For one that we miss we lose our faith.
What if That One gave us nothing?
What if the ten gifts were taken back?
Then what would we do?
Helpless before our Sovereign,
We must always pay homage.
Those who are drawn to the divine sweetness,
Are full of joy and peace.
Those who are blessed to live by the Will,
Says Nanak, they win all the treasures of the world.
2 Our Merchant dispenses untold wealth;
We spend it on food, drink, fun and games.
But if the Merchant recalls part of the deposit,
Our ignorant mind begins to protest.
Thus we lose our credit
And never regain our trust.
All things we must offer to Whom they belong,
We must bow low to the Will.
So will we be blessed four times over,
Says Nanak, the Sovereign is always generous.
3 There are countless attractions in the visible world,
Surely we should see their transience.
If we attach ourselves to the shade of the tree,
We will mourn its passing.
Whatever we see is fleeting,
Why then are we blindly entangled?
If we fall in love with an itinerant,
We will be left with no body to embrace.
My mind, the love of the Name brings peace,
Says Nanak, You Yourself so graciously inspire it in us.
4 Our body, wealth, family—all are fleeting.
Fleeting are ego, attachment, and every visible thing,
Fleeting are power and youth, property and riches,
Fleeting are the dreadful passions of lust and anger,
Fleeting are chariots, elephants, horses, and regalia,
Fleeting is the laughter of our illusory pleasures,
Fleeting are deceit, desire and arrogance,
Fleeting is pride in our self.
Only devotion in the company of the faithful is everlasting.
Says Nanak, I live to worship the divine Feet.
5 False are the ears which hear slander against others,
False are the hands which snatch the wealth of others,
False are the eyes which crave the beauty of another’s wife,
False is the tongue which savours tastes other than the One,
False are the feet which run to harm others,
False is the mind which hankers after the goods of others,
False is the body which does not help others,
False is the nose which inhales illicit smells.
Without true understanding, we stray in lies,
Says Nanak, that body alone is worthy which remembers the Name.
6 Worthless in life is worship of the body,
How can we be pure without the Truth?
Without the Name, the body is worthless and blind,
And life leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Without contemplation, days and nights are worthless and wasted,
As crops without rain.
Without recitation of the Name all deeds are worthless,
As money hoarded by a miser.
Blessed are they who resonate with the Name,
Says Nanak, I ecstatically offer myself to them.
7 We display discipline but our deeds are quite different,
We talk of spiritual union but have no love in our hearts.
The All-knowing who sees through everything
Is not fooled by our façade.
We preach but we do not practise
As we come and go in the cycle of birth and death.
Those who have the Formless One within
Redeem the whole world through their teaching.
Those who please You come to recognize You,
Says Nanak, I pay homage at their feet.
8 We offer our prayers, but the Sovereign knows all before.
How You celebrate Your own creation!
You Yourself decide how we fare.
Some think of You as far away, some feel You close by.
You transcend all skills and cleverness,
You truly know our inmost selves.
They who please You, You draw towards You.
How You permeate each and every place.
Those You bless, they alone become Your devotees,
Says Nanak, remember the Divine every moment.
6 Lust, anger, greed, attachment, and pride,
may they all leave me.
Says Nanak, I have come to Your refuge,
grant me Your blessing, my supreme Guru.
1 Through whose bounty we taste the six and thirty delicacies,
We must keep That One in our mind.
Through whose bounty we perfume our body,
By remembering That One we reach the highest state.
Through whose bounty we live happily in our homes,
We must always celebrate That One in ourselves.
Through whose bounty we enjoy our family,
We must meditate upon That One night and day.
Through whose bounty we revel in pleasure,
Says Nanak, remember That One ever worthy of remembrance.
2 Through whose bounty we wear lovely silks,
Why abandon That One and desire another?
Through whose bounty we sleep in comfort,
We should exalt That One night and day.
Through whose bounty we are honoured by all,
We should recite aloud the glory of That One.
Through whose bounty we perform our duty,
We should always remember that single Supreme Being.
Contemplating the Beloved we are exalted in the Court,
Says Nanak, with honour we enter our true Home.
3 Through whose bounty we received this healthy golden body,
We must attach ourselves with love to That One.
Through whose bounty our honour is maintained,
Our mind finds peace by venerating That One.
Through whose bounty all our faults are hidden,
We should seek refuge in That One.
Through whose bounty we succumb to no enemy,
We should remember that Exalted One with every breath.
Through whose bounty we received this precious body,
Says Nanak, we should be totally devoted to That One.
4 Through Whose bounty we wear jewels,
Why are we too lazy to remember That One?
Through Whose bounty we ride horses and elephants,
My mind, never forget That One.
Through whose bounty we own property and gardens,
We should keep That One beaded like pearls in our mind.
Through whose bounty our minds and bodies are shaped,
Sitting or standing, we must ever remember That One.
Contemplate That One, the only Unfathomable One,
Says Nanak, That One protects us here and in the hereafter.
5 Through whose bounty we give alms and charity,
We must remember That One day and night.
Through whose bounty we conduct our duties and obligations,
We must remember That One with every breath.
Through whose bounty we receive our beautiful form,
We must always remember That One’s incomparable beauty.
Through whose bounty we receive our noble birth,
We must always remember That One day and night.
Through whose bounty we are honoured,
Says Nanak, through the Guru’s blessing,
we exalt That One.
6 Through whose bounty our ears hear the sacred melody,
Through whose bounty our eyes behold the sublime wonder,
Through whose bounty our tongue recites the ambrosial Word,
Through whose bounty we live in peaceful harmony,
Through whose bounty our han
ds perform good deeds,
Through whose bounty we blossom into perfection,
Through whose bounty we reach the highest state,
Through whose bounty we find peace and equanimity,
Why discard That One and desire another?
Says Nanak, through the Guru’s blessing, may our minds be enlightened.
7 Through whose bounty we are acclaimed in the world,
My mind, never forget That One.
Through whose bounty we are exalted in the world,
My foolish mind, why do you not worship That One?
Through whose bounty our tasks are fulfilled,
My mind, know That One as always present.
Through whose bounty we find Truth,
My mind, enshrine That One.
Through whose bounty we are all liberated,
Says Nanak, contemplate That One.
8 Touched by You, they contemplate Your Name,
Inspired by You, they sing Your praise.
By Your favour, we are enlightened,
By Your compassion, our hearts blossom like the lotus.
When You are pleased, You dwell in our minds.
By Your compassion, our wisdom is heightened.
In Your benevolence, all treasures are contained.
None of us accomplishes anything on our own.
Sustainer, as You impel us, so we go,
Says Nanak, there is nothing our own hands can hold.
7 Unfathomable, Infinite is the Transcendent One, they who
speak of That One are liberated.
Says Nanak, listen, I beg you my friend, to the marvellous story of the faithful
1 In the company of the faithful, our faces glow,
In the company of the faithful, our impurities wash away,
In the company of the faithful, pride disappears,
In the company of the faithful, wisdom appears,
In the company of the faithful, we see the One close by,
In the company of the faithful, our conflicts flee,
In the company of the faithful, we receive the Jewel of the Name,
In the company of the faithful, we concentrate on attaining the One,
Who can truly honour the faithful?
Says Nanak, the praise of the faithful partakes of the Divine.
2 In the company of the faithful,
the Imperceptible is perceived,
In the company of the faithful, life always bears fruit,
In the company of the faithful, the five passions are under control,
In the company of the faithful, we taste the immortal elixir,
In the company of the faithful, we are humble
as the dust of everyone’s feet,
In the company of the faithful, our speech
becomes eloquent,
In the company of the faithful, we stop chasing to and fro,
In the company of the faithful, we acquire serenity,
In the company of the faithful, we are not enticed by the visible world,
Says Nanak, when we join the faithful, the Divine is pleased.
3 In the company of the faithful, the enemy becomes
our friend,
In the company of the faithful, we are cleansed of all filth,
In the company of the faithful, we are freed of enmity,
In the company of the faithful, we do not go astray,
In the company of the faithful, no fellow being seems bad,
In the company of the faithful, we know supreme bliss,
In the company of the faithful, we are freed of all suffering,
In the company of the faithful, we are rid of our ego,
You Yourself know the greatness of the faithful,
Says Nanak, the faithful and the Divine unite in friendship.
4 In the company of the faithful, we do not run in circles,
In the company of the faithful, we find peace,
In the company of the faithful, we fathom the Unfathomable,
In the company of the faithful, we bear the unbearable,
In the company of the faithful, we live in an exalted state,
In the company of the faithful, we reach the Mansion,
In the company of the faithful, we resolve to act righteously,
In the company of the faithful, we experience only the Transcendent,
In the company of the faithful, we find the treasure of the Name,
Says Nanak, I offer myself to the faithful.
5 In the company of the faithful, we liberate our people,
In the company of the faithful, we save our companions, friends and families,
In the company of the faithful, we obtain that treasure
Which profits everyone.
In the company of the faithful, the god of death is our servant,
In the company of the faithful, we are honoured by the gods,
In the company of the faithful, evil is dispelled,
In the company of the faithful, we sing immortal praise,
In the company of the faithful, we reach our destination,
Says Nanak, in the company of the faithful, our life is rewarding.
6 In the company of the faithful, we cease to struggle,
By their very sight we are redeemed,
In the company of the faithful, misdeeds are dispelled,
In the company of the faithful, hell is banished,
In the company of the faithful, peace is found
here and in the hereafter,
In the company of the faithful, we are united with the One we lost.
Whatever we desire, we are granted,
In the company of the faithful, we are not
left empty-handed.
The Transcendent abides in the heart of the faithful.
Says Nanak, we are liberated by hearing the joy of the faithful.
7 In the company of the faithful, hear the Name,
In the company of the faithful, recite the praise,
In the company of the faithful, we are ever mindful,
In the company of the faithful, we are surely liberated,
In the company of the faithful, we taste the sweetness of the Divine,
In the company of the faithful, we see the One in each and every heart,
In the company of the faithful, we obey the Will,
In the company of the faithful, we are delivered for eternity,
In the company of the faithful, we are freed from all sickness,
Says Nanak, we are fortunate to meet with the faithful.
8 The greatness of the faithful is beyond ancient scriptures,
For these record only what they have heard.
The praise of the faithful is beyond the three strands,
The praise of the faithful extends everywhere.
The glory of the faithful has no limit,
The glory of the faithful is forever infinite,
The glory of the faithful is the highest of the high,
The glory of the faithful is the greatest of the great,
The glory of the faithful can be voiced by the faithful alone,
Says Nanak, between the faithful and the One, there is no distinction.
8 Truth is in their minds, Truth is on their lips.
Except for the One, they see no other.
Says Nanak, these are the qualities of the enlightened.
1 The enlightened in this world are unattached,
Like the lotus in the pond, untouched by water.
The enlightened are without fault,
Like the sun free from all moisture.
The enlightened view everyone equally,
Like the air touching king and beggar alike.
The enlightened retain their poise,
Like the earth dug over or revered with sandal paste.
The enlightened maintain a steady temperament,
Says Nanak, like fire burning at its natural temperature.
2 The enlightened are the purest of the
pure,
Like water never defiled by filth.
The minds of the enlightened are spread with light,
As the earth is spread with the sky.
The enlightened treat friend and foe alike,
The enlightened have no pride,
The enlightened are the highest of the high,
But in their humility they are the lowest of the low.
They alone become enlightened,
Says Nanak, who are inspired by the Divine Itself.
3 The enlightened see themselves as the dust of all people,
The enlightened see to the spiritual core,
The enlightened are kind to all,
The enlightened inflict no harm,
The enlightened view everyone alike,
The enlightened cast ambrosial glances,
The enlightened are free from all constraints,
The enlightened live in purity,
The enlightened make knowledge their food and drink,
Says Nanak, the enlightened are attuned to the Transcendent.
4 The enlightened regard the One as their only support,
The enlightened are immortal,
The enlightened are steeped in humility,
The enlightened delight in helping others,
The enlightened are free from all entanglements,
The enlightened still the flickering mind;
The enlightened act only for the good,
The enlightened reap the fruit of all their actions,
The enlightened liberate all who accompany them,
Says Nanak, the entire world exalts the enlightened.
5 The enlightened are suffused with the single hue,
The enlightened dwell with the One,
The enlightened have the Name as their refuge,
The enlightened have the Name as their family,
The enlightened are ever awake,
The enlightened discard their ego,
The enlightened enjoy supreme bliss,
The home of the enlightened is full of joy,
The enlightened live in peace and serenity,
Says Nanak, the enlightened are immortal.
6 The enlightened know the Transcendent,
The enlightened love only the One,
The enlightened are free from anxiety,
The enlightened follow a perfect mandate,
The enlightened are enlightened by the Divine Itself,
Hymns of the Sikh Gurus Page 14
