Hymn to the Perfect Guru

For millions of ages there was thick darkness;
There was no earth, no sky, only the Will of the Infinite.
There was no day or night, no moon or sun, only He alone
sitting in unmoving trance.

 

No existent matter or speech, no air and no water,
No creation, no destruction, no coming or going,
No continents, no worlds below, no surging ocean or flowing river.

 

There were no higher, middle or lower levels of existence;
There was no heaven and no hell, neither was there death.
There was no hell and no heaven, no birth or death, no coming or going.

 

There was no Brahma, Vishnu or Mahesh;
No other was to be seen, only the One.
There was no female or male, no caste and no birth and no-one to suffer pain or pleasure …

 

There was no karma or dharma or maya.
Caste and birth were not seen with the eye;
There was no snare of affection, death stalked no head,
There was nothing to meditate on….

 

There was no caste or religious division, no Brahman nor Khatri caste;
No god, no temple, no cow or Gayatri.
There was no living sacrifice, no bathing in holy places,
no-one to perform worship …

 

There were no Vedas, no Muslim scriptures, no Smritis, no Shastras.
There was no reading of the Puranas at sunrise and sunset;
The unseen Lord was both subject and object of devotion, the
unique One Himself perceived all.

 

When He willed it, then He created the world and He set the
unsupported firmament.
He created Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh; and maya and
temptation.

 

A few rare persons are enabled to hear the Guru’s Word.
By His will He created all and watches over it.
He founded continents, the universe, the worlds below, the
Unmanifest manifested Himself.

 

No one knows His limits;
The Perfect Guru provides understanding.
Nanak, those who are filled with Truth wonder, they delight in
singing praise to the Guru.