Hymns of the Sikh Gurus
Page 15
The enlightened are magnificent in their brilliance,
Blessed are they who see the enlightened.
To the enlightened we offer ourselves.
The great god Shiva seeks the enlightened.
Says Nanak, through the enlightened we find the
Transcendent Itself.
7 The enlightened are beyond price,
They hold all creation in their mind.
Who can know the mystery of the enlightened?
Our salutations ever to them.
We cannot express a jot of their praise,
They truly are the protectors of all.
Who can express the limits of the enlightened?
Only the enlightened know their own state.
The enlightened are unfathomable and infinite,
Says Nanak, salutations ever to them.
8 The enlightened are the creators of the universe,
The enlightened live for ever, they are immortal,
The enlightened give us life, they show us the way to liberation,
The enlightened are perfect, the writers of our destiny,
The enlightened are the refuge of the homeless,
The enlightened extend their benevolent hand to all,
The enlightened possess the multiplicity of forms,
The enlightened themselves are formless,
Only the enlightened can express the glory of the enlightened,
Says Nanak, the enlightened are the rulers of all.
9 They who embrace the Name in their hearts,
Who envisage the One pervading all,
Who worship the Sovereign every moment,
Says Nanak, they are the purest, they free us all.
1 Those whose tongues do not utter a single lie,
Whose hearts long for a vision of the Immaculate One,
Whose eyes do not covet the wife of another,
Who serve the holy in the company of the faithful,
Whose ears do not listen for slander,
Who regard themselves as the lowest of all,
Who, by the grace of the Guru, tear the veil of illusion,
Who discard all desires from their mind,
Who conquer their senses and are free of the five passions,
Says Nanak, such pure people are one in a million.
2 Those who please the Divine One are true Vaishnavites,
They are separated from the world of illusion,
They are devoted to work but not to its fruit.
The faith of such Vaishnavites is truly sincere,
They have no desire for the fruit of their actions,
They are only immersed in songs of praise.
With mind and body they contemplate the Protector,
And they shower their grace upon all.
They contemplate the Name, they inspire others,
Says Nanak, such Vaishnavites attain the highest state.
3 Those who are dyed in the divine Colour are true Bhagavats,
They abandon all corrupt company,
They cast out all doubts from their mind,
Their hands ever worship the Transcendent.
In the company of the faithful, they wash away the filth
of misdeeds,
The wisdom of such Bhagavats is heightened indeed.
They serve the Creator day and night,
With mind and body dedicated to loving the Divine.
In their heart they rest at the Feet of the Divine.
Says Nanak, such Bhagavats attain the Supreme One.
4 Those who awaken their minds are true pundits,
They seek the Name in their inmost self,
They drink the essence of the Name.
Taught by such pundits, the world comes alive.
In their hearts they cherish the divine Story,
Such Pandits never return to the cycle of birth.
They know the core of the Vedas, Puranas and Smritis,
They see the transcendent root of our phenomenal world,
They give their teaching to all four castes,
Says Nanak, salutations to these pundits for ever.
5 The essential formula gives knowledge to all,
The four castes are equally free to recite the Name.
Whoever recites It, is liberated,
But only some keep the company of the faithful.
Through grace, the Name reaches our inner self,
It liberates animals, ghosts, the ignorant, even the
stony-hearted.
The Name heals all suffering,
The Name reveals mercy, joy, and exaltation.
We cannot find It through disciplined deeds or rituals,
Says Nanak, they alone find It who are blessed
from the very beginning.
6 Those with minds that house the Transcendent,
They alone can be called the truly devout.
They see the Transcendent in their inmost self,
Through loving the faithful they reach their goal.
Always knowing the One is so very close,
They are warmly received in the Court.
The One showers gifts upon the attendants,
And they come to know all.
Living in joy, but free from attachment,
Says Nanak, such is the life of the truly devout.
7 Those who treasure the Decree in their inmost self,
They alone can be called free in this life.
Joy and sorrow are the same to them,
They live in constant bliss, they know no separation.
Gold and clay are the same for them,
Ambrosia and bitter poison,
Glory and blame,
Pauper and king—all are the same for them.
Whatever may happen, they fully accept.
Says Nanak, we call such people free in this life.
8 All places belong to the Transcendent,
As You maintain them, so we define them.
All that happens is divinely decreed,
Whatever pleases You, that alone comes to be.
You Yourself have expanded Yourself in infinite waves,
No one can express the Emanation.
We are enlightened according to the wisdom You impart,
Our transcendent Creator is invincible.
You are always and always compassionate,
Says Nanak, remembering You brings us bliss.
10 Countless devotees praise You, but none can fathom
Your vastness.
Says Nanak, You created us in such diverse and infinite forms.
1 There have been countless devotees,
Countless worshippers performing rituals,
Countless pilgrims living at sacred sites,
Countless wanderers in forests,
Countless listeners to Vedic recitations,
Countless practitioners of austerities,
Countless meditators on their inner self,
Countless thinkers on sacred verse,
Countless reciters of Your ever new names,
And yet, says Nanak, none can plumb the depths of the Creator.
2 There are countless who are arrogant,
Countless blindly ignorant,
Countless mean and miserly,
Countless cold and insensitive,
Countless greedy for another’s wealth,
Countless slandering others,
Countless busy gathering illusory joys,
Countless wandering in foreign lands,
We all do what You assign to us,
Says Nanak, the Creator alone knows the mystery of creation.
3 There are countless siddhas, celibates and yogis,
Countless kings and pleasure-seekers,
Countless birds and reptiles,
Countless stones and trees,
Countless airs, waters and fires,
Countless countries, lands and continents,
Countless moons, suns and stars,
Count
less gods and demons, and their chiefs with parasols,
The entire universe is perfectly beaded on Your thread.
Says Nanak, those who please You are blessed.
4 There are countless types of passion, inertia and truth,
Countless Vedas, Puranas, Smritis and Shastras,
Countless oceans full of jewels,
Countless species of creatures,
Countless beings with long lives,
Countless golden Mount Sumers,
Countless guardians, centaurs and slaves,
Countless ghosts, pigs and lions.
You are close to us all and yet so far.
Says Nanak, You are within us all, and yet beyond our grasp.
5 Countless beings live in the underworld,
Countless dwell in heaven and hell,
Countless are born, live, and die,
Countless migrate from life to life,
Countless eat without doing a thing,
Countless work themselves to death,
Countless are made wealthy,
Countless fret over fleeting delights,
As You decree, so each is sustained,
Says Nanak, everything is held in the divine Hand.
6 Countless are they who renounce the world,
They are wrapped in the Name.
Countless are they who seek the Transcendent,
They search within their deepest self.
Countless are they who thirst for the divine vision,
They ultimately meet the invincible One.
Countless are they who yearn for the company of the faithful,
They bask in the divine radiance.
They who are showered with Your joy,
Says Nanak, are blessed for ever.
7 There are countless species, and countless continents,
Countless skies, and countless constellations,
Countless incarnations of deities who appear.
In countless ways, the universe expands,
At countless times, the universe unfolds,
But the One exists forever—
the single One Transcendent Being.
Countless creatures issue in countless forms,
From the One they emerge, into the One they converge.
No one knows Your vastness,
Says Nanak, only You, the Absolute Reality,
can know Yourself.
8 Countless are those who are devoted to the Transcendent,
They are illuminated by the Light inside.
Countless are those who know the Essence,
Their eyes for ever see the One.
Countless are those who drink the ambrosial Name,
They become immortal, they live for ever.
Countless are those who glorify the Name,
They revel in joy and peace.
With every breath, You watch over Your devotees,
Says Nanak, they truly are loved by You.
11 The Author of this creation is the Transcendent One,
there is no other.
Says Nanak, I offer myself to That One who pervades
the land and sea.
1 You are the Creator and the Cause,
All proceeds by Your Will,
In an instant You raise, in an instant You dissolve,
There are no limits to Your dimensions.
The world is supported by Your unsupported Will,
Every origin and end is in Your Will,
All good and bad actions depend on Your Will,
Countless colours and forms emerge from Your Will,
You create, and You oversee Your handiwork,
And yet, says Nanak, You remain within us all.
2 If You will, we humans attain bliss,
If You will, stones can float,
If You will, life survives without breath,
If You will, we praise the Name,
If You will, the fallen are exalted,
You do whatever You think of doing,
You are the Sovereign of this world and beyond,
Your sport You enjoy, and You know our deepest self,
We do only what You Will,
Says Nanak, besides You, I see no other.
3 Tell us, what can we humans accomplish?
We can do only what You will.
Had we the choice, we would have grabbed it all,
But we can do only what You will.
The ignorant drown in poison,
Had they wisdom, they would save themselves.
Entranced by illusion, they run in all directions,
In a flash, their minds flit across continents.
They on whom You bestow Your devotion,
Says Nanak, they alone merge in the Name.
4 In an instant, You can make a lowly worm king,
Truly You are the champion of the poor.
They who are unknown to all,
At once become renowned the world over.
They to whom You are kind
Are not accountable to the Final Judge.
Our life, our body is entirely Yours,
Each of us is filled with Your bright Transcendence.
You created Your own creation, Creator,
Says Nanak, I live only to witness Your grandeur.
5 We have no power in our hands.
You, Sovereign, are our Creator, our Supreme Cause,
We are merely obedient, we follow Your Will,
Your Will alone comes to pass.
At times we are noble, at times we are base,
Now we suffer in pain, now we laugh in joy,
We slander, and we worry,
We rise sky high, we sink to the underworld,
But at times we are enlightened, and contemplate
the Transcendent.
Says Nanak, You Yourself unite us with Your Self.
6 At times we dance in different ways,
At times we sleep both night and day,
At times we are full of terrible wrath,
At times we are humble as dust,
At times we act as great kings,
At times we act as lowly beggars
At times we end in dishonour,
At times we land with honour,
We live as You design,
By the grace of the Guru, I speak the truth, says Nanak.
7 At times we are scholars, discoursing out loud,
At times we are meditators, wrapped in silence,
At times we are pilgrims, bathing at sacred banks,
At times we are ascetics, seekers and instructors,
At times we are worms, elephants and moths.
Circling and straying in countless lives,
Just as a mimic appears in different forms,
So goes our dance, according to Your Will.
Whatever pleases You, comes to pass.
Says Nanak, there is no other.
8 When we are blessed in the company of the faithful,
There is no more turning,
Inside we are lit with wisdom,
A state that has no end.
Mind and body have only one Colour,
And we abide for ever in the company of the Transcendent.
As water merges with water,
So our light merges with the Light.
The cycles of migration end, and we find peace.
Says Nanak, I for ever offer myself to the Divine.
12 The humble live peacefully, they are free from their egos,
The mighty, the haughty, says Nanak, they rot in their pride.
1 They who are proud of their royal blood,
End living like dogs in hell.
They who are proud of their youth,
End living like worms in dirt.
They who are proud of their good fortune,
End migrating from one life to another.
They who are proud of their land and wealth,
Are blind and ignorant fools.
They whom You graciously give the gif
t of humility,
Says Nanak, are liberated here, they live peacefully hereafter.
2 The rich are proud of their riches,
But not a straw goes with them at death.
Some may rely on their armies and soldiers,
But in an instant their forces are destroyed.
Some regard themselves as the mightiest,
But in a flash they are reduced to ashes.
In their conceit, some think themselves unaccountable,
But at the last, they are chastened by the Final Judge
They who let go of their pride, through the grace
of the Guru,
Says Nanak, they are accepted in the Court.
3 Countless good deeds done with conceit
Bring exhaustion, they come to nothing.
Countless sacrifices proudly performed
Return us to birth, to the cycle of heavens and hells.
If countless efforts do not subdue the self,
How can we enter the Court?
They who call themselves good,
Goodness does not approach.
They who become humble as dust,
Says Nanak, they are perfectly glorious.
4 While we think that we legislate,
We find no peace.
While we think that we execute,
We migrate from womb to womb.
While we judge others as enemies or friends
We do not find stability of mind.
While we are lost in the fantasy of love and delight,
We are punished by the Final Judge.
Through divine favour, our bonds are broken.
Says Nanak, by the grace of the Guru, our ego is dispelled.
5 Earning thousands, we chase millions,
In pursuit of wealth, we are never content.
Countless hollow delights beguile us,
But discontented, we die in pain.
Without contentment, we are never fulfilled,
Like vapid dreams, our goals and efforts are in vain.
The Name, the Deliverer of radiant joy,
The most fortunate alone receive.
You Yourself are the Creator, You the Cause,
Says Nanak, forever recite the Name.
6 You are the Creator, You are the Cause and the Agent,
Let us consider what is in our control.
We are designed by Your favour,