1 GURU NANAK. 247
2 he, “before the threshold of God.” “Thou art the incorporeal Creator,
3 and Nénak is thy slave:” “Tut hae Nivankds Kirtar, Naénak banda
4 terd,” was the theme of the good-hearted, pious Né4nak. He took particular ais favourite theme,
5 delight in causing this theme to be played on the rubdb by his favourite
6 actor and the companion of his toils, Mardand. His doctrine was that God His doctrine.
7 was all in all, and he taught all to believe in the Creator, the Lord of Lords,
8 the one God, self-existent, incomprehensible, omnipotent, without beginning
9 and everlasting. Good deeds were nothing in themselves, but the knowledge
10 of the true God was the only way to salvation. No prophetor holy teacher
11 has the power to do good or to do evil to anybody. Everything comes
12 from God, who alone must be depended upon for all our wants. Holy men
13 can only tell and interpret His commands. They are nothing of themselves,
14 He was a believer in the transmigration of souls, and maintained that, _ Believes in the trans-
15 after undergoing the prescribed course of punishment for the sins com. ™etHon ofsouls.
16 mitted by man, the soul shall find its blissful home with God. Although
17 he was taken for an ascetic in his early life, in consequence of his absenting
18 himself: from his family, and his dislike for the society of men, yet that
19 was in the ardent search for truth. Ndnak laboured for years as an enquirer
20 after truth, and passed a considerable portion of his life in travels in India,
21 and beyond its limits; but, after he had seen enough of the world and gained
22 much by his great and varied intercourse with mankind, he became a world-
23 ly man himself, and lived in his family and with his people as a patriarch.
24 He then taught his ‘followers that abandonment of the world was quite _, Discourages ascett-
25 unnecessary, and that God treated all with equal favour, whether travellers ~~"
26 or home dwellers, and that, between the hermit in his cell and the king
27 in his palace, no difference was made in respect of the kingdom to come.
28 The doctrines of this great Hindu reformer have been handed down in the
29 famous book called the “Granth,” or holy book, written by himself. It is | The Grant," or
30 called the Adi Granth, to distinguish it from the second part, composed by "7
31 Guru Govind, a successor of Nanak, who greatly modified the tenets of
32 his predecessor, and infused into his followers ideas of war and conquest,
33 turning them from peaceable subjects into a contentious tribe.
34 As mentioned before, Ndnak never professed to possess miraculous — Ninak disclaimed
35 powers, or pretended to do supernatural deeds, though his credulous followers ™tscwlons Powers:
36 attributed such powers to him. They think Nanak the incarnation of God,
37 and repeat his name as their saviour, or lord, in their prayers. There are _ nevertheless his
38 various stories current about his miracles, some of which may, with ad- {homespdlerene
39 vantage, be cited here as showing the ideas and notions which his followers Powers.
40 entertain of his character. A voice was one day heard by Ndnak from
41 above, calling upon him to approach. Ndnak, surprised at hearing the voice,
42 said: “ What power have I, O God, to standin thy presence?” The voice
43 directed Nanak to close his eyes. Ndnak closed his eyes and advanced.
44 .He was then told to open his eyes and look. He did so, and heard the word
45 “Wak” or “Well done” repeated five times, and then “ Wah, Guruji,” or origin of the
46 “Well done, teacher.” Nanak then entered into conversation with God, who Bationalasthem,
47 informed him that he had been sent into the world asa teacher of mankind’ =
48 in the Kaliyug, or dark age, and that he was to lead them into the paths
49 of righteousness and virtue.
50 One day Nanak, becoming thirsty, asked Budha, who was attending his
51 cattle near a village, to bring some water in a vessel from a tank close by.
52 ‘Budha said there was a tank, but it was dry. Nanak said, “Go and see;
53 the tank is not dry.” Budha went, and to his astonishment saw that the
54 tank was full of water, although it had not a drop in it in the morning.
55 He brought water for Ndnak, and became his disciple. At this place
56 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh J i eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com