The Sikh religion, its gurus, sacred writings and authors

46, Qt Russell S

THE SIKH RELIGION

ITS GURUS, SACRED WRITINGS
AND AUTHORS

BY

MAX ARTHUR MACAULIFFE

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. Ill

OXFORD

AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
[909

HENRY FROWDE, M.A.

PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

LONDON, EDINBURGH, NEW YORK

TORONTO AND MELBOURNE

104944

CONTENTS OF VOL. Ill

PAGE

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN, THE FIFTH GURU . i

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN . . . . . . 102

TWELVE MONTHS 124

BAWAN AKHARI . . . . . .168

SUKHMANI . . . '. . . . . 197

JAITSARI KI WAR . . . . . . 370

SAHASKRITI SLOKS . . ... . 430

GATHA . . . . . .... 434

PUNHAS . . . . . . . . 438

EXTRA SLOKS . . . . . . . 443

GURU ARJAN READING THE GRANTH SAHIB

SIKH III P.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN, THE FIFTH

GURU

CHAPTER I

BIBI BHANI, wife of Guru Ram Das, gave birth
to Arjan at Goindwal on Tuesday the jth day of
the dark half of Baisakh, Sambat 1620 (A.D. 1563).

We have already related one legend of Guru
Amar Das's fondness for his grandson Arjan, and
of his offer to him of the Guruship. Another legend
is also current. The child Arjan one day found his
way to the bed of Guru Amar Das while taking his
repose. It was generally considered a serious thing
to disturb the Guru in his siesta. Bibi Bhani on
missing the child ran to fetch him. He had, however,
already awakened the Guru, who said, ' Let him
come to me ; yih mera dohita pani ka bohita howega '
— this grandson of mine shall be a boat to take man
kind across the ocean of the world.

Arjan was in due time married to Ganga, daughter
of Krishan Chand, a resident of the village of Meo
in the Philor sub-collectorate of the present district
of Jalandhar.

The details of Arjan's life up to the date of his
father Guru Ram Das's death are given in the life
of the latter. It will be remembered that he died in
Goindwal. After his decease, Mohri, maternal uncle
of Arjan, bestowed on him a turban as his father's
heir, according to ancient custom. Prithia urged that
it was he himself who, as eldest son of the late Guru
Ram Das, should receive the turban. Upon this
Guru Arjan conferred it on him and returned to
Amritsar. A short time afterwards Prithia met
Sulahi Khan, a revenue officer of the province of
Lahore, and interested him in a complaint which

2 THE SIKH RELIGION

he was preparing to make to the Emperor on the
subject of his supersession by his youngest brother.

Prithia next complained to the chaudhris of
Amritsar, that he and his brother had been left
without maintenance. The chaudhris made a
representation to Guru Arjan on the subject. He
accordingly granted certain taxes and house
rents to Prithia, the customs duties of Pasian ka
Chauk (a ward of Amritsar) to Mahadev, his second
brother, and merely reserved for himself the volun
tary offerings of the faithful.1

As we have seen, it was under Guru Amar Das
that Jetha, his son-in-law, afterwards Guru Ram Das,
began the excavation of the tanks of Santokhsar and
Amritsar and the foundation of the city. After the
death of Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan applied himself
to the task of completing the tanks and extending the
city of Ramdaspur. It was his practice to go every
day and sit under a shisham2 tree, which had
sheltered Guru Ram Das, and superintend the work.

When the tank of Santokhsar was approaching
completion, it is said the workmen came on a hut
in which a naked Jogi was seated in profound con
templation. The Guru clothed him, and restored
him to consciousness. He was rubbed and the
breath which was concentrated in his brain was
diffused through his body. He then opened his eyes,
and seeing the Guru and his Sikhs standing round
him, inquired, 'Who are you and who reigneth
now ? ' Bhai Budha answered these and many
other queries. The Guru interrogated him as to
how he had been so long concealed alive beneath
the earth. The Jogi replied, ' I pleased my guru,
and he granted me the privilege of lying in deep
contemplation here. He promised that I should
sleep till the coming of Guru Arjan, who would
awaken me and grant me deliverance/ He then put

1 Suraj Parkash) Ras II, Chapter 29.
8 Dalbergia St'ssoo.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 3

several questions to the Guru, who replied by
the following hymn : —

A player playeth his part

And representeth many characters ;

But when he taketh off his disguises the play is brought to
an end,

And he assumeth his original appearance.

What characters appeared and disappeared !

Whither did they vanish and whence did they come ?

Many waves are formed in the water,

And ornaments of many fashions are made of gold

I have seen seeds of various kinds sown :

When the produce ripeneth, the seed reappeareth in its
original shape.

In a thousand water-pots there is one sky reflected.

When the water-pots burst the sky remaineth as before.

Man goeth astray through the sins of covetousness and
worldly love ;

But, when he is freed from his error, he assumeth the like
ness of God,

Who is imperishable and perisheth not,

Who neither cometh nor goeth.

The perfect Guru hath washed away the filth of my pride,

And Nanak hath obtained the supreme state.1

It is said that the Jogi on hearing this found his
doubts resolved and obtained divine knowledge.
He then cast aside his body, in the words of the
Sikh chronicler, as a snake sloughs his skin, and by
the favour of the Guru obtained salvation. The tank
from the site of which the Jogi had emerged was
completed on the first of Phagan, Sambat 1645
(A. D. 1588).

The Guru hastened the construction of the Amrit-
sar, or sacred tank, and projected the Har Mandar or
temple of God. He appointed his most trustworthy
Sikhs— Bhais Budha, Salo, Bhagtu, Paira, Bahlo,
Kaliana, and others — to superintend the work and

1 Suhi.
B 2

4 THE SIKH RELIGION

procure lime, bricks, and all other necessary materials.
The removal of the earth had all been effected
under Guru Ram Das in Sambat 1634. The task
of making the masonry side-walls and floor fell to
Guru Arjan.

One day the Guru seated in court, said that
in order to complete the work more money
was required, and he suggested to his Sikhs to
endeavour to obtain it from the hill chiefs. Bhai
Kaliana said he would gladly act in furtherance
of the Guru's wishes. He proceeded to the Hindu
state of Mandi in the hills, and appreciating the
beauty of the country after his residence in the
plains decided to sojourn there. On the occasion of
the Janam Ashtami — eighth day of the dark half of
the month of Bhadon — the anniversary of Krishan's
birth, the Raja decreed that all the inhabitants of
his state should observe a rigid fast during the day,
and not sleep the following night, but keep vigil
and occupy their time uttering ' Krishan, Krishan '.
In the morning they should repair to the temple to
behold the salagram ; and there they might break
their fast by drinking water in which the salagram
had been bathed.

Kaliana was the only one who heeded not these
stringent orders. He did not fast, or go to the temple,
or drink the water in which the idol had been bathed.
In reply to several questions as to the cause of
his disobedience he replied : ' My God is a living
Being who speaketh arid conferreth great happiness
on His worshippers. Vain is the worship of a lifeless
stone which neither eateth, nor speaketh, nor con
ferreth favours. It is true that you occasionally
fast, but at the same time you refrain not from
grievous sins. The Sikhs of my Guru eat little and
thus are ever fasting. They ever restrain lust and
wrath, and apply their hearts to God's worship.'
He then repeated the following hymn of Guru
Arjan : —

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 5

Did God put aside all the other days of the month

That He should have been born on the eighth ?

Man led astray by error uttereth nonsense.

God is not subject to birth and death.

Man taketh cakes l and giveth them secretly to an idol to
eat.

O, brute of an infidel, God is not born, nor doth He die.

All thy sin result eth from fondling the idol.

May the mouth which sayeth God entered a womb be
burnt !

Nanak's God is everywhere ;

He is not born, nor doth He die ; He cometh not and goeth
not.2

On hearing this everybody laughed and began
to criticize Kaliana' s words. They were repeated
throughout the city, and the Raja was informed that
there had come to the state a stranger who spoke
slightingly of the salagram and called it a stone, and
who did not fast on the holy anniversary of Krishan's
birth. The Raja became very wroth, and at once
sent an orderly to summon Kaliana. When he
arrived, the Raja in imperious and angry tones asked
him to tell his place of residence, his religion, and
the name of his guru.

Kaliana replied : ' On the throne of the holy Guru
Nanak, who was very famous in the world, now sit-
tech the holy and perfect Guru Arjan. We who are
his disciples obtain the object of our desires from
him. He giveth us instruction, which conferreth hap
piness here and hereafter. We ever read his hymns,
wherefore we reverence not stones which neither see,
nor hear, nor speak. How can a stone be pleased,
and what can we gain by worshipping it ? God who
is the life within our lives, by whose support we exist,
and who is ever bounteous to us all — that God you
suppose to be a stone. God who pervadeth sea and

1 Made out of clarified butter, sugar, and flour kneaded without
water. 2 Bhairo.

6 THE SIKH RELIGION

land, who conferreth happiness here and hereafter,
who is contained in animate and inanimate nature,
who is in the past, present and future, who is
supreme in the three worlds and to whom none is
equal — that God you imagine to be an inanimate
object. How can He be pleased with you when you
treat him with such utter indignity ? ' l

The Raja finding Kaliana thus intractable ordered
that he should be imprisoned. Next day he was
again produced, and ordered to bow before the idol.
Kaliana refused, and said his idol was Guru Arjan.
The Raja then ordered him to lose one of his legs as
punishment, and be expelled the country. After the
delivery of this order the Raja fainted, and the
execution was accordingly stayed. Every known
remedy was employed to revive him, but in vain.
The wise men at the royal court frankly said that
this was all the result of the annoyance inflicted upon
the holy stranger. Instead of being punished, he ought
to have been received with hospitality and respect.

Better counsels having thus prevailed, Kaliana
was called to the Raja's bedside. He said he could
cure him if he promised to believe in the Guru and
become one of his Sikhs ; otherwise he had no healing
power. His ministers promised on behalf of the
Raja that he would act as Kaliana desired. Upon
this Kaliana stood up, clasped his hands, and prayed
to God to save the monarch's life. While Kaliana
was thus praying, the Raja recovered consciousness.
On seeing Kaliana as his physician standing before

1 This teaching may be contrasted with the present idolatrous
practices of many ignorant Sikhs. Sardar Kahn Singh, in his Gurmat
Sudhdkar, states that some Sikhs go to temples of Shiv and imitate
there the bleating of goats. They go to temples of Vishnu and
there chew leaves of sweet basil, sacred in the estimation of the
Hindus, and drink water in which the idol has been bathed. They
go to temples of Durga and there offer goats in sacrifice, and put on
red and yellow necklaces consecrated to the goddess. They also go
to Muhammadan temples and cemeteries and there offer lamps,
sweets, &c., after the manner of ignorant Muhammadans.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 7

him, he ordered that he should be received into his
palace, and treated with all possible courtesy and
distinction.

The Raja after complete recovery begged Kaliana
to take him to the Guru. The Raja went with his
queens, his concubines, and his army, and pitched
his camp outside Amritsar. Kaliana proceeded to
inform the Guru of the monarch's arrival, and of
the circumstances which had led to it. The Raja
next day, accompanied only by his macebearers, went
on foot to see the Guru. On arriving in his presence
he put his head on the Guru's feet, and begged him
to save him now that he had come under his pro
tection. The Guru imparted to him religious instruc
tion upon which he realized his past errors. The
Guru asked him to stay with him for three days, and
he would reap the advantage thereof. The Raja
consented to delay his departure and also to take his
meals from the Guru's kitchen. In due time he took
leave of the Guru and returned with all his suite to
his own kingdom.

There is a story told of one Manj, a votary of
Sakhi Sarwar, a Muhammadan pir, whose shrine is
on the border of Balochistan. The Guru's fame had
reached Manj ; he had heard the Guru's hymns
recited, and passionately desired to behold him.
When this favour had been vouchsafed him, he
made the following requests : l O Guru, heal my
three fevers, make me a Sikh, and, deeming me
thy servant, save me and remove the great pain
of transmigration.' The Guru replied : ' Thou hast
made Sakhi Sarwar thy priest. His way is easy :
Sikhism on the contrary is difficult. In it thou canst
not put thyself forward or assert thyself. Thou
canst not embrace it without being ready to sacrifice
without a groan thy life on its behalf. If thou
become my Sikh, thou shalt be an object of public
obloquy. Thy relations will ridicule thee, and not
allow thee to associate with them. They will also

8 THE SIKH RELIGION

dispossess thee of all thy property. If thou art
prepared to endure such hardships and sufferings,
then mayest thou become a disciple of mine. Other
wise continue to worship the shrine of thy saint and
talk not of Sikhism. Keep thy wealth, and the good
opinion of thy family. Why heap on thyself trouble
by embracing my religion ? '

Man] replied : ' O Guru, the very moment I saw
thee and heard thy words I turned away from Sakhi
Sarwar, and I was overwhelmed with shame when
I reflected that in imitation of others I bowed my
head at the shrine of a pretended saint possessing
no real greatness. Thus do men forfeit their religion
and lose the advantage of human birth.'

Man] thus spoke in his humility and tears clouded
his eyes. The Guru replied : ' Accept Sikhism.
Worship the true God, and it shall be a source of
happiness to thee/ The Guru then told his visitor
that he must go home, demolish the niche appro
priated to Sakhi Sar war's worship in his dwelling,
return to the Guru, and place himself under his
protection. Man] did all this, returned to the Guru,
lived by manual labour, and contributed a fourth
part of his earnings to the Sikh cause.

A Sikh named Bahilo came from Malwa to visit
the Guru. He professed to know how to make bricks
in the most durable manner. The Guru accordingly
entrusted to him the whole of the brick-making
necessary for the completion of the tanks and the
temple. Indeed there were many Sikhs at the time
who served the Guru with the utmost fidelity.
Among others the names of Ajab, Ajaib, and Umar
Shah are mentioned. They were masands who
collected offerings for the Guru, and faithfully de
livered them. On one occasion he asked them in
what light they regarded the offerings which passed
through their hands. They replied that they re
garded them as poison not only for their bodies but
for their souls.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN

CHAPTER II

Unexpected help reached the Guru from various
quarters. One Ganga Ram, a Brahman merchant,
came from Bhatinda with corn to sell. He visited
the Guru and remained with him for some time.
During his stay the Guru's kitchen one day became
empty, so Ganga Ram gave up all his corn and fed
for a space of five days all the labourers on the tank.
As the Baisakhi fair was approaching, the Guru
persuaded him to stay and enjoy it. Large offerings
were made to the Guru on the occasion, all of which
he ordered to be given to Ganga Ram. This was
done to test his devotion and sincerity. Ganga Ram,
however, refused to accept them. The Guru, who
was naturally pleased at meeting such a disinterested
friend, commended and blessed him.

When the tank was excavated, it was represented
to the Guru that Har Mandar, or the temple of God
to be built in the midst of it, should be raised higher
than all other buildings in the neighbourhood, so that
it might receive proper respect. The Guru replied :
' No ; what is humble shall be exalted. The more
a tree is laden with fruit, the more its branches
descend to the earth. By whatever way you approach
the temple you must descend eight or ten steps,
wherefore let the Har Mandar be made the lowest
edifice of all.' The Guru himself was humble, but
through his spiritual greatness he obtained the
dignity of being visited by people of rank from all
parts of India and receiving their rich offerings.

Hindu temples are closed on three sides and
opened only towards the east or rising sun. The
great Sikh temple at Amritsar was to be open on all
sides. This meant that the Sikh worship was open
to all, and was not concerned with sun-worship.
The Granth Sahib is placed in the middle of the
temple, so that no man may seat himself in its place.

io THE SIKH RELIGION

It was on the ist of Magh, Sambat 1645 (A.D. 1589),
the Guru laid the first brick of the masonry founda
tion of the Har Mandar, or the Darbar Sahib, now
known to Europeans as the Golden Temple. A
mason afterwards accidentally displaced the brick,
whereupon the Guru prophesied that the foundation
should again have to be laid. His words were sub
sequently fulfilled. Ahmad Shah Abdali, in Sambat
1819, destroyed the temple and desecrated the tank.
Two years afterwards the great army of the Khalsa
recovered possession of the temple, relaid its masonry
foundation, and reconstructed it.

The Guru had given orders that only kiln-dried
bricks should be employed. Some masands who had
charge of the bricks, resolved to cheat the Guru and
scamp the work. They smeared sun-dried bricks
with plaster and laid them. The Guru heard of
their dishonesty and ordered them to desist. They
disobeyed his orders three times. He then dismissed
them, and said that, when he became tenth Guru,
he would visit them with condign punishment.

When the Sikhs in large numbers contributed
their assistance, and the tank and temple were
approaching completion, the Guru felt that God
Himself had assisted in the work, and in joy and
gratitude composed the following : —

God Himself came, and stood up to do the work of the
saints.

Into the beautiful land and the beautiful tank He poured
nectareous water.

He poured nectareous water, completed the work, and all
our desires are fulfilled.

There are rejoicings in the world, and all anxiety is at an
end.

The Veds and the Purans sing the praises of Him who is
fixed and imperishable.

God hath been mindful of His usual function ; Nanak
hath meditated on His name.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN n

The Creator gave me the nine treasures, wealth, and super
natural power ; I have not been in want of anything.

I have obtained happiness eating, spending, and living
comfortably ; God's gifts ever increase :

His gifts increase, are never exhausted, and I have found
the Searcher of hearts.

Millions of obstacles have been removed and trouble hath
not approached me.

Peace, composure, and happiness in abundance are mine,
and all my craving is satisfied.

Nanak singeth the praises of the Lord ; wonderful is His
praise.

He did it whose work it was ; what is wretched man ?

The saints are adorned by singing God's praises, and ever
wishing Him victory.

Pleasure is produced by singing God's praises and forming
an alliance with His saints.

How shall his l praises be recounted who exerted himself in
the construction of the tank ?

Bathing in this tank is equal to bathing in the sixty-eight
places of pilgrimage, to the bestowal of alms, and the per
formance of great purifications.

The purification of sinners is the function of the Lord ;
His word is Nanak's support.

Treasury of excellences, my God, Creator, what praises of
Thine may I utter ?

The prayer of the saint is — ' O Lord, grant us the great
elixir of Thy name.

Give us the Name ; grant us this boon, forget us not for a
moment.'

O tongue, repeat God's praises ; let us ever sing them night
and day.

The mind and body of him who loveth the Name shall be
filled with ambrosial essence.

Nanak representeth, my desires have been fulfilled. I live
by a sight of Thee.2

1 The reference is to Guru Ram Das.

2 Suhi Chhant.

12 THE SIKH RELIGION

The following also was composed on the same
occasion : — •

The Creator stood in the midst of the work,
And not a hair of any man's head was touched.1
The Guru will render ablution herein very profitable,
And by repeating God's name sins shall depart.

0 saints, Ram Das's 2 tank is excellent :

He who batheth in it shall save his family ; his own soul
too shall be saved.

He who here below singeth a song of rejoicing over this
work,

Shall obtain the fruit his heart desire th.3

He who while meditating on his God

Cometh to bathe here shall be made safe and whole.

He who batheth in the saints' tank

Shall obtain final salvation.

Meditating on God's name,

He shall not die or suffer transmigration.

He to whom God is merciful

Knoweth divine knowledge.

His cares and anxieties shall depart

Who seeketh the protection of Baba Nanak and God.4

1 That is, the Muhammadan authorities at the time did not interfere
with the work.

2 Ram Das may also here mean God's servant.

3 Also translated — Men will sing a song of rejoicing over this work,
and obtain their heart's desires.

4 Also translated — Guru Nanak hath sought God's protection ; and
all men's cares and anxieties shall depart. Sorath.

The following is an alternative translation of this hymn : —

The Creator is within me,

And not a hair of my head can be touched,

The Guru maketh my ablution successful.

Repeat God's name and thy sins shall be washed away.

God's saints and servants form an excellent tank.*

He who batheth in it shall save his own soul and the souls of all
his family.

The whole world shall congratulate him,

And he shall obtain the reward his heart desireth.

* From which others may draw the nectar of the Name.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 13

The Guru thus described the advantages of the
tank :—

By bathing in the tank of Ram Das 1

All the sins that man committeth shall be done away,

And he shall become pure by his ablutions.

The perfect Guru hath given us this boon.

When we meditate on the Guru's instruction,

God bestoweth all comfort and happiness,

And causeth the whole cargo to cross over safely.

In the association of the saints uncleanness departeth,

And the supreme Being abideth with us.

Nanak by meditating on the Name

Hath found God the primal Being.2

CHAPTER III

When the tank and temple were completed there
were great rejoicings. The enormous exertions and
personal sacrifices made by Bhais Budha, Bhagtu,
and Bahilo are specially mentioned. One day as
they were all bathing, Guru Arjan shed tears on
seeing the state of their bodies as the result of their
labours. The Guru said with mournful voice, that,
as the tank had been constructed by such devout
and sincere Sikhs, all sins should be removed and
all desires fulfilled by bathing in it and duly
worshipping God.

He who batheth herein, having meditated on his God,

Shall be completely restored to health.

He who batheth in the tank of the saints

Shall obtain salvation.

He who meditateth on God's name

Shall not die or suffer transmigration.

He to whom God is merciful

Is thoroughly acquainted with divine knowledge.

Guru Nanak hath entered God's sanctuary ;

He hath removed all my cares and anxieties.

1 This line is also translated — By bathing in the tank of the saints
of God.

2 Sorath.

14 THE SIKH RELIGION

The following was composed by the Guru on the
same occasion :—

God Himself hath given the support of His lotus feet.

He who entereth God's asylum shall ever be renowned.

God is the Preserver, unequalled ; holy is His service.

The divine Guru hath made Ramdaspur God's empire.

Ever and ever meditate on God, and no obstacle shall
thwart you.

Nanak, by praising the Name the fear of enemies fleeth
away.1

The Guru wrote the following on the completion of
the Har Mandar.

By repeating God's name I have made God's temple : ye
saints and worshippers, sing God's praises.

Remember, remember the Lord your God, and ye shall
be released from all your sins.

By singing God's praises the supreme position is obtained ;
His word is the best.

The savour of divine knowledge is very sweet when the
tale of the Ineffable is told.

Good the juncture, true the time and moment when
I had the immovable foundation laid.

O slave Nanak, when God was merciful everything was
completed.

The instruments of joy continually play ; the supreme
Being hath taken His abode in my heart.

The performance of the work of the True One under the
Guru's instruction is best of all ; by it false doubts and fears
are dispelled.

The Guru hath spoken the divine Word ; on continually
hearing it the mind and body are refreshed.

He whom God hath made His own, hath obtained all
happiness ;

In his house are the nine treasures, his garners are filled
with God's name which he loveth.

Nanak, the servant who is fully fortunate shall never
forget God.

1 Bilawal.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 15

When God, the Lord of the umbrella,1 affordeth shelter, all
trouble departeth ;

The abode of sorrow and sin hath fallen and the work hath
succeeded.

When the Lord God ordered it, misfortune was averted,
and true religion and charity flourished.

Ever meditate on this God whether sleeping, sitting, or
standing.

The Treasure of excellences, the Sea of happiness, the
Lord is in sea and land, in the nether and upper regions.

O slave Nanak, there is no shelter except in God.

My house hath been constructed ; my garden and tank
have been constructed ; may God enter therein !

My heart hath become glad ; my friends and associates
rejoice, and sing songs of praise and gladness to the Lord.

They have sung the true God's praises, meditated on Him,
and obtained all their desires.

They who are attached to the Guru's feet are ever awake ;
in their hearts resound God's praises.

When the Lord who dwelleth in happiness casteth a look
of favour, this world and the next are arranged.

Nanak represent eth — ever repeat His name who support eth
soul and body.2

The Emperor Akbar's new prime minister, Raja
Birbar, a learned and accomplished man, was on
religious grounds hostile to the Guru and jealous
of his daily increasing influence and popularity.
The minister was a great favourite of the Emperor,
who desired to have him always by his side. He is
said to have been capable by the force of his
intellect of telling the Emperor his secrets at any
time. His energy blazed for a while, but it was only
the expiring flicker of the lamp. On account of his
hostility to the Guru evil days came upon him. On
the failure of Zain Khan Kokah in his expedition

1 God who makes kings and emperors.

2 Suhi Chhant.

16 THE SIKH RELIGION

against the Yusufzais, Birbar was ordered to pro
ceed to him with reinforcements. Before his depar
ture he received a written permission from the
Emperor to levy a tax of a rupee on the house
of every Khatri on the way. He crossed the Bias
and sent his agents to collect the tax in Amritsar.
The Khatris there refused payment and complained
to the Guru. He represented to the Prime Ministers
agents : ' The tax is on Khatris. We are Sikhs and
look for exemption. Up to the present the govern
ment hath never imposed forced labour or taxes on
the Guru's house. My kitchen is kept open by the
offerings of Sikhs and saints. No one is refused
access to it. Take as much corn and food as you
require, but I have no money to give you. I live
on confidence in God/

The agents repeated this speech to the Prime
Minister, who became furious on hearing it. He
said : ' I am a commander of many men ; how
dareth the Guru disobey me ? Moreover I bear
the Emperor's order. Even if it be the Guru's
house, it is for Sikhs and not for me to rever
ence it.J Upon this Birbar sent some soldiers
to the Guru with the following message : ' Thou
art a Khatri, a subject, and in every way sub
ordinate to the state. If thou come to meet me, it
will be well ; otherwise I will sack the whole of
thy city.1 The soldiers went, but were dumb
founded in the presence of the Guru. Divining their
object he thus addressed them : ' My friends, I care
not for any one, nor do I fear any one. Let Raja
Birbar come and do what he please th. The Creator
will protect me.1 The soldiers, fearing the Guru's
words and also their master's wrath, went and
falsely told him that the Guru would come on the
morrow. Raja Birbar said: 'What mattereth it if
he be a saint or an object of reverence, or even
very old, if he have not fear of me ? Well, if he
come not to-morrow, I will sack Amritsar.' That

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 17

night the Raja never slept through perturbation of
mind.

Meanwhile another order arrived from the Emperor
telling the Raja to make haste and proceed with his
troops by forced marches to unite with Zain Khan
against the Yusufzais. The Raja was much disap
pointed on receiving this peremptory command, as
it left him no time to wreak his vengeance on the
Guru. He ordered his staff to remind him of the
Guru on his return, and said that if he did not
then get a rupee from each house in Amritsar,
he would raze the city to its foundations. As the
sacrificial fire flames up when clarified butter is
thrown on it, so did the Raja's spirit burn at the
recollection of the Guru's language. When the
Sikhs communicated to the Guru the Raja's wrathful
words he merely said, ' If the Raja return he will
give us trouble.' Zain Khan the Commander-in-
Chief and Raja Birbar held divided councils. They
were attacked and defeated by the Yusufzais. Zain
Khan escaped with difficulty, but Birbar was slain.1

Prithi Chand in alliance with Sulahi Khan found
ample opportunities of annoying the Guru. Wazir
Khan, the Emperor's assistant Prime Minister, inter
posed on the Guru's behalf and prevailed on Sulahi
Khan to bring the contending brothers to a com
promise. The reason why Wazir Khan espoused the
Guru's cause is said to have been the following :
Once as he was lying ill in his house in Lahore,
suffering from dropsy, a Sikh passed by singing the
Guru's Sukhmani.2 As Wazir Khan listened his
pain decreased. When the Sikh had gone beyond
hearing, the pain appeared again. When he returned
by the same route singing the same strain, Wazir
Khan's pain was again allayed. He called the Sikh
and requested him to continue to sing the Sukh-

1 This episode, in defiance of chronology, is often included by the
Sikh chroniclers in the Life of Guru Amar Das.

2 A composition of Guru Arjan which will subsequently be given.

i8 THE SIKH RELIGION

mani for him. He then distributed sacred food
in the Guru's name, and was soon restored to
perfect health. When he found an opportunity he
visited the Guru, told him the whole circumstance,
and became a devout follower of his. Wazir Khan
until his death retained Sikhs in his service to sing
the Guru's hymns for him every morning before day
break, a time which the Sikhs call the ambrosial hour.
When Wazir Khan solicited the Guru to give him in
struction the Guru addressed him the following : —

0 servant of God the Inscrutable,
Cease to think of worldly occupations.

Become the dust of the feet of poor travellers ; thus shall
the darwesh be accepted at God's door.

Make truth thy prayer, faith thy prayer-carpet ;

Chasten desires and subdue thy feelings.

Make thy body the mosque, thy conscience the Mulla, and
the very pure God thy creed.

Make thy shariat the practice of real sacred law.

Make thy tariqat the search for God and abandonment
of the world ;

Make thy marifat, O devotee, the chastening of thy mind ;
and thy haqikat the meeting of God, by which thou shalt
not die again,

Make the restraint of thine organs of action and perception
from evil ways.

Thy hearty practice of the precepts of the Quran and sacred
books.

Make subjugation of the five thieves thy sidaq,1 charity
thy saburi,2 and thou shalt be accepted.

Make kindness thy Makka, humility thy fasting,

Implicit 3 obedience to the word of thy priest thy heaven,

The service of God thy huris, thy nur,4 and thy perfume ;
and God thy lofty hujra.5

1 Sincerity. 2 Patience.

3 Andaza. According to measure, neither more nor less than what
the guru tells thee.

4 Nur. Literally — light, then the sight of God.

5 A small apartment or structure for private woiship.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 19

He who practiseth truth is a Qazi ;

He who chasteneth his heart is a Haji ;

He who banisheth Satan is a Mulla, and he who praiseth
God is a darwesh.

At every time and on every occasion

Remember God, the Creator, in thy heart.

Make the subjection of thy ten organs the rosary by which
God is remembered in thy heart ;

Good conduct and great restraint over thyself, thy circum
cision.

Know in thy heart that everything is for the moment.

Sports, banquets, and sodalities are all entanglements.

Kings, rulers, and nobles are perishable ; God's gate alone
is the stable place.

Let first God's praises, second patience,

Third mildness, fourth almsgiving,

Fifth the five evil passions restrained in one place be thy
five most precious times of prayer.

Make the knowledge that God is everywhere thy daily
worship ;

The abandonment of evil deeds the water-pot in thy hand ;

The knowledge that there is but one God thy call to prayer ;
such a Muazzin shall have an excellent reward.

What is honestly obtained eat thou as thy food ;

Wash away thy filth in the river of thy heart.

He who recognizeth his Pir is the man for heaven ; Azrail
will not keep him in hell.

Make good works thy body, faith thy spouse,

And obedience to God thy pleasures and spectacles.

Purify what is impure, make God's presence thy Hadis 1 ;
let a complete 2 body be the turban on thy head.

Let a Musalman be soft-hearted,

And wash away the filth of his heart.

Let not the pleasures of the world approach him ; and let
him be pure as flowers, silk, clarified butter, or deer-skin.

He is the object of the kindness of the Kind One,

Who is a man, the manliest of men :

The traditional sayings of the Prophet, which have the force of
law among Moslems. 2 That is, uncircumcised.

C 2

20 THE SIKH RELIGION

He is a Shaikh, a chief of Shaikhs, and a Haji ; the man
on whom God's look of favour falleth is His slave.

Power belongeth to the Omnipotent, kindness to the
Kind One ;

The attributes and love of the Merciful are unfathomable.

Understand God's order which is true, O Nanak, and thou
shalt be released from thy prison.1

CHAPTER IV

When the buildings around the Guru's tank had
increased, the Guru ordered his Sikhs and worship
pers to take up their abode in them. Thus did the
city of Amritsar gradually extend. A Sikh called
Bhai Salo, who appears to have possessed much
local influence, materially assisted the Guru in the
accomplishment of his design. After a little time,
however, the Sikhs finding there was no worldly
advantage to them in living in Amritsar presented
a humble address to the Guru : ' True king, there is
here no trade or commerce of any sort, by which we
may gain our livelihood and support our families.
There are very few inhabitants, and consequently
as yet no buying or selling/ The Guru in reply
told them not to despair, that Amritsar should
yet become a great city and possess a large
population. He counselled them to depend on
prayer and divine worship for their prosperity.
They were to rise early, bathe and go to the temple
to hear expositions of the Guru's hymns. After that
they were to attend to their worldly affairs till
evening, when their worship should begin anew by
the repetition of the Rahiras and Sohila.

Notwithstanding the compromise that had been
effected, the Guru's quarrelsome brother Prithia
continued to give him every form of annoyance.
Consequently the Guru decided to leave Amritsar
and make a tour in the Man] ha, or country between

1 Maru Solha.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 21

the Ravi and Bias. He first visited Khadur and
Goindwal, and then proceeded to the village of
Sarhali, where he sought to obtain land whereon to
build himself a dwelling.

A Sikh of the village of Bhaini invited the Guru
to visit him, and the Guru knowing his devotion
consented. When he arrived in the village the day
was far advanced. The Sikh's wife saw that the
Guru was hungry, but at the same time it would take
too long to cook vegetables for his dinner. She
therefore prepared a dish of broken bread mixed
with butter and sugar, and laid it before him. Hav
ing satisfied himself he inquired the name of the
village. She said, * Bhaini/ The Guru replied, ' The
name of this village shall be Cholha, that is, tit-bit,
or dainty dish/ Upon this he composed the fol
lowing : —

I am a sacrifice to my Guru who implanted God's name in
my heart ;

Who pointed out to me the straight road when I was in
a great wilderness and darkness.

God is my life ;

He feeleth anxiety for me regarding everything in this
world and the next.

By remembering Him I obtain all treasure, respect, great
ness, and perfect honour.

By repeating His name, the dust of whose feet all saints
desire, millions of sins are erased.

Let him who desireth all desirable things worship the one
supreme Treasure.

The Lord is the supreme Being, limitless ; by remembering
Him man crosseth over the world.

By abiding in the association of the saints man obtaineth
comfort, peace, and great happiness, and his honour is
preserved.

To amass God's wealth and make God's name my food —
Nanak hath made these things his cholha (dainties).1

1 Dhanasari.

22 THE SIKH RELIGION

On the same occasion the Guru composed the
following :—

God's name is priceless ;

It is naturally comfortable.

God abideth with me and helpeth me ; He forsaketh me
not ; He is unfathomable and unrivalled.

He is my beloved brother, my father, my mother, and the
shelter of the saints.

The Invisible is seen when He is obtained from the Guru,
who, O Nanak, is God's cholha (dainty).1

The name Bhaini was duly changed into Cholha
in the government records of the period.

A Jat inhabitant of the village of Cholha repre
sented to Guru Arjan that the inhabitants of the
village of Buh would not allow his cattle to graze
on their lands, though he had an ancient right of
pasturage. The Guru replied, ' Buh juh howega,'
that is, ' Buh shall become sterile/ a prediction which
was subsequently fulfilled.

Guru Arjan on this tour visited a village called
Khanpur, between Goindwal and the present Tarn
Taran. He was accompanied by five Sikhs, including
Bidhi Chand and Gur Das, men famous in different
ways, of whom we shall hereafter have much to
say. He remained the whole day engaged in his
devotions. In the evening it rained heavily and
wintry winds were blowing. Bidhi Chand said to
the Guru : ' That lofty house which thou seest in the
village is very near. Let us go and rest there for the
night.' The Guru objected, and said it would be
better to remain where they were than associate
with the evil people who dwelt there. Bidhi Chand,
however, prevailed on him to let him go into the
village and endeavour to secure shelter, as the night
was piercingly cold. Bidhi Chand begged the people
to let his party have even one room in which they
could all sleep together. The villagers only laughed

1 Asa. Dainty here means darling, as in old English.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 23

at him, and called the Guru and his Sikhs hypocrites.
Bidhi Chand went and duly informed the Guru of
the character of his reception. The Guru replied :
' Pay no heed, I told thee they were foul-tongued
people. Whoever hath devotion in his heart will
come to us of his own accord, and give us accommoda
tion for the night/

As Guru Arjan had anticipated, Hema, a devout
Sikh of the village, arrived and said, ' O true Guru,
I have a tattered hut made out of grass and twigs
which is at thy service. It will be hallowed by
receiving thee/ Hema, who had been made a Sikh
by Guru Ram Das, lived by grinding corn for the
villagers. His leisure time he employed in repeating
the Guru's hymns. Though he was extremely poor,
and possessed only a coarse blanket to wear, his hut
was ever open to the stranger. The Guru seeing his
love and devotion gladly accepted his hospitality.
He then cooked and supplied his distinguished
guest with the best food in his possession. Before
retiring he took off his sole blanket, and put it under
the Guru as bedding, so that he might enjoy sweet
repose. The Guru, seeing his devotion, composed
the following : — -

Very beautiful is that hut in which God's praises are
sung,

While the mansion in which God is forgotten is of no avail.

There is a pleasure even in poverty when in the company of
the saints God is remembered.

May that grandeur which is bound up with mammon
perish !

Even when turning a handmill or wearing a coarse blanket,
the heart may be happy and contented.

That empire is of no avail which conferreth not satisfaction.

They who wander even naked in the love of the one God
obtain honour,

While vain are silks and satins, attachment to which
maketh man covetous.

24 THE SIKH RELIGION

Everything is in Thy power, O God ; Thou actest and
causes! to act.

May Nanak obtain the gift of remembering Thee at every
breath he draweth ! l

On the same occasion the Guru composed the
following :—

The place where the name of the beloved God is repeated,

Is like a mansion of gold ;

The city in which the name of God is not repeated is like
a wilderness.

He who eating dry bread remembereth God,

Shall behold Him whether at home or abroad.

Know that he who through pampering his belly com-
mitteth bad deeds is planting for himself a garden of poison.

The spiritually ignorant man who loveth not the saints,

And committeth sins in company with the infidel,

Loseth his human body so difficult of attainment, and
uprooteth himself.

I have entered Thine asylum, O compassionate to the poor.

O ocean of comfort, my great God,

Nanak singeth Thy praises, mercifully preserve his honour.2

The Guru remained for some time in Khanpur.
During his stay Hema obtained his desire, and
went to his heavenly abode. After the Guru's
departure, the Emperor's viceroy, who had some
reason to be dissatisfied with the inhabitants of
Khanpur, sent an army against it, razed it to the
ground, and massacred its chief inhabitants. The
survivors had reason to reflect on the words of
Kabir :-

Kabir, the house in which God and His saints are not
served,

Is like a cremation-ground and ghosts dwell therein.

The Guru thence proceeded to the village of Khara,
where he was pleased with the prospect around him

1 Qn

Suhi. 2 Majh. 3 Slok 192.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 25

—the flowering woods and glades, the limpid water,
and the fresh and exhilarating atmosphere. On
entering the village he received a friendly reception
from the headmen. They afterwards assisted him
in obtaining land from the villagers on which he laid
the foundation of what is now the famous Sikh city
of Tarn Taran, and proceeded to construct a tank
for the devotional ablutions of his Sikhs. The year
in which these events occurred is stated to be
A. D. 1590. The name Tarn Taran means a raft to
take men across the world's ocean. The Guru, at
great expense, built lime-kilns and caused bricks to
be baked. When these were seen by Nur-ul-Din,
the local Muhammadan governor, they were, accord
ing to the tyrannical custom of the age, seized by
him for the construction of a seraglio designed by
the Emperor for the public use. The Sikhs on seeing
this suggested to the Guru to write to the Emperor
to allow the tank to be finished and to inspire fear
in Nur-ul-Din. The Guru, who was the essence
of humility, refused to take notice of the outrage.
He said that God had not yet ordered the tank to
be made, wherefore they were to stop its construc
tion altogether. ' Mercy', continued the Guru, * is
the basis of religious worship ; wherefore we should
have mercy on every one. All the acts of him who
hath not mercy in his heart are vain/

In the Sambat year 1832 (A. D. 1775) Sardar
Khushal Singh of Faizullapur and Sardar Jassa
Singh of Ramgarh destroyed Nur-ul-Din' s edifice,
and employed the bricks, of which Nur-ul-Din had
robbed the Guru, in the construction of the tank.1

1 The tank at Tarn Taran is larger than that at the Golden
Temple at Amritsar. At one corner is a tall minaret built by Ranjit
Singh. He intended to build three others, but died before he could
accomplish his project. The money collected for the construction
mysteriously disappeared from its custodians.

The approach to the temple has lately been opened by the de
molition of some houses, to whose proprietors large sums of money
have been paid by willing subscribers as compensation.

26 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Guru then went into the Jalandhar district,
where he purchased land to build another city,
Kartarpur, or the city of the Creator, which has
since risen to considerable spiritual and temporal
eminence. It lies in what is called the Jalandhar
Doab between the Bias and Satluj rivers.

The Guru with his own hands cut the first
sod for the construction of the city and its neces
sarily accompanying well to supply water to the
inhabitants. The well he called Gangsar, or the
Ganges tank, for the following reason : A man
called Baisakhi, who used every year to visit the
Ganges, once called upon the Guru on his way.
The Guru asked him not to go, but bathe in his well,
worship God, repeat the true Name, and he should
thus obtain all the advantages of bathing in the
Ganges. Baisakhi respectfully represented that he
had made a vow to go to the Ganges, and must
accordingly proceed thither. The Guru, on seeing
his determination, allowed him to continue his
journey. When Baisakhi on the point of returning
sought to fill a vessel with Ganges water, it slipped
from his hand and was taken away by the current.
He did all in his power to recover it, but in vain.
When he returned to the Guru, and related the
untoward incident, it is said that the Guru to his
astonishment produced in his presence from the new
well the very vessel that had fallen from his hands
at the Ganges. Baisakhi was then convinced that
his pilgrimage to Hardwar had been in vain. On
this account the well at Kartarpur was called the
Gangsar.

The Guru went to the country of Nakka at the
invitation of Bhai Bhuria, Chaudhri Chuhar Mai, and
other pious Sikhs. He visited Khemkaran, Chunian,
and other villages, where he preached with great
success. He then went to Jambar, where he remained
for some time, during which he converted Kidara,
Kheda, Samdu, Mukanda, Tulsa, Lalu, and others.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 27

The Guru then proceeded to Lahore at the request
of the Sikhs who resided there. He rested in the
Dabbi Bazar on the site of the present ' Guru's
Bawali ', and planned its construction. People of
all classes hearing of his fame flocked to see him,
receive his instruction, and make provision for their
future salvation. Thither came the Jogi Sambhunath
and the Hindu saints Kahna and Chhajju ; the
Moslem saints Shah Husain, Shah Sulaiman, Shah
Inayat Qadari, Shaikh Wali Shah, and others, all
humbling themselves before the Guru and beseeching
soul-saving religious instruction. The Guru fixing
his thoughts on God uttered the following hymn :—

O wise men, think of the Lord in your hearts.

The true King, the Releaser from bondage, dwelleth in the
heart by the mind's affection.

Nothing is equal in value to the sight of God.

Thou art the pure Cherisher ; Thou Thyself art the Lord
great and incomparable.

Give me Thy hand, O Brave One, Thou art the only one
to assist me.

O Creator, by Thy power didst Thou create the world ;
Thou art Nanak's prop.1

This hymn, when heard by the Viceroy of Lahore,
produced a great impression on his mind. It is said
that he reformed his life, and devoted himself to
God's service. He invited the Guru to ask him
a favour. The Guru did so, and the result was the
excavation of the Bawali at the Viceroy's expense.

The Guru then went to the shrine of Guru Nanak
at Dehra Baba Nanak in the Gurdaspur district.
Thence he proceeded to Barath in the same district
to visit Sri Chand, Guru Nanak's son. After mutual
salutations they held a conversation. Sri Chand
asked why the Guru wandered hither and thither
and did not reside in Amritsar. The Guru replied

1 Tilang.

28 THE SIKH RELIGION

that Prithia was distressed at his residence there,
and so he travelled to propagate his religion. After
some further conversation, in the course of which
Sri Chand censured the conduct of Prithia, and said
it would be the cause of his damnation, the Guru
took his departure for Amritsar, and thus consulted
the wishes of his Sikhs and of Sri Chand.

CHAPTER V

After the Guru's return to Amritsar, Prithia con
tinued to annoy him as before. Prithia' s jealousy
was to a great extent fanned by his wife's reproaches.
She said to her husband: 'My lord, hadst thou
pleased thy father by serving him, thou shouldst
now be Guru, and I should be the Guru's revered
wife. The eldest son hath been superseded. The
youngest hath obtained the position of Guru and is
worshipped by the world. The Emperor and kings
bow before him. Wealth ever cometh to him while
the fates are against us.' Prithia replied : ' Thou
hast the greatest wealth of all in thy son Mihrban.
When he shall have grown up, he shall obtain the
Guruship. Arjan hath no son himself, and his
prosperity is but short-lived.'

The Guru's wife, who overheard this conversation,
repeated it to her husband. He bade her pay no
heed to it but continue to repeat the true Name. He
then addressed her the following hymn :—

O my soul, grasp the shelter of the Supreme and Omnipo
tent God.

Repeat the name of God who supporteth the regions of
the earth and the universe.

O saint of God, abandon thine intellectual pride, under
stand the will of God, and thou shalt be happy.

Accept the act of God as good : in weal and woe meditate
on Him.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 29

The Creator saveth in a moment millions of fallen ones,
and in this there is no delay.

The Lord is the destroyer of the pain and sorrow of the
poor ; He rewardeth whom He pleaseth ;

He is mother and father, cherisher of life and soul, and
a sea of comfort for all.

There is no deficiency in the Creator's gifts ; He is omni
present, and a mine of jewels.

The beggar beggeth Thy name, O Lord ; Thou abidest in
every heart.

The slave Nanak hath entered the sanctuary of Him from
whom nobody departeth empty.1

The Guru continued his instruction : —

Fools love the world though it is as a mirage, an enchanted

city, or the shadow of a tree.

In the same way, Nanak, wise men regard family and

wealth as perishable, and remember God's name.2

O my good wife, even if Karmo's jealousy and
pride please thee not, be not jealous and proud like
her. If one throw a handful of dust at the moon,
it will not reach it, but recoil on the thrower. If
my eldest brother's wife hath addressed thee bad
language, bear it. Shaikh Farid hath said : —

Farid, do good for evil, clothe not thy heart with anger ;
Thus shall thy body not suffer pain, and thou shalt obtain
everything.3

The Guru's wife said : ' Although thine instruction
is the best, yet my married life would be most happy
if thou grant me a son. Great king, they who seek
thy protection obtain happiness in this life and
salvation in the next. If thou grant not thy servant
a son, it will not be well/

With the object of giving his Sikhs a lesson in
humility he decided on referring her to Bhai Budha
to pray for the desired boon, and gave her the
following directions : ' My beloved, if thou really

1 Gauri. 2 Sahaskriti verses. 3 Sloks.

30 THE SIKH RELIGION

desire a son, then go to Bhai Budha, an ancient Sikh
of Baba Nanak's time, and wait on him. He dwell-
eth in a forest. He is a humble man. He carrieth
firewood and grass, and sendeth to my kitchen the
corn which is the Guru's right after the cultivators
have taken their share. He is ever engaged in
worship, and only eateth when he receiveth food
from the Guru's kitchen. If he be pleased, he will
bless thee and thou shalt have a son. God arrangeth
the affairs of His saints/

Next day the Guru's wife set out in great state
to see Bhai Budha. She took with her as her atten
dants the wives of the headmen of Amritsar. They
rode in carriages, palkis, and sedans, and formed an
imposing procession. She was also attended by
servants male and female who carried plates of
sweets as offerings to the saint. They reached his
place in the forest in the afternoon when he was
hungry and thirsty, and in momentary expectation
of his meal from the Guru's kitchen. When he saw
the dust of the cortege flying, and the carriages,
palkis, sedans, bearers and horsemen approaching
at high speed, he said, ' Is there a stampede from
Amritsar that the inhabitants have left the city and
sought shelter here ? ' The Guru's wife, on being
informed of Bhai Budha's surprise, was much dis
tressed, and remarked that her journey had brought
her a curse instead of a blessing. Having made her
obeisance and placed before him the delicious food
she had brought, she addressed him : ' Thou hast
seen and heard and served Guru Nanak. Thou art
respected by us and worthy art thou of reverence.
The Guru hath sent me to thee that by thy blessing
I may obtain the boon of a son.'

Bhai Budha replied, ' Revered lady, I am but
the grass-cutter and servant of thy house. If I pos
sessed the power thou supposest, why should I cut
grass and sweep the Guru's stables ? It is the Guru
himself who fulfilleth every one's desires. It is the

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 31

Guru himself who is the ocean of supernatural power.
Should he desire to dismiss me, I must be content.
As for these savoury dishes thou placest before me,
I am not worthy of them. They are only fitted for
the Guru himself. If thou think I should take them,
expect not service from me. Were I to eat them,
how could I afterwards think of cutting grass ? If
thou desire menial service from me, then I am thy
slave, but take away these viands/ The lady's
further solicitations were useless. She had to return
disappointed and crestfallen to the Guru.

The Guru on hearing the result of his wife's mission
quoted to her the following hymn of Guru Amar
Das:—

O man, be not proud of thy knowledge ; become pious
and humble.

Within thee are ignorance and pride of intellect : by the
true Word wash away this filth.

Be humble before the true Guru, and allow not thyself
to be at all noticed —

The world is burning by its own pride ; allow not thyself
to be noticed —

Act according to the will of the true Guru, and abide by
his wishes.

Thus saith Nanak, forsake pride and continue to be of
humble mind ; thus shalt thou obtain happiness.1

The Guru continued: 'The saints and the true
Guru are not pleased with display. If thou desire
anything from them, never appear in the character
of a superior. Come, I will teach thee how to suc
ceed. With devotion in thy heart grind corn, knead
the flour, and bake the bread with thine own hands.
Dress it with onions. Then take it with some thick
buttermilk on thy head to Bhai Budha. Dress thy
self as a cultivator's wife, and go on foot and alone,
so shalt thou obtain the saint's blessing.'

The Guru's wife, in accordance with his instruc-

1 Asa Chhant.

32 THE SIKH RELIGION

tions, proceeded next day without attendants to
Bhai Budha. She found him hungry as before and
waiting for his meal. On seeing her he thought to
himself : ' If a mother take not care of her son, who
will do so ? She hath brought me my meal, and
I need it much. I was wrong in sending her away
yesterday, but she hath pardoned mine error. Hail,
lady ! give me what thou hast brought/

Bhai Budha while eating said, ' The Guru is the
owner of the storehouse, but I have received an
order to open it. As thou hast given me food to my
heart's content, so shalt thou have a son to thy
heart's content. He shall be very handsome and
brave, possess spiritual and temporal power, become
a mighty hunter, ride on royal steeds, wear two
swords, be puissant in battle, and trample on the
Mughals.' With every morsel he ate Bhai Budha
uttered a blessing on the lady's progeny and said :
' As I now crush these onions thou hast brought me,
so shall thy son crush the heads of his enemies, and
be at once a great warrior and exalted Guru. His
shall not be the humble seat of a village Guru, but
a gorgeous imperial throne. As I am now filled with
thy viands, so shall thy heart be filled with joy on
beholding him.' A son who received at his birth
the name of Har Gobind was duly conceived ; and
in memory of the event an anniversary fair is held in
the forest where Bhai Budha resided.

The Guru, on hearing from his wife on her return
home of the graciousness of her reception by Bhai
Budha said, ' If the saints desire it, they can make
a poor man a king, fill the empty, and poise a moun
tain on a blade of grass.'

It may be convenient here to give a panegyric of
Bhai Budha, which a Sikh biographer put into the
mouth of Guru Arjan : —

Budha Sahib is the impersonation of austerity, a mine
of divine knowledge and virtue.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 33

Simple and pious he hath asserted himself ; he is un
equalled like the sun, the moon, and the philosopher's stone.

He hath adopted no religious garb nor in any wise practised
hypocrisy ; he hath subdued all his desires and organs.

Hear, O Ganga,1 ineffable is the word of the saints in
whose complete power God is.

The Guru on being satisfied of his wife's concep
tion composed the following : —

That the words of holy men are immutable is apparent to
all.

Whoever associateth with a saint shall meet the Lord God.

This faith and comfort are obtained by uttering God's
name.

Everybody hath been making his own remarks ; 2 the
Guru hath brought a child to my house.

There is no doubt God is the preserver of him who seeketh
His shelter.

Plant God's name in the soil of acts3 since this opportunity
is difficult to find.

God Himself is the Searcher of hearts ; He doeth every
thing and causeth everything to be done.

It is God's function to purify many sinners.

Be not led astray, O man, by the deceit of mammon.

Nanak, God will preserve his honour whom He hath robed
in His court.4

When Karmo, Prithia's wife, heard of the Guru's
wife's pregnancy, she upbraided her husband with
having falsely prophesied that no child should be
born to Guru Arjan.

When Bhai Budha spoke of a stampede from
Amritsar he little thought that there would be
a stampede of another character, which would give
his words literal fulfilment. Prithia instigated his
friend Sulahi Khan, now grown insolent with power,

1 Guru Arjan's wife.

! That Guru Arjan should never have offspring.

3 That is, in this birth. 4 Bilawal.

34 THE SIKH RELIGION

to proceed, under pretence of levying tribute, with
a strong force to plunder Amritsar and inspire fear
in the Guru. The Guru, anticipating the raid and
otherwise apprehending unprovoked annoyance from
Sulahi, resolved to leave Amritsar and seek shelter
in Wadali, a village six or seven miles distant. A
faithful Sikh, apprehending danger to the Guru,
persuaded him to retire to a tract of barren land,
called Raur in the local dialect, which belonged to
him. It is said that after the Guru's arrival the
land became green. It may be here mentioned that
the Guru's retreat is still called the Guru's Raur,
and possesses an imposing and well appointed temple.

The Guru was not suffered to abide long in peace
in his retreat. Wadali, originally founded by the
Chambal and Man tribes, had become a prosperous
village, and on this account the inhabitants of the
neighbouring villages grew jealous and made war
on them. The Wadali people, unaccustomed to a
marauding life, were defeated, and in their difficul
ties, hearing that Guru Arjan was encamped in the
vicinity, sought his protection and mediation with
their enemies. The Guru accepted the role thus
offered him, and proceeded with the Wadali men
to their village, where he lived for a considerable
time.

Prithia, not wishing to undergo the expense of
entertaining Sulahi Khan, went forth to meet him.
Sulahi after salutation said, ' Prithi Chand, thou the
eldest hast not obtained the Guruship. Where is thy
youngest brother who hath obtained it ? ' Prithia
replied, ' My lord, my brother Arjan, hearing of
thine approach, hath left Amritsar and gone I know
not whither.' Prithia offered Sulahi a present,
which he refused, saying that it was more proper
for him to give than to take a present from a guru.
Sulahi requested Prithia to let him know when
Arjan returned, and he would take measures to
restrain his irregularities.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 35

The Guru, finding in Wadali a scarcity of water,
ordered a large well to be dug and worked by six
Persian wheels (chheharat), whence it was afterwards
called Chhiharta. On the fifth day of the light half
of Magh, the Indian vernal festival, there is a yearly
fair held at the place.

CHAPTER VI

Sikhs from distant countries visited Amritsar
during the Guru's absence, but their hearts withered
and pined like a lotus without the sun. Prithia made
many efforts to convince them that he was the real
Guru, but the crane is not made a swan by pretence
or by a coat of paint. He who has no spiritual peace,
consolation, truth, love and devotion cannot com
municate these gifts and virtues to others.

Har Gobind was born at Wadali on the 2ist of the
month of Har, Sambat 1652 (A. D. 1595). On his
birth the Guru composed the following :—

The True Guru sent me a son ;

A long-lived son hath been born by destiny.

When he took up his dwelling in the womb,

His mother's heart was exceeding glad.

A son, a saint of God hath been born,

The destiny recorded in the beginning hath become mani
fest to all.

By God's order the boy hath been born in the tenth month.

There is no more anxiety ; great joy hath taken its place.

Our female friends sing the Anand, the composition of the
Guru,1

Which is pleasing to the true Lord.

The vine of my race hath extended and shall last for many
generations.

God hath erected the machinery of the faith.

The True Guru hath granted me what my heart desired.

1 The third Guru, as we have already seen, composed the Anand
on the birth of his grandson called Anand.

D 2

36 THE SIKH RELIGION

Having fixed my attention on the one God, I have become
free from anxiety.

As a child who is very proud of its father, obeyeth his words,

So I speak as it pleaseth God to have me speak.

It is not a secret or a concealed matter

That Guru Nanak, being pleased, bestowed this gift on me.1

The Guru composed the following also on the
same occasion : —

God hath remembered His function and conferred all
happiness on me.

The saint 2 hath been merciful, and all my family is
delighted.

The True Guru himself hath accomplished the matter.

Long be the life of Har Gobind ! God hath consulted our
comfort, happiness, and peace of mind.

The woods, the dales, the three worlds are blooming and
all creatures rejoice.

Nanak hath obtained the object of his heart's desires ;
God hath fulfilled them.3

On hearing of the birth of a son to the Guru,
Karmo, Prithia's wife, became very sorrowful. She
said to her husband : ' Hast thou heard of the rejoic
ings at Wadali ? Arjan's glory is now like that of
the sun, and thou art hidden like the stars before
his brightness. All thy talk and boasting have been
in vain/ Prithia's heart also burnt, and he impu
dently replied : ' My words are ever true. What if
a son hath been born to Arjan ? Shall I cherish
grief in my heart ? I will not allow the child
to live/ Karmo took no sustenance the following
night, and was qiiite unable to sleep. The birth of
a young heir reminded the Sikhs of the time when
the whole of Ajudhia rejoiced at the accession of
Ram to the sovereignty, and Kekai, one of his
father's wives, alone mourned the event.

Next morning Karmo sent for an old nurse of the

1 Asa. 2 That is, Bhai Budha. 3 Bilawal.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 37

family, and after some preliminary conversation asked
her to go to Wadali, pretend to be a friend of the
Guru's family, and find an opportunity of poisoning
his newly-born son. Should the nurse succeed in
this, she should have as much money as she pleased.
At present she could have one hundred rupees, and,
when Karmo's son Mihrban obtained the Guruship,
she should be rewarded with a further pecuniary
grant, an excellent house, and maintenance for life.
The nurse replied : ' I have been employed in your
family for many generations, and now when it is
my turn to obtain the post of nurse, the Guru's
wife hath employed another. My heart was already
distressed before I heard thy tale. In a few days
thou shalt see I will accomplish thy work/ Karmo
gave her the promised money and a splendid shawl
as a retaining fee.

The deceitful nurse went home, applied poison to
the nipples of her breast, mixed some more in a
medicine called gurhti given to infants in the East,
and proceeded to Wadali. It was at a time when,
owing to some temporary indisposition, the child
refused the breast, and the family was in great
anxiety in consequence. Sage women recommended
each her own medicine. When Karmo's nurse
arrived, Ganga the Guru's wife was much pleased to
see her, and the nurse too rejoiced in the hope of
being able to carry out her hostile design. She
hypocritically said, ' O Queen Ganga, hundreds of
thousands of congratulations to thee ! May thy child
and thy husband live for ever ! Thou hast not re
membered me, but I have remembered thee. I have
come to wish thee happiness.'

Ganga told her the child was not well and ceased
to suckle. The nurse replied, ' Bring him hither ;
I will give him infants' medicine. I understand
infants' complaints, and I treat numbers of them who
are brought to me from distant countries. After
one dose of my infants' mixture they require no

38 THE SIKH RELIGION

more. Prithia's wife always had her infant treated
by me, and he was never ill afterwards/ The upshot
of it was, that Ganga, deceived by her specious
words, entrusted the child to her. The nurse took
Har Gobind in her lap, and offered him the poisoned
medicine, but he refused it. She caressed and
fondled him and succeeded in putting the drug
into his mouth, but he would not swallow it. She
then drew out her breast, and offered it to him.
The moment she did so she fainted and fell back
wards. Some put water into her mouth, others
sprinkled rosewater on her with the object of
restoring her. Having become conscious, she looked
about her and said, ' The bribe of one hundred rupees
which Prithia and his wife gave me hath undone me.
Why did I poison my breasts and undertake to kill
the child ? '

The story of Prithia's instigation of the child's
murder spread from house to house and caused him
deserved obloquy. The Guru composed the follow
ing hymn on the occasion :—

The perfect Guru hath stretched forth His hand and
preserved him.

The glory of His servant hath become manifest.

Ever repeat the Guru's name ; ever meditate on the Guru,

And lay before him thy heart's desires.

I have sought the protection of the true divine Guru,

And His servant's service hath been successful.

He hath preserved my soul, body, youth, and life.

Saith Nanak, I am a sacrifice to the Guru.1

During Har Gobind' s illness suggestions were
made to the Guru that recourse be had to a local
witch who possessed a high reputation for skill in
sorcery, in the hope of obtaining from her a charm
for the recovery of the child. This was to be done
by repeating some cabalistic words over water and
then giving it to the child to drink. The Guru

1 Asa.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 39

ridiculed such suggestions and such remedies, and
composed the following on the occasion :—

The name of the Pure One is holy water ;

By repeating it with the tongue sins fly away.

God dwelleth in everything ;

God sbineth in every heart.

By repeating God's name man descendeth not to hell ;

By serving God all boons are obtained.

God is the support of the soul ;

God is the ship of the world.

By repeating His name Death fleeth away.

God breaketh the witch's teeth.

God is ever the pardoner,

He giveth comfort and happiness,

God manifesteth His glory ;

He is the father and mother of saints :

God is with the holy ;

They continually sing of Him.

The Invisible Thing l is obtained by meeting the Guru.

His servant Nanak hath taken God's shelter.2

Owing to the perpetual importunity and taunting
speeches of his wife Karmo, Prithia's mind became
daily sadder, and he again plotted nefarious designs.
He sent for a snake-charmer, gave him some
money, and promising him a further large reward
on his success, induced him to undertake to kill the
child by exposing him to a cobra. As the mother
was sitting at her door rejoicing in the sight of her
son, and pleased with his youthful gambols, the
snake-charmer escaping her notice let a black snake
loose in the court-yard. Har Gobind took the hissing
creature in his hand as it rushed towards him, and
killed it immediately. Guru Arjan arrived on the
spot soon after, and composed the following : —

Here and hereafter our protector

Is God, the true Guru, compassionate to the poor.

1 God's name. 2 Gaund.

40 THE SIKH RELIGION

He Himself protecteth His servants ;
His voice speaketh in every heart.
I am a sacrifice to the Guru's feet.

By day and night, at every breath we draw, He who filleth
every place should be remembered.
Thou, O God, art my protector ;
True is the support of the True One.
Greatness is obtained by devotion to Thee.
Nanak, O God, hath sought Thy shelter.

When Har Gobind was about two years of age
a deputation of the inhabitants of Amritsar went to
the Guru at Wadali. They said to him, ' Wherever
thou abidest there is happiness. Conscious of the
advantage of beholding thee, we have abandoned
our villages, our homes, and our relations to dwell
in Amritsar, but thou continuest to dwell apart.
Other Sikhs too come from distant countries to
behold thee. When they arrive in Amritsar and
find thee not, they return to their homes. Come now
with us. Ramdaspur shall long prosper by thy
presence.'

The Guru acceded to their request, and set out
for his capital Amritsar. On arriving there he sent
his wife, child, and servants to his private dwelling,
and then walked to the Golden Temple. He bathed in
the tank and distributed sacred food with the usual
prayers. Then was sung the following hymn :—

I have meditated on my Guru,
And reached my home in comfort.
This is due to the greatness of the Name
Whose worth cannot be expressed.
Ye saints, worship God, God, God :

By worshipping Him ye shall obtain everything, and all
your affairs shall be adjusted.

Very fortunate is He who findeth

Love and devotion to God.

The slave Nanak hath meditated on the Name,

And thus received the reward of all happiness.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 41

On that occasion, also, the Guru composed the
following : —

I have meditated on God in my heart,
And so have returned home safe and sound.
Everybody is consoled
That the perfect Guru hath saved us.

0 saints, my God is ever merciful.

God taketh no account from His worshippers, but pre-
serveth them as His children.

1 have clasped God's name to my heart,
And He hath arranged all mine affairs.
The perfect Guru being pleased gave it me.
Nanak shall have no further anxiety.1

The Guru, taking his son, waited with some
sacred food on Prithia, as his eldest brother. Prithia
hated the sight of the Guru and his son, but, pre
tending to be pleased, ironically said, ' May you
both live long ! ' The Guru then went with his son
to visit Mahadev, his second elder brother, and
receive his blessing.

There were great rejoicings and illuminations
when the Guru, after such long absence, returned
to Amritsar accompanied by the young heir to
the Guruship. Prithia and his wife Karmo alone
burned with jealousy. Karmo addressed her
husband : ' My lord, thou hast made many efforts
to secure for thyself the Guru's throne and kill Har
Gobind, but thou hast not succeeded. Now our rivals
who are near us indulge in ostentatious rejoicings.
My breast is burning, I suffer intense agony and
cannot endure their happiness. Thou didst formerly
say — and thus consoled me — that the Guruship
belonged to our house, and that after Arjan's death
our son Mihrban should inherit it. Now even that
hope is shattered, since a young prince hath been
born in Arjan's house. Wherefore contrive some
other plan by which the desires of our hearts may

1 Sorath.

42 THE SIKH RELIGION

be fulfilled/ Prithia replied, ' Hear me, my beau
tiful, have no anxiety ; thy son shall sit on the Guru's
throne. Har Gobind, Arjan's son, shall be the
victim of small-pox. If he survive, then shall we
contrive some other plan for his destruction. He
must not live/

When this conversation was reported to the
Guru, he repeated the following composition of
Guru Ram Das :—

The perverse are all day occupied with avarice, though
they pretend otherwise ;

At night oppressed by drowsiness and their nine apertures
relaxed, they worship not God.

Women exercise power over the perverse, and ever make
fair promises ;

But they who act as women tell them, are impure, thought
less, and foolish.

The impure who feel lust ask the way from women and
travel thereby ;

But he who walketh as the true Guru telleth him, is a
true man, the best of the best.

God produced all women and men ; He playeth every play.

Saith Nanak, all is the work Thou, O God, hast made—
the best of the best.1

Har Gobind exhibited some feverish symptoms.
On the third day afterwards his body became
inflamed and showed red pustules which eventually
assumed a confluent form. The child's eyes closed
as if in perpetual sleep. Small-pox of a very virulent
type had declared itself. The child's mother prayed,
' O great God, I have one son obtained after long
waiting. May he be able to bathe and rise in
health ! ' The Guru administered to his wife such
consolation as suggested itself to him. The people
of the city advised him to make an offering to the
goddess of small-pox, and propitiate her by worship
ping a young virgin. They said, ' The goddess is

1 Gauri ki War I.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 43

pleased when an immaculate virgin is worshipped
by offering her food and money, and paying her
other abject service/ According to the ' Skand
Puran ' of the Hindus, the goddess of small-pox
should be thus addressed : ' I bow to Sitala Devi
who rideth on a donkey, who is naked, who weareth
a broom as her diadem, and whose forehead is
adorned with a sieve.' Hindus are in the habit of
repeating this as an incantation in the hope of
obtaining recovery from the malady. The Guru
rejecting the advice of his Hindu friends addressed
them the following :—

God is my sole prop ; I have relinquished other hopes.

God, the perfect Lord of excellences, is powerful over all.

The Name is the support of God's slave who entereth His
protection.

Reliance on God is in the saints' hearts.

He Himself preserveth ; He Himself bestoweth ; He Him
self cherisheth.

The compassionate to the poor, the ocean of favour
remembereth us at every breath we draw.

What the Creator continueth to do is for our advantage.

The perfect Guru hath taught that happiness is obtained by
the will of God.

They who dismiss care, anxiety, and calculations, recognize
God's order.

Nanak, they who are imbued with God's love perish not,
nor are they abandoned by Him.1

The child gradually began to show signs of
recovery, upon which the Guru uttered the fol
lowing :—

I have ever and ever repeated God's name,

And God Himself hath preserved my child.

The small-pox is stayed ;

Our troubles are removed by God's name.

My God is ever merciful.

He who is merciful to all creatures hath heard the prayer of
His worshipper.

1 Bilawal.

44 THE SIKH RELIGION

God is omnipotent to act and cause to act.
By remembering Him all sorrows depart.
He hath heard the supplication of His servant ;
Nanak, every one may now sleep in comfort.1

On the ninth day of the disease the child opened
his eyes, whereupon the Guru composed the fol
lowing : —

The divine Guru hath opened his eyes,

My anxieties have fled, my prayers have been successful.

God hath preserved my son from the small-pox ;

The Lord, the Supreme Being hath shown mercy.

Nanak, he who repeateth the Name shall live,

And quaff God's nectar in the company of His saints.

The Guru composed the following also on the same
occasion : —

The fever hath departed, God hath granted relief.

My son is now well by the grace of God.

It is by God's favour men become happy,

And they who through various births were separated from
God become united with Him.

By ever remembering His name

The abode of all diseases is destroyed.

With composure and devotion utter God's hymns,

And remember Him, O mortal, through the eight watches
of the day.

Sorrow and pain and Death approach him not,

Saith Nanak, who singeth God's praises.2

God hath protected the honour of His servant.3

The Guru gave the medicine of God's name, and all the
fever hath departed.

God of His mercy hath preserved Har Gobind.

The calamity was removed ; he obtained all happiness by
ever reflecting on God's attributes.

1 Sorath. 2 Gauri.

3 In the Granth Sahib protecting honour frequently means pro
tecting life.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 45

My Creator consented to the magnification of the perfect
Guru.

Guru Nanak laid a fixed foundation which ever groweth
more secure.1

0 God, Thou hast been merciful.

There is comfort and joy, O God ; my boy hath recovered.

Clasping both hands I made supplication and meditated
on the Supreme Being in my heart.

God giving His hand hath preserved him and removed all
his sufferings.

The husband and wife joined in rejoicing and singing
victory to God.

Saith Nanak, I am a sacrifice to the man who saveth all.2

The following also was composed by the Guru on
the same occasion :—

The primal Brahm, the Supreme Being, pardoned, and
all my son's maladies are healed.

They who enter the asylum of the perfect Guru are saved,
and all their affairs adjusted.

God's servant remembereth the Name which is his
support.

The True Guru being compassionate hath cured his fever.

Be ever happy, my beloved friends ; the Guru hath
preserved Har Gobind.

Nanak, great is the greatness of the Creator ; true is His
word and true His speech.3

The authors of the ' Gur Bilas ', the ' Suraj
Parkash', the 'Guru Samhita' and other works,
without paying due regard to the Guru's hymns,
falsely asserted, each according to his own Hindu
proclivities, that the Guru's wife went to worship
in the temple of Durga, performed the Hindu
ceremony of horn, and adored virgins, all for her
son's recovery. There is no indication of this

1 Gujari.

2 Devgandhari. Guru Nanak is the man referred to in the last line
of the hymn. 3 Sorath.

46 THE SIKH RELIGION

superstitious worship in the Guru's hymns. On the
contrary, it is only the Anand of Guru Amar Das
and the other hymns quoted herein which were
repeated or sung on the occasion.

CHAPTER VII

When Har Gobind had completely recovered,
there were illuminations and great rejoicings.
Prithia' s wife, however, kept raw the sore of her
husband's inflamed mind : ' My lord and master, thy
words have proved false. Thine enemies increase
daily like the waxing, while thou decreasest like the
waning moon. I cannot endure Arjan's greatness,
therefore I will either drown or poison myself.'

Prithia sent for Har Gobind' s male nurse and
said to him : ' Thou art a high Brahman and on
that account I ever take thought for thee. What
are thy wages ? Thou wearest no necklace and
no bracelets. Arjan squandereth on others and
boas teth of his generosity. Thou gottest nothing even
when the child was born. My friend, if thou do
business for me, I will fill thy house with wealth,
and thou shalt not want for jewellery. But since
thou art intimate with Arjan's family, I will only
tell thee what I wish thee to do on thy taking an
oath on thy janeu to keep my secret.' When the
servant complied, Prithia said, ' Take five hundred
rupees from me and kill that boy. I will show thee
how to do it. Thou wilt not find it difficult, for he
is all day with thee. Put poison either in curds or
bread-pudding, and extract the thorn from mine
eyes. I will give thee half of the money now, and
the other half when thou hast done the deed. Fear
not in the slightest.'

The Brahman was thus persuaded to promise
to poison the child. He took very powerful poison
and ground it into powder. Next day when the

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 47

boy's mother sent him milk by another servant,
the Brahman found an opportunity of slipping the
poison into it. The child turned his head away
from the poisoned food, thrust it aside, and asked
for something else to drink. The Brahman began to
fondle and pat him on the head, and said, ' Thou
oughtest certainly to drink this.' The child then
began to cry. The Guru heard him, sent for the
Brahman and inquired the cause of the weeping he
had heard. The Brahman replied that he had
offered the child sweet milk, but he would not take
it, and when pressed to do so began to cry.

The Guru, taking the child in his arms, began to
encourage him to drink what was offered him. The
child, however, still turned away his head and
would not touch it. The Guru then began to suspect
another plot. He took some of the potion and gave
it to a dog, which fell ill immediately, and very soon
after died. The Brahman, seeing the state of the dog,
was himself seized with colic, and began to suffer
great agony. He confessed his intention of poison
ing the child at Prithia's instigation, and then
expired. Upon this the Guru composed the fol
lowing :—

The poison produced no impression whatever on him ;
The evil Brahman died of the colic.
The Supreme Being Himself preserved His servant ;
The sinner died by the Guru's power.
The servant hath meditated on His Master :
God Himself hath destroyed the plotter against the
innocent.

God like a mother and father protected His servant.
The face of the slanderer is blackened here and hereafter.
God heard the prayer of His servant Nanak,
And the vile sinner was destroyed without hope.2

Guru Arjan found an opportunity of reproaching

1 Literally — not the size of a sesame.

2 Bhairo.

48 THE SIKH RELIGION

Prithia with his murderous designs. Prithia became
furious at their discovery, and determined to set out
with his family for Dihli to make a complaint to the
Emperor Akbar against the Guru, and thus antici
pate any charges the Guru might subsequently make
against him. Mahadev endeavoured to restrain him,
and quoted many passages from ancient writings
to prove that brothers ought to live in harmony ;
but Prithia could not be restrained by any remon
strance. Prior to his departure for Dihli, he decided
on going to the village of Hehar and paying a visit
to his friend Sulahi. Sulahi conferred on him the
proprietorship of the village, and there he tarried for
some time and built a tank for public use. The
Guru sent Bhai Gur Das to Prithia with the object
of endeavouring to conciliate him. Bhai Gur Das
failed in the negotiations, and only received abusive
language to communicate to the Guru. Gur Das
composed the following on that occasion : —

The crane, though dwelling at a place of pilgrimage, is not
content.

It raineth near the chatrik, yet he drinketh not.

Even though the bamboo attach itself to sandal, it is not
perfumed.

The owl, unlucky bird, seeth not the sun.

The musk is in the deer's navel, yet he fleeth elsewhere in
quest of it.

The true Guru Arjan is the true king ; the mina Prithia 's
face hath been blackened.1

The meaning of this hymn appears to be that no
one knows when he is well off. Prithia did not
appreciate the advantage of dwelling near the
Guru.

A letter was in due time received from the Em
peror summoning Sulahi to Dihli. He took Prithia
with him to present a complaint against the Guru.
The Emperor decided in the first place that he

1 War XXXVI.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 49

would not interfere in the affairs of religious men,
and secondly that the memorial was false. Prithia,
crushed by his disappointment, became seriously ill.
The Guru, on hearing the total result of his enemy's
proceedings, composed the following :—

God Himself showed the memorial to be false,

And affliction befell the sinner.

Death shall not approach him

Whose helper my God is.

The blind fool told lies in the true court,

And smote his head with his hands.

They who commit sin contract disease.

God Himself sat as the judge.

Prithia is involved in the consequences of his own acts ;

All his wealth shall pass away with his life.

Nanak, my Creator guardeth the honour of those

Who seek the protection of His court.1

When Har Gobind was of a suitable age to receive
instruction, the Guru went to his own brother
Mahadev, and requested him to take the boy under
his protection and educate him. Mahadev recom
mended that the delicate and responsible duty
should be entrusted to Bhai Budha, who was ex
perienced, who had seen Guru Nanak, and by whose
intercession the child had been born. The Guru
accepted Mahadev's advice and sent for Bhai Budha.
He modestly pleaded that he was himself quite
uneducated. The Guru replied, ' Thou hast all
eloquence in thy heart.' As a preliminary to Har
Gobind's education, prayers were read in the temple.
The Guru publicly announced his intention of
entrusting his son's education to Bhai Budha, and
quoted a line from one of Guru Nanak's hymns : —

He who hath meditated on knowledge conferreth favour
on others.2

Bhai Budha began his tuition. He first wrote the

1 Gauri. 2 Asa.

50 THE SIKH RELIGION

thirty-five letters of the Gurumukhi alphabet on
a wooden tablet and told Har Gobind their names.
The pupil immediately repeated them from memory
as if he had previously known them. In a few days
he knew how to join vowels with consonants and
mastered spelling. He then began to read the Guru's
hymns, upon which his faculty of perception and
comprehension was developed. In a short time he
received the gift of tongues. He was then taught
the use of offensive and defensive weapons, riding,
swimming, chemistry, astronomy, medicine, agri
culture, administration, and other sciences. On the
completion of his education the Guru took him to
the temple, offered thanksgiving to God and acknow
ledgement to Bhai Budha for his successful and
comprehensive instruction.

A Sikh called Paira lived with Guru Arjan, and
used to wait on him day and night. The teaching
of the Guru made a great impression on his mind.
At that time a proud ritualistic pandit arrived to
hold a religious controversy with the Guru. On the
morning after his arrival he put a tilak on his
forehead and went and sat in devotional attitude
on the margin of the Guru's tank. He was provided
with a salagram, a bell, and a shell, which he
ostentatiously displayed.

It was the Guru's custom to bathe every morning
in his tank. After that he used to go into the
temple and make four circumambulations. Then
going forth he used to make four more. When mak
ing the first round he passed by the pandit, but did
not make obeisance to him or his salagram. The
pandit became angry, and said the Guru and his
Sikhs had sadly fallen away from orthodox worship.
' Although he calleth himself a guru ', said the
pandit, ' and hath followers and worshippers, yet
he is only a Khatri and a family man, while I am
a rigidly continent Brahman. He therefore ought
to have worshipped me. Ram and Krishan, who

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 51

were incarnations of God, used to reverence and
worship Brahmans.' The Guru knew what was
passing in the Brahman's mind, and stopped to
speak to him at the second circumambulation.
' Excellent twice-born, wrhat fancies hast thou con
ceived that thou art angry ? Pray explain the
cause thereof.' The Brahman briefly stated the
cause. The Guru upon this gave utterance to the
following hymn : —

Thou readest the Veds with their commentaries,

But the all-pervading God abideth not in thy heart.1

Thou givest instruction to make men firm in their faith,

But thou practisest not thyself what thou preachest.

O Pandit, study the Veds

And banish the greed of thy heart.

Thou placest a salagram before thee,

But thy thoughts are dispersed in every direction.

Thou puttest a tilak on the salagram and fallest at its feet.

Thou blindly folio west the world.

Thou performest the six duties, thou spreadest thy mat
and wearest a loin-cloth ;

But it is only in wealthy houses thou ever readest thy
books,

Tellest thy beads and beggest for alms—

0 my friend, no one hath thus been saved.

He is a pandit who acteth according to the Guru's instruc
tion :

Maya with her three qualities departeth from him.
Nanak, seek the protection of that God
With whose name the four Veds are filled.2

The Brahman replied, ' O Guru, even if thou think
me not a fit person to bow to, thou oughtest at least
to have bowed to the salagram. The Guru then
extemporized the following hymn intended to confute
and humble the Hindu priest :—

1 have obtained God as my salagram :

1 Also translated— God is not in thy heart, nor are thy ways perfect.

2 Ramkali.

E 2

52 THE SIKH RELIGION

Saith Nanak, the Guru hath made me this gift :
It is such a salagram I serve.
God is my worship, my adoration, my obeisance ;
He batheth all day long.
He, the Supreme Gyani, is ever banqueting,
And leaveth no one unprovided for :
I touch His feet again and again.
His bell is heard in the four corners of the world,
His seat is ever in heaven,
His fan waveth over all,
His incense is ever diffused,
Every heart is His casket,1
The company of the saints is His perfect court.2
Singing God's praises, which ever bestoweth pleasure, is
my adoration.

His greatness is beautiful and ever endless.

He who hath come under the protection of the saints' feet

And is fortunate, shall obtain such a salagram?

The following was also quoted by the Guru on
the same occasion :—

0 blind one, thou seest not with thine eyes ;
Thou must leave all these vain things and depart.
Saith Nanak, O God, mercifully grant me

The favour of the company of the saints.

Man obtaineth something when he becometh the dust of the
saints'* feet.

He to whom God giveth understanding repeateth His
name.

The Brahman desired to continue the controversy,
but the Guru avoided it as much as possible. At

1 Samput, a small box in which Brahmans keep the salagram,
flowers, rice, and other things offered to idols.

2 Small brass idols are placed around the salagram, and these are
said to form a court.

3 Asa. In the translation of this hymn it has been found necessary
to alter the order of the verses.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 53

last he consented to hear the Brahman speak on
the Veds and Upanishads.1 The Brahman wound up
with a discourse on the nature of Brahm. When he
had finished, Bhai Salo presented himself, and was
welcomed by the Guru as his own special Ananya
Bhagat, or monotheistic saint. The Brahman con
tended that such an appellation might only be
applied to himself, The Guru denied this on the
ground that the Brahman worshipped many gods.
On this the Brahman produced all the books he had
brought with him, but they failed to satisfy the
Guru. The Brahman then proposed to send his son
to Banaras for the remainder of his library. An
auspicious time for the son's departure was fixed
by the astrologers, but after he had set out on his
journey, he met an ass which brayed. Deeming this
an unlucky omen he returned. The circumstance
afforded much banter and amusement to the Sikhs,
who became the more convinced of the truth of
their own religion.

The Guru summoned Paira, and told him that
when Guru Nanak visited Ceylon he composed the
Pransangali, and left it there until a successor of his
should demand it. The Guru gave Paira directions
to go and bring the volume. While the question of
funds for the distant journey wras under considera
tion, a Sikh came forward and offered the Guru five
paise — all he had in the world. The Guru gave this
sum to Paira for his travelling expenses, and
dispatched him without consulting an astrologer.
The Brahman remarked on this omission, whereupon
the Guru read him a lecture on the evils of super
stition. Bhai Gur Das, who happened to be with the
Guru, wrote the following stanza on the occasion :—

O Brahman,2 thou art a worshipper of Vishnu and of the

Theological and philosophical supplements to the Veds.
2 The ironical epithet ananya, which means not worshipping other
gods, has not been translated.

54 THE SIKH RELIGION

salagram ; thou listenest to the Gita,1 yet thou callest thyself
a monotheist.

After inquiring of astrologers and calculating auspicious
times, thou goest on religious pilgrimages and on visits to
holy places.

When thou goest forth, if thou meet a donkey or a dog,
superstition is aroused by the omen and thou returnest home.

Thou hast not the gift of continence, and art not content
with the support of one God ; indecision being in thy heart,
thou shalt not obtain the supreme rank.

Such is the power of association with the company of the
Guru's Sikhs that continence is produced, man relieth on one
support, and his indecision is removed.

He will not consult the astrologers or the Veds, or ask the
lunar or week day ; nor will he clasp to his heart any super
stition regarding the planets and the lunar mansions.

He will take no note of omens or conjunctions of planets or
serve other gods ; and he will fix his attention, love, and
affection on the word of the Formless One.

The Sikhs and the saints are as children ; the holy Guru
is their cherisher ; they who meditate on God shall obtain
salvation while alive.2

On hearing this the Brahman's pride was tho
roughly humbled, and he was obliged to admit that
the Sikhs were better than his own co-religionists.
His burning heart obtained comfort from the Guru's
instruction. He threw away his salagram, began to
utter the true Name, was initiated into the Sikh
religion, and thus obtained salvation. Several other
learned pandits followed his example, and accepted
the pure faith of Guru Nanak.

Paira reached Ceylon with great difficulty, as was
natural considering the restricted travelling expenses
allowed him. The King of Ceylon received him
with respect, treated him hospitably, and gave him
the required volume, with a letter and many presents

1 The episode in the Mahdbhdrat in which Krishan declares him
self to be God. 2 Gur Das's Kabit.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 55

for the Guru, and allowed him to depart on his
return journey to Amritsar. The Pransangali was
subsequently stolen by a pretended sadhu, or holy

man.1

CHAPTER VII

Guru Arjan now felt the necessity of laying down
rules for the guidance of his followers in the per
formance of their daily religious duties and expia
tory rites. This course would reduce his religion to
consistency, and hinder divergent tenets and rituals.
That consummation, however, could only be attained
when the exact words of the Gurus were permanently
recorded in one grand volume. The Guru was
strengthened in this determination by information
he continually received that Prithia was composing
religious hymns of his own which he described as the
compositions of Guru Nanak and his successors, and
the ignorant populace had not sufficient intelligence
to discriminate. Guru Amar Das, in the twenty-
third and twenty-fourth pauris of the Anand, had
decided that only the real hymns of the Guru should
be repeated and reverenced by Sikhs. Accordingly,
such compositions should be collected and arranged
for the guidance of the faithful. Nothing but evil
could result from the hymns which Prithia endea
voured to impose upon the public.

In addition to the hymns of the Gurus, Guru
Arjan praised the compositions of Gur Das, especially
his ' Waran '. Being thus commended, Gur Das
volunteered to go to Goindwal, to Mohan, elder son
of the third Guru, for the volumes containing the
Guru's compositions. Gur Das, however, failed to
attract Mohan's attention. He had locked himself
in his house, and was said to be intent on his devo
tions. Gur Das remained knocking at his door for

1 A printed Pransangali on the science of Jog can now be pur
chased, but the Sikhs do not accept it as genuine.

56 THE SIKH RELIGION

a whole night, but failed to receive an answer. He
then returned to Amritsar, and told the Guru the
story of his failure.

Bhai Budha then volunteered to go. On arriving
in Goindwal he endeavoured to gain Mohan's atten
tion, but also failed. He then broke open his door,
and found Mohan in a state which simulated uncon
sciousness. Mohri, Mohan's younger brother, came
on hearing the tumult, and advised Bhai Budha not
to awaken the sleeper. Upon this Bhai Budha
desisted and returned to Amritsar. The Guru, on
hearing of his ill-success, decided that he would go
himself. On arriving at Mohan's house he called out
to him, but received no answer. The Guru then
addressed him the following stanza, which might be
considered partly as addressed to God and partly to
Mohan — Mohan meaning the enchanter, being one of
the names of the Divinity :—

O Mohan, lofty is thy mansion, and matchless thy palace ;

O Mohan, saints adorn the doors of thy temple.

In thy temple they ever sing the praises of the infinite
and merciful God.

Where the company of the saints assemble, there they
meditate on thee.

Show compassion and kindness, 0 compassionate lord ; be
merciful to the poor.

Nanak represented, I am thirsting for a sight of thee,
grant it to me, and all happiness shall be mine.

On hearing this, Mohan opened the door, to find
that the Guru himself had come to visit him. Not
being totally appeased by the verses he had heard,
he reproached the Guru with having taken the
Guruship out of his family, and come to steal the
religious and literary memorials of his predecessors.
The Guru took no notice of his blustering, but pro
ceeded to address him another stanza :—

O Mohan, incomparable are thy words, and superior thy
deportment.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 57

O Mohan, thou believes! in one God, all others thou
treatest as refuse.

Thou believes! in the one invisible God who holdeth the
whole fabric of the world.

Under the Guru's instruction thou hast subjected to thy
self God the primal Being.

Thou Thyself movest, O God ; Thou Thyself standest still ;
Thou Thyself support est the whole fabric.

Nanak representeth, preserve mine honour ; all Thy ser
vants seek Thy sanctuary.

Mohan, somewhat softened on hearing this,
descended from the upper chamber in which he had
been seated, in order to receive his distinguished
visitor. The Guru followed up his poetical address
with a third stanza :—

O Mohan, the company of saints meditate on thee and
consider how they shall behold thee.

O Mohan, at the last hour Death shall not approach him
who repeat eth Thy name.

The god of death shall not touch him who with single
heart meditateth on Thee.

All who worship Thee in thought, word, and deed, shall
obtain the fruit thereof.

The impure, the foolish, and the stupid on beholding Thee
obtain divine knowledge.

Nanak representeth, O omnipresent God, abiding be Thy
sovereignty.

When Mohan examined the Guru's face, he saw in
it such preternatural splendour, that he recognized
the light of all the Gurus. He then surrendered the
books, deeming the divine Guru before him their
proper custodian. Upon this the Guru uttered
a fourth stanza, and thus completed the hymn :—

O Mohan, mayest thou be successful with thy family !
O Mohan, thy children, friends, brethren, and family, all
hast thou saved.

58 THE SIKH RELIGION

Thou hast also saved those who having beheld thee have
dispelled their pride.

Death never approacheth those who magnify Thee.

Endless are Thine excellences ; they cannot be described,
O True Guru, and Supreme God.

Nanak represent eth, Thou hast preserved a prop by
clinging to which the world shall be saved.1

The Guru composed the following also on that
occasion : —

I am wealthy and fortunate in the true Name ;
I sing God's praises with composure and love.
When I opened and saw my father and grandfather's 2
treasury of sacred books
My soul was enriched ;

My storehouses were filled with gems and rubies
Inestimable, inexhaustible, and unweighable.

0 my brethren, let us eat and spend this wealth together.
It shall not diminish, but continue to increase.

Saith Nanak, he on whose forehead such destiny hath been
written,

Will join us in availing ourselves of this treasure.3

After this the Guru and Mohan held a long con
versation on the subject of the Gurus from the
time of Guru Nanak. Mohan was so pleased with
the interview, that he pressed his visitor to remain
with him. The Guru excused himself on account
of the project he had formed to compile the hymns
of his predecessors. He then departed, promising
to visit Mohan again whenever he was honoured with
an invitation.

On the Guru's return journey to Amritsar he
stayed at Khadur. Datu, Guru Angad's son who
had kicked Guru Amar Das off his throne, went to

1 Gauri Chhant.

2 Ram Das, the fourth Guru, was Guru Arjan's father. His
maternal grandfather was Guru Amar Das. The Guru doubtless
means all his predecessors.

3 Gauri.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 59

meet him, and for the sake of self-abasement and
as an act of contrition put himself the following
questions in presence of the Guru : ' How can there
be worship without merits ? How can there be
honour without learning? How can there be victory
without bravery ? How can there be meditation
without mental composure ? How can the heart
have peace without contentment ? How can empire
be obtained without the performance of meritorious
acts ? How can there be divine knowledge without
the true Guru ? How can there be honour without
virtue ? Since the ocean of life is unfathomable,
how can one cross it without a vessel ? How can
there be worship without loving God's lotus feet ?
How can there be deliverance without God ? How
can there be singing without a tune ? How can one
acquire fame without verse, praise without the
bestowal of gifts ? The ocean of the world is wide :
how can one cross it without the Sikh religion ?
How can there be day without the sun ? I had no
virtues or good qualities, so how could I have been
Guru ? Such have been my reflections.'

Datu then narrated to the Guru all his misconduct
and the result thereof. He said he still felt pain in
his foot which the robbers had injured. He had
gone to visit Guru Amar Das on his deathbed, and
begged pardon for his violence. Guru Amar Das told
him that the fifth Guru would heal him. Guru Arjan,
in consideration of Datu's descent, put his hand on
the injured limb and made it whole. He then, after
a conversation with Datu on the subject of the
preceding Gurus, and after an interview with his
brother Dasu, set out for Amritsar.

On the Guru's arrival in Amritsar, he made plans
for the compilation of the Granth Sahib. He fixed
for the purpose on a secluded spot, where jand1, wild
caper, Indian fig, and pipal trees yielded agreeable
shade, while green herbage gratified the eye and

1 The Prosopis Spia'gera.

60 THE SIKH RELIGION

afforded a pleasant carpet for the feet. Tents were
erected for the accommodation of the Guru and his
bards and minstrels. The Guru decided to have
a tank constructed there also, and set about its
excavation.

On the completion of the tank, and at the time of
giving it the name Ramsar, the Guru composed the
following, which may be understood literally or
spiritually :—

Ever bathe in God's tank ; 1

Stir it up and drink the great nectareous juice.

God's name is holy water ;

He who batheth in it shall have all his desires fulfilled.

Where God is spoken of in the company of the saints,

The sins of millions of births are erased.

The saints rejoice on remembering God's name,

And their souls and bodies feel supreme delight.

The slave Nanak is a sacrifice to him

Who hath obtained the treasure of the dust of God's feet.2

The Guru, on taking up his abode near the tank,
was accompanied by a crowd of Sikhs. He now
occupied himself with collecting further materials
for his compilation, and with composing hymns of
his own. He therefore instructed Bhai Budha to
take his place in the Har Mandar, and do duty for
him by giving religious instruction to all who pre
sented themselves. He sent for Gur Das and ap
pointed him to write the hymns of the Gurus from his
dictation. He ordered that they should afterwards
be translated by learned men into Indian and foreign
languages, so that they might extend over the whole
world as oil spreads over water.3

The followers of the principal Indian saints,
Hindu and Muhammadan, since the days of Jaidev,

1 Ramsar is also used in a spiritual sense to mean the association
of the saints.

2 Gauri.

3 Suraj Parkash, Ras III, Chapter 41.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 61

were invited by the Guru to attend and suggest
suitable hymns for insertion in the sacred volume.
They repeated hymns of their respective sects ; and
such as conformed to the spirit of reform then in
vogue, or were not wholly inconsistent with the
Guru's teaching, were adopted and incorporated in
the Granth. It may be here conceded that those
hymns received some alterations in the process of
transmission from the saints to their followers who
were contemporaries of Guru Arjan ; and this will
explain why so many Panjabi words are found in
the Bhagats' writings, and why they differ from
their compositions preserved in other parts of India.
According to the Hindu religion it was deemed a sin
to listen to the teaching of Musalmans, to say
nothing of that of Sudars. It was one of the Guru's
objects to show the world that there was no such
superstition in the Sikh religion, and that every
good man, no matter of what caste or creed, was
worthy of honour and reverence.

The hymns are arranged according to Rags, or
musical measures. The hymns of the first Guru,
Mahalla I, come first, then those of the second Guru,
Mahalla II, and so on. After the Guru's hymns
the hymns of Bhagats, or Indian saints who had
previously conceived reformatory ideas, were in
serted, though without any fixed order of precedence.

Satta, the minstrel who had visited Guru Ram Das,
now came and completed the long hymn begun by
Balwand by adding the following pauri in praise
of Guru Arjan :—

The four Gurus illumined the four ages of the world ; thou,
Arjan, art the fifth in their place.

It is thou thyself who didst create the world ; thou art its
standing pillar.

Thou art the tablet, thou art the pen, thou art the writer.

The human race cometh and goeth ; thou art ever new and
whole.

62 THE SIKH RELIGION

Guru Arjan sitteth on Baba Nanak's throne ; the true
Guru's canopy shineth over him.

Thou hast illuminated every direction from the east to the
west.

They who worship not the true Guru are subject to trans
migration.

Thy miracles increase twofold and fourfold ; this is a
true offering to the true Guru.1

The four Gurus illumined the four ages of the world ; thou
art the fifth in their place.

Kahna, Chhajju, Shah Husain, and Pilo — four
religious men of Lahore — also came and requested
the Guru to find a place in his Granth for their
compositions. He invited them to give him speci
mens of their poetical abilities. Kahna was the first
to deliver his composition—

I am He, I am He

Whom the Veds and Purans sing, but whom none hath
found by search.

This, a deification of Kahna himself, was promptly
rejected by the Guru as rank blasphemy.
Chhajju's composition was the following :—

Look thou not on woman, even though she be cut out of
paper ;

Like a plundering band of Baloches she will take thee
away and kill thee.

This was rejected as being too derogatory to the
female sex. According to Guru Nanak, domestic life
was the best of all, and he had no wish to depreciate
women.

Shah Husain' s turn came next. The following
was his composition : —

Be silent, 0 my friend, be silent ;

There is no necessity, O my friend, for speaking ;

My friend, there is no necessity for speaking.

1 Also translated — Thou art the true successor of the true Guru

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 63

Within and without us is the one Lord ; to whom else shall
we address ourselves ?

The one Beloved pervadeth every heart ; there is nowhere
a second.

Saith the humble faqir Husain, I am a sacrifice unto the
true Guru.

This was rejected by Guru Arjan on the ground
that he did not consider it the duty of holy men to
conceal the message which God had commissioned
them to give to the world.

Pilo, the last to claim the honour of immortality
in the Granth Sahib, submitted the following :—

They who have died at their birth are superior to us ;
They do not thrust their feet into the mire, and are not
befouled therewith.

This was also rejected on the ground that better
is the man who struggles with the world to make
his life profitable than he who quits the scene at
the outset.

Krishan Lai and Har Lai, two elderly learned
pandits of Banaras, came to behold the Guru. They
told him that Guru Nanak had given them much
instruction on his visit to their holy city. That
instruction was now incorporated in the Asa ki War,
and had become the common property of men ; but
they came to Guru Ar j an to receive from him special
instruction to suit their own particular case. He
composed what are called the Sahaskriti sloks,
written in a species of Prakrit, for their edification.
To these compositions he subsequently added the
Gatha, now found near the end of the Granth Sahib.

The Guru, probably to make trial of his learned
and able scribe Bhai Gur Das, whose compositions
he admired, offered to insert them in the Granth ;
but Bhai Gur Das said that they were not worthy
of such honour. The Guru complimented him on his
modesty and ability, and said that whoever read

64 THE SIKH RELIGION

the Bhai's writings should acquire spiritual profit
and instruction and faith in the teachings of the
holy Gurus.

Several bards who had accepted the Sikh religion
appeared before the Guru, and offered him pane
gyrics of himself and his predecessors. The Guru
graciously gave such compositions a place in the
sacred volume.

When all the hymns for insertion had been deter
mined on, the Guru sat within his tent and dictated
them to Bhai Gur Das. After much time and labour
the volume was completed on the first day of the
light half of Bhadon, Sambat 1661 (A.D. 1604).
The Guru then wrote the Mundawani as a con
clusion, and affixed his seal thereto. The Munda
wani is as follows :—

Three things have been put into the vessel l — truth,
patience, and meditation.

The ambrosial name of God the support of all hath also
been put therein.

He who eateth and enjoyeth it shall be saved.

This provision should never be abandoned ; ever clasp it
to your hearts.

By embracing God's feet we cross the ocean of darkness ;
Nanak, everything is an extension of God.

After this the Guru in his self-abasement inserted
the following slok : —

I did not appreciate what Thou didst for me, and yet
Thou madest me worthy.

I am full of demerits ; I possess no merit, and yet Thou
Thyself hast compassion on me.

Thou showest compassion and kindness unto me ; I have
found the true Guru, the friend.

Nanak, if I obtain the Name, I shall live, and my body
and soul shall be refreshed.

A Muhammadan poet called Alim in A.H. 991

1 The Granth Sahib is meant.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 65

(A.D. 1583) wrote a work in 353 stanzas generally
from four to six lines each, called ' Madhava Nal
Sangit ', which purports to be an account of the
loves of Madhava Nal and a lady called Kam
Kandala.1 The Rag Mala, which forms the con
clusion of the Granth Sahib and contains a list of
the rags and raginis and their subdivisions, is a por
tion of Alim's work extending from the sixty- third
to the seventy-second stanza. It is not understood
how it was included in the sacred volume. The
rags mentioned in it do not correspond with the
rags of the Granth Sahib.

The Guru invited all his Sikhs to see the precious
compilation, the fruit of so much anxious labour,
and distributed sacred food amongst them as a
thanksgiving for the completion of his toil. The
volume was by the advice of Bhai Budha and Bhai
Gur Das deposited in the Har Mandar.

At the conclusion of his task the Guru told his
Sikhs that the Granth Sahib was the embodiment
of the Gurus, and should therefore be held in extreme
reverence. He then considered to whom he could
entrust the sacred volume. If he entrusted it to the
Bedis, Tehans, Bhallas, or Sodhis — the tribes from
whom the Gurus had sprung — they might become
proud, and consider themselves far superior to their
surroundings ; or they might perchance, owing to
their mutual jealousies and quarrels, treat it with
disrespect. He therefore decided on giving charge of
it to Bhai Budha, who had seen Guru Nanak, whose
devotion had been often tried, and who would per
form the duty with reverence and love.2

Supplementary to the instructions contained in
the Granth Sahib the Guru prescribed the rites to
be observed on the decease of a Sikh, and also on
occasions of rejoicing.

1 An account of the same lovers is also found in the ninety-first
Chalitar or tale in the tenth Guru's Granth.

2 Gur Bilas, V.

SIKH. Ill JT

66 THE SIKH RELIGION

When Bhai Budha first opened the sacred volume
in the temple, his eyes fell on the hymn quoted above,
beginning, ' The Creator stood in the midst of the
work/ which he regarded as auspicious and having a
direct reference to the compilation.

Bhai Banno, who lived at Mangat in the Gujrat
district of the Panjab, took a keen interest in the
work, and went with a large following to see it.
His curiosity was aroused, and he considered how
he could obtain possession of the precious volume.
He asked the Guru for the loan of it to show to his
flock. The Guru, for obvious reasons, was most
unwilling to part with it, but was finally prevailed
on to do so. According to his order Bhai Banno
might read it for Sikhs on the way, but he was not
to detain it in his village for more than one night.
Bhai Banno, instead of expediting his journey,
proceeded by slow and short marches, and thus
contrived to obtain a full copy of the Granth Sahib
before he returned it. Into his own copy he intro
duced some hymns which had been omitted by the
Guru. The Guru, on hearing of this, told him the
volume might remain as he had compiled it. There
is another story, namely, that the Granth Sahib was
entrusted to Bhai Banno to have it bound in Lahore,
and that in taking it there he had an unauthorized
copy prepared.

CHAPTER VIII

A deputation of Sikhs came to the Guru from
Kashmir and represented to him that the pandits
of that country had advised them to discontinue the
reading of the Guru's hymns and turn their attention
to Sanskrit sacred compositions and Hindu worship,
otherwise they would have no communication with
them. They therefore prayed the Guru to send
a competent Sikh to Kashmir to silence the pandits

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 67

and extend the Guru's faith in that direction. The
Guru accordingly sent Madho on that important
errand. He commissioned him to instruct the
Kashmiris to rise before day, perform their ablutions,
repeat and sing the Gurus' hymns, associate with
holy men, observe the Gurus' anniversaries, dis
tribute sacred food, give a tithe of their earnings to
the Sikh cause, share their food with others, speak
civilly, live humbly, and adopt the other rules and
observances of the Sikhs.

Numerous stories are told by the author of the
Suraj Parkash to illustrate the miraculous power
and teachings of the Guru. A Sikh called Tiloka, an
officer in the Kabul army, had thoughtlessly killed
a female deer. On opening the animal two embryos
were discovered. Tiloka was much distressed at his
inhumanity in killing the animal, and vowed never
to go hunting again. In furtherance of his humani
tarian vow he resolved to wear a wooden sword for
the future. When the king heard of this, and held
a parade for the purpose of examining the officers'
arms, Tiloka' s sword was, as the result of his invoca
tion of the Guru, changed into polished steel, and he
thus escaped punishment for what would otherwise
have been a grave military offence.

One Kataru, the king's weighman, also came from
Kabul. When he solicited instruction from the Guru,
he was told to use just weights and discharge his
duties honestly. When he returned to his office in
Kabul, a bania, or petty shopkeeper, with evil and
malicious intent, placed in his shop a false weight,
which he unknowingly used. The bania went to the
king to lay information against Kataru. The king
proposed to inspect the weighing apparatus, and
Kataru, hearing this, prayed to the Guru to protect
him. The Guru, who was in Amritsar, knew by his
occult power of his distress. At that moment a poor
Sikh came to the Guru with a small offering of five
paise. The Guru took the coins, passed them from

F 2

68 THE SIKH RELIGION

one hand to the other simultaneously with the
king's inspection, so when the king tried both scales
the weights appeared correct. The Guru explained
the meaning of his act to an inquiring Sikh. The
king of Kabul was satisfied with his inspection, and
Kataru on paying a second visit to Amritsar attested
the Guru's explanation in every respect.

One Chuhar, a chaudhri, went to the Guru for
religious instruction. The Guru told him ever to
speak the truth. The village dignitary said it was
impossible for a man in his position to avoid speaking
falsehood. The Guru directed him to depart, and
keep an account of his lies and of his good acts,
and bring it to him at the end of every month. The
first month the good acts were nil, and the lies
many. The Guru obliged him to read out the account
in open darbar, and thus publicly confess his sins,
whereat he was much ashamed. The second month
the account showed better. There was steady pro
gress in virtue until the eighth month, when no
lies appeared, and there was a clean sheet. The
Guru then absolved him and granted him release
from transmigration.

LalUj Balu, and Haridas asked the Guru to tell
them how they could be saved. He replied, ' Banish
pride, worldly love, and envy. Bear not ill-will to
others, so shall others bear not ill-will to you. Cheer
fully meet and salute with both hands the Guru's
Sikhs. Walk humbly and speak civilly to all. When
you eat, share your food with others, and live by
honest labour. By observing these instructions you
shall obtain all happiness/

The following was the Guru's instruction to
a soldier who went to him for spiritual advice :
' He who exerciseth bravery shall be fearless in the
battlefield. He who resolveth to conquer or die in
arms, and who, when dying, claspeth the True Name
to his heart, shall efface the sins of many births and
obtain deliverance. Without remembering God

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 69

none shall obtain a place in the heroes' heaven.
He who fearlessly challengeth the foe and falleth
amid the clash of arms, shall feel the ecstasy the
Jogis long for, and arrive at a permanent abode of
bliss. Many pleasures shall await him as he abideth
in the realms of the brave. The greatest merit of
a soldier is not to show his back to the enemy.
A hero obtaineth for himself bliss both here and
hereafter by the might of his arms. If he conquer
he obtaineth the sovereignty of the earth, while if
he die celestial happiness is his portion. Fight for
him whose salt thou hast eaten. Give thy life for
thy sovereign, and great shall be thy fame in both
worlds.' l

Bhai Lalu and Bhai Nihalu were very successful
preachers and expounders of God's word. The Guru,
on being asked how this result was achieved, replied
as follows : ' When the preacher practiseth what he
preacheth, his words make an impression on all.
People treasure them in their hearts and thus obtain
salvation. The tree must put forth roots before it
can afford shade to the wayfarer. He who readeth
and preacheth and yet doeth not good acts himself,
shall produce no impression on others. They may
listen to his words, but will never act on them.'

Guru Arjan gave the following instructions to
Nanu and Kalu : ' He who liveth honestly, who
with good intentions readeth or listeneth to the
Guru's words, who pondereth on their meaning,
who divesteth himself of evil inclinations, and who
devoutly repeateth the True Name, shall be freed
from transmigration and obtain an abode in Sach-
khand ; but he who readeth for the sake of
gain doeth evil and shall not be honoured. When
the snake obtaineth the light of the jewel in his
head, he availeth himself of it to pick up and eat
insects by night. Such is the man who for gain
readeth sacred texts. He committeth sinful acts,

1 Stiraj Parkdsh, Ras III, Chapter 60.

70 THE SIKH RELIGION

adultery with other men's wives, and respecteth not
the most excellent True Name. He shall receive no
assistance from the Guru, but proceed to hell and
suffer the punishment there provided for the wicked.'

Setha, Gobinda and Bhaga, residents of Chaniot
in the Jhang district of the Panjab, went with
troubled minds to the Guru to inquire whether the
corn they had distributed in alms for the repose of
the souls of their ancestors ever reached them. The
Guru replied in the negative, quoting in support
of his decision the seventeenth slok of the Asa ki
War. The Guru added that they could not know
whether their ancestors were in heaven or hell, so
it was of no avail to make them offerings.

Paira and Jetha one day visited the Guru, and said
it was their custom to throw some of their cooked
food into the fire before eating. The Guru denied
the necessity of throwing food into the fire. Men
need only repeat God's name, ' Wahguru ! Wahguru !'

In the time of Guru Arjan crowds were con
verted to Sikhism in the Panjab, Hindustan, and a.ll
the neighbouring countries. It is said that the hill
rajas of Kulu, Suket, Haripur and Chamba visited
the Guru, and became his followers, as the Raja of
Mandi had previously done.

At that time Chandu Shah was the Emperor's
Diwan or Financial Minister. He was a native of
the Panjab, but his official duties necessitated his
residence in Dihli. He possessed wealth, learning,
and various accomplishments, youth, high caste,
and above all, power in the land. He had a young
daughter seven years of age called Sada Kaur, to
whom God had given extreme beauty without the
good fortune which so often accompanies inferior
natural gifts. One day her mother, as she saw her
playing, said to Chandu : ' Our daughter is growing
to maturity. We ought to search for a husband for
her. The Turks now hold sway. They practise
oppression and dark deeds, among which is the

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 71

forcible abduction of Hindu virgins. It hath there
fore become a practice of the Hindus to marry their
daughters when very young, so it is our duty to
provide for Sada Kaur, and form an alliance with
some respectable family/

Chandu was of the same opinion, and sending for
his family priest and his barber l ordered them to
go and search for a suitable husband for his daughter.
The detailed instructions usual in such cases were
duly given. The priest and the barber searched in
every city as far as Peshawar, but could find no
suitable mate for Sada Kaur. They then returned
and duly informed their employer of their ill-success.
The matter remained in abeyance for a time.

One of the main objects of an Oriental woman's
anxiety is to procure the marriage of her children.
She thinks and dreams of her supposed duty in
this respect almost from the time of their birth.
Chandu' s wife again addressed him : ' We must no
longer keep our daughter in our house. Thou art
all day occupied with affairs of state. I can go
nowhere, I sit at home and think of our daughter's
future. The more I see her, the more I sink into
the pit of anxiety.' Chandu explained that he
had already done his best but failed. ' Where there
was a boy of suitable age, his family was not good
enough ; and where the family was good enough the
boy was not of a suitable age.' He admitted that his
daughter was a thorn in his side. She was too old
to be put to death.2 At the same time he could
find no family equal to his own. His wife replied,
' Take God's name and kill not our daughter. No

1 It is customary in India to send the family priest and family
barber on such errands.

2 In former times Indians of high family frequently killed their
daughters to avoid the necessity of giving them in marriage to men of
inferior birth. The Sikh Gurus resolutely set themselves against the
practice. At the time of administration of the Pahul or Sikh baptism,
one of the obligations imposed on neophytes is not to kill their
daughters, and to avoid all association with those who do.

72 THE SIKH RELIGION

such dark deed could be concealed. We must be
humble, for it is usual for the father of the bride
to bow before the father of the bridegroom.

Upon this Chandu again sent his family priest
and his barber with instructions as before. They
travelled as far as Lahore, but could not find a
suitable bridegroom. There they heard the good
report of Guru Arjan's son in Amritsar, and thither
they proceeded. On arriving they were astonished
at the regal state and retinue of the Guru of whom
the bard Mathura had sung :—

In this world there is no such great saint as he ; he assumed
birth to lighten the darkness of the age.

Millions of troubles have departed from those, O Mathura,
who through him have quaffed the nectar of the Name.

Miss not the road to him, O man ; think not of any other.

God the Omnipresent Brahm hath in person taken His
dwelling in Guru Arjan's heart.

Until good fortune appeared on man's forehead, he
roamed and wandered long in transmigration.

He was drowning in the terrible ocean of this Kal age ; but
now no regret remaineth him.1

The main thing is this, Mathura, that Guru Arjan assumed
birth to save the world.

They who repeat his hymns shall not again suffer the pain
of birth.2

The matchmakers' admiration of Har Gobind and
of the respect in which he and his father were held,
exceeded all bounds. They thought of proposing the
marriage to Guru Arjan themselves, but on second
thoughts decided on first consulting Chandu.

The priest and the barber reported to Chandu that
they had seen the Guru's son in the new city of
Amritsar, and thought that he would be a suitable
parti for Sada Kaur. They dilated to Chandu on

1 Literally, regrel that his life was not profitable.

2 Sawaiyas of the bard Mathura in praise of Guru Arjau.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 73

the excellences of Har Gobind, whose lineage they
gave, on the enormous respect in which his father
was held, and on the splendour they had witnessed
in the Guru's city. Chandu was not pleased at
hearing the Guru's praises, and said, ' Do you think
him equal to me ? What if he hath many followers ?
He liveth on offerings, which is an ignominious form
of livelihood. If the offerings come, the cup is held
straight ; if they do not it is reversed. He sitteth
and watcheth, and even if wealth cometh, his
kitchen can with difficulty be supplied. He hath
no store of money. Such wealth is like a mountain
stream. Whatever he appeareth to possess, he is
in reality only a beggar, while I am the Emperor's
Minister by whom millions of money are collected
and millions of law-suits decided. What power
hath he ? while on the contrary none can reverse my
order. Moreover the Guru's caste is inferior to
mine. O Brahman, I have tested thy wisdom and
knowledge in this matter. Thou desirest to put the
ornamental tile of a top story into a gutter. Where
am I, imperial Financial Minister ? and where is the
Guru, though he may be an object of veneration to
his followers ? I think he must have stuffed you both
with sweets l that you come to me and propose an
alliance with his family.'

Chandu' s wife who had been listening said, ' My lord,
we have been searching for a husband for our daughter
for the last two years, and no family hath yet pleased
thee. Of the boys thou hast seen none hath remained
unbetrothed or unwedded. At last we must wed our
daughter somewhere. She cannot always remain
with us. Wherever she is married, it must be into a
family beneath ours. Thou art the greatest minister
in this empire. As everybody boweth before thee,
so doth everybody bow before the Guru. Therefore
let the matter be now concluded. If our daughter
enter the Guru's house she shall be called the revered

1 This is a euphemism for a bribe.

74 THE SIKH RELIGION

wife of the Guru ; and obtain the happiness which
God destined her.'

Chandu still urged his objections: * The Guru
acteth not in conformity with the customs of the
Khatris. He shaveth not, he eateth from the
hands of men other than Brahmans and Khatris,
and he hath adopted a new form of religion.' After
the husband and wife had wrangled the whole night
over the matter, it was at last decided that Sada
Kaur should be given in marriage to Har Gobind,
and the marriage presents duly dispatched to
Amritsar.

It came to the ears of the Sikhs of Dihli that
Chandu had used injurious expressions regarding
the Guru. They also knew that he did not really
desire the alliance, but only consented in order to
save himself from his wife's importunity. The Sikhs
met to consult over the matter, and it was decided
to inform the Guru of Chandu's utterances. Ac
cordingly the following letter was dispatched, ' O
true Guru, great king, Chandu is very proud. He
hath likened his house to a top story and the Guru's
to a gutter. He hath called himself the head and
thee the feet. He styleth himself a great minister
and thee a mendicant. When he uttereth such
insolent language beforehand, what will he not do
in the future ? His words are not only slander of
thee, but of Guru Nanak on whose throne thou sittest.
Even if he be a rich man or a diwan, what cares t
thou for him ? In the Guru's house rich and poor
are alike. The Sikhs cannot endure his insulting
expressions. As Guru Amar Das hath said : —

Nanak, it is wise to break with the perverse to whom
worldly love is dear.1

If thou consent to an alliance with such a haughty
man, thou shalt lay up for thyself enduring misery.
Thou wantest for nothing. Thou art king of kings.

1 Bihagre ki War.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 75

Our urgent request is that thou pay no regard to
the Financial Minister, and that thou reject his
alliance/

The messenger entrusted with this letter was
ordered to speed night and day so that he might
arrive before Chandu's priest and barber had con
cluded the contract of betrothal. He succeeded in
doing so. The Guru, who was a searcher of hearts
and knew the future, was aware that this letter sowed
the seed of strife and had been dispatched to him
with inconsiderate zeal ; but at the same time he felt
obliged to accept the advice of the Sikhs of Dihli.
He accordingly rejected the marriage presents,
telling the priest and the barber that an ornamental
tile should not be put into a gutter. The match
makers, astonished to hear these words repeated,
defended their master and remonstrated to the best
of their ability, but in vain. The Guru repeated to
them what the Dihli Sikhs had written and said,
' I am contented with my humble lot, and desire not
an alliance with the great. If a man's foot slip on
the brink of a lofty tower, he falleth to the ground
a shapeless mass ; but if a man slip on a mat he
sustaineth no injury. Guru Nanak hath said regard
ing himself : —

Nanak is with those who are low-born among the lowly ;

Nay, who are lowest of the low : how can he rival the
great ? ' l

The Guru also quoted from one of his own
hymns : —

He who riseth high falleth into the pit —

Death reacheth not those who remain on the ground.2

While the priest and the barber were further
remonstrating, a Sikh rose in the assembly and
addressed the Guru : ' Great king, put not acid into
milk. Spurn an alliance with that dog of a Karar.3

1 Sri Rag. 2 Asa.

3 Karar, above called a banla, means a petty Hindu shopkeeper.

76 THE SIKH RELIGION

Let him knock his head against his top story. That
consumer of wealth of the impure who revileth thee
hath gone mad. Why demean thyself ? Thou art
king of kings. What need hast thou of such an
alliance ? '

The Guru chid the Sikh for this language and
quoted from the twentieth slok of the Asa ki War :—

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.

' Wherefore/ said the Guru, ' it is not proper for
Sikhs to use bad language. I am not proud ; the
proud please not God. I am His slave. Our honour,
strength, trust, and support are in the Creator.
Ever fear Him.'

Then in full assembly uprose a native of Dalla, one
Narain Das, a grandson of Bhai Paro, who had been
a Sikh of Guru Amar Das. Putting his sheet round
his neck in the manner of a lowly suppliant, he said :
' True Monarch, I am the slave of thy feet. I have a
daughter whom my wife and I have vowed to offer
thy son. If thou make her too the slave of thy
feet, I shall be very fortunate. I am a poor un-
honoured Sikh. Thou art the honour of the un-
honoured. Make thy servant happy, and send me
not disappointed away.' The Guru replied, ' If
thou have love in thy heart, then is thy pro
posal agreeable to me. The seventh day of the light
half of the month of Maghar, fixed on by Chandu
as an auspicious date for offering the marriage
presents, hath not been in vain.' Upon this Narain
Das went off at once and purchased marriage presents
in the city. They were put into Har Gobind's lap,
and a saffron tilak as a symbol of the completion of
the betrothal was affixed to his forehead.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 77

Upon this another Sikh called Hari Chand stood
up, and said, ' O true king, I have also decided to
give my daughter to thy son. If my petition please
thee, I will give my daughter as a servant to Har
Gobind, and thy reputation as cherisher of the poor
shall shine the brighter.' Guru Arjan, also, though
at first unwilling to accept a second wife for his son,
felt he could not reject the offer of a faithful Sikh,
and so agreed to the marriage of the young people.
Moreover Hari Chand had refused all other alliances
for his daughter, and vowed to bestow her only on
the young Guru.1 Hari Chand went immediately
and brought the marriage presents. These were
placed in Har Gobind' s lap and a patch attached
to his forehead as before. All this took place in the
presence of Chandu's priest and barber, who returned
sad and disappointed to their master.

The seventh day of the light half of the month of
Magh, Sambat 1661, was fixed for Narain Das's
daughter's marriage — practically a betrothal — to Har
Gobind ; Narain Das went to his village and made
all preparations for the wedding. Songs expressing
a hope that the bridegroom may outlive the bride,
were sung by the women of his household. The
following hymn, setting forth the humility of the
bride and her devotion to the bridegroom, was also
sung on the occasion :—

0 God, Thou hast no love for me ; Thou hast so many
handmaidens like me.

1 Up to the time of Guru Arjan the Gurus were so trusted and held
in such high estimation that religious people frequently thought it their
duty to vow to them their lives, their children, and their property.
Several Sikhs used on the birth of daughters to register oaths that they
would only bestow them on the Guru or his relations. Girls so
dedicated were always styled mothers by the Sikhs, and none might
marry them except those to whom they were vowed. The Guru
therefore felt bound to meet the wishes and vows of the Sikhs so
solemnly made. This to a large extent will explain the polygamy of
some of the Gurus.

78 THE SIKH RELIGION

Thou art an ocean and mine of jewels ; I know not Thy
worth.

I know not Thy worth ; Thou art very wise ; be gracious
unto me, O Lord.

Mercifully grant me wisdom to meditate on Thee during
the eight watches of the day.

0 my soul, be not proud, become the dust of men's feet,
and thou shalt obtain deliverance.

Nanak's God is over all ; He hath many handmaidens
like me.

Thou art the jewel of a very deep and profound sea ; Thou
art my husband, I am Thy bride.

In proportion as Thou art very great — yea, more exalted
than the great — I am small.

1 am nothing ; Thou art the only One ; Thou art wise of
Thyself.

O God, if Thou cast on me even for a moment Thine
ambrosial glance, I shall survive and enjoy all delights and
sweetness.

I, the slave of Thy slaves, am under the protection of Thy
feet ; my soul bloometh and my body groweth young.

Nanak's Lord is contained in all things : He doeth what
He pleaseth.

Thou art my pride ; Thou art my strength.

My understanding, intellect, and skill are Thy gifts ; what
Thou causest me to know I know.

It is he on whom the Creator casteth a look of favour who
knoweth and understaadeth.

The perverse woman hath gone astray on many paths, and
hath been ensnared by worldly occupations.

She who is virtuous is pleasing to God ; she enjoyeth all
pleasure.

0 Lord, Thou art Nanak's support ; Thou art Nanak's pride.

1 am a sacrifice, I devote myself to Thee ; Thou art my
shelter firm as a mountain.

I am hundreds of thousands of times a sacrifice to him
who hath removed the curtain of error from before me.

My darkness is dispelled ; I have renounced sin, and my
soul is reconciled with the Lord.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 79

I have pleased the Lord ; I care for no one ; my life hath
been profitable and I am accepted.

I have become a priceless jewel of great weight ; the gate
of happiness in this world and the next hath opened for me.

Saith Nanak, I have become fearless ; God hath become
my shelter.1

CHAPTER IX

When the priest and the barber returned to Dihli
they told Chandu everything they had heard and
seen in Amritsar — the Guru's refusal and the reason
thereof, the abuse of Chandu uttered by the Sikh
in Darbar, the betrothal of Har Gobind and the
actual appointment of a time for his marriage.
Chandu was naturally very much incensed, but he
wrote the Guru a letter, in which as a matter of
policy he concealed his resentment. He began
by magnifying the Guru and demeaning himself,
and then continued : ' It is certainly true that
I said thou art of inferior caste to me. This expres
sion thoughtlessly escaped my mouth, and some
one hath written and exaggerated it, and made
thee displeased with me. Thou art now the most
worshipful Guru in the world, and it is right for
thee to consider everything. It is not proper for thee
to fall out with me for what lunatics and base people
tell thee. If I interest myself for thee with the
Emperor, he too will be at thy service. I can give
a large dowry to my daughter. Retain for thy son
the other girls with whom thou hast formed alliances,
and accept mine also. Great people contract many
marriages. If thou tell me I used overbearing
language, I may or may not have done so ; but it was
in my own private house and not meant for others
to hear. Your people in public darbar have called
me a dog. Well, let bygones be bygones, and I will
1 Guru Arjan, Suhi Chhant.

8o THE SIKH RELIGION

have many favours conferred on thee by the Emperor.
Thou art already on bad terms with thy brother
Prithi Chand. Thou oughtest to make me an ally.
If thou fall out with me too, thou shalt nowhere find
an abiding-place. There are now sparks flying about.
If they increase there will be a blazing fire which
it will be difficult to extinguish. Thou shalt not
again have this opportunity. And if thou hast
called me a dog I may become mad, and do thee
harm contrary to my saner judgement/

Chandu dispatched this letter by the hands of the
Brahman. The Guru having read it said : ' It is
pride that ruineth men. Pride of wealth is the basis
of all ills. Man must suffer for his acts. Now know
that Chandu must not form an alliance with us.
They whom the Creator joineth are united ; but
they whom man joineth are not. It is the Guru's
rule to comply with the wishes of his Sikhs. Their
words are immutable. What they once reject, it is
not proper again to accept. Even were I to consent
to Chandu's alliance, no good could result. He
tempteth me with gain, but who would forfeit his
soul therefor ? As for his threats, I have no fear
of them. God alone is the guardian of all.' The
priest returned with this message without being able
to prevail on the Guru to alter his determination.

The Guru then made all preparations, and invited
guests to his son's wedding with Narain Das's
daughter. He even invited his own brother Prithi
Chand, but the invitation was refused. The marriage
was duly celebrated with all suitable ceremony and
rejoicing.

The women of Narain Das's household sang the
following composition of the bridegroom's father on
the occasion of the marriage :—

It is a time of rejoicing, I sing my Lord ;
I have heard of the imperishable Bridegroom, and joy hath
arisen in my heart.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 81

My mind longeth to know when I shall be fortunate enough
to meet the perfect Lord.

Grant me, O my friend Guru, understanding to know when
I shall meet God and be absorbed in Him.

Day and night I stand and wait to find by what way I may
obtain the Lord.

Nanak prayeth, have mercy and attach me to the hem of
Thy garment.1

Prithia addressed himself to the qazis and pan
dits who bore enmity to the Guru on account of his
compilation of the Granth, and induced them to
complain to the Emperor Akbar that Guru Arjan
had compiled a book in which the Muhammadan
priests, prophets, and leaders, and the Hindu incar
nations and gods, were spoken of with contempt.
Akbar was at that time touring in the Panjab and
the complaint of the qazis and the pandits was
placed before him by Chandu on his arrival in
Gurdaspur. Chandu supported the complaint by
saying that he knew the charges were based on
facts. Upon this the Emperor ordered that Guru
Arjan and his Granth should be produced before him.
The Guru did not go himself, but sent Bhai Budha
and Bhai Gur Das to read to him from it. The first
hymn which caught the Emperor's eye was the
following of Guru Arjan's own composition in the
Persian language :—

From earth and light God made the world :

The sky, earth, trees and water are God's creation.

0 man, whatever the eye can behold is perishable.

The world is an eater of carrion, neglectful of God and
greedy of mammon.

Like an ogre or a beast it killeth and eateth forbidden
food.2

Restrain thy heart, or the Omnipotent will take and punish
thee in hell.

1 Bilawal Chhant.

2 Also translated — The world (men) is like a demon or a bast;
it killeth what is unlawful and eateth carrion.

82 THE SIKH RELIGION

When Azrail shall seize thee, of what avail

Shall patrons, brothers, courts, possessions, and mansions
be?

The pure God knoweth thy condition.

Slave Nanak, utter thy prayer to the holy man to guide
thee}

The Emperor on hearing this said it was a very
proper hymn. The qazis and pandits represented
that the hymn was specially selected for the
Emperor's hearing, and begged him to procure some
one else to read the Granth to him, none among
them being acquainted with the Gurumukhi charac
ters in which the sacred volume is written. The
Emperor turned over its pages himself, and pointing
to a particular spot asked Gur Das to read from there.
On this the hymn already given, beginning ' O
servant of God the Inscrutable ', was read to His
Majesty.

The Emperor on hearing this was much pleased.
Chandu, however, was not to be thwarted. He
said that Gur Das had repeated this from memory.
The Emperor must have the Granth read to him
by some one else who knew Gurumukhi. Chandu
found a man called Sahib Diyal, who possessed the
necessary knowledge. Chandu turned over the
leaves of the Granth and told him to read the hymn
he pointed out. The hymn was the following : —

Thou fastenest a stone to thy neck,

And seest not God who dwelleth in the heart.

O infidel, thou wanderest astray in error :

Thou churnest water and shalt die in agony.

The stone which thou callest God

Shall take thee with it and drown thee.

O sinner, untrue to thy salt,

It is not a boat of stone which will ferry thee over.

On meeting the Guru, Nanak recognizeth the Lord.

1 Tilang.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 83

The Arranger is contained in the water, the dry land, the
nether regions, and the firmament.1

When the Emperor heard this, he was still more
pleased with the teaching of the Granth, and dis
pleased with the Guru's slanderers and enemies.
He then gave his decision : ' Excepting love and
devotion to God I so far find neither praise nor
blame of any one in this Granth. It is a volume
worthy of reverence.' He then made an offering
to it of fifty-one gold muhars 2, and gave Bhai Budha
and Bhai Gur Das dresses of honour for themselves
and a third for Guru Arjan. He told them to give
his respectful salutations to the Guru, and promised
to go to visit him when he was returning from
Lahore whither he was then proceeding.

When Chandu and his party heard the Emperor's
decision and his message to the Guru, their faces
became pale and they hung down their heads through
shame. All good people cursed Chandu, and his evil
reputation spread from house to house. The Emperor,
true to his word, visited the Guru on his return
journey to Dihli, and was charmed with his saintly
bearing. He was also so pleased with the imposing
and beautiful temple which the Guru had con
structed, and the delightful melodies to which the
hymns of the Gurus had been set, that words failed
him to express his gratification. He called himself
the Guru's slave and asked for instruction to render
him happy and secure peace for his soul. The Guru
then repeated for him the following hymn : —

One man invoketh Ram, another Khuda ;

One man worshippeth Gosain, another Allah ;

Some speak of the Cause of causes, others of the Benevolent.

Some talk of the Extender of mercy, others of the Merciful.

Some bathe at the Hindu sacred places, others visit Makka.

Some perform the Hindu worship, others bow their heads
in the Muhammadan fashion.

1 Suhi.

2 A gold muhar is now about the value of an old English guinea.

G2

84 THE SIKH RELIGION

Some read the Veds, others the Musalman books.
Some wear white, others blue.
Some call themselves Hindus, others Musalmans.
Some aspire to the heaven of the Hindus, others to the
heaven of the Muhammadans ;

But he who recognizeth God's will, saith Nanak,
Knoweth the secret of the Lord God.1

The Emperor partook of the Guru's hospitality,
and prayed to be allowed to make a contribution to
his large expenditure, so that thereby he might
secure spiritual and temporal welfare and happiness.
The Guru replied, ' The welfare and happiness of
monarchs depend on cherishing their subjects and
doing justice. The monarch whose subjects are happy
shall himself be happy in this life, and in the next
obtain praise, glory, and honour.'

The Emperor remitted the revenues of the Panjab
for that year in compliment to the Guru, who repre
sented that there was a severe famine in the land
and the cultivators required His Majesty's considera
tion. The Guru's fame and influence largely increased
owing to the respect the Emperor had shown him.
This, in the words of the chronicler, was the cause of
such agony to Prithia as would last till it had taken
his life with it.

Badaoni states that on another occasion, namely,
the thirteenth of the month of Azur (Jamadi ul sani),
Akbar, with a gorgeous military retinue, crossed the
Bias and went to Goindwal to visit Guru Arjan,
whose teaching and character he appreciated.
Badaoni also writes that people reverenced the suc
cessive Gurus as spiritual leaders, and solicited their
benedictions.

Unfortunately for the Guru the tolerant Emperor
Akbar died soon after, and was succeeded by his son
Jahangir. Jahangir's son Khusro, nominated to the

1 Ramkali. The words in the first part of the lines of this hymn are
Hindi, and refer to the Hindus and their worship. The words in the
second part are Arabic, and refer to Muhammadans and their worship.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 85

throne by Akbar in supersession of Jahangir, claimed
the Panjab and Afghanistan, which his father was
unwilling to concede him. Jahangir accordingly
desired to obtain possession of Khusro' s person, but
Khusro escaped from Agra pursued by the Imperial
army, and directed his steps towards Afghanistan.
On the way he visited the Guru at Tarn-Taran and
begged him to grant him pecuniary assistance.
The Guru said he had money for the poor, but not
for princes. Khusro replied with great humility
that he himself was now very poor, needy, and
unfriended, and had not even travelling expenses.

Guru Arjan, seeing the Prince's evil plight and
humility, took compassion on him. He, moreover,
felt friendly to the Prince, who had visited him a few
times previously with the Emperor Akbar ; and he
also felt a debt of gratitude to the Prince's grand
father, the late monarch, so he gave him five thousand
rupees to defray his expenses to Kabul. Khusro,
however, was seized by the imperial troops as he was
crossing the Jihlam, and taken in chains to his father.

Prithia managed to retain Sulahi Khan's assistance
and co-operation to ruin the Guru. Sulahi, on the
pretext of having to collect revenue in the Panjab,
obtained leave from the Emperor to proceed thither.
On his way he visited Prithia in his village of Kotha.
Under the pretence of hunting they spent their time
concocting plans for the Guru's destruction.

The Guru, on hearing of the further conspiracies
of his enemies, composed the following :—

Death laugheth over man's head, but, brute that he is,
he knoweth it not.

Involved in quarrels, pleasures, and pride, he thinketh
not of death.

Serve thy true Guru ; why wander, O luckless one ?

On beholding the brilliant safflower, why make the mistake
of attaching thyself to it ?

Constantly sinning thou hast accumulated wealth to use
it thyself ;

86 THE SIKH RELIGION

But thou shall depart naked, and thy dust shall be blended
with dust.

They for whom thou didst take trouble are at variance
and enmity with thee.

At the last hour they will flee from thee ; why burnest
thou with wrath ?

He on whose forehead such destiny hath been written,
becometh the dust of the holy man's feet.

Saith Nanak, by seeking the protection of the true Guru
man is released from his bonds.1

One day Prithia took Sulahi to admire some brick
kilns he had made. On arriving, Sulahi's horse
started at the accidental flight of a bird from under
his feet, and ran with his rider straight into a kiln
in full blast. In a few minutes horse and rider
became a mass of cinders. On hearing of this event
the Guru composed the following : —

If any one flout the poor by stroking his beard at them,

The supreme God will burn him in the fire.

The Creator who protecteth His servant

Hath administered perfect justice.

Before and through the ages His glory was manifest —

The calumniator died in great agony.

None saveth him who is accursed of God :

In this world and the next evil shall be his reputation.

God embraceth and protecteth His servant :

Nanak, meditate on God's name, and seek His shelter.

The Guru composed the following also on the
same subject :—

God preserved me from Sulahi.

Sulahi by no means succeeded ; Sulahi died unclean.

God drew forth His axe and smote off his head, and in a
moment he became ashes.

He was consumed ever meditating evil ; He who created
him thrust him into the fire.

1 Bilawal.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 87

Son, friend, wife, nothing remaineth for him now ; his
brethren and relations have all abandoned him.

Saith Nanak, I am a sacrifice to that God who fulfilled
the words of His servant.1

The following was uttered by the Guru on the
same occasion :—

The slanderer by the Guru's favour hath been turned away.

God the supreme Being was merciful : He killed him with
unerring arrow.

Death and Death's noose cannot affect me since I have
established the sect of the True One.

The jewel of God's name I have earned as wealth, which
will never decrease by eating and spending.

In one moment the slanderer became ashes and obtained
his deserts.

Nanak foretold what was hidden ; the whole world saw
the truth of his prophecy.2

Prithi Chand was naturally most displeased at
the death of his faithful ally in evil. In the meantime
Chandu was considering how he could procure the
marriage of his daughter with Har Gobind or avenge
himself on the Guru. He accordingly wrote to
Prithia to request him to use all his influence to
bring about the marriage, and in the event of his
failure threatened to confiscate the fief he had
recently obtained from the Emperor. Prithia, how
ever, required no threats ; he was only too willing
to assist Chandu in his nefarious designs. He wrote
in reply that Arjan, who had deprived him of his
rights, was already his enemy ; and he would be only
too happy to assist in meting him adequate punish
ment. He begged Chandu to use his influence with
the Emperor to bring the Guru to justice. On
receiving this letter Chandu summoned Prithia to
Dihli. There they both concocted a plan to induce
the Emperor by some means to visit the Panjab,
where they would have an opportunity of entering

1 Bilawal. 2 Todi.

88 THE SIKH RELIGION

into some conspiracy against the Guru. Chandu
informed the Emperor of the abundance of game
in the Lahore district, and also explained that
Lahore would be a convenient place to rest on the
Emperor's way to Kashmir, where he ought to spend
the summer on account of the beauty of its scenery
and the salubrity of its climate. Upon this Prithia
returned home.

Chandu's scheme proved successful. In a short
time the Emperor proceeded to the Pan jab. On
reaching the Bias he encamped on its banks and
went a-hunting. Chandu, in conversation with him,
represented that there were several thieves in the
country who, during the night, had stolen some of
the Emperor's property. The Emperor inquired
how thieves could exist in his empire. Chandu
replied that the Emperor had a rival in the Panjab,
namely Guru Arjan, who entertained thieves and
exercised independent authority. Upon this the
Emperor issued an order to the Guru through Sulabi
Khan, nephew of the late Sulahi Khan, to abstain
from such practices. The Guru's business, he said,
was to restrain others from evil, and it behoved him
not to do evil himself. Chandu wrote on his own
account to Sulabi Khan to endeavour to induce the
Guru to consent to the marriage alliance, and also
to grant a more liberal distribution of property and
offerings to Prithia than had been formerly agreed
on. Sulabi Khan went to Amritsar to endeavour to
carry out these measures.

When the Sikhs heard of Sulabi Khan's intention
they proposed that they should be allowed to kill him,
but they were dissuaded by the Guru. He was already
sufficiently armed and protected against his enemies.
On that occasion he composed the following :—

Humility is my mace,

And being the dust of the dust of all men's feet my two-
edged sword :

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 89

These no evil doer can withstand.

The perfect Guru hath arranged this matter.1

On Sulabi' s journey to Amritsar his party fell in
with a Saiyid who was accompanied by several
Pathans. The Saiyid represented to him that these
Pathans had been in his uncle Sulahi Khan's service,
and that a year's salary was due to them. Sulabi put
them off with excuses, whereupon an affray arose.
Sulabi's escort, reverencing the Saiyid as a descendant
of the Prophet, did not strenuously defend their
master, and he was killed. When Chandu heard
of Sulabi Khan's death he represented to the Emperor
that it had been done through the machinations of
the Guru. He added that the Guru had perpetrated
many other misdeeds. For instance, he had deprived
his elder brother Prithia of the Guruship, and had
endeavoured to deprive the Hindus and Muham-
madans of their religions. Prithia had made com
plaints in person to the late Emperor, who promised
to summon the Guru when he visited the Panjab.
When His Majesty on one occasion did visit the
Panjab, he had not time to make the necessary
inquiry into the charges against Guru Arjan, but
now was the time to do so. The Guru only became
bolder with delay and impunity. Upon this the
Emperor ordered Chandu to send for Prithia, and
he accordingly did so. Prithia was overjoyed on
receiving the invitation. On the way he for some
business of his own visited Tarn Taran, where the
Sikhs invited him to bathe. He said that the Guru's
tank there was only a common pool, and he would
only bathe in his own tank at Hehar. Thither he
accordingly proceeded, and after bathing in it and
eating a surfeit at dinner, he got cramp in the
stomach, and died the same night.

Mihrban, son of Prithia, took advantage of the
Guru's gift to Khusro to rouse the ire of the Emperor

1 Sorath.

go THE SIKH RELIGION

against the Guru. He informed Chandu of it, and
Chandu informed the Emperor, adding that the
Guru had blessed Khusro and promised him that
he should become Emperor. Chandu also represented
to the Emperor that, if he did not have Khusro
quickly arrested, the pretender would receive great
military assistance from the followers of the Guru.
The people of the Panjab, he said, were all highway
robbers. The pandits and the qazis also thought
it a favourable opportunity to institute new pro
ceedings against the Guru on the old charge of
having compiled a book which blasphemed the
worship and rules of the Hindus and the prayers
and fastings of the Muhammadans. By such accusa
tions Chandu induced the Emperor to summon Guru
Arjan. Chandu's heart was now gratified, for he
knew he had at last secured his revenge.

CHAPTER X

The Guru now felt that his enemies were vic
torious and that his end was near, but he was confi
dent at the same time that the vials of God's wrath
would burst on their heads. Before his departure
for Lahore he appointed his son Har Gobind his
successor with all ancient ceremony and formality,
and gave him injunctions suitable for the occasion.
The Guru then addressed his wife Ganga : ' This
body abideth not for ever. Wherefore a wise person
should not love it. Whatever is born perisheth, and
whatever is high falleth sooner or later. This
is nature's law. To love the body is a grievous
error. All bodies daily grow old and preserve not
their original strength. From a child one groweth
to be a man, and then cometh old age, which seizeth
on the body and causeth it to waste away until
it falleth into its final sleep. Live thou when I am
gone, mourn not for me, and make no effort of

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 91

thine own to separate thy soul from thy body.' The
latter was an injunction not to cremate herself on
his death.

The Guru took with him Bhai Bidhi Chand,
Bhai Langaha, Bhai Paira, Bhai Jetha, and Bhai
Pirana. The Emperor Jahangir was at first disposed
to treat the Guru with respect, but Chandu reminded
him of the Guru's pecuniary assistance to Khusro.
The Emperor then addressed him : ' Thou art a
saint, great teacher, and holy man ; thou lookest
on all, rich and poor, alike. It was therefore not
proper for thee to give money to my enemy Khusro/
The Guru replied : ' I regard all people, whether
Hindu or Musalman, rich or poor, friend or foe,
without love or hate ; and it is on this account that
I gave thy son some money for his journey, and
not because he was in opposition to thee. If I
had not assisted him in his forlorn condition, and
so shown some regard for the kindness of thy father
the Emperor Akbar to myself, all men would despise
me for my heartlessness and ingratitude, or they
would say that I was afraid of thee. This would
have been unworthy of a follower of Guru Nanak,
the world's Guru.'

The conclusion of this speech was not calculated
to soothe the Emperor's feelings. He ordered the
Guru to pay a fine of two lakhs of rupees, and also
to erase the hymns in his Granth which were opposed
to the Hindu and Musalman religions. The Guru
replied : ' Whatever money I have is for the poor, the
friendless, and the stranger. If thou ask for money
thou mayest take what I have ; but if thou ask for it
by way of fine I shall not give thee even a kauri, for a
fine is imposed on wicked worldly persons and not on
priests and anchorets. And as to what thou hast said
regarding the erasure of hymns in the Granth Sahib,
I cannot erase or alter an iota. I am a worshipper
of the Immortal God, the Supreme Soul of the world.
There is no monarch save Him ; and what He re-

92 THE SIKH RELIGION

vealed to the Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Ram
Das, and afterwards to myself, is written in the holy
Granth Sahib. The hymns which find a place in it
are not disrespectful to any Hindu incarnation or
any Muhammadan prophet. It is certainly stated
that prophets, priests, and incarnations are the handi
work of the Immortal God, whose limit none can
find. My main object is the spread of truth and
the destruction of falsehood ; and if, in pursuance
of this object, this perishable body must depart, I
shall account it great good fortune/

The Emperor made no reply, but rose and left the
hall of audience. After this a magistrate informed
the Guru that he must pay the fine or be imprisoned
in default. When the Sikhs of Lahore heard this
decision, they proposed to unite and raise a sub
scription to discharge the Guru's obligation. The
Guru would not agree, and sent them word, that who
ever contributed to pay the fine imposed on him
should be deemed a pervert, and would for the
sake of momentary gratification imperil his future
salvation. Men devoted to religion, the Guru said,
never paid fines. Fines were for thieves, adulterers,
slanderers, and robbers. As the Guru would not
allow the fine to be paid, he was placed under the
surveillance of Chandu. The qazis and Brahmans
offered the Guru the alternative of being put to
death or of expunging the alleged objectionable
passages in the Granth Sahib and inserting the
praises of Muhammad and of the Hindu deities.

The Guru replied, ' The Granth Sahib hath been
compiled to confer on men happiness and not misery
in this world and in the next. It is impossible to
write it anew, and make the omissions and altera
tions you require.' On hearing this the Guru's
enemies concluded that he would yield to no ordinary
threats, so they put fetters on him, and began to
torture him in various ways. They poured burning
sand on him, seated him in red-hot caldrons, and

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 93

bathed him in boiling water. The Guru bore all
this torture with equanimity and never uttered
a sigh or groan. He was given another opportunity
to recant and comply with the demands of his
enemies. He replied, ' O fools, I shall never fear
this treatment of yours. It is all according to God's
will; wherefore this torture only affordeth me
pleasure.' On this occasion the Guru repeated the
following : —

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

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

My transmigration is at an end.

The heated caldron hath become cold ; the Guru hath
given the cooling Name.

Since the holy man hath been with me, Death's myrmidons,
who lay in wait for me, have left me.

I have been released from him who restrained me ; what
shall the judge do to me now ?

The load of my karma is removed ; I am freed therefrom.

From the sea I have reached the shore ; the Guru hath
done me this favour.

True is my place, true my seat, and truth I have made
my special object.

Truth is the capital ; truth the stock-in-trade which Nanak
hath put into his house.1

When Chandu threatened to put the Guru to
further torture he addressed him as follows : —

The earth, the firmament, and the stars are under the
influence of fear ; over their heads is unchanging law.

Wind, water, and fire are under the influence of fear ; so,
too, is helpless Indar.

There is only the one God without fear, as I have heard.

He who meeting the Guru singeth God's praises, is happy
and ever at peace.

1 Maru.

94 THE SIKH RELIGION

Corporeal beings and gods are under the influence of fear ;
Sidhs and their disciples have died through fear.

The eighty-four lakhs of beings which die and are born,
which again and again are yoked to wombs, are under the
influence of fear.

All beings which Thou, 0 God, hast created subject to the
qualities of passion, goodness, and darkness are under the
influence of fear.

The helpless Lakshmi 1 who produceth illusion is under the
influence of fear, and greatly so is Dharmraj .

All things are filled with fear — it is only the Creator who
is devoid of it.

Saith Nanak, God is the Companion of saints ; saints
adorn His court,2 and are therefore without fear.

Several Jogis and religious men who had met the
Guru and appreciated his sincerity and exalted
doctrines, went to condole with him in his afflictions.
Mian Mir, the Moslem saint of Lahore, also went
and contributed his sympathetic tears. He found
the Guru's body all blistered and suppurated, and
requested his permission to appeal to the Emperor for
his release and the punishment of his torturers. The
Guru requested him to cast his eyes towards heaven.
On doing so, it is said, Mian Mir saw angels begging
the Guru's permission to destroy the wicked, the
proud, and the perverse. Mian Mir on beholding
this supernatural vision asked the Guru why, when
he possessed superhuman power, he consented to
endure suffering at the hands of such vile sinners.
The Guru replied, ' I bear all this torture to set an
example to the teachers of the True Name, that they
may not lose patience or rail at God in affliction.
The true test of faith is the hour of misery. Without
examples to guide them ordinary persons' minds
quail in the midst of suffering. In the second place,
if he who possesseth power within him defend not

1 Lakshmi, is here called Kaula (Kamala) or the dweller on the lotus.

2 Marti.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 95

his religion by the open profession thereof, the man
who possesseth no such power will when put to the
torture abjure his faith. The sin will light on the
head of him who hath the power but showeth it not ;
and God will deem him an enemy of religion. In
the third place, the body is naturally subject to woe
and weal, but not the spirit. The body is perishable,
the soul imperishable. To set aside by the exercise
of supernatural power the law of nature which
applieth to all things perishable, and thereby to
engender pride in the heart, would be supreme folly/
Mian Mir on hearing this departed commending the
Guru's fortitude and singing his praises.

Upon this the Guru's enemies again applied them
selves to his torture. They kept him for three hours
seated in a caldron heated by a blazing fire. The
Guru's life was well-nigh extinct, but he would not
even submit to Chandu's conditions, namely, to allow
his son Har Gobind to marry Chandu's daughter.

The Guru repeated the following also during the
period of his torture :—

SRI RAG ASHTAPADI

When very great troubles befall, and nobody receiveth
one ;

When enemies pursue, and relations flee away ;

When all from whom man looked for assistance have fled,
and all succour is at an end,

If he then remember God, no hot wind shall strike him.

God is the strength of the strengthless.

He neither cometh nor goeth ; He is permanent ever ; by
the Guru's instruction know Him as the True One.

If man be weak from the pangs of nakedness and hunger,

If he have not a paisa in his purse, and there be none to
console him,

If no one gratify his aims and desires, and he be never
successful,

Yet, if he remember God, he shall obtain a permanent
kingdom.

96 THE SIKH RELIGION

If any one have excessive anxiety and bodily suffering,

If bound up in household and family, he feel alternate joy
and sorrow,

If he wander in every direction, and cannot rest even for
a moment,

Yet if he think upon God, his body and soul shall be
happy.

Man may be in the power of lust, wrath, and covetousness ;
he may become a miser through love of greed ;

He may have committed the four great sins l and all venial
sins ; he may be a demon to destroy ;

He may never have listened to sacred books, hymns, and
poetry ;

Yet shall he be saved if he think upon God and repeat His
name even for a moment.

Even though man repeat by heart the Shastars, the
Simritis, and the four Veds ;

Though he be a penitent, a leader of penitents, or a Jogi
and have made all pilgrimages ;

Though he perform the six duties twice over, though he
bathe and perform worship,

Yet if he love not the supreme God, he shall assuredly go
to hell.

Man may have empire, dominion, and principality ; enjoy
ments may be scattered around him ;

He may have delightful and beautiful gardens, and his
orders may be such as cannot be disobeyed ;

He may have merriment and spectacles of many descrip
tions, and he may continue devoted to pleasure ;

Yet if he think not of the supreme God, he shall be born
again as a serpent.

Man may be very wealthy ; he may be attentive to cere
monial duties ; his reputation and conduct may be ostensibly
spotless ;

He may love his mother, father, children, brothers and
friends ;

Armies in full panoply and all men may show him honour ;

1 Guru Amar Das gives in his additional sloks the four sins which
the Hindus believe to be the most heinous.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 97

Yet if he think not of the supreme God, he shall be taken
and consigned to the abode below.

Man's body may have no disease or blemish ; he may have
no heart-burning or grief ;

He may not think of death, but day and night enjoy him
self ;

He may have made everything his own and fear no one ;

Yet if he think not of the supreme God, he shall fall into the
power of Death's myrmidons.

He to whom the supreme God is merciful obtaineth the
society of the saints.

The more that association increaseth, the greater his love
for God.

He is the Lord of both worlds ; there is no resting place
but in Him.

If the true Guru be pleased, Nanak shall obtain the true
Name.

A daughter-in-law of Chandu, daughter of a pious
Sikh, who had heard of the Guru's torture, con
sidered what she could do to save him whom her
father had ever reverenced, and from whom he had
ever obtained the object of his desires. She said
to herself, ' The Guru hath eaten nothing, and not
even drunk water or slept for several days. Accursed
is my life in this house that I hear of the Guru's
torture, and still see the light of day ! ' She prepared
some sharbat and took it in the dead of night secretly
to the Guru's prison. When stopped by the sentry
on guard, she drew forth a piece of jewellery and gave
it to him. He allowed her to pass with strict injunc
tions to return quickly. She told the Guru who she
was : ' Recognize in me the daughter of a Sikh of
thine. I am wife of the sinner's (Chandu's) son,
but I ought never to have been married to him.
I must have committed some great sin in a previous
existence, and this is the result of it. Hence I desire
to live no longer. Take this sharbat and also eat
something. Look on me as thy slave, and have
pity on me/

SIKH. Ill j {

98 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Guru replied, ' Hail to thee who hast so much
devotion ! Thou hast now but few days to live and
thou mayest accompany me. Keep thy secret to
thyself. I cannot take food or drink from Chandu's
house/ On hearing this, the lady begged him to
take her as his companion to the unknown world.

Chandu was all night meditating further torture
for the Guru. He said to himself, * The Guru mani-
festeth no pain under ordinary torture, therefore I
will cause him further suffering/ Notwithstanding-
all the tortures employed, the Guru would not abate
a jot of his determination.

For five days the Guru suffered torture and then
asked permission to bathe in the Ravi and take his
five Sikh companions with him. Chandu might
afterwards order what he thought fit. Chandu was
very pleased at the Guru's proposal and said, ' When
the Guru's body is cool after bathing, he will certainly
consent to his son's alliance with my daughter/ He
accordingly granted the Guru's request and said,
' Thy life shall be saved, if thou hearken to my
words/

Chandu sent with his prisoner an escort of soldiers
armed with swords and matchlocks. He ordered them
to keep a close watch on the Guru. They were not to
speak to any one on the way lest they should reveal
the Guru's sufferings. They also received orders not
to allow the Guru to make any detour, but proceed
straight on, and not halt before he had arrived at
the bank of the river. While the Guru was bathing
and subsequently drying himself, the soldiers were
not to address him or interrupt him in any way.
They were then to return with him and keep him
and his Sikhs in front of them so that he might not
escape.

The Guru enveloped himself in a long sheet and
set forth. The whole of his body was blistered, and
the soles of his feet sore and festered. Looking
where he might tread with the least pain he pro-

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 99

ceeded very slowly. Seeing his servant Pirana near
him he leaned on his shoulder, and emerged from
the city by a wicket opening towards the river.
Several people bowed as he passed. The bystanders
were astonished on seeing him weak from hunger
and suffering, and said, ' In what a state the Guru
is travelling ! ' His mind however appeared collected
and fixed on divine meditation as in his earlier and
happier days. His devotion like a mountain which
cannot be moved was in no way affected by his
bodily pain.

On arriving with very slow and painful steps at
the Ravi he took up some of its cold water — recently
melted from Himalayan ice — and bathed his feet and
hands therewith. He then went into the water and
bathed his whole body. Meanwhile he recited with
great devotion the Japji, which confers salvation
on Sikhs. His men, who were like a halo round him,
followed his example. The Guru bowed at the end
of his devotions and thus addressed his Sikhs :
' I have succeeded in effecting the object of my life.
Go to my son the holy Har Gobind, and give him
from me ample consolation. Bid him not mourn
or indulge in unmanly lamentations but sing God's
praises. Let him also restrain from grief the other
members of my family. Let him sit fully armed
on his throne, and maintain an army to the best of
his ability. Let him affix the patch of Guruship to
his forehead according to ancient custom, and ever
treat his Sikhs with the utmost courtesy. Let him
hold Bhai Budha in honour, and in all respects,
except the wearing of arms hereby enjoined, adopt
the practices of the preceding Gurus. Cremate not
my body, but let it flow on the bosom of this river.

Having thus spoken the Guru observed a minstrel
approach with a two-stringed instrument, and invited
him to take a seat on a pleasant spot near the river,
sing the Guru's hymns, and accompany himself on
his instrument. The minstrel accordingly began

H 2

ioo THE SIKH RELIGION

to sing with great feeling and expression, whereupon
the heavenly hosts thronged to listen, to witness the
Guru's departure, and to congratulate him on his
victory over torture and tyranny. Some recounted
the Guru's deeds, while others listened with admira
tion. They vowed that the earth itself had not
such patience as the Guru. There was nothing
animate or inanimate to be compared with him.
' He hath shown extreme patience and endurance,
though, had he chosen to exercise his miraculous
power, he might have averted his sufferings. He
hath never meditated retaliation on his enemy ; his
praise suits rione but himself for having endured
extreme suffering and heeded it not. He now cometh
to us to abide in glory and bliss after his earthly
misery/

The Guru's death occurred on the fourth day of
the light half of the month Jeth, Sambat 1663
(June, A. D. 1606).

When Chandu's daughter-in-law heard of the
Guru's death she too abandoned her body, as if it
were a worthless blade of grass. Her corpse remained
concealed in her chamber and none knew that her
spirit had accompanied the Guru's in its heavenly
flight.

Thus did Guru Arjan for his sanctity, his conver
sion of the Hindus and Muhammadans, his compila
tion of the Granth Sahib and his assistance to the
grandson of his former benefactor, fall a victim
to the bigotry and inhumanity of a Muhammadan
emperor.1

1 The statement of the author of the Dabistan-i-Mazahib on
the subject of Guru Arjan is as follows : — ' Guru Arjan blessed the
Emperor's son Khusro who had risen in rebellion against his father,
and when Khusro was arrested the Emperor ordered Guru Arjan also
to be punished and a large fine imposed on him.' This the Guru
was unable to pay, and he was subsequently imprisoned in what the
historian calls the sandy country of Lahore, where he died from the
effects of the heat and the tortures inflicted on him by those who
sought to realize the fine imposed.

LIFE OF GURU ARJAN 101

The temple dedicated to the Guru in Lahore bears
the following inscription of his own composition : —

Perform ablution, remember your God, and your minds
and bodies shall be free from disease.

Millions of obstacles shall be removed by God's protec
tion, and good fortune shall dawn on you.

I have uttered the compositions and the hymns of God.

O my brethren, ever sing, listen, and read them, and the
perfect Guru will preserve you.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN

SRI RAG

Life is uncertain and man ought to repent be
times :—

Though only a guest for a ghari or two, man arrangeth his
affairs.

He is absorbed in mammon and lust ; and, fool that he
is, knoweth not that he is but a guest.

He only repenteth after his departure, and so falleth into
the power of Death the executioner.

0 blind man, thou art sitting on a falling bank.

If thou art so fated from the beginning, then act according
to the Guru's instruction.

The Owner l may gather the crop whether it be green, half-
ripe, or ripe and fit to be cut.

The reapers 2 make preparations, bring sickles, and arrive
on the ground.

They cut the crop as it is measured out to them when the
Landlord giveth orders.

The first watch of night is gone in business ; during the
second man sleepeth his fill ;

The third is passed in idle discourse ; and at the fourth
the morning dawneth.

He who gave soul and body never entereth into man's
mind.

1 sacrifice and devote my life to the society of the saints,
Through whom understanding entered my heart, and I

met God the Omniscient.

Know that Nanak hath ever seen God who is the Searcher
of hearts with him.

1 God. 2 Death's myrmidons.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 103

The attributes of God : —

I love that true One who dieth not or suffereth transmi
gration ;

Who, being contained in everything, will not be separated
from me though I separate from Him ;

Who removeth the pain and sorrow of the poor, and truly
loveth His servant.

Wonderful is the form of the Pure One ; the Guru hath
caused me to meet Him, O my mother.

O my brethren, be friends with such a God.

Accursed is the love of worldly things ; no one attached
to them appeareth happy.

God is wise, generous, mild, beautiful, and infinite ;

He is the companion, the helper, exceeding great, exalted,
and altogether without limit ;

He is not known as young or old ; everlasting is His
court.

What we ask Him we obtain ; He is the support of the
weak.

On beholding Him sins vanish, and the soul and body are
at peace.

If man with single mind meditate on Him, mental doubts
shall be dispelled.

He is the treasury of excellences ; ever new and complete
are His gifts.

Ever and ever adore Him ; forget Him not by day or
night :

He is the companion of those who are so destined from the
beginning.

Devote your body, your soul, and your wealth all unto
Him ; sacrifice your whole life unto Him.

He beholdeth, Heheareth, He is ever present, Hepervadeth
every heart.

He cherisheth even the ungrateful ; O Nanak, God is ever
the Pardoner.

God's beneficence :—

Ever and ever remember God and clasp Him to thy heart,
who gave thee soul, body, and wealth, and adorned thee ;

104 THE SIKH RELIGION

Who constructed all the materials of thy body and infused
into it immortal light.

O my soul, there is none but God.

Ever remain under God's protection and thou shalt feel
no sorrow.

Jewels, wealth, gems, gold, and silver are all dust.

The affinities of mother, father, sons, and kinsmen are all
false.

The perverse man, unclean beast that he is, knoweth not
Him who made him :

He deemeth that God who is within and around him is
distant ;

Avarice clingeth to him, and his heart is attached to pride
and falsehood.

Boatfuls of persons without devotion or God's name come
and go.

0 God, the Creator, mercifully preserve man and Thine
other creatures.

There is no protector but Thee ; very unfeeling is the god
of death.

Saith Nanak, O God, have mercy on me that I may not
forget Thy name.

Nothing can be concealed from the omnipotent
God:-

In the dust of the saints' feet are found the merits of
hundreds of thousands of pilgrimages, fastings, and morti
fications.

From whom canst thou hide thine evil deeds, since God
ever present beholdeth thee ?

My God pervadeth and filleth every place.

True is His empire, true His authority, and truest of the
true1 His seat.

The True One exerteth true power in the creation of the
world.

Nanak, repeat the true Name to which I am for ever and
ever a sacrifice.

1 In this hymn as in many passages of the Granth Sahib the \vord
true means eternal.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 105

The Guru counsels the rejection of worldly
pleasures : —

Deeming the pleasures of the world sweet, man partaketh
of them, but they prove to have a bitter taste.

He causeth his brethren and friends to love him heartily ;
he is vainly devoted to sinful pleasures.

These shall pass away in a trice, and he shall be astonished
without the Name.

O my soul, apply thyself to the service of the true Guru.

Whatever is seen is perishable, abandon thy perversity.

As a mad dog runneth in every direction,

So the avaricious man distinguisheth not, but eateth both
what is allowed and what is forbidden.

He who feeleth lust, wrath, and pride shall enter the womb
again and again.

Mammon hath spread out her net and placed a bait within
it :

The greedy bird is snared and cannot escape, my mother.

Man knoweth not Him who made him ; wherefore he shall
suffer transmigration again and again.

This world hath in many ways and forms bewitched man.

He who is preserved by the omnipotent and eternal Being
shall be saved.

The people of God are saved by their love for Him ; to
them Nanak is ever a sacrifice.

Man during his brief measure of life ought to
practise devotion :—

When the herdsman goeth only for a few days to the pasture
ground, why should he prefer a claim to it ?

When thy time is completed, thou must depart ; yet thou
art arranging thy household affairs.1

0 man, sing God's praises and serve the true Guru with
love.

Why art thou proud of a trifle ?

Like the guest of a night thou shalt depart in the morning.

1 Also translated — Arrange thy household affairs ; that is, make
preparation for thy journey.

io6 THE SIKH RELIGION

Why art thou attached to thy family ? everything is
short-lived as the flowers of the garden.

Why ever speak of thy property ? Long for the God who
gave it thee.

Thou must assuredly depart and leave thy lakhs and
karors.

Having wandered among the eighty-four lakhs of exist
ences, thou hast at last obtained human life so difficult to
obtain.

Nanak, remember thou the Name ; the day of thy departure
is near.

While life remains learn wise conduct :—

0 body, as long as the soul thy companion is with thee, so
long thou livest happily.

When thy companion depart eth, thou shalt be blended
with the dust.

If thou have felt love of God and a desire to behold Him,
blest shall be thine abode.

As long as the soul dwelleth with thee, every one will say
' Sir, Sir,' to thee ;

But when it depart eth no one will care for thee.

Serve thy Bridegroom in thy father's house, and thou shalt
abide in happiness in thy father-in-law's.

Having met the Guru, learn wise conduct ; and sorrow
shall never befall thee.

All must go to their father-in-law's ; God taketh every
one away.

Nanak, blest is that happy wife who loveth the Bride
groom.

Some moral injunctions :—

Store up God's wealth, worship the true Guru, and renounce
all sin.

Remember that God who made and adorned thee, and
thou shalt be saved.

O man, repeat the name of the one eternal God,

Who gave thee soul, mind, and body, and who is the
support of the heart.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 107

The world is intoxicated with the prevailing lust, wrath,
and pride.

Enter the asylum of the saints, fall at their feet, and thy
misery and mental blindness shall be removed.

The practice of truth, patience, and mercy is the best work
man can accomplish.

He to whom God the Formless One granteth grace, re-
nounceth pride and becometh the dust of all men's feet.

Whatever is seen, the extension of creation, is all Thou,
O God.

Saith Nanak, the Guru hath cut away doubt ; and I con
sider all things God.

The Guru addresses God as a child his father :—

Relying on Thee, O Beloved, I have been made happy.

Even if I have gone astray, I am Thy child, O God ;
Thou art my father and mother.

It is easy to talk,

But to act as Thou pleasest is difficult.

In Thee I repose mine honour and my strength ; I know
Thee as mine.

Thou art within and without everything ; Thou needest
nothing, 0 Father.

0 Father, I know not Thy ways.

God freeth me from entanglements, 0 saints, and cherisheth
love for me.

The Lord hath been merciful, and my transmigration is
at an end.

On meeting the Guru, Nanak hath recognized the Supreme
God.

ASHTAPADI

Better seek God's protection than join any of the
current Indian religious sects :—

1 know not what things please the Lord ;
O my soul, seek His way.

The meditator practiseth meditation.
He who is possessed of knowledge may employ his know
ledge,

Yet few know God.

io8 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Bhagauti l acteth according to the rules of his sect ;

The Jogi claimeth that he alone is emancipated ;

The Penitent is absorbed in his penance ;

The Silent observe silence ;

The Sanyasi, the Brahmachari,

And the Hermit are devoted to their lonely lives ;

The Bhagats worship in nine ways ; 2

The Pandits shout the Veds ;

The householders who practise household duties,

The Eksabdis,3 Bahurupias,4 the Audhuts,

The Kaprias, the Kautas, the Jagutas5 all plume themselves
on their religious merits.

Some bathe at places of pilgrimage.

The Nirahars fast ; the Aparasas touch nothing they deem
impure ;

Some hide and do not allow themselves to be seen.

Some in their own estimation know everything :

Nobody admitteth any deficiency in himself.

All say that they have found God ;

But it is only the saint whom God uniteth with Himself.

All the above-mentioned efforts

I abandon, and seek God's protection ;

Nanak, I fall at the Guru's feet.

The Guru confesses the benefits he has received
from God :—

I fall at God's feet to conciliate Him ;

1 The Bhagauti in the Sikh writings is a worshipper of God.
In the Guru's time the Bhagautis appear to have formed a separate
sect.

2 Bhagats enumerate nine forms of devotion. They are shrawan,
or hearing God's praises ; kiratan, singing God's praises ; simiran,
remembering God ; bandan, prostration before God ; dasaiwa, menial
service of God ; sakkyalwa, believing God to be one's companion ;
archan, invocation of God ; dtam naiwedan, sacrificing one's life for
God ; pddsewan, worship of God's feet.

3 The Eksabdis, on going to a house for alms, repeat the one word
' Alakh ' or Alekh, the Invisible. If they receive nothing, they walk
quietly away.

4 The Bahurupias and Kautas are men who perform in religious
dramas. 5 Men who watch at night.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 109

The true Guru hath blended me with God ; there is none
so great as He.

The Lord of the earth is my Beloved ;

He is dearer to me than mother, father,

Sisters, brothers, and all friends ; there is none like Thee,
O God.

By Thine order Sawan l hath come,

And I have yoked the plough of truth.

I begin to sow the Name in the hope that God in His bene
ficence will cause it to yield heaps of corn.

Having met the Guru, I recognize the one God ;

I know nothing of any one else.

God appointed me to the one duty;2 as it pleaseth Him,
so I perform it.

Do you, my brethren, eat and enjoy yourselves ;

The Guru hath invested me with a robe of honour in God's
court.

I have become master in my own village ; 3 I have taken
its five claimants 4 captive.

I have entered Thine asylum, O God.

The five claimants have now become my tenants.

None of them can interfere with me ; 5 Nanak, the village
is now thickly populated.6

I am a sacrifice and devote myself to Thee,

0 my Sovereign ; on Thee alone I meditate.

Thou hast re-peopled a ruined village : I am a sacrifice
unto Thee.

1 continually meditate on God, the Beloved,
And thus obtain the fruit my heart desireth.

God hath arranged all mine affairs and appeased the
hunger of my soul.

I have abandoned all mine avocations,

1 The month when the rains begin in India. Here it means
human life.

2 To lead men to holiness.

3 That is, my own body.

4 The five evil passions or deadly sins who claim a partnership in
the village of the body.

5 Literally — Can put his ear forward to hear complaints against me.

6 The body is now full of merits instead of demerits.

no THE SIKH RELIGION

And I serve the true God.

God firmly tied the Name, the receptacle of the nine
treasures in my robe.

I have found the comfort of comforts.

The Guru hath implanted his instruction in my heart.

The true Guru placing his hand on my forehead hath shown
me God.

I have built a true temple :

I search for and bring into it the disciples of the Guru.

I bathe their feet, fan them, and ever prostrate myself
before them.

Having heard of the Guru I went to him :

He implanted in my heart the virtues of the Name, of
charity, and of ablutions.

The whole world, Nanak, having embarked on the true
boat 1 hath been saved,

The whole creation waiteth on Thee,O Lord, day and night.

Lend Thine ear and hear my supplication.

I have seen and examined every one ; it is Thou alone
who graciously deliverest us.

The order of the Merciful hath now been issued

That no one should annoy another ;

That all should dwell in peace, and that this should be
a benign reign.2

Nectar falleth in torrents.

I speak as the Master inspireth me.

I am very proud of Thee, O Lord ; do Thou accept me.

Thy saints ever hunger for Thee ;

0 God, fulfil my desires.

Giver of comfort, grant me a sight of Thee and embrace me :

1 have found none so great as Thou.

Thou art in the earth, the heavens, and the nether regions ;
Thou art contained in every place, saith Nanak ; Thou art
the true support of the saints.
I am the wrestler of the Lord :
Having met the Guru I put on a tall turban.3

1 Having clung to the Sikh religion.

2 The reign of the Sikh religion.

3 Victorious wrestlers in former times were decorated with lofty

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN in

All are assembled for the wrestling ; God Himself is seated
to behold it.

The music of the drums and clarions striketh up ;

The wrestlers enter the arena and walk round.

I have vanquished the five youths — the deadly sins ; — the
Guru patted me on the back.

All came together to see the wrestling,

And they shall take their various ways homewards.

The holy have obtained profit ; the perverse have lost even
their capital.

Thou art devoid of colour and marks ;

O God, Thou appearest ever present.

0 Lord of excellences, Thy saints hear Thy praises, meditate
on Thee, and love Thee.

1 am God's servant in every age.

The Guru cut the rope of ignorance which bound me.
I will not again engage in wrestling ; Nanak hath searched
and found this opportunity of deliverance.

CHHANT.
The happiness of the saints :—

When the Lord is merciful, men bathe in the dust of the
saints' feet.

Nanak hath obtained all things in God who is wealth and
property.

Beautiful, O Lord, is Thy house ; the saints live in the
hope of rest in it.

Their souls and bodies dissolve in love on remembering
God's name, and they drink its nectar ;

They drink its nectar, live immortal lives, and while
drinking deem the water of sin insipid.

When my God the Lord of the earth became merciful, I
deemed the saints' society a treasure.

O beloved saints, all happiness and abundant joy are theirs
who have sewed God's jewel in their hearts.

They forget not for a moment the support of life ; O
Nanak, they live by repeating God's name.

turbans. The Nihangs, a small sect of Sikhs, quote this line in justi
fication of their tall head-dress.

H2 THE SIKH RELIGION

MAJH.

Gratitude to God who treats all men as equal.

That season is pleasant when I remember Thee, O God ;

That work is pleasant which is done for Thee.

0 Thou who bestoweth on all, that heart is happy in
which Thou dwellest.

Thou art our universal Father.
In Thine inexhaustible storehouse are all treasures.
He on whom Thou bestoweth is satisfied and satiated,
and he is Thy worshipper.

Every one reposeth his hopes in Thee.

Thou abidest in every heart,

All are partners in Thee ; Thou disownest none.

Favour with God is likened to a woman's happy
married life :—

In the house where the Beloved celebrated His marriage

Female friends sang songs of rejoicing,

Where the Spouse hath adorned the bride, there reign joy
and pleasure.

The woman who is dear to her husband, is beautiful, clever,
skilful,

Well conducted, and distinguished :

She is accomplished, and very fortunate ;

She possesseth sons and is a virtuous wife ;

She hath all decorations, and it is she who is wise.

She who is adorned with the love of her Spouse, is of good
family and a queen.

The greatness of her whom her Spouse

Hath embraced cannot be described.

The married life of her who hath the support of the love
of the Unapproachable and Inapprehensible Spouse shall be
eternal.

The Hindu Shastars and religious ceremonies are
of no avail :—

1 have searched and searched in the desire to behold Thee,
O God;

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 113

I have traversed every variety of forest.

Is there any one who will bring me my God — who is devoid
of qualities, and yet possesseth all qualities — and introduce
me to Him ?

Man may recite aloud the wisdom of the six Shastars ;

He may worship, apply frontal marks, and bathe at places
of pilgrimage ;

He may perform the nivali feat, and sit in the eighty-four
postures of the Jogis, but he shall obtain no comfort there
from.

Man may perform devotion and penance for many
years ;

He may travel and roam over the earth ;

Yet peace shall not enter his heart for a moment, and his
soul shall wander again and again.

God being merciful hath caused me to meet the saint.

My soul and body are refreshed, and I have obtained
consolation.

The immortal God resideth in my heart, and Nanak singeth
to God a song of rejoicing.

Praise and prayer to the Almighty :—

Darling God, merciful, joyous,

Deep, profound, endless, Sustainer of the earth,

Lofty, unfathomable, eternal Lord, I live by remembering
Thee.

Destroyer of sorrow, priceless treasure,

Without fear or enmity, unfathomable, unequalled,

Deathless, unborn, self-existent ; the mind becometh re
freshed by remembering Thee.

O God, Thou joyous One, be ever with me.

Thou art the Cherisher of high and low.

Thy name is the elixir which satisfieth my heart ; under
the Guru's instructions let me drink the nectar.

In pain or pleasure I meditate on Thy name, 0 dear
One:

This wisdom have I obtained from the Guru.

Thou art Nanak's support, O God ; by Thy love I shall be
saved.

H4 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Guru expresses his love for God by familiar
similes : —

Thou art, 0 God, an ocean of water ; I am Thy fish :

I a chatrik thirst for the drops of Thy name.

In Thee is my hope, for Thee I thirst, my heart is absorbed
in Thee.

As a child is satisfied by drinking milk,

As a poor man is happy on finding wealth,

As a thirsty man is refreshed by drinking water, so is my
soul happy with God.

As a lamp shineth in the darkness,

As a woman's hopes are fulfilled on beholding her spouse,

As one becometh happy on meeting one's beloved, so is
my soul gladdened with God's love.

The saints have put me on God's road,

And being merciful have made me intimate with Him.

God is mine ; I am His slave ; Nanak, the Guru hath
given me the true Word.

God's name is the sweetest and most potent of all
relishes : —

The ambrosial Name is ever pure.

God is the bestower of comfort and the Destroyer of sorrow.

I have tasted and tried all other relishes, but to my mind
God is the sweetest dainty of all.

They who drink the nectar of His name are satisfied,

And become immortal on possessing it.

The treasure of the Name is obtained by him in whose
heart the Guru's word abideth.

He who obtaineth the essence of God's name is satisfied
and cloyed.

He who hath obtained God's sweets wavereth not.

God's name is obtained by him on whose forehead favour
able destiny was recorded.

God hath come into the possession of one man, the Guru,
from whom many receive favours.

On meeting him many obtain salvation.

The pious obtain the treasure of the Name, but few, O
Nanak, are they who have seen them.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 115

God's praises :—

God is my ocean, God is perfection, God is my wealth ;

O deep and profound One, Thou art the boon of my life.

He who toucheth the Guru's feet enjoyeth countless
pleasures and delights.

They who have seen God are pure,

And save all their brethren and friends.

My Lord is inaccessible, and inapprehensible ; I meditate
on Him, the True One, by the kindness of the Guru.

A few by great good fortune have obtained a sight of Him,

Whom men make every effort to find.

His palace, exalted, infinite, and invisible, the Guru hath
shown me.

Deep and profound is Thine ambrosial name, O God ;

He in whose heart it dwelleth obtaineth deliverance.

Nanak, they whose bonds are all cut off by the Guru are
absorbed in God.

The Guru delights in his devotion : —

By God's favour I meditate on His name,

And by His mercy I sing a song of joy.

All your lives whether standing, sitting, sleeping, or waking,
meditate on God,

The holy man hath given me the Name as medicine ;

He hath cut off my sins, and I have become pure :

All my pains have departed, all my pangs have been
assuaged, and I have become happy.

He whom my Beloved assisteth

Shall be delivered from the ocean of the world.

Why should he who recognizeth the Guru as true be afraid ?

Since I have obtained the society of the saints

And met the Guru, the demon of pride hath departed.

At every breath Nanak singeth God's praises ; the true
Guru hath cast a veil over his sins.

The condition of God's worshipper : —

God pervadeth His worshipper as warp and woof ;
God, the Bestower of comfort, cherisheth His worshipper.

I 2

n6 THE SIKH RELIGION

I draw water, I fan, I grind corn for him, and am ever
ready to do the work of the Lord.

God hath cut off my chains and applied me to His worship.

The order of the Lord is pleasing to the worshipper's
heart.

He acteth as is pleasing to the Lord ; he becometh versed
in spiritual and wordly knowledge.

Thou art wise, O God ; Thou knowest all things.

God's worshippers enjoy His love.

What belongeth to God belongeth to His worshipper ; the
worshipper is distinguished in the company of his Lord.

He whom God hath clothed with His robe of honour,

Shall not again be called on for his account.

Nanak is a sacrifice to that worshipper ; he is a gem of the
Deep and Unfathomable.

The devotion of the householder is superior to that
of the anchoret :—

Everything is found at home, nothing abroad :

He who searcheth abroad is lost in doubt.

He who by the Guru's favour hath found God in his heart,
is happy in mind and body.

A stream of nectar raineth on him in torrents.

The man who drinketh it after hearing and reflecting on
the Word,

Rejoiceth and is glad day and night, and ever sporteth
with God.

Separated from God through many births, I have now
found Him,

And though dried up have revived by the Guru's favour.

Having met pious men I have obtained excellent wisdom,
and meditated on the Name.

As waves blend with water,

So light is blended with light.

Saith Nanak, the doors of error have been opened for its
escape, and there shall be no more wandering.1

The Guru's devotion to the holy :—
I am a sacrifice to him who hath heard Thy praises ;
1 Jaulan has two meanings — chains or wandering.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 117

I am a sacrifice to him who uttereth Thy name ;

I am ever a sacrifice to him who worshippeth Thee with
heart and soul.

I will wash his feet and behold

That merciful person who walketh in Thy path.

I will bestow my heart on that friend of mine who meeting
the Guru hath found God.

Greatly fortunate are they who know Thee ;

Among crowds they live apart unaffected by them ;

In the company of the saints they subdue all passions and
cross the terrible ocean.

Having renounced pride, insolence, and the darkness of
worldly love,

My soul hath entered their asylum.

Ye saints, grant Nanak the gift of the name of that in-
acccessible and unfathomable God.

God pervades creation :—

Thou art the tree ; Thy branch 1 hath blossomed ;

From being small Thou hast become great.

Thou art an ocean, Thou art its foam and its bubbles ;
there is nothing seen besides Thee.

Thou art the string, Thou art the beads of the rosary,

Thou art its knots, Thou art its chief bead.

God is in the beginning, the middle, and the end, and
none besides is seen.

0 Bestower of comfort, Thou possessest no attributes, and
yet Thou possessest all.2

Thou dwellest at ease ; Thou art the Enjoyer ; Thou art
saturated with love.

Thou knowest Thine own affairs ; it is Thou who remem-
berest Thyself.3

Thou art God, and again Thou art Thine own worshipper ;

Thou art concealed, O God, and again manifest.

1 The world which has been expanded from God.

2 Nirgun sargun. God is said to possess no qualities when He has
drawn the world within Him. He is said to possess all qualities when
He projects matter from Him to form creation.

3 Man remembers and worships God through Him as He is seated
in each person's heart.

n8 THE SIKH RELIGION

The slave Nanak ever singeth Thy praises : look on him
with a little kindness.

Man is happy on meeting the Guru and hearing his
universal instruction :—

0 God, Thy Word is nectar :

On hearing it my final emancipation is obtained.

On beholding the true Guru the burning of my mind hath
been quenched, and it hath become cool ;

Happiness is obtained and sorrow fleeth far away.

When the saints repeat God's name,

Water, dry land, and lakes are completely filled with it ;
there is no place without it.

The Creator showing mercy

Cherisheth all men and lower animals.

By the kind, merciful, and compassionate One all living
things are satisfied and satiated.

God made the forests, the glades, and the three worlds :

He created them all in a moment.

Under the Guru's instruction, Nanak, adore Him who
fulfilleth the desires of the mind.

God's relationship to man :—

Thou art my father, Thou art my mother,

Thou art my kinsman, Thou art my brother ;

Thou art everywhere my protector ; then why should I
feel fear and anxiety ?

By Thy favour I recognize Thee ;

Thou art my shelter, Thou art mine honour.

Besides Thee there is none other ; the whole world is the
arena of Thy play.

Men and lower animals all hast Thou created ;

Thou didst appoint them to whatever duties pleased Thee.

Everything Thou hast created is Thine ; there is nothing
ours.

1 have obtained great comfort by meditating on Thy name,
And my heart is refreshed by singing Thy praises.

The perfect Guru hath congratulated me ; Nanak hath
overcome his difficulties.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 119

Divine instruction refreshes the mind :—
By God's order the rain beginneth to fall.
Let us, my friends, having met the saints, repeat His name.
I have obtained coolness, peace, composure, and comfort,
since God Himself infused coolness into my heart.

By God's grace the Guru's instruction has been
promulgated : —

The Lord God hath become merciful ;

Rain hath fallen everywhere.

The Creator, compassionate and ever merciful to the poor,
hath bestowed comfort on us,

And cherished His human beings and lower animals

As a mother taketh care of her child.

Thou, O Lord, art the Destroyer of grief, an Ocean of com
fort, and Thou givest sustenance to all.

The Kind One filleth sea and land :

I ever devote myself and am a sacrifice to Him ;

I ever meditate on Him night and day, who in one moment
saveth all beings.

Since God Himself preserveth them,

All their sorrows and afflictions depart.

When the Name is repeated^

And God looketh on us with favour, O Nanak, the soul
and body are refreshed.

The universal happiness produced by the diffusion
of the Guru's instruction :—

Rain hath fallen ; God made it fall :

He hath caused all men and animals to dwell in comfort :

Their sufferings have departed, and they have obtained
true happiness by remembering God's name.

He whose they are cherisheth them ;

The supreme God hath become their Protector.

My God hath heard my supplication, and my labour hath
been successful.

By the Guru's favour I have beheld Him

Who is the Benefactor of all living things.

The things that dwell in sea and land, beneath the earth,

120 THE SIKH RELIGION

and in the firmament, are all satisfied, and I shall now \v;isli
the feet of holy men.

I am ever and ever a sacrifice to Him

Who fulfilleth the heart's desires.

0 Nanak, the Destroyer of pain hath bestowed this boon
on me, and I am dyed with the love of Him who is the abode
of pleasure.

Praise and thanksgiving :—

My soul and body are Thine ; my wealth also is Thine ;
Thou art my Lord and Master ;

My soul and body are all Thy capital ; my power is from
Thee, O God.

Ever and ever Thou alone art the Giver of happiness.

1 bow and bow and touch Thy feet.

If it please Thee, and Thou give me work, O Merciful One,
I will perform it.

O God, it is from Thee alone I receive ; Thou art mine
ornament.

Whatever Thou givest I treat as happiness.

Wherever Thou placest me, there shall be heaven for me :
Thou art the Cherisher of all.

Nanak having remembered Thee hath obtained happiness.

He hath sung Thy praises all day long ;

All his heart's desires have been fulfilled, and he shall
never more be unhappy.

God sent the Guru to comfort the world :—

The supreme God hath sent the cloud,1
And hath caused it to rain on sea and land in all directions.
Comfort hath ensued, all thirst is quenched, and there is
joy everywhere.

An exhortation to holiness : —

My soul and body are dyed with the beloved God.
Sacrifice to Him all that thou hast :
Sing God's praises the live-long day, and forget Him not
even for a moment.

1 The true Guru.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 121

He who meditateth on God's name in the company of holy
men,

Is my beloved saint and friend.

In the company of holy men thou shalt cross over the
world's ocean and cut Death's noose.

By God's service the four boons l are obtained.

Repeat His name who is the Tree of Life unseen and in
scrutable.

The Guru hath cut off my sins of lust and anger, and my
hopes have been fulfilled.

The mortal who hath perfect good fortune

Shall meet God in the company of holy men.

Nanak, he within whose heart the Name abideth shall be
acceptable, whether a householder or an anchoret.

Prayers ought only to be offered for worthy
objects :—

If any one pray for worldly objects,

He shall not take long to perish.

He who ever worshippeth the Supreme Being, shall on
meeting the Guru abide everlasting.

He in whose heart there is love and devotion,

Ever waketh day and night singing God's praises.

God will take his arm and blend with Himself him whom
He hath destined to receive from Him.

God's lotus feet dwell in the hearts of the saints.

Without God's assistance all men are robbed.

Ever desire the dust of the saints' feet : the name of the
True One is their ornament.

Whether standing or sitting sing God's name :

By remembering it a permanent boon is obtained.

0 God be merciful to Nanak ; what Thou doest must be
endured.

MAJH ASHTAPADI

The Guru replies to several questions of his Sikhs :—
Who is saved ? Who hath found the right way ?
Who hath divine knowledge ? Who is the preacher ?

1 Dharm (faith), arth (wealth), kdm (the fulfilment of desires),
mokhsh (salvation).

122 THE SIKH RELIGION

Who is householder ? Who is anchoret ? Who hath found
God's price ?

How is man bound ? How is he set free ?

How shall he escape from transmigration ?

Who doeth good works ? Who doeth unselfish works ?
Who speaketh of God and causeth others to speak of Him ?

Who is happy ? Who afflicted ?

Who turneth towards the Guru ? Who turneth away
from him ?

How is God met ? How doth man separate from Him ?
Who shall explain this to me ?

What is that word by which the mind's wandering ceaseth ?

What is that instruction by which man may bear weal
and woe alike ?

What is that way by which man may meditate on the
Supreme God ? What is that way by which man may sing
His praises ?

The following are the replies seriatim to the above
questions :—

The believer is saved : the believer hath found the right
way;

The believer possesseth divine knowledge ; the believer
is the preacher.

Blest is the believer, whether householder or anchoret ;
the believer hath found God's price.

By pride man is bound ; by the Guru's instruction he
is freed.

The believer escapeth from transmigration.

The believer performeth good works ; the believer per-
formeth unselfish works ; whatever the believer doeth is
acceptable.

The believer is happy ; the unbeliever is afflicted.

The believer listeneth to the Guru ; the unbeliever turneth
away from him.

The believer meeteth God ; the unbeliever is separated
from Him — the Guru hath explained this.

The Guru's instruction is the Word by which the mind's
wanderings cease ;

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 123

By the Guru's instruction woe and weal are borne alike.

The Guru's teaching is the way by which the supreme
God is meditated on, and man singeth His praises.

Thou Thyself hast made the whole creation.

Thou art the Cause of causes, and hast established every
thing.

Saith Nanak, from being one Thou hast become endless,
and in the One the Endless is absorbed.

God's praises :—

God is indestructible, then what anxiety can there be ? x
God is Omnipotent, so His slave is perfectly happy.

0 Giver of life, soul, honour, and happiness, we obtain
happiness from what Thou doest for us.

1 am a sacrifice and my life is a sacrifice to that holy
man to whose soul and body Thou art pleasing.

Thou art my mountain ; 2 Thou art my shelter ; none
can rival Thee.

He to whom Thy works are agreeable

Hath seen Thee, O Supreme God, in every heart.

Thou art the one sole God contained in every place.

Thou gratifiest all the heart's desires :

Thy storehouses are filled with devotion and love.

He whom Thou mercifully protectest shall be absorbed in
Thee by perfect good works.

God hath brought man to the surface out of the blind
well.

He mercifully regardeth His servant with a favouring eye.

The servant singeth the perfect and immortal God's praises
in repeating and hearing which there is no end.

In this world and the next Thou art the Protector, 0
Lord ;

Thou cherishest the child in its mother's womb.

The fire of Maya cannot affect those who are dyed with
God's love and sing His praises.

What excellences of Thine can I remember and relate ?

In my soul and body I behold Thee.

1 That is, God will ever watch over man.

2 To which to retreat for protection.

124 THE SIKH RELIGION

Thou art my Friend, my Saint, and my Lord ; I know
none but Thee.

He whose helper Thou art, O God,

Feeleth no hot wind.

Thou art the Lord ; Thou givest comfort to those who
seek Thy protection ; by repeating Thy name in the com
pany of the saints, Thou becomest manifest.

Thou art exalted, unfathomable, infinite, and inestimable.

Thou art the true Lord ; I am Thy servant and slave ;

Thou art the King, true is Thy sovereignty. Nanak is
a sacrifice unto Thee.

THE TWELVE MONTHS OF GURU ARJAN
MAJH

0 God, mercifully unite with Thee those who by their
past acts are separated from Thee !

Weary of wandering in the four corners of the world and
in every direction, we have come to Thy protection.

A cow without milk is of no avail :

Without water the tree withereth and beareth no fruit.

If we meet not the Lord God, the Friend, how shall we
find rest ?

The city or village or house where God is not seen is as
a furnace.

All decorations, betel, and tasteful viands are unstable
together with the body.

Without the Lord God all friends are as the god of death.

Nanak's supplication is, ' Mercifully grant me Thy name ;

1 O Lord God, whose abode is immovable, unite me with
Thee.'

In Chet worship God and you shall greatly rejoice.

You shall obtain Him by meeting saints and repeating
His name.

It is only those who have found their God, whose advent
into the world is of account :

Vain is his birth who liveth even for a moment without
Him.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 125

God is equally contained in sea and land, the nether
regions, the firmament, and the forests.

With how much pain shall man reckon if God enter not
his heart ?

They who repeat God's name are very fortunate,

Nanak, my mind desireth, my mind thirsteth for a sight
of God.

I shall touch his feet who causeth me to meet God in
the month of diet.

In Baisakh how can they find consolation who are
separated from God, in whose hearts there is no love,

Who forget Him the Friend, arid attach themselves to
deceitful mammon ?

Son, wife, wealth remain not ; God alone perisheth not.

The whole world is strangled in its love of false occupa
tions.

All but the name of the one God shall be lost on man's
last journey.

He who forgetteth God is ruined ; there is none but
Him.

Pure is the fame of those who are attached to the feet
of the Beloved.

Nanak's prayer, O God, is — ' Unite me with Thee that
I may obtain Thee.'

Baisakh is then delightful when the saints cause man to
meet God.

In Jeth man should unite with God before whom all bow.

He who clingeth to the skirt of God, the Friend, shall
never be bound by any one.

God's name is like gems and pearls which none may steal.

In God are all the loves which delight the mind.

What God desireth He doeth, and creatures act according
to His will.

They whom God hath made His own are blest.

Could men on their own account 1 meet God, why should
they weep in separation ?

1 Without the interposition of the Guru.

126 THE SIKH RELIGION

Nanak, God is obtained by association with the saints ;
and they who obtain Him are happy.

In Jeth the playful God is obtained by the fortunate
for whom it hath been so recorded.

Asarh 1 is a burning month for him to whom the Lord
God is not near.

He who forsaketh God the life of the world and resteth
his hopes on man,

Shall be ruined by his love of mammon, and shall wear
Death's halter around his neck.

As man sowed, in a previous life, so was the destiny
recorded on his forehead, and so hath he reaped.

When the night of human life hath passed, man regretteth
and departeth without hope.

They who meet the saints shall be released in God's
court.

O God, show Thy mercy unto me that I may thirst for
a sight of Thee.

Nanak representeth — O God, there is none but Thee.

Asarh is pleasant for him in whose heart dwell God's feet.

In Sawan happy is the woman who loveth God's lotus
feet.

Her mind and body are imbued with true love, and her
one support is the Name.

The love of worldly pleasures is false ; everything we see
shall become ashes.

Pleasant are the drops of God's nectar ; he shall drink
them who meeteth saints.

The woods and glades rejoice with God the omnipotent
and unequalled.

My mind longeth to meet God ; His favour shall cause
me to meet Him.

I am ever a sacrifice to my companions who have met
God.

Nanak, God mercifully regenerateth men with the Word.

1 Called Hdr in Guru Nanak's Twelve Months.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 127

Sawan is pleasant for those who clasp God's name to
their hearts.

In Bhadon she who loveth mammon is lost in doubt.

Though she have hundreds of thousands of decorations,
they are of none avail.

They whom man loved leave him in a moment.

He wringeth his hands, his body trembleth, and changeth
from black to white.

On the very day his body perisheth men call out * ghost ! '

The myrmidons of Death seize and take away the soul,
and tell no one their secret.1

As man soweth, so shall he reap the field of his works.

Nanak, God giveth His feet as a boat to him who hath
sought His protection.

They who love the Guru, their saviour, shall not go to
hell in Bhadon.

In Assu ariseth the pang of love — how man can meet
God.

The mind and body greatly thirst for a sight of some
one to come and cause us to meet God.

I fall at the feet of the saints who support me in my love.

How can any one obtain happiness but in God ? there
is no place beside.

They who have tasted the juice of love are satiated and
cloyed.

Humbling thyself make this supplication, ' O God, attach
me to Thy skirt ! '

They whom God the Spouse united with Himself shall
never be separated from Him.

Nanak, there is no other shelter than God.

In Assu they dwell happy to whom God showeth mercy.

In Kartik they who do bad acts cannot impute the blame
to others.

They who forget God suffer from every disease.
1 They give no previous intimation of their visit.

128 THE SIKH RELIGION

They who have turned their faces from God, are separated
from Him at every birth.

All the sweets of mammon become bitter for them in
a moment.

No one will mediate for them ; to whom shall they
make their daily complaints ?

Nothing resulteth from man's own efforts ; he obtaineth
what was recorded in his original destiny.

My Lord is found by good fortune ; then shall all pains
of separation depart.

O God, save Nanak, and release him from this prison.

If in Kartik man obtain the society of the saints all his
anxieties shall depart.

The month of Maghar is beautiful for those who sit with
their beloved God.

How can their glory be told whom God blendeth with
Himself ?

The bodies and minds of those who have the saints for
their companions rejoice in the Lord.

They who are deprived of the society of the saints dwell
alone ;

Their pain never departeth ; they are bound in the thrall
of Death.

They who have enjoyed their Lord are seen ever standing
in His service.

Their necklaces are set with God for gems, jewels, and
rubies.

Nanak desireth the dust of the feet of those who fall for
shelter at God's door.

They who worship God in Maghar shall never be born
again.

In Poh cold shall never be felt by those whom the Lord
God hath embraced.

God's lotus feet have entered my heart, and I desire to
behold Him.

Take shelter in God and His service shall be thy gain.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 129

On meeting the holy sing God's praises and sin shall not
affect thee.

Thou shalt be blended with what thou hast sprung from;
wherefore be absorbed in true love.

He whom the Supreme Being hath taken by the hand
shall never be separated from Him.

I am a hundred thousand times a sacrifice to God the
Friend, the unapproachable and unfathomable.

Nanak hath fallen at God's door : it is to His honour
to protect him.

Poh is agreeable and bringeth all happiness to him whom
God pardoneth.

In Magh bathe in the dust of the saints' feet ;

Meditate on God's name, and bestow it upon all ;

So shall the filth of the sins of births be washed away,
and pride vanish from thy heart.

Lust and anger shall not seduce, and the dog covetous-
ness shall be destroyed.

The world praiseth those who walk in the true way.

Mercy to human beings is more acceptable than bathing
at the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage, and than all alms
offered there :

He on whom God mercifully bestoweth it is a wise man.

Nanak is a sacrifice to those who have met their Lord.

In Magh they to whom the perfect Guru is kind are
called the pure.

In Phagun they enjoy happiness to whom God hath
manifested Himself.

The saints who render man assistance with God have
mercifully blended me with Him.

Since then my couch is beautiful ; I possess all happiness,
and there is no room for sorrow.

My desires have been fulfilled ; I am very fortunate in
having obtained God as my Spouse.

My companions, come to me, sing a song of rejoicing, and
chant the hymns of the Lord.

Nobody appeareth like God ; no one is equal to Him.

SIKH, III K

130 THE SIKH RELIGION

He hath prepared for me this world and the next, and
given me a stable position.

He hath rescued me from the ocean of the world, and
I shall not again have to run through births.

My tongue is but one, while manifold are His attributes :
Nanak is saved by falling at His feet :

In Phagun ever praise Him who hath not a particle of
avarice.

The affairs of those who meditated on the Name have
been adjusted.

They who adore God the perfect Guru shall be found
genuine in His court.

God's feet are the basis of all comforts ; through them
man crosseth over the terrible and dangerous ocean.

They who have obtained love and devotion burn not in
sin.

Their falsehood hath vanished, their worldliness hath
disappeared, and they are filled to the brim with the truth.

They serve God the supreme Being, and put Him alone
in their hearts.

All months, days, and minutes are good for him on whom
God looketh with favour.

Nanak craveth the boon of a sight of Thee, O God ; be
Thou merciful unto him.

GAURI

An inquirer asked the Guru in the first two lines
of the following how final rest and God were obtained.
The Guru duly replied : —

How is comfort found, O my brother ?

How shall God the helper be obtained ?

There is no comfort in the house whose master saith ' All
this wealth is mine ' ;

Nor in dwelling in a lofty and beautifully built mansion.

In such deceptive avarice man loseth his human life.

He is pleased on beholding his elephants and his horses,

The assemblage of his army, his mace-bearers, and his
servants ;

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 131

But on their account, there is a halter of pride round his

neck.

Were man to rule over the whole world,

Enjoy pleasures and embrace many women,

It would be as if a beggar became a king in a dream.

One comfort the true Guru hath pointed out to me —

4 Whatever God doeth is pleasing to His saints.'

Slave Nanak, he who destroyeth his pride shall be absorbed

in God.

In this way comfort is found, O my brother ;
Thus God the Helper is obtained.

Since God is everywhere contained, man may lead
a holy life as a householder :—

Why wander ? Who would wander

When God is contained in the water, dry land, the earth,
and in the firmament ?

The holy are saved ; the perverse lose their honour.

None can equal him

Whom the merciful God protecteth.

Since the one infinite Being pervadeth all things,

Be thou free from care and sleep happy :

God knoweth everything which happeneth.

The perverse are dying of thirst for mammon ;

They wander through many births on account of their
destiny writ from the beginning.

As man soweth, so shall he eat.

On beholding God, the heart delighteth ;

The light of God is everywhere manifested.

God hath fulfilled all Nanak's desires.

Man after long transmigration having obtained
human birth, ought to endeavour to utilize it and
work out his deliverance :—

In how many births wert thou a worm or a moth !
In how many births an elephant, a fish, or a deer !
In how many births a bird or a serpent !
In how many births wert thou yoked as'a horse or an
ox !

K2

132 THE SIKH RELIGION

Meet the Lord of the world — this is the time to meet Him.

After a long period this human body hath been formed
for thee.

In how many births wert thou created in rocks and moun
tains !

In how many births wert thou aborted from the womb !

In how many births wert thou born as a vegetable !

Thou didst wander through the eighty-four lakhs of
existences.

Human birth having now been obtained by thee, associate
with the saints,

Perform service, repeat God's name under the guidance
of the Guru,

And renounce pride, falsehood, and insolence.

If thou be dead when alive, thou shalt be acceptable in
God's court.

0 God, whatever hath been or shall be is Thy work.
There is none other fit to perform it.

Man shall meet Thee, O Lord, if Thou cause him to do so.
Saith Nanak, sing God's praises.

Man in his present state of probation ought to
practise holiness : —

Sow the Name in this productive soil,1

And thy desires shall be accomplished ;

Thou shalt obtain the fruit of thy labour and the fear
of Death shall be dispelled.

Ever sing God's attributes and praises ;

Clasp His name to thy heart,

And thou shalt quickly attain thine object.

Fix thine attention upon God,

And thou shalt obtain honour at His court.

Abandon all thy tricks and devices of speech,

And cling to the feet of holy men.

He in whose power all men are,

Shall never be separated from us, but shall be with us
alway.

1 That is, in the human body. In his Sanskrit Dictionary Apte
translates harm bhumi, this world, a place of probation.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 133

Abandon shifts ; grasp His protection,

And in a moment thou shalt obtain deliverance.

Know that He is ever near thee.

Receive God's commands as true and obey them.

Under the Guru's instruction efface thyself

And repeat God's name, 0 Nanak.

Man ought to show gratitude to God for His many
favours :—

During the eight watches of the day meditate on that
God

Who made thee a jewel out of earth,

Who carefully preserved thee in the womb,

And who bestowed on thee renown and greatness.

O All-pervading, may I obtain the dust of Thy saints'
feet !

O men, meet the Guru and meditate on my Lord.

My mind forgetteth not that God,

Who turneth a foolish man into a preacher,

Who turneth a senseless into a sensible man,

And by whose favour the nine treasures are obtained.

May I day and night at every breath remember Him

Who giveth a home to the homeless,

Who giveth honour to the unhonoured,

Who fulfilleth all desires,

And by whose favour the chains of mammon are cut orf !

By the favour of the Guru poison hath become nectar.

Saith Nanak, nothing is accomplished by man —

Praise ye the Preserver.

The advantages of devotion :—

Hear the Word of God and thy uncleanness shall depart ;
Thou shalt become very pure and obtain enduring l hap
piness.

By good fortune the society of holy men is obtained,
And love to the Supreme Being produced.
God saveth His servants who repeat His name,
And conduct eth them across the great sea of fire.
1 Sail, a rock or a mountain.

134 THE SIKH RELIGION

By singing God's praises the heart is refreshed,
And the sins of many births blotted out.

I behold in my heart God's whole treasure ;
Why should I now go searching for it abroad ?
When the Master is kind,

His servant's labour is already accomplished.
Remember, remember, remember the attributes of Him,
Who having cut off thy shackles hath made thee His
servant.

There is but one God in the heart and in every place :

He filleth the whole world.

The perfect Guru hath dispelled all my doubts.

By remembering God, Nanak hath obtained comfort.

The human race tends to degenerate : —

They who are dead have passed away ;
They who survive stand with their loins girded :
Looking to the occupations in which the former were
engaged,

The latter have contracted twice their load of mammon.

They are entangled in things which are perishable,

And think not of the last hour.

The foolish person is bound by desire,

And involved in lust, anger, and worldly love :

Dharmraj standeth over him :

He eateth poison deeming it to be sweet, and saith

I 1 shall take mine enemy captive and punish him ;
Who shall dare set foot on my soil ?

I am a pandit, I am clever and wise.'
Attached to the world man knoweth not the Creator :
Only God knoweth His own state and condition.
What can one say ? How can any one describe Him ?
Man is engaged in whatever duties God appointed for
him.

Every one prayeth to secure his own advantage.
Everything is Thine ; Thou art the Creator.
Thou hast no end or limits.
Bestow this boon upon Thy slave Nanak,
That he may never forget Thy name.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 135

They who without service to God are attached to
mammon shall regret when it is too late : —

Man is not satisfied with vast wealth.

It is not sufficient for him to see many phases of life ;
he desireth to see more ;

He is entangled with children and wife, deeming them his
own ;

But his wealth shall perish, and his children and wife
become heaps of ashes ;

Then shall you behold him lamenting without God's name.

Accursed the bodies, accursed the wealth of the lovers of
mammon.

All wealth is God's ; it is but given to man for
brief use : —

As when one putteth a bag of money on the head of
a forced labourer ;

The money reacheth the master's house, but the labourer
suffereth pain.

As when a beggar in a dream sitteth on a king's throne,

On opening his eyes he findeth it a baseless phantom.

As when a watchman is placed over another's field,

The field belongeth to its owner, and the watchman leaveth
when his business is done.

Even though the watchman strive vigorously,

He shall not become owner of the field.

He to whom the empire of the world belongeth hath sent
it as a dream.

He who made Maya hath infused avarice into mankind.

God Himself destroyeth, He Himself restoreth.

Nanak, offer thy supplication unto Him.

Men in previous births held high positions, but
are not now happy until saints tell them of God : —

I have seen many forms and species of mammon ;
With my pen I have written ingenious things on paper ;
I have known what it is to be a chief, a king, a lord ;
But with all that my mind was not satisfied.

136 THE SIKH RELIGION

O, ye saints, show me that comfort,

By which my thirst may be quenched and my mind
satisfied.

I had fleet horses and elephants to ride on,

Distilled aloe wood, sandal, couches, and beautiful women.

Actors sang for me at performances in the arena,

Yet with all that my heart was not satisfied.

Mine were thrones, courts, jewels, and carpets,

All fruits, beautiful gardens,

And the occupation of the chase, the sport of kings,

Yet my heart was not happy ; all was illusion and decep
tion.

The saints of their kindness told me of the True One,

And in Him I found all comfort and joy.

Sing God's praises in the company of the saints ;

Saith Nanak, they are met by great good fortune.

He who hath God as his wealth is happy.

By God's mercy the company of the saints is obtained.

Men are entangled in mammon as birds in a net : —

Man thinketh that his body is his own ;
Again and again he clingeth to it.
Children, wives, and household are entanglements
Which prevent man from becoming the servant of God.
What is that way by which God's praises may be sung ?
What is that skill by which man may escape from mam
mon ?

What is for man's good he deemeth evil.

If one tell him the truth, he regardeth it as poison.1

He knoweth not what is for his profit or his loss.

That is how the infidel is entangled in the world.

The fool drinketh what is deadly poison for him,

And deemeth bitter the ambrosial Name.

He never approacheth the company of the saints ;

He wandereth through the eighty-four lakhs of existences.

Birds after enjoying pleasures of various descriptions,

There is a Panjabi proverb — Sack mirchan,jhuih gur ; plr paisa,
rann gur, Truth is pepper, falsehood sugar, money is the spiritual
guide, and woman the master,

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 137

Are all caught in the same net.1

Saith Nanak, the perfect Guru hath cut the net

For whomsoever he is merciful.2

God's mercy and man's supplication :—

By Thy mercy, O God, the way is found ;

By Thy mercy the Name is meditated on ;

By Thy mercy man is released from his fetters ;

By Thy mercy pride is dispelled.

If Thou appoint me to Thy service I will perform it.

I can do nothing of myself, O God.

If it please Thee, I sing Thy word ;

If it please Thee, I call Thee the True One ;

If it please Thee, the true Guru is kind.

All happiness, O God, is obtained from Thy mercy.

Pure is the act which pleaseth Thee ;

True is the faith which pleaseth Thee.

The treasury of all excellences is with Thee.

Thou art the Lord, Thy servant maketh Thee this sup
plication —

' May my soul and body become pure through the love
of God !

May I obtain all happiness in the society of the saints !

May my soul be dyed with Thy name ! '

This Nanak deemeth supreme happiness.

Of all relishes none so sweet as God's name :—

0 my tongue, thy thirst departeth not for an instant,

However many sweets thou tasteth.

If thou now taste the sweetness of God,

Thou shalt be astonished on tasting it.

My beloved tongue, drink the nectar of God's name :

Steeped in this relish thou shalt be satiated.

O my tongue, sing thou God's praises ;

Every moment meditate on God.

The association of the saints is obtained by good fortune :

1 Men are captured by mammon.

2 To admit of his emancipation.

138 THE SIKH RELIGION

Go to none but them, and hear no words but theirs.1

During the eight watches, O my tongue, adore

The supreme God, the unfathomable Lord,

And thou shalt be ever happy in this world and the next.

By singing His praises, O my tongue, thou shalt be beyond

all price.

Plants and trees may burst into flower and fruit and

sweet may be their flavour,

But God's name once tasted thou shalt never forsake.

No other relish2 can equal it.

Saith Nanak, the Guru hath become my succourer.

God who resides in the heart is the great merchant
with whom the saints deal :—

The heart is a building, the body is a fence constructed
round it ;

Within it are countless things ;

Within it, we hear, dwelleth the Merchant.

Who are the dealers who enjoy credit with Him ?

Few there are who deal in the precious Name,

Who eat its nectar as food,

And devote their soul and body to God's service.

What is the way by which God will be pleased ?

Who is the man who will introduce me to that traffic ?

I will touch his feet and renounce all ideas of mine and
thine.

How shall I reach the Merchant's palace ?

How shall I be invited to enter it ?

Thou art the great Merchant who hast millions of dealers.

Who is that benefactor who will associate me with them ?

Searching and searching I have found my home.

The true one hath shown me the priceless jewel.

Saith Nanak, by faith in the Guru

He will mercifully blend us with the Merchant.

1 These two lines are also translated —

Only go to that association of the saints in which nothing is
heard but God's name ;

It is obtained by good fortune.

2 JRas kas — Ka^ is probably alliterative. Some suppose it to be a con
traction of kasela, astringent, one of the six relishes of Indian cookery.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 139

The saints' occupation, attributes, and praises : —

Night and day the pious abide in the love of the one God.

They believe God ever with them ;

They make the repetition of God's name their occupation ;

They are satisfied and comforted by His sight.

On entering the asylum of the perfect Guru

They become enamoured of God, and their minds and
bodies grow happy.

God's lotus feet are the support of their souls.

They behold Him alone and carry out His orders ;

They deal in only one thing, they occupy themselves with
only one thing ;

They think of nothing but the Formless One ;

They are free from both joy and sorrow ;

They are ever separated from the world, and devoted to
religion ;

They are seen among the crowd, but are not of it ;

They fix their attention on the supreme God.

How can I describe the glory of the saints ?

Their wisdom is unfathomable, and cannot be sounded.

O supreme God, have mercy on me,

And bestow on Nanak the dust of Thy saints' feet.

The general prevalence of mammon : —

Maya is contained in the rejoicing and mourning diffused
throughout the world ;

She is contained in heaven, hell, and the incarnations ;

She is contained in the rich, the poor, and those who are
conspicuous for their splendour ;

She is contained in covetousness which is the root of
trouble ;

She is contained in the world in various forms.

O God, the saints live by Thy protection, and are not
subject to Maya.

Maya is contained in him who is intoxicated with intel
lectual pride ;

She is contained in him who is attached to children and
wife ;

She is contained in elephants, horses, and other animals ;

140 THE SIKH RELIGION

She is contained in him who is intoxicated with the wine
of beauty and youth ;

She is contained in kings, in the poor, and in those addicted
to pleasures ;

She is contained in the songs and musical instruments
heard at assemblies ;

She is contained in couches, in palaces, and their orna
ments ;

She is contained in the evil passions which render man
blind ;

She is contained in him who performeth religious cere
monies prompted by pride ;

She is contained in the family man ; she is contained in
the anchoret ;

She is contained in human occupations and conduct ; she
is contained in caste ;

She is contained in everything except in those who are
imbued with God's love.

God hath cut off the entanglements of the saints ;

How can she be contained in them ?

Saith Nanak, Maya approacheth not those

Who have obtained the dust of the saints' feet.

While the senses are asleep, the deadly sins rob
the body :—

The eyes sleep l while coveting others' property ;
The ears sleep on hearing tales of slander ;
The tongue sleepeth in the desire for the relish of sweet
things ;

The mind sleepeth admiring mammon.
In this world few are watchful ;
They who are receive their boon whole.
All the senses are intoxicated with their own pleasures,
And take no thought of the body they inhabit ;
Wherefore the five plunderers and highway robbers
Fall upon its unguarded citadel to plunder it.
Neither father nor mother can protect man from them ;
Neither friend nor brother can protect man from them ;
1 Sleep towards God, regard Him not.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 141

They are not restrained by bribes or diplomacy ;
They are only controlled by the society of the saints.
Have mercy on me, O God ;

Grant me the dust of the saints' feet for all my treasure.
He who meeting the true Guru is awake in the love of
God,

O Nanak, hath the capital stock of his human life intact.

He to whom God is merciful is awake ;

His capital stock, wealth, and property remain whole.

God's praises and glory and the advantages of
remembering Him : —

There is none besides Him
In whose power are lords and emperors ;
In whose power is the whole world ;
Who hath created everything.
Address thy supplication to the true Guru,
That he may arrange all thine affairs.
His court is the most exalted of all ;
His name is the prop of all the saints.
The Lord whose glory shineth in every heart,
Is contained in everything, and filleth creation.
By remembering Him the abode of sorrow is demolished ;
By remembering Him Death molesteth us not ;
By remembering Him what is withered becometh green ;
By remembering Him the sinking stone floateth ;
Victory be ever to the society of the saints !
God's name is the support of the lives of His servants.
Saith Nanak, hear, O God, my supplication —
By the favour of the saints, grant me to dwell in Thy
name.

The advantages of repeating and writing God's
name : —

Ever repeat God's praises with thy tongue,

And thou shalt obtain happiness, O my brother and friend.

Write with pen, paper, and ink

The ambrosial word of God's name.

Thy hand shall then become pure,

142 THE SIKH RELIGION

And the entanglements of Maya shall be destroyed.
By thus acting all thy sins shall depart.
By remembering God Death shall not punish thee ;
The myrmidons of Dharmraj shall not look at thee ;
And even though engaged with the world it shall not
fascinate thee.

Thou shalt be saved thyself, and shalt save the world

By repeating the name of the one God.

When God's name hath entered thy heart,

Make use of it thyself and advise others to do so.

He on whose forehead the wealth of the Name

Hath been written, shall repeat it.

Sing God's praises throughout the day :

Saith Nanak, I am a sacrifice unto Him.

Men act perversely : —

What belongeth to another we deem our own ;

Our hearts are attached to what ought to be abandoned.

Say how shall the Lord of the earth be found.

We love what is forbidden ;

What is false we deem true.

The heart is in no wise attached to what is true.

We go crookedly by the left way ;

Leaving the straight way we wend backwards.

God is the Lord of the two worlds —

Nanak, he who meeteth Him shall be saved.

The Guru in his humility feels himself unequal to
worthily adoring God :—

What form of Thine shall I adore ?

By what science of Jog shall I discipline my body ?

What art is that by which I can sing Thy praises ?

What speech is that, O supreme God, by which I may
please Thee ?

What worship of Thine shall I perform ?

What way is that by which I may cross the terrible ocean ?

What is that penance by which I may become penitent ?

What is that Name by which the filth of pride may be
washed away ?

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 143

Skill, worship, divine knowledge, meditation, and the fruit
of all his toil

Are obtained by him, O Nanak, whom the compassionate
true Guru kindly meeteth.

It is such a man who possesseth excellence ; it is he who
knoweth God ;

And the Giver of comfort granteth his prayers.

The Guru exhorts his soul to practise devotion :—

O my soul, desire Him

In whom there is no deficiency :

O my soul, make that beloved God thy friend,

And ever remember Him who is the support of life.

O my soul, serve Him

Who is the primal Being and infinite God.

O my soul, place thy hope in Him

Who is the trusted of every age.

Nanak, on meeting the Guru, singeth the praises of God,

Whose love ever conferreth happiness.

Who are the really great : —

They who appear to be very great in this world

Suffer from the malady of anxiety.

Who is great by reason of the greatness of his wealth ?

He is great who devoteth his love to God.

Landowners ever strive for land ;

Their covetousness is never extinguished ; but they must
leave their lands and depart.

Saith Nanak, the real thing I consider is,

That without repeating God's name there is no deliver
ance.

A man without piety is less useful than a beast : —

Man eateth many species of food like a beast ;

He is bound like a thief by the rope of worldly love ;

His mortal body without the company of the saints

Is tortured in the womb by transmigration.

He weareth beautiful clothes of various sorts

Like a scarecrow in the fields to frighten animals away.

144 THE SIKH RELIGION

The bodies of all creatures are of use,
But man's is useless unless he utter the Name.
Saith Nanak, he to whom God is merciful
Uttereth God's name in the company of the saints.

The Guru's mission is accomplished : —

The word of the Guru hath dispelled all trouble and
affliction ;

Transmigration is at an end, and all happiness attained.

By meditating on the Fearless God, fear is extinct.

I have sung the praises of God in the company of His
saints.

I have put his lotus feet within my heart.

The Guru hath taken me across the sea of fire :

The perfect Guru extricated me when I was drowning :

The Guru united me with God, though separated from
Him in various births.

Saith Nanak, I am a sacrifice to that Guru

By meeting whom my salvation hath been accomplished.

The following is repeated by Sikhs over a sick
person :—

Things which were withered God in a moment maketh
green.

His ambrosial glance irrigateth and reviveth them.

The perfect God removeth all affliction.

When He bestoweth His service on His servant,

Anxiety is removed and the heart's desires fulfilled.

When the true Guru, who is an embodiment of good
qualities, showeth mercy,

Sorrow fleeth away, and happiness taketh its place —

In this there is no delay — when God giveth the order.

Our desires are fulfilled when the true Guru is found ;

Nanak, they who find Him bear good fruit.

They who seek God aright have no fear :—

The whole world is sunk in fear ;

But he who hath the Name for his support hath no fear.

He, O Lord, who taketh Thy protection feareth not :

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 145

What pleaseth Thee must be done.

They who mourn and rejoice suffer transmigration,

While they who are pleasing to the Lord obtain comfort.

Maya pervadeth this fiery ocean of the world :

They who have found the true Guru have recovered.

O God, the Preserver, preserve me !

Saith Nanak, what a poor creature am I !

Worthless is the body without the Name : —

Mouths without the Name are empty
Like husks devoid of grain.

0 mortal, ever repeat God's name :

Without it woe to the body, which shall then become
Death's 1 prey ;

Without it the countenance loseth its lustre.2

Without her spouse where is the wife ? 3

When through devotion to the pleasures of the world
man forgetteth the Name,

His desires are never fulfilled.

Saith Nanak, O God, mercifully grant me the favour

Of repeating Thy name day and night.

Man's sins cannot be concealed from God : —

Man doeth evil but pretendeth to do good :

For this he shall be bound like a thief in God's court.

He who uttereth the Name is a saint of God —

Who is equally contained in sea, land, the nether regions,

and the firmament —

He who uttereth words of nectar while in his heart is

poison,

Shall be bound and punished in Death's city.
The sins which man committeth behind many screens
Shall in a moment be laid bare to the world.
Nanak, God will be merciful to him

1 Birani. Literally — another's.

2 Shag. Literally — fortune, then the lustre of the face produced
by good fortune — a Panjabi idiom.

3 Suhdg. Literally — the married state. The meaning is, there can
be no happiness without God.

146 THE SIKH RELIGION

In whose heart is the truth, and who is dyed with the
love of the Name.

Man ought to show his gratitude to God by remem
bering Him :—

Why should we show neglect to Him, O mother,

Who hath bestowed on us raiment and food ?

He who forgetteth the Lord and attacheth himself to
others,

Exchangeth a gem for a kauri.

Man may forsake God, fascinated by other deities ;

But who hath honour by saluting a slave instead of his
master ?

Man taketh food and drink tasting like nectar ;

But the dog knoweth not Him who gave them.

Saith Nanak, we are ungrateful ;

Pardon us, O God, Thou Searcher of hearts.

The advantage of meditation on God : —

Meditation in my heart on God's feet

Is for me equal to bathing and ablutions at all places of
pilgrimage.

Remember God every day, O my brethren,

And the impurity of millions of births shall be washed
away.

Piety is for man's advantage :—

Men have made God their friend for their own advantage ;
He fulfilleth all their desires and granteth them the
dignity of salvation.

Let all so make God their friend

That none may depart in vain.

God removeth the sorrows, pains, and maladies of those

Who for their own objects hold Him in their hearts.

All their desires are fulfilled,

Who practise repetition of God's name with their tongues.

Nanak is many times a sacrifice unto them —

Profitable is a sight of my God.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 147

The advantage of listening to divine instruction : —

Hear the story of God in the company of the saints,

And millions of obstacles to deliverance shall be removed
in a moment.

By drinking the nectareous juice of God's excellences and
praises

And adoring His feet, hunger and thirst shall depart.

He in whose heart God dwelleth,

Possesseth the complete treasure of happiness, comfort,
and peace.

Medicines, charms, and spells are all in vain :

Clasp the Creator to thy heart.

Abandon all doubts, repeat the name of the Supreme
Being ;

And such religion, saith Nanak, shall be unshaken.

God is omnipotent to save : —

The deadly sins like robbers were with me all day long,

But God mercifully dispersed them.

Let every one repeat with love the name of God

Who is full of all resources.1

God in a moment causeth man to cross over

The very seething ocean of the world.

Man's many shackles can only be burst

By remembering the Name ; thus he obtaineth the reward
of salvation.

Man can accomplish nothing by tricks or devices of speech.

Saith Nanak, show mercy to me, O God, that I may sing
Thy praises.

Meditation on God and obedience to His word
are potent for salvation : —

The mortal, whether learned or unlearned,

Who meditateth on God, attaineth the supreme state.

In the company of the saints remember God.

Without the Name false is wealth and property.

He who obeyeth the voice of God

Is handsome, clever, and wise.

1 That is, from whom all power proceeds.
L 2

148 THE SIKH RELIGION

Profitable is his advent into the world
Who recognizeth his Lord in every heart
Saith Nanak, he who is very fortunate
Applieth his mind to God's feet.

Incongruities :—

Infidels consort not with God's servants ;

The former are sinful ; the latter love God.

The association would be as unmeet as if one who cannot
ride were put astride a thoroughbred l mare ;

As if an impotent man were to caress a woman ;

As if a spancel were put on an ox to milk him ;

As if a man were to mount a cow and chase a lion ;

As if one were to worship a sheep instead of the cow
Kamdhen, which granteth all desires ;

As if one were to pursue trade without capital.

Nanak, repeat God's name in thy heart ;

Remember a friend like the Lord God.

The saints* love of God illustrated by familiar
examples :—

As a wife is delighted on beholding her spouse,

As God's servant liveth by remembering His name,

As a mother reviveth on beholding her son,

So God's servant loveth God who is the warp and woof.

As an avaricious man rejoiceth on acquiring wealth,

So God's servant's heart is attached to His lotus feet.

They who bear such love to God

Enjoy the greatest good fortune : He blendeth them

with Himself.

May I not forget Thee even for a moment, Thou beneficent

One!

Nanak's God is the support of the soul.

The following was addressed to a hypocritical
Brahman :—

Thou openest thy waistcloth, and spreadest some of it
beneath thee ;

1 Singari. Literally — decorated.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 149

Thou loadest thy belly like a donkey ;

But without good works, deliverance is not obtained —

The boon of deliverance is granted to meditation on the
Name.

Thou performest worship and ablutions, and appliest
sacrificial marks to thy forehead ;

Thou pullest out a knife to threaten suicide if alms be not
given thee ;

Thou recitest the Veds with tuneful voice.

Shrinkest thou not from killing creatures,1 O mortal ?

Saith Nanak, he to whom God showeth mercy

Is pure in heart and meditateth upon Him.

The condition of those who are imbued with God's
love : —

They who are imbued with God's love burn not in the
flames ; 2

They who are imbued with God's love are not deceived
by Maya ;

They who are imbued with God's love are not drowned
in the water ;

They who are imbued with God's love bear good fruit :

By God's name all their fear is dispelled ;

They meet the society of the saints, and sing God's praises.

He who is imbued with God's love is freed from all
anxieties ;

He who receiveth the Guru's spell becometh attached to
God;

He who is imbued with God's love hath no fear of Death ;

He who is imbued with God's love hath his desires ful
filled ;

He who is imbued with God's love suffereth not misery ;

He who is imbued with God's love is watchful night and
day;

He who is imbued with God's love abideth in the abode
of happiness ;

1 Leading men astray and ruining them.

2 They do not suffer from avarice or covetousness.

150 THE SIKH RELIGION

He who is imbued with God's love is preserved from
doubts and fears ;

He who is imbued with God's love obtaineth the highest
wisdom ;

He who is imbued with God's love is pure.

Saith Nanak, I am a sacrifice to those

Who forget not my God.

God helps and cherishes His servants : —

He Himself is His servant's helper.
Like a father and mother He ever cherisheth him.
Every one is saved by entering God's sanctuary.
It is He who acteth and causeth to act ; He is omni
present and true.

The Creator now dwelleth in my heart.
Fear is extinct and my soul hath obtained all happiness.
God mercifully preserveth His servants,
And their sins of many births fall off.
The glory of God cannot be described :
The slave Nanak is ever in His sanctuary.

Helpless man utters his wail to the Almighty :—

0 strong-armed puissant God, ocean of happiness, I am
falling into the pit ; take Thou my hand.

Mine ears hear not ; mine eyes see not ; afflicted and
crippled I cry at Thy gate.

Patron of the poor and patronless, full of mercy, friend,
father, mother.

Thou who causest Thy saints to cross over the ocean of
fear — Nanak holdeth Thy lotus feet within his heart.

Without the Guru man has not wherewithal to
recommend him to God : —

By what virtue shall I meet the Lord of the soul,1 O my
mother ?

1 possess no beauty, no understanding, no strength ; I
am a stranger come from afar.

1 The speaker is supposed to be a woman.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 151

I have not wealth or the glory of youth ; friendless that
I am, unite me, O God, with Thee.

Searching and searching I have renounced the world ;
I wander thirsting for a sight of Thee.

Compassionate to the poor, O merciful God, Nanak
prayeth — quench my thirst with the society of the saints.

Instruction and supplication : —

Depart, bird of the soul, and make remembrance of God
thy pinions ;

Meet the saint, embrace his society, put God's perfect
jewel into thy heart.

Superstition is a pit, the thirst for pleasure its mire ;
very entangling is the noose of worldly love.

He who cutteth it is God, the world's Guru ; dwell at
His lotus feet.

O God, beloved Master, Lord of the poor, mercifully hear
my supplication.

O Nanak's Lord, take my hand ; the soul and body are
all Thy capital.

Though God is in every heart, some men are good
and others evil ; the reason is known only to God :—

O immortal King,

We dwell fearlessly with Thee ; whence cometh this fear ?

In one person Thou appearest proud, in another
lowly ;

In one person Thou art haughty, in another humble ;

In one person Thou art a pandit and preacher, in another
Thou art stupid ;

In one person Thou graspest at everything, in another
Thou acceptest nothing.

What can man the poor wooden puppet do ? He who
setteth the puppet in motion knoweth its condition ;

It playeth the part for which the Player dressed it.

He hath made various chambers of many descriptions
within it, and He Himself guardeth it.

The soul must remain in whatever body it is placed ;
what can the wretched thing do ?

152 THE SIKH RELIGION

He who made something, namely, all the contrivance of
the body, knoweth its construction.

Nanak, the infinite God knoweth the value of His own
work.

Amid the pleasures of sin man thinks not of death :—

Abandon, abandon, the pleasures of sin :

0 fool and madman, thou art entangled with them, and
shalt be punished like cattle which fall upon crops.

What thou considerest thine advantage shall not go with
thee an inch.1

Naked didst thou come, naked shalt thou go : thou shalt
become a morsel for Death, and return to a body again and
again.

Beholding the short-lived sports of the world, thou art
absorbed in them, and laughest while they last.

The string of life weareth away day and night ; thou
hast not done aught for thy soul.

Amid vain works old age hath come upon thee ; thy speech
faileth and thy body wasteth away.

Since that fascinating woman bewitched thee, thy love for
her hath in no wise diminished.

When the Guru showed me that such was the world,
I abandoned pride and entered Thy sanctuary, O God.

The saints showed me the way to God ; the slave Nanak
hath adopted God's service and praises.

Thanksgiving : —

Whom have I but Thee,

My Beloved ? Thou art the support of the soul.
Only Thou knowest the state of my heart ; Thou art
my friend and companion.

1 have obtained all happiness from Thee ; Thou art in
tangible and unequalled.

I cannot describe Thy play, O ocean of merits, Bestower
of happiness.

The unapproachable, invisible, and imperishable God is
known by means of the perfect Guru.

1 Tasu, two fingers wide, or the twenty-fourth part of a yard.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 153

Since I have destroyed pride, God hath banished my
doubts and fears, and made me completely happy.

By showing me the company of the saints Thou hast
put an end to my anxiety regarding transmigration.

I wash their feet ; I serve the Guru and offer myself
a sacrifice a hundred thousand times to him

By whose favour the slave Nanak hath crossed the terrible
water and met the Beloved.

The bliss of the holy :—

I am a sacrifice to them

Whose sole support is the Name.

How shall their greatness be estimated who are imbued
with the love of the supreme Being ?

Happiness, peace, and joy are with them ; there are no
others generous as they.

They who thirst for a sight of God, have come to save
the world.

They who have sought their protection have been saved,
and all their desires fulfilled in the company of the saints.

If I fall at their feet I shall survive ; I am happy in the
company of the saints.

0 God, be merciful to me that my heart may become
the dust of the saints' feet.

Empire, youth, and life — whatever is seen in this world
decreaseth.

Nanak hath earned the treasure of the Name which is
ever new and pure.

A Jogi came to the Guru and asked him if he had
learned the science of Jog. The following was the
Guru's reply :—

The way of Jog I have heard from my Guru ;
The true Guru hath communicated to me the Word.
Every moment I bow before Him who is contained in
the nine regions of the earth and in this body.

1 have made the Guru's instruction mine earrings, and
have set up the one God in my heart.

154 THE SIKH RELIGION

The five pupils collectively I have placed under the con
trol of One.1

When the organs of perception and action were obedient,
then I became a pure Jogi.

I burnt superstition and applied its ashes to my body ;
the sight of the one God I made my sect.

I have resignedly and gladly accepted that as the portion
which God destined for me.

Where there was no fear, there I assumed my devotional
attitude, and the ecstatic sound was my Jogi's horn.

I have made meditation on God my staff, and love of the
Name my rule of life.

The fetters of mammon shall be struck off that fortunate
person who meeteth such a Jogi.

Nanak serveth and worshippeth such a person and licketh
his feet.

A prayer to the Lord of life :—

0 Lord of my life, show me compassion and mercy ;
I helpless have entered Thy sanctuary.

Give me Thy hand, and extricate me from the blind
well ; 2 I have no device or spell to assist myself.

Causer of causes, everything art Thou ; Thou art omni
potent ; there is none beside Thee.

Only Thou Thyself knowest Thine own state and con
dition ; they who are so destined 3 become Thy worshippers.

Thou, O God, lovest Thy worshippers : Thou art con
tained in them as the warp and woof.

They long for Thy very beloved name and a sight of
Thee, as the chakor longeth for the moon.

There is no difference between God and His saints ; but
out of hundreds of thousands and millions there is only
one real servant of God.

1 I have controlled my evil passions and subjugated them to the
One Central Authority.

2 Or — guard me in this blind well, that is, this world.

3 Throughout all the Sikh writings this destiny of the Sikhs depends
on the result of acts in previous states of existence.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 155

He in whose heart God is manifested repeateth His
praises night and day.

O God, Thou art omnipotent, infinite, the Most High,
the Giver of comfort and the Prop of life.

O God, mercifully grant Nanak the companionship of the
saints.

Relations and worldly wealth avail not without
devotion to God :—

There is no happiness without devotion to God ;

Win for thyself the priceless jewel of human life by
repeating His name even for one moment in the company
of saints.

Several people have left

Sons, wealth, wives, and pleasures after enjoying them.

Fools have departed naked leaving behind them

Excellent horses and elephants, and even the pomp of
empire.

The bodies which were perfumed with distilled aloe wood
and sandal,

Have been blended with the dust.

Infatuated by worldly love they deemed God distant,

But, saith Nanak, He is ever present.

Contempt for the body :—

0 body, great thy pride from such an origin.

Transitory art thou, however much thou grasp at worldly
things.

Thou lovest those things which learned saints have for
bidden thee.

As a gambler who while losing remaineth attached to
play, so thy senses conquer and hold thee in bondage.

Thou art not imbued with love for the lotus feet of Him
who destroy eth and createth all things.

The Treasure of mercy gave me, Nanak, the company of
the saints by which I am saved.

Man, groping in the darkness of worldly love, desires
the light of divine knowledge to dawn for him :—
Is there any one who will dispel man's pride,

156 THE SIKH RELIGION

And turn his heart away from sweet mammon ?

Man hath become spiritually ignorant ; he desireth what
exist eth not.

His night is dark and gloomy ; how can morning dawn
for him ?

I have grown weary wandering and searching in every
way;

But at last God hath been merciful, and I have obtained
the treasure of the company of the saints.

Man should think of his soul, not of his short-lived
body :—

O my soul, seek God's protection, and thou shalt be
happy.

The days in which the Giver of life and happiness is
forgotten, pass away in vain.

Thou hast come as the guest of one night, yet thou ex-
tendest the hope of living for many ages.

Houses, palaces, wealth, everything that is seen is like the
shadow of a tree.

This body of mine, my entire wealth, gardens, and property
shall all pass away.

Thou hast forgotten God, the Giver ; in one moment
these things shall become another's.

Thou bathest and puttest on clean clothes, and per-
fumest thyself with distilled aloe wood and sandal.

Thou thinkest not of the Fearless, the Formless One ;
thou art as an elephant which throweth dust on itself after
being bathed.

When God is merciful, He will cause thee to meet the
true Guru ; all happiness abideth in God's name.

Nanak, by singing God's praises the Guru shall unlock
thy fetters, and thou shalt be freed.

The following was written by the Guru on hearing
that a raja was preparing an expedition to seize
another raja's territory :—

The thirst of only a few is slaked.

Man amasseth thousands and millions, but restraineth
not his mind ;

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 157

He is burning for more and more.

Though possessing beautiful women of many races, he
committeth adultery in other men's houses.

He distinguished not between bad and good.

Under the many bonds of mammon he wandereth and
singeth not the praises of the Treasury of excellences ;

His mind is absorbed in worldly affairs.

He to whom God is merciful is dead while alive, and in the
company of the saints crosseth over the ocean of the world :

Nanak, that man shall be acceptable in God's court.

To man God should be the dearest of all :—

God is the darling object of all men.

Some love contemplation, some pleasure, some divine
knowledge, some meditation,

And some a hermit's life.

Some love lip-worship, some austerities, some adoration,
burnt offerings, and daily ceremonies ;

And some a wandering existence.

Some love the shore, some the sea, some the study of the
Veds,

But to Nanak only God's service is dear.

God to the Guru is everything that is precious :—

The celebration of Thy praises is my treasure.

Thou art my delight, Thou art my glory, Thou art my
beauty, Thou art my love ;

Thou, O God, art my Hope and my Shelter ;

Thou art my pride, Thou art my wealth, Thou art mine
honour, Thou art my life,

The Guru hath united me with Thee from whom I had
parted.

Thou art my home, Thou art my forest, Thou art my
village, Thou art my desert ;

Saith Nanak, Thou art to me the nearest and dearest of all.

The Guru gives the opinion of holy men as to the
means of salvation:—

They who dwell under the sovereign Lord's protection
shall be saved :

158 THE SIKH RELIGION

All others fall to the ground from the lofty heights of
mammon.

Great men after the study of the Shastars, the Simritis,
and the Veds, have thus expressed themselves —

' There is no salvation, nor hath any one found comfort
without the repetition of God's name.'

Man may have amassed the wealth of the three worlds,
yet his avarice will not otherwise be slaked.

Without repeating God's name can stableness be ob
tained ? No ; man shall transmigrate again and again.

Man engageth in various fascinating recreations, yet his
desires are never satisfied.

They ever burn and are never quenched ; without the
Name all things are vain.

Repeat God's name, O my friend ; this is the essence of
perfect happiness.

In the company of the saints and by becoming the dust
of their feet, Nanak hath freed himself from trans
migration.

The Guru gives a compendium of his teaching :—

Without God all works are vain.

By works of hypocritical devotion, penance, and austerities
man is plundered on this side.1

He who abideth in fasting, insincere ceremonies, and
austerities shall not obtain an eighth of a paisa.

In the next world the coin is different, my brother ; this
coin will be of no use there.

He who batheth at a place of pilgrimage and wandereth
over the earth, shall find no abiding place hereafter.

Such things shall avail him not ; he merely pleaseth
people thereby.

Man shall not hereafter find a place in God's court by
reciting the four Veds.

He who knoweth not the Pure and Imperishable One,2
uttereth sheer nonsense.

1 In this world.

2 Sudhakhar. Also translated — the pure word, God's name.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 159

Nanak hath expressed this opinion ; he who acteth on it
shall be saved.

Serve the Guru, meditate on God's name, and dismiss
pride from thy heart.

The Guru addresses God with great fervour: —

Come, my beloved God,

Night and day, at every breath let me meditate on Thee.

0 saints, give God this message, ' I fall at Thy feet ;
Without Thee how shall I be saved ?

With Thee I rejoice ;

Thou art in the forest, in the glades, in the three worlds ;
Thou conferrest supreme happiness and joy.

My couch is pleasant, my soul expandeth towards Thee.
On beholding Thee happiness shall be mine.

1 will wash Thy feet, and continually perform Thy service.
I will worship Thee, make Thee offerings, and do Thee

homage :

Thy slave of slaves will repeat Thy name.'

Repeat, O saints, this my supplication to God ;

So shall my desires be fulfilled and my soul and body
revive.

On beholding God all my griefs shall be dispelled.

By continually repeating God's name Nanak shall be
saved,

And obtain unfading happiness.

Sing God's praises received from a saint and pray
for God as your alms :—

O my soul, sing God's delicious praises ; sing God's
delicious praises.

Attached to the True One, the homeless obtain a home.

All other relishes are insipid and render body and soul
insipid.

Accursed is his life who doeth aught contrary to God's
will.

Grasp the saint's skirt and thou shalt cross over the
ocean.

i6o THE SIKH RELIGION

Adore the supreme God, and all thy family shall be
saved.

He who putteth God's name into my heart is my saint,
my kinsman, my friend •

He bestoweth on me the favour of blotting out all my
demerits.

My property, my treasure, and my home may go to ruin ;
my wealth is in God's feet.

Nanak begging at Thy gate, O God, craveth for Thee as
his alms.

GAURI ASHTAPADI

It is said that one Raj Chand went to the Guru
and asked him how happiness could be obtained and
unhappiness avoided. The following was the Guru's
reply :—

When man harboureth pride in his heart,
He wandereth about mad and estranged from God.
When man becometh the dust of all men's feet,
He on that account beholdeth God in every heart.
The fruit of humility is naturally pleasant :
This gift my true Guru gave me.
When man deemeth others bad,
All weave plots against him.

When he hath ceased to speak of things as his own,
No one beareth him enmity.
When man holdeth things as his own,
He suffereth serious trouble.
When man recognizeth the Creator,
His sufferings are at an end.
When man entangleth himself with worldly love,
He suffereth transmigration and falleth under Death's
continual ken.

When man's doubts are removed,
There is no difference between him and the Supreme.
From the moment that man recognizeth a difference,
He suffereth pain, punishment, and affliction.
From the moment that man knoweth the one God,
He hath obtained all knowledge.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 161

When man runneth after mammon,
He findeth it not, nor doth his thirst depart.
When man fleeth from mammon,
She proceedeth to pursue him.
When the true Guru is found by his own mercy,
The lamp is lit in the temple of one's heart.
When man considereth his gain and loss,
He realizeth the value of this temple.
The one God doth everything and causeth everything to
be done.

He Himself is wisdom, reflection, and discrimination.
He is not distant, He is near and with all.
Nanak, praise the true God with love.

All must perish save God who has no end or limit: —

In the first place, man issueth from his dwelling in the
womb ;

He afterwards attacheth himself to his children, wife, and
family.

Thy dishes of many sorts and thy varied dresses,

O wretched man, shall assuredly pass away.

What place is that which shall ever be permanent ?

What word is that by which evil inclinations shall be
removed ?

Even the realm of Indar must assuredly perish ;

Even the realm of Brahma remaineth not permanent ;

And even the realm of Shiv shall dissolve.

Maya with the three qualities and the demons shall
perish.

Mountains, trees, the earth, the firmament, and the stars

The sun, the moon, wind, fire, and water,

The laws and alternations of day and night,

The Shastars, the Simritis, and the Veds,

Places of pilgrimage, demigods, temples, and books,

Rosaries, frontal marks, purely cooked victuals,

Loin cloths, prostrations, raiment, food,

Shall pass away with all men.

Race, caste, Musalmans, Hindus,

Beasts, birds, animals of different species,

162 THE SIKH RELIGION

All the visible creation,

And all forms of existence shall perish.

By praising and serving God real divine knowledge is
obtained,

Which ever conferreth happiness and the permanent and
true abode.

Where the congregation of the saints are absorbed in
God's praises,

And dwell for ever in the fearless city,

There is no fear, no doubt, no mourning, no anxiety,

No transmigration, no death, no birth.

There is for ever joy and the theatre of spontaneous
music.

The saints dwell there ; singing God's praises is their
sustenance.

The supreme Being hath no end or limit.

Who can describe Him ?

Saith Nanak, he to whom God is merciful

Shall reach the imperishable place in the company of the
saints.

He who divests himself of love of mammon shall
attain all perfection : —

He who divesteth himself of the love of mammon, is
a hero ;

He who so divesteth himself, is perfect ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall obtain greatness ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall be free from suffering.

If there is any one who so divesteth himself,

And banisheth his love of mammon, he accomplisheth
raj jog.1

He who so divesteth himself, shall have no fear ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall be absorbed in the
Name ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall have his thirst ex
tinguished ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall be acceptable in God's
court ;

1 That is, he accomplishes a great feat.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 163

He who so divesteth himself, shall become wealthy ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall be honoured ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall become continent ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall obtain deliverance—

The advent of him who so divesteth himself, is profitable —

He who so divesteth himself, shall be stable and opulent ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall be very fortunate ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall be watchful night and
day;

He who so divesteth himself, shall obtain salvation while
alive ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall lead a pure life ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall be thoroughly versed
in divine knowledge ;

He who so divesteth himself, shall meditate on God —

Without so divesting himself man shall not be acceptable,

Even though he perform millions of superstitious cere
monies and forms of worship —

Without so divesting himself he shall be born again ;

Without so divesting himself he shall not escape from
Death ;

Without so divesting himself he shall not obtain divine
knowledge ;

Without so divesting himself his impurity shall not be
washed away ;

Without so divesting himself everything is defilement ;

Without so divesting himself everything is an entangle
ment.

He to whom the Ocean of mercy is merciful,

Shall be freed and shall obtain all perfection.

He whose love of mammon is removed by the Guru,

Shall, saith Nanak, meditate on God.

He who embraces a holy life shall obtain every
thing that is prized :—

He who attacheth himself to God findeth a friend in
everybody ;

He who attacheth himself to God hath a stable mind ;
He who attacheth himself to God feeleth no anxiety ;

M 2

164 THE SIKH RELIGION

He who attacheth himself to God shall be saved.

O my soul, unite thyself with God ;

Naught else shall avail thee.

Great worldly people who think not of God,

Are useless and ignorant.

Although God's slave be accounted of lowly birth,

Yet in his company men shall be at once saved.

Hearing God's name is equal to millions of ablutions ;

Meditating on Him is equal to millions of adorations ;

Hearing His praises is equal to millions of alms-deeds ;

Knowing His ways from the Guru bringeth millions of
rewards.

Think again and again upon God in thy heart,

And thy love for mammon shall depart.

The immortal God is with thee ;

O man, be absorbed in thy love for Him.

Specially perform the service of Him

By serving whom all thine avarice shall depart ;

By serving whom the myrmidons of Death will not look
at thee ;

By serving whom thou shalt obtain great honour ;

By serving whom thou shalt be immortal ;

Whose servant shall not be punished ;

Whose servant shall not be even bound l ;

And in whose office thine account shall not be called for.

O man, perform the service of Him

Who is in need of nothing,

Who is one though of various forms,

And at whose sight thou art ever happy.

Without remembering God man is on a level with
everything that is low and base :—

He who remembereth not God, leadeth the life of a snake : 2

So liveth the infidel who forgetteth the Name.

He who liveth remembering God even for a moment,

Shall live for millions of days, yea, for ever.

Cursed be the acts done without remembering God !

1 Ban is understood to be for the Panjabi bank, binding.

2 He is always bent on injuring others.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 165

The infidel like a crow's beak dwelleth in filth :

Without remembering the Name his desires are those of
a dog.

The infidel is nameless like a prostitute's son ;

Without remembering the Name he is like a ram's horn.

The infidel uttereth falsehood and his face is blackened ;

Without remembering God's name he is like a donkey

Which wandereth about in foul places.1

Without remembering the Name he is as a mad dog.

The covetous infidel falleth into entanglements ;

Without remembering the Name he committeth suicide.

The infidel is low ; he hath neither family nor caste.

The Guru causeth him to whom he is merciful to meet
the society of saints,

And, O Nanak, to cross over the ocean of the world.

The evil fate of him who forgets the Name : —

Come to me, O my God, bestow on me Thy name ;

Totally accursed be the love which is without the Name !

He who dresseth himself or eateth without invoking the
Name,

Is like a dog fallen on garbage.

Business performed without the Name

Is futile as the decorations of a corpse.

He who enjoyeth pleasures in forgetfulness of the Name,

Hath no happiness even in his dreams ; nay, his body
becometh diseased.

If man abandon the Name for any other occupation,

The whole of his false gilding shall fall off.

He who loveth not heartily the Name,

Shall go to hell even though he perform millions of cere
monies.

He who remembereth not God's name in his heart,

Shall be bound like a thief in the realm of Death.

There might be hundreds of thousands of displays and
great profusion,

Yet without the Name they would all be vain ostentation.

1 The donkey, like the Indian cow, sheep, and other animals, is
a foul feeder. He is used to remove filth in Indian towns.

166 THE SIKH RELIGION

That man repeat eth God's name

To whom, O Nanak, He mercifully granteth it.

What God the Friend does for man : —

My soul longeth for that Friend,

Who forsaketh me not at the beginning, middle, or end
of my undertakings.

God's love ever accompanieth us ;

He is the Compassionate and omnipresent Cherisher.

He perisheth not, neither doth He abandon His servant.

Wherever I gaze, there is He contained.

He is beautiful, skilful, clever, the Giver of life ;

He is brother, son, father, and mother ;

He is the support of my life and soul ; He is my capital.

Dwelling in my heart He hath made me love Him.

He hath cut off mammon's chains,

And, beholding me with a favourable eye, made me His
own.

By ever remembering God all diseases are healed,

And by meditating on His feet all happiness enjoyed.

The all-pervading Being is ever fresh and youthful ;

He is the companion and protector of man whether at
home or abroad.

Saith Nanak, the saint who knoweth God's dignity

Hath obtained from Him the Name for all his wealth.

The man who knows not God passes his life in
pleasures, worldly love, and pride, and cannot obtain
salvation :—

Through pleasures, social gatherings, and the gratification
of evil passions, man, blind that he is, knoweth not God.

His whole life passeth away saying, ' I hoard, I earn ;

I am a hero, I am distinguished ; no one is equal to me ;

I am young, religious, of good family ' ; thus pride enter-
eth his heart,

And he forgetteth it not until death, so entangled is he
in his boastful 1 intellect.

1 Bddh ; some read bal, and translate — A man is entangled by his
intellect from youth, and forgetteth not pride till his death.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 167

He resigneth his wealth to his brothers, friends, kinsmen,
and companions who survive him.

The desire to which the mind is attached becometh
supreme at the last hour.

If man perform purifications through pride, he becometh
bound by such entanglements.

O merciful God, show mercy that Nanak may become
the slave of Thy slaves.

GAURI CHHANT

Man should consider how to obtain God's favours: —

Hear, my companions, let us join and make efforts to
please God the Bridegroom ;

Through the saint's spell let us abandon pride and through
the philtre of devotion fascinate our Spouse.

O my companions, once He cometh into our power, He
will not again forsake us ; this is a good custom of the Lord.

Nanak, God will make us pure and dispel the fear of old
age, death and hell.

Hear, my companions, this is a good course ; let us
adopt it.

Having withdrawn from worldly cares let us sing God's
praises with composure and devotion.

Our troubles and difficulties shall depart, our doubts be
dispelled, and we shall obtain the reward our hearts desire.

Nanak, let us meditate on the name of the supreme and
omnipresent God.

O my companions, I have ever desired to devote myself
to God ; may He grant my desires !

Having renounced the world I thirst for a sight of His
feet ; I look for them everywhere.

To find the omnipresent Being I will trace His tracks in
the company of the saints.

Nanak, the holy men who have found the Giver of com
fort are very fortunate.

O my companions, I now dwell with my beloved Spouse ;
and my soul and body have become attached to Him.

Hear me, O my companions, I sleep well since I have
found my Beloved.

168 THE SIKH RELIGION

I have lost my doubts, I have obtained peace and rest ;
the Lord hath appeared unto me, and the lotus of my heart
hath blossomed.

I have found my Husband, the Lord, the Searcher of
hearts ; O Nanak, my married state shall never cease.

THE BAWAN AKHARI x

OR ACROSTIC

The divine Guru is my mother, the divine Guru is my
father 2, the divine Guru is my lord and Supreme God ;

The divine Guru is my companion and dispeller of spiritual
ignorance, the divine Guru is my relation and my brother ; 3

The divine Guru is the giver and the teacher of God's
name, the divine Guru hath the spell that cannot be counter
acted ; 4

The divine Guru is peace, truth, the image of wisdom ;
the divine Guru is a philosopher's stone by touching which
man is saved ;

The divine Guru is a place of pilgrimage, his divine
knowledge a lake of nectar, by bathing in which the Illimit
able is obtained ;

The divine Guru is the Creator, the remover of all sin,
the divine Guru is the purifier of the impure ;

1 The words bdwan akhari mean the fifty-two letters of the San
skrit language. A similar number of words of religious meaning or
significance is introduced and expounded. The intention was that
their initials should be in the order of the Sanskrit letters, but, for
some hitherto unexplained reason, the projected arrangement was not
adhered to. The Sloks of the Bawan Akhari are of general religious
import ; it is in the Pauris the words chosen for exposition are found.
The Bawan Akhari consists altogether of fifty-five Sloks and Pauris.

2 In India the mother is placed first. In English, following the
Greek idiom, precedence is given to the father.

3 Sahodara, from sah, the same, and udar, the womb. Compare the
Greek adelphos and its ordinary derivation from a, and delphus,
the womb.

4 Mant nirodhara. The gyanis translate — the spell most potent
to save. It is, however, the Sanskrit niruddhlr man tar as translated in
the text.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 169

The divine Guru is from the beginning, from the beginning
of time, and in every age ; the divine Guru is the spell of
God's name by the utterance of which man is saved.

O God, mercifully bring me — foolish and sinner that
T am — into the company of the Guru, so that by clinging
to him I may be saved.

Nanak boweth to the divine Guru, the true Guru, the
Supreme Brahm, the Supreme God.

SLOK I

God Himself created and caused men to act ; He Him
self is capable of acting.

Nanak, there is one pervading God ; there neither was
nor shall be another.

PAURI I

O A M. I bow to the one God, and to the saint the true
Guru.

The Formless One is the beginning, the middle, and the
end.

He Himself is rest, He Himself hath His seat in bliss ;

He Himself heareth His praises ;

He Himself created Himself ;

He is His own father, His own mother ;

He Himself is small, He Himself is large —

Nanak, His play cannot be understood.

O God, compassionate to the poor, be merciful,

That my heart may become the dust of the saints' feet.

SLOK II

The one God is without form and yet with form ; He is
without qualities and yet possesseth all qualities.

Define the one God as one, Nanak, and the one God as
manifold.

PAURI II

O A M. The one God, the great Guru, created all things ; l
He hath strung them all on one string.2

1 Akdr. Literally — forms, bodies.

2 So that they may be in His power.

170 THE SIKH RELIGION

The three qualities are separately diffused.

Instead of possessing no attributes God now appeareth
possessing all attributes.

He made creation of all forms ;

From the increase of mental desires resulteth transmi
gration ;

He Himself is free from both birth and death.

Nanak, He hath no end or limit.

SLOK III

They are rich and fortunate who possess the hoard of the
truth and the stock-in-trade of God's name.

Nanak, the true and pure Name is obtained from the
saints.

PAURI III

S. True, true, true is He ;

There is nothing separate from the True Being.

It is he whom He putteth into his asylum who obtaineth
His protection,

Remembereth Him, singeth His praises, and causeth
others to hear them :

Doubt and error in no way enter him ;

His glory appeareth manifest.

Nanak is ever a sacrifice unto the holy man

Who attaineth to this distinction.

SLOK IV

Why art thou crying out for wealth ? All worldly love is
false.

All they who are without the Name, Nanak, are as dust.

PAURI IV

D H. The dust of Thy servant's feet is pure, 0 God ;
Blest are they whose souls desire it ;
They want not wealth, they desire not even paradise ;
They are fascinated with the love of the very Dear One,
and the dust of the saint's feet.

Why should worldly affairs affect those

Who forsake not the one God or go elsewhere to worship ?

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 171

He in whose heart God hath put the Name,
O Nanak, is a perfect saint of God.

SLOK V

It is not by adopting various religious garbs or by know
ledge or meditation, or by obstinacy that God is obtained
by any one :

Saith Nanak, he to whom God is merciful is a saint and
possessor of divine knowledge.

PAURI V

N G. Divine knowledge consisteth not in words uttered
by the mouth,

Nor in extracting different species of arguments from the
Shastars.

He possesseth divine knowledge in whose heart God is
firmly fixed ;

It is riot by discussion he becometh capable.

He who is strict in his obedience to God's order possesseth
divine knowledge ;

Heat and cold are all the same to him.

The possessor of divine knowledge, to whom God ex-
tendeth mercy,

Meditateth on God, O Nanak, under the Guru's instruc
tion.

SLOK VI

Men come into the world, but without knowing God they
are as beasts and cattle.

Nanak, the holy man, on whose forehead such destiny
hath been written, knoweth God.

PAURI VI

The foetus reversed in the pit of the womb performeth
penance,

And continueth to remember God at every breath.
Man then cometh into this world to meet the one God,
But fascinating Maya fascinateth him at his birth.
He becometh entangled with what he must abandon,

172 THE SIKH RELIGION

And in his soul forgetteth the Giver.

He to whom Thou showest favour, O Lord of the earth,

Will not forget Thee, saith Nanak, either here or there.1

SLOK VII

Man is born by God's order, he dieth by God's order, no
one is exempt from His order ;

Transmigration is at an end for him, Nanak, in whose
heart God abideth.

PAURI VII

This soul hath dwelt in many wombs ;
Immersed in sweet illusion it was entangled in them ;
This illusion hath reduced the world2 to subjection,
And infused a love for itself into every heart :
O my friend, tell us of some device
By which we may escape this dangerous illusion.
Maya approacheth not him,

0 Nanak, whom God mercifully associateth with the
saints.

SLOK VIII

God Himself hath appointed good and bad acts for man
to perform ; 3

But man the brute indulgeth in pride ; Nanak, what can
he do without God ?

PAURI VIII

It is God alone who causeth man to act ;
It is He Himself who diffuseth demerits and merits.
Man performeth the duties of the station in which God
hath placed him in this world,

And receiveth what God conferreth upon him.

No one knoweth God's limit ;

It is only what He doeth that occurreth.

1 Either in the womb or after birth. Others translate — Either in
this world or the next.

2 Trigun. Literally — the three qualities which prevail in the world.

3 Also translated — Man doeth good and evil according to destiny,
as God Himself hath ordained.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAX 173

It is from Him alone the whole creation hath proceeded.
Nanak, He Himself is the arranger.

SLOK IX

Man continueth to love women, pleasures, and the tumult
of the passions, things fleeting as the dye of the safflower.1

Nanak, take God's protection and thy selfishness shall
depart.

PAURI IX

O my soul, the more thou lovest anything except God,
the greater thine entanglements.

The apostates do the very things which in every way
hinder their emancipation.

They who while practising pride continue to perform
ceremonial works, bear a crushing load :

When there is no love for the Name such works are sinful.

They who are in love with delicious Maya are bound by
Death's rope ;

Deluded by error they know not that God is ever with
them ;

They shall not be acquitted when their accounts2 are
examined : a mud wall can never be clean.

He to whom God giveth knowledge, O Nanak, becometh
holy and his understanding pure.

SLOK X

They who associate with the saints and who are dyed
with the deep dye of the one God's love,

0 Nanak, shall have their fetters cut off.

PAURI X

R. Dye this heart of thine with God's love ;
Repeat God's name with thy tongue,
So shall no one address thee rudely in God's court :
Every one shall honour thee, saying, ' Come, sit down.'
In that palace thou shalt obtain thy dwelling

1 Also translated — Which are fleeting as the dye of the safflower and
bitter as poison.

2 Also translated — It is not by counting prayers said or actions done.

174 THE SIKH RELIGION

Where there is no transmigration or destruction.
God's wealth is in the house of him,
Nanak, on whose forehead such destiny was recorded in
the beginning.

SLOK XI

The sins of covetousness, falsehood, and worldly love are
committed by the foolish and the blind ;
Slaves of Maya, O Nanak, they love an offensive smell.1

PAURI XI

L. They are entangled and steeped in the juice of evil
passions ;

They are intoxicated with the wine of mental pride and
worldly love ;

And from this worldly love result eth transmigration.

As God ordereth so man acteth.

There is no one imperfect and no one perfect ;

There is no one wise and no one foolish.

Where God appointed men there they perform their duties.

Nanak, the Lord is always unaffected by mundane affairs.2

SLOK XII

My darling God, the Lord of the earth, is deep, profound,
and unfathomable ;

Nanak, there is none like unto Him, He is unconcerned.

PAURI XII

L. There is none equal to Him ;

He Himself is the only one, there shall be none other ;
He is now and ever hath been ;
No one hath found His limit ;

He is contained as fully in an ant as in an elephant ;
He is famous, known everywhere :
He to whom He hath given His love
Repeateth His name, O Nanak, under the Guru's instruc
tion.

1 That is, evil deeds.

2 That is, men are placed in the world according to their good and
bad acts in previous birth, and not by God's special interference.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 175

SLOK XIII

He who hath tasted the savour of God naturally enjoyeth
His love.

Nanak, blessed is the advent of such into the world ;
he is acceptable to God.

PAURI XIII

Deem fortunate the birth of him
Whose tongue repeateth God's praises ;
He goeth and sitteth with the saints,
And night and day meditateth on the Name with love.
He to whom God showeth compassion and mercy,
Is at his birth endued with the Name ;
He has been born once, but shall not again enter the
womb ;

Nanak, he shall be absorbed in the sight of God.

SLOK XIV

Nanak, be absorbed in the Name by the repetition of
which the heart becometh happy, worldly love is erased,

And there is an end to pain, sorrow, and longing for
earthly pleasures.

PAURI XIV

Y. Rid thyself of evil inclinations and duality ;

Relinquishing them sleep in peace and composure.

Y. Go and take the protection of the saints,

By whose assistance thou shalt cross this terrible ocean.

Y. He who taketh the one Name and stringeth it in his
heart,

Shall not be born again.

Y. By the support of the Guru thou shalt not lose thy
human birth.

Nanak, he in whose heart the one God dwelleth hath
obtained happiness.

SLOK XV

He who is our friend in this world and the next, dwelleth
within our souls and bodies.

176 THE SIKH RELIGION

The perfect Guru teacheth us, O Nanak, to utter God's
Name continually.

PAURI XV

Night and day remember Him who will in the end be
thy helper.

These worldly pleasures only last for a few days ; every
one must leave them and depart.

Who hath a mother, father, son, daughter,

Home, or wife ? Thou canst take none of them with thee.

Amass such things as are not perishable,

So shalt thou depart to thine own home with honour.

They who in this Kal age sing God's praises in the company
of the saints,

O Nanak, shall not come again into the world.

SLOK XVI

Though one be very beautiful, of high birth, wise, a divine
in words, and wealthy,

Yet shall he be deemed as dead, O Nanak, if he have no
love for God.

PAURI XVI

N G. Even though man be versed in the six Shastar
systems,

And perform the exercises of purak, kumbhak and rechak j1

Even though he practise divine knowledge, meditation,
pilgrimages, and ablutions,

Only eat food cooked by himself, live apart from human
contact and dwell in the forest ;

Yet if he feel no love for God's name in his heart,

Every act of his shall only be brief.

Superior to him deem thou the pariah,

0 Nanak, in whose heart God dwelleth.

1 These are exercises in the Jog religious system. Purak, in
spiration, is closing the right nostril and drawing up air through the
left ; kumbhak, suspension, stopping the mouth and closing both
nostrils ; and rechak, expiration, through the right nostril.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 177

SLOK XVII

Man wandereth about in the four quarters and the ten1
directions of the world bearing the mark of deeds done.

Weal and woe, deliverance and transmigration, Nanak,
are according to man's written record.

PAURI XVII

K. God is the Creator and cause of everything ;
No one can efface that written record ;
What God once doeth cannot be altered ; 2
The Creator erreth not.

To one He Himself pointeth out the right way ;
Another He causeth to wander sorrowfully in the wilder
ness ;

He playeth His own play.

Whatever He giveth, Nanak, man receiveth.

SLOK XVIII

Various and countless people, O Nanak, repeat God's
name.

Men eat, spend, and enjoy 3 themselves, but God's store
houses fail not them.

PAURI XVIII

K H. With that all-powerful One there is no stint ;

He continueth to give what He deemeth right to give,
wheresoever man may go.

The wealth of the Name is the treasure from which the
saints spend ; it is their capital.

With patience, humility, joy, and composure they con
tinue to repeat God's praises.

They to whom God is merciful sport and enjoy themselves.

They who have God's name for their wealth in their homes
are ever wealthy and of good report.

1 The four cardinal points, the four intermediate points, heaven
above, and earth below.

2 Literally — nothing occurs twice.

3 Men enjoy themselves and in doing so squander.

178 THE SIKH RELIGION

They on whom God looketh with favour suffer not
trouble, or pain, or torture ; 1

Nanak, they who are pleasing to God are successful.

SLOK XIX

Calculate and consider in thy mind that men must
assuredly depart.

The desire for transitory things is effaced by the Guru's
instruction ; only in the Name is there health.

PAURI XIX

G. Sing God's praises at every breath and ever repeat
His name.

Why repose confidence in thy body ? Delay not, my
friend ;

There is no reliance on childhood, youth, or old age :

The time is not known when the noose of Death will fall
upon thee.

Behold the wise, the meditative, and the clever ; even
they remain not here.

The fool clingeth to the things which the rest of the
world leaveth behind.

He on whose forehead such destiny hath been written,
continueth to remember God by the Guru's favour.

Nanak, fortunate is her advent who is the spouse of the
Beloved.

SLOK XX

I have searched all the Shastars and Veds ; they tell of
nothing save this,

That the one God was in the beginning, in the beginning
of time, is now, Nanak, and ever shall be.

PAURI XX

G H. Put this into thy heart that there is none but
God;

There was none, and there shall be none : He is every
where contained.

1 The torture inflicted by the god of death.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 179

Thou shall be absorbed * in Him, O man, when thou
enter est His asylum.

In the Kal age the Name is the real atonement for sins.

After toiling and moiling in superstitious exercises many
regret it ;

Without devotion to God how can stability be obtained ?

He to whom the divine Guru gave the great nectareous
essence,

Hath stirred it up; O Nanak, and drunk it.

SLOK XXI

God has counted and fixed for man all his days and
breathings ; these cannot be increased or diminished the
length of a sesame seed ;

Nanak, they who desire to live on in error and worldly
love are fools.

PAURI XXI

N G. Death shall seize him who hath fallen away from
God.

He seeth not God who dwelleth in his heart, and he shall
suffer many transmigrations.

Divine knowledge and meditation shall come to him

To whom God mercifully granteth them.

No one shall be emancipated by making calculations ;

The frail pitcher shall burst at last.

Only they who utter God's name their lives long really
live ;

They become distinguished, Nanak, and not obscure.

SLOK XXII

In thy heart meditate on God's lotus feet, and its inverted
lotus shall bloom.

God Himself will appear, O Nanak, under the saints'
instruction.

PAURI XXII

C H. Blest, blest that day and auspicious that conjuncture
When I cling to the Guru's lotus feet.

1 Also translated— thou shall be saved.
N 2

i8o THE SIKH RELIGION

After wandering in the four corners and the ten directions
of the globe,

I through the favour of God obtained a sight of him.

Through excellent meditation all duality is removed ;

My mind hath become pure by association with the
saints.

Nanak, he to whose eyes the salve of divine knowledge
hath been applied,

Shall forget his anxieties and behold the one God.

SLOK XXIII

The breast becometh cool and the heart happy by singing
the chant of God's praises ;

Show such mercy, O God, that Nanak may become Thy
slave of slaves.

PAURI XXIII

C H H. We are Thy slave-boys.

Yea, we are the water-carriers of the slave of Thy slaves.
C H H. We are the dust of Thy saints' feet :
Show us Thy mercy, O God.
We have abandoned all devices and stratagems,
And propped up our souls with the prop of the saints.
The puppet of ashes whom the saints assist
Shall, Nanak, obtain the supreme state.

SLOK XXIV

Man is greatly elated by his strength and power, and
thereby diseaseth his frail body ;

Through his pride he is entangled, Nanak, but the Name
will release him.

PAURI XXIV

J. When a man thinketh something of himself,

He is caught like a parrot in a trap ;

When he thinketh he is a saint and possessed of divine
knowledge,

God will show him no respect whatever in the next
world ;

When he thinketh he is a preacher,

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 181

He merely roameth over the earth like a trader.

He who removeth his pride by association with the saints

O Nanak, meeteth God.

SLOK XXV

Rise at dawn, utter the Name, yea, night and day worship
God ;

Thus shalt thou feel no anxiety, Nanak, and all thy
troubles shall vanish.

PAURI XXV

J H. By occupying thyself with God's name
All thy griefs shall be effaced.
The perverse man whose heart feeleth worldly love
Shall die in excessive grief.

O my soul, when thou hearest the ambrosial word in
the company of saints,
Thine impurities and sins shall depart.1
Nanak, from him to whom God is merciful,
Lust, wrath, and other evil passions shall depart.

SLOK XXVI

Though you make efforts of various kinds, you shall not
have eternal life, my friends.

You shall have eternal life, saith Nanak, if you repeat
God's name with love.

PAURI XXVI

N Y. Know for a certainty that these bodies of yours
which you love shall perish.

Even though you make calculations, you cannot count
how many have departed.

Whatever you behold shall perish ; to what shall you
attach yourselves ?

Know this in your hearts as certain that love of the
world is false.

He who knoweth this is a saint and removed from error.

Him with whom God is pleased, He extricateth from the
blind well.

1 Literally — shall drop or fall off as leaves from trees.

i82 THE SIKH RELIGION

He whose arm is omnipotent is able to create the world —
Nanak, praise Him who uniteth the soul with Himself.

SLOK XXVII

By serving the saints the bonds of transmigration are
broken, and man obtaineth rest :

Nanak, may I never forget the sovereign God, the treasury
of excellences !

PAURI XXVII

Serve the one God to whom no one appealeth in vain ;

If He dwell in thy soul, body, mouth, and heart, thou
shalt obtain whatever thou desirest.

He to whom the holy man is kind, shall obtain the service
by which God's court shall be won.

If God be compassionate thou shalt abide in the company
of the saints —

I have searched in many lands, but found no happiness
without the Name.

The ministers of Death shall recede from him who joineth
the society of the saints ;

Again and again I sacrifice myself to the saints,

Through whom, O Nanak, the sins of old are blotted out.

SLOK XXVIII

They with whom God is pleased are not stopped at His
gate ;

Supremely blest are they, Nanak, whom God hath made
His own.

PAURI XXVIII

T H. He who having abandoned all else attacheth him
self to the one God,

Afflict eth no one's heart.

They who are buffeted by worldly love are dead,

And find nowhere comfort.

They who abide in the company of the saints are re
freshed ;

The ambrosial Name is sweet to their souls.

The soul of the man who pleaseth his Lord,

O Nanak, becometh refreshed.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 183

SLOK XXIX

Prostrations and obeisance many times to Thee, 0 God,
who possessest all contrivances and art omnipotent !

Reach me Thy hand, O God, saith Nanak, and save me
from wavering.1

PAURI XXIX

D. O my soul, this is not thy dwelling ; know that Place 2
where thy dwelling is ;

Learn from the Guru's instruction the way to that
dwelling.

Man undergoeth toil to erect a dwelling here

Which will not go an inch with him.

He on whom the omnipotent God looketh with favour,

Knoweth the way to that dwelling.

That dwelling is permanent and true, and is obtained in
the company of the saints ;

Nanak, they who find it waver not.

SLOK XXX

When Dharmraj beginneth to smite, none can restrain
him :

Nanak, they who repeat God's name in association with
the saints shall be saved.

PAURI XXX

D H. Why goest thou about searching ? search in thine
own heart.

God dwelleth with thee ; why wanderest thou from forest
to forest ?

Throw down thy heap of terrible pride in the company
of the saints ;

So shalt thou find rest, abide in peace, and be blest with
the sight of God :

He in whom that heap is, shall be born and die, and
suffer the pain of the womb ;

1 This slok is recited by Sikh minstrels when they begin to sing,
and also by readers of the Granth Sahib on opening it.

2 That is, God.

184 THE SIKH RELIGION

He who is steeped in worldly love and entangled with
egotism shall come and go.

I have now gradually fallen under the protection of the
saints ;

God hath cut the meshes of sorrow, Nanak, and united
me with Himself.

SLOK XXXI

Where the saints ever repeat God's name and praises —
Dharmraj saith, c Approach not there, O my ministers :
if you do, neither you nor I shall escape.'

PAURI XXXI

N. He who conquereth his own heart is victorious in the
battle ;

He who dieth fighting with his pride and worldly love is
blest ; i

He who effaceth his pride 2 shall under the perfect Guru's
instruction be dead while alive ; 3

He shall conquer his heart, meet God, and obtain a robe
of honour for his bravery ;

He shall consider nothing his own ; the one God shall be
his prop and support ;

He shall continue night and day to remember the supreme
and infinite God ;

He shall so act as to make his heart the dust of all men's
feet ;

He shall understand God's order, be ever happy, Nanak,
and obtain what was destined for him.

SLOK XXXII

I will devote my body, soul, and wealth to him who
causeth me to meet God ;

Nanak, my doubts and fears shall then be dispelled, and
Death shall no longer look for me.

1 Bhddu, blest, happy, from the Sanskrit lhaddra. It may, however,
be a corruption of the word bahadur, brave, a hero. If so sobha dn
hoi be read, the translation will be — He shall be honoured in both
worlds.

2 Mam', to consider things as one's own.

3 This is explained to mean that he will be very humble.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 185

PAURI XXXII

T. Love Him who is the treasury of excellences, the
sovereign God ;

Thou shalt then obtain the fruit thy heart desireth, and
thy yearning shall depart.

He in whose heart the Name dwelleth, shall have no fear
on the road to death ;

His understanding shall become enlightened ; he shall
obtain salvation and a place in God's court.

Nor wealth, nor mansion, nor youth, nor empire shall
depart with thee.

In the company of the saints continue to remember God's
name ; it is this that shall avail thee.

There shall be no more burning when God Himself re-
moveth thy fever ;

Nanak, God Himself protecteth us ; He is our mother
and father.

SLOK XXXIII

The perverse have grown weary of their various toils, yet
they are not satisfied and their thirst is not allayed ;

They shall die in the midst of their hoarding, Nanak,
and their wealth shall not depart with them.

PAURI XXXIII

T H. None is permanent ; why stret chest thou thy feet
forward ? l

In thine efforts after wealth alone thou committest great
fraud and deceit ;

Thou toilest to fill thy purse, O fool, and then fallest
down weary :

At the last moment that shall not avail thy soul.

Thou shalt obtain permanence 2 by worshipping God and
accepting the saints' instruction.

1 A metaphor from the quarrels of Indian landowners. On a
disputed plot one claimant puts his foot forward, his opponent does
the same. In the text the expression means to bring everything
within one's grasp.

2 Thou shalt no more wander in transmigration.

186 THE SIKH RELIGION

Ever love the one God — that is the true love.

He is the cause of causes ; all contrivances are in His
hand alone.

We remain at the posts to which Thou, 0 God, hast
appointed us ; saith Nanak, the creature is helpless.

SLOK XXXIV

His slaves have seen the one God who giveth everything ;
They continue to remember Him at every breath ; Nanak,
a sight of Him is their support.

PAURI XXXIV

D. The Giver is one ; He giveth to all ;
In His giving there is no stint ; innumerable are His full
storehouses.

The Giver liveth for ever.

O my foolish mind, why forgettest thou Him ?

No man is at fault, my friend ;

It is God who forged the fetters of Maya's illusion.

The holy men whose pain He Himself removeth

Shall, O Nanak, be satisfied.1

SLOK XXXV

O my soul, grasp the prop of the one God, lay aside thy
hopes in others ;

Ponder on the Name, and thine affairs shall succeed.

PAURI XXXV

DH. If thou abide with the saints the wanderings of
thy heart shall then cease ;

If God Himself bestow mercy from the beginning, the
mind shall become enlightened,

They have the true capital and are the true traders,

Whose stock-in-trade is the Name and who deal in God.

Patience, glory, and honour are for him

Who attentively heareth God's name.

The holy man in whose heart God is contained

Shall, O Nanak, obtain greatness.

1 This pauri is repeated as a grace before meals.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 187

SLOK XXXVI

Nanak, the perfect Guru hath taught that for him who,
in the company of the saints,

Repeateth the Name with his tongue and with love in
his heart, there is no hell.

PAURI XXXVI

N. They in whose souls and bodies the Name abideth

Shall not fall into hell.

They who under the Guru's instruction repeat the Name,
which is a treasure,

Shall not perish by the poison of mammon.

No refusal awaiteth him

To whom the Guru hath given the spell of the Name.

God's name which is full of nectar is the treasury of
wealth :

Nanak, unbeaten musical instruments sound for him who
repeateth it.

SLOK XXXVII

When I abandoned deceit, worldly love, and sin, the
great Supreme Being preserved mine honour :

Nanak, adore Him who hath no end or limit.1

PAURI XXXVII

P. The sovereign God is beyond estimate ; His limit
cannot be ascertained ;

He is the purifier of sinners, and inaccessible.

Millions of sinners who meet the saints

And repeat the ambrosial Name become pure.

He whom Thou Thyself preservest, O Lord of the earth,

Loseth all deception, fraud, and worldly love.

God is emperor ; He alone is entitled to the umbrella
over His head :

Nanak, there is no other sovereign.

SLOK XXXVIII

By restraining the mind Death's nooses are cut, trans
migration is at an end, and victory obtained.

1 Sikhs repeat this couplet when tying on their turbans.

i88 THE SIKH RELIGION

Nanak, permanence is obtained from the Guru and trans
migration effaced for ever and ever.

PAURI XXXVIII

P H. O soul, thou hast returned after long wanderings ;
In this Kal age thou hast obtained a human body so
difficult to obtain ;

Thou shalt not again have the present opportunity.

Repeat God's name, then Death's noose shall be cut away,

And there shall be no transmigration for thee.

Utter the name of the one God ; that is the real utterance.

Have mercy, O God the Creator,

And unite poor Nanak with Thyself.

SLOK XXXIX

Hear Thou my supplication, Supreme Being, compassionate
to the poor and Lord of the earth —

Nanak, the dust of the saints' feet is to me comfort,
wealth, great enjoyment, and pleasure.

PAURI XXXIX

B. It is he who knoweth God who is a Brahman ;

He is a Vaishnav who is pious, and accept eth the pure
religion.

He is a hero who effaceth his wickedness :

Nothing evil may approach him.

Man is bound by the fetters of his own pride,

And yet, blind that he is, he imputeth blame to others.

Discussion and subterfuges are all of no avail.

0 God, he whom Thou causest to know Thee, saith Nanak,
knoweth Thee.

SLOK XL

Heartily worship God who is the destroyer of fear and
the remover of sin and sorrow ;

He in whose heart He dwelleth through the companion
ship of the saints shall never again, O Nanak, wander in
transmigration.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 189

PAURI XL

B H. Dispel thine errors ;
This world is all a dream.
In error are demigods, goddesses, and gods ;
In error are Sidhs, Strivers, and so is Brahma ;
In mazes of error man is ruined.
This world is difficult to cross and very dangerous.
The pious who have effaced error, fear, and worldly love,
Shall, Nanak, obtain supreme happiness.

SLOK XLI

Through wealth the mind wavereth in many ways and
becometh entangled ;

He whom Thou, O God, preservest from asking for it,
saith Nanak, loveth the Name.

PAURI XLI

M. He who asketh is silly ;

The Bestower who is wise continueth to bestow :

What God giveth He giveth once for all.

O foolish man, why callest thou aloud ?

When thou prayest, thou prayest for worldly things,

From which happiness result eth to no one.

If thou pray for anything, then pray for the one God,

By whom, saith Nanak, thou shalt be saved.

SLOK XLII

Their wisdom is perfect and they are distinguished in
whose hearts is the perfect Guru's instruction ;
Nanak, they who know their God are fortunate.

PAURI XLII

M. He who knoweth God's secret
Is satisfied on meeting the company of the saints ;
He deemeth woe and weal as the same ;
He is exempted from entering hell or heaven :
The man who knoweth God's secret dwelleth in the world,
and yet is apart from it ;

igo THE SIKH RELIGION

He is, as it were, the eminent being who filleth every
heart.1

He who is not entangled by mammon,
Nanak, hath found happiness in God's love.

SLOK XLIII

O my friends, allies, and adherents, hear me — there is no
emancipation without God :

Nanak, he who falleth at the Guru's feet hath all his
fetters cut away.

PAURI XLIII

Y. Though man make efforts of many kinds,
How far can he succeed without the one Name ?
The efforts by which emancipation is obtained,
Are made in the company of the saints.
The salvation which every one holdeth to,
Cannot be obtained without the repetition of God's name :
God is capable of giving salvation.

0 Master, preserve us men without merits.
Nanak, that man's intellect becometh enlightened,
Whom God Himself instruct eth in thought, word, and

deed.

SLOK XLIV

Think of thyself ; be angry with no one ;
Abide humble in the world, Nanak, and through God's
favour thou shalt be saved.

PAURI XLIV

R. Become the dust of every one's feet ;

Abandon pride, and the sins to thy debit shall be blotted
out.

Thou shalt be victorious in the struggle, O brother, and
acceptable in God's court,

If under the Guru's instruction thou fix thine attention
on God's name,

Thy sins shall gradually be blotted out

1 Also translated— He enjoyeth the happiness of God who filleth
every heart.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 191

By the perfect Guru's peerless word.

Nanak, they on whom God and the Guru have conferred
favours,

Are dyed with the love of God's name and intoxicated
with its savour.

SLOK XLV

The diseases of covetousness, falsehood, and the other
deadly sins infest this body ;

But the pious who drink the medicine of God's nectar,
O Nanak, shall be healed.

PAURI XLV

L. He, 0 God, to whom Thou administerest medicine,

Is at once cured of his sorrows and pains.

That medicine is the Name ; whosoever heartily loveth it

Shall not even dream of disease.

The medicine of God's name is in every heart, my brethren.

Except the perfect Guru no one knoweth how to prepare it.

He whose way of life the perfect Guru hath appointed,

O Nanak, shall never again sicken.

SLOK XLVI

God is everywhere, there is no place without Him ;
He is with thee, Nanak, whether thou art at home or
abroad ; what concealest thou from Him ?

PAURI XLVI

W. Bear not enmity to any one —

God is contained in every heart ;

He is contained in sea and land ;

By the favour of the Guru some rare person singeth His
praises.

Enmity and jealousy shall depart from the heart of him

Who under the Guru's instruction heareth God's praises.

Nanak, he who under the Guru's instruction repeateth
God's name,

Shall be released from all caste and caste marks.

192 THE SIKH RELIGION

SLOK XLVII

The stupid and ignorant infidel passeth his life in egoism ;
In agony he dieth as one thirsty, O Nanak, and thus
obtaineth his deserts.

PAURI XLVII

R. He who by association with the saints worshippeth the
Name,

Which is the essence of religious acts, shall not engage
in strife.

He in whose heart the Beautiful One dwelleth,

Shall have his strife erased and ended.

It is the ignorant perverse man, in whose heart

The sin of pride dwelleth, who harboureth strife.

Nanak, when the holy man instructeth,

All strife ceaseth in a moment.

SLOK XLVIII

O my soul, grasp the protection of the holy man ; lay
aside thy phrases and devices :

The Guru's instruction, Nanak, dwelleth in the heart of
him on whose forehead good fortune was written.

PAURI XLVIII

S H. Weary of repeating the Shastars, the Simritis, and
the Veds,

We have now, 0 God, entered Thine asylum.

In my researches I have come to this conclusion,

That without worshipping God there is no deliverance.

We constantly make mistakes ;

Thou art omnipotent, infinite,1 and illimitable.

O Compassionate One, protect us who have fallen under
Thy protection !

Saith Nanak, O God, we are Thy children.

SLOK XLIX

When pride is erased, happiness resulteth, the mind and
body are healed,

1 Literally — innumerable.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 193

Nanak, and He who is worthy of praise becometh mani
fest.

PAURI XLIX

K H. Thoroughly praise God

Who in an instant can fill to the brim what is empty.

When a mortal is thoroughly humble,

He night and day repeateth the name of the eternal God.

The Lord giveth happiness to those who please Him.

The infinite supreme Being is so potent,

That He can in a moment pardon numberless sins :

Nanak, the Lord is merciful.

SLOK L

Verily I say unto thee, hear me, O my soul, fall under
the sovereign God's protection ;

Cast aside all thy phrases and devices, Nanak, and God
will unite thee with Himself.

PAURI L

S. O silly man, lay aside devices :

The Lord is not pleased with tricks and orders.1

Even though thou practise a thousand forms of cleverness,

Not one shall avail thee.2

Day and night repeat His name,

0 my soul, which will go with thee.

He whom God Himself applieth to the saint's service,
Nanak, shall never feel unhappy.

SLOK LI

Happiness resulteth from uttering God's name and keeping
it in mind.

Nanak, God provideth all things, and is everywhere equally
contained.

1 Ordering God in a familiar manner to grant worldly favours, such
as to send rain, heal sickness, provide sons for parents, &c. — a practice
of Brahmans.

2 Literally — not one of them shall go with thee.

SIKH. Ill O

194 THE SIKH RELIGION

PAURI LI

Lo ! God filleth the hearts of all-
Men are continually born, but the Guru's wisdom de-
stroyeth their pain.1

He is happy who hath escaped from pride ; where there
is no pride there is God.

By the power of the company of the saints the pain of
birth and death is removed.

God becometh merciful to those who, by association with
the saints,

Lovingly fix the name of the compassionate One in their
hearts.

Nanak, everything hath proceeded from God ;

Without Him no one hath accomplished anything.

SLOK LII

Looking to his account man shall never be released2
since he erreth every moment.

Saith Nanak, O Thou Pardoner, pardon us and save us.

PAURI LII

Man is disloyal and a sinner ; he is a stranger to God
and of little wisdom ;

He knoweth not the Essence of all things, who gave him
soul, body, and happiness.

For the sake of worldly gain he goeth searching in every
direction ;

God, the Giver, the Bestower, he treasureth not in his
heart for an instant.

Greed, falsehood, sin, worldly love, these things he har-
boureth in his heart.

He passeth his life with great adulterers, thieves, and
slanderers.

If pleasing to Thee, 0 God, pardon the counterfeit along
with the genuine.

1 This and the preceding line are also translated —

God filleth the hearts of all, and will ever and ever do so ;
He is the destroyer of sorrow and greatly wise.

2 Man's account with God is always on the debit side.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 195

Saith Nanak, O supreme God, if it please Thee, stones
shall float on water.

SLOK LIII

Eating, drinking, playing, and laughing have we wandered
in many births ;

O God, rescue us from the terrible ocean, prayeth
Nanak ; we rely on Thee.

PAURI LIII

Having both enjoyed and suffered the pain of many
births, we have returned as human beings.

Troubles are removed by meeting the holy man, and being
absorbed in the true Guru's instruction.

Man adopting contentment amasseth truth, and liveth
upon the ambrosia of the Name.

Genuine is the mercy of God ; I have found my haven
in joy and happiness.

My cargo hath safely arrived; I have had great profit,
and I return home with honour.

Genuine is the consolation the Guru gave me ; I have
met God on my return.

God Himself acted and acteth ; He was in the beginning
and shall be in the end.

Nanak, praise Him who is contained in every heart.

SLOK LIV

0 Ocean of mercy, compassionate God, we have entered
Thine asylum.

Nanak is happy in giving the one word 1 God a place in
his heart.2

PAURI LIV

God holdeth the three worlds by letters ;
Through letters the Veds are studied ;

1 Akhar. Literally — a letter. There is however a pun on the
word. It also means indestructible, from the Sanskrit a negative, and
kshar, destruction.

2 This slok and pauri LV are sung by the Sikhs on the conclusion
of the intonement of a passage from the Granth Sahib.

O 2

196 THE SIKH RELIGION

Through letters the Shastars, the Simritis, and the
Purans ;

Through letters hymns, discourses, and sermons ;

Through letters is the way of escape from fear and error ;

Through letters religious and worldly acts are performed
and pure faith obtained.

The whole visible world is contained in letters ;

But, Nanak, the Supreme Being is beyond letters.

SLOK LV

O inaccessible One, Thy hand holdeth the pen which
writeth man's destiny on his forehead.

Thou of incomparable form art contained in all things ;

Man's tongue cannot describe Thy praises ;

Nanak on beholding Thee is fascinated, and devoted
unto Thee.

PAURI LV

O eternal, supreme God, indestructible, Destroyer of sin,

O All-pervading, contained in everything, Destroyer of
grief, Lord of excellences,

Formless one, O man's companion, O Thou without the
three human attributes, Prop of all,

Supporter of the earth, O Ocean of excellences who hast
ever discrimination,

O God, most remote Thou art, wast, and shalt be.

0 Thou, constant Companion of the saints, Support of
the supportless,

1 am Thy slave, I am without merits, no merit is mine.
Saith Nanak, grant me the gift of Thy name that I may

string it and keep it in my heart.

SLOK

The divine Guru is my mother, the divine Guru is my
father, the divine Guru is my Lord and supreme God ;

The divine Guru is my companion and dispeller of spiritual
ignorance, the divine Guru is my relation and my brother ;

The divine Guru is the giver and the teacher of God's
name, the divine Guru hath the spell that cannot be counter
acted ;

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 197

The divine Guru is peace, truth, and the image of wisdom ;
the divine Guru is a philosopher's stone by whose touch man
is saved ;

The divine Guru is a place of pilgrimage, his divine know
ledge a lake of nectar, by bathing in which the Illimitable
is obtained ;

The divine Guru is the creator, the remover of all sin,
the divine Guru is the purifier of the impure ;

The divine Guru is from the beginning, from the beginning
of time and in every age ; the divine Guru is the spell of
God's name, by whose utterance man is saved.

O God, mercifully bring me — foolish and sinner that I
am — into the company of the Guru, so that by clinging to
him I may be saved.

Nanak boweth to the divine Guru, the true Guru, the
supreme Brahm, the supreme God.

SUKHMANI l

SLOK I

I bow to the primal Guru ;
I bow to the Guru of the primal age ;
I bow to the true Guru ;
I bow to the holy divine Guru.2

ASHTAPADI I

i

Remember, remember God ; by remembering Him you
shall obtain happiness,

And erase from your hearts trouble and affliction.

1 This composition is divided into twenty-four ashlapadis, a word
which means eight pads. A pad contains ten lines, and thus some
what resembles the English sonnet. Each ashtapadi therefore contains
eighty lines. The word sukhmam means peace of mind. This com
position is repeated in the morning by very earnest Sikhs after the

2 These first four lines are supposed to refer to the four Gurus
respectively who preceded Guru Arjan.

198 THE SIKH RELIGION

Remember the praises of the one all-supporting God.

Numberless persons utter God's various names.1

Investigating the Veds, the Purans, and the Simritis,

Men have made out the one word which is God's name.

His praises cannot be recounted,

Who treasureth God's name in his heart even for a moment.

Saith Nanak, save me, 0 Lord, with those who are desirous
of one glance of Thee.

In this Sukhmani is the name of God which like ambrosia
bestow eth happiness.

And giveth peace to the hearts of the saints.2

By remembering God man doth not again enter the
womb ;

By remembering God the tortures of Death disappear ;

By remembering God death is removed ;

By remembering God enemies retreat ;

By remembering God no obstacles are met ;

By remembering God we are watchful night and day ;

By remembering God fear is not felt ;

By remembering God sorrow troubleth not :

Men remember God in the company of the saints —

Nanak, by the love of God all wealth is obtained.

3

By remembering God we obtain wealth, supernatural
power, and the nine treasures ;

By remembering God we obtain divine knowledge, medi
tation, and the essence of wisdom ;

Remembrance of God is the real devotion, penance, and
worship ;

By remembering God the conception of duality is dis
pelled ;

By remembering God we obtain the advantages of bathing
at places of pilgrimage ;

1 Also translated — Remember that One Sustainer of the world
whose various names countless persons utter.

2 Also translated — This Sukhmani dwelleth in the hearts of the
saints.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 199

By remembering God we are honoured at His court ;
By remembering God we become reconciled to His will ;
By remembering God men's lives are very profitable :
They whom He hath caused to do so remember Him —
Nanak, touch the feet of such persons.

4

To remember God is the most exalted of all duties.
By remembering God many are saved ;
By remembering God thirst is quenched ; *
By remembering God man knoweth all things ;
By remembering God there is no fear of death ;
By remembering God our desires are fulfilled ;
By remembering God mental impurity is removed,
And the ambrosial Name filleth the heart.
God abideth on the tongue of the saint
Whose most humble slave Nanak is.

5

They who remember God are wealthy ;
They who remember God are honoured ;
They who remember God are acceptable ;
They who remember God are distinguished ;
They who remember God feel not want ;
They who remember God rule the world ;
They who remember God dwell in happiness ;
They who remember God live for ever ;
They to whom God showeth mercy ever remember
Him—

Nanak prayeth for the dust of such men's feet.

6

They who remember God are philanthropic ;
I am ever devoted to those who remember God.
The faces of those who remember God look bright ;
They who remember God pass their lives in bliss ;
They who remember God chasten their hearts ;
The ways of those who remember God are holy ;
They who remember God feel extreme joy ;
1 That is, avarice is removed.

200 THE SIKH RELIGION

They who remember God dwell near Him,

And by the favour of the saints are watchful night and

day —

Nanak, meditation on God is obtained by complete good

fortune.

7

By remembering God everything is accomplished ;
By remembering God man never grieveth ;
By remembering God man uttereth His praises ;
By remembering God man is easily absorbed in Him ;
By remembering God man findeth an immovable seat ;
By remembering God the lotus of man's heart bloometh ;
By remembering God man heareth the unbeaten melody ;
The happiness which is obtained by remembering God
hath no end or limit :

They to whom God is merciful remember Him ;
Nanak seeketh the protection of such men.

By remembering God His saints have become distin
guished ;

By remembering God the Veds were composed ;
By remembering God men have obtained supernatural
power, continence and generosity ;

By remembering God even the lowly are known in every
direction ;

By remembering God the whole earth is supported ; l
Remember, remember God the Cause of causes.—
For the remembrance of God He created the whole
world :

Where God is remembered there is God Himself :
Nanak, the pious whom God hath mercifully instructed,
Have obtained the boon of remembering Him.

SLOK II

O Thou Destroyer of the pain and grief of the distressed,
Lord of every heart, Thyself without a lord,

1 And not by the serpent Sheshndg as the Hindus suppose.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 201

I have come under Thy protection ; O God, be with
Nanak !

ASHTAPADI II

Where man hath neither mother, nor father, nor son, nor
friend, nor brother,

There, O my soul, God's name shall be with thee and
assist thee.

Where the very terrible ministers of Death crush thee,

There the name of God alone shall go with thee.

Where there are very great obstacles,

The name of God will remove them in a moment.

Thou shalt not be saved even by many expiations ;

It is the name of God which removeth millions of sins.

O my soul, utter the name of God under the Guru's
instruction ;

Thus shalt thou, saith Nanak, have manifold joys.

The king of the whole world is miserable ;

Only he is happy who uttereth God's name.

Even though there be millions of entanglements,

By uttering the name of God, we shall be freed from

them all.

The various pleasures of the world allay not our thirst,

But by pondering on God's name it is quenched.

On the road on which man goeth alone,1

The name of God is with him to cheer him.

Ever ponder on such a Name in thy heart,

And under the Guru's instruction, Nanak, thou shalt

obtain the supreme state.

3

Even though thou have millions of arms, thou shalt not
be saved ;

1 That is, after death.

202 THE SIKH RELIGION

But, if thou utter the Name, thou shalt be saved.
When many obstacles harass thee,
The name of God will at once save thee.
Man dieth and is born in many births,
But he shall obtain rest by uttering the Name.
The soul is defiled by filthy pride — filth which is never
washed away ; *

But the name of God cleanseth all impurity :
Repeat such a Name, O my soul, with love :
Nanak, it is obtained in the company of the saints.

4

On the way where the miles cannot be counted,
The name of God shall there be thy provision ;
On the way where there is pitch darkness,
The name of God shall accompany and light thee ;
On the way where nobody knoweth thee,
The name of God shall be there to recognize thee ;
Where there is very terrible heat and great sunshine,
There the name of God shall be a shadow over thee.
O man, where thirst tormenteth thee,
There, saith Nanak, the name of God shall rain nectar on
thee.2

5

Uttering the Name is the business of the pious ;
It giveth peace to the hearts of the saints.
God's name is the shelter of His servants ;
By God's name millions have been saved.
The saints day and night praise God :
The pious use God's name as their medicine.
The name of God is the treasure of the holy ;
The Supreme Being gave this gift to man.

1 Even at places of pilgrimage.

2 Hindus light lamps to guide the departed. They offer water to
allay their thirst and umbrellas to protect them from the heat. Such
offerings, which are made through Brahmans, are rejected by the Sikhs
as vain superstitions.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 203

Nanak, the pursuit of divine knowledge is the rule of the
holy,

Whose souls and bodies are dyed with the love of the
one God.

The name of God is the way of salvation for His
servant ;

The food of God's name satisfieth His servant ;

The name of God is His servant's beauty and delight ;

By uttering God's name harm never befalleth one ;

God's name is His servant's glory ;

From God's name man obtaineth lustre ;

God's name is enjoyment and salvation to His servant ;

By uttering God's name man is never separated from
Him.

Nanak, every demigod l worshippeth him

Who is dyed with the worship of God's name.

7

God's name is wealth and treasure to His servants ;

God Himself gave His name as a boon to man ;

God's name is to His servant a powerful stronghold ;

God's servant knoweth naught but God's glory.

The man of God who is the warp and the woof,2 is dyed
with God's love ;

In deep meditation man is intoxicated with the essence
of the Name ;

During the eight watches of the day the man of God
repeateth His name.

The saints of God are distinguished and not obscure ;

The worship of God conferreth salvation upon many —

Nanak, how many shall be saved with holy men ?

1 Har har deva. Also translated — (a) Vishnu, Shiv, and the other
gods. (3) Nanak worshippeth him as a god instead of Vishnu and
Shiv.

2 Ot pot. Also translated — thoroughly. The man of God is
thoroughly dyed with God's love.

204 THE SIKH RELIGION

8

This name of God is as the tree which groweth in
heaven ; x

The singing of God's praises is as the gifts of Kamdhen ;

Speaking of God is the best of all utterances ;

By hearing the Name pain and sorrow are removed :

The praise of the Name dwelleth in the hearts of the
pious ;

By their influence all sins depart.

It is by great good fortune association with the pious is
obtained ;

It is by serving them man meditateth on God's name :

There is nothing equal to God's name—

Nanak, a few men obtain it by the Guru's instruction.

SLOK III

I have seen many Shastars, many Simritis, and searched
them all —
They are, Nanak, not equal to God's priceless name.

ASHTAPADI III

i

Muttering spells, doing penance, pretended knowledge, all

meditation,

The exposition of the six Shastars and of the Simritis,
The practice of Jog, the performance of vain religious

ceremonies,

The abandonment of everything, wandering in the forest,
Superstitious efforts of various descriptions,
Almsgiving, the sacrifice of horn, the bestowal of many

jewels,2

1 This is called kalaptaru, and according to the Hindus communi
cates all wealth to man. That and the cow Kamdhenu were produced
among the fourteen gems from the churning of the ocean.

2 Jewels may be understood literally ; but the word is sometimes
applied to clarified butter, sesame, sandal, cardamums, honey, &c.,
thrown on fire as a ho?n sacrifice.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 205

Cutting pieces off one's body and making them a burnt

offering,

The performance of fasting and vows of many kinds —
All are not equal to the contemplation of God's name,
Nanak, even if it be only once repeated as directed by

the Guru.

2

Were one to wander through the nine continents of the

earth, live for a long time,

And become a great anchoret and penitent ;
Were one to burn oneself in the fire,
Make gifts of gold, excellent horses, and lands,
Perform the niwali feat, adopt many Jogi attitudes,
Adopt the Jain mortifications, make great spiritual efforts,
And cut one's body into pieces-
Even then the filth of pride would not depart.
There is nothing equal to God's name :
Nanak, by the utterance of the Name under the Guru

man obtaineth salvation.

3

Even though the soul leave the body at a place of pil
grimage ; yet if it retain worldly desires,

Pride and arrogance will not depart from it.

Even though one practice purification day and night,

The filth of the heart will not leave the body.

Even though man subject his body to much mortification,

Evil passions will never abandon his heart.

Even though we wash this temporary body with much
water,

How can a wall of mud become clean ?

O my soul, exalted is the name of God.

Nanak, the worst sinners have been saved by the Name.

4

By too much cleverness man shall feel the fear of
Death :

Even by various efforts his thirst shall not be satisfied ;

206 THE SIKH RELIGION

Even by adopting various religious garbs the fire of his
worldly love is not quenched ;

Even by millions of other religious efforts man is not
acceptable in God's court.

He over whom worldly love hath spread its net,

Shall not escape in heaven or hell.

Death heedeth naught but the praises of God ;

He punisheth all other works of man.

By repeating God's name grief is dispelled :

Nanak uttereth the Name without effort.

5

Let him who prayeth for the four boons,
Apply himself to the service of holy men.
Let him who desireth to remove his troubles,
Continually sing the name of God in his heart.
Let him who desireth honour for himself,
Renounce pride by association with holy men.
Let him who feareth transmigration,
Come under the protection of holy men.
Nanak is a sacrifice, a sacrifice
Unto those who thirst for the sight of God.

Among all men foremost is he
Who by association with the pious effaceth pride.
He who deemeth himself lowly,
Shall be deemed the most exalted of all.
They whose minds are the dust of all men's feet,
Shall see God's name in their inmost hearts.
They who expel evil from their hearts,
Shall regard the whole world as their friends.
The holy man who looketh upon weal and woe as the
same,

Shall not, Nanak, be affected by evil or good.

7

To him who hath no wealth, O God, Thy name is wealth,;
To him who hath no home, Thy name is a home ;

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 207

To him who hath no honour, Thy name is an honour :

Thou gives! gifts to all persons.

Thou, O Lord, actest and causest to act.

It is only Thou, who hast the secrets of all hearts,

Who knowest Thine own condition and limit.

Thou art, 0 God, Thine own beloved ;

It is Thou alone who canst praise Thyself.

Saith Nanak, no one else knoweth Thy praises.

8

Of all devotion, the best devotion is

To utter the name of God and do pious works ; 1

Of all rites, the best rite is

To remove the filth of evil inclinations by association
with saints ;

Of all efforts, the best effort is

Ever heartily to repeat God's name ;

Of all speech, the divine speech is

To utter with the tongue God's praises heard from the
Guru;

Of all places, that is the best place

Nanak, where God's name dwelleth in the heart.

SLOK IV

0 unworthy and foolish man, ever remember God.

Fix thy heart upon Him, Nanak, who made thee ; this
will avail thee in the end.

ASHTAPADI IV

i

Mortal, think upon the goodness of God,
What thine origin is, and what thou appearest now —
That God who made thee, fashioned thee, and adorned
thee,

Who preserved thee in the fire of the womb,
Who in thine infancy gave thee milk to drink,

1 Also translated — To utter the name of God, which is a pious
work.

208 THE SIKH RELIGION

In thy youth food, comfort, and intelligence,

In thine old age relations to watch over thee,

And who put food into thy mouth as thou wast seated.1

Unworthy man, however, value not these favours.

If Thou, O God, pardon him, then, O Nanak, he shall be

acceptable.

2

Thou feelest an affection for others, and abandonest Him
By whose favour thou dwellest in comfort on the earth,
And rejoicest with children, brothers, friends, and

wives ;

By whose favour thou drinkest cool water,

And the pleasant winds and the priceless fire are at thy

service ;

By whose favour thou enjoyest all pleasures,

And livest with all the necessaries of life ;

Who gave thee hands, feet, ears, eyes, and a tongue —

Such sins of ingratitude attach to blind and foolish man :

Nanak prayeth, save us, O Lord, from such sins.

3

The ignorant 2 man loveth not Him
Who protecteth him in the beginning and the end ;
The fool fixeth not his heart on Him
By service to whom the wealth of the world is obtained ;
The Lord who is ever and ever present
Is thought by the blind to be far away ;
The stupid and foolish forget Him
By service to whom honour is obtained at His court.
Man erreth ever and ever :
Nanak, the Infinite One is the only Preserver.

4

Man abandoneth a jewel and loveth a kauri ;
He renounceth truth and occupieth himself with false
hood ;

1 That is, without any effort of thy own.

2 Gawdr. Gaonwdr, dweller in a village, is literally the Latin word
paganus.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 209

What he shall have to part with he deemeth enduring ;
The thought of death which is to happen he putteth away
from him ;

He troubleth himself about what he must part with ;
He spurneth the Succourer who abideth with him ;
He washeth away and removeth the coating of sandal,1
And like a donkey conceiveth a love for ashes to roll in.
Man hath fallen into a terrible blind well :
Saith Nanak, O Merciful God, extricate him :

5

He is only man in appearance ; his acts are those of
a brute ;

He beguileth z people day and night ;

He weareth a religious dress, but within him is the filth
of worldly love ;

However much he try, he cannot conceal his sins ;

Before the world he practiseth contemplation, meditation,
and ablution,

While in his heart he hath the greed of a dog ;

In his heart is the fire of avarice while he applieth ashes
to his body ; 3

There is a stone tied to his neck : how shall he cross over
the bottomless ocean ?

He in whose heart God Himself dwelleth,

Shall, O Nanak, be easily absorbed in Him.

6

How shall a blind man find the road even though he hear
where it is ?

Take his hand and he shall reach the goal.

How can a deaf man understand riddles ?

Talk to him of the night, and he will think you are talking
of the dawn ;

1 What is precious.

2 Lok pachdr, the Sanskrit lokopachdr ; is also translated — he
followeth others' example.

3 To imitate religious persons.

210 THE SIKH RELIGION

How can a dumb man sing a stave

When, though he try, it would break his voice,1

How can a cripple roam on a mountain ?

He could never reach there.

O merciful Creator, Nanak humbly supplicateth Thee,

That by Thy favour he may be saved.

7

Man thinketh not upon the Succourer who abideth with
him ;

He loveth what is hostile to him ;

He dwelleth within a house of sand,

And indulgeth in joy, and sports, and the pleasures of
the world :

He is certain in his heart that they shall last for ever.

Attached to the sins of revenge, enmity, lust, wrath,
worldly love,

Falsehood, excessive avarice, and deceit,

The thought of death never entereth his foolish heart.

In this way he hath passed several lives ;

Nanak prayeth, 0 God, save him by Thy favour.

8

Thou art the Lord : I make this supplication unto
Thee.

Soul and body are all Thy property ;
Thou art mother and father, we are Thy children.
By Thy favour we obtain many comforts :
Nobody knoweth Thy limit.

0 God, Thou art the most exalted of the exalted.
All things are strung on Thy string,2

And must obey the orders Thou issuest.
It is only Thou Thyself who knowest Thine own con
dition and limit :

Nanak, Thy slave, is ever a sacrifice unto Thee.3

1 That is, his voice would be out of tune.

2 The whole creation is upheld by Thy law. .

3 This eighth pad is repeated by the Sikhs whenever the Granth
Sahib is opened.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 211

SLOK V

They who leave God the Giver and attach themselves to
other pleasures,

Shall never be acceptable ; O Nanak, without the Name
their honour shall depart.

ASHTAPADI V
i

If man obtain ten things and lay them by,

Shall he basely forfeit his faith for the sake of one
thing ? l

If God give not even one thing and take away the ten
things,

Say what can foolish man do ?

Ever bow down to that Lord

With whom force is of no avail.

All happiness abideth in him

To whose heart God is dear.

The man whom God hath caused to obey His order,

Hath, Nanak, obtained all things.

2

The Banker giveth countless capital to man :

He eateth, and drinketh, and useth it with pleasure and

j°y ;

But if God the Banker take back some of what He hath
entrusted to man,

The fool becometh angry.

He by his own act forfeiteth confidence,

And God will not again trust him.

If thou place the things 2 before their Owner,

And obey God's order with all thy might,3

1 When God has conferred many blessings, shall man be ungrateful
and rail at Him because he is bereft of one blessing ?

2 The blessings previously referred to.

3 Literally — on thy forehead. Persian and Indian Mussulmans
say — with the head and eyes.

P 2

212 THE SIKH RELIGION

He will make thee fourfold happy.
Nanak, the Lord is ever compassionate.

3

Man is enamoured of the various forms of mammon,
But it is temporary ; know this for a certainty.
Man falleth in love with the shadow of a tree :
When that vanisheth he mourneth in his heart.
Everything we see is transitory ;

Yet man, thoroughly blind that he is, is attached to it.
He who giveth his love to a passing visitor,
Shall gain nothing thereby.

0 my soul, the love of God's name is comfortable.
Nanak, God attacheth to Himself those to whom He

showeth mercy.

4

Perishable are body, wealth, and family ;

Perishable are pride, egoism, and worldly love ;

Perishable are dominion, youth, wealth, and property ;

Perishable are lust and direful wrath ;

Perishable are carriages, elephants, horses, and raiment ;

Perishable the love of worldly things, a sight of which
causeth man to rejoice ; l

Perishable are deceit, worldly love, and pride ;

Perishable is self-conceit ;

Imperishable the worship performed under the protection
of holy men —

Nanak liveth by meditating on God's feet —

5

Perishable the ears which listen to slander of others ;

Perishable the hands which steal the property of others ;

Perishable the eyes which behold the beauty and other
charms of another's wife ;

Perishable the tongue which tasteth dainty food and other
savours ;

1 Also translated — Perishable the pleasure obtained by beholding
near the various forms of mammon.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 213

Perishable the feet which run after evil ;

Perishable the heart which coveteth another's goods ;

Perishable the body which benefiteth not others ;

Perishable the nose which delighteth in the smell of
evil ;

Without understanding God everything is perishable.

Fruitful is the body, Nanak, which taketh the name of
God.

6

Vain is the life of the infidel.1

How can man be pure without truth ?

Vain are the spiritually blind without God's name ;

Foul breath2 issueth from their mouths :

Without remembering the Name their days and nights
pass away in vain.

As the crop perisheth without rain,

As the money of the miser is worthless,

So everything is vain without repeating God's name.

They are to be highly congratulated in whose hearts the
name of God abideth :

Nanak is a sacrifice, a sacrifice unto them.

1 Sdkat. This word means an adorer of the Shaktis, or female
energies of the gods, but the term is more particularly applied to the
adorers of Parbati, the female energy of Shiv. As the worshippers of
Shiv set up the phallus as the outward and visible representation of
their god, so the worshippers of his consort apply themselves to the
worship of the female principle, by which they mean the divine power
personified in woman. Some suppose that Shakti created the world
without God's intervention.

The Sakats are of two classes, those who follow the right-hand and
those who follow the left-hand way. The worship of the former is
open and undisguised, and of the latter secret and concealed. The
ceremonies must be attended with one or all of five objects beginning
with an M — mans, flesh; matsya, fish; madya, wine; maithuna,
sensuality ; and mudra, naturalistic gesticulations. It can, therefore, be
understood that the worship occasionally diverges from its strictly
religious character.

The scriptures of the Sakats are called Tantras. They principally
consist of dialogues between Shiv and his consort. Their composition
is attributed to Shiv himself. There is no doubt that they possess
some antiquity, for they are mentioned in the Purans.

2 That is, foul language.

214 THE SIKH RELIGION

7

He who professeth one thing and doeth another,

In whose heart there is no love, but who attacheth men
to him by his words,

Shall be tried by the Lord, who is wise, who knoweth
everything,

And is not pleased simply by outward appearances.

He who practiseth not what he preacheth,

Shall come and go, shall be born and die.

The world shall be saved by his teaching

In whose heart the Formless One dwelleth.

Only they who are pleasing to Thee, O God, can know
Thee:

Nanak falleth at the feet of such men.

8

Supplicate the Supreme Being who knoweth all things.
God accepteth the prayers of His creatures :
He Himself and by Himself decideth :
To one man He showeth Himself afar, and to another
near.

He Himself is free from all stratagems and wiles ;

He thoroughly knoweth the ways of man's heart ;

The man who is pleasing to Him He attacheth to His skirt —

He is contained in every place —

He to whom He showeth favour is His servant.

Nanak, every moment repeat God's name.

SLOK VI

Nanak hath taken Thy protection, O Divine Guru ; merci
fully grant

That his lust, wrath, avarice, worldly love, and pride may
depart.

ASHTAPADI VI

i

Bear that God in thy mind
By whose favour thou eatest of the thirty-six dishes.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 215

Thou shall obtain salvation by remembering Him
By whose favour thou appliest perfume to thy body.
Meditate on Him continually in thy heart
By whose favour thou dwellest comfortably at home.
Repeat His name with thy tongue for the eight watches
By whose favour thou dwellest in comfort with thy
family.

Nanak ever meditateth on Him

By whose favour thou enjoyest mental and bodily plea
sure ; He is worthy of meditation.1

Why shouldest thou be enamoured of others and forsake
Him

By whose favour thou wearest silks and satins ?

O man, sing His praises for the eight watches

By whose favour thou sleepest in comfort on thy bed.

Repeat His praises with thy mouth and with thy tongue

By whose favour every one honoureth thee.

0 man, ever think upon the Supreme Being alone

By whose favour thy faith is preserved.

By uttering the name of God thou shalt obtain honour
at His court,

O Nanak, and go home with honour.

3

Fix thine attention on that lovable God

By whose favour thy beautiful body remaineth healthy.

O man, thou shalt obtain happiness by uttering God's
praises,

By whose favour thy honour is preserved.

O man, take shelter in that Lord God

By whose favour all thy defects are concealed.

O man, at every breath remember the Most High

By whose favour none can equal thee.

Nanak, perform His service

By whose favour thou obtainest a human body so difficult
to obtain.

1 The Sikhs repeal this pad also as grace after meals.

216 THE SIKH RELIGION

4

O man, why art thou slow in remembering Him
By whose favour thou wearest jewels ?

0 man, never forget thy God

By whose favour thou ridest on horses and elephants.

String and keep God in thy heart

By whose favour thou hast gardens, and property, and
wealth.

Standing or sitting, O man, ever meditate upon Him

Who made the framework of thy body.

Meditate upon Him who is the Invisible One,

And he will preserve thee, Nanak, in this world and the
next.

5

Meditate upon Him during the eight watches of the day
By whose favour thou bestowest much in charity.
Remember that God at every breath
By whose favour thou performest thy religious and
worldly duties.

Remember that God ever incomparable
By whose favour thy form is beautiful.
Meditate on that God day and night
By whose favour thou hast obtained the superior state.1
By the Guru's favour, Nanak, repeat His praises
By whose favour thine honour is preserved.

6

Why attach thyself to any other and forsake Him
By whose favour thine ears hear melody,
By whose favour thou beholdest wonders,
By whose favour thou utterest ambrosial words,
By whose favour thou abidest in ease and comfort,
By whose favour thy hands move to discharge 2 their
duties,
By whose favour thou art completely successful,

1 Human birth.

2 Kar. If pad, the foot, were read instead of this word, the verse
would appear more simple.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 217

By whose favour thou obtainest supreme bliss,
By whose favour thou shalt be filled with happiness and
comfort ?

Awaken thy heart, Nanak, by the Guru's favour.

7

Never at all forget that God in thy heart
By whose favour thou art distinguished in the world,
O foolish man, repeat His name
By whose favour thou obtainest glory.
Know in thy heart that He is ever present
By whose favour thine affairs are completed.
O my soul, attach thyself to Him
By whose favour thou obtainest the truth.
Nanak, utter the, name of Him
By whose favour all are saved.

8

He uttereth God's name whom He causeth to utter it ;

He singeth God's praises whom He causeth to sing
them.

Through God's mercy man becometh enlightened ;

Through God's compassion the lotus of the heart
bloometh.

If God be pleased, He abideth in man's heart.

By God's compassion man's intellect is superior to that
of others.

All wealth is obtained, O God, by Thy kindness ;

No one obtaineth anything by himself.

We apply ourselves to the duties to which Thou hast
appointed us, O Master :

Nanak, we have no power in ourselves.

SLOK VII

The supreme Being is inaccessible and unfathomable ;
He who repeat eth His name shall be saved.
Hear, O my friends, Nanak's representation
And the wonderful story of the saints : —

2i8 THE SIKH RELIGION

ASHTAPADI VII

I

By association with saints the face becometh bright,
By association with saints all filth is removed,
By association with saints pride is effaced,
By association with saints divine knowledge is re
vealed,

By association with saints God is known to be near,
By association with saints everything is decided,
By association with saints the jewel of the Name is
obtained,

By association with saints we should strive for the one
God-

What mortal can express saints' praises ?

Nanak, the glory of saints is merged in that of God.1

By association with saints the Unseen is obtained,
By association with saints man ever flourisheth,
By association with saints the five evil passions are
restrained,

By association with saints man partaketh of the am
brosial essence of the Name,

By association with saints man becometh the dust of
all men's feet,

In the association of saints is fascinating converse,
By association with saints, the mind wandereth not
in any direction,

By association with saints it becometh stable,
By association with saints the mind is free from
illusion—

Nanak, by association with saints, God is well pleased.

3

By association with saints all enemies become friends,
By association with saints man becometh very pure,

1 When saints' praises cannot be expressed, much less can God's.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 219

By association with saints man feeleth not enmity for
any one,

By association with saints man's feet walk not awry —
A man cannot be evil who associateth with saints —
By association with saints man knoweth the Supreme

By association with saints there is no fever of pride,
By association with saints man abandoneth all self-

conceit.

Only God knoweth His saints' greatness —

Nanak, there is an understanding between God and His

saints —

4

By association with saints the mind never wandereth,
By association with saints happiness is ever obtained,
By association with saints man obtaineth what is un

seen,

By association with saints man beareth intolerable things,
By association with saints man dwelleth in an exalted

position,

By association with saints man shall reach God's palace,
By association with saints man's faith is completely

established,

In the association of saints the Supreme Being alone

is mentioned,

By association with saints man obtaineth the treasure of

the Name —

Nanak is a sacrifice to the saints —

5

By association with saints all one's family is saved,
By association with saints acquaintances, friends, and

family are saved,

By association with saints that wealth is obtained

From which every one gaineth advantage—

Dharmraj performeth service for those who associate

with saints —

By association with saints the king of the demigods

singeth man's praises.

220 THE SIKH RELIGION

By association with saints sins flee away,

By association with saints man singeth the praises of the
ambrosial Name,

By association with saints man reacheth every place,

Nanak, by association with saints man's birth is profit
able.

By association with saints man hath no travail —

On beholding and meeting them man becometh happy —

By association with saints blemishes are removed,

By association with saints hell is avoided,

By association with saints man shall be happy in this
world and the next,

By association with saints they who are separated from
God shall meet Him,

By association with saints man departeth not empty,

But obtaineth the fruit he desireth.

The Supreme Being dwelleth in the hearts of saints ;

Nanak, man hearing God's delicious name from saints
shall be saved.

7

In the association of saints hear God's name,
In the association of saints sing God's praises,
In the association of saints God is not forgotten,
In the association of saints man shall assuredly be

saved —

To the association of saints God is dear —

By association with saints He is seen in every heart,

By association with saints man becometh obedient,

By association with saints I have been saved,

By association with saints all maladies are healed.

Nanak, association with saints is obtained by good

fortune.

8

Even the Veds know not the greatness of saints ;
They described them as far as they had heard of them.
The greatness of saints is beyond the three qualities,
The greatness of saints pervadeth every place ;

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 221

There is no end to the glory of saints ;
The glory of saints is ever endless,
The glory of saints is the highest of the high,
The glory of saints is the greatest of the great,
The glory of saints appertaineth to them alone ;
Saith Nanak, my brethren, there is no difference between
God and His saints.

SLOK VIII

He whose heart is true and whose words are true
Looketh at nobody but the one God.
Nanak, these are the marks of a man who knoweth
God:-

ASHTAPADI VIII

The man who knoweth God is ever uncontaminated,
As the lotus is untouched by the water ;
The man who knoweth God is ever stainless,1
As all things purified by the sun ;

The man who knoweth God looketh on all men as equal,
As the wind bloweth on the rich and poor alike ;
The man who knoweth God is uniformly patient,
Like the earth which one man diggeth up and another
smeareth with sandal.

This is the attribute of the man who knoweth God ;
Nanak, his nature is like that of fire.2

2

The man who knoweth God is the purest of the pure,

As filth cannot permanently attach to water ;

The mind of the man who knoweth God is enlightened,

Like the firmament above the earth ;

To the man who knoweth God a friend and foe are the
same ;

The man who knoweth God hath no pride ;

The man who knoweth God is the most exalted of the
exalted ;

1 That is, no matter what he eats or with whom he associates.

2 Which purifies everything.

222 THE SIKH RELIGION

Yet his mind is the most humble of all—
Nanak, only those are Brahmgyanis l
Whom God Himself maketh so—

3

The man who knoweth God is the dust of all men's feet,
The man who knoweth God feeleth spiritual pleasure,
The man who knoweth God showeth kindness to all,
From the man who knoweth God cometh nothing evil,
The man who knoweth God ever looketh on all with an

equal eye —

Nectar raineth from the glance of him who knoweth

God—

The man who knoweth God is free from entanglements ;
The way of the man who knoweth God is pure ;
Divine knowledge is the food of the man who knoweth

God;
The man who knoweth God meditateth on Him,

4

The man who knoweth God hath his hopes on One
alone,

The man who knoweth God shall never perish,

The man who knoweth God is steeped in humility,

The man who knoweth God delighteth to show kindness
to others,

The man who knoweth God is not involved in worldly
affairs,

The man who knoweth God restraineth his wandering
mind ;

Very good are the acts of the man who knoweth God ; 2

Everything prospereth with him who knoweth God ;

In the company of the man who knoweth God all shall
be saved —

Nanak, the whole world praiseth the man who knoweth
God.

1 Who know God.

2 Also translated — To the man who knoweth God, whatever is, is
best.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 223

D

The man who knoweth God loveth Him alone ;
God abideth with the man who knoweth Him ;
The Name is the support of the man who knoweth

God,

The Name is a halo 1 for the man who knoweth God ;
The man who knoweth God is ever watchful,
The man who knoweth God renounceth pride,
The heart of him who knoweth God feeleth supreme

delight,

The home of him who knoweth God is ever happy,
The man who knoweth God dwelleth in peace and rest,
The man who knoweth God, O Nanak, shall never perish —

The man who knoweth God is called a Brahmgyani,
The man who knoweth God loveth but Him alone,
The man who knoweth God is free from care ;
Pure is the doctrine of him who knoweth God ;
He is a Brahmgyani whom God maketh so ;
Great is the glory of the man who knoweth God.
A sight of the man who knoweth God is only obtained
by good fortune ;

Be a sacrifice to the man who knoweth God ;
Shiv searcheth for the man who knoweth God —
Nanak, the Brahmgyani is himself God.

7

The man who knoweth God is priceless,
The man who knoweth God knoweth everything —
Who knoweth the secret of him who knoweth God ?
Obeisance ever to him who knoweth God !
Even half a letter of his praises who knoweth God cannot
be written —

The man who knoweth God is the lord of all—

Who can tell the worth of the man who knoweth God ?

1 Parwar. This word also means family and retinue.

224 THE SIKH RELIGION

Only the man who knoweth God knoweth his own state ;
The man who knoweth God hath no end or limit.
Nanak ever boweth to the man who knoweth God.

8

The man who knoweth God is the creator of the whole
world,

The man who knoweth God liveth for ever and dieth not,
The man who knoweth God bestoweth on creatures
spiritual and temporal benefits,

The man who knoweth God is the perfect being, the
arranger,

The man who knoweth God is the patron of the patron-
less,

The man who knoweth God holdeth his arm over all,
The man who knoweth God owneth the whole world,
The man who knoweth God is himself the Formless One —
The glory of the man who knoweth God is peculiar to
himself —

Nanak, the man who knoweth God is the lord of all.

SLOK IX

Nanak, he is an Aparas 1 and saveth all,
Who preserveth the Name in his inmost heart,
Who seeth God in all things,
And who every moment boweth to the Lord.

ASHTAPADI IX

i

Nanak, among millions there is scarcely an Aparas
Whose tongue toucheth not falsehood,
Whose heart loveth to behold the Bright One,
Whose eyes gaze not on the beauty of others' wives,
Who serveth holy men and loveth saints,
Whose ears hear not slander of any one,
Who deemeth himself the worst of all men.

1 Aparas, a sect who plume themselves on not touching metals.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 225

Who by the favour of the Guru renounceth all wickedness,

Who banisheth all evil desires from his heart,

Curbeth his passions, and refraineth from the five deadly

sins.

2

He is a Vaishnav with whom God is pleased,
Who is free from the influence of mammon,
Who in performing good acts looketh not for reward }—
Of such a Vaishnav pure is the religion—
Nanak. that Vaishnav shall obtain final salvation,
Who desireth not a reward for anything,
Who is only attached to God's service and singing His

praises,

Who remembereth God in his mind and body,

Who is merciful to all creatures,

Who himself holdeth fast God's name and causeth others

to repeat it.

3

He is a Bhagauti who loveth God's service,

Who forsaketh the company of all wicked men,

Who removeth all superstition from his mind,

Who deemeth and worshippeth all nature as the Supreme

Being,

Who by association with the saints washeth away the

filth of sin —

Of such a Bhagauti supreme is the wisdom —
He who continually serveth God,
And dedicateth his soul and body to His love,
Who placeth God's feet in his heart —
Nanak, such a Bhagauti shall obtain God.

4

He is a Pandit who awakeneth his own mind,
Who searcheth for God's name in his heart,
Who drinketh the excellent juice of God's name —

1 Acts are of two kinds, those performed for a material object, as if
one makes offerings for wealth or the restoration of health, and
secondly those performed without any hope or desire of reward.

SIKH. lit Q

226 THE SIKH RELIGION

The world liveth by that Pandit's instruction —
The Pandit who implanteth God's word in his heart
Shall not be born again.
Nanak ever maketh obeisance to that Pandit
Who understandeth the real meaning of the Veds, the
Purans, and the Simritis,
Who recognizeth the great in the minute,1
And who instructeth the four castes.

5

The Name, the ground spell, giveth knowledge to all ;

He who among the four castes

Repeateth it, shall obtain salvation.

Some rare man obtaineth it by association with the saints.

By the favour of God, the keeping of the Name in the
heart

Shall save brutes, sprites, blockheads and hard-hearted
persons.2

The Name is the medicine for all diseases ;

Singing God's praises is beatitude and joy.

God's name is found not in any other way or by any
other religion.

Nanak, he for whom such destiny was written from the
first, shall obtain God's name.

6

He in whose heart is God's dwelling,
May truly be called God's slave.
The soul of the world appeareth to his gaze,
And he hath obtained the state of God's slave of slaves.
The servant of God who believeth that He is ever
near,

Shall be acceptable at His court.

His servant to whom He showeth kindness,

Shall obtain all knowledge.

The man who among all men is a recluse at heart,

Thus becometh, O Nanak, a slave of God.

1 Who recognizes the great God in His minute forms.

2 Literally — stones.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 227

7

He whose heart loveth God's order
Is said to have obtained salvation during life
To him joy and sorrow are the same ;
He is ever happy and is never separated from God,
To him as is gold so is dross,
As is nectar so is bitter poison,
As is honour so is dishonour,
As is the poor man so is the king.
He who deemeth what cometh from God as best,
Shall, O Nanak, be said to have obtained salvation during
life.

8

All places belong to the Supreme Being ;

Creatures have different names according to where God
placed them.

God is able to act and cause others to act ;

What pleaseth Him shall ultimately be.

God extended Himself in endless waves ;

The play of the Supreme Being cannot be understood.

Man's enlightenment is according to the understanding
God giveth him.

The Supreme Being, the Creator, is imperishable ;

He is ever, ever, ever compassionate :

By remembering and remembering Him, Nanak hath
become happy.

SLOK X

Many people praise Him who hath neither end nor limit :
Nanak, God created His creatures of many kinds and
various species.

ASHTAPADI X

I

Many millions are His worshippers,

Many millions are engaged in religious and worldly duties,
Many millions dwell at places of pilgrimage,
Many millions wander as anchorets in the forest,

228 THE SIKH RELIGION

Many millions listen to the Veds,

Many millions perform excessive penances,

Many millions meditate on God in their hearts,

Many millions of poets compose verses in His praise,

Many millions meditate on His ever new names —

Even then, Nanak, they find not the Creator's limit.

2

Many millions are proud,

Many millions are in blind ignorance,

Many millions are hard-hearted misers,

Many millions are unsociable l and morose at heart,

Many millions steal others' property,

Many millions bring false charges against others,

Many millions make efforts to acquire wealth,

Many millions wander in foreign lands ;

Where Thou didst place men, O God, there are they :

Nanak, only the Creator knoweth His own creatures.

3

Many millions are Sidhs, Jatis, and Jogis ;
Many millions are Kings and enjoy pleasures ;
Many millions of birds and serpents have been created ;
Many millions of stones and trees have been produced ;
Many millions of winds, waters, and fires ;
Many millions of countries and regions of the earth
Many millions of moons, suns, and stars ; 2
Many millions of demigods, demons, and crowned
Indars.

God holdeth all things by His string,

And, O Nanak, saveth those whom He pleaseth,

4

Many millions of beings were created with the three
qualities of impulse, darkness, and goodness,

1 Abhig. This is believed to be from a, negative, and the Panjabi
bhijna.

2 Nakshatar in Sanskrit properly means lunar mansions, but in
the Granth Sahib it generally means stars.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 229

Many millions of Veds, Purans, Simritis, and Shastars,

Many millions of jewelled oceans,

Many millions of animals of various descriptions ;

Many millions were made long-lived,

Many millions of hills and golden mountains,

Many millions of Yakshas,1 Kinars,2 and Pishachas,3

Many millions of sprites, ghosts, pigs, and tigers —

God is near all, yet far from all ;

Nanak, God filleth everything, and yet is separate.

5

Many millions inhabit the nether regions,
Many millions dwell in hell and heaven,
Many millions are born, live, and die,
Many millions wander through many wombs,
Many millions live without exertion,4
Many millions are wearied with labour,
Many millions are created wealthy,
Many millions are anxious for riches,
Wherever God pleaseth He placeth them ;
Nanak, everything is in God's power.

6

There are many millions of Bairagis
Who love God's name ;
Many millions search for God,
And find Him in their hearts ;
Many millions thirst for a sight of God,
And find Him, the Imperishable One ;
Many millions pray for the society of the saints —
They are those who love the Supreme Being.
Nanak, they are ever blest
With whom God is well pleased.

1 Supernatural beings attendant on the god of wealth. They were
known as ' good people '.

2 Celestial musicians who sprang with the Yakshas from the toe of
Brahma. They are supposed to dwell in the paradise of the god of
wealth on Mount Kailas in the Himalayas.

3 The most malignant order of evil spirits.

4 Literally — eat as they are seated.

230 THE SIKH RELIGION

7

Many millions of sources of life and regions were created,

Many millions of skies, mundane eggs,1

Many millions of incarnations.

In divers shapes the world was spread out ; 2

Many times was extension extended.

Ever and ever there is but One God —

Many millions of creatures were made of many descrip
tions ;

From God they emanated and in God shall they be
absorbed.

No one knoweth His limit ;

Nanak, God Himself is all in all.

8

There are many millions of His slaves
Whose minds are enlightened ;
Many millions who know the Real Thing,
And ever look with their eyes on the One alone ;
Many millions drink the essence of the Name,
Become immortal, and live for ever and ever ;
Many millions sing the excellences of the Name,
And are absorbed in divine bliss, happiness, and tran
quillity.

God watcheth over every breath of His servant,
For, O Nanak, God's servants are dear to Him.

SLOK XI

The Cause of causes is the One God, there is none other.
Nanak is a sacrifice to Him who is contained in sea and
land, in the nether regions and the firmament.

ASHTAPADI XI

i

The Cause of causes is capable of acting ;
What pleaseth Him shall come to pass.

1 Brahmand. This word means the universe.

2 At every creation the world assumed different shapes.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 231

He who hath no end or limits

Establisheth and disestablished in a moment.

By His order He supporteth and holdeth the firma
ment ; l

By His order there is creation, and by His order absorp
tion in Himself ;

The occupations of high and low are according to His
order ;

By His order there are the varied phases of nature ;

Having created, He beholdeth His own greatness —

Nanak, God is contained in all things.

If it please God, man obtaineth salvation ;
If it please God, He maketh a stone cross the ocean of
the world ;

If it please God, He can restore the lifeless body ;

If it please God, then man recounteth His praises ;

If it please God, then He saveth sinners.

He Himself createth, He Himself designeth,

He Himself is the Lord of both worlds.

The Searcher of hearts sporteth and is pleased ;

He causeth man to do as He wisheth.

Nanak, there is nothing seen but Him.

3

Say what can be accomplished by man ;
What pleaseth God He causeth to be done ;
If man had the power he would acquire all things.2
God doeth what pleaseth Himself,
Through not knowing God man is attached to sin ;
If he knew God, he would save himself from it.
The mind led astray by superstition wandereth in every
direction,

1 That which is not supported, the firmament. The line is
also translated — By His order He supporteth the world, Himself
unsupported.

2 He must therefore depend upon God and seek His assistance.

232 THE SIKH RELIGION

And in a moment returneth.

God bestoweth His service on him to whom He is merci
ful ;

Nanak, such a man shall be absorbed in the Name.

4

God the cherisher of the poor
Can in a moment make a humble worm a king ;
Him who is totally obscure
God can at once render everywhere famous.
The Lord of the world will not take the accounts of
those

On whom He bestoweth His favours.
Soul and body are all His property ;
Every heart is full of God's light ;
He made His own handiwork —
Nanak liveth by beholding His greatness.

5

Man's power is not at his own disposal ;
The Cause of causes is the Lord of all.
Helpless creatures must obey orders ;
What pleaseth God shall ultimately be.
Man is sometimes exalted, and sometimes debased ;
Sometimes he mourneth, and sometimes he laugheth with
delight and joy ;

Sometimes he engageth in blame and praise,
Sometimes he is up in heaven, sometimes down in hell ;
Sometimes he is acquainted with divine knowledge,
Nanak, God Himself causeth us to meet Him.

6

Sometimes man danceth in a variety of ways,
Sometimes he sleepeth day and night,
Sometimes he is terrible in his mighty wrath,
Sometimes he is the dust of all men's feet,
Sometimes he is enthroned as a great king,
Sometimes he weareth the attire of a lowly beggar,
Sometimes he falleth into evil repute,

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 233

Sometimes he is called very good ;

As God keepeth him so he remaineth —

By the favour of the Guru, Nanak speaketh the truth.

7

Sometimes as a Pandit man expoundeth texts,
Sometimes vowed to silence he practiseth contemplation,
Sometimes he batheth at places of pilgrimage,
Sometimes as a Sidh or Striver he preacheth divine know
ledge.

Sometimes his soul wandereth in many wombs —

Is in an elephant, a worm, or a moth.

As a player he playeth several parts ;

As God please th so He maketh man dance.

What pleaseth God shall come to pass ;

Nanak, there is none other than He.

8

Sometimes man obtaineth the saints' society,
From which He returneth not again,
And which shall not perish :

The light of divine knowledge shall then shine in his heart.
His soul and body dyed with the name of the one God
Shall ever abide with the Supreme Being.
As water blendeth with water,
So light is blended with light.
Transmigration is ended and rest obtained —
Nanak is ever a sacrifice to the Lord.

SLOK XII

They who have effaced themselves and become humble
are happy,

While the very haughty, O Nanak, are consumed by their
pride.

ASHTAPADI XII

i

He in whose heart is the pride of dominion,
Shall fall into hell and become a dog ;

234 THE SIKH RELIGION

He who boasteth of his youth,

Shall become a creature of filth ;

He who calleth himself good

Shall die and be born again, and wander in many a
womb ;

He who is proud of his wealth and property,

Is stupid and blind and ignorant ;

He in whose heart God mercifully planteth meekness,

Shall obtain, O Nanak, salvation in this world1 and
happiness in the next.

2

Not so much as a straw shall go with him,

Who, becoming wealthy, plumeth himself thereon.

He who relieth on his large army and men,

Shall be destroyed in a moment ;

He who deemeth himself stronger than all,

Shall in a trice become dust ;

Dharmraj shall disgrace him

Who in his pride thinketh naught of any one.

He whose pride is effaced by favour of the Guru,

Shall be acceptable, Nanak, in God's court.

3

If man do millions of good acts but possess pride,
He incurreth only trouble ; all his acts are vain.
He who is proud of his various mortifications,
Shall be born again and again in hell and heaven.
How shall he who, though making many efforts,
Softeneth not his heart, go to God's court ?
Goodness shall not even approach him
Who calleth himself -good.
Saith Nanak, pure shall be the glory of him
Whose heart is the dust of all men's feet.

4

Man hath no happiness

So long as he thinketh he can do something ;

As long as man thinketh he can do something,

1 Shall obtain salvation even in life.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 235

So long shall he wander in wombs ;

As long as man deemeth any one an enemy or a friend,

So long shall his mind not be stable ;

As long as man is intoxicated with the love of mammon,

So long shall Dharmraj punish him.

It is by God's grace man's bonds are burst,

And by the Guru's favour pride, O Nanak, is removed.

5

Even though man earn thousands, he will run after a
lakh;

He will never be satisfied in his pursuit of wealth.

Though he devote himself to the enjoyment of many evil
passions,

He will never be satisfied ; he will kill himself pursuing
more.

No one can be satisfied without contentment ;

Otherwise all efforts are vain like the illusion of a dream.

All happiness is obtained by loving the Name ;

But only a few obtain it by great good fortune —

God Himself is all in all, the Cause ef causes ;

Ever and ever, Nanak, repeat His name.

6

The Creator is the Cause of causes ;
What resource hath man ?
He becometh as God regardeth him —
There is only God ;

Whatever was created was according to His pleasure.
He is far from all, and yet with all ;
He understandeth, beholdeth, and exerciseth judgement ;
He Himself is one and He Himself is many ;
He neither dieth nor perisheth ; He neither cometh nor
goeth ;

Nanak, He is ever diffused throughout creation ;

7

He Himself instructeth, and He Himself understandeth ;
He Himself is blended with everything ;

236 THE SIKH RELIGION

He made His own expansion ; x
Everything is His, He is the Creator-
Say can anything be effected without Him ?
The one God is in every place ;
He Himself acteth His own parts ;
He exhibiteth plays of endless kinds :
He is in the soul, and the soul is in Him ;
Nanak, His worth cannot be described.

True, true, true is the Lord God ;

By the Guru's favour some rare person describeth Him.

True, true, true is He who created all.

Among millions some rare one knoweth Thee, 0 God ;

Excellent, excellent, excellent is Thy form,

Very beautiful, unbounded, and incomparable.

Pure, pure, pure is Thy Word ;

Every one heareth it with his ears, and repeat eth it.

Holy, holy, holy, holy

Is Thy name ; Nanak uttereth it with heartfelt love.

SLOK XIII

He who entereth the asylum of the saints shall be saved ;
He who slandereth the saints, Nanak, shall be born again
and again.

ASHTAPADI XIII

i

By calumniating the saints man's life is shortened,
By calumniating the saints man escapeth not from Death,
By calumniating the saints all happiness vanisheth,
By calumniating the saints man falleth into hell,
By calumniating the saints the understanding is clouded,
By calumniating the saints man is without glory —
None can save him who is accursed of the saints—
By calumniating the saints man falleth from his position.
Nanak, even a slanderer shall be saved in the company
of the saints,

If the merciful saints but show him mercy.

1 By expanding Himself God made the world.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 237

2

By calumniating the saints man's face becometh crooked,
By calumniating the saints man croaketh like a raven,
By calumniating the saints man is born as a serpent,
By calumniating the saints man is born as a creeping

worm,

By calumniating the saints man burneth with thirst,
By calumniating the saints man deceiveth every one,
By calumniating the saints all man's influence departeth,
By calumniating the saints man becometh the lowest of

the low ;
There is no abiding place for him who calumniateth the

saints ;

But if it please the saints, O Nanak, he too may obtain

salvation.

3

The slanderer of the saints is a great malefactor,1
The slanderer of the saints hath not a moment's rest,
The slanderer of the saints is a great murderer,
The slanderer of the saints is accursed of God,
The slanderer of the saints loseth his dominion,
The slanderer of the saints becometh afflicted and poor,
The slanderer of the saints contracteth every disease,
The slanderer of the saints is ever separated from God,
The slanderer of the saints committeth sin upon sin ;
But, O Nanak, if it please the saints, he too may obtain
salvation.

4

He who slandereth the saints is ever impure,
He who slandereth the saints is no man's friend,
He who slandereth the saints shall be punished,
He who slandereth the saints shall be abandoned by all,
He who slandereth the saints is very proud,
He who slandereth the saints is ever a sinner,

1 Atatai, from the Sanskrit atatayin. Literally — Who threatens
another with a drawn bow ; then any person who commits a heinous
crime.

238 THE SIKH RELIGION

He who slander eth the saints dieth and is born again,
He who slandereth the saints swerveth from happiness,
He who slandereth the saints hath no abiding place ;
But if it please the saints, O Nanak, they will join him
with themselves—

5

He who slandereth the saints breaketh down half way,1
He who slandereth the saints succeedeth in nothing,
He who slandereth the saints shall wander in deserts,
He who slandereth the saints shall fall into the wilderness,
He who slandereth the saints is hollow within —
As the corpse of a dead man hath no breath —
He who slandereth the saints hath no root whatever ;
He shall himself eat of the fruit he hath planted ;
He who slandereth the saints hath no protector ;
But if it please the saints, O Nanak, they will save him
too —

He who slandereth the saints shall cry aloud,

As a fish without water wriggleth in agony ;

He who slandereth the saints shall never be full,

As a fire is not satisfied with firewood ;

He who slandereth the saints is left alone

Like a miserable barren sesame stalk in a field ;

He who slandereth the saints is void of honesty ;

He who slandereth the saints ever uttereth falsehood —

Such is the fate of the slanderer from the beginning ;

Nanak, whatever pleaseth God shall take place —

7

He who slandereth the saints shall become deformed,
He who slandereth the saints shall receive punishment
in God's court,

He who slandereth the saints ever gaspeth,

1 That is, he dies in his youth. Compare—

Und eh' man nur den halben Weg erreicht,
Muss wohl ein armer Teufel sterben.

Goethe's Faust.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 239

He who slandereth the saints is neither dead nor living,
He who slandereth the saints never hath his hopes fulfilled,
He who slandereth the saints departeth disappointed ;
No one obtaineth permanence l by slandering the saints —
Man is as it pleaseth God to make him ;
No one can set aside his destiny —
Nanak, the True One knoweth everything ;

8

Every heart is His, He is the Creator ;
Ever and ever bow to Him ;
Praise God day and night ;

Meditate on Him at every breath you draw and at every
morsel you eat.

Everything prevaileth that God hath done.

Man shall become as God maketh him.

God playeth His own play ;

Who else can criticize Him ?

He giveth His name to those to whom He is merciful ;

And, Nanak, very fortunate are they.

SLOK XIV

Quit devices, my good friends, and remember God, God
the King ;

Treasure in thy heart thy hopes in the one God, O Nanak,
so shall suffering, error, and fear depart.

ASHTAPADI XIV

i

Know that all reliance on man is vain ;
It is God alone who bestoweth,
By whose gifts we remain satisfied,
And not again feel thirst.
The one God alone destroyeth and protecteth ;
There is nothing in man's power.

Happiness cometh from understanding the will of God ;
String His name and wear it on thy neck ;
Remember, remember, remember that God,
Nanak, and no obstacle shall come in thy way.
1 Exemption from transmigration.

240 THE SIKH RELIGION

O man, praise the Formless One in thy heart ;

O man, practise works of righteousness ;

Quaff the nectar of the Name, and thy tongue shall
become pure,

And thou shalt render thy soul for ever happy.

Behold God's splendour with thine eyes.

In the company of the saints love for all other company
shall vanish.

Walk with thy feet in God's way :

Thy sins shall be erased if thou even for a moment repeat
God's name.

Do God's work, hear His story with thine ears,

And thy countenance, O Nanak, shall be bright in His
court.

3

Very fortunate are they in the world

Who ever and ever sing God's praises.

He who meditateth on God's name

Shall be accounted rich in the world.

Know that he shall ever and ever be happy

Who uttereth the Supreme God's name with mind and
tongue.

He who recognizeth the one only God

Shall obtain knowledge of this world and the next.

He whose mind is won over to the Name,

Nanak, shall know God the Pure One.

4

Know that his thirst shall be quenched
Who by the Guru's favour knoweth himself.
The holy man who repeatcth God's praises in the company
of the saints,

Shall be exempt from all disease.

He who night and day singeth the one God's praises

Shall be saved even in the bosom of his family.

Death's noose shall be cut for him

Who putteth his hopes in God alone.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 241

He whose soul hungereth for the Supreme God,
Shall, O Nanak, have no suffering.

5

He who thinketh upon the Lord God,

Is a happy saint and waver eth not.

The servant to whom God showeth His mercy —

Say of whom shall he be afraid :

As God is, so doth He appear unto him —

Contained in His own creation.

He who is successful in his long search for God,

By the Guru's favour knoweth the whole reality.

When I look I see God is the root of all things ;

Nanak, He is at once minute and great ;

He is not born, neither doth He die ;
He playeth His own parts.

Things visible and invisible, which come and go,
The whole creation is supported by the Commander,
And He Himself is contained in everything.
Employing many devices He maketh and unmaketh.
He is imperishable and infrangible ;
He supporteth the universe ;
He is unseen, inscrutable, and glorious.
Nanak, they whom He Himself causeth to repeat His
name repeat it.

7

They who know God are glorious ;
The whole world shall be saved by their spell.
God's servants shall save all :
God's servants shall cause sorrow to be forgotten.
They who repeat the Name under the Guru's instruction
shall be happy ;

The Merciful One shall blend them with Himself ;
The fortunate man to whom God showeth mercy,
Shall apply Himself to their service.

SIKH. Ill R

242 THE SIKH RELIGION

He who uttereth the Name shall obtain rest ;
Nanak, consider him as the best :

8

Whatever he doeth is for the love of God ;
He shall ever and ever abide with Him —
Whatever naturally happeneth, happeneth—
And recognize Him as the Creator.
What God doeth is pleasing to the saints ;
As He is, so He appeareth unto them.
They shall be absorbed in Him from whom they have
sprung,

And be alone deemed worthy of the treasure of happiness.

He Himself giveth honour to His own ;

Nanak, know that God and His servant are one.

SLOK XV

God is full of all power and knoweth the affairs l of His
creatures ;

I am a sacrifice to Him, O Nanak, by remembering whom
salvation is obtained.

ASHTAPADI XV

i

God is the mender of what is broken ;
He Himself cherisheth all creatures.
Nobody applieth in vain to Him
Whose heart feeleth anxiety for all.
O man, ever repeat God's name ;
He Himself is the imperishable Lord.
From what man doeth himself nothing resulteth.
O mortal, even though thou desire it hundreds of times,
Without God nothing shall avail thee.
Salvation, Nanak, is obtained by repeating the name of
the one God.

2

If man be handsome, he should not be charmed thereby,
Since it is God's light that shineth in everybody.

1 Birtha. Also translated — trouble, from the Sanskrit byatha.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 243

If man be wealthy, why should he be proud thereof,

Since all the wealth that God hath given belongeth to
Him?

Even though one be a mighty hero,

What efforts can he make without obtaining power from
God?

If any one plume himself on being very liberal,

God the real Giver will think him a fool.

He whose malady of pride is cured by the Guru's favour,

Shall, O Nanak, never suffer from it again.

3

As a pillar supporteth a house,

So the word of the Guru supporteth the heart ;

As a stone floateth when put into a boat,

So are mortals saved by clinging to the Guru's feet ;

As a lamp giveth light in the darkness,

So man shineth on beholding the Guru ;

As man can find his way in a great wilderness if he have
a guide,

So light shall shine for him when he joineth the congrega
tion of the saints.

I desire the dust of such saints' feet ;

O God, fulfil Nanak's desires.

4

O foolish man, why dost thou bewail ?
Thou shalt obtain what was written for thee in the be
ginning.

God is the Dispenser of woe and weal ;
Abandon others and think of Him :
Whatever He doeth gladly agree to—
Why wanderest thou astray, O thoughtless one ?
O greedy moth, attached to pleasures,
What came into the world with thee ?
Repeat God's name in thy heart,
Nanak, and thou shalt go to thy home with honour.

R2

244 THE SIKH RELIGION

5

In the dwelling of the saints God's name is found —

The merchandise thou earnest into the world to obtain.

Renounce pride, weigh God's name in thy heart,

And purchase it with thy life.

Load thy merchandise, set out with the saints,

And, having freed thyself from the entanglements of the
deadly sins,

Every one will congratulate thee ;

Thy countenance shall be bright, and thou shalt obtain
honour in God's court.

Few are the merchants who deal in this merchandise,

And to them Nanak is ever a sacrifice.

6

Bathe the saints' feet and afterwards drink the bathing
water ;

Dedicate thy soul to the saints ;

Bathe thyself in the dust of the saints' feet,

And become a sacrifice unto them.

The service of the saints is obtained by good fortune ;

Sing God's praises in their company :

The saints preserve man from various dangers.

He who singeth God's praises shall taste the savour of
nectar.

He who cometh to the door of the saints and seeketh
their protection,

Shall, O Nanak, obtain all happiness.

7
God reanimateth the dead ;

He giveth support to the hungry ;

All wealth is in His glance ;

But man only obtaineth what was originally destined him.

Everything is God's ; He is Omnipotent.

There neither was nor shall be any but Him ;

O man, ever and ever repeat His name day and night ;

This is the most exalted and sacred duty.

He to whom God hath mercifully granted His name,

Shall, 0 Nanak, become pure.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 245

8

He whose heart hath faith in the Guru
Shall remember the Lord God ;
They in whose hearts is the one God,
Are called saints in the three worlds.
True are the acts and true the ways of those
In whose hearts is the truth, and who utter the truth
with their mouths.

True is God's glance, true His world,
True His practice, and true His creation.
He who recognizeth the Supreme Being as true,
Shall, O Nanak, be absorbed in the True One.1

SLOK XVI

God hath no form, outline, or colour ; He is exempt
from the three qualities ;

He causeth him, O Nanak, with whom He is well pleased
to know Him.

ASHTAPADI XVI

I

Keep thou the imperishable God in thy heart,
And renounce human love.
There is nothing superior to God ;
He is one without interruption in all things ;
He is far-seeing ; He is knowing.

0 deep, profound, and all-wise,
Supreme Brahm, Supreme God, Gobind,
Treasure of mercy, compassionate Pardoner,
Nanak's heartfelt desire is

To fall at the feet of Thy saints.

1 These six lines are also translated —

Of him who recognizeth God as true

True are the acts, true the ways.

There is truth in his heart ; with his tongue he uttereth truth ;

True are his eyes, true his body,

True his conduct, and true his property :

Nanak, such a man shall be absorbed in the True One.

246 THE SIKH RELIGION

God is the fulfiller of desires and capable of giving
protection ;

What He hath inscribed in man's destiny shall take place.

He can destroy and create in the twinkling of an eye ;

None but Himself knoweth His counsel ;

He is ever happy and joyous ;

All things are, I have heard, in His palace ;

He is King of kings and Supreme Jogi among Jogis ;

In penance He is king of the penitents ; in the domestic
state He is an enjoyer :

By constant meditation on Him the saints obtain happi
ness —

Nanak, no one hath found the limit of such a Being ;

3

To His play there is no limit ;

All the demigods have grown weary searching for it.

What doth a son know of His father's birth ? l

God hath strung all things on His own string.

His servant to whom He giveth wisdom, divine know
ledge, and meditation,

Meditateth on Him.

They whom He leadeth astray among the three qualities,

Die to be born again, and again suffer transmigration.

The high and the low places of the earth are His—

O Nanak, man knoweth as God causeth him to know
Him.

4

God hath various forms and various colours ;
He assumeth various guises, and yet remaineth the same.
God the indestructible who hath one form,
Hath extended Himself in various ways ;
He acteth various parts in a moment.
The Perfect One filleth every place ;
He hath made creation in various forms ;
He Himself knoweth His own worth ;

1 That is, no one knows God's origin.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 247

All hearts are His, all places are His.
Nanak liveth by ever uttering God's name.

5

By the Name are sustained all creatures ;

By the Name are supported the regions of the earth and
the universe ;

By the Name are supported the Simritis, the Veds, and
the Purans ;

By the support of the Name we hear God's praises, and
obtain divine knowledge and meditation ;

By the Name are supported the firmament and the nether
regions ;

By the Name is the whole world upheld ;

By the Name are maintained all cities and houses ;

By hearing the Name with attention man is saved.

He whom God mercifully attacheth to His name,

Shall, O Nanak, obtain final deliverance.

6

God's form is true, true is His place ;

He is the True Spirit, He alone is Supreme ;

His acts are true, His word is true ;

The true Spirit is contained in everything ;

His deeds are true, His creation is true ;

The Root of the world is true, and true what springeth
from it ;

Pure are His acts, the purest of the pure.

Everything turneth out well for him to whom God giveth
knowledge.

The true name of God bestoweth happiness ;

True faith, Nanak, is obtained from the Guru.

7

True are the words and instruction of the saints ;
True are they into whose hearts they enter.
He who knoweth how to search for the truth,
Shall obtain salvation by uttering the Name.
God Himself is true, and true is everything He hath made ;
He Himself knoweth His own measure and condition.

248 THE SIKH RELIGION

The creation belongeth to its Maker ;

He taketh counsel with none but Himself.

The measure of the Creator is not known to the creature

Nanak, what pleaseth God prevaileth.

Man wondereth at the wonders upon wonders of creation,

But it is only he who knoweth God who obtaineth bliss.

The men of God who are enamoured with His love,

Receive under the Guru's instruction the great boons ;

They are generous and dispellers of sorrow ;

In their company the world shall be saved.

He who serveth the saints is very fortunate ;

In the society of the saints man fixeth his attention on
the one God.

They who sing the excellences and praises of God,

Shall, Nanak, by the favour of the Guru obtain their
reward.

SLOK XVII

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

The True One is now also, O Nanak ; the True One also
shall be.

ASHTAPADI XVII

I

His feet are true, and true is he who toucheth them ;
His worship is true, and true is His worshipper ;
A sight of Him is true, and true is he who obtaineth it ;
True is His name, and true is he who meditateth on it ;
He Himself is true, and so is everything He sustaineth ;
He Himself is excellence and the Bestower of excellence ;
The Word is true, and true is God who uttereth it ;
The ears are true which hear the praises of the True One ;
To him who understandeth, everything is true —
Nanak, God is altogether true.

2

He who knoweth in his heart Him whose form is true,
Shall recognize the Root of all things, the Cause of causes.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 249

Divine knowledge shall be revealed to him

Into whose heart faith in God hath entered ;

He shall abide free from fear,

And be absorbed in Him from whom he sprang.

If one take a thing and blend it with another of the same
kind,

It cannot be said to be separate from it.

A man of understanding can understand that.

When God is found, O Nanak, man becometh one with
Him.

3

The servant of the Lord obeyeth His order,

The servant of the Lord ever adoreth Him,

The servant of the Lord possesseth faith in his heart ;

Pure is the conduct of the Lord's servant :

His servant knoweth that God is with him.

God's servant is dyed with His name,

God cherisheth His servant,

The Formless One preserveth the honour of His servant —

He is a servant to whom the Lord showeth mercy ;

Nanak, such a servant remembereth God at every breath.

4

God will draw a veil over the faults of His servant,
And will assuredly preserve his honour ;
He will bestow greatness on His slave,
Cause him to repeat His name,
And preserve his honour.
No one knoweth God's condition or measure —
No one is equal to God's servant ;
God's servant is the most exalted of the exalted.
The servant whom God applieth to His service,
Shall be renowned, O Nanak, in every direction.

5

// God infuse power into a little ant,
It can reduce to ashes armies of hundreds of thousands
and millions of men.

God preserveth and holdeth out a hand to him
Whom He desireth not to deprive of life.

250 THE SIKH RELIGION

Though man make efforts of many kinds,

His exertions are in vain.

No one can kill or preserve but God ;

He is the Preserver of all creatures.

Why art thou anxious, O mortal ?

Nanak, repeat the name of God the unseen, the wonderful ;

Ever, ever, ever repeat God's name ;
Satisfy thy soul and body by quaffing its nectar.
The holy man who obtaineth the jewel of the Name,
Will look on no one but God ;

He will deem the Name his wealth, the Name his beauty
and delight,

The Name his happiness, God's name his companion.
He who is satisfied with the savour of God's name,
Shall be absorbed soul and body in it.
To utter the Name standing, sitting, or sleeping,
Saith Nanak, is ever the duty of the man of God.

7

God gave the gift to His worshipper
To utter His praises day and night.
They who serve with heartfelt love,
Shall be absorbed in the Lord.
They shall know the past and the present,
And recognize the order of their God.
Who can describe His greatness ?

I know not how to describe even one of His excellences.
They who abide the whole day in the presence of God,
Saith Nanak, are the perfect men.

8

O man, take shelter with them ;
Give them thy soul and body.
He who recognizeth his God
Is bountiful in all things ;
In His shelter thou shalt find all happiness ;
By a sight of Him thou shalt blot out all sin.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 251

Renounce all other cleverness,

And attach thyself to His service.

Nanak, ever worship His feet,

And thou shalt suffer no more transmigration.

SLOK XVIII

He who knoweth the True Being is called the true Guru l ;
His disciple is saved by association with him, O Nanak,
and by singing God's praises.

ASHTAPADI XVIII
i

The true Guru cherisheth his disciple,

The true Guru is ever compassionate to his servant,

The Guru will remove the filth of his disciple's wicked
ness —

Under the Guru's instruction the disciple will repeat God's
name —

The true Guru will cut the fetters of his disciple,

If the disciple recoil from evil deeds.

The disciple to whom the true Guru giveth the wealth
of the Name,

Is very fortunate.

The true Guru adjusteth this world and the next for his
disciple.

Nanak, the true Guru loveth his disciple as his life.

2

The servant who dwelleth in his Guru's house,
Should heartily accept his order,
Not overrate himself,

Ever meditate on God's name in his heart,
And sell his soul to the true Guru —
The affairs of such a man shall prosper.
He who serveth the true Guru without any desire
Of reward, shall obtain the Lord.
The servant to whom God showeth favour,
Nanak, will accept the Guru's instruction ;

1 The reference here is to Guru Nanak. He was called the true
Guru as being the mediator of the True Being.

252 THE SIKH RELIGION

3

The servant who fully 1 conciliateth the Guru,
Shall know the state of the Supreme Being.
He in whose heart is God's name is the true Guru ;
I am many times a sacrifice to such a Guru ;
He bestoweth all treasure on men,

And is day and night imbued with love for the Supreme
Being.

The holy man is in God and God in the holy man,
God Himself is one ; of this there is no doubt.
The Guru is not obtained by a thousand devices ;
Nanak, such a Guru is only found by good fortune.

4

A sight of the Guru is profitable ; he who beholdeth him
is purified ;

By touching his feet man's conduct and practice become
spotless ;

He who on meeting him uttereth God's praises,

Shall arrive at the court of the Supreme Being.

On hearing his words the ears are satisfied ;

The mind gaineth contentment and the spirit consolation.

He on whom the perfect Guru, whose spell is immortal,

Looketh with his ambrosial glance becometh a saint.

His excellences are endless; his worth cannot be appraised.

Nanak, whoso pleaseth him he blendeth with himself.

5

Man has but one tongue, God's praises are manifold ;
He is the True Being of perfect discrimination ;
Mortal cannot by any words succeed in describing Him.
He is inaccessible, incomprehensible and unperturbed.
He liveth not by food, He is without enmity, the Giver
of comfort ;

No one hath found His worth.

1 Bis biswe. Literally — Twenty biswds. There are twenty biswds
in a bigha, a land measure equal to about half an acre. When all the
biswds are included, the bigha is complete.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 253

Many saints continually make obeisance to Him,
And meditate in their hearts on His lotus feet.
Nanak is ever a sacrifice to his true Guru,
By whose favour the name of such a God is repeated.

This divine essence only few obtain,
But they who drink it become immortal.
That being shall never perish
In whose heart the Lord of excellences appeareth.
He who taketh God's name during the eight watches,
Who giveth true instruction to his servant,
Who is not veneered by worldly love,
Who keepeth but the one God in his heart —
For him a lamp shall shine in the darkness,
And, O Nanak, his doubts, worldly love, and sorrows
flee away.

7

By the perfect instruction of the saints,
Man becometh cool in the midst of heat ;
Sorrow is put to flight, happiness resulteth,
The fear of birth and death is removed,
Fear ceaseth, man abideth fearless,
And all troubles vanish from his mind.
God showeth mercy to his own
Who in the company of the saints repeat His name.
By listening, O Nanak, to God's praises with attention
Mental stableness is obtained, and superstition and trans
migration cease.

8

He whose power fascinateth the whole world,

Is without the three qualities, and yet possesseth all
qualities.

God Himself performeth His own play ;

Only He Himself knoweth His worth.

There is no other than God ;

He, the one Spirit, pervadeth all things without inter
ruption ;

254 THE SIKH RELIGION

He, the warp and the woof, is contained in all forms and
colours ;

He becometh manifest by association with the saints ;
He who made creation infused His power into it —
Nanak is many times a sacrifice unto Him.

SLOK XIX

Except God's worship nothing shall go with thee, 0 man ;
worldly things are ashes :

Nanak, the essence of wealth is the repetition of God's
name.

ASHTAPADI XIX

i

In the company of the saints reflect on God ;
Remember the one God and rest upon His name ;
Forget all other efforts, my friend ;
Put God's lotus feet into thy heart ;
He is the Omnipotent, the Cause of causes ;
Firmly grasp His name ; it is the best thing ;
Lay up this wealth and thou shalt be fortunate.
Pure is the instruction of the saints ;
Keep the hope of the one God in thy heart,
Nanak, and all thy maladies shall be healed.

2

By serving God thou shalt obtain the wealth
After which thou now hastest in every direction.
The happiness which thou ever desirest, my friend,
Shall be found by loving the society of the saints.
The glory for which thou performest good acts,
Shall be obtained by hastening to God for protection.
It is not by many remedies maladies are healed ;
It is by administering the medicine of God's name.
Of all treasures God's name is the treasure ;
Repeat it, Nanak, and thou shalt be acceptable in God's
court.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 255

Thy mind which now wandereth in every direction, shall
rest

By enlightening it with God's name.

No obstacle can impede him

In whose heart God abideth.

This Kal age is hot ; God's name is cool ;

Remember it, remember it, and thou shalt ever be happy.

By service and love the mind becometh enlightened,

Fears depart, all hopes shall be fulfilled,

Man shall abide in the imperishable home,

Saith Nanak, and Death's noose be cut for his escape.

It is the true man who meditateth on God ;
It is the falsest of the false who suffer transmigration ;
But transmigration shall be effaced by serving God.
Abandon pride and seek the protection of the divine
Guru,

So shall thy precious human life be saved.
Remember God who is the support of the soul-
Man shall not be saved by many devices,
Or by studying the Simritis, the Shastars, and the Veds.
Nanak, heartily serve God,
And thou shalt obtain thy heart's desire.

5

Thy wealth shall not depart with thee ;
Why art thou wrapped up in it, O foolish man ?
Son, friend, family, and wife —
Say what ownership hast thou in them.
Dominion, worldly pleasure, and extensive wealth —
Say who can escape from these.
Horses, elephants, carriages, and equipages,
Are delusive shows and false displays ;
Ignorant man knoweth not Him who gave them ;
Nanak, he forgetteth the Name and afterwards regretteth.

256 THE SIKH RELIGION

Take the advice of the Guru, O silly man ;
Without devotion many clever men have been lost.
Worship God with thy heart, O my friend,
And thy mind shall become pure ;
Put His lotus feet into thy heart,
And the sins of many births shall depart ;
Repeat His name thyself and cause others to do so ;
By hearing it, and uttering it, and abiding by it thou
shalt obtain salvation.

The real thing is God's true name —

Nanak, sing His excellences with devotion and love.

7

By singing God's praises filth shall be washed away,

And the poison of pride, which overspreadeth thee, shall
depart.

By remembering God's name at every breath thou drawest,

Thou shalt become free from care and abide in happi
ness —

O man, lay aside all thy cleverness ;

The true wealth thou shalt acquire in the company of
the saints.

Obtain God's name as thy capital, deal with it,

And thou shalt be happy in this world and victorious in
the next —

Saith Nanak, he on whose forehead such fate hath been
written,

Seeth the one God without interruption in all things.

8

Repeat the name of the one God, magnify the one God,
Remember the one God, make Him thy heart's desire,
Sing the excellences of the one God who is endless ;
With soul and body repeat the name of the one God —
God Himself is the only, only, only one ;
The perfect God filleth every place ;
There have been many expansions of the one God.1
1 That is, there have been many creations.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 257

Worship the one God, and all thy sins shall depart.

Nanak, by the favour of the Guru the one God is known
by him

Whose soul and body are thoroughly imbued with His
love,

SLOK XX

After many wanderings, O God, I have come to Thine
asylum ;

Nanak's prayer, 0 God, is — ' Let me apply myself to Thy
service.'

ASHTAPADI XX

I, a beggar, beg a gift of Thee, 0 God :

Mercifully grant me Thy name.

I crave for the dust of the saints' feet ;

Fulfil my desire, O Supreme Being.

Let me ever sing Thine excellences,

And meditate on Thee, at every breath ;

Let me ever love Thy lotus feet,

And continually perform Thy service.

Thou art mine only shelter, mine only support

Nanak craveth Thine excellent name.

In God's favouring glance there is great happiness.
But few obtain God's savour ; *
They who have tasted it are satisfied,
They have become perfect beings and waver not,
They are filled with the sweetness and delight of love,
And in the company of the saints feel desire to meet God.
They enter His asylum forsaking all others,
Their hearts are enlightened, and they fix their attention
on Him day and night.

Very fortunate are they who repeat God's name ;
Nanak, they who are dyed with it are happy.

1 The sweetness of God's love.

258 THE SIKH RELIGION

3

The desires of God's servant are fulfilled ;

He obtaineth pure instruction from the true Guru.

God is merciful to His servant,

And rendereth him ever happy.

God cutteth his fetters, he is emancipated,

And the ignorance from which the pain of birth and
death resulteth is no more ;

His wishes are fulfilled, his desires are all fulfilled ;

He is blended with God and is ever present with Him.

God to whom he belonged hath blended him with Him
self—

Nanak is absorbed in God's service and His name.

4

Why forget Him who destroyeth not the effects of labour ?

Why forget Him who regardeth what is done for Him ?

Why forget Him who gave us everything ?

Why forget Him who is the life of living beings ?

Why forget Him who preserveth us in the fire of the
womb ?

By the Guru's favour some rare one seeth Him—

Why forget Him who extricateth man from sin,

And joineth with Him those who had broken with Him
during many births ?

The perfect Guru hath taught me the real thing ;

So Nanak hath meditated on his God.

5

O holy saints, do this —

Abandon all else and repeat God's name ;

Remember it, remember it, remember it, and you shall
be happy ;

Repeat it yourselves and cause others to repeat it.

By service and love you shall cross over the world ;

Without service the body shall be as dust.1

From the treasure of the Name all beatitude and happi
ness are obtained,

1 That is, man shall be despised and dishonoured.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 259

And even they who are drowning obtain rest —

O Nanak, repeat the name of the Lord of excellences,

And all thy sorrow shall depart.

The wish of my soul and body is

That the pleasures of love, affection, and desire for God
may spring up in me ;

That I may have the happiness of beholding Him with
mine eyes ;

And that my soul may be gladdened by washing the
saints' feet.

Few there are who can obtain association with the saints,

And whose souls and bodies are filled with love for Thee.

Mercifully grant me one thing, 0 God,

To repeat Thy name by the Guru's favour.

Nanak, God's praises cannot be expressed ;

He is contained in all things ;

7

He is the Pardoner, compassionate to the poor,
Kind to the saints, and ever merciful.
Gobind Gopal, the Patron of the patronless,
Cherisheth all creatures ;

He is the primal Being, the Creator of the world,
The support of the souls of holy men.
He shall become pure who repeateth His name,
And devoteth to Him service, affection, and heartfelt
love.

Devoid of virtue, low, and ignorant

Nanak seeketh thy protection, O Supreme Power.

8

He who singeth God's praises even for a moment,
Shall obtain everything — heaven, salvation, deliverance.
He to whose heart the story of God's name is pleasing,
Shall enjoy the various pleasures and greatness of a
monarch.

They whose tongues continually repeat God's name,
Shall enjoy plenteous food, raiment, singing, and dancing.

S2

260 THE SIKH RELIGION

Good are his deeds, glorious and wealthy is he
In whose heart the perfect Guru's spell abideth.

0 God, grant Nanak a dwelling with Thy saints,
Where all happiness shall be manifested unto him.

SLOK XXI

The Formless One who possesseth all qualities, and yet
is devoid of them is in profound contemplation ;

Nanak, what He hath made He again absorbeth in Him
self.

ASHTAPADI XXI x

i

Before this world in any wise appeared,
By whom were bad and good acts committed ?
When God was in profound meditation,
With whom were enmity and strife ?
When no colour or trace of man was seen,
Say who then felt joy or sorrow.
When there was only the Supreme Being Himself,
Where was worldly love ? Who had superstition ?
He Himself performed His own play ;
Nanak, there was no other Creator.

2

When God was the sole master,
Say who was accounted bond or free.
When there was only the one God, inaccessible, limitless,
Say who was born in hell or heaven.2
When God who is without attributes was in profound
repose,

Say where were Shiv and his consort.
When God Himself held His own light,
Who was fearless, who feared any one ?
He Himself performed His own play ;
Nanak, God is inaccessible and illimitable.

1 In the Shastars several things, such as Maya, Karma, &c., are said
to be uncreated. The Guru by this Ashtapadi means that God alone
is uncreated.

2 That is, hell and heaven did not then exist. "•

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 261

3

When the Imperishable One was seated on His comfort
able throne,

Say where were then transmigration and destruction.

When there was only the perfect God the Creator,

Say who had any fear of Death.

When there was only the one invisible and incompre
hensible God,

Whom did Chitr and Gupt call on for his account ?

When there was only the pure, incomprehensible, and
unfathomable Lord,

Who was then emancipated ? Who was bound with fetters ?

God is wonderful in Himself ;

Nanak, it was He Himself created His own form.

4

When there was only the pure Being, the Lord of men,

And there was no filth of sin, say what was the need of
ablution.

When there was only the bright, formless, and undis
turbed One,

Who was held in honour and who in dishonour ?

When there was only the Lord of the world,

Say who was the victim of deceit and fraud.

When God's light was contained in Himself,

Who felt hunger ? who satiety ?

The Creator is the Cause of causes ;

Nanak, the Creator is beyond calculation.

5

When God's glory was contained in Himself,
Who was then mother, father, friend, son, or brother ?
When He Himself was versed in all accomplishments,
Where did any one see the Veds and Muhammadan books?
When God kept His designs to Himself,
Who thought of favourable or unfavourable omens ?
When He Himself was far and He Himself was near,
Who was Master and who was slave ?
Man is astonished at the wonders of creation :
Nanak, only God Himself knoweth His own condition.

262 THE SIKH RELIGION

When the undeceivable, the impenetrable, and the in
scrutable One was contained in Himself,

Who felt the influence of mammon ?

When there was no one to offer obeisance to God but
Himself,

The three qualities had not yet entered the world.

When there was only the one God,

Who was free from care, who felt care ?

When God was content with Himself,

Who preached and who listened ?

God is totally infinite, the most exalted of the exalted :

O Nanak, He Himself is His own parallel.

7

When God made this illusion of the world,
He diffused the three qualities in it,
Demerits and merits began to be spoken of ;
Some suffered hell and others enjoyed heaven.
God made the snares and entanglements of mammon,
Pride, worldly love, doubt, excessive fear,
Woe and weal, honour and dishonour,
And delivered different kinds of doctrines.
God Himself performeth and beholdeth His own play ;
When He collecteth the stage properties,1 0 Nanak, He
alone remaineth.

8

Where there are saints of the Invisible, there is He Him
self.

When God extended Himself, the saints became glorious ;

He Himself is the arbiter of both states ; 2

God's glory is peculiar to Himself ;

He Himself performeth plays, amusements, and frolics ;

He enjoyeth pleasures and yet remaineth separate from
them ;

1 When He draweth creation within Himself.

2 Creation and destruction.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 263

He attacheth whomsoever He pleaseth to His name,

And causeth whomsoever He pleaseth to play the play
of the world.

He is incalculable, unfathomable, uncountable, and un
rivalled—

His slave Nanak speaketh as He causeth him to speak.

SLOK XXII

O Lord of men and lower animals, Thou art contained
in everything ;

Nanak, the one God is everywhere extended ; where is
there another seen ?

ASHTAPADI XXII

i

Thou Thyself art the speaker, Thou Thyself the hearer ;
Thou art one, and Thou art many.
When it pleased God, He created the world ;
And when it pleased Him, He absorbed it in Himself.
Without Thee, O God, nothing is done ;
Thou holdest the whole world on Thy string.
He whom God Himself instruct eth,
Obtaineth the true Name,

Looketh on all with an equal eye, knoweth the truth,
And is, O Nanak, victorious over the universe.

Men and the lower animals are in the power of Him
Who is compassionate to the poor and the Patron of the
patronless.

No one can destroy whom God preserveth ;

He whom God forgetteth is already dead.

Why should any one leave God and go to another ?

The one bright Monarch is over all.

Know that He in whose power are the ways of all creatures,

Is with thee whether at home or abroad.

The Ocean of excellences is endless and illimitable ;

The slave Nanak is ever a sacrifice unto Him.

264 THE SIKH RELIGION

3

The perfect compassionate God filleth every place :

He is merciful to all,

And knoweth His own affairs.

The Searcher of hearts is contained in everything,

And cherisheth creatures in divers ways.

Whatever creatures He made meditate on Him.

He blendeth with Himself whosoever pleaseth Him,

Performeth His service, and singeth His praises.

He who hath hearty faith in Him,

O Nanak, recognizeth the one God, the Creator.

4
The hopes of him who is attached to the name of the

one God,

Shall not be in vain.

Service is the duty of the servant :

He who obeyeth God's order shall obtain the supreme

state,

Than which nothing more exalted can be conceived.
He in whose heart the Formless One dwelleth,
And who night and day worshippeth the Guru's feet,
Shall burst his fetters and be free from enmity :
He shall be at ease in this world, happy in the next,
And, O Nanak, God will blend him with Himself.

5

Be joyous in the company of the saints ;

Sing the praises of God who is the Primal Joy ;

Meditate on God's name the real thing ;

Save thy human life so difficult of attainment ;

And sing the ambrosial words of God's praises —

That is the way to save thy soul.

He who beholdeth God ever near him,

Shall be delivered from his ignorance, and his spiritual
darkness dispelled.

Hearken to instruction, and treasure it in thy heart,

So shalt thou, Nanak, obtain the reward thy heart
desireth.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 265

6

Arrange both this world and the next for thyself

By clasping God's name to thy heart.

Perfect is the teaching of the perfect Guru ;

He in whose heart it dwelleth assay eth the truth.

With thy soul and body attentively repeat God's name,

And sorrow, pain, and fear shall depart from thy heart.

O dealer, deal in the true merchandise of the Name,

And thy cargo shall go to heaven with thee.

Put the prop of the one God into thy heart,

Nanak, and thou shalt not again surfer transmigration.

7

Where can any one go far from God ?
Thou shalt be saved by meditating on the Preserver.
All his fear shall depart who uttereth the name of the
Fearless One,

And he shall be saved by God's mercy.

He whom God preserveth shall not feel misery ;

By repeating God's name his mind shall be happy,

His anxieties shall depart, his pride be erased,

And there shall be none equal to him —

Nanak, all his affairs shall succeed

Over whom the brave l Guru watcheth.

8

The world shall be saved by beholding the Guru,
Whose understanding is perfect, whose glance is nectar,
And whose lotus feet are incomparable.
Profitable is a sight of him, beautiful his form,
Blessed his service, and acceptable his servant.
He in whose heart the Searcher of hearts,
The Supreme Being, dwelleth is happy,
And Death shall not approach him.
Nanak, he who in the company of the saints meditateth
on God

Becometh immortal, and obtaineth the immortal rank.

1 So called because he has vanquished the deadly sins.

266 THE SIKH RELIGION

SLOK XXIII

The Guru hath given the eye-salve of divine knowledge
by which the darkness of ignorance is dispelled ;

The mind of him, O Nanak, who by God's favour meeteth
the saints is enlightened.

ASHTAPADI XXIII

i

In the company of the saints I have seen God within me ;
God's name to me is sweet-
All things of various colours and divers forms
Are in the heart of the one God.1
God's name is the nine treasures and ambrosia
For him in whose body it findeth a resting-place.
Where there is deep meditation, the unbeaten sound is
heard ;

The wonder and marvel of it cannot be described.
He to whom God showeth Himself, beholdeth Him,
And, O Nanak, obtaineth understanding.

2

The Endless One is with thee whether at home or abroad ;
He is contained in every heart,
In earth, heaven, and nether regions ;
In all worlds He is the Perfect Cherisher ;
In forest, glade, and mountain He is the Supreme Being ;
As He ordereth so are His creatures' acts.
In wind, water, fire,

And in every direction is He contained ;
There is no place where He is not.
Nanak, by the Guru's favour obtain happiness ;

3

Consult the Veds, Purans, and Simritis, and thou shalt
know

That the one God is in the moon, the sun, and the stars.
Everybody speaketh with the voice of God,

1 That is, God watches over them all.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 267

Who is unwavering and never wavereth.
He playeth His play with all His appliances ;
He cannot be obtained by purchase, His attributes are
priceless ;

His light is in all things.

He holdeth the warp and woof of the world.

Nanak, this is the creed of those who

By the Guru's favour are freed from superstition.

4

In the sight of the saints everything is God ;
In their hearts is all faith.
It is only good words the saints hear ;
They love God who is contained in all things.
The rule of the saint who knoweth God is to speak the
truth to everybody ;

Whatever happeneth he taketh for the best,
For he recognizeth God as the Cause of causes.
God dwelleth within as also without man ;
Nanak, on beholding Him all men are fascinated.

5

He Himself is true ; true is everything that He hath
made :

Everything was created by God.

If it please Him He expandeth Himself,

If it please Him His form alone remaineth.

His manifold power cannot be seen ;

He blendeth with Himself whomsoever He pleaseth.

What can be described as near Him and what distant,

Since He Himself filleth all space ?

Nanak, God causeth that man to understand Him

Whom he teacheth that He Himself is within him.

6

God Himself abideth in all the elements ;
He beholdeth all things with His own eyes ;
The whole creation is His body ;
He Himself heareth His own praises ;
He hath made transmigration as a play,

268 THE SIKH RELIGION

And rendered Maya subservient to Him.
Included in everything, He yet remaineth distinct.
Whatever order is to be given, He giveth Himself ;
By His order man cometh, by His order man goeth ;
Nanak, when it pleaseth Him, He blendeth man with
Himself.

7

Whatever cometh from Him is not evil ;

Say hath any one except Him done anything.

He Himself is good ; His acts are very good ;

He Himself knoweth His own mind ;

He Himself is true, and true is everything that He sup-
porteth ;

The warp and woof of the world He hath blended with
Himself ;

His condition and measure cannot be described ;

If any one else were like Him, he would know how to
describe Him.

Nanak, by the favour of the Guru

It is known that all God's acts must be accepted.

8

He who knoweth Him must always be happy,
And God will blend him with Himself.
He in whose heart God dwelleth is wealthy,
Of high family, honoured, and obtaineth salvation during
life.

Hail, hail, hail ! a man x hath come

By whose favour the whole world shall be saved.

The object of his coming was

That through him the Name might be remembered.

He was saved himself and he saved the world :

To him, Nanak, I ever make obeisance.

SLOK XXIV

He who worshippeth the perfect God whose name is
perfect,

And who singeth the praises of the perfect One, O Nanak,
obtaineth the perfect One.

1 Guru Nanak is meant.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 269

ASHTAPADI XXIV

I

Hear the instruction of the perfect Guru —
Regard the Supreme Being as ever near thee ;
Repeat His name at every breath,
And the anxiety of the heart shall depart.
Abandon the fleeting wave of desire,
And heartily pray for the dust of the saints' feet.
Renounce pride, make supplication,
And thus shalt thou in the company of the saints cross
the ocean of fire.

Fill thy storehouses with divine wealth,
Nanak, and bow before the perfect Guru.

2

By repeating God's name in the company of the saints,
Thou shalt obtain rest, comfort, peace, and happiness.
Drink the nectareous essence of God's praise,
And thou shalt avoid hell and save thy soul.
Think in thy heart of the one God
Who hath one form but many manifestations.
Gopal, Damodar, compassionate to the poor,
Destroyer of pain, completely merciful —
Remember, remember for ever His name ;
Nanak, it is the support of the soul.

3

The saints' words are the holiest hymns ;
Priceless rubies are those gems ;

He who heareth them and liveth according to them shall
be saved ;

He shall be saved himself and save others ;
Profitable his life and the lives of his associates,
Whose heart is touched by divine love.
He for whom the unbeaten music of rejoicing playeth,
Shall on hearing it be happy, and sing God's praises.
God shineth in the countenance of the holy man ; l
Nanak, in his company men are saved.

1 Mahant. This word is the same as mahatama, which primarily
meant having a great soul, and was afterwards applied to men of
sanctity.

270 THE SIKH RELIGION

4

Hearing that God is able to give shelter, I have come to
seek it.

God hath mercifully blended me with Himself.

No hatred remaineth me ; I have become the dust of
all men's feet ;

And I have in the saints' company obtained God's nec-
tareous name.

The divine Guru was pleased with me,

And the service of his servant hath been rewarded.

By hearing God's name and repeating it with my tongue

I have become freed from entanglements and sin.

God hath Himself kindly shown me compassion,

And, O Nanak, my cargo hath arrived at its haven.1

5

Praise God, my dear saints,

With attentive and composed minds.

In the Sukhmani are composure and God's praises and
name.

He who hoardeth it in his heart shall become wealthy,

And all his desires shall be fulfilled ;

He shall become a distinguished person, renowned through
out the world ;

He shall obtain the highest place of all,

And shall not again undergo transmigration.

Nanak, he who obtaineth the Sukhmani,

Shall depart after earning the wealth of God's name.

6
These advantages shall be obtained by him who reciteth

the Sukhmani,

And heartily heareth Guru Nanak's words in praise of

the Name : —

Rest, peace, wealth, the nine treasures,
Understanding, divine knowledge, all spiritual power,
Wisdom, devotion, union with and meditation on God,
The best divine knowledge, the most excellent ablutions,
1 That is, I have been successful in my devotion.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 271

The four desirable objects, mental enlightenment,
Contempt of all things, though in the midst of them,
Beauty, cleverness, knowledge of the truth,
And the power of looking on all men as equal.

7

If any one heartily utter this precious hymn,
He shall obtain salvation in every age.
It containeth the sound of God's name,
Which the Simritis, Shastars, and Veds repeat.
God's name is the sum-total of all faith ;
It dwelleth in the hearts of His saints.
Millions of sins are erased in the company of the saints,
And by their favour man escape th Death.
They on whose foreheads God recorded such destiny,
Have, O Nanak, entered the asylum of the saints.

He in whose heart this Sukhmani dwelleth or who listeneth
to it with love,

Shall remember the Lord God ;

The pain of birth and death shall be removed from him ;

His human life so hard to obtain shall that moment be
saved ;

His renown shall be spotless and his speech nectar ;

The one Name shall be contained in his heart ;

Sorrow, disease, fear, and doubt shall not exist for
him ;

His acts shall be pure, he shall be called a holy man,

And his fame shall be the most exalted of all.

Nanak, such are the merits of the composition called
Sukhmani.

LUNAR DAYS

The advantage of devotion :—

My sorrow hath fled and my doubt departed since I have
taken God's shelter.

Nanak hath obtained the fruit his heart desired by singing
God's praises.

272 THE SIKH RELIGION

He who singeth, he who heareth, he who meditateth on
God;

He who preacheth and he who fixeth the Name in his
heart, shall be saved ;

His sins shall be cut away, he shall become pure, and
purged of the filth of various births ;

His countenance shall be bright in this world and the
next, and worldly love shall not affect him ;

He who praiseth God is wise, a Vaishnav, a possessor of
divine knowledge,

Wealthy, a hero, and of reputable family.

The Khatris, Brahmans, Sudars, Vaisyas, and Chandals
shall be saved by remembering God.

Nanak is the dust of the feet of him who knoweth his
God.

GAURI KI WAR I

The fate of those who forget God : —

Where shall they who have totally forgotten God rind
an arm to grasp ? l

Nanak, God potent to act and cause to act hath ruined
them.

The fate of murderers, adulterers, and robbers : —

Men take halters at night and go to strangle others, but
God knoweth such persons.

Concealed in places they leer at other men's wives.

They break into houses even difficult of access, and enjoy
wine for its sweetness :

But they shall afterwards regret their respective mis
deeds.

The angel Azrail will press them like millfuls of sesame.

The fate of idolaters and ingrates :—

It is the servants of the True King who are acceptable ;

Nanak, the fools who serve other gods pine away and
die.

The destiny God wrote in the beginning cannot be
effaced.

1 That is, to assist them.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 273

The wealth of God's name is Nanak's capital ; ever
meditate on it.

In terrible hell there is much suffering ; it is the abode
of the ungrateful.

God smiteth them, Nanak, and they die a miserable
death.

GAURI KI WAR II

Man is happy at all seasons when remembering
God:—

Nanak, that is a delightful day when God cometh into
the mind.

Accursed is the season, however pleasant, when the
Supreme Being is forgotten.

God is man's best friend : —

Nanak, contract friendship with Him who hath everything
in His power.

They are accounted false friends who go not a step with
one.

Miscellaneous aphorisms of the Guru : —

I have seen every place ; there is none beside God.

Nanak, they who have met the true Guru, have attained
their object.

The condition of this perishable world is as a flash of
lightning.

Whoever repeateth the Lord's name, Nanak, is beautiful.

Men have searched the Simritis and the Shastars, but no
one hath found God's worth.

He who meeteth the society of the saints enjoyeth divine
pleasure.

True is the name of the Creator ; He is a mine of jewels.

The mortal, on whose forehead such destiny hath been
written, remembereth God.

O God, grant Nanak, Thy guest, the true Name as his
travelling supplies.

Man appeareth to be happy, but his heart is anxious,
and his avarice never departeth.

274 THE SIKH RELIGION

Nanak, without the true Name, no one's sorrow departeth.

They who have not loaded truth to carry with them,
shall be plundered.

Nanak, they who meeting the Guru recognize the one
God shall be congratulated.

They who part friendship with God are worthless:—

They who are separated from their Lord, O Nanak, arc
entangled in the knot of doubt,

And useless as the beautiful fruit borne by the akk
plant.

They who forget God suffer the pain of transmi
gration : —

They who forget God die, but cannot die altogether ;
They who turn away from God, arc in agony like a thief
on the stake.

Blest are they who ever remember God :—

Nanak, blest are they, perfect are they, and saints are
they,

Who remember the spell of God's name at every breath
they draw.

The following reproach was addressed to a Musal-
man priest :—

Thou wanderest about all day under the pressure of
hunger :

How shalt thou escape falling into hell, if thou remember
not thy Prophet ?

The following is repeated as a grace before and after
meals : —

The beggar beggeth for alms, ' Give me, O dear One ;
Giver, Benefactor, I have ever remembered Thee.'
God's unequalled storehouses are never exhausted.
Nanak, unequalled is the Word which hath arranged
everything.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 275

Remember the Word and you shall be happy here
and hereafter : —

0 beloved, learn the Word ; it shall protect you from
transmigration :

Your faces, saith Nanak, shall become bright, and you
shall ever be happy remembering the one God.

Man should not pray for worldly advantages :—

That is the best begging which beggeth for the one God ;
Except the Lord's name, Nanak, all words are sinful.

The condition of him who loves and is beloved
by God : —

He in whose heart the love of God dwelleth is like the
golden earth studded with gems of grass.

Nanak, all his affairs become easy with whom the true
Guru is pleased.

The covetous go wherever they expect gain :—

The kite wandereth in every direction — over water, moun
tain, and forest,

But only resteth where it seeth carrion.

The Guru's devotion to God : —

1 have made Him a friend who is versed in all arts ;

I sacrifice to Him my soul : He is the wealth of my body
and soul.

O Beloved, if Thou take my hand, I will never forsake
Thee.

They who forsake God are evil and fall into hell's tor
ments.

Love the Omnipresent : —

O silly woman, dispel thy doubts, and love thou the only
dear One.

Whithersoever thou goest, there is He present.

A hypocrite can never be equal to a saint : —

Persons only fitted to play at bat and ball like children,
mount horses and handle guns.

T2

276 THE SIKH RELIGION

Animals which fly like barn fowl wish to be on a par
with swans.

Salvation is obtained by repeating, hearing, or even
writing God's name :—

He who repeateth God's name with his tongue, and
heareth it with his ears, is saved, my friend.

The hand which writeth God's praises with love is pure.

Such have obtained all the merit of bathing at the
sixty-eight places of pilgrimage :

They have crossed over the ocean of the world and sub
jugated the fortress of evil passions.

Nanak, such attach men to the infinite God's skirt and
service, and save them.

God will save His servant :—

He who hath God hath no further desires ;
Nanak, all who touch His feet are saved.

ASA

Mammon affects not saints but only the worldly :—

Maya devoureth him who loveth her ;

She greatly terrifieth him who seateth her down in peace.

Brethren, friends, and families are at variance on beholding
her ;

But now by the Guru's favour she is under my control.

Sidhs, Strivers, demigods, and men

Are bewitched on beholding her ; except the pious all
are deceived by her deceit.

Some who wander as ascetics are in love with her ;

Others as family men amass wealth, but they cannot
make her their own.

Others who call themselves continent are greatly troubled
by her.

God hath preserved me from her by attaching me to the
Guru's feet.

She leadeth astray the penitents who practise penance.

Pandits have been seduced by her into every form of
greed.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 277

Maya hath bewitched earth and heaven.1
My true Guru hath given me his hand and saved me.
Maya acteth as a servant to the holy man.
With clasped hands she waiteth on him and respectfully
saith,

' What thou orderest I shall do ;
But, O saint, I cannot approach thee.'

The condition of those who have renounced worldly
love : —

My Beloved hath separated me from my mother-in-law : 2

My husband's younger brother's wife,3 and my husband's
elder brother's wife 4 have died of grief and sorrow.

I no longer heed my husband's eldest brother,5

Since my clever and wise Spouse hath protected me.

Hear, O ye people, I have obtained the essence of love.

The true Guru hath given me God's name, and I have
killed and destroyed mine enemies the evil passions.

In the first place, I have renounced the love of pride ;

Secondly, I have renounced the customs of men ;

Thirdly, I have renounced the world, and deem an enemy
and a friend the same.

Fourthly, having met the Guru I recognize the excellences
of the final state.

I have assumed an attitude of contemplation in the cave
of rest.

God appeared as light and played for me unbeaten
music ;

I have obtained great joy by meditating on the Guru's
word.

Attached to my Beloved, I have become a blest and happy
wife.

The slave Nanak herein uttereth divine wisdom ;

He who heareth and acteth accordingly shall be saved,

Shall be absorbed in God>

And not again suffer transmigration.

1 All beings in whom there are the three qualities.

2 Maya. 3 Hope. 4 Desire.
5 The god of death.

278 THE SIKH RELIGION

Holiness is described under the allegory of a perfect
woman : —

A house is adorned by the presence of

A woman who is virtuous and devotion incarnate,

Whose beauty is incomparable, and conduct without
reproach.

Some rare holy man may find her :

On meeting the Guru I have found such a well-behaved
woman :

She sheddeth lustre on feasts and marriages.

As long as she lived with her father,1

Her husband wandered about very lonely.

When I served and conciliated the true man,

He brought her to my house, and I obtained all happi
ness.

She possesseth the thirty-two good qualities ; 2 true and
holy are her offspring ;

She is obedient, accomplished, and beautiful ,

She fulfilleth the wishes of her husband and her lord ;

She comforteth in every way her husband's younger and
elder brothers' wives ;

She is the best of the household ;

She giveth counsel to her husband's younger and elder
brothers.

Blest is the home in which she hath appeared •

0 Nanak, its inmates pass their time in perfect happiness.

The interference of Maya, or worldly love, in
human affairs, and how she is to be overcome : —

If I form any plan, Maya alloweth it not to mature :
She standeth near virtue and continence to repulse them ;
She weareth many guises and assumeth many forms ;
She alloweth me not to dwell at home, but maketh me
wander in different places.

1 Spiritual ignorance.

2 Different moralists and connoisseurs give different names to these
qualities. They are intended to include all moral and physical ex
cellences.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 279

She is the mistress of my house, and alloweth me not to
dwell therein.

It I try to do so, she quarrelleth with me.

She was sent by God in the beginning as a ruler.

She hath subdued the nine regions and all worlds.

At the banks of sacred waters she relinquisheth not her
hold on Jogis and Sanyasis,

While they grow weary of reading the Simritis and
studying the Veds.

Where I sit, there she sitteth with me ;

She forcibly entereth every abode.

Even by entering a low asylum l I cannot save myself
from her.

Say, my friend, to whom shall I have recourse ?

Having heard of the true Guru's teaching I have come
to him.

The Guru hath fixed God's name in my heart as a spell.

I now may dwell in my own home singing the praises
of the Eternal One.

Nanak hath met God, and is free from anxiety.

My house is now mine own, and its former mistress and
ruler

7s under my control ; the Guru hath made me a courtier
of God.

The Guru versifies an address made to him by
a Sikh : —

Having glanced at foreign countries I have come here for
traffic.

I have heard, O Guru, thou hast an incomparable and
profitable thing,2

To purchase which I have tied virtues in my dress 3 and
brought them as my capital.

Having beheld the jewel, my heart hankereth after it.

0 merchant,4 a dealer hath come to thy door.

1 Even if I worship gods and idols.

2 The Name.

3 Natives of India do not generally use pockets, but carry money
and valuables knotted in their garments.

4 The Guru.

280 THE SIKH RELIGION

Exhibit your goods, so that we may effect a bargain.
God hath sent me to the merchant.
Priceless thy jewel and priceless thy capital.
I have found a well-disposed friend to act as broker.1
Now that I have made my purchase my mind is easy.
I have no fear of thieves, of wind, or of water.
Quietly have I purchased, and quietly do I take away
my purchase.

When the true Name is gained, there is no regret.
I shall take my purchase home safe and sound.
I have made a profit and am happy.
Thanks to the perfect merchant, the bestower,
Such a bargain some rare pious man hath made.
Nanak taketh home profitable goods.

The following was addressed to a hypocritical
Brahman :—

O Brahman, people make thee offerings and* worship thee

Thou takest from them and yetdeniest that they give thee.

Thou shalt regret thy conduct at the Court

Where thou shalt have to appear.

Such Brahmans as contrive evil

For the innocent shall be lost, O my brethren.

With covetousness in their hearts they wander about like
mad dogs ;

They slander others, and bear the load of their sins on
their own heads.

O Brahman, thou art plundered by mammon, yet thou
reflectest not

That in many ways thou art led astray through error.

Thou wearest many religious dresses before men,

But thy heart is besieged by evil passions.

Thou preachest to others, but art ignorant thyself.

Such a Brahman shall nowhere be acceptable.

O foolish Brahman, remember God

Who beholdeth thee, heareth thee, and abideth with thee.

Saith Nanak, if such be thy fate,

Renounce pride and cling to the Guru's feet.
1 A mediator saint.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 281

The fate of the slanderer :—

The slanderer roareth and screameth,

He forgetteth the primal God the Supreme Being, and
obtaineth the reward of his acts.

Any friend he may have he shall take with him to hell.

Vainly the slanderer taketh on himself a load as that of
a boa-constrictor,1 and burneth himself in the fire.

Nanak telleth what taketh place at God's gate.

God's saints are ever happy ; they are in ecstasies singing
His praises.

Pride mars man's good qualities :—

In the first place, thy caste is good ;

Secondly, thy lineage is honoured ;

Thirdly, thine abode is beautiful ;

But the pride of thy heart marreth thy beauty.

0 handsome, shapely, wise, and clever man,
Excessive pride and worldly love have ensnared thee.
Very clean is thy kitchen.

Thou bathest, adorest, and appliest crimson frontal marks.

Thou pratest of divine knowledge while thou art dissolved
in pride.

The dog covetousness ruineth thee in every way ;

Thou dressest and enjoyest thyself ;

Thou performest religious ceremonies to be honoured
of men.

While thou sprinklest over thy body perfumed distilled
aloe wood and sa.ndal,

The pariah wrath is thine evil companion.

All other creatures are thy water-carriers.

In this world thou issuest thine own coin.2

Thou hast gold, and silver, and copper ;

But thy lust hath destroyed thy virtue.

The soul which God mercifully regardeth

Shall be delivered from its prison.

1 A/gar bhar. If ajar Ihdr were read, the translation would be — an
intolerable load.

2 In proof of sovereignty.

282 THE SIKH RELIGION

That body which meeteth the company of the saints
shall taste the relish of God's name,

And, saith Nanak, produce good fruit.

Then shalt thou be like a happy married woman endowed
with all comeliness and happiness ;

Then shalt thou be all-beautiful and wise.

The Guru preaches a brief sermon on humility :—

The framework of the body hath been skilfully con
structed,

Yet know for certain that it shall become dust.

Remember thine origin, O thoughtless fool ;

Why art thou proud of such a thing ?

Thou art a guest on three sers of corn a day ; x

All thine other property thou hast only as a trust.

Thou art ordure, bones, and blood wrapped up in skin :

Is it of this thou art proud ?

If thou know One Thing thou shalt be pure ;

Without knowing it, thou shalt be ever impure.

Saith Nanak, I am a sacrifice to the Guru,

Through whom God the omniscient Being is obtained.

The Guru's impatience to meet God : —

Separated from my Spouse one ghari appeareth to me as
a day, yea, as many days.

My mind is distressed until I meet my Beloved.

Separated from my Spouse one moment appeareth to me
a day ; yea, it never passeth.

Excessive is the desire of my heart to behold Him ; is
there any such saint as will cause me to meet my Beloved ?

The four watches of the day appear to me as the four
ages of the world.

When night cometh I think it will never end.

The conspiracy of the deadly sins hath kept me from
my Beloved.

Wandering and wandering I weep and wring my hands.

1 Two and a half sers in Guru Arjan's time is equal to one ser
or two pounds avoirdupois now.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 283

At last God hath shown Himself to His servant, Nanak,
Who having seen Him hath obtained supreme happiness.

Instead of worshipping God at home man performs
vain devotion abroad : -

Man forsaking the love of God, becometh intoxicated with
the love of worthless objects.

He hath what he wanteth at home, yet he goeth abroad
to seek it : {

He listeneth not to the true ambrosial Word.

Attached to false scriptures, he wrangleth with the holy.

Taking the wages of the Lord he serveth some one else.

With such qualities is mortal clothed.

He hideth himself from Him who is ever with him.

He prayeth again and again for what is useless to him.

Saith Nanak, O God, compassionate to the poor,

As it pleaseth Thee so cherish me.

The intoxication of devotion :—

He who drinketh the essence of God is ever imbued
with it ;

The effect of all other essences is but for a moment.

He who is intoxicated with God's essence is ever happy ;

Anxiety is produced by all other essences.

He who drinketh God's essence is inebriated and intoxi
cated ;

All other essences are worthless.

The value of God's essence cannot be described :

It is found in the saints' shop ;

But nobody can purchase it even with millions of
rupees.

The Guru giveth it to him who hath obtained his favour.

Nanak having obtained its relish from the Guru,

And tasted it, hath become astounded.

Nanak having become accustomed to its taste

Cannot by any means relinquish it in this world or the
next.

1 Man possesses God in his heart, yet he becomes an anchoret and
goes lo the forest in quest of Him.

284 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Guru prays for God's protection :—

Beside Thee, O Lord, I have none other ; Thou art in
my heart ;

Thou art my friend and my companion ; why should my
soul be afraid ?

Thou art my shelter ; Thou art my hope.

Sitting or standing, sleeping or waking may I not forget
Thee O God, at every breath I draw !

Protect me, protect me, O God, in Thine asylum ! terrible
is the ocean of fire.

Giver of happiness to Nanak ; true Guru, we are Thy
children.

God preserves His saints from worldly love, which
is a malignant fever :—

God hath saved His servant,

My mind is reconciled to the Beloved ; my fever hath
poisoned itself and died.

I feel not cold or heat when I sing the praises of God's
name.

My vomiting totally ceased when I took the protection
of God's lotus feet.

By the favour of the saints, God hath been kind to me
and given me assistance.

Nanak ever singeth the Treasury of excellences, and thus
dispelleth doubt and sorrow.

The Guru's instruction is medicine for the mind
diseased :—

I have taken God's name as my medicine ;
I have been cured, my pain * hath departed.
My fever hath left me through the perfect Guru's instruc
tion.

I have become glad, my sorrows have all fled.

Nanak, all animals obtain happiness

By meditating on the supreme God in their hearts.

1 That is, spiritual ignorance.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 285

The Guru fears not the death of his body :—

The time of death, which man desireth not, shall arrive.

Without God's order how shall the fire of fear be put out,
however much we try ?

The body is dissolved by water, fire, and earth,1

But the soul is neither young nor old,2 O my brethren.

The slave Nanak hath entered the sanctuary of the
saints,

And by the Guru's favour the fear of death is far from
him.

The advantage of saintly association and devo
tion :—

By association with the saints, in whom God's light for
ever shineth,

Man obtaineth a dwelling at God's feet.

O my soul, ever repeat God's name,

So shalt thou obtain comfort, peace, and happiness ; and
all thy sins shall depart.

Saith Nanak, ye whose acts are perfect

Shall on meeting the true Guru obtain the perfect supreme
Being.

O my True Guru, Holder of the play of the world, preserve
Thy child.

Give me sense ever to sing Thy praises, my God, in
accessible and endless.

When a mortal is in his mother's womb he abideth under
the support of the Name ;

He is happy, he remembereth God at every breath, and
the fire of the womb affecteth him not ;

So, O man, cease to covet others' goods and others'
wives, and to slander others.

Relying on the true Guru, worship in thy heart God's
lotus feet.

The houses, mansions, and palaces which thou beholdest—
of these none shall depart with thee.

1 The different ways of disposing of the dead.

2 That is, the soul is unaffected by time or death.

286 THE SIKH RELIGION

As long as thou livest in this Kal age, Nanak, remember
God's name.

Everything is false save devotion to God : —

Empire, property, youth, mansions, fame, comeliness, and
youthful beauty,

Great wealth, elephants, horses, and rubies purchased
with hundreds of thousands,

Shall be of no avail in God's court hereafter ; the proud
must depart without them.

Why apply thy mind to any but the one God ?

Standing, sitting, sleeping, or waking, ever and ever
meditate on Him.

They who were victorious in the great decorated and
beautiful arenas, and in the contests of the battle-field,

Who loudly boasted that they had the power of killing,
capturing, or releasing,

Left everything and departed on the very day the order
of the Supreme Being arrived.

Man performeth ceremonial works of many descriptions,
but the Creator he knoweth not.

He preacheth, but he practiseth not ; he knoweth not
God's word.

Naked he came, naked shall he depart ; his acts are
impure as when the elephant throweth dust on its head.

Ye good saints and friends, hear me all — false is this
world.

Fools have died in agony speaking of their belongings.

On meeting the Guru, Nanak hath meditated on the
Name ; the true Name hath saved him.

Few are wakeful in God's service : —

The whole world is fast asleep in error and silly occupa
tions ;

Only some rare servant of God is awake.

Man is absorbed in greatly fascinating mammon who is
dearer to him than life :

Few are they who forsake her.

Some rare holy man is attached

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 287

To God's incomparable lotus feet, and the instruction of
His saints.

Nanak, they who are very fortunate, and to whom God
showeth favour,

Are wakeful in the company of the saints, and become
imbued with divine knowledge.

The fate of the slanderer : —

The slanderer who washeth away the filth of the sins
committed by the slandered in various births, shall obtain
his deserts.

He shall have no happiness here, no entrance into God's
court hereafter, and he shall be tormented in the realm of
Death.

The slanderer hath lost his life in vain.

He cannot succeed in anything, and hereafter shall not
find a place.

Such is the fate of the wretched slanderer : what can
the poor creature do ?

He shall be ruined where he shall have no protector : to
whom shall he appeal ?

There is no salvation anywhere for the slanderer : such
is the will of God.

The more the saints are slandered, the happier are they,

Thou, O God, art the prop, Thou art the helper of the
saints.

Saith Nanak, God protecteth His saints, and the slanderer
He consigneth to the stream.

The following was addressed to a hypocritical
Sanyasi : —

He who washeth his body while he hath filth in his heart
shall lose his happiness in both worlds.

Here he suffereth from lust, wrath, and worldly love ;
hereafter he shall sob and weep.

The way to worship God is different.

The serpent is not killed by striking its lair on the out
side, neither doth the deaf man hear the Name.

288 THE SIKH RELIGION

The hypocrite while abandoning his worldly occupations
knoweth not of devotion ;

He applieth himself to criticism of the Veds and the
Shastars, but knoweth not the real means of union with God.

As a bad coin l is discovered when examined by a money
changer,

So the Searcher of hearts knoweth everything ; how
shalt thou hide thyself from Him ?

The false are at once ruined by their falsehood, deception,
fraud, and hollo wness.

Nanak uttereth this most verily ; see and remember this
in your hearts.

The wonders wrought by the Guru's teaching :—

By the Guru's instruction, a low Chandal woman becometh
a Brahmani and a Sudar woman attaineth the highest rank ;

The craving desire2 for terrestrial and celestial enjoy
ments is extinguished and destroyed.

The cat 3 of the household 4 is now differently trained ;
on seeing mice 5 it feareth them.

The Guru hath subjected the lion 6 to the goat 7 ; the
dogs 8 eat grass ; 9

A hut 10 hath been raised without pillars in which the
homeless find a home.

Without a setter jewels are set11 and a marvellous precious
stone 12 placed among them.

1 Dabua. This coin was worth a little more than an Indian paisa
or an English farthing.

2 Lahbar, literally — a flame. Sakhni — empty and ungratified.
The line is also translated — (a) Even if the wealth of the world be
obtained, man's desires will not be satisfied, but when the Bridegroom
(Bar) is obtained (laK], all craving (khdi) is extinguished. (6) The
soul wandereth unsatisfied in the nether and upper regions, but when
it obtaineth the Bridegroom its hunger is relieved, (c) He who
is devoid of terrestrial and celestial blessings, shall, on receiving
the fruit of the Gurus instruction, have his hunger for such things
satisfied.

3 Understanding. 4 The heart. 5 Worldly things.

6 Pride. 7 Humility. 8 The organs of sense.

9 Obtain their rightful portion. 10 Heaven.

11 Man's mind is set with virtues.

12 Divine love. Thewa is the large stone of a ring.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 289

It is not by clamour the plaintiff succeedeth ; by silence
he obtaineth justice.

Man dead to God while enjoying wealth, and seated
upon costly carpets, now knoweth that what appeareth to
the eye quickly vanisheth.

He who saith he knoweth, knoweth nothing ; but he who
really knoweth is well known.

Saith Nanak, the Guru hath given me nectar to drink,
and on tasting it I am happy.

The Guru's dependence on God :—

Where Thou, 0 Lord, art, what fear is there ? whom shall
I praise but Thee ?

Where I have only Thee I have everything ; there is
none but Thee.

O Father, I have seen that the world is poison.

Preserve me, O Lord of the earth ; Thy name is my
support.

Thou knowest the whole state of my mind ; to whom
shall I go to tell it ?

Without the Name the whole world hath gone mad ;
when it obtaineth the Name it becometh sane.

What shall I say ? to whom shall I tell my condition ?
what I want to say must be told to the Lord.

What Thou hast done prevaileth ; ever and ever my
hope is in Thee.

If Thou grant greatness, it is to Thine own greatness :
let me everywhere meditate on Thee.

0 God, Thou art ever the Giver of happiness to Nanak ;
Thy name alone is my strength.

The Guru acknowledges his obligations to God :—

When I forget Thee, every one vexeth me ; when I
remember Thee, men do me service.

1 know none but Thee, Thou true, invisible, and in
scrutable One.

When I think of Thee, Thou art always merciful ; what
is the wretched crowd then to me ?

SIKH. Ill TJ

290 THE SIKH RELIGION

vSay whom shall I call bad or good ? All men are Thy
creatures.

Thou art my prop ; Thou art my support ; Thou givest
me Thy hand and protect est me.

He to whom Thou showest mercy can suffer no ill.

Only that is happiness and that greatness which is pleasing
to God.

Thou art wise, Thou art ever kind, 0 Lord ; if I obtain
Thy name, I am happy.

In Thy presence this is my humble representation ; my
soul and body are totally Thine.

Saith Nanak, whatever distinction I possess is Thine ; no
one knoweth my name.1

The following represents a conversation between
a Sikh and a devout lady who had asked him the
questions contained in the first part of the hymn.
The conversation was versified by the Guru.

Thou hast escaped worldly love, impurity, and sloth ; by
whose favour was it done ?

Worldly love once greatly fascinating thou feelest no longer ;
whither hath gone thy sloth ?

By what arduous mortification hast thou escaped from
lust, wrath, and pride,

Which have ruined godly men, demigods, demons, beings
possessed of the three qualities, and the whole world ?

A forest fire consumeth much grass ; 2 some rare green
shrub like thee hath escaped.

I cannot describe such an omnipotent being ; his praises
cannot be expressed.

In this chamber of lamp-black thou hast not been be
smirched ; 3 nay, thou hast assumed a spotless colour.

The Sikh's reply :-

The great spell of the Guru hath taken its dwelling in
my heart, and I have heard the wonderful Name.

1 That is, it is not I, it is Thou who art distinguished.

2 That is, avarice has consumed many mortals.

3 Thou hast not become wicked in this evil world.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 291

God hath mercifully looked on me with favour, and
attached me to His feet.

Through love and service Nanak hath obtained happiness
in the association of the saints.

The following represents another conversation
between the same lady and the Sikh : —

Thy red jacket 1 becometh thee ;

Thou art pleasing to the Lord, and thou winnest His
heart.

Who hath given this bloom to thy face ?

What dye hath given thee thy bright complexion ?

Thou art beautiful, thou art a happy wedded wife.

In thy house is thy Beloved, in thy house is good
fortune.

Thou art chaste, thou art distinguished,

Thou art pleasing to thy Beloved, thou possessest superior
knowledge.

The Sikh's reply :—

I please my Beloved, wherefore I have this bright com
plexion.

Saith Nanak, God hath looked on me with a favouring
glance.

Hear, my friend, this is the reward of my toil,

That God Himself decketh and adorneth me.

Man is happy on meeting God, as a woman on
meeting her husband :—

When Thou wert distant, I greatly suffered ;
Now that I have contrived to meet Thee,
My female companions cease to taunt me.
My suspicions have fled ; by the Guru I am united with
my Beloved.

My Beloved hath approached and placed me on the couch :

I no longer heed what people say.

In my temple2 is the light of the Word.

My Spouse is joyful and happy.

1 Devotion. 2 Heart.

U 2

292 THE SIKH RELIGION

Through the destiny recorded on my forehead my Beloved
hath come home to me,

And Nanak hath found lasting wedded bliss.

The Guru, while associating with the world, ever
thinks on God :—

My soul is attached to the true Name ;
My love for men is but artificial guise ;
My ties are only external : I smile on every one,
But I am separate from them as a lotus from the water.
I converse with everybody,
But I keep my heart with God.
I appear very formidable,

But in reality my heart is the dust of every one's feet,
The slave Nanak hath found the perfect Guru ;
He hath shown me the one God both in my heart and in
nature.

However great man's pleasures, he is, as it were,
dead without devotion :—

Man may enjoy pleasures in the vigour of youth,

But without the Name he is blended with the dust.

He may wear costly earrings and fine clothes ;

He may have a comfortable couch, and be proud thereof ;

He may have elephants to ride and a golden umbrella
over his head ;

But without the worship of God he is, as it were, beneath
the earth.

Man may enjoy many beautiful women,

But without the essence of God all relishes are insipid.

Deceived by mammon man is led into sin and evil,

But he is saved, O Nanak, by entering the sanctuary of
the merciful God.

The saints are likened to a garden, the Guru to
a gardener :—

There is a garden x in which many trees are planted ;
They bear the ambrosial Name as fruit.

1 The company of the saints.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 293

So contrive, O man of God,

That thou mayest obtain the rank of nirvan.

Around the garden, my brethren, are poisonous pools ;
within it is nectar ;

There is one gardener to irrigate ;

He tendeth the leaves and branches ;

He bringeth many vegetables and planteth them therein ;

They all without exception bear fruit.

He who hath received the ambrosial fruit of the Name
from the Guru,

Crosseth over the world's ocean according to the slave
Nanak.

The Guru prefers the spot where the saints con
gregate to any place of pilgrimage :—

If I go on a pilgrimage / see men boasting ;

If I inquire of Brahmans, I find them immersed in mam
mon.

O my friend, show me that place

Where God's praises are ever sung.

By meditating on evil and good according to the Shastars
and Veds,

Man again and again descendeth to hell and ascendeth
to heaven.

In the family man's life there is anxiety, and in the
hermit's pride.

The soul is entangled in religious ceremonies.

He who by God's favour hath his mind under control,

Shall be saved, O Nanak, by the Guru's instruction.

Sing God's praises in the company of the saints :

The place where they dwell is obtained from the Guru.

Let God be ever present to man in all his avoca
tions :—

Whether standing, sitting, or sleeping, meditate on God.
Taking thy walks sing God's praises.
With thine ears hear the ambrosial Word.
By listening to it thy heart shall be glad, and all thine
infirmities and troubles depart.

294 THE SIKH RELIGION

While working, travelling, or wandering by the river's
shore repeat God's name.

By the Guru's favour drink God's nectar.

He who day and night singeth God's praises

Shall not fall in Death's way.

By touching the feet of him who forgetteth not God's
name

During the eight watches of the day, 0 Nanak, emancipa
tion is obtained.

God's kingdom is for the lowly : —
The lowly man whom nobody knoweth
Shall be honoured by everywhere repeating God's name.
I crave for a sight of Thee ; grant it, O my Beloved :
Who hath not been saved by serving Thee ?
The whole world washeth the dirt of his feet
Whom nobody would approach.
The man who is useless to everybody
Is invoked as a saint by the Guru's favour.
In the company of the saints, the mind that sleepeth
awaketh ;

Then, O Nanak, the Lord is dear.

The omnipresence of God expressed by different
metaphors : —

God is Himself the tree, and its extended branches.

He watcheth His own field.1

Wherever I look there is the one God ;

He is in every heart.

He Himself is the sun and the expansion of its rays.

He is at once concealed and manifest.

He is described as possessing all qualities and no qualities.

Both descriptions together apply to the one God.

Saith Nanak, the Guru hath dispelled my doubts and fears,

And I behold the Blissful One everywhere.

The Guru's self-depreciation : —

I know no tricks and devices of speech,
But day and night I repeat Thy name.
1 The world.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 295

I possess no merits — not even one.

0 God, Thou doest, and causest all things to be done.

1 a fool, blockhead, ignorant, and thoughtless,
Long for Thy name in my heart.

I have performed no works of devotion, penance, or
mortification ;

I have only adored Thy name in my heart.

I know nothing ; I have little wisdom.

Nanak representeth, Thou art, O God, my shelter.

The relation of the creature to the Creator : —

Thou art my lake, I am Thy fish ; 1

Thou art my Lord, I am the beggar at Thy gate.

Thou art my Creator, I am Thy worshipper.

I have found Thy sanctuary, 0 God of profound ex
cellence.

Thou art my life, Thou art my support.

On beholding Thee I bloom like the lotus.

Thou art my salvation, and mine honour ; Thou art the
Acceptor of the holy.

Thou art Almighty, Thou art my strength.

Nanak's supplication to God is —

May I night and day repeat Thy name, O Lord of ex
cellences !

The Guru one day visiting his sacred tank saw
mourning in one house and rejoicing in another.
Upon this he composed the following :—

Mourners practise falsehood ;

They laugh while mourning for others.

One man dieth and there is weeping for him ; in the house
of another there is singing.

One man weepeth, another laugheth.

From youth to old age

Man attaineth not his object ; then he regretteth lost
opportunities.

The world is subject to the three qualities,

1 That is, as a fish cannot live without water, so I cannot live
without Thee.

296 THE SIKH RELIGION

And therefore man passeth through hell and heaven.
Saith Nanak, that man's birth is fruitful, and he is ac
ceptable

Whom God hath applied to the repetition of His name.

A man had a dream which he related to Guru
Arjan. He thought he had fallen into a well and
tried to ascend by the well-rope. Two mice, one
black and the other white, were gnawing it away.
In the well was a venomous serpent which he feared
would sting him. In this dilemma a drop of honey
fell into his mouth from a tree which grew over the
well, and he awoke. The following was composed
by the Guru on the subject of the dream : —

Night and day mice gnaw the rope.1

He who falleth into the well eateth sweets.2

The night 3 passeth away in thinking and reflecting.

Man while considering the various pleasures of the world
never thinketh of God.

Deeming the tree's shadow immovable he buildeth his
house beneath it ;

But Death's noose is round his neck, and Maya aimeth her
arrow at him.

The sandy shore which is exposed to the waves

The fool considereth to be permanent.

He who repeateth the Sovereign God's name in the society
of the saints,

Shall, Nanak, live for ever singing God's praises.

The following was addressed to a dead body : —

With the soul thou didst play.

With the soul thou didst meet every one.

Everybody desired thee with the soul ;

Without it no one wisheth to see thee.

Where is that soul now ?

Without it thou art in a sad plight ;

1 Night and day life grows shorter.

2 Man enjoys himself when he comes into the world.

3 Human life.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 297

With it thou wert master in thine own home.
With it thou wert distinguished,
With it thou wert fondled ;
Without it thou wert left in the dust.
With it thou hadst honour and greatness,
With it thou hadst relations with the world,
With it thy framework was tricked out in various ways ;
Without it thou hast become clay.
The soul neither dieth nor is born ;
It acteth subject to God's orders.

O Nanak, it is God who having fashioned the body uniteth
and separateth the soul from it —
He Himself knoweth His own power.

The attributes possessed in common by God and
the saints :—

God doth not die, nor do we fear death ;
He doth not perish, nor do we grieve.
He is not poor, nor are we hungry ;
He feeleth not pain, nor do we.
There is no destroyer but God ;
He liveth and giveth us life.
He hath no entanglements, nor have we ;
He hath no worldly occupations, nor have we ;
He hath no impurity, nor have we—
When He is glad, we are ever happy—
He hath no anxiety, nor have we ;
He is not defiled by the world, nor are we ;
He feeleth no hunger, and we no thirst.
If He is pure, we are so also.
We are nothing, He is the only Being :
He alone is the beginning and end.

O Nanak, the Guru hath dispelled and shattered our doubts.
We and God, having become united, have assumed the
same colour.

The advantages of loving the Lord :—

By love for the Lord happiness is ever obtained,
By love for the Lord we feel no misery,

298 THE SIKH RELIGION

By love for the Lord the filth of pride is washed away,
By love for the Lord man is ever pure.
Hear, my friend, bear love and affection to God,
Who is our life and soul and the support of every heart.
By love for God all treasure is obtained,
By love for God the pure Name entereth the heart,
By love for God man is ever honoured,
By love for God anxiety is erased,
By love for God man crosseth the terrible ocean,
By love for God man feareth not Death,
By love for God all are saved,
By love for God He goeth with us.
No erring man may by himself meet God.
He to whom God is merciful joineth the society of the
saints.

Saith Nanak, I am a sacrifice unto Thee, O God ;
Thou art the shelter and strength of the saints.

The proud and rich oppressor is brought to his
level by death : —

Man becoming a king, exerciseth dominion ;
Committing oppression he acquireth wealth ;
Amassing and amassing he filleth his coffers ;
But God taketh his wealth from him and bestoweth it on
another.

The body is an unbaked earthen vessel with water therein,

Yet man becometh very proud of it.

He becometh fearless and reckless,

And never thinketh of the Creator who is with him.

He raiseth and collecteth armies,

But when the breath leaveth him he becometh ashes.

He possesseth lofty mansions, seraglios and queens,

Elephants and teams of horses to delight his heart,

A large family of sons and daughters ;

But through love of them the fool dieth in great affliction.

He who created him, destroyeth him.

Pleasures and enjoyments are like a dream.

He is emancipated, he possesseth empire and wealth,

O Nanak, to whom the Lord is merciful.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 299

The condition of the regenerate :—

The order of the Beloved is sweet to me ;

My Spouse hath divorced my co-wife who obeyed not His
order.

My Beloved hath decorated me His happy married wife,

And slaked the burning of my heart.

It is well that I did the bidding of the Beloved ;

I have known what happiness and tranquillity are with
Him.

I am the handmaiden, the servant of the Beloved

Who is indestructible, inaccessible, and infinite.

I will take a fan and wave it over my Beloved.

The five deadly sins which tormented me have fled.

I am not of high family, nor am I beautiful ;

I know not how I have pleased my Spouse.

Though I am helpless, poor, and unhonoured,

My Spouse hath taken my hand and made me His queen.

When first I saw my Beloved Friend,

I obtained happiness and tranquillity, and blest was my
married life.

Saith Nanak, my desires have been fulfilled.

The true Guru hath united me with God, the Lord of
excellences.

The following is a description of Maya, or worldly
love : —

On her forehead is a frown,1 her look is sour,

Bitter is her speech, rude her tongue ;

She is ever hungry, she thinketh God is distant and seeth
her not.

Such a female hath the one God created.

She hath devoured the whole world except those whom
the Guru hath protected, my brethren.

Casting a net of deception she watcheth till the whole
world fall therein.

She hath bewitched Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiv.

Only the pious who love the Name have not been dis
honoured by her.

1 Literally — the mark of the three qualities.

300 THE SIKH RELIGION

Men grow weary performing fasting, vows, and expia
tions ;

They wander to the banks of sacred streams over the
whole earth ;

But only those who have sought the true Guru's shelter
are saved.

The whole world is bound by the love of Maya.

The obstinate and the foolish are consumed by pride.

Guru Nanak hath taken mine arm and protected me.

God's praises ; His name man's only support :—

I am a purchased slave ; Thou, O Lord, art my true
Master ;

My soul and body, yea, everything is Thine.

O Lord, Thou art the honour of the unhonoured ; I put
my trust in Thee.

Know that he who hath other support than the True One
is feeble.

Thine empire is boundless ; no one knoweth its limit.

He who meeteth the true Guru, walketh according to Thy
will.

Device and cunning are of no avail.

Receive, O man, the happiness which the Lord being
pleased conferreth on thee.

Even though thou perform millions of ceremonies, they
will not avail thee.

The slave Nanak hath made the Name his support and
forsaken all other calling.

The following was addressed by the Guru to his
mother :—

If the invisible and infinite Lord dwell a little in my heart,

0 my mother, my troubles, pains, and infirmities shall
all vanish.

1 am a sacrifice to my Master.

My soul and body are very happy repeating His name.
I have heard a little regarding that true Lord.
I have obtained happiness upon happiness, O my mother,
which cannot be estimated.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 301

On beholding Him with mine eyes I was pleased, and
began to long for Him.

O mother, I am without excellences, yet God Himself hath
attached me to His skirt.

God is totally beyond the Veds and the books of the world ;

Nanak's King hath openly manifested Himself.

Magnification of the Lord who ought to be served
and remembered by His frail creatures :—

Hundreds of thousands of saints worship Thee, uttering
1 Beloved, Beloved ! '

In what way shall I who am without virtues and sinful
meet Thee, O my life ?

Thou art my prop, O Lord, Sustainer of the earth, and
merciful God ;

Thou art the Lord of all ; the whole creation is Thine.

Thou art ever the Helper of the saints, and they behold
Thee ever present.

They who are without the Name die lamenting.

Transmigration is at an end for those who embrace the
Lord's service.

What shall be the condition of those who forget the Name ?

The whole world is like trespassing cattle.1

Saith Nanak, O God, do Thou Thyself cut off my
shackles and blend me with Thee.

Instruction to the human race : —

0 man, forgetting all other things, think only of the one
God;

Put aside false pride and offer Him thy soul and body ;
Praise thou the Creator during the eight watches of the
day.

1 live by Thy gifts, O God, show mercy unto me.

0 man, do that work by which thy countenance may be
bright.2

1 Men follow their own inclinations and suffer accordingly. Tres
passing cattle were chained and impounded.

2 By which thou mayest be happy.

302 THE SIKH RELIGION

O God, he on whom Thou bestowest truth becometh
attached to it.

O man, construct such a house as shall never fall.

If thou put the one God in thy heart, thou shalt never die.

God is dear to those who are pleasing to Him ;

And by the Guru's favour, O Nanak, they praise Him the
Ineffable.

The bliss of those who devote their thoughts to
Godr-

What men are they who forget not the Name ?

They are as God ; know that there is no difference be
tween Him and them.

The souls and bodies of those who meet Thee, O Lord, are
happy.

They obtain happiness ; all their sorrows are dispelled by
the favour of the saints,

By whom are saved all countries and worlds.

They are perfect saints in whose hearts Thou, O God,
dwellest.

He whom Thou acknowledgest is acknowledged.

He is illustrious, accepted, and famous everywhere.

O true King, fulfil Nanak's desire

To adore and remember Thee day and night at every
breath.

Man ought ever to attend to his devotions : —

O thou, the prey of sloth, why sleepest thou forgetting
the Name ?

How many float away to perdition on this river of life !

O man, embark on the boat of God's feet and cross over.

During the eight watches of the day sing God's praises in
the company of the saints.

Thou enjoyest various pleasures, but they are empty
without the Name.

Without God's service thou shalt weep thyself to death.

Thou dressest, eatest, and perfumest thyself and rubbest
on batna,1

1 An Oriental soap used to make the skin soft and delicate.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 303

But, without remembering God's name, thy body shall
assuredly depart and become dust.

This world is very difficult to cross : only a few know this.

They who seek God's protection, O Nanak, shall be saved ;
this is God's law.

The Guru calls upon his saints to join him in
worship and arrive at a state of exaltation :—

Come, my friends, let us meet and enjoy every relish ;

Having met let us repeat God's ambrosial name so that
our sins may be blotted out.

Meditate on the Real Thing, O ye saints, that no
troubles may befall you.

The pious are on the alert, and have destroyed all the
thieves.1

Take wisdom and humility as your viaticum, and destroy
the sin of pride.

True is the shop,2 perfect the traffic ; deal in the ware of
the Name.

They who offer up their souls, bodies, and wealth are held
in honour.

They who are pleasing to their Lord enjoy themselves.

Fools of weak understanding who drink wine become
whore-masters.

They who are saturated with God's elixir, Nanak, are the
true drinkers.

The Guru, as handmaiden of the Lord, offers Him
homage :—

The God whose handmaiden I am, is the most exalted of
all:

Everything whether small or great is His.

My soul, my life, and my wealth are admittedly the Lord's.

I am accounted the handmaiden of Him through whose
Name I have become pure.

O Thou, who art independent and full of joy, Thy name
is a jewel and a diamond.

1 The deadly sins who came to rob them.

2 The company of the saints.

304 THE SIKH RELIGION

She whose Lord Thou art, roameth satisfied and ever
happy.

Ye friends and companions of my association, implant in
me right understanding,

That I may serve the saints with love, and thus obtain
God's treasure.

All are handmaidens of God ; all call Him Master,

But it is only she whom God adorneth, O Nanak, who
abideth in happiness.

The duties of the holy handmaiden : —

Become the handmaiden of the saints and learn thy
duties :

The highest of all virtues is not to deem thy Spouse
afar.

Dye thy soul with the beautiful madder of God's name.

Abandon devices and cunning, and know that God is
with thee.

Make obedience to thy Spouse's words thine ornaments ;

Chew forgetfulness of the world as thy betel ;

Make the Guru's instruction thy lamp, and spread the
couch of virtue.

Stand with clasped hands all day long, and thou shalt
meet the sovereign God.

She who is pleasing to the Creator possesseth all discretion
and ornaments ;

She is endowed with peerless beauty, O Nanak, and is
a happy wife.

The advantages conferred by the Guru : —

As long as I have mental doubts I stray in devious paths :

When the Guru dispelled my doubts I obtained rest.

The evil passions which tormented me have left me through
the Guru :

I have escaped from them, and they have escaped from me.

Man is entangled from the moment he thinketh that
worldly things are private property.

I have escaped from entanglements since the Guru dis
pelled my spiritual ignorance.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 305

Man suffereth as long as he knoweth not the will of
God.

He is happy when, meeting the Guru, he recognizeth God's
will.

I have no enemy to torment me, nor doth any one appear
to me to be evil.1

The servant who serveth the Guru, O Nanak, is a slave
of the Lord.

Devotion is pleasing to the Lord and procures the
fulfilment of desires : —

Sing God's praises and thou shalt obtain great happiness,
comfort, and delight.

If the true Guru give His name, evil influences 2 shall
be removed.

I am ever and ever a sacrifice to my Guru ;

I devote myself to the Guru by meeting whom I have
obtained my real object.

He who remembereth not God believeth in good and bad
omens.

Death approacheth not him who is pleasing to the Lord.

The Name is superior to all gifts, charity, devotion, and
penance.

All his desires shall be fulfilled who repeateth God's name.

His fear is no more, his errors and worldly love have fled,
and he seeth none but God.

Nanak, if the supreme Being preserve, no sorrow shall
befall us.

The Guru sings God's praises on every occasion : —

I sing God's praises at home, I sing them abroad, I sing
them awaking in the morning.

I, who deal in God's name, have obtained it as my viaticum
from the Guru,

And completely forgotten all things beside.

The perfect Guru hath given me the gift of the Name ; it
is my only support.

1 That is, I am nobody's enemy.

2 Grih (grab), the seven planets of the ancients and the demons
Rahu and Ketu. Grih also means entanglements.

SIKH. Ill X

3o6 THE SIKH RELIGION

In woe 1 sing God's praises, in weal I sing them ; on my
way I remember them.

The Guru hath firmly fixed the Name in my heart and
slaked my thirst.

I sing God's praises by day, I sing them by night, I sing
them with my tongue at every breath.

The faith that God is with us whether alive or dead
result eth from association with the saints.

Bestow this gift, O God, upon Thy slave Nanak, that he
may clasp to his heart the dust of the saints' feet,

That he may hear of God with his ears, behold Him with
his eyes, and put the Guru's feet on his forehead.

Man must die at last, and his only hope is in
God:—

The body which thou deemest permanent is only a two
days' guest.

Children, wife, home, all thy property — the love of all
these things is transitory.

O man, why laughest thou ?

If thou look attentively, these things are like an en
chanted city ; 1 profit is only obtained by worshipping God.

Clothes worn on the body fall to tatters after two or four
days ;

However much thou runnest upon a wall, thou shalt at
last arrive at its end ; 2

Salt at once melteth if put into a pitcher of water ;

So when the order of the Supreme Being arriveth, the soul
must depart in a trice.

0 man, thy walking, thy sitting, and thy breathing are
all counted.

1 Harishchandar son of Trisanku was, according to the Purans,
raised to heaven for his unbounded liberality. He was accompanied
thither by his friends and followers, but being induced to boast of his
merits, he was hurled back to earth. On the way he repented of his
fault, and remained suspended feet uppermost in mid-air. His city
there is said to be occasionally visible. In the Granth Sahib the
word harchandauri simply means a mirage.

2 Some day death shall arrive.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 307

Ever sing God's praises, Nanak, and thou shall be saved
under the shelter of the true Guru's feet.

The blessings obtained when God mercifully grants
the true Guru :—

When God is merciful,

What is reversed becometh straight, and slanderers and
enemies become friends.

The jewel of divine knowledge shineth in the darkness,
and the impure understanding becometh purified.

When I met the true Guru I obtained happiness, pros
perity, and the fruit of God's name.

No one knew me, despicable r that I was, but now I have
become famous throughout the world.

Formerly no one would allow me to associate with him,
but now all men worship my feet.

I used formerly to go about begging for paise, but now all
the thirst of my heart is quenched.

I who could not endure reproach from any one, have now
become patient through the society of the saints.

What praises of Him who is totally beyond reach can be
uttered by a single tongue ?

Thy servant Nanak is in Thy sanctuary ; make him Thy
slave of slaves.

Man is slow to virtue, but swift to vice : —

O fool, thou art very slow to thy profit, but to thy loss
thou hastenest.

O sinner, thou makest not good bargains, but art attracted
by worthless things.2

O true Guru, my hope is in thee.

O Supreme God, Thy name is Purifier of sinners ; I have
come to Thy shelter.

O man, thou listenest to foul language and art entangled
in it, but in repeating the Name thou art indolent.

Thou greatly delight est in slander, and art wrong-headed.

1 Kripan. Literally — a miser.

2 Rendia. Things of sand or dust.

X 2

308 THE SIKH RELIGION

Thou covetest thy neighbour's wealth, son, and wife, and
like a mad dog eatest what ought not to be eaten.

Thou hast no love for the true faith ; on hearing the truth
thou becomest angry.

O compassionate to the poor, merciful Lord God, Thy
name is the support of the saints.

O God, Nanak hath gladly entered Thine asylum ; be
mindful of Thine own honour.1

An exhortation to man to abandon worldly love : —

Thou clingest to perishable things ; worldly love hath
bound thee.

Thou thinkest not whither thou shalt have to go : through
pride thou hast become blind.

O man, why not abandon the world and worship God ?

Thou dwellest in a frail chamber : the diseases of all the
passions affect thee.

While talking of thy wealth days and nights pass away ;
every moment life groweth shorter.

As men are led away by sweet savours, so art thou by
false and filthy occupations.

Thy senses are attached to the pleasures of lust, wrath,
avarice, and worldly love ;

Therefore the Supreme Being hath caused thee to wander
again and again in births.

When He who removeth the sorrows of the poor becometh
merciful, all happiness is obtained on meeting the Guru.

Saith Nanak, if thou day and night meditate on God He
will heal all thy maladies ;

So, my brethren, repeat God's name.

And He who removeth the sorrows of the poor, shall
become merciful, and the pains of birth and death vanish.

For the unworthy pleasures of a moment man
forfeits his future happiness :—

For the fleeting pleasure of lust, thou shalt suffer misery
for endless time.

For the enjoyment of a ghari or two, thou shalt repent
again and again.

1 By protecting me who am Thine own.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 309

0 blind one, remember the Lord God ;
Thy time hath approached.

Thou art misled on beholding even for a moment the
beauty of the akk, the nim, and the colocynth.1

As is companionship with a serpent so is an intrigue with
thy neighbour's wife.

For worthless objects 2 thou committest sin, but the real
thing is neglected by thee.

Thou lovest what thou shalt have to abandon and thou
quarrellest with thy friends.

This is the case with the whole world, but only he who
hath the perfect Guru shall be saved.

Saith Nanak, when man is purified, he shall cross over the
terrible ocean of the world.

Man cannot conceal his sins from God :—

What men do in secret God seeth, though fools and block
heads deny it.

They reap the reward of their own acts and regret them
afterwards.

My God knoweth all man's devices beforehand.

Deceived by error, O man, thou triest to hide thine acts
from Him, but afterwards thou shalt have to confess thy
heart's secrets.

Man applieth himself to what God hath applied him :
what can any mortal do ?

Pardon me, O Lord, supreme God ; Nanak is ever a
sacrifice unto Thee.

The mortal sins, though potent, can be subdued
by the saints :—

The five deadly sins subdue the four castes and the four
stages of life, and trample on the six religious systems.

They have bewitched and deceived the beautiful, the
accomplished, the lovely, and the wise.

Is there any puissant hero or champion to seize and
destroy them ?

1 That is, the evil passions are fair without but foul within.

2 Bairi kdran. Also translated — Thou committest sin for thy
relations who are thine enemies.

310 THE SIKH RELIGION

He who can pass his life killing and destroying them, is
perfect in this age.

They form a great tribe who cannot be controlled and who
will not flee ; they are a mighty and obstinate army ;

But, saith Nanak, he who is under the protection of the
society of the saints crusheth them.

Sweet is the society of the saints :—

My beloved, the society of the saints is a stream of nectar ;

The Guru diverteth it not from my heart even for a
moment.

On beholding and touching it great pleasure and delight
are obtained :

It is dyed with the Creator's dye.

Death never approacheth him who meeting the Guru
uttereth the Name even for a moment :

God, O Nanak, embraceth and claspeth him to His heart.

The occupation of the saints :—

Good is the society of the saints :

Every watch, every hour, every moment they sing God's
praises and speak of Him ;

Walking, sitting, or sleeping they sing His praises ; their
souls and bodies are absorbed in His feet.

I am small, Thou, 0 God, are great ; Nanak knoweth
Thy sanctuary.

Meditate on God who has done and will do so much

for man :—

The soul, mind, body, life — all pleasures and enjoyments
are given by God ;

He is the Relation of the poor and the Bestower of life ;
He is potent to save those who seek His protection.

O my soul, meditate on God's name.

In this world and the next the one God who accompanieth
thee is the Helper ; fix thy love on Him alone.

Men ponder on the Veds and Shastars to secure deliverance;

But superior to all religious ceremonies and observances
is the utterance of the Name.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 311

Lust, wrath, and pride depart on meeting the true divine
Guru.

They in whose hearts he fixeth God's name and worship
best perform His service.

O Compassionate One, I seek the protection of Thy feet ;
Thou art the honour of the unhonoured.

Thou, O God, art the Support of my soul and life ; Thou
art Nanak's strength.

The advantage of the saints' society and God's
love : —

Without the society of the saints man ever wavering
suffereth great misery :

By love of the one Supreme God the profit of God's essence
is earned.

Men grasp the unreal : —

0 madmen, ye have fallen asleep.

Ye are intoxicated with worldly love, families, and
sensual enjoyments, and embrace fleeting pleasures.

Desires which are false, joy and delight which are a dream
the perverse deem real.

They discover not at all the secrets of the wealth of the
ambrosial Name which is with them.

Nanak, they whom God mercifully keepeth in the com
pany of the saints, obtain His protection.

The Guru grasps the real :—

The love of that Dear One for me !

Not gold, or gems, or pearls,1 or rubies ; no, no, no !

Not empire, not fortune, not authority, not enjoyments —
none of these do I desire.

In worshipping the feet of the saints and taking their
protection I find supreme happiness.

All Nanak's heart-burning was dispelled

When he obtained the love of the Beloved.

1 Gajmoti. Pearls fabled to come from the head of the white
elephant.

312 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Guru makes God manifest :—

O God, the Guru hath shown Thee to mine eyes.

In this world and the next, in every heart art Thou,
O Bewitcher.

Cause of causes, Supporter of the earth, Thou alone art
beautiful.

Nanak devoteth himself to meeting and beholding the
saints ; he sleepeth in complete happiness.

The Guru prays God to crown his devotion :—

Bringing service to a successful issue,

O God, I have gladly come to Thee.

He who putteth God's feet into his heart and obtaineth
the boon of the Name is successful.

This is his happiness here and hereafter ; preserve him
by association with saints.

Nanak, meditate on the Name, sing God's praises, and thou
shalt be easily absorbed in Him.

The longing of the holy for God : —

0 God, Thy feet are beautiful ;

God's saints find them in their hearts.

They who dispel their pride and practise worship, sing
God's praises with the greatest zest :

They long for the one God ; they thirst to behold Him ;
none else pleaseth them.

O God, have mercy upon me ; what is the helpless crea
ture ? Nanak is a sacrifice unto Thee.

The condition of the holy is contrasted with that
of the listless and the proud :—

He who forgetteth God is already dead ;

He who meditateth on the Name shall obtain all the ad
vantages thereof, and be happy ;

He who practiseth pride, though he be called a king, shall
be caught like a parrot, insnared in a trap.

Saith Nanak, he who meeteth the Guru shall become
immovable.1

1 Shall not be subject to transmigration.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 313

The Guru describes the condition of the worldly : —

He who sleepeth in the intoxication of sin and worldly
love hath no understanding.

It is only when Death lifteth him up by the hair that he
shall come to his senses.

They who are attached to the poison of avarice and the
other deadly sins acquire wealth by oppressing others.

They are intoxicated with pride in what is destroyed in
a moment, and, demons that they are, know not God.

The Veds, the Shastars, and holy men cry out, but the
deaf hear not.

They utterly lose their game, and the fools regret what is
lost.

All the tax they pay shall be by way of punishment, and
it shall not be credited in God's court.

0 men, the work by which God would cast a veil over
your sins you have not performed.

Since the Guru hath shown me that the world is such as
it is, I have sung the praises of God alone.

Having renounced all pride in his strength and skill,
Nanak hath entered Thine asylum.

What the holy gain by devotion : —

By dealing in the name of God

The saints and holy men are propitiated, the Beloved is
obtained, His praises are sung, and the music of the five
instruments is played.

When I obtained God's favour I obtained a sight of Him,
and am now imbued with His love.

By serving the saints I conceived love and affection for
my darling Master.

When the Guru fixed divine knowledge in my heart, I
rejoiced that I should not be born again.

1 have obtained tranquillity and the treasure of God
within me,

And renounced all the wiles of the lust of my heart.
For a long time my soul hath been very thirsty :
O God, grant me a sight of Thee, show Thyself unto me.
Embrace poor Nanak who hath entered Thine asylum.

314 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Guru in his humility and sense of depen
dence on God prays to Him :—

Would that some one would destroy the strong fortress
of sin,

Save me from desires, avarice, deception, worldly love,
and error ;

And that the diseases of lust, wrath, avarice, and pride
would leave me !

May I in the company of the saints love God's name, sing
His praises,

Meditate on Him day and night,

And capture and raze the rampart of error !

Nanak, the Name is my treasure.

The Guru instructs a disciple : —

Abandon lust, wrath, and covetousness,

And remember God's name in thy heart.

The worship of God is a profitable work.

Forsake the sins of pride, worldly love, and falsehood,
and ever utter God's name.

O man, attach thyself to the feet of the saints.

Awake and remember the feet of the Lord God

Who is compassionate to the poor, the Purifier of sinners,
and the Supreme Being.

Serve God, 0 Nanak, and thy lot shall be perfect.

The play of the world : —

God hath exhibited this play consisting of rejoicing and
mourning, joy, and sorrow.

One moment man feareth, again he feareth not, and other
times he pursueth his fancies ;

One moment he enjoyeth pleasures, and again he aban-
doneth them ;

One moment he practiseth Jog, penance, and worship of
many kinds, and again he wandereth in error ;

And sometimes, O Nanak, God of His mercy applieth man
to His love by association with saints.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 315

The Guru continues his instruction : —

Take the protection of the one God,

Utter the hymns of the Guru,

Obey the order of the True One,

Receive the treasure of the Name in thy heart,

And thou, O man, shalt enter into happiness.

He who in life is dead

Shall cross the terrible ocean.

Call him the fearless

Who is the dust of all men's feet.

O man, the instruction of the saints

Removeth all anxieties.

Sorrow can never approach him

Whose happiness is in the Name.

All men obey him

Who listeneth to God's praises.

Nanak, profitable is his advent into the world,

And he is pleasing to the Lord, O my soul.

The Guru prays to the Lord of the unowned : —

God is for him

Who hath nobody besides.

He who knoweth the state of his heart

Knoweth everything.

Save me who have fallen —

This, O my soul, is Nanak's prayer.

The Guru's message to his soul : —

O my soul, who hast come from afar,

Hear my message.

Everybody hath abandoned the things

To which thou art attached.

They were as a dream for those

Who repeated God's name.

They who leave God and attach themselves to others

Hasten to transmigration.

It is only they who repeat God's name

Who shall continue to live.

316 THE SIKH RELIGION

He to whom God is merciful,

O Nanak, becometh His worshipper.

ASA ASHTAPADI

Man must make his choice between God and
mammon : —

When I please the five virtues, I displease the five sins.

When I put the former into my heart, I dispossess the
latter.

In this way the city of my body is peopled, O my brethren.

Trouble departed from me when I grasped the divine
knowledge of the Guru.

The Guru hath made a fence l round the true religion :

Meditation on the divine knowledge of the Guru is a
strong thorny gate.

O my brethren and friends, sow the field of the Name,

And make the perpetual service of the Guru your traffic.

Make all your shops out of peace and rest and happiness.

The wholesale dealer,2 the retail dealers,3 form a company
in the one God's name.

Where the true Guru hath set God's seal

Neither infidel-tax, nor fine, nor poll-tax is levied.

Load and dispatch your cargo of the Name,

So shall you, under the Guru's instruction, return home
with a profit.

The wholesale dealer is the true Guru ; the retail dealers
are his disciples ;

The stock-in-trade is the Name ; the remembrance of the
True One is the account kept.

0 Nanak, everlasting is God's city ;

He who serveth the perfect Guru shall abide in it.

ASA BIRHARA

Worship God alone and you shall be happy : —
Remember the supreme God, O my dear friend, and
sacrifice thyself for a sight of Him.

1 To keep out evil passions. 2 The Guru. 3 The disciples.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 317

0 my dear friend, why abandon Him, whose memory
causeth sorrow to be forgotten ?

1 would sell this body to the saint, O my dear friend, if
he caused me to meet the Beloved.

The pleasures and attractions of sin are insipid ; I have
abandoned them, O mother.

Lust, wrath, and covetousness forsook me, O my dear
friend, when I fell at the true Guru's feet.

They who are imbued with God go not elsewhere,1 my dear
friend ;

They who have tasted God's essence, O my dear friend,
are satisfied and contented.

They who seize the skirt of the saint, O Nanak, shall
cross over the terrible ocean.

ASA CHHANT

Jubilation on spiritual victory :—

Joy ! great joy ! I have seen God.

I have tasted, I have tasted His sweet essence.

His sweet essence hath rained on my heart : through the
kindness of the true Guru I have obtained composure.

Since the five enemies fled, my home hath become
habitable, and I sing a song of rejoicing.

The holy saint being my intercessor, I am comforted
and satisfied with the ambrosial Word.

Saith Nanak, when I saw God with mine eyes my heart
was gratified with Him.

Highly adorned are my beautiful gates :

My continual guests are the beloved saints.

When I did homage to them and served them, they ad
justed mine affairs.

God Himself is the Groomsman, He Himself is the Brides
man, He Himself is the priest, He Himself is the God of
marriage.2

He Himself adjust eth His own affairs ; He Himself sus-
taineth the world.

1 Worship not false gods.

2 The Brahmans when celebrating marriages worship different
gods and planets.

3i8 THE SIKH RELIGION

Saith Nanak, when the Bridegroom sitteth at home with
me adorned are my beautiful gates ;

The nine treasures in abundance then enter my house,

And I obtain everything, everything by meditating on the
Name.

By meditation on the Name with composure and devotion
God is ever my Helper.

My cares are at an end, my transmigration hath ceased,
and my mind no longer feeleth anxiety.

When I call out God's name, spontaneous music playeth,
and there is a scene of wondrous splendour.

Saith Nanak, when the Beloved is with me, I obtain the
nine treasures.

All my brethren and friends became overjoyed

When I on meeting the Guru conquered in the very
toilsome struggle of the arena ;

When on meeting the Guru I repeated God's name, I con
quered and the walls of the fortress of error were demolished.

I obtained the wealth of many treasures, and God stood
by to assist me.

He whom God hath made His own possesseth divine
knowledge, and is conspicuous among men.

Saith Nanak, the brethren and friends of him on whose
side standeth God rejoice.

How man should love God :—

When water and milk are placed over a fire, the water
alloweth not the milk to burn ; O men, in that way love
God.1

As the bumble-bee becometh entangled and intoxicated
by the odour of the lotus, and leaveth it not even for a
moment,

So relax not a whit thy love for God ; dedicate to Him
all thine ornaments and enjoyments.

Man in the company of the saints hath no fear of what is
called the way of death where wailings are heard.

1 The Guru's meaning is that man the water should sacrifice him
self for God and God, the milk would blend him with Himself.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 319

Sing and meditate on God's praises, and all thy sins and
sorrows shall depart.

Saith Nanak, chant the song of God, O man, love Him and
bear Him such affection in thy heart

As a fish beareth water ; it hath not a moment's happiness
out of it ; such love bear God, O man.

The chatrik thirsty for raindrops chirrupeth every
moment ' Rain, beautiful cloud ! '

So love God, give Him thy soul and fix all thine attention
on Him.

Be not proud, seek God's protection, sacrifice thyself
for a sight of Him.

The woman who hath true love for the Guru and with
whom he is well pleased, shall meet her parted Spouse.

Saith Nanak, chant the song of the eternal God ; love
Him,

0 my soul, and bear Him such affection

As the love of the sheldrake for the sun ; she feeleth much
anxiety as to when she shall behold the day.

As the kokil in love with the mango sweetly singeth,
so love God, O man :

Love God, be not proud, all are but guests of a single night.

Now why art thou, who earnest and shalt depart naked,
attached to and enamoured of the world ?

By entering the asylum of the feet of the pious, the
worldly love thou feelest now shall depart, and stability
be thine,

Saith Nanak, sing the chant of the Merciful Being, O man,
and love God as the sheldrake watcheth for the day.

As the deer at night hearing the sound of the bell giveth
its life ; so, O man, bear love to God.

As a wife in love with her husband waiteth on her beloved ;
so give thy heart to thy Darling :

So give thy heart to thy Darling, enjoy Him, and thou
shalt obtain all happiness and bliss.

My friend, my Beloved, we have met after a very long
time, and I have clothed myself in red.1

1 Put on red clothes, and dyed my lips, hands, feet, &c. Red is
worn by married women, but never by widows.

320 THE SIKH RELIGION

When the Guru became the mediator, I saw God with
mine eyes ; none appeareth to me like my Beloved.

Saith Nanak, chant the song of the compassionate and
fascinating One ; O man, grasp God's feet and such love
bear thou Him.

The great God to whom all creation is subject
cannot be obtained by idle pilgrimages and ablu
tions : —

Of roaming and searching from forest to forest and of
many ablutions 1 I have become very weary.

Nanak, when I met the holy man, I found God in my
heart,

Whom countless munis and penitents seek for,

Whom millions of Brahmas worship, and whose name is
uttered by men of divine knowledge ;

To meet whom, the Bright One, men perform devotion,
penance, mortification, religious ceremonies, worship, many
purifications and adorations,

Wander over the earth, and bathe at places of pilgrimage.

0 God, men, forests, glades, beasts, and birds all worship
Thee.

The merciful beloved God is found, O Nanak, and salva
tion obtained by meeting the society of the saints.

Millions of incarnations of Vishnu and of Shiv with the
matted hair

Desire Thee, O merciful One ; for Thee their souls and
bodies feel endless longing.

The Lord is infinite and unapproachable, He is the all-
pervading God and Master.

Demigods, Sidhs, the crowd of celestial singers meditate
on Thee ; the Yakshas and Kinars utter Thy praises.

Millions of Indars and various gods repeat Thy name,
O Lord, and hail Thee.

Thou art the Patron of the patronless, saith Nanak ;
Thou art the compassionate ; associate me with the saints
that I may be saved.

1 Avgdh. The gyanis translate this word search, but it is a not
uncommon Sanskrit word bearing the meaning given.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 321

Millions of Devis and Lakshmis serve Thee in divers ways.

Invisible and visible beings, wind, water, day and night
adore Thee.

The stars, the moon, and the sun meditate on Thee ;
the earth and the heavens sing Thy praises.

All the sources of production and all articulate creatures
ever meditate on Thee.

The Simritis, the Purans, the four Veds, and the six
Shastars repeat Thy name.

Nanak, through the society of the saints meet the Purifier
of sinners, to whom the saints are dear.

As much as God communicated to me, so much doth my
tongue utter.

They who serve Thee unknown to me are without
number.

Thou art the all-pervading, indefinable, unfathomable
Lord ; Thou art within and without all things.

We are beggars all, Thou alone art the Giver ; Thou art
not far away ; nay, Thou art present and manifest.

Thou art in the power of Thy saints ; how can their
praises be recounted who meet Thee ?

May Nanak obtain the boon and honour to be allowed
to place his head on the saints' feet !

God confers bliss on those who love Him : —

Abiding is the marriage state of the saint ; her Spouse
neither dieth nor departeth.

She who hath God for her Husband shall ever enjoy Him.

The Lord is indestructible and invisible ; He is ever
young and stainless.

He is not distant ; He is ever present ; He filleth every
direction for ever and for ever.

He is the Lord of the soul from whom proceed salvation
and wisdom ; I love the love of that Beloved.

Nanak expoundeth what he knoweth from the Guru's
instruction ; abiding is the married state of the saint ; her
Spouse neither dieth nor departeth.

She who hath God for her Spouse enjoyeth great bliss.

Happy is such a woman, she is completely honoured :

322 THE SIKH RELIGION

She enjoyeth honour, greatness, and happiness, she singeth
God's praises, and is ever with her great Lord.
1 She hath all perfections, the nine treasures ; her home is
never empty, it containeth everything.

The married state of her whose speech is honeyed and
who obeyeth her Beloved, shall ever be permanent.

Nanak expoundeth what he knoweth through the Guru's
instruction — she who hath God for her Spouse enjoyeth
excessive bliss.

Come, my companions, to the holy man, and let us apply
ourselves to his service.

Let us lay aside our pride, grind his corn, and wash his
feet.

Let us efface and not parade ourselves, and our troubles
shall depart.

Let us take the Guru's protection, obey him, and be
happy with whatsoever he doeth.

Let us do him the lowest service, dispel care, be wakeful
and stand before him with clasped hands day and night.

Nanak expoundeth what he knoweth from the Guru's
instruction ; come, my companions, to the holy man, and
let us apply ourselves to his service.

He on whose forehead such destiny hath been written
applieth himself to the saints' service.

The desires of him who hath obtained the company of
the saints shall be fulfilled.

In the company of the saints are love of God and remem
brance of His name.

The sins of superstition, worldly love, and duality all are
abandoned by him,

In whose heart dwell peace, composure, and devotion ;
he singeth God's praises with joy and delight

Nanak expoundeth what he knoweth through the Guru's
instruction — he on whose forehead such destiny hath been
written, applieth himself to the saints' service.

The Guru gives way to self-depreciation :—

I am a sinner, devoid of understanding and virtue, friend
less and low,

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 323

Foolish, hard-hearted, of mean birth, steeped in the mire
of worldly love,

Enveloped in the filth of error, and in acts of pride and
arrogance — the thought of death entereth not my heart.

Through spiritual ignorance I am entangled with domes
tic enjoyments and worldly love.

Youth fadeth away, age increaseth, Death which hovereth
over me bideth his time.

Nanak representeth, my hope is in Thee, O God ; preserve
me, lowly though I be, in the asylum of Thy saints.

I have wandered in many births and have suffered great
pain in wombs.

Deeming enjoyments and gold delicious, I have become
entangled with them.

Through transmigration I have been born innumerable
times, and have wandered through many lands.

Now I have taken God's protection, and obtained all
comfort from His name.

O Protector, beloved Lord, by me nothing was or shall
be effected.

Nanak hath obtained happiness, comfort, and joy
through Thy mercy, and hath crossed over the ocean of
the world.

God hath saved nominal saints : what fear have the real
saints ?

In any case carefully listen to God's praises.

By carefully listening to His word man obtameth divine
knowledge and the wealth of His name.

He becometh imbued with God's love and singeth His
praises.

Were the earth to become paper, the forests pens, and
the wind a writer,

The end of the Endless One could not be described ;
Nanak hath grasped the protection of His feet.

The inward satisfaction obtained by devotion :—
Day and night become pleasant by remembering God's
name.

By love to His lotus feet wickedness and sin depart ;

Y 2

324 THE SIKH RELIGION

Pain, hunger, and poverty flee away, and man's path
appeareth clear.

When we meet the society of the saints and love the
Name, the heart's longings are satisfied.

By beholding God, man's desires are fulfilled and his
whole family saved.

Day and night, night and day, O Nanak, it is joy to
remember God's name.

The Guru prays for grace to remember God : —
To utter God's name in the company of the spotless
saints is a holy thought.

0 God, saith Nanak, bestow mercy on me, that I may
not forget Thy name for a moment !

The virtues of the man of pure life are conspicuous
and God renders him happy. This chant is sung by
Sikhs at marriages : —

The stars glitter on a clear night.1

Holy men the beloved of my Lord are awake ;

The beloved of my Lord are ever awake, and remember
His name night and day.

They meditate in their hearts on His lotus feet, and
forget Him not for a moment.

They renounce the mental sins of pride and worldly love,
and efface the pain of wrong-doing.

Nanak representeth, the servants of God, the dear saints
are ever awake.

My couch hath splendid trappings.

In my heart joy hath sprung up since I heard that my
Lord was approaching.

On meeting my Lord I have entered on happiness and
am filled with the essence of joy and delight.

He embraced me ; my sorrows fled ; my soul, mind, and
body all bloomed afresh.

1 have obtained my heart's desires by meditating on
God ; the time of my union with Him I account auspicious.

Nanak representeth, when he met the Bearer of pros
perity, the essence of all pleasure was prepared for him.
1 Night is here explained by human life, and the stars by virtues.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 325

My companions meeting me asked me to describe my
Spouse.

I was so filled with the sweets of love that I could not
speak.

The attributes of the Creator are deep, mysterious, and
boundless ; the Veds have not found His limit.

She who meditateth on the Lord with devotion and love,
who ever singeth His praises,

And is pleasing to her God, is full of all virtues and divine
knowledge.

Nanak representeth, she who is dyed with the colour of
God's love shall be easily absorbed in Him.

When I began to sing songs of joy to God,

My friends became glad, my troubles and mine enemies
fled away,

My happiness and comfort increased, I rejoiced in God's
name, and He Himself bestowed mercy on me.

I clung to His feet, and being ever wakeful I met Him.

Happy days came, I obtained peace with all treasures
and was blended with God.

Nanak representeth, the saints of God are ever steadfast
in seeking His protection.

Why should man fall away from God for the sake
of short-lived pleasure ?—

Rise and go, O traveller,1 why delay est thou ?

Thine appointed time is complete ; why covetest thou
what is false ?

Thou covetest what is false, and by the deceit of Maya
thou committest innumerable sins.

O wretched man, Death hath sought thee ; thou shalt
be overcome by him, and thy body shall be a heap of ashes.

Thou shalt depart leaving thy property and youth ; no
more shalt thou have clothing and food.

Saith Nanak, thine acts shall accompany thee, their effects
cannot be effaced.

Instead of pleasure there ever resulteth pain from the
commission of sin.

1 The soul.

326 THE SIKH RELIGION

Lo ! as the deer is snared on a moonlight night,1

So the sins thou hast committed shall not forsake thee ;
they shall lead thee away with a halter round thy neck.

Thou art deceived by a mirage ; thou embracest an un
substantial lover ;

Thou art intoxicated with avarice, greed, and conceit ;
thou art brimful of pride.

Nanak, man like the deer is destroyed by his ignorance,
and his transmigration ceaseth not.

The fly is caught in the sweets — how can it take flight ?

The elephant falleth into a pit — how can it escape ?

It will be difficult for her to escape who remembereth not
her Spouse even for a moment.

Her sufferings and punishment cannot be reckoned ; she
shall obtain the fruit of her own acts

What she hath done in secret shall become manifest ;
she shall be ruined in this world and the next.

Nanak, without the true Guru the proud self-willed man
is ruined.

God's servants live by clinging to His feet.

The Lord embraceth those who seek His protection.

He giveth them strength, understanding, divine knowledge
and meditation; He Himself causeth them to utter His name.

God Himself is the society of His saints : it is He who
saveth the world.

The Preserver ever preserveth those whose acts are pure ;

Nanak, they shall never go to hell ; God's saints are
under His protection.

Man cannot hide his sins from God : — -

What man doeth either by day or night shall be recorded
on his forehead.

He from whom man seeketh to conceal his acts is with
him and seeth them :

The Creator is with him and seeth them ; why com-
mitteth he sin ?

Do good acts, repeat the Name, and thou shalt never go
to hell.

1 When hunters are out and snares are laid.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 327

During the eight watches of the day repeat God's name,
and it shall accompany thee.

Ever worship in the company of the saints, O Nanak,
and the sins thou hast committed shall be blotted out.

By violence and fraud thou fillest thy belly, O ignorant
fool,

Although God the Giver continueth to give thee everything.

The compassionate Lord is ever the Bestower ; why for
get Him ?

Join the society of the saints and boldly worship God,
so shall thy whole family be saved.

The Name is the support of the sidhs, the strivers, the
gods, the munis, and the saints.

Nanak representeth, ever worship God the sole Creator.

Cheat no one ; God assayeth everything.

They who practise falsehood and deception shall be born
again in this world,

While those who have meditated on the one God have
crossed over its ocean ;

Having abandoned lust, wrath, and blame of the blameless,
they have entered the sanctuary of the Lord.

God pervadeth sea and land, the nether regions, and the
firmament : He is exalted, inaccessible, and infinite.

Nanak representeth, God is the prop of His servants : His
lotus feet are their support.

Lo ! the world is a phantom city ; nothing is durable.

The enjoyments of the world shall not accompany thee.

God is ever with thee ; remember Him day and night.

Beside the one God there is none : burn the love of
worldly things.

Deem that God in thy heart as thy friend, thy youth,
thy wealth, thine all.

Nanak representeth, he who obtaineth God by great
good fortune enter eth on happiness and rest.

The effect of worldly love on man and other
animals :—

The illusion of mammon is terrible,1 the illusion of mam-
1 Also translated — A wall between God and man.

328 THE SIKH RELIGION

mon is terrible ; alas ! great is its intoxication, it perverteth
men's natures, and their lives, alas ! pass in vain.

In the deep and awful forest, in the deep and awful forest,
alas ! the thieves of the soul rob the house 1 in broad day
light, and night and day eat the plunder.2'

By night and day they eat the plunder ; life passeth
away without God ; come to me, O God, Thou Lord of
mercy.

Without the companionship of the Beloved many births
and deaths have taken place, and there is no salvation.

I am without family, beauty, distinction, or divine know
ledge ; who is my cherisher but Thee, O God ?

With clasped hands Nanak hath entered Thy sanctuary ;
O beloved Lord, grant him salvation.

Alas ! as a fish out of water, a fish out of water dieth by
separation from it, so how can I live without the Beloved ?

The deer faceth the arrow, it faceth the arrow, alas ! it
sacrificeth its life while absorbed in the pleasure of listening
to the hunter's bell.

Love to the Beloved hath sprung up within me : I have
abandoned the world to meet Him : curses on the body
which remaineth for one moment without Him !

Mine eyelids close not ; I am absorbed in the love of the
Dear One ; my mind anxiously looketh for Him night and
day.

They who are imbued with God's love and intoxicated
with the Name, lose all fear, doubt, and worldly love.

Bestow mercy and compassion, O Thou compassionate,
all-pervading God, that Nanak may be absorbed in Thy
love.

The bumble-bee is humming, the bumble-bee is humming ;
alas ! intoxicated with the savour and odour of the honey
of the flowers,3 it entangleth itself in its love for the
lotus.

The heart of the chatrik thirsteth, the heart of the chatrik

1 In this world the deadly sins take possession of the heart.

2 The gyanis translate — The sun eats men night and day, that is,
lime consumes man's life.

3 Man enjoys earthly pleasures.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 329

thirsteth ; its heart longeth for the beautiful cloud-drops ;
when it drinketh all its fever depart eth.

0 Destroyer of fear, O Destroyer of sorrow, come to me :
my soul and body feel for Thee excessive love.

Beautiful, clever, wise Lord, with what tongue shall I
utter Thy praise ?

Take me by the hand, give me Thy name : he on whom
Thou lookest with favour hath his sins erased.

Saith Nanak, he who beholdeth God the Purifier of sinners
feeleth no pain.

1 think of the Lord, I think of the Lord ; me friendless
preserve in Thine asylum : I delight to meet Thee who
giveth delight to my soul.

• I meditate on Thy beautiful form, I meditate on Thy
beautiful form ; my soul longeth for a knowledge of Thee,
O God, who preserveth the honour of Thy suppliants.
f God who bestoweth full honour and destroyeth sorrow
hath fulfilled all my desires.

Happy was that day when God embraced me : on meeting
my Spouse my couch was adorned.

God casting a glance of favour on me, all my sins have
been erased.

Nanak representeth, my desires have been fulfilled. I
have found the Bearer of prosperity, the Treasury of excel
lences.

GUJARI

The necessity of the Guru : —

Men perform devotional exercises l and the six religious
acts of the Hindus ; worldly people are steeped in such things ;

But without the Guru the filth of pride leaveth not their
hearts, and they lose their game.

0 my God, mercifully preserve me.

Out of millions some rare man is a servant of God ; all
others are worldly.

1 Kiridchdr. This includes worship, applying frontal marks, bathing,
feeding idols, &c.

330 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Shastars, the Veds, the Simritis, all have I searched ;
they all utter one cry : —

' Without a guru none obtaineth salvation ' ; observe and
consider this in thy mind.

Were one to bathe at the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage
and wander over the whole earth,

Were one to perform various purifications day and night,
all would be darkness without the true Guru.

Running hither and thither, I traversed the whole world,
but now I have arrived at God's door.

God hath removed my sinful desires and enlightened
my understanding : Nanak is saved under the Guru's
guidance.

Man through his perversity is ever doing what
he ought not to do :—

Man proposeth to go to the west, but he is led away to
the east.

God in an instant establisheth and disestablished ; He
holdeth in His hands the result of man's designs.

Human devices are of no avail :

What my Lord deemeth fit shall continue to be.

Men who go forth with the object of acquiring territory
and amassing money, die on the way.

Their armies, officers, and servants — all shall they leave
and depart to the city of Death.

Through obstinacy man asserteth himself and deemeth
there is none other like himself.

The food which blameless persons have reprobated and
laid aside he eateth again and again.1

He to whom God is kindly disposed and merciful shall
have his shackles cut off.

Saith Nanak, he who hath met the perfect Guru is accept
able, whether he be a family man or an anchoret.

The advantages of devotion and charity :—

They who repeat the priceless Name shall have their
shackles cut off ;

1 That is, he indulges in forbidden pleasures.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 331

They shall be freed from the sins of lust, wrath, worldly
love, and the disease of pride.

They who joining the company of the saints sing God's
praises,

Shall have their hearts purified by the favour of the Guru
and obtain the highest of all happiness.

I have adopted this as my worship — to deem good what
ever God doeth :

To consider friends and enemies as the same is an index
of the way to God.

He filleth every place, wherefore I go nowhere.1

He is in every heart, uninterruptedly in all things ; He
is immersed in love and dyed with love.

When God is merciful and compassionate, man arriveth
at the abode of the Fearless.

In one moment his troubles and anxieties are at an end,
O Nanak, and he becometh absorbed in God.

Man ought to trust to God alone :—

Every one to whom I address myself is full of his own
troubles ;

But he who heartily adoreth the Supreme God shall cross
over the terrible ocean.

None but the greatGod can remove this distress and sorrow.

Whoever forsaketh God and becometh a worshipper of
others, shall find his honour, dignity, and reputation decrease.

They who are acquaintances and relations for the sake of
mammon are of no avail.

God's slave, even though he be of lowly birth, is exalted ;
in his company man obtaineth whatever his heart desireth.

Even though man have thousands and millions of viands
obtained by sin, yet shall his hunger not be satisfied thereby.

By remembering the Name there appear endless lights
by which the Unseen is manifested.

Wandering and wandering I have arrived at Thy door,
O Destroyer of fear, sovereign God.

Nanak desireth the dust of the saints' feet ; in it he findeth
his happiness.

1 I practise my devotions at home.

332 THE SIKH RELIGION

All worldly possessions are temporary ; the Name
alone is permanent :—

Man first dwelleth in his mother's womb ; leaving it he
cometh into the world.

He then desiretk splendid houses, beautiful gardens, and
mansions ; but none of these shall go with him.

Vain is every desire of the covetous.

The perfect Guru hath given me God's name; it is a thing
that becometh my soul.

Man is attached to and rejoiceth in the company of dear
friends, relations, sons, brethren, and wife ;

But when the last moment hath arrived, Death seizeth
him while they look on.

By unworthy means man amasseth wealth, gold, silver,
and copper ;

But he really only gaineth his hire as a labourer ;
everything else passeth to others.

Horses, elephants, chariots man acquireth by violence and
calleth his own ;

But when there is a long journey before him, they will
not travel a step with him.

The Name is my wealth, the Name maketh me happy as
a king, the Name is my family and helper.

God gave Nanak the wealth of the Name which shall
never perish or transmigrate.

Men of the lowest castes have by devotion obtained
celestial bliss and glory :—

Those who have lapsed God hath purified and made his
own ; every one boweth before them.

No one now asketh their caste or their tribe ; men beg
the dust of their feet.

Such, O God, is the effect of Thy name !

Thou art the Lord of all creation ; Thou specially
assistest Thy servant.

In the company of the saints, Nanak hath obtained
wisdom ; singing God's praises is his support.

In this way God's servants Namdev, Trilochan, Kabir,
and the tanner Rav Das obtained salvation.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 333

God is unknowable :—

0 God, none there is who understandeth Thee ; how may
we know Thee ?

Shiv, Brahma, and all the munis have not been able to
realize Thy state.

The story of God is recondite and deep.

God cherishes His servants, and they sing His
praises : —

God's servant hath no worldly wisdom, resource, or
cleverness ;

As occasion offereth, he meditateth on God.

It is God's function to love His saints ;

He cherisheth and fondleth them as His own children.

God's saints sing His praises as their devotion, penance,
mortification, and religious ceremonies.

Nanak hath entered the asylum of the Lord ; he hath
obtained there the fearless boon of happiness.

The Guru enjoins worship and saintliness :—

My beloved friends, worship God day and night ; make
not the slightest delay.

Serve the saints with love ; put aside pride and obstinacy.

The entrancing merry God is my soul and honour ;

He dwelleth in my heart ; my mind is fascinated as I
behold His sports.

By remembering Him my mind is happy, and its rust is
rubbed off.

The importance of meeting God l cannot be described ;
Nanak, it is beyond everything.

Only the really holy man is free from worldly
love : —

Men call themselves Munis, Jogis, and learned in the
Shastars, but Maya hath them all under her control.

The mind is lost in astonishment at her subjection of the

1 This is also translated in a secular sense — the importance of
union cannot be described.

334 THE SIKH RELIGION

three gods l and the three hundred and thirty millions of
demigods.

She is potent and continueth to pervade the whole world.

Her secret is obtained by the Guru's favour ; no one
besides knoweth it.

Ever conquering she hath subdued all places, and
enmeshed all the world ;

Saith Nanak, she misleadeth not the holy man, but
becoming his handmaiden claspeth his feet.

The Guru humbles himself before God :—

Small is the power of mother, father, brother, son, and

kinsman.
Though various forms of mammon are seen, yet none shall

go an inch with one.

0 God, I have none but Thee.

1 am helpless, devoid of merits ; possessing none I have
come to Thee.

I am a sacrifice again and again to Thy feet ; in this
world and the next Thine is the power to save.

In the company of the saints Nanak hath obtained a sight
of Thee ; to none else oweth he obligation.

God's omnipotence : —

In a moment Thou establishest and discs tablishest ; Thy
worth cannot be appraised.

Thou turnest a king into a beggar in a moment, and into
the lowly Thou infusest splendour.

0 ye people, ever meditate on your God.

Why are ye anxious and solicitous regarding the things
which perish in a moment ?

O God, Thou art my prop, my perfect True Guru ; I have
fallen under Thy protection.

I, Nanak, am heedless, silly, childish ; reach me Thy
hand and save me.

A supplication to God : —

It is Thou who conferrest gifts on all ; do Thou abide in
my heart.

1 Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiv.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 335

He in whose heart Thy lotus feet are contained, hath not
the darkness of doubt.

O my Lord, where I remember Thee, there art Thou
present.

0 Thou who cherishest all, have mercy on me that I may
ever praise Thee ;

That I may remember Thy name at every breath and
long for Thee only.

Nanak's prop is the Creator ; he hath renounced the
hopes he had in others.

No evil can befall him whom God protects :—

Nanak seeketh Thy protection, O Creator ; Thou, O God,
art the support of the soul.

What can the world do to him whom Thou aidest and
protectest ?

The Guru humbles himself and prays to God for
mercy :—

1 have never fixed my attention on God.

I have passed my life in worldly occupations and not
sung the name of the Treasury of excellences.

I have by deception exerted myself in various ways to
amass money kauri by kauri.

How much sorrow was debited to me when I forgot God
and was eaten up by the arch fascinator mammon \

Be gracious, O Lord, and take not mine acts into account.

O God, Thou art compassionate and benign, an ocean of
clemency ; Nanak hath come under Thy protection.

The advantages of meditating on God : —

By the Guru's favour I have meditated on God, and all
my doubts have vanished.

Anxiety, ignorance, and fear have left me, and my sins
are at an end.

God's name is dear to my soul.

Having met the saints, I have under their instruction
meditated on God in the most sinless way.

336 THE SIKH RELIGION

Devotion and the performance of various ceremonies are
profitable when the Name is remembered.

When Thou didst graciously protect me, my desires were
fulfilled.

May I never at any time forget God the omnipotent !

How can I describe Thy various attributes ? They are
innumerable and ever ineffable.

Thou art the Remover of the sorrows of the poor, the
Saviour compassionate and merciful.

The immovable dignity is obtained by remembering the
Name ; Nanak hath firmly grasped Thy protection.

ASHTAPADI

God's praises, and supplications unto Him : —
O Lord, King of men, Friend of the poor, Purifier of

sinners,

Dispeller of fear and terror, Abode of mercy, Treasury of

excellences, profitable is Thy service.

0 God Gopal, great Gobind,

1 have taken the protection of Thy feet, Thou merciful
God, cause me to cross the terrible ocean of the world.

Dispeller of lust and wrath, Burner of pride and worldly
love, Murari, Honey of the soul,

Sustainer of the earth, set aside my transmigration and
preserve mine honour, Thou Primal Joy.

Many burn in their desire for mammon ; but by the Guru's
spell divine knowledge is obtained in the heart, and they are
healed.

Prick the bubble of my pride, O Thou full of mercy, and
dispel my anxieties, O Thou Eternal Being.

O man, remember the Omnipotent every moment, and
calmly apply thyself to the contemplation of God.

O compassionate to the poor, ever happy, who fillest all
space, I beg the dust of Thy saints' feet.

From the evils of worldly and sensual love, and from
the sins of hope and desire preserve us.

Preserve the faith and remove doubt from our hearts ;
save us, O Formless One !

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 337

Even they who are without raiment become well attired
from the treasury of God's storehouses.

The stupid, the senseless, and the fools become virtuous
and patient by God's favouring glance.

Thou shalt obtain salvation while alive by repeating the
name of the Lord of the world, remembering Him, and having
faith in Him in thy heart.

The belief that God is compassionate and merciful to His
creatures and pervadeth everything is the rule of the saints.

God showeth Himself to those who hear His praises and
utter His name.

Saith Nanak, O God, Saviour of sinners, receive me in
Thine embrace.1

GUJARI KI WAR II
When God is pleased, man obtains every boon :—

When Thou art pleased, O Kind and Incomprehensible
One, Thou dwellest in my heart.

When Thou art pleased, O Kind One, I obtain the nine
treasures in my own home.

When Thou art pleased, O Kind One, I act according to
the Guru's instruction.

When Thou art pleased, O Kind One, Nanak shall be
absorbed in the True One.

Kings without piety are not held in honour :—

How many sit on thrones and have many musical instru
ments played for them !

But without the true Name, Nanak, nobody's honour hath
been preserved.

The demigods and priests do homage to God :—

Men standing with the Veds and the books of the Musal-
mans meditate on Thee, O God.

They who are prostrate at Thy door cannot be counted.
Brahma and Indar on their thrones meditate on Thee.
Shiv, Vishnu, and the avatars proclaim Thy praises.

1 The Hindi names in this hymn obviously only mean God, not
any of His alleged incarnations.

338 THE SIKH RELIGION

Moslem priests, Prophets, Shaikhs, and saints utter Thy
name.

God the warp and woof is woven into every heart.

By falsehood man passe th away, by honesty he abideth.

Man applieth himself to those duties to which God
appointed him.

They who are slow to devotion must eventually
suffer :—

Man is slow to goodness, but a tiger to evil.
Nanak, to-day or to-morrow the feet of the heedless shall
fall into a trap.

God loves man despite his sins : —

However evil our ways, Thy love for us, O God, is not
hidden.

Saith Nanak, Thou O Lord, the true Friend, hast over
looked our sins of thought.1

Man is saved by humbling himself before God : —

Countless sinners become pure by fixing their attention
on God's feet.

He, O Nanak, on whose forehead such destiny hath been
written, obtaineth God's name for the sixty-eight places of
pilgrimage.

The following is uttered by Sikhs when they put
on new clothes : —

Thou, O God, hast given me the raiment of love to pre
serve mine honour.

0 my Lord, Thou art wise and far-seeing ; Nanak knoweth
not Thy worth.

By remembering Thee, I obtain everything, I find nothing
difficult.

Nanak, he whose honour the true Lord protecteth can
be dishonoured by no one.

1 Also translated —

Whatever difficulties there may be, love is not hidden.
Thou, O Lord, preservest the honour of those in whose hearts
Thou, the true Friend, art.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 339

God is the raft to ferry man over the dangerous
ocean of the world : —

The river is deep ; I cannot ford it ; yet I must because
I love Thee.

My heart is sewed to Thy feet, O God, saith Nanak ; Thou
art the raft and the boat.

The saints are the Guru's friends :—

They, a sight of whom banisheth evil inclinations, are
my friends.

Nanak, I have searched the world all over ; there are few
such persons.

Long for the Omnipotent :—
Nanak, long for that God who is the support of all ;
By whose power the earth resteth upon water, and timber
containeth fire.1

The Guru prays to God who is potent to bestow :—

All Thou hast made is dependent on Thee alone.

What Thou madest in the beginning prevaileth in the
world.

I am astounded on beholding Thy astounding might.

Thy slave hath come under Thy protection ; act and
I shall be saved.

All wealth is in Thy hands to give it to whom Thou
pleasest.

He to whom Thou art merciful repeateth Thy name.

Men read religious books without spiritual ad
vantage : —

The broth is stirred with spoons, but they know not
its flavour.

Nanak, those men are the best who are imbued with the
relish of God's love.

The Guru is convinced of the unity of God :—
When my Beloved was kind to me, I searching found
One Creator ; Nanak, no other can be seen.

1 It is believed that fire is naturally inherent in timber.
Z 2

340 THE SIKH RELIGION

Sin may be avoided by remembering the Guru's
instruction : —

Take aim with the arrow of truth and bring down sin.

Remember the Guru's instruction, Nanak, and no sorrow
shall befall thee.

He who forgets God can never prosper : —

Millions of obstacles are in his way who forgetteth the

Name :

He croaketh day and night, Nanak, like a raven in an

empty building.

The life of an anchoret is not necessary to salva
tion : —

Nanak, I have met the true Guru, and my union with
God is accomplished.

Even while men laugh, and play, and dress, and eat,
salvation can be obtained.

The favours conferred by the Guru : —

Hail ! hail to that true Guru who hath demolished the
fortress of doubt !

Congratulations to that true Guru who hath united me
with God !

The Guru hath given me as a medicine the inexhaustible
treasure of the Name.

It hath cured the great and terrible disease of spiritual
ignorance.

In obtaining the wealth of the Name, I have found a great
treasure ;

And by recognizing myself I have won this priceless
human life.

The praises of the Guru the omnipotent being cannot be
expressed.

The Guru is the supreme Brahma, illimitable, invisible,
and inscrutable.

Effort encouraged by the Guru : —
O man, by striving and earning enjoy happiness.
Nanak, by meditating on God, meet Him and thine
anxieties shall vanish.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 341

God destroys slanderers and protects the holy :—

God at once destroyed the slanderers and suffered them
not to live for a moment.

He caught them and yoked them to birth, for He could
not endure the torments of His slaves.

He dragged down the slanderers by the hair of their heads,
and sent them on the road to Death.

He threw them into hell, where they groaned in agony ;

But God, true that He was, O Nanak, embraced and pro
tected His saints.

DEVGANDHARI

The intoxication of devotion :—

Thy servant, O God, is intoxicated with Thine elixir.

He who obtaineth the store of the essence of love, for-
saketh it not to go elsewhere.

While seated he repeateth God's name, while sleeping he
repeateth God's name, he taketh God's essence for his food.

Bathing in the dust of the saints' feet is equal to ablution
at the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage.

Profitable is the life of God's servant who hath made God
a father of good children.

Nanak, he who recognizeth the all-pervading God,
taketh all with him and saveth them.

The following is sung at banquets and also when
the Granth Sahib is brought to the temple in the
early morning :—

O God, this is the desire of my heart :

That Thou, the Treasure of mercy, the Compassionate,
shouldst make me the slave of Thy saints ;

That I should touch their feet in the morning and behold
them night and day ;

That I should devote my body and soul to their service
and sing God's praises with my tongue ;

That I should ever abide with the saints and remember
Thee at every breath I draw.

The Name is my sole support and wealth ; from it Nanak
obtaineth delight.

342 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Guru's delicious sensation on meeting God :—
O Beloved, Thy words are nectar.

0 my Beloved, very beautiful, Bewitcher of the soul,
Thou art in everything and yet distinct.

1 long not for empire, I long not for salvation ; l my soul
loveth Thy lotus feet.

There may have been Brahma, Shiv, Sidhs, Munis, and
Indar, but I desire only a sight of Thee.

O Lord, I have come helpless to Thy door, and, weary
that I am, have entered the asylum of Thy saints.

Saith Nanak, I have met God who beguileth the heart ;
my soul is refreshed and happy.

The unity of God :—

Know that there is only one God :

Know Him to be one through the Guru's instruction.

Why wander? wander not, my brethren ; God is surely
contained in every place.

As the fire which is in timber cannot be made available
without skill,

So God's door is not obtained without the Guru.

Abandon pride in the company of the saints ;

Thus, saith Nanak, shall the Primal Treasure be obtained.

The Guru deprecates evil communications :—

Turn away, O my soul, turn away,

Turn away from the apostate.

False is the love of the false ; abandon it, O my soul, and
thou shalt be saved ; thou shalt not be saved in the company
of the apostate.

As any one who entered a house filled with soot would
become black,

So whoever associated with the apostate would become
defiled ; but he who meeteth the Guru shall escape from
Maya, and flee from evil association.

O merciful One, Ocean of mercy I crave this boon of Thee,
not to bring me face to face with the apostate.

Make Nanak Thy slave of slaves, and his head shall roll
under the saints' feet.

1 The Guru loves God and expects no reward.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 343

BIHAGRA CHHANT

The following was composed in reply to a question
how God could be worshipped :—

I have seen one miracle of God, O my beloved ; what He
doeth is perfect justice.

God appointed the world as a beautiful arena, my beloved,
where all men come and go.

He who created the earth made men's coming and going.

God inviteth some who meet the true Guru to His palace ;
others wander astray in error.

Thou alone, O God, knowest Thine own limit ; Thou
art contained in everything.

Verily speaketh Nanak — hear, O saints, God dispenseth
perfect justice.

Come and meet me, O companions, my beloved ; let us
worship God's name.

Worship the perfect true Guru, my beloved ; let us smooth
the way to death.

Having under the Guru's instruction smoothed the
arduous road, we shall obtain honour in God's court.

They whom God so predestined fix their attention on
Him day and night.

Pride, egotism, and worldly love depart when we associate
with the holy man.

Saiththe slave Nanak, salvation is obtained by worshipping
God's name.

0 saints, my beloved, let us unite and with clasped hands
worship the Imperishable Being.

1 have examined many forms of worship, my beloved ;
but they are all vain ; let us devote our souls and bodies
all to Him.

When soul, body, and wealth belong to the Lord, what
offering shall we make Him ?

The compassionate God embraceth him to whom He
showeth mercy.

He on whose forehead such destiny was written loveth
the Guru.

344 THE SIKH RELIGION

The slave Nanak saith — let us by association with the
saints worship God's name.

I have returned, O my beloved, from searching in every
direction ; and have found God in my own home.

God hath made this body as a temple, 0 my beloved, and
He is contained therein.

The Lord God is contained in everything ; He becometh
manifest by the Guru's instruction.

Darkness is dispelled, and troubles removed when the
Guru hath caused the essence of God's nectar to trickle into
the mouth.

Wherever I look, there and in every place is the Lord, the
Supreme Being.

Saith the slave Nanak, on meeting the true Guru, I have
found God on returning home.

The exquisitely pleasurable feeling of union with
God:—

O pleasant night, grow long as I love the Dear One ;

0 unpleasant sleep, grow short that I may ever touch
His feet.

1 long for the dust of His feet, and I ever beg for His
name for the love of which I have abandoned the world.

Forsaking my very evil inclinations, I have become
imbued with the love of the Dear One and intoxicated
without wine.

I have met the Dear One on the right way ; He
hath taken my arm, and I have become absorbed in
His love.

Nanak imploreth Thee, O Lord, to extend him the favour
to continue attached to Thy feet.

O my friends and companions, let us remain attached to
God's feet.

Our hearts feel great love for the Dear One ; let us pray
for His service.

Let us go and meet the saints of God, meditate on Him,
and we shall obtain His service.

Let us forsake the sins of pride and worldly love, and
dedicate to Him our bodies, wealth, and souls.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 345

God is the great Being, all-pervading, of perfect excel
lence ; on meeting Him all error and fear depart.

Nanak representeth, hear my counsel ; my companions,
let us ever and ever repeat God's name.

God's spouse is a happy wife, and enjoyeth every pleasure ;

She shall not become a widow ; her Spouse is long-lived.

She is never unhappy, she meditateth on God ; blest and
fortunate is she.

She sleepeth in peace and rest ; her sins are blotted out,
and she awaketh in the delight and love of the Name.

She remaineth absorbed in God's love ; His name is her
jewels ; the words of the Dear One are to her sweet and
pleasing.

Nanak representeth, I have obtained my heart's desire ;
I have met God who is a long-lived Spouse.

He in whose soul and body God the Primal Joy is con
tained,

Hath at home songs of rejoicing and millions of pleasures.

God, my Spouse, is infinite, compassionate, the Possessor
of wealth, the Saviour of sinners.

God, the Extender of mercy, is He who causeth man to
cross the terrible ocean.

God embraceth him who seeketh His protection ; this is
the function of the Lord.

Nanak representeth, I have found God as my Spouse, and
He ever indulgeth in dalliance with me.

Dark is the night and difficult the road. There is
none to light man's way and guide him but God :-—

Thou who art imbued with love for many worldly things
shall find thy way difficult.

O sinner, there is none to help thee ;

No helper is thine ; thou shalt ever regret it.

Thou utterest not God's praises : shall these days ever
return ? x

As leaves separated from the tree shall not grow again
thereon, so shall thy relations and friends part from thee, and
thou shalt proceed alone on thy way to Death.

1 Shalt thou ever again have such an opportunity ?

346 THE SIKH RELIGION

Nanak representeth, without the name of God man ever
wander eth in distress.

O man, thou practisest deception in secret, but God who
knoweth everything knoweth thee.

When Dharmraj taketh thine account, thou shalt be
pressed like a bundle1 of sesame.

0 mortal, thou shalt suffer the penalty of thine acts, and
wander in many wombs.

Imbued with the love of the arch fascinator, thou shalt
lose the jewel of thy human life.

Thou wert clever at everything else except repeating the
one God's name.

Nanak representeth — they for whom it was so destined
are attracted to superstition and worldly love.

The ungrateful are separated from God and have no
mediator.

The all-cruel myrmidons of Death shall seize them ;

Shall seize and lead them off, and they shall obtain their
deserts on account of their love for the arch fascinator.

They never repeated God's praises under the Guru's
instruction, so their breasts shall be applied to the hot
pillar.

Man is ruined by lust, wrath, and pride ; he loseth his
senses and then regretteth.

Nanak representeth — without repeating God's name man
faileth to meet Him.

There is none but Thee, O God, the Preserver.

It is Thy function to save sinners.

1 seek Thy protection, O Saviour of sinners, Master,
Ocean of mercy, compassionate :

O Creator, Cherisher of every heart, rescue me from the
blind well.

Thou art my Protector, cut away my heavy fetters, and
give me the Name as my sole support.

Nanak imploreth — O God, compassionate to the poor,
reach me Thy hand and save me.

The day when God blended me with Himself was fortunate:

1 As much sesame as is put at one time into a press.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 347

All happiness then appeared, and misery remained far
apart.

Comfort, ease, joy, and delight ever accrue from singing
God's praises.

In association with the saints worship God with love, and
thou shalt not again rush through births.

God graciously embraceth man according to the result
of former acts.1

Nanak representeth — when God is met, man never again
wandereth in transmigration.

Prayer and praise of God : —

Hear my supplication, O my Lord God,
Though I am full of millions of sins, nevertheless I am
Thy slave.

0 Thou Dispeller of grief, merciful, fascinating, Destroyer
of trouble and anxiety,

1 seek Thy protection, protect mine honour ; Thou art in
all things, O spotless One,

Thou hearest and beholdest us ; Thou art with us all,
O God ; Thou art the nearest of all to us.

O Lord, hear Nanak's prayer, save the slave of Thy
household.

Thou art ever omnipotent ; we are poor and beggars.

O God, save us who are involved in the love of
mammon.

Bound by covetousness and worldly love, we have com
mitted various sins.

The Creator is distinct and free from entanglements ; man
obtaineth the fruit of his acts.

Show us kindness, Thou purifier of sinners ; we are weary
of wandering through many a womb.

Nanak representeth — I am the slave of God who is the
Support of the soul and life.

Thou art great and omnipotent ; my understanding is
feeble.

Thou cherishest even the ungrateful ; Thou lookest
equally on all.

1 Literally — According as the sprout cometh from the seed.

34^ THE SIKH RELIGION

Unfathomable is Thy knowledge, O infinite Creator ;
I am lowly and know nothing.

Having rejected the gem of Thy name, I have amassed
kauris ; I am a degraded and silly being.

By the commission of sin I have amassed what is very
unstable and forsaketh man.

Nanak hath sought Thy protection, O omnipotent Lord ;
preserve his honour.

When I sang God's praises in the association of the saints,

He united me, who had been separated from Him, with
Himself.

By ever thoroughly singing God's praises, He who is
happiness itself becometh manifest.

My couch, when God accepteth me as His own, is
adorned by Him.

Having dismissed anxiety I am no longer anxious, and
suffer no further pain.

Nanak liveth beholding God and singing the praises of
the Ocean of excellences.

WADHANS

God holds His court in every heart, but the screen
that conceals it can only be rent by piety :—

Very exalted is His court ;

It hath no end or limits.

Hundreds of thousands and millions hasten,

But they can never reach His court.

What is that auspicious hour when God is met ?

Hundreds of thousands of saints worship Him.

Hundreds of thousands of great penitents do penance
unto Him.

Hundreds of thousands of Jogis practise Jog.

Hundreds of thousands of great enjoyers enjoy enjoy
ments ; l

But God is not thus found ; He dwelleth in every heart :
only a few know it.

1 There are some sects of Hindus, notably the Bam Maragis, who
believe that heaven is gained by terrestrial enjoyments.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 349

Is there any friend who can rend the screen between Him
and us ?

If that friend be kind to me, I will make efforts to meet
God,

And sacrifice my body and soul unto Him.

After many wanderings I have come to the saints,

And all my sorrows and doubts are dispelled.

God hath invited me to His court to quaff nectar.

Saith Nanak, my Lord is the most high.

The love of the saint for the Beloved : —

My heart desireth to meet the True Guru ; how shall
I find Him, my dear ?

Even though hundreds of amusements be afforded a child,
it cannot live without milk.

The hunger of my heart departeth not, O my boon com
panion, even though hundreds of dishes be served before me.

My soul and body feel love for the Beloved ; how shall
my heart be satisfied without beholding Him ?

Hear, 0 my friend and beloved brother, introduce me to
the Friend and Giver of happiness.

He who ever repeateth to me God's words knoweth all
the secrets of my heart.

I cannot abide for a moment without God, and I cry
for Him as the chatrik for water.

What excellences of Thine, O God, shall I recount ?
Thou preservest men without merits like me.

My boon companion, I am waiting for my Spouse ; when
shall I behold the Beloved with mine eyes ?

All my pleasures and amusements are forgotten ; without
my Beloved they are of no account.

This vesture becometh me not ; I know not how to adorn
myself.

I make obeisance to those companions of mine who enjoy
their darling Beloved.

I have made all decorations, O my boon companion, but
without the Beloved they are of no avail.

When my Spouse speaketh not to me, O my companion,
my youth passeth all in vain.

350 THE SIKH RELIGION

Blessed, blessed are the happy wives, O my boon com
panion, who are united with their Spouse.

I am a sacrifice to such happy wives, 0 my boon com
panion, and I ever wash their feet.

As long as duality and superstition were in my heart,
I thought God distant ;

But when I met the perfect true Guru, O my companion,
all my hopes and desires were fulfilled.

I obtained the highest happiness, O my boon companion,
and discovered that my Beloved was everywhere.

Nanak hath obtained divine pleasure, O my boon com
panion, by touching the true Guru's feet.

WADHANS CHHANT

The following is sung at marriages after the usual
circumambulations are completed : —

0 my God, my hopes and desires have been fulfilled.

1 am without merits ; all merits are Thine ;

All merits are Thine, O my Lord ; with what mouth shall
I praise Thee ?

Thou hast not considered my merits or demerits ; Thou
hast at once pardoned me.

I have obtained the nine treasures ; congratulations
resound and unblown trumpets play.

Saith Nanak, I have found a good Spouse and home,
and all my anxieties are at an end.

SORATH

Prayer and worship are not to be addressed to
idols and demigods, but only to the Creator : —

To whom else shall I pray ? whom else shall I worship,
since it is God who created all ?

The different persons who appear the greatest of the
great shall all be blended with the dust.

The Fearless, the Formless, the Destroyer of fear will
grant all happiness and the nine treasures.

O beloved God, I am satiated with Thy gifts.

Why should I flatter wretched man ? what need I from
him ?

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 351

He who meditateth on God possesseth everything ; God
hath appeased his hunger.

The Giver of happiness conferreth such wealth as shall
never be exhausted.

The true Guru hath introduced me to God ; I am now
happy and absorbed in bliss.

O my soul, repeat the Name, worship the Name, utter the
Name night and day.

Hear the instruction of the saints and all thy fear of death
shall depart.

They to whom my God is merciful are attached to the
Guru's words.

Who can appraise Thy worth, O God ? Thou art com
passionate to all creatures.

Whatever Thou doest prevaileth ; what can we poor chil
dren do, O God ?

Preserve Thy slave Nanak, as a father cherisheth his son.

Man's life hangs by a frail thread ; his only hope
is in God : —

Sons, kinsmen, the wife of thy household are attached to
thee for thy wealth.

None of them will assist thee at the last moment ; their
love is all false.

O man, why pamperest thou thy body ?

It shall vanish like a cloud of smoke ; worship the one
beloved God.

The body is disposed of in three ways — it is thrown into
the river, to the dogs, or burnt to ashes.

Man deeming himself immortal sitteth at home and for-
getteth the Cause of causes.

God fashioned beads1 of many sorts and strung them
together on a frail string.2

That string shall break, O wretched man, and then shalt
thou regret.

Meditate day and night on Him who created thee and
adorned thee.

1 Human beings. 2 Life.

352 THE SIKH RELIGION

God hath extended His mercy to Nanak who hath taken
the true Guru's protection.

Happiness depends on man's mental condition :—

To the happy every one seemeth happy ; the sick man
will have it that every one is sick.

The Lord God acteth and causeth to act ; in His power
is the union of the soul with Him.

O my soul, he who dispelleth his doubts,

And knoweth that God is in all things, will have it that
no one erreth.1

He whose soul is happy in the company of the saints
deemeth that every one is happy.

He whose heart is filled with the disease of pride shall
groan in the pain of birth and death.

Everything appeareth manifest to him to whose eyes the
salve of divine knowledge is applied.

He in whom there is the darkness of spiritual ignorance
seeth nothing ; again and again shall he wander in trans
migration.

O my Lord, hear my supplication ; Nanak prayeth for
this happiness —

That his heart may be attached to the place where the
saints sing Thy praises.

Men's bodies and souls belong to the saints, and
it is they who procure men's salvation : —

Our bodies belong to the saints, our wealth to the saints,
our souls are entrusted to the saints :

By the favour of the saints we meditate on God's name,
and all comfort then resulteth.

There are no givers but the saints.

They who enter the sanctuary of the saints shall be saved.

Millions of sins are erased by serving the saints and
singing God's praises with zest.

By association with the saints, which is obtained by good
fortune, man obtaineth happiness here, and his countenance
shall be bright hereafter.

1 That is, he finds no fault in others.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 353

I have but one tongue ; the saints are full of various
excellences ; how far can I recount their praises ?

The Inaccessible, the Inapprehensible, the ever Imperish
able, is obtained by seeking the protection of the saints.

I without virtue, low, friendless, and sinful have come to
their shelter.

0 God, rescue Nanak who is perishing in the blind well
of domestic love.

Prescriptions for salvation : —

After bathing remember God, and thy body and soul
shall be healed.

By taking God's protection good fortune dawneth, and
millions of obstacles are removed.

God's words and hymns are the best language.

Sing, hear, and read them continually, my brother, and
the perfect Guru will preserve thee.

The greatness of the true Lord is immeasurable ; the
saints are dear to the Compassionate One.

He hath continued to preserve the honour of the saints,
and cherish them according to His ancient practice.

God's ambrosial name ever eat as food, 0 man ; put it
into thy mouth at all times.

Continually sing God's praises, and the pains of old age
and death shall all flee away.

My Lord hath heard my supplication : all mine affairs
have been adjusted,

And Guru Nanak's greatness hath shone through the
whole world.

The Guru feels that he cannot worship God with
sufficient fervour :—

God is the Lord of millions of worlds ; He is the Bene
factor of all creatures.

He cherisheth and careth for us ; but we, fools that we
are, know none of His merits.

1 know not how to adore God.

I only repeat « Har, Har, Guru, Guru ! '
Wherefore, O God, my name is God's servant.

354 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Compassionate to the poor, the Merciful, the Ocean
of happiness filleth all hearts.

He beholdeth, heareth, and is ever with us ; but I, fool
that I am, thought Him distant.

God is endless ; even if I estimate and describe Him,
how know I how great He is ?

I supplicate my true Guru to instruct me a fool.

That I am a fool is a small thing ; millions of sinners
are saved.

They who have heard and seen Guru Nanak shall not
again fall into wombs.

Jog is worthless for those who have obtained the
Guru's instruction : —

The things which afforded me great anxiety have all
vanished.

I fixed my breath at the top of my nose, composed myself
to rest, and the upturned lotus of my heart bloomed.

Behold a wonderful thing occurred !

The Guru put into my heart the wisdom of that God
whom we hear spoken of as unfathomable.

The deadly sins which . had greatly tortured me became
afraid,

And implored me to save them from God since they
had entered my protection.

When the storehouse of God is open, he who is so fated
receiveth therefrom.

One gem my Guru gave me, and my soul and body have
become happy.

The Guru hath given me one drop of nectar, so I have
become permanent and immortal.

God entrusted the storehouses of worship to Guru Nanak,
and never took an account from him.

God and man contrasted : —

We are impure; Thou, O Creator, art pure ; we are without
virtues ; Thou bestowest them.

We are fools ; Thou art clever and wise ; Thou knowest
all contrivances.

O God, such are we, and such art Thou.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 355

We are sinners, Thou art the Destroyer of sins ; great are
Thy dominions, O God.

Thou didst create all things, and having created dost
cherish them : Thou hast given soul, and body, and life.

We are without merits ; no merits are ours ; grant us
Thy favours, O Kind One.

Thou doest well towards us, but we are ungrateful ; Thou
art ever and ever compassionate.

0 Thou, the Giver of happiness, the Disposer, preserve us
Thy children.

Thou art a treasure, the immovable Monarch ; men and
the lower animals beg of Thee.

Saith Nanak, this is our condition ; preserve us through
Thy saints.

The Guru has absolutely devoted himself to the
saints : —

1 am, beloved friends, the dust of the saints' feet ; I have
fallen under their protection.

The saints are my powerful stay ; the saints are mine
ornaments.

I have ingratiated myself with the saints,

And obtained what was allotted me.

Ye saints, my soul is yours.

With the saints have I dealt, with the saints have I
traded.

From the saints have I gained a profit — the storehouses
of God's service are full.

The saints entrusted to me their stock-in-trade, and then
my mind's anxiety vanished.

What can Dharmraj do, now that all his account-books
are torn up ?

Through the favour of the saints I have obtained great
joy and happiness.

Saith Nanak, my soul is reconciled with God, and become
imbued with His wondrous love.

Human pride and forgetfulness of God : —
Man is immersed in the darkness of worldly love, and
knoweth not the Giver.

A a 2

356 THE SIKH RELIGION

Forgetting Him who fashioned his soul and body man
only admit teth his own strength.

O foolish man, the Lord God keepeth an eye on thine acts.

He knoweth what thou doest ; nothing remaineth con
cealed from Him.

Thou art intoxicated with the pleasures of the palate,
with covetousness and pride — the sources of many sins.

Weighted with the fetters of pride thou hast wandered
in suffering through many births.

Closing folding-doors and hanging up many screens man
entangleth himself with another's wife.

When Chitr and Gupt call for thine account, who shall
screen thee ?

O Compassionate to the poor, All-pervading, Destroyer of
sorrow, there is no shelter but in Thee.

Extricate us from the ocean of the world, O God ; Nanak
hath entered Thy sanctuary.

The omnipresence of God : —

As fire is contained in all timber, and butter in all milk,

So the light of God is contained in everything high and
low ; He is in the hearts of all living things.

O saints, He is contained in every heart. He nlleth all
space ; He pervadeth sea and land.

The true Guru hath dispelled all my doubts ; Nanak
singeth the praises of the Ocean of excellences.

The Omnipresent is contained in all things though ever
distinct from them.

The Guru has obtained everything precious from
God:—

When the great God was merciful, I obtained all the
desires of my heart.

By touching God's feet and singing His praises I have
become immortal.

It was a good and completely auspicious occasion.

By repeating the Name I have obtained peace, composure,
and happiness ; and unblown trumpets play for me.

On meeting the Lord, my Beloved, my house and home
became comfortable.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 357

The slave Nanak hath obtained the treasure of God's
name, and all his desires are fulfilled.

The greatness of the Guru : —

When the Guru's feet dwelt in my heart, God granted me
excellent qualities.

When the omnipresent supreme God became merciful, I saw
the treasure of His name within me.

O my friends, the Guru is my preserver.

He ever bestoweth greatness and glory twofold and four
fold.

The men and lower animals who have beheld him are
all saved.

Wonderful is the greatness of the perfect Guru ; Nanak
is ever a sacrifice unto him.

Some Sikhs repeat the following before the
Sohila, at bed-time : —

The word of the Guru is my protection ;
It guardeth me on every side.
My soul is attached to God's name,
And so for shame Death hath fled away.

0 Lord, Thou bestowest happiness on me ;

Thou the omnipresent God hast cut away my fetters
and cleansed my heart.

Nanak, God perisheth not —

His worship is not in vain.

By repeating Thy name, O God, Thy saints rejoice,

And all their desires are fulfilled.

The Guru's devotion to God and its results :—

1 am a sacrifice to my Guru

Who hath preserved mine honour intact.

I ever meditate on my God,

And thus obtain the reward my soul desireth.

O ye saints, there is none beside God.

He is the Cause of causes ;

He hath given us His blessing,

And made all other creatures subject to us.

358 THE SIKH RELIGION

Nanak, when I meditated on the Name
All my sorrows departed.

Man should not be ashamed, but should be eager
to worship God : —

As a hungry man is not ashamed when eating,
So God's slave *s not ashamed to sing His praises.
Why be slothful in thine own business ?
By remembering God thy face shall be bright in His court,
and thou shalt obtain happiness for ever and ever.
As a lustful man is greedy to gratify his lust,
So is God's slave to sing His praises.
As a mother is wrapped up in her child,
So the holy man repeateth God's name.
He who obtaineth the Name from the perfect Guru
Shall, O Nanak, meditate upon it.

The Guru's prayer and its result : —

' Hear my prayer, O my Lord ; men and animals are
protected by Thee.

O Thou Cause of causes, protect the honour of those
who repeat Thy name.

O beloved Lord, extend Thy sovereignty over us.

Whether bad or good we are Thine.'

When the omnipotent Lord heard this appeal, He cut off
my fetters and regenerated me.

He dressed me in a robe of honour, blended His wor
shipper with Himself, and Nanak became conspicuous as
a mountain.1

God's kindness to His saints :—

God hath subjected men and the lower animals to His
saints ; all are servants at their courts.

God accepteth His saints and causeth them to cross the
terrible ocean :

He hath arranged all their affairs.

The Compassionate to the poor, the Merciful, the Ocean
of mercy, the Omnipresent is my master.

1 Guru Nanak became conspicuous in the world.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 359

God's servant on whom He bestoweth the robe of devo
tion is everywhere

Welcomed and respected, and not allowed to want for
aught ; Nanak knoweth God's power.

SORATH ASHTAPADI

Man corrupted by association with the world is
saved by the Guru : —

The mother's womb is an ocean of grief, O my Beloved ;
there God causeth His name to be repeated.

When man emergeth therefrom, O my Beloved, his evil
passions develop and his worldly love increaseth.

Him to whom Thou didst show favour, O my Beloved,
Thou hast caused to meet the true Guru.

Such a man worshippeth Thee, O my Beloved, at every
breath, and is attached to Thy name.

Thou art the support of my soul and body, O my Beloved ;
Thou art the support of my soul and body.

There is no Creator but Thee, O my Beloved, Thou art
the only Searcher of hearts.

Man cometh into the world, O my Beloved, after wandering
in countless births and suffering pain in various wombs.

He forgot the true Lord, O my Beloved, and so suffered
heavy punishment.

They who have met the perfect true Guru, O my Beloved,
are attached to the true Name.

We are saved, O my Beloved, by following those who
take the protection of the True One.

He who eateth because the food is sweet, O my Beloved,
maketh his body ill.

Bitter is the consequence, my Beloved ; sorrow is the
result.

Thou, O Beloved, having caused man to eat sweet food
hast led him astray ; so his separation from Thee shall con
tinue.

O my Beloved, Thou hast introduced to the Guru and
saved those who were so destined from the beginning.

Man is full of longing for mammon, O my Beloved ; God
never entereth his heart.

360 THE SIKH RELIGION

The bodies of those who forget Thee, O supreme God,
become ashes.

They utter many a groan, O my Beloved, but their
torture ceaseth not.

They whom Thou didst introduce to the Guru and re
generate, retain their capital intact.

As far as possible, O my Beloved, associate not with the
infidel.

On meeting him, O my Beloved, man forgetteth God and
becometh dishonoured.

The perverse obtain no entrance into God's court, O my
Beloved, but are punished by Death.

It is said that a man went to the Guru and told
him that he had long performed various religious
ceremonies, but his heart was still troubled. He
asked the Guru for the remedy, and also the way
to God. The Guru replied as follows : —

Although man read and study the Veds, perform the
niwali and bhujangam1 feats,

He shall not escape from the company of the five deadly
sins ; nay, he shall be the more entangled in pride.

0 my beloved, it is not by such means God is found ;
I know it, for I have done many such things.

1 have dropped down weary at the Lord's door : may
He grant me wisdom and discrimination !

Man may be vowed to silence ; he may live on leaves ; 2
he may roam about naked in the forest ;

He may visit all the places of pilgrimage on earth ; but
even then he could never escape from worldly love.

With a desire in his heart for emancipation he may take
his seat at a place of pilgrimage, and apply his head to the
saw ;

But even though he made hundreds of thousands of such
efforts, his mental impurity would not depart.

1 Bhujangam^ literally — a snake, but applied by Jogis to the
vertebral column, through which they say they draw up the breath
from the anus to the brain.

2 Karpdti. Also translated — He may use his hands as a platter.
Some faqlrs deny themselves plates or dishes of any sort.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 361

He may bestow gifts of many sorts — gold, women, horses,
and elephants ;

He may offer corn, clothes, and lands in abundance ; but
even then he could not reach God's door.

He may continue attached to worship, adoration, obei
sance, prostrations, and the six acts ;

But he could not in that way find God ; he would merely
fall into the meshes of pride.

Men have grown weary performing Jog and the eighty-
four postures of the Sidhs :

Man may attain a long life, but without association with
God he shall be born again and again ;

He may enjoy the sport of kings and the delights of
empire, and issue orders not to be disobeyed ;

He may possess beautiful couches, and use sandal and
distilled aloe-wood, but such things form the gate of terrible
hell.

Singing God's praises in association with His saints is the
highest act of all.

Saith Nanak, this privilege is obtained by him whose
acts recorded in previous births entitle him to receive it.

Thy worshipper, O Lord, is intoxicated with Thy love.

Since the Destroyer of the sorrows of the poor became
merciful unto him, his soul hath been absorbed in God's
praises.

DHANASARI

How the senses lead astray : —

The fish long in love with the water loseth its life on
leaving it ;

The bumble-bee dieth on account of its love for the
lotus ; it cannot find its way out.1

Now my soul hath contracted love for the one God.

Under the true Guru's instruction I recognize Him who
neither dieth nor is born, and who is ever with us.

Through the force of lust the elephant is ensnared ; the
poor animal falleth into another's power.

1 At night when the petals of the lotus close.

362 THE SIKH RELIGION

The deer giveth up its life for the hunter's bell ; through
love of it he is slain.

Mortal beholding his family is led astray by covetousness
and wrapped up in mammon.

Very much attached to worldly things, he deemeth them
his own, but at last departeth without them.

Know that he who loveth any but God, shall ever be
miserable.

Saith Nanak, the Guru hath explained to me that by
God's love man ever rejoiceth.

Man blindly commits sinful acts and only abstains
when his eyes are opened by the Guru :—

It is man's practice to do what he shall be ashamed of —

He slandereth the saints, reverenceth the infidel, and
adopt eth other such perverse practices.

Led astray by worldly love, he loveth what he ought to
eschew.

Like a mirage or the green leaves of the forest even so
is man's state.

Even if a streak be made on a donkey's body with sandal,
he will still prefer ashes ;

So man instead of loving God's nectar devoteth himself
to sinful enjoyments which deceive.

The best saints to purify men in this world are to be
found by good fortune.

The jewel of life is lost in exchange for a worthless glass
bead.

When the Guru applieth to man's eyes the salve of divine
knowledge, the sins and troubles of many births flee away.

By love to the one God in the company of the saints
Nanak hath escaped from these evils.

The worship of the Hindus, of the Jogis, and of
the Jains is unavailing :—

Worship, fasting, frontal marks, ablution, the bestowal
of copious alms and presents at festivals,

Austerities, and flattering addresses to God, never prevail
upon Him.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 363

Man only obtaineth rest by repeating God's name.

All search for God in various ways ; but the search is
difficult, and He is not found.

Lip-worship, penance, wandering over the earth, the per
formance of austerities with body reversed,

Following the path of the Jogis and the Jains — it is not
by such things the Lord is satisfied.

It is by repeating His ambrosial and priceless name
and praises He is obtained by the man to whom He showeth
mercy.

By association with the saints the love of God is obtained :
Nanak is made happy by the dust of the saints' feet.

Man is helpless without God :—

I am miserable ; save me, O Lord,

I can do nothing of myself, O my Lord ; mercifully
grant me Thy name.

Family and the world are a sea of fire ;

Doubt, worldly love, and spiritual ignorance are storms
therein.

While on the crest of the wave man is happy ; while in
the trough he is unhappy.

His thirst and hunger are never allayed.

From yielding to mental desires resulteth the disease of
the deadly sins.

The five deadly sins man's companions are very intract
able.

The lives, souls, and wealth of the world are Thine, O
God.

Nanak, know that God is ever near.

The foolish man is attracted by temporary not
permanent advantages :—

Value as a straw the things which forsake thee ; l
They are useless entanglements.
Man loveth the things which depart not with him ;
His enemies he deemeth his friends—

1 Also translated — Thou doest foolish things which thou shalt have
to abandon.

364 THE SIKH RELIGION

In such error is the world led astray —

The fool loseth the boon of human life ;

He is not pleased even to see the true religion.

Deeming falsehood and deception sweet he is attached to
them.

He loveth gifts but forgetteth the Giver.

The wretched creature thinketh not of death.

He weepeth for the loss of the property of others.

He forfeiteth the benefit of all his religious acts.

Understanding not the will of God, he suffereth trans
migration.

He committeth sins and then regretteth.

What pleaseth Thee, O God, is acceptable.

I am a sacrifice to Thy will,

Nanak is Thy poor slave ;

Preserve me, O my Lord !

The sensible man hoards up God's name and
praises : —

God's name is the support of poor me.

To earn God is my daily occupation ;

The name of the one God is what I hoard up,

That it may be useful to me in this world and the
next.

Dyed with the peerless dye of God's name,

The saints sing the excellences of the Formless One.

Excessive humility is the glory of the saints ;

They recognize their greatness in God's praises,

And find their happiness in God's service.

In it they obtain comfort and their anxieties depart.

Where the saints meet together,

They celebrate God's praises with music and song.

Joy hath its abode in the saints' company,

Which is obtained by him on whose forehead such destiny
was written.

With clasped hands I supplicate them

To allow me to wash their feet and sing their praises.

O compassionate, merciful, and omnipresent God,

Nanak liveth on the dust of the saints' feet.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 365

The rich, the landlords, and the rulers should
consider themselves inferior to the saints : —

As the rich are proud beholding their wealth, and land
lords their lands ;

As the monarch deemeth that all sovereignty is his, so
God's saints are proud of their Lord's support.

If any one remember his Protector

And act as He endoweth him, he shall not be the worse
therefor.

Nanak, by the favour of the saints they shall sing God's
praises and their hearts become pure,

Who forsaking idols take refuge in the one God, saying,
* We have entered Thy sanctuary.'

God's kindness to His saint : —

God who extended His might in the four quarters of the
earth put His hand on my head,

Looked on me with an eye of favour, and dispelled my
sorrows.

He hath preserved me His slave.

Embracing me, the Compassionate One, the Pardoner,
wiped out all my demerits.

Whatever I ask of my God He grant eth me.

Whatever God's slave Nanak uttereth shall prove true
both in this world and the next.

God is ever man's friend and helper : —

God remembering His function alloweth not man to see
the hour of trouble ;

He giveth His hand, preserveth His own, and cherisheth
them at every breath they draw.

My soul continueth devoted to God.

At the beginning and the end God is ever our helper ;
hail to our Friend !

On beholding the marvellous greatness of the Lord my
soul is delighted.

Nanak is happy remembering God ; the omnipotent Lord
hath preserved mine honour.

366 THE SIKH RELIGION

The vigilance of the holy :—

Deem him unfortunate who forgetteth the Lord of life,
the Giver.

He whose soul is attached to God's feet shall obtain
a tank of nectar.

Thy slave awaketh in the love of God's name ;

All sloth hath now departed from his body, and his soul
is attached to the Beloved.

Wherever I look, there is God a thread on which every
heart is strung.

Drinking the water of the Name, the slave Nanak hath
parted with love for all beside.

ASHTAPADI

The society of saints is superior to all places of
pilgrimage :• —

The more I bathed at sacred places the more impurity of
pride I contracted ; the Lord of my heart accepted not at
all my exertions.

When shall I obtain the society of the saints in which
there is ever divine pleasure ? My spirit will lave therein,
and I shall obtain the eye-salve of divine knowledge.

He who practiseth obstinacy, and looketh for wealth, like
a crane watching a fish, shall be of no account.

Is there any such bestower of happiness as will recite to
me legends of God ? when I meet such a person I shall be
saved.

JAITSARI

Man amasses wealth in vain and has no real friend
but God :—

Doth any one know who is a friend in this world ?

He to whom God is merciful can tell ; his ways are pure.

Parents, wife, sons, relations, lovers, friends, and brethren,

Meet according to the acts of previous births, but at the
last hour none of them will aid one.

In collecting pearl necklaces, gold, rubies, diamonds, and
wealth which gladdeneth the heart

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 367

Man's life is passed : ever grumbling he is never con
tented.

Were he to possess elephants, carriages, steeds, swift as
the wind, land, and armies —

Of these none would go with him ; he must depart
naked.

God's beloved saints are beloved by Him ; in their com
pany sing God's praises.

Nanak, when man hath the society of such saints, he
is happy in this world, and his face shall be bright in the
next.

The following was written after the Guru's con
versation with a Bairagi : —

0 happy wives, my companions, give me, give me intelli
gence of my Beloved.

1 am astonished at the different accounts I hear of Him ;
I relate them to you.

Some say that God is altogether distinct from the world ;
others that He is altogether included in it.

His colour is not seen ; His outline is not distinguished ;
O happy wives, tell me truly —

' He is included in everything ; He dwelleth in every
heart, yet He is not blended with anything ; He is separate.'

Nanak saith, Listen, O ye people, put the saints' word
into your hearts.

A song of rejoicing : —

Desirable is my Friend ;

Gladly sing songs of rejoicing in every house for He
dwelleth in every heart.

Worship Him in weal ; worship Him in woe ; forget Him
not at any time.

By repeating the Name there is the splendour of millions
of suns, and the darkness of superstition vanisheth.

Thou, O God, art in all places ; whatever appeareth is
Thine.

Nanak, he who obtaineth the society of the saints shall
not again be subject to transmigration.

368 THE SIKH RELIGION

JAITSARI CHHANT

The Guru's passionate thirst for God :—

I thirst day and night for a sight of Thee, O God ; I ever
think of Thee night and day.

Nanak, the Guru opening the doors of my understanding
hath caused me to meet God, the Friend.

Hear me, my friends, and good people, I make one repre
sentation —

I wander, O my beloved, searching for the fascinating
Darling.

Show Him to me, O my beloved, grant me a sight of
Him even for a little, and I will lay down my life for you.

Mine eyes are dyed with the colour of the Beloved, and
rest not even for a moment.

My soul is attached to God as a fish to the water, as
the thirsty chatrik to the raindrops.

The slave Nanak hath found the True Guru, and all his
thirst is quenched.

O my friend, I am not equal to any of the companions
of the Beloved.

0 my friend, one of them is better than the other ; who
thinketh of me ?

Of His many companions one is better than the other,
O my beloved ; the Lord ever playeth with them.

On seeing them my heart also longeth to obtain the Lord
of excellences.

1 would lay down my life for any one who pleased my
Darling.

Nanak saith, hear my prayer, O ye happy wives, show
Him to me, that I may see what my Beloved is like.

O my friend, I love my Beloved, but He careth not
for me.

O my friend, thou hast enjoyed the Darling ; point Him
out to me who inquireth for Him.

They on whose forehead such destiny was written, obtain
the Darling by effacing their pride.

God took my arm and drew me towards Him regardless
of my merits or demerits.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 369

Everything becometh her on whom Thou hast put a
garland of virtues and clothed in red.1

Nanak, blessed is that happy wife with whom her Husband
abideth.

0 my friend, I have obtained Him who hath ever been
the object of my vows.

The Spouse I desired hath come and congratulations have
been sung.

1 am in great joy and happiness ; the Beloved is kind
and ever affordeth me new delight.

I have been very fortunate ; the Guru hath caused me
to meet God through the true society of the saints.

My hopes and desires are all fulfilled ; my body is united
with that of the Beloved.

Nanak representeth — through meeting the Guru I have
obtained the object of my vows.

Man compared with a traveller who amasses no
wealth : —

The world's inhabitants are travellers filled with pride ;

Impelled by the love of mammon they commit various
sins ;

They are drowned in covetousness, worldly love, and
pride, and think not of death ;

They pass their lives talking of their sons, friends, worldly
affairs, and wives.

When the days they were destined to remain in the world
have expired, they shall suffer on beholding the myrmidons
of Death.

Nanak, the deeds that have been done cannot be wiped
out ; why hath man not earned the wealth of God's name ?

Man maketh many efforts in worldly affairs, but God's
name he singeth not ;

Wherefore he wandereth about in numberless births, dieth,
and is born again

In beasts, birds, rocks, trees, whose number cannot be
told.

1 The dress of the married woman, not of her who is deprived of
her spouse.

SIKH. lit B D

370 THE SIKH RELIGION

Man reapeth what he soweth, and obtaineth the result
of his own acts.

The jewel of his life he loseth in play, and pleaseth not
his God.

Nanak representeth — man wandereth in error, and ob
taineth not rest even for a moment.

When youth hath fled, old age sitteth down in possession.

The hands tremble, the head shaketh, and the eyes see
not :

The eyes see not without worshipping God ; man leaveth
his wealth and depart eth.

Man's relations with whom he hath worn out his mind
and body, obey him not ; nay, they throw dirt on his head.

The love of the infinite and omnipresent God abideth not
for a moment in the heart.

Nanak representeth — there is no delay in the destruction
of the false who are as forts of paper.

Nanak hath fallen under the protection of God's lotus
feet:

God Himself caused me to cross the rough and terrible
ocean.

Meeting the company of the saints I have worshipped
God, and He hath embraced and preserved me.

He hath granted my prayer and bestowed on me His
name ; He hath not regarded my demerits.

I have obtained God the Treasury of excellences, the
Infinite whom my heart desired.

Nanak representeth — I have partaken of the feast of God's
name by which I am satiated.

JAITSARI KI WAR

It is said that the whole of the Jaitsari ki War
was composed by the Guru as instruction to a Sikh
called Tiloka. Parts of it are read daily, and the
whole completed in ten days after the decease of
a Sikh : —

SLOK I

In the beginning God pervaded creation, in the present
He pervadeth it, and in the future He will pervade it.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 371

Nanak, the saints remember the All-pervading who is the
Destroyer of sin and Lord of the world.

Behold, hear, and cause others to hear, and fix the True
One in thy heart.

Nanak, be absorbed in the love of God who is fully con
tained in all things.

God's omnipotence and omnipresence : —

PAURI I

Sing of God, the only Pure One ; He is contained in every
thing.

He is potent to do and cause to be done : what He doeth
taketh place.

In a moment He establisheth and disestablisheth ; there
is none but Him.

He pervadeth the continents, the universe, the nether
regions, the islands, and all worlds.

He whom God causeth to understand understandeth ;
he alone is the pure man.

Why forget God who brought man forth from the
womb ?—

SLOK II

God having put thee into thy mother's womb, made the
framework of thy body.

Thou didst remember Him at every breath, Nanak, and
so the great heat did not consume thee.

With body reversed thou didst dwell in a filthy place.

Nanak, why forget that Lord by whose name thou didst
escape therefrom ?

PAURI II

O man, thou wert conceived from blood and seed, and
placed in the fire of the womb.

Thy head downwards, thou wert dirty, restless in the
darkness of a terrible hell.

By remembering God thou wert not burned ; clasp Him
to thy heart and soul.

B b 2

372 THE SIKH RELIGION

Forget not for a moment Him who preserved thee in
a painful place.

By forgetting God thou shalt never be happy, but shalt
lose thy human life.

Ever remember God and His benefits : —

SLOK III

God bestoweth the gift of the fulfilment of the heart's
desires and of all hopes.

Nanak, remember God who destroyeth suffering and
misery ; He abideth not far away.

Love Him through whom thou enjoyest all pleasures.

Nanak, forget not that Lord even for a moment who
made this beautiful body.

Thank God for what He hath given thee : —

PAURI III

God who is able to give, gave thee soul, life, body, wealth,
and pleasures to enjoy.

He gave thee houses, mansions, chariots, horses, and made
thee fortunate ;

He gave thee sons, wife, friends, servants.

Meditate on that God ; thy soul and body shall be re
freshed, and the pain of separation from Him healed.

Repeat God's praises in the company of the saints, and
all thy maladies shall depart.

Man's first duty is to God : —

SLOK IV

They who strive for the sake of family and make various
efforts for wealth,

Who are without the service and love of God, O Nanak,
are as ghosts.

That love shall fade which is devoted to any other than
God.

Nanak, true is the way of loving the Lord.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 373

The body perishes unhonoured, wherefore man
should remember God, with whom rests salvation :—

PAURI IV

By forgetting God the body becometh ashes, and every
one calleth it a ghost.

Even they whom one loved allow him not to remain
a moment in their house.

Of what use is wealth improperly amassed ?

As man soweth, so shall he reap ; his body is the field
of acts.

The ungrateful who forget God shall wander in trans
migration.

Superstitious ceremonies are of no avail ; God's
light in the heart burns all sin :—

SLOK V

Millions of alms, ablutions, and various penances for
purification are of no avail.

Nanak, to repeat God's name with the tongue removeth
all sin.

However much firewood one may collect, if a spark be
applied to it, it will be consumed in a moment ;

So when the true Lord dwelleth in the heart, Nanak, all
sins disappear.

The effect of remembering and praising God : —

PAURI V

Millions — yea, all sins depart by remembering God's
name.

Man obtaineth the reward his heart desireth by singing
God's praises.

The fear of transmigration is removed, and a lasting and
true abode obtained.

If it be so decreed in the beginning, man becometh
absorbed in God's feet.

O God, mercifully preserve me ; Nanak is a sacrifice unto
Thee.

374 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Guru likens to worms those who only think
of pleasures :—

SLOK VI

They who turn their thoughts to peerless houses, to
pleasures, and to delights of the palate,

And who never think on God — such people, Nanak, are
worms in filth.

Forsake all worldly things : why fix thy love on them ?

Nanak, the body which forgetteth the Lord shall become
ashes.

PAURI VI

Man may enjoy a beauteous couch, varied pleasures, and
all delights ;

He may possess a palace, gold, and silver ; he may use
perfumes and wear pearls and diamonds ;

He may enjoy the pleasures his heart desireth and have
no anxiety whatever ;

But if he remember not God, he shall be like a worm in
ordure.

Without God's name there is no peace, how shall the
heart be consoled ?

The bliss of spiritual happiness obtained by toil : —

SLOK VII

Anchorets search in the ten directions for the love of
God's lotus feet :

They renounce deceptive mammon, Nanak, in the delight
ful company of the saints.

May I repeat God's name in my heart and with my lips,
and wander preaching in all countries !

Nanak, all worldly things are false ; I live by hearing
God's true fame.

The poor and holy man, if pious, is king of the

world :—

PAURI VII

He who liveth in a ruined hut with all his clothes torn,
Who hath neither caste, nor lineage, nor respect, who

wandereth in the wilderness,

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 375

Who hath no friend or lover, who is without wealth or
beauty, and who hath no relation or kinsman,

Is king of the whole world if his heart be filled with
God's name.

God is well pleased with him, and men are saved by the
dust of his feet.

Worldly pleasures are vain without devotion : —
SLOK VIII

A man may have many sports, empire, pleasures, beauty,
the umbrella of empire, fans waving over him, and a throne
to sit on —

They who are absorbed in such things are fools, ignorant,
and blind ; Nanak, the desire for mammon is a dream.

In dreams man enjoyeth all pleasures, and worldly things
appear sweet to him.

Nanak, without the Name beautiful Maya is deceptive.

The fool is misled by his folly : —
PAURI VIII

The fool attacheth his heart to a dream :

When he awaketh he forgetteth empires, pleasures, and
delights, and suffereth disappointment.

His life passeth away in pursuing worldly things,

But his desires have not been fulfilled because he hath
been fascinated by Maya.

What can the poor creature do when God Himself leadeth
him astray ?

The condition of the persons and habitations of
those who forget God :—

SLOK IX

They who forget God, Nanak, are as wanderers in the
wilderness,

Even though they dwell in heaven or conquer the nine
regions of the earth.

Where there are millions of plays and spectacles, without
remembrance of the Name,

Nanak, that place is desolate, and equal to millions of hells.

376 THE SIKH RELIGION

PAURI IX

Man deemeth a place a city, though it be only a very
terrible wilderness.

On seeing false wealth, man believeth it to be real.

Men go mad through lust, wrath, and pride.

When the club of death falleth on their heads, they shall
regret.

He who wandereth without the company of the perfect
divine Guru is a demon.

Everything deceives except devotion to God :—

SLOK X

Deceptive is empire, deceptive is beauty, deceptive are
wealth and pride of birth.

Man amasseth poisonous wealth with deceit and guile,
Nanak, but nothing can go with him save God's name.

Men mistake on beholding the colocynth which appeareth
beautiful —

It is not worth an eighth of a paisa ; Nanak, thus wealth
appeareth beautiful, but will not depart with one.

Contempt of wealth and condemnation of idolatry: —

PAURI X

Why amass what will not go with thee as thou pro-
ceedest ?

Say why thou endeavourest to acquire what thou must
leave behind ?

How can thy mind be contented and not distressed when
thou forgettest God ?

He who forsaketh God and attacheth himself to idols
shall abide in hell.

O God, be merciful and compassionate, and dispel Nanak's
dread of transmigration.

The holy man finds no pleasure in worldly enjoy
ments : —

SLOK XI

Not sweet to me are the pleasures of empire, not sweet are
sensuous enjoyments, not sweet are the pleasures of wealth.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 377

Sweet is association with God's saints, O slave Nanak ;
sweet is the sight of God.

It is thus love is produced, and the mind absorbed therein.
The real thing is then found and the Lord is then sweet.

PAURI XI

Without God nothing is sweet to His saints :
All other pleasures are insipid : I have seen this after

careful search.

The doubt and pain of ignorance were removed when the

Guru became my mediator.

When the love of God's lotus feet pierced my heart, it

became as if dyed with madder.

God then dwelt in my life, my soul, my mind, and my

body ; and everything that was false vanished.

The lower animals are led by their senses, the saints
only by devotion : —

SLOK XII

The fish cannot live without water, nor the chatrik with
out the cloud ;

The deer is smitten with the arrow of the bell ; the bee
is entangled by the odour of the flower.

The saints are pleased by God's lotus feet, Nanak, and
by nothing else.

The Guru's love for God :—

O God, may I behold Thy face without blinking and not
turn my mind elsewhere !

Nanak will abide with that Lord God who is the Friend
of the saints.

PAURI XII

How can a fish maintain life without water ?
How can the chatrik be satisfied without raindrops ?
As the deer fascinated by the bell runneth towards the
huntsman ;

378 THE SIKH RELIGION

As the greedy bumble-bee on finding an odorous flower
hath itself shut up in it ;

So holy men love God and are satisfied on beholding
Him.

SLOK XIII

The saints meditate on God's lotus feet and adore them
at every breath.

They forget not the name of the Imperishable One ;
O Nanak, the supreme God fulfilleth their hopes.

God is stitched into their hearts and is never a moment
out of them.

Nanak, the true Lord fulfilleth their desires and ever
watcheth over them.

A supplication : —

PAURI XIII

0 Lord, fulfil my hopes who have hopes in Thee.
He who meeteth God shall never grieve.

My heart desireth Thee ; grant me a sight of Thee that
my anxiety may depart.

May my body be purified with the dust of Thy feet !

May the supreme God through the divine Guru be ever
present !

The devotion of the saints :—
SLOK XIV

Nanak is ever a sacrifice to those who meditate on the
Supreme Being,

Who repeat His name with their tongues and hear His
ambrosial word with their ears.

Everything is false save the Lord alone :

Nanak, blest are they who love the True One.

Holy are they who in any manner are concerned
with God : —

PAURI XIV

1 am ever a sacrifice to those who hear God's story.
Perfectly distinguished are they who bow their foreheads

to God.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 379

The hands of those who write the praises of the Endless
One are adorned thereby.

Their feet are pure and clean who walk in God's way :

They are saved with the saints and all their sorrow
fleeth away.

Happy the time when the saints meet God :—
SLOK XV

To make effort and repeat God's name are completely
obtained by God's will.

Happy that moment, O Nanak, when I obtain a sight of
God!

The value of that moment cannot be estimated ; its
happiness is beyond measure.

Nanak, that time is acceptable when my Beloved meeteth
me.

PAURI XV

Tell me what time that is when I shall obtain God :

That time is very auspicious when I shall meet the Lord.

By meditating on God for the eight watches of the day,
the desires of the heart are realised.

By great good fortune the company of the saints is ob
tained ; I bow and touch their feet.

My heart thirsteth for a sight of the saints ; Nanak is
a sacrifice unto them.

The reward of devotion : —
SLOK XVI

God is the Purifier of sinners, the Remover of every
sorrow.

Nanak, they who repeat His name enter His secure
asylum.

They altogether abandon pride and cling to God's feet.

Nanak, on beholding God their troubles and anxieties
depart.

A fervent prayer : —

PAURI XVI

Blend me with Thee, 0 Compassionate One ; I have fallen
at Thy door.

380 THE SIKH RELIGION

Preserve me, O Compassionate to the poor ; wandering
I have become very weary.

It is Thy function. O God, to love the saints and save
sinners.

Beside Thee there is none : grant my supplication.

Take me by the hand, O Compassionate One, and save
me from the ocean of the world.

The cure for the heart's fever :—
SLOK XVII

I have the support of the praises of the merciful God
who saveth the saints.

Nanak, man groweth pure by associating with the saints
and taking shelter in God.

The heart's fever is not at all removed by sandal, the
moon, or the cold season ;

It is cooled, Nanak, by repeating God's name.

Salvation is secured by devotion : —
PAURI XVII

All men are saved by the shelter of God's lotus feet.

The heart groweth fearless on hearing God's glory .

There shall be nothing wanting when the wealth of the
Name is stored up.

The society of the saints is obtained by greatly meritorious
acts.

Meditate on God during the eight watches of the day, and
ever hear His praises.

All mercies are obtained by repeating God's name
and praises :—

SLOK XVIII

Nanak, to repeat the praises of the name of the merciful
supreme Being

Is to obtain mercy, to remove sorrows, and to shake off
mammon.

The burning fever of my heart hath been quenched ;
God Himself hath preserved me.

Nanak, repeat the name of that God who created the
world.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 381

The results of meditation and holy association : —
PAURI XVIII

When God is merciful we feel not worldly love.

Millions of sins are removed by meditating on the one
God.

When the body is bathed in the dust of the holy man's
feet, it becometh pure ;

The mind and body are relieved ; man obtaineth the
perfect God,

And he is saved with his family and all his tribe.

Praises of the true Guru : —
SLOK XIX

The Guru is Gobind, the Guru is Gopal, the perfect Guru
is Narayan ;

The Guru is merciful, the Guru is omnipotent ; Guru
Nanak is the saviour of sinners ;

The Guru is the boat to cross over the dangerous and un
fathomable ocean of the world.

Nanak, everything is effected by touching the feet of the
true Guru.

The Guru's power : —

PAURI XIX

Hail ! hail to the divine Guru in whose company God's
name is repeated !

When the Guru is merciful, all demerits vanish.

The supreme being, the divine Guru, exalteth the lowly ;

He cutteth off the galling chains of mammon, and maketh
man his servant.

Through him the tongue singeth the praises of the Eternal
God.

God alone to be worshipped : —
SLOK XX

The one God is seen, the one God is heard, the one God is
spoken of.

Nanak beggeth the gift of His name : O compassionate
Being, mercifully grant it to him.

382 THE SIKH RELIGION

I worship the one God, I remember the one God, I make
supplication to the one God.

Nanak hath amassed the wealth of the Name, the real
capital.

God alone is merciful, omnipresent, and omni
potent :—

PAURI XX

God is merciful, illimitable ; He alone filleth the world.
He is everything Himself ; whom can I mention like
Him?

0 God, Thou grantest gifts, and again receivest them.
Transmigration dependeth altogether on Thine order ;

immovable is Thine abode.
Nanak beggeth a boon ; mercifully grant him Thy name.

Vain are decorations and wealth without devo
tion : —

TODI

Without knowing God man's birth were vain :

He decketh and adorneth himself in various ways, but it is
as though he were dressing a corpse.

The miser running in every direction amasseth wealth
with toil ;

Yet he practiseth not charity or serveth the saints, and
his wealth availeth him not.

A woman putteth on her jewels, decketh her couch, and
maketh great preparations :

If she obtain not the company of her spouse, the sight of
her decorations will but pain her.

A man may work all day pounding husks with a pestle ; x

Yet he only suffereth pain like a forced labourer ; his
wealth shall not be spent on himself.

God implanteth His name in the heart of him to whom
He is kind.

Nanak, such a man yearneth for the society of the saints
and obtaineth God's love.

1 This corresponds to the English expressions — threshing beaten
straw, winnowing chaff, &c., &c.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 383

A prayer to God : —

Ocean of mercy, dwell for ever in my heart ;

So enlighten my understanding that I may love Thee, O
God.

May I obtain the dust of Thy saints' feet to apply to my
forehead !

From being a great sinner may I be purified and sing Thy
praises and Thine attributes !

May Thine order be sweet to me, and what Thou doest
please me !

May what Thou givest satiate me, so that I may run after
no one else !

O Lord God, may I ever know Thee near me, and may I
remain the dust of all men's feet !

May I meet the company of saints so that I may obtain
my God !

We are ever and ever Thy children ; Thou, O God, art
our Master.

Saith Nanak, we are children ; Thou art our father and
mother : put Thy name as milk into our mouths.

The Guru prays for God's name as the sole means
of salvation : —

O Lord, I crave Thy name as a gift ;

Naught else shall depart with me ; may I also obtain the
favour of singing Thy praises !

Empire, wealth, varied pleasures and enjoyments are all
as the shadow of a tree.

Man hasteth in every direction, but all his efforts are
vain.

All his affairs who desireth other than God appear to be
unstable.

Nanak prayeth for the dust of the saints' feet that his
mind may obtain rest.

God's name is all things to the Guru :—
God's name is the support of my soul ;
By its use my life, soul, and mind are comforted.
The Name is my caste, the Name is my lineage, the Name
is my family ;

384 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Name is ever my companion ; God's name delivereth
me.

The pleasure of worldly things is much spoken of, but
none of them shall depart with thee.

The Name is my beloved and my friend ; God's name is
Nanak's storehouse.

By devotion mind and body are purified : —

Sing God's excellent praises and thy maladies shall be
healed.

Thy countenance shall become bright, thy heart pure, and
thy life profitable in this and the next world.

Wash the Guru's feet, serve him, and make him thy heart
as an offering.

Abandon egotism, contention, and pride : accept what
cometh from God.

He on whose forehead such destiny hath been written,
attacheth himself to the Guru's service.

Saith Nanak, except the one God there is none able to
accomplish aught.

The Guru prays God to forgo his account : —

0 True Guru, I have sought Thy protection.

May I obtain Thy name to give comfort and glory and
remove my anxiety.

1 behold no other place of shelter ; I have arrived weary
at Thy gate.

Heed not my account ; without it may I be saved ! deliver
me though devoid of virtue.

Thou ever forgivest, Thou art ever kind, Thousupportest all.

The slave Nanak followeth the saints : save him in this
human birth.

The Guru's beatitude when singing of God : —

When my tongue singeth of God, who is an ocean of
merits,

Peace, composure, and delight spring up in my heart,
and all sorrows take flight.

O man, whatever thou askest thou shalt obtain by
worshipping God's feet, the abode of pleasure.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 385

They shall free thee from both birth and death, and carry
thee across the terrible ocean of the world.

Searching and searching I have ascertained that the real
thing is to depend on God as His slave.

If, O Nanak, thou desire everlasting happiness, ever
remember God.

The miser especially needs God's favour : —

O miser, thy body and soul are full of sin.

In the company of the saints worship the Lord ; it is
He alone who draweth a veil over thy sins.

When there are many holes in the boat,1 they cannot be
stopped by the fingers.

Address Him who made the boat, and they shall be stopped,
and the frail boat become sound.

If any one try to lift a mountain with words, he cannot
succeed ; where it was there it remaineth.

Nanak hath no strength or power ; O God, preserve him ;
he hath sought Thy protection.

They who are slaves of mammon shall with
difficulty be saved :—

Alas ! alas ! the wealth in which thou art wrapped up,
O fool, is little or naught.

What thou deemest thine own is not thine.

Thou hast not thought of thy God for a moment.

What belongeth to another thou deemest thine own.

Thou hast not given a place in thy heart to the Name
which is with thee.

Thou hast attached thy heart to things which thou must
abandon.

Thou hast amassed worldly things but remainest hungry
and thirsty.

Thou hast not obtained the viaticum of the ambrosial
Name.

Thou hast fallen into the pits of lust, wrath, and worldly
love.

Nanak, through the favour of the Guru some rare man is
saved.

1 Thou hast committed many sins.

SIKH. Ill C C

386 THE SIKH RELIGION

Serving the one God is the Guru's 'sole occupa
tion :—

I have but one God ;

I recognize none other.

I have found my Guru through great good fortune.

He hath impressed on me God's name,

Which is to me devotion, penance, fasting, and religious
observances.

By meditating on God I have obtained all comfort and
peace.

To praise God is my devotion, my occupation, and my
caste.

I feel great joy on hearing His praises.

Saith Nanak, he who hath found God

Hath all things in his home.

The Guru has found God by diligent and pious
search : —

Man desireth the love of God the Beautiful,
But God's love is not obtained by mere words.
Searching for a sight of Him I look in every lane.
My doubts have been dispelled on meeting the Guru.
I have obtained this wisdom from the holy man according
to the destiny recorded on my forehead.

In this way Nanak hath seen God with his eyes.

Reject mammon and be simple at heart : —

O mother, mammon is deceitful,

She is, if God be not worshipped, as burning grass, the
shadow of a cloud, or the water of a hill -stream.

Renounce thy devices and great cleverness ; clasp thy
hands and follow the way of the saint.

Remember the Lord the Searcher of hearts ; this is the
best fruit of human birth.

Holy men preach divine knowledge, but luckless fools
understand it not.

The slave Nanak is absorbed in love and devotion ; by
remembering God the filth of his sins hath been burnt.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 387

God's saving name is obtained from the Guru : —

0 mother, the feet of the Guru are dear to me ;

God giveth them by favourable destiny : millions of
advantages are obtained by beholding the Guru.

By singing the praises of the Immortal and Indestructible,
unmannerly lust, wrath, and pride vanish.

They who are dyed with the true love become permanent ;
birth and death shall not again torment them.

1 deem all joys and pleasures false except worshipping God
through the compassionate Guru.

The slave Nanak hath obtained the jewel of the Name,
without it everybody is robbed of his human birth.

BAIRARI

The advantage of congregational devotion :—
The saints meeting together sing God's praises,
And thus remove the pain of millions of births.
What the heart desireth is in this wise obtained.
They have mercifully granted me God's name
In which abide all happiness and greatness.
By the Guru's favour Nanak hath obtained this know
ledge.

TlLANG l

The kindness of God : —

Kind, kind is the Lord ;

My Lord is kind :

To all creatures He giveth gifts.

Why waver, O mortal ? the Creator will protect thee.

He who gave thee birth will support thee.

He who created the earth will take care of thee.

He is the Master and the true Cherisher of all hearts.

His power and worth cannot be known ; He is great and
unconcerned.

Servant of God, do Him service as long as there is breath
in thy body.

1 The Tilang measure is much sung by Baloches. Hymns in this
measure ordinarily contain several Persian words.

C C 2

388 THE SIKH RELIGION

Thou, O God, art all-powerful, ineffable, inapprehensible ;
the soul and body are Thy property.

Nanak's prayer ever is that by Thy mercy he may obtain
happiness.

The Guru praises God under whatever name
known :—

O Creator, on beholding Thy might I long to meet Thee.

Thou alone art my spiritual and temporal Lord ; Thou art
unsullied by the whole creation.

In a moment Thou makest and unmakest : wonderful
are Thy manifestations.

Who knoweth Thine acts ? l Thou art a light in the
darkness.

0 Allah, Thou Thyself art the Lord of the world, the
merciful Khuda.2

Why should they who adore Thee day and night go to
hell?

Azrail is a friend of the slave whose support Thou art.

All the sins of Thy servant who obtaineth a sight of
Thee, are pardoned.

All worldly things are for the present ; true happiness is
to be found in Thy name.

On meeting the Guru, Nanak hath ascertained this ;
wherefore he ever singeth the praises of the one God.

SUHI

God has installed the Guru as a beloved housewife
in His palace : —

God hath given me possession of the household ; I have
become the housewife.

My Spouse hath made the ten organs of action and reflec
tion my slaves.

1 have put together all the things of the house,
And with thirsty desire I long for my Beloved.
What merits of my beloved Spouse shall I mention ?
He is the wise, handsome, and compassionate God.

1 Also translated — play.

2 Allah and Khuda used in this verse are Muhammadan names
of God.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 389

I have put on chastity as my ornaments and applied the
fear of God as a pigment to mine eyes.

I chew the ambrosial Name as my betel ;

My bracelets, my dress, mine ornaments admirably become
me.

A woman obtaineth all happiness if her Beloved go to her
house.

I have fascinated my Spouse by the charm of my virtues :

I have made Him subject to me and the Guru hath dis
pelled my doubts.

My palace is the most exalted of all.

My Beloved hath forsaken all other women and become
my lover.

The bright light of the sun l hath appeared.

I have spread my couch with infinite faith in Him.

My Darling who affordeth ever new delight hath come to
my couch to enjoy me.

Nanak, when I met my Beloved I obtained happiness.

Man is unable to render due thanksgiving to God
for all His favours : —

What praises of Thine shall I recount, O Thou who
bestowest on me though devoid of virtue ?

What skill hath a purchased slave ? this soul and body
are totally Thine.

I am a sacrifice to a sight of Thee, Thou merry, beloved,
and fascinating Darling.

O God, Thou bestowest on me a poor beggar ; Thou art
ever and ever beneficent.

What can be accomplished by myself is nothing, O my
inaccessible and infinite Lord.

What service shall I perform ? what shall I say to please
Thee?

How shall I obtain a sight of Thee ?

Thy measure cannot be ascertained ; Thy limit cannot be
found ; my soul thirst eth for Thy feet.

Becoming bold I pray to obtain this gift that the dust
of the saints' feet be applied to my face.
1 Divine knowledge.

390 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Guru extended mercy to his slave Nanak, so God
reached him His hand and saved him.

Man is swift to evil and slow to good : —

Man riseth early for evil deeds ;

But he sleepeth when it is time to repeat God's name.

The fool knoweth not his opportunity ;

He becometh involved in worldly love and pleasures ;

In the midst of his covetousness he is elated, pleased.

And looketh not even at holy men.

The ignorant clown never understandeth.

He is again and again involved in entanglements.

He is pleased on hearing immoral songs,

While his mind is slow to hear God's praises.

O blind one, thou seest not with thine eyes :

Thou must leave all these false occupations and depart.

Saith Nanak, 0 God, mercifully grant me

The favour of the company of Thy saints.

Man obtaineth something when he becometh the dust of
the saints' feet —

He to whom God giveth understanding repeateth His
name.

The Guru's instruction :—

Man seeth with his eyes, but yet is blind ; he heareth,
but yet is deaf ;

What is near him he deemeth distant ; the sinner ever
committeth sin.

O mortal, do such acts as shall secure thy deliverance,

And repeat God's name the ambrosial word.

Thou art ever filled with the love of horses and palaces,

But none of them shall depart with thee.

Thou scrubbest thy vessel of clay ;

Yet it is very foul, and shall be punished by Death's
mace.

Man is bound by lust, wrath, covetousness, and worldly
love,

And is thereby swallowed up in a great pit.

Hear Nanak's prayer—

O my God, save me, a sinking stone !

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 391

The Guru's self-sacrifice and abject servility to
God's saint :—

God's saint is my life and wealth ; I am his water-carrier ;

He is dearer to me than all brethren, friends, and sons,
yea, than even life itself.

Let me make a fan of my hair, and wave it as a chauri over
the saint ;

Let me bow my head beneath his feet, and apply their
dust to my face ;

Like a poor man let me offer him my supplication with
sweet words ;

Abandoning pride let me fall at his feet, and obtain the
treasure of virtues.

Let me obtain a sight of him again and again.

Let me treasure up his ambrosial word in my heart, and
make him continual obeisance.

I desire the society of holy men ; I hope for it, I pray for it.

0 Lord, have mercy upon Nanak that he may touch Thy
slaves' feet.

God's praises : —

1 supplicate the true Guru to grant me the Name as my
support.

When the True King is pleased, the world is cured of its
fever.

Thou, O Lord, art the prop of the saints ; Thou art the
shelter of the saints ; Thou art the true Creator.

True are Thy chattels, true Thine extension.1

Thy form is unapproachable ; unequalled is a sight of
Thee.

I am a sacrifice to Thy servants to whom Thy name
is dear.

All hopes are fulfilled when the Unapproachable and the
Unequalled is obtained.

Guru Nanak hath met the primal God, and is a sacrifice
unto His feet.

1 The world which has been projected from the Creator,

392 THE SIKH RELIGION

Salvation is only found in the Guru's instruction
which is open to all :—

Salvation is not obtained by reading all the Veds, the
books of the Musalmans, the Simritis, and the Shastars.

He who under the Guru's instruction repeateth the one
Word shall obtain unsullied glory.

The four castes of Khatris, Brahmans, Sudars, and
Vaisyas are partners in God's word.

Nanak, by repeating under the Guru's instruction the
name of God who dwelleth in every heart, man shall be
saved in this age.

ASHTAPADI

The magnification of God's name :—

The Simritis, the Veds, and the Purans proclaim

That without the Name all ritual is false and valueless.

The Name, which is unequalled wealth, abideth in the
hearts of the saints.

Transmigration, worldly love, and sorrow are removed
in the company of the saints.

They who indulge in worldly love, strife, and pride shall
assuredly weep.

They who are without the Name shall find no happiness.

By boasting of his property, bonds are forged for man.

They who devote themselves to works of mammon shall
be born in hell and heaven.

By reflecting and reflecting and reflecting I have come to
this conclusion,

That without the Name there is no happiness and man
assuredly faileth.

Many come and go, die and are born again.

Without knowing God all is vain and men wander in
wombs.

They to whom God is merciful, obtain the society of the
saints,

And repeat God's name which is ambrosia.

Millions, yea, countless and endless persons search for
God ;

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 393

But God is near him whom He causeth to know Him.
Forget me not, O Bountiful One ; grant me Thy name.
It is Nanak's pleasure to repeat Thy praises day and night.

CHHANT
God ever speaks mildly :—

God who is my Friend and my Lord, speaketh mildly ;

I am weary of trying Him, but He never speaketh harshly.

The perfect God who thinketh not of our demerits,
knoweth not how to speak harshly.

To purify sinners is God's function ; He destroyeth not
a particle of man's work.1

He dwelleth in every heart ; He pervadeth everything ;
He is the nearest of the near.

The slave Nanak is ever under the protection of God, his
immortal Friend.

The advantage of singing God's praises :—

BILAWAL

Exalted, peerless, endless Lord, who knoweth Thy merits ?
By singing them man is saved ; by hearing them man is
saved, and multitudes of sins are effaced.

0 Lord, Thou savest beasts, sprites, and idiots ; even
stones Thou causest to cross the terrible water.

The slave Nanak hath entered Thine asylum, and is ever
and ever a sacrifice unto Thee.

The first verse of the following is often inscribed
on new houses :—

The True Guru hath made my house and family permanent.

He who slandereth them is already destroyed by the
Creator.

The slave Nanak taketh the protection of Him whose
word is eternal and incomparable.

Advantages of meeting the Guru and his saints :•—

The cripple can cross over a mountain, the blockhead
become an accomplished preacher,

1 That is, man loses not a particle of the advantage of devotion.

394 THE SIKH RELIGION

And the blind see the three worlds on meeting the pure
Guru.

O my friends, hear the advantage of the company of the
saints —

With them impurity is washed away, millions of sins set
aside, and the heart purified.

Such is service to God that by it an ant can overcome an
elephant.

God hath given the fearless gift to him whom He hath
made His own.

For him a lion becometh a cat, and a mountain a blade of
grass :

They who toiled for half a dam have become very rich.

What praise of Thine can I utter, O Thou of endless
excellences ?

Mercifully grant Nanak Thy name, O God, otherwise
he cannot behold Thee.1

The Guru's self-abasement before God's saints : —

Let me perform service for Thy slave, O Lord : and wipe
his feet with my hair.

Let me give him my head as an offering, and listen to the
praises of the Abode of pleasure.

My soul reviveth on meeting Thee ; wherefore meet me,
O Merciful One.

Night and day my mind is happy thinking on the Merciful
One.

O God, attach me to the skirts of Thy saints who save the
world.

0 God, grant me the gift of the dust of the saints' feet.

1 have no tricks of speech or cleverness, nor can I labour
in Thy service.

Preserve me from doubt, fear, and worldly love, and cut
away Death's noose.

I implore Thee, O Lord of mercy, O Father, to cherish me !

0 Abode of happiness, let Nanak sing Thy praises in the
company of the saints.

1 Rita, which means empty, also means way, and the phrase may
be translated — Show me the way to behold Thee.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 395

Abase thyself before the saint of God : —

Draw water, fan, and grind for God's slave, and then
shalt thou be happy.

Burn for him in the fire empire, possessions, and dominion.

Touch the feet even of the saints' servant.

Forsake the possessors of wealth and the lords of um
brellas.

The saints' dry bread is equal to all treasure.

The thirty-six dishes in the house of the infidel are as
poison.

A man is not naked when he clotheth himself in the rags
of the saints ;

He loseth his honour when he putteth on the silken robe
of the infidel.

When one contracteth friendship with an infidel, it is
dissolved half way.

Whoever serveth God's saint shall be saved in this life
and the next.

Everything was produced by Thee, O Lord ; Thou didst
contrive this contrivance of the world.

Nanak, on beholding the saints, singeth God's praises.

The Guru's search for God :—

Searching and searching I search round the forests

For that God who is undeceivable, invulnerable, and in
scrutable.

When shall I behold my God the delight of my soul ?

Better than waking is the dream in which I abide with
God.

As I listen to the Shastars on the four castes and the four
stages of life, I am not satisfied but thirst to behold God.

He hath no colour nor outline, nor is He made of five
elements ; He is imperishable.

The saints or some rare man of great sanctity may describe
His appearance.

They whom He mercifully meeteth are to be congratulated.

His doubts vanish who seeth God within him and without
him.

Nanak, he whose acts are perfect meeteth God.

396 THE SIKH RELIGION

There is salvation for the repentant sinner : —

Body, wealth, and youth pass away.1

Thou hast not repeated God's name, and day hath dawned
on thee while committing sin at night.

Through continually eating various forms of food thy
teeth are worn and drop out.

Thou wert robbed while talking of thy possessions, and
thou didst feel no compunction on committing sin.

Great enormities are a terrible sea of trouble in which
man perisheth ;

But the Lord God, O Nanak, taketh the arm of him who
seeketh His protection and extricateth him.

The Guru's love for God : —

I am in love with the Beloved.

The Lord hath drawn me with such a strong thread that
if I try to break it, it will not break ; and if I try to let
it go, it will not go.

0 Lord, mercifully abide day and night in my heart.

1 am a sacrifice to God, an account of whom I have heard,
but cannot express.

The slave Nanak, Thy slave of slaves, prayeth — O God,
show me Thy mercy !

Submission to God's saint is equal to all pilgrim
ages :—

The feet of the Supreme Being's slave whose praise is
pure, are equal to millions of pilgrimages to the Ganges.

Nanak, he who batheth in the feet of the holy man shall
have the sins of many births washed away.

BlLAWAL ASHTAPADI

The Guru describes his love for God :—

0 God, there is none but Thee.

The love of my heart for Thee is like that of the chakor
for the moon,

Or the love of the fish for the water.

1 Also translated — The play of body, wealth, and youth is over.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 397

As the bumble-bee forsaketh not the lotus,

As the chawki desireth the sun,

So Nanak thirsteth for God's feet.

As the husband is the life of his young bride,

As the covetous man is pleased with a gift of wealth,

As the affinity of milk for water,

As the very hungry man desireth food,

As a mother loveth her son,

So, O Nanak, ever remember God.

As the moth falleth into the lamp,

As the thief fearlessly stealeth,

As the elephant is entrapped through his lust,

As the sinner is caught in his misdeeds,

As the gambler's vice forsaketh him not,

So Nanak applieth his soul to God.

As the deer loveth the hunter's bell,

As the chatrik longeth for the rain-drops,

So I live by association with the saints.

I love to worship God,

And my tongue repeateth His name.

O God, grant Nanak a sight of Thee.

He who singeth, heareth, or writeth God's praises

Shall receive all the reward thereof from God.

He shall himself cross over the ocean of the world,

And save all his family.

God's feet shall be a boat for him

Who in the association of the saints singeth God's praises.

O Lord God, protect mine honour.

O God, Nanak hath taken the protection of Thy door.1

GAUND

Man, even when captivated by the world, shall be
saved by seeking God's protection :—

O man, thou art caught like a fish or a monkey ; thou art
captivated with the dye of the saifiower.

The movements of thy feet and thy breathings are counted;
thou shalt only be saved if thou sing God's praises.

O man, understand this and cease thy perversity.
1 Dudr in the original.

398 THE SIKH RELIGION

Canst thou not find a place to dwell in at home ? why
goest thou to others' houses ? l

Impelled like an elephant by the pleasure of lust, thou
remainest attached to thy family.

As birds meet together and again separate, so thou too
shalt be separated from thy people, but thou shalt obtain a firm
abiding-place if in association with the saints thou meditate
on God.

As the fish perisheth through love of its palate, so foolish
man is ruined by his covetousness.

Thou art in the power of thy five enemies, but tho1! shalt
escape from them by seeking God's protection.

0 Destroyer of grief, be merciful to the poor ; man and
the lower animals all are Thine.

May I obtain the favour to continually behold and meet
Thee ! Nanak is the slave of Thy slaves.

The supreme efficacy of God's protection :—

Him whom the Protector protecteth

The Formless One will assist.

Fire shall not touch him in his mother's womb ;

Lust, wrath, covetousness, and worldly love shall not
affect him.

When man repeateth the name of the Formless One in the
company of the saints,

Dust shall be thrown in the face of whoever slandereth
him.

The spell of God's name 2 is armour for His slave :

Enemies and ill-wishers can make no impression on him.

He who indulgeth in pride shall pass away,

While God protecteth His poor slave.

God will embrace and defend him

Who falleth under His protection.

He who is very proud

Shall in a moment be blended with the dust.

1 am ever and ever a sacrifice to Him

1 Do good thyself, and then go and preach to others.

2 Ram kawach. Literally — God's coat of mail; but the term is
also applied to a particular spell.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 399

Who is, was, and shall be the true One.
God hath mercy and protecteth His slaves :
He is the support of Nanak's soul.

God described by negatives : —

Wonderful and greatly unequalled is a description
Of the Soul of the world, the Supreme Being :
He is not old, nor is He young ;

He hath no sorrow, nor is He caught in Death's halter ;
He neither perisheth, nor departeth ;
In the beginning and in every age He pervadeth the world ;
He feeleth nor heat nor cold ;
He hath no friend, no enemy ;
He feeleth nor joy nor mourning.
Everything belongeth to Him and He is potent to act.
He hath no father, and no mother ;
He is without limit, and from the beginning ;
He is not the subject either of virtue or of vice.
In every heart He is ever awake ;
He created one energy Maya withjthe three qualities.
Great Maya is His shadow.

He is undeceivable, invulnerable, inscrutable, and com
passionate.

Compassionate to the poor He is ever merciful ;
His condition and measure cannot be known :
Nanak, I am a sacrifice unto Him.

RAMKALI

A prayer to God and miscellaneous instruction : —

Have mercy upon me, O Bountiful to the poor, and think
not at all of my merits or demerits.

Why should we wash clay ? O Lord, to be unclean is the
condition of man.1

O my soul, serve the True Guru, and thou shalt be happy.

Thou shalt obtain whatever thou mayest desire, and not
again feel sorrow.

God fashioned us frail vessels, put His light within us,
and cherisheth us.

1 That is, man is ever sinful.

400 THE SIKH RELIGION

We act as theCreator predestined for us from the beginning.

Man claimeth his soul and body to be entirely his own ;
hence his transmigration.

He thinketh not on Him who gave them ; he is blindly
wrapped up in worldly love.

He who knoweth the God who made him shall reach His
unequalled palace.

May Nanak Thy slave serve Thee and sing Thy praises,
O God!

By due meditation on God man is preserved from
the deadly sins :—

My God hath assisted me, and I have disposed of all
mine enemies.

I have bound the enemies who plundered this world.

My God is the True Guru.

To utter His name and put confidence in Him is equal
to enjoyment of the delights of many empires.

The Protector watcheth over him who thinketh of none
but Him.

He whose support is Thy name alone, O Lord, despiseth
the world.

He who hath met the Giver of comfort, becometh perfect ;
he is not deficient in anything.

On meeting God, the best thing, man obtaineth the supreme
position, and forsaketh it not to go elsewhere.

I cannot describe a Being like Thee who art true, invisible,
and infinite.

Nanak, our Lord is unequalled, unfathomable, and un
wavering.

Praises of God :—

Thou art wise, Thou art immovable, Thou art my caste,
Thou art my lineage.

Thou art unwavering, Thou waverest never ; then how
can I feel anxiety ?

Thou alone art the one God ;

Thou alone art the one King.

Through Thy mercy I have obtained happiness.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 401

Thou art a lake ; we are Thy swans ; in Thee are gems
and rubies.

Thou art the Giver ; Thou hesitatest not at all ; we eat
from Thy hands and are ever happy.

We are children, Thou art our Father, Thou puttest milk
into our mouths.

We all play and Thou ever fondlest us : Thou art ever
brimful of excellences.

Thou art perfect and fillest every place : O Perfect One,
we too are satiated with Thy company.

After many efforts I have become blended with Thee ;
Nanak, there is nothing more to be said.

A votary of Krishan invited Guru Arjan to see
the circular dance in honour of his god. The Guru
replied that the whole world was dancing and playing,
and there was no necessity to go to such an enter
tainment. A man ought to dance as follows : —

Make thy hands the cymbals, thine eyes the kettledrums,
thy forehead the rebeck,

Thine ears the sweet pipe, and thy tongue the prelude.

Bring dancing with the heart as the motions of thy hands
and thy tinkling anklets,

And dance to God.

Let the Compassionate One be the spectator and behold
thy dressing and decorations.

Let thine arena be the whole earth, the firmament above
its canopy,

And the breath the sole manager.

From the water and the other elements God created a
puppet to which acts are attached.

In the four corners of the earth God lit up and placed both
the moon and sun as lamps.1

There are ten dancing girls 2 and five accompanists 3
together in one chamber.4

1 An attendant holding a lamp in each hand goes round and lights
the theatre.

2 The organs of action and perception.

3 The five senses. 4 The body.

SIKH, in J_) Q

402 THE SIKH RELIGION

They separately gesticulate and all speak different
tongues.

In every house there is dancing day and night, and in
every heart the trumpets l sound.

God causeth one man to dance in secular occupations,
another He diverteth therefrom, and a third He debaseth
by transmigration.

Saith Nanak, he who meeteth the perfect Guru shall not
dance again.

Instruction to a Jogi : —

O Jogi, the four Veds call to thee, but thou obeyest them
not ;

The six Shastars also tell of one thing.
The eighteen Purans combined speak of the one God ;
Yet, even so, thou hast not found their secret.
The kinguri of God playeth an unequalled strain,

0 intoxicated Jogi.

In the first age the village of truth was inhabited ; 2

In the Treta age there was some falling off ; 3

In the Dwarpar half the truth remained ;

In the Kal one-fourth remained, and then God was

shown by the Guru.

On one string 4 the gems of souls were strung ;

They were all kept separate by knots : 5

The rosary thus formed revolved in many ways.6

When God draweth the string, they all come together.7

From the four elements the body8 was constructed.

In it there were difficult passages and many windows.9

When the Jogi cometh searching and searching to God's

door,

1 Thoughts, fancies, &c., &c.

2 That is, truth dwelt wherever there were human habitations.

3 Dutera — two or three. Men were at sixes and sevens.

4 God's power. 5 That is, by different bodies.

6 Men were subjected to different forms of transmigration.

7 Are absorbed in God from whom they sprang.

8 Mat. Literally — a Jogi's dwelling.

9 This refers to the practice of the Jogis fixing their breath in
different parts of the body and practising introspection.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 403

Then, O Nanak, he shall find God's private apartment.
Thus shall his kinguri play an unequalled strain :
On hearing it the Jogi's mind will be pleased.

The Guru recommends God's love instead of the
practice of Jog : —

There1 are the full sounds of the five musical instruments.

Without being struck they play wondrously and mar
vellously.

The saints, God's people, sport there.

The Supreme Being pervadeth all things, but is not com
bined with them.

In His palace are happiness, composure, and joy.

The company of the saints sit and sing God's praises ;
theirs is not the malady of transmigration.

There only God's name is remembered.

Few are they who there find rest.

Love is their food and singing their support.

There are countless everlasting seats.

There no one falleth, or wavereth, or runneth astray.

It is only by the favour of the Guru a few find that
paradise.

There is neither doubt, nor fear, nor worldly love, nor
mammon.

There in deep repose is the merciful God

Who hath not end or limit.

He is at once concealed and manifest.

Nanak, the wonderful condition of him cannot be described

In whose heart is God's love.

The following was addressed to a tyrannical
official : —

Thou amassest wealth by causing misery ;

But it shall not avail thee ; it shall only benefit others.

Thou practisest pride and actest like a blind man ;

Thou shalt be bound by Death's halter in the next world.

Dismiss thy jealousy of others, O fool.

Thou hast but one night to stay here :

1 In the company of the saints.
D d 2

404 THE SIKH RELIGION

Though intoxicated with wealth thou must depart ;

Yet thou continuest to love vanities.

In the period of childhood one is heedless ;

In the heyday of youth man is attached to unsavoury
pleasures ;

In the third stage of life he amasseth wealth ;

When old age cometh on he leaveth everything and de-
parteth with regret.

After long time man obtaineth a human body so difficult
to obtain ;

But it is as dust without the Name.

He who knoweth not Him who created him,

Is worse than a beast, a sprite, or an idiot.

Hear me, O Creator, Gobind, Gopal,

Compassionate to the poor, ever merciful,

If Thou free men, they shall be freed from their bonds.

Nanak, the world is heedless ; O God, pardon and unite
us with Thee.

Where the saints dwell and pray, there is heaven : —

Where the saints put their feet, there are the sixty-eight
places of pilgrimage ;

Where the Name is uttered, there is heaven.

Advice to a Brahman : —

Sing the praises of God's name, O Pandit.
Religious ceremonies are of no avail ; pride is of no avail ;
go home contented in thy mind.

The Hindu gods, goddesses, and sacred books
know not God's greatness : —

The Veds know not His greatness ;

Brahma knoweth not His secrets ;

The incarnations know not His limit :

The Supreme Being is without limit.

Only God knoweth His own state ;

Men merely speak of Him from hearsay.

Shiv knoweth not His secret ;

The demigods have grown weary searching for Him ;

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 405

The goddesses know not His secret ;
The unseen Supreme Being is over all.
God playeth according to His pleasure :
It is He who separateth, it is He who uniteth.
Some wander, others He applieth to His worship.
He causeth man to know His works.
Hear the true instruction of the saints —
It is only they who have seen with their eyes who can tell
God's greatness.

He is not the object either of virtue or of vice.
Nanak's God is all in all.

The Guru warns man to seek God's protection
betimes : —

O man, neither thy body nor thy soul is thine own :

It is by thy worldly love thou fallest into such error.

Thou friskest about like a lamb or a kid :

When thou expectest not, Death will cast his noose
and hurl his quoit at thee.

O my soul, seek the protection of God's lotus feet.

Repeat the name of God the Helper who is with thee, and
under the Guru's instruction thou shalt obtain the true
wealth.

The imperfect things of this world will never be perfect.

Man is ever miserable on account of lust, wrath, and
pride.

He committeth sin to gratify his heart.

O thoughtless man, nothing will go an inch with thee.

Thou practisest deceit, and knowest many tricks ;

Thou laboriously siftest dirt for kauris ;

Thou never thinkest on Him who gave thee everything ;

Thou art greedy for perishable things, and thy pain will
not leave thee.

When the supreme God was compassionate,

My heart became the dust of the saints' feet.

God with His lotus hand hath attached me to His
skirt.

Nanak hath become absorbed in the Truest of the
True.

406 THE SIKH RELIGION

ASHTAPADI

God's praises and the Guru's instructions to men: —

O man, remember the Preserver,

Who fashioned thee out of this water,

And made thy earthly body —

The Luminous One who gave thee speech, understanding,
and reason,

And who protected thee in thy mother's womb.

O man, forsake all else and meditate on Him

Who gave thee father and mother,

Who gave thee brother and sons,

Who gave thee a wife and friends.

Remember that God

Who gave thee priceless air,

Who gave thee priceless water,

And who gave thee fire to burn —

O man, remain under that God's protection.

Place thy heart at the feet of that God

Who gave thee thirty-six species of food,

Who made within thee a place to contain them,

And who gave thee land and chattels to use.

O man, adore the feet of that God

Who made thee eyes to see, ears to hear,

Hands to work, feet to walk,

A nose, a tongue, and a head to crown1 all ;

Who made thee pure from being impure,

And who gave thee the highest among all births.

Wilt thou now be accepted by Him, or wilt thou not ?

O man, thine affairs shall be arranged by meditating on
Him.

In this world and the next there is but the one God ;

Wherever thou lookest, there is He.

The heart is slow to serve Him ;

But by forgetting Him man cannot abide for a moment.

We are sinners and without merits ;

We do no service or good deeds.

1 Literally — the large bead in a rosary.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 407

The boat of the Guru is only found by good fortune.
Nanak, a stone floateth over by associating with the saint.

The object of the following composition is to in
struct man to remember God at all seasons : —

GURU ARJAN'S SEASONS

RAMKALI

SLOK I

O man, salute God the Supreme Being, and desire the
dust of His saints' feet.

Nanak, dispel pride, repeat the name of God who is
omnipresent.

He is the remover of sin, the dispeller of fear, an ocean
of happiness.

Nanak, ever meditate on Him, the Compassionate to the
poor, the Destroyer of sorrow.

CHHANT

O fortunate beings, sing God's praises, and God will be
merciful unto you.

Delightful the season, the month, the hour, and the time
when you repeat God's name.

Blessed are they who imbued with love for God with single
mind meditate on His attributes.

Profitable are the lives of those who have found Him.

Good acts, alms, and religious ceremonies are not equal
to God's name which removeth all sin.

Nanak representeth, I live by remembering Him who is
free from transmigration.

SLOK II

Strive to attain the Inaccessible and Inapprehensible, and
bow to His lotus feet.

Saith Nanak, mention of Thee by those whose support is
the Name, will be pleasing to Thee.

O my friends, seek the protection of the saints and
remember the eternal God.

Nanak, by repeating God's name you shall become green
fiom being withered.

408 THE SIKH RELIGION

CHHANT

Excellent is the season of spring ; Chet and Baisakh are
pleasant months.

Having obtained God as my Spouse, my soul, body, and
life bloom afresh.

0 my companions, when the lotus feet of the immovable
Spouse enter my house, I rejoice and am happy and glad.

He is beautiful, clever, and wise, a Recognizer of merit
and inestimable.

1 have obtained Him by great good fortune, dispelled my
sorrow, and fulfilled my desires.

Nanak representeth, by seeking Thy protection my fear
of Death is dispelled.

SLOK III

Nanak had been bound in the soft l fetters of the record
of his previous acts.

Without the company of saints he killed himself wandering
and doing various religious acts, but now he is released.

God blendeth with Himself those who please Him ; it is
He who also separateth man from Him.

Nanak, I have fallen under the protection of God whose
glory is great.

CHHANT

Jeth and Har form the hot season when the heat is in
tensely severe.

God looketh not on the woman who is separated from His
love.

She is ruined by great pride ; she beholdeth Him not,
and dieth in agony.

Attached to mammon she is displeased with God, and
gaspeth like a fish out of water.

Death shall punish her for her sins, and she shall dread the
transmigration which awaiteth her.

Nanak prayeth — preserve me in Thine asylum, O Thou who
fulfillest desires.

1 Man immersed in worldly pleasures does not feel his fetters.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 409

SLOK IV

My love is attached to my Beloved ; I cannot abide for an
instant without Him.

Nanak, He of His kind disposition filleth my soul and
body.

He who was my friend at many births hath taken me by
the hand.

God with hearty love hath made Nanak the slave of His
feet.

CHHANT

The rainy season in Sawan and Bhadon bestoweth comfort
and joy.

The lowering clouds rain, and sea and land are filled with
honey.1

God pervadeth every place, and His name, which is the
nine treasures, filleth my heart.

By remembering the Lord, the Searcher of hearts, whole
families are saved.

They who are awake in the love of the Beloved shall never
be shamed ; the Merciful One will ever pardon them.

Nanak representeth, I have obtained God as my Spouse
who ever pleaseth my soul.

SLOK V

Thirsty with desire I wander thinking when I shall behold
God.

O Nanak, is there any friendly holy man who will bring
me to meet Him ?

Without meeting Him I have no rest ; I cannot abide for
a moment.

Nanak, by entering the sanctuary of God's saints my
desires shall be fulfilled.

CHHANT

In Assu and Kartik, the cool season, I thirst for God and
make preparation to meet Him.

Searching for a sight of Him I wander thinking when I
shall meet the Lord of excellences.

1 That is, water.

410 THE SIKH RELIGION

I have no happiness without my Beloved Spouse ; my
necklaces and bracelets are all hateful to me.

However beautiful, clever, accomplished, and wise I may
be, my body is as if it had not breath in it.

My soul thirsteth to meet God, I look here and there and
in every direction for Him.

Nanak prayeth, O God Lord of excellences, mercifully
unite me with Thee.

SLOK VI

Nanak, since I have met the all-pervading God, my doubt
as to whether I am separated from God or not hath been
removed.

My heart-burning hath been slaked, comfort hath ensued,
and I have peace of soul and body.

God sent holy men with this message — ' I am not far from
thee.'

Nanak, by repeating the Name of the all-pervading God,
my doubts and fears have been dispelled.

CHHANT

In Maghar and Poh, the snowy season, God appeareth to
me and I am refreshed.

I have obtained a sight of God, my heart-burning hath
been slaked, and deceitful mammon put to flight.

All my desires have been fulfilled ; I have met God face to
face, and as a worshipper have worshipped His feet.

Singing the praises of the Unseen and Inscrutable is my
necklace, my hair-strings, my decorations, and all my delight.

Death cannot look at those who desire the love and service
of God.

Nanak representeth, God hath blended me with Himself,
and my love shall not now be sundered from Him.

SLOK VII

When a happy wife hath obtained the wealth of God's
name, her mind never wavereth.

Nanak, by association with the saints God the Friend
appeareth in the heart.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 411

Woman enjoyeth millions of songs, joys, and pleasures with
the dear Beloved.

By repeating God's name, O Nanak, man obtaineth the
fruit his heart desireth.

CHHANT

Magh and Phagun, the autumnal season, are pleasing to
the heart and full of excellence.

O my friends and companions, sing a song of rejoicing,
God my Husband hath come home.

My Jewel hath come home, my heart meditateth on Him,
and my couch is beautiful and bright.

The woods and glades become green ; 1 on beholding the
scene I am entranced.

By repeating the pure spell in my heart I have met the
Lord, and my desires have been fulfilled.

Nanak representeth, I have met my Spouse, God the
Bearer of prosperity ; and shall now be ever engaged in
dalliance.

SLOK VIII

The saints are succourers of the soul and pilots across
the terrible ocean :

Nanak, know them for the most exalted of all, for they
love God's name.

They who know God have crossed over ; they are brave,
they are heroes.

Nanak is a sacrifice to those who by repeating God's
name have reached the shore.

CHHANT

The saints' feet preside over all ; by means of them all
troubles are erased ;

They dispel the pain of transmigration and cause devotion
to God to enter the heart ;

They are imbued with God's love and intoxicated with
divine knowledge : I forget them not for a moment.

He who renounceth pride and falleth under the protection
1 Autumn has become spring for the Guru.

412 THE SIKH RELIGION

of their feet, shall obtain all favours from the Lord of the
world.

I salute God, Gobind, the Ocean of excellence, Srirang1 the
Primal Lord.

Nanak supplicateth — do Thou, O God, who art the same
in every age have mercy on me.

RAMKALI KI WAR II

A Sikh called Mahila asked the Guru if saints
could free men from the fear of transmigration and
unite them with God. The following was the Guru's
reply : —

As I have heard of the true Guru, so have I found him.

He is the mediator at God's court and uniteth with God
those who have been separated from Him.

He maketh fast the spell of God's name in the disciples'
heart, and healeth the malady of pride.

Nanak, God caused those so destined from the beginning
to meet the true Guru.

By propitiating God everything is obtained : —

If the one God be my friend, all will be my friends ; if the
one God be my enemy every one will quarrel with me.

The true Guru hath shown me that without the Name
all is vanity.

The infidel and the evil who are attached to the pleasures
of the world shall suffer transmigration.

Nanak, by the favour of the true Guru I have recognized
the Lord God.

The perverse : —

Friendship with the perverse is an alliance with mammon :

While we look on, it fleeth away, and findeth nothing to
arrest it.

While the perverse have raiment and food they cling to
us ;

The day they get nothing they utter abuse.

The perverse and those in the darkness of ignorance know
not the state of the soul.

1 This name in the Granth Sahib obviously means God.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 413

A false joining will not last ; it is like a broken stone
cemented with mud.

The blind know not themselves ; they suffer in the midst
of false occupations.

Involved in false worldly love they pass their days in
pride.

God bestoweth His full favour on those to whom He
extendeth His mercy from the first.

Nanak, they who seek the shelter of the true Guru are
saved.

The Guru prays for a holy life : —

Be merciful, O my God, that I may pass my life with the
saints !

They who forget Thee are born and die ; their sorrows
are never at an end.

O man, where the way is difficult, nay, everywhere
remember the True Guru in thy heart.

By repeating God's name no one shall obstruct thy path.

It is only the saints who can influence God :—

Thou, 0 Lord, comest not into man's power even by
abundant supplication ;

Thou comest not into man's power even by reading the
Veds ;

Thou comest not into man's power by bathing at places
of pilgrimage ;

Thou comest not into man's power by running over the
earth :

Thou comest not into man's power by any artifice ;

Thou comest not into man's power by giving copious alms.

Every one is in Thy power, 0 Inaccessible and Inappre
hensible.

Thou art in the power of the saints ; Thou art their
strength.

When the feet, head, mouth and soul are beau
tiful :-

The feet are beautiful which move towards Thee, O Lord ;
the head is beautiful which boweth to Thy feet ;

414 THE SIKH RELIGION

The mouth is beautiful when it singeth Thy praises ; and
the soul when it entereth Thy protection.

God's praises : —

Thou, O God, art great ; greatly unrivalled is Thy
dignity ;

Various are Thy manifestations ; Thine acts cannot be
known.

Thy life is within animals ; Thou knowest everything ;

Everything is in Thy power ; Thy palace is beautiful ;

It is filled with joy and gratulation.

Without pride thou bearest honour, greatness, and splen
dour.

Thou art filled with all potencies ; Thou appearest every
where.

Nanak, Thy slave of slaves maketh supplication before
Thee.

The Guru's devotion to God : —

I am a sacrifice unto Thee, O great God.

Of me who am without merits Thou art. the perfect bene
factor ; Thou art the compassionate Lord of the poor.

Standing or sitting, sleeping or waking, O man, deem
God thy soul, thy life, thy wealth, and thy property.

The thirst for a sight of Thee, O God, is great in my heart ;
Nanak prayeth — make me happy by a sight of Thee.

MARU

Instances of the success of devotion :—
The boy Dhru at the age of five years was helpless, but

by remembering God he became fixed and immortal.
Ajamal through love for his son called upon Narayan,

whereupon the good angels smote the myrmidons of Death.
What numberless persons my Lord saved !
I am poor, of little intellect, without virtue ; I fall at Thy

door for protection.
The pariah x Balmik was saved, so was the wretched

huntsman 2 ;

1 Supchar. Literally — one who cooks and eats dogs.

2 Who accidentally shot Krishan.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 415

The elephant which remembered God even for a moment
was saved.1

God preserved His servant Prahlad, and Narsinh tore
Harnakhas with his nails.

Bidur, son of a handmaiden, became pure and his whole
family illustrious.

What sins of mine can I confess ? I have been absorbed
in the false love of the world.

Nanak hath come to God's sanctuary and shelter ; O
Lord, stretch out Thine arm, and take me to Thee.

By devotion man obtains salvation during life :—

When my fate was favourable and God was merciful,
I sang His praises.

My toil hath ended, I have obtained rest, and all my
wandering is at an end.

Now I have obtained the dignity of real life.

I have remembered God in my heart under the protection
of the saints.

I have banished lust, wrath, avarice, and worldly love ;
these enemies all have I banished.

Ever the Almighty is present to view ; nowhere is He
distant.

I have obtained happiness and rest ; all my desires have
been fulfilled by the assistance of the saints.

God in a moment hath purified the sinner ; God's praise
cannot be expressed.

I have become fearless, all fear hath departed ; I
have taken the shelter of God's feet.

Nanak singeth God's praises and fixeth his attention on
Him night and day.

True religion is not found among Hindu sectaries:—

The Pandit shouteth aloud the Veds, but his heart is slow
to good works.

1 It is stated in the Bhagat Mdl that a shark caught an elephant's
leg and was dragging him into deep water. The elephant thought of
God, at the same time lifted a lotus flower with his trunk as an offering,
and was saved.

416 THE SIKH RELIGION

The silent devotee sitteth apart, but the knots of desire
are in his heart.

The anchoret abandoneth his home, but he is not saved
by flight.

To whom shall I tell the state of my heart ?

Where shall I find him who is saved himself and who will
bring me to meet God ?

The penitent chasteneth his body, but his thoughts
wander in every direction.

The Brahmachari practiseth continence, but there is pride
in his heart.

The Sanyasi wandereth in pilgrimages and while there
quarrelleth with strangers.1

The Ramdasis 2 in their efforts to get bread put on tinkling
anklets, and dance before idols.

Men fast, perform their daily religious duties, and the
six acts for the purpose of ostentation.

With their mouths they chant sacred songs and hymns,
but they sing not heartily God's praises.

God's saints are pure and free from joy, sorrow, covetous-
ness, and worldly love.

If God be merciful, my soul shall obtain the dust of the
saints' feet.

Saith Nanak, when I meet the true Guru my anxiety
shall depart.

My Lord God is the Searcher of hearts.

The Beloved knoweth all the secrets of my heart, so
I have forgotten all my idle prayers.

MARU ANJULI

A homily addressed to a Muhammadan : —
At night all animals congregate under a tree.3
Some speak hotly and others gently to one another.
When the sun riseth they depart, as when their lives have
come to an end.

They who commit sin shall assuredly be ruined.

1 By holding religious discussions with them, or telling them they
are not so good as he.

2 Dancers at Hindu temples. 3 The world.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 417

Azrail will seize and torture them.

When the Book-keeper1 calleth for their accounts, the
Creator will consign them to hell.

No brother or sister will accompany them.

They shall depart, leaving their property, their youth,
and their wealth.

They know not the benevolent Creator, so they shall be
pressed like bundles of sesame.

Thou mayest rob others of their property ;

But God who is with thee, O man, seeth and heareth thee.

Through worldly greed thou fallest into a pit, and knowest
not the future.

Forthis reason thou shalt be born and die, and be born again,

And suffer much punishment in a distant country.2

Mortal, blind that he is, knoweth not who made him;
wherefore he shall suffer misery.

Man straying from his Maker is ruined.

The play of the world is evil ; man is sometimes sad and
sometimes glad.

He practiseth not truth or patience ; he goeth not to
the saints, but wander eth as it pleaseth him.

God Himself performeth the whole play ;

One man He extricateth and another He sinketh in the
wave.

As God causeth man to dance so he danceth.

Every one passeth his life according to his past acts
recorded on his forehead.

If the Master be merciful, man shall meditate on Him.

If man associate with the saints, he shall not fall into hell.

O Lord, grant the gift of Thine ambrosial name to Nanak,
and he shall ever sing the song of Thy praises.

MARU KI WAR II

The Guru's devotion to God and his longing to
behold Him :—

If Thou but say the Word, 0 my Friend, I will cut off
my head and give it Thee.

1 The god of death.

2 Thy way hereafter shall be tedious and arduous.

418 THE SIKH RELIGION

Mine eyes long to behold Thee.

My Love is with Thee ; I see that all other love is false.
I shudder at clothes and food until I behold the Beloved.
O my Spouse, I arise at dawn to behold Thee.
Collyrium, garlands, betel, and dainties are all as ashes
without a sight of Thee, O God.

Love and longing for God :—

If Thou, O God, be my friend, separate not Thyself from
me for a moment.

Thou hast fascinated my soul ; when, O my life, shall
I behold Thee ?

The house into which the Bridegroom comes is
happy and imparts happiness to others :—

If Thou enter my courtyard, the whole land shall become
beautiful.

When I am without my Spouse, the One God, nobody
careth for me.

Everything shall be beautiful if the Bridegroom come
and make my courtyard His own ; l

Then the wayfarer who cometh to my house shall never
depart empty.2

Against adultery :—

What shall I say to thee, O blockhead ? look not on
another's vines 3 ; art thou their master ?

Nanak, the whole world is blooming like a garden of
flowers.4

In this world take care how thou travellest :—

Walk along the footpath ; there is thick slush on the
ground.

Take care lest thy feet slip and thou be splashed.

1 Literally—take possession of my courtyard and sit in it.

2 The holy men who visit me shall always take away God's name.

3 Others' wives.

4 The garden of beauty is large, and there are many women to
select from without poaching on neighbours' property. The Guru
also possibly meant that men and women ought to select their own
mates.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 419

Men rely on unrealities and are disappointed :—
Thinking what is false and transitory to be real, thou

runnest before others to seize it ;

But Nanak, it shall melt away like butter in the fire and

fade like the water-lily.

The Guru stimulates his soul to piety :—

0 foolish soul, thou art lazy in God's service ;

A long time shall elapse before this opportunity shall
return.

Man acts heedlessly, but the Guru can guide him : —
Thy thatch is of thick grass, yet, O careless man, thou
lightest fire in it.

They who are so fated, shall obtain shelter in the teacher.1

Man's worldly efforts will not secure salvation.
The following couplet has in view the practice of
offering huge cakes at the shrine of Sakhi Sarwar.
The priests read the darud,2 receive the offered cakes,
break off small pieces for the pilgrims, and keep the
solid remainder for themselves. The feast then
begins. Where there is no priest the darud is not
read : —

Nanak, men grind corn, cook, prepare, and set the bread
before them ;

But without the true Guru they must sit and watch
without eating until the darud is read.3

The following is repeated by Sikhs as a grace before
meals :—

Nanak, they who propitiate the Guru

Cook loaves, put them on the dish, and eat to satiety.

Shrink not from efforts for salvation :—
Turn thine attention to the next world ; turn not thy
face backward.

1 That is, the Guru.

2 The first chapter of the Quran, here means the Muhammadan
benediction.

3 They shall wait for ever. Men make worldly efforts but they are
ineffectual without the Guru.

E e 2

420 THE SIKH RELIGION

Nanak, make thyself now acceptable, and thou shalt not
be born again.

God is the Friend who pleases all : —

My merry Friend is every one's friend ;

All think Him their own ; He maketh no heart sad.

They to whom the Guru once looked up, before
his installation, now look up to him :—

They whom I followed are now following me ;
They on whom I rested my hopes now rest their hopes on
me.

The Guru desires to sacrifice himself as a wife for
her beloved Spouse :—

May I become a couch for my Beloved, and my eyes its
coverlet.1

If He look on me but once I shall obtain happiness beyond
all price.

May I become a throne also for my Beloved King.

If He put His foot on me, I shall bloom like the lotus.

The Guru is the only regenerator : —

God who is unseen and not subject to destiny, is not
obtained by devices of wisdom.

God is not found in the six Hindu systems, nor in roaming
and wandering, nor in wearing religious garbs.

They who fast until they see the moon 2 are of no account.

Though they read the whole of the Veds, they understand
not God the real thing.

They draw marks on their foreheads, make ablutions, but
within them is blackness.

He who weareth a religious garb findeth not God without
true instruction.

1 That is, let me give God a place in my eyes.

2 Some fast on the day when no moon is visible. On the first
day of the moon they eat a mouthful, on the second day two mouth-
fuls, and so on to the day of the full moon. The mouthful s then
decrease in the ratio of their previous increase.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 421

He who is led astray can only find the road if favourable
destiny had been written on his forehead at first.

It is only he who beholdeth the Guru with his eyes whose
life is regenerated.

Rise betimes and remember God:-

Rising at dawn repeat God's name, and meditate on the
Guru's feet.

The filth of birth and death shall depart by singing the
true One's praises.

Without the Name the body is altogether blind and empty.

Nanak, his human birth is profitable in whose heart the
true Master dwelleth.

Select good companions : —

Nanak, break with the false and seek for the saints who
are true friends.

The former will leave thee while alive ; the latter will
not forsake thee even when dead.

TUKHARI CHHANT

Devotion to God and the Guru :— •

I am a sacrifice to the darling Guru ; I have given my
soul unto him.1

Hearing his words my soul is happy.

My soul attached to God's love is happy as the fish in
water.

Thy worth, 0 God, cannot be described ; Thy palace is
unrivalled.

0 Lord, Bestower of all merits, hear the supplication of
one poor man.

Grant a sight of Thee to Nanak ; he is a sacrifice unto
Thee ; he hath sacrificed his life unto Thee.

BHAIRO

The following prayer is uttered by pious Sikhs on
awaking in the morning :—

1 am happy when rising ; I am happy when sitting.
I feel no fear when I know

1 Also translated — O Darling God, I am a sacrifice to Thee whom
the Guru hath implanted in my heart.

422 THE SIKH RELIGION

That the one Lord, who is the Searcher

Of all hearts, is my Protector.

I sleep without anxiety and awake without anxiety.

0 God, Thou art everywhere contained.
Nanak, since the Guru fixed his spell in my heart,

1 abide happy at home, and find peace abroad.

The following was written on a theme of Kabir : —

I practise not fasting, nor observe the Ramzan : l

I serve Him who will preserve me at the last hour.

The one Lord of the earth is my God,

Who judgeth both Hindus and Musalmans.2

I go not on a pilgrimage to Makka, nor worship at Hindu

places of pilgrimages.

I serve the one God and none other.

I neither worship as the Hindus, nor pray as the Musalmans.

I take the Formless God into my heart, and there make

obeisance unto Him.

1 am neither a Hindu nor a Musalman.3

The soul and body belong to God whether He be called
Allah or Ram.

Kabir hath delivered this lecture.

When I meet a true guru or pir, I recognize my own
Master.

Piety and worldly pride contrasted :—

Excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent is Thy
name !

False, false, false, false is worldly pride !

True are Thy servants who have obtained a sight of Thee
the incomparable One.

Without Thy name the whole world is ashes.

Wondrous is Thy might ; I praise Thy feet.

We are enriched by uttering Thy praises, 0 true King.

L The lunar month of the Muhammadan fast.

2 Also translated — I have renounced both the Hindus and the
Muhammadan s.

3 This line is very important in reference to recent controversies
as to whether the Sikhs are Hindus.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 423

Thou art, O God, the support and shelter of those who
have no support.

Cherisher of the poor, I meditate on Thee day and night.

The Lord Himself is kind to Nanak.

May my heart not forget Him who is my life and soul !

Miscellaneous instruction : —

God the Creator of all things is fascinating, formless, the
Giver of happiness.

Who is so intoxicated with the juice of sin that he can
leave such a God and worship elsewhere ?

0 my soul, worship God.

1 have seen all other devices ; by attending to them man's
work is marred.

The perverse, blind, and spiritually ignorant leave God
and worship a goddess who is His handmaiden.

Being without the Guru and like unto beasts, they slander
those who worship God.

The soul, body, and wealth are all God's ; the apostates
say that they are their own.

They are proud, their understanding is evil and filthy ;
without the Guru they must again wander in the terrible
ocean of the world.

God is not found by penances, burnt offerings, or by
visiting the banks of rivers.

By effacing himself and seeking the Guru's protection,
Nanak crosseth over the world.

All animals are led astray by their senses : —

The disease of pride hath impoverished man ;
The disease of lust subdueth the elephant ;
Through disease of the eye the moth is burned to ashes ;
Through disease of the ear the deer is ruined :
Every one we see hath his own special disease.
It is only my true Guru united with God who is free
therefrom.

Through disease of the palate the fish is caught ;
Through disease of the nose the bumble-bee dieth ;
The whole world is the prey of disease —

424 THE SIKH RELIGION

Entangled in the disease of worldly love and sin.

Through disease man dieth and through disease is he born.

Through disease the soul wandereth in wombs again and
again.

Man cannot free himself from the toils of disease even
for a moment :

Without the true Guru disease never forsaketh him.

When God is merciful to any one,

He taketh his arm and freeth him from disease.

The fetters of him who hath obtained the association of
the saints burst :

Saith Nanak, the Guru hath cured his disease.

Man is slow to good and swift to evil : —

Man is not slow to devise evil,
Or ashamed to have intercourse with a prostitute.
All day man laboureth ;

But, when it is time to remember God, he feeleth as if
adamant had fallen on his head.

Attached to mammon the world is led astray,

Thy Creator never entereth thy mind, 0 man.

Toiling and moiling in vain sufferest thou hardship ;

Yet thy worldly business is never completed.

Thy heart is absorbed in lust, wrath, and covetousness,

And thou shalt die gasping like a fish out of water.

He who is preserved by God Himself

Ever repeateth His name.

Nanak, he who hath found the true Guru,

Singeth God's praises in the company of the saints.

How happiness is obtained :—

There is no happiness in the acquisition of great wealth,
There is no happiness in beholding the performances of
acrobats,

There is no happiness in conquering many countries —
All happiness is obtained by singing God's praises.

Some of God's attributes :—

God the Cherisher is merciful ; who can count His merits ?

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 425

He hath many forms and manifestations ; He is the Lord
of all.

With Him are varied knowledge, varied meditation,
varied devotion and penance.

Various are His merits, His voices, and His sports ;
various holy men keep Him in their hearts.

Near Him various voices and various instruments con
tinually sound ; He hath various relishes : various sins and
maladies are removed by hearing His praises.

Nanak, serve the unequalled God through whom all the
advantages of sacred rivers, of the six schools, of fasting,
worship, and of wandering in pilgrimages are obtained.

BASANT
The attributes of the holy :—

It is he who associateth with the saints who is the real
penitent ;

It is he who loveth the Guru who constantly meditateth
on God ;

It is he who hath obtained the fear of God who is without
fear ;

It is he whose doubts depart who is happy ;

It is he whose heart is fixed who is a hermit ;

It is he who hath found the true place who is permanent.

The season of spring, which is an emblem of our
transitory life, is also the time for a new access of
devotion : —

Our hearts bloom on beholding the flowers of spring, but
these quickly fade.

Remembering this let us completely abandon pride,

And become absorbed in God's lotus feet.

Ye fortunate, come to God.

Think upon God, O my soul,

On the margin of the stream there are very many sweet-
smelling trees,

Yet some one shrub is withered there ; x

1 There is one man in the society of the saints not perfect in his
faith. These two verses are also translated — Soft trees yield abundant

426 THE SIKH RELIGION

But since the season of spring hath come,

It now blossometh luxuriantly.

The Kal age hath now arrived ;

Freely plant the one Name.

It is not at all the season for other planting :

Never wander astray in error.

He on whose forehead such destiny hath been written,

Shall obtain God on meeting the Guru.

O my soul, this is the season of the Name.

Nanak uttereth God's praises— Hari ! Had ! Hari ! Hari !

Injunctions to the Guru's Sikhs : —

Join and unite together, my brethren, lay aside differences,
love one another.

Associate yourselves with God's name, 0 holy men ;
spread your mat and sit on it.

In this way, my friends, throw your dice.1

O holy men, repeat God's name day and night, and at
the last hour you shall not suffer.

Make the practice of religion your board, and truth your
pieces.

Conquer lust, wrath, covetousness, and worldly love ;
such a game is pleasing to God.

Rise at dawn, perform your ablutions, then and at bed
time worship God.

My true Guru shall cause you to win the critical throw,
and you shall go home with happiness and comfort.

God Himself playeth ; God Himself looketh on ; He Himself
made what is made.

Nanak, the man who playeth under the Guru's instruction
shall win the game and go home happy.

God's praises :—

Only Thou, O Lord, knowest Thy power ; none beside
knoweth it.

He to whom my beloved Guru showeth mercy, recognizeth
Thee.

odour. Others remain like dry firewood. That is, the tender-hearted
receive full benefit from the Guru's instruction, while the hard-hearted
reject it. 1 The reference is to the Indian game of chaupar.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 427

I am a sacrifice to Thy worshippers.

Thy place, O God, is ever beautiful ; Thy play is
unequalled.

Thy service can be performed by Thyself and none other.

It is only he who pleaseth Thee, and whom Thou lovest
who is Thy worshipper.

Thou art the great Giver ; Thou art the great Sage :
there is none equal to Thee.

Thou art omnipotent ; O my Lord, how know I how to
worship Thee ?

Thy palace is invisible, O my Dear One ; it is difficult
to obey Thy will.

Saith Nanak, I have fallen at Thy door ; protect me who
am stupid and ignorant.

SARANG

The servant's dependence on his Master :—

Every one remembereth his master.

Whoever is a servant goeth to his master

To tell him his sorrow, to tell him his joy, to tell him his
state :

It is from him he getteth honour, from him strength,
from him advantage.

Some rely upon empire, youth, wealth, and possessions ;
others upon fathers and mothers.

Instead of all these Nanak hath had the Guru ; and all
his hopes have been fulfilled.

The Guru has found happiness in God's asylum : —

O God, I have come to Thine asylum.

The anxiety of my mind hath departed since I obtained
a sight of Thee.

Though I spoke not, Thou hast known my state, and
caused me to utter Thy name.

By uttering Thy praises my misery hath fled ; I am
filled with happiness and peace, and altogether delighted.

Taking mine arm, Thou hast brought me forth from
the blind well and abode of mammon.

428 THE SIKH RELIGION

Saith Nanak, the Guru hath cut off my entanglements,
and, though I was separated from God, hath brought me
to Him.

Thanksgiving to God : —

0 God, how friendless and helpless am I !

From what humble beginning didst Thou make me man
by Thy power !

Giver of life and soul to all creatures, Thou art unequalled ;
Thy merits cannot be described.

Thou art the Beloved of all, the Cherisher of all, the
Support of all hearts.

No one knoweth Thy state or condition ; from Thyself
alone hast Thou made the extension of the world.

Nanak prayeth — seat me on the boat of the holy man,
and I shall cross over the dangerous ocean.

KANRA

Exhortation to devotion : —

Come my friends and saints,

Sing God's praises with joy and pleasure, and your sins
shall be erased and put aside.

Lay the feet of the saints on your foreheads, and there
shall be light in your dark abodes.

By the favour of the saints the lotus of the heart bloometh ;
repeat God's name and behold Him near you.

Nanak is a sacrifice to the time when, by God's mercy, he
found the saint.

PRABHATI ASHTAPADI

A satire on certain forms of Hindu worship : —

The mind containeth great wrath and pride.

Men worship and make great display ;

They perform ablutions, and make the marks of quoits l on
their bodies ;

Yet the filth of their hearts never departeth.

No one hath found God in that way.

Men impress Vishnu's marks on their bodies, yet their minds
are fascinated by mammon.

1 The quoit is one of the emblems of Vishnu, with which his
worshippers are frequently branded.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 429

They commit sin and are in the power of the five evil
passions.

They bathe at places of pilgrimage, and say that all their
sins have vanished,

Yet they again fearlessly commit them.

The ministers of Death will bind and take them away to
his city.

They put on tinkling anklets and play cymbals,

While in their hearts there is deception, and they wander
like demons.

A serpent is not killed by beating his lair.

God who made men knoweth all things.

They perform fire-penance, and wear ochre-coloured
garments ;

Smitten by some calamity l they run away from home,

Leave their country and wander abroad,

Taking the five deadly sins with them.

They have their ears torn and steal morsels to live on ;

They beg from house to house and fail to be satisfied ;

They leave their own wives, and ogle the wives of others ;

They find no home and are very miserable ;

They make vows of silence, and speak not ;

In their hearts are worldly desires and they wander in
births ;

Abstaining from corn their bodies undergo pain.

They understand not God's order, but are filled with pride.

Without a true guru no one hath obtained the supreme
state —

Inquire of all the Veds and the Simritis.

The perverse perform useless works,

Which, like a house of sand, have no stability.

They to whom the merciful God is pleasing,

Knot the Guru's word in their garments.

Among millions only a few saints are seen :

Nanak, man is saved in their company.

He who is lucky obtaineth a sight of them ;

He is saved himself and saveth all his family.

1 Disinclination to labour is a frequent cause of embracing the life
of a faqir.

430 THE SIKH RELIGION

SAHASKRixi1 SLOKS OF GURU ARJAN
ADDRESSED TO

KRISHAN LAL AND HAR LAL, TWO BRAHMANS WHO WENT
FROM BANARAS TO VISIT THE GURU.

God preserves the holy man.

A huntsman on seeing a deer may discharge hundreds of
thousands of arrows and miss him ;

So he whom God preserveth, O Nanak, shall not have
a hair of his head touched.

The life of a king, however great, hangs by a hair : —

A king may make many efforts ; strong and brave men
may serve him on every side ;

He may dwell in a steep and lofty place, and never think
of death ;

But when the order of God cometh, O Nanak, an ant
can take away his life.

Dismiss all anxiety for thy relations and love God
alone : — ; i

Be not anxious for thy mother, father, brother, or for
men ;

Be not anxious for wife, son, friend ; being occupied with
them is to be subject to mammon.

One merciful all-pervading God is the Cherisher of all
beings.

The holy man is the real hero : —

All the saints are an invincible army of heroes who have
donned the armour of humility ;

The repetitions of God's praises are their weapons, the
Guru's words their shelter and the bucklers in their hands ;

They are mounted on horses, chariots, and elephants,
and know God's way ;

They walk fearlessly among the armies of their enemies,
and charge them with God's praises ;

1 Sahaskriti in the Granth Sahib means a mixture of Sanskrit,
Prakrit, and Hindi.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 431

They conquer the world, O Nanak, and take captive the
five thieves.

Man is debased without the Guru's instruction : —

The life of mortal without the Guru's instruction is
accursed and defiled.

The blockhead is not equal to a dog, a donkey, a raven,
or a snake.

Death cannot affect the holy :—

Nanak, Death's myrmidons shall not look at him who
worshippeth God's lotus feet,

Keepeth God's name in his heart, and singeth His praises
in the company of the saints.

All earthly things may be gained, but not devotion
without God's grace : —

Not difficult to obtain are wealth and beauty ; not
difficult to obtain is the sovereignty of demigods ;

Not difficult to obtain are pleasing viands ; not difficult
to obtain is elegant raiment ;

Not difficult to obtain are sons, friends, brothers, and
relations ; not difficult to obtain are woman's favours ;

Not difficult to obtain is accomplishment in learning;
not difficult to obtain are cleverness and dexterity ;

But God's name alone is difficult to obtain ; Nanak, it is
obtained by His favour in the company of saints.

The six attributes of the saint :—

He is called a holy man and perfect saint who is filled
with the following six pairs of qualities —

Who possesseth the spell of God's name, and meditateth
on Him who filleth every place ;

Who deemeth woe and weal as the same, and whose life
is pure and without enmity ;

Who is compassionate to all creatures, and who hath
expelled the five deadly sins ;

Who subsisteth on God's praises, and who abideth in the
world untouched by it as the lotus in the water ;

432 THE SIKH RELIGION

Who instructeth friend and enemy alike, who loveth God's
service ;

Who heareth not slander of others, and abandoning pride
becometh the dust of all men's feet.

The deadly sins : —

0 love, thou art an invincible hero in the fight ; thou
crustiest even the very powerful.

Thou fascinatest the company of the musicians of heaven,
demigods, men, beasts, and birds.1

1 bow to God the Creator ; Nanak seeketh the protection
of the Lord of the world.

O lust, thou givest an abode in hell ; thou causest man
to wander in many a womb ;

Thou stealest the heart, thou pervadest the three worlds,
thou destroyest devotion, penance, and virtue ;

Thou conferrest scant happiness, O bodiless 2 one, thou
art fickle, thou fillest high and low ;

But fear of thee, saith Nanak, is dispelled by associating
with the saints and taking shelter in God.

O wrath, thou root of strife, there is never mercy in thee.

Thou takest sinful mortals in thy power, and causest
them to dance like monkeys.

By association with thee man is debased : the myrmidons
of Death inflict various punishments on him.

Nanak prayeth, O Destroyer of the sorrows of the poor,
merciful God, preserve all creatures from wrath.

0 thievish covetousness, thou playest many a prank
with the great.

1 Compare —

Epws

/cat or* OVT* aOavdrd^v
ovO* d/xepiW CTT*

Sophocles, Ant. 781.
2 As having been burnt to ashes by Shiv, whom, when engaged in
penance, he had troubled with lascivious thoughts. The words avit
chanchal of the original may also mean unstable as mercury.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 433

Through thee the wandering mind greatly wavereth in
every way and manner.

Thou hast no respect for friend, or lover, or relation, or
parent.

What ought not to be done thou doest ; what ought not
to be eaten thou eatest ; what ought not be to made, thou
makest — such is thy reputation.

Take me, take me into Thy protection, 0 God ! this is
Nanak's prayer, O King of men.

O sinful pride, source of transmigration,

Thou abandonest friends and holdest fast unto enemies ;
thou spreadest many an illusion.

Through thee the soul groweth weary of transmigration,
and suffereth much pain.

Through thee man roameth astray in the terrible wilder
ness, and contract eth very dire and incurable maladies.

The only physician is the supreme Brahm, the supreme
Being, whom Nanak worshippeth.

The following prayer is repeated by many Sikhs
while performing their morning ablutions : —

O Lord of the soul, Gobind, Ocean of mercy, Guru of
the world ;

O Destroyer of the world's grievances, full of compassion,
dispel every sorrow.

O Thou, capable of affording shelter, merciful Lord of
the poor, have mercy on us.

Nanak, when God whether called Ram, Damodar, or
Madhwa is remembered, this perishable body obtaineth
comfort.

God's power : —

The power with which God supported the firmament, and
enclosed fire in timber ;

The power with which He supported the moon, the sun,
and the lunar mansions, and infused light and breath into
the body ;

The power with which He cherished the embryo in the
mother's womb and protected it from the fire of its dwelling—

SIKH, lit F f

434 THE SIKH RELIGION

With the same power, O Nanak, God restrained His seas
and allowed not the world to be wasted by their waves.

By devotion apparent impossibilities may be ac
complished. This couplet is recited by gyanis as an
introduction to the reading of the Granth Sahib :—

By remembering God in the company of the saints,

0 Nanak, and seeking His protection,
Mosquitoes can pierce rocks, ants cross mire,

Cripples traverse the ocean, and blind men see even in
the darkness.

God is not in the guise of the Hindu deity Vishnu :—

God hath no shell, no quoit, no mace, nor is He of sable
colour ; wonderful is His form ; He is unborn.

The Veds describe Him as indescribable.

He is the Most High, the Illimitable, the Indestructible ;

He dwelleth in the hearts of the saints ; Nanak, they
who know Him are very fortunate.

When God is merciful, miraculous events occur: —

Nanak representeth, when God is merciful

A mountain becometh a blade of grass, and what is dry
becometh green ;

They who are drowning swim, they who are empty are
filled,

And millions of suns shine in the darkness.

GATHA l

i

Camphor, flowers, and perfumes become impure by
touching man's body.

Nanak, the ignorant are proud of the fat, blood, foul
odours, and bones of which their bodies are composed.

2

Were man to traverse with his eye the sky, the con
tinents, the worlds,

1 Gatha meant originally a Sanskrit verse. In later times Prakrit
or any language not Sanskrit has been so called ; Guru Arjan's Gatha
may perhaps be described as aphorisms.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 435

And its regions even to the smallest particle thereof,
0 Nanak, nothing could be obtained without the saint.

3

Know that death is real, and everything else that ap-
peareth is unreal.

God's praise, saith Nanak, which is obtained by association
with the saints shall alone accompany us.

4
The mind wandereth to mammon, lovers, friends, and

relations.

Nanak, the abode of happiness which consisteth in wor
shipping God is obtained by association with the saints.

5

The nim-tree by association with sandal becometh as
sandal,

Nanak, while the bamboo, even though it dwelleth near,
is not perfumed through its pride.

6

By repeating and reflecting on the discourse in which
God's name is interwoven, pride is effaced.

Nanak, by letting fly the arrow of God's name the five
enemies are destroyed.

The word of the saint is the path of peace ; it is obtained
by greatly meritorious deeds.

Nanak, there is no transmigration for him who utter eth
God's praises.

8

When leaves wither and fall, they return not again to
the tree.

Nanak, without the Name there is suffering ; man's days
and nights pass in transmigration.

9

The very fortunate who love the association of saints
obtain God.

Nanak, he who repeateth God's name and praises returneth
not to the ocean of the world.

F f 2

436 THE SIKH RELIGION

10

Discourses on God are profound and endless, and few are
there who understand them.

They who understand them, Nanak, abandon worldly
desires, and repeat God's name in the company of saints.

ii

The saint's word is the prime spell ; through it millions
of sins are blotted out :

Nanak, by meditating on God's lotus feet whole families
are saved.

12

Beautiful is that temple in which God's praises are sung.
Nanak, the utterance of God's name, which only the
fortunate obtain, affordeth deliverance.

13

The true friends, the saints, find God the Friend who
never vexeth man's heart.

Nanak hath made Him whose abode and greatness are
immeasurable, the companion of his soul.

14

Dishonour is effaced by a good son
Who remembereth in his heart the Guru's spell,
And loveth, O Nanak, God the permanent,
Who taketh man across the world's ocean.

15

To forget God is death ;
To meditate on His name is life.
Nanak, God is found by association with the saints,
Which is obtained by primal destiny.

16

As the spell of the snake-charmer draweth the fangs of
the serpent,

So, Nanak, the saint who is found by good fortune re-
moveth misery.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 437

17

God pervadeth every place and giveth shelter to all
souls ;

Nanak, His love toucheth the heart when the Guru
extendeth his favour and showeth himself.

18

When God's lotus feet cleave the heart,
All comfort is obtained.

Nanak, from the most ancient times the happy saints
sing God's praises.

19

They who utter instructive words and walk with the
saints shall be saved :

In the ocean of the world, Nanak, they shall not again
obtain birth.

20

Men may study the Veds, the Purans, and the Shastars,

But it is the name of the one God that should be clasped
to the heart.

He who claspeth it to his heart saveth whole families.

Nanak, very fortunate are the few who can thus save.

21

Nanak, the remembrance of God's name which saveth
whole families,

Is obtained by associating with saints, whom only the
very fortunate behold.

22

The saints remove all sin and implant all faith in the
heart ;

Nanak, they on whose foreheads it is so written obtain
association with them.

23

God was, is, and shall be ; it is He who destroyeth and
createth all things.

Nanak, know for certain that holy men are the cause of
God's love.

438 THE SIKH RELIGION

24

Man loveth not the Word which conferreth happiness ;
he is attached to fleeting things like the safflower dye ;

Nanak, he obtaineth not spiritual happiness even in a
dream : disease, sorrow, and separation from God are his
portion.

PUNHAS

The following quatrains are said to have been
addressed by the Guru to Harihan, his wife's sister,
who asked him to compose some devotional verses.
In most of them her name is inserted. Others
suppose that Harihan is a measure and means the
same as Punha :—

i

The pen in the hand of the Inscrutable One writeth on
the forehead.

He whose form is incomparable is concerned with all.

Thy praises, O God, cannot be expressed.

Nanak, on beholding Thee is fascinated and a sacrifice
for a sight of Thee.

2

Seated in the company of the saints, I utter God's praises ;

I dedicate to Him all my decorations, and give Him all
my soul.

Thirsting that He will come, I have made my Spouse's
couch.

Harihan, when destiny is recorded on the forehead, we
meet the Friend.

3

O my companions, a woman may prepare everything —
lamp-black for the eyes, necklaces, betel ;

She may take the sixteen decorations and apply anjan
to her eyes ;

Yet it is only when the spouse visiteth her she obtaineth
everything.

O Harihan, without the Spouse all decorations are vain.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 439

4

She in whose house He abideth is very fortunate ;

All decorations become her, and she is a happy wife,

I sleep now free of care since my heart's desires have
been fulfilled.

Harihan, when God came to my house, I obtained every
thing.

5

My only hope was that my hopes might be fulfilled ;

When I met the merciful true Guru, I obtained the
Perfect God.

In my body were many demerits, so that I was over
spread with them.

Harihan, when the true Guru is merciful, the mind
obtaineth rest.

6

Saith Nanak, I have meditated on God who is endless,
endless.

Difficult to cross is this world, but the true Guru hath
caused me to cross it.

Transmigration is at an end when the true Guru is found.

Harihan, the nectar of God's name is obtained from the
true Guru.

7
I am lucky ; x happiness abideth in my home ;

0 my companions, God who is a jewel is in my breast ;
on beholding Him my sorrow depart eth.

1 dwell with God who is the essence of all happiness,
And in whose hand, O Harihan, ever abide wealth, per
fection, and the nine treasures.

8

He who goeth to enjoy another's wife shall be put to
shame.

How long shall the sins of those who continually steal
others' property be concealed ?

1 Literally — There is the image of a lotus in my hand, an aus
picious mark according to Hindu palmists.

440 THE SIKH RELIGION

By repeating God's praises man becometh pure and saveth
all his family.

Harihan, by also hearing the supreme God's praises and
meditating on Him, man becometh pure.

9

The heavens shine above, the earth below appeareth
beautiful ;

In every direction shineth God's light ; I long to behold
His face.

I wander searching in every country to find the Dear One.

Hariri an, if good fortune be recorded on the forehead,
a sight of Him shall be obtained.

10

I have seen every place, but found none like unto thee ; l

The Creator constructeth thee, O temple, therefore art
thou beautiful.

Ramdaspur is thickly populated, unparalleled, and beyond
praise.

Harihan, Nanak's impurities depart by bathing in the
tank of Ram Das.

ii

The chatrik in his heart desireth the friendly rain,

And longeth for that to which his soul is attached.

He wandereth lonely from forest to forest in quest of
a drop of water.

Harihan, thus God's servant prayeth for the Name ;
Nanak is a sacrifice unto him.

12

The Friend's heart is beyond praise : His secrets cannot
be known.

It is only he who possesseth unequalled virtues who can
recognize the Real Thing.

When man's mind is absorbed in God there is excessive
love.

Harihan, he who chasteneth the thief, his fickle mind,
shall obtain the wealth of the True One.

1 The Golden Temple at Amritsar.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 441

13

In a vision the Most High appeared to me, but I could
not seize His skirt.

A beautiful Being He shone ; on beholding Him my
heart was beguiled.

I am searching for His tracks : say how shall I find them ?

0 my friend Harihan, show me by what efforts I may
obtain the Beloved.

14

The eyes which see not the holy man are in evil case ;

The ears which hear not his instruction ought to be
stopped ;

The tongue which uttereth not the Name ought to be
cut in pieces —

Harihan, when man forgetteth God, he daily declineth.

15

The bumble-bee is very proud, but he is caught in the
petals of the lotus ;

His body is entangled therein and he loseth his senses ;
but the sun alloweth his escape in the morning.

Is there any such sun 1 as will open the hard knot of
ignorance for me ?

Nanak, the one Lord God who uniteth what is broken
hath alone power to do so.

16

1 run in every direction on account of my love for God.
How shall we destroy the five troublesome enemies the

deadly sins ?

Shoot them with the sharp arrow of meditation on God's
name,

And, Harihan, thou shalt obtain the perfect Guru who
is the destroyer of great sins.

17

The true Guru hath conferred gifts which are never
exhausted.

1 The Sanskrit mitr means the sun as well as a friend.

442 THE SIKH RELIGION

God being pleased bestoweth the wealth of the ambrosial
Name,

By eating and enjoying which all pious persons shall be
saved.

Nanak, ever worship Him and thou shalt never die.

18

Wherever the saints go, the place is beautiful.
All happiness is obtained by meditating on God's name.
When God's creatures rejoice, the slanderer dieth in
agony.

Nanak, the saints' hearts are pleased reciting the Name.

19

God is the Purifier of sinners ; why not worship Him ?

False and contemptible is love of the world ; how long
shall we suffer it ?

By beholding a castle in the air how canst thou be happy ?

Harihan, I am a sacrifice to those who know how to
reach God's court.

20

The fool, whose body is filth and very malodorous,

Hath done very many bad things.

He wandereth in the darkness of pride and thinketh not
of death.

Harihan, on beholding a castle in the air why suppose it
to be real ?

21

Who can preserve his life when it cometh to an end ?

The physician may prescribe endless remedies, but they
are of no avail ;

Therefore, O ignorant man, remember the one God who
will assist thee.

Harihan, without the Name the body is dirt, and every
thing is vain.

22

Drink the medicine of the unequalled and priceless Name :
The saints eat the ambrosia of God's name in company,
and give it to all to partake thereof.

HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 443

They who are so destined obtain it.

Harihan, I am a sacrifice to those who enjoy God's love.

23

When the assembly of the physicians l is formed,
God is in the midst of them, and medicines are effectual.
Men's acts bad and good are disclosed,2
And Harihan, their troubles, diseases, and sins vanish.

EXTRA SLOKS

Who are real lovers :—

They are the real lovers who know God and turn not
away from Him ;

They who perform no service for Him are false, and slink
away.

Devotion is sufficient without decorations :—
Without the Lord I will burn silks and satins in the

flames ;

With Thee, O Lord, saith Nanak, I look beautiful even

when rolling in the dust.

The contempt of the world is love of God :—

By the Guru's instruction the Name is worshipped and

love for God and contempt of the world produced.

When man subdueth the five enemies the Maru Rag3

is profitable.

The following was addressed to a covetous Brah
man :—

If I have the one God, I have gained lakhs ; how many
doors for thee to beg at ?

O Brahman, thy life hath passed in vain since thou hast
forgotten Him who made thee.

The punishment of sinners : —

Sinners shall lament for the sins they commit :

1 The congregation of saints.

2 That is, their diseases are diagnosed.

3 The Maru rag is sung in war.

444 THE SIKH RELIGION

Nanak, as a churning-staff churneth milk, so shall Dharm-
raj churn them.

The pious render their lives profitable and are
honoured after death : —

The pious who meditate on the Name gain the advantage
of human lives —

Nanak, Dharmraj will tell them that they have made
his court holy.

Evil advisers :—

Men sink into evil sloughs through the sweet words of
evil advisers ;

Nanak, they whose good fortune is recorded on their
foreheads escape their influence.

Baba Nanak divinely inspired : —

God gave Baba Nanak the Word as an inexhaustible
wealth to use and spend ;

As long as God is merciful, so long shall that capital never
diminish.

The Guru in his search for God would sell his body
for wings :—

If I could find wings to purchase, I would take them for
an equal weight of my flesh ;

I would attach them to my body, and search for and
find the Friend.

To sit with God the King of kings is the Guru's
highest honour : — -

My Friend is the true monarch, the King of kings ;
To sit near Him, in whom all must have faith, is an
honour.

END OF VOL. Ill

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