Hymns of the Gurus

by Khushwant Singh

  We are His wives; we adorn ourselves for Him.

  We dress ourselves in bright red to gain His attention

  But love is not won by bargaining; a counterfeit coin gilded with gold is soon found out and spells ruin.

  How does a woman win the attention of the Lord?

  Lord, she who is pleasing to Thy sight is in nuptial bliss; Thy mercy is her adornment.

  The guru’s word is her adornment; her body and soul are with her Lord.

  With hands clasped she waits on Him; her prayer comes from the truthfulness of her heart.

  She is immersed in His love, she lives in fear of the True One;

  And when dyed with His love, her colour is fast and true.

  She is counted among the followers of the Beloved.

  She is recognized as one of His hand-maidens.

  Her love is not sundered; the True One unites her with Himself.

  Her soul is plaited with the Word

  I am ever a sacrifice unto her.

  She who is absorbed in the true guru becomes immortal, never shall she become a widow.

  Her Beloved is forever handsome and renews

  His youth; He does not die nor depart.

  He ever enjoys His fulfilled wife; His gracious eyes rest on her ever-obedient person.

  Truth is in the plaits of her hair, love in her dress and ornaments,

  God within her is like the breath of sandal perfume, her chamber has the tenth gate (through which the Lord enters).

  She lights the lamp of the Word, she wears God’s name as her necklace.

  She is beautiful amongst women of beauty; on her forehead she wears the jewel of love.

  Her beauty and wisdom are bewitching, her love is true and infinite.

  She knows no man besides her Beloved; it is only for the true guru that she has love and affection.

  Why did you waste the dark night in sleep?

  How will you pass the hours without your Lord?

  Woman, your bosom shall be afire, your body burn, and your mind be aflame.

  A woman not taken by her Husband wastes away her youth.

  Her Husband is on her couch; but she sleeps and knows not of His presence.

  I sleep while my Beloved is awake; to whom shall I turn for advice?

  Sayeth Nanak, the true guru teaches how to fear and love God

  And thus be united with Him.

  * * *

  Macchli jal na janian sar khara asgah

  A fish in the deep and salty sea

  Very wise and pretty was she,

  How was it then that she was taken unawares

  And knew not of the net?

  She suffered for her acts

  None can escape the noose of death.

  Brothers, know that the angel of death hovers above you.

  As on the fish so on us men

  When we least expect it

  Will fall the net.

  The entire world is within death’s compass

  Without the guru there is no means of combating it.

  By truth gain release

  Through truth dispel doubt and duality

  My life be a sacrifice to the truthful

  Who have reached the gate of the True One.

  As a small bird in the talons of a hawk,

  Or on the ground caught in the huntsman snare

  So is man in the thrall of death.

  Only those the guru protects are saved.

  If ye have not the Name

  You will be picked out and destroyed

  You will have no friends or companions to help you.

  He is True,

  His realm is Truth.

  Those who have faith in Him

  Are pure of heart.

  Those who have gained this knowledge from the guru

  Are true and speak the truth.

  Thus do I pray to the true guru:

  ’Take me to the Lord and unite me with Him,’

  On being united, I will gain peace,

  The demon of death will poison himself and die,

  ’Let me abide by the Name

  And let the Name abide in me.’

  Without the guru we stumble in the dark,

  Without the Word there is no understanding,

  The guru’s teaching illumines the mind

  And attaches it to the truth

  Then hath death no dominion

  Our light blends with the Light Eternal.

  Thou art our Companion, Thou art wise,

  Thou art Thyself the Uniter.

  Through the teaching of the guru

  We exalt Thee who hast no end nor limit.

  Where there is the immortal Word of the guru

  Death shall have no dominion.

  By His ordinances comes all creation into being,

  By His ordinances all labour and earn.

  Under His ordinance is death,

  By His ordinance we mingle with Truth.

  O Nanak! Whatever pleases Him comes to pass

  We mortals by ourselves can do nothing.

  * * *

  Jap tap sanjam sadheeai teerath keechai vas

  Prayer, austerity, control over the senses

  Pilgrimages to holy places,

  Giving of alms, charity and all other good deeds,

  What matter they unless they gain merit

  With the Lord who is Truth?

  As you sow, so shall you reap

  Life without virtue is life without hope.

  Young woman understand

  If thou becomest the hand-maiden of good deeds

  Thou shalt attain peace and joy.

  Abandon evil ways, merge with the Lord

  And find fulfilment in the teaching of the guru.

  Without goods to sell, a trader sits idly staring in all directions

  He knows not how to start, his merchandise earns no profit.

  Without anything to trade in, he suffers heavy losses.

  Thus one who trades in falsehood suffers

  And is afflicted with sorrow.

  If he looks within himself

  And examines the gem in his heart

  He will earn much profit.

  Days and nights will bring increase in his income

  He will take home his earnings

  And thus depart with his affairs settled.

  Tradesman, let thy trade be under the guidance of saints,

  Meditate upon the Creator.

  If it please God the Uniter

  You will meet men of God.

  He in whom is lit the light Eternal

  Will never thereafter suffer separation.

  Truth will be his prayer-mat

  Truthful his life,

  True his love and adoration.

  Those who recognize their real selves

  Their hearts become the abode of God.

  They take on the hues of the True One

  The True One becomes their gain.

  In the three regions, He alone is the Supreme Lord,

  He is the Truth, His Name is Truth.

  A wife who knows the company of her Husband

  Who is sent for by Him to His mansion

  And with whom He disports Himself

  Is in veritable bliss.

  Call her happy, call her true

  She hath won her Lord’s heart by her virtue.

  I stumble in the desert wastes

  From deserts I clamber up the hills;

  I lose myself in the forests.

  Without the guru to guide me

  I shall not find my way.

  If thus I wander everywhere

  I shall come and go from life to life.

  Go, ask travellers who tread the path of servitude,

  How to recognize our Sovereign Lord.

  How to gain admission to his mansion

  Without being questioned at the gates.

  O Nanak! The One Lord reigns supreme everywhere

  There is no second person, there is no other.
/>   * * *

  Sun man bhooley bavrey gur ki charni lag

  Thou simple, stupid soul

  Hearken unto me!

  Attach thyself to the feet of the guru

  Pray to Hari, ponder over His Name.

  The demon of death will be affeared of Thee

  Sorrows will flee from thee.

  A woman with dual loyalties suffers much;

  How can she remain happily married?

  Brother! I have no other sanctuary

  Save His Name; it is my only treasure.

  My guru gave it to me

  I am forever beholden to him.

  Through the guru’s teaching we attain honour

  To the guru be all praise for uniting me to Him.

  Without Him I would not live a single watch of the day,

  Without the name I would surely perish.

  Blind am I, let me not lose sight of the Name;

  Let my mind be steadfast when I leave for my last journey.

  Those whose gurus are themselves blind

  Pointless is their pursuit (of Truth)

  Without guidance of the true guru

  We cannot find the Name.

  Without the Name life hath no purpose.

  It’s birth and death and regret

  It is like the cawing of a crow in a deserted house.

  Without the Name the body is like a hall of sorrows

  With its walls eaten up by dry rot;

  We cannot reach His abode

  Unless there is truth in our hearts.

  If we are imbued with the Name

  In our own homes we attain salvation.

  I enquired of my guru,

  By his direction I earned my life’s wages.

  Ego that fouled my soul,

  Ego that caused sorrow

  Was thus burnt out by the Word of God.

  By the gentle path of sahaj did I meet Him,

  Purified by truth I merged in the Truest of the True.

  Those imbued with the Word are without stain,

  They lust no more,

  They conquer anger and pride;

  They worship Thy name a hundred times and more

  And have Hari enshrined in their hearts.

  Why forget Him who sustains life?

  He who dies with the divine Word on his lips

  Dies to death

  He need not die a second time.

  Only through the Word shall we find Him

  And learn the love of prayer.

  Without the Word, people wander in error

  They die only to be reborn, over and over again.

  Everyone praises himself

  From being great he becomes greatest of the great.

  Without the guru’s help he knows not his real self,

  He only hears what others say about him.

  O Nanak! He who knows the Word

  Never thereafter talks of himself.

  * * *

  Satgur poora je milai paeeiai ratan beechar

  If we find the true, the perfect guru

  Our thoughts become priceless as a ruby;

  If we present our minds to the guru

  We are rewarded with all-embracing love,

  We get the gift of salvation

  The Forgiver forgives us our sins.

  O brother! Know that without the guru there is no knowledge

  Go ask Brahma, Narad and Vyasa, ask anyone.

  The guru gives us knowledge and power to concentrate,

  The guru makes the incomprehensible capable of understanding.

  The guru is like the tree in full leaf casting a vast shade,

  The guru’s treasury is full of rubies, gems and other precious stones.

  In the guru’s treasury is the Name unsullied and pure love

  (From it we can borrow)

  Trade in truth

  And earn profit beyond reckoning.

  The true guru is the giver of joy

  And the dispeller of sorrows.

  He is the destroyer of the five demons of sin (lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride).

  The ocean of life is terrifying and difficult to cross.

  We can see neither the land behind us nor the opposite shore,

  Neither boat nor raft, neither an oar nor a boatman.

  Let the fear of the true guru be our boat.

  By His grace He will take us across.

  If for a trice you forget the Beloved Lord

  Sorrow will afflict you, joy will depart.

  Burn the wretched tongue which loves not repeating the Name.

  The body’s earthen vessel cracks, it is wracked with pain,

  The demon of death grabs you, your regrets are then in vain.

  All our lives we cry; ‘this is mine’ and depart crying, ’this too is mine’.

  We discover that neither body, nor wealth, nor wife was ours to take away.

  There is no wealth except the Name;

  (Without the Name) we are lost in the maze of maya

  Serve the Master who is Truth

  The guru will tell you of One who is beyond telling.

  On the wheel of birth, death and rebirth

  Are our natures moulded

  And the pattern of our lives determined.

  What is writ cannot be erased by anyone,

  For it is the dictate of the Lord.

  Without the Name of Hari there is no escape

  (From the cycle of birth, death and rebirth)

  The teaching of the guru shows the way to union divine.

  I have no one save the Lord

  My life and soul belong to Him.

  I have burnt away my ego

  I have burnt my greed and pride.

  Sayeth Nanak, ponder over the Name Divine

  The treasure of virtues will all be thine.

  * * *

  Re man Hari seo aisee preet kar jaisee jal kamleh

  My soul hearken unto me!

  Love thy Lord as the lotus loves water

  Buffeted by waves its affection does not falter.

  Creatures that have their being in water,

  Taken out of water, die.

  My soul! If thou hast not such love

  How wilt thou obtain release?

  If the Word of the guru is within us

  We shall accumulate a store of devotion.

  My soul hearken unto me!

  Love thy Lord as a fish loves water.

  The more the water, the greater its joy,

  Greater the tranquillity of its body and mind.

  Without water it cannot live one watch of the day

  Only God knows the anguish of its heart.

  My soul hearken unto me!

  Love thy Lord as the Chatrik loves the rain.

  Although the lakes be full, the plains flooded and green

  It will not drink one drop.

  By God’s grace, its thirst will be slaked

  But destiny may doom it to die.

  My soul hearken unto me!

  Love thy Lord as water loves milk.

  It takes on the heat, boils and evaporates before the milk can suffer.

  He alone unites, He alone separates

  He alone bestows true greatness.

  My soul hearken unto me!

  Love thy Lord as the Chakvi loves the sun

  It sleeps not a wink for the distant sun it deems close.

  The perverse of mind know not that the godly are ever in His presence.

  The perverse of mind make many calculations

  What the Creator does comes to pass.

  Much as all desire to evaluate Him, He cannot be evaluated.

  Through the teaching of the guru can He be found

  And with the True One comes tranquillity.

  If the true guru presents it, true love will not sunder

  We are given the gift of knowledge and learn the secret of the three worlds.

  If we trade in goodness, we shall not forget the Name that is pure.

>   Birds that fed on land and water have sported and left their feeding ground.

  We are here a watch or two on borrowed time; our sport is also for the day and the morrow.

  He whom Thou unitest with Thyself find their true abode.

  Without the guru, love cannot be born

  The dross of the ego cannot be rinsed away.

  He who recognizes the God within

  Understands the secret of the Word and is happy.

  Disciples of the guru know their real selves,

  No need have they for anyone’s help.

  Why speak of those who are already one with God?

  They have the Word and are fulfilled.

  The perverse of mind do not comprehend,

  They are separated from God and suffer.

  O Nanak! There is but one gate to the Lord’s mansion

  And there is no other sanctuary.

  * * *

  Ram nam man bedhiya, avar ki kari vichar

  My heart is pierced by the Name of Rama! What else shall I reflect upon?

  Tranquil is the mind which meditates on the Word,

  Happy is the one who is imbued with God.

  Preserve me as it pleases Thee,

  Thy Name, O Hari, is my support.

  My soul, the will of the Master is just.

  Attach thyself to Him who made thy body and mind and adorned it.

  Were I to weigh my body, cut into tiny pieces and burn in a sacrificial fire;

  Were I to turn my body and soul into firewood, burn it every day;

  Were I to light hundreds of thousands of sacrificial fires, they would not equal the Name of Hari.

  Were my head sawed in twain, my torso torn in two;

  Were my body frozen in Himalayan snows,

  It would not rid my mind of disease.

  No remedy equals the Name of Hari

  This have I tested and found true.

  Were I to give away castles of gold,

  Strings of horses of good pedigree

  And mighty elephants;

  Were I to make gifts of land and of herds of cows.

  I would be aware of my goodness

  And pride would remain in my heart.

  The guru has given me the true gift;

  My mind is pierced by the Name of Rama.

  How many hard-headed thinkers are there?

  How many interpretations of the Vedas?

  In how many fetters is the soul bound?

  The gate of salvation is only reached through the guru’s instruction.

  Truth is above all; above truth is truthful conduct.

  Call everyone exalted; let no one appear to thee low.

  The One God fashioned the vessels,

  One source of light illumines the three worlds,

  By His grace we find the truth; what He gives once none can take away.

  When a good man meets a saint

  He gains the guru’s affection

  And attains tranquillity.

  If we are absorbed in the true guru, we can meditate in matters beyond the realm of speech.