The Ādi Granth, or the Holy Scriptures of the Sikhs (1877) · 53

The lunar date, the week-day, the Jogi does not know; the season, the month, nobody (knows).

When the creator makes the creations, he himself (only) knows. How shall I teU (him)? how shall I praise (him)? how shall I describe (him)? how shall I know (him)?

0 Xanak! from the saying of (others) ^ every one says (it), one is more clever than the other.

Great is the Lord, of a great name, by whom creation is made. 0 Nanak! if one thinks (anything is made) by himself, he, having gone onwards (to the other world) will not be honoured.'

' Tlie sense is: every created thing has its name and thereby its own destiny. God alone is JJf^^if, i.e. not subject to destiny.

' VS, religious merit by good actions; VTJT is the Gen. Plur.

' The Sikh tradition is, that every man writes down (unknowingly) all his acts and deeds, and will present the tablet of them to Dharm-raja (Yama) when dying.

* He comes and goes, i.e. man is subjected to transmigration by reason of liis former (bad) works.

' The Sikh commentaries do not know what to make of these words. The sense seems to be this: — The Brahman, when asking for a gift, says WlffJO^ (*af«fl). Blessed I As men give gifts willingly when thus addressed by a Brahman, so God is also pleased when there is always desire in the heart to praise liim and to ask from him. The following verses are not logically connected with the preceding. Nanak is in the liabit of rambling from one thouglit to another without any attention to logical coherence.

' >HTtffe WTtf; WTtffe must here be taken as the Ablative Sing. The Sikh commentators, who are all totally unacquainted with the grammar of the old Hindu!, pass all such words in deep silence, without giving the least bint.

■ Explained thus by the old commentator: % ^^ tTT^ ^ f3^WW3 Wt ^ ^ ^f^WT ^ ^ ^tdJlM 5"33 7\ MS\ 7!T "UT? "If one thinks, that as murli as a sesam-seed is made by me, he will not obtain honour at the threshold of the creator."

There are Lakhs of nether regions in the nether regions, (Lakhs) of heavens in the heavens. Having sought the end, the end, they have become tired, the Vedas say one word.

The books (of the Musalmans) say: (there are) eighteen thousand (worlds), one single hair out of the hairs of a horse.'

If there would be an account (of the works of God), it would be written, (but) the account is destroyed {i.e. impossible). 0 Nanak! he is called great, he himself knows his own self.

That I may praise (him), so much understanding I have not obtained. Rivers and brooks fall into the ocean, (but the ocean) is not known- (by them).

Kings and Sultans with rings, with houses, wealth and property, do not become equal to an ant, if from its mind he (God) is not forgotten.*

There is no end of his praises, in saying (them) there is no end.

There is no end of his works, in (his) giving there is no end.

There is no end in seeing (his works), no end in hearing (them).

No end is known, what counsel is in (his) mind. No end is known, what his form is. No end nor limit is known.

On account of (not getting) his end, how many lament! His bounds cannot be obtained. This end nobody knows. If much be said, much (more) is (to be said).

Great is the Lord, high his place. Higher than high is his name.

If one be so high, he may know this high one.

So great a one, as he himself is, he himself (only) knows.

0 Nanak! by his favourable look and by destiny the gift (of knowing his name is obtained).

His great benevolence cannot be written. He is a great giver, there is not a bit of greediness (in him).

Some warriors ask boundless (things). Some have no consideration nor thought (to ask anything).

Some are consumed and broken down by passion. Some having taken (his gifts) deny it.

Some fools go on eating. Some are always afflicted by pain and hunger.

This also is thy gift, 0 bountiful! Imprisonment (and) release is made by (thy) decree. The other (things) no one can tell.