Hymns of the Gurus Read online

  The guru is like a touchstone

  On meeting him (iron is transmuted into gold)

  He blends your light with the Light Eternal.

  Ever and always remain aloof from things of the world

  Serve only the Primal Lord.

  Sayeth Nanak, the name produces tranquillity

  It absorbs us in love of the feet of God.

  * * *

  Toon sun harna kalia kee vadeeai rata Ram

  Black buck, listen to me!

  What makes thee break into fenced-off fields?

  Forbidden fruit tastes sweet but for four short days

  Thereafter it produces ill-humours in the body.

  What thou cravest produces great sorrow and anguish.

  Those who forego the Name

  Suffer the flames of hell.

  As short-lived as the wave in the ocean,

  Brief as the flash of lightning,

  Is the joy of forbidden fruit.

  There is no other protector save God.

  And it is God thou hast forsaken.

  Sayeth Nanak, man ponder over this in thy heart:

  What is it that makes the black buck race to its doom?

  O Rama! My mind is like the honey bee

  (Stealing nectar from the flowers);

  O Rama! It will suffer great affliction.

  I asked my guru about bees and creepers in bloom.

  The guru pondered and asked me in return

  ‘Why like the honey bee art thou lost amongst the flowers?’

  When (ends the night of life and) the sun riseth,

  With hot oil will your body be scalded.

  You will be in the thrall of death,

  Buffeted by Yama’s blows;

  Without the Word, you will be like an evil spirit.’

  ‘O my soul!’ says Nanak truthfully, ’meditate on the Lord

  For the way of the black honey bee is the way to damnation.’

  My soul! thou art not native to this world.

  Why dost thou enmesh thyself in it?

  If the True Master dwell in thy heart

  How can the noose of Yama fall on thee?

  As when the fisherman separates the fish from the water

  And puts it in his net

  The fishes’ eyes fill with tears

  (So will it be with thee).

  The world which we cherish as sweet

  Is but a delusion.

  Only in the end is the veil of delusion

  Lifted from our eyes.

  Fix your mind on God

  Free it of anxieties.

  Nanak speaks the truth:

  My soul, ponder over the fact that

  Thou art not native to this world.

  O Rama! Rivers in their course break into streams

  And streams again run back into the river,

  So are our souls united with God from whom they came.

  O Rama! Some rare one who hath renounced the world knows

  That the world which appears so sweet in every age

  Is really full of venom.

  Those who meditate on the message of the true guru

  Find Truth through the gentle way of sahaj

  And realize God.

  Without the Name of God thoughtless fools are we;

  We stumble on paths of ignorance and superstition.

  Those who worship not the Name of Hari

  Nor have truth in their hearts

  Will regret it in the end; they’ll beat their breasts and lament.

  Nanak speaks the truth when he says

  Through the Word we meet the Truth

  And our prolonged separation ends in ultimate union.

  * * *

  Purkhan birkhan teerthan tattan meghan khetan

  Mankind and arbours

  Places of pilgrimage by river banks

  Clouds that float over farmers’ fields

  Islands and spheres,

  Continents and the universe, the entire cosmos.

  All that is born of egg and womb,

  Born of water and sweat

  Of all these He alone hath estimate.

  O Nanak, He knows the oceans and the mountains

  He knows the masses of mankind

  O Nanak, He who gave life to creatures

  He will keep them in His mind.

  He who makes must take care of what He hath made!

  Let the cares of the world He made be His worry.

  To Him make obeisance, to Him be victory!

  May His court be in eternal session!

  O Nanak, if we have not the True Name

  Worthless is the mark on the forehead,

  Worthless too the sacred thread.

  * * *

  Sach to par janeeai ja ridai sacha hoi

  He alone is truly truthful

  In whose heart is the True One living

  Whose soul within is rinsed of falsehood

  And his body without is cleansed by washing.

  He alone is truly truthful

  Who loves truth with passion

  Whose heart rejoices in the Name

  And finds the door to salvation.

  He alone is truly truthful

  Who knows the art of living

  Who prepares his body like a bed

  And plants the seed of the Lord therein.

  He alone is truly truthful

  Who accepts the true message

  Towards the living shows mercy

  Gives something as alms and in charity.

  He alone is truly truthful

  Whose soul in pilgrimage resides

  Who consults the true guru

  And by his counsel ever abides.

  Truth is the nostrum for all ills.

  It exorcizes sin, washes the body clean.

  Those that have truth in their aprons

  Before them doth Nanak himself demean.

  * * *

  Simal rukh saradya ati diragh ati much

  The simal tree is huge and straight

  But if one comes to it with hope of gain

  What will one get and whither turn?

  Its fruit is without taste

  Its flowers have no fragrance

  Its leaves are of no use.

  O Nanak, humility and sweetness

  Are the essence of virtue and goodness.

  Readily do we all pay homage to ourselves

  Before others we refuse to bow.

  Weigh anything in a pair of scales and see

  That of greater substance does the lower go.

  The wicked man bends over double

  As deer-slayer shooting his dart.

  What use is bending or bowing of head

  When you bow not your heart?

  * * *

  Daya kapah santokh soot jat gandhi sat vat

  When making the sacred thread, the Janeau,

  See that following rules you pursue.

  Out of the cotton of compassion

  Spin the thread of tranquillity

  Let continence be the knot

  And virtue the twist thereon.

  O pandit, if such a sacred thread there be

  Around our neck, we shall wear it willingly.

  A thread so made will not break

  It will not get dirty, be burnt or lost.

  O Nanak, thou shall see

  Those who wear this shall blessed be.

  For four cowrie shells this thread is bought

  A square is marked for the ceremony.

  The Brahmin whispers a mantra in the ear

  And thus becomes the guru and teacher.

  But when the wearer dies, cast away is his thread

  And threadless he goes on his voyage ahead.

  * * *

  Je kar sootak manneeai sab tai sootak hoe

  Once we say: This is pure, this unclean,

  See that in all things there is life unseen.

  There are worms in wood and cowdung cakes,

  There is life in the
corn ground into bread.

  There is life in the water which turns plants green.

  How then be clean when impurity is over the kitchen spread?

  O Nanak, not thus are things impure purified

  Wash them with divine knowledge instead.

  Impurity of the mind is greed,

  Of tongue, untruth

  Impurity of the eye is coveting

  Another’s wealth, his wife, her comeliness;

  Impurity of the ears is listening to calumny.

  O Nanak, thus does the fettered soul

  Wing its way to the city of doom.

  * * *

  Apey bhandey sajeean apey pooran dey

  God gives shape to human vessels

  And God fills them with what He wills

  Into some He pours milk

  Others He makes simmer on the hearths,

  Some are destined to sleep on soft couches

  Others spend their nights keeping a vigil,

  He saves those whom He wills.

  * * *

  Vade kiyan vadieyeean

  Beyond speech is the glory of the Great One

  He is the Creator, mighty and benign.

  To each He gives his living

  Our lives fulfil His great design.

  God is our one and only refuge

  Besides Him there is no second one

  Whatever pleases Him, He causes to be done.

  * * *

  Tera nam karee channatheea jey man ursa hoe

  If our minds could be made into grindstones,

  Thy Name the stick of sandal to rub upon them;

  If our good deeds could be as saffron

  (And with paste so made we anointed our gods)

  That worship would be worship from the heart.

  Let our worship be meditation on Thy Name;

  Without the Name there is no worship.

  We bathe our gods; why not bathe our minds?

  Why not rinse our hearts of lies

  And thus take the road to paradise?

  Learn goodness from your cattle!

  You give them only hay

  With nectar-like milk they repay.

  But man is ungrateful,

  He forgets the Name.

  (He gives no thanks to his Maker)

  Accursed is his life and all he does.

  The Lord is beside you,

  Deem Him not far away.

  Forever He watches over us

  And cares for us.

  Sayeth Nanak, whatever He gives we eat

  That is the Truth

  (That Truth is sweet).

  * * *

  Kavan kavan jachah Prabhu datey takey ant na parah sumar

  There is no limit to Thy bounty,

  There is no count of those who beg of Thee,

  Thou art most bountiful.

  Whatever be the hunger in the heart

  Dost Thou fulfil it: Thou art Truth Omnipotent

  Thou art the Great Giver.

  Ho Sir! Prayer, penance and control of the senses

  Need to be supported by Truth.

  If God grants us the gift of the Name

  We attain peace.

  Thy treasure is brimful with devotion.

  Many are entranced in profound meditation

  They concentrate only on the one divine Word;

  They are not aware of water nor of land,

  Neither of the earth nor of the sky;

  They are conscious only of the Creator who made them all.

  Not for them is maya’s cup of delusion

  For them ignorance casts no shade

  They are not bothered by the eternal light of the sun or the moon.

  They comprehend entire creation in the heart’s eye

  And in one glance take in the three worlds.

  They know that God made air, water and fire;

  God made Brahma, Vishnu and Siva;

  We all are but beggars at Thy door

  Thou alone art our Lord, the Great Giver.

  Thou givest us gifts as it pleases Thee.

  Thirty-three million gods beg of Thee;

  Thou givest, but Thy store never diminishes.

  A vessel held upside down can contain nothing

  Placed as it should be it can be filled with ambrosia.

  Miracle-makers in trance know Thee in their hearts

  They beg miracles from Thee

  And cry ‘To Thee be victory!’

  Whatever the mind thirsts for

  He slakes that thirst.

  Great is the fortune of those who can serve their guru

  From them there are no secrets separating guru from God.

  For them there is no death nor fear of death,

  They know the Word and in their hearts meditate thereon.

  Neither now nor at any later time

  Shall I ask God for anything besides the Name;

  (The Name) unsullied and Love Divine.

  As the Chatrik bird (craves for drops of rain)

  So shall Nanak crave for drops of nectar.

  Merciful Lord, we shall our voices raise

  Give us the power to sing Thy praise.

  * * *

  Amli amal na ambdai machi neer na hoe

  To the opium addict there is nothing like opium.

  To the fish water is everything.

  Those imbued with the Name of their Lord

  Find every prospect pleasing.

  May every moment of my life be a sacrifice to Thy Name, O my Master!

  My Master is like a tree that beareth fruit

  The Name of the fruit is nectar

  Those who drink its juice are truly fulfilled

  May my life be sacrificed to them!

  Thou livest amongst all creatures

  Yet I see Thee not;

  How can the thirsty their thirst slake,

  If a wall separates them from the like?

  Nanak is Thy tradesman;

  Thou art my Master and my goods.

  My mind would rid itself of delusion

  If to Thee I addressed my prayers

  And to Thee my petition.

  * * *

  Mori run jhun laya, bhainey savan aya

  Sweet sound of water gurgling down the water-spout

  (The peacock’s shrill, exultant cry)

  Sister, it’s savan, the month of rain!

  Beloved Thine eyes bind me in a spell

  (They pierce through me like daggers)

  They fill my heart with greed and longing;

  For one glimpse of Thee I’ll give my life

  For Thy Name may I be a sacrifice.

  When Thou art mine, my heart fills with pride,

  What can I be proud of if Thou art not with me?

  Woman, smash thy bangles on thy bedstead

  Break thy arms, break the arms of thy couch;

  Thy adornments hold no charms

  Thy Lord is in another’s arms.

  The Lord liked not thy bangle-seller

  Thy bracelets and glass bangles He doth spurn

  Arms that do not the Lord’s neck embrace

  With anguish shall forever burn.

  All my friends have gone to their lovers

  I feel wretched, whose door shall I seek?

  Friends, of proven virtue and fair am I

  Lord, does nothing about me find favour in Thine eye?

  I plaited my tresses,

  With vermilion daubed the parting of my hair

  And went to Him

  But with me He would not lie.

  My heart is grief-stricken, I could die.

  I wept, and the world wept with me.

  Even birds of the forest cried,

  Only my soul torn out of my body shed not a tear,

  Nay, my soul which separated me from my Beloved shed not a tear.

  In a dream He came to me

  (I woke) and He was gone.

  I wept a flood of tears.

  Beloved I cannot come to Thee, />
  No messenger will take my message;

  Blessed sleep come thou back to me,

  That in my dreams my Lover I again may see!

  Nanak, what wilt thou give the messenger

  Who brings thee a message from thy Master?

  I’ll sever my head to make a seat for him;

  Headless though I be, I’ll continue to serve him.

  Why then do I not die? Why not give away my life?

  My Husband is estranged from me and has taken another wife!

  * * *

  Jalao aisee reet jit mai pyara veesrai

  Ritual that makes me forget my Beloved Lord shall I burn.

  O Nanak that love is best that in the Lord’s eyes doth merit earn.

  The body is like a wife in her home,

  When her Lord is away

  She pines for him.

  If her intentions are pure, she’ll be reunited any time any day.

  O Nanak, unless there be love,

  False and futile is all talk.

  Man who calculates good

  In the spirit of give and take

  Even for the good he does

  He doth its virtue vitiate.

  * * *

  Sabhna marna dya vichhoda sabhna

  Death will come to everyone,

  To everyone separation,

  Who will heareafter be reunited?

  Go ask the wise ones.

  Those who forget my Master

  Will suffer much tribulation.

  Forever worship Him who is the Truth

  By His grace you will gain joy everlasting.

  Praise Him as the Mighty

  He alone is and ever shall be.

  Lord, Thou art the One, the Only Giver;

  Mankind’s gifts account for nothing.

  What Thou ordainest comes to pass

  All else is as futile as women’s wailing.

  Many raised forts and castles upon the earth

  Proclaimed dominion by beat of drum—and passed on;

  Those who walked with their heads in the clouds

  Are now like beasts led by the nose-string.

  Man knowing how like a stake driven through the body

  Will be thy pain

  Thou eatest sweet things of the world,

  Why dost thou not abstain?

  Sayeth Nanak, the more we sin, the heavier the chain we forge about our necks.

  It can be severed by good deeds which are like our brothers and well-wishers.

  When we pass on and our credentials are examined

  Those who had no guru are beaten and discarded.

  * * *

  Alakh apar agam agochar na tis kal na karma

  Beyond comprehension, without end

  Beyond reach, beyond description

  Immortal, beyond cause and effect

  Beyond the pale of caste and castelessness

  Beyond the cycle of life, death and rebirth

  Self-existent and alone

  Without desire, without delusion.

  He is the Truest of the True

  To Him I sacrifice my life.

  He hath no form nor colour nor line