Life Of Guru Nanak: Chapter XIII | Internet Sacred Text Archive

Sikhism

CHAPTER XIII

The Guru then turned his thoughts towards Ceylon, and succeeded in reaching that country, where he took his seat in Raja Shivnabh's garden.

[1. Sri Rag, Ashtapadi.]

{p. 155} At that time it was barren, but it is said to have become green on the Guru's arrival. The gardener requested the king to go and see the faqir who had caused the withered garden to bloom anew. The king sent beautiful damsels to dance before the Guru and tempt him with their charms. The Guru, wrapped up in his own thoughts, neither spoke to them nor noticed them. The king came and inquired his name, caste, and whether he was a Jogi. The Guru replied as follows:--

The Jogi who is associated with the Name and is pure, hath not a particle of uncleanness.

He who keepeth with him the name of the Beloved, which is ever true, hath escaped birth and death.

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 is but One Name, One God, One Light in the three worlds.

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 above all; the dealers are many.

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 wavereth not, who can understand it.

[1. Brâhmans use sweet basil and bel (Aegle Marmelos) leaves in their worship, the former in the worship of Vishnu and the latter in the worship of Shiv.]

{p. 156}

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, whether I am abroad or at home is the same to me; Nanak hath become such an anchoret.[1]

When the Guru had ended, the king invited him to go to his palace and see his queen. He gave him an opportunity of expounding his doctrines to her.

It was during Guru Nanak's visit to Ceylon that he composed the Pransangali, which contained an account of the silent palace of God, the manner of meditating on Him, the private utterances of the Guru, and the nature of the soul and body. The following are its opening verses:--

The supreme state is altogether a void,[2] all people say;

In the supreme state there is no rejoicing or mourning;

In the supreme state there are felt no hopes or desires;