asa di var-teja singh-english

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ASA 01 VAROR

GURU NANAK'S ODEIN THE ASA MEASURERendered i n t o English & Annotated

III

By

TEJA SINGH M.A.Formerly Professor o f DivinityKhalsa College. Amritaar



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(With the Author'. Permi.sion)

First Edition Feb. 1988 3,000 CopiesSecond Edition Oet.1978 1,100 CopiesThird Edition July 1982 1,100 CopiesFourth Edition Sep.1990 3,000 CopiesFifth Edition Jan. 1998 5,000 Copies



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TABLE OF CONTENTSIntr'oductionSynlopsisTranslationNo1:es

Pege12

491t3



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INTRODUCTION

AVAR or ode is a heroic measure famous inthe Punjab. a land o f War and heroes.With the la rge though uni f ied scope o f i tstheme iimd the wide and thr i l l ing sweep of i tsmusic. this form o f lyr ic is best suited torouse the mart ia l spir i t in men and steel themin the face o f danger. Recounting the mightydeeds of heroes. i t is sung by bards beforearmies marching to battle , or wi th the lyreand tabor is made enliven the part ies ofgreat men wi th the praise of thei r ancestors.I t is grenerally trag ic or di thyrambic. andthe music sad but moving.

The, Sikh Gurus took up this measure, asthey did o ther s im ila r measures of their nativeland, fo r their own rel igious purposes. Thereare twenty tw o such odes in the H oly Granth.set to seventeen di f ferent kinds o f music.Among them is one, called Coronation Odein Ramkali. composed piece by piece. as the



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occasion arose, by two Mohammedan bards.Satta and Balwand, in praise of the f i rst f iveGurus. The stanzas in honour of Guru Nanakand Guru Angad were sung in the presenceof the lat ter and the others at the instal lat ionceromony o f those Gurus to whom they refer.These odes Were sung in Sikh congregationsby especiany-appointed bards who werewell-versed in the art of music and knew thepart icular tunes to which such composit ionswere to be sung. As much of the spir i t and theeffect depended on the proper handling o f themusic the Gurus were very careful in preserving i t . Guru Arjan, who compiled the sacredcomposit ions into the Holy Book. set eachpiece to i ts oWn music. and when after somet ime there appeared a danger of the far f lungcongregations forgett ing the complicate' V u s i ~ of some of the odes. Guru Hargobind

' ~ . ' :. - , ~ r " , '..aJfixed the proper tunes to them. There arenine such tunes; each of them being af tersome ode of a heroic theme, wel l -knownat the t ime but now almost whol ly forgotten.There_ may st i l l be found here and there



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a stray old minstrel, wi th a rebeck, w h ocould fair ly reproduce the tunes to w hic hthese ()des w ere o rig ina lly sung; but, i f ourpresent neglectful a tt itu d e to w a rd s musiccontinues thf1Y wi l l be lost to us fo r ever.

ASia-di-Var, o r the Ode in th e Ass measureis one o f the three Punjabi odes o f GuruNanak,. found in the H oly Granth, i t form s thedaily morning service o f the SIkh congregation:s. and being in Ass, is sung before theearly d a w n . I t consists o f pauris and shlokas,w hic h I have chosen to call stanzas andstaves The stanzaic part is th e assentialpart o f th e Ode, the staves being added toexplain and introduce the stanzas. In GuruNanak's t ime i t consisted o f twenty-fourstanzas and forty-six staves. stanzas all o fGuru Nanak. Then in th e tim e o f Guru Angad,or ahElr, fourteen more staves w er e addedf rom the composit ions o f Guru Angad. Inspite o f th e passage being complete in th em selves j:md some o f them selected f rom otherplaces, th e w hole is very artist icalfy arranged,and in: th e method sequence. andcoherell1ce of thought, i t is as perfec t as



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the Japj( The stanzas express the ideas ingeneral terms, whi le the staves i l lustratethem in descript ive terms, adducing examplesf rom the particular customs and views pre-vai l ing at the t ime. To give a point to themain idea in stanza. The last l ine is shortand epigramatic.

In the construction of i ts music i t resem-bles some what the ancient choral ode inGreek, the stave corresponding to the stropheand the stanza to the antistrophe. The stavesare sung in solo and the stanza in chorus. thestanza being repeated again in recitative. Thestaves singing is spontaneous, and anybodyf rom the audience can bear a part in i t . Usuallyone verse is sung by a person at a t ime. andthen another takes UP the tune. in this waywhen the staves are over, the f ixed choirtakes UP the stanza. which is repeated againreci tat ively by one man in a clear and dist inctintonation. so that the audience may graspthe whole meaning of the passage. Afterf inishing a stanza and before beginning thestaves belonging to another stanza, i l lust-rative passages f rom the Scriptures or fromother approved composit ions such as of BhaiGurdas and Bl1ai Nand la l , are also sung.Among them are the twenty- four quatrains,



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in the Asa measure from Guru Ram Das,which are always sung, one wi th each stanza;but, as fa r as I have been able to discover,thei r only relevancy seems to be a f reshnessand tenderness o f sentiment, so appropriateto the mornir,g t ime and a certain simi lar i tyo f l ines and passages here and there. Thereis a strain a t melancholy running throughoutthe music o f the stanzas. which are general lysun!;J in bass tone.

In the ode whereon Asa-di-Var ismodel led the chief in terest in the storyinterest. Asa di-Var, too, has fo r i ts i n t e r e ~ tthe career of a man in the process o fbecoming an angel. I t traces his progressfrom the state o f an ordinary man to thato f a prefected servant of God. He is f i rs tmade to forget all other supposed agencieso f Icreation, sustenance, and death, and isintroduced to one Suprema Baing as thesource o f every th ing. The world, too, isshown to be real and no t a mere dream. Thenthe moral relat ion o f God wi th his worldand man, and o f the wor ld and man wi thGod is described. Man has his nature



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i n s c r i b e d wi th th e n a m e o r th e m o r a l pres enc eo f G od w h i c h e v e r p o i n t s to th e r i g h t coursea n d s h o w th e te rr o rs o f d e v i a t i n g f r o m i t . Inth e w o r l d . t o o . is s u b l i m e l y d i f f u s e d t h i spres enc e o f G o d , w h i c h in t h e f r o m o f d e f i n i t ed i v i n e l a w s ha s b e e n w o r k i n g in aU h i s t o r yt o w a r d s a d i v i n e end. The disciples. a ret h e r e f o r e w a r n e d n o t to w o r k in a n t a g o n i s mto t h i s S u p r e m e Spi r i t : o t h e r w i s e h is w h o l el i fe wi l l b e w a s t e d a n d awfu l I n d e e d wi l l b eh is e n d . A t t hi s s ta g e fe a r is th e m o t i v e f o r c e .w h i c h is s h o w n to b e w o r k i n g in th e heav ensa n d th e e a r t h . a n d even t h o s e bei ngs . w h o mpeopl e h a d in s u p e r s t i t i o n s e t up as supreme,are m a d e to l o o k so s m a l l in th e a w f u lpres enc e o f G o d . In t h i s w a y th e u n d i v i d e dl o y a l t y of th e d i ~ c i p l e to o ne s uprem e G odis s e c u r e d .

The G u r u t h e n tal


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motives. Most heinous crimes have beencommit ted in the name o f rel igion*. but thepi ty o f i t is that men did not know tha t theywere doing so. Some people , in order to avoidthis E!vil, have gone to the other extreme andhave sought to kil l thei r individual wi l l . TheGuru s"ows that this is to make even virtueimpol!lsible as is to destroy the very concious-ness ,of self which is the basis o f our moralnature and makes the real ization o f Godpossible. Not the destruct ion but the attuningo f our t iny wi l l to the Supreme Wil l is theonly remedy . This is done by a l i fe of const 'mtp r 8 i s 4 ~ of god. balanced desires, and actives e r v i ( ~ e . Then comes the ordinary pride o fpos itiion and wealth, which the Guru removesby showing the disciple how to l ive accordingto t ruth and to aopreciate i t discipl'J iswarn,ed of the ef fect o f the want o f t ruth,love, and fear of God on a people's rel igiousand pol i t ical l i fe. After th is the Guru takes upthe most besett ing pride of caste, which has

* "The sins tha t men do in the name ofrel igion are such that even the greatest sinsbulsh before them" . -Guru G obind S ingh'sVachilrra Natak, i. 99.



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entered into the very marrow o f us Indians.He most effect ively refutes the reason ornecessity o f this inst i tut ion by inclucat ing thebelie f in one God who ful f i ls all beings.whether high or l ow, and whose l ight reachesdown to the lowest orders o f His creat ion.Even an i l l i terate Sudra is not denied Noris a learned Brahmin immune f rom the ef fecto f his sins i f he leads a wayward l i fe. I t isonly love and meekness which have beensaving men, to whatever class thay may havebelonged or in whichever age they may havel ivpd. Sweetness and humi l i ty are the assenceof all virtue. The rel igious r i tes and cere-monies, o f which the higher castes boastas their special virtues, are inconsistent withthe nature o f God, who is pleased wi th fai thalone. The doing o f God's service by the actualpract ice o f positive v irtues such as mercy andrighteousness, is more effect ive in keepingmen f rom sin than such week devices as thesacred thread, f rontal marks on the foreheadand outl ined cooking squares which areinconsistent wi th the i r oWn practices inpubl ic. The Guru denounces the false ideaso f impuri ty, which was supposed to consist



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9in matter and was contracted f rom meretouch. He declares that all impur i ty l ies inthe he,art which is alienated f rom God. Lastof all comes the pride o f sex. which has ledto such a degradation of womankind in India.The Guru condemns ths social belief in theinfer ior i ty o f women. How could they beinferiolr to men, when they have givenlus kingsand other great men 7 Women are equalwi th men before God and are equally responsiblle fo r their act ions to Him.

ThE' disciple is also admonished againstrudene:ss to his fe l low-men. As he advancesin per1'ection he may feel incl ined to beimpatiElnt with those who are not so perfector whose outward plainness belies theirinward greatness. I t is God's funct ion to judgethem, not ours. We should mind our ownbusinesis.

The,re was a stage in the disciple's careerwhen his training was conducted under thei n f ' u e n l ~ e o f fear. For those alone get the loveo f God in their hearts who entertain His fear.But now that virtue has become spontaneous,fear dEiparts and love remains as the only



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motive force in him, What sort o f serviceis that in which the fear o f the Master doesnot depart l' The Guru gives a few particularaspects of this l i fe of love and self-surrender,wherein man works incomplete unison withGod's eternal wil l .

This transformation in man occurs notmerely in an intel lectual way through theteaching o f the Guru, but through the personali ty as an axemplar. This is acknowledgedin the staves and again in the stanzas. Thefact is that the way of rel igion, as shown byGuru Nanak, is not a set o f views or doctrines,but a way o f l i fe l ived according to a defini temodel, I t is based not upon rules o f laws,but upon discipleship in the career of thedisciple the personality of the Guru is allalong operat ive, commanding his whole beingand shaping his l i fe to i ts diviner issues,Without such a personality there would be nocohesion. no direction in the moral forcesof society, and in spite of a thousand kinds ofknowledge there would sti l l be utter darkness.There would be no force to connect man



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11with rnan. and them with God Every bodywithoUit i t wi l l exist fo r himself in moralisolat ion. ' l ike spurious sesame lef t desolatein the field' 'w i th a hundred masters to ownthem'. all pull ing in dif ferent directions. I t isthe Guru who removes the barriers o f casteand posit ion set up by men among themselves.8 himself , unites them with God.1 Inthis way foundations are laid o f a societyo f the purified who as an organized forcestrive 1ror the good of the whole mankind.

Sw::h a creative personali ty must be perfect bElcause men take after those Whom theys e r v e . ~ ~ l f the ideal person is imperfect. thes o c i e t ~ ' and i ts individuals fo l lowing him wi l lalso bEl imperfect, But those Who serve thesaved ones will be saved' .3

ThiS Sikh Gurus were perfect and are described as such in the Sikh Scriptures. Guru

1 "Nanak, the true Guru must be such asto unilte all menu-Sr i Rag I.

"God appoints holy men as witnesses toshOl/\l lthat He is not far f rom us" . -Ramkal i .RutL V. VI2Guru Arnar Dass in Bihagre-ki-Var, IV.

3Majh.



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Nanak himself says in Sri Rag, 'Everybodyelse is prone to err, only tha Guru and God areabove it: And Guru Arjan says in Bhaifon :Whoever is seen is defective; Wrthout anydefect is my true Guru, the Yogi. The stateof perfect ion attained by the Gurus is lucidlydescribed in the eighth and the eighteenthoctaves o f Guru Arjan's Sukhmani. The sameGuru says in the Asa measure:

God does not die, nor do I fear dea th .He does not perish, nor do I grieve.He is not poor, nor do I have hunger.He has no pain, nor have I any trouble.There is no destroyer but God.Who is my l i fe and who gives me l i fe.He has no bond, nor have I got any.He has no entanglement,ni)r have I any care.As He is ~ a i n l e s s , so am r free from stain.As He is happy, so am I always rejoicing.He has no anxiety, nor have I any concern.As He is not defi led, 5 0 am I not poltuted.As He has no craving, so do I covet nothing.He is pure, and I too suit Him in th is.I am noth ing ; He alone is everything.All around is the same He.



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"Ianak, the Guru has destroyed all mysuperst i t ion and defects.

Jlmd I have become uni formly one wi thhim.

The Guru is sin less. In order, however, tobe re1ally effect ive in savi ng man he must notbe above man's capacity to imitate, as hewould be i f he were a superna tura l being .His humanity must be real and not feigned.He should have a nature subject to the samelaws as operate in the ordinary human nature,and should have attained his perfectionthrough the same Grace as is available to allmen and through perfect obedience to God'sWill . The Sikh Gurus had fought with sinand had overcome it. Some o f them had l ivedfo r a long t ime in i l lusion untiJl Gracetouched them and they were perfectedthrough a constant discipl ine o f knowledge,love. and experience in the association o ftheir Gurus. When they had been completelyattuned to the Wil l divine and were sancti f iedas Gurus. there remained no defect in themand they became perfect and holy. Thereaftersins did come to tempt them, but they nevergave way and were always a ble to overcomethem. I t is only thus that they became prefect



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exemplars of men and t ransformed thosewho came under thei r inf luence to ver i tableangelic beings. The means used were notmiracles, but the True Word and the 5angator holy assoc ia tion*: which means that thework of conversion was carried on by i m p a r ~t ing the Word and by bringing the erring maninto close fel lowship with the Guru and hisassociates. This led to a very remarkabledevelopment in the inst i tut ion of Guruship,and no descr ipt ion of Guruship wi l l becomplete wi thout an account o f thisdevelcpment.

The idea of 5angat or holy associat ion ledto the establ ishment o f local assemblies ledby authorised disciples called Masands. TheGuru was the centeral uni fy ing personal i ty.and inspite of the changes in succession,

*Sea Bhai Gurdas. Var. i . 42. Also. "Thedross became gold by touching the p h i l o 5 0 ~pher's stone : such is the glory o f holyassociat ion" -Gujri Ashtpadi. i.

"On ly through the Word can man keep thename in his heart, and get the l iberation ofh is unders tand ing the door of sa lva t ion" -Parbhati Ashtpadi. i.



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w as held to be one and th e same as hispre-dlecessors* The love existing betw een

*lln th e C oro na tio n Ode wri t ten by Sattaand Balwand, to bards w h o Jived f rom theSecond Guru's t ime up to th e t ime of the f i f thGuru" th e fo l lowing verses occur :

" G u r u Nanak proclaimed th e accession o fLehnu as th e reward o f service. He had t h same l ight, the same method : th e Mastermerely changed his body."

lOA scion o f Guru Nanak, exchanged bodywi th him and took possession o f his th rone: '

"The wise b eing G uru Nanak, descended inin thEl form of Amar Da s."" G u r u Am ar Das obtained the same mark,the same throne and th e same cour t , "

"Thou, Ram Das, art Nanak; thou a rtLehna: thou Amar Das; so do I deem thee. '

" T n e human race comes and goes: b u tthou. 0 Arja n , a rt ever n e w and whole. "Sunder. th e great- grandson. o f GuruAmar Das, whi le describing the death scenceof thel Third Guru says :

"l\1I fe l l a t the feet of th e Guru, intow h o m Guru Amar Das had infused his spi r i t . "

Mohsin Fani, w ho w ro te in th e t ime o f theSixth Guru, says about th e Sikhs in h i s -

Dabistan-i-Mazahib



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16the Guru and the Sikhs was more intense thanhas ever existed between most romanticlovers of the world.* But the homage paidto the Guru was made impersonal by creatinga mystic unity between the Sikh and the Guruon the one hand and the Guru and the world onthe other** Greatest respect began to be paidto the incorporafed Word, even the Guru- ' ik1ITheir bel ief is that all the Gurus areindentical with Nanak:-

Guru Gobind Singh in his Vachltra Nataksays about the Guru:

"AI I take them as dif ferent f rom oneanother : very few recognise them as one inspir it. But only those realise perfection whodo recognise them as one,"

*See the Swayyas towards the end theHoly Granth ; also Bhai Gurdas's Vars. i. 45-48 ,i i i . 12. xx, I, xxiv. 5-25, xxvi 31 and 34.

The Gurus always signed themselves asNanak.

**Bhai Gurdas, Var. xxvi i Sujan Rai o fBatala in his Khulasatultawarikh says about theSikhs: "The fai th that these people have intheir Guru is not to be met with among anyother people."



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( 17 )choosiing fo r himrel f a SetH lower than that o fthe Scripture. *Tne onlv form of worship wasthe lT1eoltation on and the singing ofthe w' l rd** . The Sikh assemblies. also

*"T;,e Word is Guru. deep and fu l l o fwisdo'l1".-Sorath. I "Guru is the Word; and theWord Us Guru".-Kanra IV : also Nat Ashtpad;IV. "The Guru l ives with in his Sikhs and isoleased wi th whatever theV Iihe".-Gauri-kiVar. IV" The Guru is Sikh and the Sikh whopractises the Guru's word is a t one with theGuru"" Asa Chhant IV. See also Bhai GurdasVars, i i i . i i . ix . 16.Guru Har Rai was once ly ing on hiscouch when some-body began to recite hymnsfrom the Holy Granth. The Guru at once fe l idown 1from h is couch in his anxiety to avoidirreverence See Suraj Parkash, K21

**See Asa-di-Var, vi. I. " In this wor ldthe b l ~ s t pract ice is that o f the W ord : '-Parbhati, i . "Nanak says afrer much thoughtthat i f a man loves the t rue Word. he wi l l besaved. I t is the assence o f all reci tatons andausteri i t ies." -Dhanasri, I. "W e serve only theName o f God; i t is l n ly thal l which weworsh ip : ' Var-Vadhans, IV. "M y Yoga ispractised bV singi ng ThV hymns: ' Asa, V. a.ndalso Sri Rag-ki-Var IV xi.Sujan Rai o f Batala wri t ing about Sikhsin 1697 says in his Khulas-tul-t.warikh : "Theonly way o f worship wi th them is tha t theyread the hymns composed by their Gurus andsing them sweetly in accompaniment wi thmusicEl1 instruments. t o



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( 18 )ecquired great sanct i ty* owing to thebel ief that the sp ir it o f the \ iuru l ived andmoved among them. They began to assumehig"er and higher authori ty unt i l col lectivelythe whole body, called the Panth. camd tobe regarded as an embodiment o f the Guru.Guru Gob ind Singh himself received baptismf rom the Sikhs in i t iated by himself . After himthe Sikhs ceased to have any personal Guru.I f we read the Sikh history aright, the Sikhnat ion would appear es an organiLed uni t tohave undergone a course o f discipl ine inthe hands of ten Gurus -

*Bhai Gurda8 says : "One disciple is as ingle s ikh; tw o form a holy association; bu1:where there are f ive. there is God himsel f" .Guru Arjan was never t i red of praising themanifold spir i tual advantages o f attendingthe conqregational meetings; and the peopletoo resorted to them 8S well fo r the sake o fgett ing thei r wishes grant ..d as fo r gett ingdevotional mer i t (See Dablstan-Mazahib andBhal Gurdas Var. v.). Guru Gobind Singh alsoenjoindetd upon the Sikhs to elect f ive Belovedone8 f rom among themselves fo r any executivework and he promised to be present in them(See Suraj Parkash. vi. 41). For thedevelopment of the corporate character o fSikhs. see the author's Growth of Responsibilityin Sikhism)



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( 19 )simila'r to th e one detai led in Asadi-Vl:lr in th e case o f an ind iv idual -unt i l i tscharac:ter w as fu l ly developed and th e Gurumerged his personalit ly in the body o f th enation thus reared. The G u r u ~ as mentloriWdabove worked wi th tw o things: th e personalassociiation and the Word. N o w after th edeath" o f Guru Gobind Singh Personali ty andth e w o rd were separated. The Panth w asinvested wi th the personality o f th e Guru andthe inc::orporated Word became the Gyan Guru.That iis. in sim ple words. The Khalsa Panthw as to be the Guru in future. n o t in supersessic," of the previous Gurus. b u t asauthorised to w o r k in thei r name; and i t w asinvariably to guide i tself by the teachings ofth e Gurus as found in th e Holy Granth. sotha t the Sikhs came to name Guru Nanak endth e 43uru Panth in th e same breath. The, 'Sarbat Khalsa" o r th e w h o le Sikh people,m et cIOce a t least a t th e Akal Tekhat Amri tser.th e highest seat o f Panthic author i ty. on th eoccall ion o f DeNal i or Baisakhi and fe l t tha tthey were one. A ll questions o f rel igiousinterlsst w ere determ ined by th e Gurmattas o rresolutions o f these essemblies. Which existedever' l '-where end these gurmattas. w h e npasslld. were supposed to have received theGuru's sanction. Even ordinary breaches ofthe rules o f conduct w ere punished in suchr epr llsentat ive meet ings: and ne person, h o w e ve r h ig h -p la ce d . Was above the jur isdict ions



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( 20 )o f these conclaves. Even Guru Gobind Singhwas once f ined 125 rupees fo r lowering hisarrow in salute before the tomb o f a saint.which he had done to test the discernment o fhis fol lowers. Maharaja Ranjit Singh. the l ionof the Punjab was also punished a t the AkalTakhat bV a Gurmatta.

The principle o f organization is a partof the Sikh rel igion. A Sikh is not onlv to lookto hia individua l characte r, but is also toshoulder his responsibiJit ies as a part o f thecorporate body o f the Panth. This is evidentf rom the form o f congregational worship andthe daily prayer of Sikhs. wherein the Sikhinvokes after God an the ten Gurus and thedeeds o f those great Sikhs, who have sufferedfo r the Panth, and bring before his mind thepresent organic l i fe of the community withi ts di f ferent associations and metating-placesscattered everywhere thus steeping himselfevery day in the essociation o f those whoconsti tute the past and present history o f thePanth. This Inst i tut ion entails certainaddit ional disciplinar)' out f i t in the shape o fbaptismal forms and vows which are oftenmisunderstood. People cannot easilyunderstand how it is that whi le in Asa-di-Varthe Guru r id icu les certain forms and symbols,the Sikh I'"eliglon has yet got its own which i tconsiders a regutar par t of i ts consti tut ion.



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( 21 )I t is true tha t i f rel igion w ere only a matter

o f indlividual concern, there would be no needo f forms or symbols. B ut relig ion, as teughtby tht i Gurus, is a force that not only ennoblesindividuals but binds them together to workfo r nobi l i ty in the wor ld . Organization is amean!5 of enlarging the possibi l i ty, scope, andeffec1tiveness o f this work . In order that anorganization may i tsel f work effect ively, I t isnecessary tha t the individuals concerned ini t should be able to keep up thei r attaChmentto the cause and a suf f ic ient amount o fenthusiasm fo r i t . I t is, however, a patent factthat men by their nature are so const i tutedthat they cannot keep their feelings equallyhigh


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( 22 )sentiment. Man would not need them i t heWefe only a bundle of intel lectual and moralsenses. but as he has also sentiment andimagination without which the formerqualit ies would be inoperative, he cannot dowi thout erticulatlng his Ideas and beliefs insome forms appropriate to sentiment. Theseforms must not be dead but a l iving index ofhis ideal, waking up in him vivid intimationsof the personality that governs his religion.They should be related to his inner belief aswords are to their meaning, tears to grief.smiles to happiness. and a t&Jne to a song.I t is true that sometimes words becomemeaningless, when we no longer need their8ense, or the language to Which they belongbecomes dead. I t is true that sometimes tearsand smiles are onlv cloaks for hypocrisy, anda tune mere meaningless j ingle. But there isno denying the fact that. when their innermeaning is real and we are sincere abouti t . they do serve as very helpful interpreters.Forms are the art of religion. Like art onnature. these forms impose certain l imitationson the ideal but at the same t ime they makethe ideal more real and workable fo rgeneral use.

Sometimes, however, when the forms aredetermined.not by the necesaity of uniformity



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( 23 )which is so essential to discipline. but by thelocal or racial causes. they narrow theapplic:ability o f the ideal and create divisionand EIXclusiveness where they should havahelped men to unite. When the spir i t in whichthey had been original ly conceived dies out.they become mere handicaps to rel igion. andthe ~ l e o p l e who use them would be wel l8 d v i s 4 ~ d to abondon them. A telescopecertainly helps the sight in looking at thingsfa r in the heavens. but when i ts lens ~ , b e c o m eso defect ive that instead o f helping the nakedeye i t proves an actual hinderance in i ts way.then 1the telescope must be put aside. I t wassuch 1Forms that Guru Nanak asked the Hindusto leave The useless pract ices of forms andritual:!. The custom o f taking food with incooking squares must have begun in thedesilEl to eat in clean places. which is verydesir8lble, But by the time of the Guru i t hadbecome merely a sign o f exclusiveness andhad n,o refereOll.e to cleanliness. Simi lar ly thecaste system must have grown as anaconomical pract ice o f d if fa rentpeople s tocarryon thei r evocations dif ferent ly. but i tbecame divisive when i t t ied down certain



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25the Slk:h Panth can wear them. I t Is pos. lblefor a man to love God and cultiva te hisindividual soul without adopting these forms:but i f he wants to work in a systematicmannelf not only for his own advancement butfor the good of others as wel l in the companyof Sikhs, he must adopt these disciplinaryforms ,of their organization, I t is possible fo ra sin"le wrestler to acquire bodily strengthequalico that of four soldiers in uniform . butthis ClllOnot be used as an argument againstthe fOlrmation of armies and the use amongthem ()f uniforms and other such things fo rthe promotion of jo in t action. I f the samewrestler were to make a band of scout. menl ike himself for some set purpose. he wouldlee that certain forms and signs which hehad originally worn as his simplerequirl,ments would soon begin to appearon his fol lowers too who would adopt them.not as useless gewgaws. but as useful helpersin maintaining their esprit de corps and a prideIn the work associated with their pretotypa.Similairly the Sikhs, who are the soldiers ofGuru Goblnd Singh and whose religion Is



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26lurcharued with h l l perlonalffy, f ind theuniform worn and ordained by him as a realin playing their part as units of the Panthicorganization.

This help comes from the appeal made fasentiment by the process of association andnot through any inherent eff icacy of theforms themselves, This association is notwith places or things, but with an everl ivingpErsonality that itself is a symbol of thehighest Personality. As is God, so is the Guru:and a l is the Guru. so must be the fol lower.Wearing a Knicker e"suring briskness ofmovement at t imes of action and serving asan easy underwear at t imes ot rest, an ironring on his r ight arm 8S a sign of belongingof the guru, and a sword by his side as aninstrument of offence and defence and as anemblem of power and dignity* the Gurupresented an impressive picture of a simplebut disciplined soldier.He, however. combinedin him the saint l inels of the old Rishis withIhe sternnels and strength of a knight.Therefore. l ike his predecessors he kept

"cher i ty and kirpan are symbolic of I frespect"-Pakhlano Charitre, 322.



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( 27)long hiBir which all the world over h a always been associated with 'aintliness. Acomb was 8 simple necessity for keeping thehair clean and tidy. These were the formlwith which the Sikhs were invested at t t t lt ime ( l l f their initiation, in order to lookexectl" I ike their Master, as they were tobehavlli exactl1 like him.

Fmm the histo ry of the Sikhs in the pastas well as in 'the present, it Is quite evidenthow effectively these baptismal forms, withthe accompanying vows. have aided them inkeeping themselves united and their idealsunsullied even in t imes of the greatest trialwhile keeping the Sikhs associate:! with theirGuru l ind maintaining his spirit among them,they have not produced any narrowing effecton their beliefs and modes of worship,Rathe,r. as history tells us; changes for thewors .. have always synchronised with thewant of insistence on the baptismal vows.This was in the days of the Sikh rule. whenluxur l ' and power tempted our peop'e toconsider the vows too hard for them. Theyleft their identity as Sikhs and became assu.,ers titions about God and his worship



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(28 )a l t h e y had been before the t im e o f th eGurus. W i t h th e modern revival th e Sikhsheve found themgelves again; and w i t h th eold falfh in th e e fflca cv o f th e baptismalvow s they s ti l l believe t h a t God is one andt h a t there il no w o r s h i p more pleasing to H imthan th e h e a r t f e l t singing o f his hymns. A llworship and ceremony, w h e t h e r in temple o rhome, w h e th e r on bir t h, marriage, o r death,consists o f nothing else b u t praying andchanting hymns. Could anything be simpler 1

I II I



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and colours, human belnglwi thdi f ferent tastesand crnvings, with di f ferent aims and ideals;some Illspiring to meet God, other rejectinghim and wondring in the wilderness, are allwonder- inspir ing sights to a newly-awakendedman ( i i i . i.). He wil l be, however. not solost in wonder or mystery as to forget theIntellii;libie design underlying the wholecreaticm. He wiU see that in all the objectsof slglht and sound, in all the sacred bookof the East and the west in all the differentways of thought and effections. In all thecustoms and fashions of the world. In allthe gClod and evil actions of men, there isa proc1BSs of nature working through definitelaws, which are directed by the supreme wil lof God, not arb it rar ily but most intell igently\ i i i . 2). In stead of enjoying an uncharteredfreedCllm and giving loose to his naturalcravinlgs, man should submit himself to thesupreme wi l l and do good a ctions, otherw isehis whole l i fe be fruit less and awful indeedwi l l be his end ( i l l ) . All Nature works infear I)f his wil l . and even gods. saints,and hnroes move in his awe. He alone standsunaweld (iv. i) . Even Rama and Krishna ofthe historic fame are nothing before the



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Pormless and the Fe aries. One. Therefore theworship of the heroes is fruit less and actingtheir s tories of no avail. For, Realization isnot such a simple thing as holding a talk orgoing through a make-believe. It is obtainedby Inviting Grace (iv 2). After a man ha.wandered through many live., God in hismercy may visit him with Grace and he mayso find a teacher pouessd of the savingWord. The teacher will give him the truthfreeing him form all sorts of vanity lIv).

The teacher will introduce him to theDivin. acting that is goi"g on in Nature (v. i)and will show him by comparison how trivialmust look the dramas of Rama and Krishnaperformed as 8cts of devotion. These performances. which consist in merely twistingthe body round and round with nothing thatcomes from the heart. are no more meritoriousthan the spinning of a top or the turning ofa mill. They may serve as entertainment. ofthe mind; tu t the worship of the SupremaDiety requires the offering of an active loveof the heart and sub.tantial acts of se,vicedon. humbly in his cause (x. 2.). lhe disciple



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( 33 )will d.,dlcate his body and soul to the oneinvisible God. and while doing good will makehimself humble (v).

Unlilke those Mohammedans who spendtheir deys in discussing the intricacies of theQuranic formal law, he will adopt the wayof submission in order to see God. Unlikethole Hindus who, while praising the transcendental \lision of God. are yet employedin ml,king pilgrimages and turning incensebefor4i images; unlike those Yogis who.aHegllng to believe in the incomprehensibleInd unbodied name of God. are yet foundobjeci:ifying him in their meditations . s ahumar, form; unlike thosa of generous zealwho. in order to practise generosity, adoptcont8.,tment, but, at the sametime for whatthey "ive they expect fame in this world and hundred fold reward in the heaven; andunlike other short-sighted man who wastetheir lives in evil or exhaust the merit alreadyaccumulated in the pas t ; this disciple of theteech,sr will place before himself the glorif'oetl.:)O of the true Name as the highestcreving and the greatest support of his heart.In this he will find the utmost JOY of life. But



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h34Jhe will not become proud. Rather, he willhumble himself before every gl'od man""herever found (vi. I). He will have noreligious pride. Some Mohammedlilns thinktha t those non-Muslims whose bodies areburn t a ft er death shall gO to hell. But theyshould remember that the d ~ a d bodies 9fMohammedans too may sometimes find theirwey into the fireof the potter 's oven (vi. 2).This is false a ttachment to sectarianism fromwhich the true teacher alone can free us.The most reasonable thing is to attach oneself'0 God, the highest truth. who will grant usen all embracing life (vi.).

The teacher instructs the disciple in thenature of man's Ego, or his free V\I ill, whi ch isthe basis of his transmigration from life tolife, serves as the initial force in all hispersonal actions, and is at the root of hisevery choice between true and false good andevil. pain and pleasure. We cannot see Heavenwithout understanding the workings of oorwill, which is accountable before the supremeWill of God. We see of the latter as the formermakes uS see it (vii. I). Thu3 it is claar tha tthe Ego gives man his individuality and leadshim to action. It also t ies him down to the



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( 3& )world and sends him on 8 round o f b i r th ,and death. Where f rom comes this assert ionon sel1f 7 H ow can i t leave us 1 I t c:>m81 toman f"Om the Will o f God and determ ines hisconduct according to his antecedents. Egois a ~ I r e a t disease; but i ts remedy also l ieswithin i tself . The evil is cured when, throughthe grace o f God, man gets his wi l l attunedto the Supreme Wil l and begins to practisethe Word o f the Teacher (vi i . 2). H 3 becomesa man ( 'f temperate l i fe, dedicated to service.He devotes himself to the highest, Truthand nl9ver thir: ks of treading the path o f evil.He does good and practises honesty, eats anddrinks; moderatelY, and doss n ot make toomuch of the w orld. He rejoices in theaboundi"g mercy o f God, and feels a t onewith h im th ro ug h thankfulness (vi i).

An example is given o f this thanks giving,which is the only true form of worship, otherforms; and cerem onies being quite useless(vi i i I).. Even di f ferent acts o f sUPPosedrel igk IUS merit , such as alms-deeds, austerities" and M dditat ions, and recitations, arevain devices that cannot take theplace o fliVing in Grace (vi i i 2). This graca is grantedby God through the teacher w ho awakens the



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( 38 )disciple to Truth (vi i i) Mere learning, devol"of the truth, is all vanity and vexation ofspir i t (Ix i ) . To be constantly visit ing sacredplaces makes one talkat ive; and by practisingasdetlcism and mort i fying the natural de, l r..of the body men merety deprive themselve.o f the different graces of life ( ix.2). Thosewho love Good look beButiful at' His gate,singing his praises and humbling themse lve .before Him (Ix).

After exposing the more subtle kinds ofpride that of religion, virtuosity, and learningand after ministering in each case the corre.-ponding Truth that redeems. the Teachernow introduces the disciple to the commonform of pride that is found in the ordinaryways of l i fe ; in position. prosperity. wealth,beauty. love, etc. (x 1). end shows him whati t is to l ive according to Truth (x 2). Thusfreed from false evaluation of things, thedisciple wil l learn to appreciate the l ives oftrue worth (x).

Referri, g to his own t imes the Teachersays that , devoid of t ruth. fear, and love, menbf,CClme hCltgClblins; their religion ceaus to



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( 37)I t . 8 living force (xl 1 ) ; and their pelltl .alcondition become most degraded, the ruler.caring only for gre ed and lust, and the ruled,blind in ignorance, p&ying homage to theauthor ities like dead men. The priestly antithe learned classes employ all their arts forgain illl pandering to the pleasure of thehigh-pllaced, The piou8, lowering their ida. ' . ,adopt ,the way of self-regarding virtue and seegood clnly in securing an easy quittance fromthe world ; and the so-called pure, notknowing the secret of life, find the existingorder of things tco hard for them and indespair beat a hasty retreat from the world.Yet thlElY are too proud to acknowledge thattheir ideals have been of lowervirtue. Theystill believe that their ways are perfect (xi 2).But they cannot deceive the vigilant eye ofGod, who alone will judge who comes up toHis f , ' tBM:HUS ard ""ho not. The consideratic)ns of class or caste power carry noweight with Him (xi 3). Only those get theirlives perfected through tne Teacher who aretouCh.,d by Grace, no matter ""hat positionwhether high or low, they occupy insociety (xi).



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have also divided t ime into four agea, eachcharacterised by a di f ferent order ()f things(xi i i . 1). A aif ferent Veda is assigned to eachdiffere,nt aga, wi th a dif ferent ideal pecul iarto each .. B ut in whatever age m ay we l ive,feal s alv atio n lie s in love and devotion practised wi th all possible humi l i ty (xi i i . 2). Letus, th,erefore, th a n k th e Teacher wr.o hasrevealElcl this t ruth to us (x i i i ) .

Sweetness and humil i ty are essence o fall vir tue. i t is n ot the humil i ty o f th e hypocrit icali b u t humi l i t f o f th e sincere (x iv . 1 ).wrangl ing s cholarl iness , I ns inc ere meditat iono f th e idolaters, and other h yp oc rit ic al form sand ceremonies, are mere vanity beinginconsistent wit t . the nature o f God. Faith inH im allone saves us (xiv 2). Sin damns us.We should. 1herefore, giva up all vanity o fthings thf l t pass awaY (xiv). Leavingmereformal i t ies. l ike the wearing o f the sacredthread" th a t enhances tha class pride, w eshould strive a fte r p os itiv e virtues o f mercy.self-control. Puri ty and r ighteousness thatmouldsi l i fe (xv. " ) . With thousand evils lurkingin the soul o f man. w h a t good can thesacrifilc:ial thread do to him. I t wi l l soon wearaway alOd break (x v. 2). The t rue thread that



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t 40)ts strong is the faith in the Lord end Hispraise. We can carry i t with us even to thenext world (xv. 3). HOIN a thread can bindthe organs and the senses 7 I t is sh.arblindness not to 8ee this (xv. 4). God alonathrough his grace can show the way o f hissarvice and reveal his wii l . His servant wi l lsa. his highest good in fol lowing the DivinaWill (xv).

The Teacher then shows us the fut i l i ty ofthe class pride by referring to the Inconsis-tency and hypocrisy of the people's practices.They hold the Brahmin and the cow to b .sacred, and yet they do not spare them fromtaxation, Wearing the marks of purity theykeep themselves apart from Mohammedans8S untouchables and yet they have no suruple8In earning their l ivelihood In the lal ter 'sservice, in reading their books and fo l lowingtheir manners (xvi . I). The Mohammedanswho read their Nimaz hsve yet no scruples intyrannizing over men; and the Hindus whowaar the sacred thread do not refrain fromorualty. The Brahmins too, who should haveknown better. when invited to such peopla'.houses, enjoy their food as much as theirhastsi and feel no qualms of co science. Thay



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l ive in Ii... All ~ e 8 . n c y anll f . i t h h a v .vanished and fele.hood prevails every where.While carefu lly preserving the outwerd m.eksaf cerelmonlal puri ty and social i8018tion, theHindus yet seek the service of the Mohamme-d .n . enid try to pleas. them by putt ing onthei r f(llreign fashions Thay would eat m.e tprepared in the Mohammedan way. and yetthey try to keep their purity of food bydrawiniiJ cooking circles around them They

~ d not Ilnow that i t Is the sin that d e f i l e ~ nd i t is the purity of the heart that cleans.(xvi, 2) They cannot, however. deceive GodWho can look even into the secret recesseeof their' hearts. He knows the impurities ofthe Iml)Ure and the tyrannies of the highhanded" whom He can crush in 8 moment orreduce them to beggary. i f He so wil ls (xvi).

The Teacher next humorously exposes thefut i l i ty of the Shradh ceremony dependenton the intercession of 8 particular CSBt..Brehmin and shows that there is no meritin the chari ty of a th ief who send the earningsof his evil trade to the dead forefathers viaBrahmins. Tt e only acceptable chari ty. isthat Which on . practises out of his ownhonestly earned substance (xvi i 1). Man



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(42 )Is cenetently defi l ing himsel f ; but thepurification comes not f lom bathing thebody but from enshrining God in theheert (xvii . 2). The Teacher at the same t imekeeping in mind the peculiar fail ings of theproud ruling class of his t ime, holds out warning to them that all the means of luxuryand l icens. shall pass awey. a8 elso the youthwith the capacity of enjoyment (xvi i).

As there was a false sense of purity among theHindus. so there was a false idea of impuri tycelled sutak when a birth occured or a death Infamily, ell i ts members, even caste-fellowswere declared impure for a t ime and theirtouch was supposed to defile all cooked food.But the Teacher says that i f we .edmit thisidea of impurity I impurity wil l be found ineverything used in the kitchen. There ar.l iving things in corn of which the meal ismade. They are in dung and wood with whichthe f ire is l i t and in water by which every.thing is made fresh and green. You cannotavoid this so called impurity (xvii i . 1). Thereal impurity consists in greed, lying, lust,and slander, with which the heart, thetongue, the eyes, and ears get latenized andwhich lead the IOU I of man bound to heU



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t 43)(\I"IIi). All other ifT1purlty contracted frOmtouch its superstit ious. Birth and death cannotcause lit, as they are natural happeningsordained from God. All eating and drinkingwhich C30d has given fo r sustenance. is pure(xvi i i . ,3). The Teacher removes such evilsf rom the mind of the disciple and makes himI .e the excellence of an ideal man. enableshim to treasure them up in his olNn heart(XViii). Impurity does not consist in matter,but in the l1eart of man detached from God;and th.. puri tv of l ife consistas in l ivingconstantly in his presence. Just as food.howevlar purely prepared and eaten, becomesf i l th bV passing through the body that isgross, so is man, although pure in the beginningreduced to a f i l thy sinner by passing throughthe ple,alOure of l i fe enjoyed in forgetfulnessof God (xix. 1).

After condemning the forms and cere.m o n i e ~ ; arising out of the pr ide of ca8te, thdTeacher now comes to the pride of caste. theTeach.lr touches upon the pride of sex. Onlythat person, man or woman, is admitted tothe court of God \litho l ives a l i fe of His praiae.Woman Is not to be condemned on accountof her sex. Why revile her f rom whom w.



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derIve our l i fe. whom we love end marrY.and through whom the procesl of the worldgoes on 7 How can she be inferior from whomwe get our kings end other greaf men 1 (xix 2).Women as wel l as men, all acknowledge thesame God and are equally responsible fof',their actions to Him. Why Ihould we conduct'ourselves disdainfullv towards each other?;:I f we are superior in learning, i t Ihould teach:us at leal t not to ca ll anybody low (XiX). .;

Betwe.,n one person and another le t ther. ;be no rudeness. By addressing othel S rudely.a men's mind and appearance lose all grace,and he i . execrated before man and God (xx.1):Those who are evil, at heart. f launt theirhigh position before the world. They wil lnever get purif ied by bathing at ell the p l a c e ~of pilgrimage. While they. who have r_8al;VIIcrth VIIithin. may be clothed in rags. butshall. be considered the good one8 of theworld, because they love god and desire t behold t : ' im: They depend on nobody exeeptthe true Master and look to him for food and"other t.hings. They know that alf men ar.eq",el be,fore God. and that he punishes tho...,who are evil (xx. 2). Some may be perfeo.,olf)er. imperflc;t : God alon l looks af t l r them.]



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I f f . not ours to apport ion blame. We shouldm ind our own business (xx) .

SC) fa r the development o f the disciple'scharacter in the hands o f the teacher ha lbeen conducted mainly under the inf luenceof Goa's fear. Now the instruct ion proceedsin the atmosphere of love. The lover o f Godshould dedicate his whole l i fe to God and lookupon 'ill' hatever good or evil tha t comes f romHim liS a blessing (xxi. 1). He should notquestion or crit ic ise His doings (xxi 2). Heshould ever remember the supreme Benefactorand In his Ical ings with Him look to his ownbest l l i l terest, which is to shun evi l (xxi). I fhe is proud and content ious and talks toomuch, he shall not relish his master's love.He wi l l succeed only i f he effaces his ego toperform service and constant ly longs to meetH.lm("xi i . i) love o f the heart is essent ial :m,re l ip-service is of no avail (xxi i . 2). Lovaof 8elf does not go for. Unless i t is removedf i r . t f"om the heart, the love of God cannotcome. to reside in i t . Not commands butprayers succeed with Him (xxi i . 3). Self- love0rarr t )gance is l ike a l ine drawn on weter""hie,", hu no .x.iatance (xxi i . 4). Led by h i,



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own unaided l ight a man can acoompU.hnothing i f he does one thing wel l . he wil lspoil anothe' (xxii. 5). Therefore' the servantof God should do everything according toHis wil l . In this way his honour shall beg reete, end his reward also double. But i fhe sets himself up as His r ival he shall rouseHis Jealous anger. and losing his rewardshell receive punishment in the bargain.We should offer thanks to our Benefactorand address prayers and issue no commandsto Him (xxi i) The g ifts that we receive fromGod should be taken. not as rewards for ourown exert ion, but es free gifts out of Hisbounty (xxii i . 1).

The disciple. as a servant of God. shallpass out of the stage when he works withthe fear of God. Now he shall be completelyabsorbed in His wil l (xxi i i . 2). He wouldsee that i t is God alone who creates. letsmen in different positions. and takes care ofthem (xxi i i ) . Men ere made by God l ikevessels. Some are fi l led with love and mercy,others are set on f ire with their passions.Somelie on cushions while other stand andwatch over them. God regenerates thowhom He communicates His grace (xxiv. 1).



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(47 )I t i . H e w h o created th e earth and p u t i t inIts p r o p e r p o s i t i o n among th e planats. HeHimsttlf peoples i t with l i v i n g t h i n g s andarrantlleS t h e i r bi r t hs and deaths. He is a ll ina ll (;I(xiv. 2 ). H is gr eatness c a n n o t bed e s c r i b e d . I t is enough to say t h a t He doesw h a t He w i l l s . and We have o n l y t o w o r k isunison w i t h His e t e r n a l Will ( x x i v ) .



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ASA 01 WARThe one Supreme Being. whose n.me- is

eternal Veri ty. the Creator, devoid of 1 M rand enm ity, im mortal. unborn. self-exlsten'Enlightener By His grace.

In ASA, by Guru Nanak, .nd one . Iongwith staves; there being staves also composedby Guru Nenak. The tune is o f the MaimedRaja Uss.

STAVES1--GURU NAN 4.K

I am grateful to my Guru a hundred t imesa day.

w ho has turned men into angels, and t hatto o without delay.



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(49 )2-GURU ANGAD

I f a hundred moons appear and a thosand!IUnS arise.With so many l ights there would sti l l be

utter darkness, if there were no Guru.

3-GURU NANAKN a n . ~ k . they who may be wise in their own

t!stimation do no t th ink of the Guru.Shall be l ike suprious sesame le f t desolate

in the f ie ld:. Yea. Nanak, le f t in the f ield with a

hundred masters to own them.They may f lourish and bloom and bear

fruit , but all the same, they bear~ 1 5 h as.

STANZA-1God is self-created: so is His Name.Beside Himself He made Nature. wherein

He has His seat and looks on withfondness ..



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( 51 )Thy praise and glor i f i cation ie of reel

worth.Thy laws of Nature. 0 true King, are

real.Those who worship the true Reality

become one with Reality.And 'those who worship what is born and

e1ies are most unreal.

2-GURU NANAKHis Iglory is great. because His name is

' l ireat.His c;,lory is great. because His justice is

true.And His seat immovable.His ' i lory is great, because He knows what

we utter.And understands all that we feel VII i thin

c.ur hearts.His glory is great. because He gives

without consulting others.Bein,g all in all Himself.Says Nanak. His actions cannot be

eles cri bed.



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( 62 )Whatever He has done, or shall do depends

on His wil l .

9. GURU ANGADThis world is the True One's house; the

True one l ives in I t .Some by His will He unites with Himself ;others by His wil l He dooms to

death.Some by

othersl ien.ss.

His wil l aremake their

kept safe, whilehome in world-

One canr.ot even tel l whom He mayreform.

Says Nanak, he alone is Gurmukh (divinelycharged) whom God reveals Himself.

STANZA \ISays Nana\c, God having Created souls. He

appointed Dharam Ra ja -a Justiceto reckon their deeds.

Before whom only Truth prevails and thesinners. l ike lepers, are singled out.



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( 5 )The felse ones f ind no refuge. and with

bla cke ne d fa ce s go to hell.Those imbued with the Lord's name come ou t

s'uccessfully. The deceivers shall fai l.C:;od set up a Justice to Judge deeds o flwerybody

\\ISTAVES

1--GURU NANAKWonderful is the word spoken and the wordr'Bcorded.Wonderful are the anim ated beings and their

di stinctions.Theilr forms and their colours.Wonderful are the creatures that go aboutnaked.Wonderful are the winds, and the w aters.

J ~ n d the f ires that play wonders.Wonderful is the earth, and the sources o f

JHoduction.Wonderful are the tastes to which mortals

IJet attached.



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( 64)Wonderful Is the act of union ( wi th God) and

separation from Him.Wonderful are the cravings and their grati

f ication.Wonderful is God's praise and His glori..

f ication.Wonderful is man's going astray in the

wilderness, or his f inding out the truepath.

Wonderful i8 his feeling God near. or histh in kin g H im far a w a y ;

And wonderful is his beholding H im everpresent by his side.Looking on these ""onders Nanak remains

dazed.Most fortunate is he w ho can understand the

entire mystry.

2-GURU NANAKWhatever is seen or heard is in the ordero f N at ur e; so is the consciousness o f

f8. r and comfort .



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(55 )The nether regions, the heavens,

the forms in creation comecourse of Nature;

and .nin the

So did the Vedas, the Puranas, the West.rnboons. and all th , ways of thought.

And lill the ways of eating, drinking, dressingand all the ways of love.NatUlre prevails in the animal kingdom, i ts

slpecies in general and in their colours.

Natulre works in the virtues and evils ofnlen in their feelings of honour anddishonour.

NatUlre works in the air, the water, the f i r . ,and the d llst of the earth.

Thy Nature works everywhere ;the Master of Natu re ;Creator : Thy Name is thethe holy.

Thou . r tThou theholiest of

Says Nanak,with Hisintell igentlv

GodWill,

looksand

to everythingworks most



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(&1 )STANZA III

Led by himself manunti l his soul departsto a heap of ashes.

Thul ends the worldlya chain thrown roundaway.

enjoys his lusts,and he is reduced

man, and withhis neck is taken

There his actions and character are judgedand their account is brought home tohim.

He shall f ind no refuge from the blows. Whatuse is i t to hear his cries now.The blind soul has wasted his l i fe.

IV

STAVES1-GURU NANAK

The wind blows in hundred blasts in fearof him.

Hundreds and thousands of rivers f low in fearof Him.

And in fear of Him the f i re slaves in i tsof f ices:



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( 57 )And i n f l ~ a r earth remains pressed under i ts

burdon;And the rain-clouds rove headlong in the sky

in Hlis fear.In feal' is the King o f Death in his

C O U l t .In ... ear iis; the sun and the moon.That 1travel

end.mill ions o f miles w i t h o u t

In fear ,iue the Siddhas. the Buddhas. and themsster-Yogis;

In fealr is th e f i rmament stretched o utabove.

In feaf are the heroes mighty and brave.And thle whole hordes o f people that coma

andl1go.All are subject to H is fear. Says Nanak ;Only the one. formless and true is without

that fear.

2 - G U R U NANAKSays NIBlnak. it: is the Formless One t h a t isw i t h o u t fear ; all others l ike Rama are

likEl dust.

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(59 )After a soul has wandered through many

l ives" the true Guru may communicatethe Word to him.

There is no benefactor so great as the trueGuru ; le t each and every body l istento this.

We get the t ruth by meeting the true Guru;who removes all vanity o f self f romour souls.

And conveys the veritable Truth to us.

vSTAVES

1 ~ G U R U NANAKThe QU8,rters of the day and night are the

Krishnas and the cowherds and the Hoursare the milkmaids.

With thlEi Sun and the moon to personatethem. and wi th the wind. the water.and ~ t h e f ire as fheir ornaments.



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(60 )All earthly things serve as the stage

properties and the different intr i -cacies of l i fe as the theme to dealwith.

The world is deluded by ignorance Say Nanakand becomes a pray to Death.

2-GURU NANAKThe teachers dance to the tune set by

their fol lowers.They move about their feet and shake

the i r heads.The dust rises and falls

rufiled hair.on their

The people watch all this, laugh and gohome.

fo r their bread alone do the performers awaytheir movements to the rhythmic throbof music.

Or dash their bodies to the ground IAnd sing songs of Lord Krishna and his

milkmaids.o r of Sita and the royal Rama.



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( 61 )Fearless is the Formless One, whose Name

il; true.And w ho has made the whole world.His !servants

H im withactions.

are those w hothe offering

worshipo f good

D e w " is the night fo r those w ho long inthe heart fo r God.

The diisciples have learnt from the Guru'sinstruction.

That the beneficent God saves mal'l throughHis Grace.

Oll-plresses, spinning wheels, hand-mills,pc)fter's wheels.

W hirlw inds o! the desert, go aboutcIlsselesslv.

Whirl ing Tops, churning rods, corn-threshers.Birds ' that go on circl ing with a breathless

slJ1eed.Drivelll by ons's Bash actions everybody

g(.e8 whir l ing.OtherWise, Nanak, there is no end o f things

that turn round;



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( 62)Into the God-designed mazes of trans.

migration. Everyone dances accordingly.And those who laugh while dancing. depart

weeping.One cannot f l yaway from i t . nor can one

become a Siddha.Dancing and bouncing are mere entertainments for the mind.Says Nanak. those alone are blessed with the

love of God who bear His fearin mind.

STAN2A-VThy Name is Formless;

upon thy Name man doeshell.

by callingnot go to

Thy soul and body are entirely His andshare thy food with other; butby taking about i t thou shalf lose811 merit.



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( 63 )And insects that are twir led round on

s1takes.I f tholu wishest well for thyself. do good and

be called lowly.HowElver mayest thou try to keep away

oUd age. i t wi l l come in dif ferentguises.

No olne may tarry when his measure isful l.

VISTAVES

A-GURU NANAKThe Mussulmans

and constantlyon iit.

extol theirread and

sacred lawspeculate

But tbe servants of God are those who adoptthe way of submission. in order toSee Him.The Hindu praisers praise Him for His vision

of transcendental beauty;And yet th ey bathe

worship idols offerincense before them.

at sacred places.oblation and burn



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( 64)Those who are Yogis think of the Creater

as the profound Peace. and call Him theIncomprehensIble;And yet. Him whose

and whose nameform is invisibleimmaculate they

objecti fy in the form of a humanbody.

They of the generous zeal in order topractise generosity, adoptment.

content-

But in return for what they give they expectfame in this world and a hundredfoldreward in the next.

There are thieves and fel lows. and men false.depraved and worthless.

There arespentwhatl ives 7

others who go from here havingup all their accumulated merit;use have they made of their

There are creatures in waters and lands;there are beings upon beings in otherworlds and regions.



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( 65 )alOnEt; they too m ust haveconsciousness o f thee.

some

Says N,anak. the devoties hunger to praise thetruEI name which is their support.

And d a " and night th ey live in an abiding Joyin the dust o f God men', feet.

2 - G U R U NANAKThe ciaV o f a Mussulman f inds i ts way into

the potter 's hand.W ho fashions vessels and b ricks out o f i t .

i t cries o ut o f f i re;And as i t burns, poor th ing, i t weeps, and

sheds tears o f cinders.Says N aoak, the Creator alone, w ho made this

cinmmstance, knows whether cremationis bEltter, or burial.

STANZA VINone has realized God wi thout the true Guru;

wit:hout the true G uru. none has lo far .



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( 86 )Glod hes placed Himself in the true Guru.

end has manifested and declared Him 1fthrough him.

Man is forever liberated when he meet. thetrue Guru. who removes from him all fe l attachments.

The most reasonable thing to obsarve I .that he who attaches himself to theTrue One.

shall f ind in Him the dispenser of I I f .universal.

VIISTAVES

1-GURU NANAKBy his Ego man comes and goes.Is born and dies.By his Ego he gives and receives.And earns or loses.By his Ego he is true or false.Has considerations of sin and vir tue;And d cend. to Hell or riSes to Heaven.



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(67 )Iy his Ego he laughs or weeps.And beGlrimes or washes himself.By his Ego he degrades himle l f from the

human order.Is wise l)r foolish.And 10SElS ali conciousness of salvation.By the E:go he is in Maya salf-obscured.And g081S into l ives of di f ferent creatures.Men can see the gate o f Heaven only i f he

undlllrstands the Ego.Withoull proper understanding he entangels

himlself in wordy warfa re .Says NSlnak Our destiny is recorded by the

supreme Will.oh Lord, as you wi l l , so are created images.

2- -GURU ANGADThuI,

hisi t is this Ego which gives men

indiViduality and leads him te

I t el lo t ies h im down to the world and putshim on the wheel of birth and death.

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( 68)Where from come. this Ego 7 How shall i t

leave us ?I I comes to Man from the Will of God anddetermines his conduct.I t is an old diseese; but its remedy also lies

within i tself.When God sends Grace to man. he begins to

practise the word of the Guru.Says Nanek. hear ye all. this is the way to

cure the disease.

S TAN Z A VIIThe service of God is done by the men of

temperate l ives who meditate on Him asthe truest of the ture.

the pathpractise

treadinggood and

They refrE in fromof evil. They dohonesty.

They have broken the [bonds of worldlinessand eat and drink moderately.

"Thou art lavishV\lhich ThouIncraninglv" - -

in thy mercies. ofgivest daily evar



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Thus l ;l lorifying they obtain the gloriousLOlrd.

VIIISTAVES

1--GURU NANAK"Nanek. God Himsel f knows the extent o f

enimal creat ion.In human beings and trees, in sacred places

and r iver-sides, in clouds above andf ie lds below.

In isl l ind regions, spheres, universes andth. l i r parts.

And that born in di f ferent ways: f rom thee g l ~ . the sweat. the womb and theearth.

Havin4;1 made the creatures says Nanak, Hetakes care of them all.

The Creator who made the creation has tot a ~ t E l care o f i t also.

the snme Creator who has made the world" ~ ~ e s thought of i t .



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( 10 )To him is

blessing,inviolate"

homageHis

due : on him beadministration I I

Says Nanak, without Imbibing true Name, ofwhat use is a sacrif icial mark or thesacred thread 7

2-GURU NANAKMan may do countless good and virtuous

deeds and what are received as charitableacts ;

He may practise countless austerities atsacred places or do yogic exercise. Inthe wilderness to balance the mind;

He may perform countless acts of breveryin war, and in f ighting breathe his last.

He may perform ccuntless readings ofthe Srutls and the Puranas; and mayIn countless ways philosophize andmeditate;



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( 71 )Vet all the.e devices are vain. Says Nanek :

thEI only true index of the way is the Graceof Him.

The (:reator. who made the world andd e c ~ r e e d trensmigration.

STANZA VIIIThou ert the frue Master who ministers therea" truth.

He to whom Thou givest receives the t ruthend then practises i t .

The truth is obtained on meeting the trueGUlru in whose heart He has placed thetruth.

The fc)ol does not recognize the t ruth anCilWastes his l i fe in waywardness.

Why did he come into the world 7

IXSTAVES

1--GURU NANAKWe mllY' read and read and make cartloads

wi1:h books or pack caravans withthelm,



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( 72)w. may read and read, and load boa " with

books or f i l l cellars with them;We may read for all the years and

months that are given to us ;We may read as long as we l ive and

breathe;Yet. Bays Nanak, there is only one t ruth thatmatters; all else is vanity and v e x a t i o ~

of spir i t

2-GURU NANAKThe more man reads and writes, the more

haughty does he become.The more he wanders to sacred places, the

more he brags a bout his pilgrimage.The more he \Nears ascetic garbs, the more

he aff l icts his body.Suffer i t , 0 man i t is thine own doing IHe who abstains from eating corn, spoils his

taste.And, being led astray

discomfort.suffers muc h



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l 73 )He wh,o wears no clothe. remains day and

niglht in tr ibulat ion.By pracltising silence man stupefies himself ;

how can he be a awakened f rom theItulPor axcept by the Guru?

I f he goes barefooted, he suffers as hedelierve

I f he laats f i l th and .mear. ashes on h i.helld.Thll blind fool only los8s his self-respect.I f he l ives in the wilderness in graveyard.or crematoriums.

The f04)lish man dOle not know that he wi l lha\;re to regret i t afterwards.

Only that man f inds peace, who meets thetrue Guru.

And ,enshrines the name of God in hisheart;

And that too, say' Nanak, i f God .ends himGr'ilce.

And he freeing himself from hope and fearburns up his ego by means of theweird.

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("74 )

STANZA IXThose who love Thee. oh ! God. are l ikedby thee.They look beautiful at thy gate, singing Thy

praises.Says Nanak. they who have done no good

f ind no refuse at Thy gate and wanderaway from it .There are some who do not realize their own

reality and take credit to themselvelfor nothing.

em a bard of low caste; others ara said tebelong to high castes.

But I want those who meditate on thee.

XSTAVES

1-GURU NANAKTo be ruler over subjects. and to have world

dominion.To have halls and mansions and to re l id.

therein.



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( 76 )To havli gold and silver and to Wa8r

tham.To have a body invested with super beauty

anditl igh array. is all vanity.Vain are the seignior and his lady w h o wreck

Ihemselves in self-indulgence.The vain man attached to vanity forgets hisCreator.To whati should I attach myself. when the

whole world has to pass away.

Falsehood is like Sugar i t is l ike honey;crews upon crews sailing in falsehoodhave been t hr own overboard.

Seys Nalnak submits humbly th at w Ith outThee" 0 God, everything is false.

2- G URU NANAKThat is blting t rue, when the True One is in

the heart.When the f i l th o f falsehood departs and the

l i fe ia m ad e clean.

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That is being true, when men fixes hie 10".on Truth.

And finds plealure in he. . ing of the lord'sName; thus he finds hlm.elflibereted.

That is being true, when man knows how telive uprightly.

And preparing the field of life puts the seedof Lord's name into it.

That is being true, when one receive. trueinstruction from the Guru.

Understands baing kind to living being., endperforms some actl of charity.

That is being true. when man reside. et tha.acred font of .pirit.

Where, ever consulting the true Guru, he rest.in peace.Truth i l the remedy of ell, end we.h . . eway

all . ins;Nanak humbly submits to tho . . who .r.poeseed ot Truth.



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STANZA-Xbe,. the dust of GodI get i t , I Shall applyhl,ud.

men's fee t : I fi t to my fo r..Givln


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( 78)The seed of Faith hes exhausted its meri t

with the daparture of those who hadsown it; how can the halfseed grownow 1

I t might germinate. i f i t were whole. and theseason too were congenial.

Says Nanak. without a mordant an unbleachedcloth cannot take on colour.

11 the life be put in the vat of fear. and themordant of holV Endeavour be appliedto i t .

Then Says Nanak. If i t be dyed in love enddevotion i t wil l have nothing fel about i t .

2-GURU NANAKSin is the king. greed the minister. Falsehood

the mint-master.And lust the deputy to take counsel wi th ;

they s it and confer together,,Th. blind subjects out of ignoranc. pey

homage l ike dead men.



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The so calleddecoratecharacters ;

( 79 )wise dance, play music, andthemselves in different

They loudlV declaim and sing their contentlOlU8 parts of heroi c theme.

The fc)olish Brahmin scholars, fo r love ofmcmey, e n g a ~ e themselves in mentaltrh:ks and quibbles.

The pic)us do religious acts, but waste theirmelrit by seeking cheap popularity stil lthEt'l want salvation as their reward.

The so-called chaste, not knowing the secretof l i fe, give up their household responsiblliities. Pity is tha t ;

Every ()ne considers himself per fect ; no oneowns his short comings.

I f he is measured against the truemeri t then can i t be seen how much a menweiighs.

3-GURU NANAKSeys Nlmak, the True one is looking on ; to

HiITt everything rings as i t happens.



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against thay wil l .made people of

(80 )All make their vaulting efforts. but only

that which the marker does come. topass.

There I . no consideration of caste or powerIn the next wor ld ; there the souls haveto bow befo re the wil l of God.

Only those few are good souls whose meri tcomes to be recognized.

S TAN Z A XIOnly those whom thou hast apportioned

Grace from on high. adore Thee as theirMaater.

These craatures cannot goThou Thy.elf hastdi f ferent sorts.

Soma thou unitest with Thyself; while othersara led astray by thee.

Thanks toThee inchoosesth im;

the Guru. Man may knowwhatever position Thou

to communicate Thyself to

And may with steady vision get absorbed intruth.



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( 81 1S TAVES

1-GURU NANAKAdvers ity is a medicine and comfort a disease,

be,cause in comfor t there is no yearningfo r God.

Thou art theI try toeffected.

Doer, I do noth ing; whendo anything, nothing is

Bless Thee, 0 Thou the indwel ler ofN l ~ t u r e .

Thy ways are inscrutable.

2.In all orders of being

ell orders are inf i l i lest all th ingsal'tless.

is Thy l ight, andThy l ight. thou

by an art that is

Thou art the true Master ; Thyis lovely, wherever utterssnved.

praisei t is



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( 82)Says Nanak. all metters depend on the

Creator whatever is to be done. Hegoes on doing.

3-GURU ANGADThe way of yogis is the way of philosophy

and that of Brahmins is to read theVedas.

The way of Kashatriyas is the way of Bravery.and that of Surdras is the service ofothers.

But to one who knows the secret. there Is oneand the same way fo r all.Such a one is spotless and godlike. end

Nanak is his servant .

4-GURU ANGADThe,e i . one God of all gods. I t is the essence

of Gods. godliness.The one who knows the secret. this assence

pervades all beings.Such a ona is spotless and godlike. and

Nanak is his servant.



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( 83 )

5-GURU NANAKWater is held by a pitcher. but the pitcher

itseilf could not have been without thewa1ter.

So. the supreme intel l igence holds the mindtogether although without the mind wecould not have realized the supremeIn!Ellligence.

S TAN Z A XIIA l i terate man who sins wil l not be

spalred.Nor wi l l a good man be punished because

he is l II i teate.A man is known by the work he does.We should not play such a game as may fail

us in the court of God.The l i terate and the i l l i terate shall be judged

by their good deeds.I t i . the wayward who shall be punishedherafter.



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was thedriver in

was thedriver in

(84 )XIII

STAVES1-GURU NANAK

Nanak, a8 in 8 rosary there is one mainbead, so in the chariot of human l i fethere is one governing ideal as thedriver.

Both of which according to the learned. havebeen changing from ege to ag8.In the Satya age. Temperateness was the

chariot and Piety the driver in f ront.In the Treta age. Continence

chariot and Might thef ront.In the Duepar age. Penance

chariot. with Truth as thef ront.

In the Kafi age, Flaming Passion is thechariot and Falsehood as the driver infront.

2-GURU NANAKThe Sam Veda said that the Lord was whiterobed: in that age men came in Truth and

l ived in Truth.



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And all l ived absorbed in Truth.The Rilll said that the Lord pervades every

w h e re ;In that age His name was Rama, who, among

the beings o f lig ht. was as the sun amongthe s;tars ;

That sins departed by taking his name;And so Says Nanak. men got salvation.In the ~ I g e o f Yujar. there lived Kanh Krishna

w ho was a Yadva He seduced Chandraw lit I.

Brought the Elysia" tree fo r his milk ..maiid and disported him self InBindraban.

In the Kali age Atharvan is tha vede,andl the name o f the Lord has becomeAlleth.

The rule isandl bluefashion.

of the Turks and Pathan.,clothes hava become the

In thisl w ay all the four Veda. just i fythenlselves.

Those w ho read and speculate on them geta knowledge o f tha Karma-lora.



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( 86 )But. Says Nanak. salvation in obtained.Only when man practises love and devotion

and calls himself lowly.

S TAN Z A XIIIBlessed be the Guru in Whose company I have

realized the Lord.And who with his instruction has imparted

such a sight-quickening knowledge thatwith these very eyes. I have looked intothe nature of things.

The merchants. Who leaving their own Masterattach themselves to worldly things getthemselves drowned.

How a few have realized that the true Guru isthe ship

Which graciously ferries us across the sea ofthis world.

XIVSTAVES

1-GURU NANAKThe timmel tree is straight like an arrow,

and extremely tal l and tufty.



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( 87 )Those birds who come to i t with hopes go

aWllY disappointed; why 7BecauIls i ts f rui ts are tasteless, i ts f lower .

wishy-washy and i ts leaves of no use.Nanak, sweetness and humil i ty are the

esslmce of all goodness and virtue.Everyb


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( 88)With fal.ehood In the mouth they make out

jewels of i ron.They repeat the Gayatr i t r iplet three times a

day.They wear rosaries round the i r

end put on sacrif icial marks onforeheads.

neckstheir

withtheir

of loin-clothesnapkins on

pairput

They keep athem andskulls.

I f they knew the character of the SupremeBeing.

All such beliefs and activities would appearfu t i le ;

And says Nanak. they wo uld come to medi ..tate on him with faith.

But without the true Guru they shall not findthe waYl;

STANZA XIVGraceful beauty and rich att ira man

shall have to leave on earth on hisdemise.



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( '9 )He shan himself have to meet tho rewar" of

his Igood and evil act i .ns .He b b.en lording over other l to his heart 's80ntent. now he sh.1I have to pa.s

tbrnugh the narrow way.When h . goes stripped to hell. it \/\till then

lool( horrible indeed.And th . re he shall repent for havinl cemmitt. . .

lint;.

XVSTAVES

2-GURU NANAKLet cotton be Mercy, make threads of

T.rnperateneas, and twisting them withRlglhteous Zeal t ie them into knot ofcoratin_nee.

Th. sal[:I'ed th read thus formed .hall be goodfor the soul. I f thcu h8etit. 0 Pundit, putit ( In me.

I t shaU never break, nor get so iled . o r be burntor 1I01t.



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(90 )Blessed is the man, 0 Nanak. who goes

about with fuch a thread round hisneck.

Thy thread is brought for four pie., and isput on in an outl ined place.

earthey

thebe

With Instructions whispered inthat the Brahmin shallGuru.

But when the man dies, the thread falls o ffand he goes away threadless.

2-GURU NANAKMyriads of thefts, vi l lainies; falsehoods, and

calumnies;and secret sinsof man night and

Myriads of deceptionsaccompany the soulday.

And yet thread is spun out of cotton and theBrahmin comes to twis t i t .

A goat i8 slaughtered. cooked and eaten; andthen everybody present says, 'Put onthe thread:

When i t gets old, i t is cast away andanother Is put on again.



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( 91 )Says I\lanek, the thread would not break If

thel'e were str6ngth in i t .

3-GURU NANAKBy prail l ing God the true thread is produced,

and by b t lie \I if' 9 in His name and i t .(iepl:mdability.

Such a sacred thread shalland may be worn inGod.

never b r e a k :the court o f

4-GURU NANAKThere is no str ing to bind the male and the

female organs.So thillt man everyday cusgrace. h i.

beard.There iii no string t or the 1eet nor fo r the

hands.No string fo r the tongue or the eyes.The BUlhmin himself goes about w ithout

such str ings;Yet he twists strings fo r others and puts them

round their necks.



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He charge. for conducting marriage ceremony.And takes out his Icroll to show them theit

future.Hear him ye peopl., and look at tha

wonder of it ;He i . blind in the 801.11, and yet he calli

himself a nero

STANZA XVWhen God in His mercy lend. Grace to man,

He puts him to his work.That worker would serve

whom H. cho08.8 toWill.

the Lord inreelize HI.

If ha carries out His Will to Hi. 8atisfaction,h . shall get a pllee in his Maeter ' .palace.

If h . doe. what plee. . . his Master, h . shanItteln his h rt-desired with.

And enter the court divine arrayed inhonour.



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( 93 )XVI

STAVES1-GURU NANAK

You hx the cow and the Brehmin: you cannotbe saved by the cow-dun;J.

You VIf r III lo in-cloth ; a sacrif icialand 8 rosary ; yet you earnIh/'lng f rom those ""hom youM . ' / ~ c h h a s (MlJsl"im rulers).

merk.yourcall

You perform Hindu worship in privete Iyet.. 0 my brothers. you read thebooks o f Mohammedans and adopt the i rmlmners.

Put away hypocr isy:By ollllling upon the Nama you .hal l be

' . ' l Ied.

2-GURU NANAKThose who devour men. yet reed the

N/maz (the muslim prayer)Tho who ply the dagger have sacr.d str ing.

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( 94 )Even Brahmins, in such people's hou les ,

sound their can chs.And enjoy their food as much .s they

themselves.They trade in l ie . with the capital of

falsehood.And earn their food by tell ing l ies.Of decency and faith are they devoid,Says Nanak, falsehood prevails every

where.With all the sacred

forehead nnd theirin behind.

marks on theirloin-cloths tucked

They are butchars of the world, with dagger.in their hands.

They wear blue clothes in order to be acceptable to the ruling class.

Thay earn their l i l/ ing from those whomthey call Malechhas; }et they worshipPuranas. (the mytholig ical literature ofthe Hindus)



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( 95 )They eat meat o f a goat killed in the

Mc)hammedan fashion.Vet they would al low no access to theircooking squares.HevinlJ smeared a place fo r cooking purpose

th'BY draw a l ine around i t ;And sit t ing with in . false as they are.They say "Touch i t not

no t !o touch i t

Or thha food of ours shall be polluted."Look. ilheir bodies are already defi led witht h ~ . i r foul deeds.And their hearts are false even whi le they

rinse their mouths.Says Nanak. we should

Tru th ;worship the

If we are pure at heart. we shall have i t .

S TAN Z A XVIOod hIlS all t l ings with in His ken and watches

t:um j } lui l11 bBfore His eyes.



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(88 )He Him.elf cause.

a 'e done. and,ewerds.

eppre.vadHimself

actions thatgrant. hieh

The Gre.test of the gr.a t a. . igRs to chbeing of His vast universe rupectivetasks.

If He turns. His e ~ of wrath, even Sultans. re reduced to atr

asa di var-teja singh-english

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