Great men after the study of the Shastars, the Simritis, and the Veds, have thus expressed themselves—
Man may have amassed the wealth of the three worlds, yet his avarice will not otherwise be slaked.
Without repeating God’s name can stableness be obtained ? No ; man shall transmigrate again and again.
Man engageth in various fascinating recreations, yet his desires are never satisfied.
They ever burn and are never quenched ; without the Name all things are vain.
Repeat God’s name, 0 my friend ; this is the essence of perfect happiness.
In the company of the saints and by becoming the dust of their feet, Nanak hath freed himself from transmigration.
The Guru gives a compendium of his teaching:—
Without God all works are vain.
By works of hypocritical devotion, penance, and austerities man is plundered on this side. 1
He who abideth in fasting, insincere ceremonies, and austerities shall not obtain an eighth of a paisa.
In the next world the coin is different, my brother ; this coin will be of no use there.
He who batheth at a place of pilgrimage and wandereth over the earth, shall find no abiding place hereafter.
Such things shall avail him not; he merely pleaseth people thereby.
Man shall not hereafter find a place in God’s court by reciting the four Veds.
He who knoweth not the Pure and Imperishable One, 2
uttereth sheer nonsense.
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 159
Nanak hath expressed this opinion ; he who acteth on it shall be saved.
Serve the Guru, meditate on God’s name, and dismiss pride from thy heart.
The Guru addresses God with great fervour:—
Come, my beloved God,
Night and day, at every breath let me meditate on Thee. O saints, give God this message, ‘ I fall at Thy feet; Without Thee how shall I be saved ?
With Thee I rejoice;
Thou art in the forest, in the glades, in the three worlds ; Thou conferrest supreme happiness and joy.
My couch is pleasant, my soul expandeth towards Thee. On beholding Thee happiness shall be mine.
I will wash Thy feet, and continually perform Thy service. I will worship Thee, make Thee offerings, and do Thee homage :
Thy slave of slaves will repeat Thy name.’
Repeat, O saints, this my supplication to God;
So shall my desires be fulfilled and my soul and body revive.
On beholding God all my griefs shall be dispelled.
By continually repeating God’s name Nanak shall be saved,
And obtain unfading happiness.
Sing God’s praises received from a saint and pray for God as your alms:—
O my soul, sing God’s delicious praises; sing God’s delicious praises.
Attached to the True One, the homeless obtain a home. Ail other relishes are insipid and render body and soul insipid.
Accursed is his life who doeth aught contrary to God’s will.
Grasp the saint’s skirt and thou shalt cross over the ocean.
i6o THE SIKH RELIGION
Adore the supreme God, and all thy family shall be saved.
He who putteth God’s name into my heart is my saint, my kinsman, my friend;
He bestoweth on me the favour of blotting out all my demerits.
My property, my treasure, and my home may go to ruin ; my wealth is in God’s feet.
Nanak begging at Thy gate, O God, craveth for Thee as his alms.
Gauri Ashtapadi
It is said that one Raj Chand went to the Guru and asked him how happiness could be obtained and unhappiness avoided. The following was the Guru’s reply
When man harboureth pride in his heart,
He wandereth about mad and estranged from God.
When man becometh the dust of all men’s feet,
He on that account beholdeth God in every heart.
The fruit of humility is naturally pleasant:
This gift my true Guru gave. me.
When man deemeth others bad,
All weave plots against him.
When he hath ceased to speak of things as his own,
No one beareth him enmity.
When man holdeth things as his own,
He suffereth serious trouble.
When man recognizeth the Creator,
His sufferings are at an end.
When man entangleth himself with worldly love,v He suffereth transmigration and falleth under Death’s continual ken.
* When man’s doubts are removed,
There is no difference between him and the Supreme. From the moment that man recognizeth a difference,
He sufiereth pain, punishment, and afftiction.
moment tWt man knoweth the one God,
He hath obtained all knowledge.
HYMNS OF GURU ARjAN i6i
When man runneth after mammon,
He findeth it not, nor doth his thirst depart.
When man fleeth from mammon,
She proceedeth to pursue him.
When the true Guru is found by his own mercy,
The lamp is lit in the temple of one’s heart.
When man considereth his gain and loss,
He realizeth the value of this temple.
The one God doth everything and causeth everything to be done.
He Himself is wisdom, reflection, and discrimination.
He is not distant, He is near and with all.
Nanak, praise the true God with love.
All must perish save God who has no end or limit:—
In the first place, man issueth from his dwelling in the womb ;
He afterwards attacheth himself to his children, wife, and family.
Thy dishes of many sorts and thy varied dresses,
O wretched man, shall assuredly pass away.
What place is that which shall ever be permanent ? What word is that by which evil inclinations shall be removed ?
Even the realm of Indar must assuredly perish ;
Even the realm of Brahma remaineth not permanent; And even the realm of Shiv shall dissolve.
Maya with the three qualities and the demons shall perish.
Mountains, trees, the earth, the firmament, and the stars The sun, the moon, wind, fire, and water,
The laws and alternations of day and night,
The Shastars, the Simritis, and the Veds,
Places of pilgrimage, demigods, temples, and books. Rosaries, frontal marks, purely cooked victuals,
Loin cloths, prostrations, raiment, food,
Shall pass away with all men.
Race, caste, Musalmans, Hindus,
Beasts, birds, animals of different species,
SIKH. Ill m
All the visible creation,
And all forms of existence shall perish.
By praising and serving God real divine knowledge is obtained,
Which ever conferreth happiness and the permanent and tiue abode.
Where the congregation of the saints are absorbed in God’s praises,
And dwell for ever in the fearless city,
There is no fear, no doubt, no mourning, no anxiety,
No transmigration, no death, no birth.
There is for ever joy and the theatre of spontaneous music.
The saints dwell there; singing God’s praises is their sustenance.
The supreme Being hath no end or limit.
Who can describe Him ?
Saith Nanak, he to whom God is merciful
Shall reach the imperishable place in the company of the saints.
He who divests himself of love of mammon shall attain all perfection :—
He who divesteth himself of the love of mammon, is a hero;
He who so divesteth himself, is perfect;
He who so divesteth himself, shall obtain greatness ;
He who so divesteth himself, shall be free from suffering.
If there is any one who so divesteth himself,
And banisheth his love of mammon, he accomplisheth raj jog. 1
He who so divesteth himself, shall have no fear;
He who so divesteth himself, shall be absorbed in the Name;
He who so divesteth himself, shall have his thirst extinguished ;
He who so divesteth himself, shall be acceptable in God’s court; ,.
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 163
He who so, divesteth himself, shall become wealthy ;
He who so divesteth himself, shall be honoured ;
He who so divesteth himself, shall become continent;
He who so divesteth himself, shall obtain deliverance— The advent of him who so divesteth Himself, is profitable— He who so divesteth himself, shall be stable and opulent; He who so divesteth himself, shall be very fortunate ;
He who so divesteth himself, shall be watchful night and day ;
He who so divesteth himself, shall obtain salvation while alive ;
He who so divesteth himself, shall lead a pure life ;
He who so divesteth himself, shall be thoroughly versed in divine knowledge ;
He who so divesteth himself, shall meditate on God— Without so divesting himself man shall not be acceptable, Even though he perform millions of superstitious ceremonies and forms of worship—
Without so divesting himself he shall be born again ; Without so divesting himself he shall not escape from Death ;
Without so divesting himself he shall not obtain divine knowledge ;
Without so divesting himself his impurity shall not be washed away ;
Without so divesting himself everything is defilement; Without so divesting himself everything is an entanglement.
He to whom the Ocean of mercy is merciful,
Shall be freed and shall obtain all perfection.
He whose love of mammon is removed by the Guru, Shall, saith Nanak, meditate on God.
He who embraces a holy life shall obtain everything that is prized :—
He who attacheth himself to God findeth a friend in everybody;
He who attacheth himself to God hath a stable mind ; He who attacheth himself to God feeleth no anxiety ;
M 2
He who attacheth himself to God shall be saved.
O my soul, unite thyself with God ;
Naught else shall avail thee.
Great worldly people who think not of God,
Are useless and ignorant.
Although God’s slave be accounted of lowly birth.
Yet in his company men shall be at once saved.
Hearing God’s name is equal to millions of ablutions ; Meditating on Him is equal to millions of adorations ; Hearing His praises is equal to millions of alms-deeds ; Knowing His ways from the Guru bringeth millions of rewards.
Think again and again upon God in thy heart,
And thy love for mammon shall depart.
The immortal God is with thee ;
.0 man, be absorbed in thy love for Him.
Specially perform the service of Him By serving whom all thine avarice shall depart;
By serving whom the myrmidons of Death will not look at thee;
By serving whom thou shalt obtain great honour;
By serving whom thou shalt be immortal;
Whose servant shall not be punished ;
Whose servant shall not be even bound 1 ;
And in whose office thine account shall not be called for. O man, perform the service of Him Who is in need of nothing,
Who is one though of various forms,
And at whose sight thou art ever happy.
Without remembering God man is on a level with everything that is low and base:—
' He who remembereth not God,leadeth the life of a snake: 2 * So liveth the infidel who forgetteth the Name.
He who liveth remembering God even for a moment, Shall live for millions of days, yea, for ever.
Cursed be the acts done without remembering God 1
* Ban is understood to be for the Panjabi bank, binding. '
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 165
The infidel like a crow’s beak dwelleth in filth :
Without remembering the Name his desires are those of a dog.
The infidel is nameless like a prostitute’s son ;
Without remembering the Name he is like a ram’s horn. The infidel uttereth falsehood and his face is blackened ; Without remembering God’s name he is like a donkey Which wandereth about in foul places. 1 Without remembering the Name he is as a mad dog.
The covetous infidel falleth into entanglements ;
Without remembering the Name he committeth suicide. The infidel is low ; • he hath neither family nor caste.
The Guru causeth him to whom he is merciful to meet the society of saints,
And, O Nanak, to cross over the ocean of the world.
The evil fate of him who forgets the Name :— Come to me, 0 my God, bestow on me Thy name ; Totally accursed be the love which is without the Name ! He who dresseth himself or eateth without invoking the Name,
Is like a dog fallen on garbage.
Business performed without the Name Is futile as the decorations of a corpse.
He who enjoyeth pleasures in forgetfulness of the Name, Hath no happiness even in his dreams; nay, his body becometh diseased.
If man abandon the Name for any other occupation,
The whole of his false gilding shall fall off.
He who loveth not heartily the Name,
Shall go to hell even though he perform millions of ceremonies.
He who remembereth not God’s name in his heart,
Shall be bound like a thief in the realm of Death.
There might be hundreds of thousands of displays and
great profusion,
Yet without the Name they would all he vain ostentation.
i66
That man repeateth God’s name
To whom, O Nanak, He mercifully granteth it.
What God the Friend does for man :—
My soul longeth for that Friend,
Who forsaketh me not at the beginning, middle, or end of my undertakings.
God’s love ever accompanieth us ;
He is the Compassionate and omnipresent Cherisher.
He perisheth not, neither doth He abandon His servant. Wherever I gaze, there is He contained.
He is beautiful, skilful, clever, the Giver of life ;
He is brother, son. father, and mother ;
He is the support of my life and soul; He is my capital. Dwelling in my heart He hath made me love Him.
He hath cut off mammon’s chains,
And, beholding me with a favourable eye, made me His own.
By ever remembering God all diseases are healed,
And by meditating on His feet all happiness enjoyed.
The all-pervading Being is ever fresh and youthful;
He is the companion and protector of man whether at home or abroad.
Saith Nanak, the saint who knoweth God’s dignity Hath obtained from Him the Name for all his wealth.
The man who knows not God passes his life in pleasures, worldly love, and pride, and cannot obtain salvation:—
Through pleasures, social gatherings, and the gratification of evil passions, man, blind that he is, knoweth not God.
His whole life passeth away saying, ‘ I hoard, I earn ;
I am a hero, I am distinguished ; no one is equal to me ;
I am young, religious, of good family ’ •, thus pride enter- eth his heart,
And he forgetteth it not until death, so entangled is he ih his boastful 1 intellect.
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 167
He resigneth his wealth to his brothers, friends, kinsmen, and companions who survive him.
The desire to which the mind is attached becometh supreme at the last hour.
If man perform purifications through pride, he becometh bound by such entanglements.
O merciful God, show mercy that Nanak may become the slave of Thy slaves.
Gauri Chhant
Man should consider howto obtain God's favours:—
Hear, my companions, let us join and make efforts to please God the Bridegroom ;
Through the saint’s spell let us abandon pride and through the philtre of devotion fascinate our Spouse.
O my companions, once He cometh into our power, He will not again forsake us ; this is a good custom of the Lord.
Nanak, God will make us pure and dispel the fear of old age, death and hell.
Hear, my companions, this is a good course ; let us adopt it.
Having withdrawn from worldly cares let us sing God’s praises with composure and devotion.
Our troubles and difficulties shall depart, our doubts be dispelled, and we shall obtain the reward our hearts desire.
Nanak, let us meditate on the name of the supreme and omnipresent God.
O my companions, I have ever desired to devote myself to God; may He grant my desires!
Having renounced the world I thirst for a sight of His feet; I look for them everywhere.
To find the omnipresent Being I will trace His tracks in the company of the saints.
Nanak, the holy men who have found the Giver of comfort are very fortunate.
0 my companions, I now dwell with my beloved Spouse; and my soul and body have become attached to Him.
Hear me, O my companions, I sleep well since I have found my Beloved.
I have lost my doubts, ; I have obtained peace and rest; the Lord hath appeared unto me, and the lotus of my heart hath blossomed.
I have found my Husband, the Lord, the Searcher of hearts; 0 Nanak, my married state shall never cease.
The Bawan Akhari 1