By His order men are high or low; by His order they obtain preordained pain or pleasure.

By His order some obtain their reward; by

[paragraph continues] His order others must ever wander in transmigration.

All are subject to His order; none is exempt from it.

He who understandeth God's order, O Nānak, is never guilty of egotism.

III

Who can sing His power? Who hath power to sing it?

Who can sing His gifts or know His signs?

Who can sing His attributes, His greatness, and His deeds?

Who can sing His knowledge, whose study is arduous?

Who can sing Hine, who fashioneth the body and again destroyeth it?

Who can sing Him, who taketh away life and again restoreth it?

Who can sing Him, who appeareth to be far, but is known to be near?

Who can sing Him, who is all-seeing and omnipresent?

In describing Him there would never be an end.

Millions of men give millions upon millions of descriptions of Him, but they fail to describe Him.

The Giver giveth; the receiver groweth weary of receiving.

In every age man subsisteth by His bounty.

The Commander by His order hath laid out the way of the world.

Nānak, God the unconcerned is happy.

.      .      .      .      .

V

He is not established, nor is He created.

The pure one existeth by Himself,

They who worshipped Him have obtained honour.

Nānak, sing His praises who is the Treasury of excellences.

Sing and hear and put His love into your hearts.

Thus shall your sorrows be removed, and you shall be absorbed in Him who is the abode of happiness.

Under the Guru's instruction God's word is heard; under the Guru's instruction its knowledge is acquired; under the Guru's instruction man learns that God is everywhere contained.

The Guru is Shiv; the Guru is Vishnu and Brahma; 1 the Guru is Pārbati, 2 Lakhshmi, 3 and Saraswati. 4

If I knew Him, should I not describe Him? He cannot be described by words,

My Guru hath explained one thing to me—

That there is but one Bestower on all living beings; may I not forget Him!

VI

If I please Him, that is my place of pilgrimage to bathe in; if I please Him not, what ablutions shall I make?

What can all the created beings I behold obtain without previous good acts?

Precious stones, jewels, and gems shall be treasured up in thy heart if thou hearken to even one word of the Guru.

The Guru hath explained one thing to me. That there is but one Bestower on all living beings; may I not forget Him!

VII

Were man to live through the four ages, 1 yea ten times longer;

Were he to be known on the nine continents, 2 and were everybody to follow in his train;

Were he to obtain a great name and praise and renown in the world;