Hymns of Guru Nanak 3

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P281

At forty he is in his prime, at fifty his feet halt, at sixty old age cometh on;
At seventy he loseth his intellect, at eighty he cannot perform his duties
At ninety he reclineth on his couch, and feeleth no strength whatever in himself.
I, Nanak, have sought and searched, and seen that the world is a mansion of smoke.

The following is said to have been addressed to a holy man called Thakur Das at Priyag:--

Were I to dwell in the cavern of a golden mountain or in a pit of water
Were I to stand on my head on earth or in the heavens
Were I to cover all my body with clothes,[1] and did I nothing but bathe;
Were I to shout aloud the white, the red, the yellow, and the black Veds;[2]
Were I to remain dirty and filthy,[3] all this would be foolish and sinful.
Nanak, since I have pondered on the Word, I am not, I was not, and I shall not be.[4]

Guru Nanak declares the folly of external purifications:--

Man washeth his clothes and his body, and mortifieth himself.
Knowing not of the filth attaching to his heart, he rubbeth and cleanseth himself externally.
Being blind he is led astray, and falleth into Death's noose.
He deemeth the property of others as his own, and suffereth for his pride.
Nanak, when pride is dispelled under the Guru's instructions, man meditateth on God's name,
Repeateth the Name, adoreth the Name, and through thc Name is absorbed in happiness.


[1. This is done. by a sect called the Kâprias, who cover even their faces.

2. As the Brâhmans do.

3. The reference is to the Jains.

4. That is, I am totally absorbed in God.]

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P 282

Some important subjects are briefly treated as follows:--

God hath caused the union of body and soul
He who created them can separate them.
A fool while enjoying pleasure bath all pain
Disease proccedeth from sinful pleasure.
From worldly rejoicing proceedeth mourning, separation from God, birth, and death.
The fool while boasting becometh involved in disputes
The decision resteth with. the True Guru; He putteth an end to disputes.
That which the Creator doeth cometh to pass; what man hath set in motion must stop.

The following was addressed by the Guru to a Qazi at Sultanpur:--

Thou utterest falsehood, eatest carrion,[1]
Yet thou goest to admonish others.
Cheated thyself thou now cheatest thy companions.
Nanak saith, that is the sort of guide thou appearest!

As a Qazi beheaded a goat, some drops of blood fell on his garments, which he at once wiped off. He said that he could not join in prayer until the pollution had been removed. The following was uttered by the Guru on the occasion:--

If clothes become defiled by blood falling on them,
How can the hearts of those who drink human blood[2] be pure?
Nanak, utter God's name with a pure heart regardless of thy dress.
All else is but worldly ostentation; thou, O Qazi, practisest falsehood.

The Qazi asked Guru Nanak who he was. The latter replied as follows:--

Since I am nobody, what shall I say: since I am nothing, what can I be?

[1. Food obtained by peculation and bribery.

2. That is, who practise extortion or tyranny.]

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P283

As God made me, I act; as He told me, I speak; I am thoroughly defiled with sin, and desire to wash it away.
Though I know nothing myself, yet I teach others; such a guide am I.
Nanak, he who being blind showeth the road to others and misleadeth all his companions,
Shall be shoe-beaten in the next world, and it will be seen what sort of guide he was.

Everything shall vanish except God:--

Of kings, subjects, and rulers none shall remain
Shops, cities, bazars shall be destroyed by God's order.
Solid and beautiful mansions a fool deemeth his own;
Storehouses filled with wealth in a moment become empty.
Steeds, chariots, camels, elephants and their housings,
Gardens, properties, houses, and homes,
Tents, comfortable beds, and ornamental pavilions--where shall they be recognized?

The following was delivered to Sikhs who asked the Guru what pleasure God's praises afforded him:--

Were rivers to become kine, and springs to become milk and clarified butter;
Were the whole earth to become sugar so that the heart might ever rejoice;
Were the mountains to become gold and silver, and be studded with diamonds and rubies;
I would even then magnify Thee, and the desire to do so would not cease as I spoke.

Were the eighteen loads of vegetables of the earth[1] to become fruit, and grass to become rice;
Could I arrest the moon and sun in their courses, and were my seat to become immovable,

[1. This is the sum total of the earth's flora according to ancient Sanskrit writers. The idea was that if a leaf were taken off every tree and plant, there would be formed eighteen loads, each of which an ordinary strong man could lift.]

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p284

I would even then magnify Thee, and the desire to do so would not cease as I spoke.

Could I inflict pain by means of the two sinful beings Rahu and Ketu;[1]
Could I obtain authority over bloodthirsty kings and my glory thus shine forth,
I would even then magnify Thee, and the desire to do so would not cease as I spoke.

Were fire and frost to become my raiment, and the wind my food;
Were all the fascinating women of heaven to become my wives--all perishable[2]--
I would even then magnify Thee, and the desire to do so would not cease as I spoke.

Caste becomes deadly if exclusive reliance be placed on it for salvation:--

What power hath caste? It is the reality that is tested.
Poison may be held in the hand, but man dieth if he eat it.
The sovereignty of the True One is known in every age.
He who obeyeth God's order shall become a noble in His court.

The following allegory of mounted cavalry refers to the different stages of asceticism:--

The Master sent obedience to His orders as a steed into the world;
Reflection on the instruction which the Guru imparteth is its kettle-drums.
Some have mounted their steeds, others have them ready caparisoned;

[1. Owing to the exigencies of prosody, only Râhu is mentioned in the original text. Râhu arid Ketu are two demons, who, according to Indian astrologers, inflict pain or., mortals as they do on the sun and moon on occasions of eclipse.

2. Some understood jâu to be the Sanskrit jâyâ, wife. The gyanis translate--All the fascinating women of heaven may go, as far as I am concerned.]

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p 285

Some have loaded their baggage for the march, and others have set out.

In the following allegory the mill is the world, the corn is the soul, the husk the body, refuge in God the axle:--

When the field is ripe, it is cut; only the chaff and the hedge remain.
The corn is threshed with the husk, and the chaff is winnowed away.
Men then put together the two mill-stones and sit down to grind corn.
That which attacheth to the axle escapeth. Nanak hath seen a wonderful thing.[1]

Good men, like sugar-cane, are subject to torture:--

See how sugar-cane is cut down and made into sheaves after the stalks are cleaned.
The labourers put it into a press and squeeze it.
Having expressed the juice, they put it into a pan, and it groaneth as it burneth.
The residue is collected and put into the fire beneath the pan.
Nanak, sweet things are thus ill-treated; come and see, O people.

It is useless to endeavour to instruct a fool:--

What can deep water do to it fish? What can the sky do to a bird?
What can cold do to it stone? What can married life do to a eunuch?
Even though thou apply sandal to a dog, he will still preserve his canine nature:
Even though thou instruct a deaf man, and read for him the Simritis;
Even though thou place a light before a blind man, and burn fifty lamps fox him, all would be of no avail.

[1. That the corn attached to the axle is not ground, that is, the soul which is attached to God is not tortured by Death.]

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p286

Even though thou put gold before a herd of cattle, they would still pick out the grass to eat.
If a flux be put into iron it will melt, but not become cotton.[1]
Nanak, the peculiarity of a fool is that what is said to him is ever lost.

When his Sikhs inquired how an alliance could be formed with God the Guru composed the following:--

When bronze, gold, and iron break,
The blacksmith weldeth them by means of fire.
When a husband falleth out with his spouse,
A reconciliation is effected in this world through children.
When the king asketh and his subjects give, a bond is established between them.
When a hungry man eateth, he establisheth an alliance with the world.
Drought formeth an alliance with rivers when they are flooded with rain.
There is an affinity between love and sweet words.
If any one speak the truth, he formeth a bond with know ledge.
By goodness and truth the dead establish a bond with the living.
Such are the affinities that are established in the world.
The only way to establish friendship with a fool is to smite him on the mouth.[2]
By praising God man establisheth an alliance with God's court.
Nanak saith this deliberately.

The following seven sloks form part of the Guru's instruction to Shaikh Brahm, or Farid the second, of Pak Pattan:--

The priests, the shaikhs, and the potentates of the world are all beneath the earth.

[1 Its nature will not be altered.

2. Munh mar. Also translated--to remain silent.]

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p287

Emperors pass away, but God ever flourisheth.
There is only Thou, there is only Thou, O God!

Neither demigods, nor demons, nor men,
Nor Sidhs, nor Strivers, nor this earth shall abide.
There is One; is there any other?
There is only Thou, there is only Thou, O God!

Neither the just nor the generous,
Nor the seven regions beneath the earth shall remain.
There is One: is there any other?
There is only Thou, there is only Thou, O God!

Not the regions of the sun and the moon,
Nor the seven continents, nor the seven seas,
Nor corn, nor wind shall abide.
There is only Thou, there is only Thou, O God!

Our maintenance is in nobody's power but God's:
To all of us but one hope abideth
There is one: is there any other?
There is only Thou, there is only Thou, O God!

Birds have no money in their possession
They only depend on trees and water.
God is their Giver.
There is only Thou, there is only Thou, O God!

Nanak, no one can erase
What is written on the forehead.
God it is who giveth man power and again taketh it away.
There is only Thou, there is only Thou, O God!

Guru Nanak thus discoursed to Prem Chand of Sarhind on the best way of occupying time:--

They who in the early morning praise God and meditate on Him with single heart,
Are perfect kings, and die fighting when occasion ariseth.[1]
In the second watch there are many ways in which the attention of the mind is distracted.

[1. This is understood to mean that they fight to the death with their deadly sins.]

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p288

Many persons fall into the fathomless water, and cannot emerge however much they struggle.
In the third watch when hunger and thirst are both barking, food is put into the mouth.
What is eaten becometh filth, yet man again desireth food.
In the fourth watch drowsiness cometh, man closeth his eyes and goeth into dreamland.[1]
Again rising in the morning he engageth in turmoil, and yet maketh preparations to live a hundred years.
If man feel love for God every moment during the eight watches of the day,
O Nanak, God will dwell in his heart and true shall be his ablution.

Man's continual thought should be devotion to his Maker:--

When Thou art near, what more do I desire? I speak verily.
He who is deceived by false worldly occupations reacheth not God's palace:
His heart is hard and he loseth his service.
The house which containeth not the True One, should be destroyed and rebuilt.
When its owner is weighed, how shall he be found of full weight?
If he lose his pride, no one will say he is of short weight.
The genuine shall be assayed, and selected at the gate of the All-seeing.
The true goods are only in one shop; they are obtained from the perfect Guru.

The advantages conferred on men by the True One:--

Without the True One all are false and practise falsehood.
Without the True One the false shall be bound and led away;

[1. Pawâr properly means trance, or suspended animation.]

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p 289

Without the True One the body is dust and shall be rolled in the dust
Without the True One dress and food are all hunger
Without the True One the false shall not attain God's court.
The false attached to avarice miss God's palace.
The whole world is deceived, and cometh and goeth in deception.
In the heart is the fire of greed which is quenched by the Guru's instruction.

The advantages of the Guru, who is likened to a life-giving tree --

Nanak, the Guru is the tree of contentment, whose blossom is religion and whose fruit is divine knowledge.
It aboundeth in succulence and is ever green; it ripeneth by good works and meditation.
Honour is obtained by partaking of its relish; it is the greatest of gifts.
There is a tree of gold; its leaves are corals; its blossoms, jewels and rubies.
It beareth gems for fruit, and the heart of him who eateth it rejoiceth.
Nanak, it is obtained by him on whose forehead such destiny hath been recorded.
The sixty-eight places of pilgrimage are at the Guru's feet, and ever specially worship them.
Cruelty, worldly love, avarice, and wrath are four streams of fire:
They who fall into them are burnt. O Nanak, but deliverance is obtained by cleaving to good works.

The evil of forgetting God:--

In the heart and mouth of the perverse who never remember Thee,.
Abide the bitterness of the gourd, the colocynth, and the nim, and the poison of the akk[1] and dhatura.

[1. Caloptropis procera.]

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p289

Nanak, to whom shall I tell it? Whoso forget Thee wander bereft of Thy favour, O God.

The unequal conditions of men:--

The bird, man, by his ideas and his acts sometimes flieth high and sometimes low,[1]
He sometimes percheth on a sandal-tree, sometimes on the branch of the akk-shrub, and sometimes again he loveth high flight.
Nanak saith, it is the custom of the Lord to lead all beings by His order.

Women's duty:--

If women adorn themselves with love and affection for their Spouse,
They shall not be restrained from their devotion to Him day or night.
They shall abide in His chambers, and the Word shall regenerate them;
They shall humbly supplicate the True One;
And they shall appear beautiful near their Spouse, walking according to His order.
They shall make hearty supplication to the Beloved.
Accursed the homes, wretched the lives of those who possess not the Word.
They whose hopes are fulfilled by the Word quaff nectar.

The Guru was requested to state the extent of his love of devotion:--

The desert is not satisfied with rain, and the hunger of fire is not appeased;
Kings are not satisfied with dominion; who hath ever filled the ocean?
How much hath Nanak inquired after the True Name, and not been satisfied!

Bhai Rama of Sultanpur inquired how God was known. The Guru replied --

He to whom God giveth understanding understandeth;

[1. Literally--is sometimes exalted and sometimes debased.]

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See also