with Nanak. He enjoined him to abandon his whims and act like others, as no one could live without worldly occupation. Nanak was not convinced, so his father in despair left him and went to attend to his ordinary business. Nanak's mother again attempted the worldly reformation of her son. She requested him to forget even for a few days his devotions and go abroad, so that the neighbours might be assured that Kalu's son had recovered his reason. Nanak then uttered the following verses in the Rag Asa:--

If I repeat the Name, I live; if I forget it, I die;[1]

It is difficult to repeat the true Name.

If a man hunger after the true Name, His pain shall depart when he satisfieth himself with it.[2]

Then how could I forget it, O my mother?

True is the Lord, true is His name;

Men have grown weary of uttering

Even an iota of His greatness; His worth they have not discovered.

If all men were to join and try to describe Him,

That would not add to or detract from His greatness.

God dieth not, neither is there any mourning for Him

He continueth to give us our daily bread which never faileth.

His praise is-that there neither is,

Nor was, nor shall be any one like unto Him.

As great as Thou art Thyself, O God, so great is Thy gift.

Thou who madest the day madest also the night.

They who forget their Spouse[3] are bad characters;[4]

Nanak, without His name they are naught.[5]

[1. Of course, spiritual life and death are meant.

2. Literally--the pain of that hungry man shall depart on eating the Name, that is, on receiving it as food. The verse is also translated--His pain shall depart; all his desires shall be merged in his hunger for the Name.

3. The allusion here is to men forgetting God.

4. A colloquial meaning of the word kamijât, which literally means inferior caste.

5. Sanât, a plural form of san, a year, or an age. The word was {footnote p. 26} applied to coin which had long circulated, and which had consequently worn away and become worthless.]

{p. 26}

Then his mother arose and told the household of Nanak's state. Upon this the whole family and relations grew sad, and said it was a great pity that Kalu's son had become mad.

His uncle Lalu among others exerted himself to console the young prophet. He represented to Nanak that all his relations had fixed on an occupation for him, but he had refused to adopt it. On the contrary, he would do nothing whatever, not even enjoy himself. Nanak then gave utterance to the following hymn, which, however, is not found in the Granth Sahib:--

All men are bound by entanglements; how can these be called good qualities?

Nay, O Lalu, listen to the following qualities:--

Forgiveness is my mother, contentment my father,

Truth by which I have subdued my heart my uncle,