The Sikh Religion (Macauliffe)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When the world is in distress, it heartily prayeth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I have become perplexed in my search ;

In the darkness I find no way.

Devoted to pride, I weep in sorrow ;

How shall deliverance be obtained ? 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

0 father, dispel such doubts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Granth which passes under the name of Guru

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

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

The Sikh religion differs as regards the authenticity of

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ivii

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION lix

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

and to the Latin Jupiter : —

lupiter est quodcunque vides, quocunque moveris.2

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixi

In the beginning there was indescribable darkness ;

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then was not Brahma, Vishnu, or Shiv ;

No one existed but the One God.

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

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

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

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

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

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

When He pleased He created the world ;

Without supports He sustained the sky.

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

He issued His order and watched over all.1

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixiii

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spiritus intus alit totamque infusa per artus

Mens agitat molem, et magno secorporemiscet. — VIRGIL.

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

LUCAN.

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

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

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

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

An indefinite number of such examples might be cited.

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixv

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

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

As water blends with water, when

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

With God's celestial light. No transmigrations then await

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

Its peaceful crowning goal.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixvii

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

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

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

Thus, too, Browning :—

At times I almost dream

I too have spent a life the sages' way,

And tread once more familiar paths.

And also Rossetti :—

I have been here before,

But how or when I cannot tell.

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

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

e 2

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

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

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

. . . . Since God is light

And never but in unapproached light

Dwelt from eternity — Bright effluence of bright essence increate.

And of Thomas Campbell nearly to the same effect : —

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixix

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixxi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixxiii

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixxv

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixxvii

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixxix

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixxxi

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

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

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

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

SIKH. I f

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixxxiii

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION Ixxxv

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

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

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

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

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

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

In this biography there is no mention whatever of Bhai

INTRODUCTION Ixxxvii

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

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

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

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

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

'4

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

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

SIKH. I B

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

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 3

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

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

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

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

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

thou shalt be deemed educated.

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

B 2

U. Praise Him whose limit cannot be found.

They who practise truth and perform service shall

obtain their reward.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the four ages,6

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 5

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

doing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

transitory. Serve Him who pervadeth all things, and thou

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

as He pleaseth.

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

The Creator blendeth men with Himself, and they

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

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

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

What do men call doubt ? What mammon ?

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

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

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

power in His own hands.

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

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

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

world to behold it.

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

bound by Death's chain.

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 7

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

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

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

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

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

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

born again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

and be a sacrifice unto Him.

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

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

tinueth to do.

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

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

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

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

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

0 master, learn to write this account,

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 9

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The scholastic ignorance of the founders of great

io THE SIKH RELIGION

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

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK u

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

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

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

Men are judged according to their acts.

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

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

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

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

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

ALIF. Remember God and banish neglect of Him from

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 13

Their minds were bent on the hoarding of wealth,

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

watches of day and night.

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

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

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

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

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

He doeth what he pleaseth ; what certainty is there

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

The body is a vessel which He wrought, and into

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This body of thine shall become a heap of dust in

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

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

Without good works and virtues man shall die full

of regret.

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

nor father sporteth.

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

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

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

have become refined gold.

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

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

Thou shalt plant thy feet firmly on the way to

haqiqat.

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

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

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

given alms shall slip away.

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

The more they remember God, the more they love

Him.

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

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

/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Make mercy thy cotton, contentment thy thread, con tinence its knot, truth its twist.

That would make a janeu for the soul ; if thou have it, O Brahman, then put it on me.

It will not break, or become soiled, or be burned, or lost.

Blest the man, O Nanak, who goeth with such a thread on his neck.

Thou purchasest a janeu for four damris,2 and seated in a square puttest it on ;

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 17

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

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

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

Though men commit countless2 thefts, countless adul teries, utter countless falsehoods and countless words of abuse ;

Though they commit countless robberies and villanies night and day against their fellow creatures ;

Yet the cotton thread is spun, and the Brahman cometh to twist it.

For the ceremony they kill a goat and cook and eat it, and everybody then saith ' Put on the janeu '.

When it becometh old, it is thrown away, and another is put on.

Nanak, the string breaketh not if it be strong.

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

By adoring and praising the Name honour and a true thread are obtained.

In this way a sacred thread shall be put on, which will not break, and which will be fit for entrance into God's court.

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

There is no string for the sexual organs, there is no string for women ;

There is no string for the impure acts which cause your beards to be daily spat upon ;

There is no string for the feet, there is no string for the hands ;

There is no string for the tongue, there is no string for the eyes.

Without such strings the Brahman wandereth astray,

Twisteth strings for the neck, and putteth them on others.

He taketh hire for marrying ;

He pulleth out a paper, and showeth the fate of the wedded pair.

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 19

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

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

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

C 2,

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

He who dieth in obstinacy shall not be accepted.

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

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

0 man, obey God and thou shalt be happy.

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

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

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

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

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

Suffer from excessive avarice and lust.

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

God is found not by argument or by pride.

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

They who love mammon are painfully ignorant.

Without money goods cannot be had from a shop ;

Without a boat man cannot cross the sea ;

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

Hail, hail to him who showeth the road !

Hail, hail to him who communicateth the Word !

Hail, hail to him who blendeth us with God !

Hail, hail to Him to whom the soul belongeth !

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

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

Without the Name how could I live, O mother ?

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 21

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 23

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thy worth cannot be estimated or described ;

They who seek to describe it are absorbed in Thee.

0 my great Lord, deep and profound, brimful of excel lences,

None knoweth the extent of Thine outline.

Though all meditative men were to meet and meditate upon Thee,

Though all appraisers were to meet and appraise Thee —

They who possess divine and spiritual wisdom, priests, and high priests 3 —

Yet could they not describe even a small portion of Thy greatness.

All truth, all fervour, all goodness,

The excellences of perfect men,

Cannot be obtained in their perfection without Thee.

If Thy grace be obtained none can be excluded ;

Of what account is the helpless speaker ?

Thy store-rooms are filled with Thy praises.

Who can prevail against him to whom Thou givest ?

Nanak, the True One arrangeth all.4

His father was not satisfied, but further remon-

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 25

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

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

It is difficult to repeat the true Name.

If a man hunger after the true Name,

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

Then how could I forget it, O my mother ?

True is the Lord, true is His name ;

Men have grown weary of uttering

Even an iota of His greatness ; His worth they have not discovered.

If all men were to join and try to describe Him,

That would not add to or detract from His greatness.

God dieth not, neither is there any mourning for Him ;

He continueth to give us our daily bread which never faileth.

His praise is — that there neither is,

Nor was, nor shall be any one like unto Him.

As great as Thou art Thyself, O God, so great is Thy gift.

Thou who madest the day madest also the night.

They who forget their Spouse 3 are bad characters ; 4

Nanak, without His name they are naught.5

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

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

All men are bound by entanglements ; how can these

be called good qualities ?

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

son,

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

suffer misery.

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 27

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Physician, go home, few know my malady.

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

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

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

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

I feel pain that my body shall perish by disease.

0 ignorant physician, give me no medicine.

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

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

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

No one taketh medicine after that.

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

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

All his pain and disease shall be dispelled,

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

The following was on the same subject :—

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

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

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

By ever using these the body pineth not away,

Nor at the final hour shall Death pommel thee.

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

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

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

If pleasing to God, are acceptable.

Empire, wealth, and youth are all shadows ;

So are carriages and imposing mansions.

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

There is day, here all is night.

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

They for whom this priceless medicine is prescribed,

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 29

Are fortunate when they reach their final home.

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

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

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

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

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

3o THE SIKH RELIGION

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

My Lord, who knoweth Thy merits ?

My demerits cannot be numbered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 31

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 33

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

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

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

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

One day after bathing Nanak disappeared in the

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 35

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Guru then uttered the following hymn :—

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

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

I know neither Death the fisherman nor his net.

When I am in sorrow, then I remember Thee.

Thou art omnipresent though I thought Thee distant.

What I do is patent unto Thee ;

Thou beholdest mine acts, yet I deny them.

I have not done Thy work or uttered Thy name ;

Whatever Thou givest, that I eat.

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

Nanak maketh one supplication —

Soul and body are all in Thy power.

D 2

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

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

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

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

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

When the field is spoiled where is the harvest heap ?

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

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

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

Others again that he is a man.

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 37

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 39

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Such a Musalman shall go to Paradise.

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 41

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am a sacrifice unto those who repeat Thy name.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 43

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 45

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

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

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

Which cannot be removed even by washing a hundred times.

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

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

Houses, mansions, palaces painted on all sides,

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

Herons arrayed in white dwell at places of pilgrimage ;

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

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

Its fruit is useless : such qualities my body possesseth.

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

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

Of what avail are services, virtues, and cleverness ?

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

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

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

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 47

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

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

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

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

When he is taken out of the womb, he seizeth teats of flesh.

His mouth is of flesh, his tongue is of flesh, his breath is in flesh.

When he groweth up he marrieth, and bringeth flesh home with him.

Flesh is produced from flesh ; all man's relations are made from flesh.

By meeting the true Guru and obeying God's order, everybody shall go right.

// fhou suppose that man shall be saved by himself, he shall not ; Nanak, it is idle to say so.

The following is also on the same subject : —

Fools wrangle about flesh, but know not divine know ledge or meditation on God.

They know not what is flesh, or what is vegetable, or in what sin consist eth.

It was the custom of the gods to kill rhinoceroses, roast them and feast.

They who forswear flesh and hold their noses when near it, devour men at night.

They make pretences to the world, but they know not divine knowledge or meditation on God.

Nanak, why talk to a fool ? He cannot reply or under stand what is said to him.

He who acteth blindly is blind ; he hath no mental eyes.

Ye were produced from the blood of your parents, yet ye eat not fish or flesh.

When man and woman meet at night and cohabit,

A foetus is conceived from flesh ; we are vessels of flesh.

O Brahman, thou knowest not divine knowledge or meditation on God, yet thou callest thyself clever.

Thou considerest the flesh that cometh from abroad 1 bad, O my lord, and the flesh of thine own home good.

All animals have sprung from flesh, and the soul taketh its abode in flesh.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 49

They whose guru is blind, eat things that ought not to be eaten, and abstain from what ought to be eaten.

In flesh we are conceived, from flesh we are born ; we are vessels of flesh.

O Brahman, thou knowest not divine knowledge or meditation on God, yet thou callest thyself clever.

Flesh is allowed in the Purans, flesh is allowed in the books of the Musalmans, flesh hath been used in the four ages.

Flesh adorneth sacrifice and marriage functions ; flesh hath always been associated with them.

Women, men, kings, and emperors spring from flesh.

If they appear to you to be going to hell, then accept not their offerings.

See how wrong it would be that givers should go to hell and receivers to heaven.

Thou understandest not thyself, yet thou instructest others ; O Pandit, thou art very wise ! !

from water the three worlds are deemed to have sprung.

Water saith, ' I am good in many ways ' ; many are the modifications of water.

If thou abandon the relish of such things, thou shalt be superhuman, saith Nanak deliberately.3

The Guru succeeded in making many converts at Kurkhetar. When departing, he thus addressed his Sikhs : ' Live in harmony, utter the Creator's name, and if any one salute you therewith, return his salute with the addition true, and say " Sat Kartar ", the True Creator, in reply. There are four ways by which, with the repetition of God's name, men may reach Him. The first is holy companionship, the second truth, the third contentment, and the fourth restraint of the senses. By whichsoever of these

doors a man entereth, whether he be a hermit or a householder, he shall find God/

The Guru next visited Hardwar in pursuance of his mission. A great crowd was assembled from the four cardinal points for the purpose of washing away their sins. The Guru saw that, while they were cleansing their bodies, their hearts remained filthy ; and none of them restrained the wanderings of his mind or performed his ablutions with love and devotion. While they were throwing water towards the east for the manes of their ancestors, the Guru went among them, and, putting his hands together so as to form a cup, began to throw water towards the west, and continued to do so until a large crowd had gathered round him. Men in their astonishment began to inquire what he was doing, and whether he was a Hindu or Muhammadan. If the latter, why had he come to a Hindu place of pilgrimage ? If he were a Hindu, why should he throw water towards the west instead of towards the rising sun ? And who had taught him to do so ? In reply, the Guru asked them why they threw water towards the east. To whom were they offering it, and who was to receive it ? They replied that they were offering libations to the manes of their ancestors. It would satisfy them, and be a source of happiness to themselves.

The Guru then asked how far distant their ances tors were. A learned man among them replied that their ancestors were thousands of miles distant. The Guru, upon this, again began to throw palmfuls of water towards the west. They reminded him that he had not answered their questions, or vouch safed any information regarding himself. He replied that, before he had set out from his home in the west, he had sown a field and left no one to irrigate it. He was therefore throwing water in its direction, that it might remain green and not dry up. His field was on a mound where rain-water would not

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 51

rest, and he was obliged to have recourse to this form of irrigation. On hearing this, the spectators i thought he was crazed, and told him he was sprink- ; ling water in vain, for it would never reach his field. Where was his field and where was he, and how could the water ever reach it ? ' Thou art a great fool, thy field shall never become green by what thou art doing/ The Guru replied, ' Ye have forgotten God. Without love and devotion your minds have gone astray. My field, which you say this water cannot reach, is near, but your ancestors are very far away, so how can the water ye offer them ever reach them or profit them ? Ye call me a fool, but ye are greater fools yourselves/

The Guru after a little time again broke silence, and said, ' The Hindus are going to hell. Death will seize and mercilessly punish them/ A Brahman replied, ' How can they who repeat God's name go to hell ? Thou hast in the first place acted contrary to our custom, and now thou hast the audacity to tell us that we are going to hell/ The Guru replied, * It is true that, if ye repeat the Name with love, ye shall not be damned. But when ye take rosaries in your hands, and sit down counting your beads, ye never think of God, but allow your minds to wander thinking of worldly objects. Your rosaries are therefore only for show, and your counting your beads is only hypocrisy. One of you is thinking of his trade with Multan, another of his trade with Kabul, another of his trade with Dihli, and the gain that shall in each case accrue/ The people, on hearing the Guru thus accurately divine their thoughts, began to think him a god, and prayed him to pardon them and grant them salvation by making them his disciples.

The Guru, requiring fire to cook his food, went into a Brahman's cooking-square for it. The Brahman charged him with having defiled his viands. The Guru replied that they had already

E 2

been denied. Upon this the following was com posed :—

Evil mindedness is a low woman,1 cruelty a butcher's wife, a slanderous heart a sweeper woman, wrath which ruineth the world a pariah woman.

What availeth thee to have drawn the lines of thy cooking place when these four are seated with thee ?

Make truth, self-restraint, and good acts thy lines, and the utterance of the Name thine ablutions.

Nanak, in the next world he is best who walketh not in the way of sin.2

While at Hardwar the Brahmans pressed the Guru to return to his allegiance to the Hindu religion. They pointed out the spiritual advantages of sacri fices and burnt-offerings, and of the worship of cremation-grounds, gods, and goddesses. The Guru replied that the sacrifices and burnt-offerings of this age consisted in giving food to those who repeated God's name and practised humility. And where the Guru's hymns were read, there was scant worship of places of burial or cremation, or of gods, god desses, and ignorant priests. As to the homage paid the latter, the Guru said that men were ruined thereby, as sweetmeats are spoiled by flies settling on them.

Guru Nanak and Mardana departed thence, and proceeded to Panipat, a place famous in Indian history as the scene of three great decisive battles. At that time a successor of Shaikh Sharaf 3 was the

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 53

Muhammadan priest of the place. A disciple called Tatihari went to fetch a pot of water for his spiritual guide from the well near which the Guru and Mar- dana had sat down to rest. The Guru wore a Persian hat and a nondescript costume, which Tatihari took for that of a Persian darwesh. He addressed the Guru with the Muhammadan salutation, ' Salam Alaikum ' (the peace of God be with you). Nanak replied, ' Salam Alekh ' (salutation to the Invisible). Tatihari was astonished, and said that until then nobody had distorted his salutation. He went and told his religious superior, the Shaikh, that he had met a darwesh who had taken the liberty of punning on the Muhammadan salutation. The Shaikh at once resolved to go himself to see the man who had saluted the Invisible One, and inquire what he knew regarding Him.

The Shaikh, on arriving, asked the Guru what religious denomination his head-dress denoted, and why he did not shave his head in orthodox fashion. The Guru replied :—

When man hath shaved his mind he hath shaved his head j1

Without shaving his mind he findeth not the way.

Let him cut off his head and place it before his guru.

If he resign his own wisdom, he shall be saved by the wisdom of his guru.

To become the dust of the feet of all is to shave the head.

Such a hermit appreciateth the words of the guru ;

That is the way in which the head is shaved, O brother.

Few are there who shave their heads according to the instruction of their guru.

Nanak having abandoned all pleasures, affections, and egotism,

Hath put on a hat of this fashion.2

Subsequently I came to Panipat and there lived as a recluse.' His tomb is there. l That is, has laid aside egotism.

The Shaikh then asked the Guru to what religious sect he belonged. The Guru replied : —

Under the instructions of my Guru 1 I remain His disciple.

My stole and my hat consist in grasping the Word in my heart.

I have turned the flowing river into a streak of sand.2

I sit there at mine ease and am happy.3

I have dispelled joy and sorrow.

Having put on my stole I have killed all mine enemies ; 4

I have settled in the silent city and abide therein :

There I learned how to wear this stole.

Having forsaken my family I live alone —

Nanak having put on this stole is happy.

The Shaikh next inquired to what sect the Guru's loin-cloth belonged. The Guru replied : —

By the word and instruction of the Guru my mind hath obtained peace ;

I restrain my five senses and abide apart from the world ;

I close mine eyes and my mind hath ceased to wander.

I have locked up the ten gates 5 of my body,

And I sit in contemplation in its sixty-eight chambers.6

With this loin-cloth I shall neither grow old nor die.

Putting on a loin-cloth I dwell alone

And drink from the waterfall 7 of the brain.

I discard my low intelligence for the lofty wisdom of my Guru.

In this way Nanak weareth a loin-cloth.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 55

Then again the Shaikh desired to know what sect the Guru's slippers denoted. The Guru replied :—

By associating with those who go the right way I have obtained all knowledge.

I have reduced my mind to the caste of fire and wind ; l

I abide in the manner of the earth or a tree ;

I can endure the cutting and digging of my heart ; 2

1 desire to be as a river or sandal

Which whether pleased or displeased conferreth advantage on all.

Having churned the churn 3 of this world I am exalted,

And having abandoned evil I appear before my God.

To those, who put on their slippers while meditating on Him,

O Nanak, mortal sin shall not attach.

Again the Shaikh said, ' Explain to me what a darwesh is.' The Guru, ordering Mardana to play the rebeck, composed the following hymn :—

He who while he liveth is dead, while he waketh is asleep,4 who knowingly alloweth himself to be plundered,5

And who having abandoned everything meeteth his Creator, is a darwesh.

Few servants of Thine, 0 God, are darweshes at heart,

Who feel not joy, sorrow, anger, wrath, pride, or avarice ;

Who look on gold as dross, and consider what is right to be lawful ;

Who obey the summons of God and heed none other ;

Who seated in a contemplative attitude in the firma ment 6 play spontaneous music —

Saith Nanak, neither the Veds nor the Quran know the praises of such holy men.

[ That is — I have no more caste than fire and wind.

The Shaikh finally said, ' Well done ! why make a further examination of him who beareth witness to God ? Even to behold him is sufficient.' Then he shook hands with the Guru, kissed his feet and departed.

Guru Nanak journeyed on and arrived in Dihli. An elephant belonging to the reigning sovereign Ibrahim Lodi had just died; and the keepers, regretting the loss of the animal whose service had afforded them maintenance, were bewailing its death. The Guru inquired whose the elephant was. They replied in Oriental fashion, that it was the Emperor's, but that all things belonged to God. The Guru said that the elephant was alive, and bade them go and rub its forehead with their hands, and say at the same time, ' Wah Guru ' — hail to the Guru ! 1 It is said that the elephant stood up to the astonish ment of all. The Emperor, having received informa tion of the miracle, sent for the animal, mounted it, and went to the Guru, and asked if it was he who had restored it to life. The Guru replied, ' God is the only Destroyer and Re-animater. Prayers are for faqirs, and mercy for Him.' The monarch then asked, if the elephant were killed would the Guru again restore it. The Guru, not wishing to be treated as an itinerant showman, replied :—

It is He (pointing on high) who destroyeth and destroying re-animateth ;

Nanak, there is none but the one God.

The animal then died, the inference of the chroni clers being that it died at the will of the Guru, as it had been previously called to life by him. The Emperor ordered him to again revivify it. The Guru replied, ' Hail to your Majesty ! Iron when heated in the fire becometh red, and cannot be held for a moment in the hand. In the same way faqirs

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 57

become red in the heat of God's love, and cannot be constrained.' The Monarch, it is said, was pleased at this reply, and requested the Guru to accept a present from him. The Guru replied :—

Nanak is hungry for God, and careth for naught besides. I ask for God, I ask for nothing else.

The king returned to his palace, and the Guru continued his wanderings.

The Guru next proceeded to Bindraban, where he saw enacted the play called Krishanlila, in which the exploits of Krishan * are represented. Krishan appears making love to milkmaids, stealing their clothes while they were bathing, and killing his uncle Kans. The Guru expressed his dissatisfaction with the subject of the performance :—

The disciples play, the gurus dance,

Shake their feet, and roll their heads.

Dust flieth and falleth on their hair ;

The audience seeing it laugh and go home.

For the sake of food the performers beat time,

And dash themselves on the ground.

The milkmaids sing, Krishans sing,

Sitas and royal Rams sing.

Fearless is the Formless One, whose name is true,

And whose creation is the whole world.

The worshippers on whom God bestoweth kindness worship Him ;

Pleasant is the night for those who long for Him in their hearts.

By the Guru's instruction to his disciples this knowledge is obtained,

vXThat the Kind One saveth those on whom He looketh with favour.

Oil-presses, spinning-wheels, hand-mills, potters' wheels,

Plates,1 whirlwinds, many and endless,

Tops, churning-staves, threshing-frames,

Birds tumble and take no breath.

Men put animals on stakes and swing them round.

In the same way men bound in entanglements are swung

round ;

Every one danceth according to his own acts—

They who dance and laugh shall weep on their departure,

They cannot fly or obtain supernatural power.

Leaping and dancing are mental recreations ;

Nanak, they who have the fear of God in their hearts

have also love.2

The Guru set out towards the east, having arrayed himself in a strange motley of Hindu and Muham- madan religious habiliments. He put on a mango- coloured jacket, over which he threw a white safa or sheet. On his head he carried the hat of a Musal- man Qalandar,3 while he wore a necklace of bones, and imprinted a saffron mark on his forehead in the style of Hindus. This was an earnest of his desire to found a religion which should be acceptable both to Hindus and Muhammadans without conforming to either faith . As the Guru and his attendant proceeded, they met a Muhammadan notable called Shaikh Waj id. The Shaikh alighted under a tree, and his bearers began to shampoo and fan him. This afforded matter for contemplation to Mardana, and he asked the Guru whether there was not one God for the rich and another for the poor. The Guru replied that there

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 59

was only one God. Mardana then put his question in another form : ' Who created this man who rideth in a sedan of ease while the bearers have no shoes to their feet ? Their legs are naked while they shampoo and fan him.' The Guru replied with the following verses : —

They who performed austerities in their former lives, are f now kings and receive tribute on earth.

They who were then wearied, are now shampooed by others.

The Guru continued in prose : ' O Mardana, whoever is born hath come naked from his mother's womb, and joy or misery is the result of actions in previous states of existence.' Upon this, Mardana fell at the Guru's feet.

As Guru Nanak and Mardana journeyed on, they arrived at Gorakhmata, or temple of Gorakh, some twenty miles north of Pilibhit, in the United Provinces of India.1 There they observed a pipal-tree 2 of many a religious reminiscence. Years previously it had withered from age, but it is related that when the holy man sat beneath it, it suddenly became green. The biographer of the Guru states that Sidhs came on that occasion and addressed him : ' O youth, whose disciple art thou, and from whom hast thou obtained instruction ? '

Guru Nanak, in reply, composed the following hymn :—

What is the scale ? What the weights ? What weighman 3 shall I call for Thee ?

Who is the guru from whom I should receive instruction, and by whom I should appraise Thy worth ?

0 my Beloved, I know not Thy limit.

Thou fillest sea and land, the nether and upper regions ; it is Thou Thyself who art contained in everything.

My heart is the scale, my understanding the weight, Thy service the weighman I employ.

I weigh the Lord in my heart, and thus I fix my attention.

Thou Thyself art the tongue of the balance, the weight, and the scales ; Thou Thyself art the weighman ;

Thou Thyself beholdest, Thou Thyself understandest, Thou Thyself art the dealer with Thee}-

A blind man, a low-born person, and a stranger come but for a moment, and in a moment depart.

In such companionship Nanak abideth ; how can he, fool that he is, obtain Thee ? 2

Then the Sidhs said, ' O youth, become a Jogi, and adopt the dress of our order, so shalt thou find the true way and obtain the merits of religion.' The Guru replied with the following hymn :—

Religion consisteth not in a patched coat, or in a Jogi's staff, or in ashes smeared over the body ;

Religion consisteth not in earrings worn, or a shaven head, or in the blowing of horns.3

. Abide pure amid the impurities of the world ; thus shalt thou find the way of religion.

Religion consisteth not in mere words ;

He who looketh on all men as equal is religious.

Religion consisteth not in wandering to tombs 4 or places of cremation, or sitting in attitudes of contemplation ; 5

Religion consisteth not in wandering in foreign countries, or in bathing at places of pilgrimages.

Abide pure amid the impurities of the world ; thus shalt thou find the way of religion.

On meeting a true guru doubt is dispelled and the wander ings of the mind restrained.

It raineth nectar, slow ecstatic music is heard, and man is happy within himself.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 61

Abide pure amid the impurities of the world ; thus shalt thou find the way of religion.

Nanak, in the midst of life be in death ; practise such religion.

When thy horn soundeth without being blown, thou shalt obtain the fearless dignity —

Abide pure amid the impurities of the world, thus shalt thou find the way of religion.1

On hearing this the Sidhs made Guru Nanak obeisance. The Guru, having infused sap into the pipal-tree by sitting under it, necessarily became a great being in their estimation.

The Guru and his musical attendant proceeded to Banaras,2 the head quarters of the Hindu religion, and the birthplace of the renowned Kabir, then dead but not forgotten. The Guru and Mardana sat down in a public square of the city. At that time the chief Brahman of the holy city was Pandit Chatur Das. On going to bathe he saw the Guru and made the Hindu salutation, ' Ram Ram ! ' On observing the Guru's dress, he twitted him with possessing no salagram 3 though he called himself a faqir, with wearing no necklace of sacred basil and no rosary. ' What saintship hast thou obtained ? ' The Guru replied :—

Why irrigate barren land and waste thy life ? Why apply plaster to a frail tottering wall ? Repeating God's name, form a raft for thy salvation ; may the Merciful have mercy on thee !

Chatur Das replied : ' O saint, the salagram and the necklace of sweet basil may indeed be useless as the irrigation of barren land, but tell me by what means the ground may be prepared and God found.' The Guru replied :—

Make God the well, string His name for the necklace of waterpots, and yoke thy mind as an ox thereto.

Irrigate with nectar and fill the parterres therewith ; thus shalt thou belong to the Gardener.

The Pandit inquired : ' The soil is irrigated, but how can it yield produce until it hath been dug up and prepared for the seed ? ' The Guru explained how this was to be done : —

Beat both thy lust and anger into a spade, with which dig up the earth, O brother :

The more thou diggest, the happier shalt thou be : such work shall not be effaced in vain.

The Pandit replied : ' I am the crane, and thou art the primal swan of God. My understanding is overcome by my senses/ The Guru replied : —

If thou, O Merciful One, show mercy, a crane shall change into a swan.

v/Nanak, slave of slaves, supplicateth, O Merciful One have mercy.1

The Pandit then admitted that the Guru was a saint of God, and asked him to bless the city and sing its praises. The Guru inquired in what the specialty of the city consisted. The Pandit said it was learning, by which wealth was acquired. ' The world admireth the ground on which the possessor of wealth treadeth. By applying the mind to learning, thou shalt become a high priest.' The Guru replied in a series of metaphors : —

The city 2 is frail, the king 3 is a boy and loveth the wicked ;

He is said to have two mothers 4 and two fathers 5 ; O Pandit, think upon this.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 63

O, sir Pandit, instruct me

How I am to obtain the Lord of life.

^Within me is the fire,1 the garden 2 is in bloom, and I have an ocean 3 within my body.

The moon and sun 4 are both in my heart ; thou hast not obtained such knowledge ?

He who subdueth mammon knoweth that God is every where diffused ;

He may be known by this mark that he storeth con tentment as his wealth.5

The king dwelleth with those who listen not to advice, and who are not grateful for what they receive.

Nanak, slave of slaves, representeth, 0 God, in one moment makest the small great and the great small.6

Chatur Das requested further information. ' Sir, shall the name of God be to any extent obtained by what we teach the people and what we learn ourselves ? ' The Guru inquired in return : ' O reli gious teacher, what hast thou read ? What teachest thou the people, and what knowledge dost thou communicate to thy disciples ? ' The Pandit replied : ' By the will of God I teach the people the fourteen sciences — reading, swimming, medicine, alchemy, astrology, singing the six rags and their raginis, the science of sexual enjoyment, grammar, music, horsemanship, dancing, archery, theology, and states manship/ The Guru replied that better than all these was knowledge of God. Upon this he repeated the long composition called the Oamkar in the Rag

Ramkali, the first two pauris or stanzas of which

are as follow :—

* It is the one God who created Brahma ; l

It is the one God who created our understanding ;

It is from the one God the mountains and the ages of the world emanated ;

It is the one God who bestoweth knowledge.

It is by the word of God man is saved.

It is by the name of the one God the pious are saved.

Hear an account of the letter O — 2

O is the best letter in the three worlds.

Hear, O Pandit, why writest thou puzzles ?

Write under the instruction of the Guru the name of God, the Cherisher of the world.

He created the world with ease : in the three worlds there is one Lord of Light.

Under the Guru's instruction select gems and pearls, and thou shalt obtain God the real thing.

If man understand, reflect, and comprehend what he readeth, he shall know at last that the True One is every where.3

The pious man knoweth and rem ember eth the truth — that without the True One the world is unreal.

On hearing the whole fifty-four stanzas of the Oamkar, the Pandit fell at the Guru's feet, and became a Sikh and possessor of God's name.

During the Guru's stay at Banaras Krishan Lai and Har Lai, two eminent young pandits, went to visit him, and he explained to them the tenets and principles of his religion.

From Banaras the Guru proceeded to Gaya, the famous place of pilgrimage, where Buddha in days long past made his great renunciation and per formed his memorable penance. There the Guru uttered the following in reply to Brahmans who had

This means that the true God is superior to all other gods. - The symbol of the eternal God. It is here used instead of the Name. 3 Nirantar, pervades creation uninterruptedly.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 65

urged him to perform the ceremonies usual among Hindus for the repose of the souls of ancestors.

The Name alone, is my lamp, suffering the oil I put therein.

The lamp's light hath dried it up, and I have escaped meeting Death.

0 ye people, make me not an object of derision.

The application of a particle of fire will destroy even hundreds of thousands of logs heaped together.1

God is my barley rolls 2 and leafy platters,3 the Creator's name the true obsequies.4

In this world and the next, in the past and the future, that is my support.

Thy praises are as the Ganges and Banaras to me ; my soul laveth therein.

If day and night I love Thee, then shall my ablution be true.

Some rolls are offered to the gods, some to the manes 5 ; but it is the Brahman who kneadeth and eateth them.

Nanak, the rolls which are the gift of God are never exhausted.6

The Guru and Mardana in the course of their travels found themselves at a grain-dealer* s house. A son had just been born to one of the partners, and several people had come to offer him congratula tions. Some threw red powder7 in token of joy, and voices of blessing and congratulation filled the neighbourhood. Mardana sat down and gazed on the

spectacle. In the evening, when the grain-dealer's entertainment was at an end, he stood up and went to his private apartments without taking any notice of Mardana. The latter went to the Guru, who sat at some distance, informed him of the birth of the child, and gave him an account of the enter tainment. The Guru smiled, and said it was not a son who had been born in the grain-dealer's house, but a creditor who had come to settle his account. He would remain for the night and depart in the morning. Then the Guru ordered Mardana to play the rebeck, and sang to its strains the following hymn :—

In the first watch of night, my merchant friend, the child

by God's order entereth the womb.

With body reversed it performeth penance within, O

merchant friend, and prayeth to the Lord- It prayeth to the Lord in deep meditation and love. It cometh naked into the world, and again it departeth

naked. Such destiny shall attend it as God's pen hath recorded

upon its forehead.

Saith Nanak, in the first watch the child on receiving the

order entereth the womb.

In the second watch of night, O merchant friend, it for- getteth to meditate on God.

It is dandled in the arms, O merchant friend, like Krishan in the house of Yasodha.

The child is dandled in the arms, and its mother saith, * This is my son.'

Think on this, O thoughtless and stupid man,1 nothing shall be thine at last.

Thou knowest not Him who created thee ; meditate upon Him in thy heart.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 67

Saith Nanak, the child hath forgotten to meditate at the second watch.

At the third watch of night, O merchant friend, man's thoughts are of woman and the pleasures of youth ;

He thinketh not of God's name, O merchant friend, which would release him from his bondage.

Man thinketh not of God's name, but groweth beside him self with worldly love.

Devoted to woman and intoxicated with his youth he wasteth his life in vain.

He hath not traded in virtue or made good acts his friends.

Saith Nanak, in the third watch man's thoughts are of woman and the pleasures of youth.

In the fourth watch of night, 0 merchant friend, the reaper cometh to the field ;

The secret hath been given to none when Death shall seize and take away his victim.

Think upon God ; the secret hath been given to none when Death shall seize and take man away.

Hollow are the lamentations around. In one moment man's goods become another's.

He shall obtain those things on which he hath set his heart.1

Saith Nanak, O mortal, in the fourth watch the reaper hath reaped the field.2

When morning came, the grain-dealer's child died, and the grain-dealer and his relatives came forth weeping and wailing. Mardana asked the Guru what sudden change of fortune had come to those who yesterday had been engaged in their rejoicings

F 2

and saturnalia. Then the Guru uttered the following on the vicissitudes of human life :—

They to whose faces were uttered gratulations and hundreds of thousands of blessings,

Now smite their heads in grief; and their minds and bodies suffer agony.

Of the dead some are buried, others are thrown into rivers.1

The gratulations have passed away ; but even so do thou, O Nanak, praise the True One.

As the Guru and Mardana pursued their way they saw a small enclosed field of gram.2 The watchman of the field began to roast some for his dinner, while the Guru and Mardana gazed at him at a distance. As the watchman was preparing to eat, he saw them, and it occurred to him that they wanted something more dainty than gram, so he would go to his house and bring them better fare and comfortable bedding. As he stood up, the Guru, who did not wish to trouble him, asked whither he was going, and, on being informed, uttered the following verses : —

Thy pallet is a coverlet and mattress for me ; thy love is my dainty dish.

Nanak is already satiated with thy good qualities ; come back, O monarch.

In due time the watchman obtained spiritual dignity in return for his kind intentions towards the Guru.

There was at that time a shopkeeper whose mind had taken a religious bent, and who desired to meet a religious guide. He heard of Guru Nanak's arrival, and vowed that he would not eat or drink until he had had an interview with him. Having

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 69

once visited the Guru he continually went to him to receive religious instruction. A neighbouring shopkeeper heard of his friend's visits, and said that he too would go to see the holy man. They proceeded together, but on the way the second shopkeeper saw a woman of whom he became enamoured, and his visit to Nanak was indefinitely postponed. It was the custom of both to set out together, one to visit his mistress, and the other to visit the Guru. The second shopkeeper desired to put the fortunes of both to the test, and said, ' Thou practisest good works, while I practise bad works. Let us see what shall happen to each of us to-day. If I arrive first, I will sit down and wait for thee ; and if thou arrive first, then wait for me/ This was agreed upon. The second shopkeeper went to the house of his mistress as usual, but did not find her. He then proceeded to the spot where his :friend had agreed to meet him, but his friend, who on that day tarried long with the Guru, had not yet arrived. The second shopkeeper needing some occupa tion in his solitude, drew out his knife and began to whittle the ground with it, when he found a shining gold coin. He continued his excavations with the weak delving implement he possessed, when, to his disappointment, he only discovered a jar of charcoal. He had, however, obtained some reward for his labour.

Meanwhile the first shopkeeper arrived in doleful case. Having left the Guru, a thorn pierced his foot. He bound up the wound, and proceeded sore limping to the trysting-place. His friend told him of his better fortune. They both saw that he who went daily to commit sin prospered, while he who went to his religious teacher to pray and meditate on God, suffered ; and they agreed to refer to Guru Nanak for an explanation of their unequal and unmerited fates.

The Guru explained that the sinful shopkeeper had in a former birth given a gold coin as alms to a holy man. That coin was converted into many

gold coins as a reward for the alms-giver, but, when he entered on his career of sin, the gold coins were turned into charcoal. The original gold coin was, however, restored. The shopkeeper who visited the Guru, had deserved to die by an impaling stake for the sins of deceit and usury, but, as he continued to progress in virtue, the impaling stake was reduced in size till it became merely a thorn. Having been pierced by it, he had fully expiated the sins of a former birth. Thus may the decree of destiny be altered by the practice of virtue. Both men were thoroughly satisfied with this explanation of unequal retribution. The sinful as well as the virtuous man fell at Guru Nanak's feet, and both became true worshippers of God. The Guru then uttered the following verses : —

The heart is the paper, conduct the ink ; l good and bad are both recorded therewith.

Man's life is as his acts constrain him ; there is no limit to Thy praises, O God.

O fool, why callest thou not to mind Thy Creator ?

Thy virtues have dissolved away by thy forgetfulness of God.

Night is a small net, day a large one ; there are as many meshes as there are gharis in the day.

With relish thou ever peckest at the bait, and art ensnared ; O fool, by what skill shalt thou escape ?

The body is the furnace, the mind the iron therein ; five fires 2 are ever applied to it.

Sin is the charcoal added thereto, by which the mind is heated ; anxiety is the pincers.

The mind hath turned into dross, but it shall again become gold when it meeteth such a Guru

As will bestow the ambrosial name of the one God; then, Nanak, the mind shall become fixed.3

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 71

The Guru then took the opportunity of discoursing on the immoral shopkeeper's peculiar vice : * Man is fickle when he beholdeth a courtesan ; he then hath a special desire for love's play, and can in no way be restrained. On meeting her he loseth his human birth. Bereft of his religion he falleth into hell, where he undergoeth punishment and profusely lamenteth. Wherefore look not on her, but pass thy time among the holy.'

After this they all separated, and the Guru and Mardana continued their wanderings. On the way they were encountered by robbers. On seeing Guru Nanak, they said to themselves that he on whose face shone such happiness could not be without wealth. They accordingly went and stood around the Guru. As they beheld him morning dawned, so they were able to examine him more closely. He asked them who they were, and what they wanted. They candidly replied that they were thags,1 and had come to rob him. The Guru gave them spiritual instruction, and said that their sins should be wiped out when they had abandoned their evil career, turned to agriculture, and bestowed charity out of the spoils in their possession. They acted on his suggestions, began to repeat the Name, and reform their lives. The Guru on that occasion composed the following :—

Covetousness is a dog, falsehood a sweeper, food obtained by deceit carrion ;

Slander of others is merely others' filth in our mouths ; the fire of anger is a sweeper.2

Pleasures and self-praise— these are mine acts, O Creator.

My friends, doth any one obtain honour by mere words ?

Call them the best, who are the best at the gate of the Lord ; they who do base acts sit and weep.

There is pleasure in gold, pleasure in silver and in women, pleasure in the perfume of sandal ;

There is pleasure in horses, pleasure in couches and in palaces, pleasure in sweets, and pleasure in meats.

When such are the pleasures of the body, how shall God's name obtain a dwelling therein ?

It is proper to utter the words by which honour is obtained.

Injury resulteth from uttering harsh words ; hearken, O foolish and ignorant man.

They who please God are good ; what more can be said ?

They in whose heart God is contained possess wisdom, honour, and wealth.

What need is there of praising them ? What further decoration can they obtain ?

Nanak, they who are beyond God's favouring glance love not charity or His name.1

By the following the Guru recommended agricul tural labour : —

The oxen are disciples,2 the ploughman is their Shaikh ; 3 The earth is a book, the furrow the writing. The sweat of the ploughman's brow falleth to his heels, And every one eateth of his earning.4 They who eat the fruit of their earning and bestow a little from it,

O Nanak, recognize the true way.

Then the Guru departed thence.

' On its oxen and its husbandmen An empire's strength is laid.'

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 73

The Guru and Mardana went to Kamrup,1 a coun try whose women were famous for their skill in incantation and magic. It was governed by a queen called Nurshah in the Sikh chronicles. She with several of her females went to the Guru and tried to obtain influence over him.

Then the Guru uttered the following verses : —

You buy saline earth,2 and want musk into the bargain : Without good works, Nanak, how shall you meet your Spouse ?

The Guru continued as follows : —

The virtuous wife enjoyeth her husband ; why doth the bad one bewail ?

If she become virtuous, then shall she too go to enjoy her husband.

My Spouse is an abode of sweetness ; why should He enjoy other women ?

If a woman become virtuous and turn her heart into a thread,

She shall string her Spouse's heart thereon like a priceless gem.

I show the way to others, but walk not in it myself ; 3 I say I have already traversed it.

If thou, 0 my Spouse, speak not to me, how shall I abide in Thy house ?

Nanak, excepting One there is none besides.

If Thy wife, O Spouse, remain attached to Thee, she shall enjoy Thee.4

Nurshah observed that her people's spells were of no avail, however much they tried. The Guru, on

' Fungar vice cotis, acutum Reddere quae ferrum valet, exsors ipsa secandi.' — HORACE.

beholding their fruitless efforts, uttered the following hymn in the Suhi measure entitled Kuchajji, or the woman of bad character : —

I am a worthless woman ; in me are faults ; how can I go to enjoy my Spouse ?

My Spouse's wives are one better than the other ; O my life, who careth for me ? l

My female friends who have enjoyed their Spouse are in the shade of the mango.2

I do not possess their virtues ; to whom can I attribute blame ? 3

What attributes of Thine, O Lord, shall I blazon abroad ? What names of Thine shall I repeat ?

I cannot even attain one of Thy many excellences : I am ever a sacrifice unto Thee.

Gold, silver, pearls, and rubies which gladden the heart —

These things the Bridegroom hath given me, and I have fixed my heart on them.4

I had palaces of brick fashioned with marble.

In these luxuries I forgot the Bridegroom and sat not near Him.

The kulangs cry in the heavens,5 and the cranes have come to roost.6

The woman goeth to her father-in-law's ; 7 how shall she show her face as she proceedeth ?

As morning dawned she soundly slept, and forgot her journey.

She separated from Thee, O Spouse, and therefore stored up grief for herself.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 75

In Thee, 0 Lord, are merits ; in me all demerits : Nanak hath this one representation to make.

Every night is for the virtuous woman ; may I though unchaste obtain a night also ! 1

Nurshah grew weary of her efforts. She felt that her ill success was the result of her sins. Her women then, beating drums, stood in front of the Guru, and began to dance and sing. He on that occasion com posed the following hymn : —

The impulses of my heart are my cymbals and madiras.2

The world is my drum ; this is the music that playeth for me.

Saints like Narad dance under the influence of this Kal age.3

They who call themselves continent and virtuous also enter the dance.

Nanak, I am a sacrifice to the Name.

The world is blind in the opinion of those who know the Lord.

Contrary to custom, a disciple eateth from the hand of his guru,

And goeth and dwelleth with him only for the sake of food.4

If man were to live and eat hundreds of years,

Only that day would be acceptable in which he recognized the Lord.

Compassion is not exercised by merely beholding a suitor ; 5

There is no one who receiveth or giveth not bribes.

The king dispenseth justice when his palm is filled.

If a man make a request for God's sake nobody heedeth him. /Nanak, men nowadays are men only in shape and name :

In action they are dogs ; shall they be accepted at God's gate?

If man by the favour of his guru deem himself a guest in this world,

He shall acquire some honour in God's court.1

Again the Guru uttered the following verses : —

In words we are good, but in acts bad.

We are impure-minded and black-hearted, yet we wear the white robes of innocence.2

We envy those who stand and serve at His gate.

They who love the Bridegroom and enjoy the pleasure of His embraces,

Are lowly even in their strength, and remain humble.

Nanak, our lives shall be profitable if we meet such women.3

When the Guru had uttered these verses, Nurshah thought she would tempt him with wealth. Her attendants brought pearls, diamonds, gold, silver, coral, sumptuous dresses, all things precious the state treasury contained, and laid them at his feet. The Guru rejected all the proffered presents, and uttered the following hymn, which he sang to Mar- dana's rebeck :—

0 silly woman, why art thou proud ?

Why enjoy est thou not the love of God4 in thine own home ?

The Spouse is near ; O foolish woman, why searchest thou abroad ?

Put the surma 5 needles of God's fear into thine eyes, and wear the decoration of love.

Thou shalt be known as a devoted happy wife 6 if thou love the Bridegroom.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 77

What shall a silly woman do if she please not her Spouse ?

However much she implore, she may not enter His chamber.

Without God's grace she obtaineth nothing, howsoever she may strive.

Intoxicated with avarice, covetousness, and pride, she is absorbed in mammon.

It is not by these means the Bridegroom is obtained ; silly is the woman who thinketh so.

Go and ask the happy wives l by what means they obtained their Spouse —

' Whatever He doeth accept as good ; have done with cleverness and orders.

' Apply thy mind to the worship of His feet by whose love what is most valued is obtained.2

* Do whatever the Bridegroom biddeth thee ; give Him thy body and soul ; such perfumes apply.' 3

Thus speak the happy wives : 4 ' O sister, by these means the Spouse is obtained.

' Efface thyself, so shalt thou obtain the Bridegroom ; what other art is there ? '

Only that day is of account when the Bridegroom looketh with favour ; the wife hath then obtained the wealth of the world.

She who pleaseth her Spouse is the happy wife ; Nanak, she is the queen of them all.

She is saturated with pleasure, intoxicated with happi ness,5 and day and night absorbed in His love.

She is beautiful and fair to view, accomplished, and it is she alone who is wise.6

Nurshah and her women, on hearing this hymn, twisted their head-dresses around their necks in token of submission, and fell at the Guru's feet. They asked how they could obtain salvation. The Guru told them to repeat God's name, conscientiously perform their domestic duties, renounce magic, and they should thus secure future happiness. It is said that they became followers of Guru Nanak, and thus secured salvation*

The Guru, on leaving Kamrup, entered a wilderness. There Kaljug1 came to tempt him. Mardana became sore afraid. The Guru remonstrated with him ; asked why he was afraid of Kaljug ; if he felt fear it ought to be the fear of God.

The Guru then sang the following hymn : —

Put the fear of God2 into thy heart ; then the fear of Death shall depart in fear.

What is that fear by fearing which the fear of Death may take fright ?

The soul dieth not, neither is it drowned ; it is saved through fear of God.

'He who made something will make something.

By His order man cometh ; by His order man goeth ;

Before and behind us His order prevaileth.

The swan of the heart aspireth to fly to heaven ;

But on the way it is a target for great hunger which restraineth it.

Let the swan make fear its eating, drinking, and support ;

Without such food the stupid bird would die.

Who hath a helper let anybody say.

Everybody is Thine ; Thou art the helper of all.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 79

Nanak, to name and meditate on Him to whom belong Men, lower animals, wealth, and property, is difficult .l

Mardana inquired who Kaljug was, by what signs he was known unto men, and what prerogative he exercised ? The Guru replied :—

When true men speak the truth and suffer for it ; when penitents fail to perform penance in their homes ;

When he who repeateth the name of God meeteth obloquy — these are the signs of the Kaljug.2

Kaljug offered the Guru the wealth of the world if he would abandon his mission. He said, ' I possess everything. Say but the word, and I will build thee a palace of pearls, inlay it with gems, and plaster it with fragrant aloes and sandal. I will bring thee very beautiful women, and give thee the wealth of the world, the power of working miracles, and confer upon thee the sovereignty of the East and of the West. Take whatever pleaseth thee/ The Guru informed him that he himself had renounced all sovereignty. What could he do with what Kaljug offered him, which moreover belonged to others ? Then the Guru uttered the following stanza :—

Were a mansion of pearls erected and inlaid with gems for me ;

Perfumed with musk, saffron, fragrant aloes and sandal to confer delight ;

May it not be that on beholding these things I may forget Thee, 0 God, and not remember Thy name !

My soul burneth without Thee.

I have ascertained from my Guru that there is no other shelter than in God.

Were the earth to be studded with diamonds and rubies, and my couch to be similarly adorned ;

Were fascinating damsels whose faces were decked with jewels to shed lustre and enhance the pleasure of the scene ;

May it not be that on beholding them I may forget Thee and not remember Thy name I

Were I to become a Sidh and work miracles ; could I command the wealth of the universe to come to me ;

Could I disappear and appear at pleasure, and were the world to honour me ;

May it not be that on beholding these things I may forget Thee and not remember Thy name !

Were I to become a monarch on my throne and raise an army ;

Were dominion and regal revenue mine — O Nanak, they would be all worthless —

May it not be that on beholding these things I may forget Thee and not remember Thy name ! l

Then Kaljug went round him in adoration, fell at his feet, and took his departure.

On the way Guru and Mardana sought shelter in a village, but were not allowed to remain there. The villagers began to play practical jokes on them. The Guru on that occasion uttered the following verses : —

When I remain silent, they say I have no understanding in my heart ;

When I speak, they say I chatter too much ;

When I sit, they say I have spread my pallet to stay ;

When I go away, they say I have thrown dust on my head ; 2

When I bow down, they say I perform my devotions through fear.

I can do nothing by which I may spend my time in peace.

Both here and hereafter may the Creator preserve Nanak's honour !

Then the Guru composed the following hymn in the Rag Malar : —

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 81

Death is forgotten amid eating and drinking, laughter and sleep.

By forgetting the Lord man hath ruined himself and ren dered his life accursed ; he is not to tarry here.

O man, ponder on the one Name,

And thou shalt go to thy home with honour.

What do they who worship Thee give Thee ? Nay, they cease not to beg of Thee.

Thou conferrest gifts on all creatures ; Thou art the life within their lives.

The pious who meditate on God receive nectar ; it is they who are pure.

Day and night repeat the Name, 0 mortal, that thine impurities may be washed away.

As is the season so the comfort of the body, and so the body itself.1

The Guru and Mardana did not remain long in that village. Mardana asked the Guru what his decision was regarding its inhabitants. He replied, ' O Mardana, may they remain here ! '

The inhabitants of the next village at which they arrived showed them great attention. They remained there, however, for only one night, and departed next morning. The Guru when leaving said that the village should be abandoned. Then Mardana re marked, ' Sir, the village in which we were not allowed to sit down, thou hast blessed ; and that which bestowed great attention and kindness on us thou hast cursed.' The Guru replied, ' Mardana, if the people of the former village remove to another, they shall ruin it ; but if the people of the latter village remove to another, they shall save it.'

The Guru returned from Kamrup by the great river Brahmaputra, and then made a coasting voyage to Puri on the Bay of Bengal, where Vishnu or

G

Krishan, under the name of Jagannath, lord of the world, is specially worshipped. When the lamps were lit in the evening the Guru was invited by the high priest to stand up and join in the god's worship, which was of a gorgeous and imposing character. In that rich temple offerings to the god were made on salvers studded with pearls. On the salvers were placed flowers and censers. A fan was employed to excite the flames of the incense, while the lamps around threw light over the temple. But the use of these articles showed artificial worship, while the expanse of the firmament, the sun and the moon, the procession of the stars, the natural incense of the sandal, the winds and forests, were the fitting acces sories of Nanak's purer worship of the God of creation. The Guru therefore, instead of accepting the high priest's invitation to adore the idol, raised his eyes to heaven, and gave utterance to the following hymn : —

The sun and moon, O Lord, are thy lamps ; the firmament, Thy salver ; the orbs of the stars, the pearls enchased in it.

The perfume of the sandal l is Thine incense ; the wind is Thy fan ; 2 all the forests are Thy flowers, O Lord of light.3

J The following is Dr. Trumpp's translation of these two verses : —

The dish is made of the sky, the sun and moon are made the lamps, the orbs of stars are, so to say, the pearls.

The wind is incense-grinding, the wind swings the fly-brush, the whole blooming wood is the flames (of the lamps).

While the present author was engaged in translating the sacred writings of the Sikhs at their request, one Bhai Gurumukh Singh projected a rival translation, which was to surpass all others. His modus operandi was to alter Dr. Trumpp's words here and there, and thus produce what he perhaps deemed would be an original version. He circulated the following as his translation of these lines : —

The sky is for my plate (for arti) ; the sun and moon are for lamps ; (and) rows of stars are as it were for pearls.

The air of sandal wood for perfumary smoke, the wind (for my) fan and all the rows of blooming forests (for flowers), O Lord of light.

What worship is this, O Thou Destroyer of birth ? l Un beaten strains of ecstasy are the trumpets of Thy worship.

Thou hast a thousand eyes and yet not one 2 eye ; Thou hast a thousand forms and yet not one form ; 3

Thou hast a thousand pure feet and yet not one foot ; Thou hast a thousand organs of smell and yet not one organ — I am fascinated by this play of Thine.*

The light which is in everything is Thine, O Lord of light.

From its brilliancy everything is brilliant ;

By the Guru's teaching the light becometh manifest.

What pleaseth Thee is the real arati.5

O God, my mind is fascinated with Thy lotus feet as the bumble-bee with the flower : night and day I thirst for them.

Give the water of Thy grace to the sarang 6 Nanak, so that he may dwell in Thy name.7

L That is, of transmigration.

beard clearest at night. It is said that they make love's unhealed wounds bleed anew. 7 Dhanasari.

G 2

While at Jagannath, Guru Nanak met a Brahman who kept his eyes and nose closed so as to receive no pleasure from these organs. He averred that in that state he with his mental eyes saw the secrets of the world. Nanak hid his lota and the Brahman could not find it, so Nanak by the following hymn in the Dhanasari measure twitted him on his want of omniscience : —

This is not the age, there is no longer acquaintance with Jog ; this is not the way of truth.

The holy places in the world have fallen ; the world is thus ruined.

In this Kal age God's name is the best thing.

Thou closest thine eyes and boldest thy nose to deceive the world.

Thou boldest thy nose with thy thumb and first two fingers, and sayest that thou seest the three worlds.

But thou seest not what is behind thee, this is a wonderful thing.1

The Guru and Mardana after their travels in Eastern India returned to the Panjab, and proceeded on a visit to the shrine of Shaikh Farid, a Moslem saint, at a place then called Ajodhan, but now Pak Pattan, in the southern part of that province. A saint called Shaikh Brahm (Ibrahim) was then the incumbent of the shrine. He was the first to speak. On seeing the Guru, whom he knew to be a religious man, dressed in ordinary secular costume, he said : —

Either seek for high position 2 or for God.

Put not thy feet on two boats lest thy property founder.3

The Guru replied : —

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 85

Put thy feet on two boats and thy property also on them : 1 One boat may sink, but the other shall cross over.2 For me there is no water, no boat, no wreck, and no loss. Nanak, the True One is my property and wealth, and He is naturally everywhere contained.

Shaikh Brahm replied : —

Nanak, while thou lookest on, the field 4 is ruined.

Upon this the Guru urged : —

Nanak, the field shall not be ruined if the watchman be on the alert.

Then Shaikh Brahm : —

Farid, my body faileth, my heart is broken, and no strength whatever remaineth me.

Arise, beloved, become my physician and give me medicine.

Then the Guru exhorted him : — My friend, examine the truth, lip-worship is hollow. Nanak, the Beloved is not far from thee ; behold Him in thy heart.

Then Shaikh Brahm uttered the following : — When thou oughtest to have made thy raft, thou didst

not do so ; When the full river 5 overfloweth, it is difficult to cross

over.

Put not thy hand into the fire or it will burn,1 my dear.

Some have obtained honour for themselves by uttering God's name.

As milk will not return to the udder, so the soul will not again enter the same body.

Saith Farid, O my companions, when the Spouse calleth

you,

The soul shall depart in perplexity, and the body become a heap of dust.2

The Guru replied by a hymn in the same measure : —

Make a raft of devotion and penance, so mayest thou cross the stream.3

There is no lake, no overflowing ; such a road is easy.

Such colour is everlasting, O my dear.

If thou, my beloved, go not thus arrayed to meet the Bridegroom, how canst thou meet Him ?

If thou possess virtues, He will meet thee.

If He become united with thee, He will not part from thee ; that is, if union be really effected.

It is the True One who putteth an end to transmigration.

She who hath abandoned egotism hath sewed for herself a garment to please the Bridegroom.

Under the Guru's instruction she obtaineth her reward in the ambrosial converse of her Lord.

Nanak saith, O female companions, the Lord is thoroughly dear.

We are His slaves, true is our Spouse.

Then Shaikh Brahm uttered the following : —

They who have heart-felt love for God are the true ; But they who have one thing in their hearts and utter another are accounted false.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 87

They who are imbued with the love of God and a longing to behold Him are also true.

They who forget God's name are a burden to the earth.

God hath attached to His skirt those who were darweshes at His gate.

Blest the mothers who bore them ; profitable was their advent into the world.

1 kiss the feet of those who recognize the True One.

I seek Thy shelter, O God ; it is Thou who pardonest. Grant Thy worship as charity to Shaikh Farid.1

On this the Guru uttered the hymn called Suchajji, the fortunate, in the Suhi measure :—

When I have Thee I have everything ; Thou, O Lord, art my treasure.

In Thee I dwell in peace, in Thee to dwell is my pride ;

If it please Thee, Thou bestowest a throne and greatness ; if it please Thee, Thou makest man a forlorn mendicant ;

If it please Thee, rivers flow over dry land, and the lotus bloometh in the heavens ;

If it please Thee, man crosseth the terrible ocean ; if it please Thee, he is drowned therein ;

• If it please Thee, Thou art my merry Spouse — I am absorbed in Thy praises, 0 Lord 2 of excellences.

If it please Thee, O Lord, Thou terrifiest me, and then I am undone with transmigration.

What can I ask of Thee ? What can I say to Thee ? I hunger and thirst for a sight of Thee.

Under the instruction of the Guru I have obtained the Lord ; Nanak's prayer hath been granted.

The Guru and Shaikh Brahm remained together that night in the forest. A kind-hearted and charit able villager who had seen them, took them a basin of milk before daylight. The Shaikh separated his own share from that of the Guru, and uttered these verses : —

Devotion in the beginning of the night is the blossom, in the end of the night l the fruit. They who watch obtain gifts from the Lord.2

The Guru responded : —

Gifts are the Lord's ; what can prevail against Him ? 3 Some who are awake receive them not ; others who are asleep He awaketh, and conferreth presents upon them.4

The Guru then asked Shaikh Brahm to put his hand into the milk and feel what was in it. Farid found that it contained four gold coins. Upon this the villager, deeming that he was in the hands of magicians, went away without his basin. The Guru uttered the following hymn : —

O thou with the beautiful eyes, in the first watch of a dark night

Watch thy property, O mortal ; thy turn shall come next.

When thy turn cometh, who will awake thee ? Death shall taste thy sweets as thou sleepest.

The night is dark ; what shall become of thee when the thief breaketh into and robbeth thy house ?

O inaccessible, incomparable Protector, hear my suppli cation.

• O Nanak, the fool hath never thought of God ; what can he see in a dark night ?

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 89

It is the second watch ; awake, O heedless one.

Watch thy property, O mortal ; thy field is being eaten up.

Watch thy field, love God's praises ; while thou art awake, the thief shall not touch thee.

Then shalt thou not go the way of Death, nor suffer from him ; the fear and dread of him shall depart.

The lamps of the sun and moon shall shine for thee, if thou under the Guru's instruction ponder on the True One in thy heart, and utter His name with thy lips.

Nanak, the fool heedeth not even now ; how shall he obtain happiness in the second watch ?

It is the third watch, thou art wrapt in slumber.

By wealth, children, and wives men are afflicted with sorrow :

Yet wealth, children, wives, and worldly possessions are dear to man ; he nibbleth at the bait, and is continually caught.

If man under the Guru's instruction meditate on the Name, he shall obtain rest, and Death shall not seize him.1

Transmigration and death never forsake us ; without the Name we are afflicted.

Nanak, in the third watch men, under the influence of the three qualities,2 feel worldly love.

The demigods possess goodness in excess, the demons darkness, and men passion. Manu thus defines the three qualities : ' It ought to be known that the three gunas or fetters of the soul are goodness, passion, and darkness. Restrained by one or more of these it is ever

It is the fourth watch ; the sun riseth.

They who night and day are watchful have saved their homes.

Night is pleasant for those who under the Guru's instruc tion watch and apply themselves to the Name.

They who act according to the instruction of the Guru shall not be born again ; the Lord will befriend them.

In the fourth watch hands shake, feet and frames totter, eyes grow dim, and men's bodies become like ashes.

Nanak, without God's name abiding in the mind man is unhappy during the four watches.

The knot of life is open ; arise, thine allotted time hath come.

All pleasures and happiness are at an end ; Death will lead thee captive away.

Without being seen or heard he will lead thee captive, when it so pleaseth God.

His turn shall come to every one ; the ripe field shall ever be cut down.

An account of every ghari and moment shall be taken, and the soul shall obtain punishment or reward.

Nanak, God made everything, demigods and men are herein agreed.1

When the Guru and Shaikh Brahm left the forest the villager returned to fetch his basin. On lifting it up, it is said, he found that it had become gold, and was filled with gold coins. Then he began to repent of his suspicions, and confessed to himself that they were religious men. If he had come with

attached to forms of existence. Whenever any one of the three qualities predominates, it causes the embodied spirit to abound in that quality/ The aim of the soul apparently should be to divest itself of all three qualities. Compare Plato's distinction of the three parts of the mind corresponding to the three classes of his ideal state. 1 Tukhari Chhant.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 91

his heart disposed towards God, he would have gained holiness. ' I came with worldliness, and worldliness have I found.' Upon this he took up his basin and departed.

Shaikh Brahm remarked that it was difficult for those who attached themselves to mammon to obtain salvation, and inquired what aid besides God's name was ordinarily necessary for future happiness. The Guru replied with the following hymn :—

The union of father and mother produceth a body, On which the Creator hath written its destiny, The gifts, the divine lights, and the greatness allotted it • But on associating with mammon it loseth remembrance of God.

0 foolish man, why art thou proud ?

Thou shalt have to depart when it pleaseth the Lord.

Abandon pleasures, and peace and happiness shall be thine.

Thou shalt have to leave thy home ; no one is permanent here.

Eat a little and leave a little,

If thou art again to return to this world.1

Man decketh his body, dresseth it in silk,

And issueth many orders ;

He maketh a couch of ease and sleepeth thereon.

Why weepeth he when he f alleth into the hands of Death ? 2

Domestic entanglements are a whirlpool, O brother ;

Sin is a stone which floateth not over.

Put thy soul on the raft of God's fear, and thou shalt be saved.

Saith Nanak, such a raft God giveth but to few.3

Then the people brought them bread, but Shaikh Brahm said that he had already dined. The people, annoyed that their offerings were thus spurned, said

to him : ' You must be a liar from that country where Farid, who wore a wooden cake on his stomach, held religious sway. Whenever any one offered him food he used to say he had taken dinner/ l Upon this Shaikh Brahm said : ' What shall be my condi tion, who am ever saying that I have dined, when I am only fasting ? ' The Guru was pleased to observe the Shaikh's tender conscience, and said to him : ' Shaikh Brahm, God is in thee.' The Shaikh then asked the Guru to tell him of God, and by what virtues and merits He was to be found. The Guru replied as follows : —

Come, my sisters and dear companions, embrace me.

Having embraced me, tell me tales of the Omnipotent Spouse.

In the true Lord are all merits, in us all dements.

Meditate on the one Word ; where Thou, 0 God, art, what more is required ?

Go ask the happy wife by what merits she enjoy eth her Spouse —

* Composure, contentment, and sweet discourse are mine ornaments.

' I met my Beloved, who is an abode of pleasure, when I heard the Guru's word.'

How great, O God, is Thy power ! how great Thy gifts !

How many men and lower animals utter Thy praises day and night !

How many are Thy forms and colours ! how many castes high and low !

When the true Guru is found, truth is produced, and man becoming true is absorbed in the truth.

When man is filled with fear through the Guru's instruc tions, then he obtaineth understanding, and honour re- sulteth.

Nanak, the true King then blendeth man with Himself.2

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 93

The Guru, after his pleasant visit to Shaikh Brahm and his district, where he made several converts, proceeded to a country called Bisiar, probably the state of Bushahir in the Himalayas, where he was ill received. The inhabitants, deeming his presence pollution, purified every place he had stood on. One man alone, Jhanda, a carpenter, was found to treat him with hospitality. He took him to his house, washed his feet, and drank the water used for the purpose. While drinking, it was revealed to him that Nanak was a Guru. He joined him in his wanderings.

The Guru and his companions directed their steps to the East. They went to an island in the ocean where they could obtain no food. There the Guru composed the Jugawali, a poem (no longer extant) on the four ages of the world. Jhanda committed it to writing and circulated it. With the new composition in his possession he returned to his own country, leaving the Guru and Mardana to continue their pilgrimage.

Not long after they found themselves in a lonely desert. Mardana began to feel the pangs of hunger, and thus addressed his master : ' We are lost in this great wilderness, from which God alone can extricate us. Here I shall fall into the clutches of some wild animal which will kill and eat me/ The Guru asked him to take care, and nothing should come near him. He further consoled him by stating that they were not in a desert, as the place where God's name was uttered was always inhabited. ' Many better men than we', said the Guru, 'have endured greater hardships.' Upon this he composed the following :—

The demigods in order to behold Thee, O God, made pilgrimages in sufferings and hunger.

Jogis andjatis1go their own ways, and don ochre-coloured garbs.

For Thy sake, O my Lord, the darweshes are imbued with love.

Thy names are various, Thy forms are various, the number of Thy merits cannot be told.

Men leaving houses and homes, palaces, elephants and horses go abroad.

Priests, prophets, holy and sincere men leave the world to obtain salvation.

They abandon good living, rest, happiness, and dainties ; they doff clothes, and wear skins.

Imbued with Thy name they in anguish and pain become darweshes at Thy gate.

They don skins, carry begging bowls, staves, and wear hair-tufts, sacrificial threads, and loin-cloths.

Thou art the Lord, I am Thy player ; Nanak repre- senteth, what is caste ? 1

The Guru further remonstrated with his attendant : ' We cannot succeed without God's word. Think of some hymn and play the rebeck.' Mardana replied that his throat was collapsing for want of food, and he had no strength to move, much less to play. The Guru then pointed to a tree and told him to eat his fill of its fruit, but take none with him. Mardana accordingly began to eat, and so much enjoyed the flavour of the fruit, that he thought he would eat what he could, and also take some with him, lest he might soon again find himself in a similar plight.

As they continued their wanderings, Mardana again felt hungry, so he drew forth his stock of fruit. Directly he tasted it he fell down. The Guru inquired what had happened. Mardana confessed his dis obedience of his master's instructions in having brought with him and eaten some of the forbidden fruit. The Guru remonstrated with him for his disregard of orders. The fruit was poisonous, but the Guru had blessed it for the occasion and made

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 95

it wholesome. The Guru put his foot on Mardana's forehead as he lay stretched on the ground, and he at once revived.

Mardana had by this time had enough of travel, hardship, and hunger, and thus addressed his mas ter : ' Blessings on thy devotion and thy deeds ! Thou art a holy man who hast abandoned the world, who neither eatest nor drinkest, and who never enterest a village. How can I remain with thee ? ' The Guru asked him on what conditions he would change his mind and continue to accompany him. He replied, ' I will remain with thee if thou satisfy my hunger in the same way as thou satisfiest thine own ; and if thou also promise not to take notice of anything I do/ The Guru agreed to these conditions, and told him he should be happy in this world and the next. Mardana then fell at his feet.

It would appear, however, that Mardana soon represented to the Guru the duty and propriety of returning home, and seeing his parents after twelve years' wandering. The Guru adopted his suggestion, and they both directed their steps towards Talwandi. They halted in the forest some three miles from the village. Mardana asked permission to go home and inquire if his people were dead or alive. The Guru replied, ' Since thou desire it, go and see thy people. Go also to my father Kalu's house, but mention not my name. Return quickly.'

When Mardana reached his house he found several persons assembled there. They all affectionately greeted him, and said he had grown like Nanak. He was a great man now, and no longer the humble person he had been before. Mardana, having seen his people, proceeded to the house of Kalu, and sat down in his courtyard. The Guru's mother, on

seeing him, arose, embraced him, and wept for joy. She asked for some account of her son Nanak. By that time a great crowd had assembled, and every one wanted to hear about him. Mardana evaded all inquiries, only telling people that he had been with Nanak. He then went away. The Guru's mother at once suspected that he must have had some ob ject in departing so quickly, and that her son could not be far off. She again arose, and taking some clothes and sweets for Nanak, followed Mardana and overtook him. She earnestly requested him to take her to her son. Mardana made no answer, but went on his way, she following.

Nanak arose on seeing his mother, and respect fully saluted her. She kissed his forehead and began to weep, saying, ' I am a sacrifice unto thee. I am a sacrifice unto the ground thou treadest on. Seeing thy face hath made me happy. Now I desire that thou shouldst abandon thy wanderings, abide with us, and turn thine attention to commerce for thy livelihood/ The Guru, who was in turn delighted to see his mother, called on Mardana to play the rebeck while he himself sang the following : —

Drunkards abandon not stimulants, nor fishes water :

So God is pleasing beyond all others to those who are imbued with their Lord.1

I am a sacrifice, I would be cut in pieces, 0 Lord, for Thy name.

The Lord is a fruit-bearing tree whose name is ambrosia.

They who have partaken of it are satisfied ; I am a sacrifice unto them.

Why appearest Thou not unto me, 0 Lord, since Thou abidest with all ?

If drunkards obtain not stimulants, and fishes water, they are pleased with nothing else,

So all who are imbued with their Lord are content with none but Him.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 97

How shall my thirst abate when there is a screen between the Tank l and me ?

Nanak is Thy dealer ; Thou O Lord, art his capital.

Illusion leaveth my mind when I praise and pray to Thee.2

His mother placed before Nanak the new clothes and sweets she had brought for him, and asked him to eat. He said he required no food. His mother inquired where he had eaten. He again called on Mardana to play an accompaniment to the following hymn :—

To obey God's word is all sweet flavour ; to hear it is salt flavour ;

To utter it with the mouth is acid flavour, and to sing it is spices.

The love of the one God is thirty-six dishes 3 for those on whom He looketh with favour.

O mother, other viands afford ruinous happiness ;

By eating them the body is pained, and sin entereth the mind.

His mother asked him to take off the faqir's jacket he wore, and put on the new becoming clothes she had brought him. His reply was the following : —

To be imbued with God is as red, truth and charity as white clothing ;

To cut away the blackness of sin is blue, to meditate on God's feet is the real raiment ;

Contentment is the waistband : Thy name, 0 Lord, is wealth and youth.

Mother, other dress affordeth ruinous happiness ;

By putting it on, the body is pained and sin entereth the mind.

By this time his father Kaluhad heard of Nanak's arrival, and went on horseback to meet him. Nanak

bowed to him, and fell at his feet. Meantime Kalu continued to weep for joy. He asked his son to mount the horse on which he had come, and go home with him. Nanak replied that he had no need of a horse, and then sang the following :-

To know Thy way, 0 God, is as horses with saddles made of gold.

To pursue virtue is as quivers, arrows, bows, spears, and sword-belts.

To be honourably distinguished is as bands and lances ; Thy favour, 0 God, is as caste for me.

Father, other conveyance affordeth ruinous happiness ;

By mounting it the body is pained, and sin entereth the mind.

The father again pressed the son to return with him, if only for once. He said he had built a new house which he should like to show him after his long absence. Nanak ought also to visit his wife, and then, if he felt so disposed, he might continue his wanderings. Nanak replied :—

The pleasure of the Name is as mansions and palaces ; Thy favouring glance, 0 Lord, is as family for me.

To please Thee is mine empire ; to say more were alto gether useless.

Nanak, true is the King ; He decideth without taking others' counsel.

Father, other intercourse affordeth ruinous happiness ;

By indulging in it the body is pained, and sin entereth the mind.1

Kalu again said : ' My son, tell me at what thou art offended. If thou desire it, I will find thee another wife.' The Guru replied as follows :—

He who made the world watcheth over it, and appointeth His creatures to their various duties.

Thy gifts, 0 Lord, are as light to the mind, and as the moon and lamps to the body.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 99

Thy gifts are as the moon and lamps to the body, by which the pain of darkness is dispelled.

The bridal procession of attributes which accompany the Bridegroom who hath chosen His bride, appeareth beautiful.

The marriage hath been performed with splendour to the accompaniment of the five musical instruments.1

I am a sacrifice to my unchanging companions and friends.

I have exchanged hearts with those to whom my body is attached.

Why should I forget those friends with whom I have exchanged hearts ?

Let those whose sight giveth pleasure be clasped to the heart.

All merits and not one demerit is theirs for ever and ever.

If one have a casket of virtues, let him extract odour from it.

If our friends possess virtues, let us go and become partners with them.

Let us form a partnership with virtue and abandon vice.

Let us wear silk, go in state, and take possession of our arena.2

Wherever we go, let us sit down, speak civilly, and skim and drink nectar.

If one have a casket of virtues, let him extract odour therefrom.

It is God Himself who acteth ; to whom should we complain ? No one else acteth.

Go and complain to Him if He forget.

If He forget, go and complain to Him ; but why should the Creator Himself forget ?

He heareth, seeth, giveth His gifts without asking or praying for.

The Giver, the Arranger of the world giveth His gifts, Nanak, and true is He.

H 2

ioo THE SIKH RELIGION

When He Himself acteth, to whom should we complain ? No one else acteth.1

Nanak continued to address Kalu : ' Father dear, it is God who arrangeth marriages. He maketh no mistake, and those whom He hath once joined He joineth for ever/ By these words the Guru perhaps meant to establish monogamy.2 The Guru's mother then interposed, and asked her son to stand up and go with them, and cease his nonsense. He would obtain wealth by attending to his worldly duties. The Guru replied with the following hymn : —

In the end of the night call upon the name of the Lord,

And tents, umbrellas, pavilions, and carriages shall appear ready for your celestial journey.

They are ever obtained by those who meditate on Thy name, 0 Lord.

Father, I am without good works and false ; I have not meditated on Thy name.

My mind is blind, led astray by superstition.

The pleasures I have had have blossomed into pain by primal destiny, O mother.

The pleasure was little ; the pain great ; in much pain have I passed my life.

What separation is there from those who have separated from God ? and what meeting is there with those who have met Him ?

Praise that Lord who made and beholdeth this play.

By good destiny men meet God and enjoy pleasures even in this life.

By evil destiny they who meet separate, O Nanak, but even so they meet again by God's favour.3

* Suhi Chhant.

Kalu, finding his arguments vain, appealed to his son on the score of his health and safety, and pointed out how regardless of them he had been. The following was the Guru's reply : —

I have no anxiety regarding death, and I have no desire for life.

Thou, 0 God, art the Cherisher of all living things ; our breathings l are taken into account.

Thou dwellest in the holy ; as it pleaseth Thee, so Thou decidest.

O my soul, by uttering God's name the heart is satisfied.

Under the Guru's instruction divine knowledge is obtained, and the burning of the heart extinguished.2

The Guru again addressed his parents : ' Father dear, mother dear, I have returned home. I have been until now a hermit. Obey God's order and let me again depart.' His mother replied : ' My son, how shall I console myself, seeing that thou hast only now returned after an absence of twelve years ? ' Then the Guru urged, ' Mother, agree to what I say ; con solation shall come to thee.1 She then became silent, thinking it was useless to make further remonstrance.

The Guru and Mardana again set out on their travels. It is said that they went to the west and crossed the rivers Ravi and Chanab, and, after a long circuitous route through a desert country, made their way again to Pak Pattan to pay another visit to Shaikh Brahm. They sat down to rest about four miles from the city. Shaikh Kamal, a pious and God-fearing disciple of Shaikh Brahm, who had gone

into the forest for firewood, observed the Guru and his attendant. The latter was playing his rebeck and singing the following :—

Thou art the tablet, 0 Lord, Thou art the pen, and Thou art also the writing.

Speak of the one God ; O Nanak, why should there be a second ? l

Shaikh Kamal went and, after obeisance, sat down near them, and asked to have the couplet repeated. This was done, and he learned it by heart. He then took up the firewood he had collected and went home. He told his master of his adventure, and repeated the couplet for him. Shaikh Brahm was highly pleased that the Guru had again visited his country, and he promptly proceeded to welcome him. After mutual salutations, the Guru thanked God for having again granted him a sight of Shaikh Brahm. After some friendly conversation, the Shaikh asked the Guru to explain the couplet. ' Nanak, thou sayest, " There is only one God ; why should there be a second ? " I say :—

< There is one Lord and two ways ; Which shall I adopt, and which reject ? '

The Guru replied :—

There is but one Lord and one way ; Adopt one and reject the other.

Why should we worship a second who is born and dieth ? Remember the one God, Nanak, who is contained in sea and land.

The Muhammadan priest then said in turn : —

Tear thy coat into tatters and wear a blanket instead ; Adopt a dress by which thou mayest obtain the Lord.2

The Guru traversed this instruction : ' It is not

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 103

necessary for me to tear my coat or adopt a religious garb. Men who reside at home and work in their ordinary costume shall find the Lord if they fix their hearts on Him ; ' l

A young wife sitteth at home, her Beloved is abroad; she continually thinketh of Him and pineth away.

She shall have no delay in meeting Him if she have good intentions.2

Shaikh Brahm replied to the latter couplet :—

When she was little, she enjoyed not her Spouse ; when she grew up she died.

Lying in the grave she calleth out, ' I have not met Thee, O Lord.' 3

Guru Nanak then gave utterance to the following, to the effect that salvation depends upon virtue and not on a pleasing exterior or the possession of accomplishments :—

A woman may be stupid, untidy, black, and impure- minded ;

Yet, if she possess merits, she meeteth her Beloved ; otherwise, Nanak, the woman is to blame.

The Shaikh then put the following questions :—

What is that word, what that virtue, what that priceless spell •

What dress shall I wear by which I may captivate the Spouse ? 4

Why tear thy coat, Nanak, and why wear a blanket ? Seated at home thou shalt find the Lord if thine intentions be good.

The Guru replied :—

Humility is the word, forbearance the virtue, and civility the priceless spell.

Make these three1 thy dress, O sister, and the Spouse shall come into thy power.2

The Spouse shall be hers who serveth Him.

Forsaking all His other companions He will go to her.

The Shaikh then said he wanted a knife — ' Give me such a knife as will make those who are killed with it acceptable to God. With the ordinary knife in use the lower animals are killed, and if a man's throat be cut with it he becomes carrion.' The Guru replied : ' Dear Shaikh, here it is : —

Truth is the knife, truth is pure steel ;

Its fashion is altogether incomparable.

Put it on the hone of the Word,

And fit it into the scabbard of merit.

If any one be bled with that, O Shaikh,

The blood of avarice will be seen to issue forth.

If man be slaughtered with it, he shall go to meet God,

O Nanak, and be absorbed in the sight of Him.'3

On hearing this the Shaikh raised his head in amazement and said, ' Well done. Thou hast seen God, and art dear to Him. God hath been very kind to me in that I have met thee. It would be rude to ask any further questions of those who are so beloved by Him.' The Guru then volunteered the following :—

There is friendship between beauty and love, alliance between hunger and dainty viands ;

Companionship between greed and wealth, between a sleepy man and a bed and coverlet.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 105

The anger which barketh is despised ; it is vain to worry with worldly occupations.

To be silent, O Nanak, is good ; without the Name the mouth is defiled.1

The Shaikh asked the Guru to let him hear a strain in praise of the one God. ' My idea is ', said the Shaikh, ' that adoration cannot be performed without two beings, that is, God and the Prophet ; Let me see whom thou makest man's intercessor/ The Guru called upon Mardana to play the rebeck and recite the first slok and pauri2 of the Asa ki War.

I am a sacrifice, Nanak, to my Guru a hundred times a day,

Who without any delay made demigods out of men.

Nanak, they who, very clever in their own estimation, think not of the Guru,

Shall be left like spurious sesames in a reaped field —

They shall be left in the field, saith Nanak, without an owner.

The wretches may even bear fruit and flower, but these shall be as ashes within their bodies.

God Himself created the world and Himself gave names to things.

He made Maya by His power ; seated He beheld His work with delight.

Thou knowest all things ; Thou givest and takest life with a word.3

Seated Thou beholdest Thy work with delight.4

io6 THE SIKH RELIGION

Shaikh Brahm asked the Guru for further instruc tion. The Guru then spoke on the subject of humility, and said that as water, which resteth lowly on the earth, riseth under pressure into the air in sparkling fountains, so they who preserve a humble mind mount to God's highest pinnacle.

The Shaikh then rose to take his leave, and said, ' O Nanak, thou hast found God. There is no difference between Him and thee. Kindly grant that I too may be on good terms with Him/ The Guru replied, ' Shaikh Brahm, God will cause thy cargo also to arrive safe.' By this the Guru meant that God would accept the Shaikh's devotion. The Shaikh requested the Guru to give him a certain promise of this, and the Guru complied. They then shook hands and parted.

The Guru next proceeded to Dipalpur. During his journey a Sanyasi asked him to define the word udas. The Guru replied : ' To make use of all things in this world and not deem them one's own, but only God's property, and ever to possess a desire to meet Him is udas.'

The Guru then visited Kanganpur, Kasur, and Patti in the Lahore District. He thence proceeded to Windpur, not far from the present town of Cholha, in the sub-collectorate of Tarn Taran in the Amritsar District. He met some Khatris who dwelt there ; but when they saw him dressed as a f aqir and heard his minstrel Mardana sing, they were displeased at what they considered the masquerade he had adopted, and said to him, ' What dress is this which thou hast assumed ? Having become a faqir, thou hast dis graced thy tribe, and led the world astray. Quit this place.' The Guru represented that he would only remain for the night, and would depart next morning. He added that he was not leading people the wrong way, but guiding them to salvation. They replied that they would not allow him to remain for a moment in their village. He must

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 107

depart at once, or they would forcibly expel him. The Guru, complying with this insulting order, said that the Guru's place should ever be permanent.

The Guru thence proceeded to a village on the site of the present Goindwal, where he desired to stay, but no one except a poor leper would receive him or allow him to remain there. The leper took him to his hut, and entertained him for the night. The leper thanked God that he had at last seen a human face, for even the lower animals had fled from him. When he began further to bemoan his fate, the Guru uttered the following :—

My mind is ever and ever troubled.

In many troubles my body pineth away and ever groweth worse.

The body which forgetteth God's word,

Screameth like a real leper.

To make many complaints is to talk folly •'Without our complaining everything is known to God,

Who made our ears, our eyes, and our noses ;

Who gave us tongues wherewith to speak ;

Who preserved us in the fire of the womb ;

And through whom the breath moveth and speaketh every where.

Worldly love, affection, and dainties

Are all blackness and stains.

If man depart with the brand of sin on his face,

He will not be allowed to sit in God's court.

If he meet Thy favour, 0 God, he repeateth Thy name. v By attaching himself to it he is saved ; he hath no other resource.

^Even if he be drowning in sin, God will still take care of him. ^Nanak, the True One is beneficent to all.1

The Guru further warmed towards the leper and blessed him. The leper was cured of his malady, fell at the Guru's feet, and began to utter the Name.

io8 THE SIKH RELIGION

The Guru then travelled through Sultanpur — his old head quarters when he was a Government official — Vairowal, and Jalalabad, until he arrived at a place called Kari Pathandi in the Amritsar District. In Kari Pathandi he made many Pathan converts. They used to serenade him with instru mental music, interspersed with cries of ' Hail to King Nanak ! ' The Guru there composed the fol lowing : —

He who made the world watcheth over it ; what shall we say, O brother ?

He Himself who hath laid out its garden knoweth and acteth.

Sing the praises of the Beloved ; sing His praises by which happiness is ever obtained.

She who enjoy eth not her Spouse with love shall after wards repent.

She shall wring her hands, and beat her head as the night passeth away.

She shall not be able to repent when the whole night is at an end ;

But she may again enjoy her Husband when it cometh to her turn.1

The wife whom the Spouse hath chosen is better than I.

I have not her merits ; whom shall I blame ?

I will go and ask the female companions who have enjoyed their Spouse ;

I will touch their feet, implore them, and induce them to show me the way.

Nanak, she who obeyeth her Spouse's order, applieth fear as her sandal,

And performeth the incantation of merits, shall find her Beloved.

She who meeteth Him with her heart shall continue to meet Him ; that is called a real meeting.

However much one may desire it, a meeting is not effected by words.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 109

Metal blendeth with metal and love hasteneth to love.

Know the Guru's favour, and thou shalt find the Fearless One.

A garden of betel may be in the house, but the donkey knoweth not its merits.

When one is a judge of perfume, then may one appreciate flowers.

He who drinketh nectar,1 Nanak, putteth an end to his doubts and transmigration ;

He easily blendeth with God, and obtaineth the undying dignity.2

The Guru continued his wanderings and visited Batala in the Gurdaspur District. Thence he pro ceeded a second time to Saiyidpur, where he again visited Lalo. Lalo complained to him of the oppres sion of the Pathans. The Guru replied that their dominion should be brief, as Babar was on his way to the conquest of India. The Guru then addressed the following threnody to his host :—

As the word of the Lord cometh to me, so I make known, O Lalo—

Bringing a bridal procession of sin, Babar hath hasted from Kabul and demandeth wealth as his bride, O Lalo.

Modesty and religion have vanished ; falsehood marcheth in the van, O Lalo.

The occupation of the Qazis and the Brahmans is gone ; the devil readeth the marriage service,3 O Lalo.

Musalman women read the Quran, and in suffering call upon God, O Lalo.

Hindu women whether of high or low caste, meet the same fate as they, O Lalo.

They sing the paean of murder, O Nanak, and smear themselves with the saffron of blood.

Nanak singeth the praises of the Lord in the city of corpses, and uttereth this commonplace —

no THE SIKH RELIGION

He who made men assigned them different positions ; He sitteth apart alone and regardeth them.

True is the Lord, true His decision, true the justice He meteth out as an example.

Bodies shall be cut like shreds of cloth ; Hindustan will remember what I say.

They shall come in '78, depart in '97, and then shall rise another disciple of a hero.1

Nanak uttereth the word of the True One, and will pro claim the truth at the True One's appointed time.2

Lalo asked the Guru what he meant by saying that God had assigned men different positions. The Guru replied as follows : —

God can cause lions, hawks, kestrels, and falcons to eat grass ;

And the animals which eat grass He can cause to eat meat — such a custom can He establish.

He can cause hills to appear in rivers, and unfathomable rivers in sandy deserts.

He can appoint a worm to sovereignty, and reduce an army to ashes.

What wonder would it be if God caused to live without breath all the animals which live by breathing ?

Nanak, as it pleaseth the True One, so He giveth us sustenance.3

A Brahman came to the Guru, offered him a basket of fruit, and said, ' My friend, thou art uttering hymns of wrath/ The Guru replied, 'Remain not here ; there is a pool three miles distant ; go thither with thy family. All who remain here will be put

LIFE OF GURU NANAK in

to death.' The Brahman acted on his advice. After some days Babar assaulted and destroyed the city. He also devastated the neighbouring villages. There was a general massacre of the people, and Pathan as well as Hindu habitations were plundered and razed to the ground.

The lives of the Guru and Mardana were spared, probably because they were strangers, but they were imprisoned and placed under the superinten dence of Mir Khan, an officer of Babar's army. Mir Khan, on seeing them, ordered, ' Take away these slaves to work/ The Guru was condemned to carry loads on his head, and Mardana to do the work of a groom. The Guru upon this uttered the fol lowing :—

I am a purchased slave, my name is Lucky.

I have sold myself in the shop for God's word ; where He placed me, there am I placed.

What cleverness hath Thy slave ?

He cannot obey the Lord's order.

My mother was a slave, my father a slave, I was born a slave.

My mother danced, my father sang, I perform Thy service, O King.1

If Thou drink I will fetch Thee water, O Lord ; if Thou eat I will grind Thee corn.

I will fan Thee, I will shampoo Thy limbs, and continue to repeat Thy name.

Saith Nanak, ungrateful is Thy slave ; if Thou pardon him, it will be to Thy glory.

In the beginning, in every age, Lord of mercy, Bestower, without Thee salvation is not obtained.2

When the Guru had finished this hymn, Mardana saw some women weeping and shrieking as they passed along, and asked his master what had hap pened to them. The Guru told Mardana to play the

rebeck. Mardana replied that he could not do so, as he was holding a horse. The Guru bade him utter ' Wah Guru ' and let go the horse. Mardana obeyed and played the Rag Asa, to which the Guru sang the following hymn : —

They who wore beautiful tresses and the partings of whose hair were dyed with vermilion,

Have their locks now shorn with the scissors, and dust is thrown upon their heads.

They dwelt in their private chambers ; now they cannot find a seat in public—

Hail, Father! hail!

When they were married, they appeared beautiful near their spouses ;

They came in their sedans adorned with ivory ;

Water was waved round their heads,1 and glittering fans over them.

They had hundreds of thousands waiting on them sitting, and hundreds of thousands waiting on them standing.

Eating coco-nuts and dates they sported on their couches ;

But now chains are on their necks, and broken are their strings of pearls.

The wealth and beauty which afforded them pleasure have now become their bane.

The order was given to the soldiers to take and dishonour them.

If it please God, He giveth greatness; and if it please Him, He giveth punishment.

If they had thought of Him before, why should they have received punishment ?

But they had lost all thought of God in joys, in spectacles, and in pleasures.

When Babar's rule was proclaimed no Pathan prince ate his food.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 113

Some lost their five times of prayer, others their hours of worship.

How shall Hindu women now bathe and apply frontal marks without their sacred squares ?

f They who never thought of Ram 1 are not now allowed even to mention Khuda.2

One may return to her home ; another may meet and in quire after the safety of a relation ;

But others are destined to sit and weep in pain. v/ What pleaseth God, O Nanak, shall happen ; what is man ? 3

After this, Mir Khan, the governor of the jail, arrived. He saw that the Guru's bundle was raised a cubit over his head without any apparent support, and that the horse entrusted to Mardana followed him while he played sacred music on his rebeck. The governor communicated this information to Babar. The Emperor replied that, if he had known the city contained such holy men, he would not have destroyed it. At the governor's suggestion he went to the prison, which was two miles distant. There were Pathan and Hindu women huddled pro miscuously together, grinding corn. The Guru had also been supplied with a hand-mill for the same purpose. It is said that the mill revolved of its own accord while he put in the corn. The Emperor addressed the Guru, but he was in a trance, thinking of the slaughter of his unoffending countrymen. On awaking he uttered the following hymn, which, however, is not found in the Granth Sahib :—

God of our fathers ! what is man, That thou towards him with hand so various, Or might I say contrarious,

Temper'st thy providence through his short course, Not evenly, as thou rulest

The angelic orders, and inferior creatures mute, Irrational and brute ?

MILTON, Samson Agomstes.

No one can kill him, O Kind One, whom Thou preserves!.

How can Thy praises be numbered ? Thou savest countless beings.

Preserve me, O Beloved, preserve me ! I am Thy slave.

My true Lord pervadeth sea and land, the nether and the upper regions.

Thou didst preserve Jaidev and Nama, Thy beloved saints —

Thou didst save those on whom Thou didst bestow Thy name—

Thou didst preserve Sain, Kabir, and Trilochan who loved Thy name.

Thou didst preserve Ravdas, the tanner, who is numbered among Thy saints.1

Nanak, who is without honour or family, uttereth suppli cation.

Extricate him, O Lord, from the ocean of the world, and make him Thine own.

It is said that the Emperor, on hearing this, fell at Nanak's feet, and declared that God appeared on his face. Upon this all the courtiers saluted Nanak. The Emperor asked him to accept a present from him. The Guru replied that he wanted nothing for himself, but he requested that the captives of Saiyidpur might be released. Upon this the Emperor ordered that they should be set free and their pro perty restored to them. The captives, however, refused to depart without the Guru. He was then allowed to go with them, and they went to their homes in the city. They found that all the people who had remained in Saiyidpur had been put to death. Mardana told his master that it had all hap pened as God had willed it. Upon this the Guru, to the accompaniment of Mardana' s rebeck, sang the following lamentation : —

An account of the saints mentioned in this hymn, with their com positions contained in the Granth Sahib, will be given in the final volume of this work.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 115

Where are those sports, those stables, and those horses ? Where those bugles and clarions ?

Where are those who buckled on their swords and were mighty in battle ? where those scarlet uniforms ?

Where those mirrors and fair faces ? we see them no longer here.

This world is Thine, O Lord of the earth.

In one ghari Thou establishest and disestablishest ; Thou distributest wealth as Thou pleasest.

Where are those houses, those mansions, and those palaces? where those beautiful seraglios ?

Where are those easy couches and those women a sight of whom banished sleep ?

Where is that betel, those betel-sellers, and those fair ones ? They have vanished.

For wealth many are ruined ; this wealth hath disgraced many.

It is not amassed without sin, and it departeth not with the dead.

Him whom the Creator destroyeth He first depriveth of virtue.

Millions of priests tried by their miraculous power to restrain the emperor when they heard of his approach.

He burned houses, mansions, and palaces ; he cut princes to pieces, and had them rolled in the dust.

No Mughal hath become blind ; no priest hath wrought a miracle.

There was a contest between the Mughals and Pathans ; the sword was wielded in the battle.

One side aimed and discharged their guns, the other also handled their weapons :

They whose letter * hath been torn in God's court must die, my brethren.

There were the wives of Hindus, of Turks, of Bhattis, and of Rajputs.

I 2

The robes of some were torn from head to foot ; the dwellings of others were their places of cremation.

How did they whose husbands came not home pass the night ?

The Creator acteth and causeth others to act ; to whom shall man complain ?

Misery and happiness are according to Thy pleasure ; to whom shall we go to cry ?

The Commander is pleased issuing His orders ; Nanak, man obtaineth what is allotted him.1

A propos of the change of circumstances in India the Guru uttered the following : —

God -hath given fixed time for all events, and fully estab lished the nine regions, the seven seas, the fourteen worlds,2 the three qualities, and the four ages.

He put four lamps 3 one by one into the hands of the four ages.

0 kind God, such is Thy power.

The dwellers at every hearth are Thy slaves, and religion is their ruler.

The earth is Thy cooking-pot, Thou gavest once for all ; destiny is Thy storekeeper.

Instigated by their hearts 4 men lose patience and beg again and again to their ruin.

Covetousness is a black dungeon, demerits the fetters on the feet.

Wealth ever beatei;h the soul with its mallet, while sin sitteth as judge.

Man shall be either good or bad, O Lord, as Thou lookest on him.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 117

The Primal Being is now called Allah ; the turn of the Shaikhs hath come.

There is a tax on the shrines of the gods ; such is the practice established.

There are ablution-pots, calls to prayer, five daily prayers, prayer-carpets, and God appeareth dressed in blue.1

In every house all say ' Mian ' ; 2 your language hath been changed.

Since Thou, who art Lord of the earth hast appointed Babar a Mir,3 what power have we ?

In the four directions men make Thee obeisance, and Thy praises are uttered in every house.

The profit which is obtained from pilgrimages, repeating the Simritis,4 and bestowing alms all day long,

Is, O Nanak, obtained in one ghari by remembering the Name which conferreth greatness.5

The Hindus and the Musalmans who returned to Saiyidpur began to dispose of their dead, and there was weeping and mourning in every house. People said, ' Such and such was the deceased/ Upon this the Guru fell into a trance, and uttered the following hymn : —

' As herdsmen stay for a short time in the pasture-ground,6 so do men stay in this world.

Men by the exercise of falsehood build houses for themselves.

Awake, awake, ye sleepers ; lo ! the soul the dealer departeth.

If ye are to remain here for ever, then build houses.

The body shall fall and the soul depart, if any one desire to know the truth.

The Muhammadans frequently \vcar blue clothes, a custom which has descended from the ancient Egyptians.

f) Basant Ashtapadi.

' This refers to the nomadic life which prevailed around the Guru's natal village.

n8 THE SIKH RELIGION

Why criest thou ' Alas ! alas ! ' 1 God is and shall be.

Ye weep for others, but who will weep for you ?

Ye worry with worldly occupations, my brethren, and practise falsehood.

The dead hear not at all ; ye only cry to be heard of others.

He who laid them to sleep, Nanak, will awake them.

If man know his own home in God, then shall he not sleep.

If any one know of any one at his departure taking any thing with him,

Then let him with open eyes amass wealth — know and consider this.

Do thy dealing ; gain thine object ; be not sorry here after.

Thou shalt be known as a true dealer if thou take profit with thee.

Sow the seed of truth in the soil of honesty ; in that way practise tillage.

Forsake vice, practise virtue, so shalt thou obtain the Real Thing.

If it be God's favour, man shall meet the true Guru, understand his instruction,

Repeat the Name, hear the Name, and deal in the Name.

As is the profit so the loss ; that is the way of the world.

What pleaseth Him, O Nanak, is my glory.2

One day Mardana took it into his head to ask the Guru to explain the cause of the Saiyidpur massacre, and said, ' Sir, some Pathans have done wrong ; but why have so many been killed on their account ? ' The Guru pointed out a tree, and told Mardana to go and sleep under it. When he awoke, the Guru would give him an answer. Mardana accordingly went and lay down to sleep under the tree. A drop of honey fell on his naked breast. As he slept, ants came to drink it, and the sleeper half unconsciously crushed them to death with his hand. The Guru asked him on awaking what he had done. He replied

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 119

that one insect had bitten him, and so he had killed them all. The Guru replied, * It is in that very way the people of Saiyidpur were killed/ Upon this Mardana fell at his feet, and the remnant of the inhabitants of Saiyidpur became his disciples.

After this the Guru returned to the Emperor's camp with the object of obtaining another interview with him. He visited the prison and sang hymns for the prisoners whose treatment he deplored. Under the influence of such feelings he composed the following : —

Babar ruled over Khurasan and hath terrified Hindustan.

The Creator taketh no blame to Himself ; it was Death disguised as a Mughal who made war on us.

When there was such slaughter and lamentation, didst not Thou, O God, feel pain ?

Creator, Thou belongest to all.

If a tyrant slay a tyrant, one is not angry ;

But if a ravening lion fall on a herd, its master l should show his manliness.

The dogs of Lodi 2 have spoiled the priceless inheritance ; when they are dead no one will regard them.

If any one give himself a great name and enjoy himself to his heart's content,

In God's view he is as a worm which nibbleth corn ;

But he who while alive is dead, may gain something, O Nanak, by repeating the Name.3

When Babar had heard this hymn, he ordered the Guru to be sent for. When the Guru appeared, the Emperor asked him to sing the hymn again, and

the Guru did so. Upon this, it is said, Babar's brain opened for the reception of spiritual truths. He praised the Guru, and opening his bhang-pouch, offered him some. The Guru replied that he had already taken bhang whose intoxication would never subside. JBabar asked what bhang that was. The Guru replied with the following hymn :—

1 am an intoxicated hermit.

My hands are the cup ; it is for a sight of Thee, 0 God, I hunger,

And ever beg at Thy door —

For a sight of Thee I crave.

I beg at Thy door ; grant me Thine alms.

Saffron, flowers, musk, gold, and sandal are all applied to the body ;

So the bright perfume of the saints rendereth all souls fragrant.

No one calleth clarified butter or silk impure ; ]

Such is a saint in regard to caste.

May Nanak obtain alms at the doors

Of those who are imbued with Thy name and continue to love Thee ! 2

The Emperor was so pleased with the Guru that he asked him to accompany him. The Guru would at first only promise to remain one day with him, but, on being pressed to remain three days, at last consented. The Guru was always distressed as he looked towards the prisoners. For the third time he sang the preceding hymn, and then fell into a trance and became unconscious. The Emperor stood over him, and asked the bystanders what had happened. They replied that the faqir, on beholding God's wrath, was in suffering, and had fallen into a trance. Babar became alarmed for the Guru's safety, and asked the people to pray to God for his re-

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 121

covery. Upon this the Guru stood up, and there then shone such light as if a thousand suns had arisen. Babar saluted, and asked the Guru to be gracious unto him. The Guru replied, ' If thou, O Emperor, desire kindness, set all thy captives free.' He agreed, on one condition — that the Guru should promise that his empire should continue from generation to generation. The Guru replied, ' Thine empire shall remain for a time.' The Emperor on this ordered that all his prisoners should be clothed with robes of honour, a matter which gave great pleasure and satisfaction to the Guru. The Emperor asked the Guru for instruction suitable to his position. The Guru said, ' Deliver just judgements, reverence holy men, forswear wine and gambling. The monarch who indulgeth in these vices shall, if he survive, bewail his misdeeds. Be merciful to the vanquished, and worship God in spirit and in truth.'

At the final parting, the Emperor pressed the Guru to embrace Islam, which recognized only one God, as the Guru himself had been preaching, so he would not have far to go on his spiritual journey and his progress to salvation. Moreover, on embracing Islam he would have the advantage of the mediation of God's holy and last prophet Muhammad. The Guru replied :—

There are hundreds of thousands of Muhammads, but only one God.

The Unseen is true and without anxiety.

Many Muhammads stand in His court.

So numberless they cannot be reckoned.

Prophets have been sent and come into the world.

Whenever He pleaseth He hath them arrested and brought before Him.

The slave Nanak hath ascertained

That God alone is pure and all else impure.

The Emperor, instead of being incensed at this outspoken language, invited the Guru to ask him

a favour. The Guru replied to the accompaniment of Mardana's rebeck :—

It is the one God Who hath commissioned me.

Every one partaketh of His Gifts.

(He who looketh for human support Loseth both this world and the next. ^There is but one Giver, the whole world are beggars.

They who forsake Him and attach themselves to others lose all their honour.

Kings and Emperors are all made by Him. There is none equal to Him. Saith Nanak, Hear, Emperor Babar, He who beggeth of thee is a fool.

The Guru then departed for Pasrur, and thence to Sialkot, the fortress of the Sial tribe, now a can tonment in the northern part of the Pan jab. He rested under a wild caper tree, which still exists outside the city. Having taken refreshment, he sent Mardana to the market-place for a paisa, or a farthing's worth of truth and a paisa worth of falsehood. Nobody understood what the messenger meant till Mardana reached Mula, who was a Karar, or petty shopkeeper. The latter said that death was true and life false. Mardana returned with this message to the Guru. Upon this a great friendship sprang up between the Guru and Mula, and Mula afterwards accompanied him to Kabul. On a subsequent occasion when Guru Nanak and Mardana visited Sialkot, Mardana went to Mula. His wife, thinking her husband would again leave her, concealed him, and told Mardana to say he was not at home. In his concealment, he was bitten by a snake and died. On this Guru Nanak composed the following :—

Friendship with Karars is false, and false is its foundation.

Mula saw not whence death would come to him.1

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 123

When his work was accomplished in Sialkot, the Guru proceeded to the south of the Pan jab as far as Mithankot (in the present district of Dera Ghazi Khan), where Mian Mitha, a famous Muhammadan priest, resided. The Guru took up his quarters in a garden near the town. When Mian Mitha heard of the Guru's arrival he said, ' Nanak is a good faqir ; but, if I meet him, I will squeeze the juice out of him as if he were a lemon. Mardana, when reporting his speech to the Guru, said, ' Mian Mitha is thine automaton, and will play as thou causest him to play.' Mian Mitha continued his boasting : ' I will go to see Nanak, and, if I meet him, I will take the cream off him as I would skim milk.' Mian Mitha met the Guru and, after saluting him in the Muhammadan fashion, sat down. He challenged the Guru by the following slok :—

The first name is that of God, the second that of the Prophet.

O Nanak, if thou repeat the Creed,1 thou shalt find acceptance in God's court.

The Guru replied :—

The first name is that of God ; how many prophets are at His gate !

O Shaikh, form good intentions, and thou shalt find acceptance in God's court.

The Guru continued : ' Mian Mitha, at God's gate there is no room for a prophet. He who dwelleth there is God alone.' Mian Mitha then put the Guru two questions : ' How can a lamp burn without oil ? and, How shall man obtain a seat in God's court ? '

The Guru replied as follows :—

Act according to the Quran and thy sacred books. Put the wick of fear into thy body ; Burn in it the knowledge of truth ;

Thus shall thy lamp burn without oil.

Make such a light, and thou shalt find the Lord.

When God's words leave an impression on man

And service is performed, happiness is obtained.

All worlds come and go :

While abiding in this world perform worship ;

Thus shalt thou obtain a seat in God's court,

And, saith Nanak, triumphantly swing thine arm.1

Mian Mitha then put to the Guru the question con tained in the first line of the following hymn. He also inquired the condition of the souls of the wicked after death. The Guru replied as follows : —

* My brother, salam alaikum ! for God's sake tell the truth ; how shall man obtain distinction in God's court ? '

As man soweth so shall he reap ; he shall eat what he obtaineth from the Commander.

Nanak, without the true Name man shall be bound and endure suffering.

Praise be to the Creator ; when man goeth down to the wretched dark grave, God's power shall be manifested.

The angels, the heralds of the Almighty, shall come with His orders.

They shall hold quivers, maces, battle-axes, two-edged swords, bows,

Lances, and shields made of fire ; and put chains on men's necks.

By God's order they shall bind and lead away the back biter as well as the man without a priest.

Nanak, the true Name, the source of consolation in this last age, shall procure man's acceptance in God's court.

Ye fear lions, jackals, and snakes ; but they shall make their dwellings in your graves.

Oxen shall root up your graves, and even your enemies' hatred of you shall cool.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 125

Brethren, friends, and lovers read the fatiha,1 and say prayers for the departed.

Nanak, such things are false, and God alone is true.

The sinners who have committed transgressions are bound and led away.

Their luggage of sins is so heavy that they cannot lift it.

The steep road ahead is dark, while the executioner walketh behind them.

In front is a sea of fire ; how shall they cross it ?

Ravens stand on men's skulls, and peck at them fast as a shower of sparks.

Nanak, where shall man escape when the punishment is by God's order ?

The eyes of the sinful shall be torn out ; they shall be come blind, and terrible darkness prevail.

Their ears shall be pressed as if they were the sockets of oil-presses,2 and storms of filth shall assail their noses.

Their tongues shall be cut out for breaking their promises and forgetting the True One.

They shall cry aloud when their skulls are burning in the fire.

No one can save the ignorant man who is covetous and hath no priest ;

But they whose demerits are pardoned through their merits shall be, O Nanak, of the elect.

As sesame is heated and pressed, or cotton carded by means of a thong, so shall sinners be punished.

Like paper they shall be beaten with mallets, and put into presses ;

They shall be heated like iron ; they shall burn and cry aloud ;

The wretched beings' heads shall be taken up with tongs and placed on anvils,

On which they shall be beaten with hammers in time according to the smith's l lead.

Nanak, without the true Name they shall have no rest either in this world or the next.

Iron spikes shall be driven into their feet, and the sun shall burn their heads.

They who are captivated with the strange woman's flesh, shall lose their manhood and their honour ;

They shall be bound to a heated pillar, and no one will go near them ;

They shall be unloosed and again tied to it ; they shall repent and implore pity —

Everybody, Nanak, is an enemy of the sinner —

They shall be put into a furnace and bodkins of fire thrust into their eyes ;

They shall be burnt by sand under which fire hath been kindled ;

They shall be roasted in a caldron like rice, and shall then crackle and make a report.

God Himself pardoneth, O Nanak ; whom else shall we address ?

As the juice of sugar-cane is expressed by putting great weight on it,

So man is weighed down by eating, drinking, dressing, and pleasures which degrade his mind.

An account shall be demanded from the soul which hath dealt in such things.

Feet and legs perform the duties the soul ordereth them.

The tongue which tasted sinful savours shall stand up in court and cry out against the soul ;

The ears shall also depose that it is the soul which is false and deceitful.

The nose and eyes shall also plead not guilty, and it is the poor soul which shall suffer.

The soul under arrest in Death's court pleadeth, 'It is the senses which have led the whole world astray :

* The senses united have thrown man into misery as the smith putteth iron on the anvil.'

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 127

Nanak, he who meeteth not the true Guru and obtaineth not divine knowledge, shall find no rest in this world or the next.

The soul shall be filed seventy times like an arrow ;

It shall be melted like gold in a mould ; O soul, thou shalt suffer for what thou hast done.

The soul shall have to bear a prodigious saddle and be driven like a steed.

Nanak, it shall be bound by Death, and have to suffer transmigration again and again.

How many enemies shall it have on sea and land ! the forests and glades shall cause it to suffer.

Every house shall bear it enmity ; Nanak, the real thing is to meditate on the Eternal.

Death with the three bloodshot and terrible eyes shall lie in wait for the soul.

The whole world is Death's provender ; merciless is the god of death.

He seizeth men, Nanak, and hurrieth them away in obedience to the Commander.

My body is before Thee ; Thou art Master ; Thou mayest preserve or destroy it.

There shall be no mother, father, kinsman, wife, or brother,

Son, or wealth to assist us ; how shall we have conso lation ?

There shall be no quiver, or bow, or shield, or sword to protect us,

But a seething caldron day and night ; consider this under the Guru's instruction.

vxMake honesty thy steed, truth thy saddle, continence thine equestrian armour ;

vxThe five virtues 1 thine arrows, and truth thy sword and shield.

Nanak, pious men who have truth in their hearts, shall obtain honour in God's court.

v' Brahma who came into the world repeating the Veds cannot describe God. What is poor Krishan who by God's order descended upon

earth ?

Shiv and countless gods and goddesses standing at Thy gate praise Thee.

He who turneth from God shall pine away and die ; the True One is ever the Pardoner.1

Mian Mitha then spoke : ' What is that one Name which thou praisest so much ? ' The Guru replied, ' Hath any one ever known the worth of that Name ? ' Mian Mitha asked him to be good enough to explain it to him. The Guru then took his arm, led him aside, and said to him, ' Shaikh, hearest thou the Name of the one God ? ' While they were speaking, the name of the Prophet vanished amid the sounds of divine ecstasy, and when they looked again there appeared instead of it only a heap of ashes. Then came a voice from heaven which only repeated ' Allah ', God's Arabic name. Upon this Shaikh Mitha got up and kissed the Guru's feet. The Guru then fell into a trance, and in that state gave utterance to the following :—

v N ASIH AT NAM A 2

The present are favoured ; the absent are not.

Faith is a friend, want of faith an infidel ;

Pride is ruin, wrath is unlawful ;

Concupiscence is Satan, conceit is infidelity ;

The slanderer's face is black.

The man without faith is unclean ; he who is tender hearted is pure.

Knowledge is gentleness. The non-avaricious are holy ; the avaricious are impatient.

The honest man hath a bright, the ungrateful man a yellow face.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 129

Truth is heaven, falsehood is hell.

Mildness is victuals.

Force is oppression, justice is pure.

God's praises are ablutions, the call to prayer is noise.

Theft is greed, adultery uncleanness.

Patience is humility, impatience deceit.

The right way is that of spiritual advisers ; the wrong way is for those who have none.

Compassion is wealth, want of compassion useless.

The sword is for warriors, justice for monarchs.

He who knoweth and causeth others to know these things,

Is, O Nanak, called a wise man.

Upon this the Guru and Mian Mitha separated.

The Guru proceeded to the river Ravi and thence to Lahore. The Lahore territory was then farmed from the Emperor by a millionaire Khatri, whose name was Duni Chand. He was performing the ceremony of shradh 1 for his father, when he heard of the devout Nanak' s arrival. He took the Guru to his house, and treated him with great affection. When everything was ready for the anniversary feast, Duni Chand began to feed the Brahmans. The Guru, on being summoned, asked what the matter was. Duni Chand replied that it was his father's shradh, and that he had fed one hundred Brahmans in his name. The Guru replied, ' It is now two days since thy father hath eaten anything, and yet thou sayest thou hast fed one hundred Brahmans for him.' Duni Chand asked where his father was. The Guru replied that he had become incarnate in a wolf, which was now in a clump of trees six miles distant. The reason

I3o THE SIKH RELIGION

his father's soul had entered a wolf was, that while he was in human birth he had coveted meat which a Sikh was cooking, and had died in that desire.

The Guru, on seeing several flags over Duni Chand's door, asked what they were. It was explained that each flag denoted a lakh of rupees which Duni Chand had acquired. On this the Guru gave him a needle, and told him to keep it until he asked for it in the next world. Duni Chand took the needle to his wife, and told her to put it by for the purpose indicated. She believed him crazed, and asked how a needle could go to the next world. She accordingly charged him to return it to the Guru. Duni Chand took the needle with his wife's message to the Guru, who said, ' If such a small and light thing as a needle cannot go to the next world, how can thy wealth reach there ? ' Upon this Duni Chand fell at his feet, and prayed him to tell him by what means his wealth should reach the next world. The Guru replied, ' Give some of thy wealth in God's name, feed the poor, and thy wealth shall accompany thee.' Upon this Duni Chand distributed seven lakhs of treasure, for he understood that disobedience to the Guru's order would militate against his salvation. He then became a disciple of the Guru, and began to repeat the Name. Guru Nanak uttered the following on the occasion : —

False are kings, false their subjects, false the whole world ;

False are mansions, false palaces, false those who dwell therein ;

False is gold, false silver, false he who weareth them ;

False the body, false raiment, false peerless beauty ;

False husbands, false wives ; they pine away and become dust.1

Man who is false loveth what is false, and forgetteth the Creator.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 131

With whom contract friendship ? The whole world passeth away.

False is sweetness, false honey, in falsehood shiploads are drowned —

Nanak humbly asserteth — Except Thee, 0 God, everything is thoroughly false.1

The Guru went in a north-east direction, and took up his post on the bank of the Ravi. His arrival there caused great excitement, and every one went to see him. He was universally held to be a man of God. All who visited him went away pleased. Every verse that he composed was at once pub lished abroad. He used to compose verses like the following, which faqirs sang to the accompaniment of reeds : —

Falsehood is at an end ; Nanak, truth at last prevaileth.2

There was only the one Name mentioned in the Guru's dwelling, and he became the object of great popular admiration.

A millionaire official who dwelt in a neighbouring village began to depreciate the Guru. He said, ' Who is this person whose name is repeated by every one, as if he were a god, though he is only a mortal like ourselves ? The Hindus are being perverted, and even the Musalmans are losing their faith. Come, let us imprison him.' When the speaker mounted on horseback, the animal shied and threw him. Next day he again mounted, but, as he proceeded on his way, became blind and had to alight. Those who witnessed his calamity were afraid to make any remark save that Nanak was a great saint. They, however, suggested to the millionaire that he should do homage to the Guru. Upon this he began to praise the Guru ; and those who were with him bowed towards the Guru. The millionaire again

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mounted his horse, intending this time to go and supplicate the Guru, but immediately fell down. His companions addressed him, ' Thou hast made a mistake in going on horseback. Go on foot, that thou mayest be pardoned/ He took this advice. On arriving at a spot whence the Guru's residence could be seen, he recovered his sight, and began to make salutations in the Guru's direction. On arriving in his presence he fell at his feet. The Guru was pleased and made him his guest for three days. The millionaire, in honour of the Guru, founded a village, which he called Kartarpur, on the margin of the Ravi, and built a Sikh temple therein, both of which he dedicated to the Guru.

One day a fanatical Brahman came to the Guru and begged for alms. The Guru, who was at his break fast, invited the Brahman to join him. The Brahman replied that he would not eat food in that way. He would only eat what he had cooked himself. He would first dig up the earth to a depth of a cubit so that all impurity of the surface might be removed, and he would also make a cooking square into which none but himself might enter. He would then dig a span deeper, and make a fireplace on which he would put firewood which he had washed, so that no insects might be burned in it. The Guru had not attended to these formalities, and the Brahman spurned food otherwise cooked. The Guru told him he would give him uncooked viands which he might cook himself. He then went outside and began to dig up the earth, but wherever he dug he only turned up bones, which he deemed a still greater abomination than the Guru's food. He continued digging all day, but with the same result. At last, overcome by hunger, he went and threw himself at Nanak's feet, and asked for the cooked food he had previously rejected. The Guru was pleased to gratify him, and then composed the following : —

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Cooking places of gold, vessels of gold, Lines of silver far extended, Ganges water, firewood of the karanta l tree, Eating rice boiled in milk —

0 my soul, these things are of no account Until thou art saturated with the true Name. Hadst thou the eighteen Purans with thee, Couldst thou recite the four Veds,

Didst thou bathe on holy days and give alms according to men's castes,

Didst thou fast and perform religious ceremonies day and night ;

Wert thou a qazi, a mulla, or a shaikh,

A Jogi, a jangam,2 didst thou wear an ochre-coloured dress.

Or didst thou perform the duties of a householder—

Without knowing God, Death would bind and take all men away.

The duties of all creatures are recorded on their heads ;

They shall be judged according to their acts.

Foolish and ignorant men issue orders— * Nanak, the True One hath storehouses of praises.3

The Guru initiated the practice of singing hymns in the end of the night. A boy seven years of age used to come to listen and stand behind him. When the singing was over, he used quietly to depart. One day the Guru ordered his servants to detain the boy in order to discover the object of his continual attendance. He was accordingly brought before the Guru, who asked him, ' O boy, why comest thou so early in the morning to listen to hymns ? This is the time of life for thee to eat, play, and sleep/ The boy replied, ' Sir, one day my mother bade me light the fire. When I put on the wood, I observed that the little sticks burned first and afterwards the big ones. From that time I have been afraid of early death. It is very

doubtful whether we shall live to be old, and so I attend thy religious gatherings/ The Guru was much pleased on hearing this wisdom from the child's lips, and said he spoke like an old man (budha). On that occasion the Guru composed the following : —

In the briny unfathomable ocean the fish did not recognize the net.1

Why did the very clever and beautiful fish have so much confidence ?

It was caught through its own doing ; death cannot be averted,

0 my brethren ; know that in like manner death hangeth over your heads.

Man is like the fish upon which the net falleth unawares.

The whole world is bound by death ; without the Guru death cannot be destroyed.

They who are imbued with the True One, and have abandoned worthless mammon, are saved.

1 am a sacrifice unto those who are found true at the gate of the True One.

Death is like the hawk among the birds, or the huntsman with the noose in his hands.

They whom the Guru preserved have been saved ; all others have been entrapped by the bait.

They who possess not God's name shall be rejected ; no one will assist them.

God is the truest of the true, and His place is the truest of the true.

They who obey the True One meditate on Him in their hearts.

Even the perverse who obtain divine knowledge under the Guru's instruction are pure.

Make supplication to the true Guru to unite thee with the Friend.

When man meeteth the Friend he obtaineth happiness, and the myrmidons of death poison themselves.

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I abide in the Name, and the Name abideth in my heart.

Without the Guru all is darkness ; without the Word nothing can be known.

By the Guru's instruction light shineth, and man con- tinueth to love the True One.

Death entereth not where the soul's light is blended with God's.

Thou, 0 God, art the Friend ; Thou art wise ; it is Thou who unitest men with Thee.

Under the Guru's instruction, O man, praise Him who hath no end or limit.

Death entereth not where there is the incomparable Word of the Guru.

By God's order all sentient beings were produced ; by God's order they perform their functions.

By God's order they are in the power of death ; by God's order they are absorbed in the True One.

Nanak, what pleaseth God shall happen ; there is nothing whatever in the power of His creatures.1

The boy to whom the above hymn was addressed was subsequently known as Bhai Budha on account of the complimentary expression of the Guru. He was held in such high estimation that he was commissioned to confer the tilaks or patches of Guruship on the first five successors of Guru Nanak.

Kalu with all his people proceeded to where his son the Guru had fixed his habitation. Sikh societies then began to be formed. The Guru took off his extraordinary costume and dressed in a more con ventional manner. With a cloth around his waist, a sheet over his shoulder, and a turban on his head, he looked the impersonation of holiness. The string of his fame rose to heaven, it was said, like that of a kite. Every one addressed him, ' Hail, Nanak ! a great saint hath been born in the world.'

At Kartarpur, a watch before day, the Japji and the Asa ki War were repeated. Then followed reading and expounding of the Guru's hymns, until a watch and a quarter after sunrise. This was succeeded by singing and the reading of the Arati (Gagan mai thai). After this, breakfast was served. In the third watch there was again singing, after which in the evening the Sodar was read. Then the Sikhs all dined together. The repast ended with further singing. After a watch of night had elapsed the Sohila was read, and every one then retired.

The Guru when not engaged in prayer occupied himself during the day in Kartarpur in giving instruction to all who sought it. He thus delivered himself to Malo and Bhago on the subject of Hindu penances : ' To burn in fire, to abide long in water, to fast, to endure heat and cold, to hold up one's arm permanently, to do penance with body reversed, to stand for a long time on one leg, to live on forest tubers and roots, to abide on the margins of rivers, to wander over the world as a pilgrim, to fast at full moon — all such penances are works of darkness.'

The Guru thus expressed himself on the subject of the devotional exercises of the Sikhs : ' To recall the wandering mind from the distraction of the senses, and then employ it in pious discourses and in devoutly singing and listening to songs of praise of the Almighty — know that these are merito rious acts which may be easily performed. They involve but little labour and bring great reward. The Hindu penances on the contrary involve great trouble while only small recompense is obtained therefrom.'

The Guru replied to a man called Kalu who had asked him for a definition of a holy man : ' Recognize him as holy in whom are to be found friend ship, sympathy, pleasure at the welfare of others, and dislike of evil company. In the first place, the intentions of holy men are pure. Secondly, they are

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pleased on hearing the praises of others. Thirdly, holy men serve the virtuous. Fourthly, they honour those who can impart to them learning and good counsel. Fifthly, as there is a periodical craving for food or intoxicants, so they feel a craving for the Guru's word and for divine knowledge. Sixthly, they love their wives, and renounce other women. Seventhly, they avoid subjects from which quarrels may arise. Eighthly, they serve those who are superior to themselves in intelligence or devotion. Ninthly, even if strong, they'are not arrogant, and trample not on others. Tenthly, they abandon the society of the evil, and only associate with the holy/ Two Sikhs, called Bhagta and Ohri, asked Guru Nanak how rest was to be obtained, and transmigra tion avoided. The Guru replied as follows : ' You shall find rest by avoiding manmukh karm (perverse acts).' Being asked to define manmukh karm more particularly, the Guru replied : ' It is to be heartily envious of every one, to desire that worldly wealth and all happiness should forsake others and come to oneself, to suffer great pain as one beholdeth the houses and property of others, to believe all men one's enemies, and do good to no one. Expel all this evil from your hearts. In the second place, the perverse man is proud and relentless to every one. When he seeth such and such a person inferior to himself, he never adviseth him ; nay, he laugheth at him, and treateth him with contempt, saying, "His is not equal to my lofty intellect." In the third place, the perverse man is addicted to slander ; but do you renounce it and never utter it. If any one praise another who is superior to him, he cannot endure it, nay he becometh wroth, saying, "O! I am well acquainted with him." In this way he uttereth slander. How can he who is proud of his efforts and envious of others ever possess excellence ? In the fourth place, if the perverse man receive advice, he will not act on it through obstinacy; nay, he will

perversely do the very reverse. These vices — envy, pride, slander, and obstinacy — belong to the perverse. Relinquish them, acting as trees do when they drop their leaves in autumn/

The Guru was asked why the words Sat Nam — the True Name — were always written as an intro duction to his hymns. He replied, ' The Name is the God of all gods. Some propitiate Durga,1 some Shiv, some Ganesh,2 and some other gods ; but the Guru's Sikhs worship the True Name and thus remove all obstacles to salvation. Accordingly, the prefatory words, the True Name, are written in all compositions/

It was here the Guru composed his poem on the Twelve Months of the year. The description is of course suited to the climate of the Panjab, his native country. We here give a translation in extenso 3 :—

Hear Thou, 0 God — according to men's acts in previous states of existence

The weal or woe which Thougivest to each individual is just.

1 am miserable without my Beloved ; I have no friend ; yet from the Guru's instruction I drink nectar.

The Formless One continueth His creation;4 to obey God is the best of human acts.

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Nanak, the woman is waiting for Thee ; hear Thou, O Omnipresent Spirit.

The chatrik l crieth ' Prio ! ' and the kokil 2 also singeth its lays.

The woman who is embraced by her Spouse enjoyeth every happiness.

She whom God in His pleasure hath embraced is a happy woman.

God established the nine mansions of the body ; the tenth which is superior to them all, is His home.

Everything is Thine ; Thou art my Beloved ; I delight in Thee night and day.

Nanak, the chatrik crieth ' Prio, prio ! ' and sweet is the kokil's song.

not for an instant.

Why should I forget Thee for an instant ? I am a sacrifice unto Thee ; I live by singing Thy praises.

1 have no one ; whose am I ? I cannot abide without God.

I have sought the shelter of His feet, and dwell there ; and my body hath become pure.

Nanak, he on whom God looketh with favour obtaineth peace in his home, and his mind is consoled with the Guru's teaching.

It raineth a torrent of nectar, whose drops are de lightful,

When the friend, the kindly Guru meeteth one, and love is established with God.

God entereth the temple of the body when it pleaseth Him, and the woman riseth up and repeateth His praises.

In every house the spouse enjoy eth his happy wife ; why hath my Spouse forgotten me ?

Lowering clouds have overspread the heavens ; it raineth pleasantly and love comforteth my soul and body.

Saith Nanak, Thou who rainest ambrosial speech, graciously come to mine abode.

In Chet agreeable is the spring ; the bumble-bee is pleasing.

In the Bar the forests are flowering ; may my Beloved return to me !

When her beloved returneth not home, how can a wife obtain comfort ? Her body wasteth away with the pain of separation.

The kokil singeth sweetly on the mango-tree ; why should I endure pain of body ?

The bumble-bee is flitting on the flowering branches; how shall I survive ? I am dying, O mother.

Nanak, in Chet comfort is easily obtained if woman obtain God in her home as her Spouse.

The month of Baisakh is pleasant ; the trees are in blossom ;

The woman is waiting for God at her gate, saying, ' Come, take compassion on me.

' Come home, my Beloved, make me cross the difficult ocean ; without Thee I am worthless.

' Who can appraise Thy worth, my Darling ? If it please Thee, I shall look at Thee and show Thee to others.

' I know that Thou art not distant ; I acknowledge that Thou art in my heart, and I recognize Thy mansion.'

Nanak, in Baisakh God is found by him who meditateth on the Word and whose mind is thus happy.

The month of Jeth is pleasant ; why should the Beloved be forgotten ?

The land is burning like a furnace ; woman is making supplication —

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Woman is making supplication and praising His qualities : ' I shall be pleasing to the Lord if I utter His praises.

' The Bairagi l liveth in the true palace ; if He allow me to go to Him, I will go.

' Without God I am without honour and strength ; how shall I obtain comfort in His palace ? '

Nanak, in Jeth if a woman know God and embrace virtue, she shall by His favour become like unto Him.

The month of Har is sultry ;2 the sun is burning in the sky ;

The earth is suffering ; it is parched and heated like fire ;

The heat is drying up moisture ; men die in anguish, yet the sun wearieth not of his toil.

When his chariot turneth towards the south,3 woman looketh for the shade ; the grasshoppers chirp in the forest.

She who hath departed with her sins shall suffer in the next world, while she who remembereth the True One shall obtain comfort.

Nanak, with God, to whom I gave my heart, are death and life.

In Sawan be happy, O my soul ; it is the season of clouds and rain.

' I love my Spouse with my soul and body, but the Dear One hath gone abroad ;

' My Spouse cometh not home ; I am dying with the pang of separation ; the flash of the lightning terrifieth me.

' I am alone on my couch and greatly grieved ; O mother, my pain is as bad as death.

'Say how can sleep and appetite come to me without God ? Raiment affordeth my body no comfort.'

Nanak, she is the happy wife who is embraced by her beloved Spouse.

In the month of Bhadon woman in the bloom of youth is led astray by doubt, but afterwards repent eth.

The lakes and the meadows are filled with water ; it is the rainy season — the time for pleasure.

It raineth during the dark night ; how can the young wife have comfort without her mate ? Frogs and peacocks are croaking.

'Prio, prio' crieth the chatrik ; serpents go abroad biting ;

Mosquitoes sting ; lakes are filled to the brim ; how shall man obtain comfort without God ?

Nanak, I will ask my Guru and go where the Lord is.

In Assu come, O Beloved ; the wife is pining and dying for Thee.

Man can meet the Lord when He granteth him an inter view ; but love of mammon ruineth him.

When woman is spoiled by falsehood, her husband putteth her away ; then bloom the kukah and the kahi reeds.1

The heat is over, the cool season is approaching ; on seeing this my mind is uneasy.2

On all sides the trees are green and verdant ; that which slowly ripeneth is sweet.

Nanak, the true Guru hath become my mediator ; may I meet my Beloved in Assu !

In Kartik what pleaseth God is recorded in man's destiny.

The lamp which is lit by divine knowledge easily burneth.

Love is the oil of the lamp ; the woman and her Beloved have met ; 3 she is overwhelmed with delight.

She whom sin killeth shall not be acceptable at her death, while she whom virtue killeth shall really die. 4

God hath given His name and service to those who dwell in their own homes ; ever their prayer is —

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 143

' Meet us, O God, and open the doors of our understand ing ; otherwise one hour shall be as six months.'

The month of Maghar is pleasant for those who are blended with God's person by singing His praises.

The virtuous woman through her virtues enjoyeth her spouse ; my Spouse is ever pleasing to me.

While the whole world is movable, He is immovable, clever, wise, the Arranger.

They who possess the merits of divine knowledge and meditation shall be blended with God. They are pleasing to God, and God is pleasing to them.

The songs, music, and poems of bards have I heard ; but it is at the name of God sorrow fleeth away.

Nanak, that wife is dear to her spouse who in his pre sence doeth him hearty service.

In Poh it freezeth ; the moisture of the forest and of the grass drieth up.

Why comest Thou not ? Thou dwellest in my body, in my soul, and in my mouth.1

The Life of the world pervadeth my soul and body ; I enjoy pleasure through the instruction of the Guru.

The light of God is contained in the hearts of animals born from eggs, wombs, perspiration, and earth.

Lord of compassion, beneficent One, grant me a sight of Thee, and give me understanding that I may obtain salva tion.

Nanak, the Enjoyer enjoyeth her with pleasure who beareth Him love and affection.

In Magh woman becometh pure when she knoweth the place of Pilgrimage 2 within her.

I have easily met the Friend, and, by adopting His attributes, have become blended with Him.

Hear me, O beloved and beautiful God, I made Thine attributes mine ornaments ; if it please Thee, I shall bathe in Thy tank.

The Ganges, the Jamna, the meeting of the three rivers at Tribeni Priyag,1 the seven oceans,

Alms, charity, and worship are all contained in God's name. I recognize Him as the One God in every age.

Nanak, in the month of Magh, if I repeat God's name with great delight, I bathe at the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage.2

In Phagan the hearts of those to whom God's love is pleasing are happy.

Night and day are pleasant to him who effaceth himself.

When it pleased God, I effaced worldly love from my heart ; O Lord, mercifully come to my home.

Though I deck myself in various garbs, yet without the Beloved I shall not obtain a place in heaven.

I decorated myself with necklaces, strings of pearls, per fumes,3 silks, and satins, when my Beloved desired me.

Nanak, my Guru hath blended me with God, and I have obtained Him as my Spouse.

The twelve months, the seasons, the lunar days, and the week days,

The gharis, the mahurats,4 the moments, are all pleasant when the True One cometh and meeteth me of His own accord.

2 gharis = i muhurat

4 muhurats = i pahar

8 pahars = i day and night.

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When the dear Lord is obtained, everything is arranged ; the Creator knoweth everything.

I am dear to Him who decorated me ; I have met Him and am happy.

The couch of my home is beautiful when my Beloved enjoyeth me ; the holy have good fortune written on their foreheads.

Nanak, the Beloved enjoyeth me day and night ; having obtained God as my Spouse, I am a permanent bride.

At that time there was a man in very straitened domestic circumstances who had a daughter to marry. He appealed to Guru Nanak to assist in procuring her a wedding outfit. The Guru told him to give him a list of the things he required, and he would send for them. The man did so. The Guru called a servant of his, named Bhagirath, and ordered him to go to Lahore and fetch what was required. He warned him at the same time not to spend a night in that city.1 Bhagirath, on arriving in Lahore went to a shopkeeper, and asked him to supply the articles at once. The shopkeeper bade him remain for a day and everything should be ready. Bhagirath said it was impossible. The shopkeeper told him that everything should be ready on that day, but the bride's bracelets could not be made and coloured before nightfall. Bhagirath explained the order that had been given him. The shopkeeper inquired what sort of master he had who had issued such an order. Bhagirath replied that his master was the Guru. The shopkeeper inquired who the gurus of this generation were. Bhagirath could only reply that his master was a great Being. The shopkeeper rejoined, ' Wretch, where canst thou find a great being in this age ? ' After further colloquy and further praise of the Guru by Bhagirath, the shop keeper decided that he would go with him to his

master. He had a set of coloured bracelets in his private house, which he would take and give the Guru. ' If he be a great being/ continued the shop keeper, ' he shall be my Guru as well as thine, and he shall have the bracelets for nothing ; but, if he be not a great being, I will exact the full price from him/ When the shopkeeper saw the Guru and heard his gentle remonstrance with Bhagirath for his delay, he became convinced that he was a great being and searcher of hearts, and he accordingly fell at his feet and was made happy. He remained three years with the Guru, during which time he committed to memory many of his hymns.

When the shopkeeper returned to Lahore, he sent for merchants and bankers and sold them every thing he had in his shop. He then sailed to Ceylon to extend his commerce. There he took up his residence and began to trade. At the same time he led a religious life, and did not forget the Guru's hymns. He used to sing them late into the night, and again rise before day for his devotions and ablutions. On the subject of bathing the Guru had taught him that whoever bathed a watch before day in cold water and repeated God's name with love and devotion, shouldreceive nectar at God's door, and be blended with Him who is unborn and self-existent.

After bathing, the shopkeeper used to repeat the Japji and read the Guru's hymns. He was wont to take breakfast at daybreak, and then go to discharge his worldly duties. Though the people of Ceylon were said to corrupt strangers who went among them, they had no influence over the shopkeeper, who con tinued to adhere rigidly to the teachings of the Guru. The king of the country, whose name accord ing to the Sikh annals was Raja Shivnabh, hearing that the shopkeeper would not conform to the religious customs of his country, summoned him to his presence. The shopkeeper presented the Raja with a coco nut in token of his loyalty. In reply to the Raja's

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 147

questions, he said that he had already obtained what others sought to obtain by fasting, religious cere monies, and austerities ; so why should he perform them ? The Raja asked him what it was he had obtained. The shopkeeper replied that he had beheld a great being and thus secured salvation. The Raja inquired if he had really obtained spiritual comfort by seeing the great being. The shopkeeper replied, ' Sire, when one hath met God, what further comfort is necessary ? ' The king asked, ' In this Kal age who is there, a sight of whom can confer salvation ? ' The shopkeeper replied, ' Such a per son is Guru Nanak ; the mere repetition of his name can confer salvation.' He then translated for him one of the Guru's hymns. The Raja on hearing it was satisfied, and joy thrilled through his frame. He then requested the shopkeeper to take him to where Nanak lived, so that he too might behold him. The shopkeeper replied, ' Sire, meditate on him in thy heart, and thou shalt meet him here.'

The shopkeeper loaded his ship with the products of Ceylon, and returned to India. Raja Shivnabh remained at home, thinking of the Guru and yearning to behold him.

Meanwhile the Guru made a journey to the south of India. He wore wooden sandals, took a stick in his hand, twisted a rope round his head as a turban, and on his forehead put a patch and a streak. On that occasion he was accompanied by Saido and Gheho of the Jat tribe. He proceeded to the Dra- vidian country now named Madras.

His companions, seeing his morning ablutions, thought that he worshipped the river god, Khwaja Khizir,1 and derived his power from him. They

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determined to worship the same god, and advance themselves if possible to a higher spiritual eminence than the Guru had attained. While travelling one night for the purpose of their worship they met a man carrying a fish in his hand. After mutual interrogations he said that he was the river god taking an offering to the Guru, and that it was from the Guru he had obtained his power, and not the Guru from him. He added : ' I am water, he is air, a superior element ; I am often contained in him/ Saido and Gheho then went and prostrated them selves before the Guru. He asked them why they had come to him at that hour. They used formerly only to come after sunrise. They then confessed to him the whole story of their attempted worship of Khwaja Khizir, and begged his forgiveness. The Guru composed the following on that occasion :—

He who batheth in the immortal water of divine know ledge taketh with him the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage.

The Guru's instruction is jewels and gems ; by serving him his disciples find them.

There is no place of pilgrimage equal to the Guru ;

The tank of consolation is contained in that Guru.

The Guru is a river whence pure water is ever obtained, and by which the filth of evil inclinations is washed away.

He who findeth the True Guru hath obtained perfect bathing, which maketh him a god out of a beast or a ghost.

He who is imbued with the true Name obtaineth it ; that Guru is called sandal.

Fix thine attention on His feet by whose odour vegetables are perfumed.

pretend que ce nom fut donne* a ce prophete a cause qu'il jouit d'une vie florissante et immortelle depuis qu'il cut bu de 1'eau de la Fontaine. Plusieurs le confondent avec le prophete £lie, que nous disons faire sa demeure dans le Paradis terrestre et jouir de I'immortalite'. Parce que 1'arbre de vie e'toit dans ce Paradis, et qu'il y avoit aussi une Fontaine, les Musalmans donnent a cette Fontaine le nom de Fontaine de Vie, et croyent que c'est de la boisson de son eau, aussi bien que du fruit de 1'arbre de vie, qu'filie entretient son immortalite*. (D'Herbelot.)

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Through the Guru man obtaineth real life, and through the Guru man departeth to God's home.

Nanak, through the Guru man is absorbed in the True One ; through the Guru man obtaineth the special dignity of deliverance^

On the same occasion the Guru composed the following : —

They who forget the Name go astray in worldly love and superstition ;

They let go the stem and cling to the branches ; what shall they obtain ? Ashes.

How can man be saved without the Name ? If any one know, let him tell it.

If man be holy he shall be saved ; the perverse shall lose their honour.

Perfect is the wisdom of those who serve the one God.

Servants of God, take shelter in Him who was in the beginning, in every age, and who is the Bright One.

My Lord is one ; there is none other, my brethren.

By the favour of the True One happiness is obtained.

Without the Guru no one hath obtained God, however much the matter be debated.

He Himself showeth the way and fixeth true devotion in the heart.

Even though thou advise the perverse man, he will still go to the wilderness ;

But without God's name he shall not be saved ; he shall die and go to hell.

He who repeateth not God's name shall wander in birth and death.

God's worth cannot be known without serving the true Guru.

Whatever service God causeth men to do, that will be done.

It is God Himself who acteth ; whom besides shall I men tion ? God beholdeth His own greatness.

He whom God inspireth serveth the Guru.

Nanak, they who give their lives shall be saved, and shall obtain honour in God's court.1

The Guru arrived at a Saravagi or Jain temple, which was much frequented. Narbhi, the Jain priest, went with his disciple to visit him. The Jains attach an exaggerated value to life in every form. The Jain priest heard that the Guru had not the same tender scruples on the subject, and began to catechize him. ' Eatest thou old or new corn ? ' (that is, dost thou eat corn with worms in it or not ?) ' Drinkest thou cold water ; shakest thou the trees of the forest to eat their fruit ? Who is thy guru, and what power hath he to pardon thee since thou violatest all rules and destroyest life ? ' The Guru in reply uttered the following pauri : —

When the True Guru is merciful, faith is perfected.

When the True Guru is merciful, man shall never grieve.

When the True Guru is merciful, man shall know no sorrow.

When the True Guru is merciful, man shall enjoy divine pleasure.

When the True Guru is merciful, what fear hath man of Death ?

When the True Guru is merciful he ever bestoweth happi ness.

When the True Guru is merciful, man obtaineth the nine treasures.2

When the Guru is merciful, man is absorbed in the True One.3

After this the Guru launched out into a satire on the Jains : —

They have their hair plucked out, they drink dirty water, they beg and eat others' leavings ;

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 151

They spread out their ordure, they inhale its smell, they are shy to look at water ;

They have their heads plucked like sheep ; the pluckers' hands are smeared with ashes —

They spoil the occupations of their parents ; their families weep and wail for them.

They give not their deceased relations lamps or perform their last rites, or place anywhere barley rolls and leaves for them.1

The sixty-eight places of pilgrimage grant them no access ; the Brahmans will not eat their food.

They are ever filthy day and night ; they have no sacri ficial marks on their foreheads.

They ever sit close as if they were at a wake, and they enter no assembly.

They hold cups in their hands ; they have brooms 2 by their sides ; they walk in single file.

They are not Jogis, or Jangams, or Qazis, or Mullas.

God hath ruined them ; they go about despised ; their words are like curses.

God killeth and restoreth animals to life ; none else may preserve them.

The Jains make not gifts or perform ablutions ; dust lighteth on their plucked heads.

From water gems arose when Meru was made the churning staff.3

The gods appointed the sixty-eight places of pil grimages, and holy days were fixed accordingly by their orders.

After ablution the Muhammadans pray ; after ablution the Hindus worship ; the wise ever bathe.

The dead and the living are punned when water is poured on their heads.

Nanak, they who pluck their heads are devils : these things l please them not.

When it raineth there is happiness ; animals then perform their functions.

When it raineth, there is corn, sugar-cane, and cotton, the clothing of all.

When it raineth, kine ever graze, and women churn their milk.

By the use of the clarified butter thus obtained burnt offerings and sacred feasts are celebrated, and worship is ever adorned

All the Sikhs are rivers ; the Guru is the ocean, by bathing in which greatness is obtained.

If the Pluckedheads bathe not, then a hundred handfuls of dust be on their skulls.2

The Jain priest asked the Guru why he travelled in the rainy season, when insects are abroad and there is danger of killing them under foot. The Guru replied as follows :—

Nanak, if it rain in Sawan, four species of animals have pleasure —

Serpents, deer, fish, and sensualists who have women in their homes.

Nanak, if it rain in Sawan, there are four species of animals which feel discomfort —

Cows' calves, the poor, travellers, and servants.

The Jain priest went and fell at his feet and be came a convert to his faith. On that occasion the Guru completed his hymns in the Majh ki War, and Saido and Gheho wrote them down from his dictation.

It is said that the Guru then went to an island in the ocean, governed by an inhuman tyrant. The name of the island has not been preserved. Besides

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 153

Saido and Gheho a third Jat called Siho accompanied him thither. On seeing them the tyrant resolved to put them to death for trespassing on his domain. He seized the Guru as the first victim of his rage. The Guru fell into a trance and sang the following :—

He to whom the Lord is compassionate and merciful, will do the Master's work.

That worshipper whom God causeth to abide by His order, will worship Him.

By obeying His order man is acceptable, and shall then reach his Master's court.

He shall act as pleaseth his Master, and obtain the fruit his heart desireth ;

And he shall be clothed with a robe of honour in God's court.1

It is said that on hearing this hymn the tyrant desisted from his intention, and prostrated him self before the Guru. Saido gave him water to drink in which the Guru had washed his feet, and thus made him a Sikh, and ensured him deliverance.

The Guru on that occasion met a successor of Pir Makhdum Baha-ul-Din Qureshi, who had an extrava gant idea of his own spiritual and temporal impor tance. On being assured of the man's hypocrisy, the Guru uttered the following :—

The heart which relinquisheth God's praises and magnifica tion and attacheth itself to a skeleton,2

Receiveth a hundred reproaches by day and a thousand by night.3

The Pir then fell at his feet, invited the Guru to abide with him and desist from his wanderings, upon which the Guru uttered the following reflection and instruction :—

Rest, sit at home, there is trouble in ever travelling.

A place of rest is recognized when men dwell there per manently.

What manner of resting-place is the world ?

Tie up the practice of sincerity as thy travelling expenses, and remain attached to the Name.

Jogis sit in devotional postures, mullas dwell at places of rest ;

Pandits read books ; sidhs sit in the palaces of the gods ;

Demigods, sidhs, heavenly musicians, munis, saints, shaikhs, pirs, and commanders

Have gone, stage by stage, and others too are departing.

Emperors, kings, princes, nobles have marched away.

Man must depart in a ghari or two ; O my heart, under stand that thou too must go.

This is told in hymns, yet few are they who understand it.

Nanak humbly asserteth, God is contained in sea and land, in the upper and lower regions ;

He is unseen, inscrutable, omnipotent, the kind Creator.

The Merciful alone is permanent ; the whole world beside is transitory.

Call Him permanent on whose head no destiny is recorded.

The heavens and the earth shall pass away ; He the one God alone is permanent.

By day the sun travelleth, by night the moon ; hundreds of thousands of stars pass away.

The one God alone is our resting-place, Nanak saith verily.1

Upon this the Pir was convinced that the Guru was an exalted spiritual leader.

The Guru then turned his thoughts towards Ceylon, and succeeded in reaching that country, where he took his seat in Raja Shivnabh's garden.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 155

At that time it was barren, but it is said to have become green on the Guru's arrival. The gardener requested the king to go and see the faqir who had caused the withered garden to bloom anew. The king sent beautiful damsels to dance before the Guru and tempt him with their charms. The Guru, wrapped up in his own thoughts, neither spoke to them nor noticed them. The king came and inquired his name, caste, and whether he was a Jogi. The Guru replied as follows :—

The Jogi who is associated with the Name and is pure, hath not a particle of uncleanness.

He who keepeth with him the name of the Beloved, which is ever true, hath escaped birth and death.

The king asked if he were a Brahman. The Guru replied :—

He is a Brahman who hath divine knowledge for his ablutions, and God's praises for the leaves l of his worship.

There is but One Name, One God, One Light in the three worlds.

The king asked if he were a shopkeeper. The Guru replied :—

Make thy heart the scale, thy tongue the beam, and weigh the inestimable Name.

There is but one shop, one Merchant above all ; the dealers are many.

The king again inquired if he were a Hindu or a Muhammadan. The Guru continued his enigmati cal replies :—

The True Guru hath solved the problem of the two ways. It is he who fixeth attention on the One God, and whose mind wavereth not, who can understand it.

He who abideth in the Word and ever worshippeth day and night, hath ended his doubts.

The king then asked if he were Gorakhnath. The Guru showed no inclination to directly gratify his curiosity.

Above us is the sky, Gorakh is above the sky ; His inaccessible form dwelleth there ;

By the favour of the Guru, whether I am abroad or at home is the same to me ; Nanak hath become such an anchoret.1

When the Guru had ended, the king invited him to go to his palace and see his queen. He gave him an opportunity of expounding his doctrines to her.

It was during Guru Nanak' s visit to Ceylon that he composed the Pransangali, which contained an account of the silent palace of God, the manner of meditating on Him, the private utterances of the Guru, and the nature of the soul and body. The following are its opening verses : —

The supreme state is altogether a void,2 all people say ; In the supreme state there is no rejoicing or mourning ; In the supreme state there are felt no hopes or desires ; In the supreme state are seen no castes or caste-marks ; In the supreme state are no sermons or singing of hymns ;

In the supreme state abideth heavenly meditation ; In the supreme state are those who know themselves.3 Nanak, my mind is satisfied with the supreme state.

Saido and Gheho subsequently wrote out the Pransangali from memory.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 157

On his return to India the Guru, having heard of the fair of Shivrat l, went to Achal Batala 2 to preach his doctrines. The whole country crowded to see and hear him, and showered offerings on him. The Jogis on witnessing his success became very jealous and determined to humble him. Bhan- garnath, their superior, asked him why he mixed acid with his milk, that is, why he a holy man led a family life. ' When the milk becometh sour/ said Bhangarnath, ' no butter is produced by churning. Why hast thou doffed thy hermit's dress, and donned ordinary clothes ? '

The Guru replied : ' O Bhangarnath, thy mother was an unskilful woman. She knew not how to wash the churn, and so spoilt the butter in producing thee. Thou hast become an anchoret after abandoning thy family life, and yet thou goest to beg to the houses of family men. When thou doest nothing here, what canst thou obtain hereafter ? '

Bhangarnath made no reply to the Guru's ques tion but broached another subject : ' O Nanak, thou hast exhibited miracles to the world ; why art thou slow to exhibit them to us also ? ' The Guru replied : ' I have nothing worth showing you. Man hath absolutely no shelter except in the com panionship of the hymns of the Guru. Were man to move the earth, that would not induce God to grant him undeserved favours. Hear the Word ; I speak verily, I have no miracle except the True Name :—

Were I to put on a dress of fire, construct a house of snow and eat iron ;

Were I to turn all my troubles into water, drink it, and drive the earth as a steed ;

Were I able to put the firmament into one scale and weigh it with a tank ; l

Were I to become so large that I could be nowhere con tained ; and were I to lead every one by the nose ; 2

Had I such power in myself that I could perform such things or cause others to perform them, it would be all in vain.

As great as the Lord is, so great are His gifts ; He bestoweth according to His pleasure.

Nanak, he on whom God looketh with favour obtaineth the glory of the True Name.' 3

In Batala the Guru vanquished in argument all priests who attended the fair, and obliged the followers of the six schools of philosophy to bow before him. The Jogis finally complimented him on his success and said : ' Hail, O Nanak, great are thy deeds ! Thou hast arisen a great being, and lit a light in this last age of the world/ It was the time the Jogis took their daily wine, and the goblet was accordingly passed around. On its reaching the Guru he asked what it was. They said it was the Sidhs' cup. He inquired what it contained. They said molasses and the flower of the dhava4 plant, of which Indian spirits are made. The Guru then uttered the following hymn : —

Make divine knowledge thy molasses, meditation thy dhava flowers, good actions thy fermenting bark 5 to put into them.

Make the love of God thy furnace, devotion the sealing of the still ; in this way shall nectar be distilled.

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Father, by quaffing the divine juice the mind becometh intoxicated and easily absorbed in God's love.

I have arranged to fix my attention on God day and night, and heard the unbeaten sound.

God is true, His cup is pure ; He giveth it to drink to him on whom He casteth a favouring glance.

Why should he who dealeth in nectar feel love for paltry wine ?

The Guru's word is a nectar-speech ; by drinking it man becometh acceptable.

When man performeth service at God's gate l to obtain a sight of Him, what careth he for salvation or paradise ?

He who is dyed with God's praises never loveth the world, and loseth not his life in the game.

Saith Nanak, hear, Jogi Bharthari, I am intoxicated with the nectareous stream.2

The Jogis inquired if he lived by begging. The Guru replied, ' Why should he who is absorbed in the Formless go to beg alms ? ' They then asked if he were an Udasi or hermit. The Guru replied :—

He who taketh the sword of knowledge and wrestleth with his heart ;

Who knoweth the secrets of the ten organs of action and perception 3 and of the five evil passions ;

Who can knot divine knowledge to his mind ;

Who maketh pilgrimage on each of the three hundred and sixty days of the year ;

Who washeth the filth of pride from his heart —

Nanak saith, he is a hermit.

i6o THE SIKH RELIGION

The Jogis then asked the Guru if he were an Audhut. The Guru told them what an Audhut ought to be :—

He is a servant of the Guru who restraineth his sexual organs,

Whose heart is free from worldly desires, whose words are true,

And who receiveth as his alms the glance with which the Merciful One beholdeth him.

Know him to be meek whose heart is meek,

And whose instruction is the profitable Word.

Nanak saith, he is an Audhut

Whose mind is not fickle, who goeth not to spectacles,

Or to gamble or play chaupar,

Who attacheth not his mind to things bad or good,

Who weareth on his body whatever is given by the Guru,

Who, when he goeth to another's house, talketh not scandal,

Who observeth the restraint put on him by the true Guru,

And who receiveth the Guru's instructions — O holy man,

Nanak saith, such a man is an Audhut.

The Jogis then desired to know if he were a Jogi, and the Guru replied : —

To remain seated without support, To collect and restrain the five evil passions, To sleep little and take scant food, To keep guard over the saintly body, To be constant in devotion, penance, self-restraint, and remembrance of God—

Nanak saith, these are the marks of a Jogi.

When he speaketh, he uttereth divine wisdom ;

He day and night waketh in the contemplation of God ;

He attacheth a string to the vacant sphere,1

And by the Guru's favour never dieth.

All the gods do obeisance to him

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 161

Who in this way performeth the Guru's service, And who alloweth not his tongue to taste dainties — Nanak saith, these are the marks of a Jogi.

He who effaceth wrath, avarice, and greed ;

Who quencheth the fire of the five evil passions within his heart ;

Who day and night flieth the kite

By which divine knowledge is produced and evil inclina tions depart ;

Who cherisheth holiness, restraineth his evil passions

And repeateth no spell but the Guru's —

The habits of that good man are the best —

Nanak saith, these are the marks of a Jogi.

He who maketh his body the vessel, remembrance of

God his milk,

Who putteth pure truth into it as his acid, Who by contrivance and effort easily curdleth the milk — Without contrivance it would be spoiled — Who useth divine knowledge as his churning staff and

the Name as its string ;

Who in this way repeateth only the Name,

And who by rolling and rolling extracteth the butter —

Nanak saith, these are the marks of a Jogi.

The Jogis wondered if he were a Bairagi. The Guru defined the word for them : —

He is a Bairagi who is sold to God, Who in the presence of God subdueth mammon, Who performeth the work of God and mammon,1 Who beareth an unbearable and intangible thing, Who hath abandoned wrath, avarice, and pride — Nanak saith, such a man is a Bairagi.

He who abideth lonely in the house of enjoyment, And dwelleth in the house of worship —

M

Where the cat fleeth at the sound of a mouse l — Nanak saith, is a Bairagi.

He is a Bairagi who embraceth contentment, Who reverseth his breath and is absorbed in God, Who subject eth to himself the five senses — Such a Bairagi shall rise higher than Shiv. He who renounceth evil ways and fixeth his attention on the one God,

Nanak saith, is a Bairagi.

Upon this the followers of Gorakhnath pressed the Guru to adopt the style of a Jogi. The Guru asked them to describe a Jogi. They replied : —

A Jogi weareth earrings, a patched coat, carrieth a wallet, a staff,

And a deer's horn which soundeth through the world.

The Jogis were proceeding to give a further de scription of their sect when the Guru interrupted and offered spiritual substitutes for all the externals of a Jogi :—

Put the Guru's word into thy heart for the rings in thine ears ; wear the patched coat of forbearance ;

Whatever God doeth consider as good ; in this way shalt thou easily obtain the treasure of jog.

0 father, in this way the soul which hath been a pilgrim in every age, uniteth with the Supreme Essence.

He who obtaineth the ambrosial name of the Pure One, and maketh reflection his Jogi's cup,

Divine knowledge his staff, and the Omnipresent the ashes he smear eth on his body, shall enjoy the great elixir of divine knowledge.

Make God's praise thy prayer, the Guru's instruction thy sect of Atits,2

The renunciation of desires and quarrels thy sitting in contemplation in God's citadel 3 —

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From the sound of thy horn a melody shall thus be pro duced which day and night shall fill thee with music.

In everything is Thy light contained, 0 God, and many and various are its colours.

Saith Nanak, hear, Jogi Bharthari, the Primal God is the sole object of my love.1

During his residence in Batala the Guru composed the Sidh Gosht, a treatise from which the Jogis are said to have derived spiritual consolation.

The Guru continued his journey to the north. He wore leather on his feet and on his head, twisted a rope round his body, and on his forehead stamped a saffron tilak. He was accompanied by Hassu, a smith, and Sihan, a calico-printer. The party went as far as Srinagar in Kashmir, where they stayed some time and made many converts.

Brahm Das was then the most eminent of the Kashmiri pandits. On hearing of the Guru's arrival, he went to pay him a formal visit. The better to impress the Guru with his piety and learning, he wore an idol suspended from his neck, and took with him two loads of Sanskrit books. On seeing the Guru's dress he said, ' Is that the sort of faqir thou art ? Why wearest thou leather, which is unclean ? Why twistest thou a rope round thy body ? Why hast thou abandoned the observances of thy religion ? And why eatest thou flesh and fish ? ' The Guru, not paying much attention to these impertinent questions, thus unburdened him self of the thoughts which filled his mind : —

There is but one road, one door ; the Guru is the ladder to reach one's home.

Beautiful is God ; Nanak, all happiness is in His name.

PAURI

God Himself created and recognized His creation.

He separated the earth from the sky and spread a canopy over it.

He fixed the heavens without pillars by the utterance of a word.

Having created the sun and moon, He infused His light into them.

He made the wonderful play of night and day.

Pilgrimage, religion, meditation, and bathing on holy days —

None of these is equal to Thee, O God ; how can I describe Thee?

Thou sittest on a true throne ; all else are subject to birth and death.

After a pause the Guru again burst forth in God's praises : —

Thou, 0 God, who didst diffuse truth, art the truest of the true.

Thou sittest in an attitude of contemplation concealed in the lotus of the heart.

Brahma called himself great, but he found not Thy limit.

Thou hast no father or mother ; who begot Thee ?

Thou art devoid of all form, outline, or caste.

Thou f eelest not hunger or thirst ; Thou art satisfied and satiated.

The great God is contained in Himself, and hath diffused His word.

They who are satisfied with the True One are absorbed in Him.1

Brahm Das then recognizing the Guru's piety and genius fell at his feet, and asked him what existed before creation ? The Guru in reply uttered the following hymn known as Solaha2 in Rag Maru : —

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 165

In the beginning l there was indescribable darkness ;

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

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

Then were not the mines of production, or voices, or wind, or water ;

Neither creation nor destruction, nor coming nor going,

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

Nor was there paradise, or a tortoise,2 or nether regions ;

Or the hell or heaven of the Muhammadans, or the destroyer Death ;

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

Then was no Brahma, Vishnu, or Shiv :

No one existed but the One God.

Then was no female, or male, or caste, or birth ; nor did any one feel pain or pleasure.

There was no Jati, Sati,3 or dweller in the forest ;

There was no Sidh, or Striver, or dweller at ease ;

No Jogi, or Jangam, or religious garb ; nor did any one call himself a Nath ; 4

No devotion, penance, austerity, fasting, or worship ;

Nor did any one speak or tell of duality.5

God Himself having created was pleased, and valued what He had done.

There was no purification, or self-restraint, or necklace of sweet basil ;

There was no milkmaid, or Krishan, or cow, or herdsman ;

No incantations or spells, no hypocrisy, nor did any one play on the flute.1

There were no acts attaching to the soul, or religion, or the gadfly of mammon.

No one saw caste or birth with his eyes.

There was not the net of pride, nor was death written on man's brow, nor did man meditate on aught created.2

There was no slander, no seed, no soul, no life.

There was no Gorakh or Machhindar.3

Nor was there divine knowledge, or meditation, or nobility; nor did any one have conceit of himself.

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

No demigod, no temple, no cow, no gayatri,4

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

There was no Mulla or any Qazi ;

No Shaikh, no Disciple, no Haji ; 5

No subject or king ; nor was pride in the world, nor did any one give himself a great name.

There was no love, no service, no Shiv, or energy of his ; o

No friend, no helper, no seed, no blood.7

God Himself was the merchant, Himself the dealer — such was the will of the True One —

7 ' No seed, no blood ' : this refers to the male and female func tions of generation.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 167

Then were no Veds or Muhammadan books,1 no Simritis, no Shastars ;

No reading of the Purans, no sunrise, no sunset.

The Imperceptible God was Himself the speaker and preacher ; Himself unseen He saw everything.

When He pleased He created the world ;

Without supports He sustained the sky.

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

He communicated the Guru's words to some few persons.

He issued His order and watched over all.

He began with the continents, the universe, and the nether regions, and brought forth what had been hidden.

His limit no one knoweth.

From the True Guru I have learned,

Nanak, that they who are imbued with the truth are wonderful, and delight in singing God's praises.

Upon this Brahm Das again fell at the Guru's feet, cast away the idol from his neck, and, becoming a worshipper of God, performed service for the Guru. His evil desires, however, departed not. Whatever service he performed was brief and per functory, for he thought to himself that he had performed similar service before ; but whatever he did was of no avail on account of his pride.

At one of their meetings the Guru told him to take a guru. He inquired, ' What guru shall I take ? ' The Guru bade him go to a certain house in the wilderness where he should find four faqirs, and they would inform him. The pandit went to them, and they, after some delay, pointed out a temple in which they said he should find his guru. The pandit pro ceeded thither, but instead of receiving a courteous reception, was shoe-beaten in a piteous manner by a woman in red who guarded the temple. Crying bitterly he returned to the four men who had dis-

patched him on the unpleasant errand. They inquired if he had found a guru, and in reply he told them his painful story. They explained to him that the woman was Maya, or worldly love ; and that she for whom he had so longed was his guru. The pandit returned to the Guru, and fell at his feet. He then cast away his two loads of books, began to repeat God's name, and became so humble as to be, as it were, the dust of the earth. The pandit inquired who were happy in this world. The Guru replied with the following sloks, which Hassu and Sihan committed to writing : —

Indar wept after his thousandfold punishment ; l

Paras Ram wept on his return home ; 2

King Ajai3 wept after eating what he had obtained as alms —

Such is the punishment meted out in God's court —

Ram wept when he was expelled from his kingdom,

And separated from Sit a and Lachhman.4

Rawan, who took away Sita with beat of drum,

Wept when he had lost Lanka ;5

The Pandavs 6 though their master 7 had been with them,

Became slaves and wept ;

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 169

Janameja l wept when he went astray ; — For one offence he was deemed a sinner- Shaikhs, Disciples and Pirs 2 weep For fear of suffering at the last moment ; Kings wept when their ears were torn,3 And they went to beg alms from door to door ; The miser wept at his departure from the wealth he had amassed ;

The pandit wept when he had lost his learning ; The young girl who hath no husband weepeth — Nanak, the whole world is in misery. He who revereth the Name is victorious ; No other act is of any avail.4

The Guru, leaving Srinagar, penetrated the Hima laya mountains, and scaled numerous lofty peaks

Gopi Chand was king of Bengal, whose capital, according to legend, was then Doulagarh. His mother Menawati was Raja Bharthari's sister. One day as Gopi Chand was bathing, his mother, seated in an upper chamber, admired his beauty, but at the same time felt that he was not so handsome as his father, her late husband. Death had taken him, it would also take Gopi Chand. Gopi Chand as he bathed felt moisture falling on him, and was told in reply to his inquiries that it was his mother's tears. He tried to console her and said that death was the way of the world, and one must not endeavour to resist Nature's primordial law. On reflection she decided that Gopi Chand should become a faqlr under the spiritual guidance of Jalandharnath. Gopi Chand abdicated, proceeded to him, and after many troubles received, it is said, instruction how to overcome death.

until he arrived at Mount Sumer. He there met many renowned Sidhs. When the Guru had made his obeisance and sat down, they inquired whence he had come and in what state he had left Hindustan. He replied : —

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

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

I have become perplexed in my search :

In the darkness I find no way.

Devoted to pride, I weep in sorrow :

Saith Nanak, how shall deliverance be obtained ? l

On this the Sidhs requested the Guru to join them in praising God. Having done so he put his subse quent conversation with them into the following form :—

The Sidhs holding an assembly sat in religious attitude — hail to the assembly of the saints !

I offer my prayer to Him who is the true and Infinite One.

I will cut off my head and lay it before Him ; I will place before Him my soul and body.

Nanak, by meeting a holy man the True One is found, and honour is easily obtained.

Is the True and Pure One obtained by wandering ?

There is no salvation without the True Word

The Sidhs asked : —

' Speak the truth ; this is what we urge ; we are a sacrifice to saintly men.

' Where is thy seat ; where dwellest thou, O youth ? Whence hast thou come, and whither goest thou ?

' Hear, O Nanak,' said the Sidhs, ' What are thy tenets ? '

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 171

Nanak — ' I dwell in God who hath His seat in every heart ; I act according to the will of the True Guru.

' I came in the course of nature, and according to God's order shall I depart. Nanak is ever subject to His will.

' To be fixed in God is my prayerful attitude ; such know ledge have I obtained from the Guru.

' If one understand the Guru's instruction and know him self, then he being true shall be absorbed in the True One.'

A Sidh called Charpat asked :—

' The world is an ocean, and is said to be difficult to cross ; how shall man traverse it ? '

Saith Chaipat, ' O Audhut Nanak, give a true reply.'

Nanak — ' Thou sayest so ; thou thyself understandest ; What answer can I give thee ?

' I speak truly ; thou hast reached the distant shore ; how can I argue with thee ?

' As a lotus in the water remaineth dry, as also a water fowl in the stream,

' So by meditating on the Word and repeating God's name,' ' shalt thou be unaffected by the world.'

Nanak is a slave to those who remain apart from the world, in whose hearts the one God abideth, who live without desires in the midst of desires,

And who see and show to others the inaccessible and incomprehensible God.1

The Sidhs then said ' All hail ! ' The Guru replied, ' All hail to the Primal Being ! '

Several Sikhs suppose that Guru Nanak com posed the Sidh Gosht on that occasion when he found leisure and retirement for composition.

After his sojourn with the Sidhs the Guru returned to the plains of the Panjab and travelled in a north westerly direction until he reached Hasan Abdal,

then a great centre of Muhammadan religious enthusiasm.

There abode on a small hillock a bigoted and selfish priest known as Bawa Wali of Kandhar. The Guru and his minstrel needed water for their evening repast, and it could only be obtained from the Wali. Mardana told him that he and Guru Nanak had arrived, and he advised him to see the Guru, who was a great saint of God. Bawa Wali, who claimed exclusive holiness for himself, became offended on hearing the Guru's praises, and refused the required water. He said if Mardana' s master were such a holy man, he ought to provide water for himself. When this reply was communicated to the Guru, he sent Mardana back to the Wali with the message that he himself was a very poor creature of God, and laid no claims to the character of a saint. The Wali paid no heed to this protestation, but persisted in his refusal to afford water to the Guru and his minstrel. The Guru was then com pelled to bore a hole near where he had taken shelter, and a stream of water immediately issued forth. Upon this, the Wali's well dried up, there being only a limited supply of water in the locality. The Wali's rage naturally increased, and it is said that he hurled the hillock upon Guru Nanak' s un offending head. The Guru, on seeing the descend ing volume of earth, raised his right arm to protect himself. It is related that upon this the fall of the hillock was arrested. The impression of the palm of the Guru's hand was left on the descending mass, which is now known as 'Panja Sahib' and held in reverence by the Sikhs.

After a brief residence in Hasan Abdal the Guru proceeded to Gorakh-Hatari, a quarter of the city of Peshawar on the frontier of the Panjab where there is an ancient temple of Gorakhnath. The Jogis having heard of his fame were anxious to discover how he had acquired such moral and

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 173

spiritual influence, and, when the Guru was seated, put him the questions contained in the first four verses of the following hymn. The Guru's replies follow : —

What callest thou that gate at which thou sittest ? Who can see the gate within it ?

Let some one come and describe to me that gate to attain which the Udasi wandereth.

How shall we cross the ocean ?

How shall we be dead when alive ?

Sorrow is the gate, wrath the porter, hope and anxiety its folding-doors.

Mammon is a moat, domestic life its water ; man abideth by taking his seat on truth.

How many names hast Thou, 0 God ! Their limit cannot be known ; there is none equal to Thee.

Man ought not to call himself exalted, but dwell in his own thoughts ; what God deemeth proper, He doeth.

As long as there is desire, so long is there anxiety ; how can one who feeleth it speak of the one God ?

When man in the midst of desires remaineth free from desires, then, O Nanak, he meeteth the one God.

In this way shall he cross the ocean,

And thus be dead while alive.1

On uttering this hymn the Guru was pressed to adopt the style and religion of a Jogi. The principles of the Jogis' sect were explained to him. The Guru replied :—

The Word is my meditation, divine instruction the music of my horn for men to hear ;

Honour is my begging-wallet, and uttering the Name my alms.

Father, Gorakh awaketh.

Gorakh is He who lifted the earth and fashioned it without delay ;

Who enclosed water, breath, and life in the body, and made the great lights of the moon and sun ;

Who gave us the earth as our abode, but whose many favours we have forgotten.

Sidhs, Strivers, Jogis, Jangams, and Pirs are many.

If I obtain the Name from them, I will sing their praises, and serve them heartily —

Paper and salt melt not in clarified butter ; the lotus remaineth unaffected by water —

What can Death say to them, O Nanak, who meet such saints ? l

After his successful discussion with the Jogis the Guru decided to visit Makka, the pole star of Muham- madan devotion. He disguised himself in the blue dress of a Muhammadan pilgrim, took a faqir's staff in his hand and a collection of his hymns under his arm. He also carried with him in the style of a Musalman devotee a cup for his ablutions and a carpet whereon to pray. And when an oppor tunity offered, he shouted the Muhammadan call to prayer like any orthodox follower of the Arabian prophet. As usual in his peregrinations, he was accompanied by his faithful minstrel and rebeck- player Mardana. It is recorded that whenever he met children on his journey he joined in their sports. He accidentally found a Muhammadan f aqir also bent on the Makkan pilgrimage, and passed a night with him in pleasant spiritual converse. The pilgrim offered him his bhang-pouch, and asked whether he was a Hindu or a Musalman. The Guru replied with the hymn he had previously addressed to the Emperor Babar when he inquired what intoxication that was whose effects should never depart.

As they proceeded on the road to Makka, it is said, a cloud they saw over their heads accompanied them. The pilgrim became alarmed at the unusual occur-

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 175

rence, and said to the Guru, ' No Hindu hath ever yet gone to Makka. Travel not with me ; either go before or after.' The Guru told the pilgrim to precede him. When the pilgrim turned round to see where his companion was, it is said he could see neither him nor the cloud. The pilgrim then began to wring his hands, and said, ' It was God who was with me, but I could not endure the sight of Him. He worked illusion on me.'

When the Guru arrived, weary and footsore, in Makka, he went and sat in the great mosque where pilgrims were engaged in their devotions. His disregard of Moslem customs soon involved him in difficulties. When he lay down to sleep at night he turned his feet towards the Kaaba. An Arab priest kicked him and said, ' Who is this sleeping infidel ? Why hast thou, O sinner, turned thy feet towards God ? ' The Guru replied, ' Turn my feet in a direction in which God is not.' l Upon this the priest seized the Guru's feet and dragged them in the opposite direction, whereupon, it is said, the temple turned round, and followed the revolution of his body. Some understand this in a spiritual sense, and say it means that Guru Nanak made all Makka turn to his teaching. Those who witnessed this miracle were astonished and saluted the Guru as a supernatural being.

The Qazis and the Mullas crowded round the Guru, and interrogated him on the subject of his religion. They admitted that he had accomplished a great feat, but the source of his power was not apparent. They opened his book, and seeing that it was on religious subjects, inquired which was

E se, dov' ei dimora, Non intendesti ancora, Confondimi, se puoi ; Dimmi dov' ei non e.

(Metastasio.)

superior, the Hindu or the Muhammadan religion. The Guru replied, ' Without good acts the professors of both religions shall suffer. Neither the Hindus nor the Muhammadans shall obtain entrance into God's court. All their devotions shall vanish like the fleeting dye of safflower. Both sects are jealous of each other. The Hindus insist on saying Ram and the Moslems Rahim, but they know not the one God. Satan hath led them both along his own flowery way/ On that occasion the Guru uttered the following hymn in the Tilang measure : —

Thy fasting and worship shall be acceptable

When thou, O man, keepest watch over the ten apertures of thy body, hatest the world,

Chastenest thy mind, restrainest thy sight, and fleest worldly desires and wr anglings.

Every day of the month offer thy love to the Lord ; thus shalt thou be recognized as pure and gentle.

Keep the fast of meditation, and let the renunciation of pleasure be thy dance ;

Keep watch over thy heart, so shalt thou be a really learned man ;

Abandon delights, ease, evil speaking, mental anxiety, and vexation ;

Treasure kindness in thy heart, and renounce the devices of infidelity ;

Extinguish the fire of lust in thy heart, and thus become cool.

Saith Nanak, thus practise fasting, and thy faith shall be perfect.1

When the Guru had finished, the Qazi said, ' Well done ! I have to-day for the first time seen a real saint of God/ The Qazi then went and told the high priest that the darwesh Nanak had arrived. The high priest went to see him, shook hands with him,

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 177

and sat down beside him. He thanked God that Nanak had come.

The high priest asked Nanak if the Hindus who read the Veds, and the Musalmans who read the Quran, should or should not find God. The Guru courageously replied with the following outspoken hymn of Kabir :—

O brethren, the Veds and the Quran are false, and free not the mind from anxiety.

If for a moment thou restrain thy mind, God will appear before thee.

0 man, search thy heart daily, that thou mayest not again fall into despair.

This world is a magic show which hath no reality.

Men are pleased when they read falsehood, and quarrel over what they do not understand.

The truth is, the Creator is contained in the creation ; He is not of a blue colour in the guise of Vishnu.

Thou shouldst have bathed in the river which floweth in heaven.1

Take heed ; ever fix thine eyes on Him who is every where present.2

God is the purest of the pure ; shall I doubt whether there is another equal to Him ? 3

Kabir, he to whom the Merciful hath shown mercy, knoweth Him.

The high priest then asked how God might be obtained by men. The Guru replied that it was by humility and prayer. He added the following hymn in the Persian language :—

1 make one supplication before Thee ; lend Thine ear, O Creator.

SIKH. 1 N

The world is a perishable abode ; O my heart, know this as the truth.

Azrail l seizeth me by the hair of my head ; yet thou knowest it not, O my heart.

There shall be no wife, no son, no father, no brother, no one to take my hand.

There shall be no one to hinder my falling at last when my fate 2 cometh.

1 have passed my nights and days in vanity, and my thoughts have been evil.

I have never done a good act — this is my condition ;

I am unfortunate, I am also miserly and negligent ; I see not, and I fear not.

Nanak saith, I am Thy slave, and the dust of the feet of Thy servants.3

The high priest then asked the Guru to tell him the composition of matter, the nature of the God he adored, how He was to be found, and in what con sisted the essence of his religion. The Guru replied again in the Persian language :—

Know that according to the Musalmans everything is produced from air, fire, water, and earth ;

But the pure God created the world out of five elements.4

However high man may leap, he shall fall on the earth again.

Even though a bird fly, it cannot compete in endurance with the torrent and the wind which move by God's will.

How great shall I call God ? to whom shall I go to in quire regarding Him ?

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 179

He is the greatest of the great, and great is His world ; men depart in their pride.

I have consulted the four Veds, but these writings find not God's limits.

I have consulted the four books of the Muhammadans, but God's worth is not described in them.

I have consulted the nine regions of the earth ; one improveth upon what the other saith.

Having turned my heart into a boat, I have searched in every sea ;

I have dwelt by rivers and streams, and bathed at the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage ;

I have lived among the forests and glades of the three worlds and eaten bitter and sweet ;

I have seen the seven nether regions and heavens upon heavens.

And /, Nanak, say man shall be true to his faith if he fear God and do good works.1

In due time the Guru proceeded to Madina, where he vanquished the Muhammadan priests in argu ment. Thence he journeyed to Baghdad, and took up his position outside the city. He shouted the call to prayer, on which the whole population became wrapt in silent astonishment.2 The high priest of Baghdad, on meeting face to face the enthusiastic stranger, inquired who he was and to what sect he belonged. The Guru replied, ' I have appeared in this age to indicate the way unto men. I reject all sects, and only know one God, whom I recognize in the earth, the heavens, and in all directions.'

Upon this the Guru began to repeat the Japji. As the high priest listened to its doctrines he said, ' This is a very impious faqir. He is working

N 2

i8o THE SIKH RELIGION

miracles here, and informing us, contrary to the authority of our holy Quran, that there are hundreds of thousands of nether and upper regions, and that at last men grow weary of searching for them/ The high priest then called upon the Guru to give a manifestation of his power. Upon this, it is said, the Guru laid his hand on the high priest* s son and showed him the upper and lower regions described in the Japji.1

The Guru having accomplished his mission in the West resolved to return to his own country. When he arrived in Multan, the local high priest presented him with a cup of milk filled to the brim. By this he meant it to be understood that the city was full of holiness already, and that there was no room for another religious teacher. The Guru, in no wise disconcerted, took the milk and laid on it an Indian jasmin flower. The cup did not overflow. This typified that there was still room for the Guru in the midst of the Multanis, as there is still room for the ever flowing Ganges in the ocean.

The Guru, after a brief sojourn in Multan, set out for Kartarpur. His reputation daily increased in the world, and men meditated on his name. He insisted that praying for anything except God's name merely conferred on man a crown of sorrow. By this time the Guru had founded a pure religion and made his coin current in the world.

In due time the Guru and his minstrel arrived at Kartarpur on the right bank of the river Ravi, opposite the present town of Dehra Baba Nanak. There he doffed his pilgrim's dress, and donned worldly garments in order to show that he did not desire men to devote themselves exclusively to an ascetic life. At the same time he sat on his re ligious stool, and began to preach to the people.

During Guru Nanak's stay at Kartarpur he con-

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 181

tinued to compose hymns which diffused spiritual light and dispelled mental darkness. He ever con versed on religious subjects, and divine measures were ever sung in his presence. The Sodar and the Sohila were chanted in the evening and the Japji repeated at the ambrosial hour of morning.1

At Kartarpur, Mardana, the Guru's faithful minstrel, advanced in years and wearied with his long wanderings and physical privations, fell ill. He felt that he had no hope of longer life, and resigned himself to man's inevitable fate. He had originally been a Muhammadan, but, being now a Sikh, the question arose as to how his body should be disposed of after death. The Guru said, ' A Brahman's body is thrown into water, a Khatri's is burnt in the fire, a Vaisya's is thrown to the winds, and a Sudra's is buried in the earth. Thy body shall be disposed of as thou pleasest.' Mardana replied, * Through thine instruction the pride of my body hath totally departed. With the four castes the disposal of the body is a matter of pride. I deem my soul merely as a spectator of my body, and am not concerned with the latter. Where fore dispose of it as thou pleasest.' Then the Guru said, ' Shall I make thee a tomb and render thee famous in the world.' Mardana replied, ' When my soul hath been separated from its bodily tomb, why shut it up in a stone tomb ? ' The Guru answered, ' Since thou knowest God and art therefore a Brah man, we shall dispose of thy body by throwing it into the river Ravi and letting it go with the stream. Sit down therefore on its margin in prayerful posture, fix thine attention on God, repeat His name at every inspiration and expiration, and thy soul shall be absorbed in the light of God.' Mardana accordingly sat down by the river, and his soul separated from its earthly enclosure the following morning at a watch

before day. The Guru then, by the aid of his Sikhs, consigned Mardana's body to the river Ravi,1 caused the Sohila to be read for his eternal repose, and con cluded the obsequies by distributing karah parshad z (sacred food). The Guru counselled Mardana's son Shahzada and his relations not to weep. There ought to be no lamentation for a man who was returning to his heavenly home, and therefore no mourning for Mardana.3

The Guru bade Shahzada remain with him in the same capacity as his father, and he would be held in equal honour. Accordingly Shahzada, the Guru's faithful friend and minstrel, accompanied him to the time of his death.

In the Granth Sahib are found three sloks of the Guru, dedicated to Mardana, against the use of wine. The following, which may conveniently be given here, will suffice as a specimen : —

The barmaid is misery, wine is lust ; man is the drinker.

The cup filled with worldly love is wrath, and it is served by pride.

The company is false and covetous, and is ruined by excess of drink.

Instead of such wine make good conduct thy yeast, truth thy molasses, God's name thy wine ;

Make merits thy cakes, good conduct thy clarified butter, and modesty thy meat to eat.

Such things, O Nanak, are obtained by the Guru's favour ; by partaking of them sins depart.4

There lived in a town called Khadur a Sikh named Jodha who used to repeat God's name while

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 183

the rest of the inhabitants worshipped Durga. Their priest was a man called Lahina. One day when Jodha was repeating Guru Nanak's Japji, Lahina heard him and inquired whose composition it was. Jodha duly informed him, and they became intimate. On being introduced to the Guru, Lahina told his name, upon which the Guru said, 'Thy lahina is here, where else can it be found?' In the Panjabi language the word lahina means to take or receive, and the Guru meant, ' What thou de- sirest to receive — salvation — is here, and nowhere else.' After some spiritual instruction from the lips of the Guru, Lahina threw away the tinkling bells he wore on his hands and feet to dance before the goddess, and began to repeat God's name. He made it a practice afterwards to perform menial service for the Guru.1

It is said that Lahina in a vision saw a female in a red dress shampooing the Guru. Lahina asked her who she was. She replied that she was Durga, and that she came once a week to do service for the Guru. On this Lahina became convinced of the divine mission of Guru Nanak.

A Jogi went to visit the Guru and congratulate him on the large number of converts he had made The Guru replied that he had few real Sikhs, as the Jogi himself would see. The Guru and the Jogi determined to proceed into the forest and there make trial of the Sikh converts who accompanied them in numbers. For this purpose the Guru assumed a terrible guise. He put on dirty, tattered clothes, took a knife in his hand, and proceeded with some hunting dogs into the forest, ostensibly in quest of game. On this several of his Sikhs fled. It was on that occasion the Guru composed the following :—

I have a dog l and two bitches 2 with me ;

Every morning they bark at the wind.3

Falsehood is my hunting-knife and carrion its handle.

1 do not follow my Master's counsel or do His work. I appear deformed and terrible.

Thy Name alone saveth the world ;

It is my support ; to obtain it is my desire.

I utter calumny day and night ;

I am base and worthless ; I covet my neighbour's house.

Lust and anger, which are pariahs, dwell in my heart.

1 am a cheat in a country of cheats.4

/ deem myself very clever, and bear a great load of sin. O Creator, I remain in the guise of a huntsman. Ungrateful that I was, I did not appreciate what Thou didst for me.

How can I, who am wicked and dishonest, show my face ? Humble Nanak expresseth his thoughts —

As the party proceeded they found the road covered with copper coins. Some Sikhs took them up and departed. Further on were found silver coins. Several Sikhs took up the silver coins and returned home. As the Guru's party proceeded further, they saw gold coins on the road. Several of the remaining Sikhs took up the gold coins and quickly vanished. Only the Jogi, two Sikhs, and the Guru's attendant Lahina now remained.

On proceeding further they found a funeral pyre. Near the corpse were four lighted lamps. A sheet was stretched over it as it lay on the ground and emitted an offensive smell. The Guru said, ' Let

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 185

whoever wisheth to accompany me eat of this.' The Sikhs quailed at the dreadful proposal, but Lahina remained staunch in his faith in the Guru. Without more ado he clasped his hands and asked the Guru if he should begin to eat the head or the feet of the corpse. The Guru told him to begin at the waist. Lahina lifted the winding-sheet in order to begin to eat, when lo ! it is said, a dish of sacred food appeared instead of the corpse ! Lahina offered the sacred food to the Guru first, and said he would partake of his leavings. The Guru replied, ' Thou hast obtained this sacred food because thou didst desire to share it with others. The wealth given by God which man useth himself or burieth in the earth, is like carrion ; but the wealth which man shareth with others is as sacred food. Thou hast obtained my secret ; thou art in mine image. I will tell thee the real thing, the spell which is the essence of religion, and by which thou shalt have happiness here and hereafter. The following, which is the preamble of the Japji, is the spell meant by the Guru : —

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

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

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

The Guru instructed Lahina to utter the spell with a pure heart. It would fulfil all his desires, bestow happiness in this world and salvation in the next ; and by the continual practice of it the light of God should dawn in his heart. Upon this the Jogi said, ' O Nanak, he shall be thy Guru who is produced from thy body — ang.' Upon this the Guru embraced Lahina, addressed him as Angad, and promised that he should be his successor. The Jogi and the Guru then went to their respective homes.

The Sikhs who had deserted the Guru, afterwards bitterly regretted their conduct. They who had found the copper money said, that if they had gone further they would have found the silver money; and they who had found the silver money said that if they had gone further, they would have found the gold money. Upon this the Guru composed the following : —

The words man speaketh shall be taken into account ; the food he eateth shall be taken into account ;

Man's movements shall be taken into account ; what he heareth and seeth shall be taken into account ;

Every breath he draweth shall be taken into account ; why should I go and ask the learned ?

O father, attachment to Maya is deceitful.

He who being spiritually blind forgetteth God's name, shall gain neither this world nor the next.

Life and death are for everything that is born ; death devoureth everything here.

Where the Judge sitteth and decideth, thither no one shall accompany thee.

All who weep for thee tie up, as it were, a bundle of refuse.1

Everybody saith that God is great ; nobody detracteth from Him ;

But no one hath found His price ; He becometh not great by what man saith.

O True Lord, Thou art one Lord ; how many other worlds in which creatures dwell !

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

Nay, who are lowest of the low ; how can he rival the great ?

Where Thou, O Lord, watchest over the lowly, Thy look of favour shall be their reward.2

The successor of Pir Baha-ul-Din, the Musalman prelate of Multan, went accompanied by several of his followers to visit Guru Nanak. On meeting him he said, ' I have loaded the load ; do something

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 187

for me' — that is, pray that I may have a successful journey to the next world. The Guru replied :—

He who filleth the sack shall load it on himself ; l the will of God is over all ;

Nanak, they who have acted honestly shall depart with bright faces.

The Guru, seeing the Pir prepared for death, said he would soon follow him himself. The Guru upon this composed the following hymn :—

Wealth, youth, and flowers are guests2 only for four days ;3

They wither and fade like the leaves of the water lily.

Enjoy God's love, O dear one, in the freshness of youth.

Few are thy days ; thou art wearied and the vesture of thy body hath grown old.

My merry friends have gone to sleep in the grave.

I too shall depart in sorrow, and weep with a feeble voice.

O fair one,4 why not attentively listen to this message ?

Thou must go to thy father-in-law's ; thou mayest not dwell for ever in thy father's house.

Nanak, know that she who sleepeth 5 in her father's house, is robbed at an untimely season.

She hath lost her bundle of merits and departed with a load of demerits.6

The Guru, knowing that his end was approach ing, appointed Angad his successor. The Guru's sons had not obeyed him. Their minds were insin cere, and they had rebelled and deserted him. Wherefore he subsequently placed the umbrella

Who awakes not in God's service. 6 Sri Rag.

of spiritual sovereignty over Angad' s head, and bowed to him in token of his succession to the Guruship. Then it became known to his people^ that Guru Nanak was about to die. Whole troops < of Sikhs, Hindus, and Musalmans went to bid him J farewell. Angad stood up before him in an attitude of supplication. When Guru Nanak had invited him to speak, he said, ' O king, be pleased to attach again to thy skirt those who have seceded from thee.' By this Angad meant the Sikhs whose faith had been tried and found wanting. Guru Nanak replied, ' I have forgiven them all for thy sake/ Upon this Angad fell at his feet.

Guru Nanak went and sat under a withered acacia tree, when lo ! it became green, and produced leaves and blossoms. Angad again fell at his feet in adoration. Guru Nanak' s family, relations, and disciples began to weep. On that occasion he com posed the following : —

Hail to the Creator, the True King, who allotted to the world its various duties !

When the measure 1 is full, the duration of life is at an end ; the soul is led away ;

When the destined hour arriveth, the soul is led away and all one's relations weep.

The body and soul are separated, O my mother, when one's days are at an end.

Thou hast obtained what was allotted thee, and reaped the fruit of thy former acts.

Hail to the Creator, the True King, who allotted to the world its various duties !

Remember the Lord, O my brethren ; all must depart.

The affairs of this world are transitory, only for four days ; we must assuredly proceed onwards :

We must assuredly proceed onwards like a guest ; why should we be proud ?

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 189

Repeat the name of Him by whose worship thou shalt obtain happiness in His court.

In the next world thou canst in no wise enforce thine authority ; every one shall fare according to his acts.

Remember the Lord, my brethren, every one must depart.

That which pleaseth the Omnipotent shall come to pass ; this world is an illusion.

The true Creator pervadeth sea and land, the nether regions, and the firmament.

The true Creator is invisible, unequalled ; His limit cannot be found.

Profitable is their advent into this world who have medi tated with their whole hearts upon Him.

The Adorner by His order demolisheth and again con- structeth.

That which pleaseth the Omnipotent shall come to pass ; this world is an illusion.

Saith Nanak, O Father, they shall be considered to have wept who weep through love.

If men weep for the sake of worldly things, all their weeping, O Father, shall be in vain :

All their weeping shall be in vain ; the world is not mindful of God, and weepeth for mammon.

They know not good from evil, and thus lose their human lives.

All who come into this world must depart ; false are you who practise pride.

Saith Nanak. men shall be considered to have wept, O Father, if they weep through love.1

After this the assembled crowd began to sing songs of mourning, and the Guru fell into a trance. When he awoke therefrom, his sons, on seeing a stranger appointed to succeed their father, inquired what provision had been made for themselves. Guru Nanak replied, ' O my sons, God giveth to His creatures ; you shall obtain food and clothing in

igo THE SIKH RELIGION

abundance, and if you repeat God's name you shall be saved at last.'

The Musalmans who had received God's name from the Guru, said they would bury him after his death. His Hindu followers on the contrary said they would cremate him. When the Guru was invited to decide the discussion he said, ' Let the Hindus place flowers on my right, and the Musal mans on my left. They whose flowers are found fresh in the morning, may have the disposal of my body.'

Guru Nanak then ordered the crowd to sing the Sohila : —

In the house in which God's praise is sung and He is meditated on,

Sing the Sohila and remember the Creator.

Sing the Sohila of my fearless Lord ; I am a sacrifice to that song of joy by which everlasting comfort is obtained.

Ever and ever living things are watched over ; the Giver regardeth their wants.

When even Thy gifts cannot be appraised, who can appraise the Giver ?

The year and the auspicious time for marriage* are re corded ; O relations, meet and pour oil on me the bride.2

0 my friends, pray for me that I may meet my Lord. This message is ever sent to every house ; such invita tions are ever issued.

Remember the Caller ; Nanak, the day is approaching.3

The concluding slok of the Japji was then sung. The Guru drew a sheet over him, uttered 1 Wahguru ', made obeisance to God, and blended his light with Guru Angad's. The Guru remained the same. There was only a change of body pro duced by a supreme miracle.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 191

When the sheet was removed next morning, there was nothing found beneath it. The flowers on both sides were in bloom. The Hindus and the Musal- mans removed their respective flowers. All the Sikhs reverently saluted the spot on which the Guru had lain. He breathed his last on the tenth day of the light half of the month of Assu, Sambat 1595 (A.D. 1538) at Kartarpur in the Panjab.

The Sikhs erected a shrine and the Muhammadans a tomb in his honour on the margin of the Ravi. Both have since been washed away by the river, perhaps providentially, so as to avoid idolatrous worship of the Guru's last resting-place.

Bhai Gur Das, a brief account of whom we have given in the Introduction, draws a gloomy picture of the wickedness of the world at the rise of the Sikh religion: — Men's ideas and aspirations were low. Mammon fascinated the world and led every one astray. Good acts no longer commended themselves to men. They burned with pride, and respected not one another. The high and the low forgot their mutual duties. Monarchs were unjust, and their nobles were butchers who held knives to men's throats.

Everybody thought he possessed knowledge, but none knew in what knowledge or ignorance consisted. Men did what pleased themselves. Alchemy and thaumaturgy were professed, incantations and spells practised, and men indulged in strife, wrath, and mutual jealousies. In the general disorder every one adopted a religion of his own. Out of one God they made many, and carved gods attractive and unat tractive from wood and stone. Some worshipped the sun or moon, others propitiated the earth, sky, wind, water, or fire, and others again the god of death, while the devotion of many was addressed to cemeteries and cremation grounds. Thus did mankind go astray in vain religions and vain worship.

Men despised one another and hence caste received

religious sanction. The Brahmans set the Veds, the Purans, and the Shastars at variance. The professors of the six schools of Hindu philosophy quarrelled with one another, and while so employed indulged to their hearts' content in hypocrisy and superstition.

Not only were the Hindus divided into four castes, but the Muhammadans were divided into four sects,1 and while the Hindus worshipped the Ganges and Banaras, the Muhammadans addressed their devo tions to Makka and the Kaaba. The devil fascinated the members of both religions ; they forgot their holy books ; they went astray on every road ; and truth was the one thing they failed to discover.

There was no guru or religious guide, and without one the people were pushing one another to their destruction. Sin prevailed throughout creation. Pure religion was weeping day and night, and finally began to disappear from men's gaze beneath the earth. She was weighed down by human trans gressions. In lowly attitude she appealed to God for a guide. God observing men's anguish and hearing their piteous cries, conferreoT^supernatural attributes on Guru Nanak. _ He bestowed on him the supreme wealth of the Name and humility, and sent Mm into the world to relieve its sufferings. When Guru Nanak contemplated the world, he everywhere saw spiritual darkness, and heard the cry of pain. He endured the greatest privations and travelled to different countries in order to regenerate the human race.

He pointed out to men the straight way — that there was but one God, the primal and omnipreaent. He restored the three legs which religion had lost, and reduced to one the four castes of the Hindus. He placed the king and the beggar on a spiritual equality, and taught them to respect each other.

LIFE OF GURU NANAK 193

He preached to all a religion of the heart as distin guished from a religion of external forms and unavailing ritual.

He found that the acts and austerities practised by professedly religious men of his age and country were without divine love or devotion, and conse quently contained no merit before God. He satisfied himself that Brahma, the reputed author of the Veds, did not include love in them, nor was it men tioned in the Simritis. He declared that God who has no form or outline was not found by wearing religious garbs, but by humility, and that if men rejected caste and worshipped God in spirit they should be accepted in His court.

The Guru examined all religious sects, contem plated the gods, goddesses, and spirits of earth and heaven, and found them all immersed and perishing in spiritual pride. He scrutinized Hindus, Moslems, priests, and prophets, and found not one godly person among them. They were all groping in the blind pit of superstition.

Religious men who ought to be guiding their flocks, had retreated to the solitude of mountains. There was no one left to instruct and save the world. Though hermits rubbed ashes night and day on their bodies, they possessed no knowledge, and the world was rushing to its ruin for want of a divine guide. Rulers were everywhere oppressive. The fence began to eat the field instead of protecting it. Guardians proved faithless to their trusts and con sumed the wealth of their wards. Some disciples played while their spiritual guides danced. Other disciples sat at home while, contrary to all custom, their spiritual guides waited on them. Judges took bribes and perpetrated injustice. Women only paid regard to their husbands for the wealth they pos sessed, and sin was diffused throughout the world.

When Guru Nanak appeared, the fog of spiritual ignorance dispersed, and light shone in the world,

as when the sun rises the stars disappear and dark ness fades away, or as when the lion roars in the forest the timid deer incontinently disappear. Wherever the Guru planted his foot, there was established a seat of worship. Every house of his followers became a temple in which the Lord's praises were ever sung and the Lord's name continually repeated. The Guru established a separate religion, and laid out an easy and simple way of obtaining salvation by the repetition of God's name. The Guru extri cated men from the terrible ocean of the world, and included them in the boon of salvation. He cut off the fear of transmigration, and healed the malady of superstition and the pain of separation from God. Until the Guru's advent death's mace ever impended over men's heads, and the apostate and the evil spent their lives in vain. When men grasped the feet of the divine Guru, he gave them the true Word and effected their deliverance. He inculcated love and devotion, the repetition of God's name, and the lesson that as men sow so shall they reap. The four castes of the Hindus he reduced to one. Whether a Sikh had a caste or not, he was distin guished in the society of the holy. The six schools of philosophy are like the six seasons of the year, but the sect of the Guru is the sun which shines over them all. Guru Nanak having abolished all sects shed great splendour on his own. Setting aside the Veds and the books of Islam, he taught his sect to repeat the name of the infinite God who surpasses all conception. By falling at one another's feet and by practising humility are the Guru's Sikhs recognized. They live as hermits among their fami lies, they efface their individuality, they pronounce the ineffable name of God, and they transgress not the will of the Creator by uttering blessings or curses upon their fellow-creatures. Thus were men saved in every direction and Guru Nanak became the true support of the nine regions of the earth.

THE JAPJI1

THERE is but one God whose name is true, the Creator, 2 devoid of fear and enmity, immortal, unborn, self-existent ; 3 by the favour of the Guru.4

REPEAT His NAME

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

The True One is 5 now also, O Nanak ; the True One also shall be.6

God was true in the beginning, He was true in the primal age ;

He is true now also, Nanak, and He also will be true.

O 2

By thinking I cannot obtain a conception of Him, even though I think hundreds of thousands of times.

Even though I be silent and keep my attention firmly fixed on Him, I cannot preserve silence.

The hunger of the hungry for God subsideth not though they obtain the load of the worlds.

If man should have thousands and hundreds of thousands of devices, even one would not assist him in obtaining God.

How shall man become true before God ? How shall the veil of falsehood be rent ? l

By walking, O Nanak, according to the will 2 of the Com mander as preordained.

By His order bodies are produced ; His order cannot be described.

By His order souls 3 are infused into them ; by His order greatness is obtained.

By His order men are high or low ; by His order they obtain preordained pain or pleasure.

By His order some obtain their reward ; 4 by His order others must ever wander in transmigration.

All are subject to His order ; none is exempt from it.

He who understandeth God's order, O Nanak, is never guilty of egoism.5

Who can sing His power ? Who hath power to sing it ? 6

Who can sing His gifts or know His signs ? 7

This translation appears to be unmeaning, for it is not doubted that God was true in all ages. With the translation in the text compare 'Eyw et/xi TTOLV TO yeyovos, KOL ov, KOL e(ro/xeyoi/, * I am all that was, and is, and will be.' — Inscription on a Greek temple.

THE JAPJI 197

Who can sing His attributes, His greatness, and His deeds?1

Who can sing His knowledge whose study is arduous ?

Who can sing Him, who fashioneth the body and again destroyeth it ?

Who can sing Him, who taketh away life and again restoreth it ?

Who can sing Him, who appeareth to be far, but is known to be near.

Who can sing Him, who is ^//-seeing and omnipresent ? 2

In describing Him there would never be an end.

Millions of men give millions upon millions of descriptions of Him, but they fail to describe Him.

The Giver giveth ; the receiver groweth weary of receiving.

In every age man subsisteth by His bounty.

The Commander by His order hath laid out the way of the world.

Nanak, God the unconcerned is happy.

True is the Lord, true is His name ; it is uttered with endless love.3

People pray and beg, * Give us, give us ' ; the Giver giveth His gifts ;

Then what can we offer Him whereby His court may be seen ?

What words shall we utter with our lips, on hearing which He may love us ?

At the ambrosial hour of morning meditate on the true Name and God's greatness.

Some sing His power according to their abilities ;

Some sing His gifts according to their knowledge of His signs ;

Some sing His attributes, His greatness, and His deeds;

Some sing His knowledge whose study is arduous ;

Some sing that He fashioneth the body and again destroyeth it ;

Some that He taketh away the soul and again restoreth it ;

Some that He appeareth far from mortal gaze ;

Some that He is all-seeing and omnipresent.

The Kind One will give us a robe of honour, and by His favour we shall reach the gate of salvation.1

Nanak, we shall thus know that God is altogether true.2

He is not established, nor is He created.

The pure one existeth by Himself.

They who worshipped Him have obtained honour.

Nanak, sing His praises who is the Treasury of excellences.

Sing and hear and put His love into your hearts.

Thus shall your sorrows be removed, and you shall be absorbed in Him who is the abode of happiness.3

Under the Guru's instruction God's word is heard ; under the Guru's instruction its knowledge is acquired', under the Guru's instruction man learns that God is everywhere contained.4

The Guru is Shiv ; the Guru is Vishnu and Brahma ; the Guru is Parbati, Lakhshmi,5 and Saraswati.6

The body is first formed, and then the soul from another body enters it. God decides in what body the soul is to have residence until the body perishes. The acts of previous births are adjusted when the soul attains a human body. It is the acts done in a human body which accompany the soul to future states of existence.

(a) Under the Guru's instruction God's word is heard • under the Guru's instruction the knowledge of it is acquired '; it is contained in the Guru's instruction.

(&) The voice of God is found as well in other compositions as in the Veds ; the voice of God is all-pervading.

(c) The pious know the Guru's instruction, that God is every where contained.

(d) The voice of the Guru is as the Veds for the holy ; they are absorbed in it.

This verse is also translated —

THE JAPJI 199

If I knew Him, should I not describe Him ? He cannot be

described by words.

My Guru hath explained one thing to me —

That there is but one Bestower on all living beings ; may

I not forget Him !

If I please Him, that is my place of pilgrimage to bathe in ; if I please Him not, what ablutions shall I make ?

What can all the created beings I behold obtain without previous good acts ?

Precious stones, jewels, and gems shall be treasured up in thy heart if thou hearken to even one word of the Guru.

The Guru hath explained one thing to me —

That there is but one Bestower on all living beings ; may I not forget Him !

Were man to live through the four ages, yea ten times longer ;

Were he to be known on the nine continents, and were everybody to follow in his train ; l

Were he to obtain a great name and praise and renown in the world ;

If God's look of favour fell not on him, no one would notice him.

He would be accounted a worm among worms, and even sinners would impute sin to him.

(a) He is greater than Shiv ; greater than Vishnu and Brahma ; greater than Parbati, Lakhshmi, and Saraswati.

(6) For the holy the Guru is Shiv; the Guru is Vishnu and Brahma ; the Guru is Parbati, Lakhshmi, and Saraswati.

The tenth Guru says :—

Khanda prithme saj ke Jin sab sansdr upaiya —

God first created the sword, the emblem of Death, and then the world.

So here Shiv obtains precedence as the agent of destruction. The word uttered by God became the source of knowledge of Him through the Guru in the three forms of Shiv, Vishnu, and Brahma.

Nanak, God may bestow virtue on those who are devoid of it, as well as on those who already possess it ;

But no such person is seen as can bestow virtue upon Him.

By hearing the name of God men become Sidhs, Pirs, Surs,1 and Naths ;

By hearing the Name man under standeth the real nature of the earth, its supporting bull,2 and Heaven ;

By hearing the Name man obtaineth a knowledge of the continents, the worlds, and the nether regions.

By hearing the Name death doth not affect one.3

Nanak, the saints are ever happy.

By hearing the Name sorrow and sin are no more.

By hearing the Name man becometh as Shiv, Brahma, and Indar.

By hearing the Name even the low become highly lauded.4

By hearing the Name the way of Jog and the secrets of the body are obtained.

By hearing the Name man understandeth the real nature of the Shastars, the Simritis, and the Veds.

Nanak, the saints are ever happy.

By hearing the Name sorrow and sin are no more.

By hearing the Name truth, contentment, and divine knowledge are obtained.

Hearing the Name is equal to bathing at the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage.

By hearing the Name and reading it man obtaineth honour.5

THE JAPJI 201

By hearing the Name the mind is composed and fixed on God.1

Nanak, the saints are ever happy.

By hearing the Name sorrow and sin are no more.

By hearing the Name, the depth of the sea of virtue is sounded.2

By hearing the Name men become Shaikhs, Pirs, and Emperors.

By hearing the Name a blind man findeth his way

By hearing the Name the unfathomable becometh fathom able.

Nanak, the saints are ever happy.

By hearing the Name sorrow and sin are no more.

The condition of him who obeyeth God cannot be described. Whoever trieth to describe it, shall afterward repent. There is no paper, or pen, or writer To describe the condition of him who obeyeth God. So pure is His name—

Whoever obeyeth God knoweth the pleasure of it in his own heart.3

By obeying Him wisdom and understanding enter the mind ;

By obeying Him man knoweth all worlds ;

By obeying Him man suffereth not punishment;

By obeying Him man shall not depart with Jam 4—

So pure is God's name —

Whoever obeyeth God knoweth the pleasure of it in his own heart.

By obeying Him man's path is not obstructed ;

By obeying Him man departeth with honour and distinc tion ;

By obeying Him man proceedeth in ecstasy 1 on his way ;

By obeying Him man formeth an alliance with virtue —

So pure is God's name —

Whoever obeyeth God knoweth the pleasure of it in his own heart.

By obeying Him man attaineth the gate of salvation ;

By obeying Him man is saved with his family ;

By obeying Him the Guru is saved, and saveth his disciples ;

By obeying Him, O Nanak, man wandereth not in quest of alms 2 —

So pure is God's name —

Whoever obeyeth God knoweth the pleasure of it in his own heart.

The elect 3 are acceptable, the elect are distinguished ;

The elect obtain honour in God's court ;

The elect shed lustre 4 on the courts of kings.

The attention of the elect is bestowed on the one Guru.5

If any one say he can form an idea of God, he may say so,

(a) By obeying Him man proceedeth not by the path of destruction. (l>) Man proceedeth by the broad, not the narrow way.

THE JAPJI 203

But the Creator's works cannot be numbered.

The bull that is spoken of is righteousness, the offspring of mercy,

Which supported by patience maintaineth the order of nature.1

Whoever understandeth this is a true man.

What a load there is upon the bull ! 2

Beyond this earth there are more worlds, more and more.

What power can support their weight ?

The names of living things, their species, and colours

Have all been written with a flowing pen.

Doth any one know how to write an account of them ?

If the account were written, how great it would be !

What power and beautiful form are Thine, O God !

Who hath power 3 to know how great Thy gifts are ?

By one word 4 Thou didst effect the expansion of the world,

Whereby hundreds of thousands of rivers were produced.

What power have I to describe Thee ?

So powerless am 7, that I cannot even once be a sacrifice unto Thee.

Whatever pleaseth Thee is good.

Thou, 0 Formless One, art ever secure.

Numberless thy worshippers,5 and numberless Thy lovers ; Numberless Thine adorers, and numberless they who perform austerities for Thee ; ^Numberless the reciters of sacred books and Veds ;

Numberless Thy Jogis whose hearts are indifferent to the world ;

Numberless the saints who ponder on Thine attributes and divine knowledge ;

Numberless Thy true men ; numberless Thine almsgivers ;

Numberless Thy heroes who face the steel of their enemies ;

Numberless Thy silent worshippers who lovingly fix their thoughts upon Thee.

What power have I to describe Thee ?

So lowly am I, that I cannot even once be a sacrifice unto Thee.

Whatever pleaseth Thee is good.

O Formless One, Thou art ever secure.

Numberless are the fools appallingly blind ;

Numberless are the thieves and devourers of others' property ;

Numberless those who establish their sovereignty by force ; l

Numberless the cut-throats and murderers ;

Numberless the sinners who pride themselves on committing sin ;

Numberless the liars who roam about lying ;

Numberless the filthy 2 who enj oy filthy gain ;

Numberless the slanderers who carry loads of calumny on their heads ;

Nanak thus describeth the degraded.

59 lowly am I, I cannot even once be a sacrifice unto Thee.

Whatever pleaseth Thee is good.

THE JAPJI 205

Numberless Thy names, and numberless Thy places.

Completely beyond reach are Thy numberless worlds.

Numberless they who repeat Thy name with all the strength of their intellects.1

By letters 2 we repeat Thy name, by letters we praise Thee ;

By letters we acquire divine knowledge, and sing Thy praises and Thine attributes ;

By letters we write and utter the word 3 of God ;

By the letters recorded on man's head his destiny is declared.

He who inscribeth them on others, beareth them not on His own head.

As He ordaineth, so shall man obtain.

As great Thy creation, O God, so great is Thy fame

There is no place without Thy name.

What power have I to describe Thee ?

So lowly am /, that I cannot even once be a sacrifice unto Thee

Whatever pleaseth Thee is good.

When the hands, feet, and other members of the body are covered with filth,

It is removed by washing with water.

When thy clothes are polluted,

Apply soap, and the impurity shall be washed away.

So when the mind is defiled by sin,

It is cleansed by the love 4 of the Name.

Men do not become saints or sinners by merely calling themselves so.

(a) With their bodies reversed, that is, standing on their heads, a form of religious austerity practised in India.

(If) They who try to describe Thee shall have to carry loads of sin on their heads.

The recording angels take with them a record of man's acts.

It is he himself soweth, and he himself eateth. Nanak, man suffereth transmigration by God's order.

Pilgrimage, austerities, mercy, and almsgiving on general and special occasions

Whosoever performeth, may obtain some little honour ;

But he who heareth and obeyeth and loveth God in his heart,

Shall wash off his impurity in the place of pilgrimage within him.

All virtues are Thine, O Lord ; none are mine.

There is no devotion without virtue.

From the Self-existent proceeded Maya (athi), whence issued a word which produced Brahma and the rest 1 —

' Thou art true, Thou art beautiful, there is ever pleasure in Thy heart ! '

What the time, what the epoch, what the lunar day, and what the week-day,

What the season, and what the month when the world was created,

The Pandits did not discover ; had they done so, they would have recorded it in the Purans.

Nor did the Qazis 2 discover it ; had they done so, they would have recorded it in the Quran :

Neither the Jogi nor any other mortal knows the lunar day, or the week-day, or the season, or the month.

Only the Creator who fashioned the world knoweth when He did so.

How shall I address Thee, O God ? how shall I praise Thee ? how shall I describe Thee ? and how shall I know Thee?

THE JAPJI 207

Saith Nanak, everybody speaketh of Thee, one wiser than another.

Great is the Lord, great is His name ; what He doeth cometh to pass.

Nanak, he who is proud shall not be honoured on his arrival in the next world.

There are hundreds of thousands of nether and upper regions.

Men have grown weary at last of searching for God's limits ; the Veds say one thing, thai God has no limit.1

The thousands of Purans 2 and Muhammadan books tell that in reality there is but one principle.3

If God can be described by writing, then describe Him ; but such description is impossible.

Praisers praise God, but have not acquired a knowledge of Him,

As rivers and streams fall into the sea, but know not its extent.

Kings and emperors who possess oceans and mountains of property and wealth,4

Are not equal to the worm which forgetteth not God in its heart.

There is no limit to God's praises ; l to those who repeat them there is no limit.

There is no limit to His mercy, and to His gifts there is no limit.

There is no limit to what God seeth, no limit to what He heareth.

The limit of the secret of His heart cannot be known.

The limit of His creation cannot be known ; neither His near nor His far. side can be discovered.2

To know His limits how many vex their hearts.3

His limits cannot be ascertained ;

Nobody knoweth His limits.

The more we say, the more there remains to be said.

Great is the Lord, and exalted is His seat.

His exalted name is higher than the most exalted.

Were any one else ever so exalted,

Then he would know that exalted Being :

How great He is He knoweth Himself.

Nanak, God bestoweth gifts on whom He looketh with favour and mercy.

His many bounties 4 cannot be recorded,

He is a great giver and hath not a particle of covetousness.

How many, yea countless heroes beg of Him !

How many others whose number cannot be conceived !

How many pine away in sin ! 5

How many persons receive yet deny God's gifts !

How many fools there are who merely eat !

How many are ever dying in distress and hunger !

THE JAPJI 209

Rebirth 1 and deliverance depend on Thy will :

Nobody can interfere with it.

If any fool 2 try to interfere with it

He shall himself know the punishment he shall suffer,

God himself knoweth to whom He may give, and He Him self giveth :

Very few acknowledge this.

He to whom God hath given the boon of praising and lauding Him,

Priceless are Thine attributes, O God, and priceless Thy dealings ; 4

Priceless Thy dealers, priceless Thy storehouses ;

Priceless what cometh from Thee, and priceless what is taken away ;

Priceless Thy rate and priceless the time for dealing ; 5

Priceless Thy justice and priceless Thy court ;

Priceless Thy weights and priceless Thy measures ; 6

Priceless Thy gifts and priceless Thy marks ;

Priceless Thy mercy and priceless Thine ordinances.

How beyond all price Thou art cannot be stated.

Ever speaking of Thee men continue to fix their thoughts on Thee.7

To those few, O Nanak, the King of kings Giveth the boon of praising and lauding Him.

They who read the Veds and Purans speak of Thee ;

Learned men speak of Thee and deliver discourses on Thee ;

Brahmas speak of Thee, and Indars speak of Thee ;

The milkmaids and Krishan speak of Thee

Shivs speak of Thee, the Sidhs speak of Thee ;

All the Budhas Thou hast created speak of Thee ;

The demons speak of Thee, the gods speak of Thee ;

Thy demigods, men, munis,1 and servants speak of Thee ;

How many speak of Thee or attempt to speak of Thee !

How many depart while speaking of Thee !

If Thou wert to create as many more as Thou hast created,

Even then few of them would be able to speak adequately of Thee.

Thou mayest be as great as Thou pleasest.

Nanak, only the True One Himself knoweth how great He is.

If any one were to speak improperly of God,

Write him down as the most ignorant of men.

What is that gate, what is that mansion where Thou, 0 God, sittest and watchest over all things ?

How many various and countless instruments are played ! How many musicians,

How many musical measures with their consorts, and how many singers sing Thee !

Wind, water, and fire sing Thee ; Dharmraj sings at Thy gate.

The recording angels,2 who know how to write, and on whose record Dharmraj judgeth sing Thee.

Ishar,3 Brahma, and Devi, ever beautiful as adorned by Thee, sing Thee.

THE JAPJI 211

Indar seated on his throne with the gods at Thy gate sing Thee.

Sidhs in meditation sing Thee ; holy men in contempla tion sing Thee.

The continent, the true, and the patient sing Thee ; un yielding heroes sing Thee.

The pandits and the supreme Rikhis,1 reading their Veds, sing Thee in every age.

The lovely celestial maids who beguile the heart in the upper, middle, and nether regions sing Thee.2

The jewels created by Thee with the sixty-eight places of Hindu pilgrimage sing Thee.

Mighty warriors and divine heroes sing Thee ; the four sources of life sing Thee.

The continents, the worlds, and the universe made and supported by Thy hands sing Thee.

The saints who please Thee, and who are imbued with Thy love 3 sing Thee.

The many others who sing Thee I cannot remember ; how could Nanak recount them ? 4

What is that gate, that mansion what, where Thou Dost sit and watch o'er all Thy wondrous works ? Many the harps and songs which tune Thy praise, Yea countless; Thy musicians who can tell? How many measures sung wilh high delight, And voices which exalt Thy peerless name ! To Thee sing water, wind, and breathing fire ; To Thee sings Dharamraj in regions drear ; To Thee sing th' angels who men's deeds record For judgement final by that king of death. To Thee sing Shiva, Brahma, and the Queen Of Heav'n with radiant beauty ever crown'd. To Thee sing Indar and th' attendant gods Around Thy throne and seraphs at Thy gate. To Thee sing Sidhs in meditation deep, And holy men who ponder but on Thee. P 2

tat God is ever true, He is the true Lord, and the true iame.

He who made this world is and shall be ; He shall neither depart, nor be made to depart.1

He who created things of different colours, descriptions, and species,

Beholdeth His handiwork which attesteth His greatness.

He will do what pleaseth Himself ; no order may be issued to Him.

He is King, the King of kings, O Nanak ; all remain subject to His will.

XXVIII 2

Make contentment and modesty thine earrings, self- respect thy wallet, meditation the ashes to smear on thy body ;

Make thy body, which is only a morsel for death, thy beggar's coat, and faith thy rule of life and thy staff.3

Make association with men thine Ai Panth,4 and the conquest of thy heart the conquest of the world.

To Thee sing chaste and patient of mankind, Unyielding heroes of true faith approved. To Thee sing pandits and the chiefs of saints ; The ages four and Veds to them assigned. To Thee sing maidens who delight the sense, This world of ours, high heaven, and hell below. To Thee sing gems from Vishnu's sea that rose, And eight and sixty spots of pilgrims' haunt. To Thee sing heroes and the men of might ; The sources four from which all life doth spring. To Thee sing regions, orbs, and universe, Created, cherish'd, and upheld by Thee ! To Thee sing those whose deeds delight Thine eye, The hosts who wear the colours of Thy faith. All things beside which sing Thy glorious name, Could ne'er be told by Nanak's lowly song.

THE JAPJI 213

HAIL ! l HAIL TO HIM,

The primal, the pure,2 without beginning, the indestruc tible, the same in every age !

Make divine knowledge thy food, compassion thy store keeper, and the voice which is in every heart the pipe to call to repast.

Make Him who hath strung the whole world on His string thy spiritual Lord ; let wealth and supernatural power be relishes for others.

Union and separation is the law which regulateth the world.3 By destiny we receive our portion.

HAIL ! HAIL TO HIM,

The primal, the pure, without beginning, the indestruc tible, the same in every age !

One Maya in union with God gave birth to three acceptable children.4

One of them is the creator, the second the provider, the third performeth the function of destroyer.5

As it pleaseth God, He directeth them by His orders.

He beholdeth them, but is not seen by them. This is very marvellous.

HAIL ! HAIL TO HIM,

The primal, the pure, without beginning, the inde structible, the same in every age !

His seat and His storehouses l are in every world. What was to be put into them was put in at one time.2 The Creator beholdeth His creation. Nanak, true is the work of the True One.

HAIL ! HAIL TO HIM,

The primal, the pure, without beginning, the indestructible, the same in every age !

Were one tongue to become a hundred thousand, and a hundred thousand to become twentyfold more,

I would utter the name of the one Lord of the world hundreds of thousands of times with all my tongues.

In this way I should ascend the stairs of the Lord, and become one with Him.

On hearing of the exaltation of the religious the vile become jealous.3

Nanak, the former have found the Kind One, while false is the boasting of the false.

I have no strength to speak and no strength to be silent.4

I have no strength to ask and no strength to give ;

I have no strength to live, and no strength to die ;

I have no strength to acquire empire or wealth which produce a commotion in the heart.

I have no strength to meditate on Thee or ponder on divine knowledge ;

I have no strength to find the way to escape from the world.

He in whose arm there is strength, may see what he can do.

Nanak, no one is of superior or inferior strength before God.

THE JAPJI 215

God created nights, seasons, lunar days, and week days,

Wind, water, fire, and the nether regions.

In the midst of these He established the earth as a temple.

In it He placed living beings of different habits and kinds.

Their names are various and endless,

And they are judged according to their acts.

True is God, and true is His court.

There the elect are accepted and honoured.

The Merciful One marketh them according to their acts.

The bad and the good shall there be distinguished.

Nanak, on arrival there, this shall be seen.

Such is the practice in the realm of righteousness.

I now describe the condition of the realm of knowledge.

How many winds, waters, and fires ! how many Krishans and Shivs !

How many Brahmas l who fashioned worlds ! how many forms, colours, and garbs !

How many lands of grace like this\ 2 how many mountains ! how many Dhrus and instructors 3 such as his.

How many Indars, how many moons and suns, how many regions and countries !

How many Sidhs, Budhs, how many Naths ! how many goddesses and representations of them \

How many demigods and demons ! how many saints, how many jewels and seas !

How many sources of life ! how many languages ! and how many lines of kings !

How many possessors of divine knowledge ! how many worshippers ! Nanak, there is no end of them.

In the realm of knowledge the light of divine knowledge is resplendent.

There are heard songs from which millions of joys and pleasures proceed.

Beauty is the attribute of the realm of happiness.1

There things are fashioned in an incomparable manner.

What is done there cannot be described.

Whoever endeavoureth to describe it shall afterwards repent.

There are fashioned knowledge, wisdom, intellect, and understanding ;

And there too is fashioned the skill of demigods and men of supernatural power.

Force is the attribute of the realm of action.2 Incomparable are they who dwell therein. There are very powerful warriors and heroes They are filled with the might of Ram.— There are many Sitas 3 in the midst of greatness, Their beauty cannot be described — They die not, neither are they led astray 4 In whose hearts God dwelleth. There dwell congregations of saints ; They rejoice ; the True One is in their hearts. God dwelleth in the true realm.5

He looketh on its denizens with an eye of favour, and rendereth them happy.

There are continents, worlds, and universes.

Whoever trieth to describe them shall never arrive at an end.

THE JAPJI 217

There are worlds upon worlds and forms upon forms. They fulfil their functions according to God's orders : God beholding and contemplating them is pleased. Nanak, to describe them would be impossible.1

XXXVIII

Make continence thy furnace, resignation thy goldsmith, Understanding thine anvil, divine knowledge thy tools, The fear of God thy bellows, austerities thy fire, Divine love thy crucible, and melt God's name therein. In such a true mint the Word shall be coined. This is the practice of those on whom God looketh with an eye of favour.

Nanak, the Kind One by a glance maketh them happy.

SLOK

The air is the guru, water our father, and the great earth our mother ;

Day and night are our two nurses, male and female, who set the whole world a-playing.2

Merits and demerits shall be read out in the presence of the Judge.

According to men's acts, some shall be near, and others distant from God.

They who have pondered on the Name and departed after the completion of their toil,3

Shall have their countenances made bright, O Nanak ; how many shall be emancipated in company with them ! 4

In the East it is usual for the rich to have two nurses for a child — a female nurse by night, and a male nurse to accompany and play with it by day.

ASA KI WAR1

THERE is but one God whose name is true, the Creator, devoid of fear and enmity, immortal, unborn, self-existent, great and beneficent.

This War includes sloks. The sloks also were written by the first Guru, and should be sung to the air of ' Tunda As Raja '.2

SLOK I Guru Nanak

I am a sacrifice to my Guru a hundred times a day, Who without any delay made demigods out of men.

Guru Angad

Were a hundred moons to rise, and a thousand suns to mount the sky ;

Even with such light there would be appalling darkness without the Guru.

Guru Nanak

Nanak, they who very clever in their own estimation think not of the Guru,

Shall be left like spurious sesames in a reaped field.

The Asa ki War is repeated by religious Sikhs after the Japji as a morning divine service.

ASA KI WAR 219

They shall be left in the field, saith Nanak, without an owner :

The wretches may even bear fruit and flower, but they shall be as ashes within their bodies.

PAURI I1

God Himself created the world and Himself gave names to things.

He made Maya 2 by His power ; seated He beheld His work with delight.

Thou knowest all things ; Thou givest and takest life with a word.3

Seated Thou didst behold Thy work with delight.

SLOK II Guru Nanak

True are Thy regions and true Thy universes ;

True Thy worlds and true Thy creation ;

True Thine acts and all Thy thoughts ;

True Thine order and true Thy court ;

True Thy command and true Thy behest ;

True Thy favour and true Thy signs.

Hundreds of thousands and millions declare Thee true ;

True is all Thy power, true all Thy strength ;

True Thy praises, true Thy eulogies ;

True Thy might, O true King.

Nanak, true are they who meditate on the True One.

They who are born and die are the falsest of the false.4

Guru Nanak l

Great is His glory whose name is great ; Great is His glory whose justice is true ; Great is His glory whose seat is immovable ; Great is His glory who understandeth our utterances ; Great is His greatness who knoweth all our feelings ; Great is His glory who giveth without consulting others ; Great is His glory who is all in all Himself. Nanak, His acts cannot be described. All that He did and hath to do dependeth on His own will.

Guru Angad

This world is the True One's chamber ; the True One's dwelling is therein.

Some by His order He absorbeth in Himself ; others by His order He destroyeth.2

Some at His pleasure He withdraweth from mammon ; others He causeth to abide therein.

It cannot be even told whom He will regenerate.

Nanak, he to whom God revealeth Himself, is known as holy.

PAURI II

Nanak, God having created animals recorded their names, and appointed Dharmraj to judge their acts.

At His own court the real truth is adjudged ; He separateth and removeth those who are attached to mammon.

There the false find no place: they go to hell with blackened faces.

They who are imbued with Thy name win ; the de ceivers lose.

God recorded names and appointed Dharmraj to record acts.

ASA KI WAR 221

SLOK III Guru Nanak

Wonderful Thy word, wonderful Thy knowledge ; Wonderful Thy creatures, wonderful their species ; Wonderful their forms, wonderful their colours ; Wonderful the animals which wander naked ; Wonderful Thy wind ; wonderful Thy water ; Wonderful Thy fire which sporteth wondrously ; Wonderful the earth, wonderful the sources of production ; Wonderful the pleasures to which mortals are attached ; Wonderful is meeting, wonderful parting from Thee ; Wonderful is hunger, wonderful repletion ; Wonderful Thy praises, wonderful Thy eulogies ; Wonderful the desert, wonderful the road ; Wonderful Thy nearness, wonderful Thy remoteness ; Wonderful to behold Thee present. Beholding these wonderful things I remain wondering. Nanak, they who understand them are supremely fortunate.

Guru Nanak

By Thy power we see, by Thy power we hear, by Thy power we fear, or enjoy the highest happiness ;

By Thy power were made the nether regions and the heavens ; by Thy power all creation ;

By Thy power were produced the Veds, the Purans, the Muhammadan books, and by Thy power all compositions ;

By Thy power we eat, drink, and clothe ourselves ; by Thy power springeth all affection ;

By Thy power are the species, genera, and colours of creatures ; by Thy power are the animals of the world.1

By Thy power are virtues ; by Thy power are vices : by Thy power, honour and dishonour ; 2

By Thy power are wind, water, and fire ; by Thy power is the earth.

Everything existeth by Thy power ; Thou art the omni potent Creator ; Thy name is the holiest of the holy.

Saith Nanak, Thou beholdest and pervadest all things subject to Thy command : Thou art altogether unrivalled.

PAURI III

Man having enjoyed himself becometh ashes, and the soul passeth away.

However great and wealthy a man may be, the ministers of Death throw a chain on his neck and take him away.

There an account of his acts is read ; the Judge on his seat taketh the account and passeth sentence.

Such a man shall find no place of shelter ; when he is beaten, who will hear his cries ?

Man, blind that thou art, thou hast wasted thy life.

SLOK IV Guru Nanak

In fear 1 the winds and breezes ever blow ;

In fear flow hundreds of thousands of rivers ;

In fear fire performeth its forced labour ;

In fear the earth is pressed by its burden ;

In fear Indar moveth headlong : in fear sitteth Dharmraj at God's gate ;

In fear is the sun, in fear the moon ; they travel millions of miles without end ;

In fear are the Sidhs, the Budhas, the demigods, and the Naths ; in fear are the stars 2 and the firmament ;

In fear are wrestlers, very mighty men and divine heroes ;

In fear cargoes of men come and go.

God hath destined fear for every one ; 3 Nanak, the Form less One, the True, is alone without fear.

ASA KI WAR 223

Guru Nanak

Nanak, the Formless One is without fear ; all the Rams were dust.

How many stories there are of Krishan ! how many Veds and religious compositions ! l

How many beggars dance, and fall, and again beat time !

Actors enter the market-place and draw forth their appliances ; 2

Kings and queens sing and utter nonsense ; 3

They wear earrings worth hundreds of thousands, and necklaces worth hundreds of thousands.4

The body on which they are worn, O Nanak, shall become ashes.

Divine knowledge is not sought in mere words ; to speak concerning it were as hard as iron ;

By God's grace man obtaineth it ; skill and orders are useless therefor.

PAURI IV

If the Kind One look with kindness, then is the true Guru obtained.

The soul hath wandered through many births, and now the true Guru hath communicated the Word.

There is no benefactor so great as the true Guru ; hear this, all ye people.

By meeting the true Guru who hath removed pride from his heart, and who preacheth the Truest of the true,

The True One is obtained.

SLOK V

Let all the gharis be your milkmaids, and the pahars your Krishans and Gopals 5 :

Let wind, water, and fire be your jewels ; and the moon and sun your avatars ;

The whole earth your stage properties and vessels, which are all entanglements.

Nanak, they who are devoid of divine knowledge are robbed ; the minister of death hath devoured them.

Guru Nanak

The disciples play, the gurus dance,

Shake their feet, and roll their heads.

Dust flieth and falleth on their hair ; 1

The audience beholding laugh and go home.

For the sake of food the performers beat time,

And dash themselves on the ground.

The milkmaids sing, Krishans sing,

Sitas and royal Rams sing.

Fearless is the Formless One, whose name is true,

And whose creation is the whole world.

The worshippers on whom God bestoweth kindness worship Him ;

Pleasant 2 is the night for those who long for Him in their hearts.

By the Guru's instruction to his disciples this knowledge is obtained,

That the Kind One saveth those on whom He looketh with favour.

Oil-presses, spinning-wheels, hand-mills, potters' wheels,

Plates, whirlwinds, many and endless,

Tops, churning-staves, threshing-frames turn round ;

Birds tumble and take no breath.

Men put animals on stakes and whirl them.

In the same way those bound in entanglements are swung round ;

Every one danceth according to his own acts —

They who dance and laugh shall weep on their departure ;

ASA KI WAR 225

They cannot fly or obtain supernatural power. Leaping and dancing are human recreations ; Nanak, they who have the fear of God in their hearts have also love.

PAURI V

Thy name is the Formless : by repeating it man goeth not to hell.

The soul and body are all Thine : what Thou givest man eateth : to say aught else were waste of words.

0 man, if thou desire thine advantage, do good acts and be lowly.

Even though thou stave off old age, it shall come to thee in the disguise of death.

None may remain when his measure is full.

SLOK VI

The Musalmans praise the Shariat, read it, and reflect on it ;

But God's servants are they who employ themselves in His service in order to behold Him.

The Hindus praise the Praised One whose appearance and form are incomparable ;

They bathe in holy streams, perform idol-worship and adoration, use x copious incense of sandal.

The Jogis meditate on God the Creator, whom they call the Unseen,

Whose form is minute, whose name is the Bright One, and who is the image of their bodies.2

In the minds of the generous contentment is produced in their desire to give.

Others give, but ask a thousandfold more, and still want the world to honour them.

Why mention thieves, adulterers, perjurers, evil and sinful men ?

! The Jogis, when in intensely deep meditation, close their eyes. On opening them and looking upward they suppose that they behold God in their own image in the firmament.

SIKH. I Q

Many depart from here after eating what they had amassed in previous births ; l shall they have any business whatever in the next world ? 2

The animals which live in the water, dry land, the four teen worlds, and all creation —

What they say Thou alone knowest ; for them too Thou carest.

Saith Nanak, the saints hunger to praise Thee ; the true Name is their support.

In everlasting joy they abide day and night : may I obtain the dust of the feet of such virtuous men !

Guru Nanak and Shaikh Brahm discussed the question of the disposal of the dead. The Shaik maintained that a man who was burned would either go to hell or not rise at the day of judgement.

Guru Nanak

The ashes of the Musalman fall into the potter's clod ;

Vessels and bricks are fashioned from them ; they cry out as they burn.

The poor ashes burn and weep, and sparks fly from them.

Nanak, the Creator who made the world, knoweth whether it is better to be burned or buried.

PAURI VI

Without the true Guru none hath found God : without the true Guru none hath found God.

God hath put Himself into the true Guru ; He hath made manifest and proclaimed this.

Salvation is ever obtained by meeting the true Guru who hath banished worldly love from within him.

Best are the meditations of him who hath fixed his mind on the True One :

He hath found the Giver of life to the world.

ASA KI WAR 227

SLOK VII

In pride man cometh, in pride he departeth ; In pride is man born, in pride he dieth ; In pride he giveth, in pride he taketh ; In pride he earneth, in pride he spendeth ; In pride man becometh true or false ; In pride man meditateth evil or good ; In pride he goeth to hell or heaven ; In pride he rejoiceth, in pride he mourneth ; In pride he becometh filthy, in pride he is cleansed ; In pride man loseth his caste and race ; In pride are the ignorant, in pride the clever ; In pride one knoweth not the value of deliverance or salvation ;

In pride is mammon and in pride its effect on the heart ;

In pride are animals created.

When pride is removed, God's gate is seen.

Without divine knowledge manworrieth himself by talking.

Nanak, the Commander hath thus ordained it ;

As man regardeth God, so God regardeth him.1

Guru Angad

It is the nature of pride that it produceth pride.

This pride is a trammel which subject eth man to repeated transmigration.

What is the origin of pride, and by what device shall it depart ?

For pride it is ordained that man wander according to his previous acts.

Pride is a chronic disease, but there is also a medicine for it in the heart.

If God bestow His grace, man shall avail himself of the Guru's instruction ;

Saith Nanak, hear, O ye men, in this way trouble shall depart.

(a) Treat men according to their acts. (£) Treat others as thou wouldst be treated thyself. Q 2

PAURI VII

They who have meditated on God as the truest of the true, have done real worship and are contented ;

They have refrained from evil,1 done good deeds, and practised honesty ;

They have lived on a little corn and water, and burst the entanglements of the world.

Thou art the great Bestower ; ever Thou givest gifts which increase a quarterfold.

They who have magnified the great God have found Him.

SLOK VIII

Men, trees, the banks of sacred streams, clouds, fields,

Islands, peoples, countries, continents, the universe,

The sources of production from eggs, wombs, the earth, and perspiration,

Lakes, mountains, animals — O Nanak, God knoweth their condition.

Nanak, God having created animals taketh care of them all.

The Creator who created the world hath to take thought for it also.

It is the same Creator who made the world who taketh thought for it.

To Him be obeisance ; blessings be on Him ! His court is imperishable.

Nanak, without the true Name what is a sacrificial mark ? what a sacrificial thread ?

Guru Nanak

Man may perform hundreds of thousands of good acts and deeds, hundreds of thousands of approved charities,

Hundreds of thousands of penances at sacred places, sahaj jog 2 in the wilderness,

ASA KI WAR 229

Hundreds of thousands of braveries, and part with his life in the conflict of battle ;

He may study hundreds of thousands of Veds and works of divine knowledge and meditation, and read the Purans —

Nanak, these devices would be of no avail ; true is the mark of grace.

The Creator who made the world hath decreed trans migration.

PAURI VIII

Thou alone art the true Lord who hath diffused the real truth.

He to whom Thou givest obtaineth truth, and he then practiseth it.

Man obtaineth truth on meeting the true Guru in whose heart the truth dwelleth.

The fool knoweth not truth, and hath wasted his life by obstinacy ;

Why hath he come into the world ?

SLOK IX Guru Nanak

A man may load carts with books ; he may load men with books to take with him ;

Books may be put on boats ; pits may be filled with them.

A man may read books for months ; he may read them for years ;

He may read them for life ; he may read them while he hath breath—

Nanak, only one word, God's name, would be of account ; all else would be the senseless discussion of pride.

Guru Nanak

The more one readeth and writeth, the more is one tor mented ;

The more one wandereth on pilgrimages, the more one babbleth ;

The more religious garbs man weareth, the more dis comfort he causeth his body.

Bear, O my soul, the result of thine own acts.

He who eateth not corn 1 hath lost the relish of life.

Men suffer much pain through their attachment to mammon.

They who wear not clothes suffer terribly day and night.

Man ruineth himself by perpetual silence ; how can he who sleepeth in ignorance be awakened without a guru.

Even though man go barefooted, he must still suffer for his own acts.2

If a man eat filth, and put ashes on his head,

The blind fool loseth respect ; without the Name he obtaineth no abiding place.

The ignorant man who dwelleth in the wilderness and at burial and cremation-grounds, knoweth not God and shall afterwards regret.

He who meeteth the true Guru and fixeth God's name in his heart, obtaineth comfort.

Nanak, he on whom God looketh with favour obtaineth Him.

He becometh free from hopes and fears, and destroyeth his pride by means of the Word.

PAURI IX

The saints, 0 Lord, please Thy heart, adorn Thy gate, and hymn Thy praises.

Nanak, they who are outside Thy favour, find no entrance and wander in many births.

Some know not their origin, and have an excessive opinion of themselves.

I am a singer of low caste ; others call themselves of high caste.

I only beg of those who meditate on Thee3

ASA KI WAR 231

SLOK X Guru Nanak

False are kings, false their subjects, false the whole world ;

False are mansions, false palaces, false those who dwell therein ;

False is gold ; false silver ; false he who weareth them ;

False the body ; false raiment ; false peerless beauty ;

False husbands ; false wives ; they waste away and become dust.

Man who is false loveth what is false, and forgetteth the Creator.

With whom contract friendship ? The whole world passeth away.

False is sweetness ; false honey ; in falsehood shiploads are drowned.

Nanak humbly asserteth— except Thee, O God, everything is thoroughly false.

Guru Nanak

Man is known as true when truth is in his heart ; When the filth of falsehood departeth, man washeth his body clean.

Man is known as true when he beareth love to the True One ;

When the mind is enraptured on hearing the Name, man attaineth the door of salvation.

Man shall be known as true when he knoweth the true way;

Having prepared the field of the body, put into it the seed of the Creator.

Man shall be known as true when he receiveth true instruction ;

Let man show mercy to living things and perform some works of charity.

Man shall be known as true, when he dwelleth in the pilgrimage of his heart ;

Let man after inquiry from the true Guru rest and abide in his own heart ;

Truth is the medicine for all ; it removeth and washeth away sin.

Nanak maketh supplication to those who are in possession of truth.

PAURI X

Be mine the gift of the dust of the saints' feet : if I obtain it, I shall apply it to my forehead.

Forsake false covetousness ; concentrate thy mind and meditate on the Unseen One.

Thou shalt obtain a reward in proportion to what thou hast done.

If it have been so allotted from the beginning, man shall obtain the dust of the saints' feet.

Ruin not thyself with scant service.

SLOK XI Guru Nanak

There is a dearth of truth ; falsehood prevaileth ; the blackness of this age maketh men demons.

They who have sown the seed of the Name have departed with honour ; how can half-seed germinate ?

If the seed be whole, it will germinate in the proper season.

Nanak, unbleached cloth cannot be dyed without a base.

If the body be put into the vat of fear, modesty be made its base,

And it be dyed with devotion, O Nanak, there will not be a trace of falsehood in it.

Guru Nanak

Greed and sin are ruler and village accountant ; falsehood is master of the mint.

Lust, his minister, summoneth and examineth men, and sitteth in judgement on them.

The subjects are blind and without divine knowledge, and satisfy the judge's greed with bribes.

ASA KI WAR 233

Priests dance, play musical instruments, disguise, and decorate themselves ;

They shout aloud, sing of battles, and heroes' praises.

Fools call themselves pandits and with tricks and cavilling love to amass wealth.

Pretended religious men spoil their religious acts, and yet want the door of salvation ;

They call themselves continent, and leave their houses and homes, yet they know not the way.

Every one is perfect to himself : no one admitteth himself wanting.

If the weight of honour be put into the scale, then, Nanak, man shall appear properly weighed.

Guru Nanak

Man's evil becometh known, O Nanak ; the True One seeth all.

Every one maketh endeavours, but it is only what the Creator doeth that taketh place.

Caste hath no power in the next world : there is a new order of beings.

They whose accounts are honoured are the good.

PAURI XI

They whom Thou didst so destine from the beginning meditate on Thee, O Lord.

There is nothing in the power of creatures ; 0 God, it is Thou who hast created the different worlds.

Some Thou blendest with Thyself ; others Thou leadest astray from Thee.

Thou art known by the favour of the Guru, through whom Thou revealest Thyself.

They who know Thee are easily absorbed in the True One.

SLOK XII Guru Nanak

Pain is medicine, worldly pleasure a disease ; where there is such pleasure, there is no desire for God.

Thou art the Doer, I do nothing ; if I try to do anything, it cometh to nothing.

I am a sacrifice unto Thee ; Thou abides! in Thine omni potence :

Thine end cannot be seen.

Thy light pervadeth creatures ; creatures are contained in Thy light ; Thou fillest inanimate and animate creation.1

Thou art the true Lord ; beautiful is Thy praise ; he who uttereth it is saved.

Nanak uttereth the words of the Creator ; what is to be done God continueth to do.

Guru Angad

The Jogis deem it their duty to acquire divine knowledge, the Brahmans to read the Veds,

The Khatris to exercise bravery, the Sudars to work for others ;

But the highest duty of all is to repeat the name of the one God.2

He who knoweth the secret of this

Is a bright God himself, and Nanak is his slave.

Guru Angad

There is one God, the God of all gods, the Supreme God of souls.

He who knoweth the secrets of the soul and of God, Is a bright God himself, and Nanak is his slave.

Guru Nanak

Water remaineth if confined in a vessel ; but it cannot remain without a vessel.

The mind controlled by divine knowledge is restrained ; but without a guru there can be no divine knowledge.

The Jogis speak of divine knowledge, the Brahmans of the Veds ; The Khatris of bravery, the Sudars of working for others. All that they speak is concerning the one God.

ASA KI WAR 235

PAURI XII

When the literate man is sinful he dcscrvcth punishment ; but punish not the illiterate saint.

As man acteth so shall he be described.

Play not such a game as shall bring thee defeat on arriving at God's court.

The literate and the illiterate shall be judged hereafter ;

The headstrong shall be punished in the next world.

SLOK XIII Guru Nanak

Nanak, this body of ours1 hath one carriage and one driver.

They are both changed in every age : the holy man knoweth this.

In the Sat age contentment was the carriage, piety the driver in front ;

In the Treta age continence was the carriage, strength the driver in front ;

In the Dwapar age penance was the carriage, truth the driver in front ;

In the Kal age passion 2 is the carriage, falsehood the driver in front.

Guru Nanak

The Sam Ved saith that the Lord is white-robed,3 that men desired truth, abode in truth, and that all were absorbed in truth.

The Rig saith that God's name is everywhere contained, that it is as the sun in heaven ;

That by repeating it sins depart,

And that then, Nanak, man obtaineth salvation.

The Yajur stateth that Kan Krishan, who was a Yadav, seduced Chandrawal ;

That he brought the tree of life for a milkmaid, and amused himself in Bindraban.

The Atharv belongeth to the Kal age, when God's name was called Allah.

Men then wore blue clothes, and the Turks and Pathans exercised sway.

The four Veds are true according to the Hindus ; but if they are read and studied there are found therein four different doctrines ;

When man hath love and devotion and is himself lowly, it is then, O Nanak, he obtaineth salvation.

PAURI XIII

I am a sacrifice to the true Guru by meeting whom the Lord is remembered,

Who gave me the salve of divine instruction ; with these eyes I then beheld God in the world.

The dealers who leave the Lord and attach themselves to mammon are wrecked.

The true Guru is a boat ; few there are who consider this,

And those who do he mercifully saveth.

SLOK XIV Guru Nanak

The simmal-tree of the desert is very tall and very thick.

Why should the birds which go to it with hopes depart disappointed ?

Because its fruit is insipid, its flowers unwholesome, and its leaves useless.

The tree which yieldeth sweet fruit is lowly, O Nanak, but its qualities and virtues are exquisite.

Every one boweth to himself ; no one boweth to another.

If anything be put into a scale and weighed, the side which descendeth is the heavier.1

J The man who is lowly is the most worthy.

ASA KI WAR 237

The wicked man like a deer-stalker boweth twice more than any one else ;

But what availeth bowing the head, if the heart be impure ?

The following hymn was composed by Guru Nanak at Banaras on the occasion of a discussion with the local pandits who pressed him to dress in the style of the Hindus : —

Guru Nanak

You read books, perform your twilight devotions, argue, worship stones, and sit like cranes ;

You utter falsehoods as excellent jewels ; you meditate on the Gayatri * three times a day ;

You wear necklaces, put sacrificial marks on your fore heads, carry two dhotis, and put towels on your heads.

If you knew God's designs, you would know that yours is verily a vain religion.

Saith Nanak, verily reflect that without the true Guru you shall not find the way.

Some suppose that the following was addressed to Sultan Ibrahim Khan Lodi who it is believed at one time sought to persecute the Guru :—

PAURI XIV

Raiment and pleasing beauty man must leave on earth and depart.

Man shall obtain the fruit of the bad or good deeds he hath done :

He may have exercised sovereignty to his heart's content, yet must he proceed by the narrow road.

He shall be sent naked to hell, which will then appear very formidable to him ;

And he shall regret the sins he committed.

The following slok, addressed by Guru Nanak to pandit Hardial, his family priest, when he came to invest him with a janeu, the sacrificial thread of the upper classes of Hindus, has already been given :—

SLOK XV

Make mercy thy cotton, contentment thy thread, con tinence its knot, truth its twist.

That would make a janeu for the soul ; if thou have it, O Brahman, then put it on me.

It will not break, or become soiled, or be burned, or lost.

Blest the man, O Nanak, who goeth with such a thread on his neck.

Thou purchasest a janeu for four damris, and seated in a square puttest it on ;

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

Man dieth, the janeu falleth, and the soul depart eth with out it.

Guru Nanak

Though men commit countless thefts, countless adulteries, utter countless falsehoods and countless words of abuse ;

Though they commit countless robberies and villanies night and day against their fellow creatures ;

Yet the cotton thread is spun, and the Brahman cometh to twist it.

For the ceremony they kill a goat and cook and eat it, and everybody then saith ' Put on the janeu '.

When it becometh old, it is thrown away and another is put on.

Nanak, the string breaketh not if it be strong.

Guru Nanak

By adoring and praising the Name honour and a true thread are obtained.

In this way a sacred thread shall be put on, which will not break, and which will be fit for entrance into God's court.

Guru Nanak

There is no string for the sexual organs, there is no string for women ;

There is no string for the impure acts which cause your beards to be daily spat upon.

There is no string for the feet, there is no string for the hands,

ASA KI WAR 239

There is no string for the tongue, there is no string for the eyes.

Without such strings the Brahman wandereth astray,

Twisteth strings for the neck, and putteth them on others.

He taketh hire for marrying ;

He pulleth out a paper, and showeth the fate of the wedded pair.1

Hear and see, ye people, it is strange

That, while mentally blind, man is named wise.

PAURI XV

He to whom the Lord is compassionate and merciful will do the Master's work.

That worshipper whom God causeth to abide by His order, will worship Him.

By obeying His order man is acceptable, and shall then reach his Master's court.

He shall act as pleaseth his Master, and obtain the fruit his heart desireth ;

And he shall be clothed with a robe of honour in God's court.

A man at Lahore presented a cow to a Brahman. The Brahman took her with him, but had not wherewithal to pay toll at the Sultanpur ferry. He was stopped by the Khatri toll-keeper. The latter collected the cow's dung, and at once set about plastering his cooking-place therewith. Mardana went towards him, but was ordered off, lest he should defile the toll-keeper's cooking-place. Upon this Guru Nanak uttered the following:—

SLOK XVI

Thou takest toll for a cow and a Brahman, the cow- dung will not save thee.

Thou wearest a dhoti 2 and a frontal mark, and earnest a rosary, yet thou eatest the bread of malechhas.

- Dhoti is a cloth tied round the loins, the Latin sulligacuhim.

Thou performest the Hindu worship at home, thou readest the Quran in public, and associatest with Muhammadans,1 O my brother.

Lay aside hypocrisy, repeat God's name, and thou shalt be saved.

Guru Nanak

They who have strings on their necks eat men, recite the Muhammadan prayers,

And use knives to cut men's throats.2

Although the Brahmans sound shells in their houses,

And enjoy their viands as they do themselves ; 3

Yet false is their capital and false their dealings.

By uttering falsehood they maintain themselves.

Far from them is the abode of bashfulness and honesty :

Nanak, falsehood everywhere prevaileth.

On their foreheads are sacrificial marks ; on their waists reddish 4 dhotis ;

And in their hands knives ; they are the world's butchers.

Putting on blue clothes, they are acceptable in the Muhammadans' court,

And, while taking bread from the malechhas, worship the Purans.

They eat he-goats killed with unspeakable words,5

And allow no one to enter their cooking squares.

Having smeared a space they draw lines around it,

And sit within, false that they are,

Saying, ' Touch not ! O touch not !

« Or this food of ours will be defiled.'

But their bodies are defiled ; what they do is defiled ;

ASA KI WAR 241

Their hearts are false while they perform ablutions after their meals.

Saith Nanak, meditate on the True One ;

If thou art pure, thou shalt obtain Him. PAURI XVI

All are within Thy ken, O Lord ; Thou seest all, and Thou movest them beneath Thy glance.

God himself bestoweth greatness ; He Himself causeth men to do good works.

He is the greatest of the great ; great is His world ; He appoint eth all men to their respective duties.

If He cast a backward glance, He maketh monarchs as grass ; l

They may beg from door to door and receive no alms.

Guru Nanak composed the following slok on being invited by a dishonest shopkeeper to attend a shradh, or religious service, for his deceased father:—

SLOK XVII

If a robber break a house and sacrifice the fruits of that robbery to his ancestors,

The sacrifice shall be known in the next world, and make out the ancestors to be thieves.

The hand of the Brahman go-between shall be cut off ; thus will God do justice.

Nanak, it is only the fruit of what man giveth from his earnings and toil that shall be obtained in the next world.

Guru Nanak

As a woman hath her recurring courses, so falsehood dwell- eth in the mouth of the false one, and he is ever despised.

He should not be called pure who sitteth and washeth his body ;

Rather is he pure, Nanak, in whose heart God dwelleth.

SIKH. I R

PAURI XVII

Caparisoned horses fleet as the wind and women adorned with every aid to beauty 1 —

Men fix their hearts on them, dwell in mansions, pavilions and palaces, and make display ;

They enjoy pleasures to their hearts' content ; but they know not God and therefore fail.

They live by their authority, and, beholding their women's chambers, forget death ;

But old age shall come and youth fail them.

A rich man gave a feast to which Guru Nanak and several Brahmans were invited. During the feast a child was born in the house, whereupon the Brahmans refused food and departed, deeming the house impure. Guru Nanak remonstrated with the following : —

SLOK XVIII

If the idea of impurity be admitted, there is impurity in everything.

There are worms in cow-dung2 and in wood ;

There is no grain of corn without life.

In the first place, there is life in water by which everything is made green.

How shall we avoid impurity ? It falleth on our kitchens.

Saith Nanak, impurity is not thus washed away : it is washed away by divine knowledge.3

Guru Nanak

Impurity of the heart is greed, impurity of the tongue is falsehood ;

Impurity of the eyes is gazing on another's wealth, his wife, and her beauty ;

Impurity of the ears is listening to slander.

ASA KI WAR 243

Nanak, even the pretended saint who practiseth such things, shall go bound to hell.

All impurity consisteth in superstition and attachment to worldly things.

Birth and death are ordained ; as it pleaseth God, we come and go.

The eating and drinking which God sent as sustenance are pure.

Nanak, the pious persons who know God have no impurity.

PAURI XVIII

Magnify and praise the True Guru in whom there is all greatness.

If the Guru cause us to meet God, we shall behold His greatness.

If it please the Guru, he will cause God's praises to dwell in the heart.

He putteth his hand on our foreheads ; and when he giveth the order, removeth evil from within us.

When God is pleased the nine treasures are obtained.

SLOK XIX

The Brahman having first purified himself sitteth in a purified square.

The purified food is placed before him ; no one may touch it.

Being thus purified, he beginneth to eat and read Sanskrit verses.

If it is thrown into a filthy place ; whose fault is that ?

The corn was holy, the water was holy, the fire and salt were holy ; when the fifth ingredient, ghi,1 was added,

Then the food became holy.

When the food entereth a sinful body, it bccomcth impure as if spat upon.

The mouth which uttereth not the Name, and eateth even delicacies without the Name,

Consider, O Nanak, as if spat upon.

R 2

The following was Guru Nanak's remonstrance to a man who reviled the female sex : —

Guru Nanak

In a vessel1 man is conceived, from a vessel he is born, with a vessel he is betrothed and married.

With a vessel he contracteth friendship ; with a vessel he goeth through the world.

When one vessel dieth, another is sought for ; to a vessel he is bound.

Why call her bad from whom are born kings ?

From a vessel a vessel is born ; none may exist without a vessel.

Nanak, only the one True God is independent of a vessel.

The mouth which ever praiseth Him2 is fortunate and beautiful.

Nanak, that face shall be bright in the court of the True One.

PAURI XIX

Every one calleth Thee his own, O Lord ; those who do not so call Thee Thou puttest away.

Every one must bear the result of his own acts, and adjust his own account.

Since ye are not to remain in this world, why practise ye pride ?

Call no one bad ; know this by reading these words.

Dispute not with a fool.

SLOK XX

Nanak, the mind and body of him who talketh evil are evil :

He is most evil, and most evil is his reputation.

The evil person is rejected in God's court ; his face is spat upon.

The evil person is a fool, and receiveth shoe-beatings as punishment.

ASA KI WAR 245

Guru Nanak

If a man, foul within and fair without, puff himself up in the world,

His filth will not depart even though he bathe at the sixty- eight places of pilgrimage.

They who wear silk within and rags without, are good in this world.

They have conceived love for God and contemplate beholding Him.

In God's love they weep, in God's love they laugh, or are even silent.

They care not for anything except the true Master.

They beg for food at God's door, and only eat when He giveth it to them.

For them there is but one court as there is but one pen ; l we and you shall meet for justice.

The accounts of the wicked shall be examined in God's court, and they shall be pressed, O Nanak, like oil in a mill.2

PAURI XX

Thou Thyself didst create the world, and Thou Thyself didst infuse power into it.

Thou beholdest Thine own work, the losing and winning dice 3 upon earth.

Whatever hath come shall depart ; his turn shall come to every one.

Why forget that Lord who owneth life and soul

With thine own hands arrange thine own affairs.

SLOK XXI Guru Angad

What love is that which attacheth itself to worldly things ?

Nanak, call him a lover who is ever absorbed in God.

He who deemeth what is good good, and what is bad bad,

Shall not be called a true lover if he proceed in this manner.1

Guru Angad

He who offereth salutation and at the same time criticizeth God's works, hath made a mistake from the beginning.

Both his salutation and criticism are in vain ; Nanak, such a person shall not obtain a place in God's court.

PAURI XXI

Ever remember that Lord by worshipping whom thou shalt find happiness.

Why hast thou done such evil deeds as thou shalt suffer for?

Do absolutely nothing evil, look well before thee ;

So throw the dice that thou mayest not lose with the Lord,

Nay, that thou mayest gain some profit.

SLOK XXII Guru Angad

When a servant while performing service is proud and quarrelsome besides,

And talketh too much, he pleaseth not his master.

If he efface himself and perform service, he shall obtain some honour.

Nanak, he who longeth for God shall meet Him, and his longing shall be acceptable.

ASA KI WAR 247

Guru Angad

What a man hath in his heart cometh forth ; lip-worship is of no avail.

Man soweth poison and expecteth ambrosia ; behold that for justice !

Guru Angad

Contracting friendship with a fool would never be pro fitable.

He acteth according to his understanding : let any one see and inquire into this.

One thing can be put into a vessel if another be first removed.1

Commands will not succeed with God ; supplications must be addressed to Him.

By practising falsehood falsehood is obtained : Nanak, there is pleasure in praising God.

Guru Angad

Friendship for a fool and love for a great man Are like lines drawn on water, which leave neither trace nor mark.

Guru Angad

If a man be a fool and do anything, he cannot do it well ; Even though he do one or two things well, he will spoil the rest.

PAURI XXII

If the servant who is employed in service act according to his master's wishes,

His honour is all the more, and he receiveth double wages.

If he vie with his master, he will excite his jealousy,

Lose his large salary, and receive shoe-beating on the mouth.

Thank Him by whose gifts thou liveth

Nanak, commands will not succeed with Him ; the Master must be implored.

SLOK XXIII Guru Angad

What sort of gift is that which we obtain by our own asking ?

Nanak, wonderful is the gift we obtain when the Lord is pleased.

Guru Angad

What sort of service is that in which the fear of the master departeth not ? l

Nanak, he is called a servant who is absorbed in the love of his master.

PAURI XXIII

Nanak, God's end is not seen, nor hath He a thither or a hither side.

He Himself createth, and He Himself again destroyeth.

Some have chains on their necks, and some ride on many horses.

It is God who causeth to act and who acteth Himself ; to whom else shall we complain ?

Nanak, it is for Him who made the world to take care of it.

SLOK XXIV Guru Nanak

It is God Himself who made vessels 2 and He Himself who filleth them.

In some is contained milk ; 3 others are put over the fire.

Some sleep on mattresses, and others stand and watch over them.

Nanak, God regenerateth those on whom He looketh with favour.

That is, when perfect understanding does not exist between master and servant, and the service is performed without love.

Here the word bhande means human beings generally. s That is, God's love, milk being deemed pure.

ASA KI WAR 249

Guru Angad

God Himself arrangeth, He Himself putteth what He hath made into its proper place ;

Having in this world created animals, He Himself be- holdeth their birth and death.

Whom shall we address, O Nanak, since God doeth every thing Himself ?

PAURI XXIV

The greatness of the great God cannot be expressed ;

He is the Creator, the Omnipotent, the Bounteous ; He provideth His creatures with sustenance.

Man must do the work which God destined for him from the beginning.

Nanak, except in the one God alone there is no abiding place.

He doeth what He pleaseth.

THE RAHIRAS1

SODAR2

WHAT is that gate, what is that mansion where Thou, O God, sittest and watchest over all things ?

How many various and countless instruments of Thine are played ! How many Thy musicians,

How many Thy musical measures with their consorts, and how many singers sing Thee !

Wind, water, fire sing Thee ; Dharmraj singeth at Thy gate;

The recording angels, who know how to write, and on whose record Dharmraj judgeth, sing Thee ;

Ishar, Brahma, and Devi, ever beautiful as adorned by Thee, sing Thee ;

Indar seated on his throne and the gods at Thy gate sing Thee ;

Sidhs in meditation sing Thee ; holy men in contempla tion sing Thee ;

The continent, the true, and the patient sing Thee ; un yielding heroes sing Thee.

The Pandits and the supreme Rikhis, reading their Veds, sing Thee in every age.

The lovely celestial maids who beguile the heart in the upper, middle, and nether regions sing Thee.

THE RAHIRAS 251

The jewels created by Thee with the sixty-eight places of Hindu pilgrimage sing Thee.

Mighty warriors and heroes sing Thee ; the four sources of life sing Thee.

The continents, the worlds, and the universe made and supported by Thy hands sing Thee.

The many others who sing Thee I cannot remember ; how could Nanak recount them ?

That God is ever true, He is the true Lord, and the true Name.

He who made this world is, was, and shall be ; he shall neither be born nor die.

He who created things of different colours, descriptions, and species,

Beholdeth His handiwork which attesteth His greatness.

He will do what pleaseth Himself ; no order may be issued to Him to the contrary.

He is King, the King of kings, O Nanak ; all remain subject to His will.

As men have heard so all call Thee great ;

But hath any one ever seen how great Thou art ?

Thy worth cannot be estimated or described ;

They who seek to describe it are absorbed in Thee

O my great Lord, deep and profound, brimful of excel lences,

None knoweth the extent of Thine outline.

Though all meditative men were to meet and meditate upon Thee,

Though all appraisers were to meet and appraise Thee—

They who possess divine and spiritual wisdom, priests and high priests —

Yet they could not describe even a small portion of Thy greatness.

All truth, all fervour, all goodness,

The excellences of perfect men,

Cannot be obtained in their perfection without Thee.

If Thy grace be obtained none can be excluded ;

Of what account is the helpless speaker ?

Thy storerooms are filled with Thy praises.

Who can prevail against him to whom Thou givest ?

Nanak, the True One arrangeth all.

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

It is difficult to repeat the true Name.

If man hunger after the true Name,

His pain shall depart when he satisfieth himself with it.

Then how could I forget it, O my mother ?

True is the Lord, true is His name.

Men have grown weary of uttering

Even an iota of His greatness ; His worth they have not discovered.

If all men joined and tried to describe Him,

That would not add to or detract from His greatness.

God dieth not, neither is there any mourning for Him ;

He continueth to give us our daily bread which never faileth.

His praise is — that there neither is,

Nor was, nor shall be any one like unto Him.

As great as Thou art Thyself, O God, so great are Thy gifts.

Thou who madest the day madest also the night

They who forget their Spouse are evil persons :

Nanak, without His name they are naught.

O servants of God and the true Guru, the true Being, offer this supplication unto Him.

We insects and worms seek thy protection, O true Guru ; mercifully enlighten us with the Name ;

My friend and divine Guru, enlighten me with God's name.

THE RAHIRAS 253

Under the Guru's instruction, the Name is the helper of my soul ; singing God's praises is my occupation.

Exceedingly fortunate are the men of God who have faith in Him and thirst for Him :

On obtaining the name of God, they are satisfied ; when men meet the company of the saints, God's attributes are known.

They who obtain not the relish of God's name are unfor tunate, and shall go to the god of death.

Curses on the lives, curses on the hopes of living, of those who enter not the true Guru's protection and society ! l

The saints who have obtained the society of the true Guru are those on whose foreheads it was so written from the beginning.

Blest is that true society, Nanak, by meeting which the relish of God is obtained, and the Name manifested.

GURU ARJAN, RAG GujARi2

O my soul, why proposest thou exertion3 when God Himself is engaged in effort for thee ?

He even putteth their food before the insects which He created in rocks and stones.

O man, by striving and earning enjoy happiness ; Nanak, by meditating on God, meet Him and thine anxieties shall vanish.

So also Guru Nanak —

They who eat the fruit of their labour and bestow some portion,

O Nanak, recognize the right way.

O my God, they who meet the society of the saints are saved.

Through the favour of the Guru they obtain the highest rank ; though they be as dry wood, they are made green.

No one can rely on mother, father, friends, children, or wives.

God provideth every one with his daily food ; why, O man, art thou afraid ?

The kulang flieth away hundreds of miles, leaving her young behind her.

Who feedeth them ? Who giveth them morsels to peck at ? Have you not considered this ?

God holdeth in the palm of His hand all treasures and the eighteen supernatural powers.

Nanak is ever a sacrifice unto Thee ; O God, Thou hast no end or bounds.

SO PURUKH1

That Being is pure, God is the pure Being, God is alto gether inaccessible and illimitable.

All meditate on Thee ; all meditate on Thee ; O God, Thou art the true Creator.

All creatures are Thine ; Thou providest for them all.

0 saints, meditate on God who causeth all misery to be forgotten.

God Himself is the Lord, God Himself is the worshipper ; 2 Nanak, what a helpless creature is man !

Thou, O God, the one Supreme Being, art fully contained in every heart and pervadest everything.

Some men are givers, some beggars ; all are Thy wondrous sport.

Thou Thyself art the Giver ; Thou art the Enjoyer ; I know none beside Thee.

THE RAHIRAS 255

Thou art the totally infinite Supreme Being ; what attri butes of Thine shall I recount ?

The slave Nanak is a sacrifice unto those who serve Thee, unto those who serve Thee.

They who meditate on Thee, who meditate on Thee, O God, abide in happiness in this age.

They who meditate on God are emancipated, are emanci pated, my friend ; for them Death's noose is broken.

All fear hath departed from those who have meditated on the fearless, the fearless God.

They who have worshipped, who have worshipped my God, are absorbed in Him.

Blest, blest are they who have meditated on God ; the slave Nanak will become a sacrifice unto them.

O Infinite One, Thine infinite storehouses are filled with Thy worship, Thy worship.

O Infinite One, many are Thy saints, many are Thy saints who praise Thee.

They offer various, various worship to Thee, O God ; they practise austerities and repeat Thy name, O endless One.

Various, various saints of Thine read many Simritis and Shastars, perform their daily duties and the six acts prescribed for Brahmans ; l

But only they are saints, good saints, saith Nanak, who please God, the Omnipotent.

Thou art the primal Being, the illimitable Creator ; there is none so great as Thou.

Thou art the same in every age ; Thou art ever and ever the same ; Thou art the eternal Creator.

What pleaseth Thee prevaileth ; what Thou doest cometh to pass.

Thou Thyself didst fashion the whole creation, yet, being created, it shall disappear.2

Nanak singeth the praises of the Creator who knoweth all things.

Thou art the true Creator, my Lord.

What pleaseth Thee shall come to pass ; what Thou givest I shall receive.

Everything is Thine : all meditate on Thee.

They to whom Thou showest kindness, obtain the jewel of Thy name.

The pious 1 have gained, and the perverse have lost it.

Thou Thyself hast separated these and blended those with Thee.

Thou art an ocean : all are contained in Thee.

There is none beside Thee.

All living creatures are Thy play.

When Thou didst desire separation, they who had met Thee were separated from Thee ; when Thou didst desire union, Thou didst blend them with Thyself.2

That saint whom Thou causest to know Thee shall know Thee.

And ever dwell on Thy praises.

They who have served God have found happiness,

And have become easily absorbed in His name.

Thou Thyself art the Creator ; everything that is made is Thine ;

There is none beside Thee ;

Thou beholdest and knowest Thy handiwork.

The slave Nanak saith, under the Guru's instruction Thou becomest manifest.

Since thou hast now obtained a human body 0 man,

It is time for thee to meet God ;

All else that thou doest is of no avail ;

Join the company of the saints and only repeat God's name ;

Apply thyself to preparation for crossing the terrible ocean.

Thy life is vainly passing in worldly love ;

Thou hast not repeated God's name, performed penance, austerities, or other religious works ;

Thou hast not served holy men or known God.

Nanak saith, base have been mine acts ;

Preserve mine honour who have taken shelter in Thee.

THE SOHILA1

IN the house in which God's praise is sung and He is meditated on,

Sing the Sohila and remember the Creator.

Sing the Sohila of my Fearless Lord ; I am a sacrifice to that song of joy by which everlasting comfort is obtained.

Ever and ever living things are watched over ; the Giver regardeth their wants.

When even Thy gifts cannot be appraised, who can ap praise the Giver ?

The year and the auspicious time for marriage are re corded ; relations meet and pour oil on me the bride.

O my friends, pray for me that I may meet my Lord.

This message is ever sent to every house : such invitations are ever issued.

Remember the Caller ; Nanak, the day is approaching.

The sun and moon, 0 Lord, are Thy lamps ; the firmament Thy salver ; the orbs of the stars the pearls enchased in it.

The perfume of the sandal is Thine incense, the wind is Thy fan, all the forests are Thy flowers, O Lord of light.

What worship is this, O Thou Destroyer of birth ? Unbeaten strains of ecstasy are the trumpets of Thy worship.

Thou hast a thousand eyes and yet not one eye ; Thou hast a thousand forms and yet not one form ;

Thou hast a thousand stainless feet and yet not one foot ; Thou hast a thousand organs of smell and yet not one organ. I am fascinated by this play of Thine.

The light which is in everything is Thine, O Lord of light.

From its brilliancy everything is brilliant ;

By the Guru's teaching the light becometh manifest.

What pleaseth Thee is the real worship.

O God, my mind is fascinated with Thy lotus feet as the bumble-bee with the flower : night and day I thirst for them.

Give the water of Thy favour to the sarang Nanak, so that he may dwell in Thy name.

The city * is greatly filled with lust and wrath ; but these are destroyed on meeting the saints.

By predestination the Guru is found, and the soul is ab sorbed in the region of God's love.

Salute the saint with clasped hands — this is a greatly meritorious act.

Prostrate thyself before him — this is a greatly religious act.

The infidel knoweth not the taste of God's essence ; he beareth the thorn of pride in his heart.

The more he moveth, the more it pricketh him, and the more pain he feeleth : his head shall feel death's mace.

The saints of God are absorbed in God's name, and have destroyed the pain and fear of transmigration.

They have found God the imperishable Being, and great honour is theirs in the earth's continents and the universe.

The Name is Nanak's support and prop ; I have obtained happiness through being absorbed only in God's name.

1 pray you hear me, my friends, it is time to serve the saints.

Earn here the profit of God's name, and in the next world ye shall abide in happiness.

Human life groweth shorter every day and night ;

O man, meet the Guru and arrange thine affairs.

This world is involved in wickedness and superstition ; they who know God are saved.

He whom God awakeneth and causeth to drink the essence of His word, knoweth the story of the Ineffable.1

Purchase that 2 for which thou hast come into the world, and God by the Guru's favour will dwell in thy heart.

Thou shalt find a home with comfort and peace in God's own palace, and not return again to this world.

The slave Nanak craveth the happiness of being made the dust, of the saints' feet.

He whom the saint who knoweth God awakeneth, shall be saved, And shall quaff the essence of God's name : it is he who knoweth the story of the Ineffable.

SRI RAG

THE following was addressed to a man addicted to intoxicants : —

The Giver gave man a pill of the intoxicant illusion.

In his intoxication he forgot death and enjoyed pleasure for four days.

The abstainers 1 obtained truth to keep them in God's court.

Nanak, know the True One alone as true.

By serving Him man obtaineth happiness and proceedeth with honour to His court.

The true wine is that which containeth the true Name ; it is prepared without molasses.

I am a sacrifice unto those who hear and explain this.

Man is known as properly intoxicated when he obtaineth a place in God's court.

Bathe in the water of virtues ; apply the perfume of truth to thy body ;

Then shall thy face become bright, and the One Giver bestow hundreds of thousands of gifts on ihee.

Inform God, with whom resteth happiness, of thine unhappiness.

Why forget Him who owneth thy soul and life ?

All clothing and food are impure without Him.

All else is false ; what pleaseth Thee, O God, is accept able.

A Sikh called Prema asked the Guru where God resided, in what state He dwelt, and how He

could be found. The following was the Guru's reply :—

The virtues of the virtuous woman are blazoned abroad ; she who is not virtuous regretteth it.

O woman, if thou desire thy Spouse, practise truth. He cannot be obtained by falsehood.

No boat or raft will take thee to the distant Beloved.

My Lord is perfect ; His throne is secure.

He whom the perfect Guru maketh holy, shall obtain the True and unrivalled One.

God's palace is beautiful ; it is adorned with bright gems, rubies,

Pearls, and diamonds ; it is surrounded by a golden fortress, and is an abode of pleasure.

How shall I scale the fortress without a ladder ? By meditating on God through the Guru I shall behold Him.

The Guru giving me God's name is my ladder, my boat, and my raft ;

The Guru is the lake, the sea, and the boat ; the Guru is the sacred stream.

If it please God, I shall go to bathe in the true tank x and become pure.

He is called the most perfect ; He reposeth on a perfect throne.

His seat is perfectly beautiful ; He fulfilleth the hopes of the hopeless.

Nanak, if man obtain the Perfect One how can his virtues decrease ?

A man can only find favour with God by devotion : —

Accursed is her life who is separated from her Spouse ; she is ruined by mammon.

Like a wall impregnated with kallar she crumbleth down day and night.

She obtaineth no rest without the Word ; without her Beloved her grief departeth not.

O woman, what are thine adornments without thy Spouse? 1 The Guru is meant.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 263

Thou shalt not obtain entrance into God's court ; being false thou shalt be despised.

The Lord is wise and forgetteth not : He is true and a great husbandman.

He first prepareth the ground,1 then soweth the seed of the true Name.

From the name of the one God the nine treasures are produced, and man obtaineth the marks 2 of His favour.

What shall be the condition of him who accepteth not the Guru's doctrine ?

The blind 3 man hath forgotten the Name ; the perverse is stone-blind.

His transmigration shall cease not ; he shall be ruined by death and birth.

Woman may buy sandal, kungu,4 and red lead for the partings of her hair,

Distilled aloe wood, sandal, betel, and camphor in great quantities ;

Yet, if she please not her Spouse, all her preparations are vain :

All her enjoyments are vain, and all her adornments are useless.

Until she is permeated by the Word, how shall she obtain honour at God's court ?

Nanak, blest is the woman who loveth her Spouse.

The Guru's idea of creation :—

From the True One proceedeth air, from air water.

And from water the three worlds ; light was infused into every heart.

The Pure One becometh not impure : he who is imbued with the Word obtaineth honour.

Guru Nanak composed the following after a con-

versation with Samangir, a Sanyasi, at Talwandi. The Guru maintained the excellence of his own system and the advantage of repeating God's name obtained from the Gurii :—

If I turn myself into a woman, the Enjoy er will enjoy me.

Love not that which appeareth transient.

The Spouse enjoyeth on His couch the pious virtuous wife.

Having under the Guru's instruction obtained God's name as the water, quench the four fires.1

The lotus of the heart shall then bloom, and thou shalt be completely satiated with nectar.

Nanak, make the true Guru thy friend, and thou shalt obtain happiness 2 in God's court.

The following is a homily addressed to a trader called Ramu whom the Guru met at Kartarpur : —

Trade, O trader, and take care of thy merchandise. Buy such goods as shall depart with thee. In the next world is a wise Merchant who will be careful in selecting the real article.

0 my brother, utter God's name with attention.

Take with thee God's praise as thy merchandise, so that, when the Merchant seeth it, He shall be satisfied.

How shall they whose wares are not genuine, be happy ?

By trading in counterfeit goods the soul and body become counterfeit.

Like a deer snared in a noose, such a trader shall suffer great misery and ever lament.

The counterfeit shall not be received in the great God's treasury, and they shall not behold Him.

The counterfeit have neither caste nor honour ; the counterfeit are none of them acceptable.

The counterfeit who do counterfeit work, shall lose their honour in transmigration.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 265

Nanak, instruct thy heart by the Guru's word and advice.

They who are imbued with the love of God's name have no load of sin and no superstition.

They in whose hearts God dwelleth are without fear, and great shall be their gain by repeating His name.

The omnipresence of God :—

He Himself is the Relisher ; He Himself is the relish ; He Himself is the Enjoyer ;

He Himself is the robe ; He Himself the couch and the Spouse —

My Lord, who is dyed with love, pervadeth everything—

He Himself is the fisherman and the fish ; He Himself is the water and the net.

He Himself is the lead of the net ; He Himself is the bait within it.

0 my friends, my Darling is in every way playful.

He ever enjoyeth the virtuous wife ; see what a state is mine ! 1

Nanak representeth, Thou art the lake, and Thou art the swan ;

Thou art the lotus and the water lily, Thou art pleased on beholding them.2

The following was a remonstrance to a Mulla and a Qazi who had entered on a discussion with the Guru : —

He is the Lord who hath caused the garden of the world to flourish 3 and grow green,

And who restraineth sea and land ; hail to the Creator ! Thou must die, O Mulla, thou must die. By all means fear the Creator.

Thou art a Mulla or a Qazi only when thou really knowest God's name.

Even if thou be very learned thou must depart ; none may remain when his measure of life is full.

He is a Qazi who hath renounced pride, and made the name of God alone his support.

He is, was, and shall be : He was not born, neither shall He die ; True is the Creator.1

Thou prayest five times a day, and readest thy Quran and holy books.

Nanak saith, when the grave calleth, man shall cease to drink and eat.

ASHTAPADI

The following was composed in a devotional paroxysm. Some suppose that it was uttered at Makka in reply to Qazis who had asked the Guru to tell them of the God he adored :—

Persuade thy heart to sing God's name with every breath thou drawest.2

How great is He to whom one playeth and singeth, and where doth He dwell ?

All Thy eulogists continue to praise Thee with affection.

Father, God is inaccessible and endless.

Pure is the Name ; pure is the place of the true Cherisher.

How great Thy sovereignty is cannot be known ; no one knoweth how to describe it.

If a hundred poets were to be found, they could not describe a particle of it, though they sang their utmost.3

Nobody hath found Thy worth ; every one as he hath heard describeth Thy glory.

Priests, prophets, saints, faithful men, martyrs,

Shaikhs, Strivers, Qazis, Mullas, Darweshes who have arrived at God's gate,

L True here apparently means abiding, eternal.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 267

Obtain further blessings if they continue to recite God's praises.

He consulteth no one when He createth ; He consulteth no one when He destroyeth ; He consulteth no one when He giveth or taketh.

He knoweth His own might ; He acteth and causeth others to act.

He beholdeth all men with favour, and bestoweth on those who please Him.

Neither His place nor His name is known, nor how great His name is among other names.

How great is that place where my Sovereign dwelleth !

None can reach it ; of whom shall I inquire the way ?

High or low caste influenceth not God when He maketh any one great.

Greatness is in the hands of the Great One ; He giveth to whom He pleaseth.

He regenerateth man by His order without any delay.

Everybody crieth ' Give me much, much ', in the hope of getting it.

How great shall the Giver be called who giveth countless gifts !

Nanak saith, 0 God, Thy storehouses are full in every age, and never is there a deficiency.

It is said that a Qazi and a pandit asked the Guru how man could find God and be blended with Him. The following was the reply :—

All are wives of the Spouse and adorn themselves for Him.

In trumpery red dresses have they come for His in spection.1

Love is not obtained by hypocrisy ; counterfeit gilding degradeth.

In this way God the Spouse shall enjoy the wife.

The good wife is pleasing to Thee, O Lord ; of Thy favour Thou decoratest her.

She is decorated with the Guru's word ; her body and soul are with her Beloved.

With hands clasped she standeth waiting on Him, and offereth Him true supplication.

She is imbued with the love of her Darling ; she dwelleth in fear of the True One ; and, when dyed with His love, her colour is the true one.

She is called the handmaiden of the Beloved, and an- swereth to the name of Lali.1

Her true affection is not sundered ; the True One blendeth her with Himself.

Her soul is imbued and saturated with the Word ; I am ever a sacrifice unto her.

She who is absorbed in the True Guru, shall not sit down a widow.

Her Beloved is an abode of pleasure ever young and true ; He neither dieth nor is born.

He ever enjoy eth His virtuous wife, and casteth true glances on her as she obey eth Him.

She maketh truth the parting of her hair, and love her dress and ornaments.

She maketh the indwelling 2 of God her sandal, and the tenth gate her chamber.

She lighteth the lamp of the Word, and weareth God's name as her necklet.

She weareth on her forehead the jewel of love, and she is beautiful among women.

Her beauty and wisdom are charming, and true is her infinite love.

She knoweth no man but her Beloved ; it is only for the True Guru she feeleth love and affection.

But thou who art reckless on a dark night,3 how shalt thou pass it without the Beloved ?

Thy bosom shall burn, thy body shall burn, and thy mind shall burn, O woman.

L The jewel or precious one.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 269

When woman enjoyeth not her Husband, her youth passct li in vain.

Her Husband is on the couch ; his wife sleepeth and knoweth not His presence.

While I sleep, the Beloved awaketh ; whom shall I go to consult ? l

Nanak, the true Guru, having taught me love, hath caused me to meet God, and 1 abide in His fear.

The mind is impure until it receives instruction from a true religious teacher :—

When the mind is impure the body is impure, and the tongue impure.

The mouth is impure by uttering impurity ; how shall it be made pure ?

The heart cannot be cleansed without the Word ; from the True One truth is obtained.

O girl, what happiness is there without virtue ?

Brahmans read books aloud, but understand not their meaning.

They give instruction to others as a business matter.

They wander about the world preaching falsehood ; while they who abide by the Word are the best.

How many pandits and astrologers study the Veds !

They glorify battles and enmities,2 but from quarrels rcsulteth transmigration.

However much they tell and preach what they have heard, man shall not be freed from his sins without the Guru.

All call themselves virtuous, but I possess no virtue.

Beautiful is the woman who hath God for her Spouse ; that God pleaseth me.

Nanak, she who is united with God by the Word shall not be separated from Him.

The following was addressed to Hindu devotees whom the Guru met in his wanderings in the Hima layas :—

Though man perform lip-devotion, penance, and austeri ties, dwell at places of pilgrimage,

Bestow alms and perform acts of devotion, what are these without the True One ?

As he soweth so shall he reap ; human life is lost without virtue.

O silly one, happiness is obtained by being a slave to virtue.

She who under the Guru's instruction abandoneth evil, shall be absorbed in the Perfect One.

The following is a brief lecture against hypocrisy, with a few precepts to obtain future happiness : —

God carefully draweth the touchstone over men in order to assay them.

The counterfeit shall not be accepted ; the genuine shall be put into His treasury.

Dispel hopes and fears, so shall thy filth be washed away.

Everybody asketh for happiness ; nobody asketh for misery.

Great misery attendeth on happiness, but the perverse understand it not.

They who consider happiness and misery the same, and know the secret of the Word shall be happy.

Man may escape from the dangers of this world by accepting the Guru and hearkening to his instruc tions: —

The fearful ocean of the world is dangerous and formid able ; it hath no shore or limit,

No boat, no raft, no pole, and no boatman ;

But the true Guru hath a vessel for the terrible ocean, and ferrieth over him on whom he looketh with favour.

Love for God is inculcated by familiar Indian examples : —

O man, entertain such love for God as the lotus hath for the water.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 271

Such love doth it bear it, that it bloometh even when dashed down by the waves.

The creatures which God created in water die without it, and therefore love it.

O man, how shalt thou be delivered without love ?

God pervadeth the hearts of the pious, and bestoweth on them a store of devotion.

O man, entertain such love for God as the fish for the water.

The more it hath, the happier it becometh, and the greater its peace of mind and body.

Without water it could not live for a moment ; God aione knoweth the sufferings of its heart.

O man, entertain such love for God as the chatrik for rain :

Though the tanks be full and the earth drenched, it will not drink from either.

If so fated, it shall obtain the rain-drops, otherwise it is fated to die.

O man, entertain such love for God as water for milk.

The water alone is consumed in boiling and alloweth not the milk to be consumed.

God uniteth the separated, and conferreth true greatness.

0 man, entertain such love for God as the chakwi1 for the sun.

She sleepeth not for a moment, for she knoweth that her mate is absent from her.

The perverse see not ; to the pious God is ever present.

The perverse make calculations, but it is only what the Creator doeth that cometh to pass.

His worth cannot be ascertained, even though all men desire it ;

But it can be ascertained under the Guru's instruction ; by meeting the True One happiness is obtained.

If the True Guru be met, true love shall not sunder,

And the wealth of divine knowledge of the three worlds shall be obtained.

If any one acquire virtue, he will not forget the Pure Name.

The birds which peck on sea and land have played and gone away.

Man must depart in a ghari or two ; his enjoyment is only for to-day or to-morrow.

He whom Thou blendest with Thyself shall be blended with Thee, and shall take his place in the true arena.

Without the Guru love is not produced, and the filth of pride departeth not.

He who recognizeth God in himself, and knoweth the secret of the Word, shall be satisfied :

But when man recognizeth himself through the Guru's instruction, what more remaineth for him to do ?

Why speak of meeting God ? Man hath met Him already,1 but it is only on receiving the Word he is satisfied.

The perverse obtain not understanding ; separated from God they suffer punishment.

For Nanak there is but the gate of the one God ; there is no other refuge.

It is said the following was addressed by the Guru, during his pilgrimage to the east, to a Raja called Harbans :—

Man is led astray by the reading of words ; ritualists are very proud.

What availeth it to bathe at a place of pilgrimage, if the filth of pride be in the heart ?

Who but the Guru can explain that the King and Emperor dwelleth in the heart ?

All men err ; it is only the great Creator who erreth not.

He who admonisheth his heart under the Guru's instruc tion shall love the Lord.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 273

Nanak, he whom the incomparable Word hath caused to meet God, shall not forget the True One.

God cannot be deceived and His merits cannot be described :—

By taking the protection of the Guru man shall be saved ; counterfeit is the capital of the perverse.

The eight metals of the King are coined agreeably to His orders.1

The Assayer Himself assayeth the coins, and putteth the genuine into His treasury.

Thy merits, O Lord, cannot be ascertained ; I have seen and tested everything.

Thy merits cannot be expressed by words ; if man remain true, he shall obtain honour.

Under the Guru's instruction Thou, O Lord, art praised ; otherwise Thy worth cannot be described.

The Guru prefers the repetition of God's name to all other forms of devotion : —

My heart is penetrated by God's name ; what else shall I reflect upon ?

Happiness cometh to him who meditateth on the Word ; perfect happiness to him who is imbued with God.

Preserve me as it pleaseth Thee, O God ; Thy name is my support.

0 man, just is the will of the Master.

Love Him who made and adorned thy body and mind.

Were my body to be cut into pieces and burnt in the fire ;

Were I to turn my body and soul into firewood, and burn them night and day ;

Were I to perform hundreds of thousands and millions of religious ceremonies, all would not be equal to God's name.

Were a saw to be applied to my head and my body to be cut in twain ; l

Were my body to be frozen in the Himalayas, even then my mind would not be free from disease — •

It would all not be equal to God's name — I have seen and examined everything —

Were I to make offerings of millions of gold, many ex cellent horses and excellent elephants ;

Were I to make large presents of lands and cows, even then pride would remain in my heart.

The Guru hath given me the true gift that my mind is penetrated by God's name.

How many opinions, and how many interpretations of the Veds through obstinacy !

How many entanglements there are for the soul ! the gate of deliverance is only obtained through the Guru's instruction.

Everything is inferior to truth ; the practice of truth is superior to all else.

Call every one exalted ; let no one appear to thee low.

The one God fashioned the vessels, and it is His light that filleth the three worlds.

By His favour man obtaineth the truth ; what He granteth in the beginning none can efface.

The holy meet the holy ; by love for the Guru man obtaineth consolation.

He who is absorbed in the True Guru pondereth on the Word of the Ineffable.

He who drinketh the nectar of the Name shall be satisfied, and go to God's court with a dress of honour.

The strain of ecstasy2 resoundeth night and day in the hearts of those who bear great love to the Word.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 275

Few there are who obtain understanding by admonishing their hearts through their guru.

Nanak, they who forget not the Name, and who act according to the Word shall be delivered.

The following principally inculcates the inutility of worldly possessions and the superiority of devotion :—

We see mansions painted and whitewashed with orna mented doors.

They were constructed to give pleasure to the heart, and through love and regard for worldly things, but they shall fall to ruin.

So the body which is empty within and possesseth no love, shall fall and become a heap of dust.

O my brethren, your bodies and wealth shall not accompany you.

God's name is the pure wealth ; God giveth it through the Guru.

If the Giver give the true wealth of God's name,

The great Creator shall become man's friend, and no inquiry shall be made of him in the next world.

If God deliver man, he shall be delivered ; God alone is the Pardoner.

The perverse man deemeth that daughters, sons, and relations are his.

He is pleased on beholding woman, but, as she bringcth joy, so she bringeth sorrow.

Holy men are imbued with the Word, and day and night enjoy divine happiness.

The mind of the wavering infidel wandereth in quest of transitory wealth.

Men ruin themselves by their search abroad while the Real Thing is in their homes.

The pious obtain It, the perverse miss It through pride.

O vicious infidel, know thine own origin.

string. The Jogis apply the word to the music heard in the brain by the practice of Jog.

T 2

Thy body made from blood and semen shall be brought to the fire at last.

The body is in the power of the breath according to the true mark on the forehead.

Men pray for a long life ; no one desireth to die.

He is said to lead a happy life in whose heart God dwelleth through the Guru's instruction.

Of what account are they who are without the Name, and who therefore obtain not a sight of the great God ?

As a man goeth astray at night in his sleep,

So doth he in whose heart there is pride and worldly love, and who is in the power of mammon.

To him who reflecteth under the Guru's instruction the world appear eth a dream.

As thirst is quenched when one findeth water ; as the child is sustained by its mother's milk ;

As the lotus cannot exist without water, and the fish would die without it,

So, Nanak, may I obtain divine happiness through the Guru's instruction and live singing God's praises !

Without the spiritual condition which is obtained by a repetition of the Name there is no salvation : —

I have become alarmed on seeing a terrible mountain in my Father's house.1

Steep is the mountain and difficult to ascend ; there is no ladder which will reach it ;

But under the Guru's instruction I have found the secret ; 2 the Guru hath caused me to meet God and I am saved.

O my brethren, the ocean of the world is difficult and formidable.

If I have a satisfactory interview with the perfect true Guru, he will deliver me by granting me God's name.

If I say I am perishable, it will not avail me ; but if I really know that I am perishable, it will.

Everything that came into this world shall depart ; the Creator alone is immortal.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 277

Be sure to praise the True One and love His abode.

Beautiful houses and palaces and thousands of strong holds,

Elephants, horses with their housings, and hundreds of thousands, yea, countless armed men

Will not depart with any one : Their masters pine away and die without gaining any advantage from them.

Thou mayest amass gold and silver, but wealth is an entangling net.

Man's authority may be proclaimed throughout the whole world, but without the Name death standeth over his head.

When the body falleth, the soul fleet h away ; what shall be the condition of the evil doers ?

The husband is delighted on beholding his sons and his wife on her couch ;

He applieth distilled aloe wood and sandal ; he weareth fine clothes and decorateth himself ;

Yet shall he leave his family and depart ; dust shall return to dust.

He may be styled a chief, an emperor, a king, a governor, or a lord ;

He may be called the headman of a town or a governor ; he may burn with pride ;

Yet by perversely forgetting the Name he shall be as a reed burnt in the fire.

Having come into the world, he shall depart however proud he be.

The whole world is a chamber of lampblack ; the body and soul which enter it shall be tarnished.1

They who are preserved by the Guru are pure ; the fire of their desires is extinguished by the Word.

Nanak, man obtaineth deliverance by the true name of the King of kings.

May I not forget God's name ! may I purchase it as a jewel !

The perverse man perisheth in the terrible ocean of the

world ; the holy man crosseth it, unfathomable though it be.

GHAR III1

Definitions : —

How is Sat Sangat, the Society of the holy, known ?

The name of the one God is mentioned there.

How are Duhagins — women separated from their husbands — known ?

They are those who forgetful of their Spouse wander unhonoured.

They who are pleased with God's will,

Remove superstition from their minds.

Nanak, the true Guru, is known by his association with every one.

SRI RAG KI WAR Some virtues which contribute to perfection : —

Faith and resignation are the characteristics of the holy ; patience is the viaticum of angels.

The perfect shall obtain a sight of God ; the fool shall find no place with Him.

Caste is vain and contributes not to goodness or holiness : —

Castes are folly, names are folly : All creatures have one shelter, that of God. If a man call himself good,

The truth shall be known, O Nanak, when his account is accepted.

Man, no matter what his caste or social position may be, is exalted by devotion : —

What difference is there between a swan and a crane, if God look kindly on the latter ?

Nanak, if it please Him, He can change a raven into a swan.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 279

MAJH KI WAR

God as the Guru :—

The Guru is the Giver, the Guru is the house of snow,1 the Guru is the lamp of the three worlds.

Nanak, the Guru possesseth the immortal wealth ; by putting faith in Him happiness is obtained.

The ten stages of man :—

In man's first stage he loveth the milk of his mother's breast ;

In his second he recognizeth his father and mother ;

In his third his brother, his brother's wife, and his own sister ;

In the fourth a love of play ariseth in him ;

In the fifth he runneth after food and drink ;

In the sixth he inquireth not a woman's caste in his lust ;

In the seventh he collect eth things for a house to live in ;

In the eighth his body is wasted by wrath ;

In the ninth he groweth grey and his breathing is diffi cult ;

In the tenth he is burnt and becometh ashes.

His companions accompany him to his pyre with loud lamentations.

The soul flieth away, showing the road of departure to others.

He came, he died, and departed — leaving only a name.

After his death his relations offer food on leaves, and call the crows.2

Nanak, the perverse love mental darkness.

Without a guru the world is lost.

Other divisions of human life :— At ten a child, at twenty a rake, at thirty man calleth himself handsome ;

At forty he is in his prime, at fifty his feet halt, at sixty old age cometh on ;

At seventy he loseth his intellect, at eighty he cannot perform his duties ;

At ninety he reclineth on his couch, and feeleth no strength whatever in himself.

I, Nanak, have sought and searched, and seen that the world is a mansion of smoke.

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

Were I to dwell in the cavern of a golden mountain or in a pit of water ;

Were I to stand on my head on earth or in the heavens ;

Were I to cover all my body with clothes,1 and did I nothing but bathe ;

Were I to shout aloud the white, the red, the yellow, and the black Veds ; 2

Were I to remain dirty and filthy,3 all this would be foolish and sinful.

Nanak, since I have pondered on the Word, I am not, I was not, and I shall not be.4

Guru Nanak declares the folly of external puri fications : —

Man washeth his clothes and his body, and mortifieth himself.

Knowing not of the filth attaching to his heart, he rubbeth and cleanseth himself externally.

Being blind he is led astray, and falleth into Death's noose

He deemeth the property of others as his own, and suffereth for his pride.

Nanak, when pride is dispelled under the Guru's instruc tions, man meditateth on God's name,

Repeateth the Name, adoreth the Name, and through the Name is absorbed in happiness.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 281

Some important subjects are briefly treated as follows : —

God hath caused the union of body and soul ;

He who created them can separate them.

A fool while enjoying pleasure hath all pain :

Disease proceedeth from sinful pleasure.

From worldly rejoicing proceedeth mourning, separation from God, birth, and death.

The fool while boasting becometh involved in disputes :

The decision resteth with the True Guru ; He putteth an end to disputes.

That which the Creator doeth cometh to pass ; what man hath set in motion must stop.

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

Thou utterest falsehood, eatest carrion,1

Yet thou goest to admonish others.

Cheated thyself thou now cheatest thy companions.

Nanak saith, that is the sort of guide thou appearest !

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

If clothes become denied by blood falling on them,

How can the hearts of those who drink human blood2 be pure ?

Nanak, utter God's name with a pure heart regardless of thy dress.

All else is but worldly ostentation ; thou, 0 Qazi, practisest falsehood.

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

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

As God made me, I act ; as He told me, I speak ; I am thoroughly defiled with sin, and desire to wash it away.

Though I know nothing myself, yet I teach others ; such a guide am I.

Nanak, he who being blind showeth the road to others and misleadeth all his companions,

Shall be shoe-beaten in the next world, and it will be seen what sort of guide he was.

Everything shall vanish except God : —

Of kings, subjects, and rulers none shall remain :

Shops, cities, bazars shall be destroyed by God's order.

Solid and beautiful mansions a fool deemeth his own ;

Storehouses filled with wealth in a moment become empty.

Steeds, chariots, camels, elephants and their housings,

Gardens, properties, houses, and homes,

Tents, comfort able beds, and ornamental pavilions — where shall they be recognized ?

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

Were rivers to become kine, and springs to become milk and clarified butter ;

Were the whole earth to become sugar so that the heart might ever rejoice ;

Were the mountains to become gold and silver, and be studded with diamonds and rubies ;

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

Were the eighteen loads of vegetables of the earth 1 to become fruit, and grass to become rice ;

Could I arrest the moon and sun in their courses, and were my seat to become immovable,

Sanskrit writers. The idea was that if a leaf wrere taken off every

tree and plant, there would be formed eighteen loads, each of which an ordinary strong man could lift.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 283

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

Could I inflict pain by means of the two sinful beings Rahu and Ketu ; l

Could I obtain authority over bloodthirsty kings and my glory thus shine forth,

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

Were fire and frost to become my raiment, and the wind my food ;

Were all the fascinating women of heaven to become my wives — all perishable 2—

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

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

What power hath caste ? It is the reality that is tested.

Poison may be held in the hand, but man dieth if he eat it.

The sovereignty of the True One is known in every age.

He who obeyeth God's order shall become a noble in His court.

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

The Master sent obedience to His orders as a steed into the world ;

Reflection on the instruction which the Guru imparteth is its kettle-drums.

Some have mounted their steeds, others have them ready caparisoned ;

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

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

When the field is ripe, it is cut ; only the chaff and the hedge remain.

The corn is threshed with the husk, and the chaff is winnowed away.

Men then put together the two mill-stones and sit down to grind corn.

That which attacheth to the axle escapeth. Nanak hath seen a wonderful thing.1

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

See how sugar-cane is cut down and made into sheaves after the stalks are cleaned..

The labourers put it into a press and squeeze it.

Having expressed the juice, they put it into a pan, and it groaneth as it burneth.

The residue is collected and put into the fire beneath the pan.

Nanak, sweet things are thus ill-treated ; come and see, O people.

It is useless to endeavour to instruct a fool : —

What can deep water do to a fish ? What can the sky do to a bird ?

What can cold do to a stone ? What can married life do to a eunuch ?

Even though thou apply sandal to a dog, he will still preserve his canine nature :

Even though thou instruct a deaf man, and read for him the Simritis ;

Even though thou place a light before a blind man, and burn fifty lamps for him, all would be of no avail.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 285

Even though thou put gold before a herd of cattle, they would still pick out the grass to eat.

If a flux be put into iron it will melt, but not become cotton.1

Nanak, the peculiarity of a fool is that what is said to him is ever lost.

When his Sikhs inquired how an alliance could be formed with God the Guru composed the fol lowing : —

When bronze, gold, and iron break,

The blacksmith weldeth them by means of fire.

When a husband falleth out with his spouse,

A reconciliation is effected in this world through children.

When the king asketh and his subjects give, a bond is established between them.

When a hungry man eateth, he establish 3th an alliance with the world.

Drought formeth an alliance with rivers when they are flooded with rain.

There is an affinity between love and sweet words.

If any one speak the truth, he formeth a bond with know ledge.

By goodness and truth the dead establish a bond with the living.

Such are the affinities that are established in the world.

The only way to establish friendship with a fool is to smite him on the mouth.2

By praising God man establisheth an alliance with God's court.

Nanak saith this deliberately.

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

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

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

Neither demigods, nor demons, nor men,

Nor Sidhs, nor Strivers, nor this earth shall abide.

There is One ; is there any other ?

There is only Thou, there is only Thou, 0 God !

Neither the just nor the generous,

Nor the seven regions beneath the earth shall remain.

There is One : is there any other ?

There is only Thou, there is only Thou, O God !

Not the regions of the sun and the moon, Nor the seven continents,, nor the seven seas, Nor corn, nor wind shall abide. There is only Thou, there is only Thou, 0 God !

Our maintenance is in nobody's power but God's :

To all of us but one hope abideth —

There is one : is there any other ?

There is only Thou, there is only Thou, 0 God !

Birds have no money in their possession :

They only depend on trees and water.

God is their Giver.

There is only Thou, there is only Thou, O God !

Nanak, no one can erase

What is written on the forehead.

God it is who giveth man power and again taketh it away.

There is only Thou, there is only Thou, O God !

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

They who in the early morning praise God and meditate

on Him with single heart,

Are perfect kings, and die fighting when occasion ariseth.1 In the second watch there are many ways in which the

attention of the mind is distracted.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 287

Many persons fall into the fathomless water, and cannot emerge however much they struggle.

In the third watch when hunger and thirst are both barking, food is put into the mouth.

What is eaten becometh filth, yet man again desireth food.

In the fourth watch drowsiness cometh, man closeth his eyes and goeth into dreamland.1

Again rising in the morning he engageth in turmoil, and yet maketh preparations to live a hundred years.

If man feel love for God every moment during the eight watches of the day,

O Nanak, God will dwell in his heart and true shall be his ablution.

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

When Thou art near, what more do I desire ? I speak verily.

He who is deceived by false worldly occupations reach eth not God's palace :

His heart is hard and he loseth his service.

The house which containeth not the True One, should be destroyed and rebuilt.

When its owner is weighed, how shall he be found of full weight ?

If he lose his pride, no one will say he is of short weight.

The genuine shall be assayed, and selected at the gate of the All-seeing.

The true goods are only in one shop ; they are obtained from the perfect Guru.

The advantages conferred on men by the True One:—

Without the True One all are false and practise falsehood.

Without the True One the false shall be bound and led away ;

Without the True One the body is dust and shall be rolled in the dust ;

Without the True One dress and food are all hunger ;

Without the True One the false shall not attain God's court .

The false attached to avarice miss God's palace.

The whole world is deceived, and cometh and goeth in deception.

In the heart is the fire of greed which is quenched by the Guru's instruction.

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

Nanak, the Guru is the tree of contentment, whose blossom is religion and whose fruit is divine knowledge.

It aboundeth in succulence and is ever green ; it ripeneth by good works and meditation.

Honour is obtained by partaking of its relish ; it is the greatest of gifts.

There is a tree of gold ; its leaves are corals ; its blossoms, jewels and rubies.

It beareth gems for fruit, and the heart of him who eateth it rejoiceth.

Nanak, it is obtained by him on whose forehead such destiny hath been recorded.

The sixty-eight places of pilgrimage are at the Guru's feet, and ever specially worship them.

Cruelty, worldly love, avarice, and wrath are four streams of fire :

They who fall into them are burnt, O Nanak, but de liverance is obtained by cleaving to good works.

The evil of forgetting God : —

In the heart and mouth of the perverse who never re member Thee,

Abide the bitterness of the gourd, the colocynth, and the nim, and the poison of the akk1 and dhatura.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 289

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

The unequal conditions of men : —

The bird, man, by his ideas and his acts sometimes flieth high and sometimes low,1

He sometimes percheth on a sandal-tree, sometimes on the branch of the akk-shrub, and sometimes again he loveth high flight.

Nanak saith, it is the custom of the Lord to lead all beings by His order.

Women's duty :—

If women adorn themselves with love and affection for their Spouse,

They shall not be restrained from their devotion to Him day or night.

They shall abide in His chambers, and the Word shall regenerate them ;

They shall humbly supplicate the True One ;

And they shall appear beautiful near their Spouse, walking according to His order.

They shall make hearty supplication to the Beloved.

Accursed the homes, wretched the lives of those who possess not the Word.

They whose hopes are fulfilled by the Word quaff nectar.

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

The desert is not satisfied with rain, and the hunger of fire is not appeased ;

Kings are not satisfied with dominion ; who hath ever filled the ocean ?

How much hath Nanak inquired after the True Name and not been satisfied \

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

He to whom God giveth understanding understandeth ; 1 Literally — is sometimes exalted and sometimes debased.

2go THE SIKH RELIGION

He to whom He giveth knowledge knoweth everything. Man merely worrieth himself when he preacheth for the sake of mammon.

The Commander, who created all things, Himself possesseth all knowledge. He Himself, Nanak, spoke the Word- Doubt shall depart from him to whom He gave it.

The Guru's reward for singing God's praises :—

Me, a minstrel out of work, God applieth to His work ;

He ordered me in the beginning to sing His praises nigl t and day.

The Master summoned the minstrel to His true court,

And put on him a robe of true praise and eulogy :

He then obtained the ambrosial food of the true Name.

They who have eaten under the Guru's instruction are satisfied, and have obtained comfort.

The minstrel uttereth praise and singeth the Word.

Nanak, he who uttereth true praise obtaineth the Perfect One

RAG GAURI

The advantages resulting from the fear of God : —

The fear of God is very great and very heavy.

Man's wisdom is of little account, and so is his chatter

Walk with the load of fear on thy head ;

Meditate on the Guru who is kind and merciful.

No one shall be saved without the fear of God :

His fear hath adorned man's love.

The fire of the fear of transmigration is burned away by the fear of God.

By fear the Word is fashioned and decorated.

What is fashioned without fear is altogether worthless :

Useless is the mould and useless the stroke thereon.

In the minds of many there is a desire to fashion the Word without fear ;

But even though they perform a thousand artifices they shall not succeed.

Nanak, the speech of the perverse is nonsense ;

What they write is worthless absurdity.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 291

The following was addressed by the Guru to one who had remonstrated with him for having left his relations to lead a wandering life :—

Make wisdom thy mother, contentment thy father,

Truth thy brother — this is best.

People talk, but talking is of no avail.

The measure of Thy might, O God, cannot be obtained.

Modesty and attention are my two parents-in-law ;

Good works I have accepted as my spouse ;

Union with saints hath been my auspicious time for marriage, and separation from the world my wedding.

Saith Nanak, from such a union hath sprung truth as my offspring.

The composition of man's body and the inutility of pilgrimages ; the body dies, but not the soul :—

The body is a mixture of wind, water, and fire ;

Within it is the changeful play of the intellect.

The body hath nine gates and a tenth door ;

O wise man, understand and reflect on this.

God speaketh, preacheth, and listeneth ;

He who reflecteth on himself is a wise man.

The body is earth, the wind speaketh therein.

Consider, O wise man, what it is that dieth—

It is the quarrelsome and proud understanding.

The conscious soul dieth not.

The precious jewel, for which men go on pilgrimages,

Dwelleth within the heart.

Pandits read and argue,

But know not that which is within themselves.

When my spiritual ignorance dieth, I die not myself.

He who is everywhere contained dieth not.

Saith Nanak, when the Guru showed me God,

No one seemed to me to die or to be born.

One Sant Das propounded six questions to Guru Nanak :—

Is it known whence man hath come, Whence he hath sprung, in what he shall be absorbed,

U 2

How he is bound, how he obtaineth emancipation,

And how he shall be easily absorbed in the Imperishable ?

The Guru replied : —

The Name is nectar in the heart as well as in the mouth :

Through it man is freed from worldly desires.

Man cometh in the course of nature and goeth in the course of nature.

Man is born according to the desires of his heart, and he is absorbed in the same way.

The pious man is emancipated and falleth into no en tanglements :

He is delivered by meditation on the Word and by God's name.

Many birds roost by night on a tree —

Some happy, others unhappy — they whose minds have worldly love perish.

When night hath passed away, they gaze upon the sky : l

They fly in every direction according to the destiny recorded for them.

They who are associated with the Name deem the world like a meeting-place of cowherds :

The poisonous vessels of lust and wrath have burst for them.

To those without the capital of the Name houses and shops are empty ;

But by meeting the Guru the adamant doors of their understanding are opened.

A holy man is met by primal destiny.

God's perfect people are rendered happy by truth :

They barter their souls and bodies for divine knowledge and God's love.

Nanak toucheth their feet.

The following is a conversation between soul and body : —

The Soul : ' O body, thou thinkest thyself immortal, and that thou shalt be always happy — know that this world is a play.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 293

Thou practises! avarice, covetousness, and excessive falsehood, and bearest many burdens.

I have seen thee, O body, trodden as ashes on the ground.'

The Body : ' Hearken, hearken to mine instruction.

If thou have done good works, they shall abide with thee ; O my soul, thou shalt not again find such opportunity.*

The Soul : ' I address thee, O my body, hearken to my instruction.

Thou slanderest 1 and bearest false witness against others.'

The Body : ' Thou covetest another's vine,2 O soul ; thou committest theft and evil deeds.'

The Soul : ' When the soul departeth, thou shalt remain behind like an abandoned woman.

Thou, O body, shalt remain but as a dream — what good deeds hast thou done ? '

The Body : ' Whatever I took by stealth was pleasing to thee.

Thou hast no honour in this world, and thou shalt be rejected in the next ; thou hast lost thy human dwelling in vain.'

I am very unhappy, O father, saith Nanak, no one careth for me.

Arabian and Turkish steeds, gold, silver, and loads of raiment

No one taketh with him ; they leave him in this world, O fool.

Sugar, fruit, all have I tasted ; it is only Thine ambrosial Name which is sweet.

Man diggeth deep foundations and constructeth edifices on them, but they shall become at last heaps of dust.

He hoardeth, and hoardeth, and giveth to no one ; the fool thinketh that all is his own.

Rawan nominally possessed a golden Lanka and a golden palace, but they were no one's property.

Hear, O foolish and ignorant soul :

What pleaseth God shall be done.

My Lord is a great Merchant, we are His retail-dealers.

Our souls and bodies are all His capital ; He it is who killeth and re-animateth.

The Guru reflects on the power of the deadly sins which lead men to destruction : —

The others l are five, I am but one ; how shall I protect my house ?

They ever assail and plunder me ; to whom shall I complain ?

Utter God's holy name, O my soul ;

Before thee is Death's army fierce and numerous.

God erected a palace,2 put doors to it, and the woman 3 sitteth within.

Deeming the world sweet, she ever sporteth, but these five men rob her.

When Death destroyeth the palace, her chamber is sacked, and she being alone is captured.

She is beaten by Death's mace, and his chains are riveted on her neck ; the five men have taken flight.

The housewife wanteth gold and silver ; friends want banquets.

Nanak, they who commit sin for these things shall go bound to Death's city.

Kinganath Jogi pressed Guru Nanak to become his disciple ; the Guru replied that he had already learned the science of Jog. He composed the following hymn on the occasion :—

Make restraint of thine inmost heart thine earrings, thy body the patched coat ;

Reduce thy five senses to subjection, O Jogi, and make a pure heart thy staff.

In this way shalt thou obtain the way of jog.

Make the fact that there is but one Word and none other thy devotion to tubers and roots.

If God could be obtained by merely shaving the head, we should make a god of the Ganges.4

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 295

It is the one Lord who saveth the three worlds ; thou thinkest not of Him, O fool.

If thou apply thy mind to words through hypocrisy, thy doubts shall never leave thee.

If thou turn thy thoughts to the feet of the one God, why pursue avarice and greed ?

If thou repeat the Name of the Bright One, thy soul shall be absorbed in Him.

O Jogi, why utterest thou so much deceit ?

Thy body is mad,1 thy mind is silly, thou passest thy life talking of thy property.

Nanak represent eth, it is after the naked body is burnt the soul regretteth lost opportunities.

Man's precious life should not be wasted, but should be devoted to God's service and not to the acquisition of wealth :—

Man loseth his nights in sleeping and his days in eating :

His human life, valuable as a diamond, he parteth with for a kauri.

Thou knowest not God's name ; O fool, thou shalt here after regret.

Thou buriest endless wealth in the earth, yet thy desire for it depart eth not.2

They who departed desiring endless wealth lost the Endless One.

If all were to obtain according to their desires, they

would be happy.

Whatever all may desire, a man's fate is decided by his acts.

Nanak, He who fashioned creation taketh care of it.

It is not known on whom God's order will confer greatness.

The fervour of the Guru's devotion :-

Were I to become a fawn, live in the forest, and gather and eat tubers and roots,

I should ever and ever be a sacrifice to my Lord, who is obtained through the favour of the Guru.

I am a retail-dealer of Thine, O God ;

Thy Name is my stock-in-trade and my merchandise.

Were I to become a koil and live in a mango-tree, I should still tranquilly meditate on the Word.

Through my love my Lord, whose form appeareth un equalled, would naturally meet me.

Were I to become a fish and dwell in the water, I should still remember Him who watcheth over all animals.

My Spouse dwelleth on this side and on that ; I shall stretch forth mine arm to touch Him.

Were I to become a serpent and dwell in the ground, I should still abide in the Word and my fears would depart.

Nanak, they are ever the happy married wives whom God hath absorbed in His light.

GAURI ASHTAPADI

Without a religious guide man would run riot in evil and haste to perdition :—

The heart is an elephant, the body a forest,

The Guru the goad ; when the mark of the true Word is made on the elephant,

He shall obtain honour in the King's court.

God cannot be known by cleverness.

Without chastening the mind how can God be appraised ?

In the house is nectar which the thieves are taking away : 1

No one tried to restrain them.

If any one guard the nectar, God Himself will confer greatness on him.

Worldly wealth, comforts, and pleasures would never satisfy the Guru without devotion to God.

I may apply distilled aloe wood and sandal to my body,

I may wear silks and satins,

But without God's name how shall I obtain happiness ?

What shall I wear ? in what dress shall I show myself ?

How shall I obtain happiness without the Lord of the world ?

I may have rings in mine ears and a necklace of pearls on my neck,

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 297

A red coverlet, flowers, and red powder ; l

But where should I search for happiness except with the Lord of the world ?

A beautiful woman with expressive eyes

May make the sixteen decorations and render herself very lovely,

Yet without worshipping the Lord of the world she would ever be despised.

One may have in his house or palace a comfortable couch ;

A flower-girl may scatter flowers on it day and night,

Yet without God's name its owner would be unhappy.

Excellent horses, elephants, lances, musical instruments,

Armies, mace-bearers, and attendants are worthless

And vain shows without the Lord of the world.

I may be called a Sidh, and I may summon wealth and supernatural power to me ;

I may make for my head a crown, a regal hat, and an umbrella,

Yet how should I obtain real happiness without the Lord of the world ?

I may be styled a lord, an emperor, or a king,

I may say ' Now then ' 2 to inferiors ; all this would be false display.

Without the Guru's instruction my business could not be adjusted.

Egotism and selfishness are forgotten under the Guru's instruction.

Through the Guru's instruction it is known that God is in the heart.

Nanak supplicateth, / seek Thy shelter, O God.

The Guru describes the condition of the holy and the means of salvation :—

He who serveth the one God knoweth not others :

He layeth aside the bitter things deceit and evil.

By love and truth shalt thou meet the Truest of the True.

If there be any such saint of God,

His filth shall be washed away, and he shall meet God by singing His praises.

Reversed are the lotuses of all men's hearts :

The fire of evil inclinations burneth away the world,

While those who meditate on the word of the Guru are saved.

The bumble-bee, the moth, the elephant, the fish,

And the deer1 suffer the consequences of their acts and die.

Absorbed in worldly desires man knoweth not the Real Thing ;

He thinketh of lust and love for woman.

Which with wrath ruin all sinners.

He who forgetteth the Name, loseth his honour and his senses.

The perverse being who alloweth his mind to covet another's house,

Hath a halter round his neck, and is entangled in diffi culties ;

While the pious shall be delivered by singing God's praises.

As a widow, who giveth her body to a stranger,

And through lust or money falleth into another's power,

Is never satisfied without a lover ;

So man readeth books and reciteth the Simritis ;

He also readeth, heareth, and expoundeth the Veds and the Purans ;

But without being dyed with God's essence his mind is very unstable.

As the chatrik loveth and thirst eth for the rain-drops,

As the fish is delighted with the water,

So Nanak is satisfied quaffing God's essence.

There was a hill king called Amar Singh who

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 299

was dethroned by his brother. On being expelled he went to Guru Nanak for advice. The following was given him :—

They who wear religious garbs are full of pride and know not God.

Few are they whose minds are reconciled to devotion under the Guru's instruction.

The True One is not obtained by the practice of egotism.

When pride depart eth, the supreme dignity is obtained.

Kings under the influence of pride make many expedi tions :

They are ruined by pride and remain subject to trans migration.

He who meditateth on the Guru's word shall lose his pride ;

He shall dismiss his wandering thoughts, and destroy his deadly sins.

He in whose heart is the truth shall easily arrive at God's court,

And, knowing God, shall obtain the supreme state.

The Guru dispelleth the doubts of those whose works are true ;

And they shall obtain a fixed seat in the court of the Fearless.

What do they retain who die talking of their possessions ?

He who meeteth a perfect Guru putteth an end to his contentions.—

What there is, is nothing in reality—

The pious who are saturated with divine knowledge sing God's praises.

The fetters of pride cause man to wander in trans migration.

Nanak, it is the saint of God who obtaineth happiness.

Death impends over all, but cannot harm the holy :-

Even Brahma was subject to death * from the beginning.

He found not the end of Vishnu's lotus in the nether regions ; l

He accepted not God's order, and was led astray in error.

Whatever is created Death destroyeth.

God hath preserved us by our meditating on the word of the Guru.

Maya deludeth all the gods and goddesses.

Death looseth not his hold on him who serveth not the Guru.

God is imperishable, invisible, and inscrutable.

Emperors, rulers, and kings shall not abide.

Having forgotten the Name they shall undergo death's torture.

The Name is my support ; I shall abide as Thou keepest me, O Lord.

Chiefs and kings have no abiding-place.

Bankers die after accumulating wealth and money.

None is found permanent in this world.

Irresistible death striketh false mortals on the head.

One alone, the Truest of the true, is immovable.

All those whom He created He will again destroy.2

Man obtaineth honour when he knoweth God under the Guru's instruction.

Qazis, shaikhs, and faqirs in religious garbs

Call themselves great, but through pride their bodies are in pain.

Death will not release them without receiving the true Guru's consolation.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 301

The net of Death is over man's tongue and eyes ;

It is over his ears when he listeneth to unchaste language.

He is robbed day and night without the Word.

Death cannot espy him in whose heart

God's true name dwelleth, and who singeth God's praises—

Nanak, the pious shall be absorbed in the Word.

A prayer to God for protection :—

As a herdsman guardeth and keepcth watch over his cattle,

So God day and night cherisheth and guardeth man and keepeth him in happiness.

O Thou compassionate to the poor, I seek Thy protection ; look on me with favour.

Preserve me in this world and the next.

Wherever I look there art Thou contained ; guard me, O Guardian.

Thou art the Giver, Thou art the Enjoyer, Thou art the support of the soul.

Man must supplement his prayers by good acts :—

Without meditating on divine knowledge man ascendeth or descendeth according to his acts.

Without praising the Lord of the world the darkness of ignorance shall not be dispelled.

We see that the world is perishing through covetousness and pride.

By serving the Guru, God and the true gate of salvation are attained.

What hath man brought into the world ? What shall he take away when he is entangled in Death's noose ?

Like a well-bucket firmly attached to a rope, he is now in heaven, now in hell.

A spiritual guide is necessary for salvation :-

His account is settled who through the Guru's favour knoweth God.

God, called the Pure One, who is in every heart, is my Lord.

Man shall not be emancipated without the Guru's in struction ; see and ponder upon this.

Even though man performed hundreds of thousands of ceremonies, all would still be darkness without the Guru.

What shall we say to those who are blind and devoid of wisdom ?

Without the Guru the way cannot be seen ; how shall we reach the goal ?

Man calleth the counterfeit genuine ; but he knoweth not what the genuine is.

A blind man he calleth an assayer ; wonderful is this age.

Man saith, the sleeper is awake, and he who is awake sleepeth ;

He saith, they who are alive are dead, and he weepeth not for those who are really dead ;

He saith, that he who is coming hath gone, and that he who hath gone is coming ;

He calleth another's property his own, and with his own he is not satisfied ;

He calleth what is sweet bitter, and what is bitter sweet ;

He slandereth those who love God — such is what I have seen in this age.

Man serveth a handmaiden,1 but the Master he seeth not.

He churneth tank water, and no butter is produced.

He who can explain this is the Guru for me.

Nanak, he who knoweth himself is unequalled and un rivalled.

GAURI CHHANT

The longing of the pious for God is compared to the longing of the young bride for her spouse :—

Painful is the night for the young bride ; without her

Beloved she sleepeth not.

She pineth away through grief at His absence :

The woman pineth away through grief at His absence,

saying ' How shall I look upon Him ? '

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 303

Ornaments, dainty food, sensuous enjoyments are all vain and of no account for her.

Intoxicated with the wine of youth and melting with pride milk cometh not to her breast.

Nanak, she meeteth her Spouse when He causeth her to meet Him ; without Him no sleep cometh to her.

The bride is unhonoured without her beloved Lord.

How shall she be happy without embracing Him ?

Without a spouse there is no domestic happiness ; ask thy friends and companions.

Without the Name there is no love or affection ; but, with the True One, woman abideth in happiness.

They in whose hearts there is truth and contentment, meet the Friend ; under the Guru's instruction the Bride groom is recognized.

Nanak, the woman who abandoneth not the Name shall be easily absorbed in God through it.

Come, friends and companions, let us enjoy our Beloved.

I will ask my Guru and write His words of love.

The Guru hath communicated to me the true Word ; the perverse shall regret they have not received it.

When I recognized the True One, my roaming mind became fixed.

The wisdom of the True One is ever new, so is the love of His Word.

Nanak, true peace of mind is obtained from His look of favour ; meet Him, my friends and companions.

My desires have been fulfilled ; the Friend hath come home to me.

A song of rejoicing was sung at the union of Husband and wife.

His praises and a song of joy were sung ; the bride is happy in His love and her heart is in raptures.

Her friends are also happy, her enemies unhappy ; true profit is obtained by repeating the name of the True One.

With clasped hands the woman prayeth that she may night and day be steeped in God's love.

Nanak, the Beloved and His spouse unite in dalliance ; my desires have been fulfilled.

RAG ASA The Creator bestows good gifts : —

If a beggar at God's gate cry aloud, God heareth him in His palace.

God may give him consolation or repulse him ; He alone bestoweth greatness.

God knoweth man's virtues and inquireth not his caste ; in the next world there is no caste.

God acteth Himself and causeth to act.

Thou, O Creator, payest heed to man's complaints.

Since it is Thou alone who actest,

Why should we be dependent on any but Thee ? What is the world to us ?

Thou Thyself didst create ; Thou Thyself dost bestow ;

Thou forbiddest evil inclinations.

If Thou by the Guru's favour dwell in the heart,

Suffering and the darkness of ignorance shall depart therefrom.

Thou givest truth to those whom Thou lovest ;

Thou givest truth to none besides.

If Thou give truth to any one, saith Nanak, there shall be no inquiry made of him hereafter.

The following was addressed to a votary of Krishan, who was worshipping his god with music and dancing :—

Make understanding thy fife, the love of God thy drum ; By these joy and earnest desire are ever produced in the heart.

This is devotion ; this is austerity —

In this wise dance beating time with thy feet.

Deem knowing how to praise God as beating time : Other dances are sensuous pleasures. Play truth and contentment as thy pair of cymbals ; Make the perpetual vision of God the bells for thy feet ; Make love for none but God thy measures and songs — In this wise dance beating time with thy feet.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 305

Ever make the fear of God in thy heart and soul, Whether sitting or standing, thy gyrations. Make the knowledge that thy body is ashes thy recum bent posture1—

In this wise dance beating time with thy feet.

Thine audience shall be the disciples who love instruction,

Who hear the true Name from the Guru's lips,

And repeat it again and again—

Nanak, in this wise dance beating time with thy feet.

The following was intended to show God's supe riority to His creatures Ram and Krishan, who are now adored as gods by the Hindus : —

God having created the atmosphere supported the whole earth and set bounds to water and fire.

The fatuous Rawan 2 had his ten heads cut off ; what greatness was obtained by slaying him ?

What praise of Thine, O God, shall be uttered ?

Thou pervadest everything ; Thou lovest all Thy creatures.

Having created living beings, Thou holdest their ways in Thy hand. What greatness was obtained by putting a nose-ring on the black serpent of the Jamna ? 3

Whose husband art Thou ? Who is Thy wife ? Thou pervadest all things.

Brahma, the granter of favours, with his progeny went to ascertain God's greatness,

But could not find His limits ; what greatness was obtained by slaying Kans ? 4

When the sea of milk was churned and its gems brought

SIKH. I X

forth, the demigods and demons each claimed the merit thereof.

What greatness was obtained by the distribution of the gems to each ? Saith Nanak, if men try to conceal Thy greatness, 0 God} how can it be concealed ?

The Guru in his anxiety to meet God compares himself to a bride who rejoices in her approaching marriage : —

When the Bridegroom kindly came to my house,

My female companions met me and arranged for the marriage.

My heart was glad as I gazed upon the play ; the Bride groom came to wed me.

Sing, sing, O ladies, the bridal song with wisdom and reflection.

The Life of the world hath come to my house as my Bridegroom.

My marriage having been brought about through my Guru, when I met him I recognized my Spouse

Whose Word filleth the three worlds ; when my pride departed my heart was glad.

God arrangeth His own affairs ; they are not arranged by others :

They consist in bestowing truth, contentment, mercy, and faith — a few pious persons know this.

Saith Nanak, God alone is the Spouse of all.

She on whom He looketh with favour is the happy wife.

In the opinion of the Guru human life is worthless without holiness : —

A cow without milk, a bird without wings, and tillage without water are of no avail.

What is an emperor to whom no obeisance is made ? Dark is the chamber in which Thy name, O God, is not.

Why shouldest Thou forget me when I am in great affliction ?

When affliction befalleth me, forget me not.

Man's eyes grow blind, his tongue loseth its taste, his ears hear not ;

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 307

He can only move by being supported — these are the fruits of non-service.

Make the Word the garden tree, plant it in good soil,1 and irrigate with love.

The one Name is the fruit of all such trees ; how shall men obtain it without good works ?

All creatures are Thine, O Lord ; none obtaineth his reward without devotion to Thee.

Woe and weal are distributed according to Thy will ; without Thy name real life remaineth not.

How may man live except by dying by the Guru's teaching ? If one live otherwise, he shall not know the way.

Saith Nanak, Thou, O Lord, restorest life; Thou pre- servest man as Thou pleasest.

The following was addressed by way of admoni tion to a Brahman :—

Making my body the loin-cloth, my heart the Brahman,

Divine knowledge my sacrificial thread, meditation my grass 2 and leaves,

I shall beg for God's name and praises instead of the alms of the Brahmans ;

And by the favour of the Guru be absorbed in God.

That His name may become thy purification, His name thy learning, and His name thy wisdom and good acts.

The sacrificial thread is only on thy body as long as thou hast life.

Make the remembrance of the Name thy loin-cloth and frontal mark,

And it shall abide with thee in this world and the next.

Search for nothing but the true Name ;

Make God's love thy worship, the burning of the love of wealth thine incense.

Look only on the one God, search for none other.

X 2

He who repeateth God's name with his mouth and pon- dereth on it,

Beholdeth Him at the tenth door of the firmament.1

His doubt and fear who liveth upon the love of God flee away.

If the sentry be on the alert, thieves will not break in.

Deem the knowledge of the one God thy frontal mark,

And the consciousness that God is within thee thy dis crimination.2

God cannot be overcome by other ceremonial acts.

He who merely readeth religious books hath not found His worth.

His secret is not known from the eighteen Purans or the four Veds.

Nanak, the true Guru hath shown me God.

The following was addressed to a pandit who inquired how salvation could be obtained : —

The body like a frail earthen vessel is miserable ; in birth and death it suffer eth further pain.

How shall the dangerous ocean of this world be crossed ? It cannot without the divine Guru.

There is none but Thee, O my Beloved ; there is none but Thee, O God.

In all colours and forms art Thou ; Thou pardonest him on whom Thou lookest with favour. •

My mother-in-law 3 is perverse ; she will neither let me dwell at home, nor meet my Beloved.

Since I have worshipped the feet of my companions and friends,4 my Beloved through the kindness of the Guru hath looked on me with favour.

Reflecting on myself and chastening my heart I see that there is no friend like Thee.

As Thou keepest me so I live ; I endure woe and weal as Thou bestowest them.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 309

I have dispelled hopes and desires, and I no more long for mammon.

The holy man who hath found shelter in the society of the saints, obtaineth the fourth state.1

He in whose heart the invisible and inscrutable God dwelleth, possesseth all divine knowledge, meditation, devotion, and penance.

Nanak, he whose heart is dyed with God's name shall readily obtain devotion under the Guru's instruction.

The following is supposed to have been composed by the Guru on the death of his father :—

Abandon love of family and love of everything.

Abandon worldly love ; it is all sinful.

Abandon worldly love and superstition, O my friends.

Repeat the true Name with your tongues and your hearts.

His children weep not and his mother afflicteth not herself for him 2

Who possesseth the nine treasures of the true Name.

The world is ruined by such love as the worldly feel ;

Only some rare pious man may be saved.

Through such love as that one is born again

He who feeleth such love goeth to the city of Death.

Practise acceptance of the Guru's instruction as thy devotion and penance.

He who breaketh not with worldly love shall not be accepted.

If God look on man with favour such love shall depart,

When Guru Nanak went to Gorakhmata — the present Nanakmata — he found religious men of

several sects assembled there. The following was composed after a discussion with them : —

He who meditateth on knowledge conferreth favour on others ;

When he correcteth his evil passions he dwelleth at a place of pilgrimage ;

The tinkling bells of ecstasy resound for him when he turneth his heart to God.

What can Death do to me in the next world ?

When man hath abandoned desires he is a Sanyasi.

If a Jogi be continent, he enjoyeth his body.1

He who in his heart meditateth mercy, is a Digambar : 2

He tortureth himself, but not others.

Thou, O Lord, art one, but many are Thy manifestations.

Nanak knoweth not Thy wonderful play.

As a wife fears that she is forgotten by her spouse, so the holy man fears that he is neglected by God:-

I am not possessed of one virtue to cleanse my polluted body.

My Lord awaketh ; I sleep the livelong night.

How shall I thus become dear to my Spouse ?

My Lord awaketh ; I sleep the livelong night.

Even though I approach His couch smitten with desire,

/ know not if I shall then please Him or please Him not.

How know I what shall occur, O mother ?

Without beholding God I cannot abide.

I have not tasted love ; my thirst is not quenched ;

My youth hath fled, and I mourn for what is lost.

Even now I awake smitten with desire :

I have become sad, and remain without hope.

If woman adorn herself with the rejection of pride,

Her Spouse will enjoy her on the couch.

Then, Nanak, shall she please her Spouse's heart ;

She will abandon pride and be absorbed in Him.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 311

It is necessary to fear as well as love God so as to keep His commandments :— In this world woman is very silly. I know not the worth of my Spouse ; He is one, there is none other.

If He cast a glance of favour on me, I shall meet Him. In the next world woman shall know the truth, And easily recognize her Beloved. If she obtain such wisdom by the Guru's favour, She shall please her Spouse's heart. Saith Nanak, if she adorn herself with fear and love, Her Spouse will ever enjoy her on the couch.

When man has parted with all worldly love, he has prepared himself for deliverance : — No one hath a son, no one hath a mother.1 Through deceitful worldly love man wandereth in doubt.

0 my Lord, I am Thy creation ;

1 utter Thy name when Thou givest it me.

Man may wail aloud for his many transgressions, But he shall only be pardoned if it be God's will. By the Guru's favour evil inclinations depart- Wherever I gaze there is only one God— Saith Nanak, if man attain such wisdom, The True One will absorb that true one in Himself.

The following was addressed to a worldly-minded Raja :—

Thou mayest have lakhs of armies, lakhs of musical instruments and lances ; lakhs of men may rise to do thee

homage ;

Thy dominion may extend over lakhs of miles ; lakhs

men may rise to do thee honour- All that would be fruitless, wert thou not credited in

God's account.

Without God's name the world is only trouble.

If the fool be never so much admonished, he remaineth

the blindest of the blind.

Thou mayest earn lakhs of rupees ; thou mayest amass and spend lakhs ; lakhs may come and lakhs may go ;

But, if thy soul obtain not credit in God's account, where else shall it obtain it ?

Lakhs of Shastars may be explained to thee ; lakhs of pandits may read the Purans for thee —

All would be unacceptable didst thou not obtain credit in God's account.

From the true Name — the kind Creator's name — honour is obtained.

If it dwell day and night in the heart, O Nanak, man shall be delivered by God's favouring glance.

The temptations to which man is exposed by his

senses :—

The five evil passions dwell concealed within the heart;

Wherefore it remaineth not fixed, but wandereth like a pilgrim.

My mind remaineth not fixed on the Merciful One :

Avaricious, deceitful, sinful, and hypocritical, it is exces sively attached to worldly love.

When I meet my Beloved I will adorn myself,

And put on necklaces of flowers.

I have five companions and one husband.1

It is ordained from the beginning that the soul depart.

The five senses shall weep in unison,

Saith Nanak, when the soul is arrested to give its account.

Guru Nanak expatiates on the advantage of the Guru's instruction and the repetition of God's name :—

Man may perform all devotion, all penance, and resort to every expedient ;

, Yet he is as if he wandered in a wilderness, and could not find the way.

Without knowing God, no one is acceptable.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 313

Without the Name man is despised.1

The Lord is permanent ; the world cometh and goeth.

Mortals shall be emancipated by being the holy man's slaves.

The world is bound by worldly love and many desires ;

Yet some reject it under the Guru's instruction.

The lotuses of the hearts of those who have the Name within them bloom,

And they fear not Death,

The world which loveth women is overcome by them.

Men attached to sons and wives forget God's name.

They waste in vain their human lives and lose their game.

To serve the true Guru is the best thing.

They who utter words of pride in public,

Never apply the unction of salvation to their hearts

They who burn worldly love under the Guru's instruction,

And ever meditate on the pure Name in their hearts,

Hold and restrain their wandering minds.

By God's favour the Guru associateth such persons with the congregation of the Sikhs.

Without a guru man forgetteth God and suffereth trans migration.

Him whom God regardeth favourably He blendeth with Himself.

If I speak of the beautiful One, I cannot describe Him.

If I discourse of the Ineffable, I cannot find His worth.

All pain and pleasure depend on Thy will, O God.

All pain shall be erased by the True Name,

And men shall hear instruments played without hands and anklets without feet.

If man understand the Word, he shall behold the True One.

When the True One is in the heart, all happiness is there also.

The Preserver preserveth men by His favouring glance.

He who effaceth himself knoweth the three worlds.

He who understandeth the Word, shall be absorbed in the True One.

Nanak, the Creator will congratulate him Who without respite meditateth on the Word.

How deliverance may be obtained : —

He who burneth his hopes and desires by the Word,

Who uttereth and causeth others to utter God's name,

Shall by means of the Guru find the way to God's own abode.

His body shall become gold by God's incomparable light,

And he shall behold God's form in the whole three worlds.

I possess God's true name as wealth which shall never fail.

God pervadeth the five elements, the three worlds, the nine regions, and the four quarters of the universe.

The Almighty support eth the earth and the heavens.

The wandering mind He bringeth back.

Whoever is a fool seeth not with his eyes ;

His language giveth not pleasure, and he understandeth not what is told him.

Intoxicated with evil passions, he quarrelleth with the world ;

While on the other hand a man becometh good by association with the good,

Pursueth virtue and purifieth himself from vice.

Without serving the Guru peace is not obtained.

The Name is diamonds, jewels, and rubies ;

It is the pearl of the heart, God's own wealth.

Nanak, God assayeth man, and maketh him happy with a glance.

The following was addressed to a hypocritic;

J°gi :-

Men sing songs while meditating evil ;

They intone measures and style themselves knowing.

Without the Name the heart is filthy and meditateth evil.

Whither goest thou ? O man, remain at home.

The pious are satiated with God's name, and by searching easily find Him.

The bodily sins of lust, wrath, and worldly love are in the mind :

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 315

So are painful greed, avarice, and pride. How can the mind be satisfied without God's name ? They who lave their hearts know the True One. The holy man knoweth the condition of his heart.

The mind obtains composure by devotion :—

The apostate's mind is a furious elephant

Which wandereth distracted in the forest of worldly love.

Impelled by Death it rusheth here and there,

While the pious search and find God in their hearts.

Without the Guru's word the mind is not at rest.

Remember God's very pure name and relinquish bitter pride.

Say how shall this stupid mind be happy :

Without understanding, it shall suffer the torture of Death.

God will cause man to meet the true Guru, and will pardon him.

The True One will thrust aside the tortures of Death.

Wealth is perishable ; devotion to God an abiding gain :-

When the body perisheth, whose shall be its wealth ?

Without the Guru how shall God's name be obtained ?

God's name is wealth which accompanieth and assisteth us.

Day and night he is pure who fixeth his attention on God.

What have we but God's name ?

Treating pleasure and pain as the same I forsake not the Name : God will pardon and blend me with Himself.

The fool loveth gold and woman ;

Attached to mammon he forgetteth the Name.

Him whom Thou, 0 God, pardonest Thou causest to repeat Thy name.

Death's myrmidons cannot overtake him who singeth Thy praises.

O Hari, who art God, the great Giver,

Mercifully preserve us as Thou pleasest.

Under the Guru's instruction God is pleasing to my mind ;

Disease is removed and pain averted.

There is no other medicine, charm, or spell. By remembering God, sin is destroyed. As I behold creation I am amazed and astonished God is contained in the hearts of demigods and men. God who filleth every place, I hold in my heart. There is none equal to Thee, O Lord. He who loveth worship hath God's name in his mouth. In the company of such saints and worshippers Man breaketh his shackles and meditateth on God. Pious men are emancipated by a knowledge of God through the Guru.

Death's myrmidons cannot inflict pain on him Who awaketh in the love of God's name. God to whom His saints are dear, abideth with them. Nanak, salvation is obtained by bearing love to God.

The following on the disregard of worldly things was addressed to a selfish Brahman :—

He who serveth the Guru knoweth the Lord ;

His pain is erased who recognizeth the True Word.

Repeat God's name, my friends and companions.

On serving the true Guru ye shall behold God with your eyes.

Entanglements are mother, father, and the whole world ;

Entanglements are sons, daughters, and women ;

Entanglements are religious ceremonies performed through ostentation ;

Entanglements are sons, wives, and worldly love in the mind ;

An entanglement is the tillage done by the tiller —

He suffereth for his selfishness when the King demandeth revenue —

An entanglement is traffic without meditating on God.

Man is never satisfied ; worldly love is everywhere diffused.1

An entanglement is the perishable wealth which merchants amass.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 317

Without devotion to God man findeth no place.

Entanglements are Veds, religious discussions, and pride.

By the entanglements of worldly love and sin man perisheth —

Nanak taketh shelter in God's name —

He whom the true Guru preserveth is freed from his entanglements.

The following was addressed to a mixed assembly of professedly religious men :—

I have searched in every direction, but found no friend.

If it please Thee, O Lord, Thou art mine and I am Thine.

I have no other gate than Thine ; whom shall I salute ?

I possess Thee alone, O Lord ; Thy true name is in my mouth.

The Sidhs strive for supernatural power ; Pirs also desire wealth and supernatural power.

May I not forget the one Name under the true Guru's instruction !

Why do the Jogis, the Bhogis,1 and the Kaprias wander in foreign lands ?

They heed not the Guru's instruction or the Real Thing that is within them.

Pandits, preceptors, and astrologers ever read the Purans,

But know not the Thing within them — God who is con cealed within the heart.

Some anchorets perform austerities in forests, others ever dwell at places of pilgrimages.

Those benighted people know not themselves ; why have they become ascetics ?

Some who are called Jatis try to restrain their seed :

Without the word of the Guru they shall not be saved, but shall wander in transmigration.

Different persons are family men, worshippers, penitents ; but it is only they who are attached to the Guru's instruc tions,

Who hold fast the Name, charity, and ablutions, and who awake in God's service.

Through the Guru the gate of Thy house, O Lord, is known ; when men go there they recognize it.

Saith Nanak, may I not forget Thy name, and may my heart be reconciled with the True One !

Precepts for salvation : —

By restraining his mental desires man shall assuredly cross the terrible ocean.

Thou, O Lord, wast in the beginning and in the primal age; Thou art the Merciful ; I have entered Thine asylum.

Thou art the Giver ; we are Thy beggars ; O God, grant us a sight of Thee.

0 man, meditate on the Name under the Guru's instruc tion, and thou shalt be happy in the temple of thy heart.

Renounce falsehood and avarice ; and then shalt thou recognize the True One.

Be absorbed in the Guru's instruction, and thou shalt know what is best for thee.

This mind is a grasping tyrant enamoured of greed :

Under the Guru's instruction greed is removed, and man arriveth at an understanding with God.

If man sow a barren field, how shall he obtain profit ?

The obstinate man is not pleased with the truth ; he is buried in falsehood.

Renounce avarice, ye blind ; it bringeth great unhappi- ness.

If the true Lord dwell in the heart, the poison of pride shall be removed.

Forsake the evil way of mammon, my brethren, or ye shall be plundered.

Day and night praise the Name under the protection of the true Guru.

The mind of the perverse is a stone or a rock ; accursed and vain is his life.

However much a stone be put into the water, it is dry at the core.

God's name is wealth, the true Guru hath given it.

Nanak, he who forgetteth not God's name drinketh distilled nectar.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 319

The advantage of domestic devotion :—

Why should I go searching in the wood ? My heart is a verdant forest.

The true Word hath come quickly to my heart and abideth there.

Wherever I look there is God ; no one else is seen.

Whosoever doeth the Guru's work shall find God's court.

The True One blendeth with Himself him who is pleasing to His mind ;

He blendeth with Himself him who ever walketh accord ing to His will.

If the true Lord dwell in the heart, it becometh fixed.

God then granteth greatness in which naught is wanting.

How shall one reach God's court by occasional service ?

He who embarketh in a boat of stone shall be drowned with his cargo.1

An inculcation of devotion regardless of worldly opinion :—

He whose mind is imbued with God's name discourseth of the True One.

What care I for men if I please Thee ?

As long as there are life and soul, meditate on the True One.

The profit of singing God's praises is that man obtaineth happiness.

True is Thy work ; grant it me, Thou Merciful One.

I live by praising Thee ; Thou art my prop and my support.

I am the servant and the porter at Thy gate ; Thou knowest my pain.

I am astounded at Thy service which hath removed my pain.

Holy men through Thy name shall reach Thy court and Thy presence.2

That time is auspicious when man recognizeth the true Word.

Practise truth, contentment, and love ; and then the worship of God's name shall be thy viaticum.

Banish sin from thy mind, and the True One will bestow truth :

The True One bestoweth true love on the true.

What pleaseth Thee, O God, is the real justice.

True are the gifts which the true and merciful One granteth.

Serve Him day and night whose Name is priceless.

Thou, O God, art the most high ; I who am Thy servant am low.

Saith Nanak, O True One, look on me with favour that I who am separated from Thee may meet Thee.

It is said that Bhai Budha and Mula, a Sikh, went to the Guru and asked him what afforded the highest gratification. His reply was the following : —

O woman in the prime of youth, my Beloved is playful.

When a wife entertaineth great love for her Spouse, He mercifully taketh delight in her and enjoyeth her.

The wife shall meet her Spouse if the Lord God Himself show her favour.

Her bed is pleasant in the company of her Beloved ; her seven tanks 1 are filled with nectar.

Show me compassion and kindness, O Compassionate One, that I may obtain the true Word and sing Thy praises.

Nanak, the young woman, having seen God her Spouse, is delighted and her heart is enraptured.

0 young woman, beautiful without art, pray only for the love of the one God.

God is pleasing to my soul and body, and I am charmed with His companionship.

She who is dyed with God's love and prayeth to Him, shall abide in happiness through His name.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 321

When thou embracest virtue thou shall know God ; virtue shall abide with thee and vice be put to flight.

Without Thee I cannot abide for a moment ; I derive no satisfaction from merely conversing of Thee.

Nanak, she whose tongue and heart are moistened with God's essence, calleth for her Beloved.

0 my friends and companions, my beloved is a merchant.

1 have purchased from him God's name whose sweetness and value are infinite.

If woman's house be pleasing to the inestimable, true, and beloved God, she shall be happy.

Other women enjoy dalliance with God ; I cry aloud standing at His door.

Thou, Cause of causes, Omnipotent, Harbinger of pros perity, arranges! man's affairs.

Nanak, she on whom God looketh with favour is a happy wife ; she treasureth up the Word in her heart.

In my house is a true song of rejoicing ; God my lover hath visited me.

Imbued with love He enjoyed me ; I have exchanged hearts with Him.

I gave God my heart and took Him as my Spouse ; He enjoyeth me as He pleaseth.

She who offereth her soul and body to the Beloved is supremely happy through the Word, and obtaineth the ambrosial fruit in her own home.

It is not obtained by intellect, or study, or by great cleverness ; what the heart desireth is obtained by love.

Nanak, God is my Beloved ; I belong to none besides.1

As the deer is snared, the bumble-bee caught by the lotus, and the fish falleth into the net, so man's soul becomes the prey of Death.

Hear, O black deer,2 why art thou enamoured of the garden ? 3

The fruit of sin is sweet, but only for four days ; it then groweth bitter.

SIKH. I Y

The fruit for which thou greatly cravest, shall become very bitter without the Name.

That fruit is as a wave of the ocean, or as a flash of lightning.1

There is no protector but God ; yet He hath been for gotten by thee.

Verily, saith Nanak, think of it, thou shalt die, O black deer.

0 bumble-bee,2 thou wanderest among the flowers, and very great shall be thy suffering, when the lotus closeth on thee.

1 have inquired of my Guru regarding the true knowledge of God.

I have inquired of the true Guru regarding the knowledge of God ; O bumble-bee, thou art enamoured of the flowers.

When the sun riseth,3 the body falleth, and the soul shall be boiled in hot oil.

0 demon, without the Word thou shalt be bound and punished on the road of death.

Verily, saith Nanak, think of it, thou shalt die, O black bee.

My soul from a strange land,4 why fallest thou into entanglements ?

When the true Lord dwelleth in thee, why shouldst thou be entangled in Death's net ?

When the fisherman casteth his net, the fish leaveth the water with tears in its eyes.

The love of mammon is dear to the world ; all doubts on the subject shall at last be set aside.5

Serve God heartily, and dispel thy mental anxieties.

Verily, saith Nanak, think of it, O my soul from a strange land,

Rivers which separate in their course can only meet again by chance.

In every age what is sweet is full of poison ; some rare holy man knoweth this.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 323

Some rare person who thinketh of the true Guru knoweth divine knowledge and recognizeth God.

Without God's name the fools and the heedless wander in superstition and are ruined.

They whose hearts contain not God's true name and service, at last groan and weep.

Verily, saith Nanak, they who have been long separated meet by the True Word.

RAG GUJARI

Guru Nanak orders man to repeat God's name and engage not in idol worship :—

If the heart be made the scraper,1 the Name the sandal,

And good acts be mixed with it as kungu, that shall be the real worship of God in the heart.

Worship God by meditating on His name, for without the Name there is no worship.

If any one were to wash his heart as the surface of the idol is washed,

His impurity should be removed, his soul should become pure, and he should depart to deliverance.

Even beasts have their merits ; for the oil-cake they eat they give milk, but the Brahmans make no return for the offerings made them.

Without the Name accursed is man's life and the acts he performeth.

God is near, think Him not distant ; He ever careth for and remembereth us.

Eat what He giveth, said Nanak verily.

The Guru's God is superior to the demigods of the Hindus :—

Brahma sprang from the lotus of Vishnu's navel, and having attuned his throat began to recite the Veds ;

Yet he could not see God's limits, and remained in the darkness of transmigration.

Why should I forget the Beloved who is the support of my soul,

Whom the perfect worship, whom munis serve, on whom gurus meditate,

Whose lamps are the sun and moon, and whose one light pervadeth the three worlds ?

The pious have light day and night, but for the perverse there is only sable darkness.

The Sidh sitteth in meditative posture and ever argueth, but can he see God even with both his eyes ?

They in whose hearts there is light are awakened by the sound of the Word ; the true Guru decideth their arguments.

Saith Nanak, O Life of the world, grant me peace and save me by Thy favouring glance.

GUJARI ASHTAPADI

The Guru's heart is ever filled with devotion : —

1 ask Thee, O God, for nothing at any time l but the love of Thy pure name ; grant it to me, O Bright One.

The chatrik Nanak prayeth for the nectareous water of Thy name ; mercifully grant him to sing Thy praises.

There is no happiness without true devotion : —

O Sire, how many people wear religious garbs to beg and fill their bellies !

O mortal, there is no happiness without God's service ; without the Guru pride depart eth not.

O Sire, what shall I ask ? Nothing appeareth per manent ; in this world are the ebb and flow of life.

Saith Nanak, grant me the Name as my wealth, that I may wear it as a necklace on my heart.

The Guru only claims to be a religious instructor from the ranks of the people : —

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 325

It is only they who are dyed with the Name who are free from worldly love and forget mourning, separation, and disease.

My brethren, by the favour of the Guru God's service is obtained.

He in whose heart is the Word of the true Guru, ob- taineth the Pure God, heedeth not Death and oweth him nothing.

The following instruction was addressed to Pandit Ram Chand at Banaras :—

The saints worship God with love ; they thirst for the truth, and hear it with excessive love.

They who cry aloud in trouble obtain rest by prayer and heartily loving God.

O man, repeat God's name and seek His protection.

Repeat God's name and do good works ; thus shalt thou cross over the ocean of the world.

O mortal man, to repeat God's name under the Guru's instruction is a happy thought.

By mentally repeating God's name one's mind obtaineth a treasure of real divine knowledge and peace.

In this world man's fickle mind pursueth wealth and becometh intoxicated with worldly love ;

But, on being imbued with the Guru's word and teach ing, God's name and service become firmly implanted in the heart.

Doubts which ruin the world by the disease of trans migration, cease not by wandering to places of pilgrimage.

The place of God is the abode of unmixed happiness ; he who is truly wise repeateth God's name as his penance.

Every one is saturated with worldly love, and therefore endureth the great pain of birth and death.

Man shall be saved by hastening to the asylum of the true Guru and repeating God's name in his heart.

Man's mind becometh stable, and he practiseth divine meditation under the Guru's instruction.

Pure is the heart which containeth truth and the excellent jewel of divine knowledge.

O man, by fear, love, and service, and by fixing thine attention on God's feet shalt thou cross the terrible ocean.

O God, put into my heart Thy name which is the purest of the pure ; my body is in Thy sanctuary.

Extricate me, O God, from the waves of avarice and covetousness, and put Thy name as capital into my heart.

Chasten my mind. Thou spotless One, saith Nanak, I seek Thy protection.

BIHAGRE KI WAR

Reflections on the Hindu idol-worshippers :—

The Hindus have forgotten God, and are going the wrong way.

They worship according to the instruction of Narad.1

They are blind and dumb, the blindest of the blind.

The ignorant fools take stones and worship them.

RAG WADHANS

The Guru enjoyed a vision of God in his dreams, and on awaking felt the pain of separation from Him:-

The peacocks are crying with joy ; O sisters, the rainy season hath come.

The fervent woman, O God, is enamoured of Thy glances which bind her like a rope.

1 am a sacrifice to a sight of Thee, O God ; to Thy name I am a sacrifice.

Since Thou art my Master I am proud ; without Thee what pride should I have ?

0 woman, break thy couch with its frame and thine arm with their bracelets,2

Since, notwithstanding thy decorations, the Lord is enamoured of others.

Thou needest not a bracelet-dealer, or silver, or glass bracelets :

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 327

Burn the arm which embraceth not the Bridegroom. All my companions went to enjoy the Bridegroom ; whose door shall I, wretched that I am, approach ?

1 plaited my tresses with cosmetic and filled the parting of my hair with vermilion ;

Yet when I went before Thee I was not accepted ; I shall die of excessive grief.

I am weeping ; the whole world weepeth ; yea, even the birds of the forests weep for me.

One thing weepeth not for me, the separation which parted me from my Beloved.

He came to me in my dreams and again vanished, upon which I wept my fill.

I cannot go to Thee, O Beloved, or send any one to Thee.

Return, O happy sleep, perhaps I may again behold my Lord.

What shall I give him, saith Nanak, who telleth me of Thee, O God ?

I will cut off my head and give it to him to sit on ; without my head I will perform his service.

Why do I not die and give up my life since my Lord hath chosen another ?

WADHANS CHHANT

The following was addressed to the Hindus, who set the highest religious value on ablutions :—

Why wash the body defiled by falsehood ?

The practice of truth is the acceptable ablution.

When there is truth in the heart, then man becometh true and obtaineth the True One.

Understanding is not obtained without favourable destiny; man ruineth himself by vain babbling.

Wherever thou sittest speak civilly, and fix thine attention on God's word.

Why wash the body defiled by falsehood ?

When Thou, 0 Lord, didst cause me to speak, I spoke.

Thine ambrosial name is pleasing to my soul.

Thy name is sweet to my soul ; a load of sorrow hath fallen from off me.

When Thou gavest the order, happiness came and took its seat in my heart.

I pray to Thee, who didst create the world, for Thy favour,

When Thou didst cause me to speak, I spoke.

The Master granteth man his term of human life according to his past acts.

Fall not into a quarrel by calling any one evil.

Enter not into a quarrel with the Lord ; thou shalt only ruin thyself.

Why be jealous and vex him with whom thou associatest ?

Bear what God giveth thee ; it is forbidden to remon strate ; speak not nonsense regarding it.

The Master granteth man his term of life according to past acts.

God created all things and looketh on them with favour.

Nobody desireth what is bitter ; every one desireth what is sweet.

Everybody may ask for what is sweet, but God will do as He pleaseth.

Alms-offerings and various good works are not equal to the Name.

Nanak, they who are the objects of God's favour from the beginning, have obtained His name.

God created all things and looketh on them with favour.

WADHANS ALAHANIAN

Some one inquired why God, who is ever present, is never visible. The Guru replied : —

The Lord who created the world and again drew it within Himself, is known by His omnipotence.

Search not for the True One afar off ; He is in every heart, and is known by the Guru's instruction.

By the Guru's instruction know the True One who made creation ; think Him not distant.

Meditate on the Name and thou shalt obtain happiness : without the Name man is not victorious in the arena of the world.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 329

He who established the world knoweth its ways ; what shall any one say ?

He who established the world spread the net of mammon ; accept that Lord with thy heart.

WADHANS KI WAR

Guru Nanak as usual pays no attention to cere monial :—

Perish the ritual by which I forgot my Beloved !

Nanak, that is the true love which preserveth me in honour with the Lord.

RAG SORATH

The Guru's reflections on death and future punishment :—

Death must come to all and all must part company ;

Go and ask the wise if men shall meet hereafter or not.

They who have forgotten my God shall suffer great pain.

Certainly praise that true Being,

From whose glance of favour happiness ever resulteth.

Praise Him, for He is Great. He is, was, and ever shall be.

Thou alone, O God, art the Benefactor of all ; no gifts are obtained from man.

What pleaseth Thee taketh place ; what avail womanly tears ?

How many kings have departed having exercised sove reignty over millions of fortresses on earth ?

They whom the world could not contain have had rings put on their noses.1

If man thought of future torments why should he devote himself to enjoyment ? 2

Nanak, man shall have to wear on his neck as many chains as he hath sins.

If he possess virtues, which are as brothers and friends, his chains shall be cut off.

They who have no Guru shall not be accepted hereafter ; they shall be beaten and expelled.

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

There appeareth no partner of Thine ; then whom shall I praise but Thee ?

Nanak, the slave of slaves representeth, God is known by the Guru's teaching.

The Guru's conception of God : —

The Unseen, Infinite, Inaccessible, Inapprehensible God is not subject to death or destiny.1

He is of no caste, unborn, self -existent, without fear or doubt.

I am a sacrifice to the Truest of the true.

He hath no form, or colour, or outline ; He becometh manifest by the true Word.

He hath no mother, father, son, or kinsman ; He feeleth not lust, and hath no wife

Or family ; He is pure, endless, and infinite ; all lighl is Thine, O Lord.

God is concealed in every heart ; His light is in every heart.

He whose understanding's adamantine doors are opened by the Guru's instruction, fixeth his gaze on the Fearless One.

God having created animals made them subject to death, and retained all contrivances in his own power.

He who serveth the True Guru obtaineth the real boon, and is delivered by repeating the Word.

Truth is contained in pure vessels ; few there are whose acts are pure.

By seeking Thy protection, saith Nanak, the soul blendeth with the Supreme Soul.

The condition of a man who has no Guru to com municate God's name :—

As a fish without water, so is the infidel — dying of thirst.

If thy breath be drawn in vain, O man, thou shalt die

without God.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 331

O man, repeat God's name and praises ;

But how shalt thou obtain this pleasure without the Guru ? It is the Guru who uniteth man with God.

Meeting the society of holy men is as a pilgrimage for the holy.

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

As a Jogi without continence, devotion, truth, or content ment,

So is the body without the Name ; Death will punish it since it containeth sin in its heart.

God is not found by loving the infidel ; He is found by loving the true Guru.

Saith Nanak, he who is absorbed in God's praises obtaineth the Guru who is the dispenser of weal and woe.

Man should cultivate true piety in his own home :—

The nectareous water of life,1 for which thou earnest into the world, is with the Guru.

Abandon garbs, disguises, and cleverness ; this water 2 is not obtained by devotion to mammon.

O man, remain at home ; go nowhere, my friend.

By searching abroad thou shalt suffer much affliction ; the water of life is in thy heart at home.

Forsake vice and pursue virtue ; thy vice thou shalt regret.

Thou knowest not good from evil ; thou shalt again and again wallow in the mire.

Inside thee is the great filth of covetousness and false hood ; why washest thou thine outside ?

Ever repeat the Pure Name under the Guru's instruction, then shall thy heart be pure.

Abandon covetousness and slander, forswear falsehood and thou shalt obtain the true fruit through the Guru's instruction.

O God, preserve me as Thou pleasest ; Nanak praiseth Thy Word.

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

All creatures are subject to destiny from the beginning ; there is none not subject to it.

God alone is not subject to destiny ; He beholdeth the work of His own omnipotence ; He causeth His order to be executed.

0 man, repeat God's name and thou shalt be happy ; Day and night worship the feet of the Guru the Giver and

the Enjoyer.

Behold Him without thee as He is within thee ; there is none other.

Under the Guru's instruction regard all men as equal, since God's light is contained in the heart of each.

Restrain in its place thy wandering mind ; thou shalt know how to do this on meeting the Guru.

On beholding the Invisible thou shalt be astounded ; thou shalt forget thy misery and obtain happiness.

Quaff nectar and thou shalt obtain supreme happiness and abide in thine own home.

Sing His praises who destroyeth the fear of birth and death, and thou shalt not be born again.

God x the First Principle, the Pure One, is in all things ; of this there is no doubt.

Nanak hath obtained God the Infinite Supreme Being as his Guru.

SORATH ASHTAPADI

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

May I not fall under the power of mammon, worship any but God, or visit tombs and places of cremation !

May I not enter the strange house impelled by greed ! 2 may the Name extinguish my greed !

The Guru showed me God in my own home ; my heart became easily enamoured of Him, my brethren.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 333

Thou art wise, Thou art far-seeing ; it is only Thou, O Lord, who givest wisdom.

My heart hath no love for the world ; it is tinctured with its hate ; the Word hath penetrated my heart, O my mother.

He who loveth the true Lord and continually repeateth His hymns, beholdeth His light in his own heart.

Countless persons call themselves Bairagis, but only he who is pleasing to God is a Bairagi.

Such a Bairagi treasureth the Word in his heart ; he is ever absorbed in the fear of God and serveth the Guru.

He thinketh on the one God, his mind wavereth not, and he restraineth its wanderings.

He is intoxicated with God's love, ever absorbed in divine pleasure, and he singeth the praises of the True One.

If the mind, which is like the wind, dwell even for a little on the name of Him who liveth at ease, happiness shall result, my brethren.

My tongue, eyes, and ears are tinctured by the True One ; Thou, O Lord, hast extinguished the fire that con sumed me.

He is a Bairagi who abandoneth desires and assumeth an attitude of contemplation in his own home.

He who is filled with the alms of the Name is contented and quaff eth nectar at his ease.

As long as there is a particle of worldly love, there is no contempt of the world.

All the world is Thine, O Lord ; Thou alone art the Giver ; there is none other, my brethren.

Perverse creatures ever abide in misery ; God conferreth greatness on the holy.

Infinite, endless, inaccessible, inapprehensible, Thy worth cannot be obtained by speaking.

Sun Samadh,1 Mahaparamarath,2 and Lord of the three worlds are names of Thine.

All animals born in the world have their destinies recorded on their foreheads, and must bear what is destined for them.

It is God who causeth man to perform good acts and maketh them steadfast in His service.

When man feareth God, the filth of his soul and body departeth, and God Himself giveth him divine knowledge:

Only he who hath tasted it, knoweth its flavour, as a dumb man enjoyeth sweets.1

How describe the Indescribable, my brethren ? Ever walk according to His will.

If God cause man to meet the generous Guru, understand ing is produced; he who hath no Guru hath no under standing.

Walk as God causeth you to walk, my brethren ; what other device can man adopt ?

Some are led astray in error, others love God's service ; Thy play, O Lord, is incomprehensible.

Men obtain the result of what Thou hast applied them to ; Thou leadest them by Thine order.

We can serve Thee if we have anything of our own ; our souls and bodies are Thine.

God is merciful to him who hath met the true Guru ; the ambrosial Name is his support.

He to whom the attributes of God, who dwelleth in heaven, become manifest, shall obtain divine knowledge and medita- tion from them.

God's name is pleasing to him ; he uttereth it himself and causeth others to utter it ; and he only speaketh of the Real Thing.

The Deep and Profound is obtained by the instruction of the Guru and priest ; without such instruction the world would go mad.

Nanak, he whose heart is pleased with the True One is a perfect Bairagi, and naturally fortunate.

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

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

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 335

Man, my brother, is born in the world as the result of bad and good acts ; l he perisheth when he forgetteth the Name.

Maya bewitcheth the world, my brother ; all thy religious ceremonies are worthless.

Hear me, thou Pandit with the religious ceremonies- Meditation on the Supreme Being is the only religious ceremony, my brother, from which happiness is derived.

Thou standest chattering of the Shastars and Veds, my brother, and makest it a worldly affair.

The filth of sin which is within thee shall not be washed away by hypocrisy.

Like the hypocrite, the spider is ruined when her web is blown by the wind and she falleth headlong.

By evil inclinations many are ruined ; by love of mammon they are lost.

Without the true Guru the Name is not obtained, and without the Name doubt depart eth not.

My brother, serve the true Guru and thou shalt be happy, and released from transmigration.

True peace is obtained from the Guru. When the mind is pure, man shall be absorbed in the True One.

He who serveth the Guru knoweth the way ; without the Guru it cannot be found.

What religious acts can he perform who hath greed in his heart ? He uttereth falsehood and eat eth poison.

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.

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.

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

My soul is in fear ; to whom shall I complain ?

I have served Him who causeth us to forget our sorrows ; He is ever and ever the Giver.

My Lord is ever young ; He is ever and ever the Giver.

Night and day serve the Lord, and in the end He will deliver thee.

Hark, hark, my friend,1 thus shalt thou cross over.

O Merciful One, by Thy name shall I cross over ; I am ever a sacrifice unto Thee.

In the whole world there is only one True Being ; there is no second.

He on whom God looketh with favour will serve Him.

How shall I, O Beloved, abide without Thee ?

Grant me the favour to remain attached to Thy name.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 337

There is none other, O my Beloved, to whom I may go to address myself.

I serve my Lord, I beg from no other :

Nanak is His slave and ever a sacrifice unto Him.

O Lord, I am ever a sacrifice to Thy name, for which I could bear to be cut to pieces.

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

We men live but for a moment ; we know not if we shall live the space of two gharis.

Nanak representeth, serve Him to whom belong our .souls and lives.

O fool, consider how many days thy life shall last.

The poet Nanak thus speaketh ; O True Cherisher,

If Thou give nothing to any one, what pledge can he give Thee ? *

Nanak representeth, he who is destined from the beginning to obtain something shall obtain it.

The deceitful person who, instead of thinking of God's name, practiseth deceit,

Shall be led captive to the gate of Death, and shall then as he is led along regret lost opportunities.

As long as we are in this world, Nanak, hear somewhat and speak somewhat of God.

1 have searched and found no resting-place ; wherefore in the midst of life be in death.

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

If a thief praise the magistrate, the mind of the latter is not pleased thereby ;

If he revile the magistrate, it cannot displease him in the least.

Nobody will be surety for a thief.

How can what a thief doeth be good ?

Hear, O fool, dog, and liar,

The True One knoweth thee, O thief, without thy speaking.

A thief may be well dressed, a thief may be ingenious,

Yet he is only worth a double paisa, the price of a bad

rupee.

If thou put a bad coin with others,

It will be found counterfeit on being assayed.

As man acteth, so shall be his reward :

He himself soweth and he himself eateth the fruit.

Even though man praise himself,

Yet will he act according to his understanding.

If he tell hundreds of lies to conceal the truth,

He shall still be false even though the whole world call him

good.

If it please Thee, even a fool is acceptable. Nanak, God is clever to know man's secret.

A Brahman, a Qazi, and a Jogi entered into dis cussion with the Guru, and he gave them the following instruction : —

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

He is a Qazi who turneth away men from the world, And who by the Guru's favour while alive is dead.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 339

He is a Brahman who reflecteth upon God : He shall be saved himself, and shall save all his relations. Wise is he who cleanseth his heart : A Musalman is he who cleanseth his impurity. He who readeth and acteth on what he readeth, is accept able.

He shall bear on his forehead the stamp of God's court.

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

God maketh Himself manifest and beholdeth men.

He is not pleased by obstinate penance nor by many religious garbs.

He who fashioned the vessel of the body and poured into it His ambrosial gifts,

Will only be satisfied with man's love and service.

They who, though ever reading, forget God's name shall suffer punishment,

And notwithstanding their great cleverness undergo trans migration.

He who repeateth the Name and thus eateth the food of fear,

Shall become a pious worshipper and be absorbed in God.

He who worshippeth stones, visiteth places of pilgrimage, dwelleth in forests,

And renounceth the world, wandereth and wavereth.

How can his filthy mind become pure ?

He who meeteth the True One shall obtain honour.

They who utter falsehood are unhappy :— If a woman please her Spouse, she shall be honoured in

His house :

If she utter falsehood it is of no avail :

If she utter falsehood it is of no avail ; her Spouse will not

look at her.

Without merits, forgotten by her Spouse, and false, painful

are her nights.

Z 2

RAG SUHI Man ought to practise devotion at home : —

Man dwelleth not at home, but wandereth abroad.

Why doth he forsake ambrosia and eat poison ?

Embrace such knowledge, O my soul,

As may make thee a servant of the True One.

Although every one speaketh of divine knowledge and meditation,

Yet the whole world wandereth bound by its own entangle ments.

He who performeth service is a servant of Him

Who pervadeth the water, the dry land, the nether regions, and the firmament.

I am not good ; there is nobody bad.

The representation of Nanak is — he who thinketh so is saved.

SUHI ASHTAPADI

The Guru depreciates himself, and utters a prayer to the Almighty : —

In me are all demerits ; I have not one merit :

How shall I meet my Spouse ?

No beauty or lustrous eyes are mine,

No family, no manners, or sweet speech.

The woman who cometh adorned with divine knowledge,

Shall be a happy wife if she please her Spouse.

The woman, who though very wise pleaseth not her Spouse, Who attached to mammon is lost in superstition, Shall, if she dismiss her pride, be absorbed in her Beloved, And obtain Him who is her nine treasures.

1 suffered through being separated from God in many births.

O Beloved Sovereign, take my hand.

Saith Nanak, the Lord is, was, and shall be.

The Beloved will enjoy her who is pleasing to Him.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 341

Miscellaneous instruction of the Guru :—

False and fleeting is the dye of the safflower, lasting for only four days.

Without the Name man wandereth in error ; the evil passions x rob him, false that he is.

He who is tinctured with the True One shall not be born again.

How canst thou who art dyed with the love of God, be otherwise dyed ?

Serve the Guru who giveth God's dye, and apply thy heart to the True One.

Even though man wander in every direction, he shall not obtain spiritual wealth without good fortune.

If robbed by vice thou wander in the forest like a huntsman, thou shalt not find shelter.

They whom the Guru protecteth are saved ; their hearts are dyed with his instruction.

They who wear white clothes, but whose hearts are filthy and hard,

Never utter the Name, but like thieves become absorbed in mammon.

They who know not their own humble origin are beasts and cattle.

Man though ever and ever engaged in pleasures, ever and ever desireth more enjoyment.

He thinketh not of the Creator, so misery attacheth to him again and again.

How shall he in whose heart the Dispenser ot weal and woe I dwelleth, want for anything ?

They whose accounts are not adjusted shall be summoned ; j the executioner shall smite them on their heads.

When the account is called for it must be given ; it will be i examined and considered.

Man shall be saved by his love for the True One ; the Pardoner will pardon him.

If he make any one else than God his friend, he shall die and be blended with the dust.

Man beholding various phases of life is led astray, and going astray suffereth transmigration ;

But he shall be emancipated by a favouring glance from God, and God will blend him with Himself.

0 listless man who possessest not divine knowledge, search not for it without the Guru.

Man is ruined by allowing himself to be drawn in different directions ; the effects of both evil and good acts remain with him.

The god of death spieth every one who is without the Word, and who feeleth not the fear of God.

He who made and sustained the world giveth support to all.

Why forget Him who is ever and ever the Benefactor ?

May Nanak not forget the Name which is the support of the supportless !

Sum CHHANT

The following is now sung by Sikhs at marriages and other festivities : —

Friends l have come to my house :

The True One hath caused me to meet them.

When it pleased God He caused me to meet them without mine own effort ; by meeting the elect happiness is found.

1 have obtained what I set my heart on.

When I meet the saints my soul is happy ; night and day my hearth and home look bright.

The unbeaten sound of the five musical instruments playeth since saints have come to my house.

Come, beloved friends,

Sing a song of rejoicing, O women.

Sing a true song of rejoicing ; then shall you be pleasing to God and rejoice through the four ages.2

The Spouse hath come to my house, the place is adorned by Him. His instruction hath adjusted mine affairs.

I applied the great salve of divine knowledge to mine eyes, and saw God's form which filleth the three worlds.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 343

Meet me, O companions, sing with zest a song of rejoicing, since my Spouse hath come home to me.

My soul and body are bedewed with nectar,

And in my heart is the jewel of love :

In my heart is the precious jewel, and I ponder on the Primal Essence.

To animals Thou art the opulent Giver l ; Thou givest to every individual.

Thou art wise ; Thou possessest divine knowledge ; Thou art the searcher of hearts ; Thou Thyself didst create the world.

Listen, my friends, the charming Bridegroom hath fasci nated me, and my soul and body are bedewed with nectar.

O Supreme Spirit of the world,

True is Thy play :

True is Thy play, O Incomprehensible and Infinite One ; who can cause us to understand but Thee ?

Without Thee how many can call themselves Sidhs, Strivers, or wise ?

The Guru hath stayed the soul which was maddened with the misery of death.

Nanak, he who removeth his demerits by the Word, obtaineth God through his aggregate of merits.

The Guru is waiting for God as a fond wife for her husband :—

Come, my Friend, that I may behold Thee.

Standing at my door I am watching for Thee ; in my heart is excessive longing ;

In my heart is excessive longing ; hear me, my Lord, I have reliance on Thee.

On beholding Thee I have become free from desire ; the pain of birth and death is at an end.

In all things is Thy light ; from it art Thou known, but Thou art found by love.

Nanak, I am a sacrifice to the Friend ; the True One is found when my mind cometh home.

SUHI KI WAR God will assay man's qualities : —

Nanak when a man bringeth and putteth money in his house he examineth it ;

So in the Lord's court the counterfeit and the genuine shall be tested.

Bathing at places of pilgrimage only renders men more impure : —

Men of evil minds and thievish bodies go to bathe at places of pilgrimage.

One part of their filth departeth by bathing, but they con tract double more.1

A gourd may be externally washed, but it containeth undiluted poison within.

Holy men are good without bathing ; a thief is always a thief whether he bathe or not.

Men should traffic in God's name from their earliest years : —

There are two lamps for fourteen shops,2 And as many shopkeepers as souls : When the shops are opened, the traffic beginneth. Every one who cometh into the world is transient. Religion is the broker who putteth a mark on the goods. Nanak, they who profit by the Name are acceptable. For those who obtain the greatness of the true Name Gratulations resound on their arrival at their own homes.

In evil association there is no hope of amendment:—

It is the habit of thieves, adulterers, prostitutes, and pimps

To contract friendship with the irreligious and dine with them.

They take no thought for God's praises ; the devil ever dwelleth in their hearts.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 345

If sandal be rubbed on a donkey, he will still roll in the dust.

Nanak, by spinning falsehood the web of falsehood is woven.

False is the cloth therefrom and its measurement ; false the raiment and the pride thereof.

The repetition of God's name is superior to the call of the Muazzin l or the horn of the Jogi,

Whether the Muazzin repeateth the call to prayer or the Jogi bloweth horns, and the bards join the chorus,

Some are givers, others are beggars ; to me Thy name alone is acceptable.

Nanak, I am a sacrifice to those who have heard and accepted it.

The following sloks in the Suhi ki War contain miscellaneous instruction and reflections of the Guru :—

I am a sacrifice to those whose words consist of God's praises.

Every night is for the married woman ; let me who am separated from Thee, O God, obtain even one night.

They who have not obtained the sweets of love or the delights of the Bridegroom,

Are like the guest of an empty house who goeth as he cometh.

A curse on the lives of those who eat to distend their bellies

Nanak, without the true Name all love is turned into hate.

You say, 0 Pandits—1 As darkness is dispelled when a lamp is lighted,

/ say, l When the sun riseth, the moon is not seen.

< Without understanding this every one shall be disgraced, 1 Who calls to prayer from the top of a mosque.

' Nanak, the man who listeneth to the Guru's instruction shall be saved.

' They who delight not in the Word and who love not God's name,

' Speak offensively with their tongues, and shall ever be disgraced.

' Nanak, they act according to their destiny which none can erase.'

RAG BILAWAL

It would not redound to God's glory to call Him by the names of the Hindu incarnations.

Thou art an emperor ; if I call Thee lord, how will that be to Thy greatness ?

If Thou inspire me, I will praise Thee, O Lord ; I am foolish myself and can say nothing.

Give me understanding to sing Thy praises,

That I may abide in truth according to Thy will.

All that there is cometh from Thee ; Thou lovest all.

I know not Thy limit, O my Lord; what skill have I, a blind man ?

What shall I say ? while talking I see that I cannot describe the Indescribable.

I speak as it pleaseth Thee; and this is only in the smallest degree for Thy greatness.

Among so many dogs I, a strange dog, bark for my belly's sake.

Even though Nanak perform no service, he will still bear his Master's name

The Guru's faith in God.

My body I have clothed with a Qalandar's dress, I have turned my heart into a temple, and I bathe in that place of pilgrimage.

The one Word dwelleth in my heart, and I shall not be born again.

My soul is pierced by the Compassionate One ; O my mother,

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 347

Who knoweth another's pain ? I think of no one but God.

0 inaccessible, imperceptible, unseen, and boundless God, take thought for me.

Thou fillest sea and land, the upper and lower regions ; Thy light is in every heart.

My faculty of learning and my understanding are all Thine ; I have built my heart as a temple to Thee.

1 know none but Thee, O my Lord ; I ever sing Thy praises.

Men and lower animals all seek Thy protection ; all anxiety for them resteth with Thee.

What pleaseth Thee is good ; this is Nanak's sole repre sentation.

LUNAR DAYS

The Guru counsels disregard of mammon :—

What name shall I repeat except that of the Lord of the world ?

Under the Guru's instruction God's court is seen in one's own home.

They who are attached to mammon shall regret it ;

They shall go in fetters to Death's gate and suffer trans migration.

What have they brought, and what shall they take away ?

They shall receive blows from the god of death on the head.

No one can be emancipated without the Guru's instruction.

No one can be saved by the practice of hypocrisy.

Heartfelt devotion is superior to all offerings and ablutions :—

On the tenth day of the lunar month repeat the Name as your offerings and ablutions.

Night and day lave yourselves in the attributes and knowledge of the True One.

When doubts and fears have fled, impurity shall not cling toj:he true heart.

A frail cord will soon snap :

Know that the world is as the cord.

Fix thy mind firmly on the True One and thou shalt be happy.

RAMKALI

In his devotional enthusiasm the Guru indulges in self-depreciation : —

Some read the Veds,1 some the Purans :

Some repeat names 2 on their rosaries and meditate on them.

I know not and never knew anything ; I recognize only Thy name.

I know not, O God, what my lot shall be.

I am ignorant and devoid of divine knowledge ; O Lord, I seek Thy protection, mercifully preserve my self-respect and honour.

The mind sometimes riseth and sometimes falleth to the nether regions.3

The greedy mind remaineth not still ; it searcheth for mammon in all directions.

Man entered the world doomed to die ; yet he amasseth wealth for long life.

While others depart, O Lord, we see the burning fire approaching us also.

No one hath a friend, no one hath a brother, no one hath a father or mother.

Nanak representeth, if Thou give Thy name, it will assist me at the last hour.

After the death of a Hindu a lamp is kept burning for several days to light the soul of the departed to the next world. It is then floated on water. Guru Nanak indites the following homily on the custom : —

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 349

Adore God1 in the following way- Make thy body into a raft 2 by which thou mayest cross over.

Put on it the fire of thy heart,

And the lamp shall burn untiringly day and night.

Float such a lamp on the water

As shall procure thee all knowledge.

The knowledge of God is a good material ;

God will accept a lamp made out of it.

Make good deeds thy wheel, and mould thy lamp on it ;

It will accompany thee in this world and the next.

When God looketh on him with an eye of favour,

Some rare pious man knoweth how to make this lamp.

This lamp shall be permanent in his heart,

And shall not be extinguished when he dieth.

Float such a lamp on the water

As shall not be shaken or put out by the wind,

And by whose light God's throne may be seen.

Khatris, Brahmans, Sudars, and Vaisyas

Find not such a lamp by thousands of researches and calculations ;

But if any of them light such a lamp as I have described,

He shall, O Nanak, obtain deliverance.

The following was addressed to a Jogi : —

The Jogi runneth about begging for clothes and food ;

He burneth with the pangs of hunger, and he shall also have misery hereafter.

He who hath not received the Guru's instruction, loseth his honour by his own stupidity.

Some rare man obtaineth God's service by the Guru's teaching.

The Jogi who knoweth the way dwelleth in a peaceful home.

He who is satisfied with the alms of love and the Word beholdeth all men with an equal eye.

The five oxen l draw the carriage of the body :

The whole goeth well by the contrivance of God.

When the axle breaketh, the carriage turneth over ;

Its timber is scattered and it is burnt in the fire.

Meditate, O Jogi, on the Guru's instruction.

Consider weal and woe, union and separation of friends as the same.

Let the Name and meditation on the Guru's instruction be thy dainties.2

The wall of thy body shall remain permanent 3 by repeat ing God's name.

By the practice of sahaj jog thou shalt be freed from entanglements,

And shalt repress lust and wrath under the Guru's ad monition.

Make the protection of God and the Guru earrings for thy heart.

Nanak, it is by devotion to God man shall be saved.

ASHTAPADI

God is in man's heart and ought not to be sought for elsewhere : —

O Nanak, may I obtain the greatness of the Name ! there is no religious work superior to it.

If man go elsewhere to ask for what he hath at home, he shall be received with reproaches.

It is said that Guru Nanak on his excursion to the Himalayas met a Jogi called Chetnath, who reproached him with not being a Jogi, a Sanyasi, or a saint, but only a pretended guru. The following was Guru Nanak' s reply : —

to door, how shalt thou obtain the True One ?

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 351

Thou lovest mammon and woman,

And art neither an anchoret nor a worldly man.

Thou art not ashamed to beg from door to door ;

Thou singest songs, but knowest not thyself.

How shall the great fire which burneth thee be ex tinguished ?

If the love of God attach to thy heart under the Guru's instruction,

Thou shalt easily enjoy the alms of contemplation.

Thou hypocritically appliest ashes to thy body,

And shalt be punished for thy worldliness by Death's mace.

The impure vessel2 of thy heart cannot hold the alms of love.

Thou art bound by bonds and shalt suffer transmigration.

Thou dost not restrain thy seed, and yet thou callest thyself continent.

While saying ' Mother ', thou beggest and fallest in love with woman.

Thou art without compassion and God's light shineth not in thee.

Thou art immersed in every species of entanglement.

With a patched coat and a bag thou assumest many guises.

Likeaconjurer thouperformest manytricks to deceive men.

The fire of anxiety burneth thy heart- How shalt thou be saved without good works ?

Thou makest rings of crystal for thine ears.

Without the highest divine knowledge there is no emanci pation.

Thou art beguiled by the pleasures of the tongue and sensual organs.

Thou hast become a beast, and the mark of it shall not be erased.

There are three classes of people and three classes of Jog.1 He who meditateth on the Word shall need no mourning. He who meditateth on the way of jog is a Jogi : By the true Word he shall become bright.

The Guru in an address to a pandit rejects astrology : —

Thou calculatest auspicious moments, but reflectest not

That God is beyond auspicious moments.

He who meeteth the Guru knoweth them.

When there is the Guru's instruction man recognizeth God's will.

Speak not falsehood ; O Pandit, tell the truth,

If pride depart by means of the Word, God's abode shall be attained.

The astrologer after calculating draweth out a horoscope ;

He readeth it to himself and others, but knoweth not the reality.

Deem the Guru's word the highest of all ;

Utter no other discourse ; it were all in vain.

Thou bathest, and washest, and worshippest stones,

But without being imbued with God thou art the filthiest of the filthy.

Abandon pride, and thou shalt meet God the real wealth.

Repeat God's name, and thou shalt succeed in obtaining emancipation.

Thou readest not thine epic poems nor reflectest on the Veds:

Drowned thyself, how canst thou save thine ancestors ?

Few understand that God is in every heart.

When man meeteth the true Guru, he obtaineth under standing.

By making calculations such as thine doubt and sorrow enter the mind ;

But, when the Guru's protection is sought, happiness result eth.

Having sinned we come to him for protection.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 353

According to man's acts in a former state the Guru causeth him to meet God.

God cannot be obtained unless man enter the Guru's protection ;

Otherwise he is led astray in superstition and suffereth transmigration.

He who hath not God in his heart and whose conduct is not according to the Word,

Shall be bound at Death's gate and punished for his sins.

Men call themselves Teachers, Pandits, and Missars ; l

But they who are tinctured with mammon shall not reach God's mansion.

He who by the Guru's favour hath the support of the Name,

Is unequalled amongst millions.

One man appeareth evil and another good ; but they are both contained in the True One :

The learned man understandeth this by the aid of the true Guru.

A few holy men who know the one God,

Have ended their transmigration, and become absorbed in Him.

They in whose hearts is the one God,

Possess all excellences and meditate on the truth.

They who act as pleaseth the Guru

Are true, O Nanak, and shall be absorbed in the True One.

The following was addressed to a rich sinner who visited the Guru :—

O silly man, as thou earnest so shall thou depart ; as thou wert born so shalt thou die ;

As thy enjoyment so shall be thy suffering ; through forgetfulness of the Name thou shalt fall into the terrible ocean.

Thou art proud on beholding thy beauty and wealth.

Thou hast extended thy love to gold and woman ; why hast thou forgotten the Name and gone astray ?

SIKH, i A a

Not having practised continence, truth, self -restraint, or virtue, thou shalt suffer in the skeleton of a ghost.

Alms-gifts, ablutions, and austerities are of no avail ; without association with the saints, thou hast been born in vain.

Through the covetousness that attacheth to thee thou hast forgotten the Name ; thy life hath been wasted in transmigration.

Death will hasten to seize thee by the hair and punish thee ; and, when he eateth thee, thou shalt have no con sciousness for repentance.

Day and night thou revilest others and art jealous of them ; the Name is not in thy heart, and thou hast not universal benevolence.

Without the Guru's instruction thou shalt not obtain salvation or honour ; without God's name thou shalt go to hell.

Thou practisest disguise for a brief period like a conjurer, while thou art steeped in worldly love and sin.

Seeing the extension of thy wealth here and there, thou hast become intoxicated with worldly love.

Thou commit test sin on a large scale, and without remembering the Word hast fallen into error.

Thou hast suffered great pain from the disease of pride ; but it shall depart when thou receivest the Guru's in struction.

The infidel seeing happiness and wealth coming to him becometh proud in his heart.

He who owneth this body and wealth will take them back ; he who feeleth anxiety regarding them shall have sorrow.

At the last moment nothing shall depart with thee ; whatever is seen is the result of God's kindness.

God is the primal and infinite Being ; by treasuring His name in the heart man shall be saved.

Thou weepest for the dead ; who heareth thy weeping ? He whom thou weepest for might have fallen to the dragon in the sea of terror.

The infidel beholding his family, wealth, houses, and mansions falleth into needless entanglements.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 355

Man cometh when God sendeth him, and he goeth away when God calleth him.

God continueth to do what is proper ; the Pardoner pardoneth.

0 brethren, search for the society of those who have tasted God's elixir.

When man taketh the Guru's protection, then wealth, supernatural power, wisdom, divine knowledge, and the boon of emancipation are obtained.

The pious consider woe and weal as the same, and are free from joy or sorrow.

Nanak, he who chasteneth himself under the Guru's instruction obtaineth God, and God absorbeth him in Himself.

DAKHANI OAMKAR L

Men who are generally impure cannot obtain emancipation until their hearts are thoroughly purified :—

As borax melteth gold,

So lust and wrath melt the body.

The gold is drawn over the touchstone, and must, until thoroughly pure, endure the fire.

When it assumeth a high colour 2 the Assayer is satisfied.

The world is a beast, and pride is its butcher.3

As thou actest with thine own hand, so shall be thy recompense.

He who made the world knoweth its worth.

What else is to be said ? Talking availeth not.

RAMKALI KI WAR I

The following is a satire on the professedly religious men of the time :—

They who call themselves virtuous, commit sin and pretend that they are doing good.

A a 2

Gurus go to private houses to impart instruction.

A woman loveth man for the money he earneth for her ;

Otherwise he may come or go as he pleaseth.

Nobody obeyeth the Shastars or the Veds ;

Everybody worshippeth himself.

The Qazi sitteth to administer justice ;

He turneth over his beads and invoketh God,

But he taketh bribes and doeth injustice.

If any one call him to account, he will read and cite texts.

The Muhammadan creed nlleth the ears and hearts of the Hindus.

They carry tales to the judge and plunder the populace : j

They make squares for cooking so as to appear pure.

See what the Hindus are like.

Jogis with long hair and ashes on their bodies keep wives. ]

Children scream before and behind them.

They miss the right road and obtain not union with God.

Why do they put ashes on their heads ?

Nanak, this is the state of this degenerate age,

That men only speak of themselves and think themselves the best.

The following is also a satire on Brahmans, Muhammadan priests, and Jogis:—

A Brahman goeth to the house of a Hindu,

Readeth texts, and putteth the sacrificial thread on a boy's neck.

If the boy commit sin after putting on the thread,

He shall not be accepted for all his ablutions and washings.

The Musalman may praise himself,

But without a guru or a priest he shall not be accepted.

Even when the road is pointed out, few travel by it.

Without good works heaven is not obtained.

Men seek the way in a Jogi's monastery ;

And on that account put rings in their ears and become his disciples.

With earrings on they wander about the world,

While the Creator they pretend to search for is everywhere.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 357

All souls are travellers :

When the death-warrant cometh for them there must be no delay.

He who knoweth God in this world, shall recognize Him in the next.

All others, whether Hindus or Musalmans, are chatterers.

All men's accounts shall be taken in God's court ;

And no one shall be saved without good works.

He who repeateth the name of the Truest of the true,

Shall not, O Nanak, be examined hereafter.

Only the good shall be saved when the final

reckoning is called for :—

Nanak saith, O man, hear true instruction- God seated in judgement will produce His book and call

on thee for thine account.

The stiff-necked who owe anything shall be summoned ;

And the angel Azrail placed over them.

They shall see no way of escape ; they shall be entangled

in the narrow streets.

Falsehood is at an end, O Nanak, and truth shall at last

prevail.

The following was addressed to a proud Muham- madan governor :—

At thy waist is a handsome sword, thou art mounted on a handsome steed :

Be not proud, saith Nanak, lest thou fall on thy head.

Only good men can remain in the society of the saints :—

Between the lake and the swan there is affinity from the beginning ; so it pleased the Lord.

In the lake there are diamonds and pearls which form the swan's food.

Cranes and ravens, however cunning they may be, cannot remain in lake Mansarowar.1

They cannot subsist there ; their food is different.

By the practice of truth, truth is obtained ; O false ones, false is your pride.

Nanak, they for whom it was so ordered from the beginning meet the True Guru.

My Lord is effulgent, if any one reflect on it.

Nanak, serve Him who giveth ever and ever ;

Nanak serve Him by whose service sorrow departeth,

Sins are erased, merits take their place, and peace abideth in the heart.

RAG MARU ASHTAPADI

A hypocritical Sanyasi called Brahmpuri was mentioned to the Guru as a very worthy man. The Guru, knowing his real condition, composed the following : —

The perverse having through avarice abandoned their own homes, ruin themselves by casting covetous eyes on the houses of others.

They have ruined their state as householders ; they have not met the True Guru, and through their stupidity are involved in a whirlpool.

Of wandering in foreign countries and reading texts they grow weary, and their covetousness increaseth.

Of weak intellect, they know not the Word ; they fill their bellies like cattle.

He should under the Guru's instruction only think of the one God, love His name, and be satisfied with it.

But the hypocrite mixeth ochre, dyeth his dress with it, and weareth the garb of a beggar ;

He teareth his clothes to make a patched coat, and putteth money into his wallet ;

Blind that he is and bereft of shame, he beggeth from house to house and preacheth to the world ;

Led astray by superstition he knoweth not the Word and loseth the game.

The fire which is within him is not extinguished without the Guru, yet he heateth himself with external fires 1 also.

There is no worship without serving the Gam ; how man of himself recognize God ?

He who slandereth others shall abide in hell, and be separated from the Supreme Spirit.

He who wandereth to the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage is ruined thereby ; how can he wash away the filth of his sins ?

He sifteth dust, applieth it to his body, and looketh for the way of mammon.

He knoweth not the one God who is with him whether he be at home or abroad ; if any one tell him the truth, he groweth angry.

While reading texts his mouth uttereth falsehoods ; that is all the wisdom a man without a guru possesseth.

How can man obtain happiness without repeating the Name ? How shall he be honoured without the Name ?

Some shave their heads, some twist long hair round them or wear a top-knot ; others through pride remain silent ;

But without the love of divine knowledge their minds waver and hasten in every direction.

Maddened by worldly love they reject nectar and drink deadly poison.

They obey not God's order ; their evil deeds shall not be effaced, and they shall enter the bodies of beasts.

The Kapari with a bowl in his hand and excessive greed in his heart

Abandoneth his own wife, and filled with lust coveteth his neighbour's.

While preaching he knoweth not God's word, and attacheth himself to a prostitute.

With poison in his heart he pretendeth that he hath no doubts, but Death will disgrace him.

He who serveth the True Guru and removeth pride from his heart, is a true Sanyasi ;

He desireth not clothes or food, but taketh what is freely offered him ;

by Hindu devotees during the sultriest time of an Indian summer. They light fires around them in the four directions ; the sun over them is the fifth.

He chattereth not ; he amasseth the wealth of patience ; and his passions he subdueth with God's name.

Blessings on that man, who whether householder, Sanyasi, or Jogi, fixeth his attention on God's feet.

He who in the midst of desires is without desires, and who loveth the one God is a Sanyasi.

He who drinketh God's essence and preserveth a religious attitude in his own home shall obtain peace.

The mind of the pious man who knoweth God wavereth not, but restraineth its wanderings.

He who under the Guru's instruction searcheth the house of the body, shall obtain the boon of the Name.

Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiv are most exalted when they are imbued with the contemplation of the Name.

Thy light, O Lord, is in the sources of production, in com positions, in the firmament, in the lower regions, and in all creatures.

By repeating hymns containing God's true name and clasping it to the heart, all happiness and final deliverance shall be obtained.

No one can be saved without the Name ; Nanak, that is the true way to swim across.

The following was delivered in a fit of extreme religious fervour to Mihan and Sihan :—

Woman, however many friends she may make, wan- dereth like an itinerant minstrel in transmigration.

She who is separated from God obtaineth no access to Him ; how shall she be patient ?

My soul is imbued with the love of the Beloved.

I am a sacrifice ; I would cut myself in pieces for Thee ; look at me even for an instant with a glance of favour.

Separated as I am from my Beloved in my father's house, how shall I meet him in my father-in-law's ?

I wear demerits round my neck ; I am ruined without the Beloved ; I am pining to death.

If in my father's house I remember the Beloved, I shall find a dwelling in His.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 361

The wife who hath found her Beloved, the Lord of excel lences, sleepeth in peace.

She maketh a silken coverlet and mattress for her couch, and arrayeth herself in a costly robe.

The wife whom her husband abandoneth passeth the night in grief.

Whatever dainties she tasteth and whatever dresses she weareth,

Her youth passeth in vain without her Beloved ; she pineth away through separation from Him.

Hear the song of the True One under the Guru's instruction.

True is the throne of the True One ; she on whom He looketh with favour loveth Him.

The possessor of divine knowledge applieth the salve of truth to her eyes, and then beholdeth Him who seeth all things.

He who under the Guru's instruction dispelleth his pride and arrogance, shall understand and know God.

They who please Thee, O God, are like Thee ; how many unhappy wives there are like me :

Nanak, their Spouse parteth not from those who are imbued with the love of the True One.

God is the only true friend and relation :—

Nor sisters, nor brothers, nor mothers-in-law remain with one :

But, O companions, the true relationship with the Beloved, when found through the Guru, shall never be sundered.

I am a sacrifice to my Guru, I am ever a sacrifice unto him.

I have grown weary of wandering so far without a guru ; now the Guru hath united me with my Beloved.

Paternal and maternal aunts, grandmothers, and wives of husbands' younger and elder brothers

Come and go ; they tarry not but depart like relays of passengers.

Maternal uncles and their wives, brothers, fathers, and mothers abide not.

Assembled in great crowds at the river they depart with their baggage like travellers.

0 my companions, my Husband is dyed with the true colour.

The true Husband never forsaketh ; He enjoyeth one with delight.

All seasons are good for those who love the True One.

The woman who knoweth her husband enjoyeth happi ness day1 and night.

The ferryman calleth out at the ferry, ' Come on, make haste ; you delay.'

1 have seen at the other side those whom the Guru put into the boat.

Some have loaded their baggage, some have set out with it, and others are weighed down by their loads.

They who have made true traffic are with the true God.

I am not good, nor do I find any one bad.

Nanak, he who effaceth his pride is as the True One.

MARU SOLHE God has no incarnations : —

God's secret is not found in the Veds or the books of the Musalmans ;

He hath not father or mother or son or brother.

There is no friend like God, who is to be obtained through the Guru by those who lead a holy life :—

I have no friend like God

Who gave me soul and body, and infused into me under standing.

He cherisheth and watcheth over all creatures ; He is wise and knoweth the secrets of hearts.

The Guru is like a lake ; we are his beloved swans :

In the water are many jewels and rubies.

God's praises are pearls, gems, and diamonds ; singing them maketh soul and body happy.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 363

God is inaccessible, unfathomable, altogether distinct from His creation.

The great Sustainer of the earth hath no end.

God saveth man through the true Guru's instruction ; He blendeth with Himself those who are absorbed in His love.

How can there be emancipation without the true Guru ?

He loveth the primal God who was before all time,

Who mercifully granteth emancipation in His court, and pardoneth the sins which man committeth.

The true Guru is the giver and procurer of emancipation.

He prescribeth nectareous essence and cureth all diseases.

He whose avarice is extinguished and whose mind is cool, shall owe no tax to Death the tax-gatherer.

The body greatly loveth the soul ;

The latter is a male Jogi, the former a beautiful woman.

He enjoyeth her in dalliance day and night, but goeth away without taking leave.

God having created the world arrangeth it ;

He speaketh in the wind, water, and fire.

The mind of him who associateth with evil passions wavereth ; he suffereth the consequences of his acts.

They who forget the Name shall have to endure pain and misery.

How can they tarry when they receive the order to depart ?

They shall plunge into the pit of hell and suffer like fishes out of water.

The apostate shall undergo the pain of transmigration in eighty-four lakhs of species.

Man shall suffer according to his acts.

There is no salvation without the true Guru ; man shall be seized and bound according to his acts.

Very narrow is the way like the edge of a sword.

Man's account shall be taken, and he shall be pressed like sesame.

There no mother, father, wife, or son will befriend thee ,• without love for God there is no emancipation.

However numerous one's friends and companions may be in the world,

There are no real friends but the Guru and God.

Salvation dependeth upon serving the Guru, and night and day singing God's praises.

Abandon falsehood, pursue truth,

And thou shalt obtain the fruit thy heart desireth.

Few are they who traffic in true merchandise ; they who do so obtain profit.

Depart with the merchandise of God's name,

And thou shalt easily obtain a sight of God's court.

A perfect man under the Guru's instruction searcheth for God, and thus beholdeth Him who looketh on all alike.

God is infinite, but under the Guru's instruction is found by a few

Who teach their hearts the Guru's word.

Accept the true Guru's word as true ; thus shalt thou be absorbed in God.

Narad and Saraswati are Thy servants, O Lord.

The greatest of the great in the three worlds are Thy servants.

In all things is Thy might ; Thou bestowest on all ; everything is Thy creation.

Some worship at Thy gate, and thus dispel their sufferings.

They who are emancipated by the true Guru, receive a robe of honour in Thy court.

The true Guru breaketh the entanglements of pride, ant hindereth the mind from wandering.

Meet the true Guru, look for the way

To reach God, and thus have no account against thee.

Efface pride and serve the Guru, O Nanak, and thou shalt be dyed with God's love.

Miscellaneous instruction of the Guru : — The Creator is the true Lord Who carefully support eth the globe of the earth. The Creator beholdeth the work of His hands ; true and independent,

He created the different species of animals.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 365

Two travellers l have struck out two roads.

There is no emancipation without the perfect Guru ; it is profitable to repeat the true Name.

The perverse man readeth, but knoweth not the way :

Led astray by error he knoweth not the Name.

The false evidence the evil man giveth for a bribe becometh like a halter round his neck.

Brahmans read the Simritis, the Shastars, and the Purans:

They engage in disputations, but know not the Real Thing :

Without the true Guru they find not the Real Thing.

They who are purified by the True One walk in the true way.

Everybody praiseth God and speaketh of Him as he hath heard.

God is wise and assayeth the true.

They on whom God looketh with favour are holy and praise His word.

How many speak of God according to what they have heard !

They speak of Him according to what they have heard, but know not His limit.

He to whom the Unseen hath manifested Himself knoweth the story of the Ineffable.

When one is born gratulations resound ;

The ignorant sing songs of rejoicing ;

But he who is born shall assuredly die, and undergo the destiny allotted him.

It is my God who effecteth union and separation of the soul and body.

He who created the world assigned His creatures woe or weal ;

But the holy who wear the armour of mildness are un affected by them.

Good are they who deal in the truth ;

By the Guru's wisdom they obtain the true merchandise.

He who possesseth the wealth of the true merchandise, is enraptured with the true Word.

Loss accrueth from false dealings.

The pious carry on their dealings according to God's will.

Their capital remaineth intact, their stock-in-trade safe, and they escape from Death's noose.

Every one speak eth of God according to his own pleasure.

The perverse who are attached to mammon, know not how to speak of God.

The understanding and utterance of the blind man are blind ; he shall suffer the pain of transmigration.

In pain he is born, in pain he dieth.

His pain cannot be removed except by seeking the Guru's protection.

In pain he is created, in pain he perisheth. What hath he brought with him ? what shall he take away ?

True are the acts of those who are subject to the Guru ;

They shall not suffer transmigration or feel the edge of Death's sword.

He who abandoneth the branches of the tree of the world,1 and only knoweth God the essential root of all things, enjoy eth true delight in his heart.

Death shall not punish godly people,

Nor shall they experience the pain of the difficult road.

They worship God's name in their hearts and mention no other.

They who repeat not God's praises shall be punished at last;

While they who please Thee, O God, shall abide according to Thy will :

They shall go with a robe of honour to Thy court and be happy by the True King's order.

Many describe Thine attributes, O Lord ; what availeth my speaking ?

The greatest of the great find not Thy limit.

Nanak, may I obtain the truth ! preserve mine honour, O Lord ; Thou art the Monarch of monarchs ! 1 Worldly entanglements.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 367

The following is said to be instruction given to Taru and Bharu during the Baisakhi fair at Kar- tarpur :—

Put away from you lust, wrath, and slander ;

Abandon avarice, and covetousness, and you shall be free from care.

He who breaketh the chain of superstition shall be free, and feel divine pleasure in his heart.

The happy and incomparable perfect Guru showeth man

Day and night the light within him, and he beholdeth it

Like a bright flash of lightning at night.

Meet the true Guru, and God Himself

Who placed the lamps of the moon and sun in the firma ment of heaven will save you.

Continue to love God, and you shall behold the Unseen One pervading all three worlds.

He who obtaineth the ambrosial essence loseth his avarice and his fear.

He who effaceth himself obtaineth the fearless position.

He who acteth according to the pure Word shall attain a lofty degree, the loftiest of the lofty.

The Name of the Unseen and Inapprehensible is un equalled ;

The juice of the beloved Name is exceeding sweet.

God's praises be given to Nanak, and in every age repeat ye His name whose end is not known.

The heart which hath obtained the diamond of the Name

Shall obtain patience by repeating and reverencing it.

Put the Destroyer of fear into thy stubborn heart, and thou shalt not be born again.

Man is saved by love of devotion and the Guru's word.

I crave the boon of the praise of God's name.

If God be pleased, He will cause us to meet the true Guru and save the whole world.

Death's myrmidons and Death himself worship the feet of those

Who repeat God's name under the Guru's teaching and directions.

Man's state and condition become exalted by exalted com pany, and he crosseth over the terrible ocean of the world.

This world which is a terrible ocean, is crossed over by the Guru's instruction

•And by dispelling the heart's doubts.

Let man take the five arrows,1 put them on the bow of his brain and kill Death.

How shall the apostate obtain knowledge of the Word ?

Without a knowledge of the Word man undergoeth transmigration.

Nanak, salvation dependeth upon the instruction of the Guru whom God by perfect good fortune hath caused us to meet.

The Fearless One, the true Guru is our protector.

The great God is obtained by devotion.

For him who obtaineth the Bright One under the Guru's instruction, the unbeaten strain of joy resoundeth.

The Fearless One is He on whose forehead no destiny is recorded.

He is in visible, but we behold Him through His omnipotence.

He transcendeth the world •, He is unborn and self- existent, O Nanak, and is obtained by the Guru's in struction.

Only the True Guru knoweth the state of man's heart.

He is fearless who recognizeth the Guru's instructions,

Beholdeth God within him, knoweth that He pervadeth creation, and alloweth not his mind to wander elsewhere.

He in whose heart God dwelleth is fearless,

And day and night delighted with the bright Name.

Nanak, God's praises are obtained from the society of the saints, and man is thus easily blended with Him.

He who knoweth that God is with him whether at home or abroad,

Who remaineth attached to the world and bringeth home his wandering mind,

Shall obtain, O Nanak, the ambrosial essence of the True One who dwelleth in the three worlds, and who was before all things.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 369

MARU KI WAR I Man shall certainly be responsible for his acts :—

Creation was by God's order ; in His court the truth is accepted.

The Lord will call for man's account ; 0 man, stray not on beholding the world.

Nanak, God will keep an account of the love and affection of him

Who watcheth over his heart, and is a pure-minded darwesh.

The condition of really holy men :—

For those who dwell apart and live on the bread of alms God is everywhere :

The diamonds of their hearts are pierced with God's diamond, O Nanak, and their necks are gorgeous with jewels.

True devotion and repetition of the Name secure salvation :—

Recognize God's primal love,1 and worship the great God. Shall Death then, O Nanak, strike thee on the head ? Nay ; the Name shall cause thee to meet God.

Many sects appeal to the Veds, but it is heartfelt devotion which secures salvation :—

The drum of the Veds loudly resoundeth for many a faction.

Remember God's name, Nanak ; there is none but Him.

Where man is proud there art Thou not ; where Thou art, there no pride is.

0 men of divine knowledge, understand this riddle — the story of the Ineffable One is in the heart,

But without the Guru the Real Thing cannot be found : it is concealed though it dwelleth in every heart.

God is known by meeting the true Guru and implanting his instruction in the heart.

When pride departeth, doubt, fear, and the pain of trans migration depart.

By the wisdom of the Guru the Unseen is seen, Man's intellect becometh exalted, and he is saved.

Nanak, repeat the spell of God in whom the three worlds are contained.

BHAIRO

To engage in ritualistic practices is of no avail :—

To give a feast, make a burnt offering, offer alms, perform penance and worship, and endure bodily pain for ever are all of no avail.

Without God's name salvation is not obtained ; the holy man obtaineth it by the Name.

Without God's name it is useless to be born in the world.

To eat poison, to speak for the sake of poison (mammon) without the Name is to die an unprofitable death and wander in transmigration.

To read books, discuss grammar, and pray three times a day are all of no avail.

Without the Guru's instruction, O mortal, where is salvation ? without God's name man is entangled and dieth.

Even though man take up the beggar's staff and pot, and adopt the hair-tuft, the sacrificial thread, and the dhoti of the Hindus, go to places of pilgrimage, and wander far and wide,

Yet shall he not find comfort without God's name ; he who repeateth it shall be saved.

Even though man weave his hair into a crown, apply ashes to his body, doff his clothes, and wander naked,

Yet shall he be not satisfied without God's name ; it is under the stress of prenatal acts man assumeth a devotional garb.

Thou, O God, art in all creatures that are in the water, the dry land, the nether regions, and the firmament.

By the favour of the Guru preserve Thy servant ; Nanak stirring God's elixir hath drunk it.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 371

The following was written with buoyant feeling after the departure of a cold winter in the north of India :—

All hail to the great month1 in which spring ever beginneth. Ever and ever remember the Sustainer of the earth, and thy heart shall rejoice.

0 silly man, forget thy pride,

Subdue thy pride and meditate on God in thy heart ; adopt the most excellent virtues.

Good acts are the tree, God's name its branches, religion its flowers, divine knowledge its fruit,

Attainment of God its leaves, and the dispelling of mental pride its dense shade.

They who behold God's power with their eyes, hear it with their ears, and repeat the true Name with their tongues,

Obtain the full wealth of honour and tranquilly meditate on God.

The great season hath come, be careful and do good works.

Nanak, the pious who continue absorbed in God shall be perennial and never wither.

SARANG KI WAR

The following is a refutation of the general Indian ideas on the subject of impurity :—

There is no impurity in songs,2 there is no impurity in knowledge ; 3

There is no impurity in the moon's or sun's different phases ;

to women and Sudars. During the period of Brahmanical ascemleru y in India the Sudais were forbidden under pain of death to^read the Veds— they might only repeat God's name* Among the Sudars are included all women.

B b 2

There is no impurity in corn, there is no impurity in ablution ; 1

There is no impurity in rain which falleth everywhere ;

There is no impurity in earth, there is no impurity in water ;

There is no impurity contained in air.

There are no virtues, Nanak, in the man who is without a guru.

It is he who turneth away from God whose mouth is impure.

The Guru mentions things which confer purity on men of different classes :—

Nanak, the following handfuls 2 of water are pure if any one know how to fill them —

Divine knowledge for the Pandit, continence for the Jogi

Contentment for the Brahman, alms out of what he hath himself earned for the family man,3

Justice for the king, meditation on the True One for the learned.

Although water when drunk will quench thirst, the heart cannot be washed with it.

Water is the generator of the world, and shall finally destroy everything.

The futility of idolatry : —

Thou in thy house keepest an idol with its attendant gods :* Thou washest it and worshippest it ; Thou offerest it kungu, sandal, and flowers ; Thou fallest at its feet and propitiatest it to the utmost Yet it is by continually begging of men thou clothest and ^upportest thyself.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 373

For such foolish acts shalt thou receive the punishment of the foolish.

The idol giveth thee not when hungry, nor presenvth thee from death.

It is like a foolish quarrel among the blind.

God has no partner, wherefore supplication should be made to Him direct :—

If Thou have any partner, 0 God, I will speak of Thee in his presence.

But Thou hast no partner, therefore will I praise Thee to Thy face. Thy name giveth sight to the blind.

One of the Guru's reflections on this degenerate age :—

In the Kal age men have faces like dogs, and eat carrion.

They bark as they utter falsehood, and have no regard for honesty.

They who have no honour while alive, shall have an evil reputation after death.

What is destined taketh place, Nanak ; what the Creator doeth cometh to pass.

They who deceive men by selling them charms and amulets shall not find salvation :-

Accursed the lives of those who write God's name to sell it.

They whose crop is spoiled require no place for a har\ v-t- heap.

They who are devoid of truth and modesty will recvivr no assistance hereafter.

The ways of wisdom :—

Call not by the name of wisdom the wisdom which is spent in wrangling.

By wisdom the Lord is worshipped ; by wisdom honour is obtained.

It is by wisdom what is read is understood, it is by wisdom alms are properly bestowed.

Nanak saith, these are the ways of wisdom, all i«lsr are ways of wickedness.

The virtues and practices which are most potent to secure deliverance :—

They who make truth their fasting, contentment their place of pilgrimage, divine knowledge and meditation their ablutions,

Mercy their idol, and forgiveness their rosary, are fore most in God's favour.

Nanak, few there are who make the right way their loin cloths, meditation on God their cooking squares,

Good deeds their frontal marks, and God's love their food.

Better to live by honest labour than by beg ging :—

Men without divine knowledge sing hymns.

The hungry Mulla maketh a home of his mosque.1

One man who earneth nothing slitteth his ears ; 2

Another becometh a beggar and loseth his caste.

Touch not at all the feet of those

Who call themselves gurus and pirs, and go begging.

They who eat the fruit of their labour and bestow some thing,

RAG MALAR

Some moral commandments : —

Cease to covet another's wife and another's goods ; shun the deadly sins of pride,

Evil inclinations, slander, and lust and wrath the execu tioners.

The inaccessible and illimitable God dwelleth in man's heart.

He shall obtain nectar in his own heart, whose conduct is according to the Guru's precious instruction ;

And who considereth woe and weal and the blame and praise of the world as the same.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 375

Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are obtained from God's name ; the love of God is obtained by association with the saints.

Day and night profit is obtained from God's name given by the beneficent Guru.

He on whom the Creator looketh with favour obtaineth instruction from the Guru's words.

The body is the palace, the temple, and the house of God ; into it He putteth His eternal light.

Nanak, the pious are invited to God's palace ; He will blend them with Himself.

MALAR ASHTAPADI

The Guru by familiar Indian examples expresses his love for God :—

The chakwi will not sleep at night in the absence of her mate.

When the sun riseth she gazeth on her beloved, and boweth, and toucheth his feet.

0 my Beloved, dear to me is Thy love, which shall be my companion.

1 cannot live for a moment in this world without Him ; so much do I thirst for Him.

The lotus on the lake on beholding the sunbeams of heaven naturally rejoiceth :

O my Beloved, such is the longing I feel in my heart that my light may be blended with Thine.

The chatrik without water crieth ' Prio, prio!' and scream- eth aloud.

There is terrible thunder, it raineth on every side, but without its special raindrops the chatrik's thirst departeth not.

The fish which is born and liveth in water, obtaineth weal and woe according to its previous acts.

It cannot live for an instant without water ; its death or life dependeth on it.

Woman is separated from her Beloved who liveth abroad : she sendeth Him a message through the true Guru.

All cry out ' Prio, prio ! ', but they can only obtain their Beloved if it please the Guru.

The Beloved is with us ; He ever associateth with the true ; He blendeth with Himself those on whom He looketh with favour.

God is the life within all lives ; He pervadeth every heart.

Through the Guru's favour He is manifest at home, and men become easily absorbed in Him.

Arrange thine own affairs, O man ; the Lord of the earth is the Giver of happiness.

When by the Guru's favour man findeth God in his heart, then, 0 Nanak, his burning is extinguished.

MALAR KI WAR

Prayers ought not to be offered for worldly advan tages :—

They who offer prayers shall die, and so shall they who are prayed for.

Nanak, it is not known where they shall be placed by God's order.

The punishments that await the impenitent wicked : —

Some have chains on their necks and are being led off to prison ;

But by recognizing Him who is the truest of the true, they shall be freed from their bonds.

He who obtaineth favourable destiny knoweth the True One.

Man's fate is decided by God's order ; when man goeth before Him he shall know this.

Recognize the Word which will cause thee to cross the terrible ocean.

Thieves, adulterers, and gamblers shall be pressed like sesame ;

Slanderers and backbiters shall be carried away by the flood.

The pious who are absorbed in the True One shall be known in God's court.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 377

Worldly advantages distract men's minds from devotion :—

Empire, wealth, beauty, nobility, and youth .in ii\< robbers ;

These robbers have robbed the world without respect 1m any one.

They who fall at the Guru's feet, however, rob them.1

The Guru's humility, the transitory character of human life, and the efficacy of the Name :—

The world is very transient like a flash of lightning ;

Yet, foolish heart of mine, thou thinkest not of the grave.

I am low and wretched; Thou, O God, art an ocean of generosity.

Grant me only one thing — Thy name ; the poisonous things of the world please me not.

By the skill of God even a fragile vessel holdeth water.2

Thou art omnipotent ; I have come into the world by Thy power.

Nanak, the dog of Thy court, is growing madder every day for Thy love.

The world is fire, God's name is what cooleth it.

The bliss of divine composition :—

Blest the paper, blest the pen, blest the ink-bottle, blest the ink,

Blest the writer, Nanak, who writeth the True Name.

He who batheth in the immortal water of divine know ledge taketh with him the sixty-eight places of pilgrima^-.

RAG PRABHATI

A satire on Hindu sects and ritualists :- Jogis go to ruin in twelve sects, Sanyasis in tm. The Jogis, the Kaprias, and the plucked-headed Sara without the Word have halters round their necks.

They who are tinctured by the Word are perfect Bairagis,

Who beg to obtain alms in the wallet of their hearts that their love may be fixed on God alone.

The Brahmans read the epic poems before devotional acts, and cause others to perform them ;

But without knowing God they know nothing ; the perverse are separated from God and miserable.

They who obtain the Guru's instruction are pure, and shall be honoured at the true court.

Night and day they love the jewel of the Name, and are blended with the True One in every age.

All religious acts, purifications, austerities, devotion, penance, and pilgrimages abide in the Word.

Nanak, if the true Guru be found, he will unite man with God, when sorrow and sin and death shall be no more.

PRABHATI ASHTAPADI

The feats of the Jogis and the tenets of the six religious systems of the Hindus are ineffectual to secure salvation :—

The niwali feat,1 the suspension of breath in the dorsal chamber ; 2 the turning the brain into a still, making expiration and inspiration like the Jogis, and suspending the breath are of no avail.

Without the true Guru man knoweth nothing ; he is led astray in error, sinketh, and dieth.

The fool is defiled, and the more he washeth, the more is he defiled ; the filth of his heart shall never depart.

All religious acts are vain except the repetition of the Name ; they are like conjuror's tricks which deceive the spectators.

The six religious duties are contained in the name of the Bright One.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 379

Thou art, O God, an ocean of merits ; in inr arc demerit ^.

The pursuit of worldly things is a foolish and sinful at i.

The blockhead thinketh too highly of himself, and can- not understand his duty.

The perverse desire fascinating wealth, and their speech is evil.

According to the Hindus foul is the ablution of the Chandal, and vain are his religious ceremonies and decorations.

False is the wisdom of the perverse ; their acts produce strife.

In the impure man is pride ; he obtaineth not the flavour of the Lord.

Insipid the pleasure of doing other than the repetition of God's name.

When Guru Nanak visited Ceylon he gave the following advice to its queen, who was proud of her beauty and her state :—

Hear, young woman with the gazelle eyes, hear my serious and weighty words.

First examine thy goods and make thy traffic.

Dismiss l the evil and welcome the good.

Consider, O young woman, what proclamation to give by which thou mayest find friends.

Give thy soul and body to thy friends, and thou shalt thus enjoy the utmost hilarity.

Love not that which is transitory ;

Nanak, I am a sacrifice to those who understand this.

In spiritual matters consult the holy :- If thou art to cross the water, consult those who have the skill to cross :

They are very wise and will keep clear of the whirlpool.

The dangers of the world :-

There are continual showers, squalls, and tonvnts hundreds of thousands of waves succeed one another. 1 Dohidichai. Literally— make a proclamation to depart.

Address the True Guru, and there shall be no fear that thy bark will founder.

Another of the Guru's reflections on the sinful- ness of his age :—

Nanak, to what hath the world come ?

No companion or friend remaineth.

Love hath ceased among brethren and kinsmen ;

Faith is lost on account of mammon.

The following was composed by Guru Nanak on seeing women mourning :—

They are saying ' Hai hai ! ' and ' Oh Oh ! ' ;

They beat their cheeks and pluck out the hairs of their heads ;

They utter God's name l without meaning it : if they were absorbed in it,

Then would Nanak be a sacrifice unto them.

The Guru went to visit a man of reputed sanctity, but on finding him a hypocrite composed the following :—

The raven washeth and rubbeth itself in a small pool in the desert ;

Its mind and body are full of demerits and its beak of filth.

The swan of the lake, not knowing that the raven was an evil bird, associated with him.

Such is affection for the infidel ; O man of divine know ledge, understand the allusion.

Congratulate the congregation of the saints, and act like a holy man.

Pure is the ablution, O Nanak, when the Guru is deemed the river of pilgrimage.

The really holy are few :—

The saints are few, not many ; deceit and wrangling prevail in the world.2

The following has reference to the concremation of widows :—

Nanak, the widow followeth her husband and dieth : >\\<- hath no power to live.

But she who dieth struck by the news of her husband's death is acceptable.

When the Allwise hath struck her with the arrow of love, it cannot be extracted.

She whom God hath struck with it is struck, and being struck is acceptable.

The body is frail and cannot be saved without God's grace :—

Who can wash a vessel which is fragile in its construction ?

The body is a compound of five elements ; it hath a false gilding.

If it please God, the vessel shall be acceptable ;

The supreme light shall shine and God's praises resound in it.

Pride without merit :-

Nanak, those men are the real donkeys who are proud without merit.

A definition of a Brahman :-

He is a Brahman who knoweth God, Who performeth works of devotion, penance, and self restraint ;

And who observeth the religion of mildness and ]

Such a Brahman shall burst his bonds, obtain salvation,

And be worthy of worship.

A definition of a Khatri :- He is a Khatri who is brave in good deeds And who employeth his body in charity.1 The Khatri who inspecteth his ground before 5 gifts,

Shall be acceptable in God's court.

The Khatri who practiseth greed, covetousness, and falsehood,

Shall suffer for his misdeeds.

The Guru required complete self-sacrifice from his disciples : —

If thou desire to play at love with me,

Come my way with thy head in the palm of thy hand.

Put thy feet on this road ;

Give thy head and regard not human opinion.

The Guru, faith, truth, and the capital of God's name are necessary for salvation : —

Without the Guru there is no divine knowledge, without faith no meditation ;

Without truth there is no credit, and without capital no balance.

If Ram had been God he would not have lost his queen Sita, and he would himself have healed his half-brother Lachhman instead of calling on Hanuman to do so : —

Ram Chandar mourned in his soul for Sita and Lachhman :

He remembered Hanuman,1 and he came to meet him.

The misguided demon Raw an did not know it was not Ram but God who did this.

Nanak, God is independent : Ram could not erase his destiny.

A purse-proud person addressed improper language to the Guru. When the Guru's disciples took this amiss, the Guru uttered the following : —

Impute not blame to the Rai ; 2 his intellect is forsaking him in his old age.

HYMNS OF GURU NANAK 383

The blind man talketh much and falleth into the pit. Whatever the Perfect One hath done is perfect ; there is no deficiency or excess in it.

Nanak, the pious who know this, shall be absorbed in the Perfect One.

END OF VOL. I

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m Urn®

IN Matte di Sarai, a village about six miles from Muktsar in the Firozpur district of the Panjab, once lived a trader called Pheru. He subsequently removed to the village of Harike, where he found a better opening for commerce. His wife's maiden name was Ramo, but after her marriage she was called Daya Kaur. She is described as a lady of gentle disposition, charitable, and religious. Four hours before day on the nth of Baisakh in the Sambat year 1561 (A.D. 1504) a son was born to them. He received the name Lahina. In due time he wedded a lady called Khivi, a native of Matte di Sarai. His father grew weary of Harike, and with his own family and Lahina' s returned to Matte di Sarai and lived there. Lahina's wife there gave birth to a daughter called Amro and to two sons who were named Dasu and Datu.

When Matte di Sarai was sacked by the Mughals and Baloches, Pheru and Lahina's families went to live in Khadur, now a famous Sikh town in the Tarn Tar an sub-collectorate of the Amritsar district. While dwelling there Lahina organized a yearly pilgrimage of devout Hindus to Jawalamukhi,1 a place sacred to Durga in the lower Himalayas, where fire issues from the mountains.

There lived in Khadur a Sikh called Jodha whose

practice it was to rise every morning three hours before day and repeat the Japji and the Asa ki War. One pleasant night when gentle zephyrs cooled the heated air, Lahina heard a voice which awakened his emotions as it sang the following :—

Ever remember that Lord by worshipping whom thou shalt find happiness.

Why hast thou done such evil deeds as thou shalt suffer for?

Do absolutely nothing evil ; look well before thee.

So throw the dice that thou mayest not lose with the Lord,

Nay, that thou mayest gain some profit.1

As Lahina attentively listened, his mind obtained peace. After daybreak he asked Jodha who had composed that stimulating hymn. Jodha duly informed him that it was his Guru, Baba2 Nanak, then dwelling in Kartarpur on the bank of the Ravi. Devotion was kindled in Lahina's heart by all that he had heard from Jodha ; and he longed to behold the Guru, it is said, as the chakor3 desires to see the moon.

Lahina was conducting his family and his com pany of pilgrims to Jawalamukhi, but he induced them to break their journey at Kartarpur, telling them that they could perform two religious acts on the one pilgrimage. They could visit Guru Nanak, whom many persons believed to be beloved of God, and whose holy company was desirable and ought to be sought by all men. They might afterwards behold the flame goddess of Jawalamukhi. Lahina's advice was adopted and he was enabled to offer his obeisance to the Guru. The Guru, on observing his kind heart and amiable disposition, inquired who he was and

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 3

whither he was going. Lahina told him his name and errand, on hearing which, the Guru spoke to him of the True Creator. His discourse made such an impression on Lahina that he threw away the bells with which he had provided himself to dance before the goddess at J awalamukhi. He congratulated himself on his good fortune in meeting the Guru, and said he no longer felt an inclination to worship in a heathen temple.

His companions, who had grown weary of waiting for him, at last pressed him to continue his journey to J awalamukhi. They said that, though he was the leader of their party, yet he forsook them on the road and in a strange country. They further represented that it was written in the holy books of their faith, that he who threw any obstacle in the way of those who were doing penance, giving alms, fasting, going on pilgrimage, or getting married ; who through laziness or fear of growing weary failed to worship Durga, the giver of wealth and holiness; or who having made a vow relinquished all efforts to accom plish it, was a great sinner, and his wealth and sons should all perish. Lahina coolly replied that he was prepared to suffer every calamity that might occur to him, but he would not forsake his true Guru. He had obtained such peace of mind while listening to his discourses, that he said he had already derived all the advantage he could have hoped for from the worship of the goddess. He then decided to discon tinue his pilgrimage and abide with the Guru.

The Guru, on seeing his daily increasing devotion, said to him one day, ' I must give thee some thing ; but first go home and settle thine affairs, and when thou returnest I will initiate thee as a Sikh.' Upon this Lahina returned to Khadur, and told his wife what had happened and the spiritual change which had been wrought in him by meeting Guru Nanak, whom he described as the bestower of happiness both in this world and the

B 2

next. He said he had determined to place himself for the future at the Guru's feet. After a stay of some days at his home, during which he procured a new suit of clothes for himself and a bag of salt for the Guru's free kitchen, he set out, accompanied by his nephew, for Kartarpur. On arriving at the Guru's house he was respectfully received by Sulakhani, the Guru's wife, who told him that the Guru was in his fields, and would be home by evening. If, however, Lahina desired to see him at once, he might go to meet him. Accordingly Lahina, making over the bag of salt to Mata Sulakhani, went straightway to the Guru.

The Guru had collected three bundles of grass for his cows and buffaloes, and he desired to have the bundles taken home ; but, as the grass was wet and full of mud, his ordinary Sikhs slunk away from the task. He then asked his sons Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das to carry the bundles. They too evaded the duty, saying that there was a labourer coming who would take them. Lahina, who had just arrived, made his obeisance and said, ' Consider me as a labourer, and give me this work to do.' The Guru repeated his wish to have the bundles taken to his house. Lahina asked for assistance to lift the bundles on his head, and he would then carry them. The Guru said lie might take as many as his strength permitted. Lahina, gathering strength from his enthusiasm, took up the three bundles, and walked with them in company with Guru Nanak to his house. On the way the dripping of the moist mud from the grass soiled his new clothes.

\Yhen they arrived, the Guru's wife, seeing Lahina's state, asked the Guru if it were a proper thing for him to impose such menial labour on a guest and soil his new clothes. The Guru, she said, was depriv ing the Sikhs of their faith through his great want of consideration. The Guru replied that God had put the bundles on the head of the man who was

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 5

fit to carry them. His wife, not understanding the Guru's hidden meaning, rejoined, ' See, his clothes from his head to his feet are fouled with the mud which has been dripping from the grass.' The Guru replied, ' This is not mud ; it is the saffron of God's court, which marketh the elect. Even one of these bundles was difficult to lift. He hath acquired divine strength, and lifted all three.' On looking again the Guru's wife observed that the mud on Lahina's clothes had really changed to saffron. The three bundles are held by the Sikhs to symbolize spiritual affairs, temporal affairs, and the Guruship.

It was Guru Nanak's practice to rise three hours before day and go to bathe in the Ravi. After his bath, he used to recite the Japji, meditate on God, and sing His praises till day dawned. He was always attended by Lahina, who took charge of his clothes, and performed for him any other offices he required. Three other Sikhs — Bhai Bhagirath, Bhai Budha, and Bhai Sudhara — on seeing Lahina's constancy and devotion to the Guru, thought that they too would perform meritorious service for him, so they proceeded in the early morning to the bank of the river to wait on him. It was the winter season, black clouds gathered, cold winds blew in gusts, and hail began to fall. The three men became quite benumbed, and were with difficulty able to make their way home shaking and shivering. It was only by warming themselves at the fire that they recovered the use of their limbs. Lahina endured the cold as if it had been the mildest weather. When the Guru at sunrise came out of the water, he congratulated Lahina on his endurance, and said he had attained salvation, which was the main object of human birth.

Once Lahina thought to himself, ' The Guru endureth great cold in performing his penance. It is not right that his servant should live in comfort.' Accordingly before day next morning he too entered

the water, and only came out at sunrise, by which time his body was nearly frozen. He fell down at the Guru's feet, and the Guru's touch had the effect of restoring the natural heat of his body. All the Sikhs were astonished on seeing the Guru's kindness to the man who had voluntarily become his servant, and endured well nigh unendurable hardships for him.

The Guru now began to enter on a systematic trial of the devotion of his Sikhs. One winter's night, as heavy rain was falling, a part of the wall of his house fell. The Guru said it must be repaired at once. His sons said it was now midnight and very cold, but they would send for masons and labourers in the morning, who would do the necessary repairs. The Guru replied that there was no need of masons and labourers. The Guru's work must be performed by his Sikhs. Everybody was silent except Lahina, who at once stood up and began to repair the wall. The Guru's sons and other Sikhs went off to sleep. When Lahina had to some extent restored the wall, the Guru said, ' That is crooked, throw it down, and build it up again.' Lahina did so, but the Guru again professed not to be satisfied. The foundation must be moved back, which meant that the wall must be thrown down again, and built up for the third time. Lahina obeyed his master's order, but the master again expressed his dissatisfaction, and asked to have the wall again destroyed and again rebuilt. Upon this the Guru's sons told Lahina that he was a fool to obey unreasonable orders. Lahina, putting himself into a respectful posture, replied that a servant should make his hands useful by doing his master's work. The Guru then said to his family : ' You know not this man's worth. He used every year to visit the shrine of Durga. Now, having met the Guru, he hath remained to serve the true God.'

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 7

The Guru and his disciple grew daily more pleased with each other. In proportion as the Guru instructed him, divine knowledge entered his heart. The Guru's sons grew jealous of the devoted servant and disciple, and took no pains to conceal their dis like. Probably in order to still the enmity which daily increased, the Guru suggested that Lahina should return for a time to Khadur. The Guru said : ' Thy father, mother, and relations are much dis tressed at thine absence from them. Wherefore return to Khadur, tarry there for some time, and cause God's name to be repeated. I myself lived there once in the house of Satbharai. My bed is still there. Thou shalt behold me in Khadur as if thou wert near me.'

Lahina, who was the essence of obedience, at once proceeded to Khadur. On his arrival it became known that he had spent three years with Guru Nanak, and had made great progress in virtue and spirituality. Accordingly, everybody went to pay him homage. Among others Takht Mai, the head man of the city, went to touch his feet. Lahina said to him, ' This must not be, since thou art in every way of higher rank than myself ; ' but Takht MaL knew of the power Lahina possessed to render him spiri tually perfect, and would not abate a jot in his devotion to him. He pressed Lahina to give him religious instruction by which he might be saved. Lahina accordingly repeated to him the following hymn of Guru Nanak :—

God will regenerate those in whose hearts there is love ;

He will make them happy with gifts, and cause them to forget their sorrows.

There is no doubt that He will assuredly save them.

The Guru cometh to meet those for whom such destiny hath been recorded,

And will give them for their instruction God's ambrosial Name.

They will walk as it pleaseth the true Guru, and never wander a-begging.1

Why should he, for whom God's court is at hand, bow to any one else ?

The porter at God's gate will ask him no questions whatever.

Man shall be saved by the words of those on whom God looketh with favour.

There is no one to advise Him who sendeth and recalleth man.

God knoweth how to do all things ; He destroyeth, constructeth, and createth.

Nanak, the Name is the reward of him to whom the Gracious One showeth favour.2

On hearing this the doors of Takht Mai's under standing opened, and divine knowledge shone on him. All the Sikhs, believing Lahina to be even as Guru Nanak, went to do him homage. Bread was daily made and distributed to visitors, and the devotion of the people daily increased.

The Guru, knowing Lahina's devotion, went to visit him in Khadur. Lahina and his wife fell at the Guru's feet, and placed everything they had at his disposal. The Guru taught Lahina contempt for the world, discrimination, and divine knowledge. Having thus made him spiritually wise with excellent instruc tion, the Guru returned to Kartarpur, leaving Lahina in Khadur. While reciting the prayers taught him by the Guru, the time passed speedily for Lahina Hopes, desires, and worldly love all vanished, while his spiritual love and devotion were all centred on God. As gold is tried by the touchstone, so did Guru Nanak try Lahina, and find him pure and altogether fit for the exalted office of Guru.

Henceforth Lahina never went into the town. He remained absorbed in spiritual thought and love of the Word. The only time he left his house

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 9

was when he went to the border of a tank outside Khadur, where he used to lie down in incessant and unwavering meditation on God.

Guru Nanak, knowing Lahina's devotion, was not very long in paying him another visit, and thus addressed him : ' Thou hast performed excessive devotions. I cannot endure that thou shouldst suffer any longer. Between thee and me there is now no difference. None of my Sikhs hath such faith and confidence in me as thou, and therefore I love thee most of all. Thou art verily Angad a part of my body. I congratulate thee.' Say ing this the Guru embraced him, and took him to Kartarpur.

While at Kartarpur Guru Nanak found time to attend to agriculture. He sowed several fields of corn which gave him an unfailing supply for his kitchen, from which he fed all comers, Musalmans as well as Hindus. Once, when there was an unusual crowd of visitors, continuous rain fell for three days, and it became impossible to light a fire or cook, so that there was nothing to eat for his guests. The Guru went out into the fields, taking with him his sons Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das. He explained to them his difficulty, and how improper it would be that his guests should want for anything as long as they sought shelter with him. His sons replied, ' How can we satisfy such a crowd in this heavy rain ? Whence can we obtain sufficient bread ? ' The Guru said, ' Climb this kikar tree, shake it, and it shall rain fruit and sweets to satisfy our visitors.' Sri Chand replied, ' Nothing can fall from kikar but thorns or bitter fruit.' The Guru then addressed his other son : ' Climb this tree and shake it.' Lakhmi Das replied, ' Hath such a thing ever been done before ? Have sweets and pastry ever fallen from trees ? ' The Guru then told Angad to do what his sons had refused. Angad with great alacrity climbed the tree, shook it, when down fell heaps of

io THE SIKH RELIGION

every conceivable form of Indian sweetmeats. When the Guru's guests had partaken thereof and satisfied their hunger, they began to sing praises of the Guru and his faithful disciple. Angad promptly explained that such power was not in himself. It was divine knowledge not sweetmeats which dropped from the tree. It was all the miraculous effect of the Guru's words. The Guru on hearing this said, ' My words are profitable, but only they who obey them shall obtain the fruit thereof.' It was then for the first time the Guru's sons and many of his Sikhs realized the value of obedience.

The Guru had by now well tested Lahina's devotion, but at the same time deemed it proper to make further trial, principally with the object of humbling the pride of his sons, and convincing them and his disciples that Lahina alone was worthy to succeed him. On one occasion near midnight, when the sacred songs had ceased, and all except the Guru had retired, he called his sons, told them that his clothes were soiled, and asked them to take them at once and wash them. They replied that all the wells had stopped,1 that it was dark, and that, even if by any means they succeeded in washing the clothes, they could not dry them at that hour. When it was day they would procure a washerman who would perform the required service. The Guru said it would be well if they went themselves at once and washed them. They replied, that, if he could not wait till morning, he had better put on other clothes. Upon this the Guru addressed himself to Angad. Angad at once took up the clothes, where upon day dawned, and he found the wells on the outskirts of the city in motion. He rapidly washed and dried his master's clothes. On returning with them in an incredibly short space of time, everybody

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD n

was astonished, and the Guru again expressed him self delighted with his service.

One day, as the Guru was washing his hair, the cup he used slipped from his hand and fell into a deep sink. The Guru told his sons to bring it to him quickly. They replied that the sink was very deep and full of dirty water, but that they would get somebody to dive for it. Upon this the Guru told Angad to restore him his cup. As soon as Angad put in his hand, it is said, the cup rose to the sur face of the water, and he had no difficulty in taking it out and presenting it to his master. The Guru then said to his wife, ' Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das are thy sons ; Lahina, who obeys me, is my son.' The Guru's wife duly admonished her sons, giving them hope at the same time that, if they obeyed their father's orders, one of them might be found fit to succeed him. The mother's words were addressed to deaf ears for the sons in no wise showed filial affection or obedience. The last trial of Guru Angad was on the subject of eating the corpse mentioned in the Life of Guru Nanak.

One day, as the Sikhs were assembled, the Guru seated Angad on his throne, put five pice and a coco-nut in front of him, and said to Bhai Budha, ' This is my successor ; put a tilak on his forehead in token of his appointment to the Guruship.' Bhai Budha did so. The Guru then ordered his people to obey and serve Angad, who was in his image. Whoever did so should obtain the reward thereof. Guru Nanak' s sons were highly displeased at being superseded. He told them that Angad alone had proved himself most worthy of the Guruship. It was a position which depended on self-sacrifice, Angad had exhibited that virtue in the highest degree, and consequently had the best claim to the position to which he had been elevated. Guru Nanak directed Angad after his appointment to the Guruship to return to Khadur. He obeyed,

though he wished to remain in attendance on his master even to his latest breath. Bhai Gur Das thus describes the succession of Guru Angad :—

Angad got the same tilak, the same umbrella over his head, and was seated on the same true throne as Guru Nanak.

The seal in Guru Nanak's hand entered Guru Angad's, and proclaimed his sovereignty.

He left Kartarpur, and went and lit the Guru's lamp in Khadur.

What was sown in the beginning hath germinated in this world ; to offer another opinion were false cleverness.

Lahina obtained the gift from Nanak, and it must descend to the house of Amar Das.1

A short time after the appointment of Guru Angad, Guru Nanak departed this life in the manner already related.

A Jat girl called Nihali was one day making cakes of cow-dung for fuel in the vicinity of Khadur. She saw Guru Angad approaching and felt delighted at the opportunity afforded her of doing him homage. Guru Angad, who still keenly felt his separation from Guru Nanak, was singing his praises as he proceeded. Yearning for solitude, he said that the eyes which beheld Guru Nanak desired to see nothing more, and he then remained silent for some time. When he spoke again, he asked her to let him have a room where he might sit alone and meditate on God, without any distraction or inter ruption. The room might be locked on him outside. He required nothing to eat or drink except a pot of milk daily. The girl granted his request. She gave him a pot of milk daily, and in doing so continued to gladden her eyes by beholding him. Guru Angad remained in profound meditation with the name of God as additional support. It is said

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 13

that six months passed in this manner, every moment of which seemed an age to his Sikhs.

One day Bhai Lalo, Bhai Saido, Bhai Ajitta and other Sikhs asked Bhai Budha, to whom the Guru Nanak had been so kind, to tell them where they could find his successor. They had searched Khadur and other places, but could obtain no trace of him. Bhai Budha said he would give them an answer on the morrow. Overnight he read the Sodar and the Sohila, and then fixed his thoughts on the Guru. He then with his mind's eye saw Guru Angad sitting concealed in the house of Nihali. Bhai Budha rose three hours before day and read the Japji, the Asa ki War, and other hymns of Guru Nanak. At daybreak the devout Sikhs came again and surrounded him, as they knew the Guru had communicated to him supernatural knowledge. He told them what he had seen in a vision. They then, taking him as leader, proceeded to Nihali' s house near Khadur. The owner of the house in reply to their inquiries gave them no information. Bhai Budha then said that, as there could be no darkness after the sun had arisen, so a Guru could not be hidden. Nihali went to Guru Angad, and told him of the visit of his four Sikhs. He at once ordered that they should be shown into his apartment. The Guru embraced Bhai Budha and uttered the follow ing sloks:—

Die before the dear one thou lovest ;

To live after him in the world is a curse to life.

After a pause the Guru resumed : — •

Cut off the head which boweth not to the Lord. Nanak,1 take and burn the wretched body 2 which feeleth not the pain of separation.3

The other Sikhs saw that Guru Angad had the same radiance on his countenance, the same manners, and the same appearance as Guru Nanak, and congratulated Bhai Budha on his success in dis covering him.

The Guru asked Bhai Budha how he had obtained his name Budha, and how it was that Guru Nanak had been always pleased with him. Bhai Budha then told him that he was the boy who had watched the little sticks burning first, and the large sticks afterwards, and had attended Guru Nanak's prayer- meetings. Bhai Budha related another incident of his life. Once the Emperor's troops marching through his village cut down all his father's young crops to feed their horses. He begged his father to protect his fields. His father replied that he was powerless against the Emperor's troops. Bhai Budha then concluded that, if his father could not withstand the Emperor's troops, how could he withstand Death, a still more powerful antagonist ? On this Bhai Budha went and put himself under Guru Nanak's protection. Guru Nanak on hearing his history said, ' My brother, thou talkest like an old man (budha). Thou shalt henceforth be called Bhai Budha, and thy transmigration shall be at an end.'

Bhai Budha then told how next day he took a pot of clarified butter to Guru Nanak. The Guru asked if he had brought the offering with his mother's consent or secretly. Bhai Budha replied he had brought it with his mother's consent. ' Guru Nanak then', continued Bhai Budha, 'gave me divine instruction, upon which my mind became pure, and I obtained the spiritual knowledge which enabled me to find thee.' Saying this he fell at Guru Angad's feet. The Guru invited him to ask a favour. Bhai Budha replied, ' Take thy seat as Guru and receive the Sikhs publicly. Instruct us in our faith, and save us all.' Upon this Guru Angad repeated the following : —

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 15

He whom Guru Nanak's instruction enlightened is im mersed in the praises of the True One.

What instruction can I give him who had divine Nanak for his guru ? l

After this Guru Angad came forth from his seclusion. When this was announced, crowds went to see him and make him offerings. All that he leceived was sent to his kitchen for the support of pilgrims and wayfarers. There were continual preaching, singing, and repetition of the Name as in Guru Nanak's time.

It was Guru Angad' s daily practice to rise three hours before day, bathe in cold water, and engage in meditation and introspection. Meanwhile the musicians sang the Asa ki War. At its completion the Guru arose from his attitude of contemplation. Sick persons, particularly lepers, came from great distances to be healed by him ; and on being healed returned to their respective homes singing the Guru's praises. After his healing ministrations the Guru preached and expounded Guru Nanak's hymns. About nine o'clock in the forenoon visitors of all conditions sat in a line, and received sacred food in discriminately. When the elders had finished and grace had been said, the children were fed and instruction imparted to them by the Guru himself. Very often he took the opportunity of pointing a moral from the children's behaviour. He used to delight in watching their sports, and would tell his Sikhs that the children's time for mourning had not yet come, that elders ought to be pure and simple in heart as they, and then should they be dear to their Creator. The Guru used sometimes to witness wrestling matches in the early afternoon. On such occasions he would often take the opportunity of in structing the spectators how to overcome anger and other deadly sins. After this he used to hold court,

when Balwand and Satta, two famous minstrels of the time, entertained the company with vocal and instrumental music. The Sodar was then repeated and food distributed as in the morning. After that followed further singing of sacred hymns, and then the Guru and his disciples retired to rest.

Jogis of different sub-sects visited the Guru, and endeavoured to win him over to their own practices and beliefs. They represented that the great Rikhis, Munis, and Penitents of former ages had none of them obtained happiness or mental purity without Jog with its eight accessories of forbearance, observance, pos ture, introspection, suspension of breath, contempla tion, absorption, and trance.1 ' By the practice of Jog/ they said, ' life is prolonged and wealth and super natural power obtained. Guru Nanak practised it, and was able to make disciples out of the four castes! Wherefore do thou also practise Jog. If thou now learn of us, thou shalt by the favour of Gorakh obtain twofold power.' The Guru, divining their object, replied : ' By the favour of Guru Nanak I am not conscious of any deficiency in myself for the work in which I am engaged. In this Kaljug it is difficult to practise the Jog you mean, but by the Jog of real devotion it is easy to render the mind pure. Holy men say that Sahaj Jog consisteth in repeating the Name with fixed attention, and associating with the holy. By your Jog, wealth and supernatural power may be obtained, but, when man becometh attached to these things, he cannot obtain salvation. If man's life be prolonged, he is ruined by avarice and pride. While pluming your selves on your bodily austerities, you have not seen God who is in every heart. Guru Nanak hath shown us how to abide pure amid impurity, that is, how to find God while leading a secular life.' 2 The Guru

See the Yoga Sulra of Piitanjali, by Manilal Nabhubhai Dvivedi, Bombay.

So also Guru Amar Das ; see below, paragraph on salvation, p. 252.

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 17

then quoted for the Jogis Guru Nanak' s hymn describing in what religion consists.

It is said that the superior of the Jogis on hearing it was pleased, and invited the Guru to ask him a favour. The Guru replied that Baba Nanak had given him everything, and he wanted nothing more. The superior again urged, ' Ask for something. Let not my words be uttered in vain.' Upon this the Guru asked for humility. The superior replied, ' I have it not, nor is it with the demigods in heaven/ The Jogi then fixing his thoughts on God prayed for humility for himself, whereupon a voice came from heaven that humility had been granted with unspar ing hand to Guru Nanak and his successor Guru Angad. Upon this the Jogis took their leave.

After them came another Jogi of high spiritual rank called Harinath. He felt happy on seeing the Guru, and requested him to tell him man's highest duty. The Guru replied with the twelfth slok of Asa ki War. On hearing it Harinath' s doubts were dispelled. The Guru's fame increased ; there was ever a large crowd around him, and those for whom he interceded received the objects of their desires.

One evening in the hot weather there arose a storm which brought clouds of dust and hindered the preparation of dinner, jiva, the Guru's cook, said he could only serve it if the Guru quelled the storm. The Guru chid him in the following lan guage : ' O Jiva, remain ever satisfied with the will of God and the true Guru. This is the main article of our faith ; and the Sikh who observeth it shall be beloved by the Guru. As a woman who is virtuous, well-behaved, and clever, is ever happy in her obedience to her spouse, so, O Jiva, do thou accept the Guru's instruction and be ever happy in thine obedience to God. By so doing thou shalt obtain all the advantages of devotion, penance, fasting, and alms-deeds, and abide in bliss.

A blacksmith called Gujjar went to the Guru

and asked for divine instruction that he might obtain salvation. The Guru bade him recite the Japji with attention every morning, and work gra tuitously for the poor.

A barber named Dhinga remained with the Guru and performed ordinary menial offices for his Sikhs. One day he asked the Guru for spiritual consolation. The Guru replied, ' The Guru is as it were a grave, and the Sikhs are as it were corpses. These are laid in the grave when life is extinct, and they cease to move. So when the Sikhs divest themselves of pride, they are fit to rest in the Guru's bosom. His Sikhs should therefore be humble and serve others. The saint Sain l was of the same trade and caste as thou, yet he obtained salvation by serving his fellow-crea tures. Thou shouldst therefore not despair of thy deliverance from transmigration during thy present birth.'

Paro of the Julka tribe asked the Guru the mean ing of param hans — superior swan — as applied to holy men. The Guru replied : ' In the first place, the holy accept good precepts from the Guru as the swan, according to the popular belief, feedeth on pearls in Lake Mansarowar ; secondly, the holy renounce evil and do good as the swan by the peculiar structure of its bill separateth water from milk.'

A soldier named Malu Shah, orderly of a Mughal officer, sought for spiritual advice which would be profitable to him here and hereafter. The Guru counselled him, if ever the necessity of battle arose, to fight for his master, and not consider whether his side was in a numerical minority or not.

Kidaru asked the Guru how he should escape from the fire of the deadly sins which was consuming the world. The Guru replied, ' As when a forest is burning the deer flee and cool themselves in the

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 19

nearest lake, so should man flee the deadly sins and take refuge in the cooling water of the Guru's instruction.'

The Emperor Babar was succeeded by his son Humayun. He invaded Gujrat in the Dakhan, and then determined on making an expedition against Sher Shah, who had recently taken posses sion of Bengal. Humayun was successful at first. He recovered Gaur, then the capital of Bengal, but was at las t> defeated and obliged to seek safety in flight. Mounted on horseback he plunged into the Ganges ; his horse sank, and he himself only escaped drowning by the prompt assistance rendered him by a water-carrier. On crossing the river, he made his way to Agra, and there effected a reconciliation with his brother Hindal, who had previously been his enemy. They with their brother Kamran col lected a great force, and this time there were hopes of success for the imperial cause, but Humayun was again defeated near Kanauj, and was obliged to flee from Hindustan. He made his way to Lahore, and there inquired for some wonder-working priest who could restore him his throne and kingdom. He was informed of the greatness of the late Guru Nanak and of the succession of Guru Angad to his spiritual sovereignty, and advised to seek his assistance. Upon this Humayun, taking offerings with him, proceeded to Khadur. The Guru at the time was in a deep trance, minstrels were playing and singing the Guru's hymns, and the Emperor was kept standing. He became violently angry, and put his hand on the hilt of his sword with the inten tion of striking the Guru. The sword, however, would not come out of the scabbard, a circumstance which gave the fugitive Emperor time to repent of his haste. The Guru, nothing daunted, addressed

c 2

him : ' When thou oughtest to have used thy sword against Slier Shah, thou didst not do so. Now when thou comest among priests, instead of saluting them respectfully, thou desirest to draw thy sword on them. In a cowardly manner hast thou fled from the battle, and now posing as a hero thou wishest to attack a body of men engaged in their devotions/ Humayun repented and craved the Guru's spiritual assistance. The Guru replied : ' Hadst thou not put thy hand on the hilt of thy sword, thou shouldst at once have obtained thy kingdom. Thou shalt now pro ceed for a time to thine own country Persia, and when thou returnest thou shalt recover thy possessions/ The Emperor took his leave, crossed the Indus with great trouble and difficulty, and made his way to his native country. Having obtained a reinforce ment of cavalry from the king of Persia, he returned to India, and after a pitched battle recovered his empire and captured Dihli. After his success he felt grateful to the Guru and desired to do him a favour. By this time Guru Angad was no more, and Guru Amar Das reigned in his place. Guru Amar Das sent a message to the Emperor to live honestly, not to desecrate holy places, and not again to come to molest the Guru.

There was a Sikh called Mana who worked in Guru Angad's kitchen. Through good feeding he waxed fat and proud, so that at last he would not obey any of the Sikhs or even perform his ordinary duties. He spent the principal part of his time quarrelling with his fellow Sikhs. He used to say, ' I am nobody's servant. I am the Guru's Sikh', and I will only do what he ordereth me.' One day he showed a disposition to work. The Guru told him to serve the saints. He said, ' I am not their servant, but I will do for thee what thou orderest me.' The Guru, tired of seeing him suing for service, told him to go to the forest, gather some firewood, and cremate himself. Mana accordingly

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 21

went to the forest, collected wood, and made a pyre. On setting fire to it and seeing it blaze up he became afraid, and did not relish the idea of death. Mean while a thief arrived and asked why this great fire ? Mana related his whole story. The thief on hearing of the Guru's greatness began to repent, and con cluded that he had at last an opportunity of wiping out the sins of his past life. He accordingly said to Mana, ' Take this casket of gems from me, and let me in exchange for it obey the Guru's order/ Mana being a greedy man and loving life, a bargain was struck on these terms. The thief obtained faith, cre mated himself, it is said, and went to his repose at Guru Nanak's feet. Mana went to the bazar to sell the gems, and was there arrested on suspicion of having stolen them. The result of his trial was that he was hanged, and the stolen gems restored to their owner. ' So true is it/ as the Guru subsequently said, ' that the perverse lose both worlds, and, if folly depart not from the heart, man obtaineth not salvation even by living near the Guru.'

Balwand and Satta continued to please the Guru's visitors with their songs and music ; but on seeing his glory increase, their pride and greed increased in the same ratio. They boasted that it was on account of their music the Guru had become re nowned. One day an elderly Sikh asked them to sing him a hymn. They made a rude reply, caying, ' Shall we sing hymns for peasants ? ' The Guru on hearing this was not pleased, and, when the minstrels came to sing at the evening seance, turned his back on them. They went round so as to catch his eye, but he again avoided their salutation. They asked what offence they had committed. He informed them and said that, as they would not sing to a Sikh of his, they must not sing to him. They fell at his feet and begged his pardon, which he good-naturedly granted. Their pride, however, was not totally humbled. They determined to sing for the future

only on condition that they received higher wages. After a short time they told the Guru that one of their daughters was to be married, and they asked for five hundred rupees to meet expenses. The Guru desired them to wait for two months, and he would settle their accounts at the yearly Baisakhi fair. Balwand said they could not wait so long ; they wanted money at once, and pressed him to borrow it for them. The Guru replied that it was not a good thing to borrow, and he asked them to have patience and see what God would do. They then began to address him in an insolent tone : ' It is we who by singing thy praises have made thee famous. Did we not sing the Guru's hymns, the Sikhs would never make thee offerings. Therefore refuse not our request. If thou choose not to give the money we require, we will go to our homes and sing our hymns there/

The quarrel was not adjusted, and next morning they did not present themselves. The Guru sent for them, but they failed to answer his summons. He again sent a special messenger to tell them not to delay, but come to him at once. The more, how ever, the Guru humbled himself, the prouder they became. They replied, ' The Guru knoweth not our worth. His court shall have no splendour without us. Even Guru Nanak's court would not have been known without the music of Mardana.' The Guru could endure the ingratitude of the minstrels who owed everything to him, but he could not endure the disrespect shown to Guru Nanak's court, so he cursed them and said, ' Their children shall wander forlorn, and none shall cherish them.' The Guru then assigned the duty of singing the hymns to his Sikhs. For a good cause enthusiasts are some times found. Bhai Ramu, Bhai Dipa, Bhai Ugarsain, and Bhai Nagauri came from Dalla with two- stringed violins and cymbals, and took the places of the faithless Balwand and Satta. It soon began

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 23

to rain showers of melody and devotion, and the audiences were delighted. Balwand and Satta on reaching their homes continued to sing the Guru's hymns with the object of withdrawing the Sikhs from the Guru, but in this they completely failed. No one would go to them or listen to their minstrelsy. They found themselves without corn or money to buy it, and then they began to repent of their impudence and imprudence. They said to some Sikhs, whom they expected to perform the office of mediators between them and the Guru, that they would return to their duties, if they even received food and clothes as remuneration. The Sikhs men tioned this to the Guru, but he sternly forbade them to make any representation again on behalf of men who showed disrespect to the house of Guru Nanak. He said he would have the beard and moustaches of any one who again spoke in their favour cut off and his face blackened, and he would then have him mounted on a donkey and led in disgrace through the city.

Two months after this Balwand and Satta went to Lahore to visit one Bhai Ladha, whom they knew to possess great influence with the Guru. . They told him all the circumstances connected with their quarrel with the Guru, and begged him to intercede for them. Bhai Ladha said to himself, ' Here is a chance of doing good. The body and wealth abide not for ever. The only gain is for him who doeth a good action.' He sent Balwand and Satta on before him, and having shaved his head, blackened his face, and mounted a donkey with his face turned to the tail, went round the city of Khadur, and finally arrived in the Guru's presence. The Guru asked him what guise he had assumed. He said he was merely obeying the Guru's order, and prayed him to be good enough to pardon and reinstate the rebeck-players. ' The Sikhs err,' said Bhai Ladha, ' but the Guru can pardon and mend what is broken.'

The Guru granted Bhai Ladha's request and, com mending his self-devotion, took the opportunity of expatiating on the merits of philanthropy : ' The best devotion is the remembrance of the True Name ; the best act is philanthropy : without both of these accursed is man's human birth. He merely vegetateth and heedeth not what is best for him. He is a beast without a tail or horn, and vain is his advent into the world. At the last moment the myrmidons of Death shall firmly seize him, and he shall depart grieving with empty hands. Almsgifts, penance, and sacrifices are not equal to philanthropy. Of the various sins that man commits none is worse than selfishness.'

When the rebeck-players came, they fell at the Guru's feet, but they were too much abashed to lift their eyes to his. He put rebecks into their hands, and ordered them to sing with the same mouths and to the same instruments the praises of Guru Nanak whom they had reviled. They then com posed and sang in Guru Nanak and Guru Angad's praises five pauris in the Ramkali ki War, which, when completed by three pauris more, Guru Arjan subsequently included in the Granth Sahib.1 The composition is known among the Sikhs as the Coro-

1 In this narrative we have followed Bhai Dhiyfm Singh Gyani, grand- uncle of Bhai Sardul Singh Gya.m. Bhai Santokh Singh slates that the above composition was written in the lime of Guru Arjan. This receives some support from Gur Das also. He makes ' Bhai Ladha parupkari/ who interceded with Guru Angad for Balwand and Satta, live in the time of Guru Arjan. It does not, however, follow that Bhai Ladha did not live in the time of Guru Angad also. The statement that the circumstance occurred in the time of Guru Arjan is totally negatived by the internal evidence of the composition itself, if it be carefully examined. It was written by the minstrel Balwand to make his peace with Guru Angad. Satta afterwards, as we shall see, added three pauris to it in the time of Guru Arjan when the apotheosis of the Guru had become complete. The pauris were added with the intention of making a complete panegyric on the Gurus up to the time of Guru Arjan, and obtaining for the ode the honour of insertion in the Granth Sahib.

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nation Ode (Tikke di War). The pauris or stanzas which relate to Guru Nanak and Guru Angad are as follow : —

How can the words of him who uttereth the Name of the Omnipotent Creator be weighed ? 1

Grant us true merits that the gift of supreme salvation may be ours, and that our sisters and brothers may share it.2

Nanak established his empire by laying a strong founda tion of the fortress of truth.3

He placed the crown over Lahina's head, and Lahina re peating God's praises quaffed nectar.

The true Guru put into Guru Angad's heart the power ful sword of the Almighty.

The Guru and his disciple Lahina have made the straight road — hail to Nanak !

The King during his lifetime gave the apostolic mark to Guru Angad.

Guru Nanak proclaimed the accession of Lahina as the reward of service.

He had the same light, the same ways ; the king merely changed his own body.4

The divine umbrella waved over him ; he obtained posses sion of the throne in the place of Guru Nanak.

Lahina did what Guru Nanak ordered him, and in doing so licked the insipid stone5 of Jogism.

The kitchen of the Guru's word was opened ; in his earnings there was no deficiency.

He liberally spent the Master's gift, himself ate, and gave alms.

The Lord is praised ; His light flasheth from the upper to the lower regions.

On beholding thee, O true King, the filth of different births hath been cut away.

Since the Guru ordered us to speak the truth, why should we -recede from his order ?

His sons would not obey his words ; they turned a deaf ear to their priest.1

With evil hearts they became rebels ; they took sackloads of sins on their heads.

Lahina obeyed what the Guru had ordered him, and earned the reward of his acts.2

Let us sec who hath lost and who hath gained.

Lahina obeyed the orders of Guru Nanak whether necessary or unnecessary.3

The Guru is impartial like the god Dharmraj, and inter- cedeth for those who appeal to him.

The True One doeth at once what the true Guru telleth him.

The sovereignty of Guru Angad was proclaimed and the true Creator ratified the act.

A scion of Guru Nanak exchanged bodies with him and took possession of his throne.

The people waited at the Guru's door, and the rust of their sins was filed off.

The darweshes at his gate became happy by uttering the Master's true name and hymns.

Saith Balwand, Guru Angad' s consort Khivi was a good person who afforded very effectual shade to his disciples.

: This is on the supposition that khatiai is read as the last word of the verse. Those who read thatiai translate — What Guru Nanak said he clid^ and what he attempted he successfully accomplished.

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She distributed the Guru's wealth in his kitchen — rice boiled in milk and ghi tasting like ambrosia.

The faces of the Guru's Sikhs were bright ; those of the perverse grew pale.

The disciples who toil are accepted in company with their master.

Mother Khivi's spouse is he who support eth the earth.

Guru Nanak, in bowing to Guru Angad, reversed the order of things,1 and everybody said ' What is this he hath done ? '

King Nanak, the lord of the earth, uttered sublime sentiments.

Taking a mountain as his churning staff and the snake as its rope he churned God's word.

He extracted the fourteen gems and illumined the world.

He displayed such power when he tested so great a man as Angad.

He put his umbrella over the head of Lahina who then was exalted to the skies.

Guru Nanak' s light blended with Guru Angad' s, and Guru Nanak became absorbed in him.

He tested his Sikhs and his sons, and the whole sect saw what he had done.

It was when Lahina was purified that Guru Nanak consecrated him.

After Guru Nanak, Pheru's son the true Guru, went and inhabited Khadur.

Devotion, penance, and austerities abide with thee, 0 Lahina ; great pride with other people.

Greed spoileth men as slime doth water.2

Natural light streameth into the Guru's court.

They who can find no shelter elsewhere find it in thee, 0 Lahina.

Thou art completely filled with the Name, which is wealth and the nine treasures.

He who slandereth thee shall be ruined.

The people of this world only see with their eyes, but thou seest afar with thy mind.

Pheru's son the true Guru went and inhabited Khadur after Guru Nanak.

There resided in Khadur the purse-proud Chaudhri1 of the Khahiras, who placed himself in opposition to Guru Angad. He used to laugh at the Sikhs when he saw them doing service for the Guru. The Chaudhri had a son who was betrothed in childhood at vast expense. When he grew up he used to drink wine and frequent the society of women of ill fame, and he became an enemy of those who endeavoured to dissuade him from evil courses. Once he fell ill with fever, and epilepsy subsequently supervened. He became insensible and foamed at the mouth. His parents and relations tried every remedy and every form of incantation, burnt in cense to exorcise the evil spirits who they thought possessed the patient, but all their efforts were in vain. At last friends suggested to the young man's parents to place him under the Guru's treatment. Persons suffering from various ailments came long distances to the Guru, and all returned to their homes restored to health, so why should not the Guru heal the Chaudhri' s son ? Moreover, the Chaudhri' s family lived near, and a trial at any rate might be made of the Guru's healing power. The young man's parents and friends yielded to the representations made them, and took him to the Guru. The Guru's prescription was not elaborate. He ordered the patient to abstain from wine, serve

[ The headman of a village. There were originally four (chau) men in whom confidence was placed (d/mr) ; hence the name.

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holy men, repeat God's name, and he should be effectually cured. When he recovered by this mode of treatment he was informed that if he disregarded the Guru's injunctions his malady would return.

There lived in Khadur a pretended religious man known as the Tapa, or Penitent, to whom recourse had been made at an early stage of the young man's illness. He boasted that it was his own prayers which had effected the cure. When the Guru heard this, he said he did not desire to speak evilly of any one, and he repeated from the Asa ki War, ' Treat others as thou wouldst be treated thyself.' A year passed, however, without any evil to the young man. When the month of Sawan came round with its gathering clouds, its flashing lightning, and its cooling rain, he said, ' When shall this pleasant time come again ? Following the Guru's instruc tions I have passed a whole year in misery and suffering. Now bring wine and let me drink.' Several persons tried to dissuade him, but in vain. He drank wine without measure, saying, 'What knoweth Angad of the pleasure I feel ? ' That moment his epilepsy returned, he fell to the ground from the top story of his house,and was immediately killed. Every one said that his death was the result of his opposition to the Guru and disregard of his warnings. The Guru, much distressed at the young man's untimely fate, repeated Guru Nanak's Alahanian or Lamentation.

When the Guru subsequently visited Harike, the scene of his childhood, his Sikhs went to do him homage, and brought him a couch to rest on after the fatigue of his journey. The owner of the village, who had known the Guru when a boy, refused to accept him as a prophet, to show him honour, or to make him an offering, but sat down familiarly beside him at the head of the couch. As soon as he did so his head became giddy, and he fell from his seat. The Sikhs told him that that was the result

of his having put himself on an equality with the Guru. He replied, ' I am of higher caste than the Guru, and owner of a village. How is he superior to me ? ' Then the Sikhs repeated for his edification the eleventh slok of Asa ki War. On hearing it the man's pride and malevolence departed, and he became a devout Sikh.

King Ram Chandar, accepted by the Hindus as a god, had a younger half-brother named Bharat. It is said that from him the Khatris of the Bhalla tribe have descended. Tej Bhan of that line went and dwelt in the village of Basarka not far from Amritsar. His wife Bakht Kaur bore him four sons, the eldest of whom was Amar Das. He was born before day on the I4th of the light half of Baisakh in the Sambat year 1536 (A.D. 1479). He lived partly by agriculture and partly by trade. At the age of twenty-three years and ten months he was married to Mansa Devi. There were two sons, Mohri and Mohan, and two daughters, Dani and Bhani, born of the marriage. Amar Das was a zealous believer in the Vaishnav faith, and used to fast every eleventh day. He ever reflected that his human life was passing in vain, and he longed for the guidance of a religious teacher to make it pro fitable. ' How can the lotus bloom without the sight of the sun,' he asked, ' and how can man obtain salvation without a guru ? ' He made a vow to bathe yearly in the Ganges, and zealously discharge all the duties of a pious Hindu. On returning for the twentieth time from that sacred river, wearied with travel and the noonday heat, he lay down to sleep outside the village of Mihra.

As Amar Das continued his journey, he met a monk with whom he became so intimate and friendly that they cooked for each other. The monk on seeing Amar Das's merits asked him what guru had taught him such piety and wisdom. Amar Das replied that he had no guru. On hearing this the monk said,

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 31

' Alas ! I have committed a great sin. I have eaten from the hands of a man who hath no guru. My ablutions in the Ganges are now of no avail. It was only when Narad and Shukdev1 appointed gurus that they themselves became worthy of worship. I can now only be purified by returning to bathe again in the Ganges.' Thus lamenting the monk departed. Amar Das then began seriously to con sider how he could find a guru. Until he had found one, he had no heart to eat or perform his secular duties. He prayed, ' O God, mercifully grant that I may meet such a guru as will possess the alchemic power of turning dross into gold.' One morning before day, while engaged in such reflections on the upper parapet of his house, he heard the dulcet chanting of the Guru's hymns. The voice came from his brother's house where lived Bibi Amro, Guru Angad's daughter, recently married to his (Amar Das's) brother's son. It was Bibi Amro's practice to rise a watch before day, bathe, and recite the Japji and other hymns of Guru Nanak, and then make butter for the family. When over heard by Amar Das, she was singing the third hymn in the Maru measure, already given in the Life of Guru Nanak.

On hearing it, Amar Das became deeply absorbed in devotion. From the concluding lines in particular he derived the sublime consolation that he should be changed from dross into gold. He could not avoid asking the lady to sing the hymn again, and inquired where she had learnt it. She readily consented, and added that she had learned the composition from her father. Amar Das committed the hymn to memory, and prevailed on her to take

him to see the Guru. The devotion of a former existence was kindled in his heart, and until he had the advantage of beholding Guru Angad, he deemed every moment an age.

After some days, during which suitable arrange ments were made for their travel, Bibi Amro accom panied by Amar Das set out on a visit to her father in Khadur. When Amar Das arrived, the Guru, on account of his close affinity, desired to embrace him, but Amar Das courteously remonstrated. He said, ' Thou art as God, I am only a worm/ and then fell at the Guru's feet. Amar Das, on doing homage to the Guru, felt as delighted as a poor man would who had obtained the wealth of the world.

One day the Guru had a meat dinner prepared. Amar Das said, ' If the Guru is a searcher of hearts, he must know that I am a Vaishnav and do not touch flesh.' The Guru, knowing this, ordered that dal J should be served him. Amar Das then reflected, ' The Guru knoweth that meat is forbidden me, so he hath ordered that dal be served me instead.' Amar Das then rapidly arrived at the conclusion that any disciple, whose practice differed from that of the Guru, must inevitably fail. He therefore told the cook that if the Guru were kind enough to give him meat, he would partake of it. The Guru, on hearing this, knew that superstition was departing from Amar Das's heart, and he handed him his own dish. When Amar Das had partaken of it, he for the first time felt peace of mind, and, as he became further absorbed in his attentions and devotion to the Guru, celestial light dawned on his heart. Thus did he break with the strictest tenet of Vaishnavism and become a follower of the Guru.

One day the Guru, in order to further remove

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Amar Das's prejudices, thus began to instruct him : ' The meats it is proper to abstain from are these— Others' wealth, others' wives, slander, envy, covetous- ness, and pride. If any one abstaining from meat is proud on the subject and says, "I never touch meat," let him consider that the infant sucks nipples of flesh, that the married man takes home with him a vessel of flesh.' Guru Angad then repeated and expounded Guru Nanak's sloks on the subject. He also related to Amar Das the story of Duni Chand and his father, given in the Life of Guru Nanak.

' If you think of it/ continued the Guru, ' there is life in everything, even in fruits and flowers, to say nothing of flesh ; but whatever thou eatest, eat remembering God, and it shall be profitable to thee. Whatever cometh to thee without hurting a fellow- creature is nectar, and whatever thou receivest by giving pain is poison. To shatter another's hopes, to calumniate others, and to misappropriate their property is worse than to eat meat.' The last vestige of Amar Das's superstition had by this time departed. He remained night and day in attendance on the Guru, and is said to have performed for him the menial offices of many servants. One day, as the Guru and Amar Das were walking together, Amar Das thoughtlessly put his left arm forward in advance of the Guru's body. Amar Das was himself the first to notice and regret the occur rence. He said, ' This arm which hath caused disrespect to the Guru should be cut off. What sort of servant am I if I revere not my master ? ' The Guru replied, ' It is of no consequence ; swing thine arm by all means. It is by austerities the senses should be controlled. Move thy feet and hands in the saints' service and thy devotion shall be profitable. He who performeth such service shall be happy. Let man renounce pride, fear and love God, accept His will, and obey His commands. These are the marks of a true Sikh.1

One day a man called Gobind came to make a complaint to Guru Angad. He had been involved in a lawsuit with his relations, and vowed that if ever he were victorious, he would found a city in honour of the Guru. Fortune having favoured him, he began to found the city on an open plot of land on the bank of the Bias, of which he had obtained a lease from the Emperor. Having received from astrologers an auspicious time for the inception of the work, he laid out the boundaries, employed masons, and began to build ; but what was done by day was in some mysterious manner undone by night. It was supposed that this was the work of demons, but probably the enmity of Gobind's relations has not been taken sufficiently into con sideration. Gobind prayed the Guru to have the village completed and called after himself. The Guru then read him a homily on the futility of fame. ' Why trouble about miserable human affairs ? There ought to be naught dearer to man than the True Name/ Gobind then prayed him to grant his desires, even if he had no ambition to have the city founded in his honour.

Upon this Guru Angad sent Amar Das his walking- stick and commissioned him to remove whatever obstructed the construction of the city. Amar Das prayed to God for His assistance, and everything succeeded according to the Guru's wishes. Gobind founded without further molestation a beautiful city, which Amar Das called Gobindwal in honour of him. The city is now known as Goindwal. Gobind did not forget to build a palace in it for his benefactor Amar Das. When everything was completed, Gobind went again to Khadur to offer his thanks to the Guru for sending with him such a potent envoy as Amar Das, and also to beg the Guru to go and live in the newly-founded city. The Guru did not wish to leave his old town and residence, so he ordered Amar Das to go and live in Goindwal by night, and

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 35

come to him by day. On account of the presence of Amar Das and the religious atmosphere which pervaded the place, Goindwal became a species of earthly paradise. Amar Das in process of time took with him all his relations from Basarka and per manently settled in Goindwal.

Amar Das was now old, but a halo of devotion shone round him. His daily duties were as follows : He rose at Goindwal a watch before day, and pro ceeded to the river Bias to take water to Khadur for the Guru to bathe with. Meanwhile he repeated the Japji and generally finished it half-way between Goindwal and Khadur. After hearing the Asa ki War in Khadur he fetched water for the Guru's kitchen, scrubbed the cooking utensils, and brought firewood from the forest. Every evening he listened to the Sodar and the daily vespers and then sham pooed the Guru. After putting him to rest he returned to Goindwal, walking backwards in his supreme reverence for his spiritual master. The half-way spot where he used every morning to finish the Japji is called the Damdama or breathing- place. A temple was erected on the spot, and is now an object of pious pilgrimage to Sikhs.

Mention has already been made of the Tapa who lived at Khadur. He was worshipped as a guru by the Khahira Jats. He was constant in his external devotions, and knew how to practise spells and in cantations, but he cherished a most unholy jealousy of the Guru, and did all in his power to hinder the Guru's followers from making him the object of a reverence which, the Tapa contended, should never be shown to a family man. He maintained that it was he himself, who was both continent and a penitent, whom all men should worship.

D 2

It happened that one year there was a great drought in the land. The months of Har, Sawan, and even half of Bhadon — from the middle of June to the end of August — had passed, and the usual rains of the season had not appeared. Food stuffs became scarce and dear, and the people were greatly distressed. Cattle too suffered severely, and died in large numbers, for all the tanks were dry and no water came from heaven. The people went in a body to the Tapa and represented their condition. He said it was a small calamity in comparison with another which had befallen their town. ' I am a monk/ he said, 'yet no one worshippeth me, but all worship the family man. Go now and tell the Guru to procure you rain.' The cultivators replied : 1 The Guru telleth no one to worship him. He careth naught for king or emperor, he thinketh not of eating or drinking. Every offering made him is sent into his kitchen, whence the poor, the indigent, the traveller, and the stranger are fed. We have no power to compel the Guru.'

The Tapa replied, ' If you expel him from the city I will send you rain in less than twenty-four hours. If, on the other hand, you allow him to remain, let him cause rain to fall.' On hearing this the ignorant Jats lost their heads, went to the Guru, and requested him to send rain. The Guru said, ' Rest satisfied with God's will. God hath no partner in His designs, and no one can influence Him.' The Jats then delivered to the Guru the Tapa's message. The Guru replied that if they thought they could thus gain their object, he would willingly leave their town. Bhai Budha was very angry with the Jats, but the Guru restrained him and said, ' Our religion teacheth pardon for offences.' Saying this the Guru turned his back on the town, proceeded some distance, and sat under a tree. The cultivators who lived in that neighbourhood were warned not to receive him. In this way he had to leave seven villages in sue-

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 37

cession, until at last he found refuge in a forest near Razad Khan's hillock, south of Khadur, where he was visited by neighbours who bore no allegiance to the haughty and hypocritical Tapa.

When Amar Das arrived in Khadur next morning, he found the Guru's house empty. On inquiring of the villagers, he learned all the circumstances connected with his master's exile. Amar Das told them they were fools, asked them if they had taken leave of their senses, and if a lamp could ever be substituted for the sun ; that is, how could they have kept the Tapa and expelled the Guru ? Upon this occasion Amar Das composed the two following sloks : — •

By meeting the true Guru worldly hunger departeth, but it departeth not by merely putting on a sectarial garb.

Through the pain of hunger the Tapa wandereth from house to house ; in the next world he shall obtain twofold punishment.

His appetite is not satisfied, and he never eateth in comfort what he obtaineth.

He ever beggeth with persistency and annoyeth the giver.

Leading the life of a householder, by which somebody may gain, is better than putting on such a sectarial dress.

They who are imbued with the Word acquire under standing ; others are led astray by doubt.

They act as they were destined ; it is of no use to address them.

Nanak, they who please God are fortunate ; they are honoured and acceptable.

The fire of avarice is not extinguished by wearing a sectarial dress ; anxiety still continueth in the mind.

As striking a serpent's lair killeth not the serpent, so a man without the Guru performeth useless acts.

Serve the generous true Guru, and let the Word abide in your hearts ;

So shall your bodies be refreshed, your minds become happy, and the fire of avarice be extinguished.

You shall feel the height of bliss when you have banished pride from within you.

The holy man, the real hermit, is he who continueth to fix his attention on the True One.

He who is contented and satisfied with God's name, shall feel not a particle of anxiety.

Nanak, without the Name man will not be delivered ; he shall perish in his pride.1

The people all flocked around the Tapa, and said, ' On account of thee have we fallen out with the Guru. When he was here, we always had enough even of dainties to eat from his kitchen. We have now expelled him, and yet no rain falleth.' The Tapa replied, ' Have patience ; rain shall fall immediately.' He then made every form of incan tation, but without success. Amar Das explained to the people that, excepting God, nobody had power to send rain, and they had been most unwise in accepting the statements of a hypocrite against a man who had never harmed any human being. If the Tapa could cause rain to fall, why should he beg from house to house ? On this the people were satisfied of the Tapa's hypocrisy, and greatly repented of their treatment of the Guru. They then inflicted suitable punishment on the Tapa, so that other evil men might not be tempted to follow his example. After that they went in a body to solicit the Guru's forgiveness for their acts.

When Guru Angad heard of the Tapa's punish ment, he felt much grieved and thus addressed Amar Das : ' Thou hast not obtained the fruits of companionship with me, which are peace, forbear ance, and forgiveness. Thou canst not endure things difficult to be endured. What thou didst, thou didst to please the rabble.' On hearing this,

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 39

Amar Das threw himself at the Guru's feet and humbly besought his pardon. He promised that he would for the future rigidly abide by such instruc tions as the Guru was pleased to communicate. The Guru replied : ' Thou shouldst have endurance like the earth, steadfastness in woe and weal like a mountain ; thou shouldst bear pardon in thy heart, and do good to every one irrespective of his acts. Thou shouldst deem gold and dross as the same, and practise humility, for the humble shall ever be exalted. Behold how valuable even minute diamonds are. The pearl is small, but consider its price. Reflect on the tiny fruit of the bohr-tree,1 and to what a prodigious size it groweth, filling a forest far and wide.'

The Guru on his return to Khadur passed by a village called Bhairo, where lived a friend of his called Khiwan. Hearing of the Guru's coming, he went forth to meet him, and invited him to visit his house and bless it. The Guru accepted his hospitality, and made him supremely happy. Amar Das promised that the true Guru would grant Khiwan a son, and that that son should be a saint. On hearing this everybody was astonished that Amar Das during the Guru's lifetime should have adopted the role of prophet and bestower of offspring. Amar Das on reflection felt that he had again transgressed the Guru's injunctions, and expressed his contrition therefor. The Guru con soled him : ' My light is in thee. For the future, whatever thou sayest, say with deliberation.'

There was great rejoicing in Khadur on the Guru's return. It was everywhere believed that the Tapa's punishment was a supernatural event to attest the Guru's divine mission. Henceforth no rival of Guru Angad set foot in Khadur.

The Guru, on now observing Amar Das's devotion,

great merits, and innate nobility of character, said to his Sikhs : ' Amar Das will save innumerable persons. Blest be the eyes which behold the saint of the True Guru, blest the hands which serve him, blest the feet which tread the way to the society of the holy, blest the ears which hear God's praises, and blest the tongue which refraineth from calumny, slander, and falsehood. Ever speak the truth, and sing the hymns of the Guru/

The Guru's sons Dasu and Datu remained with him, but he was better pleased with Amar Das's service. It was the Guru's custom to distribute robes of honour half-yearly to his Sikhs. When Amar Das received his, he used to wear it as a turban or cushion on his head, and never remove it ; and when he received another he used to tie it on the top of the last presented him. In this way he carried twelve turbans on his head by the time he was appointed Guru. On seeing him carry such a weight people said he was in his dotage, but in reality his faith and devotion daily increased. He felt no desire for wealth or supernatural power. His thoughts were ever absorbed in God, the Guru's service, and the distribution of alms to the indigent.

Once a rich Sikh presented a costly dress to the Guru. A drop of blood fell on it from a sore on the Guru's foot, and the Guru told Amar Das to take it to be washed. When the washerman examined it he said he feared the stain could not be removed. The cloth was of very fine material, and he asked not to be blamed if it were injured in the washing. Amar Das, on hearing this, sucked the blood from the dress, an extreme act of humility and devotion. The stain disappeared, and he took the dress thoroughly clean to his master, saying, ' As the stain hath vanished from this dress, so by thy favour hath impurity from my mind.'

Guru Angad's sore foot occasionally gave him great pain. One night, as matter was issuing from it, he

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 41

complained to Amar Das that he could not sleep for the pain. Amar Das promptly applied his mouth to the sore and sucked it. The Guru obtained imme diate relief and thus secured a good night's rest. He then told Amar Das to ask a favour. Amar Das replied, ' Why suffer from this sore ? The favour I ask is that thou heal it by thy supernatural power/ The Guru replied by the twelfth slok of Asa ki War, and added : — ' In pain God is remembered and the mind remaineth humbled. At night man awaketh in God's service and is estranged from the world.'

One day Guru Angad said that his life was drawing to a close, and he must depart. In reply to his Sikhs, who desired that he should remain longer among them to bestow instruction and divine happiness, he said, ' The saints of the true Guru are of the nature of clouds. They assume a body for the benefit of the world, and confer benefits on men. The body, which is merely a store-house of corn, shall perish. As a rich man caste th aside his old clothes and putteth on new ones, so do the saints of the true Guru put away their crumbling bodies, and take new vesture for their souls. A man in his own house may remain naked or clothed, may wear old or new raiment — that is the con dition of the saints — they are bound by no rules.' The Guru's disciples listened to this discourse with rapt attention and their anxieties were removed.

While the Guru was considering that his sons were not, but that Amar Das was, fit to succeed him, an accident occurred which finally confirmed him in his determination. On the I4th of the month of Chet, when there was no moon, it rained all night.

Cold winds blew, lightning flashed, and every human being was glad to find shelter in his house and go to sleep. Three hours before day the Guru called out that he wanted water. He called again but no one answered him. The third time he shook one of his sons to awaken him, and told him to go and fetch water. When the son showed no inclina tion to obey his father, Amar Das at once said, ' Great king, thy slave will fetch thee water.' The Guru objected and said that Amar Das was now too old for such service. Amar Das replied that he had grown young on hearing the Guru's order. He at once put a pitcher on his head and started for the river. Intoxicated with the wine of devotion he thought not of his body. On arriving at the Bias, he filled his vessel, began to repeat the Japji, and made the best of his way to his master. He paid no regard to the elements, but went straight towards the Guru's house, feeling his way in the thick dark ness as he went along.

On the outskirts of Khadur there was a colony of weavers. The holes in the ground, into which the weavers put their feet when sitting at their looms, were filled with water. Into one of these holes Amar Das fell, striking his foot against a peg of karir1 wood. Notwithstanding his fall he still succeeded in saving the water on his head. On hearing the noise and uproar, some of the weavers awoke. They cried out, ' Thief ! thief ! ' and called on their people to be on the alert. On going out of doors they heard some one repeating the Japji, and one of the weavers' wives said, ' Fear not, it is not a thief. It is that poor homeless Amru whose beard hath grown gray, and who hath taken leave of his senses. Having abandoned his sons and daughters, his house and home, his commerce and his dealings, he is now without occupation, and wandereth from door to door. Other people go to

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 43

sleep at night, but he will not rest even then. Single- handed he doeth the work of twenty men. He is ever bringing water from the river and firewood from the forest ; and what a guru to serve 1 '

Amar Das could endure hearing disrespectful language of himself, but not of his Guru. He told the weaver's wife that she had gone mad, and hence her slander of the Guru. Saying this, he took his vessel of water to the Guru. It is said that the weaver's wife did in fact go mad as the result of Amar Das's censure. They sent for physi cians, who, however, knew no medicines to restore her. It soon became known that she had offended the Guru by her language, so on the failure of the physicians the weavers decided to take her to him with the object of imploring his pardon.

The weavers informed the Guru of what had occurred, and implored him to pardon the mad woman's error. The Guru said, ' Amar Das hath done great service and his toil is acceptable. His words prove true ; wealth, supernatural power, and all earthly advantages wait on him. The peg against which he struck his foot shall grow green, and the weaver's wife shall recover. He who serveth Amar Das shall obtain the fruit his heart desireth. Ye describe him as homeless and lowly, but he shall be the home of the homeless, the honour of the unhonoured, the strength of the strengthless, the support of the unsupported, the shelter of the unsheltered, the protector of the unprotected, the restorer of what is lost, the emancipator of the captive.'

After that the Guru sent for five copper coins and a coco-nut, bathed Amar Das, clothed him in a new dress, and installed him in the Guru's seat. He placed the five copper coins and the coco-nut before him while Bhai Budha affixed to his forehead the tilak of Guruship. Thus was Guru Amar Das regularly and solemnly appointed Guru Angad's

successor. All the Sikhs, with loud acclamations, fell at his feet. Guru Angad sent for his two sons, Dasu and Datu, told them that the office of Guru was the reward of humility, devotion, and service; and Guru Amar Das had obtained the high position as the reward of his ceaseless toil, manifold virtues and piety. He then ordered his sons to bow before the new Guru, which they were very reluctant to do, as they had always deemed him their servant. Guru Angad then summoned Punnu and Lalu, the head men of the town, and all his Sikhs, told them he was going to depart this life, and that he had appointed Guru Amar Das as his worthy suc cessor on the throne of Guru Nanak. ' Whoever serveth him shall obtain happiness in this world and salvation in the next, and he who envieth him shall have sorrow as his portion.'

On the third day of the light half of the month of Chet in the Sambat year 1609 (A.D. 1552), Guru Angad gave a great feast to his Sikhs, and reminded them of the tenets and principles of the Sikh religion. On the following day he rose before dawn, bathed, and put on new raiment to prepare for his final departure. He then repeated the Japji, summoned all his family, consoled them, and enjoined them to accept God's will. He ordered Guru Amar Das to live in Goindwal, and there save men by his teaching. Guru Angad then fixed his thoughts on Guru Nanak and, with ' Wahguru ' on his lips, passed from this transitory world on the fourth day of the light half of Chet, 1609, having enjoyed the Guruship for twelve years six months and nine days.

Guru Angad' s sons and Sikhs grew sad, but Bhai Budha bade them lament not, but repeat God's name. They then began to sing the Guru's hymns to the accompaniment of rebecks, drums, bells, and trumpets. They erected a splendid bier on which they placed the body of the deceased Guru and recited the Sohila of Guru Nanak and the lamenta-

LIFE OF GURU ANGAD 45

tions in the Maru and Wadhans measures. After this they placed the Guru's remains on a pyre of sandal-wood and cremated him according to his express wish near the tree which sprang out of the karir peg against which Amar Das had struck his foot.

Guru Amar Das enjoined his flock to console themselves and said to them, ' Guru Angad is imperishable and immortal. It is a law of the body to be born and die, but the soul is different. It is ever the same essence. Holy men have deemed human life temporary, like the roosting of birds for a night on a tree, or like the brief occupation of a ferry-boat by passengers. Wherefore renounce all worldly love. A child may tremble and suppose his shadow to be a ghost, but the wise entertain no such alarm. And so the man who possesseth divine knowledge hath no apprehension of further trans migration.'

On hearing the Guru's words many Sikhs obtained divine knowledge, and crossing over the troublous ocean of the world, obtained beatitude in God.

The principal points in Guru Angad's character were to serve and love the Guru and worship God. It was by this means he succeeded in obtaining the spiritual leadership of the Sikhs in opposition to the wife, sons and relations of Guru Nanak. For the same reasons Guru Angad in spite of the opposition of his own relatives conferred the Guruship on Amar Das, who was proved to be the most worthy of the high dignity.

MAJII KI WAR

God rewards the upright and holy who toil in obscurity :—

The gift, the perverse suppose, is preferable to the Giver ;

What shall I say of their intelligence, understanding, and cleverness ? l

He who toileth in obscurity is known in all directions ;

He who acteth honestly is called honest, and he who committeth sin is known as a sinner.

O Creator, Thou Thyself performest the whole play ; why mention any one else ?

Nanak, God, who alone is skilful and wise, is made manifest by the Guru's instruction.

Spiritual exaltation :— To see without eyes, to hear without ears, To walk without feet, to work without hands, To speak without a tongue — that is to be dead while alive. Nanak, he who accepteth the will of God shall be united with Him.

Addiction to pleasures is incompatible with true devotion :—

We see, and hear, and know that God cannot be found in worldly pleasures ;

How can man without feet, arms, and eyes 2 run to em brace Him ?

SLOKS OF GURU ANGAD 47

Make feet out of fear, hands out of love, and eyes out of understanding.

Nanak saith, in this way, O wise women, shall you meet the Bridegroom.

Who are perfect bankers :—

They are perfect bankers who have found the Perfect One ;

They are ever l unconcerned and abide in the love of the One God.

Few can obtain a sight of the Unfathomable Being.

.Nanak, if the perfect Guru, whose acts are perfect and whose words are perfect,

Make any one perfect, he will not decrease in weight.

Man's proper employment and the bliss attending morning devotion :—

Let man during the eight watches subdue eight things— the five deadly sins and the three qualities — and his body the ninth.

The nine treasures are in the One God's name for which they who are profoundly religious search.

Nanak, the favourites of destiny have praised Him through their gurus and priests.

In the morning during the fourth watch they who remember God feel delight ;

They love the streams wherein they bathe, and the True Name is in their hearts and on their lips ;

There nectar is distributed, and the fortunate obtain favour.2

The body obtaineth the character of gold and assumeth a beautiful colour ;

If the Assayer approve of it, He will not again put it in the fire.

During the remaining seven watches of the day it is good to speak truth and sit with learned men ;

There bad and good acts are considered, and the capital of falsehood decreaseth ;

There the counterfeit are rejected and the genuine con gratulated.

Nanak, it is idle to tell the Master of one's misery or happiness.

The virtuous hunger for God :—

The mouths of the virtuous who love the One God weary not of speaking,

Nor their ears of hearing, nor their eyes of beholding Him.

Hunger forsaketh not those who hunger for God ; it departeth not by mere words.1

Nanak, the hungry man shall be satisfied when, by littering God's praises, he becometh absorbed in Him.

Man ought not to undertake what is beyond his ability :—

If he who only knoweth the charm for a scorpion's sting touch a serpent,

He applieth a brand to his body with his own hand ;

It is the Master's decree from the beginning that he be very severely buffeted.

The perverse who contend with the pious shall perish ; this is God's justice.

God is the Lord of both ; He sifteth them carefully.

Nanak, know that everything is according to God's will.

Know thyself and strive not to perform impos sibilities :—

Nanak, deem him who can assay himself a true assayer.

He who understandeth both disease and medicine is a knowing physician.

Let man transact no idle business on the road 2 but con sider himself a guest ;

The mouth is never satisfied with uttering worldly things, or the ears

with hearing them, Or the eyes with beholding them ; each of the senses delighteth to

gratify itself. The hunger of the hungry departeth not by mere talk.

SLOKS OF GURU ANGAD 49

Let him know his own real character, confess it, and divest himself of his shortcomings ;

Let him not walk in covetousness, but abide in truth ; he shall then become the best, and be acceptable.

If an arrow be shot at the sky, how can it reach it ?

The sky is inaccessible above us ; know that the arrow will recoil on the archer.

Man ought to meditate on his Creator :—

Until man knoweth God his human birth is unprofitable.

A few pass over the world's ocean by the Guru's favour.

God is the Cause of causes, omnipotent : saith Nanak, meditate upon Him.

The creation is in the power of the Creator who holdeth the contrivance by which it is sustained.

Nothing can affect him whom God favours :—

What effect can frost have on fire, the night on the sun ?

What effect can darkness have on the moon ? What effect hath caste on air or water ?

What can affect the earth in which everything hath its birth ?

Nanak, man is accounted honourable if God preserve his honour.

SORATH KI WAR

Man reaps the fruit of his acts :— The nose-string is in the hand of the Master ; man is driven by his acts.

It is true, Nanak — where God giveth there man eateth.

SUHI KI WAR

Man ought to think of his future :—

Why do those who know they must depart make display ?

They think not of their departure, but continue to arrange their worldly affairs.

Man amasseth wealth for a night ; in the morning he must depart.

Nanak, wealth shall not go with him, and then will he regret.

There is no merit in divine service performed under pressure :—

In the fine the prisoner payeth there is no merit, and no favour conferred on others ;

Nanak, the act which is voluntarily performed is the best.

God is won by love, not by force :—

Obstinacy, however much one strive, winneth not God to man's side ;

Nanak, he who truly loveth God and pondereth on the Word, winneth Him to his side.

The contrast between those who fear and those who fear not God :—

They who fear God, have no other fear, while they who fear Him not, shall have much l fear ;

Nanak, they shall both be confronted at God's court.

Nature's great law, Pares cum paribus facillime congre- gantur :—

Things which walk associate with those which walk, things which fly with those which fly,

The living associate with the living, the dead with the dead ;

Praise Him, Nanak, who hath established this law.

The happiness which pervades young religious hearts in the vernal season :—

Nanak, they in whose house their spouse abideth, enjoy perpetual spring,

While they whose spouse is in a distant land burn night and day.

First meditate on God on the arrival of spring,

Nanak, and praise Him who is the support of all.

1 iMuch in the original.

SLOKS OF GURU ANGAD 51

In what a real meeting consists : —

It is not by merely meeting that a meeting is effected, that is, if there is to be a real meeting.

They who meet with their hearts are properly said to have met.

When man has only one Friend, why should he forget Him ?—

Different people have different friends ; I, unhonoured, have only Thee, O God.

Why do I not die of weeping when I bear Thee not in mind ?

Think of God under all circumstances :— In weal repeat God's name ; in woe also remember Him ; Nanak saith, in this way, O wise women, shall you meet the Bridegroom.

RAMKALI KI WAR

The supreme reward of spiritual obedience :— Devotion, penance, everything is obtained by obeying

God ; all other occupations are vain ;

Nanak, obey him who hath himself obeyed God ; 1 he is

known by the favour of the Guru.

The perverse cannot understand divine instruc tion : —

Nanak, if a blind man go to assay jewels,

He will not know their value, but will return having made an exhibition of himself.

If a jeweller go and open a purse of jewels, He thereby bringeih the jewels and a purchaser together.2 They who possess merits, Nanak, may deal in such jewels ; But they who know not their value go about like blind men in the world.

E 2

The following was addressed to the Tapa :—

He who followeth the road when shown by a blind man is blind himself ;

Why should he, Nanak, who hath good eyes stray into the wilderness ?

It is not they who have no eyes in their faces who are blind;

They are blind, Nanak, who stray from the Lord.

The sinner may find favour by repentance :—

The Lord can make him whom He hath blinded see clearly ;

God treateth man as He knoweth him, no matter what one may say.1

Where the real thing, God, is not seen, know that pride prevaileth :

Nanak, how shall a purchaser purchase anything if he recognize it not ?

It is the perverse who are really blind :— Why call him blind who is blind by the will of God ? Nanak, it is he who will not understand God's will who should be called blind.

God provides for all :—

Nanak, be not anxious for thy maintenance, anxiety is for Him

Who created animals in the water and also giveth them sustenance.

There no shop is open and no one trafficketh ;

There is no commerce and no traffic whatever.

Animals are the food of animals, such food God giveth them ;

He taketh care even of the animals He created in the ocean.

Nanak, feel not anxious — anxiety is for God.

SARANG KI WAR

Only the Guru can cause divine knowledge to enter the heart :—

SLOKS OF GURU ANGAD 53

The Guru hath the key of the lock, the heart is the store room, the body is its roof ;

Nanak, without the Guru the doors of the heart cannot be opened, since nobody else hath the key.

Men, though naturally equal, are appointed to different duties in life :—

Thou Thyself, 0 God, didst create, saith Nanak, Thou Thyself didst put creatures in their different places ;

Whom shall I call inferior since all have the same Master ?

There is one Master of all ; He appointeth men to their various duties, and watcheth over them—

Some to small, some to great duties ; none departeth empty.

Men come naked, they depart naked, yet during their lives they make a display ;

Nanak, it is not known what duty God will order for them in the next world.

Souls proceed from God and bring their destinies :—

Traders come from the Merchant ; He sendeth their destinies with them ;

Orders are recorded therein to take care of the real thing.1

Of those who have made purchases and packed up their merchandise,

Some have gone away with a profit 2 while others have lost their capital.

No one wanteth small profits ; who shall be congratulated?

Nanak, God looketh with favour on those who have kept their stock-in-trade intact.

The nectar of the Name :—

They who possess the greatness of Thy name, O God, are happy at heart.

Nanak, there is only one nectar ; 3 there is none other ;

Nanak, that nectar is in the heart, but it is only obtained by the favour of the Guru ;

They who were so destined from the beginning quaff it with delight.

Magnify and praise the Creator only :—

Why praise the creation ? Rather praise the Creator ; Nanak, there is no bestower but the One God. Praise the Creator who made the world ; Praise that Bestower who supporteth every one. Nanak, God, whose storehouses are full, is alone ever lasting- Magnify and praise the Lord who hath no end or limits.

The most exalted are subject to God's order :—

How shall I speak to Him who of Himself knoweth what is to be known ?

That Lord is the greatest whose orders cannot be set aside —

Orders by which kings, princes, and commanders must abide — •

What pleaseth Him, Nanak, is good.

They who must abide by His order have no power of their own ;

When He ordereth, men must take the road.

Men must act according to God's recorded order ;

Nanak, men come when they are sent by God, and depart when they are called by Him.

Divine knowledge is the key which unlocks God's treasure house :—

They to whom the praises of God have been vouchsafed are the real treasures ;

They to whom the key is given obtain the treasure.

The treasurers from whom good acts proceed are accept able ;

God looketh with favour, Nanak, on those who bear the standard of His name.

SLOKS OF GURU ANGAD 55

The inferiority of the Veds to the Guru's teach ing —

The readers of the Veds have brought tales and legends of the gods, and denned sins and virtues.

For what men give they receive, and for what they receive they give,1 and they are accordingly born again either in hell or heaven.

The world wandereth in doubt as to what are high and low castes and species ;

But the ambrosial word of the Guru speaketh of the Real Thing, and bringeth divine knowledge and meditation ;

The pious utter it, the pious know it ; they who possess divine knowledge meditate on it, and act according to it.

God created the world by His fiat, and restraineth it there by ; He beholdeth everything subject to it.

Nanak, if man's pride depart ere he die, he shall be deemed of account.

Man's future is determined by his acts :—

As a man's acts so is he : this is a necessary conse quence ;

He who hath the marks of piety cannot lose them ; he must retain such appearance.

He who acteth according to the will of God receiveth his reward ; Nanak, he is worthy of homage.2

MALAR KI WAR

The rainy season, during which the natives of India usually take rest, is accounted a time of pleasure :—

Sawan 3 hath come, my companions, think of the Bride groom ;

Nanak, the bad wife who loveth another shall pine away and die.

Sawan hath come, my companions, the clouds are about to rain ;

Nanak, the good wife who loveth her husband sleepeth in peace.

The topsy-turvyism of Guru Angad's epoch :—

The beggar is styled a king, the blockhead a pandit,

The blind a connoisseur — that is how people speak.

The wicked man is styled a Chaudhri, and the liar is deemed perfect.

Nanak, that is the way of this iron age ; how to distinguish men is known under the Guru's instruction.

Despise earthly glory :—

Nanak, bum in the fire the praises of the world ; These accursed things have caused the Name to be for gotten ; not one of them shall go with thee.

No other composition of Guru Angad is found in the Granth Sahib. There are several verses in the sacred volume in his praise, composed by bards called Kalsahar, Kal, and Tal.

Prior to Guru Angad's time the compositions of the saints and reformers were for the most part written in Sanskrit letters. He, deeming that the com positions of Guru Nanak were worthy of a special written character of their own, adopted and modified a Panjabi alphabet, called Gurumukhi, to give ex pression to what fell from the Guru's lips. This was furthermore a gain on the score of simplicity, for it contains but thirty-five letters, while the Sanskrit alphabet has fifty-two.

The Gurumukhi character was well calculated to make its readers part with Hindu compositions written in Sanskrit. The Gurumukhi S is the San skrit M, the Gurumukhi M is the Sanskrit Bh, the Gurumukhi W is the Sanskrit D, the Gurumukhi Dh, is the Sanskrit P, and the Gurumukhi B is nearly the Sanskrit Gh. When, therefore, one has become

SLOKS OF GURU ANGAD 57

accustomed to the use of the Gurumukhi letters, a special and separate effort is required to read Sanskrit, however much one may have been pre viously acquainted with it. The result has been that in most cases Gurumukhi scholars have parted company with Sanskrit and the multitudinous Brah- manical works in that recondite language.

Guru Angad, elated with the adoption of a new character for the hymns of his predecessor, dedicated to God on the occasion the following hymn which we have found in an ancient manuscript 1 at Khadur :—

SARANG

Bewitcher, Thou hast bewitched my heart ; I have obtained understanding by pondering on Thy Word.

1 am the handmaiden of my Lord.

On clasping the feet of God, the life of the world, I have destroyed and parted with pride.

I was perverse and low, but my evil understanding which hath caused me pain of mind and body hath left me.

Since I began to love the joyous God, my mind hath been consoled by repeating His name.

Having forgotten pride, I have abandoned the world, and true wisdom hath entered my heart.

Since I have become reconciled with Him who is without enmity or stain, I have lost all regard for men's opinion.

0 my Beloved, Support of my soul, there has been none like Thee in the past, and there shall be none like Thee in the future.

Nanak, she who is dyed with Thy name is a happy wife ; Thy name is my refuge.

THE early history of Guru Amar Das has already been given. When he was appointed Guru he retired into a solitary room in the upper story of his house, and there meditated on God and Guru Angad's instructions. His Sikhs went to see him, and he, on the representation of Bhai Ballu, a faith ful Sikh who had attached himself to him, came forth from his solitude and presented himself to them as their Guru.

Since the time of Guru Nanak the Gurus were obliged to turn their attention to secular affairs, and to provide for the maintenance of themselves and their followers. Guru Amar Das's kitchen was abundantly supplied by the offerings of the faithful. All who came to visit him were fed to repletion. None departed disappointed. What he daily re ceived was daily spent, and nothing was saved for the morrow. The Guru kept only one suit of clothes for himself. When he received a new suit he gave the old one to some deserving Sikh. On witnessing the profusion of Guru Amar Das the minstrel Satta composed the following, which is the sixth pauri of the Coronation Ode :—

Guru Amar Das obtained the same mark, the same throne, and the same court.

The grandson was as acceptable as the father and grandfather.1

GURTJ AMAR DA

LIFE OF GURU AMAR DAS 59

Guru Amar Das by the force of love threw into the churn the rope of the snake,

And churned the ocean of the Word with the churning staff of Meru ;

He brought forth fourteen gems and illumined the world.

He made divine knowledge his steed and chastity his saddle;

On his bow of truth he strung the arrow of God's praise.

In this age there was pitch darkness ; he arose like a sun.

With him the field of truth germinated and the fruit of truth was produced.

Ever in thy kitchen, O Amar Das, are clarified butter and flour to eat.

Thou knowest the four quarters of the world ; the Word is dear to thy soul.

Thou hast removed the transmigration of those on whom thou lookest with favour.

The wise being Guru Nanak descended in the form of Amar Das.

Firm as the mountain of Meru thou art swayed not by gusts of wind.

Searcher of hearts, thou knowest the secrets of men.

How can I praise thee, O true king, when thou art wise and omniscient ?

Let Satta have whatever gifts please the true Guru.

The sect was astonished on seeing Nanak's umbrella over Amar Das^s head.

Guru Amar Das obtained the same mark, the same throne, and the same court.

The grandson was as acceptable as the father and grand father.

Hindu admirers and inquirers came from every part of India. It was necessary for all the Guru's visitors to eat from his kitchen before they were allowed to behold him. The object of this ordinance was no doubt that his Hindu visitors should habituate themselves to liberal views on the subject of caste, and should relax their rigid customs of cooking and separation at meals. When his visitors had ob-

tained audience, they interrogated him on religious matters, and he resolved their doubts. In such benevolent and engrossing duties and in the peace and tranquillity he enjoyed, the Guru took no ac count of the flight of time.

It is related that, though the greatest delicacies were served from his kitchen, the Guru himself lived on coarse food, and observed the most ascetic habits. He used sometimes to consult the Veds, the Shastars, and the Purans, but they offered him no spiritual consolation. He thus expressed his conclusions :—

The Simritis and the Shastars define good and evil, but they know nothing of the Real Thing ;

They know nothing of the Real Thing ; without the Guru they know nothing of the Real Thing.

The world is asleep in mammon and superstition ; in sleep it passeth the night.

By the Guru's favour they who put God into their hearts and utter His ambrosial word, are awake.

Saith Nanak, they who pass their nights awake, and who day and night fix their attention on God, shall obtain the Real Thing.1

At this stage of their history, when the Sikhs met they treated one another affectionately, and saluted one another with God's name. All who came to receive the Guru's instruction sat in a line and ate together. Even they who had not previously accepted the divine message, were allowed free access to the Guru, and partook of his hospitality.

The inhabitants of Goindwal daily increased and the city extended itself owing to the number of those who sought the Guru's spiritual advice and instruc tion. There then arose a difficulty in procuring timber for the construction of houses, and a deputa tion waited on the Guru to represent the matter. The Guru ordered his nephew Sawan Mai to proceed to Haripur in the Kangra district to cut down pine

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trees and cedars, and float them in rafts down the river Bias.

Sawan Mai accordingly proceeded to Haripur and was received with great honour and rejoicing by the citizens. An umbrella was raised over his head, chauris were waved around him, and flowers showered on him in handfuls. Men washed his feet and drank the water therefrom. Those who came suffering from physical and mental ills he instructed in the True Name. All such were comforted and made whole, and joined in singing the Guru's praises. The Raja requested to be allowed to perform a service for the miracle- worker. Sawan Mai merely requested a grant of the timber for which the Guru had sent him. The king at once sent his men to cut down pine trees and cedars, and dispatch them by rafts on the river Bias to Goindwal. The king's order was promptly obeyed. When the timber reached the Guru, he distributed it among people of all castes, who then constructed comfortable dwellings for them selves. Goindwal subsequently became an imposing city on the margin of the Bias.

When the time arrived for Sawan Mai's departure from Haripur he as a preliminary requested the Raja's permission to leave his country. The Raja said he would accompany him to behold the Guru, and thus render his human life profitable. He provided elephants, horses, carriages, and palkis for his attendants, and set out in great state and splen dour for Goindwal. Sawan Mai went in advance to the Guru to announce the Raja's arrival. The Guru said, ' Let His Highness come by all means when he hath eaten from my kitchen.' The Guru's condition was accepted. He received the Raja in private audience on the top story of his house, next in order the Raja's prime minister, and lastly the Raja's queens. They were all gratified with a sight of the Guru. One of the queens lately married would not remove her veil. The Guru quietly said to her,

' Crazed lady, if thou art not pleased with the Guru's face, why hast thou come hither ? ' * On this she at once became insane, and casting aside her clothes ran naked into the forest. Efforts were made to stop her, but she succeeded in escaping and baffling pursuit.

The Raja having remained for some days with the Guru took formal leave of departure. The Guru told him that Sawan Mai, whom he recommended to the Raja's protection, would accompany him as his chaplain. The Raja was pleased to hear that Sawan Mai would return with him, and lavished on him his respectful attentions. Sawan Mai afterwards occasionally went from the hills to visit the Guru, and listen to his teaching, so that he might not inadvertently deviate from the tenets and principles of the faith.

A simpleton, who only clothed himself with a blanket, attached himself to the Guru as factotum. He was in the habit of saying * Sach, sach ! ' (true, true) to everything that was said to him, and was consequently nicknamed Sachansach. One day as he had gathered firewood in the forest and was about to return with his load, the insane queen appeared before him. She was quite naked, her hair was dishevelled, and she altogether presented a weird and alarming appearance. She caught Sachansach, pinched him, bit him, wrestled with him, and re duced him to a sad plight. With great difficulty he escaped, and made his way home streaming with blood. The Sikhs on seeing his plight inquired what had occurred. His only reply was that he had had enough of the Guru's service, and that he would leave it and return to his home. When pressed for his reason, he at last related his interview with a witch in the forest. The Guru said, ' Take my slipper, and if the witch come again, touch her with it, and she shall be cured of her malady.'

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Sachansach obeyed the Guru's order, and next day, on the queen's aggressive approach, touched her with the Guru's slipper, when she immediately recovered her sanity. She then for the first time discovered that she was naked, and sought to flee abashed from Sachansach's gaze. He promptly tore up his blanket and gave her half of it. She wrapped it round her, and thus clothed went and fell at the Guru's feet. He readily pardoned her offence. The shrine of Bhai Sachansach is near the town of Shekhupur.

After Guru Angad's death, his son Datu sat on the Guru's seat in Khadur, and issued the following proclamation : ' Amru (Guru Amar Das) is old. He is my servant. I am prince of the Guru's line. His throne is mine.' The Sikhs, however, decided that only he whom the true Guru Angad had appointed, should be deemed the real Guru. They therefore left Datu at Khadur and went in a body to Goindwal, where Guru Amar Das resided. His Sikhs gathered round him, and there was ever a crowd of devoted followers at his door. Datu was kept duly informed by emissaries of the reverence in which Guru Amar Das was held by his followers.

One day some Sikhs, who had not heard of Guru Amar Das's change of residence, arrived in Khadur. As they were departing to behold him in Goindwal, a sympathizer of Datu said to him, ' Canst thou, whose servant Amar Das enjoyeth sovereignty, en dure it and live ? Thou who oughtest to be master, canst now only look on, and be thy servant's servant. An innumerable crowd of worshippers bearing offer ings and presents go to visit thy rival. Go and see for thyself.' Datu could no longer endure such taunts, and early next morning proceeded to Goindwal to

see with his own eyes the position of affairs. On beholding the Guru surrounded with such splendour he said, ' Only yesterday thou wert a water-carrier in our house, and to-day thou sittest as a Guru/ Saying this he kicked the Guru off his throne. The Guru meekly replied, ' O great king, pardon me. Thou must have hurt thy foot/ Upon this the Guru arose and retired to the upper story of his house. His Sikhs, angry at the violence offered their master, also abandoned the place. The Guru, when alone, deliberated on his best course of action, and by evening decided he could only have peace by be taking himself to a distance from his tyrant. He accordingly left Goindwal for Basarka, his native village.

Early next morning a Jat cultivator of Basarka, going to his land some distance from the town, met the Guru on the way. He fell at his feet and said, ' I have heard that thou hast obtained the Guru's throne ; how is it thou hast come here alone ? May I be of service to thee ? ' The Guru asked for a residence, and the Jat immediately prepared him one. The Guru on entering it requested his host to brick up the doorway and on it record the follow ing : ' Whoever openeth this door is no Sikh of mine, nor am I his Guru.' The Guru on being thus immured consoled himself by reflecting on the couplet of Kabir :—

Kabir, heart-burning ariseth from claims, he who hath no claim is without anxiety.

He who hath no claim deemeth Indar poor in comparison with himself.

Datu was now free to sit on the Guru's throne in Goindwal, and became very proud of his new position. The Sikhs, however, would not approach him, and all the pilgrims to Goindwal went away on hearing of his insult to the Guru. On seeing the contempt with which he was regarded, he loaded his newly-acquired

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wealth on a camel and returned to Khadur. On the way he encountered robbers, who seized the camel with its load. One of the robbers struck Datu on the foot with which he had kicked the Guru. It swelled up as big as a drum, and caused him great agony.

The Sikhs were very much distressed at losing their Guru. Some searched the forests, others the banks of the Bias, but could procure no trace of him. It was then decided to consult Bhai Budha, the foremost of the Sikhs. He had formerly pointed out Guru Angad's place of concealment, and they hoped he would have similar success in discovering Guru Amar Das. They accordingly prayed him to be again their guide. Their prayer placed Bhai Budha in a dilemma. If he pointed out where the Guru was, the Guru might be angry ; and if, on the other hand, he did not do so, the distress of the Sikhs would be intolerable. Bhai Budha, after full con sideration, decided to do what was proper, and endeavour to find the Guru. To this end he deter mined that the Guru's mare should be put in front of the search party, and that they should all follow her. Accordingly, bowing towards the Guru's vacant throne, and uttering a prayer for the success of their quest, they let the mare loose and anxiously followed her at a short distance.

She unerringly made her way to the Guru's house in Basarka, and stood before his door. The Sikhs congratulated Bhai Budha on the success of the plan he had contrived. A difficulty now arose as to how they were to obtain access to the Guru. Before their eyes was distinctly written, ' Whoever openeth this door is no Sikh of mine, nor am I his Guru.' There was no prohibition, however, to find another entrance, so they resolved to make an opening in the wall. They did so, and all entered by it. The Guru, on hearing the tumult, arose from his deep meditation. He asked his unexpected and

unceremonious visitors why they had opened his door in disregard of his orders. On their explanation the Guru accepted the position. Bhai Budha then frankly addressed him : ' Guru Angad hath attached us, O Guru, to thy skirt ; yet thou hast deserted us and concealed thyself. How are we to receive spiritual consolation ? ' The Guru smiled and re mained silent.

The opening, supported by brickwork, is still shown at Basarka, where a yearly fair, at the full moon in the month of Bhadon, is held in com memoration of the event. The Guru could not disregard the love and devotion of his Sikhs, and mounting his mare returned with them to Goindwal. The resumption of his spiritual duties was celebrated with illuminations, rejoicings, and f eastings. Mean while Datu was detained at Khadur by the pain in his foot, and through very shame, if for no other reason, would not consent to visit the Guru.

As the fame of the Guru's piety and saintly char acter increased, he became more and more the object of popular veneration. Bhai Paro, who lived in the village of Dalla in the Jalandhar Doab, that is, be tween the rivers Satluj and Bias, received religious instruction and emancipation from him. Paro used to ride to visit the Guru every other day. Once a Nawab's son observed and followed him. He saw Paro take a plunge with his horse into the deep water of the Bias, and arrive safely on the opposite shore. The Nawab's son congratulated him, and inquired in whose service he underwent such trial and danger. Paro informed him of his visits and devotion to the Guru. On hearing this and other particulars regarding the successors of Guru Nanak, the Nawab's son became a Sikh and renounced his ancestral position.

Bhai Lalo, a banker's son of the village of Dalla, joined Bhai Paro in one of his visits to the Guru. Bhai Lalo had been religious from his earliest

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years. When he came of age his father died, leaving him considerable wealth. This he increased by his industry, while at the same time he relieved every case of distress brought before him, and became famous for his charities. Lai means a ruby. The Guru on hearing his name said, ' Lalo Har rang rangia gay a,1 an expression which may be either translated — Lalo is imbued with God's love, or— the ruby glows with every colour. Lalo on receiving instruction and initiation became a ruby or gem of the Guru. He used to visit him on the first day of every month. When returning home he always took with him one or two Sikhs. These he would bring back on the occasion of his next monthly visit, and then take one or two others to accompany him. By means of these relays of earnest Sikhs he preserved his orthodoxy and his connexion with the Guru.

During one of Bhai Lalo's visits the Guru com plimented him on his great public benefactions. Then, patting him on the forehead, the Guru said that he had invested him with spiritual power and sanctity. On thus receiving the approbation of the Guru, Bhai Lalo returned home for the last time, and there continued to exercise the humility and generosity for which he had been previously so distinguished.-

A Khatri named Mahesha of Sultanpur also sought the Guru's protection and permission to sit at his feet. The Guru initiated him into the Sikh religion and taught him its tenets. A short time afterwards Mahesha lost all his wealth, but not his faith in the Guru. On the Guru's intercession God restored him all his property, and granted him the priceless boon of salvation.

The Guru preached lessons of forgiveness and endurance, but his enemies only returned evil for the favours he had intended them. Their slander, however, was to him like a rain shower which, though it might cause a mud wall to crumble down,

F 2

would only cleanse a mountain's side. When Goindwal rose to importance some Muhammadan dignitaries settled there. Blinded by authority and wealth, they deemed every one inferior to themselves. They could not tolerate the fame of the Guru, and caused him every form of annoyance, but, so far from desiring to take revenge, he used to pray to heaven to soften their hearts and guide them aright. When Sikhs went to fetch water for the Guru's kitchen, Muhammadan boys were instigated to break their earthen vessels with pellets and clods. When ever the Sikhs remonstrated, the Muhammadans assaulted them. When the Sikhs, driven to ex tremities, complained to the Guru, he told them, instead of fragile earthen vessels, to use goatskins which could not be so easily broken. This advice the Sikhs adopted, but the Muhammadans pierced the goatskins with arrows, and continued to harass the Sikh water-carriers as before. The Guru then counselled his people to use brass utensils. These the Muhammadans knocked off the bearers' heads with bricks and stones, and drove the Sikhs almost to distraction. But, however much the Muham madans annoyed the Sikhs and the Guru, he never uttered a harsh word, but, on the contrary, prayed that God would remove the hate and religious rancour of their hearts. His Sikhs asked how long they should bear the tyranny of the Muhammadans. The Guru replied, ' As long as you live. It is not proper for saints to take revenge. Nay, there is no greater penance than patience, no greater happiness than contentment, no greater evil than greed, no greater virtue than mercy, and no more potent weapon than forgiveness. Whatever man soweth he shall reap. If he sow trouble, trouble shall be his harvest. If a man sow poison, he cannot expect ambrosia/ On hearing this homily the Sikhs regained their peace of mind.

A company of armed Sanyasis arrived in Goind-

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wal. As the Muhammadan boys were discharging pellets at the Sikhs, one of the pellets knocked out the eye of the Sanyasis' high priest. The Sanyasis became enraged, seized the offending boy, and beat him to death. Upon this an affray arose between them and the Muhammadans, in which arrows, swords, lances, daggers, and axes were employed. The Sanyasis invoked Dattatre,1 and the Muham madans Ali2 to support them in the combat. Many brave men on both sides were slain, and among them several enemies of the Guru. The Sikhs regarded the destruction of the Muhammadans as a divine chastisement for the annoyance to which they had subjected them.

Soon afterwards, as a detachment of soldiers guarding imperial treasure was on its way from Lahore to Dihli, a storm arose as the convoy approached Goindwal, and the heavens assumed a sable hue. Though the soldiers exercised great vigilance, yet one mule laden with money strayed to the Muhammadan quarters of the town. The soldiers searched everywhere, and the town-crier made proclamation, but no trace could be found of the mule. Some of the Muhammadans who had concealed the animal, hypocritically joined in the search, and expressed their regret at the occurrence. At last the mule betrayed its captors. Left alone in the house of a Musalman, the animal neighed plantively on missing the company of his fellows. When the police officer heard the sound, he pro ceeded to the dwelling whence it had issued. The Muhammadans endeavoured to prevent his entry on the plea that he was violating their domestic privacy, but the police officer was not to be thwarted, and succeeded in rescuing the mule with his treasure. He then reported all the offences of the Muhammadans to the Emperor — their persistent

annoyance of the Guru and his Sikhs, their attack and slaughter of the Sanyasis, and finally their endeavour to rob the Emperor of his treasure. The Emperor ordered that they should be imprisoned, their houses razed to the ground, and all their property confiscated. 'Such', said the Guru, 'shall ever be the condition of those who bear enmity to men who desire to live at peace.'

On one occasion when the Guru visited an out lying village and preached, the headman said his words ought to be recorded, and he sent for pen and ink for the purpose. The following was the Guru's expostulation :—

Why send for pen and ink ? Write my words in thy heart.

If thou ever abide in the love of God, thine affection shall never be sundered from Him.

Pens and ink-bottles shall perish — what they write shall go with them—

Nanak, but the love of the True One which He bestoweth from the beginning shall not perish.

The things which are seen shall not depart with one ; see if there be any contrivance by which they may go with you.

The true Guru implanteth the True One in your hearts ; continue to love Him.

Nanak, the Giver of the Word is true, and He is obtained by good acts.

The Guru continued his instructions : — ' The Guru will assist him who hath endurance ; God is patient and patiently rewardeth. If any one ill-treat you, bear it. If you bear it three times, God Himself will fight for you the fourth time, and extirpate your enemies.1

He then quoted the twenty-first pauri of the Asa ki War.

The Guru, having obtained respite from his

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Muhammadan persecutors, continued to commu nicate spiritual and ethical instruction to his Sikhs : ' Do good to all, but be not proud thereof. Deem another's wife as a snake or a murderous elephant, and associate not with her. Avoid evil company ; be not conceited, glorify not yourselves, and for swear slander and falsehood. Eat and work accord ing to your ability. Practise not hypocrisy or ostentation. Meditate on the Guru's instruction. Give a tithe of your substance to God. Associate with the virtuous and wait upon the stranger. In voke Wahguru before meals, and He will bless your repasts.'

His Sikhs put a question to the Guru : ' Who are the greatest saints and worshippers of God ? The Guru replied, ' They who have repeated the Name and renounced pride are the best. The saint who so acteth, and leaveth this filthy and loathsome body, shall obtain in its stead a celestial body of light. True saints are passionless, and afford shelter to men. He who restraineth his desires hath ob tained salvation while alive. The saints are ever independent. What they do is ever beautiful and of good report. The true Guru and the saints are sent into the world to benefit it, though in reality they live apart and are not of it.'

Kingurinath, at the head of a company of Jogis, visited Guru Amar Das. They proclaimed that they were Jogis and holy men, and in proof of their state ment pointed to the garbs and earrings they wore. The Guru denied that that was the way to become holy. He would tell them, and thereupon he uttered

the following :—

RAMKALI ASHTAPADI

Put the rings of modesty in thine ears, O Jogi, and make compassion thy patched coat.

Apply the fear of transmigration to thy body as ashes, O Jogi, thus shalt thou conquer the three worlds.

O Jogi, play such a kinguri

As shall produce the unbeaten strain and abiding love of God.

Make patience thy wallet, truth thy platter, put the ambrosial Name thereon as food.

Make meditation thy staff, O Jogi, and remembrance of God the horn thou blowest.

Make the fixing of thy mind on God thy sitting posture,1 O Jogi, so shall thine injuries depart.

Go beg in the city of the body,2 O Jogi, and thou shalt obtain the Name.

It is not by means of this kinguri; O Jogi, that thou shalt meditate upon or obtain the True One ;

It is not by means of this kinguri, O Jogi, that thou shalt find peace, or that pride shall depart from thy heart.

Make the fear and love of God the two gourds of thy kinguri, O Jogi, and thy body its frame.

Be holy and the strings will play ; thus shall thine avarice depart.

He who understandeth God's order and applieth his heart to the one God is properly called a Jogi :

His doubts are dispelled, he becometh pure, and thus obtaineth the way of union with God.

All that is visible shall be destroyed ; wherefore fix thy mind on God.

If thou bear love to the true Guru, thou shalt understand this.

Union with God consisteth not, O Jogi, in leaving one's family and wandering abroad.

By the Guru's favour thou shalt obtain God's name in the mansion of thy body.

This body is an earthen puppet, O Jogi, and in it is a dire disease — the craving for mammon.

This disease will not be cured, O Jogi, by thy many efforts or by wearing sectarial dresses.

God's name, O Jogi, in whatever heart He implanteth it, is the medicine.

Wherever there is a holy man he obtaineth divine know ledge, and findeth the way of union with Him.

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The path of union with God is difficult, O Jogi ; he on whom God looketh with favour obtaineth it.

Whether he be at home or abroad, he seeth but the one God, and removeth doubt from his heart.

Saith Nanak, in this way shalt thou obtain deliverance, O Jogi, and be absorbed in the True One.

One day, as the Guru was taking a ride, he saw a wall broken by rain, which threatened to fall, and he accordingly rode quickly past it. On reaching home his Sikhs quoted to him one of his own hymns, in which he wrote :—

Death shall not approach him who meditateth on God's name.

They also quoted to him a verse of Guru Nanak :—

1 feel no anxiety regarding death, and I have no desire to live.

They then interrogated him : ' Great king, death is subservient to thee. Thou hast enjoyed a long life. Thou hast no pride or selfishness. Why hast thou hastened past the dangerous wall ? ' The Guru replied : ' I only want to teach my Sikhs that since human life, for which even the demigods vainly long, is so difficult to obtain, it is our duty to preserve it. If a tree be preserved, it will many times bear leaves, blossoms, and fruit. So if the body be preserved, we can practise charity and perform religious works of every description ; but when the body perisheth, we can no longer perform our duty to God. Holy men derive endless advantages from their bodies. By them they serve the saints, repeat God's name, obtain divine knowledge and become emancipated. The body by which we confer benefits on others, and by which happiness in this life and

salvation in the next are obtained, ought to be cherished by all.1

One day the Sikhs said to the Guru, ' Formerly, when we undertook any enterprise we used to con sult the Brahman astrologers. Now that we have come under thy protection, whom shall we consult ? ' The Guru replied, ' The most favourable time for the Guru's Sikhs is when they pray to God. If at the beginning of all undertakings they with a lowly mind invoke His assistance, all their efforts shall be successful.'

On one occasion, on seeing a large crowd of people who had come to him for the attainment of their desires, the Guru mourned over the ills of life, and decided to seek for a time the retirement of the forest. To escape notice he started on his journey at midnight. His movements, however, became known to his sons Mohri and Mohan and a few other devoted Sikhs, and they prepared to accompany him. When the party had been three days in the forest, a Muhammadan goatherd called Bahlol saw the Guru, and recognizing him as a holy man, fell at his feet and made him an offering of a bowl of milk. The Guru seeing his devotion, said, ' I am happy.' The goatherd, too, became happy in the consciousness of having ministered to the wants of a deserving man. The Guru invited him to ask a favour. The goatherd replied that there was nothing stable in the world, wherefore the only favour he asked was that he might be enabled to remember God's name. The Guru granted him this favour.

Dust flieth on the body of him who repeateth not God's name and frequenteth not the society of the saints.

Nanak, curses on the insipid body which knoweth not Him who created it.

Nanak, cherish that body which remembereth God, in whose heart God's lotus feet dwell, and whose tongue repeateth His name.

Bihagre ki War.

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Once the Guru visited Kasur. It was a time of excessive heat, and he felt very weary. The governor of the city was a Khatri of the Puri tribe. The Guru sent a messenger to request his permis sion to pitch his tent in his garden. The governor replied, ' I know the Guru ; he is a Khatri of the Bhalla tribe. Only yesterday he lived in Basarka and to-day he is Guru. He hath attached to him men of all castes, high and low. They sit in a line and eat with him and with one another. If he choose to be a Guru of outcastes, he can please him self, but I will not allow him to approach my dwell ing.' The Guru on hearing this said, ' My disciples shall one day have sovereign power. A Sikh ruler shall reign here in Kasur, and the descendants of this Khatri who is now governor shall become his servants/ The Guru, departing thence, found his way to the hut of a poor Pathan. On seeing the Guru the man arose and said that he was poor, otherwise he would give him suitable entertainment. The Guru replied in the words of Guru Nanak :-

God can appoint a worm to sovereignty and reduce an army to ashes.

The Guru continued, ' Do God's service, and thou shalt become the lord of Kasur, but directly thou practise tyranny, thou shalt die.' A short time afterwards the Khatri officials in Kasur caused such political disturbance that the Emperor ordered them to be disarmed and expelled, and Pathans appointed in their place. The latter and their descendants continued to govern that part of the Pan jab until it was conquered by Ran jit Singh and the Sikhs.

On one occasion, as the Guru lay asleep in the small hours of the night, he was awakened by a woman's screams. He sent two of his Sikhs to

inquire the cause of her grief. They returned with the information that a young man had just died of tertian ague, and his mother was bewailing his loss. On hearing this the compassionate Guru prayed to the Deathless Being to console her. He told his Sikhs to repeat the first pauri of the Japji, and, while doing so, to put water into the mouth of the deceased. The Sikhs, instead of performing the ceremony themselves, brought the body to the Guru. He put water into the corpse's mouth, and touched the head with his foot, when lo ! the youth was re-animated.

Once while a rich man was giving a religious feast a child was born in his house. The Brahmans in consequence declared the place impure, and refused food. The giver of the feast went to the third Guru to complain. The latter thereupon ordered his Sikhs to partake of the viands prepared, and they did so. The Brahmans subsequently went to the Guru to represent that his -disciples had eaten impure bread. The following was the Guru's remonstrance:—

The love of mammon is mental impurity,

By which men are led astray in doubt and suffer trans migration.

The impurity of the perverse never departeth

Until they become saturated with the Word and with God's name.

Whatever taketh the form of worldly love is all impurity :

On this account man dieth and is born again and again.

There is impurity in fire, in wind, and in water ;

There is impurity in whatever is eaten ;

There is impurity in religious ceremonies and in worship.

Only the heart which is dyed with the Name is pure.

By serving the True Guru impurity departeth :

Then man dieth not, nor is he born, nor doth Death destroy him.

Let any one carefully examine the Shastars and Simritis, and he shall find

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That without the Name there is no deliverance.

In the four ages the Name is considered the best word,

And by means of it in this Kalage the pious are saved.