GURBANI.WORLD

By Thy Grace. Kabit.

If the Lord is realized by eating filth, by besmearing the body with ashes and by residing in he cremation-ground, then the hog eats filth, the elephant and ass get their bodies filled with ashes and the bager resides in the cremation-ground.

If the Lord meets in the cloister of mendicants, by wandering like a stoic and abiding in silence, then the owl lives in the cloister of mendicants, the deer wanders like a stoic and the tree abides in silence till death.

If the Lord is realized by restraining the emission of semen and by wandering with bare feet, then a eunuch may be eulogized for restraining the emission of semen and the monkey always wanders with bare feet.

One who is under the control of a woman and whou is active in lust and anger and also who is ignorant of the Knowledge of the ONE LORD, how can such person ferry across the world-ocean? 1.71.

If the Lord is realized by wandering in the forest, by drinking only the milk and by subsisting on air, then the ghost wanders in the forest, all the infants live on milk and the serpents subsist on air.

If the Lord meets by eating grass and forsaking the gred of wealth, then the Bulls, the young ones of cows do that.

If the Lord is realized by flying in the sky and by closing the eyes in meditation, then the birds fly in the sky and those who close their eyes in meditation are considered like crane, cat and wolf.

All the Knowers of Brahman know the reality of these imposters, but I have not related it; never bring in your mind such deceitful thoughts even by mistake. 2.72.

He who lives on the earth should be called the young one of white ant and those who fly in the sky may be called sparrows.

They, who eat fruit may be called the young ones of monkeys, those who wander invisibly, may be considered as ghosts.

One, who swims on water is called water-fly by the world; one, who eats fire, may be considered like Chakor (redlegged partridge).

One who worships the sun, may be symbolized as lotus and one, who worships the moon may be recognized as water-lily (The lotus blooms on seeing the sun and the water-lily blossoms on seeing the moon). 3.73.

If the Name of the Lord is Narayana (One whose house is in water), then Kachh (tortoise incarnation), Machh (fish incarnation) and Tandooaa (octopus) will be called Naryana and if the Name of the Lord is Kaul-Naabh (Navel-lotus), then the tank in which the lotus has grown, its name is also Kaul-Naabh.

If the Name of the Lord is Gopi Nath, then the Lord of Gopi is a cowherd; if the Name of the Lord is GOPAL, the Sustainer of cows, then all the cowherds are Dhencharis (the Graziers of cows); if the Name of the Lord is Rikhikes, then there are several chieftains of this name.

If the Name of Lord is Madhva, then the black bee is also called Madhva; if the Name of the Lord is Kanhaya, then the spider is also called Kanhaya; if the Name of he Lord is the "Slayer of Kansa," then the messenger of Yama, who slayed Kansa, may be called the "Slayer of Kansa".

The foolish people wail and weep. But do not know the profound secret, therefore they do not worship Him, who protects our life. 4.74.

The Sustainer and Destroyer of the Universe is Benevolent towards the poor, tortures the enemies, preserves ever and is without the snare of death.

The Yogis, hermits with matted locks, true donors and great celibates, for a Sight of Him, endure hunger and thirst on their bodies.

For a Sight of Him, the intestines are purged, offerings are made to water, fire and air, austerities are performed with face upside down and standing on a single foot.

The men, Sheshanaga, gods and demons have not been able to know His Secret and the Vedas and Katebs (Semitic Scriptures) speak of Him as "Neti, Neti" (Not this, Not this) and Infinite. 5.75.

If the Lord is realized by devotional dancing, then the peacocks dance with the thundering of the clouds and if the Lord gets pleased on seeing the devotion through friendliness, then the lightning performs it by various flashes.

If the Lord meets by adopting coolness and serenity, then there is none cooler than the moon; if the Lord meets by the endurance of heat, then none is hotter than the sun, and if the Lord is realized by the munificence, then none is more munificent than Indra, the king of gods, who as rain-god fills the world and the earth with abundance of wherewithals.

If the Lord is realised by the practice of austerities, then none is more austere than god Shiva; if the Lord meets by the recitation of Vedas, then none is more conversant with the Vedas than the god Brahma: there is also no great performer of asceticism than Sanat Kumar (the son of Brahma).

The persons without the Knowledge of the Lord, entrapped in the snare of death always transmigrate in all the four ages. 6.76.

There was one Shiva, who passed away and another one came into being; there are many incarnations of Ramchandra and Krishna.

There are many Brahmas and Vishnus, there are many Vedas and Puranas, there have been the authors of all the Smritis, who created their works and passed away.

Many religious leaders, many chieftains of clans, many Ashwani Kumars and many degrees of incarnations, they had all been subject to death.

Many Muslim preceptors (Pirs) and Prophets, who cannot be count ed, they were born out of the earth, ultimately merged in the earth. 7.77.

The Yougis, celibates and students observing celibacy, many great sovereigns, who walk several miles under the shade of canopy.

Who conquer the countries of many great kings and bruise their ego.

The Sovereign like Mandhata and the Canopied Sovereign like Dalip, who were proud of their mightly forces.

The emperor like Darius and the great egoist like Duryodhana, after enjoying the earthly pleasures, finally merged in the earth.8.78.

If the Lord is pleased by prostrating before Him, then the gunner full of deceit bows his head several times while igniting the gun and the addict acts in the same manner in intoxication.

What, then, if the wrestler bends his body several times during his rehearsal of exercises, but that is not the prostration of eight parts of the body.

What, then, if the patient lies down with his face upwards, he has not bowed his head before the Primal Lord with single-mindedness.

But one always subservient to desire and active in telling the beads of the rosary, and also without faith, how can he realize the Lord of the world? 9.79.

If the Lord is realized by knocking the head, then that person repeatedly knocks his head, in whose ear the centipede enters and if the Lord meets by beating the head, then one beats his head in grief over the death of friends or sons.

If the Lord is realized by wandering in the forest, then there is none other like the he-goat, who grazes the akk (Calotropis Procera), eats the flowers and fruit and always wanders in the forest.

If the Lord meets by rubbing the head with the trees in order to remove drowsiness, then the sheep always rubs its head with the trees and if the Lord meets by eating the earth, then you can ask the leech.

How can one meet the Lord in the next world, who is subservient to desire, active in lust and anger and without faith? 10.80.

If the Lord is realised by dancing and shouting, then pecock dances, the frog croaks and the clouds thunder.

If the Lord meets by standing on one leg, then the tree stands on one foot in the forest, and if the Lord meets on observing non-violence, then the Sravak (aina monk) places his feet very cautiously on the earth.

If the Lord is realised by not moving from one place or by wandering, then the stone remains at one place for many ages and the crow and kite continue wandering in several countries.

When a person without knowledge cannot merge in the Supreme Lorrd, then how can these devoid of trust and faith ferry across the world-ocean?11.81.

Just as an actor sometimes becomes a Yogi, sometimes a Bairagi (recluse) and sometimes shows himself in the guise of a Sannyasi (mendicant).

Sometimes he becomes a person subsisting on air, sometimes sits observing abstract meditation and sometimes under the intoxication greed, sings praises of many kinds.

Sometimes he becomes a Brahmchari (student observing celibacy), sometimes shows his promptness and sometimes becoming a staff- bearing hermit deludes the people.

He dances becoming subordinate to passions; how will he be able to attain an entry into Lord's Abode without knowledge?.12.82.

If the jackal howls for five times, then either the winter sets in or there is famine, but nothing happens if the elephant trumpets and ass brays many times. (Similarly the actions of a knowledgeable person are fruitful and those of an ignorant one are fruitless).

If one observes the ritual of sawing at Kashi, nothing will happen, because a chief is slayed and sawed several times with axes.

If a fool, with a noose around his neck, is drowned on the current of Ganges, nothing will happen, because several times the dacoits kill the wayfarer by putting the noose around his neck.

The fools have drowned in the current of hell without deliberations of knowledge, because how can a faithless person comprehend the concepts of knowledge?.13.83.

If the Blissful Lord is realised by the endurance of sufferings, then a wounded person endures several types of sufferings on his body.

If the unmutterable Lord can be realised by the repetition of His Name, then a small bird called pudana repeats "Tuhi, Tuhi" (Thou art everyting) all the time.

If the Lord can be realised by flying in the sky, then the phonix always flies in the sky.

If the salvation is attained by burning oneself in fire, then the woman burning herself on the funeral pyre of her husband (Sati) should get salvation; and if one achieves liberation by residing in a cave, then why the serpents residing in the nether-world do not attain liberation?.14.84.

Somebody became a Bairagi (recluse), somebody a Sannyasi (mendicant). Somebody a Yogi, somebody a Brahmchari (student observing celibacy) and someone is considered a celibate.

Someone is Hindu and someone a Muslim, then someone is Shia, and someone a Sunni, but all the human beings, as a species, are recognized as one and the same.

Karta (The Creator) and Karim (Merciful) is the same Lord, Razak (The Sustainer) and Rahim (Compassionate) is the same Lord, there is no other second, therefore consider this verbal distinguishing feature of Hindusim and Islam as an error and an illusion.

Thus worship the ONE LORD, who is the common enlightener of all; all have been created in His Image and amongst all comprehend the same ONE LIGHT. 15.85.

The temple and the mosque are the same, there is no difference between a Hindu worship and Muslim prayer; all the human beings are the same, but the illusion is of various types.

The gods, demons, Yakshas, Gandharvas, Turks and Hindus… all these are due to the differences of the various garbs of different countries.

The eyes are the same, the ears the same, the bodies are the same and the habits are the same, all the creation is the amalgam of earth, air, fire and water.

Allah of Muslims and Abhekh (Guiseless) of Hindus are the same, the Puranas of Hindus and the holy Quran of the Muslims depict the same reality; all have been created in the image of the same Lord and have the same formation. 16.86.

Just as millions of sparks are created from the fire; although they are different entities, they merge in the same fire.

Just as from of waves are created on the surface of the big rivers and all the waves are called water.

Similarly the animate and inanimate objects come out of the Supreme Lord; having been created from the same Lord, they merge in the same Lord. 17.87.

There are many a tortoise and fish and there are many who devour them; there are many a winged phoenix, who always continue flying.

There are many who devour even the phonenix in the sky and there are many, who even eat and digest the materialized devourers.

Not only to speak of the residents of water, earth and wanders of the sky, all those created by god of death will ultimately be devoured ( destroyed) by him.

Just as the light merged in darkness and the darkness in the light all the created beings generated by the Lord will ultimately merge in Him. 18.88.

Many cry out while wandering, many weep and many die; many are drowned in water and many are burnt in fire.

Many live on the banks of Ganges and many reside in Mecca and Medina, many becoming hermits, indulge in wanderings.

Many endure the agony of sawing, many get buried in the earth, many are hanged on the gallows and many undergo great angulish.

Many fly in the sky, many lives in water and many without knowledge. In their waywardness burn themselves to death. 19.89.

The gods got weary of making offerings of fragrances, the antagonistic demons have got weary, he knowledgeable sages have got weary and worshippers of good understanding have also got weary.

Those who rub sandalwood have got tired, the appliers of fine scent (otto) have got tired, the image-worshippers have got tired and those making offerings of sweet curry, have also got tired.

The visitors of graveyards have got tired, the worshippers of hermitages and monuments have got tired; those who besmear the walls images have got tired and those who print with embossing seal have also got tired.

Gandharvas, the musicians of goods have got tired, Kinnars, the players of musical instruments have got tired, the Pundits have got highly weary and the ascetics observing austerities have also got tired. None of the above-mentioned people have been able to know the secret of the Supreme Lord.20.90.