Hymns of Guru Nanak 8

From SikhiWiki
Jump to navigationJump to search

The following is in opposition to all except deistic forms of religion:--

There appeareth no partner of Thine; then whom shall I praise but Thee?
Nanak, the slave of slaves representeth, God is known by the Guru's teaching.

The Guru's conception of God:--

The Unseen, Infinite, Inaccessible, Inapprehensible God is not subject to death or destiny.[1]
He is of no caste, unborn, self-existent, without fear or doubt.
I am a sacrifice to the Truest of the true.
He hath no form, or colour, or outline; He becometh manifest by the true Word.
He hath no mother, father, son, or kinsman; He feeleth not lust, and hath no wife
Or family; He is pure, endless, and infinite; all light is Thine, O Lord.
God is concealed in every heart; His light is in every heart.
He whose understanding's adamantine doors are opened by the Guru's instruction, fixeth his gaze on the Fearless One.
God having created animals made them subject to death, and retained all contrivances in his own power.
He who serveth the True Guru obtaineth the real boon, and is delivered by repeating the Word.
Truth is contained in pure vessels; few there are whose acts are pure.
By seeking Thy protection, saith Nanak, the soul blendeth with the Supreme Soul.

The condition of a man who has no Guru to communicate God's name:--

As a fish without water, so is the infidel--dying of thirst.
If thy breath be drawn in vain, O man, thou shalt die without God.

[1. Also translated--God is not bound by the influence of His acts.]

{p. 331}

O man, repeat God's name and praises;
But how shalt thou obtain this pleasure without the Guru? It is the Guru who uniteth man with God.
Meeting the society of holy men is as a pilgrimage for the holy.


The advantages of bathing at the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage are obtained by beholding the Guru:--


As a Jogi without continence, devotion, truth, or contentment,
So is the body without the Name; Death Will punish it since it containeth sin in its heart.
God is not found by loving the infidel; He is found by loving the true Guru.
Saith Nanak, he who is absorbed in God's praises obtaineth the Guru who is the dispenser of weal and woe.


Man should cultivate true piety in his own home:--


The nectareous water of life,[1] for which thou camest into the world, is with the Guru.
Abandon garbs, disguises, and cleverness; this water[2] is not obtained by devotion to mammon.
O man, remain at home; go nowhere, my friend.
By searching abroad thou shalt suffer much affliction the water of life is in thy heart at home.
Forsake vice and pursue virtue. thy vice thou shalt regret.
Thou knowest not good from evil thou shalt again and again wallow in the mire.
Inside thee is the great filth of covetousness and falsehood; why washest thou thine outside?
Ever repeat the Pure Name under the Guru's instruction, then shall thy heart be pure.
Abandon covetousness and slander, forswear falsehood and thou shalt obtain the true fruit through the Guru's instruction.
O God, preserve me as Thou pleasest; Nanak praiseth Thy Word.


[1. That is, God's name.

2. Literally--this fruit.]

{p. 332}

God is the invisible Benefactor and is pleased .when men obey His behests:--


All creatures are subject to destiny from the beginning there is none not subject to it.
God alone is not subject to destiny; He beholdeth the work of His own omnipotence; He causeth His order to be executed.
O man, repeat God's name and thou shalt be happy
Day and night worship the feet of the Guru the Giver and the Enjoyer.
Behold Him without thee as He is within thee; there is none other.
Under the Guru's instruction regard all men as equal, since God's light is contained in the heart of each.
Restrain in its place thy wandering mind; thou shalt know how to do this on meeting the Guru.
On beholding the Invisible thou shalt be astounded; thou shalt forget thy misery and obtain happiness.
Quaff nectar and thou shalt obtain supreme happiness and abide in thine own home.
Sing His praises who destroyeth the fear of birth and death, and thou shalt not be born again.
God[1] the First Principle, the Pure One, is in all things of this there is no doubt.
Nanak hath obtained God the Infinite Supreme Being as his Guru.


SORATH ASHTAPADI

The Guru deprecates idolatry and then gives his notion of an ideal Bairagi, or renouncer of the world:--


May I not fall under the power of mammon, worship any but God, or visit tombs and places of cremation!
May I not enter the strange house impelled by greed![2] may the Name extinguish my greed!
The Guru showed me God in my own home; my heart became easily enamoured of Him, my brethren.


[1. Soham, I am he. Compare 'I am that I am'.

2 May I not go to worship in a heathen temple for the sake of mammon.]

{p. 333}


Thou art wise, Thou art far-seeing; it is only Thou, O Lord, who givest wisdom.
My heart hath no love for the world; it is tinctured with its hate; the Word hath penetrated my heart, O my mother.
He who loveth the true Lord and continually repeateth His hymns, beholdeth His light in his own heart.
Countless persons call themselves Bairagis, but only he who is pleasing to God is a Bairagi.
Such a Bairagi treasureth the Word in his heart: he is ever absorbed in the fear of God and serveth the Guru.
He thinketh on the one God, his mind wavereth not, and he restraineth its wanderings.
He is intoxicated with God's love, ever absorbed in divine pleasure, and he singeth the praises of the True One.
If the mind, which is like the wind, dwell even for a little on the name of Him who liveth at ease, happiness shall result, my brethren.
My tongue, eyes, and ears are tinctured by the True One
Thou, O Lord, hast extinguished the fire that consumed me.
He is a Bairagi who abandoneth desires and assumeth an attitude of contemplation in his own home.
He who is filled with the alms of the Name is contented and quaffeth nectar at his ease.
As long as there is a particle of worldly love, there is no contempt of the world.
All the world is Thine, O Lord; Thou alone art the Giver there is none other, my brethren.
Perverse creatures ever abide in misery; God conferreth greatness on the holy.
Infinite, endless, inaccessible, inapprehensible, Thy worth cannot be obtained by speaking.
Sun Samadh,[l] Mahaparamarath,[2] and Lord of the three worlds are names of Thine.
All animals born in the world have their destinies recorded on their foreheads, and must beat- what is destined for them.


[1. He who is in deep and silent meditation.

2. The great supreme Being.]

{p. 334}


It is God who causeth man to perform good acts and maketh them steadfast in His service.
When man feareth God, the filth of his soul and body departeth, and God Himself giveth him divine knowledge:
Only he who hath tasted it, knoweth its flavour, as a dumb man enjoyeth sweets.[1]
How describe the Indescribable, my brethren? Ever walk according to His will.
If God cause man to meet the generous Guru, understanding is produced; he who hath no Guru hath no understanding.
Walk as God causeth you to walk, my brethren; what other device can man adopt?
Some are led astray in error, others love God's service; Thy play, O Lord, is incomprehensible.
Men obtain the result of what Thou hast applied them to; Thou leadest them by Thine order.
We can serve Thee if we have anything of our own; our souls and bodies are Thine.
God is merciful to him who hath met the true Guru; the ambrosial Name is his support.
He to whom the attributes of God, who dwelleth in heaven, become manifest, shall obtain divine knowledge and meditation from them.
God's name is pleasing to him; he uttereth it himself and causeth others to utter it; and he only speaketh of the Real Thing.
The Deep and Profound is obtained by the instruction of the Guru and priest; without such instruction the world would go mad.
Nanak, he whose heart is pleased with the True One is a perfect Bairagi, and naturally fortunate.


The following was the Guru's instruction to a Brahman:--


Hopes and desires are entanglements, my brother; thy religious ceremonies are also entanglements.


[1. The dumb man eating sweets enjoys a pleasure which is incommunicable.]

{p. 335}


Man, my brother, is born in the world as the result of bad and good acts;[1] he perisheth when he forgetteth the Name.
Maya bewitcheth the world, my brother; all thy religious ceremonies are worthless.
Hear me, thou Pandit with the religious ceremonies--
Meditation on the Supreme Being is the only religious ceremony, my brother, from which happiness is derived.
Thou standest chattering of the Shastars and Veds, my brother, and makest it a worldly affair.
The filth of sin which is within thee shall not be washed away by hypocrisy.
Like the hypocrite, the spider is ruined when her web is blown by the wind and she falleth headlong.
By evil inclinations many are ruined; by love of mammon they are lost.
Without the true Guru the Name is not obtained, and without the Name doubt departeth not.
My brother, serve the true Guru and thou shalt be happy, and released from transmigration.
True peace is obtained from the Guru. When the mind is pure, man shall be absorbed in the True One,
He who serveth the Guru knoweth the way; without the Guru it cannot be found.
What religious acts can he perform who hath greed in his heart? He uttereth falsehood and eateth poison.
O Pandit, if thou churn coagulated milk, butter shall be produced;
If thou churn water, thou shalt obtain but water; this is the way of the world.
The unseen God dwelleth in every heart, yet without the Guru man is ruined by wandering.
Maya hath bound this world on all sides with her cable:
Without a guru its knot cannot be untied; man groweth weary in striving.


[1. If a man's acts were totally bad, he could not obtain human birth. Human birth is only obtained when good and bad acts are in equipoise.]

{p. 336}


This world is led astray by superstition; words are of no avail.
By meeting the Guru, my brother, the fear of God entereth the heart. To die in the fear of God is man's true destiny.
In God's court the Name is superior to ablutions, alms, and similar religious acts.
He who, by the Guru's goad, hath driven the Name into his heart to abide there, shall become free from hypocrisy.
Man is a banker's shop, the unrivalled Name is his capital.
The merchant who meditateth on the Guru's instruction secureth the capital.
Nanak, blest are the merchants who on meeting the Guru engage in such traffic.


Deprecation of idolatry:--


My brethren, you worship goddesses and gods; what can you ask them? and what can they give you?
Even if a stone be washed with water, it will again sink in it.


RAG DHANASARI

The Guru reposes his hopes in God and confirms his devotion to Him:--


My soul is in fear; to whom shall I complain?
I have served Him who causeth us to forget our sorrows He is ever and ever the Giver.
My Lord is ever young; He is ever and ever the Giver.
Night and day serve the Lord, and in the end He will deliver thee.
Hark, hark, my friend,[1] thus shalt thou cross over.
O Merciful One, by Thy name shall 1 cross over aim
ever a sacrifice unto Thee.
In the whole world there is only one True Being; there is no second.
He on whom God looketh with favour will serve Him.
How shall I, O Beloved, abide without Thee?
Grant me the favour to remain attached to Thy name.


[1. Literally--woman.]

{p. 337}


There is none other, O my Beloved, to whom 1 may go to address myself.
I serve my Lord, I beg from no other
Nanak is His slave and ever a sacrifice unto Him.
O Lord, I am ever a sacrifice to Thy name, for which I could bear to be cut to pieces.


Life is but brief, and man ought to make the best use of it:--


We men live but for a moment; we know not if we shall live the space of two gharis.
Nanak representeth, serve Him to whom belong our souls and lives.
O fool, consider how many days thy life shall last.
O Lord, my breath, body, and soul are all Thine; Thou art very dear to me.
The poet Nanak thus speaketh; O True Cherisher,
If Thou give nothing to any one, what pledge can he give Thee?[1]
Nanak representeth, he who is destined from the beginning to obtain something shall obtain it.
The deceitful person who, instead of thinking of God's name, practiseth deceit,
Shall be led captive to the gate of Death, and shall then as he is led along regret lost opportunities.
As long as we are in this world, Nanak, hear somewhat and speak somewhat of God.
I have searched and found no resting-place; wherefore in the midst of life be in death.


The Guru moralized as follows on seeing a thief arrested:--


If a thief praise the magistrate, the mind of the latter is not pleased thereby;
If he revile the magistrate, it cannot displease him in the least.
Nobody will be surety for a thief.


[1. Man can obtain nothing from God except as the result of His favour. If man receive nothing from God, no surety is needed.]

{p. 338}


How can what a thief doeth be good?
Hear, O fool, dog, and liar,
The True One knoweth thee, O thief, without thy speaking.
A thief may be well dressed, a thief may be ingenious,
Yet he is only worth a double paisa, the price of a bad rupee.
If thou put a bad coin with others,
It will be found counterfeit on being assayed.
As man acteth, so shall be his reward:
He himself soweth and he himself eateth the fruit.
Even though man praise himself,
Yet will he act according to his understanding.
If he tell hundreds of lies to conceal the truth,
He shall still be false even though the whole world call him good.
If it please Thee, even a fool is acceptable.
Nanak, God is clever to know man's secret.


A Brahman, a Qazi, and a Jogi entered into discussion with the Guru, and he gave them the following instruction:--


The body is the paper, the mind the order written thereon,
Silly man readeth not the lines of destiny on his forehead.
In God's court three destinies [1] are engraved.
Lo! what is counterfeit is there of no avail.
Nanak, if there be sterling silver within us,
Everybody will say that it is real.
The Qazi telleth lies and eateth filth.
The Brahman taketh life and then batheth.
The ignorant Jogi knoweth not the way of union with God--
The whole three ruin the world.[2]
He is a Jogi who knoweth the way to God,
And who by the Guru's favour only recognizeth the One.
He-is a Qazi who turneth away men from the world,
And who by the Guru's favour while alive is dead.


[1. Superior, medium, and inferior destinies.

2 Literally--the three form the boundary of the wilderness, that is, preach the whole of what ruins mortals.]

{p. 339}


He is a Brahman who reflecteth upon God:
He shall be saved himself, and shall save all his relations.
Wise is he who cleanseth his heart:
A Musalman is he who cleanseth his impurity.
He who readeth and acteth on what he readeth, is acceptable.
He shall bear on his forehead the stamp of God's court.


DHANASARI ASHTAPADI

God is pleased with love and service, not with idolatry or pilgrimages:--


God maketh Himself manifest and beholdeth men.
He is not pleased by obstinate penance nor by many religious garbs.
He who fashioned the vessel of the body and poured into it His ambrosial gifts,
Will only be satisfied with man's love and service.
They who, though ever reading, forget God's name shall suffer punishment,
And notwithstanding their great cleverness undergo transmigration.
He who repeateth the Name and thus eateth the food of fear,
Shall become a pious worshipper and be absorbed 'u God.
He who worshippeth stones, visiteth places of pilgrimage, dwelleth in forests,
And renounceth the world, wandereth and wavereth.
How can his filthy mind become pure?
He who meeteth the True One shall obtain honour.


DHANIASARI CHHANT

They who utter falsehood are unhappy:--


If a woman please her Spouse, she shall be honoured in His house:
If she utter falsehood it is of no avail:
If she utter falsehood it is of no avail her Spouse will not look at her.
Without merits, forgotten by her Spouse, and false, painful are her nights.

{p. 340}


See also