The following glorification of Krishan was com posed after Namdev had embraced his worship : —
Happy, happy that flute which Krishan played ! A very sweet unbeaten sound issueth from it. Happy, happy that blanket which Krishan wore ! Happy, happy that ram and his fleece it was made from. Hail, hail to thee, mother Devaki, In whose house god, the lord of Lakshmi, was born \ Blest, blest the forest glades of Bindraban, Where Nama's god Narayan sported, Played his flute, herded his cows, And was happy.
God, my father, hail to thee, dark complexioned Vitthal with the long hair !
Holding in thy hand the discus, thou didst come from heaven and save the life of the great elephant ;
Thou didst save Draupadi when her clothes were being torn off her in Duhsasan's court ;
Thou didst save Ahalya the wife of Gautam ;
How many hast Thou purified and saved ! 1
Thus the lowly Namdev without caste hath entered Thy sanctuary.
God is in everything and Namdev has become absorbed in Him. The following marks a stage in Namdev' s progress to divine unity.
In every heart God speaketh, God speaketh ;
Doth any one speak independently of Him ?
There is the same earth in the elephant and the ant ; vessels of many kinds 2 are made from earth.
In mobile and immobile things, in worms and moths, and in every heart God is contained.
Think of the one God who is endless ; abandon all other hope.
NAMDEV'S HYMNS 63
Nama representeth ; I have become free from desires ; and in this state who is Lord and who is slave ? l
MARU
God has showered His favours on Namdev as He did on other saints.
When I entered the asylum of God the Bridegroom, I obtained the four stages of salvation and the four super natural powers.
I have been saved, I have become famous through the four ages, and I have put the umbrella of praise and fame over my head.
Who hath not been saved by repeating the name of the vSovereign God ?
They who listen to the guru's instruction and associate with holy men are called saints.
On beholding the effulgence of the guru, who is conspicu ous with his shell, discus, necklace, and sacrificial mark, Death becometh afraid.
Man then becometh fearless, and by the power of God thundereth forth that he hath escaped the pain of trans migration.
God gave king Ambarik 2 the gift of salvation, and aggrandized Babhikhan with sovereignty ;
The Lord gave the nine treasures to Sudama, and made Dhru immovable in the north pole, where he is fixed to the present day ;
God having assumed the body of Narsinh the man-lion, killed Harnakhas for the sake of his saint Prahlad.
Nama saith, Vishnu is in the power of the saints, and is till now standing at the door of Bali.3
BHAIRO
Namdev enjoins his tongue under severest penalty to utter God's name.
0 my tongue, if thou utter not God's name,
1 will break thee into a hundred pieces.
0 tongue, dye thyself with God's name ;
Meditating on God's name dye thyself with a good dye ;
False, O my tongue, are all other occupations.
The dignity of Nirvan is only obtained through the name of God.
Wert thou to worship countless millions of other gods,
It would not be equal to repeating God's name alone,
Namdev representeth, this do, 0 my tongue, and say ' O God, Thy forms are endless.'
A man may in other respects be perfect but he is lost if he repeat not God's name.
God dwelleth near him
Who coveteth not another's wealth or another's wife.
1 will not look at him
Who repeateth not God's name. As a beast is that man Whose heart is estranged from God. Namdev representeth, a man without a nose Doth not look well even with the other thirty-two marks of beauty.1
and left him the infernal regions. Though Vishnu gained this supreme victory, yet, as he was pleased with Bali's devotion, he agreed to stand at his door and wait upon him.
NAMDEV'S HYMNS 65
When Namdev gave up trade, and devoted him self exclusively to the worship of God and attend ance on His saints, people began to slander him. The following is his apology :—
I am a mad woman and God is my spouse ; It is for Him I decorate myself elaborately. Abuse me well, abuse me well, abuse me well, O people ; My body and soul are for my beloved God. I hold no idle discussion with any one ; I sip with my tongue the elixir of God. Now I know in my heart that such an arrangement hath been made,
By which I shall meet God with banners and music. Whether any one give me praise or blame, Nama hath met God.1
Man ought to be satisfied with his lot ; he will be saved by devotion.
Sometimes man is not satisfied even with milk, molasses, and clarified butter ;
Sometimes he beggeth morsels from house to house ;
Sometimes he picketh up pulse-sweepings.
Remain as God hath placed thee, O brother —
The greatness of God cannot be described —
Sometimes man rideth on prancing steeds ; 2
Sometimes he hath not shoes for his feet ;
Sometimes he putteth himself to sleep on a couch with a clean coverlet ;
Sometimes he cannot get straw to sleep upon —
Saith Namdev, the Name alone saveth ;
He who hath found a spiritual guide shall be delivered.
Namdev describes by familiar examples how dear God is to him.
As food is dear to the hungry, As the thirsty need water, ,As the fool is attached to his family, So God is dear to Nama. Nama's love is devoted to God, And he hath easily severed himself from the world. As a woman is smitten with a strange man, As a greedy man loveth wealth, As woman is dear to the lustful, Such is Nama's love for God.
That is real love by which God attacheth man to Him, And by which through the guru's favour duality1 de part eth.
Love for Him who fillet h my heart shall never be sundered ;
Nama hath applied his heart to the true Name.
As the love between a child and its mother,
So is my soul imbued with God.
Namdev representeth, I love God ;
He dwelleth in my heart.
Man should rather seek the guru's protection than devote himself to sinful pleasures.
As a fool leaveth the wife of his home,
Hath intercourse with a strange woman, and is ruined.
As the parrot is pleased on seeing the simmal,2
But at last dieth clinging to it,
So the home of the sinner shall be in hell-fire ;
He shall continue to burn and never have respite.
He never goeth to see where God is worshipped,
He leaveth the right path and goeth the wrong one,
NAMDEV'S HYMNS 67
He forgetteth God and suffereth transmigration, He rejecteth ambrosia and eateth a load of poison. When a dancing-girl arriveth on the dancing-floor, She putteth on rich dresses, adorneth herself, Danceth to measure, and modulateth her voice, While Death's noose is on her neck. He on whose forehead such destiny hath been written, Quickly entereth the protection of the guru. Saith Namdev, this is my decision —
0 saints, thus shall you obtain salvation.
The fate of Harnakhas who objected to his son Pr ah] ad's devotion.
Sanda and Marka 1 went and complained to Harnakhas —
' Thy son Prahlad will not study and we are tired of teaching him ;
He singeth God's praises, beateth time with his hands, and corrupteth all the other pupils ;
He repeateth the name of God ;
In his heart he remembereth God.'
The queen represented to her son — ' The king hath reduced the whole earth to subjection :
My son Prahlad, thou doest not his bidding ; he hath some design on thee.'
A council of his enemies met and passed a resolution, 1 We will lengthen his life.' 2
They terrified him by throwing him from a height, by put ting him into water and fire, but God changed for him the properties of matter.
Harnakhas enraged drew his sword, and threatened him with death, saying, ' Show me who will save thee.'
Prahlad replied, * God who weareth yellow clothes, the Lord of the three worlds, is in the pillar.'
Upon this God tore Harnakhas with his nails, and ren dered demigods and men happy.3
F 2
Saith Namdev, I meditate on that God who bestoweth salvation.
The advantages of a guru.
When one hath a guru, he meeteth God ;
When one hath a guru, he is saved ;
When one hath a guru, he goeth to heaven ;
When one hath a guru, while he liveth he is dead —
True, true, true, true, true is the guru ;
False, false, false, false is all other service than his —
WThen one hath a guru, he inculcateth the Name ;
When one hath a guru, he runneth not in the ten direc tions ;
When one hath a guru, he is far removed from the five evil passions ;
When one hath a guru, he dieth not of grief ;
When one hath a guru, he obtaineth the ambrosial Word ;
When one hath a guru, he heareth the story of the In effable ;
When one hath a guru, his body becometh immortal ;
When one hath a guru, he utter eth the Name ;
When one hath a guru, he seeth the three worlds ;
When one hath a guru, he knoweth how to reach the exalted position ;
When one hath a guru, his head toucheth heaven ;
When one hath a guru, he is ever congratulated ;
When one hath a guru, he is ever estranged from the world ;
When one hath a guru, he abandoneth slander ;
When one hath a guru, he deemeth evil and good the same ;
When one hath a guru, good destiny is written on his forehead ; l
When one hath a guru, evil passions seduce not his body ;
When one hath a guru, the temple turneth towards him ;
authority over demigods and men, who had previously been subjects of Harnakhas.
NAMDEV'S HYMNS 69
When one hath a guru, his hut is rebuilt for him ;
When one hath a guru, his bed cometh forth from the river ; l
When one hath a guru, he batheth in the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage ;
When one hath a guru, the quoit of Vishnu is impressed on his body ;
When one hath a guru, he performeth the twelve adora tions ; 2
When one hath a guru, all poisons become wholesome ; 3
When one hath a guru, doubts are dispelled ;
When one hath a guru, he escapeth from Death ;
When one hath a guru, he crosseth over the terrible ocean ;
When one hath a guru, he suffereth not transmigration ;
When one hath a guru, he obtaineth the advantages of the eighteen Purans ;
When one hath a guru, he obtaineth the eighteen loads of vegetables ;
Without the guru, there is no resting-place —
Namdev hath entered the guru's protection.
Namdev once fell into a trance, and thought he was playing cymbals in God's honour. God is said to have appeared before him as a Qalandar, and taken his cymbals from him. Namdev on awaking composed the following in God's praise : —
Come God, the Qalandar Wearing the dress of an Abdali.4
The firmament is the hat on Thy head, the seven nether regions Thy slippers ;
All animals with skins are Thy temples ; thus art Thou decked out, O God !
The fifty-six millions of clouds are Thy robes and the sixteen thousand queens of Krishan Thy waistbands ;
The eighteen loads of vegetables are Thy clubs, the whole world is Thy salver ;
Kama's body is Thy mosque, his heart Thy priest who tranquilly prayeth.
While I was worshipping Thou hadst my cymbals taken from me : to whom shall I complain ?
Nama's Lord is the Searcher of all hearts, and wandereth in every la ad.
BASANT
Man ought not to abandon God's service even
though it be irksome.
If a servant run away when his master is in trouble,1 The servant shall not be long-lived, he shall bring shame
on his father and mother's family.
1 will not abandon Thy service, 0 Lord, even though men scoff at me ;
Thy lotus feet dwell in my heart. As man accepteth death to secure wealth, So the saints relinquish not God's name. Pilgrimages to the Ganges, Gaya, and Godavari are worldly acts ;
If God be pleased, Nama shall be His worshipper.
Namdev's prayer when in danger of drowning in the stormy ocean of worldly love.
The waves of covetousness sound like a cataract, my body is drowning therein, O God.
NAMDEV'S HYMNS 71
Float me over the ocean of the world, O God, float me over, Father Vitthal.
In this gale I cannot steer my boat, I cannot reach Thine opposite shore, O God.
Be compassionate and cause me to meet a true guru ; take me across, O God.
Nama saith, I do not even know how to swim ; give me Thine arm, give me Thine arm, O God.
Man slowly grows up. He then becomes the sport of the world and commits sin, but his soul can be washed pure by the guru.
As an ant draggeth along a bit of cow-dung, So this cart fashioned from dust and seed ; At first moveth slowly ;
But afterwards the world driveth it with a rod. My darling soul goeth to the wash-tank.1 The washerman 2 dyed with love washeth it with the water of God's name ;
My heart is fascinated with God's feet.
Saith Nama, Thou, 0 God, who art everywhere diffused,
Have compassion on Thy worshipper !
SARANG
Man is intoxicated with worldly love but what he amasses will not go with him, wherefore he ought to prepare for hereafter.
0 man, why hast thou gone into a forest of evil passions ? Thou hast partaken of the thieves' plant 3 and gone
astray.
A fish abideth in water,
And taketh no notice of the deadly net ;
It swalloweth the bait to gratify its palate,
So man is bound by the love of gold and woman.
When the bees hoard up a great store of honey,
Man taketh the honey and throweth dirt on the bees.
The cow storeth up milk for her calf,
But the milkman tieth the calf up by the neck and milketh the cow.
For wealth man maketh great endeavours ;
That wealth he taketh and burieth in the ground.
He amasseth a great deal, but the fool understandeth not
That his riches shall remain on the earth and his body become dust.
He burneth with great lust, wrath, and avarice ;
He never joineth the company of holy men.
Saith Namdev, seek God's protection ; l
Become fearless and worship God.
God is contained in everything.
Why layest Thou not a wager with me, O God, that there is nothing but Thee ?
The servant is known from his master, and the master from his servant ; this is my game with Thee.
Thou art God and Thine own temple, Thou worshippest Thyself.
From water proceed waves, from waves water, though both have different names in conversation.
Thou art the Singer, Thou art the Dancer, Thou art the Trumpet-player —
Saith Namdev, Thou art my Lord ; Thy servant is im perfect ; Thou art perfect.
In the following God is supposed to address Namdev : —
' The man who worshippeth none but Me is in Mine own image ;
The sight of him even for a moment removeth man's
NAMDEV'S HYMNS 73
three fevers,1 and his touch extricateth man from the pit of family life.
A saint can release one bound by Me, but I cannot release one bound by a saint.
If a saint seize and bind Me at any time, I can say naught to him.
I am bound by men's merits ; I am the life of all things, but My slave is My life.2
O Namdev, My love shall shine over him whose heart hath such faith.'
MALAR
The extent and greatness of God's palace, in which the demigods and all created things are servants.
Serve God who is unknowable and stainless.
Give me, O God, the gift of service for which saints beg.
God's palace hath pavilions on every side ; in heaven is His gorgeous dwelling and mansion ;
He filleth equally the seven regions of the world.
In His palace dwelleth the ever youthful Lakshmi ;
The moon and sun are His lamps, the wretched mounte bank Death, who levieth a tax on all, is His judge —
Such a Monarch is God.
In His mansion Brahma with the four faces who created the whole world is the fashioning potter ; 3
In His mansion enthusiast4 Shiv, the world's teacher, preacheth pure divine knowledge ;
At His gate are the mace-bearers Evil and Good, and the accountants Chitr and Gupt ;
Dharmraj the destroyer is His porter —
Such a Monarch is God.
In His mansion are the heralds, the heavenly dancers, the rikhis, and the poor minstrels who melodiously sing ;
All the Shastars are His actors ; * His theatre is stupend ous ; kings sweetly sing His praises ;
The winds are His waving chauris ;
His handmaiden is Maya who hath vanquished the world ;
His fire-place is the blind pit of hell fire, —
Such a Monarch is the Lord of the three worlds.
In His mansion the tortoise is a bed ; Vasuki 2 with its thousand hoods the cords to bind it ;
His flower-girl is the eighteen loads of vegetables ; His water-carrier the ninety-six millions of clouds ;
The Ganges is the perspiration of His feet,
The seven seas His water-stands,
All living things His vessels —
Such a Monarch is the Lord of the three worlds —
At His mansion wait Arjan, Dhru, Prahlad, Ambarik,
Narad, Nejai,3 the Sidhs, the Budhas, the heralds, and the heavenly dancers who extol Him and play before Him.
In God's mansion are so many living beings
Within all of whom He is diffused.
Namdev representeth, seek God's protection,
Whose standard all His saints bear.
KANRA God compared to reflection in a mirror.
God the Searcher of hearts,
Like a body reflected in a mirror,
Dwelleth in every heart ; nothing produce th an effect or impression on Him.
He is free from all entanglements and devoid of caste.
When one looketh at one's own face in the water, the water can produce no impression on it,
So nothing can produce an impression on Vitthal, Nama's Lord.
NAMDEV'S HYMNS 75
PRABHATI Everything is unreal ; God alone is real,
Only the heart knoweth its own state ; either keep thy secret to thyself, or tell it to a man of understanding.
Since I repeat the name of God, the Searcher of hearts, why should I be afraid ?
God, the Lord of the earth, hath penetrated me.
My God is diffused in every place.
Shops are only phantoms, shopkeepers l are only phan toms, cities are only phantoms.
The different grades of men who inhabit the earth are phantoms, and the world wandereth in error?
When the heart is imbued with the guru's instruction, duality is easily effaced.
All things are subject to the Commander's order ; He is fearless and regardeth all alike.
He who knoweth and worshippeth the Supreme Being, utter eth words of divine knowledge.
Nama saith, I have obtained the Life of the world in my heart ; He is invisible and wonderful.
God communicates to man the perfume of holiness and changes him to gold.
God was in the beginning before the ages and in every age : His end is not known.
God is contained in everything uninterruptedly ; thus is His form described.
The unbeaten strain resoundeth for him who repeateth God's name —
Happy is my God —
To honour God is my shop, to honour God is my city, to honour God is my world ;
To honour God is my residence ; others wander in different ways.
The sandal-tree by its perfume is pleasant to the other trees of the forest ;
Through God who was before all things and who perfumeth like sandal, common wood becometh sandal.1
Thou, 0 God, art as the philosopher's stone ; I am as the iron ; in Thine association I have become gold.