Guru Nanak

“ On seeing the Guru’s dress he said, ‘Is that the sort of faqir thou art? Why wearest thou leather, which is unclean? Why twistest thou a rope round thy body? Why hast thou abandoned the observances of thy religion? And why eatest thou flesh and fish?’ The Guru, not paying much attention to these impertinent questions, thus unburdened himself of the thoughts which filled his mind:—
There is but one road, one door; the Guru is the ladder to reach one’s home.
Beautiful is God; Nanak, all happiness is in His name. ”

“ Nanak, they who, very clever in their own estimation, think not of the Guru,
Shall be left like spurious sesames in a reaped field They shall be left in the field, saith Nanak, without an owner. The wretches may even bear fruit and flower, but these shall be as ashes within their bodies. God Himself created the world and Himself gave names to things.
He made Maya by His power ; seated He beheld His work with delight. Creator, Thou art the Giver ; being pleased Thou bestowest and practisest kindness. Thou knowest all things ; Thou givest and takest life with a word. ”

“ At the same time he regretted that he should never live to see young Nanak's eminence, worshipped as he should be alike by Hindus and Musalmans, and not merely by Hindus as in the previous human manifestations of the Creator. The child's name should resound both in earth and heaven. Inanimate nature should cry out 'Nanak, Nanak!' He should have power over matter so as to traverse unscathed the depths of the ocean. He should worship and acknowledge but one God, and the creature he should treat as a creature. ”

“ The four castes of the Hindus he reduced to one. Whether a Sikh had a caste or not, he was distinguished in the society of the holy. The six schools of philosophy are like the six seasons of the year, but the sect of the Guru is the sun which shines over them all. Guru Nanak having abolished all sects shed great splendour on his own. Setting aside the Veds and the books of Islam, he taught his sect to repeat the name of the infinite God who surpasses all conception. By falling at one another's feet and by practising humility are the Guru's Sikhs recognized. ”

“ Sin prevailed throughout creation. Pure religion was weeping day and night, and finally began to disappear from men's gaze beneath the earth. She was weighed down by human trans gressions. In lowly attitude she appealed to God for a guide. God observing men's anguish and hearing their piteous cries, conferred supernatural attributes on Guru Nanak. He bestowed on him the supreme wealth of the Name and humility, and sent Mm into the world to relieve its sufferings. When Guru Nanak contemplated the world, he everywhere saw spiritual darkness, and heard the cry of pain. ”

“ Two Sikhs, called Bhagta and Ohri, asked Guru Nanak how rest was to be obtained, and transmigration avoided. The Guru replied as follows : You shall find rest by avoiding manmukh karm (perverse acts) . Being asked to define manmukh karm more particularly, the Guru replied : It is to be heartily envious of every one, to desire that worldly wealth and all happiness should forsake others and come to oneself, to suffer great pain as one beholdeth the houses and property of others, to believe all men one's enemies, and do good to no one. Expel all this evil from your hearts. ”

“ All his works are in vain." "The Lord is the strength of the weak. He neither comes nor goes. He is always firm." "At the last moment, O Nanak, none but God is any avail." "Fall at the feet of God; in senseless stone God is not; worship not another than God; bow not to the dead."
Although Nanak always spoke humbly of himself and confessed himself unlearned and the lowest of learners, the high position which the Guru occupied naturally led to his deification, and his disciples commenced to Himself. ”

“ The sinful as well as the virtuous man fell at Guru Nanak's feet, and both became true worshippers of God. The Guru then uttered the following verses:—
The heart is the paper, conduct the ink; [174] good and bad are both recorded therewith.
Man's life is as his acts constrain him; there is no limit to Thy praises, O God.
O fool, why callest thou not to mind Thy Creator?
Thy virtues have dissolved away by thy forgetfulness of God.
Night is a small net, day a large one; there are as many meshes as there are gharis in the day.
With relish thou ever peckest at the bait, and art ensnared ”

“ Abide pure amid the impurities of the world; thus shalt thou find the way of religion.
On meeting a true guru doubt is dispelled and the wanderings of the mind restrained.
It raineth nectar, slow ecstatic music is heard, and man is happy within himself.
Abide pure amid the impurities of the world; thus shalt thou find the way of religion.
Nanak, in the midst of life be in death; practise such religion.
When thy horn soundeth without being blown, thou shalt obtain the fearless dignity—
Abide pure amid the impurities of the world, thus shalt thou find the way of religion. ”

“ Nanak continued to address Kalu : Father dear, it is God who arrangeth marriages. He maketh no mistake, and those whom He hath once joined He joineth for ever.’ By these words the Guru perhaps meant to establish monogamy. [263] The Guru’s mother then interposed, and asked her son to stand up and go with them, and cease his nonsense. He would obtain wealth by attending to his worldly duties. The Guru replied with the following hymn : In the end of the night call upon the name of the Lord, And tents, umbrellas, pavilions, and carriages shall appear ready for your celestial journey. ”

“ Guru Nanak then gave utterance to the following, to the effect that salvation depends upon virtue and not on a pleasing exterior or the possession of accomplishments :
A woman may be stupid, untidy, black, and impure-minded ; Yet, if she possess merits, she meeteth her Beloved ; otherwise, Nanak, the woman is to blame. The Shaikh then put the following questions : What is that word, what that virtue, what that priceless spell What dress shall I wear by which I may captivate the Spouse ? ”

“ Hereupon a voice was heard, 'O Nanak, thou hast seen My sovereignty.' Then Nanak said, 'O Sire, what is anything that mortal can say, and what can be said or heard after what I have seen? Even the lower animals sing Thy praises.' Upon this, the Guru uttered the preamble of the Japji:
There is but one God whose name is True, the Creator, devoid of fear and enmity, immortal, unborn, self-existent, great, and bountiful. ”

“ Nanak, he on whom God looketh with favour obtaineth peace in his home, and his mind is consoled with the Guru’s teaching.
It raineth a torrent of nectar, whose drops are delightful,
When the friend, the kindly Guru meeteth one, and love is established with God.
God entereth the temple of the body when it pleaseth Him, and the woman riseth up and repeateth His praises.
In every house the spouse enjoyeth his happy wife; why hath my Spouse forgotten me? ”

“ The priest explained that the custom of wearing a janeu had descended from the Vedic ritual, and that no Hindu could be deemed religious without wearing it. The Brahman then familiarly addressed the Guru, 'Thou art but a child of yesterday, and are we not as wise as thou? Unless thou wear this thread thou shalt be deemed a person without religion.' Guru Nanak replied :—
Though men commit countless [35] thefts, countless adulteries, utter countless falsehoods and countless words of abuse ”

“ Upon this Duni Chand fell at his feet, and prayed him to tell him by what means his wealth should reach the next world. The Guru replied, Give some of thy wealth in God s name, feed the poor, and thy wealth shall accompany thee. Upon this Duni Chand distributed seven lakhs of treasure, for he understood that disobedience to the Guru s order would militate against his salvation. He then became a disciple of the Guru, and began to repeat the Name. Guru Nanak uttered the following on the occasion :
False are kings, false their subjects, false the whole world ”

“ He there met many renowned Sidhs. When the Guru had made his obeisance and sat down, they inquired whence he had come and in what state he had left Hindustan. He replied :
The Kal age is a knife, kings are butchers ; justice hath taken wings and fled. In this completely dark night of falsehood the moon of truth is never seen to rise. I have become perplexed in my search : In the darkness I find no way. Devoted to pride, I weep in sorrow : Saith Nanak, how shall deliverance be obtained ? ”

“ After a short stay with the holy men with whom he had recently been consorting, the Guru, in company with Mardana, proceeded to Saiyidpur, the present city of Eminabad, in the Gujranwala district of the Panjab. Nanak and his companion took shelter in the house of Lalo, a carpenter. When dinner was ready, Lalo informed the Guru, and asked him to eat it within sacred lines. ”

“ Blessings on thy devotion and thy deeds! Thou art a holy man who hast abandoned the world, who neither eatest nor drinkest, and who never enterest a village. How can I remain with thee?' The Guru asked him on what conditions he would change his mind and continue to accompany him. He replied, 'I will remain with thee if thou satisfy my hunger in the same way as thou satisfiest thine own; and if thou also promise not to take notice of anything I do.' The Guru agreed to these conditions, and told him he should be happy in this world and the next. Mardana then fell at his feet. ”

“ Upon this Lahina returned to Khadur, and told his wife what had happened and the spiritual change which had been wrought in him by meeting Guru Nanak, whom he described as the bestower of happiness both in this world and the next. He said he had determined to place himself for the future at the Guru's feet. After a stay of some days at his home, during which he procured a new suit of clothes for himself and a bag of salt for the Guru's free kitchen, he set out, accompanied by his nephew, for Kartarpur. ”

“ Wert thou a qazi, a mulla, or a shaikh,
A Jogi, a jangam, [301] didst thou wear an ochre-coloured dress.
Or didst thou perform the duties of a householder—
Without knowing God, Death would bind and take all men away.
The duties of all creatures are recorded on their heads;
They shall be judged according to their acts.
Foolish and ignorant men issue orders—
Nanak, the True One hath storehouses of praises. [302]
The Guru initiated the practice of singing hymns in the end of the night. A boy seven years of age used to come to listen and stand behind him. ”

“ When thou arrivest in the land of God, thou shalt obtain happiness in His abode.
Kalu in despair replied, 'Thou art lost to us; go and take government service. Jai Ram, Daulat Khan's revenue officer, is thy brother-in-law; go and take service with him; perhaps thou wilt like that place; we can dispense with thine earnings. If thou go elsewhere without any occupation, everybody will say that my son hath become a faqir, and people will heap reproaches on me.' Upon this, Guru Nanak uttered a fourth stanza :—
Make attention thy service, faith in the Name thine occupation ”

“ S. is not a Muhammadan; he says that he is a Hindu; though by his birth he ought to be a Sikh. He reverences Guru Nanak, [71] very properly, but thinks that Guru Nanak has given religious tenets such as I am certain that he never did. We have no reason to suppose that the excellent Guru had ever heard of our Saviour. But S. propounds doctrines that are amazing from the lips of a Hindu. He believes in the one true God. He believes that a time of great war and trouble will come ”

“ When man is filled with fear through the Guru's instructions, then he obtaineth understanding, and honour resulteth.
Nanak, the true King then blendeth man with Himself. [252] The Guru, after his pleasant visit to Shaikh Brahm and his district, where he made several converts, proceeded to a country called Bisiar, probably the state of Bushahir in the Himalayas, where he was ill received. The inhabitants, deeming his presence pollution, purified every place he had stood on. One man alone, Jhanda, a carpenter, was found to treat him with hospitality. ”

“ Nanak saith, I am Thy slave, and the dust of the feet of Thy servants. 3
The high priest then asked the Guru to tell him the composition of matter, the nature of the God he adored, how He was to be found, and in what con sisted the essence of his religion. The Guru replied again in the Persian language : Know that according to the Musalmans everything is produced from air, fire, water, and earth ; But the pure God created the world out of five elements. 4 However high man may leap, he shall fall on the earth again. ”

“ We shall now examine the principal current accounts of Guru Nanak and give brief notices of their authors.
The oldest authentic account of the Guru was written by Bhai Gur Das, who flourished in the end of the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth century, dying in A.D. 1629. He was first cousin of the mother of Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs. He was Guru Arjan's amanuensis, and wrote out from his dictation the Adi [31] Granth, or sacred book of the Sikhs, which then contained the hymns of the first five Sikh Gurus and of the saints who preceded them. ”

“ We shall make this ancient Janamsakhi the basis of our own details of the life of Guru Nanak [46] , supplementing it when necessary by cullings from the later lives of the Guru. At the same time we must premise that several of the details of this and of all the current Janamsakhis appear to us to be simply settings for the verses and sayings of Guru Nanak. His followers and admirers found dainty word-pictures in his compositions. They considered under what circumstances they could have been produced, and thus devised the framework of a biography in which to exhibit them to the populace. ”