O Lord, my breath, body, and soul are all Thine; Thou art very dear to me.

The poet Nanak thus speaketh; O True Cherisher,

If Thou give nothing to any one, what pledge can he give Thee?[1]

Nanak representeth, he who is destined from the beginning to obtain something shall obtain it.

The deceitful person who, instead of thinking of God's name, practiseth deceit,

Shall be led captive to the gate of Death, and shall then as he is led along regret lost opportunities.

As long as we are in this world, Nanak, hear somewhat and speak somewhat of God.

I have searched and found no resting-place; wherefore in the midst of life be in death.

The Guru moralized as follows on seeing a thief arrested:--

If a thief praise the magistrate, the mind of the latter is not pleased thereby;

If he revile the magistrate, it cannot displease him in the least.

Nobody will be surety for a thief.

[1. Man can obtain nothing from God except as the result of His favour. If man receive nothing from God, no surety is needed.]

{p. 338}

How can what a thief doeth be good?

Hear, O fool, dog, and liar,

The True One knoweth thee, O thief, without thy speaking.

A thief may be well dressed, a thief may be ingenious,

Yet he is only worth a double paisa, the price of a bad rupee.

If thou put a bad coin with others,

It will be found counterfeit on being assayed.

As man acteth, so shall be his reward:

He himself soweth and he himself eateth the fruit.

Even though man praise himself,

Yet will he act according to his understanding.

If he tell hundreds of lies to conceal the truth,

He shall still be false even though the whole world call him good.

If it please Thee, even a fool is acceptable.

Nanak, God is clever to know man's secret.

A Brahman, a Qazi, and a Jogi entered into discussion with the Guru, and he gave them the following instruction:--

The body is the paper, the mind the order written thereon,

Silly man readeth not the lines of destiny on his forehead.

In God's court three destinies [1] are engraved.

Lo! what is counterfeit is there of no avail.

Nanak, if there be sterling silver within us,

Everybody will say that it is real.

The Qazi telleth lies and eateth filth.

The Brahman taketh life and then batheth.

The ignorant Jogi knoweth not the way of union with God--

The whole three ruin the world.[2]

He is a Jogi who knoweth the way to God,

And who by the Guru's favour only recognizeth the One.

He-is a Qazi who turneth away men from the world,

And who by the Guru's favour while alive is dead.

[1. Superior, medium, and inferior destinies.

2 Literally--the three form the boundary of the wilderness, that is, preach the whole of what ruins mortals.]