The Pandit then admitted that the Guru was a saint of God, and asked him to bless the city and sing its praises. The Guru inquired in what the specialty of the city consisted. The Pandit said it was learning, by which wealth was acquired. 'The world admireth the ground on which the possessor of wealth treadeth. By applying the mind to learning, thou shalt become a high priest.' The Guru replied in a series of metaphors:--

The City[2] is frail, the king; is a boy and loveth the wicked;

He is said to have two mothers[4] and two fathers[5] O Pandit, think upon this.

[1. Basant.

2. The body.

3. The heart.

4. Hope and desire.

5. Love and hate.]

{p. 63}

O, sir Pandit, instruct me

How I am to obtain the Lord of life.

Within me is the fire,[1] the garden[2] is in bloom, and I have an ocean[3] within my body.

The moon and sun[4] are both in my heart; thou hast not obtained such knowledge?

He who subdueth mammon knoweth that God is everywhere diffused;

He may be known by this mark that he storeth contentment as his wealth.[5]

The king dwelleth with those who listen not to advice, and who are not grateful for what they receive.

Nanak, slave of slaves, representeth, O God, in one moment Thou makest the small great and the great small.[6]

Chatur Das requested further information. 'Sir, shall the name of God be to any extent obtained by what we teach the people and what we learn ourselves?' The Guru inquired in return: 'O religious teacher, what hast thou read? What teachest thou the people, and what knowledge dost thou communicate to thy disciples?' The Pandit replied: 'By the will of God I teach the people the fourteen sciences--reading, swimming, medicine, alchemy, astrology, singing the six râgs and their raginis, the science of sexual enjoyment, grammar, music, horsemanship, dancing, archery, theology, and statesmanship.' The Guru replied that better than all these was knowledge of God.' Upon this he repeated the long composition called the Oamkar in the Rag

[1. The fire of evil passions.

2 Of my youth.

3. Of desires. Man is here the measure of infinity. The ocean is supposed to contain fire which consumes it and hinders its increase. This fire is called barwânal, and is supposed to be near the Equator.

4. Meditation and divine knowledge.

5. Also translated--He who hoardeth mercy instead of wealth recognizeth God.

6. Literally--in a moment thou canst make a tola a mâsha, and in a moment a mâsha a tola. A tola is 180 grains avoirdupois, the weight of a rupee. A mâsha is the twelfth part of a tola. The hymn is from Basant.]

{p. 64}

Ramkali, the first two pauris or stanzas of which are as follow:--

It is the one God who created Brahma;[1]

It is the one God who created our understanding;