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The Guru then turned his thoughts towards Ceylon, and succeeded in reaching that country, where he took his seat in R…
The Jogi who is associated with the Name and is pure, hath not a particle of uncleanness. He who keepeth with him the…
The king asked if he were a Brahman. The Guru replied:—
He is a Brahman who hath divine knowledge for his ablutions, and God’s praises for the leaves of his worship. There i…
The king asked if he were a shopkeeper. The Guru replied:—
Make thy heart the scale, thy tongue the beam, and weigh the inestimable Name. There is but one shop, one Merchant ab…
The king again inquired if he were a Hindu or a Muhammadan. The Guru continued his enigmatical replies:—
The True Guru hath solved the problem of the two ways. It is he who fixeth attention on the One God, and whose mind w…
He who abideth in the Word and ever worshippeth day and night, hath ended his doubts.
The king then asked if he were Gorakhnath. The Guru showed no inclination to directly gratify his curiosity.
Above us is the sky, Gorakh is above the sky; His inaccessible form dwelleth there; By the favour of the Guru, whethe…
When the Guru had ended, the king invited him to go to his palace and see his queen. He gave him an opportunity of ex…
It was during Guru Nanak’s visit to Ceylon that he composed the Pransangali, which contained an account of the silent…
The supreme state is altogether a void, all people say; In the supreme state there is no rejoicing or mourning; In th…
Saido and Gheho subsequently wrote out the Pransangali from memory.
On his return to India the Guru, having heard of the fair of Shivrat, went to Achal Batala to preach his doctrines. T…
The Guru replied: ‘O Bhangarnath, thy mother was an unskilful woman. She knew not how to wash the churn, and so spoil…
Bhangarnath made no reply to the Guru’s question but broached another subject: ‘O Nanak, thou hast exhibited miracles…
Were I to put on a dress of fire, construct a house of snow and eat iron; Were I to turn all my troubles into water, …
In Batala the Guru vanquished in argument all priests who attended the fair, and obliged the followers of the six sch…
Make divine knowledge thy molasses, meditation thy dhava flowers, good actions thy fermenting bark to put into them. …
Father, by quaffing the divine juice the mind becometh intoxicated and easily absorbed in God’s love. I have arranged…
The Jogis inquired if he lived by begging. The Guru replied, ‘Why should he who is absorbed in the Formless go to beg…
He who taketh the sword of knowledge and wrestleth with his heart; Who knoweth the secrets of the ten organs of actio…
The Jogis then asked the Guru if he were an Audhut. The Guru told them what an Audhut ought to be:—
He is a servant of the Guru who restraineth his sexual organs, Whose heart is free from worldly desires, whose words …
The Jogis then desired to know if he were a Jogi, and the Guru replied:—
To remain seated without support, To collect and restrain the five evil passions, To sleep little and take scant food…
When he speaketh, he uttereth divine wisdom; He day and night waketh in the contemplation of God; He attacheth a stri…
Who in this way performeth the Guru’s service, And who alloweth not his tongue to taste dainties— Nanak saith, these …
He who effaceth wrath, avarice, and greed; Who quencheth the fire of the five evil passions within his heart; Who day…
He who maketh his body the vessel, remembrance of God his milk, Who putteth pure truth into it as his acid, Who by co…
The Jogis wondered if he were a Bairagi. The Guru defined the word for them:—
He is a Bairagi who is sold to God, Who in the presence of God subdueth mammon, Who performeth the work of God and ma…
He who abideth lonely in the house of enjoyment, And dwelleth in the house of worship—
Where the cat fleeth at the sound of a mouse— Nanak saith, is a Bairagi.
He is a Bairagi who embraceth contentment, Who reverseth his breath and is absorbed in God, Who subjecteth to himself…
Upon this the followers of Gorakhnath pressed the Guru to adopt the style of a Jogi. The Guru asked them to describe …
A Jogi weareth earrings, a patched coat, carrieth a wallet, a staff, And a deer’s horn which soundeth through the world.
The Jogis were proceeding to give a further description of their sect when the Guru interrupted and offered spiritual…
Put the Guru’s word into thy heart for the rings in thine ears; wear the patched coat of forbearance; Whatever God do…
From the sound of thy horn a melody shall thus be produced which day and night shall fill thee with music. In everyth…
During his residence in Batala the Guru composed the Sidh Gosht, a treatise from which the Jogis are said to have der…