They who love mammon are painfully ignorant.

Without money goods cannot be had from a shop;

Without a boat man cannot cross the sea;

So, without serving the Guru, there is complete loss.

Hail, hail to him who showeth the road!

Hail, hail to him who communicateth the Word!

Hail, hail to him who blendeth us with God!

Hail, hail to Him to whom the soul belongeth

Under the Guru's instruction separate the true from the false, and drink it as nectar.

The greatness of the Name is bestowed according to Thy pleasure, O God.

Without the Name how could I live, O mother?

Night and day[1] I repeat it and remain, O Lord, under Thy protection.

Nanak, he who is imbued with the Name obtaineth honour.[2]

[1. Anudin, translated 'night and day' by the gyânis, is literally--every day.

2 Gauri Ashtapadi.]

{p. 21}

After this Nanak lay down, remained in one position for four days, and declined all physical exertion.

Nanak appears to have become unfitted for all secular occupation. His idleness became notorious, and a serious source of anxiety to his parents. His mother sought to lead him with mild admonitions to secular duty, but fortunately failed. His father then addressed himself to the task. He represented that he required assistance in the cultivation of his land, and Nanak was now of an age to turn his attention to agriculture. Nanak replied:--

Make thy body the field, good works the seed, irrigate with God's name;

Make thy heart the cultivator; God will germinate in thy heart, and thou shalt thus obtain the dignity of nirvan.[1]

His father and Rai Bular represented that that was not the way to become a husbandman, whose business ought to be manual labour, and whose object was to gain a livelihood. Upon this Nanak composed the following:--

Become a husbandman, make good works thy soil, and the word of God thy seed;[2] ever irrigate with the water of truth.

Faith shall germinate, and thus even a fool shall know the distinction between heaven and hell.

Think not that thou shalt find the Lord by mere words.

In the pride of wealth and the splendour of beauty life hath been wasted.

The sin of the body is a puddle, the mind is a toad therein, which valueth not at all the lotus.

The bumble-bee is the teacher,[3] who preacheth incessantly; but can the guru cause a man to understand who will not understand?[4]

[1. Sri Râg.

2. Also translated--Clear thy ground, make the Word thy seed.

3. That is, the Guru.

4. The body is compared to a puddle; the mind to a toad which loves the puddle, but sets no value on the beautiful lotus of spiritual wisdom. The spiritual guide, like the bee, unceasingly hums his message.]

{p. 22}