He who is very proud
Shall in a moment be blended with the dust.
I am ever and ever a sacrifice to Him
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 399
Who is, was, and shall be the true One.
God hath mercy and protecteth His slaves :
He is the support of Nanak’s soul,
God described by negatives :—
Wonderful and greatly unequalled is a description Of the Soul of the world, the Supreme Being :
He is not old, nor is He young ;
He hath no sorrow, nor is He caught in Death’s halter; He neither perisheth, nor departeth ;
In the beginning and in every age He pervadeth the world ; He feeleth nor heat nor cold ;
He hath no friend, no enemy ;
He feeleth nor joy nor mourning.
Everything beiongeth to Him and He is potent to act. He hath no father, and no mother ;
He is without limit, and from the beginning ;
He is not the subject either of virtue or of vice.
In every heart He is ever awake ;
He created one energy Maya with the three qualities. Great Maya is His shadow.
He is undeceivable, invulnerable, inscrutable, and compassionate.
Compassionate to the poor He is ever merciful;
His condition and measure cannot be known :
Nanak, I am a sacrifice unto Him.
Ramkali
A prayer to God and miscellaneous instruction :— Have mercy upon me, O Bountiful to the poor, and think not at all of my merits or demerits.
Why should we wash clay ? O Lord, to be unclean is the condition of man. 1
O my soul, serve the True Guru, and thou shalt be happy. Thou shalt obtain whatever thou mayest desire, and not again feel sorrow.
God fashioned us frail vessels, put His light within us, and cherisheth us.
We act as the Creator predestined for us from the beginning.
Man claimeth his soul and body to be entirely his own ; hence his transmigration.
He thinketh not on Him who gave them ; he is blindly wrapped up in worldly love.
He who knoweth the God who made him shall reach His unequalled palace.
May Nanak Thy slave serve Thee and sing Thy praises, O God !
By due meditation on God man is preserved from the deadly sins :—
My God hath assisted me, and I have disposed of all mine enemies.
I have bound the enemies who plundered this world.
My God is the True Guru.
To utter His name and put confidence in Him is equal to enjoyment of the delights of many empires.
The Protector watcheth over him who thinketh of none but Him.
He whose support is Thy name alone, O Lord, despiseth the world.
He who hath met the Giver of comfort, becometh perfect; he is not deficient in anything.
On meeting God, the best thing, man obtaineth the supreme position, and forsaketh it not to go elsewhere.
I cannot describe a Being like Thee who art true, invisible, and infinite.
Nanak, our Lord is unequalled, unfathomable, and unwavering.
Praises of God:—
Thou art wise, Thou art immovable, Thou art my caste, Thou art my lineage.
Thou art unwavering, Thou waverest never ; then how can I feel anxiety ?
Thou alone art the one God ;
Thou alone art the one King.
Through Thy mercy I have obtained happiness.
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 401
Thou art a lake ; we are Thy swans ; in Thee are gems and rubies.
Thou art the Giver ; Thou hesitat.est not at all; we eat from Thy hands and are ever happy.
We are children, Thou art our Father, Thou puttest milk into our mouths.
We all play and Thou ever fondlest us : Thou art ever brimful of excellences.
Thou art perfect and fillest every place : O Perfect One, we too are satiated with Thy company.
After many efforts I have become blended with Thee ; Nanak, there is nothing more to be said.
A votary of Krishan invited Guru Arjan to see the circular dance in honour of his god. The Guru replied that the whole world was dancing and playing, and there was no necessity to go to such an entertainment. A man ought to dance as follows :—
Make thy hands the cymbals, thine eyes the kettledrums, thy forehead the rebeck,
Thine ears the sweet pipe, and thy tongue the prelude.
Bring dancing with the heart as the motions of thy hands and thy tinkling anklets,
And dance to God.
Let the Compassionate One be the spectator and behold thy dressing and decorations.
Let thine arena be the whole earth, the firmament above its canopy,
And the breath the sole manager.
From the water and the other elements God created a puppet to which acts are attached.
In the four corners of the earth God lit up and placed both the moon and sun as lamps. 1
There are ten dancing girls 2 and five accompanists 3 together in one chamber. 4
d d
mku. uv
They separately gesticulate and all speak different tongues.
In every house there is dancing day and night, and in every heart the trumpets 1 sound.
God causeth one man to dance in secular occupations, another He diverteth therefrom, and a third He debaseth by transmigration.
Saith Nanak, he who meeteth the perfect Guru shall not dance again.
Instruction to a Jogi:—
The six Shastars also tell of one thing.
The eighteen Purans combined speak of the one God ;
Yet, even so, thou hast not found their secret.
The kinguri of God playeth an unequalled strain,
O intoxicated Jogi.
In the first age the village of truth was inhabited ; 2
In the Treta age there was some falling off ; 3
In the Dwarpar half the truth remained ;
In the Kal one-fourth remained, and then God was shown by the Guru.
On one string 4 the gems of souls were strung ;
They were all kept separate by knots : 5
The rosary thus formed revolved in many ways. 6
When God draweth the string, they all come together. 7
From the four elements the' body 8 was constructed.
In it there were difficult passages and many windows. 9
When the Jogi cometh searching and searching to God’s door,
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 403
Then, O Nanak, he shall find God’s private apartment. Thus shall his kinguri play an unequalled strain :
On hearing it the Jogi’s mind will be pleased.
The Guru recommends God's love instead of the practice of Jog:—
There 1 are the full sounds of the five musical instruments. Without being struck they play wondrously and marvellously.
The saints, God’s people, sport there.
The Supreme Being pervadeth all things, but is not combined with them.
In His palace are happiness, composure, and joy.
The company of the saints sit and sing God’s praises; theirs is not the malady of transmigration.
There only God’s name is remembered.
Few are they who there find rest.
Love is their food and singing their support.
. There are countless everlasting seats.
There no one falleth, or wavereth, or runneth astray.
It is only by the favour of the Guru a few find that paradise.
There is neither doubt, nor fear, nor worldly love, nor mammon.
There in deep repose is the merciful God Who hath not end or limit.
He is at once concealed and manifest.
Nanak, the wonderful condition of him cannot be described In whose heart is God’s love.
The following was addressed to a tyrannical official:—
Thou amassest wealth by causing misery;
But it shall nbt avail thee ; it shall only benefit others.. Thou practisest pride and actest like a blind man ;
Thou shalt be bound by Death’s halter in the next world. Dismiss thy jealousy of others, 0 fool.
Thou hast but one night to stay here :
D ,d 2
Though intoxicated with wealth thou must depart;
Yet thou continuest to love vanities.
In the period of childhood one is heedless ;
In the heyday of youth man is attached to unsavoury pleasures;
In the third stage of life he amasseth wealth ;
When old age cometh on he leaveth everything and de- parteth with regret.
After long time man obtaineth a human body so difficult to obtain ;
But it is as dust without the Name.
He who knoweth not Him who created him,
Is worse than a beast, a sprite, or an idiot.
Hear me, O Creator, Gobind, Gopal,
Compassionate to the poor, ever merciful,
If Thou free men, they shall be freed from their bonds. Nanak, the world is heedless; O God, pardon and unite us with Thee.
Where the saints dwell and pray, there is heaven:—
Where the saints put their feet, there arc the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage ;
Where the Name is uttered, there is heaven.
Advice to a Brahman :—
Sing the praises of God’s name, O Pandit.
Religious ceremonies are of no avail; pride is of no avail; go home contented in thy mind.
The Hindu gods, goddesses, and sacred books know not God’s greatness :—
The Veds know not His greatness ;
Brahma knoweth not His secrets ;
The incarnations know not His limit:
The Supreme Being is without limit.
Only God knoweth His own state ;
NLen merely speak of Him from hearsay.
Shiv knoweth not His secret;
The demigods have grown weary searching for Him ;
- HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 405
The goddesses know not His secret;
The unseen Supreme Being is over all.
God playeth according to His pleasure.:
It is He who separateth, it is He who uniteth.
Some wander, others He applieth to His worship.
He causeth man to know His works.
Hear the true instruction of the saints—
It is only they who have seen with their eyes who can tell God's greatness.
He is not the object either of virtue or of vice.
Nanak’s God is all in all.
The Guru warns man to seek God’s protection betimes:—
0 man, neither thy body nor thy soul is thine own :
It is by thy worldly love thou fallest into such error. Thou friskest about like a lamb or a kid :
When thou expectest not, Death will cast his noose and hurl his quoit at thee.
0 my soul, seek the protection of God’s lotus feet.
Repeat the name of God the Helper who is with thee, and under the Guru’s instruction thou shalt obtain the true wealth.
The imperfect things of this world will never be perfect. Man is ever miserable on account of lust, wrath, and pride.
He committeth sin to gratify his heart.
0 thoughtless man, nothing will go an inch with thee. Thou practisest deceit, and knowest many tricks ;
Thou laboriously siftest dirt for kauris ;
Thou never thinkest on Him who gave thee everything ; Thou art greedy for perishable things, and thy pain will not leave thee.
When the supreme God was compassionate,
My heart became the dust of the saints’ feet.
God with His lotus hand hath attached me to His skirt. -
Nanak hath become absorbed in the Truest of the true.
THE SIKH RELIGION *
Ashtapadi
God’s praises and the Guru’s instructions to men:—
0 man, remember the Preserver,
Who fashioned thee out of this water,
And made thy earthly body—
The Luminous One who gave thee speech, understanding, and reason,
And who protected thee in thy mother’s womb.
O man, forsake all else and meditate on Him Who gave thee father and mother,
Who gave thee brother and sons,
Who gave thee a wife and friends.
Remember that God Who gave thee priceless air,
Who gave thee priceless water,
And who gave thee fire to burn—
O man, remain under that God’s protection.
Place thy heart at the feet of that God Who gave thee thirty-six species of food,
Who made within thee a place to contain them.
And who gave 'thee land and chattels to use.
O man, adore the feet of that God Who made thee eyes to see, ears to hear,
Hands to work, feet to walk,
A nose, a tongue, and a head to crown 1 all;
Who made thee pure from being impure,
And who gave thee the highest among all births.
Wilt thou now be accepted by Him, or wilt thou not ?
O man, thine affairs shall be arranged by meditating on Him.
In this world and the next there is but the one God ; Wherever thou lookest, there is He.
The heart is slow to serve Him ;
But by forgetting Him man cannot abide for a moment. We are sinners and without merits ;
We do no service or good deeds.
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 407
The boat of the Guru is only found by good fortune.
Nanak, a stone floateth over by associating with the saint.
The object of the following composition is to instruct man to remember God at all seasons:—
Guru Arjan’s Seasons Ramkali Slok I
O man, salute God the Supreme Being, and desire the dust of His saints’ feet.
Nanak, dispel pride, repeat the name of God who is omnipresent.
He is the remover of sin, the dispeller of fear, an ocean of happiness.
Nanak, ever meditate on Him, the Compassionate to the poor, the Destroyer of sorrow.
Chhant
O fortunate beings, sing God’s praises, and God will be merciful unto you.
Delightful the season, the month, the hour, and the time when you repeat God’s name.
Blessed are they who imbued with love for God with single mind meditate on His attributes.
Profitable are the lives of those who have found Him.
Good acts, alms, and religious ceremonies are not equal to God’s name which removeth all sin.
Nanak representeth, I live by remembering Him who is free from transmigration. *
Slok II
Strive to attain the Inaccessible and Inapprehensible, and bow to His lotus feet.
Saith Nanak, mention of Thee by those whose support is the Name, will be pleasing to Thee.
0 my friends, seek the protection of the saints and remember the eternal God.
Nanak, by repeating God’s name you shall become green from being withered.
Chhant
Excellent is the season of spring ; Chet and Baisakh are pleasant months.
Having obtained God as my Spouse, my soul, body, and life bloom afresh.
O my companions, when the lotus feet of the immovable Spouse enter my house, I rejoice and am happy and glad.
He is beautiful, clever, and wise, a Recognizer of merit and inestimable.
I have obtained Him by great good fortune, dispelled my sorrow, and fulfilled my desires.
Nanak representeth, by seeking Thy protection my fear of Death is dispelled.
Slok III
Nanak had been bound in the soft 1 fetters of the record of his previous acts.
Without the company of saints he killed himself wandering and doing various religious acts, but now he is released.
God blendeth with Himself those who please Him ; it is He who also separateth man from Him.
Nanak, I have fallen under the protection of God whose glory is great.
Chhant
Jeth and Har form the hot season when the heat is intensely severe.
God looketh not on the woman who is separated from His love.
She is ruined by great pride ; she beholdeth Him not, and dieth in agony.
Attached to mammon she is displeased with God, and gaspeth like a fish out of water.
Death shall punish her for her sins, and she shall dread the transmigration which awaiteth her.
Nanak prayeth—preserve me in Thine asylum, O Thou who fulfillest desires.
HYMNS'OF GURU ARJAN 409
Slok IV
My love is attached to my Beloved ; I cannot abide for an instant without Him.
Nanak, He of His kind disposition filleth my soul and body.
He who was my friend at many births hath taken me by the hand.
God with hearty love hath made Nanak the slave of His feet.
Chhant
The rainy season in Sawan and Bhadon bestoweth comfort and joy.
The lowering clouds rain, and sea and land are filled with honey. 1
God pervadeth every place, and His name, which is the nine treasures, filleth my heart.
By remembering the Lord, the Searcher of hearts, whole families are saved.
They who are awake in the love of the Beloved shall never be shamed ; the Merciful One will ever pardon them.
Nanak represented, I have obtained God as my Spouse who ever pleaseth my soul.
Slok V
Thirsty with desire I wander thinking when I shall behold God.
Without meeting Him I have no rest ; I cannot abide for a moment.
Nanak, by entering the sanctuary of God’s saints my desires shall be fulfilled.
Chiiant
In Assu and Kartik, the cool season, I thirst for God and make preparation to meet Him.
Searching for a sight of Him I wander thinking when I shall meet the Lord of excellences.
I have no happiness without my Beloved Spouse; my necklaces and bracelets are all hateful to me.
However beautiful, clever, accomplished, and wise I may be, my body is as if it had not breath in it.
My soul thirsteth to meet God, I look here and there and in every direction for Him.
Nanak prayeth, O God Lord of excellences, mercifully unite me with Thee.
Slok VI
Nanak, since I have met the all-pervading God, my doubt as to whether I am separated from God or not hath been removed.
My heart-burning hath been slaked, comfort hath ensued, and I have peace of soul and body.
God sent holy men with this message —‘ I am not far from thee.’
Nanak, by repeating the Name of the all-pervading God, my doubts and fears have been dispelled.
Chhant
In Maghar and Poh, the snowy season, God appeareth to me and I am refreshed.
I have obtained a sight of God, my heart-burning hath been slaked, and deceitful mammon put to flight.
All my desires have been fulfilled ; I have met God face to face, and as a worshipper have worshipped His feet.
Singing the praises of the Unseen and Inscrutable is my necklace, my hair-strings, my decorations, and all my delight.
Death cannot look at those who desire the love and service of God.
Nanak representeth, God hath blended me with Himself, and my love shall not now be sundered from Him.
Slok VII
When a happy wife hath obtained the wealth of God’s name, her mind never wavereth.
Nanak, by association with the saints God the Friend appeareth in the heart.
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 411
Woman enjoyeth millions of songs, joys, and pleasures with the dear Beloved.
By repeating God’s name, O Nanak, man obtaineth the fruit his heart desireth.
Chhant
Magh and Phagun, the autumnal season, are pleasing to the heart and full of excellence.
O my friends and companions, sing a song of rejoicing, God my Husband hath come home.
My Jewel hath come home, my heart meditateth on Him, and my couch is beautiful and bright.
The woods and glades become green ; 1 on beholding the scene I am entranced.
By repeating the pure spell in my heart I have met the Lord, and my desires have been fulfilled.
Nanak representeth, I have met my Spouse, God the Bearer of prosperity ; and shall now be fever engaged in dalliance.
Slok VIII
The saints are succourers of the soul and pilots across the terrible ocean :
Nanak, know them for the most exalted of all, for they love God’s name.
They who know God have crossed over ; they are brave, they are heroes.
Nanak is a sacrifice to those who by repeating God’s name have reached the shore.
Chhant
The saints’ feet preside over all; by means of them all troubles are erased ;
They dispel the pain of transmigration and cause devotion to God to enter the heart;
They are imbued with God’s love and intoxicated with divine knowledge : I forget them not for a moment.
He who renounceth pride and falleth under the protection 1 Autumn has become spring for the Guru.
of their feet, shall obtain all favours from the Lord of the world.
I salute God, Gobind, the Ocean of excellence, Srirang 1 the Primal Lord.
Nanak supplicateth—do Thou, O God, who art the same in every age have mercy on me.
Ramkali ki War II
A Sikh called Mahila asked the Guru if saints could free men from the fear of transmigration and unite them with God. The following was the Guru’s reply:—
As I have heard of the true Guru, so have I found him.
He is the mediator at God’s court and uniteth with God those who have been separated from Him.
He maketh fast the spell of God’s name in the disciples' heart, and healeth the malady of pride.
Nanak, God caused those so destined from the beginning to meet the true Guru.