1 have sold my soul to mammon.
Thou art styled the great Lord of the world, and we the sensualists of the Kal age.
The five evil passions which have corrupted my heart,
Have at every moment thrown a barrier between Thee and me.
Whithersoever I look, there is a stock of trouble.
_3 This hymn is recited in a collection of Sikh prayers called the Arati.
I am not yet satisfied, although the Veds bear witness to God.
As, for his sin, on the body of Indar, the paramour of Ahalya Gautam's wife, a thousand vaginae formed ;
As the head of Brahma adhered to the hand of Shiv the lord of Uma l for his sin,
So these wicked enemies, the deadly sins, have bound and beaten me also a sinner.
I am very shameless, and have not yet grown weary of their company.
Saith Rav Das, whither shall I go ? What shall I do ?
Except God's protection whose shall I seek ?
The saint and the sinner under the allegories of a good and a bad wife contrasted.
SUHI
The good wife knoweth her spouse's worth ;
She renounceth pride and enjoyeth conjugal happiness ;
She giveth her husband her body and soul, and maketh no distinction between him and herself ;
She seeth no one else, heareth no one else, and speaketh to no one else.
How should she, into whose heart no sorrow hath entered,
Know of the woes of others ?
The bad wife 2 who hath not served her spouse continually
Is unhappy, and loseth both worlds —
The way by the bridge of Sirat 3 is difficult —
She shall have no companion, and must go alone.
In grief and in pain, O God, I have come to Thy door ; I am very thirsty, and I have received no answer from Thee.
Saith Rav Das, I have come to Thy protection ; effect my salvation as Thou thinkest best.
HYMNS OF RAV DAS 335
As everything here changes, man should make provision for the hereafter.
The days which come, pass away again ;
We must march on, nothing remaineth stable.
Our companions are going, we too must go ;
The journey is long ; Death standeth over us.
Why sleepest thou ? Awake for God's service, O silly one ;
Thou thoughtest life a real thing in this world, when thou oughtest to have thought of God.
He who gave thee life conveyeth thee sustenance,
And in every heart openeth a shop.1
Worship God, lay aside egoism ;
In thy heart remember God's name betimes.
Thy life hath come to an end, yet thou hast not prepared thy way ;
It is evening, and darkness is on every side.
Saith Rav Das, O fool and madman,
Didst thou not reflect that the world is a transitory abode ?
Man can only rely on God, not on property or relations.
Man buildeth lofty mansions with halls and kitchens, But after Death he cannot remain in them for a ghari. This body is like a wainscoting of grass ; When the grass is burnt, it is blended with the dust. Even thy relations, thy family, and thy companions Set up a cry, ' Take him out quickly ! ' The wife of thy house who embraced thee in life, Crieth out, ' Ghost ! ghost ! ' and runneth away from thee.
Saith Rav Das, Death hath plundered the whole world, But I have escaped by repeating the name of the one God.
BILAWAL
Everybody used to laugh on seeing my poverty — such was my condition ;
But / hold the whole eighteen supernatural powers in the palm of my hand through Thy favour.
Thou knowest I am nothing, O God, Destroyer of fear ;
All men have sought Thy protection, O God, Fulfiller of desires ;
They who have sought Thy protection no longer bear the load of sin.
High and low have been delivered from the shameless l world through Thee.
Saith Rav Das, why say more regarding the Ineffable ?
Thou, O God, art Thine own parallel ; to what can I liken Thee ?
The glorification of the saint.
The family in which a saint of God is born,
Whether it be of high or low caste, poor or rich, shall have its unalloyed fame blazoned through the world.
Whether man be a Brahman, a Vaisya, a Sudar, a Khatri, a Dum, a Chandal, or a Malechh,
He becometh pure by worshipping God ; he saveth him self and the families of both his parents.
Blest the village, blest the place of his birth, blest his pure family in all worlds !
He hath quaffed the supreme essence ; abandoning all others, he hath become intoxicated with it, and renounced sin.
Among pandits, heroes, and emperors, there is none equal to the saint.
HYMNS OF RAV DAS 337
As the leaves of the water-lily l in the water, saith Rav Das, is the saint's existence in the world ; he remaineth uncontaminated by it.
God as the Dispenser of salvation.
GAUND
Repeat the name of God, the Dispenser of salvation, ye people.
Without the Dispenser of salvation the body groweth weary in transmigration.
The Dispenser of salvation is the Giver of deliverance ;
The Dispenser of salvation is our father and mother.
Living repeat His name, dying repeat His name ;
His worshipper is ever happy—
The Dispenser of salvation is my life.
If it have been so recorded on thy forehead, thou shalt repeat His name.
Only he who hath ceased to love the world can serve God.
That Dispenser of salvation, I, poor though I be, have obtained as my wealth.
If the one Dispenser of salvation do me a favour,
What can the world do to me ?
Having effaced my caste I have become a courtier of God—
Thou, O God, art able to save the world —
Divine knowledge hath sprung up, and I have become enlightened ;
God hath graciously accepted this worm as His slave.
Saith Rav Das, my thirst hath now ceased ;
I repeat the name of God and perform His service.
The fate of the slanderer.
If man bathe at the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage, If he worship the twelve lingam stones,
If he dedicate a well or a tank,1
But practise slander, all shall be in vain.
How shall the slanderer of a saint be saved ?
Know that he shall assuredly fall into hell.
If man celebrate eclipses at Kurkhetar,
Offer his wife with her decorations to the Brahmans,
And hear with his ears all the Simritis,
Yet if he practise slander, all shall be in vain.
If he prepare many feasts to Brahmans,
Make them gifts of land, and build them splendid public mansions ;
If, neglecting his own business, he perform that of others,
And yet practise slander, he shall wander in many births.
O, ye people, why do ye slander ?
The slanderer's character is well known.
Holy men have considered and decided regarding the slanderer —
Saith Rav Das, he is a sinner, and shall go to hell.
It is the guru who communicates the Name by which God's designs are manifested.
RAM KALI
Men read, study, and hear all God's names, yet God's designs are not known.
How shall iron become pure gold unless it be touched by the philosopher's stone ?
Lust, wrath, worldly love, pride, and jealousy — these five combined plunder the world.
' Gyanis, virtuous heroes, we are generous ' — these ideas shall never perish.
HYMNS OF RAV DAS 339
Saith Rav Das, all these men do not understand God, they go astray like madmen.
God's name is my support, my life, my soul, and my wealth.
Rav Das in obtaining salvation acknowledges God's favour.
MARU
Who but Thee, my Jewel, could do such a thing ?
Cherisher of the poor, Lord of the earth ; Thou hast put over my head the umbrella of spiritual sovereignty.
Thou relentest towards him whose touch defileth the world ;
The lowly dost Thou exalt, my God, and none dost Thou fear.
Namdev, Kabir, Trilochan, Sadhna, and Sain were saved —
Saith Rav Das, hear, O saints, through God everything is done.
The man of low birth and caste may be saved by devotion.
KEDARA
Though one perform the six good acts and belong to a high family, yet if he heartily worship not God,
And love not the mention of His lotus feet, he is equal to a pariah.
0 thoughtless man, think upon God in thy heart ; Why not look at Balmik ? *
From a low caste what a high position he attained by his special devotion to God ;
Though an eater of dogs, the lowest of all, he was beloved by Krishan.
How can poor mortals praise God ? His praise extendeth to the three worlds.
Ajamal, the courtesan, Lodiya the huntsman, and the elephant went to God.
Z 2
Such degraded beings were saved ; why shouldst not thou too be saved, O Rav Das ?
The advantages of repeating God's name.
BHAIRO
Without beholding God there is no hope ;
Everything that we see perisheth.
He who repeateth God's name with due praise
Is the only Jogi free from desires.
If any one employ himself in repeating God's name,
And God, the philosopher's stone, touch him, his duality shall no longer remain.
He who destroyeth the duality of his mind is a muni ;
He shall be absorbed in God 1 who filleth the three worlds.
Everybody acteth according to his natural inclinations :
It is only the Creator who abideth without fear.
Vegetables blossom to produce fruit ;
When the fruit appeareth the blossoms decay.
For the sake of divine knowledge men practise religious ceremonies ;
When divine knowledge is obtained, religious ceremonies are not performed.
To make butter, knowing people churn coagulated milk ;
So those who strive for divine knowledge obtain deliverance while alive, and are ever at rest.
Saith Rav Das, having embraced supreme contempt for the world,
Why not heartily repeat God's name, 0 luckless man ?
Rav Das endeavours to humiliate his body.
BASANT
Thou knowest nothing, 0 my body,
On seeing thy fine clothes thou puffest thyself up.
No place can hold the proud ;
Yet over thy head the crow caweth.2
HYMNS OF RAV DAS 341
Why art thou proud, O demented body ?
Thou art much more short-lived than a toadstool in the month of Bhadon.
The deer knoweth not the secret of his musk ;
He hath it in his body, yet he searcheth for it abroad.
He who understandeth his own fleeting body,
Shall never be disgraced by the myrmidons of Death.
Man is proud of his son and wife ;
It is from him God will take an account.
Thou shalt suffer for what thou thyself hast done, O soul.
Whom shalt thou afterwards address as ' Dear one, dear one? '
If thou seek the protection of holy men,
Thy sins, even though millions upon millions, shall all be erased.
Saith Rav Das, he who repeateth God's name
Hath no concern with caste, or birth, or transmigration.
The saint, no matter how low his caste, is superior even to the demigods.
MALAR
Neither the Lord of Lakshmi,1 nor the Lord of Kailas,2 nor any one else is equal to those who repeat God's name :
He is one alone though diffused in many ways ; recall, recall Him to your thoughts ; He filleth creation.
He in whose house devotion to God and nothing else was seen, was by caste an untouchable calico-printer.
The greatness of God's name was seen in Vyas ; it was observed in the sons of Brahma ; it is famous through the seven islands 3 of the earth.
He whose family 4 used to sacrifice cows at the Id and Bakr Id, and who worshipped Shaikhs, and martyrs, and pirs,
Kabir, the son of a father who used to do such things, so succeeded that he became celebrated in the three worlds.
All the chamdrs l of my family even still go round Banaras removing dead cattle,
Yet strict Brahmans prostrate themselves before their offspring, Rav Das, the slave of God's slaves.
The following hymn was composed in reply to a Brahman who inquired how Rav Das could obtain salvation :—
By what devotion shall I meet my Beloved, the Lord of souls ?
The supreme state is obtained by association with saints.
Soiled is my vesture,2 how long shall I wash it ?
How long shall I remain in this sleep 3 which hath come upon me ?
The things 4 to which I was attached have all perished ;
The shop of spurious traffic hath closed.5
Saith Rav Das, when my account is taken,
I shall see whatever I have done recorded to my credit.
MIRA BAI
A HYMN of Mira Bai is preserved in the Granth Sahib of Bhai Banno, which can be seen at Mangat in the Gujrat district of the Pan jab, but it is not included in Guru Arjan's collection.
Mira Bai was daughter of Ratan Singh Rathaur of Merata, a town between Bikaner and Jodhpur in Rajputana. She was born about A.D. 1504. She appears to have inherited her religious proclivities
MIRA BAI 343
from her mother. When Mira Bai was yet a child, the bridal procession of a youth of position passed by the palace. All the ladies of the court, except Mira Bai's mother, went to the upper apartments to view the procession. She took the opportunity of their absence to worship an image of Krishan, called Girdhar Lai, which was set up in her private apartment.
Mira Bai laid aside her playthings to follow her mother, and said to her, ' Who is my bridegroom ? ' Her mother smiled, took her in her arms, and, pointing to Girdhar Lai, said, ' There is your bride groom.' Upon this Mira Bai instantly accepted him, and veiled her face according to the Oriental practice, which requires a wife to veil her face even from her mother in the presence of her husband. She became so enamoured of Girdhar Lai that she could not pass an instant without seeing him. Her love for him is compared to that of the milkmaids of Bindraban for Krishan. She in time indulged her passion without fear or shame, and without any regard for the traditions of her family con cerning the retirement of women from the public gaze.
While her affections were thus engaged, she was betrothed to Kan war Bhojraj, son of Rana Sanga of Mewar. The subsequent marriage in A.D. 1516, as might well have been expected, proved unhappy. Bhojraj came to Merata in great state with a large retinue, but when the marriage ceremony was being performed and the time came for the bride to cir cumambulate the pavilion set up for the ceremony, Mira Bai walked around the idol of Girdhar Lai, and took no notice of the bridegroom. When the time for her departure with her husband arrived, her parents wished to send her off with suitable marriage presents, but she was miserable at leaving Girdhar Lai. She grew sad and restless, and wept to such an extent that she became insensible. \Vhen
she regained consciousness, her parents affectionately told her that, if it made her happy, she might take Girdhar Lai with her without any further ceremony. She replied that if they valued her present and future happiness, they would give her the image, and she would worship it with heart and soul. Her parents had already perceived that she was a saint and lover of God, and so at the moment of separation from their beloved daughter they pre sented her with the image as part of her dowry.
Mira Bai, who was overjoyed at obtaining posses sion of the object of her devotion, set it up in her palanquin, and during the journey feasted her eyes on its beauty. On arriving at her new home, her mother-in-law, the Rani, had hardly paid her the rites of hospitality, when she asked her to worship Durga, a goddess of a totally different temper from the playful Krishan. Mira Bai replied that she had devoted her body to Girdhar Lai, and she would bow her head to none but him. Her mother- in-law replied that a good wife was improved by worshipping Durga. But Mira Bai closed the dis cussion by saying it was of no use to press her further, and she would abide by her first determina tion. On this the Rani became very angry, and went to complain of Mira Bai to the Rana : ' This daughter-in-law of ours is worthless, for on the very day of her arrival she refuseth to obey me and putteth me to shame. It is clear what our future relations are to be.'
The Rana became excessively incensed, and went to his daughter-in-law with the intention of punishing her. The Rani, however, had sufficient sense to restrain him ; and he decided that the interests of domestic peace would be consulted by putting Mira Bai into a separate apartment. Though it is ad mitted by Nabhaji that Rukmini, who became Krishan' s consort, and the milkmaids who became Krishan' s playfellows, did not meet him until they
MIRA BAI 345
had sacrificed to Durga, yet as Mira Bai had already obtained Krishan, it was unnecessary for her to worship Durga, and no exception could be taken to her conduct on the precedent of Rukmini and the milkmaids.
Mira Bai on finding herself in a private apart ment became excessively happy, and gave full scope to her religious enthusiasm. She set up her image, decked and adorned it, and devoted herself night and day to the company of holy men. Her sister-in- law Udai Bai was sent to remonstrate with her, and said, ' Thou art the scion of a noble house. Be wise and desist from the company of faqirs, which casteth a slur on both our families.' Mira Bai replied, ' The slur of hundreds of thousands of births departeth on association with saints. The slur is on her who loveth not their company. My life dependeth on the company of saints. To any one who is displeased with it thy remonstrance would be proper/ It was on this occasion that Mira Bai composed the following hymns :—
0 my friend, my mind is attached to Krishan ; I shall not be restrained from loving him.
If any one give me a reproach, I will give a hundred thousand in return.
My mother-in-law is severe, my sister-in-law obstinate ; how can I endure this misery ?
Mira for the sake of the lord Girdhar would endure the obloquy of the world.
1 have the god Girdhar and no other ;
He is my spouse on whose head is a crown of peacock feathers,
Who carrieth a shell, discus, mace, and lotus, and who weareth a necklace.1
I have forfeited the respect of the world by ever sitting near holy men.
The matter is now public ; everybody knoweth it.
Having felt supreme devotion I die as I behold the world.
I have no mother, father, son, or relation with me.
I laugh when I behold my beloved ; people think I weep.
I have planted the vine of love, and irrigated it again and again with the water of tears.
I have cast away fear of the world ; what can any one do to me ?
Mira's love for her god is fixed, come what may.
The Rana, on being informed of Mira Bai's de termination, became beside himself with rage, and sent her a cup of poison under the name of charn- amrit, that is, water in which an image had been bathed. When she tasted the liquor she knew it was poison, and thus apostrophized : ' The body is perishable, so why weep if it perish in the service of Krishan ? There needs be no regret at the dis appearance of a mirage or at the failure of the son of a barren woman to wed. It is not right to say that the moon perisheth on the thirtieth day of the lunar month. Lamentations are as vain as the grief of a bee at the fading of an imaginary flower. As the fruit of a tree falleth, sooner or later, so have I fallen at Krishan' s feet. As a pearl born in the ocean is turned into an ornament, so shall I glitter in Krishan's diadem. The world itself is an illu sion.'
Mira Bai's only grief at leaving her body was that the worship of Krishan might decline. Having in formed the god of her father-in-law's intention, she thus addressed the object of her worship — ' People will say that the king poisoned his daughter-in-law because she worshipped thee. I fear therefore that thy worship will be neglected, and the apprehension causeth me poignant misery. Who will now put on thy decorations ? Who will put the saffron mark on thy forehead, attach dazzling rings to thine ears,