Hymns of the Gurus

by Khushwant Singh

  He manifests Himself through His Word divine.

  He hath no mother or father or other kin

  He hath no woman nor lusts for one;

  He hath no forefathers, nothing contaminates Him,

  He is endless, He is infinite.

  Thou art the light of all light.

  In every heart art Thou hid

  In every heart burneth Thy light.

  The guru’s message bursts open the granite doors to understanding

  And it reveals the Fearless One entranced in profound meditation.

  He created life and over it spread the pall of death

  All man’s cunning devices He knows and controls.

  Serve the true guru, a priceless treasure will be thine.

  To gain release, live according to the Word divine.

  If thy vessel (thy body) be clean, the True One will enter it and there remain;

  But rare are those whose character is without stain.

  As essences merge in the quintessence

  So doth man’s soul blend in the primal soul.

  Sayeth Nanak, Lord, Thou art my refuge.

  * * *

  Jis jal nidhi karan tum jag aye so amrit gur pahi jeeo

  The elixir you came into the world to seek

  That sacred font of nectar you’ll find with the guru;

  Take off your mask and other disguises

  Give up trickery and all other pursuit

  Doubt and duality bear no fruit.

  Man, stand firm, go not astray

  If elsewhere you look, yours will be frustration and grief

  For the ambrosia you seek

  Is within your heart, within your home.

  Abandon the path of evil, take the path of virtue

  You’ll regret the evil acts you do.

  If you know not good from evil, (the further you go)

  The deeper in the mire will you sink.

  Of what avail is external washing of the body,

  When the grime of greed and falsehood is within?

  If under the guru’s guidance you worship the pure Name

  You will be saved, your inner self be cleansed of sin.

  Discard greed and calumny, with falsehood make no compromise

  With the guru’s teaching pluck the fruit of truth.

  As be Thy will, O Lord,

  So keep me, I crave.

  Praises of Thy Word I’ll sing,

  Nanak is Thy bond slave.

  * * *

  Jeeo darat hai apna kai seo karee pukar

  My mind is beset with fears

  Before whom shall I cry for help?

  I shall serve the Remover of Sorrows

  He is forever bountiful, He gives me what I ask.

  My Master reveals Himself,

  Ever fresh, forever new,

  He is forever and ever bountiful.

  Night and day will I serve my Master

  When comes my end, He will be my Redeemer.

  Woman who has bewitched my heart, O hark! O hear!

  The Lord alone can take us to the other shore.

  O Merciful Lord, Thy Name shall be my boat.

  To Thee shall I sacrifice my life forever.

  In all the world Thou alone art True

  There is none besides Thee

  On whom falls Thy grace,

  Are destined to serve Thee.

  Beloved, without Thee how shall I survive?

  Grant me the boon that I cling to Thy Name.

  My Love, there is no other to whom I can turn.

  Master, Thee alone shall I serve, of Thee alone will I beg;

  Forever will Nanak be Thy servant.

  Every joint and limb of my body I dedicate to Him,

  Yea, every limb and every joint I offer to my Master.

  * * *

  Jeeo tapat hai baro bar

  Fires of temptation assail me time and again,

  I weaken and am a prey to many ills;

  I forgot the guru’s hymns

  And like one chronically sick and in bodily pain

  I groan and moan and complain.

  Too much talk is foolish prattle

  Without our telling

  He knows everything

  That is worth knowing.

  He who gave us ears, eyes and nose,

  Who gave us tongue so cunning of speech,

  He who preserved us in the furnace of the womb

  At His bidding is all the breath we breathe.

  As strong our attachments, our loves and cravings

  So black is the stain they leave on our reputations.

  Those who pursue the path of transgression will be branded

  And will not find a seat in His presence.

  By Thy grace we have power to worship Thy Name

  Thy Name alone saves, we have no other recourse.

  Even those sunk can thus be salvaged

  O Nanak, the True One is bounteous towards everyone.

  * * *

  Chor salahai cheet na bheejai, jey badi karai ta tasoo na chheejai

  Words of praise from a thief do not please the mind

  Nor words of calumny spoken by him in the least detract;

  For a thief no one stands surety, no one will hold a brief

  How can anything good be expected of a thief?

  My mind, listen! Thou blind, base cur! listen forsooth

  Without being told, the True One finds the Truth.

  A thief may appear learned and wise

  He’ll be a base coin worth two pies

  However much you mix the base with the genuine

  Base will be found to be base when carefully examined.

  As our acts, so will our deserts be

  As we sow, so shall we reap;

  Of himself whatever a man may say

  (It changes not his real self) his senses determine his way.

  A hundred lies he may tell to cover up his filth and falsehood;

  He may win acclaim all over the world.

  (It will not help, the base can never be good)

  If it be Thy will, even a fool wilt Thou receive

  O Nanak, He is wise and omniscient,

  Nobody doth the Lord deceive.

  * * *

  ARTI: Gagan mai thal ravi chand dipak banai

  The firmament is Thy salver

  The sun and moon Thy lamps;

  The galaxy of stars as pearls strewn.

  A mountain of sandal is Thy joss-stick

  Breezes that blow Thy fan;

  All the woods and vegetation

  All flowers that bloom

  Take their colours from Thy light.

  Thus we wave the salver of lamps

  How beautiful is this ritual!

  Thou art the destroyer of the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

  In Thy temple echo beats the drum unstruck by hands.

  A thousand eyes hast Thou, yet no eye hast Thou.

  A thousand shapes hast Thou, yet no shape hast Thou.

  A thousand feet hast Thou, yet no foot hast Thou.

  A thousand nostrils hast Thou, yet no nose hast Thou.

  These are miracles that have bewitched my heart.

  Thine is the light in every lamp.

  Thine the radiance in all that is radiant.

  The guru’s teaching illumines our minds.

  What pleases Him is the true worship of lamps.

  As the honey bee seeks honey in flowers

  My soul which is ever athirst,

  Seeks Thy lotus feet

  To slake its thirst for nectar.

  Lord, show Thy mercy

  Give Nanak the water he seeks.

  He like the sarang cries for rain

  Let him forever abide in Thy Name.

  * * *

  Gur sagar ratani bharpoorey

  The guru is a sea full of pearls

  The saintly are like swans that feed

  And are never far from its shore.

  They pick up their share of t
he nectar (of the Name)

  The Lord loves them and holds them dear.

  In this sea the swans find God, the Lord of life.

  The wretched heron wades in the dirty pond

  It wallows in the mire, it cannot be cleansed.

  The wise watch their steps ere they go

  They reject duality and worship God as the Formless One.

  They drink nectar and attain salvation

  The guru rescues them from the cycle of death and rebirth.

  Swans never leave the sea,

  With love and adoration they gently become a part of it.

  Then is the swan in the sea and the sea within the swan

  It knows the unknowable and pays homage to the guru’s words.

  Entranced in profound meditation is the Divine Yogi

  He is neither male nor female, how can one describe Him?

  In the three worlds is His divine light worshipped

  Gods and men and ascetics seek refuge in Him.

  God is the root of the tree of bliss,

  He is the Protector of the helpless;

  In meditation and in worship

  Men of God follow the gentle method of sahaj.

  God cherishes His worshippers, He is the Destroyer of fear

  Man conquers his ego, his steps turn towards the Lord.

  Man tries countless other devices but death dogs his footsteps;

  For those who came into the world, death is destined

  Life is an invaluable gift, man squanders it in duality,

  He knows it not himself, he stumbles in doubt and sorely grieves.

  Those who know speak, read, and hear praises of the One God,

  The God who supports the earth,

  He instils in them faith and fortitude, and becomes their protector.

  Their minds become chaste, righteous and self-controlled

  If they choose, they attain the fourth estate.

  So pure are the truthful, nothing can soil them;

  The guru’s teaching dispels doubt and fear.

  Nanak begs of the Truthful One, the Primal Lord

  Handsome of face and feature which are beyond compare.

  * * *

  Teerath navan jao teerath Nam hai

  Why go ye on pilgrimage to bathe in holy waters?

  Know that real pilgrimage is worship of the Name!

  True pilgrimage is meditation on the Word and knowledge of the self.

  Knowledge imparted by the guru is more real (than a sacred river bank);

  It is more rewarding than bathing on the ten holy days;

  It is like an unending festival of Dussehra.

  Forever shall I beg the Name of God, Hari.

  God, Sustainer of the world, give Thy Name to me!

  The world is sick, God’s Name is the remedy.

  If we do not have the Name of the True One

  We shall forever be smeared in sin.

  The guru’s teaching is pure, eternally effulgent.

  It is ever the truest pilgrimage and ablution.

  Dirt does not stick to those who are truthful

  They have no need to scrub or rinse themselves.

  If you string a garland of good deeds around your neck,

  You need not then raise cries of regret.

  Contemplation conquers ego,

  It helps man save himself and save others.

  It prevents rebirth.

  The one who contemplates becomes the supreme meditator.

  The touchstone (whereby all truths are tested)

  The truthful please the Truthful One.

  Day and night is he in true ecstatic bliss

  Sin and sorrow do not afflict him.

  He hath found the Name of the True One.

  The guru hath shown him the way to God.

  No sin can stain him because

  The True One abides in his heart.

  Meeting and companionship of the men of God is real bathing, true pilgrimage,

  One who sings the songs of the Lord is himself exalted,

  Praise the True One, have faith in the true guru.

  Thy nature will turn to giving alms and charity,

  Performing of good deeds and acts of mercy.

  If thou love being with thy Lord

  In the gentle stream of sahaj willst thou then bathe

  It is a stream as holy as the Sangam

  (Where meet Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati).

  Thou shalt be the truest of the true;

  Thou shalt worship the One God who is the truth

  And whose bounty ever increaseth.

  Friends! Company of the saintly

  Is the way to salvation.

  God grants this in His grace and unites us with Himself.

  Everyone speaks of the Lord

  Who can say how great He is?

  I am foolish, low-born and ignorant

  I learn from the guru’s teaching

  Which is like drinking pure nectar.

  It persuaded my mind to accept the truth.

  We come into the world with a load of sin,

  We depart with the self-same load.

  Only my guru’s teaching explains the truth to me.

  We can endlessly talk of the Lord; He Himself is the keeper of the treasure of worship.

  His presence is felt everywhere.

  Nanak speaks the truth and pleads

  He who cleanses his heart is truly cleansed.

  * * *

  Yak arj guftam pes to dar gos kun kartar

  Creator! A petition I place at Thy door

  Give ear and hear what I have to say.

  Thou art just, great, merciful and of evil free

  Thou art Protector of all things that be.

  We must always bear in mind

  That the world is perishable.

  The angel of death hath my hair in his grasp

  And yet my heart hath no knowledge of it.

  Neither wife nor son, neither father nor brother,

  Not one can extend to me a helping hand!

  When comes my time to depart,

  Time to say the final prayer

  No one will hear my call,

  And to my rescue come.

  Night and day, I trod the path of greed

  My mind thought only evil thoughts

  I did not do any good deed.

  I am unfortunate, niggardly and thoughtless,

  A shameless wretch am I;

  I have even lost the fear of God.

  Sayeth Nanak, Thy slave am I,

  Yea, I am the dust of the feet of Thy slaves.

  * * *

  Ih tan maya pahia pyarey leetda lab rangae

  Dear friend, I am like one drowned in a dyer’s vat

  Brimful with delusions of maya

  I have become like a cloth dyed with greed.

  Dear friend, the colour of my cloak

  Pleases not the Lord my Groom.

  How then shall I who am His bride,

  Be invited to His nuptial couch?

  Let my life be a sacrifice unto Thee, O Merciful One!

  Let my life be a sacrifice!

  Let my life be a sacrifice to those who worship Thy Name.

  Yea, let my life be sacrificed to them a hundred times.

  Dear friend, if the body be like a dyer’s vat

  We must fill it with the madder of the Lord’s Name;

  The Divine Dyer will dye it in hues none hath ever seen.

  Dear friend, she whose garment is thus dyed

  Hath the Lord her Groom by her side.

  Nanak prays for the dust of her feet.

  The Lord weaves the cloth and dyes it.

  He Himself appraises the colours.

  Sayeth Nanak, if the woman thus adorned please Him

  He will be gracious and take her unto Himself.

  * * *

  Jog na khintha, jog na dandey, jog na bhasam chadhaeeai

  Religion lieth not in the patched coat the yogi wears,

&nbs
p; Not in the staff he bears,

  Nor in the ashes on his body.

  Religion lieth not in rings in the ears,

  Not in a shaven head,

  Nor in the blowing of the conch-shell.

  If thou must the path of true religion see,

  Among the world’s impurities, be of impurities free.

  Not by talk can you achieve union

  He who sees all mankind as equals

  Can be deemed to be a yogi.

  Religion lieth not in visiting tombs

  Nor in visiting places where they burn the dead

  Not in sitting entranced in contemplation

  Nor in wandering in the countryside or foreign lands

  Nor in bathing at places of pilgrimage.

  If thou must the path of true religion see,

  Among the world’s impurities, be of impurities free.

  When a man meets the true guru

  His doubts are dispelled

  And his mind ceases its wanderings;

  Drops of nectar pour down on him like rain.

  His ears catch strains of sahaj’s celestial music

  And his mind is lit up with knowledge divine.

  If thou must the path of true religion see,

  Among the world’s impurities, be of impurities free.

  Sayeth Nanak, if thou must be a real yogi,

  Be in the world but be dead to its tinsel values.

  When the lute strikes notes without being touched

  Know then that thou hast conquered fear.

  If thou must the path of true religion see,

  Among the world’s impurities, be of impurities free.

  * * *

  Sabh avgun mai gun nahi koe

  Full of evil, no virtues have I

  How will I my husband meet?

  My face is not comely, there is no lustre in my eyes

  I have no lineage, no winsome ways, nor sweet speech.

  She who comes adorned with the beauty nature gave

  Shall find favour with her Lord

  And her marriage consummated.

  He hath neither form nor shape

  But seek Him now.

  Put of not prayer till the end is near.

  I have no sense, no learning, no ability

  Lord have mercy, let me clasp Thy feet.

  What avail is my youth

  If it please not my Lord?

  Maya hath deluded me; I have lost my way.

  When the notion of self goes, God enters

  Then the bride finds her Groom and the nine treasures.

  Many lives have I spent sorrowing separated from Thee

  My Lord, my lover take me in Thine arms and save me

  Says Nanak: those He likes, He accepts

  The Lord is—and ever shall be.

  * * *

  Sau ulame dinai key rati milan sahans

  The day’s hundred regrets

  By night multiply tenfold;

  As a swan instead of feeding on pearls