Hymns of the Gurus

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Hymns of the Gurus Page 11

by Khushwant Singh

Asks Nanak, true Lord what is there not found in Your house?

  * * *

  Sacha nam mera adharo

  Name of the true Lord is my support

  With the true name’s help, I lost all my hungers

  It gave me peace of mind, contentment and fulfilled all my desires

  Forever may my life be sacrificed to the guru who is so great

  Says Nanak, ye men of God, cherish his words

  For the name of the true one is my mainstay.

  * * *

  Vaje panch sabad titu dhari sabhage

  All five kinds of musical instruments

  Play in the hearts of the blessed;

  In their blessed homes plays celestial music

  Where God has infused his magic and might.

  And the five evils (lust, anger, greed, self-love and arrogance) are suppressed

  And the fear of death is no more

  Only those who were predestined

  Attach themselves and the true name find.

  Says Nanak, there is always happiness

  Where uninterrupted divine music plays.

  * * *

  Kalao masaajni ki-aa sadaeai hirdai hi likh leho

  Why need you pen and ink? Write upon your heart.

  Dye yourself in the colour of the Lord, and you are his forever.

  Pen and ink will not endure, nor even what was written.

  O Nanak, love of the Lord shall not perish; it is a gift from the True One.

  * * *

  Anadu sunhu vadbhagiho

  Hearing the divine music all your heart’s desires will be fulfilled.

  You will find the great creator,

  All your worldly cares will disappear;

  Pain, sickness, worry will vanish

  When you hear the true hymns of praise.

  Pious and holy men will be overjoyed, assures the true guru.

  Purified are they who hear,

  And purified they who sing

  The Lord is to be found in his words.

  Says Nanak, you clasp the sacred feet of the guru

  And you will hear divine music for eternity.

  GURU RAM DAS (1534-1581)

  There are 679 hymns by Guru Ram Das in the Adi Granth.

  Gur satgur ka jo sikh akhae

  He who would call himself the disciple of the Guru, the True Guru,

  Should rise early and meditate on Hari who is God.

  He should bathe in the ’nectar-pool’

  And labour during the day.

  He should hear the words of the Guru his teacher

  And repeat the names of Hari

  For then will his sins be forgiven him and his suffering cease.

  As the day advances, let him sing the hymns of the Guru

  And keep the Lord in his mind in all he does.

  He that repeats the name of Hari with every breath

  And with every morsel that he eats

  He is the real Sikh, him the Guru loves.

  He to whom the Lord is gracious

  Listens to the Guru’s teaching and becomes his disciple.

  Nanak, your servant begs for the dust of the feet of Sikhs

  Who worship and lead others to the path of worship.

  Mero sundar kaho milai kit gali?

  What shall I do to meet my Love?

  O you who worship Him show the way

  Let me follow in your footsteps.

  The path that leads to Him is of obedience to Love’s commandments,

  Of treasuring them in the heart.

  They matter not: your untidy scattered locks,

  Your short stature, your bent and ugly body.

  If you find favour in His eyes

  You shall be beautiful and sit beside Him.

  Our Lord is the One Lord

  And we his consorts.

  She who His beloved is

  Is the best of wives.

  O Nanak, why need you bother yourself

  If the Lord wills, He will show the way.

  * * *

  Har ke jan satgur satpurkha

  We seekers of the Lord beseech you our true guru,

  To you who is truth personified we pray;

  We are but worms and vermin seeking your protection,

  Be merciful, illumine our hearts with your name.

  My friend and mentor, suffuse my heart with the name of Rama;

  Let teachings of the guru my life sustain

  Let singing praises of the Lord show me the way

  And be my evensong.

  Men of the Lord are fortune’s favourites

  They are ever firm in their faith

  And ever thirst for the Lord.

  Finding the elixir of the Lord’s name

  Their thirsts are slaked.

  In the company of holy men

  His virtues they praise.

  Most unfortunate are those,

  And caught in shackles of life and death,

  Who have not tasted the nectar of His name.

  Those who sought not the Lord’s protection

  Nor the holy congregation,

  Are damned in this life and for lives to come.

  Those devotees blessed with the guru’s companionship,

  Bear marks of blessed fate on their foreheads.

  Twice blessed is that congregation

  Where the nectar of the Lord’s name is found.

  There, says Nanak,

  The Lord’s name is illumined and enlightenment found.

  * * *

  So purakh niranjan, hari purakh niranjan

  Our Lord is without blemish, our Lord is untainted by illusion

  He is beyond comprehension, endless and beyond reach;

  All worship You, the real author of all creation;

  All creatures are created by you, you are their provider and giver;

  O men of God, ponder over Him! He is the remover of all sorrows;

  He himself the Lord, and the servant,

  Says Nanak, of what worth is a mere human?

  You dwell in every body, flowing uninterrupted,

  You are the only one in every one;

  Some you endow with riches, others you reduce to beggary,

  It is all a part of your inscrutable design;

  You are the giver,

  You yourself the decider of how it is spent

  I know not any other like you;

  You are the infinite God, your expanse unknown,

  How can I put your qualities in words?

  Whoever serves you, on him will Nanak sacrifice his life.

  Those who meditate on you, those who worship you,

  Will live in peace for all their lives;

  Those who meditate on you, will gain salvation

  And be freed from the noose of Yama;

  Those who worship the Lord who is without fear

  They will themselves be freed of fear;

  Those who serve the Lord

  Will merge in the person of the Lord;

  Twice blessed are they who contemplate God

  Nanak will give his life for them.

  The treasury of your worship is beyond count

  Your worshippers worship you in infinite ways;

  Worship you who are infinite and without end;

  Many are the ways to worship you

  Many forms of penance and endless the forms of prayer;

  Many a sacred text is read,

  Many a way to serve you, including the six Karmas;

  Says your slave Nanak, those worshippers are best

  Who please the Lord and by Him are blest.

  You are the primal Lord, creator beyond reach

  There is none equal to you;

  From age to age you are the only one

  Forever the only one who gives stability;

  What pleases you comes to pass

  What you do comes to be;

  You created all that exists

  You will take it all back as you will;

  Your sla
ve Nanak sings your praises

  Who knows all that is worth knowing.

  * * *

  Toon karta sachiar mainda saeen

  You are the true Creator, you are my Master

  What pleases you will come to pass,

  What you give, I receive.

  All that exists belongs to you

  You are worshipped for your creation;

  To those you are pleased with,

  You grant the jewel of your name.

  Men of God find it, followers of Mammon lose it;

  You abandon the wordly, clasp the godly to your bosom.

  You are the mighty river, all within you is contained

  Without you nothing exists;

  All living creatures are your play things

  Some get separated from you

  Others by your grace merge in you.

  Those you give the gift of wisdom do you appraise

  And forever sing songs in your praise.

  He who serves you, finds peace of mind

  And in the Lord, he gently a place finds.

  You are the Creator, you the executor

  There is none besides you,

  You create and keep everything in your sight.

  Says your slave Nanak, for the godly you came to light.

  GURU ARJAN DEV (1563-1606)

  Guru Arjan’s 2,218 hymns form the largest single contribution in the Adi Granth.

  Prit lagi tis sach sion marai na avai jae

  I love Him who is the Truth.

  He dies not; nor is reborn to die again.

  I flee from Him but He does not forsake me,

  He is in all our hearts.

  He knows the sorrows of the poor,

  He destroys their pain and suffering,

  He upholds those who serve Him.

  This wondrous form is the Formless One

  The Guru took me to meet Him, O Mother.

  Listen, my brothers, befriend Him

  Shun the love that is maya’s snare

  For none that love maya are happy.

  He knows all

  He is the Great Giver

  He is serene

  He is charitable

  He is the true friend and helper

  He is very great

  He towers above all

  And is limitless.

  He has no childhood, no old age

  His Court and His Commandments are Eternal.

  What we beg, He grants.

  He is the hope of those without hope.

  One vision of Him destroys all sin

  And our soul and body find tranquility.

  With single-mindedness mediatate on the One

  And the mind’s illusions will be dispelled.

  He is the treasury of goodness

  Ever youthful He is

  And full of charity.

  Worship Him all the time

  Forget Him not night or day.

  Those who are His chosen

  Are befriended by Him.

  I dedicate my body, soul, and my possessions,

  And sacrifice my life to Him.

  He sees and hears all

  He dwells in the recesses of our hearts.

  Even the ones who show Him no gratitude

  Are helped by Him.

  Nanak’s God is ever forgiving.

  * * *

  Ja ko muskal at banai dhoi koi na dei

  When troubles come and you have no one to turn to

  When enemies are at your heels and your kinsmen desert you

  When hope is fled, all hope shattered

  Let your thoughts turn to Him who is your Maker

  And no ill wind will harm you.

  The Master is the strength of the feeble.

  He does not come and go, He is forever where He is.

  The Guru’s words shall reveal the truth to you.

  When you are weak and frail,

  Without clothes, without food,

  When no one drops a coin in your apron

  Nor gives you comfort.

  When no one helps you and you succeed not in your actions

  Let your thoughts turn to Him who is your Maker

  And your affairs will forever go well.

  When cares crowd upon you

  When your body is foul with disease

  When you are obsessed with thoughts of your wife and your kinsmen

  Are sometimes happy and sometimes sad,

  When restless and agitated you wander in all directions

  Without a moment’s rest, without a moment’s sleep

  Let your thoughts turn to Him who is your Maker,

  And your body and mind will forever be whole.

  When lust, anger, and attachment have you captive

  And full of greed you are ever wanting, covetous,

  When you have committed the four sins

  (Drunk wine, thieved, fornicated, and killed)

  And in the company of devils have become a devil,

  When neither books of wisdom nor songs nor hymns of praise

  Fall upon your ears

  Let your thoughts turn to Him who is your Maker

  And in the twinkling of an eye will you be saved.

  Books of wisdom you might know by heart, and recite

  Prayers and practise the penances of the Yogis, all pilgrimages undertake

  And twice perform the six good acts

  (Learn and impart learning to others,

  Sacrifice and make others give in sacrifice

  Give alms and accept charity),

  Bathe in holy water and do worship.

  If you love not the Lord with all your being,

  It is all in vain and for you there is nothing but hell.

  Empires, kingdoms, and baronies may be yours

  And the wherewithal of power and pleasure.

  You may own orchards, beautiful and bountiful,

  And have power over others without any limit

  And indulge in sports and pastimes to keep yourself amused.

  If your thoughts turn not to Him who is your Maker

  Yours will be the rebirth as a serpent.

  You may have much wealth,

  Live well and have gentle ways

  Love deep your mother and father, sons, brothers and friends,

  Own armies of footmen and archers, and many to bow to you in salutation,

  Many to shout ’Long may you live.’

  If your thoughts turn not to Him who is your Maker

  You shall surely be dragged down to hell.

  Your body may be free of fever and without sores,

  Your mind free of cares and affliction.

  Without ever the thought of death

  Night and day you may enjoy yourself

  And take everything as your own

  Without any reserve or hesitation.

  If your thoughts turn not to Him who is your Maker

  For you will be the servitude of hell’s demons.

  Those to whom the Creator is merciful

  Is given the company of holy men,

  The more they are with such companions

  The more they love Him.

  He is the Lord of good and evil

  There is none other than Him.

  O Nanak, only by His Grace will you find Him,

  The True Guru, whose Name is Truth.

  * * *

  Tun per sakh teri phuli

  You are the tree,

  And the world its branches.

  You were unknown

  And You made Yourself manifest.

  You are the ocean,

  You the bubbles, You the foam;

  There is nothing that is without You.

  You are the string,

  You the beads strung on it;

  You the knot and the central bead of the rosary.

  The beginning and the end and the middle

  Are You; none else is there beside You.

  You are nirgun, transcending all attributes,

/>   You are sargun, teeming with attributes,

  You are the Giver of all joy,

  You are without desire

  Yet the passionate colouring in all desire

  You symbolize.

  You alone know Your ways

  You alone comprehend Yourself.

  You are the Lord

  You His servitor

  You the secret, You its revelation.

  Nanak, Your servant, shall ever sing of You

  If You grant him a little grace.

  * * *

  Tun mera pita, tun hain mera mata.

  You are my Father

  You my Mother

  You are my Kinsman

  And my Brother.

  Everywhere You are my Protector

  What reason have I to harbour fear?

  By Your grace I recognise You.

  You are my Support

  You are my Pride

  I know of no other beside You.

  The world is but an arena for Your sport.

  You are the Creator of life and matter

  The Dispenser of all destiny.

  All that comes to pass is by Your decree;

  We have no hand in the performance.

  Those that have pondered on Your nature

  Have found great bliss.

  By singing Your praise

  My heart has found peace and comfort.

  O Nanak, the Almighty Guru Himself rejoices,

  Since you have won the great battle.

  * * *

  Kin bidh kusal hot mere bhai

  Tell me brother, how does one find peace?

  How to find the God, Rama, who is our help?

  Maya has spread its net everywhere to catch us.

  There is no happiness in the home of the humble

  Nor in the lofty mansions of the rich.

  In false pursuits we waste our lives

  We joy in the possession of horses and elephants

  In armies and ministers and retinues of servants,

  Thus do we put the halter round our necks

  And fasten the noose of the ‘I am.’

  We wander in all directions seeking power

  We sport in the company of damsels

  And being beggars

  Dream ourselves to be kings.

  One truth has the True Guru told me

  What the Lord does His followers should accept as the best.

  Nanak, the servant, says: By killing thoughts of self and merging in Him

  Is found peace, O brother of mine.

  Only thus we find God who is Rama,

  * * *

  Anik jatan nahi hot chhut-kaara

  It is not through trickery that one gets release

  However many the tricks one tries.

  Much learning only increases the load of sorrows.

  It is only service and the love of God

  That takes one with honour to His Court.

  O Soul of mine! If you make the name of the Lord your shelter

 

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