By propitiating God everything is obtained:—
If the one God be my friend, all will be my friends ; if the one God be my enemy every one will quarrel with me.
The true Guru hath shown me that without the Name all is vanity.
The infidel and the evil who are attached to the pleasures of the world shall suffer transmigration.
Nanak, by the favour of the true Guru I have recognized the Lord God.
The perverse:—
Friendship with the perverse is an alliance with mammon :
While we look on, it fleeth away, and findeth nothing to arrest it.
While the perverse have raiment and food theyding to us ;
The day they get nothing they utter abuse.
The perverse and those in the darkness of ignorance know not the state of the soul.
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 413
A false joining will not last; it is like a broken stone cemented with mud.
The blind know not themselves ; they suffer in the midst of false occupations.
Involved in false worldly love they pass their days in pride.
God bestoweth His full favour on those to whom He extendeth His mercy from the first.
Nanak, they who seek the shelter of the true Guru are saved.
The Guru prays for a holy life :—
Be merciful, 0 my God, that I may pass my life with the saints !
They who forget Thee are born and die; their sorrows are never at an end.
O man, where the way is difficult, nay, everywhere remember the True Guru in thy heart.
By repeating God’s name no one shall obstruct thy path.
It is only the saints who can influence God
Thou, O Lord, comest not into man’s power even by abundant supplication ;
Thou comest not into man’s power even by reading the Veds ;
Thou comest not into man’s power by bathing at places of pilgrimage ;
Thou comest not into man’s power by running over the earth :
Thou comest not into man’s power by any artifice ;
Thou comest not into man’s power by giving copious alms.
Every one is in Thy power, O Inaccessible and Inapprehensible.
Thou art in the power of the saints; Thou art their strength.
When the feet, head, mouth and soul are beautiful :—
The feet are beautiful which move towards Thee, 0 Lord ; the head is beautiful which boweth to Thy feet;
4 i4
The mouth is beautiful when it singeth Thy praises ; and the soul when it entereth Thy protection.
God’s praises:—
Thou, 0 God, art great; greatly unrivalled is Thy dignity;
Various are Thy manifestations; Thine acts cannot be known.
Thy life is within animals ; Thou knowest everything ;
Everything is in Thy power ; Thy palace is beautiful;
It is filled with joy and gratulation.
Without -pride thou bearest honour, greatness, and splendour.
Thou art filled with all potencies ; Thou appearest everywhere.
Nanak, Thy slave of slaves maketh supplication before Thee.
The Guru’s devotion to God:—
I am a sacrifice unto Thee, 0 great God.
Of me who am without merits Thou art the perfect benefactor ; Thou art the compassionate Lord of the poor.
Standing or sitting, sleeping or waking, O man, deem God thy soul, thy life, thy wealth, and thy property.
The thirst for a sight of Thee, 0 God, is great in my heart; Nanak prayeth —make me happy by a sight of Thee.
Maru
Instances of the success of devotion:—
The boy Dhru at the age of five years was helpless, but by remembering God he became fixed and immortal.
Ajamal through love for his son called upon Narayan, whereupon the good angels smote the myrmidons of Death.
What numberless persons my Lord saved !
I am poor, of little intellect, without virtue ; I fall at Thy door for protection.
The pariah 1 Balmik was saved, so was the wretched huntsman 2 ;
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 415
The elephant which remembered God even for a moment was saved. 1
God preserved His servant Prahlad, and Narsinh tore Harnakhas with his nails.
Bidur, son of a handmaiden, became pure and his whole family illustrious.
What sins of mine can I confess ? I have been absorbed in the false love of the world.
Nanak hath come to God’s sanctuary and shelter ; 0 Lord, stretch out Thine arm, and take me to Thee.
By devotion man obtains salvation during life:—
When my fate was favourable and God was merciful, I sang His praises.
My toil hath ended, I have obtained rest, and all my wandering is at an end.
Now I have obtained the dignity of real life.
I have remembered God in my heart under the protection of the saints.
I have banished lust, wrath, avarice, and worldly love; these enemies all have I banished.
Ever the Almighty is present to view; nowhere is He distant.
I have obtained happiness and rest; all my desires have been fulfilled by the assistance of the saints.
God in a moment hath purified the sinner ; God’s praise cannot be expressed.
I have become fearless, all fear hath departed; I have taken the shelter of God’s feet.
Nanak singeth God’s praises and fixeth his attention on Him night and day.
True religion is not found among Hindu sectaries
The Pandit shouteth aloud the Veds, but his heart is slow to good works.
The silent devotee sitteth apart, but the knots of desire are in his heart.
The anchoret abandoneth his home, but he is not saved by flight.
To whom shall I tell the state of my heart ?
Where shall I find him who is saved himself and who will bring me to meet God ?
The penitent chasteneth his body, but his thoughts wander in every direction.
The Brahmachari practiseth continence, but there is pride in his heart.
The Sanyasi wandereth in pilgrimages and while there quarrelleth with strangers. 1
The Ramdasis 2 in their efforts to get bread put on tinkling anklets, and dance before idols .
Men fast, perform their daily religious duties, and the six acts for the purpose of ostentation.
With their mouths they chant sacred songs and hymns, but they sing not heartily God’s praises.
God’s saints are pure and free from joy, sorrow, covetousness, and worldly love.
If God be merciful, my soul shall obtain the dust of the saints’ feet.
Saith Nanak, when I meet the true Guru my anxiety shall depart.
My Lord God is the Searcher of hearts.
The Beloved knoweth all the secrets of my heart, so I have forgotten all my idle prayers.
Maru Anjuli
A homily addressed to a Muhammadan :—
At night all animals congregate under a tree. 3
Some speak hotly and others gently to one another.
When the sun riseth they depart, as when their lives have come to an end.
They who commit sin shall assuredly be ruined.
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 417
Azrail will seize and torture them.
When the Book-keeper 1 calleth for their accounts, the Creator will consign them to hell.
No brother or sister will accompany them.
They shall depart, leaving their property, their youth, and their wealth.
They know not the benevolent Creator, so they shall be pressed like bundles of sesame.
Thou mayest rob others of their property ;
But God who is with thee, O man, seeth and heareth thee.
Through worldly greed thou fallest into a pit, and knowest not the future.
Forthis reason thou shalt be born and die, and be born again,
And suffer much punishment in a distant country. 2
Mortal, blind that he is, knoweth not who made him; wherefore he shall suffer misery.
Man straying from his Maker is ruined.
The play of the world is evil; man is sometimes sad and sometimes glad.
He practiseth not truth or patience ; he goeth not to the saints, but wandereth as it pleaseth him.
God Himself performeth the whole play ;
One man He extricateth and another He sinketh in the wave.
As God causeth man to dance so he danceth.
Every one passeth his life according to his past acts recorded on his forehead.
If the Master be merciful, man shall meditate on Him.
If man associate with the saints, he shall not fall into hell.
O Lord, grant the gift of Thine ambrosial name to Nanak, and he shall ever sing the song of Thy praises.
Maru ki War II
The Guru's devotion to God and his longing to behold Him:—
If Thou but say the Word, 0 my Friend, I will cut off my head and give it Thee.
Mine eyes long to behold Thee.
My Love is with Thee; I see that all other l6ve is false.
I shudder at clothes and food until I behold the Beloved.
0 my Spouse, I arise at dawn to behold Thee. t Collyrium, garlands, betel, and dainties are all as ashes without a sight of Thee, 0 God.
Love and longing for God:—
If Thou, O God, be my friend, separate not Thyself from me for a moment.
Thou hast fascinated my soul; when, O my life, shall I behold Thee ?
The house into which the Bridegroom comes is happy and imparts happiness to others:—
If Thou enter my courtyard, the whole land shall become beautiful.
When I am without my Spouse, the One God, nobody careth for me.
Everything shall be beautiful if the Bridegroom come and make my courtyard His own ; 1
Then the wayfarer who cometh to my house shall never depart empty. 2
♦
Against adultery:—
What shall I say to thee, O blockhead ? look not on another’s vines 8 ; art thou their master ?
Nanak, the whole world is blooming like a garden of flowers. 4
In this world take care how thou travellest:—
Walk along the footpath; there is thick slush on the ground.
Take care lest thy feet slip and thou be splashed.
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 419
Men rely on unrealities and are disappointed:—
Thinking what is false and transitory to be real, thou runnest before others to seize it ;
But Nanak, it shall melt away like butter in the fire and fade like the water-lily.
The Guru stimulates his soul to piety:—
O foolish soul, thou art lazy in God’s service ;
A long time shall elapse before this opportunity shall return.
Man acts heedlessly, but the Guru can guide him:—
Thy thatch is of thick grass, yet, O careless man, thou lightest fire in it.
They who are so fated, shall obtain shelter in the teacher. 1
Man’s worldly efforts will not secure salvation. The following couplet has in view the practice of offering huge cakes at the shrine of Sakhi Sarwar. The priests read the darud , 2 receive the offered cakes, break off small pieces for the pilgrims, and keep the solid remainder for themselves. The feast then begins. Where there is no priest the darud is not read:—
Nanak, men grind corn, cook, prepare, and set the bread before them ;
But without the true Guru they must sit and watch without eating until the darud is read. 3
The following is repeated by Sikhs as a grace before meals:—
Nanak, they who propitiate the Guru
Cook loaves, put them on the dish, and eat to satiety.
Shrink not from efforts for salvation :—
Turn thine attention to the next world; turn not thy face backward.
E e 2
Nanak, make thyself now acceptable, and thou shalt not be born again.
God is the Friend who pleases all:—
My merry Friend is every one’s friend ;
AU think Him their own ; He maketh no heart sad.
They to whom the Guru once looked up, before his installation, now look up to him:—
They whom I followed are now following me ;
They on whom I rested my hopes now rest their hopes on me.
The Guru desires to sacrifice himself as a wife for her beloved Spouse:—
May I become a couch for my Beloved, and my eyes its coverlet. 1
If He look on me but once I shall obtain happiness beyond all price.
May I become a throne also for my Beloved King.
If He put His foot on me, I shall bloom like the lotus.
The Guru is the only regenerator:—
God who is unseen and not subject to destiny, is not obtained by devices of wisdom.
God is not found in the six Hindu systems, nor in roaming and wandering, nor in wearing religious garbs.
They who fast until they see the moon 2 are of no account.
Though they read the whole of the Veds, they understand not God the real thing.
They draw marks on their foreheads, make ablutions, but within them is blackness.
He who weareth a religious garb findeth not God without true instruction.
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 421
He who is led astray can only find the road if favourable destiny had been written on his forehead at first.
It is only he who beholdeth the Guru with his eyes whose life is regenerated.
Rise betimes and remember God:—
Rising at dawn repeat God’s name, and meditate on the Guru’s feet.
The filth of birth and death shall depart by singing the true One’s praises.
Without the Name the body is altogether blind and empty.
Nanak, his human birth is profitable in whose heart the true Master dwelleth.
Select good companions:—
Nanak, break with the false and seek for the saints who are true friends.
The former will leave thee while alive; the latter will not forsake thee even when dead.
Tukhari Chhant
Devotion to God and the Guru :—
I am a sacrifice to the darling Guru ; I have given my soul unto him. 1
Hearing his words my soul is happy.
My soul attached to God’s love is happy as the fish in water.
Thy worth, O God, cannot be described; Thy palace is unrivalled.
O Lord, Bestower of all merits, hear the supplication of one poor man.
Grant a sight of Thee to Nanak ; he is a sacrifice unto Thee ; he hath sacrificed his life unto Thee.
Bhairo
The following prayer is uttered by pious Sikhs on awaking in the morning:—
I am happy when rising ; I am happy when sitting.
I feel no fear when I know
That the one Lord, who is the Searcher Of all hearts, is my Protector.
I sleep without anxiety and awake without anxiety.
O God, Thou art everywhere contained.
Nanak, since the Guru fixed his spell in my heart,
I abide happy at home, and find peace abroad.
The following was written on a theme of Kabir:—
I practise not fasting, nor observe the Ramzan: 1 I serve Him who will preserve me at the last hour.
The one Lord of the earth is my God,
Who judgeth both Hindus and Musalmans. 2 I go not on a pilgrimage to Makka, nor worship at Hindu places of pilgrimages.
I serve the one God and none other.
I neither worship as the Hindus , nor pray as the Musalmans. I take the Formless God into my heart, and there make obeisance unto Him.
I am neither a Hindu nor a Musalman. 3 The soul and body belong to God whether He be called Allah or Ram.
Kabir hath delivered this lecture.
When I meet a true guru or pir, I recognize my own Master.
Piety and worldly pride contrasted:—
Excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent is Thy name!
False, false, false, false is worldly pride !
True are Thy servants who have obtained a sight of Thee the incomparable One.
Without Thy name the whole world is ashes.
Wondrous is Thy might; I praise Thy feet.
We are enriched by uttering Thy praises, O true King.
* Also translated—I have renounced both the Hindus and the Muhammadans.
* This line is very important in reference to recent controversies as to whether the Sikhs are Hindus.
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 423
Thou art, O God, the support and shelter of those who have no support.
Cherisher of the poor, I meditate on Thee day and night.
The Lord Himself is kind to Nanak.
May my heart not forget Him who is my life and soul!
Miscellaneous instruction:—
God the Creator of all things is fascinating, formless, the Giver of happiness.
Who is so intoxicated with the juice of sin that he can leave such a God and worship elsewhere ?
O my soul, worship God.
I have seen all other devices ; by attending to them man’s work is marred.
The perverse, blind, and spiritually ignorant leave God and worship a goddess who is His handmaiden.
Being without the Guru and like unto beasts, they slander those who worship God.
The soul, body, and wealth are all God’s; the apostates say that they are their own.
They are proud, their understanding is evil and filthy; without the Guru they must again wander in the terrible ocean of the world.
God is not found by penances, burnt offerings, or by visiting the banks of rivers.
By effacing himself and seeking the Guru’s protection, Nanak crosseth over the world.
All animals are led astray by their senses:—
The disease of pride hath impoverished man ;
The disease of lust subdueth the elephant;
Through disease of the eye the moth is burned to ashes;
Through disease of the ear the deer is ruined :
Every one we see hath his own special disease.
It is only my true Guru united with God who is free therefrom.
Through disease of the palate the fish is caught;
Through disease of the nose the bumble-bee dieth *,
The whole world is the prey of disease—
Entangled in the disease of worldly love and sin.
Through disease man dieth and through disease is he born. Through disease the soul wandereth in wombs again and again.
Man cannot free himself from the toils of disease even for a moment:
Without the true Guru disease never forsaketh him. When God is merciful to any one,
He taketh his arm and freeth him from disease.
The fetters of him who hath obtained the association of the saints burst:
Saith Nanak, the Guru hath cured his disease.
Man is slow to good and swift to evil:—
Man is not slow to devise evil,
Or ashamed to have intercourse with a prostitute.
All day man laboureth ;
But, when it is time to remember God, he feeleth as if adamant had fallen on his head.
Attached to mammon the world is led astray,
Thy Creator never entereth thy mind, 0 man.- Toiling and moiling in vain sufferest thou hardship ;
Yet thy worldly business is never completed.
Thy heart is absorbed in lust, wrath, and covetousness, And thou shalt die gasping like a fish out of water.
He who is preserved by God Himself Ever repeateth His name.
Nanak, he who hath found the true Guru,
Singeth God’s praises in the company of the saints.
How happiness is obtained:—
There is no happiness in the acquisition of great wealth. There is no happiness in beholding the performances of acrobats,
There is no happiness in conquering many countries— All happiness is obtained by singing God’s praises.
Some of God’s attributes:—
God the Cherisher is merciful; who can count His merits ?
HYMNS OF GURU ARJAN 425
He hath many forms and manifestations ; He is the Lord of all.
With Him are varied knowledge, varied meditation, varied devotion and penance.
Various are His merits, His voices, and His sports; various holy men keep Him in their hearts.
Near Him various voices and various instruments continually sound ; He hath various relishes : various sins and maladies are removed by hearing His praises.
Nanak, serve the unequalled God through whom all the advantages of sacred rivers, of the six schools, of fasting, worship, and of wandering in pilgrimages are obtained.
Basant
The attributes of the holy:—
It is he who associateth with the saints who is the real penitent;
It is he who loveth the Guru who constantly meditateth on God ;
It is he who hath obtained the fear of God who is without fear ;
It is he whose doubts depart who is happy ;
It is he whose heart is fixed who is a hermit;
It is he who hath found the true place who is permanent.
The season of spring, which is an emblem of our transitory life, is also the time for a new access of devotion:—
Our hearts bloom on beholding the flowers of spring, but these quickly fade.
Remembering this let us completely abandon pride,
And become absorbed in God’s lotus feet.
Ye fortunate, come to God.
Think upon God, O my soul,
On the margin of the stream there are very many sweetsmelling trees,
Yet some one shrub is withered there ; 1
But since the season of spring hath come,