Hymns of the Sikh Gurus
Page 12
the True Guru has become my mediator.
12 In Kattak, we are bid to do what pleases You,
And the lamp lit with knowledge burns steadily.
As oil to the lamp, so the Beloved to the bride;
she brightens at their union.
False deeds end in false death;
virtuous deeds lead to liberation that ends death.
The devotees of the Name dwell in their true home,
holding You as the centre of all their hopes.
Nanak says, please open the door and meet me—
a single moment waiting seems like six months.
13 The month of Magghar is blessed,
divine virtues fill our hearts.
The worthy woman contemplates the virtues,
and seeks approval of the Immutable One.
The Creator is immutable, wise, the All-knowing,
while the world is all in flux.
Absorbed in knowledge and contemplation,
we love only if it pleases the Lover.
Hearing songs, music and poetry in praise of the Name,
all sorrow departs.
Nanak says, that wife is dear to the Husband
who is utterly devoted in her love.
14 In Pokh, the frost comes, sapping life from woods and fields.
Why don’t You come, You who dwell in my mind, body
and on my tongue?
My mind and body are filled with the Life of the world,
I revel in the Guru’s Word.
Born of egg, foetus, sweat or earth,
Your light radiates in all beings.
Grant me a glimpse, my compassionate Giver,
grant me the wisdom to attain liberation.
Nanak says, the bride who is in love with her Groom,
revels in the brilliance of the Reveller.
15 Magh is pure, the pilgrimage sites are found within.
Acquiring divine qualities, we naturally meet the Beloved.
Listen, my beautiful Groom, if I were to acquire Your virtues
and please You—that would be my bath.
In the Ganga, in the Jamuna, their confluence
with the Sarasvati, and in the seven seas—
that would be my bath.
All charity, alms-giving and worship are in knowing
that throughout the ages there is only One Being.
Nanak says, in Magh, we greatly rejoice
in divine contemplation—that is our bath
in the sixty-eight pilgrimage sites.
16 In Phalgun, the mind is enraptured by love,
Night and day it is in rapture, the self is lost.
If it please You, ego and greed are cast out.
Grant me Your blessing and come home.
Without the Beloved I may adorn myself in many ways,
but I will have no place in the Palace.
My necklaces, ribbons and silks adorn me,
only when the Beloved seeks me.
Nanak says, when the Guru brought them together,
the bride found the Groom within her own house.
17 The twelve months, seasons, dates, and days are all blessed.
Hours, minutes and seconds lead naturally
to the True One.
Meeting the Beloved, all deeds are fulfilled,
the Creator knows all procedures.
The One who adorns her is the One who loves her,
and in that union she enjoys all delights.
When the Beloved embraces me,
the nuptial bed within me is glorious.
Through the Guru’s Word, fortune brightens my forehead.
Nanak says, night and day the woman enjoys her Beloved;
she is the eternally true bride of her divine Groom.
COMMUNAL
Shaloks of the Ninth Guru
THE SHALOKS (‘Couplets’) were composed by Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Ninth Guru, shortly before his execution in 1675. Brevity and simplicity constitute the poetic power of these fifty-seven couplets. They come at the end of the Guru Granth and are prominent in Bhog (‘Pleasure’) ceremonies. Bhog is a form of thanksgiving which concludes every reading of the Guru Granth. During Bhog, the congregation comes together and the reader begins to read slowly the last five pages of the Guru Granth beginning with the Shaloks and followed by Guru Arjan’s Mundavani, the seal to the Guru Granth (Guru Granth, pp. 1426–9).
1 Unless we sing divine praise
our life passes in vain;
Says Nanak, love the Divine, my mind,
as a fish loves water.
2 Why are we caught in worldly delights?
Why can’t we be free for a moment?
Says Nanak, love the Divine, my mind;
be saved from the snare of death.
3 Youth has passed away,
old age taken over.
Says Nanak, love the Divine, my mind;
life hastens so quickly away.
4 Old age sets in,
still we don’t think of death.
Says Nanak, fool,
why don’t you love the Almighty?
5 Riches, wives and all possessions
we regard as our own.
But which of them goes with us, my mind?
Says Nanak, know that this is true.
6 Saviour of the fallen! Dispeller of fear!
Home of the homeless!
Says Nanak, know That One
abiding with us for ever.
7 Who gave us our body, who gave us wealth,
That One we have not loved.
Says Nanak, fool,
why do you waver so wretchedly?
8 That One who blessed us with body and wealth,
with comforts and beautiful homes.
Says Nanak, listen my mind,
why don’t you remember That One?
9 The Bestower of all joys is the Divine,
there is no other.
Says Nanak, listen my mind,
we are liberated by remembering That One.
10 Whose remembrance is liberating, my friend,
love That One.
Says Nanak, listen my mind,
our life diminishes every moment.
11 Recognize, clever person,
our body is made of the five elements.
From That which it emerged, says Nanak,
into That will it merge.
12 The Divine permeates each and every heart,
so the faithful proclaim.
Says Nanak, my mind remember That One
who takes us across the world.
13 They who are free from joy and sorrow,
from greed, passion and pride.
Says Nanak, listen my mind,
they indeed are the image of the Almighty.
14 They for whom praise and abuse are alike,
for whom iron and gold are alike,
Says Nanak, listen my mind,
know that they are truly free.
15 They who are neither happy nor sad,
who have neither friend nor foe,
Says Nanak, listen my mind,
they are truly free.
16 They who neither incite fear in others
nor fear anyone themselves,
Says Nanak, listen my mind,
know that they are enlightened.
17 They who reject the poisons of the world
and take up the way of detachment,
Says Nanak, listen my mind,
their foreheads glow with good fortune.
18 They who abandon fleeting delights and passions
and are free from all attachments,
Says Nanak, listen my mind,
the Almighty abides in them.
19 They who abandon their own ego
and recognize the Creator,
Says Nanak, know this, my mind,
they truly are liberated!
20 The divine Name in this dark age
dispels fear and ignorance.
triumph in every action.
21 Recite divine praise with your tongues,
hear the divine Name with your ears,
Says Nanak, listen my mind,
you will never succumb to death.
22 They who abandon attachment
greed, passion, and pride,
Says Nanak, they themselves are free
and lead many others to freedom.
23 A dream or a show,
know the world is so;
Says Nanak, save for the Almighty,
there is nothing real in here.
24 Lured by illusionary delights,
we mortals waver night and day.
Says Nanak, there is one in a million,
who remembers the Divine.
25 Like a bubble on the waters
ever rising and falling,
Says Nanak, listen my friend,
so is our world fashioned.
26 We are oblivious to all,
blinded by worldly intoxicants.
Says Nanak, without devotion
we succumb to the snare of death.
27 If we want eternal happiness,
we must ever seek the Lap of the Divine.
Says Nanak, listen my mind,
human life is hard to attain.
28 Ignorant fools
chase fleeting delights;
Says Nanak, without devotion,
their life goes to waste.
29 The mortals who recite divine glory night and day,
are the image of the Divine.
Says Nanak, know this for sure,
between the Divine and them, no difference lies.
30 Drowned in worldly delights,
the mind forgets the Name.
Says Nanak, without devotion to the Divine,
what is the purpose of life?
31 We do not remember the Divine,
through the stupor of wordly intoxicants.
Says Nanak, without devotion
we succumb to the snare of death.
32 In times of joy, there are countless friends;
in times of sorrow, not one.
Says Nanak, my mind, be devoted.
That One is our friend for ever.
33 For so long have I wandered from birth to birth,
and still have not conquered my fear of death.
Says Nanak, my mind, be devoted;
so will you dwell with the Fearless One.
34 I have tried so hard
but cannot give up my ego.
Says Nanak, I am caught in ignorance;
save me, Almighty One!
35 Life has three stages:
Childhood, youth and old age.
Says Nanak, without devotion
they come to naught.
36 Sunk in avarice, we left undone
all that was to be done.
Says Nanak, time has passed,
ignorant fool, why weep now?
37 The mind is sunk in wordly delights,
It cannot be freed, my friend,
Says Nanak, like a fresco
which cannot be pared from its wall.
38 We hope for something
while quite another happens.
Says Nanak, while we busily deceive others
our own minds are ensnared by death.
39 We strive for comforts
but never for pain.
Says Nanak, listen my mind,
all happens as the Divine wills.
40 The world goes begging around,
but the sole bestower is the Divine.
Says Nanak, my mind, contemplate That;
so will all your works be fulfilled.
41 Why all this false pride?
The world is but a dream.
Says Nanak, my mind,
none of it belongs to you.
42 This body in which we take such pride,
vanishes in an instant, my friend.
Says Nanak, they who exalt the Divine,
they conquer the world.
43 They who enshrine the Divine in their self,
know them as liberated.
Says Nanak, know this for sure,
between the Divine and them, no difference lies.
44 They who are devoid
of devotion for the One,
Says Nanak, know them to be
pigs and dogs.
45 Like the faithful dog
that never leaves its owner’s house,
Says Nanak, worship the Divine,
with single mind.
46 Pilgrimage, fasts and charity;
while there is pride in the heart,
Says Nanak, all such actions are as futile
as an elephant’s bath.
47 The head shakes, feet falter,
eyes lose their light.
Says Nanak, knowing this to be our end,
why aren’t we suffused with the divine nectar?
48 I saw the world as my own,
but nothing here belongs to anyone.
Says Nanak, devotion alone is constant;
keep this in mind.
49 The world is false;
know this, my friend.
Says Nanak, it crumbles
like a wall of sand.
50 Rama departed, Ravana departed,
so did their huge families.
Says Nanak, nothing here abides;
the world is but a dream.
51 We should worry only
about what we can prevent.
Says Nanak, this is the way;
everything is passing.
52 What is born must die,
if not today then tomorrow.
Says Nanak, let us sing divine praise
and free ourselves from all fetters.
53 I am weakened and shackled,
no effort avails.
Says Nanak, protect me
as once You helped the elephant.
54 I am empowered and unshackled;
all my efforts are fulfilled.
Says Nanak, all is in Your hands;
You are our constant companion.
55 Friends and relatives desert,
none is our ally for ever.
Says Nanak, in times of distress
You are our only shelter.
56 The Name is eternal, the faithful are eternal,
eternal is the sustaining Guru.
Says Nanak, there are few in this world
who remember the Guru’s Word.
57 Let us enshrine the Name in our hearts,
for none is its equal.
The Name dispels our suffering;
the Name brings us the sight of You.
PERSONAL AND COMMUNAL
Sukhmani
SUKHMANI is Guru Arjan’s composition in Rag Gauri. Sukh means ‘peace’ and mani is both ‘pearl’ and ‘mind’, so the title can be translated as ‘Pearl of Peace’ or ‘Mind of Peace’. Sikh tradition maintains that Guru Arjan composed it under the beri tree which is still beside the sacred pool of Ramsar in Amritsar.
Sukhmani runs to almost 2,000 lines and is divided into twenty-four sections. Each section contains eight stanzas (ashtpadi), prefaced by a couplet (shalok) which embodies the central theme. The exception is an additional couplet after the first stanza which introduces the title of the hymn. The Pearl of Peace is described as the ambrosial Name, cherished by the devout in their selves. The entire hymn extols the importance of the Name.
Although it is not part of the daily routine, Sukhmani is very popular and many Sikhs recite it daily. During the summer, around the time of the anniversary of Guru Arjan’s martyrdom, many men and women gather in homes or gurudwaras to read it together. Several copies of the Sukhmani are made available for the congregation. Someone begins to read out a section, and anyone who wishes may join at the end to lead in the reading of the next section. The couplets are read by the entire group. This joint
reading of lyrical poetry brings peace to the reader and the listener alike. (Guru Granth, pp. 262–96.)
1 My homage to the primal Guru, my homage to the Guru
who has existed throughout the ages.
My homage to the true Guru,
my homage to the supreme Guru
1 Remember, Remember the One whose remembrance
brings peace
And dispels pain and sorrow from the body.
Remember the One who alone upholds the universe,
Whose Name is contemplated by millions.
The auspicious words of all Vedas, Puranas and Smritis
Arise from the single Word of the divine Name.
They who possess even one jot of Your Name
Are great beyond telling.
They who yearn only for a vision of You,
Says Nanak, I seek liberation in their company.
The ambrosial Name is the pearl of peace,
The faithful cherish it deep in their selves.
2 Contemplating the Divine, we do not return to the womb,
Contemplating the Divine, the god of death vanishes,
Contemplating the Divine, death itself abstains,
Contemplating the Divine, enemies flee,
Contemplating the Divine, all obstacles give way,
Contemplating the Divine, we stay alert day and night,
Contemplating the Divine, fear is cast off,
Contemplating the Divine, we escape suffering.
Contemplate the Divine in the company of the faithful.
Says Nanak, all treasures lie in the divine Radiance.
3 Contemplating the Divine, we gain power of body, spirit and matter,
Contemplating the Divine, we acquire knowledge,
concentration and the essence of wisdom,
Contemplating the Divine, we win the merit of meditation, penance and worship,
Contemplating the Divine, duality is dissolved,