this thou counsellest them to again give thee alms. O Brahman, that is the sort of spell thou teachest those whose houses thou designest to plunder. And when thy victims become poor, thou goest to spy out others. Were thine incantations and spells efficacious, thou wouldst sit as a monarch at home and not go about begging.
The Brahman filled with anger and heaping curses on the princess, said, ' How canst thou know mine affairs ? Thou talkest as if thou hadst taken bhang.'
The Princess Hear, O Brahman, it is thou who knowest not what thou sayest. Thou addressest me in an insolent manner. My senses are not stolen away by bhang. Whither have thine own senses gone without it ? Thou callest thyself wise in that thou never takest bhang even by mistake, but when thou goest a-begging, thou insultest, as if under the influence of bhang, him whose house thou visit est. Why beg from door to door for the money thou pretendest to despise ? Thou goest to rajas and takest morsels from them. Thou sayest thou hast abandoned all worldly things and preachest to everybody to do the same. Why stretchest thou forth thy hand to grasp what thou pretendest to renounce ? To one man thou preachest to renounce wealth, to another thou sayest that he is under the influence of malignant stars, and therefore he ought to pay thee for deliverance therefrom. It is in the hope of cheating people thou wanderest from door to door. Thou recitest the Veds, the Shastars, and the Simritis, so that a double paisa may fall to thee from some one. Thou praisest him who givest thee anything and revilest him who refuseth. In this way thouhopest to obtain alms from all people. But thou refiectest not that praise and blame are every one's lot while alive, but affect not the dead. Thou canst not confer salvation on those who give thee alms, nor canst thou kill the son or father of him who giveth thee none. I only accept him as a Brahman who deemeth the givers and the refusers, praise and blame as the same. O Brahman, the man from whom
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 73
thou extortest money, or whom thou pleasest with thy varied flatteries, shall at last go to hell in thy company.
Brahmans, though they say they have abandoned the world, are lovers of wealth, and in quest of it go to die either in Banaras or Kumaun. Some through greed for money twist their matted hair round their heads. Others put on a wooden necklace and go forth shamelessly to the forest. Others again, taking tweezers, pluck out all the hair of their heads. The Brahmans practise hypocrisy in order to plunder the world, and they thus lose their happi- ness both here and hereafter. They make a clay lingam and worship it, but it hath no power for good or evil. Why do men who know that the lingam hath no light in it, light a lamp before it ? And why do very foolish and obstinate persons thinking it God fall down before it ? Thoughtless one, think of God and quickly cast away thy mind's indecision. They who have studied for a long time in Banaras go at last to die in Bhutan. Having acquired a little learning thou leavest thy home and wanderest from country to country. Thy father and mother thou hast left somewhere ; thy wife, thy son, and thy son's wife cannot find thee. No one hath passed beyond the goal of covetousness ; it hath beguiled all people.
Thou shavest the heads of some, on others thou imposest fines, and on others again thou puttest wooden necklaces. To one thou teachest spoken, to another written, and to a third other forms of incantations, yet thou conferrest no abiding spiritual knowledge. Some thou showest how to argue on learned subjects, but to all thou settest an example of covetousness in thine efforts to obtain wealth to the best of thine ability. Thou showest no mercy and never pro- pitiatest God, O fool, but worshippest clay. It is on this account thou art doomed to wander begging. Think, thoughtless one, on Him who made men conscious ; why deemest thou Him unconscious ? Why call a stone God ? Why sellest thou thy precious soul under its value ? Thou knowest nothing, great simpleton, and yet thou callest thyself a superior pandit. Diest thou not of shame, O great boaster ? In thy pride thou forfeitest thine honour. Thou
callest thyself a prophet and pretendest to know the future, but yet thou knowest not even the past. Thou thinkest thyself very handsome and able, and claimest to be con- tinent and physically strong. Thou say est that Shiv is certainly in the stone, but, O great fool, thou knowest nothing. O clever man, consider in what part of the stone Parbati's lord is. Say what spiritual perfection thou attain- est by bowing thy head to clay ? He whom the world cannot please will not be pleased by thy offerings of rice. Thou bur nest incense, bio west shells, and rainest a shower of flowers. Thou growest weary in thine endeavours, but findest not God in a stone. To those who accept not thine incantations and spells thou recitest songs and verses. In broad daylight thou stealest wealth from men's houses. Thieves, pickpockets, and robbers seeing thy cleverness are ashamed of their ignorance. Thou pay est no heed to the magistrate or the judge. Thou livest by cheating thy disciples.
Rich people are like flowers, clever men like thee are the bumble-bees which, unmindful of their homes, continue to buzz over them. Every one is at last in Death's power, and yet men have departed without resigning the craving for wealth. There are no bounds to this desire. It is the only thing in this world that surviveth.
You shave the heads of some, you send others to places of pilgrimages, and at the same time ask for all they possess. Those thou seest wealthy thou entanglest in the narrow door^ and leviest a tax at so much per head on them. Thou then lettest them pass. It is thirst for money not love of God that actuateth Brahmans.
^ In Gaya, Kamaksha, and other places of Hindu pilgrimage there is an aperture in a wall through which pilgrims are bidden to pass with the object of securing deliverance. When the pilgrim is a rich man, he is by some secret mechanism caught in the aperture and told that he cannot pass on account of his many sins and enormities. He is then obliged to vow to perform certain penances and make certain presents to the Brahmans. He is only allowed to pass through the aperture when the promised money has been paid down. — Thag Ltla, p. 34.
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 75
The Brahman
Hear, O my daughter, thou understandest not. Thou thinkest that he whom we call Shiv is a stone. All people bow their heads to Brahmans, and apply to their foreheads the water in which they have washed their feet. The whole world worshippeth them, while thou, O foolish girl, slan- derest them. This salagram is the primal and ancient Brahm and is prized even by monarchs.
The Princess
Hear, O foolish Brahman, thou knowest nothing. Thou recognizes t a stone as the Primal Light of the world. Thou thinkest it holdeth the Supreme Being. Thou hast taken leave of thy senses. Deceive me not, but take what thou desirest to take. Tell me not that a stone is God. While telling fools so, thou plunderest them to thy heart's content. Thou sendest men to rivers of pilgrimage to drown them in superstition. Thou makest unnumbered efforts to strip them of their wealth and not allow them to take a paisa home. Thou pretendest to find a number of inauspicious circumstances connected with a rich man, so that he may give thee feasts to bribe thee to intercede for him. When thou knowest that a man hath spent all his wealth, thou never lookest at him. Brahmans hover over money like ravens, and quarrel like kites over a fish or dogs over a bone. In public thou expoundest the Veds, but in thy heart is worship of money. Thou findest not God, thy money soon departeth, and vain is all thy service. Thou paradest thy learning, but knowest not how to unite men with God. Thou callest thyself wise and me a fool. What if thou, O idiot, eat not bhang, even still thou art not in thy senses. Everybody can see this for himself. Brave men taking bhang fight and draw elephant's teeth, and grasping the scimitar and lance fearlessly smite their enemies. Say, O tyrant, what couldst thou do even wert thou to take bhang ? Thou wouldst even then, if engaged in combat, fall on thy face like a corpse through fright.
Hear, O Brahman, give instruction to fools, save me from thy lies, and preach thy falsehood to others. Why passest thou leather for metallic coin ? Thou shalt go to terrible hell, and be born again as a pariah. Hung up by the heels thou shalt be tortured in the house of Death. When thou and all thy relations are suffering, what answer wilt thou make ? Say what books wilt thou then read, and wilt thou then worship the lingam ? Wilt thou find Shiv and Krishan there where God will send thee bound ? Where thou hast no son, mother, father, or brother, will Ram come to thine assistance ? Ever bow thy head to the great God whom the fourteen worlds fear, whom all recognize as the Creator and Destroyer, who hath no form or outline, whose dwelling, appearance, and name are unknown. By what name shall I speak of Him since He cannot be spoken of ? He hath no father, mother, or brother, no son or grandson. Unlike Ram Chandar or Krishan He hath no male or female nurse. He needeth no army to give Him dignity. What He saith is true, and what He desireth He doeth. Some He regenerateth, and others He consigneth to perdition. He buildeth, fashioneth, createth, and again destroy eth. It is the great God I recognize as my Guru. I am His disciple and He is my priest. I am a girl made by Him. O Brahman, I worship the great God. A stone is not to my mind. I call a stone a stone. On this account people are displeased with me. I call what is false false — a matter which is disagreeable to all. I tell the truth, and pay no regard to any one. As for thee, O Brahman, art thou not ashamed of thy conduct ? Fix thy thoughts even for a brief period on God.
The Brahman
God will consider him a sinner who saith that this stone is other than God, and will cast into hell any one who useth profane language regarding it. It is the primal and ancient God.
The Princess
I only worship the one great God. I regard not Shiv. Nor do I worship either Brahma or Vishnu. I fear not
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 77
your gods. Know that whoever invoketh them is already dead, but death will not approach him who meditateth on the Deathless One. He who meditateth on the Deathless One and even once invoketh His name, shall obtain wealth and perfection in every act. He who meditateth on the immortal God shall never suffer, but enjoy great happiness in the world. When death torture th thee, O Brahman, what book wilt thou then read ? Will it be the Bhagavat ^ or the Gita ? Wilt thou hold on to Ram or clutch at Krishan for protection ? The gods whom thou deemest supreme have all been destroyed by Death's mace. Nonet— not even Brahma, Vishnu, or Indar — may escape it. The gods were born as the demons were, and both are subject to transmigration. The Hindus and the Turks are the same, and death is potent over them all. Sometimes the demons killed the gods, and sometimes the gods the demons. The Being who destroyed both gods and demons is He who cherisheth me, and whom I have taken as my Guru. I bow to Him whose sovereignty is recognized in the fourteen worlds, who destroyed Indar, Vishnu, the sun, the moon,^ Kuver, Varun, and Sheshnag.
The Brahman Shiv removeth all the sins of him who worshippeth this stone. He who forsake th this god and worshippeth another shall fall into hell. He who giveth money to a Brahman shall obtain tenfold in the next world. He who giveth to other than a Brahman shall derive no advantage therefrom.
The Poet Upon this the princess took the lingam in her hand, struck the Brahman with it, and smashed all his teeth. She then took away all the Brahman's property.
The Princess Say now, O Brahman, whither hath gone thy Shiv ? He whom thou hast ever served hath broken thy teeth. The
^ One of the eighteen Purans.
"^ The Sikhs believe in the different creations and destructions of the world.
idol which thou hast spent thy Hfe in invoking, hath at last entered thy mouth.
The Poet All the property the Princess took from the Brahman she distributed among other Brahmans and then said to her antagonist, ' Never mind, thou shalt receive tenfold in the next world.' ^
The Princess Thou sayest to others, ' Bestow your wealth or spend it ' — thou who art so miserly that thou puttest not turmeric into the dal thou eatest. Thou art very deceitful and goest about for the purpose of deceit. Thou publicly plunderest people in the market-place. Thou spendest not a kauri and art ever begging. Calling girls thy daughters thou deflourest them. Thy mother was greed, thy father avarice, and thou art the incarnation of meanness. While practising greed thou boastest of thy prodigahty, so that people may think thee a monarch. Thou art utterly worth- less. If any one knew the incantations thou pretendest to know he would not have to beg from door to door. By repeating even once such an incantation as thou boastest of , thou mightest fill thy house with wealth. Ram and Krishan of whom thou speakest, and those whom thou worshippest as Shiv and Brahma, were all destroyed by Death. In due time God will again give them birth. How many Ram Chandars and Krishans ! How many Brahmas, Shivs, and Vishnus ! The sun and moon — what are these poor wretches ? Simply water-carriers at God's door. They were created in due time and Death shall destroy them all. The Vishnu who was cursed by Jalandhar's wife 2 and became a stone, thou callest a great god. Art thou not ashamed of thyself ?
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 79
The Brahman I will go to the Raja thy father and have thee imprisoned.
The Princess
I will tell him a different story, and have both thy hands cut off. Then shall I be really the king's daughter.
The Brahman
I will promise to do what thou tellest me provided thou dismiss thy wrath.
The Princess Worship not stones, fall at the feet of the great God.
The Poet
Then the Brahman fell at the feet of the great God, and threw his idols into the river.
Bhai Nand Lal,^ who was a famous Sikh of Guru Gobind Rai, and wrote several works in the Persian language on the Sikh religion, thus delivered him- self in his Jot Bikas : ' Thousands of Brahmas praise Guru Nanak, for his glory exceedeth that of them all. Thousands of Shivs and Indars place themselves at his feet, for his throne is more exalted than theirs. Thousands of Vishnus, many Rams and Krishans, thousands of Durgas and Gorakhs sacrifice themselves at his feet.* Bhai Nand Lai further on writes that as Guru Nanak, so were all the Gurus his successors, including Guru Gobind Rai. It is therefore inferred that, so far from Guru Gobind Rai worshipping or doing homage to the goddess Durga, she was an insignificant entity who did homage to him.
cursed her, and she became the tulsi plant, and grew where the salagram fell.
8o THE SIKH RELIGION
Chapter X
What is called the Granth of the tenth Guru is only partially his composition. The greater portion of it was written by bards in his employ. The two works entitled Chandi Charitar and the Bhagauti ki War found in it are abridged translations by dif- ferent hands ^ of the Durga Sapt Shati, or seven., hundred sloks on the subject of Durga, an episode in the * Markandeya Puran * on the contests of the goddess Durga with the demons who had made war on the gods.
Chandi Charitar I ^
The poet in the Guru's employ, who translated this, states that he did it for amusement, but adds : * The man who heareth or readeth this for any object shall assuredly obtain it.' This line is an abstract of the eleventh and twelfth sloks of the ninety-second canto of the original. The translator then darkly refers to a special object of his own. * I have trans- lated the book called the Durga Sapt Shati, the equal of which there is none. O Chandi, grant the object with which the poet has translated.' The translator's object, however, is not stated. Whether he imbibed some of the principles of Sikhism or not from the Guru cannot be ascertained, but it is clear that he was largely tinctured with Hinduism.
Chandi Charitar II At the end of this translation is found the couplet : — The saints who continually meditate on thee, O Chandi, Shall at last obtain salvation and find God as their reward.
^ Any one even moderately acquainted with Hindi can tell from the internal evidence of style that these translations have been done by different persons.
LIFE OF GURU GOBIND SINGH 8i
This is not in the original Sanskrit, but the general sense may be inferred by a believer in Chandi from her own self-glorification in the ninety-second canto.
The first Chandi Charitar begins as follows : Ek oamkar, Sri Wahguru ji ki fatah. Ath Chandi Charitar ukt bilas — Now the tale (bilas) of the deeds of Chandi will be told (ukt). The second Chandi Charitar begins in the same way but without the words ukt bilas. The Bhagauti ki War begins as follows : Ek oamkar Sri Wahguru ji ki fatah ! Sri Bhagauti ji sahai I War Sri Bhagauti ji ki Patshahi das — There is one God. Victory to the holy Wahguru ! We implore the favour of the holy Bhagauti (Sword) ! The paean of the holy Bhagauti of the tenth Guru. It thus appears that the Bhagauti ki War was written by the tenth Guru himself.
The Hindus maintain that in the tenth Guru's writings the word Bhagauti means Durga. In the two Chandi Charitars the word Bhagauti does not occur at all, and even in the Bhagauti ki War it is only found three times — once in the title of the composition, a second time in the first line, and a third time elsewhere. In the latter instance, Lai Bhagauti Durg shah, it is clear that the word Bhagauti means a sword — ' The goddess Durga took up the sword.' This is also attested by Gur Das. In the sixth pauri of his twenty-fifth War he refers to the manner in which the signification of words is often altered, and writes — Nam bhagauti loh gharaya — Man hath fashioned what is called the sword {bhagauti) from iron.
In further proof that Bhagauti does not mean Durga in the Sikh scriptures the following line in the Ad Granth is cited — Bhagauti mudra man mohiya maya, the translation of which is — Men wear God's marks while their minds are fascinated with mammon.
The following are the first two pauris of the ' War Sri Bhagauti ji ki.'