(2). The desires of the heart are fulfilled, the treasure of the name is obtained. The creator, the knower of the heart, is known1 as always indwelling.
By the favour of the Guru the face is bright, having repeated the name (and practised) liberality (and) ablution.
Lust, wrath, covetousness have become extinct, all pride is abandoned.2 (3). The gain of the name is obtained, all the business is completed.
By the Lord, having bestowed mercy, he is united (with himself), his own name is given to him.
His coming and going has been stopped, he himself {i.e. Hari) has become kind (to him).
The true palace and house {i.e. of Hari) is obtained (by him), (who) has known3 the word of the Guru.
(4). The devotees he protects having bestowed his own mercy (on them).
In this and that world the faces of them are bright who remember the qualities of the True one. Eemembering (hia) qualities the eight watches (=day and night) they are steeped in infinite love. Nanak is always a sacrifice for the Supreme Brahm, the ocean of happiness.
Bin Rag; mahala Y. XII. LXXXII.
(1). If the perfect, true Guru be met with, the treasure of the word (=name) is obtained. If the Lord bestow his own mercy, the immortal name is silently repeated.
The pain of birth and death is cut off, meditation is easily brought about.
Pause.
0 my heart, fall on the asylum of the Lord!
Without Hari there is none other, meditate on the One name!
(2). His value cannot be told, he is an unfathomable ocean of qualities.
1 \rsn^ = l|^|AT> on account of the rhyme.
2 All this is the fruit of the service of the Guru.
3 i.e. Who has received as true.
9 66 SIEI RAG, HAH. V, SABD XIII. XIV. (LXXX1II. LXXXIV.)
0 very fortunate, join the society (of the holy ones), helieve in the true word (of the Guru)! Serve the ocean of happiness, who is king above kings!
(3). My trust is the lotus of the foot (of Hari), there is no other place. My hold is on thee, 0 Supreme Brahm! by thy power I remain (abide). 0 Lord! thou art the trust of the humble, into thy society I enter.
(4). Hari should be silently repeated, Govind should be worshipped the eight watches! (Ey whom) soul, life, body, property are preserved, (by whom) mercifully life is protected.
0 Kanak! all pains are removed by him, the Lord, the Supreme Brahm, is forgiving (or: giving).
Sirl Rag; mdhala V. XIII. LXXXIIL (1). Who has fallen in love with that True one, he does not die nor come (again) after having gone. Though separated, he is not separated (from him, who) is continually contained in all.
The pain and trouble of the humble he (Hari) is breaking on account of his good disposition towards (his) worshipper.
The wonderfully formed, the unstained (Supreme) has been united (to me) by the Guru, 0 mother!
Pause- 0 brother, make that Lord thy friend!
Away with the fascination and friendship of the Maya! no happy one is seen.
(2). He is wise, bountiful, well-disposed, pure, of an infinite form (or beauty). A friend, a helper, very great, high, great, infinite.
He is not known as young (or) old, his court is immovable.
What is asked (from him), that is obtained, he is the support of the helpless.1 (3). Looking upon whom the sins are taken away and tranquillity is made in soul and body. If with one mind the One be meditated upon, the error of the mind ceases.
He is the abode of virtues, always young, whose bountifulness is (all-) filling. Always, always he should be worshipped, day and night he should not be forgotten!
(4). For whom it was written before, their friend is Govind.
Body, soul and property, all I offer (to those, by whom) this whole life is devoted (to him). He always sees and hears in the presence, in everybody Brahm is contained. (Even) the ungrateful2 he cherishes; the Lord, 0 Nanak! is always giving.
Sirt Rag; maJiald V. XIV. LXXXIV.
(1). By the Lord, by whom soul, body and property have been given, they are easily (naturally) taken care of and preserved.
Having made all the constituent parts (of the body), infinite light has been put within it (by him).3 Always, always the Lord should be remembered, put and keep him within thy breast!
1 f^Hldl = T^Mdi J Arjun lengthens or shortens the syllables, not only at the end of the verse (for the sake of the rhyme), but also in the midst of the line, just as he pleases.
2 JWfenP^, ungrateful. It is somewhat doubtful if it is to be derived from gTcf^ or from ^gTcW- In the first case the initial nf would he wrong, in the second the assimilation of 1J to ghan is without analogy.
3 W&T is here identical with ^JTH, a constituent part of the body, of which seven are enumerated: blond, marrow, fat, flesh, bones, medullary substance, semen. The ^TUT"?, the infinite light, is the *HT3HT> or the individual spirit which has directly emanated from the Supreme Spirit.
SIRI RAG, MAH. V., SABD XV. XVI. (LXXXV. LXXX.VI.)
67 Pause.
0 my heart, there is none other without Hari!
Eemain always in the asylum or>the Lord, no pain will enter thee.
(2). Jewels, choice things, rubies, gold, silver are dust. Mother, father, son, relative, all kinsmen are false.
By whom he was made, him he does not know, the fleshly-minded one is an impure beast.
(3). Who is inside and outside diffused, him he considers as being far away.
Thirst (worldly covetousness) has seized him, he is absorbed in it, in his heart is cruel egotism. The boat's load1 of them, who are destitute of devotion and the name, comes and goes.
(4). Be merciful, 0 Lord creator, and preserve the creatures!
Without the Lord there is no protector, very formidable has Yama become. Kanak does not forget (thy) name, 0 Hari, bestow (on me) thy own mercy!
Sirl Rag; mahala V. XV. LXXXV.
(1). My body and property, my kingdom and beauty, my country, (My) many sons and wives, many amusements and clothes: Are, if the name of Hari do not dwell in (my) heart, of no use nor account.
Pause.
0 my heart, meditate on the name of Hari, Hari!
Keeping always company with the holy ones direct thy mind to the feet of the Guru!
(2). The treasure of the name is meditated upon (by him), upon (whose) forehead the lot may be (written).
All the works (of him) are adjusted, (who) clings to the feet of the Guru.
The sickness of egotism (and his) error is cut off, he does not come nor will he go (again into other wombs).
(3). Keep thou company with the holy ones (and thus) bathe at the sixty-eight Tlrthas!2 Life, soul, body become fresh (thereby), this is true relish.
Here (in this world) greatnesses will accrue to thee and at the threshold thou wilt obtain a place.
(4). The Lord himself does and causes to be done (everything), all is in his hand. He himself having killed vivifies, within and without he is with (every one). Kanak has taken refuge with the Lord, who is the Lord of all bodies.
Sirl Rag; mahald V. XVI. LXXXVI.
(1). I have fallen3 on the asylum of my Lord, the Guru has been merciful.
By the instruction of the Guru all my troubles have become extinct.
My heart has clung to the name of Earn, by the sight of the nectar I am happy.
Pause.
0 my heart, the service of the true Guru is the best.
If the Lord bestow his own mercy (on me), I do not forget him one moment from my heart.
1 V<r> s'm' the Pai"ty taken over in one boat's trip.
2 The sense is: if thou keep company with the pious, it is as much as if thou wouldst bathe at the sixty- eight Tlrthas.
3 lf§; no subject is mentioned, but it must be, according to the whole context, Tm, we = I.
63 SIKl RAG, MAH. V.f SABD XVII. XVIII. (LXXXVII. LXXXVIII.)
(2). The qualities of Govind should continually be sung, who is the extinguisher of vices. Without the name of Hari comfort is not obtained, I have seen a great many things.1 Those who were given to his praises, have easily crossed the water of existence.
(3). (It is equal to) a Tlrtha, fasting, lakhs of abstinences, if the dust of the holy ones be obtained. From whom will (one) hide himself, as he (=Hari) always sees in the presence?
In every place my Lord is contained brimful.
(4). True is (his) kingdom, true his order, true is the place of the True one. True power he has applied, by the True one the world has been created.
I, JSTanak, am always a sacrifice for him, by whom the true name is silently repeated.
Sin Rag; mahala V. XVII. LXXXVII.
(1). Who with effort is silently repeating Hari, he is very fortunate and acquires wealth. He who rememhers Hari in the society of the saints, cuts off the dirt of (all his) births.
Pause.
0 my heart, go on repeating the name of Hari!
Enjoy the fruits desired by the heart, all grief and anguish ceases.
(2). By whose agency the body is sustained, that Lord is seen as being with (= in dwelling).
In the water, the earth, on the surface of the earth he is present,2 the Lord beholds his own sight.
(3). Soul and body have hecome pure, love to the True one has sprung up.
By whom the feet of the Supreme Brahm are worshipped, they have performed all silent repetitions and austerities.
(4). A gem, jewel, ruby, nectar is the name of Hari.
Comfort, ease, joy, relish; humble Nanak sings the qualities of Hari.
Siri Rag; mahala V. XVIII. LXXXVIII?
(1). That is a Shastr, that is a magic spell,3 hy means of which the name of Hari is muttered.
By (that) placeless one a place has been obtained, (to whom) by the Guru the wealth of the lotus of the foot is given.
(That is) true capital, (that is) true abstinence, if (one) sing the eight watches the qualities (of Hari). With whom the Lord has met bestowing his mercy (upon him), he does not die, nor does he come and go (again).
Pause.
0 my heart, worship always Hari with one mind!
He is contained within everybody, he is always a helper with (thee).
(2). How shall I count the amount of comforts, when I remember Govind? They have been satiated who have tasted it, that relish knows (their) soul (only).
The Lord dwells in the heart of him who is associated with the saints, the beloved is bestowing (his) favour (on him).
He, who has served his own Lord, is king and chief of men.
1 The sense is: I have seen a great deal and can speak from experience.
* \rfcJ*HT> literally: filled in, i.e. completely diffused, so that no place is empty of him, 3 **S<£> Sansk. ui<J1, a magic spell or hymn, sung to obtain favourable events.
SIM HAG, MAH. V., SABD XIX. XX. (LXXXIX. XC.)
69 (3). At (every) opportunity (I) delight in the glory and qualities of Hari, in which (are contained1) crores of ahlutions and bathings.
(If) the tongue utters the report^of the qualities (of Hari), no alms will come up to it. Having bestowed a favourable look he dwells in soul and body, the merciful Supreme Spirit, the kind one.
Soul, body and wealth are his, I am always, always a sacrifice (for him).
(4). Who is united by the creator (with himself), he, heing united, is never separated (from him). The fetters of his servants are cut asunder by the true creator.
The erring one is put by him into the (right) way not considering his virtues and vices. Nanak has gone to the asylum of him, who is the support of all bodies.
Siri Rag; mahala Y. XIX. LXXXIX.
(1). If by the tongue the True one be remembered, soul and body become pure. (Though there be) mother, father and numerous relatives, without him there is none other. If he bestow his own favour, he is not forgotten a minute.
Pause.
0 my heart, serve the True one as long as there is (any) hreath! Without the True one all is falsehood, at the end it is annihilated.
(2). My Lord is pure, without him I cannot abide.
In my heart and body is very great hunger, may some one hring and unite (him with me), 0 mother! In the four corners (of the earth) (a place) has been sought (by me), without the bridegroom there is no other place.
(3). Make supplication before him, who is uniting the creator (with men)! The true Guru is the giver of the name (of him) whose storeroom is full. Always, always he should be praised, (who has) no end nor limit!
(4). The preserver should be praised, whose actions are many! Always, always he should be worshipped! this is the greatest wisdom.
In soul and body it is sweet to him, on whose forehead (this) destiny is (written), 0 Nanak!
Sin Rag; mahald Y. XX. XC.
(1). 0 brother, join the saints, remember the true name!
Store up provisions for the soul! (that will be) with (thee) here and there.
From the perfect Guru he (=Hari) is obtained, having bestowed his own favourable look.
By destiny he obtains (him), to whom he is merciful.
Pause.
0 my heart, there is no one like the Guru!
No other place is seen, the Guru (alone) unites that True one (with thee).
(2). All things he has got, who has gone and seen the Guru.
Whose mind is fixed on the feet of the Guru, they are very fortunate, 0 mother!
The Guru is bountiful, the Guru is powerful, the Guru is contained in all.
The Guru is the Lord, the Supreme Brahm, the sinking ones the Guru causes to swim.3 1 The sense is: which is equal to crores of ablutions.
2 The Guru, as an avatar, is identified with the Supreme Being.
70 SIEI RAG, M AH. V., SABD XXI. XXII. (XCI. XCII.)
(3). By what mouth is the Guru praised, who is the powerful (^efficient) cause of causes?1 Those foreheads remained immovable, on which the Guru put his hand.
The nectar of the name, which the Guru gave to drink, is a suitable food against birth, and death. (By whom) the Guru, the Lord, the destroyer of fear, has been served, (his) pain has gone off.
(4). The true Guru is deep and profound, the ocean of comfort, sin-removing.
Who has served his own Guru, on him the club of the messenger of Tama does not fall. I have searched and seen the whole world (and found that) nothing can he compared with the Guru. The treasure of the name was given (to me) by the true Guru, in the heart of Mnak is (therefore) the pith of happiness.
Sirl Rag; mahala V. XXI. XCI.
(1). Having considered it sweet I ate it, (but) a bitter taste sprang up (after).
Brothers, friends, good friends were made (by me), (I) was occupied with talking about worldly subjects. (But all) passes quickly,2 without the name it is insipid.
Pause.
0 my heart, stick to the service of the true Guru!
What is visible, that is annihilated, give up the opinion of thy (own) mind!
(2). Like a dog, who has become mad, runs in the ten directions.
(So) a greedy creature does not know what is eatable and not eatable, it eats all.
Being immersed in the intoxication of lust and wrath, it falls again and again into the womb.
(3). By the Maya a net is spread out having made a bait within it. By greediness the bird is caught and cannot get out, 0 mother!
It does not know him by whom it is made, again and again it comes and goes.
(4). This world is fascinated in many ways and in many manners.
Whom he preserves, he is preserved (abides), the infinite Supreme Spirit is powerful. The people of Hari are saved by their constant meditation on Hari, Nanak is always a sacrifice (for them), Sirl Rag; mahala V. Ghar II. XXII. XCII.
(1). The cowherd has come to the cowhouse,3 what ostentation has he to make? The time has arrived, it must be gone, take thou care of thy household things!
Pause.
0 my heart, sing the qualities of Hari, serve the true Guru in love! Why art thou conceited of a trifle?
1 STcJ^ °MdCV may be translated in different ways. The expression is also found in Tulsl Das Ramayan, where it is explained by: STfrT^Tf^r ^ WCT^ tne efficient causes of the Mahat, etc. (see Wilson's Visb. Pur. p. 14). STH^ oMdO *nTJW may therefore be translated by: who is able to make the primary elements or substances (3HTW). But it is perhaps more simple to take it = ^^\ SH STT3^, he is the (efficient) cause of causes, and the whole expression, 5^ STTO^ *RT^W> might be translated by: he is the powerful (efficient) cause of causes.
2 Literally: In going delay is not made.
3 dlfaw, cow-house, a hut built on pasture ground, tbence the adjective or s.m. 3|fe<&h the cowherd, who belongs to the <*|fiiW- The word is obsolete in Hindi now, but still in use in Maratbl (*ffa35).
siri rag, mah. v., SABD XXIII. XXIV. XXV. (XCIII. XCIV. XCV.)
71 (2). Like the guest of a night thou wilt rise and depart at dawn.
"Why art thou enamoured with thy household? all is (like) a flower-garden.
(3). Why sayest thou: " mine, mine "? desire that Lord, who has given it!
By any means thou must rise and go, thou wilt go leaving behind lakhs and crores (of rupees).
(4). Whilst wandering in the eighty-four lakhs (of forms of existence) thou hast obtained the hard- to-be-acquired human birth.
0 Nanak, remember thou the name! that day (of departure) has come near to thee.
Stri Rag; mahala Y. XXIII. XCIII.
(1). So long thou livest comfortably, as thy companion is with (thee).
When thy companion has risen and gone, thou art mingled with dust, 0 woman!
Pause.
(If) in (thy) heart indifference to the world has been effected, (if there be) a desire to see the sight (of the Guru).
Blessed is that thy state!
(2). As long as thy beloved (husband) dwells in the house, all say: yes, yes! When thy beloved will rise and go, then none will ask a word about thee.
(3). Serve in thy father's house thy bridegroom and thou wilt dwell in comfort in thy father-in-law's house.1 Having joined the Guru learn wisdom and good conduct, (then) pain will never befall thee.
(4). All must go to their father-in-law's house, all are bringing their wives home.
0 iNanak, blessed are the favoured women, who have love to their bridegroom!
Siri Rag; mahala Y. Ghar YI. XXIY. XCIY.
' (1). He alone is the (primary) cause of causes, by whom the form (of every thing) is made. Meditate on him, 0 my heart, who is the support of all!
Pause.
Meditate in thy heart on the feet of the Guru!
Giving up all cunning fix thy thoughts on the true word (of the Guru)!
(2). Pain, trouble and fear do not befall him, in whose heart the mantr (initiatory word) of the Guru is.
(Though) one make crores of efforts, no one has crossed without the Guru.
(3). Having seen the sight (of the Guru) he (the disciple) subdues his mind, all his sins go off.
1 am a sacrifice for them, who fall down at the feet of the Guru.
(4). The true name of Hari dwells in a heart associated with the saints. Those are very fortunate, 0 Nanak, in whose heart this is the case!
Siri Rag; mahala Y. XXY. XCY.
(1). Collect the wealth of Hari, worship the true Guru, give up all passions! By whom thou wast made, having kept in mind that Hari thou wilt be saved.
1 This is a^simile often used in the Granth. The sense is: if thou servest God in this present world (thy father's Louse), thou wilt live, in happiness hereafter (in thy father-in-law's house = the next world).
72 SIHI RAG, MAH. V., SABD XXVI. XXVII. (XCVI. XCVII.)
Pause, Becite silently, 0 heart, the One, infinite name!
The support of the heart is he, by whom life, soul and body were given.
(2). In lust, wrath and conceit the world is immersed, 0 mother!
Fall on the asylum of the saints, cling to the feet (of the Guru)! pain and darkness are done away.
(3). He practises truth, contentment and mercy: these are the best works.
He gives up his own self and becomes the dust of all, to whom the Lord, the shapeless, gives it.
(4). What is seen, all that art Thou, (thy) expansion is spread out.
Nanak says: by the Guru (my) error has been cut off, I consider (now) all as Brahm.
Sirl Rag; mahala V. XXVI. XCVI.
(1). In bad and good actions the whole world is (engaged). Free from both is the devotee; some rare one is knowing.1 Pause.
The Lord is contained in all (things). What shall I say (and) hear? Thou, 0 Lord, art the great Supreme Spirit, the wise!
(2). He who is in pride and conceit, is no worshipper.
Of unbiassed regard for truth, 0 saints, is one amongst a crore.
(3). Telling and causing to be told is a false renown.2 By telling a story some rare disciple is emancipated.
(4). The state of him, who is everywhere present,3 does not come into sight. He has obtained (this) gift, 0 Nanak! who is the dust of the saints.
Sirl Rag; mahala V.
Ghar VII. XXVII. XCVII.
(1). On account of my trust in thee indulgent treatment has been shown to me. The child errs and makes mistakes, thou, 0 Hari, art father and mother!
Pause.
Telling and causing to be told (legends) is easy, (but) what is pleasing to thee is difficult.
(2). I put my trust in thee, I know, thy own self is I.
In all and without all art thou, 0 father! who art not in need of anything.
(3). 0 father, I do not know what word is conformable to thee! He who is free from bonds, 0 saints, keeps affection for me!
(4). The Lord has become merciful, coming and going has been stopped. Having met with the Guru, the Supreme Brahm was known by Nanak.
1 Some rare one is knowing, supply: the fact, that good and bad actions are not existing for the devotee, who sees in all Brahm.
2 By telling or narrating stories or legends of the gods, making others tell them, emancipation is not obtained. The recital of the legends of the gods is considered very meritorious.
3 WfferrfS. adj. (Sansk. ^rf%3pT) literally: not disappeared, not gone = present (everywhere) The explanation (in the Panjabi Dictionary): free from the ordinary conditions of human life, is gratuitous.
SIRI RAG, MAH. Y., SABD XXVIII. XXIX. (XCVIII. XCIX.)
73 Sirl Rag; mahala V. Ghar I. m XXVIII. XCVIII. 1. Having joined the saints death has heen cut off. The true Lord has settled in (my) heart, the Lord has become merciful. The perfect, true Guru has been met with (and) all troubles have become extinct.
Pause, 0 my true Guru, I am a sacrifice for thee!
1 devote myself for thy sight, having been pleased thou hast given me the nectar-name.
(2). Those are wise men, who have served thee in love.
Pinal emancipation is obtained (following) after those, in whose heart the treasure of the name is. There is no donor like the Guru, who has given the gift of the soul.1 (3). Those have become acceptable, (with) whom the Guru has met by (their) good destiny.2 Those who are in love with the True one, get a place to sit in his court.
In the hand of the creator are honours; they obtain what is written before (for them).
(4). True is the creator, true the maker; true is the Lord, true his support.
The perfectly True3 one is praised (by him), whose intelligence and discrimination is true. He is contained in all unintermittingly; Nanak lives by reciting silently the One.
Sirl Rag; mahala V. XXIX. XCIX.
(1). The Guru, the Supreme Lord, should be worshipped, loving him in heart and body! The true Guru is the donor of the creatures, he gives support to every one.
The words of the true Guru should be done, this is true consideration.
Without being attached to the society of the saints all the fascination of the Maya is (but) ashes.
Pause.
0 my friend, remember the name of Hari, Hari!
(If) connexion with the saints dwell in the heart, the toil is accomplished.4 (2). The Guru is infinitely powerful, the very fortunate get an interview with him. The Guru is inapprehensible, pure, like the Guru there is none other.
The Guru is the creator, the Guru the maker, the disciple has true information (regarding him). ■Without the Guru there is nothing, what the Guru wishes to do, that is done.
(3). The Guru is the Tlrtha, the Guru is the Coral-tree,5 the Guru is the accomplisher of the desires (of men).
The Guru is the donor, having given the name of Hari he saves the whole world.
The Guru is powerful, the Guru is formless (or the formless Supreme Being), high, inaccessible, infinite.
The greatness of the Guru is incomprehensible, what will the narrator say?
1 *WT5T*TCT7y must here be taken as a Tatpurusha, the gift of the soul, i.e. tbe gift, by which the soul may be saved, 2 TTsTFfg* Abl. of H^|G, from ^TYTRr, good lot or destiny. This seems to be the simplest explanation, the meaning "naturally" not fitting so well the context.
8 7ig+J^3, literally: truer than true = perfectly true.
4 The sense is: man's toil is accomplished, or over.
5 VT3tTT3> Sansk. TTTf^rPrTf the Coral-tree, one of the five trees of heaven.
10 74 SIRI RAG, MAH. V., SABD XXX. (C.); MAH. I., ASTPAD. I.
(4). As many fruits as are desired in the heart, so many are with the Guru.
The (fruits) written before are to be obtained (by him), (to whom) he gives the capital of the true name.
He who has come to the asylum of the true Guru, will not again be destroyed.
0 Hari, mayst thou never be forgotten by Nanak! this life, body and breath are thine.
Sirl Rag; mahala V.
XXX. c.
(1). Hear, 0 saints, 0 brother! final emancipation (is obtained) by the true name. The feet of the Guru should be embraced,1 the name of Hari is the Tlrtha.
In the next world (such a one) is received at the threshold, the placeless one obtains a place.
Pause.
0 brother, true is the service of the true Guru!
From the Guru, being pleased, the (all-) filling, the invisible and indivisible2 is obtained.
(2). (I am) devoted to the true Guru, who has given (me) the true name. Daily I praise the True one, the qualities of the True one I sing.
The True one I eat, the True one I put on (as clothes), true is the name of the True one.
(3). May he not be forgotten at any breath (or) morsel, the Guru himself is the fruit-yielding body (or person).
Like the Guru none is seen, recite him (silently) day and night!
If he bestow a favourable look, then is obtained the true name, the vessel of (all) qualities.
(4). The Guru, the Supreme Lord, is One, he is contained in all. To whom it was decreed before, they meditate on the name.
0 [Nanak! who has resorted to the asylum of tbe Guru, does not die nor does he come (again) having gone.
Om! By the favour of the true Guru!
SIKI HAG. Mahala I.; Ghar I. (Astpaclis.y I.
(1). Speaking, speaking (my) heart is proclaiming (his qualities), as, as it is known (to my heart), so it proclaims (them).
He, who is proclaimed, how great is he, in which place is he? 4 As many as are telling (bis qualities), all having told (them) continue meditating (upon them).
1 +1d<£crM (srevana), (Sansk. ^T^(lj), v.a. To embrace, to hold fast, to resort to. *Hl^ = n{%^, having no difference (from the universe), the identity of the Supreme and of the universe.
' The n{7?Z\nft does not always contain the exact number of eight verses, but sometimes one more or less.
4 The whole verse is obscure and the sense can only be arrived at by conjecture.
SIRI RAG, MAIL I., ASTPAD. II.
75 Pause.
0 father/ lie (Hari) is invisible, inaccessible, infinite! True is the preserver, of a pure ijame, of a pure place.1 (2). It is not known how much thy command is, no one knows to write it down.
^ If a hundred poets be assembled, not a moment they cause to arrive (at it), though they weep. His value has been obtained (found out) by no one, all tell it by hearsay.
(3). Plrs, prophets, Saliks, Sadiqs and martyrs.2 Shekhs, Mullas, Darveshes: a great blessing has come upon them, who continually read (his) salutation.3 (4). Without asking (any body) he makes, without asking he pulls down, without asking he gives and takes.
His own power he himself knows, he himself produces the (primary) causes. He, looking on, sees all; to whom he pleases, he gives.
(5). The name of (his) place is not known nor how great his name is. How great is that place, where my king dwells?
None can arrive there, to whom shall I go to ask?
(6). Castes and no-castes do not please (him),* if he makes one great.
In the hand of the great one are the greatnesses (=honours), to whom he pleases, he gives. By his own order he adorns (a man), not a moment he delays.
(7). Every one recites much (his qualities) iu the thought of taking much (from him). What a great donor shall he be called? his gifts are not counted.5 0 Nanak! there is no deficiency coming forth, thy store-rooms are from age to age.
Mahala I. II.
(1). -All are the female friends of the beloved (=husband), all adorn themselves. They are come to make an estimate (of their respective virtues): a bastard scarlet dress is not the right state.
By hypocrisy the affection of the husband is not obtained, counterfeit overgilding is miserable.
Pause, 0 Hari, thus the woman lays hold of the beloved!
The favoured women, who please thee, thou adorncst in thy own mercy.
1 The explanation of the words \T[°f\ Alift "UTo? bllfii by the Sikh commentary: 1|f^^ j ^ Vf<?3 is a mere guess and only shows that the Sikhs themselves no longer understand their Granth.
z = uli^JLsj literally, a traveller, the first stage in Sufism, a devotee; JTT^q? = Jj^bj odj» True, sincere; *j<J$, a plural of the plural Ij^Sj (from du^), martyrs. *J\T% iwOlJ *1 JW> literally: martyrs and martyr, a mere tautology, to fill up the verse, as Nanak apparently did not understand that IfiJ^T was the plural of Jug.&. The same is the case with the following irfcf HTTfE^ being likewise the plural of ^£.
3 The whole verse is very ohscure and the Sikhs are totally at a loss how to explain it. ^,fj d4W must apparently be taken as one word (Pers. (jJu*^ ^J, to arrive, to happen) and joined with f-{A oT@ ydojfd *H3R?t "£fcF <J#iWj to them a great blessing has arrived. As in the whole sentence a number of Arabic- Persian words are jumbled together, we need not be surprised if also a Persian verb is employed. Such a jumbling of foreign (and frequently not at all understood) words is considered a great feat of learning. It does not come into consideration if even the rhyme be broken thereby (7J*lW — <d<)- * <^dA|<^dA, castes and no-castes, i.e. he has no regard to any castes, if he wishes to make one great.
5 ^5 <jfvPHT THTOj literally: having given, the amount, estimate is stopped, i.e. he never counts how much he gives.
76 SIRI BAG, MAH. I., ASTPAD. III.
(2). The body and heart of her, who is adorned with the word of the Guru, is with her beloved (husband).
Having joined both hands she stands and looks out, she utters a true petition.
She is steeped in red (colour), dwells in true fear, she is steeped in love, in the true colour.
(3). Servant and slave of the beloved she is called, who minds the name. True love does not break, if he unite to true union (with himself).
I am always a sacrifice for her, who is imbued with the word (of the Guru) and whose heart is perforated (by it).
(4). That woman will not sit down as a widow, who is absorbed in the true Guru. Her beloved is delightful, young, true, he does not die nor go.
He always sports with the beloved woman, true is his favourable look and goodwill (towards her).
(5). Truth is laid out (by her) as her wealth,1 the ornament of her dress is love. Having applied the paint of sandal-dust, the tenth gate2 is made her palace.