Hymns of the Gurus
Page 11
Asks Nanak, true Lord what is there not found in Your house?
* * *
Sacha nam mera adharo
Name of the true Lord is my support
With the true name’s help, I lost all my hungers
It gave me peace of mind, contentment and fulfilled all my desires
Forever may my life be sacrificed to the guru who is so great
Says Nanak, ye men of God, cherish his words
For the name of the true one is my mainstay.
* * *
Vaje panch sabad titu dhari sabhage
All five kinds of musical instruments
Play in the hearts of the blessed;
In their blessed homes plays celestial music
Where God has infused his magic and might.
And the five evils (lust, anger, greed, self-love and arrogance) are suppressed
And the fear of death is no more
Only those who were predestined
Attach themselves and the true name find.
Says Nanak, there is always happiness
Where uninterrupted divine music plays.
* * *
Kalao masaajni ki-aa sadaeai hirdai hi likh leho
Why need you pen and ink? Write upon your heart.
Dye yourself in the colour of the Lord, and you are his forever.
Pen and ink will not endure, nor even what was written.
O Nanak, love of the Lord shall not perish; it is a gift from the True One.
* * *
Anadu sunhu vadbhagiho
Hearing the divine music all your heart’s desires will be fulfilled.
You will find the great creator,
All your worldly cares will disappear;
Pain, sickness, worry will vanish
When you hear the true hymns of praise.
Pious and holy men will be overjoyed, assures the true guru.
Purified are they who hear,
And purified they who sing
The Lord is to be found in his words.
Says Nanak, you clasp the sacred feet of the guru
And you will hear divine music for eternity.
GURU RAM DAS (1534-1581)
There are 679 hymns by Guru Ram Das in the Adi Granth.
Gur satgur ka jo sikh akhae
He who would call himself the disciple of the Guru, the True Guru,
Should rise early and meditate on Hari who is God.
He should bathe in the ’nectar-pool’
And labour during the day.
He should hear the words of the Guru his teacher
And repeat the names of Hari
For then will his sins be forgiven him and his suffering cease.
As the day advances, let him sing the hymns of the Guru
And keep the Lord in his mind in all he does.
He that repeats the name of Hari with every breath
And with every morsel that he eats
He is the real Sikh, him the Guru loves.
He to whom the Lord is gracious
Listens to the Guru’s teaching and becomes his disciple.
Nanak, your servant begs for the dust of the feet of Sikhs
Who worship and lead others to the path of worship.
Mero sundar kaho milai kit gali?
What shall I do to meet my Love?
O you who worship Him show the way
Let me follow in your footsteps.
The path that leads to Him is of obedience to Love’s commandments,
Of treasuring them in the heart.
They matter not: your untidy scattered locks,
Your short stature, your bent and ugly body.
If you find favour in His eyes
You shall be beautiful and sit beside Him.
Our Lord is the One Lord
And we his consorts.
She who His beloved is
Is the best of wives.
O Nanak, why need you bother yourself
If the Lord wills, He will show the way.
* * *
Har ke jan satgur satpurkha
We seekers of the Lord beseech you our true guru,
To you who is truth personified we pray;
We are but worms and vermin seeking your protection,
Be merciful, illumine our hearts with your name.
My friend and mentor, suffuse my heart with the name of Rama;
Let teachings of the guru my life sustain
Let singing praises of the Lord show me the way
And be my evensong.
Men of the Lord are fortune’s favourites
They are ever firm in their faith
And ever thirst for the Lord.
Finding the elixir of the Lord’s name
Their thirsts are slaked.
In the company of holy men
His virtues they praise.
Most unfortunate are those,
And caught in shackles of life and death,
Who have not tasted the nectar of His name.
Those who sought not the Lord’s protection
Nor the holy congregation,
Are damned in this life and for lives to come.
Those devotees blessed with the guru’s companionship,
Bear marks of blessed fate on their foreheads.
Twice blessed is that congregation
Where the nectar of the Lord’s name is found.
There, says Nanak,
The Lord’s name is illumined and enlightenment found.
* * *
So purakh niranjan, hari purakh niranjan
Our Lord is without blemish, our Lord is untainted by illusion
He is beyond comprehension, endless and beyond reach;
All worship You, the real author of all creation;
All creatures are created by you, you are their provider and giver;
O men of God, ponder over Him! He is the remover of all sorrows;
He himself the Lord, and the servant,
Says Nanak, of what worth is a mere human?
You dwell in every body, flowing uninterrupted,
You are the only one in every one;
Some you endow with riches, others you reduce to beggary,
It is all a part of your inscrutable design;
You are the giver,
You yourself the decider of how it is spent
I know not any other like you;
You are the infinite God, your expanse unknown,
How can I put your qualities in words?
Whoever serves you, on him will Nanak sacrifice his life.
Those who meditate on you, those who worship you,
Will live in peace for all their lives;
Those who meditate on you, will gain salvation
And be freed from the noose of Yama;
Those who worship the Lord who is without fear
They will themselves be freed of fear;
Those who serve the Lord
Will merge in the person of the Lord;
Twice blessed are they who contemplate God
Nanak will give his life for them.
The treasury of your worship is beyond count
Your worshippers worship you in infinite ways;
Worship you who are infinite and without end;
Many are the ways to worship you
Many forms of penance and endless the forms of prayer;
Many a sacred text is read,
Many a way to serve you, including the six Karmas;
Says your slave Nanak, those worshippers are best
Who please the Lord and by Him are blest.
You are the primal Lord, creator beyond reach
There is none equal to you;
From age to age you are the only one
Forever the only one who gives stability;
What pleases you comes to pass
What you do comes to be;
You created all that exists
You will take it all back as you will;
Your sla
ve Nanak sings your praises
Who knows all that is worth knowing.
* * *
Toon karta sachiar mainda saeen
You are the true Creator, you are my Master
What pleases you will come to pass,
What you give, I receive.
All that exists belongs to you
You are worshipped for your creation;
To those you are pleased with,
You grant the jewel of your name.
Men of God find it, followers of Mammon lose it;
You abandon the wordly, clasp the godly to your bosom.
You are the mighty river, all within you is contained
Without you nothing exists;
All living creatures are your play things
Some get separated from you
Others by your grace merge in you.
Those you give the gift of wisdom do you appraise
And forever sing songs in your praise.
He who serves you, finds peace of mind
And in the Lord, he gently a place finds.
You are the Creator, you the executor
There is none besides you,
You create and keep everything in your sight.
Says your slave Nanak, for the godly you came to light.
GURU ARJAN DEV (1563-1606)
Guru Arjan’s 2,218 hymns form the largest single contribution in the Adi Granth.
Prit lagi tis sach sion marai na avai jae
I love Him who is the Truth.
He dies not; nor is reborn to die again.
I flee from Him but He does not forsake me,
He is in all our hearts.
He knows the sorrows of the poor,
He destroys their pain and suffering,
He upholds those who serve Him.
This wondrous form is the Formless One
The Guru took me to meet Him, O Mother.
Listen, my brothers, befriend Him
Shun the love that is maya’s snare
For none that love maya are happy.
He knows all
He is the Great Giver
He is serene
He is charitable
He is the true friend and helper
He is very great
He towers above all
And is limitless.
He has no childhood, no old age
His Court and His Commandments are Eternal.
What we beg, He grants.
He is the hope of those without hope.
One vision of Him destroys all sin
And our soul and body find tranquility.
With single-mindedness mediatate on the One
And the mind’s illusions will be dispelled.
He is the treasury of goodness
Ever youthful He is
And full of charity.
Worship Him all the time
Forget Him not night or day.
Those who are His chosen
Are befriended by Him.
I dedicate my body, soul, and my possessions,
And sacrifice my life to Him.
He sees and hears all
He dwells in the recesses of our hearts.
Even the ones who show Him no gratitude
Are helped by Him.
Nanak’s God is ever forgiving.
* * *
Ja ko muskal at banai dhoi koi na dei
When troubles come and you have no one to turn to
When enemies are at your heels and your kinsmen desert you
When hope is fled, all hope shattered
Let your thoughts turn to Him who is your Maker
And no ill wind will harm you.
The Master is the strength of the feeble.
He does not come and go, He is forever where He is.
The Guru’s words shall reveal the truth to you.
When you are weak and frail,
Without clothes, without food,
When no one drops a coin in your apron
Nor gives you comfort.
When no one helps you and you succeed not in your actions
Let your thoughts turn to Him who is your Maker
And your affairs will forever go well.
When cares crowd upon you
When your body is foul with disease
When you are obsessed with thoughts of your wife and your kinsmen
Are sometimes happy and sometimes sad,
When restless and agitated you wander in all directions
Without a moment’s rest, without a moment’s sleep
Let your thoughts turn to Him who is your Maker,
And your body and mind will forever be whole.
When lust, anger, and attachment have you captive
And full of greed you are ever wanting, covetous,
When you have committed the four sins
(Drunk wine, thieved, fornicated, and killed)
And in the company of devils have become a devil,
When neither books of wisdom nor songs nor hymns of praise
Fall upon your ears
Let your thoughts turn to Him who is your Maker
And in the twinkling of an eye will you be saved.
Books of wisdom you might know by heart, and recite
Prayers and practise the penances of the Yogis, all pilgrimages undertake
And twice perform the six good acts
(Learn and impart learning to others,
Sacrifice and make others give in sacrifice
Give alms and accept charity),
Bathe in holy water and do worship.
If you love not the Lord with all your being,
It is all in vain and for you there is nothing but hell.
Empires, kingdoms, and baronies may be yours
And the wherewithal of power and pleasure.
You may own orchards, beautiful and bountiful,
And have power over others without any limit
And indulge in sports and pastimes to keep yourself amused.
If your thoughts turn not to Him who is your Maker
Yours will be the rebirth as a serpent.
You may have much wealth,
Live well and have gentle ways
Love deep your mother and father, sons, brothers and friends,
Own armies of footmen and archers, and many to bow to you in salutation,
Many to shout ’Long may you live.’
If your thoughts turn not to Him who is your Maker
You shall surely be dragged down to hell.
Your body may be free of fever and without sores,
Your mind free of cares and affliction.
Without ever the thought of death
Night and day you may enjoy yourself
And take everything as your own
Without any reserve or hesitation.
If your thoughts turn not to Him who is your Maker
For you will be the servitude of hell’s demons.
Those to whom the Creator is merciful
Is given the company of holy men,
The more they are with such companions
The more they love Him.
He is the Lord of good and evil
There is none other than Him.
O Nanak, only by His Grace will you find Him,
The True Guru, whose Name is Truth.
* * *
Tun per sakh teri phuli
You are the tree,
And the world its branches.
You were unknown
And You made Yourself manifest.
You are the ocean,
You the bubbles, You the foam;
There is nothing that is without You.
You are the string,
You the beads strung on it;
You the knot and the central bead of the rosary.
The beginning and the end and the middle
Are You; none else is there beside You.
You are nirgun, transcending all attributes,
/> You are sargun, teeming with attributes,
You are the Giver of all joy,
You are without desire
Yet the passionate colouring in all desire
You symbolize.
You alone know Your ways
You alone comprehend Yourself.
You are the Lord
You His servitor
You the secret, You its revelation.
Nanak, Your servant, shall ever sing of You
If You grant him a little grace.
* * *
Tun mera pita, tun hain mera mata.
You are my Father
You my Mother
You are my Kinsman
And my Brother.
Everywhere You are my Protector
What reason have I to harbour fear?
By Your grace I recognise You.
You are my Support
You are my Pride
I know of no other beside You.
The world is but an arena for Your sport.
You are the Creator of life and matter
The Dispenser of all destiny.
All that comes to pass is by Your decree;
We have no hand in the performance.
Those that have pondered on Your nature
Have found great bliss.
By singing Your praise
My heart has found peace and comfort.
O Nanak, the Almighty Guru Himself rejoices,
Since you have won the great battle.
* * *
Kin bidh kusal hot mere bhai
Tell me brother, how does one find peace?
How to find the God, Rama, who is our help?
Maya has spread its net everywhere to catch us.
There is no happiness in the home of the humble
Nor in the lofty mansions of the rich.
In false pursuits we waste our lives
We joy in the possession of horses and elephants
In armies and ministers and retinues of servants,
Thus do we put the halter round our necks
And fasten the noose of the ‘I am.’
We wander in all directions seeking power
We sport in the company of damsels
And being beggars
Dream ourselves to be kings.
One truth has the True Guru told me
What the Lord does His followers should accept as the best.
Nanak, the servant, says: By killing thoughts of self and merging in Him
Is found peace, O brother of mine.
Only thus we find God who is Rama,
* * *
Anik jatan nahi hot chhut-kaara
It is not through trickery that one gets release
However many the tricks one tries.
Much learning only increases the load of sorrows.
It is only service and the love of God
That takes one with honour to His Court.
O Soul of mine! If you make the name of the Lord your shelter