Sri Anand Sahib - The Heavenly Song of Holy Rapture - Sher Singh MSc Kashmir by Sikh Digital Library

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• ·r, THE HOLY GURU

AM An Di\SS

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'FOREWORD' The ANAND SAHIB or .the "'lleavenly S.ong of Roly Rapture" is the surest panacea f!>r the world's maladies which, despite all its outer", veneer, of culture, is sorely sick at heart p,nq p.eeds this life-giving Nectar, The Anand Sahib is verily food for the angels. I have tried to understand it all my life, but the comprehen,sion came late in life and that slowly, and I did not understand it fully until the Iigh,t of His Lamp burnt in the dark dungeon of my soul l It came only with the upwelling of the Spirit! I have divided the Introduction into two parts: the first which is easy, so easy that even school children may read it with pleasure, and the second which is difficult, divinely difficult, which is mastered only when the above Lamp it lit. In the Introduction, the reader will find personal story of the anguished soul, how it travailed, how thEl torment subsided- albeit slowly, how at last the Sun dawned in all its effulgence! I have tried to tell it all, in all nudity, in the hope that j;ome other soul, struggling in similar circumstances, may push on ' in the self-same P ath, chalked out by the Master. Each soul must

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melt, in much the same way, in the crucible of cleansing agony. The cleansed souls may if deemed necessary pass on straight to the Psalm. Here in the Anand Sahib the bright souls will

find higher heights and deep depths, which will transport them to higher realms of infinite bliss. May the Revealing Word which befriended the writer in this onward journey, on the lon-ely Path, be with them, in this uphill task! Amen! SHER SINGH

20-2-37,

Kashmir.

PREFACE This tract "The Anand Sahib" or the Song of Joy is the outcome of tbe incessant efforts by the Bengal Sikh Missionary Association Calcutta, towards the propagation of the knowled ge and information regarding Sikh Religion to the English knowing public. The reception given by the public to the tracts of Gurbani published by the above Association is really very encouraging and hence inspite of all its financial difficulties the Association has been successful in publisbing this tract. The Holy Guru Granth Sahib is an Occean full of inumerabl e p earls. The more efficient and hettcr trained the diver is, the more he can fetch and better he can Value the seabed. This invaluable pearl " The Anand Sahib," a verily food of angels and surest panacea f or the world's maladies which, despite all its outer veneer of Culture is sorely sick at hearl and needs this life giving necler, was composed hy Gill"U Am.ar Dass ji the 3rd Guru of the Sikhs. The Sikhs believe that when the AnanCl is r ead at the begining of any undertaking, it is successful, and if it he read in the morning the day is passed in happiness. It is repeated on occasions of ma rriages and rejoicings, also before large fea sts, at the preparation and before th e distribution of Karah Parsad or the sacred food of the Sikhs.

( iv ) For Illis very reason the reputed personality and gifted scholar of international repute, Sardar Sher singh M. Sc. of Kashmir has sought to put hef ore an uninstructed world his selected priceless pearl. How far it would help the propagation of the knowledge and information regarding Sikh religion and to what extent will it supply the want felt by the seekers of Anand " Happiness " is for the readers to judge. For the convenience of the readers the original Gurbani ~s supplemented in distinctive ltoman script by the general secretary of the Association aft~r taking permission-from the author. The Association is deeply indebted to Sardar Sahib for the labour be has spent in bringing out this tract. Our hearty acknowledgements are due to those societies, Sabhas friends and patrons who have rendered valuabie assistance to us in publication of this script. Arjan Singh Man General secretary The Bengal Sikh Missiollary Association 172 Harison Road Calcutta

SRI ANAND SAHIB OR

"THE HJ;:AVENL Y SONG OF HOLY RAPTURE PART L , The Anand or the" Heavenly Song of Holy Rapture" . fO,rms a precious part of the Sikh literature, Indeed, it is 1>. priceless possession. It was written by Guru Amar Dassli, the third and the most mystic of Sikh Guru's 'w:he!l ~e attained to that bliss which was destined to be His. It is a spontaneous effusion of exuberant joy; -It is undiluted bliss, bubbling up from the innermost deeps 6f the human heart. There are rew Bong!! iri all literature Eastern and Western, which compare with this in heavenly glory. It is written iIi Guru's own precious life blood, in indelible ink. It is a record, on the one hand, of what the Guru Himself felt, and is a guide, a beaconlight, on the other, to those who would tread on the same path-the path chalked out by the Gurus. The Anand! is written in mellifluous Punjabi, so sweet that even children love to recite it. It is divided into forty stanzas. Of these the first five and the very last are read daily at least once by the pious Sikhs. No reading of the Darbar Sahib is complete, unless there is a special repetition of the Anand Sahib or at least the six stanzas mentioned above, of which the last must be sung

l 2 ) in chorus by the whole congregation in order that the bliss may sink in OUl' souls. Tbis is why ite recitation is held in eepecial esteem. It must be read everyday, it must be recited at· the end of ·the .Bho"g,t i.e., (Jranth-reading. ceremony, yea, it must be sUng. ' Suelr are··the injunctions which we have inherited traditionally from oUl' fathers and forefathers. If this is sO, there must be something extremely holy, something profoundl'y divine in, it. That this is verily so, we will 'soon aiseoveT for ourselves, ' . The Anand Sahib is easy, so easy that even children love to read 'it, and yet it is difficult, divinely difficult I This may seem paradoxical yet it is too true. .1· have, therefore, divided it into two parte: the easy part is dealt with in Part I of this Introduction, and the mysterious, what I have called, the divinely difficult in Part II. As the reader will find, this division' was inevitable if we are to comprehend the Anand Sahib in all its entirety. There be many who like the ' butterfly, merely sip the outflowing essence, but I should like to take the reader into the heart of the text, into the spring from". where the fragrance comes out and overflows I Although it would be helpful to the reader to divide the Anand into ver;)'. parts, yet it appears to me to be difficult to so divide this diamond Necklace. . As I write these lines in the wintry month of February in the snow-clad Kashmir, I am faced by another dilemma . of similar magnitude: I see before me the Great Wall of the Himalayas stretching out in a silvery Semi-circle, with the snow running down to its very feet, and the Guimarg peaks .hoary with deep .Mlow; all round,.- there ·is white mantle unending, and even the hill-tops appear hermetically Bealed, cloud-capped,- as they are, from all sides1 It appeared, as if there is no outlet for a prisoner like me from

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'this: snow-bound Valley.

When I felt depressed, I sUddenly saw the silvery Streak of the holy Vitasta glisteniJlg .dimly in the cloud-covered distance. I follow the nectarine stream as it meanders leisurely, and as I do so, l:. feel that somehow; it will cut its way through the frozen Yalley, and lead me out to the sun-kissed plains below I So' 'aleo when I am dealing with the Anand Sahib, I gi.y~ lnyself up to' the lead of the holy Word, and I am B"I'O that much as the mighty Jbelum chisels out its pat.h thr6ugh the circlet of hills, so also will this Word work out ita own mysterious way : To begin with, what appeals to the reader most in .Anand Sahib is individual appeal to different senses, and to the mind. The Guru addresses practically each sense in turn thus : -

Eh rasna, tun anras rach rahi, ter! pias nah jae. Plas na jae hora! kifÂŤ jichar har ras pale na pae.

tongue, thou art, infatuated by earthly savours, The more thou taste~t them, the greater thy thirst I Thy thirst shall never be quencbed hy aught else, Not until thou testest this heavenly Nectar I

Eh netro mereo, har tum meh jot dhari, hal' hln 'a war na dekho koi. Hal' bin awar na dckho 'kol nadri hal' nihalya.

mine eyes, the Lord lighted these goblets, See naught else but Himself, Yea,' Bec naught else hut He, For His glance, but one glance, Will transp,o rt thee into raptures I

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Eh sarwano mereo, sache sunne non pothae. Sache sunnen no pothae sarir lae sunon sat bani. lit sunl man tan harya hoa rasna ras ~amanl.

o my ears, ye were sent to hear the Truth, Yea, ye were sent to hear the Truth, Hear ye the T:-uth by gathering up' the whole body in tho es... ! For, by hearing this, the mind and body Will both be transfigured, turned into burnished Gold!

Eh man chanchla chatral kine na paya. Chatrai na paya kine tun sun man merya.

o fickle

mind, no one attaineth the i:lupreme Olle by cleverJ;lesB r

Yea, no one attaineth Him by cunningness, Hear this my mind with attention!

Eh-man mereya tun sada rah o har nale. Har nal raho tun man mere dukh sabh Wi8srnll, AnlJl kaf oh kare tera karaj sabh sawarna. o my mind, be thou ever with the ' Lord, . Yes, rest thou in Him, Thus will thy soul-bruises and heart-aches be cure<;l! Ah, if He will hold out His loving Hand to thee, AI! that thou wishest will then be fulfilled T hese are thcn the first few rays of Light that filtered into the dark dungeon of my soul. And when the ch oristers, gathered together not in .hundreds but in thousands, chanted the eerie refrain :-

Anand suno wadbhagio sagal manorath pure. Par braham prabh paya utre sagal wisure. Dukh rog santap utre suni sachi banI.

lucky souls! sing ye this holy psalm, For, by so doing all that thou wishest will be fulfilled,

( 5 ) Yea,. sing the hilarious Song which chanteth: "i have found the Absoluw One, Finding Him, all of my 'gnawing riddles were solved AJlaye4 were l1Ii' pams, my torments, my ailments Yea, when I heard' the True Word!" This l'efraill ~nk into my soul, and it appeared I\! if some hidden ClOSet was opeIWd, for a time, from withir!. The reflected glory of the Song came back to me, again and agam, enrichin~ ~ll my interior. But when it left me, loy travail was greater, even as the uIlllatisfied baby feels when weaned irolU the ll\other's breast I I argued, I 'Yililled, I pr"Yed; " 0 Lord! Is this Treasure not for lIle? Shall I go. back e.mpty-handed?" But as this wish 'was the!! not deep-rooted, anti Wll6 mil<ed more with mercenf;\ry spirit thaI\ that of devotion and love, there c!\ll\e ,bl\~k the tQQufi ; -

Eh sarlraÂˇ merea es jag men aeke kaya fud Karam kamaya, Keh Kram kamay a tud sarira 'an tun jail men aya I Jin hal' tera rachan rachya ~o Ii"r lJ)anOll na wasaya.

o my body, what didst thou do in this world? Having come all the way, what good act . didst' thou do 1 The Creator who gave ,thee Iiirth, Yea, even Him, didst thou fwgetl This was true, terribly true I But why was that so? Because I was waylaid, I was caught in the trap of illusion I What laid the trap? My devotion to the external world, which had its replica in my senses, which always hungered after the lust. It was the 8ell8e8 that then ruled the roost in me, not the Formless One who

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is beyond the pale ' of ·sensesl , What . waB·.·.this · delsion due to? It was ·due to maya ..· ·But.·what .is maya' The Guru explained in homely. simile to me:-.

jalsl agan udar m'e'n , fesi'15liha'( trtayil: 'Maya .agan sabh iko j.e hl, karte khel ' rachay·a. Jan tis bhana tan ' jameya, . parwaf bhala, paya. ·Liv 'chhurkl lagi trlsna', maya amar wartaya.. . Even as is the me in the ' womb . So is the maya in the outside world; (It preserveth, yet it rudest) . Yea, they are one, that fire and this maya! Two scenes in one eternal Play of 'the Infinitel When the clock strikest one is born, . F,om that moment one lovest one'. family, No more the uniDterrupted conteirfplati'on of the Supreme Ol1e in·the wombl Thereafter, all is thirst and longing, and Yearning I Yea, uncOlitrollable subservience ' to the.' Will -0' . wisp of the 'mil:ya, Ah I thu is maya! the curtain which shuts us . from tile Infinite, .And ties U8 blindfold' to the ·chariot·of the world! I had read before quite a number of. Similes about the nature of maya where it i8 described a8 delusion, as d·ream, as mirage and so on. But this wtie a very apt simile wherein the ma:ya is compared to . the ·uterine fire. It is the function of a fire to singe and to bum, that is its usual connotation. But this fire-in-the-utews . does not burn; it helps one to develop, and ·yet all the while one is cribbed, cabined and confined, surrounded with hidde'l flames on all sides, from ~ich there is no esca!,e until this "w"l1 bursts and the chil~ is born, cvenas the chick is born

( 7 ) 0:0: ; the bursting of the egg-shell!

Such, indeed, is the

trIItya in this outside world; it has all the singeing properties of the fire, but it somehow keeps us alive, haHdead, half-living, enveloped, as it were, by dark clouds which keep the fire hidden. And, thUB, men continue to live in its lap, even as one might live in the venomous .stare . of the . cobra, smothered, etiolated, charred from within; if Âˇnot from outside I What can quench this I!mothered, yet terribly real fire? What can pierce the uterine veil .and cut off the placental tie which ties us down to ihe earth? These are sore perplexing questions which at once rise up in Âˇ the mind of the seeker-altr-truth. What is the solution of these soul-gnawing riddles? The solution to this problem of life and death is beyond the province of Part I of the Introduetion, for in trying to solve the riddle, we must needs go into the deeper waters. But is the vista wholly dark? Is there no ray o{light awakening in the dark dungeon wherein we are confined? The Anand Sahib says emphatically that there our goal is not ever-lasting misery, for the Lord Himself "is there I but life-eternal , undiluted joy and ever-soaring bliss I That, indeed, si the burden of this Song. It is thisin~found. Commodity of whicb the Guru is the dealer Bfid the sikhs are the seekers. Saith the Master:-

liar ras meri, man wanjara, satgur te ras jani. The Lord Himself is my capital, my stock-in-trade, My mind is the retail seller thereof, Yea, He is the Stock, and I am the dealer, I knew this, when I met the Master! Weira.. bargain this-the hargain of the soull It is . th~ shop which the great Gurus ran. The Mughal Emperors were. very mueh perturbed when they heard that

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the Gurus had opened 'shops.' J ehangir writes in his autobiography that ' the shop ' was flou rishing ever since the time of the' firs t Guru, until in his time, it beo.me the Holy Market of thc whole world! We know of a similar effort on the part of Emperor Theodosus to take hold of the cburchcs and to end this spiritual trade, "Do not, 0 Emperor, embarrass yourself 'wiib the thought tbat you have an Emperor's rigbts over sacred things," Baid' St, Ambrose . . . "It is written, God's to God'., and Cresar's to Cresar." The p a l~.ce is the Emperor'e, t he churches are the bishop's." Our Guru went further: H e was flayed, boiled alive in burning cauldron.; He passed away but he did not shut these shopsl Verily, I say solemnly, it is an eerie transaction, this business ' 01 the soul ! In this bargain, one loses all that one has, his body, his mind, his cherished possessiom, to gain what is impalpable-the soul. In this commerce, there arc posi.tive--Iosses and, what at fir.t sight. looks a. negativ<>-gains; we lose solid substantial tangible things, t o gain those wbich are impalpable, intangible, aeriall Saith tho Mast"r :-

ran man dh an Sabh Saunp gur ko hukam maneya payie. By 'sacrificing the body, the mind, And all one's cherished possessions, Yea, by laying them all at the feet of the Master, And by bowing to the Divine will, T hus, alone mightest thou have Him! But is the gain really insubstantial and inconsequential? No, it is not, it is of the highest importance to mankind, For, it is in this intangible but nonetheless real soul-zone, the highest level, that all sweetest things dwell :

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tbe glory of the sun-lit clouds, the grandeur of t he cloudkissed Himalayas, the majesty of the full-blown spring, the delicate grace of the rainbow dimples on the cheeks of new bride Yea, lhese and an other cl!al'ms come up from this Lidden Fountain of Beauty wh ich hath its origin in the Olympus of the soul1 It is here where there is youth eternal, spring eternal, and life-ever-lastingl Although every disciple would rain repair to t his heaven, yet it is not up to all mortals to tread on this enchanted ground unaided i .â&#x20AC;˘. , unless he is trai ned for t he holy task by thee iVInster. The period of probation is rather long, and the task is not easy . But the saint, do not despair. They peJ's~vere and do reach the goal. You may recognise a saint thus:-

Bhagtan ki chal nlrall. Chal niral'! bhagtan kerl bikham mara!! chalna. Labh lobhaha.nkar.. tal trisna bahuta nahi bolna. Khanion t.khl ,.",Ion nlki etta marag jana. Quaint is the artless gait of a Seer, His task is uphill beset with many a difficu[tJ, He eats little, possesses little, Re gives up alt e"rlhly yearning, he has no pride, H e speaks lit lle, very little, Yea, sharper than the sword and finer t han the hair I s the road whieh the saint treadesi! T hese are some of Lhe outstanding features 'whereby saint may be kn own. But there is a anotllOr test which, in a few words, is:~

Jion nirmal bah ron nirmal Bahron tan nirmal lion nlrmal satgur te karni kamani. Kur ki soe pohche nahi mansa sach samani.

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Pure within, pure without, Yea, pure without and pure within, Following religiously the injunctions of the Master, Untouched even by the echo o( a lie, All yearnings wedded with Truth I such is the saint I Such are the Elect, the cream of mankind. For them is this laurel of bliss of which my Master sings in the Anand. No mOre for them the cankerworn of care I No more for them fretting and fuming I No more whisking and whining I No more for t hem the bleeding the broken heart! They arc the blest, thrice-blessed. They live in the golden age. All We is to them a continual honeymoon. Who can describe fully the inwardness and this holy felicity? Words fail, this stutter; are wholly inadequate! All the world talks of this Anand but how few know of,:u Saith the Master:Anand Anand sabh ko kabe Anand gur

te janea. Every one talks of the holy bliss, Of how few know aught about it? 'Tis from the Master that I had it At last, at long last I Ah I what is bliss? One might as well reply: what is Truth? And even as t he jesting Pilate railed to get any snswer, So might we. But hil we cannot ir we tread with the Guru this tbe enchanted Ground. The Anand i& the master-key to this hiddcn H eaven I Let us unlock with this the Treasure that is ours in what follows I

PAJl.T II. The modern world is marching on to progress, and yet it i8 Borely sick at heart. It is producing literature

by tons from its presses every second. But is this labour worth all its trouble? This literature t hat is being produced at break-neck speed is like mushroom growth destined only for 8 day. . We guard our books in bra;en almirahs, locked from outside and from within, and yet mucb of it is so trite that even the fish-worms will not so much as touch itl We bave built in our art schools, temples of beauty which appeal only to our senses. But of that infinit-e Beauty 'which never was on sea or land' who knows, who. cares? I s this beauty t hat we treasure not skin-deep, . turning on touch ' into dust, even as the Apple of Sodom I The world is progressing, yes, but it is doing so only on tbe surface. It does not delve into tbe inner depths of heart. The modern sciences pamper only the intellect; but tbey know not of intuition wbich sees into the heart of things. We have built in our sciences the proverbi ,,1 Tower of Babel and many arc the t.ongues which the experts speak but no one understands. We are following the dwindling path of analysis. We are following t he bifurcating, ever-branching roads, and are leaving the Market, the Meeting Place of t he Spi rit behind, never to meet again ! We are proud of our space-conquering devices: our wirelees, our radio , and our talkies. We lieten to them with bated breath, but what do we hear? Do we not hear the self-same trite songs, self-same wrangles and of everyday same round of jealousies broadcasted 1 And our fine arts, our pictures, our cinemas, what do they present to us ? T hey. do not tell us of that real, the lasting or what is soulsti rring- they deal in petty concerns of life, dwell ad nauseum in portraying the bewit ching charms of the modern Eve, half-nude balf-bobbed. Her naked body

12 glistens and captivates us even as the scales of the venomous cobra! The' talkies' whip us on only to iury, to unending intoxication which makes our blood boil , and heads reel, until we arc at the vc-ry edge of the canyon of hell ! These are then Qur modern toys, but are t.hey any belter lhan the toys whiell the residents of Sodom and Comorrah possessed? Corne, rnou(\l'n Youth come! I will sing to you th~ etheral SymplJony which my Guru-Father sang to me One day in the innermost recesses of my heart, which touched me, twitted me, electrified me! Come! tarry not, I will sing to you the Lullaby which set my aching, sorely bruiscd ! ero:-;s-beladcn soul to rest, sweet rest I Ah come, I will 'ing souls the haJlelujiah which turns all souls into pearline-palaces, purer than the marble dome of the Taj, purer than the milk-white rays of the setting BUD, purer than t llC cool crystalline rays of the Moon in the heyday of hpr glory: :vly Satguru sang it; Ah! it is th9 heavenliest of all heavenly Melodies, it is the Song of songs, the Fountain-head of Joy, of bliss, of beatification! Did not my Guru-Father call it Anand, i.e., bliss-unending, joy cver-upsoaring, ecstasy everlasting!

Anand bhaya meri maye, Safguru main paya, Satgur ian paeya sahaj seti, man wajian wadhaian, Rag ratan parwar parian sabad !lawan aiyan Sabado tan gawo Hari kera man jini wasaya ! Kahe Nanak Anand hoa Satguru main paya J There is bliss, my mother, there is Bliss, I discovered my Lord Cltrll, the True Guru today, I discovered Him by some weird turn of the wheel of Nature

And my heart is drenched with H eavenly Sympbony 1 Yea, my mind is flooded with notes of congratulBtioll Congratulations which pour in from all quarter >, N ot only from thi~ litt le carth , But ÂŁ1'0111 tbc deni zens of the heavon!! Yell, from the winged airy creatures Wh o have came one a nd all, with all their children, T o \'-a rble ont t.he Song of JOYI of bliss!! And I sing to them, in return: Sin g ye, sing all creatures, th e ha llcluji ah oi lite Lord Th e holy Symphony which tu rn ed my hea rt Into t he Temple of J oy: ' Th e sweet-tongued One singcth, 0 Nanak, o I have obtained t he True Guru, yea, I have found Hi m out! In this opening ~tfln za) there. is verily a torrent of joy, o f un earthly bli,s which \\'ells up from the heart of Gmu Amar D assji. I h(t,vC! reaci man~' <1.. soul-stirring song of my::.tics, but no\Yl!\~ I 'l~ do I fi nd Ow cl'f' t ath' OUt.pourings of sue.li deep joy, s11('h unearthly int.f'n~ity as n r.~ pi eccr! togeth er in that Celestial Song whi ch is the Ananri Sahib. It is :}. Sonr; ~l1 Pf' I'Âˇl3ntl! ruted with ,in)"; it pnchants the hemer as also tbe r ec iter , it well eth u p from the deeps a nd stirs up the suhliminAl flelf. Wha t is bJi;,;? ?lrany there he who I.alk of bli05 hu t how fe\v know it. rcall.Y'? There"Our senses; therf' i8, for .instance, pl easure in sweet Ruga ry substances which titHlnte the pa.latc, there is pleasu re in a ll fom1 5 of music which

minist.ers to

OU!'

cars, thrre

pl('r;lsurc' in beholding-

10vdy face W i l('ti1t'1' that o f full - grown maid or t lt'-tt of innocent child . Rut al l o[ thcse fOl'ln, of joy are fl itting. fll git-i,'~. bubbling U(1 and bur~ting the very next moment. 2

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But bliss is not transient nor effervescent-it wells up froID the hidden Bosom 01 etornity and carries forward the blessed seer to thaL Land of Light wbere there are no ~hadows nor fli ckering, but there is undimmed and ncverfading glory I The essence of bliss is transcendence above the foul' walls of Time. In eternity, time loses its the Jour walls of T ime. In eternity, time loses its Âˇtransitoriness and acquir es whnt it did not possess before i.6., (be halo of 8 biding fruition . In tbe array of time, r. second stands up to an hour only as the dwarfed SiwMiks stand up and hold their head to t be unreachable heights of t he Himalayas. Considered in this light, a second is bul n pygmy. llut. in clcrnity event a second is no less than a century, and they together melt into that ineffable Light which haLh no before or a fter. Hence it if. that but one moment of bliss to a saint is to him ever so much dMrer tban even century of remaining insipid life. But does the saint en joy bliss for but one moment? If he did so, he would not be different from others who live in the fleeting world of shadows. The saint's bliss is eternal for his time is rounded up into eternity and it loses its venomous sting. Henceforward , the saint deals in infini ty, and all that is, becomes to him a living earnest of the t rue everl astingness. The saint, t herefore, lives and moves;n a different world . Although he is a resident o[ this humble earth , he lives in the world where the Supreme One liveth Himself, the world o[ eternal values I T he saint's food is the heavenly Manna which droppeth like gentle dew [rom tile skies. It need not pass through his gullet, as it is etheral and impalpable, but it fi lters dO"'n to every litt le pore of bis body. This heavenly M an na cometh , like vortices in ether, danci.ng and singin", and it setteth tbe saint, in turn , ;n the same

15 8ingmg mood. And it is in this heavenly mood that all best poetry is recited-not consciously nor sub-consciou5ly but in state of super-consciousness which, like supersaturated clouds, bursts into ringlets of Rain. AU poetry which is immortal hath this fundamental requisite: it hath its spring in the eternal-Word which cometh ringing to the mind of the saint-poet! The poetry that doth not bear this stamp is but a counterfeit coin. Wen might the Guru sing: -

. Anhad bani gur sabad jani, har nam har ras bhogo. Kahe Nanak prabh ap milya karan kl1ran logo. That eternal-expressive-Word I imbibed When the Guru blessed me with this ringing-Word, Ever since this Divine Name is my staff of life, Yea, Nanak, this unearthly l\'lanna is Naught else but the Divine One Himself, The Cause of all causes, and the Ordainer or indissoluble Divine union I We fight for food, we quarrel like cats and dogs. All our "'-ars a.re in the end economic wars, wars for food; the

colonies that are sought for arc also food-producing arca â&#x20AC;˘. But the saint's food is differcnt: he eats the purest and divinest of an Foods i.e . harmonious Vibrations in the ether which besides t heir rhytbm , have the unfailing capacity of conferring divine satiety_ \Ve arc poor and '''ill remain poor until this inexhaustible store of Food wcre opened out to us; I repeat that we would ever be poor even tho ugh some modcrn Columbus could take us to 'o ther worlds in tbe planetary world. This heavenly Food is ever with us, it is within us, outside us, we live in it as we live and move in air, yet we cannot possess it even as

( 16 we cannot catch hold of the air, in which we live, move and have our being! But when the Divine Master confer' on us the secret of seasame open then lo! some new baekdooll is opened in our consciousness, and we see what hitherto we only gleaned; we touch, taste and assimilate · what was hitherto but, an ideal fancy or a dream, and we hear verily hea r t hat holy Symphony which is ringing eternally at the dooTs of the Supreme One where He sits sur"ounded by choirs of angels! Stated differently but more expres. sively I n·e might. sa.y as jf in th is body which bas 4 nina holes' opening outside, some t tenth I key~hole wera.

discover",1 whi ch puts in possssion of the weird Lamp! Saith the Guru : -

Alladin'~

Har jio gupha andar rakhke waja pawaq, wajaya, waja pawan wajaya naO daware pargat kie, daswan gupat rakhaya. Teh anek ru~ nonnidh tis da ant na jai paya. Sitting behind, out of sight, in the back apartment, As it wcre, the Supreme One sets the breath in motion It cometh and goeth ringing, There is harmonious inbreathing and outbreathing, Nevertheless the Tenth Gate remains hidden, Although the outer Nine Doors are open to us, one and all But there be few lucky souls, T o "'hom through the grace of the Guru, Th e Tent b and the hidden Gate is also set open! There the Divine Name divulgeth itself In all its majestic glory, refulgent and multi-eoloure4 Like the rai nbow in transcendent garb!! Yea , 'tis the fountain·Head of all fortunes,

The harbinger of halcyon days to the harassed soul I Of that supreme bliss there is no beginning nor end, Nor any earthly measure, foot-rule, gauge or compass! I It is thi.s divine ichor which feeds the saints in their heavenly labours, which sustains an Hercules of the Spirit. Until we are in possession of this Manna, we would ever remain at sixes and sevens, no matter whether we had the kingdom of a Ceasar or that of Napoleon or Alexander. In thi" Holy Mass, in this unleavend Bread, the .satisfying-Word, lies the secret of divine saliety I Hence :.tbe Guru sings:

Plas Na jae horat kite jichar Har ras pale Na pae. Naught else than this divine Nectar can quench The fire that burns in man and eats into his vitals! But the divine Word goes further than mere satiety. It gives us new Life, the cosmic life, which includes in ita

ever-widening sweep all mankind, all animate and inanimate existence. Everything is then weaved into Qnd Jiving garment which is Nature, now no longer doscordant, nor red in tooth and claw, but co-working, co-breathing a_nd co-advancing, interlocked in onc infinite divine purpose I There is verily transfiguration when the magic wand of this Word passes over the mind of the devotee. The earth is then no longer earth but solidified gold; the air is no longer a mixture of nit.rogen and oxygen but is pure nectar and frankincense the atmosphere is no longer one \O"st void but pure amethyst iridescent with the golden halo of God's own glory! This is why devote.ss ever look up to and aspire after Ambrosia, for it is this which puts new life into their old veins. Verily, even the angles'

( 18

)

thirst for this life-giving Nectar, and well might the Guru sing:-

Surnar mun-lan amrit khoJde, so arnrit gu" te paeya. Angels, as also all angelic souls, And the .el f- controlling saints Verily thirst for this ambrosia! All their life they are a-tiptoe For this life-giving Nectar,Yea the nect.ar that I obtained from my Master!! As yes! I obtained one Day from the lotus-feet o[ my Master this holy Nectar, by licking His sacred feet. I licked and licked in one long draugh t , unending draught, for he who knew this Secret for once, will never take off his lips [rom that li fe-giving Fountain! It was this holy Draught which turned the Saul-in-me into Paul! It i, this precious Life-Blood which i8 my choicest possession, which I will never barter [or aught in this world! Oh dear reader! Knowest thou aught of the Alman, of the Soul, which thou findest 80 much talked off in all holy literature? That Atman is hidden under heavy veils which no one might lift, until the electric Bell of this weird-Word rings I Then all impervious veils are thrown off, and the hidden Isis meets you stark naked, resplendent, burnished like molten gold, yea brighter than aU the suns combined in their midday glory: Well migh t St.. Paul say that when he beheld this Sun , he fell dead, as it were, on the ground, for hi. eyes were not trained to be hold this effulgent Lustre I It ia verily Light, but light which is the purest, light which is not composed of seven complementary colours, but Light infrangible, undecomposable, for is this not this First

Light--the Cause of the universe? You can split matter inte atoms and molecules, and these latter into elcctrons and prooftons, but you cannot go any further tha'1 electricity itself which is the parent of both positivc and negative electrons. Nor, for that malter, can you split this holy Light into anything more fu ndamental. This holy Light is the harbinger of that luminous consciousness which is Atmic or cosmic. Wit,hout t ouch with this hidden D ivine Word, all talk about atman or the Spirit is mere moonshine.!

D ear reader had thou also heard of the Philosopher's Stone which philosophers are always searching a[t.er? This Stone is reputed to turn all that it touches into gold! They say Solomon get much of his wealth outÂˇ of this Hidd en Minel Of course, he did. and so do othe.r saints. But gold is after all not the most y â&#x20AC;˘ .luable t,hi ng on earth, platinum , for instance, i, clearer than gold , and radium is dearer still . The philo,ophor's Stone is valued not 'for its gold , it is valued us by its magic touch, it turns all into rarc heavenly things! The philosopher's St one trans-valu ...tcs all values, and the Guru tclls us that tha t. r eputed Stone is no other than t.his Divine Ringing Worrl. which may hence hence be called the Mother-Diamond! Saith the Master : -

Gur ka sabad ratan hae, hire jlt jarao. Sabad ratan jit man laga, eh hoa samao. 1 The Guru-given Word is verily the Philosopher';, Stone, On which many n diamond is inset! Whoever hath touch with this Motber-Diamond Is in-absorbed in Him Who is all-in-all! I

20 Bles::cd, blessed, thrice blessed is he in who m this fccund-\\' ul'd i~ 001'0, in whom it ringeth anel dwelleth . l-fi.:: mind i~ lI0 longt!l' dist.racted, nor distra.ught. On the other hand , mind of :::uch a devotee ever soars upwards, L~' : tY('nWhl'ds there circl ing engle- li k e in ever-widening, ('\"VI' -jlll J'i ']" l'in_·lc,:;, unti l it rL'aches t.he empyrean! Th& brick ,"old j, th ell wedded t o t he eternal hridegroom, DC:\'C'I' to I,C widowed hl'fC:litcr. H pl'e tLcrc i::i joy ever-upwell ing: sa(' ri fiec ever-conti nuin g fo r it is a lTering, up of tire mind as oblation to the Supreme One, and tliere is CYOl'-frc'sl! chanting of the hosanna, for is not the" mind ('Y(\ r ·l(~ :lpinR tu lIeYer rtnd to heights higher t han that til l' IIi nl:llnY:1~ H ence dose rl1Y ~IHster si ng:-

M an chao bh aya pra bh agam sunya. Har mangal gao sakhi, greh mandar banya. Har gao mangal, nit sakhie, sog dukh na wiapae. Gur charan lage, din subhage apna pir japae. ( ) I tI H.:rc: l::i joy ) pe.tce I b liss cvcr-upsoaringfi The ,ou l·briue hath heard the sweet Tread of t he l'eet of the Bridegroom eternal! U ::;i .-;tcl':-; , c:olJH'ad C'~) 1'iing ye, sing ye , OIle and ali, For LI,i, frail little bouy, this earthen p ot, !l at h turned iuJo lhe Holy Temple, t he pea rline P ulace! ::::il'!ter:::, :-:i ng ye, sing lustil y forever and evermore,.

H encefol'ward there. is no pain, no stifling

mind-aches , T k j,,«,,! t 10,· hoI,' Feet of the :llaster, .\nd III: :t !leW H~' a\,{,11 :l1ld Earth wa ~ opened un to me, .\10' , jt(, hre d tt Day , AI11 the ha ppy unending Day! ! J)V:ll' n",;\t! r'l' ~ Tllut! lJ:lth off thought. henv du ll un d drah i::- 11 1i" f>:lnl l, r.ilis warring world \vhere all appears a t ad,b. and ill-,,>'snrtcc.l. And yet when the Muster opens

21 the Inncl' Eye by the t0uch of this lunar NlU:5tiC, how different is the seli-same world'! Is not C\'Cl'ylhing then dyed into peacock colours, and dost not the world th~" snatch a grace beyond the ru les of urt'! Evcryt.hi ng puts on gala dr(,~5 j th e autUmn of the ~oul is then ch::tngcd

into Ol'ntttl' ~p l' iIlg; En'n lhe ltl-nb l'al'th ~parkh:$ like lHll'nb:lIcd gol tl. And wliH(' ~I\O rl' \\"hilt! b('iorc buttl:rlly of t·lle mimI ~tood dC~pfHldl'lltj it no\\" flit~ [tbou! in r;'vlshm~ ecstnsy from flower lo flow er of which there is now DO end, miracle of mira cl~s ! 0, the trnn$fi l;lI l'ing Word II More, thou art now to me Uw ~ljl'l'Ol' lhrou~h which I

louk nl Nature, and find H im h('I'{', til ('l'c :lnd (!vcrywhcre ! Ignorant man I did you ('all tlii;:: world a dungeon or 'i. ditch? If YOll did, you arc lhol'oll~ldy miHakcn, fur

sllith the

~l aster

Eh wis sansar tum dekhde, eh Har ka rup h ae Har rup nadri aya. Gur Parsadi bujheva. jan wekhan Har ik hae, Har bin awar na koi. Kahe Nanak eh netar andh se satgur milie dib drist hOi I

o bardarkencu oye8! ye con,iderc.-! Ulis world Venom-bitten, as gull and WU rlllwo(ld, Look ye H OW I I ; t li is nuL tl,c Supn'Ill(' One H imsclfIn His multiform garb? Verily, so lIe is! 'fhUl~ clost H e apllear unto

11'1 (' now! When th. Guru waved the magic won<l of the Word . I sal\' and tlioeovcred lhul He 1\'11, all One, F'ormh-ss amI F01"met\ , yi"ible and iJ,vi,ible. Tl 1311 H im tll1~ l'r: i:-:. Il:luj.!11I ~'I~l'. indN·tl. Il,HI!!,ht cl ~c! Th(:s,' eY.5 'n're blind, benighted , he,,,,ily covered, The ma:::lcr ('f1111C J drew off the sunken lids, And lo! all is li!;ht! Ah , the newly- opened Golden Ey e! !

(

)

To ~ee world thus is verily to sec it in its truest colours, in all its pristine glory , in its ineffable charm . Then e" erything is tra n2Jnuted and renewed as if it is just dropped from tÂˇhe clouds. That is then the new paooratIl8 which opens itself to the infatuated eye of tbe seer. All r ound him tl1M is Beall ty , holy and fresh, dew-washed, exquisite and passing strange. He is lost in wonder, and his nerves are all agog, and from every pore of his body the prayer ringeth : 0 Lord I Thou art Wah! Wah! Thou art the ineffable TVahiO'' 'ru!! Thou art inexpressible B ealltyll This T a le untellable who can tell? And yet, it must be told , it must be lived, wrought out in life! Tl,is is why my Master singeth : -

Awo sant plareo. akath kl karo kahan!.

o denr-selves, my own blessed selves, ye saints! Come, come, one and all, let us talk , T alk of Him that is indescribable, ineffable!! Although tmtellable , defying all description, and wholly ineiTable, yet the saints talk of HitIl, sing of Him, for i. not thei r whole life nOw one echo of the ballowed Symphony which i~ the Divine Word? They do 80 consciously und unconsciously, every moment of their life. yen, (-\'un in sleep. To hcar this 'Vord is t.o discover the d eep spring of life which slnkes all thirsts and sets all aches at rcst. Th Riddle of Life is then solved once for alII No more lhe pin-pricks of fl eet.ing hOll rs! No roore frettjng and filming in idle disgust,I No more f1utl~ring like sn cnlrapperl beetle I The seer seeth, and henceforward a ll is well with him. lie knows lhe Divine Purposes. He Il ~ed not argue il oul, fo r he knows it first hand. H e d id not, work up t{) this hn" en sheerly by merit, for notions whelhcr good or bad have their shadows; he has scaled

23 the heights whereto no karma ladders lead, for is he no t up-hoisted in the azurest blue, far away from the rea ch of actions? H e Jives now in tbl~ Land oi Grace, tih.! Land of undiluted amensty to which the Guru hBs led t he disciple . Sait h the Master :-

Karmi Sahaj na upje, win sahje sahsa na jae. Na jae sahsa kite sanjam, Âˇrahe karam kamae. Sahsa jion malin hae kit sanjam dhota jae. Man dhowo sabad, Jago Har seon raho chit lae. Kahe Nanak gur parsadi sahj upjai eh sahsa iv jae ! Thou mayest not mount. the Throne by a ctions alone. Thou must ride the whirlwind and direct the storm N ot by actions , for they beuarkcn us only, Drag us down . whatever their nature! It is the mental fog, the spiritual du; t in our eye' \V hiÂˇst must. be en;.:t mit. Thou m ll ~t w:"\",11 off t.hy-, ,,,-n-:":0\ i? But there is no soap to ,,"fish the squa lid mind Unless t.hou appliest lhe untoehed Soap of the ,Yord, T hie is conferred by t.he Guru Purely as an act of grace, not bought, nor won, I Nnnnk, 'tis thus thnt the su preme Blif'::::: is had . Whi eh sweepest the Augean stahle of the mind!!

Pawit hoe se jana jini har dhiaya. Har dhiaye pawit hoe gurmukh jini dhiaya. Pawit mata pita kutamb sahit sion, pawit sangat subhaya. Kahinde pawit, sunde, pawit.

Kahe Nanak se dhiaya.

se pawit jini man

pawit

jini

wasaya

gurmukh har har

CleJln~cd: cl(,fln~ed fLl'(' t lwy wh(J hl..'ta k c to thi..:: metho,l, th e magic method of the Divine \\'onI which purifieth no '.

only the UCVOLCC, but. his kiLh aHd kin, his neighbours, his lJ a.!·l! lll~ , Iiiti whole fa mi ly , t he who l<: circlc of his acquaint~

tl lIce., .Pure urc t hey who deu l ill the Word, and who n:cei vu I t! Verily, tldti \Vol'd -immaculace is th e only cuufclTol' of Hea.lth und ilcaul..y ! \\-hl'n Lllo Ul y~ ti cs Iny L:lllplw.!;is on the n eed for Gru,ce, tl,e), ,10 noL bdittle the ilOpol'lnn ee of ka!'nws, but t hey say wlwL i~ {Ju ly too t r Ul! viz_ t.hat, llO :lct-jon can p roduce a result ,]isjll'oportionate with tbe effort, If tl,is axiom is :1t!f'C p tl:ti , l hen lher e can be no l:Hd Yn ti o D for mankind, for ur hi, cfTol'l s Il lune mun cllnnot sh unk off t he mortal coil wb id! sUl'l'Ounus iJim c\-ury mOllll!nl. All actions a rc t (11JuitioIlCd, ami lienee any Ll ling iJut infinite. The 11.irvantL or the 'I Itukli l,hat· we seck a fter is infinitc. Salvation is anu , loel' IlIlln~ for t hat lenp which jump~ off the bounds of ti Ull: and !i P~l CC; it is by H·s very nat ure t·ranscendent. Af{ tL !:"! t'l'::.uI L ('un not b~ t hc rC:3ult. of iro n~bound karmas, it rullu\l'~ that some ott,er f"clo r has crep t into t he calcul,,t i"n., ""d jlroduced disproportionale results which tend towa rd::; infi nity: and t.hi!:i impa lpab le fa ctor invisible, )Tt llo1H't1Il, lc:::; J'(·nl h G l'at(,. f do realise th e force of tht· Law of K arma, a::;: I l wa:s oncc its a rdent votary and ach'"e"(,,, B ut I fo unellat" in my life, (uh ! bolV late !) that thr' law oi karma a. rgue::: :n. best in a circle, in a ny C:I...:t', i ! l'n!l Uo! wo rk u p to infini ty, fo r none of our effort.s i.- 1>;' i' '-1'11' infini te onil nncondition rd, If I a m t o reach til<' 1"'lI \'('lI , 1 I1lUst fly ll :<num an-likc over a nd above t he douhle lnO:1.t:-: 01 T ime' flud f.:.P:1t'c where T ime t hough i", yet i" nol: "'here Space lho ugl' i" y et is not, and where I 1 l1:t ~· gl ide· lhr ouJ.(h tilelr inlt\ rt'~ri('~ li ke impa lpa ble f:lirit'." \\"liirlJ (·a ll glide th rough anything however solid r 1 kll u\\" l iJi~ T rann\Jt do of my!'" I!". and ~· rt I must l'C':lrh that deninntion, I "tand-aghnt at thc sen -coast of eternity and I

25 look wlth uulgiug eye;:; at the Guru-:;rnt v(':::~(·1 u1 brft ct' , which picks me up und clll'I'ic.: 3 me hen cr ionr,U',l :-";~ii t; :tnd sound, on the 1)il1uwy ocean of life. Tbiti i:i tbCll th e tl'iumphant C:u,tl wllil'h T must feaeh , not ullili ch:.d. bllt U\' clutching at tile ;:':t,l'ill~ held out to nn n :l11d all, by thr SUI~n.' lI l c Ont', fn JII \ t1 11'" I'lollrJ ~ a boy('! Tl d:-: i:-- til(' ~1J'in ,; of Gl'uc:c, !Lnd it is lo thi s SLTing (hal :l11 ~ill n c rs look , Ilr they must, for th.:1t is th r ir only hnpe of :\h£o:olulion ! o Lord-Forgiye'l'! forgiyc my ~in:::, nnd let bygnnl..'::' be bygone:: ! I, n~ n. C' lIild , ('ned and C1T('d I2;ri('you~ly. I fC'll down in ti1p pit. I \\"I'nl ni'tray. I km'w Th c'(' Hut \\-hcl1 I hc"1d my hend high. Forp;:iyl' me , F n! It!-!'. 1 l lOU' 1, 11l1W bettor. 'Tis by Thin e L,rra('{' that the' l1la ll! \(' It: l ! It f:dl i '!1 (,ff my eyes, nlld I ~ f' (' in d ie [\\-iii~h r oi l ;l'U t: (,', 0 Lord. t.he Prod iga l Sun i:-: I'cLul'll i ll!-!; unt.o Th ('t' ~ \V ilt T h ~lU ~hut Thine Dool' unto Hi m? 'Vilt Thou nnf; 1'1111' til hi m. \\· jlil arms ou t-stn.! tr!wd, ('yoJ'- ('la~plnp;'! Sw'll i!" t hI ' 1'(' (/l i~rJf irH! tha t dnwns nn t Ilt' llli.nd nf LiIC' sinnc'l' ( )!l wll<Jll! \ 11(' l .ight of Grace riawn~ ff))' OI1('P! Snch all nn c' nn hlllILT'!' h:1Lh his back tUl'nt'd on thl" Curu. (11(" i~ nn lnn p:t'f bl - liilll:!!). but is God-orit·n trd . T he Sikhs call ::::'lIch GrrrCt'-('on:o:('imlO;:: soult: HE San - JIIH f..-h fo J' thri r fa rc i~ Gnfh\·lI rd:::. But t he pilgrim on thi H Pa t h 1l1w::t- yet tra n "l p rC'lt ~· Inn!! di~lUn(' ,' before ~"c Ill:!y ('a U him :I!:i GodJ~ O,,' n onr !-(7uT-mukh , for ho is now indi ssolubly ono with tho 1\J", tOI' . 8(IIl-!n u l.. h mny sHelp. bn('k to t110 dnrk region,:;; Ii,.. ('illlll ' f l'()Jl1 , hll t Our-'tr7llkh i:-:; tldlni/-(' l~' (lrif'nteri, h[' i ~ o r 1111' )'fn~1rr , nn LJ the 1vfn:::lcr is hi:-::. Tlli' dii1f' l'r-nrr hC't wrrll .'(/ 11-111111; 11 :mrl rrur-mu/"'h 1:: mllf'h II.", Ftlmr as bct.w(>C'n n. nm-i r,r and the bif!Topllnnt... in other woros bet,,-een a :::ikh ,,-Ito i ~ ju;O;+ 'n the Pa th, :1rlrJ t hr KhnlEn who is nr!lri l1~ t hr r nrl . ::nrl i~

pure gold .

Lr-t.Il;o" h'n he Gllr-muk hE: nr TC11!'!isa.=: , fo!'

thu t ' unhnrnl sllC'd G old

is our g-onl:

Je ko sikh guru seti sanmukh howe, howe tan sanmukh sikh kOi jiorahe Gur nale. Hukam wartae ape wekhe gurmukh kise bhujae. Je ko gur te bemukh howe bin satgur mukat na pawe. If, then, we are to reach tlmt Otber World the doors of which are invitingly open to us all, we must decide to do two things: we must find out tbe True Guru, and secondly glvc up our little self to Him, not to be squundcrcd , but to be enrit.:hed and to be returned But 'who IS the True with compound interest. Guru'? This lti the Supremo One Himself, the n 'ahiOllrIt i.e., l he :\lustcr-Ileautiful. But this Master

has His replica in living souls who carry forward the torch of light from time to time, to eternity. The Lamp of the lJogos burns bright in the heart of such souls: they never C/jc, they always fU'(\ iur arc they not the body but the Spirit?

How may we establish touch with these

unquenchable Lamps of Light? We do 80 by reading the Gurbani, the Guru-gi ven poetry , the inspired verse, for this verse stirs up the hidden chords of the human soul. This is only one step, tbough an all-important step. We must go further and learn to meditate even as the Guru tells us: we do so by constant remembrance, we do eo by loving, we do so by enthnsiasm and righteous zeal,

for days, for months, for years! And one fine morning, the Guru will appear to us in all His glory, as if by tearing the thick curtain of clouds! From that day, yea, the 1ivelong Day, all is \\-ell we ~vill sec where we were blind before we will hear ,,-hat we ,,-ere de.f to hear, yet, that, Symphony which angels sing at the feet of the

Iv[asLer! We will Illen be uplifted Lo t he' third he.yen' and begin to iloat \rich tlie clouds that career pa., t triump hantly, yea , t hen t he >cerct.; of the hea l'cn and earth will ad bared unto us aud \\·c \\·i:1 ;,ceoloc I·cril,. tbe S ODS, the Cho~en Sons of tl u: Suprcnlc One! \Vhcrefun\ it i that my .:IJ as ter sings :-

Eh Sarwano mereo sache sunne no p athae S aehe sunnen no p athae sa rir lae sunon sat bani. Jlt suni man Tan harya hoa r asn a ras samanl Saeh alakh widani tanki gat kahl na jae . Ka he Nanak amrit nam suno pwitar howo sa ehe sunne no pathae Thou wert sent into this world t·o heal' this Symphony,

o mortal , hea r thou

It., witb lhe whole of thine body melted into thine

1 ~:11' ~

Yea, hear this immortal , tbis True Word, Henring which th ou wilL become whole, Thiuc body , mind and soul , Y en, all will become transfigurcrl , angelic, radiant., N o more [01' thee the cold lI b.1!)(S ur autumn! X o morc leaf~ shedd ingJ for thou nr t. no\\" an e vcr~rccn ! I

tongue sing, sing. 1n

SW(,t't

st.rai ns, this

H oneyed Word, F or Thou hast seen tha t .-\reh-Conju ro r . T he Wizard-un knowable who revelleth , And whilst revelling workeLh miracles ever and anoul Of this mystery none el,0 might fully delve the depths I Ha! dear soul., sing, sing from .he depths of henrt The Hosannas, the glory of lhe ambrosial Name, T o hear w hich: verily , t hou

~·CTt ~cnt!!

In this Pilgrimage of soul l he intellect does nol sleep nor remains idle; it watches, but does not interfere. And

when the cnd , the goaJ

reached, the intellect i.s first to ] have found, I 11:1\,(' luund Him, Ule True:: Guru!! Tllt(~ l!L' ct , by it~\Jf, is not an hindrance, it is rather an auxiliary of the soul. But wbl~n it. stretches out its tcntneks bJ' and wiJc} byc1l'a-like , without intention, then like the silkworm it weaves itself unto death. This is tile- baLho;:i to whicb reason may ~ink i.e. , by oyerdoing itself. .It lnbours under delusion, under which the phi losophy of karma also docs when it shuts its gate to grace. nuL n'ason , enriched with grace, is a pmverful cuLbs3 ; which cuts asunder the impaJpublc noose of IS

mar ch /mer: and fa l),),(Jcluim to the u'orld:

'llW?J1L

find sC!ts nne .f ree .

IYhat is this ;l[a'ya which keeps man spell-bound? It i~ short-sig1ltedncss, it is nightÂˇ-hlindness, as it were, which betakes us . one and aU, in the days of our in(>xpcri\'!llce. It is spiritual measles when we are young. ~~[aJJn is thllfi another na.me for wrong foeus of the Binocular of the Spirit. By such focussingJ scenes arquire nOll-real values , for Spirit, is thrown off in the bn('kgnn1TI(l while Xatu1'f!, "'hich is but nn efflux of the Spirit-. dnminate';;; the; vip_w . 'Ve t.hen do not see Nature as r(l(li nnd s!!)rk ,'.(; .. ~1n organiC' whole, but stock only, with t.ho noo\ hid (Ion in the bmycls of Ma)/a. Woe betide tllp (by whrn this tragedy occurs, for then we no longer 'S('c tJlC' 7\1':11;:r1', \H' sec only "'hat is made. Then we give IIp the 5:uh~tnn('(> ,,,hile elutrhing at .its shado,\, . Hence tlw r,lll'lI rldillf'.'::' ,1[oyn thu<.::-

Eh maya, jit har wisre, moh upje, bhao cluja laya 1 "~h:lt

beclouds our undimn1C!d. 'vision, And srrccn!1 tbc Supreme One from our eyes,

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)

What shatters unity into duafity And weds us to the formed, instead of tile Formless One , Yea, th!it is J\-Iaya-the mllgic of infatuation! nut when "'e find the Guru and thus the ,Yard, we discover this hidden Root i.e., the Spirit. We screw up and then set right the focus, and lo! this world is no longer a phantasmagoria, but the liying garment of God! When this mi racle is wrought, the garment also becomes blessed for the sake of its Wearer. This very sunscorched earth is then turned into the Garden of E den! Then man is once more Himself, lord of all ereation . This lost One is found out, or discovered, in t his work-aday world, not outside. H ence. the Guru advocates Godunion while living in the world, and not by quitting lh~ same. Only the angle of vision has to be altered. anrt re-adjusted. This is true union which worketh its way through the engaging fi elds of du ty. The Guru says?

Kahe Nanak gurparsadl jinan liv\agi tini wiehe maya paya t He whoÂˇ finds the Word and t he secret of meditation Discovers the Supreme One in this very world! We talk of and ponder over t he problem of evil. We talk ad nQ1~Âˇ.seum of contrasted terms : right and \"Tong, good and evil, day and night. This disparity continues to haum us in all our walks of life, aud our 11Iw books always refer to t he same. But we forget that there can be no such thing as undi luted evil, nor undiluted good; the two merge into each other. We cannot reconcile these warring elements, nor get over one by keeping aloo f from the other. The more we run lowards t he li ght, the darker 3

30 is our ~llaJuw. Ii this oppusition must continue, I cannot conceive. nor for that matter can anyone else conceive, as to how one may get rid of evil. For, as we know thz shadows become jet black just when the sun is at its higest! This is dilemma which the human intellect can never ~o hÂˇe. I know how I fell in despair many a time, when this dilemma circumvented me from all sides, and there seemed to be no loophole for getting out. My feelings though not exactly similar, yet were v ery near to feelings of Tennyson when he describes universe without God , under as (Despair' :-

" Hoped for a dawn, and it came, but the promise had faded away; . We had passed from a cheerless night to the glare of a drearier day; God is only a cloud and smoke who once a pillar of fire, The guess of a worm in the dust and the . hadow of its desire I Oh, we poor orphans of nothing-alone on that lonely shoreBorn of the brainless Nature who knew not that which she bore I Trusting no longer that earthly flower would be heavenly fruitCome from the brute, poor souls-no soulsand to with the brute I " Frightful is the condition of soul when t hus tossci by reason alone and its warring subsidiaries i .e., right and wrong, good and evil. I wondered hard and prayed. for months, for years! And 10 I a new Power welled up in me, which was neither good nor evil, but above these

31 bOlh, a Power which was "II LIght undiluted by shadow, s Power which knows day, allli night, for it is Both I Wha t is thi$ P ower which t.ra noccnds the warring element" under which reason works? This and this alone is th~ simplex-::-<am, the holy-ringing- Word, which r ingelh from

eternity to eternity " Th is became since my guurdian" Kat that good and eyil evapora w from the world, they remain but they were of l he carth, and it appeared as ii the freed one t ook wings nnd flew up to the uppcrmo't heaven, where t,liere !lrc n(1 longer ups am! downs as on

earth, but one uniformed" Lenl stretching in al l directions! Ahl this sudden jump from ihe dead-earth to the level of Light, where angels Ih"e and sing, in choirs I Ah I the soul-st irring lIfelody which pOl"geth nnd purifieth I Wen might the Guru si ng : -

Simrat sastar pun p ap bich a rd e, t ate sar na jani 1 The law codes and our so-tailed religious books Do ever wrangle about the problem of evil; For such, this world is diYideu int~ two camps: Good, and evil, which must ever staud opposed, Ah I but they do not know of t he trnnsccudentElement, the Na,,~, the Tat, Wherein a ll riddles aro s"I\"C"d :tnu all uivision \viped! I What is this unifying POWl"r, the tconocendeot Element in whicb nil element, weet, wbere rays of good and

e,-iJ,

meet

one

focus '?

This

tran~cendcnt

omnipotent Powor ; whieh wolls up irOIll the hearts of devottes is the NA.\!, the Word, my BelO\"ed, my Godl Thougb invaluable yet I may ha,"c Him by the gmce of tbe Master! Though untouchable, yet H e might descend and t urn this t otterin g body of even a siuner!" into the

32 T emple of ,J erusalem! Not by barter, nor by exchange, nor by gold may He be bought, but by falling at the ieee of the :;\Jaster ! Such a Master once came my way find I lay me down, my body, my mind, my soul, my all, before H im like "foot-mat. He touched ie and lo! All was ~old! ~ H is magic touch !! It would be lucky , S!lith the )'last-cf , i f this came to pass , and if thus we got what. "'0 111''''( cherished-the apple of our eye, the Beloved I !

Hal' ap amulak hae mul na paya jae. Mul na paya jae kise witon rahe 10k willae. Aesa satgur je mile tisno sir saupie wichon ap jae. Jisda jio tis mil rahe H al' wase man ae. Hal' ap amulak hae. bhag tina ke Nanaka jin Har pale pae.

o heavenly Power, 0 Holy Word! I now bow to Thee alone I No longer ior me the will o'-the-wisp of unaided rcasoll, nor so-called moral codes.

This mOdâ&#x201A;ŹI'Il

world is engaged in the task of maintaining social orde: and

dealin~

just.ice through moral codes only resting on

earth: not unless the vital energy of the Holy Word upwells aga in in mankind, Vesuvi us- like own , is its safety

ensured. \vitllOut this, it " 'ill go the "'ay in which Egypti ans with their pyramids have gone, man is of the earth and is earth ly ; life sinks down to the brute level , and soul

i t~elf

is stÂˇultified_

Given this Power, man realizes

Himself, he is no longer confined to one little cornel' of th, earth. but expands eyer-increasingly until the "'hole world is in t he palm of his hand' Li fe , without this power, is merely ~rop in g in the dark; it is at best a fierce struggle with t. he elements around us and with ou~ neighbours. Given this Light, all is well; all is holy:

33 all is working up to the Great Purpose that is immanent in every atom I o Holy Word I when I knew thee n ot, I was asleep, I was a Kumbhakarna, a Rip Van Winkkle ! I lay listless in the arms of Maya, in the lap of Morpheu; I Even if living, I was pigmy, a manikin, hop-o'-mythumb but t hine holy touch, 0 blessed Word! and I r05<> up like the Phoenix fro m its ashes!! 0 Liie, Light : Resurrection froUl the dead! I!

r ahi gunl sansar bharam suta sutian wlhani.

raen

Blissful Word! Thine magic wand is competent of the world to turn this wildcmc"s, this bahara into t il" Garden of Eden! It can turn a sinner into a saint, It can make a n erring man, a mammot h of the Spirit I o chage beggaring all descripti on I Tramutution of tbe brass-In-me inw gold I Transfiguration of brute-in-me into angel! Life ever-mounting perfect union interpenetrating all atoms of the body I Turning a new leaf every moment! Fresh, vigol'ou$, intoxicated of Liicl Holy, holy, holy this divine metaruorpho~is, for such 1-1 the Anand of which my Master sings!! ll iessed is he ", lio sings thereof , blessed be who beareth fur they both see H im face to face, now no longer hid tlen , but all-pervading, 0 Music unendingall-fulfilling, all-enlightening !! A]I,lfAT TRUEI I !

Sunte punit, kahte paw it, satgur reh a Âˇ bhar pure. Binwant Nanak gurcharan lage waje anhad ture,

THE ANAND SAHIB OR

THE HEAVENLY SONG OF HOLY

RAPTU~

RAMKALI MAHLA TISRA (GURU AMAR DAS RAG RAM KALI)

IKONKAR SATGUR PARSAD THERE IS BUT ONE GOD WHICH CAN BE ATTAINED THROUGH THE FAVOUR OF THE TRUE GURU

I Anand bhaylt meri mae. Satguru mae paya. Satgur tan paya sahli' seti man waJlan wadhalyan. Rag ratan parwar parian sabad !lawan alyan. Sabdo te gawoh hari kera man Jlnl wasaeylt. Kahe Nanak Anand hoeya Satguru me paylt. Bliss, bliss, 0 my mother, there's bliss; r have found the True One-r found the Great one spontaneously And lo! my heart singest songs of union! The heavenly Muses and their offspring Came to chant the Excellent Music -the Word-divine, The strains of Symphony welled up in me, And my beart is suffused wit h loveincarnadine I There is, 0 Nanak, there is, Ecstatic joy and holy rapture , I found Him, Him at last Who is the truest Master!

Eh man mereya tun sada raho Har nale. Har nal rabo tun man mere dukb sabh wisarna. Angi kar oh kare tera karaj sabh sawarna. Sabhna galan samrath sow ami so keon mano wlsare. Kahe Nanak man mere tun sada raho HaT nale.

o :My

soull dwell thou ever and evermore In this Being Supreme, the Heavenly One; Thus, all thine fears and ailments Shall be buried deep buried in oblivion I o Soul! the Lord shall embrace thee and hug the ~, And all thine heartaches set at rest, Why forget Him?-O Him , the Sweet one, Who is, in every respect the most perfect? III

Saehe sahiba kia nahi ghar tere. Ghar tan tere sabh kuehh h ae jis deh so pawe. Sada sHit salah teri nam man wasawe. Nam jin keman Âˇwasea waje sabad ghanere. Kahe Nanak saehe sahib kia nahi ghar tere.

Master of ;I{astcrs ! Is t here aught That 's not in Thine I-Ie1lvcnly Trc::t:::ure-House? In that Treasure, the re's all that is, But he gets whom dost Thou espouse I The soul that pinest and thirstst for Thee I s at last with t.he heaven ly Laurel crowned, Its aches and agonics are t he n once for all , In that Celestial Symphony drowned.

IV Sacha nam mera adharo. Sach nam adhar mera jin bhukhan sabh gawaian. Kar sant sukh man ae wasya jin ichhan sabh pujaian. Sada Kurban kita guru witon jis dian eh wadialan. Kahe Nanak suno santo sabad dharo piaro. Sacha nam mera adharo. This Word, this ghostly , the weird-Word 10 tho stM! of my life, my prop and support 'T i.s t. he.; pillnr, t h e keystone oi my being, Yea , tile cit adel of my Heart! I am all peace, joy and beatitude, I ewim in bliss divino, O! I ha vo attained all-all that I needed, The very acme of fortune fine! I am a sfl.crificc, a burnt offering At th e holy altar of my :\1aster Of a ll excellences the consummation And the richest Treasure! o Saintly souls! lend ye, th e inner Ear To this unbeaten-:'lusical-Word, 'Tis t.he heavenly Song of songs Which welleth up from my heart's cbord.

Waje panch sabad tit ghar sabhage ghar sabhage sabad waje kala jit ghar dharia. Panch dut tud was kite kal kunt ak mareya. Dhur karm paya tud jin ko se nam Har ke lage. Kahe Nanak teh sukh hoa tit ghar anhad waje. BlesOl'd is that divine Tabernacle Wherein t his Spring have burst-this :>fusic-ehoieest.

(

Yea blessed, thrice blessed is the T emple Wherein this Word- Prindal riugcst! With this Hin, but patent, ''lord thou muyest conquer The deadly Five that way lay tbee and all mankind. o Soul! th u,; thou mayest also conquer The deadliest Foc-th e devouring death -fiend. They reach thi. Uea,·en, this Goal, this gulden EndTh.i::i Ringing-H c:\"caling-'Yard didne On whom dcsl'cno{lsL the )'Ianna oi Cruce In His chain or Almighty D usign. In naught else, 0 )\1 anak, There is that pence that passetll understanding As dwell""t in th is Symphony ,,·hid, wclleth From tbe expanding dept!." of hean upsoating. VI.

Sachi liwe bin deb nimani. Deh nimani liwe bajhon kia kare wiehariya. T ud bajh samrath kOi nahi kirpa kar banwaria. Es non hor thaon nahi sabad lag sawaria. Kahe Nan ak liwe bajhon kIa kare wichariya. This-body-the temple of God, wiLbou! this qui ekering word. Is naught--tis only a caraCRSS, a moving-skeleton, Yea, but for the brooding·Spirit, what i; it? ITis only a. prison a dungeon or u. den. But for Thee, 0 Lord, who else, yea., who else Mightest this 'gift a ll mortals beetow? Treasure-House of Grace, 0 Lord of Woods; D o Thou t hine dc'·ot,ees, thus endo,,·! But for t his Ornament, thi, Gem, 0 Lord. There's naught 01,0 [ 0 s,-t off t his Tabernacle Without thi:5 ~aIld i fying Link, 0 Knnak , All life; is but a shipwreck lost in peril!

VII

Anand Anand sabh ko kahe Anand guru te janey1t. Janeyli Anand sad1t gur te klrp1t kare plarey1t. Kar kirpa kil wlkh kate glan anjan sareya. Andron jin ka moh tuta tin ka sabad sache sawareya. Kahe Nanak eh Anand hae Anand guru te janey1t Every one, yea, e'en ma.n in the street Talkest glibly of peace, of joy and bliss, But who ever had i~'en its inkling, Without thc great Guru's gift of grace? This peace, thi> joy, this abiding bliss Is Master a free gift of the e'er, This Saintly soul sheds it, showers it Ever as the manna from the heaven -the race Nectar. The Seer drenches us with grace And thus wipes away our sins with this holy wine. He also confers on the .eeker~ffect truth The salve of wisdom-the Eye Divine. They love best who Soar on the wings of grace To the highest heights of heaven Where no longer are they emfeltered, The drop chains of their ignorance and delusion. This end, this Heaven, 0 Nanak, Yea, this cro"'ning bliss, I. revealed, forsooth , Through the Guru's grace!

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VIII

Baba jis tun deh soi jan pawe. Pawe tan so Jan deh jisno hor kia kare wicharey;t, Ik bh ara m bhule phire dehdis ik nam lag sawareya. Gur parsadi man bheya nirmal jina bhana bhawe. Kahe Nanak jis deh piare soi jan pawe.

o Father,

heavenly Father, this gift is Thine, 'Tis Thine Own, and is wholly frec, Thou alone mayest shower it On mortals-none else but Thee, Wit hout this, Souls wander e'er in the Valley Of the shadow of Death blindfoldLed by delusion and ignorance, as j f by Dose, And lo! all this is as ThQU didst d('cree of old 1 The lucky souls that bc are purged In the burning-bush-<:>f the Word, They emerge therefrom, 0 Nanak, Purl resp lendent and burnished 1

IX Awo sant piareo akath ki karah kahani. Karah kahanl akath keri kit daware payie, Tan iIIan dhan sabh saup gur ko hukam maneya payic, Hukam mano guru kera gawo sachi bani, Kahe Nanak suno santo akatho kath kahani. Come, come, ye saintly souls Let's divine on how best. to gain the Being blest? 0 , we get Him, by offering up to Him All this-oul' body mind, son1 ano spirit ! By giving all, devoting all, dedica t ing all I

(40

And by following the \\'ol'd , This Secret, t he ineffa bl e Secret, o )/nnuk , is itself discovered I X

Eh man chanchl a cbatrai kine n a paya. Cbatrai nil p ayli kine tun sun m an merya. Eh maya mohini jin et bharam bhulaya . Maya tltn mobini tine kiti jin Thagauli p aya. Kurban kita tiseh wifon jin moh mitha laya . Kahe Nanak man cbanchal chatra i k in e na paya.

mind, clever one! thou canst not ."'Hain Him by any cleverness or stratagem No onc llath ever attained: Rim, thus, List en my mind, hcarken I

All mank ind is whirled. and bewitched , By tlie t:o:;mic "ei l of JJ aya and her magic, T he

(in'at-~ b gician

11i m!:lclf ol'd .... ined this

,\ 11.1 Jll"~'l'd the sedath'c swcet T rickl

I bow untn H ita the Beginner, \\'110 renderest this world so dear, l3ut tho u nlU,( outgrow this, 0 , Nanak, And by love thou may est draw Him near!

XI Eh man piareya tun sada sacb samale. Eh kutamb tun jeh dekhda c h a!e nahi tere n!i.le. Sath tere chale n a hi tis nUl kion chit laie. Aisa kam mulon nu kiche jif ant pachhotaye. Satgur ka updesh sun tun howe tere nale . Kahe Nanak man piare tun sada sach samale.

( 41

dear Soul! be tilou ever and ever Wedded to verity and to unalloyed Truth, For, thy fam il y tnClnbcr:':l and hnnger::;pon Will not befrienJ tilce in the eml, fo rsooth. Why then be infutuated and enslaved By wbut is fugitive, and devoid of love for thee? o Soul! never, neYer do aught for IYilich Thou mayo5t have to eat the humble pie. Let thy Yiaticum and thy living Fond be The. N am, tile free gift of th e :vr aster, o deal' Soul, 5tick to the Truth H old fas!' to thi. Rock forever nne! e'er!

XII Allam allochara tera ant na paya. Anto na paya kine tera apna ap tun jane. Ji jant sabh khcl tcra kia ko akh wikhane. Akhe tan wekhe sRbh tun hae jin jagat upay.. Kabe Nanak tun sada agam hac tera ant na paya.

o Being Unknowll!

Thou art outside our limited ken, Yea, what moral hath ever ~o u g(Âˇ d Thine end? Thine bounds and Thin e inwardness Thou Thyself mayest comprehend. All that is, beings llig anri sma ll AIe Thine handiwork, Thine own Play. We know only ihnt. much, no morc,

Yea , this is all that we can 5'Y. Year, Thou art, Thou beholdcst and ordainest, All is within Thine omniscient !\lind, o Almighty Crentor. O. ~nna k 's ::--raster , Wh o didst c,'rr Thine End find!

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XIII Surnar m un jan amrit kh oj de so amrit gur te paya. Paya arurit gur kirpa kini sacha man wasaya. Jia jant sabh tud upae ik wekh parsan ayiL Labh lobh hankar chuka satguru bhala paya. Kahe Nanak jisno ITp tutba tin amrit gur te paya. That life-giving Nectar, that Ambrosia For which saints and seers do e'er hunger, Yea, Mana that biscendcst from heaven I drank through loving-kindness of Thee, -my Master This Nectar, this Ambrosia-celestial cometh. Unto him on whom the D cw of Grace descendetb Then heart is t urned into Lord's own T emple And man '8 all care forthwith endeth I o Lord, my :Nl aster! Thou art in all Thine creation Finding Thee one in all beings, living and non-living I sought the Lotus Feet, And cleansed all rnyfilth, my venal eoul covering. I discovered yea, discovered the Heavenly Master Who by his grace dispenseth this Nectar 'Tis by divine dispensation, 0 Nanak That one is laved by this holy shower.

XIV

Bhagtan ki ch1l1 nlrl1lI. CMI nlrl111 bhalltan kerl bikham marag chaina. Labh Iobh' hankar taj trisna bahut1l nahi boInlL Kh aneon tikhl walon niki et marag jana. Gurparsadl lin! ap tajyl1 Har wasnli samani. Kahe Nanak chal bhalltan jugo jug nirali.

43 Eerie is the Path trodden by a saint Yes, 'tis odd, most odd, e'er unread, Of all paths 'tis most hazardousThis Path which a saint dost tread. H e must needs give up his wo rldly trapping, His egotism, covetousness and sin He must talk little, significantly little And give up all worldly yearning. Sharper than a razor And -finer than e'en an hair I Sucb is t he hidden untrod den Path Which is the saint's thoroughfare! I Through all ages, eerie, and most weird h the Path by a .aint trayerscd Conquering his little-seli by the Higher , He is wholly in t hc Spirit immersed I

xv Jio tun chalaeh tlv chalah sowami hor kia juna !lun tere.Jlv tun ch alaeh fiv chale jina marag pawe. Kar klrpa jin nam lae se H a r Har sada dhiawe. Jisno katha sunae apnl se gurdaware sukh pawc. Kahe Nanak sache sahib jiv bhawe tlve chalawe. E 'en as Thou ordainest, so do I live So do they all who are preordained I Without this sympathetic soul adiustment '0 other virtue have I gained! Such souls adopt th is heavenly Course As Thou dost teach a nd tamc, On them limpid new of Name descendeth Wedding them to the H oly Flame I Whom t hou initialeth thus into Thine Secret

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1:5 laved with evcrla::::ting blis:;,

BUL he "[lains this Goal, ,his End, \rho his )! uster's feet does kiss!

XVI

Eh sohila sabdo sohawa sabdo sohawa sada sohilli. satguru sunaya. Eh tinke man wusya jin dhuron likhya aeya. lk phlre ghanere kare galan gali kine na paylL. Kahe Nanak sabad sohila satguru sunaya, Highly enchanting, soul-ravishing e'er is T his 1;nbeaten Music-ethereal! From the Mastel' the True ;Vl aster, is This pos.cscion had~the Symphony-celestiall This hcavcnly- \V ord dwellest in hearts ' Ylwrcin wine of Name dcscendst from on high. :\lany lhere be t hftt talk, idly prattle But empty words never did qualify! The :Master True~Th e Guru Perfect H ath thi::; on mc , conferred The Gift gloriuus 0 ~[l.nak ) Of the Beauty-begetting 'Yard ~

XVII Pa wit hoe se jana jini Har dhiaya. HaT dhiaya pawit hoe gurmukh jini dhiaya. Pawit mam pit[ kutamb sahit sion pawit sangat subhaylL Kahinde pawit sunde pawit, se pawit jini man wasaya. Kahe Nanak se pawit jini gurmukh Hal' H al' dhiaya. They \"ho meLlitate on the Being Supreme Are purgeu by t his san difying-Word,

(

Yea, tb ey arc Jrl'nchl!u by the ~Ias ter 's Grace Which findcth outlet in t his Word-unheard! Themselves, tl leir parents an d their fam ilies Yea, all tb eir associates who were sick, furged All those , one and all , urc healed By this choicest pu,ses;;ion, lhe Word-unheard.

XVIII Kal'mi Sahj nIT upie win sahie sahsa nIT iae. NIT Jae sahs!\ kite sanjam rahe karam kamae. Sabstl lion malin hae kit saniam dhota iae. Man dhowo sabad lago Hal' seon rabo chit Ille. Kabe Nanak gur pal'sadi sah; upje eb sahsa iv jiie. This crowing State 01 peace, joy and EquilibriumThis Saha.j , is not had merely by \I"ord or deed

And delusion cl ingoth lo man nn til this Heavenly ~Ioo cl is to him guaranteed l No Karma , however pure and 'sincC're May wash off our inbred delusion, Tht mind livest and gloatest in filth How may it ascend to heaven? The mind is purged, 0 )i'anak. 'Vhen 'tis. by Guru 's p;rar.e to !..ram- entwined ThpTI shackles of ~ in arc sundered And Sun of Sahaj dawlwsl on the mind !!

XIX Jiab maiIc bahron nirmal babron nirmal jiah tanmaile tini janam jue hareya. Eb tisnli wada rogJagfi maran manon wisarya. Wedan meh nITm utam so sune nahi phire jeon betaleya. Kahe Nanak jin sacb tajcya kurbe lage tini lanam jue baria. 4

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)

Foul within and fair without art they , Yea, whited sepulchres who have wholly lost All their life's capital, their stock-in-trade, And all that is precious from t he dost depart 1 Such sou is do ever hunger, pant and thirstTheir hunger neVer endeth nor abateth, Driven from pillar to post They iorget e'en t he coming event of death. The Essence, very Quintessence of all books revealed Is this un written-word, the holiest word, But the foolish soul heedeth it not Isn 't thi s act of his most absurd ? He who renounces Truth And this dwelth in fal sehood H as lost life' game of cards And is dooncd to unending servitude.

xx Ji ah nirmal bohron nirmal Bahron tan nirma! jiab nirmal satgur te karni kamani. Kur ki sO pohche nahi mansa sach sam ani. Janam ratan jinl khatya bha!e se wanjare. Kahe Nanak jin-mao nirmal sada rabe gur nale. Fair within and fair without, \'ea. Crystal-clear from without and withinAre saintly souls. They're exempt e'en From the remotest echo of sin. Blessed, thrice blessed, are t hey who live in Truth Who do the Gem of Name scure, o N.nak, the hearts of such pearline men Ahiding in the Guru arc ever pure 1

L\: [

Je ko sikh guru seti sanmukh howe, howe tan sanmukh sikh kOi jia h r ahe gur nale. Gur ke charan hirde dhiaye antar atme samale. Ap chhad sada rahe parne gurbin awa r na jane koe. Kahe Nanak suno santo so si kh sa nm ukh hoe. H any disciple werc to turn t.o the "'laster , Yea , if he wer e .."a ll y so inc lined, He must keep his hcart jor "ve.1' To th e Gur u's Intu.-Feet en twi ned. Yea, he must enshri llc t.he lotus-Fect Of the )'fnstci' in his heart; And to t.he Divine Self-\\"ithin-him, He must stendily hold fastl He must renotln ce his lillie seli

}\nd remain

~tl':1.dfastly

nnchoTed

To truth, following the kad Of th e GlIl'u-giV!'n W ord I

XXII Je ko gur te b emuk h h owe bin satgur mukat nli pawe. P awe muka t na h orthe kOi pu chho blbekian jae. Anek juni bh a ram awe win satgur mukat n1l pae. Phir mukat p ac lag ch arni satgur sa bad sun ae. Kahe N anak wi ch a:r d ekho win satgur mukat nil. pae. Whosoever turneth j, is faceaway , Yea, t urnetl, bark On the :Nl astcr , Shall not obtain salvation any where, T his thou m nyest from nn y secr cnq uirel He shall wnnder anri wardeI' in ma ny n birth,

(

)

Wit,hout true Guru deliverance is never earned,

When, at last, he will fall at tbe l'l'1aster's Feet. The Guru shall rescue him by this Word conferred!

XXIII Awo sikh sutgur ke piareo gawo sachi Bani. Bani tan ga wo guru keri bania sir bl1ni. Jin ko nadar karam howe hirde tina saman!. Piwo Amrit sada raho Har rang japo sarang pl1ni. Kahe Nanak sada gawo eh sachi bani. Come, sing ye bel owed disciples the praises of the . Guru-given Word, Which dost all other songs transcend; I t dwelleth in the hearts of the such On whom Grace Divine dost descend! Quaff ye this Nectar of Immortality And thus remain attuned for ever and ever T o tbe Being Supreme even as the chatrik. Is wedded only with the cloud kissed water !

XXIV Satguru hina hor kachi hae b!lni. B~ni t!tn kachi satguru bajhon hor kachi b?ini. Kahnde kache sunde kache kachi akh wakhani. Har Har nit' kare rasna kaha kachhu na jiini. Chit jinka har leya maya bolan pae rawanl. Kahe Nanak satguru bajllon hoI' kachi bani, Without the Guru-given Word .'1.11 other word is counterfeit,

(

)

Yea, e'en 'tjs counterfeit 'tis at best, Without the True Guru, I do repeat I Counterfeit they who utter it, Counterfeit they who hear the same, Counterfeit also is that - From which it emanates-this mortal frame I They may repeat God's Name For ever and a day, Yet, they heed not What they themselves say I Streams of prayers may flow From their lips, yet it i:; bootless , For, their hearts are entrapped By Maya-the world enchantress I Saith N anak, do thou ever remember: That, without the True ~laster, All is not gold That dost glitter!

xxv Gur ka sabad ratan hae hire jlt jarao. Sabad ratan jit man Jaga eh hoa samao. Sabad seti man milya sacbe Ja~'l1. bhao. Ape hira ratan ape jlsno deh bhujae. Kahe Nanak sabad ratan hue hira jit jara.o. The Guru's Word is the choicest Jewel With the rarest diamonds inlaid, Whosoever is wedded to this J ewe! Is by the Supreme One into Himself inhaled I Yea, when the nllncl is fascinated By this Jewel of the Word,

50 ) It is n .en veri Iy

I11to T rue Ono's own love absorbed I God Himself is this Diamond, God H imself is this mother J ewel, He know cst t his secret T o whom H e Himself dost reveall The Jewel of tho firs t water s"ith N anak , I s this D ivine Word, With many a rich diamond On its Bt)som scn-ed!

XXVI

Siv sakat ap up aeke karta ape hukam wartae, Hukam wartae ap wekbe llurmukh kise bhujae. Tore bandhan howe mukat sabad m an wasae. Gurmukh jisno ap kare so howe ekas sion liwlae. Kahe N an ak ap ka rta ape hukam bhuj ae. The Supreme One by H is own F iat Createst all this X ature , And having done so supervisest it, Dy His Own Divine order ! Yea, by His Own order he run nest T his Show, which H o Himsolf beholdeth, But only few holy men knowWho arc ordained to know this Truth! Such a .oul givest unto the "'ord The innermost niche in t he palace of his heart, H e burstest all bonds, And is into Himself verily absorved. H e whom the Supreme One ordainest Attainest t his consummation , And he is wholly absorbed In this, the truest meditation !

xxnr Simmt sastar pun p a p bicharde tate sar n a jani. Tate sar na jani guru bnj hon tate sar na jan!. Tahi guni sansa r bharam suta s ulian raen wihani. Gur kirpa te se jan pge jina Har man waseya bole amrit ba ni. Kahe Nonak SO tat pae jisno andln Har livlage ;:'ig"t raen wihani. The Smritis and Shus! ras Deline what is good and evi l, But they know naught Of the EBsenec-Qllillt<'osenli,d-o i the Bcing-Rf>a1. Y ea, they knuw not. I)f t he B t"ing Rcal, 'Vitholtt he True Guru . they know if.. not l Thus world lie.t .sleep in the arms of th e Triad . And in thi, E!o~r i, a "'hole lifr's lime 10stl But by the r.hlnl l~ frlY (lllr. Some lr.n rn fn be UJl Hnd LInin,:!: :

They pin thoir fniLh on Cod , And SJn~ His WOlÂˇ~.n inginf\1 Sait.h Nanak , he who nttainr.!, to This Q\linte"cncr -t he Rea lity. jJnderlying, Meditates! oa\' "od ni~ht 01\ th n Lord T hl1~ p n~c;inl! his ni~ht nwakin~!

XXVIII

Mltta ke udar men pritpal kare so keon rna no wlsariah . Mano kion \Visaria eh wa d d am jo agan men ahar pohu chawe. Osno keh poh na saki jisno apnl fiv fawe. Apni li v lae ap e gurmukh sada samiilie. Kah e Nanak eh wad data so k ion mana wisfi.rye.

)

\r hy forget H im \\"110 oiJerid,est thee In tho womb of thine nlOt her'! \\' hy forge t thaL august Benefactor, \rho givcst thee sustenance c)cn in midst of fire I C\ olhing can way lay him Whom H e blesseh Himself with this meditation; But t.his the Supreme One doest, Himself Conferrnig 011 the holy Ones this bliss of communion! XXIX

Jaisi agan udar men tesi bahar maya. Maya agan sabh iko jehi karte khel raehaya, Jan tis bh ana tan jamili parwaf bhala paya, Liv chhurkl tiagi trisna maya amar wartaya, Eh maylt jit Hal' wisl'e moh upje bhao duja layD , Kahe Nanak gurparsadi jinan livlagi tini wiehe maya paya, E ven as there is Fire within the mother's womb, So is this M aya-thc world-encbantress, Outside that moving tomb! The fire of the Maya And t,hat of womb are selfsame akin; The Lord Who createst the world H ath a l30 set this play agoingl \\"hen it pleasest Him, a child is born , And with his fam ily he is pleased, The child givest up his erstwhile meditation Bccomest egotistic is hy the mammon seized I

(

Yea, thi i; is J1 aya whic h makest one forget the Lord; IV arldly Jove is thus ill him fostered , And man is then los! in labyrinth Oi r 1l11J1(" and; thinr-! ' and )::: wholly bewildered. But, ?\ anak, whose m<:ditati'\"c faculty Hath been fLwakened by the Guru's holy Toue'> Findest Him in this very \"orldYea, in Ma ya's firm steel Clutch!

xx..x Har ap amulak hae mul nil pay" Jae. Mul nr, paya jae kise witon rahe 10k willae Aes a satgur je mile tisno sir saupie wichon ap jae. Jisda jio tis mil rahe Har wase man ae. Har ap amulak hae bhag tina ke Nanaka jin Har pale pae. Prieelessly pj'ecious is the Lore! lIb price who can uticcrtain 'f His price cannot be ascertained, Though one's \\'hole life one may fret and fume I If thou meete.t " true Guru Who C!in di,pcl thine s ~nsc of 'I' Then t hou lllllst Cfitrust thine head io him Alld all behest;, WI th thine hean, comply! Thus thou shalt blend tids sell Witb That of wbi<'h it is a part, And thus thou shalt also find The Lord in Thine own heart I o Pri celess verily is God, Nanak, And blessed, indeed, is he,

54 In whose heart niche The Lord hastÂˇ made His entry I

XXXI

H ar ras meri man wanjara s atgur te ras jani. Har Har nit jape ji laha khato dihari. Eh dhan tina milya jin Har ape bhaniL Kahe Nanak Har ras llleri man boa w:lnjara. 0 , t he LOI'd Him,clf is my eap tal, And my mind is its dealer . Yea, H e i:5 my truest Stock-in- trade, As now expl ained by t he Master. o My soul, tltou must evcr chant Lord's Name I Thus, good harvest shall be daily thine, But this windfall fn lls is their lot On whom deseendest the Grace Divine.

xx.,'UI

Eh rasna tun anras rach rahi teri pias nah jae. Pias na jae horat kite jichar Har ras pale nr.. pae. Har ras pae pale pie eh Har ras bahur na trisna lage ae . Eh Har raS karmi paie satgur mile jis ae . Âˇ Kahe Nanak hor anras sabh wisre jan Har wase man ae.

t ongue I t hi ne thirst abatest not As thou art ticked by the othel' savour ; Thy thirst shall depart nevel' N ot unt il thou obtain God's own Elixir. If thou oht.ainest. and quaffest this Nectar , Thou shalt not t hir:-: tps t again,

But tlt is blessing In lis to t heir share, 'Vll o b~~ good der.ds thf'ir True Guru attain!

( S5

o Nanak: ",hrn

nil nr hrr ~\"all nr::; Th us pa lc into in signifi can ce, Then in the T cmple of mon 's h(' art T he Lord forcdh His ad mittance!

XXXIII

Eh sarira mareyll H ar turn m en jot rakhi tan tun jag men aeyi\. H ar jot rakhi tud wich Fin tun jag men aeya. H a l' apc m" t". ap" pita jin jio upae jagat dikhay ~ . Gurpar5adi b uj hi " tan c hala t h oa chalat nadri aeyi\, Kahe N un ak srist ka mul rach y>! jot rakhi ta n tun jag men aeyll.

mine morLal body thou ca me5t Int<> th is worl<1, Lhe earthly camp, When the Lord lighted T hine mind, t he li ttle l tlDlp~ Yea, thou earnest I nto this Himst'lf \Âˇ:11'1.1I 1y camp, When the Lur d li~h Ird Th ine lovely little lam!, : G od H imself is t he :\1"t1l0r, G od H imself i, tlie FaLher ; Having created man alH L woman H e ushered the", into 'his <lmld.-tbe Pair l When by t he Guru 's grace , Thou wi lt II ndC'I':-:i.alld the world 's lIiJdcnÂˇ

Import, I t will t.hen be tra n,i" 1'nwd , For it is then ]10 IItlwr than the holicst ~pon l Yea, when H e fOftn('d: Snilh 'Nnllak, T his m 'th 's R oot-Elemont, And i nft1~rrl Ligh t tlH'Tr-in. ThC'n thou oi d.;;,( "'tt'P loJ'l h into lbis Tent!

50 ) X.'I:...\:IV

]VIan chao bhaya prabh agam sunya. Har mangal gao sakhi greh mandar banya Har gao rnangal nit sakhie sog dukh na wiapae. Gur cbaran lage din subhage apna pir jape. Anhad bani gur sabad jani Har nam Har ras bhogo. Kahe Nanak prabh ap milya karan karan jogo. 0, My mind is transpor ted with bliss

o my

I' ve beard lIf Tlline tl lTi val , plUYlll utt:S 1 ~ in g songs of welcome EoI'

HI)"

house i.::; turned into the Lord's

own Templell 0, 8ing, e'er sing, this song of "\Velcorne ~l y dear fl'll'IH1.:;, my following, Tlius, y c sh al t al,o ri,e Ab ove all so rrOw and suffering I 0, Bl essed the D a". tlw owntful D ay \Yh t'll 1 It' [} Ol! tIll' CU rti;:; F ret,

And from H im

d i d~r

Y~': r , ho\\" til

li'tt I'n this Sotk ct l"i lc-ri '$l1 III :"" H u~b::1O d-sweet!l

T ile Gnru 's \ \'urd ini\"i:dl'd m e 'C nlO ilJi:!' r Jl\ ' flding - " ~()n ! -Di vine, Wil erl'by that. ('squ;,tt, lT nly Rclisb Thr J.{ll\l'; own E::.::.:enec is mine !! o N an fl k, t!ll' Lord Hilll:-elf II " th )l Id IllP! yen H imself verily He IT., doest niL and to do all

He is eOtr c(Jlllp<Âˇtcnt. and free !!

XXXV

Eh sarirIT marea is jag maen aeke kaya tud mann kamayu. Keh Kram kamay a tud sarira

( 57 jan tun jag men ay ~. Jin Har te ra rachan rachya so har manon na wasaya. GUlparsadi Har man wasyl1 purab likhya payil. Kahe Nanak eh sarir parwan hOl> jin satgur sio chit iaya .

my body I what hast thou accomplished By coming into this world? Yea, what hast thou done , 0 t hou body, Whell thou cam est into this world? To the Lord who fashioned thec Thou bast not given place in thine heart! But by the Gw-u's grace is this end reached H a rvest of rich deeds past! o N anak, the body Of t hat disciple is t hen purified, When he kccpest his "[(<lnton In the Lotus. Feet of the Mast<lr enshrined I XJL"XVI

Eh n etro mereo Har tum meh jot dhari H ar bin awar nn dekho koi. Har bin awar nil dekho kOi nadri Har nihalya . Eh wis sansar tum dekhede eh Har ka rup h ae Har rup nadri aya. Gur parsadi bujhya jan wekhan Har ik hae H ar bin awar na koi. Kahe Nanak eh netar andh se satgur milie dib drist hOi,

o mine eyes ! it

was the Lord "Âˇho blessed t.hee with lig!lt! Why else l.han that sec ye aught Whi chÂˇ witb the Lord's own light is bright ? Yea, see naught as apart. From the Supreme Lord ,

( 58 Thus, peace tra nscendent Bhall be thine rc\\-al'd ~ This world that thou beholdst as poison h '-enly God', OW11 Vesture!- God's face will shine therein, Wben by lhe Guru's grace, 'tis understood, Then all plurality will ,"llnbh into Onel Yea, lhr l'e i:-i none besides Hi m, 0 Nnnak ; B~t then I wus blind, And it was not unt il I meL the Maater T ha t Eye-Divine, did I fi nd I!

","X..,:VII Eh sarwano mereo saehe sunne nOn pathae , Sache sunnen no pathae sarir lae sunon sat bani. Jit suni man tan hary" hoa rasna ras sa mani. Saeb alakh wadani tanki gat kahi na jae. Kabe Nanak amrit nam suno pwitar howo sache sunne no pathae,

o mjnc

ears! Yc were sent To heal' tr ut h, yea, to hear naught but Truth, Ye .. IVere added on unto the body: T o hear Ihis Lhc True unbeateD-Wordl By hearing this W ord , The soul u.nd body are \'erily resuscitated, I\.nd the tongue itself a l"o is then By the Supremo Eo"cnce ,,-holly engulbd I The True One is wonderfu l, In apprehensible, And is t.ranscendent fOI500U1, S"ith Nanal<, hear this edifying immortal word F'or, ye were sent to hear the truthl

(

XX-\. VIII

Har jio guphan andar rakhke wajii pawan wajaya. Wajay a \Vaja pawan non daware pargat !tie daswan guP"t rakha ya. Gurd"are Iae bhawani ikna daswan dowa r dikhaya reh a naik rup nonnidh tis da ant na jai paya. Kahe Nanak Har piare jio guph an andar rakhke waja pawan wajaya. The Lord buried. His Spirit somewhere I n C~\YC VI Ul a n 'l:) bean, Yea, H e 1'lng(~st, unlH:at.<:lI st.rai ns or Symphony 1 By l.he Super- agency of Breath. Yea , H e l'ingi:Âˇ ~t C'tT t.he. :::hains of Symphony, The "Nine Gates of Ul aD, He kcppest open. bu t titi" T he Tenth i; wholly bidJl'n. But to some lucky "oub H e vouchsafest, T hrough tht' Guru 's favour, The facult y to explore th isThe Tenth-the hidden D oor! The ~'e are chanted innumerate strains

Of holy SymphollY, which embody and encover

All Nine songs cla~si cal ; but e'en this Dost not fully exhaust His Holy Character! XXXIX

Eh sacha sohila sache ghar gawo. Gawo tan sohila ghar sache jithe sada sach dhiawe, Sacha dhiawe jan tud bhawe gurmukh jina buihawe. Eh s'lch sabhna ka kh asa m hae jis bakhse so jan pawe. Kahe Nanak sach sohila sache ghar gawe.

\60

Sing yc thiti Pacuu III tlla~ tempie of the Truest )'Iansion,

Yea, sing till:; Paean in the House Wlrere there i. the unending meditation I o they meditate 011 Trutll "~ho, Ly Guru's graN' , imbibe wisdolll, Thi. tI,ey do 011 WllUlll Tholl conferrcst (jnd(·l'~'iU)c.Jiug-Hs Tuou muycst order! Tbou arL the ClII)lIllOll-Husband,

Thou wo,lde.t Him whom Ho mayest ordain: Saith l\1~nak, 8-ing t·hid song of rejoicing III t·he I.,·mple wl,ere there is this holy wedding!

XI, Anand suno wadbha~io sagal manorath pure. Par braham prabh pay" utre saga\ wisure. Dukh rog santap utre suni 5achi bani. Sant sajaD bhae sarse pure gur te jan!. Sunte punit kahtee pawlt 5atgur reha bharpure. Binwant Nanak gurcharan luge waje anhnd ture. Listen! 0 li:::ti'll. ~(Jn~ IIi Huly RuptUfl' o ye fortunate men, All of thine YCtlrning' WiU verily then b~ crowned with wislJrs iruition I ~ 0, I have attained tht' IllcIT:"ble One. And all nty ~tJI· t·",," hath ned ~ Yca 1 my wOP.":, illY ~( I1"I'( I\\-';: and ;:.uffl'l'ings stoppe::J At nu('I,' on hl':ll'ing thi:, "Yorel! Saints ane! hnly tnl'n lin all climes)

Are transported with joy when they hear,

61 Thi~ con :. u nn n ~ILion

!llWincd at last,

T IJl'tl tl gh p ::dC'I!L

Guru::;

favoul'!~

\\ 110 iwur, Stuink-. t l. y, wh" u!.ler th e Salop , TJll~ True Guru losl lI uiz IO~l! l1is plenitude Ly lighting tld:: Flau1(;!! o 'X!IIl ak: I :1mnn :11lc1 J'l'-~~ lJi l'rn ~Ti ::: lJ)' inJlillg on the' al1t'lI J~ T.otllS Feet·, Th"t th j ~ l'n,·ndillg-DjYinc-Word .1'U1't

~lrt tb,\~'

"·c\t(.':;t up-hi:J;III'st.

SAT

I {( \~\\'('n l icst ,

AKAL

t"~~~~----~~~~--~--~~""~~

U,d"m,,",",d

* charge from * application. *

T"",

"m 0'

co. b,

tbe office of the Association on

•

Guru Na nak's Mission

2. Cross and the crown 3. ]apjce Sahib. 4. Sikh Gurus and Untouchability. 5,

Guru Nanak the Saviour of the world.

Short Life of Guru Goblnd Singh.

The Sikh and the Singh.

8 and 9. 10. 11.

Ihh Ras and Kirtan SohUa.

Guru Goblnd Singh's Mission. The Anand Sahib,

ARJAN SINGH MAN Genua[ Secretary

The Bengal Sikh Missionary Association 172, Harrison Raad, Ca[cuffa.

• ,

PRA8,\SI PRESS. CALCUTTA

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