mind  : — 

There  is  but  one  road,  one  door  ;  the  Guru  is  the  ladder 
to  reach  one's  home. 

Beautiful  is  God  ;  Nanak,  all  happiness  is  in  His  name. 

1  Asa. 
M  2 


164  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

PAURI 

God  Himself  created  and  recognized  His  creation. 

He  separated  the  earth  from  the  sky  and  spread  a  canopy 
over  it. 

He  fixed  the  heavens  without  pillars  by  the  utterance  of 
a  word. 

Having  created  the  sun  and  moon,  He  infused  His  light 
into  them. 

He  made  the  wonderful  play  of  night  and  day. 

Pilgrimage,  religion,  meditation,  and  bathing  on  holy 
days — 

None  of  these  is  equal  to  Thee,  O  God  ;  how  can  I  describe 
Thee? 

Thou  sittest  on  a  true  throne  ;  all  else  are  subject  to  birth 
and  death. 

After  a  pause  the  Guru  again  burst  forth  in  God's 
praises  : — 

Thou,  0  God,  who  didst  diffuse  truth,  art  the  truest  of 
the  true. 

Thou  sittest  in  an  attitude  of  contemplation  concealed  in 
the  lotus  of  the  heart. 

Brahma  called  himself  great,  but  he  found  not  Thy 
limit. 

Thou  hast  no  father  or  mother  ;  who  begot  Thee  ? 

Thou  art  devoid  of  all  form,  outline,  or  caste. 

Thou  f eelest  not  hunger  or  thirst ;  Thou  art  satisfied  and 
satiated. 

The  great  God  is  contained  in  Himself,  and  hath  diffused 
His  word. 

They  who  are  satisfied  with  the  True  One  are  absorbed  in 
Him.1 

Brahm  Das  then  recognizing  the  Guru's  piety  and 
genius  fell  at  his  feet,  and  asked  him  what  existed 
before  creation  ?  The  Guru  in  reply  uttered  the 
following  hymn  known  as  Solaha2  in  Rag  Maru  : — 

1  Malar  ki  War.  2  A  hymn  containing  sixteen  stanzas. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  165 

In  the  beginning l  there  was  indescribable  darkness  ; 

Then  was  not  earth  or  heaven,  naught  but  God's  unequalled 
order. 

Then  was  not  day,  or  night,  or  moon,  or  sun  ;  God  was 
meditating  on  the  void. 

Then  were  not  the  mines  of  production,  or  voices,  or  wind, 
or  water  ; 

Neither  creation  nor  destruction,  nor  coming  nor  going, 

Then  were  not  continents,  or  hells,  or  seven  seas,  or  rivers, 
or  flowing  streams  , 

Nor  was  there  paradise,  or  a  tortoise,2  or  nether  regions  ; 

Or  the  hell  or  heaven  of  the  Muhammadans,  or  the  destroyer 
Death  ; 

Or  the  hell  or  heaven  of  the  Hindus,  or  birth,  or  death  ; 
nor  did  any  one  come  or  go. 

Then  was  no  Brahma,  Vishnu,  or  Shiv  : 

No  one  existed  but  the  One  God. 

Then  was  no  female,  or  male,  or  caste,  or  birth  ;  nor  did 
any  one  feel  pain  or  pleasure. 

There  was  no  Jati,  Sati,3  or  dweller  in  the  forest  ; 

There  was  no  Sidh,  or  Striver,  or  dweller  at  ease  ; 

No  Jogi,  or  Jangam,  or  religious  garb  ;  nor  did  any  one 
call  himself  a  Nath  ;  4 

No  devotion,  penance,  austerity,  fasting,  or  worship  ; 

Nor  did  any  one  speak  or  tell  of  duality.5 

God  Himself  having  created  was  pleased,  and  valued  what 
He  had  done. 

There  was  no  purification,  or  self-restraint,  or  necklace  of 
sweet  basil  ; 

There  was  no  milkmaid,  or  Krishan,  or  cow,  or  herdsman  ; 


1  A r bad  is  here  understood  to  be  for  aramlh.     Arbud  in  Sanskrit 
means  a  number  of  one  hundred  millions,  so  arbad  narbad  may  also 
mean— for  countless  years. 

2  Which  some  Hindus  believe  supports  the  earth. 

3  Sati  means  a  faithful  wife,  especially  one  who  cremates  herself 
with  her  deceased  husband. 

4  A  superior  of  Jogis. 

6  Dwait,  duality,  in  the  Sikh  writings  means  the  worship  of  other 
than  God. 


166  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

No  incantations  or  spells,  no  hypocrisy,  nor  did  any  one 
play  on  the  flute.1 

There  were  no  acts  attaching  to  the  soul,  or  religion,  or  the 
gadfly  of  mammon. 

No  one  saw  caste  or  birth  with  his  eyes. 

There  was  not  the  net  of  pride,  nor  was  death  written  on 
man's  brow,  nor  did  man  meditate  on  aught  created.2 

There  was  no  slander,  no  seed,  no  soul,  no  life. 

There  was  no  Gorakh  or  Machhindar.3 

Nor  was  there  divine  knowledge,  or  meditation,  or  nobility; 
nor  did  any  one  have  conceit  of  himself. 

There  was  no  caste  or  religious  garb,  no  Brahman  or  Khatri ; 

No  demigod,  no  temple,  no  cow,  no  gayatri,4 

No  horn,  no  sacred  feasts,  no  places  of  pilgrimage  to  bathe 
in,  nor  did  any  one  perform  worship. 

There  was  no  Mulla  or  any  Qazi ; 

No  Shaikh,  no  Disciple,  no  Haji ; 5 

No  subject  or  king  ;  nor  was  pride  in  the  world,  nor  did 
any  one  give  himself  a  great  name. 

There  was  no  love,  no  service,  no  Shiv,  or  energy 
of  his  ;  o 

No  friend,  no  helper,  no  seed,  no  blood.7 

God  Himself  was  the  merchant,  Himself  the  dealer — such 
was  the  will  of  the  True  One — 


1  One  of  Krishan's  youthful  accomplishments. 

2  Literally — nor  did  any  one  meditate  on  any  one  else.     That  is, 
no  one  then  worshipped  the  gods  or  idols  of  the  Hindus. 

3  Machhindar  is  described  in  a  verse  attributed  to  Gorakhnath  as 
his  father. 

4  The  gayatri  is  the  spell  of  the  Hindus.      It  is  now  recited  as 
follows :     Oam,    bhur,    bhuvas,   svar,    tat   savitur    varenyam,  bhargo 
devasya,  dhlmahi  dhiyo  yo  nah  prachodyat '  Oam,  earth  and  air  and  sky, 
let  us  meditate  on  that  excellent  sun  the  bright  god,  which  stimulateth 
our  intellects.'     The  late  Professor  Max  Miiller  gave  the  following 
translation — '  We  meditate  on  the  adorable  light  of  the  divine  Savitri, 
that  he  may  rouse  our  thoughts/ 

5  This   word  is  applied  to    Muhammadans   who   have   made  the 
pilgrimage  to  Makka. 

6  Shiv's  energy  or  consort  was  variously  named  Parbati,  Durga,  &c. 

7  '  No  seed,  no  blood '  :  this  refers  to  the  male  and  female  func 
tions  of  generation. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  167 

Then  were  no  Veds  or  Muhammadan  books,1  no  Simritis, 
no  Shastars  ; 

No  reading  of  the  Purans,  no  sunrise,  no  sunset. 

The  Imperceptible  God  was  Himself  the  speaker  and 
preacher  ;  Himself  unseen  He  saw  everything. 

When  He  pleased  He  created  the  world  ; 

Without  supports  He  sustained  the  sky. 

He  created  Brahma,  Vishnu,  and  Shiv,  and  extended  the 
love  of  mammon. 

He  communicated  the  Guru's  words  to  some  few  persons. 

He  issued  His  order  and  watched  over  all. 

He  began  with  the  continents,  the  universe,  and  the 
nether  regions,  and  brought  forth  what  had  been  hidden. 

His  limit  no  one  knoweth. 

From  the  True  Guru  I  have  learned, 

Nanak,  that  they  who  are  imbued  with  the  truth  are 
wonderful,  and  delight  in  singing  God's  praises. 

Upon  this  Brahm  Das  again  fell  at  the  Guru's 
feet,  cast  away  the  idol  from  his  neck,  and,  becoming 
a  worshipper  of  God,  performed  service  for  the 
Guru.  His  evil  desires,  however,  departed  not. 
Whatever  service  he  performed  was  brief  and  per 
functory,  for  he  thought  to  himself  that  he  had 
performed  similar  service  before ;  but  whatever  he 
did  was  of  no  avail  on  account  of  his  pride. 

At  one  of  their  meetings  the  Guru  told  him  to  take 
a  guru.  He  inquired,  '  What  guru  shall  I  take  ? ' 
The  Guru  bade  him  go  to  a  certain  house  in  the 
wilderness  where  he  should  find  four  faqirs,  and  they 
would  inform  him.  The  pandit  went  to  them,  and 
they,  after  some  delay,  pointed  out  a  temple  in  which 
they  said  he  should  find  his  guru.  The  pandit  pro 
ceeded  thither,  but  instead  of  receiving  a  courteous 
reception,  was  shoe-beaten  in  a  piteous  manner  by 
a  woman  in  red  who  guarded  the  temple.  Crying 
bitterly  he  returned  to  the  four  men  who  had  dis- 

1  They  are  described  as  the  Psalms  of  David,  the  Old  Testa 
ment,  the  New  Testament,  and  the  Quran. 


168  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

patched  him  on  the  unpleasant  errand.  They 
inquired  if  he  had  found  a  guru,  and  in  reply  he 
told  them  his  painful  story.  They  explained  to  him 
that  the  woman  was  Maya,  or  worldly  love  ;  and 
that  she  for  whom  he  had  so  longed  was  his  guru. 
The  pandit  returned  to  the  Guru,  and  fell  at  his 
feet.  He  then  cast  away  his  two  loads  of  books, 
began  to  repeat  God's  name,  and  became  so  humble 
as  to  be,  as  it  were,  the  dust  of  the  earth.  The 
pandit  inquired  who  were  happy  in  this  world.  The 
Guru  replied  with  the  following  sloks,  which  Hassu 
and  Sihan  committed  to  writing  : — 

Indar  wept  after  his  thousandfold  punishment  ; l 

Paras  Ram  wept  on  his  return  home  ; 2 

King  Ajai3  wept  after  eating  what  he  had  obtained  as 
alms — 

Such  is  the  punishment  meted  out  in  God's  court — 

Ram  wept  when  he  was  expelled  from  his  kingdom, 

And  separated  from  Sit  a  and  Lachhman.4 

Rawan,  who  took  away  Sita  with  beat  of  drum, 

Wept  when  he  had  lost  Lanka  ;5 

The  Pandavs  6  though  their  master 7  had  been  with  them, 

Became  slaves  and  wept  ; 

1  Indar  was  the  god  of  the  firmament.    His  punishment  was  for  his 
effort  to  seduce  Ahalya,  the  wife  of  the  sage  Gautama. 

2  Paras  Ram.     Ram  with  the  axe  was  the  sixth  avatar  of  Vishnu 
and  preceded  the  Ram  of  Indian  popular  worship.      He  is  said  to 
have  cleared  the  earth  twenty-one  times  of  the  Kshatriyas.     He  then 
gave  it  to  the  sage  Kashyapa  and  retired  to  the  Mahendra  mountains. 
The  text  alludes  to  his  subsequent  homeward  return. 

3  Aj  was  grandfather  of  Ram  Chandar.      One  day  when  hunting 
he  dipped  a  cloth  in  the  blood  of  a  deer  which  he  had  shot,  and  in 
order  to  test  his  wife's  affection  sent  it  to  her  with  a  dying  message 
that  he  had  been  killed  in  the  hunting-field.     She,  believing  the  mes 
senger,  at  once  cremated  herself  with  the  cloth  she  had  received. 
King  Aj  on  returning  home  found  out  what  had  occurred,  and  was 
so  overcome  with  grief  and  sorrow,  that  he  abandoned  his  throne  and 
retired  from  the  world  to  do  penance  for  his  crime. 

4  Lachhman  was  Ram's  brother. 

5  Lanka.    This  was  the  ancient  name  of  Ceylon,  where  Rawan  ruled. 

6  The  opponents  of  the  Kauravs  in  the  great  war  which  forms  the 
subject  of  the  Mahdbharat.  1  Krishan. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  169 

Janameja l  wept  when  he  went  astray  ;  — 
For  one  offence  he  was  deemed  a  sinner- 
Shaikhs,  Disciples  and  Pirs 2  weep 
For  fear  of  suffering  at  the  last  moment  ; 
Kings  wept  when  their  ears  were  torn,3 
And  they  went  to  beg  alms  from  door  to  door  ; 
The  miser  wept  at  his  departure  from  the  wealth  he  had 
amassed  ; 

The  pandit  wept  when  he  had  lost  his  learning  ; 
The  young  girl  who  hath  no  husband  weepeth — 
Nanak,  the  whole  world  is  in  misery. 
He  who  revereth  the  Name  is  victorious  ; 
No  other  act  is  of  any  avail.4 

The  Guru,  leaving  Srinagar,  penetrated  the  Hima 
laya  mountains,  and  scaled  numerous  lofty  peaks 

1  Janameja,  king  of  Hastinapura,  who  listened  to  the  long  Sanskrit 
epic  Mahdbhdrat  in  expiation  of  the  sin  of  killing  Brahmans. 

2  Pirs  are  Muhammadan  saints. 

3  The  reference  is  to  Gopi  Chand  and  Bharthari.     Bharthari  was 
king  of  Ujjain.    In  his  stale  there  lived  a  Brahman  who  by  his  austeri 
ties  had  obtained  the  fruit  of  immortality.     Not  deeming  it  useful  to 
himself  he  presented  it  as  a  fitting  offering  to  his  monarch.     He  being 
in  love  with  his  queen  presented  it  to  her.     She  being  in  love  with  the 
head  police  officer  of  the  state  presented  it  to  him.     He  being  in  love 
with  a  favourite  courtesan  presented  it  to  her.     She  being  in  love  with 
the  king  presented  it  to  him.     On  being  informed  of  the  strange  vicis 
situdes  of  the  fruit  of  immortality,  and  pondering  on  the  instability  of 
love  and  friendship,  Bharthari  abdicated  and  became  a  religious  men 
dicant. 

Gopi  Chand  was  king  of  Bengal,  whose  capital,  according  to  legend, 
was  then  Doulagarh.  His  mother  Menawati  was  Raja  Bharthari's 
sister.  One  day  as  Gopi  Chand  was  bathing,  his  mother,  seated  in  an 
upper  chamber,  admired  his  beauty,  but  at  the  same  time  felt  that  he 
was  not  so  handsome  as  his  father,  her  late  husband.  Death  had 
taken  him,  it  would  also  take  Gopi  Chand.  Gopi  Chand  as  he  bathed 
felt  moisture  falling  on  him,  and  was  told  in  reply  to  his  inquiries 
that  it  was  his  mother's  tears.  He  tried  to  console  her  and  said  that 
death  was  the  way  of  the  world,  and  one  must  not  endeavour  to  resist 
Nature's  primordial  law.  On  reflection  she  decided  that  Gopi  Chand 
should  become  a  faqlr  under  the  spiritual  guidance  of  Jalandharnath. 
Gopi  Chand  abdicated,  proceeded  to  him,  and  after  many  troubles 
received,  it  is  said,  instruction  how  to  overcome  death. 

4  Ramkali  ki  War. 


170  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

until  he  arrived  at  Mount  Sumer.  He  there  met 
many  renowned  Sidhs.  When  the  Guru  had  made  his 
obeisance  and  sat  down,  they  inquired  whence  he 
had  come  and  in  what  state  he  had  left  Hindustan. 
He  replied  : — 

The  Kal  age  is  a  knife,  kings  are  butchers  ;  justice  hath 
taken  wings  and  fled. 

In  this  completely  dark  night  of  falsehood  the  moon  of 
truth  is  never  seen  to  rise. 

I  have  become  perplexed  in  my  search  : 

In  the  darkness  I  find  no  way. 

Devoted  to  pride,  I  weep  in  sorrow  : 

Saith  Nanak,  how  shall  deliverance  be  obtained  ? l 

On  this  the  Sidhs  requested  the  Guru  to  join  them 
in  praising  God.  Having  done  so  he  put  his  subse 
quent  conversation  with  them  into  the  following 
form  :— 

The  Sidhs  holding  an  assembly  sat  in  religious  attitude 
— hail  to  the  assembly  of  the  saints  ! 

I  offer  my  prayer  to  Him  who  is  the  true  and  Infinite  One. 

I  will  cut  off  my  head  and  lay  it  before  Him  ;  I  will 
place  before  Him  my  soul  and  body. 

Nanak,  by  meeting  a  holy  man  the  True  One  is  found, 
and  honour  is  easily  obtained. 

Is  the  True  and  Pure  One  obtained  by  wandering  ? 

There  is  no  salvation  without  the  True  Word 

The  Sidhs  asked  : — 

1  Who  art  thou  ?  What  is  thy  name  ?  What  is  thy  sect 
and  what  thine  object  ? 

'  Speak  the  truth ;  this  is  what  we  urge  ;  we  are  a 
sacrifice  to  saintly  men. 

'  Where  is  thy  seat ;  where  dwellest  thou,  O  youth  ? 
Whence  hast  thou  come,  and  whither  goest  thou  ? 

'  Hear,  O  Nanak,'  said  the  Sidhs,  '  What  are  thy 
tenets  ?  ' 

1  Majh  ki  War. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  171 

Nanak — '  I  dwell  in  God  who  hath  His  seat  in  every 
heart  ;  I  act  according  to  the  will  of  the  True  Guru. 

'  I  came  in  the  course  of  nature,  and  according  to  God's 
order  shall  I  depart.  Nanak  is  ever  subject  to  His  will. 

'  To  be  fixed  in  God  is  my  prayerful  attitude  ;  such  know 
ledge  have  I  obtained  from  the  Guru. 

'  If  one  understand  the  Guru's  instruction  and  know  him 
self,  then  he  being  true  shall  be  absorbed  in  the  True  One.' 

A  Sidh  called  Charpat  asked  :— 

'  The  world  is  an  ocean,  and  is  said  to  be  difficult  to  cross  ; 
how  shall  man  traverse  it  ?  ' 

Saith  Chaipat,  '  O  Audhut  Nanak,  give  a  true  reply.' 

Nanak — '  Thou  sayest  so  ;  thou  thyself  understandest  ; 
What  answer  can  I  give  thee  ? 

'  I  speak  truly  ;  thou  hast  reached  the  distant  shore  ; 
how  can  I  argue  with  thee  ? 

'  As  a  lotus  in  the  water  remaineth  dry,  as  also  a  water 
fowl  in  the  stream, 

'  So  by  meditating  on  the  Word  and  repeating  God's 
name,'  '  shalt  thou  be  unaffected  by  the  world.' 

Nanak  is  a  slave  to  those  who  remain  apart  from  the 
world,  in  whose  hearts  the  one  God  abideth,  who  live 
without  desires  in  the  midst  of  desires, 

And  who  see  and  show  to  others  the  inaccessible  and 
incomprehensible  God.1 

The  Sidhs  then  said  '  All  hail !  '  The  Guru 
replied,  '  All  hail  to  the  Primal  Being  !  ' 

Several  Sikhs  suppose  that  Guru  Nanak  com 
posed  the  Sidh  Gosht  on  that  occasion  when  he 
found  leisure  and  retirement  for  composition. 


CHAPTER  XV 

After  his  sojourn  with  the  Sidhs  the  Guru  returned 
to  the  plains  of  the  Panjab  and  travelled  in  a  north 
westerly  direction  until  he  reached  Hasan  Abdal, 

1  Sidh  Gosht. 


172  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

then  a  great  centre  of  Muhammadan  religious 
enthusiasm. 

There  abode  on  a  small  hillock  a  bigoted  and 
selfish  priest  known  as  Bawa  Wali  of  Kandhar. 
The  Guru  and  his  minstrel  needed  water  for  their 
evening  repast,  and  it  could  only  be  obtained  from 
the  Wali.  Mardana  told  him  that  he  and  Guru 
Nanak  had  arrived,  and  he  advised  him  to  see  the 
Guru,  who  was  a  great  saint  of  God.  Bawa  Wali, 
who  claimed  exclusive  holiness  for  himself,  became 
offended  on  hearing  the  Guru's  praises,  and  refused 
the  required  water.  He  said  if  Mardana' s  master 
were  such  a  holy  man,  he  ought  to  provide  water  for 
himself.  When  this  reply  was  communicated  to  the 
Guru,  he  sent  Mardana  back  to  the  Wali  with  the 
message  that  he  himself  was  a  very  poor  creature 
of  God,  and  laid  no  claims  to  the  character  of  a 
saint.  The  Wali  paid  no  heed  to  this  protestation, 
but  persisted  in  his  refusal  to  afford  water  to  the 
Guru  and  his  minstrel.  The  Guru  was  then  com 
pelled  to  bore  a  hole  near  where  he  had  taken 
shelter,  and  a  stream  of  water  immediately  issued 
forth.  Upon  this,  the  Wali's  well  dried  up,  there 
being  only  a  limited  supply  of  water  in  the  locality. 
The  Wali's  rage  naturally  increased,  and  it  is  said 
that  he  hurled  the  hillock  upon  Guru  Nanak' s  un 
offending  head.  The  Guru,  on  seeing  the  descend 
ing  volume  of  earth,  raised  his  right  arm  to  protect 
himself.  It  is  related  that  upon  this  the  fall  of  the 
hillock  was  arrested.  The  impression  of  the  palm 
of  the  Guru's  hand  was  left  on  the  descending  mass, 
which  is  now  known  as  'Panja  Sahib'  and  held  in 
reverence  by  the  Sikhs. 

After  a  brief  residence  in  Hasan  Abdal  the  Guru 
proceeded  to  Gorakh-Hatari,  a  quarter  of  the  city 
of  Peshawar  on  the  frontier  of  the  Panjab  where 
there  is  an  ancient  temple  of  Gorakhnath.  The 
Jogis  having  heard  of  his  fame  were  anxious  to 
discover  how  he  had  acquired  such  moral  and 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  173 

spiritual  influence,  and,  when  the  Guru  was  seated, 
put  him  the  questions  contained  in  the  first  four 
verses  of  the  following  hymn.  The  Guru's  replies 
follow  : — 

What  callest  thou  that  gate  at  which  thou  sittest  ?  Who 
can  see  the  gate  within  it  ? 

Let  some  one  come  and  describe  to  me  that  gate  to  attain 
which  the  Udasi  wandereth. 

How  shall  we  cross  the  ocean  ? 

How  shall  we  be  dead  when  alive  ? 

Sorrow  is  the  gate,  wrath  the  porter,  hope  and  anxiety 
its  folding-doors. 

Mammon  is  a  moat,  domestic  life  its  water  ;  man  abideth 
by  taking  his  seat  on  truth. 

How  many  names  hast  Thou,  0  God  !  Their  limit  cannot 
be  known  ;  there  is  none  equal  to  Thee. 

Man  ought  not  to  call  himself  exalted,  but  dwell  in  his  own 
thoughts  ;  what  God  deemeth  proper,  He  doeth. 

As  long  as  there  is  desire,  so  long  is  there  anxiety  ;  how 
can  one  who  feeleth  it  speak  of  the  one  God  ? 

When  man  in  the  midst  of  desires  remaineth  free  from 
desires,  then,  O  Nanak,  he  meeteth  the  one  God. 

In  this  way  shall  he  cross  the  ocean, 

And  thus  be  dead  while  alive.1 

On  uttering  this  hymn  the  Guru  was  pressed  to 
adopt  the  style  and  religion  of  a  Jogi.  The  principles 
of  the  Jogis'  sect  were  explained  to  him.  The  Guru 
replied  :— 

The  Word  is  my  meditation,  divine  instruction  the  music 
of  my  horn  for  men  to  hear  ; 

Honour  is  my  begging-wallet,  and  uttering  the  Name  my 
alms. 

Father,  Gorakh  awaketh. 

Gorakh  is  He  who  lifted  the  earth  and  fashioned  it  without 
delay  ; 

1  Ramkali. 


174  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Who  enclosed  water,  breath,  and  life  in  the  body,  and 
made  the  great  lights  of  the  moon  and  sun  ; 

Who  gave  us  the  earth  as  our  abode,  but  whose  many 
favours  we  have  forgotten. 

Sidhs,  Strivers,  Jogis,  Jangams,  and  Pirs  are  many. 

If  I  obtain  the  Name  from  them,  I  will  sing  their  praises, 
and  serve  them  heartily — 

Paper  and  salt  melt  not  in  clarified  butter  ;  the  lotus 
remaineth  unaffected  by  water — 

What  can  Death  say  to  them,  O  Nanak,  who  meet  such 
saints  ?  l 

After  his  successful  discussion  with  the  Jogis  the 
Guru  decided  to  visit  Makka,  the  pole  star  of  Muham- 
madan  devotion.  He  disguised  himself  in  the  blue 
dress  of  a  Muhammadan  pilgrim,  took  a  faqir's 
staff  in  his  hand  and  a  collection  of  his  hymns 
under  his  arm.  He  also  carried  with  him  in  the  style 
of  a  Musalman  devotee  a  cup  for  his  ablutions  and 
a  carpet  whereon  to  pray.  And  when  an  oppor 
tunity  offered,  he  shouted  the  Muhammadan  call  to 
prayer  like  any  orthodox  follower  of  the  Arabian 
prophet.  As  usual  in  his  peregrinations,  he  was 
accompanied  by  his  faithful  minstrel  and  rebeck- 
player  Mardana.  It  is  recorded  that  whenever  he 
met  children  on  his  journey  he  joined  in  their  sports. 
He  accidentally  found  a  Muhammadan  f aqir  also  bent 
on  the  Makkan  pilgrimage,  and  passed  a  night  with 
him  in  pleasant  spiritual  converse.  The  pilgrim 
offered  him  his  bhang-pouch,  and  asked  whether 
he  was  a  Hindu  or  a  Musalman.  The  Guru  replied 
with  the  hymn  he  had  previously  addressed  to  the 
Emperor  Babar  when  he  inquired  what  intoxication 
that  was  whose  effects  should  never  depart. 

As  they  proceeded  on  the  road  to  Makka,  it  is  said, 
a  cloud  they  saw  over  their  heads  accompanied  them. 
The  pilgrim  became  alarmed  at  the  unusual  occur- 

1  Ramkali. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  175 

rence,  and  said  to  the  Guru,  '  No  Hindu  hath  ever  yet 
gone  to  Makka.  Travel  not  with  me  ;  either  go  before 
or  after.'  The  Guru  told  the  pilgrim  to  precede 
him.  When  the  pilgrim  turned  round  to  see  where 
his  companion  was,  it  is  said  he  could  see  neither  him 
nor  the  cloud.  The  pilgrim  then  began  to  wring  his 
hands,  and  said,  '  It  was  God  who  was  with  me,  but 
I  could  not  endure  the  sight  of  Him.  He  worked 
illusion  on  me.' 

When  the  Guru  arrived,  weary  and  footsore,  in 
Makka,  he  went  and  sat  in  the  great  mosque  where 
pilgrims  were  engaged  in  their  devotions.  His 
disregard  of  Moslem  customs  soon  involved  him 
in  difficulties.  When  he  lay  down  to  sleep  at 
night  he  turned  his  feet  towards  the  Kaaba.  An 
Arab  priest  kicked  him  and  said,  '  Who  is  this  sleeping 
infidel  ?  Why  hast  thou,  O  sinner,  turned  thy  feet 
towards  God  ?  '  The  Guru  replied,  '  Turn  my  feet  in 
a  direction  in  which  God  is  not.' l  Upon  this  the 
priest  seized  the  Guru's  feet  and  dragged  them  in 
the  opposite  direction,  whereupon,  it  is  said,  the 
temple  turned  round,  and  followed  the  revolution  of 
his  body.  Some  understand  this  in  a  spiritual  sense, 
and  say  it  means  that  Guru  Nanak  made  all  Makka 
turn  to  his  teaching.  Those  who  witnessed  this 
miracle  were  astonished  and  saluted  the  Guru  as 
a  supernatural  being. 

The  Qazis  and  the  Mullas  crowded  round  the 
Guru,  and  interrogated  him  on  the  subject  of  his 
religion.  They  admitted  that  he  had  accomplished 
a  great  feat,  but  the  source  of  his  power  was  not 
apparent.  They  opened  his  book,  and  seeing  that 
it  was  on  religious  subjects,  inquired  which  was 

1  Curious  it  is  to  find  the  same  expression  in  an  Italian  operatic 
writer  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

E  se,  dov'  ei  dimora, 
Non  intendesti  ancora, 
Confondimi,  se  puoi ; 
Dimmi  dov'  ei  non  e. 

(Metastasio.) 


176  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

superior,  the  Hindu  or  the  Muhammadan  religion. 
The  Guru  replied,  '  Without  good  acts  the  professors 
of  both  religions  shall  suffer.  Neither  the  Hindus 
nor  the  Muhammadans  shall  obtain  entrance  into 
God's  court.  All  their  devotions  shall  vanish  like  the 
fleeting  dye  of  safflower.  Both  sects  are  jealous  of 
each  other.  The  Hindus  insist  on  saying  Ram  and 
the  Moslems  Rahim,  but  they  know  not  the  one 
God.  Satan  hath  led  them  both  along  his  own 
flowery  way/  On  that  occasion  the  Guru  uttered 
the  following  hymn  in  the  Tilang  measure  : — 

Thy  fasting  and  worship  shall  be  acceptable 

When  thou,  O  man,  keepest  watch  over  the  ten  apertures 
of  thy  body,  hatest  the  world, 

Chastenest  thy  mind,  restrainest  thy  sight,  and  fleest 
worldly  desires  and  wr anglings. 

Every  day  of  the  month  offer  thy  love  to  the  Lord  ; 
thus  shalt  thou  be  recognized  as  pure  and  gentle. 

Keep  the  fast  of  meditation,  and  let  the  renunciation  of 
pleasure  be  thy  dance  ; 

Keep  watch  over  thy  heart,  so  shalt  thou  be  a  really 
learned  man  ; 

Abandon  delights,  ease,  evil  speaking,  mental  anxiety, 
and  vexation  ; 

Treasure  kindness  in  thy  heart,  and  renounce  the  devices 
of  infidelity  ; 

Extinguish  the  fire  of  lust  in  thy  heart,  and  thus  become 
cool. 

Saith  Nanak,  thus  practise  fasting,  and  thy  faith  shall  be 
perfect.1 

When  the  Guru  had  finished,  the  Qazi  said,  '  Well 
done  !  I  have  to-day  for  the  first  time  seen  a  real 
saint  of  God/  The  Qazi  then  went  and  told  the  high 
priest  that  the  darwesh  Nanak  had  arrived.  The 
high  priest  went  to  see  him,  shook  hands  with  him, 

1  This  hymn  is  not  found  in  the  Granth  Sahib. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  177 

and  sat  down  beside  him.     He  thanked  God  that 
Nanak  had  come. 

The  high  priest  asked  Nanak  if  the  Hindus  who 
read  the  Veds,  and  the  Musalmans  who  read  the 
Quran,  should  or  should  not  find  God.  The  Guru 
courageously  replied  with  the  following  outspoken 
hymn  of  Kabir  :— 

O  brethren,  the  Veds  and  the  Quran  are  false,  and  free 
not  the  mind  from  anxiety. 

If  for  a  moment  thou  restrain  thy  mind,  God  will  appear 
before  thee. 

0  man,  search  thy  heart  daily,  that  thou  mayest  not  again 
fall  into  despair. 

This  world  is  a  magic  show  which  hath  no  reality. 

Men  are  pleased  when  they  read  falsehood,  and  quarrel 
over  what  they  do  not  understand. 

The  truth  is,  the  Creator  is  contained  in  the  creation  ; 
He  is  not  of  a  blue  colour  in  the  guise  of  Vishnu. 

Thou  shouldst  have  bathed  in  the  river  which  floweth 
in  heaven.1 

Take  heed  ;  ever  fix  thine  eyes  on  Him  who  is  every 
where  present.2 

God  is  the  purest  of  the  pure  ;  shall  I  doubt  whether 
there  is  another  equal  to  Him  ?  3 

Kabir,  he  to  whom  the  Merciful  hath  shown  mercy, 
knoweth  Him. 

The  high  priest  then  asked  how  God  might  be 
obtained  by  men.  The  Guru  replied  that  it  was  by 
humility  and  prayer.  He  added  the  following  hymn 
in  the  Persian  language  :— 

1  make    one    supplication    before   Thee  ;     lend    Thine 
ear,  O  Creator. 

1  In  the  brain  instead  of  the  Ganges  and  other  sacred  streams  of 
the  Hindus. 

2  Also  translated — Embrace  perpetual  poverty,  fix  thy  mental  eyes 
on  God,  and  thou  shalt  behold  Him  everywhere  present. 

3  Also  translated — If  there  be  another  like  Him,  then   entertain 
doubt. 

SIKH.      1  N 


178  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

0  God,  Thou  art  great  and  merciful ;    Thou  art  the  fault 
less  Cherish  er. 

The  world  is  a  perishable  abode  ;  O  my  heart,  know 
this  as  the  truth. 

Azrail l  seizeth  me  by  the  hair  of  my  head  ;  yet  thou 
knowest  it  not,  O  my  heart. 

There  shall  be  no  wife,  no  son,  no  father,  no  brother, 
no  one  to  take  my  hand. 

There  shall  be  no  one  to  hinder  my  falling  at  last  when 
my  fate 2  cometh. 

1  have  passed  my  nights  and  days  in  vanity,  and  my 
thoughts  have  been  evil. 

I  have  never  done  a  good  act — this  is  my  condition  ; 

I  am  unfortunate,  I  am  also  miserly  and  negligent ;  I 
see  not,  and  I  fear  not. 

Nanak  saith,  I  am  Thy  slave,  and  the  dust  of  the  feet 
of  Thy  servants.3 

The  high  priest  then  asked  the  Guru  to  tell  him 
the  composition  of  matter,  the  nature  of  the  God  he 
adored,  how  He  was  to  be  found,  and  in  what  con 
sisted  the  essence  of  his  religion.  The  Guru  replied 
again  in  the  Persian  language  :— 

Know  that  according  to  the  Musalmans  everything  is 
produced  from  air,  fire,  water,  and  earth  ; 

But  the  pure  God  created  the  world  out  of  five 
elements.4 

However  high  man  may  leap,  he  shall  fall  on  the  earth 
again. 

Even  though  a  bird  fly,  it  cannot  compete  in  endurance 
with  the  torrent  and  the  wind  which  move  by  God's  will. 

How  great  shall  I  call  God  ?  to  whom  shall  I  go  to  in 
quire  regarding  Him  ? 

1  Azrall  is  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Sikh  sacred  writings.  In 
the  Muhammadan  dispensation  he  is  the  minister  of  Death  who 
separates  men's  souls  from  their  bodies  by  violently  tearing  them 
asunder.  The  Quran,  Suras  32  and  79. 

1  Takbir  is  understood  to  be  for  the  Arabic  taqdir,  destiny. 

3  Tilang.  4  Akash,  or  ether,  being  the  fifth. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  179 

He  is  the  greatest  of  the  great,  and  great  is  His  world  ; 
men  depart  in  their  pride. 

I  have  consulted  the  four  Veds,  but  these  writings  find 
not  God's  limits. 

I  have  consulted  the  four  books  of  the  Muhammadans, 
but  God's  worth  is  not  described  in  them. 

I  have  consulted  the  nine  regions  of  the  earth  ;  one 
improveth  upon  what  the  other  saith. 

Having  turned  my  heart  into  a  boat,  I  have  searched  in 
every  sea ; 

I  have  dwelt  by  rivers  and  streams,  and  bathed  at  the 
sixty-eight  places  of  pilgrimage  ; 

I  have  lived  among  the  forests  and  glades  of  the  three 
worlds  and  eaten  bitter  and  sweet  ; 

I  have  seen  the  seven  nether  regions  and  heavens  upon 
heavens. 

And  /,  Nanak,  say  man  shall  be  true  to  his  faith  if  he 
fear  God  and  do  good  works.1 

In  due  time  the  Guru  proceeded  to  Madina,  where 
he  vanquished  the  Muhammadan  priests  in  argu 
ment.  Thence  he  journeyed  to  Baghdad,  and  took 
up  his  position  outside  the  city.  He  shouted  the 
call  to  prayer,  on  which  the  whole  population 
became  wrapt  in  silent  astonishment.2  The  high 
priest  of  Baghdad,  on  meeting  face  to  face  the 
enthusiastic  stranger,  inquired  who  he  was  and  to 
what  sect  he  belonged.  The  Guru  replied,  '  I  have 
appeared  in  this  age  to  indicate  the  way  unto  men. 
I  reject  all  sects,  and  only  know  one  God,  whom 
I  recognize  in  the  earth,  the  heavens,  and  in  all 
directions.' 

Upon  this  the  Guru  began  to  repeat  the  Japji. 
As  the  high  priest  listened  to  its  doctrines  he  said, 
'  This  is  a  very  impious  faqir.  He  is  working 

1  Banno's  Granth  Sahib. 

2  It  is  certain  that  the  Guru  omitted  the  words  Muhammad  ar  rasul 
Allah  of  the  creed,  and  substituted  Arabic  words  of  a  similar  sound  to 
express  his  own  ideas.     Hence  the  astonishment  of  the  people. 

N  2 


i8o  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

miracles  here,  and  informing  us,  contrary  to  the 
authority  of  our  holy  Quran,  that  there  are  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  nether  and  upper  regions,  and  that 
at  last  men  grow  weary  of  searching  for  them/ 
The  high  priest  then  called  upon  the  Guru  to  give 
a  manifestation  of  his  power.  Upon  this,  it  is  said, 
the  Guru  laid  his  hand  on  the  high  priest* s  son  and 
showed  him  the  upper  and  lower  regions  described 
in  the  Japji.1 

The  Guru  having  accomplished  his  mission  in  the 
West  resolved  to  return  to  his  own  country.  When 
he  arrived  in  Multan,  the  local  high  priest  presented 
him  with  a  cup  of  milk  filled  to  the  brim.  By  this 
he  meant  it  to  be  understood  that  the  city  was  full 
of  holiness  already,  and  that  there  was  no  room  for 
another  religious  teacher.  The  Guru,  in  no  wise 
disconcerted,  took  the  milk  and  laid  on  it  an  Indian 
jasmin  flower.  The  cup  did  not  overflow.  This 
typified  that  there  was  still  room  for  the  Guru  in 
the  midst  of  the  Multanis,  as  there  is  still  room  for 
the  ever  flowing  Ganges  in  the  ocean. 

The  Guru,  after  a  brief  sojourn  in  Multan,  set  out 
for  Kartarpur.  His  reputation  daily  increased  in 
the  world,  and  men  meditated  on  his  name.  He 
insisted  that  praying  for  anything  except  God's 
name  merely  conferred  on  man  a  crown  of  sorrow. 
By  this  time  the  Guru  had  founded  a  pure  religion 
and  made  his  coin  current  in  the  world. 

In  due  time  the  Guru  and  his  minstrel  arrived  at 
Kartarpur  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river  Ravi, 
opposite  the  present  town  of  Dehra  Baba  Nanak. 
There  he  doffed  his  pilgrim's  dress,  and  donned 
worldly  garments  in  order  to  show  that  he  did  not 
desire  men  to  devote  themselves  exclusively  to  an 
ascetic  life.  At  the  same  time  he  sat  on  his  re 
ligious  stool,  and  began  to  preach  to  the  people. 

During  Guru  Nanak's  stay  at  Kartarpur  he  con- 

1  Japji,  Pauri  xxiii. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  181 

tinued  to  compose  hymns  which  diffused  spiritual 
light  and  dispelled  mental  darkness.  He  ever  con 
versed  on  religious  subjects,  and  divine  measures 
were  ever  sung  in  his  presence.  The  Sodar  and  the 
Sohila  were  chanted  in  the  evening  and  the  Japji 
repeated  at  the  ambrosial  hour  of  morning.1 

At  Kartarpur,  Mardana,  the  Guru's  faithful 
minstrel,  advanced  in  years  and  wearied  with  his 
long  wanderings  and  physical  privations,  fell  ill. 
He  felt  that  he  had  no  hope  of  longer  life,  and 
resigned  himself  to  man's  inevitable  fate.  He 
had  originally  been  a  Muhammadan,  but,  being 
now  a  Sikh,  the  question  arose  as  to  how  his 
body  should  be  disposed  of  after  death.  The  Guru 
said,  '  A  Brahman's  body  is  thrown  into  water, 
a  Khatri's  is  burnt  in  the  fire,  a  Vaisya's  is  thrown 
to  the  winds,  and  a  Sudra's  is  buried  in  the  earth. 
Thy  body  shall  be  disposed  of  as  thou  pleasest.' 
Mardana  replied,  *  Through  thine  instruction  the 
pride  of  my  body  hath  totally  departed.  With  the 
four  castes  the  disposal  of  the  body  is  a  matter  of 
pride.  I  deem  my  soul  merely  as  a  spectator  of  my 
body,  and  am  not  concerned  with  the  latter.  Where 
fore  dispose  of  it  as  thou  pleasest.'  Then  the  Guru 
said,  '  Shall  I  make  thee  a  tomb  and  render  thee 
famous  in  the  world.'  Mardana  replied,  '  When  my 
soul  hath  been  separated  from  its  bodily  tomb,  why 
shut  it  up  in  a  stone  tomb  ?  '  The  Guru  answered, 
'  Since  thou  knowest  God  and  art  therefore  a  Brah 
man,  we  shall  dispose  of  thy  body  by  throwing  it 
into  the  river  Ravi  and  letting  it  go  with  the  stream. 
Sit  down  therefore  on  its  margin  in  prayerful  posture, 
fix  thine  attention  on  God,  repeat  His  name  at  every 
inspiration  and  expiration,  and  thy  soul  shall  be 
absorbed  in  the  light  of  God.'  Mardana  accordingly 
sat  down  by  the  river,  and  his  soul  separated  from 
its  earthly  enclosure  the  following  morning  at  a  watch 

1  A  translation  of  these  divine  services  will  be  found  in  this  volume. 


182  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

before  day.  The  Guru  then,  by  the  aid  of  his  Sikhs, 
consigned  Mardana's  body  to  the  river  Ravi,1  caused 
the  Sohila  to  be  read  for  his  eternal  repose,  and  con 
cluded  the  obsequies  by  distributing  karah  parshad z 
(sacred  food).  The  Guru  counselled  Mardana's  son 
Shahzada  and  his  relations  not  to  weep.  There 
ought  to  be  no  lamentation  for  a  man  who  was 
returning  to  his  heavenly  home,  and  therefore  no 
mourning  for  Mardana.3 

The  Guru  bade  Shahzada  remain  with  him  in  the 
same  capacity  as  his  father,  and  he  would  be  held 
in  equal  honour.  Accordingly  Shahzada,  the  Guru's 
faithful  friend  and  minstrel,  accompanied  him  to  the 
time  of  his  death. 

In  the  Granth  Sahib  are  found  three  sloks  of 
the  Guru,  dedicated  to  Mardana,  against  the  use  of 
wine.  The  following,  which  may  conveniently  be 
given  here,  will  suffice  as  a  specimen  : — 

The  barmaid  is  misery,  wine  is  lust  ;  man  is  the  drinker. 

The  cup  filled  with  worldly  love  is  wrath,  and  it  is  served 
by  pride. 

The  company  is  false  and  covetous,  and  is  ruined  by 
excess  of  drink. 

Instead  of  such  wine  make  good  conduct  thy  yeast,  truth 
thy  molasses,  God's  name  thy  wine  ; 

Make  merits  thy  cakes,  good  conduct  thy  clarified  butter, 
and  modesty  thy  meat  to  eat. 

Such  things,  O  Nanak,  are  obtained  by  the  Guru's  favour ; 
by  partaking  of  them  sins  depart.4 


CHAPTER  XVI 

There   lived   in  a  town  called  Khadur    a   Sikh 
named  Jodha  who  used  to  repeat  God's  name  while 

1  It  is    stated  in  several  Sikh  works   that    Mardana's   body   was 
cremated. 

2  The  recipe  for  the  preparation  of  karah  parshad,  or  Sikh  sacred 
food,  will  be  given  in  the  life  of  Guru  Gobind  Singh,  vol.  v. 

3  Gydn  Ratanawali.  4  Bihagre  ki  War. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  183 

the  rest  of  the  inhabitants  worshipped  Durga. 
Their  priest  was  a  man  called  Lahina.  One  day 
when  Jodha  was  repeating  Guru  Nanak's  Japji, 
Lahina  heard  him  and  inquired  whose  composition 
it  was.  Jodha  duly  informed  him,  and  they  became 
intimate.  On  being  introduced  to  the  Guru,  Lahina 
told  his  name,  upon  which  the  Guru  said,  'Thy 
lahina  is  here,  where  else  can  it  be  found?'  In 
the  Panjabi  language  the  word  lahina  means  to  take 
or  receive,  and  the  Guru  meant,  '  What  thou  de- 
sirest  to  receive — salvation — is  here,  and  nowhere 
else.'  After  some  spiritual  instruction  from  the  lips 
of  the  Guru,  Lahina  threw  away  the  tinkling  bells 
he  wore  on  his  hands  and  feet  to  dance  before  the 
goddess,  and  began  to  repeat  God's  name.  He 
made  it  a  practice  afterwards  to  perform  menial 
service  for  the  Guru.1 

It  is  said  that  Lahina  in  a  vision  saw  a  female  in 
a  red  dress  shampooing  the  Guru.  Lahina  asked 
her  who  she  was.  She  replied  that  she  was  Durga, 
and  that  she  came  once  a  week  to  do  service  for 
the  Guru.  On  this  Lahina  became  convinced  of 
the  divine  mission  of  Guru  Nanak. 

A  Jogi  went  to  visit  the  Guru  and  congratulate 
him  on  the  large  number  of  converts  he  had  made 
The  Guru  replied  that  he  had  few  real  Sikhs,  as  the 
Jogi  himself  would  see.  The  Guru  and  the  Jogi 
determined  to  proceed  into  the  forest  and  there 
make  trial  of  the  Sikh  converts  who  accompanied 
them  in  numbers.  For  this  purpose  the  Guru 
assumed  a  terrible  guise.  He  put  on  dirty,  tattered 
clothes,  took  a  knife  in  his  hand,  and  proceeded  with 
some  hunting  dogs  into  the  forest,  ostensibly  in 
quest  of  game.  On  this  several  of  his  Sikhs  fled. 
It  was  on  that  occasion  the  Guru  composed  the 
following  :— 

1  A  fuller  account  of  Jodha's  influence  on  Lahina  will  be  given  in 
the  Life  of  Guru  Angad,  Vol.  II. 


184  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

I  have  a  dog  l  and  two  bitches  2  with  me  ; 

Every  morning  they  bark  at  the  wind.3 

Falsehood  is  my  hunting-knife  and  carrion  its  handle. 

0  Creator,  I  remain  in  the  guise  of  a  huntsman  ; 

1  do  not  follow  my  Master's  counsel  or  do  His  work. 
I  appear  deformed  and  terrible. 

Thy  Name  alone  saveth  the  world  ; 

It  is  my  support  ;   to  obtain  it  is  my  desire. 

I  utter  calumny  day  and  night  ; 

I  am  base  and  worthless  ;   I  covet  my  neighbour's  house. 

Lust  and  anger,  which  are  pariahs,  dwell  in  my  heart. 

0  Creator,  I  remain  in  the  guise  of  a  huntsman  ; 
In  saint's  dress  I  meditate  to  entrap  others. 

1  am  a  cheat  in  a  country  of  cheats.4 

/  deem  myself  very  clever,  and  bear  a  great  load  of  sin. 
O  Creator,  I  remain  in  the  guise  of  a  huntsman. 
Ungrateful  that  I  was,  I  did  not  appreciate  what  Thou 
didst  for  me. 

How  can  I,  who  am  wicked  and  dishonest,  show  my  face  ? 
Humble  Nanak  expresseth  his  thoughts — 

0  Creator,  I  remain  in  the  guise  of  a  huntsman.5 

As  the  party  proceeded  they  found  the  road 
covered  with  copper  coins.  Some  Sikhs  took  them 
up  and  departed.  Further  on  were  found  silver 
coins.  Several  Sikhs  took  up  the  silver  coins  and 
returned  home.  As  the  Guru's  party  proceeded 
further,  they  saw  gold  coins  on  the  road.  Several 
of  the  remaining  Sikhs  took  up  the  gold  coins  and 
quickly  vanished.  Only  the  Jogi,  two  Sikhs,  and 
the  Guru's  attendant  Lahina  now  remained. 

On  proceeding  further  they  found  a  funeral  pyre. 
Near  the  corpse  were  four  lighted  lamps.  A  sheet 
was  stretched  over  it  as  it  lay  on  the  ground  and 
emitted  an  offensive  smell.  The  Guru  said,  '  Let 

1  Avarice.  2  Desire  and  covetousness. 

3  The  line  means  that  desire  and  covetousness  call  in  vain  to  the 
saint. 

4  Also  translated — I  am  a  cheat  and  cheat  the  country. 

5  Sri  Rag. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  185 

whoever  wisheth  to  accompany  me  eat  of  this.' 
The  Sikhs  quailed  at  the  dreadful  proposal,  but 
Lahina  remained  staunch  in  his  faith  in  the  Guru. 
Without  more  ado  he  clasped  his  hands  and  asked 
the  Guru  if  he  should  begin  to  eat  the  head  or  the 
feet  of  the  corpse.  The  Guru  told  him  to  begin  at 
the  waist.  Lahina  lifted  the  winding-sheet  in  order 
to  begin  to  eat,  when  lo !  it  is  said,  a  dish  of  sacred 
food  appeared  instead  of  the  corpse  !  Lahina  offered 
the  sacred  food  to  the  Guru  first,  and  said  he  would 
partake  of  his  leavings.  The  Guru  replied,  '  Thou 
hast  obtained  this  sacred  food  because  thou  didst 
desire  to  share  it  with  others.  The  wealth  given  by 
God  which  man  useth  himself  or  burieth  in  the  earth, 
is  like  carrion ;  but  the  wealth  which  man  shareth 
with  others  is  as  sacred  food.  Thou  hast  obtained 
my  secret ;  thou  art  in  mine  image.  I  will  tell  thee 
the  real  thing,  the  spell  which  is  the  essence  of 
religion,  and  by  which  thou  shalt  have  happiness 
here  and  hereafter.  The  following,  which  is  the 
preamble  of  the  Japji,  is  the  spell  meant  by  the 
Guru  : — 

There  is  but  one  God  whose  name  is  True,  the  Creator, 
devoid  of  fear  and  enmity,  immortal,  unborn,  self-existent, 
great,  and  bountiful.  Repeat  His  name. 

The  True  One  was  in  the  beginning  ;  The  True  One  was 
in  the  primal  age  ; 

The  True  One  is,  was,  O  Nanak ;  the  True  One  also  shall  be. 

The  Guru  instructed  Lahina  to  utter  the  spell 
with  a  pure  heart.  It  would  fulfil  all  his  desires, 
bestow  happiness  in  this  world  and  salvation  in  the 
next  ;  and  by  the  continual  practice  of  it  the  light 
of  God  should  dawn  in  his  heart.  Upon  this  the 
Jogi  said,  '  O  Nanak,  he  shall  be  thy  Guru  who  is 
produced  from  thy  body — ang.'  Upon  this  the 
Guru  embraced  Lahina,  addressed  him  as  Angad,  and 
promised  that  he  should  be  his  successor.  The  Jogi 
and  the  Guru  then  went  to  their  respective  homes. 


i86  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  Sikhs  who  had  deserted  the  Guru,  afterwards 
bitterly  regretted  their  conduct.  They  who  had 
found  the  copper  money  said,  that  if  they  had  gone 
further  they  would  have  found  the  silver  money; 
and  they  who  had  found  the  silver  money  said  that 
if  they  had  gone  further,  they  would  have  found 
the  gold  money.  Upon  this  the  Guru  composed  the 
following  : — 

The  words  man  speaketh  shall  be  taken  into  account  ; 
the  food  he  eateth  shall  be  taken  into  account  ; 

Man's  movements  shall  be  taken  into  account ;  what 
he  heareth  and  seeth  shall  be  taken  into  account  ; 

Every  breath  he  draweth  shall  be  taken  into  account ; 
why  should  I  go  and  ask  the  learned  ? 

O  father,  attachment  to  Maya  is  deceitful. 

He  who  being  spiritually  blind  forgetteth  God's  name, 
shall  gain  neither  this  world  nor  the  next. 

Life  and  death  are  for  everything  that  is  born  ;  death 
devoureth  everything  here. 

Where  the  Judge  sitteth  and  decideth,  thither  no  one 
shall  accompany  thee. 

All  who  weep  for  thee  tie  up,  as  it  were,  a  bundle  of  refuse.1 

Everybody  saith  that  God  is  great  ;  nobody  detracteth 
from  Him  ; 

But  no  one  hath  found  His  price  ;  He  becometh  not 
great  by  what  man  saith. 

O  True  Lord,  Thou  art  one  Lord ;  how  many  other  worlds 
in  which  creatures  dwell ! 

Nanak  is  with  those  who  are  low-born  among  the  lowly  ; 

Nay,  who  are  lowest  of  the  low  ;  how  can  he  rival  the 
great  ? 

Where  Thou,  O  Lord,  watchest  over  the  lowly,  Thy  look 
of  favour  shall  be  their  reward.2 

The  successor  of  Pir  Baha-ul-Din,  the  Musalman 
prelate  of  Multan,  went  accompanied  by  several  of 
his  followers  to  visit  Guru  Nanak.  On  meeting  him 
he  said,  '  I  have  loaded  the  load  ;  do  something 

1  That  is,  they  weep  in  vain.  2  Sri  Rag. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  187 

for  me' — that  is,  pray  that  I  may  have  a  successful 
journey  to  the  next  world. 
The  Guru  replied  :— 

He  who  filleth  the  sack  shall  load  it  on  himself  ; l  the 
will  of  God  is  over  all ; 

Nanak,  they  who  have  acted  honestly  shall  depart  with 
bright  faces. 

The  Guru,  seeing  the  Pir  prepared  for  death,  said 
he  would  soon  follow  him  himself.  The  Guru  upon 
this  composed  the  following  hymn  :— 

Wealth, youth,  and  flowers  are  guests2  only  for  four  days  ;3 

They  wither  and  fade  like  the  leaves  of  the  water  lily. 

Enjoy  God's  love,  O  dear  one,  in  the  freshness  of  youth. 

Few  are  thy  days  ;  thou  art  wearied  and  the  vesture  of 
thy  body  hath  grown  old. 

My  merry  friends  have  gone  to  sleep  in  the  grave. 

I  too  shall  depart  in  sorrow,  and  weep  with  a  feeble 
voice. 

O  fair  one,4  why  not  attentively  listen  to  this  message  ? 

Thou  must  go  to  thy  father-in-law's  ;  thou  mayest  not 
dwell  for  ever  in  thy  father's  house. 

Nanak,  know  that  she  who  sleepeth 5  in  her  father's 
house,  is  robbed  at  an  untimely  season. 

She  hath  lost  her  bundle  of  merits  and  departed  with 
a  load  of  demerits.6 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  Guru,  knowing  that  his  end  was  approach 
ing,  appointed  Angad  his  successor.  The  Guru's 
sons  had  not  obeyed  him.  Their  minds  were  insin 
cere,  and  they  had  rebelled  and  deserted  him. 
Wherefore  he  subsequently  placed  the  umbrella 

1  Man  shall  take  with  him  the  result  of  his  acts. 

2  Ndthiare  is  connected  with  the  Panjabi  nathna,  to  run  away. 

3  Four  days  is  a  common  Oriental  expression  for  a  short  period. 
*  The  soul  is  here  meant. 

Who  awakes  not  in  God's  service.  6  Sri  Rag. 


i88  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

of   spiritual   sovereignty  over   Angad' s   head,   and 
bowed  to  him  in   token   of   his  succession  to  the 
Guruship.     Then   it  became  known   to    his  people^ 
that  Guru  Nanak  was  about  to  die.    Whole  troops   < 
of  Sikhs,  Hindus,  and  Musalmans  went  to  bid  him  J 
farewell.    Angad  stood  up  before  him  in  an  attitude 
of  supplication.    When  Guru  Nanak  had  invited  him 
to  speak,  he  said,  '  O  king,  be  pleased  to  attach  again 
to  thy  skirt  those  who  have  seceded  from  thee.'     By 
this  Angad  meant  the  Sikhs  whose  faith  had  been 
tried   and  found   wanting.      Guru    Nanak   replied, 
'  I  have  forgiven  them  all  for  thy  sake/    Upon  this 
Angad  fell  at  his  feet. 

Guru  Nanak  went  and  sat  under  a  withered 
acacia  tree,  when  lo  !  it  became  green,  and  produced 
leaves  and  blossoms.  Angad  again  fell  at  his  feet 
in  adoration.  Guru  Nanak' s  family,  relations,  and 
disciples  began  to  weep.  On  that  occasion  he  com 
posed  the  following  : — 

Hail  to  the  Creator,  the  True  King,  who  allotted  to  the 
world  its  various  duties  ! 

When  the  measure 1  is  full,  the  duration  of  life  is  at  an 
end  ;  the  soul  is  led  away  ; 

When  the  destined  hour  arriveth,  the  soul  is  led  away 
and  all  one's  relations  weep. 

The  body  and  soul  are  separated,  O  my  mother,  when 
one's  days  are  at  an  end. 

Thou  hast  obtained  what  was  allotted  thee,  and  reaped 
the  fruit  of  thy  former  acts. 

Hail  to  the  Creator,  the  True  King,  who  allotted  to  the 
world  its  various  duties  ! 

Remember  the  Lord,  O  my  brethren  ;  all  must  depart. 

The  affairs  of  this  world  are  transitory,  only  for  four 
days  ;  we  must  assuredly  proceed  onwards  : 

We  must  assuredly  proceed  onwards  like  a  guest  ;  why 
should  we  be  proud  ? 

1  Pai.     This  is  an  Indian  corn  measure. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  189 

Repeat  the  name  of  Him  by  whose  worship  thou  shalt 
obtain  happiness  in  His  court. 

In  the  next  world  thou  canst  in  no  wise  enforce  thine 
authority  ;  every  one  shall  fare  according  to  his  acts. 

Remember  the  Lord,  my  brethren,  every  one  must 
depart. 

That  which  pleaseth  the  Omnipotent  shall  come  to  pass  ; 
this  world  is  an  illusion. 

The  true  Creator  pervadeth  sea  and  land,  the  nether 
regions,  and  the  firmament. 

The  true  Creator  is  invisible,  unequalled ;  His  limit 
cannot  be  found. 

Profitable  is  their  advent  into  this  world  who  have  medi 
tated  with  their  whole  hearts  upon  Him. 

The  Adorner  by  His  order  demolisheth  and  again  con- 
structeth. 

That  which  pleaseth  the  Omnipotent  shall  come  to  pass  ; 
this  world  is  an  illusion. 

Saith  Nanak,  O  Father,  they  shall  be  considered  to  have 
wept  who  weep  through  love. 

If  men  weep  for  the  sake  of  worldly  things,  all  their 
weeping,  O  Father,  shall  be  in  vain : 

All  their  weeping  shall  be  in  vain  ;  the  world  is  not 
mindful  of  God,  and  weepeth  for  mammon. 

They  know  not  good  from  evil,  and  thus  lose  their  human 
lives. 

All  who  come  into  this  world  must  depart  ;  false  are  you 
who  practise  pride. 

Saith  Nanak.  men  shall  be  considered  to  have  wept,  O 
Father,  if  they  weep  through  love.1 

After  this  the  assembled  crowd  began  to  sing 
songs  of  mourning,  and  the  Guru  fell  into  a  trance. 
When  he  awoke  therefrom,  his  sons,  on  seeing 
a  stranger  appointed  to  succeed  their  father,  inquired 
what  provision  had  been  made  for  themselves.  Guru 
Nanak  replied,  '  O  my  sons,  God  giveth  to  His 
creatures ;  you  shall  obtain  food  and  clothing  in 

1  Wadhans,  Alahanian. 


igo  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

abundance,  and  if  you  repeat  God's  name  you  shall 
be  saved  at  last.' 

The  Musalmans  who  had  received  God's  name 
from  the  Guru,  said  they  would  bury  him  after  his 
death.  His  Hindu  followers  on  the  contrary  said 
they  would  cremate  him.  When  the  Guru  was 
invited  to  decide  the  discussion  he  said,  '  Let  the 
Hindus  place  flowers  on  my  right,  and  the  Musal 
mans  on  my  left.  They  whose  flowers  are  found 
fresh  in  the  morning,  may  have  the  disposal  of  my 
body.' 

Guru  Nanak  then  ordered  the  crowd  to  sing  the 
Sohila  : — 

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 
appraise  the  Giver  ? 

The  year  and  the  auspicious  time  for  marriage*  are  re 
corded  ;  O  relations,  meet  and  pour  oil  on  me  the  bride.2 

0  my  friends,  pray  for  me  that  I  may  meet  my  Lord. 
This  message  is  ever  sent  to  every  house  ;    such  invita 
tions  are  ever  issued. 

Remember  the  Caller  ;  Nanak,  the  day  is  approaching.3 

The  concluding  slok  of  the  Japji  was  then 
sung.  The  Guru  drew  a  sheet  over  him,  uttered 
1  Wahguru  ',  made  obeisance  to  God,  and  blended 
his  light  with  Guru  Angad's.  The  Guru  remained 
the  same.  There  was  only  a  change  of  body  pro 
duced  by  a  supreme  miracle. 

1  Death  is  here  considered  a  marriage  as  among  the  ancient  Greeks. 

2  Before  marriage  the  bride's  relations  anoint  her  with  oil. 

3  Rag  Gauri  Dlpaki.     Guru  Nanak  caused  this  hymn  to  be  repeated 
for  him  in  token  of  rejoicing  when  he  was  dying.     It  is  still  read  as  a 
funeral  service. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  191 

When  the  sheet  was  removed  next  morning,  there 
was  nothing  found  beneath  it.  The  flowers  on  both 
sides  were  in  bloom.  The  Hindus  and  the  Musal- 
mans  removed  their  respective  flowers.  All  the 
Sikhs  reverently  saluted  the  spot  on  which  the  Guru 
had  lain.  He  breathed  his  last  on  the  tenth  day  of 
the  light  half  of  the  month  of  Assu,  Sambat  1595 
(A.D.  1538)  at  Kartarpur  in  the  Panjab. 

The  Sikhs  erected  a  shrine  and  the  Muhammadans 
a  tomb  in  his  honour  on  the  margin  of  the  Ravi. 
Both  have  since  been  washed  away  by  the  river, 
perhaps  providentially,  so  as  to  avoid  idolatrous 
worship  of  the  Guru's  last  resting-place. 

Bhai  Gur  Das,  a  brief  account  of  whom  we  have 
given  in  the  Introduction,  draws  a  gloomy  picture 
of  the  wickedness  of  the  world  at  the  rise  of  the  Sikh 
religion: — Men's  ideas  and  aspirations  were  low. 
Mammon  fascinated  the  world  and  led  every  one 
astray.  Good  acts  no  longer  commended  themselves 
to  men.  They  burned  with  pride,  and  respected 
not  one  another.  The  high  and  the  low  forgot 
their  mutual  duties.  Monarchs  were  unjust,  and 
their  nobles  were  butchers  who  held  knives  to  men's 
throats. 

Everybody  thought  he  possessed  knowledge,  but 
none  knew  in  what  knowledge  or  ignorance  consisted. 
Men  did  what  pleased  themselves.  Alchemy  and 
thaumaturgy  were  professed,  incantations  and  spells 
practised,  and  men  indulged  in  strife,  wrath,  and 
mutual  jealousies.  In  the  general  disorder  every  one 
adopted  a  religion  of  his  own.  Out  of  one  God  they 
made  many,  and  carved  gods  attractive  and  unat 
tractive  from  wood  and  stone.  Some  worshipped 
the  sun  or  moon,  others  propitiated  the  earth,  sky, 
wind,  water,  or  fire,  and  others  again  the  god  of 
death,  while  the  devotion  of  many  was  addressed 
to  cemeteries  and  cremation  grounds.  Thus  did 
mankind  go  astray  in  vain  religions  and  vain  worship. 

Men  despised  one  another  and  hence  caste  received 


192  THE  SIKH    RELIGION 

religious  sanction.  The  Brahmans  set  the  Veds, 
the  Purans,  and  the  Shastars  at  variance.  The 
professors  of  the  six  schools  of  Hindu  philosophy 
quarrelled  with  one  another,  and  while  so  employed 
indulged  to  their  hearts'  content  in  hypocrisy  and 
superstition. 

Not  only  were  the  Hindus  divided  into  four  castes, 
but  the  Muhammadans  were  divided  into  four  sects,1 
and  while  the  Hindus  worshipped  the  Ganges  and 
Banaras,  the  Muhammadans  addressed  their  devo 
tions  to  Makka  and  the  Kaaba.  The  devil  fascinated 
the  members  of  both  religions  ;  they  forgot  their 
holy  books  ;  they  went  astray  on  every  road  ;  and 
truth  was  the  one  thing  they  failed  to  discover. 

There  was  no  guru  or  religious  guide,  and  without 
one  the  people  were  pushing  one  another  to  their 
destruction.  Sin  prevailed  throughout  creation. 
Pure  religion  was  weeping  day  and  night,  and  finally 
began  to  disappear  from  men's  gaze  beneath  the 
earth.  She  was  weighed  down  by  human  trans 
gressions.  In  lowly  attitude  she  appealed  to  God 
for  a  guide.  God  observing  men's  anguish  and 
hearing  their  piteous  cries,  conferreoT^supernatural 
attributes  on  Guru  Nanak.  _  He  bestowed  on  him 
the  supreme  wealth  of  the  Name  and  humility,  and 
sent  Mm  into  the  world  to  relieve  its  sufferings. 
When  Guru  Nanak  contemplated  the  world,  he 
everywhere  saw  spiritual  darkness,  and  heard  the 
cry  of  pain.  He  endured  the  greatest  privations 
and  travelled  to  different  countries  in  order  to 
regenerate  the  human  race. 

He  pointed  out  to  men  the  straight  way — that 
there  was  but  one  God,  the  primal  and  omnipreaent. 
He  restored  the  three  legs  which  religion  had  lost, 
and  reduced  to  one  the  four  castes  of  the  Hindus. 
He  placed  the  king  and  the  beggar  on  a  spiritual 
equality,  and  taught  them  to  respect  each  other. 

1  Hanifi,  Shafai,  Maliki,  and  Hanbali. 


LIFE  OF  GURU  NANAK  193 

He  preached  to  all  a  religion  of  the  heart  as  distin 
guished  from  a  religion  of  external  forms  and 
unavailing  ritual. 

He  found  that  the  acts  and  austerities  practised 
by  professedly  religious  men  of  his  age  and  country 
were  without  divine  love  or  devotion,  and  conse 
quently  contained  no  merit  before  God.  He  satisfied 
himself  that  Brahma,  the  reputed  author  of  the 
Veds,  did  not  include  love  in  them,  nor  was  it  men 
tioned  in  the  Simritis.  He  declared  that  God  who 
has  no  form  or  outline  was  not  found  by  wearing 
religious  garbs,  but  by  humility,  and  that  if  men 
rejected  caste  and  worshipped  God  in  spirit  they 
should  be  accepted  in  His  court. 

The  Guru  examined  all  religious  sects,  contem 
plated  the  gods,  goddesses,  and  spirits  of  earth  and 
heaven,  and  found  them  all  immersed  and  perishing 
in  spiritual  pride.  He  scrutinized  Hindus,  Moslems, 
priests,  and  prophets,  and  found  not  one  godly 
person  among  them.  They  were  all  groping  in  the 
blind  pit  of  superstition. 

Religious  men  who  ought  to  be  guiding  their  flocks, 
had  retreated  to  the  solitude  of  mountains.  There 
was  no  one  left  to  instruct  and  save  the  world. 
Though  hermits  rubbed  ashes  night  and  day  on  their 
bodies,  they  possessed  no  knowledge,  and  the  world 
was  rushing  to  its  ruin  for  want  of  a  divine  guide. 
Rulers  were  everywhere  oppressive.  The  fence 
began  to  eat  the  field  instead  of  protecting  it. 
Guardians  proved  faithless  to  their  trusts  and  con 
sumed  the  wealth  of  their  wards.  Some  disciples 
played  while  their  spiritual  guides  danced.  Other 
disciples  sat  at  home  while,  contrary  to  all  custom, 
their  spiritual  guides  waited  on  them.  Judges  took 
bribes  and  perpetrated  injustice.  Women  only  paid 
regard  to  their  husbands  for  the  wealth  they  pos 
sessed,  and  sin  was  diffused  throughout  the  world. 

When  Guru  Nanak  appeared,  the  fog  of  spiritual 
ignorance  dispersed,  and  light  shone  in  the  world, 


i94  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

as  when  the  sun  rises  the  stars  disappear  and  dark 
ness  fades  away,  or  as  when  the  lion  roars  in  the  forest 
the  timid  deer  incontinently  disappear.  Wherever 
the  Guru  planted  his  foot,  there  was  established 
a  seat  of  worship.  Every  house  of  his  followers 
became  a  temple  in  which  the  Lord's  praises  were 
ever  sung  and  the  Lord's  name  continually  repeated. 
The  Guru  established  a  separate  religion,  and  laid 
out  an  easy  and  simple  way  of  obtaining  salvation 
by  the  repetition  of  God's  name.  The  Guru  extri 
cated  men  from  the  terrible  ocean  of  the  world,  and 
included  them  in  the  boon  of  salvation.  He  cut  off 
the  fear  of  transmigration,  and  healed  the  malady 
of  superstition  and  the  pain  of  separation  from  God. 
Until  the  Guru's  advent  death's  mace  ever  impended 
over  men's  heads,  and  the  apostate  and  the  evil 
spent  their  lives  in  vain.  When  men  grasped  the 
feet  of  the  divine  Guru,  he  gave  them  the  true 
Word  and  effected  their  deliverance.  He  inculcated 
love  and  devotion,  the  repetition  of  God's  name, 
and  the  lesson  that  as  men  sow  so  shall  they  reap. 
The  four  castes  of  the  Hindus  he  reduced  to  one. 
Whether  a  Sikh  had  a  caste  or  not,  he  was  distin 
guished  in  the  society  of  the  holy.  The  six  schools 
of  philosophy  are  like  the  six  seasons  of  the  year, 
but  the  sect  of  the  Guru  is  the  sun  which  shines 
over  them  all.  Guru  Nanak  having  abolished  all 
sects  shed  great  splendour  on  his  own.  Setting 
aside  the  Veds  and  the  books  of  Islam,  he  taught 
his  sect  to  repeat  the  name  of  the  infinite  God  who 
surpasses  all  conception.  By  falling  at  one  another's 
feet  and  by  practising  humility  are  the  Guru's  Sikhs 
recognized.  They  live  as  hermits  among  their  fami 
lies,  they  efface  their  individuality,  they  pronounce 
the  ineffable  name  of  God,  and  they  transgress  not 
the  will  of  the  Creator  by  uttering  blessings  or 
curses  upon  their  fellow-creatures.  Thus  were  men 
saved  in  every  direction  and  Guru  Nanak  became 
the  true  support  of  the  nine  regions  of  the  earth. 


DIVINE  SERVICES  BY  GURU  NANAK 
AND  OTHER  GURUS 

THE  JAPJI1 

THERE  is  but  one  God  whose  name  is  true,  the  Creator, 2 
devoid  of  fear  and  enmity,  immortal,  unborn,  self-existent  ; 3 
by  the  favour  of  the  Guru.4 

REPEAT  His  NAME 

The  True  One  was  in  the  beginning  ;  the  True  One  was  in 
the  primal  age. 

The  True  One  is  5  now  also,  O  Nanak  ;  the  True  One 
also  shall  be.6 

1  The  Japji  is  considered  by  the  Sikhs  a  key  to  their  sacred  volume 
and  an  epitome  of  its  doctrines.     It  is  silently  repeated  by  the  Sikhs 
early  in  the  morning.     Every  Sikh  must  have  it  by  heart,  otherwise  he 
is  not  deemed  orthodox.     It  is  the  duty  of  all  Sikhs,  even  if  they 
cannot  read,   to  have  themselves  taught  this  great  morning  divine 
service.     The  composition  appears  to  have  been  the  work  of  Guru 
Nanak  in  advanced  age. 

2  Karta  pumkh.     It  is  perhaps  not  necessary  to  translate  the  word 
puriikh.     It  means  male  or  creative  agency.     The  all-pervading  spirit 
in  union  with  a  female  element  uttered  a  word  from  which  sprang 
creation. 

8  Saibhan  is  derived  from  the  Sanskrit  swayambhu,  which  we  have 
found  in  this  passage  in  a  very  ancient  Sikh  MS. 

4  Gur  Par  sad.  We  have  translated  these  words  in  deference  to  the 
opinions  of  the  majority  of  the  Sikhs ;  but  with  several  learned  gyanis 
we  have  no  doubt  that  they  were  intended  as  epithets  of  God — the  great 
and  bountiful.  Guru  Nanak  had  no  human  guru ;  as  we  have  already 
seen,  his  guru  was  God.  It  was  during  the  spiritual  supremacy  of  his 
successors  the  favour  of  the  Guru  was  invoked,  and  deemed  indis 
pensable  for  deliverance.  Moreover,  though  gur  par  sad  does  sometimes 
in  the  Granth  Sahib  mean  the  Guru's  favour,  this  appears  to  be  more 
often  expressed  by  gur  parsddi. 

6  Bhi.  There  are  two  this  in  this  line  which  some  say  are  idiomatic. 
We  have  very  little  doubt  that  the  first  bhi  is  an  obsolete  past  tense  of 
the  defective  verb  bhu,  and  that  the  verse  ought  to  be  translated — 
1  The  True  One  is,  was,  and  also  shall  be.'  Compare  — '  Guru  Nanak, 
Shahu  hai,  bhi,  hosi.' — Suhi  Ashtapadi  i. 

6  Also  translated — 

God  was  true  in  the  beginning,  He  was  true  in  the  primal  age  ; 

He  is  true  now  also,  Nanak,  and  He  also  will  be  true. 

O  2 


196  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

I 

By  thinking  I  cannot  obtain  a  conception  of  Him,  even 
though  I  think  hundreds  of  thousands  of  times. 

Even  though  I  be  silent  and  keep  my  attention  firmly 
fixed  on  Him,  I  cannot  preserve  silence. 

The  hunger  of  the  hungry  for  God  subsideth  not  though 
they  obtain  the  load  of  the  worlds. 

If  man  should  have  thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  devices,  even  one  would  not  assist  him  in  obtaining  God. 

How  shall  man  become  true  before  God  ?    How  shall  the 
veil  of  falsehood  be  rent  ?  l 

By  walking,  O  Nanak,  according  to  the  will 2  of  the  Com 
mander  as  preordained. 

II 

By  His  order  bodies  are  produced  ;   His  order  cannot  be 
described. 

By  His  order  souls  3  are  infused  into  them  ;  by  His  order 
greatness  is  obtained. 

By  His  order  men  are  high  or  low ;    by  His  order  they 
obtain  preordained  pain  or  pleasure. 

By  His  order  some  obtain  their  reward  ; 4  by  His  order 
others  must  ever  wander  in  transmigration. 

All  are  subject  to  His  order  ;  none  is  exempt  from  it. 

He  who  understandeth  God's  order,  O  Nanak,  is  never 
guilty  of  egoism.5 

Ill 

Who  can  sing  His  power  ?    Who  hath  power  to  sing  it  ? 6 

Who  can  sing  His  gifts  or  know  His  signs  ? 7 

This  translation  appears  to  be  unmeaning,  for  it  is  not  doubted  that 
God  was  true  in  all  ages.  With  the  translation  in  the  text  compare 
'Eyw  et/xi  TTOLV  TO  yeyovos,  KOL  ov,  KOL  e(ro/xeyoi/,  *  I  am  all  that  was,  and 
is,  and  will  be.' — Inscription  on  a  Greek  temple. 

1  Also  translated — How  shall  the  line  of  falsehood  be  broken  ? 

2  Rajdi,  the  Arabic  razd,  the  divine  pleasure. 

3  In  these  two  lines  some  suppose  akdr  to  refer  to  the  non-sentient, 
jiv  to  the  sentient  world.  4  That  is,  to  be  blended  with  God. 

5  Literally — would  not  be  guilty  of  saying  haun  main,  i.e.  I  exist  by 
mvself  independently  of  God.     This  is  the  sin  of  spiritual  pride. 

6  Also  translated — Whoever  has  the  power. 

7  Also  translated — He  who  knows  his  signs. 


THE  JAPJI  197 

Who  can  sing  His  attributes, His  greatness, and  His  deeds?1 

Who  can  sing  His  knowledge  whose  study  is  arduous  ? 

Who  can  sing  Him,  who  fashioneth  the  body  and  again 
destroyeth  it  ? 

Who  can  sing  Him,  who  taketh  away  life  and  again 
restoreth  it  ? 

Who  can  sing  Him,  who  appeareth  to  be  far,  but  is  known 
to  be  near. 

Who  can  sing  Him,  who  is  ^//-seeing  and  omnipresent  ? 2 

In  describing  Him  there  would  never  be  an  end. 

Millions  of  men  give  millions  upon  millions  of  descriptions 
of  Him,  but  they  fail  to  describe  Him. 

The  Giver  giveth ;   the  receiver  groweth  weary  of  receiving. 

In  every  age  man  subsisteth  by  His  bounty. 

The  Commander  by  His  order  hath  laid  out  the  way  of  the 
world. 

Nanak,  God  the  unconcerned  is  happy. 

IV 

True  is  the  Lord,  true  is  His  name  ;  it  is  uttered  with 
endless  love.3 

People  pray  and  beg,  *  Give  us,  give  us  ' ;  the  Giver  giveth 
His  gifts  ; 

Then  what  can  we  offer  Him  whereby  His  court  may  be 
seen  ? 

What  words  shall  we  utter  with  our  lips,  on  hearing  which 
He  may  love  us  ? 

At  the  ambrosial  hour  of  morning  meditate  on  the  true 
Name  and  God's  greatness. 

1  Char  is  understood  to  be  a  contracted  form  of  achar.     Some 
translate  the  word  '  excellent,'  and  make  it  an  epithet  of  wadidi. 

2  This  and  the  preceding  lines  of  this  pauri  are  also  translated— 

Some  sing  His  power  according  to  their  abilities ; 

Some  sing  His  gifts  according  to  their  knowledge  of  His  signs  ; 

Some  sing  His  attributes,  His  greatness,  and  His  deeds; 

Some  sing  His  knowledge  whose  study  is  arduous ; 

Some  sing  that  He  fashioneth  the  body  and  again  destroyeth  it ; 

Some  that  He  taketh  away  the  soul  and  again  restoreth  it ; 

Some  that  He  appeareth  far  from  mortal  gaze  ; 

Some  that  He  is  all-seeing  and  omnipresent. 

3  Also  translated — His  attributes  are  described  in  endless  languages. 


198  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  Kind  One  will  give  us  a  robe  of  honour,  and  by  His 
favour  we  shall  reach  the  gate  of  salvation.1 

Nanak,  we  shall  thus  know  that  God  is  altogether  true.2 

V 

He  is  not  established,  nor  is  He  created. 

The  pure  one  existeth  by  Himself. 

They  who  worshipped  Him  have  obtained  honour. 

Nanak,  sing  His  praises  who  is  the  Treasury  of  excellences. 

Sing  and  hear  and  put  His  love  into  your  hearts. 

Thus  shall  your  sorrows  be  removed,  and  you  shall  be 
absorbed  in  Him  who  is  the  abode  of  happiness.3 

Under  the  Guru's  instruction  God's  word  is  heard ;  under  the 
Guru's  instruction  its  knowledge  is  acquired',  under  the  Guru's 
instruction  man  learns  that  God  is  everywhere  contained.4 

The  Guru  is  Shiv  ;  the  Guru  is  Vishnu  and  Brahma  ;  the 
Guru  is  Parbati,  Lakhshmi,5  and  Saraswati.6 

1  This  verse  is  also  translated — By  our  former  acts  we  acquire  this 
human  vesture,  and  by  God's  favour  reach  the  gate  of  salvation. 

The  body  is  first  formed,  and  then  the  soul  from  another  body 
enters  it.  God  decides  in  what  body  the  soul  is  to  have  residence 
until  the  body  perishes.  The  acts  of  previous  births  are  adjusted 
when  the  soul  attains  a  human  body.  It  is  the  acts  done  in 
a  human  body  which  accompany  the  soul  to  future  states  of  existence. 

2  This  verse  is  commonly  translated — we  shall  then  know  that  God 
is  all  in  all  Himself;  but  this  translation  does  not  appear  to  harmonize 
with  the  preceding  part  of  the  pauri. 

3  Also  translated — and  you  shall  take  happiness  to  your  homes. 

4  This  very  difficult  verse  is  also  translated — 

(a)  Under  the  Guru's  instruction  God's  word  is  heard  •  under  the 
Guru's  instruction  the  knowledge  of  it  is  acquired ';  it  is  contained  in 
the  Guru's  instruction. 

(&)  The  voice  of  God  is  found  as  well  in  other  compositions  as  in 
the  Veds  ;  the  voice  of  God  is  all-pervading. 

(c)  The  pious  know  the  Guru's  instruction,  that  God  is  every 
where  contained. 

(d)  The  voice  of  the  Guru  is  as  the  Veds  for  the  holy ;  they  are 
absorbed  in  it. 

5  The  Hindu  goddess  of  wealth  and  riches,  consort  of  Vishnu,  and 
mother  of  Kam  the  god  of  love. 

1  The  goddess  of  eloquence  and  learning  and  patroness  of  arts  and 
sciences. 

This  verse  is  also  translated — 


THE  JAPJI  199 

If  I  knew  Him,  should  I  not  describe  Him  ?   He  cannot  be 

described  by  words. 

My  Guru  hath  explained  one  thing  to  me — 

That  there  is  but  one  Bestower  on  all  living  beings  ;  may 

I  not  forget  Him  ! 

VI 

If  I  please  Him,  that  is  my  place  of  pilgrimage  to  bathe  in  ; 
if  I  please  Him  not,  what  ablutions  shall  I  make  ? 

What  can  all  the  created  beings  I  behold  obtain  without 
previous  good  acts  ? 

Precious  stones,  jewels,  and  gems  shall  be  treasured  up  in 
thy  heart  if  thou  hearken  to  even  one  word  of  the  Guru. 

The  Guru  hath  explained  one  thing  to  me — 

That  there  is  but  one  Bestower  on  all  living  beings ;  may 
I  not  forget  Him  ! 

VII 

Were  man  to  live  through  the  four  ages,  yea  ten  times 
longer ; 

Were  he  to  be  known  on  the  nine  continents,  and  were 
everybody  to  follow  in  his  train  ; l 

Were  he  to  obtain  a  great  name  and  praise  and  renown  in 
the  world  ; 

If  God's  look  of  favour  fell  not  on  him,  no  one  would 
notice  him. 

He  would  be  accounted  a  worm  among  worms,  and  even 
sinners  would  impute  sin  to  him. 

(a)  He  is  greater  than  Shiv ;  greater  than  Vishnu  and  Brahma  ; 
greater  than  Parbati,  Lakhshmi,  and  Saraswati. 

(6)  For  the  holy  the  Guru  is  Shiv;  the  Guru  is  Vishnu  and 
Brahma ;  the  Guru  is  Parbati,  Lakhshmi,  and  Saraswati. 

The  tenth  Guru  says  :— 

Khanda  prithme  saj  ke  Jin  sab  sansdr  upaiya — 

God  first  created  the  sword,  the  emblem  of  Death,  and  then  the 
world. 

So  here  Shiv  obtains  precedence  as  the  agent  of  destruction. 
The  word  uttered  by  God  became  the  source  of  knowledge  of 
Him  through  the  Guru  in  the  three  forms  of  Shiv,  Vishnu,  and 
Brahma. 

1  That  is,  to  show  him  respect. 


200  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Nanak,  God  may  bestow  virtue  on  those  who  are  devoid 
of  it,  as  well  as  on  those  who  already  possess  it ; 

But  no  such  person  is  seen  as  can  bestow  virtue  upon  Him. 

VIII 

By  hearing  the  name  of  God  men  become  Sidhs,  Pirs,  Surs,1 
and  Naths ; 

By  hearing  the  Name  man  under standeth  the  real  nature  of 
the  earth,  its  supporting  bull,2  and  Heaven  ; 

By  hearing  the  Name  man  obtaineth  a  knowledge  of  the 
continents,  the  worlds,  and  the  nether  regions. 

By  hearing  the  Name  death  doth  not  affect  one.3 

Nanak,  the  saints  are  ever  happy. 

By  hearing  the  Name  sorrow  and  sin  are  no  more. 

IX 

By  hearing  the  Name  man  becometh  as  Shiv,  Brahma, 
and  Indar. 

By  hearing  the  Name  even  the  low  become  highly  lauded.4 

By  hearing  the  Name  the  way  of  Jog  and  the  secrets  of 
the  body  are  obtained. 

By  hearing  the  Name  man  understandeth  the  real  nature  of 
the  Shastars,  the  Simritis,  and  the  Veds. 

Nanak,  the  saints  are  ever  happy. 

By  hearing  the  Name  sorrow  and  sin  are  no  more. 

X 

By  hearing  the  Name  truth,  contentment,  and  divine 
knowledge  are  obtained. 

Hearing  the  Name  is  equal  to  bathing  at  the  sixty-eight 
places  of  pilgrimage. 

By  hearing  the  Name  and  reading  it  man  obtaineth 
honour.5 

1  Surs  are  spiritual  heroes. 

2  The  bull  which  the  Hindus  believe  supports  the  earth.     This  is 
not  believed  in  by  the  Sikhs.     See  below,  pauri  xvi. 

3  Man  shall  not  die  again,  but  obtain  deliverance. 

4  Also  translated — By  hearing  the  Name  one  is  praised  by  high  and 
low. 

5  Also  translated — On  hearing  the  Name  man  obtaineth  honour  by 
the  knowledge  acquired. 


THE  JAPJI  201 

By  hearing  the  Name  the  mind  is  composed  and  fixed  on 
God.1 

Nanak,  the  saints  are  ever  happy. 

By  hearing  the  Name  sorrow  and  sin  are  no  more. 

XI 

By  hearing  the  Name,  the  depth  of  the  sea  of  virtue  is 
sounded.2 

By  hearing  the  Name  men  become  Shaikhs,  Pirs,  and 
Emperors. 

By  hearing  the  Name  a  blind  man  findeth  his  way 

By  hearing  the  Name  the  unfathomable  becometh  fathom 
able. 

Nanak,  the  saints  are  ever  happy. 

By  hearing  the  Name  sorrow  and  sin  are  no  more. 

XII 

The  condition  of  him  who  obeyeth  God  cannot  be  described. 
Whoever  trieth  to  describe  it,  shall  afterward  repent. 
There  is  no  paper,  or  pen,  or  writer 
To  describe  the  condition  of  him  who  obeyeth  God. 
So  pure  is  His  name— 

Whoever  obeyeth  God  knoweth  the  pleasure  of  it  in  his 
own  heart.3 

XIII 

By  obeying  Him  wisdom  and  understanding  enter  the 
mind  ; 

By  obeying  Him  man  knoweth  all  worlds  ; 

By  obeying  Him  man  suffereth  not  punishment; 

By  obeying  Him  man  shall  not  depart  with  Jam  4— 

So  pure  is  God's  name — 

Whoever  obeyeth  God  knoweth  the  pleasure  of  it  in  his 
own  heart. 

1  Or — by  hearing  the  Name  man  easily  meditateth  upon  God. 

2  Also  translated — man  acquireth  the  best  virtues. 

3  Literally — he   knows  it  in  his  own  mind,  that  is,  he  obtains  a 
pleasure  which  is  incommunicable. 

4  The   god  of    death,   previously  called    Dharmraj.      This  verse 
means  that  man  shall  not  die  again,  but  be  absorbed  in  God. 


202  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

XIV 

By  obeying  Him  man's  path  is  not  obstructed ; 

By  obeying  Him  man  departeth  with  honour  and  distinc 
tion  ; 

By  obeying  Him  man  proceedeth  in  ecstasy 1  on  his  way  ; 

By  obeying  Him  man  formeth  an  alliance  with  virtue — 

So  pure  is  God's  name — 

Whoever  obeyeth  God  knoweth  the  pleasure  of  it  in  his 
own  heart. 

XV 

By  obeying  Him  man  attaineth  the  gate  of  salvation  ; 

By  obeying  Him  man  is  saved  with  his  family  ; 

By  obeying  Him  the  Guru  is  saved,  and  saveth  his 
disciples ; 

By  obeying  Him,  O  Nanak,  man  wandereth  not  in  quest  of 
alms  2 — 

So  pure  is  God's  name — 

Whoever  obeyeth  God  knoweth  the  pleasure  of  it  in  his 
own  heart. 

XVI 

The  elect 3  are  acceptable,  the  elect  are  distinguished ; 

The  elect  obtain  honour  in  God's  court ; 

The  elect  shed  lustre  4  on  the  courts  of  kings. 

The  attention  of  the  elect  is  bestowed  on  the  one  Guru.5 

If  any  one  say  he  can  form  an  idea  of  God,  he  may  say  so, 

1  Magun.     This  word  is  understood  to  be  for  magan.     Those  who 
read  magu  na  translate — 

(a)  By  obeying  Him  man  proceedeth  not  by  the  path  of  destruction. 
(l>)  Man  proceedeth  by  the  broad,  not  the  narrow  way. 

2  This  is  explained  to  mean — does  not  wander  in  transmigration. 

3  Panch,  literally  five.     The  number  conveys  the  idea  of  selection. 
There    is    a    Hindustani    proverb,  Panchon   men   Parameshwar  hat, 
Where  five  are  assembled,  God  is  in  the  midst  of  them.     Others  say 
that  panch  refers  to  the  five  classes  of  persons  previously  mentioned — 
those  who  walk  according  to  God's  will,  who  know  Him  to  be  true, 
who  praise  Him,  who  hear  His  name,  and  who  obey  Him. 

1  This  is  the  interpretation  of  sohahi  given  by  Bhai  Chanda  Singh 
in  his  commentary  on  the  Granth  Sahib. 

5  The  elect  have  one  God  as  their  Guru  or  spiritual  guide,  and 
meditate  on  Him. 


THE  JAPJI  203 

But  the  Creator's  works  cannot  be  numbered. 

The  bull  that  is  spoken  of  is  righteousness,  the  offspring  of 
mercy, 

Which  supported  by  patience  maintaineth  the  order  of 
nature.1 

Whoever  understandeth  this  is  a  true  man. 

What  a  load  there  is  upon  the  bull  ! 2 

Beyond  this  earth  there  are  more  worlds,  more  and  more. 

What  power  can  support  their  weight  ? 

The  names  of  living  things,  their  species,  and  colours 

Have  all  been  written  with  a  flowing  pen. 

Doth  any  one  know  how  to  write  an  account  of  them  ? 

If  the  account  were  written,  how  great  it  would  be  ! 

What  power  and  beautiful  form  are  Thine,  O  God  ! 

Who  hath  power  3  to  know  how  great  Thy  gifts  are  ? 

By  one  word  4  Thou  didst  effect  the  expansion  of  the  world, 

Whereby  hundreds  of  thousands  of  rivers  were  produced. 

What  power  have  I  to  describe  Thee  ? 

So  powerless  am  7,  that  I  cannot  even  once  be  a  sacrifice 
unto  Thee. 

Whatever  pleaseth  Thee  is  good. 

Thou,  0  Formless  One,  art  ever  secure. 

XVII 

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. 


204  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

XVIII 

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  Muham- 
madans.     The  Hindus  still  apply  it  to  all  who  are  not  of  their  own 
persuasion. 


THE  JAPJI  205 

XIX 

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. 

XX 

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. 


206  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 


XXI 

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. 


THE  JAPJI  207 

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. 


XXII 

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. 

XXIII 

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. 


208  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

XXIV 

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. 

XXV 

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. 


THE  JAPJI  209 

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 

XXVI 

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. 


210  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

XXVII 

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. 


THE  JAPJI  211 

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 


THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

XXVIII 2 

Make  contentment  and  modesty  thine  earrings,  self- 
respect  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. 


THE  JAPJI  213 

HAIL  ! l  HAIL  TO  HIM, 

The  primal,  the  pure,2  without  beginning,  the  indestruc 
tible,  the  same  in  every  age  ! 

XXIX 

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. 

HAIL  !    HAIL  TO  HIM, 

The  primal,  the  pure,  without  beginning,  the  indestruc 
tible,  the  same  in  every  age  ! 

XXX 

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. 

HAIL  !    HAIL  TO  HIM, 

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. 


214  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

XXXI 

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. 

HAIL  !  HAIL  TO  HIM, 

The  primal,  the  pure,  without  beginning,  the  indestructible, 
the  same  in  every  age  ! 

XXXII 

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. 

XXXIII 

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. 


THE  JAPJI  215 

XXXIV 

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. 

XXXV 

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. 


216  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

XXXVI 

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. 

XXXVII 

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. 

5  Sach  Khand. 


THE  JAPJI  217 

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 

XXXVIII 

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. 

SLOK 

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 


ASA    KI    WAR1 

THERE  is  but  one  God  whose  name  is  true,  the  Creator, 
devoid  of  fear  and  enmity,  immortal,  unborn,  self-existent, 
great  and  beneficent. 

GURU  HAR  GOBIND 

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. 

Guru  Angad 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  219 

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. 

PAURI  I1 

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. 


220  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Guru  Nanak l 

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. 

Guru  Angad 

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. 

PAURI  II 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  221 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 


222  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

PAURI  III 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  223 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 

PAURI  IV 

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. 

SLOK  V 

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. 


224  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  225 

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. 

PAURI  V 

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. 

SLOK  VI 

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. 

SIKH.  I  Q 


226  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 

PAURI  VI 

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  ? 


ASA  KI  WAR  227 

SLOK  VII 

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 

Guru  Angad 

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. 

1  Also  translated— 

(a)  Treat  men  according  to  their  acts. 
(£)  Treat  others  as  thou  wouldst  be  treated  thyself. 
Q  2 


228  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

PAURI  VII 

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. 

SLOK  VIII 

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  ? 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  229 

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. 

PAURI  VIII 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 


230  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

PAURI  IX 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  231 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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  ; 


232  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

PAURI  X 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  233 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 

PAURI  XI 

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. 


234  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

Guru  Angad 

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. 

Guru  Angad 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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). 

2  Also  translated— 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  235 

PAURI  XII 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 


236  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

PAURI  XIII 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  237 

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  : — 

Guru  Nanak 

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  :— 

PAURI  XIV 

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. 


238  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

SLOK  XV 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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, 


ASA  KI   WAR  239 

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. 

PAURI  XV 

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:— 

SLOK  XVI 

Thou  takest  toll  for  a  cow  and  a  Brahman,  the  cow- 
dung  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. 


240  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  241 

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:— 

SLOK  XVII 

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. 

Guru  Nanak 

As  a  woman  hath  her  recurring  courses,  so  falsehood  dwell- 
eth  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. 

SIKH.    I  R 


242  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

PAURI  XVII 

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  : — 

SLOK  XVIII 

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 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  243 

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. 

PAURI  XVIII 

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. 

SLOK  XIX 

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. 

R  2 


244  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  following  was  Guru  Nanak's  remonstrance  to 
a  man  who  reviled  the  female  sex  : — 

Guru  Nanak 

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. 

PAURI  XIX 

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. 

SLOK  XX 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  245 

Guru  Nanak 

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  sixty- 
eight  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 

PAURI  XX 

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. 


246  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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 

Guru  Angad 

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. 

PAURI  XXI 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  247 

Guru  Angad 

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 ! 

Guru  Angad 

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. 

Guru  Angad 

Friendship  for  a  fool  and  love  for  a  great  man 
Are  like  lines  drawn  on  water,  which  leave  neither  trace 
nor  mark. 

Guru  Angad 

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. 

PAURI  XXII 

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. 


248  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

Guru  Angad 

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. 

PAURI  XXIII 

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. 


ASA  KI  WAR  249 

Guru  Angad 

God  Himself  arrangeth,  He  Himself  putteth  what  He 
hath  made  into  its  proper  place  ; 

Having  in  this  world  created  animals,  He  Himself  be- 
holdeth  their  birth  and  death. 

Whom  shall  we  address,  O  Nanak,  since  God  doeth  every 
thing  Himself  ? 

PAURI  XXIV 

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. 


THE   RAHIRAS1 

SODAR2 

GURU  NANAK,  RAG  ASA 

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  RAHIRAS  251 

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. 

GURU  NANAK,  RAG  ASA 

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, 


252  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

GURU  NANAK,  RAG  ASA 

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. 

GURU  RAM  DAS,  RAG  GUJARI 

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. 


THE  RAHIRAS  253 

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  ? 


254  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 


SO  PURUKH1 

GURU  RAM  DAS,  RAG  ASA 

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. 


THE  RAHIRAS  255 

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. 


256  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

GURU  RAM  DAS,  RAG  ASA 

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. 


GURU  NANAK,  RAG  ASA 

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. 


THE  RAHIRAS  257 

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. 

GURU  AKJAN,  RAG  ASA 

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. 


THE   SOHILA1 

GURU  NANAK,  RAG  GAURI  DIPAKI 

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. 

GURU  NANAK,  RAG  ASA 

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. 


THE  SOHILA  259 

So  O  Nanak,  there  is  but  one  God,  although  His  forms 
are  many. 

GURU  NANAK,  RAG  DHANASARI 

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. 

GURU  RAM  DAS,  RAG  GAURI  PURBI 

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 


260  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

GURU  ARJAN,  RAG  GAURI  PURBI 

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. 

2  God's  name. 

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. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU   NANAK 

SRI  RAG 

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. 


262  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  263 

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. 


264  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  265 

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. 


266  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

ASHTAPADI 

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. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  267 

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. 


268  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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  an- 
swereth  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. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  269 

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. 


270  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  271 

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. 


272  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  273 

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  ilu- 
eight  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. 


274  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  275 

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. 

T  2 


276  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  277 

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. 


278  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

world ;    the    holy  man  crosseth    it,    unfathomable    though 
it  be. 

GHAR  III1 

Definitions  : — 

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. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  279 

MAJH  KI  WAR 

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. 


280  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

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. 

The  following  is  said  to  have  been  addressed  to 
a  holy  man  called  Thakur  Das  at  Priyag  : — 

Were  I  to  dwell  in  the  cavern  of  a  golden  mountain  or 
in  a  pit  of  water  ; 

Were  I  to  stand  on  my  head  on  earth  or  in  the  heavens  ; 

Were  I  to  cover  all  my  body  with  clothes,1  and  did  I 
nothing  but  bathe  ; 

Were  I  to  shout  aloud  the  white,  the  red,  the  yellow, 
and  the  black  Veds  ; 2 

Were  I  to  remain  dirty  and  filthy,3  all  this  would  be  foolish 
and  sinful. 

Nanak,  since  I  have  pondered  on  the  Word,  I  am  not, 
I  was  not,  and  I  shall  not  be.4 

Guru  Nanak  declares  the  folly  of  external  puri 
fications  : — 

Man  washeth  his  clothes  and  his  body,  and  mortifieth 
himself. 

Knowing  not  of  the  filth  attaching  to  his  heart,  he  rubbeth 
and  cleanseth  himself  externally. 

Being  blind  he  is  led  astray,  and  falleth  into  Death's  noose 

He  deemeth  the  property  of  others  as  his  own,  and  suffereth 
for  his  pride. 

Nanak,  when  pride  is  dispelled  under  the  Guru's  instruc 
tions,  man  meditateth  on  God's  name, 

Repeateth  the  Name,  adoreth  the  Name,  and  through 
the  Name  is  absorbed  in  happiness. 

1  This  is  done  by  a  sect  called  the  Kaprias,  who  cover  even  their 
faces. 

2  As  the  Brahmans  do.  3  The  reference  is  to  the  Jains. 
4  That  is,  I  am  totally  absorbed  in  God. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  281 

Some  important  subjects  are  briefly  treated  as 
follows  : — 

God  hath  caused  the  union  of  body  and  soul  ; 

He  who  created  them  can  separate  them. 

A  fool  while  enjoying  pleasure  hath  all  pain  : 

Disease  proceedeth  from  sinful  pleasure. 

From  worldly  rejoicing  proceedeth  mourning,  separation 
from  God,  birth,  and  death. 

The  fool  while  boasting  becometh  involved  in  disputes  : 

The  decision  resteth  with  the  True  Guru  ;  He  putteth  an 
end  to  disputes. 

That  which  the  Creator  doeth  cometh  to  pass  ;  what 
man  hath  set  in  motion  must  stop. 

The  following  was  addressed  by  the  Guru  to 
a  Qazi  at  Sultanpur  :— 

Thou  utterest  falsehood,  eatest  carrion,1 

Yet  thou  goest  to  admonish  others. 

Cheated  thyself  thou  now  cheatest  thy  companions. 

Nanak  saith,  that  is  the  sort  of  guide  thou  appearest ! 

As  a  Qazi  beheaded  a  goat,  some  drops  of  blood 
fell  on  his  garments,  which  he  at  once  wiped 
off.  He  said  that  he  could  not  join  in  prayer  until 
the  pollution  had  been  removed.  The  following  was 
uttered  by  the  Guru  on  the  occasion  : — 

If  clothes  become  denied  by  blood  falling  on  them, 

How  can  the  hearts  of  those  who  drink  human  blood2 
be  pure  ? 

Nanak,  utter  God's  name  with  a  pure  heart  regardless  of 
thy  dress. 

All  else  is  but  worldly  ostentation  ;  thou,  0  Qazi, 
practisest  falsehood. 

The  Qazi  asked  Guru  Nanak  who  he  was.  The 
latter  replied  as  follows  :— 

Since  I  am  nobody,  what  shall  I  say  :  since  I  am  nothing, 
what  can  I  be  ? 

1  Food  obtained  by  peculation  and  bribery. 

2  That  is,  who  practise  extortion  or  tyranny. 


282  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

As  God  made  me,  I  act  ;  as  He  told  me,  I  speak  ;  I  am 
thoroughly  defiled  with  sin,  and  desire  to  wash  it  away. 

Though  I  know  nothing  myself,  yet  I  teach  others  ;  such 
a  guide  am  I. 

Nanak,  he  who  being  blind  showeth  the  road  to  others 
and  misleadeth  all  his  companions, 

Shall  be  shoe-beaten  in  the  next  world,  and  it  will  be  seen 
what  sort  of  guide  he  was. 

Everything  shall  vanish  except  God  : — 

Of  kings,  subjects,  and  rulers  none  shall  remain  : 

Shops,  cities,  bazars  shall  be  destroyed  by  God's  order. 

Solid  and  beautiful  mansions  a  fool  deemeth  his  own  ; 

Storehouses  filled  with  wealth  in  a  moment  become 
empty. 

Steeds,  chariots,  camels,  elephants  and  their  housings, 

Gardens,  properties,  houses,  and  homes, 

Tents,  comfort  able  beds,  and  ornamental  pavilions — where 
shall  they  be  recognized  ? 

The  following  was  delivered  to  Sikhs  who  asked 
the  Guru  what  pleasure  God's  praises  afforded  him  : — 

Were  rivers  to  become  kine,  and  springs  to  become  milk 
and  clarified  butter  ; 

Were  the  whole  earth  to  become  sugar  so  that  the  heart 
might  ever  rejoice  ; 

Were  the  mountains  to  become  gold  and  silver,  and  be 
studded  with  diamonds  and  rubies  ; 

I  would  even  then  magnify  Thee,  and  the  desire  to  do  so 
would  not  cease  as  I  spoke. 


Were  the  eighteen  loads  of  vegetables  of  the  earth 1  to  become 
fruit,  and  grass  to  become  rice  ; 

Could  I  arrest  the  moon  and  sun  in  their  courses,  and  were 
my  seat  to  become  immovable, 

1  This  is  the  sum  total  of  the  earth's  flora  according  to  ancient 

Sanskrit  writers.     The  idea  was  that  if  a  leaf  wrere  taken  off  every 

tree  and  plant,  there  would  be  formed  eighteen  loads,  each  of  which 
an  ordinary  strong  man  could  lift. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  283 

I  would  even  then  magnify  Thee,  and  the  desire  to  do  so 
would  not  cease  as  I  spoke. 

Could  I  inflict  pain  by  means  of  the  two  sinful  beings 
Rahu  and  Ketu  ; l 

Could  I  obtain  authority  over  bloodthirsty  kings  and  my 
glory  thus  shine  forth, 

I  would  even  then  magnify  Thee,  and  the  desire  to  do  so 
would  not  cease  as  I  spoke. 

Were  fire  and  frost  to  become  my  raiment,  and  the  wind 
my  food  ; 

Were  all  the  fascinating  women  of  heaven  to  become  my 
wives — all  perishable 2— 

I  would  even  then  magnify  Thee,  and  the  desire  to  do  so 
would  not  cease  as  I  spoke. 

Caste  becomes  deadly  if  exclusive  reliance  be 
placed  on  it  for  salvation  :— 

What  power  hath  caste  ?     It  is  the  reality  that  is  tested. 

Poison  may  be  held  in  the  hand,  but  man  dieth  if  he  eat  it. 

The  sovereignty  of  the  True  One  is  known  in  every  age. 

He  who  obeyeth  God's  order  shall  become  a  noble  in  His 
court. 

The  following  allegory  of  mounted  cavalry  refers 
to  the  different  stages  of  asceticism  :— 

The  Master  sent  obedience  to  His  orders  as  a  steed  into 
the  world  ; 

Reflection  on  the  instruction  which  the  Guru  imparteth 
is  its  kettle-drums. 

Some  have  mounted  their  steeds,  others  have  them  ready 
caparisoned  ; 

1  Owing  to  the  exigencies  of  prosody,  only  Rahu  is  mentioned  in 
the  original  text.     Rtahu  and  Ketu  are  two  demons,  who,  according 
to  Indian  astrologers,  inflict  pain  on  mortals  as  they  do  on  the  sun 
and  moon  on  occasions  of  eclipse. 

2  Some  understood /««  to  be  the  Sanskrit /ay*,  wife.     The  gyanis 
translate  -All  the  fascinating  women  of  heaven  may  go,  as  far  as  I  am 
concerned. 


284  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Some  have  loaded  their  baggage  for  the  march,  and  others 
have  set  out. 

In  the  following  allegory  the  mill  is  the  world, 
the  corn  is  the  soul,  the  husk  the  body,  refuge  in 
God  the  axle  : — 

When  the  field  is  ripe,  it  is  cut ;  only  the  chaff  and  the 
hedge  remain. 

The  corn  is  threshed  with  the  husk,  and  the  chaff  is 
winnowed  away. 

Men  then  put  together  the  two  mill-stones  and  sit  down 
to  grind  corn. 

That  which  attacheth  to  the  axle  escapeth.  Nanak  hath 
seen  a  wonderful  thing.1 

Good  men,  like  sugar-cane,  are  subject  to  torture: — 

See  how  sugar-cane  is  cut  down  and  made  into  sheaves 
after  the  stalks  are  cleaned.. 

The  labourers  put  it  into  a  press  and  squeeze  it. 

Having  expressed  the  juice,  they  put  it  into  a  pan,  and  it 
groaneth  as  it  burneth. 

The  residue  is  collected  and  put  into  the  fire  beneath  the 
pan. 

Nanak,  sweet  things  are  thus  ill-treated  ;  come  and  see, 
O  people. 

It  is  useless  to  endeavour  to  instruct  a  fool  : — 

What  can  deep  water  do  to  a  fish  ?  What  can  the  sky  do 
to  a  bird  ? 

What  can  cold  do  to  a  stone  ?  What  can  married  life 
do  to  a  eunuch  ? 

Even  though  thou  apply  sandal  to  a  dog,  he  will  still 
preserve  his  canine  nature  : 

Even  though  thou  instruct  a  deaf  man,  and  read  for  him 
the  Simritis  ; 

Even  though  thou  place  a  light  before  a  blind  man,  and 
burn  fifty  lamps  for  him,  all  would  be  of  no  avail. 

1  That  the  corn  attached  to  the  axle  is  not  ground,  that  is,  the  soul 
which  is  attached  to  God  is  not  tortured  by  Death. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  285 

Even  though  thou  put  gold  before  a  herd  of  cattle,  they 
would  still  pick  out  the  grass  to  eat. 

If  a  flux  be  put  into  iron  it  will  melt,  but  not  become 
cotton.1 

Nanak,  the  peculiarity  of  a  fool  is  that  what  is  said  to 
him  is  ever  lost. 

When  his  Sikhs  inquired  how  an  alliance  could 
be  formed  with  God  the  Guru  composed  the  fol 
lowing  : — 

When  bronze,  gold,  and  iron  break, 

The  blacksmith  weldeth  them  by  means  of  fire. 

When  a  husband  falleth  out  with  his  spouse, 

A  reconciliation  is  effected  in  this  world  through  children. 

When  the  king  asketh  and  his  subjects  give,  a  bond  is 
established  between  them. 

When  a  hungry  man  eateth,  he  establish 3th  an  alliance 
with  the  world. 

Drought  formeth  an  alliance  with  rivers  when  they  are 
flooded  with  rain. 

There  is  an  affinity  between  love  and  sweet  words. 

If  any  one  speak  the  truth,  he  formeth  a  bond  with  know 
ledge. 

By  goodness  and  truth  the  dead  establish  a  bond  with  the 
living. 

Such  are  the  affinities  that  are  established  in  the  world. 

The  only  way  to  establish  friendship  with  a  fool  is  to 
smite  him  on  the  mouth.2 

By  praising  God  man  establisheth  an  alliance  with  God's 
court. 

Nanak  saith  this  deliberately. 

The  following  seven  sloks  form  part  of  the  Guru's 
instruction  to  Shaikh  Brahm,  or  Farid  the  second,  of 
Pak  Pat  tan  :— 

The  priests,  the  shaikhs,  and  the  potentates  of  the  world 
are  all  beneath  the  earth. 

1  Its  nature  will  not  be  altered. 

2  Munh  mar.     Also  translated — to  remain  silent. 


286  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Emperors  pass  away,  but  God  ever  flourisheth. 
There  is  only  Thou,  there  is  only  Thou,  O  God  ! 

Neither  demigods,  nor  demons,  nor  men, 

Nor  Sidhs,  nor  Strivers,  nor  this  earth  shall  abide. 

There  is  One  ;  is  there  any  other  ? 

There  is  only  Thou,  there  is  only  Thou,  0  God ! 

Neither  the  just  nor  the  generous, 

Nor  the  seven  regions  beneath  the  earth  shall  remain. 

There  is  One  :   is  there  any  other  ? 

There  is  only  Thou,  there  is  only  Thou,  O  God  ! 

Not  the  regions  of  the  sun  and  the  moon, 
Nor  the  seven  continents,,  nor  the  seven  seas, 
Nor  corn,  nor  wind  shall  abide. 
There  is  only  Thou,  there  is  only  Thou,  0  God  ! 

Our  maintenance  is  in  nobody's  power  but  God's  : 

To  all  of  us  but  one  hope  abideth — 

There  is  one  :  is  there  any  other  ? 

There  is  only  Thou,  there  is  only  Thou,  0  God ! 

Birds  have  no  money  in  their  possession  : 

They  only  depend  on  trees  and  water. 

God  is  their  Giver. 

There  is  only  Thou,  there  is  only  Thou,  O  God  ! 

Nanak,  no  one  can  erase 

What  is  written  on  the  forehead. 

God  it  is  who  giveth  man  power  and  again  taketh  it  away. 

There  is  only  Thou,  there  is  only  Thou,  O  God ! 

Guru  Nanak  thus  discoursed  to  Prem  Chand  of 
Sarhind  on  the  best  way  of  occupying  time  : — 

They  who  in  the  early  morning  praise  God  and  meditate 

on  Him  with  single  heart, 

Are  perfect  kings,  and  die  fighting  when  occasion  ariseth.1 
In  the  second  watch  there  are  many  ways  in  which  the 

attention  of  the  mind  is  distracted. 

1  This  is  understood  to  mean  that  they  fight  to  the  death  with  their 
deadly  sins. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  287 

Many  persons  fall  into  the  fathomless  water,  and  cannot 
emerge  however  much  they  struggle. 

In  the  third  watch  when  hunger  and  thirst  are  both 
barking,  food  is  put  into  the  mouth. 

What  is  eaten  becometh  filth,  yet  man  again  desireth 
food. 

In  the  fourth  watch  drowsiness  cometh,  man  closeth  his 
eyes  and  goeth  into  dreamland.1 

Again  rising  in  the  morning  he  engageth  in  turmoil,  and 
yet  maketh  preparations  to  live  a  hundred  years. 

If  man  feel  love  for  God  every  moment  during  the  eight 
watches  of  the  day, 

O  Nanak,  God  will  dwell  in  his  heart  and  true  shall  be 
his  ablution. 

Man's  continual  thought  should  be  devotion  to 
his  Maker  : — 

When  Thou  art  near,  what  more  do  I  desire  ?  I  speak 
verily. 

He  who  is  deceived  by  false  worldly  occupations  reach eth 
not  God's  palace  : 

His  heart  is  hard  and  he  loseth  his  service. 

The  house  which  containeth  not  the  True  One,  should  be 
destroyed  and  rebuilt. 

When  its  owner  is  weighed,  how  shall  he  be  found  of 
full  weight  ? 

If  he  lose  his  pride,  no  one  will  say  he  is  of  short  weight. 

The  genuine  shall  be  assayed,  and  selected  at  the  gate  of  the 
All-seeing. 

The  true  goods  are  only  in  one  shop  ;  they  are  obtained 
from  the  perfect  Guru. 

The  advantages  conferred  on  men  by  the  True 
One:— 

Without  the  True  One  all  are  false  and  practise  falsehood. 

Without  the  True  One  the  false  shall  be  bound  and  led 
away  ; 

1  Pawar  properly  means  trance,  or  suspended  animation. 


288  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Without  the  True  One  the  body  is  dust  and  shall  be  rolled 
in  the  dust  ; 

Without  the  True  One  dress  and  food  are  all  hunger  ; 

Without  the  True  One  the  false  shall  not  attain  God's 
court . 

The  false  attached  to  avarice  miss  God's  palace. 

The  whole  world  is  deceived,  and  cometh  and  goeth  in 
deception. 

In  the  heart  is  the  fire  of  greed  which  is  quenched  by  the 
Guru's  instruction. 

The  advantages  of  the  Guru,  who  is  likened  to 
a  life-giving  tree  : — 

Nanak,  the  Guru  is  the  tree  of  contentment,  whose 
blossom  is  religion  and  whose  fruit  is  divine  knowledge. 

It  aboundeth  in  succulence  and  is  ever  green  ;  it  ripeneth 
by  good  works  and  meditation. 

Honour  is  obtained  by  partaking  of  its  relish  ;  it  is  the 
greatest  of  gifts. 

There  is  a  tree  of  gold  ;  its  leaves  are  corals  ;  its  blossoms, 
jewels  and  rubies. 

It  beareth  gems  for  fruit,  and  the  heart  of  him  who  eateth 
it  rejoiceth. 

Nanak,  it  is  obtained  by  him  on  whose  forehead  such 
destiny  hath  been  recorded. 

The  sixty-eight  places  of  pilgrimage  are  at  the  Guru's 
feet,  and  ever  specially  worship  them. 

Cruelty,  worldly  love,  avarice,  and  wrath  are  four  streams 
of  fire  : 

They  who  fall  into  them  are  burnt,  O  Nanak,  but  de 
liverance  is  obtained  by  cleaving  to  good  works. 

The  evil  of  forgetting  God  : — 

In  the  heart  and  mouth  of  the  perverse  who  never  re 
member  Thee, 

Abide  the  bitterness  of  the  gourd,  the  colocynth,  and  the 
nim,  and  the  poison  of  the  akk1  and  dhatura. 

1  Calotropis  procera. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  289 

Nanak,  to  whom  shall  I  tell  it  ?  Whoso  forget  Thee 
wander  bereft  of  Thy  favour,  O  God. 

The  unequal  conditions  of  men  : — 

The  bird,  man,  by  his  ideas  and  his  acts  sometimes  flieth 
high  and  sometimes  low,1 

He  sometimes  percheth  on  a  sandal-tree,  sometimes  on 
the  branch  of  the  akk-shrub,  and  sometimes  again  he  loveth 
high  flight. 

Nanak  saith,  it  is  the  custom  of  the  Lord  to  lead  all 
beings  by  His  order. 

Women's  duty  :— 

If  women  adorn  themselves  with  love  and  affection  for 
their  Spouse, 

They  shall  not  be  restrained  from  their  devotion  to  Him 
day  or  night. 

They  shall  abide  in  His  chambers,  and  the  Word  shall 
regenerate  them  ; 

They  shall  humbly  supplicate  the  True  One  ; 

And  they  shall  appear  beautiful  near  their  Spouse,  walking 
according  to  His  order. 

They  shall  make  hearty  supplication  to  the  Beloved. 

Accursed  the  homes,  wretched  the  lives  of  those  who 
possess  not  the  Word. 

They  whose  hopes  are  fulfilled  by  the  Word  quaff  nectar. 

The  Guru  was  requested  to  state  the  extent  of 
his  love  of  devotion  :— 

The  desert  is  not  satisfied  with  rain,  and  the  hunger  of 
fire  is  not  appeased  ; 

Kings  are  not  satisfied  with  dominion  ;  who  hath  ever 
filled  the  ocean  ? 

How  much  hath  Nanak  inquired  after  the  True  Name 
and  not  been  satisfied  \ 

Bhai  Rama  of  Sultanpur  inquired  how  God  was 
known.  The  Guru  replied  :— 

He  to  whom  God  giveth  understanding  understandeth  ; 
1  Literally — is  sometimes  exalted  and  sometimes  debased. 


2go  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

He  to  whom  He  giveth  knowledge  knoweth  everything. 
Man  merely  worrieth  himself  when  he  preacheth  for  the 
sake  of  mammon. 

The  Commander,  who  created  all  things, 
Himself  possesseth  all  knowledge. 
He  Himself,  Nanak,  spoke  the  Word- 
Doubt  shall  depart  from  him  to  whom  He  gave  it. 

The  Guru's  reward  for  singing  God's  praises  :— 

Me,  a  minstrel  out  of  work,  God  applieth  to  His  work  ; 

He  ordered  me  in  the  beginning  to  sing  His  praises  nigl  t 
and  day. 

The  Master  summoned  the  minstrel  to  His  true  court, 

And  put  on  him  a  robe  of  true  praise  and  eulogy  : 

He  then  obtained  the  ambrosial  food  of  the  true  Name. 

They  who  have  eaten  under  the  Guru's  instruction  are 
satisfied,  and  have  obtained  comfort. 

The  minstrel  uttereth  praise  and  singeth  the  Word. 

Nanak,  he  who  uttereth  true  praise  obtaineth  the  Perfect  One 

RAG  GAURI 

The  advantages  resulting  from  the  fear  of  God  : — 

The  fear  of  God  is  very  great  and  very  heavy. 

Man's  wisdom  is  of  little  account,  and  so  is  his  chatter 

Walk  with  the  load  of  fear  on  thy  head  ; 

Meditate  on  the  Guru  who  is  kind  and  merciful. 

No  one  shall  be  saved  without  the  fear  of  God  : 

His  fear  hath  adorned  man's  love. 

The  fire  of  the  fear  of  transmigration  is  burned  away  by 
the  fear  of  God. 

By  fear  the  Word  is  fashioned  and  decorated. 

What  is  fashioned  without  fear  is  altogether  worthless  : 

Useless  is  the  mould  and  useless  the  stroke  thereon. 

In  the  minds  of  many  there  is  a  desire  to  fashion  the  Word 
without  fear  ; 

But  even  though  they  perform  a  thousand  artifices  they 
shall  not  succeed. 

Nanak,  the  speech  of  the  perverse  is  nonsense  ; 

What  they  write  is  worthless  absurdity. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  291 

The  following  was  addressed  by  the  Guru  to  one 
who  had  remonstrated  with  him  for  having  left  his 
relations  to  lead  a  wandering  life  :— 

Make  wisdom  thy  mother,  contentment  thy  father, 

Truth  thy  brother — this  is  best. 

People  talk,  but  talking  is  of  no  avail. 

The  measure  of  Thy  might,  O  God,  cannot  be  obtained. 

Modesty  and  attention  are  my  two  parents-in-law  ; 

Good  works  I  have  accepted  as  my  spouse  ; 

Union  with  saints  hath  been  my  auspicious  time  for 
marriage,  and  separation  from  the  world  my  wedding. 

Saith  Nanak,  from  such  a  union  hath  sprung  truth  as  my 
offspring. 

The  composition  of  man's  body  and  the  inutility 
of  pilgrimages  ;  the  body  dies,  but  not  the  soul  :— 

The  body  is  a  mixture  of  wind,  water,  and  fire  ; 

Within  it  is  the  changeful  play  of  the  intellect. 

The  body  hath  nine  gates  and  a  tenth  door  ; 

O  wise  man,  understand  and  reflect  on  this. 

God  speaketh,  preacheth,  and  listeneth  ; 

He  who  reflecteth  on  himself  is  a  wise  man. 

The  body  is  earth,  the  wind  speaketh  therein. 

Consider,  O  wise  man,  what  it  is  that  dieth— 

It  is  the  quarrelsome  and  proud  understanding. 

The  conscious  soul  dieth  not. 

The  precious  jewel,  for  which  men  go  on  pilgrimages, 

Dwelleth  within  the  heart. 

Pandits  read  and  argue, 

But  know  not  that  which  is  within  themselves. 

When  my  spiritual  ignorance  dieth,  I  die  not  myself. 

He  who  is  everywhere  contained  dieth  not. 

Saith  Nanak,  when  the  Guru  showed  me  God, 

No  one  seemed  to  me  to  die  or  to  be  born. 

One  Sant  Das  propounded  six  questions  to  Guru 
Nanak  :— 

Is  it  known  whence  man  hath  come, 
Whence  he  hath  sprung,  in  what  he  shall  be  absorbed, 

U  2 


292  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

How  he  is  bound,  how  he  obtaineth  emancipation, 

And  how  he  shall  be  easily  absorbed  in  the  Imperishable  ? 

The  Guru  replied  : — 

The  Name  is  nectar  in  the  heart  as  well  as  in  the  mouth  : 

Through  it  man  is  freed  from  worldly  desires. 

Man  cometh  in  the  course  of  nature  and  goeth  in  the 
course  of  nature. 

Man  is  born  according  to  the  desires  of  his  heart,  and  he 
is  absorbed  in  the  same  way. 

The  pious  man  is  emancipated  and  falleth  into  no  en 
tanglements  : 

He  is  delivered  by  meditation  on  the  Word  and  by  God's 
name. 

Many  birds  roost  by  night  on  a  tree — 

Some  happy,  others  unhappy — they  whose  minds  have 
worldly  love  perish. 

When  night  hath  passed  away,  they  gaze  upon  the  sky  : l 

They  fly  in  every  direction  according  to  the  destiny 
recorded  for  them. 

They  who  are  associated  with  the  Name  deem  the  world 
like  a  meeting-place  of  cowherds  : 

The  poisonous  vessels  of  lust  and  wrath  have  burst  for 
them. 

To  those  without  the  capital  of  the  Name  houses  and  shops 
are  empty ; 

But  by  meeting  the  Guru  the  adamant  doors  of  their 
understanding  are  opened. 

A  holy  man  is  met  by  primal  destiny. 

God's  perfect  people  are  rendered  happy  by  truth  : 

They  barter  their  souls  and  bodies  for  divine  knowledge 
and  God's  love. 

Nanak  toucheth  their  feet. 

The  following  is  a  conversation  between  soul  and 
body  : — 

The  Soul :  '  O  body,  thou  thinkest  thyself  immortal,  and  that 
thou  shalt  be  always  happy — know  that  this  world  is  a  play. 

1  When  life  ceases,  their  souls  take  flight. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  293 

Thou  practises!  avarice,  covetousness,  and  excessive 
falsehood,  and  bearest  many  burdens. 

I  have  seen  thee,  O  body,  trodden  as  ashes  on  the  ground.' 

The  Body  :  '  Hearken,  hearken  to  mine  instruction. 

If  thou  have  done  good  works,  they  shall  abide  with  thee ; 
O  my  soul,  thou  shalt  not  again  find  such  opportunity.* 

The  Soul :  '  I  address  thee,  O  my  body,  hearken  to  my 
instruction. 

Thou  slanderest 1  and  bearest  false  witness  against  others.' 

The  Body  :  '  Thou  covetest  another's  vine,2  O  soul ;  thou 
committest  theft  and  evil  deeds.' 

The  Soul :  '  When  the  soul  departeth,  thou  shalt  remain 
behind  like  an  abandoned  woman. 

Thou,  O  body,  shalt  remain  but  as  a  dream — what  good 
deeds  hast  thou  done  ?  ' 

The  Body :  '  Whatever  I  took  by  stealth  was  pleasing  to 
thee. 

Thou  hast  no  honour  in  this  world,  and  thou  shalt  be 
rejected  in  the  next  ;  thou  hast  lost  thy  human  dwelling 
in  vain.' 

I  am  very  unhappy,  O  father,  saith  Nanak,  no  one  careth 
for  me. 

Arabian  and  Turkish  steeds,  gold,  silver,  and  loads  of 
raiment 

No  one  taketh  with  him  ;  they  leave  him  in  this  world, 
O  fool. 

Sugar,  fruit,  all  have  I  tasted  ;  it  is  only  Thine  ambrosial 
Name  which  is  sweet. 

Man  diggeth  deep  foundations  and  constructeth  edifices 
on  them,  but  they  shall  become  at  last  heaps  of  dust. 

He  hoardeth,  and  hoardeth,  and  giveth  to  no  one  ;  the 
fool  thinketh  that  all  is  his  own. 

Rawan  nominally  possessed  a  golden  Lanka  and  a  golden 
palace,  but  they  were  no  one's  property. 

Hear,  O  foolish  and  ignorant  soul : 

What  pleaseth  God  shall  be  done. 

My  Lord  is  a  great  Merchant,  we  are  His  retail-dealers. 

1  Ninda  chinda  is  an  alliteration. 

2  This  is  understood  to  be  meant  for  neighbour's  wife. 


294  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Our  souls  and  bodies  are  all  His  capital ;  He  it  is  who 
killeth  and  re-animateth. 

The  Guru  reflects  on  the  power  of  the  deadly  sins 
which  lead  men  to  destruction  : — 

The  others l  are  five,  I  am  but  one  ;  how  shall  I  protect 
my  house  ? 

They  ever  assail  and  plunder  me  ;  to  whom  shall  I 
complain  ? 

Utter  God's  holy  name,  O  my  soul ; 

Before  thee  is  Death's  army  fierce  and  numerous. 

God  erected  a  palace,2  put  doors  to  it,  and  the  woman  3 
sitteth  within. 

Deeming  the  world  sweet,  she  ever  sporteth,  but  these 
five  men  rob  her. 

When  Death  destroyeth  the  palace,  her  chamber  is  sacked, 
and  she  being  alone  is  captured. 

She  is  beaten  by  Death's  mace,  and  his  chains  are  riveted 
on  her  neck  ;  the  five  men  have  taken  flight. 

The  housewife  wanteth  gold  and  silver ;  friends  want 
banquets. 

Nanak,  they  who  commit  sin  for  these  things  shall  go 
bound  to  Death's  city. 

Kinganath  Jogi  pressed  Guru  Nanak  to  become 
his  disciple ;  the  Guru  replied  that  he  had  already 
learned  the  science  of  Jog.  He  composed  the 
following  hymn  on  the  occasion  :— 

Make  restraint  of  thine  inmost  heart  thine  earrings,  thy 
body  the  patched  coat  ; 

Reduce  thy  five  senses  to  subjection,  O  Jogi,  and  make 
a  pure  heart  thy  staff. 

In  this  way  shalt  thou  obtain  the  way  of  jog. 

Make  the  fact  that  there  is  but  one  Word  and  none  other 
thy  devotion  to  tubers  and  roots. 

If  God  could  be  obtained  by  merely  shaving  the  head, 
we  should  make  a  god  of  the  Ganges.4 

1  The  deadly  sins  which  rob  the  body.  2  The  body. 

3  The  soul.  4  Where  pilgrims  shave  their  heads. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  295 

It  is  the  one  Lord  who  saveth  the  three  worlds  ;  thou 
thinkest  not  of  Him,  O  fool. 

If  thou  apply  thy  mind  to  words  through  hypocrisy,  thy 
doubts  shall  never  leave  thee. 

If  thou  turn  thy  thoughts  to  the  feet  of  the  one  God,  why 
pursue  avarice  and  greed  ? 

If  thou  repeat  the  Name  of  the  Bright  One,  thy  soul 
shall  be  absorbed  in  Him. 

O  Jogi,  why  utterest  thou  so  much  deceit  ? 

Thy  body  is  mad,1  thy  mind  is  silly,  thou  passest  thy 
life  talking  of  thy  property. 

Nanak  represent eth,  it  is  after  the  naked  body  is  burnt 
the  soul  regretteth  lost  opportunities. 

Man's  precious  life  should  not  be  wasted,  but 
should  be  devoted  to  God's  service  and  not  to  the 
acquisition  of  wealth  :— 

Man  loseth  his  nights  in  sleeping  and  his  days  in  eating  : 

His  human  life,  valuable  as  a  diamond,  he  parteth  with 
for  a  kauri. 

Thou  knowest  not  God's  name ;  O  fool,  thou  shalt  here 
after  regret. 

Thou  buriest  endless  wealth  in  the  earth,  yet  thy  desire 
for  it  depart  eth  not.2 

They  who  departed  desiring  endless  wealth  lost  the 
Endless  One. 

If  all  were  to  obtain  according  to  their  desires,  they 

would  be  happy. 

Whatever  all  may  desire,  a  man's  fate  is  decided  by  his  acts. 

Nanak,  He  who  fashioned  creation  taketh  care  of  it. 

It  is  not  known  on  whom  God's  order  will  confer  greatness. 

The  fervour  of  the  Guru's  devotion  :- 

Were  I  to  become  a  fawn,  live  in  the  forest,  and  gather 
and  eat  tubers  and  roots, 

I  should  ever  and  ever  be  a  sacrifice  to  my  Lord,  who  is 
obtained  through  the  favour  of  the  Guru. 

I  am  a  retail-dealer  of  Thine,  O  God  ; 

1  Because  smeared  with  ashes. 

2  Also  translated— Thou  desirest  not  the  Endless  One. 


296  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Thy  Name  is  my  stock-in-trade  and  my  merchandise. 

Were  I  to  become  a  koil  and  live  in  a  mango-tree,  I  should 
still  tranquilly  meditate  on  the  Word. 

Through  my  love  my  Lord,  whose  form  appeareth  un 
equalled,  would  naturally  meet  me. 

Were  I  to  become  a  fish  and  dwell  in  the  water,  I  should 
still  remember  Him  who  watcheth  over  all  animals. 

My  Spouse  dwelleth  on  this  side  and  on  that  ;  I  shall 
stretch  forth  mine  arm  to  touch  Him. 

Were  I  to  become  a  serpent  and  dwell  in  the  ground, 
I  should  still  abide  in  the  Word  and  my  fears  would  depart. 

Nanak,  they  are  ever  the  happy  married  wives  whom 
God  hath  absorbed  in  His  light. 

GAURI  ASHTAPADI 

Without  a  religious  guide  man  would  run  riot  in 
evil  and  haste  to  perdition  :— 

The  heart  is  an  elephant,  the  body  a  forest, 

The  Guru  the  goad  ;  when  the  mark  of  the  true  Word 
is  made  on  the  elephant, 

He  shall  obtain  honour  in  the  King's  court. 

God  cannot  be  known  by  cleverness. 

Without  chastening  the  mind  how  can  God  be  appraised  ? 

In  the  house  is  nectar  which  the  thieves  are  taking  away  : 1 

No  one  tried  to  restrain  them. 

If  any  one  guard  the  nectar,  God  Himself  will  confer 
greatness  on  him. 

Worldly  wealth,  comforts,  and  pleasures  would 
never  satisfy  the  Guru  without  devotion  to  God. 

I  may  apply  distilled  aloe  wood  and  sandal  to  my  body, 

I  may  wear  silks  and  satins, 

But  without  God's  name  how  shall  I  obtain  happiness  ? 

What  shall  I  wear  ?    in  what  dress  shall  I  show  myself  ? 

How  shall  I  obtain  happiness  without  the  Lord  of  the 
world  ? 

I  may  have  rings  in  mine  ears  and  a  necklace  of  pearls  on 
my  neck, 

1  The  name  of  God  is  in  the  heart.     The  evil  passions  plunder  it. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  297 

A  red  coverlet,  flowers,  and  red  powder  ; l 

But  where  should  I  search  for  happiness  except  with  the 
Lord  of  the  world  ? 

A  beautiful  woman  with  expressive  eyes 

May  make  the  sixteen  decorations  and  render  herself  very 
lovely, 

Yet  without  worshipping  the  Lord  of  the  world  she  would 
ever  be  despised. 

One  may  have  in  his  house  or  palace  a  comfortable  couch  ; 

A  flower-girl  may  scatter  flowers  on  it  day  and  night, 

Yet  without  God's  name  its  owner  would  be  unhappy. 

Excellent  horses,  elephants,  lances,  musical  instruments, 

Armies,  mace-bearers,  and  attendants  are  worthless 

And  vain  shows  without  the  Lord  of  the  world. 

I  may  be  called  a  Sidh,  and  I  may  summon  wealth  and 
supernatural  power  to  me  ; 

I  may  make  for  my  head  a  crown,  a  regal  hat,  and  an 
umbrella, 

Yet  how  should  I  obtain  real  happiness  without  the  Lord 
of  the  world  ? 

I  may  be  styled  a  lord,  an  emperor,  or  a  king, 

I  may  say  '  Now  then  ' 2  to  inferiors  ;  all  this  would  be 
false  display. 

Without  the  Guru's  instruction  my  business  could  not 
be  adjusted. 

Egotism  and  selfishness  are  forgotten  under  the  Guru's 
instruction. 

Through  the  Guru's  instruction  it  is  known  that  God  is 
in  the  heart. 

Nanak  supplicateth,  /  seek  Thy  shelter,  O  God. 

The  Guru  describes  the  condition  of  the  holy 
and  the  means  of  salvation  :— 

He  who  serveth  the  one  God  knoweth  not  others  : 

He  layeth  aside  the  bitter  things  deceit  and  evil. 

By  love  and  truth  shalt  thou  meet  the  Truest  of  the  True. 

1  For  frontal  marks  and  the  parting  of  the  hair. 

2  Abe  labe  in  Panjabi  is  a  much  more  contemptuous  expression  than 
'  now  then  '. 


298  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

If  there  be  any  such  saint  of  God, 

His  filth  shall  be  washed  away,  and  he  shall  meet  God 
by  singing  His  praises. 

Reversed  are  the  lotuses  of  all  men's  hearts  : 

The  fire  of  evil  inclinations  burneth  away  the  world, 

While  those  who  meditate  on  the  word  of  the  Guru  are 
saved. 

The  bumble-bee,  the  moth,  the  elephant,  the  fish, 

And  the  deer1  suffer  the  consequences  of  their  acts  and 
die. 

Absorbed  in  worldly  desires  man  knoweth  not  the  Real 
Thing ; 

He  thinketh  of  lust  and  love  for  woman. 

Which  with  wrath  ruin  all  sinners. 

He  who  forgetteth  the  Name,  loseth  his  honour  and  his 
senses. 

The  perverse  being  who  alloweth  his  mind  to  covet 
another's  house, 

Hath  a  halter  round  his  neck,  and  is  entangled  in  diffi 
culties  ; 

While  the  pious  shall  be  delivered  by  singing  God's 
praises. 

As  a  widow,  who  giveth  her  body  to  a  stranger, 

And  through  lust  or  money  falleth  into  another's  power, 

Is  never  satisfied  without  a  lover  ; 

So  man  readeth  books  and  reciteth  the  Simritis  ; 

He  also  readeth,  heareth,  and  expoundeth  the  Veds  and 
the  Purans ; 

But  without  being  dyed  with  God's  essence  his  mind  is 
very  unstable. 

As  the  chatrik  loveth  and  thirst eth  for  the  rain-drops, 

As  the  fish  is  delighted  with  the  water, 

So  Nanak  is  satisfied  quaffing  God's  essence. 

There  was  a  hill  king  called  Amar  Singh  who 

1  The  animals  mentioned  suffer  for  the  gratification  of  their  senses. 
The  bee  scents  the  lotus  and  is  entangled;  the  moth  looks  on  the 
lamp  and  is  burnt ;  the  elephant,  to  gratify  his  lust,  rushes  into 
a  trap  ;  the  fish  is  hungry  and  takes  the  bait ;  and  the  deer  is  lured 
to  his  death  by  the  hunter's  bell. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  299 

was  dethroned  by  his  brother.  On  being  expelled 
he  went  to  Guru  Nanak  for  advice.  The  following 
was  given  him  :— 

They  who  wear  religious  garbs  are  full  of  pride  and  know 
not  God. 

Few  are  they  whose  minds  are  reconciled  to  devotion 
under  the  Guru's  instruction. 

The  True  One  is  not  obtained  by  the  practice  of  egotism. 

When  pride  depart eth,  the  supreme  dignity  is  obtained. 

Kings  under  the  influence  of  pride  make  many  expedi 
tions  : 

They  are  ruined  by  pride  and  remain  subject  to  trans 
migration. 

He  who  meditateth  on  the  Guru's  word  shall  lose  his 
pride  ; 

He  shall  dismiss  his  wandering  thoughts,  and  destroy 
his  deadly  sins. 

He  in  whose  heart  is  the  truth  shall  easily  arrive  at  God's 
court, 

And,  knowing  God,  shall  obtain  the  supreme  state. 

The  Guru  dispelleth  the  doubts  of  those  whose  works 
are  true ; 

And  they  shall  obtain  a  fixed  seat  in  the  court  of  the 
Fearless. 

What  do  they  retain  who  die  talking  of  their  possessions  ? 

He  who  meeteth  a  perfect  Guru  putteth  an  end  to  his 
contentions.— 

What  there  is,  is  nothing  in  reality— 

The  pious  who  are  saturated  with  divine  knowledge  sing 
God's  praises. 

The   fetters    of   pride   cause    man    to  wander  in  trans 
migration. 

Nanak,  it  is  the  saint  of  God  who  obtaineth  happiness. 

Death   impends  over   all,   but   cannot  harm   the 
holy  :- 

Even  Brahma  was  subject  to  death  *  from  the  beginning. 

1  Literally— Brahma  entered  the  house  of  death. 


300  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

He  found  not  the  end  of  Vishnu's  lotus  in  the  nether 
regions  ; l 

He  accepted  not  God's  order,  and  was  led  astray  in  error. 

Whatever  is  created  Death  destroyeth. 

God  hath  preserved  us  by  our  meditating  on  the  word  of 
the  Guru. 

Maya  deludeth  all  the  gods  and  goddesses. 

Death  looseth  not  his  hold  on  him  who  serveth  not  the 
Guru. 

God  is  imperishable,  invisible,  and  inscrutable. 

Emperors,  rulers,  and  kings  shall  not  abide. 

Having  forgotten  the  Name  they  shall  undergo  death's 
torture. 

The  Name  is  my  support ;  I  shall  abide  as  Thou  keepest 
me,  O  Lord. 

Chiefs  and  kings  have  no  abiding-place. 

Bankers  die  after  accumulating  wealth  and  money. 

0  God,  grant  me  Thine  ambrosial  name  as  my  wealth. 
Subjects,  lords,  headmen,  sovereigns — 

None  is  found  permanent  in  this  world. 

Irresistible  death  striketh  false  mortals  on  the  head. 

One  alone,  the  Truest  of  the  true,  is  immovable. 

All  those  whom  He  created  He  will  again  destroy.2 

Man  obtaineth  honour  when  he  knoweth  God  under  the 
Guru's  instruction. 

Qazis,  shaikhs,  and  faqirs  in  religious  garbs 

Call  themselves  great,  but  through  pride  their  bodies  are 
in  pain. 

Death  will  not  release  them  without  receiving  the  true 
Guru's  consolation. 

1  According   to   many   Hindus   Vishnu   was   the   creator    of  the 
world.     From  Vishnu's  navel  there  grew  a  lotus  from  which  the  god 
Brahma  was  produced.    Brahma  on  attaining  intelligence  began  to 
consider   the  source  of  his   birth.     It  could  not  be  from  such  an 
insignificant  thing  as  a  lotus.      He  rejected  the  idea  and  kicked  the 
lotus  at  the  same  time,  whereupon  he  descended  into  it  and  remained 
long  wandering  in  its  stem  until  he  repented  of  his  error.      He  then 
rose  to  the  top  where  he  sat  enthroned  as  before. 

2  Literally — draw  within  Himself.     Creation  is  God's  extension ; 
destruction,  His  contraction. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  301 

The  net  of  Death  is  over  man's  tongue  and  eyes  ; 

It  is  over  his  ears  when  he  listeneth  to  unchaste  language. 

He  is  robbed  day  and  night  without  the  Word. 

Death  cannot  espy  him  in  whose  heart 

God's  true  name  dwelleth,  and  who  singeth  God's  praises— 

Nanak,  the  pious  shall  be  absorbed  in  the  Word. 

A  prayer  to  God  for  protection  :— 

As  a  herdsman  guardeth  and  keepcth  watch  over  his 
cattle, 

So  God  day  and  night  cherisheth  and  guardeth  man  and 
keepeth  him  in  happiness. 

O  Thou  compassionate  to  the  poor,  I  seek  Thy  protection  ; 
look  on  me  with  favour. 

Preserve  me  in  this  world  and  the  next. 

Wherever  I  look  there  art  Thou  contained  ;  guard  me, 
O  Guardian. 

Thou  art  the  Giver,  Thou  art  the  Enjoyer,  Thou  art  the 
support  of  the  soul. 

Man  must  supplement  his  prayers  by  good  acts  :— 

Without  meditating  on  divine  knowledge  man  ascendeth 
or  descendeth  according  to  his  acts. 

Without  praising  the  Lord  of  the  world  the  darkness  of 
ignorance  shall  not  be  dispelled. 

We  see  that  the  world  is  perishing  through  covetousness 
and  pride. 

By  serving  the  Guru,  God  and  the  true  gate  of  salvation 
are  attained. 

What  hath  man  brought  into  the  world  ?  What  shall  he 
take  away  when  he  is  entangled  in  Death's  noose  ? 

Like  a  well-bucket  firmly  attached  to  a  rope,  he  is  now 
in  heaven,  now  in  hell. 

A  spiritual  guide  is  necessary  for  salvation  :- 

His  account  is  settled  who  through  the  Guru's  favour 
knoweth  God. 

God,  called  the  Pure  One,  who  is  in  every  heart,  is  my 
Lord. 


302  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Man  shall  not  be  emancipated  without  the  Guru's  in 
struction  ;  see  and  ponder  upon  this. 

Even  though  man  performed  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
ceremonies,  all  would  still  be  darkness  without  the  Guru. 

What  shall  we  say  to  those  who  are  blind  and  devoid  of 
wisdom  ? 

Without  the  Guru  the  way  cannot  be  seen  ;  how  shall 
we  reach  the  goal  ? 

Man  calleth  the  counterfeit  genuine  ;  but  he  knoweth 
not  what  the  genuine  is. 

A  blind  man  he  calleth  an  assayer ;  wonderful  is  this  age. 

Man  saith,  the  sleeper  is  awake,  and  he  who  is  awake 
sleepeth  ; 

He  saith,  they  who  are  alive  are  dead,  and  he  weepeth 
not  for  those  who  are  really  dead  ; 

He  saith,  that  he  who  is  coming  hath  gone,  and  that  he 
who  hath  gone  is  coming  ; 

He  calleth  another's  property  his  own,  and  with  his  own 
he  is  not  satisfied  ; 

He  calleth  what  is  sweet  bitter,  and  what  is  bitter 
sweet ; 

He  slandereth  those  who  love  God — such  is  what  I  have 
seen  in  this  age. 

Man  serveth  a  handmaiden,1  but  the  Master  he  seeth  not. 

He  churneth  tank  water,  and  no  butter  is  produced. 

He  who  can  explain  this  is  the  Guru  for  me. 

Nanak,  he  who  knoweth  himself  is  unequalled  and  un 
rivalled. 

GAURI  CHHANT 

The  longing  of  the  pious  for  God  is  compared  to 
the  longing  of  the  young  bride  for  her  spouse  :— 

Painful  is  the  night  for  the  young  bride ;   without  her 

Beloved  she  sleepeth  not. 

She  pineth  away  through  grief  at  His  absence  : 

The  woman  pineth  away  through  grief  at  His  absence, 

saying  '  How  shall  I  look  upon  Him  ?  ' 

1  Mammon. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  303 

Ornaments,  dainty  food,  sensuous  enjoyments  are  all 
vain  and  of  no  account  for  her. 

Intoxicated  with  the  wine  of  youth  and  melting  with 
pride  milk  cometh  not  to  her  breast. 

Nanak,  she  meeteth  her  Spouse  when  He  causeth  her  to 
meet  Him  ;  without  Him  no  sleep  cometh  to  her. 

The  bride  is  unhonoured  without  her  beloved  Lord. 

How  shall  she  be  happy  without  embracing  Him  ? 

Without  a  spouse  there  is  no  domestic  happiness  ;  ask 
thy  friends  and  companions. 

Without  the  Name  there  is  no  love  or  affection  ;  but, 
with  the  True  One,  woman  abideth  in  happiness. 

They  in  whose  hearts  there  is  truth  and  contentment, 
meet  the  Friend  ;  under  the  Guru's  instruction  the  Bride 
groom  is  recognized. 

Nanak,  the  woman  who  abandoneth  not  the  Name  shall 
be  easily  absorbed  in  God  through  it. 

Come,  friends  and  companions,  let  us  enjoy  our  Beloved. 

I  will  ask  my  Guru  and  write  His  words  of  love. 

The  Guru  hath  communicated  to  me  the  true  Word  ;  the 
perverse  shall  regret  they  have  not  received  it. 

When  I  recognized  the  True  One,  my  roaming  mind 
became  fixed. 

The  wisdom  of  the  True  One  is  ever  new,  so  is  the 
love  of  His  Word. 

Nanak,  true  peace  of  mind  is  obtained  from  His  look  of 
favour  ;  meet  Him,  my  friends  and  companions. 

My  desires  have  been  fulfilled  ;  the  Friend  hath  come 
home  to  me. 

A  song  of  rejoicing  was  sung  at  the  union  of  Husband 
and  wife. 

His  praises  and  a  song  of  joy  were  sung  ;  the  bride  is 
happy  in  His  love  and  her  heart  is  in  raptures. 

Her  friends  are  also  happy,  her  enemies  unhappy ;  true 
profit  is  obtained  by  repeating  the  name  of  the  True  One. 

With  clasped  hands  the  woman  prayeth  that  she  may 
night  and  day  be  steeped  in  God's  love. 

Nanak,  the  Beloved  and  His  spouse  unite  in  dalliance ; 
my  desires  have  been  fulfilled. 


304  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

RAG  ASA 
The  Creator  bestows  good  gifts  : — 

If  a  beggar  at  God's  gate  cry  aloud,  God  heareth  him  in 
His  palace. 

God  may  give  him  consolation  or  repulse  him  ;  He  alone 
bestoweth  greatness. 

God  knoweth  man's  virtues  and  inquireth  not  his  caste  ; 
in  the  next  world  there  is  no  caste. 

God  acteth  Himself  and  causeth  to  act. 

Thou,  O  Creator,  payest  heed  to  man's  complaints. 

Since  it  is  Thou  alone  who  actest, 

Why  should  we  be  dependent  on  any  but  Thee  ? 
What  is  the  world  to  us  ? 

Thou  Thyself  didst  create  ;   Thou  Thyself  dost  bestow  ; 

Thou  forbiddest  evil  inclinations. 

If  Thou  by  the  Guru's  favour  dwell  in  the  heart, 

Suffering  and  the  darkness  of  ignorance  shall  depart 
therefrom. 

Thou  givest  truth  to  those  whom  Thou  lovest  ; 

Thou  givest  truth  to  none  besides. 

If  Thou  give  truth  to  any  one,  saith  Nanak,  there  shall 
be  no  inquiry  made  of  him  hereafter. 

The  following  was  addressed  to  a  votary  of 
Krishan,  who  was  worshipping  his  god  with  music 
and  dancing  :— 

Make  understanding  thy  fife,  the  love  of  God  thy  drum  ; 
By  these  joy  and  earnest  desire  are  ever  produced  in 
the  heart. 

This  is  devotion  ;   this  is  austerity — 

In  this  wise  dance  beating  time  with  thy  feet. 

Deem  knowing  how  to  praise  God  as  beating  time  : 
Other  dances  are  sensuous  pleasures. 
Play  truth  and  contentment  as  thy  pair  of  cymbals  ; 
Make  the  perpetual  vision  of  God  the  bells  for  thy  feet  ; 
Make  love  for  none  but  God  thy  measures  and  songs — 
In  this  wise  dance  beating  time  with  thy  feet. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  305 

Ever  make  the  fear  of  God  in  thy  heart  and  soul, 
Whether  sitting  or  standing,  thy  gyrations. 
Make  the  knowledge  that  thy  body  is  ashes  thy  recum 
bent  posture1— 

In  this  wise  dance  beating  time  with  thy  feet. 

Thine  audience  shall  be  the  disciples  who  love  instruction, 

Who  hear  the  true  Name  from  the  Guru's  lips, 

And  repeat  it  again  and  again— 

Nanak,  in  this  wise  dance  beating  time  with  thy  feet. 

The  following  was  intended  to  show  God's  supe 
riority  to  His  creatures  Ram  and  Krishan,  who 
are  now  adored  as  gods  by  the  Hindus  : — 

God  having  created  the  atmosphere  supported  the  whole 
earth  and  set  bounds  to  water  and  fire. 

The  fatuous  Rawan 2  had  his  ten  heads  cut  off ;  what 
greatness  was  obtained  by  slaying  him  ? 

What  praise  of  Thine,  O  God,  shall  be  uttered  ? 

Thou  pervadest  everything ;  Thou  lovest  all  Thy 
creatures. 

Having  created  living  beings,  Thou  holdest  their  ways 
in  Thy  hand.  What  greatness  was  obtained  by  putting 
a  nose-ring  on  the  black  serpent  of  the  Jamna  ? 3 

Whose  husband  art  Thou  ?  Who  is  Thy  wife  ?  Thou 
pervadest  all  things. 

Brahma,  the  granter  of  favours,  with  his  progeny  went 
to  ascertain  God's  greatness, 

But  could  not  find  His  limits ;  what  greatness  was 
obtained  by  slaying  Kans  ?  4 

When  the  sea  of  milk  was  churned  and  its  gems  brought 

1  A  part  of  an  Oriental  dance. 

2  Rawan,  king  of  Ceylon,  abducted  Sita,    Ram's  wife,  and   was 
killed  by  him. 

3  This  was  one   of  the   feats  of  Krishan,   who,    in   some   ways, 
resembles  the  Hercules  of  Greece. 

4  Kans,  king  of  Mathura,  is  called  Krishan's  maternal  uncle.     It 
was  foretold  that  the  offspring  of  Krishan's  mother,  Devaki,  should  kill 
Kans,  so  he  employed  all  his  efforts  to  destroy  her  children.     Krishan, 
however,  was  not  destroyed,  but  succeeded  in  fulfilling  the  terms  of 
the  prophecy. 

SIKH.     I  X 


306  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

forth,   the  demigods  and  demons  each   claimed  the  merit 
thereof. 

What  greatness  was  obtained  by  the  distribution  of  the 
gems  to  each  ?  Saith  Nanak,  if  men  try  to  conceal  Thy 
greatness,  0  God}  how  can  it  be  concealed  ? 

The  Guru  in  his  anxiety  to  meet  God  compares 
himself  to  a  bride  who  rejoices  in  her  approaching 
marriage  : — 

When  the  Bridegroom  kindly  came  to  my  house, 

My  female  companions  met  me  and  arranged  for  the 
marriage. 

My  heart  was  glad  as  I  gazed  upon  the  play  ;  the  Bride 
groom  came  to  wed  me. 

Sing,  sing,  O  ladies,  the  bridal  song  with  wisdom  and 
reflection. 

The  Life  of  the  world  hath  come  to  my  house  as  my 
Bridegroom. 

My  marriage  having  been  brought  about  through  my 
Guru,  when  I  met  him  I  recognized  my  Spouse 

Whose  Word  filleth  the  three  worlds  ;  when  my  pride 
departed  my  heart  was  glad. 

God  arrangeth  His  own  affairs  ;  they  are  not  arranged 
by  others  : 

They  consist  in  bestowing  truth,  contentment,  mercy, 
and  faith — a  few  pious  persons  know  this. 

Saith  Nanak,  God  alone  is  the  Spouse  of  all. 

She  on  whom  He  looketh  with  favour  is  the  happy  wife. 

In  the  opinion  of  the  Guru  human  life  is  worthless 
without  holiness  : — 

A  cow  without  milk,  a  bird  without  wings,  and  tillage 
without  water  are  of  no  avail. 

What  is  an  emperor  to  whom  no  obeisance  is  made  ? 
Dark  is  the  chamber  in  which  Thy  name,  O  God,  is  not. 

Why  shouldest  Thou  forget  me  when  I  am  in  great 
affliction  ? 

When  affliction  befalleth  me,  forget  me  not. 

Man's  eyes  grow  blind,  his  tongue  loseth  its  taste,  his 
ears  hear  not ; 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  307 

He  can  only  move  by  being  supported — these  are  the 
fruits  of  non-service. 

Make  the  Word  the  garden  tree,  plant  it  in  good  soil,1 
and  irrigate  with  love. 

The  one  Name  is  the  fruit  of  all  such  trees  ;  how  shall 
men  obtain  it  without  good  works  ? 

All  creatures  are  Thine,  O  Lord  ;  none  obtaineth  his 
reward  without  devotion  to  Thee. 

Woe  and  weal  are  distributed  according  to  Thy  will  ; 
without  Thy  name  real  life  remaineth  not. 

How  may  man  live  except  by  dying  by  the  Guru's 
teaching  ?  If  one  live  otherwise,  he  shall  not  know  the 
way. 

Saith  Nanak,  Thou,  O  Lord,  restorest  life;  Thou  pre- 
servest  man  as  Thou  pleasest. 

The  following  was  addressed  by  way  of  admoni 
tion  to  a  Brahman  :— 

Making  my  body  the  loin-cloth,  my  heart  the  Brahman, 

Divine  knowledge  my  sacrificial  thread,  meditation  my 
grass  2  and  leaves, 

I  shall  beg  for  God's  name  and  praises  instead  of  the 
alms  of  the  Brahmans ; 

And  by  the  favour  of  the  Guru  be  absorbed  in  God. 

0  Brahman,  so  meditate  on  God 

That  His  name  may  become  thy  purification,  His  name 
thy  learning,  and  His  name  thy  wisdom  and  good  acts. 

The  sacrificial  thread  is  only  on  thy  body  as  long  as  thou 
hast  life. 

Make  the  remembrance  of  the  Name  thy  loin-cloth  and 
frontal  mark, 

And  it  shall  abide  with  thee  in  this  world  and  the  next. 

Search  for  nothing  but  the  true  Name  ; 

Make  God's  love  thy  worship,  the  burning  of  the  love  of 
wealth  thine  incense. 

Look  only  on  the  one  God,  search  for  none  other. 

1  The  heart. 

2  The  kusha  (Poa  cynosuroides\  used  by  the  Brahmans  in  worship. 

X  2 


308  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

He  who  repeateth  God's  name  with  his  mouth  and  pon- 
dereth  on  it, 

Beholdeth  Him  at  the  tenth  door  of  the  firmament.1 

His  doubt  and  fear  who  liveth  upon  the  love  of  God  flee 
away. 

If  the  sentry  be  on  the  alert,  thieves  will  not  break  in. 

Deem  the  knowledge  of  the  one  God  thy  frontal  mark, 

And  the  consciousness  that  God  is  within  thee  thy  dis 
crimination.2 

God  cannot  be  overcome  by  other  ceremonial  acts. 

He  who  merely  readeth  religious  books  hath  not  found 
His  worth. 

His  secret  is  not  known  from  the  eighteen  Purans  or  the 
four  Veds. 

Nanak,  the  true  Guru  hath  shown  me  God. 

The  following  was  addressed  to  a  pandit  who 
inquired  how  salvation  could  be  obtained  : — 

The  body  like  a  frail  earthen  vessel  is  miserable  ;  in 
birth  and  death  it  suffer eth  further  pain. 

How  shall  the  dangerous  ocean  of  this  world  be  crossed  ? 
It  cannot  without  the  divine  Guru. 

There  is  none  but  Thee,  O  my  Beloved ;  there  is  none  but 
Thee,  O  God. 

In  all  colours  and  forms  art  Thou  ;  Thou  pardonest 
him  on  whom  Thou  lookest  with  favour.  • 

My  mother-in-law 3  is  perverse ;  she  will  neither  let 
me  dwell  at  home,  nor  meet  my  Beloved. 

Since  I  have  worshipped  the  feet  of  my  companions  and 
friends,4  my  Beloved  through  the  kindness  of  the  Guru 
hath  looked  on  me  with  favour. 

Reflecting  on  myself  and  chastening  my  heart  I  see  that 
there  is  no  friend  like  Thee. 

As  Thou  keepest  me  so  I  live  ;  I  endure  woe  and  weal 
as  Thou  bestowest  them. 

1  In  the  brain  in  a  state  of  ecstasy. 

2  In  the  matter  of  eating,  drinking,  wearing,  living,  and  worshipping. 

3  Mammon.  4  The  saints. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  309 

I  have  dispelled  hopes  and  desires,  and  I  no  more  long 
for  mammon. 

The  holy  man  who  hath  found  shelter  in  the  society  of 
the  saints,  obtaineth  the  fourth  state.1 

He  in  whose  heart  the  invisible  and  inscrutable  God 
dwelleth,  possesseth  all  divine  knowledge,  meditation, 
devotion,  and  penance. 

Nanak,  he  whose  heart  is  dyed  with  God's  name  shall 
readily  obtain  devotion  under  the  Guru's  instruction. 

The  following  is  supposed  to  have  been  composed 
by  the  Guru  on  the  death  of  his  father  :— 

Abandon  love  of  family  and  love  of  everything. 

Abandon  worldly  love  ;   it  is  all  sinful. 

Abandon  worldly  love  and  superstition,  O  my  friends. 

Repeat  the  true  Name  with  your  tongues  and  your  hearts. 

His  children  weep  not  and  his  mother  afflicteth  not 
herself  for  him  2 

Who  possesseth  the  nine  treasures  of  the  true  Name. 

The  world  is  ruined  by  such  love  as  the  worldly  feel ; 

Only  some  rare  pious  man  may  be  saved. 

Through  such  love  as  that  one  is  born  again 

He  who  feeleth  such  love  goeth  to  the  city  of  Death. 

Practise  acceptance  of  the  Guru's  instruction  as  thy 
devotion  and  penance. 

He  who  breaketh  not  with  worldly  love  shall  not  be 
accepted. 

If  God  look  on  man  with  favour  such  love  shall  depart, 

0  Nanak,  and  he  shall  be  absorbed  in  God. 

When  Guru  Nanak  went  to  Gorakhmata — the 
present  Nanakmata — he  found  religious  men  of 

1  Ancient  Indian  writers   enumerate   four    states   of  life — -jdgrat, 
waking ;     swapan,    dreaming ;    sukhnpati,    deep    sleep — eVciSav    ns 
KaOtv&w  /xT/8'  ovap  /xrjSev  opa.  (Plato,  Apology) ;    and  /uriya,  mental 
absorption  in  God,  in  which  state  man  is  said  to  have  obtained  salva 
tion  during  life.     He  then  forgets  the  troubles  of  the  world  and  is 
immersed  in  happiness. 

2  The  gyanis  also  translate — His  heart  crieth  not  or  longeth  for 
mammon. 


310  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

several  sects  assembled  there.     The  following  was 
composed  after  a  discussion  with  them  : — 

He  who  meditateth  on  knowledge  conferreth  favour  on 
others  ; 

When  he  correcteth  his  evil  passions  he  dwelleth  at 
a  place  of  pilgrimage  ; 

The  tinkling  bells  of  ecstasy  resound  for  him  when  he 
turneth  his  heart  to  God. 

What  can  Death  do  to  me  in  the  next  world  ? 

When  man  hath  abandoned  desires  he  is  a  Sanyasi. 

If  a  Jogi  be  continent,  he  enjoyeth  his  body.1 

He  who  in  his  heart  meditateth  mercy,  is  a  Digambar  : 2 

He  tortureth  himself,  but  not  others. 

Thou,  O  Lord,  art  one,  but  many  are  Thy  manifestations. 

Nanak  knoweth  not  Thy  wonderful  play. 

As  a  wife  fears  that  she  is  forgotten  by  her 
spouse,  so  the  holy  man  fears  that  he  is  neglected  by 
God:- 

I  am  not  possessed  of  one  virtue  to  cleanse  my  polluted 
body. 

My  Lord  awaketh  ;    I  sleep  the  livelong  night. 

How  shall  I  thus  become  dear  to  my  Spouse  ? 

My  Lord  awaketh  ;   I  sleep  the  livelong  night. 

Even  though  I  approach  His  couch  smitten  with  desire, 

/  know  not  if  I  shall  then  please  Him  or  please  Him  not. 

How  know  I  what  shall  occur,  O  mother  ? 

Without  beholding  God  I  cannot  abide. 

I  have  not  tasted  love  ;   my  thirst  is  not  quenched  ; 

My  youth  hath  fled,  and  I  mourn  for  what  is  lost. 

Even  now  I  awake  smitten  with  desire  : 

I  have  become  sad,  and  remain  without  hope. 

If  woman  adorn  herself  with  the  rejection  of  pride, 

Her  Spouse  will  enjoy  her  on  the  couch. 

Then,  Nanak,  shall  she  please  her  Spouse's  heart  ; 

She  will  abandon  pride  and  be  absorbed  in  Him. 

1  The  ecstasy  he  feels  from  the  practice  of  Jog  is  sufficient  for  him. 

2  Who  wanders  naked. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  311 

It  is  necessary  to  fear  as  well  as  love  God  so  as 
to  keep  His  commandments  :— 
In  this  world  woman  is  very  silly. 
I  know  not  the  worth  of  my  Spouse  ; 
He  is  one,  there  is  none  other. 

If  He  cast  a  glance  of  favour  on  me,  I  shall  meet  Him. 
In  the  next  world  woman  shall  know  the  truth, 
And  easily  recognize  her  Beloved. 
If  she  obtain  such  wisdom  by  the  Guru's  favour, 
She  shall  please  her  Spouse's  heart. 
Saith  Nanak,  if  she  adorn  herself  with  fear  and  love, 
Her  Spouse  will  ever  enjoy  her  on  the  couch. 

When  man  has  parted  with  all  worldly  love,  he 
has  prepared  himself  for  deliverance  : — 
No  one  hath  a  son,  no  one  hath  a  mother.1 
Through  deceitful  worldly  love  man  wandereth  in  doubt. 

0  my  Lord,  I  am  Thy  creation  ; 

1  utter  Thy  name  when  Thou  givest  it  me. 

Man  may  wail  aloud  for  his  many  transgressions, 
But  he  shall  only  be  pardoned  if  it  be  God's  will. 
By  the  Guru's  favour  evil  inclinations  depart- 
Wherever  I  gaze  there  is  only  one  God— 
Saith  Nanak,  if  man  attain  such  wisdom, 
The  True  One  will  absorb  that  true  one  in  Himself. 

The  following  was  addressed  to  a  worldly-minded 
Raja  :— 

Thou  mayest  have  lakhs  of  armies,  lakhs  of  musical 
instruments  and  lances  ;  lakhs  of  men  may  rise  to  do  thee 

homage  ; 

Thy  dominion  may  extend  over  lakhs  of  miles  ;   lakhs 

men  may  rise  to  do  thee  honour- 
All  that  would  be  fruitless,  wert  thou  not  credited  in 

God's  account. 

Without  God's  name  the  world  is  only  trouble. 

If  the  fool  be  never  so  much  admonished,  he  remaineth 

the  blindest  of  the  blind. 

1  Everything  is  illusion. 


312  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Thou  mayest  earn  lakhs  of  rupees ;  thou  mayest  amass 
and  spend  lakhs  ;  lakhs  may  come  and  lakhs  may  go  ; 

But,  if  thy  soul  obtain  not  credit  in  God's  account,  where 
else  shall  it  obtain  it  ? 

Lakhs  of  Shastars  may  be  explained  to  thee  ;  lakhs  of 
pandits  may  read  the  Purans  for  thee — 

All  would  be  unacceptable  didst  thou  not  obtain  credit 
in  God's  account. 

From  the  true  Name — the  kind  Creator's  name — honour 
is  obtained. 

If  it  dwell  day  and  night  in  the  heart,  O  Nanak,  man 
shall  be  delivered  by  God's  favouring  glance. 

The  temptations  to  which  man  is  exposed  by  his 

senses  :— 

The  five  evil  passions  dwell  concealed  within  the  heart; 

Wherefore  it  remaineth  not  fixed,  but  wandereth  like  a 
pilgrim. 

My  mind  remaineth  not  fixed  on  the  Merciful  One  : 

Avaricious,  deceitful,  sinful,  and  hypocritical,  it  is  exces 
sively  attached  to  worldly  love. 

When  I  meet  my  Beloved  I  will  adorn  myself, 

And  put  on  necklaces  of  flowers. 

I  have  five  companions  and  one  husband.1 

It  is  ordained  from  the  beginning  that  the  soul  depart. 

The  five  senses  shall  weep  in  unison, 

Saith  Nanak,  when  the  soul  is  arrested  to  give  its  account. 

ASA  ASHTAPADI 

Guru  Nanak  expatiates  on  the  advantage  of  the 
Guru's  instruction  and  the  repetition  of  God's  name  :— 

Man  may  perform  all  devotion,  all  penance,  and  resort  to 
every  expedient ; 

,  Yet  he  is  as  if  he  wandered  in  a  wilderness,  and  could 
not  find  the  way. 

Without  knowing  God,  no  one  is  acceptable. 

1  This  is  the  relation  of  the  soul  to  the  five  senses  or  organs  of 
perception. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  313 

Without  the  Name  man  is  despised.1 

The  Lord  is  permanent ;  the  world  cometh  and  goeth. 

Mortals  shall  be  emancipated  by  being  the  holy  man's 
slaves. 

The  world  is  bound  by  worldly  love  and  many  desires  ; 

Yet  some  reject  it  under  the  Guru's  instruction. 

The  lotuses  of  the  hearts  of  those  who  have  the  Name 
within  them  bloom, 

And  they  fear  not  Death, 

The  world  which  loveth  women  is  overcome  by  them. 

Men  attached  to  sons  and  wives  forget  God's  name. 

They  waste  in  vain  their  human  lives  and  lose  their  game. 

To  serve  the  true  Guru  is  the  best  thing. 

They  who  utter  words  of  pride  in  public, 

Never  apply  the  unction  of  salvation  to  their  hearts 

They  who  burn  worldly  love  under  the  Guru's  instruction, 

And  ever  meditate  on  the  pure  Name  in  their  hearts, 

Hold  and  restrain  their  wandering  minds. 

By  God's  favour  the  Guru  associateth  such  persons  with 
the  congregation  of  the  Sikhs. 

Without  a  guru  man  forgetteth  God  and  suffereth  trans 
migration. 

Him  whom  God  regardeth  favourably  He  blendeth  with 
Himself. 

If  I  speak  of  the  beautiful  One,  I  cannot  describe  Him. 

If  I  discourse  of  the  Ineffable,  I  cannot  find  His  worth. 

All  pain  and  pleasure  depend  on  Thy  will,  O  God. 

All  pain  shall  be  erased  by  the  True  Name, 

And  men  shall  hear  instruments  played  without  hands  and 
anklets  without  feet. 

If  man  understand  the  Word,  he  shall  behold  the  True 
One. 

When  the  True  One  is  in  the  heart,  all  happiness  is  there 
also. 

The  Preserver  preserveth  men  by  His  favouring  glance. 

He  who  effaceth  himself  knoweth  the  three  worlds. 

He  who  understandeth  the  Word,  shall  be  absorbed  in 
the  True  One. 

1  Literally — has  ashes  thrown  on  his  head. 


314  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Nanak,  the  Creator  will  congratulate  him 
Who  without  respite  meditateth  on  the  Word. 

How  deliverance  may  be  obtained  : — 

He  who  burneth  his  hopes  and  desires  by  the  Word, 

Who  uttereth  and  causeth  others  to  utter  God's  name, 

Shall  by  means  of  the  Guru  find  the  way  to  God's  own 
abode. 

His  body  shall  become  gold  by  God's  incomparable  light, 

And  he  shall  behold  God's  form  in  the  whole  three  worlds. 

I  possess  God's  true  name  as  wealth  which  shall  never  fail. 

God  pervadeth  the  five  elements,  the  three  worlds,  the 
nine  regions,  and  the  four  quarters  of  the  universe. 

The  Almighty  support eth  the  earth  and  the  heavens. 

The  wandering  mind  He  bringeth  back. 

Whoever  is  a  fool  seeth  not  with  his  eyes  ; 

His  language  giveth  not  pleasure,  and  he  understandeth 
not  what  is  told  him. 

Intoxicated  with  evil  passions,  he  quarrelleth  with  the 
world  ; 

While  on  the  other  hand  a  man  becometh  good  by  association 
with  the  good, 

Pursueth  virtue  and  purifieth  himself  from  vice. 

Without  serving  the  Guru  peace  is  not  obtained. 

The  Name  is  diamonds,  jewels,  and  rubies  ; 

It  is  the  pearl  of  the  heart,  God's  own  wealth. 

Nanak,  God  assayeth  man,  and  maketh  him  happy  with 
a  glance. 

The    following   was   addressed  to    a    hypocritic; 

J°gi  :- 

Men  sing  songs  while  meditating  evil ; 

They  intone  measures  and  style  themselves  knowing. 

Without  the  Name  the  heart  is  filthy  and  meditateth  evil. 

Whither  goest  thou  ?     O  man,  remain  at  home. 

The  pious  are  satiated  with  God's  name,  and  by  searching 
easily  find  Him. 

The  bodily  sins  of  lust,  wrath,  and  worldly  love  are  in 
the  mind  : 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  315 

So  are  painful  greed,  avarice,  and  pride. 
How  can  the  mind  be  satisfied  without  God's  name  ? 
They  who  lave  their  hearts  know  the  True  One. 
The  holy  man  knoweth  the  condition  of  his  heart. 

The  mind  obtains  composure  by  devotion  :— 

The  apostate's  mind  is  a  furious  elephant 

Which  wandereth  distracted  in  the  forest  of  worldly  love. 

Impelled  by  Death  it  rusheth  here  and  there, 

While  the  pious  search  and  find  God  in  their  hearts. 

Without  the  Guru's  word  the  mind  is  not  at  rest. 

Remember  God's  very  pure  name  and  relinquish  bitter 
pride. 

Say  how  shall  this  stupid  mind  be  happy  : 

Without  understanding,  it  shall  suffer  the  torture  of 
Death. 

God  will  cause  man  to  meet  the  true  Guru,  and  will 
pardon  him. 

The  True  One  will  thrust  aside  the  tortures  of  Death. 

Wealth  is  perishable  ;  devotion  to  God  an  abiding 
gain  :- 

When  the  body  perisheth,  whose  shall  be  its  wealth  ? 

Without  the  Guru  how  shall  God's  name  be  obtained  ? 

God's  name  is  wealth  which  accompanieth  and  assisteth  us. 

Day  and  night  he  is  pure  who  fixeth  his  attention  on  God. 

What  have  we  but  God's  name  ? 

Treating  pleasure  and  pain  as  the  same  I  forsake  not 
the  Name  :  God  will  pardon  and  blend  me  with  Himself. 

The  fool  loveth  gold  and  woman  ; 

Attached  to  mammon  he  forgetteth  the  Name. 

Him  whom  Thou,  0  God,  pardonest  Thou  causest  to 
repeat  Thy  name. 

Death's  myrmidons  cannot  overtake  him  who  singeth 
Thy  praises. 

O  Hari,  who  art  God,  the  great  Giver, 

Mercifully  preserve  us  as  Thou  pleasest. 

Under  the  Guru's  instruction  God  is  pleasing  to  my  mind  ; 

Disease  is  removed  and  pain  averted. 


3i6  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

There  is  no  other  medicine,  charm,  or  spell. 
By  remembering  God,  sin  is  destroyed. 
As  I  behold  creation  I  am  amazed  and  astonished 
God  is  contained  in  the  hearts  of  demigods  and  men. 
God  who  filleth  every  place,  I  hold  in  my  heart. 
There  is  none  equal  to  Thee,  O  Lord. 
He  who  loveth  worship  hath  God's  name  in  his  mouth. 
In  the  company  of  such  saints  and  worshippers 
Man  breaketh  his  shackles  and  meditateth  on  God. 
Pious  men    are    emancipated   by  a  knowledge    of  God 
through  the  Guru. 

Death's  myrmidons  cannot  inflict  pain  on  him 
Who  awaketh  in  the  love  of  God's  name. 
God  to  whom  His  saints  are  dear,  abideth  with  them. 
Nanak,  salvation  is  obtained  by  bearing  love  to  God. 

The  following  on  the  disregard  of  worldly  things 
was  addressed  to  a  selfish  Brahman  :— 

He  who  serveth  the  Guru  knoweth  the  Lord  ; 

His  pain  is  erased  who  recognizeth  the  True  Word. 

Repeat  God's  name,  my  friends  and  companions. 

On  serving  the  true  Guru  ye  shall  behold  God  with 
your  eyes. 

Entanglements  are  mother,  father,  and  the  whole  world  ; 

Entanglements  are  sons,  daughters,  and  women  ; 

Entanglements  are  religious  ceremonies  performed 
through  ostentation  ; 

Entanglements  are  sons,  wives,  and  worldly  love  in  the 
mind  ; 

An  entanglement  is  the  tillage  done  by  the  tiller — 

He  suffereth  for  his  selfishness  when  the  King  demandeth 
revenue — 

An  entanglement  is  traffic  without  meditating  on  God. 

Man  is  never  satisfied ;  worldly  love  is  everywhere 
diffused.1 

An  entanglement  is  the  perishable  wealth  which  merchants 
amass. 


1  Also  translated — Man  is  not  satisfied  with  the  extension  of  his 
wealth. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  317 

Without  devotion  to  God  man  findeth  no  place. 

Entanglements  are  Veds,  religious  discussions,  and  pride. 

By  the  entanglements  of  worldly  love  and  sin  man 
perisheth — 

Nanak  taketh  shelter  in  God's  name — 

He  whom  the  true  Guru  preserveth  is  freed  from  his 
entanglements. 

The  following  was  addressed  to  a  mixed  assembly 
of  professedly  religious  men  :— 

I  have  searched  in  every  direction,  but  found  no  friend. 

If  it  please  Thee,  O  Lord,  Thou  art  mine  and  I  am  Thine. 

I  have  no  other  gate  than  Thine  ;   whom  shall  I  salute  ? 

I  possess  Thee  alone,  O  Lord  ;  Thy  true  name  is  in  my 
mouth. 

The  Sidhs  strive  for  supernatural  power  ;  Pirs  also  desire 
wealth  and  supernatural  power. 

May  I  not  forget  the  one  Name  under  the  true  Guru's 
instruction ! 

Why  do  the  Jogis,  the  Bhogis,1  and  the  Kaprias  wander 
in  foreign  lands  ? 

They  heed  not  the  Guru's  instruction  or  the  Real  Thing 
that  is  within  them. 

Pandits,  preceptors,  and  astrologers  ever  read  the  Purans, 

But  know  not  the  Thing  within  them — God  who  is  con 
cealed  within  the  heart. 

Some  anchorets  perform  austerities  in  forests,  others  ever 
dwell  at  places  of  pilgrimages. 

Those  benighted  people  know  not  themselves  ;  why  have 
they  become  ascetics  ? 

Some  who  are  called  Jatis  try  to  restrain  their  seed  : 

Without  the  word  of  the  Guru  they  shall  not  be  saved,  but 
shall  wander  in  transmigration. 

Different  persons  are  family  men,  worshippers,  penitents  ; 
but  it  is  only  they  who  are  attached  to  the  Guru's  instruc 
tions, 

Who  hold  fast  the  Name,  charity,  and  ablutions,  and  who 
awake  in  God's  service. 

1  A  sect  of  Indian  Sybarites. 


3i8  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Through  the  Guru  the  gate  of  Thy  house,  O  Lord,  is 
known  ;  when  men  go  there  they  recognize  it. 

Saith  Nanak,  may  I  not  forget  Thy  name,  and  may  my 
heart  be  reconciled  with  the  True  One ! 

Precepts  for  salvation  : — 

By  restraining  his  mental  desires  man  shall  assuredly 
cross  the  terrible  ocean. 

Thou,  O  Lord,  wast  in  the  beginning  and  in  the  primal  age; 
Thou  art  the  Merciful ;  I  have  entered  Thine  asylum. 

Thou  art  the  Giver  ;  we  are  Thy  beggars  ;  O  God,  grant 
us  a  sight  of  Thee. 

0  man,  meditate  on  the  Name  under  the  Guru's  instruc 
tion,  and  thou  shalt  be  happy  in  the  temple  of  thy  heart. 

Renounce  falsehood  and  avarice  ;  and  then  shalt  thou 
recognize  the  True  One. 

Be  absorbed  in  the  Guru's  instruction,  and  thou  shalt 
know  what  is  best  for  thee. 

This  mind  is  a  grasping  tyrant  enamoured  of  greed  : 

Under  the  Guru's  instruction  greed  is  removed,  and  man 
arriveth  at  an  understanding  with  God. 

If  man  sow  a  barren  field,  how  shall  he  obtain  profit  ? 

The  obstinate  man  is  not  pleased  with  the  truth  ;  he  is 
buried  in  falsehood. 

Renounce  avarice,  ye  blind  ;  it  bringeth  great  unhappi- 
ness. 

If  the  true  Lord  dwell  in  the  heart,  the  poison  of  pride 
shall  be  removed. 

Forsake  the  evil  way  of  mammon,  my  brethren,  or  ye 
shall  be  plundered. 

Day  and  night  praise  the  Name  under  the  protection  of 
the  true  Guru. 

The  mind  of  the  perverse  is  a  stone  or  a  rock  ;  accursed 
and  vain  is  his  life. 

However  much  a  stone  be  put  into  the  water,  it  is  dry 
at  the  core. 

God's  name  is  wealth,  the  true  Guru  hath  given  it. 

Nanak,  he  who  forgetteth  not  God's  name  drinketh 
distilled  nectar. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  319 

The  advantage  of  domestic  devotion  :— 

Why  should  I  go  searching  in  the  wood  ?  My  heart  is 
a  verdant  forest. 

The  true  Word  hath  come  quickly  to  my  heart  and 
abideth  there. 

Wherever  I  look  there  is  God  ;   no  one  else  is  seen. 

Whosoever  doeth  the  Guru's  work  shall  find  God's  court. 

The  True  One  blendeth  with  Himself  him  who  is  pleasing 
to  His  mind  ; 

He  blendeth  with  Himself  him  who  ever  walketh  accord 
ing  to  His  will. 

If  the  true  Lord  dwell  in  the  heart,  it  becometh  fixed. 

God  then  granteth  greatness  in  which  naught  is  wanting. 

How  shall  one  reach  God's  court  by  occasional  service  ? 

He  who  embarketh  in  a  boat  of  stone  shall  be  drowned 
with  his  cargo.1 

An  inculcation  of  devotion  regardless  of  worldly 
opinion  :— 

He  whose  mind  is  imbued  with  God's  name  discourseth 
of  the  True  One. 

What  care  I  for  men  if  I  please  Thee  ? 

As  long  as  there  are  life  and  soul,  meditate  on  the  True 
One. 

The  profit  of  singing  God's  praises  is  that  man  obtaineth 
happiness. 

True  is  Thy  work  ;  grant  it  me,  Thou  Merciful  One. 

I  live  by  praising  Thee  ;  Thou  art  my  prop  and  my 
support. 

I  am  the  servant  and  the  porter  at  Thy  gate  ;  Thou 
knowest  my  pain. 

I  am  astounded  at  Thy  service  which  hath  removed  my 
pain. 

Holy  men  through  Thy  name  shall  reach  Thy  court  and 
Thy  presence.2 

1  Also  translated — in  the  ocean. 

2  Also  translated — They  who  know   the  Name  under  the  Guru's 
instruction  shall  reach  God's  court, 


320  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

That  time  is  auspicious  when  man  recognizeth  the  true 
Word. 

Practise  truth,  contentment,  and  love  ;  and  then  the 
worship  of  God's  name  shall  be  thy  viaticum. 

Banish  sin  from  thy  mind,  and  the  True  One  will  bestow 
truth  : 

The  True  One  bestoweth  true  love  on  the  true. 

What  pleaseth  Thee,  O  God,  is  the  real  justice. 

True  are  the  gifts  which  the  true  and  merciful  One 
granteth. 

Serve  Him  day  and  night  whose  Name  is  priceless. 

Thou,  O  God,  art  the  most  high  ;  I  who  am  Thy  servant 
am  low. 

Saith  Nanak,  O  True  One,  look  on  me  with  favour  that 
I  who  am  separated  from  Thee  may  meet  Thee. 

ASA  CHHANT 

It  is  said  that  Bhai  Budha  and  Mula,  a  Sikh,  went 
to  the  Guru  and  asked  him  what  afforded  the 
highest  gratification.  His  reply  was  the  following  : — 

O  woman  in  the  prime  of  youth,  my  Beloved  is  playful. 

When  a  wife  entertaineth  great  love  for  her  Spouse,  He 
mercifully  taketh  delight  in  her  and  enjoyeth  her. 

The  wife  shall  meet  her  Spouse  if  the  Lord  God  Himself 
show  her  favour. 

Her  bed  is  pleasant  in  the  company  of  her  Beloved  ;  her 
seven  tanks 1  are  filled  with  nectar. 

Show  me  compassion  and  kindness,  O  Compassionate  One, 
that  I  may  obtain  the  true  Word  and  sing  Thy  praises. 

Nanak,  the  young  woman,  having  seen  God  her  Spouse, 
is  delighted  and  her  heart  is  enraptured. 

0  young  woman,  beautiful  without  art,  pray  only  for  the 
love  of  the  one  God. 

God  is  pleasing  to  my  soul  and  body,  and  I  am  charmed 
with  His  companionship. 

She  who  is  dyed  with  God's  love  and  prayeth  to  Him, 
shall  abide  in  happiness  through  His  name. 

1  The  five  organs  of  perception,  with  intellect  and  understanding. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  321 

When  thou  embracest  virtue  thou  shall  know  God  ;  virtue 
shall  abide  with  thee  and  vice  be  put  to  flight. 

Without  Thee  I  cannot  abide  for  a  moment  ;  I  derive  no 
satisfaction  from  merely  conversing  of  Thee. 

Nanak,  she  whose  tongue  and  heart  are  moistened  with 
God's  essence,  calleth  for  her  Beloved. 


0  my  friends  and  companions,  my  beloved  is  a  merchant. 

1  have  purchased  from  him  God's  name  whose  sweetness 
and  value  are  infinite. 

If  woman's  house  be  pleasing  to  the  inestimable,  true, 
and  beloved  God,  she  shall  be  happy. 

Other  women  enjoy  dalliance  with  God  ;  I  cry  aloud 
standing  at  His  door. 

Thou,  Cause  of  causes,  Omnipotent,  Harbinger  of  pros 
perity,  arranges!  man's  affairs. 

Nanak,  she  on  whom  God  looketh  with  favour  is  a  happy 
wife  ;  she  treasureth  up  the  Word  in  her  heart. 

In  my  house  is  a  true  song  of  rejoicing  ;  God  my  lover 
hath  visited  me. 

Imbued  with  love  He  enjoyed  me  ;  I  have  exchanged 
hearts  with  Him. 

I  gave  God  my  heart  and  took  Him  as  my  Spouse  ;  He 
enjoyeth  me  as  He  pleaseth. 

She  who  offereth  her  soul  and  body  to  the  Beloved  is 
supremely  happy  through  the  Word,  and  obtaineth  the 
ambrosial  fruit  in  her  own  home. 

It  is  not  obtained  by  intellect,  or  study,  or  by  great 
cleverness  ;  what  the  heart  desireth  is  obtained  by  love. 

Nanak,  God  is  my  Beloved  ;   I  belong  to  none  besides.1 

As  the  deer  is  snared,  the  bumble-bee  caught  by 
the  lotus,  and  the  fish  falleth  into  the  net,  so  man's 
soul  becomes  the  prey  of  Death. 

Hear,  O  black  deer,2  why  art  thou  enamoured  of  the 
garden  ?  3 

The  fruit  of  sin  is  sweet,  but  only  for  four  days  ;  it  then 
groweth  bitter. 

1  Also  translated— I  conceal  not  the  fact. 

2  Man.  3  The  world. 

SIKH.    I  Y 


322  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  fruit  for  which  thou  greatly  cravest,  shall  become 
very  bitter  without  the  Name. 

That  fruit  is  as  a  wave  of  the  ocean,  or  as  a  flash  of 
lightning.1 

There  is  no  protector  but  God  ;  yet  He  hath  been  for 
gotten  by  thee. 

Verily,  saith  Nanak,  think  of  it,  thou  shalt  die,  O  black 
deer. 

0  bumble-bee,2  thou  wanderest  among  the  flowers,  and 
very  great  shall  be  thy  suffering,   when  the  lotus  closeth 
on  thee. 

1  have  inquired  of  my  Guru  regarding  the  true  knowledge 
of  God. 

I  have  inquired  of  the  true  Guru  regarding  the  knowledge 
of  God  ;  O  bumble-bee,  thou  art  enamoured  of  the  flowers. 

When  the  sun  riseth,3  the  body  falleth,  and  the  soul  shall 
be  boiled  in  hot  oil. 

0  demon,  without  the  Word  thou  shalt  be  bound  and 
punished  on  the  road  of  death. 

Verily,  saith  Nanak,  think  of  it,  thou  shalt  die,  O  black  bee. 

My  soul  from  a  strange  land,4  why  fallest  thou  into 
entanglements  ? 

When  the  true  Lord  dwelleth  in  thee,  why  shouldst  thou 
be  entangled  in  Death's  net  ? 

When  the  fisherman  casteth  his  net,  the  fish  leaveth  the 
water  with  tears  in  its  eyes. 

The  love  of  mammon  is  dear  to  the  world  ;  all  doubts 
on  the  subject  shall  at  last  be  set  aside.5 

Serve  God  heartily,  and  dispel  thy  mental  anxieties. 

Verily,  saith  Nanak,  think  of  it,  O  my  soul  from  a  strange 
land, 

Rivers  which  separate  in  their  course  can  only  meet 
again  by  chance. 

In  every  age  what  is  sweet  is  full  of  poison  ;  some  rare 
holy  man  knoweth  this. 

1  That  is,  such  fruit  is  very  transitory. 

2  The  soul  in  another  aspect.  3  When  death  comes. 

4  Which  has  migrated  from  another  body. 

5  Also  translated — But  at  last  it  shall  be  delivered  from  its  error. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  323 

Some  rare  person  who  thinketh  of  the  true  Guru  knoweth 
divine  knowledge  and  recognizeth  God. 

Without  God's  name  the  fools  and  the  heedless  wander  in 
superstition  and  are  ruined. 

They  whose  hearts  contain  not  God's  true  name  and 
service,  at  last  groan  and  weep. 

Verily,  saith  Nanak,  they  who  have  been  long  separated 
meet  by  the  True  Word. 

RAG  GUJARI 

Guru  Nanak  orders  man  to  repeat  God's  name 
and  engage  not  in  idol  worship  :— 

If  the  heart  be  made  the  scraper,1  the  Name  the  sandal, 

And  good  acts  be  mixed  with  it  as  kungu,  that  shall  be 
the  real  worship  of  God  in  the  heart. 

Worship  God  by  meditating  on  His  name,  for  without 
the  Name  there  is  no  worship. 

If  any  one  were  to  wash  his  heart  as  the  surface  of  the 
idol  is  washed, 

His  impurity  should  be  removed,  his  soul  should  become 
pure,  and  he  should  depart  to  deliverance. 

Even  beasts  have  their  merits  ;  for  the  oil-cake  they  eat 
they  give  milk,  but  the  Brahmans  make  no  return  for  the 
offerings  made  them. 

Without  the  Name  accursed  is  man's  life  and  the  acts  he 
performeth. 

God  is  near,  think  Him  not  distant  ;  He  ever  careth  for 
and  remembereth  us. 

Eat  what  He  giveth,  said  Nanak  verily. 

The  Guru's  God  is  superior  to  the  demigods  of 
the  Hindus  :— 

Brahma  sprang  from  the  lotus  of  Vishnu's  navel,  and 
having  attuned  his  throat  began  to  recite  the  Veds  ; 

Yet  he  could  not  see  God's  limits,  and  remained  in  the 
darkness  of  transmigration. 

Why  should  I  forget  the  Beloved  who  is  the  support  of 
my  soul, 

1  Ursa.     A  stone  on  which  sandal  for  worship  is  scraped. 
Y  2 


324  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Whom  the  perfect  worship,  whom  munis  serve,  on  whom 
gurus  meditate, 

Whose  lamps  are  the  sun  and  moon,  and  whose  one  light 
pervadeth  the  three  worlds  ? 

The  pious  have  light  day  and  night,  but  for  the  perverse 
there  is  only  sable  darkness. 

The  Sidh  sitteth  in  meditative  posture  and  ever  argueth, 
but  can  he  see  God  even  with  both  his  eyes  ? 

They  in  whose  hearts  there  is  light  are  awakened  by  the 
sound  of  the  Word  ;  the  true  Guru  decideth  their  arguments. 

0  Lord  of  demigods  and  men,  infinite,  unborn,  Thy  true 
palace  is  unrivalled. 

Saith  Nanak,  O  Life  of  the  world,  grant  me  peace  and  save 
me  by  Thy  favouring  glance. 

GUJARI   ASHTAPADI 

The  Guru's  heart  is  ever  filled  with  devotion  : — 

1  ask  Thee,  O  God,  for  nothing  at  any  time l  but  the  love 
of  Thy  pure  name  ;  grant  it  to  me,  O  Bright  One. 

The  chatrik  Nanak  prayeth  for  the  nectareous  water  of 
Thy  name  ;  mercifully  grant  him  to  sing  Thy  praises. 

There  is  no  happiness  without  true  devotion  : — 

O  Sire,  how  many  people  wear  religious  garbs  to  beg  and 
fill  their  bellies  ! 

O  mortal,  there  is  no  happiness  without  God's  service  ; 
without  the  Guru  pride  depart eth  not. 

O  Sire,  what  shall  I  ask  ?  Nothing  appeareth  per 
manent  ;  in  this  world  are  the  ebb  and  flow  of  life. 

Saith  Nanak,  grant  me  the  Name  as  my  wealth,  that  I 
may  wear  it  as  a  necklace  on  my  heart. 

The  Guru  only  claims  to  be  a  religious  instructor 
from  the  ranks  of  the  people  : — 

0  Sire,  I  am  not  high,  or  low,  or  middling  ;  I  am  of  God's 
people,  and  I  seek  His  protection. 

1  Ab  tab.    Also  translated — I  only  look  for  Thy  Pure  name,  not  the 
worthless  things  of  this  world. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  325 

It  is  only  they  who  are  dyed  with  the  Name  who  are 
free  from  worldly  love  and  forget  mourning,  separation, 
and  disease. 

My  brethren,  by  the  favour  of  the  Guru  God's  service  is 
obtained. 

He  in  whose  heart  is  the  Word  of  the  true  Guru,  ob- 
taineth  the  Pure  God,  heedeth  not  Death  and  oweth  him 
nothing. 

The  following  instruction  was  addressed  to  Pandit 
Ram  Chand  at  Banaras  :— 

The  saints  worship  God  with  love  ;  they  thirst  for  the 
truth,  and  hear  it  with  excessive  love. 

They  who  cry  aloud  in  trouble  obtain  rest  by  prayer  and 
heartily  loving  God. 

O  man,  repeat  God's  name  and  seek  His  protection. 

Repeat  God's  name  and  do  good  works  ;  thus  shalt  thou 
cross  over  the  ocean  of  the  world. 

O  mortal  man,  to  repeat  God's  name  under  the  Guru's 
instruction  is  a  happy  thought. 

By  mentally  repeating  God's  name  one's  mind  obtaineth 
a  treasure  of  real  divine  knowledge  and  peace. 

In  this  world  man's  fickle  mind  pursueth  wealth  and 
becometh  intoxicated  with  worldly  love  ; 

But,  on  being  imbued  with  the  Guru's  word  and  teach 
ing,  God's  name  and  service  become  firmly  implanted  in 
the  heart. 

Doubts  which  ruin  the  world  by  the  disease  of  trans 
migration,  cease  not  by  wandering  to  places  of  pilgrimage. 

The  place  of  God  is  the  abode  of  unmixed  happiness  ;  he 
who  is  truly  wise  repeateth  God's  name  as  his  penance. 

Every  one  is  saturated  with  worldly  love,  and  therefore 
endureth  the  great  pain  of  birth  and  death. 

Man  shall  be  saved  by  hastening  to  the  asylum  of  the 
true  Guru  and  repeating  God's  name  in  his  heart. 

Man's  mind  becometh  stable,  and  he  practiseth  divine 
meditation  under  the  Guru's  instruction. 

Pure  is  the  heart  which  containeth  truth  and  the  excellent 
jewel  of  divine  knowledge. 


326  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

O  man,  by  fear,  love,  and  service,  and  by  fixing  thine 
attention  on  God's  feet  shalt  thou  cross  the  terrible  ocean. 

O  God,  put  into  my  heart  Thy  name  which  is  the  purest 
of  the  pure  ;  my  body  is  in  Thy  sanctuary. 

Extricate  me,  O  God,  from  the  waves  of  avarice  and 
covetousness,  and  put  Thy  name  as  capital  into  my  heart. 

Chasten  my  mind.  Thou  spotless  One,  saith  Nanak,  I  seek 
Thy  protection. 

BIHAGRE  KI  WAR 

Reflections  on  the  Hindu  idol-worshippers  :— 

The  Hindus  have  forgotten  God,  and  are  going  the  wrong 
way. 

They  worship  according  to  the  instruction  of  Narad.1 

They  are  blind  and  dumb,  the  blindest  of  the  blind. 

The  ignorant  fools  take  stones  and  worship  them. 

0  Hindus,  how  shall  the  stone  which  itself  sinketh  carry 
you  across  ? 

RAG  WADHANS 

The  Guru  enjoyed  a  vision  of  God  in  his  dreams, 
and  on  awaking  felt  the  pain  of  separation  from 
Him:- 

The  peacocks  are  crying  with  joy  ;  O  sisters,  the  rainy 
season  hath  come. 

The  fervent  woman,  O  God,  is  enamoured  of  Thy  glances 
which  bind  her  like  a  rope. 

1  am  a  sacrifice  to  a  sight  of  Thee,  O  God  ;    to  Thy  name 
I  am  a  sacrifice. 

Since  Thou  art  my  Master  I  am  proud  ;  without  Thee 
what  pride  should  I  have  ? 

0  woman,  break  thy  couch  with  its  frame  and  thine  arm 
with  their  bracelets,2 

Since,  notwithstanding  thy  decorations,  the  Lord  is 
enamoured  of  others. 

Thou  needest  not  a  bracelet-dealer,  or  silver,  or  glass 
bracelets  : 

1  Narad's  Panchardlrd  inculcates  idolatry. 

2  Literally — break  thy  bracelets  on  thy  couch  and  along  with  them 
its  frame  and  thine  arms. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK     327 

Burn  the  arm  which  embraceth  not  the  Bridegroom. 
All  my  companions  went  to  enjoy  the  Bridegroom  ;  whose 
door  shall  I,  wretched  that  I  am,  approach  ? 

0  Lord,  I  think  myself  well  behaved  and  very  clever,  yet 
I  have  no  charm  to  please  Thee. 

1  plaited  my  tresses  with  cosmetic  and  filled  the  parting 
of  my  hair  with  vermilion  ; 

Yet  when  I  went  before  Thee  I  was  not  accepted  ;  I  shall 
die  of  excessive  grief. 

I  am  weeping ;  the  whole  world  weepeth  ;  yea,  even  the 
birds  of  the  forests  weep  for  me. 

One  thing  weepeth  not  for  me,  the  separation  which  parted 
me  from  my  Beloved. 

He  came  to  me  in  my  dreams  and  again  vanished,  upon 
which  I  wept  my  fill. 

I  cannot  go  to  Thee,  O  Beloved,  or  send  any  one  to  Thee. 

Return,  O  happy  sleep,  perhaps  I  may  again  behold  my 
Lord. 

What  shall  I  give  him,  saith  Nanak,  who  telleth  me 
of  Thee,  O  God  ? 

I  will  cut  off  my  head  and  give  it  to  him  to  sit  on  ;  without 
my  head  I  will  perform  his  service. 

Why  do  I  not  die  and  give  up  my  life  since  my  Lord  hath 
chosen  another  ? 

WADHANS  CHHANT 

The  following  was  addressed  to  the  Hindus,  who 
set  the  highest  religious  value  on  ablutions  :— 

Why  wash  the  body  defiled  by  falsehood  ? 

The  practice  of  truth  is  the  acceptable  ablution. 

When  there  is  truth  in  the  heart,  then  man  becometh  true 
and  obtaineth  the  True  One. 

Understanding  is  not  obtained  without  favourable  destiny; 
man  ruineth  himself  by  vain  babbling. 

Wherever  thou  sittest  speak  civilly,  and  fix  thine 
attention  on  God's  word. 

Why  wash  the  body  defiled  by  falsehood  ? 

When  Thou,  0  Lord,  didst  cause  me  to  speak,  I  spoke. 

Thine  ambrosial  name  is  pleasing  to  my  soul. 


328  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Thy  name  is  sweet  to  my  soul ;  a  load  of  sorrow  hath 
fallen  from  off  me. 

When  Thou  gavest  the  order,  happiness  came  and  took 
its  seat  in  my  heart. 

I  pray  to  Thee,  who  didst  create  the  world,  for  Thy  favour, 

When  Thou  didst  cause  me  to  speak,  I  spoke. 

The  Master  granteth  man  his  term  of  human  life  according 
to  his  past  acts. 

Fall  not  into  a  quarrel  by  calling  any  one  evil. 

Enter  not  into  a  quarrel  with  the  Lord  ;  thou  shalt  only 
ruin  thyself. 

Why  be  jealous  and  vex  him  with  whom  thou  associatest  ? 

Bear  what  God  giveth  thee  ;  it  is  forbidden  to  remon 
strate  ;  speak  not  nonsense  regarding  it. 

The  Master  granteth  man  his  term  of  life  according  to 
past  acts. 

God  created  all  things  and  looketh  on  them  with  favour. 

Nobody  desireth  what  is  bitter  ;  every  one  desireth  what 
is  sweet. 

Everybody  may  ask  for  what  is  sweet,  but  God  will  do 
as  He  pleaseth. 

Alms-offerings  and  various  good  works  are  not  equal  to 
the  Name. 

Nanak,  they  who  are  the  objects  of  God's  favour  from  the 
beginning,  have  obtained  His  name. 

God  created  all  things  and  looketh  on  them  with  favour. 

WADHANS  ALAHANIAN 

Some  one  inquired  why  God,  who  is  ever  present, 
is  never  visible.  The  Guru  replied  : — 

The  Lord  who  created  the  world  and  again  drew  it  within 
Himself,  is  known  by  His  omnipotence. 

Search  not  for  the  True  One  afar  off ;  He  is  in  every 
heart,  and  is  known  by  the  Guru's  instruction. 

By  the  Guru's  instruction  know  the  True  One  who  made 
creation  ;  think  Him  not  distant. 

Meditate  on  the  Name  and  thou  shalt  obtain  happiness  : 
without  the  Name  man  is  not  victorious  in  the  arena  of 
the  world. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  329 

He  who  established  the  world  knoweth  its  ways  ;  what 
shall  any  one  say  ? 

He  who  established  the  world  spread  the  net  of  mammon  ; 
accept  that  Lord  with  thy  heart. 

WADHANS  KI  WAR 

Guru  Nanak  as  usual  pays  no  attention  to  cere 
monial  :— 

Perish  the  ritual  by  which  I  forgot  my  Beloved  ! 

Nanak,  that  is  the  true  love  which  preserveth  me  in 
honour  with  the  Lord. 

RAG  SORATH 

The  Guru's  reflections  on  death  and  future 
punishment  :— 

Death  must  come  to  all  and  all  must  part  company  ; 

Go  and  ask  the  wise  if  men  shall  meet  hereafter  or  not. 

They  who  have  forgotten  my  God  shall  suffer  great  pain. 

Certainly  praise  that  true  Being, 

From  whose  glance  of  favour  happiness  ever  resulteth. 

Praise  Him,  for  He  is  Great.     He  is,  was,  and  ever  shall  be. 

Thou  alone,  O  God,  art  the  Benefactor  of  all ;  no  gifts  are 
obtained  from  man. 

What  pleaseth  Thee  taketh  place  ;  what  avail  womanly 
tears  ? 

How  many  kings  have  departed  having  exercised  sove 
reignty  over  millions  of  fortresses  on  earth  ? 

They  whom  the  world  could  not  contain  have  had  rings 
put  on  their  noses.1 

If  man  thought  of  future  torments  why  should  he  devote 
himself  to  enjoyment  ?  2 

Nanak,  man  shall  have  to  wear  on  his  neck  as  many 
chains  as  he  hath  sins. 

If  he  possess  virtues,  which  are  as  brothers  and  friends, 
his  chains  shall  be  cut  off. 

They  who  have  no  Guru  shall  not  be  accepted  hereafter  ; 
they  shall  be  beaten  and  expelled. 

1  Have  been  made  slaves. 

2  Literally— Why  should  he  eat  sweet  things  ? 


330  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  following  is  in  opposition  to  all  except  deistic 
forms  of  religion  : — 

There  appeareth  no  partner  of  Thine  ;  then  whom  shall 
I  praise  but  Thee  ? 

Nanak,  the  slave  of  slaves  representeth,  God  is  known  by 
the  Guru's  teaching. 

The  Guru's  conception  of  God  : — 

The  Unseen,  Infinite,  Inaccessible,  Inapprehensible  God 
is  not  subject  to  death  or  destiny.1 

He  is  of  no  caste,  unborn,  self -existent,  without  fear  or 
doubt. 

I  am  a  sacrifice  to  the  Truest  of  the  true. 

He  hath  no  form,  or  colour,  or  outline  ;  He  becometh 
manifest  by  the  true  Word. 

He  hath  no  mother,  father,  son,  or  kinsman  ;  He  feeleth 
not  lust,  and  hath  no  wife 

Or  family  ;  He  is  pure,  endless,  and  infinite  ;  all  lighl 
is  Thine,  O  Lord. 

God  is  concealed  in  every  heart ;  His  light  is  in  every 
heart. 

He  whose  understanding's  adamantine  doors  are  opened  by 
the  Guru's  instruction,  fixeth  his  gaze  on  the  Fearless  One. 

God  having  created  animals  made  them  subject  to  death, 
and  retained  all  contrivances  in  his  own  power. 

He  who  serveth  the  True  Guru  obtaineth  the  real  boon, 
and  is  delivered  by  repeating  the  Word. 

Truth  is  contained  in  pure  vessels  ;  few  there  are  whose 
acts  are  pure. 

By  seeking  Thy  protection,  saith  Nanak,  the  soul  blendeth 
with  the  Supreme  Soul. 

The  condition  of  a  man  who  has  no  Guru  to  com 
municate  God's  name  :— 

As  a  fish  without  water,  so  is  the  infidel — dying  of  thirst. 

If  thy  breath  be  drawn  in  vain,  O  man,  thou  shalt  die 

without  God. 

1  Also  translated — God  is  not  bound  by  the  influence  of  His  acts. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  331 

O  man,  repeat  God's  name  and  praises  ; 

But  how  shalt  thou  obtain  this  pleasure  without  the 
Guru  ?  It  is  the  Guru  who  uniteth  man  with  God. 

Meeting  the  society  of  holy  men  is  as  a  pilgrimage  for 
the  holy. 

The  advantages  of  bathing  at  the  sixty-eight  places 
of  pilgrimage  are  obtained  by  beholding  the  Guru:— 

As  a  Jogi  without  continence,  devotion,  truth,  or  content 
ment, 

So  is  the  body  without  the  Name  ;  Death  will  punish 
it  since  it  containeth  sin  in  its  heart. 

God  is  not  found  by  loving  the  infidel ;  He  is  found  by 
loving  the  true  Guru. 

Saith  Nanak,  he  who  is  absorbed  in  God's  praises  obtaineth 
the  Guru  who  is  the  dispenser  of  weal  and  woe. 

Man  should  cultivate  true  piety  in  his  own  home  :— 

The  nectareous  water  of  life,1  for  which  thou  earnest  into 
the  world,  is  with  the  Guru. 

Abandon  garbs,  disguises,  and  cleverness ;  this  water 2 
is  not  obtained  by  devotion  to  mammon. 

O  man,  remain  at  home  ;  go  nowhere,  my  friend. 

By  searching  abroad  thou  shalt  suffer  much  affliction  ; 
the  water  of  life  is  in  thy  heart  at  home. 

Forsake  vice  and  pursue  virtue  ;  thy  vice  thou  shalt 
regret. 

Thou  knowest  not  good  from  evil ;  thou  shalt  again  and 
again  wallow  in  the  mire. 

Inside  thee  is  the  great  filth  of  covetousness  and  false 
hood  ;  why  washest  thou  thine  outside  ? 

Ever  repeat  the  Pure  Name  under  the  Guru's  instruction, 
then  shall  thy  heart  be  pure. 

Abandon  covetousness  and  slander,  forswear  falsehood 
and  thou  shalt  obtain  the  true  fruit  through  the  Guru's 
instruction. 

O  God,  preserve  me  as  Thou  pleasest  ;  Nanak  praiseth 
Thy  Word. 

1  That  is,  God's  name.  2  Literally— this  fruit. 


332  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

God  is  the  invisible  Benefactor  and  is  pleased 
when  men  obey  His  behests  : — 

All  creatures  are  subject  to  destiny  from  the  beginning  ; 
there  is  none  not  subject  to  it. 

God  alone  is  not  subject  to  destiny ;  He  beholdeth  the 
work  of  His  own  omnipotence  ;  He  causeth  His  order  to 
be  executed. 

0  man,  repeat  God's  name  and  thou  shalt  be  happy  ; 
Day  and  night  worship  the  feet  of  the  Guru  the  Giver  and 

the  Enjoyer. 

Behold  Him  without  thee  as  He  is  within  thee  ;  there  is 
none  other. 

Under  the  Guru's  instruction  regard  all  men  as  equal, 
since  God's  light  is  contained  in  the  heart  of  each. 

Restrain  in  its  place  thy  wandering  mind  ;  thou  shalt 
know  how  to  do  this  on  meeting  the  Guru. 

On  beholding  the  Invisible  thou  shalt  be  astounded  ;  thou 
shalt  forget  thy  misery  and  obtain  happiness. 

Quaff  nectar  and  thou  shalt  obtain  supreme  happiness 
and  abide  in  thine  own  home. 

Sing  His  praises  who  destroyeth  the  fear  of  birth  and 
death,  and  thou  shalt  not  be  born  again. 

God x  the  First  Principle,  the  Pure  One,  is  in  all  things  ; 
of  this  there  is  no  doubt. 

Nanak  hath  obtained  God  the  Infinite  Supreme  Being 
as  his  Guru. 

SORATH   ASHTAPADI 

The  Guru  deprecates  idolatry  and  then  gives  his 
notion  of  an  ideal  Bairagi,  or  renouncer  of  the  world: — 

May  I  not  fall  under  the  power  of  mammon,  worship 
any  but  God,  or  visit  tombs  and  places  of  cremation  ! 

May  I  not  enter  the  strange  house  impelled  by  greed  ! 2 
may  the  Name  extinguish  my  greed  ! 

The  Guru  showed  me  God  in  my  own  home  ;  my  heart 
became  easily  enamoured  of  Him,  my  brethren. 

1  So/iam,  I  am  He.     Compare  '  I  am  that  I  am '. 

2  May  I  not  go   to  worship  in  a  heathen  temple  for  the  sake  of 
mammon. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  333 

Thou  art  wise,  Thou  art  far-seeing ;  it  is  only  Thou,  O 
Lord,  who  givest  wisdom. 

My  heart  hath  no  love  for  the  world  ;  it  is  tinctured  with 
its  hate  ;  the  Word  hath  penetrated  my  heart,  O  my 
mother. 

He  who  loveth  the  true  Lord  and  continually  repeateth 
His  hymns,  beholdeth  His  light  in  his  own  heart. 

Countless  persons  call  themselves  Bairagis,  but  only  he 
who  is  pleasing  to  God  is  a  Bairagi. 

Such  a  Bairagi  treasureth  the  Word  in  his  heart ;  he  is 
ever  absorbed  in  the  fear  of  God  and  serveth  the  Guru. 

He  thinketh  on  the  one  God,  his  mind  wavereth  not,  and 
he  restraineth  its  wanderings. 

He  is  intoxicated  with  God's  love,  ever  absorbed  in 
divine  pleasure,  and  he  singeth  the  praises  of  the  True  One. 

If  the  mind,  which  is  like  the  wind,  dwell  even  for  a  little 
on  the  name  of  Him  who  liveth  at  ease,  happiness  shall 
result,  my  brethren. 

My  tongue,  eyes,  and  ears  are  tinctured  by  the  True  One  ; 
Thou,  O  Lord,  hast  extinguished  the  fire  that  con 
sumed  me. 

He  is  a  Bairagi  who  abandoneth  desires  and  assumeth  an 
attitude  of  contemplation  in  his  own  home. 

He  who  is  filled  with  the  alms  of  the  Name  is  contented 
and  quaff eth  nectar  at  his  ease. 

As  long  as  there  is  a  particle  of  worldly  love,  there  is  no 
contempt  of  the  world. 

All  the  world  is  Thine,  O  Lord  ;  Thou  alone  art  the  Giver  ; 
there  is  none  other,  my  brethren. 

Perverse  creatures  ever  abide  in  misery  ;  God  conferreth 
greatness  on  the  holy. 

Infinite,  endless,  inaccessible,  inapprehensible,  Thy  worth 
cannot  be  obtained  by  speaking. 

Sun  Samadh,1  Mahaparamarath,2  and  Lord  of  the  three 
worlds  are  names  of  Thine. 

All  animals  born  in  the  world  have  their  destinies  recorded 
on  their  foreheads,  and  must  bear  what  is  destined  for  them. 

1  He  who  is  in  deep  and  silent  meditation. 

2  The  great  supreme  Being. 


334  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

It  is  God  who  causeth  man  to  perform  good  acts  and 
maketh  them  steadfast  in  His  service. 

When  man  feareth  God,  the  filth  of  his  soul  and  body 
departeth,  and  God  Himself  giveth  him  divine  knowledge: 

Only  he  who  hath  tasted  it,  knoweth  its  flavour,  as  a 
dumb  man  enjoyeth  sweets.1 

How  describe  the  Indescribable,  my  brethren  ?  Ever 
walk  according  to  His  will. 

If  God  cause  man  to  meet  the  generous  Guru,  understand 
ing  is  produced;  he  who  hath  no  Guru  hath  no  under 
standing. 

Walk  as  God  causeth  you  to  walk,  my  brethren  ;  what 
other  device  can  man  adopt  ? 

Some  are  led  astray  in  error,  others  love  God's  service  ; 
Thy  play,  O  Lord,  is  incomprehensible. 

Men  obtain  the  result  of  what  Thou  hast  applied  them  to  ; 
Thou  leadest  them  by  Thine  order. 

We  can  serve  Thee  if  we  have  anything  of  our  own  ;  our 
souls  and  bodies  are  Thine. 

God  is  merciful  to  him  who  hath  met  the  true  Guru  ;  the 
ambrosial  Name  is  his  support. 

He  to  whom  the  attributes  of  God,  who  dwelleth  in  heaven, 
become  manifest,  shall  obtain  divine  knowledge  and  medita- 
tion  from  them. 

God's  name  is  pleasing  to  him  ;  he  uttereth  it  himself 
and  causeth  others  to  utter  it  ;  and  he  only  speaketh  of  the 
Real  Thing. 

The  Deep  and  Profound  is  obtained  by  the  instruction 
of  the  Guru  and  priest  ;  without  such  instruction  the 
world  would  go  mad. 

Nanak,  he  whose  heart  is  pleased  with  the  True  One  is 
a  perfect  Bairagi,  and  naturally  fortunate. 

The  following  was  the  Guru's  instruction  to  a 
Brahman  :— 

Hopes  and  desires  are  entanglements,  my  brother  ;  thy 
religious  ceremonies  are  also  entanglements. 

1  The  dumb  man  eating  sweets  enjoys  a  pleasure  which  is  incom 
municable. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  335 

Man,  my  brother,  is  born  in  the  world  as  the  result  of 
bad  and  good  acts  ; l  he  perisheth  when  he  forgetteth  the 
Name. 

Maya  bewitcheth  the  world,  my  brother ;  all  thy  religious 
ceremonies  are  worthless. 

Hear  me,  thou  Pandit  with  the  religious  ceremonies- 
Meditation  on  the  Supreme  Being  is  the  only  religious 
ceremony,  my  brother,  from  which  happiness  is  derived. 

Thou  standest  chattering  of  the  Shastars  and  Veds,  my 
brother,  and  makest  it  a  worldly  affair. 

The  filth  of  sin  which  is  within  thee  shall  not  be  washed 
away  by  hypocrisy. 

Like  the  hypocrite,  the  spider  is  ruined  when  her  web  is 
blown  by  the  wind  and  she  falleth  headlong. 

By  evil  inclinations  many  are  ruined  ;  by  love  of  mammon 
they  are  lost. 

Without  the  true  Guru  the  Name  is  not  obtained,  and 
without  the  Name  doubt  depart eth  not. 

My  brother,  serve  the  true  Guru  and  thou  shalt  be  happy, 
and  released  from  transmigration. 

True  peace  is  obtained  from  the  Guru.  When  the  mind 
is  pure,  man  shall  be  absorbed  in  the  True  One. 

He  who  serveth  the  Guru  knoweth  the  way  ;  without  the 
Guru  it  cannot  be  found. 

What  religious  acts  can  he  perform  who  hath  greed  in 
his  heart  ?  He  uttereth  falsehood  and  eat  eth  poison. 

0  Pandit,  if  thou  churn  coagulated  milk,  butter  shall  be 
produced ; 

If  thou  churn  water,  thou  shalt  obtain  but  water  ;  this  is 
the  way  of  the  world. 

The  unseen  God  dwelleth  in  every  heart,  yet  without  the 
Guru  man  is  ruined  by  wandering. 

Maya  hath  bound  this  world  on  all  sides  with  her 
cable  : 

Without  a  guru  its  knot  cannot  be  untied  ;  man  groweth 
weary  in  striving. 

1  If  a  man's  acts  were  totally  bad,  he  could  not  obtain  human 
birth.     Human  birth  is  only  obtained  when  good  and  bad  acts  arc  in 
equipoise. 


336  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

This  world  is  led  astray  by  superstition  ;  words  are  of  no 
avail. 

By  meeting  the  Guru,  my  brother,  the  fear  of  God  entereth 
the  heart.  To  die  in  the  fear  of  God  is  man's  true  destiny. 

In  God's  court  the  Name  is  superior  to  ablutions,  alms, 
and  similar  religious  acts. 

He  who,  by  the  Guru's  goad,  hath  driven  the  Name  into 
his  heart  to  abide  there,  shall  become  free  from  hypocrisy. 

Man  is  a  banker's  shop,  the  unrivalled  Name  is  his  capital. 

The  merchant  who  meditateth  on  the  Guru's  instruction 
secureth  the  capital. 

Nanak,  blest  are  the  merchants  who  on  meeting  the  Guru 
engage  in  such  traffic. 

Deprecation  of  idolatry  : — 

My  brethren,  you  worship  goddesses  and  gods  ;  what  can 
you  ask  them  ?  and  what  can  they  give  you  ? 

Even  if  a  stone  be  washed  with  water,  it  will  again  sink 
in  it. 

RAG  DHANASARI 

The  Guru  reposes  his  hopes  in  God  and  confirms 
his  devotion  to  Him  : — 

My  soul  is  in  fear  ;   to  whom  shall  I  complain  ? 

I  have  served  Him  who  causeth  us  to  forget  our  sorrows  ; 
He  is  ever  and  ever  the  Giver. 

My  Lord  is  ever  young  ;    He  is  ever  and  ever  the  Giver. 

Night  and  day  serve  the  Lord,  and  in  the  end  He  will 
deliver  thee. 

Hark,  hark,  my  friend,1  thus  shalt  thou  cross  over. 

O  Merciful  One,  by  Thy  name  shall  I  cross  over  ;  I  am 
ever  a  sacrifice  unto  Thee. 

In  the  whole  world  there  is  only  one  True  Being  ;  there  is 
no  second. 

He  on  whom  God  looketh  with  favour  will  serve  Him. 

How  shall  I,  O  Beloved,  abide  without  Thee  ? 

Grant  me  the  favour  to  remain  attached  to  Thy  name. 

1  Literally — woman. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  337 

There  is  none  other,  O  my  Beloved,  to  whom  I  may  go 
to  address  myself. 

I  serve  my  Lord,  I  beg  from  no  other  : 

Nanak  is  His  slave  and  ever  a  sacrifice  unto  Him. 

O  Lord,  I  am  ever  a  sacrifice  to  Thy  name,  for  which  I 
could  bear  to  be  cut  to  pieces. 

Life  is  but  brief,  and  man  ought  to  make  the  best 
use  of  it : — 

We  men  live  but  for  a  moment  ;  we  know  not  if  we  shall 
live  the  space  of  two  gharis. 

Nanak  representeth,  serve  Him  to  whom  belong  our  .souls 
and  lives. 

O  fool,  consider  how  many  days  thy  life  shall  last. 

0  Lord,  my  breath,  body,  and  soul  are  all  Thine  ;  Thou 
art  very  dear  to  me. 

The  poet  Nanak  thus  speaketh  ;  O  True  Cherisher, 

If  Thou  give  nothing  to  any  one,  what  pledge  can  he 
give  Thee  ?  * 

Nanak  representeth,  he  who  is  destined  from  the  beginning 
to  obtain  something  shall  obtain  it. 

The  deceitful  person  who,  instead  of  thinking  of  God's 
name,  practiseth  deceit, 

Shall  be  led  captive  to  the  gate  of  Death,  and  shall  then 
as  he  is  led  along  regret  lost  opportunities. 

As  long  as  we  are  in  this  world,  Nanak,  hear  somewhat 
and  speak  somewhat  of  God. 

1  have  searched  and  found  no  resting-place  ;    wherefore 
in  the  midst  of  life  be  in  death. 

The  Guru  moralized  as  follows  on  seeing  a  thief 
arrested  :— 

If  a  thief  praise  the  magistrate,  the  mind  of  the  latter  is 
not  pleased  thereby  ; 

If  he  revile  the  magistrate,  it  cannot  displease  him  in  the 
least. 

Nobody  will  be  surety  for  a  thief. 

1  Man  can  obtain  nothing  from  God  except  as  the  result  of  His 
favour.  If  man  receive  nothing  from  God,  no  surety  is  needed. 


338  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

How  can  what  a  thief  doeth  be  good  ? 

Hear,  O  fool,  dog,  and  liar, 

The  True  One  knoweth  thee,  O  thief,  without  thy  speaking. 

A  thief  may  be  well  dressed,  a  thief  may  be  ingenious, 

Yet  he  is  only  worth  a  double  paisa,  the  price  of  a  bad 

rupee. 

If  thou  put  a  bad  coin  with  others, 

It  will  be  found  counterfeit  on  being  assayed. 

As  man  acteth,  so  shall  be  his  reward  : 

He  himself  soweth  and  he  himself  eateth  the  fruit. 

Even  though  man  praise  himself, 

Yet  will  he  act  according  to  his  understanding. 

If  he  tell  hundreds  of  lies  to  conceal  the  truth, 

He  shall  still  be  false  even  though  the  whole  world  call  him 

good. 

If  it  please  Thee,  even  a  fool  is  acceptable. 
Nanak,  God  is  clever  to  know  man's  secret. 

A  Brahman,  a  Qazi,  and  a  Jogi  entered  into  dis 
cussion  with  the  Guru,  and  he  gave  them  the 
following  instruction  : — 

The  body  is  the  paper,  the  mind  the  order  written  thereon. 
Silly  man  readeth  not  the  lines  of  destiny  on  his  forehead. 
In  God's  court  three  destinies l  are  engraved. 
Lo  !  what  is  counterfeit  is  there  of  no  avail. 
Nanak,  if  there  be  sterling  silver  within  us, 
Everybody  will  say  that  it  is  real. 
The  Qazi  telleth  lies  and  eateth  filth. 
The  Brahman  taketh  life  and  then  batheth. 
The  ignorant  Jogi  knoweth  not  the  way  of  union  with  God,— 
The  whole  three  ruin  the  world.2 
He  is  a  Jogi  who  knoweth  the  way  to  God, 
And  who   by   the  Guru's   favour    only  recognizeth  the 
One. 

He  is  a  Qazi  who  turneth  away  men  from  the  world, 
And  who  by  the  Guru's  favour  while  alive  is  dead. 

1  Superior,  medium,  and  inferior  destinies. 

2  Literally — the  three  form  the  boundary  of  the  wilderness,  that  is, 
preach  the  whole  of  what  ruins  mortals. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  339 

He  is  a  Brahman  who  reflecteth  upon  God  : 
He  shall  be  saved  himself,  and  shall  save  all  his  relations. 
Wise  is  he  who  cleanseth  his  heart  : 
A  Musalman  is  he  who  cleanseth  his  impurity. 
He  who  readeth  and  acteth  on  what  he  readeth,  is  accept 
able. 

He  shall  bear  on  his  forehead  the  stamp  of  God's  court. 

DHANASARI  ASHTAPADI 

God  is  pleased  with  love  and  service,  not  with 
idolatry  or  pilgrimages  :— 

God  maketh  Himself  manifest  and  beholdeth  men. 

He  is  not  pleased  by  obstinate  penance  nor  by  many 
religious  garbs. 

He  who  fashioned  the  vessel  of  the  body  and  poured  into  it 
His  ambrosial  gifts, 

Will  only  be  satisfied  with  man's  love  and  service. 

They  who,  though  ever  reading,  forget  God's  name  shall 
suffer  punishment, 

And  notwithstanding  their  great  cleverness  undergo  trans 
migration. 

He  who  repeateth  the  Name  and  thus  eateth  the  food  of 
fear, 

Shall  become  a  pious  worshipper  and  be  absorbed  in  God. 

He  who  worshippeth  stones,  visiteth  places  of  pilgrimage, 
dwelleth  in  forests, 

And  renounceth  the  world,  wandereth  and  wavereth. 

How  can  his  filthy  mind  become  pure  ? 

He  who  meeteth  the  True  One  shall  obtain  honour. 

DHANASARI  CHHANT 

They  who  utter  falsehood  are  unhappy  :— 
If  a  woman  please  her  Spouse,  she  shall  be  honoured  in 

His  house  : 

If  she  utter  falsehood  it  is  of  no  avail : 

If  she  utter  falsehood  it  is  of  no  avail  ;  her  Spouse  will  not 

look  at  her. 

Without  merits,  forgotten  by  her  Spouse,  and  false,  painful 

are  her  nights. 

Z  2 


340  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

RAG  SUHI 
Man  ought  to  practise  devotion  at  home  : — 

Man  dwelleth  not  at  home,  but  wandereth  abroad. 

Why  doth  he  forsake  ambrosia  and  eat  poison  ? 

Embrace  such  knowledge,  O  my  soul, 

As  may  make  thee  a  servant  of  the  True  One. 

Although  every  one  speaketh  of  divine  knowledge  and 
meditation, 

Yet  the  whole  world  wandereth  bound  by  its  own  entangle 
ments. 

He  who  performeth  service  is  a  servant  of  Him 

Who  pervadeth  the  water,  the  dry  land,  the  nether  regions, 
and  the  firmament. 

I  am  not  good  ;  there  is  nobody  bad. 

The  representation  of  Nanak  is — he  who  thinketh  so  is  saved. 

SUHI  ASHTAPADI 

The  Guru  depreciates  himself,  and  utters  a  prayer 
to  the  Almighty  : — 

In  me  are  all  demerits  ;  I  have  not  one  merit  : 

How  shall  I  meet  my  Spouse  ? 

No  beauty  or  lustrous  eyes  are  mine, 

No  family,  no  manners,  or  sweet  speech. 

The  woman  who  cometh  adorned  with  divine  knowledge, 

Shall  be  a  happy  wife  if  she  please  her  Spouse. 

0  God,  mercifully  attach  her  to  Thy  feet 
Who  hath  neither  beauty  nor  good  features, 
Who  remembereth  not  God  at  the  last  moment, 
Who  hath  no  wisdom,  understanding,  or  cleverness. 

The  woman,  who  though  very  wise  pleaseth  not  her  Spouse, 
Who  attached  to  mammon  is  lost  in  superstition, 
Shall,  if  she  dismiss  her  pride,  be  absorbed  in  her  Beloved, 
And  obtain  Him  who  is  her  nine  treasures. 

1  suffered  through  being  separated  from  God  in  many 
births. 

O  Beloved  Sovereign,  take  my  hand. 

Saith  Nanak,  the  Lord  is,  was,  and  shall  be. 

The  Beloved  will  enjoy  her  who  is  pleasing  to  Him. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  341 

Miscellaneous  instruction  of  the  Guru  :— 

False  and  fleeting  is  the  dye  of  the  safflower,  lasting  for 
only  four  days. 

Without  the  Name  man  wandereth  in  error  ;  the  evil 
passions x  rob  him,  false  that  he  is. 

He  who  is  tinctured  with  the  True  One  shall  not  be  born 
again. 

How  canst  thou  who  art  dyed  with  the  love  of  God,  be 
otherwise  dyed  ? 

Serve  the  Guru  who  giveth  God's  dye,  and  apply  thy  heart 
to  the  True  One. 

Even  though  man  wander  in  every  direction,  he  shall  not 
obtain  spiritual  wealth  without  good  fortune. 

If  robbed  by  vice  thou  wander  in  the  forest  like  a  huntsman, 
thou  shalt  not  find  shelter. 

They  whom  the  Guru  protecteth  are  saved  ;  their  hearts 
are  dyed  with  his  instruction. 

They  who  wear  white  clothes,  but  whose  hearts  are  filthy 
and  hard, 

Never  utter  the  Name,  but  like  thieves  become  absorbed 
in  mammon. 

They  who  know  not  their  own  humble  origin  are  beasts  and 
cattle. 

Man  though  ever  and  ever  engaged  in  pleasures,  ever  and 
ever  desireth  more  enjoyment. 

He  thinketh  not  of  the  Creator,  so  misery  attacheth  to  him 
again  and  again. 

How  shall  he  in  whose  heart  the  Dispenser  ot  weal  and  woe 
I  dwelleth,  want  for  anything  ? 

They  whose  accounts  are  not  adjusted  shall  be  summoned  ; 
j  the  executioner  shall  smite  them  on  their  heads. 

When  the  account  is  called  for  it  must  be  given  ;  it  will  be 
i  examined  and  considered. 

Man  shall  be  saved  by  his  love  for  the  True  One  ;  the 
Pardoner  will  pardon  him. 

If  he  make  any  one  else  than  God  his  friend,  he  shall  die 
and  be  blended  with  the  dust. 

1  Literally— thags. 


342  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Man  beholding  various  phases  of  life  is  led  astray,  and 
going  astray  suffereth  transmigration  ; 

But  he  shall  be  emancipated  by  a  favouring  glance  from 
God,  and  God  will  blend  him  with  Himself. 

0  listless  man  who  possessest  not  divine  knowledge,  search 
not  for  it  without  the  Guru. 

Man  is  ruined  by  allowing  himself  to  be  drawn  in  different 
directions  ;  the  effects  of  both  evil  and  good  acts  remain  with 
him. 

The  god  of  death  spieth  every  one  who  is  without  the 
Word,  and  who  feeleth  not  the  fear  of  God. 

He  who  made  and  sustained  the  world  giveth  support  to  all. 

Why  forget  Him  who  is  ever  and  ever  the  Benefactor  ? 

May  Nanak  not  forget  the  Name  which  is  the  support  of 
the  supportless ! 

Sum  CHHANT 

The  following  is  now  sung  by  Sikhs  at  marriages 
and  other  festivities  : — 

Friends l  have  come  to  my  house  : 

The  True  One  hath  caused  me  to  meet  them. 

When  it  pleased  God  He  caused  me  to  meet  them  without 
mine  own  effort ;  by  meeting  the  elect  happiness  is  found. 

1  have  obtained  what  I  set  my  heart  on. 

When  I  meet  the  saints  my  soul  is  happy  ;  night  and  day 
my  hearth  and  home  look  bright. 

The  unbeaten  sound  of  the  five  musical  instruments 
playeth  since  saints  have  come  to  my  house. 

Come,  beloved  friends, 

Sing  a  song  of  rejoicing,  O  women. 

Sing  a  true  song  of  rejoicing  ;  then  shall  you  be  pleasing 
to  God  and  rejoice  through  the  four  ages.2 

The  Spouse  hath  come  to  my  house,  the  place  is  adorned 
by  Him.  His  instruction  hath  adjusted  mine  affairs. 

I  applied  the  great  salve  of  divine  knowledge  to  mine  eyes, 
and  saw  God's  form  which  filleth  the  three  worlds. 

1  Saints  are  meant. 

2  Also  translated — Then  shall  you  be  pleasing  to  God  to  whom 
songs  of  rejoicing  are  sung  through  the  four  ages. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK     343 

Meet  me,  O  companions,  sing  with  zest  a  song  of  rejoicing, 
since  my  Spouse  hath  come  home  to  me. 

My  soul  and  body  are  bedewed  with  nectar, 

And  in  my  heart  is  the  jewel  of  love  : 

In  my  heart  is  the  precious  jewel,  and  I  ponder  on  the 
Primal  Essence. 

To  animals  Thou  art  the  opulent  Giver l ;  Thou  givest  to 
every  individual. 

Thou  art  wise  ;  Thou  possessest  divine  knowledge  ;  Thou 
art  the  searcher  of  hearts  ;  Thou  Thyself  didst  create  the 
world. 

Listen,  my  friends,  the  charming  Bridegroom  hath  fasci 
nated  me,  and  my  soul  and  body  are  bedewed  with  nectar. 

O  Supreme  Spirit  of  the  world, 

True  is  Thy  play  : 

True  is  Thy  play,  O  Incomprehensible  and  Infinite  One  ; 
who  can  cause  us  to  understand  but  Thee  ? 

Without  Thee  how  many  can  call  themselves  Sidhs, 
Strivers,  or  wise  ? 

The  Guru  hath  stayed  the  soul  which  was  maddened  with 
the  misery  of  death. 

Nanak,  he  who  removeth  his  demerits  by  the  Word, 
obtaineth  God  through  his  aggregate  of  merits. 

The  Guru  is  waiting  for  God  as  a  fond  wife  for 
her  husband  :— 

Come,  my  Friend,  that  I  may  behold  Thee. 

Standing  at  my  door  I  am  watching  for  Thee  ;  in  my 
heart  is  excessive  longing  ; 

In  my  heart  is  excessive  longing  ;  hear  me,  my  Lord,  I 
have  reliance  on  Thee. 

On  beholding  Thee  I  have  become  free  from  desire  ;  the 
pain  of  birth  and  death  is  at  an  end. 

In  all  things  is  Thy  light  ;  from  it  art  Thou  known,  but 
Thou  art  found  by  love. 

Nanak,  I  am  a  sacrifice  to  the  Friend  ;  the  True  One  is 
found  when  my  mind  cometh  home. 

1  Also  translated— animals  beg  of  Thee. 


344  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

SUHI  KI  WAR 
God  will  assay  man's  qualities  : — 

Nanak  when  a  man  bringeth  and  putteth  money  in  his 
house  he  examineth  it ; 

So  in  the  Lord's  court  the  counterfeit  and  the  genuine  shall 
be  tested. 

Bathing  at  places  of  pilgrimage  only  renders  men 
more  impure  : — 

Men  of  evil  minds  and  thievish  bodies  go  to  bathe  at 
places  of  pilgrimage. 

One  part  of  their  filth  departeth  by  bathing,  but  they  con 
tract  double  more.1 

A  gourd  may  be  externally  washed,  but  it  containeth 
undiluted  poison  within. 

Holy  men  are  good  without  bathing ;  a  thief  is  always 
a  thief  whether  he  bathe  or  not. 

Men  should  traffic  in  God's  name  from  their 
earliest  years  : — 

There  are  two  lamps  for  fourteen  shops,2 
And  as  many  shopkeepers  as  souls  : 
When  the  shops  are  opened,  the  traffic  beginneth. 
Every  one  who  cometh  into  the  world  is  transient. 
Religion  is  the  broker  who  putteth  a  mark  on  the  goods. 
Nanak,  they  who  profit  by  the  Name  are  acceptable. 
For  those  who  obtain  the  greatness  of  the  true  Name 
Gratulations  resound  on  their  arrival  at  their  own  homes. 

In  evil  association  there  is  no  hope  of  amendment:— 

It  is  the  habit  of  thieves,  adulterers,  prostitutes,  and 
pimps 

To  contract  friendship  with  the  irreligious  and  dine  with 
them. 

They  take  no  thought  for  God's  praises  ;  the  devil  ever 
dwelleth  in  their  hearts. 

1  Their  bodily  filth  departs,  but  their  mental  filth  and  hypocrisy 
increase. 

2  There  are  the  sun  and  the  moon  for  the  fourteen  worlds. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK     345 

If  sandal  be  rubbed  on  a  donkey,  he  will  still  roll  in  the 
dust. 

Nanak,  by  spinning  falsehood  the  web  of  falsehood  is 
woven. 

False  is  the  cloth  therefrom  and  its  measurement ;  false 
the  raiment  and  the  pride  thereof. 

The  repetition  of  God's  name  is  superior  to  the  call  of  the 
Muazzin l  or  the  horn  of  the  Jogi, 

Whether  the  Muazzin  repeateth  the  call  to  prayer  or  the 
Jogi  bloweth  horns,  and  the  bards  join  the  chorus, 

Some  are  givers,  others  are  beggars  ;  to  me  Thy  name 
alone  is  acceptable. 

Nanak,  I  am  a  sacrifice  to  those  who  have  heard  and 
accepted  it. 

The  following  sloks  in  the  Suhi  ki  War  contain 
miscellaneous  instruction  and  reflections  of  the 
Guru  :— 

I  am  a  sacrifice  to  those  whose  words  consist  of  God's 
praises. 

Every  night  is  for  the  married  woman  ;  let  me  who  am 
separated  from  Thee,  O  God,  obtain  even  one  night. 

They  who  have  not  obtained  the  sweets  of  love  or  the 
delights  of  the  Bridegroom, 

Are  like  the  guest  of  an  empty  house  who  goeth  as  he 
cometh. 

A  curse  on  the  lives  of  those  who  eat  to  distend  their  bellies 

Nanak,  without  the  true  Name  all  love  is  turned  into  hate. 

You  say,  0  Pandits—1  As  darkness  is  dispelled  when  a 
lamp  is  lighted, 

4  So  by  reading  the  Veds  sinful  inclinations  are  destroyed.' 

/  say,  l  When  the  sun  riseth,  the  moon  is  not  seen. 

4  Where  divine  knowledge  appeareth  mental  ignorance  is 
dispelled. 

4  You,  O  Pandits,  read  the  Veds  and  study  them, 

4  But  the  reading  of  the  Veds  is  a  secular  occupation. 

<  Without  understanding  this  every  one  shall  be  disgraced, 
1  Who  calls  to  prayer  from  the  top  of  a  mosque. 


346  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

'  Nanak,  the  man  who  listeneth  to  the  Guru's  instruction 
shall  be  saved. 

'  They  who  delight  not  in  the  Word  and  who  love  not 
God's  name, 

'  Speak  offensively  with  their  tongues,  and  shall  ever  be 
disgraced. 

'  Nanak,  they  act  according  to  their  destiny  which  none 
can  erase.' 

RAG  BILAWAL 

It  would  not  redound  to  God's  glory  to  call  Him 
by  the  names  of  the  Hindu  incarnations. 

Thou  art  an  emperor  ;  if  I  call  Thee  lord,  how  will  that 
be  to  Thy  greatness  ? 

If  Thou  inspire  me,  I  will  praise  Thee,  O  Lord  ;  I  am 
foolish  myself  and  can  say  nothing. 

Give  me  understanding  to  sing  Thy  praises, 

That  I  may  abide  in  truth  according  to  Thy  will. 

All  that  there  is  cometh  from  Thee  ;  Thou  lovest  all. 

I  know  not  Thy  limit,  O  my  Lord;  what  skill  have  I,  a 
blind  man  ? 

What  shall  I  say  ?  while  talking  I  see  that  I  cannot  describe 
the  Indescribable. 

I  speak  as  it  pleaseth  Thee;  and  this  is  only  in  the  smallest 
degree  for  Thy  greatness. 

Among  so  many  dogs  I,  a  strange  dog,  bark  for  my  belly's 
sake. 

Even  though  Nanak  perform  no  service,  he  will  still  bear 
his  Master's  name 

The  Guru's  faith  in  God. 

My  body  I  have  clothed  with  a  Qalandar's  dress,  I  have 
turned  my  heart  into  a  temple,  and  I  bathe  in  that  place  of 
pilgrimage. 

The  one  Word  dwelleth  in  my  heart,  and  I  shall  not  be  born 
again. 

My  soul  is  pierced  by  the  Compassionate  One ;  O  my 
mother, 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK      347 

Who  knoweth  another's  pain  ? 
I  think  of  no  one  but  God. 

0  inaccessible,  imperceptible,  unseen,  and  boundless  God, 
take  thought  for  me. 

Thou  fillest  sea  and  land,  the  upper  and  lower  regions  ; 
Thy  light  is  in  every  heart. 

My  faculty  of  learning  and  my  understanding  are  all 
Thine  ;  I  have  built  my  heart  as  a  temple  to  Thee. 

1  know  none  but  Thee,  O  my  Lord  ;    I  ever  sing  Thy 
praises. 

Men  and  lower  animals  all  seek  Thy  protection  ;  all 
anxiety  for  them  resteth  with  Thee. 

What  pleaseth  Thee  is  good  ;  this  is  Nanak's  sole  repre 
sentation. 

LUNAR  DAYS 

The  Guru  counsels  disregard  of  mammon  :— 

What  name  shall  I  repeat  except  that  of  the  Lord  of  the 
world  ? 

Under  the  Guru's  instruction  God's  court  is  seen  in  one's 
own  home. 

They  who  are  attached  to  mammon  shall  regret  it ; 

They  shall  go  in  fetters  to  Death's  gate  and  suffer  trans 
migration. 

What  have  they  brought,  and  what  shall  they  take 
away  ? 

They  shall  receive  blows  from  the  god  of  death  on  the 
head. 

No  one  can  be  emancipated  without  the  Guru's  instruction. 

No  one  can  be  saved  by  the  practice  of  hypocrisy. 

Heartfelt  devotion  is  superior  to  all  offerings  and 
ablutions  :— 

On  the  tenth  day  of  the  lunar  month  repeat  the  Name 
as  your  offerings  and  ablutions. 

Night  and  day  lave  yourselves  in  the  attributes  and 
knowledge  of  the  True  One. 


348  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

When  doubts  and  fears  have  fled,  impurity  shall  not  cling 
toj:he  true  heart. 

A  frail  cord  will  soon  snap  : 

Know  that  the  world  is  as  the  cord. 

Fix  thy  mind  firmly  on  the  True  One  and  thou  shalt  be 
happy. 

RAMKALI 

In  his  devotional  enthusiasm  the  Guru  indulges 
in  self-depreciation  : — 

Some  read  the  Veds,1  some  the  Purans  : 

Some  repeat  names  2  on  their  rosaries  and  meditate  on 
them. 

I  know  not  and  never  knew  anything  ;  I  recognize  only 
Thy  name. 

I  know  not,  O  God,  what  my  lot  shall  be. 

I  am  ignorant  and  devoid  of  divine  knowledge ;  O  Lord, 
I  seek  Thy  protection,  mercifully  preserve  my  self-respect 
and  honour. 

The  mind  sometimes  riseth  and  sometimes  falleth  to  the 
nether  regions.3 

The  greedy  mind  remaineth  not  still ;  it  searcheth  for 
mammon  in  all  directions. 

Man  entered  the  world  doomed  to  die ;  yet  he  amasseth 
wealth  for  long  life. 

While  others  depart,  O  Lord,  we  see  the  burning  fire 
approaching  us  also. 

No  one  hath  a  friend,  no  one  hath  a  brother,  no  one 
hath  a  father  or  mother. 

Nanak  representeth,  if  Thou  give  Thy  name,  it  will  assist 
me  at  the  last  hour. 

After  the  death  of  a  Hindu  a  lamp  is  kept  burning 
for  several  days  to  light  the  soul  of  the  departed  to 
the  next  world.  It  is  then  floated  on  water.  Guru 
Nanak  indites  the  following  homily  on  the  custom  : — 

1  Literally — Sanskrit. 

2  Some  invoke  gods  and  goddesses. 

3  Sometimes  man  is  elated  and  sometimes  depressed. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  349 

Adore  God1  in  the  following  way- 
Make  thy  body  into  a  raft 2  by  which  thou  mayest  cross 
over. 

Put  on  it  the  fire  of  thy  heart, 

And  the  lamp  shall  burn  untiringly  day  and  night. 

Float  such  a  lamp  on  the  water 

As  shall  procure  thee  all  knowledge. 

The  knowledge  of  God  is  a  good  material ; 

God  will  accept  a  lamp  made  out  of  it. 

Make  good  deeds  thy  wheel,  and  mould  thy  lamp  on  it ; 

It  will  accompany  thee  in  this  world  and  the  next. 

When  God  looketh  on  him  with  an  eye  of  favour, 

Some  rare  pious  man  knoweth  how  to  make  this  lamp. 

This  lamp  shall  be  permanent  in  his  heart, 

And  shall  not  be  extinguished  when  he  dieth. 

Float  such  a  lamp  on  the  water 

As  shall  not  be  shaken  or  put  out  by  the  wind, 

And  by  whose  light  God's  throne  may  be  seen. 

Khatris,  Brahmans,  Sudars,  and  Vaisyas 

Find  not  such  a  lamp  by  thousands  of  researches  and 
calculations  ; 

But  if  any  of  them  light  such  a  lamp  as  I  have  described, 

He  shall,  O  Nanak,  obtain  deliverance. 

The  following  was  addressed  to  a  Jogi  : — 

The  Jogi  runneth  about  begging  for  clothes  and  food  ; 

He  burneth  with  the  pangs  of  hunger,  and  he  shall  also 
have  misery  hereafter. 

He  who  hath  not  received  the  Guru's  instruction,  loseth 
his  honour  by  his  own  stupidity. 

Some  rare  man  obtaineth  God's  service  by  the  Guru's 
teaching. 

The  Jogi  who  knoweth  the  way  dwelleth  in  a  peaceful 
home. 

He  who  is  satisfied  with  the  alms  of  love  and  the  Word 
beholdeth  all  men  with  an  equal  eye. 

1  Literally — fix  thine  attention  on  God. 

2  The  little  raft  on  which  the  lamp  is  placed. 


350  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  five  oxen l  draw  the  carriage  of  the  body : 

The  whole  goeth  well  by  the  contrivance  of  God. 

When  the  axle  breaketh,  the  carriage  turneth  over  ; 

Its  timber  is  scattered  and  it  is  burnt  in  the  fire. 

Meditate,  O  Jogi,  on  the  Guru's  instruction. 

Consider  weal  and  woe,  union  and  separation  of  friends 
as  the  same. 

Let  the  Name  and  meditation  on  the  Guru's  instruction 
be  thy  dainties.2 

The  wall  of  thy  body  shall  remain  permanent 3  by  repeat 
ing  God's  name. 

By  the  practice  of  sahaj  jog  thou  shalt  be  freed  from 
entanglements, 

And  shalt  repress  lust  and  wrath  under  the  Guru's  ad 
monition. 

Make  the  protection  of  God  and  the  Guru  earrings  for 
thy  heart. 

Nanak,  it  is  by  devotion  to  God  man  shall  be  saved. 

ASHTAPADI 

God  is  in  man's  heart  and  ought  not  to  be  sought 
for  elsewhere  : — 

O  Nanak,  may  I  obtain  the  greatness  of  the  Name  !  there 
is  no  religious  work  superior  to  it. 

If  man  go  elsewhere  to  ask  for  what  he  hath  at  home,  he 
shall  be  received  with  reproaches. 

It  is  said  that  Guru  Nanak  on  his  excursion  to 
the  Himalayas  met  a  Jogi  called  Chetnath,  who 
reproached  him  with  not  being  a  Jogi,  a  Sanyasi,  or 
a  saint,  but  only  a  pretended  guru.  The  following 
was  Guru  Nanak' s  reply  : — 

0  Jogi,  thou  buildest  a  hut  and  preach est  to  the  world  : 
If,  abandoning  thy  devotional  attitudes,  thou  beg  from  door 

to  door,  how  shalt  thou  obtain  the  True  One  ? 

1  The  five  organs  of  action. 

2  Sweets  are  given  to  Jogis  at  the  time  of  their  reception  into  a 
monastery. 

3  There  is  a  belief  that  the  Jogis  live  for  hundreds  of  years  as  the 
result  of  their  austerities. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  351 

Thou  lovest  mammon  and  woman, 

And  art  neither  an  anchoret  nor  a  worldly  man. 

0  Jogi,  keep  thy  seat,1  and  the  pain  of  thy  worldly  love 
shall  depart. 

Thou  art  not  ashamed  to  beg  from  door  to  door  ; 

Thou  singest  songs,  but  knowest  not  thyself. 

How  shall  the  great  fire  which  burneth  thee  be  ex 
tinguished  ? 

If  the  love  of  God  attach  to  thy  heart  under  the  Guru's 
instruction, 

Thou  shalt  easily  enjoy  the  alms  of  contemplation. 

Thou  hypocritically  appliest  ashes  to  thy  body, 

And  shalt  be  punished  for  thy  worldliness  by  Death's 
mace. 

The  impure  vessel2  of  thy  heart  cannot  hold  the  alms 
of  love. 

Thou  art  bound  by  bonds  and  shalt  suffer  transmigration. 

Thou  dost  not  restrain  thy  seed,  and  yet  thou  callest 
thyself  continent. 

While  saying  '  Mother  ',  thou  beggest  and  fallest  in  love 
with  woman. 

Thou  art  without  compassion  and  God's  light  shineth 
not  in  thee. 

Thou  art  immersed  in  every  species  of  entanglement. 

With  a  patched  coat  and  a  bag  thou  assumest  many 
guises. 

Likeaconjurer  thouperformest  manytricks  to  deceive  men. 

The  fire  of  anxiety  burneth  thy  heart- 
How  shalt  thou  be  saved  without  good  works  ? 

Thou  makest  rings  of  crystal  for  thine  ears. 

Without  the  highest  divine  knowledge  there  is  no  emanci 
pation. 

Thou  art  beguiled  by  the  pleasures  of  the  tongue  and 
sensual  organs. 

Thou  hast  become  a  beast,  and  the  mark  of  it  shall  not 
be  erased. 

1  That  is,  go  not  a-begging. 

2  Khapar.    A  wooden  vessel  shaped  like  a  skull.    It  is  carried  by 
Jogis  for  the  alms  they  receive. 


352  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

There  are  three  classes  of  people  and  three  classes  of  Jog.1 
He  who  meditateth  on  the  Word  shall  need  no  mourning. 
He  who  meditateth  on  the  way  of  jog  is  a  Jogi  : 
By  the  true  Word  he  shall  become  bright. 

The  Guru  in  an  address  to  a  pandit  rejects 
astrology  : — 

Thou  calculatest  auspicious  moments,  but  reflectest  not 

That  God  is  beyond  auspicious  moments. 

He  who  meeteth  the  Guru  knoweth  them. 

When  there  is  the  Guru's  instruction  man  recognizeth 
God's  will. 

Speak  not  falsehood  ;   O  Pandit,  tell  the  truth, 

If  pride  depart  by  means  of  the  Word,  God's  abode  shall 
be  attained. 

The  astrologer  after  calculating  draweth  out  a  horoscope  ; 

He  readeth  it  to  himself  and  others,  but  knoweth  not 
the  reality. 

Deem  the  Guru's  word  the  highest  of  all ; 

Utter  no  other  discourse  ;  it  were  all  in  vain. 

Thou  bathest,  and  washest,  and  worshippest  stones, 

But  without  being  imbued  with  God  thou  art  the  filthiest 
of  the  filthy. 

Abandon  pride,  and  thou  shalt  meet  God  the  real  wealth. 

Repeat  God's  name,  and  thou  shalt  succeed  in  obtaining 
emancipation. 

Thou  readest  not  thine  epic  poems  nor  reflectest  on  the 
Veds: 

Drowned  thyself,  how  canst  thou  save  thine  ancestors  ? 

Few  understand  that  God  is  in  every  heart. 

When  man  meeteth  the  true  Guru,  he  obtaineth  under 
standing. 

By  making  calculations  such  as  thine  doubt  and  sorrow 
enter  the  mind  ; 

But,  when  the  Guru's  protection  is  sought,  happiness 
result  eth. 

Having  sinned  we  come  to  him  for  protection. 

1  People  and  jog  are  subdivided  according  to  the  three  qualities. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  353 

According  to  man's  acts  in  a  former  state  the  Guru 
causeth  him  to  meet  God. 

God  cannot  be  obtained  unless  man  enter  the  Guru's 
protection  ; 

Otherwise  he  is  led  astray  in  superstition  and  suffereth 
transmigration. 

He  who  hath  not  God  in  his  heart  and  whose  conduct  is 
not  according  to  the  Word, 

Shall  be  bound  at  Death's  gate  and  punished  for  his  sins. 

Men  call  themselves  Teachers,  Pandits,  and  Missars  ; l 

But  they  who  are  tinctured  with  mammon  shall  not  reach 
God's  mansion. 

He  who  by  the  Guru's  favour  hath  the  support  of  the 
Name, 

Is  unequalled  amongst  millions. 

One  man  appeareth  evil  and  another  good ;  but  they  are 
both  contained  in  the  True  One  : 

The  learned  man  understandeth  this  by  the  aid  of  the 
true  Guru. 

A  few  holy  men  who  know  the  one  God, 

Have  ended  their  transmigration,  and  become  absorbed 
in  Him. 

They  in  whose  hearts  is  the  one  God, 

Possess  all  excellences  and  meditate  on  the  truth. 

They  who  act  as  pleaseth  the  Guru 

Are  true,  O  Nanak,  and  shall  be  absorbed  in  the  True  One. 

The  following  was  addressed  to  a  rich  sinner  who 
visited  the  Guru  :— 

O  silly  man,  as  thou  earnest  so  shall  thou  depart  ;  as 
thou  wert  born  so  shalt  thou  die  ; 

As  thy  enjoyment  so  shall  be  thy  suffering  ;  through 
forgetfulness  of  the  Name  thou  shalt  fall  into  the  terrible 
ocean. 

Thou  art  proud  on  beholding  thy  beauty  and  wealth. 

Thou  hast  extended  thy  love  to  gold  and  woman  ;  why 
hast  thou  forgotten  the  Name  and  gone  astray  ? 

1  A  title  applied  to  Brahmans  by  Hindus. 

SIKH,  i  A  a 


354  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Not  having  practised  continence,  truth,  self -restraint,  or 
virtue,  thou  shalt  suffer  in  the  skeleton  of  a  ghost. 

Alms-gifts,  ablutions,  and  austerities  are  of  no  avail ; 
without  association  with  the  saints,  thou  hast  been  born 
in  vain. 

Through  the  covetousness  that  attacheth  to  thee  thou 
hast  forgotten  the  Name  ;  thy  life  hath  been  wasted  in 
transmigration. 

Death  will  hasten  to  seize  thee  by  the  hair  and  punish 
thee ;  and,  when  he  eateth  thee,  thou  shalt  have  no  con 
sciousness  for  repentance. 

Day  and  night  thou  revilest  others  and  art  jealous  of 
them  ;  the  Name  is  not  in  thy  heart,  and  thou  hast  not 
universal  benevolence. 

Without  the  Guru's  instruction  thou  shalt  not  obtain 
salvation  or  honour  ;  without  God's  name  thou  shalt  go 
to  hell. 

Thou  practisest  disguise  for  a  brief  period  like  a  conjurer, 
while  thou  art  steeped  in  worldly  love  and  sin. 

Seeing  the  extension  of  thy  wealth  here  and  there,  thou 
hast  become  intoxicated  with  worldly  love. 

Thou  commit  test  sin  on  a  large  scale,  and  without 
remembering  the  Word  hast  fallen  into  error. 

Thou  hast  suffered  great  pain  from  the  disease  of  pride ; 
but  it  shall  depart  when  thou  receivest  the  Guru's  in 
struction. 

The  infidel  seeing  happiness  and  wealth  coming  to  him 
becometh  proud  in  his  heart. 

He  who  owneth  this  body  and  wealth  will  take  them  back ; 
he  who  feeleth  anxiety  regarding  them  shall  have  sorrow. 

At  the  last  moment  nothing  shall  depart  with  thee ; 
whatever  is  seen  is  the  result  of  God's  kindness. 

God  is  the  primal  and  infinite  Being  ;  by  treasuring  His 
name  in  the  heart  man  shall  be  saved. 

Thou  weepest  for  the  dead  ;  who  heareth  thy  weeping  ? 
He  whom  thou  weepest  for  might  have  fallen  to  the  dragon  in 
the  sea  of  terror. 

The  infidel  beholding  his  family,  wealth,  houses,  and 
mansions  falleth  into  needless  entanglements. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  355 

Man  cometh  when  God  sendeth  him,  and  he  goeth  away 
when  God  calleth  him. 

God  continueth  to  do  what  is  proper  ;  the  Pardoner 
pardoneth. 

0  brethren,  search  for  the  society  of  those  who  have 
tasted  God's  elixir. 

When  man  taketh  the  Guru's  protection,  then  wealth, 
supernatural  power,  wisdom,  divine  knowledge,  and  the 
boon  of  emancipation  are  obtained. 

The  pious  consider  woe  and  weal  as  the  same,  and  are 
free  from  joy  or  sorrow. 

Nanak,  he  who  chasteneth  himself  under  the  Guru's 
instruction  obtaineth  God,  and  God  absorbeth  him  in 
Himself. 

DAKHANI   OAMKAR  L 

Men  who  are  generally  impure  cannot  obtain 
emancipation  until  their  hearts  are  thoroughly 
purified  :— 

As  borax  melteth  gold, 

So  lust  and  wrath  melt  the  body. 

The  gold  is  drawn  over  the  touchstone,  and  must,  until 
thoroughly  pure,  endure  the  fire. 

When  it  assumeth  a  high  colour 2  the  Assayer  is  satisfied. 

The  world  is  a  beast,  and  pride  is  its  butcher.3 

As  thou  actest  with  thine  own  hand,  so  shall  be  thy 
recompense. 

He  who  made  the  world  knoweth  its  worth. 

What  else  is  to  be  said  ?     Talking  availeth  not. 

RAMKALI   KI  WAR  I 

The  following  is  a  satire  on  the  professedly 
religious  men  of  the  time  :— 

They  who  call  themselves  virtuous,  commit  sin  and 
pretend  that  they  are  doing  good. 

1  This  is  a  composition  of  Guru  Nanak  made  in  the  south  of  India 
in  praise  of  God. 

1  The  body  must  be  purified  as  gold  is  by  melting.      God  the 
Assayer  is  satisfied  with  it  when  it  assumes  a  bright  colour. 
3  Pride  is  killing  the  world. 

A  a  2 


356  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Gurus  go  to  private  houses  to  impart  instruction. 

A  woman  loveth  man  for  the  money  he  earneth  for  her  ; 

Otherwise  he  may  come  or  go  as  he  pleaseth. 

Nobody  obeyeth  the  Shastars  or  the  Veds  ; 

Everybody  worshippeth  himself. 

The  Qazi  sitteth  to  administer  justice  ; 

He  turneth  over  his  beads  and  invoketh  God, 

But  he  taketh  bribes  and  doeth  injustice. 

If  any  one  call  him  to  account,  he  will  read  and 
cite  texts. 

The  Muhammadan  creed  nlleth  the  ears  and  hearts  of  the 
Hindus. 

They  carry  tales  to  the  judge  and  plunder  the  populace  :  j 

They  make  squares  for  cooking  so  as  to  appear  pure. 

See  what  the  Hindus  are  like. 

Jogis  with  long  hair  and  ashes  on  their  bodies  keep  wives.  ] 

Children  scream  before  and  behind  them. 

They  miss  the  right  road  and  obtain  not  union  with  God. 

Why  do  they  put  ashes  on  their  heads  ? 

Nanak,  this  is  the  state  of  this  degenerate  age, 

That  men  only  speak  of  themselves  and  think  themselves 
the  best. 

The  following  is  also  a  satire  on  Brahmans, 
Muhammadan  priests,  and  Jogis:— 

A  Brahman  goeth  to  the  house  of  a  Hindu, 

Readeth  texts,  and  putteth  the  sacrificial  thread  on  a  boy's 
neck. 

If  the  boy  commit  sin  after  putting  on  the  thread, 

He  shall  not  be  accepted  for  all  his  ablutions  and  washings. 

The  Musalman  may  praise  himself, 

But  without  a  guru  or  a  priest  he  shall  not  be  accepted. 

Even  when  the  road  is  pointed  out,  few  travel  by  it. 

Without  good  works  heaven  is  not  obtained. 

Men  seek  the  way  in  a  Jogi's  monastery  ; 

And  on  that  account  put  rings  in  their  ears  and  become 
his  disciples. 

With  earrings  on  they  wander  about  the  world, 

While  the  Creator  they  pretend  to  search  for  is  everywhere. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  357 

All  souls  are  travellers  : 

When  the  death-warrant  cometh  for  them  there  must  be 
no  delay. 

He  who  knoweth  God  in  this  world,  shall  recognize  Him 
in  the  next. 

All  others,  whether  Hindus  or  Musalmans,  are  chatterers. 

All  men's  accounts  shall  be  taken  in  God's  court  ; 

And  no  one  shall  be  saved  without  good  works. 

He  who  repeateth  the  name  of  the  Truest  of  the  true, 

Shall  not,  O  Nanak,  be  examined  hereafter. 

Only   the   good   shall   be   saved   when   the   final 

reckoning  is  called  for  :— 

Nanak  saith,  O  man,  hear  true  instruction- 
God  seated  in  judgement  will  produce  His  book  and  call 

on  thee  for  thine  account. 

The  stiff-necked  who  owe  anything  shall  be  summoned  ; 

And  the  angel  Azrail  placed  over  them. 

They  shall  see  no  way  of  escape  ;  they  shall  be  entangled 

in  the  narrow  streets. 

Falsehood  is  at  an  end,  O  Nanak,  and  truth  shall  at  last 

prevail. 

The  following  was  addressed  to  a  proud  Muham- 
madan  governor  :— 

At  thy  waist  is  a  handsome  sword,  thou  art  mounted  on 
a  handsome  steed  : 

Be  not  proud,  saith  Nanak,  lest  thou  fall  on  thy  head. 

Only  good  men  can  remain  in  the  society  of  the 
saints  :— 

Between  the  lake  and  the  swan  there  is  affinity  from  the 
beginning  ;  so  it  pleased  the  Lord. 

In  the  lake  there  are  diamonds  and  pearls  which  form 
the  swan's  food. 

Cranes  and  ravens,  however  cunning  they  may  be,  cannot 
remain  in  lake  Mansarowar.1 

They  cannot  subsist  there  ;   their  food  is  different. 

1  It  is  said  that  Lake  Mansarowar  in  the  Himalayas  contains  pearls, 
which  are  food  for  swans,  but  not  for  cranes  and  ravens. 


358  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

By  the  practice  of  truth,  truth  is  obtained  ;  O  false  ones, 
false  is  your  pride. 

Nanak,  they  for  whom  it  was  so  ordered  from  the 
beginning  meet  the  True  Guru. 

My  Lord  is  effulgent,  if  any  one  reflect  on  it. 

Nanak,  serve  Him  who  giveth  ever  and  ever  ; 

Nanak  serve  Him  by  whose  service  sorrow  departeth, 

Sins  are  erased,  merits  take  their  place,  and  peace  abideth 
in  the  heart. 

RAG  MARU  ASHTAPADI 

A  hypocritical  Sanyasi  called  Brahmpuri  was 
mentioned  to  the  Guru  as  a  very  worthy  man.  The 
Guru,  knowing  his  real  condition,  composed  the 
following  : — 

The  perverse  having  through  avarice  abandoned  their 
own  homes,  ruin  themselves  by  casting  covetous  eyes  on 
the  houses  of  others. 

They  have  ruined  their  state  as  householders ;  they  have 
not  met  the  True  Guru,  and  through  their  stupidity  are 
involved  in  a  whirlpool. 

Of  wandering  in  foreign  countries  and  reading  texts  they 
grow  weary,  and  their  covetousness  increaseth. 

Of  weak  intellect,  they  know  not  the  Word  ;  they  fill 
their  bellies  like  cattle. 

0  Sir,  the  way  of  the  Sanyasi  should  be  this  : — 

He  should  under  the  Guru's  instruction  only  think  of 
the  one  God,  love  His  name,  and  be  satisfied  with  it. 

But  the  hypocrite  mixeth  ochre,  dyeth  his  dress  with  it, 
and  weareth  the  garb  of  a  beggar  ; 

He  teareth  his  clothes  to  make  a  patched  coat,  and 
putteth  money  into  his  wallet  ; 

Blind  that  he  is  and  bereft  of  shame,  he  beggeth  from 
house  to  house  and  preacheth  to  the  world  ; 

Led  astray  by  superstition  he  knoweth  not  the  Word  and 
loseth  the  game. 

The  fire  which  is  within  him  is  not  extinguished  without 
the  Guru,  yet  he  heateth  himself  with  external  fires 1  also. 

1  The  penance  of  five  fires  is  frequently  spoken  of  and  resorted  to 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK 

There  is  no  worship  without  serving  the  Gam  ;   how 
man  of  himself  recognize  God  ? 

He  who  slandereth  others  shall  abide  in  hell,  and  be 
separated  from  the  Supreme  Spirit. 

He  who  wandereth  to  the  sixty-eight  places  of  pilgrimage 
is  ruined  thereby  ;  how  can  he  wash  away  the  filth  of 
his  sins  ? 

He  sifteth  dust,  applieth  it  to  his  body,  and  looketh  for 
the  way  of  mammon. 

He  knoweth  not  the  one  God  who  is  with  him  whether  he 
be  at  home  or  abroad  ;  if  any  one  tell  him  the  truth,  he 
groweth  angry. 

While  reading  texts  his  mouth  uttereth  falsehoods  ;  that 
is  all  the  wisdom  a  man  without  a  guru  possesseth. 

How  can  man  obtain  happiness  without  repeating  the 
Name  ?  How  shall  he  be  honoured  without  the  Name  ? 

Some  shave  their  heads,  some  twist  long  hair  round  them 
or  wear  a  top-knot  ;  others  through  pride  remain  silent ; 

But  without  the  love  of  divine  knowledge  their  minds 
waver  and  hasten  in  every  direction. 

Maddened  by  worldly  love  they  reject  nectar  and  drink 
deadly  poison. 

They  obey  not  God's  order  ;  their  evil  deeds  shall  not 
be  effaced,  and  they  shall  enter  the  bodies  of  beasts. 

The  Kapari  with  a  bowl  in  his  hand  and  excessive  greed 
in  his  heart 

Abandoneth  his  own  wife,  and  filled  with  lust  coveteth  his 
neighbour's. 

While  preaching  he  knoweth  not  God's  word,  and 
attacheth  himself  to  a  prostitute. 

With  poison  in  his  heart  he  pretendeth  that  he  hath  no 
doubts,  but  Death  will  disgrace  him. 

He  who  serveth  the  True  Guru  and  removeth  pride  from 
his  heart,  is  a  true  Sanyasi  ; 

He  desireth  not  clothes  or  food,  but  taketh  what  is 
freely  offered  him  ; 

by  Hindu  devotees  during  the  sultriest  time  of  an  Indian  summer. 
They  light  fires  around  them  in  the  four  directions ;  the  sun  over 
them  is  the  fifth. 


360  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

He  chattereth  not  ;  he  amasseth  the  wealth  of  patience  ; 
and  his  passions  he  subdueth  with  God's  name. 

Blessings  on  that  man,  who  whether  householder,  Sanyasi, 
or  Jogi,  fixeth  his  attention  on  God's  feet. 

He  who  in  the  midst  of  desires  is  without  desires,  and 
who  loveth  the  one  God  is  a  Sanyasi. 

He  who  drinketh  God's  essence  and  preserveth  a  religious 
attitude  in  his  own  home  shall  obtain  peace. 

The  mind  of  the  pious  man  who  knoweth  God  wavereth 
not,  but  restraineth  its  wanderings. 

He  who  under  the  Guru's  instruction  searcheth  the  house 
of  the  body,  shall  obtain  the  boon  of  the  Name. 

Brahma,  Vishnu,  and  Shiv  are  most  exalted  when  they 
are  imbued  with  the  contemplation  of  the  Name. 

Thy  light,  O  Lord,  is  in  the  sources  of  production,  in  com 
positions,  in  the  firmament,  in  the  lower  regions,  and  in  all 
creatures. 

By  repeating  hymns  containing  God's  true  name  and 
clasping  it  to  the  heart,  all  happiness  and  final  deliverance 
shall  be  obtained. 

No  one  can  be  saved  without  the  Name  ;  Nanak,  that  is 
the  true  way  to  swim  across. 

The  following  was  delivered  in  a  fit  of  extreme 
religious  fervour  to  Mihan  and  Sihan  :— 

Woman,  however  many  friends  she  may  make,  wan- 
dereth  like  an  itinerant  minstrel  in  transmigration. 

She  who  is  separated  from  God  obtaineth  no  access  to 
Him  ;  how  shall  she  be  patient  ? 

My  soul  is  imbued  with  the  love  of  the  Beloved. 

I  am  a  sacrifice  ;  I  would  cut  myself  in  pieces  for  Thee  ; 
look  at  me  even  for  an  instant  with  a  glance  of  favour. 

Separated  as  I  am  from  my  Beloved  in  my  father's 
house,  how  shall  I  meet  him  in  my  father-in-law's  ? 

I  wear  demerits  round  my  neck  ;  I  am  ruined  without 
the  Beloved  ;  I  am  pining  to  death. 

If  in  my  father's  house  I  remember  the  Beloved,  I  shall 
find  a  dwelling  in  His. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  361 

The  wife  who  hath  found  her  Beloved,  the  Lord  of  excel 
lences,  sleepeth  in  peace. 

She  maketh  a  silken  coverlet  and  mattress  for  her  couch, 
and  arrayeth  herself  in  a  costly  robe. 

The  wife  whom  her  husband  abandoneth  passeth  the 
night  in  grief. 

Whatever  dainties  she  tasteth  and  whatever  dresses  she 
weareth, 

Her  youth  passeth  in  vain  without  her  Beloved  ;  she 
pineth  away  through  separation  from  Him. 

Hear  the  song  of  the  True  One  under  the  Guru's 
instruction. 

True  is  the  throne  of  the  True  One  ;  she  on  whom  He 
looketh  with  favour  loveth  Him. 

The  possessor  of  divine  knowledge  applieth  the  salve  of 
truth  to  her  eyes,  and  then  beholdeth  Him  who  seeth  all 
things. 

He  who  under  the  Guru's  instruction  dispelleth  his  pride 
and  arrogance,  shall  understand  and  know  God. 

They  who  please  Thee,  O  God,  are  like  Thee  ;  how  many 
unhappy  wives  there  are  like  me  : 

Nanak,  their  Spouse  parteth  not  from  those  who  are 
imbued  with  the  love  of  the  True  One. 

God  is  the  only  true  friend  and  relation  :— 

Nor  sisters,  nor  brothers,  nor  mothers-in-law  remain  with 
one  : 

But,  O  companions,  the  true  relationship  with  the  Beloved, 
when  found  through  the  Guru,  shall  never  be  sundered. 

I  am  a  sacrifice  to  my  Guru,  I  am  ever  a  sacrifice  unto 
him. 

I  have  grown  weary  of  wandering  so  far  without  a  guru  ; 
now  the  Guru  hath  united  me  with  my  Beloved. 

Paternal  and  maternal  aunts,  grandmothers,  and  wives 
of  husbands'  younger  and  elder  brothers 

Come  and  go  ;  they  tarry  not  but  depart  like  relays  of 
passengers. 

Maternal  uncles  and  their  wives,  brothers,  fathers,  and 
mothers  abide  not. 


362  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Assembled  in  great  crowds  at  the  river  they  depart  with 
their  baggage  like  travellers. 

0  my  companions,  my  Husband  is  dyed  with  the  true 
colour. 

The  true  Husband  never  forsaketh  ;  He  enjoyeth  one 
with  delight. 

All  seasons  are  good  for  those  who  love  the  True  One. 

The  woman  who  knoweth  her  husband  enjoyeth  happi 
ness  day1  and  night. 

The  ferryman  calleth  out  at  the  ferry,  '  Come  on,  make 
haste  ;  you  delay.' 

1  have  seen  at  the  other  side  those  whom  the  Guru  put 
into  the  boat. 

Some  have  loaded  their  baggage,  some  have  set  out  with 
it,  and  others  are  weighed  down  by  their  loads. 

They  who  have  made  true  traffic  are  with  the  true  God. 

I  am  not  good,  nor  do  I  find  any  one  bad. 

Nanak,  he  who  effaceth  his  pride  is  as  the  True  One. 

MARU  SOLHE 
God  has  no  incarnations  : — 

God's  secret  is  not  found  in  the  Veds  or  the  books  of 
the  Musalmans  ; 

He  hath  not  father  or  mother  or  son  or  brother. 

There  is  no  friend  like  God,  who  is  to  be  obtained 
through  the  Guru  by  those  who  lead  a  holy  life  :— 

I  have  no  friend  like  God 

Who  gave  me  soul  and  body,  and  infused  into  me  under 
standing. 

He  cherisheth  and  watcheth  over  all  creatures  ;  He  is 
wise  and  knoweth  the  secrets  of  hearts. 

The  Guru  is  like  a  lake  ;   we  are  his  beloved  swans  : 

In  the  water  are  many  jewels  and  rubies. 

God's  praises  are  pearls,  gems,  and  diamonds  ;  singing 
them  maketh  soul  and  body  happy. 

1  Deh  in  the  original,  pronounced  exactly  like  its  English  equivalent. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  363 

God  is  inaccessible,  unfathomable,  altogether  distinct 
from  His  creation. 

The  great  Sustainer  of  the  earth  hath  no  end. 

God  saveth  man  through  the  true  Guru's  instruction  ; 
He  blendeth  with  Himself  those  who  are  absorbed  in  His 
love. 

How  can  there  be  emancipation  without  the  true  Guru  ? 

He  loveth  the  primal  God  who  was  before  all  time, 

Who  mercifully  granteth  emancipation  in  His  court,  and 
pardoneth  the  sins  which  man  committeth. 

The  true  Guru  is  the  giver  and  procurer  of  emancipation. 

He  prescribeth  nectareous  essence  and  cureth  all 
diseases. 

He  whose  avarice  is  extinguished  and  whose  mind  is  cool, 
shall  owe  no  tax  to  Death  the  tax-gatherer. 

The  body  greatly  loveth  the  soul  ; 

The  latter  is  a  male  Jogi,  the  former  a  beautiful  woman. 

He  enjoyeth  her  in  dalliance  day  and  night,  but  goeth 
away  without  taking  leave. 

God  having  created  the  world  arrangeth  it  ; 

He  speaketh  in  the  wind,  water,  and  fire. 

The  mind  of  him  who  associateth  with  evil  passions 
wavereth  ;  he  suffereth  the  consequences  of  his  acts. 

They  who  forget  the  Name  shall  have  to  endure  pain 
and  misery. 

How  can  they  tarry  when  they  receive  the  order  to 
depart  ? 

They  shall  plunge  into  the  pit  of  hell  and  suffer  like 
fishes  out  of  water. 

The  apostate  shall  undergo  the  pain  of  transmigration  in 
eighty-four  lakhs  of  species. 

Man  shall  suffer  according  to  his  acts. 

There  is  no  salvation  without  the  true  Guru  ;  man  shall 
be  seized  and  bound  according  to  his  acts. 

Very  narrow  is  the  way  like  the  edge  of  a  sword. 

Man's  account  shall  be  taken,  and  he  shall  be  pressed 
like  sesame. 

There  no  mother,  father,  wife,  or  son  will  befriend  thee  ,• 
without  love  for  God  there  is  no  emancipation. 


364  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

However  numerous  one's  friends  and  companions  may  be 
in  the  world, 

There  are  no  real  friends  but  the  Guru  and  God. 

Salvation  dependeth  upon  serving  the  Guru,  and  night 
and  day  singing  God's  praises. 

Abandon  falsehood,  pursue  truth, 

And  thou  shalt  obtain  the  fruit  thy  heart  desireth. 

Few   are  they  who  traffic  in  true    merchandise  ;    they 
who  do  so  obtain  profit. 

Depart  with  the  merchandise  of  God's  name, 

And  thou  shalt  easily  obtain  a  sight  of  God's  court. 

A  perfect  man  under  the  Guru's  instruction  searcheth  for 
God,  and  thus  beholdeth  Him  who  looketh  on  all  alike. 

God  is  infinite,  but  under  the  Guru's  instruction  is  found 
by  a  few 

Who  teach  their  hearts  the  Guru's  word. 

Accept  the  true  Guru's  word  as  true  ;   thus  shalt  thou  be 
absorbed  in  God. 

Narad  and  Saraswati  are  Thy  servants,  O  Lord. 

The  greatest  of  the  great  in  the  three  worlds  are  Thy 
servants. 

In  all  things  is  Thy  might  ;    Thou  bestowest  on  all ; 
everything  is  Thy  creation. 

Some  worship  at  Thy  gate,  and  thus  dispel  their  sufferings. 

They  who  are  emancipated  by  the  true  Guru,  receive  a 
robe  of  honour  in  Thy  court. 

The  true  Guru  breaketh  the  entanglements  of  pride,  ant 
hindereth  the  mind  from  wandering. 

Meet  the  true  Guru,  look  for  the  way 

To  reach  God,  and  thus  have  no  account  against  thee. 

Efface  pride  and  serve  the  Guru,  O  Nanak,  and  thou  shalt 
be  dyed  with  God's  love. 

Miscellaneous  instruction  of  the  Guru  : — 
The  Creator  is  the  true  Lord 
Who  carefully  support eth  the  globe  of  the  earth. 
The  Creator  beholdeth  the  work  of  His  hands  ;   true  and 
independent, 

He  created  the  different  species  of  animals. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  365 

Two  travellers l  have  struck  out  two  roads. 

There  is  no  emancipation  without  the  perfect  Guru  ;    it 
is  profitable  to  repeat  the  true  Name. 

The  perverse  man  readeth,  but  knoweth  not  the  way  : 

Led  astray  by  error  he  knoweth  not  the  Name. 

The  false  evidence  the  evil  man  giveth  for  a  bribe  becometh 
like  a  halter  round  his  neck. 

Brahmans  read  the  Simritis,  the  Shastars,  and  the  Purans: 

They  engage  in   disputations,   but   know  not   the   Real 
Thing  : 

Without  the  true  Guru  they  find  not  the  Real  Thing. 

They  who  are  purified  by  the  True  One  walk  in  the  true 
way. 

Everybody  praiseth  God  and  speaketh  of  Him  as  he  hath 
heard. 

God  is  wise  and  assayeth  the  true. 

They  on  whom  God  looketh  with  favour  are  holy  and 
praise  His  word. 

How  many  speak  of  God  according  to  what  they  have 
heard  ! 

They  speak  of  Him  according  to  what  they  have  heard, 
but  know  not  His  limit. 

He  to  whom  the  Unseen  hath  manifested  Himself  knoweth 
the  story  of  the  Ineffable. 

When  one  is  born  gratulations  resound  ; 

The  ignorant  sing  songs  of  rejoicing  ; 

But  he  who  is  born  shall  assuredly  die,  and  undergo  the 
destiny  allotted  him. 

It  is  my  God  who  effecteth  union  and  separation  of  the 
soul  and  body. 

He  who  created  the  world  assigned  His  creatures  woe 
or  weal ; 

But  the  holy  who  wear  the  armour  of  mildness  are  un 
affected  by  them. 

Good  are  they  who  deal  in  the  truth  ; 

By  the  Guru's  wisdom  they  obtain  the  true  merchandise. 

He  who  possesseth  the  wealth  of  the  true  merchandise, 
is  enraptured  with  the  true  Word. 

1  The  founders  of  the  Hindu  and  Muhammadan  religions. 


366  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Loss  accrueth  from  false  dealings. 

The  pious  carry  on  their  dealings  according  to  God's  will. 

Their  capital  remaineth  intact,  their  stock-in-trade  safe, 
and  they  escape  from  Death's  noose. 

Every  one  speak eth  of  God  according  to  his  own 
pleasure. 

The  perverse  who  are  attached  to  mammon,  know  not  how 
to  speak  of  God. 

The  understanding  and  utterance  of  the  blind  man  are 
blind  ;  he  shall  suffer  the  pain  of  transmigration. 

In  pain  he  is  born,  in  pain  he  dieth. 

His  pain  cannot  be  removed  except  by  seeking  the  Guru's 
protection. 

In  pain  he  is  created,  in  pain  he  perisheth.  What  hath 
he  brought  with  him  ?  what  shall  he  take  away  ? 

True  are  the  acts  of  those  who  are  subject  to 
the  Guru  ; 

They  shall  not  suffer  transmigration  or  feel  the  edge  of 
Death's  sword. 

He  who  abandoneth  the  branches  of  the  tree  of  the  world,1 
and  only  knoweth  God  the  essential  root  of  all  things, 
enjoy  eth  true  delight  in  his  heart. 

Death  shall  not  punish  godly  people, 

Nor  shall  they  experience  the  pain  of  the  difficult 
road. 

They  worship  God's  name  in  their  hearts  and  mention 
no  other. 

They  who  repeat  not  God's  praises  shall  be  punished  at 
last; 

While  they  who  please  Thee,  O  God,  shall  abide  according 
to  Thy  will  : 

They  shall  go  with  a  robe  of  honour  to  Thy  court  and 
be  happy  by  the  True  King's  order. 

Many  describe  Thine  attributes,  O  Lord ;  what  availeth 
my  speaking  ? 

The  greatest  of  the  great  find  not  Thy  limit. 

Nanak,  may  I  obtain  the  truth !   preserve  mine  honour, 
O  Lord ;  Thou  art  the  Monarch  of  monarchs ! 
1  Worldly  entanglements. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  367 

The  following  is  said  to  be  instruction  given  to 
Taru  and  Bharu  during  the  Baisakhi  fair  at  Kar- 
tarpur :— 

Put  away  from  you  lust,  wrath,  and  slander  ; 

Abandon  avarice,  and  covetousness,  and  you  shall  be 
free  from  care. 

He  who  breaketh  the  chain  of  superstition  shall  be  free, 
and  feel  divine  pleasure  in  his  heart. 

The  happy  and  incomparable  perfect  Guru  showeth  man 

Day  and  night  the  light  within  him,  and  he  beholdeth  it 

Like  a  bright  flash  of  lightning  at  night. 

Meet  the  true  Guru,  and  God  Himself 

Who  placed  the  lamps  of  the  moon  and  sun  in  the  firma 
ment  of  heaven  will  save  you. 

Continue  to  love  God,  and  you  shall  behold  the  Unseen 
One  pervading  all  three  worlds. 

He  who  obtaineth  the  ambrosial  essence  loseth  his  avarice 
and  his  fear. 

He  who  effaceth  himself  obtaineth  the  fearless  position. 

He  who  acteth  according  to  the  pure  Word  shall  attain 
a  lofty  degree,  the  loftiest  of  the  lofty. 

The  Name  of  the  Unseen  and  Inapprehensible  is  un 
equalled  ; 

The  juice  of  the  beloved  Name  is  exceeding  sweet. 

God's  praises  be  given  to  Nanak,  and  in  every  age  repeat 
ye  His  name  whose  end  is  not  known. 

The  heart  which  hath  obtained  the  diamond  of  the  Name 

Shall  obtain  patience  by  repeating  and  reverencing  it. 

Put  the  Destroyer  of  fear  into  thy  stubborn  heart,  and 
thou  shalt  not  be  born  again. 

Man  is  saved  by  love  of  devotion  and  the  Guru's  word. 

I  crave  the  boon  of  the  praise  of  God's  name. 

If  God  be  pleased,  He  will  cause  us  to  meet  the  true  Guru 
and  save  the  whole  world. 

Death's  myrmidons  and  Death  himself  worship  the  feet 
of  those 

Who  repeat  God's  name  under  the  Guru's  teaching  and 
directions. 


368  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Man's  state  and  condition  become  exalted  by  exalted  com 
pany,  and  he  crosseth  over  the  terrible  ocean  of  the  world. 

This  world  which  is  a  terrible  ocean,  is  crossed  over  by 
the  Guru's  instruction 

•And  by  dispelling  the  heart's  doubts. 

Let  man  take  the  five  arrows,1  put  them  on  the  bow  of 
his  brain  and  kill  Death. 

How  shall  the  apostate  obtain  knowledge  of  the  Word  ? 

Without  a  knowledge  of  the  Word  man  undergoeth 
transmigration. 

Nanak,  salvation  dependeth  upon  the  instruction  of  the 
Guru  whom  God  by  perfect  good  fortune  hath  caused  us 
to  meet. 

The  Fearless  One,  the  true  Guru  is  our  protector. 

The  great  God  is  obtained  by  devotion. 

For  him  who  obtaineth  the  Bright  One  under  the  Guru's 
instruction,  the  unbeaten  strain  of  joy  resoundeth. 

The  Fearless  One  is  He  on  whose  forehead  no  destiny  is 
recorded. 

He  is  in  visible,  but  we  behold  Him  through  His  omnipotence. 

He  transcendeth  the  world  •,  He  is  unborn  and  self- 
existent,  O  Nanak,  and  is  obtained  by  the  Guru's  in 
struction. 

Only  the  True  Guru  knoweth  the  state  of  man's  heart. 

He  is  fearless  who  recognizeth  the  Guru's  instructions, 

Beholdeth  God  within  him,  knoweth  that  He  pervadeth 
creation,  and  alloweth  not  his  mind  to  wander  elsewhere. 

He  in  whose  heart  God  dwelleth  is  fearless, 

And  day  and  night  delighted  with  the  bright  Name. 

Nanak,  God's  praises  are  obtained  from  the  society  of 
the  saints,  and  man  is  thus  easily  blended  with  Him. 

He  who  knoweth  that  God  is  with  him  whether  at  home 
or  abroad, 

Who  remaineth  attached  to  the  world  and  bringeth  home 
his  wandering  mind, 

Shall  obtain,  O  Nanak,  the  ambrosial  essence  of  the 
True  One  who  dwelleth  in  the  three  worlds,  and  who  was 
before  all  things. 

1  The  five  virtues. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  369 

MARU  KI  WAR  I 
Man  shall  certainly  be  responsible  for  his  acts  :— 

Creation  was  by  God's  order  ;  in  His  court  the  truth  is 
accepted. 

The  Lord  will  call  for  man's  account  ;  0  man,  stray  not 
on  beholding  the  world. 

Nanak,  God  will  keep  an  account  of  the  love  and  affection 
of  him 

Who  watcheth  over  his  heart,  and  is  a  pure-minded 
darwesh. 

The  condition  of  really  holy  men  :— 

For  those  who  dwell  apart  and  live  on  the  bread  of  alms 
God  is  everywhere  : 

The  diamonds  of  their  hearts  are  pierced  with  God's 
diamond,  O  Nanak,  and  their  necks  are  gorgeous  with 
jewels. 

True  devotion  and  repetition  of  the  Name  secure 
salvation  :— 

Recognize  God's  primal  love,1  and  worship  the  great  God. 
Shall  Death  then,  O  Nanak,  strike  thee  on  the  head  ? 
Nay  ;   the  Name  shall  cause  thee  to  meet  God. 

Many  sects  appeal  to  the  Veds,  but  it  is  heartfelt 
devotion  which  secures  salvation  :— 

The  drum  of  the  Veds  loudly  resoundeth  for  many  a 
faction. 

Remember  God's  name,  Nanak  ;  there  is  none  but  Him. 

Where  man  is  proud  there  art  Thou  not  ;  where  Thou 
art,  there  no  pride  is. 

0  men  of  divine  knowledge,  understand  this  riddle — the 
story  of  the  Ineffable  One  is  in  the  heart, 

But  without  the  Guru  the  Real  Thing  cannot  be  found  : 
it  is  concealed  though  it  dwelleth  in  every  heart. 

1  Explained  to  be  the  love  of  God  which  disposes  Him  to  protect 
the  child  in  the  womb. 


370  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

God  is  known  by  meeting  the  true  Guru  and  implanting 
his  instruction  in  the  heart. 

When  pride  departeth,  doubt,  fear,  and  the  pain  of  trans 
migration  depart. 

By  the  wisdom  of  the  Guru  the  Unseen  is  seen,  Man's 
intellect  becometh  exalted,  and  he  is  saved. 

Nanak,  repeat  the  spell  of  God  in  whom  the  three  worlds 
are  contained. 

BHAIRO 

To  engage  in  ritualistic  practices  is  of  no  avail  :— 

To  give  a  feast,  make  a  burnt  offering,  offer  alms,  perform 
penance  and  worship,  and  endure  bodily  pain  for  ever  are 
all  of  no  avail. 

Without  God's  name  salvation  is  not  obtained  ;  the  holy 
man  obtaineth  it  by  the  Name. 

Without  God's  name  it  is  useless  to  be  born  in  the  world. 

To  eat  poison,  to  speak  for  the  sake  of  poison  (mammon) 
without  the  Name  is  to  die  an  unprofitable  death  and  wander 
in  transmigration. 

To  read  books,  discuss  grammar,  and  pray  three  times 
a  day  are  all  of  no  avail. 

Without  the  Guru's  instruction,  O  mortal,  where  is 
salvation  ?  without  God's  name  man  is  entangled  and  dieth. 

Even  though  man  take  up  the  beggar's  staff  and  pot,  and 
adopt  the  hair-tuft,  the  sacrificial  thread,  and  the  dhoti  of 
the  Hindus,  go  to  places  of  pilgrimage,  and  wander  far  and 
wide, 

Yet  shall  he  not  find  comfort  without  God's  name ;  he 
who  repeateth  it  shall  be  saved. 

Even  though  man  weave  his  hair  into  a  crown,  apply 
ashes  to  his  body,  doff  his  clothes,  and  wander  naked, 

Yet  shall  he  be  not  satisfied  without  God's  name  ;  it  is 
under  the  stress  of  prenatal  acts  man  assumeth  a  devotional 
garb. 

Thou,  O  God,  art  in  all  creatures  that  are  in  the  water, 
the  dry  land,  the  nether  regions,  and  the  firmament. 

By  the  favour  of  the  Guru  preserve  Thy  servant  ;  Nanak 
stirring  God's  elixir  hath  drunk  it. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  371 

RAG  BASANT 

The  following  was  written  with  buoyant  feeling 
after  the  departure  of  a  cold  winter  in  the  north  of 
India  :— 

All  hail  to  the  great  month1  in  which  spring  ever  beginneth. 
Ever  and  ever  remember  the  Sustainer  of  the  earth,  and 
thy  heart  shall  rejoice. 

0  silly  man,  forget  thy  pride, 

Subdue  thy  pride  and  meditate  on  God  in  thy  heart  ; 
adopt  the  most  excellent  virtues. 

Good  acts  are  the  tree,  God's  name  its  branches,  religion 
its  flowers,  divine  knowledge  its  fruit, 

Attainment  of  God  its  leaves,  and  the  dispelling  of  mental 
pride  its  dense  shade. 

They  who  behold  God's  power  with  their  eyes,  hear  it 
with  their  ears,  and  repeat  the  true  Name  with  their 
tongues, 

Obtain  the  full  wealth  of  honour  and  tranquilly  meditate 
on  God. 

The  great  season  hath  come,  be  careful  and  do  good 
works. 

Nanak,  the  pious  who  continue  absorbed  in  God  shall  be 
perennial  and  never  wither. 

SARANG  KI  WAR 

The  following  is  a  refutation  of  the  general  Indian 
ideas  on  the  subject  of  impurity  :— 

There  is  no  impurity  in  songs,2  there  is  no  impurity  in 
knowledge  ;  3 

There  is  no  impurity  in  the  moon's  or  sun's  different 
phases  ; 

1  Basant,   the   Indian   spring,    is   generally   considered    to    begin 
between  the  i2th  and   i4th  of  March. 

2  As  supposed  by  the  Musalmans. 

3  The  Brahmans  assert  that  the  Veds  should  not  be  communu 

to  women  and  Sudars.  During  the  period  of  Brahmanical  ascemleru  y 
in  India  the  Sudais  were  forbidden  under  pain  of  death  to^read  the 
Veds— they  might  only  repeat  God's  name*  Among  the  Sudars  are 
included  all  women. 

B  b   2 


372  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

There  is  no  impurity  in  corn,  there  is  no  impurity  in 
ablution  ; 1 

There  is  no  impurity  in  rain  which  falleth  everywhere  ; 

There  is  no  impurity  in  earth,  there  is  no  impurity  in 
water  ; 

There  is  no  impurity  contained  in  air. 

There  are  no  virtues,  Nanak,  in  the  man  who  is  without 
a  guru. 

It  is  he  who  turneth  away  from  God  whose  mouth  is 
impure. 

The  Guru  mentions  things  which  confer  purity  on 
men  of  different  classes  :— 

Nanak,  the  following  handfuls  2  of  water  are  pure  if  any 
one  know  how  to  fill  them — 

Divine  knowledge  for  the  Pandit,  continence  for  the  Jogi 

Contentment  for  the  Brahman,  alms  out  of  what  he  hath 
himself  earned  for  the  family  man,3 

Justice  for  the  king,  meditation  on  the  True  One  for  the 
learned. 

Although  water  when  drunk  will  quench  thirst,  the  heart 
cannot  be  washed  with  it. 

Water  is  the  generator  of  the  world,  and  shall  finally 
destroy  everything. 

The  futility  of  idolatry  : — 

Thou  in  thy  house  keepest  an  idol  with  its  attendant  gods  :* 
Thou  washest  it  and  worshippest  it  ; 
Thou  offerest  it  kungu,  sandal,  and  flowers  ; 
Thou  fallest  at  its  feet  and  propitiatest  it  to  the  utmost 
Yet  it  is  by  continually  begging  of  men  thou  clothest  and 
^upportest  thyself. 

1  As  supposed  by  the  Jains,  who  avoid  water. 

2  Chuli,  as  much  water  as  can  be  taken  in  one  hand.     Water  is 
taken  in  handfuls  by  Hindus  and  drunk  as  grace  before  and  some 
times   after  meals  accompanied  by  sacred   texts.     Hindus  also  use 
water  in  the  same  way  when  taking  solemn  oaths. 

3  As   contradistinguished   from   the  almsgiving  of  thieves   out   o! 
their  plunder.  4  Such  as  Lakhshmi,  Garur,  Ganesh,  &c. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  373 

For  such  foolish  acts  shalt  thou  receive  the  punishment 
of  the  foolish. 

The  idol  giveth  thee  not  when  hungry,  nor  presenvth 
thee  from  death. 

It  is  like  a  foolish  quarrel  among  the  blind. 

God  has  no  partner,  wherefore  supplication  should 
be  made  to  Him  direct  :— 

If  Thou  have  any  partner,  0  God,  I  will  speak  of  Thee 
in  his  presence. 

But  Thou  hast  no  partner,  therefore  will  I  praise  Thee  to 
Thy  face.  Thy  name  giveth  sight  to  the  blind. 

One  of  the  Guru's  reflections  on  this  degenerate 
age  :— 

In  the  Kal  age  men  have  faces  like  dogs,  and  eat  carrion. 

They  bark  as  they  utter  falsehood,  and  have  no  regard 
for  honesty. 

They  who  have  no  honour  while  alive,  shall  have  an  evil 
reputation  after  death. 

What  is  destined  taketh  place,  Nanak  ;  what  the  Creator 
doeth  cometh  to  pass. 

They  who  deceive  men  by  selling  them  charms 
and  amulets  shall  not  find  salvation  :- 

Accursed  the  lives  of  those  who  write  God's  name  to  sell  it. 

They  whose  crop  is  spoiled  require  no  place  for  a  har\ v-t- 
heap. 

They  who  are  devoid  of  truth  and  modesty  will  recvivr 
no  assistance  hereafter. 

The  ways  of  wisdom  :— 

Call  not  by  the  name  of  wisdom  the  wisdom  which  is 
spent  in  wrangling. 

By  wisdom  the  Lord  is  worshipped  ;  by  wisdom  honour 
is  obtained. 

It  is  by  wisdom  what  is  read  is  understood,  it  is  by 
wisdom  alms  are  properly  bestowed. 

Nanak  saith,  these  are  the  ways  of  wisdom,  all  i«lsr  are 
ways  of  wickedness. 


374  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

The  virtues  and  practices  which  are  most  potent 
to  secure  deliverance  :— 

They  who  make  truth  their  fasting,  contentment  their 
place  of  pilgrimage,  divine  knowledge  and  meditation  their 
ablutions, 

Mercy  their  idol,  and  forgiveness  their  rosary,  are  fore 
most  in  God's  favour. 

Nanak,  few  there  are  who  make  the  right  way  their  loin 
cloths,  meditation  on  God  their  cooking  squares, 

Good  deeds  their  frontal  marks,  and  God's  love  their  food. 


Better  to  live  by  honest  labour  than  by  beg 
ging  :— 

Men  without  divine  knowledge  sing  hymns. 

The  hungry  Mulla  maketh  a  home  of  his  mosque.1 

One  man  who  earneth  nothing  slitteth  his  ears  ; 2 

Another  becometh  a  beggar  and  loseth  his  caste. 

Touch  not  at  all  the  feet  of  those 

Who  call  themselves  gurus  and  pirs,  and  go  begging. 

They  who  eat  the  fruit  of  their  labour  and  bestow  some 
thing, 

0  Nanak,  recognize  the  right  way. 

RAG  MALAR 

Some  moral  commandments  : — 

Cease  to  covet  another's  wife  and  another's  goods  ;  shun 
the  deadly  sins  of  pride, 

Evil  inclinations,  slander,  and  lust  and  wrath  the  execu 
tioners. 

The  inaccessible  and  illimitable  God  dwelleth  in  man's 
heart. 

He  shall  obtain  nectar  in  his  own  heart,  whose  conduct 
is  according  to  the  Guru's  precious  instruction ; 

And  who  considereth  woe  and  weal  and  the  blame  and 
praise  of  the  world  as  the  same. 

1  He  spends  all  his  time  in  his  mosque,  so  as  to  receive  the  more 
alms.  2  The  Jogi. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  375 

Wisdom,  knowledge,  and  understanding  are  obtained  from 
God's  name  ;  the  love  of  God  is  obtained  by  association 
with  the  saints. 

Day  and  night  profit  is  obtained  from  God's  name  given 
by  the  beneficent  Guru. 

He  on  whom  the  Creator  looketh  with  favour  obtaineth 
instruction  from  the  Guru's  words. 

The  body  is  the  palace,  the  temple,  and  the  house  of 
God  ;  into  it  He  putteth  His  eternal  light. 

Nanak,  the  pious  are  invited  to  God's  palace  ;  He  will 
blend  them  with  Himself. 

MALAR  ASHTAPADI 

The  Guru  by  familiar  Indian  examples  expresses 
his  love  for  God  :— 

The  chakwi  will  not  sleep  at  night  in  the  absence  of 
her  mate. 

When  the  sun  riseth  she  gazeth  on  her  beloved,  and 
boweth,  and  toucheth  his  feet. 

0  my  Beloved,  dear  to  me  is  Thy  love,  which  shall  be 
my  companion. 

1  cannot  live  for  a  moment  in  this  world  without  Him  ; 
so  much  do  I  thirst  for  Him. 

The  lotus  on  the  lake  on  beholding  the  sunbeams  of 
heaven  naturally  rejoiceth  : 

O  my  Beloved,  such  is  the  longing  I  feel  in  my  heart 
that  my  light  may  be  blended  with  Thine. 

The  chatrik  without  water  crieth  '  Prio,  prio!'  and  scream- 
eth  aloud. 

There  is  terrible  thunder,  it  raineth  on  every  side,  but 
without  its  special  raindrops  the  chatrik's  thirst  departeth 
not. 

The  fish  which  is  born  and  liveth  in  water,  obtaineth  weal 
and  woe  according  to  its  previous  acts. 

It  cannot  live  for  an  instant  without  water  ;  its  death  or 
life  dependeth  on  it. 

Woman  is  separated  from  her  Beloved  who  liveth  abroad : 
she  sendeth  Him  a  message  through  the  true  Guru. 


376  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

All  cry  out  '  Prio,  prio  !  ',  but  they  can  only  obtain  their 
Beloved  if  it  please  the  Guru. 

The  Beloved  is  with  us  ;  He  ever  associateth  with  the 
true  ;  He  blendeth  with  Himself  those  on  whom  He  looketh 
with  favour. 

God  is  the  life  within  all  lives  ;  He  pervadeth  every  heart. 

Through  the  Guru's  favour  He  is  manifest  at  home,  and 
men  become  easily  absorbed  in  Him. 

Arrange  thine  own  affairs,  O  man  ;  the  Lord  of  the  earth 
is  the  Giver  of  happiness. 

When  by  the  Guru's  favour  man  findeth  God  in  his  heart, 
then,  0  Nanak,  his  burning  is  extinguished. 

MALAR  KI  WAR 

Prayers  ought  not  to  be  offered  for  worldly  advan 
tages  :— 

They  who  offer  prayers  shall  die,  and  so  shall  they  who 
are  prayed  for. 

Nanak,  it  is  not  known  where  they  shall  be  placed  by 
God's  order. 

The  punishments  that  await  the  impenitent 
wicked  : — 

Some  have  chains  on  their  necks  and  are  being  led  off  to 
prison  ; 

But  by  recognizing  Him  who  is  the  truest  of  the  true, 
they  shall  be  freed  from  their  bonds. 

He  who  obtaineth  favourable  destiny  knoweth  the  True 
One. 

Man's  fate  is  decided  by  God's  order  ;  when  man  goeth 
before  Him  he  shall  know  this. 

Recognize  the  Word  which  will  cause  thee  to  cross  the 
terrible  ocean. 

Thieves,  adulterers,  and  gamblers  shall  be  pressed  like 
sesame  ; 

Slanderers  and  backbiters  shall  be  carried  away  by  the 
flood. 

The  pious  who  are  absorbed  in  the  True  One  shall  be 
known  in  God's  court. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  377 

Worldly  advantages  distract  men's  minds  from 
devotion  :— 

Empire,  wealth,  beauty,  nobility,  and  youth  .in  ii\< 
robbers  ; 

These  robbers  have  robbed  the  world  without  respect  1m 
any  one. 

They  who  fall  at  the  Guru's  feet,  however,  rob  them.1 

The  Guru's  humility,  the  transitory  character  of 
human  life,  and  the  efficacy  of  the  Name  :— 

The  world  is  very  transient  like  a  flash  of  lightning  ; 

Yet,  foolish  heart  of  mine,  thou  thinkest  not  of  the  grave. 

I  am  low  and  wretched;  Thou,  O  God,  art  an  ocean  of 
generosity. 

Grant  me  only  one  thing — Thy  name  ;  the  poisonous 
things  of  the  world  please  me  not. 

By  the  skill  of  God  even  a  fragile  vessel  holdeth  water.2 

Thou  art  omnipotent  ;  I  have  come  into  the  world  by 
Thy  power. 

Nanak,  the  dog  of  Thy  court,  is  growing  madder  every 
day  for  Thy  love. 

The  world  is  fire,  God's  name  is  what  cooleth  it. 

The  bliss  of  divine  composition  :— 

Blest  the  paper,  blest  the  pen,  blest  the  ink-bottle,  blest 
the  ink, 

Blest  the  writer,  Nanak,  who  writeth  the  True  Name. 

He  who  batheth  in  the  immortal  water  of  divine  know 
ledge  taketh  with  him  the  sixty-eight  places  of  pilgrima^-. 

RAG  PRABHATI 

A  satire  on  Hindu  sects  and  ritualists  :- 
Jogis  go  to  ruin  in  twelve  sects,  Sanyasis  in  tm. 
The  Jogis,  the  Kaprias,  and  the  plucked-headed  Sara 
without  the  Word  have  halters  round  their  necks. 

1  That  is,  deprive  them  of  the  power  of  robbing. 

2  A  frail  mortal  may  be  possessed  of  divine  knowledge. 


378  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

They  who  are  tinctured  by  the  Word  are  perfect  Bairagis, 

Who  beg  to  obtain  alms  in  the  wallet  of  their  hearts  that 
their  love  may  be  fixed  on  God  alone. 

The  Brahmans  read  the  epic  poems  before  devotional  acts, 
and  cause  others  to  perform  them  ; 

But  without  knowing  God  they  know  nothing ;  the 
perverse  are  separated  from  God  and  miserable. 

They  who  obtain  the  Guru's  instruction  are  pure,  and 
shall  be  honoured  at  the  true  court. 

Night  and  day  they  love  the  jewel  of  the  Name,  and  are 
blended  with  the  True  One  in  every  age. 

All  religious  acts,  purifications,  austerities,  devotion, 
penance,  and  pilgrimages  abide  in  the  Word. 

Nanak,  if  the  true  Guru  be  found,  he  will  unite  man  with 
God,  when  sorrow  and  sin  and  death  shall  be  no  more. 

PRABHATI  ASHTAPADI 

The  feats  of  the  Jogis  and  the  tenets  of  the  six 
religious  systems  of  the  Hindus  are  ineffectual  to 
secure  salvation  :— 

The  niwali  feat,1  the  suspension  of  breath  in  the  dorsal 
chamber  ; 2  the  turning  the  brain  into  a  still,  making 
expiration  and  inspiration  like  the  Jogis,  and  suspending  the 
breath  are  of  no  avail. 

Without  the  true  Guru  man  knoweth  nothing  ;  he  is  led 
astray  in  error,  sinketh,  and  dieth. 

The  fool  is  defiled,  and  the  more  he  washeth,  the  more 
is  he  defiled  ;  the  filth  of  his  heart  shall  never  depart. 

All  religious  acts  are  vain  except  the  repetition  of  the 
Name  ;  they  are  like  conjuror's  tricks  which  deceive  the 
spectators. 

The  six  religious  duties  are  contained  in  the  name  of  the 
Bright  One. 

1  This  consists  in  passing  a  tape  through  the  body  to  cleanse  the 
stomach  and  intestines — a  feat  of  the  Jogis. 

2  The   Jogis    assert  that    they   can    draw  breath   from  the  lower 
vertebral  column  to  the  brain,  and  suspend  it  when  they  please  in  its 
passage.       We  shall  further  on  find  that  the  passage  is  called  the 
serpent's  way.     When  the  breath  finally  reaches  the  brain,  it  is  said 
to  distil  nectar  which  produces  a  state  of  exaltation. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  379 

Thou  art,  O  God,  an  ocean  of  merits  ;   in  inr  arc  demerit  ^. 

The  pursuit  of  worldly  things  is  a  foolish  and  sinful  at  i. 

The  blockhead  thinketh  too  highly  of  himself,  and  can- 
not  understand  his  duty. 

The  perverse  desire  fascinating  wealth,  and  their  speech 
is  evil. 

According  to  the  Hindus  foul  is  the  ablution  of  the  Chandal, 
and  vain  are  his  religious  ceremonies  and  decorations. 

False  is  the  wisdom  of  the  perverse  ;  their  acts  produce 
strife. 

In  the  impure  man  is  pride ;  he  obtaineth  not  the  flavour 
of  the  Lord. 

Insipid  the  pleasure  of  doing  other  than  the  repetition  of 
God's  name. 

ADDITIONAL    SLOKS 

When  Guru  Nanak  visited  Ceylon  he  gave  the 
following  advice  to  its  queen,  who  was  proud  of 
her  beauty  and  her  state  :— 

Hear,  young  woman  with  the  gazelle  eyes,  hear  my 
serious  and  weighty  words. 

First  examine  thy  goods  and  make  thy  traffic. 

Dismiss  l  the  evil  and  welcome  the  good. 

Consider,  O  young  woman,  what  proclamation  to  give  by 
which  thou  mayest  find  friends. 

Give  thy  soul  and  body  to  thy  friends,  and  thou  shalt 
thus  enjoy  the  utmost  hilarity. 

Love  not  that  which  is  transitory  ; 

Nanak,  I  am  a  sacrifice  to  those  who  understand  this. 

In  spiritual  matters  consult  the  holy  :- 
If  thou  art  to  cross  the  water,  consult  those  who  have 
the  skill  to  cross  : 

They  are  very  wise  and  will  keep  clear  of  the  whirlpool. 

The  dangers  of  the  world  :- 

There    are    continual    showers,    squalls,    and    tonvnts 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  waves  succeed  one  another. 
1  Dohidichai.   Literally— make  a  proclamation  to  depart. 


380  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Address  the  True  Guru,  and  there  shall  be  no  fear  that 
thy  bark  will  founder. 

Another  of  the  Guru's  reflections  on  the  sinful- 
ness  of  his  age  :— 

Nanak,  to  what  hath  the  world  come  ? 

No  companion  or  friend  remaineth. 

Love  hath  ceased  among  brethren  and  kinsmen  ; 

Faith  is  lost  on  account  of  mammon. 

The  following  was  composed  by  Guru  Nanak  on 
seeing  women  mourning  :— 

They  are  saying  '  Hai  hai  !  '  and  '  Oh  Oh  !  '  ; 

They  beat  their  cheeks  and  pluck  out  the  hairs  of  their 
heads  ; 

They  utter  God's  name l  without  meaning  it :  if  they  were 
absorbed  in  it, 

Then  would  Nanak  be  a  sacrifice  unto  them. 

The  Guru  went  to  visit  a  man  of  reputed  sanctity, 
but  on  finding  him  a  hypocrite  composed  the 
following  :— 

The  raven  washeth  and  rubbeth  itself  in  a  small  pool  in 
the  desert  ; 

Its  mind  and  body  are  full  of  demerits  and  its  beak  of  filth. 

The  swan  of  the  lake,  not  knowing  that  the  raven  was  an 
evil  bird,  associated  with  him. 

Such  is  affection  for  the  infidel  ;  O  man  of  divine  know 
ledge,  understand  the  allusion. 

Congratulate  the  congregation  of  the  saints,  and  act  like 
a  holy  man. 

Pure  is  the  ablution,  O  Nanak,  when  the  Guru  is  deemed 
the  river  of  pilgrimage. 

The  really  holy  are  few  :— 

The  saints  are  few,  not  many  ;  deceit  and  wrangling 
prevail  in  the  world.2 

1  Oh  hai.    He  is. 

2  Also  translated — They  who  act  as  become  faqlrs  are  few  in  the 
world. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK  ;M 

The  following  has  reference  to  the  concremation 
of  widows  :— 

Nanak,  the  widow  followeth  her  husband  and  dieth  :  >\\<- 
hath  no  power  to  live. 

But  she  who  dieth  struck  by  the  news  of  her  husband's 
death  is  acceptable. 

When  the  Allwise  hath  struck  her  with  the  arrow  of  love, 
it  cannot  be  extracted. 

She  whom  God  hath  struck  with  it  is  struck,  and  being 
struck  is  acceptable. 

The  body  is  frail  and  cannot  be  saved  without 
God's  grace  :— 

Who  can  wash  a  vessel  which  is  fragile  in  its  construction  ? 

The  body  is  a  compound  of  five  elements  ;  it  hath  a  false 
gilding. 

If  it  please  God,  the  vessel  shall  be  acceptable  ; 

The  supreme  light  shall  shine  and  God's  praises  resound 
in  it. 

Pride  without  merit  :- 

Nanak,  those  men  are  the  real  donkeys  who  are  proud 
without  merit. 

A  definition  of  a  Brahman  :- 

He  is  a  Brahman  who  knoweth  God, 
Who  performeth  works  of  devotion,  penance,  and  self 
restraint  ; 

And  who  observeth  the  religion  of  mildness  and  ] 

Such  a  Brahman  shall  burst  his  bonds,  obtain  salvation, 

And  be  worthy  of  worship. 

A  definition  of  a  Khatri  :- 
He  is  a  Khatri  who  is  brave  in  good  deeds 
And  who  employeth  his  body  in  charity.1 
The  Khatri  who  inspecteth  his  ground  before  5 
gifts, 

1  That  is,  who  sacrifices  himself  for  others. 


382  THE  SIKH  RELIGION 

Shall  be  acceptable  in  God's  court. 

The  Khatri  who  practiseth  greed,  covetousness,  and 
falsehood, 

Shall  suffer  for  his  misdeeds. 

The  Guru  required  complete  self-sacrifice  from  his 
disciples  : — 

If  thou  desire  to  play  at  love  with  me, 

Come  my  way  with  thy  head  in  the  palm  of  thy  hand. 

Put  thy  feet  on  this  road  ; 

Give  thy  head  and  regard  not  human  opinion. 

The  Guru,  faith,  truth,  and  the  capital  of  God's 
name  are  necessary  for  salvation  : — 

Without  the  Guru  there  is  no  divine  knowledge,  without 
faith  no  meditation  ; 

Without  truth  there  is  no  credit,  and  without  capital  no 
balance. 

If  Ram  had  been  God  he  would  not  have  lost 
his  queen  Sita,  and  he  would  himself  have  healed 
his  half-brother  Lachhman  instead  of  calling  on 
Hanuman  to  do  so  : — 

Ram  Chandar  mourned  in  his  soul  for  Sita  and  Lachhman  : 

He  remembered  Hanuman,1  and  he  came  to  meet  him. 

The  misguided  demon  Raw  an  did  not  know  it  was  not 
Ram  but  God  who  did  this. 

Nanak,  God  is  independent  :  Ram  could  not  erase  his 
destiny. 

A  purse-proud  person  addressed  improper  language 
to  the  Guru.  When  the  Guru's  disciples  took  this 
amiss,  the  Guru  uttered  the  following  : — 

Impute  not  blame  to  the  Rai ; 2  his  intellect  is  forsaking 
him  in  his  old  age. 

1  See  the  story  of  Hanuman  going  for  a  plant  to  heal  Lachhman,  in 
Dowson's  Dictionary  of  Hindu  Mythology. 

2  This  word  means  a  nobleman. 


HYMNS  OF  GURU  NANAK     383 

The  blind  man  talketh  much  and  falleth  into  the  pit. 
Whatever  the  Perfect  One  hath  done  is  perfect ;  there  is  no 
deficiency  or  excess  in  it. 

Nanak,  the  pious  who  know  this,  shall  be  absorbed  in 
the  Perfect  One. 


END  OF  VOL.   I 


OXFORD 
PRINTED    AT    THE    CLARENDON    PRESS 

BY    HORACE    HART,    M.A. 
PRINTER    TO    THE    UNIVERSITY 


PLEASE  DO  NOT  REMOVE 
CARDS  OR  SLIPS  FROM  THIS  POCKET 


UNIVERSITY  OF  TORONTO  LIBRARY 


m  Urn®