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ETERNAL INDIA
encyclopedia
WISDOM OF INDIA
justice, polite manners, faithfulness, truth, and increase of sincerity,
and so forth, are the result. The latter is kept in bonds by the external
forms of royal power, by vanity, the slavishness of men, and the desire
of enjoyment; hence everywhere there is insecurity, unsettledness,
strife, oppression, faithlessness, robbery.
Royalty is a light emanating from God, and a ray from the sun, the
illuminator of the universe, the argument of the book of perfection, the
receptacle of all virtues. Modern language calls this light the divine
light, and the tongue of antiquity called it the sublime halo. It is
communicated by God to kings without the intermediate assistance of
anyone, and men, in the presence of it, bend the forehead of praise
toward the ground of submission.
Again, many excellent qualities flow from the possession of this
light:
1.
A paternal love towards the subjects. Thousands find rest in the
love of the king, and sectarian differences do not raise the dust of strife.
In his wisdom, the king will understand the spirit of the age, and shape
his plans accordingly.
2.
A large heart. The sight of anything disagreeable does not un-
settle him, nor is want of discrimination for him a source of disappoint-
ment. His courage steps in. His divine firmness gives him the power
of requital, nor does the high position of an offender interfere with it.
The wishes of great and small are attended to, and their claims meet with
no delay at his hands.
3.
A daily increasing trust in God. When he performs an action, he
considers God as the real doer of it [and himself as the medium] so that
a conflict of motives can produce no disturbance.
4.
Prayer and devotion. The success of his plans will not lead him
to neglect, nor will adversity cause him to forget God and madly trust
in man. He puts the reins of desire into the hands of reason; in the wide
field of his desires he does not permit himself to be trodden down by
restlessness; nor will he waste his precious time in seeking after that
which is improper. He makes wrath', the tyrant, pay homage to wisdom,
so that blind rage may not get the upper hand, and inconsiderateness
overstep the proper limits. He sits on the eminence of propriety, so that
those who have gone astray have a way left to return, without exposing
their bad deeds to the public gaze. When he sits in judgment, the pe-
titioner seems to be the judge, and he himself, on account of his
mildness, the suitor for justice. He does not permit petitioners to be de-
layed on the path of hope; he endeavours to promote the happiness of
the creatures in obedience to the will of the Creator, and never seeks to
please the people in contradiction to reason. He is forever searching
after those who speak the truth and is not displeased with words that
seem bitter, but are in reality sweet. He considers the nature of the
words and the rank of the speaker. He is not content with committing
violence, but he must see that no injustice is done with his realm.
From
Abdul Fazl, Ain-i-Akbarii
As a fish out of water, so is the infidel— dying of thirst.
If thy breath be drawn in vain, O Man, thou shalt die without God.
O Man, repeat God’s name and praises;
But how shalt thou obtain this pleasure without the guru? It is the
guru who uniteth man with God.
Meeting the society of holy men is as a pilgrimage for the holy.
Man is led astray by the reading of words; ritualists are very proud.
What availeth it to bathe at a place of pilgrimage, if the filth of pride
be in the heart?
Who but the guru can explain that the King and Emperor dwelleth
in the heart?
All men err; it is only the great Creator who erreth not.
He who admonisheth his heart under the guru's instruction shall
love the Lord.
Nanak, he whom the incomparable Word hath caused to meet God,
shall not forget the True One.
The Hindus have forgotten God, and are going the wrong way.
They worship according to the instruction of Narad.
They are blind and dumb, the blindest of the blind.
The ignorant fools take stones and worship them.
O Hindus, how shall the stone which itself sinketh carry you across?
What power hath caste? It is the reality that is tested.
Poison may be held in the hand, but man dieth if he eateth it.
The sovereignty of the True One is known in every age.
He who obeyeth God's order shall become a noble in His court.
They who have meditated on God as the truest of the true, have done
real worship and are contented;
They have refrained from evil, done good deeds, and practised hon-
esty;
They have lived on a little corn and water, and burst the entangle-
ments of the world.
Thou art the great Bestower; ever Thou gi vest gifts which increase
a quarterfold.
They who have magnified the great God have found Him.
The Teachings of Guru Nanak
From Macauliffe,
The Sikh Religion
Have dealings with every one, but consider yourselves distinct.
Your faith and daily duties are distinct from theirs. Bathe every
morning before repast. If your bodies endure not cold water then heat
it. Ever abstain from tobacco. Remember the one immortal God.
Repeat the Rahiras in the evening and the Sohila at bedtime. Receive
the baptism and teaching of the guru, and act according to the
Granth
Sahib.
Cling to the boat in which thou hast embarked. Wander not in
search of another religion. Repeat the guru's hymns day and night.
Marry only into the house of a Sikh. Preserve thy wife and thy children
from evil company. Covet not money offered for religious purposes.
Habitually attend a Sikh temple and eat a little sacred food therefrom.
Sayings of Guru Gobind Singh
from Macauliffe,
The Sikh Religion
The first and greatest defect I observed in the English is their want
of faith in religion, and their great inclination to philosophy [atheism].